Congressman David Price (D-NC) today participated in a press conference unveiling a new Human Right First report on the government’s management and supervision of private contractors in the war zone.

The report – entitled “Private Contractors at War: Ending the Culture of Impunity" – calls upon Congress to enact Price’s legislation (H.R. 2740) to ensure that all war contractors are held accountable under the U.S. criminal code. The group also urges the Justice Department to use its current authority to investigate and prosecute cases of potential contractor abuse that have been documented in the media.

“The Human Rights First report is a milestone, a clarion call for immediate action to address a problem that has plagued the U.S. missions in Iraq and Afghanistan from the start,” Price said in a speech this morning. “I sincerely hope that the Senate will act soon and that the Administration will cooperate with our efforts [to pass my contractor accountability legislation].”

Statement from the Rev. Dr. William Barber, President of the North Carolina NAACP:

"The light of Christmas has shown on the dark nightmare that James Johnson has suffered for 42 months in a false incarceration on murder, rape, and kidnapping charges without a trial. Tonight the special prosecutor dismissed all murder, rape and kidnaping charges against him. It is a major victory for truth and justice.

"James is an innocent young man who was falsely accused. It is not yet a total victory because one count of accessory remains, but we will celebrate tonight, and pick up the fight tomorrow for James' full exoneration tomorrow."

To read full media coverage of the case and to add your comments, go to
http://www.ncprosecutorialmisconduct.com

Gail Collins, New York Times Op

Huckabee! Huckabee! The man of the hour! What is it that voters love so much about this guy? Is it a hitherto inchoate yearning for a president who knows less about international affairs than they do? Hope that a man who can lose 100 pounds could also get rid of the federal deficit?

Mike is soaring ahead in the early polls, in a surge to the front of the pack that suggests Republicans cannot come to grips with the idea that they are supposed to nominate either Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani for president. There has to be a way out! What about Huckabee? He has a good heart! True, his brain doesn’t seem to have a single thought about foreign policy or know much about domestic policy, for that matter. But one well-functioning body part is better than nothing.

Jennifer Loven, Associated Press

President Bush vetoed legislation Wednesday that would have expanded government-provided health insurance for children, his second slap-down of a bipartisan effort in Congress to dramatically increase funding for the popular program.

It was Bush's seventh veto in seven years - all but one coming since Democrats took control of Congress in January. Wednesday was the deadline for Bush to act or let the bill become law. The president also vetoed an earlier, similar bill expanding the health insurance program.

Bush vetoed the bill in private.

In a statement notifying Congress of his decision, Bush said the bill was unacceptable because - like the first one - it allows adults into the program, would cover people in families with incomes above the U.S. median and raises taxes.

Fact Sheet on H.R. 4156, Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act

As The War Continues in its Fifth Year, Congress Has a Critical Choice:

• Endorse the President’s 10-Year War With No End in Sight, or
• Hold the President Accountable, Requiring Redeployment of Our Troops to Start within 30 Days of Enactment with a Goal for Completion in One Year

Congress Won’t Provide A Blank Check; Instead Is Holding the President Accountable

Today, the House has a critical choice to make:

500 Members Participate In Service Projects To Celebrate National 2007 “Make A Difference Day”

Gov. Mike Easley announced today that about 500 North Carolina AmeriCorps members across the state participated in service projects throughout October to observe national 2007 “Make A Difference Day.” The projects brought together charitable organizations, corporations and citizens to improve communities and help neighbors in need.

“Make A Difference Day is a tremendous opportunity for N.C. AmeriCorps members and others to participate in community service projects together,” said Easley. “These events inspire all citizens to continue helping others throughout the year.”

Make A Difference Day is the largest community service effort in the nation. According to USA Weekend Magazine, creator of the event, three million people across the country participated in last year’s day of service, helping an estimated 20 million people.

The 10 AmeriCorps programs in North Carolina sponsored events for Make A Difference Day.

Some of this year’s projects included:

On any given playground in North Carolina, 13 out of 100 children don’t have health insurance.

That makes it harder to see a pediatrician if asthma makes it harder for them to play on the school soccer team or treat other illnesses like juvenile diabetes.

Today, Republican Robin Hayes and the rest of North Carolina’s Republican delegation made sure that it stays that way.

They voted against overriding President Bush’s veto of the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

By pushing the red, “no” button, Hayes just denied 116,000 North Carolina children health care.

Republicans try to downplay that ugly reality by distorting the facts, smearing a 12-year-old boy and his family, and accusing Democrats of weaving a gauzy haze of sob stories to confuse the public.

By standing with President Bush and against American families, Republicans refuse to face the cold, hard reality is that even in this land of abundant prosperity real, working families have a hard time making ends meet.

Scott Shepard, Cox News Service
The legendary humorist Will Rogers would be baffled by the 2008 presidential campaign. He, after all, famously quipped: "I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat." So what would he make of the fact that this time around, it is the Republicans -- not the Democrats -- making noises about bolting the party because of ideological differences?

The reason? Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has supported abortion rights, gay rights and gun control, continues to sit atop the national polls as the choice for the 2008 Republican nomination. And that does not sit well with one of the most important parts of the Republican Party base -- religious conservatives, or "faith voters," as their leaders like to describe them.

Almost two weeks ago, about 50 Christian conservatives met privately in Salt Lake City to discuss what to do if Giuliani wins the GOP nomination. Some, such as the influential James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, emerged from the meeting to suggest that they would bolt the GOP and support a third-party candidate.

Representative Heath Shuler today announced that the Architect of the Capitol has revised the rule that prevented religious language or references from being used on the certificates that accompany flags flown over the Capitol. The policy change comes one day after Rep. Shuler sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi asking that she examine the authority under which the Architect’s office had implemented the policy disallowing religious language.

The policy change was announced by Stephen T. Ayers, the Acting Architect of the Capitol.

“I am extremely pleased that we have been able to end this restriction on right of my constituents to openly practice their faith,” said Rep. Shuler. “I applaud Mr. Ayers for listening to the wishes of the American people and their elected representatives and revising the flag certificate policy so quickly.”

At a time when the leading Republican presidential contenders have refused to even appear in front of a number of groups including African American, Hispanic and young voters, the promises of an inclusive "compassionate conservatism" seem to be a thing of the past. While Bush's low approval numbers account for some of the overall damage to the GOP brand, poll numbers show that the problems Republicans are facing run deeper than President Bush.

As the Wall Street Journal noted, "recent voter surveys, including private polling done by a leading Republican strategist, suggest a broader erosion of Republicans' appeal. In particular, three groups crucial to Mr. Bush's goal of a 'permanent Republican majority' are drifting away: younger voters, Hispanics and independents." [Wall Street Journal, 9/5/07, http://online.wsj.com/]

Even more revealing, poll numbers show the Republican Party's base is shrinking. A recent study by the Pew Research Center indicates two traditionally GOP-leaning groups are now moving away from the Republican Party: young evangelicals and economic conservatives. At the same time, more Americans are identifying with the Democratic Party and trust Democrats on key voting issues.