CANDIDATES SEIZE TERROR PLOT AS POLITICAL ISSUE: Democrats and Republicans alike rushed to invoke yesterday's terrorist scare in Britain in congressional campaigns, underscoring how a series of national-security-related developments are refocusing and sharpening the political debate three months before the midterm elections. Campaigning in Connecticut, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, who lost Tuesday's Democratic primary and is now running as an independent, said the antiwar views of primary winner Ned Lamont would be "taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England." Rep. Mark Kennedy, the Republican Senate candidate in Minnesota, used the alleged plot as a campaign wedge only hours after it was disclosed. "The arrests this morning in Great Britain make it clear that now, more than ever, this is an ongoing battle and we need leaders in Washington who remain committed to doing what is right instead of what may be seen as politically advantageous," he said. Washington Post: Both Parties Claim Edge as Terror Is Reinforced as a Campaign Topic

BUSH CALLS PLOT "STARK REMINDER" OF THREAT FROM "ISLAMIC FASCISTS": President Bush tried to assure Americans on Thursday that antiterrorism measures taken since the Sept. 11 attacks had made them safer while acknowledging that danger remained — part of a balancing act in which his aides portrayed him as deeply involved in dealing with the foiled airline plot even as he continued his vacation here. As Americans stood in long lines at airports, Mr. Bush went ahead with his planned trip to Wisconsin to raise money for a Republican Congressional candidate and to speak about the economy during a stop at a metal factory. He made brief remarks about the arrests in Britain on the tarmac of the airport in Green Bay, saying the plot was "a stark reminder" of the threat from "Islamic fascists." "The country is safer than it was prior to 9/11," he said in Green Bay. "We've taken a lot of measures to protect the American people. But obviously, we're still not completely safe, because there are people that still plot and people who want to harm us for what we believe in." He later flew back to his ranch [in Crawford], and aides said there were no plans for him to cut short his stay. New York Times: Bush, on a Quick Trip From His Texas Ranch, Says Americans Are Safer Than Before Sept. 11

BOON FOR REPUBLICANS... BUT FOR HOW LONG? The unraveling of a terrorist plot in London may bolster the Republican political strategy of presenting their party as best equipped to confront a dangerous world if the issue persists for the next three months... The foiled British plot may help Republicans, said Joe Gaylord, former executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee. National security "is our one remaining strength," Gaylord said. "Every time you have one of these incidents it forces back up into everyone's minds everything from 9/11." James Lucier, senior political analyst at Prudential Equity Group in Washington, said the effects may not last until voters go to the polls on Nov. 7. "Is this particular incident going to help Republicans for more than a couple of days?" Lucier asked. "Perhaps not." Bloomberg: London Terrorism Arrests May Aid Republican Political Strategy

SCHWARZENEGGER SENDS TROOPS TO AIRPORTS: Three hundred National Guard troops were ordered Thursday to airports in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego as state and local officials ramped up security measures around California in response to the arrests of suspected terrorists accused of plotting to blow up airplanes headed from Britain to the United States. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger assigned troops to the three largest airports that regularly receive flights from Europe in the first such deployment of the California National Guard since the Sept. 11 attacks five years ago. Uniformed troops carrying guns were to arrive at airports this morning and will stay in place for at least a week, according to Adjutant Gen. William H. Wade II, the head of the state's National Guard. San Francisco Chronicle: Governor sends Guard to four major airports -- CHP to keep an eye on bridges, other possible targets

...SO DOES ROMNEY: Summoned from homes and jobs across the state, Massachusetts National Guard soldiers and airmen began reporting to Logan International Airport last night to help protect New England's critical travel hub. From armed patrols to gate screening, the Guard will be assigned to the airport indefinitely to supplement security by the State Police, Massport, and the Transportation Security Administration, said Master Sergeant Pallas deBettencourt, a National Guard spokeswoman. Citing security concerns, the Guard did not release the number of personnel to be ordered to the airport. The governor's office reported that the first wave of 50 Guardsmen arrived at Logan about 6 p.m. to be briefed before deployment in the terminals, which Guard officials said was expected to begin late last night or early this morning. Boston Globe: National Guard to assist at Logan

SCHUMER "VICTIM" OF "HEATHROW TRAVEL HELL": Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) became an unexpected victim of London terror plotters when he couldn't find his luggage amid the resulting chaos of London's Heathrow Airport. "It almost looked like a scene out of a war," said a travel-weary Schumer, speaking from London on a conference call with reporters. Schumer flew to England from New York for an annual family vacation. But his plane was delayed on the tarmac upon landing, and he soon learned from another passenger who had a BlackBerry e-mail device about the British terror arrests. Thus began an agonizing day of lost luggage, long lines and canceled flights that could have made even the most up-beat lawmaker cranky. New York Post: Schumer Caught in Heathrow Travel Hell

19% OF '04 BUSH VOTERS READY TO VOTE DEM: Republicans determined to win in November are up against a troublesome trend - growing opposition to President Bush. An Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted this week found the president's approval rating has dropped to 33 percent, matching his low in May. His handling of nearly every issue, from the Iraq war to foreign policy, contributed to the president's decline around the nation, even in the Republican-friendly South. More sobering for the GOP are the number of voters who backed Bush in 2004 who are ready to vote Democratic in the fall's congressional elections - 19 percent. These one-time Bush voters are more likely to be female, self-described moderates, low- to middle-income and from the Northeast and Midwest. AP via Yahoo! News: Bush backers may abandon Republicans

