Quick Hits

• The Prez was asked on Thursday about James Comey's testimony, and he had an intriguing response. Kelly O'Donnell of NBC News asked Bush whether he had personally sent Alberto Gonzales and Andy Card to John Ashcroft's hospital bedside to get him to reauthorize the illegal wiretapping. As we'd all expect, he doesn't even come close to answering the question, but instead of dodging the subject, too, he defiantly discusses the importance of the illegal wiretapping program, calling it both "essential" and "necessary." He also mentions that Congress was "constantly briefed." He's laying down so much defensive distractions that he might as well just say, "Yes, I did instigate the visit." This is becoming a cliche at this point, but it doesn't even occur to him to have shame for his actions. You can see the video or just read the transcript at Think Progress.

Is his insistance that Congress was "constantly briefed" another outright lie, or are we not getting a clear answer from some in Congress? We shouldn't forget, for instance, that Arlen Specter, the previous Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would often take a hard line to the Prez in public but would cave without apology when it came right down to it. So do he and other senators know more than they're letting on?

• Speaking of that hospital visit, a former Clinton Justice Department official speculates in Time that it may have been illegal. They were talking about classified material, and it turns out you can't always talk about that anywhere. In case you weren't clear on whether it's a bad idea or not, there are laws against it. The current Justice Department is apparently considering whether to investigate or not. (Via Think Progress).

• Changing the subject completely here, this is something I missed from a couple of days ago. Mediabistro reported that shock jocks Opie & Anthony have been suspended from XM radio. It seems odd to me that XM would do that. Since it's subscription based, I'd figure that subscribers are going to XM specifically to listen to Opie & Anthony, so they know what they're going to get. Listeners have to go in and find them if they want to listen. Meanwhile, CBS, which used to broadcast Don Imus and which now features an Opie & Anthony show, are keeping them right in their chairs as if whatever happened at XM has no bearing on who they allow on the public airwaves currently under their trust. Apparently XM subscribers aren't taking this lying down. They've inundated management with complaints and threats to drop satellite radio altogether. I'll have more developments if I notice them.