TODAY'S HEADLINES
The New York Times on the Web
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Compiled 2 AM ET

U.S. Armored Forces Blast Their Way Into Rebel Nest in
Falluja
By DEXTER FILKINS and ROBERT F. WORTH
But as the battle intensified in Falluja, insurgents roamed
the streets of Mosul and the nearby town of Ramadi.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/internat...falluja.html?th

DANGEROUS DATA
Despite Warnings, Drug Giant Took Long Path to Vioxx Recall
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
A review of Merck's handling of Vioxx suggests that actions
the company took - and did not take - may have affected the
health of potentially thousands of patients.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/business/14merck.html?th

Israel Takes Quiet Steps to Bolster Palestinians
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN
Under American encouragement and, in some cases, pressure,
Israel has quietly taken steps aimed at strengthening the
standing of Palestinian moderates.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/internat...14diplo.html?th

- QUOTATION OF THE DAY -

"It's a broad attack against the entire southern front. We're just pushing them against an anvil."
- COL. MICHAEL D. FORMICA, commander in charge of the cordon effort around Falluja.


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/internat...falluja.html?th

- MAGAZINE -
World Cinema
The Times's A. O. Scott narrates a look at the best emerging filmmakers from around the world.
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movie.../double.html?th


Trade Issues Sour U.S.-Canadian Friendships
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS
Canadian ranchers are frustrated by the American ban on
live Canadian cow exports, a ban that began when a single
cow was found to have mad cow disease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/internat...4canada.html?th


U.S. and U.N. Renew Quarrel Over Iraq
By WARREN HOGE
Kofi Annan's reluctance to commit staff to Iraq and a
series of comments he has made about the war have strained
relations with the Bush administration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/internat...14annan.html?th

Palestinians Turn Toward Future
as They Continue to Mourn
By JAMES BENNET
Palestinian officials vowed to hold elections within 60
days for a president with the authority to resume peace
talks with Israel.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/internat...amallah.html?th


Safety Group Closely Echoes Rail Industry
By WALT BOGDANICH
Documents show that the nation's most influential
rail-safety group is tightly bound to the railroad industry.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/national/14rail.html?th


New Chief Sets Off Turmoil Within the C.I.A.
By DOUGLAS JEHL
Deep, unresolved tensions between new leaders and senior
career officers at the C.I.A. threaten to set off a
rebellion in parts of the agency.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/politics/14cia.html?th


A Seashore Fight to Harness the Wind
By CORNELIA DEAN
A proposal to build the world's largest offshore wind power
plant in Nantucket Sound is pitting environmentalists
against opponents who foresee it as a blight.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/national/14cape.html?th


Cheney Is Said to Be Fine After Shortness of Breath
By RICHARD W. STEVENSON
The vice president underwent tests at a hospital after
complaining of shortness of breath. His doctor said there
was no evidence that he had suffered a heart attack.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/politics/14cheney.html?th


In New Mexico, Bush vs. Kerry Is Still an Issue as Votes
Trickle In
By REUTERS
Senator John Kerry has conceded, President Bush has laid
out his plans for a second term and New Mexicans still do
not know who won the election in their state.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/politics/14vote.html?th


What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits
By CONSTANCE L. HAYS
Wal-Mart amasses more data about the products it sells and
its shoppers' buying habits than any other company.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/business...y/14wal.html?th


Gates vs. Jobs: The Rematch
By SAUL HANSELL
With Microsoft's entrance into the portable music business,
Apple's Steve Jobs must do what he has failed to do in the
past: prevail over his old nemesis, Bill Gates.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/business...14music.html?th


Do New Drugs Always Have to Cost So Much?
By EDUARDO PORTER
Some economists say the government can reduce
pharmaceutical prices by changing how the nation pays for
innovation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/business.../14drug.html?th


MAKING VOTES COUNT
About Those Election Results
Until our election system is improved - with better
mechanics and greater transparency - we cannot expect
voters to have full confidence in the announced results.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/opinion/14sun1.html?th


