memeorandum: Who Will Succeed Al Gore? (Thomas L. Friedman/New York Times)

The 'Good Germans' Among Us — "BUSH lies" doesn't cut it anymore. It's time to confront the darker reality that we are lying to ourselves. — Ten days ago The Times unearthed yet another round of secret Department of Justice memos countenancing torture.

Discussion: Flopping Aces, Dohiyi Mir, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Norwegianity, Macsmind, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, NewsBusters.org, WTF Is It Now?!?, The American Street, The Heretik and Prairie Weather

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

The Beltway Establishment's contempt for the rule of law — The Washington Post's Editorial Page, in the establishment-defending form of Fred Hiatt, today became but the latest Beltway appendage to urge the enactment of a special law providing amnesty to our nation's poor, put-upon, lawbreaking telecoms:

Discussion: The American Street

Washington Post:

Surveillance Update — WHEN IT comes to updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for a new technological age, the Bush administration refuses to take yes for an answer. — The House is poised this week to take up a carefully crafted revision to the law that addresses …

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Carpetbagger Report and Corrente

New York Times:

Spies, Lies and FISA — As Democratic lawmakers try to repair a deeply flawed bill on electronic eavesdropping, the White House is pumping out the same fog of fear and disinformation it used to push the bill through Congress this summer. President Bush has been telling Americans that any change …

Discussion: The American Street and The Strata-Sphere

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

A Mock Columnist, Amok — I was in my office, writing a column on the injustice of relative marginal tax rates for hedge fund managers, when I saw Stephen Colbert on TV. — He was sneering that Times columns make good "kindling." He was ranting that after you throw away the paper …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, The Sideshow, JammieWearingFool, The American Street and Lawyers, Guns and Money

Washington Post:

Better Numbers — NEWS COVERAGE and debate about Iraq during the past couple of weeks have centered on the alleged abuses of private security firms like Blackwater USA. Getting such firms into a legal regime is vital, as we've said. But meanwhile, some seemingly important facts …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Corner, Don Surber, Outside The Beltway and PrairiePundit

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

Who Will Succeed Al Gore? — Seeing Al Gore so deservedly share the Nobel Peace Prize, it is impossible not to note the contrast in his leadership and that of George W. Bush. — Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush each faced a crucible moment. For Mr. Gore, it was winning the popular vote and having …

Discussion: The Van Der Galiën Gazette and Matt Ortega

Jules Crittenden:

King Al the Green — Tom Friedman is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Sunday morning reads. — Today, Friedman is worried about the succession of Nobel Al Gore the UNcrowned, though I haven't noticed any shortage of mountebanks, charletans and jackanapes in the field.

Discussion: PrairiePundit and The Mahablog

The Atlantic Online:
About self-righteousness and Al Gore

Discussion: Bark Bark Woof Woof, Grasping Reality … and New York Times

Laura Figueroa / MiamiHerald.com:

Candidate's oral-sex slogan is no laughing matter — A campaign slogan focusing on oral sex is creating a storm of controversy during Hialeah City Council election season. — AIM reprint — lfigueroa@MiamiHerald.com — Live in Hialeah? Like oral sex?

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Digg, Althouse and Hot Air

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

G.O.P. Lawmakers Voice Their Unease — Members of the White House communications team invited their Capitol Hill counterparts down to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue the other day to see how Republican morale was holding up in Congress. The answer: Not so well. — Under fierce attack …

Discussion: The Politico, The Next Hurrah and DownWithTyranny!

Massoud Ansari / Telegraph:

Taliban use hostage cash to fund UK blitz — Millions of dollars handed over to secure the release of South Korean hostages in Afghanistan have been used to buy weapons deployed against British and American forces in the country, the Taliban claims. — Major Alexis Roberts, 32 …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Jihad Watch, PrairiePundit and Gateway Pundit

David Ignatius / Washington Post:

The Dignity Agenda — "We talk about democracy and human rights. Iraqis talk about justice and honor." That comment from Lt. Col. David Kilcullen, made at a seminar last month on counterinsurgency, is the beginning of wisdom for an America that is trying to repair the damage of recent years.

Discussion: SWJ Blog

Associated Press:

Iraq Sees Dramatically Low Death Toll — BAGHDAD (AP) - The civilian death toll in Iraq fell to its lowest level in recent memory Saturday, with only four people killed or found dead nationwide, according to reports from police, morgue officials and credible witnesses.

Michael Barone / Opinion Journal:

The Special Relationship — These books illuminate the shared heritage of America and Britain. — 1. "Albion's Seed" by David Hackett Fischer (Oxford, 1989). — Colonial Americans didn't come from just anywhere; they came, David Hackett Fischer tells us in "Albion's Seed," …

Discussion: Power Line and Fausta's blog