Morning copy 8.30.2005

Katrina's devastation is just beginning to come into focus, AP WaPo LINK.

The American Red Cross.

Storm damage to impact national oil supply, NY Times LINK.

Iraq

Conflicting interests in the Iraq constitution are described in the Washington Times, LINK.

The highest ranking Sunni in the government says that the Sunni parts of the country will not reject the constitution, Washington Post LINK.

Los Angeles Times on the push toward the ballot box for pro- and anti-government groups, LINK.

It is a tall order to muster two-thirds in any election in any province, and some Sunnis admit their protests may not work, NY Times LINK. They also are going to focus on the December elections to gain more influence. Excerpt:

"There is too much tension, too much bitterness, especially among the Sunnis, and I think many people will push for a no vote" in the referendum, said Sheik Ghazi al-Yawar, a vice president and a Sunni leader from Mosul, who spoke to reporters about the constitutional struggle for the first time in months.

But for all their anger, the Sunnis are less unified and organized than the Kurds and Shiites who approved the constitution, Sheik Yawar said, and are unlikely to defeat it. For the constitution to fail, two-thirds of the voters in at least three provinces must vote against it, but Sheik Yawar said he believed that Sunnis could muster a two-thirds vote only in Anbar, a volatile province west of Baghdad.

Heavy fighting today between pro- and anti-government tribes in Iraq, AP NY Times LINK.

One Iraqi unit sees substantial success in security operations in a Sunni region, Christian Science Monitor LINK.

The Los Angeles Times editorial calls for the modification of the constitution to keep the Sunnis involved in the political process, LINK.

The restoration of Sadr's movement in the Washington Post, LINK. Excerpt:

Long the bane of the U.S. project in Iraq, Sadr's movement returned to center stage last week, with what his aides describe as a new confidence following the release of Araji and other leaders, along with the experience of their sometimes quiet activism. In dramatic fashion over three days, the movement embodied virtually every aspect of power in today's Iraq: support in the street, an easily mobilized militia, and loyalists within the government that it often denounces.

More links

John Roberts urged legislation, while in the Reagan White House, against busing and quotas, Washington Post LINK.

The New York Times deatils Roberts' "homework", LINK. Excerpt:

Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he gave the nominee, Judge John G. Roberts Jr., a copy of the memorandum on Monday because he expected the judge to be asked about "what area, if any," a president can "be considered to be above the law."

The memorandum, which has been disavowed by the Bush administration, was written in 2002 by Jay S. Bybee, an official of the Justice Department who has since become a federal appeals court judge. Mr. Leahy said he did not want Judge Roberts to avoid questions about the document by saying he had not read it.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said that the Senate's version of the Patriot Act will hamper the war on terror, Washington Post LINK.

Bush promises to secure the borders, Washington Post LINK.

"I haven't changed my mind since I came here to talk about Social Security," Mr. Bush said.

George Bush has crossed the Mendoza line, Slate LINK.

Rumsfeld says that military needs are superior to environmental ones, or environmental legislation, WaPo LINK.

Iran planning oil exchange to rival economic power of the United States, Christian Science Monitor.

A U.N. special envoy has accused the Bush administration of harming the fight against AIDs in Africa, Guardian LINK.

The sports age of the executive, Slate LINK.