Kerry to CNN: 'Too much made' of mistake

Posted by Christi Parsons at 2:20 pm CST

The first thing pundit James Carville did on stage Thursday was to comically imitate the way his fellow members of the “commentariat” hyperventilated over the political significance of the most recent elections.

The next thing he did was to sincerely hyperventilate over the significance of the 2008 election – a schtick his audience at the 9th Annual American Democracy Conference let him get away with because they were mostly political junkies, too.

“It’s going to be the mother of them all,” Carville predicted of the ’08 presidential race. “It’s historical. We’re on the precipice. We’re in a paradigmatic transformational blah blah blah.”

In Carville-speak, that seems to mean this one is going to be the most entertaining in recent history.

Posted by Stephen Hedges at 12:37 pm CST

There is war, and then there is football.

A banner hanging today inside the Pentagon's busiest entrance reads: "Army Football: Making Navy Look Good Since 1890." Obviously put up by Navy fans.

Army and Navy play each other this weekend in Philadelphia. The two collegiate teams first met in 1890 at West Point. Navy won 24-0.

For the record, Navy has had 50 wins, Army 49 wins. There've been seven ties. Navy won seven of the last ten games, mostly by large margins.

Posted by Frank James at 12:12 pm CST

The White House gave some journalists an opportunity to preview this year's decorations as well as the food to be served at the many holiday parties President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush will host this year.

Our intrepid photographer, Pete Souza, had a chance to see the decorations and sample the food. Here are some his photos with Pete's captions.

The official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room is seen from the Cross Hall. The official tree is an 18-foot, 6-inch Douglas fir from Leighton, Penn. (This is not the same tree seen in this space earlier in the week; that tree is the Capitol Christmas tree and will be on display in front of the U.S. Capitol). Chicago Tribune photo by Pete Souza.

Posted by Frank James at 11:14 am CST

What does it mean to be an American?

It’s not an academic question. For many immigrants who become U.S. citizens, it has meant having to pass an exam given by immigration officials with softball questions like “What are the colors of our flag?” and “What was the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims brought to America.?”

Posted by Michael Tackett at 10:57 am CST

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, billing himself as the keeper of small-town values and virtues, became the first Democrat to formally announce that he wanted to be the next president of the United States.

In the pleasant setting of Mt. Pleasant Iowa, where Vilsack once was mayor, the governor ticked off a list of accomplishments during his tenure, from education to energy independence, that he hopes will find a warm embrace among Democrats who might be seeking the hotter candidates like Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York.

Posted at 6:10 am CST

Good morning.

Please make sure to read Mark Silva's postings during the wee hours from Jordan where he is with President Bush who was in Amman to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Here are some of today's scheduled Washington events as reported by the Associated Press in its daybook.

ALL DAY

Nov. 29 - 30. AIDS SUMMIT — CDC, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of HIV Medicine and the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research sponsor "Opportunities for Improving HIV Diagnosis, Prevention and Access to Care in the U.S.," a two-day summit of nearly 300 of the nation's leading medical, government and community experts.

Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel (Sackler Room; Ballroom Level) 1330 Maryland Ave. SW.

Posted by Mark Silva at 3:30 am CST (and 11:30 am Jordan time)

AMMAN, Jordan – Six months after the seating of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and nearly four years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, President Bush today committed the U.S. to "accelerating'' the transfer of responsibility for security inside Iraq to al-Maliki's government – with Bush voicing unqualified support for the prime minister. Yet, while forces in Washington call for a gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces, the president adamantly warned that he plans no "graceful exit'' anytime soon.

Bush, standing alongside al-Maliki at a press conference following a private meeting, said: "He's the right guy for Iraq, and we're going to help him, and it's in our interest to help him, for the sake of peace.'' And, asked if the U.S. effort in Iraq has been worthwhile, Bush said: "You bet it's worth it in Iraq, and necessary.''

President Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki fielded several questions at their press conference today in the Four Seasons Hotel, Amman. Photo by Silva.

Posted by Mark Silva at 12 am CST (and 8 am Jordan time)

AMMAN, Jordan -- The delayed meeting of President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki finally is underway here, according to the report we have from the pool -- not to be confused with that luscious pool lurking outside our hotel window on a bright, cloudless morning here -- the reporting pool.

And soon we will make our own actual personal crossing to the hotel across the street where the president and prime minister are meeting. And soon, you will be hearing from someone other than the "senior administration officials'' who for the last couple of days have been explaining away that embarassing memo that the White House produced about al-Maliki and explaining away the fact that Bush, al-Maliki and King Abdullah II of Jordan did not meet and dine together last night.

This is the pool at our hotel in Amman. Photo by Mark Silva

Posted by William Neikirk at 4:03 p.m. CST

Twelve states and 13 environmental groups urged the Supreme Court today to force the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate "greenhouse gas" emissions from new vehicles in order to prevent global warming.

The hearing showed how difficult it is to deal with an issue that deeply concerns the scientific community. There is no absolute proof that catastrophic climate change will indeed occur, despite alarming projections contained in a number of studies.

Posted by Frank James at 2:15 pm CST

CNN reported today that former Secretary of State Colin Powell who’s in the United Arab Emirates for a business gathering, said the violence in Iraq is indeed a civil war.

In its report, the cable channel paraphrased Powell as saying the Iraqi turmoil “meets the standard of civil war and that if he were heading the State Department now, he might recommend that the administration use that term.”

