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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryDemocrats unable to bring troops home
WASHINGTON - Nearly a year after anti-war voters put them in power, congressional Democrats remain unable to pass legislation ordering troops home from Iraq. Frustrated by Republican roadblocks, Democrats now plan to sit on President Bush's $196 billion request for war spending until next year — pushing the Pentagon toward an accounting nightmare and deepening their conflict with the White House on the war.
They’re not unABLE. They’re unWILLING. Unwilling to use the filibuster to force the Republicans to capitulate.—Caro Pablo on Politics
The WorldShooting reignites Iraqi furor; U.S. issues apology
BAGHDAD -- A U.S. military convoy opened fire on a column of cars Sunday morning, killing at least two Iraqi civilians in southern Iraq and igniting a new round of anger over the apparent loss of innocent life.
Tony Blair: ‘I wanted war – it was the right thing to do’
Tony Blair has admitted for the first time that he ignored the pleas of his aides and ministers to deter President Bush from waging war on Iraq because he believed that America was doing the right thing. And he has acknowledged that he turned down a last-ditch offer from Mr Bush to pull Britain out of the conflict. He has also revealed that he wishes he had published the full reports from the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) instead of the infamous September dossier about Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of mass destruction that so damaged him, and was almost certainly one of the factors that contributed to him leaving office sooner than he wanted.
With politicians, it’s always about them, not about the millions who have suffered or the tens of thousands who have died because of their actions.—Caro
Olmert to remove unauthorized outposts
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday told his Cabinet that Israel would not build any new settlements in the West Bank, but stopped short of American demands to freeze construction in existing communities.
Powell: Iran far from nuclear weapon
KUWAIT CITY - Iran is far from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and despite U.S. fears about its atomic intentions, an American military strike against the Islamic Republic is unlikely, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday.
As U.S. presses for more sanctions, nations remain divided on Iran
BERLIN — As Iran expands its capacity to enrich uranium for what the Bush administration charges will become a nuclear weapons program, the international community is pursuing two diplomatic tracks that may be at cross purposes and lead to military action rather than a peaceful solution.
UN: Gunfire 'onslaught' hit Afghan kids
KABUL, Afghanistan - An internal United Nations security report obtained Monday said lawmakers' bodyguards shot at least 100 rounds of gunfire "deliberately and indiscriminately" into a crowd after a suicide bombing, and that school children bore "the brunt of the onslaught at close range."
U.S. urges Musharraf to end emergency rule
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - U.S. envoy John Negroponte said on Sunday he had urged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to end emergency rule, warning it was "not compatible" with free and fair elections due by early January and would undermine them.
U.S. Secretly Aids Pakistan in Guarding Nuclear Arms
Debate is growing about whether an American classified program has done enough to help protect Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.
Why is it a secret? The administration should be assuring the world.—Caro
Myanmar sends mixed messages on reform
BANGKOK, Thailand - The United Nations heaped praise on Myanmar's military junta this week for allowing meetings with prominent political prisoners, and said that progress was being made in brokering discussions between the government and opposition.
Nigeria should investigate killings by police: rights group
LAGOS (AFP) - The Nigerian government should launch an inquiry into the several hundred Nigerians killed by police in just three months this year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday. The NationUS sends help to Bangladesh
WASHINGTON - The White House offered condolences Saturday evening to victims of a deadly cyclone in Bangladesh and said the U.S. government has provided an initial $2.1 million in emergency relief aide.
Report Faults Mine Safety
U.S. mine safety regulators failed to conduct inspections required by federal law at more than one in seven of the country's 731 underground coal mines last year, a year in which the number of worker deaths in mining accidents more than doubled to 47, a government report says. Budget constraints and a lack of management emphasis on worker safety by the Bush administration are responsible for the lapses, the Labor Department inspector general said in a report released (Friday).
No More Court Vacancies for Bush
Veteran court insiders and administration officials say that there is little possibility that President Bush will be handed another Supreme Court nomination because of a retirement.
And if there’s a death, the Democrats had better leave that vacancy open.—Caro
Bush nominates judges who donated to his campaign.
