Top Items:
R.G. Ratcliffe / Houston Chronicle:
DeLay's hopes dashed for quick end to case Judge dismisses one felony indictment but upholds another — AUSTIN — A senior district judge today dismissed one felony indictment but upheld another against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, dashing DeLay's hopes for a speedy resolution to his case.
RELATED ITEMS:
Washington Post:
Felony Charge Is Upheld for DeLay — But Election Code Conspiracy Count Is Dismissed — A Texas judge yesterday dismissed on legal grounds an indictment of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) for conspiring with aides to violate the state's election law in 2002 …
April Castro / Associated Press:
DeLay's Money Laundering Charges Upheld — AUSTIN, Texas - A judge dismissed a conspiracy charge Monday against Rep. Tom DeLay but refused to throw out the far more serious allegations of money-laundering, dashing the congressman's hopes for now of reclaiming his post as House majority leader.
David Stout / New York Times:
Judge Upholds Most Serious Charges Against DeLay — WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 - A judge in Texas today dismissed part of a state indictment against Representative Tom DeLay, who was forced out of his post as leader of the Republican majority in the House two months ago after he was charged with conspiracy and political fund-raising abuses.
New York Times:
Texas Judge Lets Stand 2 of 3 Charges Against DeLay — HOUSTON, Dec. 5 - A Texas judge dismissed one charge against Representative Tom Delay on Monday but let stand two more serious charges, complicating Mr. DeLay's hopes of regaining his post as House majority leader when Congress resumes in January.
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
ABCNEWS:
EXCLUSIVE: Sources Tell ABC News Top Al Qaeda Figures Held in Secret CIA Prisons — 10 Out of 11 High-Value Terror Leaders Subjected to 'Enhanced Interrogation Techniques' — Dec. 5, 2005 — Two CIA secret prisons were operating in Eastern Europe until last month when they were shut …
RELATED ITEMS:
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:
CIA Ruse Is Said to Have Damaged Probe in Milan — Italy Allegedly Misled on Cleric's Abduction — MILAN — In March 2003, the Italian national anti-terrorism police received an urgent message from the CIA about a radical Islamic cleric who had mysteriously vanished from Milan a few weeks before.
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Rice Defends Tactics Used Against Suspects — Europe Aware of Operations, She Implies — BERLIN, Dec. 6 — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, seeking to dampen a furor in Europe over the CIA's secret detention and transport of suspected terrorists on European soil …
Joel Brinkley / New York Times:
U.S. Interrogations Are Saving European Lives, Rice Says — BERLIN, Dec. 5 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chastised European leaders on Monday, saying that before they complain about secret jails for terror suspects in European nations, they should realize that interrogations …
Jim Forsyth / woai.com:
Dean: US Won't Win in Iraq — (SAN ANTONIO) — Saying the "idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong," Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean predicted today that the Democratic Party will come together on a proposal to withdraw National Guard …
Discussion:
Right Wing News, bRight & Early, JustOneMinute, Cold Fury, RedState.org, Betsy's Page, SoCalPundit, The RCP Blog, Blogs for Bush, Kennedy v. The Machine, Security Watchtower, Two Babes and a Brain, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, The Strata-Sphere, AMERICAN FUTURE, Daily Pundit, chicagoboyz.net, Decision '08, Carol Platt Liebau, One Hand Clapping, Confederate Yankee, Dr. Sanity and Roger L. Simon
RELATED ITEM:
Hamza Hendawi / Associated Press:
Saddam Yells at Judge in Unruly Session — BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Saddam Hussein's defense team walked out of court Monday, the former leader yelled at the judge, and Saddam's half brother shouted "Why don't you just execute us!" in an often unruly court session that also saw former U.S. Attorney …
RELATED ITEMS:
Christopher Hitchens / Slate:
Secrets and Lies — The DoD's disgraceful plot to plant rosy stories in the Iraqi press. — This time, someone really does have to be fired. The revelation that Defense Department money, not even authorized by Congress for the purpose, has been outsourced to private interests and then used …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, The Peking Duck, The Washington Monthly, Sisyphus Shrugged, The Reaction and Abu Aardvark
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Contractor 'knew how to grease the wheels' — ADCS founder spent years cultivating political contacts — In government documents, he is referred to as "co-conspirator No. 1": a man who gave more than $630,000 in cash and favors to former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham for help in landing millions of dollars in federal contracts.
RELATED ITEM:
Wesley K. Clark / New York Times:
The Next Iraq Offensive — WHILE the Bush administration and its critics escalated the debate last week over how long our troops should stay in Iraq, I was able to see the issue through the eyes of America's friends in the Persian Gulf region. The Arab states agree on one thing …
William Yardley / New York Times:
Weicker May Return to Politics Over Lieberman's Support of War — HARTFORD, Dec. 5 - Former Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. on Monday criticized Senator Joseph I. Lieberman's continued support of the war in Iraq and said that if no candidate challenged the senator on the issue in the 2006 election, he would consider running.
Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
9/11 Panel: Government Has Failed to Enact Reforms to Protect Country — In its final act before formally disbanding as a private group, the former Sept. 11 commission gave the federal government failing or mediocre grades today for not enacting numerous reforms aimed at protecting the country from terrorist attacks.
White House:
President Discuses Economy and Tax Relief in North Carolina — John Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery Corporation — Fact Sheet: President Bush's Agenda for Economic Growth — THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for having me. Thanks for letting me come by to John Deere-Hitachi. I'm here to talk about our economy.