Morning copy 12.02.2005

The war over the war in Iraq

Fewer suicide bombings reported in November, AP via ABC News.

Rep. John Murtha, (D., Penn.) says that the army is "broken, worn out", Washington Times:

Speaking to civic leaders Wednesday in Latrobe, Pa., in his home district, Mr. Murtha also said the Pennsylvania National Guard is stretched so thin that it will take a year before it can send fully equipped units overseas again.

"You cannot win this thing militarily," Mr. Murtha said later at a press conference. "Most of [U.S. troops] will be out of there in a year if I have my way."

The Christian Science Monitor on this visit to Latrobe:

"I've been going through this Iraq thing," he told locals at Latrobe. "We missed a window of opportunity.... We have to change direction, and that's going to happen. However [Bush administration officials] try to phrase it, it's going to happen. But I hope they listen to me, because less people will be killed."

It's a message that sets off strong - and mixed - views among his constituents, many of whom have ties to men and women serving in Iraq.

The Washington Post on Nancy Pelosi:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's embrace Wednesday of a rapid withdrawal from Iraq highlighted the Democratic Party's fissures on war policy, putting the House's top Democrat at odds with her second in command while upsetting a consensus developing in the Senate.

The Washington Times portrays the GOP singing with glee:

"While Nancy Pelosi and the left wing adopt a defeatist position of retreat in Iraq, many other Democrats are scrambling to distance themselves from their pessimism," Republican National Committee spokesman Danny Diaz said yesterday.

Senator John Warner (R., Va.) has begun to look into U.S. military involvement in the Iraqi press, New York Times.

Dexter Filkins, in the New York Times, reports on the different factions of the Iraqi insurgency.

Liz Sly and Aamer Madhani in the Chicago Tribune:

But the increasing visibility of Iraqi forces masks the many uncertainties that surround their capacity to fully take over from U.S. forces any time soon.

Because of a decision made in the immediate aftermath of the invasion not to give the new Iraqi army heavy equipment or armor, Iraqi forces will continue to rely for many more years on the U.S. military for support, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks will be honored with a statue in the capitol, and President Bush has asked for the 1965 Voting Rights Act to be extended, Chicago Sun Times.

Jeanine Pirro

The New York Daily News:

Gov. Pataki plans to meet with Jeanine Pirro today, and sources say the agenda will be whether she should drop her flagging bid to topple Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The New York Post:

ALBANY — Embattled Republican Senate hopeful Jeanine Pirro will hold an "emergency summit" with Gov. Pataki today as she weighs pulling out of the race against Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Jack Abramoff

Bloomberg News:

Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- When the U.S. Interior Department rejected a $3 million grant in 2003 for an Indian-tribe client of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the Indians doubled their political donations to Congress -- and got their money's worth.

The New York Times:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 - With a federal corruption case intensifying, prosecutors investigating Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist, are examining whether he brokered lucrative jobs for Congressional aides at powerful lobbying firms in exchange for legislative favors, people involved in the case have said.

Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation

Richard W. Stevenson and Douglas Jehl, in the New York Times, illuminate why Viveca Novak's testimony may have helped Karl Rove:

But after his conversation with Ms. Novak, who is not related to the columnist, Mr. Luskin asked Mr. Rove to have the White House search for any record of a discussion between Mr. Rove and Mr. Cooper around the time that Ms. Wilson's identity became public in July 2003.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

All the news that is fit to print, Los Angeles Times:

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration violated state law by producing fake news videos touting his proposals to soften an array of pro-labor laws, including one to water down nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, a judge ruled Thursday.

From Russia with Love

AP via the Charleston Post and Courier:

MOSCOW - The chief of the Russian military general staff said Thursday that Moscow was concerned about U.S. interference in the political affairs of other ex-Soviet nations.

Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky also said that Russia's relations with the United States and other NATO nations were clouded by Western efforts to expand their military presence on ex-Soviet territory.

"We cannot agree with our American colleagues when the political situation in some nations has been developed through the encouragement of velvet or color revolutions," Baluyevsky told journalists.

Katrina victims

The Houston Chronicle does a heck of a job:

Unless federal policy changes soon, Houston will find itself in an embarrassing position three months from today — breaking a key promise made to hurricane evacuees in their most desperate hour.

Despite written statements to the contrary, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will cease honoring the 24,000 year-long leases, backed by the city, signed between hurricane evacuees and local apartment landlords.

Bill Frist

The Senator from Tennessee and 2008 potential candidate will tour New Hampshire next week, Manchester Union Leader.

Samuel Alito

Julie Hirschfeld Davis, in the Baltimore Sun, writes about the delay in the Alito nomination:

The strategists think Alito's foes might be benefiting from the delay.

"This is one result of having this protracted time period. There's nothing else to do, so why not do that?" said Wendy E. Long, counsel for the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network, which supports Bush's nominees. "The effect on the process is that there's even more pressure on Democrats from the far left. They can really turn up the heat during this time, and they're doing it."