June 29, 2007
Thwarted Car Bomb Attack Tests Brown's Government
UPDATED.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's still-forming government is being put to the test on just his second full day on the job. A foiled car bomb attack in central London has Britain on high alert.
Scotland Yard reported this afternoon that the plot was more extensive than it may have initially feared, when authorities found a second car with explosives linked to the car near Piccadilly Circus found this morning. The second device -- found in a Mercedes, like the first -- was apparently left in a car parked illegally underground near Trafalgar Square. After it was towed to an area near Buckingham Palace, workers smelled gasoline, and because gas containers had been found in the first car, they investigated and uncovered bomb parts.
Three suspects were being sought in connection to the thwarted bombings. U.S. officials told NBC News that the three men have been identified and are said to be from near Birmingham, a heavily Muslim area of the country. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Posted at 5:15 PM
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Cheney's Words Reveal He Counts Himself As Part Of The Executive Branch
Vice President Dick Cheney has viewed himself as part of the executive branch of government, according to transcripts of public statements, calling into question a statement by an aide that has been widely seen as a suggestion he is not.
Cheney has been ridiculed and criticized in recent days because of what has been interpreted as a claim that he does not have to comply with an executive order on classified information because he is not in the executive branch. The White House has asserted that the issue is moot, saying the way the order is written makes clear that the president did not intend it to apply to the vice president.
White House officials this week have repeatedly declined to declare Cheney a member of the executive branch, instead characterizing debate over his role as an intriguing constitutional question.
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Posted at 3:25 PM
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Democrats' Independence Day In Iowa
Ahead of Hillary Rodham Clinton's visit lengthy visit to Iowa over the Fourth of July holiday, her team is embracing the new campaign phenomenon of tracking.
This afternoon, Clinton's staff introduced "HillCam" -- "an exclusive behind-the-scenes look" at the trip, upon which she will be accompanied by Bill Clinton. One thing can be gleaned from the announcement: After a string of strong debate performances, her team is clearly confident that Clinton is not George Allen or Conrad Burns, who were both felled by problematic spontaneous moments on the trail when running for re-election last year.
On another note, the campaign has also been gearing up to introduce the former president in this race in a big way. The man from Hope has popped up here and there, but next week's Iowa trip is being hailed in a de facto way as his coming-out party on the trail.
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Posted at 2:52 PM
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Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, WH 2008
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Democrats Angle For Minority Support At Howard Forum
Though it's a safe bet that black and Latino voters will stick with the Democratic Party in 2008, there is a strong sentiment that the mostly white leadership has taken their support for granted -- a feeling the Rev. Al Sharpton capitalized on in his short-lived 2004 bid. And with post-Katrina dialogue on race and poverty largely disappeared from headlines, it's little wonder many voters of color feel their concerns are still being ignored.
Which makes yesterday's PBS-sponsored candidates forum such a significant event, no matter how debate-fatigued one might be at this point in the cycle. The debate was moderated by black and Latino journalists, and the audience, at Washington, D.C.'s Howard University, was largely black. The candidates were pressed on issues near and dear to minority communities, and will undoubtedly be held to their pledges should any one of them be voted into the White House.
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Posted at 2:27 PM
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Supreme Court Reverses Course On Gitmo Cases
In a remarkable turnabout, at least two justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have changed their minds about a petition and have agreed to hear the case. More significant: the case is actually two petitions from foreign terror suspects challenging the Bush administration's power to hold them in Guantanamo.
Back in April, only three justices agreed to hear the detainees' arguments -- one short of the number needed to grant a review of the case. Two others, Justices John Paul Stevens and Anthony Kennedy disagreed, instructing the petitioners to exhaust the lower-court options, including the newly established military tribunal system, first.
In order to grant a hearing after initially denying one, the votes of five justices are needed. It's a safe bet that Stevens and Kennedy were the justices who changed their minds, and not Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia or Chief Justice John Roberts.
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Posted at 12:04 PM
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Larry vs. Paris: The Watchable Version
No one at The Gate much cares about Paris Hilton. But we do care about our livelihood, journalism.
When those worlds collided in a big way last week, it was enough to send some of us whimpering under the covers. But thanks to the folks at ABC's super-late-night World News Now, it's all better.
Here is their dramatic re-enactment of the "interview." Enjoy.
