there better still be a country left

* larisa:

"I am going back to bed and when I wake up, there better still be a country left that we have not attacked, gotten into an accident with, or kidnapped and tortured its citizens."

* josh :

"But one thing is clear. And that is that official Washington -- or a lot of it -- doesn't get that democracy matters. "

* more josh:

"Paul Kiel's got more of our run-down here on the war-financing issues related to President Bush's claim to be a king. But it occurs to me that this 'debate' is really only a debate if you see this not as wrestling over policy between the president and the Congress but as President Bush as an epochal figure, a man of destiny in a grand historical struggle who has powers to answer to grander than Congress or the constitution. I know that may seem like hyperbole saying that. But if you listen to this conversation, I really think that's the subtext. Sure, Congress has the power of the purse, the thinking seems to go. But this is bigger than Congress. Bigger than the niceties of the constitution. This is his rendezvous with destiny in Iraq, the key battle in World War IV or IX (I don't remember which we're up to.)

At a certain level this isn't that complicated. The president and the Congress have a set of intentionally countervailing powers. And it is within that framework that we, as a nation, hash out our direction on great matters of the day like this one. But what I'm hearing is that what President Bush is up to in Iraq is bigger than all that.

And that leaves us in the dangerous position of the constitution vs. the president's grandiosity."

* Tpmm:

"Prosecutors had expected to indict Foggo several months ago, but the Agency's refusal to declassify important documents has hampered their efforts, Paltrow reports.

Of course, prosecutors haven't received much help from Congress with their investigation, either. Last month they were forced to serve subpoenas to several powerful committees in an effort to force them to turn over documents.

Foggo's indictment -- and possible plea bargain -- would be a notable triumph for the Feds. For many months the case has stagnated, and observers have wondered if the investigation was hopelessly compromised. Nailing Foggo would also be important for prosecutors, as it would give them leverage to go after alleged Cunningham briber Brent Wilkes."

* amy:

"In the House, Congressman Dennis Kucinich plans to put forward his own plan calling for the end of the U.S. occupation, the closing of U.S. military bases and the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops. As part of the plan, Kucinich calls for cutting off new funds for the war and using existing funds to bring the troops home. Kucinich also wants the return of all U.S. private contractors in Iraq."

* amy:

Bush to Name Fred Fielding as White House Counsel
President Bush is expected to name Fred Fielding as his new White House counsel this week replacing Harriet Miers. Fielding was deputy counsel to President Nixon under John Dean and was White House counsel for the first five years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. In recent years he has headed up the lobbying practice at the law firm, Wiley, Rein, and Fielding. He is a close friend of Vice President Cheney and has served as an informal adviser to him.