World Leaders Discuss Global Food Crisis Over 18-Course Meal
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Iraqis Demand Timetable For Withdrawal
On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki raised the prospect of "setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington." During an official visit to Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates, Maliki told a gathering of Arab ambassadors, "Today, we are looking at the necessity of terminating the foreign presence on Iraqi lands and restoring full sovereignty." The new emphasis on sovereignty may reflect Maliki's growing confidence in the Iraqi army, which some analysts suggest is unfounded, after recent victories against al Qaeda in Iraq. It also reflects the pressure that Maliki is feeling from members of his parliamentary coalition, as well as from Iraqis themselves, many of whom oppose the continued U.S. presence. Since President Bush has consistently opposed any timetable for withdrawal, claiming that it would "embolden our enemies," Maliki's statement setting the stage for a possible conflict between the demands of the Iraq people and Bush's plans for basing troops in Iraq. The U.N. mandate authorizing the U.S. presence in Iraq expires at the end of 2008.

IRAQIS STRESS RETURN OF FULL SOVEREIGNTY: The Bush administration has pushed hard to get a long-term agreement signed by the end of July, but this prospect seems increasingly unlikely. Many Iraqi parliamentarians have resisted supporting an agreement that they say is being negotiated in secret, with an American administration that is on its way out. "I don't know anything about this agreement and neither does parliament," said Ezzedine Dawla, a Sunni MP. The temperature was raised again several weeks ago, when a U.S. special forces unit shot and killed a cousin of the Prime Minister in a raid in Maliki's hometown of Janaja, in Karbala province, an area supposedly "under full Iraqi control." "Iraqi authorities say the raid was conducted without their knowledge or coordination." Last week, Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari stressed that recognition of sovereignty should be the central concern of any agreement, declaring that there will not be "another colonization of Iraq." Zebari also announced on Monday that "security contractors working in Iraq will no longer receive immunity from prosecution," voicing a major Iraqi demand. Acknowledging the approaching deadline, Zebari cited three options: "Either we conclude a status of forces agreement; or we have an interim agreement until a SOFA can be completed; or we go back to the Security Council at the end of the year and ask for another extension." Late on Monday, Maliki's office released a statement indicating his support for the second of those options, a U.S.-Iraqi "memorandum of understanding" that would extend the presence of American troops for a short period of time.

BUSH STRESSES AMERICAN SECURITY IMPERATIVES: Consistent with his tendency to maximally assert executive branch prerogatives, Bush has attempted to freeze Congress out of the security agreement negotiating process. In November 2007, Bush and Maliki signed a non-binding "Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship" that set out parameters for negotiating an "enduring" political, economic, cultural, and security relationship between the United States and Iraq. Because the agreement would commit U.S. forces to continued combat operations in Iraq, Congress has repeatedly tried to assert its proper constitutional oversight role. In June, Congress heard testimony from several Iraqi parliamentarians opposing the security agreement. Congress also received a letter signed by "31 Iraqi lawmakers [saying] they will insist on ratifying the agreement as is required by [Iraq's] constitution." Iraqis and Americans responded negatively to reports last month that Bush intended to establish some 50 U.S. military bases in Iraq. This would ensure a continued U.S. presence and the use of the country as a base of operations for future military adventures in the region, a central element of Bush administration's plan for transforming the Middle East. Bush denied that he seeks "permanent bases" in Iraq but also stressed that "a strategic relationship with Iraq is important...for Iraq, it's important for the United States, and it's important for the region."

REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS FINALLY STEPPING UP?: Regional governments have been slow to work with the new Iraq. Currently, there are five Arab embassies in Baghdad: Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon, and Tunisia. However, "the diplomatic representation at these embassies is at the level of charge d'affaires, and there is no Arab ambassador in Baghdad to date." Last month, Zebari reported that Kuwait and Bahrain had committed to sending ambassadors to Iraq. The United Arab Emirates recently announced that it was forgiving $7 billion in Iraqi debt and would also post an ambassador to Baghdad. George Washington University professor Marc Lynch noted the significance of Maliki's choosing "the venue of a meeting with Arab ambassadors" to raise the idea of a timetable for withdrawal of American forces. "Not only would such a withdrawal please most Arabs," Lynch wrote, "depending on how it is handled, but it would also increase their perceived need to do something." Iraq continues to seek debt forgiveness from other Arab states for debts incurred during the reign of Saddam Hussein.

MILITARY -- RETIRED SENIOR OFFICERS CALL FOR END OF DON'T ASK DON'T TELL: A new report released yesterday by four retired senior military officers endorsed the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), marking "the first time a Marine Corps general has ever called publicly for an end to the gay ban." Among other findings, the study, sponsored by the Michael D. Palm Center, reported that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military "is unlikely to post any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline, or cohesion." The study notes that "military attitudes towards gays and lesbians are changing," as evidenced by a 2006 poll that found 73 percent of servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan polled were "comfortable with lesbians and gays." Though opponents of gays in the military use the specter of gay men disrupting unit cohesion, a study released just last month found that a disproportionate number of those kicked out under DADT in 2007 were in fact women. The newest report is part of a trend toward accepting gays in the military. General John Shalikashvili, the former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman who previously favored DADT but reversed course last year in a New York Times op-ed, endorsed the study, saying it "ought to be given serious consideration by both Congress and the Joint Chiefs."

