The Political Chase

A TPC Roundup

I have some personal business I must address today, therefore posting will be limited. However, I’ve provided a brief update on some of the hot topics of the day.

Stay the Course

Contrary to President Bush’s insinuation Monday that troop withdrawals may be possible, the AP reports Bush’s advisers have recommend he continue his current failed strategy in Iraq and that Bush “is unlikely to order more than a symbolic cut in troops before the end of the year, administration officials”

Official GAO Report

The GAO’s official report on Iraq was released yesterday. Instead of failing 15 of 18 benchmarks as reported in the leaked draft report, the GAO determined 11 of 18 benchmarks were considered failing. According to The Gate:

Analysts revised their draft assessments after some back-and-forth with the State Department and DOD. For instance, GAO had initially characterized goals for the training and readiness of Iraqi brigades in Baghdad as “not met.” But after “the U.S. commander embedded with the units attested to their fighting capabilities,” and with the help of additional data, GAO upgraded its rating to “partially met.”

Bush Wants More Nukes

President Bush, meeting with Asia-Pacific leaders in Sydney, Australia yesterday, declared nuclear power is the silver bullet for global warming.

Nuclear power is a key to tackling climate change. If you truly care about greenhouse gases, then you’ll support nuclear power. After all, nuclear power enables you to generate electricity without any greenhouse gases. (Emphasis added.)

You just can’t hide brilliance can you?

Sounds like Mr. Bush is pursuing economies of scale. Employ the same concepts of his Iraq strategy into the country’s energy strategy. As I understand it, it takes approximately 10 years to build a nuclear power plant, which exceeds the time frame necessary to mitigate some of the most serious consequences of global warming.

Shifting Positions

Sen. Larry Craig is reconsidering his resignation from the Senate. Roll Call (sub. req.) obtained a voice mail message that Craig “inadvertently left at a wrong number.”

“Yes, Billy, this is Larry Craig calling. You can reach me on my cell. [Sen.] Arlen Specter [R-Pa.] is now willing to come out in my defense, arguing that it appears, by all that he knows, that I’ve been railroaded and all of that,” Craig said on the voice mail. “Having all of that, we’ve reshaped my statement a little bit to say it is my ‘intent’ to resign on Sept. 30.

“I think it is very important for you to make as bold a statement as you are comfortable with this afternoon and I would hope you could make it in front of the cameras,” Craig continued. “I think it would help drive the story that I am willing to fight, that I’ve got quality people out there fighting in my defense, and that this thing could take a new turn or a new shape; it has that potential.”

Terrorist Attacks Averted

German authorities arrested three suspects planning to carry out “imminent” and “massive” bomb attacks on a U.S. air base in Germany and the Frankfurt airport. According to reports, the group “received terrorist training in Pakistan and had close ties to al Qaeda.”

Keeping Up with “Slick Willy”

Bill Clinton has released a new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World. Maybe President Bush will move it to the top of his reading list.