Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Not a big surprise: “Senate Republicans blocked a proposal Tuesday to tax the windfall profits of the largest oil companies, despite pleas by Democratic leaders to use the measure to address America’s anger over $4 a gallon gasoline. The Democratic energy package would have imposed a tax on any “unreasonable” profits of the five largest U.S. oil companies and given the federal government more power to address oil market speculation that the bill’s supporters argue has added to the crude oil price surge.”
* I can’t imagine why this isn’t going well: “Iraqi lawmakers say the United States is demanding 58 bases as part of a proposed ‘status of forces’ agreement that will allow U.S. troops to remain in the country indefinitely. Leading members of the two ruling Shiite parties said in a series of interviews the Iraqi government rejected this proposal along with another U.S. demand that would have effectively handed over to the United States the power to determine if a hostile act from another country is aggression against Iraq.”
* The latest on Iran: “President Bush and European Union leaders threatened Iran on Tuesday with new financial sanctions unless the country curbs its nuclear ambitions and opens facilities to international inspection…. Bush and his European counterparts indicated they were prepared to go beyond current United Nations sanctions to try to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon.”
* This probably won’t turn out well: “Congressional Republicans are reviewing a Democratic proposal to break the logjam on electronic-surveillance legislation by allowing federal district courts to determine whether telephone companies seeking legal immunity received orders from the Bush administration to wiretap people’s phones.”
* Those wacky senators and their oversight responsibilities: “Unsatisfied Democratic and Republican senators on Tuesday pressed the Bush administration for more answers on its torture policies. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized a report from the Department of Justice as vague and incomplete.”
* HUD’s role in the crisis isn’t generating the attention it deserves: “In 2004, as regulators warned that subprime lenders were saddling borrowers with mortgages they could not afford, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development helped fuel more of that risky lending.”
* Just a few months before Congress wraps up work for the year, impeachment drops: “Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich defied his party leadership on Monday by calling for the impeachment of U.S. President George W. Bush for launching the Iraq war — but his move was not expected to go anywhere. The Ohio representative outlined his intention to propose more than two dozen charges against Bush on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.”
* Even Dick Cheney thinks McCain is wrong about the “gas-tax holiday.”
* Now reporters and conservatives are questioning Obama’s choice of clothes.
* Bill Kristol, December 17, 2006: “Barack Obama is not going to beat Hillary Clinton in a single democratic primary. I’ll predict that right now.”
* When Karl Rove resigned, he said, “I’m leaving on my own terms.” That might not have been true: “On a Sunday in midsummer, George W. Bush accompanied Karl Rove to the Episcopalian Church Rove sometimes attended,” writes Alexander. “They made their way to the front of the congregation. Then, during their time in the church, Bush gave Rove some stunning news. ‘Karl,’ Bush said, ‘there’s too much heat on you. It’s time for you to go.'”
* Following up on an item of mine from yesterday, publius hilzoy does a great job taking a closer look at McCain’s energy policy.
* Speaking of McCain, he’s still having trouble reading from a teleprompter. Today, he vowed to “veto every single beer” that reaches his desk.
* And finally, I found this absolutely delightful: “For the first time ever, MSNBC’s ‘Countdown with Keith Olbermann’ was the #1 show at 8 p.m., out-drawing Fox News’s ‘O’Reilly Factor’ head-to-head among Adults 25-54. This is the first time since June 2001 that MSNBC has out-rated ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ at 8 p.m. Excluding Tuesday’s primary coverage, “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” averaged 477,000 A25-54 vs. 472,000 for the ‘Factor.'”
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.