Posted by Mark Silva at 1:50 am CST (and 8:50 pm Jordan time)

AMMAN, Jordan – The meeting that President Bush was supposed to have with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki tonight is off. So is the dinner that they were to share with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Bush did dine with the king – but al-Maliki was dining "with someone else,'' the White House says, insisting that this last-minute change of plans had nothing to do with today's revelation of a once-secret White House memo that questioned al-Maliki's competence to lead his government. The memo posed the question of whether al-Maliki is not up to the task, deceiving the United States or simply "ignorant'' of what's going on in the streets of Baghdad – where members of his government are protesting his meeting with the U.S. president.

Posted by Frank James at 1:31 pm CST

Sometimes press conferences can have the feel of the old Abbott and Costello "Who's on first" comedy skit. Today was one of those days in the press briefing, or gaggle, in Jordan.

Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president, was explaining to the White House press corps why Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wasn't going to be meeting tonight with President Bush and King Abdullah of Jordan.

The reason Bartlett gives--that the king and Maliki have met so there was no reason to have the planned three-way, seems a little odd to a skeptical mind. Why wouldn't the three men all want to sit down together to make sure they were all on the same page? Something doesn't add up.

But it's the interchange between Bartlett and the reporters that's fun to read.

Posted by Frank James at 12:34 pm CST

A conservative Internet magazine is reporting that Sen. Barack Obama’s ascendancy as a presidential prospect has sent shudders through the camp of Sen. Hillary Clinton which fears the Illinoisan could hurt her bid if she decides to run as expected.

Insight, the (subscription required) magazine of the Washington Times newspaper, reported the following in this week’s issue.

Sources close to Ms. Clinton said she has been concerned that Mr. Obama could outdo the New York senator in getting support from the minority and liberal base of the Democratic Party. They said Ms. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have been discussing a strategy on how to deal with Mr. Obama and whether he could be persuaded to join a Clinton ticket.

Posted by David Lightman at 11:36 am CST

Media experts and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman today issued their annual video game report card, assessing how easily children can get access to violent games, and the news was generally upbeat.

Big retailers and game-makers are cooperating in limiting children's access to violent games, Lieberman, D-Conn. said.

But, he added, "there is a weak link"--parents.

"It's time to focus on parents and urge them to pay attention," he said. "Play what your kids play--if you can."

The 11th annual report card is based on surveys taken in September and October. The National Institute on Media and the Family surveyed 52 video game rental or retail stores in 12 states.

Posted by Christi Parsons at 11:30 am CST

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) is hanging out with hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean this week, touring his native Haiti as a guest of a non-governmental organization he founded to improve the Caribbean nation.

Schakowsky said she is embarking on her second trip to the country to learn more about rebuilding and peace efforts there -- and to inspire future conversations about how the U.S. can help the impoverished and strife-torn country.

“My hope is to make some contacts and see what is the best way that the Congress can be helpful,” Schakowsky said shortly before her Wednesday departure. “I’d like to establish myself as a contact in the U.S. House as someone interested in Haiti.”

Posted by William Neikirk at 11:05 a.m. CST

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has decided against running for president in 2008. That surprise announcement came today from the senator himself. It reduces what is expected to be a still-large Republican field.

"In the Bible, God tells us for evereything there is a season, and for me, for now, this season of being an elected official has come to a close," he said in a statement. "I do not intend to run for president in 2008."

So far, he is the most prominent potential contender to forgo the race. Former Democratic Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia announced earlier that he will not run in 2008. Another possible candidate, Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), has announced his intentions, but since his loss in the Nov. 7 election, it is presumed he will not put his hat in the ring.

Posted by Mark Silva at 4:50 am CST

RIGA, Latvia – Following the leak of a memorandum in which President Bush's national security adviser pointedly questioned the competence of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's young government in confronting sectarian violence within Iraq, the Bush administration insisted today it has faith in al-Maliki.

"The president has confidence in Prime Minister Maliki, and also the administration is working with the prime minister to improve his capabilities in terms of dealing with the fundamental challenges in Iraq,'' Tony Snow, the White House press secretary, told reporters in Riga this morning.

This stood in dramatic contrast to a classified administration memo stating "the reality on the streets of Baghdad suggests Maliki is either ignorant of what is going on, misrepresenting his intentions, or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into action.'' Some of the government's actions, the memo states, have actually contributed to sectarian strife.

Stephen Hadley, the president's national security adviser, was not making a "summary judgment'' about the government in Iraq, senior administration officials insist. But they are devoting a serious amount of time today to damage control over the judgments that Hadley did make in a leaked memo. Photo by NATO.

Good morning.

Hard to see the sunrise, the Washington monument or much of anything else today, it's so foggy.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Wednesday, November 29, as collected by the Associated Press.

President Bush is attending the NATO Summit in Latvia before flying to Jordan.

The Commerce Department is releasing the Gross Domestic Product report for the 3rd quarter. 8:30 a.m.

Posted by Rick Pearson at 3:48 CST

The incoming majority leader of Democrats in the U.S. House stopped briefly in Springfield on Tuesday to pay homage to a Republican president and the Democratic majority in the Illinois legislature.

But amid the partisan game playing that Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is expecting in the new Congress next year, he was looking forward to only one game-tonight’s University of Maryland showdown with the Illini in Champaign.

Posted by Mike Dorning at 3:45 pm CST.

Sen. Barack Obama has a scheduled another high-powered media appearance as he promotes his best-selling book and mulls a potential presidential bid: Jay Leno's Tonight Show.

Obama will appear on the popular NBC late-night television show on Friday, taping the show earlier in the day, said Robert Gibbs, a spokesman for the Illinois Democrat.

Obama already was scheduled to be in Southern California for a previously announced speech earlier in the day at Saddleback Church, the mega-church pastored by Rick Warren, a leading evangelist and author of the Purpose Driven Life.

Posted by Mark Silva at 12:05 pm CST

RIGA, Latvia – Here in the Baltic states, once occupied by the former Soviet Union and now members of the 26-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed as a counterweight to Soviet aggression after World War II, President Bush is pressing for a stepped-up commitment to the fight in Afghanistan.

Some of NATO's members "are punching above their weight'' in the 32,000-troop NATO deployment operating in Afghanistan today, suggests Stephen Hadley, the president's national security adviser. And while it was clear that he was praising small nations such as Latvia and Estonia for their roles in NATO, he shied away from a question about whether Germany, for instance, is "punching below its weight'' in the alliance.

Posted by Frank James at 10:47 am CST

Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political advisor, apparently hasn't taken a big popularity hit after the mid-term elections mainly because his standing was already fairly low among people who had heard of him, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Gallup said 41 percent of the people it surveyed between Nov. 9-12 who were aware of Rove, had an unfavorable view of him compared with 38 percent who held a similarly negative view in July.

Posted by Michael Tackett at 10:54 CST

This just in from New Hampshire Democrats:

NH DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO HOST 2006 ELECTION CELEBRATION WITH SPECIAL GUEST
U.S. SENATOR BARACK OBAMA

“We are honored that Senator Obama has accepted our invitation to celebrate the historic, tidal wave victory New Hampshire’s Democrats experienced this November,” said State Party Chair Kathy Sullivan. “There is much to celebrate. This year’s election not only means Democrats took control, it resulted in the complete flip of the last Republican strong hold in the Northeast.”

Posted by Frank James at 9:18 am CST

While many scholars and members of the media are now calling the situation in Iraq a civil war, the White House continues to reject that term, preferring to refer to the chaos there as sectarian violence.

It's obviously in the Bush administration's interest not to have the conflict labeled a civil war since that would increase the already rising pressure on President Bush to withdraw U.S. troops more quickly.

In Estonia, a reporter asked the president if what was happening in Iraq was a civil war. The president never let the words "civil war" leave his lips.

Posted by David Lightman at 9:18 a.m. CST

In today's Hartford Courant I explain that there's an element of high school student council politics to the 2008 presidential race, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll on candidates' likability.

Posted at 6:25 am CST

Good morning.

The nation's capital is snapping back into action after the extended Thanksgiving Day weekend many in the city apparently took. Here are some of today's scheduled events as reported by the Associated Press.

ALL DAY

Nov. 28 - 29. ENERGY-LATIN AMERICA — The Inter-American Development Bank holds a conference on sustainable energy and climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Highlights:

9:30 a.m. Session on challenges and opportunities, with Jose Goldemberg, Secretary of Environment, Sco Paulo State; Klaus Toepfer, former Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme; Roberto Dobles Mora, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica; Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile.

12:30 p.m. Luncheon speaker - Pennsylvania Environment Secretary Katie McGinty.

Location: IADB, 1330 New York Ave. NW.

Posted by Mark Silva at 4:05 am CST

TALLINN, Estonia – Allowing that Iraq has grown "dangerous and violent,'' President Bush said today that he will press Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki this week for his "strategy'' for confronting the sectarian violence being fomented by extremists and terrorists intent on disrupting the young government there.

The recent spate of record-level fatal attacks in Baghdad is part of a long-running effort by terrorists to foment violence there, Bush insisted, side-stepping a question about whether civil war has erupted in Iraq.

With the first appearance of a U.S. president here in Estonia, President Bush promised to work with Congress to make it easier for Estonians to visit the U.S., praised the young democracy here and also praised the "transparency'' of the nation's simple "flat tax.'' This is the square across the street from the Bank of Estonia where Bush appeared with Estonia's President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Photo by Mark Silva

Posted by Christi Parsons at 4:50 p.m. CST

A government watchdog group on Monday called for an official investigation into whether Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) broke the law by pushing for federal funding of a highway project near some land he owned in west suburban Chicago.

Hastert and two partners turned a profit of more than $3 million last year on land they bought and sold near the proposed route of the Prairie Parkway – earnings that the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says owed in part to an earmark pushed by Hastert.

The group is asking the Department of Justice to investigate Hastert’s actions.

Posted at 1:09 pm CST

Rick Prince, top, and the feet of another worker appear in tandem as they prepare for the Capitol Christmas tree to be lifted off a truck near the grounds of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The tree arrived from the state of Washington and will be decorated and lit early next month in a public ceremony. Chicago Tribune photo posted by Pete Souza.

Posted by Frank James at 12:49 pm CST

David Lightman of the Hartford Courant has a piece today that raises a good question. The Democrats soon to take over Congress talk about helping middle-class Americans who have found themselves under pressure from stagnating wages and salaries, globalization and rising college tuitions.

But who exactly is in the middle class that Democrats have vowed to help? The answer is far from clear.

Posted by Mike Dorning at 12:30 pm CST.

After months of research, a trip to Iraq and hundreds of interviews, the commission headed by Republican former Secretary of State James Baker and Democratic former Congressman Lee Hamilton is meeting today and tomorrow to prepare recommendations on Iraq policy.

With the situation in Iraq deteriorating and the Democratic victory in the midterm elections this month widely interpreted as a repudiation of Bush's Iraq strategy, the commission and its efforts to point the way toward a new course in Iraq have received huge national attention.

