Darrell Issa thinks Khazak president should win Nobel Prize!

From ABC News:

Two U.S. lawmakers are pushing for a Nobel Peace Prize to go to a politician accused of taking bribes, abusing human rights, and profiting from widespread and sometimes violent election fraud.

Darrell Issa, R-Vista, and Charlie Melcanon, R-La., say President Nursultan Nazarbayev deserve the award for “reaffirming the worth and advancing the rights of the human person.”

Nazarbayev has at best a mixed record. See more here.

Text of letter to Nobel committee here.

White House E-mails

Big debate on C-SPAN right now over a bill by Henry Waxman that would prevent future administrations from deleting 5 million e-mails as the Bush administration did. Rep. Paul Hodes says the bill will lift the Bush administration “veil of secrecy.” Chronology here.

Republican arguments seem weak. The computer that powers Dan “I lost to Gray Davis” Lungren has booted up the “high gas prices” software.

Of course I agree that all e-mails should be preserved, even if it costs $155 million as the Congressional Budget Office says. These are, above all, historical records, and erasing history diminishes us all.

But because the preservation of history is somehow a partisan issue these days, it bears noting that Clinton folks did much the same. A federal judge found the EPA in contempt because the hard drives of Administrator Carol Browner and other top folks at the EPA hard drive got wiped clean.

Back and forth we go.

Isn’t anybody bothered by the fact that Congress is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act?  And has always been exempt?

Update: Bill passed the House 229-193

The Man in Black

I love songs about horses, railroads, land, judgment day, family, hard times, whiskey, courtshi, marriage, adultery, separation, murder, war, prison, rambling, damnation, home, salvation, death, pride, humor, piety, rebellion, patriotism, larceny, determination, tragedy, rowdiness, heartbreak, and love. And Mother. And God.

Johnny Cash, 1996

Big Cuts at the L.A. Times

The Los Angeles Times today announced plans to cut 250 positions across the company, including 150 positions in editorial, in a new effort to bring expenses into line with declining revenue. In a further cost-cutting step, the paper will reduce the number of pages it publishes each week by 15%.

More here.