Home / thinkprogress.org rss archive / October-03-2007


Iraq vet responds to Rush’s ’suicide bomber’ analogy.
Brian McGough, the Iraq war veteran who was compared by Rush Limbaugh to a suicide bomber, appeared on MSNBC’s Countdown tonight. Limbaugh implied McGough could not think for himself, claiming liberal groups “had strapped ‘lies to his belt, sending him out via the media in a TV ad to walk into as many people as [...]

Anti-Immigration Hate Group Intent On Denying Green Card For Soldiers’ Spouses
Eduardo Gonzalez is preparing to deploy for his third tour of duty with the U.S. Navy in November. He will serve aboard the U.S.S. Harry Truman in the Persian Gulf. As he faces deployment, Gonzalez is not focused on his own safety, as most would be, but rather on the safety of his wife [...]

The Decider boasts again.
During the course of an hour-long speech today, President Bush used the word “decisions” — or a derivative of it — at least 30 times. At the outset of his speech, “the decider” (aka “the decision-maker” and “commander guy“) declared:My job is a decision-making job. And as a result, I make a lot of decisions. [...]

House passes bill strengthening govt watchdogs.
Today, a bipartisan majority voted 404-11 to give government watchdogs “more autonomy and protection from political retribution.” President Bush has promised to veto the legislation, but the bill garnered significantly more support than the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto.

House pushes for ‘phone jamming’ probe of White House.
Today, members of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the Justice Department seeking answers about “phone jamming” and voter suppression tactics in past elections. In particular, the letter pushed for an aggressive investigation into White House participation, expressing concern that “the FBI Special Agent working this matter allegedly was instructed not to follow [...]

Sen. Domenici expected to retire.
The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza reports that Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) is “expected to announce tomorrow that he will retire from the Senate in 2008.” Domenici continues to be “dogged” by questions about his role in the U.S. attorney scandal and the ouster of David Iglesias.

White House Retaliates Against UK For Withdrawal: ‘British Forces Have Performed Poorly’ In Iraq
This week, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that he would reduce British presence in Iraq from 5,500 troops to 4,500 by Christmas. The Guardian reports today that Brown will cut “significantly more than the 1,000 announced yesterday” by next year.In response to the withdrawal announcement, the White House has decided to slander Britain. The [...]

Senate scraps request for Bush’s pre-Iraq intel briefings.
AP reports: The Senate has scrapped its bid to obtain the archive of daily intelligence briefings given to the president on Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion.That request was among several controversial provisions dropped from an intelligence bill, leading to the measure’s unanimous Senate passage Wednesday. The provision sought to give the Senate and House [...]

Tom ‘Bomb Mecca’ Tancredo Refuses To Vote For House Resolution Celebrating Ramadan
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a resolution “recognizing the commencement of Ramadan” with 376 votes. The resolution sought to “demonstrate solidarity with and support for members of the community of Islam in the United States” during this Muslim month of fasting.But some lawmakers couldn’t muster the courage to vote for the uncontroversial legislation. [...]

Blackwater to guard feds investigating Blackwater.
On Monday, the FBI announced that it would be sending “a team to Iraq to investigate the role of Blackwater USA in last month’s shoot-out in Baghdad that killed 11 Iraqis.” Today, the New York Daily News reports that the investigators “will be protected by bodyguards from the very same firm” that they are investigating. [...]

Hannity To Justice Thomas: Your ‘Left-Wing’ Critics Are ‘Racist’
In his new book, My Grandfather’s Son, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas writes that he had grown up in the South fearing the Ku Klux Klan’s lynch mobs, but that in the end, liberals were more ferocious: I’d grown up fearing the lynch mobs of the Ku Klux Klan; as an adult, I was starting [...]

Limbaugh Complains Press Didn’t Call Him For Comment, Then Ignores MSNBC’s Call For Comment
On his radio show last Friday, Rush Limbaugh claimed that the uproar over his now-infamous “phony soldiers” comment was “the anatomy of a smear.” As proof, Limbaugh complained that “not one member of the media” had called his office for comment before reporting on his words:Not one member of the media, not one congressman, nobody [...]

Leahy writes to AG nominee Mukasey with ‘concerns.’
Yesterday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) wrote a letter to Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey, indicating that his nomination could hinge on his “willingness to answer questions the White House won’t about a litany of issues.” From his letter: Regrettably, the White House has chosen not to clear the decks of past [...]

Sestak: I condemn the words Limbaugh used.
Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) said this morning on Fox News that he would likely join Rep. Mark Udall’s (D-CO) resolution to condemn Rush Limbaugh’s “phony soldiers” remark. He explained, “I condemn the words that MoveOn.org used, not the organization’s right to say it. I condemn the words, if this is how it’s stated — that [...]

Breaking: Bush vetoes children’s health insurance.
President Bush’s veto of an SCHIP expansion was only the fourth veto of his presidency. AP reports that the White House “sought as little attention as possible, with the president wielding his veto behind closed doors without any fanfare or news coverage.” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said that they have not yet scheduled [...]

ThinkFast: October 3, 2007
Yesterday, Clear Channel CEO Mark Mays responded to the Senate Democratic Leadership’s call for him to repudiate Rush Limbaugh’s “phony troops” remark. “While I certainly do not agree with all views that are voiced on our stations, I will not condemn our talent for exercising their right to voice them,” Mays wrote.Though Blackwater USA CEO [...]