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TOP STORIES
Fewer
pledge allegiance to the GOP
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-shift23mar23,1,4233671.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Public allegiance to
the Republican Party has plunged during George W. Bush's presidency, as
attitudes have edged away from some of the conservative values that fueled GOP
political victories, a major survey has found. The survey, by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, found a "dramatic shift" in
political party identification since 2002, when Republicans and Democrats were at
rough parity. Now, 50% of those surveyed identified with or leaned toward
Democrats, whereas 35% aligned with Republicans. What's more, the survey found,
public attitudes are drifting toward Democrats' values: Support for government
aid to the disadvantaged has grown since the mid-1990s, skepticism about the
use of military force has increased and support for traditional family values
has decreased. The findings suggest that the challenges for the GOP reach
beyond the unpopularity of the war in Iraq and Bush.
Liberals
Relent on Iraq War Funding
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/22/AR2007032200944.html
Liberal opposition to
a $124 billion war spending bill broke last night, when leaders of the antiwar
Out of Iraq Caucus pledged to Democratic leaders that they will not block the
measure, which sets timelines for bringing U.S. troops home. The acquiescence
of the liberals probably means that the House will pass a binding measure today
that, for the first time, would establish tough readiness standards for the
deployment of combat forces and an Aug. 31, 2008, deadline for their removal
from Iraq.
RELATED: Democrats scramble for votes on war legislation
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703230187mar23,1,6705318.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
RELATED: Democrats
Shore Up Support for Iraq Votes
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/washington/23cong.html?ref=washington
Senate
Panel Approves Subpoenas for 3 Top Bush Aides
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/22/AR2007032200213.html
Escalating a potential
legal showdown with President Bush, a Senate committee yesterday approved three
subpoenas to top administration officials, including White House adviser Karl
Rove, demanding sworn testimony about what they knew of plans to fire eight
U.S. attorneys. The Senate Judiciary Committee, following similar action from a
House Judiciary subcommittee Wednesday, issued subpoenas for the testimony of
Rove, former White House counsel Harriet E. Miers and deputy White House
counsel William Kelley. Each was mentioned in e-mails retrieved from the
Justice Department regarding the planning to dismiss federal prosecutors.
Democrats rejected Bush's offer this week to have Rove and other advisers
testify behind closed doors, not under oath and with no transcript of the meeting
-- an offer administration officials called "extraordinarily
generous."
RELATED: E-Mails Show Machinations to Replace Prosecutor
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/22/AR2007032202266.html
RELATED: Fitzgerald
faces friendly jeers on `mediocre' rating
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703230164mar23,1,4608161.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
RELATED: A history of
replacing U.S. attorneys
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-talking23mar23,1,4755693.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
RELATED: A look at the
8 dismissed U.S. attorneys
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-22-us-attorneys-profiles_N.htm
RELATED: U.S. Attorney
in Michigan Disputes Reason for Removal
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/washington/23chiara.html?ref=washington
New to
Job, Gates Argued for Closing Guantánamo
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/washington/23gitmo.html
In his first weeks as
defense secretary, Robert M. Gates repeatedly argued that the detention
facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had become so tainted abroad that legal
proceedings at Guantánamo would be viewed as illegitimate, according to senior
administration officials. He told President Bush and others that it should be
shut down as quickly as possible. Mr. Gates’s appeal was an effort to turn Mr.
Bush’s publicly stated desire to close Guantánamo into a specific plan for
action, the officials said. In particular, Mr. Gates urged that trials of
terrorism suspects be moved to the United States, both to make them more
credible and because Guantánamo’s continued existence hampered the broader war
effort, administration officials said. Mr. Gates’s arguments were rejected
after Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and some other government lawyers
expressed strong objections to moving detainees to the United States, a stance that was backed by the office of Vice President Dick Cheney,
administration officials said.
