Top Items:
New York Times:
White House and McCain Are Near Deal on Torture Bill — WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 - The White House has all but abandoned its effort to persuade Senator John McCain to exempt Central Intelligence Agency employees from legislation barring inhumane or degrading treatment of prisoners in American custody.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, Balkinization, The Carpetbagger Report, The Corner on National … and TalkLeft
RELATED ITEMS:
Richard Bernstein / New York Times:
Skepticism Seems to Erode Europeans' Faith in Rice — BERLIN, Dec. 6 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did what was expected, many people in Europe said Tuesday, after her meetings with Chancellor Angela Merkel and other German officials. She gave reassurances that the United States …
Joel Brinkley / New York Times:Rice Is Challenged in Europe Over Secret Prisons
Discussion:
www.AndrewSullivan.com
Hamza Hendawi / Associated Press:
Saddam's Trial Resumes, but Without Him — BAGHDAD, Iraq - The trial of Saddam Hussein resumed Wednesday after a lengthy delay but without the former president, who had declared the day before that he would not take part in an "unjust" court. — The seven other defendants and Saddam's lawyers …
RELATED ITEMS:
Washington Post:
Democrats Fear Backlash at Polls for Antiwar Remarks — Strong antiwar comments in recent days by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean have opened anew a party rift over Iraq, with some lawmakers warning that the leaders' rhetorical blasts …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Centerfield, Balloon Juice, Legal Fiction, Oliver Willis, RAGGED THOTS, Presstitutes, Daily Pundit, Armchair Generalist, Powerpundit, Just a Bump in the Beltway, TKS on National Review Online, Betsy's Page, Suburban Guerrilla, PoliPundit.com, Cam Edwards, Booker Rising, Left I on the News, Blogs for Bush, Cold Fury, Carol Platt Liebau and The American Mind
Washington Post:
Fla. Professor Is Acquitted in Case Seen as Patriot Act Test — A federal jury acquitted former Florida professor Sami al-Arian yesterday of conspiring to aid a Palestinian group in killing Israelis through suicide bombings, dealing the U.S. government a setback in its efforts …
RELATED ITEMS:
Joe Kaufman / Front Page Magazine:Acquitting a Terrorist — "Today, the United States Department …
Discussion:
Israel news and commentary …
Alan Cooperman / Washington Post:
'Holiday' Cards Ring Hollow for Some on Bushes' List — What's missing from the White House Christmas card? Christmas. — This month, as in every December since he took office, President Bush sent out cards with a generic end-of-the-year message, wishing 1.4 million of his close friends and supporters a happy "holiday season."
Jean O. Pasco / Los Angeles Times:
Republican Tops Border Activist in O.C. Election — A Republican state senator sailed to victory Tuesday in a special congressional election in coastal Orange County featuring a maverick, third-party candidate who sought to capitalize on growing fears of illegal immigration.
RELATED ITEM:
Nathan / NathanNewman.org:
Anti-Unionism is the Date Rape of Corporate Crime — Even most liberals deny anti-union crime is widespread or deny that it's even a serious crime at all and anyways the folks doing it are such swell people, we can't expect us to like treat them like criminals, do you?
RELATED ITEM:
Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:
Supreme Court Weighs Military's Access to Law Schools — WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 - The military wants access to law schools on the same basis as other potential employers seeking to recruit students, although openly gay law students, of course, need not apply. The law schools insist …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, The Reality-Based Community, INTEL DUMP, Althouse and The Volokh Conspiracy
RELATED ITEM:
Associated Press:
CIA leak prosecutor again goes before grand jury — WASHINGTON (AP) — Six weeks after White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was indicted in the CIA leak case, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was back at work Wednesday before another grand jury in the drawn-out federal probe.
RELATED ITEM:
ReddHedd / firedoglake:He's Baaaaack — Guess who? Fitzy is back before the grand …
Discussion:
IntoxiNation-News …
David M. Halbfinger / New York Times:
Mel Gibson Developing Holocaust Mini-Series — LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6 - Mel Gibson, whose "Passion of the Christ" was criticized by some as anti-Semitic - and whose father has said that the Holocaust did not happen - is developing a nonfiction mini-series about the Holocaust.
Discussion:
Respectful Insolence, Kesher Talk, Shakespeare's Sister, BuzzMachine, The All Spin Zone and NewsBusters.org
Anne Applebaum / Washington Post:
It's Not Whether You 'Win' or 'Lose' . . . In recent months it has become common practice to talk about what it will take to "win" — or what it would mean to "lose" — the war in Iraq. Recently the pace of that talk has accelerated. Just last week President Bush published a …
Discussion:
The Blogging of the President
Guardian:
It's called Apophis. It's 390m wide. And it could hit Earth in 31 years time — Scientists call for plans to change asteroid's path Developing technology could take decades — Alok Jha — In Egyptian myth, Apophis was the ancient spirit of evil and destruction …
New York Times:
Senator Clinton, in Pander Mode — Hillary Clinton is co-sponsoring a bill to criminalize the burning of the American flag. Her supporters would characterize this as an attempt to find a middle way between those who believe that flag-burning is constitutionally protected free speech …
Discussion:
TAPPED, The Huffington Post, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Shadow of the Hegemon and The American Thinker
Robert Salladay / Los Angeles Times:
Governor Faces Revolt in GOP — As anger rises over the choice of a Democrat as chief of staff, party leaders demand a talk. — SACRAMENTO — With segments of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political base rising in revolt, directors of the California Republican Party have demanded …
Editor and Publisher:
'Vanity Fair' Offers Fresh Details on Judith Miller Saga — NEW YORK In a lengthy feature piece on this autumn's Judith Miller saga forthcoming in the January issue of Vanity Fair (on sale Dec. 13), writer Seth Mnookin covers much familiar ground but also reveals new details and complaints …
