War / Peace

Congresspedia Review: This Week in Congress (June 20-27, 2008)

This week the Senate and House finally came to agreement with the White House on a bill funding the Iraq war through 2009 that also contains billions in new domestic spending and the House approved a Medicare pay fix for physicians. Several other issues have been pushed to after the July 4th recess after Senate Republicans threw some sand in the gears: a single senator stopped the housing and mortgage crisis legislation and another group stopped the renewal of the global AIDS package. In both cases the Republicans wanted votes or other participation on bills that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was trying to quickly push through. Still, the Senate did manage to confirm five nominations to the currently inactive Federal Election Commission.

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Vets Face Suicide Risk Thanks to VA Study

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on June 26, 2008 - 5:49pm

Despite U.S. Food and Drug Administration warnings, the Veterans Administration (VA) failed to alert 32,000 veterans using the smoking cessation drug, Chantix.

Main Source:

ABC News, June 19, 2008

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Alhurra Controversies Grow

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 26, 2008 - 2:15pm

Alhurra's "Inside Washington" show The U.S. government-funded Arabic news channel Alhurra "paid former Bush and Clinton administration officials, lobbyists and high-profile Washington journalists tens of thousands of dollars in U.S.

Main Source:

ProPublica.org, June 24, 2008

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Image and Reality in Zimbabwe

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 25, 2008 - 12:44pm

"Horrified directors of global marketing giant Young & Rubicam have begun a sell-off of their holdings in Zimbabwe, after learning the company's head was behind Robert Mugabe's election campaign image makeover," reports Rowan Philp.

Main Source:

The Times (South Africa), June 25, 2008

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Charlie Black: Terror Attack, Advantage McCain

Submitted by Anne Landman on June 24, 2008 - 2:38pm

Charles R. Black, Jr., a former lobbyist who is now a top adviser to Republican presidential candidate John McCain, commented in an interview with Fortune magazine that another terrorist attack inside the U.S.

Main Source:

Washington Post, June 24, 2008

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Same Old Dog and No New Tricks: Update on Messaging on Iran

We know from Scott McClellan, the former White House Spokesman, in his recent book, What Happened, that President Bush insists on discipline in messaging. Although the publics on both sides of the Atlantic have gotten to the point of heavily discounting what he says, the President's desire for control can give us a sense of the thrust of policy. This is certainly true with respect to Iran.

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Nearly Four Decades Later, U.S. Oil Companies Return to Iraq

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on June 19, 2008 - 3:51pm

Four oil companies are in the final stage of contract negotiations to regain drilling rights in Iraq -- thirty-six years after they lost them.

Main Source:

New York Times, June 19, 2008

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How Not to Win Friends and Influence People

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 17, 2008 - 2:53pm

"The U.S. military has long sought an agreement with Baghdad that gives American forces virtually unfettered freedom of action, casting into doubt the Bush administration's current claims that their demands are more limited," concludes the National Security Archive's analysis of recently declassified documents.

Main Source:

National Security Archive, June 13, 2008

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"Bad Apple" Theory Rotting

Submitted by Anne Landman on June 17, 2008 - 1:59pm

Dick Cheney The Bush administration has long held that overly-aggressive interrogation methods used on detainees in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay were the work of a few "bad apples." Now, an investigation being conducted

Main Source:

Washington Post, June 17, 2008

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Weber Shandwick Bowls over the Army

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 13, 2008 - 5:08pm

From the Army's 2006 All-American Bowl How can you counter "daily stories and blog entries that portray the negative aspects of joining the military"? That was PR firm Weber Shandwick's job in the lead-up to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January 2008.