Think Progress

ETHICS -- GOVERNMENT SECRECY PROVISION BURIED IN SPENDING BILL: Last year, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) worked to ensure that "budget justifications" for appropriations bills are made "available to the public at the same time they were made available to appropriators." But in the just released House and Senate Conference report for the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development spending bill, a provision has been slipped in that "would ban the public from having timely access to budget information for the Transportation Department." The secrecy language "was not included in either the House or Senate versions of the bill," but the conference report "prohibits the public release of that information until several months after appropriators have received it." "The public has a right -- and a need -- to know not only what the administration is proposing in its budget but what agencies have proposed and their arguments for doing so," said Patrice McDermott of OpenTheGovernment.org. The "result is that many spending bills may be marked up before the public ever has a chance to examine an agency's detailed justifications and descriptions of its budget requests."

IRAQ -- WAR DEBATE OVERLOOKS LACK OF POLITICAL RECONCILIATION, IN 'STRATEGIC DRIFT': The Washington Post reports today that senior military commanders in Iraq are expressing "growing concern over the Iraqi government's failure to capitalize on sharp declines in attacks against U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians." The commanders now "portray" the lack of political progress "as the key threat facing the U.S. effort in Iraq, rather than Al-Qaeda terrorists, Sunni insurgents or Iranian-backed militias." As Center for American Progress Action Fund President John Podesta and senior fellows Lawrence Korb and Brian Katulis argue in the Post's opinion pages today, the lack of political progress is being overshadowed by a strategic drift in America's domestic debate on Iraq, with "both political parties" seemingly "resigned to allowing the Bush administration to run out the clock on its Iraq strategy and bequeath this quagmire to the next president." As they point out, the continued U.S. presence in Iraq makes Iraqi national reconciliation more difficult because "as long as U.S. forces remain in Iraq in significant numbers, regional powers feel free to meddle, knowing that America must bear the consequences." Read their full memo here and more from Katulis here and here.

ENVIRONMENT -- UNITED STATES LEADS IN CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS: The Center for Global Development released data yesterday showing the United States to be the world's biggest carbon dioxide emitter, releasing 2.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. Recognizing the seriousness of the U.S. emissions problem and "[f]rustrated with the slow progress of legislation in Washington on energy and global warming," several governors "have created regional agreements to cap greenhouse gases and are engaged in a concerted lobbying effort to prod Congress to act." Midwestern states jointly agreed yesterday to reduce carbon emissions, following a meeting in May of 31 states who decided to measure and jointly track greenhouse gas emissions. Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), Jon Huntsman Jr. (R-UT), and Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) will appear in an ad campaign calling on Congress "to act by capping greenhouse gas pollution." Though both the House and Senate have passed such legislation, the bill has stalled in the final stages of negotiation.

Friends and supporters have established a legal defense fund for former attorney general Alberto Gonzales, who is still facing "an ongoing Justice Department investigation into whether" he "committed perjury or improperly tampered with a congressional witness."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is "considering" pro forma sessions during Thanksgiving break to stop President Bush from using the break to install any of his outstanding executive branch nominees." Controversial Surgeon General nominee Dr. James Holsinger expects a recess appointment.

The Government Accountability Office reports government investigators "smuggled liquid explosives and detonators through airport checkpoints, exposing dangerous vulnerabilities in security efforts." "Our tests clearly demonstrate that a terrorist group, using publicly available information and a few resources, could cause severe damage to an airplane and threaten the safety of passengers," the report states.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett urged Congress yesterday to maintain the estate tax, "saying that plans to repeal the tax would benefit a handful of the richest American families and widen income disparity in the United States." Buffet said it would be more appropriate to call the "death tax" a "death present" for the wealthy.

Conservative activists gathered yesterday "for two days of plotting to advance a small-government agenda." "Our guys are feeling a lot of frustration right now," said former House majority leader Dick Armey. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) was treated as "a rock star" at the gathering.

"The president of the Iraqi bar association hand-delivered a letter" to House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) Wednesday "calling for better treatment of detainees in Iraq and criticizing the U.S. government for not doing enough to build Iraq's legal system."

"In his second day on the job, Attorney General Michael Mukasey leaped into the political fray," telling Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) that he opposes his electronic surveillance plan and would recommend the president veto it if it is passed.

"House Democrats are hoping changes they made to a bill to expand court oversight of government surveillance inside the United States will find enough support to win passage on a second try."

And finally: One in five New York University students said they'd swap their right to vote for an iPod touch. "66 percent said they'd forfeit their vote for a free ride to NYU. And half said they'd give up the right to vote forever for $1 million."