Election winners threaten to veto anti-terror measures
Financial Times (UK) Aug 1, 07 1:41 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The ruling party’s losses in Japanese elections last week are causing worry in the White House and the Pentagon, says the Financial Times . An anti-terror measure that that has allowed Japanese ships to refuel American vessels is set to expire in November, and the Democratic Party of Japan is threatening to use its newfound control of the upper house to veto its renewal.
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Campaign sinking before it starts swimming
Washington Post Aug 1, 07 8:59 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Fred Thompson's White House campaign is in trouble before it has even officially begun, according to the Washington Post 's campaign diary. Short of money and minus a manager, the unannounced Thompson is tied for last in the polls with the floundering John McCain.
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Six other officers will draw career-ending punishments
CNN Jul 26, 07 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A retired three-star general who allegedly misled investigators about the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan could be stripped of his stars and part of his pension, Pentagon officials told CNN. Retired Lt. Gen. Phillip Kensinger told inspectors he didn't know the Green Beret was killed by friendly fire, a statement an army probe didn't "find credible."
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Congressional Dems face new obstacle in
US attorneys probe
Washington Post Jul 20, 07 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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White House officials have made a broad new claim to executive privilege that would block the Justice Department from pursuing contempt charges initiated by Congress, the Washington Post reports. Citing a Regan-era legal opinion, they argued that "A US attorney would not be permitted to bring contempt charges or convene a grand jury in an executive privilege case."
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Benchmarks not
likely to be met, say Crocker, Petraeus
Associated Press Jul 20, 07 7:20 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Iraq is gripped by widespread fear and is unlikely to fulfill political and security goals by the pivotal September assessment, US officials told lawmakers yesterday in a briefing from Baghdad. "One word I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq is 'fear,' " said ambassador Ryan Crocker, adding that the country has a "considerable ways to go" toward political stability.
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White House arranged appearances to prop up weak candidates, Dems charge
Washington Post Jul 18, 07 5:16 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Public appearances by top guns in the Office of National Drug Control Policy may have been used to support vulnerable GOP Congressman in the run-up to the '06 elections, a Democratic lawmaker charged yesterday. Henry Waxman, chair of the House Oversight Committee, said it was part of a larger White House scheme to politicize federal agencies.
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Acknowledging 'war fatigue,' president warns against hasty withdrawal
Washington Post Jul 12, 07 4:56 PM CDT
(Newser)
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President Bush used today's interim report on the Iraq war to renew his call for Congress to withhold judgment on the troop surge until a September update, saying the military will "be in a better position to adjust" in 2 months. The report notes positive movement in eight out of 18 areas but gives unsatisfactory marks on eight other benchmarks.
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Sara Taylor respects former boss's executive privilege claim
Washington Post Jul 11, 07 3:32 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Former White House political adviser Sara Taylor never discussed the ouster of nine US attorneys with President Bush, she told the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The subpoenaed Taylor said little else about the Justice Department scandal, citing executive privilege, but waffled occasionally between discretion and disclosure—for instance apologizing for having called one fired attorney "lazy" in an email.
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Cites executive privilege in bid to stop Miers, Taylor testimony
Washington Post Jul 10, 07 4:12 AM CDT
(Newser)
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In an aggressive use of executive privilege, President Bush instructed two of his former aides yesterday to disregard congressional subpoenas demanding they testify about the attorney firings scandal. In a letter to Congress, Bush's counsel rebuffed Democratic senators for encroaching on internal White House affairs, bringing the two branches closer to an possible Supreme Court showdown.
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President spares former Cheney aide jail time; conviction remains
Washington Post Jul 2, 07 5:41 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Scooter Libby won't be going to jail: President Bush commuted the former Cheney aide's 30-month sentence for perjury and obstruction of justice tonight, but stopped short of a pardon. The move came hours after a federal appeals court denied Libby's motion for bail pending his appeal.
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Senator stands behind subpoenas in
US attorney probe
Associated Press Jul 1, 07 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Patrick Leahy has a message for White House officials who object to subpoenas issued in the US attorney firing investigation: See you in court. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman took the dispute over executive privilege to the airwaves today, saying, "If they don't cooperate, yes, I'll go that far" when asked about a congressional vote on contempt charges.
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