Think Progress

IRAQ -- BUSH ON THE FACT THAT AL QAEDA WAS NOT IN IRAQ BEFORE WAR: 'SO WHAT?': In an interview in Iraq yesterday, President Bush defended the war in Iraq, saying it was "where al Qaeda said they were going to take their stand." Raddatz interrupted to point out that al Qaeda was not present in Iraq until after the United States invaded, to which Bush replied dismissively, "Yeah, that's right. So what?" He continued, "The point is that al Qaeda said they're going to take a stand." In the lead-up to the Iraq war, Bush repeatedly and insistently cited a link between Iraq and al Qaeda. When it turned out those links never existed -- and that the Bush administration may have willingly distorted information to suggest that they did exist -- Bush continued to tie Iraq to al Qaeda and the Sept. 11 attacks, even as late as 2007. Rather than take responsibility for the intelligence failures before the war, earlier this month Bush said cynically, "I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess." He has also repeatedly insisted that Iraq is "the central front in the war on terror," using the claim as justification for the war. Yet, as Raddatz points out, al Qaeda did not exist in Iraq until the U.S. invasion. The Bush administration has finally admitted "privately" that "Afghanistan is now the single most pressing security threat in the war on terror."

ADMINISTRATION -- ROVE WILL REPORTEDLY 'HELP LEAD' FIGHT AGAINT OBAMA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: Senate Republicans, including Sens. Arlen Specter (PA), Chuck Grassley (IA), and Jon Kyl (AZ), are trying delay confirmation hearings for Attorney General nominee Eric Holder, raising questions about Holder's role in the 2001 pardon of Marc Rich. Grassley even tried to tie Holder to Gov. Rod Blajogevich (D), saying last week, "Public reports have just emerged that in 2004, the Governor of Illinois hired or sought to hire Mr. Holder." On Dec. 1, just one day after President-elect Obama formally nominated Holder, Karl Rove told the Today Show that Holder's record "will be examined" because he was the "one controversial nominee." On Friday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT) released a statement noting that the Republicans initially praised Holder, but now seem to be taking their marching orders from Rove. Yesterday, on MSNBC's Chris Matthews Show, Washington Post reporter Ceci Connolly revealed that Rove is indeed "helping lead" the effort against Holder. "Word on the street is that Karl Rove is going to be helping lead the fight against Eric Holder when his nomination for Attorney General heads up to the Senate," she said.

IRAQ -- FORMER RUMSFELD AIDE CALLS SHINSEKI'S OPPOSITION TO RUMSFELD PLAN A 'LEGEND': In an op-ed today, Lawrence Di Rita, former special assistant to Donald Rumsfeld, decries the "myth" surrounding Gen. Eric Shinseki's 2003 statement that "several hundred thousand troops" would be needed secure Iraq. Di Rita claims that Shinseki in fact supported the Rumsfeld plan because he did not speak up against it in meetings. Di Rita mocks Shinseki's independence as "one of the most enduring myths of the Bush presidency" and "a legend." In reality, in his 2003 congressional testimony, Shinseki testified that "hundreds of thousands" of troops would be needed for "post-hostilities control" over land "that's fairly significant [in size] with the kinds of ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems." The Pentagon, in contrast, assumed that there would be minimal internal resistance, thus no need for so many troops. As for why Shinseki was quiet in meetings, Di Rita fails to mention that the Pentagon quickly "castrated" Shinseki by ridiculing him publicly. Two days after his testimony, for example, former Pentagon official Paul Wolfowitz said that the estiminate was "wildly off the mark." Furthermore, while Di Rita wrote that "Shinseki was not forced from office, as ThinkProgress has documented, Rumsfeld announced Shinseki's successor 18 months prior to Shinseki's retirement -- a strong signal that the Pentagon would not tolerate dissent.

"Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets Monday to demand the release of a reporter who threw his shoes" at President Bush during a press conference yesterday, praising the journalist as a "hero." The television station that employs the journalist has also demanded his immediate release, saying it "fear[ed] for his safety."

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich "has no plans of resigning today or tomorrow," a spokesperson said yesterday. "He still signs bills as governor, and he wants to see details."

A loophole in the bailout legislation may allow executives at Wall Street companies to continue to earn large compensation packages. Due to a last-minute change in legislative language sought by the Bush administration, Congress" efforts to limit pay may prove toothless. "The flimsy executive-compensation restrictions in the original bill are now all but gone," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said.

President-elect Obama will announce his energy and environment team -- led by Dr. Steven Chu as Secretary of Energy -- Monday afternoon at a press conference in Chicago, "continuing a steady roll-out of his Cabinet, which is now nearly complete." Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) is the leading contender to be named Interior Secretary.

"The number of reported attacks against LGBT people increased 24 percent in 2007 over 2006" and is expected to rise again this year after a "rash of attacks" in recent months, according to the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) are teaming up once again, this time to pursue earmark reform. Roll Call reports that while the political climate may be receptive to their efforts, they may meet some resistance if they "look to move the authority for policing earmarks out of Congress, as many reformers have called for."

Yesterday on ABC's "This Week," Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that he would not necessarily support Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) if she decided to run for president in the future. "I can't say something like that. We've got some great other young governors. I think you're going to see the governors assume a greater leadership role in our Republican Party," he said.

"Widows of war veterans have been wrongfully denied up to millions of dollars in government benefits over the past 12 years due to computer glitches that often resulted in money being seized from the elderly survivors' bank accounts."

With unemployment claims "reaching their highest levels in decades, states are running out of money to pay benefits, and some are turning to the federal government for loans or increasing taxes on businesses to make the payments." Benefits may become insolvent in 30 states over the next few months while funds in Indiana and Michigan have "already dried up."

And finally: Expecting a tourist bonanza around Jan. 20, the DC Council recently "voted in favor of extending last call to 5 a.m. and allow bars and restaurants to serve food around the clock during inauguration week." Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) objected in a letter to Mayor Adrian Fenty, however, saying that were "deeply concerned" that the plan "could seriously strain law enforcement resources." In response, a group of Washingtonians has launched SaveTheParties.com. The petition backing the Council's change reads: "The people voted overwhelmingly for change, and we want to celebrate that change big-time!"