The Daily Muck

President Bush yesterday refused to comment on questions about the recent Israeli bombing in Syria. However, according to the Washington Post, anonymous government sources have confirmed that Israel did in fact attack a suspected nuclear site that was being created with an undetermined amount of North Korean assistance. Further, the U.S. shared intelligence on the site with Israel prior to the attack. (Washington Post)

A former financial manager of the Iraq reconstruction, Robert Raggio, is under investigation. Raggio quit his government job for the private sector, where he helped his company get a contract to fight fraud in Iraq. Turns out, it’s illegal to write policy guidelines for the government while at the same time pursing a government contract that’s under the purview of those guidelines. (USA TODAY)

Michael Mukasey, President Bush’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General, is out to prove that he ain’t no Alberto. In a move that sharply distinguishes him from his predecessor, Mukasey has vowed to
fire any Justice Department employee who shares sensitive case information with the White House without his approval. (Boston Globe)

At least one lawmaker is attacking the politicization of fear. Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) attacked Republicans and the administration alike for hyping bogus claims of impending terror this past August in order to facilitate the passing of an exceptionally broad FISA reform act, calling the move part of the “Rovian strategy of using terrorism as a wedge political issue.” (Think Progress)

CREW has been busy. First, it has filed an FEC complaint against Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) for failingto disclose information about his campaign supporters, including failing to list the occupation and employer information for 40% of funds raised. In addition, the watchdog group is going after Rep. Davis Scott (D-GA) for tax evasion and using his office resources to help his campaign. (CREW, AP)

Representative Jerry Weller (R-Ill) will be announcing his retirement today. He leaves Congress just as the Washington watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, crowned him one of the 22 most
corrupt members of Congress. (Chicago Sun Times)

CQ has an excellent article on the increasing scrutiny of Representative Don Young’s (R-AK) ethics problems. Potential candidates are smelling blood in the water and lining up to take on Young in 2008. (CQ Politics.com)

An anonymous Republican Senator, identified by Think Progress as Tom Coburn (R-OK), has placed a secret hold on a law that would restore public access to presidential records. Two other senators were initially suspects but their offices have denied involvement while Coburn’s office has refused comment. The secret hold is part of an attempt to undermine the Democratic bill nullifying Bush’s executive order of 2001 that called for many executive materials to be kept secret “in perpetuity.” (Think Progress and The Dallas Morning News)