In a new interview, Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) calls Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) “disingenuous” and accuses him of pretending to “have it both ways” for taking multiple stances on same-sex marriage. In response, McCain strategist John Weaver told ABC News, “We’re too disciplined to respond.”
President Bush will travel to Jordan next week to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. “The White House was quick to talk down expectations for the trip as the national security adviser told reporters ‘we’re not looking for a big, bold announcement‘ to come out of the meeting.”
The annual AIDS report issued by the United Nations and World Health Organization found that the “epidemic has continued to grow in all regions of the world this year and surged back in some areas where there had been declines.” An estimated 39.5 million people are living with HIV. In 2006, 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses.
The Iraq Study Group is nearing completion of a first draft of its report. The co-chairmen, James Baker and Lee Hamilton, hope to complete it this weekend and give it to the eight other group members in time for a meeting next week. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is readying counterproposals for Bush “in case the Iraq Study Group comes up with ideas he does not like.”
Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth, who ran and lost a high-profile congressional race in Illinois this year, has been appointed director of the state’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) announced yesterday.
“Former attorney general Janet Reno has taken the unusual step of openly criticizing the Bush administration’s anti-terrorism strategy — joining seven other former Justice Department officials in warning that the indefinite detention of U.S. terrorism suspects could become commonplace unless the courts intervene.”
69 percent of American voters think undocumented workers “should be allowed into a guest worker program with the ability to work toward citizenship over a period of several years.” The idea has “wide support among voters of all political stripes.”
A report by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq found “3,709 Iraqi civilians were killed in October, the highest monthly toll since the March 2003 U.S. invasion and another sign of the severity of Iraq’s sectarian bloodbath.”
And finally: What are student loan cuts, Alex? Education Secretary Margaret Spellings appeared on “Celebrity Jeopardy!” last night, finishing second behind actor Michael McKean. Her excuse: “She said she didn’t realize how much skill went into hitting the buzzer at just the right moment after host Alex Trebek read a clue. She said she often hit it too early and as a result didn’t get picked to tackle a category.” Spellings was the first Cabinet secretary ever to appear on the program.
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