An immediate issue is that this is the point in a 6-year cycle, under current rules, in which new federal transit spending for regular programs will be authorized. Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and others are proposing a program with a $500B payout over the next cycle. Details: “The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009
`A Blueprint for Investment and Reform’” under Issues in the Spotlight at House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

According to the article, the Obama administration prefers something smaller and more short-term, as the funding for the Oberstar proposal is yet to be defined; no clear indication at DOT site what that alternative might be.

Good Luck Dan !

How did the media cover it all? Not well. Reading pretty much everything that was written about Bush on a daily basis, as I did, one could certainly see the major themes emerging. But by and large, mainstream-media journalism missed the real Bush story for way too long. The handful of people who did exceptional investigative reporting during this era really deserve our gratitude: People such as Ron Suskind, Seymour Hersh, Jane Mayer, Murray Waas, Michael Massing, Mark Danner, Barton Gellman and Jo Becker, James Risen and Eric Lichtblau (better late than never), Dana Priest, Walter Pincus, Charlie Savage and Philippe Sands; there was also some fine investigative blogging over at Talking Points Memo and by Marcy Wheeler. Notably not on this list: The likes of Bob Woodward and Tim Russert. Hopefully, the next time the nation faces a grave national security crisis, we will listen to the people who were right, not the people who were wrong, and heed those who reported the truth, not those who served as stenographers to liars.

See you soon, Dan.

Oil firms to scramble for Iraq deals on live TV
Fri Jun 26, 2009 8:41am EDT

By Simon Webb
DUBAI (Reuters) -” The secretive world of Middle East oil deals will be thrown open in Baghdad next week when a contract auction is broadcast live, shining a spotlight on big oil dealmakers that prefer to stay behind the scenes.”

http://www.reuters.com/article…..3T20090626

Members of U.S. House Financial Services Committee snapped up or dumped bank stocks as bottom fell out of market
Posted by Stephen Koff and Sabrina Eaton/Plain Dealer Reporters June 25, 2009 22:29PM

WASHINGTON — “As financial markets tumbled and the government worked to stave off panic by pumping billions of dollars into banks last fall, several members of Congress who oversee the banking industry were grabbing up or dumping bank stocks.”

http://blog.cleveland.com/metr…..ncial.html

Monica is a nutcase and may have been an unspoken reason why impeachment didn’t happen; imagine how this would have played out if Rep. Conyers had pursued impeachment under the Bush admin.

get well soon … [burp]