Top Items:
Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:
But Enough About You, Judge; Let's Hear What I Have to Say — WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 - The Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. were supposed to be about the judge, but on Tuesday it sometimes seemed as though somebody forgot to tell the senators on the Judiciary Committee.
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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 …
Discussion:
Reuters, Blogenlust, FactCheck.org, truthout.org, The Washington Monthly, Feministe, Althouse, Loaded Mouth, PoliBlog, The RCP Blog, The Heretik, Pseudo-Adrienne's …, The Political Teen, Power Line, The Democratic Party, Booman Tribune, The Sideshow, Daily Kos, The Rude Pundit and Needlenose
Marcia Davis / Washington Post:
For Democrats, A Most Tender Roast of Alito — It was beginning to look as if the Democrats had shown up to a knife fight without a knife yesterday. — It was beginning to look as if they'd just been woofing when it came to the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr …
Jesse J. Holland / Associated Press:
Alito Faces Familiar Issues in Hearing — WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito was aggressively questioned Wednesday by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee who accused him of inconsistencies on issues ranging from voting rights to ethics to his membership in a conservative organization.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Now What?!, Shakespeare's Sister, The American Mind, The Jawa Report v3.0 Beta and The Unabrewer
Fred Barbash / Campaign for the Supreme Court:
Kennedy and Specter Have Words — Things really got ugly — really ugly — between Sens. Kennedy and Specter. — Kennedy (D-Mass.) asked further hostile questions on CAP — the Princeton University concerned alumni organization that, among other things, opposed co-education at the university.
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.
Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Senate Blogger Forum: Kennedy (McCarthy) Redux — I'm not going to live-blog the bloviations from Ted Kennedy in great detail, but I have to add something about Kennedy's pulling out sentences from magazines and newspapers and demanding to know if Alito had ever read them.
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Will / Attytood:He can't handle the truth …
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MSNBC, firedoglake, The Carpetbagger Report, Committee for Justice Blog, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Prometheus 6 and TalkLeft
Michelle Malkin:ALITO WATCH: BIGGEST SENATE WINDBAG
Discussion:
Right Side Redux, The Mahablog, Confirm Them, The Political Teen, PoliPundit.com and Betsy's Page
Washington Times:
Abramoff-linked probe focuses on 5 lawmakers — A Justice Department investigation into influence-peddling on Capitol Hill is focusing on a "first tier" of lawmakers and staffers, both Republicans and Democrats, say sources close to the probe that has netted guilty pleas from lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Democratic Party, Hugh Hewitt, Gateway Pundit, Centerfield and Balloon Juice
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Henry Weinstein / Los Angeles Times:
1st Suit in State to Attack 'Intelligent Design' Filed — A group of parents in the small Tehachapi mountain community of Lebec on Tuesday filed the first lawsuit challenging the teaching of "intelligent design" in a California public school. — The suit targets what appears …
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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Associated Press:
Israel pulls plug on Pat Robertson deal — Officials angry over evangelical leader's comments about Sharon's stroke — JERUSALEM - Israel won't do business with Pat Robertson after the evangelical leader suggested Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke was divine punishment …
tcsdaily.com:
Mining the Media Distortions Yields Black Gold — Here's a headline you aren't likely to see: "Sago mine tragedy defies improved mine safety trend under the Bush administration." — Yet, the facts support it. — Mining fatalities have dropped every year President Bush has been in the White House …
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John O'Neil / New York Times:
Leading Shiite Says He Will Oppose Changes to Iraqi Charter — The leader of Iraq's most powerful party indicated today that his group would block substantive changes to the country's new constitution, despite a promise to Sunnis to consider amendments. — Last summer, as Sunni Arabs …
Greg Sargent / TAPPED:
AN ENTERTAINING SOTO VOCE TIFF AT THE DLC. Over at NewDonkey.com, Ed Kilgore has given his DLC colleague Marshall Wittman a gentlemanly chiding for his continued insistence that Dems should sheathe their stilettos on the NSA warrantless eavesdropping scandal.
Edward Wyatt / New York Times:
News Analysis: Fact or Fiction, It's His Story — And on the second day, Doubleday shrugged. — Two days after an investigative report published online presented strong evidence that significant portions of James Frey's best-selling memoir, "A Million Little Pieces," were made up …
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.
