Top Items:
New York Times:
Judge Alito Proves a Powerful Match for Senate Questioners — WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 - If Senate Democrats had set out to portray Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. as extreme on issues ranging from abortion to government surveillance of citizens, they ran up against an elusive target on Tuesday …
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Charles Lane / Washington Post:
Alito Replies Don't Rock Status Quo — On his first day of questioning from senators, Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. tried to send a reassuring message: The country may be at war, but Americans' personal privacy and civil liberties will be safe with me.
Reuters:
Alito: No president above law — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito told Congress on Tuesday that no president was above the law when pressed on Bush administration policies on torturing prisoners and domestic spying. — Alito, who opposed abortion …
Justin Bank / FactCheck.org:
Anti-Alito Ad Uses Selective Quotes — It cites a study saying Alito ruled to narrow privacy rights. It didn't quote the part saying he's seen as restrained and nonpartisan. — Summary — IndependentCourt.org, a project of the Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary …
MSNBC:Alito vows 'open mind' on abortion cases
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Left Coaster, New York Times, Now What?!, Daily Kos and Hotline On Call
Brian Ross / ABCNEWS:
NSA Whistleblower Alleges Illegal Spying — Former Employee Admits to Being a New York Times Source — Jan 10, 2006 — Russell Tice, a longtime insider at the National Security Agency, is now a whistleblower the agency would like to keep quiet. — For 20 years, Tice worked in the shadows …
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org, Macsmind, The Strata-Sphere, BLACKFIVE, Media Blog on National …, Martin's Musings and The Political Teen
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Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Probe Set In NSA Bugging — The National Security Agency's inspector general has opened an investigation into eavesdropping without warrants in the United States by the agency authorized by President Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to a letter released late yesterday.
Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Lobbying Colors GOP Leadership Contest — Rivals for DeLay Post No Strangers to K St. — In years past, when the House recessed for its winter break, Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) decamped for warmer climates and a sailing trip to the Caribbean with some of the city's top lobbyists …
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Hotline On Call:
Where Are They? — Missing in all the discussion about who is supporting who is this reality: Three days into the race to become the next House Maj Leader, John Boehner and Roy Blunt have, between them, less than 80 public commitments from their 229 GOP colleagues.
Steve Holland / Reuters:
Bush says some war critics irresponsible — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush denounced some Democratic critics of the Iraq war as irresponsible on Tuesday and he wanted an election-year debate that "brings credit to our democracy, not comfort to our adversaries"
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Francis Harris / Telegraph:
Syria 'tried to fuel holy war in Iraq against US and Britain' — President Bashar al-Assad of Syria secretly incited Iraq's top Shia leader to declare holy war against US and British forces, according to Washington's former administrator in the country. — In his new book, My Year in Iraq …
Washington Post:
Barry Tested Positive for Cocaine Use In the Fall — D.C. Council member Marion Barry tested positive for cocaine use in the fall in a drug test ordered by a court after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor tax charges, according to two sources familiar with Barry's case.
Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Alito 1, Schumer -35 — I wish I had an automatic transcript device. Judge Alito just blew Chuck Schumer out of the water on abortion. After holding up his Robert ByrdTM mini-Constitution, Schumer demanded several times whether he still believes as he wrote in his 1985 memo …
Suzanne Gamboa / Associated Press:
DeLay tried to force closure of Indian-owned casino — WASHINGTON — Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay tried to pressure the Bush administration into shutting down an Indian-owned casino that lobbyist Jack Abramoff wanted closed — shortly after a tribal client of Abramoff's donated …
Washington Post:
Differing Views on Terrorism — Americans Divided on Eavesdropping Program, Poll Finds — Americans overwhelmingly support aggressive government pursuit of terrorist threats, even if it may infringe on personal privacy, but they divide sharply along partisan lines over the legitimacy …
Bull Moose:
The Donkey Differs — The Moose welcomes a healthy debate in the DLC Zoo. — The always erudite and eloquent New Donkey differs with the Moose on the NSA eavesdropping matter. Without belaboring the matter, the Moose continues to believe that the President had authority both under Article II …
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Jane Hamsher / firedoglake:
The Snark Business is Getting Crowded — In the newly released documents that detail Tim Russert's battle to refuse to testify about his conversations with Scooter Libby in the CIA leak case, Russert claimed that the waiver signed by Libby allowing him to do so was coerced and that if he testified his …
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National Review:
Strong Implications — In the ever-more-amazing United Nations Oil-for-Food scandal, the arrest in Houston last Friday of South Korean businessman Tongsun Park brings us a step closer to understanding the origins of the largest humanitarian fraud in U.N. history.
