Headlines @ Closin’ Time — 12/14/05

Columnist Bob Novak watches a basketball game in Washington in this Dec. 5 file photo. Novak, who first published the identity of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame, says he is confident that President George W. Bush knows who leaked Plame’s name here .

* Bush: Iraq invasion my responsibility: “It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong” /Associated Press — Sounds like he still wouldn’t take a do-over, though.

* House OK’s Patriot Act extension: Counterterrorism bill sent to Senate on 251-174 vote /Associated Press: No surprise here. The Senate’s where the suspense will take place.

* Air marshals to expand their mission: Testing counterterror surveillance at train stations, other transit facilities /Associated Press — Just as long as airport screeners isn’t allowed to expand its mission. Some of them are as power mad as they are intrusive.

* Salvation Army Gets ‘Gifts of Gold’: Red kettles filling up with “12 Days of Christmas” stuff this season /NewsMax — Now, if the Salvation Army would see fit to give the city of Coeur d’Alene $29M for a community center, we’d all enjoy a merrier Christmas.

* U.S. nixes Cuba for baseball classic: Embargo prevents contracts involving Cuba, Cubans /Associated Press — Just when you think the Cold War has been over since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union …