The Progress for America Voter Fund has agreed to pay a $750,000 penalty to settle a complaint before the Federal Election Commission over its political activities in the 2004 election campaign. This was the third largest civil penalty in the agency’s 32-year-history.

The F.E.C.’s new chairman seemed to be issuing a warning in a statement released today: “It should now be clear to organizations that want to be active in the 2008 election cycle that the activities we saw in this case are prohibited under the law.” Read more in the New York Times.

And, of course, last December, the Federal Elections Commission also fined the Swift Boat Veterans nearly $300,000 and hit the League of Conservation Voters for another $180,000. These penalties were imposed for failure to register, failure to file required disclosures, and for accepting contributions from illegal sources and in amounts greater than contribution limit laws.

One of the lead stories on the London Times website today deals with the American military’s reaction if W (worst ever) decides to bomb Iran. Some of America’s most senior military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, according to highly placed defence and intelligence sources.

Tension in the Gulf region has raised fears that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely before President George Bush leaves office. The Sunday Times has learnt that up to five generals and admirals are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack. Read more here.

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva today said he is planning a three-phased legislative assault on mines proposed for environmentally sensitive lands.

He would start by revoking Augusta Resource Corp.’s claim on the Rosemont Ranch in the Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson. Next, would come broader legislation written to close out claims on lands the public is seeking to preserve throughout the West. All this would prepare Washington for changing the 1872 General Mining Act, written to encourage development of the West by guaranteeing the right to mine legitimate claims. Read more in the Tucson Citizen.

It seems that Conservative Christian Right-Wing leaders are not pleased with the current crop of Republican presidential contenders. A group of influential Christian conservatives and their allies emerged from a private meeting at a Florida resort this month dissatisfied with the Republican presidential field and uncertain where to turn.

The event was a meeting of the Council for National Policy, a highly secretive club whose few hundred members include Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, the Rev. Jerry Falwell of Liberty University and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform. Although little known outside the conservative movement, the council has become a pivotal stop for Republican presidential primary hopefuls, including W (worst ever) on the eve of his 1999 primary campaign. Other prominent members of this “group” include Rev. Tim LaHaye, the author of appoloclypse fiction, and Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association.

But in a stark shift from the group’s influence under President Bush, the group risks relegation to the margins. Many of the conservatives who attended the event, held at the beginning of the month at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, Fla., said they were dismayed at the absence of a champion to carry their banner in the next election. Click here to read more.

P.S. Be sure to read the last two paragraphs of the New York Times article that discusses the Conservative Right’s next battle cry “Secondary Virginity,” there will be a quiz.

The Pinal County Democrats hold their meetings at 7pm on the third Wednesday of each month in Florence. We generally gather for a dutch treat supper at about 5:30 pm at the A&M Pizza on Highway 287 west of Florence. This is great opportunity to meet and greet fellow Democrats in an informal setting. The meeting is held at the offices of the Pinal County Attorney at 31 N Pinal St. Carpooling is generally available from SaddleBrooke.

Meanwhile Bush Spokesman says Withdrawal is “Sign of Success”
Iraqis welcomed the news on Wednesday that Britain and Denmark are preparing to dramatically scale back their military forces in and around the unruly southern port city of Basra.

British forces have been based in Basra, Iraq’s second largest city, since the US-led invasion of March 2003, fighting insurgents and illegal militia forces bent on controlling the region’s lucrative oil industry.

Sami al-Askari, a Shiite lawmaker and political adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said: “The withdrawal is the wish of the Iraqi government and all the political powers in the country.”

“We welcome any withdrawal of British forces from inside the centre of the city,” said Hakim al-Mayahi, head of the Basra provincial security council, which has had a fractious relationship with the British. Click here to read more about Iraqi’s thrilled at British and Danish withdrawal.

