Weekend Odds and Ends

This is all important stuff that I wish I had the time to write more about, but I don't...

The government confirms that we totally blew up that satellite.

The housing crisis... still super crisis-y. Ownership society!

I've been purposely ignoring that McCain story (he's accused of giving special treatment-- and more?-- to a prominent female lobbyist). Honestly, it's still too complicated a matter to weigh in on right now. It's also too early to guess the political fallout, though it has achieved one thing... rallying the conservative base to McCain's side.

(Also, the maverick's rating on the Conservation Voters Environmental Scorecard? 0%.)

Speaking of Arizona politicians... another Republican congressman is under indictment.

This Washington Post story has a good look at the costs of the Iraq war, including what the army is paying worn-out soldiers to stay.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr has extended his cease-fire for another six months, in welcome news. But up north, Turkish troops entered Iraq to chase down Kurdish rebels.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court "without comment, turned down an appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union to let it pursue a lawsuit against the program that began shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks." Meanwhile, on a related note, Speaker Pelosi kept the house in pro-forma session during this week's recess to prevent any Bush shenanigans on the FISA legislation.

(Note: 6 days since the Protect America Act expired, and we're still, miraculously, alive.)

Finally, '60 Minutes' will have a report this weekend on how Karl Rove and other GOP operatives launched a (successful) campaign to take down Alabama governor Don Siegelman. This is a case with ties to the U.S. Attorney scandal.