Swamp Gas, September 7, 2007

by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important or interesting (or both) Washington-related stories.

President Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun had an openly prickly moment at the end of the Asian Pacific Economic summit when Roh insisted that Bush state clearly that the 54-year old Korean conflict with North Korea was officially over and Bush demurred.

A U.S. intelligence intercept of communications between Pakistan and Stuttgart, Germany led to the tip that resulted in the arrests of three terrorist suspects who've been accused of wanting to attack with explosives U.S. military bases, the Frankfurt airport and other German locations frequented by U.S. citizens.

Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) failed to fully disclose the extent of his investments in oceanfront property in Nicaragua he planned to develop and also failed to discuss the benefit he would receive from passage of the Central American Free Trade Act in 2005 which included increased legal protections for investors like himself.

The disenchantment of Republican voters with their party's presidential field could be good news for Fred Thompson, presenting the actor and former Tennessee senator who just officially entered the race, with the opportunity to become the consensus candidate.

Republican presidential candidates have spent more than six months and $80 million to get to the current point but Fred Thompson's entry in the race has thrown all their efforts to date into doubt.

Gen. David Petraeus has indicated a willingness to reduce U.S. force levels in Baghdad by a brigade or about 3,500 to 4,500 soldiers early next year if the cap on violence continues into early next year.

Gen. Petraeus is likely to ask that the increased troop presence be maintained through November or December of next year and congressional Democrats and Republicans are finding some common ground on the pace of any withdrawal that would allow both sides to declare victory.

A federal district judge declared parts of the USA Patriot Act unconstitutional and ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation to cease using "National Security Letters" to order Internet providers and phone companies to provide e-mails and other electronic data for the agency's terrorism investigations.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Norman Hsu, a fugitive from a California felony conviction and a major campaign contributor to Democrats generally and Sen. Hillary Clinton specifically, in a Colorado hospital.

Commercial aircraft remain vulnerable to terrorist attack through weaknesses in the air cargo screening system, according to an investigation by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general.