This goes out to all of you out there stuck somewhere between the Friday low watermark, the anticipation of the late afternoon news-dump, or "happy hour."

Call this a non-Alito news item roundup for today's must reads.

First, Bob Herbert on The Lawbreaker in the Oval Office: (a TimesSelect post from yesterday, but the link takes you to alternative access):

No one expects very much from Mr. Bush. He's currently breaking the law by spying on Americans in America without getting warrants, but for a lot of people that's just George being George. Forget the complexities of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or even the Fourth Amendment's safeguards against unwarranted (pun intended) government intrusion into matters that we have a right to keep private.

On his frequent trips home to his ranch in Texas, the president likes to ride his bicycle. He's not studying the Constitution.