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Limbaugh Compares Purple Heart Recipient In Vote Vets Ad To A Suicide Bomber
In a new Vote Vets ad released today, Brian McGough, an Iraq war veteran who received the Purple Heart, challenges Rush Limbaugh: “Until you have the guts to call me a ‘phony soldier‘ to my face, stop telling lies about my service.” Watch it:In response, Limbaugh today attacked McGough, comparing him to a suicide bomber [...]

0:
Number of Republicans who signed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) letter to Clear Channel’s CEO condemning Rush Limbaugh. Forty-one Democrats signed the letter. In contrast, 72 senators voted to condemn MoveOn.org’s New York Times ad.

Fox Circles The Wagons Around Rush; Attacks Reid, Media Matters, And ‘The Left’
On the Senate floor yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) condemned right-wing standard bearer Rush Limbaugh for his claim that service members who support withdrawal from Iraq are “phony soldiers,” saying that Limbuagh “owes the men and women of our Armed Forces an apology” for his comments that “went way over the line.” But [...]

Clark: Yank Limbaugh off Armed Forces radio.
Gen. Wesley Clark: “It’s time to put real pressure on Rush Limbaugh. His show is broadcast on Armed Forces Radio, and this time we are going to go straight to the lifeblood of Rush’s show — Congress. Congress has the power to remove Rush Limbaugh from Armed Forces Radio, and it won’t be as easy [...]

Most violent year in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan is currently suffering its most violent year since the 2001 U.S.-led intervention, according to an internal United Nations report that sharply contrasts with recent upbeat appraisals by President Bush and his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai.” There were 525 security attacks on average every month during the first half of this year, up from an [...]

O’Hanlon Defends His Old Friend Petraeus, ‘Convinced’ Pentagon Is Wrong On Iraq Stats
Recently, Brookings analyst Michael O’Hanlon was prominently featured on Fox News’ one-hour biographical account of Gen. David Petraeus. O’Hanlon showered praise on the general, calling him “distinctive,” “noteworthy,” and “self-critical.”Fox highlighted the fact that O’Hanlon has enjoyed a 20-year personal relationship with Petraeus, extending back to graduate school. As ThinkProgress noted, this relationship creates [...]

Bush administration wasted millions on government travel.
A Government Accountability Office report reveals “federal employees wasted at least $146 million over a one-year period in business or first-class airline tickets.” The report found that “67 percent of premium-class travel by executives or their employees…was unauthorized or otherwise unjustified. Among the worst offenders: the State Department, whose employees typically fly abroad on official [...]

Goldsmith muzzled by White House on spy program.
In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, former Bush administration lawyer Jack Goldsmith “said that parts of the President Bush’s controversial eavesdropping program were illegal” and that “the White House has forbidden him from saying anything about the legal analysis underpinning the program.” Goldsmith said that the White House does not want the [...]

Perino: Bush Will Veto SCHIP ‘Quietly’ Without ‘Ceremony’
Both the Senate and the House have passed an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) with strong bipartisan majorities. In today’s White House press briefing, a reporter said that Democratic leaders would likely be sending the legislation to the President to sign (or, in this case, veto) this afternoon. White House spokeswoman [...]

Iraq offers cash ‘marriage bonus’ to bridge sectarian divide.
The Iraqi government is offering a $1,500 cash bonus “to married Iraqi couples from different sectarian groups in a drive to heal rifts between communities and foster reconciliation.” Sunni-Shi’ite marriages were commonplace prior to the U.S. led invasion, but are now increasingly rare.

Waxman: State Department ‘Acting As Blackwater’s Enabler’
In this morning’s House Oversight hearing, Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) sharply criticized not only Blackwater USA, but also the State Department, which has authority over the contractor. Waxman pointed to a Dec. 2006 incident, in which a drunken Blackwater contractor shot the guard of the Iraqi vice president:The State Department advised Blackwater how much to [...]

Morgan Echoes Limbaugh: Soldiers Like Iraq War Vet Jon Soltz Are ‘Anti-America’ ‘Fake’ ‘Posers’
On Fox News’ Hannity and Colmes last night, right-wing radio host Melanie Morgan said Rush Limbaugh was “accurate” when he said that service members who support withdrawal from Iraq are “phony soldiers.” While trying to support her claim, Morgan attacked VoteVets.org Chairman Jon Soltz as part of the “soldiers who are fake, or who are [...]

Obey plans fight over war funding.
House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) said today that he will not report out a war supplemental spending bill this year unless the White House makes drastic changes in its Iraq strategy. Obey demanded three conditions: 1) the White House would have to establish a goal to end U.S. involvement in the country, 2) ensure [...]

Australia breaks with Bush on Iran.
Australia, a loyal ally in President Bush’s war in Iraq, suggested today that it would not follow the U.S. in potentially using military force against Iran. “The American position is that they just don’t rule in or rule out the military option,” said Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. “[W]e are not planning to get involved [...]

‘Phony soldier’ responds to Rush.
In a new Vote Vets ad, Brian McGough, an Iraq war veteran who received the Purple Heart, challenges Rush Limbaugh: “Until you have the guts to call me a ‘phony soldier’ to my face, stop telling lies about my service.” Watch it:

Christian Coalition Applauds McCains Religious Bigotry, Claims It Might Make Him President
In a recent interview with Beliefnet, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) claimed “the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation,” and suggested religious candidates that don’t share his faith should be viewed skeptically. “McCain was raised Episcopalian and currently attends a Baptist church in Arizona.”Beliefnet columnist David Kuo said McCain was “pandering [...]

Clarence Thomas loves right-wing blogs.
Last night, the Heritage Foundation hosted a dinner for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and “a small number” of conservative “bloggers and New Media members.” During the dinner, Thomas told the right-wing bloggers “several times” that he was “very impressed with the work” they do:He told us that he had deliberately wanted to spend the [...]

Pace’s extravagant farewell ceremony.
The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank looks at yesterday’s farewell ceremony for outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace: They brought the full array of military hardware to Fort Myer for Gen. Peter Pace’s sendoff yesterday as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: four fighter jets, four ceremonial howitzers, five honor [...]

ThinkFast: October 2, 2007
70: Percentage of Americans that want funding for the war to be reduced. Bush’s approval rating stands at 33 percent. Just 29 percent approve of the job Congress is doing, although the public rates congressional Republicans (29 percent) lower than congressional Democrats (38 percent).The Senate voted 92-3 yesterday to “pass a defense policy bill authorizing [...]