Tuesday, April 21, 2009

climate change, health care, cuba, Israel, torture...


Think Fast

Congress is launching the “mother of all climate weeks” today, where 54 witnesses will "testify on climate change legislation in three full days before the House Energy and Commerce Committee." Among the witnesses set to testify are former Vice President Al Gore, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The debate over health care reform is intensifying as liberals are warning their Democratic allies to resist caving. Recently, more than 70 House Democrats "warned party leaders that they will not support a broad health reform bill that does not offer consumers a government-sponsored policy, and two unions withdrew from a high-profile health coalition because it would not endorse a public plan."

A new poll released yesterday found that 67 percent of Cuban-Americans "now support the removal of all restrictions for travel to Cuba, an 18-point increase from three years ago, when the same question was asked." Despite the community's "reputation for loyalty to Republicans, the poll found widespread approval for Mr. Obama," with 67 percent having a favorable or somewhat favorable opinion.

"House leaders in both parties were publicly mum" in the wake of a CQ report yesterday alleging that Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) "engaged in a quid pro quo with a suspected Israeli agent to advance her stature in Congress." Further, "the Republican messaging machine, usually quick to churn out e-mails alerting reporters to every alleged ethical misstep by a Congressional Democrat, stayed silent on the news."

Three Bush administration lawyers who signed the OLC torture memos -- John Yoo, Jay Bybee, and Steven Bradbury -- "are the subjects of a coming report by the Justice Department’s ethics office that officials say is sharply critical of their work." The office has the "power to recommend disbarment or other professional penalties or, less likely, to refer cases for criminal prosecution."

Posted via web from jimnichols's posterous

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