News Dump

1. Maine: Tribal leader Francis mourned — [Governor Melvin J. Francis] …killed instantly . . . when his . . . pickup truck collided with an oil truck. …returning home from . . . where he had participated in the signing of an agreement by Venezuelan-owned Citgo Petroleum to donate heating oil to four Maine tribes this winter.
2. Iraq: ‘Marshall Plan’ for Iraq Fades — U.S. officials are promoting a tough-love vision of reconstruction that puts the burden on the Iraqi people.
3. Elections: New Mathematical Function for Analyzing Exit Poll Discrepancy (pdf) — For my “to read” backlog.
4. Gore speaks: In Martin Luther King Day address, Gore compares wiretapping of Americans to surveillance of King — Text of Gore’s speech yesterday.
5. Nagin speaks: New Orleans Mayor Says God Mad at U.S. — “Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it’s destroyed and put stress on this country[.]” — New Orleans Mayor joins the ‘God punishes sinners with natural disasters’ meme. Also vows New Orleans will be a “chocolate” city again.
6. Clooney speaks: Quote of the Day: George Clooney thanks Jack Abramoff — Upon receiving his Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Syriana)
7. New news links: The NewStandard & Newsday —