Swamp Sunrise

Posted by Frank James at 8:41 pm CDT

Maybe it's because it's the last day of the month and their gameplan called them to get it out by the end of July. Whatever the case, congressional Democrats today made public a letter they've sent to President Bush which chides him for so far failing to produce, in the estimation of the Democratic lawmakers and a good many of the American people, a winning strategy for Iraq.

The letter offered suggestions on how to improve matters in the strife-torn nation enough to allow the U.S. to declare victory and bring its troops home.

Posted by Frank James at 5:19 pm CDT

If you're a foreigner seeking asylum in the U.S. it can make a huge difference which federal immigration judge gets assigned your case, according to a very interesting study out today.

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, examined federal data from fiscal year 1994 to fiscal year 2005 for 208 immigration judges.

Posted by Mark Silva at 2:15 pm CDT

David Paulison, the former Miami firefighter who inherited the shamed director’s office at the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the calamity known as Hurricane Katrina, says: “I want to make this country proud of FEMA again.’’

“Hot enough for you?’’ David Paulison asked reporters today in Miami, where President Bush was touring the Tropical Prediction Center at the National Hurricane Center. “It’s my home, and even living here my whole life it’s still sometimes tough to get used to the heat. And without that ocean breeze, it would be kind of unbearable.’’ Some big ocean breezes will be blowing this summer and fall, and the administration maintains it will be ready for them this time.

Posted by Mark Silva at 10:50 am CDT

President Bush, continuing to pin his hopes for peace in the Middle East on a resolution from the United Nations, vowed today that he will press for “a lasting peace’’ between Israel and the militant Hezbollah organization.

“We will work toward a plan in the United Nations Security Council that addresses the root causes of the problem, so that whatever comes out of the Security Council will be able to last and that the people in both Lebanon and Israel will be able to grow -- be able to remain in peace,’’ the president said after breakfast in Miami this morning. “That’s what we want. We want there to be a long-lasting peace, one that's sustainable.’’

Posted by Frank James at 10:33 am CDT

Anthony Cordesman, the noted defense and security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, has some thoughts today about what the Israel Defense Force's killing of civilians in Qana, Lebanon means for military planners and policymakers. In his new analysis he is a man exasperated by what he's heard from Israeli officials over the past 24 hours.

Israeli officials have blamed Hezbollah for Qana, saying that the Islamist militia places its rocket launchers in civilian areas, endangering the lives of innocent people.

Cordesman writes:

The officer or official who responds by accusing such enemies of being cowards or endangering their own people is simply stupid, incompetent, and obsolete. Quite aside from the fact that the US and UK found no problem in using the same tactics against Nazi Germany, and democratic resistance fighters have used them in many wars, such talk is based on the fundamental strategic and tactical fallacy that wars have rules based on the past. Enemies always seek to fight on advantageous terms and modern enemies will seek to fight below our level of conventional military advantage at the tactical level and above it at the ideological level.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Monday, July 31, as collected by the Associated Press.

President Bush is talking about the economy in a Miami speech and later attending a Republican National Committee reception.

July 31 - Aug. 4. CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS CONFERENCE — Young America's Foundation will host its 28th annual National Conservative Student Conference. More than 400 participants from 39 states and 179 colleges and universities will convene to learn about conservative ideas and how to advance them

9 a.m. Patrick Coyle and Roger Custer, Young America's Foundation, speaks on ``How to Start a Revolution on Your Campus.’’

11 a.m. Dr. Burt Folsom, Hillsdale College, speaks on ``Myth of the Robber Barons.’’

1 p.m. Address by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

3 p.m. National Journalism Center Panel - ``Young Leaders of the Media, with Amanda Carpenter, Human Events; Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review’ and Elisha Blakenship of the ``Sean Hannity Show.

7 p.m. Dinner Banquet featuring John Stossel, co-anchor of 20/20 and author of ``Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel--Why Everything You Know is Wrong.’’
Location: George Washington University, Marvin Center, 800 21st St. NW.

