Day: March 5, 2005

Long simultaneously hailed and reviled as one of Washington’s most effective and self-centered special-interest groups, AARP is at it again – causing fits for President Bush and congressional Republicans after, ironically, handing them a big political victory. The organization, until recently known as the American Association of Retired Persons, is providing shock troops in the national guerrilla war against the president’s proposal to divert a portion of Social Security taxes into private accounts.

The unidentified Florida National Guardsman called it “Ramadi Madness” – a compilation of videos depicting his unit’s time in Iraq. But some of the images were investigated as possible detainee abuse, including one recording of a soldier kicking a wounded, moaning Iraqi.

President Bush’s budget would keep federal deficits over $200 billion annually over the next decade, Congress’ top budget analyst said Friday in a report raising doubts about White House efforts to contain the shortfalls.

A new Social Security war room inside the Treasury Department is pumping out information to sell President Bush’s plan, much like any political campaign might do.

The backscatter radar in Maine, and a similar system reaching out into the Pacific from Oregon, could bounce a beam off the ionosphere, which sent a scattered detection signal back to the Earth’s surface. The systems were so sensitive, they could note changes in ocean currents.