If It’s Broke, Fix It

PLUS: This summer will rock you like 13 to 17 hurricanes...Duke Cunningham’s too dirty to clean his act up...Apparently, a first surge wasn’t enough...Claire actually IS a fat girl’s name...and finally, take a vacation. For everyone’s sake. Today is May 23rd, and this is Mic Check. Let’s get ready to rumble.

Celebration Excuse

A garden for children, billions and billions of dollars, and glasses that makes them look like trillions. It’s May 23rd, here’s why we’re boldly going where no man has gone before:

1785

Benjamin Franklin announces the invention of bifocals. Grandparents everywhere rejoice.

1827

The First Nursery School in the United States is opened in New York City; afternoon naps and snacks for all! Ah, the good old days...

1900

Extra, Extra! The Associated Press is founded in New York City

1937

World’s first billionaire, oil tycoon, and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller dies at age 98. Money may not buy happiness, but it can help get a seafood dish named in your honor. [Wikipedia]

1994

The Starship Enterprise makes its last voyage as the final episode of Star Trek: Next Generation airs.

1998

Peace at last in the land of shamrocks; British Protestants and Irish Catholics approve a peace accord.

Oh, it’s your birthday?

White Christmas star and songstress, Rosemary Clooney (1928).

Cleveland funnyman, Drew Carey (1961).

Alaskan poet and singer, Jewel (1974).

Daybook

POTUS

President Bush gives the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT

STUMPIN

John Edwards: Speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, NY

John McCain: Fundraising breakfast in Fort Worth, TX

John McCain: Attends a “Young Professionals” evening event on the rooftop of a law firm in WashingtonDC

Mitt Romney: Morning fundraiser in Tulsa, OK.

Mitt Romney: Afternoon fundraiser in Kansas City, MO. For $500 you can have lunch, for $1,000, you can attend a “swanker leadership reception.” We’re guessing that means booze.

ON THE HILL

Senate

9:30am

Senate Judiciary Committee: Hearing on rising violent crime in the U.S.

2:30pm

Senate Banking Committee: Hearing on U.S. economic relations with China

House

10:15am

House Judiciary Committee: Investigating the firing of the U.S. attorneys

2pm

Houes Foreign Affairs SubCom: U.S. assistance to Palestine

2pm

House Oversight SubCom: Weaponizing space.

WATCH MORE TV

Take a TV to work

Oprah: Abused wives

Ellen: Demi Moore

The View: Alicia Silverstone

Regis & Kelly: John Stamos

Stay up late

Stewart: Lt. Col. Kevin Robbins (leader of the Air Force Thunderbirds)

Colbert: Bob Deans (the guy who wrote “The River Where America Began: A Journey Along the James”)

Letterman: Rosie Perez

Leno: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Conan: America Ferrera, Eddie Izzard,

Kimmel: Ashley Judd

 

Eavesdrop

STEAL THIS AUDIO: INSPECTOR GENERAL STUART BOWEN

Testifying yesterday in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee about reconstruction in Iraq.

Inspector General Stuart Bowen hasn’t pulled any punches on the problems, fraud, waste and corruption crippling our progress with reconstruction in Iraq. Couldn’t get to his congressional hearing yesterday? Don’t worry — we pulled up a front-row seat.

  • One of the biggest problems in Iraq right now? Corruption, and lots of it. Inspector General Stuart Bowen says “corruption is the second insurgency.”
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  • Yet the group put together to fight corruption in Iraq, the Commission on Public Integrity (basically, Iraq’s FBI) has been completely neutered by the Prime Minister, who keeps adding to the very, very, very (very, very) long list of people the CPI isn’t allowed to prosecute.
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  • Inspector General Stuart Bowen’s mom was there to watch her son testify. All together now: Awwww. (Rep. Lantos gives Mrs. Bowen a shout out from the Committee.)
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  • Download this very scary audio of Rep. Tom Lantos demanding Stuart Bowen answer his question and name names of deadbeat donors, countries which pledged to give $13 billion at a conference in October 2004 but haven’t paid up yet.
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  • Download a funny New York Rep. Gary Ackerman. Ackerman’s point was the successes in Iraq are in a lot of smaller projects, while the big, Very Important things go undone. When he starts off, “So I brought this car in to the shop, see. And I says to the guy, I says, I just need five things done,” you know it’s going to be good.
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Popularity Contest

Cool kids read this stuff. But who wants to be cool, really?

NYT:
This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It)

WP: Pangs of Hunger — and Bit of Guilt

LAT: O.C. mystery: A fire, a beating and two bodies

USAT: Pop Candy

WSJ: Fashion Faux Pas Hurts Wal-Mart

CBS: Birth Control With A Boost

ABC: Bomb Plot Thwarted at Falwell’s Funeral

NBC:Who’s who? Which face matches which name?

FOX: Driver Who Tested Positive for DUI Not Arrested, Dies in Wreck 3 Hours Later

CNN: Witness: Sex assault suspect posed as Katrina survivor

Masthead

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Mic Check is produced every weekday by Christy Harvey, Sara Langhinrichs and Nicole Murphy, and is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Read more about Mic Check.

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