Free Republic

 A NEW LOW: Tony Kushner "bravely" takes on Laura Bush in - shock, horror - Cambridge, Massachusetts. What a hero of pushing the envelope! What daring! What artistic courage! Here's how Alex Beam puts it: Welcome to Kushnerworld - Pulitzer Prize-winning "Angels in America" Kushnerworld - where heterosexuals are repressed homosexuals trapped in loveless relationships, gays are generally noble and capable of spiritual enlightenment, religion is soul-suffocating bunkum, and Republicans occupy a moral plane similar to that of the Nazis. "You're nice. I can't believe you voted for Reagan," Louis tells Joe, the repressed Mormon gay man in "Angels."The men...

Those who love the Near East are fond of repeating the legendary anecdotes of one Nasreddin Hodja, a sort of Ottoman Muslim Aesop of the region with a big following among Greeks and Greek Cypriots as well as among Turks, Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, and others. On one occasion, this folkloric wise man went to the hammam, or Turkish steam bath. His undistinguished and modest demeanor did not recommend him to the attendants, who gave him brief and perfunctory attention before hustling him out to make room for more prosperous customers. They were duly astonished when he produced an enormous tip...

BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan made a final plea for understanding in a late submission to Lord Hutton's inquiry. Reporters should be given 'a margin for error' when dealing with matters of clear public interest, particularly on political issues, he argued. He insisted he had never accused the Government of lying and told the law lord that, while there were errors in his May 29 report for Radio 4's Today programme, it "accurately reported the burden of what Dr Kelly had told him". The 42-page statement was released by Lord Hutton along with submissions from the BBC, the Government, and the...

There was an odd - and very telling - moment that may have been lost in the excitement yesterday. Former Defence Minister Lord Gilbert was appearing on The World at One, broadcast on Radio 4 immediately after the release of the Hutton Report. He tries to make a point about BBC News Director Richard Sambrook's treatment of reporters, but is immediately stifled by nervous-sounding BBC News presenter Nick Clarke:Lord Gilbert - As for Mr. Sambrook, I hope he won't be allowed to resign. I hope he's dismissed for some of the things he's done, which I don't think Lord Hutton's...

Live Video of Lord Hutton delivering his report on http://news.bbc.co.uk/ now

Blame falls on BBC as Hutton report leaks Richard Norton-Taylor, Michael White and Patrick Wintour Wednesday January 28, 2004 The Guardian The government is expected to be cleared by Lord Hutton today of the central charge that it sexed up its Iraqi weapons dossier, the Guardian has learned. He is believed to have exonerated Alastair Campbell, the prime minister's former communications chief, from unduly influencing the joint intelligence committee, chaired by John Scarlett. Lord Hutton is also understood to have cleared Tony Blair of wrongdoing in the stategy which led to the unmasking of the government scientist, who later killed...

WORLD EXCLUSIVE Hutton: The verdict Report ... Hutton RELATED STORIES • Sun Says • A catalogue of errors IT WAS the call every journalist in Westminster was waiting for — and Britain’s top political editor TREVOR KAVANAGH got it. For days the big question at the Commons has been the verdict of Lord Hutton’s report on the death of Dr David Kelly. And before MPs and the Cabinet got to hear the conclusions of Lord Hutton, Trevor noted them all down from a trusted source — then set about writing the Scoop of the Year. TONY Blair is today...

BBC buys up 'Hutton inquiry' Google links Owen Gibson Monday January 26, 2004 Just 48 hours before Lord Hutton delivers his verdict on the controversy surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly, the BBC has begun an advertising experiment that involves buying up all internet search terms relating to the inquiry. Despite being one of the main players in the drama, anyone searching for "Hutton inquiry" or "Hutton report" on the UK's most popular search engine Google is automatically directed to a paid-for link to BBC Online's own news coverage of the inquiry. No other news broadcaster or any newspaper...