April 30, 2007
News Roundup: Iraq Death Toll, Turkey, U.K. Terror Plot
Iraq. More than 100 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, making April the deadliest month for Americans serving there this year. Meanwhile, new details in the case against a "porn-collecting" Army commander accused of aiding the enemy were revealed, and the British military confirmed that Prince Harry will serve in Iraq.
World. Turkey's military hints it may intervene in a dispute between Islamists and secularists over the country's next president.
Continue reading "News Roundup: Iraq Death Toll, Turkey, U.K. Terror Plot"
Posted at 6:56 PM
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Gonzales Gave Aides Broad Hiring/Firing Authority
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales signed a highly confidential order in March 2006 delegating to two of his top aides -- who have since resigned because of their central roles in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys -- extraordinary authority over the hiring and firing of most non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department. A copy of the order and other Justice Department records related to the conception and implementation of the order were provided to National Journal.
In the order, Gonzales delegated to his then-chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, and his White House liaison "the authority, with the approval of the Attorney General, to take final action in matters pertaining to the appointment, employment, pay, separation, and general administration" of virtually all non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department, including all of the department's political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation. Monica Goodling became White House liaison in April 2006, the month after Gonzales signed the order.
The existence of the order suggests that a broad effort was under way by the White House to place politically and ideologically loyal appointees throughout the Justice Department, not just at the U.S.-attorney level. Department records show that the personnel authority was delegated to the two aides at about the same time they were working with the White House in planning the firings of a dozen U.S. attorneys, eight of whom were, in fact, later dismissed.
Click here for Murray Waas' full report.
Posted at 4:49 PM
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Alberto Gonzales
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SCOTUS Sides With Police On Car Chase
The U.S. Supreme Court has a message for fleeing suspects everywhere: If you run from the cops, don't come crying if you get hurt.
In an 8-to-1 decision [PDF], the justices reversed a lower court ruling that found Georgia sheriff Timothy Scott used excessive force when he bumped Victor Harris off the road during a high-speed car chase. Scott tried to pull Harris over for speeding, but the then-19-year-old driver took off, prompting a chase in which the vehicles reached speeds of more than 85 miles per hour.
Scott decided to hit Harris from behind in order to drive him off the road and end the dangerous, six-minute-long chase. But instead of coming to a stop, Harris' car went over an embankment and crashed. As a result, Harris became a quadriplegic. He filed suit against Scott, and the case made its way up to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in Harris' favor.
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Posted at 4:35 PM
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Crime, Supreme Court
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Stork In The House
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., became the first member of Congress in more than a decade to give birth when her son was born over the weekend -- a month early, CongressDailyPM (subscription) reports.
Cole McMorris Rodgers was born at 3:14 a.m. Sunday at Bethesda Naval Hospital, her office said today. The baby weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces and was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to address minor complications, said her spokeswoman. The lawmaker, 37, married Brian Rodgers last year; this is her first child. She plans to take at least a month off, her spokeswoman said.
McMorris Rodgers is just the fifth woman to give birth while serving in Congress, according to research by her aides. All have been members of the House.
Posted at 3:42 PM
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Congress
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Corzine Apologizes For Setting 'Poor Example'
Sitting in the wheelchair he'll have to rely on for weeks, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) apologized for setting "a poor example" in his first press conference since the combination of an out-of-control vehicle and no seat belt landed him in the hospital on April 12.
"I understand I'm setting a very poor example for a lot of young people, a lot of people in general," the former U.S. senator said, wearing a bright red sweatshirt bearing Cooper University hospital's logo and choking back tears. "I certainly hope the state will forgive me."
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Posted at 3:26 PM
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Governors, Jon Corzine
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SCOTUS Sides With Microsoft
In a ruling that could save Microsoft billions of dollars, the Supreme Court today found that the Redmond, Wash.-based software goliath is not liable in a patent dispute with AT&T.
The two companies were battling over computers running Windows software, with AT&T alleging that Microsoft infringed on speech-coding technology. Implications of the case extended to all copies of Windows manufactured abroad; AT&T had staked a claim on all foreign computers using the digital speech system.
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Posted at 2:54 PM
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Supreme Court
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An Emotional Return For Snow
In his first "gaggle" with reporters after a month-long hiatus, White House press secretary Tony Snow held back tears as he thanked the press corps for their show of support after doctors found his cancer had returned nearly one month ago.
"I'll try not to choke up," Snow declared, pausing several times before smiling and giving a thumbs-up to the crowded room of journalists. "Everyone who does not believe that thoughts and prayers make a difference is just wrong.... You guys have been so wonderful."
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Posted at 10:30 AM
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Tony Snow
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
War funding standoff. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hit the Sunday shows circuit and said President Bush wouldn't sign a bill "that punishes the Iraqi government for failing to meet benchmarks for progress." Meanwhile, Democrats are preparing to work on a new bill ahead of an expected veto and failed override vote, CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports.
Washington. Rice also disputed claims about the run-up to the Iraq war in former CIA Director George Tenet's new memoir, while six former CIA officers came out to describe Tenet as "the Alberto Gonzales of the intelligence community."
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Posted at 9:01 AM
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April 27, 2007
News Roundup
Terrorism. Saudi police broke up a major terror plot today, arresting 172 Islamic militants and seizing large quantities of weapons, explosives and more than $32.4 million. The Saudi Interior Ministry issued a statement saying the detainees were plotting to carry out suicide attacks against "public figures, oil facilities, refineries ... and military zones." The group the militants allegedly belonged to has not yet been released.
North Korea. President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, meeting at Camp David this morning, reiterated that North Korea must abandon its nuclear weapons program, threatening new sanctions if Pyongyang doesn't comply.
Continue reading "News Roundup"
Posted at 11:36 AM
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Embattled Bush, Abe Present United Front
It's a little odd that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waited eight months after assuming office to pay a visit to the United States, Japan's staunchest ally and military guardian. But this week's meeting between Abe and George W. Bush underscores a truth that might be easy to forget, particularly after last night: Bush hasn't left office yet.
Speaking to reporters today after a series of meetings, the two leaders, both deeply unpopular at home, reaffirmed their commitment to working out the North Korean nuclear crisis and seeing Iraq through to stability.
"We feel proud as an ally of the United States," Abe said, speaking in Japanese.
Continue reading "Embattled Bush, Abe Present United Front"
Posted at 11:10 AM
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Asia, Japan, North Korea, President Bush
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Iraq war debate. Army Gen. David Petraeus promised a full assessment of the Baghdad security plan by September, as the Senate passed a funding bill that included a nonbinding deadline for troop withdrawal. The bill didn't get enough votes to survive a promised veto from President Bush.
