Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Advance Warning?
Opposition politicians in the U.K. have called for a public inquiry into allegations that the U.S. warned British officials about the man who masterminded last year’s London terrorist bombings, two years before the deadly attack.
In a new book, author Ron Suskind claims British Intelligence knew the U.S. was monitoring Mohammed Siddique Khan for his ties to a Virginia jihadist — and that he’d been banned from the country in 2003 for planning to attack U.S. synagogues.
Trouble is, the London Telegraph reports that the British Khan with Virginia connections who was placed on the U.S. no-fly list was not Mohammed Siddique Khan, who was teaching at a Yorkshire elementary school, but Mohammed Ajmal Khan, who’s now serving 9 years in a British prison.
But Suskind insists there’s been no mix-up, saying he’s convinced the book is accurate.
Latest Opinion Numbers
While a vast majority of Americans say the U.S. can’t trust Iran’s rhetoric on nuclear weapons, 59 percent think the administration should continue to pursue negotiations — even if Iran refuses to stop enriching uranium. That according to the latest FOX News poll in which 54 percent say nothing can be done to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb.
What’s more, 72 percent say they’re very concerned that Iran would supply such a weapon to terrorists, while 56 percent are concerned Iran would attack Israel, and 45 percent worry about an attack against the United States.
Still, 54 percent say the Bush administration is pursuing the right approach to dealing with Iran on the nuclear issue.
First Lady of Librarians
First Lady Laura Bush, herself a former librarian, will speak on rebuilding libraries in the wake of Hurricane Katrina at next week’s American Library Association‘s annual conference in New Orleans.
But one ALA official is complaining that her mere appearance “turns our conference into a grand political photo-op” for an administration he says lied to invade Iraq.
ALA councilor-at-large Mark Rosenzweig says Mrs. Bush and her “cloying charm” are being deployed as a “valuable public relations asset” to the president, adding, “When you see her smiling demurely on the platform that we have provided for her, and basking in the standing ovation Americans love to give to celebrities, know too that the smirking faces of Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld are up there too.”
Keeping Christianity Out
The ACLU says a Nevada high school was right to pull the plug on a graduation speech last week after the school’s valedictorian discussed her Christian faith. Brittany McComb says school officials warned her to stick to their edited version of the speech which allowed her limited references to God and religion, but removed any mention of Jesus Christ.
But McComb tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she was still about to thank Christ for her success when officials cut her microphone drawing jeers from the crowd. Officials say McComb’s speech amounted to proselytizing, and the ACLU defended their decision, saying McComb’s religious references could have been perceived as school-sponsored.
—FOX News Channel’s Aaron Bruns contributed to this report.
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