Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The good news: “The Pentagon announced Friday the capture of one of al-Qaida’s most senior and most experienced operatives, an Iraqi who was trying to return to his native country when he was captured.”
* The bad news: the terrorist was actually captured late last year, but the announcement wasn’t made until “the exact moment when Democrats are mounting their strongest challenge to Bush’s foreign policy.”
* Yesterday, the WaPo’s David Broder said some Senate Democrats wanted to replace Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader. Today, every single member of the Dem Senate caucus — including Lieberman — signed a joint statement praising Reid enthusiastically. “In contrast to Mr. Broder’s insinuations, we believe Mr. Reid is an extraordinary leader who has effectively guided the new Democratic majority through these first few months with skill and aplomb.” How soon can we expect Broder’s correction?
* In case anyone thought several recent polls were all outliers, the latest CBS/NYT poll (.pdf) asked respondents, “Who do you think should have the final say about troop levels in Iraq, the President or Congress?” Congress beat Bush easily, 57% to 35%. Asked if the United States should set a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, the results were two-to-one: 64% to 32%.
* Former CIA director George Tenet’s new book seems to have caught the attention of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) who invited Tenet to testify next month on the administration’s bogus Niger claims. (Note to Tenet: think about the great publicity for your book!)
* More digging from McClatchy: “Congressional sources who have seen unedited internal documents say the Bush administration considered firing at least a dozen U.S. attorneys before paring down its list to eight late last year. The four who escaped dismissal came from states considered political battlegrounds in the last presidential election: Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.” TPM has more.
* Sen. Anonymous strikes again. “The infamous unnamed senator (or senators) has for more than a week blocked passage of legislation that would require Senate candidates to file campaign finance reports electronically,” the Washington Post reports. “When Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) first brought the bill to the floor last week… he was told that an unnamed lawmaker objected.” On Thursday, “the bill’s sponsor tried again. And again, the Republican floor leader objected.”
* Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) received some good legal news yesterday: “Ending an investigation that clouded the tenure of former Senate majority leader Bill Frist, federal prosecutors have decided not to file insider-trading charges against the Tennessee Republican for his sales of stock in a family-owned chain of hospitals. The U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York and Securities and Exchange Commission staff sent Frist letters last week signaling that they had closed their joint, 18-month investigation. The letters essentially cleared him of wrongdoing.”
* Right-wing cartoonist turns to using blackface? Seriously?
* The controversy over Pat Tillman’s death is far from over: “Lawmakers requested documents from the White House and Pentagon Friday describing how and when the Bush administration learned the circumstances of Pat Tillman’s death. The House oversight committee, headed by California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman, wrote to White House Counsel Fred Fielding requesting ‘all documents received or generated by any official in the Executive Office of the President … that relate to Corporal Tillman.'”
* Economic growth in the first quarter of 2007 was … not good.
* The Bush administration is still trying to screw over Katrina victims in New Orleans.
* Every time O’Reilly lashes out at Media Matters, he’s wrong. Literally, every time. It’s quite comical.
* And finally, if you thought Don Imus’ comments about Rutgers’ basketball team were racially offensive, wait until you hear what Rush Limbaugh has been up to this week with Barack Obama and Al Sharpton. And when you do, keep in mind: White House officials, including the Vice President, bolster this racist clown by appearing on his show all the time.
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.