July 31, 2007
House Dems Push Gonzales Impeachment; Specter Unhappy With WH Response
UPDATED.
Democratic Rep. Jay Inslee today laid out a case for forcibly removing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales from office, after filing a resolution [PDF] that would kick off preliminary impeachment proceedings.
"Americans of all stripes believe that we deserve an attorney general who will not allow the politicization of the judicial system," said the former prosecutor, flanked by other former officers of the law turned legislators. The attorney general should "respect the laws of privacy" and "be forthright with the American people and U.S. Congress," Inslee added.
If the resolution receives a simple majority, the House Judiciary Committee will conduct an investigation into whether Gonzales has committed any impeachable offenses, such as perjury.
The months-long investigation into the politically tinged firings of U.S. attorneys last year, and a related one into a secret surveillance program considered by many in DOJ to be illegal, has cast Gonzales in an unflattering light. He was elevated to the job from White House counsel in February 2005.
Democrats and Republicans alike have pushed for Gonzales to be fired or resign, but both the attorney general and President Bush, a longtime friend and career benefactor, have refused to give in. The White House has also ignored congressional subpoenas in the ongoing investigations.
Calling impeachment a "last resort," Inslee said that Congress' and the public's loss of faith in Gonzales was harmful to the judicial system and therefore to democracy. "Accordingly, I am here today with a number of colleagues to call on the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether articles of impeachment are appropriately lodged against the attorney general," the Washington lawmaker said.
Continue reading "House Dems Push Gonzales Impeachment; Specter Unhappy With WH Response"
Posted at 6:52 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Arlen Specter, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, House, James Comey, John Ashcroft, Patrick Leahy, President Bush, Robert Mueller, Senate
Share via
FBI, IRS Search Ted Stevens' Home
UPDATED.
Two watchdog groups are calling for Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) to step down, at least temporarily, from any appropriations-related committee posts after FBI and IRS agents searched his home in Girdwood, Alaska, yesterday. The groups, Taxpayers for Common and Sense and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, asked Republican Senate leaders to suspend any appropriations-oversight duties Stevens may be responsible for as long as the federal investigation is ongoing.
Stevens is the second-highest ranking GOP member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and also serves on six appropriations subcommittees.
Meanwhile, the Anchorage Daily News reports that GOP Sens. Trent Lott, the minority whip, and Lisa Murkowski, a fellow Alaskan, spoke out in Stevens' defense today.
This afternoon, AP reported that a Senate Commerce Committee financial clerk who works for Stevens recently testified before a federal grand jury and provided documents in a public corruption investigation involving the senator.
Continue reading "FBI, IRS Search Ted Stevens' Home"
Posted at 3:25 PM
Posted to:
Senate, Ted Stevens
Share via
Joint Chiefs Nominee Praises Surge, Criticizes Iraqi Leaders
President Bush's two nominees to head the Joint Chiefs of Staff began their Senate confirmation hearings today, offering their assessments of the current situation in Iraq and their concerns about the war-torn country's future.
Admiral Michael Mullen, the president's nominee to replace current Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace, both praised the success the troop surge has had in helping to secure the most volatile areas and criticized the Iraqi government for failing to make political progress in unifying the country.
Mullen, who currently heads naval operations, told the Armed Services Committee that "security is better, not great, but better." He also stressed that the United States needs "to bring as much pressure on" Iraqi political leaders "as we possibly can." His comments come one day after the Iraqi parliament left for a monthlong summer recess without taking votes on a number of crucial, U.S.-backed bills.
Continue reading "Joint Chiefs Nominee Praises Surge, Criticizes Iraqi Leaders"
Posted at 3:25 PM
Posted to:
Michael Mullen
Share via
House Sends Ethics Bill To Senate
The House voted nearly unanimously in favor of an ethics reform bill this morning, sending the measure to the Senate, where it faces opposition from some Republicans.
By a vote of 411 to 8, lawmakers approved new disclosure rules for earmarks and donations from lobbyists. Democrats are hoping to secure the bill's passage through both houses of Congress before they depart for the August recess at the end of the week. Lobbying reform was a key element of the Democratic leadership's promise to root out the "culture of corruption" -- personified by disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff -- in the 2006 midterm elections.
AP has a breakdown of the bill's key provisions, The Hill delves into the complicated drafting process that led to the version lawmakers approved today, and CongressDailyAM (subscription) reported this morning on the hurdles the package faces in the Senate.
The bill's movement through Congress comes at an awkward time for at least one senator. Alaska Republican Ted Stevens will be casting his vote amid a federal investigation into his dealings with a housing contractor ensnared in a state bribing scandal.
Posted at 1:48 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Crime, Jack Abramoff, Senate, Ted Stevens
Share via
Chief Justice Roberts Released From Hospital
UPDATED.
Chief Justice John Roberts waved to reporters as he walked out of a Maine hospital shortly after 11 a.m. EDT. He had been kept overnight following a seizure yesterday that caused him to stumble on a dock.
Roberts received a full spectrum of neurological examinations at Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said the tests "revealed no cause for concern."
The chief justice did not stop to make a statement upon his release. He smiled and walked briskly to an SUV, where a driver awaited.
Roberts, 52, will probably undergo further testing at a more renowned facility at some point. Doctors at the Maine hospital were unable to pinpoint a cause; the same was true when Roberts suffered a seizure while golfing in 1993. The chance of a repeat seizure increases substantially with each subsequent seizure.
Continue reading "Chief Justice Roberts Released From Hospital"
Posted at 11:24 AM
Posted to:
Supreme Court
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Ethics & Energy Bills; Al-Maliki Under Fire
Congress. Democrats offered up ethics legislation and reached an agreement on a new energy package yesterday.
Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is under renewed pressure from within his own party now that the Iraqi parliament has departed for a monthlong summer recess over U.S. objections.
Washington. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates touch down in Egypt today to promote a peace conference later this year.
North Korea. A U.N. nuclear team said yesterday that North Koreans were fully cooperating with inspectors monitoring the shutdown of the Yongbyon nuclear complex.
Nation. An FDA panel voted to keep the diabetes drug Avandia on the market but mandated that it also be sold with a label warning of an increased risk of heart disease.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:50 AM
Share via
Second Slain South Korean Hostage Found
The Taliban killed another hostage from the group of 23 South Korean Christians kidnapped in Afghanistan on July 19. The body of Shim Sung-Min was found riddled with bullets soon after the Taliban announced yesterday that the Afghan government had missed a late-afternoon deadline for their demands.
South Korean officials reacted angrily to the news. A government statement reiterated that the country "strongly condemns and urges an immediate end to these heinous acts of killing innocent people in order to press for demands that it can't meet." The kidnappers have demanded that the Afghan government release 23 Taliban prisoners in return for the hostages.
A Taliban spokesman claimed the other hostages were safe but any rescue attempt would endanger their lives.
There are conflicting reports about the location of the body. The New York Times places it in a province in central Afghanistan, the Warzu area of the Andar district. AFX News reports that it was found in the southern province of Ghazni -- the same place as the body of the first hostage, who was killed last week.
Posted at 7:37 AM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Asia, South Korea, Terrorism
Share via
July 30, 2007
Rep. Inslee To Push For Gonzales Impeachment Tomorrow
Washington Democrat Jay Inslee plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday, House sources confirmed.
The move comes one day after the New York Times editorial board urged Congress to consider impeaching the nation's top cop if lawmakers continue to hit a dead end in their effort to cast light on a spate of U.S. attorney firings last year as well as internal DOJ strife over warrantless surveillance.
It was not clear whether Inslee consulted with the Democratic leadership. A spokeswoman for the House Judiciary Committee said she could not comment on the impeachment push, and calls to Inslee's and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's offices were not immediately returned.
Continue reading "Rep. Inslee To Push For Gonzales Impeachment Tomorrow"
Posted at 6:02 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, House, President Bush
Share via
Iraqi Parliament Leaves For Vacation With Key Bills Untouched
In the time-honored American tradition of procrastination, U.S. lawmakers are using this final week before their monthlong August recess to cram in as much work as possible. Their Iraqi counterparts, on the other hand, aren't being so ambitious. Iraq's parliament adjourned today for its summer vacation, and lawmakers aren't planning to be back at work until early September. They leave behind a spate of U.S.-backed bills, including a crucial agreement on how to divvy up the nation's oil wealth.
The vacation is bad news for the Bush administration, which is under pressure to show that Iraqi leaders are stepping up to the plate politically while U.S. military forces try to enforce peace in the streets. Military commanders are supposed to deliver a report on Iraq's progress to the U.S. Congress in September. The semi-official deadline for that report -- Sept. 15 -- is just 11 days after Iraqi lawmakers are set to reconvene.
Explaining their decision to adjourn without voting on the remaining bills, Iraqi lawmakers pointed fingers at U.S.-backed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "There are Iraqi-Iraqi and Iraqi-American differences that have not been resolved," Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman told reporters. "The government throws the ball in our court, but we say that it is in the government's court and that of the politicians. They sent us nothing."
Continue reading "Iraqi Parliament Leaves For Vacation With Key Bills Untouched"
Posted at 3:39 PM
Posted to:
Iraq
Share via
Bush & Blair Brown: Still 'Special'
UPDATED.
Anyone looking for signs British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is distancing himself from Washington on the Iraq war will be gravely disappointed.
In a joint press conference at Camp David today, Brown and his host, President Bush, delivered a harmonious assessment of their relationship and the way forward in Iraq. Brown also seemed to take pains to step closer to Bush on the war.
"We strongly support a bold initiative to make early progress in the Mideast," Brown said, summing up the two leaders' Sunday night and Monday morning talks. "Afghanistan continues to be the front line in the war on terrorism. On Iran, we are in agreement that the sanctions are working."
Minutes later, as Bush and Brown took questions from reporters, Brown was asked whether he disagreed with Bush's assertion that Iraq is the new front line in the war on terror. Brown seemed to backtrack on his earlier response.
Continue reading "Bush & Blair Brown: Still 'Special'"
Posted at 2:08 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Europe, Gordon Brown, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Tony Blair, U.K.
Share via
Taliban Claims To Have Killed Another Hostage
Taliban kidnappers are claiming to have killed another South Korean hostage after the Afghan government failed to meet their demands by a late afternoon deadline today, Reuters and AFP report.
"We shot dead a male captive because the government did not listen to our demands," Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf reportedly told Reuters.
Kidnappers have been holding the 22 hostages for over a week. They are demanding that the Afghan government free 23 Taliban prisoners in exchange for the hostages' safe return. Kidnappers shot and killed another male hostage last week and have repeatedly threatened more violence if their demands are not met.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke out against the Taliban's tactics for the first time publicly over the weekend. "Hostage taking and abuse of foreign guests, especially women, is against Islam and the Afghan culture," Karzai reportedly told South Korean envoy Baek Jong-chun yesterday. Eighteen of the remaining hostages are women.
Afghan officials today asked for more time in their negotiations with the kidnappers. Reuters reports that the group's spokesman did not mention a new deadline when he spoke with reporters by telephone about the latest killing.
Posted at 1:45 PM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Terrorism
Share via
Rice Announces Arms Deals Ahead Of Mideast Trip
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced a package of military "assistance agreements" with key U.S. allies in the Middle East as she and Defense Secretary Robert Gates headed to the region in a rare joint effort to drum up support among Arab states for the war in Iraq.
The new agreements are designed to "bolster forces of moderation and support a broader strategy to counter the negative influences of al-Qaeda, Hizballah, Syria, and Iran," Rice said in a statement this morning. They include a 10-year, $30 billion arms deal with Israel and a similar decade-long, $13 billion package for Egypt.
Rice also confirmed that during their trip, she and Gates planned to "initiate discussions with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States" on a similar "proposed package of military technologies."
The plans to extend military aid to Arab allies were revealed over the weekend, earning an unusual show of support from Jerusalem and a predictable blast of criticism from Tehran.
Posted at 11:55 AM
Posted to:
Condoleezza Rice, Middle East, Robert Gates
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Gonzales, Iraq Aid Report, FCC Auction
Congress. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., threatened Alberto Gonzales with a perjury probe this weekend, saying there could be an investigation if the attorney general did not clarify his testimony on the warrantless wiretapping program.
