Thursday, November 30, 2006
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Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... On the Iraqi leader: "He's the right guy for Iraq, and we're going to help him, and it's in our interest to help him, for the sake of peace." President's Schedule: Full transcript of the availability: (via WhiteHouse.gov) Bush is scheduled to arrive back at the White House at 4:05 pm ET. Also on the Political Radar: ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) STUDY GROUP TO RECOMMEND "GRADUAL BUT MEANINGFUL" TROOP REDUCTION: Following an intense assessment of U.S. policies in the war in Iraq, the Iraq Study Group will recommend that a "gradual but meaningful" reduction of U.S. troops begin "relatively early in the New Year," a source familiar with the group's deliberations told CNN. The language in the report -- which was compiled at the urging of Congress -- is being fine-tuned before it is presented to President Bush next week, but according to the source the work on the findings is basically done. In the bipartisan panel's view, Bush needs to insist on implementing strict timetables for Iraqi improvements and communicate to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that there will be substantial troop reductions beginning in January. While not providing a specific timetable for withdrawal -- which Bush opposes -- the group suggests major combat units be deployed "over time" to what the source described as "out of the bull's eye." CNN: Source: Iraq panel to advise gradual U.S. pullback HOW WEDNESDAY'S MEETING GOT SCRUBBED: Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq and King Abdullah II of Jordan abruptly backed out of a meeting with President Bush on Wednesday, leaving the White House scrambling to explain why a carefully planned summit meeting had suddenly been cut from two days to one. The decision occurred on a day that a classified White House memorandum expressing doubts about Mr. Maliki was disclosed and after Iraqi officials loyal to a powerful Shiite cleric said they were suspending participation in the Maliki government because he had ignored their request to cancel the Bush meeting entirely. The president and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were already aboard Air Force One, on the way to Amman from Riga, Latvia, where they had been attending a NATO summit meeting, when they received the news by telephone from the United States ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad. New York Times: Iraq's Premier Abruptly Skips a Bush Session "THE CHIEFS ARE SOLID"... DON'T PULL TROOPS OUT NOW: All six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, amid an ongoing Pentagon review of strategy for Iraq, oppose pulling out U.S. troops now, and are also against a specific withdrawal timetable, a defense source said yesterday. "The chiefs are solid. They want victory," the source said. "There is no dissent." The Joint Chiefs -- which includes Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman, along with a vice chairman and the heads of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy -- have been meeting several times a week to review a list of Iraq options for President Bush. The Pentagon has said all options are open for consideration during the far-reaching review. But on the question of withdrawal, the issue is settled in favor of Mr. Bush's position, the source said. Washington Times: Joint Chiefs oppose Iraq pullout HARRIS POLL FINDS 68% THINK THERE IS A CIVIL WAR IN IRAQ: A majority of Americans think Iraq is in the midst of a civil war, a new Harris Interactive poll finds, and few are confident that Robert Gates's nomination as Secretary of Defense will improve the situation there. Sixty-eight percent of U.S. adults said they believe there is a civil war in Iraq, the online poll from Nov. 13 to Nov. 20 found, compared with 14% who disagree and 18% who aren't sure. Mr. Bush nominated former director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mr. Gates as a successor to Donald Rumsfeld on Nov. 9. Of 2,429 U.S. adults polled, only 13% think Mr. Gates will make the situation in Iraq better. Forty-two percent think he will make no difference and another 40% say they aren't sure of the impact. About half of those polled would like the government to set a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq, while 18% favor withdrawing all U.S. troops now and 19% favor sending more troops to stabilize the situation. Wall Street Journal: Majority of Americans Believe Iraq Is in 'Civil War', Poll Finds DEMS CALL FOR "SPECIAL IRAQ ENVOY": Leading Senate Democrats called Wednesday for President Bush to appoint a special envoy to work with Iraqi leaders to bring increasing violence in Iraq under control. "Violence in Iraq has reached critical levels, and the violence is not predominantly instigated by insurgents, but is taking place between Sunnis and Shia," said Senator Harry Reid, who will become the majority leader, and four other top Senate Democrats in a letter sent to Mr. Bush. "It is our belief that coalition military action alone cannot end this violence." The lawmakers said in the letter that the special American envoy could follow up on issues raised between Mr. Bush and Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq during their planned meeting on Thursday in Jordan. New York Times: Democratic Leaders Seek Special Iraq Envoy to Try to Stem the Violence DEMS WON'T IMPLEMENT KEY 9/11 COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation's intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers. Washington Post: Democrats Reject Key 9/11 Panel Suggestion AHMADINEJAD WRITES LETTER TO AMERICAN PEOPLE: In an unusual letter to the American people, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday called for the pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq and charged that Bush administration policy is based on "coercion, force