Top Items:
Jonathan Alter / Newsweek:
A Power Outage on Capitol Hill — We are in danger of scrapping our checks and balances-not just for a few years (as was done during the Civil War), but for good. — Jan. 23, 2006 issue - What if we faced a constitutional crisis and hardly anyone noticed?
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David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
Alito Hearings Unsettle Some Prevailing Wisdom About the Politics of Abortion — WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 - Just a little over a year ago, senators of both parties said publicly that it would be almost impossible for a Supreme Court nominee who disagreed openly with the major abortion rights precedents to win confirmation.
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
I, I, Sir: The Alito Hearings, Annotated — Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee observed with some pride last week that Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito answered more than 700 questions during his confirmation hearings. But what did he say? — To answer this question …
Robert Tait / Guardian:
Iran issues stark warning on oil price — War of words over trade sanctions — Iran stepped up its defiance of international pressure over its nuclear programme yesterday by warning of soaring oil prices if it is subjected to economic sanctions. As diplomats from the US, Europe, Russia …
Discussion:
The Belmont Club, A Blog For All, Atlas Shrugs, Varifrank, Blogs for Bush, THE ASTUTE BLOGGER, Brutally Honest, Flopping Aces and Vodkapundit
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Los Angeles Times:
The perils of unchecked power — A former attorney general remembers the bugging of Martin Luther King Jr. — THE RECENT controversy over warrantless national security telephone taps, coupled with Martin Luther King's birthday, remind me of my time in the Department of Justice in the 1960s.
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Houston Chronicle:
A man without borders — Martin Luther King's appeal for peace with justice is as relevant as ever in our troubled world. — Although he rose to national prominence fighting racial segregation in the South, many of the issues roiling the United States 38 years after his assassination would be very familiar to Martin Luther King Jr.
Thomas Lifson / The American Thinker:
Is a fake staged photo fit to print? What if it staged in a way that makes the US forces fighting the War on Terror look cruel and ineffective? The evidence argues that yes, it can run, and in a prominent position - at least in the case of the New York Times website.
Discussion:
SOXBLOG, The Strata-Sphere, Murdoc Online, The Officers' Club, Hit and Run and Sister Toldjah
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Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Ney to Step Down as Chairman Of Panel Overseeing Lobbying — Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) announced yesterday he will temporarily relinquish his chairmanship of the House Administration Committee, which oversees lobbying, as the corruption investigation into former lobbyist Jack Abramoff moves deeper into the workings of Congress.
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David Hammer / Associated Press:Rep. Ney to Temporarily Cede Panel Chair
Discussion:
The Corner on National …
Larry Rohter / New York Times:
What Is Missing in This Woman's Victory? Coattails — SANTIAGO, Chile, Jan. 15 - Michelle Bachelet, a Socialist, a doctor and a former political prisoner and exile, on Sunday became the first woman to be elected president of Chile, decisively defeating Sebastián Piñera, a conservative billionaire businessman.
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Larry Rohter / New York Times:A Leader Making Peace With Chile's Past
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
Robert Pear / New York Times:
President Tells Insurers to Aid Ailing Medicare Drug Plan — With tens of thousands of people unable to get medicines promised by Medicare, the Bush administration has told insurers that they must provide a 30-day supply of any drug that a beneficiary was previously taking …
Associated Press:
Rice Again Rules Out 2008 White House Run — Not even a vote of confidence from Laura Bush can change Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's mind about running for president in 2008. — Before leaving for Africa, the first lady predicted the United States soon would have a female president _ a Republican, and maybe even Rice.
Stephanie Strom / New York Times:
Group Seeks I.R.S. Inquiry of Two Ohio Churches — A group of religious leaders has sent a complaint to the Internal Revenue Service requesting an investigation of two large churches in Ohio that they say are improperly campaigning on behalf of a conservative Republican running for governor.
Stephen Moore / Opinion Journal:
Boehner, Blunt or Shadegg? — Conservatives now have a chance to take back the House. — "We're going to find out whether Republicans have an appetite for a substantial reform agenda against pork spending, out-of-control budgets and deal-making politics as usual in this town."
Mary Anastasia O'Grady / Opinion Journal:
The Tehran-Caracas Axis — Hugo Chávez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are more than just pen pals. — With Iranian nuclear aspirations gaining notice, it's worth directing attention to the growing relationship between Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez.
US News:
Vegging Out With the 'Soup Nazi' — He shocked former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle by beating him by just over 4,000 votes last year, repelled the administration's bid to shut down a key Air Force base back home in South Dakota, and is talked about as a possible 2008 vice presidential candidate for the GOP.
Thomas B. Edsall / Washington Post:
In Ga., Abramoff Scandal Threatens a Political Ascendancy — DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Ralph Reed, candidate for lieutenant governor, had just finished his opening statement to the Dawson County Republican Party when retired pulp paper executive Gary Pichon sprang from his seat with a question that cut to the chase:
