The Wednesday ‘BushWhack’ing

Hump day… let’s get to it.

• A new poll shows that Obama is in a statistical dead-heat with Clinton in New Hampshire. Latest Clinton campaign misfire in 3... 2...
• A new poll shows Huckabee is closing in on Giuliani in national polls. Latest Giuliani controversy in 3... 2...
• Both parties have their final debate before the Iowa caucus this week. Mudslinging to start in 3... 2... there we go...
• I think the CIA may have a new marketing motto; “Waterboarding saves Lives” Catchy isn’t it?
• According to a new CNN poll (who have been rather poll-happy lately), 57% of the public believes that the U.S. is “in a recession.” That number is up significantly from an October poll that showed 46% believed the U.S. economy was in recession. (And yet the Bush(whacked) Administration still denies it…)
• New Jersey Congressman Rush Holt (D) sent a letter to AG Mike Mukasey earlier this week requesting that he “immediately appoint an independent counsel to investigate the circumstances surrounding” the destruction of interrogation tapes by the CIA. (As of now, Mukasey is refusing to appoint an independent counsel, but with public scrutiny of the act overwhelmingly negative, expect that to fall by the way side sooner rather than later…)
• Speaking of CIA. Director Michael Hayden told the Senate intelligence committee yesterday (in a closed door hearing) that he can’t answer questions about the destruction of interrogation videotapes because the decisions were made before he worked at the CIA… (Interesting strategy… what would you call that? Um… oh, yeah; a cop-out...)
• And have we mentioned? That “President” Bush granted a plethora of pardons yesterday? Pardonees (it’s a word if I use it) carjackers, drug dealers, a moonshiner (niiiiiiiice) and an election-law violator (big shock right?). The most interesting thing to come out of this is more so the fact that former Cheney COS Scooter Libby was not pardoned. (Personally, I think Bush will wait until his term is almost up to pardon Libby. He’s already gotten a lot of flack for commuting Libby’s 2 ½ year sentence back in July, to do it this soon after Libby dropped his appeal would smack Bush down even further…)