WH 2008. Iraq was the No. 1 topic at last night's Democratic debate, the first such meeting of the presidential candidates this election cycle.
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Posted at 9:11 AM
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April 26, 2007
Liveblogging The First Democratic Debate
End note. The candidates are expanding on the points they wanted to make, live on MSNBC. The network's Web site has reaction from Chuck Todd, formerly of our sister publication, the Hotline. WashingtonPost.com's The Fix, NYTimes.com's The Caucus and CNN.com's Political Ticker have more assessments of the candidates' performance.
8:30. It's all over but the crying. Despite the organizers' efforts to give each candidate equal time, just a few seized the opportunity to really assert themselves tonight: Obama, Clinton and Gravel. Gravel was a stronger voice for the disenchanted left than Kucinich -- probably, in fairness, due to his booming voice. Somewhat surprisingly, Dodd, Edwards and Richardson didn't have much of a presence. But does it really matter? Probably not as much as the commentators think. Everyone gets multiple opportunities for do-overs in this very loaded debate season, so long as they have the political support -- and money -- to hang in the race.
Just six (at last count) more of these to go.
8:25. Clinton is caught in the middle, by virtue of her placement on the stage, of a spat between Obama and Kucinich that illustrates why the Ohio representative, who advocates a Department of Peace, is unlikely to catch fire with voters: the very real threat of violent Islamic radicals and WMD proliferation. It's also Obama's chance to try and prove he has the backbone to be president, explaining to Kucinich in a back-and-forth why all options must be on the table when it comes to Iran and nuclear weapons.
8:22. And the winner of the personality contest is... Mike Gravel. The audience seems tickled by him.
8:14. The candidates have been asked how they would respond if the nation was hit with another major terrorist attack, and some, Obama in particular, seem visibly nervous as they answer. Security remains the Achilles' heel of the party, and the result is most of the answers conform with how the Bush administration responded to 9/11, save one important exemption, the war in Iraq.
Continue reading "Liveblogging The First Democratic Debate"
Posted at 6:37 PM
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Democrats, WH 2008
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Dem Debate Smells Like School Spirit
Is this a race for president or homecoming queen?
No other election year has seen such a hot contest among the TV networks for proprietary claim on the debates, and MSNBC, which is hosting the first big talk-off among the Democratic contenders, is letting everyone know it. As if the daylong speculation on what the candidates might or might not say tonight weren't enough -- and arguably at the expense of other news (hello, Iraq funding bill) -- "Hardball" is broadcasting outdoors on the South Carolina State University's campus, complete with the school's marching band making the commercial segues and a hooting and hollering crowd of excited co-eds.
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Posted at 5:05 PM
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Democrats, WH 2008
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Senate OKs Iraq Timeline Bill
A controversial war spending supplemental bill made it through the Senate this afternoon, but without enough votes to survive a promised veto from President Bush.
Bush himself urged the Senate to quickly pass the bill, in order to shorten the time it would take for him to veto it and for Congress to pass new, desperately needed funding for the military without the timeline or pullout strings attached.
Continue reading "Senate OKs Iraq Timeline Bill"
Posted at 4:25 PM
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Congress, Iraq
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Lights... Camera... Debate!
In an image sure to vex camera crews, a total of eight Democratic candidates vying for their party's presidential nomination will take to the stage in Orangeburg, S.C., tonight for the first of many debates in the 2008 race for the White House.
The candidates will square off at South Carolina State University's MLK Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. EDT. The debate, moderated by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, will air live on MSNBC, and The Gate will be liveblogging the proceedings.
Continue reading "Lights... Camera... Debate!"
Posted at 4:05 PM
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Democrats
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Petraeus: Al-Qaida Probably 'Public Enemy No. 1' In Iraq
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, noted some areas of progress resulting from stepped-up security efforts in Baghdad and Anbar Province, but also warned that al-Qaida in Iraq remains a "formidable foe" contributing to the "exceedingly challenging" situation there.
Iraq is the "central front in al-Qaida's global campaign," Petraeus said today in a press conference on the heels of yesterday's briefings for the House and Senate. But despite the rise in "sensational attacks" carried out by al-Qaida fighters, he noted that there has been a decrease in the number of sectarian murders in Baghdad since the beginning of the year.
Continue reading "Petraeus: Al-Qaida Probably 'Public Enemy No. 1' In Iraq"
Posted at 11:32 AM
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Iraq
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
War supplemental. The House narrowly passed a $124 billion war spending bill that calls for U.S. troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq by Oct. 1. President Bush is still expected to veto the measure, which the Senate will take up today.
Administration. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has indicated that she will not testify before members of Congress in an investigation into the Bush administration's pre-war claims. White House press secretary Tony Snow told CNN that he would return to work next week, one month after doctors detected cancer in his liver.
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Posted at 9:36 AM
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April 25, 2007
News Roundup: Campaign Ads, Death Sentences, Iraq Casualties
Supreme Court I. Restrictions on campaign ads could be loosened after the Supreme Court expressed willingness to open up rules governing interest groups' spending. Also, the justices today tossed out death sentences in three separate Texas cases, in which the Court ruled jurors had not been given proper instruction.
Virginia Tech shootings. More details emerged at a press conference today, although police still say they're unsure of Seung-Hui Cho's motives for killing 32 students and himself last Monday.
Continue reading "News Roundup: Campaign Ads, Death Sentences, Iraq Casualties"
Posted at 4:35 PM
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Bush Wants Accountability In Tillman Case
Tuesday's emotional testimony before Congress from Pat Tillman's family cast a long shadow on the actions of the military around the time of the former football player's friendly fire death in Afghanistan three years ago. Tillman's mother and brother both accused the government of "deliberate and calculated lies" in covering up the nature of the Army Ranger's death.
Toward the end of a press briefing today, a reporter asked White House spokeswoman Dana Perino whether the president had reviewed the testimony.
Perino said that Bush had not, and that he hadn't known about the military's actions at the time of the incident: "There's no indication that the President got any word that there was questions surrounding his death, other than what had been reported in the paper.... I never asked him if he felt personally deceived, but obviously he's glad that the Department of Defense is trying to find out what happened, and to hold people accountable for it."
Posted at 3:48 PM
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Military
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Subpoenas Gone Wild!
In a busy day for congressional oversight, a House committee voted 21-10 to summon Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice before the panel to explain the Bush administration's false claim that Saddam Hussein was seeking uranium from Africa in the run-up to the war.
"The American public was misled about the threat posed by Iraq, and this committee is going to do its part to find out why," House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said of the vote.
