October 2008

"If McCain wins, late-night hosts would have a field day." And if Barack Obama wins? "(Right-wing radio hosts) Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity would have a field day."
-- Karen Hunter, Hunter College & CNN pundit

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for OCTOBER 31, 2008 (Boo!)

There's more than an election next week -- the FCC will hold its monthly open meeting and a discussion on broadband policy. For these events and more see http://benton.org/calendar/2008/11/all

JOURNALISM
   The Liberal Media and How To Stop It
   What's the Opposite of 'Mainstream Media'?

ELECTIONS & MEDIA
   Dingell to TV News Bosses: Don't Call Election Early
   Supporters lay out tech reasons to vote for Obama, McCain
   Obama-mercial, Daily Show Appearance Bring in Viewers
   In Final Stretch, McCain to Pour Money Into TV Ads
   Hollywood weighs impact of election
   White Space: No Stance From Obama
   "Inconvenient Truth" Director Had Hand in Obama Infomercial
   Campaign Ads Boost TV Stations' Profits
   Cable Pockets Healthy Share of Political Ad Dollars
   McCain vs. Obama: E-Lection Results
   McCain, Obama to Appear on 'Monday Night Football' Nov. 3

THE ECONOMY
   Crafting an Innovation-Based Economics Stimulus Package
   The Meltdown and the Media
   Big Media Coming Apart At The Seams
   CBS reports $12.5-billion loss

TELECOM/BROADBAND
   Barton Urges FCC to Listen to Public, Reform Costly Universal Service Fund
   VON Coalition Backs Uniform Access Rates
   Verizon, Alltel get antitrust approval to merge
   Sprint Nextel to Keep Push-to-Talk Network
   Some Shed Their Gadgets by Turning to One: iPhone
   Broadband Customers Are Fanatical, Fickle: Study

BROADCASTING/CABLE
   The Lobby that Cried Wolf
   FCC upholds decision against Time Warner Cable
   LIN TV Getting Cash From Time Warner Cable
   American Archive Pilot Project takes Next Step

THE GOOGLE
   Odds Dim for Alliance of Google And Yahoo
   Hurdles remain on Google's books deal

REGULATION
   A Last Push To Deregulate

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JOURNALISM

THE LIBERAL MEDIA AND HOW TO STOP IT
[SOURCE: Slate, AUTHOR: Jack Shafer]
[Commentary] Just two nights ago on his show, Fox News Channel's Brit Hume led panelists Fred Barnes, Morton Kondracke, and Charles Krauthammer in a discussion of the purported liberal coverage of the presidential campaign. A greater collection of like minds may never have been assembled. Hume recently told the Los Angeles Times that he's "a journalist first and a conservative second or third." Barnes is executive editor of the Weekly Standard and author of the 2006 book Rebel-in-Chief: Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bush. Krauthammer is a leading conservative columnist and thinker. Kondracke's distinguishing feature is that he has no distinguishing feature—unless being a chameleon is distinguishing. And so, without any sense of irony, the conservative quartet batted around the subject of liberal media bias. Nobody had a new idea to share, and because there weren't any liberals on tap, no real critical view of the premise was aired. It was as predictable as a theological discussion among a foursome of atheists. If the folks at Fox News Channel really think that the mainstream media is doing such an awful job of reporting the 2008 campaign, they should direct their complaints to their boss, Rupert Murdoch, who owns the second-biggest newspaper in the country, the Wall Street Journal. The best press criticism isn't a column or a moan of disgust into a TV camera. It's writing a better story.
http://benton.org/node/18381
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WHAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF 'MAINSTREAM'?
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Al Kamen]
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack has long had it up to here with some in the mainstream media -- the regulars who cover the department and travel with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice-- complaining that they're constantly pushing to be "edgy" rather than just reporting the news. To get around the MSM "filter," the State Department, along with other agencies, has gone to the Internet, presenting online chats, Q&As and blogs. Last week, McCormack took the department into the YouTube world of "vlogging," or video blogging. He inaugurated the venture with a brief video, done in amateur YouTube style.
http://benton.org/node/18390
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ELECTIONS & MEDIA

