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A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Amy Weiss

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform continued its work toward uncovering fraudulent defense contracts in Iraq and elsewhere this week, both by requesting further investigation by the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General and requesting pertinent documents to investigate the government contract with the International Oil Trading Company (IOTC).

The Committee held a hearing on May 22 regarding the problem of improper accounting and management of defense contracts, primarily in Iraq.

In his opening statement, Committee Chair Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) said, "The Inspector General reviewed approximately $8.2 billion in Defense spending and estimated that the Department failed to properly account for $7.8 billion. That means the Defense Department had a stunning 95% failure rate in following basic accounting standards."

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http://gophypocrites.com/2008/06/hyp08024.html

 

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A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Amy Weiss

On Thursday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) issued a statement in which he declared next Tuesday is the deadline for negotiating parties in the Senate to reach an agreement on a $50 billion global health bill that has strong White House and bipartisan support.

Reid said, "I want to be clear that I am committed to getting this legislation completed."

Reid's statement comes after urging from global health leaders around the world to pass the bill that will reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The bill also includes billions of dollars of funding for malaria and tuberculosis treatment and prevention.

A group of Republican Senators led by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) have placed a hold on the billing, desiring a high percentage of funding be specifically marked for treatment rather than prevention.

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_{Keith Olbermann and Gwen Ifill are two top choices to replace the recently departed Tim Russert as host of "Meet the Press."}

UPDATED: Keith Olbermann has vehemently denied rumors from the New York Post (owned by Rupert Murdoch) that he threatened to quit if he isn't given Tim Russert's job as host of "Meet the Press." Olbermann also said, "But I don't even consider myself qualified for it."

It is fair to say that Olbermann hasn't gunned for the position, and has gone out of his way not to do so. But when the appropriate time comes to name a permanent successor, he would be qualified for the job.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Chad Rubel

Yes, it has been only three days since the death of Tim Russert. And you might think it cold, given that short period of time, to reflect on who should succeed Russert in that chair.

Then again, Jon Friedman of MarketWatch beat me to the punch, within three hours of the announcement of Russert's death, Friedman recommended David Gregory for the pick.

You could definitely make an argument for Gregory. But the image of him dancing with Karl Rove would give me great pause in naming him to the permanent selection, since relationships such as that is what is wrong with Washington journalism. And given the direction Russert took the program, a Gregory appointment feels like a step back.

It is fair to say that regardless of what you might think of Russert, he did save "Meet the Press" (MTP). "Meet the Press" struggled after Bill Monroe left in 1984. Roger Mudd and Marvin Kalb served as co-moderators (1984-1985), and Kalb did it solo (1985-1987). The other short-term hosts were Chris Wallace (1987-1988) and Garrick Utley (1989-1991).

The next host will have to establish his or her own legacy to the program. Given our times, and the overall timidity of the Washington press core toward Bush and Republicans, the program deserves someone who can stand up to government, regardless of who is in charge. And that person is Keith Olbermann.

Technorati Tags: Analysis Chad Rubel Keith Olbermann Gwen Ifill NBC Tim Russert Meet the Press David Gregory

Yes, we should try and let
Each bygone be bygone
But I hope his last day looks
Like the fall of Saigon.

VERSE CASE SCENARIO

Tony Peyser provides daily poems and weekly cartoons for BuzzFlash and also writes the BuzzFlash column, "Blue State Jukebox." He was a daily cartoonist for the L.A. Times from 1994 to 1997. You can e-mail Tony at tonypeyser@yahoo.com.

 

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A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Amy Weiss

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) declared Thursday that he would not be using public funds for his general election campaign. In a video posted on his Web site and e-mailed to supporters, he called the decision "difficult" and said he is in favor of a strong public campaign finance system but "the public financing of presidential elections, as it exists today, is broken."

The favorite quote since Obama's announcement, which has been used to imply he has gone back on a promise, is from a response to a Midwest Democracy Network questionnaire in which he said "If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election."

Obama's aggressive pursuit of an honest, publicly financed campaign was undoubtedly stalled when McCain began engaging in questionable and possibly illegal campaign practices. He uses a loophole in a law he supported to fly inexpensively on his wife's company's private jet and allegedly withdrew illegally from the public financing system, an action the Democratic National Committee wants investigated by the Federal Election Commission and has filed a lawsuit to compel the investigation.

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A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Christine Bowman

Scott McClellan testified under oath today before the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by John Conyers. As committee member and Florida Democrat Wexler suggested in a recent conversation with BuzzFlash, Republican committee members would likely focus on discrediting the former Bush press secretary, while Democrats would seek to pin down responsibility for events such as the lead-up to the Iraq war on false premises; the criminal leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity; and the Administration's attempt to discredit Plame's husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, who revealed in a New York Times op-ed the administration's use of false "intelligence" to help sell the war to the American people.

Scott McClellan was President George Bush's second press secretary. His book What Happened recounts an insider's view of the Bush Administration's mistakes and crimes. As BuzzFlash noted upon the book's release, the very fact that a former insider is "telling all" in an election season bestseller will have an impact on how Americans assess the Bush legacy and the Iraq war especially.

What has Scottie Seen?

Analysis of McClellan's testimony today will come later, but here's what piqued interest from the pages of his book. Congress will be seeking clarification on these points, made in the book:

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Barack Obama's stance on renegotiating trade issues with Canada and Mexico hasn't really changed, even if the specifics of NAFTA are up in the air.

Obama did say in March he would renegotiate the North American free-trade agreement (NAFTA). And Obama told Fortune magazine for its upcoming issue that "sometimes during campaigns, the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified."

But here is where it gets interesting. From Fortune magazine:

Obama said he believes in "opening up a dialogue" with trading partners Canada and Mexico "and figuring to how we can make this work for all people."

That still sounds like NAFTA could still be renegotiated, and as I have mentioned before, Canada and Mexico would also love to renegotiate NAFTA for their own "selfish" reasons.

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