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Political Web, page A1 … for 1:45 PM ET, December 23, 2005
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Top Items:

Tom Daschle / Washington Post:
Power We Didn't Grant  —  In the face of mounting questions about news stories saying that President Bush approved a program to wiretap American citizens without getting warrants, the White House argues that Congress granted it authority for such surveillance in the 2001 legislation authorizing the use of force against al Qaeda.
RELATED ITEMS:
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
The Bush justifications for law-breaking (con't)  —  My post yesterday requested that Bush defenders explain how there can be any limits at all on his power under the theories of Executive Power which they are advocating to argue that Bush had the right to violate Congressional law.
Discussion: firedoglake, Daily Kos and Eschaton
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 …
Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Daschle: Democrats Clueless On 9/12, Too
Discussion: Say Anything and The Mahablog
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Impeachment Nonsense  —  2005 was already the year of the demagogue …
Peter Daou / The Huffington Post:   How Far Will Bush Supporters Go?
Sinan Salaheddin / Associated Press:
Iraqis March, Say Elections Were Rigged  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Large demonstrations broke out across the country Friday to denounce parliamentary elections that protesters say were rigged in favor of the main religious Shiite coalition.  Also, the U.S. military said two soldiers were killed …
RELATED ITEM:
Karen Travers / ABCNEWS:
Cheney's iPod Takes Top Priority on Extended Flight  —  Reporters Wait to File Stories as VP's MP3 Player Charges  —  WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2005 — After a four-day overseas trip that took him to four countries in the Middle East, Vice President Dick Cheney really wanted to get his iPod charged …
New York Times:
Defending Spy Program, Administration Cites Law  —  WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 - In its first formal response to Congress on the growing controversy over domestic spying, the Bush administration argued Thursday that the president's authorization of domestic spying was consistent with the 1978 law …
Discussion: PrawfsBlawg, rubber hose and Wonkette
RELATED ITEMS:
Toni Locy / Associated Press:
Bush Administration Defends Spying Program
Discussion: The Left Coaster and AMERICAblog
Jack Kelly / realclearpolitics.com:
The Valerie Plame Precedent
New York Times:
Postponing Debate, Congress Extends Terror Law 5 Weeks  —  WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 - In a frantic finish before adjourning for the year, Congress extended on Thursday the broad antiterrorism bill known as the USA Patriot Act by five weeks after the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee balked at a longer extension.
RELATED ITEM:
New York Times:
House Approves 5-Week Extension of Patriot Act
Discussion: Decision '08 and CorrenteWire
New York Times:
Mr. Cheney's Imperial Presidency  —  George W. Bush has quipped several times during his political career that it would be so much easier to govern in a dictatorship.  Apparently he never told his vice president that this was a joke.  —  Virtually from the time he chose himself …
Donna Cassata / Associated Press:
Alito Defended Officials From Wiretap Suits  —  WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito defended the right of government officials to order domestic wiretaps when he worked for the Reagan Justice Department, documents released Friday show.  —  He advocated a step by step approach …
Discussion: MyDD and Shakespeare's Sister
Dafna Linzer / Washington Post:
GOP Blocks Action on Senate Intelligence Authorization Bill  —  Senate Republicans late Wednesday blocked the authorization bill that guides the country's intelligence programs.  It was the first time in 27 years that the bill had failed to pass before the end of the calendar year.
Washington Post:
Brown's Turf Wars Sapped FEMA's Strength  —  Director Who Came to Symbolize Incompetence in Katrina Predicted Agency Would Fail  —  On Sept. 15, 2003, one of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge's deputies lobbed a bureaucratic hand grenade across his desk.
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: A Blog For All and The Peking Duck
RELATED ITEM:
Asia Times:   China: We're just big, warm and cuddly
Tim Golden / New York Times:
A Midlevel Aide Had a Big Role in Terror Policy  —  Moments after planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, lawyers in the Justice Department's elite Office of Legal Counsel began crowding into the office of one of the agency's newest deputies, John C. Yoo, to watch the horror unfold on his television set.
Discussion: The Rude Pundit
Radio Blogger:
University of Chicago Professor Cass Sunstein on the NSA intelligence kerfuffle.  —  HH: Yesterday, you heard me talking with my friend John Eastman, my colleague at Chapman Law School, and Erwin Chemerinsky, my longtime friend, one from the right, one from the left.
John Cole / Balloon Juice:
The Holiday for the Rest of Us  —  Partially inspired by this, and wholly inspired by Seinfeld, it is time for the First Annual Airing of Grievances at Balloon Juice:  —  (Thanks to whoever made this screen capture originally)  —  The Airing of Grievances is the traditional time of the year …
New York Times:
Workers Choose to Come Back and Talk  —  Thousands of New York City transit workers put down their picket signs and streamed into bus depots and railyards last night to restart the nation's largest transit system, after leaders of their union agreed to a tentative framework for a new contract …
Discussion: the talking dog

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More Items:

AMERICAN DIGEST:
Fear of Fritterware
Philip Shenon / New York Times:
On Opinion Page, a Lobby's Hand Is Often Unseen
Discussion: Sirotablog and Poynter Online
Evan Coyne Maloney / >bt: Brain Terminal:
Compassion in Action  —  23 December 2005 @ 10:36AM >> Ted Hayes …
Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:
A War Without Heroes?
Douglas Jehl / New York Times:
Among Those Told of Program, Few Objected
Brian McGuire / New York Sun:
Senate Democrats Soften Iran Resolution
New York Times:
Jury Rules Wal-Mart Must Pay $172 Million Over Meal Breaks
Josh White / Washington Post:
Unable to End 'Unlawful' Detention, Judge Says

Earlier Picks:

Duncan Gardham / Telegraph:
Muslim planned revenge attack on hero soldier
Discussion: USS Neverdock
James Bone / Times of London:
Oil-for-Food questions UN has still not answered . . .
Michael Powell / Washington Post:
Advocates of 'Intelligent Design' Vow to Continue Despite Ruling
Amy Wellborn / National Review:
A Sword Will Pierce Your Heart
Rachel Sylvester / Telegraph:
Letwin: We will redistribute wealth
Lawrence Kudlow / Human Events:
2005 Man of the Year: Rep. Mike Pence
Edward M. Kennedy / Boston Globe:
On wiretapping, Bush isn't listening to the Constitution
Ben Macintyre / Times of London:
Mullahs versus the bloggers
 
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