On Sunday, we offered an examination of each of the commission's co-chairmen and the role they have played in Washington politics. But can these two old Washington hands, James Baker and Lee Hamilton, come up with a workable and politically acceptable strategy?

(Photo of Hamilton, left, and Baker from the U.S. Peace Institute website.)

Posted by William Neikirk at 12:25 p.m. CST

John Dingell has been around longer than Mick Jager, but they are both rolling stones in a way. They just keep going on. Dingell has been a Democratic congressman from Michigan for 51 years and, though he is 80 and a "little creaky" as he puts it, he'll take over as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in January.

It's a little like King Arthur returning to the Round Table. When Dingell headed this committee during the 70s and 80s, he became a powerful, even fearsome creature. He discovered fraud in the Pentagon, in some powerful universities, in blood banks, and in environmental, health and energy programs. Now as one of several "old bulls" returning to committee chairmanships as the result of the Democratic victory, Dingell is eager to return to those not-so-halcyon days of inquisition, as noted in my story in today's Chicago Tribune.

Posted by Frank James at 12:02 pm CST

What should the U.S. do if Iraq has been transformed into such a basket case it can’t be fixed?

That’s certainly the question that will linger in the minds of many who read even a little of the 149-page report by defense analyst Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Cordesman was recently in Iraq where he spoke with U.S. military and civilian officials.

Posted by Mark Silva at 9:00 am CST

TALLINN, Estonia – Hamburgers.

We have arrived in Estonia, in advance of the first American president to set foot in this Baltic state, to find a buffet table filled with hamburgers. And cheese. And French fries.

This is old Tallinn, as seen from an historic hilltop. Photo by Mark Silva

Posted by Pete Souza at 7:58 am CST

Chicago Tribune photo by Pete Souza

Katiwe is a 10-year-old girl who lives with her aunt, Hlengiwe Leocardia "Leo" Mchunu, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Both of Katiwe's parents have died of AIDS. Read the tragic, but heartwarming story about how Leo is fighting back against the disease that has wreaked havoc in her family. And for a look at Pete Souza's photos, please see this slide show.

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:10 am CST

The mission of NATO has evolved from defending Europe against Soviet and Warsaw Pact aggression to providing security within Afghanistan. Yet NATO must be prepared to confront a newer challenge, the manipulation of energy as a weapon, says Sen. Richard Lugar (R, Ind.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relatons Committee, and NATO member nations must underwrite the mission.

Lugar will serve as keynote speaker today at a conference of the German Marshall Fund in Riga, Latvia, where NATO's annual summit is getting underway. President Bush will attend that summit before flying on to Amman, Jordan, later this week for a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Here's an advance look at what Lugar will be telling European leaders on the eve of the NATO summit in Riga:

Good morning.

Here are a few, very few Washington events of note for Monday, November 27, as collected by the Associated Press. The capital is effectively in Thanksgiving weekend mode yet.

1:30 p.m. U.S.-SYRIA — The U.S. Institute of Peace holds an event on U.S. policy options regarding Syria, with Scott Lasensky of the institute, Robert Malley of the National Security Council and Robert Satloff of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Location: 2nd floor conference room, 1200 17th St. NW.

4 p.m. HEALTH CARE — The Cato Institute hosts a Policy Forum, ``Improving Health Care Quality: Is Medicare a Good Candidate for Pay-for-Performance?" Participants are David Cutler, Professor, Harvard University; Dr. Sandra Gadson, President, National Medical Association; Michael F. Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute; and Gail Wilensky, Co-Chair. Institute of Medicine Pay-for-Performance Advisory Committee. The insurers and government agencies that purchase 80 percent of medical care in America have traditionally ignored quality.
Location: Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW.

Posted by Mark Silva at 9:43 am CST

WASHINGTON – As President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki head for a summit in Jordan this week gaining added urgency with the escalation of violence in Iraq, their Jordanian host said today that only a much broader approach toward conflict in the Middle East can offer peace in the region.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict primarily, but also strife within Lebanon and Iraq, must be confronted by leaders throughout the region and the United States – and addressed quickly – if full-scale civil war throughout the region is to be averted in the year ahead, King Abdullah II of Jordan said today.

Posted by Frank James at 8:13 am CST

Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican who'd like to be president, has an opinion piece in today's Washington Post that essentially repudiates the Iraq position of another Republican senator and presidential aspirant, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Hagel was among the earliest Republican senators to criticize the Bush administration's management of the Iraq War.

Posted at 6:22 am CST

Posted at 7:20 pm CST

Sen. Chris Dodd says he hasn't made up his mind about running for president yet.

But he did put out 30,000 Thanksgiving cards.

For more about running below the radar, read David Lightman's account in the Hartford Courant:

Posted by Mark Silva at 9:06 am CST

While sectarian violence in Iraq pushes the war-torn nation toward a political precipice, President Bush is attempting to honor the heroism of Americans who have fallen there -- using his weekly radio address today to cite the valor of a long-slain Marine who is slated to receive the Medal of Honor.

In Iraq, Shiite leaders loyal to a Muslim clerical leader in Baghdad's Sadr City, scene of the most fatal violence since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, are warning that they will withdraw from the nascent Iraqi government if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki goes ahead with his planned meeting with Bush in Amman, Jordan, next week.

In Washington, the Bush administration maintains this is yet another reason to accelerate plans for transferring responsibility for Iraq's security to the endangered Iraqi government.

And on the radio today, Bush is talking about the courage of the late Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham.

Posted at 6:47 am CST

Posted by Frank James at 10:52 am CST

The American Presidency Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara has an excellent website for students of the presidency.

