Thursday, February 01, 2007
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Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... The move builds critical momentum for Warner's proposal and increases the chances it can win the necessary 60 votes for Senate passage. "If I were a betting man, I'd bet he'd be confirmed... But it'll be painful for him." The committee convenes today at 9:30 am ET for a hearing on the Casey nomination. "This is a baby. This is a blessing from God. It is not a political statement. It is not a prop to be used in a debate by people on either side of an issue. It is my child," Cheney said. Washington Post: "Biden Stumbles at the Starting Gate" New York Times: "Biden Unwraps His Bid for '08 With an Oops!" New York Post: "Biden Blows It" New York Daily News: "Senator Stupid!" The Delaware senator explained his New York Observer gaffe on last night's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart": BIDEN: I spoke to Barack today... STEWART: I bet you did. BIDEN: I also spoke to Jesse, and Al Sharpton... STEWART: Uh huh, and Michael Jordan, and anybody you could get your hands on... the Jackson 5, who else? BIDEN: Michael didn't call me. What I was attempting to be, but not very artfully, is complimentary. This is an incredible guy. This is a phenomenon. President's Schedule: At 9:15 am ET, Bush signs a Presidential Proclamation in honor of American Heart Month in the Oval Office, and attends a meeting on child fitness in the Roosevelt Room at 9:35 am ET. Also on the Political Radar: ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) "TIME OF TRANSITION" FOR SENATOR WARNER: [W]hile [Sen. John] Warner has won some support from within his party, he has also attracted unusually tough criticism from fellow Republicans who have suggested that he - a World War II veteran and former Navy secretary - is undercutting Mr. Bush, the new military command being installed in Iraq and the troops themselves. It is a time of transition for Mr. Warner in the Senate. Not only are Republicans now in the minority, but he also lost the top Republican slot on the Armed Services Committee to John McCain of Arizona because of term limits and was not successful in efforts to win the top party seat on another panel. In addition, his fellow Republican, George Allen, lost his reelection bid in Virginia to a Democrat, Senator Jim Webb. So while Mr. Warner fights to stay relevant in the Iraq debate, he has fewer tools at his disposal even as he considers whether to run for re-election next year. New York Times: In Fighting Troop Increase, Senator Finds Few Old Allies CASEY TO TESTIFY BEFORE TOUGH CROWD: Gen. George Casey, who led the Iraq war for more than two tumultuous years, is coming under intense scrutiny for a new Pentagon job as two influential senators try to gain GOP support for a compromise resolution against President Bush's troop buildup. The resolution is likely to pose a threat to the White House because of its potential appeal to Republicans who have grown tired of the nearly four-year war and want a chance to express their concerns. The White House has been hoping to avoid an overwhelming congressional vote criticizing Bush's handling of the war. Casey, picked by Bush to become Army chief of staff, was to testify Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. AP via Yahoo! News: General who led Iraq war faces scrutiny McCAIN'S IRAQ STATEMENT "ERRONEOUSLY SIGNED OFF ON": Sen. John McCain backed away Wednesday from a statement issued on his behalf criticizing the Bush administration for not putting more pressure on the Iraqi government to secure its country. A statement attributed to McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and quoted Tuesday by The Associated Press said, "America supplying more troops while Iraqi leaders simply supply more promises is not a recipe for success in Iraq." The statement was issued by the office of Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee. McCain spokeswoman Eileen McMenamin and Levin spokeswoman Tara Andringa said Wednesday that the statement had been erroneously signed off on by a staffer who works for McCain on the Armed Services Committee. AP via Yahoo! News: McCain backs away from Iraq statement BUSH CALLS FOR RESPONSIBLE EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION: President Bush, in a speech on Wall Street yesterday, called on corporate boards to "step up to their responsibilities" to tie executive compensation to performance. "Government should not decide the compensation for America's corporate executives, but the salaries and bonuses of CEOs should be based on their success at improving their companies and bringing value to their shareholders," Bush declared at Federal Hall. "America's corporate boardrooms must step up to their responsibilities. You need to pay attention to the executive-compensation packages that you approve." Although he was applauded several times during a 50-minute address on the state of the economy, those particular remarks were met by silence. New York Post: W's Big 'Board' Slap FIRST MENTION OF "INCOME INEQUALITY": President Bush acknowledged Wednesday that there is growing income inequality in the United States, addressing for the first time a subject that has long concerned Democrats and liberal economists. "The fact is that income inequality is real -- it's been rising for more than 25 years," Bush said in an address on Wall Street. "The reason is clear: