Top Items:
Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
White House Dismissed '02 Surveillance Proposal — The Bush administration rejected a 2002 Senate proposal that would have made it easier for FBI agents to obtain surveillance warrants in terrorism cases, concluding that the system was working well and that it would likely be unconstitutional to lower the legal standard.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, The Volokh Conspiracy, AMERICAblog, dailykos.com, Crooks and Liars and The Washington Monthly
RELATED ITEMS:
Jonathan S. Landay / Knight Ridder:
In 2002, Justice Department said eavesdropping law working well — WASHINGTON - A July 2002 Justice Department statement to a Senate committee appears to contradict several key arguments that the Bush administration is making to defend its eavesdropping on U.S. citizens without court warrants.
Jim Puzzanghera / Lexington Herald-Leader:
More Americans favor impeaching Bush, poll says — Today's topic: Domestic spying — WASHINGTON - The word "impeachment" is popping up increasingly these days and not just off the lips of liberal activists spouting predictable bumper-sticker slogans. — After the unfounded claims …
Ron Fournier / Associated Press:
Sen. Clinton Blasts Bush on Eavesdropping — WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called President Bush's explanations for eavesdropping on domestic conversations without warrants "strange" and "far-fetched" Wednesday in blistering criticism ahead of the president's State of the Union address.
news, politics, jobs …:
Panel: Interactivity Ethics — Last Thursday, washingtonpost.com turned off the reader comments feature on post.blog , a blog dedicated to sharing news by and about The Post and washingtonpost.com. The move came after several comments containing personal attacks, profanity and hate speech …
RELATED ITEMS:
Digby / Hullabaloo:
Incivility — Boy that Washington Post chat with bloggers sure was fun, huh kids? It's really cool when guys like Glenn Reynolds cojmpletely misrepresent themselves in a national forum. It shows once again how out of control the left is. — Here's Glenn:
Times of London:
Critics attack Google's 'black day' in China — Google today caved in to pressure from the Chinese Government by launching a localised version of its website that self-censors information deemed "subversive" by the Communist authorities. — The company, whose motto is "Don't be evil" …
RELATED ITEMS:
Michael Liedtke / Associated Press:Google Agrees to Censor Results in China
Discussion:
The Peking Duck, RConversation, Hog On Ice, Pajamas Media, Vodkapundit, Inside Larry's Head, The Heretik, Loaded Mouth, The Reaction, Say Anything and Daimnation!
Kevin Sites / Agence France Presse:
Hamas goes to urns refusing to disarm — GAZA CITY (AFP) - Hamas, the radical Islamist faction behind a majority of attacks on Israel, vowed not to disarm or negotiate with the Jewish state if it enters the Palestinian parliament after the election. — Unbowed by international pressure …
RELATED ITEMS:
New York Times:
Senators in Need of a Spine — Judge Samuel Alito Jr., whose entire history suggests that he holds extreme views about the expansive powers of the presidency and the limited role of Congress, will almost certainly be a Supreme Court justice soon. His elevation will come courtesy …
Bridget / GOP Vixen:
SO LONG, FAREWELL, AUF WIEDERSEHEN, GOODBYE, GALLOWAY! — George Galloway, who hoped to use reality TV as a platform to further his socialist ideology but instead used it as a platform to act like a cat and dance in a red leotard, has been voted out of the Celebrity Big Brother house!! From the Guardian:
RELATED ITEM:
Jerusalem Post:
Iran: We'll put Israel in 'eternal coma' — TEHERAN, IRAN — Were Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, Iran would respond so strongly that it would put the Jewish state into "an eternal coma" like Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's, the Iranian defense minister said Wednesday.
Brian Ross / ABCNEWS:
EXCLUSIVE: Al Qaeda Sees Resurgence in Pakistani Tribal Areas — Videotape Shows Terror Network Actively Recruiting, Plotting Attacks — Jan. 24, 2006 — Al Qaeda and its former protectors — the Taliban — are in the midst of a powerful resurgence, according to accounts by local officials …
LiberalOasis:
The Worst-Case Alito Scenario Looms — Senate Dems are perhaps heading into a worst-case scenario with the Alito nomination, at least, worst-case for the party's reputation. — Achieving 41 "No" votes, yet not filibustering the nomination. — The NY Times reports: … And CNN's Ed Henry reported yesterday:
hrw.org:
United Nations: U.S. Aligned With Iran in Anti-Gay Vote — Rice Must Explain Repressive UN Ban on LGBT Rights Groups — (Washington, D.C., January 25, 2006) - In a reversal of policy, the United States on Monday backed an Iranian initiative to deny United Nations consultative status …
Discussion:
IntoxiNation-News …
John R. Lott Jr / New York Times:
Pulling Rank — REPUBLICAN senators have found a new friend during judicial confirmations: the American Bar Association. During the confirmation hearings of John G. Roberts Jr. and Samuel A. Alito Jr., the senators invoked A.B.A. evaluations to ward off Democratic attacks …
Peter Baker / Washington Post:
The Realities of Exporting Democracy — A Year After Bush Recast Foreign Policy, Progress Remains Mixed — Sitting in a prison cell halfway around the planet, an Egyptian opposition leader forced President Bush this month to confront the question of how serious he was when he vowed to devote …
Arnold Kling / EconLog:
Giffen's Paradox of Health Care — If you thought that Bush economics was an oxymoron before, wait until you read this morning's lead story in the Washington Post. — Evidently, the Administration believes that health care is a Giffen good, so that if you subsidize it, total spending on it will decline.
Discussion:
TAPPED, Marginal Revolution, Preemptive Karma, Say Anything, Think Progress and Needlenose
Drew Brown / Knight Ridder:
Army reaching breaking point, experts warn — WASHINGTON - A pair of reports by outside experts in the last two days warn that the Army has been stretched thin by repeated combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and could soon reach the breaking point. — The first, a report on the Iraq war …