Continue reading "Subpoenas Gone Wild!"
Posted at 2:30 PM
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Alberto Gonzales, Condoleezza Rice
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House Closes In On Iraq Bill
Congress heeded its own timetable today, with a House vote set this afternoon on the controversial war spending bill. This version of the legislation, which specifies a pullout beginning Oct. 1, has already been passed by the Senate and could be ready for the White House as early as next Thursday, CNN.com reports.
News stories are featuring phrases like "lurched toward a veto showdown" in describing the bill's progress, because its fate remains clear: Assuming the House passes the current version of the bill, it will die on President Bush's desk.
Continue reading "House Closes In On Iraq Bill"
Posted at 1:27 PM
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Iraq
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McCain Makes It Official
Speaking from the first-in-the-nation primary state that gave him the greatest support in his failed 2000 bid, John McCain announced his formal entry into the 2008 race for the GOP presidential nomination. "We face formidable challenges, but I’m not afraid of them. I’m prepared for them, " the Arizona senator said from Prescott Park in Portsmouth, N.H. "I’m not the youngest candidate. But I am the most experienced."
McCain did not directly address his military experience, but the site and tenor of his speech invoked his well-known service in Vietnam, where he spent five years as a prisoner of war. Clad in a casual white shirt and navy blue sweater, McCain took to the stage to the tune of Navy theme "Anchors Aweigh," with Maine's Portsmouth Naval Shipyard behind him across the Piscataqua River.
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Posted at 1:02 PM
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John McCain
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Iraq. Gen. David Petraeus heads to Capitol Hill today as the House is poised to vote on a war funding bill that sets a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawals. Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr lashed out against the wall being built around a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad, while Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the multinational corps in Baghdad, defended its construction in a Los Angeles Times op-ed.
Administration. The Office of Special Counsel is "expanding an investigation" into whether the Bush administration has illegally used government agencies for political operations. Meanwhile, three congressional committees are set to consider today whether to issue subpoenas for half a dozen officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card.
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Posted at 8:25 AM
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April 24, 2007
Execs To Wolfowitz: Thanks, But No Thanks
The World Bank's executive directors have rebuffed President Paul Wolfowitz's request for a chance to explain his role in the promotion of a woman with whom he is romantically involved. CNN presented the report from "a source close to the probe" to Wolfowitz's attorney, Robert Bennett, who expressed disappointment in the apparent "rush to judgment."
Bennett also reaffirmed his client's decision not to step down from his position at the bank over the investigation into Shaha Riza's upward move to the State Department. While he intends to remain as president, Wolfowitz pledged in a message to World Bank staff today to enact "major changes" in his office's operations.
Posted at 4:49 PM
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World Bank
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Kaine May Target Loophole In Va. Gun Laws
In an interview with Washington-area radio station WTOP, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) said he may use an executive order to close a loophole in state gun laws that allowed Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho to purchase the weapons he used in last week's campus shooting. The interview is available as a podcast on WTOP's Web site.
Under current reporting requirements, a 2005 court-ordered psychiatric assessment that declared Cho a danger to himself was not put on record because Cho was never commited. As a result, Cho's history of mental illness did not show up on his background check when he purchased the guns he used to gun down 32 students and faculty.
Continue reading "Kaine May Target Loophole In Va. Gun Laws"
Posted at 2:12 PM
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Tillmans, Lynch Testify Before House Panel
Testifying before Congress today, Kevin Tillman, the brother Pat Tillman, and Mary Tillman, their mother, accused the U.S. government of engaging in "deliberate and calculated lies" in covering up what they called the intentional killing of the late Army Ranger by his fellow soldiers.
Pat Tillman, a former player for the Arizona Cardinals, famously gave up a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to sign up with the Army after the 9/11 attacks. After he was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004, he was hailed by the government and media as the epitome of the all-American hero. Later, it was revealed that Tillman's fellow soldiers and superiors knew he had actually been killled in a friendly-fire incident but allowed the hero "narrative," as his brother put it, to come out in the media. Moreover, Tillman's family wasn't told the truth for weeks.
Continue reading "Tillmans, Lynch Testify Before House Panel"
Posted at 11:56 AM
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Afghanistan, Asia, Iraq
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Breaking. "At least 74 workers have been killed in an attack on a Chinese-run oil field in eastern Ethiopia," according to an official of the Chinese company, AP reports.
White House. President Bush affirmed his support for Alberto Gonzales amid criticism of the attorney general's testimony before the Senate last week. Meanwhile, the Office of Special Counsel is launching an investigation into "key elements of the White House political operations that for more than six years have been headed by chief strategist Karl Rove."
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Posted at 8:18 AM
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April 23, 2007
News Roundup: Iraq Spat, Yeltsin's Legacy
Iraq: The ongoing spat between President Bush and congressional Democrats continues, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accusing Bush of being in a "state of denial" about the situation in Iraq, and Bush repeating his assertion that a timetable would embolden insurgents. Meanwhile, U.S. officials appeared to drop plans to build walls separating Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad admid protests from Iraq.
Boris Yeltsin: Newspapers and magazines are assessing the former Russian president's tumultuous life and legacy -- here, here, here and here.
Continue reading "News Roundup: Iraq Spat, Yeltsin's Legacy"
Posted at 5:53 PM
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Soldier Compares Mourning Of War Dead & Va. Tech Victims
Acknowledging that the Virginia Tech massacre last week was "a tragedy," a U.S. Army sergeant bristled at the lack of a comparable public outpouring after the near-daily deaths of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I find it ironic that the flags were flown at half-staff for the young men and women who were killed at VT yet it is never lowered for the death of a U.S. servicemember," wrote Sgt. Jim Wilt in an opinion article not meant for the civilian public.
Continue reading "Soldier Compares Mourning Of War Dead & Va. Tech Victims"
Posted at 5:00 PM
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Crime, Iraq
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Congress. Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., died of cancer Sunday at the age of 68. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzegger will call a special election for Millender-McDonald's 37th District seat.
Defense. Defense Secretary Robert Gates "urged Russia to drop its opposition to U.S. plans to develop defenses in Europe against long-range nuclear missiles, but the Russians refused to budge." The New York Times reports that U.S. intelligence agencies knew ahead of time about preparations for China's missile test in January.
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Posted at 8:49 AM
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April 20, 2007
News Roundup: School Tragedies, NASA Incident
Va. Tech tragedy. Mourners in Virginia and across the nation marked the deaths of 32 people in the Virginia Tech massacre with a moment of silence and the ringing of bells at noon today. Monday's violence compounded the sorrow felt in Colorado, where mourners also marked the eighth anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. And the family of the the Virginia Tech student responsible for the murders expressed regret and sadness for Cho Seung-Hui's actions, in their first public statement.
