Top Items:
Steve Chapman / Chicago Tribune:
Beyond the imperial presidency — President Bush is a bundle of paradoxes. He thinks the scope of the federal government should be limited but the powers of the president should not. He wants judges to interpret the Constitution as the framers did, but doesn't think he should be constrained by their intentions.
Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Officials Want to Expand Review of Domestic Spying — WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 - Congressional officials said Saturday that they wanted to investigate the disclosure that the National Security Agency had gained access to some of the country's main telephone arteries to glean data on possible terrorists.
Discussion:
War and Piece
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Dafydd / Big Lizards:
The Times' Reach Exceeds Its Grasp — Global War on Terrorism , Media Madness — At this point, it's not even eyebrow-raising that the New York Times is vigorously trying to destroy the foreign-intelligence gathering program run by the National Security Agency (a.k.a., "No Such Agency").
James Bamford / New York Times:
The Agency That Could Be Big Brother — DEEP in a remote, fog-layered hollow near Sugar Grove, W.Va., hidden by fortress-like mountains, sits the country's largest eavesdropping bug. Located in a "radio quiet" zone, the station's large parabolic dishes secretly and silently sweep in millions …
Faye Fiore / Los Angeles Times:
From Heckles to Halos — In dramatic contrast to the Vietnam War era, U.S. service personnel now are being treated to strangers' spontaneous bursts of gratitude. — There's a diner called Peggy Sue's about eight miles outside of Barstow, and as hard as Lt. Col. Kenneth Parks tries, he can never seem to pay his bill.
Washington Post:
Post-9/11 Rush Mixed Politics With Security — Congressman Benefits From Homeland Security Spending — As a small start-up company in Massachusetts sought to become a major player in the business of homeland security, it hired a lobbyist and attended a fundraiser for one of the most powerful members of Congress.
Robert D. Kaplan / Los Angeles Times:
The future of America — in Iraq — IF YOU WANT to meet the future political leaders of the United States, go to Iraq. I am not referring to the generals, or even the colonels. I mean the junior officers and enlistees in their 20s and 30s. In the decades ahead, they will represent something uncommon …
Jim Wolf / Reuters:
New Year's Day 2006: delayed by a second — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Get ready for a minute with 61 seconds. Scientists are delaying the start of 2006 by the first "leap second" in seven years, a timing tweak meant to make up for changes in the Earth's rotation.
New York Times:
U.S., Citing Abuse in Iraqi Prisons, Holds Detainees — WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 - The commander of American-run prisons in Iraq says the military will not turn over any detainees or detention centers to Iraqi jailers until American officials are satisfied that the Iraqis are meeting United States standards …
Austin Bay / realclearpolitics.com:
The Unexpected Gift — The hymn demanded verve, and with a Beethoven symphonic theme providing the melody line, power and a touch of harmonic glory should have been a musical breeze. — But the pianist-in-rumpled-uniform lacked verve — the sweat-soaked fellow on the piano stool seemed distracted.
Rami G. Khouri / Lebanon Daily Star:
Facts and fantasies about Arab satellite TV — The recent British press revelation that President George W. Bush last year told U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair that Washington was considering bombing the Qatar headquarters of the pan-Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera (denied by the White House) …
Discussion:
The Washington Monthly
Josh White / Washington Post:
Detainees Face Limited Access to Courts — But Bill Awaiting Bush Signature Would Shield Terror Suspects from U.S. Abuse — The defense authorization bill approved by Congress this week includes landmark protections for military detainees suspected of terrorist activities from abuse …
Raymond Hainey / Scotsman:
Santa told to sack his gas-emitting team of reindeer — REINDEER-drawn sleds have been slammed as environmentally unfriendly, because the carrot-munching animals produce the greenhouse gas methane in their wind. — Now Santa has been urged to ditch his sleigh team and start travelling …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Patriot Act Extension Is Reduced To a Month — House Action Overcomes Senate's Longer Reprieve — The House balked yesterday at a Senate plan to extend the USA Patriot Act by six months to give Congress and President Bush more time to work out their differences, instead forcing the Senate …
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org
