Top Items:
Ezra Klein:
Trust, But Verify — Man, this is some insanely bad polling: … And I mean bad in both senses of the word. First, as John notes, these are bad numbers. I sure as hell think the NSA should listen in on suspected terrorists! Anyone going to make the contrarian case against it? — Good.
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John / AMERICAblog:
New domestic spying poll numbers are very bad for Bush — Some right-wingers have been crowing over a new poll that shows: … I've got news for you. That's an abysmally low number for Bush. — Even I would probably approve of the NSA listening in on phone calls between suspected terrorists and …
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:Public opinion & Presidential law-breaking — A few facts
Discussion:
AMERICAN FUTURE
Lisa Sandberg / mysanantonio.com:
Justices agree to consider hearing DeLay's money laundering case — AUSTIN — Media reports that U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay had convinced the state's highest court to hear his appeal were as widely circulated as they were, well, wrong. — Justices for the Texas Court Criminal Appeals agreed merely …
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Washington Post:
The Fast Rise and Steep Fall of Jack Abramoff — How a Well-Connected Lobbyist Became the Center of a Far-Reaching Congressional Corruption Scandal — Jack Abramoff liked to slip into dialogue from "The Godfather" as he led his lobbying colleagues in planning their next conquest on Capitol Hill.
Discussion:
firedoglake, Middle Earth Journal, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Roger Ailes, Eschaton, Talking Points Memo and Taegan Goddard's …
Jerry Markon / Washington Post:
U.S. Defends Conduct in Padilla Case — Supreme Court Asked To Overrule 4th Circuit — A federal appeals court infringed on President Bush's authority to run the war on terror when it refused to let prosecutors take custody of "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla, the Justice Department said yesterday …
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Michael J. Totten / LA Weekly:
In the Land of the Brother Leader — Vacation in Libya? Totalitarian tourism and the search for truth... and a good meal — Young men who like their comforts, and a dainty table, or who wish to pass their time pleasantly in the company of women, must not go to Arabia.
New York Times:
Spy Agency Removes Illegal Tracking Files — By The Associated Press The National Security Agency's Internet site has been placing files on visitors' computers that can track their Web surfing activity despite strict federal rules banning most files of that type.
ACLU:
"President Nixon Was Not Above the Law, and Neither is President Bush," ACLU Chief Says — NEW YORK - In a full-page advertisement in today's New York Times, the American Civil Liberties Union intensified its call for a special counsel to be appointed to determine whether President George W …
Steven Greenhouse / New York Times:
New York Transit Deal Shows Union's Success on Many Fronts — He was excoriated on tabloid front pages and by the mayor and governor. As thousands streamed across the Brooklyn Bridge on a frigid night during last week's transit strike, someone in a car yelled out his name, prefacing it with a curse.
Discussion:
the talking dog
tcsdaily.com:
Grape Expectations — As the years ends, top 10 wine lists — and even top 100 lists — abound. Most focus on current releases, which is what most newspaper and magazine columnists almost exclusively cover. In contrast, over at my wine blog, I review whatever I happen to be drinking at the time …
New York Times:
Twenty Years Later, Buying a House Is Less of a Bite — PORTLAND, Me. - Despite a widespread sense that real estate has never been more expensive, families in the vast majority of the country can still buy a house for a smaller share of their income than they could have a generation ago.
Discussion:
Economist's View
Vincent J. Schodolski / Chicago Tribune:
When jail time just won't do, the judge may opt to humiliate you — LOS ANGELES — There is a song in Gilbert and Sullivan's light opera "The Mikado" in which the title character reveals that one of his goals is "to let the punishment fit the crime." It appears that a number of judges around the country share that objective.
Discussion:
danieldrezner.com
Wall Street Journal:
Many Americans Still Believe Hussein Had Links to al Qaeda — Sizeable minorities of Americans still believe Saddam Hussein had "strong links to al Qaeda," a Harris Interactive poll shows, though the number has fallen substantially this year. — About 22% of U.S. adults believe …
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily Blog
Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:
U.N. Observer in Baghdad Calls the Voting Valid — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 28 - The United Nations stepped into the controversy over the Iraqi parliamentary election on Wednesday, declaring publicly that the results of the voting on Dec. 15 appeared valid, even as the vote tally continued here.
Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Homeland Security Is Faulted in Audit — Inspector General Points to FEMA, Cites Mismanagement Among Problems — Nearly three years after it was formed, the immense Department of Homeland Security remains hampered by severe management and financial problems that contributed to the flawed response …
