Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Nearly one in five U.S. college students believe Martin Luther King was advocating the abolition of slavery in his historic “I Have a Dream” speech.
* Over the weekend, there were rumors that Bush would finally come to his senses on climate change, possibly even making a bold pronouncement in the State of the Union. The White House subsequently shot down the rumor, calling it “inaccurate on all fronts.”
* Also over the weekend, the big news that I didn’t get to report on was a New York Times report on the Pentagon using “national security letters” to obtain banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans suspected of terrorism or espionage inside the United States. Just to be clear, federal agencies have been doing this for a while — the new part is the Defense Department claiming to have the authority, too. As Digby put it, the Pentagon probably ought to spend “more time gathering intelligence in Iraq and Afghanistan and leave the spying on US citizens to the FBI, DHS, INS, DEA, ATF and state and local police agencies.”
* Garry Trudeau introduced a great new Doonesbury character yesterday: White House Situational Science Advisor Dr. Nathan Null. Whether you like Doonesbury or not, or even if you’ve never seen Doonesbury, this one’s definitely worth checking out.
* I don’t have a Keith Olbermann special comment to highlight today, but I do have Olbermann-related news. Apparently, Olbermann’s show-ending “special comments” have been entered into the Congressional Record at least twice recently. As U.S. News noted this week, “The last time occurred this month when West Virginia Democrat Nick Rahall, wowed by Olbermann’s hit on President Bush’s troop surge, called to get permission to include Olbermann’s comments in Rahall’s own House floor speech.”
* Sean Hannity apparently hears criticism after all. Last week, Hannity announced a new Fox News feature, “Enemy of the State,” which happened to mirror Stalinist language. Yesterday, in the same feature, Hannity renamed the segment, “Enemy of the Week.” Wimp.
* We all have words we like to use more than others, but take a look at all of the many things the president has described as “unacceptable.” (thanks to J.B. for the tip)
* Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) made an unannounced appearance at a media reform conference on Friday. Pressed by a group of bloggers on impeachment, Kucinich demurred, saying it would be unwise. He added, however, that “if Bush attacks Iran, all bets are off.”
* Following up on an item from the other day, Cully Stimson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs, was clearly out of line last week when he targeted law firms that have helped represent detainees at Guantanamo Bay. As of now, 57 law school deans (and counting) have endorsed a statement condemning Stimson’s comments. The Pentagon has already distanced itself from the remarks.
* Scooter Libby’s criminal trial begins tomorrow, and the former White House aide begins with a hefty legal defense fund. After resigning in disgrace, Libby has collected over $3 million from generous backers, all of whom have been able to donate without disclosing their contributions. Campaign finance laws do not apply to legal defense funds. (thanks to SKNM for the tip)
* If everything goes according to plan, the White House believes Baghdad will be stable enough by August that U.S. forces can withdraw to the city outskirts. The Bush gang has apparently forgotten how to manage expectations.
* When the president visit Camp David late last week, it was his 116th visit to the retreat and his 365th day there. That’s not a record (Reagan spent 517 days there), but it also doesn’t include the 405 days Bush has spent at his ranch in Crawford. For those keeping score at home, that’s 770 days at one retreat or another — more than one-third of Bush’s presidency to date.
If none of these particular items are of interest, consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.