By Frank James
A quick guided tour to some of the morning's most important or interesting (or both) Washington-related stories.
U.S. generals doubted the ability of Iraqi troops to hold the areas near Baghdad recently cleared of insurgents, a key part of the U.S. military's surge strategy that's also critical to U.S. plans to eventually leave Iraq able to defend itself.
President Bush has aides working on finding a compromise with the Democratic-controlled Congress on Iraq that would avoid future fights between the branches while achieving his goal of not withdrawing from Iraq precipitously.
Electricity is still in short supply in Bagdad four years after the invasion as the U.S. nears the end of the $4 billion it budgeted for Iraq's electrical sector and American experts prepare to handoff the problem to Iraqis.
Vice President Cheney has exercised extraordinary influence within the Bush Administration, including on the use of harsh interrogation techniques on actual or suspected terrorists, through his intimate knowledge of how government works and his relentlessness.
High-tech moguls, including Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, have failed so far to get lawmakers to significantly increase the visas for temporary and permanent workers in the Senate's immigration-reform legislation.
Rudy Giuliani, like other Catholic politicians, faces steady criticism from Catholic bishops for his pro-choice views on abortion.
The number of African Americans entering the military has fallen significantly during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as prospects for other jobs have improved and relatives talk potential recruits out of joining.
First Lady Laura Bush will spend the week in Africa highlighting the fight against AIDS and malaria and promoting the need for education.
Mitt Romney's leads in New Hampshire and is strong in Iowa largely because of focused television ad spending and organizational efforts in those early primary states even though he trails the frontrunners in national polls.
The State Department is urgently seeking volunteers among employees at its facilities around the world to return to the U.S. temporarily to help process the huge backlog of passport applications.
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Comments
BAGHDAD, June 24 — Iraq faced more troubles on the military and political fronts on Sunday: some American commanders expressed doubts about the ability of Iraqi troops to hold the gains made in areas north of the capital last week, and two Sunni Arab blocs boycotted a Parliament session, demanding the reinstatement of the speaker.
Why don't the rest of you ankle biters write to this reporter and tell how biased they must be?
Posted by: bill r. | June 25, 2007 8:11 AM
The killing will not end in Iraq until a political solution is found and unfortunately, that's not happening.
The time is long overdue for us to get out of the middle of this multi-faceted civil war.
Posted by: Doug Zook | June 25, 2007 8:34 AM
The Cheney article is a shocking look at how little this administration, and especially Dick Cheney, regard human rights or the US Constitution.
This adminsistration views torture to be "suffering "equivalent in intensity" to the pain of "organ failure ..... or even death." anything short of that is fair game.
Now for all those who will ramble on about how this is being done only to "islamic head choppers", consider that this definition will also apply to what can be done to US service men and women captured in future conflicts. We will be unable to protest or prosecute abuse to our soldiers that fall short of those limits. This administration has set a precedent our service people will pay for.
This administration also believe no law or bo treaty may limit the Prseidents ability to order torture be inflicted.
These men are war criminals and should be treated as such.
Posted by: Tony | June 25, 2007 10:11 AM
If only the Americans had used some of that $4Billion spent on electrical facilities in Iraq for SOLAR PANELS that individuals and businesses could use for themselves, then at least there would be some reliable electricity in Iraq. Centralised production of electricity is the old way, the old way we are clinging too, the old way that must be displaced with the freedom from tyranny that a systme of "individual producers" gives us.
Posted by: Karlin Klavin | June 25, 2007 3:18 PM