Stonewalled by the C.I.A. (by Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton, chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the 9/11 commission)
As a legal matter, it is not up to us to examine the C.I.A.’s failure to disclose the existence of [the detainee interrogation] tapes. That is for others. What we do know is that government officials decided not to inform a lawfully constituted body, created by Congress and the president, to investigate one the greatest tragedies to confront this country. We call that obstruction.

Bush Issues Signing Statement Undermining Sudan Accountability And Divestment Act (Think Progress)
[Monday], President Bush signed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, which makes it easier for “states, local governments and private investors to cut investment ties with Sudan as a way to pressure the Khartoum government into ending violence in the country’s Darfur region.” Both the House and the Senate passed the bill unanimously. [H]is signature on the legislation … was accompanied by a signing statement, in which he reserved the right to “overrule” divestment decisions if they conflict with administration foreign policy.

Bush signs government transparency bill
CRAWFORD, Texas – President Bush on Monday signed a bill aimed at giving the public and the media greater access to information about what the government is doing. The new law toughens the Freedom of Information Act, the first such makeover to the signature public-access law in a decade.
And is there a signing statement for this bill, too?  This is the most secretive administration ever, and I can’t imagine them just rolling over on this issue.

Military use of unmanned aircraft soars
The military’s reliance on unmanned aircraft that can watch, hunt and sometimes kill insurgents civilians has soared to more than 500,000 hours in the air, largely in Iraq, The Associated Press has learned.

Privacy groups blast new passport tech
Passport cards for Americans who travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will be equipped with technology that allows information on the card to be read from a distance. The technology was approved Monday by the State Department and privacy advocates were quick to criticize the department for not doing more to protect information on the card, which can be used by U.S. citizens instead of a passport when traveling to other countries in the western hemisphere.
And could also be used by merchants to record our visits to their stores, which could be matched up to our purchases there, along with our library visits and all sorts of other activities.

Final ‘Iowa Poll:’ Obama & Huckabee ahead of rivals (On Politics, USA Today)
“Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has widened his lead in Iowa over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards heading into Thursday’s nominating caucuses, according to The Des Moines Register’s final Iowa Poll before the 2008 nominating contests.

Another Iowa Poll Shows Different Results (Political Wire)
[A] new CNN/Opinion Research poll says Sen. Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney are leading [in Iowa].

New Poll: Still a Toss Up in Iowa
Political Wire got an advance look at a new Strategic Vision poll in Iowa that shows Sen. Barack Obama leading the Democratic presidential race with 32% support, followed by John Edwards at 29% and Sen. Hillary Clinton at 27%. On the Republican side, Mitt Romney leads with 30%, followed by Mike Huckabee at 28%; Sen. John McCain at 16% and Fred Thompson at 13%. Like other polls we’ve seen in the last week, both races are essentially statistical ties.

Second Choices Give Edwards Clear Lead in Iowa (Political Wire)
An InsiderAdvantage tracking poll in Iowa shows a statistical tie between Sen. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards in the Democratic presidential race with Sen. Barack Obama starting to lag. Clinton leads with 30%, followed by Edwards at 29%, and Obama at 22%, with 14% committed to other candidates and 5% undecided. The poll has a margin of error of 3.4%. Important finding: Edwards was the second choice of 62% of those who supported other candidates that did not receive the required 15% of the vote. Clinton was the second choice of 21% and Obama of 17%.

If Not Viable, Kucinich Urges Supporters To Caucus For Obama (Hotline on Call, The National Journal)
That’s not a very big ‘if’ … But ok, a purely hypothetical IF Dennis Kucinich fails to make the 15 percent viability threshold in Iowa precincts, he wants his supporters to caucus for Barack Obama.

Edwards Calls for Quick Pullout of Troops Training Iraqi Forces
John Edwards says that if elected president he would withdraw the American troops who are training the Iraqi army and police as part of a broader plan to remove virtually all American forces within 10 months.

Obama: Gore, Kerry Alienated “Half the Country” (Spin Cycle, Newsday)
In a speech [Monday] afternoon in central Iowa, Barack Obama seems to have widened his criticism of the politics of the past to encompass not only Hillary Clinton but John Kerry and Nobel Laureate Al Gore. Making an argument for his electability, Obama said, “I don’t want to go into the next election starting off with half the country already not wanting to vote for Democrats — we’ve done that in 2004, 2000,” according to a person at the event.

