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:
Balkinization, The Carpetbagger Report, Balloon Juice, The Corner on National … and TalkLeft
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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 …
Associated Press:
Poll finds broad approval of terrorist torture — Most in U.S., Britain, France, S. Korea say torture justified in rare instances — WASHINGTON - Most Americans and a majority of people in Britain, France and South Korea say torturing terrorism suspects is justified at least in rare instances, according to AP-Ipsos polling.
Joel Brinkley / New York Times:Rice Is Challenged in Europe Over Secret Prisons
Discussion:
Washington Post
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 …
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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, Oliver Willis, Balloon Juice, Legal Fiction, Presstitutes, Daily Pundit, RAGGED THOTS, Armchair Generalist, TKS on National Review Online, Betsy's Page, Cam Edwards, Just a Bump in the Beltway, Suburban Guerrilla, Blogs for Bush, Left I on the News 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 …
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Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Not Guilty Verdicts in Florida Terror Trial Are Setback for U.S. — WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 - In a major defeat for law enforcement officials, a jury in Florida failed to return guilty verdicts Tuesday on any of 51 criminal counts against a former Florida professor and three co-defendants accused …
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."
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
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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?
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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:
Kesher Talk, Respectful Insolence, Shakespeare's Sister, BuzzMachine, The All Spin Zone and NewsBusters.org
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 …
BBC:
Al-Jazeera admits Bin Laden error — A videotape claiming Osama Bin Laden is still "alive and fighting" dates back to September, Arab television channel al-Jazeera has admitted. — Al-Jazeera's editor-in-chief, Ahmed Sheikh, said his channel had broadcast the footage by mistake.
Discussion:
In the Bullpen
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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
Edward B. Driscoll, Jr / Tech Central Station:
Hollywood Ending? — In case you haven't noticed, Hollywood has a bit of a revenue problem. There have been numerous headlines that film attendance declined an amazing 12 percent from last year. But as Chris Anderson recently mentioned on his Long Tail Weblog, the decline in Hollywood's box office …
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.
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 …