ADMINISTRATION -- CONDOLEEZZA RICE HAS BEEN 'PLAYING A LOT' OF GOLF DURING IRAQ WAR: In May, President Bush revealed that he had given up playing golf because of the Iraq war. "I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal," said Bush. But apparently Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice doesn't feel the same way. While at the AT&T National golf tournament this weekend, Rice gave an interview to the Golf Channel, noting that she had started her Independence Day weekend with "a round of golf," Rice said. "[I]t'll actually be three years this year, three years in August that I've been playing and playing a lot." In a separate interview with the Washington Post's Dan Sternberg this weekend, Rice said her philosophy on war and golf differs from Bush's. She explained that she is unwilling to "sacrifice" her game because she needs to "stay in shape." "Cabinet secretaries and the President can all do exactly what they wish," said Rice. "But all of us are trying to stay in shape in these tough jobs." Rice's golfing weekend came just after she told Bloomberg's Judy Woodruff that she is "proud of the decision" to invade Iraq.

ENERGY -- OIL TYCOON T. BOONE PICKENS BECOMES WIND POWER BOOSTER: T. Boone Pickens, the "legendary Texas oilman, corporate raider, shareholder-rights crusader, philanthropist and deep-pocketed moneyman for conservative politicians and causes" is becoming wind power's most prominent booster. Believing that "cheap and easy oil is gone," he is "bankrolling what his aides say will be the biggest public policy ad campaign ever" to promote the "Pickens Plan" for "cutting the USA's demand for foreign oil by more than a third in less than a decade." Pickens, now constructing "the largest wind farm in the world" in the Texas panhandle, wants the United States "to produce enough wind power within 10 years to divert 20% of the natural gas now used to fuel power plants for use in cars and trucks." Pickens's 4,000-megawatt wind farm, the equivalent of four coal-fired plants, will go online by 2011. His "out-of-the-box thinking" has garnered praise from Sierra Club president Carl Pope, but the American Petroleum Institute calls the plan "gimmicky." In testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last month, Pickens called on Congress to assist the rapid deployment of a national network of high-voltage transmission lines tied to wind and solar power. The nation's electric grid, "the source of one-third of U.S. global warming emissions," needs to be modernized for both the large-scale projects favored by Pickens as well as the "millions of distributed energy devices such as solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and smart appliances" that represent a clean energy future.

ENVIRONMENT -- G8 ENDORSES 'TOOTHLESS' CLIMATE CHANGE GOAL: At their yearly summit yesterday, the G8 leaders "endorsed...cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050 but refused to set a short-term target for reducing the gases that scientists agree are warming the planet." Despite President Bush's pledge to "be constructive," the agreement departs little from his current obstructionist position on climate change, as it is non-binding and contingent upon the cooperation of developing nations like India and China who have contributed comparatively little to the climate change problem. Climate change expert Phil Clapp at the Pew Environmental Group called the agreement "extremely weak," noting that "it aims to reduce emissions from current levels rather than 1990 levels, as the leaders proposed last year." "The science shows that we have to reduce 80 to 90 percent from current levels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change," he added. As Antonio Hill, spokesperson for Oxfam International put it, "At this rate, by 2050 the world will be cooked and the G8 leaders will be long forgotten." He added that the G8's announcement on 2050 "is another stalling tactic that does nothing to lower the risk faced by millions of poor people right now."

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) is considering legislation to cease funding of Karl Rove-type advisers in future administrations. "Why should we be using taxpayer dollars to have a person solely in charge of politics in the White House?" Waxman said. "Can you imagine the reaction if each member of Congress had a campaign person paid for with taxpayer dollars?"

The Senate will begin debate today on a bill giving telecommunication companies immunity for participating in the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program, with a final vote planned for Wednesday. Despite strong bipartisan opposition, the bill is expected to pass.

There is "a growing body of evidence" showing "that alcohol abuse is rising among veterans of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq." Experts and studies say "the problem is particularly prevalent among those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder." "Increasingly, these troubled veterans are spilling into the criminal justice system."

The White House was forced to apologize yesterday after circulating a "less-than-flattering" biography of Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi that described him as "one of the ‘most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for government corruption and vice.'" The biography claimed Berlusconi "burst onto the political scene with no experience."

"Iran will hit Tel Aviv, U.S. shipping in the Gulf and American interests around the world" if it is attacked by the U.S. or Israel, an aide to the Iranian Supreme Leader declared today. "The first bullet fired by America at Iran will be followed by Iran burning down its vital interests around the globe," the aide was quoted as saying.

Yesterday, shares of the most important U.S. mortgage companies, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, plummeted 18 percent and 16 percent, respectively, sending a loud warning sign that, in terms of the economy, "the worst is yet to come." The turmoil caused global stocks "from Sydney to Stockholm" to fall today.

The Bush administration "didn't pursue hundreds of potential water pollution cases after a 2006 Supreme Court decision that restricted" the EPA's "authority to regulate seasonal streams and wetlands." In a March 4 memo, the EPA's enforcement chief said that "there were 304 instances where the EPA found what would have been violations of the Clean Water Act before the court’s ruling."

Former Senate aide Michael E. O'Neill "will not withdraw his nomination" for a federal judgeship, despite the fact that he was credibly accused last week of plagiarizing a law article. O'Neill, who says "he fully disclosed the controversy to both White House officials and the FBI during interviews" before being nominated, claims the plagiarism "wasn't intentional."

And finally: There's a new book coming out by Susan Wise Bauer that's likely to be popular around Washington, DC. "The Art of the Public Grovel" advises "sex-scandal-afflicted leaders of America" on how to salvage their political careers. According to Bauer, politicians have to do more than apologize; they have to prove they are no better than anyone else by admitting they've erred and asking for forgiveness." Bauer mentions that one politician who didn't do it well was former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, although she admitted he was in a "tough spot."

