Most “New” Troops to Come from Forces Already Scheduled to be in Iraq
Of the 21,500 troops called for in President Bush’s speech last night, all but one major combat unit are either already in Iraq, or were scheduled to go there anyway. Most of the surge will come from “sending a few brigades earlier than planned and extending the tours of others.” And the highest troop level to come — 153,500, though the Pentagon hasn’t revealed when this number will be realized — will still be smaller than the 160,000 that were in Iraq after last year’s elections. (AP)
More Troops, Still not Enough Equipment to Save Lives
When Bush follows through with his just-announced troop surge, Iraq’s newest soldiers will experience a familiar problem: a lack of armor. (Baltimore Sun)
Sometimes Crime Does Pay
Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL) introduced a deal that would prevent future congressional felons from continuing to cash in on their pensions. Currently, “about 20 former senators and congressmen with felony rap sheets. . . receive the taxpayer-financed benefit.” (The Washington Times)
Battle over Abramoff White House Entrance Records Continues — Group Sues National Archives
Yesterday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sued the National Archives and Records Administration over NARA’s lack of response to CREW’s Freedom of Information Act request regarding the White House’s erstwhile visitor logs. (CREW)
And Dem Senator Wants Answers on Those Visitor Records
Yesterday, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asked why the Secret Service signed an agreement with the Bush administration to prevent public access to the logs. (AP)
Marianas Islands to Get Minimum Wage
Now that Tom DeLay is out of Washington and Jack Abramoff is no longer a free man, things are about to get better for factory workers on the Northern Mariana Islands. (ABC)
More Drama in Florida’s 13th District Post-Election Battle
The e-voting machine manufacturer behind the continuing confusion in Florida’s 13th demanded a court throw out a “threatening” letter from House Democrats. (Roll Call, sub. req.)
Family Ties Still Allowed
Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) failed in his bid to keep lawmakers’ relatives off their campaign and PAC payrolls. (Roll Call, sub. req.)
Campaign Finance Reform Won’t be Tied to Senate’s Ethics and Lobbying Bills
The Dems’ Senate Leadership has agreed not to tie “electronic disclosure provisions and other campaign finance matters” to any ethics and lobbying bills that come out of the chamber. (Roll Call, sub. req.)
Higher Fines for Financial Fraud
The Senate voted 93-2 to bump up, from $10,000 to $50,000, the maximum fine for “willful misrepresentations on the forms that broadly detail a public official’s source of income, assets and debts.” (AP)
