The Week Ahead

A list of things to keep in mind as the week gets started…

• Did “President” Bush authorize the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame? Inquiring minds, including Republican Senator Arlen Specter, want to know. Stay tuned, as this is sure to be one of the hot-button topics this week even as Bush acknowledges that he declassified intelligence. (Hmmm… this week just got interesting…)
• Tomorrow (Tuesday) we get the special election in the California 50th to see whom will replace disgraced (and, hopefully, the soon-to-be-jailed) ex-congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Some analysts say this could be a harbinger of what’s to come in November, but I’m having trouble putting that much faith into this one contest… but it should be an interesting election nonetheless.
• From the ‘what could she possibly say next?’ files comes something that you definitely want to keep tabs on this week, just so you can see the next calamitous thing she can do. In an interview on a local Florida TV station, Florida senate candidate Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL) said her campaign is “stronger than ever before.” (Two questions arise from this statement; what is she smoking and where is our share? Hmmmm, maybe she meant ‘stranger’…)
• Immigration reform isn’t dead yet, especially with the news that close to 200,000 people may join the protest in DC today at the National Mall. As we’ve said on this site before, this is not a subject that will go away soon, and this week is building up to offer little more that past weeks have in relation to an agreement being reached.
• From the ‘I better get the bomb shelter in order’ files comes this item that we ALL have to pay attention to in the days and weeks and months ahead. New Yorker magazine had a story this past weekend stating that said the White House was considering striking underground nuclear sites in Iran with nuclear weapons. Bush says that talk of attacking Iran is purely speculation. (This does not bode well)
• Embattled Senator Joe Lieberman (“D”-CT) stated this past weekend that if he lost the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont he would not rule-out running as an Independent. (Someone who might as well have a corporate endorsement and logo tattooed on his chest is going to run as an Independent… it would be funny if he weren’t serious)
• The “swoon” continues as Bush’s approval ratings continue to nosedive to Nixonian-like numbers. (With more polling expected to be done this week, keep an eye towards Friday as Bush could very-well be drinking again by that time… wow, even I thought that was in poor taste)
• Treasury Secretary John Snow refuses to comment on rumors of his possible resignation while Bush endorsing Snow as still being the right man for the job.
• Wonkette is reporting that White House press secretary Scott “I miss Ari” McClellan may be replaced with Dana M. Perino, who was just named by Bush as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary. Interesting choice. As my good friend and colleague Scott asked; “How can they pass on Ann Coulter?”