An Inside-the-Bushies Mentality
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By David Ignatius
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A17
If you read the obituary pages of The Post each morning, you encounter
the kinds of people who are being trashed by the Bush administration's
contempt for public servants. On a typical day, perhaps a third of the
obits feature such people -- career lawyers at the Justice Department;
intelligence analysts at the CIA; researchers in government agencies.
These weren't fancy Beltway insiders. They weren't famous enough to be
asked their opinions on "Hardball" or "The McLaughlin Group." They
were civil servants who came to Washington in the 1940s, '50 and '60s
with their university degrees and a touch of idealism because they
wanted to make a difference. They were the mainstays of the churches
and synagogues and volunteer organizations of this region, the people
who stayed late to clean up after everybody else had gone home.
Choosing to Live
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By Eugene Robinson
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A17
It was riveting to watch John and Elizabeth Edwards tell the world
that even though her cancer has returned and is now deemed incurable,
the Edwards campaign for the presidency will go on. No hiatus. No
break from fundraising or travel. Just "keep your head up and keep
moving and be strong," the candidate said.
How could they possibly go on? I think there are better questions to
ask. How could they not go on? What choice did they have but to
continue with the mission they have set for themselves, and how else
could they do it but together, as a partnership?
Unnecessary Scandal
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By Charles Krauthammer
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A17
Alberto Gonzales has to go. I say this with no pleasure -- he's a
decent and honorable man -- and without the slightest expectation that
his departure will blunt the Democratic assault on the Bush
administration over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. In fact, it
will probably inflame their blood lust, which is why the president
might want to hang on to Gonzales at least through this crisis. That
might be tactically wise. But in time, and the sooner the better,
Gonzales must resign.
It's not a question of probity but of competence. Gonzales has allowed
a scandal to be created where there was none. That is quite an
achievement. He had a two-foot putt and he muffed it.
Executive Overreach
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The White House Is Taking Privilege Too Far
By Beth Nolan
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A17
The Framers of our Constitution envisioned that in the exercise of
their authorities, the two political branches would assert their
prerogatives against each other. A process of negotiation and
accommodation between the branches is what one would expect. That
process isn't elegant, but a push-pull between the branches doesn't
necessarily mean that anything is wrong.
What is going wrong today, however, is the take-it-or-leave-it
position of the White House.
E-Mails Show Machinations to Replace Prosecutor
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Administration Worked for Months to Make Rove Aide U.S. Attorney in
Arkansas
By Dan Eggen and Amy Goldstein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, March 23, 2007; A01
Two months before Bud Cummins was fired as U.S. attorney in Little
Rock, a protege of presidential adviser Karl Rove was maneuvering with
the Justice Department to take his place.
Last April, Tim Griffin, a Rove aide and longtime GOP operative, sent
the attorney general's chief of staff a flattering letter about
himself written by Cummins, the prosecutor he was trying to replace,
internal e-mails released this week show. Rove and Harriet Miers, then
the White House counsel, were keenly interested in putting him in the
position, e-mails reveal.
In a Changing China, News Show Thrives With Timeworn Ways
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By Edward Cody
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, March 23, 2007; A01
XIALU, China -- Wei Yi, a Beijing-based reporter for China Central
Television's main news program, stood with his microphone in front of
a little stone monument at the entrance to Xialu village. Against a
backdrop of orange trees, he told millions of Chinese viewers how a
government initiative had recently improved farmers' lives here with
construction of new roads.
"Convenient transportation was made possible by this stretch of road
that was just finished this year in the village," he intoned. "Outside
merchants can now quickly ship out freshly harvested fruit." Later,
viewers were presented with images of several dozen peasants, shovels
in hand, working in unison on a new road.
NBC, News Corp. Join to Take More Control of Web Video
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By Frank Ahrens and Alan Sipress
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, March 23, 2007; A01
Industry giants in media and entertainment are joining forces to build
a network for showing movies and television shows on the Web, creating
an Internet alliance of unprecedented reach to protect copyrighted
content while feeding demand for online versions of popular programs.
NBC Universal, owned by General Electric, and Rupert Murdoch's News
Corp. will begin offering most of their TV content -- hit shows such
as "Heroes" and "24" -- for free on AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN and
News Corp.'s MySpace, as well as a new site, this summer, the
companies said yesterday.
