Today’s edition of quick hits.
* NYT: “The economy grew at less than half the rate first estimated in the first quarter, the Commerce Department said today in its revision of the nation’s gross domestic product. Before today’s numbers were released, it was clear the economy was downshifting from the rapid 5.6 percent expansion of the first quarter last year. But the new data reinforced how significant the slowdown has been. Growth advanced just 0.6 percent, compared with an initial estimate of 1.3 percent. It was the slowest rate recorded since the fourth quarter of 2002.”
* In preparation for the G8 summit meeting in Germany next week, Bush outlined what he said is a new initiative to combat global warming. According to the AP, the new effort calls on 15 major nations to agree by the end of next year on a global target for reducing greenhouse gases. Friends of the Earth president Brent Blackwelder called the proposal “a complete charade. It is an attempt to make the Bush administration look like it takes global warming seriously without actually doing anything to curb emissions.” I’d only add that most of the work would be done on the issue after Bush leaves office.
* Gordy Slack visited the new Creation Museum for Salon. Slack seems to pull his punches a bit, but the facts speak for themselves — it’s one of those rare museums that leave visitors dumber than when they got there.
* Lou Dobbs is firing back at his critics. His response is about as persuasive as his xenophobia.
* Could Alberto Gonzales be disbarred?
* Who sent pre-sentencing letters on Scooter Libby’s behalf? We’ll soon find out.
* I think we’ve largely given up on the whole “negotiate with terrorists” idea. (thanks to L.M. for the tip)
* So long, Tim Griffin, you shouldn’t have gotten the U.S. Attorney job in the first place.
* Impeach Gonzales — see the sequel to the first video.
* Advice to anonymous bloggers: if you’re a medical doctor, on trial for malpractice, don’t expect to get away with blogging pertinent details of the case during the legal proceedings.
* If I were Wolfowitz, I might be tempted to deny being the architect of the war in Iraq, too.
* AP: “Valerie Plame, the former undercover CIA officer whose 2003 exposure touched off a leak investigation, is accusing the government of delaying publication of her new book. Plame and her publisher, Simon & Schuster, sued the CIA in a New York federal court Thursday. They accused the government of illegally refusing to let Plame write about the specific dates she worked for the agency.”
* The White House is still lying about Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D). What a surprise.
* We’re not doing well on the international peace index. “The index was compiled based on 24 indicators. They included the number of wars in which a country was involved, arms sales, violent crimes and relations with neighboring countries. Fifteen of the top 20 most peaceful nations are in Western Europe, and higher income appeared to lead to higher levels of peace.” We have lots of money, but it didn’t help.
* I’m genuinely amazed by troops who lose a limb in combat but choose to remain in the Armed Forces — in some cases, returning to combat roles.
* I’m fascinated by arguments in defense of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” in large part because I’ve never heard a good one. That said, they’re not usually this bad: “Last night on CNN, right-wing pundit Mark Smith argued that ‘openly gay people’ should not be allowed to serve in the military, advocating the military’s current Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. He argued that gay soldiers are unable to ‘focus’ on the war, comparing gays in the military to himself in a platoon of ‘Hooters waitresses.'”
* And finally, remember Baghdad Bob, who managed to deny reality in Iraq during the U.S. invasion? We apparently have a new press flack cut from the same cloth — meet Khartoum Karl.
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.