Today’s edition of quick hits.
* If the Justice Department is telling the truth, it is still weighing a decision on whether Dick Cheney is part of the executive branch. Today, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) insisted that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should step aside from the Justice Department’s internal debates on the matter. “It’s clear to just about everyone in America that the attorney general has lost the faith and trust of the American people in making impartial decisions when it affects the president and vice president,” Schumer said.
* A few media outlets picked up on Rahm Emanuel’s idea of defunding Dick Cheney’s office as part of the executive-branch appropriations. “The vice president needs to make a decision,” Emanuel said. Lea Anne McBride, a Cheney spokesperson, said Emanuel “can either deal with the serious issues facing our country or create more partisan politics.” Seriously, Cheney’s office is complaining about “partisan politics.” I nearly fell out of my chair.
* Justice David Souter, who read his dissent on the campaign-finance reform case aloud from the bench (for emphasis), seems more than a little frustrated about the direction of the Supreme Court. “The court (and, I think, the country), loses when important precedent is overruled without good reason, and there is no justification for departure from our usual rule of stare decisis here,” he said, referring to the court’s rule of following past judgments.
* Ex-EPA chief Christie Whitman appeared at a House hearing today on air quality at Ground Zero immediately after 9/11. “There are people to blame. They are the terrorists that attacked the United States, not the men and women of all levels of government,” Whitman said. She has insisted for years that her statements that the “air is safe” were aimed at those living and working near ground zero, not those who actually toiled on the toxic pile.
* When the immigration bill started falling apart, Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said, “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.” Apparently, Senate Republicans have decided to “deal” with it by inviting far-right radio hosts like Hugh Hewitt and Neal Boortz to help shape future amendments to the legislation.
* I don’t want to alarm anyone, but there’s rampant corruption among Iraqi officials. Shocking, I know.
* Roger Cohen caused quite a fuss with a dumb NYT op-ed suggesting that the war in Iraq is a disaster, but it was still worthwhile. There are a variety of responses to choose from, but I’m partial to Digby’s.
* Everything you ever wanted to know about Rupert Murdoch’s media empire but were afraid to ask.
* Whose misogyny is worse, Chris Matthews’ or Victoria Clarke’s?
* AP: “The number of blacks joining the military has plunged by more than one-third since the Afghanistan and Iraq wars began…. According to Pentagon data, there were nearly 51,500 new black recruits for active duty and reserves in 2001. That number fell to less than 32,000 in 2006, a 38 percent decline.”
* Mitt Romney responded to speculation about closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay by saying, “Guantanamo is a symbol of our resolve.” I have no idea what this means, but I thought I’d mention it.
* No one seems to care about the latest books on Hillary Clinton.
* Elizabeth Edwards endorsed gay marriage over the weekend. Good for her.
* Bill O’Reilly gets smacked around by CBS’s Lara Logan.
* Bill O’Reilly gets smacked around by a 16-year-old “pinhead.”
* Will the U.S. run out of troops to maintain the current war effort by April 2008?
* It’s bad enough when Fox News confuses prominent political African-Americans, but now ABC has to get in on the act?
* The NYT ran a sloppy hitjob on John Edwards’ anti-poverty work late last week, prompting Greg Sargent to run a series of items highlighting the Times’ errors.
* Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), a former NFL quarterback, keeps a sign outside his congressional office noting the federal deficit and the average American’s individual share of the debt. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) wanted to use it as a prop, so he took it. Shuler was not amused — he confronted Gohmert on the House floor and was overheard using the words “gutless,” “thief,” and “chickensh*t.” Note to Gohmert: don’t mess with Shuler’s stuff.
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.
