Daily Briefing: 'Carefully Calibrated' Rhetortic
• House votes 308 to 122 on symbolic measure to ban torture and limit interrogation measures. [WP, NYT, LAT]
•Bush's recent speeches on Iraq show "a determined effort to reshape the angry debate at home over the war" by "presenting a more sober picture of the situation while highlighting the progress"; the wording is "carefully calibrated" to provide "maximum flexibility in determining ultimately just what will constitute victory." Senior official: "It's not as if we have a secret ersatz timetable and we just won't say what it is."
• House approves renewal of the Patriot Act by vote of 251 to 174; Democrats may filibuster in the Senate. [WP, NYT, LAT, WT, USAT]
• Republicans losing ground among key senior citizen voting bloc. NBC/WSJ poll: "By a 65%-19% margin, Americans age 65 and above disapprove of the performance of Congress" and "say by 47%-37% that they want Democrats rather than Republicans to win control of Capitol Hill." [WSJ]
• Senate expected to require the administration to reveal specifics about secret overseas prisons. [NYT]
•Robert Novak: "I'm confident the president knows who the source is. I'd be amazed if he doesn't." [WP]
• Pentagon will review their information gathering system that compiled data on peace protesters. [WP]
• E-mail trail from Jack Abramoff says he was pressured by Rep. Tom DeLay for fundraising. [NYT]
•Bush believes DeLay is innocent. [NYT, LAT]
•Bush gives the State Department authority over nation building. [NYT]
• House Republicans are looking for creative ways to get ANWR drilling passed. [NYT]
• With eyes on the White House, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney decides against seeking a second term. [NYT, LAT]
• NAACP, AFL-CIO oppose Samuel Alito. [AP]
• House Republicans want to reduce the perks provided for lawmakers convicted of various crimes. [LAT]