Posted by Mark Silva at 9:45 pm CDT and updatd at 7:30 pm, 7/31/06

President Bush dined tonight at Joe's Stone Crab, arguably the best restaurant in South Florida and certainly one of the most unique. And this just in: For the president, whose interests in TV news run more to ESPN than to CNN, the dinner table at Joe's included a lineup of Miami Dolphins stars: Retired Quarterback Dan Marino, ex-linebacker Nick Buoniconti, ex-running back Jim Kiick, and ex-tight end Jim Mandick, as well as actor Andy Garcia, whose film, Lost City, is a lament for the glory of the old Havana and ridicules the Cuban revolution, as well as, of course, brother Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida.

The president also logged three telephone calls to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Middle East today, as well as one to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, with whom he spoke for about 10 minutes. Yet, as the crisis in the Middle East achieved new proportions today, the White House defended the president's overnight sojourn to South Florida – where he will attend a Republican National Committee fundraiser on Monday – as a necessary part of presidential business. This also was the last night of the summer season at Joe's, an exquisite dining tradition in Miami Beach which won't open again until the fall.

Posted by Frank James at 6:32 pm CDT

As could be expected, the killing of the civilians in Qana, Lebanon by an Israeli air strike dominated the Sunday Washington talk shows.

Fox News Sunday with Britt Hume had perhaps the most interesting piece of color. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was meeting with the Israeli defense minister at the very moment when word came of the tragic bombing that killed at least 60 people, many of them children.

Posted by Cam Simpson at 5:06 pm CDT

(Swamp note: Cam is traveling with Sectary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Middle East.)

The following is a statement from Adam Ereli, the deputy State Department spokesman, issued in Jerusalem at about midnight:

"Israel has agreed to a 48-hour suspension of aerial activity in southern Lebanon while it investigates today's tragic incident in Qana. Israel has of course preserved the right to take action against targets preparing attacks against them. During this time Israel will coordinate with the UN to allow a 24-hour period of safe passage for all residents of Southern Lebanon who wish to leave. Humanitarian convoys remain in effect. We expect that Israel will implement these decisions so as to significantly speed and improve the flow of humanitarian aide. The US welcomes this decision and hopes that it will help relieve the suffering of children and families of Southern Lebanon."

Posted by David Lightman at 11 am CDT

Every day, faxes pour into Room 232 of the Hart Senate Office Building telling the story of the bruising battle between Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont.

Federal election law requires both contenders in the August 8 Connecticut U. S. Senate primary to file daily notices of big contributions, and Lieberman each day submits several pages of donors, a list that usually contains familiar names—members of Congress, Fortune 500 companies, and well-connected Washington big shots.

Posted by Mark Silva at 11:10 am CDT

We hadn't thought of David Bromberg very often since 1971, when we watched him play in the coffee houses of Saratoga and basement clubs of Harvard Square, but suddenly, watching him play last night in a music hall just outside of Washington, we were reminded all over again of what it means to fret about what has become of our best ideals – or, as Bromberg would have it: What 's become of the country we call home?

"What has become of my beautiful town?'' Bromberg sang, mournfully, at the close of a stirring set of acoustic blues, bluegrass and "Library of Congress'' folklore accompanied by a trio of angelic singers including his wife, the aptly named Angel Band. But lately, he explained, breaking away from the lyrics and carrying his audience into a monologue about lost civil liberties in the land of the free, he has thought not so much about his hometown of Tarrytown as he sings his Kaatskill Serenade, but instead about his country, which he no longer recognizes for its detainment of criminal suspects without trial, torture of combatants and operation of prisons in lands that condone treatment illegal back home.

Photo of David Bromberg: By Nicholas Wilson, Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival, June 25-27, 2004, Laytonville, California

Posted by Frank James at 3:32 pm CDT

House members are close to starting their nearly six-week long summer recess. But there were some loose ends to take care of, including sessions with reporters for both Republican and Democratic leaders. The journalists' questions were noticeably influenced by the political parties' respective standing in the polls.

Some questions asked of House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) at his Capitol Hill press conference Thursday, for instance, reflected the political challenges House Republicans face in maintaining House control.