Posted at 12:00 PM
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June 28, 2007
Supreme Court Rules Against School Desegregation Policies
UPDATED.
The modern-day Supreme Court has a tendency to save its touchiest cases for the end of the term, and that was certainly true today. In what was surely a coincidence on the justices' part, this morning's 5-4 decision [PDF] against two school districts' desegregation programs was handed down hours before PBS hosts the first 2008 presidential candidate forum that will focus on race-related issues.
Luckily for the Republican hopefuls, they will be spared having to defend the "right-wing judicial activists" who "turned Brown v. Board of Education on its head" during tonight's event at Howard University. Those criticisms of today's ruling are from Democratic candidate John Edwards, who was joined in the race to release a statement condemning the decision by first-tier rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
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Posted at 6:02 PM
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World Opinion: A Hostile Crowd
The United States may be the most powerful nation on the global playground, but when lunchtime rolls around, Uncle Sam shouldn't expect the other kids to save him a seat at the table.
With the war in Iraq and the Bush administration yielding low approval ratings both at home and abroad, it may not come as much of a surprise that the United States isn't winning any global popularity contests. A new, 47-nation poll [PDF] from the Pew Research Center reveals widespread discontent with U.S. economic policies and the spread of its "ideas and customs" abroad, including U.S. democratic ideals.
Most hostile to the United States were residents in majority-Muslim nations in the Middle East and Asia. President Bush seemed to acknowledge that fact in an address yesterday in Washington, where he announced that he'd appoint a special U.S. envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
Meanwhile, the residents of Africa and Eastern Europe -- many of whom are nursing fledgling democracies of their own -- registered the warmest feelings toward Uncle Sam in the poll.
See today's Poll Track (subscription) for more details on the survey.
Posted at 3:34 PM
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Cloture Vote Kills Immigration Bill
UPDATED.
The Senate failed to pass a cloture motion this morning to limit debate and proceed to consideration of the immigration reform bill. As promised, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., pulled the measure from the floor, dashing the White House's hopes that a compromise on immigration reform could be reached by the end of the year.
Senators voted 53 to 46 against cloture; 60 votes in favor were needed to move forward.
Immediately following the vote tally, Reid acknowledged that "the vote is really disheartening to me in many ways," but praised the bipartisan efforts that led to the initial compromise and expressed hope for the bill's future. "This is a legislative issue that will come back. It's only a question of when," he said. "Hopefully a lesson we've all learned is that we have to work more closely together, and I hope we can do that."
In a brief statement following the bill's defeat, President Bush said he was disappointed in Congress' "failure to act" on the measure. "Congress really needs to prove to the American people that it can come together on hard issues," he added.
AP and CNN have senators' reactions to the failed vote.
Posted at 1:24 PM
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White House Rejects Congressional Subpoenas
UPDATED.
As expected, the White House is invoking executive privilege in response to an order from the Senate and House judiciary committees to hand over documents related to a round of firings of federal prosecutors last year.
In a letter to the committees, White House counsel Fred Fielding said President Bush "was not willing to provide your committees with documents revealing internal White House communications or to accede to your desire for senior advisors to testify at public hearings," AP reports. The senior advisers in question are Fielding's predecessor, Harriet Miers, and former White House political director Sara Taylor.
The effort to force transparency on the firings is a bipartisan one, and lawmakers have hinted that they are willing to take the executive branch to court in order to wrest documents and testimony relevant to the firings. Whether they actually do so while Congress is mired in a battle over immigration reform and an exit strategy from the Iraq war remains to be seen.
Legal Times has an excellent backgrounder on this White House's resistance to the attorneys firing probe.
Posted at 9:38 AM
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Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Dick Cheney, President Bush
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Bush Nominates New Chairman Of Joint Chiefs
President Bush officially nominated Navy Adm. Michael Mullen as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff this morning.
"He was with me after the attacks of Sept. 11," Bush said, expressing confidence in Mullen's experience.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced in early June that the current man in the job, Gen. Peter Pace, would not be nominated for a second stint in the post.
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Posted at 8:54 AM
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June 27, 2007
Members-Only Sentiment Overtaking EU
As American lawmakers debate the cultural impact of immigrants in this country, some of their counterparts across the globe are also trying to pull a curtain around themselves. In the case of the European Union, nations that are already members seem to want to prevent others from joining their ranks.
