President Bush made telephone calls to the families of 10 soldiers on Thanksgiving. Congressman Jack Murtha has visited the wounded at Walter Reed almost every week since the beginning of the Iraq War.

The President is on another vacation in Crawford, using Thanksgiving as a cover. While most Americans were able to get off work Thursday, and some were lucky enough to get both Thursday and Friday off, I bet not many got off from Tuesday through Sunday, the period Bush is spending at the ranch.

I'm no math whiz, so clue me in. Between his trips to Latin America, Asia and the Ranch this month, how many days has he spent working for us in Washington?

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson admitted today that he was not, as his official bio has stated for many years, drafted by the Kansas City A's baseball team in 1966.

The claim was included in a brief biography released when Richardson successfully ran for Congress in 1982. A White House news release in 1997 mentioned it when he was about to be named U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. And several news organizations, including The Associated Press, have reported it as fact over the years.

How serious, if at all, is this in terms of casting doubt on his integrity as a future national political candidate?

The Wall Street Journal (free link) reports on a Harris poll finding that a majority of U.S. adults believe the Bush administration generally misleads the public on current issues, while only 32% believe the information provided by the administration is generally accurate.

When asked about former Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who has been indicted on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements, more than half of U.S. adults say the situation indicates "a larger problem in the Bush administration," while 35% say it was an "isolated incident." About 82% of Democrats say it indicates a larger problem, while 70% of Republicans feel the Libby case is an isolated incident.

The Washington Post reports on President Bush's trip to Asia, the recreational highlight of which was a bike ride:

For the president, it was a rare moment of fun on an otherwise dreary overseas trip. In five years in the presidency, Bush has proved a decidedly unadventurous traveler, an impression undispelled by the weeklong journey through Asia that wraps up Monday. As he barnstormed through Japan, South Korea and China, with a final stop in Mongolia still to come, Bush visited no museums, tried no restaurants, bought no souvenirs and made no effort to meet ordinary local people.

"I live in a bubble," Bush once said, explaining his anti-tourist tendencies by citing the enormous security and logistical considerations involved in arranging any sightseeing. "That's just life."

Atrios has some choice comments on our adventurous President.

by Last Night in Little Rock

Every once and awhile, a Member of Congress from Arkansas does something to get noticed. Making the rounds this weekend in Arkansas is Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR,1) calling a Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL,12) a "Howdy Doody Looking Nimrod" in a floor speech on November 17th complaining about Republican budget items and tax cuts that Berry complained that the far younger looking Putnam would be paying for himself.

Jack Abramoff's partner, lobbyist Michael Scanlon of Capital Campaign Strategies, has been charged in federal court with a one count information alleging conspiracy to defraud millions of dollars from clients of Indian tribes.

Looks like he made a deal. A hearing is Monday.

A picture that speaks a thousand words. [hat tip TK]

by TChris

It’s a crime to lie to Congress (although, sadly, it isn’t a crime for Congress to lie to us). Will anything happen to the oil executives who apparently lied when they testified (albeit not under oath, for reasons that are now obvious) that nobody from their companies met with Vice President Cheney’s energy task force?

[A White House] document, obtained this week by The Washington Post, shows that officials from Exxon Mobil Corp., Conoco (before its merger with Phillips), Shell Oil Co. and BP America Inc. met in the White House complex with the Cheney aides who were developing a national energy policy, parts of which became law and parts of which are still being debated.

Back when Bernie Kerik withdrew as Bush's nominee for Homeland Security Chief, there were allegations of misconduct.

The New York Times today reports:

New Jersey officials said yesterday that Bernard B. Kerik abused his position as New York City correction commissioner in the late 1990's by accepting tens of thousands of dollars from a construction company that he was helping to pursue business with the city. They say the company has long had ties to organized crime.

After Kerik withdrew his name from consideration for HSC Chief, the New Jersey Gaming Commission began an investigation.

by Last Night in Little Rock

The Washington Post reported yesterday that DOJ Civil Rights Division career attorneys are leaving at a rate nearly double that of prior administrations because disagreements over the conservative agenda of DOJ under the current Administration.

Such is the distain for the current Administration for civil rights enforcement, the division's lawyers have found their energies diverted away from enforcement of the civil rights laws into other areas.

Crooks and Liars has the latest on a Gallup-CNN-USA Today Poll out today:

Fewer than one in 10 adults say they would prefer a congressional candidate who is a Republican and who agrees with Bush on most major issues, according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday. Even among Republicans, seven of 10 are most likely to back a candidate who has at least some disagreements with the president.

Bush's job approval rating sank to a record low 37%. The poll finds growing criticism of the president, unease about the nation's direction and opposition to the Iraq war....A record high 60% say going to war in Iraq was "not worth it."

More from USA Today and Daily Kos.

by Last Night in Little Rock

I saw "Good Night, and Good Luck" (see imdb.com) tonight, my first movie in weeks, which is bad for a movie buff, but I work too much.

I am old enough to remember some of Edward R. Morrow's broadcasts. This movie takes place between 1953 and 1958, and it centers on CBS News getting to guts to take on Senator Joseph McCarthy and his trampling of civil liberties. But, it is more about the fear of Americans to question McCarthy, and CBS's own trepidation of taking him on, but they did.