The Hazards of Vitamin E
Recent findings should sound a cautionary note for millions
of people who swallow big-dose vitamin E capsules.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/opinion/14sun2.html?th


Racial Segregation in Prison
The Supreme Court should be strike down California's policy
of segregating inmates by race.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/opinion/14sun3.html?th


Saving 'Saving Private Ryan'
The Federal Communications Commission's shifting and
arbitrary standards left television executives afraid of
airing "Saving Private Ryan" on Veterans Day.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/opinion/14sun4.html?th


OP-ED COLUMNIST
Slapping the Other Cheek
By MAUREEN DOWD
I'm not getting a peace, charity, tolerance and forgiveness
vibe from the conservatives and evangelicals who claim to
have put their prodigal son back in office.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/opinion/14dowd.html?th

..................

OP-ED COLUMNIST
The Arafat Voids
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Any honest history of Yasir Arafat will judge him on his
voids, not his visions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/opinion/14friedman.html?th


OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Barren Ground for Democracy
By ROBERT D. KAPLAN
What we are witnessing in Iraq is a legacy of history and
geography catching up with America.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/opinion/14kaplan.html?th

NEWS TRANSCRIPT from the United States Department of Defense

DoD News Briefing
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld
Friday, November 12, 2004

Secretary Rumsfeld: -- and thank you so much for your warm hospitality.

Q: [inaudible], Reuters.

Mr. Secretary, I wonder if I might briefly ask you about Iraq. Has
Fallujah effectively been taken now, and are you concerned about the Sunni Muslim
threat not to take part in elections?

Rumsfeld: I will leave it to the Iraqi government and the forces there
in Iraq to announce the progress of the Fallujah campaign. I can say that it's
been proceeding very successfully.

Q: And the Sunni threat. Are you concerned about the Sunni
threat not to take part in elections because of the attack on Fallujah?

Rumsfeld: First of all, I don't know anyone who speaks for all the
Sunnis and your question suggests that somebody did. It's important for all
elements in that country to feel they have a stake in the future of the country if
the country is to be successful. The Iraqi government has been reaching out to all
elements. I have high confidence that there will be elections, that they will be
on time and that they'll be successful. And when one looks at this country and
recognizes the fierce struggle that existed here 20 years ago and the success
they've had despite the fact that there was a war raging during their election, I
think it proves that the great sweep of human history is for freedom. We've seen
that in this country, we've seen it in Afghanistan, and I believe we'll see it in
Iraq.

Q: [Mr. Barika from [inaudible].

If they do [inaudible] is it going to be necessary to send a full
contingent of our armed forces into Iraq and why?

And for the Minister of Defense. Has the National Assembly of El
Salvador authorized a declaration of the six soldiers because as we know it is
[inaudible] that the general assembly [inaudible]. We have not heard [inaudible]
by the assembly.

Rumsfeld: Let me comment on the one you addressed to me. We did not
discuss specifically future rotations. I did express my appreciation to the
President and to the people of El Salvador for the support they've provided. I'll
leave it to the President and the Minister of Defense of El Salvador to make any
decisions or announcements they may make with respect to the future.

I will say this about the future generally. The Iraqi security forces
have gone from zero up to 117,000 today. There will be something like 145,000 when
the Iraqis have their elections in January. They will be heading up towards
200,000 over the course of 2005.

Our hope is that the coalition forces, depending on the security
situation on the ground, will be able to increasingly turn over responsibility to
the Iraqi security forces at which point we would anticipate the coalition forces
could begin to decline. I would very specifically and emphatically not put a
timetable on that because as the President said, the United States will stay as
long as it's necessary and not one day longer. So it will be the security
circumstance on the ground that will determine the pace at which coalition forces
could begin to be reduced as Iraqi security forces continue to grow by such
substantial numbers.

Iraq is a country for the Iraqis to provide security for ultimately and
the countries in the coalition are there to be helpful but they have no desire to
stay any longer than is necessary.