He'll Get Back to You on That talkingpointsmemo.com — The simple truth is that given his foreign policy promises in Iraq and tax cut promises at home there's really no way McCain could come up with even a fuzzy plan to balance the budget in his first term. So he's decided instead just promise it. DEAN BAKER
CBO: Housing Bailout Will Send 140,000 Into Second Foreclosure tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com — The Congressional Budget Office projects that 35 percent of the homeowners "helped" under proposed housing bailout plan, or 140,000 families, will find themselves facing foreclosure again. That's because the lenders get to decide which loans enter the program. Naturally, they will pick homeowners who they think will be the least likely to make it. JEREMY GLANZ
Food Fights inthesetimes.com — Globally, one billion overweight people coexist with 800 million starving people. Perhaps that's because industrialized countries never give food freely to poorer countries. In other words, there is no free lunch. NOMI PRIMS
Who's Speculating the Cost of Oil Through the Roof? alternet.org — Oil prices won't be dropping any time soon. Not until the first mandatory and detailed trade reports cover the entire global futures trading markets. JANET REDMAN
Bush's Last Chance on Climate thenation.com — President George W. Bush has one last chance to alter his reputation as the leading villain in the global drama over climate change. Unfortunately, he's likely to ride into the sunset as the proverbial outlaw in a black hat.

BILL SCHER
Where McCain's Change Is Bigger Than Obama's McCain's health care plan would change things for more voters than Obama's plan. But is it the kind of change those voters are looking for?

Bush's Secret Army of Snoops and Snitches

Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive

Rights and Liberties: A new class of everyday spies, from paramedics to utility workers, are being recruited to be "terrorism liason officers."


Michael Pollan on What's Wrong with Environmentalism

Kate Cheney Davidson, Yale Environment 360

Environment: Michael Pollan talks about biofuels and the food crisis, the glories of grass-fed beef, and how environmentalists should think about sustainability.


A Peak Oil Prophet Imagines Life in America After Wal-Mart

Michelle Nijhuis, Grist.org

Environment: James Howard Kunstler's new novel describes a small town in upstate NY where a chain of global crises has forced the community to fend for itself.

Sci-Fi Heroes Take on the System

Roya Rastegar, ColorLines

Movie Mix: Two new indie features blend science-fiction and political critique.


Billionaires Are Gouging Your Grandparents

Brave New Films, Brave New Films

Video: Bruce Wasserstein is getting rich off our seniors.


Online Activists Keep the Pressure on Obama

Ari Melber, TheNation.com

Election 2008: If Obama is lucky, he will continue to benefit from these energized, sophisticated activists who support his candidacy while they press his hand.

Rove Officially Refuses to Testify ... Will the House Follow Through on Threats to Arrest?

Post by Isaac Fitzgerald
Video: Rove cites executive privilege and snubs entire legislative branch of government. More »

• Full Post

The State of the Race
Richard Baehr
Is it Obama's to Lose, or Can McCain Win it? More

Axelrod's Fall Reifenstahl Strategy
Lee Cary
This fall, watch for David Axelrod, Obama's campaign manager, to choreograph at least two post-convention mass events at least slightly reminiscent of the stagecraft of Leni Reifenstahl More

Memo from Leni Riefenstahl
Clarice Feldman
Dear Mr. Obama: I've been reading of your plans for the Invesco Field mass rally in Denver. I've had some experience documenting such things and am delighted to offer my suggestions. More

Imaginary Courage
July 09, 2008
The European lefts knows how to pick the objects of its derision carefully. More

AT authors on air tonight
July 08, 2008
Richard Baehr wiill be the guest on The Rick Moran Show tonight between 7 and 8 PM Central. More

Knife control in Britain
July 08, 2008
Banning guns does not eliminate the impulse to violence that animates some people. More

A Four Day School Week? (updated)
July 08, 2008
In order to save money, a rural school district in Minnesota has opted for a four day school week, running Tuesday to Friday. Now comes the hard part. More

G-8 Calls for Zimbabwe Sanctions
July 08, 2008
Feasting on 19 course dinners while discussing the world wide food crisis might seem a little hypocritical to some. More

Obama's Voting Record Complicates His Shift to Political Center
July 08, 2008
This headline from Bloomberg, picked up by Drudge, says all any voter needs to know about post racial, post-ideology Sen Barack Obama (D-IL). More

EU to scale back Bio-fuel plans
July 08, 2008
They are reacting to several recent studies which have shown bio-fuels contributing to the current world food crisis More

Obama/Rezko -- the comic book version
July 08, 2008
Doug Ross has told in pictures the shocking story of Barack Obama's ties to Tony Rezko and his indifference to the victims of Rezko's housing. A must-see. More

Will Hillary Delegates get to vote for her?
July 08, 2008
The nightmare scenario of the Obama campaign involves Hillary Clinton giving a cracking good speech the first or second night of the convention and then stampeding some Obama delegates to vote for her on the first ballot. More

The symbolism of Obama's mass rally
July 08, 2008
New plans call for Obama to accept the Dems' nod, not at the Pepsi Center where the rest of the convention will occur, but at a football stadium whose naming rights are owned by Invesco, Ltd. More

A Chicago Operation from Top to Bottom
July 08, 2008
Someone, someday in the major media is going to wake up and take a good long look at Barack Obama's campaign and notice something very strange; it is staffed from top to bottom with Chicagoans More

Will Israel Strike Iran? by W. Thomas Smith Jr. Predictions and chances in this dangerous time.

Nikolas Kozloff
Riding the Colombia Gravy Train

Laura Carlsen
North America Doesn't Exist: the New Geography of Trade

Mike Whitney
Bush's Rampage in Somalia

Andy Worthington
Scandal at Diego Garcia

Patrick Irelan
The Empire Goes to the Movies

Chellis Glendinning
The Un-tied States of America

David Macaray
A Union Story

Dave Lindorff
Mumia's Long-Shot Appeal

John Chuckman
The Myths of Independence Day

Phillip Doe
FISA and the Decline of America

Website of the Day
Daniel Ellsburg on Warrantless Wiretap Bill

Suing George W. Bush: A bizarre and troubling tale Subtitle below: U.S. officials went to extremes to stifle our legal challenge to Bush's warrantless surveillance -- but a federal judge says the program is criminal, anyway. Then the article lays out history and questions concerning the president's legal condition.

