Pelosi, Conyers offer legislation to amend FISA.
Shortly after passing legislation to temporarily expand the administration’s spying authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Conyers introduced a bill to amend that legislation “as soon as possible.”
DoJ held political briefings.
“Justice Department officials attended at least a dozen political briefings at the White House since 2001, including some meetings led by Karl Rove, President Bush’s chief political adviser, and others that were focused on election trends prior to the 2006 midterm contest, according to documents released yesterday.” In June, the Office of Special Counsel found that political briefings held at the General Services Administration violated the law. “Inappropriate” political briefings were even given to diplomats. See more on Karl Rove’s politicization of the federal government HERE.
Rice, RNC subpoenas approved.
“By 21-10, the House oversight committee voted to issue a subpoena to Rice to compel her story on the Bush administration’s claim, now discredited, that Iraq was seeking uranium from Africa.” The oversight committee “also issued subpoenas for the Republican National Committee for testimony and documents about White House e-mails on RNC accounts that have apparently gone missing.” In the Senate, the Judiciary Committee “approved - but did not issue - a subpoena on the prosecutors’ matter to Sara Taylor, deputy to presidential adviser Karl Rove.”
New Fox Show: Obama Is Not The First ‘Clean’ African-American Since Oprah ‘Does Douche’
New Fox Show: Obama Is Not The First ‘Clean’ African-American Since Oprah ‘Does Douche’
Fox News is prepping a new late-night talk show called “Red Eye” hosted by Greg Gutfeld, the former editor of UK Maxim (and Huffington Post blogger) who previously led a web-based chat show for FoxNews.com.
In a clip of “Red Eye” that was leaked online, Gutfeld leads a discussion about Sen. Joe Biden’s (D-DE) racially-insensitive claim that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean.” In the clip, Gutfeld calls Biden “my favorite person in the world,” and asks, “Isn’t [Biden] saying what every liberal is thinking,” that “Obama is acceptable because he’s…a non-threatening black man.”
Also, panelists on the show rejected the notion that Obama is the first “clean” mainstream African-American. “Well, I think Oprah’s clean,” one said. “She does douche,” said another. He added, “I was told I was allowed to say the D-word,” suggesting the comment had been cleared by Fox officials. Watch it:
Red Eye is “one of two recent initiatives that appear to be attempts to broaden the definition of a news channel.” The other is “The Half-Hour News Hour,” a right-leaning version of the Daily Show, which will guest-star Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter as the President and Vice President in an early episode.
Transcript: Read the rest of this entry »
Bush lifts Alaska drilling ban.
“President Bush lifted the drilling ban Tuesday for Alaska’s Bristol Bay, clearing the way for the Interior Department to open the fish-rich waters to oil and natural gas development.”
Bush admin breaking the law on global warming data.
So says Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who is angry that the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is not complying with a congressional requirement to produce a report on climate change. “They’re simply not complying with the law. It’s incredible,” McCain said.
Rep. Peter King (R-NY) proposes ethnic and religious profiling.
“Declaring that airport screeners shouldn’t be hampered by ‘political correctness,’ House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King has endorsed requiring people of ‘Middle Eastern and South Asian’ descent to undergo additional security checks because of their ethnicity and religion.”
In a hole, Allen keeps digging.
According to political operatives close to Sen. George Allen, the Senator used the derogatory phrase “macaca” not as an ethnic slur, but as a mash-up of “Mohawk,” referring to S.R. Sidarth’s distinctive hair, and “caca,” Spanish slang for excrement, or “sh*t.” Said one conservative: “In other words, he was a sh*t-head, an annoyance.”
The Bolton blitz begins.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee announced today it will hold fresh hearings on the nomination of U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, who failed to be confirmed by the Senate last year. The hearings are set for next Thursday, and the White House has scheduled Bolton on multiple Sunday morning news shows this weekend.
Israeli aircraft strike Beirut.
“Witnesses said Israeli aircraft attacked Lebanon’s capital Beirut Saturday for the first time in a four-day offensive, striking a lighthouse and the city’s seaport,” the AP reports.