The Daily MuckJohn McCain has based part of his candidacy for president on his record of independence from big name lobbying efforts. But The New York Times reports that of the campaign’s 106 top fund-raisers who have raised over $100,000 for McCain, a sixth of them are lobbyists. The list of bundlers was voluntarily released by the campaign. (New York Times)
The New York Times reported Sunday on the practice of top “military analysts” appearing on television and radio to comment on American military affairs being handpicked and debriefed by the Pentagon. The effort began before the Iraq war, and several former military officials, some with ties to overseas military contractors, have gone to bat for the Pentagon to share favorable news. (New York Times)
A Supreme Court ruling from 1950 has prevented active-duty military personnel from suing for medical malpractice. The initial, and persistent, reasoning was that an excess of litigation would hamstring true military objectives. Now, after a series of recent questionable medical procedures, some in the military are demanding the ruling be amended. (LA Times)
A court ruling that states White House visitor records are public documents is being challenged by the Bush administration, which argues that such records are usually concealed from the public. The court case stems from a request by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington for data on all visits by religious right leaders to the White House. (Associated Press)
Cabinet members, including Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, have sent letters to Senate leaders voicing their concern over the shield law called the Free Flow of Information Act. The officials claim that the bill would cause increased trial scrutiny on “every leak investigation” when proof of “properly classified” documents were involved. The House has already passed a version of the bill, which could become the sole federal shield law of reporters. (Washington Post)
The Justice Department’s post-9/11 strategy of sniffing out homegrown terrorist groups has yet to produce grand results. Juries in three high-profile cases against such groups (among others) have held different opinions than the department, resulting in few convictions and a handful of hung-juries. (Washington Post)
The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 was supposed to curb the gifts and handouts lobbyists offered members of Congress. But as all rules are meant to be broken, it seems that some have found ways around the law. (New York Times)
When Karl Rove is displeased with you, expect a scathing letter like the one he sent MSNBC’s Dan Abrams after Abrams reported earlier this month on Rove’s connection to the prosecution of Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Rove has refused to testify before Congress. (ThinkProgress)