I think that something has shifted at the Times. From the atrocious Hulse article this AM and the gawdawful Zeleny article last Saturday which read like RNSC talking points, we get a combined article by the two of them slated for tomorrow’s paper which is actually pretty good.

Here is the lede paragraph:

After Senate Republicans yet again thwarted a proposal to withdraw American troops from Iraq, Democratic leaders on Wednesday abruptly halted consideration of a major Pentagon policy measure, heading off the introduction of competing Iraq plans

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And sometime in the last day or so apparently Hulse and Zeleny discovered what a filibuster was after all:

The Democrats fell eight votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. They said the outcome showed Republicans were preventing a majority of the Senate from trying to force Mr. Bush to begin winding down combat operations in Iraq, and pledged to use an August recess to keep pressing Republicans. [emphasis mine]

Moreover, the first person quoted in the article is for a real difference, a democrat:

“Our colleagues in the Senate are going to have a chance to go home, explain their votes and vote again,” said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Senate Democrat. “And eventually, I am confident, they’ll join us in changing the direction in Iraq.”

I think this serves as proof that we can work the refs.

I would email the public editor at the NYT to let him know that the change in tenor of the articles is welcomed, and an apparent crash course on what a fillibuster actually is comes as a relief.

The email is public@nytimes.com.

The only thing I don’t know–is this Hulse/Zeleny article page 1?

Bush could have easily vetoed it and the Republican senators know it. The fillibuster was done so the Republicans wouldn’t have to have their vote on record as wanting to keep the war going. That’s what the real commentary should be on from the beltway community. Your missing Rove’s play on this one.

My IRAQ WAR FOR DUMMIES video CLICK HERE

anyone get the feeling Reid was just tossing me and you a bone with this all nighter? I’d hope he knows better ’cause we ain’t goin’ away.

I think you may have a point. This seemed to me like he was going through the motions. Of course, he is one of the wimpiest speakers in the Senate. I don’t know why the DEMs don’t seek out an articulate orator. Every time he gets in front of the mike, its as if he is apologizing for just being there. No wonder the media does not give us any respect. We don’t demand any. I would love to see Feingold or Webb lead the Senate. We also need to drop kick Lieberman through the goal posts of life and rid the party of this traitor. That would be a big deal for morale.

That was a LONG time ago, in another country. She was a loyal hitman when she “moderated” a debate during the 2004 election, and helped the Repubs “win” through her loaded questions to the Democrats.

In fact, this was the “headline” on the emailed update from “countdown with Keith Olbermann.” Thanks so much for drawing attention to the outrageous collusion of all of the media.

The blogs are all we have. I wrote Ann Curry thanks to your alert.

thanks for the followup on Russ — I would enjoy seeing the letter you eventually send. Here’s my email: rhfactorUSA at gmail dotcom. There’s got to be a reason for his position that is below ground. So maybe yes he is reachable on the matter. nice exchange, thank you.

Doing just some simple,quick and dirty math,isn’t America only like 5 or 6 percent of the total world population?

Do these criminally insane twits not realize we’re kinda outnumbered? The world does not need much from us,we’re not really all that indispensible right now. What kind of a complete idiot thinks that’s some place of strength?

Not to mention completely unsustainable military spending – 737 bases in 130 or so countries.

Doing just some simple,quick and dirty math,isn’t America only like 5 or 6 percent of the total world population?

Do these criminally insane twits not realize we’re kinda outnumbered? The world does not need much from us,we’re not really all that indispensible right now. What kind of a complete idiot thinks that’s some place of strength?

The people who think John Wayne was real. The people who think “if we could only go back to the fifties”. The people who think God thinks that American lives are more important than someone in Iraq or Darfur.