Jawad al-Maliki is the guy.
From the NY Times:
Officials with rival political blocs said tonight that despite earlier misgivings about Mr. Maliki they intended to support him when the Iraqi Parliament convenes on Saturday afternoon.
Once the Parliament agrees on other leaders, Mr. Maliki will be asked to form a new government and cabinet. But there were [...]

Hi! My name’s Sean Aqui, and I’ve been invited to become a poster here at Donklephant. Justin asked that my first post tell you a little bit about me, so here goes.
My home turf is Midtopia, where I write about politics mostly (duh) with the occasional excursion into religion, science and firing kittens out of [...]

Michael is wrapping up the series. Here’s a taste…
Would we have to fly out from Erbil? There is only one commercial flight every week from Erbil to Istanbul. We would have to wait in Iraq for a week – a whole week – without any cash in a country that has no international banks, has [...]

Upon reading the following story late last night, I had just one question. However, I feared people would think I was being insensitive to the victims.
Well, I’ve gotten over it, so here’s the question: “Who in their right mind would let a random stranger into their house to do a free breast exam?”
From the [...]

That’s what Kevin Drum is wondering, and I think he has a some compelling evidence to back up the claim they want to negotiate.
It started on May 6, 2003, shortly after George Bush declared “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq. On that day the Associated Press reported without elaboration that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman had confirmed that [...]

Five kids plotting to kill their classmates? Scary stuff.
From KC Star:
RIVERTON, Kan. – Five teenage boys accused of plotting to kill other students in a shooting rampage at their southeast Kansas high school were arrested Thursday after details of the alleged scheme appeared on the Web site MySpace.com.
Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies found guns, ammunition, knives [...]

Well, this is kind of weird…
Ernie Chambers is Nebraska’s only African-American state senator, a man who has fought for causes including the abolition of capital punishment and the end of apartheid in South Africa. A magazine writer once described him as the “angriest black man in Nebraska.”
Ernie Chambers, the only African-American in the Nebraska Legislature, [...]

A great new article in New York magazine shouts from the rooftops what we’ve been talking about for nearly a year now.
“We’re moderate as hell, and we’re not gonna be silent anymore!”
Republicans used to brag that theirs was the party of fresh thinking, but who’s brain-dead now? All the big new ideas they have trotted [...]

Are you? Should you be?

My entry is #343. Just scroll down on the left side. If you’re confused, read about it here.
Now, I’ll be doing this every few days until the competition is over on the 27th. You can vote one time per computer, per day.
Thanks!

They were told to sell their house and move.

Imagine this situation. Two black children, a brother and a sister, enrol at a school which is predominatly white. they are subject to racial slurs and other harrassment. They are threatened and assaulted. In one instance, after the girl is threatened, her white nemesis is forced to [...]

Iraq’s Prime Minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, could be stepping down.
More from the NY Times:
While some leaders said that Mr. Jaafari’s move could lead to an end to the political impasse, expressions of optimism by the same officials in the past four months have proven to be premature, and many details remain to be [...]

My friend Barry Casselman, a poet, playwright and political journalist who lives in Minneapolis and writes regularly for The Washington Times and the Weekly Standard (he’s sort of the house centrist, the way David Brooks is the New York Times’ harmless pet conservative) has sent me an advertising piece for Minnesota Independence Party candidate for [...]

“The religious community has to decide whether they want to be tax exempt or involved in politics.”
- DNC Chairman Howard Dean

I guess it’s about time that the gay Republican shares his thoughts on the issue. You can read them over at NeoMugwump.

What if we had never gone into Iraq?
What if, in that time, Iraq continued to pose no immediate threat?
What if, regardless of us not being in Iraq, Iran went ahead with its nuclear program?
Would we be in a better position to confront Iran?
Would we hold more authority with our allies and semi-allies?
Would the American people [...]

He explains that quote that had us puzzled. He was misquoted, in some essential words, but not in his essential idea.

In his recent account of a breakfast book party at the home of Tina Brown and Harry Evans, Eric Alterman misquoted me slightly but significantly. What I actually said was “the hate America tendency of [...]

Kevin Drum has a timely reminder for antis who are all enthused about the retired generals coming out and saying Rumsfeld should quit. Outside the question of whether he really should quit is the larger issue of civilian control of the U.S. military.

There’s really nothing to like about this. Whether the war was “unnecessary” or [...]

Here’s an excellent idea.

The Frontline Forum is an alternative channel for compelling stories from those now wearing boots and carrying rifles and not comments or those endlessly forwarded unattributed “true” stories that always seem airbrushed. This is a place for those deployed in harm’s way to tell real stories about the ground situation.
Our goal is [...]