Iraq. A new report shows that nearly a third of all Iraqis need humanitarian aid urgently.
Washington. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are reaching out to Egypt and Saudi Arabia in an unusual joint attempt to convince Iraq's neighbors to support its struggling government.
Economy. The FCC will rule tomorrow on the auction of $15 billion in wireless airwaves.
World. The party of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took a drubbing at the polls Sunday.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:52 AM
Share via
Bush & Brown Get Down To Business
Newly minted British Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived at Camp David last night, ready for his first official stateside visit with President Bush.
Eyes on both sides of the Atlantic are focused on the relationship between the two leaders. Some analysts predict British public opinion on Iraq will ensure that Brown will never draw as close to the president as former Prime Minister Tony Blair did; others point to Brown's statements calling the U.S.-U.K. alliance the country's “single most important bilateral relationship" and suggest they will enjoy a positive relationship.
Topics on tap for the rest of the two-day meeting: Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Iran and Kosovo.
Posted at 7:47 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Europe, Gordon Brown, President Bush, Tony Blair, U.K.
Share via
July 27, 2007
We Want A GOP YouTube Debate!
The Gate tries very hard to not cross the "advocacy" line, but some recent (un)developments have forced us to take a stand.
We want a Republican YouTube debate.
No, the format of Monday's Democratic forum wasn't "revolutionary," as CNN would have you believe, but it was both informative and entertaining. The kids need a little cheese sauce with their broccoli sometimes, and we bet that the YouTube format had them more engaged than in any of the previous face-offs.
So listen, Sam Brownback, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Mitt Romney and Tom Tancredo: Sign on to the Sept. 17 CNN/YouTube debate, already.
We get that campaign time is an increasingly precious commodity. Republicans, not to mention the rest of the country, aren't really hot on any of you right now. But how could taking occasionally quirky questions from real-live Americans hurt? If anything, you get a platform on which to let your good humor and personality shine. We urge you to seize this opportunity.
Note that it's a group of Republicans who are circulating a petition asking you to reconsider. Conservatives ridiculed Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards for skipping the planned FOX News Democratic debate. Gentleman, do not cut and run from this chance to show Americans a) that you are running for president (a lot of them don't know this yet) and b) that you are not afraid of the occasional curveball. Please follow Tommy Thompson's lead and show us you're not scared of a talking snowman.
The Gate isn't signing any petitions for obvious reasons, but we encourage our readers to send this along: http://www.savethedebate.com/.
-JANE ROH
Graphic: Reuben Dalke
Posted at 4:55 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Democrats, Duncan Hunter, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, WH 2008
Share via
After Hazleton Ruling, What Would SCOTUS Do?
Federal inaction has spurred states and municipalities to forge ahead on matters like global warming and immigration. In April, the Supreme Court seemed to boost efforts by states like California to exceed federal regulations on greenhouse gases. But it's not clear whether the justices would do the same for U.S. towns leading the charge on illegal immigration.
Yesterday's decision [PDF] by a U.S. District Court judge declaring Hazleton, Pa.'s housing and employment ordinance on illegal immigrants unconstitutional will be appealed, the town's mayor promised. The decision will affect the dozens of U.S. cities and counties weighing similar measures to crack down on illegals.
Hazleton's first-in-the-nation ordinance required landlords to register with the town and all prospective rentees to submit to background checks on their residency status. Businesses found to be employing illegal immigrants were to lose their license for five years. The ordinance also declared English to be the official language of the town, which refuses to print any information in Spanish.
Judge James Munley invoked the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, ruling that only the federal government had jurisdiction over immigration law. That act stipulates: "The provisions of this section preempt any State or local law imposing civil or criminal sanctions (other than through licensing and similar laws) upon those who employ, or recruit or refer for a fee for employment, unauthorized aliens."
Continue reading "After Hazleton Ruling, What Would SCOTUS Do?"
Posted at 2:45 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, Constitution, Dick Cheney, Immigration, President Bush, Supreme Court
Share via
Hatin' On The Hill
Eight months after voters turned out the GOP and sent a new Democratic majority to Capitol Hill, Congress-bashing is once again back in vogue.
A new bipartisan poll commissioned by George Washington University confirms what Republicans and the Fourth Estate have been saying in recent weeks: Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid haven't been living up to the expectations placed on them after the 2006 midterm elections. In that survey, significant majorities said they believed lawmakers put politics above their constituents. And while Democrats still enjoy a slightly higher favorability rating than GOP lawmakers, only 37 percent said they were satisfied with the majority party's work thus far.
But not everyone is disappointed in the Democrats' leadership. Americans United for Change, the progressive advocacy group formed to oppose President Bush's Social Security plan, is out with a new TV ad this week praising the minimum wage hike, which took effect Tuesday.
See today's Poll Track (subscription) for more numbers on Congress and the 2008 White House race. And Ad Spotlight (subscription) has more details on the Americans United campaign.
Posted at 1:00 PM
Posted to:
Congress
Share via
Global Markets Tumble; GDP Gathers Steam
UPDATED.
Global investors got jittery after yesterday's stock market drop-off in the United States. Asian markets had some of their worst days of the year, with falling indices in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 400 points Thursday amid a slew of fresh concerns about the housing market, credit quality and energy prices. Thursday's tumble rivaled the biggest loss of the year in February, just a week after it hit a record high -- over 14,000 -- for the first time.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reports today that U.S. economic growth picked up in the second quarter, lifting the gross domestic product 3.4 percent from April through June -- a sharp rise from the disappointing 0.6 percent increase in the first quarter.
Bloomberg News and the New York Times report on the reasons behind the better-than-expected GDP gains. And CNNMoney.com and the Wall Street Journal have more on the stocks plunge.
Posted at 10:39 AM
Posted to:
Economy
Share via
Violence Resurfaces At Pakistan's Red Mosque
Just two weeks after more than 100 people died in clashes between the Pakistani government and Islamist militants at the Red Mosque in Islamabad, fresh violence has erupted at the re-opening of the site today. The London Times reports that hundreds of pro-Taliban students drove a government-appointed cleric from the mosque and resumed their protests of President Pervez Musharraf.
At least 11 people, mostly police, were killed when a suicide bomb went off at a restaurant near the clashes.
Police had fired tear gas at the violent protesters, who earlier had daubed red paint on the walls of the mosque to disrupt the new light yellow color that authorities used to repaint the building. The students angrily denounced Musharraf and called for the release of Maulana Abdul Aziz, the radical cleric who was arrested during the previous siege when he tried to escape in disguise.
AP has background on the conflict, and NPR's "Morning Edition" has an interview with a student protester who explains why she believes she made a mistake to leave the mosque the first time.
Posted at 10:31 AM
Posted to:
Pakistan
Share via
Mueller Contradicts Gonzales Over Spy Program
FBI Director Robert Mueller, in testimony yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee, contradicted statements by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that there was no internal dispute within the administration about the legality of a warrantless eavedropping program.
The dispute revolves around a late-night visit in 2004 that Gonzales, as a White House counsel, and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card made to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital room, supposedly in an attempt to persuade Ashcroft to sign off on the terrorist surveillance program. The ailing Ashcroft refused because of concerns about its legality, according to testimony by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey.
Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee this week that the visit was not related to the wiretapping program and there was no disagreement within the administration about it.
Mueller strongly suggested otherwise when asked about the meeting by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.
Continue reading "Mueller Contradicts Gonzales Over Spy Program"
Posted at 10:29 AM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Bush Administration, James Comey, John Ashcroft, Robert Mueller, Senate
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Mueller Testimony, 9/11 Commission Bill
DOJ. FBI Director Robert Mueller contradicted testimony from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales yesterday, telling a House panel that the NSA's spy program was indeed an issue of debate within the Bush administration.
Washington. President Bush slammed members of Congress for "dragging their feet" on budget proposals.
Congress. The Senate OK'd the 9/11 commission bill, and the new farm bill (subscription) cleared its first hurdle in the House.
Iraq. Two civilian contractors told Congress yesterday that foreign workers were abused at the U.S. Embassy construction site in Baghdad.
Cuba. Leader Fidel Castro failed to appear at Cuba's Revolution Day festivities for the first time since 1959.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:31 AM
Share via
July 26, 2007
Rove Subpoenaed As Specter Slams Dems' Special Prosecutor Request
UPDATED.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has ordered President Bush's chief political aide, Karl Rove, to testify in the U.S. attorney firings investigation. One of Rove's aides, Deputy Political Director J. Scott Jennings, was subpoenaed as well.
It is doubtful the White House will allow Rove and Jennings to testify under oath before the panel. The administration has used an executive privilege claim to rebuff Congress' demands for access to testimony and documents related to the firings.
But the evidence gathered so far by the committee has convinced a great many observers that the firings were politically motivated. Several longtime Bush allies have joined the chorus calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' ouster.
The Senate panel has yet to join its counterpart in the House in citing uncooperative White House or DOJ officials for contempt. To move past the executive privilege claim that will undoubtedly come in response to Rove's subpoena, the Senate committee will have to do so.
Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said that the White House's refusal to accommodate Congress was an indictment in itself.
"It is obvious that the reasons given for these firings were contrived as part of a cover-up and that the stonewalling by the White House is part and parcel of that same effort," the Vermont Democrat said in a statement. "This stonewalling is a dramatic break from the practices of every administration since World War II in responding to congressional oversight."
The White House, as per usual, dismissed the subpoenas as a meaningless political stunt.
Continue reading "Rove Subpoenaed As Specter Slams Dems' Special Prosecutor Request"
Posted at 3:47 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Arlen Specter, Attorney Scandal, Charles Schumer, Congress, James Comey, Patrick Leahy, Paul Clement, President Bush, Senate
Share via
Leaders Eye Quick Move On Lobbying
Once Democratic leaders strike a deal on a compromise version of comprehensive lobbying legislation, they will act quickly to move the package through the House and Senate and leave little time for opposition to mount, according to sources close to the issue.
Meredith McGehee, who has lobbied for a strong disclosure and ethics bill as policy director of the Campaign Legal Center, said Democratic leaders have divulged few details about how far the most controversial provisions of the package would go. Once details are made public, McGehee said House and Senate members will be faced with a simple choice of voting for or against it.
"They've heard enough. They're not going to leave this out long," McGehee said of the Democratic leadership. "Everyone is going to be presented with a fait accompli."
NationalJournal.com has the full story for free; see CongressDaily (subscription) for more of today's news.
Posted at 12:21 PM
Posted to:
Congress, House, Senate
Share via
Iraqi Refugee Crisis Worsening
The U.N. refugee agency announced at a conference that 50,000 Iraqis are fleeing their country every month, joining the more than 2 million Iraqis who've already been displaced by the violence there.
Jordan, which is home to many of those refugees, is hosting a summit on the crisis. Representatives from Iraq's neighbors as well as the U.N., U.S. and Britain are hammering out how to handle the overflow of refugees.
Syria, home to 1.4 million of the Iraqis, and other countries complain that their resources are being stretched to the limit by the newcomers. Iraq's neighbors have security concerns as well.
Continue reading "Iraqi Refugee Crisis Worsening"
Posted at 11:42 AM
Posted to:
Iraq, Middle East, U.N.
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Veterans' Care, Gonzales Probe
Washington. A new report from a presidential commission recommended a huge overhaul of the veterans' health care system.
Congress. Senators are considering seeking a perjury probe against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and an anti-terrorism bill took another step forward.
Military The general in charge of the investigation into Pat Tillman's death could lose a star for misleading investigators probing the corporal's death in Afghanistan.
Iraq. The largest Sunni bloc in Iraq's government is threatening to walk out next week unless a long list of demands is met by the prime minister.
Afghanistan. A South Korean envoy is headed to Afghanistan to negotiate with the Taliban for the release of 22 Christian hostages.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:16 AM
Share via
July 25, 2007
Gadhafi: Still A Menace?
