Swift Boat Ambassador
Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on
After withdrawing his nomination in the face of Congressional opposition, President Bush has used a recess appointment to make Sam Fox U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.
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U.S. Government
Guantanamo Prisoner and His Parents Gagged
Submitted by Bob Burton on
In a plea bargain, the first Guantanamo Bay prisoner convicted on terrorism charges by the U.S. government's military commission, David Hicks, agreed to a 12 month ban on speaking to the media. After five years at Guantanamo Bay, Hicks will serve a further nine months in a prison in his home state of South Australia. The gag condition -- which would be illegal for a U.S.
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The latest in the U.S. attorney scandal: Some testify, some plead the fifth and others cut a deal "just to talk."
--by Joshua Lanzet, Congresspedia Intern
Along with the Iraq War, the broadening investigation into the Bush administration U.S. attorney firings controversy continues to dominate the headlines coming out of Congress. Congresspedia's citizen and staff editors are following the scandal closely, documenting the congressional investigations as well as the details of the actual firings as they emerge. Here are the latest developments, but make sure to see the full article for complete details:
An Academic Look at Fake TV News
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
In his paper "Loath to admit: Pressures on ethical disclosure of news release sources," Australian academic Peter Simmons analyzes issues around video news releases (VNRs), or fake TV news.
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Possible Recess Appointments to Henhouse for Three Industry Foxes
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
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Democratic Party-Aligned Think Tanks Publishing Furiously
Submitted by John Stauber on
US News & World Report observes the furious activity among Democratic Party-aligned think tanks. "With the party back in power on Capitol Hill and an open field of presidential candidates to influence, they're racing to get their ideas out in white papers, newspaper op-eds, and conferences. ...
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TheWeekInCongress (March 26-30, 2007)
Capitol Hill dominated the news this past week, as Congress continued to move towards sending a bill to President Bush’s desk calling for an end to the controversial Iraq War. For a thorough look at congressional action on this issue and several others debated and considered since Monday, we again turn to Robert McElroy’s TheWeekInCongress.
Deja Vu All Over Again: Bush Admin Interference in Judicial Matters
Sharon Eubanks, the lead attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) case against tobacco companies, recently told the [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/21/AR2007032102713.html Washington Post] that Bush appointees at DOJ pressured her to weaken the government's case against the tobacco companies. The Bush administration has been linked to political rigging of judicial matters recently with the firing of the eight U.S. Attorneys, but while these activities are in the headlines today, it's not the first time. A February 15, 2000 [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00E5DD1531F936A25751C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print New York Times] article shows that [[George Walker Bush|President Bush]]'s longtime political advisor [[Karl Rove]] (now a senior advisor in the White House) interfered with Texas Attorney General Dan Morales' plans to bring a lawsuit against the major American tobacco companies to recoup state Medicaid funds spent treating sick smokers. Rove helped draft a 1996 push poll aimed at maligning Morales in an attempt to pressure Morales not to file the suit. The push poll was financed by tobacco companies.
Treating Injured Military Personnel With PR
Submitted by Bob Burton on
In early March, George W. Bush announced the creation of the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors as a way of ending controversy over substandard treatment of injured U.S. personnel at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
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Senate Upholds Call for Iraq Withdrawal in Spending Bill
A bill calling for the 2008 withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq is now one step closer to reaching President Bush’s desk.
On Tuesday, the Senate rejected a Republican-backed amendment to strip a timeline for withdrawal from a $122 billion supplemental spending bill, 48-50. Democrats were joined in opposing the amendment by two Republicans, Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Gordon Smith (Ore.). One Democrat, Sen. Mark Pryor (Ark.), sided with the remaining Republicans and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) in supporting the amendment. Hagel and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), both of whom supported keeping the withdrawal timeline in the spending bill, had just two weeks ago opposed a separate Senate resolution calling for an identical timetable.
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