Former President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin died April 23 at the age of 76. Yeltsin was the first freely-elected Russian leader in over a millennium, taking over the country once the Soviet Union fell apart. Although he came into office riding a large wave of public support, he eventually fell from favor after his reforms did little to help the failing economy. He suddenly resigned from office on December 31, 1999, handing over control to current President Vladimir Putin.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales continues to come under fire for his firing of eight federal prosecutors. After the lost email controversy of the past few weeks, some have hypothesized that Gonzales may be expected to take responsibility for the firings, much as L. "Scooter" Libby had to take responsibility for the leak in the Valerie Plame. Democrats, however, have been unable to find any hard evidence linking a political motivation to the firings.
The Democrat-controlled House voted on a budget that includes a troop pullout from Iraq this week. This comes hot on the heels of Democrat Harry Reid claiming that the Iraq war has already been lost. A similar measure was voted on by the house, but will likely be vetoed by President Bush.
2008 Woodie Awards
