Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A new Michigan/Florida compromise seems to be gaining traction in Democratic circles. Under the scenario, the DNC would halve the votes for all of the Florida delegates, giving Clinton a net gain of 19, and the popular vote from the state would count. Michigan, meanwhile, would be split 50-50. The new magic number would be 2,118.
* Tragic: “The number of Army suicides increased again last year, amid the most violent year yet in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Two defense officials said Thursday that 108 troops committed suicide in 2007, six more than the previous year.”
* Hmm: “Perhaps the biggest revelation from Scott McClellan’s bombshell book about his time at the White House is that President Bush directly authorized the leak of Valerie Plame’s identity.”
* Speaking of McClellan, the former press secretary also revived the controversy surrounding Bush’s alleged cocaine use. “The media won’t let go of these ridiculous cocaine rumors,” he quotes Bush as having said in that conversation with a political supporter. “You know, the truth is I honestly don’t remember whether I tried it or not. We had some pretty wild parties back in the day, and I just don’t remember.”
* More McClellan news: “Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) called for former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan to appear before the House Judiciary Committee to testify under oath regarding the devastating revelations made in his new book on the Bush Administration’s deliberate efforts to mislead the American people into the Iraq War.”
* Mike Turk, who served as the eCampaign director for Bush’s 2004 campaign, said it’s unfortunate that McClellan is “getting savaged for saying what everyone knows to be true.”
* Better than nothing: “The U.S. economy grew at a faster rate in the first quarter of this year than previously thought, the government reported Thursday, further muddying the question of whether or not the sluggish U.S. economy is now in recession.”
* After all this time, you’d think Condoleezza Rice could talk about Iraqi WMD coherently.
* Our very own Carpetbagger regular, best known as “Prup,” has a fascinating item over at Mark Kleiman’s place on a certain religious right powerhouse using some extraordinary and inflammatory rhetoric. Take a look.
* We talked earlier about CNN’s Jessica Yellin feeling corporate pressure to be more pro-Bush before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. This afternoon, she clarified her remarks.
* I really wish news outlets would stop referring to Lieberman as a Democrat.
* I really wish news outlets were smart enough to know that John McCain never called for Rumsfeld’s resignation.
* Apparently, some conservatives believe McClellan’s criticism of his former colleagues is part of a conspiracy involving his publisher, The Nation, and George Soros. Steve M. seems to think these conservatives are nuts. I can’t imagine why.
* Interesting journalistic ethics question involving the WaPo’s Howard Kurtz.
* The Secret Service is not fond of the idea of McCain and Obama traveling together to Iraq. Go figure.
* Dahlia Lithwick: “Perhaps it’s the inevitable byproduct of the accusation that anyone who failed to support Clinton’s presidential bid has doomed feminism, but the claim that the doors have slammed on decades of future woman presidents is as maddening as the Olympics of Oppression that preceded it. The folks claiming we’ve allowed the presidency to slip through our fingers arrive at this conclusion by pressing the same flawed syllogism: The only viable woman candidate thus far has been Hillary; Hillary did not win; ergo there will never be another viable woman candidate.”
* Things have gotten rough at Number 10: “Gordon Brown’s latest comms offensive involves cold-calling members of the public who have written him letters, according to sources close to Downing Street. The initiative is said to be the brainchild of Downing Street chief of strategy Stephen Carter and is intended to ‘humanise’ the Prime Minister as his popularity continues to wane.”
* I can only assume that monkeys and their robots will soon take over.
* And finally, a quick word on polls and the presidential election. In late May 2004, polls showed John Kerry trouncing George W. Bush, with the Dem winning a whopping 327 electoral votes, 57 more than he needed to win. Needless to say, the polls changed as the year went on. Something to keep in mind.
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.