Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Best wishes to Tony Snow for a speedy recovery.
* I get the feeling Iran’s decision to detain 15 British soldiers is going to be a fairly big deal.
* Of all the speeches from the House floor today about the war in Iraq, I’m partial to Rep. Patrick Murphy’s (D-Pa.).
* Rumor has it there will be another 3,000-page document-dump this afternoon. (It is Friday, so I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised.) I’ll have a report in the morning.
* Apparently, neither side of the purge scandal wants to appear inflexible. Sen. Schumer said today, “I hope the White House recognizes a ten letter word, C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E. That’s what it’s all about. And now both parties at this end of Pennsylvania want to sit down and negotiate, but we’re waiting for the White House.”
* For all the Republican whining about Schumer’s non-existent conflict of interest in the purge investigation, it looks like Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has an actual problem: he’s the ranking Republican on the Senate Ethics Committee, charged with investigating Sen. Pete Domenici’s (R-N.M.) role in this mess, and yet, Cornyn has already dismissed the relevance of the controversy.
* So, how exactly did the Huffington Post uncover Phil de Vellis’ role in creating the “Big Sister” anti-Clinton ad? The WaPo offers a peek into the process the HuffPo used.
* Tim Noah has an amusing piece mocking Bob Novak for remaining “bizarrely in denial about whether he unmasked a covert employee of the Central Intelligence Agency.”
* My friend Cactus had a very provocative post today about the possible politicization of the Federal Reserve.
* Remind me again how strong the economy is? NYT: In a sign of the spreading economic fallout of mortgage foreclosures, several suburbs of Cleveland, one of the nation’s hardest-hit cities, are spending millions of dollars to maintain vacant houses as they try to contain blight and real-estate panic…. “It’s a tragedy and it’s just beginning,” Mayor Judith H. Rawson of Shaker Heights, a mostly affluent suburb, said of the evictions and vacancies, a problem fueled by a rapid increase in high-interest, subprime loans. “All those shaky loans are out there, and the foreclosures are coming,” Ms. Rawson said. “Managing the damage to our communities will take years.” (thanks to G.D. for the tip)
* Note to the WaPo editorial board: Karl Rove is hardly a reliable source.
* NYT: “A total of 3,196 active-duty soldiers deserted the Army last year, or 853 more than previously reported, according to revised figures from the Army. The new calculations by the Army, which had about 500,000 active-duty troops at the end of 2006, significantly alter the annual desertion totals since the 2000 fiscal year. In 2005, for example, the Army now says 2,543 soldiers deserted, not the 2,011 it had reported. For some earlier years, the desertion numbers were revised downward. National Public Radio first reported on Tuesday that the Army had been inaccurately reporting desertion figures.”
* How did Arlen Specter vote when the Senate Judiciary Committee decided to authorize subpoenas against White House aides yesterday? Well, it’s a funny story. When committee members who supported the authorization were asked to say “aye,” Specter opened his mouth. When opponents asked the “nays,” Specter’s mouth was shut. But reporters in the room never actually heard Specter’s verbal vote, so they asked him to clarify. “The fact of the matter is that I did not say anything. I did not vote and say either ‘aye’ or ‘nay’. I just sat there hoping that it would all go away through negotiations,” he said. “Factually, I did not say a thing.” Thanks for clearing that up, senator.
* And finally, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D), who this week announced that she would not seek re-election, had a poignant response to her political decline after Hurricane Katrina. “When I look back at the storms, if I had had the knowledge that I would be treated as a pariah by the national Republicans in office, I would have joined the Republican Party to save my state,” Blanco said. “Then I would have been hugged and kissed and lifted, and I would have been declared the best governor in this whole country. I wish I had realized that earlier. I think that was the fatal error.”
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.