Under the Radar

ADMINISTRATION - SOLDIERS BARRED FROM TALKING TO MEDIA AFTER BUSH'S SPEECH: A day after President Bush announced an escalation plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, he spoke to 300 soldiers in a "teary-eyed" address at Fort Benning, GA. The Washington Post notes that the White House chose Ft. Benning hoping for "an unreservedly enthusiastic reception" to the President's speech, since military bases have usually been "reliable backdrop[s] for the White House." But instead, soldiers gave him only a "quiet response." The Los Angeles Times added that he "received a less enthusiastic reception than has been the case on his past visits to military bases to promote his Iraq policy" and the New York Times observed that the soldiers "clapped politely but showed little of the wild enthusiasm that they ordinarily shower on the commander in chief." Additionally, reporters were prohibited from talking to the soldiers -- many of whom will be deploying to Iraq soon -- after the speech, to "ensure that there would be no discordant notes." Wall Street Journal reporter Yochi Dreazen wrote that "reporters were shooed out of the dining hall by White House aides and public-affairs personnel from the military base, who said that soldiers were now off-limits to the media." Only hours later, after "an angry confrontation with both White House and Fort Benning media-affairs personnel," did the base offer to make a "small number" of selected soldiers available. Reporters, however, had to skip the opportunity because the press plane back to Washington was leaving in less than an hour.

IRAQ -- BUSH ESCALATES WAR BY EXTENDING DEPLOYMENTS, REMOVING TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN: New reports show how President Bush plans to escalate the war in Iraq despite the U.S. military being overstretched around the globe. The Associated Press reports that the Pentagon "has abandoned its limit on the time a citizen-soldier can be required to serve on active duty, ...a major change that reflects an Army stretched thin by longer-than-expected combat in Iraq." Until now, the Guard and Reserve policy "was that members' cumulative time on active duty for the Iraq or Afghan wars could not exceed 24 months. That cumulative limit is now lifted; the remaining limit is on the length of any single mobilization, which may not exceed 24 consecutive months." Additionally, the Boston Globe reports that a U.S. Army battalion "fighting in a critical area of eastern Afghanistan is due to be withdrawn within weeks to deploy to Iraq." The move comes despite "an urgent appeal" from U.S. commanders in Afghanistan for more forces. "Army Brigadier General Anthony J. Tata and other US commanders say [the diversion of forces from Afghanistan to Iraq] will happen as the Taliban is expected to unleash a campaign to cut the vital road between Kabul and Kandahar."

ECONOMY -- CONGRESSMAN WHO COMPLAINED ABOUT FIVE-DAY WORK WEEK TELLS POOR AMERICANS TO WORK LONGER HOURS: Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) made headlines last month after complaining about Congress' new schedule that requires members to work five days a week: "Keeping us up here eats away at families," Kingston told the Washington Post. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says." Yet on Wednesday, Kingston offered this advice to Americans living in poverty: work longer hours. During House debate over the minimum wage, Kingston said raising the minimum wage would do nothing for poor Americans. Instead, if people marry and work longer hours, "they would be out of poverty," he said. "It's an economic fact." (Watch the video.) Kingston is wrong. The annual salary for full-time workers earning the federal minimum wage "still leaves a family of three about $6,000 short of the poverty threshold."

Think Fast President Bush's address at Fort Benning, GA, yesterday, "received a less enthusiastic reception than has been the case on his past visits to military bases to promote his Iraq policy." The 300 soldiers who joined Bush were initially prohibited from talking with reporters afterward, to "ensure that there would be no discordant notes." U.S. troops "launched two raids on Iranian targets in Iraq yesterday," detaining five Iranians and confiscating "vast amounts of documents and computer data." U.S. officials said the raids "are part of a new U.S. intelligence and military operation launched last month against Iran." Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) "has quietly backed away from his pre-election demands that the White House turn over potentially embarrassing documents relating to its handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans." Al-Qaeda is "strengthening itself across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe" and cells are "rebuilding their strength" in Pakistan, according to outgoing National Intelligence Director John Negroponte. 75: Percentage of Americans who think President Bush should have to get congressional approval before he escalates the war in Iraq, according to a new CBS News poll. The House of Representatives is expected to pass a bill today repealing "a Republican-approved ban on letting the government negotiate with manufacturers for lower prices" for prescription drugs for 23 million seniors. President Bush announced he will veto the legislation. "Iraq is the only major U.S. conflict, except for the 1846-48 Mexican-American War, in which citizens haven't been asked to make a special financial sacrifice," Bloomberg reports. "President George W. Bush opposes tax increases, even as the costs escalate far beyond predictions and he calls for more troops." Bloggers "will be allowed to cover the criminal trial of former White House staffer Lewis 'Scooter' Libby alongside reporters from traditional media outlets." The arrangement is the "first for a high-profile court case." Sheldon Snook of the U.S. District Court in Washington noted, "Bloggers are part of the media landscape and if we were to ignore bloggers, we would be ignoring reality." And finally: "The White House labeled as 'ridiculous'" a story that Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI) told constituents about his interaction with Bush officials a week after the November election. Kagen, who self-funded much of his campaign, claims he trapped Karl Rove in a White House bathroom and said, "You recognize me? My name's Dr. Multimillionaire and I kicked your ass."