TUESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Hamid Karzai, under intense pressure from the Obama administration, agreed today to compete in a runoff election on Nov. 7 in Afghanistan.
* Uigurs’ plea will be heard in court after all.
* George W. Bush wanted Bernie Kerik to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. Now Kerik is off to jail.
* Is Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) the subject of an FBI investigation?
* The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was the #1 biggest spender on D.C. lobbying in the last quarter. Their total — $34.7 million — was more than the next 18 highest filers combined.
* There are a variety of ways to pay for health care. The Excise Tax proposal is a sound and reasonable approach.
* Someone probably ought to remind Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) that he’s not the Commander in Chief. (Maybe someone should “put him in his place”?)
* California’s attorney general, Jerry Brown, files suit against State Street, the large Boston-based bank.
* Rush Limbaugh today told New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin over the air, “Mr. Revkin, why don’t you just go kill yourself and help the planet by dying?” Paul Krugman added, “[R]emember, Rush is a mainstream conservative who focuses mainly on policy. Always good to remember what we’re dealing with.”
* In related news, it seems that far too many Republicans have “a violence problem.”
* The NYT‘s Elizabeth Bumiller reported that there’s “frustration” building among military leaders over the White House’s deliberations on U.S. policy in Afghanistan. But is the report true?
* A weak economy means less borrowing for higher ed.
* The two county Republican Party chairmen in South Carolina apologized for their anti-Semitism.
* Nice to see Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) feeling better.
* Please don’t let Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) screw up the Census. It’s too important for his nonsense.
* I’ve never been able to figure out why anyone would listen to Larry Kudlow.
* Rachel Maddow would love to have Liz Cheney on as a guest. Cheney prefers to chat with Sean Hannity. To borrow some phrases, what is Cheney afraid of? Why doesn’t she want to debate the issues?
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