On Thursday, President Bush nominated two judges for high-level positions who gave him campaign contributions while under consideration for positions, a practice ethics experts and many federal judges deem “inappropriate.”
US appeals court allows execution of child killer
MIAMI (AFP) - A US appeals court Thursday ruled the execution of a child killer and rapist could be carried out, reversing a lower court's stay of the death sentence while the Supreme Court considers the legality of lethal injection.
Children without health insurance lose out on learning at school
WASHINGTON — While Congress and President Bush squabble over health insurance for low-income children, school officials nationwide are scrambling each day to find affordable medical care so that sick and needy students can continue to learn.
FEMA Accused Of Wasting More Katrina Funding
The Federal Emergency Management Agency wasted about $30 million last year in maintaining trailers for Hurricane Katrina survivors in Mississippi, according to a new government report. In one case cited, FEMA awarded contracts that could have cost as much as $229,000 to support one family in a single trailer -- roughly the price of a five-bedroom home in Jackson, Miss.
Homeless camp at New Orleans city hall
The homeless of New Orleans have left the city's shelters and gutted buildings to set up camp on the mayor's doorstep… Mayor Ray Nagin's second-floor office faces the camp, and its residents rally almost daily with the chant: "Hey, Ray! How about a house today!"
The browning of Top 10 surnames (Pam Spaulding at Pandagon)
A new analysis released by the Census Bureau reveals that two Hispanic surnames – Garcia and Rodriguez — have cracked the top 10 most common. This, I assume, will send The GOP Base over the edge.
So keep up your race baiting, Republicans, you’ll ensure your minority status for many years to come.—Caro
As Owners Feel Mortgage Pain, So Do Renters
In the growing foreclosure crisis, thousands of families who rent their homes face eviction when owners default on their mortgages.
Auto sales could hit 15-year low
DETROIT (Reuters) - Three top investors in the automotive industry painted a grim picture on Sunday for the sector in 2008, with one executive predicting a possible slump in U.S. sales to levels not seen in 15 years.
The Wrecking Ball of Innovation (by Tony Judt, Director of the Remarque Institute at NYU, writing in the New York Review of Books, thanks to Economist’s View)
Supercapitalism is Robert Reich's account of the way we live now… (T)his is a decidedly "Clintonesque" book, its shortcomings perhaps a foretaste of what to expect (and not expect) from another Clinton presidency. And Reich's subject—economic life in today's advanced capitalist economy and the price we are paying for it in the political and civic health of democracies—is important and even urgent, though the "fixes" that he proposes are unconvincing.
It’s a VERY interesting analysis.—Caro MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
DeLay founds coalition to polish GOP message
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has formed a new grass-roots organization that he says will help conservatives better convey their message to voters and take back control of Congress. The Coalition for a Conservative Majority (CCM) — co-founded by Mr. DeLay, Texas Republican, and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell — will establish "chapters" in all 50 states, which will be used to lobby lawmakers, coordinate political messages and influence members of the press.
Steve Benen at Talking Points Memo asks why the right needs another activist organization, which shows, once more, the blindness of the left. The right uses these organizations to fund those who espouse their causes. On our side, we depend on a few lonely voices who are paid, and others who struggle to get any funding at all. That’s EXACTLY why the right, discredited as it may be, continues to have a louder voice than we have.—Caro
NYTer: They're not debates, they're serial press conferences
"If there is a debate, there should be a debate," says Times editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal. "It becomes so much about the moderators, about the format. There is just not enough time. I don't get much out of them." He likes -- and his paper is supporting -- "10 Questions," an online effort aimed at getting presidential candidates to answer YouTube-style questions chosen by online users.
"Tough" Tim Russert Refuses To Challenge Rudy's Dissembling (by Greg Sargent at The Horse’s Mouth)
(On Sunday’s Meet the Press, Tim Russert quoted Rudy Giuliani justifying his relationship with indicted former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik:) “’…The ultimate result ... was a 74 percent reduction in shootings, (and) a 60 percent reduction in crime.. ‘” Neither Russert nor his guests spent a second asking whether Rudy's claims were true… (I)n the final downer, one of the assembled pundits says: "If he is the nominee, time will begin again, the morning after. We will begin to explore the New York record, and debate it and discuss it in a way that we haven't so far." That's nice. "We" are going to wait until he's the nominee before exploring and debating his record aggressively?
