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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:
JustOneMinute, New Sisyphus, The Moderate Voice, Froggy Ruminations, Macsmind, The Strata-Sphere, PoliPundit.com, Power Line, Kudlow's Money Politic$, In the Bullpen, Daily Kos, BillHobbs.com, Instapundit.com, protein wisdom, The Anchoress, Dr. Sanity, The RCP Blog, Decision '08, The Urban Grind and JunkYardBlog
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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:
Think Progress, The Mahablog, TalkLeft, Say Anything, AMERICAN FUTURE, The Urban Grind and Lawyers, Guns and Money
Judd / Think Progress:The 2002 Appeals Court Myth
Discussion:
The Carpetbagger Report, Power Line, Angry Bear, In From the Cold and The Corner on National …
Hindrocket / Power Line:A COLLOQUY WITH THE TIMES — Reporter Eric Lichtblau …
Discussion:
tapscottscopydesk.blogspot.com
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.
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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.
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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Daniel J. Solove / Concurring Opinions:Judge Posner's Troubling Call for Massive Surveillance
Discussion:
The Washington Monthly
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, 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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Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
Shoveling some Snow — I can appreciate the awkwardness the administration must feel when it comes to their enormous, record-breaking budget deficits. The president ran in 2000 on a platform that not only called for a balanced-budget amendment to the constitution, but insisted that deficits were "dangerous" for the economy.
Discussion:
Brad DeLong's Semi …
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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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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Richard Morin / Washington Post:
Majority of Americans Support Alito Nomination — A majority of Americans now support the confirmation of U.S. Appeals Court Judge Samuel A. Alito to the Supreme Court to fill the seat of retiring Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Discussion:
MyDD, RedState.org, Blogs for Bush, Confirm Them, Air America Radio, Viking Pundit and Decision '08
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Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Fourth Circuit keeps Padilla case alive, rebukes government — In a deeply serious setback for the Bush Administration's legal strategy for the war on terrorism, the Fourth Circuit Court on Wednesday afternoon kept intact its ruling in the now-celebrated Jose Padilla case …
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Steve Vladeck / PrawfsBlawg:Fourth Circuit Rules Against Government in Padilla
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy
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.
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
Emanuele Ottolenghi / National Review:
The Light of the World — Let's embarrass Iran's evil regime. During this festive season, let's light some Hanukkah candles in front of their embassies. — In Jewish tradition, Hanukkah is the festival of lights, because it celebrates the survival of the Jewish people against the onslaught …
Mark Stevenson / Associated Press:
Mexico Promises to Block Border Wall Plan — MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government, angered by a U.S. proposal to extend a wall along the border to keep out migrants, pledged Tuesday to block the plan and organize an international campaign against it. Facing a growing tide …
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.
