March 2007 - Posts
From NBC's Mark Murray
The White House and the Democratic-controlled Congress have continued their fight over the Iraq emergency spending bill -- by press release. White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino fired off this "Setting the Record Straight" statement earlier this afternoon: "Fifty-three days after President Bush submitted his Iraq war emergency supplemental funding proposal, Democrats in Congress have not yet sent the President a bill he can sign. General Pace has made clear that there will be real consequences if we do not fund the troops by mid-April, and it is troubling that House Democrats have not even appointed conferees to resolve the differences between versions passed by the House and Senate. Instead of playing politics, Democrats should fund the troops with a bill that does not force retreat, handcuff our commanders, or contain billions of dollars in pork spending."
Yet Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid countered with his own press release, which attached a Congressional Research Service report concluding that the Army can meet its financial needs well into July. “This study confirms that the President is once again attempting to mislead the public and create an artificial atmosphere of anxiety. He is using scare tactics to defeat bipartisan legislation that would change course in Iraq… Instead of holding press events to score political points, I call upon the President to tone down his rhetoric, stop the veto threats of a bill he has not yet seen, and sit down with the congressional leadership to discuss how our two co-equal branches of government can get an emergency spending bill passed."
From NBC's Mark Murray
The AP is reporting that Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., will announce that he's running for president on Monday. A Tancredo spokesman wouldn't confirm that news to us, but did say that the congressman will "make a big announcement on his intentions" on Monday -- at a Des Moines, IA radio station.
If he jumps into the race, Tancredo wouldn't be considered a front-runner for the Republican nomination. But he and his staunch opposition to immigration would certainly influence the GOP race. At least two Republican candidates -- John McCain and Sam Brownback -- support comprehensive immigration reform, something that Tancredo vehemently opposes.
From WHO-TV's David Price
Tom Vilsack runs for President. Tom Vilsack drops out. Tom Vilsack's in debt. Tom Vilsack endorses Hillary Clinton (let's forget about the whole Iraq difference for now). Hillary Clinton's peeps say she'll help Vilsack pay off debt. Tom Vilsack says no, she won't. Now, what?
I sat down with Iowa's former Gov [on Thursday]. He told me Mrs. C is not going to help with his red bank account ($430,000 or so in debt). Monday night, Clinton's camp said she would help Vilsack find some money. The campaign emphasized the endorsement didn't come with a price; no payback here.
But Vilsack maintains he's taken out a personal loan to pay off his bills, and he will pay it back in whatever time it takes (he wanted to make sure he paid his staff a final two weeks' pay and benefits after he closed down his campaign).
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** Back to Walter Reed: Bush makes his first visit to the Army hospital since the Washington Post exposed the poor living conditions there. But what story will be the bigger headache today for the White House -- this one or the fallout from yesterday’s Kyle Sampson testimony?
*** Giuliani’s Tough News Day: Judith Giuliani will sit in Cabinet meetings; Bernie Kerik is back on the front page; and there’s another look at people who are upset with Giuliani’s handling of 9/11. Ouch.
*** Anchors Away: At the end of this week, the presidential candidate most identified with the Iraq war -- McCain -- heads to Iraq. Biden, Clinton, Rudy, Dodd, and Obama also hit the campaign trail as Congress begins its Easter recess.
*** Countdown to March 31: Paranoia about the other campaigns is in the air. We're 24 hours from a game of chicken. Expect candidates like Edwards, Giuliani, and Dodd to be releasing their totals first. Neither is contending for top honors in their respective money primaries, but all three will raise hefty sums that if they are out first, they will earn decent early press. Clinton, Obama, Romney, and McCain will all be playing a waiting game on releasing totals until their hand is forced.
*** The Expectations Game: Other things we expect with the 1st Q fundraising deadline this Saturday: 1) that the Democratic field, collectively, will out-raise the GOP field; and 2) that all Big Six candidates could raise at least $20 million each, raising the likelihood that the entire ’08 field will rake in more money in ONE quarter what Bush and the Democratic presidential candidates raised in ALL of ’03.
*** Get Ur Freak On: Hillary Clinton’s Saturday fundraiser with hip-hop impresario Timbaland -- who produced that Missy Elliot classic -- closes out her 1st quarter haul, which will be anywhere between $25-$50 million. Also in the money chase: Obama raises cash in Florida today, while Giuliani hits Utah.
*** And Do the Math: Obama’s campaign is holding 5,000-plus house parties tomorrow. If it raises just $1,000 on average at each event, that's an additional $5 million the campaign may raise.
The Los Angeles Times says Sampson's testimony "could be a major blow to Gonzales, who is struggling to hold on to his job in the face of growing criticism from Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill"
The New York Times adds that the White House repeated its support of Gonzales yesterday, “while acknowledging disappointment with [his] handling of the dismissals. ‘The attorney general has some work to do up on Capitol Hill,’ said Dana Perino, a White House spokeswoman, adding that President Bush “wasn’t satisfied with incomplete or inconsistent information being provided to Capitol Hill.”
Fired Arkansas US attorney Bud Cummins spoke out yesterday at the University of Arkansas, where he said Gonzales was remiss for not placing a ‘firewall’ between politics and the work of the Justice Department.
The Washington Post covers yesterday back-and-forth between the White House and Congress over the Iraq spending bill. "The dueling events on opposite ends of Pennsylvania Avenue left the executive and legislative branches hurtling toward a high-stakes collision, with neither side showing signs of backing down. Both sides, in fact, appear to be relishing the confrontation to some extent, gambling that they can outmaneuver the other, galvanize the most passionate forces within their parties, win over public opinion and force an eventual resolution on their terms.”
The Post article also adds this: “In appearing with Republican lawmakers yesterday, Bush was following a tactic employed by President Bill Clinton during his own moment of political peril. On the day he was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice in the Monica S. Lewinsky case in 1998, Clinton summoned the entire House Democratic caucus to the White House to dispel the impression that the incident had left him isolated politically."
With Bush’s veto threat looming, Democrats are considering approving money for Iraq on a month-to-month basis, the Boston Globe says. “That would put the president's conduct on a short leash and allow opposition to the war to build, which could compel reluctant lawmakers to the point where Democrats gain enough votes to defeat a presidential veto and force Bush's hand.”
In his latest National Journal column, NBC political analyst Charlie Cook writes about some new polls showing that opposition to the Iraq may have bottomed out. “This is not to suggest some dramatic turnaround in public opinion… But the newest survey results suggest that opposition to the war is no longer growing, support for it is no longer in freefall, and public opinion may have steadied.”
Tomorrow's the 1st quarter deadline, and we're not 100% sure we're going to get leaked estimates quickly. There are too many events happening, which could delay the counting by a few days. We shall see. In talks with the campaigns, none of them wants to release their numbers first, but all have acknowledged that once one major campaign cracks, they all will follow. (We're doing our best to get the campaigns to crack!)
The New York Times curtain-raises tomorrow’s deadline. “This hurricane of money-raising is testimony to the importance of what has become the first contest of the 2008 presidential race: the first fund-raising period of the campaign, which ends at midnight Saturday. To a large extent, the candidates are responding to a changing political dynamic that has made running for president more expensive than ever and in a year when major candidates are declining public campaign financing.”
Another interesting nugget in the piece is that the 2nd quarter fundraising is starting immediately for Obama, who is inviting major donors for a retreat on April 11.
Obama attends fundraisers in Florida today before heading to Iowa this weekend for a series of campaign events there. Clinton, meanwhile, travels to New Hampshire to address the NEA-New Hampshire Delegate Assembly. On Saturday, she will hit fundraisers in Florida -- the most prominent of which is one in Miami headlined by hip-hop mogul Timbaland, who has produced music for rappers Jay Z, Ludacris, and Missy Elliot.
Per the AP, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) will endorse Clinton on Monday. They two were elected to the Senate the same year, in 2000.
Biden has named his state director in Iowa, Bill Romjue.
The Washington Post examines the social networking boom happening among the campaigns, and it notes how Edwards is part of more social networks than any other rival.
CONTINUED >>
At its conference in Florida, the conservative Club for Growth today hears from Gilmore (in the late morning), Brownback (in the afternoon), and Gingrich (tonight). Giuliani speaks to the group tomorrow at lunch. And as we mentioned above, McCain heads to Iraq at the end of this week.
Not a good clip day for Giuliani… First, there’s his vow -- to be broadcast in his interview tonight with Barbara Walters -- that he will allow his wife to sit in on Cabinet meetings if he’s elected president.
Second, there’s the New York Times report on Giuliani’s grand jury testimony from a Bernie Kerik investigation from last year. Apparently, Giuliani may have known about Kerik's questionable background before promoting him.
And third, the AP does its not-everyone-in-New-York-thinks-Giuliani-was-a-hero-on-9/11 story. He’s dogged by a small group of New Yorkers who aren't happy with him on 9/11-related issues.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrew Merten
Those of us who are regular "South Park" fans would have to admit that Hillary Clinton got off relatively easy when the often-tasteless cartoon program made her a character in last night's episode. The show, in fact, was more of a spoof on the TV show "24" than it was on her. In it, Clinton -- referred to as "Hill-Dawg" by the animated supporters, staff, and even President Bush in the episode -- unknowingly carries a nuclear weapon inside her body, and officials have to rush to locate it.
For political junkies, the only noticeable parody of Clinton was her immediate change in accent upon arriving in the fictional town of South Park -- a spoof of the southern drawl she displayed earlier this month when speaking to a church congregation in Selma, AL.
From NBC's Mark Murray
A new Time magazine poll has plenty of bad news for President Bush and his party: His approval rating is just 33%; 68% support withdrawing most US troops no later than August 2008; and a plurality of 48% believe the fired prosecutors were dismissed for political reasons.
But in a twist, the poll has the leading GOP presidential candidates defeating the Democratic front-runners in hypothetical match ups. McCain tops Clinton, 48%-42%, and Giuliani beats her, 50%-41%. Obama, who trails Clinton by 7 points in the Democratic trial heat, fares a bit better: He loses (within the margin of error) to McCain, 45%-43%, and to Giuliani, 45%-44%.
Time takes a stab at what may be going on: "It's hard to know exactly why respondents who are generally unhappy towards — and in many cases fed up with — the GOP might still prefer a Republican for president over a Democrat. Much of it has to do with the individual candidates involved. In Clinton's case, as TIME pollster Mark Schulman points out, 'with Hillary the Democratic front-runner, most voters have made up their minds about her, both pro and con. She may have limited upward potential against Republicans. The emerging anti-Hillaries, Obama and Edwards, suffer from low awareness at this point.'"
From NBC's Mark MurrayJust before the Iraq spending bill cleared the Senate, President Bush -- flanked by GOP leaders at the White House -- once again repeated his threat to veto the legislation. "Yesterday I gave a speech, making it clear that I'll veto a bill that restricts our commanders on the ground in Iraq, a bill that doesn't fund our troops, a bill that's got too much spending on it," he said. "We stand united in saying loud and clear that when we've got a troop in harm's way, we expect that troop to be fully funded. And we've got commanders making tough decisions on the ground, we expect there to be no strings on our commanders."
From NBC's Ken Strickland and Mark Murray
Ignoring President Bush's veto threat, the Senate just passed the Iraq emergency funding bill, which requires the start of some troop withdrawal within four months of enactment -- with a goal of removing nearly all combat troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008.
The Senate bill must now be reconciled with a slightly different House bill. After that merger, the new legislation will be sent back to both the House and Senate for another vote of approval. Only then can it be sent to Bush, who has promised to veto it because of the deadline for withdrawal and because it contains about $20 billion worth of non-war-related items.
In short, it could be at least a couple of weeks before the president gets the bill -- maybe even longer.
From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** Sampson Speaks: Beyond his prepared remarks, how heavily will Gonzales’ former chief of staff fall on his sword? Some expect a full hari-kari, others think he might nick a White House aide or two before fully protecting his old boss. Meanwhile, did Pat Leahy save Gonzales' job by promising his investigation would go on regardless who the attorney general is? Rove still has Luskin on retainer, right?
*** The Replacements: If you’re betting Gonzales' days are numbered, you might want to revisit that list of possible replacements for Gonzales: Michael Chertoff, former deputy AG Larry Thompson, Frances Townsend, Ted Olsen, John Danforth, and even Fred Thompson. By the way, if Bush decides to appoint a Democrat as a face-saving move, who comes to mind? (We'll let your mind wander but there's one fascinating idea swimming in our heads).
*** Iraq Showdown: Are congressional Democratic leaders preparing to back down slightly and pull some of the pork from the Iraq spending bill? Anyone else studying the Clinton-Gingrich showdown in ’95?
*** In Da Club: Romney tonight kicks off the Club for Growth’s conference in Florida. See who’s attending (Brownback, Gilmore, Gingrich, Giuliani), and who’s not (Huckabee, McCain). Unfortunately, it’s closed to the press.
*** More Oh-Eight: Did we see Giuliani yesterday back a flat tax -- an idea he rejected in ’96? And why did McCain single out Obama on Iraq yesterday? Is he trying to pick a pre-March 31st media fight?
*** Speaking of: There are just two days until the March 31st fundraising deadline.
Kyle Sampson, Alberto Gonzales’ former chief of staff, voluntarily testifies today before the Senate Judiciary Committee. NBC’s Ken Strickland says that Sampson may hold the keys to two critical questions in the fired prosecutors controversy: 1) what and when did Gonzales and the White House know about to plan to dismiss the US attorneys; and 2) were the firings politically motivated?
NBC’s Pete Williams has a copy of Sampson’s prepared remarks. In them, Sampson says none of the fired US attorneys was replaced "for an improper reason," and says that includes any "effort to interfere with or influence the investigation or prosecution of a particular case for political or partisan advantage." Sampson adds that he compiled the list of those to be fired by asking senior political and career officials at the Justice Department about who should be moved out. As for judging their performance, he says politics counted in one sense: He believed that a US attorney should be a good leader, work well with local federal agents, and follow department policy. For that reason, he says, "the distinction between 'political' and 'performance-related' reasons for removing a US attorney ... is largely artificial."
CONTINUED >>
The New York Times looks at the upcoming showdown between the White House and Congress over the Iraq emergency spending bill -- and the withdrawal deadlines it contains. “While they are hoping to capitalize on Mr. Bush’s unpopularity, Democrats acknowledged privately that they were uncertain how the finger-pointing would play out. Some recalled President Clinton’s success in putting the blame on Republicans for a 1995 government shutdown.”
The article adds this: "Democrats also say they intend to pare down some of the nonwar spending in the bill to quiet Republican accusations of pork-barrel politics."
The Wall Street Journal fleshes out that history from ‘95. “Some veteran Democrats say the situation is beginning to bear an uncomfortable resemblance to the partisan clash that led to a shutdown of the federal government in late 1995 and politically damaged the new Republican majorities in Congress. Back then, Republicans allowed a budget dispute with President Clinton to escalate to the point that federal employees were furloughed and many basic government services were halted, such as renewing passports and issuing veterans' disability checks. The standoff -- in which many observers say Republicans overreached -- helped Mr. Clinton regain his political momentum, setting him up for re-election the next year.”
CONTINUED >>
USA Today examines Bill Clinton’s impact on his wife’s presidential campaign. “In a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, 70% of Americans say Bill Clinton will do more good than harm for his wife's campaign.” (Speaking of Bill, it will be interesting to see how much Hillary refers to Bill once the first quarter fundraising deadline is out of the way. Will he suddenly go into a hiding for a few months?)
The AP's Pickler notes that since the announcement of Elizabeth’s cancer, John Edwards has been more open in talking about his late son, Wade -- something he was hesitant to do in the last presidential race. Bill Richardson did Jon Stewart last night, where he acknowledged that he still hasn't "announced announced"; he says he's "unofficially" running for president.
And Al Gore's planned "Live Earth" concert might be too political to get congressional support in allowing planners to use the Mall for the event. The Senate GOP’s biggest global warming critic, Jim Inhofe, is behind the effort to prevent "Live Earth" from coming from the Mall. Organizers are now looking at another venue that just exudes American patriotism: Shea Stadium.
McCain makes remarks tonight at the annual Congressional Fire Services Institute Reception & Dinner and also hits a closed-press fundraiser in McLean, VA. Giuliani visits with voters in Oklahoma City, OK. Brownback stumps in South Carolina. And after already making an appearance this morning at an open-press breakfast in Blufton, SC, Romney kicks off the start of the conservative Club for Growth’s winter conference in Florida.
The conference, which is closed to the press, will also hear from Gilmore (Friday late morning), Brownback (Friday afternoon), Gingrich (Friday night), and Giuliani (Saturday at lunch). As we mentioned yesterday, two people who have received criticism from the Club -- Huckabee and McCain -- won’t be attending the conference. Per his campaign, McCain travels to Iraq at the end of this week.
Barbara Walters taped an interview on Tuesday with Rudy Giuliani and his wife that’s set to air tomorrow on 20/20.
CONTINUED >>
With so much talk of acrimony between congressional Democrats and the White House, the Los Angeles Times reminds us about one issue the two sides agree on: immigration. "For a month, White House staffers and Cabinet members have met three to four times a week with influential Republican senators and aides to hash out a consensus plan designed to draw a significant number of GOP votes. With that effort largely completed, Republicans were hoping to present their proposal Wednesday to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who would lead the Democrats in any attempt to move a bill through the Senate. The intense effort — conceived by the president's chief political strategist, Karl Rove — is intended to ensure that Bush will achieve at least one crucial policy victory in the last two years of his presidency."
The San Francisco Chronicle looks at Nancy Pelosi’s tenure so far as speaker. “Even Republicans conceded that Pelosi, whom they have derided as an out-of-touch San Francisco liberal, has done a good job of keeping the 233 House Democrats together through some tough votes -- although few of their bills have made it through the Senate and onto President Bush's desk.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann
While Washington politicos and journalists have been finalizing their outfits for tonight's black-tie Radio/TV Correspondents' Dinner, the presidential hopefuls on the Democratic side have also used the last few days to try some new things on for size. Yet it's not chiffon and pinstripes that the oh-eighters are eyeing -- but rather new campaign catchphrases. At back-to-back labor conferences in DC (hosted by the Communication Workers of America yesterday and the Building and Construction Trades folks this morning), the candidates tweaked some of their tried-and-true stump stories and threw in some brand-new lines as well. John Edwards rolled out "the bleeding sword" Tuesday as a new way of describing the war in Iraq. (He must have found the phrase suiting, judging from his repetition of it again to the heavily Democratic crowd at today's conference.)
Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, did not re-run the imagery she tested yesterday, when she joked "When I inherit all these big holes that have been dug over the last eight years... I'm gonna hand everybody in America a shovel and we're going to start digging our way out." Obama also appears to be experimenting with some material; in the two speeches this week, he's lambasted the Bush Administration for its "you're on your own" attitude on domestic issues, but today he backed off from the label of "social Darwinism" that he used on Tuesday.
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
We noticed that Hillary Clinton's office didn't release a statement last night after the the Senate narrowly defeated a GOP measure to strip a non-binding withdrawal deadline from the Senate's emergency spending bill. But speaking at an event today where she picked up the endorsement from the National Organization for Women's PAC, Clinton attacked President Bush's veto threat. "He is willing to veto the will of the people who elected this Congress to start bringing troops home. The president should listen to the will of the people and the experience of those who have been working on this for years -- and start redeploying our troops." She continued: "I challenge him to withdraw his veto threat and accept what has been obvious to us all." (Clinton critics would point out, however, that it hasn't exactly been obvious to her until recently.)
Also the endorsement event, Clinton also spoke on health care, education, and -- of course -- women in political power. Throughout her entire speech, you could hear chants from the other side of the wall, as about 15 Code Pink ladies (and one man) protested outside. They chanted, "Hillary lead us out of Iraq now." One woman held up a sign that asked: "Would you send Chelsea to Iraq?"
From NBC's Mike Viqueira
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is asking President Bush to "calm down with the threats … there's a new Congress in town."
Asked about Bush's promise to veto the war spending bill that calls for a timeline for withdrawal, Pelosi replied, "I wish the president would take a deep breath and respect our constitutional role." She went on to accuse the president of getting the military into a situation where the funds were urgently needed. At his speech this morning, Bush had warned that the blame will be laid squarely at Democrats' feet if troops don't get this money in time.
"We are going to give him everything he asked for, and more," Pelosi said, before concluding, "take a deep breath, Mr. President."
From NBC's Mark Murray
The White House has just announced that its nomination of Sam Fox to be ambassador of Belgium has been withdrawn. As we mentioned earlier, Fox had come under criticism for donating $50,000 in 2004 to the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was set to today to consider Fox's nomination, and Sen. John Kerry -- the Swift Boat's target in 2004 -- had been leading the opposition.
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
Today, Steve Forbes -- the fiscal conservative who ran for president in 1996 and 2000 -- has endorsed Rudy Giuliani's White House bid. Forbes will serve as Giuliani's national campaign co-chair and a domestic policy adviser. "Steve and I share an economic vision that embraces supply-side economics, tax relief, and spending restraint," Giuliani said, per a release. "I look forward to working with Steve and am proud to have him as a member of our team."
From NBC's Chuck Todd
Perhaps more than anyone else, Terry McAuliffe -- the former DNC chair who's now serving as Hillary Clinton's campaign chair -- is probably the guy most responsible for the very high expectations Clinton has for her first quarter fundraising. So it is only fitting that he tries to spin his way out of it: He actually told a supporter this week, per
Bloomberg, that Obama would outraise Clinton. Nice try, Terry.
From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray.
*** What did Senate Democrats win with yesterday’s vote on Iraq? Will a Bush veto continue to make this a “Republican” war? Then again, aren't Senate Republicans tired of carrying Bush's water so they actually let Bush be the decider on this one? And what does it mean for the senators running for president and re-election in ’08?
*** Swift Boat redux: Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today could sink the nomination of Sam Fox to be the ambassador to Belgium because of a $50,000 donation he made in 2004 to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Three current Dem presidential candidates are on the committee.
*** Another day, another Democratic cattle call: Why aren’t the GOP presidential candidates appearing at as many forums sponsored by party interest groups? Or are they, but the press just doesn't know about it?
*** Strings attached: Can Hillary Clinton secure a major endorsement without having a follow-up story that includes the "price" of the endorsement? (First it was the campaign contracts for those South Carolina black leaders; now there are allegations that Tom Vilsack and Bill Shaheen endorsed her to help retire campaign debt and possibly win an ambassadorship.)
*** Packing heat: Did Sen. Jim Webb’s (D) comments yesterday about his aide’s arrest for carrying a gun (possibly Webb’s) on Capitol Hill suggest that the senator is somehow above the law?
More on these topics below…
So what did the Senate Democrats win yesterday? One could argue that the Republicans finally allowed the Democrats to lay claim to some ownership of the Iraq issue. But Democratic ownership, of course, will be short-lived since Bush plans to veto the bill because it includes a specific withdrawal date. Politically, a Bush veto may be the best thing for Democrats since they can tell voters that they tried to get the troops out of the unpopular war -- but that the president and his party wouldn't allow it.
Per NBC’s John Yang, President Bush is slated to address the National Cattlemen's Beef Association later this morning. The White House has released excerpts dealing with yesterday’s Senate vote. "The bottom line is this: the House and Senate bills have too much pork, too many conditions on our commanders, and an artificial timetable for withdrawal,” Bush is expected to say.” As I have made clear for weeks, if either version comes to my desk, I will veto it. And it is also clear from the strong opposition in both houses that my veto would be sustained. Yet Congress continues to pursue these bills - and as they do, the clock is ticking for our troops in the field. Funding for our forces in Iraq will begin to run out in mid-April. Members of Congress need to stop making political statements … start providing vital funds for our troops … and get a bill to my desk that I can sign into law."
More Bush: "Some Democrats believe that by delaying funding for our troops, they can force me to accept restrictions on our commanders that I believe would make withdrawal and defeat more likely. That's not going to happen. If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops on the front lines, the American people will know who to hold responsible."
CONTINUED >>
Regarding the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s consideration of Sam Fox -- who donated money to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth -- to be the next ambassador to Belgium, apparently John Kerry has been whipping today’s vote. There are three Democratic presidential candidates on the committee: Biden, Dodd, and Obama. Yet Fox could survive. Two Democrats/Independents on the committee support him publicly, including Joe Lieberman and Claire McCaskill.
We must sound like a broken record, but for the second-consecutive day -- and the third time in the last five days -- a herd of Democratic presidential candidates steps in front of a key labor group. This time, it’s this morning’s Building and Construction Trades Department’s annual legislative conference in DC. The speaking order is: Edwards, Richardson, Clinton, Kucinich, Dodd, Biden, and Obama. (The GOP presidential candidates were also invited. But the only one who accepted, Hagel, later declined due to a schedule conflict.)
On Tuesday, Clinton, Edwards, and Obama addressed the Communication Workers of America. And last Saturday all of them, save Biden, participated in a health-care forum that the powerful Service Employees International Union. Now liberal MoveOn is the latest to announce a Democratic presidential forum, this one a “virtual town hall” on Iraq to be held April 10.
By comparison, the Republican field so far has had less exposure to GOP-leaning interest groups. And when these candidates actually do meet with these groups, it’s sometimes closed to the press -- like the conservative Club for Growth conference that begins on Thursday, featuring visits by Romney, Giuliani, Brownback, Gingrich, and Giuliani. (McCain and Huckabee, whom the Club has criticized, won’t be attending.)
CONTINUED >>
After leaving fundraisers yesterday to vote on the Iraq emergency spending bill, McCain returns to Florida today, where he holds a town hall and then a media availability. Giuliani, in New York, opens the NASDAQ market and then heads to Las Vegas.
Giuliani’s campaign tells CBN News that the former New York mayor won’t seek to change the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding of abortion in most cases.
More Giuliani: He's hired key South Carolina GOP aide Jason Miller, who ran the successful re-election bid of Gov. Mark Sanford (and who some thought was in South Carolina to help George Allen's then-fledgling campaign). His title is deputy communications director, but he will focus on South Carolina for now.
CONTINUED >>
Countdown to the March 31 deadline… According to the Washington Post, Edwards' online donations have skyrocketed since the announcement of the return of Elizabeth Edwards' cancer. Said former Kerry finance director Tracy Sturman in the article: “What clearly happened last week is, he made a connection. But after that point, the question is whether donors will start asking, ‘Why am I backing this person when there's this doubt about whether he'll still be running?’” Edwards top finance person, Fred Baron, said "that people may have been ‘too embarrassed’ to approach him at fundraisers with such a pointed question, but so far no one has asked him about the campaign's long-range fundraising outlook." More Baron: "I know it's delicate, but I think if people had these kinds of feelings -- that they were working for a campaign that was doomed -- I would think they would express that to me."
Two new Iowa polls -- one by Zogby and the other by the University of Iowa -- confirm the conventional wisdom that John Edwards is leading in the state. Remember, however, that caucus polling is difficult and expensive. And, frankly, the best surveys may be those that are conducted by the campaigns.
Speaking of Iowa, AARP CEO Bill Novelli today begins visiting three cities in the Hawkeye State, where he’ll unveil a new poll on health care and long-term financial security.
And, yes, we know it's early, but this could have gigantic repercussions in Iowa, which has become an important swing state in presidential elections. The governor there is likely to sign legislation which will allow same-day voter registration, meaning that an unregistered voter can go to the polls on Election Day, register, and then vote. Only a couple of states now allow this -- most notably Minnesota. Generally, the C.W. says that Democrats are helped in situations like these since it allows younger voters to procrastinate before voting.
The
Washington Post writes that Sen. Jim Webb (D) expressed support for his aide who was arrested for carrying a gun on Capitol Hill. But he declined to confirm what the aide told authorities: that the gun was Webb’s. Said Webb: "I have never carried a gun in the Capitol complex, and I did not give the weapon to Phillip Thompson, and that's all that I think I'll say.” Asked whether he feels he is above D.C.'s gun laws, which are among the strictest in the country, Webb replied, "I'm not going to comment on any level in terms of how I provide for my own security."
From NBC's Mark MurrayIn a 50-48 party-line vote, Senate Democrats -- with one key GOP defection, Sen. Chuck Hagel -- defeated a Republican effort to strip an Iraq withdrawal timetable from wthe emergency spending bill the Senate is considering. That means that both the House and Senate spending bills have withdrawal provisions in them. But President Bush has promised to veto any such legislation if it reaches his desk.
From NBC's Mark Murray
With Fred Thompson's third-place showings in a new USA Today/Gallup poll and a recent Iowa survey by the American Research Group, the Draft Fred Thompson committee that's chaired by two Tennessee GOP congressmen is now flexing its muscles. "Fred Thompson has not even entered the race and his polling seems to be growing stronger every day," said Dean Rice, the committee's treasurer. "There is truly a grassroots phenomenon out there with real momentum."
For us, however, the real news in these two polls isn't that Thompson finishes third -- but that the well-financed and well-staffed Mitt Romney finishes fourth (in the American Research Group one) and tied for fifth (in USA Today/Gallup).
From NBC's Carrie Dann
The magenta-clad Code Pink protestors who dog Hillary Clinton along the campaign trail were back this morning -- this time at the Communication Workers of America's conference in DC. During a break in the program, TV cameras swiveled to catch shots of a group of five demonstrators sporting pink shirts that spelled out "NO WAR." Event organizers glumly took to the microphone to announce that "CWA has been outspoken in its criticism of the war... It is sad that [the protestors] aren't extending the same respect to us that we did to them."
Hotel management escorted the protestors out before Clinton took the stage, sparing her the tension of having to speak over their chants -- as she did during a similar disruption at the DNC's Winter Meeting last month. But they didn't leave before their shouts were drowned out by a collective tongue-in-cheek response from the union delegates at the event, who chanted at them "Go See Bush!"
In her remarks, Clinton chose to respond with pep rather than annoyance, although she mentioned the standoff only indirectly. Thanking one of the event organizers who helped to defuse the situation, she said, "You've done a lot to keep people in good spirits this morning... We're on the march! Let's be in a good humor!"
From NBC's Mark Murray
Democrats are already salivating over the prospect next year of picking up Colorado's open Senate seat, which is being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard. Maine (Susan Collins' seat), Minnesota (Norm Coleman's), and New Hampshire (John Sununu's) are other potential pick-up opportunities for Democrats. But what about Oregon? The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has just released their own poll showing that Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith (R) isn't a shoo-in for re-election next year. While the survey finds that 56% view him favorably (versus 25% unfavorably), just 46% think he's doing either an excellent or good job -- compared with 43% who believe he's doing a poor or only fair job. And in a potential match-up against Rep. Peter DeFazio (D), the poll has Smith trailing, 42%-38%.
Of course, in order for Democrats to defeat him, they'll need to find a candidate -- DeFazio or someone else -- who is up to the task.
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
In recent days, the Iraq war has largely disappeared as an issue on the presidential campaign trail (where health care and Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer has dominated the discussion) and in the buzz around Washington (which has focused mostly on the US attorneys controversy). But it remains Topic A on Capitol Hill. Late last week, the House narrowly passed an emergency spending bill that sets a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. And this week, the Senate is working on its own emergency spending/withdrawal measure.
NBC’s Ken Strickland says that as early as today, Senate Republicans hope to hold a vote that would strip the withdrawal language from the bill. And recent history, he notes, suggests the GOP should be successful: Two weeks ago, Democrats couldn't muster 51 votes to pass identical language in their highly touted Iraq resolution. While the Senate rules usually require a filibuster-proof 60 votes for controversial bills to pass, both sides appear reluctant block any part of this bill -- which provides emergency money for troops in the field. So under that strategy, all that’s needed is a simple majority. Yet even if the withdrawal language is removed, the Senate bill will have to be reconciled with the House bill, where it could be added back in before it goes to the president. Bush says he'll veto any bill with withdrawal dates included.
CONTINUED >>
In an exclusive interview yesterday, Alberto Gonzales told NBC’s Pete Williams that the prosecutor firings were not improper.
The news that the Justice Department aide, Monica Goodling, invoking the 5th Amendment is leading to all sorts of speculation that Kyle Sampson's upcoming testimony on Thursday may be a bit more interesting than some expect.
In response to Goodling taking the 5th, Sampson's attorney released this statement: "Kyle plans to testify fully, truthfully and publicly.” More from the New York Times: "People briefed on Mr. Sampson’s view of events say he believes there were clear errors in communication about the dismissals, including some misstatements by Mr. Gonzales, but no deliberate effort to mislead Congress."
CONTINUED >>
Another day, another Democratic presidential forum in front of a labor group. This morning, the three front-runners -- Obama, Clinton, and Edwards (in that order) -- address the Communication Workers of America conference in DC. Biden spoke at the conference on Sunday, and Kucinich made a stop there yesterday.
The New York Times front-pages Clinton’s attempt to build a positive relationship with the military -- something she apparently believes was one of her husband's early mistakes/problems. Among the other things we learned from the piece, Chris Dodd is the only major presidential candidate on the Dem side with any military experience; he was an Army reservist.
Already struggling with the under-30 crowd, Clinton is going to see herself lampooned -- possibly tastelessly -- by the South Park gang tomorrow.
CONTINUED >>
In the GOP field, McCain holds a media availability this morning in Tallahassee, FL before heading back to DC. Giuliani, meanwhile, visits Teaneck, NJ.
Fair or not, the tone of the coverage for McCain continues to be glum, even in the Christian Science Monitor, which sports this headline: "Can McCain recover in race for GOP nomination?"
Giuliani’s campaign fixed a flaw in his Web site after the AP discovered the ability for hackers to get personal info of volunteers and contributors. "The vulnerability affecting Giuliani's site, JoinRudy2008.com, could have exposed confidential information stored in the campaign's databases. The Web site failed to block commands that can instruct it to improperly display sensitive information, a popular hacking technique known as ‘structured query language injection.’”
So how many reporters will call former RNC chair Ed Gillespie now based on the news that he had lunch with Fred Thompson?
CONTINUED >>
The USA Today/Gallup poll shows Edwards with a small bump (up 5 points) since the news came out that his wife’s cancer had returned. Clinton leads at 35%, followed by Obama at 22%, and Edwards at 14%. Moreover, 58% say they support Edwards’ decision to stay in the race. In the GOP field, Fred Thompson debuts in double digits (12%) -- behind Giuliani and McCain. Thompson appears to take most of his vote from Giuliani and Romney, as McCain's number actually went up a couple of points from the last Gallup survey.
Countdown to the March 31 fundraising deadline… As we’ve already mentioned, McCain is skipping a fundraiser to come back to DC for the Senate Iraq debate; Obama raised approximately $500,000 in Atlanta yesterday (rapper Ludicris was in attendance); and Brownback said this of the coming deadline: “These things take time… Candidates should not be discounted because in their first reporting period or two, they don't have the same amount of numbers as somebody who has been a national candidate for some time."
The Clinton folks are trying to lower the expectations of their fundraising a bit. Over the weekend, press reports had her weekend haul at over $10 million; however, the campaign said yesterday it was closer to $6 million. The likely discrepancy is the amount of money the campaign is raising in general election dollars -- which should NOT be counted when assessing how much money she raised compared to the rest of the campaigns.
And speaking of fundraising, today is the fifth anniversary of when President Bush signed the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance reform into law.
From NBC's Ken Strickland
Democratic Sens. Pat Leahy and Chuck Schumer expressed disappointment upon learning today's news that Monica Goodling, counsel to the attorney general, will plead the Fifth Amendment and not testify before the Judiciary Committee regarding the US attorneys controversy. "It is disappointing that Ms. Goodling has decided to withhold her important testimony from the Committee as it pursues its investigation into this matter, but everybody has the constitutional right not to incriminate themselves with regard to criminal conduct," Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. "The American people are left to wonder what conduct is at the base of Ms. Goodling's concern that she may incriminate herself in connection with criminal charges if she appears before the Committee under oath."
Schumer added, "We are disappointed that we won't hear Ms. Goodling's testimony at the Judiciary Committee hearing, particularly given her two roles as senior member of Attorney General's team and liaison to the White House. Each day brings new developments making it even more imperative to find out what happened."
From CNBC's Karin Caifa
In an interview today on CNBC's "Kudlow & Company," Rudy Giuliani told Kudlow he's surprised by the polls that show his campaign on top. "We didn't really get started until the end of January and probably should have done it three months earlier," he said.
