The Daily MuckJohn McCain has received a significant up-tick in contributions from the oil industry after he decided to reverse his position on offshore drilling. Since McCain’s decision to support offshore drilling in June, McCain has received over $1 million in donations compared to only having received $208,000 in June. (Washington Post)
The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction plans to release a report today detailing the problems at a prison in Khan Bani Saad which has become a symbol of government waste. The report also faults Parsons construction group for poorly managing millions of dollars in contracts. (AP)
In more bad news for Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), the New York Times reveals today that he has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from Harlem’s biggest real estate companies. This news comes after Rangel has decided to give up a highly criticized rent-stabilized apartment in Harlem. (New York Times)
John McCain’s campaign is “laden” with lobbyists according to a story in Monday’s New York Times. The lobbyists, who work for everything from telecommunications companies to foreign governments, are both advisers to the campaign as well as large fundraisers. (New York Times)
Millions of dollars are being donated to judicial races by special-interest groups trying to put justices on the bench who will carry their interests in mind. Wisconsin has epitomized this practice, when a campaign for one seat on the state’s Supreme Court ran to $6 million. (Chicago Tribune)
The process of hiring military contractors for assistance in Iraq is transferring over to Afghanistan at a high rate as the situation there worsens. The U.S. Agency for International Development is even looking to hire a contractor to coordinate what it calls “Justice Sector Development” in Afghanistan that would work with the U.S. and international organizations engaged in rule-of-law issues. (Washington Post)
An FBI agent testified at the military commission of Osama bin Laden’s driver, Salim Hamdan, Friday, accusing him of being integral in helping bin Laden succeed. The agent argued that if it was not for all of the small support bin Laden got from people like Hamdan, his plans would have gone nowhere. (LA Times)
