U.S. Government

How to End the War in Iraq? MoveOn Answers Its Critics

Submitted by John Stauber on

Alternet's Don Hazen interviews the founders of MoveOn. He writes, "For the first time ... members of Congress -- at least the new Democratic majority, along with a handful of Republicans -- finally caught up with the population" and "confronted Bush over the financing of the war and a real timeline for ending it. ... The ability to win this first victory was difficult and complex. It was achieved in part with the energetic and savvy support of millions of progressives and particularly MoveOn.org ...

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Main Source: 
Alternet, March 30, 2007
Topics: 
Iraq
U.S. Congress
War / Peace

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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Main Source: 
The Peacock Report, March 24, 2007
Topics: 
Iraq
Issue Management
Health
Public Relations
Social Justice
U.S. Government
War / Peace

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.

The FCC and Armstrong Williams' Continuing Legacy

There are many reasons why federal investigations might take some time to conclude. Perhaps the issues are complex. Maybe the parties under investigation are less than forthcoming. The investigating agency may lack the resources needed to resolve the matter in a timely fashion.

Armstrong WilliamsOn the other hand, a stalled investigation may be part of a crisis management strategy. When an embarrassing ethical or legal transgression surfaces, launching an investigation sends the message that the matter is being taken seriously. Thanks to a rapid news cycle and a lack of follow-up reporting, public attention shifts elsewhere as the investigation continues. Closing the investigation can be seen as counter-productive, as it once again calls attention to the problem and creates the expectation that the findings will be acted upon.

Representative John Dingell (D-Mich.) may well have been pondering such matters on March 14, when he pointedly asked Federal Communications Commission Chair Kevin Martin about the status of the agency's ongoing Armstrong Williams investigation.

A Talent for PR

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on

It didn't take Former Republican Senator Jim Talent of Missouri long to take a spin through the revolving door between government and the private sector. Talent just lost the Senate seat that he had held since 2003 in November, but the public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard has already hired him as co-chairman of its Government Relations subsidiary.

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Main Source: 
Bulldog Reporter's Daily 'Dog, March 27, 2007
Topics: 
U.S. Congress
Politics
Public Relations
Think Tanks
U.S. Government

UPDATE: Be a Citizen Journalist - Help Find the Contact Information for Freshman Members of Congress

Submitted by Conor Kenny on

UPDATE: PRWatch and WeeklySpin readers have posted the contact information for all the new members from Texas, Virginia and New Hampshire. Help us finish the rest!

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Main Source: 
Congresspedia
Topics: 
Citizen Journalism
U.S. Congress
U.S. Government

Gonzales Seeks Support in the Court of Public Opinion

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

As more information surfaces about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' role in the Justice Department scandal over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, Gonzales is going "on a public relations tour to boost his image," reports Jennifer Hoar.

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Main Source: 
CBS News, March 23, 2007
Topics: 
Crisis Management
Ethics
Race / Ethnic Issues
U.S. Government

TheWeekInCongress (March 19-23, 2007)

Capitol Hill was on center stage this past week, as Congress took on a number of high-profile issues. This week, as usual, we turn to Robert McElroy's TheWeekInCongress for a thorough look at the bills debated and passed since Monday. Follow the headlines below to the Congresspedia articles covering the respective issues, which in turn link to and heavily rely on McElroy's analyses.

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