“During her testimony today, Monica Goodling pointed the finger squarely at Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, saying that he had not been ‘fully candid’ in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his knowledge of White House involvement in the U.S. attorney firings (McNulty had earlier pointed the finger at Sampson and Goodling for not informing him of the White House’s role).” McNulty released a statement this afternoon, saying Goodling is wrong:

I testified truthfully at the Feb. 6, 2007, hearing based on what I knew at that time. Ms. Goodling’s characterization of my testimony is wrong and not supported by the extensive record of documents and testimony already provided to Congress.

on the Iraq war compromise. A preview:

The Democratic leadership has, in sum, claimed a compromise with the Administration, in which the only things truly compromised are the trust of the voters, the ethics of the Democrats, and the lives of our brave, and doomed, friends, and family, in Iraq.

You, the men and women elected with the simplest of directions – Stop The War – have traded your strength, your bargaining position, and the uniform support of those who elected you… for a handful of magic beans.

UPDATE: The full special comment is HERE.

Congressional conservatives yesterday held an hour-long memorial for the late Rev. Jerry Falwell on the floor of the House of Representatives, extolling the “incredible and remarkable” religious right leader.

Senior conservative leaders joined the “special order” session, including Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), the #2 Republican in the House, and Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA). Also speaking was Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA), who notoriously warned “American citizens” to “wake up” or “there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office.”

To many Americans, Falwell is best known for his infamous remarks claiming the 9/11 terrorist attacks were God’s punishment on the United States, or that the anti-Christ is alive today and “of course he’ll be Jewish.”

But on the floor of Congress yesterday, Falwell was heralded as a “great leader of America’s conservative movement” whose “strong set of values” and “unshakable moral compass” had made America “a better place.” “More than we all realize,” one member of Congress said, “we are very blessed the he came our way.”

Digg It!

Transcript: Read more

Yesterday, in an effort to defend his war strategy, President Bush declassified intelligence about a 2005 order from Osama bin Laden instructing aides “to form a terrorist cell that would conduct attacks outside Iraq — and that the United States should be the top target.” The newly released information was featured in Bush’s commencement speech at the Coast Guard Academy today, where he stoked fears of terrorism, saying “All around us, dangerous winds are swirling and these winds could reach our shores at any moment.”

Appearing on Fox News, Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-MI) defended Bush’s selective declassification of the intelligence, saying that he is “glad the president made the decision to make it available” and that the administration would never declassify intel “just for political purposes.” Watch it:

Lott appears to be forgetting the administration’s long history of selectively declassifying intelligence that supports their political goals. A few examples:

- In 2003, President Bush personally authorized then-chief of staff to the Vice President, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, to “publicly disclose” sections of the classified National Intelligence Estimate about Iraq in order to push back against Amb. Joe Wilson’s public debunking of pre-war intelligence.

- In 2004, the White House authorized the release of “an off-the-record background briefing” given by former White House terrorism czar Richard Clarke, in order to discredit Clarke after he published a book that was critical of Bush’s pre-9/11 national security priorities.

- In 2006, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) wrote to then-Director of Intelligence John Negroponte complaining that in response to the revelation of the NSA warrantless spying program, “the President chose to selectively declassify aspects of the program that would allow for a public relations campaign to score political points.”

The administration does not appear to leak intelligence except for politically advantageous purposes.

Transcript: Read more

Vice President Cheney’s daughter Mary gave birth today to Samuel David Cheney. (There’s a digital baby shower HERE.)

Under Virginia law, Mary’s partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, “will have no legal relationship with her child. She can’t adopt as a second parent. She won’t have her name on the birth certificate.” President Bush will still not say whether or not he supports gay adoption.