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Political Web, page A1 … for 3:34 AM ET, December 22, 2005
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Top Items:

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.
RELATED ITEMS:
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.
Associated Press:
Senate Blocks Alaska Refuge Drilling
Discussion: ScrappleFace
Scott Shields / MyDD:
New Yorkers Support the Transit Strike  —  I've been pretty surprised and somewhat disappointed by the hostility among some here to the striking transit workers in New York City.  To be fair, the strike is illegal.  It is unfortunately timed.  It is incredibly hard on other workers in the city.
Discussion: THE NEWS BLOG and Crooks and Liars
RELATED ITEMS:
Jane Galt / Asymmetrical Information:
Strike II  —  Another day of New York's exciting transit strike.
Discussion: Mister Snitch!
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 …
RELATED ITEMS:
Atrios / Eschaton:   Toensing  —  Oy, watching CNN makes me want to stab my eyes out.
John Schmidt / Chicago Tribune:
President had legal authority to OK taps
Los Angeles Times:
Iraq Election Results Will Pose New Challenges for U.S. Policy  —  Votes along sectarian and ethnic lines mean Washington must do more to quell tensions and may have to forge ties with Shiite-led Iran.  —  WASHINGTON — The apparent failure of secular, Western-oriented political groups …
Discussion: neo-neocon
RELATED ITEMS:
Juan / Informed Comment:
Shiite Religious Parties dominate 10 of 18 Provinces
Discussion: Middle Earth Journal
Mohammed / IRAQ THE MODEL:
Baghdad for Kirkuk.
Jesse J. Holland / Associated Press:
Senate Passes Patriot Act Extension  —  WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday passed a six-month extension of the terror-fighting USA Patriot Act as a last resort after Democrats and a small group of GOP senators blocked President Bush and Republican congressional leaders' attempt to make most of the anti-terrorism law permanent.
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.
Discussion: AMERICAblog and the talking dog
RELATED ITEM:
Washington Post:
Judges on Surveillance Court To Be Briefed on Spy Program  —  The presiding judge of a secret court that oversees government surveillance in espionage and terrorism cases is arranging a classified briefing for her fellow judges to address their concerns about the legality …
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.
RELATED ITEM:
BBC:
'Americans tortured me' - Saddam
Discussion: Gateway Pundit
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
RELATED ITEM:
Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
Shoveling some Snow
Jim Dwyer / New York Times:
New York Police Covertly Join In at Protest Rallies  —  Undercover New York City police officers have conducted covert surveillance in the last 16 months of people protesting the Iraq war, bicycle riders taking part in mass rallies and even mourners at a street vigil for a cyclist killed in an accident, a series of videotapes show.
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 …
Anne E. Kornblut / New York Times:
Lobbyist Nears Terms on Plea Deal  —  WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 - Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist under indictment for fraud in South Florida, is expected to complete a plea agreement in the Miami criminal case, setting the stage for him to become a crucial witness in a broad federal corruption …
Discussion: The Left Coaster
Steve Connor / Independent:
Britain will be first country to monitor every car journey  —  From 2006 Britain will be the first country where every journey by every car will be monitored  —  Britain is to become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded.
Discussion: Amygdala and TalkLeft
Mark Landler / New York Times:
A Land of Northern Lights, Cybercafes and the Flat Tax  —  TALLINN, Estonia - Estonia, one realizes after a few days in the abiding twilight of a Baltic winter, is not like other European countries.  —  The first tip-off is the government's cabinet room, outfitted less like a ceremonial chamber than a control center.
Discussion: RedState.org
Scott Peterson / ABCNEWS:
Waiting for the rapture in Iran  —  President Ahmadinejad's faith in the imminent return of the messianic Mahdi leaves him disinclined to compromise.  —  JAMKARAN, IRAN For those who believe, the devotion is real.  Tears stream down the cheeks of 2,000 men ripe for the return of the Mahdi …
Discussion: protein wisdom
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.

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More Items:

Oliver Duff / Independent:
'Emotional' affair as Elton and David finally say 'I do'
Mark Schmitt / tpmcafe.com:
Welfare Reform in the Budget Bill
Andrew Keegan / newyorkblade.com:
Pentagon spied on gay student groups, report says
Marc Humbert / Associated Press:
Pirro Abandons Challenge to Sen. Clinton
Discussion: PunditGuy
Richard Posner / Washington Post:
Opinion: 'Our Domestic Intelligence Crisis '
Kristin Jensen / Bloomberg:
Abramoff's `Equal Money' Went Mostly to Republicans (Update1)
Associated Press:
Letterman subject of restraining order
Digby / Hullabaloo:
Adults Wanted  —  Kevin Drum has a whole bunch of good posts …

Earlier Picks:

Associated Press:
Democrats Seek All of Alito's Writings
Discussion: The Sideshow
thebostonchannel.com:
Romney To Decide On White House Run In '07
John / AMERICAblog:
Bush's NSA director Michael Hayden …
Charles Hurt / Washington Times:
Roberts 'puzzled' by Rockefeller's concerns
Mark Stevenson / Associated Press:
Mexico Promises to Block Border Wall Plan
Jason Leopold / rawstory.com:
Leak probe not seen to end with Rove, lawyers say
Emanuele Ottolenghi / National Review:
The Light of the World  —  Let's embarrass Iran's evil regime.
Discussion: Atlas Shrugs and Solomonia
 
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