Bush administration

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Judge Tosses Ex-Spy's Suit Against Cheney

Court rules Plame's civil action vs. VP, Rove, Libby won't go forward

(Newser) - A judge today dismissed outed CIA operative Valerie Plame's civil suit against Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Scooter Libby, saying that the revelation of her identity "was incidental to the kind of conduct that defendants were employed to perform." Furthermore, the judge ruled, Plame and her husband, ex-ambassador...

Commutation Order Baffles Libby Judge

Bush acknowledges White House role in Plame leak

(Newser) - The federal judge who sentenced Scooter Libby to 30 months in prison expressed his frustration with President Bush's commutation order yesterday, pointing out that the administration had championed the sentencing guidelines he followed. Reggie Walton, a Bush appointee with a lock-'em-up reputation, vented in a footnote to an order that...

White House Iraq Report: Mixed Progress

Cites gains on military benchmarks, lack of progress on political goals

(Newser) - The White House's interim report on its progress in Iraq, to be released today, will cite "satisfactory" work on eight of 18  benchmarks set by Congress, insufficient improvement on eight more, and mixed results on the final two. Most of the positive movement  has been on the military front,...

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 Aide Will Invoke Exec Privilege

Promises to answer limited questions as "willing private citizen"

(Newser) - Former Bush political director Sara Taylor will answer limited questions from Congress but steer clear of anything she thinks would violate executive privilege, according to a copy of her opening statement released early this morning. Taylor is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee later today as part of...

Iraq Gov't Fails Progress Report
Iraq Gov't Fails Progress Report
Jul 10, 2007 11:26 AM CDT

Iraq Gov't Fails Progress Report

US-backed regime lags on all economic and political targets

(Newser) - The Iraqi government has failed to meet any of the benchmarks for reforms mandated when Congress funded the troop surge, according to a progress report due out this week. An unnamed official tells the AP that the disappointing outcome will accelerate the administration's decision-making process on Iraq, but another anonymous...

Bush Bucks His Own Trend with Commutation

White House beef with Libby case contradicts Justice policies

(Newser) - President Bush's rationale for commuting Scooter Libby's sentence was the kind of complaint routinely overruled by Bush's own conservative Justice Department, the Times observes. The contradiction between Bush's stern stance and his action on Libby is so stark that Joe Biden accused him of "flip-flopping" yesterday.

Bush Won't Say No to Libby Pardon
Bush Won't
Say No to
Libby Pardon
Jul 3, 2007 4:22 PM CDT

Bush Won't Say No to Libby Pardon

Sentence commutation may not be last chapter of CIA leak story

(Newser) - President Bush will not eliminate the possibility of a full pardon for Scooter Libby, he said today. Under fire from supporters for not pardoning the VP's ex-chief of staff and from critics for commuting the 30-month prison sentence—a decision he described as "very difficult"—he said he...

Bush Commutes Libby Sentence
Bush Commutes Libby Sentence
Jul 2, 2007 5:41 PM CDT

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.

Is America Rome?
Is America Rome?
Jul 1, 2007 9:28 PM CDT

Is America Rome?

(Newser) - The Roman Emperor Valerian was taken captive by the Persian king, who is reputed to have used him as a footstool for mounting his horse, notes Adam Goodheart in his essay on the similarities of Rome and America. This happened in Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq. Could that part of...

Leahy Ready to Take White House to Court

Senator stands behind subpoenas in US attorney probe

(Newser) - Patrick Leahy has a message for White House officials who object to subpoenas issued in the US attorney firing investigation: See you in court. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman took the dispute over executive privilege to the airwaves today, saying, "If they don't cooperate, yes, I'll go that far"...

Supremes Will Hear Gitmo Cases
Supremes Will Hear Gitmo Cases
Jun 29, 2007 10:25 AM CDT

Supremes Will Hear Gitmo Cases

Inmates seek right to challenge confinement in federal court

(Newser) - Two Guantanamo Bay detainees will have their say before the Supreme Court, which today unexpectedly agreed to hear their cases in the term that begins this fall. The prisoners want permission to challenge their indefinite confinement in federal court. The high court had rejected an identical appeal in April, and...

Bush 0 for 4 on 2nd-Term Goals
Bush 0 for 4 on 2nd-Term Goals
Jun 29, 2007 10:00 AM CDT

Bush 0 for 4 on 2nd-Term Goals

With the death of the latest immigration bill, the president may have lost his last chance at a domestic legacy

(Newser) - The immigration bill that died in the Senate yesterday was President Bush's last hope to salvage any one of his four domestic policy goals for the second term, the Washington Post reports. The goals laid out after 2004 reelection included Social Security and tax overhauls,  a curb upon "...

Senate Kills Immigration Bill
Senate Kills Immigration Bill
Jun 28, 2007 1:55 PM CDT

Senate Kills Immigration Bill

Vote to move forward falls 14 votes short

(Newser) - In a serious setback for the Bush administration's second-term agenda, the Senate effectively killed the immigration-reform bill today, voting 53-46 to keep the legislation from going forward. The president had actively promoted the bipartisan measure, going so far as to lobby senators by phone this morning, but with his influence...

Domestic Spying Probe Reaches West Wing

Frustrated Senate committee doles out subpoenas

(Newser) - Patrick Leahy came out swinging against the Bush administration's "sweeping assertions of secrecy and privilege" today, issuing subpoenas to the White House, Dick Cheney's office, the Justice Department, and the NSC. The documents demanded by the Senate Judiciary Committee relate to the warrantless wiretapping of terrorism suspects and the...

Cheney: A Law Unto Himself?
Cheney: A Law Unto Himself?
Jun 24, 2007 8:25 AM CDT

Cheney: A Law Unto Himself?

Veep refuses to comply with executive order signed by President Bush

(Newser) - Vice President Cheney is refusing to comply with an executive order to compile classified documents used by his office. Cheney's theory is that because he has a limited role in the Senate – President he can break ties – he has immunity from executive orders.

High-Tech Towers Could Seal Border
High-Tech Towers Could Seal Border
Jun 23, 2007 10:01 PM CDT

High-Tech Towers Could Seal Border

Towers with sophisticated cameras could create a virtual border without walls

(Newser) - A series of towers equipped with high-tech cameras now being tested along the Arizona-Mexico border could be the first step towards a "virtual border" for the US, the Los Angeles Times reports. The system, being tested in the busiest corridor for illegal immagrants entering the country,  could obviate...

Bush Preps for Exit Strategy on Surge

White House orders reports that could counter pro-surge Petraeus come Sept.

(Newser) - The Bush administration has commissioned a slew of reports that could help it justify an end to the troop surge later this fall, the New York Times reports. Three months before Gen. Petraeus's planned report on the efficacy of the troop increase—expected to recommend a continuation of the surge—...

Secretive Veep Won't Give Up Documents

Cheney defies executive order to provide sensitive info

(Newser) - For the past 4 years, Dick Cheney's office has declined to file reports on classified information in its possession, flouting an executive order. When pressed, the VP's staff recently proposed abolishing the oversight office, reports the Washington Post. Says the chair of the House committee that released a chronology...

Legal Battle Looms Over Domestic Spy Documents

Senate subpoenas; White House balks

(Newser) - A showdown on the White House's warantless wiretapping program looms after the Senate Judiciary Committee authorized subpoenas for documents on the progam, and the administration said it had no plans to comply, claiming the material is classified and off limits. The president may invoke executive privilege to prevent the documents'...

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