Immigration Reform Revisited
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Bipartisan Bill in House Includes Guest-Worker Program
By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A02
A bipartisan proposal for comprehensive immigration reform that would
allow millions of illegal immigrants to participate in a guest-worker
program and possibly gain citizenship was introduced in the House
yesterday, the first to be submitted since Democrats took control of
Congress this year.
The proposal from Reps. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Luis V. Gutierrez (D-
Ill.) is a far cry from a measure passed by the Republican-controlled
House in 2005 that focused on tough enforcement actions to reduce
illegal immigration. The House bill died in a conference committee
along with a competing Senate bill that was similar to the Flake-
Gutierrez proposal.
A Brave New World of Political Skulduggery?
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Anti-Clinton Video Shows Ease of Attack In the Computer Age
By Howard Kurtz and Jose Antonio Vargas
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A03
The instant popularity of an attack video that mocked Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) prompted plenty of talk this week about how an
ordinary citizen can influence political discourse by tapping into the
power of the YouTube culture.
But the unmasking of the filmmaker as an employee of a company on the
payroll of Clinton's Democratic presidential rival, Sen. Barack Obama
(Ill.), raises questions about whether the more old-fashioned art of
political chicanery was at play.
Senate Panel Approves Subpoenas for 3 Top Bush Aides
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By Paul Kane
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2007; A04
Escalating a potential legal showdown with President Bush, a Senate
committee yesterday approved three subpoenas to top administration
officials, including White House adviser Karl Rove, demanding sworn
testimony about what they knew of plans to fire eight U.S. attorneys.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, following similar action from a House
Judiciary subcommittee Wednesday, issued subpoenas for the testimony
of Rove, former White House counsel Harriet E. Miers and deputy White
House counsel William Kelley. Each was mentioned in e-mails retrieved
from the Justice Department regarding the planning to dismiss federal
prosecutors.
Stricter Immigration Law Dominates Smith Resume
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By Sylvia Moreno
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A05
Rep. Lamar S. Smith may boast an A-plus voting record rating from the
National Rifle Association, and he may be hailed in Republican circles
for trying to inject firearms into a D.C. voting rights bill. But his
crowning legislative achievement to date is a sweeping immigration
reform bill that not only targeted illegal immigrants, but also
foreigners living in the United States legally.
The Texas Republican, whose district encompasses part of San Antonio
and several counties in central Texas Hill Country, authored the
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 --
a law so far-reaching that analysts have compared it to "totally
rewriting the tax code of the United States," according to the Texas
Observer.
GAO Faults U.S. Military Over Munitions in Iraq
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Report Says Insurgents Took Unsecured Explosives
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A07
The U.S. military's faulty war plans and insufficient troops in Iraq
left thousands and possibly millions of tons of conventional munitions
unsecured or in the hands of insurgent groups after the 2003 invasion
-- allowing widespread looting of weapons and explosives used to make
roadside bombs that cause the bulk of U.S. casualties, according to a
government report released yesterday.
Some weapons sites remained vulnerable as recently as October 2006,
according to the Government Accountability Office report, which said
the unguarded sites "will likely continue to support terrorist attacks
throughout the region." For example, it said hundreds of tons of
explosives at the Al Qa Qaa facility in Iraq that had been documented
by the International Atomic Energy Agency were lost to theft and
looting after April 9, 2003.
Linked Killings Undercut Trust In Guatemala
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Culture of Corruption, Impunity Exposed
By Manuel Roig-Franzia
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, March 23, 2007; A10
GUATEMALA CITY -- It began with four charred bodies on a dirt road.
The victims had been kidnapped, investigators concluded, and two of
them burned alive. The men who were found that day in February on a
ranch outside Guatemala City turned out to be three Salvadoran
politicians and their chauffeur. Among them was Eduardo D'Aubuisson,
son of Roberto D'Aubuisson, the late founder of El Salvador's ruling
party and the alleged architect of death squads in the Salvadoran
civil war.
Three days later, four Guatemalan policemen were accused of the
killings and arrested. Three days after that, with international
attention trained on this country, the officers' throats were slashed
and they were shot in their cells. The prison murders have not been
solved.
Mugabe Foes to Join Talks in S. Africa
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By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A10
JOHANNESBURG, March 22 -- Zimbabwean opposition leaders plan to travel
to South Africa on Friday for urgent talks as regional governments
increase pressure on President Robert Mugabe following recent assaults
on anti-government activists.
