Top Items:
New York Times:
Cheney Assails Press on Report on Bank Data — WASHINGTON, June 23 — Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday vigorously defended a secret program that examines banking records of Americans and others in a vast international database, and harshly criticized the news media for disclosing …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, PoliBlog, the talking dog, Bark Bark Woof Woof, american footprints, PrairiePundit, The American Street and Media Needle
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Heather Mac Donald / Weekly Standard:
National Security Be Damned — BY NOW IT'S UNDENIABLE: The New York Times is a national security threat. So drunk is it on its own power and so antagonistic to the Bush administration that it will expose every classified antiterror program it finds out about, no matter how legal the program …
New York Times:
Following the Money, and the Rules — After the attacks on 9/11, when the terrorist threat seemed equally dangerous and amorphous, one of the few clear strategies for counterattack was to follow the money. Almost everyone, including this page, urged the Bush administration to be aggressive …
Discussion:
Blue Crab Boulevard, Don Surber, Radio Blogger, Media Blog on National …, Wizbang and Power Line
Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
Officials Defend Financial Searches — Critics Assert Secret Program Invades Privacy — A secret program that allowed U.S. officials to examine hundreds of thousands of private banking records from around the world in search of terrorist ties has been "absolutely essential" …
New York Times:
White House Says Tracking Bank Data Deters Terror — WASHINGTON, June 23 — The White House vigorously defended today a secret program of combing through a vast international data base containing banking transactions involving thousands of Americans. Vice President Dick Cheney and other officials …
Tom Raum / Associated Press:
Analysis: CIA program expands Bush's power — WASHINGTON - A secret CIA-Treasury program to track financial records of millions of Americans is the latest installment in an expansion of executive authority in the name of fighting terrorism. The administration doesn't apologize …
New York Times:
F.B.I. Killed Plot in Talking Stage, a Top Aide Says — WASHINGTON, June 23 — A plot to topple the Sears Tower in Chicago and attack the F.B.I. headquarters in Miami was "more aspirational than operational," a top bureau official said Friday, a day after seven Florida men were arrested on terrorism charges.
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centredaily.com:
Indictment of suspected terrorists contains little evidence of plot — WASHINGTON - Even as Justice Department officials trumpeted the arrests of seven Florida men accused of planning to wage a "full ground war against the United States," they acknowledged the group did not have the means to carry out the plan.
Discussion:
Unqualified Offerings
Tony Karon / Time:
The Miami Seven: How Serious Was the Threat? — The group indicted for terror plans appears to have had more in common with homegrown cults than al-Qaeda terrorists. Which doesn't mean they weren't dangerous — The Federal government has indicted seven men arrested in Miami on charges …
Martin Peretz / The New Republic:
A MESSAGE FROM TNR'S LIEBERMAN-LOVING NEOCON OWNER: — Forgive me. But I never read Daily Kos until today. Well, now that I've read it, the first thought that came to me is how illiterate Kos is, just plain illiterate. There has been other not-with-a-pick-axe-but-with-a- bludgeon left-wing journalism …
Discussion:
Blue Crab Boulevard, The Democratic Daily, QandO, Liberty and Justice, Hot Air and Wizbang
cair.com:
Media Asked Not to Call Miami Terror Suspects 'Muslims' — In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful — MEDIA ASKED NOT TO CALL MIAMI TERROR SUSPECTS 'MUSLIMS' — Sect trains 'through the bible,' worships in 'temple,' not mosque — (WASHINGTON, DC, 6/23/06) …
Discussion:
Ankle Biting Pundits
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Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Clinton Says GOP Blindly Follows Bush — She Calls an Open Debate on the Iraq War More Important Than Party Unity — One day after suffering a pair of defeats on the Senate floor, Democratic leaders argued yesterday that their internal divisions over Iraq will help push the country toward …
Jennifer Loven / Associated Press:
Mineta to Quit As Transportation Secretary — Norman Mineta, the Only Democrat in President Bush's Cabinet, to Resign As Transportation Secy. — WASHINGTON Jun 23, 2006 (AP)— Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, the only Democrat in President Bush's Cabinet, will step down next month.
Discussion:
The Florida Masochist
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Del Quentin Wilber / Washington Post:
Lone Democrat in Bush Cabinet Is Departing
Lone Democrat in Bush Cabinet Is Departing
Discussion:
The Sundries Shack
Matt Stoller / MyDD:
Young People Should Respect their Elder Liars — I didn't want to just let this article from Richard Morin titled 'Jon Stewart, Enemy of Democracy' (or 'Comedy Poisoning Democracy') go unanswered (via Alternet). Here's Morin's argument. … Ugh, there are so many bad leaps of logic here.
Associated Press:
Television producer Aaron Spelling dies — LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — Aaron Spelling, a onetime movie bit player who created a massive number of hit series, from the vintage "Charlie's Angels" and "Dynasty" to "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place," died Friday, his publicist said. He was 83.
Discussion:
Ed Driscoll.com
Chad Dotson / Commonwealth Conservative:
Mark Warner's astrologer — This Jerome Armstrong stuff gets stranger and stranger. Now it turns out that Mark Warner's top internet advisor is a long time astrologer. You have to read this; it is side-splittingly hilarious. Here's Armstrong, on the 2001 Earley-Warner gubernatorial race, three weeks before that Election Day:
Rose French / Associated Press:
Gore 'not planning' 2008 White House run — NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Former Vice President Al Gore got the same question at a hometown book signing Friday that he gets all over the world when pitching his documentary and book on global warming: Will he run for president in 2008?
StrategyPage:
Why Iraq WMD Finds Were Kept Secret — June 23, 2006: The revelation that Coalition forces have discovered about 500 shells containing chemical weapons (mostly sarin nerve gas and mustard gas) since 2003, most of which are pre-1991 Gulf War vintage, leads to the question as to why the U.S. waited so long to reveal this.