WEDNESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* A passenger jet crashed in northwestern Iran this morning, killing all 168 passengers and crew.
* In Afghanistan, July is “shaping up as the deadliest month” since the U.S. invasion eight years ago. The AP added, “The rate of deaths in July — about three a day — is approaching some of the highest levels of the Iraq war.”
* Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, bouncing back from elbow surgery, gave a major address on U.S. foreign policy today. Spencer Ackerman had a good item summarizing some key points.
* Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) conceded this morning that Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination will not be filibustered when it reaches the Senate floor.
* Cornyn, however, still doesn’t understand the basics of the Ricci case.
* President Obama didn’t ask Sotomayor’s views on abortion rights, and she didn’t offer her perspective on the issue before being offered the nomination.
* Under the circumstances — namely, ugly attacks on Sotomayor’s ethnicity — it seems unwise for Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to parrot an old Ricky Ricardo line during confirmation hearings.
* South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) just got back from a personal excursion, and now he’s taking another one. Seems like a bad idea.
* Interior Secretary Ken Salazar sure would appreciate it if the Senate would vote, eventually, on some of his senior staff positions (which, in reality, probably shouldn’t be subject to Senate confirmation anyway).
* That Birther Army Major should be facing a court martial fairly soon.
* On a related note, there are nine House Birthers and counting.
* Zach Carter considers what would happen to credit default swaps as a result of Waxman-Markey climate change bill.
* ABC’s Jake Tapper opens an account on Daily Kos?
* And a caller challenged Glenn Beck today on health-care policy. His on-air breakdown was pretty extraordinary, even for him. Pay particular attention to the high-pitched scream about three and a half minutes in. Wow.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
