I get distracted for a week and look what happens ...

Bush and McCain agree on the torture ban wording, and leave it as McCain's (which I've written about here and here). The House just passed the torture ban, but also added wording that "would let information gleaned by coercion to be used against Guantanamo inmates."

The New York Times reported that Bush authorized the NSA to spy on US citizens communicating overseas without getting a warrant. Bush acknowledged that he authorized the program, then had the nerve to say that the newspaper that revealed the program was "endangering national security;" Bush insists he will continue the program. As a side note, the New York Times held the story for a year at the request of the White House.

Bush admitted that "much of the intelligence [leading up to the war in Iraq] turned out to be wrong. As president I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq." Is he just realizing this now?

The LA Times reported that the US military has clear ties to the Lincoln Group, the contractor that was planting stories (paid for by the US military, but not attributed to them) in the Iraq media. The military had apparently initially attempted to deny responsibility.