Links and Minifeatures 11 16 Thursday

Michael Barone on why Pelosi is supporting Murtha over Hoyer, and the risks she is taking. We'll find out sometime tomorrow who gets the nod for majority leader.



Later: House Democrats name Hoyer to No. 2 post

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats picked Rep. Steny Hoyer to be House majority leader on Thursday, spurning Rep. Nancy Pelosi's handpicked choice moments after unanimously backing her election as speaker when Congress convenes in January.



A Marylander and 25-year veteran of Congress, Hoyer defeated Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania in a vote of 149-86.

Credit where credit is due: The Democrats have dodged one bullet. But in the week since the election, they've stepped into the path of several others. So have the Republicans (Trent Lott? Give me a break!). I'm considering a recurring section called "Stupid Congresscritter Tricks"



Via Wizbang, looks like Abramoff has fingered Harry Reid.

A source close to the investigation says Abramoff told prosecutors that more than $30,000 in campaign contributions to Reid from Abramoff's clients "were no accident and were in fact requested by Reid."

and

The AP also reported that Abramoff's billing records showed extensive contact with Reid's office over a three-year period in which Reid collected more than $68,000 from Abramoff's firm, partners and clients.

Ham Nation (video) psychoanalyses both parties post election.



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Plutonium Found in Iran, and people are surprised?



I am only surprised 1) that someone actually looked, and 2) reported it when they found it.



The Europeans, Russians, Chinese, and IAEA have all decided that the Official Truth is that the Iranians are not developing nuclear weapons. The people in those governments (and the IAEA) are likely to be roasted alive by mobs after Iran nukes Israel and Israel nukes Iran back, catching half the world population in the fallout patterns. But hey, it relieves them of having to do anything the least bit difficult now.



Meanwhile: Iran says about to take "final step" in atomic plan

Ahmadinejad did not say what the final step was, but he repeated comments he made this week that Iran would celebrate its "right to nuclear technology" by March, the end of the Iranian year, the official IRNA news agency reported.



Tehran, which says its nuclear aims are peaceful...

Dead people and nuclear wastelands are very peaceful, as well as consistent with the goals of Iran's governing mullahs.



Likely related: Airport arrest turns up nuclear info

DETROIT (AP) — A man was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after officials say they found him carrying nearly $79,000 in cash and a laptop computer containing information about nuclear materials and cyanide.

He arrived from Nigeria by way of Amsterdam, and he is a US Citizen, but the article doesn't mention whether he was born or naturalized, or his religion. My money is on Shiite or Wahhabi Moslem. Anybody want to bet?



lgf notes that he's actually Ethiopian, which is mostly a christian nation, but doesn't mention his actual religion.



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OK So I'm Not Really A Cowboy with some real analysis on "Faith in people versus Fear"



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Fare thee well, Milton Friedman. You will be missed.



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McCain offers Republicans road to recovery. Nice talk. But if he really wants the party base, he's going to have to admit that McCain-Feingold was a mistake.



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I'm sure this is going to make all the difference: U.S. urges restrictions on anti-vehicle mines. From the same minds that brought us the war on drugs, no doubt. I had to look twice before I realized that said "US", not "UN".



Yes, they are a major problem. But people have been trying to restrict and ban weapons since the crossbow in the twelfth century. Not once has it worked.



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Iraq the Model notes evidence that the Iraqi government may be taking the November 7 wake up call seriously.



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Dr. Sanity explains that Arabs are not born idiots. Their rulers make them study.



I like this! Terrorist Death Watch (a body count of dead terrorists since November 1)