Top Items:
Washington Post:
Alito Likely To Become A Justice — Liberals See Slim Chance Of Blocking Confirmation — Samuel A. Alito Jr., an appellate judge who could shift the Supreme Court significantly to the right, appeared headed for the high court yesterday after completing three days of interrogation without a serious misstep.
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Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Few Glimmers of How Conservative Judge Alito Is — WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 - In over 18 hours responding to some 700 questions at his Supreme Court confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. mostly described a methodical and incremental approach to the law rooted in no particular theory.
Discussion:
Right Wing Nut House, Sentencing Law and Policy, AMERICAblog, Rook's Rant and California Conservative
Charles Lane / Washington Post:
A Right Cautious Nominee — Measured Replies Paint Picture With a Conservative Tint — Samuel A. Alito Jr. did everything he could do to avoid saying how he would rule on the big issues that might come before the Supreme Court if, as now seems likely, he is confirmed by the Senate and succeeds Sandra Day O'Connor.
New York Times:
Pro-Choice Senators and Judge Alito — There are many reasons to be concerned about the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito Jr. for the Supreme Court, but for a small group of moderate Republicans who strongly identify themselves as supporters of abortion rights, there is a special problem …
Discussion:
THE NEWS BLOG
Michelle Malkin:
A WOMAN THE DEMS DON'T WANT TO HEAR — This is U.S. Appeals Court Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, a Clinton appointee who gave a glowing endorsement of her colleague, Sam Alito, earlier today, along with six other judges from the appeals court who appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to support Alito.
E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
A Hearing About Nothing — A listless intellectual fog had fallen over the Senate hearing room on Tuesday, the first full day of questioning for Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. before the Judiciary Committee. As one Democratic senator strode out to the hallway during an afternoon break, he leaned toward me and said: "We have to hit him
Michael O'Hare / The Reality-Based Community:A piece missing — I have been dipping into the Alito hearings …
Economist:The brainbox and the blowhards — Samuel Alito, George Bush's …
Discussion:
Washington Times
Clark Hoyt / Knight Ridder:Knight Ridder's Alito story: Factual and fair
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
William Tate / The American Thinker:
The controversy following revelations that U.S. intelligence agencies have monitored suspected terrorist related communications since 9/11 reflects a severe case of selective amnesia by the New York Times and other media opponents of President Bush. They certainly didn't show the same outrage …
Discussion:
Dr. Sanity, Dean's World, The Anchoress, In the Bullpen, Cold Fury, THE ASTUTE BLOGGER, PoliPundit.com and NewsBusters.org
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ABCNEWS:
Surge in Sale of Disposable Cell Phones May Have Terror Link — Phones Can Be Difficult or Impossible to Track; Large Quantities Purchased in California, Texas — Jan. 12, 2006 — Federal agents have launched an investigation into a surge in the purchase of large quantities of disposable cell phones …
Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Deficit Could Top $400 Billion — Driven by the cost of hurricane relief, the federal budget deficit is expected to balloon back above $400 billion for the fiscal year that ends in September, reversing the improvements of 2005, a White House official told reporters yesterday.
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Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:
In New Orleans, Bush Speaks With Optimism but Sees Little of Ruin — NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 12 - President Bush made his first trip here in three months on Thursday and declared that New Orleans was "a heck of a place to bring your family" and that it had "some of the greatest food in the world and some wonderful fun."
Edmund L. Andrews / New York Times:
Deficit Will Climb in 2006, White House Says — WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 - The White House acknowledged on Thursday that the budget deficit would climb back above $400 billion this year, erasing the brief improvement last year and complicating President Bush's vow to cut the deficit in half by 2009.
Michael Barbaro / New York Times:
Maryland Sets a Health Cost for Wal-Mart — ANNAPOLIS, Md., Jan. 12 - The Maryland legislature passed a law Thursday that would require Wal-Mart Stores to increase spending on employee health insurance, a measure that is expected to be a model for other states.
Discussion:
TigerHawk, ACSBlog, The Conspiracy to Keep …, Fantasy Life, Sisyphus Shrugged, EconLog and Preemptive Karma
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New York Times:
Iran's Foreign Minister Threatens to Limit Atomic Inspectors — BERLIN, Jan. 13 - Iran's foreign minister today threatened to limit its cooperation with international atomic inspectors, in an angry reaction to the European decision Thursday to demand that Iran be referred to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions.
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Hotline On Call:
Shadegg's In — From a release just crossing our transom: — Phoenix - House Policy Chairman John Shadegg today announced that he will seek the post of House Majority Leader in the elections on February 2. — "For the past several days, I have spoken with members all across our Conference," Shadegg said.
Opinion Journal:
Saddam's Documents — What they tell us could save American lives today. — It is almost an article of religious faith among opponents of the Iraq War that Iraq became a terrorist destination only after the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein. But what if that's false, and documents …
