March 30, 2007
Internet Won't Get Red-Light District
A plan to create a Web address specifically for adult-entertainment sites -- ".xxx" -- was rejected today by an Internet governing body called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
MarketWatch reports that "the decision sends the broader message that" ICANN "refuses to assume a new role as regulator of content found on the Internet."
MarketWatch paraphrases ICANN's chairman as explaining that "the board's decision had nothing to do with the actual content of the sites in question. Rather, the rejection came because the proposal could be seen as ICANN creating rules affecting Internet content, which is at odds with its mandate to oversee the way Internet operates."
Posted at 4:08 PM
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DOJ: Gonzales Hanging On
Looks like there won't be any classic Friday-afternoon resignations today. Instead, earlier this afternoon, President Bush offered up another chorus in the song he's been singing since the U.S. attorney scandal broke weeks ago: He supports Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino predicted today that Gonzales "will survive the crisis," the Washington Post reports, and she said that Bush "believes the attorney general can overcome the challenges that are before him."
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Posted at 3:58 PM
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Attorney Scandal
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Hicks Found Guilty On Terror Charges
Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks was found guilty "of providing material support for terrorism, marking the first conviction at a U.S. war-crimes trial since World War II," AP reports.
The 31-year-old Australian's plea agreement requires him to serve seven years in prison on the condition that he "drop any claims of mistreatment by the U.S. government since he was captured in Afghanistan and taken to Guantanamo Bay, said the judge, Marine Corps Col. Ralph Kohlmann."
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Posted at 11:35 AM
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Guantanamo Bay, Terrorism
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Earlybird Roundup
U.S. Attorneys. Yesterday's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee from Kyle Sampson directly contradicted statements from his old boss, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, about his knowledge of the dismissals of eight federal prosecutors, the Washington Post reports. (Slate suggests that Sampson "tried to stand by his man today. But he just couldn't.") Also, CongressDailyAM reports "that he had once suggested that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald should be fired in the midst of his Special Counsel CIA leak probe."
Iraq, Part I. The Boston Globe reports on the looming showdown between the White House and Congress over the supplemental war funding bill that includes a withdrawal timetable for U.S. troops in Iraq. The Senate passed the bill Thursday, 51 to 47, on the heels of a similar House bill.
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Posted at 9:51 AM
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March 29, 2007
DOJ: Sampson Implicates Gonzales In Firings
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' former chief of staff contradicted his former boss during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today. Kyle Sampson said he remembered discussing the dismissals of the eight U.S. attorneys with Gonzales, and that Gonzales was present at a November meeting where the matter was discussed.
In fact, the AP reports that Sampson said Gonzales knew about the proceedings "from the beginning," in early 2005.
That contradicts Gonzales' repeated statements that he didn't know about the firings. Documents about the Justice Department meeting back up Sampson's testimony, the New York Times reports.
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Posted at 3:01 PM
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Attorney Scandal
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Sampson Stands Up
The former top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defended his old boss in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning.
In his opening statement, CNN reports, Kyle Sampson said "the decisions to seek the resignations of a handful of U.S. attorneys were properly made, but poorly explained. This is a benign rather than sinister story, and I know that some may be indisposed to accept it. But it is the truth as I observed and experienced it."
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Posted at 10:57 AM
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Attorney Scandal
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Middle East: Israel Likely To Reject Arab Proposal
Arab leaders presented a unified front today at the Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, reviving a plan from a 2002 summit in Beirut that asks Israel to accept a land-for-peace deal and enter into direct negotiations.
But the plan -- at least, as it currently stands -- doesn't look likely to succeed. Israel already rejected it once in 2002 on the grounds that it included a return to the borders before the 1967 war, which divided Jerusalem in two, and guaranteed the right of return for Palestinians. AP reports that "Israel has said it could accept the offer with some changes, but the Arab leaders refused the amend it.
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Posted at 10:38 AM
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Middle East
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March 28, 2007
John Kerry: Swift Boat This
President Bush has withdrawn the nomination of a major donor to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the 527 group that rocked 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry's ultimately doomed campaign for the presidency. Sam Fox, the CEO and chairman of an equity management company, was Bush's pick to be U.S. ambassador to Belgium.
"'We received word that because of politics some members of the Senate were going to vote against'" Fox, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a Bloomberg News report.
