• President Bush sends out holiday greetings, reveals deeply-felt prejudices. MORE »

• Senate votes to extend the Patriot Act for six months. [WP, NYT]
• Senate approves $40b in budget cuts with Cheney casting tie-breaking vote; two Republicans and 42 Democrats block plan for drilling in ANWR with filibuster. Sen. John Kerry: “I’m confident we will see another debate on ANWR.” [WP, WP, WP, WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• FISA judges request briefing on eavesdropping program. [WP]
• Jack Abramoff inches closer to a plea deal. [NYT, LAT]
• Bush reaches out to black critics, suggesting “that the White House has not abandoned its political goal of trying to draw black voters from Democratic ranks”; Donna Brazile speaks highly of the president’s efforts. [NYT]
• Eavesdropping program is unlikely to be challenged in court because of its secrecy. [USAT]

MORE »

Despite the fact that working in the United States Senate offers a person like Jeanine Pirro to do what she does best, namely, staring stupidly into space for extended periods of time, Republican Party officials are saying today that she will drop her bid to unseat New York Senator Hillary Clinton. A replacement candidate has not yet been named. MORE »

• Reliable Source: Scooter Libby met with lawyers at a cafe near Union Station, openly discussed the leak case, drank diet Dr Pepper, and purchased cookies. . . Bushes have lunch with Rep. John Dingell to celebrate his 50 years in Congress. [WP]
• Inside the Beltway: Bono changed Sen. Jesse Helms‘ views on AIDS. . . Terry McAuliffe’s book is titled “Bring it On!” [WT]
• Page Six: Maureen Dowd: “If there had been no Monica Lewinsky, there would have been no Sen. [Hillary] Clinton. She had to run as a victim because she was seen as so controlling”. . . Bill McCuddy of Fox News: “One of our makeup artists got Kofi Annan ready for a TV appearance at the U.N. the other day. Kind of embarrassing, when she told him the makeup was oil-based, out of habit he gave her food.”. . . Karl Rove, dining at 21 with Ken Mehlman, devours beef tenderloin. . . Hillary Clinton’s deputy state director, Tyson Pratcher, will run for Harold Ford’s congressional seat [NYP, NYP]
• Cindy Adams: Jeanine Pirro expected to run for attorney general instead of the senate. [NYP]
• The Scoop: Viggo Mortensen: “I

• Reliable Source: Laura Bush makes quick trip to Georgetown Pottery Barn. . . Oprah spotted at D.C. L.A. D.C. gym. [uhm...yeah.] [stupid gym name.]. . Readers try to decipher Richard Clarke’s fictional characters. [WP]
• Cindy Adams: Barbara Streisand reportedly turned down Kennedy Center Honor in anti-Bush move. . . Jeanine Pirro thought to leave Senate race on December 12th. [NYP]
• Rush & Molloy: Jeb Bush is “flattered” by Fidel Castro’s fat joke. [NYDN]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Howard Stern on Iraq: “We give Saddam Hussein a nice shave, hand him back his old uniform, and put him back in office. . . This guy was unbelievable.” [NYDN]

• Reliable Source: “Blond beauty queen-businesswoman” Marsha Ralls and D.C. Council member Jack Evans say they are just close friends, despite rumors of something more. . . Dennis Kucinich lunches with Sean Penn. . . Bono lunches with Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats. [WP]
• Inside Politics: Media Research Center study finds network news was “overwhelmingly negative in their portrayal of the Iraq war.” [WT]
• Rush & Molloy: Judith Miller reportedly screamed at Bill Keller to soften the Times‘ Sunday critique of her work. . . Sandy Berger, Ron Klain join ABC’s “Commander in Chief” as advisors. [NYDN]
• Page Six: Reporters in Albany joke that the Pirro campaign is “really a pilot for a Fox sitcom.” [NYP]

The Daily Briefing is on vacation. MORE »

Daily Briefing is on vacation. Relax, it’s good for you. MORE »

• Bush to ride with Lance Armstrong in Crawford, though without traditional cycling attire: “There are certain things that age brings with it, and not wearing the form-fitting Lycra shorts is one of them, if you know what I mean.” Somehow we think things would have been different under Kerry. . . . McCain takes son and pal out to congratulatory dinner Arlington. . . 41 percent in TIME survey have no idea what to think of “Influential Hispanic” Alberto Gonzales. [WP]
• At George Soros‘ 75th birthday party in Southampton, he “pitched giant air-conditioned tents” (heh) and invited Indian and African performers to entertain guests, moguls found planes grounded, however, and had to take car services to city. [Rush and Malloy]
• That’s one way to distinguish yourself from Hillary: Jeanine Pirro likes silky underthings and margaritas. [Page Six]
• Novelistic take on the War on Terror has Bush asking, “Can we somehow throw a kind of electric blanket around New York?” [Cindy Adams]
• Walter Isaacson keeps Washington’s eyes ” turned west looking to Aspen” with thrill-a-minute dialogues starring the likes of Joe Lieberman. [Liz Smith]

Need an opinion? We have several. Take one, please. MORE »

It was amateur night at the Astoria yesterday, what with Jeanine Pirro fumbling at the mic for 32 seconds before finally calling for an aide to give her “page 10.” Clearly, like others before her, Pirro has fallen victim to the Clinton Podium Curse. Bill takes pills for that. MORE »