Stephen Lendman: Legitimizing Permanent Occupation of Iraq Bush administration policy is hard line and fixed. It plans permanent occupation of Iraq. Democrats support it. No surprise. Iraqis may have other plans. Stay tuned.

Steven Leser: McCain Jokes about Killing Iranians ... AGAIN ( I will never understand this fascination some Republican politicians have with joking about killing people. It must be something that appeals to the Republican electorate because both of the past two Republican Presidential nominees have done this.

Wes Walls: The McEwan Delusion: The Pseudo-Threat of Islamism So we have a species of a broader ideology that has been so widespread historically as to make any particular attribution misleadingly definitive. Illiberal societies are the norm, not the exception. So what is it about "Islamism" that singles it out for special attention?

AIPAC’s Hirelings Rush to Resolution America’s Knesset, servile hirelings of Israel’s lobby, rush to pass yet another resolution conceived by AIPAC, authored and co-signed by its most slavish puppets, Ackerman and Ros-Lehtinen in the House and Lieberman and Bayh in the Senate--Resolutions H. Con. 362 and S. 580, the “Iran War Resolution.” Passage gives Bush power to impose a unilateral blockade on Iran, an act, if done without UN sanction, is an act of war.

David Glenn Cox: When Money Goes Out the Door, Love Flies Out the Window How do you explain it? Without need or justification Barack Obama has begun the Democratic death spiral. Like a moth to a flame or a lemming to the cliff, the presumptive Democratic nominee has started moving toward the center. Like Charlie Brown, running at full steam towards Lucy with the football, unburdening himself of his principles along the way to build up speed.

Jane Stillwater: The "Hanoi Hilton" revisited -- and making plans for the new Baghdad Hilton too What do Vietnam and Iraq have in common? The deceivers who started both wars justified their continuation of them because of the communism (and Islamofascism) "Domino Theory" and "to keep the country from sliding into chaos and civil war". Now Vietnam has Corporatism, not communism. Plus it has a REAL Hilton hotel. If we get out of Iraq now, will it also have a REAL Baghdad Hilton after a couple of years? It's time to find out

Baker, Christopher: Put War Powers Back Where They Belong The War Powers Consultation Act of 2009 does not pretend to resolve the underlying constitutional issues. It would reserve the ability of both Congress and the president to assert their constitutional war powers. In drawing up the statute we focused on a common theme that almost all past proposals shared: the importance of meaningful consultation between the president and Congress before the nation is committed to war.

Campaign 2008: Sounds of Silence - Robert Samuelson, Newsweek
Como se Dice 'Pander' en Español? - Dana Milbank, Washington Post
McCain Losing the Latino Vote - Matthew Continetti, Weekly Standard
Obama Says Critics Haven't Been Listening - Michael Powell, NY Times
Dems Will Force Obama To Govern From Left - Dick Morris, The Hill
Obama's Online Muscle Flexes Against Him - J. McCormick, Chicago Trib
Bush: Buffoon or Great Leader? - Sameh El-Shahat, Daily Telegraph
McCain's Bad G8 Judgment Call - M. Albright & W. Perry, Los Angeles Times
Europe's Fear - Alvaro Vargas Llosa, RealClearPolitics
No Solutions to Be Found in Japan - Wolfgang Reuter, Der Spiegel
Climate Change Economics - Peter Orszag, Washington Post
Plan to Escape the Grip of Foreign Oil - T. Boone Pickens, Wall Street Journal
The Right to Self-Defense Affirmed - John Stossel, RealClearPolitcs
Vote on Doctor Fees Carries Risks for McCain - Aliza Marcus, Bloomberg
Senate Leaders Holding Doctors Hostage - Senator Tom Coburn, RCP
Underestimating the Burmese Junta - Joshua Kurlantzick, New Republic
The Pen Is Not Mightier Than the Sword - Ralph Peters, New York Post
RCP Blog: AM Report / Politics Nation: Strategy Memo: Going Ballistic

Editorials
A Stark Choice on the Economy - Boston Globe
Maliki's Withdrawal Card - Wall Street Journal
Concerns About FISA Bill Overblown - Washington Post
FISA Bill An Outrage - San Francisco Chronicle

Political News & Analysis
Candidates Refine Iraq Positions - Washington Post
Obama Shows Signs of Trail Weariness - Los Angeles Times
Obama Says Critics Haven't Been Listening - New York Times
McCain, Obama Court Latino Vote - Los Angeles Times

Transcripts & Speeches


McCain's Speech to LULAC - John McCain
Obama's Remarks to LULAC - Barack Obama
Panel Discusses the Energy Debate - Special Report w/Brit Hume
Romney on "Hannity & Colmes" - Hannity & Colmes
Analysts Discuss U.S.-Iraqi Relations - The NewsHour

Best of the Blogs
Obama: Your Kids Should Learn Spanish - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
McCain Thinks Social Security is a "Disgrace" - Nick Baumann, MoJo Blog
Socialized Medicine Looks Inevitable - Elizabeth Scalia, PJM
I Don't Believe Obama on FISA - Big Tent Dem, TalkLeft
Does Matt Yglesias Not Watch Iranian TV? - Patrick Ishmael, News Buckit

• 
  Suing George W. Bush: A bizarre and troubling tale
  By Jon B. Eisenberg
• 
  On WASPs, Russert and Obama's teleprompter
  By Camille Paglia
• 
  John McCain's radical tax plan
  By Justin Jouvenal
• 
  Inside the Army's fake Iraq
  By Andrew O'Hehir

• Is Carly Fiorina secretly working for Obama?Top McCain advisor says "women would like a choice."
  
