Former Campaign Strategist: Dole Wouldn't Be A Good President

(AllPolitics, Oct. 27) - Bob Dole's former chief campaign strategist tells Newsweek magazine that the Republican candidate would not be a particularly good President. "There's a lack of communication skills, the indecisiveness, the obsession with self reliance," said Don Sipple, who was fired from the Dole campaign in September. Sipple said Dole is essentially running his own campaign. "There was never a strategy," Sipple said. In the interview, Sipple describes Dole as a good, decent man but said "he is not a man of this time." "He thought the presidency was a reward system, and he was next in line for the ring," Sipple said.

Former DNC Fundraiser Subpoenaed

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics Oct. 27) -- Attorneys for John Huang, the former Democratic Party fundraiser under fire for his solicitation of international donations, accepted a subpoena on his behalf Sunday, Democratic officials told CNN. The subpoena was issued by the U.S. District Court in Washington. Huang's deposition is sought in connection with a case filed by Judicial Watch. The conservative group alleges that the late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown used departmental trade missions to raise money for the Democratic National Committee. Huang worked for Brown at the Commerce Department before leaving in January to raise money for the DNC. His connections to a powerful Indonesian family and his responsibility for bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions have made him the target of Republican attacks. Huang's whereabouts have become a major issue in the Judicial Watch case. He has made no public appearances or statements since his fundraising activities came under fire this month.

Murdoch Donation Confirmed, Gingrich Link Denied

BURBANK (AllPolitics, Oct. 27) -- The California Republican Party Sunday confirmed a report in Saturday's Los Angeles Times that media mogul Rupert Murdoch has made contributions totaling $1 million to the state party. Murdoch contributed $750,000 in the month of October and $250,000 in September. Both contributions were noted in the party's financial reports. The money is to be used only for state races -- not the presidential campaign, a state party official told CNN. Murdoch, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1985, has controlling interests in 20th Century Fox Studios, the Fox Television Network, the London Times, the New York Post, and many other media properties. In Sunday's London Observer, a campaign adviser to the California Democratic Party claimed Murdoch made the donations at the request of House Speaker Newt Gingrich to buy Congressional seats in California. Mike Shields, Gingrich's campaign communications director, told CNN the claim is "ridiculous."

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