DINGELL TO TV BOSSES: DON'T CALL ELECTION EARLY
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) has written letters to the top national broadcast and cable television networks calling on them to hold off projecting the winner of the presidential election Tuesday night until all polls nationwide are closed. He said that any early naming of a winner could depress voting in the rest of the nation. Polling places in Hawaii are open until 6 p.m., which would mean that under the proposal the networks couldn't declare a winner until midnight East Coast time. Letters went to Jeff Zucker, prexy-chief exec of NBC Universal; Leslie Moonves, president of CBS Corp.; Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television Group; News Corp. prexy Peter Chernin; Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide; Roger Ailes, chairman and chief exec of Fox News; and Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC.
http://benton.org/node/18380
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SUPPORTERS LAY OUT TECH REASONS TO VOTE FOR OBAMA, MCCAIN
[SOURCE: IDG News Service, AUTHOR: Grant Gross]
Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a supporter of Sen John McCain (R-AZ), squared off against Larry Irving, president and CEO of the Irving Information Group and a telecom advisor for former President Bill Clinton. Norquist largely focused on tax policy and trade policy during a morning forum hosted by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). He often criticized Obama's proposals instead of talking about McCain's plans for tech-related issues. Irving talked about Obama's proposals to give U.S. residents more access to broadband and to open up government by using technology. At a different event, McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin was supposed to debate former Federal Communications Commission Chairman and current Obama supporter Reed Hundt. But Holtz-Eakin canceled to appear on MSNBC instead.
http://benton.org/node/18379
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OBAMA INFOMERCIAL, DAILY APPEARANCE BRING IN VIEWERS
[SOURCE: Nielsen Company, AUTHOR: ]
Over 33 million viewers watched a 30-minute message from Sen Barack Obama (D-IL) on Wednesday night, garnering 2.1 million more viewers on CBS, NBC and Fox combined than those three networks drew in the same half-hour last Wednesday. The combined overall household rating for the, in the top 56 local television markets where Nielsen maintains electronic TV meters, was 21.7; in comparison, the final debate between the two presidential candidates received a 38.3 household rating in the top 56 local TV markets. The candidates' first debate on September 26 received a 34.7 household rating in the top 55 markets; their second debate, on October 7, received a 42.0 household rating in those markets. Sen Obama also appeared on Comedy central's "The Daily Show." The episode attracted 3.6 million total viewers and a 2.6 household rating, besting its previous record—when Michelle Obama was a guest on Oct. 8—by 22%
http://benton.org/node/18378
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IN FINAL STRETCH, MCCAIN TO POUR MONEY INTO TV ADS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Matthew Mosk]
Sen. John McCain and the Republican National Committee will unleash a barrage of spending on television advertising that will allow him to keep pace with Sen. Barack Obama's ad blitz during the campaign's final days, but the expenditures will impact McCain's get-out-the-vote efforts, according to Republican strategists. Sen McCain has faced a severe spending imbalance during most of the fall, but the Republican nominee squirreled away enough funds to pay for a raft of television ads in critical battleground states over the next four days, said Evan Tracey, a political analyst who monitors television spending. The decision to finance a final advertising push is forcing McCain to curtail spending on Election Day ground forces to help usher his supporters to the polls, according to Republican consultants familiar with McCain's strategy.
http://benton.org/node/18389
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HOLLYWOOD WEIGHS IMPACT OF ELECTION
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Steven Zeitchik, Paul Gough]
The outcome of the battle for the White House will have consequences far beyond entertainment. But next week's election will also impact Hollywood, influencing culture and policy in crucial ways. In redefining the pop cultural zeitgeist, it could indirectly affect which movies are made and how much media regulation conglomerates face as well as have an impact on digital development and cable-news ratings. And it will vault some personalities to popularity and doom others to obscurity. The principle: What's good for one category of entertainers under one administration is bad for another.
http://benton.org/node/18388
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WHITE SPACE: NO STANCE FROM OBAMA
[SOURCE: TVTechnology, AUTHOR: ]
Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt, a top telecommunications advisor to Sen Barack Obama (D-IL), said Thursday he doesn't know how the candidate stands on the issue of the future rules for operations in the DTV white spaces. Hundt said Obama has an attitude that would encourage the kind of private sector experimentation and innovation that took place after the 1997 FCC order opening up unlicensed activity.
http://benton.org/node/18387
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"INCONVENIENT TRUTH" DIRECTOR HAD HAND IN OBAMA INFOMERCIAL
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
Sen Barack Obama's half-hour infomercial, which drew rave reviews for production, was produced by two leaders of the campaign's ad team -- Jim Margolis of ad agency GMMB and Mark Putnam of ad agency Murphy/Putnam -- but it had some Hollywood help. Playing a role in its production was Davis Guggenheim, the Academy Award-winning director and executive producer of Al Gore's "The Inconvenient Truth." Guggenheim was a producer and director of HBO's "Deadwood" and has directed episodes of a number of TV shows.
http://benton.org/node/18377
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CAMPAIGN ADS BOOST TV STATIONS' PROFITS
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Michele Greppi]
Strong political advertising helped drive Hearst-Argyle Television's profit for the third quarter up 20 percent. The station group reported Thursday that its net income for the quarter that ended Sept. 30 increased to $11.6 million, or 12 cents per share, from third quarter 2007's $9.7 million, or 10 cents per share. Despite an 8% decrease during the third quarter in revenue from core advertising categories, LIN TV reported year-to-year increases of 5% in net revenue and 39% in operating income. Driven by $11.4 million in political advertising and by an 88% increase in digital revenues, net revenues rose to $98.8 million, or 20 cents per share, up from $93.7 million, or 3 cents per share, in third quarter 2007, LIN reported Thursday. Campaign Ads Boost Hearst-Argyle Profits
http://benton.org/node/18376
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CABLE POCKETS HEALTHY SHARE OF POLITICAL AD DOLLARS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
Cable appears to have attracted 18 to 20% of the overall advertising spend by the candidates for president, according to Tim Kay, director of political strategy for National Cable Communications, which sells spot cable space for owners Comcast Corp., Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable. He estimated that cable also got 15 to 18% of the advertising for Congressional and local races. Evan Tracey, founder and COO of Campaign Media Analysis Group, put those predictions into dollar values. In September, he predicted that the political ad spend will top out at about $3 billion, with $500 million of that spend on media other than broadcast television. By the end of last week, broadcasters in the swing states, including Ohio, Florida, Colorado and New Mexico "were saturated," Tracey said, and campaigns had begun buying as much ad availabilities in Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia as they could.
http://benton.org/node/18375
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MCCAIN VS OBAMA: E-LECTION RESULTS
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Andrew Hazen]
[Commentary] An increasingly large percentage of Internet users -- mostly young, male, well-educated and tech-savvy -- have been turning to social media websites to get their news, tell their stories and debate their opinions. If the Web was a war zone, the social media community would be the place for hand-to-hand combat. Web sites like Digg, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Del.icio.us catering to this prime selling demo are considered fair game for news, educated discussions and debates among influential potential voters. The campaigns are well aware of this phenomenon. Still, they have to grapple with questions about whether they should intervene to compensate for a lack of positive social media information and discussion about them. Which campaign is winning this war?
http://benton.org/node/18374
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MCCAIN, OBAMA TO APPEAR ON 'MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL' NOV 3
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: ]
Chris Berman will interview Sens John McCain and "Solid as a" Barack Obama during halftime of the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" on Nov 3.
http://benton.org/node/18373
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THE ECONOMY

