From Bush hit 'n run to Chavez: Hopeless romantic...

From American Progress:

Think Fast...

While President Bush is attending a Mideast conference in Annapolis this morning, "he won't remain there for long." He "plans to head back to the White House after delivering his opening speech to the diplomats and dignitaries at the U.S. Naval Academy." White House aides said he wasn't planning to offer new American proposals to resolve the conflict.

The Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens recalls that when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visited Syrian President Bashar Assad back in April, "President Bush denounced her for sending 'mixed signals' that 'lead the Assad government to believe they are part of the mainstream of the international community, when in fact they are a state sponsor of terror.'" Today, Assad will sit with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Annapolis.

At least 1.4 million homeowners will lose their properties to foreclosure in 2008, while "the property value of U.S. homes will fall by $1.2 trillion," says a new report by the the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Council for the New American City. The report predicts "deep economic impact from ongoing housing market problems."

In an attempt to put to rest concerns over his ignorance about FISA reform legislation, Time magazine columnist Joe Klein writes, "I have neither the time nor legal background to figure out who's right." Salon's Glenn Greenwald responds by noting "the extreme lack of professionalism and corruption required" for Klein to say he "isn't interested in bothering to find out (and isn't even capable of determining) if anything he wrote was accurate."

USA Today's DeWayne Wikham writes, "While there is still little evidence to suggest that Bush was knowingly involved in this coverup [of the Plame outing], the evidence against Cheney is piling up. ... This trail of lies and deception has put Cheney on the same path that led to Nixon’s impeachment."

"Corporate backers of next year's Olympic Games in China have done little or nothing to pressure Beijing to use its influence to end the genocide in Darfur," according to a new report. "The corporate Olympic sponsors are engaged in a form of silent complicity with the Chinese government in its support of the genocide," the report's author, Ellen Freudenheim, said.

The lawyer for Brent Wilkes, the contractor convicted of bribing former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, has asked a federal judge to approve subpoenas for journalists from NBC News, AP, and the Wall Street Journal who reported on the scandal. He wants them "to reveal how they obtained secret information relating to the federal investigation."

The Politico writes of Sen. Trent Lott's (R-MS) lucrative lobbying career prospects. "A near-certain scenario has him teaming up with his son, lobbyist Chester Lott, founder of Lott & Associates. Another, still fluid, idea is partnering with former Louisiana Democratic Sen. John Breaux, who is said to be mulling a departure from the lobbying powerhouse Patton Boggs."

And finally: Attention singles! Foreign Policy magazine has put together a list of the "most eligible world leaders." Topping the list is French president Nicholas Sarkozy, who is "always the center of attention." Also making the cut: Condoleezza Rice ("the most powerful woman in the world"), Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck ("Prince Charming"), Michelle Bachelet ("tough, smart, and ambitious"), and Hugo Chavez ("a hopeless romantic").

Wrap...