Now this is leadership. Putting their reputations on the line (as well as criminal histories!), these five men and women (along with other protesters) were arrested to say ‘We will no longer tolerate this murder’. At least someone in the government has done something instead of running their mouths.

I’m writing each of these members of Congress to thank them for their efforts and commitment to ending the genocide in Sudan. I urge you do to the same.  

and led away from the Sudanese Embassy in plastic handcuffs Friday in protest of the Sudanese government’s role in atrocities in the Darfur region. ‘The slaughter of the people of Darfur must end,’ Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), a Holocaust survivor…, said from the embassy steps before his arrest.”

 

 [Think Progress]

 I agree with Senator Collins that FEMA has become quite the symbol of government bureaucratic bumbling, but, I’m not sure that destroying one bureaucratic mess to build a new one is much of a good idea. Look at the Department of Homeland Defense (which was an integral part of FEMA’s failure, FYI). Lots of money, time and effort has gone into building that department and at its first opportunity to do good works, they blow it.

I don’t know if FEMA can be fixed. I’m not a management expert, but it occurs to me, that 90% of the problems there are leadership related. Let us think on that for a while…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which floundered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, should be abolished, a Senate committee recommended today. “FEMA has become a symbol of a bumbling bureaucracy in which the American people have completely lost faith,” said Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

 

[CNN.com]

Interesting news…I wonder if this, combined with Mr. Fitzpatrick’s huddle this morning with the grand jury means that an indictment is coming? 

John King, CNN’s political correspondent, just reported:

CNN is told by three force sources familiar with the investigation that this morning Karl Rove, the president’s deputy chief of staff and top political adviser, is meeting with his attorney and is to meet this morning — if it is not already under way — with the special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald. According to sources, the goal of the meeting is for Karl to clear up some lingering questions about his role in a White House campaign to undermine Ambassador Joe Wilson — remember he was the the critic of the Bush administration case ever going to war in Iraq, his wife the CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose name was Outed.

It’s a complicated legal investigation and it has become a complicated political problem for the White House. Our understanding, Karl Rove is meeting with his attorney this morning, meeting with the special prosecutor this morning and the hope from Rove’s camp is that he can answer the few remaining questions about his involvement, his back and forth with reporters, during that time frame, his comments to the FBI and other investigators including the grand jury that is investigating this for quite some time now. And the hope from the Rove camp, all can be resolved and Karl Rove cleared of wrongdoing in the relatively near future.

The AP is also reporting that Fitzgerald went before the grand jury this morning.

 [Think Progress]

wondering if the changes at the White House really amount to anything. Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo is wondering too.

Don’t get too excited about Karl’s change of portfolio…He’s still there and he’s still an influence.

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