Indeed, with three Democratic WH '08 candidates plus Kerry sitting on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Fox's nomination was in trouble from the start. The White House informed the committee of its decision just before members were to vote on the nomination.
Continue reading "John Kerry: Swift Boat This"
Posted at 3:04 PM
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Campaigns, Democrats, John Kerry, Mitt Romney, President Bush, WH 2008
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Iran: 'The Lady Will Be Released'
Iran said the lone female among the 15 British sailors the country is holding captive will be released, AP reports.
"Today or tomorrow, the lady will be released," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said, referring to Faye Turney, 26.
AP also reports that Iran plans to broadcast video of the 15 hostages. Doing so for the purposes of humiliation or propaganda is generally seen as a violation of the Geneva Conventions, and British officials said they had received assurances that images of the hostages would not be aired.
Posted at 11:58 AM
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Iran
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Washington. ITT Corp. pleaded guilty to selling night-vision technology to countries including China, making it the largest U.S. contractor convicted of violating the Arms Export Control Act, the Washington Post reports.
Attorney Firings. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales demanding to know if several top aides who might be called as witnesses were still DOJ employees, CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports.
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Posted at 8:30 AM
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March 27, 2007
News Roundup
Iraq: At least 65 people were killed in a series of bombings throughout Iraq, AP reports. Meanwhile, CNN reports that the new leader of the U.S. Central Command, Adm. William J. Fallon, said the country is not engaged in a civil war. And Senate Democrats forged ahead with legislation calling for a troop pullout by August 2008 despite President Bush's veto threat.
Military: The U.S. Navy began "its most extensive manoeuvres in the Gulf region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq," sending two aircraft carriers to the region, BBC News reports.
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Posted at 2:03 PM
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Poll Track: Edwards Sees Movement In Static Field
When John Edwards announced he would continue to seek the Democratic nomination for president even though his wife was again battling cancer, this time in an incurable form, many wondered (though few would say aloud) a rather uncomfortable thought: Will this help him politically?
A very preliminary answer seems to be: Yes.
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Posted at 11:51 AM
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Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, John Edwards
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Snow Diagnosed With Liver Cancer
After undergoing surgery yesterday in Washington, White House spokesman Tony Snow has been diagnosed with cancer in his liver and lower abdomen, Bloomberg News reports.
Snow was treated for colon cancer in 2005. Yesterday's surgery was to remove a growth discovered in a routine exam.
Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino told reporters this morning that Snow "seemed in good spirits and had a request for the White House press corps: 'Don't bug him.'"
Posted at 10:43 AM
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Tony Snow
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Mideast. "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to begin limited, biweekly peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but balked at the request from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the negotiations encompass the entrenched three 'final status' issues which have bedeviled peace negotiators since 1979," the New York Times reports.
Attorney Firings: In an interview with NBC News Monday, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales acknowledged "that he had a role in approving an aide's recommendation to dismiss several U.S. attorneys last year," the Los Angeles Times reports. And senior DOJ aide Monica Goodling "has decided against testifying before lawmakers about her role in the ousters of eight federal prosecutors," AP reports.
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Posted at 8:34 AM
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March 26, 2007
Official: No Charges In Tillman Killing
A Defense Department investigation into the friendly-fire killing of Army Ranger Pat Tillman found there was no criminal negligence involved in the 2004 incident. Tillman, a former Arizona Cardinals safety who enlisted following the Sept. 11 attacks, was gunned down by members of his platoon in Afghanistan. His death ignited a furor because the Pentagon initially attributed his death to enemy fire, and continued to stand by that account even after officials knew what really happened.
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Posted at 3:06 PM
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Pat Tillman
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Mideast: Packing Crocodiles
Security officers who monitor border crossings in Gaza know to look out for bulky clothing. So when border guards noticed a woman who looked "strangely fat" at the Rafah station along the Egypt-Gaza border, they pulled her aside.
What they found was cause for alarm. But not, exactly, the kind of alarm they are used to.
Continue reading "Mideast: Packing Crocodiles"
Posted at 2:22 PM
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Middle East
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Attorney Firings. President Bush reiterated his support for Alberto Gonzales, but before new documents were released showing the attorney general was more involved in the U.S. attorneys firings than previously disclosed. Three Republicans joined the chorus of Gonzales critics, the New York Times reports, and the Los Angeles Times reports that three of the fired attorneys chafed at pressure from the White House to seek the death penalty.