The EU's explosive growth in 2004, when it added 10 nations, was of dubious wisdom, many members now believe. The body's failure to agree on a constitution has resulted in a disjointed entity, with conflicting and confusing trade and finance rules nearly nullifying the EU's raison d'etre.
Another common complaint is that some politically immature nations were permitted entry too soon. Two cases in point are Romania and Bulgaria, both of which joined this year. The former Eastern bloc countries narrowly escaped suspension of their EU membership today after coming under criticism for not bringing legal reforms up to snuff. Both countries are sapling democracies in which high-level corruption scandals are unfolding.
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Posted at 6:16 PM
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Contest To Replace Millender-McDonald Heads For Runoff
California Assemblywoman Laura Richardson, a Democrat, took first place in a special open primary election Tuesday in the race to succeed the late Democratic Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, but fell short of the majority needed to avoid an Aug. 21 runoff. Richardson received nearly 38 percent of the vote in the 37th District, which includes Carson, Compton and part of Long Beach.
Richardson will face Republican John Kanaley, an Iraq war veteran and police officer who finished fourth, with just under 8 percent of the vote. The district is a Democratic stronghold, making Richardson the overwhelming favorite. Two other Democrats -- state Sen. Jenny Oropeza, with about 31 percent, and Valerie McDonald, the late lawmaker's daughter, with about 9 percent -- finished ahead of Kanaley.
-CongressDaily staff
Posted at 4:12 PM
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First Two Amendments Fail In Renewed Immigration Debate
Two amendments designed to court conservatives who felt the original immigration reform bill was too lenient toward illegal immigrants failed in the first day of debate on the package since it first stalled in the Senate two weeks ago.
Senators voted 53 to 45 to kill a GOP-sponsored amendment that would have required illegal immigrants to return to their home countries in order to qualify for so-called Z visas that would offer a path to eventual citizenship. That proposal was announced earlier this week as part of a last-ditch effort to shore up support for a procedural vote on the entire reform package. The bill survived that vote, but the defeat of the first two amendments today appears to confirm expectations that the controversial reform package still has a rocky road ahead.
The second amendment under consideration was sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va. By a more substantial 79-to-18 margin, the Senate voted to table the proposal, which would have required illegal immigrants seeking legal status to have been in the country for at least four years. As is, the bill offers legalization for any immigrant who arrived by Jan. 1, 2007.
The Senate will continue to debate the other amendments to the original reform package today under special procedural rules designed to expedite the process ahead of Congress' weeklong Independence Day recess.
Posted at 2:27 PM
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Iran On Road To Democracy? Thank Ahmadinejad.
Regime change is Washington's policy on Iran, and thanks to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the White House may just get its wish.
The oil-rich nation enacted fuel rationing this morning, sparking attacks on gas stations and further widening a growing rift between Iranians and Ahmadinejad's regime. The belligerent yet strangely charismatic leader is now deeply unpopular in his country, where a burgeoning pro-democracy movement appeared to be taking hold just before Ahmadinejad was elected two years ago on an anti-poverty, anti-corruption platform.
Instead of delivering sorely needed economic reforms -- Iran is on the precipice of a financial crisis, which the fuel rationing is meant to curtail -- Ahmadinejad landed his countrymen in the cross hairs of the United States. Never mind that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has sternly denied plans to invade Iran. Iranians fear becoming the next Iraq, and for propaganda purposes, Ahmadinejad has done little to persuade them otherwise.
Continue reading "Iran On Road To Democracy? Thank Ahmadinejad."
Posted at 1:36 PM
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Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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Tony Blair: An Emotional Farewell & A New Challenge
UPDATED.
It's official. Tony Blair tendered his resignation as prime minister of Great Britain in a private meeting with Queen Elizabeth II this afternoon at Buckingham Palace. Just a few hours later, Blair was officially named a new envoy to the Middle East, charged with leading the peace process on behalf of the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia.
Blair's former chancellor, Gordon Brown, took the helm shortly after Blair's official resignation, declaring outside 10 Downing Street, "Let the work of change begin."
Earlier, Blair spent his final morning at Downing Street clearing out his offices, bidding farewell to staffers and engaging in his final parliamentary session.
