Q U O T A B L E S

May 6, 2006

J U S T   P O L I T I C S

Goss out/Hayden in at CIA?

The Associated Press reports that Monday the White House could nominate a new C.I.A. Director, with speculation leaning heavily towards Gen. Michael Hayden:

The leading candidate to replace him [outgoing Porter Goss] is Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, top deputy to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, said a senior administration official. An announcement could come as early as Monday.

Hayden was National Security Agency director until becoming the nation's No. 2 intelligence official a year ago. Since December, he has aggressively defended the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program. He was one of its chief architects.

Hayden, the highest ranking military intelligence officer, has been brought into management challenges before. In 1999, he was tapped to shake up the National Security Agency, as the Internet and new communications tools were frustrating the agency's eavesdroppers.

McCain protested

InsideHigherEd.com reports that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) may be welcome by his former Democrat senate colleague but not all the students agree:

For some students at the New School, in Manhattan, their institution and conservative politicians go together as well as Swiss cheese and peanut butter.

Bob Kerrey, the institution’s president and a former Democratic governor and senator from Nebraska, announced this spring that U.S. Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican and past and possibly future presidential candidate, would be the commencement speaker at the New School. Kerrey said the senator’s acceptance "is a big honor for our graduates and their families."

But hundreds of students, staff and faculty members at the institution of about 9,000 students have signed paper and online petitions that seek to revoke the invitation.

Republicans: no translation

The LA Times reports that Republican congressmen want to have the translation of ballots expire rather than renew those provisions of the Voting Rights Act:

A group of House Republicans wants to do away with bilingual ballots and translation assistance at the polls, a reflection of how tensions over immigration are pervading other issues.

As Congress readies to reauthorize the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the lawmakers are lobbying their colleagues to let the act's language assistance provisions expire.

Leading the effort is Rep Steve King (R-IA) according to the Times:

The Senate and House are to conduct committee hearings next week on reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), prime sponsor of letting the language assistance provision expire, plans to submit his proposal as an amendment in the House Judiciary Committee next week.

Bush made him do it

Reuters reports that lawyers for former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, are going to argue that Libby was acting on orders from President Bush:

The lawyer for former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby said on Friday he would argue that his client revealed intelligence on Iraq after Vice President Vice President Cheney authorized it and President George W. Bush declassified the information.

Democrats support illegal voting

Indiana will be the site of a court test case that will determine whether Democrats can make it easy for illegal voters to cast their vote. National and state Democrats are planning to appeal a federal court ruling upholding Indiana's new law requiring a photo ID to vote.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean argued that the law will keep some people from voting. Supporters of the new law say the state's voter identification law will help secure elections in Indiana.

click here to read past Daily Reports

paid for by the Iowa Presidential Watch PAC

P.O. Box 171, Webster City, IA 50595

about us  /    /  homepage