Mideast. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the Mideast again for talks, the Los Angeles Times reports, as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would welcome a regional summit of moderate leaders, AP reports.
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Posted at 8:47 AM
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March 23, 2007
Snow To Have Surgery For Growth
White House spokesman Tony Snow said today he is going to have a small growth in his lower abdomen removed next week, but warned reporters not to overreact, saying that the growth was not cancerous and he was having the procedure done "out of an aggressive sense of caution." Snow is a colon cancer survivor.
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Posted at 2:57 PM
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Tony Snow
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House OKs Spending Bill With Pullout Deadline
By a six-vote margin -- 218 to 212, the narrowest possible for passage -- the House today approved a war spending bill that includes a timeline for U.S. troops to leave Iraq by Aug. 31, 2008. CNN reports that the measure is "unlikely to pass the Senate," and President Bush has vowed to veto the bill.
Bush has also scheduled a 1:45 p.m. press conference to address the measure.
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Posted at 1:26 PM
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Congress, Iraq
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Snow: Congress Has No Oversight Over White House
In a largely overlooked exchange with reporters yesterday, White House press secretary Tony Snow said that Congress does not have oversight authority over the White House.
"The Congress does have legitimate oversight responsibility for the Department of Justice. It created the Department of Justice," Snow said during the daily briefing. "It does not have constitutional oversight responsibility over the White House."
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Posted at 11:36 AM
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Attorney Scandal, Constitution
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
White House. Soon after assuming his current job, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates repeatedly argued that the Guantanamo detention facility be shuttered, but was shot down by administration officials including Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Vice President Dick Cheney, the New York Times reports.
Mideast. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaves today for a trip to the Middle East aimed at reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Reuters reports.
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Posted at 8:50 AM
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March 22, 2007
North Korea: The Going Gets Gone
The North Korean delegation to the six-party talks over its country's nuclear program has walked away from the latest round of negotiations. The sticking point this time around was money.
The Bush administration arranged for about $25 million in cash frozen in a Macau bank to be released to Pyongyang. But South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that "the money transfer was being delayed because Macau authorities were having difficulty confirming the ownership of 50 North Korean accounts, most of which are under the names of the heads of Zokwang Trading Co., a North Korean-run firm in Macau that U.S. officials have long suspected of being involved in money-laundering," according to AP.
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Posted at 5:11 PM
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Asia, North Korea
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Reaction To The Edwards Announcement
These are the first statements released after John and Elizabeth Edwards' press conference this afternoon:
“I spoke with Elizabeth Edwards today and shared my heartfelt belief that she serves as an inspiration to the entire nation. Both Cindy and I wish John and Elizabeth the very best, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.” -- '08 candidate Sen. John McCain (R)
"Elizabeth is a wonderful, strong individual and my thoughts and prayers are with her, John, and their children during this difficult time. I admire her optimism and strength in the face of adversity, and I look forward to seeing them both on the campaign trail." -- '08 candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)
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Posted at 3:36 PM
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John Edwards
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Edwards: 'The Campaign Goes On'
Democratic presidential contender John Edwards today confirmed that his wife, Elizabeth, had fallen ill again with cancer, but put to rest speculation that he would suspend his campaign as a result.
"The campaign goes on. The campaign goes on strongly," said Edwards, with his wife at his side, during a press conference in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Earlier reports quoted sources close to the campaign saying John Edwards was expected to drop out of the race in order to be with his wife. Newsday originally reported that Elizabeth Edwards' breast cancer had spread to her lung.
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Posted at 12:51 PM
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John Edwards
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Special Inspector General Stuart W. Bowen Jr. asserts in a new report that the White House and Pentagon were woefully unprepared for reconstruction in Iraq following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, the Washington Post reports.
Poor conditions such as those found at Walter Reed Army Medical Center were found throughout the Veterans Affairs health system, AP reports. In the District, the GAO found conditions at one facility were so poor that residents were in danger, the Washington Post reports.
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Posted at 9:19 AM
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March 21, 2007
News Roundup
A House Judiciary Committee panel has authorized subpoenas for Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove "and other senior White House officials in the investigation into the firing of eight United States attorneys" in a move that could spark a fight over executive privilege.