Breaking. An armed NASA contractor has reportedly barricaded himself into a building at Johnson Space Center in Houston, prompting an evacuation.
Continue reading "News Roundup: School Tragedies, NASA Incident"
Posted at 4:43 PM
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Wolfowitz Decision To Come Next Week
After a meeting that lasted into the wee hours of this morning, the World Bank's board of directors put off announcing a decision on Paul Wolfowitz until next week. Wolfowitz, the World Bank's president and one of the architects of the Iraq war in his previous stint as DOD's No. 2, is under pressure to resign following a patronage scandal.
Wolfowitz played a hand in getting his girlfriend, Shaha Riza, a large promotion at the World Bank before arranging for her to be transferred to the State Department to avoid a conflict of interest. The New York Times reports that the bank's 24 directors are divided over whether to hand Wolfowitz a vote of no confidence, after which he would probably resign, or a simple reprimand. The Europeans and many of the Asians want Wolfowitz gone, the Times reports, but the American, Canadian and Japanese representatives want a less harsh punishment.
Continue reading "Wolfowitz Decision To Come Next Week"
Posted at 4:22 PM
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Bush Administration
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Gonzales hearing. The attorney general took hits from both sides of the aisle during yesterday's stint before the Senate Judiciary Committee, with GOP Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma specifically calling for his resignation. The White House again reiterated its support.
D.C. vote bill. Supporters of full voting rights for residents of Washington, D.C., scored a victory yesterday, when the House approved a bill granting them a full voting member -- the biggest step toward representation since the 1970s.
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Posted at 8:57 AM
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April 19, 2007
Doolittle Steps Down From Panel Amid Probe
Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., has taken a "leave of absence" from the House Appropriations Committee one day after it was reported that the FBI searched his home as part of the Jack Abramoff probe, AP, the New York Times' Caucus blog and The Hill are reporting.
Continue reading "Doolittle Steps Down From Panel Amid Probe"
Posted at 5:25 PM
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Jack Abramoff
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Liveblogging The Gonzales Hearing
4:52: Schumer to reporters after the committee breaks up for the day: "It's hard to believe after today's peformance the White House would want him to stay on." Only the most partisan critic couldn't feel for Gonzales, who had to endure two long stretches of attacks on his integrity and competence today. Coburn's Q&A session may be especially painful for the administration. Still, earlier today, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino reiterated Bush's declared intention to stick by the AG, saying, "I think the president has full confidence in the attorney general and whenever that changes for any public servant, we'll let you know, and I see no indication of that."
4:45: The New York Times and Yahoo News have photos of the hearing.
4:08: Lawmakers are now asking Gonzales about pet issues -- Specter on FISA, Cardin on voter intimidation -- which indicates all the bases have been well covered. Leahy just called a 10-minute recess. We'll keep an eye on things, but for all intents and purposes the hearing looks to be over.
4:00: In response to questioning from Cardin, Gonzales says he has "nothing to add" about Monica Goodling's role in the affair. Goodling was the top DOJ aide who hired a lawyer and invoked the Fifth Amendment when lawmakers asked to meet with her. She resigned two weeks ago.
3:50: Hatch to the rescue -- "attorney generals do not serve at the pleasure of the Senate"
3:39: Feinstein tells Gonzales in so many words that she does not believe his claim that the White House had nothing to do with the firings. Gonzales has said he did not select the dozens of prosecutors earmarked for possible termination, to which the California Democrat responded, "I may be very slow but I don't understand how this list was compiled." Referring to testimony from DOJ aides on Karl Rove and Harriet Miers' roles in the firings, Feinstein added, "Who selected the people who were put on that list? Somebody had to. A human being had to."
3:30: Under questioning from Leahy, Gonzales reiterates that Bush had absolutely no role in the firings and that he, Gonzales, has now told the committee every detail about his role in the firings
3:17: Rhode Island freshman Sheldon Whitehouse just had a go (was still reeling from Coburn), and next up is Arizona Republican John Kyl, who asks a couple short questions about the firings and then bizarrely veers off topic, asking Gonzales if he will help set up a meeting on funding for crime victims (he will) and then begins talking about Internet gambling regulations. Leahy isn't on camera, but he can't be terribly happy right now.
3:03: WOW. Coburn just said Gonzales should resign.
Coburn: "Why would we not apply the same standards you used to judge these individuals to your performance?"
Gonzales: "Obviously I have a lot of work to do--"
Coburn: "--That's not what I asked you.
Then...
Coburn: "There has to be consequences to accepting responsibility.... My considered opinion is that the exact same standards should be applied to you in how this was handled." Calling Gonzales' handling of the firings "incompetent," Coburn concludes, "I believe you ought to suffer the consequences that others have suffered. The best way to put this behind us is with your resignation."
2:56: Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn takes Cardin's baton and runs with it. "Why would we not apply the same standards you used to judge these individuals to your performance?" That's a surprisingly harsh question from one of the most conservative lawmakers on the Hill. Gonzales' response is simply that he has learned his lesson.
2:45: Freshman Dem Ben Cardin raised the temperature a notch by demanding an answer for the question of the day: How can Gonzales possibly know no political ulterior motives drove the firings while also claiming he was not part of the decision-making process? The Maryland senator raises his voice while reminding Gonzales that five of the seven U.S. attorneys fired last December were involved in political corruption investigations.
2:40: For those scoffing at today's proceedings as so much sturm und drang, Grassley provides a useful reminder of how we got here. "I'm an equal-opportunity oversight person.... I feel on many occasions this administration has made many efforts to thwart my oversight efforts," he said in opening remarks. Gonzales is correct when he says that this hearing "is not about Alberto Gonzales" -- it's about the Bush administration, and lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum tiring of the White House's seemingly aggressive brand of politics.
Continue reading "Liveblogging The Gonzales Hearing"
Posted at 4:53 PM
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Alberto Gonzales
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Gonzales testimony. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales reports to Capitol Hill this morning for a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.
Congress. President Bush and the Democratic leaders of Congress failed yesterday to reach an agreement on a war funding bill, prompting Democrats to begin crafting (subscription) a post-veto version.
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Posted at 9:01 AM
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April 18, 2007
News Roundup: Baghdad Bombings, Va. Tech Update, Medicare Bill
Iraq. At least 183 people were killed and scores of others injured when four large bombs exploded in predominantly Shiite areas of Baghdad. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders are meeting with President Bush to try and reach an agreement on the war funding bill and a possible timeline for withdrawal.