The 2008 race is Giuliani's first political battle since a prostate cancer diagnosis prompted him to step out of the 2000 New York Senate race. On the heels of last week's announcement from John and Elizabeth Edwards that the former North Carolina senator will continue his quest for the Democratic nomination even with the return of Mrs. Edwards' cancer, Giuliani said he is in good health. "I'm cancer-free. I have been for six years," he told Kudlow. "I'm extremely healthy and energetic and I just got back on a red eye from California and I do four or five speeches, fund-raisers, meetings a day, sometimes six. So I've got tremendous energy."
Giuliani said that while he was disappointed he had to drop out of his 2000 race, the prospect of campaigning while undergoing treatment was just too daunting. "The way I campaign is 24 hours a day," he said. "It was going to be very, very close, and I couldn't give the Republican Party my best, if I was in and out of cancer treatment."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
Trying to further reach out to conservative voters, Rudy Giuliani has begun airing radio ads on the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity programs. The ad goes: "Hi, this is Rudy Giuliani… My campaign is about leadership and optimism. We need strong leadership to stay on offense in the War against Terrorists. We need supply side policies and reduced government spending - fiscal discipline - to keep the economy growing. I need your support in this campaign. Please go to JoinRudy2008.com to sign up or volunteer."
From NBC’s Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
Possibly for the fifth-consecutive day, the attention in the presidential race won’t be on Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, or Rudy Giuliani -- but instead on John Edwards and his wife. The focus on the couple began on Thursday, when they announced that Elizabeth’s cancer had returned but that the campaign would go on. It carried over to the weekend, ending with their joint appearance on 60 Minutes. And today, Elizabeth -- in front of more TV cameras and reporters than would have appeared a week ago -- addresses the City Club of Cleveland, while her husband holds a roundtable discussion on global warming with reporters in San Francisco.
People might not be sure what they’re thinking about John Edwards and his decision to stay in the race. But one thing is for sure: They’re thinking about him.
Will Attorney General Alberto Gonzales survive? It seems at least one senior White House aide is telling Newsweek that the attorney general still needs to "demonstrate competence and confidence." The testimony by Gonzales' ex-chief of staff Kyle Sampson this Thurs in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee could be make or break.
The New York Times writes up the Sunday show chatter on Gonzales, and it leads with the fact that three of the five GOP senators that appeared on the Sunday shows expressed reservations about him.
One of them, Sen. Arlen Specter, said “White House officials should testify publicly but not under oath about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys,” the Washington Post writes. “Two other Republicans -- Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.) -- agreed with Specter that any such testimony should at least be transcribed.”
CONTINUED >>
Channeling First Read, the New York Times front-pages how Iraq presents a problem for the GOP senators up for re-election next year, especially New Hampshire’s John Sununu.
And the Washington Times has both Democrats and Republicans trying to capitalize on Friday’s divided House vote on Iraq. “Republicans sent 50 campaign missives saying Democrats were ‘waving a white flag of surrender’ by approving a war-funding bill that set a timetable for pulling troops from Iraq… Democrats plan to portray votes against the bill as rubber stamps for an unpopular president when they campaign against the Republicans who opposed it.”
Besides the Edwardses’ events today, Hillary Clinton is in Iowa to pick up an endorsement from former Iowa Gov. (and presidential candidate) Tom Vilsack and his wife. Obama, meanwhile, fundraises in Atlanta.
Newsweek speculates: "Ruthless as it may seem, some donors may withhold their support until it's clear Elizabeth's illness will not overwhelm Edwards's candidacy. A fund-raising deficit could make it impossible for Edwards to secure early endorsements from labor leaders who are wary of alienating Hillary Clinton and may only support a candidate with a decent shot at the nomination."
The AP’s lead from the 60 Minutes interview last night was John Edwards’ discouragement of supporting him if you are simply feeling sympathetic to Elizabeth.
The New York Times’ headline: “Edwards’s Cancer Has Spread into One of her Hips.”
CONTINUED >>
Brownback campaigns in Iowa; McCain raises money in Texas; and Romney, also in Texas, holds a media availability in Houston.
Newsday ran a story this weekend that implied Judith Giuliani is not popular inside the campaign. Here's a choice excerpt. "In private statements, some Giuliani loyalists said she directly intervenes with senior staff -- who have been with him for many years -- on matters from scheduling to event planning and use of personnel, sometimes in ways that the staffers might wish to resist but dare not.” (Perhaps a spouse story might be worthwhile for someone this week. Elizabeth Edwards, Judith Giuliani, and Bill Clinton make a fascinating trio.)
In a weekend interview with the AP's Iowa pooh-bah Mike Glover, Huckabee said: “‘Sometimes when people say, “When you get traction, I'm going to be with you,” my answer is, “You are my traction.”’” Huckabee has said previously the Ames Straw poll, set for August, will make or break his candidacy.
CONTINUED >>
The Washington Post examines a possible run by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and it speculates that he could spend up to $500 million of his money in his bid. “Publicly, the Democrat-turned-Republican professes no interest in the top job at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. But the founder of the Bloomberg financial news empire has dropped enough hints and has had enough tantalizing discussions with potential supporters that people who observe the city's politics for a living are convinced he is at least thinking about it.”
Countdown to the March 31 fundraising deadline… If you’re looking for an angle this week between Obama and Clinton regarding their fundraising, one might want to focus on their low-dollar vs. high-dollar events. Obama's Florida events were a mix of small and high, while Clinton's California trip apparently was almost all high dollar.
The New York Post adds up Hillary's weekend events and comes to the conclusion she raised $10 million this weekend. (Do we really think she has only raised three times that for the entire rest of the quarter?)
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland
While the House just passed the emergency war funding bill with a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq, John McCain says he's confident Republicans will strip similar language regarding withdrawal from the Senate's version of the bill next week. "We're not prepared to tell the enemy 'Hang on, we'll give you a date when we're leaving,'" McCain said in a news conference today, reacting to passage of the House measure.
And the most recent Senate vote on troop withdrawal supports McCain's assertion. The withdrawal language in the funding bill is essentially the same as last week's controversial Iraq resolution, which was defeated, 48-50. (John McCain didn't vote, and Democrat Tim Johnson continues to recuperate from brain surgery.) With McCain present and assuming the votes stay the same, the vote would be 51-48 to strip the withdrawal language from the bill. While the Senate rules usually require a filibuster-proof 60 votes for controversial bills to pass, both sides appear reluctant block a bill that provides emergency money for troops in the field. So under that thinking, a simple majority wins.
For Democrats to be successful passing the funding bill with a withdrawal date, they'll need to put tremendous pressure on two of their red-state colleagues who voted against to resolution last week: Nebraska's Ben Nelson Arkansas' Mark Pryor. Nelson has indicated he may switch, so it could all rest with Pryor.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
Moments after the Democratic-led House narrowly passed a spending bill that calls for US troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by fall 2008, President Bush used his bully pulpit -- and several soldiers and their families standing behind him -- to call the vote an "act of political theater" and argue that it "undermines the gains our troops are making on the ground."
Contending that the vote is delaying getting necessary money to the troops serving in Iraq, Bush added: "Congress needs to send me a clean bill that I can sign without delay."
The measure passed the House, 218-212. Just two Republicans voted for it: Walter Jones of North Carolina and Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland. Fourteen Democrats voted against it, and they included both liberals who didn't the think the bill went far enough (like Maxine Waters and Lynn Woolsey of California) and those hailing from red states (like John Barrow and Jim Marshall of Georgia and Gene Taylor of Mississippi).
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
And it's just not just Tom Vilsack who will be endorsing Hillary Clinton on Monday. Also endorsing her will be Vilsack's wife, Christie, according to a Democratic source. If you remember back to the 2004 presidential campaign, Christie Vilsack endorsed John Kerry earlier in the nominating process while Tom -- then serving as Iowa governor -- followed her lead after the Iowa caucuses were over.
Update: The Vilsacks and Hillary Clinton have a personal tie that goes back decades. Christie's late brother, Tom Bell, worked on the Watergate investigative committee when Clinton was on it. Clinton also was one of the few national Democrats to help Vilsack raise money during Tom Vilsack's first run for governor when very few Democrats at the time thought the little-known state senator had a chance against the favorite in that race, Jim Ross Lightfoot.
From NBC's Mark MurrayHillary Clinton's campaign has picked up a major endorsement from an important figure in one of the key nominating states -- Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor and one-time presidential candidate. The endorsement will take place on Monday morning in Des Moines, IA.
From NBC's Mark Murray
Tonight, at least four of the Democratic presidential candidates -- Clinton, Obama, Dodd, and Richardson -- will speak at a Culinary Workers Local 226 rally in Las Vegas. The local, which represents bartenders, cooks, and maids who work on the Strip, is negotiating for a new collective bargaining agreement. So expect the presidential wannabes to address this in their remarks. About 5,000 people are expected to attend the rally.
And tomorrow, all the Democratic candidates except for Joe Biden (who has a family event back in Delaware) will participate in a health-care forum in Vegas sponsored by the powerful Service Employees International Union, as well as the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress think tank.
These events reflect just how important Nevada -- and vote-heavy Vegas, in particular -- has become now that it's slated to hold the Democrats' second nominating contest. And with unionized service workers making up a good portion of the Democratic voters there, labor has become an extra-important constituency. In fact, it shouldn't be surprising that Dodd is introducing legislation today -- before he heads to Vegas -- that would modify the definition of a work supervisor, to make it easier for workers to join a labor union.
The marquee event today is the House vote over the $124 billion spending bill that contains a provision for US combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by fall 2008. As we mentioned yesterday, the bill appears headed for passage after liberal House Democrats dropped their objections to the measure that it doesn’t go far enough. The Bush White House, however, has threatened to veto the bill. And it’s doubtful that the Senate can muster the 60 votes to pass a similar measure there.
What’s most striking about today’s Iraq debate is that the people’s house is about as divided and unsure of how to get out of Iraq as the public. It's not a lack of will on the issue but a lack of confidence on what the right course should be. The predicted slim victory for Pelosi -- not to mention Bush’s veto threat -- only serves to remind folks that Congress isn't going to be able to do much about Iraq. Republicans will crow that this shows Democrats are all talk on the campaign trail but can't get it done on the governing front. True, but if no Democratic plan is enacted regarding Iraq and if the Republicans in Congress and the White House continue to reject any Democratic influence on policy, then the war remains theirs in political terms.
The Washington Post: “A Senate committee also passed a spending bill yesterday setting a goal of bringing troops home within a year. The developments mark congressional Democrats' first real progress in putting legislative pressure on President Bush to withdraw U.S. forces.”
CONTINUED >>
The
Washington Post reports on new documents showing how Justice and White House officials were maneuvering to approve Tim Griffin’s appointment as the new US attorney in Arkansas “as early as last summer, five months before Griffin took the job.”
For whatever it is worth, the Edwards coverage over the last 24 hours has been more intense, more positive, and more saturated than what he received during his announcement week in December. (Even the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page had nice things to say about Edwards today). Obviously, this wasn't meant to be couched in political terms, as pollster/friend Harrison Hickman put it in the New York Times: "Asked for his gut sense of how the campaign would turn out for Mr. Edwards, Mr. Hickman said: ‘I don’t really know, I don’t. It’s another window into him, and I think it gives people a better sense of who he is and what he’s all about.’”
The Edwards camp sent out a blast email to supporters yesterday thanking them for their thoughts and prayers, a reminder that the campaign does go on.
Meanwhile, Teresa Heinz (Kerry) admitted on "Imus" this morning that "selfishly" she's glad John Kerry didn't run in ‘08. She chimed in that she would have been on board, though, had he decided to run.
CONTINUED >>
A new Pew survey shows that public allegiance to the GOP has plunged, says the Los Angeles Times. “The survey … found a ‘dramatic shift’ in political party identification since 2002, when Republicans and Democrats were at rough parity. Now, 50% of those surveyed identified with or leaned toward Democrats, whereas 35% aligned with Republicans.”
The New York Times notes how Giuliani’s stance on guns has evolved into a states-rights position (the exact position Howard Dean held in ’04). Is Giuliani’s evolution necessary for a Republican candidate trying to appeal to rural voters in, say, Iowa and South Carolina? Of particular note in the piece: "Giuliani's campaign says it is not clear that he would support a measure he once championed, an assault weapons ban."
Giuliani also made his first comments on the US attorneys controversy. He said Alberto Gonzales should get "the benefit of the doubt.” "The attorney general's an honorable man. He's a decent man. He should be given a chance to explain." Newsday notes, "Giuliani was one of the last presidential contenders to comment on the case, even though he served as a U.S. attorney in New York and was the former No. 3 official in the Reagan Justice Department."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mike Viquiera
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her allies in the House now appear to have the Democratic votes necessary to pass the measure that requires American combat troops to be out of Iraq by Fall 2008 at the latest. Three House liberal leaders have just announced that they are "letting go" of their nominal underlings in the Progressive and Out of Iraq caucuses, meaning that they will not pressure them to vote "nay" on the grounds that the bill continues funding the war -- notwithstanding the withdrawal date.
Also, liberal Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) has also announced that he will go along with Pelosi and vote "yea." That might be just enough to put Pelosi over the top with the 218 votes she needs for passage. For weeks, she has struggled to round up votes from progressives on the left and "Blue Dogs" on the right who don't like the idea of a timeline. This is easily the biggest test to date of her leadership.
The vote is scheduled for tomorrow.
From NBC's Carrie DannThe Clinton folks have an opportunity to go on the attack, now that the mastermind of the anti-Hillary "1984" YouTube ad has been unmasked as a political operative with just a few degrees of separation from rival Barack Obama. But when Clinton was questioned about the YouTube ad today at a press conference on Capitol Hill, she merely repeated her laugh line: "I was a little bit tickled that it took attention away from my singing on YouTube," she joked, referring to her off-key rendition of the National Anthem that found its way onto the Web. Reporters pressed her about the creator's potential connection to Obama, but for now she's not taking the bait, simply saying,"I'll have to leave that to the other campaign to comment on."
From NBC's Mark Murray
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards announced at a press conference this afternoon that his wife's cancer has returned. But optimistic about her health and well-being, Edwards said that he wasn't stopping his campaign. "The campaign goes on. The campaign goes on strongly... We have no intention of cowering in the corner."
At the beginning of the press conference, Edwards said that after wife Elizabeth experienced pain in her side earlier this week, tests revealed that she had fractured a rib and further tests revealed that her cancer had returned there. "Her cancer is back," Edwards noted. "It is largely confined to the bone, which is a good thing."
Both Edwards and his wife said they were optimistic; in fact, Elizabeth Edwards noted that she doesn't expect her life to be significantly different, except for more visits to the doctor. "You keep a positive attitude," she said. "We are always going to look for the silver lining." Added John Edwards, "We are very optimistic about this."
From NBC's Mark Murray
Every political story that had popped up over the past few days -- the unmasking of the person who created the anti-Hillary Clinton YouTube video, the intense money chase for the first quarter, and even the Clinton-Obama sparring over the Iraq war -- takes a back seat today to a noon press conference in Chapel Hill, N.C., where John and Elizabeth Edwards will discuss her health.
This press conference comes after John Edwards canceled a house party in Iowa on Tuesday night. In announcing that cancellation, the Edwards campaign released a statement saying that Elizabeth Edwards was having a follow-up medical appointment on Wednesday to a routine test she had the day before. The release continued: “She's had similar follow-ups in the past and they've all resulted in a clean bill of health, but Senator Edwards has gone with her to these appointments and he wanted to be with her tomorrow too.”
Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer near the conclusion of the 2004 presidential campaign. She had treatment and recovered before her husband embarked on his second presidential bid. Besides Bill Clinton, it's hard to think of another spouse who is playing as important of a role as Elizabeth Edwards does for her husband's campaign. In fact, she has appeared at her husband's side in multiple TV interviews.
The New York Times: Mrs. Edwards, in a brief interview from her home in Chapel Hill, N.C., said she and Mr. Edwards would discuss her health at the news conference, but she declined to elaborate. ‘I’m still here,’ she said.
The Washington Post: “Her husband has repeatedly said he would put his wife's well-being first; he announced that he would mount a second bid for the presidency after she was given a clean bill of health.”
In the showdown between congressional Democrats and the White House over the firing of the US attorneys, the Senate seems likely to follow the House in giving the Senate Judiciary Committee the authorization to subpoena Karl Rove and Harriet Miers. Yet whether Chairman Pat Leahy actually exercises that power is unclear. Bush's biggest problem, however, is that there continues to be Republicans who just aren't as willing to give the White House the benefit of the doubt they used to. This quote from Rep. Adam Putnam in the New York Times (he's becoming a chatty member of the leadership, isn't he?), sums it up: “Clearly, some of the reluctance on the part of Congressional Republicans to go to the mat for Gonzales is a consequence of having their fingers burned in the Rumsfeld debacle."
From another New York Times article: “The potential for the investigation to broaden into a constitutional confrontation has created a tricky political calculus for the newly empowered Democrats. As they consider their strategy, they are acutely aware that they are already entangled in another major clash with the administration over the question of pulling American troops out of Iraq.”
The Dallas Morning News' Rove-expert-in-chief Wayne Slater has a story of the last time Rove had to testify before lawmakers. “It was in Texas in 1991. And it wasn't pretty.”
CONTINUED >>
The countdown to March 31… Rudy Giuliani, who more and more people are seeing as the GOP's presidential frontrunner, flexed some of that newly acquired muscle in Florida. The St. Petersburg Times reports that a key Mitt Romney fundraiser resigned his post in order to join Giuliani's campaign, saying he's now convinced Rudy can win. The fundraiser in question, Richard Blankenship, is President Bush's former ambassador to the Bahamas. Also, yesterday in Louisville, KY, was an example of the enormous advantage Hillary Clinton's campaign has over every other candidate running for president: Bill Clinton was in the Bluegrass State raising money for his wife's campaign. While all of the presidential spouses do their share of fundraising, can any other spouse attract the attention that Bill Clinton can? It's one of the many reasons why we expect Hillary Clinton to be the clear-cut fundraising leader on March 31.
