Reserves judgment; knocks spending, Putin, in year-end presser
Associated Press Dec 20, 07 11:07 AM CST
(Newser)
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President Bush said today he didn’t know about the destroyed CIA interrogation tapes until CIA chief Michael Hayden briefed him earlier this month, and he intends to reserve judgment while they’re investigated. "Let's wait and see what the facts are," he said. In his year-end press conference, Bush touched on everything from foreign policy to the economy.
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600 buildings slated for shutdown, warheads to be decommissioned
Washington Post Dec 19, 07 7:52 AM CST
(Newser)
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The Bush administration is planning a substantial reduction in the size of the nuclear weapons program, with 600 buildings set for closure at facilities across the country, reports the Washington Post . The American nuclear program is an "outdated, Cold War complex," said the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, and needs to become "smaller, safer and less expensive."
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Measure mandates 35mpg fuel efficiency for vehicles, 5X increase in ethanol production
Reuters Dec 18, 07 2:31 PM CST
(Newser)
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The House approved a broad energy bill today that will increase fuel efficiency requirements for cars and trucks for the first time in 30 years and will boost ethanol production, Reuters reports. The bill, passed last week by the Senate after $13 billion in oil company taxes were excised, carried handily, 314-100. President Bush is expected sign it into law tomorrow .
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Bush pleased with spending levels, could veto over Iraq
Washington Post Dec 18, 07 4:37 AM CST
(Newser)
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After months of wrangling over details, the House has passed a huge $515.7 billion domestic spending bill, the Washington Post reports. Lawmakers finally managed to hammer out a compromise that makes just about nobody happy. Conservatives and interest groups of all sides blasted the bill, and even Democrats could summon only mild enthusiasm at best.
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Gives scoop on your friends, arrests, finances, web habits
Vanity Fair Dec 17, 07 11:00 PM CST
(Newser)
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Political data miner Aristotle Inc has worked for every president since Reagan, 200 House candidates last year, and several current presidential hopefuls. Now the firm’s founder is debuting technology that breaks ground in accessing private information—revealing voters’ income, house value, conviction history, and even online behavior. One privacy hawk calls such new levels of intrusiveness, “the scourge of our age.”
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Court rules that Bush and Cheney's appointments are public knowledge
Associated Press Dec 17, 07 7:36 PM CST
(Newser)
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Who stops by the White House or Dick Cheney's place is a matter of public record, a district court judge ruled today, blocking the Bush administration's attempts to keep visitor logs sealed. Liberal watchdogs had argued the information is covered by the Freedom of Information Act, while President Bush had ordered the records turned over to the White House—which now has 20 days to open records.
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OPINION
Snarky summary has implications prez should take seriously
Los Angeles Times Dec 17, 07 2:46 PM CST
(Newser)
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President Bush recently scorned a reporter’s “Psychology 101,” but one mind-minded professor says he could benefit from a few lessons. Bush should start by trying “pattern matching,” Jonathan Haidt writes in the LA Times , with no little humor: If he’d stop equating Islam with fascism and instead think of terrorists as plain old criminals, it might improve his foreign policy scorecard.
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As Iraq improves, Afghanistan unravels
Washington Post Dec 17, 07 5:24 AM CST
(Newser)
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The US military is calling for an accelerated withdrawal from Iraq and a shift of troops and equipment to Afghanistan, reports the Washington Post . The post-surge reduction of violence in Iraq has coincided with resurgent Taliban activity in Afghanistan; both NATO and US commanders there say they need several additional battalions, helicopters, and other resources to combat it.
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Victories over Dems may hurt his own initiatives, raise debt
Washington Post Dec 15, 07 4:53 PM CST
(Newser)
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Christmas came early for President Bush, who’s scored a slew of recent victories over the Democratic Congress. But the wins could threaten both the federal debt and some of his own pet projects, the Washington Post speculates. Bush’s steadfast opposition to tax-increasing spending measures from Democrats could push the federal deficit this fiscal year to almost $240 billion. Even some Republicans are wary.
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Officials agree to reach accord in 2009—after end of Bush term
Reuters Dec 15, 07 6:00 AM CST
(Newser)
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The Bali climate summit averted failure at the eleventh hour today when the US capitulated under sharp criticism and agreed to further talks to forge a successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol in 2009 that will include the US and developing nations. The deal came after the US dropped opposition to a proposal that wealthy nations help developing countries reduce pollution. To assuage the US, mandatory and specific carbon limits were dumped from a proposal by the European Union.
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Measure doesn't tie funds to Iraq withdrawals, making Bush veto less likely
Reuters Dec 14, 07 5:41 PM CST
(Newser)
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The Senate today authorized a defense bill providing $506.9 billion for Pentagon programs and $189.4 billion in funding for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars—but no timetables on troop withdrawals, which brought vetoes on earlier efforts. The bill, approved 90-3 by the Senate, expands the army by 13,000 and enhances veterans care programs, with special regard to brain injuries and psychological disorders.
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President saw dangers of falling 'in love with alcohol'
ABC News Dec 12, 07 12:19 PM CST
(Newser)
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After reaching out to a teenager battling drug addiction, President Bush spoke candidly of his past struggle with alcoholism, saying "I doubt I'd be standing here if I hadn't quit drinking whiskey, and beer and wine and all that." Alcohol "competes for your affection" for family and zeal for activities, Bush told ABC News in an exclusive interview.
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Perino told not to discuss matter with press
Associated Press Dec 10, 07 4:49 PM CST
(Newser)
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Lawyers have advised the White House spokeswoman not to discuss the CIA’s destruction of interrogation videotapes with the press. “I think that’s appropriate, and I’ll adhere to it,” Dana Perino said today of the administration lawyers' gag order. The White House typically stops commenting once inquiries are under way, the AP reports; Justice and the CIA are invstigating.
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