  By Lynn Harris
  
  Broadsheet
  
  
  
• The unwelcome guest at the GOP conventionWith John McCain trying desperately to separate himself from an unpopular incumbent, Republicans wonder what to do with George W. Bush at their convention
  
  By Ed Kilgore
  
  War Room
  
  
  
• 
  Bateman: "The McLaughlin Group" on Bush's legacy

A Summit That's Hard to Swallow

by: James Chapman, The Daily Mail

OPINION



A Worthless Gust of Hot Air

OPINION



Want Cheap Oil? Reduce Demand!

by: Richard Heinberg, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

OPINION



How to Really Help Pregnant Teens

by: Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, The Christian Science Monitor

OPINION



Maliki Stunner: He Wants US Pullout Timetable

by: Robert Dreyfuss, The Nation

OPINION



Amendment Would Put Spy Lawsuits, Amnesty on Hold Pending Investigation

by: Ryan Singel, Wired Magazine

OPINION



"We Have Seven Years Left to Reverse the CO2 Emissions Curve"

by: Laurence Caramel and Stèphane Foucart Interview Rajendra Pachauri, Le Monde

Cheney Cans Climate Change
Last October, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee about the "Human Impacts of Global Warming." Gerberding told the committee that global warming "is anticipated to have a broad range of impacts on the health of Americans," but she gave few specifics, instead focusing on the CDC's current preparation plans. Soon after Gerberding delivered her testimony, CDC officials revealed that the White House had "eviscerated" her testimony by editing it down from 14 pages to four. The White House initially claimed that Gerberding's testimony had not been "watered down," but White House Press Secretary Dana Perino later admitted that the Office of Management and Budget had removed testimony that contained "broad characterizations about climate change science that didn't align with the IPCC." In a letter responding to questions by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) yesterday, former EPA official Jason Burnett revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney's office and the Council on Environmental Quality pushed to "remove from the testimony any discussion of the human health consequences of climate change." During a news conference yesterday, Boxer chided Perino's previous claim that the edits were made in order to align the testimony with the IPCC. "This was a lie," said Boxer. The White House, however, refused to admit wrongdoing. "We stand 100 percent behind what Dana said," White House spokesperson Tony Fratto told reporters.

WHAT'S MISSING: The White House's deletions, which were "overwhelmingly denounced" by scientists and environmental health experts, included "details on how many people might be adversely affected because of increased warming and the scientific basis for some of the CDC's analysis on what kinds of diseases might be spread in a warmer climate and rising sea levels." The cuts made by the White House included "the only statements casting the health risks from climate change as a problem, describing it variously as posing 'difficult challenges' and as 'a serious public health concern.'" At the time, Perino claimed that "the decision" was made "to focus that testimony on public health benefits" of climate change. "There are public health benefits to climate change," asserted Perino. But in his letter to Boxer, Burnett said that the reason for the cuts was to "keep options open" for the EPA to avoid making an endangerment finding for global warming pollution, which was required by a recent Supreme Court ruling. In a statement yesterday, Boxer tied the editing of Gerberding's testimony to the recently-revealed effort by the White House to keep a formal EPA endangerment finding "in limbo" by refusing to even open the e-mail from Burnett that contained the document. They're "obviously related," said Boxer.

WHITE HOUSE CLAIMS 'NOTHING UNUSUAL': Defending against accusations that the White House is "recklessly covering up a real threat to the people they are supposed to protect," Fratto claimed that the Bush administration did nothing improper in editing the testimony. "There's absolutely nothing unusual here in terms of the inter-agency review process, whether it's testimony, rules or anything else," Fratto told the Washington Post. He added that "the process exists so that other offices and departments have the opportunity to comment and offer their views." But it's apparent that the level of editing involved in Gerberding's testimony was out of the ordinary. In October, a CDC official told the press that while it was normal for testimony to be changed in a White House review, the changes made to Gerberding's testimony were particularly "heavy-handed." In an interview with CNN yesterday, Gerberding said that she "wasn't aware that there had been any edits" to her testimony until she "got to the hearing." Gerberding maintained that she did "the very best" she could to "answer the senators' questions honestly and openly." Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, refused to comment on the allegations against Cheney's office, simply saying, "We don't comment on internal deliberations."

CHENEY'S MALIGN ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE: In his letter to Boxer, Burnett revealed that Cheney's office had also objected in January to congressional testimony by EPA administrator Stephen Johnson that "greenhouse gas emissions harm the environment." According to Burnett, an official in Cheney's office "called to tell me that his office wanted the language changed." Such actions are not unusual for Cheney. Since taking office, he has taken "a decisive role to undercut long-standing environmental regulations for the benefit of business" while undermining any real action to combat climate change. In December, after Johnson "answered the pleas of industry executives" by announcing his decision to deny California the right to regulate greenhouse gases from vehicles, it was revealed that executives from the auto industry had appealed directly to Cheney. EPA staffers told the Los Angeles Times that Johnson "made his decision" only after Cheney met with the executives. Since February 2007, Cheney has quietly maneuvered to exert increased control over environmental policy by federal agencies -- particularly the regulations on greenhouse gas emissions

HUMAN RIGHTS -- JUDGE TELLS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO PRIORITIZE GUANTANAMO CASES: Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan, who is handling the appeals of more than 200 Guantanamo detainees, directed Justice Department lawyers to prioritize the detainee cases over all other cases. Hogan vowed to hold lawyers' "feet to the fire" and said he would be "concerned and suspicious if the Bush administration delayed cases." The desire to quicken the pace of the roughly 250 pending detainee cases comes after last month's Supreme Court decision in Boumediene v. Bush, in which the court ruled that detainees held at Guantanamo and other detention centers have a right to habeas corpus protections. The hearing was the first since Boumediene. Gitanjali Guetierrez, an attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, echoed Hogan's concern that the Bush administration would stonewall the proceedings, noting "our clients have been sitting in Guantanamo for years...after all this, the writ of habeas corpus will be rendered meaningless." Asked why 54 of the detainees have been cleared for release but remain imprisoned, Justice Department lawyer Judry Subar said "that's the issue the executive branch is struggling with." Lawyers for the Justice Department are requesting time to add CC4441A9C069A195251C61" to justify holding the detainees.

