Thursday Roundup: 'Vote' Is an Anagram for 'Veto'

The House decided to see what happens when an incredibly embattled president tries to flex his muscle and spend some political capital yesterday, passing the Iraq funding bill 218-208. The bill includes provisions for troop withdrawal which could begin as early as July, depending on whether the Iraqi government meets certain benchmarks. Withdrawal would have to begin by October 1, and combat would be over by next March.

It has not yet been the overblown showdown the media has largely made it out to be; as if Doc Holliday were twirling guns and coughing while Bad Guy X steps out of the shadows, sneering and holding a copy of the House rules. There was debate on the bill, and it was full of the usual talking points, but most of the rhetoric opposing the issue has come from the White House. It may pass the Senate today, and the Post article has it that Congress will send him the final bill on the fourth anniversary of his proclamation that major combat operations in Iraq were over. In that case, you are welcome to pull up a chair to the OK Corral.

Speaking of muscle flexing, Henry Waxman and the House Oversight Democrats subpoenaed Condoleezza Rice yesterday. They would very much like to talk to her about some intelligence claiming that Iraq had tried to buy uranium from Niger. The RNC was also subpoenaed, and the Senate Judiciary Committee is getting ready to subpoena Karl Rove's assistant Sara Taylor. The New York Times calls it "a vivid display of [Democrats'] new power!" The Boston Globe says, "The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted, 21 to 10!" If Rice's testimonial fight with Barbara Boxer is any indication of what we're in for, then perhaps Henry Waxman will get a stern rebuff after questioning the veracity of Secretary Rice's answers! Good thing the summer movie season hasn't started — the excitement would just be too much for me.

The Dallas Morning News is talking about Fred Thompson. Still. They reiterate that he has a lot of fans in Texas, and support among the Texas GOP. The most surprising news must be incredibly dispiriting for McCain: he is apparently tied with Law And Order's favorite ex-Senator for second place behind Giuliani in Texas. I figured Texas might become a little more important with Democratic candidates if our primary gets moved to February 5th, but I hadn't considered there might be a major knockdown dragout for the Republican delegates here. Plenty of opportunities to roll tape, I guess.

Also in the Dallas Morning News, an editorial supports legislation creating the option for the Governor to halt an execution if the state's voters agree. I'm assuming they mean for this measure to stick around until we have a new governor.

If you live in North Texas, you may have noticed that the drought is over. I know I noticed it on Tuesday when my car was almost flooded out on my way home from the office. When the city is closing every street you manage to get on, you can be fairly certain that, at least in the short term, there's no shortage of water.

Finally today, there's some news in the TYC saga. Apparently the inmate population at TYC has dropped by 650 since the beginning of the year. Several hundred of those were released as a result of investigations into the workings of the agency, and were young people who had already served their minimum sentences. So hey, that's some kind of progress, right?