THE NEW IMPROVED FISA TRAVESTY.
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In the past two days, at least nine major newspapers have editorialized against the FISA legislation, with the New York Times today calling it an “unnecessary and dangerous expansion of President Bush’s powers.” Some examples:
USA Today:
A skittish Congress allowed itself to be stampeded last week into granting the president unfettered surveillance […]

Weapons Given to Iraq Are Missing
GAO Estimates 30% of Arms Are Unaccounted For
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By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 6, 2007; A01
The Pentagon has lost track of about 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, according to a new government report, raising fears that some of those […]

Thanks to the ephemeral leadership of Reid and Pelosi, meet the new boss!
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“Six-Two & Even, they didn’t even read it, Whiskers.”
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Eavesdropping reforms empower spy chief
By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press WriterMon Aug 6, 7:41 PM ET
For the first time in nearly four decades, a senior intelligence official — not a secretive federal court — will […]

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Gonzalez–Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Newsweek
Aug. 13, 2007 issue - The controversy over President Bush’s warrantless surveillance program took another surprise turn last week when a team of FBI agents, armed with a classified search warrant, raided the suburban Washington home of a former Justice Department lawyer. The lawyer, Thomas M. Tamm, previously worked in Justice’s […]

Sarkozy lashes out at 2 U.S. journalists
By BEVERLEY WANG, Associated Press WriterMon Aug 6, 12:43 AM ET
French President Nicolas Sarkozy lost his temper with two American news photographers covering his vacation Sunday, jumping onto their boat and scolding them loudly in French.
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The confrontation came Sunday afternoon as Sarkozy and companions were headed for open water […]

Failed Congress leaves town in disgrace
August 5, 2007 - 10:12am.
Leaders constantly trumped by lame-duck President House
By DOUG THOMPSON
The Democrats who came to power with so much hype and fanfare after the 2006 mid-term elections limped out of Washington Sunday, battered and bruised from multiple losses to the most unpopular President in modern American history.
After […]

Dear Speaker Pelosi:
Forty-one defections?!
Long ago, I had realized that Senator Reid did not seem up to the task, but your ability to fight had given me confidence that events like these would not occur.
Do the party and–especially–the Constitution a favor by demonstrating more of your courage. Sadly, post-vote words don’t count.
I had such high hopes […]

should not the Pope or Jesse Jackson have tendered such a proposal?
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U.S. actress and UNICEF ambassador Mia Farrow attends a ceremony to receive the ‘Sevilla Nodo between cultures’ prize in Seville March 8, 2007. Farrow has offered her freedom in exchange for that of a respected Darfur rebel figure, virtually imprisoned for more than 13 […]

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(Eric Thayer/Reuters)
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Republican hopefuls wade into terrorist strike debate
By Kay Henderson2 hours, 31 minutes ago

Republican presidential contenders waded into a Democratic foreign policy row on Sunday, and argued over how far the United States should go in striking terrorist targets abroad.
Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, running for the Democratic presidential nomination, said last week he would […]

Gonzales Now Says Top Aides Got Political Briefings
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By Dan Eggen and Paul Kane
Washington Post Staff Writer and washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Saturday, August 4, 2007; Page A05
Justice Department officials attended at least a dozen political briefings at the White House since 2001, including some meetings led by Karl Rove, President Bush’s chief political adviser, and others that […]

Dear Senator Reid:
I write to register my sadness at your inability to prevent this latest power grab by Cheney-Bush. Are you not embarrassed–at least for your party –if not for the terrible position your leadership short-comings have helped place our Republic?
Sincerely,
david barillari
(From a Democratic Family since arriving in USA in late 19th century)

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The famous Eisenstaedt photograph–1945
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Glenn McDuffie holds a portrait of himself as a young man, left, and a copy of Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic Life magazine shot of a sailor embracing a nurse in a white uniform, right, at his Houston home Tuesday, July 31, 2007. McDuffie says he is the sailor in the famous photograph […]

The Huffington Post will continue to update this list as more newspapers call for the Pentagon to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq.
Seattle Times (Wash.), July 17, 2007
Philadelphia Inquirer (Penn.), July 15, 2007
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Penn.), July 15, 2007
Detroit Free-Press (Mich.), July 13, 2007
Wichita Eagle (Kan.), July 12, 2007
Boston Globe (Mass.), July 10, 2007
Tuscaloosa News (Ala.), July […]

Fisher-Price Recall List
Nearly 1 MillionToys Recalled For Excessive Amounts Of Lead
Aug. 2, 2007
(AP)
(CBS) Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of Chinese-made toys - including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters - because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.The recall, announced on Aug. 1, involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a […]

Editorial
The New York Times
Stampeding Congress, Again
Published: August 3, 2007
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not feel bound by the law or the Constitution when it comes to the war on terror. It cannot even be trusted to properly use the enhanced powers it was legally granted after […]

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Ruling Limited Spying Efforts
Move to Amend FISA Sparked by Judge’s Decision
By Carol D. Leonnig and Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, August 3, 2007; Page A01
A federal intelligence court judge earlier this year secretly declared a key element of the Bush administration’s wiretapping efforts illegal, according to a lawmaker and government sources, providing a previously unstated […]

When I saw this headline, I became confused
by the seeming time-warp into which I had fallen.
Had the ducks finally evened the playing field
against the late comedian, Joe Penner?
Years ago, my wife told me I had been talking in my sleep and had said:
Just when you think you’ve escaped the a##holes…you get bitten by the […]

NSA Spying Part of Broader Effort
Intelligence Chief Says Bush Authorized Secret Activities Under One Order
By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 1, 2007; A01
The Bush administration’s chief intelligence official said yesterday that President Bush authorized a series of secret surveillance activities under a single executive order in late 2001. The disclosure makes clear that a […]

Fender-benders cost luxury car owners
By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press Writer Thu Aug 2, 9:41 AM ET
WASHINGTON - Buying an expensive car can bring an owner style, prestige and repair bills in the thousands of dollars to fix damage caused by minor fender-benders.
ADVERTISEMENT
Repairing damages to luxury vehicles involved in low-speed crashes of 3 to 6 miles […]

David Denney/Star-Tribune via The Associated Press via The New York Times
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The New York Times
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Netlets for Wednesday, Aug. 1
Published: August 01, 2007
The groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the Twins stadium should also include a memorial service for the local taxpayers.
During last year’s stadium hearings, Twins officials testified the new stadium would generate almost $40 million dollars per […]

Savage: “You’re telling me there’s no possibility of a conspiracy by the Democrats” to cause Roberts’ seizure?
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Michael Savage via MediaMattersforAmerica
On the July 30 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage reacted to news that Chief Justice John Roberts had suffered a seizure that day by raising the possibility that “his health was in […]