A lobbying group under investigation for it's work securing earmarks for its clients will close shop next week, the New York Times reports.
Paul Magliocchetti, a one-time aide to Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) and the head of PMA Group, was a powerful player in the capital, schmoozing with lawmakers and using loopholes in the ethics code to provide staffers with meals:
And many on Capitol Hill, recalling the scandal that mushroomed around the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, are wondering who else will be ensnared in the investigation as prosecutors pore over the financial records and computer files of one of K Street
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), seen by many as a Democratic VP contender, is proposing the creation of a National Guard advocacy board, comprised of governors from different parties and regions, that would lobby Congress and the administration on behalf of the Guard.
Sebelius made her case as part of the Democratic Leadership Conference's (DLC) Ideas Primary, a project that resulted in an 89-page collection of policy pitches from various Democrats, which the DLC published today (also of note, Rep. Rahm Emanuel proposes a flat tax for the middle class).
The board would push for funding and alert Congress, the President, and the Department of Defense to equipment, training, and readiness issues.
"As long as the National Guard is being used as part of the strategic force overseas, a first responder for natural disasters, and any attack at home, they need a voice," Sebelius writes. As governor of Kansas, Sebelius is commander in chief of her state's National Guard.
Coincidentally, Sebelius's lack of national security experience has been used as an argument against her likelihood as a Democratic VP.
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will announce today the reopening of competition for a $40 billion tanker contract.
The contract had been won by a group that was part of Europe-based Airbus. But a General Accountability Office report found credence in complaints made by Airbus's competitor, Boeing, and the U.S.-based company's supporters in Congress.
Shelby, whose state will help build the tanker if Airbus wins the contract, urged a quick resolution to the bid process in a statement, which is posted below.
"This is the best of all options. It is important to remember that out of Boeing's 111 complaints, the [General Accountability Office (GAO)] concurred with a mere seven. The plan the Department of Defense has come up with is an appropriate solution to remedy the minor procedural flaws the GAO found in the initial award. It is vitally important that members of Congress support this expeditious path forward that not only satisfies the recommendations offered by GAO, but also ensures that the Air Force's urgent and compelling need to field a tanker is met as quickly as possible."
A group of Iraq war veterans are calling on the nation's political leaders to "finish the job" in Iraq in a new television ad from Vets for Freedom.
The anti-withdrawal veterans group announced the launch of a multi-million dollar ad campaign in battleground states last week. It will air television ads that do not discuss candidates but call attention to post-surge security gains in Iraq.
The group released its first ad over the weekend. In it, veterans say the United States must finish the job in Iraq "no matter who is president." See the ad below:
Americans United for Change has long opposed many of President Bush's policies, but this year it's found a new way to say it--with a 28-ton bus.
The group today launched its Bush Legacy Bus, a rolling museum dedicated to the "worst policy failures" of the Bush administration. The bus will travel the country for the next five months, stopping in 150 cities and bearing a simple message: that Bush's policies have wreaked havoc on America.
The bus features interactive exhibits on the Iraq war, the economy, and healthcare. A screen displays images of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, with captions that criticize the government's response. A chart entitled "not just Bush's war" traces Iraq war support to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). The floor shows a timeline of events in the Bush presidency.
Read more...
Along with Iraq war veterans and concerned citizens, Iraq Campaign 2008 says it will unfurl a 50-foot replica "Mission Accomplished" banner at the White House tomorrow, marking the five-year anniversary of President Bush's now-infamous speech.
The unfurling is slated to occur at 10:30 a.m. on Pennsylvania Ave.
On May 1, 2003, President Bush declared an end to major U.S. combat operations in Iraq (see the speech here) aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, anchored off the coast of San Diego. The ship bore a large banner that read "Mission Accomplished." CNN reported that, in October 2003, reporters pressed the White House on the banner, as U.S. casualties in Iraq had risen; the White House responded that the banner had been placed by the Navy.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) tomorrow will launch a tour through California, Nevada, and Colorado in opposition of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gay and lesbian servicemembers. The tour will start in San Diego, then will proceed to Las Vegas, Denver, and Palm Springs.
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