Also opposed are unions such as the California Faculty Association and California Nurses Association, which say the spending cap would make it harder for the state to keep up with rising health-care costs and force service cuts even in good times. Unions and taxpayer-rights groups have separately campaigned against the measures with television ads, but have been outspent by campaigners for the “Yes” side.

Washington Post — Amid Queries, CIA Worries About Future

 

Writer Walter Pincus explores the angst at the CIA, where even if agents believe Nancy Pelosi is lying, they also know that the feud with the Speaker only increases the chances that they will be subject to embarrassing investigations, harsh recriminations and greater restrictions on their operations.

With at least three concurrent probes going on and the possibility for others of much greater potency just over the horizon, agents told Pincus that they don’t see the same comfort level in carrying out orders.

Any suspected terrorists or insurgents can now be interrogated as if they were soldiers in an enemy army. But even that level of restraint has the CIA looking for more guidance in the face of a hostile legal environment.

“For example, the “attention grasp,” described as “grasping the individual with both hands, one hand on either side of the collar,” is one of the 13 techniques employed in the past by the CIA and is listed in the Justice Department’s May 10, 2005, memo. It is barred under the Field Manual. Unlike harsher techniques on the list, such as nudity, dietary control, sleep deprivation and waterboarding, CIA officials say they want the authority to use the attention grasp without going back to Washington for approval.”

Bloomberg – Democrats Uniting Behind Climate Bill as Panel Prepares to Act

 

Writers Lorraine Woellert and Simon Lomax point to strong signs of life for the Obama/Waxman plan for global warming fees for carbon emitters.

By giving away tens of billions of dollars worth of carbon credits to favored polluters, the legislation seems to have enough Democratic support to slip out of the House Energy Committee led by Waxman.

As the bill gets it’s final working over starting today, Republicans hope to delay it or derail it with a series of amendments that might divide Democrats. But with Detroit down to one independent carmaker, a great deal of the weight against the measure has bene lifted.

“Representative John Dingell of Michigan, the committee’s former chairman, endorsed the legislation yesterday, as did Democrats G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina and Bart Gordon of Tennessee.

Still, full committee approval of the legislation isn’t assured. Several Democrats joined Republicans to question the effectiveness of a cap-and-trade system, which in theory would spur development of less-polluting energy sources such as wind and solar by regulating emissions caused by energy sources such as oil and coal.

‘Making dirty energy more expensive doesn’t make more clean energy,’ said Representative John Barrow, a Georgia Democrat.”

New York Times – Ex-U.S. Envoy May Take Key Role in Afghan Government

 

Zalmay Khalilzad was the Bush administration’s envoy to the Afghan government, but he at times acted more like a governor general. An Afghan-born American citizen Khalilzad had considered again returning to his troubled homeland and challenging Hamid Karzai in the upcoming presidential elections. Karzai, though, offered him the power without the political hassle with a chance to be the nation’s “CEO.”

As writer Helene Cooper points out, Khalilzad is a smooth political operator at home and Obama officials might like the idea of having a conduit to the top level of the Karzai government.

Whether it would be popular with locals skeptical of Karzai’s autonomy is less clear.

“The position would allow Mr. Khalilzad to serve as “a prime minister, except not prime minister because he wouldn’t be responsible to a parliamentary system,” a senior Obama administration official said. Taking the unelected position would also allow Mr. Khalilzad to keep his American citizenship.

Administration officials insisted that the United States was not behind the idea of enlisting Mr. Khalilzad to serve in the Afghan government, and they gave no further details on what his duties might be.

They said that Mr. Karzai had sought out Mr. Khalilzad, but that the idea of enlisting a chief executive had also been raised by Gordon Brown, the British prime minister.”

Wall Street Journal — Obama Avoids Test on Gays in Military

The Obama Justice Department has found the ideal way to deal with gays in the military – just do nothing and let the issue be forced on you.

The Bush administration had been arguing strenuously to uphold the discharge of an officer who was living openly as a lesbian, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found in favor of the dismissed major.

As writers Jess Bravin at and Laura Meckler explain, the Obama administration is going to let the ruling stand and not appeal to the Supreme Court. The case could eventually spell the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – even though gay rights activists would like a more pro-active approach.

But this seems to be the favored Obama approach. It takes a lot of effort to push back against the cultural tide of the past 40 years, so often all it takes to have the nation be more socially liberal is for the executive branch to stop fighting.

It’s also a way to try to have it both ways.

“The decision not to appeal to the Supreme Court ‘is a procedural decision made because the case is still working its way through the regular judicial process,’ she said.

White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said the president remains committed to repealing the law ‘in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security’ but added: ‘Until Congress passes legislation repealing the law, the administration will continue to defend the statute when it is challenged in the justice system.’