Top Items:
New York Times:
G.O.P. Senators and Bush Reach Wiretap Accord — WASHINGTON, March 7 — Moving to tamp down Democratic calls for an investigation of the administration's domestic eavesdropping program, Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday that they had reached agreement with the White House …
Discussion:
CNN, Booman Tribune, The Blogging of the President, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Strata-Sphere, The Carpetbagger Report, TAPPED, Reuters, Hit and Run, JustOneMinute, Daily Kos, PBD, The Heretik, Bring it On!, Stop The ACLU, The Jawa Report v3.0 Beta, Bloomberg, The Rude Pundit, PoliBlog, Decision '08, The American Street, Prairie Weather, Democratic Veteran, AMERICAblog, Ace of Spades HQ and Pensito Review
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Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
Post-mortem on the Intelligence Committee vote — (updated below) — The Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday rejected Sen. Rockefeller's motion to hold hearings to investigate the President's warrantless eavesdropping program by an 8-7, strict party line vote.
Discussion:
State of the Day, Thoughts from Kansas, The Democratic Party, Bring it On!, rubber hose, Decision '08 and firedoglake
Walter Pincus / Washington Post:
Senate Panel Blocks Eavesdropping Probe — The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted along party lines yesterday to reject a Democratic proposal to investigate the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program and instead approved establishing, with White House approval, a seven-member panel to oversee the effort.
George W. Bush / White House:
Executive Order: Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to help the Federal Government coordinate …
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Comandante Agi / the defeatists!:
AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, LET US SECURE THE HOMELAND BY THE GRACE OF GOD
AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, LET US SECURE THE HOMELAND BY THE GRACE OF GOD
Discussion:
Shakespeare's Sister
Sylvia Moreno / Washington Post:
DeLay Wins Tex. GOP Primary — Former House Majority Leader Easily Beats Three Challengers — AUSTIN, March 7 — Rep. Tom DeLay, facing an unusual four-way Republican primary, won the party's nomination Tuesday, calling his victory a rejection by voters of "the politics of personal destruction."
Discussion:
The Sundries Shack, Outside The Beltway, Thoughts of an Average Woman and A Blog For All
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Ralph Blumenthal / New York Times:
DeLay Beats 3 Rivals in Texas G.O.P. Primary — HOUSTON, March 7 — Representative Tom DeLay survived a challenge to his renomination for Congress Tuesday night, outpacing three Republican primary rivals seeking to capitalize on the criminal charges and ethics citations against him.
Houston Chronicle:
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 22 — He prevails over three in spite of legal troubles — Still facing legal battles, U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay won a pivotal political fight Tuesday by defeating three challengers in the Republican primary for his Houston-area seat. — Opponent Tom Campbell …
George Jahn / Associated Press:
Iran Threatens U.S. With 'Harm and Pain' — VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Iran threatened the United States with "harm and pain" Wednesday for its role in hauling Tehran before the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program. America's ambassador to the United Nations said Iran's comments reflected the menace it poses.
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Thomas B. Edsall / Washington Post:
Democrats' Data Mining Stirs an Intraparty Battle — With Private Effort on Voter Information, Ickes and Soros Challenge Dean and DNC — A group of well-connected Democrats led by a former top aide to Bill Clinton is raising millions of dollars to start a private firm that plans …
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
At Conservative Forum on Bush, Everybody's a Critic — If the ancient political wisdom is correct that a charge unanswered is a charge agreed to, the Bush White House pleaded guilty yesterday at the Cato Institute to some extraordinary allegations. — "We did ask a few members …
Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
House Agrees To Vote On Ports — Efforts by the White House to hold off legislation challenging a Dubai-owned company's acquisition of operations at six major U.S. ports collapsed yesterday when House Republican leaders agreed to allow a vote next week that could kill the deal.
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Associated Press:
Cuellar leads Rodriguez in congressional grudge match — SAN ANTONIO - With thousands of votes yet to be counted in his home county, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar held a small lead over former congressman Ciro Rodriguez early Wednesday in the Democratic primary in House District 28.
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William Saletan / Slate:
Take the Fifth — South Dakota's invitation to snuff your embryo. — Monday morning, Gov. Mike Rounds signed into law a ban on nearly all abortions in South Dakota. He called it a "direct challenge" to Roe v. Wade. But the ban also poses a direct challenge to the pro-life movement …
Discussion:
Crescat Sententia, The American Scene, Bark Bark Woof Woof, ACSBlog, Asymmetrical Information and SCOTUSblog
New York Times:
Elite Troops Get Expanded Role on Intelligence — WASHINGTON, March 7 — The military is placing small teams of Special Operations troops in a growing number of American embassies to gather intelligence on terrorists in unstable parts of the world and to prepare for potential missions to disrupt, capture or kill them.
Nick Schulz / Slate:
The Crappiest Invention of All Time — Why the auto-flushing toilet must die. — After a stint of telecommuting, I recently returned to working in a large downtown building. My office shares a men's room with everyone who works on our level. The bathroom sports three stalls …
Associated Press:
New animal resembles furry lobster — PARIS, France (AP) — Divers have discovered a new crustacean in the South Pacific that resembles a lobster and is covered with what looks like silky, blond fur, French researchers said Tuesday. — Scientists said the animal, which they named Kiwa hirsuta …
Discussion:
Running Scared
Charles Babington / Washington Post:
Congress Votes to Renew Patriot Act, With Changes — Congress voted yesterday to renew a four-year-old anti-terrorism law that makes it easier for federal agents to secretly obtain Americans' records and communications, even as some lawmakers warned that voters are growing increasingly concerned …
Discussion:
Democratic Veteran