Daily Briefing: Roberts Enjoys ‘Rapid Give-and-Take’

• Conservatives express disappointment with Miers during “tense” meetings with administration officials; “rarely have [conservatives] been so openly distrustful of the president himself.” Lott: “Is she the most qualified person? Clearly, the answer to that is ‘no’. . . you have to also look at what has been her level of decisiveness and competence, and I don’t have enough information on that yet.” [WP, WP, NYT, LAT, WT, USAT]
• Senate votes 90-9 to limit interrogation of detainees in the Middle East and at Guantanamo Bay; represents a “new boldness among Republicans to challenge the White House on war policy.” [WP, WSJ, NYT]
• Former White House security official may have passed classified documents to the Philippines. [WP, NYT, USAT]
• Republicans are divided over extent of budget cuts. [WP]
• CIA will not hold current or former officials accountable for failure to prevent 9/11. Kristin Breitweiser: “[Porter Goss] is either avoiding embarrassment or trying to hide something.” [WP]

• Miers “has managed to leave little evidence of her own values and convictions, beyond her commitment to her church.” [LAT, USAT]
• Supreme Court hears assisted-suicide case. [WP, NYT, USAT]
• Former White House chief of procurement policy indicted on five counts of lying in Abramoff case. [WP, NYT]
• Clean-air experts fault GOP’s Gasoline for America’s Security Act because it weakens pollution regulations. [WP]
• Miers “has forged a path as a quiet, often unlikely pioneer.” [NYT]
• RNC uses Justice Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court to prove Miers‘ credibility on conservative issues. [NYT]
• Miers contributed a total of $31,960 to Bush‘s political career. [USAT]
• Roberts “has appeared to thrive in the rapid give-and-take” of the Supreme Court. [USAT]
• Bush praises Iraqi Security Forces. [WT]
• Second indictment of DeLay was rejected by first grand jury. [WT]