The New York Times’ Eric Schmitt reports that the Pentagon has cancelled their assignment of Maj. Gen. Jay Hood to the top post at the U.S. embassy in Pakistan. The reason is that Hood’s appointment has sparked protests in Pakistan due to his role as commander at Guantanamo Bay between 2004 and 2006.

Some credit Hood with “cleaning up” the detention camp. But he presided at Guantanamo when, among other incidents, U.S. officials force-fed detainees on a hunger strike. Will more former Guantanamo military officers face Hood’s fate as a persona non grata?  Read Schmitt here.  MB

The New York Times’ Michael Luo lays out the high stakes surrounding President Bush’s recent attempts to give the Federal Election Commission a working quorum. Those stakes include the commission being able to give presidential candidate John McCain $85 million in public financing for the general election. It’s unclear whether the FEC—which is supposed to have six commissioners but now has two—can currently carry out its mandate of giving public money to candidates who ask.

McCain has another issue before the commission—whether he’s bound by the $54 million maximum a presidential candidate can spend during the primary season. McCain is said to have used the promise of public cash to get a $4 million loan in December that kept his campaign afloat.

So the most McCain-friendly FEC would give McCain both the money he needs for the general election and allow him to keep spending private dollars during the primary season, which in FEC-land ends in August.  Read Luo here.  MB

There is a brewing battle between the Internal Revenue Service and churches that want to both keep their non-profit, tax-exempt status and endorse presidential candidates. The Wall Street Journal’s Suzanne Sataline reports that the Alliance Defense Fund, a nonprofit, is planning to have 40-50 churches coordinate a special day of support for presidential candidates.

Pastors have contended that such endorsements must be allowed as part of their guidance of parishioners. But these are rules all other non-profits have to follow. Understanding Government, for example, can’t endorse a presidential candidate (not that anyone’s asked).   Understanding Government, a church, or any other non-profit can do this only if they agree to drop their tax-free status.  Read Sataline here. MB