Today’s edition of quick hits.
* CNN is reporting that Monica Goodling will formally resign from the Justice Department tomorrow. That makes quite a bit of sense — if she pleads the Fifth, the DoJ necessarily had to let her go.
* Speaking of the purge, Alberto Gonzales appears to be moving in the wrong direction. He wants Senate Dems to move up his testimony; Senate Dems announced yesterday that the testimony is being postponed. The AP noted, “The decision to shelve next week’s Senate Appropriations hearing frustrated the White House, which wants Gonzales to quickly give lawmakers his side of the story amid calls for his resignation.”
* Another House Republican has called on Gonzales to step down as Attorney General. The latest is Michigan Rep. Vern Elhers, who said, “Since he’s such a close, personal friend, he’s hurt the President by what he’s doing, he should have the politeness to offer his resignation.”
* There have been several purge-related document dumps, but the Justice Department is still sitting on information that it’s reluctant to share with Congress. In addition to documents that remain unreleased — and one can only imagine what they say — some of the materials that have been turned over to the Senate Judiciary Committee have been heavily redacted, including a list of other U.S. Attorneys the DoJ considered firing. Staffers have been permitted to examine the unredacted versions, but not make copies or notes. Senate Dems are fighting to change these rules now.
* The surge just keeps getting bigger: “Coming on the heels of a controversial “surge” of 21,000 U.S. troops that has stretched the Army thin, the Defense Department is preparing to send an additional 12,000 National Guard combat forces to Iraq and Afghanistan, defense officials told NBC News on Thursday.”
* On a related note, the surge is anything but short-term: “Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, acknowledging that he was unsure how long the current buildup of U.S. forces in Baghdad would last, said today that it would not be until the middle of summer that commanders would be able to evaluate whether the increase in forces was working. In past public statements, Gates has said he hoped to end the increase of 21,500 combat troops by December. But in recent weeks, some senior officers, particularly the Army general in charge of day-to-day operations in Iraq, have suggested that the so-called surge might need to be extended into early next year, a recommendation currently being debated by senior commanders.”
* Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) was home this week to meet with constituents, prepared to defend his vote in support of Iraq funding with a withdrawal timeline. He need not have worried — Montana may be a “red” state, but his constituents seem to support his position.
* For all the nonsense this week about Speaker Pelosi’s trip to Syria, Republicans seemed to think it was a great idea for then-Speaker Newt Gingrich to engage in his own diplomatic and foreign policy excursions.
* Speaking of which, kudos to WaPo columnist Eugene Robinson for distancing himself from his paper’s anti-Pelosi screed yesterday. Robinson told Chris Matthews, “I’m pleased to be able to tell you I’m not a member of editorial board.”
* I was really encouraged when the Rev. Jesse Jackson criticized the Congressional Black Caucus Institute for teaming up with Fox News on presidential debates. Unfortunately, Jackson seems to be backpedaling, and now says he’ll respect the Institute’s decision.
* I have to admit, so far, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) has been a pleasant surprise on a variety of issues. Crist “persuaded Florida’s clemency board Thursday to let most felons easily regain their voting rights after prison, saying it was time to leave the “offensive minority” of states that uniformly deny ex-offenders such rights.” His original plan was even more expansive — speedy restoration to everyone except murderers and sex criminals — but this was clearly a big step in the right direction.
* St. Paul has a plan to help attendees to next year’s Republican National Convention feel more comfortable — steal pigeon eggs.
* NYT: “A senior official at the federal Education Department sold more than $100,000 in shares in a student loan company even as he was helping oversee lenders in the federal student loan program.”
* And finally, remember that virulently anti-gay Army recruiter who said, “You go back to Africa and do your gay voodoo limbo tango and wango dance and jump around and prance and run all over the place half naked there and practice your gay morals over there that’s where you belong”? I’m pleased to report that she has been suspended, reassigned, and is under investigation by the military.
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.