The Blair Bush Project

Nominations Watch

David Rogers writes in the Wall Street Journal: "With President Bush poised for victory on two long-delayed appellate judgeships this week, Senate Democrats pressed the White House to show more flexibility in sharing information related to the stalled nomination of John Bolton to be United Nations ambassador.

"Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd, a critic of Mr. Bolton, proposed a compromise to end the stalemate over classified communications intercepts that Mr. Bolton had access to at the State Department. . . .

"At issue are the identities of American individuals and companies named in 10 intercepts. Critics contend that Mr. Bolton may have used the information to take reprisals against individuals named in the communications. Mr. Dodd is offering to narrow the field by proposing that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee be permitted to submit a list of names of concern to the panel."

Anti-Bolton blogger Steven C. Clemons thinks he knows one of the names that would likely be on that list.

Turkish Friction

Tracy Wilkinson and Sonni Efron write in the Los Angeles Times: "The prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, arrives here today for meetings with President Bush and other officials aimed at repairing relations seriously damaged by differences over the Iraq war and other issues. . . .

"The Bush administration is expected to press Erdogan to curb his government's ties with Syria and Iran and encourage him to move ahead with democratic reforms necessary for membership in the European Union. The Turkish leader is expected to demand that the U.S. crack down on Kurdish guerrillas staging attacks in Turkey from northern Iraq.

"Erdogan will visit with Bush at the White House for about an hour Wednesday; Turkish officials said the prime minister had requested a lunch, and saw the briefer schedule as something of a snub. A National Security Council official refused to comment on the schedule.

"Still, both sides emphasized the meeting as an important step in righting the troubled relationship."

Revenge of the Bushi

Paul Bond writes for the Hollywood Reporter: "Forget about whether 'Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith' contains vague attacks on the Bush administration -- there are plenty of less-nuanced examples of antagonism toward Republicans in mainstream movies.

"So says a new breed of politically conservative filmmakers who, tired of waiting for Hollywood executives to give 'em a break, are creating companies to make and distribute their Republican-friendly works."