Top Items:
New York Times:
Bush Defends Gonzales in Firing of Prosecutors — President Bush defended Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today amid the furor over the firing of federal prosecutors, but he said he was troubled over the clumsy handling of the dismissals. — "I do have confidence in Attorney General Al Gonzales …
RELATED:
CNN:
Bush irked by 'mistakes' in attorney firings … WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush said Wednesday he is "not happy" about mistakes surrounding the decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys, but his faith in his attorney general is unwavering. — "I do have confidence in AG Al Gonzales," …
White House:
President Bush and President Calderón Participate in a Joint Press Availability — PRESIDENT CALDERÓN: (As translated.) Good morning, Mr. President, dear friends from the media. I thank you for being here in this press conference. I would like to thank …
John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Bush defends Gonzales: Just some confusion and mismanagement is all.... Update: (second video added) George Bush was questioned about Alberto Gonzales' role in the firing of US Attorneys in Mexico today. He wasn't too happy about it. He used the "pleasure of the President" talking point-called it a problem of "mismanagement."
Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:
Republican says Gonzales should be fired
Republican says Gonzales should be fired
Discussion:
Bloomberg, DownWithTyranny!, MyDD, Heath Haussamen …, Midtopia and The Carpetbagger Report
Editor and Publisher:
Editorial Pages Call for Axing Attorney General
Editorial Pages Call for Axing Attorney General
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Bring it On!, Jon Swift, Taylor Marsh, The Heretik and Washington Post
Stuart M. Gerson / Washington Post:
Inside the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorneys Controversy
Inside the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorneys Controversy
Andrew Zajac / Chicago Tribune:
Fitzgerald: Rove tried to limit choice — WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.) said Tuesday that White House political adviser Karl Rove told him in the spring of 2001 that he should limit his choice for U.S. attorney in Chicago to someone from Illinois.
Discussion:
The Carpetbagger Report, Hullabaloo, TalkLeft, CorrenteWire, AMERICAblog and Washington Post
RELATED:
Nico / Think Progress:
Leahy Says He'll Subpoena Rove, Discusses Potential Crimes Involved …
Leahy Says He'll Subpoena Rove, Discusses Potential Crimes Involved …
Discussion:
White House
Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press:
9/11 Mastermind Confesses in Guantanamo — WASHINGTON — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, confessed to that attack and a string of others during a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a transcript released Wednesday by the Pentagon.
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Bloomberg:
Giuliani Law Firm Lobbies in Texas for Chavez-Controlled Citgo — Rudolph Giuliani's law firm lobbies for Citgo Petroleum Corp., a unit of the state-owned oil company controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the U.S.'s chief antagonist in the Western Hemisphere.
RELATED:
Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Clinton and Obama Court Jewish Vote — As Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama compete for Jewish donors and voters, Mrs. Clinton is following a tried-and-true rule of hers from New York — support Israel to the last — while Mr. Obama is trying a more delicate strategy that hit some bumps this week.
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The president receives "lessons" from his neoconservative tutors
The president receives "lessons" from his neoconservative tutors
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Council for Secular Humanism, Obsidian Wings, Ezra Klein, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and TAPPED
kuna.net.kw:
MIL-IRAQ-US SOLDIERS — Baghdad security crackdown seriously curbs killings of US soldiers — The rate of killings of US troops in Iraq has been on the decline, down by 60 percent, since the launch of the new security measures in Baghdad, according to statistics revealed …
Discussion:
Reuters, Attytood, protein wisdom, Hang Right Politics, The Jawa Report, Don Surber and Sister Toldjah
Robert F. Moore / NY Daily News:
No deal, Kerik says to plea offer & prison time — Disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik borrowed a line from a popular game show after federal prosecutors made him a plea offer that would have required him to do time: — No deal. — "He rejected the plea deal because he paid …
Discussion:
Daily Kos
RELATED:
Nico / Think Progress:
BREAKING: CBC chooses CNN over Fox — Last week, the Prospect reported that the Congressional Black Caucus were close to nearing a deal to host two Democratic presidentialy primary debates in concert with Fox News: … Black online activists led by ColorOfChange.org partnered …
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Zzaki / Political Punch:
Senator Clinton, unplugged — This morning on Good Morning, America, we ran an interview with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, in which she called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's head. — "The buck should stop somewhere," Clinton said (CLICK HERE FOR MORE) "and the Attorney General …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, NewsBusters.org, TIME, Central Sanity, The Caucus, The Swamp, The Daily Dish, Scared Monkeys and Harry's Place
Matthew Tostevin / Reuters:
Taste for Guinness wanes in changing Ireland — How about a glass of wine to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day in Dublin? — That might not sit well on the stomach of many residents of Ireland's capital this Saturday as they mark the year's biggest party with copious quantities of Guinness …
Discussion:
Angry Bear
Associated Press:
French High Court Rejects Gay Marriage — PARIS (AP) - France's highest court Tuesday rejected as unlawful the first marriage by a gay couple in France, annulling the union of the two men. — Stephane Charpin and Bertrand Charpentier were married in a civil ceremony on June 5, 2004 …
Nicolette Hahn Niman / New York Times:
Pig Out — WITH some fanfare, the world's largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, recently announced that it intended to phase out certain cages for its breeding females. Called gestation crates, the cages virtually immobilize pigs during their pregnancies in metal stalls so narrow they are unable to turn around.
Christopher Cooper / Wall Street Journal:
Legislators Aim At a New Misdeed On the Road: DWT — 'Driving While Texting' — Is Email Junkies' Woe, — Linked to Accidents — OLYMPIA, Wash. — During the morning rush hour on Dec. 5, the 53-year-old driver of a blue Dodge Caravan was traveling north on Interstate 5 outside Seattle …