Among its many features is an interactive presidential popularity page that allows you to choose which president or time period you want polling results for and to chart them accordingly.

Posted by Frank James at 9:27 am CST

Vice President Cheney is headed to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud to discuss matters in the Middle East. There's much to discuss and it's nearly all bad.

While Americans celebrated Thanksgiving, Iraq had one of its bloodiest days since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, with suspected Sunni insurgents dropping mortars on, and exploding car bombs among, Shiites in Baghdad's Sadr City area, killing about 200 people.

Posted at 6:18 am CST

Good morning. The Friday after Thanksgiving is typically a very quiet one in the nation's capital and today is no exception, at least according to the Associated Press daybook.

ALL DAY

Nov. 20 - 26. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM-DARFUR — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will project building-sized images of the genocide in Darfur onto the Museums exterior walls to make a dramatic statement about the need for action in Darfur.

Location: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW.

Posted by Frank James at 11:12 am CST

President Bush with turkey grower Lynn Nutt of Springfield, Mo., and “Flyer” the turkey yesterday in the White House Rose Garden during the pardoning ceremony. White House photo by Paul Morse.

Just wanted to pass along an example of privatization that hasn't gotten enough coverage. It has to do with the turkeys pardoned by President Bush yesterday.

Until a year ago, turkeys that received presidential pardons were sent to live out their days to a public park in the Virginia suburbs outside the nation's capital.

Posted by David Lerman at 6 am CST

Presidential assailant John W. Hinckley Jr. may continue to visit his parents in James City County, Va., without increased family supervision, a federal judge has ruled. Here's my story in today's Daily Press.

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:05 am CST

In the event you still haven't made plans for Thanksgiving dinner today, consider what the president expects to serve his family.

They don't take reservations at Camp David, where President Bush and clan have convened today. But they do serve up a mean maple mashed potato. Unless you're hungry, read on:

Posted at 7:23 am CST

A safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving to all.

Posted by Frank James at 8:15 pm CST

President Kennedy meets with his National Security Council in this Oct. 29, 1962 White House photo

While it's still Nov. 22nd, the 43rd anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, I thought I'd point readers of The Swamp to transcripts of recordings JFK surreptitiously made of conversations in his White House that they might find as fascinating as I did.

Download jfk_1_full.pdf

Download jfk_2_full.pdf

Download jfk_3_full.pdf

The transcriptions were done by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia and were published in 2002 in volumes whose general editors were Philip Zelikow, who later went on to become the executive editor of the 9/11 Commission, and Ernest May. Timothy Naftali edited the Kennedy tapes.

Posted by David Lightman at 10:30 a.m. CST

One of the House Democrats' major priorities for the 110th Congress' first 100 hours is adopting the recommendations of the 9-11 commission. But there's a big hurdle, and it involves money. The Hartford Courant explains.

Posted by Frank James at 10:03 am CST

We just became aware of a new web site called RunObama.com whose slogan tells you what you need to know about it: "We the people believe Barack Obama should run for President."

The web site doesn't have a ton of material right now. It's got a brief Obama biography, a petition and a blog.

Still, we wondered who was behind it.

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:50 am CST

Don't look for any big announcements out of the president's meeting with the prime minister of Iraq next week in Amman, Jordan, the White House counseled reporters last night.

President Bush has a lot of other "voices to listen to'' before making any course adjustment in Iraq, according to the president's national security adviser. For now, however, Thanksgiving beckons. And the president will perform the ritual pardoning of the national turkey in the Rose Garden this morning before heading out to Camp David for the long weekend. For more on the meeting in Jordan, read on:

Posted at 6:45 am CST

Good morning. This is get-away day for those traveling who couldn't leave for their Thanksgiving destinations before today. Safe travel for all those who must.

This is also the 43rd anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination.

There's very little on the Associated Press's daybook for Washington. Here's what we have.

+++

ALL DAY

Nov. 20 - 26. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM-DARFUR — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will project building-sized images of the genocide in Darfur onto the Museums exterior walls to make a dramatic statement about the need for action in Darfur.

Location: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW.

Posted by Michael Tackett at 2:58 p.m. CST

There are many measures of Sen. Barack Obama's abundant success. But consider this: His new book, "The Audacity of Hope" recently reached the No. 1 spot on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller list.

And he did it by passing another author with a pretty fair record for selling books, namely John Grisham, whose own work of non-fiction, "The Innocent Man," slipped to No. 2.

Now, the Swamp hears that the Oct. 23 issue of TIME magazine that featured Obama on the cover is the best selling newsstand issue of the year.

Posted by David Lightman at 12:00 p.m. CST

Sen. Joe Lieberman has named a familiar Washington face, Marshall Wittmann, to be his new communications director. Wittmann is a one-time Republican who worked for Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican, and is now a registered independent who has been associated with centrist Democrats. Read my Hartford Courant story.

Posted by Frank James at 10:27 am CST

The Interior Department held a press conference this morning on a problem many people, myself included, haven't really given much thought to: the electrocution of birds on power lines.

The press conference was held in to highlight the release of the updated version of a conservation document, a 227-page publication titled "Suggested Practices for Avian Protection on Power Lines: The State of the Art in 2006," that resulted from federal and private sector cooperation.

The officials at the press conference indicated that while there are no good numbers on how many birds are electrocuted on power lines, with an estimate ranging anywhere from the tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands.

But many of the birds killed are protected species, like eagles, condors, hawks and migratory birds.

