“The Pentagon is looking into the possibility of Israel launching a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities,” the Jerusalem Post reports. Proliferation expert Joseph Cirincione: such a strike “would not, as is often said, delay the Iranian program. It would almost certainly speed it up. That is what happened when the Israelis struck at the Iraq program in 1981.”

“The Dubai-owned company that promised to surrender its U.S. port operations has no immediate plans to sell its U.S. subsidiary’s interests at Miami’s seaport, a senior executive wrote Monday in a private e-mail to business associates,” the AP reports.

“Earlier today, reports began circulating across the globe that I have recently stated that Jews can go to heaven without being converted to Jesus Christ. This is categorically untrue.“

Frist went on the Senate floor a few moments ago and complained that the Senate wasn’t going to vote soon enough to censure the President. Watch it:

Frist added that the President’s warrantless domestic surveillance program was not just lawful but “a very good lawful constitutional program.” Many of his conservative colleagues disagree.

Transcript: Read more

Judd will be on the Ed Schultz Show at about 5:35 ET to talk about our new campaign Graduation Madness. Listen live HERE (and don’t forget to take action).

Today, as he often does, President Bush said we are making progress in Iraq and Afghanistan: “We are making progress in the march of freedom — and some of the most important progress has taken place in a region that has not known the blessings of liberty: the broader Middle East.”

But a quick review of Bush’s statements today versus his earlier statements about Iraq and Afghanistan reveal that the condition in those countries has deteriorated steadily over time.

AFGHANISTAN THEN:

And as a result of the United States military, Taliban no longer is in existence. And the people of Afghanistan are now free. [9/27/04]

AFGHANISTAN NOW:

Taliban and al Qaeda remnants continue to fight Afghanistan’s democratic progress. In recent weeks, they have launched new attacks that have killed Afghan civilians and coalition forces. [3/13/06]

IRAQ THEN:

We thank all of the citizens of Iraq who welcomed our troops and joined in the liberation of their own country. [5/1/03]

IRAQ NOW:

The past few weeks, the world has seen very different images from Iraq — images of violence, and anger, and despair. We have seen a great house of worship — the Golden Mosque of Samarra — in ruins after a brutal terrorist attack. We’ve seen mass protests in response to provocation. We’ve seen reprisal attacks by armed militias on Sunni mosques — and random violence that has taken the lives of hundreds of Iraqi citizens. [3/13/06]

President Bush’s new record-low approval rating, according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll. Only 6 percent agree with Gen. Pace that events in Iraq are going “very well“; 60 percent say they are going either “moderately badly” or “very badly.”

Minutes ago, Sen. Bill Frist said on the Senate floor that “we are ready to vote on” a censure of President Bush over warrantless domestic wiretapping “this afternoon or tonight.”

The 2005 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report issued last week criticizes the United Arab Emirates over its practice of indefinite detention:

Indefinite detention without charge is permitted upon judicial review.

…An anti-terrorism law passed in July 2004 allows public prosecutors to hold suspects in terrorism-related cases without charge for 6 months, an increase over the previous 3-week limit. Once a suspect is charged, terrorism cases are handled by the Supreme Court, which may extend the detention period indefinitely.

In other words, the UAE policy is actually far less severe than the Bush administration’s position. President Bush asserts that he has the authority to detain terrorism suspects indefinitely without charge — and has done so in the U.S., and at Guantanamo, Bagram and the CIA’s secret “black sites.” Also, indefinite detentions in the UAE are “permitted upon judicial review.” Enemy combatants in U.S. custody have no right to a judicial review.

Here’s what the State Department would write about the United States:

An anti-terrorism law passed in 2001 (Authorization for Use of Military Force) allows the president to indefinitely detain without charge any person he determines to be related to terrorist activity. A new law passed in 2005 (Detainee Treatment Act) means these terrorism suspects have no ability to appeal against their detention unless and until they are convicted in specially created military courts; however, the president is under no obligation to ever bring these suspects before any court.

Conveniently, U.S. policies are not covered by the report.

“There are people I know in the hierarchy of NBC, the company, and GE, the company, who do not like to see the current presidential administration criticized at all.” (Via Atrios)