Not Smart

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The U.S. State Department’s renewal of Blackwater’s contract to provide security in Iraq “is bad news,” an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said.

Blackwater guards shot and killed 17 people, including women and children, last September, prompting an outcry and protest from Iraqi officials.

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Will Conservative Angst Reset the Barr?

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Former Georgia Republican Congressman may be returning to the campaign life — as a Libertarian candidate for president.

Barr is a featured speaker at the Heartland Libertarian Conference in Kansas City, Mo., today and the chatter in political circles is that he will announce the creation of an exploratory committee.

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Monica Goodling and the ‘Just Us’ Department

From NPR:

The Justice Department’s inspector general is investigating whether a career attorney in the department was dismissed from her job because of rumors that she is a lesbian. The case grew out of a larger inquiry into the firings of U.S. attorneys and politicization at Justice under former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

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Yuppies and Buppies and Guppies! Oh My!

WASHINGTON (AP) — HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, his tenure tarnished by allegations of political favoritism and a criminal investigation, announced his resignation Monday amid the wreckage of the national housing crisis. He leaves behind a trail of unanswered questions about whether he tilted the Department of Housing and Urban Development toward Republican contractors and cronies.

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That Magic Moment

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — President Bush strongly defended Iraq’s prime minister on Friday at what he called a “defining moment” for the Baghdad government, saying the United States supported its offensive against a Shiite militia and would provide any military assistance that was sought.

…snip…

Mr. Bush, appearing in the East Room of the White House, said that he had not spoken to Iraq’s leader, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, since Iraqi forces launched a major military operation to seize Basra from the control of militias, but spoke strongly in favor of the move, which he called the Maliki government’s initiative.

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April Chimpy Day!

From Wilstar Greetings:

Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool’s Day, sometimes called All Fool’s Day, is not totally clear. There really wasn’t a “first April Fool’s Day” that can be pinpointed on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.

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It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt. –Mark Twain

I’d tell him to screw himself, but I don’t know if he’d remember how!

From The Caucus at The New York Times (from March 16,2007):

The unthinkable has happened. Senator John McCain met a question, while sitting with reporters on his bus as it rumbled through Iowa today, that he couldn’t – or perhaps wouldn’t – answer.

Did he support the distribution of taxpayer-subsidized condoms in Africa to fight the transmission of H.I.V.?

What followed was a long series of awkward pauses, glances up to the ceiling and the image of one of Mr. McCain’s aides, standing off to the back, urgently motioning his press secretary to come to Mr. McCain’s side.

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