Libya's release of six Bulgarian medics who had been sentenced to die has earned that country loads of goodwill from Europe and the U.S. France's pledge of $400 million in compensation for the families who allege the group infected their children with HIV helped secure the deal; meanwhile, the EU is now preparing a substantial aid package for the northern African nation. President Bush recently named the first U.S. ambassador to Libya in more than three decades, and today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she looked forward to paying Tripoli a visit soon.
It's an odd reversal for a nation once considered to be a sponsor of terrorism. In the 1980s, Moammar Gadhafi was right up there with the late Ayatollah Khomeini on America's enemies list. An alliance of conservatives and human rights groups whose memories stretch back to the 1980s aren't happy with the turnabout.
Gadhafi's decision to give up his nuclear weapons logically precipitated warmer relations with the West, but the Wall Street Journal balks: "The blackmail habit is hard to shake, and rewarding a dictator for hostage-taking is fraught with moral hazards." A director of U.S.-based Physicians for Human Rights complained, "This is really an outrageous case, in which the lives of these nurses and medic were literally ransomed for $400 million.... There is nothing to prevent the future scapegoating of foreign health workers and holding them hostage in exchange for foreign aid."
Indeed, the West's embrace of Gadhafi comes as Taliban militants hold a South Korean church group hostage in Afghanistan. One was killed earlier today.
Continue reading "Gadhafi: Still A Menace?"
Posted at 7:23 PM
Posted to:
Africa, Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Europe, France, Libya, Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism, Tony Blair, U.K.
Share via
Goal!
The Iraqi soccer team edged out the South Koreans in a penalty kick faceoff to reach the Asian Cup finals for the first time ever.
"We know we are struggling inside Iraq and we have to struggle on the field. This is a very modest thing we can give to our people," said goalkeeper Noor Sabri, who blocked South Korea's fourth kick.
The Iraqi squad will take on three-time winner Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Thousands of jubilant Iraqis took to the streets to celebrate, though the festivities were marred by two suicide bombings that killed 50 people in Baghdad.
Posted at 4:44 PM
Posted to:
Iraq, Middle East
Share via
Congress: Who's Doing Nothing Now?
What goes around, comes around. Increasingly, that's the theme radiating from the halls of the 110th Congress, where Republicans -- ousted from power in the 2006 midterm elections -- are trotting out the "Do-Nothing Congress" label that got them into so much trouble last year.
The Senate Republican Conference put a new twist on the smear, calling the 110th the "Post Office Congress." The name is a bit of a head-scratcher (is it because the Democrats are "going postal" on the Bush administration?), but actually refers to what lawmakers have been able to accomplish thus far: the renaming of about 20 post offices around the country.
Not exactly bumper-sticker material.
Continue reading "Congress: Who's Doing Nothing Now?"
Posted at 4:00 PM
Posted to:
Congress
Share via
House Panel Cites Bolten & Miers For Contempt
UPDATED.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 22-17 to cite two top White House aides -- chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers -- for contempt over their failure to cooperate with the panel's investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys.
The citations were approved on a party-line vote, as congressional Democrats stepped up their efforts to confront the White House directly over the prosecutors' dismissals. The decision is Congress' latest challenge to the White House's executive privilege claim, which Bush and his aides have invoked in their refusals to submit documents and provide testimony in the probe.
Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor subject to prison terms of up to one year and fines up to $100; it is considered a serious constitutional charge. House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., conceded that the president has power to fire U.S. attorneys, but he added that the issue is "whether any administration can terminate or retain such individuals in order to influence pending criminal investigations or influence an election."
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., proposed the panel hold off on the contempt move and ask the House clerk to file a civil lawsuit to settle the issue of executive privilege. He said he feared the contempt citation case could lose in court and jeopardize future congressional efforts to gather information.
Continue reading "House Panel Cites Bolten & Miers For Contempt"
Posted at 3:14 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Harriet Miers, House, President Bush, Senate
Share via
Ex-Army Recruiters Ordered Back To Work
More than 1,100 former Army recruiters have been ordered to report back to duty immediately, Army Times is reporting.
The military came well short of recruiting goals in May and June, which officials acknowledge is attributable to the unpopularity of the Iraq war. More than 3,600 American service members have died in the four-year-long operation, and more than 25,000 have been wounded.
Continue reading "Ex-Army Recruiters Ordered Back To Work"
Posted at 2:43 PM
Posted to:
Iraq, Middle East, Military
Share via
Taliban Kills South Korean Hostage
An Afghan official has confirmed that one of the 23 South Korean hostages in Afghanistan has been shot and killed, Reuters reports.
The victim, identified by the Korean media as 42-year-old pastor Bae Hyung-kyu, was among a group of church volunteers kidnapped by Taliban militants on July 19 in central Ghazni province. His body was riddled with 10 bullets, according to reports.
AP reports that several of the hostages have been freed. The militants are demanding release of Taliban prisoners by this afternoon in exchange for the remaining hostages.
Afghan officials said negotiations were also centering on money. Foreign governments have been criticized after paying for the release of hostages there.
Posted at 12:58 PM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, South Korea, Terrorism
Share via
The Other Rudys
Rudy Giuliani seems to be the candidate of many colors in the 2008 White House race.
So far, the GOP front-runner has managed to bounce back from a series of mini-scandals with apparent ease. His No. 1 status in national primary matchups has been fairly consistent since the beginning of the race, and a new ABC News/Washington Post poll has him topping the field by double-digit margins. The outlook is relatively rosy for general-election Rudy as well: He's considered the best-equipped Republican to beat out a Democratic opponent in the ABC/Post poll, and he tops both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama in new Gallup matchups.
But the former New York City mayor is not resting on his laurels -- and with good reason. Only 32 percent of Giuliani backers in the ABC/Post poll said they support him "strongly" -- indicating he is far from having the GOP nomination wrapped up.
In a new radio ad blitz aimed at primary voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, the Giuliani camp is seeking to beef up his image among an electorate that is largely unfamiliar with his mayoral accomplishments aside from the 9/11 aftermath. The strategy seems designed to steer attention away from Giuliani's social positions and personal scandals -- his weak points in the GOP race -- and tout his achievements in the Big Apple before others can paint a less-than-favorable picture of his tenure there.
See today's Ad Spotlight (subscription) for more on Giuliani's media campaign. And today's Poll Track (subscription) has more details on the latest '08 numbers.
Posted at 12:27 PM
Posted to:
Rudy Giuliani
Share via
FDA Staffers Allege Intimidation On Food Safety
FDA employees who testified before a House Energy and Commerce Committee panel last week on the agency's ability to keep the food supply safe claim top agency brass sought to intimidate them and discourage corroboration with lawmakers by twisting their words in an officewide e-mail.
"They had said there would be no retaliation, but I looked at it as a form of retaliating against us and intimidating anyone else," Carol Heppe, director of FDA's Cincinnati district, told CongressDaily.
Continue reading "FDA Staffers Allege Intimidation On Food Safety"
Posted at 11:27 AM
Posted to:
FDA
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Attorney Firings Outlined, Doctor Cleared
Congress. A new report from House Democrats, released yesterday, details the ways that administration officials are alleged to have broken the law in the U.S. attorney firings.
Iraq. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker "chided" Tehran yesterday for interfering in Iraq.
Economy. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will visit China next week to ask for more currency flexibility.
Nation. A grand jury will not charge a New Orleans doctor with the deaths of Memorial Medical Center patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Middle East. Jordanian and Egyptian officials are visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem today to discuss a comprehensive peace plan.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 10:16 AM
Share via
TSA Warns Of Terrorist 'Dry Runs'
UPDATED.
A series of suspicious events over the last year at several U.S. airports -- in Baltimore, Houston, Milwaukee and San Diego -- prompted the Transportation Safety Administration to send a message to airport security workers and local law enforcement asking them to look out for any activities that could be terrorists practicing "dry runs" for future attacks.
Security personnel were reminded to check for components that could be used to make improvised explosive devices.
The advisory message, sent July 20, was leaked to the media and posted online late yesterday. Reporters questioned Bush administration officials, leading TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe to make a statement.
"There is no credible, specific threat here," she said. "Don't panic. We do these things all the time."
TSA also said that the bulletin was routine, one of about 90 already sent this year. The Department of Homeland Security said there was no information about a specific threat. Airports' alert level will stay at orange, meaning "high," while the rest of the country is on yellow for "normal."
The bulletin's leak came at the same time as a warning about home-grown al-Qaida cells. Air Force Gen. Victor "Gene" Renuart suggested that the military triple its response teams to address the increased threat.
Posted at 6:53 AM
Posted to:
Terrorism
Share via
July 24, 2007
The CNN-YouTube Debate: What About Edwards?
We didn't give John Edwards very much ink last night (8 candidates vs. 1 blogger = no fair), but quite a few other political commentators were impressed by the former VP nominee. The Politico's Roger Simon was wowed by Edwards' fiery People vs. The Powerful responses, and named him the winner.
"Edwards needs to project strength, and he is on the road to doing that," Simon concludes.
The veteran journo did "deduct 3.5 points" over Edwards' "dumb" attack on Hillary Rodham Clinton's suit, saying it appeared "sexist and cheap."
Edwards did give forceful responses, particularly on his pet issue of poverty. He's been through the primary meat grinder before, and it shows. But thanks to their disgust with President Bush, Democratic voters (and the independents who now stand with them) seem to be looking beyond the primaries. Edwards' third-place slot means he doesn't have the luxury of taking aim at his possible general-election opponent, as Clinton and Rudy Giuliani do.
Still, he appears to be gaining ground in Iowa, and has a decent amount of cash to work with. He's in nowhere near as much trouble as his GOP third-place counterpart, John McCain. That's reason for the former North Carolina senator to hope.
Continue reading "The CNN-YouTube Debate: What About Edwards?"
Posted at 7:00 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, WH 2008
Share via
'Obama Guy' Isn't Necessarily Sold On Namesake Candidate
Also at the CNN-YouTube debate, in case anyone was wondering, was Obama Girl, aka actress/model Amber Lee Ettinger, whose lip-synced ode to Barack Obama has been viewed 2.5 million times and counting. For that reason, organizers invited her to the debate, giving the audience something other than their possible future president to gawk at.
Ben Relles, the man behind Obama Girl, accompanied his creation to South Carolina. Relles is a registered Democrat who's not necessarily an Obama Guy -- he's still weighing his vote.
Continue reading "'Obama Guy' Isn't Necessarily Sold On Namesake Candidate"
Posted at 6:50 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, WH 2008
Share via
Bush To War Critics: It's Al-Qaida, Stupid
President Bush delivered a stern challenge to anti-war Americans: Admit that leaving Iraq is the same as walking away from the war against al-Qaida.
Speaking before airmen at the Charleston Air Force Base, Bush used newly declassified portions of the latest National Intelligence Estimate [PDF] to beat back critics demanding he commit to withdrawal from Iraq.
Compared with other insurgent elements, "al-Qaida in Iraq stands out for its extremism, unmatched operational strength, foreign leadership, and determination to take the jihad beyond Iraq's borders," Bush said, quoting from the report. Reminding audience members that U.S. military commanders in Iraq and intelligence agencies at home consider al-Qaida to be "public enemy No. 1," Bush said, "There's a good reason they are called al-Qaida in Iraq. They are al-Qaida. In Iraq."
Continue reading "Bush To War Critics: It's Al-Qaida, Stupid"
Posted at 4:00 PM
Posted to:
Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Congress, David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Terrorism
Share via
Senate Lunch Chatter: Dems Sound Off On Wage Hike, Gonzales
UPDATED.
Senate Democrats led by Ted Kennedy celebrated the passage of a higher ed bill in a presser following the Tuesday lunches. Afterwards, House Dems led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to the Senate side and joined Senate Dems in a procession to Upper Senate Park for a celebration of the minimum wage hike that went into effect today. The first-in-a-decade increase was passed into law at the end of May as part of a bill funding U.S. troops in Iraq.
Senate Intelligence Chairman Jay Rockefeller also told reporters that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was lying earlier today in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, when he said that Rockefeller and others knew of a 2004 White House effort to get then-AG John Ashcroft to sign off on a secret intelligence program while hospitalized. Rockefeller said he knew nothing of it, and didn't even know at the time about internal DOJ dissent over the program.
