memeorandum: Dodd Introduces Bill to Cap U.S. Troops in Iraq (Washington Post)

5:06 AM ET, January 18, 2007

Top Items:

Court to Oversee U.S. Wiretapping in Terror Cases — The Bush administration, in a surprise reversal, said on Wednesday that it had agreed to give a secret court jurisdiction over the National Security Agency's wiretapping program and would end its practice of eavesdropping without warrants on Americans suspected of ties to terrorists.

Discussion: The Heretik and The Democratic Daily

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:

Secret Court to Govern Wiretapping Plan — The Justice Department announced today that the National Security Agency's controversial warrantless surveillance program has been placed under the authority of a secret surveillance court, marking an abrupt change in approach by the Bush administration after more than a year of heated debate.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Moderate Voice, The Strata-Sphere, Defense Tech, Hot Air, Political Animal, The Reaction, The Impolitic, On Deadline, TalkLeft, The Heretik, toohotfortnr, State of the Day and Gun Toting Liberal ™

Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:

FISA and the President — together again — (updated below - updated again - and again) — Everything I know about the FISA story is contained in this AP article, which I just read, and in this letter from Attorney General Gonzales to Senators Leahy and Specter.

Discussion: Balkinization and Decision '08

David Stout / New York Times:

White House Says Judiciary Will Monitor Spy Program — The Bush administration, in what appears to be a concession to its critics, said today it will allow an independent court to monitor its warrantless electronic-eavesdropping program. — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told the leaders …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Reason Magazine and JustOneMinute

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:

Climbdown On Warrantless Surveillance (Updated And Bumped) — The Bush administration has apparently concluded that fighting to retain the warrantless surveillance program with a Democratic Congress would eventually be unsuccessful, and today announced that the presidential authorization for the program would not be renewed.

Discussion: TalkLeft

James Vicini / Reuters:

Bush won't reauthorize eavesdropping — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush has decided not to renew a program of domestic spying on terrorism suspects, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on Wednesday, ending an law-enforcement tactic criticized for infringing on civil liberties.

Orin Kerr / The Volokh Conspiracy:
DID A FISA JUDGE APPROVE THE ENTIRE TSP? [IMPORTANT UPDATE …

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Flopping Aces and The Political Pit Bull

Marty Lederman / Balkinization: Terrorist Surveillance Program . . . Never Mind? …

Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
Nothing to celebrate — (updated below - updated again with correction)

Discussion: CorrenteWire and The American Street

Lara Jakes Jordan / Associated Press:
Secret court to govern wiretapping plan

Discussion: QandO, 27B Stroke 6, The Volokh Conspiracy and Liberal Values

White House:
Press Briefing by Tony Snow

Discussion: The Caucus and First Draft

Dafydd / Big Lizards:
Another Bush "Surrender" That Isn't

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Transcript: DoJ Officials Discuss NSA, FISA

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy

Justin Rood / TPMmuckraker:
Gonzales: NSA Wiretapping Now Subject to Court Approval

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Associated Press, The Mahablog and Daily Kos

Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:

Shiite Fighters Arrested in Crackdown, Iraq Says — Facing intense pressure from the Bush administration to show progress in securing Iraq, senior Iraqi officials announced Wednesday that they had moved against the country's most powerful Shiite militia, arresting several dozen senior members in the past few weeks.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Joshua Partlow / Washington Post:

Maliki Stresses Urgency In Arming Iraqi Forces — Need for U.S. Troops Could Drop 'Dramatically' — The Iraqi government's need for American troops would "dramatically go down" in three to six months if the United States accelerated the process of equipping and arming Iraq's security forces …

Stephen Farrell / Times of London:
Give us guns - and troops can go, says Iraqi leader

Discussion: Dean's World

Washington Post:

Dodd Introduces Bill to Cap U.S. Troops in Iraq — Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) announced legislation today capping the number of troops in Iraq at roughly 130,000, saying that lawmakers should take an up-or-down vote on President Bush's plan to send additional troops to the country …

Discussion: ThoughtsOnline, New York Times, Obsidian Wings, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Political Animal, TalkLeft, The Carpetbagger Report, The Democratic Daily, Middle Earth Journal and Gun Toting Liberal ™

Noam Levey / Los Angeles Times:
Senators' resolution condemns Bush plan for Iraq

Discussion: Democrats.com and BobGeiger.com

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
It's Never Too Early to Get Defensive

Discussion: Firedoglake, Horses Mouth and The Caucus

Washington Post:

Libby Jury Selection Seen as Challenge — To see just how small a town Washington really is, drop in on jury selection at the trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, where nearly every candidate so far seems to have some connection to the players or events surrounding the leak of an undercover CIA officer's identity.

Discussion: TAPPED, Firedoglake, TPMmuckraker and Pacific Views

Hardball / Hardblogger:
Libby jury selection: Bad day for elite schools, journalist reaches 2nd round

Discussion: Associated Press and Firedoglake

Murray Waas / The Huffington Post:
Exclusive: The Paradox That Is Scooter Libby

Discussion: Firedoglake, JustOneMinute, TalkLeft and New York Times

knbc.nbcweatherplus.com:

Snow Falls In West LA, Malibu — CHP To Escort Motorists Through Icy Grapevine — SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Snow fell on the palm trees of West Los Angeles and Malibu Wednesday afternoon as Jack Frost visited the Southland again. — Images: Malibu, West LA Snow — Video

Discussion: GINA COBB, Instapundit.com, The Democratic Daily and Blue Crab Boulevard

CBS News - Couric & Co.:

Katie: A Woman At The Table — One week ago, Katie sat down for a briefing at the White House, and noticed something unusual. — Last Wednesday, President Bush gave his address to the country about "the new way forward" for Iraq, and lots of journalists—including me, of course—were in Washington to cover it.

Discussion: Hot Air, JustOneMinute and Blogs for Bush

Ronald Brownstein / Los Angeles Times:

Commanding majority opposes more troops in Iraq — WASHINGTON — A commanding majority of Americans oppose President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq and just over half the country wants Congress to block the deployment, a Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

Discussion: Happy Furry Puppy Story …, DownWithTyranny! and Political Animal

Ezra HaLevi / Arutz Sheva:

Exclusive: Jimmy Carter Interceded on Behalf of Nazi SS Guard — A former U.S. Justice Department official disclosed to Arutz-7 that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's advocacy extended beyond the Palestinians, when he interceded on behalf of a Nazi SS man.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Hot Air, PoliPundit.com, Blue Crab Boulevard and Roger Ailes

Greg Sargent / electioncentral.tpmcafe.com:

Obama's Turn: Says He'll Introduce Iraq Legislation Calling For Phased Withdrawal — Barely moments after Hillary Clinton concluded her press conference this afternoon calling for a "cap" on the number of troops in Iraq, Barack Obama's office sent out a statement saying that he, too, would be introducing his own Iraq legislation.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Sirotablog, The Huffington Post, The Reaction and Eschaton