_____: I just want to explain to you that the six nations [inaudible]
domestic, and in this case it was a declaration of the United States of America
[inaudible] El Salvador [inaudible] has already [inaudible] these declarations
[inaudible].

Q: Miami Herald, Pablo [inaudible].

Mr. Secretary, what is your assessment that you made with the
Salvadorans on the security situation in Haiti, and specifically on the Central
American battalion that is to be sent to Haiti. Can you give us some details on
the size and when they will arrive in Haiti?

Rumsfeld: We did discuss Haiti and the Central American battalion. I
find it most impressive that so many Latin American countries have sent troops to
Haiti and are participating in the UN effort there to provide stability and
humanitarian assistance.

The Central American battalion, of course, is the idea of the Central
American countries. We think it's a good idea and certainly favor close
cooperation among the countries of Central America but I'll leave it to them to
make announcements about their battalion and what they may or may not do with it.

___: [inaudible].

Q: [inaudible], Santo Domingo.

[Inaudible] which is that Central American [inaudible] countries
[expressed a need for humanitarian] assistance that is composed of [inaudible], and
each one [inaudible] Americas. It [inaudible] Central American countries to get
together and [inaudible] but for the time being [inaudible] has already
[inaudible]. El Salvador already sends [inaudible] spoke to the President about
what they saw and they are working [inaudible] and [inaudible] also together assist
us [inaudible].

____: The question is if [inaudible] sufficient [inaudible].
[Laughter].

Rumsfeld: You sound like my wife. [Laughter]. She keeps asking me
that question. We'll sort those things out in the future.

Before this ends I would like to say what a high honor it was for me to
be able today to meet with the young soldiers and present them the U.S. Bronze Star
Medal and to look them in the eye and tell them how much the people of the United
States and I appreciate their courage and their service in Iraq. Mr. Minister,
thank you.

____: [This experience] [inaudible] Defense Secretary.

Rumsfeld: If you think of it we've had three major conflicts. The
global war on terror, which is still continuing worldwide. It's dangerous and it
will last a good long time, I'm afraid. It's a struggle against extremists.

We've had the Afghan war where the al Qaida and the Taliban have been
replaced by a democratically elected government voted for by the people of
Afghanistan. It hasn't been easy and there's been a loss of life and we visit the
wounded in the hospital in the United States and our heart goes out to them and
their families. But the lesson there is that if people want to be free, just as
the people of El Salvador wanted to be free and the people of South Korea wanted to
be free. Today the people of El Salvador and South Korea and Afghanistan are all
free. So the lesson there is that the thirst for freedom is powerful.

Iraq is a difficult situation today. They have diverse religious and
ethnic groups that were held together by a powerful, repressive dictatorship, a
dictatorship that killed tens of thousands of human beings and used chemical
weapons against its own people and its neighbors. A regime that cut the hands off
and the heads off people. A regime that threw people off the tops of six story
buildings with their hands and legs tied to kill them. That regime's gone. That
is a wonderful thing for the people of Iraq, for the region and the world. You
don't read about that. You don't see that on television. But the schools are
open, the hospitals are open, the clinics are open. There is no humanitarian
crisis. People have food and they have hope and they have opportunity, and there
is a reasonably sizeable group of people left over from that regime that still
thinks they can take it back. They're out killing hundreds of innocent Iraqi
people and they're killing coalition forces and they've killed a Salvadoran
soldier. They're not going to be successful. They're going to lose. The people
of Iraq are not going to let the Ba'athists and the Saddam leftovers take back
their country and impose another dictatorial rule. They're not going to do it.

What's the lesson? The lesson is if you go back through United States
history to George Washington or Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt, they were
all wartime presidents, they were criticized viciously, there were people who
wanted them to stop doing what they were doing. I'm sure that was true in your
country, that there were people who said enough! The cost is too great, the pain
is too great. But thanks to people who were resolute, who were steadfast, who
recognized how powerful freedom is, we've seen societies -- yours and ours -- go
through tough times and make it.