Hillary: No tea-drinking in Bosnia, Barack (Hot on the Trail, McClatchy)
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton must be peeved by the suggestions that her international experience as First Lady doesn’t count for much. Barack Obama said a lot of it amounted to “drinking tea” in fancy surroundings; Chris Dodd said she “witnessed experience.”… “We used to have a saying in the White House,” Clinton said. “If a place is too dangerous, too small or too poor, send the First Lady.” Recalling a tense corkscrew landing at an airport in war-torn Bosnia, she said: “I don’t remember anybody offering me tea on the tarmac.”… UPDATE: According to Sen. Clinton’s autobiography, she was accompanied on the Bosnia trip by the comedian Sinbad and rocker Sheryl Crow, as well as daughter Chelsea.

Huckabee’s Remarkable Play (by Katharine Q. Seelye [!] at The Caucus, The New York Times)
DES MOINES — Talk about political jujitsu! Mike Huckabee [held] a press conference … in which he was supposed to unveil a new negative ad against arch rival Mitt Romney. But Mr. Huckabee came to the press conference and announced he’d had a change of heart and would not be broadcasting the ad after all. But wait! It gets better. He then broadcast it for a room crammed with reporters, photographers and television cameras… Telling you what’s in the ad, of course, plays into Mr. Huckabee’s strategy of getting his message out — Mr. Romney is bad — while being able to say his hands are clean.

Huckabee defends failure to read intelligence report
DES MOINES – Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee defended his failure to read the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran in early December, joking in an interview Monday that President Bush didn’t read intelligence reports for four years.– a report that showed Iran had discontinued its nuclear program – provided fuel for his critics who said he was a lightweight on foreign policy.
And because George Bush supposedly didn’t read intelligence reports, murder and mayhem have reigned around the world.  That really gives us confidence in your interest in being president, Gov. Huckabee.

Bloomberg Says (Again) He’s Not Running (Political Wire)
As New Yorkers waited for the crystal ball to drop in Times Square [Monday] night, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told Ryan Secrest on ABC he wasn’t going to launch an independent White House bid. Said Bloomberg: “No, I will not run for president, but I will speak out to try to get people to really focus on the issues and to get rid of partisanship and special interests.” This denial comes amid reports Bloomberg has authorized his political aides to lay the groundwork for a campaign.

McCain jumps to lead in one N.H. poll
Sen. John McCain has moved past fellow Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney in New Hampshire, according to a 7NEWS/Suffolk University Poll released earlier today. The state’s primary is set for Tuesday, and the survey of 300 “likely” Republican voters showed McCain with 31% support, Romney with 25% and Rudy Giuliani in third — but well behind — with 14%.

Outside Groups Spend Heavily and Visibly to Sway ’08 Races
Spurred by a Supreme Court decision, independent groups are committing resources as never before.

A Tale of Political Dirty Tricks Makes the Case for Election Reform
In New Hampshire’s hotly contested 2002 Senate race, Democratic get-out-the-vote phone banks were jammed with incoming calls on Election Day. The Republican John Sununu, won re-election by under 20,000 votes, and Allen Raymond, a Republican Party operative, went to jail for his role in the jamming. Mr. Raymond has now written a book about his experiences, “How to Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative.” In it, he paints a picture of the corruption of modern politics that should leave no doubt about the creativity and cynicism of operatives like Mr. Raymond or the need for tough new election-reform legislation.

Electronic Voting Is Questioned
With the presidential race in full swing, Colorado and other states have found critical flaws in the accuracy and security of their electronic voting machines, forcing officials to scramble to return to the paper ballots they abandoned after the Florida debacle of 2000. In December alone, top election officials in Ohio and Colorado declared that widely used voting equipment is unfit for elections.

Dropping Out of Electoral College
Maryland is the first state to pass the National Popular Vote (NPV) into law, and several others are right behind

Arizona firms brace for immigration sanctions law
[A] maker of steel frames for buildings is among an estimated 150,000 businesses across the desert state preparing for the measure that places Arizona at the vanguard of more than 100 U.S. states and municipalities taking on immigration enforcement. The law, passed days after a federal immigration overhaul died in the U.S. Senate in June, punishes first-time violators who knowingly hire undocumented workers with a 10-day suspension of their business licenses. A second offense means they lose it.
Of course, the pro-business folks claim that businesses are closing down and that no new ones are coming in to Arizona.  Next, they’ll claim that any proponent of the law is with the terrorists.

Dozens of gay couples enter into civil unions at New Hampshire Statehouse under new law
CONCORD, N.H. – Dozens of gay and lesbian couples entered into civil unions in New Hampshire in the early moments of New Year’s Day as a new state law legalized such arrangements after midnight.

Town wants to let seniors work off taxes
[Greenburgh, New York] is pushing a program that would let seniors work part-time, for $7 an hour, to help pay off some of their property taxes.