Va. Tech Tragedy. Two female students had filed complaints about campus shooter but never pressed charges.
Continue reading "News Roundup: Baghdad Bombings, Va. Tech Update, Medicare Bill"
Posted at 4:14 PM
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SCOTUS Upholds Late-Term Abortion Ban
The absence of retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was felt in a very real way today, when the U.S. Supreme Court narrowly upheld a federal law banning so-called partial birth abortions.
The 5-4 decision [PDF], written by swing voter Anthony Kennedy, held that the 2003 Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act did not violate a woman's right to an abortion. The act prohibits doctors from performing a dilation and extraction procedure, also known as D&E, which is a common method of aborting more developed fetuses. Opponents say it is a gruesome procedure in which fetuses that might otherwise live are killed and then pulled from the uterus.
Continue reading "SCOTUS Upholds Late-Term Abortion Ban"
Posted at 12:33 PM
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Abortion, Constitution, Supreme Court
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Va. Tech Tragedy. Monday's shooting rampage that left 33 people dead continues to dominate the news. The Washington Post has a profile of the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a student at the university and a Korean national. News of the gunman's ethnicity provoked anxiety in Korean-American communities, and there are rumors that Cho's parents attempted suicide. Meanwhile, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has ordered an independent probe of the university's response to the first shots fired, and colleges across the country are re-examining their security policies.
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Posted at 9:09 AM
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April 17, 2007
Va. Tech Marks 'Day Of Sadness'
Speaking at a convocation to mourn those killed and wounded in yesterday's shooting rampage, President Bush encouraged the students, faculty and personnel of Virginia Tech to look toward the "the sources of strength" in their community and to "reach out" to those who lost loved ones in the massacre.
"Those whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate," Bush told a sea of Virginia Tech students assembled at Cassell Coliseum, most of whom wore maroon and orange school sweatshirts. "Now they're gone and they leave behind grieving families and grieving classmates and a grieving nation."
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Posted at 2:43 PM
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Crime, President Bush
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Questions Remain In Va. Tech Shootings
Just as the 1999 Columbine High School murders set off a national examination of American youth culture, yesterday's shooting rampage at Virginia Tech have many wondering what motivated 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui to randomly gun down dozens of strangers.
New evidence indicates that yesterday's tragedy may have been weeks in the making.
ABC News reports that authorites found in Cho's backpack a receipt dated March 13 for a Glock 9 mm -- the same type of weapon used in yesterday's killing spree. If the weapon purchased on that date turns out to be the same one used by Cho yesterday, it will suggest that the Virginia Tech senior was plotting the attacks.
The second weapon Cho used, a 22 mm pistol, was purchased within the last week, ABC News reports. Legal residents of the United States may purchase handguns in Virginia if they provide additional identification, and the commonwealth has a one-purchase-per-month rule.
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Posted at 2:24 PM
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Crime
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Goodling May Be Offered Immunity
The House Judiciary Committee will consider offering a former top DOJ official immunity in order to get her to testify about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, Bloomberg News and AP report.
Monica Goodling, a senior aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, resigned on April 6 after repeatedly rebuffing congressional Democrats' requests that she tell them what she knew about the firings. Unlike D. Kyle Sampson, another top Gonzales aide, Goodling refused to cooperate, citing the Fifth Amendment, and hired an attorney almost immediately after the scandal broke.
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Posted at 1:52 PM
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Attorney Scandal
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Va. Tech Shooter ID'd; Bush To Visit Campus
The gunman who slaughtered 32 people and wounded dozens more at Virginia Tech yesterday was identified as Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old South Korean national enrolled at the university. Cho, who was described as a legal, permanant resident of the United States, lived in Centreville, Va., in Fairfax County, home to one of the biggest Korean-American communities in the region.
(ABCNews.com has a photo of Cho.)
Cho was an English major in his senior year of undergraduate study, university police Chief Wendell Flinchum said in a press conference this morning. Flinchum said that Cho lived in Harper Hall, a residence on campus. Ballistics found that one of the two weapons used in yesterday's rampage was linked to both shooting sites, Flinchum said. The first shooting occurred early in the morning at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a freshman dorm.
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Posted at 9:08 AM
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Crime, President Bush
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April 16, 2007
Va. Tech Massacre Toll Now 32 Dead
At least 32 people are now confirmed dead in a mass shooting at Virginia Tech, FOX News is reporting. Police believe the gunman, who is now dead, was acting alone. The shooting was the worst act of gun violence in U.S. history, CNN reported.
"I cannot begin to convey my own personal sense of loss over this senseless and incomprehensible heinous act," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said at a news conference. Steger said that classes were canceled through tomorrow, and that all remaining on campus would be evacuated throughout the day.
At least 28 people were wounded in the rampage, FOX affiliate WTTG is reporting. Authorities were working to identify victims and notify next of kin.
It was not clear if the gunman shot himself after the killing spree or was shot by police or security personnel. Witnesses described him as in his 20s and possibly Asian, according to TV reports.
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Posted at 3:27 PM
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Crime
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Sudan OKs U.N. Peacekeepers
The Sudanese government has agreed to accept more than 3,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help stabilize the war-torn country, AP reports.
For months, the government has been under pressure to accept a much larger force of up to 20,000 peacekeepers. There are currently 7,000 African Union peacekeepers in the region, but they have been unable to check the raging violence.
"More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have been displaced in the four-year conflict in Darfur," AP reports.
Posted at 2:37 PM
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Africa, Sudan
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Iraq: Sadr Loyalists Quit
Ministers loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr quit the Iraqi government today, on orders from the Shia cleric. Sadr officials said the move came in protest of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for U.S. forces' withdrawal from the country.
Analysis from BBC News said Sadr's pullout was not a surprise and "nobody expects Mr Sadr's move to bring the government down."
Sadr suggested that the six empty seats be filled with non-partisan Iraqis. In a statement, Maliki said he welcomed that gesture.
Posted at 1:00 PM
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Iraq
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Bush: Still Talking About Iraq Supplemental
President Bush took to the microphones again this morning, this time surrounded by the families of combat veterans, to urge Congress to move quickly on the supplemental war funding bill. Bush asked lawmakers to put politics aside and approve a bill with no timetable for withdrawal and no spending measures unrelated to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Congress "must give our men and women in uniform the tools and resources they need to prevail," Bush said, warning that Democratic leaders "should not be substituting political judgment for the judgment of those in our military." The president is set to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Wednesday to discuss the bill. He has pledged to veto any language that calls for troop withdrawals from Iraq.