In primary calendar news, Tsunami Tuesday -- scheduled for February 5, 2008 -- appears to be on track. Both chambers of New York’s legislature passed legislation yesterday that would enable the state to move its primary to that day. And Florida’s House passed a similar bill that would move its primary to February 5 or seven days after the New Hampshire primary – whichever occurs first. More than 20 states could hold their primaries on this day.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
The maker of the much-talked about anti-Hillary Clinton "1984" YouTube video has been unmasked. His name is Philip de Villes, and he was an internet strategist for Sherrod Brown's 2006 Senate campaign last year and worked (until now) at the Democratic internet firm Blue State Digital, which had been under contract with the Barack Obama campaign.
De Villes' identity was first uncovered by the liberal blog Huffington Post.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton released this statement to NBC News: "The Obama campaign and its employees had no knowledge and had nothing to do with the creation of the ad. We were notified this evening by a vendor of ours, Blue State Digital, that an employee of the company had been involved in the making of this ad. Blue State Digital has separated ties with this individual and we have been assured he did no work on our campaign's account."
Thomas Gensemer, the managing director at Blue State Digital, issued this release: "This afternoon, an employee at our firm, Phillip de Vellis, received a call from Arianna Huffington of 'The Huffington Post' regarding the '1984' video currently circulating online. Initially, de Vellis refused to respond to her requests. He has since acknowledged to Blue State Digital that he was the creator of the video. Pursuant to company policy regarding outside political work or commentary on behalf of our clients or otherwise, Mr. de Vellis has been terminated from Blue State Digital effective immediately."
From NBC's Carrie Dann
The shadowboxing match between the Clinton and Obama camps continues to captivate political reporters -- especially after top advisers for the two candidates tussled at a Harvard University forum on Monday night over the exact phraseology of Obama's opposition to the Iraq war. Today, Obama took to the Senate floor to deliver his own subtle counterpunch: to reiterate his opposition to the war from its beginning.
"I believed that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale, without strong international support, would strengthen Al Qaeda and erode the moral thought that took our country generations to build," he said. Obama added that the way forward should include the recognition of "the lessons of war that too many refused to heed back then."
From NBC's Mark MurrayJohn McCain is receiving fire from all sides. Liberals (and even some independents) dislike his stance on the Iraq war. Conservatives are grumbling about his position of immigration (which spurred him to
slightly shift his views on the subject). And now this: Economic conservatives are blasting him for his position on taxes. In an email today, the conservative Club for Growth called on McCain to apologize for voting against Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. “The Bush tax cuts were responsible for widespread economic growth and the creation of 7.5 million new jobs,” Club for Growth President Pat Toomey said in the email. “If John McCain had the opportunity to do it all over again, would he again oppose the Bush tax cuts and 7.5 million new jobs? Or will he finally admit that his 2001 and 2003 votes were a huge mistake? American taxpayers are waiting for Senator McCain’s answer.”
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Last night, more than 1,000 people (including members of the former Clinton administration, congressmen, and supporters) donated approximately $2.7 million to attend a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton headlined by her husband, Bill. But the fundraiser was not without its hecklers. Several women dressed in pink held large signs and sang about the sorrows of the Iraq war at the driveway of the Marriott Hotel, where the event was taking place. In fact, before the speeches began and the press was still in a holding room, two women snuck in as press members -- at least one had a Capitol Hill press pass -- and joined the reporters in the room. They changed their clothing, adding pink shirts and pulling out signs, and began singing about boys and girls dying. They then walked into the lobby and were soon quietly ushered out.
Then, 15 minutes into Hillary Clinton's speech, another woman posing as a reporter threw on a pink shirt and jumped up on the camera riser, screaming: "What about Iraq?" She then continued to scream: "Why? Why? Why?" The crowd jumped to support Clinton, drowning out the woman's screams. The woman was quietly ushered off the riser while a supporter in the crowd continued to yell: "Go Hillary!" After the heckler was removed, Clinton addressed the issue of the war and responded with her standard line: "This president owes this country a plan to end our involvement in Iraq. If he does not extricate us from Iraq before he leaves office, I will as president." The applause continued to get louder after this statement.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mike Viquiera
In a divided vote, the Democrat-led House Judiciary subcommittee has authorized subpoenas for Karl Rove and other top WHite House aides in the US attorneys scandal. Yet keep this distinction in mind: The subcommittee voted to authorize John Conyers (D), the chairman of the full committee to subpoena Rove, et al. A subpoena has not been issued.
Conyers still has to sign the subpoena before it is issued. He has not done so, and for the time being it will be "held in abeyance," per a committee source, while they see if they can work things out with the White House.
From NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd
Fresh off his Oscar and Nobel Peace Prize nomination, Al Gore returns to Capitol Hill today to testify before House and Senate committees on global warming. NBC’s Andrea Mitchell notes that this will be the first time he has been to the Hill since certifying the 2000 election results and attending Bush’s inaugural. The best TV moment today? Probably when Gore faces off against Sen. James Inhofe (R), who has called global warming a hoax.
Gore’s return to Washington, of course, will only further the speculation if he will decide to run for president. From his public statements about it, he most likely won’t. And a look at his poll numbers gives him a good reason not to. In June 2006 -- around the time Gore was receiving tons of publicity from his “Inconvenient Truth” documentary -- the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed him with a 30% positive rating and 42% negative rating. A closer look at those numbers revealed that 53% of Democrats viewed Gore positively, compared with only 8% of Republicans. But among independents -- a crucial group for any Democrat to win -- just 23% saw him in a positive light, while 40% had a negative impression of him.
The more recent NBC/WSJ poll, which came out earlier this month, showed him with better numbers -- a 44% positive rating and a 36% negative rating. Yet independents still viewed him negatively by a 39%-30% margin.
The White House most likely did itself little public good with its decision yesterday to keep Karl Rove and Harriet Miers from testifying under oath in the US attorneys controversy. That said, history has shown that whenever presidents stand up to Congress, they usually -- in the long run -- receive some political benefit. Meanwhile, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales isn’t out of the woods just yet. To the lose support of a GOP stalwart like Rep. Adam Putnam (R) isn’t good news for him. Per the Washington Post, Putnam “said the attorney general's ability to lead the Justice Department has been ‘greatly compromised. He himself should evaluate’ his future.”
A New York Times analysis looks at the history of clashes between the White House and Congress over executive privilege. “The Bush administration has few equals in its commitment to a broad conception of executive authority, and it has on several occasions argued for an expansive understanding of executive privilege and similar protections. But legal scholars said that President Bill Clinton asserted the doctrine of executive privilege more often and more vigorously, including in the investigation of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.”
One of the US attorneys who was dismissed, David Iglesias, pens a New York Times op-ed entitled “Why I Was Fired.” He writes, “I will never forget John Ashcroft, then the attorney general, telling me during the summer of 2001 that politics should play no role during my tenure. I took that message to heart. Little did I know that I could be fired for not being political.”
CONTINUED >>
John Edwards canceled a house party last night in Iowa due to a medical appointment wife Elizabeth -- who has recovered from breast cancer -- has today. Per a statement the campaign released yesterday: “Mrs. Edwards is having a follow-up medical appointment tomorrow to a routine test she had on Monday. She's had similar follow-ups in the past and they've all resulted in a clean bill of health, but Senator Edwards has gone with her to these appointments and he wanted to be with her tomorrow too.”
Speaking of Al Gore, the AP interviewed Edwards as he rolled out his energy plan yesterday -- and the article focused on Edwards’ claim that his 28,000-square-foot estate in North Carolina is energy efficient (in fact, it is not until the eight paragraph when the article begins discussing his energy plan). “‘The house was built from the beginning, both in its location for passive solar and the use of active solar, to help provide some of the energy for the house,’ Edwards said... ‘It doesn't provide all of the energy, but it provides some.’”
The Washington Post takes another look at the early pushing and shoving between the Clinton and Obama camps over the Iraq war. And the paper also notes all the candidates’ aggressive fundraising events before March 31, the cut-off date for the 1st quarter fundraising reports. “The amounts that contenders can bring in will shape the narrative of the race for months to come -- potentially vaulting a candidate into the top tier -- and could spell an early exit for some.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann
A centerpiece of John McCain's reputation is his refusal to sway in the winds of public opinion, especially when it comes to his stance on Iraq. But the barrage of questions over immigration that McCain has faced on the road this week appears to have him tweaking his position on an issue that is shaping up to be a tall lightning rod in the run-up to 2008.
McCain has been one of the chief architects of immigration reform legislation that would create a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But speaking today in Montgomery, Ala., he modified his position somewhat, echoing a proposal by Rep. Mike Pence (R), who's pushing legislation that requires illegal immigrants to exit the country before applying for citizenship.
"Some people should just go back and apply for this temporary worker program once we set it up," McCain said today. "Others maybe should go back to a place, say Tijuana or someplace ... and make sure they're legitimate citizens and let them come back. Give them a three-year work visa. If they're fine then give them another one and another one and another one after that."
From NBC's Mike Viqueira and Kelly O'Donnell
In a letter to the Democratic-controlled Congress, White House Counsel Fred Fielding says the White House will allow testimony from Karl Rove and Harriet Miers in the US attorneys controversy -- but that testimony will have to be closed, unsworn, and unrecorded. Congressional Democrats say they are disappointed with that decision, and will consider what their response will be.
Moreover, Bush now plans to make a statement on this entire matter at 5:45 pm ET. Per senior officials, the president will discuss the content of Fielding's letter to Congress, as well as give his support to embatttled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
From NBC’s Mark Murray
One more point about Mark Penn’s comment from last night: It wasn’t the first time that someone from Team Clinton argued that Obama was ambivalent about how he would have voted on the 2002 war authorization vote.
Bill Clinton first raised the issue at a recent New York fundraiser, according to a New York Post article last week. “Clinton focused on the fact that three years ago - shortly after Barack Obama burst onto the world stage with his speech at the Democratic National Convention where John Kerry was nominated - Obama was asked how he would have voted on the Iraq war if he'd been in Congress at that time. ‘And Obama said, “I'm not sure,”’ [a participant] recalled.
From NBC's Mark Murray
As we mentioned earlier, top advisers for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama clashed last night at what was supposed to be a tame discussion at Harvard on the presidential contest. What triggered it was Clinton pollster Mark Penn's response to a question about her 2002 war authorization vote. Penn, as the Washington Post notes, used the question to attack Obama, arguing that the Illinois senator had said in 2004 that he even wasn't sure how he would have voted on the resolution had he been in the Senate in '02. "Obama said he didn't know exactly how he would have voted in Congress because he didn't have the full intelligence," Penn said.
An examination of what Obama exactly said in 2004, however, suggests that Penn was employing a tactic the Bush-Cheney campaign used to their benefit in the 2004 presidential campaign: the selective quote. It’s something, of course, that all campaigns use to whack their opponents. But Team Bush did it better than most.
Most notably, they jumped all over Kerry’s remark in the first presidential debate that he would employ a “global test” when weighing a pre-emptive strike against another country. In fact, they launched this TV ad right after he said it: “The Kerry doctrine: A global test. So we must seek permission from foreign governments before protecting America? So America will be forced to wait while threats gather?”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Senior officials tell NBC News that President Bush phoned Attorney General Gonzales early this morning and "reaffirmed his strong backing and support for the attorney general." They had a "very good conversation" in the wake of the "unprecedented step by the [Justice Department] to release thousands of pages of e-mails" to be "fully responsive."
Advisers say these pages include White House and DoJ communications that were authorized for release by the White House. Officials say DoJ officials will be made available for on-the-record statements to Congress. This will provide a "substantial body of evidence."
From NBC’s Mark Murray
It was in mid-December 2006 that word first trickled out that Tim Griffin, a Karl Rove protégé and former GOP opposition researcher, was replacing the US attorney in Arkansas. Three months later, it has snowballed into THE story that now consumes Washington and that -- at the very least -- has placed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ job in jeopardy. Today, The Politico and the Los Angeles Times have floated the names of possible successors to Gonzales: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; Larry Thompson, the deputy AG under John Ashcroft; White House anti-terrorism coordinator Frances Townsend; former solicitor general Ted Olsen; former US Sen. and UN ambassador John Danforth (R); and even former Sen. Fred Thompson (R).
Fred Thompson, of course, also seems to be eyeing a possible White House bid. Olsen has endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president. Thompson’s name, meanwhile, was floated by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) on Meet the Press. Chertoff could win confirmation, but would bring back memories of his department’s handling of Hurricane Katrina. And then there’s Danforth, who would probably be the easiest to confirm (and would become the second ex-Missouri senator to serve as Bush’s AG), but he and his advocacy for embryonic stem cells haven’t made him too popular with evangelical Christians.
NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell reports, however, that multiple senior White House officials are pushing back on these reports that there is a short list of AG replacements under consideration. Officials say the reports are "overblown" and "untrue." (O’Donnell notes, though, that the use of the term "overblown" would seem to leave open a tiny crack.)
CONTINUED >>
Besides the US attorneys controversy, the other story that the political world is talking about is last night’s showdown between Clinton adviser Mark Penn and Obama adviser David Axelrod at what was supposed to be a friendly discussion at Harvard about the presidential campaign. The Washington Post: “The exchange marked the most substantive clash to date between the Obama and Clinton campaigns and reflected frustration among Clinton advisers over the Illinois senator's use of [the 2002 war authorization vote] to distinguish his candidacy.”
The AP adds that Penn “gave a sneak preview of” Clinton’s strategy for combating … Obama’s criticism for her support of the Iraqi war, telling a Harvard audience Monday that the two behaved similarly on the issue ‘when they got to the Senate.’ Mark Penn … also cited two quotes he said undercut Obama’s oft-cited opposition to an October 2002 congressional resolution authorizing military action in Iraq.
Yet the Boston Globe, in a review of Obama's record during his 26 months in Congress, writes that “he has taken a more nuanced and cautious position on the war than the full-bore opposition.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
At a fundraiser today in Philadelphia, Hillary Clinton weighed in on the Iraq war and its four-year anniversary. Repeating a line she's given in the past -- one that plays up her anti-war creds -- Clinton said, "I think we all hope and pray that George Bush ends this war. But make no mistake about it -- if he doesn't, as President, I will."
She added: "One of the reasons why I believe I am best prepared, most qualified, and ready to serve on day one, is because I think I can extract us from Iraq in the right way. This is one of those issues that really has to go beyond politics. This cannot be a political football. Too much is at stake, too many brave Americans and innocent Iraqis have died. I am going to continue talking about this even though it's politically controversial because when I am president, the country is going to have to be prepared to do what is necessary to get us out of Iraq."
Her chief rival (so far) for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama, spoke in Oklahoma City today. And unlike Clinton, who put Iraq up front -- altering form her usual stump speech -- Obama didn't mention it until several minutes into his remarks. He called it a war "that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged"; a war "that has cost us half a trillion dollars, a war that cost us almost 3200 of our bravest young men and women; and a war that "made us less safe and diminished our standing in the world."
From NBC's Mark Murray
Fred Thompson (R) might be a possible presidential contender, but the former senator/actor is also now moonlighting as movie reviewer. And in his review of "300" on Pajamas Media, he combines the political with the entertainment.
From Thompson's' review: "'300,' shows a small band of Spartans saving the lives of their countrymen AND the seeds of modern Democracy by kicking the much larger Persians forces effectively in the backside at Thermopylae until the shear numbers overwhelmed them. If I remember my history, that’s exactly what happened. But the Iranians have filed a flurry of complaints with the United Nations, claiming '300' is 'cultural and psychological warfare.' Who are these guys who are getting all flushed over our cultural insensitivity?
"People who want to blow Jews off the face of the earth. The regime that stormed our embassy in 1979 and kept Americans captive for 444 days. Iran’s Hezbollah puppets have killed more Americans, than any other terrorist group except Al Queda [sic]. Explosive devices from Iran are being used right now against our soldiers in Iraq...I must say that I’m impressed that Hollywood took on a politically incorrect villan [sic]. Must have run out of neo-Nazis. So now these sensitive souls in Iran think that Hollywood is part of a U.S. government conspiracy to humiliate them into submission. I can only wish we were that effective."
Update: Thompson also misspelled "shear [sic] numbers." That's at least three misspellings.
Update II: The mistakes now are corrected in the online version of the review.
From NBC's Mark MurrayFormer Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R), who also served as Bush's Health and Human Services secretary, is set to formally announce he's running for president in the next couple of weeks, a spokesman for Thompson's exploratory committee tells First Read. The spokesman adds that the announcement, which will occur in both Wisconsin and Iowa, will take place in early April or thereabouts, although the details are still being ironed out.
From NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd
Is South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford the latest Republican now dipping his toe in the presidential waters? Today's The State puts it this way: "Sanford says he’s not running for president in 2008. That’s the official line. But nearly every week there’s another sign that Sanford might be running for something."
Sanford might not be eyeing a White House bid as much as other possible GOP candidates like Fred Thompson or even Chuck Hagel, but consider this: that three of the four most-rumored "new" Republican candidates -- Sanford, Thompson, Hagel -- all endorsed John McCain's 2000 campaign.
From NBC's Mark Murray
Just minutes ago, President Bush was in a familiar setting: behind a White House lectern defending the Iraq war. In a statement on the war's four-year anniversary, Bush acknowledged that the fight there has been difficult over the past four years. "But it can be won. It will be won if we have the courage and resolve to see it through."
Bush also addressed critics of the war who want to leave Iraq, saying that such a withdrawal "would be devastating" for America's security. And he called on Congress to pass his supplemental Iraq spending request. "They have a responsibility to get this bill to my desk without strings and without delay."
From NBC's Mark Murray
Has any other event dominated modern American politics longer than the Iraq war? The Cold War perhaps, but that was more a series of global events than a singular one. There was the Lewinsky affair and its aftermath, but that lasted less than three years -- from January 1998 to the 2000 presidential election. And there's 9/11, but its political impact hasn't been the same since 2004.
By comparison, the Iraq war -- which turns four years old today -- and its influence on politics has lasted since 2002. The build-up to it left its imprint on that year's midterms (to the GOP's benefit); it overshadowed the Bush-Kerry race (which Bush won); it certainly dominated last year's elections (which allowed Democrats to regain control of Congress); and it remains issue No. 1 as we head into 2008.
The war also has spawned numerous secondary stories and dramas: Cindy Sheehan, the CIA leak investigation, our obsession over the war authorization votes, Bush's sinking political fortunes, Donald Rumsfeld's ouster, and America's relationships in the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Perhaps the biggest question remaining is how long the Iraq war lasts and what the political map looks like when it finally ends.
