Stephen Barr of the Washington Post looks at the range of voting options open to federal employees in the Washington area, who will vote in presidential primaries on February 12.  There are about half a million active federal employees and hundreds of thousands more military personnel, federal retirees, and citizens who work for private companies that contract with the federal government.  Candidates recognize the importance of this group of voters, who are "voting for their next boss."  Read Barr here.

The number of Americans being hired by the federal government is rising faster than hiring by the private sector, and the Bush Administration may become the first presidency since World War II that sees more government jobs created than private ones.  Floyd Norris of the New York Times reports that during the presidency of President Bush’s predecessor in the White House, Bill Clinton, private sector job growth grew faster and government employment declined.  Read Norris here.

A non-classified Rand Corporation study commissioned by the Army, completed in 2005, offered across-the-board criticism of the Army’s planning, troop deployment, and war prosecution efforts, including decisions made by Gen. Tommy Franks, who oversaw the Iraq invasion and the immediate post-war strategy, and then-Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld.  It also targeted State Department and White House performance.  Michael Gordon reports in the New York Times that according to some sources, the study was never published and distributed because "Army officials were concerned that the report would strain relations with a powerful defense secretary and become caught up in the political debate over the war."  Read Michael Gordon here.