As opportunities to impact policy in an election year become scant, action on the credit crisis in Washington has had varying effects on legislation. On the surface, a bill approved in the U.S. Senate will aid homeowners at risk of foreclosure. Dig deeper and you'll find major tax breaks for a variety of big business and industry, say consumer and labor groups. (New York Times)

Further last ditch legislative efforts in Congress before the election include the attachment of money for transportation, unemployment insurance, public housing and other causes by Democrats onto President Bush's $108 billion war funding bill. The White House has now threatened a veto. (USA Today)

A group of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their crucial Sadr City-post Tuesday night, leaving the area unsupervised for hours. This left angered U.S. military officials to order American and Iraqi soldiers to make up the lost ground left by the deserters during a critical push to gain control of parts of Sadr City from militia forces. (New York Times)

The U.S. State Department will force diplomats to serve in the U.S. embassy in Baghdad if there aren't enough volunteers to fill the 300 spots open next year in Iraq. Some in the State Dept. are concerned that hastily appointed officials won't get the necessary training and preparation for the job, which has happened in the past. Apparently, Condoleezza Rice is "offended" by officials' refusal to serve. (Washington Post)

In 2006, Steven Howards approached Vice President Dick Cheney in the resort town of Beaver Creek, CO, to tell him his "policies in Iraq were disgusting." As he walked away from Cheney, his Secret Service guards came after Howards and arrested him on suspicion of assault. No charges were filed by Cheney, but Howards filed a lawsuit of his own claiming his free speech rights were ignored and he was arrested without probable cause. A judge has now ruled Cheney need not testify in Howards' trial. (LA Times)

USA Today reports that despite claims of his distance from Washington lobbyists, Sen. Barack Obama's fundraising team includes 38 members of law firms that were paid $138 million last year to lobby. These lawyers have given Obama's campaign $2.26 million thus far. (USA Today)

The subject of an FBI corruption probe for his dealings with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) was given $5,000 from National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Tom Cole. (Politico blog, The Crypt)

Former Republican Rep. Curt Weldon, of Pennsylvania, has transferred $70,000 from his campaign account to his legal defense fund, as he's subject to a Justice Dept. investigation. The Justice Dept. has had their eye on Weldon for a while for dealings with his daughter's lobbying firm. (Politico blog, The Crypt)

Another war? Alexandra Liddy Bourne, Vice President for Policy and Strategy at the Heartland Institute (doubters of global warming) said in a speech to the Heritage Foundation that climate-control policy may lead to "another Civil War." (ThinkProgress.org)