 |  | 
December 15, 2011 | | BATTY Libertarian crank Ron Paul is surging in New Hampshire, within one point of Newt Gingrich in Iowa, and racking up endorsements. But however delightful it would be for him to whip Gingrich and Romney, warns The Daily Beast’s Michael Tomasky, Paul’s hipster supporters need to realize just how far right he really is. NEGOTIATIONS Congress is close to passing a massive defense spending bill that will authorize $662 billion for the military as the House voted 283-136 Wednesday night in a rare bipartisan cooperation. The Senate is expected to clear the bill today. But partisan wrangling could still deadlock a much more important issue: the $915 billion federal funding bill that has only two more days to pass until the government is forced to shut down. The Republicans are pushing a plan that will force the Democrats to cancel a tax for the rich, and the two sides are still fighting over how to pay for an expiring payroll tax cut that they supposedly both want. SYMBOLIC U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta attended a ceremony in Baghdad that marked the official end of the war in Iraq. All troops will pull out by Dec. 31. "Let me be clear, Iraq will be tested in the days ahead—by terrorism, by those who would seek to divide" Panetta warned, as the symbolic battle flag of the U.S. was lowered Thursday. But he hailed the service of the armed services and the Iraqi people—nearly 4,500 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have lost their lives in the war that began nearly nine years ago. But Panetta said "your sacrifice has helped the Iraqi people begin a new chapter in history, free from tyranny." MON DIEU! Former French president Jacque Chirac was found guilty of diverting public funds and abusing public trust by a court Thursday. Chirac, 79, was given a two-year suspended sentence; he did not appear in court because of ill health, but he denied any wrongdoing. The charges date back to his time as mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. (He was president from 1995 to 2007.) He is accused to paying members of his own Rally for the Republic party for city jobs that did not exist. REALLY?! Either he's the funniest man alive, or he's serious. Herman Cain, who dropped out of the GOP presidential race, said in an interview with Barbara Walters that he wants to be the Secretary of Defense. This from a guy who said he wouldn't need to know the name of the leader of "Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan" or some "small, insignificant states." And a guy who froze for minutes when asked about the Obama administration's military operations in Libya. But give Cain credit for knowing that this is pure fantasy. When asked what cabinet position he would want, he said, "We are speaking totally, totally hypothetical, right?" When he said the head of the department of defense, even Walters, who chose him as one of her "10 Most Fascinating People" of the year, looked stunned and said, "What?" | | 
GET The Cheat Sheet A speedy, smart summary of news and must-reads from across the Web. You'll love the featured original stories on politics, entertainment, and more from The Daily Beast's diverse group of contributors.  GET The Yes List Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast.
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment