Purge of the Unbelievers

John M. Broder writes in the New York Times that not long after Representative Nancy Pelosi of California took the speaker's gavel, she "delivered the obligatory promise of partnership with Republicans. But she immediately added a blunt warning to Mr. Bush on the war in Iraq.

"'The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end,' she said, bringing Democrats to their feet."

Opinion Watch

E.J. Dionne Jr. writes in his Washington Post opinion column: "If Bush wants to continue or expand the Iraq war, Congress has precious few tools available to stop the commander in chief.

"As a result, Democrats are quietly but urgently seeking ways of pressuring the president to change course, including the possibility of having Congress reconsider its original authorization of force, passed in October 2002. . . .

"Given the limited options, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), the Foreign Relations Committee chairman, has suggested to his colleagues that the strongest response to the surge would be a congressional resolution explicitly opposing the step."

And from a long way away on the political spectrum, Dionne's fellow Washington Post opinion columnist Charles Krauthammer writes against any escalation.

"For the Iraqi government to have botched both [Saddam Hussein's] trial and execution . . . and turned monster into victim, is not just a tragedy but a crime. . . .

"The whole sorry affair illustrates not just incompetence but also the ingrained intolerance and sectarianism of the Maliki government. It stands for Shiite unity and Shiite dominance above all else. . . .

"We should not be surging American troops in defense of such a government."

The Hanging

James Gerstenzang writes in the Los Angeles Times: "President Bush said Thursday that he would have preferred that the execution of Saddam Hussein had been conducted in a more 'dignified' manner, but said the deposed dictator met the fate he deserved.

"'He was given justice. The thousands of people he killed were not,' the president said during a session with reporters after he met with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany."

At the press briefing, Snow caught himself in a very poor choice of words on the subject. Discussing Bush's teleconference with the Iraqi prime minister yesterday, Snow said: "They discussed the current situation in Iraq, including the execution of Saddam Hussein. The President congratulated the Prime Minister on the decision to -- perhaps, congratulations is probably not the proper term to use. But he expressed that it was the right thing to do to investigate the taping and behavior at the execution of Saddam Hussein."

Stage Directions

The mid-day briefing was rife with rumored personnel changes, many of which -- but not all -- would soon come true. Snow tried to swat them all down, without actually denying anything.

When ABC's Martha Raddatz asked about one such rumor, Snow's response required a rare stage direction in the White House transcript:

"Q Do you want to comment -- there's speculation that the reason that Mr. Negroponte is going to move over to State is because Dr. Rice will leave in several months and that he's in a position to take over. Do you want to say anything about it?

"MR. SNOW: No. But let me just -- let me try to do this. This will be some subtle body language that should help you on this. You ready? (Head and eye roll.) (Laughter.)"

Signing Statement Watch

There's been lots of media pickup of James Gordon Meek's New York Daily News story yesterday about another Bush signing statement -- this one asserting his right to open mail without a warrant for foreign intelligence collection. (See yesterday's column.)

Dan Eggen writes in The Washington Post: "'This is not a change in law, this is not new, it is not . . . a sweeping new power by the president,' spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. 'It is, in fact, merely a statement of present law and present authorities granted to the president of the United States.'

"But some civil liberties and national-security law experts said the statement's language is unduly vague and appears to go beyond long-recognized limits on the ability of the government to open letters and other U.S. mail without approval from a judge."

Mimi Hall and David Jackson, writing in USA TODAY, quote Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.: "Every American wants foolproof protection against terrorism. But history has shown it can and should be done within the confines of the Constitution. This last-minute, irregular and unauthorized reinterpretation of a duly passed law is the exact type of maneuver that voters so resoundingly rejected in November."

Meek follows his own story yesterday with news that Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican sponsor of a postal reform bill in question, "called on President Bush yesterday to explain why he used it to claim he can open domestic mail without a search warrant."

Pete Williams reported on the NBC Nightly News: "Tonight, administration lawyers insist the government has long had the authority to conduct searches of the property of noncitizens to gather foreign intelligence, and that, they say, includes opening any mail that's found. But members of Congress say that's a power to read the mail they've never heard of, and they say they'll be asking questions of their own."

Mark Benjamin writes for Salon about "how little is known about the current administration's use of these long-established powers to monitor personal mail."

Poll Watch

CBS News reports: "Starting off 2007, Mr. Bush's overall approval rating remains low at just 30 percent, his worst number ever in a CBS News poll, while his approval rating for handling Iraq is even lower at 23 percent -- even after the execution of Saddam Hussein."

There's the Rub

The Associated Press reports: "President Bush has adopted a hands-off policy with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"'No back rubs,' a smiling Bush declared Thursday while posing for photos with Merkel at the White House. She seemed to agree.

"Bush was making light of his own gaffe at a summit of G-8 industrial nations last year. At the time, he gave an impromptu rub of Merkel's neck and shoulders. The chancellor hunched her shoulders in surprise, threw her arms up and grimaced, though she appeared to smile as Bush walked away.

"A quick video image of the touchy moment quickly became one of the most popular clips on the Internet."

Body Language Watch

Glenn Thrush blogs for the Chicago Tribune: "Smile and say 'Quease.'

"That was the vibe when Vice President Dick Cheney performed the ceremonial swearing-in of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton while her husband Bill looked on yesterday.

"Cheney, whom both Clintons have portrayed as a threat to representative democracy, seemed to contort his boxy body as far as possible from the Clintons as photographers snapped pictures in the Old Senate Chamber. After the brief ceremony ended, Bill Clinton wagged his finger good-naturedly in Cheney's face and the two bantered for a minute."

New Year's Resolution

How long did your New Year's Resolutions last?

Bush's didn't make it a day.

Bush was telling reporters last week about how his thoughts were with the troops when he volunteered: "People always ask me about a New Year's resolution -- my resolution is, is that they'll be safe. . . . "

The Department of Defense reports: "Sgt. Thomas E. Vandling Jr., 26, of Pittsburgh, Pa., died Jan. 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on combat patrol."