by Frank James
A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important or interesting, or both, Washington-related stories.
The State Department performed only a perfunctory probe of the apparently unprovoked February 2007 shootings by a Blackwater Worldwide sniper of Iraqis guarding a building in Baghdad, demonstrating how the agency essentially looked the other way in fatal incidents let involving the controversial private-security contractor.
The Internet has been a powerful tool in helping presidential candidates raise staggering sums of money but it also has been their bane as well, allowing candidates' opponents to spread often venomous attacks much more quickly and widely than ever.
Visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy appeared to successfully start the rebuilding of the long-time U.S. ally's relationships with American leaders, connections that were frayed over the Iraq War, with a speech to a joint session of Congress and an evidently easy rapport with President Bush.
Sen. Hillary Clinton is having a difficult time persuading men to vote for her, with 80 percent of Republican men and more than half of married men saying they won't vote for her, period.
Democrats have a large advantage over Republicans, with respondents to a poll indicating that those surveyed wanted a Democrat to succeed President Bush in the White House by 50 percent to 35 percent but Clinton fared not as well as a generic Democrat, essentially in a statistical tie with Rudy Giuliani.
The surprise endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani by televangelist Pat Robertson was the latest indication that religious conservatives are deeply split, which is good news for Giuliani since it means they won't form a united front against him.
U.S. industries are jostling each other as energy prices rise and affect their particular situations differently as was demonstrated when Dow Chemical's chief executive called for stricter fuel economy standards which angered the auto industry.
The House approved landmark legislation that would ban discrimination against gay workers but the bill faces an uphill climb in the Senate and President Bush has said he would veto it.
The Reagan Library can't completely account for 80,000 artifacts, the result of a massive security breakdown, according to an investigation by the National Archives inspector general.
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Comments
I think that Brucie, Johnny D, Jerry and all the other Blackwater apoligists on this blog should read the top article about the State Department and Blackwater. Read how the victims made about $231 a month as security guards - about as much as the Blackwater thugs make in half a day.
Then read about how the families have no recourse in Iraqi Courts, thanks to L. Paul Bremer pushing through a law saying the Blackwater was immune from prosecution in Iraq.
Then tell me how wonderful things are going in Iraq.
Posted by: BobinATL | November 8, 2007 11:44 AM
More news you'll never see in the Tribune: the founder of the Weather Channel, John Coleman, calls the "global warming" scare the biggest SCAM in history. See http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-blog/comments_about_global_warming/
for the full text of Coleman's remarks.
Posted by: Bruce | November 8, 2007 12:13 PM
Regarding the homeless GIs...Tammy Duckworth was on Washington Journal this morning speaking about this very topic. Many of the now homeless enlisted after foster care ended for them. Because they have no family to come back to they end up on the streets.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | November 8, 2007 12:51 PM
Once again, Brucie brings his right wing neo-nutjob opinions to the table. Read this and tell me this is coming from an "independent" source.
"Environmental extremists, notable politicians among them, then teamed up with movie, media and other liberal, environmentalist journalists to create this wild “scientific” scenario of the civilization threatening environmental consequences from Global Warming unless we adhere to their radical agenda. Now their ridiculous manipulated science has been accepted as fact and become a cornerstone issue for CNN, CBS, NBC, the Democratic Political Party, the Governor of California, school teachers and, in many cases, well informed but very gullible environmentally conscientious citizens. Only one reporter at ABC has been allowed to counter the Global Warming frenzy with one 15 minute documentary segment."
This coming from the guy who stood naked in front of his windows in his condo in Chicago going "Where are my thunderstorms?" So why should the Trib cover this from the guy who was basically THROWN OUT of the Weather Channel. If he is such a great weather forecaster, why is he doing weather in San Diego???
Posted by: BobinATL | November 8, 2007 2:27 PM
For the latest on polls, fundraising, blogosphere influence, web trends for all the 2008 candidates... please check: http://thetomoreport.blogspot.com/2007/11/2008-presidential-primary-data-tracker.html
Posted by: tomo | November 8, 2007 2:54 PM
In news Bruce certainly doesn't want to see reported in the Swamp, That notorious lefty mouthpiece the Wall Street Journal is raising questions About Rudy Giuliani's business connections to the Government of Qatar. A government with ties to...Al Qaeda.
Darned Soft on Terror Republicans.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119440640166884884-WGjV8C1Rnex5t_oEZvIJz4k4jW8_20071207.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top
Posted by: AJF | November 8, 2007 4:56 PM
Has Sandy Berger been to the Reagan library?
Posted by: Terry | November 8, 2007 10:47 PM