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Posted at 11:04 AM
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Congress, Iraq, President Bush
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Alberto Gonzales. The attorney general is expected to "acknowledge that he made a range of mistakes in the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys last year" but reiterate that "none of the prosecutors were fired for political reasons" in testimony before the Senate Tuesday. The Los Angeles Times has excerpts of Gonzales' prepared testimony and the Washington Post published an op-ed by the attorney general Sunday.
War supplemental. Vice President Dick Cheney predicted Sunday that Democrats would pass the Iraq funding bill without calling for a withdrawal timeline. Democratic leaders in Congress are preparing (subscription) for another showdown with President Bush over the bill this week. The president will address the war supplemental in the Rose Garden at 11 a.m. today.
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Posted at 8:50 AM
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April 13, 2007
Report: Corzine's Condition Worse Than Acknowledged
Speaking at a press conference outside a Camden hospital, a spokesman for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) said "it does not appear that the governor was wearing a seat belt" at the time of a car crash that landed him in intensive care.
Corzine's doctor said the governor was in "critical but stable" condition. Corzine was riding in the front passenger seat of a state police SUV when the driver, a state trooper, swerved to avoid an out-of-control vehicle and slammed into a guard rail. Police said they were looking for the red truck that kicked off the chain of events and left the scene.
The governor suffered several broken bones, including six ribs, and a broken leg, as well as injuries to his lungs. He was "heavily sedated" and breathing via a respirator.
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Posted at 11:41 AM
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Governors, Jon Corzine
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Qaida-Linked Group Claims Green Zone Attack
The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella insurgent group that includes al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility for yesterday's suicide bombing in Baghdad's Green Zone. AP reports that "the SITE Institute, which tracks militant postings, said the claim," posted online, "appeared authentic." SITE had cast doubt on reports of the group's involvement yesterday.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military revised the death toll from the blast that rocked the Iraqi parliament building down to one civilian casualty -- Mohammed Awad, a moderate Sunni lawmaker. It had been previously reported that at least eight died in the attack. The military said it revised the death toll "after further research and consultation with government of Iraq officials." Twenty-two people were wounded in the bombing.
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Posted at 11:09 AM
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Al-Qaida, Iraq
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Attorney firings. Missing e-mails sent on Republican National Committee accounts may contain information pertaining to the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, the White House said yesterday. Its claim that the e-mails may have been lost prompted an angry outburst by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., on the Senate floor.
World Bank. Directors pledged to "move expeditiously" on deciding the fate of President Paul Wolfowitz, who admitted to playing a role in the promotion Shaha Riza, with whom he has a personal relationship.
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Posted at 8:47 AM
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April 12, 2007
News Roundup: Terrorism Indictment, E-Mail Flap
Terrorism. U.S. citizen Christopher Paul was indicted by a federal grand jury in Ohio on charges of joining al-Qaida and conspiring to bomb tourist resorts and U.S. government buildings overseas.
Attorney firings. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., accused President Bush's aides of "lying about White House e-mails sent on a Republican account that might have been lost" and pledged to issue subpoenas for the documents if the administration does not produce them.
Continue reading "News Roundup: Terrorism Indictment, E-Mail Flap"
Posted at 2:24 PM
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Tony Blair Touches Off Imus-Like Flap
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has come under fire for advising community leaders to do away with "political correctness" and acknowledge that London's rising gang violence mostly involves young blacks.
"When are we going to start saying this is a problem amongst a section of the black community and not, for reasons of political correctness, pretend that this is nothing to do with it?" Blair said, in an address delivered yesterday to the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce. "The black community -- the vast majority of whom in these communities are decent, law-abiding people horrified at what is happening -- need to be mobilised in denunciation of this gang culture that is killing innocent young black kids. But we won't stop this by pretending it isn't young black kids doing it."
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Posted at 12:47 PM
Posted to:
Europe, Race, Tony Blair, U.K.
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Zell Miller: Abortion Key To Military Crisis
Reports of a U.S. military "stretched thin" by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have dominated the media in recent days, but former Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., was calling attention to the problem a month ago. In a speech delivered in Macon, Ga., on March 6, Miller offered his own explanation for the troop shortage: Roe v. Wade.
The 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion has contributed to a shortage of U.S. citizens who could be fighting wars and alleviating the potential Social Security crisis, Miller told an anti-abortion group.
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Posted at 10:49 AM
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Abortion, Military
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Military. The Pentagon has extended tours of duty for active Army units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan to as long as 15 months, and the Army National Guard has surpassed "its end-strength goal of 350,000," Army Times reports. The Washington Post reports that "a top-level Pentagon review panel has concluded that Walter Reed Army Medical Center should be closed as soon as possible."
Congress. The White House and Democratic congressional leaders have agreed to discuss the supplemental war spending bill next week. The Senate yesterday passed legislation to "loosen" restrictions on embryonic stem cell research but fell short of a veto-proof vote.
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Posted at 8:45 AM
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April 11, 2007
News Roundup: Iraq, Duke Lacrosse Case
Iraq. Commanders of a group affiliated with the Shiite Mahdi Army militia told AP their members had been trained in bomb-making by Iranian operatives. The commanders made the claims while in U.S. custody.
Duke rape case. North Carolina's attorney general today announced that he was dropping all charges against three former Duke University lacrosse players. The three men, all white, had been accused of gang-raping a woman hired to strip at a party. "We believe these individuals are innocent," Roy A. Cooper said.
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Posted at 4:42 PM
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DOD Extends Active Army Tours To 15 Months
The Pentagon confirmed today that active-duty Army units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will have their tours extended to 15 months from a year, and will also be guaranteed a year at home. The decision was made to provide a "more predictable and dependable schedule of deployment for soldiers and their families," top military commanders said.
"Effective immediately, active Army units now in the Central Command area of responsibility and those headed there will be deployed for not more than 15 months and will return home to home station for not less than 12 months," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at a hastily announced press conference.
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Posted at 2:57 PM
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Iraq, Military, Robert Gates
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Giuliani Has A Supermarket Scanner Moment
Before throwing his hat into the White House '08 ring, Rudy Giuliani commanded upwards of $100,000 per speaking engagement. That kind of dough buys a lot of bread -- and apparently, someone to go out and buy the bread.
The former New York City mayor does not seem to know how much a loaf of bread or gallon of milk currently costs. ”A gallon of milk is probably about a $1.50, a loaf of bread about a $1.25, $1.30,” he said in response to a reporter's question while campaigning in Alabama.
