12 QuickLinks

Thursday, March 9, 2006
U.S. to Rely on Iraqi Forces to Quell Civil War, Rumsfeld Says
(3 comments) Would this be the 'civil war' he denied was happening just a few days ago???

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Despite Another $67 Billion, Our Army is Broke and Badly Depleted
(3 comments) We are depleting our resources in Iraq. Last night the House Appropriations Committee passed the President's supplemental request, providing an additional $67 billion for the continued military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. With this supplemental, Congress will have appropriated nearly $450 billion for the war, running our federal deficit higher and higher while this country had a surplus when President George W. Bush took office. The latest reports show that the war in Iraq has badly depleted essential equipment. I am particularly concerned about the National Guard, who have only a third of the equipment they need to respond to a catastrophic event in our own homeland, and much of that equipment is antiquated and worn out. If something were to happen domestically in the near future -- and it's not an "if", it's a "when" -- the Guard will be severely hampered. I have said before that our army is broke, hollow, and stretched thin. I am not talking about the soldiers; they are well trained and have accomplished their mission. I say this in regards to the equipment and my particular concern regarding the National Guard.

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Justice Dept. Report Cites F.B.I. Violations - Illegal Wiretappings Out of Control
(3 comments) The Federal Bureau of Investigation found apparent violations of its own wiretapping and other intelligence-gathering procedures more than 100 times in the last two years, and problems appear to have grown more frequent in some crucial respects, a Justice Department report released Wednesday said.

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Faith Hill, Tim McGraw Blast 'Humiliating' Katrina Cleanup
(3 comments) Faith Hill and Tim McGraw -- two stars who usually stay out of politics -- blasted the Hurricane Katrina cleanup effort, with Hill calling the slow progress in Louisiana and Mississippi "embarrassing" and "humiliating."

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Foreign Airline Control Raises Concerns
(3 comments) Resistance to foreign ownership of U.S. port operations spilled over into the aviation arena when a congressional committee told the Bush administration to postpone a plan to allow more foreign control of domestic airlines.

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Schumer: “The Devil Is In The Details”
(3 comments) Let me say this: obviously this is a promising development but, of course, the devil is in the details. I think those of us who feel strongly about this issue believe that the U.S. part of the British company should have no connection to the United Arab Emirates or DP World, which is fully owned by the United Arab Emirates. So therefore, we would have to examine this proposal. The bottom line is, again, if the U.S. operations are fully independent in every way, that could indeed be promising. If on the other hand there is still ultimate control exercised by DP World, I don’t think our goals would be accomplished and obviously we’ll need to study this agreement carefully.

Thursday, March 9, 2006
UN Nuclear Agency Cedes Action on Iran to Council
(3 comments) The United Nations' nuclear agency cleared the way for the Security Council to weigh possible sanctions against Iran after three years of inspections failed to declare the Islamic Republic's atomic work peaceful.

Thursday, March 9, 2006
US to leave Abu Ghraib, focus of anger in Iraq
(3 comments) The U.S. military prison at Abu Ghraib, Saddam Hussein's torture centre that became a symbol of shame for the American occupation of Iraq, is to close within months, the military said on Thursday. [How about that 'eye-sore' Gitmo??]

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Gonzales: NSA Program Doesn't Need a Law
(3 comments) Attorney General Alberto Gonzales made clear Wednesday that the White House is not seeking congressional action to inscribe the National Security Agency's monitoring into U.S. law, even as members of Congress negotiate with the Bush administration about legislation. Gonzales maintained the program is legal the way it is. LITTLE LYING PISCHER!!

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Abramoff talks to Vanity Fair in Tell-All Sure to Rock DC World
(3 comments) Vanity Fair is set to publish a tell-all interview with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, noting that his plea-bargain sentence can be "substantially reduced" by co-operating with investigators. The piece makes much of many prominent Republicans' denials of having worked with Abramoff. Abramoff reminisces about jokes President Bush, who now claims not to remember him, made about his weight training program. Abramoff also recalls discussing the Bible, opera, and golf with Tom DeLay. Abramoff also alleges that RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman provided Abramoff political favors--including aiding in the removal of a State Department official.

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Report posits that Chris Matthews has accepted hefty speaking fees from conservative groups
(3 comments) Chris Matthews, the star of the MSNBC's daily talk show Hardball, has accepted hefty speaking fees from an array of conservative trade associations. Matthews has given speeches to at least ten major conservative trade associations since 2001. The report's author, Dave Johnson, who blogs at Seeing The Forest and is also a fellow at the progressive Commonweal Institute, could find no records indicating that Matthews has spoken before any Democratic-leaning organizations. The report is not a product of the Commonweal Institute. "Why is Matthews speaking at so many events with Republican-associated trade organizations?" Johnson asks. "What is NBC policy on speaking engagements and why does NBC keep it hidden? Are these trade associations paying Matthews to purchase influence?" [Replace Matthews with PHIL DONAHUE!!]

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Dubai Company to Transfer U.S. Ports to American Company
(3 comments) DP World, the United Arab Emirates state-owned company that had agreed to buy several port terminals in the United States, said today that it will transfer those properties to an American-owned company, bowing to a political groundswell against the acquisition. The decision came just hours after a delegation of Republican leaders in Congress told President Bush in an Oval Office meeting that Congress would act within days to block the company's acquisition of the United States port terminals in the name of national security, lawmakers present said.