Think Progress

ETHICS -- SCANDAL-INFESTED TED STEVENS DOLES OUT EARMARKS FOR 'RODENT CONTROL': Currently, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is under investigation by the FBI for his relationship with an Alaska energy company and his use of earmarks to reward his friends. This summer, FBI agents raided Stevens's home in Alaska, the first ever raid of a sitting senator's home. Yet such scrutiny apparently hasn't changed the behavior of Stevens, who added $88 million in "earmarks and directed spending" to this year's omnibus bill. His earmarks included $975,000 for berry research, $825,000 for "alternative salmon products," and $113,000 for "rodent control." But more significantly, he directed $3.5 million to the Alaska Sealife Center, "which is being investigated by the FBI, Department of Interior and the Internal Revenue Service as part of their inquiry into Stevens." They are looking at whether the senator directed funds there to benefit his friend and longtime business partner Trevor McCabe, a former aide to the senator. In 2005, Stevens directed millions of dollars to the SeaLife Center, which then paid over $500,000 to McCabe to buy a parcel of his land.

TERRORISM -- DOES JOHN BOLTON OWE PRESIDENT BUSH AN APOLOGY?: In the current issue of Foreign Affairs, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee criticizes the Bush administration's unilateral foreign policy, calling it an "arrogant bunker mentality." In response, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and the right wing have rushed to defend President Bush. "We ought to be saying thank you to the president for keeping us safe these last six years," Romney said, adding that "Huckabee owes the President an apology." Huckabee wasn't the only one criticizing Bush's foreign policy this weekend. Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton ripped Bush in an interview with Der Spiegel. Bolton said Bush is excessively "moderate," subsequently "putting US national security at risk." So far, Romney and the right wing have been completely silent on Bolton, despite their criticisms of Huckabee. Although Bolton and Huckabee's attacks on Bush come from different perspectives -- Huckabee says Bush is too arrogant and Bolton says he is not arrogant enough -- they both agree that the President's foreign policy has made America less safe. Will Romney -- who thinks Bush has been "keeping us safe these last six years" -- also demand an apology from John Bolton?

HEALTH CARE -- BUSH CLAIMS 'WE HAVE FABULOUS HEALTH CARE' COMPARED TO 'OTHER SYSTEMS AROUND THE WORLD': During a Q & A following his speech on the economy in Fredericksburg, VA, yesterday, President Bush declared that "we have fabulous health care in America." "Before people start griping about the health care system here...compare it with other systems around the world," said Bush. U.S. health care has already been systematically compared to other systems around the world. In many cases, the results are not good for Americans. In 2002, the United States spent more on health care per person than other industrial countries like Britain, Canada, France, and Germany. But unlike those countries, which have universal health care systems, the United States still has roughly 47 million people who lack health coverage. In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) did a comparative assessment of the health systems of 191 countries and found that in terms of the five measured performance indicators, the United States ranked 37th. In his recent documentary, SiCKO, Michael Moore illustrated clearly how U.S. health care ranked far behind much of the industrial world. As New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has noted, American health care "at its best is the best in the world," but for millions of Americans, "it's all too easy to fall through the cracks in our system."

Some FBI agents are challenging the CIA's description of al Qaeda captive Abu Zubaida "as an important insider whose disclosures under intense pressure saved lives." They say his "credibility dropped as the CIA subjected him to" waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation" measures.

A USA Today/Gallup Poll found that Americans gave the President, congressional Democrats, and congressional Republicans unfavorable ratings "by more than 2-to-1 margins." "While Bush's ratings have been poor for most of the past two years, the two parties in Congress hit new lows in the poll."

The House passed a massive year-end omnibus spending bill last night after the White House said it was "encouraged" by what the Democrats had produced. The Washington Post reports that the omnibus bill "has cut all funding for continuing development next year of a new nuclear warhead."

The Politico reports that some Senate Democrats are exploring ways to replace Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, "believing he's no longer physically up to the job." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is "not in favor of such a move."

"Americans could save $1.5 trillion in healthcare costs over the next decade while covering the uninsured and improving overall quality," according to the Commonwealth Fund. "But it would take widespread reforms to root out inefficiency, not to mention higher tobacco taxes and other levies."

The FCC "is pushing ahead to pass a rule today that would allow more consolidation of local media ownership in the nation's largest cities, despite the fresh threat of a legislative rebuke and continued protests from advocacy groups." Watchdog groups say FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin is "is rushing" the rule "through without adequate public comment."

A consortium of 14 of the world's largest coal producers will announce today the location of a new coal-fired electric plant that will capture and store its carbon emissions. However, the Energy Department, which is supposed to pay for much of the work, "called the announcement on a location 'inadvisable' and seemed to distance itself from the plans."

Iraqi leaders criticized Turkey for bombing Kurdish militants in northern Iraq with airstrikes that they said had left at least one woman dead. The Turkish army sent soldiers about 1.5 miles into northern Iraq in an overnight operation on Tuesday.

And finally: Former Senate majority leader Bill Frist "was seen out in front of the White House Monday on a Segway." Frist is said to be filming a new commercial for Coca-Cola, which puts him at odds with former Senate majority leader Bob Dole, who promoted Pepsi.