Today’s complete national news
Colorado
Three Colo. Dems to vote for war-spending bill
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_5500633
At least three
Democrats in Colorado's congressional delegation will vote for the House's
war-spending bill, and one Republican is weighing the possibility of a yes
vote. Democratic Rep. John Salazar will vote for the bill that includes a
timeline for troop withdrawal, he said Thursday. "The policies and
strategies pursued by this administration have not worked," said Salazar,
of Manassa. "We cannot stay the course of a failed policy. We need a new
direction." Salazar had not previously made his position known. Democratic
Reps. Mark Udall of Eldorado Springs and Ed Perlmutter of Golden also will vote
for it. Rep. Diana DeGette's office could not be reached for comment Thursday
evening. Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave of Fort Morgan has not decided how to
vote. The bill contains $4.3 billion in disaster-assistance money for farmers
and ranchers, funding Musgrave has tried to get through other channels.
RELATED: Iraq bill includes money for DNC
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/mar/23/iraq-bill-includes-money-for-dnc/
RELATED: Iraq budget
contains relief for Western farmers
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/23/3_23_8a_Iraq_budget.html
RELATED: Senate
attaches disaster relief to Iraq bill funding
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1174657663/5
Oil,
gas commission changes get preliminary approval
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/energy/article/0,2777,DRMN_23914_5436695,00.html
Democrats gave initial
approval to Gov. Bill Ritter's overhaul of the Colorado Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission on Thursday, saying it would bring balance to an
industry-dominated panel and better protect the public health and the
environment. But Republicans warned the historic shake-up could hamstring Colorado's energy boom and the vital tax revenue it generates, as well as drive up
consumers' home-heating and gas-pump prices. House Bill 1341 would expand the
panel to nine members from seven. It would reduce members with industry
experience to three from five while adding the directors of the state natural
resources and public health and environment agencies.
RELATED: House OKs overhaul of oil, gas panel
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5500441
RELATED: Overhaul of
Oil, Gas Commission advances
http://www.gazette.com/onset?id=20462&template=article.html
RELATED: Bill to alter
oil and gas group goes forward
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/23/3_23_1b_COGCC_fight.html
RELATED: House gives
initial OK to oil and gas bill
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070323_5.htm
Workers
comp choice measure advances
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5436668,00.html
The third time was the
charm for Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, who won initial passage Thursday of a
measure that would allow workers injured on the job to choose a physician from
a list provided by employers. "I think it is a moral imperative that we
give human beings some choice over what happens to their own bodies," said
Carroll, who has failed with similar bills the past two years. Currently,
Carroll said, insurance companies have complete control over the selection of
the doctor for a patient who has been injured at work. She stressed that state
law allows people to choose who treats their ailing pets, repairs their cars or
fixes their homes.
RELATED: Workers' comp bill gives choice of docs
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5500225
Tougher
school math, science requirements defeated
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5437456,00.html
A Republican lawmaker
urged colleagues to adopt rigorous math and science high school graduation
requirements Thursday - or watch Colorado youngsters lose a global race for
high-paying tech jobs. "The world is rapidly shifting to a
technology-based economy, and if we don't meet the challenge, our kids will be
left behind," Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Genessee, warned the House Education
Committee. "If we fail, future generations will correctly say that we were
on the wrong side of history." Witwer and co-sponsor Sen. Josh Penry,
R-Fruita, had attempted to gain support of skeptical Democrats by scaling back
Senate Bill 131. Instead of requiring four years of math to graduate, they
asked for three years of math and science. The bill also would have allowed
sophomores who test well on those subjects to opt out of junior- and
senior-year math and science courses. Colorado is one of only six states
without statewide math and science graduation standards, Witwer said. But the
committee killed the bill on a party-line 8-4 vote.
RELATED: Sponsor complains about lineup change on education bill
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5435464,00.html
RELATED: Dems kill
math-science learning bill
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5500326
RELATED: House
committee fails graduation bill
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/23/3_23_3a_grad_requirements.html
Today’s complete Colorado news
Today’s complete daily news: http://media.progressnowaction.org/digest/032307.htm
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