Washington Babylon

From the Athens Banner-Herald: Officers of a Monroe-based charity that is under investigation by federal authorities donated nearly $50,000 to conservative candidates and causes in recent years, Federal Elections Commission…

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From AP, via Talkingpointsmemo: Japan’s finance minister abruptly resigned Tuesday over allegations he made a drunken appearance at a G-7 news conference, shaking Prime Minister Taro Aso’s already deeply unpopular…

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Chris Hayes had a nice piece not long ago about President Obama’s nomination of Gary Gensler to head the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). A long-time employee of Goldman Sachs,…

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From the Washington Post: Marvin Hoffman is listed in campaign finance records as one of the many lobbyists with the powerful PMA Group donating money to lawmakers. But Hoffman is…

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From John Judis: There are many good things to say about the stimulus bill. But all in all, it wasn’t as good as it could be: It’s probably too small…

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From the Washington Post: It takes a certain amount of nerve to have an event at the National Press Club and then ban the press from covering it. It takes…

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From the Chicago Tribune: An unlikely suitor has stepped to the plate with a job offer for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The Joliet JackHammers, a Will County minor-league baseball team,…

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From the Columbus Dispatch, via Talkingpointsmemo: “When (President Franklin) Roosevelt did this, he put our country into a Great Depression. He tried to borrow and spend, he tried to use…

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Interesting interview about Middle East coverage at Columbia Journalism Review with Sydney Morning Herald foreign correspondent Paul McGeough. A few excerpts: People keep repeating that Hamas’s charter is opposed to…

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This is new to me: the Homeland Security Television Channel, “the world’s first online, on-demand television network dedicated to homeland security and global development.” The channel is also “dedicated to…

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From Eli Lake: As President Obama weighs options for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq, the country’s military is purchasing American helicopters, cargo planes and tanks equipment that typically requires…

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Yesterday I posted the first part of a conversation with Emile Nakhleh, former head of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program and author of the new book, A Necessary…

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As noted here last night, the FBI has raided a lobby shop, PMA, which is closely enmeshed with Congressman John Murtha, chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. According to Taxpayers…

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Emile Nakhleh headed the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program until leaving the agency in 2006. During his tenure, he briefed top officials on issues related to Iraq and Afghanistan,…

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I’ve been writing for years about the indecently close ties between House Democrat John Murtha and the defense lobbying firm PMA, so was not surprised to learn, via ABC News,…

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From Laura Rozen: As the Kyrgyz Republic threatens to kick the United States out of its Manas air base, which it has been using as a major logistics and supply…

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As I reported here yesterday, David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s former campaign manager, jetted off to Azerbaijan to give a speech at a university. Plouffe claimed he went to the country…

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From Stephen Walt: Obama’s plan to cut the Department of Defense’s budget request by roughly ten percent is a step in the direction of a more sensible foreign and defense…

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Barack Obama took office just a few weeks ago and already David Plouffe, his campaign manager, appears to be doing quite well for himself. He’s already signed a lucrative book…

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From Mike Edison at the Daily Beast: George W. Bush never had to answer for his “youthful indiscretions.” Michael Phelps, not so lucky. Having been caught red-handed with a smoking…

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From the Washington Post: The Bush administration received assets that were worth $78 billion less than the amount it invested as part of the massive infusion of capital into the…

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Jon Stewart’s take on the debate surrounding the economic stimulus bill. Make sure to watch the section (around the 4:30 mark) on Senator Vitter and family planning.

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From a Justice Department press release today: WASHINGTON – A government contractor and former employee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury was sentenced in Washington today in connection with…

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From Politico: Norm Coleman has a strong interest in convincing voters that he hasn’t given up hope of returning for a second Senate term. But as the fight over Minnesota’s…

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From Spencer Ackerman: Thursday afternoon is Panetta’s long-awaited confirmation hearing. As something of a cipher on intelligence matters, Panetta can expect a tough hearing. With the CIA intimately involved in…

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From Laura Rozen: When retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni told the Washington Times today that he was offered the job of U.S. ambassador to Iraq before being passed over in…

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Somehow, I doubt this approach is going to work. Obama won an overwhelming mandate, I wish he’d start acting like it. Can the shrill tone of Washington be changed through…

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From the Sunlight Foundation: House Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel predicted, on C-SPAN’s Newsmakers program that aired Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, that his multitude of ethics woes would…

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