WEDNESDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Operation Iraqi Freedom may be over, but the country can still be deadly for U.S. troops: “Two U.S. service members were killed and nine others were wounded when a Kurdish Iraqi soldier sprayed them with gunfire at an Iraqi army commando base north of Baghdad on Tuesday afternoon, Iraqi and U.S. military officials said.”
* BP spreads the blame around, and points to a “shared responsibility” for the disaster in the Gulf: “BP released a long-awaited report Wednesday on an internal investigation into the causes of its Gulf of Mexico oil well blowout, blaming multiple failures by BP and other firms but absolving its much-criticized well design.”
* An inkling of good news on the job front: “Job openings rose in July after two months of declines, a positive sign that companies could step up hiring in the coming months.” The openings are at their highest levels since April.
* The Wall Street Journal would have you believe the Affordable Care Act is causing health insurance companies to raise their premiums. Stephanie Cutter cuts through the nonsense.
* Is the alleged “rift” between the White House and former OMB Director Peter Orszag over tax policy overblown? It sure seems like it.
* Feisal Abdul Rauf intends to “clearly identify all of our financial backers” for Park51. That probably won’t help with Fox News.
* Robert Schlesinger urges the Tea Party crowd to stop treating the Constitution like a rough draft.
* Daniel Luzer on “the triumph of student loans.”
* High on the list of people I’m not going to feel sorry for: Scooter Libby.
* Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) tends to have a way with words. Today he described the increasingly radicalized Republican Party as “nuts” and “flat-out crazy.” He added, “We are going to turn the reins of the Congress over to these people who are more and more dominated by the whacko right?”
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
