Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The story surrounding Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) sure is tough to keep up with: “Republican senators expressed relief Thursday that embattled Sen. Larry Craig has signaled he is highly likely to surrender his seat within a few weeks rather than fight to complete his term…. Craig spokesman Dan Whiting told the Associated Press on Thursday that the senator was focused on trying to clear his name and to help Idaho prepare for a replacement. ‘The most likely scenario, by far, is that by October there will be a new senator from Idaho,’ Whiting said.”
* While it now looks like Craig has one foot out the door, we also learned today that the Senate GOP caucus is not quite as united in their disgust for Craig as we’d been led to believe: “Republican senators held what one participant called a ‘passionate’ and ‘spirited’ closed-door discussion Wednesday afternoon about how their leaders responded to the sex scandal involving their colleague Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, CNN has learned. At least three senators complained their leaders ‘rushed to judgment’ while others defended the leaders for quickly pulling their support from the disgraced senator, according to one Republican senator in the room and two GOP aides familiar with the meeting.”
* Today’s most provocative story, by far, is an exclusive report in Salon from Sidney Blumenthal, who cites two former CIA officers who say the president not only knew Iraq didn’t have weapons of mass destructions, but also squelched top-secret intelligence, and a briefing by George Tenet, months before invading Iraq.
* Roll Call reports that the White House has begun quietly circulating a short list of potential replacements for Alberto Gonzales among key senators. The list reportedly includes former Solicitor General Ted Olson; former Attorney General Bill Barr; former Deputy Attorney General George Terwilliger; D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Laurence Silberman; former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson; and Michael Mukasey, a former judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. (You’ll notice, of course, that Michael Chertoff is not on the list.)
* Major court ruling today: “In a big win for the rule of law, Federal District Judge Marrero issued a 103 page decision today holding National Security Letters unconstitutional despite their being blessed by the reauthorization of the Patriot Act.”
* Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) “is working to pass a bill on Thursday that will put limitations on communications between the White House and the Justice Department regarding pending law enforcement business. The bill’s author intends to prevent the politicization of Justice Department criminal and civil prosecutions.” Have I mentioned lately how much I like Sheldon Whitehouse?
* Al Gore is writing a follow-up to “An Inconvenient Truth”: “Gore is working on a new environmental book, ‘The Path to Survival,’ that will be released as a paperback original on April 22, 2008, Earth Day. According to publisher Rodale Books, Gore will continue where he left off in ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and offer ‘a visionary blueprint for the changes we should make as a world community.'”
* When putting together web videos, national Democrats, especially the national campaign committees, usually keep the gloves on. In the DSCC’s new one, “Moral High Ground,” the gloves are off. I’m pleasantly surprised the party is willing to be this aggressive.
* Speaker Pelosi’s office has released a rebuttal to most of the White House’s talking points on Iraq. Nice job, guys.
* I really, really hate to agree with Limbaugh, but I actually think he’s largely right about this: “I’m not crazy about presidential candidates announcing their candidacy on these late-night shows, Leno or Letterman… The one thing about it that bothers me — and I’m not rooted in fuddy-duddiness here, although it may sound like it to some of you but — is I think the office of the presidency has a certain stature, and I don’t like to see it linked or tied to pop culture.” I don’t mind candidates appearing on the late-night shows, but announcing their presidential campaign? I think candidates should aim a little higher.
* For the one millionth time, tax cuts do not pay for themselves. Anyone who argues that they do does not deserve to be taken seriously.
* During last night’s debate, Duncan Hunter said of prisoners at Guantanamo: “They’ve got health care that’s better than most HMOs. And they got something else that no Democrat politician in America has: They live in a place called Guantanamo, where not one person has ever been murdered.” I have no idea what this means.
* Bush claimed today that the Iraqi Parliament is more efficient than the U.S. Congress. Rahm Emanuel hit back quickly with a great response.
* Keep an eye on this legislation: “The United States Congress has a chance to take a big step toward reassuring Americans that the votes they cast on Election Day will not be lost or stolen. The House is considering a bill sponsored by Rush Holt, Democrat of New Jersey, that could come to a vote as soon as today that would make electronic voting both more reliable and less prone to fraud. The bill lacks one important thing: a ban on touch-screen voting machines. But even in its current form, it goes a long way toward fixing a voting system that has been clearly broken for many years. The House should pass it, and the Senate should pass its own bill without delay.”
* And finally, First Lady Laura Bush couldn’t make the trip to Australia with the president because of a pinched nerve. Last night, at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister John Howard and his wife, the president arrived with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at his side. “She can be my date,” the president said. Have I mentioned lately that I find their relationship a little creepy?
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.