On the Sunday shows yesterday, national security adviser Stephen Hadley urged Democrats “not to waste their time trying to pass a bill to accelerate withdrawal from Iraq, saying President Bush would veto such legislation,” while Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Bush’s so-called “surge” in Iraq is working -- "so far, so good.”
A new poll commissioned by the BBC, USA Today, and ABC finds that just 18% of Iraqis have confidence in US and coalition troops, and they are evenly split on whether they have confidence in their own government.
USA Today on another survey: “Only about one-fifth of 10,000 veteran officers in the Army's Individual Ready Reserve say they're willing to be deployed overseas, an Army survey shows. It suggests souring attitudes within the military toward U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy said yesterday that he will ask Karl Rove and other top White House aides to testify in the US attorney scandal, but the White House will likely claim executive privilege to keep the testimony from happening.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
Given the Senate Democrats' inability to pass their Iraq measure yesterday -- as well as earlier non-binding resolutions against Bush's troop increase -- the conventional wisdom is building that the Democrats can't stop tripping over themselves when it comes to Iraq. "Defeat on Retreat," blares a Republican National Committee press release today.
But who faces the biggest political risks regarding these votes? Senate Democrats or their GOP counterparts? Next year, Republicans must defend 21 Senate seats (compared with 12 for the Democrats), and four of them are held by incumbents running for re-election in blue states -- Susan Collins in Maine, Norm Coleman in Minnesota, John Sununu in New Hampshire, and Gordon Smith in Oregon. And last year, with the Iraq war dominating the political landscape, Republicans lost big in all of these states: They lost the Senate race in Minnesota by a whopping 20 points (and the popular GOP governor there barely won); their two House incumbents in New Hampshire lost; and they were unable to defeat two vulnerable incumbent governors in Maine and Oregon.
Yet with polls showing that the political landscape has changed little since last year's election, it's worth noting that Smith was the only Republican to vote for the Democratic measure yesterday; Collins, Coleman, and Sununu all voted against it. "The best thing that's happening is these votes against this stuff," a Democratic operative said about the Iraq votes. "We are smacking them around."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark MurrayOn
Monday, we noted that former Senate Majority Leader sent an email to supporters urging fellow Tennessean Fred Thompson to run for president. Frist is up with a new email: "I talked to Fred Thompson last night, really just to share with him the tremendous support that he has received from all of you who have blogged on the Volpac web site over the past 4 days... Now is the time for big ideas ... big, true conservative ideas that rise above the fray. Fred is listening. He will carefully consider running over the next several weeks. His public statements exactly reflect what he is thinking inside."
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
California has now moved up its presidential primary to Feb. 5, raising the prospect that as many as 20 other states -- including giants like Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas -- will hold their nominating contests on this date. We're calling it Tsunami Tuesday. So which candidates will Tsunami Tuesday end up benefiting? What will it all mean? A few notes on the impact in California:
-- Independents. According to the state parties there, political independents will be able to participate in the Democratic primary, but not in the Republican one; it is open only to registered Republicans. That could potentially hurt GOP candidates like McCain or Giuliani, who appeal to these kind of voters. There is a growing effort to open up the GOP primary to independents, but the California Republican Party will need to change its bylaws to do that -- and the state party's next bylaw meeting, we're told, doesn’t occur until after voters are supposed to be registered. As for the Democrats, John Edwards was considered the candidate independents helped the most in 2004. For this cycle, no one Democrat seems to have made appealing to independents a priority. Will that now change?
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
According to a new Gallup poll, 67% say they oppose President Bush pardoning Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was convicted on perjury and obstruction charges resulting from the CIA leak investigation. Just 21% support a pardon.
That finding is similar to a recent CNN poll, which found that 69% opposed a pardon for Libby.
From NBC's Ken Strickland
A spokesperson for GOP Sen. Gordon Smith says his boss is NOT calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to be fired or to resign, despite reporting today to the contrary. Instead, Smith's spokesman R.C. Hammond says: "Senator Gordon Smith believes it would be helpful for this Congress, that the Attorney General be a person they could invest confidence in. Senator Smith does not believe the Congress has confidence in the Attorney General."
But if Smith isn't technically calling for Gonzales to be fired, he's pretty darn close and can't get much closer. For the past six months or so, Smith -- who's up for re-election in '08 -- has been moving further and further from Bush and his Administration. Just before Christmas, Smith took to the Senate floor in an emotional speech to say he was "at the end of my rope" in supporting Bush and the war. And, as we mentioned yesterday, he was the sole Senate Republican to vote for the measure calling to withdraw US forces from Iraq by March 2008.
From NBC's Mark Murray
A new round of Administration emails, from January 2005, indicate that Karl Rove and Alberto Gonzales (while he was still White House counsel) “had considered replacing prosecutors earlier than either has previously acknowledged.”
The Justice Department released this statement: "[Gonzales] has no recollection of any plan or discussion to replace U.S. Attorneys while he was still White House Counsel. The period of time referred to in the email was during the weeks he was preparing for his confirmation hearing, January 6th, 2005, and his focus was on that.”
The Wall Street Journal: “White House officials said the emails weren't inconsistent with the administration's position that then-White House Counsel Harriet Miers -- not Mr. Rove -- had first raised the idea of sacking all the federal prosecutors.”
Has Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), become the second Republican to call for Gonzales to step down? “‘The senator believes it would be helpful to have an attorney general that Congress can have more confidence in,’ said R.C. Hammond, a Smith spokesman.” But the Los Angeles Times says the statement from Smith’s office “stopped short of saying he should quit.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland
The vote on the Senate Democratic resolution setting the "goal" of getting most troops out of Iraq by March of 2008 was defeated, 48-50. Sixty votes were needed for passage under the agreement reached by the Senate leadership.
The vote was pretty much along party lines, except for:
-- Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith (R), who voted with the Democrats;
-- Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson (D) and Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor (D), who voted with the Republicans;
-- and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I), who voted with the Republicans.
From NBC's Mark Murray
So which presidential campaign was the first out of the gates to flex its muscles after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed legislation into law today moving California's primary up to February 5, 2008? No other than Rudy Giuliani's.
Campaign manager Mike DuHaime said in a statement: "Rudy Giuliani is the Republican candidate who can win California in both the primary and general elections. The Mayor's record as a proven problem solver continues to resonate with California voters."
From NBC's Mark Murray
Previewing the speech he will give later today in New Hampshire, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards laid out his plans to combat global poverty. First, he wants the United States to lead a worldwide effort to expand primary education to developing countries. Second, he calls for expanding preventative health care to those places. Third, he advocates creating new economic and political opportunities in these countries (like with micro-financing and expanding democracy). And finally, he proposes creating a new Cabinet post for a person to supervise these efforts.
Despite many Americans' disillusionment with the Iraq war, Edwards argued, it's important for the United States to continue to play an important role in the world. "It is extremely important for America to stay involved, stay engaged," he said.
From NBC's Mark Murray
The Obama campaign just released this statement regarding today's LA Times report that Obama was registered as a Muslim at the schools in Indonesia he attended as a child:
"Senator Obama believes that having lived in Indonesia was a valuable experience and has respect for all faiths. But the facts are clear:
"Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ. Accounts in the L.A. Times that suggest otherwise are simply not true. Today’s report is based on 40-year old memories and paperwork that, as reported by the Times, 'bugs have eaten.'
"This is unfortunately yet another piece from this paper in which the reporter on the ground did not take into account the people who knew Barack Obama best."
From NBC's Mark Murray
“Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, long said to be the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, confessed to them at a military hearing held in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Saturday, according to a transcript released by the Pentagon yesterday,” the New York Times says. “He also acknowledged full or partial responsibility for more than 30 other terror attacks or plots.”
The House Appropriations Committee will today vote on a spending bill calling for the Iraq war to end by September 2008. Per the AP, “House Democrats confidently predicted they can pass [the] bill … even as their counterparts in the Senate struggle just to get their war debate off the ground.”
As the Senate began debate over its own Iraq measure, the White House “immediately issued a veto threat, even though the measure is considered unlikely to win final passage. The administration’s statement denounced the Democratic plan in forceful terms, declaring that it would ‘embolden our enemies’ and ‘hobble American commanders in the field.’”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland
New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu (R), who's up for re-election next year, is now the first Republican to call from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to be fired. "If the Attorney General isn't credible, then he cannot be effective and help the president implement good policy to deal with terrorism investigations and prosecutions and homeland security issues and the management of the justice department," he said.
"This is driven by far more than one single problem or one single incident. There have been problems within the department and difficulties between Congress and the attorney general going back 18 months."
"I think the president should fire the attorney general and replace him so that he has someone who's strong and aggressive and can be assertive on the president's behalf"
From NBC's Mark Murray
During his bid for re-election in 1996, Bill Clinton famously promised to build a “bridge to the 21st Century.” His message was crystal clear: Despite the earlier political setbacks in his first term, Clinton was the fresh, energetic candidate best suited to lead the country into the next decade. His opponent, the then-73-year-old Bob Dole, was not.
Nearly 11 years later, however, a few of the best-known candidates in the current race for the White House are making a sharp U-turn back to the 1990s. On Thursday, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., embarks on his “Straight Talk Express” bus tour, after doing the same thing eight years ago during his first White House bid. At her own campaign stops, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., continually invokes her husband's presidency and enlists his help with key constituencies. And now even Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the ‘90s, is seriously pondering a presidential run.
It seems that everyone is carrying on like it's, well, 1999 -- or earlier. In fact, all that’s missing is for Ken Starr to announce a bid for the Senate, Monica Lewinsky to get her own TV show, and former Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug to stick another vault landing.
For more, click here.
From NBC's Bob Windrem
In what could hardly be good news for Rudy Guiliani's presidential hopes, his former police commissioner Bernard Kerik appears headed for an indictment, Jonathan Dienst of WNBC reports. Kerik has turned down a guilty plea that would have included federal jail time, Dienst says. The next step is up to federal prosecutors; Kerik has already pleaded guilty to state charges.
Here's part of Dienst's report: "News Channel 4 has learned former NYPD commissioner Bernard Kerik has rejected a plea deal offered by federal prosecutors that would have required Kerik to serve time in prison. Federal prosecutors offered Kerik a deal where he would plead guilty to tax fraud and illegal eavesdropping conspiracy charges, sources familiar with the negotiations say.
"In exchange for his guilty plea, investigators were willing to end the federal criminal probe into Kerik's alleged wrongdoing, which includes allegations of mortgage fraud, tax fraud, conspiracy to eavesdrop, and making false statements on his application to become U.S. Homeland Security Secretary. 'We rejected the plea deal because Mr. Kerik paid his taxes and did nothing wrong,' said Kerik's attorney, Ken Breen. A spokesman for U.S. attorney Michael Garcia declined to comment on the investigation as did officials with the FBI, IRS, City Department of Investigation. and Westchester County District Attorney."
From NBC's Andrew Merten
Sen. Hillary Clinton proved to be the crowd favorite so far at the International Association of Fire Fighters presidential forum -- at least by the number of standing ovations. She received three of them, while those speaking before her (John Edwards, Jim Gilmore, Barack Obama, and Duncan Hunter) received none. Her calls for increased equipment and health-care funding for first responders were popular with the crowd, and she echoed Edward’s earlier support for unions, saying: “The days of George Bush thinking that the union bug is something he has to squash are over.”
Meanwhile, Obama -- speaking before Clinton -- mentioned his short experience in national politics by repeating his now-familiar line: “I’ve been in Washington long enough to know that Washington needs to change.” He related the need for increased funding for firefighters’ health-care and equipment to the recent Walter Reed scandal, saying that troops returning from the frontline in Iraq should not be faced with a “new frontline of red tape and bureaucracy” at home.
Three stories are dominating today’s political news: the continued fallout over the US attorneys firing, today’s Iraq vote in the Senate, and today’s firefighters’ presidential forum in DC.
With the US attorneys controversy enjoying another day of full-blown news coverage, anyone else having flashbacks to 2005, when Katrina and Harriet Miers’ failed Supreme Court nomination dominated the news? Per the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ said yesterday that “mistakes were made,” but he refused to resign.
New York Times adds: “[T]wo Republicans, who spoke anonymously so they could share private conversations with senior White House officials, said top aides to Mr. Bush, including Fred F. Fielding, the new White House counsel, were concerned that the controversy had so damaged Mr. Gonzales’s credibility that he would be unable to advance the White House agenda on national security matters, including terrorism prosecutions.”
CONTINUED >>
NBC’s Ken Strickland reports that the Senate today is poised to start debating a resolution that calls for the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008. But where the debate goes beyond just floor speeches is unclear at this point. Yesterday, Senate GOP leaders said they'll vote with Democrats to allow the debate to begin, but they refused to commit to anything beyond that. Once again, the two sides have yet to reach an agreement on the terms of the debate: how long for debate, how many resolutions, etc.
However the impasse is resolved, Strickland notes, it's still a steep uphill fight to pass the measure. Anything controversial in the Senate requires 60 votes to break a filibuster and pass. And the Democrats' newest resolution doesn't have it -- in fact, it may not even have 50.
The Washington Post: “Whatever peril the resolution carries for Democrats, the debate will provide a public test of Republican unity. The lack of debate inside the Republican Party reflects not just loyalty to the president but also a belief that Bush's policies still offer a chance for success in Iraq, GOP officials said.”
Presidential candidates from both political parties will speak at the International Association of Fire Fighters' presidential forum today. Each candidate has 30 minutes to speak, and none of them will share the stage. Beginning at 9:00 am ET and ending around 3:30 pm ET, the speaking order is: John Edwards, Jim Gilmore, Barack Obama, Duncan Hunter, Hillary Clinton, Sam Brownback, Chuck Hagel (despite his non-announcement on Monday), Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, John McCain (before he heads off to Iowa), and Joe Biden. While most organized labor groups backed either Gephardt or Dean in 2003-4, the IAFF endorsed John Kerry, who went on to win the Democratic nomination.
Rudy Giuliani, however, will be a notable absence at today's forum. As we mentioned last week, the IAFF wrote in a recent letter that Giuliani would not be invited. In the letter, they blasted Giuliani for his actions after September 11, especially his decision to scale back efforts to recover bodies from Ground Zero. "His actions post 9/11 rise to such an offensive and personal attack on our brother and sisterhood -- and directly on our union -- that the IAFF does not feel Rudy Giuliani deserves an audience of IAFF leaders and members at our own Presidential Forum," they wrote. Ultimately, that letter was never sent and the IAFF changed their minds and invited Giuliani anyway. After initially accepting the invite, Giuliani pulled out earlier this week.
The New York Times: “Since the Sept. 11 attacks, when he was mayor of New York City, Mr. Giuliani has been linked in the public mind to firefighters and police officers… Yet the firefighters and police officers who know Mr. Giuliani best, those in New York City, have mixed views of him, ranging from admiration to outright hostility.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
The White House officials today released their side of the story in the controversy over the fired US attorneys:
WHAT BUSH KNEW
"The president was generally aware of the complaints." In October 2006, Bush "may have mentioned this to the attorney general during a discussion of other matters." While the complaints were appropriately passed along to White House counsel Harriet Miers and the Justice Department, the counsel's office and the president did not direct Justice to take any specific action concerning individual attorneys.
MIERS' IDEA
In early 2005, Miers discussed with Justice chief of staff Kyle Sampson her suggestion -- which was described as "Let's take a look at replacing all the US attorneys." The White House says that Sampson told Miers "he did not think that was a good idea," in part because many had not served their full four-year term. And officials point out that Senate confirmations had not all happened at the same time. US attorneys serve one four-year term.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland and Mark Murray
Senate Democrats are asking the age-old Washington question amid the controversy over the firings of several US attorneys: What did the president know and when did he know it? At a news conference earlier today, Sen. Chuck Schumer accused AG Alberto Gonzales of "carrying out the political wishes of the president in at least some of these firings." Sen. Dianne Feinstein joined Schumer in calling for subpoenas for Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, and Gonzales' chief of staff Kyle Sampson (who resigned yesterday.) Feinstein added that she was "incensed" by the matter because when she first called Gonzales to complain about the firings he told her she "didn't have her facts right. That none of this was correct."
As usual, Schumer provided some of the best sound bites. He said:
-- that Sampson's resignation "does not take heat off the Attorney General. In fact, it raises the temperature. Kyle Sampson will not become the next Scooter Libby, the next fall guy."
-- "The cloud over the Justice Department is getting darker and darker and only the president can dispel it."
-- "When someone's indicted and they claim political interference, it's going to have new truth even if that person was justifiably indicted."
-- "It's now increasing clear that the only bad actors in this case were top officials in the White House and the Justice Department, not, not the US attorneys."
Two of the Democratic presidential front-runners also weighed in. Hillary Clinton released a statement saying, "It is imperative that the president act swiftly to explain what role the White House played in this situation, hold those who acted inappropriately accountable, and take responsibility.” Barack Obama said in his statement: "I opposed Mr. Gonzalez's (sic) nomination, in part, because he had shown in his role as White House Counsel a penchant for subverting justice to serve the President's political goals, and I feared that in an Attorney General. Sadly, the latest revelations underscore my concern."
From NBC's Mark Murray
Today’s top news is that the White House suggested two years ago that the Justice Department dismiss all 93 of the nation’s US attorneys, which led to the controversial firing of eight of them. The Washington Post: “The dismissals took place after President Bush told Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales in October that he had received complaints that some prosecutors had not energetically pursued voter-fraud investigations, according to a White House spokeswoman.”
The New York Times: “The role of the president and his advisers in the prosecutor shakeup is likely to intensify calls by Congress for an investigation. It is the worst crisis of Mr. Gonzales’s tenure and provoked charges that the dismissals were a political purge threatening the historical independence of the Justice Department.”
Gonzales’ chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, has resigned from the Justice Department due to the controversy, the Los Angeles Times reports.
And Congress is now demanding that Karl Rove, who allegedly spoke about the performance of the US attorney in New Mexico, testify before Congress about all of this.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R), who himself decided not to run for president in 2008, has just released an email from his political action committee that urges fellow Tennessean Fred Thompson (R) to make a White House bid. "I believe Fred Thompson should run for president," Frist says.