The Twofer (by digby)
Karl Rove is smiling this morning. Wolf Blitzer just used a clip from Rove's appearance on C-SPAN last week in which he said that Barack Obama looked weak because he failed to confront Hillary Clinton on the fact that she and her husband could release all their records with a phone call and they refuse… The claim is bullshit… But notice how Rove does it. He not only makes the Clintons look they're hiding something, he does it by claiming that Obama is weak. It's a twofer.
Novak and Clinton and Obama ... oh my (by Steve Benen at Talking Points Memo)
(Robert) Novak reported (Saturday) that Hillary Clinton's "agents" are gossiping in Democratic circles that the Clinton campaign has "scandalous information" about Obama, which they reportedly will not share… Novak's column smeared both Clinton and Obama, and the two campaigns proceeded to make it worse by spending the entire day bickering over what was, as a practical matter, a dumb column devoid of any substance. (T)his is only going to get worse -- not just because the tensions will worsen as the primaries and caucuses draw closer, but also because in the short term, the chattering class will have nothing else to talk about this week.
Born Yesterday (by digby)
(I)t was certainly the "crying" that did (Edmund) Muskie in. (Much as the press characterizing certain behaviors as "screaming" and "sighing" have done-in others.) (David) Broder writes, "as far as I can recall, there was no internal questioning of the accuracy of the story then, or later, at the Post… After years of this sort of politics, from Atwater to Rove, from Willie Horton to Swift Boats, it would be nice to think the mainstream media have learned from the past and will ensure that things like this are adequately examined within the context of history and not just the heat of the moment. But that's clearly too much to hope for… The Democratic campaigns need to remember that they are battling not only the Republicans but the entire Village press.
Friedman envisions Obama-Cheney '08 (by Steve Benen at Talking Points Memo)
Just when it seemed Thomas Friedman realized the destructive nature of Dick Cheney's foreign-policy vision, the New York Times columnist suggests … that the VP's approach is not only healthy, but should play a role beyond 2008 if a Democrat succeeds Bush. Specifically, Friedman seems excited by the prospect of an "Obama-Cheney ticket." (Friedman goes so far as to say "they complete each other."
Why does Thomas Friedman still have a column at a prestigious newspaper?—Caro
Kerry takes $1M challenge to disprove Swift Boat claims
BOSTON (AP) — Sen. John Kerry, whose 2004 presidential campaign was torpedoed by critics of his Vietnam War record, said Friday he has personally accepted a Texas oilman's offer to pay $1 million to anyone who can disprove even a single charge of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth… Kerry said he would donate any proceeds to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Why didn’t you fight them at the time when it mattered, Sen. Kerry? We dirty hippy rabble told you to do that, and you ignored us.—Caro
Fox & Friends cheerleads for Bush and aviation, but gets punked (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
President Bush announced that he was opening up the military airways to help ease air traffic congestion for the holidays and Fox & Friends was jumping for joy… “Great,” said Steve Doocy a few times as he waited for Mike Boyd, an aviator analyst to agree …. unfortunately, (Boyd) quickly threw water on their happiness and called Bush’s new measure a waste of time… “What I heard yesterday from President Bush was him reading off of a crib sheet. It was really embarrassing.”
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
A Clinton Friend's Role Sets Off Intense Criticism of CNN and a Re-examination
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton prepared for a battle with her Democratic rivals at the CNN-sponsored debate on Thursday night. She did not have much to fear from the postdebate round table. Among the experts trotted out by CNN to comment was James Carville, a Democratic strategist and CNN commentator who is also a close friend of Mrs. Clinton and a contributor to her campaign. Mr. Carville’s presence aroused the fury of rivals and bloggers. They called it a conflict of interest and criticized CNN.
On the other hand, see below.—Caro
MORE MATTHEWS: (by Bob Somerby at The Daily Howler)
Reader PB has directed us to an old, home town newspaper profile of Matthews; in it, Matthews made his views about Clinton abundantly clear… “Aboard a recent shuttle flight to Washington, Matthews spotted New York Sen. Hillary Clinton… (and said) ‘I hate her. I hate her. All that she stands for.’”
