| Page 3 of 5 < > |
Congress v. Bush
Specter's so-called compromise with the White House, which he defended in a Washington Post op-ed yesterday, would gut the law that made Bush's program illegal in the first place, while sending all lawsuits about the program to a secret court.
A secret court. Think about that for a moment. University of Texas at El Paso government professor Bill Weaver has. He writes on NiemanWatchdog.org that a secret court that only hears one side of the argument and doesn't disclose its decisions is not the place for important, precedent-settings constitutional decisions.
Lebanon Watch
  Save & Share |
Saving options
Paul Richter and Ken Ellingwood write in the Los Angeles Times that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "told reporters that she began her Mideast trip in Beirut 'because I'm deeply concerned about the Lebanese people and what they're enduring. President Bush wanted me to make this the first stop.' "
Helene Cooper and Jad Mouwad write in the New York Times from Beirut that Rice "got an earful everywhere she went. . . .
"American diplomats characterized the visit as a 'dramatic' overture that demonstrated to the Arab world that President Bush was concerned about the rising civilian death toll in Lebanon.
"But clearly the Lebanese people, from Prime Minister Fouad Siniora down, are angry at Israel and at America for its support of Israel."
Maliki Watch
President Bush and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hold a joint press conference just after my deadline today. One big question is whether Maliki can steer a course so he doesn't come off as a dependent puppet or an incipient rebel.
Edward Wong writes in the New York Times: "When Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki visits the White House on Tuesday for the first time, he is expected to make requests that clash sharply with President Bush's foreign policy, Iraqi officials say, signaling a widening gap between the Iraqis and the Americans on crucial issues.
"The requests will include asking President Bush to allow American-led troops in Iraq to be tried under Iraqi law, and to call for a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to several Iraqi politicians, and to a senior member of Mr. Maliki's party who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak for the prime minister.
"Mr. Maliki is also expected to demand more autonomy for Iraqi forces, though he will not ask for a quick withdrawal of the 134,000 American troops here, the officials say.
"The growing differences between Iraqi and American policies reflect an increasing disenchantment with American power among politicians and ordinary Iraqis, according to several politicians, academics and clerics. Sectarian violence has soared despite the presence of the Americans, and recent cases where American troops have been accused of killing civilians or raping Iraqi women have infuriated the public."
Arms Race Watch
The White House is working hard to get Congress to approve its proposed nuclear pact with India.