"I've not talked with Fred personally about a potential run, so I am basing my thoughts simply on knowing him well, having worked with him in policy and politics everyday for 8 years, and knowing the people across America want a genuine leader who represents them."
From NBC's Ken Strickland
After being thwarted twice by Republicans last month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will try again this week to get a vote on a controversial Iraq resolution. Unlike previous offerings, this measure would have a binding component calling for some troop withdrawal within four months. But Republicans may choose to block the vote again; a decision isn't expected until Tuesday after their weekly caucus luncheon. In a effort to appease Republicans and more forward, Reid says he'd allow votes on GOP-backed resolutions as well. Unless an agreement is reached soon, it will come to a head on Wednesday with a procedural vote on whether to move to Reid's bill. Sixty votes are required, and without any Republican support for Reid's measure thus far, Democrats don't have the votes.
Also this week, the Senate will finish up a homeland security bill which implements many of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Its passage has drawn a Bush veto threat because of provisions in the House and Senate versions allowing collective bargaining rights for airport screeners. It will be a few weeks before the bill reaches the president's desk, however.
And on Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee will receive a closed Iraq briefing from Defense Secretary Roberts Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace. Also on Thursday, Zalmay Khalilzad appears before Foreign Relations for his confirmation hearing to become UN ambassador. He currently serves as the US ambassador to Iraq.
From NBC's Mark Murray
In the same interview last weekend in which he admitted to thinking about a possible White House bid, former Sen. Fred Thompson (R) also said he’s pro-life and would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned. In past interviews and news clippings, however, Thompson was identified as being pro-choice and against making early-term abortions a crime -- although he did favor strict limits on abortion (like parental notification, being against partial-birth abortion, and being opposed to the federal funding of abortions).
Pro-life Thompson
WALLACE: … So let's do a lightning round -- quick questions, quick answers, a variety of issues -- to see where Fred Thompson stands.
THOMPSON: Um hmm.
WALLACE: Abortion.
THOMPSON: Pro-life.
WALLACE: Would you like to overturn Roe...
THOMPSON: You said lightning round, now. If you want...
WALLACE: Well, let's go.
THOMPSON: ... more, give me another question. I'll work through it.
WALLACE: Do you want to overturn Roe vs. Wade?
THOMPSON: I think Roe vs. Wade was bad law and bad medical science. And the way to address that is through good judges. I don't think the court ought to wake up one day and make new social policy for the country. It's contrary to what it's been the past 200 years. (Fox News Sunday, 3/11/07)
Pro-choice Thompson?
Both [Thompson and Houston Gordon] also are basically pro-choice on abortion although Thompson has voted to bar federal funding of abortions. Both candidates said they would have voted to override Clinton's veto of a bill this year that would have banned a controversial partial-birth abortion procedure. (Memphis Commercial Appeal, 11/4/96)
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Carrie Dann
At a press conference in Washington this morning to announce endorsements from Sen. David Vitter (R) and GOP lawyer Ted Olson, Rudy Giuliani stressed his national security and fiscal responsibility credentials -- as part of his effort to fend off conservative anxiety about his comparatively liberal views on social issues. Despite disagreeing with Giuliani on these social issues, Vitter said at the event, "It's very clear to me that he's not running for president to advance any liberal social agenda."
When questioned about when he'd directly address the social stances that are prompting such hand-wringing among many Republicans, Giuliani chuckled, "I've been doing it for months..." He acknowledged that "there are going to be disagreements within the party," but insisted that his Republican credentials are anchored in the two issues that most concern Americans: fiscal discipline and terrorism. (He did, however, echo a familiar conservative mantra by promising to "appoint judges that interpret the Constitution rather than try to execute their own social policy or social agenda.")
Reporters eagerly tried to use Giuliani's response as a springboard to coax a stronger statement on abortion, but the former mayor insisted, "I have no idea what I would veto or not veto. I don't think anybody can announce that until they see a piece of legislation."
From NBC's Mark Murray
In front of numerous reporters, photographers, and TV cameras all eager to hear some big news like he's running for president, Sen. Hagel announced that -- drum roll, please -- he hasn't made up his mind. Hagel simply said that he'll make a decision about a White House bid "later this year," adding that he will still have political options at this later date.
In the meantime, Hagel said he'll participate at presidential candidate events and forums, raise money for his political action committee (to help GOP candidates), and raise money for his Senate re-election committee (his term is up next year).
From NBC's Mark Murray
At the same time as most Americans begin filling out their NCAA tournament brackets, the political world this morning is focused on whether we’ll add another name to the presidential pool. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., is set to make a “major announcement” at 11:00 am ET. That’s all we know. He could say he’s running for president. Or that he’s running for re-election (his term is up next year). Or that he’s retiring from the Senate. Heck, he could say he’s going to be a contestant in “Dancing With the Stars.”
If he does run for president -- as a Republican -- there does appear to be an opening. The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds that only 56% of Republicans say they are satisfied with their presidential field; by comparison, 77% of Democrats say they are satisfied with their choices. And if he gets in, he’d be first Iraq war critic among the major GOP contenders.
But Hagel would also face some tall hurdles. He opposes Bush’s troop increase in Iraq, but the NBC/WSJ poll shows that 61% of GOP primary voters still support the so-called surge, compared with just 30% who oppose it. And the poll also finds that a whopping 63% don’t even know who Chuck Hagel is.
From NBC's Mark Murray
Rudy Giuliani holds a press conference in DC at 9:30 am ET; former Sen. Fred Thompson (R) says he’s thinking about a possible White House bid; and Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., does Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show.”
The Omaha World-Herald says that Hagel hasn’t given any clear clues about what he will announce at his press conference this morning. “Hagel, whose current Senate term is up after 2008, could set up a presidential exploratory committee, delay a formal campaign until later or bow out of the White House race. Some have even speculated that he might run as an independent, although he previously seemed to rule that out. Working in his favor, it is still early in the 2008 contest… Some political analysts say there is room for another candidate to join the field.”
Now that perhaps some 20-odd states are considering holding their primaries on February 5, 2008, the New York Times examines how this is possibly upending the presidential nominating process. “Aides to the candidates said they were debating whether the changes would mean that the nominations would effectively be settled on Feb. 5, by which point easily 50 percent of the delegates are likely to have been chosen, or whether a few strong candidates would divide the Feb. 5 take, forcing the campaign to stretch on for months. That could, oddly enough, make those fewer states sticking to later primaries vital players in the election cycle.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mike Viqueira
Rep. David Obey (D) just released this written statement:
"Monday, a group of people, not my constituents, approached me as I was rushing to a meeting on Iraq and we wound up having an argument.
(UPDATE: Obey's office just released a statement saying that he wasn't rushing to a meeting on Iraq; it was just a plain-old meeting.)
"I am sorry that I yelled at them. I respect their passion on the issue, I wish they would respect mine. We are both frustrated, and that led us to have an argument that we never should have had because we both want to see an end to U.S. involvement in that war. What divided us was the question of how.
"When they were arguing that I should vote against the legislation that I am sponsoring, they did not know that the proposal would in fact give the House its first opportunity in the four years of this misguided war to vote on a timeline for bringing it to a close.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
Former Majority Leader Howard Baker (R) confirms he has been calling GOP friends to drum up support for his old Watergate committee protégé Fred Thompson -- to run for president. Thompson, one of John McCain's original supporters in 2000, has not disavowed the effort.
Baker says Thompson has told him the drawback is that he has two small children -- but Baker will continue trying to build support for Thompson until the former senator tells him to stop. Which he hasn't. Baker told me: "I called him up -- and said I'm going to plant the seed that you ought to run for president. He told me that he has two small children at home. But I'm going to keep sending up balloons until he tells me not to, and he hasn't."
Why would Baker -- a former McCain supporter -- try to launch Thompson -- another former McCain supporter? Are they dissatisfied with McCain's candidacy? Baker wouldn't bite: "The reason to do it is Fred's a capable person and a longtime friend who would be a good president."
CONTINUED >>
By NBC's Mike Viqueira
The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and the chief sponsor of the bill that would require a US troop withdrawal from Iraq by fall of 2008 has been caught on camera losing his temper with anti-war activists who confronted him outside his Capitol Hill office. In the video, Rep. David Obey (D) rails against "idiot liberals" who are "jumping around" demanding an immediate de-funding of the war. He says the votes aren't there, and angrily opens his coat and asks if they see "a magic wand" in there that would enable him to do that. (Obey doesn't appear to know that he's on camera.)
The veteran Wisconsin Democrat who came to Congress in 1969 is known for getting a bit hot under the collar. The whole encounter begins with a woman stopping him outside his office and telling him about problems she has had with veteran's benefits for her son. Obey, an institutional pragmatist, reminds her that he voted against the war to begin with and adds, "I hate the war." Obey was also among the first on the Hill, if not the very first, to call for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign or be fired.
CONTINUED >>
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
The last time Sen. Chuck Hagel was in the national spotlight, one month ago, he had just emerged as the most vocal Republican supporter of the non-binding resolution opposing a troop increase in Iraq. Then he joined most of his GOP colleagues in voting against it, effectively stifling the measure. After that awkward turn, which was rooted in hard-to-explain Senate procedure, Hagel withdrew from center stage.
Now he's back there thanks to a highly anticipated announcement about his future plans which could, should those plans include a run for president, set him up as the most prominent Republican war critic in the nation. The hard-to-decipher Nebraskan, who will make his intentions known in Omaha on Monday, could announce anything from a presidential run as a Republican, to a run as an independent, to a run for third term in 2008, to retirement from the Senate. Or some combination of the above.
CONTINUED >>
The morning edition of First Read is taking a short breather and will return under new management as some of us make career changes. Until then, you can continue to find reporting and analysis from NBC's political and Washington coverage team on our
website.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top US general in Iraq, "on Thursday said the military surge would continue 'well beyond the summer' as leading Democrats in Congress vowed to press ahead with legislation setting a timetable for withdrawal," reports the Financial Times. "Separately, Stephen Hadley, the White House national security adviser,... echoed Gen Petraeus in saying there were some positive signs that the surge was damping the level of violence. But he added that the surge was in 'the early stages, and we’re going to have some good days and some bad days'. Gen Petraeus said that while he currently had no plans to request more troops for the surge, he would ask for more later if required."
The AP says the vote on the House Democratic leadership's plan "-- expected the week of March 19 -- will be a major test of [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi's ability to lead a party elevated by voters angered by the four-year war. She will have to prove Democrats are living up to their promise to end the war, without running roughshod over moderates who oppose the war but do not believe in setting firm timelines for withdrawal."
CONTINUED >>
As of now, Hagel is scheduled to appear at a bipartisan "presidential forum" sponsored by the International Association of Fire Fighters next Wednesday. According to the IAFF, Hagel confirmed his attendance on January 9. Most of the current candidates also are expected to attend, including McCain, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and former Sen. John Edwards.
Notably absent will be Giuliani -- a man fire fighters praised in the days after September 11. In a letter drafted on February 28, the IAFF wrote that Giuliani would not be invited to the forum. In the letter, they blasted Giuliani for his actions after September 11, mainly his decision to scale back efforts to recover bodies from Ground Zero. "His actions post 9/11 rise to such an offensive and personal attack on our brother and sisterhood - and directly on our union - that the IAFF does not feel Rudy Giuliani deserves an audience of IAFF leaders and members at our own Presidential Forum," they wrote. "He valued the money and gold and wanted the site cleared before he left office at the end of 2001 more than he valued the lives and memories of those lost... The fundamental lack of respect that Giuliani showed our FDNY members is unforgivable - and that’s why he was not invited."
CONTINUED >>
It's not her first trip to New Hampshire as a candidate, but it's her biggest trip there yet. Sen. Hillary Clinton keynotes the state party's sold-out 100 Club fundraising dinner in Nashua tomorrow night, which C-SPAN is using as the latest installment of its "Road to the White House" coverage.
The Washington Post's Milbank looks at Clinton's use of clichés. "In fairness, the current occupant of the White House has left future generations little to work with, should they ever decide to etch his words in marble. Bring 'em on? Smoke 'em out? With us or against us? But Clinton's platitudes are deliberate, not innate. As the Democrats' front-runner, she needs to be as anodyne as possible if she is to overcome her polarizing reputation."
CONTINUED >>
Look for the white rubber bracelet. The anti-poverty ONE campaign is
talking to major presidential candidates in an effort to make fighting poverty a major issue in the 2008 race.
The AP looks at the ethanol deal Bush will sign with Brazil today: "Bush says he wants to work with Brazil, a pioneer in ethanol production for decades, to push the development of alternative fuels in Central America and the Caribbean." More: "To taunt Bush" during his Latin American tour, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "will speak at an 'anti-imperialist' rally in a soccer stadium on Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, about 40 miles across the Plate River from Montevideo, where Bush will meet Uruguay's president, Tabor Vazquez."
The Bush Administration seems to be caving into Democratic lawmakers' demands in the fired US attorneys controversy, communicating yesterday that "Bush would not stand in the way of a Democratic-sponsored bill that would cancel the attorney general's power to appoint federal prosecutors without Senate confirmation." Attorney General Alberto Gonzales also said that Justice Department officials involved in the firings would be allowed to tell their stories without subpoenas becoming necessary. "It was a striking reversal for an administration noted for standing its ground even in the face of overwhelming opposition."
CONTINUED >>
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi.
While the presidential contenders court key constituencies, top operatives, influential endorsers and big donors, the public is more engaged in the race and their opinions of the candidates are being given greater weight at this early stage than ever before. Twenty months before the 2008 election, 73% of those surveyed by NBC and the Wall Street Journal say they're following the presidential race closely, an interest level approaching the 86% who said they were paying close attention just one month before the 2000 presidential election.
The result is anxiety and perhaps some second-guessing for the campaigns as they ponder whether the old tried-and-true formula for success in what used to be "the invisible primary" will continue to work in these early months of the 2008 race, or whether poll results will become as determinant, as soon, as fundraising and endorsements.
GOP Sen. John McCain's campaign, for example, certainly would prefer to talk about the support he received from a handful of state attorneys general yesterday than about the NBC/Journal results showing Rudy Giuliani nearly tripling his lead over the Arizona senator since December. In previous nominating fights, winning nods from the top law enforcement officials in early-primary states like South Carolina and Michigan was a coup. Today, that victory is being weighed alongside Giuliani's 14-point lead over McCain in a national primary trial heat, 38% to 24%. Three months ago, the spread was 5 points.
CONTINUED >>
The AP says of the forthcoming Democratic bill on the supplemental, "Democrats familiar with the emerging legislation said the bill would require President Bush to certify that the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was making progress toward providing for his country's security, allocating its oil revenues and creating a fair system for amending its constitution. They said if Bush certified the Iraqis were meeting these so-called benchmarks, U.S. combat troops could remain until September of next year. Otherwise, the deadline would move up to the end of 2007."
The Washington Post on Democrats' split over the bill: "Because Republicans have stood remarkably united against the Democratic effort, the loss of just a handful of Democratic votes could lead to an embarrassing public defeat. At least a dozen of the 43 conservative 'Blue Dogs'… could bolt if Democrats move toward withdrawal too aggressively. But dozens of antiwar Democrats say they cannot support legislation that is too meek."
CONTINUED >>
In an interview with Univision, Bush indicated that there's no imminent pardon in the works for Libby, and that he will stay out of the matter until the legal process is complete. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports that according to the White House, Vice President Cheney remains a trusted aide and his advice remains valuable to Bush. Bush and Cheney have seen each other and spoken since the verdict on Tuesday, but no information has been provided about whether they discussed the outcome. And the White House continues to say that because an appeals process will begin, it cannot comment on the case.
Covering prominent conservatives' efforts to persuade Bush to pardon Libby, USA Today reports, "Speculation is so rampant that the futures trading site intrade.com is allowing people to bet on the likelihood of a Libby pardon by year's end… Bush has been stingy (or careful, as his spokesman puts it) with his clemency authority. He has granted 113 pardons in six years, compared with 396 by Clinton during his eight-year tenure and 393 by Ronald Reagan."
CONTINUED >>
As Bush heads off to Latin America, the Dallas Morning News looks at the strained relationship between the United States and the region. "The Iraq war has been very unpopular in the region, and there is a general view that the United States has been disinterested in its own hemisphere, creating fertile terrain for a latent anti-Americanism that the Bush visit will either defuse or ignite. On the streets of Latin America, it's hard to say which way it will go."
"Beset by dangers abroad and rivals at home, the Bush administration has embarked on a broad adjustment of its foreign policy in hopes of using its final two years to improve a record now widely viewed as a failure," says the Los Angeles Times, which sees signs of the shifts in policy toward North Korea, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, and Latin America.
CONTINUED >>
The Wall Street Journal says of the NBC/Journal GOP horse-race results that "McCain aides vow a faster-paced travel schedule that gets the senator out of Washington and connecting with voters. He will embark on bus tours of Iowa and New Hampshire… next week. The McCain team argues that national polls overstate Mr. Giuliani's power in the race... Yet they insist they won't soon joust with Mr. Giuliani in an attempt to blunt his momentum; instead, they aim to protect Mr. McCain's reputation for positive campaigning while hoping the media and lagging Republican candidates… feel greater urgency to scrutinize Mr. Giuliani's record and stances on hot-button issues."
McCain has an event and a media availability in New York City today.
The Washington Times covers Giuliani defying the CW so far by surging in the polls and in support within the GOP despite his moderate positions on social issues, which many have presumed would tank his prospects among conservatives. Still, primary voters may not be taking a hard look at his record yet.
CONTINUED >>
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Sean Hannity on his radio show yesterday that she thinks Obama "is a very attractive person. I think he's very smart. And you know, I think he will do very well. But I think ultimately people will make their decisions based on whether or not they share -- any candidate shares your values, whether you think any candidate is going to represent your interests. I still think that's how Americans will choose their president." Rice also sort of shot down the idea of joining a GOP ticket as the running mate: "I just don't see it" she said, insisting she was heading back to academia at Stanford.
