Top Items:
White House:
Radio Address by the President to the Nation — THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. — As President, I took an oath to defend the Constitution, and I have no greater responsibility than to protect our people, our freedom, and our way of life. On September the 11th, 2001, our freedom …
Discussion:
Power Line, Blogs for Bush, Patridiot Watch, The Political Pit Bull and Talking Points Memo
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Associated Press:
Bush says he authorized eavesdropping in U.S. — President lashes out at lawmakers who revealed secret program — WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday he personally has authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. more than 30 times since the Sept. 11 attacks and he lashed …
Washington Post:
President Acknowledges Approving Secretive Eavesdropping — Bush Also Urges Congress to Extend Patriot Act — President Bush today acknowledged that he had secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on international communications of Americans and other domestic residents with known links to al Qaeda.
Discussion:
War and Piece, Concurring Opinions, Stop The ACLU, Simianbrain and The Carpetbagger Report
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
In Speech, Bush Says He Ordered Domestic Spying — President Bush delivered his radio address in the Roosevelt Room. In the live address, he criticized senators who voted not to renew the antiterrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act. — WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 - President Bush acknowledged …
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
Rudolph W. Giuliani / New York Times:
Taking Liberties With the Nation's Security — YESTERDAY the Senate failed to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act, as a Democratic-led filibuster prevented a vote. This action - which leaves the act, key elements of which are due to expire on Dec. 31, in limbo - represents a grave potential threat to the nation's security.
Katherine Shrader / Associated Press:
Bush Approved Eavesdropping, Official Says — WASHINGTON - President Bush has personally authorized a secretive eavesdropping program in the United States more than three dozen times since October 2001, a senior intelligence official said Friday night. — The disclosure follows angry demands …
Washington Post:
On Hill, Anger and Calls for Hearings Greet News of Stateside Surveillance — Congressional leaders of both parties called for hearings and issued condemnations yesterday in the wake of reports that President Bush signed a secret order in 2002 allowing the National Security Agency to spy …
Scott Shane / New York Times:
Behind Power, One Principle as Bush Pushes Prerogatives — WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 - A single, fiercely debated legal principle lies behind nearly every major initiative in the Bush administration's war on terror, scholars say: the sweeping assertion of the powers of the presidency.
Jeff Goldstein / protein wisdom:"Rice Denies U.S. Broke Law Amid Report Bush Authorized Spying" (UPDATED)
David Stout / New York Times:Supporters of Patriot Act Suffer a Stinging Defeat in Senate
Discussion:
Liberty Street
New York Times:
Lawmakers Back Use of Evidence Coerced From Detainees — WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 - House and Senate negotiators agreed Friday to a measure that would enable the government to keep prisoners at Guantánamo Bay indefinitely on the basis of evidence obtained by coercive interrogations.
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tv.yahoo.com:
'West Wing' Actor John Spencer Dies at 58 — John Spencer, who played a dedicated politico on "The West Wing" who survived a serious illness to run for vice president, died of a heart attack Friday, his publicist said. Spencer, 58, died at a Los Angeles hospital, said publicist Ron Hofmann.
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Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
At the Times, a Scoop Deferred — The New York Times' revelation yesterday that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to conduct domestic eavesdropping raised eyebrows in political and media circles, for both its stunning disclosures and the circumstances of its publication.
Reuters:
Anti-terror Patriot Act renewal blocked in Senate — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, demanding increased protection of civil liberties, defied President George W. Bush on Friday and blocked legislation to renew the USA Patriot Act, a centerpiece of his war on terrorism.
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Howard W. French / New York Times:
Chinese Pressing to Keep Village Silent on Clash — SHANGHAI, Dec. 16 - Ten days ago, the sleepy fishing village of Dongzhou was the scene of a deadly face-off, with protesters hurling homemade bombs and the police gunning them down in the streets. — Now, a stilted calm prevails …
Calculated Risk:
Fiscal Challenges, Social Security and Changing the Debate — From Professor Samwick at Vox Baby: … My response was blunt: … Ranking the Challenges — Any good manager would 1) measure the problem and then 2) solve the largest problems first. With that approach …
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Arnold Kling / EconLog:Unpersuasive Argument Against Reforming Social Security
Discussion:
Calculated Risk
White House:
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan — MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everyone. The President looks forward this afternoon to meeting the Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Sumaidaie. This will be an opportunity for the President to congratulate the Iraqi people on a successful election yesterday.
