fools for April

April 1, 2008—The Army is letting soldiers who are married live together in the war zone, a move to bolster re-enlistment. WSJ A1

--With food costs climbing and the economy slowing, US supermarkets are touting their discounts even as they raise the price of most items. WSJ A1

--There has been nothing to signal a transformation in the sea of blight and abandonment that still defines much of [New Orleans]. ... the re-population of the city after the storm that emptied it has slowed notably. The Census’ Bureau’s latest estimates, 239,000, represents barely over half the former population—and well under what local officials and New Orleans demographers have been claiming for months. NYT A1, A18

--In 2004, less than two months after his confirmation as housing secretary, Mr. Jackson told a House panel that he believed poverty “is a state of mind, not a condition,” provoking strong criticism. Two years later, he said in a speech that he had canceled a contract for a company after its president told him that he did not like Mr. Bush. Mr. Jackson later said he had made the story up. This month, Mr. Jackson took a pounding from senators who demanded explanations for accusations that he had steered hundreds of thousands of dollars to friends for work at the Virgin Islands housing authority and reconstruction in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The Justice Department and the inspector general at the Housing Department are investigating those accusations, which were first reported by The National Journal. A government official briefed on the inquiry said investigators were particularly focused on Mr. Jackson’s role in New Orleans, where he is accused of helping a friend get construction work. Lawmakers also raised concerns about accusations, first reported by The Washington Post, that Mr. Jackson had threatened to withdraw federal aid from the Philadelphia Housing Authority after its president refused to turn over a $2 million property to a politically connected developer. Pennsylvania’s senators, Arlen Specter, a Republican, and Bob Casey, a Democrat, said “it is difficult to conclude that HUD’s actions are anything but retaliatory.” A13

--Might Republicans want to drink until 4 am at their convention in St. Paul in the summer? .... In a proposal being considered in the Minnesota House, the last call for alcohol would be pushed back two hours from the usual 2am for all establishments within a 10-mile radius of the convention site. The sponsors hope to spur spending at the convention from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4—and also to make the Twin Cities metropolitan region seem “more sophisticated,” as one law maker put it. –A16

--Buttressed by local advocacy groups and criticized by a Colorado business organization, [a proposed ballot proposition] measure would make business executives criminally responsible if their companies run afoul of the law. It would also permit any Colorado resident to sue the executives under such circumstances. Proceeds from successful suits would go to the state. C3

March 30, 2008—Q: ...are you surprised by the recent flurry of depressing financial news? Paul O’Neill: Not really. We’ve been creating this pass of events for several years... Q: McCain recently confessed in public that his grasp of economics is limited. A: Yeah. That’s a great place to start from, isn’t it? Q: Do you feel bitter about your service of the Bush administration? A: No. I’m thankful I got fired when I did, so that I didn’t have to b associated with what they subsequently did. NYTMag p. 17

--The worst mistake, however, was the disbanding of the Iraqi Army in May 2003, two months after the invasion. This was a decision made by only a few men—specifically Bremer in his capacity as the head of the occupation authority, and his aide Walter Slocombe—and against the advice of just about everyone with any one-the-ground knowledge of the situation. (According to Ferguson, it’s unclear if President Bush approved of the idea.) Bremer and Slocombe apparently believed that the Iraqi Army had to be rendered powerless, though others explain to Ferguson that Bremer and Slocombe were confusing the army with the Republican Guard. The Guard consisted of Baath Party loyalists; the Iraqi military was a professional force that had always tried to keep its distance from the Hussein regime. When the war began, the army faded into the countryside, leaving the Guard to do the bulk of the fighting. ... “More than any other single action,” Fergusen says, the order to disband the army “created the Iraqi insurgency.” NYTBR p. 24

March 31, 1968. LBJ announces he will not run for re-election.