Suggested Reading - 8/17/07

Think Progress: Tony Snow Signals His Resignation, Plus 'A Couple' More 'Coming Up In The Next Month'
From the story: "After the recent resignation of Karl Rove, media outlets speculated on what the rest of President Bush's term will look like without 'the Architect.' The President is 'fighting lame duck status,' reported the AP. In response, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow shot back: 'As the president has said many times, he's going to sprint to the tape.'

"But even Tony Snow doesn't want to be around for that sprint. In an interview with the conservative Hugh Hewitt show, Snow signaled that he will not stay until the end of the term. He also mentioned that there are 'probably a couple' of other high-level resignations 'coming up in the next month or so.'"

It begs the question; purge, rats leaving the sinking ship, or something else?

The Nation: The Worst House Speaker in American History
From the story: "...As a man, Hastert was as cruel and uncaring about the fate of the American people he was uniquely empowered to serve as he was about the interns dispatched to the office of Florida Congressman Mark Foley. Hastert's objection to the use of federal funds to rebuild predominantly African-American sections of New Orleans where thousands of homes and lives had been wrecked by Hurricane Katrina -- "It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed" -- was so brutal that he was forced to publicly amend his comments with a claim that "I'm not advocating that the city be abandoned or relocated." But the lack of an adequate response to the needs of New Orleans by Hastert and his colleagues would confirm that the Speaker's initial reaction was a truer expression of his sentiments than the apologia."

As is so often the case, John Nichols hits it outta the park.

Glenn Greenwald: The Padilla verdict
From the story: "...To this day, many people, including myself, cite the Padilla case as the ultimate wake-up call to the true character, the genuine soul, of the Bush administration. Imprisoning a U.S. citizen, on U.S. soil, with no charges of any kind, and then keeping him for years completely incommunicado, is just one of those lines which many people believed would never be crossed in America."

Look at what he was convicted of, then look at all the freedoms that were sacrificed to put this inconsequential man behind bars. A pyrrhic victory in the best light and a loss for individual liberty in the most honest light.

Raw Story: In White House reversal, top general in Iraq will testify on war progress
From the story: "...The White House on Thursday clarified that Petraeus and Crocker would testify publicly before Congress, but their testimony will come before the report is released. White House deputy press secretary Gordon Johndroe told reporters in Crawford, Texas, that Petraeus and Crocker's testimony would not be hampered by an inability to discuss the surge progress report before its release."

This isn't a lot better than the original reporting that they wouldn't testify at all -- now they'll be questioned on a report that no one will have read. The Bush administration; always ridiculous.

USA Today: Medical exodus worsens Iraq's ills
From the story: "An exodus of doctors and nurses from Iraq has caused a staffing shortage at several of the 142 medical clinics that the U.S. government spent $264 million to build around Iraq, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.

"As many as half of Iraqi doctors have left the country since the U.S. invasion in 2003, according to a recent report by Oxfam International that cited statistics from the Iraqi Medical Association. Some doctors have fled after being targeted because of their religious sect or profession. Others have sought better opportunities in Europe or elsewhere in the Middle East."

In fact, according to Oxfam's report, "40% of all Iraqi professionals, including teachers and engineers, have left the country since the war started."

The Capital Times: County: Impeach Bush, Cheney
From the story: "At the end of a marathon seven-hour session, the Dane County [WI] Board early today became the second county government in the nation to endorse the impeachment of President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney."

This is my county -- whoohoo for me! The first county to endorse impeachment was Tompkins County, NY.