Bush administration

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Deal Struck, Kim Will Dismantle Nuke Plants

Pyongyang to detail activities; expected to get off US terror list

(Newser) - Kim Jong-Il has reportedly agreed in six-party talks to begin disabling his nuclear facilities and revealing program details. In return—though not part of the agreement—the US will fast-track North Korea's removal from its terrorism list. The terms show new flexibility from a waning Bush administration, as well as...

Letter Chides Rice on Summit Planning

Former diplomats call for more leadership, talks with Hamas

(Newser) - As Condoleezza Rice prepares for next month's Mideast peace summit, a group of former diplomats have warned her that the opportunity may be squandered by poor planning and weak strategy. The Guardian reports on an unprecedented letter to Rice from top former State Department figures, saying that "the chances...

Feds Pursue Fewer Polluters
Feds Pursue Fewer Polluters
Sep 30, 2007 8:15 AM CDT

Feds Pursue Fewer Polluters

EPA cuts down on criminal cases, says focus is on biggest offenders

(Newser) - The EPA has taken a decidedly less aggressive tack in criminal cases, the Washington Post reports, a trend advocates fear will embolden polluters. The number of prosecutions, new investigations, and total convictions have all dropped by more than a third. One ex-official, who resigned in protest, blamed the Bush administration,...

Bush Boosts Clean Green Platform
Bush Boosts Clean Green Platform
Sep 28, 2007 6:10 PM CDT

Bush Boosts Clean Green Platform

Speech light on specifics; critics see end run around UN

(Newser) - President Bush asserted his commitment to fighting global warming today and proposed an "international clean technology fund" that would fund green initiatives in developing countries. But his attempt to address his administration's poor environmental reputation probably changed few minds, the Times reports, because of its lack of firm commitments...

US Wrestles With Defining Iraq Deaths

Wartime statistics challenge military analysts, methods

(Newser) - For military analysts, a shooting victim in Iraq hasn’t necessarily fallen prey to sectarian violence. Instead, teams analyze each killing for signs it was ethnically motivated, compiling statistics the Bush administration has relied on to show progress in Iraq. Victims who were tortured, shot once in the head, or...

US, EU Will Back Kosovo Secession
US, EU Will
Back Kosovo Secession
Sep 25, 2007 12:42 PM CDT

US, EU Will Back Kosovo Secession

Rice insists independence from Serbia is only option

(Newser) - The Bush administration and the EU will support an independent Kosovo with or without a UN-backed plan. Serbs and Kosovo Albanians will conduct a last round of negotiations on the breakaway country's status before a Dec. 10 deadline. If that deadline passes, Kosovo will declare independence and the US and...

Social Security Fund Faces $13.6 Trillion Shortfall

Only taxes or slashed benefits can save program

(Newser) - Slashing benefits or hiking taxes—or both—is the only way to make the Social Security system solvent, reports a Treasury Department briefing paper. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson warned that faster economic growth alone won't solve the money problems of  Social Security, which faces a $13.6 trillion shortfall in...

'08 Iraq Tab Will Soar to $200B
'08 Iraq Tab Will Soar to $200B
Sep 22, 2007 4:25 PM CDT

'08 Iraq Tab Will Soar to $200B

Bush to ask Congress for nearly $200B

(Newser) - After beating down talk of a troop draw down, President Bush will ask Congress next week for nearly $200 billion to fund the war next year—making 2008 the most expensive year yet. The administration had originally sought $147.5 billion, but now seeks an additional $47 billion to fund...

US Knew About Israel's Raid on Syria in Advance

Shared intelligence on suspected nukes led to mysterious airstrike

(Newser) - Israeli intelligence provided President Bush with indications that North Korean nuclear officials had arrived in Syria before Israel stealthily bombed an alleged nuclear facility there. Although the US was reluctant to upset progress on North Korean nonproliferation, it nevertheless tacitly supported Israel's raid—and likely corroborated the facts before Israel...

Agriculture Boss Leaving to Run for Senate

Critics quick to attack, question his timing

(Newser) - US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns is resigning to run for the Nebraska senate seat that Rebublican Chuck Hagel will vacate at the end of 2008. Johanns' timing is less than perfect—he is leaving before Congress approves a new farm bill—something his campaign rivals will surely jump on, along...

