the latest news on Pakistan, Farm bill, North Korea, Pakistan-analysis, Pakistan-blogs, Turkey, Civil rights, Ballot referenda, Education, Iraq-diplomat, Mideast, North Korea, Evangelicals and animals, Editorials, and selected op-eds.

Pakistan, Farm bill, North Korea, Pakistan-analysis, Pakistan-blogs, Turkey, Civil rights, Ballot referenda, Education, Iraq-diplomat, Mideast, North Korea, Evangelicals and animals, Editorials, and selected op-eds.

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Pakistan . Lawyers Take On Musharraf "Lawyers across Pakistan demonstrated by the thousands Monday, demanding an end to emergency rule and vowing to keep up their dissent until President Pervez Musharraf resigns." Arrests mount in Pakistan crisis "Police wielded clubs and fired tear gas as they battled protesting lawyers in Pakistan's major cities, and the number of opposition politicians, attorneys and human rights activists arrested in a nationwide sweep climbed into the thousands." Top judge attacks Musharraf rule "Pakistan's sacked chief justice calls for people to "rise up" after President Musharraf seized emergency powers." Bhutto refuses to meet Musharraf "Benazir Bhutto is to fly to the Pakistani capital Islamabad today but insisted she would not negotiate with General Pervez Musharraf amid continuing protests by lawyers over the imposition of emergency rule." Key leaders stay silent in Pakistan "the organized political opposition has responded with caution and indecision. Yet if opposition leaders such as former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto were to turn the power of their parties to supporting the lawyers, the result could be transformative, experts agree - creating a popular movement that might persuade the Army to depose Musharraf."

Pakistan-analysis. Musharraf's crackdown could fuel insurgency in Pakistan "Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's suppression and arrests of thousands of opposition protesters could actually aid the growing insurgency and endanger U.S. congressional approval of a $750 million plan to help curb it." A Detour From a Battle Against Terror"While Gen. Pervez Musharraf justified his emergency rule decree as helping him combat terrorism, it could end up weakening his ability to rein in the Qaeda militants who ultimately threaten American interests." Besieged Musharraf plays for time "Having opened a can of worms by declaring a state of emergency, Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf is now in a fix over what to do next. With public opinion inflamed by thousands of arrests and the curtailing of civil freedoms, he can't risk further action against militancy."

Pakistan-blogs. Pakistan: The view from the blogs "Despite a crack down on the media since President Musharraf declared a state of Emergency, bloggers in the country continue to offer their opinions and predictions."

Turkey. Turkish premier says he's 'happy' with Bush's offer on Kurdish rebels "President Bush on Monday promised Turkey's prime minister improved intelligence-sharing and high-level military contacts to counter Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, easing fears of a major Turkish cross-border incursion in the coming days."

Farm bill. Veto of Senate farm bill threatened "The Senate began debate Monday on a farm bill that would put more fresh fruit in school lunches and boost spending for conservation, but would also continue billions of dollars in subsidies while crop prices and farm incomes hit record levels." White House threatens veto of farm bill"Bush administration officials are recommending a veto of a bill that they say is tainted by "budget gimmicks," tax increases and subsidies that distort free trade."

Civil rights. Bush maneuver alters civil rights panel's direction "The US Commission on Civil Rights, the nation's 50-year-old watchdog for racism and discrimination, has become a critic of school desegregation efforts and affirmative action ever since the Bush administration used a controversial maneuver to put the agency under conservative control."
Ballot referenda. Spending Trumps Social Issues on Ballots This Time "While hot-button issues like immigration and gay rights attracted the focus of measures in the past several elections, nuts-and-bolts concerns like health care financing, road projects and land-use regulations fill local and state tickets this time."

Education. For a Key Education Law, Reauthorization Stalls"The leaders of the Senate and House education committees are signaling that time has run out for reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act this year, leaving prospects for rewriting it uncertain during the presidential campaign in 2008."

Iraq-diplomat. Envoys at odds over Iraq service "The growing pressure on State Department personnel to serve in Iraq, which culminated in Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's decision to resort to forced assignments, has polarized the Foreign Service to a level not seen in decades,"

Mideast . Abbas Sees Palestinian State Soon Achievable "Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that he believes the path to peace with Israel is now clear and that a Palestinian state can be achieved before the end of the Bush administration in January 2009."

North Korea. North Korea dismantles its nuclear reactor "North Koreabegan disabling its nuclear facilities yesterday, marking the biggest step it has ever taken to scale back its atomic programme."

Evangelicals and animals. Evangelizing for the animals "The evangelical community "is expanding its definition of values to include work on poverty and the environment. We hope to insert concern for animal welfare as well," said Christine Gutleben, who directs the new "animals and religion" program at the Humane Society of the United States."

Editorials.

Excuse No. 100 coming soon (Des Moines Register) "Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.
When it comes to finding reasons not to provide America's children with health insurance, President Bush has no shortage of excuses."

The U.S. stake in Pakistan . . . (Chicago Tribune) "When Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency, suspending his country's constitution and rounding up political opponents, he put the United States in a quandary. How should Washington now proceed?"

Op-Eds.

For Turkey, the war is real (James Carroll, Boston Globe) "As viewed from Turkey, American responses throughout this crisis range from duplicity to double standards. The cautionary message that Rice conveyed to her foreign ministry counterparts here, and that Bush is expected to echo, defines the exact opposite of policies pursued to this day by the Bush administration itself."

A Vote for Justice(CHARLES SCHUMER, New York Times) "I AM voting today to support Michael B. Mukasey for attorney general for one critical reason: the Department of Justice - once the crown jewel among our government institutions - is a shambles and is in desperate need of a strong leader, committed to depoliticizing the agency's operations."

Can McCain Make It Back? (E.J. Dionne, Washington Post) "The strangest thing about John McCain's campaign for president is that it's supposed to be dead, but it isn't. This is a real nuisance for his competitors."