 |
|
The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
Rowland rolls on, Bush reprises compassionate conservatism
 | |
| |
|
 VIDEO |
 Newsweek journalist : Book short on details regarding impeachment.
 Clinton's memoirs have thrust him back in the media spotlight.
|
AUDIO |
 Clinton recalls meeting President Kennedy
PLAY AUDIO (920 KB)
"The greatest speech of my lifetime"
PLAY AUDIO (832 KB)
Clinton reflects on his father
PLAY AUDIO (784 KB)
|
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
ROWLAND RESIGNS: Connecticut Gov. John Rowland offered no explanation for his resignation or its timing in a five-minute, 45-second speech delivered and broadcast live on television from a garden outside the Executive Residence in Hartford. He never mentioned being the subject of a federal criminal investigation into bid-rigging in his administration, nor did he refer to the impeachment hearings over the past two weeks that documented his acceptance of gifts and favors from state contractors and a circle of close aides.The Hartford Courant: Rowland remains unapologetic
MITT ON MARRIAGE: Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney turns up the heat on John Kerry today by joining Republicans pushing a national gay marriage ban seen as an attempt to embarrass Kerry days before his nomination next month. Romney, an ardent opponent of gay marriage, will urge the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington to ensure other states don't follow Massachusetts into gay marriage legalization.The Boston Herald: Mitt's message to the nation on gay marriage: Don't Mass. it up
COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATISM IS BACK: Bush returned to his 2000 campaign theme of "compassionate conservatism" Monday in an official visit to a Cincinnati social service agency before stopping for a $2.5 million Republican fund-raiser. Democratic groups chided Bush for not focusing on the economy, but Bush stayed on the day's message, making only a brief offhand comment about the improving unemployment figures in Ohio.The Cincinnati Enquirer: Bush praises power of love
KERRY'S STEM SELL: Kerry promised Monday to restore America's scientific leadership in the world and lift political barriers to potentially life-saving research, as he was endorsed by 48 Nobel Prize-winning scientists. In his first campaign visit to Denver, Kerry called for renewed stem-cell research, saying more than 100 million Americans have illnesses or injuries that might be treated with stem-cell therapy.The Denver Post: Kerry makes a splash
VETERANS FIRST: Kerry decided Monday to cancel his trip to New Mexico so he could return to the Capitol and vote on legislation that would affect veterans. Kerry's campaign announced that Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle plans today to offer an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would provide mandatory health care funding for veterans.The Associated Press: Kerry calls off visit to New Mexico
IRAQ HURTING BUSH: Public anxiety over mounting casualties in Iraq and doubts about long-term consequences of the war continue to rise and have helped to erase Bush's once-formidable advantage over Kerry concerning who is best able to deal with terrorist threats, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Exactly half the country now approves of the way Bush is managing the U.S. war on terrorism, down 13 percentage points since April, according to the poll.The Washington Post: Bush loses advantage in war on terrorism
POLLS AND PARTIES: In the last week of May and the early part of this month, three independent national polling organizations reported that Bush trailed Kerry by anywhere from 5 to 8 percentage points. But the share of Democrats and Republicans surveyed did not jibe from poll to poll. The relative paucity of Republicans in The Los Angeles Times poll unleashed a flurry of complaints from GOP activists -- led by Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for Bush's reelection campaign, and David Winston, a prominent GOP pollster.The Los Angeles Times: Where independent pollsters and politicians diverge
NADER-CAMEJO: Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader named Green Party activist Peter Camejo as his vice presidential running mate Monday, adding to his ticket a two-time contender for governor in California who once ran for president as a Socialist. Nader's selection of Camejo gives further shape to a left-leaning, antiwar campaign many Democrats fear will spoil their effort to unseat President Bush.The Los Angeles Times: Nader selects Camejo as his running mate
COVERING THE BASE: A new independent-expenditure group, backed by the John Templeton Foundation, is targeting what political analysts regard as Bush's electoral ace in the hole -- religious conservative voters. Let Freedom Ring Inc. will seek contributions to help "counter the millions of dollars being spent to attack and discredit President Bush by leftist organizations such as those supported by billionaire George Soros, Hollywood liberals and others," said Colin A. Hanna, the new group's president.The Washington Times: New group targets religious conservatives
BLOOMBERG DROPS NRCC: A fund-raiser for the National Republican Congressional Committee in New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg's home was abruptly dropped yesterday in a growing feud over the allocation of federal funds to fight terrorism. The luncheon event was canceled after the mayor objected to the attendance of Bob Ney, co-chair of the NRCC's incumbent retention committee. Ney voted last week against an amendment sponsored by Rep. John Sweeney that would have shifted nearly $450 million into a fund for cities at high risk of attacks.The New York Post: Mike dumps GOPers over terror
MARTINEZ'S GAME PLAN: Republican Mel Martinez made his political name in Orlando and Washington, but now he is banking on Miami in his Senate bid. One of eight Republicans vying for the party's nomination in the August 31 primary, Martinez is envisioning a strong turnout among Miami-Dade County Hispanics to power him to victory.The Orlando Sentinel: Martinez banks on Hispanics in Miami
THE BOOK TOUR: After a visit to a Barnes & Noble store on Fifth Avenue this morning, Clinton plans to make the second stop of his long-awaited tour for "My Life" at Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe, a small independent bookstore that four African-American women opened on 125th Street two years ago. The scheduled booksigning has created a buzz in the historic black neighborhood for two weeks, with curious residents from all over New York City trekking to the store to get details and, in many cases, obtain a printed yellow ticket for a place in line. As of yesterday afternoon, all 2,000 available tickets had been given to advance buyers of the book.The Boston Globe: Harlem bookstore scores a coup
Compiled by Mark Rodeffer
