Just POlitics

U.N. investigation extended

The NY Times reports on expanded investigations into the United Nations:

A House panel investigating charges of corruption and mismanagement in the oil-for-food program in Iraq announced Wednesday that it was expanding its inquiry to include suspected abuses at other United Nations agencies.

Representative Dana Rohrabacher, the California Republican who leads the International Relations Committee's new subcommittee on oversight and investigations, said at its first hearing that the panel intended to explore accusations of wrongdoing and mismanagement highlighted by recent internal United Nations audits.

Recent reports have also come to light about other U.N. agencies’ mismanagement. A weather service agency of the U.N. recently disclosed a $3 million embezzlement.

Koffi Annan recently sent an envoy to meet with Congress to try and restore trust in the U.N. The Times reports that Democrats were more trusting of the Secretary General’s ability to reform the U.N. than the Republicans:

In general, Republicans were more critical. Mr. Rohrabacher said that he was "not satisfied" by the meeting and was not persuaded that Mr. Malloch Brown would provide the level of cooperation Congress seeks. He said he told Mr. Malloch Brown that "something stinks about this situation and the smell is emanating from the executives offices of the United Nations."

The United Nations envoy also said he could not rule out the possibility that other officials might be implicated in the oil-for-food scandal in addition to Benon V. Sevan, the former leader of the program.

Koch: columnist racist

Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch is taking on African American columnist Les Payne for what he says were racist remarks directed at President Bush.

Koch wrote the following to Newsday in response to Payne’s column:

"Payne described the president as having 'simian lips.' The definition of simian in Webster's Dictionary is, ‘Relating to, characteristic of, or resembling an ape or monkey.’

"Payne is entitled to his journalistic opinion," Koch wrote. "However, he is not entitled to use the columns of Newsday to voice his racism. I believe that Newsday's senior editors had an obligation to edit out his vulgar and racist remark."

Conservative reporter ‘blogged’

A reporter for Talon News has been driven from his craft because of liberal blogs, according to the New London, CT. newspaper, The Day:

Jeff Gannon, who had been writing for the Web sites Talon News and GOPUSA, is actually James Dale Guckert, 47, and has been linked to online domain addresses with sexually provocative names. He has been under scrutiny since asking Bush how he could work with Senate Democratic leaders "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality." The information about Gannon was posted on the liberal sites Daily Kos, Atrios and World o' Crap.

Democratic activists have begun a petition drive at democrats.com, seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate any links between Gannon and the White House press operation.

Dean promises Democrat gains

"After 2006, we will make major strides in regaining that building, and in 2008 we're going to have it," Howard Dean said to a crowd of young people gathered in a restaurant-brewery in D. C. as he pointed to the capitol. "In 2008, there will be a Democrat walking down Pennsylvania Avenue to the other end."

According to the Associated Press Dean offer an energetic outlook on his likely chairmanship of the Democrat National Committee:

"We have to never be afraid to say what we believe," Dean said, as the crowd roared its approval. "Above all, we need to stand up for a different vision."

The AP also reported that Sen. John Kerry was contributing $1 million to the DNC:

"A new DNC chair will be elected at the end of this week," Kerry wrote in an e-mail to 3 million supporters. "Let's make sure he has everything he needs to start strong."

Washington Post stands by story

The Washington Post came under attack from the White House when it ran a story with the headline that Medicare drug benefit could cost $1.2 trillion.

However the Post issued a statement that said they will stand by their story this time. Last Thursday the Post ran a correction after the White House complained about a Social Security story.

Hillary is the fairest of them all

According to a USA Today/CNN poll Hillary Clinton is the most popular Democrat as reported in AFP:

Clinton was backed by 40 percent of Democrats polled to run for the White House in the 2008 presidential election. She was followed by Massachusetts Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (25 percent) and his running mate John Edwards (17 percent).

On the Republican side, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani won the popularity contest with 34 percent of the vote, followed by former presidential hopeful and Senator John McCain (29 percent), and Florida Governor -- and brother to President George W. Bush - Jeb Bush (12 percent).

White House supports immigration bill

The White House offered a qualified endorsement of House legislation to prohibit immigrants from using state drivers licenses as identification for boarding airliners and entering federal buildings.

"I am very happy the administration has clarified its position and they're on board trying to make our borders more secure," said Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the bill's sponsor.

Democrats shocked

Democrats continued to act shocked by the fact that the Medicare prescription drug benefit increased in cost after the first two years.

When Congress passed the legislation, the ten-year projection had the first two years where a prescription discount was offered. Those years cost approximately $5 billion a year. Now, the ten-year projection includes the prescription benefit for every year, thus increasing the cost from approximately $545 billion to $720 billion.

The Democrats would have us believe that they didn’t know how to read the projections and were unable to divide $545 billion by eight to determine what the additional cost. Democrats, none the less, continue to argue for an investigation or probe into the matter.

"I'm shocked and dismayed . . . that the Medicare prescription drug benefit will now cost anywhere from $720 billion to $1.2 trillion over 10 years," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.). "I believe the Senate Finance Committee should investigate the process used to estimate the cost of this bill."