Continue reading "Senate Lunch Chatter: Dems Sound Off On Wage Hike, Gonzales"
Posted at 3:17 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Bush Administration, Congress, John Ashcroft, Senate
Share via
Gonzales Is Back On The Hill. So?
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified yet again before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning. That sound you're hearing is crickets.
None of the cable networks covered the hearing live longer than a segment's worth of time, unlike his appearance in April. Back then, when the attorney firings scandal was really picking up steam, it seemed Gonzales' job might hang in the balance. But President Bush and Gonzales himself have made crystal clear that the AG isn't going anywhere.
Continue reading "Gonzales Is Back On The Hill. So?"
Posted at 1:38 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, President Bush, Senate
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: VA Lawsuit, Food Recall, Thames Flooding
Washington. Iraq war veterans are suing the Department of Veterans Affairs, claiming the VA illegally denied disability pay and mental health treatment.
Congress. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will face the Senate Judiciary Committee today for questioning about the U.S. attorney firings and other matters.
Iraq. Commanders have prepared a plan that anticipates a U.S. military presence in the country for at least two more years.
Nation. The FDA issued a recall for 90 different products from a Castleberry's Food Company plant that has been linked to a botulism outbreak.
World. Three hundred thousand people in the U.K. will have to go without clean water for a week after the Thames River overflowed its banks and wreaked havoc on neighboring communities.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:46 AM
Share via
Jailed Medics Freed From Libya
Five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor arrived today by plane in Sofia, Bulgaria, after being released from a prison in Libya.
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov immediately pardoned the medics, who had spent eight and a half years as captives. The Libyan government accused them of deliberately infecting hospitalized children with HIV and had sentenced them to life in prison.
No money was exchanged for their release, but negotiators did promise to try to improve relations between the two countries. French President Nicolas Sarkozy planned to visit Libya tomorrow to help the country "rejoin the international community."
Posted at 8:09 AM
Posted to:
Africa, Libya
Share via
July 23, 2007
Liveblogging The Democratic Debate: Clinton, Biden Come Out On Top
End note. Overall, a pretty fun evening, insofar as debates this early in the cycle can be fun. We already know that the front-runners are not happy with the debate lineups, but a certain senator from New York would be wise not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
She has come out looking surefooted at every meet-up so far, and that has to help answer all those woman-Bill-Iraq-vote clouds that hang over her head. Obama, meanwhile, was shakier this evening.
Democrats are learning to their frustration that control of Congress isn't enough. Not only do they need a more substantial majority in the Senate, but they need to not have a veto-wielding president standing in their way. In short, Democrats are out to win next year, and a made-for-TV bio and bucketloads of charm may just not cut it in '08.
The surprise of the evening was Biden, who has the resume but lacks the name recognition (and cash) to make headway in this contest. He delivered some of the more memorable lines of the night and, as his camp frequently and loudly points out, has the only detailed exit plan from Iraq. The Kuciniches and Cindy Sheehans of the nation will never accede to this, but the reality of the situation in Iraq is there is no good way to leave, just less bad ones. Both Clinton and Biden took pains to explain that tonight; we'll see if it starts sinking in with the MoveOn segment of the base.
No gaffes, no Ron Paul moments. The best thing the Democrats have going for them is unity on Iraq (more or less), President Bush, and being on the right side of voters on domestic issues. The worst thing they have going for them is probably history. We'll see how the Republicans fare in this format on Sept. 17 -- by which time everyone's political fortunes could be reversed depending on the highly anticipated U.S. report on progress in Iraq, due Sept. 15.
Continue reading "Liveblogging The Democratic Debate: Clinton, Biden Come Out On Top"
Posted at 10:16 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Mike Gravel, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Republicans
Share via
Democratic Debate Preview: Confronting The YouTube Generation
How are you gonna fix Social Security?
How will you make health care available to all?
Can I be your intern?
These are just a few of the questions Americans have posed to the Democratic presidential candidates in tonight's CNN/YouTube debate, which The Gate will be liveblogging.
In some ways, tonight's format, in which candidates must answer 30-second-long video questions selected by CNN, is a natural fit for this slate. The YouTube generation tends to skew young and anti-Bush -- so much so that unhappy conservatives have started a rival site.
There's an argument to be made that the 2008 presidential race is the Democrats' to lose. But none of the candidates -- and that includes you, Senator Clinton -- should expect a free ride to the White House. The answer to that riddle lies on Capitol Hill.
Continue reading "Democratic Debate Preview: Confronting The YouTube Generation"
Posted at 5:14 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, WH 2008
Share via
9/11 Bill Conferees Near Final Agreement
Negotiations over the weekend and early today yielded breakthroughs on two of the most contentious issues holding up a sweeping bill to implement unfulfilled recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, while talks on other sticking points could wrap up later today, according to aides.
House and Senate conferees have agreed in principle to let the Bush administration decide which federal agency should be in charge of managing and disbursing transportation security grants, aides said. The administration has already stated its preference to have the Homeland Security Department handle the job, rather than the Transportation Department, aides added.
Continue reading "9/11 Bill Conferees Near Final Agreement"
Posted at 5:04 PM
Posted to:
Homeland Security, Terrorism
Share via
Doctors Detect No Cancer In Bush's Polyps
UPDATED.
The five polyps removed from President Bush's colon during a routine test this weekend are not cancerous, the White House announced today. Doctors declared the growths to be benign.
Results were initially expected tomorrow, but the White House put out a statement this afternoon.
"The president is in good health. There is no reason for alarm," White House press secretary Tony Snow said earlier in the day. Snow, who is currently being treated for colon cancer, said Bush would undergo another colonoscopy in three years -- around the standard amount of time between procedures.
The polyps found in Bush were less than 1 cm in diameter. Generally, polyps 2 cm in diameter or bigger carry a greater risk for colorectal cancer.
Continue reading "Doctors Detect No Cancer In Bush's Polyps"
Posted at 3:31 PM
Posted to:
Health, President Bush
Share via
Taliban Threatening To Kill South Korean Hostages
Taliban kidnappers in Afghanistan have increased their demands and are threatening to begin killing 23 South Korean hostages captured last Thursday if those demands are not met, AP reports.
Officials in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, where the hostages are being held, said kidnappers did not show up for a planned meeting earlier today, but instead declared by telephone that they wanted provincial leaders to release all militant Taliban prisoners in exchange for the Korean hostages. Reuters reports that the kidnappers have extended their deadline for the Afghan government to meet their demands to 14:30 GMT Tuesday.
A Taliban spokesman claimed today that the hostages were currently being held "in good health," but that any rescue attempt would endanger their lives.
The Washington Post reported this morning that Afghan security forces were surrounding the site where the hostages were being held and preparing for a possible strike if negotiations failed. And Yonhap News reports on the South Korean government's efforts to secure the safe release of the hostages, who hail from the Saemmul Christian Church in Bundang, a city outside of Seoul.
Posted at 12:42 PM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Terrorism
Share via
SCHIP Opponents Try To Narrow Bill's Reach
The Senate Finance Committee's 17-4 vote last week to approve a $35 billion compromise bill to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program has not stopped GOP leaders or the administration from hammering at it from all directions.
Despite the heated rhetoric, a handful of Republican senators will buck their leaders and vote for SCHIP when it comes to the Senate floor, probably late this week. One GOP aide acknowledged it will be difficult for senators up for re-election to be seen as voting against a children's program.
Knowing they cannot sustain a filibuster against the carefully negotiated SCHIP deal, Republicans opposing the bill are hoping they can court enough senators in their caucus to support amendments to scale back the proposal, the aide said. The bill would provide health insurance to 3.3 million children who are eligible for coverage but not enrolled.
President Bush has proposed a $5 billion SCHIP reauthorization. The Senate and administration proposals both would add to the program's base funding of $25 billion over five years, but Bush has threatened to veto the larger Finance Committee package.
See CongressDaily (subscription) for the full story.
Posted at 10:24 AM
Posted to:
Congress, Health, Senate
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: CIA Tactics, Minimum Wage Hike
Terrorism. Spy chief Mike McConnell on Sunday defended a new executive order outlining the CIA's interrogation techniques. McConnell also addressed problems with al-Qaida in Pakistan.
Nation. The minimum wage is set to rise 70 cents this week, the first hike in 10 years.
Washington. President Bush had five polyps removed during a colonoscopy Saturday, but doctors said they are probably benign.
Congress. Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., plans to introduce two censure resolutions against the Bush administration over the war in Iraq.
Turkey. The Islamist-rooted AKP, Turkey's ruling party, swept to a decisive victory in parliamentary elections.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:38 AM
Share via
July 20, 2007
Nobody's Business But The Turks?
Former Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., has posted a video defending Turkey from 90-year-old charges of genocide against Armenians. The video is in response to the now-pending H.Res.106 and its Senate companion, which would mandate an official recognition by Congress that Turkey committed genocide against Armenians between 1915 and 1923.
Livingston doesn't directly deny that a genocide took place, but attempts to cast it as a matter of historical ambiguity. "I don't think any of us really know what happened," he says in the video. He also makes the case that the resolution would unnecessarily damage relations with Turkey.
Livingston's name has resurfaced recently as he was, ironically, replaced in the House by now-Sen. David Vitter after his own sex scandal in 1999. Livingston went on to found the lobbying organization The Livingston Group, LLC, which counts the Republic of Turkey among its most prominent clients.
Legal Times' BLT blog has more on this story, and the video can be seen here.
Posted at 4:50 PM
Share via
Bush Outlines New Rules For Detainee Interrogations
President Bush has issued an executive order prohibiting the CIA from engaging in "cruel or inhuman treatment" when interrogating terrorism suspects.
AP reports that Bush also outlawed humiliating or degrading treatment of suspects, along with acts that "denigrate" their religious practices.
Bush ordered the CIA to draw up a new, comprehensive policy for the treatment of detainees. It is not clear how the order affects a signing statement Bush attached to a defense appropriations bill in late 2005, in which he reserved the right as head of the "unitary executive branch" to override existing and future legislation pertaining to detainees.
Posted at 4:28 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Detainees, President Bush, Terrorism
Share via
Mr. Sulzberger, Tear Down This Wall
Slate's Mickey Kaus may soon be a very happy blogger.
Kaus reports there are "rumblings" that the Gray Lady herself, aka New York Times, will admit failure and end its TimesSelect paywall experiment. When it was first announced, columnists grumbled that few readers would pony up the $49.95 per year required for access to their columns. Turns out they were right: according to the company's last earnings report, just around 222,300 non-subscribers pay for the service.
YouTube has video of columnist Thomas Friedman talking smack about TimesSelect.
(Hat tip: FishbowlNY)
Posted at 3:40 PM
Posted to:
Media, New York Times Co.
Share via
Bolten Faces Contempt Charge, But WH Says No
White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten is staring down a predicament that many of his fellow administration members (past and present) have faced in recent months: subpoenas for information over the U.S. attorney firings last year.
Bolten, again like many of his compatriots, argued that he did not have to provide a House panel with subpoenaed documents because he was protected by executive privilege -- invoked most recently, in different ways, by former White House aides Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor. A House panel rejected that claim, voting 7 to 3 that Bolten was not protected by President Bush's order and threatening him with contempt of Congress if he didn't produce the documents.
But the White House struck back in a different way yesterday when administration officials announced that the Justice Department would not be allowed to pursue the contempt charges once Bush issued the executive order. This new claim -- deemed a "bold new assertion" by the Washington Post -- represents a ratcheting up of the battle between Bush and congressional Democrats.
(White House photo by David Bohrer)
Posted at 3:13 PM
Posted to:
Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, President Bush
Share via
Pentagon Slap A Boost For Clinton
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton seems to be getting some anti-war street cred on the left, with a little help from the Pentagon's No. 2.
Clinton is ratcheting up a spat with Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman by going to his boss, Robert Gates. Yesterday, AP reported on a letter Edelman sent the senator in response to a letter she had sent him about the Iraq war. News organizations and bloggers (including this one) went to town on Edelman's insinuation that asking the Pentagon to begin planning for a withdrawal scenario was akin to aiding the enemy.