We have conducted in Iraq probably the first war with 24 hour news,
seven days a week during a series of elections in our country and other countries
and it is a process that is different for the world to see. I guess it's an
example of how strong democracies are that they can live with criticism and debate
and discussion and analysis and make decisions and live with those decisions. I
think the outcome in Iraq will be a positive one for Iraq and for the world. I
pray that's the case.

___: The press conference is over. Thank you to all the domestic and
international press members that accompanied us this morning.

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/200...secdef1587.html]

-- News Transcripts: http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/
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-- Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/dodnews.html#e-mail
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http://www.defendamerica.mil

Iran Agrees to Suspend Uranium Enrichment
ABC News - 1 hour ago
Iran's top nuclear negotiator and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Hasan Rowhani, right, shakes hands with British ambassador to Iran Richard Dalton, in front of German ambassador Paul von Maltzahn at the Saadabad palace in Tehran, Iran ...


http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=251949

38 US soldiers killed in Fallujah operation
Xinhua

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/...ent_2218794.htm

38 US soldiers killed in Fallujah operation
Xinhua

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/...ent_2218794.htm

African Leaders Call for Ivory Coast Arms Embargo
Reuters - 1 hour ago
An African crisis summit to discuss unrest in Ivory Coast on Sunday called for an immediate UN arms embargo on both sides in the conflict, as the Ivorian government moved to rebuild its air force.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?t...storyID=6806653

ODB of Rap Band Wu Tang Clan Dies, Associated Press Says
Bloomberg

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=100...u52BXs&refer=us

Radical Islam Appears to Be Spreading
Newsday - 4 hours ago
The same day Dutch mourners gathered outside a crematorium for a final goodbye to slain filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, police on the other side of the world made a horrific discovery ...

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wo...world-headlines

South Korean workers rally, vow massive strike over reform bill
Channel News Asia, Singapore - 15 hours ago
SEOUL : Tens of thousands of workers have rallied here to protest a government reform bill aimed at stopping union militancy and securing flexible job markets ...


http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp.../117060/1/.html

Workers defy return-to-work order at Hacienda Luisita
ABS CBN News, Philippines - 7 hours ago
... inside the 6,000-hectare Hacienda Luisita have been massing up along the sprawling estate’s main entrance to its refinery to reinforce the workers, who have ...

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?...NCIAL&oid=63388

Aid Workers Seek Fallujah Entry as US Troops Hunt for Rebels
Bloomberg - 8 hours ago
14 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi aid workers asked US troops for access to Fallujah to deliver water and medical supplies to residents as the military scours the town ...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=100...=top_world_news

Economist says workers suffer from low pay
The Missoulian, MT - 17 hours ago
... "But recently, we've gone back to an era we thought we'd gotten rid of. It's not that reasonable wages are good for workers themselves. ...

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/11...ocal/news04.txt

UVM pressed on treatment of construction workers
WCAX, VT - 10 hours ago
With the University of Vermont embarking on a construction boom, calls are increasing for assurances that its contractors treat their workers well. ...


http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=2562950

City workers succeed with contract offer
Chicago Daily Southtown, IL - 11 hours ago
By Patrick Ferrell. For the first time in 19 months, Calumet City's public works employees are working with a contract. The union's ...

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yr...st/144seyt2.htm

1,000 workers evacuated after fire at Delphi plant
AL.com, AL - Nov 13, 2004
... No one was seriously injured in the 7:30 am fire, but 10 workers were taken to Decatur General Hospital for treatment of minor smoke inhalation, said Brad ...

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/ind...40908236420.xml

Job losses leave tech workers wandering
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN - 12 hours ago
... Although few people nowadays expect to spend a career rooted to one spot, some information technology workers are having mobility thrust upon them as companies ...

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazett...ss/10180112.htm

Newly-named PLO chief Abbas survives shoot-out
Xinhua - 37 minutes ago
Mahmoud Abbas, newly-named chief of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), on Sunday escaped unharmed from an exchange of fire which he insisted was the result of a feud ...

