Today’s edition of quick hits.<\/p>\n
* TPMM<\/a>: “The Republican National Committee has been slapped with a subpoena from a House Judiciary subcommittee demanding e-mail messages that could shed some light on Karl Rove’s involvement in the firing of nine US attorneys. The subpoena is online here<\/a>. The RNC’s custodian of records has until Tuesday at 10 a.m. to give the subcommittee the e-mails it wants.”<\/p>\n * On a related note, Dems on the House Judiciary Committee also let Harriet Miers’ attorney know that blowing off a subpoena is a no-no<\/a>: “Federal law makes it very clear that recipients of a congressional subpoena must appear — regardless of whether or not they intend to assert privilege once the arrive…. This letter is to formally notify you that we must insist on compliance with the subpoena.” Miers’ lawyer has until 5 pm Tuesday to respond in writing as to whether Miers will comply.<\/p>\n * AP<\/a>: “Two prominent Senate Republicans have drafted legislation that would require President Bush to come up with a plan by mid-October to dramatically narrow the mission of U.S. troops in Iraq. The legislation, which represents a sharp challenge to Bush, was put forward Friday by Sens. John Warner and Richard Lugar, and it came as the Pentagon acknowledged that a decreasing number of Iraqi army battalions are able to operate independently of U.S. troops.” More on this tomorrow.<\/p>\n * The House voted 223-201 yesterday to begin U.S troop withdrawal<\/a> from Iraq in April. A grand total of four Republicans broke ranks, up from two the last time. (At this rate, we’ll have a veto-proof majority by 2011.)<\/p>\n * U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton is not at all pleased<\/a> with the president commuting the prison sentence he gave Scooter Libby. “In his first public comments on the matter, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton… defended the sentence, saying that he followed established legal precedents as well as a strict interpretation of federal sentencing guidelines that has been supported by Bush’s own administration.”<\/p>\n * It’s one thing to be so craven as to let Neil Cavuto onto Fox News. It’s another to make him the anchor of his own right-wing business channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n * On a related note, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, perhaps the most intellectually dishonest in print journalism, has managed to reach a new low<\/a>. Prof. DeLong calls it<\/a> the “Most Dishonest Wall Street Journal Editorial Ever.” He’s right. * Slate’s John Dickerson explains<\/a> exactly why Bush’s take on the Libby scandal yesterday was such a ridiculous joke.<\/p>\n * Joe Lieberman thinks historians will think highly<\/a> of George W. Bush. What an embarrassment.<\/p>\n * Sen. Barbara Boxer thinks impeachment “should be on the table<\/a>.”<\/p>\n * The Senate voted 87 to 1 today to boost the reward on Osama bin Laden’s head to $50 million. The measure also requires the White House to report on the efforts to try and capture him. The lone vote of opposition came from Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), who seriously argued<\/a> that he wants to capture bin Laden in Iraq. Or something. The man’s not all there.<\/p>\n * James Holsinger, Bush’s nominee for surgeon general, told a Senate panel<\/a> yesterday that he doesn’t hate gay people, and won’t let his office be politicized by White House hacks. (Those are my words, not his.)<\/p>\n * On a related note, Michael Feldman had an amusing item<\/a> today, based on former Surgeon General Richard Carmona’s explanation that he was forced to mention the president’s name three times on every page of his speeches. It’s called “The New Hippocratic Oath.”<\/p>\n * And in still more Surgeon General news, Henry Waxman is introducing legislation that would prevent political interference<\/a> with the Surgeon General’s office.<\/p>\n * Bob Novak doesn’t like bloggers<\/a>. What a relief.<\/p>\n
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\n* The latest<\/a> in Keith Olbermann’s series of “special comments” was devoted to Michael Chertoff’s “gut feeling” about domestic terrorism this summer. Keith doesn’t hold back.<\/p>\n