New Homeland Security Chief

Federal Appeals Court judge Michael Chertoff is President Bush's choice to be the next Homeland Security Secretary. He'd replace the retiring Tom Ridge as Secretary, and the ill-fated Bernie Kerik as nominee. This could put DoHS number two man Asa Hutchinson on the road for the Arkansas Governor's mansion -- creating a face off with former Presidential Nominee Wes Clark in 2006. (WashPost)

Sticking the Cops with the Tab

The Bush administration is forcing the District of Columbia to divert homeland security money to help pay for the inauguration. The three day event is expected to top out at more than $50 million. The Bush team has raised millions for the inaugural from private and corporate donors. But they're refusing to reimburse the District for security costs. That's the first time a President has done that. It means the District will have to divert $11.9 million to pay for security -- freeing up donor money for more lavish parties. (WashPost)

Record Doctor Bills

For the first time ever, Americans' spending on health topped 15% of the gross national product -- $1.7 trillion. Spending growth is slowing, from 9.3% in 2002 to 7.7% in 2003. But it's still growing faster than the economy as a whole and taking a whole lot more of our personal income. (NYT)

We Only Did It Once, OK There Were These Other Things, But That's Different

The White House says the case of paying conservative commentator Armstrong Williams to promote the "No Child Left Behind" act was an isolated incident. The Education Department shelled out $240,000 to Mr Williams. He conducted interviews with Education Secretary Paige and promoted the act on his shows. The GAO is investigating whether the administration broke any laws in the arrangement. While the White House claims it was one time thing, there have been cases of the administration distributing fake news stories promoting other White House policies. (Guardian)

Today In Congress

Here's what your Hired Hands on the Hill are up to today. Use the links at the right to find and write your Representative and Senators. (WashPost)

Mmmmmm. That's Good Rocket Fuel

A new report from the National Academy of Sciences raises by 20 times the amount of rocket fuel considered safe in drinking water. Environmentalists, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, say the Pentagon and defense contractors influenced the report's authors. There's a pollutant in rocket fuel called perchlorate that can affect your thyroid. (MSNBC)

So That's What they Don't Wear Under Those Robes

America (The Book), Democracy Inaction is off the shelves in a couple of Mississippi libraries. Librarians who've defended books from Catcher in the Rye to Harry Potter from overzealous censors just can't get over them nekkid Supreme Court Justices. The book from Jon Stewart of The Daily Show is a spoof of how government and politics works. It features doctored photos purporting to show all nine Supreme Court Justices in the nude. (AP via Yahoo!)

Memo: You're Fired. This is Not a Fake Memo

Dan Rather still has his job, but CBS fired four people, including a senior vice president, following an investigation into the 60 Minutes story about Texas National Guard memos. The memos, critical of President Bush's service as a fighter pilot, turned out to be forgeries. An investigation of the 60 Minutes story led by former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh and one time AP President Louis Boccardi could not find any signs of political bias. But they concluded in their report that producers and news executives ignored "fundamental journalistic principles." (CNN)

Commentator Fired and Congress Fired up for and Investigation

The company that distrubutes commentator Armstrong William's column has dropped it. USA Today reported last week that Mr Williams took $240,000 in taxpayer money from the Education Deparment to promote the "No Child Left Behind" act. Tribune Media Services dropped his weekly newspaper column after the story about the contract with Uncle Sam broke.

There are several laws forbidding the federal government from trying to influence public policy. Democrats in Congress are clamoring for a Congressional investigation. And Rep John Boehner (R-OH) wants the Education Department's inspector general to look into the scandal. (USAToday)

Help from Japan

With the reliability of a Ford Pinto stuck in reverse, the US anti-missile shield has had a lousy track record. It's never passed any of its tests -- unless the test was rigged. So the US is turning to Japan to help develop a new missile interceptor. Japan is within range of North Korea's missiles and has a keen interest in an anti-missile system. (Japan Today)

Social Security Guide

Before the spin and gazillion dollar ad campaigns confuse you any further, CNNMoney has a good overview of Social Security and the brewing debate over how to reform it. (CNN)

Breaking the Contract

Ten years after Newt Gingrich used it to win a Republican Majority in the House, the "Contract with America" looks to be broken. Congress has run up record deficits, term-limit pledges are rare to non-existent, and House Republicans just weakened ethics-rules. There've been clashes between the GOP leadership and rank and file Republicans in the House over what provisions of the conservative manifesto are being applied and which have gone by the wayside. (Boston Globe)

What if Robert E. Lee had Mapquest at Gettysburg?

The Library of Congress is uploading thousands of original Civil War maps to the Internet. In all, 2,240 maps and charts, 76 atlases and sketchbooks. Much of the collection is online now. The rest will be there by spring. (Guardian)

He's Baaack

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is floating the idea of running for President in 2008. Mr. Gingrich engineered the "Republican Revolution" of 1994, establishing a GOP majority in the House that has continued since. He fell from grace in the midst of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, tying GOP fortunes to the scandal in the 1998 elections. The plan backfired and Mr Gingrich resigned both his Speaker post and his Congressional seat as the earliest reports of his own sex scandal emerged. The former Speaker, speaking on Fox News Sunday refused to rule out a White House bid as he spoke about the need to center US society around religious values. (AFP via Yahoo!)

UN Overpayments

Auditors claim the United Nations overpaid victims of the 1991 Gulf War by $5 billion. The UN Compensation Commission conducted 56 internal audits. The audits are part of the investigation into the UN's Oil-for-Food program. But they also look into areas of the UN that were not part of that program. (ABC)

The Cost of War

One of the earliest, first-hand experiences I had with the nonsensical way government works was demonstrated back in high school by a guy named Jimmy Buie.

There was a nationwide "lettuce shortage" back in the '70s. All-you-can-eat salad bars were closely policed if not closed. Some burger joints charged extra for burgers. I hadn't noticed because I don't care for lettuce, but at the height of this shortage, Jimmy did.

One day in the school lunch room, he announced it had been thirty-some-odd days in a row that every school lunch had come with a leaf of lettuce. He then promplty announced, "I love lettuce!" and began grabbing it off every tray in sight and shuving it in his mouth.

He was one of the funniest guys at Sulphur Rock High School. I was best friends with his big brother, Don. He was part of the bunch of us who cruised around Batesville, Arkansas in our parents' station wagons on Saturday nights because there was nothing else to do. I remember him leaning out the car window screaming, "Rocky was robbed" and demanding a rematch with Apollo Creed after a half dozen of us went to see "Rocky." Or having us slow down by a hitch-hiker, ask, "Tired of walking?" and yelling "Then run for a while."

Earlier this week, CPL Jimmy Buie was cruising through the streets of Baghdad when a roadside bomb exploded. I just found out.

More than 1,300 American service men and women have died in the Iraq War. Jimmy was the first I knew. (KYW-TV) [Photo courtesy of the Buie family]

Poor, Retired Congress Members. All They Have are Memories. Memories and Millions of Dollars.

Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) stands to deposit $5,077,444 in Congressional pensions -- if he lives to the average life expectancy. That's the biggest chunk of change for any retiring (or fired) Representative or Senator from the 108th Congress. (NTU and Club for Growth)