That type of question, a favorite gotcha device of campaign reporters, is often posed to candidates to test their everyman credentials. At Safeway, the much-derided supermarket chain on which Washingtonians who live too far from Whole Foods are forced to rely, a gallon of milk goes for $2.50. A loaf of Wonder Bread Small White sells for $2.09. But who eats white bread anymore? Not the carb- and health-conscious, who might gladly fork over $3.99 for a bag of Vermont Organic Soft Wheat.
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Posted at 2:07 PM
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Rudy Giuliani
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Al-Qaida Claims Responsibility For Algiers Bombings
Two blasts killed and wounded dozens of people in Algiers this morning, and the spokesman for a group affiliated with al-Qaida said it was responsible. CNN.com reports that "a spokesman for al Qaeda in the Maghreb (North Africa) made the claim in a telephone call to Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera."
Algeria had been experiencing a period of calm after a civil war in the 1990s, but "the attacks are a huge blow for the North African nation's efforts to end an Islamic insurgency that has left 200,000 dead," CNN reports.
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Posted at 1:36 PM
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Al-Qaida
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Iraq war funding. President Bush yesterday scolded Democrats for sticking by their demands for a troop withdrawal timeline in the face of his vows to veto such a bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid quickly rejected Bush's offer to meet with them to discuss the measure, citing his refusal to accept a timeline.
FBI. The agency has been forced to let thousands of white-collar criminals go unpunished, because the 2,400 agents reassigned to counterterrorism following 9/11 were never replaced, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Both former Attorney General John Ashcroft and his successor, Alberto Gonzales, have shot down the FBI's requests for more agents.
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Posted at 8:56 AM
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April 10, 2007
Running From Iraq -- Literally
In his bid to take over the congressional seat currently held by his retiring father, Duncan Duane Hunter (R) plans to run from Iraq -- not the war as an issue, but from the frontlines of the conflict itself. Hunter, son of GOP presidential contender Duncan Hunter, was last week recalled to a third tour of active duty either in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The 30-year-old Marine said he still plans to pursue the San Diego seat his father will vacate, even though he will likely be serving overseas when the election takes place in November 2008. "In fact it makes me want to run more than ever," Hunter told the Washington Times. "It seems like nobody is listening right now to the conservative side of the war debate. I'm sure a lot of people think they're speaking the truth when they talk about [the war], but they don't have the experience."
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Posted at 3:48 PM
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Congress, House, Iraq, Middle East
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GOP Group Meeting With White House On Iraq Bill
Five GOP congressmen, led by Maryland's Wayne Gilchrest, have formed an ad hoc group to negotiate with the White House over the Iraq spending bill, Politico reports.
The group's members plan "to hold talks with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, who has been working behind the scenes to cement opposition among Republicans to the spending bill that would require U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq at some point." Gilchrest supports a withdrawal timeline, and said the group will try to persuade the administration to soften its stance on talking to Syria and Iran.
It is unclear if the ad hoc group can actually deliver an opening in a seemingly intractable situation. President Bush offered to talk to Democrats about the standoff over the bill during a speech today in Arlington, AP reports, "but he made clear he would not change his position opposing troop withdrawals." Democrats, citing Bush's refusal to budge, declined his offer.
Posted at 1:36 PM
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Bush Administration, House, Iraq
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Military. Four National Guard brigades are being called back for a second tour in Iraq -- the first time that has happened since 9/11. Faced with a spike in desertions, the Army is cracking down on soldiers who abandon their posts. And military leaders have sent a letter to top members of Congress urging them to pass the wartime supplemental bill, Army Times reports.
Immigration. President Bush sought to revive his push for immigration reform in a speech near the U.S.-Mexico border yesterday. CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports that the White House is now backing tougher penalties for illegals in order to win more support from GOP hardliners.
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Posted at 9:03 AM
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April 09, 2007
U.K.: No More Paid Interviews With Military
After a lashing from critics over allowing some of the 15 sailors and marines kidnapped in Iran to give tabloid and TV interviews for pay, the British Ministry of Defense has announced that all military personnel are from now on prohibited from doing so.
Defense Minister Des Brown said the ministry allowed the 14 men and one woman -- who were returned to Britain late last week -- to accept money in exchange for media interviews because of the "exceptional circumstances, but later concluded that the decision had "not reached a satisfactory outcome."
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Posted at 1:52 PM
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Europe, Iran, U.K.
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Littlest White House Guests Get Civics Lesson
The tots scattered about the White House lawn this freezing morning were rewarded for their egg-rolling efforts with a storybook reading from first lady Laura Bush. The topic: a presidential election recount. (Fun!)
Courtesy of the children's book author who delighted kids everywhere -- or, at least, somewhere -- with the classics-to-be "Giggle Giggle Quack" and "Click Clack Quackity Quack," Bush read to the group of kids in attendance "Duck for President," in which the aptly named Duck runs for president and is declared the winner after a messy recount, complete with "sticky ballots."
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Posted at 10:41 AM
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Page Disappointed Imus Broke Racism Pledge
Clarence Page just told CNN he was "disappointed" in talk radio host Don Imus, whose mouth has gotten him in another race-related flap. On his widely syndicated show last week, Imus called members of the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" and a producer referred to the championship players as "jigaboos."
Imus has apologized and said he hopes to meet with the athletes in person, but black activists say this latest episode is the final straw. The Rev. Al Sharpton vowed to picket outside the New York studios where Imus tapes until the disc jockey was removed, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson plans a noon protest today outside NBC's Chicago studio. NBC owns MSNBC, which airs Imus' show every weekday morning.
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Posted at 9:58 AM
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Don Imus
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Iran Announces Large-Scale Nuclear Enrichment
On the first anniversary of its announcement that it successfully enriched uranium, Iran told the world today that it had entered a second, "industrial" phase of uranium production, BBC News' Web site reports.
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Posted at 9:18 AM
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Iran
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
White House. President Bush will seek to revive his push for immigration reform during a visit to Arizona today. Meanwhile, back in Washington, first lady Laura Bush will preside over the annual White House Egg Roll.
Attorney firings. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich joined the chorus of those calling on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign. The St. Paul Pioneer Press and Wisconsin State Journal report on two U.S. attorneys who have not been fired and are accused of playing politics on the job.
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Posted at 8:38 AM
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April 06, 2007
Imus Sorry, So Sorry
The lawmakers investigating Alberto Gonzales' role in the U.S. attorney firings have told the attorney general that he can only clarify his previous statements so many times before they stop believing him. Might that not also apply to Don Imus, frequent offender of black Americans?