Former Vice President Al Gore testified before Congress that "human-caused global warming constitutes a 'planetary emergency' requiring an aggressive federal response."
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Posted at 1:56 PM
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
President Bush says his top aides can be interviewed by lawmakers investigating the U.S. attorney firings, but not questioned under oath, CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports.
The White House is trying to sell arms to its Mideast allies as a buffer against Iran, the Boston Globe reports.
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Posted at 8:17 AM
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March 20, 2007
White House Gives The Go-Ahead For Rove & Miers
Presidential adviser Karl Rove and former White House counsel Harriet Miers will be interviewed by the congressional committees investigating the firings of eight U.S. attorneys -- but not under oath.
CNN reports that "[t]he announcement came after current White House counsel Fred Fielding met with members of the heads of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, who had considered using subpoenas to force Rove, Miers and their two deputies" to testify on the firings.
Posted at 4:09 PM
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Attorney Scandal
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
President Bush asks Americans for their patience ahead of the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war, the Washington Post reports.
House Democrats tucked billions for pet projects into a wartime supplemental spending bill, which includes a 2008 deadline for troops to withdraw from Iraq, the Washington Post reports. But the White House vowed Bush would veto the bill, CongressDailyAM (sub. req.) reports.
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Posted at 8:09 AM
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March 16, 2007
Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
E-mails show Karl Rove had role in attorney firings as Judiciary panel preps subpoenas, the Chicago Tribune reports.
House OKs wartime spending bill as Senate Dems' Iraq resolution dies, the Washington Post reports.
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Posted at 9:26 AM
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March 15, 2007
Mohammed Admits To Pearl Murder
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admitted to masterminding the 9/11 attacks; today, the public learned that he was also behind the killing of reporter Daniel Pearl.
"I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew, Daniel Pearl, in the city of Karachi, Pakistan," the transcript of Mohammed's Guantanamo Bay testimony reads. Pearl, who worked for the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped and killed in January 2002. A video of his death was released on the Internet, but his executioner's face wasn't visible.
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Posted at 3:01 PM
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Terrorism
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Bush backs Gonzales while Sununu calls for ouster. President Bush said he was "not happy" about the way Attorney General Alberto Gonzales handled the firing of eight federal prosecutors, but stood by his former personal lawyer's ability to do his job, the New York Times reports. Meanwhile, New Hampshire's John Sununu became the first Senate Republican to call for Gonzales' exit, AP reports.
KSM testifies he planned 9/11. In testimony for a U.S. military tribunal, Al-Qaida leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to planning the 9/11 attacks, as well as "the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center; the 2002 bombings of nightclubs in Bali, Indonesia; and the so-called shoe-bomber plot to down U.S. airliners traveling across the Atlantic," the Los Angeles Times reports. "He said he took part in plans to kill former Presidents Carter and Clinton, as well as the late Pope John Paul II."
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Posted at 8:43 AM
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March 14, 2007
News Roundup: Iraq Debate, USS Cole Ruling
Iraq bill faces veto. After averting a filibuster, the Senate is getting ready to vote on a pullout timetable for Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reports. But "the White House immediately threatened a veto of any resolution dictating a troop withdrawal."
Cole verdict goes against Sudan. AP reports that a judge ruled today that "Sudan is responsible for the bombing of the USS Cole but he needs more time to determine damages for the families of the 17 sailors killed when terrorists bombed the ship in 2000."
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Posted at 2:00 PM
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Earlybird Roundup
In Today's Earlybird (subscription):
White House releases e-mails for attorney firings probe. Exchanges between former White House counsel Harriet Miers and D. Kyle Sampson, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' former chief of staff, seem to confirm that the firings of eight U.S. attorneys in December were politically motivated and directed by the White House, the Los Angeles Times reports. Despite calls for his resignation, however, Gonzales is refusing to step down. And top Republican lawmakers are not rushing to his defense, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Bush renews vow to enact immigration reform. Taking criticism from yet another leader south of the border -- this time, Mexico's Felipe Calderon -- President Bush pledged to pursue immigration reforms, the Houston Chronicle reports.
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Posted at 8:40 AM
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March 13, 2007
News Roundup
Sudan refutes U.N. report. Accusing a U.N. panel of bias, AP reports, Sudanese leaders today tried "to block the U.N. Human Rights Council from considering its report accusing the government of orchestrating attacks against civilians in Darfur."
