Mon Dec 19 2005 
Foreign networks sending the greatest number of hits here this month include (descending order) Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Germany, France, Mexico, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Poland, Brazil, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, Norway and Hungary
9:30 a.m. News Conference
CNN's running coverage:
Bush: Secret wiretaps 'consistent with U.S. law'
| Brad's Ten-Foot Poll on Bush---RESULT |
posted 1010a-845p Mon Dec 19 2005
How do you feel now about President Bush's actions and decisions on the war, regard for Constitutional law, and protection of Americans' civil and privacy rights?
| Pretty positive |
133- |
 28% |
| Don't feel much either way |
29- |
6% |
| Pretty negative |
309- |
66% |
Total votes 471- |
|
|
Washington Post
Bush defends war, spying on Americans
Speaking in a nationally televised prime-time address, Bush made a direct appeal to war opponents, conveying a more humble tone in saying he understands their arguments but asserting that there is no choice but to forge on.
MY OPINION (what's yours? Email me)
Know anyone who wants the USA to "cut and run" from Iraq? Me neither. Aside from a gaggle of far-lefties such as Cindy Sheehan's bunch, not much of anyone is promoting immediate withdrawal. So when the president defends his policy and stresses we mustn't "cut and run", he is working to divert attention from the fact that MOST Americans want a phased exit - and soon - but not until Iraq is "stabilized." They don't seek what he keeps saying he opposes. His is a basic propaganda technique, just as always mentioning 9-11 and Iraq together although they have no connection whatsoever.
I also hear no one saying they think we're losing the war. Do you?
—Brad 8:20 a.m. |
Associated Press
Analysis: Bush drops rosy Iraq scenarios
"After watching his credibility and approval ratings crumble over the course of 2005, President Bush completed a rhetorical shift Sunday night by abandoning his everything-is-OK pitch to Americans and coming clean: He was wrong about the rationale for going to war in Iraq; he underestimated the dangers; the country has suffered "terrible loss"; and the bad news isn't over..."
Is Bush wirtetap order legal?
Is it legal for the president, acting on his own authority and without a court warrant, to order federal officials to eavesdrop on people within the United States?
The New York Times EDITORIAL
This Call May Be Monitored
"..President Bush ... secretly and recklessly expanded the government's powers in dangerous and unnecessary ways that eroded civil liberties and may also have violated the law.
| Brad's Ten-Foot Poll on Eavesdropping---RESULT |
posted 930a Fri Dec 16 2005
Do you approve of Bush signing a secret Executive Order bypassing laws against NSA eavesdropping on people in the USA?
| I approve |
91- |
22% |
| I do not approve |
322- |
78% |
Total votes 413- |
|
|
Sen. Cornyn says N.Y. Times' Bush domestic spying story was to promote book deal
Washington Post ANALYSIS
Pushing the limits of domestic spying
"... the third time in as many months that the White House has been obliged to defend a departure from previous restraints on domestic surveillance. In each case, the Bush administration concealed the program's dimensions or existence from the public and from most members of Congress.
Ve haf vays uf vatchink your ridding habits
A senior at UMass Dartmouth was visited by federal agents after he asked a library for a copy of Mao Tse-Tung's tome on Communism called "The Little Red Book."
Houston Chronicle
South Texas nature area faces condemnation
Threat to use eminent domain on South Padre brings criticism
RAYMONDVILLE - Willacy County officials who want to ferry people to the pristine beaches of South Padre Island have astonished conservationists by taking the first steps toward condemning an entire 1,500-acre nature preserve.
Corpus Christi struggles to keep up with sprawl
28 new subdivisions; 6,163 potential homes; 5,700 new drivers on Yorktown Boulevard alone
Kinky Friedman's on Jesse Venture's trail
Can a Minnesota wrestler's strategy work here? Kinky Friedman hopes so.
Done all your shopping yet, men?
Desperate men turn to diamonds
Call them "Desperate Husbands" -- men who wait until the last minute to go Christmas shopping. Men who wear procrastination as a badge of honor.
Girlie men shop online or visit the mall in November, wrap their presents and stash them in the closet. Real men put off shopping until Dec. 24.
Victoria Advocate
Victoria on Friday welcomed home local Army National Guardsmen returning from a tour of duty in Iraq. "You could not ask for any better Christmas present, knowing that they're all home," said Joe Talbot Sr., a local VFW commander.
Oil drying up fast in Prudhoe Bay and rest of Alaska
Alaskan North Slope crude oil production, once heralded as a domestic mother lode, has hit a new output low. Re-boosting output is as much dictated by politics as it is by geology.
DAVE BARRY'S GIFT GUIDE
Sinking Titanic Ship Model
Knight-Ridder
Rewriting the rules for U.S. interrogations
Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros, said the manual was being updated to "reflect the current world situation" and that "humane treatment will remain the standard."
Sen. Reid calls US Congress 'most corrupt in history'
U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid called the Republican-led Congress "the most corrupt in history" on Sunday, and distanced himself from lobbyist Jack Abramoff, at the center of an escalating probe.
Frist's AIDS charity paid close associates
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's AIDS charity paid nearly a half-million dollars in consulting fees to members of his political inner circle
Author of Roswell 'flying saucer' news release dies
Di Peel has replaced traditional brushes, not with her hands, but with her breasts. Di says breast painting came about after a chance discovery on the internet
Man accused of stealing from gravesites to landscape his home
Refurbished laptops with a great warranty
B.J. Associates - The Laptop Specialists
Mention Brad for a $50 rebate
"Curiously enough, the owl's feathers smelled very, very potently like marijuana..."
