Top Items:
David Stout / New York Times:
Defense of Eavesdropping Is Met With Skepticism in Senate — WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales told skeptical senators today that the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program is legal, constitutional and vital to national security in a time of terrorism.
RELATED ITEMS:
Washington Post:
ALBERTO GONZALES, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL — SPECTER: It's 9:30. The Judiciary Committee will now proceed with our hearing on the administration's program administered by the National Security Agency on surveillance. — We welcome the attorney general of the United States here today, who will be testifying.
CNN:
Gonzales faces skeptical questions about spy program — Attorney general defends NSA eavesdropping — WASHINGTON (CNN) — U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was defending President Bush's controversial domestic spying program Monday in testimony at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
Live blogging the NSA hearings — The logistics of live-blogging from the Committee room were too complicated, so I am live-blogging the hearings off-site. I may be able to do it from the Committee room itself for the afternoon session, but I'd rather have full blogging abilities outside of the room than be in the room.
Alberto R. Gonzales / Opinion Journal:
America Expects Surveillance — Monitoring the enemy is necessary and appropriate. — In the days following Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush charted a course of action to respond to the worst attack on our homeland in history. He promised to use every tool available to defeat al Qaeda …
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, The Heretik, Stop The ACLU, Decision '08, Blogs for Bush, Roger L. Simon, THE ASTUTE BLOGGER, Power Line, Althouse, Solomonia, The RCP Blog, Michelle Malkin, Fausta's Blog, PJ NSA Files, Shakespeare's Sister, RIGHTWINGSPARKLE, ACSBlog, GOP Bloggers and Financial Times
Washington Post:
Handful of Races May Tip Control of Congress — In Pennsylvania, Sen. Rick Santorum (R) has been running behind his challenger for months. In Montana, Sen. Conrad Burns (R), linked to the Jack Abramoff scandal, is on the defensive. In Ohio, Sen. Mike DeWine (R) is struggling to overcome …
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway, The Carpetbagger Report, Running Scared, Decision '08, Hugh Hewitt and Nitpicker
RELATED ITEMS:
Erin P. Billings / rollcall.com:
Democrats 'Recalibrating' Message Strategy — National Democratic leaders remain engaged in strategic talks over how and when to unveil their 2006 campaign platform, with recent discussions focused on laying out the party agenda in installments rather than all at once.
Jim Galloway / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Republican senators urge Reed to quit race — Twenty-one Republican state senators on Friday called for Ralph Reed to withdraw from the contest for lieutenant governor, declaring that his ties to Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff could jeopardize the re-election of Gov. Sonny Perdue and the rest of the GOP ticket.
John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Hilarious: Pajamaline — First of all Power Line is not part of Pajamas Media as far as I know. (I believe they are part of the Blog News Service of PM) Durbin reacts to Mirengoff's parroting of Karl Rove's talking point. — Video-WMP Video-QT — Atrios:
RELATED ITEM:
Deacon / Power Line:
SCOOPED BY MY OWN PARTNER — As John mentioned, this morning was the morning in which Senator Durbin met the new media and, more specifically, "Pajama Line." I had the good fortune to accompany filmmaker Andrew Marcus of Pajamas Media to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the legality of the NSA intercept program.
Discussion:
tapscottscopydesk.blogspot.com
Digby / Hullabaloo:
The Eunuch Caucus — I've been digesting this morning's hearings and I am dumbstruck by the totality of the Republicans' abdication of their duty. These men who spent years running on Madisonian principles ("The essence of government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands …
RELATED ITEM:
Matthew Yglesias / TAPPED:WHAT HAPPENED TO POWER HUNGER? I'm glad to see that Arlen Specter seems …
Discussion:
The Reaction
BBC:
Four killed in cartoon protests — Four people have died in violent protests against cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad, following more than a week of demonstrations. — Three people died after police in Afghanistan fired on protesters when a police station came under attack, a government spokesman said.
RELATED ITEMS:
somethingawful.com:
Leave a Message in the Anonymous Muslim Man Complaint Box — I saw on the TV that there is a show now with a woman host. This is not very bad by itself because the woman was dressed in accordance with the laws of Islam and did not expose herself and inflame the lust of any male guests.
Discussion:
Kesher Talk
Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Bush's $2.8 Trillion Budget Proposal Cuts Domestic Programs — President Bush today proposed a $2.8 trillion budget for fiscal 2007 that would cut billions of dollars from domestic programs ranging from Medicare and food stamps to local law enforcement and disease control …
RELATED ITEM:
Mark Brown / Rocky Mountain News:
Discs slip — Music retailers challenged as buyers tune into digital download future — They're dropping like flies. — Musicland, the parent company of several music retailing chains, has filed for bankruptcy. Its MediaPlay stores were shuttered last month.
Michelle Malkin:
A SUPER BOWL OMISSION — I didn't watch the football game yesterday. But Lisa at Two Babes and Brain did. And she points out a glaring omission: … Reader Mike C. noticed the same thing. He e-mailed: … Debbie Schlussel highlights Air Force Captain Bryce Fisher of the Seattle Seahawks, who was profiled in USA Today.
Francoalemán / Barcepundit:
NOW, ZAPATERO HAS DEFINITELY put Spain in the wrong side. With all Western countries publicly defending free speech and condemning the barbaric acts of violence after the publication of the Danish cartoons, Zapatero and Erdogan write an open letter that has been published in today's International Herald Tribune:
Shankar Vedantam / Washington Post:
Eden and Evolution — Religious critics of evolution are wrong about its flaws. But are they right that it threatens belief in a loving God? — The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid . . . — Isaiah 11:6 — What a book a Devil's Chaplain might write …
Dsifry / Sifry's Alerts:
State of the Blogosphere, February 2006 Part 1: On Blogosphere Growth — It's been 4 months since last October's State of the Blogosphere report, so it's time to update the numbers! For historical perspective, you can see earlier State of the Blogosphere reports from July 2005, from March 2005, and from October 2004.
Discussion:
Boing Boing
Michelle Malkin:
WHAT IS PAT LEAHY TALKING ABOUT? (VIDEO) — On Face the Nation yesterday morning, Sen. Patrick Leahy added his name to the list of conspiratorial Democrats who imply that "the Bush Administration" had advance knowledge of the 9/11 terrorist attacks: … Download the video (.wmv file)
Discussion:
PoliPundit.com, Betsy's Page, RedState, The Strata-Sphere, Expose the Left, In the Bullpen and PJ NSA Files
James Taranto / Opinion Journal:
Best of the Web — Whitewashing a Black Leader—II — NAACP chairman Julian Bond and Fayetteville State University are disputing WorldNetDaily's account of Bond's FSU speech last week, which we noted Friday. From an FSU press release: … We phoned Mr. Womble this morning …
Babbling Brooks:
Unimpressed. Disgusted, in fact. — Babble on. — OK, let's purge the phrase "crossed the floor" from our lexicon when it comes to David Emerson. That particular idiom implies that there was a floor to be crossed, that he sat on one side of it and then walked over to the opposite side.