Read in full, however, the letter is hardly the spanking AP made it out to be. At the same time, the "embolden the enemy" argument is there, so it's not completely innocuous, either. (TPM has a copy of Edelman's letter.)
Continue reading "Pentagon Slap A Boost For Clinton"
Posted at 1:46 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, John Edwards, Media, Middle East, President Bush, Robert Gates, WH 2008
Share via
Bush To Undergo Colonoscopy; Cheney To Assume Presidential Authority
President Bush will undergo a medical procedure tomorrow that will require him to temporarily transfer his presidential authority to Vice President Dick Cheney.
White House press secretary Tony Snow delivered the news at his noon press briefing that Bush was having a colonoscopy. The procedure, which involves a snake-like probe of the large bowel through the rectum, requires sedation and can last up to an hour. Regular colonoscopies to check for signs of colon cancer are recommended for men and women over age 50 every five years.
Snow said that Bush, who just turned 61, would have the colonoscopy tomorrow but wouldn't specify the time. Cheney will have "full capability to respond" to any crisis from his beach house on the Eastern Shore, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate President pro tempore Robert Byrd, second and third in line to the presidency respectively, had been notified earlier in the day.
Snow is currently undergoing treatment for colon cancer. He said he was doing "fine," and has three more chemotherapy sessions to go in this round of treatment.
Posted at 12:14 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Dick Cheney, Health, President Bush, Tony Snow
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Iraq Deadline, Executive Privilege
Iraq. Military and diplomatic officials are pressing for more time beyond the promised mid-September report to assess progress in Iraq.
Washington. A House panel ruled that White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten couldn't use executive privilege to avoid producing subpoenaed documents, but the administration forbade the DOJ from pressing contempt of Congress charges.
Administration. President Bush attacked congressional Democrats over their budget proposals yesterday, threatening to veto legislation that includes big spending increases.
Middle East. Israel today released more than 250 Palestinian prisoners, most of them aligned with President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents kidnapped 23 Christians from a bus on the way to Kandahar yesterday.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:38 AM
Share via
House Passes FY08 Labor-HHS Measure
President Bush took aim at the Democratic-controlled Congress over spending Thursday, as the House approved the appropriations bill representing the starkest contrast between his and their budget.
The bill passed on a 276-140 margin, not enough to demonstrate the two-thirds of those present and voting to override the veto Bush has threatened.
At $154.2 billion in total discretionary spending, the FY08 Labor-HHS measure is $12.5 billion, or 8.8 percent, more than Bush requested.
That is the largest difference between Bush and the Democrats among the 12 spending bills, with increases over the president's request directed to student aid, health care for the uninsured, worker training and other popular initiatives.
Continue reading "House Passes FY08 Labor-HHS Measure"
Posted at 7:22 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, House, President Bush
Share via
July 19, 2007
Pentagon Not Endorsing Clinton Anytime Soon
Like the rest of her competition for the Democratic presidential nod, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton wants U.S. troops out of Iraq. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she's in a particularly good position to pressure the Bush administration on the war.
So it's a little surprising that the Pentagon would rebuke her for simply asking a few questions.
"Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq,'' Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman scolded in a written response to the senator.
Oh no he didn't!
Continue reading " Pentagon Not Endorsing Clinton Anytime Soon"
Posted at 6:25 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, Middle East, Military, WH 2008
Share via
Judge Dismisses Plame's Suit Against White House
A federal judge has dismissed former CIA officer Valerie Plame's lawsuit against four Bush administration officials over the leak of her identity. (Read the full ruling [PDF] from the U.S. District Court.)
The lawsuit, which targeted Vice President Dick Cheney, Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, Cheney's former Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former State Department No. 2 Richard Armitage, was always a long shot. Government figures are generally protected from suits that target them individually but concern actions performed in an official capacity.
Continue reading "Judge Dismisses Plame's Suit Against White House"
Posted at 3:56 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration
Share via
Crocker: Diplomatic Efforts In Iraq Stymied By 'Fear'
With military changes in Iraq off the table for now, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee began delving into the nation's political situation today. Testimony from the top U.S. diplomat in Iraq this morning was not very encouraging.
Speaking via video link from Baghdad to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker told lawmakers that "the one word" he'd use to sum up the current situation on the ground is "fear."
He also warned against an unconditional pullout of U.S. troops and urged senators to rethink their strategy of using defined benchmarks to assess political progress in Iraq.
Continue reading "Crocker: Diplomatic Efforts In Iraq Stymied By 'Fear'"
Posted at 3:43 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Iraq, Senate
Share via
Tenn. Man Nabbed In Nuke-Peddling Sting
A contract worker for a Tennessee nuclear clean-up site has been charged with stealing classified information on enriching uranium, AP reports. Authorities said Roy Lynn Oakley, 67, planned to sell the material to foreign governments.
Oakley was apprehended when he instead sold the information to undercover FBI agents. The cleanup site, East Tennessee Technology Park, is not part of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as some news outlets are reporting, though it is on the Oak Ridge reservation.
NBC reports that money was the low-level worker's main motive.
Posted at 3:13 PM
Posted to:
Crime
Share via
Pakistani Bank Denies Pearl Charges
Mariane Pearl, the widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, filed a lawsuit yesterday against the Habib Bank Limited of Karachi. The suit accuses the bank of offering financial services to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.
"I am looking for the truth of what happened to Daniel, for our family, our friends, and the public record," Mariane Pearl wrote in a statement. "This process allows us to delve deeper into the investigation, and to bring accountability and punishment to those involved with his kidnapping, torture and murder."
Several other defendants are named in the suit, including captured al-Qaida leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
The bank, in which the Pakistani government holds a 49-percent stake, denies the allegations. "As an institution, we have never been involved in supporting any terrorist organisation," one official told Reuters.
Pearl was kidnapped in Pakistan in January 2002. He was murdered soon after, and a video released by his kidnappers showed him being beheaded. Pakistan convicted four men of his murder in July 2002.
Posted at 3:09 PM
Posted to:
Al-Qaida, Asia, Pakistan, Terrorism
Share via
Russia-Britain Spy Probe Row More Than Just A Spat
Russia and Britain's diplomatic tit-for-tat is just the latest sign of escalating distrust between the former communist superpower and the West.
Moscow has expelled four British Embassy personnel in retaliation for Britain's decision on Monday to expel four Russian officials. That move was itself in retaliation for Russia's refusal to allow extradition of a former KGB officer who has been charged with a high-profile murder in London.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned Russia's response.
"We are disappointed that the Russian government should have signalled no new cooperation in the course of the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi," he told reporters. "We obviously believe that the decision to expel four embassy staff is completely unjustified."
Miliband also reminded Russia that most of the world community was siding with the U.K. in this fight. The EU called on Russia to hand over Lugovoi, as did Washington.
"This is an issue of rule of law to our minds, not an issue of politics," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters at a conference in Portugal. "It is a matter of Russia cooperating fully in what is simply an effort to solve what was a very terrible crime committed on British soil."
Continue reading "Russia-Britain Spy Probe Row More Than Just A Spat"
Posted at 1:00 PM
Posted to:
Russia, U.K., Vladimir Putin
Share via
Sunni Bloc Returns To Iraqi Parliament Two Weeks Before Vacation
The Sunni Arab bloc of the Iraqi parliament said it would return to work today after its three-week boycott. Lawmakers walked out last month in protest of Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani's ouster from the Shiite-dominated assembly and Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki's subsequent handling of legal proceedings against the controversial Sunni lawmaker. Iraqi officials have confirmed that the bloc will resume its participation in the Council of Representatives now that al-Mashhadani has been reinstated to his leadership post.
The timing of the Sunni bloc's return to work comes just two weeks before the legislative body's planned August vacation. The holiday plans have drawn sharp criticism from U.S. lawmakers who charge that the Iraqi government has not been reaching the critical benchmarks needed to make progress in the war-torn country.
Last week, White House press secretary Tony Snow shrugged off those concerns, stating, "You know, it's 130 degrees in Baghdad in August." He clarified his statement yesterday, calling it a "dumb line" and saying "we expect the Iraqi government to continue working at all times toward the goals of political accommodation and reconciliation."
AP, CNN and BBC News have more details on this story.
Posted at 12:10 PM
Posted to:
Iraq
Share via
Nuclear Inspectors Find New Leak At Japanese Plant
Twelve hours after a deadly earthquake shook northwestern Japan Monday, authorities confirmed that a nuclear power plant, now suspected to be sitting on a major fault line, had sustained significant damage. A fire blazed at the plant for two hours after a transformer was damaged, and a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Company revealed that some radioactive water leaked out of the plant. A few days later, TEPCO revised the radioactivity level upwards and confirmed that radiation particles had been detected in a plant water filter.
Today, the Kyodo News agency reported that officials from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency discovered radioactive iodine leaking from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. The new leak, separate from the one revealed Tuesday, is coming from an exhaust pipe.
Japanese officials insist there is no health risk to the public, however, and nuclear inspectors are continuing to examine the plant. It could be shut down for over a year -- triggering fears about power shortages during the summer months.
Posted at 7:39 AM
Posted to:
Asia, Japan
Share via
July 18, 2007
Iraq: Eyeing The Exits
Republicans nearly unanimously voted against cloture on a plan for withdrawing troops from Iraq this morning -- a sign that even as an increasing number of GOP lawmakers are speaking out against the president's handling of the war, they are not yet comfortable with the idea of imposing a firm deadline for withdrawal.
Critics of such plans argue that, as bad as the situation is now, it would only get worse if U.S. forces were to leave. And many Republicans angry at Democratic withdrawal plans have pointed out that even as they call for pulling U.S. troops out, Democratic leaders have yet to unveil a detailed plan for how to deal with the fallout of such a move.
This morning, the Los Angeles Times reported that recent interviews with "more than two dozen Democrats and Republicans" lend credence to those claims. "Lawmakers who have led the drive to bring troops home from Iraq have not devised a strategy to deal with the widespread killings that could follow a pullout," the Times reported, even though "many of them acknowledge that Iraq may plunge into vicious sectarian fighting much like the ethnic cleansing that consumed Bosnia a decade ago."
Continue reading "Iraq: Eyeing The Exits"
Posted at 4:36 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Democrats, Iraq, Joseph Biden, Middle East, President Bush, Senate, WH 2008
Share via
WH '08: How To Pick A Candidate You Know Will Lose
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama each has more cash on hand than the entire Republican field combined, according to the latest campaign finance reports. It's only the second quarter, way too early for handicapping. But with check-writing closely mirroring the national polls, it might be time for Republican party leaders to embark on an awkward conversation.
Which candidate do you put forward for the White House when you know he's going to lose?
Republicans in particular do not enjoy political martyrdom. But at some point, party leaders may have to start mapping out a worst-case scenario that has them losing in the most advantageous way possible.
Continue reading "WH '08: How To Pick A Candidate You Know Will Lose"
Posted at 4:32 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
Share via
McCain To Reassure Lawmakers On Campaign
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will meet with congressional supporters today to assure them he is staying in the presidential race and to seek their help in re-evaluating his campaign strategy.
McCain will stress that his continued presence in the race is "not a question," campaign spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said today, despite the departures of his campaign manager and other top aides and the disclosure in campaign finance reports that he is low on funds.
Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott said he and other supporters in the Senate will meet with McCain "off campus" to discuss the best way for the candidate to move forward. "We just need to hear directly from John and from his campaign manager, Rick Davis, on what the plans are and how we can be helpful," Lott said.
Continue reading "McCain To Reassure Lawmakers On Campaign"
Posted at 4:12 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Congress, John McCain, Republicans, Senate, WH 2008
Share via
Iran Airs Video Of Detained U.S. Scholars
Iran's state-run television channel plans to broadcast "confessions" by two U.S. academics being held prisoner there, as Washington and the Mideast scholarship community protest their treatment.
"We are outraged that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran would parade two of these American citizens" -- Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh -- "on state-run television," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement. Esfandiari and Tajbakhsh are both Iranian-American.
Video of the two making statements has been airing since Monday ahead of a documentary set for broadcast today. Tehran says the two have confessed to trying to undermine its regime.
