January 31, 2008

Army Still Lags On Mental Health Help For Soldiers

The Army's suicide rate jumped 20 percent in 2007, an apparent indicator that the military's efforts to provide adequate mental health assistance to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are still falling short.

According to internal reports, there were 89 confirmed suicides and 32 suspected suicides last year, which was also the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Iraq so far. AP reports that about 34 of the suicides took place in Iraq.

The number of suicide attempts and self-inflicted injuries also spiked dramatically. About 2,100 soldiers tried to kill or injure themselves last year, compared with about 350 in 2002, the Washington Post reports.

Military health care specialists have openly admitted that they were unprepared for the length and scope of the war in Iraq. The nearly five-year-long war entered a crunch phase last year, when DOD ordered longer deployment schedules with shorter breaks in between. Some soldiers are on their fourth tours in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

Continue reading "Army Still Lags On Mental Health Help For Soldiers"

Posted at 6:43 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military, Robert Gates
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Deficits Could Force Domestic Spending Freeze

UPDATED.

President Bush is seeking a freeze on nearly all domestic spending along with a plan to squeeze savings out of entitlement programs in his 2009 budget, AP reports.

Federal deficits are approaching the $400 billion mark this year, in part because of ongoing spending in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and in part because of a pending economic stimulus package, which is expected to cost around $150 billion and double this year's deficit.

When Bush presents his budget on Monday, he will call for $178 billion in savings from Medicare and $17 billion for Medicaid. Much of the Medicare savings would come from freezing reimbursement rates to health care providers for three years, according to AP.

The overall slowdown of the economy and an onslaught of negative economic indicators mean lower revenues this year, and the White House is expected to deliver a worse revenue prediction than a recent forecast from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Bush's budget is not likely to be well received in Congress, this being an election year. As the ripple effects of the housing bust continue to be felt in households, the new deficit estimates put Republicans running for re-election at a real disadvantage.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats appear ready to slash the price tag on their economic stimulus proposals. A stimulus package is expected on Bush's desk by Feb. 15.

Posted at 4:05 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Taxes
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Reports: Top Al-Qaida Operative Killed

One of al-Qaida's top commanders in Afghanistan, Abu Laith al-Libi, has been killed, reportedly near the Afghan-Pakistan border, several sources confirm. However, the details of his death are still fuzzy.

The news first appeared on Ekhlaas.org, a Web site used by Islamist groups, BBC News reports. It has since been confirmed by the Washington-based SITE Institute and various news organizations.

Al-Libi, a senior leader of the terrorist organization, served as a "key liaison" with the Taliban, according to AP. Citing Pakistani intelligence officials and locals, AP reports that "a missile hit a compound in a village about 2.5 miles outside Mir Ali in North Waziristan late Monday or early Tuesday, destroying the facility." Pakistani officials said they did not know the source of the missile. BBC News reports that about a dozen militants were killed in the attack, including al-Libi.

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Posted at 3:15 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Al-Qaida, Pakistan, Terrorism
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Senate Panel Sends Stimulus Bill To Floor

The Senate Finance Committee voted 14-7 Wednesday to send a roughly $157 billion economic stimulus package to the floor, adding tax breaks for alternative energies and homebuilders and disqualifying upper-income taxpayers -- including members of Congress -- from getting rebate checks. Initially the proposal had no upper-income caps at the behest of Finance Committee ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and other Republicans who considered such limits an unfair redistribution of wealth.

Under pressure from Democrats, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., agreed to phase out eligibility for rebates beginning at $150,000 of adjusted gross income per single filer and $300,000 for couples filing jointly. Those limits are twice those in the House version, which costs $117 billion over 10 years.

Unlike the House bill, Baucus' proposal also provides rebate checks to about 20 million low-income retirees dependent on Social Security benefits. "They have worked hard all their lives. They have paid taxes for a lifetime," Baucus said. "The House-passed bill would not give a stimulus check to seniors who were scraping by on Social Security income alone and had no tax liability." Baucus also agreed to a proposal by Sens. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, making about 250,000 veterans on disability benefits eligible for rebates.

The measure faces an uncertain future as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as early as today plans to queue the House version. Supporters of the Baucus measure would need to get 60 votes to substitute it for the House version.

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Posted at 8:53 AM
Posted to: Congress, Economy, Senate
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Earlybird Roundup: Levee Damage Suit, Budget Preview, Security Contractors In Iraq

Nation. A federal judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers was not liable for damages caused by the New Orleans levee system during Hurricane Katrina, protecting the agency from nearly half a million claims against it.

Washington. President Bush will unveil a budget Monday that will probably contain a $400 billion deficit.

Administration. During his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey hinted that the probe into the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes could be expanded.

Iraq. Security contractors in Iraq were asked yesterday by the Pentagon to start operating under stricter rules.

Afghanistan. A suicide bomber killed the deputy governor of Helmand province and five others in a mosque today.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 8:46 AM
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January 30, 2008

McCain Wins Giuliani Nod, Puts Entire Field On Notice

UPDATED.

"I made it clear at different times in this campaign that if I had not decided to run -- I believe I even said it at a debate -- the only person in the country that I clearly would've supported for the president of the United States would be John McCain. And that came from the heart.

"Today, I'm officially announcing my withdrawal as a candidate for president of the United States."

And with that, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani closed the chapter on his own presidential aspirations and opened a new one in this rollercoaster ride of an election cycle. McCain's victory in the Florida Republican primary yesterday was already validation that he's now the GOP front-runner. Giuliani's decision to ally himself with McCain today sent a strong message to the challengers in both fields: This election will once again center on security and defense.

"It will be a clear choice this November, and I believe that my life has prepared me. A life of service, and a life of dedication to lead this nation and the transcendent challenge of the 21st century: the great threat and evil of radical Islam," McCain said, accepting Giuliani's endorsement.

The person who should fear McCain's ascendancy most immediately is Mitt Romney, who's been pushed out of the headlines as the nation digests McCain's comeback, unthinkable just months ago. McCain not only has a delegates-count advantage going into next week's Super Tuesday contests, he also has a wide margin over Romney in national polling, which at this late date can be considered a fairly reliable indicator of how the big-prize states will vote.

Continue reading "McCain Wins Giuliani Nod, Puts Entire Field On Notice"

Posted at 7:04 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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Mukasey Frustrates Again On Waterboarding

Attorney General Michael Mukasey fended off questions today on waterboarding, CIA destruction of interrogation tapes, the U.S. attorney firings and other high-profile issues in his first appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee since his contentious confirmation hearings three months ago.

Mukasey said the CIA does not conduct waterboarding now and that the committee would be privately informed should that change. Mukasey repeatedly declined to say if waterboarding -- an interrogation technique that causes suspects to believe they are drowning -- constitutes torture, or to confirm if it was used by the CIA.

"Given waterboarding is not part of the [interrogation] program and may never be added to the program, I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on its legality," he testified. Mukasey did suggest a standard where the brutality of an interrogator's action would be weighed against the value of information elicited to decide if the act constitutes torture. That position drew rebukes from several committee Democrats.

Continue reading "Mukasey Frustrates Again On Waterboarding"

Posted at 5:48 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, CIA, Constitution, Michael Mukasey, President Bush, Terrorism
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Fed Watch: There Will Be Cuts

UPDATED.

A Wall Street rally following a 50-basis-points rate cut from the Fed today was not long for this world, as yet another negative economic report sent the Dow back down 37.47 points to close at 12,442.83. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also pulled back from afternoon bumps.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Fed slashed interest rates to 3 percent, as was widely anticipated. The confirmation sent the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 ticking back up. But bad news from the bond sector sent those indexes sinking back down.

The brief rally may just have been a sigh of relief that the Fed had delivered as projected. New data released today show economic growth is grinding down, heightening fears of a recession this year.

"Financial markets remain under considerable stress, and credit has tightened further for some businesses and households. Moreover, recent information indicates a deepening of the housing contraction as well as some softening in labor markets," the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement. "The committee expects inflation to moderate in coming quarters, but it will be necessary to continue to monitor inflation developments carefully."

Chairman Ben Bernanke joined in the near-unanimous decision. Voting against the cut was Richard Fisher, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The Board left the door open to future reductions.

"It's great that they did it now. I wish they had done it earlier," said CNBC's Jim Cramer, who has been screaming -- sometimes literally -- about the Fed's slowness to act on the housing bust and credit crunch.

Continue reading "Fed Watch: There Will Be Cuts"

Posted at 5:04 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Federal Reserve, House, President Bush, Senate
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Virginia Rep. Davis Rules Out Re-Election

Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and a strong proponent of D.C. voting rights, this afternoon became the third Republican in two days to announce he will not return to the House next year.

"After much soul-searching and discussion with those closest to me, I have decided the time is right to take a sabbatical from public life," he said in a statement. "I will serve out the remainder of my term, and plan to remain an active contributor to Republican causes, but will not run for office in 2008."

His announcement, coupled with yesterday's retirement announcement from Rep. Ron Lewis, R-Ky., and Missouri Rep. Kenny Hulshof's decision to run for governor, now mean there are 24 Republicans and 29 House members overall who are either retiring or running for higher office this year.

CongressDaily has a full list (subscription) of departing lawmakers and will have more details on Davis' announcement later this afternoon.

Posted at 2:37 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Congress, House
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Edwards Ends WH Bid But Keeps Anti-Poverty Message Alive

UPDATED.

John Edwards ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination this afternoon during a stop in New Orleans, where he first announced his entrance into the race one year ago in order to punctuate the primary theme of his campaign: combating poverty.

"It's time for me to step aside, so that history can blaze its path," he told the assembled crowd against a backdrop of newly built homes in the hurricane-ravaged Ninth Ward. "We do not know who will take the final steps to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but what we do know is our Democratic Party will make history."

Edwards, surrounded by his wife, Elizabeth, and three children, said he had spoken with the two remaining Democrats in the race -- Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama -- who both pledged to him that they'd make "ending poverty central to their campaign" and, if elected, their presidency. However, he did not formally endorse either candidate.

"America's hour of transformation is upon us," Edwards told the crowd, returning to the message of "change" that has dominated the Democratic primary race. He evoked numerous images of the kinds of struggling Americans -- the homeless, the hungry, the uninsured, neglected veterans and working people -- that he has pledged to fight for, and he promised to continue that fight even as he exits the White House race. "It's hard to speak out for change when you feel like your voice isn't being heard," but "the Democratic Party hears you," he said.

"It's time for all of us together to make the two Americas one," he concluded, echoing the theme of equality that he first laid out as a presidential candidate in the 2004 race.

Edwards thanked his supporters, volunteers and campaign staffers after saying he was "suspending" his campaign. That terminology may generate some head-scratching, but AP reports that, according to his advisers, it "was simply legal terminology so that he can continue to receive federal matching funds for his campaign donations."

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Posted at 2:05 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, John Edwards, WH 2008
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Earlybird Roundup: FutureGen, Bush Library, Mukasey Hearing

Washington. The Energy Department could drop its support for FutureGen, a proposed coal-fired power plant using cutting-edge environmental technologies.

Administration. Methodists opposed to building a George W. Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, have launched a last-ditch effort to block its construction.

Congress. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, refused to classify waterboarding as torture in a letter he sent the committee yesterday.

Iraq. Reductions in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq may not continue beyond this summer, as previously thought.

World. Jendayi Frazer, a U.S. envoy and diplomat in Africa, called recent violence in Kenya "clear ethnic cleansing" and said no party has done enough to stop the conflict.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:05 AM
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Both Houses Approve Short FISA Extension

The House and Senate approved legislation yesterday to extend a law authorizing electronic surveillance activities for 15 days beyond Friday's scheduled expiration.

The extension, which passed the House by voice vote and the Senate by unanimous consent, is intended to buy time for lawmakers to craft permanent legislation that would overhaul and reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans were still arguing over how to deal with amendments to the Senate Intelligence Committee's FISA reauthorization bill.

Continue reading "Both Houses Approve Short FISA Extension"

Posted at 7:47 AM
Posted to: Congress, House, Senate
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January 29, 2008

McCain Edges Romney In Florida; Giuliani Bowing Out

UPDATED.

John McCain edged out rival Mitt Romney to win the Republican primary in Florida, sealing his comeback status as the front-runner in this race.

"Our victory might not have reached landslide proportions, but it is sweet nonetheless," McCain said, as supporters cheered an increasingly familiar refrain, "Mac is back! Mac is back!"

"To everyone who in good times and bad devoted much time and energy and hope to keeping our candidacy competitive: Thank you from the bottom of my heart," McCain said, in reference to his astonishing revival after being left for dead last summer when his campaign operation imploded.

These numbers will be confirmed tomorrow, but McCain bested Romney by about 36 percent to 31 percent. Rudy Giuliani won 15 percent of the registered-Republicans-only vote, followed by Mike Huckabee 2 points behind. The exit polling data show some surprising alliances. Latinos overwhelmingly went to McCain, even though Romney was up with Spanish-language ads in Florida nearly a year ago. McCain also bested Romney among voters middle-aged and older. The two fared about equally among middle-income voters, with Romney gaining an edge in the $100,000-$199,990 bracket. But McCain won over Republicans earning $200,000 or more, 44 percent to 30 percent.

With Super Tuesday just a week away, McCain heads into that 24-state competition the delegate-count winner, with Romney his chief rival and Huckabee the wild card.

Meanwhile, without actually saying he was dropping out, Giuliani all but drew his campaign to a close in his concession speech tonight. He said he was "proud" of his campaign for keeping things positive -- he never really went after anyone except Romney and Ron Paul -- and nodded to his improbable candidacy and improbable strategy.

Continue reading "McCain Edges Romney In Florida; Giuliani Bowing Out"

Posted at 11:17 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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Who Let The Dogs Out? Who? Who Who?

When he's not freestyle rapping, Mitt Romney also enjoys running for president of the United States. Tonight, we will find out if the Republican voters of Florida will crown him the candidate to beat going into next Tuesday, or if his chief rival in this state, John McCain, definitively becomes 2008's Comeback Kid.

We kid the former Massachusetts governor, of course, who is poised to win the Florida primary today and put to rest doubts that he can sweep enough Super Tuesday delegates to carry him to the nomination. He shot for and missed winning the nod in the supposedly crucial (but probably not so much anymore) states of Iowa and New Hampshire, which prompted a bunch of fortune tellers to write his WH '08 obit. But Romney doesn't have the best ground game and organization in this field for nothing. Polls put [PDF] him in a dead heat for first with McCain, which could effectively make Feb. 5 a two-man contest.

That is, if potential spoiler Rudy Giuliani doesn't beat expectations. The former NYC mayor is promising he will deliver in spite of the polling numbers. He's crossing his fingers that a lot of the absentee balloting went his way, though it's not clear that would make a difference, our colleagues at Pollster.com say.

Continue reading "Who Let The Dogs Out? Who? Who Who?"

Posted at 5:43 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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House Passes Stimulus Package

The House approved a $146 billion economic stimulus package today on an overwhelming 385-35 vote. The package now heads to the Senate, where tinkering with the bill is being criticized by lawmakers who reached a deal with President Bush.

"I would hope that the timely aspect of this is recognized by my colleagues in the Senate," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. "We have to have a stimulus. There's just no question. Once you understand that, then you have a responsibility to work back to that and find common ground. I would hope that what the Senate does is respectful of the focus that we have on middle-class and lower-income people."

The House measure would send rebate checks worth $600 to individuals and $1,200 for families, plus $300 per child, while providing tax breaks to businesses. Most of the revenue loss associated with the bill takes place in FY08.

See CongressDaily (subscription) and The Gate's previous coverage of the House-negotiated bill for more details.

-Peter Cohn, CongressDaily

Posted at 3:37 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, House, President Bush, Senate
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Points For Trying

As Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius noted in her Democratic response to the State of the Union address last night, states and municipalities are experimenting with health care reforms in the absence of what many agree is a badly needed overhaul on the federal level. One of the leaders in this movement is California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who negotiated last year with Democratic state lawmakers over a universal health insurance program for his state.

The $14.9-billion proposal was eagerly anticipated by other states eyeing similar measures. Congressional lawmakers were also keen to learn from California's experience. They'll all have to wait a little longer, though, because yesterday the state Senate rejected Schwarzenegger's plan.

Per the Los Angeles Times: "Senators said it was too risky a financial commitment when California faces a $14.5-billion budget gap that could force them to cut existing healthcare programs. Schwarzenegger has proposed $2.9 billion in healthcare cuts over the next 18 months."

Continue reading "Points For Trying"

Posted at 2:32 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Health, Mitt Romney, Republicans, WH 2008
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Yet Another Disheartening Veterans Care Story

Thanks to the Washington Post's work exposing the lapses in care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Americans are more familiar than ever with the mind-boggling bureaucratic maze returning war vets must navigate. Congress is expected to act again on the reforms outlined by the Dole-Shalala commission this year. (They were included in a defense authorization bill President Bush vetoed last month.)

Though many in the military and in Congress are on board with those reforms, it often seems that the real problem with veterans care is that it is split up by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Departments and agencies don't do coordination too well in this town, as we now know all too well.

NPR's Ari Shapiro has a report highlighting this divide. For reasons they would not give, Army officials have instructed VA counterparts at Fort Drum in upstate New York not to assist disabled vets with DOD disabled benefits paperwork. One expert Shapiro interviewed surmised that DOD did so in order to save money on benefits. According to another expert, VA officials will generally do what DOD asks because they require DOD cooperation to reach out to disabled solders.

Truly, a head-scratcher. NPR reported on the DOD-VA separation last March; you can hear that report here.

Posted at 12:21 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Military, President Bush, Veterans
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U.S. Home Foreclosures Up 75 Percent In 2007

In another troubling sign of crisis in the U.S. housing market, the number of home foreclosures rose a staggering 75 percent to a total of more than 2.2 million filings in 2007, according to new data from RealtyTrac. The online seller of foreclosure properties reports that filings were up 97 percent in December compared to December 2006.

In an interview with MarketWatch, RealtyTrac's Rick Sharga concluded that the "primary driver" of the surge in foreclosures was "the high delinquency rates of these adjustable-rate subprime mortgages," and he warned that "we have one more massive wave of these loans that will adjust or reset... in late May or early June." Listen to the interview here and view RealtyTrac's findings here.

CNNMoney.com's Les Christie predicts that the "rapid rise" in foreclosure risk "could last for years."

According to Forbes' breakdown of the data, many of the hardest-hit counties are in key electoral battleground states, including some that have already held presidential nominating contests (Nevada, Michigan) and some that will weigh in next week on Super Tuesday (California, Arizona, Colorado). With overall economic concerns already a top priority for voters, the housing crisis could shape up to be one of the key issues in this year's presidential election.

Continue reading "U.S. Home Foreclosures Up 75 Percent In 2007"

Posted at 10:48 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Democrats, Economy, Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Bush, WH 2008
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Baucus Stimulus Bill Has Key Add-Ons

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., unveiled a roughly $156 billion economic stimulus package yesterday, adding low-income seniors and laid-off workers to those who would benefit from a previously agreed-upon House proposal. Business incentives would also be expanded to let companies write off losses going back five years, offsetting earlier gains and earning them refunds on previous tax bills.

"Rebates for seniors and payroll taxpayers, extended unemployment insurance, and tax relief for struggling businesses will put more cash into the American economy right away," Baucus said in a statement.

In the most significant departure from the House proposal, the Finance bill would extend jobless benefits through the end of 2008, making 13 additional weeks of unemployment insurance available. For states where unemployment rates are 6 percent or higher, an additional 13 weeks would be available.

Continue reading "Baucus Stimulus Bill Has Key Add-Ons"

Posted at 9:26 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, House, President Bush, Senate
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Earlybird Roundup: Kenya Talks, Mosul Ambush, FISA Debate

World. Rival sides prepared to hold fresh talks in Kenya today as new clashes erupted over the slaying of an opposition lawmaker.

Iraq. An American convoy was caught in an ambush by Sunni guerrillas in the northern city of Mosul yesterday; the attack killed five U.S. soldiers.

Congress. A Republican-led effort to invoke cloture on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act failed in a mostly party-line vote, leaving the fate of the measure hanging in the balance.

Administration. The Senate confirmed President Bush's nominee for agriculture secretary, Edward Schafer, with no objections yesterday despite disagreements between Congress and the administration over the pending farm bill.

Nation. A California state Senate panel rejected Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) plan to expand health insurance coverage, citing budgetary concerns.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 8:57 AM
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January 28, 2008

Liveblogging President Bush's Final State Of The Union Address

End note. SOTU affairs are always a laundry list, and few expect them to deliver poetry. This year's address (full text) did lack the rhetorical punch of previous years, particularly Bush's first SOTU address following 9/11, which received very high marks.

If there is one character trait that describes this president, it is determination-bordering-on-
stubbornness. He has largely ignored polls and the punditry, and he only changed tacks in Iraq when the calls for a change in course permeated his own administration. Plenty of Americans didn't tune in to this speech tonight, on the assumption Bush is a lame duck. That is probably not the case, at least as far as the legislature is concerned.

With his veto threat and the executive order coming Tuesday, Bush is asserting himself in a dramatic way. The rate of federal spending under Bush's watch is triple that of the Clinton administration. That Bush is positioning himself to put a foot down on pork-barrel spending was pretty unexpected in his final year in office. We'll be watching to see how it pans out.

As for Bush's various claims in tonight's speech, NPR's reporters have been posting fact checks all evening. See their corrections on the tax cuts, FISA, Iraq and entitlement reform. Good night.

10:27. A somewhat unexpected criticism of the president here: "In spite of the attempts to convince us that we are divided as a people, a new American majority has come together. We are tired of leaders who rather than asking what we can do for our country, ask nothing of us at all.

"We are Americans sharing a belief in something greater than ourselves, a nation coming together to meet challenges and find solutions; to share sacrifices and share prosperity; and focus, once again, not only on the individual good but on the common good."

It should come as little surprise that Sebelius has endorsed Barack Obama. This speech reflects Democrats' palpable eagerness to move the country well away from the Bush era.

Continue reading "Liveblogging President Bush's Final State Of The Union Address"

Posted at 10:47 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Climate Change, Congress, Democrats, Economy, Hillary Rodham Clinton, House, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Senate, Taxes, Terrorism, Trade, Veterans, WH 2008
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Troops Watch: No Answers Until Summer

When Gen. David Petraeus returns to Washington in March, he will brief Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the progress of the U.S. troop drawdown. He'll be asked how units are faring in Iraq as more of them leave, and whether the targeted reduction -- from about 160,000 to the pre-surge 130,000 by this summer -- should progress as planned.

What he won't be asked is whether troop levels can be brought down further.

On the one hand, that isn't surprising. The answer is clearly no, although the Pentagon hasn't publicly confirmed that. Violence against U.S. troops is back down to 2005 levels -- which isn't great, but it beats the carnage of 2006 and 2007.

The main U.S. objective moving forward is to help Iraq rebuild its military and security forces. In an interview with the New York Times published Jan. 15, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qadir forecast that Iraq's military forces would not be able to fend off internal and external threats independently until at least 2018.

That lines up with many U.S. commanders' assessments that significant assistance from their own country will be required in Iraq for at least a decade. Right now, the presidential candidates are bickering over whether the surge is working. A better debating point would be whether the U.S. has a responsibility to help Iraq become a fully sovereign nation or whether Washington can live with the very real possibility that all the gains made last year could be undone if American politicians oppose commanders' recommendations.

Continue reading "Troops Watch: No Answers Until Summer"

Posted at 6:18 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, David Petraeus, Democrats, Donald Rumsfeld, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Republicans, Robert Gates, WH 2008
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Bush's Plan To Halve Earmarks Getting Mixed Reviews

President Bush will veto FY09 appropriations bills that do not halve the number and cost of earmarks and will issue an executive order tomorrow directing federal agencies to ignore future earmarks that are added in report language rather than actual legislation. "If they're going to be in legislative language, that means that they have to be open for all to see, and it means that they would have to be actually voted on," said White House press secretary Dana Perino, who announced the plan today.

Bush will not challenge earmarks included in the reports of recently approved FY08 spending bills. "The president decided that he needed to give the Congress a very clear indication of what he was going to do," Perino said.

Though it will be left for another president to enforce the executive order, the White House appears to be calculating that future leaders will be reluctant to take a stand that may look supportive of earmarking by abolishing the order. "Remember, an executive order remains in place unless a future president decides to rescind it or change it," Perino said. "So we think this is a good, solid action."

Democrats were quick to criticize Bush's proposal, while some Republicans complained that it did not go far enough.

Continue reading "Bush's Plan To Halve Earmarks Getting Mixed Reviews"

Posted at 4:17 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, President Bush
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Poll: Bush's Rating On The Economy Tanks Before SOTU

As President Bush prepares to deliver the final State of the Union address of his presidency, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll [PDF] shows that not only does his job approval rating continue to hover in the low 30s, but the public's approval of his performance on the economy, which will be a main focus of his speech, has also fallen to an all-time low of just 29 percent (in a half-sample of respondents).

Bush's advisers have indicated that he will not be focusing on his legacy in the speech, and perhaps with good reason. About seven in 10 respondents told NBC/WSJ pollsters they expected Bush to be remembered as a worse president than his most recent predecessors.

See today's Poll Track for more on the survey. Meanwhile, today's Ad Spotlight has details on a national buy from liberal advocacy group Americans United for Change that is designed to keep the heat on Bush as he enters his final term in office. And check back with The Gate this evening; we'll be liveblogging Bush's final SOTU address.

Posted at 1:45 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Economy, President Bush
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Forget That 'UFO' In Texas...

... because a renegade spy satellite could be smacking into Earth in a matter of weeks. Anonymous government officials revealed Saturday that the satellite has lost power and fallen out of orbit, and it could collide with the planet in late February or early March. And that's not all: The satellite could contain hazardous materials such as hydrazine fuel that might not completely burn off upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

Incidences of space objects losing their orbits aren't unprecedented or even unusual, but smaller satellites usually break up and dissipate when they hit Earth's atmosphere. Debris that does make it through the layer protecting the planet has usually landed in remote areas, but, as one astronomer put it, that may only be because "we've been lucky so far."

A spokesman for the National Security Council tried to dispel concern with a statement saying government agencies are tracking the situation. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly," Gordon Johndroe said. "We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause."

Johndroe wouldn't comment on whether the government is considering trying to deflect the satellite from Earth's path using a missile or other technology.

NASA has successfully diverted the paths of errant space objects in the past. Scientists used rockets on the 17-ton gamma ray observatory to bring the satellite down harmlessly in the Pacific Ocean in 2000. 1979 saw the largest "uncontrolled re-entry" to date, when debris from the 78-ton Skylab space station fell into the Indian Ocean and in a remote part of Australia.

Photo by NASA

Posted at 12:24 PM
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Gater On The Air, Globally

Your dutiful blogger, Jane Roh, and Government Executive senior editor Kellie Lunney will be participating in a weekly Campaigns '08 radio roundtable moderated by Simon Marks (of "NewsHour With Jim Lehrer"). In the U.S., you can hear us on Metro Networks affiliates and on Sirius Satellite Radio's WRN. Overseas, we can be heard on stations including Radio Deutsche Welle, Austrian Broadcasting, Vatican Radio, Australian Independent Radio News and Radio New Zealand.

Listen to this week's show here.

Posted at 12:01 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Horserace '08, WH 2008
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Congress: WH Race Threatens To Hamstring Dem Majority

With Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois likely fighting for the Democratic presidential nomination well into February, and one of them virtually assured of being the nominee, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid might be doomed to spend 2008 much the same way he spent 2007 -- hamstrung by a slim majority.

With lawmakers eager to sidestep controversial votes and spend as much time as possible campaigning for their own re-elections, the track record for legislative accomplishments is already unremarkable.

This year, with Democrats holding a razor-thin majority and three senators still in the thick of the presidential race -- Clinton, Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. -- some aides foresee an even lighter-than-usual workload.

Continue reading "Congress: WH Race Threatens To Hamstring Dem Majority"

Posted at 10:30 AM
Posted to: Campaigns, Congress, Democrats, Senate, WH 2008
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Thailand Elects New Prime Minister

More than a year after a coup removed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai citizens chose one of his close allies for his old job in today's round of elections. Samak Sundaravej, a 72-year-old right-wing politician, was elected with a substantial majority in parliament, in a step largely seen as a move back toward democracy following a big shake-up in the country after the September 2006 coup.

But the New York Times is predicting trouble ahead for the new leader: "Samak is disliked by the Thai press and intelligentsia and is deeply resented by civil rights groups for his support of deadly crackdowns on peaceful protesters in the 1970s and 1990s." See the full story for more.

Posted at 8:55 AM
Posted to: Asia
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Earlybird Roundup: Anti-Terrorism Efforts, Market Uncertainty, Hinckley's Death

Administration. President Bush will ask lawmakers and the American public to take another look at free trade and give the administration credit for positive developments in the Iraq war during his final State of the Union address tonight.

Washington. The Bush administration is trying to bolster anti-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Economy. International stocks dropped again today, even though the Federal Reserve Board is expected to cut interest rates once again.

World. Another wave of violence swept Kenya this weekend, with the death toll climbing to 800 and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling for the deployment of the army.

Nation. The president of the Mormon Church, Gordon Hinckley, died last night at 97.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 8:47 AM
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January 26, 2008

Obama Pulls Off Decisive S.C. Win, Plus One Heck Of A Speech

UPDATED.

When Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the White House in February last year, he knew he was a mere mortal going up against a dragon. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, comprised the head of the Democratic Party establishment. The race for the nomination was Hillary's for the taking, the chattering classes believed, because the Clinton machine was simply too entrenched, too monied, too formidable.

Tonight, Barack Obama drove a dagger into the heart of that dragon.

In a rousing, to-the-rafters speech reminiscent of a religious revival, the one-term, 46-year-old senator from Illinois delivered a damning indictment of the very thesis of Clinton's candidacy.

"We're looking to fundamentally change the status quo in Washington. We are looking for more than a change in the party in the White House," Obama told a packed auditorium of supporters. "This is a status quo that extends beyond any particular party. We are not going to let them stand in our way any more."

Continue reading "Obama Pulls Off Decisive S.C. Win, Plus One Heck Of A Speech"

Posted at 10:36 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, President Bush, Republicans, WH 2008
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Clinton Wins W&L Mock Convention Nod

In a very close electoral battle that wasn't decided until the New York delegation cast the last vote, Washington and Lee students predicted at their centennial mock convention that Hillary Rodham Clinton would be the Democratic Party's 2008 nominee for president.

Having only missed a prediction once since 1948, this year's preview is especially risky because most political analysts are still hesitant to forecast who will win the fight between Clinton and Barack Obama.

In the end, Clinton received 2,117 votes, with Obama in a close second at 1,642. John Edwards received 288 votes, and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel got 2 delegates thanks to his native Alaska.

Continue reading "Clinton Wins W&L Mock Convention Nod"

Posted at 1:11 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, WH 2008
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January 25, 2008

WH '08: Everyone's Being So Nice! (For Now.)

Hey, you guys! It's so super to see you! No matter what happens in Florida on Tuesday, let's promise to always be friends. I am so serious!!!

Ahem.

The Republican candidates debate last night was mind-bogglingly polite -- proof that in politics, anything really is possible. Gone were the condescending swipes at Mitt Romney that dominated the previous GOP debate earlier this month. Romney, in kind, held his fire, and so for once we had a forum that was dominated by issues.

We heard some interesting ideas from the candidates on how to jump-start the economy. Mike Huckabee, for instance, made a pretty good point when he said that the rebate checks millions of Americans will receive as part of a congressional stimulus package will likely go to goods made elsewhere, which does nothing to address the dying manufacturing sector here at home.

"And frankly, in talking about the stimulus package, one of the concerns that I have is that we'll probably end up borrowing this $150 billion from the Chinese. And when we get those rebate checks, most people are going to go out and buy stuff that's been imported from China. I have to wonder whose economy is going to be stimulated the most by the package," the former Arkansas governor said.

You won't hear talk like that on the Democratic side, where it's anathema to question the soundness of cutting those checks even though economists doubt they are actually stimulative.

Yesterday's debate also saw the return of the Iraq war as a campaign issue. Romney in particular foreshadowed the general-election argument to come on this topic: "We cannot turn Iraq over to al-Qaida and have al-Qaida have a safe haven from which they could recruit people to carry out bombings, to attack this country and our friends around the world. It's unthinkable. And that's why I will not walk away from Iraq until we have been successful and finish that job."

Where there were policy differences, the candidates managed to lay out their arguments without elbowing the others along the way. We saw what looked to be genuine camaraderie between Romney and Rudy Giuliani on the heels of a New York Times article on why Romney is the most disliked candidate in this field. And speaking of Giuliani, his chuckling and snorting punctuated nearly all the lighter moments of the 90-minute debate. (Where was that Giuliani when he was mayor of New York??)

Continue reading "WH '08: Everyone's Being So Nice! (For Now.)"

Posted at 5:51 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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University Wargames The Dem Nomination Fight

Tired of watching Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton slug it out on the trail? If you want to know who the Democratic nominee is going to be, keep an eye this weekend on Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Va.

On Friday and Saturday, the university is holding its mock convention. Heralded for its accuracy, W&L's convention has correctly predicted the presidential nominee for the out-of-office party each time since 1948, except once (delegates chose Edward Kennedy over George McGovern in '72). The Gate is here in western Virginia this weekend to bring you all the sights and sounds. Check back tomorrow for the convention results. We'll be posting a comprehensive write-up plus plenty of photos on Monday.

Continue reading "University Wargames The Dem Nomination Fight"

Posted at 5:02 PM
Posted to: Democrats, WH 2008
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The New New Way Forward In Iraq

To non-hyperpartisans who've been following developments in Iraq, it's been clear for some time that there will be a significant U.S. presence there going into the next decade, regardless of which party rules the White House next year. Though both sides called a de facto truce in Congress following the anticlimactic testimony of Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker in September, lawmakers appear to be getting their sea legs back on the war debate.

A skirmish is just now brewing over the White House's negotiations with the Iraqi government concerning the longer-term American posture there. "Status of forces" agreements are standard issue with allies; we have one with more than 120 countries, according to the State Department. Iraq, of course, is not just any country, and Democrats are nervous that the new agreement will lock the U.S. into a deeper, more long-term engagement than they'd like.

It's already playing on the campaign trail. In a debate in Las Vegas last week, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama agreed to pursue legislation requiring President Bush to request congressional approval for the Iraq status of forces agreement. "I think we have to do everything we can to prevent President Bush from binding the hands of the next president," Clinton said.

Presidents usually don't have to bring those agreements before Congress, but administration officials acknowledged to the Washington Post that they might have to submit the Iraq agreement for lawmakers' approval.

Continue reading "The New New Way Forward In Iraq"

Posted at 1:08 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Constitution, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Robert Gates, Terrorism, WH 2008
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State Of Disorder

On Monday, President Bush will stand before Congress and the American people and deliver his final State of the Union address. White House press secretary Dana Perino has said Bush's speech will be "forward-looking, not retrospective in any way." But while the administration may be shying away from the L-word, that won't stop others from taking the opportunity to parse the president's legacy as he enters his final year in office.

In this week's National Journal cover story, James Kitfield focuses on Bush's lasting impact on U.S. foreign policy -- and what that will mean for the next commander in chief. "With his belated push for a Middle East peace deal and a pact ending North Korea's nuclear program, Bush is clearly trying to polish his legacy," Kitfield writes, pointing to the president's full slate of overseas trips planned for 2008. His final State of the Union address will be "a last chance to articulate a strategic vision that makes sense of a world in turmoil for a nation in a state of great unease."

Read the full article here.

Posted at 1:05 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, President Bush
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MSM Watch: When Will The Madness End?

If you've been paying attention to the news lately -- particularly on cable TV -- you're probably thinking this has been one of the most explosive weeks in electoral politics thus far in the presidential race.

First there was Mitt Romney's "spat" with an AP reporter. Then Bill Clinton "slammed" both the media and Barack Obama's campaign in a single interview (the nerve!). And in just the past 24 hours, the Republican candidates came together in harmony -- only to gang up on Hillary Rodham Clinton.

But if you actually watched any of those exchanges, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. The "Daily Show" parodied the media's penchant for overhyping political battles -- and playing ignorant to its own role -- in two segments last night. But while it may be funny to watch Jon Stewart and Samantha Bee riff on cable news reporters, it's no laughing matter to the undecided voters who rely on the media for information about the candidates.

Continue reading "MSM Watch: When Will The Madness End?"

Posted at 12:03 PM
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Italy Heads Toward Electoral Shake-Up After Prodi's Exit

Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigned from the Italian government yesterday, after losing a no-confidence vote in the Senate. He had clung to a narrow majority in the ruling body for most of his 20-month time in power, but when a small Catholic party recently left his coalition, that majority dissolved.

Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, sensing that the time may be ripe for his opposition party to seize power, immediately called for new elections to replace Prodi. The two men have been longtime rivals, and Berlusconi's center-right party has long had Prodi in its sights.

But members of Prodi's left-leaning party, which is still in power, want to hold out for electoral reform. President Giorgio Napolitano will begin talks today to discuss the future of the government, but Agence France-Presse cites observers who say that new elections are unlikely to go forward until Italy's election laws are overhauled.

Those reforms would aim to balance the instability in Italy's political system, which cycles through leaders and parties in power quickly; Prodi's 20-month term was an unusually long time for a prime minister to hold on to the office.

The Financial Times has a timeline of Prodi's life, and Bloomberg News reports on Berlusconi's prospects in the polls.

Posted at 9:22 AM
Posted to: Italy
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Earlybird Roundup: IRS Delays, Hijacking Plan, Egypt Border

Economy. Rebate checks from the new economic stimulus plan could be delayed for months due to the strain on the IRS.

Administration. A federal judge gave the White House three weeks to explain why CIA interrogation tapes were destroyed in 2005.

Congress. The Senate rejected a plan to increase court controls on government surveillance of citizens' phone calls and electronic communication.

Iraq. The Bush administration is requesting broader authority from the Iraqi government for increased military actions.

Nation. A 16-year-old boy has been arrested for claiming he had plans to hijack an airplane and crash it in Louisiana.

Mideast. Egypt has begun to close its border with the Gaza Strip, trying to staunch the flow of Palestinians moving in and out of the country.

World. A car bomb exploded in Beirut today, killing an anti-terrorism police expert and four other people.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:05 AM
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Senators: WH Plans To Eliminate FOIA Office

Less than a month after President Bush signed legislation overhauling the Freedom of Information Act, the measure's main Senate backers are accusing the White House of planning to scuttle a special FOIA office in violation of the law.

An aide to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said Office of Management and Budget officials have told committee staff that they plan in the president's FY09 budget to park within the Justice Department all the funding authorized by the new law for a Government Information Services Office within the National Archives and Records Administration.

The office would include an ombudsman to oversee FOIA disputes across government. It is intended to push agencies to comply with the law, address FOIA backlogs and speed up resolution of FOIA requests. The office has not received any appropriations and its budget has not been set.

But by shifting the funding to the Justice Department, OMB would effectively eliminate the office, because it appears no similar operation would be created there, Leahy's aide said. Instead, the funds apparently would go to the department's Information Policy Office, which now oversees government FOIA compliance.

Continue reading "Senators: WH Plans To Eliminate FOIA Office"

Posted at 7:40 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, President Bush, Senate
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January 24, 2008

Plain Dealer: Kucinich To Exit Presidential Race

UPDATED.

Presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich is bowing out of the Democratic primary race, his hometown paper is reporting. According to Openers, the political blog of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kucinich will explain his "transition" out of the race at a news conference around noon tomorrow in Cleveland. He promises a "rather lengthy statement" on his reasons for dropping out.

In an exclusive interview, Kucinich also said he would not be endorsing one of his Democratic rivals in the primary race, perhaps a surprising decision considering that he had urged supporters to back Barack Obama as a second choice in the Iowa caucuses. See the Plain Dealer's interview here.

In recent weeks, Kucinich has been spending much of his time and energy trying to maintain some kind of role in an increasingly whittled-down Democratic field. In particular, he has vocally (and in some cases legally) contested his exclusion from several televised debates.

But in recent days, the Ohio congressman's attentions have turned back to his home turf, where he faces primary challenges from Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman and North Olmstead Mayor Thomas O'Grady, among others.

Continue reading "Plain Dealer: Kucinich To Exit Presidential Race"

Posted at 4:35 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, WH 2008
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WH Yields On Wiretap Documents As Congress Mulls FISA

After months of resistance, the Bush administration has agreed to hand over secret documents about its controversial warrantless wiretapping program to Congress. Last year, some members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence told the White House they would not approve immunity deals for telecommunication firms involved in the wiretapping program unless they were given access to the classified information.

An aide to Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, told AP that members and staff of both the intelligence panel and the House Judiciary Committee were to begin pouring over the documents at the White House today.

The Bush administration is vigorously pressing members of Congress to approve a permanent renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the current version of which expires next month. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have made the inclusion of legal immunity for telecom firms a top priority, with Bush threatening to veto any measure that did not include such protections.

Today, Senate Democrats failed to add an amendment to a FISA renewal bill that would have denied legal protections for telecom firms involved in the wiretapping program -- "a major defeat for Democrats who said" Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy's "measure would have done the best job of protecting the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens," CongressDailyPM reports. See the full story (subscription) for details on the Senate negotiations.

Posted at 4:20 PM
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House Leaders: Stimulus Not Perfect But Will Do The Trick

UPDATED.

In a rare display of bipartisan camaraderie, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner urged colleagues to get their $145 billion compromise stimulus package to the White House ASAP.

"We will bring it to the floor at the earliest date so those rebate checks can be in the mail," Pelosi said during a joint press conference with her Republican counterpart and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who represented the Bush administration during the late-night negotiations yesterday.

The legislation includes tax rebates from $300 to $1,200, with low-wage earners at one end and middle-income joint filers on the other. Recipients will also receive a $300-per-child bonus on top of what they get in rebates.

Those figures are lower than the expected $800-$1,600 range, but in exchange for lowering the disbursements, congressional Republicans agreed to extend the rebates to workers who don't earn enough to pay income taxes. Individuals who earned at least $3,000 in 2007 will get a check for $300, while mid-level earners would receive at least $600. Individuals earning more than $87,000 and families earning more than $187,000 won't get a check. Individuals who fall in the $75,000-$87,000 range and households in the $150,000-$187,000 would receive reduced checks.

"This is an initiative to strengthen the middle class and those who aspire to be in the middle class," Pelosi said, adding that the rebates were going to those who will "spend it right away to inject demand into the economy to help create jobs and to help turn around the economy."

Calling the deal "a big win for the American people," Boehner seconded Pelosi's assessment of the package. "It will stimulate our economy in the most direct and effective way possible, by putting money in the hands of middle-income families and giving businesses incentives to create and keep new jobs in the economy," he said

Both sides were forced to make concessions in order to reach speedy agreement on the package. Pelosi and her caucus gave up on an expansion of food stamps and unemployment benefits, and also consented to as much as $50 billion in tax breaks for businesses. In return, Republicans agreed to extend the rebates to the 35 million-plus workers who don't earn enough to owe income taxes and would have been ineligible for the rebates under President Bush's original plan.

"The Speaker gave some, we gave some. This was not easy, as most of you know, for the two of us and our respective caucuses... to have to come together and work in a bipartisan way and reach a compromise that I think is in the interest of the American people," Boehner said.

"I can't say that I'm totally pleased with the package, but I can say it will help the economy. And if it does not, there will be more legislation to come," Pelosi vowed.

Continue reading "House Leaders: Stimulus Not Perfect But Will Do The Trick"

Posted at 3:40 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Federal Reserve, House, President Bush, Senate, Taxes
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Freedom Falters Worldwide

If 2007 seemed like a bad year for democracy, that's because it was, according to new data from Freedom House, a U.S.-based organization that monitors and promotes freedom around the world. The group recently released its report on 2007, citing a "notable setback for global freedom" for the second consecutive year.

Freedom House uses its own set of criteria to divide nations into three categories: "free," "partly free" and "not free." In 2007, one-fifth of the world's nations experienced a decline in freedom, the group says. Although the number of countries in the "not free" category did not grow over the last year, "there were many changes within these broad categories" that demonstrate an alarming trend, a press release announcing the report claims. These reversals were seen in countries across the globe -- from sub-Saharan Africa to the former Soviet Union.

Nearly four times as many countries saw declines in levels of freedom as showed improvement. Dishearteningly, several countries that had been experiencing progress toward democracy in recent years, such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Kenya, took steps backward in 2007. Two former Soviet countries that underwent "color revolutions" fairly recently -- Kyrgyzstan and Georgia -- also reversed track last year, Freedom House reports.

Continue reading "Freedom Falters Worldwide"

Posted at 2:16 PM
Posted to: Africa, Asia, China, Europe, Iran, Kenya, Middle East, Pakistan
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McCain Wins Coveted Rambo Endorsement

Haha, we kid. About the "coveted" part, anyway. But seriously, Sylvester Stallone really has endorsed Arizona Sen. John McCain for president.

"I like McCain a lot. A lot," Sly told Fox News. "And you know, things may change along the way, but there's something about matching the character with the script. And right now, the script that's being written and reality is pretty brutal and pretty hard-edged like a rough action film, and you need somebody who's been in that to deal with it."

Continue reading "McCain Wins Coveted Rambo Endorsement"

Posted at 12:50 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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Earlybird Roundup: Stimulus Plan, Telecom Immunity, Kenya Talks

Administration. President Bush will present four major themes in his State of the Union speech on Monday: the economy, FISA, successes in Iraq and trade agreements.

Economy. The Bush administration and congressional leaders are trying to hash out an economic stimulus plan, but significant roadblocks stand in their way.

Congress. Senate Democrats are divided on whether telecom companies should be granted legal immunity for helping to wiretap suspected terrorists' phones without warrants.

Iraq. Moderate Sunni militias, backed by U.S. forces, are increasingly threatened by a new wave of attacks from Sunni insurgents.

World. Kenya's president met with the country's main opposition leader yesterday -- the first face-to-face talks since the disputed election.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:56 AM
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Bush Stands Firm On DOJ Nominee

Watching President Bush's congenial interaction with Democratic congressional leaders as they hammer out the details of an economic stimulus package, one may be tempted to see a promising sign of bipartisan cooperation during Bush's final year in office. But don't let the photo opportunities fool you. On other issues, particularly those pertaining to law and national security, the White House and Capitol Hill remain worlds apart.

In the latest example of the continuing partisan rifts over CIA interrogation techniques, Bush renominated lawyer Steven Bradbury to a senior post at the Department of Justice yesterday, despite years of Democratic resistance to his nomination.

Bradbury, who has been the acting head of DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel for more than two years without being confirmed by the Senate, has run into opposition from Democrats because he signed several classified memos in 2005 authorizing harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects.

Continue reading "Bush Stands Firm On DOJ Nominee"

Posted at 8:15 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, CIA, Congress, Michael Mukasey, President Bush, Senate
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Mosul Police Chief Killed

A suicide bomber killed the head of the Mosul police force this morning. Brigadier Gen. Saleh Mohammed Hassan was touring the site of yesterday's massive bombing when he was approached by a man wearing an explosives vest under an Iraqi police uniform. Two officers were also killed.

Police had been investigating the three-story building destroyed yesterday due to reports that it was being used to stockpile weapons or produce bombs. It had been rigged with explosives, and because it was located in the middle of a city block, its destruction injured scores of people. At least 30 were killed and more than 130 wounded.

Mosul is becoming a "gathering point and growing target for Sunni insurgents," the Washington Post reports, and the London Guardian calls it "the last urban centre with a strong al-Qaida presence." See the stories for more details.

Posted at 7:52 AM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Iraq, Middle East, Terrorism
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January 23, 2008

Econ Watch: Throwing $$$ At The Problem

Yesterday, President Bush and the leaders of his political opposition, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, strongly signaled that they were on board with the outlines of the White House's economic stimulus proposals. That may be by necessity, since all parties are under intense pressure to jolt consumers and businesses into spending again.

Though Republicans and Democrats in Congress are still quibbling over who will get the tax rebates -- everyone, or just those who pay income tax -- the global market chaos of this week is spurring them to make a deal, fast. "There are no issues of disagreement right now," House Minority Leader John Boehner told reporters yesterday. Though Bush's plan doesn't include rebates for low- and moderate-income workers who pay more in payroll tax than income tax, there are signs that Republicans can be persuaded to include those groups.

"It must be broad-based. To be effective, the package must reach a large number of citizens," Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a speech yesterday. The Washington Post interpreted Paulson's selection of the word "citizens," rather than "taxpayers," as a sign that the White House is also willing to expand coverage of its tax rebates.

The Democrats' case -- that low-income people who aren't eligible for those $800-$1,600 checks not only need them the most, but are more likely to spend them immediately -- is a compelling one. But before we go there, maybe lawmakers should explain why mailing out checks to millions of Americans is a good idea in the first place.

Continue reading "Econ Watch: Throwing $$$ At The Problem"

Posted at 4:56 PM
Posted to: Ben Bernanke, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Economy, Federal Reserve, President Bush, Taxes, WH 2008
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Senate Resumes Sparring Over FISA; Cheney Pushes For Renewal

UPDATED.

Vice President Dick Cheney today urged Congress to pass legislation that permanently addresses the nation's surveillance law and shields telecommunications companies from lawsuits for helping the Bush administration spy on U.S. citizens without court warrants. Cheney made his remarks in a short speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation, just as the Senate was moving toward resuming debate on Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act legislation. CongressDailyPM (subscription) has details on Cheney's remarks.

The opening salvo over FISA renewal was fired yesterday in the Senate, as Democratic leaders sought more time to craft legislation while the White House and Republicans ramped up pressure for immediate action.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked Republicans late yesterday for another month to craft permanent legislation to overhaul FISA; a temporary law making changes to the bill expires Feb. 1. Reid said more time was needed for lawmakers to work out their differences and to conference with the House. "It's not fair to the House to jam them so that they have one day to act on this," Reid said.

Continue reading "Senate Resumes Sparring Over FISA; Cheney Pushes For Renewal"

Posted at 3:30 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Senate, Terrorism
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CBO Predicts Growing Deficit But No Recession Next Year

The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting that, after three years of declining budget deficits, the FY08 shortfall will rise to $219 billion, up from $163 billion last year. The estimates do not factor in the costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, extensions of expiring tax cuts and the economic stimulus package.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., estimated that about 80 percent of the $140 billion to $150 billion impact of the stimulus will be felt in this fiscal year, along with $30 billion more in war costs, for an FY08 deficit actually exceeding $350 billion. The new forecasts "show an explosion in federal deficits and debt if we continue to follow the president's deficit-financed tax and spending policies," he said in a statement.

The report noted that if President Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts were extended, if Congress continued to prevent the alternative minimum tax from hitting more taxpayers and if discretionary spending continued to grow beyond inflation, it would add $5.7 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years when debt service is factored in. At the end of five years, instead of being in balance, the budget actually would have a deficit of $402 billion, CBO said.

Continue reading "CBO Predicts Growing Deficit But No Recession Next Year"

Posted at 3:10 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy
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Rebel Groups & Congo Gov't Sign Peace Deal

The government and armed rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace deal today aimed at putting an end to months of fighting in the country's eastern Kivu provinces, which has displaced nearly 500,000 people. The various sides in the conflict have been negotiating for two weeks in the city of Goma.

The agreement signed today "is the first public and official peace settlement for the two Kivu provinces," Agence France-Presse reports. "The overall conference recommendations, made by elected politicians, members of the different ethnic communities, local business people and other community players, count for a lot on further help from the U.N. mission in" Congo, "the largest peacekeeping force deployed by the world body." (BBC News has details on the agreement.)

According to CNN, the peace accord comes as a new report details the horrors that have beset Congo in the years since a nationwide war broke out in 1998. In the past 10 years, some 5.4 million people have died in the violence. The monthly death rate now stands at about 45,000, according to a study from the International Rescue Committee. Reuters has background on the conflict, and the IRC has the full report available online.

Posted at 2:35 PM
Posted to: Africa
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WH 2008: The Ad War Goes National

Feb. 5 -- the dreaded "Super Tuesday" when residents in nearly two dozen states go the polls to vote in their presidential primaries -- is now less than two weeks away. And for those few remaining Americans who had chosen to remain blissfully unaware of the ins and outs of the White House race, the jig is now officially up. Whether you like it or not, you're going to be hearing from the candidates -- via paid television advertisements.

Democratic hopeful Barack Obama became one of the first candidates to go national with his latest TV ad buy. The spot, which features clips from his now-famous keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, is already in heavy rotation on CNN and MSNBC. Consider it the first flurry in an upcoming blizzard of ads that will begin to hit TV sets in states where there's been little to no campaign activity thus far.

Today's Ad Spotlight has more on Obama's ad, including the controversy over his decision to air it nationally at a time when Democratic candidates have pledged not to campaign in Florida.

Posted at 2:16 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, WH 2008
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Gazans Pour Into Egypt

UPDATED.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians entered Egypt today, after bombers destroyed a seven-mile stretch of wall separating the country from a Gaza Strip border town. Israel has been stopping the flow of supplies into the area in response to continued rocket attacks from militants, and many Palestinians in Rafah and other Gaza cities have gone without adequate food, electricity and medicine from Israel for five days.

The U.N. Security Council convened an emergency session yesterday, one day after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "to express concern about the situation," Bloomberg News reports. The U.N. has been much more critical of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians than the U.S. or its Western allies.

About a million and a half Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, which is currently controlled by the militant group Hamas. Although Hamas didn't take responsibility for knocking down the wall, the group expressed tacit approval for its destruction by controlling traffic across the border and not making a move to prevent people from moving back and forth. Egypt had previously refused to open the Rafah crossing, but after the wall was destroyed, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he had ordered the military not to stop the Palestinians immediately.

"I told them to let them come in and eat and buy food and then return them later as long as they were not carrying weapons," he told reporters in Cairo.

Gunmen began assaulting the metal wall before dawn this morning -- not long after Israel had begun re-supplying Gaza's power plant with fuel last night in an effort to avert a humanitarian crisis.

Posted at 12:24 PM
Posted to: Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians
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Earlybird Roundup: Defense Bill, Enron Case, Iran Resolution

Congress. The Senate approved the defense authorization bill by a near-unanimous margin yesterday. The bill includes a provision exempting Iraq from lawsuits dating back to Saddam Hussein's rule.

Supreme Court. The justices refused to hear a case brought by Enron stockholders suing major banks to try to recover their lost investments.

Administration. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chided President Bush's special envoy on North Korean human rights for criticizing U.S. diplomatic strategy in that country.

Iraq. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a high school in the Diyala province yesterday, wounding 21 people.

World. Members of the U.N. Security Council have agreed to a new resolution that would strengthen sanctions against Iran.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:30 AM
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January 22, 2008

Econ Watch: The 'Uh-Oh' Heard 'Round The World

UPDATED.

President Bush sought to assure investors and consumers that a relief package was on the way, though he made no promises about when.

"I believe we can find common ground to get something done," he said, flanked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. They were joined by Bush's economic team at the White House for a briefing on Bush's recent trip to the Middle East as well as a discussion of the $150 billion stimulus package the president proposed on Friday.

"The economy is inherently strong, but it needs to get a boost. We need to make sure this uncertainty doesn't translate into more economic woes for our workers and businesspeople," Bush said.

Bush was discussing the nation's economy with opposition leaders in Congress on a day of dizzying volatility in the U.S. and global markets. This morning, the Federal Reserve Board made its first emergency rate cut since shortly after the 9/11 attacks, voting to slash its benchmark interest rate by 75 basis points to 3.5 percent. The move was meant to provide immediate relief for debtors in an economy seized by a two-fer liquidity and credit drought.

The surprise announcement came one week before the Fed's regularly scheduled meeting, at which it was expected to further nick at rates by 50 basis points. The move did nothing, initially, to mitigate fears that the U.S. economic slowdown is having a tsunami effect on global markets. The Dow plummeted more than 460 points soon after the opening bell.

But the emergency cut was also a signal that the Fed stands at the ready to react aggressively to the economy's downturn. By noon the sell-off had slowed, and the Dow mostly recovered to close down 128 points, or 1.1 percent.

Continue reading "Econ Watch: The 'Uh-Oh' Heard 'Round The World"

Posted at 5:02 PM
Posted to: Asia, Ben Bernanke, Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Europe, Federal Reserve, President Bush
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Fred Thompson Bows Out; Will He Endorse McCain?

UPDATED.

After running what often seemed a half-hearted campaign for the presidency, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is dropping out of the race for the Republican nomination.

"Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States," Thompson said in a brief, 45-word press statement. "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."

His campaign delivered the same message to his supporters on the popular social networking site Facebook, though with this added note: "Thanks for your support, everyone."

Thompson opted for an exit not typical for major presidential candidates, most of whom choose to deliver the news that they are ending their bids in a personal address to the volunteers and supporters who've spent months toiling on their behalf. Saturday night, after the results of the South Carolina Republican primary showed he'd finished a negligible third, would have been a prime opportunity to have done so.

Many expected Thompson to drop out that night if he did not place at least second. Instead, he joked that he still might win and gave no indication one way or another about the future of his campaign.

Continue reading "Fred Thompson Bows Out; Will He Endorse McCain?"

Posted at 3:49 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Republicans, WH 2008
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Judge Gives Padilla 17 Years

Jose Padilla, the onetime accused dirty-bomber whom the U.S. government tried to prosecute for five years in an untested legal maze, has been sentenced to 17 years and four months in prison for aiding terrorists abroad.

The charges on which Padilla was convicted last summer are a far cry from the initial accusations against the 37-year-old American citizen. When he was picked up in 2002 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the Justice Department accused him of plotting to detonate radioactive, or dirty, bombs in the U.S.

Continue reading "Judge Gives Padilla 17 Years"

Posted at 12:55 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Detainees, Jose Padilla, Terrorism
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Earlybird Roundup: ID Requirements, Congo Peace Accord

Washington. In defiance of Congress, the Homeland Security Department is pushing ahead with a change in the identification requirements for people crossing into the U.S. from Canada.

Administration. The Washington Post reports on the White House's "inadequate archiving system" for its electronic communication.

Iraq. A U.S. soldier killed by a roadside bomb Saturday became the first to die in an attack on a new armored vehicle that the military had hoped would reduce the number of fatalities.

World. Congo's government has reached a peace deal with a rebel leader.

Nation. California has sent its first agricultural trade mission to Cuba.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:02 AM
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U.N. Power Players Huddle On Iran

The U.N. Security Council meets in Berlin today to try to reach a consensus stance toward Iran -- a tough job, due to the differing positions of the five permanent members of the council, as well as Germany. President Bush emphasized the need to take a unified position opposing Iran on his recent sweep of the Middle East, about a month after a U.S. report suggested Iran had suspended its nuclear program years ago.

"Much of the momentum was lost when the National Intelligence Estimate came out,'' one analyst told Bloomberg News. "I think they will find it difficult to regain the momentum soon.''

Two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, are opposed to taking further action against Tehran, and either country could veto new sanctions proposed by other members of the group.

Bloomberg has more background, and AP explains the goals of the talks.

Posted at 8:04 AM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East, U.N.
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January 19, 2008

Super Saturday I: McCain Wins S.C. Primary In Nail-Biter

UPDATED.

Now you may call it a comeback: John McCain has taken the South Carolina Republican primary.

McCain pulled out a narrow victory over Mike Huckabee, 33 percent to 30 percent. Fred Thompson (16 percent) and Mitt Romney (15 percent) basically tied for third.

"You know, it took us a while, but what's eight years among friends?" McCain quipped in his trademark self-deprecating manner, referencing his South Carolina loss to President Bush in 2000. "As I have said before, I know that before I can win your vote, I must earn your respect. And the only way I know how to do that is by being honest with you. I have tried to do that throughout this campaign, and to put my trust in your willingness to give me your fair consideration. So far, it seems to be working out just fine," he continued, in a room filled with ecstatic volunteers and supporters who minutes before had been chanting "Mac is back! Mac is back!"

McCain also made sure to note -- or gloat, perhaps -- that the chattering classes had declared his campaign DOA just months ago. "I am aware that for the last 28 years, the winner of the South Carolina primary has been the nominee of our party. We have a ways to go, of course," he said. "There are some tough contests ahead, starting tomorrow in the state of Florida. But, my friends, we are well on our way tonight. And I feel very good about our chances."

The outcome in South Carolina tonight is meaningful for at least two big reasons. One is that neither Huckabee nor McCain directly engaged in a negative way in a state infamous for its down-and-dirty politics.

Continue reading "Super Saturday I: McCain Wins S.C. Primary In Nail-Biter"

Posted at 10:05 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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January 18, 2008

Can This Brand Be Saved?

It's been one year since the unofficial kickoff of the 2008 presidential campaigns, and the state of play for the Republican nomination contest is remarkable both for what has changed and what hasn't.

Most obviously different are the front-runners. Mike Huckabee, nationally unknown this time in 2007, now rides comfortably in the top tier. He's always had the goods to do well in this campaign but faced long odds against better-funded celebrity candidates.

Both he and John McCain have smashed pundits' expectations and are now enjoying the attention and funding that front-runner status guarantees. But in many ways, the game for the Republicans hasn't changed one bit. This field still lacks a candidate who is all things to all GOP voters. The party isn't coalescing around one or two choices, as is happening in the Democratic race. Rather, the party is being divvied up like a pie, with each candidate representing just a slice of the big-picture GOP platform.

The primary vote is so fractured, in fact, that a brokered convention actually seems a distinct possibility. Yeah, yeah, we hear that every other cycle. Only, the longer you examine the differences among Huckabee, McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, the more completely, utterly irreconcilable those differences seem. MSNBC's Chris Matthews is taking even more heat this week for a comparison he made between the GOP and Iraq's warring factions. Matthews may have stumbled through that analogy rather inelegantly, but he is on to something.

Continue reading "Can This Brand Be Saved?"

Posted at 3:25 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Karl Rove, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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Nicholas Burns To Leave State Dept.

Nicholas Burns, No. 3 at the State Department and chief U.S. negotiator in the push to increase international sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, is leaving the agency after 26 years of foreign service, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today. The undersecretary of state for political affairs is officially leaving his post in March, citing personal reasons for his departure.

"This is a very bittersweet time for us because Nick Burns has decided that it is time for him to retire,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in announcing his resignation. “He has decided that it’s the right moment to go back to family concerns.”

President Bush plans to nominate U.S. Ambassador to Russia William Burns (no relation) for the post. Meanwhile, Nicholas Burns has pledged to "help push the US-India civilian nuclear deal to conclusion and also help in efforts by the Bush administration to secure an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement" as part of his retirement, Agence France-Presse reports.

AP and the New York Times have more details on this story. The State Department has a biography of Burns here.

Posted at 2:50 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Middle East, President Bush
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Bush Pushes Tax Cuts As Cure For Economy's Ills

As expected, President Bush publicly called on Congress today to prioritize an economic stimulus package that will include immediate tax rebates for Americans. The new sense of urgency comes one day after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recommended the government take immediate measures to perk up economic growth.

"I've concluded that additional action is needed," Bush said in a brief statement at the White House. "Congress and the administration need to work to enact an economic growth package as soon as possible."

The president indicated that the White House and congressional leaders from both parties were largely in agreement on the outline of the package. The legislation is expected to include $145 billion in immediate tax relief, mostly in the form of rebates.

"The package must be big enough to make a difference in an economy as large and as diverse as ours," Bush said, recommending that the stimulus be equivalent to 1 percent of GDP. "This package must be temporary and take effect right away, so we can get help to our economy when it needs it most."

The president's previous assessments of the economy have been mostly upbeat, despite the carnage resulting from the housing and credit meltdowns. In December, Bush announced a program designed to aid struggling homeowners and put the brakes on foreclosures. Big banks and brokerages including Merrill Lynch and Citibank reported record losses stemming from the subprime crash in the last quarter. Those negative reports, plus sluggishness in productivity and job growth, plus continued softness in the dollar, plus record-high gas prices, have sent Wall Street into a tailspin.

Continue reading "Bush Pushes Tax Cuts As Cure For Economy's Ills"

Posted at 12:19 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, President Bush, Taxes
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Waxman: Hundreds Of Days Of WH E-Mails Missing

Henry Waxman fired the next volley in Congress' fight with the Bush administration over missing White House e-mails, publicly challenging the administration's version of events and setting a hearing for Feb. 15. The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee strongly disputed White House spokesman Tony Fratto's comments yesterday that there was "no evidence" any e-mails sent between 2003 and 2005 were missing.

"We have no evidence and we have no way of showing that any e-mail at all are missing," Fratto said yesterday -- moving away from the White House's earlier position that it was uncertain about the matter.

That assertion seemed to go one step too far for Waxman, who called Fratto's assertion "an unsubstantiated statement that has no relation to the facts they have shared with us."

The California Democrat disclosed an internal White House summary showing that, contrary to Fratto's statement, there were 473 days between 2003 and 2005 during which no electronic communication was archived for some government offices. Among them are the Executive Office of the President, which had no backup copies for 12 days, and the Office of the Vice President, which had no backup copies for 16 days. The White House is required to preserve official communication.

AP and the Washington Post have more details on the hearings set for next month.

Posted at 8:55 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, House
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Nevada Caucus Decision: The Campaigns Respond

Yesterday's decision to allow several Las Vegas casinos to double as caucus sites in tomorrow's presidential nominating contest was met with predictable responses from the two campaigns expected to be most affected by the ruling.

Barack Obama, whose backing by the state's Culinary Workers Union is expected to boost his standing among the laborers who will be caucusing at the casino sites, hailed U.S. District Court Judge James Mahan's decision and chided rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign in a meeting with the San Francisco Chronicle's editorial board yesterday.

"This caucus process was designed by Democratic Party of Nevada in conjunction with the Democratic National Committee," he told the board. "I, as somebody who's not part of the establishment of the Democratic Party, had no say in the rules... [but] individuals like Harold Ickes, Clinton's key adviser, were a part of making these rules. And some of the people who filed the lawsuit were a part of making these rules," he added in reference to the involvement of Clinton supporters in challenging the casino sites.

Late yesterday afternoon, the Clinton camp came out with its own statement disavowing any involvement in the lawsuit but clearly expressing regret at the decision. "Make no mistake -- the current system that inhibits some shift workers from being able to participate, while allowing others to do so, would seem to benefit other campaigns. More importantly it is unfair," the statement reads. "The Obama campaign has been clear in its belief that whoever wins the culinary union endorsement will win Nevada. We will leave it up to the people of Nevada to make that decision."

For background on the disputed sites, see The Gate's coverage here.

Posted at 8:50 AM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, WH 2008
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Earlybird Roundup: Economic Stimulus, Trade Goals, Blame For Bhutto Assassination

Economy. President Bush will present a new economic stimulus plan today, a day after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned lawmakers they should move quickly if they were going to take action.

Administration. The White House could be heading for free trade conflicts with Colombia and South Korea -- an agenda that contrasts with Congress' goals.

Pakistan. The CIA is blaming al-Qaida and a Pakistani tribal leader for last month's assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

Iraq. The No. 2 general in Iraq said yesterday that Iran is still training and funding insurgent troops in Iraq.

Nation. Waiting times for legal immigrants to receive visas and naturalization documents are going up, according to a new study.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 8:45 AM
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January 17, 2008

WH '08: The MSNBC Pile-On (Updated)

First, the disclosure: MSNBC is a content partner of National Journal.

Thanks to a swirl of big economic news and the Republican National Committee's Winter Meeting (our post on that goes up tomorrow), we're a little late with the reaction to Tuesday night's Democratic candidates debate that we promised. If you watched it, you'll recall that moderators Brian Williams and Tim Russert started off the forum in Vegas with questions about the race tiff between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama -- which both sides had by then declared over. (If you missed it, see our liveblog coverage.)

More to some viewers' chagrin, Williams brought up the dirty-politicking, false Internet rumors about Obama's secret Islamofascist plot to take over the country.

Continue reading "WH '08: The MSNBC Pile-On (Updated)"

Posted at 9:54 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Media, WH 2008
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Dow Plummets; Bernanke Calls For Stimulus ASAP

UPDATED.

Blue chips sank more than 300 points today, the biggest single-day drop of the year so far. The slide suggests that a federal economic stimulus fix currently in the works may be arriving too late for investors' tastes.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers this morning that if they were serious about putting the brakes on the U.S. economic slowdown, any congressional stimulus package would have to be implemented sooner rather than later.

"To be useful, a fiscal stimulus package should be implemented quickly and structured so its effects on aggregate spending will be felt in the next months or so," Bernanke said in his opening remarks before the House Budget Committee. "There could be destabilization if the package comes at a time growth is improving. Measures that rely on long lead times will not provide stimulus when it is most needed."

President Bush had been expected to announce his own stimulus package ahead of his State of the Union address on Jan. 28, but the White House said today that he would be discussing the proposals on deck in a speech tomorrow. Investors are clearly impatient for some sort of cash injection into the economy, and a round of negative economic reports today only underscored the urgency with which Wall Street wants help halting the nation's growth slowdown.

Notably, Bush appears to be heeding the advice dispensed by Bernanke, and moving more quickly on a stimulus package than originally planned. At the noon press briefing, while Bernanke was still testifying, spokesman Tony Fratto said there was no time frame for when the president planned to address the economy and indicated the White House was still hanging on to hope it would be able to use the package to make tax cuts permanent.

Bush met with congressional leaders from both parties following Bernanke's testimony, and press secretary Dana Perino announced that the president's main concerns now were that the package be temporary, effective and pass as quickly as possible. According to House Minority Leader John Boehner, the package could top out at $150 billion.

Continue reading "Dow Plummets; Bernanke Calls For Stimulus ASAP"

Posted at 4:46 PM
Posted to: Ben Bernanke, Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Federal Reserve, House, President Bush, Taxes
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Mr. Colbert Goes To The Smithsonian

Is there anything Stephen Colbert can't do with a little prodding (and a lot of shouting) on his Comedy Central talk show? After several days of needling by the faux-conservative pundit, Washington's own notoriously buttoned-up Smithsonian Institution "agreed to go along with the joke" this week and hang Colbert's "triple portrait" for a limited time at the National Portrait Gallery.

In several recent episodes of the "Colbert Report," the would-be presidential candidate urged the Smithsonian to treat him as a "national treasure" and offered to donate his portrait, which actually features three different images of Colbert, to the National Museum of American History. The director of that museum, perhaps not willing to endure months of taunting by the often relentless comedian, compromised and offered the painting to the National Portrait Gallery, which "after much 'discussion'" agreed to hang it in an "appropriate place" -- between the bathrooms and above the water fountain near its "America's Presidents" exhibit.

AP has more on this story. If you want to see the portrait, act quickly: The Smithsonian is taking great pains to let everyone know this little charade won't last forever. The museum has details here.

Photo by Amy Baskette for the National Portrait Gallery

Posted at 4:01 PM
Posted to: Media
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Dissecting Nevada's Caucus Fracas

UPDATED.

U.S. District Judge James Mahan has ruled in favor of the Nevada Democratic Party in a dispute over the use of casinos along the Las Vegas strip as caucus sites in Saturday's presidential nominating contest. The ruling allows voting to be held at the casinos as planned.

Mahan determined that the Democratic Party had a right to set its own rules, and he said he did not want to set a precedent that could impact other caucuses held across the U.S. AP has details.

Today's decision will likely have a profound impact on Saturday's results in what is shaping up to be a very close three-way race among Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama (the GOP contenders are largely ignoring Nevada in favor of South Carolina).

Continue reading "Dissecting Nevada's Caucus Fracas"

Posted at 3:00 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, WH 2008
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Gates Goes To The Media

UPDATED.

Several news items are coming from an NPR interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates broadcast this morning. Some highlights:

No more troops sent to Afghanistan. Gates announced earlier this week that he would ask President Bush for about 3,000 Marines to be sent to Afghanistan, after EU nations would not step up their NATO commitments, but he told NPR that there were no plans to send any more U.S. troops after the additional 3,000.

Iran does not pose an immediate threat. Gates called Iran a "challenge" but not a "direct military threat" to the United States.

Iraq is a "long-term" problem. Declining to make predictions on specific troop levels, Gates said he was heartened to see the Democratic presidential candidates demur on specific numbers as well and added that his goal is to leave the next administration with a sustainable policy on the war.

In other media interviews this morning, Gates addressed NATO countries' reaction to his comments that appeared in the Los Angeles Times yesterday about their ill-preparedness for fighting an insurgency in southern Afghanistan. The paper quotes him as saying, "I'm worried we have some military forces that don't know how to do counterinsurgency operations."

The U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands was summoned to the Dutch Defense Ministry yesterday to do cleanup for Gates. (Dutch, British and Canadian forces make up most of the European NATO presence in southern Afghanistan.) Roland Arnall offered a "clarification" for Gates' comments, noting that NATO forces aren't trained for counterinsurgency fighting and Gates hadn't intended to single out a specific country for criticism. Afterward, a Dutch official told a media outlet, "We assume this was a misunderstanding... This is not the Robert Gates we have come to know. It's also not the manner in which you treat each other when you have to cooperate with each other in the south of Afghanistan."

See the full NPR and LA Times stories for more.

Posted at 10:40 AM
Posted to: Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Robert Gates
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House Approves Revised FY08 Defense Authorization Bill

The House yesterday quickly approved a revised version of the FY08 defense authorization bill that addresses objections raised by the White House last month when President Bush unexpectedly vetoed the measure.

The Pentagon policy bill, which passed 369-46 on the suspension calendar, now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to encounter little opposition. That chamber, which is in recess until next week, has been closely involved in negotiations over the changes to the bill, lawmakers and congressional aides said. They hope that the Senate will take up the bill shortly after returning to Capitol Hill and quickly send it to the president's desk for his signature.

Continue reading "House Approves Revised FY08 Defense Authorization Bill"

Posted at 8:55 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, House, Iraq, Military, President Bush, Senate
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Earlybird Roundup: Recycled Tapes, Stimulus Plan, Iraq Deployments

Administration. The White House said yesterday that it recycles backup tapes of electronic communication, a practice that may have wiped out evidence relating to the Valerie Plame case.

Economy. Fed chairman Ben Bernanke is expected to throw his support behind an economic stimulus plan during congressional hearings today.

Nation. The U.S. abortion rate has fallen to a 30-year low.

Iraq. The Army is considering shortening deployments for soldiers in Iraq from 15 months to 12 months.

Mideast. Israelis and Palestinians are engaging in a new round of violence after President Bush encouraged peace efforts during his recent visit.

World. Kenya's opposition party is calling for a coalition government in an effort to end conflict over the country's recent presidential election.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 8:50 AM
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January 16, 2008

Lawmakers Eye Medicaid Boost For States

Lawmakers writing an economic stimulus package plan to include a temporary increase in federal Medicaid matching rates for states worth several billion dollars, according to aides familiar with the negotiations.

The provision would boost state funds for Medicaid almost immediately and help governors ride out the economic downturn. The administration has signed off on similar language in the past, although it is unclear whether the White House would continue to support a new round of Medicaid increases despite state support for them. The Medicaid provision is being modeled on language in the last economic stimulus package, in which states got a 1.5 percent increase in the matching rate for six quarters. Lawmakers also want to require that states use the extra money only for Medicaid.

Continue reading "Lawmakers Eye Medicaid Boost For States"

Posted at 5:11 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Health
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Ex-Congressman Indicted For Funding Terrorism

Mark Deli Siljander, a former Republican congressman from Michigan, has been indicted for his alleged role in a terrorist funding ring.

Siljander served in the House from 1981 to 1987, after which he was named a U.S. representative to the U.N. by President Reagan. Siljander, 57, showed a special interest in U.S.-Islamic relations, and went on to take an advisory post at the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies. He's also lectured on the subject for his Washington-based consulting firm, Global Strategies, Inc., according to its Web site.

AP reports that the 42-count indictment leveled against the Islamic American Relief Agency accuses the charity of funneling more than $130,000 to an al-Qaida/Taliban sympathizer who has threatened international troops in Afghanistan. According to the charges, Siljander was paid $50,000 -- stolen from USAID -- to lobby for IARA.

According to a DOJ press release, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an Afghan mujahedeen leader, was the recipient of IARA's alleged scheme. Hekmatyar's organization, Hezb-e-Islami-Gulbuddin, is accused of engaging in terrorist acts with al-Qaida and the Taliban.

Posted at 4:02 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Terrorism
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Quote Of The Day

"When I was in college, we used to take a popcorn popper, because that was the only thing they would let us use in the dorm, and we would fry squirrels in a popcorn popper in the dorm room."

--Mike Huckabee, describing a favorite college snack. Note to selves: Fried squirrel = fattening.

Posted at 1:53 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Mike Huckabee, Republicans, WH 2008
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Economy's Woes Hit Americans In Their Tummies

Rising food prices may be one of the most underreported economic stories. New data show that this trend is impacting the larger economy.

Consumer prices rose 4.1 percent last year, according to the Labor Department. In a new report, the Federal Reserve found no growth in factories, mines and utilities last month. Inflation is the highest it's been in 17 years, and the Fed is expected to announce a half-point rate cut to ease the pain when it meets later this month.

AP reports: "Energy costs rose by 17.4 percent this past year while food costs rose by 4.9 percent. Both were the biggest increases since 1990. Gasoline prices were up 29.6 percent, the biggest increase since they soared by 30.1 percent in 1999."

Obviously, this is hitting Americans who live paycheck to paycheck the hardest, which is why we've seen the economy skyrocket among voters' lists of concerns going into the 2008 elections. But the rise in food prices is perceived as a mixed blessing by analysts.

Continue reading "Economy's Woes Hit Americans In Their Tummies"

Posted at 11:25 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Democrats, Economy, John McCain, President Bush, Republicans, WH 2008
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PAYGO Divides Dems Crafting Stimulus Plan

House Democratic mantras requiring adherence to budgetary offsets and a "timely, targeted and temporary" response to a possible recession are bumping up against each other, as PAYGO budget rules are again stirring up divisions within the ranks.

"PAYGO could be a problem," said House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., who met yesterday with the House Democratic leadership and other committee chairmen involved in the stimulus talks.

As much as $120 billion in spending and tax proposals are under consideration. Spending components could be designated as an "emergency" and not require offsets. And under House rules, new tax or mandatory spending initiatives only have to be paid for over a five-year period.

Frank said that fact might assuage some of his party's budget hawks.

Continue reading "PAYGO Divides Dems Crafting Stimulus Plan"

Posted at 9:42 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, House, President Bush
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Earlybird Roundup: Bush In Egypt, Sri Lanka Bombing, Rising Birth Rate

Administration. During his last stop on his Mideast trip, President Bush said in Egypt today that he wanted to stay engaged in the region until the end of his term.

Congress. The House today will likely pass a revised defense bill after Bush vetoed a previous version.

Iraq. The New York Times reports that "Justice Department officials have told Congress that they face serious legal difficulties in pursuing criminal prosecutions of Blackwater security guards."

World. Twenty-six people were killed in a roadside bombing in Sri Lanka today, as a six-year truce between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels formally ended.

Nation. There were 4.3 million births in 2006, the highest number in the U.S. in the last 45 years.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:35 AM
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January 15, 2008

The Dems In Vegas: Liveblogging The Debate

End note. We've suspected for a while that the media have blown up trivialities in the Democratic nomination contest because the candidates are mostly on board with each other on the major issues. This forum was a case in point.

Have Clinton and Obama really been squabbling over who is the rightful heir to MLK? Of course not. But you might have been led to believe otherwise by the previous days' news cycles, which is why it came up tonight.

Is Obama really struggling to convince voters that he's not a jihadist in disguise? Certainly. Not. The only plausible defense Williams et al. could give for bringing that story up is that it's already out there, and they were simply giving Obama a chance to put the rumors to rest. Again, we say: Anyone willing to believe those rumors hasn't been following Obama hardly at all and probably wouldn't vote for him no matter what. Imagine George Stephanopoulos asking John McCain about his rumored illegitimate black baby. Some things, my friends, should simply be out of bounds.

You're going to hear more about the rocky beginning of this debate tomorrow, I suspect. We'll update with reaction in the afternoon. [I lied; we'll go up with it Thursday.]

By the way, with 89 percent of precincts reporting, it's not even close: Romney trounced McCain 39 percent to 30 percent. Because Romney is a native son, a win in Michigan means much less than a loss would have. Still, he needed a gold, and he'll use his victory tonight to convince GOP voters that he's still in it to win it. See reports on the GOP contest here and here.

Continue reading "The Dems In Vegas: Liveblogging The Debate"

Posted at 11:16 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Gravel, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, WH 2008
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Will Dennis Menace MSNBC's Vegas Debate?

UPDATED.

No, he won't. Keith Olbermann just reported that Nevada's Supreme Court has overruled a lower-court judge in favor of MSNBC's decision to exclude Dennis Kucinich from tonight's debate.

On the merits alone, it looked like the network would have to reinvite Kucinich in order to air the Democratic candidates forum at 9 p.m. EST as scheduled.

The Ohio rep sued parent network NBC earlier for excluding him from the Las Vegas debate. District Court Judge Charles Thompson ruled in Kucinich's favor and told the Peacock Network that he would order an injunction stopping the debate if Kucinich was not included.

NBC appealed Thompson's decision to Nevada's Supreme Court. With less than an hour to go before showtime, the court announced that MSNBC had not breached its contract when it disinvited Kucinich from the debate.

Continue reading "Will Dennis Menace MSNBC's Vegas Debate?"

Posted at 8:13 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Duncan Hunter, John Edwards, Republicans, Ron Paul, WH 2008
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MLB Execs Defend Anti-Steroid Efforts

Bud Selig, Major League Baseball commissioner, and Donald Fehr, executive director of the MLB Players Association, defended their ability to reduce performance-enhancing drug use in baseball against a threat by Congress to legislate tougher testing.

"Baseball needs to fix these problems, change this culture, alter how it does business with regard to steroids, human growth hormone and all manner of dangerous performance-enhancing drugs, or... Congress will do it for you," House Oversight and Government Reform ranking member Tom Davis, R-Va., said today. The committee was holding its first hearing on a report by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine, on the use of drugs in Major League Baseball.

Continue reading "MLB Execs Defend Anti-Steroid Efforts"

Posted at 4:46 PM
Posted to: Congress, Health
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Polling: It's Off The Hook

Have you given up your old landline phone and gone completely wireless, but miss the company of political pollsters calling between the hours of 5 and 9 p.m.? Then Gallup has some good news for you. Gallup's editor in chief, Frank Newport, announced Monday that the nation's oldest polling company began including cell phone users in its surveys as of Jan. 1, 2008. The move means Americans will now be able to voice their support for Duncan Hunter or their disapproval of Congress while driving across town or dining in a crowded restaurant.

In the past, Gallup, along with most pollsters, typically called only traditional landline phones in its research, a practice that has sparked criticism from some who argue that the practice undercounts certain demographics, particularly young people. Now that Gallup has begun polling Americans who have only a cell phone but no landline, the results will be combined with data collected from landline users.

Continue reading "Polling: It's Off The Hook"

Posted at 2:50 PM
Posted to: Campaigns
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SCOTUS Ruling Bad News For Enron Plaintiffs

The Supreme Court today drew a line around securities law, ruling that third-party defendants could not be sued for facilitating or failing to disclose fraud.

The 5-3 ruling in Stoneridge Investment Partners v. Scientific-Atlanta [PDF] was authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy. (Justice Stephen Breyer recused himself from this case.) This Supreme Court is not a fan of class-action lawsuits, and today's ruling reflected the justices' desire to cap those suits to a manageable minimum.

Continue reading "SCOTUS Ruling Bad News For Enron Plaintiffs"

Posted at 2:20 PM
Posted to: Constitution, Economy, Supreme Court
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Thanks, Citigroup: A Weepy Day On Wall Street

In case anyone has any lingering doubts, the U.S. economy is teetering dangerously close to recession. The latest evidence: Citigroup actually managed to surprise with its 4Q 2007 results today, in an environment that already expects the worst.

Now, for the really dire news: Rich people are pinching pennies.

Middle class stagnation is by now the natural state of things in the American economy. That those consumers are exercising caution is to be expected, particularly as gas prices skyrocket. But when the wealthy start trimming back on their Louis Vuitton and Tiffany purchases, you know something is afoot.

According to a report in this morning's New York Times, high-end retailers Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany experienced a marked slowdown in sales last month.

The rate of spending by American Express' customers, "a generally affluent group of consumers," fell from 13 percent growth to 10 percent growth, "the first slowdown since the 2001 recession," according to the Times report.

That's right, folks. Even Marty Scorsese is holding back.

Continue reading "Thanks, Citigroup: A Weepy Day On Wall Street"

Posted at 12:16 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Economy, President Bush, WH 2008
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U.S. Embassy Targeted In Beirut Blast

An explosion targeting a U.S. Embassy vehicle has killed four Lebanese bystanders in the capital city of Beirut.

The two passengers of the vehicle, neither of whom were Americans, were not seriously hurt, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. CNN is reporting that an American, an Iraqi and three Lebanese were among the 20 or so people wounded.

Lebanon is in the midst of a political crisis. Pro-Syrian and pro-Western forces are butting heads over pending parliamentary elections, which have been postponed 11 times. The country has been without a president since November, when former President Emile Lahoud stepped down.

Political asassinations are increasingly commonplace in Lebanon. In September, a car bomb killed a prominent anti-Syrian Christian leader in a Beirut suburb.

Posted at 11:59 AM
Posted to: Lebanon, Middle East, Syria
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Unity '08 Goes Public With Bloomberg Intentions

Leaders of a group that was trying to build a bipartisan presidential ticket are abandoning that effort and cutting to the chase, announcing this morning that they are forming a "Draft Bloomberg" committee.

Republican Doug Bailey, founder of Hotline and once a campaign consultant to Gerald Ford, and Democrat Gerald Rafshoon, a top adviser to Jimmy Carter, will see if they can get New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to do what others have failed to do so far: show his hand.

"I've always assumed that if he really doesn't want to run, he can make that crystal clear to everybody and stop everything that is going on formally and informally on his behalf," Bailey said. "He hasn't done that to us or anybody else as far as I can see."

Continue reading "Unity '08 Goes Public With Bloomberg Intentions"

Posted at 10:00 AM
Posted to: Campaigns, Michael Bloomberg, WH 2008
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Vetoed Authorization Bill Puts Military Bonuses On Hold

After relying heavily on financial incentives to attract recruits and retain war-weary troops, the military has had to put the brakes on awarding signing bonuses until Congress and the Bush administration resolve a dispute over President Bush's veto of the FY08 defense authorization bill.

House Democrats announced yesterday they would hold a vote tonight "disposing of" the president's veto of the annual policy measure over a provision the administration fears would tie up the assets of the current Iraqi government in court claims filed by victims of Saddam Hussein's regime.

A Democratic aide said a vote to override the veto is possible today, even though the White House contends the bill was killed by a pocket veto, a rejection that cannot be challenged by Congress. But the likely course of action, the aide said, would be to refer the bill back to the House Armed Services Committee, which would then "fix" the provision to smooth the way toward enactment.

