Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The good news is the House easily passed a measure to undo the White House’s restrictive policy on funding stem-cell research, 253-174. The bad news is Bush has vowed to veto the measure, and today’s margin puts supporters short of a two-thirds majority needed for an override.
* If you haven’t seen it, MSNBC put together a great clip collection of the president’s war-related comments from the last four years. I don’t imagine the Bush gang will care for it, but you might.
* On Tucker Carlson’s show last night, A.B. Stoddard, associate editor of The Hill, said Dems “need to prove themselves on national security.” Once, just once, I want to hear some pundit say, “After having screwed up every national security decision of the last six years, Republicans need to prove themselves on national security.” A guy can dream, can’t he?
* Did anyone else notice that CNN.com featured a story about some soccer player moving to Los Angeles as the lead news story of the day for most of the mid-afternoon? Can anyone explain why this is considered such significant news?
* Apparently, Republicans in Congress aren’t terribly impressed with Condi Rice’s management of the State Department. Bob Novak reported: “Republicans in Congress who do not want to be quoted tell me that the State Department under Condoleezza Rice is a mess. This comes at a time when the U.S. global position is precarious. While attention is focused on Iraq, American diplomacy is being tested worldwide — in Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Korea and Sudan. The judgment by thoughtful Republicans is that Rice has failed to manage that endeavor.”
* I would support any effort to deny congressional pensions to lawmakers who are convicted of on-the-job felonies.
* When we talk about troop escalation, we should try to keep in mind that most of the “new” troops will be “old” troops who are already in Iraq, or scheduled to go anyway. In other words, troops will see their tours extended, putting further strain on an already taxed fighting force.
* Last week, the White House announced it will keep visitor logs under wraps, excluding them from future FOIA requests. The decision has raised eyebrows, and Dems on the Senate Judiciary Committee plan to look into the matter.
* If you haven’t seen Chuck Hagel’s comments to Condi Rice during today’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing, be sure to take a look. Let’s just say he ain’t happy.
* Rudy Giuliani seems to think managing crime in New York City is comparable to handling a civil war in Iraq. No, I don’t understand it either.
* Remember last week when Fox News’ Gretchen Carlson called Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) a “hostile enemy” of the United States? Today, responding to the “Internet blogs,” Carlson said her comments had been misconstrued.
* And in Florida, an election official is having trouble finding a law-enforcement agency to investigate Ann Coulter’s alleged voting fraud in Palm Beach. The local paper reported, “When it comes to dealing with Palm Beach GOP vixen Ann Coulter — who, police now say, could end up facing two felonies and one misdemeanor — elections boss Arthur Anderson is starting to look like Don Quixote. Nearly a year after Coulter allegedly voted in the wrong precinct in a town of Palm Beach municipal election, Anderson is looking desperately for a law-enforcement agency willing to investigate.”
If none of these particular items are of interest, consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.