The March 11 police beatings that hospitalized opposition leader
Morgan Tsvangirai and dozens of others have provoked growing unease
among African leaders who for years refrained from criticizing Mugabe,
even as Zimbabwe descended into political and economic chaos.
Mexican Envoy Highly Critical of U.S. Role in Anti-Drug Effort
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By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A11
The United States has contributed "zilch" to Mexico's efforts to
combat the nations' joint problem with criminal narcotics gangs,
Mexico's new ambassador to Washington said yesterday.
"We are going to need significantly more in cooperation from the
United States," Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan said, including increased
aid and intelligence and stepped-up U.S. efforts to stop the southward
flow of weapons, laundered money and chemicals for the production of
methamphetamines.
Six-Party Talks Break Down As N. Korea Balks on Funds
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By Maureen Fan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A12
BEIJING, March 22 -- The six-nation talks aimed at dismantling North
Korea's nuclear program broke down in Beijing on Thursday as top
envoys from Russia and North Korea flew home and the Chinese hosts
called a recess.
Delegates from Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, had been refusing
since Tuesday to take part in joint sessions until $25 million in
frozen North Korean funds was transferred. Their departure followed
repeated public assurances by Assistant Secretary of State Christopher
R=2E Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator, that the funds issue would not
derail the talks.
On Mideast Trip, Rice To Try a New Formula
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By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A13
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's new math for the Middle East may
include the following: Four plus two plus four. The unknown, as Rice
heads to the region today, is whether this will add up to the
beginnings of peace -- or to more stalemates and disappointment.
Rice has staked her final years as secretary on trying to make
progress on the creation of a Palestinian state. But her goals have
been thwarted by the changing realities on the ground. Her effort to
promote a regular dialogue between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, for instance, on
the contours of a Palestinian state ran afoul of Olmert's precarious
political position (including a 3 percent approval rating) and of
Abbas's decision to strike a unity accord with the militant group
Hamas -- a move that angered Israelis.
FEC Democrats Say Bush Violated Limits
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By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A15
The three Democrats on the Federal Election Commission revealed
yesterday that they strongly believe President Bush exceeded legal
spending limits during the 2004 presidential contest and that his
campaign owes the government $40 million.
Their concerns spilled out during a vote to approve an audit of the
Bush campaign's finances, which is conducted to make sure the campaign
adhered to spending rules after accepting $74.6 million in public
money for the 2004 general election.
A Cleaner Food and Drug Agency
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/opinion/23fri1.html
It is encouraging that the agency has proposed new rules to exclude
experts who have significant financial ties to regulated industries
from serving on committees that recommend whether a product should be
approved.
New Coin of the Realm
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Instead of addressing Venezuela's serious problems, President Hugo
Ch=E1vez has settled for more showmanship.
Foiled by the Gun Lobby
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A historic proposal for full representation in the House for the
District of Columbia was derailed by a Republican motion to attach a
ban on Washington's legitimate attempts to outlaw firearms in the city
limits.
No Sex, Please, We're French
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By STEPHEN CLARKE
The 2007 presidential election campaign in France is demonstrating
just how deep crypto-conservatism runs.
Our Cricket Problem
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By SHASHI THAROOR
Ever since the development of baseball, Americans have been lost to
the more demanding challenges - and pleasures - of cricket.
Israeli Soldiers Stand Firm, but Duty Wears on the Soul
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orld
By STEVEN ERLANGER
Tense checkpoints and an inconclusive war have fed a mood of
introspection, anxiety and gloominess in Israel.
India's Banks Are Seen as Antiquated and Unproductive
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=3Dasia&pagewanted=3Dall
By HEATHER TIMMONS
India's drive to become a global economic powerhouse faces a huge
roadblock in its inefficient, largely state-controlled financial
system.
Intel, Already With Operations in China, Appears Ready to Build a Chip
Plant There
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By LAURIE J. FLYNN
The move would mark a major milestone in the countries' trade
relations and could improve Intel's competitiveness.
To Increase Florida's Influence, Lawmakers May Set a January Date for
Presidential Primary
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By ABBY GOODNOUGH
Florida could move its presidential primary to as early as Jan. 29 - a
week before the "Super-Duper Tuesday" date of Feb. 5 that California
set this month and that New York, Texas and a flurry of other states
are eying.
Army Revises Upward Number of Desertions in '06
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By PAUL von ZIELBAUER
Some Army officers link the recent uptick in annual desertion rates to
the toll of wartime deployments.
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