JUST 22% OF STATE LEGISLATORS ARE WOMEN: A number of groups are pushing female candidates for state-level offices across the USA. The goal is to bring different perspectives to the political debate, draw disenchanted voters to the polls and widen the pool of female candidates. The percentage of female state legislators has hovered near 22% for the past decade. "They're seeing that women are not running," says Gilda Morales of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. "And so they're actually going in and trying to not only support but train women as candidates." USA Today: Groups seek female candidates

LIEBERMAN HOLDS FIRST PUBLIC EVENT AS INDEPENDENT: Sen. Joe Lieberman set out on his go-it-alone re-election campaign Thursday and seized on the terror arrests in Britain to argue that his Democratic opponent, Ned Lamont, does not fully understand the danger facing the nation. Lieberman's stop in Waterbury was his first public event since losing Tuesday's Democratic primary, dismissing his campaign staff and launching his independent bid. He seized on the terror plot in Britain to criticize Lamont's opposition to the war in Iraq. "I'm worried that too many people, both in politics and out, don't appreciate the seriousness of the threat to American security and the evil of the enemy that faces us - more evil or as evil as Nazism and probably more dangerous than the Soviet communists we fought during the long Cold War," Lieberman said. AP via Yahoo! News: New independent Lieberman campaigning

SO, WHO'S THAT RALES GUY ALL OVER TV? [MD SEN Candidate Josh] Rales has launched a statewide barrage of television spots that he plans to continue through September's primary in his quest for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. A millionaire real estate investor and philanthropist from Potomac, Rales has said he will spend as much as $5 million of his money. Rales, 48, a political neophyte, promises to bring fresh ideas to Congress. He wants to see an end to the war in Iraq and to the "enormous complacency" among elected officials. He compares himself to Ned Lamont, who defeated three-term Democratic Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman this week in a Connecticut primary. But unlike Lamont, Rales has yet to connect with voters. Rales received the support of 1 percent of registered Maryland voters in a Washington Post poll in June. Washington Post: Long Shot Josh Rales Trying to Get Noticed

INDEPENDENT WESTLUND DROPS OR GOV BID: Independent Ben Westlund, whose wild-card candidacy had shaken up the race for governor, abruptly ended his campaign Thursday after concluding he had little chance to win. Democrats -- worried Westlund was cutting into support for Gov. Ted Kulongoski -- expressed relief at his decision while Republicans sought to downplay the effect on their nominee, Ron Saxton. Westlund, a state senator from Bend, said he expected to announce his support for one of the candidates later in the campaign but would not say which one. Although Westlund is a former Republican, his campaign positions have tended to appeal more to Democratic-leaning voters. Among other things, he has called for universal health coverage, a sales tax and civil unions for gays. Portland Oregonian: Sen. Westlund quits governor's race

PADGETT CAN REPLACE NEY ON BALLOT SAYS OH SOS: Republicans can appoint state Sen. Joy Padgett to replace U.S. Rep. Bob Ney on the Nov. 7 ballot or have her run in a special primary election, Attorney General Jim Petro said in an advisory opinion yesterday. Addressing questions from Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert T. Bennett, Petro said Ohio's "sore loser" law does not prevent someone from running for Congress in the general election if the person ran unsuccessfully for statewide office in the primary. Padgett was Petro's running mate in his unsuccessful GOP gubernatorial bid in May. Under the opinion, if Ney withdraws between Aug. 19 and Aug. 23, Republican chairmen and secretaries of the county central committees in the 18th District can appoint Padgett as his replacement. If Ney withdraws sooner, Padgett is clear to run in a special primary election, Petro said. Columbus Dispatch: Petro OKs 2 avenues for Padgett candidacy

DEMS WANT SUOZZI "TO DO THE RIGHT THING"... DROP OUT OF GOV RACE: Gubernatorial underdog Tom Suozzi should call it quits and throw his energy and money into getting fellow Democrats elected, a group of party stalwarts said yesterday. With just a month to go before the primary, the state senators and members of Congress said Suozzi should drop his challenge to Democrat Eliot Spitzer, who leads him in the polls by nearly 70 points. The lawmakers lavishly praised Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, as a "good Democrat" who could enjoy a successful political career tomorrow by giving up a losing primary battle today. "I know Tom Suozzi," state Sen. Malcolm Smith of Queens said at a City Hall news conference. "I know he wants to do the right thing by the people of the State of New York." New York Daily News: Tom to give it up, Dems tell Suozzi

HARRIS' TRAVEL AIDE ON PROBATION AFTER THEFT CHARGES: Before he became U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris' travel aide, Bruce Carlton Jordan journeyed across the state and dined out with money he stole from his former employers, according to court records. Jordan, 42, is a longtime friend of the Longboat Key congresswoman and began working as her volunteer driver and personal assistant in March -- about a month after he got out of jail, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Now on community control and three years' probation, Jordan must pay restitution and has occasionally traded in his well-cut campaign-trail suits for jail stripes to work off the remainder of his 60-day sentence cleaning roadsides and moving furniture for nonprofit organizations. His crime: charging $1,125.79 worth of personal airline tickets on the American Express card of his boss at Florida Workers' Advocates in fall 2005 -- while at the same time passing fake work checks and filing false reimbursements that totaled $2,975.39, court records show. Charged with multiple felonies, Jordan pleaded no contest to a single grand-theft count. Miami Herald: Harris aide serving theft term