Webb To Ratchet Up Role Against Iraq War

Jim Webb is hoping to play a leading role in the Dem Congress' efforts to stall the war after the July 4th Congressional recess. Webb told a blogger conference call this afternoon that he plans to introduce an amendment to the must-pass defense authorization bill that will increase "dwell time," the amount of time troops stay at home before redeployment, to at least the amount of time active-duty troops spend deployed.


In April, Defense Secretary Bob Gates announced that to support the surge, all active-duty Army soldiers in the Middle East will spend 15 months deployed and only 12 months before the next deployment, in defiance of the Army's desired ratio of twice as much dwell time as deployment time.


Webb's move will be controversial: if attached to the defense bill, the White House will likely portray it as a backdoor measure to reduce troop levels, since the increased dwell time will prevent recently-returned troops from relieving units rotating out of Iraq. While Webb said he hadn't worked out the exact size of the force that would become available in Iraq if his amendment passes, he signaled his readiness for the White House's response.


"If it does result in fewer troops, I would support that, anyway," Webb said in response to a question from TPM. "We've reached the point where we've burned these troops out. Our operational policies change from month to month, and it's time for us to stop." --Spencer Ackerman


McCain Acknowledges He's Down Going Into Second-Quarter Deadline

John McCain's campaign is admitting in a fundraising letter that they may fall short of their goal of reaching $10 million for the quarter, imploring supporters to give more so they can meet it. Meanwhile, McCain told the Des Moines Register that he needs to improve in the key caucus state. "I think I've got a lot of work to do in Iowa," McCain said.

USA Today: Richardson Hauls $7 Million

Bill Richardson has raised $7 million in the second quarter, slightly more than the $6.2 million he raised last quarter.

Huckabee Bests His First Quarter

Mike Huckabee's campaign has announced that they have topped their first quarter fundraising total, which weighed in at a mere $500,000. Beating the previous quarter's haul will give them enough money to compete in the Ames straw poll, the candidate said today.

Dems Plan New Iraq Vote

Democratic Congressional leaders are planning new efforts to pass bills that would begin withdrawal from Iraq. "We have many arrows in our quiver, and we are sharpening them," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said.

Bloomberg Had Previously Undisclosed Heart Surgery In 2000

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been conspicuously tightening up his image as a potential presidential candidate while simultaneously denying that is one, has admitted to having heart surgery in 2000 before he ran for mayor. The surgery to insert two coronary arterial stents was not perviously disclosed.

Kucinich Picks Up Three New Co-Sponsors For Cheney Impeachment

Dennis Kucinich's drive to impeach Vice President Cheney has recruited three new co-sponsors: Democratic Congressmen Jim McDermott (WA), Hank Johnson (GA) and Keith Ellison (MN). On the other anti-Cheney front, only two Republican voted for Rahm Emanuel's failed amendment to strip funding from the VP's office: Walter Jones (NC) and Ron Paul (TX) — one a strong conservative who has broken with the Bush Administration on Iraq, the other the libertarian Republican candidate for president.

New Hampshire Makes Abortion Law History

Governor John Lynch (D-NH) today signed a repeal of the state's parental-notification abortion law, making his state the first ever to repeal a law requiring notification for a minor seeking an abortion. The repeal was widely expected after last year's elections, when Democrats took both houses of the state legislature with strong majorities.

Was Biden And Obama Exchange On AIDS Testing Homophobic?

Some discussion has popped up over an exchange between Joe Biden and Barack Obama last night, about AIDS testing. Alexander M. Belenky thinks Obama's retort to Biden — that he was tested for AIDS in Africa, accompanied by his wife — had a homophobic undertone. Meanwhile, Steve Benen has defended the remark. What do you think?