If Carville has to disclose his friendship with Hillary Clinton, then Matthews should have to disclose his hatred for her.—Caro
Mythbuster: Study: Feminists are better mates
Laurie Rudman of Rutgers University… set about trying to determine if there was any truth to the notion that feminists are more likely than traditional women to have crummy relationships. The results, appearing in the online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Sex Roles, show that for both women and men there was a benefit to having a feminist partner.
And who’s the biggest espouser of the “feminists are ugly sex haters” mantra? The unappealing Rush Limbaugh, of course.—Caro Technology & SciencePayPal offers secure way to shop non-PayPal sites
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - PayPal, the payments service arm of online auction leader eBay Inc, is set to release on Tuesday a convenient way for its customers to make payments on Web sites that don't accept PayPal directly.
Senate OKs Restitution for Cybercrime Victims
A bill would enable victims of online identity theft schemes to seek restitution from criminals.
Philly Wi-Fi network hits snags, delays
Three years after Mayor John Street announced Philadelphia would be the first major U.S. city to have its own network for wireless Internet access, the project is nearly a year behind schedule and beset by cost overruns. Technical problems and restructuring at EarthLink Inc., the Atlanta-based Internet service provider that won the 10-year contract to set up and manage the network, slowed the process. But its future grew much murkier Friday, with Earthlink's announcement that it is considering "strategic alternatives" - in other words, a possible sale - for its municipal Wi-Fi business.
Mind of a Rock
Is everything conscious?
Report: Cloning pioneer looks into new method
The Scottish scientist who created Dolly the sheep more than a decade ago said he is abandoning the cloning technique that he pioneered.
Talking With Others May Make You Smarter
Time spent socializing raised peoples' test scores, researchers say
Noah's Ark flood spurred European farming
LONDON (Reuters) - An ancient flood some say could be the origin of the story of Noah's Ark may have helped the spread of agriculture in Europe 8,300 years ago by scattering the continent's earliest farmers, researchers said on Sunday.
Incredible Comet Bigger than the Sun
A comet that has delighted backyard astronomers in recent weeks after an unexpected eruption has now grown larger than the sun. The sun remains by far the most massive object in the solar system, with an extended influence of particles that reaches all the planets. But the comparatively tiny Comet Holmes has released so much gas and dust that its extended atmosphere, or coma, is larger than the diameter of the sun.
Click through to see a comparison in new images.—Caro EnvironmentKey Findings of UN Scientific Report
The following are some key findings in a report issued Saturday by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: - Global warming is "unequivocal." Temperatures have risen 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. Eleven of the last 12 years are among the warmest since 1850.
Edwards, Clinton aim at climate change
LOS ANGELES - On a day when a U.N. panel warned of growing peril from climate change, John Edwards accused the oil and gas industry Saturday of deploying hundreds of lobbyists to Washington to resist efforts to free the nation from its dependence on fossil fuels.
Doomsday seed bank gears up for business
Refrigeration units on Friday begin cooling a new doomsday vault dug into an already frigid Arctic mountainside to protect the world's seeds in case of a global catastrophe.
Oil group withdraws Smithsonian donation
WASHINGTON - The American Petroleum Institute has withdrawn a planned $5 million donation to the new Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. A decision on accepting the oil industry money had been postponed earlier this month when two members of the Smithsonian's board of regents raised concerns about accepting money from the oil industry for an exhibit on the oceans. The board was scheduled to vote on accepting the $5 million Monday, but instead received a letter from API saying it was withdrawing the gift.
Other OPEC members yet to join Saudi climate pledge
Riyadh (Reuters) - No other OPEC leaders at a summit in Riyadh have joined the world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia in committing cash for research into helping the environment, Algeria's energy minister said on Sunday.
Africa "forgotten continent" in climate fight
OSLO (Reuters) - Africa is the "forgotten continent" in the fight against climate change and needs help to cope with projected water shortages and declining crop yields, the U.N.'s top climate change official said on Sunday. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com.
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