? ?
 
 
09 February 2005 @ 11:08 am
 
Conservatives express concern over Bush's ambitious second term agenda. "In a clear break from Republican campaigns of the 1990s to downsize government and devolve power to the states, Bush is fostering what amounts to an era of new federalism in which the national government shapes, not shrinks, programs and institutions to comport with various conservative ideals, according to Republicans inside and outside the White House."

Hahaha, whoops! When the Bush administration said $400 billion before the Medicare drug benefit vote, what they meant was actually upwards of $720 billion. Now that the vote passed. What a wacky mixup!

"Baltimore is in line for the title of deadliest big city in the nation, with a homicide rate three times greater than Los Angeles."

NEWS BONANZA:
* Vote suppression conviction: Republican sentenced for jamming Democrat phone lines on election day.
* Former CIA official discusses shipping prisoners to other countries to be tortured.
* Attempting to rebuild Fallujah.
* "Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are now showing up in the nation's homeless shelters."
* Aid worker discusses the tsunami survivors' recovery, six weeks later.
* Great. Rove gets promoted to deputy staff chief.
* Hastert, DeLay, and the 'ethics' committee.
* Nicholas Kristof talks about those two forbiddenn words: North Korea.
* Funny how no one is mentioning the new Palestinian leader is visiting both Washington DC *and* Iran.
* New University of Maryland center to study the mindset of terrorists.
* Air Force holds space-based war game.
* New budget would shake up TSA dramatically. Also, Amtrak chief blasts lack of funding. But it's OK, rich people don't take trains.
* Gay-themed high school play causes trouble in Virginia.
* Virginia also makes headlines for its bill against low-riding pants. (Courtesy missmeridian.)
* Diamond planets.
* ABC considers revamping Nightline - maybe without Koppel.
* DVD review: "When Miami Vice debuted in 1984, there was nothing else on TV quite like it."
* Ralph Macchio discusses his legacy as the Karate Kid.

One man's culinary quest for the perfect pho.