White House

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Rove Exit Inspires Pundit Ire
Rove Exit Inspires
Pundit Ire

Rove Exit Inspires Pundit Ire

Leftie says he's quitting too soon, rightie says too late

(Newser) - Not all Karl Rove haters celebrated his announced departure today. The Nation’s David Corn, while pleased that taxpayers will no longer be paying the Bush political strategist's salary after August, feels that Rove deserves the punishment of being forced to stay “to the bitter end” of the unpopular...

Why the 'Rove Presidency' Failed
Why the 'Rove Presidency' Failed

Why the 'Rove Presidency' Failed

‘Architect’ tried to force dynasty, cowed Congress instead of winning it

(Newser) - With Karl Rove about to ankle the White House, the Atlantic's cover story on Rove as the principal architect of the Bush presidency becomes prescient. Joshua Green explores why the mastermind of W.'s two election victories—one of the best political minds of a generation—was unable to fulfill...

Bush Loses Brain
Bush
Loses
Brain

Bush Loses Brain

Top strategist Rove says he'll step down at end of month

(Newser) - President Bush's most controversial political strategist, Karl Rove, will leave his White House deputy chief of staff position at the end of the month, the Wall Street Journal reports. "I just think it's time," said Rove, who has worked with Bush since 1993. "As much as I'd...

Bush Gets a Line on Bonds
Bush Gets a Line on Bonds

Bush Gets a Line on Bonds

Delay in congratulatory phone call not asterisk-related, spokesman says

(Newser) - Barry Bonds took 21 years to set the career home run record, so the half-day delay in President Bush's congratulatory phone call probably seems like the blink of an eye. The call went out from the White House this afternoon, the Chicago Tribune reports, and Tony Snow attributed the delay...

UN Offers to Boost Iraq Presence
UN Offers to Boost Iraq Presence

UN Offers to Boost Iraq Presence

New Baghdad compound and mediation aid also on the table

(Newser) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has offered to increase personnel in Iraq for the first time in more than 3 years and is seeking $130 million to build a reinforced compound in Baghdad for the growing UN mission. Ban faces a backlash from member states afraid of inheriting a...

US Rattled by Brit Pullout Plans
US Rattled by Brit Pullout Plans

US Rattled by Brit Pullout Plans

Withdrawal schedule expected this fall

(Newser) - The White House is increasingly concerned about the timing of the British troop pullout from Iraq, expected to be announced by PM Gordon Brown in October, the Guardian reports. About 5,000 British troops remain in the Basra area, where they' have already withdrawn to  an area around the city's...

House Passes Surveillance Bill
House Passes Surveillance Bill

House Passes Surveillance Bill

White House spying powers expanded, despite Democrats' opposition

(Newser) - A bill set to expand the government's warrantless spying program cleared the House last night by a 227-183 vote, the Washington Post reports. Many Democrats put aside profound  reservations, yielding to pressure from the White House and fearing being branded "weak on terror" as the campaign heats up this...

Secret Ruling: Fed Wiretap Plan Illegal

Judge halted key overseas eavesdropping months ago

(Newser) - In a secret decision earlier this year a federal intelligence court judge ruled that a key element of the White House's massive wiretapping program was illegal, the Washington Post reports. The decision blocked NSA information collection from a large number of phone calls and emails that pass through two locations...

Bush Aide Stonewalls Senators
Bush Aide Stonewalls Senators

Bush Aide Stonewalls Senators

Rove snubs Judiciary Committee; 29-year-old staffer pleads for sympathy

(Newser) - Karl Rove didn't show up, but the White House sent a 29-year-old aide to field Senate Judiciary Committee questions about the US attorney firings today. Scott Jennings, the first administration figure to testify while still in office, followed the path laid out by ex-boss Sara Taylor in refusing to answer...

Rove Won't Testify, Citing Privilege

Counsel orders adviser to keep mum; Gonzales stands pat on testimony

(Newser) - The White House has ordered Karl Rove to keep quiet—despite a subpoena by congressional Dems probing the US Attorney firings. In a political fait accompli, counsel Fred Fielding told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the adviser is "immune from compelled congressional testimony" about White House machinations.

