A Few Good Reads

If you're not fixated on CNN/BBC today (like I am at the moment), here are a few things I've read this morning that I wanted to pass along.

- An article about Darfur? In a major paper? Indeed. More on this later, but for now just a link to "Sudan Still Paying Militias Harassing Darfur, U.S. Says" by Joel Brinkley in the New York Times.

- Margaret Carlson in the LA Times on the upcoming struggle between Arlen Specter and Bill Frist over stem cells. Her conclusion, which I think on target is: "Although Frist controls the Senate, my money's on Specter. Specter has conservative senators such as Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) with him. And to Frist, who favored more stem cell research before changing his mind to comport with Bush's stance, this is not a matter of life and death."

- Liberal law professor Jeffrey Rosen in the New York Times arguing in favor of the Roberts nomination. This is a good, meaningful piece - significantly better that David Brooks' gush-fest on the same topic.

- The newest installment in the Rove business, from Walter Pincus and Jim VandeHei at the Washington Post. This is the headline article in that paper today (a sign that the press corps is intentionally not taking the distractive SCOTUS bait?).

- CNN on the apology of the Sudanese government to Secretary of State Condi Rice for allegedly "manhandling" American staff and journalists during Rice's meeting with the Sudanese president. "CNN's Andrea Koppel said journalists and Rice's staff members were 'pushed and pulled' in attempts to keep them out of the meeting. One of Rice's aides eventually said, 'We have a free press in the U.S.,' and a Sudanese official responded, 'Well, we don't here,' Koppel reported." Rice immediately demanded an apology for the incident.

- Alan at The Yellow Line and Dennis at The Moderate Republican have good posts on the opposition to John Roberts from the left-wing interest groups.