by Frank James
A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important or interesting (or both) Washington-related stories.
President Bush sparked controversy by commuting the sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, allowing his former senior White House aide and chief of staff to Vice President Cheney to avoid serving any time in prison for perjury and obstruction of justice following his conviction in the CIA leak case.
Bush's commutation of Libby's prison sentence resulted from the loyalty to aides the Bush family is well-known for as well as the reality that the president, standing low in the polls, had little left to lose politically.
Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin fished in Maine as they unsuccessfully tried to reach an understanding on Bush Administration plans to deploy a missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and others within the Bush Administration are working on plans to withdraw significant numbers of U.S. troops from Iraq, hoping that by doing so they will gain agreement in Congress for an extended presence in Iraq of a much lower number of troops.
At least three doctors, including and Iraqi and a Palestinian, were arrested in the car bomb plot in Britain and an additional arrest was made in Australia.
The next terrorist attacks in the U.S. are likely to take the form of the small-scale attacks like those that were mostly averted in Britain last week than large, spectacular attacks, counterterrorism officials and experts said.
Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign raised only $11.2 million in the second quarter, less than it did in the first, which prompted staff layoffs as the Arizona Republican's support for the failed immigration-reform legislation and the distrust of many conservatives continued to hurt him.
Sen. Hillary Clinton campaigned in Iowa with former President Bill Clinton, bringing her most formidable political weapon onto the stage with her
surprisingly early in the campaign.
The Immigration issue might help the Democratic Party's efforts to win states in the Southwest because of the high number of Latinos in states there and a backlash against the opposition of many conservatives to recent Senate immigration reform efforts.
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Comments
President Bush took a calculated risk commuting Libby figuring that his ratings can't go any lower. What he fails to realize is that all those republican presidential candidates that agree with this are toast.
Posted by: bill r. | July 3, 2007 8:51 AM
Dubya is all for law and order - for everyone else but his cronies.
Posted by: Doug Zook | July 3, 2007 8:56 AM
The Independence day I'm most looking forward to will occur on January 20, 2009 @ 12:00p.m.
Posted by: Doug Zook | July 3, 2007 9:15 AM
Ah, those terrorist "doctors".
The Trib is so craven, so PC, so dhimmied, that they can't even use the word "Muslim", even when the attackers (who have names such as Mohammed) are known to have chanted "Allah" during the attacks.
Hint to Tribune: they aren't Presbyterians.
Posted by: Bruce | July 3, 2007 10:04 AM
Justice in America is indeed a farce.
You have money or office and you do what you like and get away with it.
Every thinking person knows Libby could not act without approval from Bush and Cheney.
They should have been sentenced.
Some patriots, too.
They reveal an agent of their government because her husband is too honest to lie for their Iraq plans.
I hope Americans draw the right conclusion from this drama.
They have criminals in the highest offices of their national government.
Posted by: John Chuckman, Toronto, Canada | July 3, 2007 10:06 AM
Thats funny...I don't remember them asking what religion McVey was...do you Bruce?
Posted by: bill r. | July 3, 2007 10:08 AM
Republicans messed up big with immigration. They have already made sure not a single black person votes for them(Katrina, last week's Supreme Court decision), and the hateful rhetoric of people such as Sessions is going to hurt them in the long run. They are fighting a losing battle: it is called demographics!!!
Posted by: Dimitre | July 3, 2007 10:09 AM
I don't remember them asking Timothy McVeys' religion....do you Bruce?
Posted by: bill r. | July 3, 2007 10:15 AM
Bruce, The airport attackers may not have been presbyterians, but what about these guys?
"Police were also investigating an attack on an Asian news agent in Glasgow, in which a car was rammed into the shop and caught fire or set ablaze, and the torching of a real estate office next to a mosque near Edinburgh.
Police have yet to establish if either attack was racially motivated, but Osama Saeed, Scottish spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, said tension was increasing."
Is it ok to drive a car into a building setting it on fire if you are a Presbyterian, Bruce?
Posted by: Tony | July 3, 2007 10:47 AM
Where did you run, Bruce? Answer the question. How come you never pointed out that the Swamp didn't discuss the Christian homicide bomber that blew up an abortion clinic several weeks ago?
Posted by: john | July 3, 2007 12:47 PM
See John from Toronto, this is what happens when you get your info from the Globe and Mail.
Not going to get both sides of the story eh?
Sounds like you got the garden variety left wing spin from up there.
Thanks for Rush by the way, but you should apologize for Bryan Adams.
Posted by: JD | July 3, 2007 12:52 PM
It would be okay to drive a car into a building setting it on fire if the driver was a Republican with a 6 figure income. And he'd better be white and male, too.
Posted by: Cheryl | July 3, 2007 1:03 PM
Hey Bill R,
There is no other religion that has a significant group within it who are terrorist Jihadists and want the creation of a revolutionary worldwide Islamic state that would dispense Islamic justice. In other words take away our way of life. We need to call attention to this fact.
Posted by: HK | July 3, 2007 2:23 PM
Maybe they focused on that bc that was the tie used to connect all of them once you get past the believed "al-queda ties" or believed influence; for now. Or, do you think it would have been practical to stop short of that and go raid every mosque to find the co-conspirators. You'd like that wouldn't you bc that is what your advocating here. Muslim doesn't alone translate to terrorist. Does it? No. One thing I can say for Bruce's unrelenting type casting "see I told you they were Muslim" and "why are people so afraid to use the term Muslim terrorist" is that I am so glad that professionals in the law enforcement field profile crimes and not Bruce. SERIOUSLY. If it was him we would a) trun out bad investigations and b) commence witch trials asap.
Additionally, maybe the authors focused on that link bc it shows that "terrorists" aren't just hill billies, but can come from professional fields (or infiltrate them). Another angle coming into the mix. That terrorists aren't just young, uneducated, and trained on the "jungle gym." I think that "doctor terrorists" works in your favor by high lightening it. Doesn't it? Well it does, but since you missed the point don't try to bring it up later to argue bc you sure as "you know what" did not seem to see the message here since your so focused on whining about some perceived PC here.
Posted by: AR | July 3, 2007 2:24 PM
Bruce,
Sounds like you should save some of your bigotry for doctors. Share your hate with your proctologist at your next appointment.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | July 3, 2007 3:35 PM
I will not celebrate Independence Day this year. We gave up our independence when we allowed Cheney & Co. to get away with all those crimes. The upside to this fiasco is that we Americans will be forced to develop true empathy for peoples of the world who are not free. The downside is it will be no picnic.
Posted by: cimbalok | July 3, 2007 11:38 PM
Thanks for Rush by the way, but you should apologize for Bryan Adams.
Posted by JD July 3, 2007 12:52 PM
Wow, are you 100 years old, JD?
I guess you really are an angry old Republican.
John from Toronto,
Don't listen to nuts like JD, he's a cheerleader for that evil Neocon group that runs the White House like a Nazi regime here in America (George W Bush and co).
Posted by: John E | July 4, 2007 12:22 AM