Blue Radar

I post each morning, here are some of the political stories thatmight not be worthy of their own posts, but are nonetheless newsworthy:

• CONGRESS The Senate passed a non-binding resolution by Joe Biden that would recommend partitioning Iraq into three regions: Kurd, Sunni and Shiite.  The vote was 75 to 23.  (Great!  Another non-binding resolution, Joe.  You sure have your work cut out for you.)
• CONGRESS The House voted 341-79 to condemn the MoveOn.org ad against General Petraeus.
• CONGRESS The Senate voted overwhelmingly to allow the Pentagon to raise the reimbursement rates for mental health treatment of soldiers returning from war.
• IRAQ Defense Secretary Robert Gates is sending in a Pentagon team to investigate abuses by military contractors in Iraq.  No word on whether that investigative team includes former contractors.
• SCANDAL Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) is refusing to resign from the US Senate as he awaits the judge's ruling in the bathroom sex sting.
• 2008 ELECTION/HOUSE Congressman Terry Everett (R-AL) became the ninth Republican incumbent to announce his retirement from the House of Representatives.  His district is solidly Republican.
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL Fred Thompson is hitting a block in the road as conservative religious groups are angry about the former lobbyist's pro-choice stances in the past.  This could significantly hurt his campaign.  According to Politico's Jonathan Martin, "While Christian conservatives once seemed willing to readily giveThompson the benefit of the doubt earlier this summer, when questionswere raised about his lobbying for a pro-abortion-rights group, theyare not willing to turn the other cheek anymore."
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL Rudolph Giuliani has fired his chief fundraiser Anne Dunsmore.  To downplay he situation, Dunsmore released a statement saying, "I continue to believe Rudy Giuliani is the strongest candidate in the race and I strongly support him for president."
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL Yesterday, John Edwards unveiled his plan to fight AIDS.  Most of the plan revolves around giving greater access to affordable health care in third world countries.  "Spend $50 billion over five years to increase the ability of people inpoor countries to receive AIDS drugs and use U.S. trade policies toensure that those countries can buy generic drugs at fair prices," as analyzed in the Des Moines Register newspaper, which outlined each part of the plan.

If we left something out, it's because we either wrote about ityesterday or are scheduled to do so in an individual post later today. Otherwise, feel free to add any stories in the commentbox.

Comments

[Robert]

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/judge-strikes-down-parts-of-patriot-act/20070926203209990001

Judge strikes down the patriot act

[granny]

House Vote on MoveOn.org:
Hear! Hear!, To Chris Dodd! His remarks on this vote were dignified, decent and correct.

Pathetic! Really and truly this is a pathetic demonstration of how superficial Congressional deliberation and action has become.

Raising mental health reimbursement: We all deserve it after this nightmare.

Gates:Could we be seeing an epiphany of conscience in Robert Gates?

Fred Thompson’s woes: I have no investment in Fred Thompson’s campaign success, but I’m always sorry to hear that the contingent that wants to control the choices a woman makes about her body’s reproductive system is managing to throw their weight around.

[George]

i wonder if it's awkward for Larry Craig to run into other members of congress in the bathroom.

[granny]

Remember when Tony gave us a little Net Neutrality 101 earlier this year?! We need to be keeping a keen eye on that issue ~

Here's the tip of the iceberg that will be coming our way if we loose that battle:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-s-johnson/verizon-doesnt-like-your_b_66145.html

[Robt]

But Russert was desperate to inquire of the democratic candidates most favored Bible passage.

Picture your house burning down and the fireman on the scene takes time out from putting out flames or rescuing people from the flames, to find out what you most favorite Bible passage is and why?

How is ones most favored Bible passage going to help in negotiating peace between Israel and Palistine? It doesn't fit.........