Continue reading "Iran Airs Video Of Detained U.S. Scholars"
Posted at 12:45 PM
Posted to:
Iran, Middle East
Share via
Withdrawal Amendment Stalls After All-Night Debate
UPDATED.
Despite an all-night session complete with the laying of cots and the ordering of pizza, Senate Democrats failed to persuade enough Republicans to defect from their party's leadership and support a cloture motion on an amendment to draw down U.S. forces in Iraq.
The motion to proceed to a vote on the Levin-Reed amendment failed on a party-line, 52-to-47 vote -- eight short of the 60 "yeas" required to invoke cloture. Several Republicans who have publicly criticized the president's handling of the war in recent weeks voted against cloture.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid greeted the outcome with a "mixture of pride and regret." He praised the senators who backed the Levin-Reed amendment but criticized the Republican dissenters who "chose to continue protecting their president instead of our troops."
Republican Sen. John McCain, meanwhile, blamed the majority party for obstructing the defense authorization bill by trying to "load it up with their agenda on Iraq." "This is a commentary on the lack of comity in the Senate," McCain added.
Continue reading "Withdrawal Amendment Stalls After All-Night Debate"
Posted at 11:50 AM
Posted to:
Iraq, Senate
Share via
Murdoch Gets One Step Closer
The Dow Jones board backed News Corp.'s $5 billion buyout bid last night, which will put the publisher of the Wall Street Journal in the hands of News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch. The decision was not unanimous among the 16 board members, but one source said a "strong majority" was in favor of the deal.
One of its terms allows Dow Jones shareholders to receive News Corp. stock, which would reduce the deal's tax burden.
Attention now shifts to the Bancroft family, which owns a controlling share -- 64 percent -- of Dow Jones. The family is set to meet Monday, and a verdict could come as early as midweek.
The Gate has background on earlier developments and the media climate surrounding the deal.
Posted at 10:12 AM
Posted to:
Dow Jones & Co., FOX News, Media, Rupert Murdoch
Share via
FTA Push Moves To Top Of Bush Agenda
With the president's top domestic priority -- immigration overhaul -- in tatters, the Bush administration is intensifying efforts to move its trade agenda on Capitol Hill, using national security as an argument for four free-trade deals it wants Congress to pass as quickly as possible.
As part of its push, administration officials will seek to galvanize allies in the business community to try to advance free trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama and South Korea.
"The pro-trade community sees these four agreements as a united set and believe it's important to pass them all," said one senior administration official. "The ongoing effort is continuing to build and will ratchet up efforts toward building bipartisan majorities this fall."
Continue reading "FTA Push Moves To Top Of Bush Agenda"
Posted at 7:31 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration
Share via
July 17, 2007
News Roundup: Vitter's Back, France Wants Noriega
Iraq. Shiite lawmakers loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have ended a month-long boycott of Parliament.
Congress. Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter is back on the job. Meanwhile, a group of Iraq war veterans plans to join senators as they spend all night debating when troops should leave.
Continue reading "News Roundup: Vitter's Back, France Wants Noriega"
Posted at 6:21 PM
Share via
Libyan Court Commutes Death Sentences For Foreign Medics
Under intense international pressure, Libya's supreme court has decided to spare six foreign medical workers from execution. The five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor are accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV in the 1990s.
Bulgaria, in concert with the EU, has been campaigning heavily to bring the nurses home. The case has attracted international attention. Pop singer George Michael held a concert in the nurses' honor in May, and France's first lady visited the prisoners last week.
Continue reading "Libyan Court Commutes Death Sentences For Foreign Medics"
Posted at 4:36 PM
Posted to:
Africa, EU, Europe, Libya, Middle East, Palestinians
Share via
Air Of Inevitability To Murdoch Takeover Of Dow
The full board of Dow Jones & Co. will vote on Rupert Murdoch's aggressive takeover bid tonight, and despite the Bancroft family's valiant attempts to run as fast as possible from the $5 billion offer, the sale looks like a done deal.
The Wall Street Journal, the Tiffany property of the company and the center of the Murdoch-Bancroft dispute, reports that the parties had reached a tentative deal, which will be put to a final vote later today. A source close to the negotiations says the outcome is still "too close to call" (subscription). But absent competitive rival offers, it's unlikely the answer will be no.
Many Beltway insiders give credit to the Journal as the country's most respected daily with a conservative editorial board. And in an environment seemingly dominated by relatively liberal ed boards, the church-state separation between the Journal's newsroom and its board, run by the highly respected Paul Gigot, could be reason to give Dow its due.
So it's little surprise that much of the paper's staff has joined the Bancrofts, who have 64 percent voting control over Dow, in resisting the Australian-American media mogul's courtship.
Continue reading "Air Of Inevitability To Murdoch Takeover Of Dow"
Posted at 4:32 PM
Posted to:
Dow Jones & Co., FOX News, Media
Share via
Senate Lunch Chatter: All Night Long
UPDATED.
Talk around the Tuesday lunches today centered on tonight's all night session, which Democratic leaders scheduled in as a publicity stunt to highlight Republican opposition to their efforts at drawing down the U.S. troop presence in Iraq. "It will focus attention on the obstructionism of the Republicans," Majority Leader Harry Reid said at his post-lunch stakeout.
Reid's No. 2, Richard Durbin, revealed to reporters that he would be presiding over the 3 a.m. shift, meaning he could actually take advantage of the cots the Democrats were ceremoniously setting up in a room off the Senate floor. Workers rolled cots across the tiled floors of the Capitol into the carpeted Lyndon Baines Johnson room at 3:30. Seven were lined up along a wall, beneath a portrait of John Adams. Nine cots were ultimately laid out and made up in the room for the cameras to roll B film on. A bevy of photographers snapped shots and tossed off bad jokes.
Asked today where he'll be sleeping, Democrat Jon Tester told reporters, "I've got a house four blocks away.... I've got a real bed."
Continue reading "Senate Lunch Chatter: All Night Long"
Posted at 4:08 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Iraq, Middle East, Senate
Share via
Suicide Bomb Rocks Islamabad, Killing 13
A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a courthouse in the Pakistani capital today, where suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was slated to speak at a rally.
Officials said 13 people were killed in the blast and another 40 or so were wounded, Reuters reports. The attack occurred before Chaudhry appeared on the scene, officials said.
Continue reading "Suicide Bomb Rocks Islamabad, Killing 13"
Posted at 2:43 PM
Posted to:
Pakistan
Share via
NIE: Al-Qaida Planning U.S. Attack
UPDATED.
Michael Chertoff's gut might not be too far off, after all.
According to the latest National Intelligence Estimate [PDF], al-Qaida presents a "persistent and evolving" threat to the United States, and will continue to do so "over the next three years" as the terrorist organization may be using its enhanced power in Iraq to plot an attack on U.S. soil.
In a presser coinciding with the release of declassified sections of the NIE this morning, Fran Townsend, assistant to the president for homeland security, said officials have "no credible information pointing to a specific imminent attack or the timing or execution of such an attack," and she added that the scale of any possible future attack was another major unknown. But the NIE ultimately concludes that "the United States currently is in a heightened threat environment," due in part to al-Qaida's recruitment and plotting efforts from bases in Iraq and Pakistan.
Continue reading "NIE: Al-Qaida Planning U.S. Attack"
Posted at 1:19 PM
Posted to:
Al-Qaida, Iraq, Pakistan
Share via
VA Secretary Nicholson Steps Down
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that Secretary Jim Nicholson has tendered his resignation and will return to the private sector. Nicholson sounded an upbeat note on his departure.
"It has been an honor and privilege to lead the VA during this historic time for our men and women who have worn the uniform. We have accomplished so much and the VA is always striving to improve our services to veterans," Nicholson said in a press release.
The Vietnam veteran and former Ambassador to the Vatican was tapped by President Bush in late 2004 as part of a second-term shuffle. Nicholson noted that he will turn 70 this February, and said he wanted "to get back into business... while I still can."
Administration departures at the end-stages of a presidency are not unusual. Nicholson does leave with a cloud over his head, however, because of the Walter Reed scandal. (The hospital serves wounded veterans, but it is run by the Pentagon and is not part of the VA system.)
Continue reading "VA Secretary Nicholson Steps Down"
Posted at 1:15 PM
Posted to:
Military, Veterans
Share via
July 16, 2007
North Korea Shuts Nuclear Reactor. Now What?
The nuclear watchdog of the U.N. has confirmed that North Korea shut down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, nearly five years after the reclusive communist nation defiantly sparked a WMD standoff with the United States. Time for high-fiving in the White House, right?
Only if you've got a short memory. Washington has been down this road with dictator Kim Jong-il before, and while there's a startling amount that the U.S. doesn't know about the Dear Leader, one thing is certain: Kim isn't going to make the de-nuclearization process easy.
Continue reading "North Korea Shuts Nuclear Reactor. Now What?"
Posted at 7:28 PM
Posted to:
IAEA, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism
Share via
Vitter Won't Explain D.C. Madam Link
Louisiana Republican David Vitter went before the cameras one week after admitting he committed a "very serious sin" related to a Washington escort service. But he did not come with hat in hand.
"I'm not going to answer numerous questions about it again and again and again," Vitter said with a note of indignation.
Vitter did not explain why his phone number turned up in the records of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called D.C. Madam, only referring to his "past failings." Vitter also denied long-circulating rumors that he solicited prostitutes in the late 1990s as a state representative based in New Orleans.
Continue reading "Vitter Won't Explain D.C. Madam Link"
Posted at 6:54 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Crime, D.C. Madam, David Vitter, Prostitution, Senate
Share via
Bush Issues Ultimatum, Of Sorts, To Hamas
President Bush today presented Hamas with a choice: Abide by the Quartet provisions, or get left out of a future independent Palestinian state.
"We're showing the Palestinian people that a commitment to peace leads to the generous support of the United States," Bush said after announcing Washington was sending $190 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority.
Implicit in Bush's remarks was that not a drop of aid would be delivered to the Gaza Strip unless the Hamas-run government there meets the conditions laid out by the Washington-drawn "road map." Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the West, has repeatedly said it has no intention of ever renouncing violence and recognizing Israel -- two of the road map's conditions for Palestinian statehood.
Continue reading "Bush Issues Ultimatum, Of Sorts, To Hamas"
Posted at 3:23 PM
Posted to:
Alan Johnston, Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Fatah, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush
Share via
Supersizing The Surge?
Gen. Peter Pace, outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today that the military is considering several possible strategic changes in the coming months, including a larger buildup of U.S. forces in Iraq on top of the "surge" of troops already implemented this year.
AP reports that Pace would not predict which direction the Joint Chiefs will eventually choose, but he told reporters that military leaders are doing "the kind of thinking that we need to do and be prepared for whatever it’s going to look like two months from now," when Gen. David Petraeus is scheduled to deliver his progress report on the war. Pace indicated that increasing, decreasing or keeping deployments at their current level were all possibilities.
The Joint Chiefs are also considering a possible shift in tactics, from current combat operations to a focus on training Iraqi forces and battling terrorism.
Continue reading "Supersizing The Surge?"
Posted at 1:47 PM
Posted to:
Iraq, Peter Pace, Senate
Share via
Four Russian Diplomats Expelled From U.K.
Angry with Moscow's lack of cooperation in a transcontinental murder probe, the British government plans to boot four yet-to-be-named Russian diplomats. BBC News reports that the targeted Russians may be intelligence officers.
Moscow has refused to hand over ex-KGB spy Andrei Lugovoi, who is suspected in the radiation poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko last November. Litvinenko is also a former spy. After becoming a vocal critic of the Russian government, he fled to Britain and was granted asylum.
Continue reading "Four Russian Diplomats Expelled From U.K."
Posted at 12:57 PM
Posted to:
Europe, Russia, U.K.
Share via
July 13, 2007
News Roundup: Iraq Drawdown, RNC Subpoena
Iraq. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Multi-National Division-North, told reporters that a drawdown of troops in northern Iraq might be possible beginning in January. Meanwhile, U.S. troops in Baghdad killed 13 insurgents in a firefight with an "Iranian-backed terror cell."
