February 11, 2009 4:39 PM
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Bush Eyeing Iraq Truce With Congress?
The Skinny is Joel Roberts' take on the top news of the day and the best of the Internet.
The Los Angeles Times tops its front page Monday with a report that the Bush administration is looking into offering Congress a compromise deal on Iraq, in a bid to avoid a continued political battle over the unpopular war.
The Times says President Bush has authorized an internal policy review to come up with a plan that satisfies war opponents while allowing President Bush to hold onto some of his top goals for Iraq.
Senior administration officials have been "quietly talking with lawmakers" about possible changes in U.S. policy, including pushing for "a sharply decentralized" Iraqi government.
But while a deal with Congress could save the White House from "refighting the issue every few months," the Times says "the odds of a compromise are long."
Meanwhile, USA Today leads with a report that the U.S. military is "exploring creative ways" of rewarding Iraqi tribes that join in the fight against al Qaeda.
The newspaper says tribes throughout Iraq have become more willing to stand up to insurgents but may be looking for a little something extra in return for their cooperation. According to an officer who works with the tribes, the options under consideration include cash payments, medical assistance and security contracts.
Cheney Under The Microscope
The Washington Post continues its series on Dick Cheney, "the most influential and powerful man ever to hold the office of vice president," with a look at how he shaped the administration's controversial policy on interrogating accused terrorists.
The Post says that as early as January 2002, "well before previous accounts have suggested," Cheney and his allies began pushing for exceptions to the Geneva Conventions, to allow a "novel distinction" between the banned use of "torture," and the permitted use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading" interrogation techniques.
"The vice president's office played a central role in shattering limits on coercion in U.S. custody," the Post says, "commissioning and defending legal opinions that the Bush administration has since portrayed as the initiatives, months later, of lower-ranking officials."
And despite what appeared to be sharp reversals from both the courts and the Congress after reports of abuse at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, the Post says "many of the harsh interrogation measures" Cheney advocated "have survived intact but out of public view."
Hungry For Horse Sushi?
Sushi without tuna? For Japanese, it's as unthinkable as "baseball without hot dogs or Texas without barbecue."
But, according to The New York Times, a worldwide shortage of tuna has sent sushi-crazed Japan into a national panic and forced some chefs to fish around for tuna alternatives.
Among the most extreme substitutes being considered: sushi made with smoked deer meat and raw horse.
A NOTE TO READERS: The Skinny is now available via e-mail. Click here and follow the directions to register to receive it in your inbox each weekday morning.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. The Los Angeles Times tops its front page Monday with a report that the Bush administration is looking into offering Congress a compromise deal on Iraq, in a bid to avoid a continued political battle over the unpopular war.
The Times says President Bush has authorized an internal policy review to come up with a plan that satisfies war opponents while allowing President Bush to hold onto some of his top goals for Iraq.
Senior administration officials have been "quietly talking with lawmakers" about possible changes in U.S. policy, including pushing for "a sharply decentralized" Iraqi government.
But while a deal with Congress could save the White House from "refighting the issue every few months," the Times says "the odds of a compromise are long."
Meanwhile, USA Today leads with a report that the U.S. military is "exploring creative ways" of rewarding Iraqi tribes that join in the fight against al Qaeda.
The newspaper says tribes throughout Iraq have become more willing to stand up to insurgents but may be looking for a little something extra in return for their cooperation. According to an officer who works with the tribes, the options under consideration include cash payments, medical assistance and security contracts.
Cheney Under The Microscope
The Washington Post continues its series on Dick Cheney, "the most influential and powerful man ever to hold the office of vice president," with a look at how he shaped the administration's controversial policy on interrogating accused terrorists.
The Post says that as early as January 2002, "well before previous accounts have suggested," Cheney and his allies began pushing for exceptions to the Geneva Conventions, to allow a "novel distinction" between the banned use of "torture," and the permitted use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading" interrogation techniques.
"The vice president's office played a central role in shattering limits on coercion in U.S. custody," the Post says, "commissioning and defending legal opinions that the Bush administration has since portrayed as the initiatives, months later, of lower-ranking officials."
And despite what appeared to be sharp reversals from both the courts and the Congress after reports of abuse at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, the Post says "many of the harsh interrogation measures" Cheney advocated "have survived intact but out of public view."
Hungry For Horse Sushi?
Sushi without tuna? For Japanese, it's as unthinkable as "baseball without hot dogs or Texas without barbecue."
But, according to The New York Times, a worldwide shortage of tuna has sent sushi-crazed Japan into a national panic and forced some chefs to fish around for tuna alternatives.
Among the most extreme substitutes being considered: sushi made with smoked deer meat and raw horse.
A NOTE TO READERS: The Skinny is now available via e-mail. Click here and follow the directions to register to receive it in your inbox each weekday morning.
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