and injustice." The five-page letter, which was both conciliatory in references to "Noble Americans" and scathing in lambasting Jewish influence in the United States, said there is an urgent need for dialogue between Iranians and Americans because of the "tragic consequences" of U.S. intervention abroad... The Bush administration dismissed the letter as a public relations stunt that included nothing new. "Actions speak louder than words, and I think if you look at the record of Iranian action, we, unfortunately, haven't seen any change in behavior that would indicate that they've got a new approach to things," said Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman. Washington Post: Iranian President Makes Direct Appeal to Americans FULL TEXT OF AHMADINEJAD'S LETTER: (pdf via NYTimes.com) FRIST: "THIS SEASON OF BEING AN ELECTED OFFICIAL HAS COME TO A CLOSE": Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, the heart transplant surgeon turned Tennessee senator whose party stumbled badly in elections earlier this month, will not seek the presidency in 2008, he announced Wednesday. "In the Bible, God tells us for everything there is a season, and for me, for now, this season of being an elected official has come to a close," he said in a prepared statement released Wednesday morning. "I do not intend to run for president in 2008." Frist was a popular, even heroic figure when he came to Washington after 20 years as a transplant surgeon. Stories of how he rushed to treat the gunman who shot two Capitol police officers in 1998, later tended to victims in a South Florida car accident, and regularly treated heart patients in the Sudan, raised his stature. But the bruising way he captured the Senate majority leader post after Mississippi Republican Trent Lott's impolitic praise of segregationist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond, when Republicans regained the majority in 2002, and his leadership of the Senate since, helped tarnish his choirboy image. Memphis Commercial-Appeal: Frist won't seek presidency in '08 FULL FRIST STATEMENT: (via frist.senate.gov) VILSACK KICKS OFF '08 CAMPAIGN: America, meet Tom Vilsack. The Iowa governor plans to introduce himself to Americans today and ask them to tackle tough challenges - which he himself is doing as he launches his long-shot campaign for president. The Democrat at the bottom of early 2008 presidential polls hopes the journey he kicks off today in Mount Pleasant, his adopted hometown, reminds party activists and donors of 1976 and 1992. In those years, the nation turned to once-obscure governors from places called Plains and Hope to inhabit the White House and lead the nation. Vilsack will start outlining his vision for America during a speech at 9:30 a.m. [10:30 am ET] today at Iowa Wesleyan College, not far from the courthouse where he practiced law and the city hall where his political career began. "Most of all, I am running for president to replace the anxiety of today with the hope of tomorrow and to guarantee every American their birthright: Opportunity," Vilsack, 55, is expected to say, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks. Des Moines Register: Vilsack kicks off long-shot campaign DON'T INVEST IN COMPANIES THAT DEAL WITH SUDAN, SAYS BROWNBACK: Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas will put hundreds of thousands of his family's dollars where his mouth is when it comes to divestment from Sudan. Brownback, a Republican, wrote last week to 44 state governors urging them to divest from state pension-funds investments in companies that do business with Sudan, whose government is sponsoring genocide in the country's Darfur region. Six states already have done so... The family began divesting its holdings earlier this month, when Brownback became interested in divestment as a tool to pressure the Khartoum regime, said Brian Hart, a spokesman for Brownback. The Brownback family has at least $186,000 and possibly as much as $565,000 in 10 mutual funds whose investments include companies identified by divestment activists as doing business with the Sudanese government, his most recent personal financial disclosure statement showed. McClatchy Newspapers: Brownback urges states to divest from business in Sudan "PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE" AUTHOR DEFENDS OBAMA INVITE TO AIDS SUMMIT: They came from different worlds: Rick Warren was the conservative white pastor of a 20,000-strong evangelical church in Orange County; Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was a liberal black politician, and a rising star in the Democratic Party. After meeting in Washington, D.C., in January, they started chatting regularly on the phone. When Obama was writing his best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope," he asked Warren, himself a best-selling author, to review the chapter on faith. As Warren planned a second international conference on AIDS at his Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, he asked Obama to address the group during a session Friday titled "We Must Work Together." Some evangelicals had already criticized Warren for his different approach toward AIDS, which included working with gays. But the speech by the pro-choice potential presidential contender has drawn renewed vitriol from conservative Christian radio hosts and pundits, as well as some evangelical preachers... Saddleback Church responded to the criticism with a statement Wednesday defending Obama's appearance at the conference, but also noted Warren's disapproval of some of his political beliefs. Los Angeles Times: Evangelical pastor, Obama join forces to battle AIDS WHERE IS HILLARY? Democratic White House front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton has gone into hiding while rising rival Barack Obama dashes off to key battleground states and plans national TV appearances in advance of a likely presidential run. Obama, the Illinois senator and new Democratic darling, is even swooping into Clinton's Manhattan back yard Monday to deliver a sold-out keynote address for a children's anti-poverty benefit. Clinton has surrendered the national spotlight to Obama by not appearing at a public event in two weeks. Her aides said only that she is resting at home in Chappaqua. Obama is capitalizing on the opening: He's appearing on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" tomorrow night in an attempt to boost his popularity outside of politicos. New York Post: HIDE AND SEEK OH'S CUYAHOGA CTY. MAY SCRAP TOUCH-SCREEN VOTING MACHINES: Officials in the state's most populous county are considering scrapping touch-screen voting machines for the 2008 presidential election, saying the machines contributed to long lines at voting booths and are costly to operate. Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is situated, spent $14 million on the Nov. 7 election and cannot afford to spend that much on every vote, county commissioners Tim Hagan and Jimmy Dimora said. Much of the money was spent training poll workers how to operate new touch-screen machines. With even greater turnout expected for the 2008 presidential election, commissioners are considering switching to optical-scan machines that read paper ballots. These machines, they say, are faster than the current touch screen machines because voters can fill out their ballots on paper before they are scanned and processed. They also say they are cheaper to train workers to operate. AP via Yahoo! News: Ohio county may junk e-voting machines "CHRISTMAS BLESSING" FOR GEORGE RYAN: A ruling that former Gov. George Ryan can remain free on bail during the appeal of his corruption conviction gives him a measure of hope that he ultimately may be vindicated. The decision made public Wednesday by a three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals spares Ryan from having to surrender to prison early next year as scheduled. "It's a Christmas blessing," former First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan said from the doorway of the family's Kankakee home. But several jurors who convicted Ryan in April considered the news a slap in the face. "If you wanted me to speak of my emotions, you couldn't print it," said James Cwick, 23, of Glen Ellyn. "The proof of his guilt is there. He should be going to jail on Jan. 4." Chicago Tribune: Ruling gives Ryan hope "IT'S A GOOD TIME TO BE ENTREPRENEURIAL" IF YOU'RE A TOP DEM LOBBYIST: Steve Elmendorf - one of the top Democratic operatives in Washington, D.C., with experience in Congress, electoral politics and lobbying - is leaving Bryan Cave Strategies, where he is president, to start his own lobbying shop. He is taking with him Bryan Cave lobbyists Kristi Kennedy and Jessica McEwen, the other Democrats at the firm. "It's a good time to be entrepreneurial," said Elmendorf, a former top aide to then-Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt (Mo.), "because I'm a Democrat." He also served as deputy campaign manager for the presidential run of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). Elmendorf, whose clients include Fannie Mae, Verizon, Ford Motor Co., and Shell, said he has not yet decided on a name for the venture and will spend December figuring out how he wants to staff his business. "I am very much in the rudimentary stages of figuring out how I want to do this," he said. Roll Call: Elmendorf Leaving Bryan Cave to Start Own Firm DUKAKIS' LATEST CAMPAIGN... PARK YOUR SUV CORRECTLY! Michael Dukakis lost his bid for president in 1988, but he can declare victory in his latest campaign - against parking scofflaws in Westwood. The former Massachusetts governor has been at the center of a more than two-year battle against the longtime practice of "apron parking" in the neighborhood west of UCLA known as North Village. There, parked cars spill out of apartment driveways and straddle sidewalks and streets. "It's a disaster," said Dukakis, who teaches public policy at UCLA and lives part-time in the neighborhood. "Beyond being illegal, it's dangerous. You get two SUVs with their rear ends sticking out into the street, and you end up with a one-way road. It's time to end it." Los Angeles city officials are now listening to Dukakis and the other critics of apron parking. As soon as January, parking enforcement officers will begin aggressively ticketing cars that partly block streets and sidewalks. Los Angeles Times: A Dukakis win in Westwood CUTTING OFF KIM: The U.S. list of more than 60 items reads like a letter to Santa from the dictator who has everything. Yachts, water scooters, race cars, motorcycles, even station wagons and Segways won't be crossing the border this season. There shall be no more DVD players and televisions larger than 29 inches for the man whose film library of 20,000 titles betrays a yen for Bond and Rambo. Kim's former chef has written that the man known as "Dear Leader" fancies sushi, Iranian caviar and shark-fin soup. He is said to have every grain of rice inspected for perfection. But he won't be served any of it on American china, which is on the list. After dinner, he often enjoys a glass of fine cognac -- so the United States put lead crystal and liquor on the list, too. Washington Post: Hitting Kim Jong Il Right in the Cognac FULL STATE DEPT LIST OF BANNED EXPORTS: (via State.gov) |
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• Concession in North Carolina's 8th district• Baker and Hamilton to brief president on Iraq Stud... • Brownback divesting his assets from companies deal... • Defense eyeing further deployments to Iraq • Ahead on CNN • Reid's longtime Chief of Staff to step down • Megapastor defends Obama invitation • Roll Call: Boehner spokesman leaving for Romney ca... • McCain: Frist's commitment to America 'will be lon... • Iraq Study Group to release report December 6 SUBSCRIBE
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