Iraq: The Most Expensive Year of the War

MEDIA — O’REILLY SURPRISED RESTAURANT WAS NICE, ‘EVEN THOUGH IT’S RUN BY BLACKS’: Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly recently dined with the Rev. Al Sharpton at Sylvia’s, a famous African-American-owned restaurant in Harlem. Afterwards, on his radio show, O’Reilly reported that he “had a great time, and all the people up there are tremendously respectful,” adding, “I couldn’t get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia’s restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it’s run by blacks, primarily black patronship.”  O’Reilly added, “there wasn’t any kind of craziness at all,” and noted that “there wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, ‘M-Fer, I want more iced tea!'” The remarks have stirred controversy, with some television anchors leaping to defend O’Reilly’s comments. CNN anchor Rick Sanchez downplayed the severity of O’Reilly’s remarks: “But just how big a deal is this? … What’s wrong with a white guy making social commentary about other people’s race, which is what he seems to be doing here?” Station WABC interviewed Sylvia’s patrons about O’Reilly’s remarks. Said one customer: “I’m concerned that people are still in that type of mindset.” Last night, O’Reilly attacked CNN for even discussing his remarks.

CIVIL RIGHTS — SENATE RULES COMMITTEE TO VOTE ON BUSH’S CONTROVERSIAL FEC NOMINEE TODAY: Today, the Senate Rules Committee will “consider the nomination” of four nominees to the Federal Election Commission, including former Bush Justice Department official Hans von Spakovsky, “who former employees say was key to the politicization of voting rights section” of the Department. President Bush first placed Von Spakovsky on the Commission in January 2006 with a recess appointment, but his confirmation was derailed in June after civil rights groups and former career attorneys at the Department  vocally opposed his nomination due to his record in the voting rights division. Earlier this year, Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, sent a letter to senators accusing “von Spakovsky of working systematically to block poor and minority voters from the polls under policies such as a Georgia identification law ‘akin to a Jim Crow-era poll tax.'” Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is said to “have serious concerns about Von Spakovsky” and “wants a vote on each nominee separately” instead of “considering all four nominees, Democratic and Republican, in one vote.” For more on Spakovsky, click HERE.

CONGRESS — WAXMAN URGES STATE DEPT. TO COOPERATE WITH INVESTIGATION INTO CORRUPTION IN IRAQ: Yesterday, the House Oversight Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) accused Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of “interfering” with the committee’s investigation into corruption in Iraq. State Department officials refused to allow any potentially negative comments about the Maliki government in Iraq to be made public. “The scope of the prohibition is breathtaking,” Waxman wrote, alleging that State seems to view criticism of the government as “a national security secret.” “[I]t means that unless the Committee agrees to keep the information secret from the public, the Committee cannot obtain information from officials…about whether there is corruption within the Iraqi ministries.” Waxman also pressed Rice about his committee’s investigation into Blackwater USA, a private security firm that was allegedly involved in a shooting incident that left 11 Iraqis dead. The State Department has instructed Blackwater not to provide the Committee with necessary information, and Rice has refused to testify about the incident. Congress has a “constitutional prerogative” to look into the issues, Waxman wrote, and Rice is “wrong to interfere with the Committee’s inquiry.”

U.S. military officials are pressing the State Department to “assert more control over” Blackwater USA, “which operates under the department’s authority.” “This is a nightmare,” said a senior military official of the recent incident involving Blackwater. “This is going to hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib.”

While expressing his support for international human rights yesterday at the U.N., “Bush didn’t mention the U.S. prisons in Afghanistan or at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. practice of holding detainees for years without legal charges or access to lawyers, or the CIA’s ‘rendition’ kidnappings of suspects abroad, all issues of concern to human rights activists around the world.”

Negotiators from the United Auto Workers union and General Motors reached a tentative agreement on a groundbreaking deal early Wednesday to end a two-day old strike by 73,000 workers. The agreement “includes a historic restructuring of GM’s obligations for UAW retiree health care.”

“Sunni Arab extremists have begun a systematic campaign to assassinate police chiefs, police officers, other Interior Ministry officials and tribal leaders throughout Iraq, staging at least 10 attacks in 48 hours.” Iraqi officials said that the attacks might well have been intended to blunt the administration’s message that “surge” has succeeded in establishing security.

More than 2,000 people in Iraq are suffering from cholera, which is spreading across the country, the World Health Organization said. The spread of the disease has been accelerated by chlorine restrictions imposed on Iraq due to security concerns.

“Senate Democrats moved Tuesday to add an expanded hate-crimes ban to the defense authorization, giving them more time to court GOP votes for a new Iraq withdrawal plan but dimming the must-pass bill’s chances for passage this week.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) said he will “press the government for the release of a black teenager held in the ‘Jena 6’ case that spurred one of the biggest civil-rights demonstrations in years.” “Our first responsibility is to get young Mychal Bell out of prison,” he said.

And finally: The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has released an ad showcasing the “disturbing relationship between agribusiness contributions” and pork-barrel funding projects. In the ad, a suited man walks into a men’s room with a briefcase, begins tapping his foot, and is handed cash from underneath a neighboring stall. “The next stall occupant? A giant pig, squealing.” Watch it here.