Bush pressed on border fence. The New York Times reports that Mexican President Felipe Calderon "used a welcoming ceremony for President Bush" in Merida, Mexico, "to voice his opposition to the security fence the United States is building along their shared border."
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Posted at 2:51 PM
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Gonzales Stays Put
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sent a clear message at a 2 p.m. press conference: He isn't going anywhere. Although he did acknowledge "mistakes were made" in the testimony before Congress on the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, Gonzales said he stood by the initial decision.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., began a drumbeat of calls for the attorney general's resignation on Sunday amid accusations that the Justice Department influenced the decisions to fire the attorneys. Congressional hearings on the matter began this week, and Gonzales' chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, submitted his resignation yesterday.
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Posted at 1:27 PM
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Attorney Scandal
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Stark Announces He Doesn't Believe In God
Democratic Rep. Pete Stark today became the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to declare that he did not believe in a higher being, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The California lawmaker, described as Unitarian in the 2006 edition of the Almanac of American Politics (subscription), is one of the body's more liberal members. He is also from the very liberal Bay area, so his declaration is unlikely to make waves in his district, let alone the rest of the country.
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Posted at 11:48 AM
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U.S. Attorney Wars Escalate
The flap over the firings of eight U.S. attorneys claimed another victim Monday: D. Kyle Sampson, the chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Sampson acknowledged "that he did not tell key Justice officials about the extent of his communications with the White House, leading them to provide incomplete information to Congress," the Washington Post reports.
Continue reading "U.S. Attorney Wars Escalate"
Posted at 10:02 AM
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Attorney Scandal
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
President Bush will discuss immigration reform and trade in Mexico with his counterpart there, Felipe Calderon. Calderon is expected to criticize U.S. policies, as has been the norm in other countries Bush has visited on his tour of Latin America.
The decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys last December came from the White House, AP reports. On Monday, the Justice Department aide in charge of the dismissals resigned.
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Posted at 8:55 AM
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March 12, 2007
BBC Correspondent Missing In Gaza
Alan Johnston, a BBC reporter who covers the Mideast conflict, has been kidnapped by Palestinian militants, police in Gaza say. BBC News' Web site reports that the corporation is concerned about the missing journalist, but has not yet commented on the kidnapping claims.
Continue reading "BBC Correspondent Missing In Gaza"
Posted at 2:25 PM
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Middle East
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Earlybird Roundup
In Today's Earlybird (subscription):
President Bush will continue to address the concerns of Latin America's poor amid protests on his tour of nations there, AP reports.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is trying to quell outrage over the politically tinged firings of eight U.S. attorneys late last year, and told members of the Senate Judiciary committee last week that he would let "Congress limit his powers," the Washington Post reports. Still, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who sits on that committee, is calling on Gonzales to step down, the New York Times reports.
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Posted at 9:19 AM
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March 09, 2007
What's Wrong With Being Articulate?
Top White House aide and campaigns guru Karl Rove is the latest white political figure to hit presidential aspirant Barack Obama with the "articulate" label. As was well documented following Joseph Biden's infamous interview with the New York Observer, the A-word as applied to "mainstream" black figures is a loaded compliment.
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Posted at 1:33 PM
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Barack Obama
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WH '08: The Mind/Heart Problem
It's been well noted that Republican voters have a more anguishing decision-making process before them, as each of the GOP's top contenders is perceived as deeply flawed. Today's Poll Track (subscription) indicates that the air of voter excitement is mostly on the Democrats' side of the room. So much so that the party's voters may just be willing to buck conventional wisdom to promote a candidate who's captured their hearts: Barack Obama.
Also in Poll Track, a measure of support for President Bush's Iraq strategy in previously loyal districts may portend trouble for pro-war Republican candidates across the board.
And in the magazine (subscription), Carl M. Cannon takes a look at younger voters, and finds they aren't the self-involved, apathetic bunch they are perceived to be. In fact, research indicates, both political parties are wasting a great opportunity by ignoring this bloc of voters.
Posted at 11:26 AM
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WH 2008
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
House Democrats' Iraq plan is a no-go. The Washington Post reports that Bush will veto a new proposal that would set a timetable to bring troops home within the year.
