Good morning . . .
It is shaping up to be a slow news day. This may be the only posting for today.
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With a vote set for Tuesday on the Senate rule change to ban filibusters on judicial nominations, several "moderate" senators continue to look for a compromise. Thus far any compromise proposed by the Democrats have included the withdrawal of several of President Bush's more "controversial" nominees.
Both Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and the White House have rejected any plan that does not give an "up or down" vote to all judicial nominees.
Frist will file a motion today to begin the countdown toward ending the debate on Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen' nomination to the US %th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
Barring any last-minute compromise, the motion would lead to the GOP push next week to change Senate rules barring filibusters for judicial nominees.
Pursuit of Filibuster Compromise Stepped Up
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Last Friday the Pentagon issued its list recommending the closing or realignment of 33 major bases and dozens of smaller bases including many National Guard and reserve facilities. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) began hearings last Monday with extensive testimony from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Richard Meyer.
That is the beginning of a process that will see more public hearings and cries of outrage and surprise from members of Congress, governors, and the communities affected by the closings.
Three GOP senators have taken another step to limit or delay the process. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ted Stevens (R-AK), and John Thune (R-SD) have offered legislation to delay the BRAC Commission. The bill would delay the process "until a complete analysis is conducted on overseas facility requirements."
"The recent BRAC recommendations are far-reaching nationally and would have enormous effects on communities like Fairbanks," Murkowski said, referring to the potential closing of Eielson Air Force Base. "This legislation appropriately delays implementation of the recommendations until we have a more thorough inventory of our military assets and priorities."
Thune campaigned on a promise to keep Ellsworth Air Force Base open.
It is unlikely that the proposed bill will receive serious consideration. The best option for the three senators is to actively participate in the process and demonstrate the continued viability of the bases they want to save. As noted in this column, Fort Dix in New Jersey and portions of the Philadelphia Navy Yards were saved during the review process.
GOP senators propose to postpone BRAC
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The criticism over an article published in Newsweek continues in spite of an apology and retraction from the magazine.
The bogus article incorrectly reported that a copy of the Quran was flushed down a toilet by investigators at Guantanemo Bay, Cuba. The article sparked anti-American protests in Afghanistan and Pakistan that killed 17 people.
Now a Texas House member, Randy Neugebauer, has introduced a resolution calling for the American media to be more responsible and accurate while declaring "most Americans don't have a great deal of faith in what the media reports."
The measure expresses concern about the culture of today's media that is more concerned with getting the story first rather than insuring that they are accurate.
Neugebauer leads Newsweek charge
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A British tabloid, The Sun, has published photos of Saddam Hussein in his jail cell, The front page of the newspaper showed Hussein in his underwear.
Other than to attempt to embarrass the Bush administration, what purpose does this pictured serve? Do we really want to see Saddam in his underwear?
NEWSCHANNEL 5
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More later.
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