It's no longer surprising to see local bystanders in Iowa or New Hampshire jostle for position for a coveted handshake or photo-op when Clinton comes to town. What is surprising, NBC's Carrie Dann says, is seeing young Capitol Hill aides -- who are accustomed to rubbing elbows, or at least sharing elevators, with political celebrities -- react the same way. At a Washington fundraiser last night for the South Carolina Democratic party, Palmetto Staters and Democratic Hill staffers whispered excitedly through emcee Mike McCurry's remarks as Clinton and fellow presidential contender Sen. Chris Dodd worked the packed ballroom. One ebullient young woman gushed to a friend at the hors d'oeuvres table, "I just touched Hillary!"
CONTINUED >>
The Wall Street Journal says investment bank Bear Stearns is inviting the candidates to come address its senior managers and make pitches for donations.
From NBC's Mike Viqueira
Tiger Woods gamely posed for pictures with House leaders in the Capitol today, politely deflecting questions about the possibility that he might someday run for office himself, and other random queries from a fawning press corps. "I don't know what the future holds for me," Woods said in response to a question about whether he is considering entering the political arena. He cited his impending fatherhood and the new golf tournament that he is bringing to the Washington area this summer as the things that now occupy his mind.
The speaker's conference room was unusually crowded with cameras and reporters - many of whom were plainly delighted to lay eyes on the young legend - while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and MInority Leader John Boehner (a noted golf enthusiast) delivered some very brief and perfunctory remarks that left one wondering what the point of this whole thing was. Through it all, Woods sat smiling placidly between Pelosi and Boehner while lesser leaders basked in the reflected glow of the man whose name recognition likely surpasses all of theirs put together by a factor of about a million.
For his part, Woods was silent until one especially worked up cable news producer asked him a largely incoherent question about Woods' supposed ambition to attend Stanford at the age of 8. A response could not be heard over the shouts of "Thank you!" from a congressional staff eager to end the encounter.
From NBC's Huma Zaidi
The AFL-CIO, a coalition of 54 labor unions representing over 10 million members, and the AFSCME, representing over 1.4 million members, announced plans to revamp their presidential endorsement process. In a conference call with reporters this morning, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney and AFSCME president Gerald McEntee said they want their members to have more input into who the unions endorse for president. Sweeney and McEntee said members will be able to attend forums, one-on-one town hall meetings with candidates, and use the internet to learn more about potential nominees. "The breadth and depth of our efforts to engage union members and their families will be unparalleled," Sweeney said. "This will be a very bottom up process."
The groups plan on holding major candidate forums in June and August before meeting some time in the fall to decide whether or not to make an endorsement at that time. McEntee explained that they will examine the candidates' record, their position on issues, the viability of their campaign and their ability to inspire their members. "We have the best field of candidates at least that I've ever seen," McEntee said. "These candidates are diverse as they are talented." When asked why they decided to revamp their endorsement process, McEntee explained that they realized that perhaps they didn't "drill down far enough" and employ more grassroots activity in 2004.
From NBC's Carrie DannAfter Monday's appearance with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was overshadowed by questions about his family life, Rudy Giuliani gave another go at pushing his national security credentials yesterday. At a campaign stop in San Diego, Giuliani highlighted a broad approach to fighting terrorism, saying that voters are concerned about "not just the Iraq part ... but the overall thing, how we're going to deal with the war on terror." He managed to address immigration and energy policy before reporters pressed him again to discuss his son's estrangement from his current (third) wife Judy; he responded by echoing his earlier appeals to the press, saying "the more I can ask you to give us a certain degree of privacy, it's going to be much better for everybody."
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
While the Libby verdict shines a light on the Bush Administration's build-up to the Iraq war, its flawed intelligence, and Vice President Cheney's preoccupation with Joe Wilson, it also raises the subject of lies in politics and the people who tell them.
"Presidents" -- and, by extension, government officials -- "lie for all kinds of reasons," the historian Sean Wilentz was quoted as saying in a recent Atlantic Monthly cover story on presidents and lying. "Richard Nixon lied because he was trying to save his presidency, which was imperiled by his misdeeds. Franklin Delano Roosevelt misled the country over things like Lend-Lease… Honesty doesn't necessarily make for an effective presidency… What the public has to judge is whether [presidents] are lying for the good of the country -- or for their own good."
CONTINUED >>
So far, the White House is ignoring Democrats' calls for Bush to refrain from pardoning Libby. The Wall Street Journal says some prominent conservatives are pushing for one "based on what they claim is prosecutorial excess… Within hours of the verdict, the conservative National Review published an online editorial calling for a pardon… Dana Perino, a White House spokeswoman, left the door open, saying 'there's a process in place for all Americans if they want to receive a pardon from a president.' She said she wasn't characterizing Mr. Libby's prospects for clemency if he does apply."
"Democrats moved swiftly to place the verdict as part of a wider narrative about how the administration had smeared war critics, rather than the actions of one individual," says the Financial Times. "The trial confirmed that officials, including Richard Armitage, the former deputy secretary of state, and Karl Rove, the chief political adviser to Mr Bush, also leaked the name."
CONTINUED >>
USA Today looks at how "Democrats are using the uproar over [Walter Reed] as their latest cudgel to batter President Bush for his Iraq war policies as the administration shows signs it fears political damage from the revelations," and how "the Bush administration has moved quickly to try to contain the political damage." The story also notes, "Focusing the Iraq debate on the treatment of troops could help protect Democrats from GOP charges that proposals by some Democratic lawmakers to cut money for the war would hurt troops in the war zone," and also provides Democrats with "a distraction -- if only for now -- from the party's internal disagreements over how and when to force the president's hand."
The New York Times covers Bush’s appointment of former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R) and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala (D) to head a bipartisan commission investigating the poor conditions at Walter Reed, as well as Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson to lead a group of seven Cabinet members to focus on the needs of veterans coming back from Iraq. “The steps come as an increasingly restive Congress seizes on the recent accounts of problems encountered by wounded soldiers. A second day of Congressional hearings was held Tuesday on the troubles at Walter Reed, and lawmakers promised more to come.”
"House Democratic leaders, seeking
CONTINUED >>
The Hill reports that seven attorneys general, "including the host of a pivotal presidential primary, will announce their support for [McCain] today, adding to the number of state leaders endorsing him over former district attorney Rudy Giuliani and the other Republican hopefuls in the race… Three of the attorneys general endorsing McCain said the Arizona lawmaker is winning over the majority of Republican officials and former Bush campaign supporters in their home states. Five of the states represented are expected to hold early primaries next year."
Roll Call looks at the key, largely behind-the-scenes role being played by Sen. Trent Lott in his colleague McCain's presidential bid: "Lott has spent months helping court Congressional and build national support for McCain’s 2008 White House bid. He has advised McCain, spoken on his behalf and helped him set his campaign priorities."
CONTINUED >>
This past weekend's events prompted us to note on Monday that the formerly "invisible primary" for the support of key constituency groups such as CPAC on the Republican side and African-Americans on the Democratic side is now rather visible. Today's events only emphasize that even more -- and point to the fact that Democrats have many more key constituencies to court than do Republicans, for whom social conservatives are far and away the most vocal group they need to cater to.
This morning, the AFL-CIO will hold a conference call with reporters to unveil its new endorsement process, which it says will start earlier than in the past and will take place at a higher level (holding discussions with the candidates, town hall meetings, and online activities). Back in 2004, the labor federation didn't endorse anyone until Sen. John Kerry had won most of the early nominating contests, due to unions' split in support of the leading Democratic candidates.
CONTINUED >>
Democrats' probe of the firing of several US attorneys has ensnared an aide in a third GOP member's office, that of Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington state.
The testimonies of the half-dozen fired prosecutors yesterday "ratcheted up the controversy over the Bush administration's motives in replacing them. Two Democratic-controlled congressional committees are investigating whether any lawmakers violated ethics rules in pushing for their removal. In a rare spectacle, the ousted prosecutors appeared at a pair of hearings … sharing their disbelief and frustration over how they were abruptly terminated by Justice Department officials. The prosecutors said they could see no clear reason why they were let go other than political motives."
The Los Angeles Times covers the likelihood that the just-passed Senate bill containing a union-backed provision that would grant airport screeners collective bargaining rights won't have enough support to override a Bush veto.
The
Boston Globe looks at the Democrats' plan to raise taxes on the wealthy, largely by limiting the Alternative Minimum Tax, which was created to "prevent rich taxpayers from ducking taxes via deductions but is ensnaring millions of middle-income payers because it was never adjusted for inflation." But such a "move by Democrats to raise taxes on the wealthy would open Democrats up to political attacks."
From NBC's Mark Murray
Vice President Cheney just released the following statement on Libby's conviction:
"I am very disappointed with the verdict. I am saddened for Scooter and his family. As I have said before, Scooter has served our nation tirelessly and with great distinction through many years of public service."
"Since his legal team has announced that he is seeking a new trial and, if necessary, pursuing an appeal, I plan to have no further comment on the merits of this matter until these proceedings are concluded."
From NBC's Tammy Kupperman
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says at the time the Libby verdict came out, President Bush was in the Oval Office with chief of staff Josh Bolten and adviser Dan Bartlett and saw it read on television.
Perino provided Bush's reaction. "He said that he respected the jury's verdict, that he was saddened for Scooter Libby and his family." Perino added that because it is still an ongoing criminal proceeding (given the defense team's announcement it will ask for a new trial and/or appeal), "our principled stand on not commenting on an ongoing legal investigation is going to continue," she said.
From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, has been found guilty on four of the five perjury and obstruction charges against him.
From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
The court has been alerted that the panel of jurors has reached a verdict in the perjury and obstruction trial of Scooter Libby.
All those involved will return to the court in approximately 15 minutes. It's expected that Judge Reggie Walton will do the actual reading of the verdict.
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi.
President Bush might be a lame duck with a job approval rating hovering just above 30% and not a lot of leverage on Democrat-dominated Capitol Hill, but his Administration continues to take maximum advantage of the tools available to them to set policy, including executive orders and, it turns out, the ability to install US attorneys. Today, a handful of recently fired federal prosecutors are expected to appear before the House and Senate judiciary panels and affirm Democrats' claims that their terminations were politically motivated.
As has been reported over the past few weeks, these prosecutors were fired late last year with the approval of the White House after Justice Department officials "identified the prosecutors they believed were not doing enough to carry out President Bush's policies on immigration, firearms, and other issues," per the Washington Post from Sunday. Most of the prosecutors say they were given no reason for the dismissal, and most were presiding over public corruption investigations at the time they were released. The Justice Department has rejected suggestions that the probes played a role in their dismissals.
NBC's Pete Williams calls this "an ancient problem" between Justice and the prosecutors, a version of a common problem between any headquarters and its field offices. These US attorneys didn't hew to the script and ultimately lost their jobs for it.
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In his address to the American Legion in Washington today, President Bush will likely try again to get out in front of the growing scandal at Walter Reed, which Democratic lawmakers are pouncing on as a sign of GOP administrative failures, and also on the US military casualties in Iraq from the past day, the highest total in a month. The outcry over the living standards at Walter Reed "has led a White House known for defending its embattled leaders to fire the Army secretary, relieve a two-star general of his command, and dispatch Vice President Cheney to soothe the angry feelings by telling the Veterans of Foreign Wars: ‘There will be no excuses, only action.’”
Meanwhile, House Democrats are having a tough time building a consensus on how to handle the $100 billion supplemental, Viq reports, and the House Appropriations Committee mark-up of the bill remains unscheduled. The Politico goes a step further, saying that Speaker Nancy Pelosi "is facing a full-blown revolt from liberal House Democrats." Efforts to assuage conservative Democrats have made liberals unhappy. "The House Democratic Caucus will met at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, and Iraq will be at the top of the agenda."
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Front and center in the US attorneys controversy is the former prosecutor from New Mexico, David Iglesias, "who has told various media outlets that two New Mexico lawmakers contacted him in mid-October 2006 to inquire about the pace of an ongoing corruption probe of local Democrats," as Roll Call notes. "Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) already has admitted to, and apologized for, making a phone call to Iglesias in mid-October. But Domenici denied doing anything improper... Various media reports have singled out Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) as the other lawmaker." Their alleged involvement could spark "the first major ethics probes of the 110th Congress," and could endanger their re-election prospects in 2008.
Wilson yesterday also "denied allegations from [Iglesias] that she pressured him to speed up a political corruption investigation involving Democrats in the waning days of her tight election campaign last fall."
Yesterday, the Justice Department official "who called to fire several U.S. attorneys late last year" announced his resignation.
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Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has "sold his boutique investment bank, Giuliani Capital Partners, addressing concerns about potential conflicts of interest and adding to his warchest of campaign financing." The Financial Times reports that per analysts, "Giuliani Capital Advisors could be worth as much as $100m. It represents a large chunk of Mr Giuliani’s business interests." Today, Giuliani has "a fundraiser in Palo Alto hosted by Floyd Kvamme, a leading technology veteran from Silicon Valley who served on the National Finance Committee for [President Bush]. Although he is a social conservative, Mr Kvamme is willing to overlook Mr Giuliani’s liberal positions."
Giuliani has plenty of personal baggage to tow on the campaign trail, and his son added to that load over the weekend when he told ABC that he "got my values from my mother," whom Giuliani divorced in 2002 due to his very public affair with current wife Judith Nathan. Responding to questions about his son's comments yesterday, Giuliani admitted that his "blended family" could cause problems, but appealed for relief from the media spotlight, NBC's Carrie Dann reports. "The more privacy I can have for my family, the better we're going to be able to deal with all these difficulties," he told reporters in Los Angeles. He also was careful to absolve his current wife of blame for the strained relationship with his son: "She's done everything she can. The responsibility is mine."
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Sen. Hillary Clinton attends an EMILY's List luncheon honoring Speaker Nancy Pelosi, where she plans to unveil a huge women’s networking drive. “The campaign intends to use social networking tools and other Web technology to develop a thousands-strong Women’s Leadership Network, which would promote Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy nationwide and, by this fall, hold campaign events and take part in fund-raising.”
Clinton continued her pro-ethanol tour in Johnston, IA yesterday, touring the Pioneer Hi-Bred International Facility Research Greenhouses, meeting with employees, and over-enthusiastically learning about the bio-engineered plants and advancements in the field. Per NBC's Lauren Appelbaum, Clinton exclaimed "wow" and "this is amazing" throughout the explanations. Although she voted against ethanol bills early in her Senate career, she's now calling it one of many "miracles of science." Asked about some short-term fixes to America's energy challenges, Clinton recounted a story about her late father, who always turned off every light before leaving a room. She challenged the audience to "turn off that light because we don't want to send any more money to Chavez in Venezuela," which garnered a large applause.
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The AP reports that New Hampshire "is widely expected to leapfrog six days ahead of Iowa, which would be Jan. 8, but no one knows for sure." The New Hampshire Democratic Party is starting a series of panels on the importance of the state's first-in-the-nation primary. The first panel, which will feature correspondents from CNN and FOX, takes place next Wednesday.
And with at least 19 states looking to move their primaries to February 5, the Boston Globe looks at the effect it would have on the nominating process. "The trend would mark the biggest change in the presidential nominating process in decades. It would mean that presidential candidates would need to raise massive amounts of money -- at least $100 million before the first vote is cast, according to analysts in both parties -- and may see their chances of success evaporate at a stage when the contenders in past presidential contests were still introducing themselves to American voters."
From NBC's Pete Williams
The man in charge of all the US attorney's offices in the country is stepping down. But a senior Justice Department official insists it has nothing to do with the recent political controversy over the firings of some prosecutors.
Michael Battle, director of the Executive Office of US Attorneys, is leaving his post, Justice Department officials say. But they add he made it known last June that he wanted to move on. "It's unfortunate timing, but it's completely unrelated to the controversy," an official says. Battle has served in his job since April 2004.
The Justice Department has come under fire from some in Congress, who question the decision to fire eight US attorneys in December. All of them are political appointees.
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi.
In previous cycles, this stage of the presidential race was known as the "invisible primary," the period of time when the candidates focus on courting key constituencies, snagging top operatives and influential endorsements, and raising enough money to make a splash in April when the first-quarter fundraising reports come out -- all largely unnoticed by a disinterested general public.
Yet another result of the "earlier than ever" dynamic in the 2008 race is unprecedented early scrutiny of the candidates' efforts to court key constituencies. Part of the appeal of these efforts, of course, is that they tend to bring the candidates into close proximity, prompting a lot of "face-off" hype. A horde of national reporters recently trekked to Carson City, NV to watch the Democrats parade, for the most part newslessly, before members of a local union. The Republican candidates just spent last Friday and Saturday wooing conservative leaders and activists at a gathering in Washington. The top Democrats spent yesterday battling for black votes by commemorating a major civil rights anniversary.
Also over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times released its first survey of members of the Republican and Democratic national committees about their presidential preferences.
CONTINUED >>
The Washington Times notes, "Both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will give speeches in the next few days on the war on terrorism, to the applause of Republicans who say the White House needs to be more aggressive in selling the successes in Iraq." Per a senior Administration official, the point of the speeches is "'to give the broader context'... Politically, the White House is happy that the center of the Iraq war debate has shifted to Capitol Hill, giving the Democrats the chance to fail on their campaign promises to end the war."
The Washington Post focuses on how there's no Plan B if the troop increase doesn't work. "In the weeks since Bush announced the new plan for Iraq -- including an increase of 21,500 U.S. combat troops, additional reconstruction assistance and stepped-up pressure on the Iraqi government -- senior officials have rebuffed questions about other options in the event of failure. Eager to appear resolute and reluctant to provide fodder for skeptics, they have responded with a mix of optimism and evasion."
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A couple of big pieces from the weekend look at whether or not Giuliani could win the GOP nomination with the help of staunch conservative support despite his personal history and moderate positions on social issues. Newsweek put him on the cover: "As Giuliani campaigns to protect the country from disaster, he will have to account for calamities from his own past and of his own making... The former mayor's life story is that of a man with a righteous sense of right and wrong who excels when the world presents him with a crisis, and, when left to his own devices, creates crises for himself."
"His strength in recent national polls and some state polls has already prompted many strategists, including some in rival camps, to reexamine their long-held assumptions about a party that is approaching not only its first nomination battle since the terrorist attacks but also the first since the 2006 midterm elections, which put Democrats back into power in Washington. With President Bush's approval ratings still low, Republicans are looking for a winner," says the Sunday Washington Post.
The Washington Post's Kurtz writes this morning that Giuliani's "earliest adversary is the New York press corps, and its depiction of what has come to be dubbed the 9/10 Rudy... There is a sense of disbelief among some writers and columnists that their Rudy -- a man of great strengths and equally great flaws -- could become president."
