Swamp Gas, October 29, 2007

by Frank James

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

The Bush Administration's actions on Darfur have fallen short of its promises to act aggressively to help end what it has called a genocide and haven't mirrored the passion President Bush has expressed on the issue.

Iran has responded to economic and financial sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the West by turning to China and elsewhere in Asia, using its oil to strike deals, all of which takes the sting out of American attempts to punish the country for seeking nuclear weapons.

In a bid to slow the increase in cable rates, the Federal Communications Commission was poised to end the practice of allowing any single cable company from monopolizing service provided to an individual apartment building.

Medical experts theorize that federal farm subsidies which keep the prices of high-calorie foods relatively low compared with fruits and vegetables may be a major contributor to obesity.

Despite the decades-long nationwide ban on lead paint, the Centers for Disease Control estimate that 310,000 children annually are victims of lead poisoning.

Former President Ford offered to help then-President Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal since the Republican didn't believe the intern scandal was an impeachable offense, according to a new book, but eventually refused since Clinton wouldn't admit that he lied under oath.

Gen. David Petraeus said on Sunday that the al Qaeda threat in several parts of Iraq has been reduced as a result of the military surge in Iraq but on the same day he made those comments, ten anti-al Qaeda Sunni and Shia shieks were kidnapped as they returned from meeting with Iraqi government officials, with one later found shot to death.

The Kurdish guerillas in northern Iraq are protected by relationships with Kurdish politicians as well as the mountainous terrain of northern Iraq which makes it very difficult for Iraqi Kurdish officials or the Turkish government to dislogde them.

The health-care industry, which has donated mostly to Republicans in past election cycles, have shifted the majority of their contributions to Democrats.

Mitt Romney doesn't appear to have the depth of appeal in New Hamphire one might expect for a politician who served as governor of the neighboring state of Massachusetts.