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:

• POLL: Bush approval at 27%, according to Harris Poll.  Congress' approval rating is at 29%.  (Throw the bums out!  Clean up Washington!  Don't elect Washington insiders unless they have a proven track record of engagement with the grassroots!)
• CONGRESS According to The Hill magazine, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) unveiled legislation that would "lift temporarily the portfolio caps on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," which Schumer thinks "would allow the mortgage giants to help borrowers trapped in mortgages they can’t afford."
• CONGRESS The new wiretapping bill being proposed would grant immunity to telecommunications companies that handed over the personal records of customers to the US government between 2001 and 2007.
• TERRORISM The US has filed charges against a detainee for throwing a hand grenade at two American soldiers.  (See, this is all it takes.  File charges.  Of course, the event happened in 2002, which means he has been in jail for five years without a trial.  But at least they are finally filing charges.)
• WORLD The situation in Burma is getting worse.  Knowing they could be caught on video, police tend to stay away during the day and only come out during the night.  "When there were demonstrations and soldiers on the streets, theworld was watching," said a professional woman who watched the marchersfrom her office.  "But now the soldiers only come at night. They take anyone they canidentify from their videos. People who clapped, who offered water tothe monks, who knelt and prayed as they passed. People who happened toturn and watch as they passed by and their faces were caught on film.It is now we are most fearful. It is now we need the world to help us."
• RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM On the CNBC show "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch," Ann Coulter explained why a Christian America would be ideal.  "We just want Jews to be perfected," she said.  Here was Deutsch's response.
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL Al Gore's cancellation of a fundrasier for Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has been rescinded.  He will be there.  Gore's team is ending his oversees trip early to attend.  This only fuels speculation of Gore getting back into politics.
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL President Bush says he did not watch the Republican debate this week.
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, President Bush gave advice to the Republican presidential candidates.  “If I were running for president, I would remind people that low taxes have been important for the American families,” Bush said.  (And thank God that isn't happening.)
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL Republican presidential candidate John McCain is proposing a $5,000 tax credit for American families so they can purchase health insurance.

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 to the commentbox.