International:Bush Asked Whether He’s ‘Still In Denial,’ Responds ‘It’s Bad In Iraq. That Help?’
At a press conference this morning with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a reporter asked President Bush whether his use of the word “unsettling” to describe the violence in Iraq would “convince many people that you’re still in denial about how bad things are in Iraq.”
Bush responded curtly, “It’s bad in Iraq. That help?” and then chuckled. Watch video here.
Missile defense test aborts: Pentagon
A US missile defense test in the Pacific aborted when one of two interceptor missiles failed to fire from a US Aegis class cruiser, the Pentagon said.
The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency blamed the setback on an "incorrect system setting" aboard the USS Lake Erie which was supposed to launch the missiles almost simultaneously at two targets. Read more here
Bush: to win in Iraq, beat extremists
President Bush, standing alongside chief Iraq war ally Tony Blair of Britain, asserted today that success in Iraq depends on victory over extremists across the "broader Middle East." [sounds simple enough...but isn't that like saying to one team in the SuperBowl -"To Win, Beat the other team"]
President Bush, standing alongside chief Iraq war ally Tony Blair of Britain, asserted today that success in Iraq depends on victory over extremists across the "broader Middle East." [sounds simple enough...but isn't that like saying to one team in the SuperBowl -"To Win, Beat the other team"]
National:
Chronic Denial
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow described the report as "an acknowledgment of reality" -- a reality the administration has ignored for years. (In October, Bush claimed "we're winning" in Iraq.) "The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating," the report says. Bush's Iraq policy "is not working, as the level of violence in Iraq is rising and the government is not advancing national reconciliation." "The ability of the United States to influence events within Iraq is diminishing." The language echoes the sentiments of incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates' admission that we are not currently winning in Iraq. The report also chastises the administration for its "significant underreporting of the violence in Iraq." "Good policy is difficult to make," the report says, "when information is systematically collected in a way that minimizes its discrepancy with policy goals."
The Return of Habeas Corpus?
Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VA) have introduced the "Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2006," legislation that would reinstate federal court jurisdiction over Guantanamo detainees and other suspected enemy combatants. The Military Commissions Act of 2006, which President Bush signed into law in October, prevents detainees who are not U.S. citizens from challenging their detentions in civilian courts. The new bipartisan proposal would would repeal two provisions that severely limit the right of a citizen to question before a judge whether his detention is legal. Specter said Tuesday that the Military Commissions Act violates the Constitution, despite the fact that he voted for legislation. "The Constitution of the United States is explicit that habeas corpus may be suspended only in time of rebellion or invasion," Specter said on the Senate floor. "We are suffering neither of those alternatives at the present time. We have not been invaded, and there has not been a rebellion." Leahy added, "Abolishing habeas corpus for anyone who the government thinks might have assisted enemies of the United States is unnecessary and morally wrong. It is a betrayal of the most basic values of freedom for which America stands." Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) earlier introduced the "Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act," which also amended the Military Commissions Act to institute a more effective process for bringing terrorists to justice.
Chronic Denial
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow described the report as "an acknowledgment of reality" -- a reality the administration has ignored for years. (In October, Bush claimed "we're winning" in Iraq.) "The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating," the report says. Bush's Iraq policy "is not working, as the level of violence in Iraq is rising and the government is not advancing national reconciliation." "The ability of the United States to influence events within Iraq is diminishing." The language echoes the sentiments of incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates' admission that we are not currently winning in Iraq. The report also chastises the administration for its "significant underreporting of the violence in Iraq." "Good policy is difficult to make," the report says, "when information is systematically collected in a way that minimizes its discrepancy with policy goals."
The Return of Habeas Corpus?
Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VA) have introduced the "Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2006," legislation that would reinstate federal court jurisdiction over Guantanamo detainees and other suspected enemy combatants. The Military Commissions Act of 2006, which President Bush signed into law in October, prevents detainees who are not U.S. citizens from challenging their detentions in civilian courts. The new bipartisan proposal would would repeal two provisions that severely limit the right of a citizen to question before a judge whether his detention is legal. Specter said Tuesday that the Military Commissions Act violates the Constitution, despite the fact that he voted for legislation. "The Constitution of the United States is explicit that habeas corpus may be suspended only in time of rebellion or invasion," Specter said on the Senate floor. "We are suffering neither of those alternatives at the present time. We have not been invaded, and there has not been a rebellion." Leahy added, "Abolishing habeas corpus for anyone who the government thinks might have assisted enemies of the United States is unnecessary and morally wrong. It is a betrayal of the most basic values of freedom for which America stands." Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) earlier introduced the "Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act," which also amended the Military Commissions Act to institute a more effective process for bringing terrorists to justice.
Frist In Farewell Address: ‘Let Us Not Allow…Destructive Partisanship On This Floor’
Today, with Vice President Cheney presiding over the Senate chamber, Bill Frist delivered his farewell address, urging his colleagues not to be influenced by “destructive partisanship.”
In Other News…
Hours after the release of the Iraq Study Group, President Bush and some of the most vocal Capitol Hill backers of the Iraq war gathered for what an insider described as a group therapy session. "The hawks who met with Bush included his pal Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), California Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA)...and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)."
Hours after the release of the Iraq Study Group, President Bush and some of the most vocal Capitol Hill backers of the Iraq war gathered for what an insider described as a group therapy session. "The hawks who met with Bush included his pal Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), California Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA)...and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)."
President Bush "may not be in much of a hurry to accept [Iraq Study Group co-chairman Jim] Baker's ideas about [Iraq] -- or much else. Asked if Baker would help implement the report, a spokesman for Mr. Bush said, 'Jim Baker can go back to his day job.'"
In a USA Today interview, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin "accused the federal government Wednesday of abandoning its legal obligation to help his city recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina."
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair met today to "consider the future course in Iraq." Like the Iraq Study Group report, "Blair is expected to urge Bush to embrace a wider Middle East peace policy to help resolve the Iraq crisis."
Affordable housing opportunities have continued to dwindle this year, according to local housing officials in a survey by the National League of Cities. "Three-fourths of those surveyed say housing costs are significantly limiting home ownership opportunities for lower-income residents and young families."
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) ended his tenure as chairman of the environment committee yesterday "with a final hearing aimed at spanking the press for its coverage of climate change." One of Inhofe's invited witnesses proclaimed, "We sit here scared to death of something that really doesn't exist."
Incoming chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) pushed back, saying, "Attacking the press doesn't make the truth go away."
From The Right:
Ann Coulter: Incoming Congress prepares to launch 'Operation Surrender'
The "bipartisan" Iraq panel has recommended that Iran and Syria can help stabilize Iraq. You know, the way Germany and Russia helped stabilize Poland in '39.
Ann Coulter: Incoming Congress prepares to launch 'Operation Surrender'
The "bipartisan" Iraq panel has recommended that Iran and Syria can help stabilize Iraq. You know, the way Germany and Russia helped stabilize Poland in '39.
Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act detail the US military's extensive human tests of its Active Denial System - a non-lethal weapon that uses millimeter wave radiation to induce instant, searing pain that forces people to flee.
Quote Of The day:
"Whose fault is the trouble in Iraq? Bush's fault? No, it's the Iraqis' fault."
John Gibson - Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson
(Sources: USIP, SeattleTimes, Federation of American Scientists, NYSun, RealCities, US Senate website, NY DailyNews, CBSNews, USAToday, AlertNet, Nat’l League of Cities, EENews, ThinkProgress, TownHall, TruthOut, Breibart.com, PoliticalCartoons.com, DrudgeReport, WashingtonTimes, MediaMatters, RadioFreeEurope)
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