KATRINA -- FEMA'S TOXIC TRAILER MANUFACTURERS CALLED TO TESTIFY: The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing today to "examine the role of four manufacturers who provided trailers with dangerous levels of formaldehyde to victims of the Gulf Cost hurricanes in 2005." Exposure to the toxic FEMA trailers resulted in "insomnia, headaches, coughs and sinus problems" among the 143,000 families that the trailers have housed. Conservative lawmakers released a report yesterday focusing on issues uncovered in previous investigations, including the role that FEMA and the Centers for Disease Control played in covering up risks associated with long-term exposure to the trailers. Their report argued that "blaming trailer manufacturers for doing what was expected of them would be misplaced and ineffective." But as a lawyer representing hundreds of toxic trailer victims explained, "[I]t's laughable to assert that the manufacturers bear no responsibility for the levels of formaldehyde in the trailers they made." The 100,000 toxic FEMA trailers now sit empty in vast parking lots at a cost of $130 million per year.

ADMINISTRATION -- McCLELLAN: IRAQ'S OIL 'CERTAINLY PLAYED HEAVILY' IN CHENEY'S DESIRE TO LAUNCH WAR: Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan appeared on CBC Radio One's "The Current" yesterday morning to discuss his recent memoir, in which he asserts that the Bush administration waged a "propaganda" campaign in order to "sell the war" in Iraq to the public. Inquiring about Vice President Cheney's motivations to go to war, host Jim Brown noted that Cheney "doesn't strike me as someone who would be particularly motivated by idealistic visions." McClelland said, given that Cheney was "a former chief executive officer for Halliburton...that certainly played heavily into his thinking, more so I think than the idea of transforming the Middle East into a beacon of democracy." McClellan added that he believes that President Bush never "would have made the decision to go in and invade Iraq" if "he could see what had happened." But when asked if Cheney "would do it differently a second time around," McClellan said flatly, "No." During a speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco last month, McClellan suggested some book titles for Cheney should he choose to write a memoir of his own after leaving office: "The Lies I Told," or "I Upped Halliburton's Income -- So Up Yours."

TOM SULLIVAN
When You Take Cops Off The Beat Just like the last time conservatives ran the henhouse. They don't like oversight. They don't do oversight. Even when they ask for it and are being paid to do it. Wonder why?

ALASTAIR SHARP
Brace for Oil Beyond $150 alternet.org — There may be speculation built into today's sky-high oil prices, but don't expect the bubble to burst.

DANIEL GROSS
The Senator and The Swiss Bank newsweek.com — Critics have charged that former Senator Phil Gramm's helped lay the groundwork for some of the problems in the housing and oil markets. It's harder to pin any of the Swiss Bank's recent debacles on him. But as an adviser, an economist, an expert in the ways of Washington and in the American financial system, part of Gramm's job surely was to advise the bank how to stay out of investment and regulatory trouble. Oops!

NOMI PRIMS
Why the Economy Went South motherjones.com — After months of housing-market debris, Congress is still grappling with temporary solutions. One question they should be asking: How could these problems have been avoided? Here are five ways Wall Street and Washington set us up for the crash.

RICHARD HEINBERG
Want Cheap Oil? Reduce Demand! truthout.org — Ask the major oil companies or the U.S. Department of Energy why oil prices are beyond ludicrous and they'll tell you there's plenty of oil out there, there's just a lack of investment in exploration and production. Funny, the level of investment in the global oil industry hasn't dropped off a cliff lately. Yet oil prices have shot up like asparagus in April. What's going on here?

BRENT BUDOWSKY
America's 'Security Gap' middle-east-online.com — Those most responsible for America's new security gap favor a century of commitment to Iraq, have no plan to stabilize Afghanistan, and some now push a war with Iran.

JOSEPH ROMM
Cheney's Third Term gristmill.grist.org — John McCain takes the "conserve" out of "conservative." His entire energy efficiency strategy can be summarized as follows: Ban Porsches, green federal buildings, and applaud homeowners who do stuff on their own!

STEPHEN ZUNES
African Dictatorships and Double-Standards blackagendareport.com — The Bush administration has justifiably criticized Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. However, neither the White House nor the Congress is sincerely concerned about human rights and democracy as a matter of principle. They are more likely acting out of political expediency.

INTELLIGENCE ABUSES AND THE FISA AMENDMENTS ACT

"The history of the Intelligence Community is replete with instances of
abuse of civil liberties," observed Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper last year
in the course of his confirmation as Under Secretary of Defense for
Intelligence.

That is not news, of course, though it is useful to have it
acknowledged by the Pentagon's senior intelligence policy official.
Also useful is Gen. Clapper's proposed remedy:

"The requisite elements of a program to prevent such abuse are: (1)
clearly articulated and widely publicized policies; (2) training, both
basic and refresher; and (3) a mechanism to verify compliance
independently," he wrote in reply to a question from Sen. Carl Levin.

By these standards, the pending amendment to the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act that is being considered by the Senate today leaves
much to be desired.

Far from being "clearly articulated," the legislation leaves even
experts uncertain as to what its provisions mean. And by granting
retroactive immunity to telephone companies for unspecified illegal
acts that they may have committed, the legislation compromises the most
important mechanism for independent verification of legal compliance,
namely the judicial process.

"Does the new FISA bill authorize wholesale interception of all
communications to and from the US," asked James X. Dempsey of the
Center for Democracy and Technology, "or does it only authorize the
interception of the communications of particular individuals?"