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The Washington Post on the Selma showdown: "advisers to Obama and Clinton insisted it would not be a day for politics. But the candidates' mere presence in Alabama signaled the extraordinary importance of black voters in the upcoming Democratic primaries... The crowd in and around Obama's appearance was decidedly larger -- his audience included 15 members of Congress, compared with four who went to hear Clinton."
The Los Angeles Times notes in its coverage, "Many of the black voters who wondered about Obama's chances came from Selma or other pockets of the South where, decades after integration, obvious divisions remain."
The New York Times notes how Obama mentioned that his parents fell in love due to the tumult in Selma -- but that Obama was born four years before the violence in Selma took place. “Mrs. Clinton, meanwhile, recalled going with her church youth minister as a teenager in 1963 to hear the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speak in Chicago. Yet, in her autobiography and elsewhere, Mrs. Clinton has described growing up Republican and being a ‘Goldwater Girl’ in 1964 - in other words, a supporter of the presidential candidacy of Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act.”
CONTINUED >>
The Wall Street Journal, keying off Clinton's effort last week to draw attention to US foreign debt, looks at "how big an issue the growing unease over globalization and free trade will be in the 2008 campaign."
The Los Angeles Times observes that efforts by "leading Democrats in Congress... to add tax credits and deductions to benefit narrow groups of largely middle-class constituents" raise questions "about how the Democrats can give away tax revenue while keeping their pledge not to deepen the government's deficit." More: "Among potential beneficiaries: people with elderly parents in nursing homes, new parents, college students, volunteer firefighters and organ donors."
Bloomberg says Democrats' hope of collecting tens of billions of dollars in unpaid taxes may be "a mirage" because, tax experts say, "doing so would require thousands of new Internal Revenue Service agents as well as stricter filing rules, more stringent audits, tighter scrutiny of small businesses and other politically unpopular steps that Paulson says would penalize 'honorable and honest' taxpayers."
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the White House "approved the firings of seven US attorneys late last year after senior Justice Department officials identified the prosecutors they believed were not doing enough to carry out President Bush's policies on immigration, firearms, and other issues... Most of the prosecutors have said they were given no reason for their dismissals. At least five of the prosecutors... were presiding over public corruption investigations when they were fired, but Justice Department officials have said those inquiries played no role in the dismissals."
Today, the Post reports that Sen. Pete Domenici (R) of New Mexico has conceded that he "contacted the U.S. attorney in Albuquerque last year to ask about an ongoing corruption probe of Democrats, but said he 'never pressured him nor threatened him in any way.' Domenici also said in a statement that he told the Justice Department it should replace U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias... But Domenici said the recommendation came before his call to Iglesias about the criminal investigation," which, legal experts say, may have violated congressional ethics rules.
Presiding US District Judge Reggie Walton is expected to address jurors this morning when they resume deliberating the fate of former Cheney chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby, NBC's Joel Seidman reports. Today marks the ninth day of jury deliberations.
On Friday, notes from the jury gave a hint that there might be at least one holdout on a conviction, Seidman says. The jurors sent two notes to Walton, one with a question asking for further explanation of the concept of reasonable doubt, suggesting possible uncertainty or even disagreement over the core standard by which they are to measure the case against Libby. A conviction would require that all jurors find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The question reflects the central role that memory has played in the 14 days of testimony in the trial. "We would like clarification of the term 'reasonable doubt,'" the note said. "Specifically, is it necessary for the government to present evidence that it is not humanly possible for someone not to recall an event in order to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?"
The juror's question suggested that at least some of seven women and four men deliberating the case are struggling with the imprecise definition of reasonable doubt, as well as how to decide whether a false statement should be attributed to faulty memory or willful deception, the issue at the center of the case. In his instructions to the Libby jury before sending them off to deliberate, Walton said, "A reasonable doubt, as the name implies, is a doubt based on reason."
From NBC's Carrie Dann
Mitt Romney took home the blue ribbon from CPAC this weekend, where yesterday's straw poll of conservative attendees put his name at the top of the list of GOP presidential hopefuls with 21% of the vote. Rudy Giuliani came in second with 17%, followed by Brownback with 15%, and the (as-yet) unannounced Newt Gingrich at 14%. Bringing up the rear for candidates on the big board at 12% was John McCain, whose conspicuous absence from the conference was clearly viewed as a snub by the audience, which booed and hissed when his name was called by the pollsters.
The poll -- taken among 1,705 registered attendees of the annual conference -- was watched closely by supporters and journalists alike because it provides a barometer of how Republican presidential hopefuls are faring among the party's most loyal. (To give a sense of how conservative the CPAC crowd is, another poll result showed a whopping 82% supporting the troop surge in Iraq). Giuliani scored big among those who said they prioritized national security, while Brownback was the big winner among values voters.
The results' announcement preceded the highly-anticipated remarks by Gingrich, who was a crowd favorite. Chants of "Newt! Newt! Newt!" filled the ballroom as he made his way through the crowds, who rewarded his abundant swipes at Democrats with hearty applause and laughter. Gingrich, who has said he is waiting until the fall to decide if he'll jump into the race, reiterated it firmly during his speech. "I'm not going to think about the presidential campaign until the 30th of September," Gingrich said. But, he did have some advice for the prospective nominees. Gingrich called for more hand-to-hand intellectual combat between candidates, proposing that the two parties' nominees should hold a series of nine weekly 90-minute forums going into the general election. (He specifically extended the challenge to Barack Obama, whose plea for candor and spin-less dialogue has become a pillar of his campaign).
From NBC's Carrie Dann
In a field dominated by three candidates whose ideological oscillations have raised eyebrows on the right, Sam Brownback is fighting to bring his conservative credentials into three dimensions. At CPAC this afternoon, he tried to do that with the use of an edgier entrance soundtrack (Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger") and some theatrical props. Brownback brandished two volumes of IRS code like a barbell and declared "This is a monstrosity!" Later in his remarks, he held up a piece of carpet made from corn plants to illustrate his energy plan to make America "more dependent on the middle west than on the Middle East." In addition to tax reform and energy, Brownback focused on conservative crowd-pleasers like border security and right-to-life issues. He noticeably avoided specifics on Iraq, other than adding the war on terror to his list of causes that are "right and just."
Although Brownback touted his goal of being "the family president," Mitt Romney continues to corner the market as the high-profile family guy on the GOP side. As he has since his announcement, Romney invited his wife Ann to address the attendees, implicitly reminding them of the contrast between his own squeaky-clean marriage and the divorces of John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. Romney went heavy on social issues, berating the "few folks in black robes" who could affect federal policies on abortion and gay marriage. As governor of Massachusetts, he said, "I stood at the center of the battlefield on every major social issue. I fought to preserve our traditional values and protect the sanctity of human life."
We also noted the giggles of attendees in the hallways who saw "Flip Romney," an enterprising young person in a dolphin suit and a t-shirt reading "Just another Flip-Flopper from Massachusetts" - a reference to Romney's more liberal stances during his gubernatorial years.
From NBC's Andrew Merten
Taking the stage to deliver his address to CPAC, Rudy Giuliani got a standing ovation from many supporters sporting homemade signs, including “Red Sox Fans for Rudy” and “Women for Giuliani.” The former New York City mayor centered his speech on his long-time hero former President Ronald Reagan, calling him a “visionary and practical” leader. He also compared Reagan's often unpopular decisions with Bush's in an effort to praise the current president's penchant to “consult something broader than public opinion.”
Giuliani repeated his recent criticism of the Democratic Congress’ stance against the Iraq war. “When you do non-binding resolutions, you’re trying to escape the responsibility of making these decision," he said, adding that the country needs leaders who will “make decisions, not be commentators.” Giuliani compared his time on the “offensive” against organized crime in New York to the “necessity of being on the offense” in the war on terror, adding that he understood the need for measures like the Patriot Act and electronic surveillance.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum and Andrew Merten
The ballroom at CPAC has gradually filled, Sen. Sam Brownback's supporters are roaming the hallways with signs and chants, and former Gov. Mitt Romney's supporters are handing out stickers. Rep. Tom Tancredo is the only candidate to have signs inside the ballroom. Not everyone who wanted to hear former Mayor Rudy Giuliani speak was able to get into the room.
When former Gov. Mike Huckabee took the stage, he was received warmly with a standing ovation, and his speech sounded a much more conservative note than those he has delivered recently. He said he's running for president "not because of my ego," but "because of my country... The conservative movement must make sure... we preserve not just winning elections but preserving a country."
CONTINUED >>
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
Presidential candidates seem awfully quick to mar their own announcements with unfortunate remarks these days, and nearly as quick to say they're sorry. Appearing on Letterman Wednesday night to officially declare his run for president, Sen. John McCain (R) suggested that the lives of US troops fighting in Iraq have been "wasted:" "Americans are very frustrated, and they have every right to be," he said. "We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives."
Oddly, McCain's flub was the same as the one committed by his colleague and potential future rival Barack Obama (D) just a day after he officially kicked off his presidential campaign last month. And, like Obama, McCain quickly apologized, saying less than 24 hours later that he should have used the word "sacrificed" instead of "wasted" in referencing US casualties in Iraq. "No one appreciates and honors more than I do the selfless patriotism of American servicemen and women in the Iraq War," said McCain, whose son is a Marine bound for Iraq.
CONTINUED >>
Pentagon officials testified yesterday that Bush's planned troop increase will require "as many as 28,500" more -- not 21,500. "The increase in troops is expected to peak in May, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Pentagon officials stressed that the additional troops will be properly equipped."
"Republicans in Congress -- including most who have defected from President Bush's plan to send reinforcements to Iraq -- have closed ranks and are prepared to thwart the Democrats' continued efforts to undermine the war strategy," the Washington Times reports. "Most of the 17 House Republicans who voted for a resolution against the troop-surge plan... now oppose moves to cut war funding or attach conditions to appropriations bills that would hamstring the war effort. All but one of the seven Senate Republicans that backed the anti-surge resolution in their chamber say they will not support any funding cuts."
CONTINUED >>
In a look at how McCain could catch up to Giuliani, Slate's Dickerson labels McCain "'soft launch,' as an adviser called it,... vintage McCain-candid and messy."
Also yesterday, McCain "pledged to accept public funding in a general election, provided the Democratic nominee does the same," The Politico reports. "Combined with Obama's request to the FEC that candidates be allowed to change their minds on accepting public financing for the general election even if they don't plan to now, the moves "seemed designed to solidify their positions as the field’s leading advocates for reducing the influence of money in politics."
CONTINUED >>
The Los Angeles Times profiles 16-term New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, "probably the most influential figure in national politics you've never heard of," because of his power to change his state's presidential primary date. The date is currently -- but far from certainly -- scheduled for January 22.
The New York Times looks at how all of the candidates are campaigning in California, given that the state is planning to move its primary to February 5.
Al Franken will hold a rally and media availability in St. Paul tomorrow, effectively kicking off his 2008 Senate campaign. (Even Senate campaigns are kicking off this early?)
The Washington Post front-pages the anticipated Clinton-Clinton-Obama face-off in Selma on Sunday. The story notes that the Clinton campaign admitted that the decision" for the former President to attend "was made yesterday, more than a week after Hillary Clinton made her plans to go to Selma."
Obama told NBC's O'Donnell that he's going to Selma because "this is the first year that my schedule actually allowed it. Uh, I think in previous years we had conflicts, I'd made previous commitments. John Lewis, who is a genuine hero of mine, had asked me before and the fact that we could make it work this time was thrilling to me." He also said this will be his first visit there. When asked about how his campaign got drawn into the squabble with the Clinton camp over David Geffen's comments, Obama replied, "You know, we're a young campaign. We've been up and running for four or five weeks, and what I've told my staff is that I want all our statements to sound like me." He added that he can "mix it up."
CONTINUED >>
Also yesterday, a House Judiciary subcommittee approved "the first in what is expected to be an avalanche of subpoenas to Bush administration officials. They will likely explore corruption and mismanagement allegations on everything from pre-war Iraq intelligence to the mishandling of the response to Hurricane Katrina," reports The Hill. "The first round of subpoenas concern the recent controversial firings by the Bush administration of seven U.S. attorneys, some of whom were pursuing public corruption cases against Republican members of Congress... The White House has denied that the attorneys were fired for anything other than performance-related issues."
A New York Times/CBS poll on health care shows that 64% believe the federal government should guarantee health insurance to every American; by comparison, 56% said this in 1996, at the end of the Clinton Administration effort to revamp the country’s health-care system. Also in the poll, only 24% approve of Bush’s handling of health care and 62% said Democrats were more likely to improve the system.
President Bush heads to Indiana to campaign for the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and then host a fundraiser for his water-carrier in the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The
Los Angeles Times points out that despite his sagging job approval ratings, his fundraising ability remains as strong as ever.
Katrina recovery efforts also are an undercurrent for the seating of Rep. William Jefferson (D) on the Homeland Security Committee. Pelosi says that Jefferson "has already paid a price" for the allegations against him, NBC's Mike Viqueira reports, and because his constituents have re-elected him from his New Orleans district. Jefferson is the alleged recipient of a bribe, $90,000 of which was reportedly found in his icebox. He has not been indicted.
Republicans have announced that they will force a vote on Pelosi's decision to appoint Jefferson to a seat on the panel. Normally such appointments are done by 'unanimous consent,' i.e., if there is no objection the appointment is approved without a vote. And, Viq reports, the fact that Democrats have chosen not to bring the matter to the floor this week in the face of the Republican threats may be an indication that not all members of the Democratic caucus support the seating of Jefferson. In other words, Pelosi may not have the votes to do it.
CONTINUED >>
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
About one month after a State of the Union address in which he didn't once mention Hurricane Katrina or Gulf Coast recovery, President Bush returns to the still struggling region today, stopping first in Mississippi and then heading to New Orleans. A White House release this morning notes, "The Federal government has committed more than $110 billion to help the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Katrina. President Bush remains committed to progress on all fronts in the Gulf Region, and will discuss progress in education as well as other reconstruction efforts." This will be his first visit since August 29.
While the situation on the ground in New Orleans may have changed little since then, the political circumstances certainly have. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) is up for re-election this year, and the criticism she received in Katrina's aftermath has left her vulnerable both to possible challenger John Breaux (D), the state's popular former senator, and to repeat challenger Bobby Jindal (R), who lost to Blanco in 2003. Although New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin managed to get re-elected last spring, Blanco hasn't displayed the same canny survivor instincts. Central to her re-election effort would be efforts to shift blame onto the Bush Administration, and away from her own, for the government's failed response to Katrina. "I can't speak for the President of the United States, but he could have given just a few words to lift up our citizens," she said after the State of the Union.
CONTINUED >>
McCain's half-announcement on Letterman "followed a pattern increasingly common in this presidential contest, as candidates have used multi-step announcement schedules to garner maximum attention for their bids," says the Washington Post. And beyond a news bump, he "may have additional motives for using the late-night comedian's show, as he tries to rekindle some of the spontaneity and unpredictability from his first campaign."
The New York Times: "In truth, Mr. McCain has been running for the White House for nearly two years and, ever since forming a presidential exploratory committee in November, has repeatedly told interviewers that there are no circumstances he can foresee in which he would not run."
CONTINUED >>
The Hill looks at the "minefield of political hazards" posed by the revival of the McCain-Kennedy immigration overhaul bill, not only to McCain but to all six senators running for president.
The Financial Times comments that the FEC's ruling last week that "White House hopefuls can raise private money without prejudicing their access to federal cash might prove to be the last twitch of the public financing system for the presidency," given how the candidates all seem inclined not to participate in it. This cycle probably will be the first since 1972 "in which both candidates relied solely on private money to fuel their campaigns."
The New York Daily News notes a new Gallup poll showing that 70% believe former President Bill Clinton would be helpful to his wife as she runs for president.
Former Sen. John Edwards makes another college tour stop today, visiting Metropolitan State University in Denver. Next up are Berkeley and UCLA on Sunday and Monday and Howard University in two weeks. The Hill notes that Edwards' "strong support of prohibiting gambling on college sports is expected to hamper his chances in the Nevada presidential caucus."
CONTINUED >>
"House Democratic leaders will add nearly $4 billion for farmers to a bill funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to attract conservative Democrats concerned that the measure would wrongly constrict President Bush’s power as commander in chief," says The Hill. "Republican House leaders anticipated such sweeteners" and warned their ranks not to fall for it.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R) of Iowa is facing some tough opposition from his constituents over the Iraq war. Anti-war activists are "confronting him at town meetings and staging an 'occupation' at his Iowa offices earlier this week" reports the Des Moines Register. "But Grassley said Wednesday that he remains committed to approving money for a troop buildup in Iraq, based on the opinions of military commanders that an increase in forces can quell ongoing violence in the region."
CONTINUED >>
Also in advance of CPAC, the Boston Globe looks at how and why conservatives are shifting their focus to key 2008 congressional races instead of the presidential race. The Globe writes that "faced with a pack of GOP presidential contenders with spotty conservative credentials, the party's fiscal and social conservatives say they are making a special effort to reclaim power on Capitol Hill to hold the next White House in line."
Per the New York Times, two Bush Cabinet officials testifying yesterday before a Senate committee vowed to work with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform “but publicly distanced themselves from proposals that would place most illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship… It was unclear whether the officials were simply trying to ease conservative concerns about the citizenship question or whether Mr. Bush had actually shifted his position."
CONTINUED >>
The Republican 527 group Progress for America, which supported Bush’s re-election in 2004, has agreed to pay a $750,000 fine as part of a settlement with the FEC for violating campaign finance laws by spending more than $30 million on ads and mailings. The New York Times: “The agency found that the group, the Progress for America Voter Fund, operated as a political action committee, soliciting money and financing advertisements… Its actions violated campaign laws because it was not registered as a political action committee that would be subject to strict limits on donations. The agency said it circumvented a ban on corporate money and accepted contributions that well exceeded the caps on individual donations.”
And, as of last night, members of the Hispanic Caucus appeared likely to oust their chairman, Rep. Joe Baca (D), "over the allocation of funds to election campaigns involving Baca’s sons and the accusation that the reviled chairman insulted one colleague, calling her a 'whore.'"