Posted by Mark Silva at 3:20 pm CDT

With a sea of red, white and blue U.S. and British flags lining the Cross Hall of the White House for the appearance of President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair in the East Room today, it was clear that Bush could not allow this first public appearance of the two since they were overheard on an open microphone last week exchanging frank and colorful views to pass without some comment from Bush.

And comment Bush did.

(British Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, and President Bush speak to reporters during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, July 28, 2006. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Posted by Frank James at 1:52 pm CDT

Earlier this month, my colleague Bill Neikirk blogged about the potential for a return of stagflation, the dreaded twin curses of a stagnant economy and rising inflation.

As he wrote then, it would premature to say we've arrived at the point of stagflation. But today's gross domestic product report which indicates that the economy grew during the second quarter at less than half the first-quarter rate did at the same time an important inflation gauge came in higher than some analysts expected, put a momentary stagflationary shiver through me.

Posted by Frank James at 12:03 pm CDT

Reporters at the Pentagon were briefed on Iraq today by U.S. Army Col. John Tully, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, who joined reporters by videoconference from Camp Liberty, Baghdad.

He was asked about the impact on troop morale of the news that many soldiers who had expected to be returning to the states soon would instead be ordered to stay on as the U.S. military increases its presence in Baghdad in an effort to counter high levels of sectarian violence there.

Here's the colonel's exchange with reporters.

REPORTER: Colonel, Mike Emanuel with Fox News. With news yesterday that some soldiers, not your soldiers, but some soldiers are having their tours extended and they're being redeployed to Baghdad, as an officer do you worry about the morale that it would have on those soldiers, your soldiers, to see tours extended to Baghdad?

TULLY: Well, you know, a year is a long time over here and none of us look forward to being extended. But we all knew what the chances were coming over here. I know before we deployed in the 4th Infantry Division, we told everybody -- the CG, me, everybody told the soldiers it's a year-long tour but you got to be prepared to serve longer. And we don't like it, but we're soldiers and we do what we're told. And times like this is when leadership has to step up and drive on to get the mission accomplished.

Posted by Frank James at 10:04 am CDT

The White House political operation, like other Republican operatives in town, tries to be very helpful to us Washington reporters, often sending us press releases under the heading "In case you missed it...," pointing out information that is favorable to the Bush administration or Republicans generally.

This morning, the White House Communications Office emailed under the "In case you miss it..." rubric a column that ran in today's Washington Post. It's by Peter Beinart, editor-at-large of the New Republic, a liberal publication which must be as much fun for people in the White House to read as the National Review is over at the Democratic National Committee.

Posted by Frank James at 9:09 am CDT

David Lightman of the Chicago Tribune's sister paper, the Hartford Courant, has a story in his paper today about the effort of the Senate's most endangered incumbent Democrat, Sen. Joe Lieberman, to change the channel, so to speak, from his support for the Iraq War to other issues that place him more in line with Connecticut Democrats.

Here's the story:

Lieberman Leans On Democrat Record

WASHINGTON -- When Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was speaking to a joint session of Congress this week, was Joe Lieberman trying to change the subject?

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Friday, July 28, as collected by the Associated Press.

President Bush is meeting with British prime minister Tony Blair.

The Commerce Department is releasing the report on the Gross Domestic Product for the 2nd quarter at 7:30 a.m.

Posted by Frank James at 3:35 pm CDT

The Bush administration has sometimes criticized Capitol Hill for leaks. Today there was one more leak and it happened right before the eyes of John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

As Bolton testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of his confirmation hearings, water began dripping from the ceiling of the august hearing room.

(U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday, July 27, 2006. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.)

Posted by Frank James at 12:55 pm CDT

So was Michael Steele, the Republican candidate for one of Maryland's U.S. Senate seats, engaging earlier this week in a calculated distancing of himself from President Bush and the Republican party when he said some uncomplimentary things about both?

Sure. That's the way to go this year if you're a Republican trying to win a very competitive race.

Posted by Mark Silva at 9:10 am CDT, updated 10:55 am, 2:40 pm

Here was President Bush, surrounded by Republican and Democratic congressional leaders, potential candidates f