Hillary takes her toughest drubbing on Iraq yet from her Dem rivals.
Update: Here’s some video of Obama’s slamming of Hillary’s vote for the war. Really worth a watch — it comes across as tougher than it did in print.
Justice Department official Mike Elston, who suggested 5 of the 26 names of U.S. attorneys who were at one point considered for firing, now says that he never meant any of those to be fired. He was just passing some names along.
McCain misses 42 Senate floor votes in a row. That and more political news of the day in today’s Election Central Happy Hour Roundup.
Best practices (from Wapo) …
The Commerce Department’s inspector general, who is supposed to look into complaints of wrongdoing by government officials, committed “egregious violations” of the federal law that protects whistle-blowers by retaliating against two subordinates, a government investigation has concluded.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel found that Inspector General Johnnie E. Frazier wrongly demoted the two employees during an investigation of his spending, according to a copy of the report obtained by The Washington Post. It concluded that Frazier’s actions violated the Whistleblower Protection Act.
Sigh …
McClatchy Newspapers has learned that the top prosecutors in Macon, Ga., and Roanoke, Va., landed on a proposed firing list weeks after the White House and Justice Department traded notes about the potential for voter-fraud cases in central Georgia and Appalachia. They were added to a list just days before last November’s midterm election, but ultimately not fired.
Sometimes something catches my eye that may not have any grand significance but I’ve got to write about it anyway.
Here I’m reading a CNN article about James Dobson, in which the grand inquisitor announces that he will not under any circumstances vote for, endorse or do anything else for Rudy Giuliani if he gets the Republican nomination. Fair enough.
But down here in the article we have the seventh graf that gives a quick background and we read that …
Dobson’s organization says his daily radio program is heard by as many as 220 million listeners over 3,500 stations in the United States. He’s also seen on 80 television stations, and 10 Focus on the Family magazines have 2.3 million subscribers, the group says.
Now, I know it says Dobson’s outfit ‘says’ and ‘as many as’. But couldn’t the reporter do a little brain work on this one? 220 million listeners? 2/3 of all Americans? I’m laughing even writing it. Actually, I should mention our new tagline for TPMtv — with as many as 1.7 billion viewers worldwide.
Okay, I’m done.
Late Update: TPM Reader BG points out that Dobson is claiming that his daily show is on approximately one out of three radio stations in the US. I’m sure he’s on quite a few; don’t know if that’s many. 220 million listeners? Pretty sure on that.
TV Preacher Superpowers Update: TPM Reader MS and several others point out that Pat Robertson can leg press 2000 pounds because of his mystical protein drink. So it’s important not to sell these guys short.
So Late It’s the Next Day Update: Okay TPM Reader KS points out it may be the CNN reporter who’s a goof. The Dobson page actually says 220 million in the whole world.
Today’s Must Read: what does it take for a lawmaker to get in trouble around here?
Harry Reid blasts McCain for multiple missed Senate votes. That and more political news of the day in today’s Election Central Morning Roundup.
Talks between the White House and Dem Congressional leaders over Iraq have just broken down and hit a wall.