9/11 DVD Delayed to Protect the Clintons?

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Playing Politics?

The writer of last year's TV miniseries "The Path to 9/11" says the release of the show's DVD is being delayed in order to protect Bill Clinton's legacy and Hillary Clinton's candidac y.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Cyrus Nowrasteh says he was told by ABC that the DVD would be released this past January, then April, then this summer. Now there is no release date set.

The mini-series cast a critical eye on the Clinton administration's anti-terror efforts prior to the attacks. It was a ratings success and garnered seven Emmy nominations.

Now even Hollywood liberals are upset with its apparent shelving. Oliver Stone calls it, "Censorship in the most blatant way... it's an important work and needs to be seen."

Anchor Away

"CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric says she has seen major improvements during her visit to Iraq.

"We hear so much about things going bad, but real progress has been made there in terms of security and stability," Couric said on Tuesday's broadcast.

She noted that moderate Sunnis are joining the Iraqi security forces, saying: "The spike in police has really been significant. The incidents in Iraq have gone down dramatically." And she said that Fallujah is, "considered a real role model of something working right in Iraq."

The Hsu Fits

Rhode Island Democratic Congressman Patrick Kennedy says he is not returning $6,600 in contributions from embattled fundraiser Norman Hsu — who has bankrolled many party leaders and is currently a fugitive. Kennedy's chief of staff says the congressman is following all the rules and there is no indication Hsu's contributions were illegal.

But several top Democrats have said they will return Hsu's money or donate it to charity — among them Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Kerry — and the congressman's father, Senator Edward Kennedy.

Back Market

You've been hearing for years about the Chinese ripping off things like music, books and American movies.

Now it turns out one Chinese official even plagiarized the letter of apology that he read during his corruption trial. Zhang Shaocang wept as he read his four-page statement, which said he had initially been dedicated to his work but lost his way.

It turns out the letter featured whole sentences copied word-for-word from a printed apology two weeks earlier by another disgraced Chinese official. an official state newspaper says Zhang was trying to get leniency from the court — but his stolen statement was dismissed as "showboating."

—FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.