memeorandum: CIA has recruited Iranians to defect (Greg Miller/Los Angeles Times)

Hill Briefed on Waterboarding in 2002 — Intelligence Panels' Chiefs Did Not Then Protest CIA Technique — In September 2002, four members of Congress met in secret for a first look at a unique CIA program designed to wring vital information from reticent terrorism suspects in U.S. custody.

Discussion: Salon, Crooks and Liars, Talking Points Memo, PoliGazette, Think Progress, Emptywheel, AMERICAblog, Sadly, No!, TIME: Swampland, Instapundit.com, Macsmind, Prairie Weather, Majikthise and PoliPundit.com

Associated Press:

Biden wants special counsel in tape case — WASHINGTON - A Senate Democratic leader said Sunday the attorney general should appoint a special counsel to investigate the CIA's destruction of videotaped interrogations of two suspected terrorists. — Sen. Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Pelosi Briefed On Waterboarding In 2002, No Objections — The CIA briefed four Congressional leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, on the controversial practice of waterboarding over five years ago. Not only did no one object to the practice during the September 2002 briefing …

Discussion: Too Sense

Lambert / Corrente:

We are Democrats. They are enablers. — Dem On Dem Violence - Department Of No! They Would Never To Do That! - Jane Harman - Jay Rockefeller - Nancy Pelosi - Torture - Waterboarding — [Welcome, Eschatonians! Welcome Attaturk readers. Welcome, Glenn Greenwald readers.]

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, Eschaton, TPMCafe blogs and The Sideshow

Errin Haines / Associated Press:

Civil Rights Icon Calls Obama Too Young — ATLANTA (AP) - Civil rights icon Andrew Young says Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is too young and lacks the support network to ascend to the White House. — In a media interview posted online, Young also quipped …

Discussion: Don Surber and The American Street

The Politico:

The 'O' Show sweeps Iowa — CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Iowans turned out by the thousands Saturday to watch the "O" Show: Oprah Winfrey stepping into presidential politics for the first time, hailing Sen. Barack Obama as a "rare thing." — Winfrey bounded on the stage like she does her 22-year-old talk show …

Discussion: The Swamp, Reuters, PoliGazette and Gateway Pundit

Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:

Oprah Winfrey Hits Campaign Trail for Obama — When she begins a typical show, seldom does Oprah Winfrey question the power of her brand or wonder aloud about the influence that accompanies her golden seal of approval. — But when Ms. Winfrey strode onto a stage here Saturday …

Discussion: NY Daily News, PrezVid and BAGnewsNotes

John McCormick / The Swamp:
Oprah says she knows she's not selling books

Discussion: The Politico, Obama HQ, Ben Smith's Blogs and CNN Political Ticker

Joe's Crabby Shack:

Firsthand account of the Von Maur shooting — The Shack has the privilege of being able to talk with one of the witnesses from the third floor of the Von Maur store at Westroads Mall in Omaha. — On the condition of anonymity, he has agreed to tell his account of what happened.

Discussion: Clayton Cramer's BLOG and Patterico's Pontifications

Greg Miller / Los Angeles Times:

CIA has recruited Iranians to defect — The secret campaign was launched two years ago to undermine Tehran's nuclear program. It has persuaded a 'handful' of key officials to leave. — WASHINGTON — The CIA launched a secret program in 2005 designed to degrade Iran's nuclear weapons program …

Discussion: The Plank and The Atlantic Online

Clifford Krauss / New York Times:

Oil-Rich Nations Use More Energy, Cutting Exports — The economies of many big oil-exporting countries are growing so fast that their need for energy within their borders is crimping how much they can sell abroad, adding new strains to the global oil market.

Discussion: PoliGazette

Nathan Kay / Daily Mail:

Al Gore is criticised for lining his own pockets after £3,300-per-minute green speech — Al Gore has come under fire for making personal gain from his mission to save the planet - after charging £3,300 a minute to deliver a poorly received speech.

Discussion: Don Surber

Lester Pimentel / Bloomberg:

Iraq Bonds Rally on U.S. Troop Surge, Oil Earnings — Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — Holders of Iraqi bonds are giving President George W. Bush a vote of confidence. — The country's $2.7 billion of 5.8 percent bonds due in 2028 returned 15.2 percent since July, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. index data.

Discussion: Tapscott's Copy Desk

Rasmussen Reports:

Election 2008: Michigan Republican Primary — Michigan: Huckabee 21% Romney 20% Giuliani 19% — Mike Huckabee's surging campaign has created a three-way toss-up in Michigan's Republican Primary. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds Huckabee earning 21% of the vote.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, PoliGazette and Political Machine

Floyd Norris / New York Times:

Like Subprime Mortgages, Some Construction Loans Are Delinquent — BANKS across the United States, particularly the smaller ones, have become dependent on construction lending just as that area of the economy is weakening and the number of bad loans is growing.

Discussion: RADAMISTO