Incredibly, the answer is not reliably known. "Both national security
and civil liberties interests weigh in favor of clarity on this
question," Mr. Dempsey wrote last month.

http://blog.cdt.org/2008/06/25/does-target...vacuum-cleaner/

Meanwhile, the congressional grant of immunity to telephone companies
that are being sued for suspected acts of illegal surveillance under
the President's warrantless surveillance program "is a naked intrusion
into ongoing litigation," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) on the
Senate floor yesterday.

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2008_cr/fisa070808.html

"I am aware of no precedent for the Congress of the United States
stepping into ongoing litigation, choosing a winner and a loser,
allowing no alternative remedy," he said.

"I believe it will be determined by a court that ultimately this
section of the legislation is unconstitutional, in violation of the
separation of powers, because we may not, as a Congress, take away the
access of the people of this country to constitutional determinations
heard by the courts of this country."

"If I were a litigant, I would challenge the constitutionality of the
immunity provisions of this statute, and I would expect a good chance
of winning," Sen. Whitehouse said.

SECRECY IN THE LAW REVIEWS

There has been a surge of publication of papers on official secrecy,
national security classification and freedom of information in law
reviews and other professional legal journals. Not all are equally
original in their analysis or compelling in their conclusions, but they
typically provide a scholarly perspective on matters of secrecy policy,
and they often include valuable source citations.

Some of the more interesting new law review articles that have come to
our attention are these:

"Congressional Access to National Security Information" by Louis
Fisher, Harvard Journal on Legislation, Volume 45, No. 1, Winter 2008:

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/j...45_1/fisher.pdf

"Classified Information Leaks and Free Speech" by Heidi Kitrosser,
University of Illinois Law Review, 2008, Issue 3:

http://home.law.uiuc.edu/lrev/publications...3/Kitrosser.pdf

"The Chilling of Speech, Association, and the Press in Post-9/11
America" (multiple papers and conference presentations), American
University Law Review, June 2008:

http://www.wcl.american.edu/journal/lawrev/57/57-5.cfm

"Government Lawyers and Confidentiality Norms" By Kathleen Clark,
Washington University Law Review, 2008:

http://lawreview.wustl.edu/inprint/85/5/Clark.pdf

"Our Very Privileged Executive: Why the Judiciary Can (and Should) Fix
the State Secrets Privilege" by D. A. Jeremy Telman, Temple Law Review,
2007:

http://www.temple.edu/law/tlawrev/content/...80.2_telman.pdf

"'Nothing Is So Oppressive as a Secret': Recommendations for Reforming
the State Secrets Privilege" by Emily Simpson, Temple Law Review, 2007:

http://www.temple.edu/law/tlawrev/content/...0.2_simpson.pdf

"Secrecy and Access in an Innovation Intensive Economy: Reordering
Information Privileges in Environmental, Health, and Safety Law," by
Mary L. Lyndon, University of Colorado Law Review, Volume 78, Issue 2,
Spring 2007 (not online).

Missile Tests and Bluster From Iran by Robert Dreyfuss, 7/9/2008

What Obama Should Be Saying About FISA by John Nichols, 7/9/2008

Obama's Evolving Foreign Policy by Robert Dreyfuss, 7/9/2008

Fisking Feith's Faulty Case for War by David R. Henderson, 7/10/2008

Reality Bites Back: Why the US Won't Attack Iran by Tom Engelhardt, 7/10/2008

The Problems With the FISA Bill by Sen. Russ Feingold, 7/9/2008

Are They Really Oil Wars? by Ismael Hossein-zadeh, 7/9/2008

Taiwan Declares Peace on China by Robert Scheer, 7/9/2008

The Coverup of Surveillance Crimes and Barack Obama by Glenn Greenwald, 7/9/2008

How McCain Could Win
Richard Baehr
Absent some of the unique structural or environmental advantages that exist for Democrats this year, John McCain should be running away from Barack Obama. So how can McCain realize some of this potential? More

How the Greens Captured Energy Policy
J.R. Dunn
How the Greens killed nuclear power and other stories. And why they are going to see their favorite policies reversed. More

Obama, the PAC-Man
William Tate
Look who's sending big bucks to the big O. And look how the law is being stretched. More

Senate Bill 2433
July 10, 2008
While the Global Poverty Act of 2007 could come up for a vote in the Senate at any time, the good news is that its huge potential price tag would require, it seems, further legislative action if it passes the Senate in its current form More

Air Force tanker contract bidding re-opened
July 09, 2008
In what amounts to another rebuke for the Air Force, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is taking over the process of buying a new fleet of aerial tankers More

Obama's string of surprises
July 09, 2008
Why is a would-be chief executive offiser surprised so often by events? More

Make That 102
July 09, 2008
Liberals can now relax. Fox News can now be added to my Media Dishonesty Matters list of 101 incidents. More

Lehman Brothers slashes NYTCo price target
July 09, 2008
Virtually announcing to the world that the New York Times Company is in the process destroying shareholder value, Lehman Brothers evidently sees acceleration in corporate decline. More

Obama Whales not Rushing to Help Hillary
July 09, 2008
Despite urging from the candidate himself, Barack Obama's big campaign donors are not rushing to help Hillary Clinton retire her $20 million debt: More

The downside of MyBarackObama.com
July 09, 2008
Now that Barack Obama is tacking to the center in his general election strategy, the true believers are getting disillusioned, and they have the ability to organize -- courtesy of the campaign's own website. More

Iran Answers Obama's Olive Branch
July 09, 2008
Are you listening, Barack? More

Do Democrats Care about Chavez and his Oppression of the Jews?
July 09, 2008
American Thinker has long noted that many leading Democrats seem to have a special warm spot for Hugo Chavez, the increasingly dictatorial President of Venezuala. More

How much has the drilling moratorium cost you?
July 09, 2008
Much of the most promising American oil lands have been declared off limits for oil drilling and production for many years. This has cost us all lots of money More

Obama's Stadium Speech to Cost Networks a Bundle
July 09, 2008
Totalitarians don't seem to have this problem. More

What is Bill Clinton's Problem?
July 09, 2008
Bill Clinton hit the sewer smearing McCain and other service people who were prisoners of war. More

Get Ready for the Post-SUV World!