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/...ent_2220359.htm

New U.S. Study Faults Automakers for Whiplash

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?t...storyID=6807777

US has no clear plan to aid Fallujah civilians
Palm Beach Post - 41 minutes ago
FALLUJAH, Iraq - With the battle for Fallujah nearing an end, there are signs of an impending humanitarian crisis among the unknown number of civilians trapped in the city.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/...usaid_1114.html

High-risk patients still in need of flu vaccine
Marion Star - 12 hours ago
Jan Ullmer can laugh about the shortage of flu vaccine, but she'd feel better if she could get a flu shot. The 64-year-old Marion-area woman had quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2002 and has ...

http://www.marionstar.com/news/stories/200...ws/1591663.html

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/...y-ny-columnists

Picking himself up after a close one

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/politics...38db8dad6b784b3

New Chief Sets Off turmoil Within the CIA

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/12/...ain655407.shtml

CIA Agent Details Terror Threat

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/20...aq_x.htm?csp=15

US Shifts from Fallujah to Mosul, Ramadi

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...d=540&ncid=1478

Bomb Labs, Hostages Found in Fallujah

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...=1802&ncid=1478

Trouble Spots Dot Iraqi Landscape

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...d=564&ncid=1478

US Launches Fresh Strikes on Falluja Rebel Targets

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...d=540&ncid=1473

Report: Captors Release Allawi Relatives

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...=1521&ncid=1473

Ire mounting in Washington over UN stance on Iraq: report

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/ir...-home-headlines

US Looks Ahead to City's Reconstruction

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1351481,00.html

Iraq vote could be delayed.
Deputy PM voices doubts over January date as violence continues

Rebels Routed in Falluja; Fighting Spreads Elsewhere in Iraq
By DEXTER FILKINS and JAMES GLANZ
Much of Falluja lay in smoking ruins, and the military
victory appeared to be nearly overshadowed by violence
elsewhere.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/internat...falluja.html?th

Shooting Breaks Out in Gaza Around Likely Arafat Successor
By GREG MYRE
A group of Palestinians unleashed deadly bursts of gunfire
as Mahmoud Abbas arrived at a service for Yasir Arafat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/internat...mideast.html?th

Tiny Antennas to Keep Tabs on U.S. Drugs
By GARDINER HARRIS
The F.D.A. is expected to announce an agreement to put tiny
radio antennas on the labels of medicine bottles to combat
fraud.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/health/15drug.html?th

- QUOTATION OF THE DAY -

"It's basically a bar code that barks."
- ROBIN KOH, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on a system
to track wholesale drugs.


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/health/15drug.html?th

Big but Not Easy
More than ever, big checks are coming with big conditions. But not all charities take the money and roll over.
http://www.nytimes.com/specials/giving/index.html?th

A Goal Is Met. What's Next?
By ERIC SCHMITT
In the coming weeks, the U.S. and Iraq's government must
still combat a resilient and dangerous insurgency outside
Falluja.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/politics...ilitary.html?th

Iran Gives Pledge on Uranium, but Europeans Are Cautious
By ELAINE SCIOLINO
European officials are studying a new pledge from Iran to
suspend uranium enrichment activities in exchange for
incentives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/internat.../15iran.html?th

Rumsfeld Praises Panama Canal Security
By THOM SHANKER
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld inspected the Panama
Canal and praised efforts to guard it from terrorist attack.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/internat...5panama.html?th

Members of Cuban Troupe Say They Will Seek Asylum
By NICK MADIGAN
In what appears to be the largest mass defection of Cuban
performers to date, 44 dancers, singers and musicians plan
to seek asylum in the U.S.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/national/15cubans.html?th

Pilotless Jet Will Attempt Speed Record
By WARREN E. LEARY
NASA plans to try to set a world speed record for jets with
the flight of a pilotless vehicle that culminates a
decades-long research program into hypersonic flight.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/national/15plane.html?th

