Wednesday Links

• In case you were wondering if the Bush administration is even thinking about ending this war anytime soon if it isn't foreced to, ABC News has learned that the Pentagon is considering extending the tours of duty for every active duty soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• President Bush's spy chief is pushing to expand the government's surveillance authority at the same time the administration is under attack for stretching its domestic eavesdropping powers. Remember, Republicans think government is the problem when it comes to helping people; but when it comes to telling us what to do and spying on us, the GOP wants to be in our bedrooms 24/7.

• Every year, tens of thousands of Americans who are unable to work due to injury or illness discover that they have to wait two years to be eligible for Medicare, the federal health program for elderly and disabled people.

• A proposal that could raise the minimum wage in Alabama from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over 26 months faces a key vote in a legislative committee today. Come on Alabama, you know you can do it. Just pretend the Crimson Tide is just paying its players another $2.10 an hour to not go to a bowl game.

• Congrats to same-sex couples in the state of Washington. A domestic-partnership bill for gay and lesbian couples cleared the state Legislature on Tuesday and now goes to Democratic Governor Gregoire, who is expected to sign it.