Bush greeted with protests in Latin America. Throngs of demonstrators clashed with police in Brazil, AP reports. Today, the Dallas Morning News reports, the president tries to drive home his ethanol message.
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Posted at 10:43 AM
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March 08, 2007
Marion Barry Hearts The Big House
Is there any other explanation for why Washington's most notorious politician continues to flout the law? Mayor turned jailbird turned D.C. Councilman Marion Barry, D-Ward 8, may be headed back to jail after prosecutors filed papers alleging he violated the terms of his probation. Barry did not meet filing deadlines for tax returns in 2005 -- despite having earlier pleaded guilty for not filing his taxes the six previous years, the Washington Post reports.
Taxes aren't the only issue for Barry, apparently: The Post reported last month that shortly after Barry reached a plea deal in October 2005, he tested positive for cocaine and marijuana. Perhaps life on the outside is proving more than the 70-year-old legislator cares to handle.
Posted at 4:43 PM
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Marion Barry
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Pardon Me, Sir...
All of the will-he-or-won't-he buzz about President Bush pardoning I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby prompted the Washington Post to compile a list of each president's lucky choices. (The Post's graphic isn't online, but University of Pittsburgh's law school has its own list with slightly different numbers.)
Harry Truman tops the list, with a whopping 2,031 granted during his two terms in the White House. He was also the first president to pardon a turkey in 1947, ushering in the annual Thanksgiving ritual.
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Posted at 3:31 PM
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Bush Administration
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Dems' Iraq Bill Seeks August '08 Pullout
House Democratic leaders' new proposal for Iraq would mandate withdrawal of most U.S. troops by August 2008, provided Iraqis meet certain benchmarks, Reuters and AP report.
The conditions will be tucked into a $100 billion supplemental war funding bill scheduled for consideration by the House Appropriations Committee next week. If the legislation makes it through committee, the full House will debate the measure the following week.
Republican members are likely to oppose in force any timetable, but so are the more staunchly anti-war Democrats. Some of the more liberal members want a withdrawal by the end of this year, and will oppose the new measure, Reuters reports.
Posted at 11:21 AM
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Congress, Iraq
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Earlybird Roundup
In Today's Earlybird (subscription):
President Bush says he will not consider the question of pardoning I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby until "the legal process has run its course," the Washington Post reports. Meanwhile, the couple at the center of the affair, Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame, are packing up their Washington home and moving to New Mexico, the New York Times reports.
Bush kicks off his tour of Latin America today in Brazil, where he will sign an ethanol agreement with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Forbes reports. But the visit may widen "a rift between the administration and several key lawmakers from the farm belt."
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Posted at 8:28 AM
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March 07, 2007
Domenici Lawyers Up
Sen. Pete Domenici has hired top defense attorney Lee Blalack to represent him in a coming investigation into the firings of several U.S. attorneys last December, the Washington Post reports. The New Mexico Republican was one of two lawmakers from that state -- Rep. Heather Wilson was the other -- to phone in complaints about former prosecutor David Iglesias.
Iglesias, a Republican, told lawmakers yesterday that his one-time mentor asked about a corruption probe involving Democrats shortly before last November's midterm elections.
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Posted at 4:34 PM
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Attorney Scandal
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King Abdullah II Pleads For Mideast Action
Jordanian monarch King Abdullah II, a staunch U.S. ally in a region where they are sparse, warned in a rare audience with Congress today that the Middle East could soon be the site of three civil wars.
"Sixty years of Palestinian dispossession, 40 years under occupation, a stop-and-go peace process -- all this has left a bitter legacy of disappointment and despair on all sides,” Abdullah said, urging action before the year is up.
The New York Times reports "a relatively tepid response" when the king emphasized the plight of the Palestinians.
C-SPAN's Web site has video of Abdullah's address.
Posted at 1:28 PM
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Middle East
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March 06, 2007
Fitzgerald Defends Case
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald told reporters outside the courtroom of the I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial that Americans ought to be glad that justice was done. But the 47-year-old Brooklyn native seemed mostly relieved his involvement in the nearly four-years-long Beltway saga was all but over.
"Mr. Libby did not tell the truth to the system, and when someone does not tell the truth to the system everobody suffers," Fitzerald said, somewhat defensively. Libby was charged with lying to federal investigators about how he first learned the identity of Valerie Plame, the CIA officer married to former Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Wilson, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, touched off a series of events in 2003 that eventually led to one of the biggest embarassments of President Bush's tenure -- swallowing a key claim on which a costly and bloody war was based.
