Need To Read: September 2, 2009

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You come to Mother Jones for unique journalism, and we love doing it for you. That's it. That's the upshot of our fall fundraising drive, and we're hoping to raise $250,000 in a shorter than normal three-week window so we can keep right on doing it.

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Today’s must-reads:

US Increasing Troop Strength in Afghanistan (LAT)
Afghanistan’s President Forged Votes, Opponents Say (NYT)
Misbehaving US Embassy Guards in Kabul: Animal House In Afghanistan (MoJo)/State Department Responds to Allegations (MoJo)
The Torture Docs the CIA is Still Withholding (FDL)
Anderson Cooper Headed to Afghanistan (MediaBistro)
Va. Gubernatorial Candidate’s Crazy Thesis (MoJo)
The Rationales for Passing Health Care Through the Reconciliation Process (WaPo/Ezra Klein)
Maria Bartiromo Asks 44 y/o Congressman “If Medicare’s So Good, Why Aren’t You On It?!” (TPM)

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