Meanwhile, Tony Blair and Condoleezza Rice are shown grinning with success as they announce foreign withdrawals from the “Coalition of the Willing.” In as a story appearing in USA Today, the Bush administration said Wednesday that Britain’s decision to withdraw 1,600 troops from Iraq is a positive sign that fits with the overall strategy for stabilizing the country.

They Want To Make You Afraid
Federal prosecutors counted immigration violations, marriage fraud and drug trafficking among anti-terror cases in the four years after 9/11 even though no evidence linked them to terror activity, a Justice Department audit said Tuesday.

Overall, nearly all of the terrorism-related statistics on investigations, referrals and cases examined by department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine were either diminished or inflated. Only two of 26 sets of department data reported between 2001 and 2005 were accurate, the audit found.

The numbers, used to monitor the department’s progress in battling terrorists, are reported to Congress and the public and help, in part, shape the department’s budget.

“For these and other reasons, it is essential that the department report accurate terrorism-related statistics,” the audit concluded. Read more of this story.

John McCain was greeted a month or so as the un-annointed Republican candidate for the Presidency.  The polls showed he was far and away the strongest Republican candidate.  Since then he stood up and told the American people that the Iraq war was a good thing and he wanted more troops there quickly.  Then last weekend, he announced that Donald Rumsfled, the disgraced former Secretary of Defense, was the worst war leader ever.  Lastly, this weekend he flip flopped on abortion and announced that Roe v Wade should be overturned.

Now the price tag is coming in.  His poll ratings are in collapse.  Too bad, so sad.

According to the latest poll by Fox News, only 22 per cent of Republicans support Mr McCain’s candidacy compared with 34 per cent for Mr Giuliani. Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, attracted 15 per cent support even though he has not yet decided whether to enter the race.

Bear in mind that John McCain now trails Rudolph Giuliani by ten points or more.  Remember Giuliani is the guy who married his second cousin.  He moved his mistress into Gracie Mansion while he was Mayor of New York and while his wife and kids lived in an apartment upstairs.  All this, and if you go to You Tube, you can watch a video of Giuliani and Donald Trump in drag.  Read more about the good news for John McCain.

Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who charged with lying to the FBI and a Grand Jury, will probably face a jury tomorrow. The prosecution which took only eleven days to present its case, maintains the facts are simple; he lied and he’s guilty. The defense was expected to mount a vigorous defense and they didn’t. For reasons that are un-clear, the chief defense witness, Vice President Dick Cheney, was not called.

With that, the defense amounted to “our guy forgot what he knew when he talked to the FBI and the Grand Jury.”

The prosecution presented 9 witnesses who talked with Libby about Valerie Plame in the month before Libby claims he learned that she was a CIA agent.

If convicted, which seems likely, Scooter could be facing purjury counts that could send him to jail for thirty years. While it’s not likely that he would get a sentance approaching that, a guilty verdict could put pressure on him to “rat out his boss,” Dick Cheney. Not likely but at least possible. In any case by week’s end we should have a verdict.  Click here to read about it on CNN News.

British To Cut Forces In Half By Christmas

Tony Blair will appear before the British Parlement tomorrow to announce more troop withdrawals from Iraq. His is expected to lay out plans to withdraw some 3,000 troops from Iraq in the next nine or ten months. Britain currently has some 7,000 troops in the country now and some 1,500 men and women are scheduled to return in the next three weeks. Tomorrow, Blair will an additional cutback of several hundreds in the coming months. Blair is also expected announce that additional cutbacks will occur later this year.

BBC political correspondent James Landale said: “We have been expecting an announcement for some time on this.” Click here to read more at the BBC World Service website.

If confirmed, the announcement of British troop withdrawals would come just weeks ahead of the fourth anniversary of the start of the 2003 Iraq War on March 19.  And it comes shortly after US President George Bush launched a “surge” of 21,500 additional American troops in a bid to pacify the north of Iraq and capital Baghdad, which has been plagued by sectarian fighting and terrorism.

Blair and Bush talked about the movement of troops during a telephone call today.  Click here to read the Yahoo News version of the news.