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White House:
President's Address to the Nation — THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Three days ago, in large numbers, Iraqis went to the polls to choose their own leaders — a landmark day in the history of liberty. In the coming weeks, the ballots will be counted, a new government formed …
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit, Obsidian Wings, Power Line, Hugh Hewitt, The Political Pit Bull, chicagoboyz.net, Decision '08, Blogs for Bush, In Search Of Utopia, JunkYardBlog, CALIFORNIA YANKEE, Conservative Thinking, Fraters Libertas, No More Mister Nice Blog, In the Bullpen, BizzyBlog.com and Suitably Flip
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Think Progress:
EMBARGOED TEXT: Bush's Prime Time Speech on Iraq — [Ed note: We'll start respecting embargoes when they start telling the truth.] — THE WHITE HOUSE — Office of the Press Secretary — EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY December 18, 2005 — ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION
Discussion:
Pam's House Blend, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, The Washington Monthly and The Liberal Avenger
Michelle Malkin:
THE BUSH SPEECH: NO CUT AND RUN — Tonight. 9pm EST. President Bush addresses the nation on Iraq. Preview: … The White House website will have a live webcast here. The White House Renewal in Iraq page is here. — TV Newser has details of tonight's MSM coverage: … 0902pm EST.
Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com:
BUSH DOUBLES DOWN: I just watched Bush's speech. Nothing new there for anyone who's been paying attention to the speeches he's been giving over the past couple of weeks. But one big thing struck me: In this national televised speech, Bush went out of his way to take responsibility for the war.
Discussion:
Right Wing Nut House, PunditGuy, Solomonia, In the Bullpen, TigerHawk, Dean's World, Ed Driscoll.com, Viking Pundit and firedoglake
Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Presidential Address Live Blog — I'll be live-blogging the Oval Office speech by George Bush in this post when it starts in 30 minutes. Keep checking back for updates ... 8:00 — I wonder what color tie he'll be wearing? I'll be watching this on Fox ...
New York Times:
Rice Defends Domestic Eavesdropping — WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday defended President Bush's decision to secretly authorize the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans without seeking warrants, saying the program was carefully controlled …
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Laura / War and Piece:
There's something else about the Bush/NSA warrantless, oversight-less spying on Americans that doesn't make sense. The case Bush cited yesterday - of two San Diego based hijackers al Hazmi and al-Mihdhar and their overseas communications — as a justification for going around the FISA court …
Discussion:
Eric Umansky
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Haaretz:
Sharon aide: PM's condition improved, he looks excellent — A senior aide to Ariel Sharon said after visiting him Monday morning that the prime minister's condition had improved overnight, and that there were no external signs of the mild stroke he suffered Sunday night.
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Walter Pincus / Washington Post:
Pentagon's Intelligence Authority Widens — Fact Sheet Details Secretive Agency's Growth From Focus on Policy to Counterterrorism — The Pentagon's newest counterterrorism agency, charged with protecting military facilities and personnel wherever they are, is carrying out intelligence collection …
Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
A SURPRISE IN BUSH'S IRAQ SPEECH: — I am not, to say the least, a fan of President Bush. But a portion of his speech tonight genuinely moved me and made me think more highly of him. It was the part where he addressed opponents of the Iraq war, said he understand their passion but asked …
Joe Keohane / Boston Globe:
Public enemy — Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel 'It Can't Happen Here' envisioned an America in thrall to a homespun facist dictator. Newly reissued, it's as unsettling a read as ever. — PICTURE THIS: A folksy, self-consciously plainspoken Southern politician rises to power during a period of profound unrest in America.
Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:
Asking for Patience, Bush Cites Progress in Iraq — WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 - President Bush declared to the nation on Sunday night that the United States was winning the war in Iraq and pleaded with his viewers not to "give in to despair" over a conflict that has cost more than 2,100 American lives and an estimated 30,000 Iraqi deaths.
Discussion:
ScrappleFace
David Finkel / Washington Post:
U.S. Ideals Meet Reality in Yemen — On the first day, which would turn out to be the best day, the one day of all 180 days when everything actually seemed possible, the president of Yemen hadn't yet dismissively referred to an American named Robin Madrid as an old woman.
strategypage.com:
Blame the Americans and Praise the Result — December 18, 2005: Arguably, the best outcome for the December 15th parliamentary elections in Iraq would be for no "party" or coalition of two parties to secure the 2/3rds majority of delegates necessary to permit it to form a government.
Tom Shales / Washington Post:
From the Oval Office, a Call to See the Light at the End of the Tunnel — Determined to sound determined, President Bush addressed the nation on the troublesome subject of Iraq in a 16-minute speech last night from the Oval Office. Grim-faced, yet with a trace of anxiety in his eyes …