By Stan Cox, AlterNet

Environment: SUVs and big pickups are waddling off into the sunset, leaving Americans with no more excuses for the nation's profligate oil use.

John McCain -- 61 Flip-Flops and Counting

Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report

Election 2008: McCain argues that flip-flops are an example of a political leader who can't be trusted -- so he might as well drop out of the race.


Doctors Push Cholesterol Drugs on Kids

Marie Cocco, Washington Post Writers Group

Health and Wellness: The obesity epidemic is largely of our own making. The solution has to come from healthy activities, not the pharmaceutical industry.


50 More Years of Women Making Less Money Than Men?

Jennifer Waldref, Women's eNews

Reproductive Justice and Gender: Research shows pay discrimination isn't going anywhere soon. Neither are promotion barriers, sexual harassment or bias against mothers.

Sleeping Around Craigslist

Anna Reed, Lily Penza, East Bay Express

Sex and Relationships: Two middle-aged women discover that casual sex can be anything but casual.


Bush's Secret Army of Snoops and Snitches

Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive

Rights and Liberties: A new class of everyday spies, from paramedics to utility workers, are being recruited to be "terrorism liason officers."


Michael Pollan on What's Wrong with Environmentalism

Kate Cheney Davidson, Yale Environment 360

Environment: Michael Pollan talks about biofuels and the food crisis, the glories of grass-fed beef, and how environmentalists should think about sustainability.


'Forclosure Phil' Gramm: How John McCain's Closest Economic Advisor Helped Engineer the Morgage Crisis

Democracy Now!, Democracy Now!

PEEK: Journalists Nomi Prins and David Corn discuss the housing crisis and its link to the lobbyist writing McCain's economic policy.


Supreme Court Dashes Hopes for Justice Against Exxon

Riki Ott, AlterNet

Water: The people of Cordova, Alaska were screwed once by Exxon in 1989 and then again by the Supreme Court last month.


A Peak Oil Prophet Imagines Life in America After Wal-Mart

Michelle Nijhuis, Grist.org

Environment: James Howard Kunstler's new novel describes a small town in upstate NY where a chain of global crises has forced the community to fend for itself.

Sci-Fi Heroes Take on the System

Roya Rastegar, ColorLines

Movie Mix: Two new indie features blend science-fiction and political critique.


Billionaires Are Gouging Your Grandparents

Brave New Films, Brave New Films

Video: Bruce Wasserstein is getting rich off our seniors.


Online Activists Keep the Pressure on Obama

Ari Melber, TheNation.com

Election 2008: If Obama is lucky, he will continue to benefit from these energized, sophisticated activists who support his candidacy while they press his hand.

Burning Tires for Power: Green Energy or Health Hazard?

Kari Lydersen, AlterNet

Environment: The idea of burning waste tires for energy is catching on, and one city is hoping to build the biggest facility yet. But some residents are concerned.


Inside the Bush White House's Nonstop Propaganda War

Mark Dery, AlterNet

Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan exposes the culture of deception that sold an unnecessary war to the public.


Obama Retreats From Key Progressive Issues

John Nichols, Roberto Lovato, TheNation.com and Of America

Election 2008: Obama votes like a Republican on FISA and backs off from Iraq, keeping corporate America happy.

Obama’s Faith-Based Makeover
by Bill Berkowitz / July 9th, 2008

On Tuesday, July 1, in a speech delivered at the Eastside Community Ministry in Zanesville, Ohio, Sen. Barack Obama pledged that if he were elected president, he would overhaul and expand President George W. Bush’s faith-based initiative. Obama’s plan for a “Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships” (a name remarkably similar Bush’s White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives) would “help set our national agenda” and deal with such issues as AIDS in inner cities and climate change.

“The challenges we face today — from saving our planet to ending poverty — are simply too big for government to …

(Full article …)
“Progressives for Obama” Fool Themselves
by Glen Ford / July 9th, 2008

The “Progressives for Obama” project was always doomed, largely because the candidate was determined to pull the rug from under it at his earliest opportunity. That time has arrived, in such dramatic fashion that even the corporate media recognize that Obama’s sharp Right turns are irreversible and much more clearly reflect his essential political nature.

Obama chuckled last week at the very thought of having been “tagged as being on the Left” — and then unceremoniously jettisoned those Leftists that had taken it upon themselves to claim him as one of their own. In case “the Left” didn’t …

(Full article …)

Obama's Message Hasn't Changed - Gail Collins, New York Times
Will a Brilliant Ground Game Be Enough? - Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal
November's Electoral College Map - Larry Sabato, UVA Center for Politics
How McCain Could Win - Richard Baehr, American Thinker
What Happened to the McCain of 2000? - Fenn & Leubsdorf, The Hill
Barack W. Bush? - Victor Davis Hanson, RealClearPolitics
Obama, McCain Prove Virtue of Flip-Flops - Margaret Carlson, Bloomberg
How the Convention Could Hurt Obama - Steven Stark, Boston Phoenix
Clintonites at Arm's Length - Robert Novak, Chicago Sun-Times
Democrats Aim For Last Frontier - Reid Wilson, RealClearPolitics
Tehran's Definite 'Maybe' - David Ignatius, Washington Post
G8 is in Carbon-Cloud Cuckoo Land - Christopher Booker, Daily Telegraph
Obama, McCain and Fiscal Disaster - Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune
Extravagant Pen