Top Items:
John Schmidt / Chicago Tribune:
President had legal authority to OK taps — President Bush's post- Sept. 11, 2001, authorization to the National Security Agency to carry out electronic surveillance into private phone calls and e-mails is consistent with court decisions and with the positions of the Justice Department under prior presidents.
Discussion:
Think Progress, The Moderate Voice, Froggy Ruminations, Macsmind, PoliPundit.com, The Strata-Sphere, Power Line, Kudlow's Money Politic$, In the Bullpen, BillHobbs.com, Instapundit.com, Daily Kos, protein wisdom, The Anchoress, Dr. Sanity, The Corner on National …, The RCP Blog, Decision '08, JunkYardBlog and The Urban Grind
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National Review:
Bill Clinton and Warrantless Searches — Along with the other controversies set off by President Bush's decision to order warrantless wiretaps of the international telephone calls of people with known al Qaeda connections, there is a debate going on among veterans of the Clinton administration …
Discussion:
The Mahablog, TalkLeft, Say Anything, The Urban Grind, AMERICAN FUTURE, USS Neverdock and Lawyers, Guns and Money
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Senate Agrees on Extension of Patriot Act — WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 - In a chaotic conclusion to the Congressional year, the Senate blocked an effort on Wednesday to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and struck a last-minute accord to extend the law known as the USA Patriot Act for six months.
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt
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William Branigin / Washington Post:
Senate Blocks Arctic Drilling Provision — The Senate today failed to pass a major defense appropriations bill after a Democratic-led bloc stymied it with a filibuster in an effort to force removal of a controversial provision on oil drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge.
Discussion:
QandO, The Stakeholder, The Democratic Daily Blog, Confined Space, Factesque and Blogs for Bush
H. Josef Hebert / Associated Press:
Senate Blocks Alaska Refuge Drilling — WASHINGTON - The Senate blocked an attempt to open an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling Wednesday, foiling an attempt by drilling backers to force the measure through Congress as part of a must-have defense spending bill.
Neil A. Lewis / New York Times:
Court Refuses U.S. Bid to Shift Terror Suspect — WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 - A federal appeals court delivered a sharp rebuke to the Bush administration Wednesday, refusing to allow the transfer of Jose Padilla from military custody to civilian law enforcement authorities to face terrorism charges.
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Steve Vladeck / PrawfsBlawg:Fourth Circuit Rules Against Government in Padilla
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy
Washington Post:
With Cheney's Vote, Senate Passes Budget Bill — Legislation Would Trim $40 Billion Over 5 Years — The Senate narrowly passed a $40 billion budget-cutting bill today, with Vice President Cheney casting the deciding vote after the chamber split 50-50 on the measure.
Discussion:
cbpp.org, Centerfield, TAPPED, Happy Furry Puppy Story …, Hugh Hewitt, The Carpetbagger Report, Loaded Mouth and Sadly, No!
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Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Barking Up Every Tree — I'm sleeping better at night. — Our federal authorities have things under control. — FBI counterterrorism agents are on the case, looking into any nefarious plots by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. — Documents obtained by the ACLU shows …
Discussion:
ProfessorBainbridge.com, Brilliant at Breakfast, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Macsmind and Pensito Review
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Alison Fitzgerald / Bloomberg:
Snow, Praising Bush on Budget, Calls Clinton's Surplus `Mirage' — Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) — President Bill Clinton left office in 2001 with a federal budget surplus of $127 billion. President George Bush ran a deficit of $319 billion in 2005. So who deserves more credit for fighting red ink?
Discussion:
Angry Bear
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Reuters:
Saddam steals show claiming US torture — By Mussab al-Khairalla and Gideon Long — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein told his trial on Wednesday he was beaten in U.S. custody and, in an extraordinary outburst toward the end of the hearing, also said those who had tortured Iraqis should be punished for their crimes.
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Mohammed / IRAQ THE MODEL:
Baghdad for Kirkuk. — I think most of you have seen the disturbing results of the elections after the commission completed counting 90% of the votes. I think the announcement was due to pressures on the commission which also chose to show the results of the Sunni provinces apparently …
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Associated Press:
Democrats Seek All of Alito's Writings — The Bush administration should release all of Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s internal Justice Department documents before confirmation hearings begin next month, Senate Democrats said yesterday. — The documents "will be important …
Discussion:
The Sideshow
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Richard Morin / Washington Post:Majority of Americans Support Alito Nomination
Discussion:
MyDD, RedState.org, Blogs for Bush, Confirm Them, Air America Radio, Viking Pundit and Decision '08
Marty Lederman / Balkinization:
Judge Posner and "Ad Hoc Initiatives" (i.e., Presidentially Sanctioned Felonies) — Judge Posner has an Op-Ed in the Washington Post this morning that is understandably receiving a lot of attention. His argument is that the latest scandal reveals a serious gap in the legal intelligence-gathering laws.
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William J. Kole / Associated Press:
Mayor begs Schwarzenegger not to cut ties — VIENNA, Austria - The mayor of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Austrian hometown on Tuesday begged the California governor to reconsider his decision to cut ties to the city after locals assailed him for his death penalty stance.
Howard Fineman / MSNBC:
Spying, the Constitution - and the 'I-word' — 2006 will offer up Nixon-era nastiness and a chorus of calls to impeach Bush — WASHINGTON - — Howard Fineman — In the first weeks and months after 9/11, I am told by a very good source, there was a lot of wishing out loud …
Discussion:
Prometheus 6
Charles Hurt / Washington Times:
Roberts 'puzzled' by Rockefeller's concerns — The chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence yesterday scathingly disputed claims by Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV that he harbored deep concerns about the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program when he was briefed on the matter.
Kristin Jensen / Bloomberg:
Abramoff's `Equal Money' Went Mostly to Republicans (Update1) — Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) — U.S. President George W. Bush calls indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff ``an equal money dispenser'' who helped politicians of both parties. Campaign donation records show Republicans were a lot more equal than Democrats.
ydr.com:
Investigate perjury in Dover ID case — Judge Jones issued a broad, sensible ruling - finding that some board members lied. — Dec 21, 2005 — They lied. — William Buckingham and Alan Bonsell wanted to bring God into high school biology class, and in the process, they lied.
Discussion:
ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES
