February 27, 2008

White House Threatens Veto Of Mortgage Reform Measure

The White House yesterday threatened to veto a Senate Democratic housing stimulus package, saying it would cost too much and rewrite bankruptcy rules that would undermine current mortgages.

In a Statement of Administration Policy [PDF], the Bush administration listed many items that it objected to in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's bill of direct aid and consumer-friendly initiatives designed to help homeowners who cannot afford to pay their mortgages because they took predatory loans. It said many of the provisions are "unnecessary, costly, and counterproductive."

The White House opposed a provision sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., that would allow a judge to change the terms of a primary mortgage that has entered into foreclosure. Durbin reworked his provision to pick up support, such as credit union lobbying groups that received a carve-out for members that made interest-only loans for those with good credit histories.

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Posted at 9:12 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Senate
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February 26, 2008

Obama-McCain Squabble Injected Into Army Readiness Hearing

A controversial anecdote relayed by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in last week's Texas debate wended its way into a Senate Armed Forces hearing on Army readiness today.

Obama claimed that he'd "heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon" that was sent to Afghanistan grossly undermanned and underequipped. "They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief," Obama said during Thursday night's debate.

Lindsey Graham, who lately has been stumping hard for Republican John McCain, relayed the story to Army Secretary Peter Geren and Army Chief of Staff William Casey during the hearing. "Has Sen. Obama talked to you or anyone in the department about this?" the South Carolina Republican asked.

"I have not discussed this with Sen. Obama," Geren replied, before handing the baton to Casey.

"As we looked into this, the best we could tell was this incident occurred back in 2003 and 2004," Casey said. "We talked to the brigade commander, looked at readiness reports. The brigade was manned over 100 percent and stayed 100 percent manned when they were there."

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Posted at 12:26 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Democrats, Donald Rumsfeld, Iraq, John McCain, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Republicans, Robert Gates, Senate, WH 2008
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February 25, 2008

Canada May Withdraw From Afghanistan In 2011

Canada's Conservative government proposed a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by 2011 at the open of parliamentary debate on the future of the Canadian mission there.

"It is the opinion of the House that Canada should continue a military presence in Kandahar beyond February 2009 to July 2011 in a manner fully consistent with the U.N. mandate on Afghanistan," said Royal Galipeau, the Conservative deputy chair of Committees of the Whole House.

The Canadian House of Commons is debating that country's lead role in the Afghanistan mission. Support for the ongoing mission has dwindled among Canadians, who have seen a disproportionately large number of casualties in the Afghan conflict.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has bristled at what it sees as reluctance among the other large NATO members to contribute resources and manpower to the fight against the resurgent Taliban. The patchwork-style NATO mission -- with Canadians, Britons, Dutchmen and Americans doing the lion's share of security and reconstruction work -- is facing Taliban fighters who have adopted tactics used by al-Qaida and insurgents in Iraq (e.g., suicide bombings) and a rampant opium trade that Afghan farmers are reluctant to abandon.

Ahead of a contentious NATO meeting in Lithuania early this month, Harper's government threatened to bring the Canadian mission to an end if other NATO countries did not increase their contributions. That threat still holds as the Canadian parliament hammers out its Afghanistan timeline.

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Posted at 2:42 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Asia, Bush Administration, Canada, Condoleezza Rice, Iraq
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February 21, 2008

Angry Serbs Assault U.S. Embassy In Belgrade

Hundreds of protesters are attacking the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia's capital. Video footage captured one protester scaling the building to rip down the American flag, and fires can be seen in and around the compound.

"As long as we live, Kosovo is Serbia," Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said at another rally in front of the former parliament building. That gathering was peaceful, and drew around 200,000 people.

At the embassy, Serbs were throwing rocks and other objects at riot police and attempting to break through the police presence to raid the building. Serbs angry over Kosovo's declaration of independence -- a decision supported by the White House and much of the EU -- chanted "Kosovo is ours! Kosovo is Serbia!" and "We'll never give up Kosovo, never!" according to various media reports. (See accounts from AP, Reuters, BBC News and the London Guardian.)

The State Department tried to downplay the situation, emphasizing that the embassy was probably closed at the time. According to CNN, U.S. officials are denying that protesters actually penetrated the building.

"It has been up and running. It's been functioning. They've been carrying out their diplomatic functions and activities," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack at the afternoon briefing. "The question is whether or not it was open to the public."

McCormack stressed that the White House is sympathetic to the concerns of Serbs, angry because they consider Kosovo part of their religious and cultural heritage. NATO forced an end to ethnic cleansing of mostly Muslim Albanians in the former Yugoslavia in the late 1990s. Since then, the mostly Albanian province of Kosovo and the mostly Orthodox Christian Serbia have existed in an uneasy peace.

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Posted at 3:32 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, EU, Europe, Russia, U.N.
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CRS: Military Can Cover War Costs Longer Than Expected

The Pentagon has several budgetary options at its disposal to pay for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan well into August -- weeks longer than Defense Department officials have estimated, according to the latest Congressional Research Service report on war costs. Congress already has approved $70 billion to pay for the overseas military operations and another $16.8 billion to buy new mine-resistant vehicles in FY08, but senior Pentagon officials have warned they need another $102.5 billion for the wars before accounts dry up early this summer.

"Although CRS estimates also suggest that the Army's current funding will be exhausted by... early July 2008, DOD could extend that time line by one to two months -- or until mid-to-late August 2008 if necessary by using available authority to transfer additional funds to the Army," according to the Feb. 8 CRS report.

The military could make use of $7.7 billion in general transfer authority in its base FY08 budget and the $70 billion supplemental to pay for operations for an additional four weeks, the report said. Pentagon planners could also tap into $2.1 billion in excess balances in working capital funds -- umbrella accounts to pay for commercial and industrial activities -- to cover another week of operations.

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Posted at 8:55 AM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Bush Administration, Congress, Iraq, Military
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February 20, 2008

If Speeches Were Horses, Clinton Would Be So Dead Right Now

Either the Obama campaign is too hopeful or too darn cynical for its own good.

And either the Clinton campaign is too arrogant or too tone-deaf for its own good.

Beware the punditocracy.

Whereas two weeks ago it was premature to call Ohio and Texas do-or-die states for Hillary Rodham Clinton, that is not the case today. In most other election years, Wisconsin and Hawaii would be two "so what?" states. Not this year, and not on the heels of three straight primary/caucus sweeps for Barack Obama.

Out of the 10 contests Obama's won since the Super Tuesday draw, Wisconsin's tilt toward Obama is the most significant. (NJ's James Barnes has a feature on this today.) Obama is eating into all of Clinton's constituents, including older white men, single white women and lower-income Democrats. Now the question everyone is asking is whether Camp Clinton can slow this train down.

Continue reading "If Speeches Were Horses, Clinton Would Be So Dead Right Now"

Posted at 5:40 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, President Bush, Republicans, WH 2008
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Kosovo's Break From Serbia Splinters World Community

Russia's foreign minister has declared an EU mission to Kosovo illegal days after the Balkan state declared its independence from Serbia.

"To put it mildly, it is a bitter irony that this mission to ensure the supremacy of the law in Kosovo is being sent in breach of the highest international law," Sergei Lavrov said in a press briefing.

Russia and Serbia are in disagreement with the West's interpretation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244, adopted in 1999 at the end of the Balkan conflict. The resolution reaffirms "the commitment of all Member States to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia," but it also reaffirms "the call in previous resolutions for substantial autonomy and meaningful self-administration for Kosovo."

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Posted at 12:09 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Chechnya, EU, Europe, Russia
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Can These Guys Run Pakistan?

Pervez Musharraf, who seized power illegally and whose unpopularity now prompts rioting in Pakistan's streets, isn't going anywhere.

Not if he can help it, anyway. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (subscription), Musharraf stubbornly insisted on his relevance to Pakistani politics and said he would help shepherd in the newly elected government.

But the leaders of the two parties that won big in Monday's parliamentary election -- former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League-N Party and Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan Peoples Party -- called on Musharraf to step down. The two are meeting today to discuss, in all likelihood, forming a broad-based coalition government that does not include Musharraf.

"He used to say that when people expressed no confidence in him that he would leave. Now the people have announced their decision," said Sharif, who was tossed out of office in the military coup led by the former general in 1999.

Continue reading "Can These Guys Run Pakistan?"

Posted at 9:17 AM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Al-Qaida, Asia, Bush Administration, Pakistan, President Bush, Terrorism
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February 19, 2008

Military Poll: Armed Forces -- And U.S. -- Highly Vulnerable

Is the military broken?

That is a question the Pentagon and Washington have been asking since late 2003, when then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld inadvertently signaled that the country was in for a "long, hard slog" in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers themselves have been generally more positive about their mission than American civilians are. A new survey of military officers shows that while most maintain that the military is not broken, it cannot persevere under present conditions for long.

More than 3,400 active and retired officers -- 10 percent of whom served in Iraq, Afghanistan or both -- were surveyed by Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for a New American Security [PDF], a centrist think tank.

Just 42 percent of respondents described the military as broken, compared with 56 percent who disagreed. But 60 percent said the military was weaker. Just 25 percent said the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan had helped the military grow stronger.

The results are largely in line with other surveys of military officers, such as those conducted by the Military Times publishing group. But as warnings from the military about its own health have intensified over the years, the strain placed on active-duty troops has only grown. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the new 15/12 deployment schedule last April, and there are no indications that those rotations will be eased this year, even as troop levels are brought back down to pre-surge levels. If anything, the Pentagon appears to be hinting that they will not.

When asked whether the war in Iraq had stretched the military "dangerously thin," a whopping 88 percent of respondents said yes. More gravely, the officers said, the military is currently ill-prepared to respond to other major conflicts. More than 80 percent said it was unreasonable to expect the military to engage in another war today. And on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 meaning completely ready, the officers gave America's readiness to go to war with Iran a 4.5.

That may be because many see the current mission in Iraq as untenable: Nearly three-quarters said the goals set for the military by civilian leadership after the fall of Saddam Hussein were unreasonable.

Continue reading "Military Poll: Armed Forces -- And U.S. -- Highly Vulnerable"

Posted at 3:35 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Asia, Bush Administration, CIA, Congress, David Petraeus, Donald Rumsfeld, Iraq, Middle East, Military, Robert Gates
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February 15, 2008

FISA Fight Spills Over Into Recess

President Bush and Republican congressional leaders today charged that House Democratic leaders put the nation at risk by failing to move legislation renewing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

"By blocking this piece of legislation, our country is more in danger of an attack," Bush said following a meeting at the White House with GOP leaders. "By not giving the professionals the tools they need, it's going to be a lot harder to do the job we need to be able to defend America."

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the president's claims of imminent danger were overblown because Bush would still have authority to allow eavesdropping on suspected terrorists after the law expires at midnight. "A wide range of national security experts has made clear that the president and our intelligence community have all the tools they need to protect our nation," Hoyer said. He called Bush's remarks "wrong, divisive and nothing more than fear-mongering."

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Posted at 3:20 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, House, President Bush, Senate, Terrorism
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Bush & Rice Head Into Africa

President Bush embarks on a tour of five African countries tonight and, as the New York Times puts it, the trip will "thrust himself into the role of peacemaker" as he tries to help international leaders address recent crises in the region.

He won't be alone: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be in Kenya, one of the administration's greatest areas of concern. In Nairobi on Monday, Rice will meet with former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has been in the country since mid-January to try to mediate a bloody conflict sparked by Kenya's contested presidential election at the end of last year.

Annan said today that a deal between the two rival factions was "very close," but that a final solution about a power-sharing government had not yet been reached.

But Bush, for his part, is sticking to friendlier territory: Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia. At a speech yesterday at the Smithsonian's African Museum of Art, the president offered a rosy view of the five nations: "Each of these countries is blessed with natural beauty, vibrant culture, and an unmistakable spirit of energy and optimism. Africa in the 21st century is a continent of potential.... It's a place where democracy is advancing, where economies are growing, and leaders are meeting challenges with purpose and determination."

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Posted at 12:15 PM
Posted to: Africa, Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Kenya, President Bush, Sudan
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Senators Grill Chertoff On Grants & FEMA Trailers

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff received brief expressions of praise from the members of the Senate oversight committee for his department's achievements yesterday, and then had to endure prolonged bipartisan grilling and protests over his proposed FY09 budget and a wide array of other issues.

Nearly every member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee protested the budget's proposed "cuts" in state and local homeland security grants.

Chertoff repeatedly noted that the grant levels requested were the same as in the FY08 budget but that Congress had increased them. He said the latest request for $50.5 billion represented "very difficult tradeoffs" among many high-priority needs, but the grants were funded at an appropriate level.

Continue reading "Senators Grill Chertoff On Grants & FEMA Trailers"

Posted at 9:10 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Katrina, Senate
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February 14, 2008

House GOP Walks Out Over Contempt Vote, FISA

UPDATED.

Enraged House Republicans staged a walkout from the floor after Democrats sought a contempt of Congress vote for White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers.

"We will not stand for this and we will not stay for this," said Minority Leader John Boehner, speaking from the House floor. "I would ask my House Republican colleagues and those who believe that we should be here protecting the American people to not vote on this bill. Let's just get up and leave."

And with that, a few dozen House GOP lawmakers got up and left. They convened on the Capitol steps to address the cameras.

Continue reading "House GOP Walks Out Over Contempt Vote, FISA"

Posted at 3:53 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Harriet Miers, Homeland Security, House, President Bush, Senate, Terrorism
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Lincoln Chafee Endorses Obama

Looks like the GOP has its very own Joe Lieberman: former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee.

Chafee, the only Republican to vote against giving President Bush the authority to invade Iraq, is bypassing former colleague John McCain in favor of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who wasn't yet in the Senate for the 2002 vote but opposed the war as an Illinois lawmaker.

"I believe Senator Obama is the best candidate to restore American credibility, to restore our confidence to be moral and just, and to bring people together to solve the complex issues such as the economy, the environment and global stability," Chafee said in a conference call with reporters.

Chafee's endorsement comes as McCain stumps for votes in the Ocean State later today.

Chafee, always a popular lawmaker in his state, was swept out of office on an anti-GOP tide in 2006. His successor, Sheldon Whitehouse, campaigned on an argument for Democratic control of the Senate to challenge President Bush's authority. The Republican Party didn't exactly rush to Chafee's defense, and last year Chafee left the GOP to become an independent.

The Providence Journal reports that Chafee excoriates the leaders of both parties, particularly on the Iraq war vote, in a soon-to-be-released memoir.

Posted at 11:46 AM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, John McCain, President Bush, Republicans, WH 2008
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February 13, 2008

Bush, Congress Enjoy Feel-Good Moment

A historically unpopular president and an even more unpopular Congress came together today to remind Americans that they might not be so worthless after all.

Lawmakers squeezed around President Bush in the White House this afternoon as he signed into law a $168 billion economic stimulus package that will mean up to $1,200 in tax rebates for working couples plus $300 per child.

"A lot of folks in America probably are saying it's impossible for those of us in Washington to find common ground and reach compromise on important issues. I don't feel that way, and I know the leaders don't feel that way," Bush said, opening the signing ceremony. "As a result, we have come together on a single mission, and that is to put the people's interest first."

Lawmakers who have been highly critical of Bush's economic policies and of the stimulus bill itself, which was forged through intense negotiations and compromise, beamed in the background.

Continue reading "Bush, Congress Enjoy Feel-Good Moment"

Posted at 3:05 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, President Bush, Taxes
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Hey, D.C.: It's Called 'Salt'

UPDATED.

District residents dread winter more than most Northeasterners -- not because it's particularly cold here, but because this city is comically helpless when confronted with flurries and ice. Now that the Beltway's inability to cope with treacherous winter weather has nearly felled America's secretary of defense, will the D.C. government get on this problem already?

That's right: The latest victim of D.C.'s saltless and unshoveled streets is former CIA Director and current SecDef Robert Gates, who slipped on an icy surface and fractured his shoulder last night. As many Beltway residents know, freezing rain quickly coated the region's streets and sidewalks yesterday evening, making walking and driving in this city more treacherous than usual. Maryland extended its polling hours in yesterday's Potomac Drainage Basin Primary because so many voters were taking their sweet time on the deadly roads.

Continue reading "Hey, D.C.: It's Called 'Salt'"

Posted at 12:34 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Robert Gates, Rudy Giuliani
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February 12, 2008

WH '08: The Hurry-Up Primary Campaign

In homage to the great sportswriter (and Brookings Institution egghead) Gregg Easterbrook, we're dubbing today's spate of regional votes the Potomac Drainage Basin Primary. (It's no worse than any of the other nicknames we've seen.)

So in case you missed it, there's a primary vote happening today in Virginia, Maryland and right here in the District. Barack Obama's going to sweep those votes, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is going to keep losing contests until March 4's Ohio and Texas primaries, which she might also lose. Wow, those are a long way away. She's a goner.

And... scene.

So goes our cheeky ribbing of the media speculation-a-thon regarding today's primaries, which according to MSM bylaws a) must have a cutesy nickname (Chesapeake or Crab Cake?) and b) must be predictive of the nomination winner and, while we're at it, the winner of the November general election vote.

Continue reading "WH '08: The Hurry-Up Primary Campaign"

Posted at 6:10 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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From Russia, With Contempt

Gazprom will continue to pump gas into Ukraine after negotiators resolved a dispute with Russia, but energy supplies might be the least of the former Soviet satellite's concerns.

Asked about Ukraine's bid for inclusion in NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "I draw your attention to the consequences that would follow. It is terrible to even think that in response to this... Russia cannot theoretically exclude aiming our offensive missile systems at Ukraine."

Putin said Moscow would not interfere with Ukraine's affairs, but warned Kiev that if it agreed to host missile systems or NATO bases, Russia would point its weapons at Ukraine. Putin has made similar threats to Poland and the Czech Republic, where the U.S. is planning to install anti-ballistic weapons systems.

Continue reading "From Russia, With Contempt"

Posted at 4:49 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Military, Russia, Vladimir Putin
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Bush Speaks Out On Hate Crimes

President Bush issued a forceful indictment of hate crimes during a White House event honoring Black History Month.

"The noose is not a symbol of prairie justice, but of gross injustice. Displaying one is not a harmless prank," Bush said, referring to a "a number of media reports" of noose displays. "And lynching is not a word to be mentioned in jest. As a civil society, we must understand that noose displays and lynching jokes have no place in a civil society. They are wrong and have no place in America today."

Bush's remarks come on the 199th birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

The District has been home to several high-profile racial incidents in recent months. Several contractors were fired after a Jan. 22 incident in which a noose was found in a break room at the site of the new Washington Nationals stadium. D.C. legislators have since introduced a bill making the display of nooses a hate crime.

Continue reading "Bush Speaks Out On Hate Crimes"

Posted at 3:41 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, President Bush, Race
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Mortgage Crisis Spreads, White House Responds

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced a new mortgage rescue plan that would help all kinds of borrowers, not just those who took out subprime loans.

Dubbed Project Lifeline, the program would enlist the six major mortgage lenders in a "targeted outreach to homeowners 90 days or more delinquent" that would "pause" the foreclosure process. Though the Bush administration continues to insist that the economy hasn't fallen into recession, today's announcement was an acknowledgement that better-off Americans are also suffering as a result of the lending crash.

"Project Lifeline has the potential to offer new solutions to responsible and able homeowners who want to keep their homes," Paulson said at a joint press conference with Jackson. Describing the effort to help struggling homeowners as "evolving," Paulson added, "As our economy works through this difficult period, we will look at additional opportunities to try to prevent additional foreclosures."

Continue reading "Mortgage Crisis Spreads, White House Responds"

Posted at 12:38 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Economy, President Bush
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February 11, 2008

Military Commissions To Get First Major Test

The Pentagon formally announced today it was seeking the death penalty for six Guantanamo detainees for their alleged roles in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The cases, to be tried jointly at the government's request, are the first to hit the U.S. government's as-yet-untested military tribunals system.

The creation of a separate judicial system for foreign terrorism suspects has been slowgoing, fraught with do-overs and heavily criticized around the world. Last June, the first two cases to be brought before the newly established military commissions -- under orders from the Supreme Court and Congress -- were summarily tossed out on technicalities. Now, DOD is signaling its intention of finally putting the military commissions to the test, and with its biggest fish in the war on terror so far.

The highest-profile defendant is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who as al-Qaida's No. 3 confessed to planning and facilitating the 9/11 attacks as well as personally beheading American journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan.

Continue reading "Military Commissions To Get First Major Test"

Posted at 2:40 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Military, Terrorism
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February 07, 2008

Mukasey: CIA Waterboarding Will Not Be Investigated

Attorney General Michael Mukasey today said the Justice Department will not open a criminal investigation into waterboarding by CIA employees because his department previously permitted use of the technique in interrogations of suspected terrorists. Waterboarding "cannot possibly be the subject of a Justice Department investigation, because that would mean that the same department that authorized the program would now consider prosecuting someone who followed that advice," Mukasey told the House Judiciary Committee at a department oversight hearing.

Mukasey's remarks followed an admission Tuesday by CIA Director Michael Hayden that the agency used waterboarding -- an interrogation technique that causes suspects to believe they are drowning -- on three al-Qaida detainees after Sept. 11, 2001. The department's Office of Legal Counsel has issued opinions that waterboarding is legal in some circumstances, though Mukasey and other Bush administration officials have said U.S. employees do not now use it.

Continue reading "Mukasey: CIA Waterboarding Will Not Be Investigated"

Posted at 4:39 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, CIA, Congress, House, Michael Mukasey, Terrorism
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Storm-Hit States Pick Up The Pieces

Cleanup and recovery efforts continue in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee, where a cluster of tornadoes and storms have killed at least 57 people. More than half of the fatalities occurred in hard-hit Tennessee.

President Bush is touring the Volunteer State tomorrow. Federal assistance has been authorized for the five states, and FEMA crews are already on the ground. USA Today reports that Tuesday night was "the nation's deadliest barrage of tornadoes since 76 people were killed in Pennsylvania and Ohio on May 31, 1985."

The Washington Post homes in on the story of an 11-month-old Tennessee baby found alive in the wreckage, yards away from where his mother was found. She did not survive.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette have local reports of the recovery effort.

Posted at 3:30 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, President Bush
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More Warnings Delivered On Afghanistan

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied that her surprise visit to Kandahar today was Washington's way of sticking it to NATO allies not doing their fair share in Afghanistan.

"It's just the rationale of being able to get outside of Kabul and see one of the areas that's been very active," Rice said before touching down, according to Reuters. "I don't think there's any message there to anyone."

Poignantly -- or not, if Rice's statement is taken at face value -- she and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband were touring Kandahar, a former Taliban stronghold in the country's south. Most trips by top foreign dignitaries are confined to the much safer capital city of Kabul. Kandahar remains dangerous, but it is also a prime example of the effectiveness of NATO forces in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida.

And in what has over the years become a ritual, Afghan President Hamid Karzai denied there were tensions between his government and its Western allies.

Continue reading "More Warnings Delivered On Afghanistan"

Posted at 12:00 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Al-Qaida, Asia, Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Europe, Germany, Robert Gates, Terrorism, U.K.
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February 06, 2008

What's The Point Of NATO, Anyway?

The U.S. and Britain have been fighting an uphill battle to win deeper commitments from NATO allies in Afghanistan. With recent independent reports warning that Afghanistan may be tipping back into failed statehood, and a critical upcoming vote in Canada that could determine that country's ongoing security contributions, NATO member nations are facing a kind of do-or-die moment.

The question at hand is: What is NATO's mission in the 21st century?

NATO was formed during the Cold War to fend off the Soviet threat. It was a mutual security pact, in which an attack on one was to be perceived as an attack on all.

After the 9/11 attacks, it became clear that al-Qaida was now the biggest threat facing the West. With little debate, NATO's mission was updated for the 21st century, and forces were sent to Afghanistan.

More than six years later, the success of NATO's fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida is in dispute. The war in Iraq sapped resources from Afghanistan, and more importantly sapped confidence in the United States' and Britain's leadership roles there. Nations have withdrawn forces over the last several years, and now the fighting -- and dying -- falls disproportionately on the U.S., Britain, the Netherlands and Canada.

Member nations privately blame the U.S. and Britain for being so preoccupied with the war in Iraq -- overwhelmingly unpopular among member nations -- that they delivered a seemingly half-hearted effort in Afghanistan. Washington and 10 Downing Street vehemently deny this is the case.

Without positing it directly, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is challenging member nations to remember the point of NATO and step up their contributions. "I do think the alliance is facing a real test here. And it is a test of the alliance's strength," she said at a press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband today.

Continue reading "What's The Point Of NATO, Anyway?"

Posted at 5:30 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Europe, Germany, Iraq, Middle East, Military, Pakistan, President Bush, Robert Gates, Terrorism, U.K.
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White House Keeping Eye On Storm Aftermath

The White House sought to convey a message to the thousands of victims of deadly storms that hit the South last night: We're on top of it.

Following the fumbled response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Bush administration has been closely watched during subsequent natural disasters. Yesterday, President Bush authorized emergency federal disaster assistance to Missouri, and this morning, he offered thoughts and prayers to the victims.

"I do want the people in these states to know the American people are standing with them," he said, adding that he pledged federal disaster assistance to the affected states.

More than 50 people have died in the violent storms and tornadoes that hit Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee, according to CNN. States of emergency have been declared throughout those states, and teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are on the ground.

Continue reading "White House Keeping Eye On Storm Aftermath"

Posted at 1:15 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Homeland Security, Katrina, President Bush
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The Economy: Not So Super

The excitement surrounding yesterday's unprecedented Super Tuesday nominating contests obscured the latest and perhaps most damning news to come out on the troubled economy: Activity in the crucial service sector slowed for the first time in nearly five years last month.

The report from the Institute of Supply Management shows a significant decline in non-manufacturing activity (previously the "firmest pillar of economic expansion") in January. Those numbers, coupled with last week's news that jobs were declining, are heightening concerns that the economy is not only headed for a recession, but is already in one.

"Recession is here," the headline on CNNMoney.com read yesterday. The report quotes several economists who said the ISM report was the tipping point for them.

Continue reading "The Economy: Not So Super"

Posted at 12:20 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Democrats, Economy, Hillary Rodham Clinton, House, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Senate, WH 2008
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February 05, 2008

¡Martes Gigante!

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are dueling for the coveted Latino vote in California, Arizona, Illinois and New Jersey. Though Clinton was viewed as having cornered this demographic, Obama's late-breaking sweep of support following his South Carolina primary victory could net him a significant portion of the Latino vote.

Carin Zissis of the New York-based Americas Society/Council of the Americas breaks down where these voters might go today.

Continue reading "¡Martes Gigante!"

Posted at 4:05 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, President Bush, Republicans, WH 2008
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Intel Chiefs Say Waterboarding Used In Interrogations

The intelligence community's annual public report on the threats facing the nation was overtaken during a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing today by the politically charged issues of waterboarding and other "coercive" interrogation techniques, extension of the government's eavesdropping authority and the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and CIA Director Michael Hayden said waterboarding was a legal technique that should be available under certain circumstances if authorized by the nation's legal and political leaders. McConnell said, to his knowledge, only the CIA has used it. Hayden told the committee that the CIA has used the painful technique, which many consider a form of torture, only three times in its history. Those times, three years ago, were against "high value" al-Qaida terror suspects who were thought to have information on an imminent threat to the nation.

The intense discussion was triggered by a question from Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., about proposed legislation that would require all U.S. intelligence agencies to use only the interrogation procedures listed in the recently revised Army field manual.

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Posted at 3:45 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, CIA, Congress, Detainees, Michael Hayden, Mike McConnell, Senate
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White House Courting Comedy Controversy Again

After playing it safe with dead-guy impressionist Rich Little last year, the White House has decided on a, um, more contemporary choice for this year's White House Correspondents Dinner entertainment: late-night talk-show host Craig Ferguson.

Ferguson is a fine choice for the dinner because he's proved to actually be funny, in spite of his introduction to American audiences on "The Drew Carey Show." And the cherry on top? The Scotsman just became an American citizen.

"As soon as I became an American I thought, you know what is going to happen, I am going to get jury duty or the CIA is going to get in touch and get me to assassinate a foreign state or something like that. Something boring," Ferguson told his audience on the show that aired last night. "Anyway, my first job as an American citizen, I can exclusively reveal tonight, is performing at the White House Correspondents Dinner this year. I'm doing it!"

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Posted to: Bush Administration, Media, President Bush
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Democrats Blast Bush's Budget Request

When President Bush delivered his final, $3 trillion-plus budget to Congress yesterday, congressional Democrats from both chambers wasted no time laying out their opposition to the proposal.

Senate Democrats quickly attacked the FY09 request, with Majority Leader Harry Reid blasting it as "more of the same," taking specific issue with the budget's proposed cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, its failure to address rising college costs and its neglect of energy issues. "Furthermore, this budget is fiscally irresponsible and highly deceptive, hiding the costs of the war in Iraq while increasing our skyrocketing debt," Reid said. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said many of those proposed cuts will never get through Congress, particularly a proposed $178 billion cut in Medicare.

On the House side, the budget was met with condemnation from Democratic leaders for continuing "failed" policies and praise from Republican leaders for starting the annual conversation in a fiscally sound manner. The annual rhetorical battle over federal priorities sets up a replay of last year's partisan budget showdown, but with an election-year edge heightened by the economic downturn.

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Posted at 10:22 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, House, President Bush, Senate
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February 04, 2008

Inside Bush's Budget: Pay Raise Disparities

President Bush proposed a 2.9 percent pay increase for civilian workers and a 3.4 percent pay boost for military personnel in fiscal 2009, according to budget documents released today.

The proposed pay raises rebuff calls for military-civilian pay parity from several lawmakers. Last week, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers sent a letter to the president, asking him to incorporate the principle of equal raises for service members and civilians in his budget request.

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Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Military, President Bush
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Suicide Bombing Comes In Time Of Weakness For Olmert

The first suicide bombing that Israel has seen in more than a year killed a 20-year-old woman and injured 11 others, and comes at a particularly delicate time in renewed Mideast peace negotiations.

The attack was claimed by al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the unofficial terrorist wing of the Fatah Party, and took place at a shopping center in the southern town of Dimona. A second bomber was shot and killed by police before he could detonate explosives strapped to his body.

"Monday's terror attack gives us a painful reminder that we must be vigilant and maintain our readiness in all areas," said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. "We are waging a war on terror. It is continuing without bounds and we will get to everyone involved in terror activity."

According to BBC News, an al-Aqsa spokesman hinted that the breach along the Gaza-Egypt border made the bombing mission possible. Gaza militants blew up the border two weeks ago amid an Israeli-enforced blockade that made travel to purchase goods and visit family members nearly impossible.

Egyptian security forces finally sealed the last remaining breach on Sunday, but not without violent exchanges with some lagging Palestinians. Officials haven't yet confirmed whether the Dimona bombers entered Israel via Egypt, but the bombing has already led to calls for suspending peace negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

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Posted at 12:45 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Fatah, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush, Terrorism
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Bush To Send Congress Largest Budget In History

President Bush is expected to send the nation's first-ever $3 trillion budget request to Congress today for the 2009 fiscal year. Bush's proposal will project about $400 billion in budget deficits over the next two years, bolstered in part by the current economic slump and the stimulus package. But AP reports that, once again, the largest spending increases in the FY09 budget are in national security.

Despite the huge projected deficits, Bush's budget includes sizable cuts in domestic spending, particularly for government health care programs, state and local anti-terrorism grants and social service programs, according to the Washington Post. The plan is already drawing ire from Democratic lawmakers, who charge that Bush is directing cuts at programs that benefit the poor and middle-class families while protecting his tax cuts for the wealthy.

Meanwhile, the projected deficits do not even take into account funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. CongressDaily (subscription) reports this morning that Bush "is expected today to ask Congress for $70 billion to cover" the cost of the wars "for the first few months of FY09 -- a request that, if approved, could ultimately push the total amount of supplemental spending for military and civilian needs over the $1 trillion mark over the life of this administration."

The war-funding request coupled with the $3 trillion budget means the spending battles that ensnared Congress and the White House last year are likely to continue well into 2008.

AP has a breakdown of some elements in Bush's budget, and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal (subscription) have more on the administration's proposed spending increases for military operations.

Posted at 9:13 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, President Bush
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February 01, 2008

Poland OKs U.S. Missile Defense System

UPDATED.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski confirmed this afternoon "an agreement in principle" to host a U.S. missile defense shield, AP reports. He was in Washington today to discuss the matter with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"We understand that there is a desire for defense modernization in Poland, and particularly for air defense modernization in Poland," Rice said at a joint press appearance following their meeting. "This is something that we support because it will make our ally, Poland, more capable, it will make Poland, as the foreign minister has said, more able to operate with us."

The offer to help Poland bolster its air force apparently helped secure the tentative deal. But there were more details to be ironed out, Sikorski said.

"We are not at the end of the road as regards negotiations. We are in the middle of the road," he said. "We have an agreement in principle."

The deal is sure to provoke strong reaction from Russia, which in May threatened to train its long-range weapons on Europe if Washington went ahead with plans to build a new anti-ballistic missile shield in that neighborhood.

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Posted to: Bush Administration, Europe, Russia
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Everyone Except Exxon Mobil Frowning Today

Having lost one of his main talking points on the economy -- that the U.S. was enjoying an unprecedented, 52-month run in job growth -- President Bush sought to assure Americans today that the U.S. economy would get through the current "rough patch."

"During this downcycle, we want to help individual Americans," Bush said, speaking from Hallmark Cards, Inc. in Kansas City. "There is concern whether consumers will lose confidence in our economy. One way to address that issue is to have a temporary, robust tax rebate," he continued, referring to the checks that are going out to millions of households this summer.

Today's Labor Department report on January job growth was not the one everyone was expecting. Non-farm payrolls dropped 17,000 jobs, the first time the U.S. has lost jobs since 2003.

Capping a week of other negative indicators on the economy, "the disappointing report could tilt economists' reading of the U.S. labor market towards the belief that it is weakening significantly," the Financial Times reports.

But not everyone is shaking their head with worry today. Exxon Mobil reported $40.6 billion in net income, a historical best for the energy giant. The record profits are a result of the sharp spike in oil prices worldwide. (Rival Chevron also beat analysts' estimates.)

Continue reading "Everyone Except Exxon Mobil Frowning Today"

Posted at 12:57 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, President Bush, Taxes
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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.

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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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January 30, 2008

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.

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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"

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Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Federal Reserve, House, President Bush, 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.

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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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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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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.

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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.

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Posted at 9:26 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, House, President Bush, Senate
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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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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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January 25, 2008

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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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

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.

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

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Posted at 8:15 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, CIA, Congress, Michael Mukasey, President Bush, Senate
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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.

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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.

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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.

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Posted at 3:10 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy
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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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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.

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Posted at 12:55 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Detainees, Jose Padilla, Terrorism
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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.

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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.

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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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January 17, 2008

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.

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Posted at 4:46 PM
Posted to: Ben Bernanke, Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Federal Reserve, House, President Bush, Taxes
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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.

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Posted at 8:55 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, House, Iraq, Military, President Bush, Senate
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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.

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Posted at 5:11 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, Health
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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.

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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.

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Posted at 9:42 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, House, President Bush
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January 15, 2008

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.

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Posted at 12:16 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Economy, President Bush, 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.

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Posted at 9:06 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Constitution, House, Military, President Bush
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January 14, 2008

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.

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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."

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Posted at 3:52 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Saudi Arabia
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January 11, 2008

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.

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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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January 10, 2008

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.

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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.

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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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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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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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January 08, 2008

ICYMI: War In Iraq *Still On*

Hey everybody, we're still at war in Iraq! (And Afghanistan.) We know, it's easy to forget when every newspaper and news channel is focused on New Hampshire.

The Gate is going to let Granite State voters do their thing -- you know, democracy -- and will update with the results tonight when they are confirmed. In the meantime, here are some developments from Iraq that you will have missed if you're as glued to the TV as we are.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have begun a significant air and land raid in insurgent-infested Diyala River Valley. About 4,000 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers are involved in the effort, which launched overnight, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Pentagon's new counterinsurgency strategy has successfully brought violence down, but commanders still face an uphill battle in their bid to scrub out/neutralize al-Qaida in Iraq. Part of the reason why is that militant fighters in Iraq are by now well-versed in dissipating into the general population when these U.S.-led missions begin.

According to the LAT account, "there were reports that the 50 to 60 senior insurgent leaders holed up northwest of Muqdadiya had fled."

Continue reading "ICYMI: War In Iraq *Still On*"

Posted at 5:09 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Middle East, Military, Palestinians, President Bush, Terrorism, WH 2008
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Feds Plan Anti-Fraud Push As Medicare Spending Rises

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is cracking down on medical equipment suppliers it says bilk taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Medicare officials estimate suppliers have fraudulently billed the government upwards of $300 million in Los Angeles County alone, the Los Angeles Times reports. The problem is most acute in urban areas in Southern California and South Florida where large numbers of elderly Medicare recipients are concentrated, the government says.

The new rules require equipment suppliers to be accredited by the government and to set prices through a bidding process. The Times reports that some medical equipment suppliers are threatening to opt out of Medicare because they believe the rules are too harsh.

Continue reading "Feds Plan Anti-Fraud Push As Medicare Spending Rises"

Posted at 1:10 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Economy, Health
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Dems Weigh Response In Defense Authorization Showdown

Congressional Democrats are grappling with how to respond to President Bush's unexpected veto of the FY08 defense authorization bill late last month because of a provision that would allow victims of state-sponsored terrorism to sue foreign governments in U.S. courts.

One response would be to hold a veto override vote in the House as early as next week, despite White House claims that the president's action constituted a pocket veto and is not subject to a challenge. House Republican leaders have urged their Democratic counterparts to fix the provision and are expected to vote to uphold the veto. While no formal vote count has yet been taken, a House GOP aide predicted Monday that a "large majority of House Republicans" would vote with the president. Should Democrats succeed, the White House could challenge the override vote -- a move that could tie up the defense bill in a murky constitutional dispute over the definition of a pocket veto, another House aide said.

Continue reading "Dems Weigh Response In Defense Authorization Showdown"

Posted at 11:13 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Constitution, House, Michael Mukasey, Military, President Bush, Senate
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January 07, 2008

Bush Renews Veto Vow On New Taxes

UPDATED.

Telling the Union League Club of Chicago that his New Year's resolution is "to make sure Congress keeps the taxes low," President Bush warned lawmakers he would squash any new legislation that raises taxes.

"I will be talking to Congress about how this administration will use its authority to keep taxes low," Bush said.

Continue reading "Bush Renews Veto Vow On New Taxes"

Posted at 6:28 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, President Bush, Taxes
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Kristol's NYT Column Debuts, World Doesn't End

Weekly Standard editor William Kristol's first column for the New York Times appeared this morning. As far as we can tell, no reader's head has spontaneously combusted.

The Times' Dec. 30 announcement that Kristol would be joining the Grey Lady's cabal of regular columnists rocked the liberal blogosphere. "Just shoot me," moaned The Nation's Katha Pollitt. "Kristol is a war-monger and a hate-monger," shouted author Jane Smiley, after announcing she was going to boycott the Times.

For whatever reason, liberals seem to get more shouty about conservative media than vice-versa. See: John Dickerson's account of Granite Staters' rough treatment of Bill O'Reilly. (We should note that Bill gave as good as he got.) And it's not like we ever see booing crowds flipping the bird whenever Maureen Dowd comes to town.

Continue reading "Kristol's NYT Column Debuts, World Doesn't End"

Posted at 2:01 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Media, President Bush
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U.S.-Iran Tussle Averted, Just In Time For Bush Trip

UPDATED.

Iran has confirmed an incident in which U.S. and Iranian naval vessels appear to have come dangerously close to a military confrontation, but waved off alarm over the near-clash.

"The example that happened on Saturday was similar to previous cases and is an ordinary and natural issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said, according to Reuters. "This is an ordinary issue that happens for the two sides every once in a while and after the identification of the two sides the issue is resolved."

Earlier today, U.S. officials said that the "significant" confrontation between Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels and three U.S. naval ships ended without a shot fired. The incident came just days before George W. Bush is due in Israel for the first Mideast visit of his presidency.

Continue reading "U.S.-Iran Tussle Averted, Just In Time For Bush Trip"

Posted at 1:51 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Military, Palestinians, President Bush
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January 04, 2008

WH '08: A Brusque, But Not Brisk, Farewell To Iowa

We haven't matched the rest of the media's outsized coverage of the Iowa caucuses because of the very nature of the caucuses themselves. But we have to admit that what we saw last night was pretty astonishing, in part because a poll predicting the results actually turned out to be right.

Of course, that could just be a coincidence, but the Des Moines Register appears to have corrected for some of the factors that plagued surveys past. (Though it's still not without its problems, Mark Blumenthal points out.) The David-vs.-Goliath victory of Mike Huckabee (results) flew in the face of conventional wisdom, proving that a virtual unknown with hardly any money to campaign with and virtually no organization could sell himself to voters.

Huck's defeat of Mitt Romney does not, however, mean that the conventional wisdom won't prevail.

If you know anything about how the caucuses work, you know that they are unrepresentative of party voters nationwide and are undemocratic, particularly on the Democratic side (irony, irony), to boot. So of course all the attention now goes to New Hampshire (but not Wyoming, which holds its GOP caucus tomorrow), for the first primary vote of the season. New Hampshire's results will almost certainly be different from Iowa's, so a lot of comparing and contrasting will ensue.

We purposely did not devote a lot of blog space to the caucuses for good reason. But yesterday's surprising results dispelled some long-standing prognostication about the 2008 presidential election. Since dispensing with conventional wisdom can be fun (OK, we're nerds), let's take out the trash after the jump.

Continue reading "WH '08: A Brusque, But Not Brisk, Farewell To Iowa"

Posted at 5:51 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Economy, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, John Edwards, John McCain, Joseph Biden, Middle East, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, WH 2008
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January 03, 2008

While Congress Is Away, Troops Go Without Bonus Pay

Don't blame lawmakers, though. Blame this guy.

Without warning, President Bush killed the FY08 Defense Authorization Act that was sent to the Oval Office on Dec. 19. On Dec. 28, with Congress long gone for the holiday recess, Bush announced that he would use a pocket veto on the bill because it contained a provision (Sec. 1083) that he said would impede reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

Seeking to explain why he was blindsiding Congress on the bill, Bush said, "While my administration objected to an earlier version of this provision in previous communications about the bill, its full impact on Iraq and on our relationship with Iraq has become apparent only in recent days. Members of my administration are working with members of Congress to fix this flawed provision as soon as possible after the Congress returns."

Most members were out of town when the White House announced Bush was not going to sign the bill. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said that lawmakers won't be able to address the problem section until the Senate is back in session, which is tentatively scheduled to happen on Jan. 22.

Through an executive order, Bush implemented a 3-percent pay raise for service members effective yesterday. That's slightly less than the raise Congress had approved. And bonus payments for Army personnel and enlistees will cease until a new bill is passed and then signed.

Continue reading "While Congress Is Away, Troops Go Without Bonus Pay"

Posted at 4:30 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Military, President Bush
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Kenya's Kibaki Breaks Silence As Post-Election Crisis Continues

Amid continuing violent protests in the capital today over his contested re-election last week, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki extended an olive branch to his political opponent, Raila Odinga. The results of last week's election, in which Kenya's electoral commission named Kibaki the winner by a slim margin, has sent the country spiraling into violence and chaos.

With more than 300 people killed and tens of thousands displaced, according to BBC News, Kibaki bowed to intense political and diplomatic pressure and made a televised appeal for peace today.

"I am ready to have dialogue with the concerned parties once the nation is calm and the political temperatures are lowered enough for constructive and productive engagement," Kibaki said, breaking his silence on the election results, which the opposition claims were rigged.

Meanwhile, the attorney general has called for an independent inquiry into the election, as Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement continues to demand a revote. The opposition party canceled a planned rally for today but has rescheduled it for Jan. 8 if an agreement is not reached by then.

Continue reading "Kenya's Kibaki Breaks Silence As Post-Election Crisis Continues"

Posted at 3:22 PM
Posted to: Africa, Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, EU, Europe, Kenya
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States Sue EPA Over Emissions Rules

With California leading the charge, 16 states have come together to bring a lawsuit against the Bush administration over the ability of states to craft their own rules about greenhouse gas emissions. The states filed the suit yesterday, claiming their rights were violated when the Environmental Protection Agency denied their request.

Both houses of Congress will take up the issue with hearings on "whether the White House and automakers influenced the Environmental Protection Agency's decision, which was required to be based on scientific and legal grounds," according to the Los Angeles Times. California Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) is also calling for an investigation into the EPA's ruling.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) soundly rebuked the EPA in a statement yesterday, saying the agency is "ignoring the will of millions of people who want their government to take action in the fight against global warming." His state was denied a waiver for an existing California law that would have mandated the reduction of emissions from new vehicles by 30 percent over the next eight years.

Continue reading "States Sue EPA Over Emissions Rules"

Posted at 7:56 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Climate Change
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January 02, 2008

DOJ To Investigate Destruction Of CIA Tapes

UPDATED.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey announced today that the Justice Department would open a criminal probe into why the CIA destroyed videotapes of terrorism interrogations, but a top administration critic renewed calls for an outside investigation.

"It is disappointing that the attorney general has stepped outside the Justice Department's own regulations and declined to appoint a more independent special counsel in this matter," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers.

The DOJ probe follows a preliminary investigation conducted internally at the CIA after Director Michael Hayden disclosed that videos of two al-Qaida suspects being harshly interrogated were destroyed. The White House has bristled at reports that it had a role in the tapes' destruction, but officials have generally refused to clarify what they knew and when they knew it.

In a statement announcing the investigation, Mukasey said, "Following a preliminary inquiry into the destruction by CIA personnel of videotapes of detainee interrogations, the Department’s National Security Division has recommended, and I have concluded, that there is a basis for initiating a criminal investigation of this matter, and I have taken steps to begin that investigation."

The investigation would normally fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of Virginia, but following a recusal request, a U.S. attorney based in Connecticut will handle the matter, Mukasey said. U.S. attorneys are political appointees, but questions about just how political those appointments were culminated in the resignation of Mukasey's predecessor, former AG Alberto Gonzales, last year.

Mukasey described John Durham, the first assistant U.S. attorney in the Connecticut office, as "a widely respected and experienced career prosecutor who has supervised a wide range of complex investigations in the past."

Continue reading "DOJ To Investigate Destruction Of CIA Tapes"

Posted at 5:27 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, CIA, Congress, Michael Hayden, Michael Mukasey, Military, President Bush, Terrorism
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December 28, 2007

Why We Fight

Before the Christmas break, we wrote that Americans' dwindling interest in the Iraq war might be perilous to the national interest, as Alasdair Roberts recently contended in Foreign Policy. Now the war on terrorism -- which even critics of President Bush must admit now includes Iraq -- is back in the headlines, thanks to yesterday's tragic events.

The view from Washington is that the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a serious kneecap blow to U.S. foreign policy. To quickly review: President Pervez Musharraf, an ally by necessity, is increasingly unpopular at home and for good reason. (People who live under military dictatorships generally do not enjoy the experience.) Meanwhile, there's a virulent strain of anti-Western, Islamic fanaticism seeping through Pakistan at the moment, which means this White House's usually cherished principles of liberty and democracy do not apply.

The Bhutto-Musharraf power-sharing compromise was seen as the most feasible shot at calming Pakistan's restive populace. In Bhutto, Washington saw a more reliable and transparent ally in the war against extremism, in part because of her shady ethical past. She had something to prove.

Now that she's gone, we're back to where we were, and less than two weeks before Pakistan's elections no less. No doubt there is panic in the Beltway today, if only for the dearth of available options now.

Continue reading "Why We Fight"

Posted at 3:06 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Asia, Bush Administration, Campaigns, China, Democrats, Iraq, John McCain, Joseph Biden, Middle East, Pakistan, President Bush, Republicans, Ron Paul, Russia, Terrorism, WH 2008
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December 27, 2007

Bhutto Assassination: U.S. Policy Unchanged... But For How Long?

UPDATED.

Officials in the Bush administration said that current White House policy toward Pakistan hadn't immediately changed in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, despite questions about whether President Pervez Musharraf had a role in today's attack.

"U.S. policy has always been based on promoting a... peaceful, moderate country" in Pakistan, said State Department spokesman Tom Casey. "Our efforts have not been focused on any individuals, but on achieving that goal."

President Bush and Musharraf are to speak by phone today. Administration officials are being careful not to go beyond expressing condolences and general condemnations of terrorism as they monitor the delicate political crisis in Pakistan. Fires broke out as Bhutto supporters rioted in the streets. Islamabad declared a "red alert," meaning police were on guard against violent outbreaks related to her death, but stopped short of imposing martial law.

(For our report on Bhutto's assassination and the initial reaction, click here.)

Administration officials said they would offer whatever help Pakistan needed but that they had not been asked to assist in a pending investigation into the attack. If the White House is questioning whether Musharraf could have provided greater security for Bhutto, as it requested, officials aren't saying. Pakistan's military and intelligence services are riddled with Islamic extremists. Whether that is a result of Musharraf's ineptitude or relish for political expediency is another question observers are asking, but that the White House is not -- out loud, anyway.

"We are going to continue working with President Musharraf," Casey said. "We are going to continue working with the PPP [Bhutto's opposition Pakistan People's Party] and other moderate democratic elements in Pakistan to try to bring us all together to achieve those goals."

Casey continued, "We intend to move forward with current policy."

Continue reading "Bhutto Assassination: U.S. Policy Unchanged... But For How Long?"

Posted at 5:23 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Asia, Bush Administration, Pakistan, President Bush, Terrorism
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Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack

UPDATED.

Outraged supporters of Benazir Bhutto have taken to the streets following confirmation that the Pakistani opposition leader was assassinated today, with at least one province placed on emergency alert.

Bhutto had just spoken at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, and had gotten into a car when a gunman opened fire. The apparent assassin then blew himself up. There are conflicting reports on how she was killed. Some witnesses said she had been shot in the neck and chest, while a doctor at the hospital that treated her told the New York Times she had shrapnel wounds but would not confirm she had been directly shot.

At least 15 other people were also killed in the attack, according to various news reports. "Police in Sindh have been put on red alert," a police official told Reuters, referring to Bhutto's home province. "We have increased deployment and are patrolling in all the towns and cities, as there is trouble almost everywhere."

Television footage is showing mobs of people setting fires and destroying property in the streets.

Continue reading "Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack"

Posted at 12:52 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Asia, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, John McCain, Nuclear Weapons, Pakistan, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Terrorism, WH 2008
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December 21, 2007

...But That Won't Mitigate A Really Bad Decade In Iraq

In his year-end press conference, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that the Pentagon would not be issuing furlough notices "at this time." The branches of the military have had to lay off employees and cut corners while Congress and the White House tussle over continued war funding. The result has been piecemeal funding for the military, as anti-war lawmakers continue to pressure President Bush to accept a withdrawal deadline.

A June Center for Strategic and International Studies report [PDF] advised the Pentagon to stop requesting funding through war supplementals, which aren't included in the defense budget in order to make actual spending appear smaller than it really is. Total U.S. defense spending is only about 4 percent of GDP -- a very low war-time figure. The constantly cash-strapped military need not be so, the authors conclude, and the Pentagon should be asking for much more money with which to fight the Iraq war, the most pressing security problem facing the country.

Gates seemed to dispute the criticism that his department was lowballing Congress in order to provide political cover for the president. "I actually think we had a very thoughtful conversation with the House Armed Services Committee earlier in the year over what percent of GDP devoted to defense and securing the nation should be. I got the impression from both sides of the aisle that it ought to be about 4 percent," Gates said.

"I will be putting out a letter later this afternoon that basically acknowledges that we have to do some planning because we didn't get all the money" requested from Congress, he added.

Continue reading "...But That Won't Mitigate A Really Bad Decade In Iraq"

Posted at 5:05 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Iraq, John McCain, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Republicans, Robert Gates, WH 2008
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DOD: It Was A Pretty Good Year...

UPDATED

Thanks to the military's performance in Iraq, officials in the Department of Defense have genuine reason to clink glasses as the year winds down, though they know better than to go overboard in their celebrations.

In his year-end press briefing, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the drawdown of five brigade combat teams (BCTs) by July 2008 was going as planned and should allow for yet more troop reductions. The first of the BCTs returned from Iraq earlier this month.

"My hope is the circumstances on the ground will continue to improve in a way that, when Gen. [David] Petraeus and the Joint Chiefs and Central Command do their analysis in March, will allow a continuation of the drawdown at roughly the same pace as the first half of the year," Gates said in the Pentagon briefing room.

Continue reading "DOD: It Was A Pretty Good Year..."

Posted at 5:00 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military, Robert Gates
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December 20, 2007

President Bush's Passive-Aggressive Holiday Greeting

Speaking at his final White House press conference of the year, President Bush congratulated Congress on its 11th-hour legislative achievements while making sure to backhand lawmakers for taking so long to get there.

"I thank the members of both parties for their hard work," Bush said, cheering the passage this week of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) patch, a lending crisis fix, an energy efficiency package and new defense spending. "I am pleased we are able to end this year on a high note."

Returning later to the AMT bill, the president added, "Unfortunately, Congress passed this legislation after a lengthy delay. It is going to add to the time it takes to process tens of billions in refunds. We will work hard to minimize the impact of congressional delay."

And after thanking Congress for sending him new spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan before the New Year, Bush noted that it was "approved at the last minute, nearly three months after the end of the fiscal year." He continued, "When Congress wastes so much time and leaves its work until the final days before Christmas, it is not a responsible way to run the government."

The president later denied that his relationship with the Democratic-led Congress was truly "antagonistic," but his annual pre-holiday address to the press corps encapsulated the testy and wearying push-pull the two branches have been engaged in all year.

Continue reading "President Bush's Passive-Aggressive Holiday Greeting"

Posted at 12:18 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, CIA, Campaigns, Congress, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, Lebanon, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Russia, Syria, Vladimir Putin, WH 2008
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December 19, 2007

Bush Greenlights Energy Bill

With congressional leaders in attendance, President Bush this morning signed the recently passed energy bill that he said would address the need to reduce U.S. dependence on oil.

"The legislation I am signing today will address our vulnerabilities and our dependence in two important ways," Bush said, first by increasing the supply of alternative fuels and then by raising Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for automobiles to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

"The bill also includes provisions to improve energy efficiency in lighting and appliances," he added. "It adopts elements of the executive order I signed requiring federal agencies to lead by example on efficiency and renewable energy use."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman and ranking member Pete Domenici and House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell were among those at the ceremony. Democrats have vowed to try next year to pass tax provisions and renewable electricity mandates that were dropped from the final version of the bill.

-CongressDaily

Posted at 4:26 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, President Bush
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Time Gets It Right With Person Of The Year

After being mocked and ridiculed for its gimmicky 2006 pick, Time magazine reverted to heft with this year's choice: Russian President (for Life) Vladimir Putin.

Continue reading "Time Gets It Right With Person Of The Year"

Posted at 12:33 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Russia, U.K., WH 2008
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WH Lawyers May Have Encouraged Destruction Of CIA Tapes

One day after a federal judge ignored the Justice Department's objections and ordered a hearing into the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes, the New York Times is reporting that at least four high-ranking White House lawyers may have had a role in the decision to destroy the video evidence.

Citing "current and former administration and intelligence officials," the Times names four White House officials -- former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff David Addington, former senior National Security Council lawyer John Bellinger and former White House counsel Harriet Miers -- who "took part in discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives" from al-Qaida.

The Times' sources reportedly gave "conflicting accounts as to whether anyone at the White House expressed support for the idea that the tapes should be destroyed."

Continue reading "WH Lawyers May Have Encouraged Destruction Of CIA Tapes"

Posted at 7:46 AM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Bush Administration, CIA, Harriet Miers, Michael Hayden, Michael Mukasey, Terrorism
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December 18, 2007

DOD Nominee Gives Maliki Government An 'F'

The Bush administration's nominee to be assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs today gave the Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki an "F" for failing to meet key legislative benchmarks.

"At this time, I would give the Maliki government an 'F'," Mary Beth Long told the Senate Armed Services Committee during her confirmation hearing today. The nascent government has not performed in an "exemplary manner" to pass needed legislation, Long said. If confirmed, Long, who has served as the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security for the last two years, would become a top Pentagon adviser on the Middle East, Africa and NATO. She acknowledged the Iraqi government has not yet succeeded in passing de-Baathification legislation or approving hydrocarbon laws including an oil revenue sharing agreement, among other legislative goals.

Continue reading "DOD Nominee Gives Maliki Government An 'F'"

Posted at 5:29 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iraq, Middle East
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Turkish Troops Withdraw From Iraq

Turkish troops who crossed into Iraq early this morning have pulled out, Reuters is reporting.

It is not yet clear why the 300 or so troops would withdraw so quickly, but this week's airstrikes on suspected Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) hideouts have outraged Iraqis. The Washington Post reported this morning that the airstrikes on the Kurdish separatist group, considered a terrorist organization by the U.S., were carried out with the Pentagon's assistance.

The incursion came and went as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice toured Kirkuk and Baghdad to apply pressure toward political reconciliation. Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani refused to meet with Rice because of the Turkish assaults, BBC News reports.

Posted at 11:42 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Iraq, Kurds, Middle East
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December 17, 2007

Iran Watch: You've Got Fuel

So, Russia has just delivered the first shipment of 80 tons of uranium fuel rods to Iran's disputed Bushehr nuclear reactor. Now what?

Wait-and-see time, apparently. It is not clear how close the Bushehr facility is to full production capacity. A spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Agency said that Bushehr was 95-percent finished, according to the Los Angeles Times, but Iran has walked a tricky line between simultaneously exaggerating and denying its nuclear capacity for years.

Taking a question on Iran during a speech on the economy this morning, President Bush seemed to welcome news of the arrangement, but with a caveat.

"Interestingly enough, today Russia sent some enriched, or is in the process of sending enriched uranium to Iran to help on their civilian nuclear reactor. If that's the case, if the Russians are willing to do that -- which I support -- then the Iranians do not need to learn how to enrich," Bush said. "If the Iranians accept that uranium for a civilian nuclear power plant, then there's no need for them to learn how to enrich," he repeated.

Continue reading "Iran Watch: You've Got Fuel"

Posted at 5:20 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Israel, Middle East, North Korea, Palestinians, President Bush, Russia
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World Leaders Watch: The Economy, Stupid

To no one's surprise, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that he accepts his top aide's offer of the prime minister's slot should Dmitry Medvedev win the presidency in March. Medvedev is Putin's longtime aide and handpicked successor for the presidency -- an office Putin is barred by law from seeking again.

"If the citizens of Russia show trust in Dmitry Medvedev and elect him the new president, I would be ready to continue our joint work as prime minister without changing the distribution of authority between the positions," Putin said in an address to his United Russia party.

Putin sought to allay concerns that the coming election would amount to just moving the deck chairs, but few Russians are under the illusion that Putin's power would really be capped by the traditional bounds of the much-weaker prime minister's post. Nonetheless, Medvedev, who was formally nominated by United Russia today, is assured a decisive victory in the March 2 vote. Why hasn't Putin's authoritarian power-grabbing dented his popularity? The economy.

Russians can forgive Putin his flaws because their economy is rocketing -- even if Putin isn't exactly responsible for that trend. Here in the United States, the perception that the economy is flagging is threatening to upend next year's elections -- and President Bush's legacy. For the second time this month, Bush devoted a public address to the economy in an attempt to persuade the public that things weren't as dire as they seemed.

"My attitude was if you're paying taxes you ought to get tax relief," Bush told the Rotary Club in Fredericksburg, Va., recalling concerns about the economy after the 9/11 attacks. "If you think about where we were, coming out of 2001, and where we are today, you can't help but say the plan worked.

Continue reading "World Leaders Watch: The Economy, Stupid"

Posted at 2:15 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Economy, Media, President Bush, Russia, Vladimir Putin
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December 14, 2007

Happy Holidays! Now Send Me Some Bills.

Flanked by the vice president and the rest of his Cabinet-level officials, President Bush cheerfully reminded Congress of the mountain of legislative work they must tackle before departing for the holidays.

"I thank the Senate and congratulate the Senate for passing a good energy bill," Bush said at a press conference on the White House lawn. "Now the House must act."

Bush emerged to speak with reporters this morning following his weekly Cabinet meeting. He scored a victory yesterday when the Senate overwhelmingly passed an energy package minus a Democratic-sponsored $21.8 billion provision that would have reduced tax breaks for oil companies. The overall bill remains tough on automakers, however, and is expected to make it through the House next Tuesday with relative ease.

Continue reading "Happy Holidays! Now Send Me Some Bills."

Posted at 11:44 AM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, Congress, Dick Cheney, House, Iraq, Middle East, North Korea, President Bush, Senate, Taxes
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December 13, 2007

Senate Panel Holds Rove, Bolten In Contempt

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-7 today to hold former White House political adviser Karl Rove and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in contempt of Congress for non-compliance with subpoenas in the investigation of the U.S. attorney firings scandal.

"This is not a step I have wanted to take," Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement. But, he went on: "White House stonewalling is unilateralism at its worst, and it thwarts accountability. Executive privilege should not be invoked to prevent investigations into wrongdoing, and abusing it should have remedies and consequences."

Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., crossed party lines to vote with the committee's 10 Democrats in favor of the citations, though Specter acknowledged that the vote was "highly likely to be a meaningless act."

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Posted at 7:10 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Karl Rove, Patrick Leahy, Senate
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ABA Journal Not Above Usual Magazine Stunts

It's a sort of truism in lawyering circles that if you become a household name, you're doing something very wrong. This week, the ABA Journal has several cases in point.

In an apparent bid to show that it can compete with general-interest rags in cover-shot gimmickry, the usually super-serious magazine of the American Bar Association has named former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as its 2007 Lawyer of the Year... and Gonzales' successor Michael Mukasey as 2008's Lawyer of the Year.

"The top legal story of 2007 was unquestionably the unraveling of support for the Bush administration's expansive view of presidential power during wartime, and with it, the slow-motion destruction" of Gonzales, ABA Journal's cover story reasons. "And now, all those problems have been dumped in the lap of the new AG.... How he'll deal with them -- in the middle of a presidential campaign, no less -- promises to make him the top legal newsmaker of 2008."

Certainly, Gonzales' collapse is one of the biggest stories of 2007. But Lawyer of the Year?

Continue reading "ABA Journal Not Above Usual Magazine Stunts"

Posted at 1:25 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Michael Mukasey, President Bush
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December 12, 2007

White House Open To Emergency Spending, Omnibus Bill

House and Senate Democrats remained deadlocked today over how to complete the FY08 appropriations process, as the White House appeared to open the door to emergency spending increases and to soften its opposition to an omnibus bill.

Senate Democrats as recently as this morning thought they had an agreement to bring up the original bill they negotiated with the House, which splits the difference with President Bush's budget by adding $11 billion to his request. That would have come up Thursday, but sources later said the Senate plans to see what the House is able to pass.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey today instructed the 11 subcommittee cardinals who oversee the remaining spending bills to trim them back to Bush's $933 billion request. Emergency spending could be added, along with additional funds designated as "contingent emergencies" that would require Bush to agree to release the money. It would be up to individual subcommittee chairmen to decide how to implement the cuts. Earmarks will remain, despite an earlier Obey pledge, although at significantly reduced levels.

House Minority Leader John Boehner has raised the prospect of emergency spending, and at the White House today, press secretary Dana Perino said Bush might be open to the idea. "I think that we would consider emergency spending if we needed to at the end of the day," she said. She also indicated, for the first time, that an omnibus bill might be acceptable.

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Posted at 3:45 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, House, Senate
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December 11, 2007

What Is Al-Qaida In The Islamic Maghreb?

It's too soon to know for sure, but indicators so far point to a North African Sunni terrorist group, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (QIM), as the culprit behind today's twin bombings that killed more than 60 people in Algiers. U.S. and European intelligence agencies have been tracking al-Qaida-affiliated groups in North Africa for some time because of well-founded fears that it will be the next frontier in the war against Islamic terrorism.

The current incarnation of QIM is not even a year old. In January, the Algeria-based Islamic extremist group Salafist Group for Call and Combat, known by its French initials as GSPC, announced it was changing its name because its membership in al-Qaida had been formalized.

Washington counts Algeria's democratically elected government as an ally in the war on terror, and provides financial assistance [PDF] via the State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative. QIM counts Western-friendly Algiers as its enemy, and in May the group released an audio message telling Algerians that participation in this year's elections would make them "the traitors in this great sin" of their leaders' "tyranny and infidelity and their fight against religion." A series of bomb explosions apparently targeting the elections resulted in dismal turnout for the May 17 vote.

Continue reading "What Is Al-Qaida In The Islamic Maghreb?"

Posted at 6:45 PM
Posted to: Africa, Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Middle East, Military, Terrorism
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December 10, 2007

Judges Get More Flexibility On Crack Sentencing

In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court said that federal sentencing guidelines for drug crimes were nonbinding, giving judges some breathing room on sentences for offenses involving crack cocaine. Writing for the majority [PDF], Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg drew on the U.S. Sentencing Commission's recommendations that the 100-to-1 cocaine-crack possession ratio established by Congress be revised.

In 1986, Congress set much harsher penalties for crack cocaine offenders out of fear that use of the drug was fast becoming an epidemic in urban areas. The disparity in penalties can be seen in U.S. prisons, where blacks are disproportionately represented while powder cocaine offenders, who are mostly white, get off relatively easily.

Some activists have called the lopsided U.S. drug policy blatantly racist, but that was not really a calculation in today's decision. "A district judge must include the Guidelines range in the array of factors warranting consideration, but the judge may determine that, in the particular case, a within-Guidelines sentence is 'greater than necessary' to serve the objectives of sentencing," Ginsburg wrote. "In making that determination, the judge may consider the disparity between the Guidelines' treatment of crack and powder offenses."

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Posted at 1:55 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Constitution, Crime, Drugs, Mike Huckabee, Republicans, Supreme Court, WH 2008
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U.S. Attorney Firings: Where Are They Now?

The Los Angeles Times followed up on the nine federal prosecutors ousted in a politically tainted DOJ sweep last year. Most are on to new jobs in private firms, and several have been honored for standing up to the "loyal Bushies" who orchestrated their firings.

Reports the Times: Paul Charlton, "now a partner in a Phoenix law firm, says that as a group, the attorneys have fared much better than the department officials who orchestrated their demise."

Perhaps the best known of the bunch, David Iglesias, will be out with a book about the scandal next year.

Posted at 12:08 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration
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Libby Abandons Appeal Bid

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has decided against furthering pursuit of an appeal of his perjury and obstruction of justice conviction in relation to the CIA leak investigation.

The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney had been sentenced to 30 months for lying to federal investigators during a probe into the outing of former CIA officer Valerie Plame. President Bush commuted Libby's sentence in July, fueling speculation that the former top White House aide would eventually receive a full pardon.

"We remain firmly convinced of Mr. Libby's innocence. However, the realities were, that after five years of government service by Mr. Libby and several years of defending against this case, the burden on Mr. Libby and his young family of continuing to pursue his complete vindication are too great to ask them to bear," an attorney said in a statement.

Libby's decision to drop his appeals bid will renew speculation that Bush plans to grant a pardon on his way out of office in January 2009. House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., asked AG Michael Mukasey last week for all remaining interview transcripts from the now-closed investigation.

Posted at 11:43 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Dick Cheney, House, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Michael Mukasey, President Bush
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December 09, 2007

Liveblogging The Univision Republican Debate

7:46. Just had to update with this: LOTS of applause in this crowd for a question about Hugo Chavez, Washington's least favorite South American leader. Have no idea what question was posed to Paul w/r/t to Chavez, but his response inspires waves and waves of boos. What just happened here? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

7:28. Well, I got my closed captioning to work -- and the captions are en Espanol. Sorry, readers, but looks like I'm going to have to abort this mission. Truly a first in Gate history.

That said, I am just dumbfounded that the producers would change the format of the Republican debate in such a way that many non-Spanish-speaking Americans would not be able to tune in. There are so many questions about where some of these candidates -- Romney, Giuliani -- really are on immigration reform. That isn't the case in the much more unified Democratic field -- questions about driver's licenses notwithstanding.

We'll have a roundup of reaction to the debate tomorrow. Daily Kos has a Spanish-speaker watching; you can check out their (hotly partisan) liveblog coverage here. The Corner was also stymied in its coverage attempt. Somewhere, Tom Tancredo is doing la cucaracha in front of a TV set.

Apologies again. See you all tomorrow.

Continue reading "Liveblogging The Univision Republican Debate"

Posted at 7:46 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
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December 07, 2007

Embattled State Department IG Krongard Resigns

State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard, who has faced congressional scrutiny over claims he improperly blocked investigations by his office, announced today he will resign effective Jan. 15, 2008. In a statement, Krongard, a longtime private-sector auditor who took his job without government experience, said he would not comment on controversy over his performance.

"I have said publicly ... everything I have to say on these matters," he said. "I have nothing further to say at this time." But in his letter to President Bush, Krongard lamented "the grave threat to public service posed by the current rancor and distrust between and among the political parties, the legislative and executive branches of government, the media and various interest groups." Krongard also said he leaves office "with concerns regarding inherent structural and conceptual defects in the inspector general position."

Krongard has been accused of obstructing a Justice Department investigation of Blackwater Worldwide. He recused himself from any inquiries into Blackwater's work after it was disclosed his brother, Alvin, was serving as an adviser to the private contractor that protects U.S. diplomats in Iraq.

- CongressDaily

Posted at 5:23 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration
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Merry Xmas, Fed Employees! Love, Santa Bush

President Bush has delivered an early holiday gift to federal employees by ordering agencies shuttered on Christmas Eve. Per NJ's Brian Friel, federal employees most recently had an extra Xmas-related day off in 2003 and in 2001.

***
Executive Order: Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government on Monday, December 24, 2007

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. All executive branch departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Monday, December 24, 2007, the day before Christmas Day, except as provided in section 2 below.

Sec. 2. The heads of executive branch departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty on December 24, 2007, for reasons of national security or defense or other public need.

Sec. 3. Monday, December 24, 2007, shall be considered as falling within the scope of Executive Order 11582 of February 11, 1971, and of 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) and other similar statutes insofar as they relate to the pay and leave of employees of the United States.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

December 6, 2007.

Photo Illustration: Reuben Dalke

Posted at 11:18 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, President Bush
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Senate Vote On Energy Bill Fails

The Senate has voted 53-42 to end debate on an energy package that President Bush has threatened to veto because of its tax provisions. That's short of the 60 votes required, and forces lawmakers back to the drawing board with just a week or so to go before the holiday break.

The House bill is geared toward reducing consumption and raising efficiency standards, but also nixes a $13.5 billion tax break for the oil and gas industry. It passed yesterday 235-181. But the White House said it would veto the bill because of the industry tax hike, which "single[s] out specific industries for punitive treatment."

The Senate in particular has a mound of appropriations legislation that has stalled, prompting Majority Leader Harry Reid to threaten to keep lawmakers in Washington during Christmas week. Bush has taken to scolding lawmakers loudly and often in recent weeks, and the appearance of stagnation has led to approval ratings for Congress lower than the highly unpopular president's.

CongressDaily (subscription) has a report on yesterday's House vote. Check back this afternoon for its report on today's Senate vote.

Posted at 10:44 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, House, President Bush, Senate
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