Attorney firings. House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., issued a subpoena for RNC e-mails and warned that former White House counsel Harriet Miers could be held in criminal contempt for failing to appear before the committee.
Continue reading "News Roundup: Iraq Drawdown, RNC Subpoena"
Posted at 6:28 PM
Share via
On Your Marks... Get Set...
The Washington press corps had better spend some time at the gym this weekend. They're sure to be jostling with cameramen and journos from outside the Beltway for the first glimpses of Sen. David Vitter, R-La., since his admission that he was a client of the so-called D.C. Madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey.
Vitter missed several votes on the Hill this week to be with his family -- and stay out of sight. Fellow GOP Sen. Jim DeMint told AP that he expects Vitter to return to his job on Tuesday, when the Senate will be holding votes.
The Baton Rouge Advocate reports Vitter could face an ethics reprimand, and the Times-Picayune has an interview with a prostitute who says Vitter was a regular client.
Posted at 5:26 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Crime, D.C. Madam, David Vitter, Prostitution, Senate
Share via
GOP Senators Offer Bill Directing Bush To Plan Iraq Withdrawal
Richard Lugar and John Warner, two Republican stalwarts of the Senate, introduced an amendment this afternoon that would require the White House to begin planning for a variety of scenarios, including a drawdown of troops, following the receipt of a U.S. report on progress in Iraq.
The report by Lt. Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker is due Sept. 15. In a press conference yesterday, President Bush said he would not consider a withdrawal of troops until the report on Iraq's political and security progress was delivered.
The Lugar-Warner amendment was designed to give Democratic and Republican war skeptics alike something they could live with. If it survives both a Senate vote and presidential veto threat, it would require the president to present his post-September plans by Oct. 16. The administration must also be ready to implement the plans by the end of the year.
"The surge must not be an excuse for failing to prepare for the next phase of our involvement in Iraq, whether that is withdrawal, redeployment, or some other option," Lugar said on the Senate floor today. "We saw in 2003 after the initial invasion of Iraq, the disastrous results of failing to plan adequately for contingencies."
Continue reading "GOP Senators Offer Bill Directing Bush To Plan Iraq Withdrawal"
Posted at 3:53 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Senate
Share via
McCain: I'll Drop Out When I'm Dead
Sen. John McCain said only death would keep him out of the 2008 presidential race, even as his campaign machine continues to fall apart around him.
When asked if he could foresee circumstances in which he would drop his bid for the White House, McCain quipped, "Contracting a fatal disease." McCain was speaking to reporters following an address to the Concord Chamber of Commerce in New Hampshire.
McCain added, "I was [just] in Iraq. You never know."
The Arizona senator acknowledged that he has lost support from conservatives and independents because of his positions on immigration and Iraq, respectively. But he said he was sticking to his guns.
"I take responsibility for those positions as well as for any, quote, problems we have within the campaign function," he said.
Continue reading "McCain: I'll Drop Out When I'm Dead"
Posted at 1:33 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, John McCain, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
Share via
Romney Rising?
For months, it seemed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney couldn't get any respect from the punditry and political elite. His announcement in Dearborn, Mich., was met with a tepid response, and he's been hounded by questions about his Mormon faith, ideological shifts and family vacationing habits.
But it appears his favorable fundraising numbers and increasing momentum in early primary states are beginning to win over the Beltway skeptics. When asked who was best equipped to snag the Republican nomination, political and congressional insiders [PDF] told National Journal pollsters this month that Romney and Giuliani were, at this point in the race, equally capable of going all the way.
Continue reading "Romney Rising?"
Posted at 12:28 PM
Posted to:
Mitt Romney
Share via
In The Magazine: Iraq 'Surge' Is Not The Hardest Part
It might seem counterintuitive, but Iraq's political progress is proving a tougher row to hoe than squelching the violence there.
While the "clear, hold and build" counterinsurgency strategy seems to have had some success, particularly in the Sunni-dominated Anbar province, National Journal defense correspondent James Kitfield discovers that the "build" part is all but out of reach.
"In the new U.S. counterinsurgency strategy of clearing, holding, and building Baghdad's neighborhoods, the 'building' is by far the wobbliest leg of the stool because of Iraq's moribund economy and the abiding weakness of the Iraqi government," Kitfield reports in this week's cover story.
That weakness is attributed by many to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose efforts to build consensus in the Iraqi government have failed. Moreover, Maliki is not seen as an honest broker; he once was allied with radical anti-American cleric and warlord, Muqtada al-Sadr. One Iraqi calls the election of Maliki and the Parliament "a potentially fatal mistake."
Kitfield's report is free to non-subscribers for one week; click here to read it.
Posted at 12:26 PM
Posted to:
Iraq, Middle East
Share via
Obama Identifies Iraqi 'Blowback'
While doing his day job last night, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois slipped a statement into the Congressional Record arguing that President Bush (and members of Congress who voted to go to war) may have ignited a cycle of terrorism that will threaten Americans for years.
"The decision to authorize and fight a misguided war in Iraq also created a new cadre of experienced terrorists bent on the destruction of the United States and our allies. The recent attacks in Britain are likely only the beginning of an Iraqi 'blowback,' which may haunt us for years to come. Since we invaded Iraq, the number of Islamic extremist terrorist attacks (excluding those in Iraq and Afghanistan) has risen by 35 percent worldwide." Americans, he argued, "are less secure than we were on 9/11."
Continue reading "Obama Identifies Iraqi 'Blowback'"
Posted at 7:44 AM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Iraq, Middle East, WH 2008
Share via
July 12, 2007
News Roundup: China Safety, Executive Privilege Slap
Economy. The Dow surged to close at a record 13,861.73 on unexpectedly positive retail reports.
China. Beijing will implement a food safety system next month in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, as more reports on China's lax monitoring of the food and drug industry surface.
Continue reading "News Roundup: China Safety, Executive Privilege Slap"
Posted at 7:00 PM
Share via
House Votes To Withdraw Troops By April
The House approved a bill this evening that orders President Bush to draw down most troops in Iraq by April of next year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the 223-201 tally to cheers in the gallery.
The bill calls for Bush to begin pulling out troops within 120 days. Just four Republicans sided with Democrats on the bill; 10 Democrats defected from their party and joined the Republicans.
The Senate is also considering similar legislation, but Democratic leaders there are proceeding cautiously. They have put off a vote on the Senate version, dubbed the Levin-Reed amendment for its co-sponsors, until next week. That decision buys them more time to drum up the GOP support they will need to survive a cloture vote.
Continue reading "House Votes To Withdraw Troops By April"
Posted at 6:35 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, David Petraeus, House, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Senate
Share via
Obama, Tancredo (?!) Turn Heads At NAACP Convention
Nine presidential candidates addressed the NAACP's annual conference today in Detroit -- eight Democrats and a lone Republican, immigration enforcer Tom Tancredo, congressman from Colorado.
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., roused the crowd by juxtaposing President Bush's commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby with the 10-year prison sentence handed to Georgia's Genarlow Wilson, a young black man convicted of child molestation at age 17 after having consensual sex at a party. "We know we have more work to do when Scooter Libby gets no prison time and a 21-year-old honor student, who hadn't even committed a felony, gets 10 years in prison," he said.
By all accounts, Obama received the loudest response, but his Democratic rivals were received warmly as well, particularly Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C. Even Tancredo received a standing ovation, but according to the Detroit Free Press, that was "more because he was the only Republican to show up, rather than approving of his stance on issues."
Continue reading "Obama, Tancredo (?!) Turn Heads At NAACP Convention"
Posted at 5:40 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Race, Republicans, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
Share via
Bush Makes Little Girl Cry
Really, he did, according to Washington Times reporter Jon Ward.
Jessica Hackerd, 13, asked the president how he was going to move forward after the defeat of a comprehensive immigration reform bill last month.
Continue reading "Bush Makes Little Girl Cry"
Posted at 3:53 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Immigration, President Bush
Share via
Reading Up On The White House '08 Contenders
Most Americans are looking at the field of 18 presidential candidates and asking, "Who are these guys?" Even if they're sick of the campaign coverage already, there's good news: an extra-long cycle means more time to do homework on the contenders.
Luckily for all of us (or maybe not), most of the men and one woman running for the nation's highest office have done some of that work already. NationalJournal.com's Well-Read Wonk series is taking on the candidates' autobiographies and sundry other tomes.
"Harry Potter," they're not. But good news: No waiting list. Just check back with The Gate every other Thursday for NJ's free reviews of such offerings as Rudy Giuliani's "Leadership," Mike Huckabee's "From Hope To Higher Ground," and Barack Obama's "The Audacity Of Hope" and "Dreams From My Father".
Posted at 3:22 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, WH 2008
Share via
Bush Sees Glass Half Full In Iraq
UPDATED.
President Bush dug in his heels today and told the American public he would not reconsider the current Iraq war strategy until a final report on progress there is delivered in September.
"I believe we can succeed in Iraq and I believe we must," the president said, in a rare televised press conference that was carried live on all the broadcast networks.
Bush said that his goals for Iraq -- that its government be able to "protect its people, deliver basic services and be an ally in this war against extremists and radicals" -- had not budged. He recognized the tidal wave of opposition to the war he faces, but said that the United States could not afford the chaos that would overtake Iraq if U.S. forces withdrew "precipitously."
Continue reading "Bush Sees Glass Half Full In Iraq"
Posted at 2:26 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush
Share via
Senate Delays Key Iraq Votes, But House Dems Predict Progress
The Senate showdown on Iraq will continue into next week, likely pushing votes on several contentious war-related amendments to the FY08 defense authorization bill until well after the release of President Bush's much-anticipated interim progress report on Iraq, expected as early as today.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the House were emboldened by growing calls from Senate Republicans for a change in war strategy. Democratic leaders expressed optimism yesterday that they can win today's vote on legislation designed to force a redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq by April.
See today's CongressDailyAM (subscription) for details.
Posted at 9:33 AM
Posted to:
Congress, House, Iraq, Middle East, Senate
Share via
Lady Bird Johnson Dies At 94
UPDATED.
Lady Bird Johnson, wife of the nation's 36th president and oldest living first lady, died yesterday afternoon of natural causes at the age of 94, a family spokeswoman said. Johnson had been surrounded by family and friends in her Austin home.
The Houston Chronicle describes Johnson as "a Texas legend, a woman who used the humble wildflower to teach an entire nation to treasure and preserve the environment."
The Austin American-Statesman reports: Since former President Lyndon Johnson's "death in 1973, she had split most of her time between her 'city' home in West Lake Hills and the LBJ Ranch, which sprawls over hundreds of oak-studded acres near Stonewall. Macular degeneration had caused her eyesight to fail, arthritis made it difficult to get around, and a stroke stole her ability to speak. But her spirit and sense of wonder remained as strong as ever."
Continue reading "Lady Bird Johnson Dies At 94"
Posted at 7:22 AM
Share via
July 11, 2007
Committee Weighs Options After Miers Snub
UPDATED.
Former White House counsel Harriet Miers plans to ignore a House Judiciary Committee subpoena calling for her testimony on the Hill tomorrow. Miers' attorney informed committee chairman John Conyers and Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law head Linda Sánchez last night that Miers would not appear, one day after informing Conyers that she would appear.
Miers' attorney, George Manning, confirmed that Miers would not be appearing before the committee after all in a telephone interview this afternoon. Manning would not answer any questions on why Miers had changed her mind.
About 10 minutes later, at around 3:22, the House Judiciary Committee released Conyers' and Sanchez's reactions to the turnabout. "I am extremely disappointed in the White House's direction to Ms. Miers that she not even show up to assert the privilege before the Committee," Conyers said. "We understand that the White House has asserted privilege over both her testimony and documents, and we are prepared to consider those claims at tomorrow's hearing."
Subcommittee members are expected to meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow, as scheduled. Miers' absence will be recorded, but it is unclear where the panel goes from there. A congressional aide with knowledge of the proceedings said that a discussion of how to move forward following her failure to appear is ongoing. But there is no indication the Judiciary Committee plans to drop its pursuit of her testimony, the aide added.