In an emotional appearance at the House of Commons, Blair paid tribute to the troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq and then spent about a half-hour answering final questions from members on domestic issues and foreign affairs. The sometimes hard-hitting questions were mixed with hearty congratulations, and Blair solicited laughter from his colleagues on several occasions. He finished by acknowledging his "fear" and "respect" for the House during his 10-year reign as prime minister and praised the political process as the "place for the pursuit of noble causes."
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Posted at 12:30 PM
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Young Voters Could Be Boon To Democrats In '08
The good news for Democrats is that, according to a new poll of Americans aged 17 through 29, young people have already taken a relatively strong interest in the 2008 presidential election, and they appear to be most pumped about the Democratic Party's early front-runners.
The bad news? Democrats have been down this road before, and it didn't end well.
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Posted at 12:18 PM
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June 26, 2007
Immigration Bill Opponents Delay Debate
UPDATED.
Work on the immigration bill stalled in the Senate this afternoon after Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Jim DeMint, R-S.C., demanded that a slate of pending amendments be read out loud.
Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a cloture motion on the overall immigration measure that is expected to be voted on Thursday.
-Brian Friel
Posted at 6:30 PM
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Immigration, Senate
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CIA Unveils The 'Family Jewels'
The CIA today released two sets of newly declassified documents from the 1970s containing juicy details about the intelligence agency's activities, including a plot to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro, experiments with psychotropic drugs and controversial surveillance on journalists and activists.
The two documents, the so-called family jewels and the CAESAR-POLO-ESAU papers, are now available to the public in the CIA's FOIA Electronic Reading Room.
The CAESAR-POLO-ESAU papers are actually a compilation of two decades' worth of research on the Soviet Union and China. But the real treasure (pun intended) for history buffs and conspiracy theorists are the family jewels -- a nearly 700-page collection of responses to a 1973 directive from then-CIA Director James Schlesinger, who in the wake of the Watergate scandal asked CIA employees to disclose any activities they felt "might be inconsistent with the Agency's charter."
AP details some of the more intriguing elements of the document in a full report. And the New York Times has devoted an entire blog to dissecting the family jewels with the help of "a panel of intelligence experts and historians." The Times has also condensed all of the declassified documents into one handy PDF.
Posted at 4:20 PM
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Senate Lunch Chatter: Voinovich Asks For Exit Strategy
UPDATED.
Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, told reporters that he would send a letter to President Bush today urging him to develop a plan for an exit of U.S. troops from Iraq -- the day after Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., announced his support for a troop drawdown on the Senate floor.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said Lugar's speech was constructive but he would hold off on discussing his ideas for the war until the defense authorization bill reaches the Senate floor after the Fourth of July recess.
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Posted at 4:15 PM
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Immigration: Let's Try This Again
The Senate voted 64 to 35 just after noon in favor of a cloture motion to proceed to debate on the contentious immigration bill that stalled two weeks ago. Twenty-four amendments are lined up to be considered before Thursday, when a vote on a cloture motion to limit further debate on the bill itself is expected to be held.
CongressDaily has a PDF (subscription) of the pending amendments.
Since the first attempt to move on the reform package failed, the White House and GOP senators have hammered out several amendments designed to attract more support for the compromise from hard-line conservative members.
Continue reading "Immigration: Let's Try This Again"
Posted at 1:33 PM
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Blair To Be Named Envoy
Tony Blair won't be available for tea after he leaves 10 Downing Street.
Instead, he'll be shuttling between the Palestinians and Israelis as the special envoy for the Mideast Quartet. The outgoing British prime minister wouldn't confirm the appointment, but AP quotes Blair as saying from London, "I think that anybody who cares about greater peace and stability in the world knows that a lasting and enduring resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian issue is essential.... As I have said on many occasions, I would do whatever I could to help such a resolution come about."
AP also reports that the members of the international diplomatic Quartet -- the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia -- plan to make simultaneous announcements from Washington, New York, Brussels and Moscow tomorrow.
Posted at 1:30 PM
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Earlybird Roundup: Immigration Amendment, Health Insurance
Administration. The board of the World Bank approved former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick as its new head yesterday.
Congress. Three Senate Republicans yesterday forged a new amendment to the immigration bill that would make changes in the Z visa program, setting the stage for a pivotal test vote today.
Continue reading "Earlybird Roundup: Immigration Amendment, Health Insurance"
Posted at 8:03 AM
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