TIMELY, TARGETED, TEMPORARY AND TRANSFORMATIVE: CRAFTING AN INNOVATION-BASED ECONOMICS STIMULUS PACKAGE
[SOURCE: Information Technology and innovation Foundation, AUTHOR: Robert Atkinson]
As talk of a possible recession grows, so too does consideration of a second economic fiscal stimulus package. Rather than craft a conventional spending-oriented stimulus package focused solely on tax cuts for individuals and spending increases, Congress should craft a stimulus package of which at least a portion not only gives a quick shot in the arm to the economy but at the same time also boosts investment that spurs productivity growth and innovation, especially in information technology, which has been the engine of U.S. economic growth for the past decade. In an economy which faces key challenges going forward in areas such as the need to increase international competitiveness, raise productivity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, any stimulus package should also at least in part help address these challenges.
http://benton.org/node/18372
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THE MELTDOWN AND THE MEDIA
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: Mark Jurkowitz]
An examination of PEJ's News Coverage Index from Sept. 15-Oct. 26 suggests that different media are focusing on different narratives of the economic crisis. Two sectors that include a substantial amount of debate and opinion—cable news and talk radio—have paid particular attention to the political aspects of this story. Coverage of the actual details of the bailout package was pretty evenly scattered among the outlets, but cable, which devoted 15% of its newshole to that subject, was No. 1. Network television news paid the most attention to the impact on average Americans, (13% of the airtime studied.)
http://benton.org/node/18371
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BIG MEDIA COMING APART AT THE SEAMS
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Diane Mermigas]
[Commentary] Despite the grim warnings, lower earnings and massive layoffs, it appears the worst is yet to come for big, lumbering media companies. It all rides on what we don't know. We don't know how deep or how long the advertiser and consumer spending pullback will be. There is no historical precedent, given the powerful unraveling of the global economy. We don't know how much revenues and earnings will drop over the next year. We don't know how challenged business models will hold up under economic stress and a digital sea change. What we do know is that the absence of reliable ROI media metrics will contribute to advertisers' meager spending. What we do know is that consumers will continue to become more fragmented in their attention and loyalties. What we do know is there will be no federally funded bail for media, Internet, entertainment and advertising.
http://benton.org/node/18370
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CBS REPORTS $12.5-BILLION LOSS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Meg James]
CBS on Thursday reported a $12.5-billion third-quarter loss after slashing the book value of its billboards and radio and television stations. The broadcasting company's results underscored the trouble facing traditional media companies operating in a worsening economy. CBS and others that own local stations have been particularly hard-hit as advertisers, including car dealers and retailers, have dramatically curbed spending. Dragging down CBS' results for the quarter was a $14.1-billion noncash charge taken to reflect the lower value of its advertising-supported media assets. CBS said earlier this month it would be taking the charge. Despite the losses, investors appeared encouraged by the results, particularly after Moonves reiterated that CBS was "committed to paying a healthy dividend." CBS shares closed up 71 cents at $9.43 a share.
http://benton.org/node/18386
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TELECOM/BROADBAND