Ivory Tower Executive Suite Gets C.E.O.-Level Salaries
By SAM DILLON
The earnings of many top university presidents are
spiraling toward $1 million a year, rising far more quickly
than faculty salaries.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/education/15salary.html?th

Frist Sees Hurdles for Specter
By DAVID STOUT
Senator Bill Frist said that Senator Arlen Specter must
convince his fellow Republicans that he deserves to be
chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/politics/15specter.html?th


Congress Set to Return to Hash Out Spending
By CARL HULSE
The old Congress returns to a new Washington to face
spending bills and other lingering legislation in an
atmosphere significantly altered by the elections.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/politics/15lame.html?th

A Watchdog Follows the Money in Iraq
By ERIK ECKHOLM
Bunnatine H. Greenhouse joined the Army Corps of Engineers
with orders to end what some called casual and clubby
contracting practices.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/politics...nstruct.html?th

Teamsters Find Pensions at Risk
By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH
The case of the Teamster's pension fund illustrates that
what may appear to be a sensible approach to investing
workers' pensions isn't always so sensible.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/business...eamster.html?th

Hey, Cool Music. And There's a Video Game, Too?
By NOAH ROBISCHON
The rapper Snoop Dogg's version of the 1971 song "Riders on
the Storm" will make its debut on Need For Speed
Underground 2, a video game from Electronic Arts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/business.../15game.html?th

Dow Jones Is Said to Agree to a Deal to Buy MarketWatch
By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN
Dow Jones is set to announce that it will pay about $486
million for the parent company of CBS MarketWatch, a
business news site.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/business.../15deal.html?th

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:

REPORT: AGRICULTURE SECRETARY, EDUCATION SECRETARY, ENERGY SECRETARY RESIGN


http://abcnews.go.com?CMP=EMC-1396

THE PROGRESS REPORT

by Christy Harvey, Judd Legum and Jonathan Baskin

November 15, 2004

INTELLIGENCE
Porter's Political Purge

At a time when the threat of terrorism has placed a premium on accurate intelligence, the White House is creating chaos at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The White House has ordered Bush's new CIA director, Porter Goss, "to purge the agency of officers believed to have been disloyal to President George W. Bush." According to a senior CIA official, the agency is planning to get rid of "liberals" and others who are perceived as "obstructing the president's agenda." Among career CIA officials, Goss's partisan agenda has created "an atmosphere of ill will and apprehension [that] could distract the agency from its work in the fight against terrorism."

GOSS INSTALLS POLITICAL CRONIES IN TOP CIA POSITIONS: Goss has installed inexperienced political operatives from Capitol Hill in powerful positions and "given [them] wide latitude in running the agency." A staffer from the House Intelligence Committee, Patrick Murray, is Goss's chief of staff, and two other House Republican aides have been installed "as senior advisors with broad but unspecified authority." Rep. Jane Harmon attributed low morale at the CIA to the "inexperienced" House Intelligence Committee staff members Goss has placed in top positions. Harmon described the group as "highly partisan," saying, "many of us worked with that staff in the House...on both sides of the aisle in committee, we were happy to see them go." Goss initially named another aide, Michael J. Kostiw, as the CIA's No. 3 official. But Kostiw "quickly withdrew from considerations after former intelligence officials mentioned that he had resigned from the C.I.A. in the early 1980's after an administrative leave in connection with a shoplifting case."

BUSH DROPS THE BALL ON INTELLIGENCE REFORM: The intelligence structure that missed 9/11 and was dead wrong about WMD in Iraq is still in place today. President Bush doesn't seem to be too concerned. Last week Scott McClellan said, "The president is very much committed to getting intelligence reform done this year." But although legislation to reform the intelligence community has stalled in a dispute between the House and Senate, most analysts believe the White House is "unlikely to pressure Republican leaders for a deal during the lame-duck session of Congress that starts this week." There is also no guarantee that the White House will push for reform when Congress reconvenes. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who has asked National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to get the White House "more fully involved," says by January "other priorities will displace this one."

