Top Items:
CNN:
House panel defies Bush, votes for subpoenas … WASHINGTON (CNN) — House Democrats voted Wednesday to give their leaders the authority to force White House officials to testify on the firings of U.S. attorneys. — The House Judiciary subcommittee vote was to authorize subpoenas.
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Nico / Think Progress:
VIDEO: Former Reagan U.S. Attorney Blasts Administration Over Purge — As Atrios noted, former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), who served as a U.S. Attorney under President Reagan, appeared today on CNN. — Barr blasted the White House, saying "the integrity of the Department of Justice is being used …
New York Times:
House Panel Authorizes Subpoenas for Top Bush Aides — A House Judiciary subcommittee today authorized subpoenas for Karl Rove, President Bush's political adviser, and other senior White House officials in the investigation into the firing of eight United States attorneys.
Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
"The Math" — (Electoral college numbers map via The Talent Show.)
"The Math" — (Electoral college numbers map via The Talent Show.)
Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:
Gore Implores Congress to Save Planet — WASHINGTON (AP) - Al Gore, who has reversed his political fortunes to become a potential contender in the 2008 presidential race, made an emotional return to Congress Wednesday in an appeal for an even more dramatic rescue—saving the planet.
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epw.senate.gov:
GORE REFUSES TO TAKE PERSONAL ENERGY ETHICS PLEDGE — WASHINGTON, DC - Former Vice President Al Gore refused to take a "Personal Energy Ethics Pledge" today to consume no more energy than the average American household. The pledge was presented to Gore by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) …
Susan Estrich / Fox News:
About Cathy Seipp — On Monday, her daughter Maia sent the e-mail that Cathy Seipp's friends and readers have long been dreading. Her mother was in the hospital, her lungs had collapsed, the doctors were trying to make her comfortable, she was passing peacefully.
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Valerie J. Nelson / Los Angeles Times:
Catherine Seipp, 49; critic took on Times — Catherine Seipp, a writer and media critic who became known in the 1990s for her pointed coverage of the Los Angeles Times in Buzz magazine, has died. She was 49. — Seipp, a nonsmoker who was diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago …
Lewis Fein / Cathy's World:
In Praise of Susan Estrich, and In Memory of the Loss of Cathy — We lost Cathy at 2:05 PM today. May her memory last, her family persevere and her friends endure this terrible loss. We'll all have more to write shortly, but for now I'd like to truly praise Susan Estrich.
Nico / Think Progress:
A second set of emails from the gap. — We've tracked down another set of emails during the 18-day gap (available HERE) between Kyle Sampson and Brent Ward, the head of the federal obscenity task force. In the emails, Ward complains about resistance from several U.S. Attorneys …
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Robert Gehrke / Salt Lake Tribune:
E-mail complaints show Ward's frustration with smut campaign — WASHINGTON - In a frank e-mail exchange, Brent Ward complained to senior Justice Department officials about resistance from several U.S. Attorneys to prosecuting obscenity cases. — Those complaints apparently contributed to the later …
Discussion:
Angry Bear
Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
An Email in The Gap — As Josh noted and The Politico reported last night, there appeared to be an 18-day gap in the emails released by the Justice Department Monday night, a gap right after Alberto Gonzales' chief of staff Kyle Sampson said that they should run the purge plan by the White House and Karl Rove in particular.
Newsdesk / The Swamp:
Snow swallows own old words — "What kinds of conversations does executive privilege protect?...What are the limits on privilege?'' a newspaper columnist wrote in the spring of 1998 on a subject strangely familiar today. — "Evidently, Mr. Clinton wants to shield virtually any communications …
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Arianna Huffington / The Huffington Post:
Who Created "Hillary 1984"? Mystery Solved! — For the last two weeks, the Internet has been buzzing about the hottest online mystery since lonelygirl15: who was behind the "Hillary 1984" video mashup? — Some suspected right wing SwiftBoaters. Some speculated it was the work of disaffected Democratic consultants.
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Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Colorado Senate: Leading Republican to Exit Race — UPDATE, 6:30 p.m. ET: McInnis made it official this afternoon, releasing a statement to the press that the race wasn't right for his family. McInnis's departure leaves Republicans without an obvious candidate, although chatter surrounding …
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Steve Bainbridge / ProfessorBainbridge.com ®:
Mahoney Must Go — The LA Times reports: … Canon 387 of the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church states that: … Can a Bishop who has lied to his flock on such a key mttner be said to be in compliance with Canon 387? No. Especially given Mahoney's long track record of other misfeasances …