Sen. Warner Calls On President Bush To Begin Iraq Withdrawal In September
Sen. John Warner (R-VA), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently returned from a visit to Iraq. Today, he held a press conference to discuss his impressions from that trip. Frustrated with the lack of political progress in Iraq, Warner said it is time to put some “meaningful teeth” into Bush’s claim that the U.S. commitment to Iraq “is not open-ended.” Warner said he is calling on President Bush to announce on Sept. 15 that he will “initiate the first step in a withdrawal”.

August 2007’s National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq
A new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the prospects for stability in Iraq concludes that while the security situation there has improved somewhat, the level of violence remains high, al Qaida in Iraq is still able to mount major attacks, Iraqi security forces are still unable to operate without American help and “to date, Iraq’s political leaders remain unable to govern effectively”.

Right-Wing Operatives Plot To Overthrow Maliki, Replace Him With Reliable Collaborator Allawi
The powerful Republican lobbying group of Barbour Griffith & Rogers is plotting an effort to displace Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and supplant him with former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi… BGR’s staff is stacked with conservative operatives with extremely close ties to the White House.

Draft report logs bleak outlook for Iran
WASHINGTON – A draft intelligence report on Iran suggests a change in the Tehran regime appears unlikely any time soon despite growing public anger over the country’s economic woes, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Intelligence Chief Reveals Details on Surveillance
[National Intelligence Director Mike ] McConnell confirmed for the first time that the private sector assisted with President Bush’s warrantless surveillance program. AT&T, Verizon and other telecommunications companies are being sued for their cooperation. ”Now if you play out the suits at the value they’re claimed, it would bankrupt these companies,” McConnell said, arguing that they deserve immunity for their help.
Didn’t this guy just tell us that CONGRESS discussing this program is dangerous?  But it’s okay for him to stand up for his telecom former clients.

Senate to hold hearings on Utah mine collapse.
When Congress returns, the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees labor issues will hold hearings on the collapse in a Utah mine that caused six coal miners to go missing. The committee wants mine co-owner Bob Murray to answer questions about the safety of the mine and “whether mining should have been conducted at Crandall Canyon at all because of the potential for collapses.”

US tasked to scan millions of containers
WASHINGTON – The specter of a nuclear bomb, hidden in a cargo container, detonating in an American port has prompted Congress to require 100 percent screening of U.S.-bound ships at their more than 600 foreign starting points.

ABA makes pitch for USSC crack amendments to be made retroactive
[Wednesday], the American Bar Association submitted a letter regarding the US Sentencing Commission’s 2008 priorities.  “Given the racially disparate impact of the 100:1 ratio and the public perception that our drug laws are racially discriminatory, making this amendment retroactive is the only fair and principled course.”

Arizona House member under investigation to retire
Arizona Rep. Rick Renzi is retiring at the end of his term, the National Republican Congressional Committee said tonight. The three-term congressman is under investigation in connection with a multimillion-dollar land deal that benefited one of his associates. He has denied wrongdoing.

E-voting predicament: Not-so-secret ballots
Two Ohio activists have discovered that e-voting machines made by Election Systems and Software and used across the country produce time-stamped paper trails that permit the reconstruction of an election’s results–including allowing voter names to be matched to their actual votes. Making a secret ballot less secret, of course, could permit vote selling and allow interest groups or family members to exert undue pressure on Ohio residents to vote a certain way.
Ballots are secret for some of the same reasons that campaign contributions should be secret.  That is, we should know who contributes and how much, but not to whom.  If candidates don’t know who’s contributing to their campaigns, they can’t pander to those people.

Calif. gov. wary of electoral-vote plan
LOS ANGELES – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gave a chilly reception Thursday to a GOP-backed plan to change the way California awards electoral votes in presidential elections — a proposal critics say could tilt the outcome in favor of Republicans.

Academia has ‘08 cash clout
Professors and others in the education field have given more to federal candidates running in 2008 than those who work in the oil, pharmaceutical, and computer industries… Analysts say the donations in this presidential election cycle are largely due to widespread opposition to the Bush administration and the Iraq war.
Just like the rest of the country.

Report: Most Gulf Coast Aid Failing To Reach Katrina Victims
Durham, NC – August 23 – Two years after the onslaught of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, much of the Gulf Coast is still in deep crisis — and Washington’s recovery plans remain plagued by red tape, failures of oversight and misguided priorities, keeping thousands of families in limbo… The study … reveals that, out of the $116 billion in Katrina funds allocated, less than 30% has gone towards long-term rebuilding-and less than half of that has been spent, much less reached those most in need.
I’ll bet that aid is reaching a finding its way into the pockets of the already rich, though.