BARTON URGES FCC TO LISTEN TO PUBLIC, REFORM COSTLY UNIVERSAL SERVICE REFORM
[SOURCE: House of Representatives Commerce Committee, AUTHOR: Rep Joe Barton (R-TX)]
Rep Joe Barton (R-TX) told the Federal Communications Commission Thursday that its attempt to reform the Universal Service Fund "misses the mark" and will have the effect of leaving rural Americans behind. "The program has already cost Americans $51 billion over ten years, and yet there is still no end in sight," he said in a letter address to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. "Adding broadband will only entrap yet another service in this broken and anti-competitive subsidy program." Rep Barton encouraged the FCC publicize and take public comment on its proposal. There is no excuse, he said, "for skirting the fundamental administrative fairness of allowing the public to comment."
http://benton.org/node/18369
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VON COALITION BACKS UNIFORM ACCESS RATES
[SOURCE: xchange, AUTHOR: Kelly Teal]
Like the rest of the telecom industry, the VON Coalition is looking ahead to Nov. 4, the day the FCC is slated to vote on intercarrier compensation/Universal Service Fund (ICC/USF) reform. Unlike CLECs and RLECs, however, VON Coalition members want a uniform rate - the .0007 supported by Verizon Communications Inc. and others - for access charges and reciprocal compensation. That number scares CLECs and RLECs because it's far lower than the 10 cents or less they've been collecting. But such arbitrary rates open the door to taking advantage of the system, said Jim Kohlenberger, executive director of the VON Coalition. Nonetheless, he said intercarrier comp and the USF have to be fixed - the question comes down to how. "Part of where we see the problem is that today's system, for a rural provider, it subsidizes them and if they had instead moved to broadband and voice-over-IP, they lose that subsidy - so there's actually a disincentive for them to move to broadband," he explained. "That's one of the reasons why we think the U.S. is behind in broadband deployment."
http://benton.org/node/18382
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VERIZON, ALLTEL GET ANTITRUST APPROVAL TO MERGE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Diane Bartz]
Verizon Wireless won antitrust approval to purchase rural wireless provider Alltel Corp on the condition that it divest assets in 22 states, the Justice Department said on Thursday. The deal still needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission which is expected to approve the combination at a Nov. 4 meeting. The divestitures required by the Justice Department cover all of North Dakota and South Dakota; large portions of Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Montana, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming; and parts of Alabama, Arizona, California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.
http://benton.org/node/18368
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SPRINT NEXTEL TO KEEP PUSH-TO-TALK NETWORK
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
Sprint Nextel yesterday appeared to call a halt to plans to sell its iDen push-to-talk network, saying it intends to refocus on the technology it inherited with the company's acquisition of the carrier. In a statement, Sprint chief executive Dan Hesse said that after careful review of the business, the company has decided to renew its commitment to the technology that is popular among cab drivers and other business users for its walkie talkie capabilities. Analysts said the announcement illustrates the difficulty firms face with mergers and divestitures as credit dries up in the economic crisis. They read the statement as a decision to stop Sprint's divestment efforts.
http://benton.org/node/18383
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SOME SHED THEIR GADGETS BY TURNING TO ONE: iPHONE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sara Silver]
A comScore study, set to be released Thursday, shows that the fastest growth in iPhone sales over the summer months came from households that earn less than the median income. ComScore noted sales to lower-income consumers accelerated since the July appearance of the iPhone 3G, which offers high-speed Internet access. "We see that lower-income consumers are increasingly turning to mobile devices to access the Internet, to listen to music and for email," said Mark Donovan, senior analyst at comScore. "A 'Swiss-Army knife of a device' like the iPhone offers a phone, a music player, a camera and a way to connect to the Internet, which may appeal to consumers cutting back their spending on gadgets."
http://benton.org/node/18367
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BROADBAND CUSTOMERS ARE FANATICAL, FICKLE
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
High-speed data customers love the product, but two-thirds will drop the provider as soon as they think they can save money with another provider, according to data released Thursday by J.D. Power & Associates. The research firm's 2008 Internet Service Provider Residential Service Customer Satisfaction Study indicated that both cable modem and DSL digital-subscriber line use grew significantly in the past year, to the detriment of dial-up services. Cable modem use is up to 41% from 36% in 2007 while DSL grew to 30% penetration from 27% last year. Dial-up use dropped to 25%, a decline of 10 percentage points from 2007, according to the report.
http://benton.org/node/18366
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BROADCASTING/CABLE