Posted by Frank James at 8:15 am CST

Tom Ricks beat me to it. Ricks, the excellent Washington Post military writer, has a story in his paper today about the problems plaguing the U.S. military's effort to train Iraqi security forces.

For days, I've been "gathering string" as we journalists like to say, for a posting or story about this linchpin issue. Ricks's story at least provides useful background for this posting. It has become increasingly obvious that the U.S. strategy for getting out of Iraq is to quickly train up enough Iraqi soldiers so that we can, in the Bush administration's words, stand down as the Iraqis stand up.

Only there's a big problem here and it's kind of a concept killer. Much of the evidence suggests that we are far from being able to effectively train enough Iraqis for U.S. forces to be able to significantly redeploy anytime soon. This is the Iraqi elephant in the room that far too few U.S. policymakers have talked to the American people about.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Tuesday, November 21, as collected by the Associated Press.

President Bush is stopping in Hawaii to visit with U.S. troops on his way back to Washington from his Asian trip.

9:30 a.m. DANGEROUS TOYS — U.S. PIRG holds a news conferfence to release its 21st annual toy safety report.
Location: Washington Seminar Center, Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 4th St. and Independence Ave. SE.

Posted by Mark Silva at 1:52 am CST

HONOLULU – The young airman who escorted us in from Hickam Air Force Base said his wife, in particular, was excited to see President Bush touch down with Air Force One.

"She's from Texas,'' he explained. "It's like seeing a rock star.''

Posted by Frank James at 3:00 pm CST

The U.S. Mint today unveiled the designs for the new $1 presidential coins which will make their way into the public's hands starting February 2007.

They're a golden color and have the iconic "In God We Trust" and "E Pluribus Unum" mottoes not on the front or back of the coin but its edge, a very unusual feature for an American coin.

The new coins, which will have the Statue of Liberty on their backs, are actually part of a government plot to get us to use $1 coins more. Coins last longer than paper money so would prove less expensive over time for the government i.e. taxpayers.

Posted by William Neikirk at 2:45 p.m.

It was a long way up for House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). It's going to be a long way down.

Come next January, says one House Republican member, Hastert likely will become a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the panel where he's served in the past.

Posted by Frank James at 12:30 pm CST

Sen. Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat, is giving a big-foreign policy speech at this very moment at the Chicago Council of Global Affairs, outlining an exit strategy for Iraq.

It's essentially the plan that's become popular with many Democrats. Announce to the Iraqis we're leaving, then do a phased withdrawal to start in four to six months; train enough Iraqi troops to take over securing Iraq; tie continued U.S. assistance to a political settlement, and get the regional neighbors to help.

You can read the speech below.

Posted by Frank James at 12:01 pm CST

Rep. Charles Rangel, the New York Democrat whose trademark is his raspy voice, and who will take over the House Ways and Means Committee, is stirring things up again with his idea of re-instituting the military draft.

It’s an idea that's essentially DOA since in Washington there is no demand from anyone except Rangel for a draft.

Pentagon officials have repeatedly said they’re satisfied with the quality and quantity of people joining the all-volunteer military. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of members of Congress are opposed to it.

But on CBS News’s Face the Nation program yesterday Rangel said that he will once again reintroduce a bill he’s been flogging since 2003 for military service.

Posted by David Lightman at 8:55 a.m. CST

The Washington dialogue on Iraq has a new hue, and that calmer tone could mean changes in policy when Congress returns next month. The Hartford Courant describes the mood.

Posted by Mark Silva at 8:12 am CST

BOGOR, Indonesia – Addressing a nation with more Muslims than any other land, a young democracy where many are fiercely protesting U.S. policies in Iraq and the Middle East, President Bush said today that he welcomes criticism as the hallmark of freedom, "a sign of a healthy society.''

And President Susilo Yudhoyono, the elected leader here, reported that Bush had heard "open, frank… sometimes critical'' comments in a private meeting with civic leaders. While Bush said Yudhoyono had not asked him to start withdrawing American troops from Iraq, the Indonesian leader did suggest publicly that a comprehensive solution for Iraq should include "a proper timetable for disengagement of U.S. miltary forces.''

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Monday, November 20, as collected by the Associated Press.

President Bush is in Indonesia.

Nov. 20 - 26. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM-DARFUR — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will project building-sized images of the genocide in Darfur onto the museum's exterior walls to make a dramatic statement about the need for action in Darfur.
6:30 a.m. U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, Andrew Natsios, will speak about the crisis. Other speakers include a Darfurian refugee, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide and a Holocaust survivor.
Location: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW.

Posted by Mark Silva at 1:07 am CST

BOGOR, Indonesia – In the event that you're already up to speed on the breakdown of Air Force One in Vietnam – fixed, rolling and flying now – have I told you the one about "the Doomsday Plane?''

For a while, we were wondering if the presidential aircraft, which blew six tires on landing in Ho Chi Minh City, would be able to make the next leg of the president's round-the-world-journey to Indonesia, where I am here to tell you it is about one hundred and ten degrees in the shade but I have not found the shade.

They did rustle up some spares for Air Force One, and off we all went. But the stranger part of it all was arriving at the airport outside Ho Chin Minh City to see "the Doomsday Plane'' parked on the tarmac next to our press charter.

This is the Doomsday Plane, part of a Cold War-era fleet ready to fight the big one from the air. Here it is parked in Ho Chi Minh City, as the president headed for Indonesia. Photo by Mark Silva

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:13 pm CST

HO CHI MINH CITY -- Even Air Force One breaks down.

