Washington Whispers
Buying Rooms and Losing Goodwill
The United States may have been slow in getting its citizens out of war-torn Beirut, but diplomats in Cyprus are trying to make up for that. There is word of a bidding war for the limited hotel rooms in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, which was inundated last week with evacuees from Lebanon. Some European officials complained that American diplomats were walking around with wads of cash, buying up hotel rooms that had been promised to others. One American diplomat responded with an unapologetic, "Hell yeah, we take care of our people!"
How Not to Label the Holy City
It's no secret that Fox likes its news a certain way. John Moody, the network's senior VP for news, sends out daily missives micromanaging coverage. Last week, as rockets rained on Nazareth in Israel, Moody instructed: "The attacks on Nazareth become the lead until further notice. Nazareth is a historic and holy city. We can refer to it as the holy city, the biblical city, etc. Let's NOT call it the 'hometown of Jesus' though many would argue the city's favorite son turned out pretty well." Apparently, not everyone got the memo, as Fox ran graphics about rocket strikes on "the birthplace of Jesus" later that day.
Surgeon General: What's Ahead?
We know that the White House is busy these days, but you'd think someone would have put out a reminder that Surgeon General Richard Carmona's four-year term expires in August. Instead, there's been nary a peep on his future. Many public-health types have labeled Carmona a do-nothing who squandered his bully pulpit on fluff like "Mother's Day Tips From the Surgeon General: Caring for Your Mental Health." Or could it be that Carmona's one home run--the report declaring that there is no safe amount of secondhand smoke--distressed GOP corporate contributors who are still battling attempts to pass local smoke-free legislation? Fortunately, Carmona kept his house back in Tucson.
Iraq Ministries: Sobering Forecast
Most U.S. officials have been measuring U.S. progress in Iraq by the number of Iraqi security forces being trained. But the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction is expected to warn in a report that the effort to build up Iraq's civilian capacity is one of the biggest gaps in the U.S. effort. The SIGIR will question whether, despite the new unity government, Iraq's ministries will be able to provide services anytime soon without massive U.S. assistance. "I'm very concerned about the capability of the Iraqi ministries to sustain the more complex infrastructure we have provided them," says Stuart Bowen Jr., who runs the independent federal office of the SIGIR. Particular areas of concern are the electricity and water sectors.
With Bret Schulte, Elizabeth Weiss Green, Edward T. Pound, Alex Kingsbury, Nancy Shute and Kevin Whitelaw
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