THE LOBBY THAT CRIED WOLF
[SOURCE: New America Foundation, AUTHOR: Benjamin Lennett]
In an October 2007 letter to the Federal Communications Commission, executives from the four largest TV networks told the Commission that proposals to allow low-power Wi-Fi type devices to operate on vacant TV channels, "could cause permanent damage to over-the-air digital television reception." Such a dire warning would ring alarm bells for policymakers, if not for the fact that similar nightmare scenarios have been predicted before. In numerous public relations and lobbying campaigns, broadcasters and their respective lobbies ­ particularly the National Association of Broadcasters and its technical arm, the Association for Maximum Service Television ­ have relied upon similar doomsday pronouncements to inhibit competition and maintain their exclusive control over the valuable, but grossly under-utilized, broadcast spectrum.
http://benton.org/node/18364
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FCC UPHOLDS DECISION AGAINST TIME WARNER CABLE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: ]
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission upheld a decision against Time Warner Cable that the cable giant discriminated against Mid-Atlantic Sports Network by refusing to carry the programming in North Carolina.
http://benton.org/node/18363
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LIN TV CEO: WE'RE GETTING CASH FROM TIME WARNER CABLE
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Moss]
Time Warner Cable will make cash payments to LIN TV under the new retransmission-consent deal covering more than a dozen TV stations, as the broadcaster got what it wanted, LIN TV president and CEO Vincent Sadusky said Thursday. LIN TV publicly said it was seeking a 30 cent, monthly license fee for its stations.
http://benton.org/node/18362
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CPB ANNOUNCES NEXT STEP FOR AMERICAN ARCHIVE
[SOURCE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting]
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is seeking an initiative manager for the American Archive pilot project. The manager selected for this project will, working with CPB, administer grants to public television and radio stations for the collection, coding and digitization of existing content pertaining to the civil rights movement and World War II. Lessons learned from this initiative will inform the next steps for the Archive. The deadline for proposals is November 14th. As proposed, the American Archive would be a digital repository of content produced by public television and radio stations and available to the general public, educators and historians.
http://benton.org/node/18361
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THE GOOGLE