New Party in Japan Prompts US Anxiety

Election winners threaten to veto anti-terror measures

(Newser) - The ruling party’s losses in Japanese elections last week are causing worry in the White House and the Pentagon, says the Financial Times. An anti-terror measure that that has allowed Japanese ships to refuel American vessels is set to expire in November, and the Democratic Party of Japan is...

Thompson (Already) Falters
Thompson (Already) Falters

Thompson (Already) Falters

Campaign sinking before it starts swimming

(Newser) - Fred Thompson's White House campaign is in trouble before it has even officially begun, according to the Washington Post's campaign diary. Short of money and minus a manager, the unannounced Thompson is tied for last in the polls with the floundering John McCain.

General Faces Demotion in Tillman Probe

Six other officers will draw career-ending punishments

(Newser) - A retired three-star general who allegedly misled investigators about the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan could be stripped of his stars and part of his pension, Pentagon officials told CNN. Retired Lt. Gen. Phillip Kensinger told inspectors he didn't know the Green Beret was killed by...

White House Expands Exec Privilege Claims

Congressional Dems face new obstacle in US attorneys probe

(Newser) - White House officials have made a broad new claim to executive privilege that would block the Justice Department from pursuing contempt charges initiated by Congress, the Washington Post reports. Citing a Regan-era legal opinion, they argued that "A US attorney would not be permitted to bring contempt charges or...

Fear Rules Iraq, Briefers Tell Congress

Benchmarks not likely to be met, say Crocker, Petraeus

(Newser) - Iraq is gripped by widespread fear and is unlikely to fulfill political and security goals by the pivotal September assessment, US officials told lawmakers yesterday in a briefing from Baghdad. "One word I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq is 'fear,' " said ambassador Ryan...

Did Drug Officials Boost GOP Reps?
Did Drug Officials Boost GOP Reps?

Did Drug Officials Boost GOP Reps?

White House arranged appearances to prop up weak candidates, Dems charge

(Newser) - Public appearances by top guns in the Office of National Drug Control Policy may have been used to support vulnerable GOP Congressman in the run-up to the '06 elections, a Democratic lawmaker charged yesterday. Henry Waxman, chair of the House Oversight Committee, said it was part of a larger White...

Bush Satisfied With Iraq Progress
Bush Satisfied With Iraq Progress

Bush Satisfied With Iraq Progress

Acknowledging 'war fatigue,' president warns against hasty withdrawal

(Newser) - President Bush used today's interim report on the Iraq war to renew his call for Congress to withhold judgment on the troop surge until a September update, saying the military will "be in a better position to adjust" in 2 months. The report notes positive movement in eight out...

Ex-Aide Stays Tight Lipped on Attorneys

Sara Taylor respects former boss's executive privilege claim

(Newser) - Former White House political adviser Sara Taylor never discussed the ouster of nine US attorneys with President Bush, she told the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The subpoenaed Taylor said little else about the Justice Department scandal, citing executive privilege, but waffled occasionally between discretion and disclosure—for instance apologizing for...

Bush Directs Aides to Defy Subpoenas

Cites executive privilege in bid to stop Miers, Taylor testimony

(Newser) - In an aggressive use of executive privilege, President Bush instructed two of his former aides yesterday to disregard congressional subpoenas demanding they testify about the attorney firings scandal. In a letter to Congress, Bush's counsel rebuffed Democratic senators for encroaching on internal White House affairs, bringing the two branches closer...

Bush Commutes Libby Sentence
Bush Commutes Libby Sentence

Bush Commutes Libby Sentence

President spares former Cheney aide jail time; conviction remains

(Newser) - Scooter Libby won't be going to jail: President Bush commuted the former Cheney aide's 30-month sentence for perjury and obstruction of justice tonight, but stopped short of a pardon. The move came hours after a federal appeals court denied Libby's motion for bail pending his appeal.

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