News from US Sources 1st February 2007 Impeachment by the People   Courage is in short supply in Washington, D.C. The realities of the Iraq War cry out for the overthrow of a government that is criminally responsible for death, mutilation, torture, humiliation, chaos. But all we hear in the nation’s capital, which is the source of those catastrophes, is a whimper from the Democratic Party, muttering and nattering about “unity” and “bipartisanship,” in a situation that calls for bold action to immediately reverse the present cours Gore earns Nobel nomination for global warming work  Former Vice President Al Gore has been nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his wide-reaching efforts to draw the world's attention to the dangers of global warming, a Norwegian lawmaker said Thursday. Biden Unwraps ‘08 Bid With an Oops! In an era of meticulous political choreography, the staging of the kickoff for this presidential candidacy could hardly have gone worse. Bullying Iran  Given America’s bitter experience in Iraq, one would think that President Bush could finally figure out that threats and brute force aren’t a substitute for a reasoned strategy. But Mr. Bush is at it again, this time trying to bully Iran into stopping its meddling inside Iraq. Full Disclosure of Back-Scratching   Now that House Democrats are beyond the spotlight of their ballyhooed first 100 hours, there are signs of foot-dragging on the keystone of their promised lobbying reform: forcing disclosure of the huge sums in campaign donations that lobbyists package to grease privileged access in the Capitol. This practice — called bundling — has lobbyists mass hundreds of donations of a few thousand dollars each into special-interest piñatas of hundreds of thousands. Full disclosure of bundling is the sine qua non of lobbying reform. Speaker Nancy Pelosi cannot let the new House majority backslide. Senators Unite On Challenge to Bush's Troop Plan  Revised Warner Language That Protects Funds Is Embraced for Bipartisan Appeal Wherever a Senator's Question Leads, Kissinger Gamely Follows  So now it can be told: President Bush has a secret plan to end the war in Iraq. Exxon Sets New Record on Annual Profits Exxon Mobil reported a record annual profit on Thursday but a modest decline in fourth-quarter earnings because of falling oil and gas prices. Meanwhile, its competitor Royal Dutch Shell reported an unexpected rise in quarterly earnings, a sign that the industry is still going strong. The Long Consensus On Climate Change  With the release of the new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tomorrow, the fourth since the organization's founding in 1988, many will be looking for what's new. How have estimates of sea-level rise changed? How soon will we achieve a doubling of carbon dioxide levels? 31st January 2007 Germany may indict U.S. agents in 2004 abduction  The 13 operatives are said to have taken part in a Muslim's kidnapping. 'Beheading plot' behind terror raid   A major anti-terrorism raid in the UK was intended to foil a plot to kidnap a Muslim soldier serving in the British Army, and behead him, according to a security source. German Court Issues Warrants for C.I.A. Agents  Prosecutors in the southern German city of Munich today obtained warrants for 13 CIA agents they say were involved in the kidnapping of a German citizen, Khaled el Masri. Honesty in Elections   On Election Day last fall in Maryland, fliers were handed out in black neighborhoods with the heading “Democratic Sample Ballot” and photos of black Democratic leaders — and boxes checked off beside the names of the Republican candidates for senator and governor. They were a blatant attempt to fool black voters into thinking the Republican candidates were endorsed by black Democrats. In Orange County, Calif., 14,000 Latino voters got letters in Spanish saying it was a crime for immigrants to vote in a federal election. It didn’t say that immigrants who are citizens have the right to vote. Senate Allies of Bush Work to Halt Iraq Vote  The Bush administration’s allies in the Senate began a major effort on Tuesday to prevent a potentially embarrassing rejection of the president’s plan to push 20,000 more troops into Iraq. Scientists Criticize White House Stance on Climate Change Findings  Under its new Democratic chairman, Representative Henry A. Waxman of California, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform took on the Bush administration’s handling of climate change science yesterday, and even the Republicans on the panel had little good to say about the administration’s actions. Peace in Iraq 'a long time coming,' Fallon says  Fallon, nominated as the new head of U.S. forces in the region, tells a Senate panel that democracy is far off. For GOP, Discord In Dissent On Iraq  Senators With Doubts Over Bush Troop Plan Debate 5 Resolutions The Clintonian Candidate   There's a Clinton in the presidential race. The surprise: It may not be Hillary. Bush Is Not Above the Law  LAST August, a federal judge found that the president of the United States broke the law, committed a serious felony and violated the Constitution. Had the president been an ordinary citizen — someone charged with bank robbery or income tax evasion — the wheels of justice would have immediately begun to turn. The F.B.I. would have conducted an investigation, a United States attorney’s office would have impaneled a grand jury and charges would have been brought. The Blair He Could Have Been  At the beginning of Tony Blair's political career, his Tory opponents gave him the nickname "Bambi" because of his fawn-like appearance. Now at the end of his 10 years as prime minister, Blair is mocked in Britain as America's "poodle," a slavishly loyal supporter of George Bush and the Iraq war. Trial Reveals Wilson Smear Began Far Earlier  One by one, the witnesses testified: what they knew and when they knew it. 30th January 2007 The Unraveling of Dick Cheney  While Dick Cheney undoubtedly remains the most powerful vice president this nation has ever seen, it's becoming increasingly unclear whether anyone outside the White House believes a word he says. Europe Resists U.S. Push to Curb Iran Ties  European governments are resisting Bush administration demands that they curtail support for exports to Iran and that they block transactions and freeze assets of some Iranian companies, officials on both sides say. The resistance threatens to open a new rift between Europe and the United States over Iran. Clinton: Bush shouldn't pass war on to successor  Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday that President Bush has made a mess of Iraq and it is his responsibility to "extricate" the United States from the situation before he leaves office. The Ba-Da-Boom Crew If you've been following the Lewis "Scooter" Libby perjury trial, I can understand how you might confuse Dick Cheney with Tony Soprano. Cheney's office is beginning to sound a lot like the Bada Bing, minus the dancers. Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy. With Iran Ascendant, U.S. Is Seen at Fault  Arab Allies in Region Feeling Pressure Equipment For Added Troops Is Lacking  New Iraq Forces Must Make Do, Officials Say Beyond Baghdad  Since President Bush announced that he would send more American troops to Iraq, the debate on Iraq policy has reached new levels of stridency. Opponents of the war have rallied against what they see as an unjustified escalation, while the administration has dismissed opposition as defeatism. Vice President Cheney went so far as to say a withdrawal would show that Americans "don't have the stomach for the fight." A Faith-Based Fuel Initiative   In 1975, after the oil embargo, Congress approved the most successful energy-saving measure this country has ever seen: the Corporate Average Fuel Economy system, known as CAFE, which set minimum mileage standards for cars. Within 10 years, automobile efficiency had virtually doubled, to 27.5 miles per gallon in 1985 from just over 14 miles per gallon in 1976. Republicans block House pay raise  "House Democratic leaders Monday abandoned attempts to revive an annual pay raise cherished by rank and file lawmakers, a decision prompted by lingering GOP anger over last year's campaign," the Associated Press reports Tuesday. No barbed wire or walls around jails where ex-Congressmen serve time  Three of the four ex-Congressmen behind bars, like former Ohio Republican Bob Ney, are serving time in federal facilities that have no wall or fence around them, according to a report in today's Roll Call. In spite of this fact, law enforcement officials sought to ward off the notion that they were serving time in a 'Club Fed'-like jail. Fed Has Yet to Set Target on Inflation When Ben S. Bernanke took over as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board one year ago this week, he brought with him a long-held conviction that the central bank should be more explicit about its goals and less personalized than it had been under Alan Greenspan.