ODDS DIM FOR ALLIANCE OF GOOGLE AND YAHOO
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jessica Vascellaro]
The prospects for a Web-advertising partnership between Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. have dimmed, with both sides considering walking away from the deal as early as next week, say people familiar with the matter. The two companies met Thursday with the Justice Department, part of a series of meetings to address the concerns of regulators. While the parties may agree to continue the talks -- or they could reach a resolution -- there are signs they are unwilling to make compromises to address the Justice Department's objections. The option to scrap the deal has been on the table before, but Google in particular has begun considering it more seriously as Justice Department talks haven't progressed. One sticking point has been the department's discussion of having the companies sign a consent decree stating the terms of the partnership. That would subject their compliance to continuing oversight by a judge.
http://benton.org/node/18384
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HURDLES REMAIN ON GOOGLE'S BOOKS DEAL
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Kenneth Li]
A landmark settlement between Internet search group Google and publishers announced this week paves the way for a digital future for the book industry. Or does it? Casual readers, students and researchers now will have unprecedented means to search for and buy online access to books at public libraries and universities in the US. But even as some authors salivate over the possibility that Google has laid the groundwork for an iTunes for publishing, big hurdles remain ­ starting with the system itself. The complex agreement does not cover the latest bestsellers nor does it allow the purchase of a digital file that would be readable on most handheld gadgets on the market today.
http://benton.org/node/18365
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REGULATION

A LAST PUSH TO DEREGULATE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: R Jeffrey Smith]
Seeking to avoid falling victim to partisan tactics, White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in May imposed a Nov 1 government-wide deadline to finish major new regulations, "except in extraordinary circumstances." That gives officials just a few more weeks to meet an effective Nov. 20 deadline for the publication of economically significant rules, which take legal effect only after a 60-day congressional comment period. Less important rules take effect after a 30-day period, creating a second deadline of Dec. 20. The White House is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January. The new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo.
http://benton.org/node/18385
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