A mechanical problem on the presidential aircraft apparently could prevent President Bush from flying to Indonesia from Vietnam aboard Air Force One, after his Monday morning visit to the Vietnamese stock exchange here. So the president would have to board a backup Boeing 757 for the flight. He always takes a spare. AF One is a 747.

Posted by Mark Silva at 10 am CST

THE CITY FORMERLY KNOWN AS SAIGON -- In the Rooftop Garden atop the Rex Hotel, the place where the American military command delivered daily war briefs known as The Five O'Clock Follies, the band is playing American songs from the Sixties -- few of which were any good back then.

Across the street, in a park filled with families strolling on a steamy Sunday night, stands a statue of Uncle Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese nationalist for whom the city is now named, the commercial center of this Communist-run capitalist state. Long gone, his body lies in state in a tomb in Hanoi modeled after Lenin's. And the young woman who approached me in the park here looking for someone with whom to practice her English was born 12 years after Americans fled from the rooftop of an abandoned embassy.

The streets of Ho Chi Minh City are filled with motorbikes filled with families. Photo by Mark Silva

Posted at 6:00 am CST

Posted by Mark Silva at 12:01 am CST

HANOI – President Bush went to church on a warm and sunny morning today in Vietnam, with the president declaring afterward that "there's no more basic freedom.''

Yet in Ho Chi Minh City to the South, where the president will go tonight, activists say a protest to spotlight the repression of religious rights was canceled after police arrested most of the protestors. It was to be staged near the U.S. Consulate. They say two activists, a young man and woman, were beaten by police.

Posted by Frank James at 9:32 am CST

Sometimes, it seems like everyone is somehow connected to everyone else, especially when you're talking about about the ruling elites from one nation to the next.

When Stephen Hadley, President Bush's National Security Advisor, briefed reporters travelling with the president in Asia about a meeting Bush had with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the APEC summit, he told of a photo Abe gave the president.

"There were a couple light moments in the discussion," Hadley said. "One was a discussion about the contribution that may be made to the Japanese economy by the signing to a contract by the Boston Red Sox of a Japanese pitcher, a man named Matsuzaka, at an estimated $51 million, which is -- the President complimented the Prime Minister on that; and also a poignant moment -- the Prime Minister presented a picture to the President of his grandfather and the President's grandfather playing golf with President Eisenhower in the waning days of the Eisenhower administration -- interesting familial touch for the two leaders."

Abe's grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, was once a Japanese prime minister, representing his nation's conservative wing, just like his grandson.

Posted at 6:38 am CST

Posted by Mark Silva at 4:50 am CST

HANOI -- Nutz.

That's the name of the bar in the basement of the Hanoi hotel where the president is staying, the bar where the "pool'' of reporters who cover the president's movements "holds" between assignments. My assignment this evening -- 13 hours ahead of you in Chicago here in Vietnam -- is to cover the president's attendance at the state banquet of Pacific Rim leaders holding an economic summit here. So while I wait for work, such as it is, at the banquet, I am holding in the pool hold, which happens to be a bar, and happens to be named Nutz.

This is Nutz, the basement hotel bar where reporters covering President Bush's comings and goings in Hanoi this weekend hold between assignments. Photo by Mark Silva

Posted by Mark Silva at 12:01 am CST

HANOI – I set out on the back of a motorbike early this morning for a hair-raising ride into the heart of the old French quarter of Ha Noi, headquarters of colonial occupation by a nation that learned the painful way what it would take the United States another 20 years to learn about the depth of Vietnamese nationalism.

In the three decades since the Americans, and before them the French, departed this land, the Communist-run regime has discovered the benefits of Western capitalism, Ha Noi teeming with the commerce of one of Asia's fastest growing economies. Yet the government here has not relinquished its grip on personal liberties, restricting religious worship and freedom of speech. Before my bike ride, I spoke with an activist for democratic reforms who spent two years in prison and two in house arrest for translating an American document about democracy – and who says he was pulled out of his home yesterday again and beaten.

The way one crosses the street here is to step out into traffic. They steer around you. Photo by Mark Silva

Posted by Christi Parsons at 4:15 p.m. CST

U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello is a big fan of expanding O’Hare International Airport. He’s not fond of proposals to privatize Midway Airport on Chicago’s South Side, and, on the question of a potential third airport in the far south suburbs, he’s keeping his powder dry.

Who cares what a guy from the metro area east of St. Louis thinks about aviation in Chicago and the suburbs?

Lots of people care, now that the veteran congressman is likely to become chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee when Democrats take over the House in January.

Senate Majority Leader-elect Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.,) left, escorts Defense Secretary nominee Robert Gates following a meeting today on Capitol Hill. Photo by Chuck Kennedy/MCT

Posted by William Neikirk at 1:18 p.m. CST

All doubts have been erased. There is no question about it. It is certain. One of Robert Gates' highest priorities, if he is confirmed as Donald Rumsfeld's replacement at the Pentagon, will be (drum roll, please)…Iraq.

Surprise!

Gates himself made that disclosure Friday after a hush-hush meeting with Senate Republicans and Democrats as he sought to get confirmed.

"One of the highest priorities, if not the highest priority, will be looking at the situation in Iraq," he declared.

Posted by Frank James at 12:54 pm CST

I almost didn’t write this because why kick a man when he’s down?

But then the timing of this comment by Defense Secretary was just too eerie for me not to note.

Wednesday night, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was at the annual dinner of the American Spectator, an influential conservative publication when he made some comments about the magazine and economist Milton Friedman who, as we all know, died Thursday.

