Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Spitzer-Watch 2008 will continue, at least until tomorrow: “Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who has spent much of the day considering his options following allegations that he was linked to a high-priced prostitution ring, will not resign his office on Tuesday, according to a person involved in discussions with the governor.”
* There’s at least some indication that Spitzer is wondering if he can wait to see if the storm blows over: “‘He has not made up his mind,’ a senior adviser to Mr. Spitzer, Lloyd Constantine, said. ‘It is more correct to say that he is not resigning.'”
* For his part, Lieutenant Governor David Paterson hasn’t talked to Spitzer since yesterday and has no idea what’s going to happen: “Asked whether preparations for a transition were underway, the lieutenant governor said: ‘No one has talked to me about his resignation and no one has talked to me about a transition.'”
* Bloodshed in Baghdad: “A roadside bomb hit a bus traveling in southern Iraq on Tuesday, killing at least 16 civilians, while other violence killed at least 26 people around Iraq, police said. The U.S. military reported three American soldiers killed Monday by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad, bringing to eight the number of troops who died that day. It was the deadliest day for American forces in Iraq since Sept. 10, when 10 troops died. At least 22 other people were wounded in the attack on the bus traveling from Najaf to Basra, a policeman said on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information.”
* Bloodshed in Pakistan: “The spread of terrorism across Pakistan from its wild tribal regions to the cultural capital of Lahore on Tuesday adds to the pressure for a reconsideration of its U.S.-allied president’s approach to countering al-Qaida and the Taliban as its new government prepares to take office…. At least 24 people died Tuesday and more than 200 were injured when bombers in explosives-laden vehicles devastated a police headquarters and a business near a house belonging to Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.”
* Waxman is still all over the EPA. Good.
* Dick Cheney will leave Sunday for a diplomatic trip to the Middle East. Bush said yesterday that Cheney would “reassure people that the United States is committed to a vision of peace in the Middle East.” Cheney the diplomat? Why does this seem like a bad idea?
* I had a hunch this might happen: “The Kansas Supreme Court today declared the state’s funeral picketing ban invalid, citing legislative legal maneuvering as the reason. The decision nullifies the law passed by the Legislature last year – and not yet implemented – designed to rein in a Topeka church that protests the funerals of fallen soldiers and others across the country. Fearing the church could win a legal challenge against the law, lawmakers inserted a so-called ‘trigger’ provision designed to test the law’s validity before it could be implemented.”
* Murdoch visits his newsroom: “In his first visit to the Wall Street Journal’s D.C. bureau, Rupert Murdoch told staffers Friday that he would put more resources into Washington coverage and take on the New York Times, while reassuring them that he is not a ‘conservative’ pushing an agenda in the news pages.” No, of course not. Why would anyone ever think that?
* Hoping to prevent the next Ashcroft-based controversy: “The Justice Department announced guidelines Monday to prevent the sort of conflict-of-interest accusations that followed its decision to steer a private contract worth tens of millions of dollars to former Attorney General John Ashcroft to monitor a large out-of-court settlement… Until now, the Justice Department has allowed individual federal prosecutors who do not work in Washington to select outside lawyers to monitor out-of-court settlements involving large companies, with the companies paying the monitors’ fees. Under the new guidelines, the monitors must now be chosen by a committee and approved in Washington by the office of the deputy attorney general, the department’s No. 2 official.”
* Cheney may not be quite as popular with the troops as he thinks he is.
* Reuters: “Only 22 percent of people responding to the poll said they read blogs regularly, meaning several times a month or more, according to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive.” Only? I have some serious doubts about the reliability of the poll, but if more than one in five Americans are reading blogs, isn’t that a lot?
* And finally, John McCain’s website lists high-profile supporters of the campaign, including “Former President George W. Bush.” It’s an amusing gaffe — and a pleasant thought.
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.