Update: McJoan at Daily Kos and the ACLU has just issued a press release.

The Supreme Court today declined to review a case by the ACLU and other groups and individuals, including criminal defense lawyers, over Bush's warrantless NSA wiretapping. A lower court had dismissed the case holding the ACLU and other plaintiffs hadn't established they were directly affected by the wiretapping.

The high court's action means that Bush will be able to disregard whatever legislative eavesdropping restrictions Congress adopts as there will be no meaningful judicial review, the ACLU attorneys said.

The Sixth Circuit decision in ACLU v. NSA is here (pdf). Some explanatory quotes are below:

By Big Tent Democrat

The Obama blogs are now confident that Texas is Obama's to lose:

No question it's a tight tight race with two weeks to go. Given how much ground he seems to have gained recently (remember that this is the second poll released in 24 hours showing an even or nearly even race), and his history of rapidly moving from being well behind in polls to winning primaries, it's starting to look like Texas might go to Obama.

This comes on the heels of SUSA's Texas poll that has Obama within 5 of Clinton in Texas.

This is a terrific development. A real test now for Obama's ability to win the POPULAR VOTE in big contested states. No need for spinning. Just a need for WINNING THE POPULAR VOTE. Maybe now we can get this "will of the voters" thing right. BTW, I guess Ohio is not going to be a battleground after all.

Congratulations to Josh Marshall and the bevy of reporters at Talking Points Memo. They crossed a new threshold today by winning a Polk Journalism award for their coverage of the U.S. Attorney firing scandal.

Attytood explains why it's so significant for bloggers and how it happened.

Here are the winners.

Citing health reasons, Fidel Castro has resigned as President of Cuba. An election is expected within days.

His letter was published overnight in a Cuban newspaper.

"I will not aspire to, nor will I accept the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief," Castro wrote. "I wish only to fight as a soldier of ideas. ... Perhaps my voice will be heard."

....My wishes have always been to discharge my duties to my last breath," he said. "That's all I can offer."

More...

Amtrak has announced it will start searching bags.

Amtrak passengers will have to submit to random screening of carry-on bags in a major new security push that will include officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains, the railroad planned to announce today.

You know what to do, right? Make sure the bag they search has the Fourth Amendment printed on it.

larger version here.

Let the 4th Amendment speak for you as you hand your bag over for a search by a train, subway or airline security guard. It's a silent protest and reminder to authorities that you consider searches without reasonable suspicion or probable cause to be an infringement of your privacy rights.

You can get your's here. They make great gifts for college kids who are probably more likely to take Amtrak than we are.

Via Pensito Review: U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Somma, 63, has resigned after pleading guilty to a D.U.I.

He was in his Mercedes and wearing a cocktail dress, fishnet stockings and high heels at the time of his arrest last week -- which was occasioned by his allegedly rear-ending a pick-up truck in Manchester, N.H. last week. His wife was out of town at the time of the incident.

The Boston Herald notes:

“He was serving a 14-year appointment. This will leave him without a pension.”

Barack Obama expanded a bit today in Ohio on his meeting with John Edwards to seek his endorsement this weekend. He doesn't sound very confident he has it.

The courtship of John Edwards has been entirely inconclusive, Sen. Barack Obama said this afternoon...Edwards is not likely to endorse Obama or Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton soon, the Illinois senator concluded after visiting with Edwards and his wife Elizabeth.

....he suggested that the value of Edwards's backing would have its limits.

After saying he would "love to his support, he adds:

"But right now, what I think is most important is for me to make sure that I am getting out and talking to voters."

Calling all tea-leaf readers. Was he turned down, is Edwards undecided or just not ready to announce his decision?

It's time to play ICED! (I Can End Deportation.)

In the game, you can step inside the shoes of one out of five immigrant teens, each of a different ethnicity and immigration status. The game teaches how immigration laws deny due process and violate human rights to all immigrants.

Go on over and play.

A San Antonio lawyer criticizes the local media for complaining that judges who follow the law are "soft on crime":

The media destroyed [Judge Pat Priest's] political career when he lowered numerous ridiculously high bail amounts set by a magistrate judge in clear violation of the Constitution. Though he did what the law and his duty required, the media criticized him mercilessly as a "soft" judge who "let criminals out of jail."

"Soft on crime" is usually a code for "follows the law." Why don't editorialists complain when judges are soft on the Constitution?

By Big Tent Democrat

Triumphalism has returned to the Obama supporting blogosphere and the Media. Everyone is dying to call the race for Obama.

Now I was one of those ready to declare Clinton dead, twice in fact. Once before New Hampshire. And again on Super Tuesday. But I will miss this parade. I expect Obama to win comfortably tomorrow in Wisconsin. But I see no signs of the type of demographic shifts that will give Obama popular vote wins (we may discover how important the "will of the people" remains if Clinton wins handily in Texas and does not get the lion's share of the delegates) in Texas and Ohio on March 4.

Are any Obamaniacs in the blogs and the Media worried about the lay of the land here? Doesn't look like it. Time will tell if their confidence was justified.

Update: This thread is now closed, we're over 200 comments. Thanks for your thoughts.

Agree or disagree, Barack Obama's recycling of words taken from campaign speeches of Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick is a big story today. Here's just one compilation from Mememorandum.

Our original post has more than 200 comments, which means it's time for that thread to close. Since readers have more to say, and the cable news shows are about to start, here's a new one.

Is the media being too harsh on Obama? Not harsh enough? Is his run as media darling about to hit a snag? Or is it all a tempest in a teapot?

A line from a Bob Dylan song keeps running through my head -- I'll change the gender to fit the occasion: "He never stumbles cause he's got no place to fall."

Does Obama have enough of a space carved out to rebound from misses like this?

Update: Comments over 200, now closed.

By Big Tent Democrat

Thanks Howard. Thanks Donna. Way to go:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Florida shows John McCain holding a six-percentage point lead over Hillary Clinton and an even larger lead—sixteen percentage points—over Barack Obama. It’s McCain 49% Clinton 43% and McCain 53% Obama 37%.

The DNC is an incompetent organization looking to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Update (TL): Comments almost to 200, this thread is closing. Thanks for your thoughts.