News roundup 04.07.2006

Leaker-in-chief

Howard Kurtz this morning:

So I thought George W. Bush was against leaks.

And that he was especially against leaks of classified information.

The Washington Post in February:

The chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said yesterday that he may add language to the fiscal 2007 intelligence authorization bill to criminalize the leaking of a wider range of classified information than is now covered by law. He indicated the new measure would be similar to legislation vetoed by President Bill Clinton more than five years ago.

The statement by Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) comes as Bush administration is campaigning against leaks and focusing on the people who receive and distribute them, including journalists.

The Washington Post: "Bush Authorized Secrets' Release, Libby Testified"

The New York Times: "Cheney's Aide Says President Approved Leak"

The Boston Globe: "Bush OK'd Iraq leak, Libby says"

The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Libby: Bush gave OK on leak"

The Chicago Tribune: "Libby says Bush OKd leak on Iraq"

The National Journal:

Libby also testified that an administration lawyer told him that Bush, by authorizing the disclosure of classified information, had in effect declassified the information. Legal experts disagree on whether the president has the authority to declassify information on his own.

The White House had no immediate reaction to the court filing.

The long war in Iraq

Earlier in the week we saw headlines like this from the Christian Science Monitor: "Has Al Qaeda demoted Zarqawi?"

The notion (in part) was that Zarqawi's brand of barbarism was no longer politically effective.

The Financial Times:

Three suicide bombers dressed as women killed at least 50 people at a Shi’ite mosque on Friday in Baghdad, police said, putting more pressure on Iraq’s divided leaders to form a government and face up to sectarian violence.

CNN:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Three suicide bombers on Friday struck a Baghdad mosque affiliated with a major Shiite political party, killing at least 74 people, according to the Iraqi Health Ministry.

Note the detail in the Washington Post's account:

A Post reporter was near the scene as three explosions ripped through central Baghdad's Baratha mosque, which is closely associated with the biggest Shiite Muslim religious party leading Iraq's government.

The first blast hit near the mosque exit as worshipers trickled out after Friday prayers. Panicked survivors rushed back into the mosque for safety, only to encounter two thudding booms that resounded inside the mosque.

"I saw the bodies and blood covering the walls and ground. Many people died inside. Many died," said Abbas Talib, a 53-year-old gas station attendant whose jumpsuit and hands were soaked in the blood of the dead he carried out. "The ground was all flesh and blood."

The Times of London: "Petrol pumps run dry in a city that stinks of oil"

The A.P.:

BAGHDAD - Iraq's embattled prime minister vowed yesterday to pursue his bid for a second term despite pressure from home and abroad to step down, signaling no early end to the standoff blocking a crucial national unity government.

Iran

The Los Angeles Times:

WASHINGTON — With hopes dimming for tough U.N. action against Iran's nuclear program, U.S. officials and allies are talking about forming a smaller "coalition of the willing" to bring pressure on Tehran.

The Financial Times:

Iran has prepared a high-level delegation to hold wide-ranging talks with the US, but the Bush administration is resisting the agenda suggested by Tehran despite pressure from European allies to engage the Islamic republic, Iranian politicians have told the Financial Times.

Immigration

Deal may be undone, but the pressure could still mount this month and next.

The Houston Chronicle:

WASHINGTON - The nation's most far-reaching immigration bill in 20 years will likely be postponed indefinitely as sharp partisan differences late Thursday sank the chances for Senate approval this week.

USA Today: "Compromise on immigration bill uncertain"

The New York Times: "Senate Deal on Immigration Falters"

Budget talks

The Washington Post:

House Republican efforts to forge a budget blueprint for the coming fiscal year collapsed last night amid acrimony and name-calling, as the fissures between GOP moderates and conservatives once again burst into the open.

The New York Times:

WASHINGTON, April 6 — House Republican leaders on Thursday abandoned their efforts to win approval of a budget for the coming year after they were unable to bridge widening differences on fiscal policy in their party.

Hamas

The A.P.:

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Hamas is ready for a "two-state" solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a senior official said Friday, in what would appear to be a softening of Hamas' position and imply recognition of the Jewish state.

Executive power

The New York Times:

WASHINGTON, April 6 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales suggested on Thursday for the first time that the president might have the legal authority to order wiretapping without a warrant on communications between Americans that occur exclusively within the United States.

"I'm not your favorite guy"

The Philadelphia Inquirer has a transcript of the President's back-and-fort with Harry Taylor.