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Posted at 12:41 PM
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Bush Administration, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby
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Libby Convicted Of Four Out Of Five Counts
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, has been convicted of perjury and obstruction in a saga that has gripped the Beltway's deepest insiders for nearly four years.
Libby was found guilty of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and one count of false statement of facts. The jury found him not guilty on one count of false statement of facts. Sentencing is set for June 5, and Libby faces up to 25 years. He will be the most senior Bush administration official to be convicted of a crime.
Continue reading "Libby Convicted Of Four Out Of Five Counts"
Posted at 12:11 PM
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I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby
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Earlybird Roundup
In Today's Earlybird (subscription):
The White House is expected to seek redirection of as much as $3 billion toward the so-called surge of troops in Iraq, CongressDailyAM reports (subscription). Meanwhile, anti-war Democrats are softening their proposal to tie President Bush's hands in Iraq, the Washington Post reports.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (subscription), Attorney General Alberto Gonzales denied the abrupt firing of eight federal prosecutors in December was politically motivated. Meanwhile, Rep. Heather Wilson admitted she was the second New Mexico Republican (Sen. Pete Domenici was the other) who phoned in complaints to a fired prosecutor, but also denied the calls were politically motivated. The House and Senate Judiciary panels plan to hold hearings on the firings.
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Posted at 8:44 AM
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March 05, 2007
Chastened Commanders Pledge Walter Reed Reforms
Humiliated by media investigations into outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, senior military commanders who once ran the facility apologized to soldiers, and vowed before lawmakers that "we will do better."
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Posted at 5:12 PM
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Military
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Coulter & CPAC
There is little doubt the conservative movement owes a debt to right-wing bloggers. (See RatherGate, Eason Jordan's resignation from CNN and the Swift Boating of John Kerry.) And for that reason at least, bloggers say, CPAC and its sponsors should take their latest complaints about Ann Coulter seriously.
In an e-mail response to questions from The Gate, Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters acknowledged that "Coulter draws crowds, but she's starting to create credibility issues, too." Morrissey is among the conservative bloggers who signed an open letter urging CPAC and its sponsors to cut ties with the frequently foul-mouthed commentator.
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Posted at 4:17 PM
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Ann Coulter, Media, Republicans, WH 2008
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Domenici May Have Spurred Prosecutor's Firing
The Justice Department today said that New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici (R) phoned U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales or a deputy four times to complain about a federal prosecutor who was eventually fired, AP reports. Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias contends that two lawmakers from his state pressured him to speed up a criminal investigation involving Democrats ahead of November's midterm elections.
Domenici admitted on Sunday that he inquired about the corruption probe but denied putting the squeeze on the former prosecutor. Iglesias is one of eight federal prosecutors who were abruptly fired last December, prompting an investigation by congressional Democrats who smelled a partisan clean-up ordered by the White House.
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Posted at 3:06 PM
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Attorney Scandal
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Palestinian Unity Gov't Delayed
An agreement on the Palestinian unity government will not be reached this week, Israeli newspapers Haaretz reports.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said he and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah would be meeting tomorrow and Wednesday, but would need more time than that to hash out their differences.
So far, there is nothing to indicate that Hamas is budging on the main sticking points: a renunciation of violence and recognition of Israel. The EU is still waiting to see how the new government plays out before agreeing to fully re-engage with the Palestinians, AP reports.
Posted at 10:13 AM
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Middle East
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Earlybird Roundup
In Today's Earlybird (subscription):
U.S. negotiators will seek to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear equipment during talks at the United Nations today, the New York Times reports.
China's announcement that it will increase its military budget by nearly 18 percent is alarming Washington, the Washington Post reports.
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Posted at 8:35 AM
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March 02, 2007
CPAC: The Abridged Version
There is a conventional wisdom developing that Rudy Giuliani will take a mighty tumble closer to primary time. By then, the reasoning goes, GOP voters will eventually discover en masse that he is pro-choice and gay-friendly. (Most New Yorkers know that he roomed with some close friends who were gay after announcing to the media, but not his second wife, Donna Hanover, that he was divorcing her.)