“I looked at the first edition the other day, and the -- they sent me the people who'd written in it, and Milton Friedman had a piece in there on the all--the case for the all-volunteer Army. And I think it was your very first edition. And Milton Friedman, God bless him, who's still going strong and is such a talent, he had piece in there, and the Spectator printed it…”

Well, at least Rumsfeld is still going strong.

Posted by David Lightman at 11:55 a.m. CST

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd is looking seriously at a presidential bid in 2008. As David Lightman of the Hartford Courant writes, Dodd turned to a friendly constituency Thursday to kick off the post-'06 election phase. At Howard University he courted African-Americans, a constituency essential to any Democrat who hopes to win the presidency.

Posted by Frank James at 10:46 am CST

A University of Michigan scientist has created interesting depictions of the familiar red-blue voting-pattern maps.

Using cartograms, Mark Newman, an associate professor of physics and complex systems, wanted to give a truer sense of the population distribution of Republican and Democratic votes in the recent House elections than do typical maps which are based on congressional districts rather than population densities.

Traditional maps skew things because they are based on acreage, not population, Newman says.

"We can correct for this by making use of a cartogram, a map in which the sizes of districts are rescaled according to their population," he says. "That is, districts are drawn with a size proportional not to their sheer topographic acreage – which has little to do with politics – but to the number of their inhabitants, districts with more people appearing larger than districts with fewer, regardless of their actual area on the ground."

Here's a traditional map:

But here's a map based on population:

As you can see, it's a much different-looking map. Fairly weird-looking, actually.

Read Newman's entire document.

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio,) the current House Majority Leader who fellow Republican elected today to be Minority Leader in the new Congress, raises his fist today in victory as Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.,) left, now Majority Whip but elected to be minority whip watches along with other members of the House Republican leadership. Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Posted by Frank James at 10:04 am CST

A day after House Democrats chose their new House leadership, there was more excitement on Capitol Hill today as House Republicans chose Rep. John Boehner as the the man to lead them out of the political wilderness into which they were thrown as a result of last week’s mid-term elections.

It’s a journey Republicans hope lasts no more than two years.

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:10 am CST

HANOI – After Sen. John McCain, then a young Navy pilot, was shot down over Hanoi during the Vietnam War, he spent more than five years here as a prisoner of war. The POWs called one of the legendary confinements here, now long gone, the "Hanoi Hilton.''

Outside the Sheraton Hanoi today, President Bush, the second American president to visit since the war, paused to reflect on his thoughts about coming here – including what lessons might be derived from the war in Vietnam for the current debate over the war in Iraq. "We'll succeed unless we quit,'' Bush replied.

John McCain was shot down over a lake like this one in Hanoi. President Bush drove by that lake today, calling it a "poignant'' moment. Photo By Mark Silva

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:05 am CST

HANOI – What would a regional economic summit in the Communist-controlled Socialist Republic of Vietnam be without a few sponsors?

The banners lining the road from the airport en route to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit here fly with the names of familiar corporate sponsors: Citigroup, Microsoft, Federal Express, General Motors, Boeing.

The signs that welcome world leaders arriving at the airport outside Hanoi for the Pacific Rim economic summit getting underway this weekend. Photo by Mark Silva

Good morning. Here are some events of interest for Friday Nov. 17, 2006 from the Associated Press Daybook.

Nov. 16 - 17. 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE HUMANITIES — The National Council on the Humanities holds an open meeting.
Location: Old Post Office Building, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
Notes: Portions of the meeting are closed.

Nov. 16 - 17. 1 p.m. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES — The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Medicaid Program; Mediciad Commission, holds a meeting.
Location: Crowne Plaza National Airport, 1480 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Va.
Notes: Sessions begin at 9 a.m. on Nov. 17.

9 a.m. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS — The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights holds a meeting.
Location: Room 540, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 624 9th St. NW.

9 a.m. - 4 p.m. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH — Meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.
Location: Building 31, conference room 10, 6th floor, 31 Center Dr., NIH, Bethesda.

Nov. 15 - 17. EVANGELICAL THEOLOGY — The Evangelical Theological Society holds its 58th annual meeting, "Christians in the Public Squre."
Location: Washington Hilton & Towers, 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW.

Nov. 16 - 17. BIOETHICS — The President's Council on Bioethics holds a meeting.
Highlights:

8:30 a.m. Session 5: Organ Procurement, Transplantation and Allocation: Policy Options.

10:15 a.m. Session 6: The Ethics of Health Care. Norman Daniels, Mary B. Saltonstall Professor of Population Ethics and Professor of Ethics and Population Health, Department of Population and International Health Harvard School of Public Health.

11:45 a.m. Session 7: Public Comments.

12 p.m. Adjournment.
Location: Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1001 14th St. NW.

Posted by John Chase at 5:11 pm CST

While Democrats feuded in recent days on picking leadership posts in the House, at least one Chicago-based Republican operative just couldn't help but get involved in the fray.

Bill Pascoe, a Republican consultant from Chicago who has worked for a variety of Republican candidates, proudly acknowledged Thursday that he's the man behind the e-mails and a web site sent around the capital in recent days attacking the ethics of Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), who was up for the House Majority Leader post. Murtha lost Thursday to Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

Posted by Frank James at 4:58 pm CST

The Pew Research Center for People and the Press has a new poll which suggests that Sen. Barack Obama is sneaking up on fellow Sen. Hillary Clinton to become her closest rival, at least in terms of popularity or name recognition, for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In the survey of 1,479 registered voters done in the days after the recent mid-tem elections, 23 percent of the Democrats who were asked who should get the Democratic presidential nomination said the senator from Illinois should.