BUSH CAVES TO RUMSFELD'S POWER PLAY: According to Norman Ornstein, political analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, "The question we really have now is, 'How serious is the president?' If he told the Republicans he wanted it done, or if he gave a talk or a press briefing and said ... 'I don't like this gridlock,' it would happen. But I think there's no strong eagerness on the part of the White House to do that." Bush appears to be caving to pressure from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who opposes reform because "he does not want to diminish the Pentagon's overwhelming control over intelligence budgets."

RELIGION
Progressive Morality

Conservatives have seized on the notion that the "moral values" of the religious right determined the recent election. As Frank Rich of the New York Times points out, however, "There's only one problem with the storyline proclaiming that the country swung to the right on cultural issues in 2004...it is fiction." According to a new poll co-sponsored by the Center for American Progress, Res Publica and Pax Christi, there actually is a new silent majority in America: a coalition of religious moderates, progressives and other non-traditional religious voters. "This bloc of religious voters constitutes 54 percent of the electorate and holds very similar moderate-to-progressive views on domestic and national security issues" such as economic justice and the war in Iraq. By comparison, religious conservatives make up less than a quarter of the national electorate. (For more on the changing focus of the new "silent majority," read the new op-ed by American Progress's John Podesta and John Halpin.)

THE MORALITY OF WAR: The American Progress poll showed more voters felt progressive issues were more important than socially conservative ones in this election. Forty-two percent of voters said the war in Iraq was the most important moral issue in the election; only 13 percent said abortion and fewer than 10 percent said same-sex marriage were the most important moral issues. The moral criticism of the war in Iraq is growing. Columnist Leonard Pitts writes, "one is hard pressed to find much evidence of morality in Bush's ineptly prosecuted war, his erosion of civil rights, and the loss of international credibility that his policies have caused." BeliefNet's Steve Waldman agrees, saying progressives "believe that launching any war unless absolutely justified is profoundly immoral...Liberals also believe that a morally indefensible policy was sold dishonestly -- a gross moral breach compounded by another."

SEPARATING CHURCH AND STATE: Americans support the clear division between church and state. According to the American Progress poll, 52 percent of voters surveyed "say they want a president who is informed by faith but does not impose these views on others through public policy decisions." Only 13 percent of voters want a president who uses his or her faith to determine policy positions and another 31 percent want faith and policy completely separate. Waldman explains most progressives advocate a strict demarcation between church and state because "they want to protect the free expression of religious views."

GAY MARRIAGE: Exit polls on Nov. 2 showed 22 percent of voters claimed their votes were influenced by "moral values." The same survey, however, showed "nearly three times as many Americans approve of some form of legal status for gay couples."

CONSERVATIVES DISPARAGED BELIEF BEFORE THE ELECTION: Republicans spent a lot of effort before the election trying to paint Democrats as the anti-God party by disparaging their religious beliefs. During the 2004 campaign, the New York Times reported that mailings by Republicans warned voters that liberals wanted to ban the Bible. The GOP also distributed flyers in church parking lots saying John Kerry favored "'anti-Christian, anti-God, antifamily' judges, same-sex marriage and abortion." Jerry Falwell told CNN Democrats were on an "anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-religion kick."

CONSERVATIVES STILL AT IT AFTER THE ELECTION: After the election, gloating Republicans continued to attack the religious beliefs of many Americans. Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh charged Democrats "don't like God." Evangelical leader Bob Jones charged the reelection of George Bush was a "reprieve from the agenda of paganism," stating, "You owe liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ." And conservative television host Joe Scarborough accused Democrats of "taking solace" in "bigoted anti-Christian screeds."