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Posted at 6:02 PM
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John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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CPAC: Coulter Pulls A Dr. Burke
The Gate is no longer on site at the CPAC conference, so we just missed conservative fire-bomber Ann Coulter dropping the F-bomb (rhymes with maggot) during her address.
As conservative bloggers Sean Hackbarth, Ed Morrissey and Andrew Sullivan are noting, Coulter has nicely reaffirmed a stereotype non-conservatives have about conservatives. (Hackbarth's The American Mind blog has audio.) Even Michelle Malkin, who is reviled by the left almost as much as Coulter is, was not pleased.
First, a couple steps back...
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Posted at 5:16 PM
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Ann Coulter, John Edwards, Republicans
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CPAC: 'Dude, Where's My Candidate?'
So quipped former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee when opening his speech before an audience of grassroots conservatives still searching for a champion going into the 2008 presidential election. Whereas Hillary Rodham Clinton is seen as the juggernaut to beat for the Democratic nomination, every one of the Republican hopefuls have been tagged with seemingly insurmountable weaknesses. For most of the field -- like Huckabee -- it's lack of money, momentum and name recognition, but the top three contenders -- John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney -- are perceived by their party's base as leaving much to be desired.
So more than in most years, Day 2 of this year's Conservative Political Action Conference was like a day-long pitch meeting, with six of the 11 probable-to-definite candidates stating their case. Conspicuously absent, as reported yesterday, was McCain. To say that the Arizona senator's MIA status went unnoticed is to be generous. Very, very generous.
More to follow...
-JANE ROH
Posted at 4:38 PM
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John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
White House. "President Bush on Thursday acknowledged the deep frustration of Hurricane Katrina victims and said the federal government shares the blame for the slow recovery of the Gulf Coast," AP reports.
Congress. Senate Democrats are still figuring out how to push back on Bush's Iraq strategy, the New York Times reports.
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Posted at 8:23 AM
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March 01, 2007
Walter Reed Commander Fired
Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, was relieved of his post this morning, Army Times reports. "Weightman was informed this morning that the senior Army leadership had lost trust and confidence in the commander’s leadership abilities to address needed solutions for soldier-outpatient care at" the hospital, according to a press release.
Revelations of inadequate care and deteriorating conditions at the facility, which has treated thousands of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, have rocked the Pentagon the last two weeks.
The Washington Post, which published a series on the medical center last week, reported in today's editions that "top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army's surgeon general, have heard complaints about outpatient neglect from family members, veterans groups and members of Congress for more than three years."
Posted at 2:57 PM
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Veterans
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GOP Slate -- Sans McCain -- Appeals To D.C. Conservatives
The right is less than thrilled about the top three GOP White House hopefuls, and aren't shy about lamenting their plight to the press. The New York Times reported over the weekend that Christian conservatives tried to persuade South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford to run during a meeting of influential Christian conservatives last month, but to no avail. It's probably too early to characterize what the religious right may be feeling as despair; after all, it is still very early in the election cycle.
And that is why second- and third-tier hopefuls have reason to stay in contention. They will get a shot alongside the big guns to state their case before the conservative grassroots starting today at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington. Speakers include Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani and Sam Brownback.
Notice anyone missing from that list?
Continue reading "GOP Slate -- Sans McCain -- Appeals To D.C. Conservatives"
Posted at 10:54 AM
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John McCain, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani
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Since U.S.-led forces implemented a new security plan for Baghdad and other restive parts of Iraq, targeted killings of individual civilians 
News agencies have been reporting this week that the film "300," a special effects-heavy action flick described by a 
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales knew he was a potential target in an internal Justice Department investigation into the application of the National Security Agency's warrantless eavesdropping program, Murray Waas reports in next week's 
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani's law firm lobbies on behalf of Citgo, the Texas-based petroleum concern owned by Venezuela's state-owned oil company, 
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace won't apologize for remarks in which he said homosexual acts were "immoral," 
Former President George H.W. Bush has been released from a California hospital after being treated for dehydration, 
Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, an outspoken Republican critic of the Iraq war and the Bush administration, will say whether he will run for president in 2008 at 11 a.m. EDT today. Former Sen. David Karnes, R-Neb., who "has known Hagel for years," told Omaha's 
NationalJournal.com kicks off its series of 
"
Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey 
