Top Items:
Benjamin Wallace-Wells / Washington Monthly:
Kos Call — For America's number one liberal blogger — politics is like sports: It's all about winning. — I hate Washington," says Markos Moulitsas Zuniga. Many people, of course, say that they hate Washington. Jay Leno says so. So do Rush Limbaugh and Monica Lewinsky.
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Mark / Decision '08:
The Wonderful World of Kos — Lots of buzz (just check out Memeorandum) over this Washington Monthly profile of our ol' buddy Markos Moulitsas Zuniga. Some highlights and lowlights: … Psbbbbtt! Patently false; 3.7 million visitors a week is not really 3.7 million visitors …
Atrios / Eschaton:
Wonk Off — Garance and Kevin, responding tolWaMo profile of Markos discuss the lack of blogospheric wonkery. — I've said this before, but there's just little point in detail-oriented grand policy proposals when Bush and Republicans are in office. Just about everything their side offers …
Garance Franke-Ruta / TAPPED:WHAT'S THE STORY WITH MARKOS? If you're at all like me you've …
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Kevin Drum / The Washington Monthly:KOS CALL....In the latest issue of the Washington Monthly …
Discussion:
Shakespeare's Sister
Barton Gellman / Washington Post:
Daschle: Congress Denied Bush War Powers in U.S. — The Bush administration requested, and Congress rejected, war-making authority "in the United States" in negotiations over the joint resolution passed days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to an opinion article …
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Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Impeachment Nonsense — 2005 was already the year of the demagogue, having been dominated for months by the endlessly echoed falsehood that the president "lied us into war." But the year ends with yet another round of demagoguery. — Administration critics, political and media …
Discussion:
Brad DeLong's Semi …
New York Times:
House Approves 5-Week Extension of Patriot Act — WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 - The House of Representatives approved a five-week extension of the USA Patriot Act this afternoon and sent it to the Senate for final approval this evening in a late flurry of action to prevent the broad antiterrorism law from expiring on Dec. 31.
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Washington Post:
House Passes One-Month Extension of Patriot Act — The House of Representatives agreed to extend a controversial domestic surveillance law this afternoon, but it limited the extension to a little over one month and rejected a carefully brokered compromise from the Senate that had given the law a six-month reprieve.
Aram Roston / MSNBC:
Chalabi's defeat puts U.S. friends in quandary — Should his backers go with his view that it was a fraudulent election? — Atef Hassan / Reuters file — Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi talks to his aides during a break while campaigning for Iraq's parliamentary elections in the city of Basra on Dec. 13.
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Edward Cody / Washington Post:
China Vows Peaceful Use Of Its Power — White Paper Tries to Ease Fears of Growing Strength — BEIJING, Dec. 22 — The Chinese government, responding to doubts in the United States and neighboring Asian countries, made what it called a "solemn promise" Thursday that its growing power will never become a threat to other nations.
Discussion:
The Peking Duck
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Laura / War and Piece:
Where Are the Arrests? — Perhaps I'm a little slow, but there's something else that doesn't make sense about spygate. Since October 2001, Bush has authorized 30 times - every 45 days - warrantless NSA domestic surveillance of what I have heard estimated of approximately 1,000 US persons a year.
Ben Macintyre / Times of London:
Mullahs versus the bloggers — The explosive growth of youthful, irreverent online diaries has alarmed Iran's hardline Government — THE MUSIC OF Eric Clapton was banned in Iran this week. Broadcasters were ordered to cease playing "decadent" western songs and stick to "fine Iranian music".
Discussion:
USS Neverdock
Think Progress:
VIDEO: Fox Affiliate Airs Ode to White Supremacist Site — Fox affiliate "FOX Carolina" last month ran a one-sided fluff piece exploring StormFront.org, an online hub for white supremacists. — The Anti-Defamation League describes StormFront as a "veritable supermarket of online hate …
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Edward M. Kennedy / Boston Globe:
On wiretapping, Bush isn't listening to the Constitution — THE PRESIDENT is not above the law; he is not King George. Yet, with sorrow, we are now learning that in this great land we have an administration that has refused to follow well-crafted, longstanding procedures that require …
Newsweek:
Where's the Outrage? — Bush's defense of his phone-spying program has disturbing echoes of arguments once used by South Africa's apartheid regime. Why Americans should examine the parallels. — Obed Zilwa / AP — Former South African president P. W. Botha believed his country was under 'total onslaught' from its enemies
Discussion:
AMERICAN FUTURE
Lawrence Kudlow / Human Events:
2005 Man of the Year: Rep. Mike Pence — If the Republican majority in the Senate and House can somehow stave off a newly energized Democratic assault in the mid-term elections next November and preserve their governing status, they may well have Indiana congressman Mike Pence to thank.
Discussion:
A Chequer-Board of Nights …
Rachel Sylvester / Telegraph:
Letwin: We will redistribute wealth — The Tories should support the redistribution of wealth and try to narrow the gap between rich and poor, Oliver Letwin, the party's new policy chief, says today. — In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he says: "Of course, inequality matters.