Under the Radar

JUDICIARY -- FRIST SAYS SPECTER MUST BACK PRESIDENT: Senate Majority leader Bill Frist (R-TN) told Fox News Sunday that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) "must agree to back President Bush's nominees if he is to head" the Senate Judiciary Committee. Specter, who supports abortion rights, "sparked a conservative furor by saying after the Nov. 2 election that Bush still lacked enough Senate votes to overcome Democratic attempts to block...nominees who would overturn Roe v. Wade." Frist called Specter's comments "disheartening" and was noncommittal on whether he would support him as chairman. Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said "he supported Specter and thought the Pennsylvanian would be named to the committee chairmanship."

JUSTICE -- DEPARTING ASHCROFT LASHES OUT AT RULE OF LAW: Departing Attorney General John Ashcroft took some time on Friday to denounce what he called "a profoundly disturbing trend" among some judges to rule against "presidential determinations." Funny: the White House website says it is the job of the judicial branch to "hear cases that challenge or require interpretation of legislation...signed by the President." Aschroft doesn't seem to see it that way. He offered the view that "Courts are not equipped to execute the law." Ashcroft may have been upset about the Supreme Court's ruling that the president could not hold terror suspects with no access to lawyers, or a recent district court judgment that the U.S. could not disregard the Geneva Conventions for members of al Qaeda. ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said the comments further underscore the need for a "wholesale review of Mr. Ashcroft's policies and a new direction in the Justice Department."

HEALTH CARE -- MERCK NUMB TO PROBLEMS WITH PAINKILLER: Based on interviews with top officials and a review of internal company documents, the New York Times reports that Merck, "the pharmaceutical giant responsible for the multibillion-dollar painkiller Vioxx...may have affected the health of potentially thousands of patients, as well as the company's financial health and reputation." At issue is Merck's handling of its multibillion-dollar painkiller, Vioxx. After outside scientists and doctors suggested the drug posed a heart risk, top executives at the company refused to conduct an appropriate test, fearing it could send the "wrong signal about the company's confidence in Vioxx." In 2001, a major clinical trial showed the drug increased heart risk significantly over other painkillers, but Merck continued to stall, instructing employees to "dodge" questions about the issue. Merck finally pulled the drug off the market in late September of 2003. The company now faces "Congressional and Justice Department investigations," as well as thousands of personal-injury lawsuits.

CORRUPTION -- ABRAMOFF SHAFTS TEACHERS, KIDS: Former Republican lobbyist and Tom DeLay (R-TX) associate Jack Abramoff has had his assets frozen by a Montgomery judge "in connection with a lawsuit over unpaid wages filed by employees of a religious academy that Abramoff founded." The Eshkol Academy, an Orthodox Jewish school in Columbia that received most of its funds through Abramoff's efforts, "was a casualty" of Abramoff's corrupt lobbying practices, including extorting millions from Indian tribes seeking to protect their gambling wealth and diverting money from a supposed charity to political causes.



DON'T MISS

DAILY TALKING POINTS: White House Seeks To Purge 'Disloyal' CIA Officers

IRAN: James Fallows examines the diplomatic challenges facing the U.S. in dealing with Iran's nuclear ambition.

ELECTION: Ron Brownstein on the GOP's "precarious" cushion of victory.

JUDICIAL: The LA Times weighs in on the Arlen Specter (R-PA) controversy.


DAILY GRILL

"The president is very much committed to getting intelligence reform done this year."

-- Scott McClellan, 11/8/04

VERSUS

"If he told the Republicans he wanted it done, or if he gave a talk or a press briefing and said ... 'I don't like this gridlock,' it would happen. But I think there's no strong eagerness on the part of the White House to do that."

-- AEI Political Analyst Norman Ornstein, 11/14/04


DAILY OUTRAGE

Conservatives Richard Viguerie and David Franke accuse Democrats of "banishing" God from their party. A new poll shows "progressive religious issues mattered more to voters than socially conservative ones."

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NEWS ALERT
from The Wall Street Journal



Nov. 15, 2004

Secretary of State Colin Powell told top aides he plans to resign from President Bush's Cabinet, senior State Deparment officials said Monday.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, see: http://wsj.com