Top Items:
Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:
Democrats Force Closed Meeting on Iraq — WASHINGTON - Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that President Bush used in the run-up to the war in Iraq and accusing Republicans of ignoring the issue.
RELATED ITEMS:
Fox News:
Senate Goes Into Rare Closed Session — WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate prepared to go into closed session Tuesday after Democrats enacted a rare parliamentary rule forcing the shutdown of the chamber so senators could speak in a classified session about the lead-up to the war in Iraq.
Discussion:
Hotline On Call, bRight & Early, JasonColeman.com, The Political Pit Bull, IMAO and Conservative Outpost
rawstory.com:
Reid takes Senate into closed session over Iraq intelligence — RAW STORY — The Senate's Democratic leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unexpectedly pulled the Senate into secret session Tuesday afternoon in order to have closed discussion of Iraq intelligence, RAW STORY has learned.
Steve Clemons:
RULE 21 CLOSED DOOR SENATE SESSION: Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid's Stock Moves Strongly Up — Senator Harry Reid, in a motion seconded by Senator Richard Durbin, just called for a very rare closed door executive session of the Senate. This motion is called "Rule 21" so that Senators can discuss "secret matters."
Kevin Drum / The Washington Monthly:
CLOSED SESSION....Huh? Harry Reid has shut down the Senate by invoking Rule 21 and placing the Senate into closed session to discuss the intelligence that led to war. What's up with that? — Frist is pissed. Really pissed. Reid did this without warning him.
Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:
Democrats Force Closed Meeting on Iraq — Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, demanding answers about intelligence that led to the Iraq war. Republicans derided the move as a political stunt. — In a speech on the Senate floor …
Discussion:
JunkYardBlog
E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
What the 'Shield' Covered Up — Has anyone noticed that the coverup worked? — In his impressive presentation of the indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby last week, Patrick Fitzgerald expressed the wish that witnesses had testified when subpoenas were issued in August 2004, and …
Discussion:
firedoglake, The Huffington Post, TAPPED, Middle Earth Journal, Alternate Brain, Poynter Online and Roger Ailes
RELATED ITEM:
Thomas Oliphant / Boston Globe:The coverup worked — NO ONE really noticed, but Patrick Fitzgerald …
US News:
Why Democrats won't want to oppose Samuel Alito — George W. Bush has nominated Judge Samuel Alito of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to the Supreme Court. Judge Alito has a strong record academically and in government. He was U.S. attorney for New Jersey …
Discussion:
The RCP Blog, Hit and Run, Power Line, NewsBusters.org, Don Surber, QandO, The Volokh Conspiracy and protein wisdom
RELATED ITEM:
Washington Post:
Trial Could Pit Libby's Interests Against Bush's — Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, is expected to plead not guilty to charges that he lied and obstructed justice in the CIA leak probe when he is arraigned Thursday, setting the stage for a possible courtroom fight …
Discussion:
Angry Bear, Billmon, The Heretik, firedoglake, The Left Coaster, AMERICAblog, The Carpetbagger Report and Bark Bark Woof Woof
The Age:
Hicks sexually abused, says father — Terror suspect David Hicks was sexually abused during two, 10-hour beatings by US attackers, his father Terry has told the ABC's Four Corners program. — Hicks has been in US custody since he was captured alongside Taliban forces in Afghanistan in late 2001 …
RELATED ITEM:
New York Times:
Another Lost Opportunity — The nomination of Samuel Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court raises a lot of questions about the judge's attitudes toward federalism, privacy and civil rights. But it has already answered one big question about President Bush. Anyone wondering whether …
RELATED ITEM:
Kristen Lombardi / villagevoice.com:
Cindy Sheehan for President … Cindy Sheehan, a/k/a the "peace mom," probably never intended to sound like a candidate, but she did. Sheehan, the activist who became the face of anti-war sentiment after camping outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, last summer …
Matthew Yglesias / TAPPED:
NUCLEAR OPTION REDUX. This morning on NPR there was a segment about the "Gang of 14" and the nuclear option in the context of Sam Alito. Since this seems likely to be a subject of debate, it's worth re-iterating some arguments from the first time around. — The filibuster is bad.
RELATED ITEM:
Michelle Malkin:
UNHINGED: THE MUGSHOT COLLECTION — Today's the official launch date for my new book, Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild: — I had fun with this one (wait 'til you see the back cover) and think you'll enjoy it—or, if you're on the other side of the aisle, you'll enjoy hating it.
April Castro / Associated Press:
Judge Removed From DeLay's Criminal Case — AUSTIN, Texas - The judge in the conspiracy case against Republican Rep. Tom DeLay was removed at the congressman's request Tuesday because of his donations to Democratic candidates and causes. — A semi-retired judge who was called in to hear the dispute …
