Today’s edition of quick hits.<\/p>\n
* E&P<\/a>: “A young woman met a sudden and tragic end, it was reported on Thursday, leaving her family and people who knew her in great distress. No, it’s not Anna Nicole Smith. Her name is Jennifer Parcell, and she died in Iraq. But you’d be lucky if you could find any mention of her, amidst the front page and wall-to-wall media coverage of the likely drug-related death of ‘starlet’ Smith.” Take a moment to read about Parcell’s remarkable life<\/a>, tragically cut short.<\/p>\n * While some congressional Republicans want to make the Pelosi\/plane nonsense a big deal, a handful know better<\/a>. “This is a bunch of baloney,” said Representative Ray LaHood, Republican of Illinois, who said he had flown on Hastert’s military plane. “Next week,” Representative Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, said, “we are going to steal their mascot and short-sheet their beds.”<\/p>\n * In response to Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Peter Pace and Defense Secretary Robert Gates telling lawmakers this week that congressional debate doesn’t undermine troop morale, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is reportedly “outraged<\/a>” by their tolerance for dissent. Graham told the far-right Washington Times that their perspective “shows a lack of sophistication about how this would play in newspaper headlines throughout the world.”<\/p>\n * Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said this week she doesn’t remember the Iranian memo from 2003 in which they sought to negotiate a diplomatic resolution between the U.S. and Iran. Newsweek’s Michael Hirsch obtained a copy<\/a> of the document itself, which Rice might want to take a look at. Who knows, maybe it’ll jog her memory<\/a>.<\/p>\n * On a related note, Eliot Abrams seems to be having some memory trouble<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n * Rupert Murdoch wants to create a right-wing rival<\/a> to already-conservative CNBC. Murdoch told a media conference in NYC yesterday, “Many times I’ve seen things on CNBC where they are not as friendly to corporations and profits as they should be.” As one insightful blogger put it<\/a>, “Talk about shooting the messenger: It’s not the media that falsified option records, engaged in fraudulent accounting, had corrupt research, stole from investors, or any other of a long laundry list of corrupt, illegal and shareholder-hostile actions. They just reported it.” * The AP reported<\/a> today: “One of President Bush’s uncles, William H.T. Bush, was among directors of a defense contractor who reaped $6 million from what federal regulators say was an illegal scheme by two executives to manipulate the timing of stock option grants, documents show. The uncle, known as ‘Bucky,’ is the youngest brother of former President George H.W. Bush.” (thanks to reader K.M. for the tip)<\/p>\n * If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll take a moment to read about the pain Eric Fair, a contract interrogator in Iraq in 2004, continues to feel<\/a> after having played a role in abusing detainees. It’s shocking, powerful, and poignant. <\/p>\n * All of a sudden, congressional Republicans want to take oversight seriously? Now that Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is putting the GOP to shame by holding hearings into waste, fraud, and abuse in the Iraq contracting process, a Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has set up an email address<\/a>, anonymous whistleblower tip line, and online “reform suggestion box” to help citizens pass on tips about waste, fraud, or abuse. Nice try, guys. Too little, too late.<\/p>\n * Congressional Republicans generally believe scandals helped drive them from the majority in 2006 — and they’re worried the scandals aren’t quite over yet<\/a>.<\/p>\n * The Patriot Act provision that allowed the Bush administration to conduct its prosecutor purge is going to be changed<\/a>. It’ll be too late for the U.S. Attorneys who’ve already been fired, but it’ll protect others in the future.<\/p>\n
\n
\n* Sen. Jack Reed<\/a> (D-R.I.) on whether an anti-escalation resolution undermines the troops: “You have to ask who is really undermining this mission? Didn’t the Bush Administration undermine it from the start by going to war without sufficient cause, without sufficient planning, without sufficient equipment for our troops?”<\/p>\n