Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Bush told Dem leaders today that he will not negotiate with them on Iraq. Reid and Pelosi responded shortly thereafter: “The President is demanding that we renew his blank check for a war without end. Despite the fact that the President persists in trying to score political points at the expense of our troops, congressional Democrats have repeatedly reached out in the spirit of cooperation.”
* It’s true; they really have reached out repeatedly. Greg Sargent found several examples.
* I noted yesterday that respected law professor Walter F. Murphy had trouble getting a boarding pass, according to an American Airlines employee, because of his criticisms of the president. Ryan Singel makes a compelling argument that Murphy may have been singled out randomly. I wonder, though: why did the AA official tell Murphy that a lot of peace protestors get flagged for security reasons?
* We’ve all seen plenty of analysis about the media’s malpractice in the run-up to the war in Iraq, but Gary Kamiya’s piece in Salon today was particularly good. It’s a summary of the key institutional problems in the media’s coverage and complicity. It’s worth a look.
* Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff may be getting out of jail earlier than he expected. Apparently, federal prosecutors have asked for a steep reduction in his sentence as a reward for his cooperation with investigators. In Miami, U.S. District Judge Paul Huck granted the request from prosecutors once they told him Abramoff’s cooperation in the investigations is fully completed.
* Apparently, political scientists at the University of Iowa found that Republicans voters in Iowa are more likely to be swayed by race and gender than Democratic voters. As Melissa said, “They probably spent lots of money interviewing 1,290 registered voters to come to this conclusion. I would have told them for free.”
* Barack Obama has not been to Libya.
* I guess the White House’s effort to smear lawmakers isn’t working yet. A new AP-Ipsos poll shows Congress’ approval rating inching up to 40% — its highest level in a year.
* Keep an eye on this one: “A U.S. House committee announced Tuesday it would hold hearings on misleading military statements that followed the friendly fire death of Pat Tillman in Afghanistan and the rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch in Iraq. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said an April 24 hearing would be part of its investigation into whether there was a strategy to mislead the public.”
* Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the chief deputy minority whip in the House, is unusually sleazy, even by House GOP standards. Faiz recommends action on this one, and I think he’s absolutely right.
* It’s good to see Hillary Clinton stepping up to defend Nancy Pelosi against the right-wing smear machine.
* On a related note, was Elliot Abrams pulling the strings on the manufactured controversy against Pelosi? Maybe.
* Congratulations to the White House and the Defense Department for “winning” the 2007 Jefferson Muzzle awards.
* How far out there is Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.)? In a debate today on global warming, even Newt Gingrich, representing the right, distanced himself from the unhinged senator.
* If there’s a legal showdown over executive privilege between Congress and the White House over the prosecutor purge scandal, Adam Cohen makes the case today that the Bush gang is on weak legal footing.
* Doonesbury is “reporting” this week from my adopted home state of Vermont. Ed alerted me to today’s piece, which is hilarious, no matter where you’re from. (For added context, several Vermont communities recently voted for a local measure supporting the impeachment of the president. It’s funny without the context, but I thought I’d mention it.)
* And finally, what’s the least important job at Fox News’ website? Apparently, it’s updating the list of Americans killed in Iraq — which has gone untouched for two months.
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.