Top Items:
Bulldogpundit / anklebitingpundits.com:
Live Blogging The Bush Presser — We "liveblogged" the Bush presser, and you can see our live recap by clicking "Read More". In general, the message was obvious on both the Patriot Act and the "spying" - It's my job to protect the American people, and I'm using whatever I'm doing to do that.
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White House:
Press Conference of the President — THE PRESIDENT: Welcome. Please be seated. Thanks. — Last night I addressed the nation about our strategy for victory in Iraq, and the historic elections that took place in the country last week. In a nation that once lived by the whims of a brutal dictator …
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah
CNN:
Bush: U.S. must think, act differently — WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush held a year-end news conference in the White House on Monday. The president followed up on his Sunday night speech on Iraq, addressed the controversy surrounding the Patriot Act and took questions on those and other subjects.
Michelle Malkin:
BUSH TAKES ON THE PRESS — ***scroll for reax, waiting for Dem response...*** — The showdown starts at 10:30am EST in the East Room. If Bush hits as hard as he did in his Saturday radio address, this should be good. — Think he'll call on Helen Thomas?
Lorie Byrd / PoliPundit.com:Hell Yes, Baby - Santa Has Come Early!
Discussion:
The Political Pit Bull
Washington Post:
Gonzales Defends Eavesdropping Program — Congress 'Authorized' Domestic Surveillance in Iraq War Resolution, Claims Attorney General — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales this morning defended the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping operation, saying it derived its legality …
Discussion:
firedoglake, Hugh Hewitt, Shakespeare's Sister, In Search Of Utopia, The Carpetbagger Report, Law Dork and Daily Kos
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Reuters:
Gonzales: War powers authorized eavesdropping — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's decision to eavesdrop on people within the United States was backed by the U.S. Congress' authorization of military force after the September 11, 2001, attacks, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on Monday.
Pajamas Media:
From the Oval Office to the blogs — Michelle Malkin liveblogged Bush's prime time speech in the Oval Office last night, and blogs started commenting right after it ended: — Instapundit: "[O]ne big thing struck me: In this national televised speech, Bush went out of his way to take responsibility for the war.
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Gateway Pundit:
After Only 1,000 Days, Bush Takes Credit for Iraq — "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction... Saddam may well hide his most lethal weapons in mosques, schools and hospitals. If our forces attempt to strike such targets …
Discussion:
Ed Driscoll.com
Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:A SURPRISE IN BUSH'S IRAQ SPEECH:
Discussion:
Power Line, The Anonymous Liberal, TAPPED, The Moderate Voice, PoliPundit.com, elementropy, In the Bullpen and Viking Pundit
White House:President's Address to the Nation
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt, Demagogue, The Political Pit Bull, Yourish.com, The Reaction, Althouse, chicagoboyz.net, PoliPundit.com, This Blog Is Full Of Crap, The Claremont Institute, Left I on the News, Blogs for Bush, The Carpetbagger Report, No More Mister Nice Blog, CALIFORNIA YANKEE, Conservative Thinking, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, The Rude Pundit, Balloon Juice, BizzyBlog.com, Barcepundit, In the Bullpen and Suitably Flip
John / AMERICAblog:
Did Bush domestic spy program eavesdrop on American journalists? — I had an interesting discussion this morning with DC political consultant Marc Laitin. We both came to the conclusion that it sounds like Bush's super-secret illegal domestic spying program may be targeting US journalists …
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William M. Arkin / Early Warning:
9/11 Gone Wild — Yesterday's New York Times editorial on National Security Agency spying in the United States refers to "your mail and your e-mail" and "your telephone conversations" being monitored. — The connotation of course is that the "you" is some New York Times reading Cappuccino …
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David E. Sanger / New York Times:
In Sunday Speech, Bush Is More Humble, but Still Firm — WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 - President Bush's speech on Sunday night culminated a weekend in which his administration tried to retake lost ground on two fronts: in Iraq, where Mr. Bush hopes a surprisingly successful election will buy …
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Peter Baker / Washington Post:Bush Brings More Realistic View of War to Forefront
Discussion:
The Carpetbagger Report
David Stout / New York Times:
Bush Says U.S. Spy Program Is Legal and Essential — WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 - President Bush offered a vigorous and detailed defense of his previously secret electronic-surveillance program today, calling it a legal and essential tool in the battle against terrorism and saying that whoever disclosed it had committed a "shameful act."
Discussion:
Simianbrain
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Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post:
President Gives Both Reassurance, Warnings on Iraq — 'Victory or Defeat' Are Only Options, He Says — President Bush last night hailed Thursday's Iraqi elections as a vital step toward stabilizing that nation, but warned that despite the political progress more violence lies ahead …
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Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:Asking for Patience, Bush Cites Progress in Iraq
Discussion:
ScrappleFace
New York Times:
Rice Defends Domestic Eavesdropping — WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday defended President Bush's decision to secretly authorize the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans without seeking warrants, saying the program was carefully controlled …
John McIntyre / realclearpolitics.com:
Have The Democrats Walked Into a Trap......Again? — The political pendulum is swinging back towards President Bush. The President's approval rating has a pattern of dipping when he takes his Crawford vacation every August then bouncing back in September upon his return to Washington.
Discussion:
Ace of Spades HQ, TigerHawk, Blogs for Bush, Power Line, The Strata-Sphere and Carol Platt Liebau
David Finkel / Washington Post:
A Struggle for Peace in a Place Where Fighting Never Ends — SANAA, Yemen — Word of the ambush of Sheik Rabea al-Okaimi came by cell phone. It was Rabea himself calling, late in the afternoon this past Sept. 11, from an isolated part of Yemen called Al Jawf.
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Brad / THE BRAD BLOG:
Florida Gov. Bush Expresses Concern About State Election Systems in Light of Leon County Hack Test — Counters Previous Positions by both the Acting Secretary of State and Voting Machine Company Diebold — Over the weekend, at least two reports out of mainstream Florida papers …
RELATED ITEM:
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
The new "constitutional" excuse for warrantless eavesdropping on Americans — Now that the Administration itself has acknowledged that FISA cannot be used to justify its warrantless eavesdropping on the communications of American citizens (since that law expressly bars exactly that surveillance) …
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Tom Shales / Washington Post:
From the Oval Office, a Call to See the Light at the End of the Tunnel — Determined to sound determined, President Bush addressed the nation on the troublesome subject of Iraq in a 16-minute speech last night from the Oval Office. Grim-faced, yet with a trace of anxiety in his eyes …
NewsMax.com:
John McCain: Bush Right to Use NSA — Sen. John McCain disappointed Democrats on Capitol Hill on Sunday by defending the Bush administration's decision to use the National Security Agency to monitor a limited number of domestic phone calls in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
