Washington, DC - The McCain campaign's decision to withhold Cindy McCain's tax returns is drawing criticism from across the political spectrum.

This morning, editorials in both the Washington Post and Washington Times echoed calls for the McCain campaign to release Cindy McCain's tax returns. This follows a column in yesterday's New York Observer that blasts McCain for his hypocrisy on disclosure, noting that Mrs. McCain's corporate jet "has been flying him and his entourage of lobbyists around the country at bargain rates."

In his 22 years in the Senate, John McCain has never voted against a single Republican judicial nominee at any level. How far to the right does a judicial pick have to be for John McCain to vote against him or her?

Why would John McCain tout his so-called "moderate" views on issues like campaign finance reform and climate change when the right wing judicial nominees he favors would gut those reforms and dismantle the regulatory framework designed to implement them?

John McCain often cites John Roberts and Samuel Alito as examples of the types of judges he would appoint to the Supreme Court. Would he also appoint extremist judges like Robert Bork, William Pryor and Pricilla Owen to the Supreme Court?

After trying to portray himself as a "maverick" who would reform Washington, John McCain is now trying to illegally withdraw from the very campaign finance system he has claimed to champion, a move that highlights for North Carolina's voters McCain's hypocrisy on ethics.

Adding insult to injury, McCain is lying to voters to blur the facts, suggesting that his unilateral withdrawal is exactly the same as Howard Dean's in 2003. McCain's attempt to unilaterally withdraw from public financing comes after he used the promise of federal matching funds to get free access to the ballot in some states, and as collateral for a loan to keep his campaign afloat, a clear violation of the agreement he signed with the FEC.

Washington, D.C. – Amid a GOP walkout in the U.S. House of Representatives today, lawmakers approved contempt citations against White House officials which will implement a two-part strategy that allows Congress to pursue the matter in both criminal and civil court.

Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) worked closely with House leadership to help pass the contempt resolution. The action comes after Harriet Myers, former White House counsel, and presidential chief of staff Josh Bolton ignored subpoenas from Congress to cooperate with an inquiry into whether the firings of U.S. Attorneys were politically motivated at the direction of President Bush.

Republicans boycotted the vote and staged a walkout.

The House took the first step toward overriding President Bush’s veto of a key defense bill today, which would ensure a halt to the Navy’s proposed outlying landing field in eastern North Carolina’s Washington County.

“If the Navy wants to move forward with an OLF, it should now be clear that they will need the support of the community,” Congressman G. K. Butterfield said.

Today, the House again approved the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill, taking the first step toward overriding President Bush’s veto. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week.

Last month, the conference report on the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill included language repealing “the authority for construction of an outlying landing field at Washington County, North Carolina.” The bill won overwhelming support from the House and Senate, but was vetoed by President Bush.

The government is lagging far behind in declassifying its secrets, and the problem is getting worse as agencies create billions more electronic records containing classified information, according to a new report.

In a report released Wednesday, a joint presidential-congressional advisory group urged greater openness, a sore subject for a White House roundly criticized for secrecy.

The Public Interest Declassification Board said President Bush can take immediate steps.

For example, it said, the White House should retain the president's daily brief prepared by the CIA so historians, researchers and the public can eventually learn what the intelligence community has told the president.

Whoever Wins, They All Offer a Third Bush Term

Today the American people take their first, long-awaited step toward electing a new President. While none of the Republican candidates have generated much excitement on the campaign trail, one thing has become crystal clear: whoever wins the Republican caucuses, a vote for any one of them is a vote for a third Bush term. 

H. Josef Herbert, The Associated Press

The White House pressured the Environmental Protection Agency's to weaken requirements that companies annually disclose releases of toxic chemicals, congressional auditors said Wednesday.

The Government Accountability Office said the changes mean that industry will have to file 22,000 fewer reports each year, reducing an important public monitoring tool on industrial emissions.

The EPA rushed to complete the changes because of "pressure" from the White House Office of Management and Budget to reduce the regulatory burdens on industry, says the study obtained by The Associated Press and later released by the GAO. The White House overstated the cost savings to industry of making the changes, it added.

"The EPA administrator expedited the process in order to meet a commitment to OMB," which had pushed to reduce the paperwork burden on industry by the end of 2006, said the GAO.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today on the floor of the U.S. Senate, calling for a full accounting of the circumstances surrounding the destroyed tapes of CIA interrogations. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

“As the end of 2007 continues to draw near, we have a busy week ahead of us. We hope to complete action on the appropriations process, which will require the White House, along with House and Senate Republicans, to be reasonable in the pursuit of common ground.

“We will work to complete the energy bill with a bipartisan compromise that will take our country toward lower energy prices for consumers and a cleaner environment. And we will work to complete FISA legislation to ensure we have the tools to fight terrorism with fair and Constitutional tools. And pass a Continuing Resolution by Friday to keep the government open. I look forward to a productive week of bipartisan progress.