Think Progress

IRAQ -- WHITE HOUSE STOKES FEAR OF MASSIVE ARMY LAYOFFS TO FORCE CONGRESS TO DROP REDEPLOYMENT: The Bush administration is threatening to issue furlough notices to up to 150,000 civilian workers at military bases in mid-December if Congress does not approve unrestricted Iraq funding immediately. As part of this campaign, the Pentagon is distributing a document warning that the Army may cease to function if it does not receive the funds now. At a press conference yesterday, Reps. John Murtha (D-PA) and David Obey (D-WI) rebutted the administration's scare-mongering by noting that just last week, Bush signed a $471 billion defense spending bill. That bill "contains enough money to continue military operations through mid-February, because of a provision that lets the administration shift money to the war from other Pentagon accounts." Murtha sharply criticized the Pentagon's tactics aimed at "scaring the families of the troops" just ahead of the holiday season. "I thought we'd gotten rid of Secretary Rumsfeld, but this really worries me that there would be such a political document," he said. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino also yesterday admitted that Bush administration officials are making civilian employees fear for their jobs as a way to "remind Congress" to pass a bill, despite the fact the funding has passed the house and is being blocked by conservatives in the Senate.

EDUCATION -- OBAMA EDUCATION PROPOSAL EXTENDS LEARNING TIME, REWARDS TEACHERS: Yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) announced an $18 billion per year education plan that effectively endorses two key proposals laid out in a 2005 comprehensive report by the Center for American Progress (CAP). First, CAP recognized two years ago that "students need more learning time" and repeatedly called for extended school time. Yesterday, Obama pledged $200 million to schools that want to lengthen the school day or year. Second, CAP noted that "the foundation for good teaching is good teacher preparation" and endorsed a compensation system that "rewards teachers who demonstrate high levels of proficiency and expertise." Obama called for a competitive salary for "well prepared and successful teachers." He would also offer free undergraduate tuition or masters degrees for students willing to teach in high-need schools for four years. The ultimate goal of any education form, according to the CAP plan, must be to "ensure that all American children -- regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or geographic location -- are afforded access to the high-quality schools that enable them to participate in the promised opportunity of the American dream. And we must produce more high-caliber students to compete successfully with young people overseas who can today rightfully boast of their world-class educations." 

HEALTH CARE -- HEALTH CARE PLANS OF GOP CANCER SURVIVORS WON'T COVER CANCER SURVIVORS: Last month, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani claimed that if he had gotten the prostate cancer in a country with government-based health care, his "chances of surviving" would have been much slimmer. Giuliani said he preferred a "free market" approach that uses tax incentives to encourage Americans to enroll in private health plans. But as the Los Angeles Times reported, Giuliani's plan would be unlikely to cover cancer survivors such as himself. Along with Giuliani, the plans of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and former senator Fred Thompson, who also are both survivors of cancer, would likely exclude Americans such as themselves. According to experts who spoke to the Times, it will take five to 10 years for insurance companies to consider providing coverage to cancer survivors. For example, a prostate cancer survivor like Giuliani "could be covered after five years of being cancer-free, at a 40% higher premium" -- five years that is, if they had a "less severe form of the disease. Though each of the candidate's campaigns say they are considering options for closing the gaps in their plans, tax credits and subsidies are unlikely to "cut it."

Fearing that President Bush would again use the congressional recess to install executive branch appointees without Senate confirmation, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) gaveled in a 30-second Senate session yesterday. "This is an exercise in protecting the Constitution and our constitutional process," Webb said.

MoveOn.org Civic Action is taking on Facebook for infringing user privacy. "MoveOn is objecting to a new advertising technique that Facebook announced a few weeks ago that posts members' purchases and activities on other websites in their Facebook profiles." Take action here.

"Americans enter the holiday season in a dark mood, with economic worries, security fears and a lack of confidence in government fueling growing pessimism, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday." The number of Americans who believe the country is on the right track fell from 26 percent to 24 percent in the last month, with about two-thirds believing it is headed in the wrong direction.

Two groups of scientists yesterday revealed that they "succeeded in turning human skin cells into cells that are very similar -- but not identical -- to embryonic stem cells." Experts, however, cautioned that it is unclear "whether the new cells will be as effective as conventional embryonic stem cells may prove to be against certain disease."

Salon's Glenn Greenwald sets Joe Klein straight on his factual misrepresentations about FISA reform. Klein writes in Time that Democrats' proposal fix to FISA would require "every foreign-terrorist target's calls to be approved by the FISA court." Greenwald responds, "Everyone -- from Russ Feingold to the ACLU -- agreed that FISA never intended to require warrants for foreign-to-foreign calls that have nothing to do with U.S. citizens."

The Supreme Court has agreed to "review an appeals court decision that struck down a 31-year-old Washington D.C., ban on pistols." "The court's examination of the meaning of the Second Amendment for the first time in nearly 70 years carries broad implications for gun-control measures locally and across the country."

"The conflict in Afghanistan has reached 'crisis proportions,' with the resurgent Taliban present in 54 percent of the country and "closing in on Kabul," according to the Senlis Council, an independent think tank. To "prevent NATO's defeat at the hands of the Taliban, a rejuvenated 'coalition of the willing' is needed," the report said.

$99: Price of crude oil, a new record. "The market is now really looking at $100 a barrel as the next target to hit," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst in Singapore.

And finally: The Washington Examiner asked White House Press Secretary Dana Perino "what she likes to make for Thanksgiving." Her response? "Glass of red wine. Directions: 1. Buy bottle of red wine, 2. Un-cork the bottle, 3. Pour wine into glass."