The widely syndicated talk radio host, who once delivered an address to the Radio and Television Correspondents Association that makes M.C. Rove look like something out of "Masterpiece Theater," said of the Rutgers University women's basketball team yesterday, "That's some nappy-headed hos there." Both he and MSNBC, which televises his radio show every weekday morning, issued swift apologies today.
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Posted at 1:59 PM
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Don Imus
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U.K. Sailors: Capture Was 'Complete Media Stunt'
Seven of the 15 British sailors and marines held prisoner in Iran for nearly two weeks denounced their capture as a "media stunt" and denied that they had violated Iranian waters or that they surrendered to the Revolutionary Guard prematurely and willingly.
"Let me make it absolutely clear: Irrespective of what was said in the past when we were detained, we were inside internationally recognized waters" that belonged to Iraq, Royal Marine Capt. Chris Air said at a press conference today, where the seven sailors and marines spoke to the media.
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Posted at 10:33 AM
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Europe, Iran, U.K.
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
White House. A newly declassified report from the Pentagon's inspector general traces how administration officials sought links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Iraq. For the first time, full National Guard brigades that have already served in Iraq may be sent back. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates remains cautious in talking about how long the new security operation around Baghdad will go on, as some senior officials say the heightened troop levels will be needed until as late as next year, the Los Angeles Times reports.
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Posted at 8:42 AM
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April 05, 2007
The Brits Are Home -- Could Israelis Be Next?
When the brief but intense battle between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah fighters ended last summer, updates on the kidnapped Israeli soldiers who touched off the clashes soon faded from U.S. headlines. Today, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touring the tense region, there may be a fresh sign of progress.
According to the Jerusalem Post's Web site, Pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat is reporting that Syrian President Bashar Assad told Pelosi today he would help broker an agreement freeing two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah and one soldier kidnapped by Hamas. They have all been held captive since at least July.
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Posted at 4:39 PM
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Middle East
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U.K. Sailors Back Home; Bomb Suspects Charged
With Congress in recess and President Bush clearing brush in Crawford, it's very quiet today in Washington. Not so for America's allies across the pond.
First, the latest news: Police have charged three more suspects in the 2005 London transit bombings that killed 52 and injured nearly a thousand, the London Guardian reports. "Sadeer Saleem, 26, Mohammed Shakil, 30, and Waheed Ali, 23," are accused of conspiring with the suicide bombers who carried out the rush-hour attacks on three crowded subways and one double-decker bus on July 7, 2005.
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Posted at 12:55 PM
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Europe, Iran, Terrorism, Tony Blair, U.K.
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
U.K. sailors. The 15 British sailors and marines held in Iran for nearly two weeks are back in London today, following yesterday's surprise announcement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad he was releasing them as a holiday "gift" to Britain. Some observers believe the standoff's resolution was a political victory for the Iranian leader.
White House. President Bush sidestepped Congress yesterday and appointed Sam Fox ambassador to Belgium, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The White House withdrew Fox's nomination last week after it was clear the Senate Foreign Relations Committee probably wouldn't approve the businessman, who was a major donor to the anti-John Kerry Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
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Posted at 8:32 AM
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April 04, 2007
Giuliani: Abortion Is Wrong But Should Be Legal
Conservatives' long-held suspicions about Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani are suspicions no more: the former New York City mayor confirmed today that he believes most abortions should be legal.
In an interview on CNN, Giuliani said of abortion, "Ultimately, it's a constitutional right, and therefore if it's a constitutional right... even if you do it on a state by state basis, you have to make sure people are protected."
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Posted at 4:31 PM
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Constitution, Rudy Giuliani
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Breaking. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has agreed to release all 15 British sailors being held by Iran, CNN reports.
Iraq funding standoff. Democrats rejected President Bush's argument that they were choosing politics over the welfare of soldiers on the ground in Iraq, saying that nonbinding timelines for troop withdrawal were an expression of the public's will.
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Posted at 8:55 AM
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April 03, 2007
Bush On Attorney Firings: Blame The Media
In today's press conference, President Bush implied that the scandal surrounding the December firings of eight U.S. attorneys might sully their reputations -- and that the press corps was at fault.
"I am genuinely concerned about their reputations, now that this has become a Washington, D.C., focus. I'm sorry it's come to this," Bush said in response to a question about the scandal.
Bush also predicted that the coming congressional hearings on the firings would prove his assertion that there was "no credible evidence of wrongdoing."
-JANE ROH
Posted at 12:55 PM
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Attorney Scandal, President Bush
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Bush To Congress: Come Back And Do Your Job
Congressional Democrats have been piling the criticism on President Bush this year, about everything from the Iraq war to the federal deficit to, most recently, the firings of U.S. attorneys late last year. But today in the Rose Garden it was Bush's turn to return fire, as the U.S. military faces a potentially crippling funding shortage while heavily engaged in two conflicts overseas.
"Congress' failure to fund our troops on the front lines will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines. And others could see their loved ones headed back to the war sooner than they need to. That is unacceptable to me, and I believe it is unacceptable to the American people," Bush said, with a pointed intensity not seen from the besieged White House in some time. "Get home, get a bill passed and get it to my desk," Bush told lawmakers, who are in recess for at least a week.
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Posted at 11:07 AM
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Congress, Iraq, Military, Terrorism
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Earlybird Roundup
In today's Earlybird (subscription):
Iraq funding standoff: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday backed a bill mandating a troop drawdown and funding cutoff in Iraq by April of next year, as Vice President Dick Cheney reaffirmed President Bush's pledge to veto any funding bill containing a withdrawal timeline.
Military: Two Army units are being sent back to Iraq as part of the military buildup after being home less than a year, AP reports.
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Posted at 8:52 AM
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April 02, 2007
News Roundup
SCOTUS: The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that "greenhouse gases were air pollutants subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act" in a decision that "takes the first step toward new national limits on emissions from cars, trucks and power plants," the Los Angeles Times reports. And in a 6-3 decision, the court said "it would not decide whether Guantanamo prisoners have the right to challenge their confinement before U.S. federal judges," Reuters reports.
Iraq: The Pentagon is readying about 9,000 additional troops to aid the security crackdown in Baghdad, Reuters reports. Earlier today, "a truck bomber carrying food supplies killed eight Iraqi schoolgirls and a baby in the northern oil city of Kirkuk," and "suspected Sunni militants executed 21 Shiite workers north of Baghdad," Agence France Presse reports.
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Posted at 3:22 PM
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Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker stands out from the nine other freshman senators sworn into the 110th Congress in January. The former mayor of Chattanooga who succeeded former Majority Leader Bill Frist was the only new Republican elected to the Senate in last fall's midterm elections.