Bush, Congress Score Lowest Approval Yet

Poll finds 29% give president thumbs-up; 11% for legislators

(Newser) - President Bush and Congress scored record-low approval ratings in a Reuters/Zogby poll released today. Bush dipped 1% below his previous Zogby approval rating of 30%; the legislative branch scored 11% approval, down 3% in August. And a new "mood index" showed the country as more unhappy than in July,...

GOP Moderates in Agony Over Key Votes

Stick with the president or try to get re-elected?

(Newser) - Moderates in the GOP are dreading upcoming votes that will force them to choose between loyalty to their president and their reelection prospects, the Washington Post reports. Upcoming congressional showdowns on the Iraq war, children’s health care, and spending will be particularly perilous to those facing voters next fall....

The Right’s Beef With Mukasey? The Left Doesn’t Hate Him

Slate says GOP is perversely partisan

(Newser) - The GOP is uneasy with Bush’s choice for attorney general, but only because liberals don't despise him, says Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick. Unlike Roberts and Alito, Michael Mukasey doesn’t know “all 17 twists in the Federalist Society's secret handshake”—leaving open the chance that he might...

Mukasey Courts the Hill
Mukasey Courts the Hill
Sep 18, 2007 5:59 PM CDT

Mukasey Courts the Hill

Attorney general nominee meets with lawmakers to prep for hearings

(Newser) - Mukasey mingled today with the Dems who will make or break his chance at becoming the next attorney general. If they're worried about him taking on the job, none showed it, Bloomberg reports. Even Senator Leahy, who wants the White House to fork over documents on its surveillance program before...

Mukasey Faces Senate Hurdle
Mukasey Faces Senate Hurdle
Sep 18, 2007 4:10 AM CDT

Mukasey Faces Senate Hurdle

Judiciary Committee is demanding White House documents

(Newser) - The confirmation of former federal judge Michael Mukasey as attorney general may not be the slam dunk the White House expects it to be. Senate Democrats have warned that the Judiciary Committee will delay confirmation unless the administration turns over documents the panel is seeking in several investigations, reports the...

Bush Names Mukasey for AG
Bush Names Mukasey for AG
Sep 17, 2007 10:24 AM CDT

Bush Names Mukasey for AG

Choice of retired federal judge seen as effort to avoid confirmation fight

(Newser) - President Bush nominated retired federal judge Michael B. Mukasey today as attorney general. Seen as a compromise that would avoid abrasive confirmation struggles but still maintain DoJ’s law-and-order mindset, the choice comes after Democrats vowed to block the more controversial Ted Olson, reports the New York Times.

Bush Might Nominate Mukasey
Bush Might Nominate Mukasey
Sep 15, 2007 4:49 PM CDT

Bush Might Nominate Mukasey

Bipartisan favorite on short list of attorney general candidates

(Newser) - A judge nominated by Reagan but endorsed by liberals may be Bush’s pick to replace Alberto Gonzalez, CNN reports. Michael B. Mukasey, 66, a high-profile judge for more than 15 years, is now on the short list of rumored attorney general candidates. Analysts say that Mukasey is ideal for...

Gates Eyes Deeper Troop Cuts
Gates Eyes Deeper Troop Cuts
Sep 15, 2007 7:06 AM CDT

Gates Eyes Deeper Troop Cuts

Defense Sec hopes to have US Iraq forces down to 100,000 by end of 2008

(Newser) - On the heels of President Bush's announcement of limited drawbacks in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed confidence yesterday that a bigger pullout would be possible. Gates said yesterday that he hopes for more cuts than Bush and Gen. David Petraeus were willing to commit to, bringing troop levels down...

Gingrich to GOP: Abandon Bush
Gingrich to GOP: Abandon Bush
Sep 14, 2007 5:45 PM CDT

Gingrich to GOP: Abandon Bush

Speaker says GOP must bring 'dramatic, bold change' to win in '08

(Newser) - Republican presidential candidates should make a “clean break” from the Bush Administration, Newt Gingrich declared today. “If you don't represent real change, you just gave away the 2008 election,” the former Speaker said, citing Iraq, the Hurricane Katrina response, and border control as reasons for public unhappiness....

War Has New Symbol: Petraeus
War Has New Symbol: Petraeus
Sep 13, 2007 10:46 AM CDT

War Has New Symbol: Petraeus

General copes with his transformation into a political actor

(Newser) - Once untarnishable, David Petraeus is being transformed into a political figure on both sides of the aisle. Supporters of the US Iraq strategy continue to paint him as a savior, while critics compare him to Westmoreland. "Up until this week, it was Rumsfeld's war," a retired lieutenant colonel...

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