Today’s edition of quick hits.
* It looks like Paul Wolfowitz’s resignation from the World Bank is imminent: “Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is negotiating an agreement to resign, according to an official familiar with the talks. His departure would include an acknowledgment from the bank that he doesn’t bear sole responsibility for the controversy surrounding a generous pay package for his girlfriend, the official said. The negotiations were taking place as the bank’s board resumed deliberations over Wolfowitz’s fate Wednesday afternoon.”
* Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) today became the highest-profile Republican lawmaker to call for Alberto Gonzales’ resignation: “The American people deserve an Attorney General, the chief law enforcement officer of our country, whose honesty and capability are beyond question. Attorney General Gonzales can no longer meet this standard. He has failed this country. He has lost the moral authority to lead…. America is a nation of laws. In the interest of the American people, Alberto Gonzales should resign now.”
* On a related note, we talked earlier about Gonzales’ latest example of getting caught lying under oath. Apparently, the news did not go unnoticed by Dem senators, four of whom demanded an explanation today.
* The latest private, unaccountable email in the Bush administration: the Department of Education. Considering all of the recent scandals there, this matters quite a bit.
* On a related note: “A Texas businessman listed as a major fundraiser for President George Bush has made millions of dollars in profits from a federal reading program that critics say favored administration cronies at the expense of schoolchildren. A company founded and owned by Randy Best, who is listed by the nonprofit group Public Citizen as a Bush ‘Pioneer’ during the 2000 presidential campaign, received the lucrative contracts under a Bush administration initiative called Reading First.”
* Here’s a fun one: the Pentagon wants the troops to check its YouTube channel … and then bans the troops’ access to YouTube. Perfect.
* Kevin Drum: “The Commonwealth Fund has released its latest comparison of healthcare performance among various countries, and you can read all about it here. However, since I know you’re all busy people, I’ll just cut to the chase: we suck. Despite the fact that we see doctors less often, go to the hospital less often, and stay in the hospital for shorter times than any of the other countries in the report, we still spend by far the most money. In return for this we get lousier care.” Read the rest.
* WaPo media critic Howard Kurtz responded to charges that the media neglected to take the Giuliani-blows-off-farmers story seriously enough. His take isn’t exactly persuasive.
* You know those great ads launched by VoteVets.org? The third one is out today, this time featuring Wesley Clark.
* For all the attention the Bush gang gave to alleged “voter fraud” cases, it turns out that “between October 2002 and September 2005, just 38 cases were brought nationally, and of those, 14 ended in dismissals or acquittals, 11 in guilty pleas, and 13 in convictions.” Just 38 cases? Total?
* Eric Boehlert makes an excellent case that the Washington Post, among other news outlets, applies different standards to liberal and conservative blogs, with the left getting the short end of the stick.
* If you happen to be in Sydney, Australia, during Bush’s upcoming visit, don’t expect to get good cell phone coverage: “News Limited papers report the sophisticated counter-terrorism measure will be used to prevent mobile phone detonated remote-control bombs. A helicopter fitted with signal-jamming equipment will shadow the President’s motorcade. It will block all mobile phone calls within an area the size of a football field.” (thanks to AYM for the tip)
* And finally, a test version of the Microsoft’s Halo 3 videogame included an in-game “award” for players who successfully kill 10 opponents in a row with a shotgun without dying. The game called the award “Cheneymania.” Microsoft confirmed to Raw Story that this tongue-in-cheek honor is in the test version, but will be changed when the game officially hits shelves in September.
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.