Continue reading "Vetoed Authorization Bill Puts Military Bonuses On Hold"

Posted at 9:06 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Constitution, House, Military, President Bush
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Earlybird Roundup: Gulf Arms Deal, Rice's Surprise Iraq Visit, Cloned Animals

Washington. During President Bush's visit to Saudi Arabia yesterday, the Bush administration notified Congress about plans to sell a massive new arms package to Gulf Arab states that could help the U.S. oppose Iran.

SCOTUS. The justices heard a case yesterday involving states' vs. federal rights in police searches.

Iraq. In a surprise visit to Iraq this morning, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went to Baghdad to laud the Iraqi government for its progress.

Nation. A new FDA report concludes that cloned animals are just as healthy to eat as ordinary ones, clearing the way to market meat and milk from cloned goats, cows and pigs.

World. Pakistan suspects it is facing a terrorist blowback after militants slipped through the cracks of its leading intelligence agency.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:00 AM
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January 14, 2008

At Least Six Killed In Kabul Attack

At least six people were killed and six more injured when a suicide bomber exploded and militants opened fire on a luxury hotel in Kabul earlier today, according to U.S. officials and a Taliban spokesman.

State Department officials told AP that at least one American died in the attack, which was aimed at Western civilians staying at the Serena Hotel. A Norwegian journalist was also reportedly killed.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the militants were targeting Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, who was in the hotel basement at the time and survived unhurt.

According to the New York Times, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, "calling it a coordinated assault by four men armed with guns and suicide belts." The attack was "one of the most brazen assaults by the Taliban in the heavily protected heart of the Afghan capital," the Times reports.

Continue reading "At Least Six Killed In Kabul Attack"

Posted at 5:53 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Asia, Terrorism
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Democrats Seeking Broad Backing For Stimulus Package

As part of an effort to seek bipartisan agreement on an economic stimulus package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met today with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and other Democrats laid out their ideas for an aid proposal.

"We hope to work in a bipartisan way for an initiative that is timely, targeted and temporary," Pelosi said before this afternoon's closed-door meeting. Quick action on a stimulus package has become the top issue for the White House and Democratic congressional leaders, although neither side has offered details. House Democratic leaders are expected to meet Tuesday, when that chamber returns to Washington after the long holiday recess, to discuss the legislative possibilities.

Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have requested meetings with President Bush after he returns Wednesday from a visit to the Middle East. The Senate returns to work next week.

Continue reading "Democrats Seeking Broad Backing For Stimulus Package"

Posted at 4:20 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Economy, House, President Bush, Senate, WH 2008
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Mideast Roundup: Bush's Diplomatic & Cultural Journey

President Bush arrived in Saudi Arabia today as he began to wrap up his first tour of the Middle East as commander in chief. Here's a roundup of the president's recent stops and statements in the region (in reverse chronological order):

Saudi Arabia. Although the Bush family is reportedly very friendly with the Saudi royal family, today marks President Bush's first visit to the desert kingdom, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. King Abdullah greeted the president upon his arrival in Riyadh, and the two began talks over dinner. They were expected to focus on the main themes of Bush's trip: the threat posed by Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and the spread of democracy in the region.

Bush also came bearing gifts: the opportunity to purchase $123 million worth of "smart bomb" technology and related equipment, AP reports. The White House notified Congress of the arms sale, part of an overall $20 billion package for Persian Gulf states, this morning. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Under U.S. provisions governing such arms sales, Congress has 30 days in which it may disapprove the sale once lawmakers receive the formal notification of the administration's plans."

Continue reading "Mideast Roundup: Bush's Diplomatic & Cultural Journey"

Posted at 3:52 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Saudi Arabia
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Poll Track: Riding The Early-Primary Tide

If there were any doubts about the continued importance of the Iowa and New Hampshire nominating contests in light of this year's accelerated primary schedule, a slew of new national polls should put them to rest.

Last week, a Gallup/USA Today poll, the first national survey taken after the Iowa caucuses, showed significant jumps in support for that state's two winners -- Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee -- propelling each to the top of their respective party's slate. But those gains were apparently short-lived, as a flurry of new national polls conducted after the New Hampshire primary last week has the Granite State's victors -- Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain -- leading their respective fields.

For more details on recent national polling on the White House race, see today's Poll Track. And see National Journal's current cover story for analysis of how the dominant demographics and ideologies of future primary states are likely to impact the campaigns ahead of Feb. 5's "Super Tuesday" contests.

Posted at 1:44 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Republicans, WH 2008
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U.S.-Iran Confrontation: Just 'Monkey' Business?

Remember last week, when it seemed as if the controversy over the puzzling confrontation between U.S. naval ships and Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz couldn't get any weirder? Well, a new report from Navy Times blows that theory out of the water, so to speak.

The menacing voice coming from a radio transmission broadcast at the end of a Pentagon video of the clash may have been none other than "a locally famous heckler known among ship drivers as the 'Filipino Monkey,'" the Times reported yesterday. "Several Navy ship drivers interviewed by Navy Times are raising the possibility that the Monkey, or an imitator, was indeed featured in that video."

See the full story for more on the "mysterious but profane voice known by the ethnically insulting handle of 'Filipino Monkey,' likely more than one person, who listens in on ship-to-ship radio traffic and then jumps on the net shouting insults and jabbering vile epithets."

Posted at 1:16 PM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East, Military
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As Troop Surge Recedes, Focus In Iraq Shifts To Political Arena

Cautiously confident about the troop surge's success in tamping down violence in Iraq, U.S. military leaders are shifting their focus to the political arena, the Los Angeles Times reports this morning. Specifically, commanders are working to transfer more than 70,000 men working in the Sunni guard corps, aka "Concerned Local Citizens" or Awakening Councils, to the payroll of the Shiite-dominated national government. The men, many of them former Sunni insurgents, are currently working directly under the U.S. military, helping to enforce neighborhood security.

"The day-to-day commander in Iraq, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, believes that the Iraqi government's reconciliation with onetime Sunni fighters represents the 'primary driver of enhanced security' over the next six months, according to internal military planning documents," the Times reports.

So far, however, the effort has run into some opposition among government officials wary of letting former insurgents into the fold. Specifically, they fear that the move could pave the way for a new rival army of Sunni insurgents. American commanders, on the other hand, fear that if Shiite leaders continue to resist, members of the Sunni security groups will abandon the effort and re-enter the battlefield.

The effort to integrate the citizens groups comes amid other tentative signs of progress in the long, slow process of political reconciliation among Iraq's warring factions. Over the weekend, the Iraqi Parliament passed the Justice and Accountability Law, which allows some former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to seek government jobs and claim their pensions for the first time since the 2003 U.S. invasion.

Continue reading "As Troop Surge Recedes, Focus In Iraq Shifts To Political Arena"

Posted at 11:49 AM
Posted to: Campaigns, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, WH 2008
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New Report Gives Congressional Web Sites Flunking Grades

A number of congressional Web sites received flunking marks from the Congressional Management Foundation in a report released Monday.

The report, which evaluated 618 congressional Web sites, gave 18.8 percent of these sites an F, while 22.8 percent received a D. Only 16.8 percent of the sites received an A from the group. The foundation said Web sites were evaluated on how well they incorporate the following factors: "audience, content, usability, interactivity, and innovation."

The analysis -- funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation --seeks to recognize congressional Web sites that successfully use the Internet and to provide practical guidance to all offices on how to improve their Web sites.

The foundation found that "the Senate continues to outperform the House of Representatives on the Web." The number of "substandard or failing committee sites increased to 44 percent, and the percentage of House and Senate committee (both majority and minority) Web sites scoring an 'F' doubled between 2006 and 2007," the group also found.

The report further held that a third of congressional sites do not have a functional search engine, and 57 percent do not contain information about legislative issues of interest to the state.

-WINTER CASEY, National Journal

Posted at 11:13 AM
Posted to: Congress
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Earlybird Roundup: Bush Winds Up Mideast Tour

Administration. President Bush arrived in Saudi Arabia today for the final stop on his Mideast tour. This weekend, he urged Arab allies to unite against Iran and al-Qaida.

Congress. When the new session begins this week, Democrats will take up contempt-of-Congress resolutions and address a new economic package.

Iraq. A new strategy from the U.S. military would reopen jobs to former Baathists.

Nation. Consumer spending appears to be slowing down dramatically.

Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned today that the peace plan Bush is advocating might not be reached by the end of the year.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:15 AM
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Kenya Death Toll Mounts On Eve Of Annan Visit

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is headed to Kenya tomorrow to try to lend assistance in the escalating conflict over disputed presidential elections. Violence in the usually peaceful east African country has created hundreds of thousands of refugees and killed more than 600 people, and three days of national protests starting Wednesday could spark more bloodshed.

Last week, negotiators from the U.S. and the African Union left the country without any resolution. The new round of talks led by Annan will try to bring Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his challenger Raila Odinga closer together; in the previous round, the two men refused to meet and blamed each other for the collapse of the talks. The government has already rejected Annan's mediation mission.

Reuters explains the opposing positions of the political factions, and AP has more details on the conflict.

Posted at 8:10 AM
Posted to: Africa, Kenya
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January 11, 2008

UPDATED: A Completely Unexpected Get For Huckabee

Newsday columnist and FOX News regular James Pinkerton has signed on as an adviser to Mike Huckabee's campaign. Pinkerton, an alum of the Reagan and Bush 41 administrations, said in a statement that he "jumped at the opportunity" to help the former Arkansas governor "restore the magnificent Reagan coalition."

That Pinkerton is suspending his relationship with FOX and his column of 14 years is not only surprising, but also says something about the momentum building around Huckabee.

It's been oft-noted that the 2008 GOP presidential front-runners all clash with the Republican Party establishment in some way. (Mitt Romney is the GOP Establishment Candidate to a tee, but is having trouble convincing Republicans of his authenticity.) It was believed that despite his Iowa win, Huckabee would face vehement opposition from the anti-tax/pro-wealth, anti-illegal immigration and libertarian wings of his party. That may yet be the case. But the fact that the campaign was able to convince Pinkerton to sign on may indicate that Reagan idolizers in the party see more that they like in Huckabee than not.

Continue reading "UPDATED: A Completely Unexpected Get For Huckabee"

Posted at 5:13 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Taxes, WH 2008
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Making Sense Of The Mess On Wall Street

Americans who consider President Bush to be a lame-duck leader are wrong. One, there's that veto pen of his. And two, federal intervention will almost certainly be needed in order to circumvent a looming recession.

Under enormous pressure from economists and Wall Street, the White House is expected to roll out an economic stimulus package, as it did following 9/11. With financial anxiety roiling both Democrats and Republicans, expect the economy to take center stage when Bush delivers his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28.

Publicly, Bush is stressing what's right about the economy (GDP growth, job creation) while acknowledging in very broad strokes that his administration is closely monitoring turmoil on Wall Street. There's been some clamor for him to tackle the issues at hand head-on, as complaints from those he once joked were "his base" grow.

Continue reading "Making Sense Of The Mess On Wall Street"

Posted at 4:18 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Economy, President Bush, Taxes
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The Plot Thickens In The Strait Of Hormuz

UPDATED.

The strange confrontation between U.S. naval ships and Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz Sunday morning just got a bit more puzzling. Yesterday, as the U.S. Navy began to express doubts about some details of the clash shown in a Pentagon video of the incident, Iran released its own audio-visual version of the story on its English-language Press TV.

The Pentagon's video featured a brief encounter between the speedboats and Navy ships, followed by a radio transmission, purportedly from Iran's Revolutionary Guard, that ends with a gruff, heavily accented voice saying in English, "You will explode after (indecipherable) minutes." AP has a full transcript.

In contrast, Iran's footage features a brief and seemingly routine encounter between the speedboats and U.S. ships, with very different audio to go with it, according to the Los Angeles Times' transcription:

"Coalition warship 73, this is Iranian navy patrol boat 16. Come in. Over," an Iranian sailor aboard a speedboat says in English to a U.S. warship apparently in the distance. "Request present course and speed."

"This is coalition warship 73," a voice says over the radio in American English. "I am operating in international waters."

Joints Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen said today he could not determine whether the threats heard in the Pentagon video came directly from the Iranian boats, a point first made by a U.S. Navy spokeswoman yesterday. Still, Mullen said "the incident ought to remind us all just how real is the threat posed by Iran and just how ready we are to meet that threat if it comes to it."

Continue reading "The Plot Thickens In The Strait Of Hormuz"

Posted at 3:54 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Middle East, President Bush, Robert Gates
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Thank God For C-SPAN

In predictable fashion, all the news nets are on the missing Marine story -- even CNN International, which had been promising live coverage of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's press conference with the freed Colombian rebels.

If you're looking for something more newsy to watch, C-SPAN2 is airing a live Woodrow Wilson Center briefing, topic: Iran.

Posted at 12:49 PM
Posted to: Media
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Christmas In Baghdad

Iraqis gratefully received a belated holiday gift today when the first snowfall in memory descended on their country.

"'When I was young, I heard from my father that such rain had fallen in the early '40s on the outskirts of northern Baghdad,'' 63-year-old Mohammed Abdul-Hussein told AP. "But snow falling in Baghdad in such a magnificent scene was beyond my imagination."

Snow is so rare in those parts that it seems some Iraqis don't have a word for it. By "such rain," Abdul-Hussein was referring to the flurries. NPR reported this morning that Baghdadis happily ran outside to snap photos of the snow with their cell phones; unfortunately, that segment isn't yet available on NPR's Web site.

"A few minutes ago, I was covered with snowflakes. In my hair, on my shoulders. I invite all the people to enjoy peace, because the snow means peace," a happy Hassan Zahar told Reuters.

The flakes melted on contact with the ground. Meteorologists told AFP that the last recorded snowfall in Baghdad was about 100 years ago, and that the flurries might be a product of climate change.

The country's mountainous north is no stranger to snow; that's where the pic in this post was taken. See the AFP story for a photo of an Iraqi couple frolicking in the Baghdad snow today. The photo in that AFP story was taken in Sulaimaniyah, in the country's northeast. AFP has switched out that photo with one taken in Baghdad. It's not great. Reuters has a much better one.

Posted at 11:27 AM
Posted to: Iraq, Middle East
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Abu Ghraib Officer Cleared

The Army has dismissed charges against the only officer court-martialed in the scandal surrounding the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, erasing any criminal responsibility from Lt. Col. Steven Jordan's record. Jordan was convicted in August "of disobeying an order not to discuss the investigation of abuse at the jail" and was issued "a criminal reprimand as penalty," Reuters reports.

Yesterday, the Army reported that commanding officer Maj. Gen. Richard Rowe disapproved of the charges against Jordan. Jordan hasn't been completely excused -- he was still officially found guilty of some of the less-serious charges brought against him at the court-martial -- but he will face only an administrative letter of reprimand and not the dismissal from the Army or five years in prison he could have received.

Jordan ran an interrogation center at the notorious prison, where dramatic photos were taken of U.S. soldiers abusing and humiliating inmates. Jordan denied he had any involvement in the abuse, complained that he did not hold any authority over others at the prison and charged the military with making him a scapegoat when the international uproar about the photos hit.

Continue reading "Abu Ghraib Officer Cleared"

Posted at 8:45 AM
Posted to: Detainees, Iraq, Middle East, Military
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Earlybird Roundup: Bush's West Bank Visit, Contract Inquiry, Kenya Talks

Administration. In the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday, President Bush said Palestinian refugees should receive compensation and Israel should end its "occupation" over some Palestinian-controlled areas. He also went to Israel's Holocaust memorial this morning, telling Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice afterward that the U.S. should have bombed Auschwitz.

Congress. Top Democrats asked the Justice Department for information on contracts directed to former Attorney General John Ashcroft and lawyers tracking companies that settled criminal charges out-of-court.

Iraq. The U.S. military announced yesterday that the Anbar province will return to Iraqi control in March.

Courts. A Pennsylvania judge blocked the federal government's efforts to deport a Coptic Christian man who said he would be tortured if he returned to his home country of Egypt.

World. U.S. and African Union diplomats left Kenya after failing to make headway on mediating the dispute over the country's presidential election.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 8:43 AM
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January 10, 2008

Richardson Rides Into The Sunset

UPDATED.

"As we head out West, the fight goes on!" Bill Richardson declared after a disappointing fourth-place finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. But in New Mexico this afternoon, the governor was singing a decidedly different tune as he bid his presidential campaign adieu.

"It is with great pride, understanding and acceptance that I am ending my campaign for president of the United States," he told a crowd of supporters after being introduced by his wife, Barbara, and Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M. Calling his unsuccessful bid "an experience I will treasure and I will never forget," Richardson said, "I believe we made our case to the people. A case for change, but guided by an experienced hand."

Despite his evident disappointment in failing to drum up enough support in the early primary states, Richardson went on to praise his opponents, calling them "the most talented field of my entire lifetime, running to change the direction of our country. And in the end, one of them will."

In his speech, Richardson also endorsed Udall for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Pete Domenici, effectively ending speculation that the governor would launch a Senate bid himself.

Continue reading "Richardson Rides Into The Sunset"

Posted at 4:00 PM
Posted to: Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Democrats, WH 2008
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On Surge Anniversary, New Survey Shows Different Iraqi Death Toll

On this, the one-year anniversary of President Bush's televised address announcing the so-called surge strategy, the White House and congressional backers of the surge are praising the security gains made over the past year by the increased presence of U.S. troops in Iraq.

"Conditions in that country have been utterly transformed from those of a year ago, as a consequence of the surge," Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joseph Lieberman, I/D-Conn., wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed this morning. "The number of car bombings, sectarian murders and suicide attacks has been slashed. American casualties have also fallen sharply, decreasing in each of the past four months."

During that time, Iraqi deaths have also decreased, although the numbers are still distressingly high. And a new study [PDF] published online today by the New England Journal of Medicine adds another layer of mystery to the question of just how many Iraqis have fallen since the U.S. invasion began nearly five years ago.

The new estimate, compiled by researchers from the Iraqi government and the World Health Organization, puts the death toll from violence at about 151,000 from March 2003 to June 2006. Conducted over the past two years, the survey stands in sharp contrast to a widely reported 2006 study [PDF] that estimated about 654,965 Iraqis had died in the war within a similar time frame -- a claim that quickly became a political lightning rod in the congressional elections that year.

Continue reading "On Surge Anniversary, New Survey Shows Different Iraqi Death Toll"

Posted at 3:35 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush
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Doolittle To Retire Amid Growing GOP Pressure

UPDATED.

Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., announced today that he will not seek re-election for a 10th term in office, ending months of speculation that he would leave Capitol Hill under the cloud of a federal investigation. "I plan to complete my term and finish my congressional service at the conclusion of this Congress," Doolittle said at a news conference today in his district.

"My wife, Julie, and I have made this decision after much prayer and deliberation. It was not my initial intent to retire, and I fully expected and planned to run again right up until very recently. But it distilled upon us that we were ready for a change after spending almost our entire married lives with me in public service." Doolittle and his wife are under scrutiny as part of the influence-peddling probe of imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

In April, the FBI raided Doolittle's Virginia home in pursuit of information regarding work his wife performed for Abramoff. Since then, the lawmaker and several of his aides have been served grand jury subpoenas, and it was unlikely his legal situation would be resolved before the November elections. Doolittle is challenging subpoenas issued to him for office records and said he believed the federal probe of him would be on hiatus for one to two years while courts decide on the constitutionality of the subpoenas.

Continue reading "Doolittle To Retire Amid Growing GOP Pressure"

Posted at 3:20 PM
Posted to: Congress, Crime, House, Jack Abramoff
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Rule Change To Allow FEC Meeting Despite Hill Standoff

The Federal Election Commission is moving to conduct some business despite a political standoff that leaves it unable to issue formal opinions.

After tweaking its rules in December, the agency announced Tuesday it will convene a Jan. 24 public meeting where the commission's two members, Republican David Mason and Democrat Ellen Weintraub, will discuss reports drafted by staff in response to requests for opinions. Without a quorum, the commissioners cannot approve binding opinions, but the discussions and staff recommendations should guide the requesters' actions, according to an FEC spokesman.

"The idea is that maybe the discussion will help the requesters get a sense of where the commission stands," the spokesman said. The guidance will be particularly clear if Weintraub and Mason take similar positions.

The FEC usually has three Republican and three Democratic members but has been left short by a clash between President Bush and Senate Democrats.

Continue reading "Rule Change To Allow FEC Meeting Despite Hill Standoff"

Posted at 1:12 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Senate
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Bush: Peace 'Should Happen, And Can Happen' By Year's End

President Bush finished up his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders today by predicting that both sides would reach a peace agreement by the end of this year.

"The establishment of the state of Palestine is long overdue," Bush said, speaking from Jerusalem. "The Palestinian people deserve it. And it will enhance the stability of the region, and it will contribute to the security of the people of Israel. The peace agreement should happen, and can happen, by the end of this year. I know each leader shares that important goal, and I am committed to doing all I can to achieve it."

He laid out three "tracks" essential to reaching that goal: a full commitment to the road map from both sides; the rebuilding of the Palestinian economy and "political and security institutions"; and the Arab League's cooperation and adherence to its own peace initiative. To ensure that the first track is followed, the White House today appointed Lt. Gen. William Fraser to oversee both sides' compliance with the peace road map.

Continue reading "Bush: Peace 'Should Happen, And Can Happen' By Year's End"

Posted at 12:21 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush
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Judge Rejects Review Of CIA Videos; Official Demands Immunity

U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy yesterday refused to delve into the destruction of CIA interrogation videos, saying there was no evidence the Bush administration violated a court order to preserve the tapes. Kennedy said that he would not open a separate inquiry into the matter and that the Justice Department deserved time to conduct its own investigation.

Also yesterday, sources told AP that lawyers for former CIA official Jose Rodriguez informed Congress he would not testify about the tapes before the House without a guarantee of immunity from prosecution. Rodriguez, the former head of the CIA's National Clandestine Service, ordered the destruction of the tapes in question in 2005. He is scheduled to testify before a House committee on Jan. 16.

Despite Kennedy's ruling, lawmakers have refused to leave the case to the Justice Department and are insisting on holding their own hearings. CongressDaily reports that Kennedy's decision was a victory for the administration, which had urged the courts not to wade into a politically charged issue already under investigation by the DOJ, not to mention the CIA and Congress.

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Posted at 9:15 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, CIA
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Earlybird Roundup: Abbas Meeting, Afghanistan 'Mini-Surge,' North Korea Deadline

Administration. President Bush visited the West Bank today to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whom Bush praised but also asked to rein in missile attacks on Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Military. The Pentagon is preparing to send more than 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan in a "mini-surge" designed to hold off an anticipated Taliban offensive in the spring.

Congress. Lawmakers will get a $4,100 pay increase, upping their annual salaries to $169,300.

Pakistan. Twenty police officers were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in Lahore today.

North Korea. U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill has offered a new deadline -- the end of February -- for North Koreans to finish dismantling their nuclear facilities.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:10 AM
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January 09, 2008

WH '08: Don't (!!!) Call It A Comeback

"Over the last week, I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice," a relieved and triumphant Hillary Rodham Clinton told a roaring crowd of supporters last night.

Today's campaign news cycle is all about how the media and pundits boo-boo'd so badly, having declared Clinton's campaign DOA heading into the New Hampshire primary and John McCain out for the count for the last six months running. There's a sea of red faces out there but, we contend, for the wrong reason.

Last we checked, journalism was about reporting facts, not predicting them. Some amount of prognostication can be quite useful for contextualizing the news. But when so many talking heads call a close contest well before the first vote tallies come in, what's the point of that, exactly? It seems as if egos, and not the public, are the ones getting served.

Leave it to quirky, independent-minded Granite Staters to tell the rest of the country: Not so fast.

Continue reading "WH '08: Don't (!!!) Call It A Comeback"

Posted at 5:58 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Media, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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Supremes Hear Arguments In Voter ID Case

UPDATED.

Just in time for the 2008 elections, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this morning on whether laws requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote are constitutional (transcript [PDF]).

The main topic at hand is election fraud. We previewed the case back in September when it was granted cert. Surprisingly, the justices seemed eager to steer the arguments away from the political touchiness of the voter ID issue.

The first questions asked of Paul Smith, arguing for petitioners, concerned whether his clients even had standing to sue the Marion County Election Board and Indiana secretary of state over one of the strictest voter ID laws in the land. Justice Antonin Scalia and Chief Justice John Roberts grilled Smith on this point, and for good reason: the plaintiffs included the Democratic Party of Indiana, which sued on the grounds that the government-issue photo ID required was unfairly prohibitive for elderly and poor voters, who may not own cars or driver's licenses.

The justices were essentially asking Smith to prove that the plaintiffs had actually been harmed by the law. A skeptical Roberts noted the lower-court judge's finding that "there is not a single plaintiff who intends not to vote because of the new law -- that is, who would vote were it not for the law."

"Well, Your Honor, the record in this case was made when an election had not yet happened," Smith replied. "So that comment, while it was certainly made, I don't quite understand its significance. This case was brought to try to prevent an irreparable loss of constitutional rights in advance of the implementation of this law."

Smith added that since the January 2007 Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruling [PDF], elections had been held under the law and that a number of people who did not have photo IDs were not allowed to vote.

Continue reading "Supremes Hear Arguments In Voter ID Case"

Posted at 5:56 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Constitution, Supreme Court
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Quotes Of The Day

"I like Obama, but I won't apologize for comparing him to a kind and beloved faun."

--Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass

"Barack Obama, whatchya gonna do for my momma. That's what I want to know."

--rapper/actor Ice Cube, in remarks to the New York Observer

Posted at 5:55 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, WH 2008
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Try, Try Again: Bush Begins Mideast Tour

Distracted by an election, Americans have paid little mind to President Bush's first trip to Israel and the West Bank in his seven years in office. Haunted by the failed peace-brokering efforts of former presidents, there appears to be little momentum for Bush's renewed Mideast push at home. But the story in Israel is markedly different.

Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem following talks between their delegations, Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert conveyed optimism and determination that this new effort toward a two-state solution would be successful.

"I view this as a historic moment," Bush said. "We've heard a lot of rhetoric in the past, a lot of grand proclamations. But I wouldn't be standing here if I did not believe you all were serious. Our job is to help you seize that opportunity."

Olmert answered Bush with effusive gratitude and praise.

"I want to thank you for this opportunity, for your friendship and support for the security of the state of Israel that you have manifested for a long period of time, through your time as president of the United States of America," Olmert said. Later, turning to Bush, Olmert added, "Thank you for the courage you inspire in all of us to carry on with our obligations."

Continue reading "Try, Try Again: Bush Begins Mideast Tour"

Posted at 1:40 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush
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Iowa & N.H.: The Biggest Loser

The results from the long-awaited, much-anticipated and way overhyped first two nominating contests of the 2008 presidential election are in, and the biggest loser appears to be the media. So quick to take Iowa as gospel, the chattering classes are hanging their heads in shame today and, in some cases, even admitting they were wrong.

The Gate hasn't exactly shied away from criticizing the media's frenzied, and sometimes irresponsible, coverage of the '08 race. But hats off to Slate for compiling a few choice election-night lowlights from cable news to illustrate just how bad things can get. Watch and let the laughter -- and the tears -- soothe your primary-fatigued soul.

Posted at 1:35 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Media, WH 2008
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Clinton Takes New Hampshire In Stunner; McCain (& Huckabee) Also Triumph

UPDATED WITH FINAL RESULTS.

Hillary Rodham Clinton has pulled out an upset in New Hampshire, where a surprisingly tight battle with Barack Obama upended early predictions that a misguided strategy might doom her bid for the Democratic nomination. The upside for those embarrassed by their premature crystal ball-gazing is that voters across the country have a real menu of options in both parties.

"I come tonight with a very, very full heart," Clinton said to tremendous cheering and applause from supporters. "I want to especially thank New Hampshire. Over the last week, I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice."

The crowd roared in response. More than anyone else on the 2008 slate of presidential candidates, the question of "how human" she seems dogs the former first lady. When Clinton appeared to be the inevitable nominee just months ago, it was because she had defied expectations in her strong debate performances and favorable responses from voters on the trail. In what was probably a moment of simple, human fatigue (although longtime Clinton-haters will say otherwise), she appeared to choke up during an exchange in a diner yesterday. A media frenzy ensued, and pundits were wondering out loud whether Clinton was too soft to endure the knocks of a presidential campaign.

By a hair (39 percent to 36 percent), Granite State voters voiced their preference for Clinton today, putting on pause the post-Iowa surge Obama appeared to be riding. If you aren't already convinced, Clinton's squeaker may be yet more proof that cable news is often best watched on mute.

Continue reading "Clinton Takes New Hampshire In Stunner; McCain (& Huckabee) Also Triumph"

Posted at 10:35 AM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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Earlybird Roundup: Iran Confrontation, Missing WH E-mails, Kenya Negotiations

Administration. President Bush accused Iran of committing a "provocative act" against U.S. Navy ships over the weekend, but Iran claims video of the incident was fabricated.

Washington. A federal magistrate judge ordered the White House to reveal whether it has archived copies of millions of missing e-mails.

SCOTUS. The justices will take up a politically charged case involving the constitutionality of requiring voter ID cards.

Iraq. U.S. forces began a major attack yesterday against Sunni insurgents entrenched in the Diyala province.

World. Prospects for negotiation are faltering in Kenya, where disputed presidential results have sparked massive violence.

See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.

Posted at 9:40 AM
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