The Daily Muck

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said on CNN’s “Late Edition” that he may call Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to testify about his prosecution of Scooter Libby. (Bloomberg)

The benchmarks set forth in January by President Bush for the Iraqi government are becoming a problem for the Bush administration, as al-Maliki’s government appears to make little progress in reaching these goals. Instead, the administration is preparing an interim report due next week that will highlight “alternative” achievements. (Washington Post)

Approximately one-quarter of of the leadership positions at the Department of Homeland Security are unfilled, causing concern about the coverage of an agency staffed with providing counter-terrorism measures. (Washington Post)

An Ethiopian program of secret renditions has been operating with U.S. backing, and according to human rights activists holds at least 76 people captured while fleeing Somalia during last years year’s civil conflict. Activists fear that the prisoners are being held without any outside communication and may be subject to torture. (McClatchy Newspapers)

Is the world safer for Americans since 9/11? In the last six years, the number of posts deemed too dangerous for U.S. diplomat’s families has increased from 10 to 21. (USA TODAY)

Michael Isikoff explored Bush’s decision to commute Scooter Libby’s sentence, and finds that Bush uncharacteristically looked into the details of the case before making a decision. Either way, with Cheney looming, Bush might not have had a choice in the matter. (Newsweek)

Rep. Jim McDermott disclosed information from an decade-old, illegally-taped phone call involving Republican House leadership. Now he is taking a federal appeals court ruling that such a disclosure was illegal all the way to the Supreme Court. (Associated Press)

Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) have a lot in common: they both have broken with the President over Iraq, they both are facing tough elections and both are under serious ethics investigations. And both have a penchant for Skittles. (The Politico)

A former intern of Rep. Payne (D-NJ) has pleaded guilty to stealing the lawmaker’s stationery and stamped signature in order to obtain visas for eleven people. As part of an immigration compromise, interns will be given temporary work visas with the Rep. Payne, but the stationery box will be surrounded by a ten-foot wall. (Roll Call)

A month into the Atlantic hurricane season, another kind of storm is forming at the National Hurricane Center. Last Thursday, about half the staff at the National Hurricane Center called for the resignation of its director X. William Proenza. Proenza was reprimanded in June by his higher-ups at the National Weather Service for disregarding directions from his bosses and now NHC staff members claim Proenza overstated the importance of a weather satellite. Proenza said he will not resign. (NY Times)