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Why is Senator David Vitter not being held accountable for his actions? Where's the Senate Ethics Committee?
by David Vitter
In light of the revelations about Governor Eliot Spitzer’s use of prostitutes, we are reminded again that the Senate Ethics Committee has so far refused to investigate Senator David Vitter (R-LA), who admitted to using the services of the so-called D.C. Madam to solicit for prostitution. Although Governor Spitzer’s conduct is more serious -- likely amounting to one or more felonies -- both men are high level government officials who have publicly proclaimed their high moral standards. Both should have to live by those standards and be held accountable for their actions. The Ethics Committee should not continue to give Senator Vitter a pass. |
Top Middle East military commander resigns
by AP
Adm. William Fallon is stepping down as head of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees military matters in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Tuesday.Gates said that Adm. William J. Fallon had asked for permission to retire and that Gates agreed. Gates said the decision, effective March 31, was entirely Fallon’s and that Gates believed it was “the right thing to do.” |
Karl Rove buries past to court John McCain
by TheFirstPost.co.uk
Karl Rove, the political mastermind behind George Bush’s two terms in power, has been cuddling up to presidential candidate John McCain, the man he helped Bush to defeat in a bitterly-disputed campaign for the 2000 Republican nomination. Rove has recently started working pro bono on the Vietnam veteran’s bid for the White House. |
Executive Privilege on the Firing Line
by Scott Horton
Former White House counsel Harriet Miers and chief of staff Joshua Bolten have been sued by the House of Representatives, which now seeks to enforce its subpoenas through a special legal action in the federal district court in Washington. The New York Times’s Neil Lewis describes the suit in these terms: |
Obama, Clinton embrace earmark moratorium
by David Rogers
After months of partisan sniping, the great earmarks debate in Congress may be collapsing in a marriage of political convenience between conservatives and leading Democrats.Late Monday, presidential candidate Barack Obama, quickly followed by rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, joined Senate efforts to ban all such home-state projects next year, and the anti-pork camp also hopes to pick up some unexpected help from a third Democrat: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. |
U.S. may add Venezuela to list of terrorist states
by Pablo Bachelet
The Bush administration has launched a preliminary legal inquiry that could land Venezuela on the U.S. list of nations that support terrorism, following reports of close Venezuelan links with Colombian rebels, a senior government official has confirmed. |
Support drops for action on Iran
by BBC News
Support for tough international action against Iran over its nuclear programme has fallen in the past 18 months, a poll carried out for the BBC suggests.Fewer people now say Iran should face sanctions or military strikes over its refusal to abide by UN resolutions. |
Radio Fear America
by The New York Times
Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia read the funnies over the radio to cheer up New Yorkers during a newspaper strike. President Franklin Roosevelt gave “fireside chats” to bolster Americans during the depression. President Bush used his radio address on Saturday to try to scare Americans into believing they have to sacrifice their rights and their values to combat terrorism. |
8 U.S. troops among dead as blasts rock Iraq cities
by Alexandra Zavis
Five U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi civilian were killed Monday in a suicide bombing while chatting with shopkeepers in central Baghdad, part of an uptick in high-profile attacks that has rattled the capital after months of diminished violence.Early today, the U.S. military announced that three more soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb Monday in Diyala province. |
International Women’s Day Protests Highlight Violence, Inequality
by AFP
Calls to end forced marriage, domestic abuse and job discrimination marked International Women’s Day on Saturday as demonstrators took to the streets worldwide.0308 04The issues highlighted crossed a wide spectrum, including abortion rights in Italy, violence against women in Iraq and women hostages in Colombia. |
McCain budget numbers don't add up, experts say
by Andy Sullivan
John McCain's reputation for "straight talk" has helped him clinch the U.S. Republican presidential nomination but budget experts say his numbers do not add up.McCain's promises to reduce wasteful spending if elected president in November would not begin to cover the costs of his proposed tax cuts, analysts say. |
