Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Huge news out of Detroit: Thousands of United Auto Workers walked off the job at General Motors plants around the country Monday in the first nationwide strike against the U.S. auto industry since 1976. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said that job security was the top unresolved issue, adding that the talks did not stumble over a groundbreaking provision establishing a UAW-managed trust that will administer GM’s retiree health care obligations. Gettelfinger complained about ‘one-sided negotiations.’ ‘It was going to be General Motors’ way at the expense of the workers,’ Gettelfinger said at a news conference. ‘The company walked right up to the deadline like they really didn’t care.'”
* On a related note, Digby mentioned, “GM says it needs to cut costs. Perhaps it would like to work with the Democrats and the Unions to get universal health insurance. It would be good for their workers, good for the country and good for the bottom line.” Absolutely — GM’s healthcare costs topped $5 billion a couple of years ago. Imagine what would be possible for Corporate America if we moved away from an employer-financed system?
* More tragedy near Baghdad: “A suicide bomber struck a reconciliation meeting of Shiite and Sunni tribal leaders and senior provincial officials in Baqouba on Monday, killing at least 15 people, including the city’s police chief, security officials said.”
* Last week, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell told a Senate panel that FISA restrictions made it impossible to quickly eavesdrop on Iraqi insurgents who kidnap U.S. troops. It was a bizarre claim to make, especially under oath, and the evidence that McConnell was repeating a falsehood continues to pile up.
* The New York Times’ public editor, Clark Hoyt, did his own investigation into MoveOn.org’s “Betray Us” ad, and found that the progressive group was mistakenly charged a lower rate. Hoyt’s analysis did not, however, address the charges that the NYT editorial board’s opposition to the war in Iraq led the paper to “subsidize” MoveOn’s message.
* NBC and CBS both turned down Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this month for Sunday morning appearances. “I expected we’d just get a repetition of the administration’s talking points, which had already been well circulated,” says Bob Schieffer, host of CBS’s “Face the Nation,” who questioned two senators instead. Ouch.
* WaPo: “A Pentagon group has encouraged some U.S. military snipers in Iraq to target suspected insurgents by scattering pieces of “bait,” such as detonation cords, plastic explosives and ammunition, and then killing Iraqis who pick up the items, according to military court documents.”
* As part of an apparent effort to mollify nervous Republicans, Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey assured conservative activists such as Leonard Leo and Ed Meese that he’ll support keeping Guantanamo Bay open and can understand CIA use of “enhanced” interrogation techniques against al Qaeda suspects.
* The Quote of the Day award goes to Matt Stoller: “I’m a little worried about upcoming fights over funding for Iraq, inasmuch as they might distract us from discussing the Moveon ad.”
* The unintentionally-hilarious Quote of the Day award goes to Bill O’Reilly: “I respect dissent on the Iraq war.” As recently as two weeks ago, O’Reilly told his audience that critics of the administration’s policy are “actually hoping for defeat.” (I’m sure he meant that respectfully.)
* Leader of the Free World? “Dozens of world leaders are to gather at the United Nations on Monday for a full agenda of talks on how to fight global warming, and President Bush is skipping all the day’s events but the dinner. His focus instead is on his own gathering of leaders in Washington later this week, a meeting with the same stated goal, a reduction in the emissions blamed for climate change, but a fundamentally different idea of how to achieve it.”
* I can’t help but enjoy seeing a conservative like Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) denigrate civil liberties — until he’s facing legal trouble, at which point he’s practically an ACLU member.
* Alan Greenspan’s thoughts on the war in Iraq are even stranger than his support for Bush’s tax cuts.
* Shortly after scandal-plagued Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) announced that he would retire at the end of this term, a Weller aide pushed a reporter down a flight of stairs. I know House Republicans live in a culture of corruption, but this is ridiculous.
* Some NYC officials are threatening to punish Columbia University for allowing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak on campus. Asks Glenn Greenwald, “Is there anyone who fails to see how dangerous and improper this is — not to mention unconstitutional — that government officials threaten and punish universities for hosting speakers whom the officials dislike?”
* And finally, given the reaction on Fox News and in some other Republican circles to Democratic presidential candidates appearing at Yearly Kos, I wonder what the defense is for the Bush White House inviting the DC chapter of the right-wing website FreeRepublic.com over for a picnic?
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.