Continue reading "Committee Weighs Options After Miers Snub"
Posted at 5:25 PM
Posted to:
Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Harriet Miers, President Bush
Share via
Chertoff Asked To Explain Attack Warning
House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., rapped Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff today for saying he has a "gut feeling" that the nation faces an increased risk of terrorist attack this summer.
Chertoff made his comments to the Chicago Tribune's editorial board Tuesday, even while saying no evidence points toward an imminent threat.
"Words have power, Mr. Secretary," Thompson wrote in a letter to Chertoff today. "You must choose them wisely -- especially when they relate to the lives and security of the American public."
Thompson said "tens of billions of taxpayer dollars" have been spent on Homeland Security infrastructure, resources and communications systems to identify risks and convey them to state and local officials.
"What color code in the Homeland Security Advisory System is associated with a 'gut feeling?'" the letter asked. "What sectors should be on alert as a result of your 'gut feeling?' What cities should be asking their law enforcement to work double shifts because of your 'gut feeling?'"
Continue reading "Chertoff Asked To Explain Attack Warning"
Posted at 5:24 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, House, Terrorism
Share via
Cloture Rejected On Webb-Hagel Amendment
UPDATED.
After much partisan wrangling, Senate Republicans today succeeded in shelving an amendment to the FY08 defense authorization bill that would have mandated down time for active-duty troops and reservists. As they have done throughout the year on other legislation, Republicans pushed the amendment to a cloture vote, which failed 56-4.
Republicans had criticized the language, sponsored by Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., as an unconstitutional effort to tie the president's hands in a time of war. Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee ranking member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., added that the language was a "back door" move to end President Bush's strategy to increase troop levels in Iraq.
Continue reading "Cloture Rejected On Webb-Hagel Amendment"
Posted at 5:20 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Iraq, Middle East, Senate
Share via
Taylor's Account Of Firings Paints Benevolent White House Picture
Former White House aide Sara Taylor, answering a subpoena from the Senate Judiciary Committee, bobbed through a legal minefield this morning as lawmakers lobbed questions she could not answer.
"In light of the president's direction, I will answer faithfully those questions that are appropriate for a private citizen to answer while also doing my best to respect the president's directive that his staff's communications be privileged," she said in an opening statement.
Taylor had been ordered to testify in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys late last year. But on Monday, White House counsel Fred Fielding notified the committee that Taylor and Harriet Miers would not divulge to Congress matters concerning "White House consideration, deliberations or communications, whether internal or external, relating to the possible dismissal or appointment of United States Attorneys, including consideration of possible responses to congressional and media inquiries on the United States Attorneys matter."
Despite the restrictions, Taylor was able to offer a starkly different version of events from others who have testified on the matter.
Continue reading "Taylor's Account Of Firings Paints Benevolent White House Picture"
Posted at 1:50 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Harriet Miers, President Bush, Sara Taylor
Share via
White House Warms Up The Veto Pen
As debate over Iraq swept the Senate yesterday, the administration spoke up in two forms: President Bush's remarks to an Ohio audience and an official threat about the use of the presidential veto.
The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy [PDF] warning the Senate that withdrawing troops "could embolden our enemies and confirm their belief that America will not stand behind its commitments."
Besides the veto threat over any language requiring a U.S. troop pullout from Iraq, the White House threatened a veto if the bill includes any amendments restricting the president's ability to deal with neighboring Iran. In addition, any language restoring habeas corpus rights to suspected terrorists held at the military's detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, would draw a veto, according to the SAP.
Continue reading "White House Warms Up The Veto Pen"
Posted at 11:50 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, House, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Senate
Share via
Iraq: Dole, Bond Join Chorus Of GOP Dissenters
President Bush is once again vowing to wield the veto pen if Congress passes legislation calling for a scheduled withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq within the next year.
This time, however, Bush is increasingly alone in his confrontation with Capitol Hill. North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole yesterday became the latest GOP senator to hint at an imminent exit from Iraq.
"Simply put, our troops have been doing a great job, but the Iraqi government has not," Dole said in a statement. "Our commitment in Iraq is not indefinite, nor should the Iraqi government perceive it to be. It is my firm hope and belief that we can start bringing our troops home in 2008."
Dole, who chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the 2006 midterm elections, is up for re-election next year.
Continue reading "Iraq: Dole, Bond Join Chorus Of GOP Dissenters"
Posted at 11:33 AM
Posted to:
Congress, David Petraeus, Iraq, President Bush, Senate
Share via
July 10, 2007
Will Harriet Miers Show?
CORRECTED.
The House Judiciary Committee is holding another hearing on the U.S. attorney firings scandal on Thursday, with former White House counsel Harriet Miers a special guest of the proceedings. Miers did send an RSVP of sorts, through an attorney, and it has committee members confused.
In a letter sent to committee leaders yesterday, Miers attorney George Manning wrote, "I must inform you that in light of the president's assertion of executive privilege, Ms. Miers cannot provide the documents and testimony that the committee seeks."
President Bush yesterday invoked executive privilege to deny Congress access to testimony and documents from two former aides, Miers and Sara Taylor.
But a congressional aide with knowledge of the subpoena proceedings said Miers' attorney had already informed the committee that Miers would, in fact, testify.
Continue reading "Will Harriet Miers Show?"
Posted at 7:00 PM
Posted to:
Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Harriet Miers, House, President Bush
Share via
Bush Stands Firm On Iraq Despite Political Weakness
UPDATED.
In remarks delivered to a pre-selected audience at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, President Bush sought to repel a storm of attacks on his Iraq war policy.
"I'm doing my best to educate people about the perils of the world in which we live, and that we have an active strategy to deal with it," Bush said, after asking the audience to consider him the "explainer in chief."
Referring to al-Qaida in Iraq, Bush said, "They believe as strongly in their ideology as I believe in ours. They will kill a Muslim, a child, or a woman at a moment's notice to achieve their objectives."
Continue reading "Bush Stands Firm On Iraq Despite Political Weakness"
Posted at 6:40 PM
Posted to:
Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Terrorism
Share via
McCain Loses Campaign Manager, Chief Strategist
UPDATED.
Sen. John McCain, who has been struggling to right his faltering presidential bid, was hit with multiple resignations from the very top of his campaign structure today.
"This morning I informed Senator McCain that I would be resigning from his presidential campaign, effective immediately," said campaign manager Terry Nelson in a statement to the press. "It has been a tremendous honor to serve Senator McCain and work on his campaign."
Nelson was joined by chief strategist John Weaver, a longtime McCain adviser who angrily left the GOP following McCain's bruising primary loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 election.
"I believe that most Americans will come to the conclusion that I have long known there is only one person equipped to serve as our nation's chief executive and deal with the challenges we face, and that person is John McCain," Weaver said in his statement.
The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder reports that chief of staff Mark Salter has also stepped down, although he will remain on board in an advisory role.
Continue reading "McCain Loses Campaign Manager, Chief Strategist"
Posted at 4:02 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, John McCain, Republicans, WH 2008
Share via
Al-Zawahiri Threatens U.K. Over Rushdie
Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida's No. 2, has promised a "very precise response" for the British knighthood conferred on novelist Salman Rushdie.
"The policy of your predecessor has brought tragedy and defeat upon you, not only in Afghanistan and Iraq but also in the center of London," al-Zawahiri says in a 20-minute audio message released today, according to a translation by the SITE Institute. "And if you did not understand, listen, we are ready to repeat it for you, with the permission of Allah. We are sure that you have quite understood it."
Continue reading "Al-Zawahiri Threatens U.K. Over Rushdie"
Posted at 2:02 PM
Posted to:
Al-Qaida, Europe, U.K.
Share via
Baiting Ron Paul
No one's taking Ron Paul's bid for the White House seriously, and that's not sitting well with his base of support, as many news organizations well know. NationalJournal.com is no exception; we've been inundated with angry e-mails demanding we "face up to reality" and give the libertarian from Texas a higher ranking than he currently enjoys.
In late May, former Hotliner Howard Mortman decided to see what would happen if he devoted a post solely to the congressman from Texas. "First, let’s get their attention: Ron Paul Ron Paul Ron Paul Ron Paul Ron Paul. And, for good measure, Ron Pall."
The response was predictably, and hilariously, overwhelming.
Continue reading "Baiting Ron Paul"
Posted at 12:58 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Republicans, Ron Paul, WH 2008
Share via
Vitter Caught In D.C. Madam's Cross Hairs
It's been a rough year for New Orleans politicians. Just one month after Rep. William Jefferson (D) was indicted on 16 counts of bribery and fraud, Sen. David Vitter (R) has become the first member of Congress officially ensnared in the controversy surrounding the so-called D.C. Madam -- Deborah Jeane Palfrey.
The Louisiana senator released a statement late yesterday apologizing for his patronage of Palfrey's alleged prostitution ring. The disclosure of Vitter's involvement in the scandal came when Palfrey was granted permission to publish the phone records of her escort service, Pamela Martin & Associates.
Continue reading "Vitter Caught In D.C. Madam's Cross Hairs"
Posted at 11:40 AM
Posted to:
David Vitter, Senate
Share via
Senate Leaders Break Impasse Over 9/11 Commission Bill
Senate leaders reached agreement yesterday to move a massive bill implementing unfulfilled recommendations of the 9/11 commission to a conference with the House, paving the way for negotiators to wrap up work on the legislation as early as this week, according to lawmakers and their aides.
"Republicans did drop their objection to taking the bill into conference," said a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Aides said Republicans agreed to give unanimous consent to proceed to conference after Democrats dropped a provision that would have granted federal airport screeners collective bargaining rights.
Continue reading "Senate Leaders Break Impasse Over 9/11 Commission Bill"
Posted at 9:34 AM
Posted to:
Congress, Senate, Terrorism
Share via
July 09, 2007
Stevens Fears Bridge To Unemployment
Alaska Republican Ted Stevens, a one-time Senate appropriations gatekeeper, says he is worried about a Justice Department probe that may target him.
"The worst thing about this investigation is that it does change your life in terms of employment potential," Stevens told AP. "It doesn't matter what anyone says, it does shake you up. If this is still hanging around a year from November, it could cause me some trouble."
Continue reading "Stevens Fears Bridge To Unemployment"
Posted at 6:41 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Crime, House, Jack Abramoff, Senate, Ted Stevens
Share via
Snowe Signals Support For Timeline
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, this afternoon told reporters that she will support a binding timeline for troop withdrawals from Iraq.
"Nothing's happening," Snowe said of political progress by the Iraqi government. She said she hadn't yet decided what amendment to the defense authorization bill to support.
In supporting a binding timeline, Snowe went further than other Republican senators who have recently expressed frustration with progress in Iraq.
-Brian Friel
Posted at 4:45 PM
Posted to:
Iraq
Share via
White House: No Debate On Iraq Pullout
Six words are coming back to haunt President Bush this week.
You break it, you own it.
That was the advice given to him by Colin Powell, his first secretary of state and apparently the only administration official who sought to convince Bush not to go to war against Iraq.
White House press secretary Tony Snow denied a report in the New York Times that administration officials are engaged in an "intensifying" debate about how to draw down troops.
"There's no debate right now on withdrawing forces from Iraq going on at all within the White House," Snow said, according to a report by CNN's Ed Henry.
No debate? At all?
Continue reading "White House: No Debate On Iraq Pullout"
Posted at 10:44 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Robert Gates
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: DHS Vacancies, Iraq Pullout
Washington. Openings in a quarter of top leadership posts at the Department of Homeland Security have created a "gaping hole" in the country's readiness to respond to terrorist threats, according to a Washington Post story offering a peek at a congressional report coming out today.
Iraq I. Politicians warned that a U.S. pullout could result in civil war and called on Iraqi citizens to take up arms to defend themselves, after 220 people were killed in attacks over the weekend.
Continue reading "Earlybird Roundup: DHS Vacancies, Iraq Pullout"
Posted at 8:02 AM
Share via
The procedure is routine for a man who, as the AP notes, "has had four heart attacks, quadruple bypass surgery, two artery-clearing angioplasties and an operation to implant the defibrillator." Last Saturday, Cheney was the president for a few hours as George W. Bush 
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who