Democrats urge ABC to withdraw 9/11 movie
********************************AN EXCERPT *********************************
By Richard Cowan and Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amid an election-year debate over who can best defend America, U.S. congressional Democrats urged ABC on Thursday to cancel a TV miniseries about the September 11 attacks that is critical of former Democratic President Bill Clinton and his top aides.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada denounced the five-hour television movie, set to air in two parts on Sunday and Monday nights, as "a work of fiction."
Reid and other leading Senate Democrats wrote to Robert Iger, president and CEO of ABC's corporate parent, the Walt Disney Co., urging him to "cancel this factually inaccurate and deeply misguided program."
I would hardly call it "urging" --- you read their letter, right?
Senate approves $469 billion for Pentagon
*******************************AN EXCERPT *************************
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to reinstate a special CIA unit hunting for Osama bin Laden as it passed a $469 billion Pentagon funding bill.
**************************************
Senators unanimously backed an amendment pushed by Democrats to add $200 million to reinstate an intelligence team dedicated to finding bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader behind the September 11 attacks.
Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska blasted the amendment as a politically motivated "slam at the intelligence community," but urged fellow Republicans to go on record supporting it.
The White House last month denied it had downgraded the hunt for bin Laden, after reports that the special CIA unit had been disbanded. It said the unit was reshaped and that resources were reallocated, not reduced.
Stevens said he could not reveal classified information, but insisted the search for bin Laden "has never lapsed."
Democrats say the failure to capture bin Laden highlights the administration's weakness in fighting terrorism.
Democrats urge ABC to withdraw 9/11 movie: PROTEST HERE TO ABC