For the past three years, one member of Congress, Rep. Charles H. Taylor (R-N.C.), has blocked a $10 million request to buy the land for a permanent memorial to the 40 heroes of Flight 93 who overpowered hijackers bent on crashing their jet into the Capitol or the White House.  Taylor’s excuse is that the federal government is already the largest landowner in the country, and he believes that no additional tax dollars should go to more land buying for this or any other memorial. 

Could Grover Norquist, America’s foremost advocate of cutting taxes, have forgotten about his?
 
Public documents suggest that Grover Norquist, president of the right-wing Americans for Tax Reform, has forgotten to pay his Washington, DC property taxes for the first half of this year.
 
As of April 18, 2006, Norquist’s taxes on his Washington, DC townhouse had not been paid for the period covering October 1, 2005 – March 31, 2006, the first half of the fiscal year. Norquist’s taxes were due on March 31.

Note: Norquist’s property has not received a late fee, so there’s a slim chance his check simply hasn’t been processed.
 
The anti-tax crusader currently owes $3,822.28 to the Office of Tax and Revenue, a figure that includes a charge of $394.21 in penalties and interest for failure to pay on time. More penalties will be added at the end of this month, should Norquist fail to submit payment.  While no payment appears in D.C. public records at TaxpayerServiceCenter.com, it's possible that the anti-tax crusader's check simply hasn't been processed. Washington D.C. property tax payments can be reviewed here.

No wonder President Bush's approval rating is at a dismal 36%.  Here are some recent Bush quotes on his job analysis of his fellow Republicans:

"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."  President Bush to then-FEMA Director Michael Brown, September 2, 2005.

 "(Rumsfeld's) done a heck of a good job." President Bush on Rumsfeld. Fox News Interview with Brit Hume, December 14, 2005.

The NY Times has a major story today in which it spells out the flawed internal decision-making process early in the Iraq War.

The story makes very clear that the problems we have in Iraq today are the result of decisions made by Bush's team very early on. 

Shorter version:  Franks and Rumsfeld didn't need any advice because they thought they already had all the answers.  

 Shorterst version: Disaster.
 

In a prelude to the 2008 Presidential race, the Washington Post blog is reporting that Senator Evan Bayh has hired Marc Farinella to take over the helm of his PAC.

Farinella engineered Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan's victory over Senator John Ashcroft in 2000.  He's also the smartest political operative that I know.

[X-posted at Fired Up! Missouri]

Barbara Bonfiglio is treasurer to the GOP stars,  or at least she was.

TPM Muckraker reports that she is leaving lobbying powerhouse Williams & Jensen.   That's also the firm where DeLay's former Chief of Staff Susan Hirschmann hangs her hat.

TPM mentions that Bonfiglio was treasurer for Tom DeLay, Rick Santorum's charity, Richard Pombo and Duke Cunningham.

A casual review of FEC records indicates that Bonfiglio is, or was until very recently, also treasurer, deputy treasurer, or custodian of records for many other GOP luminaries.

Wal-Mart like to brag about its extensive oversears factory inspection program.  But Fast Company questions whether the whole thing is just a vast PR effort.

From Fast Company: 

But if you look closely at Wal-Mart's own 44-page report of its performance (issued last June), Wal-Mart's factory inspection program begins to look like an energetic PR effort, more than a serious effort to protect factory workers.

Of the 12,500 inspections in 2004, only 8 percent were surprise inspections. That means 92 percent of Wal-Mart's inspections of factories in Bangladesh and Nicaragua and China were announced in advance -- the Wal-Mart inspectors made an appointment to come see how the factory was run.

Here's an advance copy of the Vanity Fair interview with Jack Abramoff.

It has been previewed by TPM Muckraker, Hotline Blog and ThinkProgress. 

The Billings Gazette has a blockbuster story today on Senator Conrad Burns and his ties to lobbyist Leo Giacometto.

From 1995 to 1998, former Alzada rancher Leo Giacometto worked as Sen. Conrad Burns' chief of staff in Washington, D.C. Six years later, after Giacometto had quit to work as a lobbyist, Burns called on him again.

In a move that Burns' office describes as innocuous and at least one observer described as ethically problematic, Burns proposed forming a nonprofit group with Giacometto in 2003. The group, started with $100 from Giacometto's personal bank account and run out of his D.C. lobbying firm, is called the U.S.-Asia Network and Burns, its chairman, has described the outfit as one of his top priorities.

Massie Ritsch, communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics, said Burns' involvement with the group is unusual.

"It presents some problems because Burns is aligning himself with what is essentially a trade association run by lobbyists," he said.

Neither of the other members of Montana's congressional delegation has ever started a nonprofit group with lobbyists, according to representatives of Democrat Sen. Max Baucus and Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg.

The group was formed to promote international trade with an emphasis on high tech and telecommunications, according to a Burns newsletter. Giacometto's lobbying clients include communications companies such as Nextel and AT&T. Burns sits on the Commerce Committee and through 2004 chaired its Communications Subcommittee, with jurisdiction over telecommunications law.