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Political Web, page A1 … for 9:10 AM ET, December 22, 2005
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Top Items:

Jesse J. Holland / Associated Press:
Senate Passes Patriot Act Extension  —  WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday passed a six-month extension of the terror-fighting USA Patriot Act as a last resort after Democrats and a small group of GOP senators blocked President Bush and Republican congressional leaders' attempt to make most of the anti-terrorism law permanent.
RELATED ITEMS:
Washington Post:
Senate Votes to Extend Patriot Act for 6 Months  —  A much-debated domestic surveillance law won a reprieve last night when senators agreed to continue it for six months to allow House and Senate negotiators to resume efforts next year to rewrite it for the longer term.
CNN:
Senate gives Patriot Act six more months
White House:
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
Discussion: IntoxiNation-News …
Los Angeles Times:
New Life for Patriot Act Is No Bush Win
Washington Post:
Judges on Surveillance Court To Be Briefed on Spy Program  —  The presiding judge of a secret court that oversees government surveillance in espionage and terrorism cases is arranging a classified briefing for her fellow judges to address their concerns about the legality …
RELATED ITEM:
Scott Shane / New York Times:
News of Surveillance Is Awkward for Agency
Scott Shields / MyDD:
New Yorkers Support the Transit Strike  —  I've been pretty surprised and somewhat disappointed by the hostility among some here to the striking transit workers in New York City.  To be fair, the strike is illegal.  It is unfortunately timed.  It is incredibly hard on other workers in the city.
RELATED ITEMS:
Jane Galt / Asymmetrical Information:
Strike II  —  Another day of New York's exciting transit strike.
Discussion: Mister Snitch!
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Senate Agrees on Extension of Patriot Act  —  WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 - In a chaotic conclusion to the Congressional year, the Senate blocked an effort on Wednesday to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and struck a last-minute accord to extend the law known as the USA Patriot Act for six months.
RELATED ITEMS:
Associated Press:
Senate Blocks Alaska Refuge Drilling
Discussion: ScrappleFace
Associated Press:
Senate blocks attempt to allow ANWR drilling
Discussion: Demagogue
Anne E. Kornblut / New York Times:
Lobbyist Nears Terms on Plea Deal  —  WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 - Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist under indictment for fraud in South Florida, is expected to complete a plea agreement in the Miami criminal case, setting the stage for him to become a crucial witness in a broad federal corruption …
Jim Dwyer / New York Times:
New York Police Covertly Join In at Protest Rallies  —  Undercover New York City police officers have conducted covert surveillance in the last 16 months of people protesting the Iraq war, bicycle riders taking part in mass rallies and even mourners at a street vigil for a cyclist killed in an accident, a series of videotapes show.
RELATED ITEM:
Jerry Markon / Washington Post:
Court Bars Transfer of Padilla To Face New Terrorism Charges  —  A federal appeals court yesterday refused to authorize the transfer of "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla to face new criminal charges, issuing a strongly worded opinion rebuking the Bush administration and its handling of the high-profile terrorism case.
Los Angeles Times:
Iraq Election Results Will Pose New Challenges for U.S. Policy  —  Votes along sectarian and ethnic lines mean Washington must do more to quell tensions and may have to forge ties with Shiite-led Iran.  —  WASHINGTON — The apparent failure of secular, Western-oriented political groups …
Discussion: neo-neocon
RELATED ITEMS:
Juan / Informed Comment:
Shiite Religious Parties dominate 10 of 18 Provinces
Discussion: Middle Earth Journal
Mohammed / IRAQ THE MODEL:
Baghdad for Kirkuk.
Howard Fineman / MSNBC:
Spying, the Constitution - and the 'I-word'  —  2006 will offer up Nixon-era nastiness and a chorus of calls to impeach Bush  —  WASHINGTON -  —  Howard Fineman  —  In the first weeks and months after 9/11, I am told by a very good source, there was a lot of wishing out loud …
RELATED ITEM:
Washington Post:
Department's Mission Was Undermined From Start  —  The Department of Homeland Security was only a month old, and already it had an image problem.  —  It was April 2003, and Susan Neely, a close aide to DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, decided the gargantuan new conglomeration of 22 federal agencies …
Discussion: War and Piece and Amygdala
Steve Connor / Independent:
Britain will be first country to monitor every car journey  —  From 2006 Britain will be the first country where every journey by every car will be monitored  —  Britain is to become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded.
Discussion: Crooked Timber, Amygdala and TalkLeft
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
File the Bin Laden Phone Leak Under 'Urban Myths'  —  President Bush asserted this week that the news media published a U.S. government leak in 1998 about Osama bin Laden's use of a satellite phone, alerting the al Qaeda leader to government monitoring and prompting him to abandon the device.
Mark Landler / New York Times:
A Land of Northern Lights, Cybercafes and the Flat Tax  —  TALLINN, Estonia - Estonia, one realizes after a few days in the abiding twilight of a Baltic winter, is not like other European countries.  —  The first tip-off is the government's cabinet room, outfitted less like a ceremonial chamber than a control center.
Discussion: RedState.org

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More Items:

New York Times:
Students to Bear Big Burden Under the Final Budget Bill
Discussion: TalkLeft
icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk:
Jihad is 'Muslim obligation'
Mark Leibovich / Washington Post:
Unanswer Man  —  Scott McClellan Is the President's Spokesman …
Discussion: mediabistro
Anton La Guardia / Telegraph:
Arrests reveal Zarqawi network in Europe
W. Thomas Smith Jr / National Review:
The "Ultimate Betrayal"?  —  Why is it taking so long to design …
David White / American Enterprise Institute:
The White House Wakes Up
Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ
Oliver Duff / Independent:
'Emotional' affair as Elton and David finally say 'I do'
Mark Schmitt / tpmcafe.com:
Welfare Reform in the Budget Bill

Earlier Picks:

Andrew Keegan / newyorkblade.com:
Pentagon spied on gay student groups, report says
Marc Humbert / Associated Press:
Pirro Abandons Challenge to Sen. Clinton
Discussion: PunditGuy
Richard Posner / Washington Post:
Opinion: 'Our Domestic Intelligence Crisis '
Discussion: Crooked Timber
Scott Peterson / ABCNEWS:
Waiting for the rapture in Iran
Discussion: protein wisdom
New Sisyphus:
The Powers of the President, Spying and Civil Liberties
Kristin Jensen / Bloomberg:
Abramoff's `Equal Money' Went Mostly to Republicans (Update1)
Digby / Hullabaloo:
Adults Wanted  —  Kevin Drum has a whole bunch of good posts …
 
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