We have an economy that increasingly rewards education and skills because of that education." In some respects, Bush's remarks were an unremarkable statement of what many economists accept as common wisdom. But they appeared to represent the first time Bush has personally addressed an issue on which his administration has found itself under fierce attack from Democrats. Washington Post: Bush Addresses Income Inequality DOJ TURNS OVER SURVEILLANCE DOCS: The Justice Department turned over documents about the government's controversial domestic spying program to select members of Congress yesterday, ending a two-week standoff that included pointed threats of subpoenas from Democrats. The deal appears to resolve the latest conflict between Congress and the administration over the National Security Agency's surveillance effort, and it provides new evidence of the administration's more accommodating approach to the Democrats who now control Congress. The agreement follows the administration's announcement two weeks ago that it was replacing NSA's warrantless surveillance program with a plan approved by the secret court that administers the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. Washington Post: Records on Spy Program Turned Over to Lawmakers PELOSI WANTS "CARTE BLANCE" TO USE DOD AIRPLANES: The office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pressing the Bush administration for routine access to military aircraft for domestic flights, such as trips back to her San Francisco district, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The sources, who include those in Congress and in the administration, said the Democrat is seeking regular military flights not only for herself and her staff, but also for relatives and for other members of the California delegation. A knowledgeable source called the request "carte blanche for an aircraft any time." "They are pressing the point of her succession and that the [Department of Defense] needs to play ball with the speaker's needs," one source said. The request originally went to the Pentagon, which then asked the White House to weigh in. Mrs. Pelosi's request is not new for a speaker, who is second-in-line in presidential succession. Washington Times: Speaker pursues military flights HOUSE DEMS' 100 HOURS AGENDA "BOGGED DOWN IN THE SENATE": The aggressive agenda that Democrats pushed through with great fanfare in the House has become bogged down in the Senate, where Republicans have used various stalling strategies to thwart Democratic momentum on issues ranging from healthcare and homeland security to a resolution opposing President Bush's troop "surge." None of the bills approved in the first 100 legislative hours in the House of Representatives last month has passed the Senate. The only one close to passing -- an increase in the minimum wage -- has consumed more than a week of floor time, and Republicans succeeded in attaching a series of small-business tax breaks favored by the White House. Boston Globe: Democrats' aggressive agenda stalls in Senate "THIS IS A BABY... IT IS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT": Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, for the first time yesterday publicly defended her decision to become pregnant and asserted that same-sex couples were equally capable of raising children as heterosexual couples. "When Heather and I decided to have a baby, it was not going to be the most popular decision ever," Ms. Cheney said, referring to her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe. She then gestured to her middle - any bulge disguised by a boxy jacket - and asserted: "This is a baby. This is a blessing from God. It is not a political statement. It is not a prop to be used in a debate by people on either side of an issue. It is my child." New York Times: Decision to Have Baby Isn't Political, Mary Cheney Says COMEDIAN FRANKEN WILL CHALLENGE COLEMAN IN MN: Comedian and radio talk show host Al Franken has begun calling Democratic members of Congress and prominent DFLers to tell them he will definitely challenge Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008, the Star Tribune learned Wednesday. On Monday, Franken announced that he is quitting his radio show on Feb. 14, and he told his audience that they'd be the first to know of his decision. But Franken has been working the phones, telling his political friends he's ready to declare his candidacy. Franken made calls to at least two members of the Minnesota congressional delegation in Washington and one member of the Legislature to break the news. Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Franken saying he'll run for Senate NONE CAME CLOSE TO SPENDING AS MUCH AS McCAIN IN '06: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) spent $7.8 million last year to assist other politicians and get his fledgling presidential bid underway, an early sign of the intensity of the spending that is expected to become a fixture of the 2008 campaign. Among those candidates who had filed 2006 year-end reports with the Federal Election Commission late yesterday, none had come close to spending so much so early on the preparations for the presidential election. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) spent $3.4 million, ex-New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani (R) spent $2.4 million and ex-Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) had spent $2.1 million from his federal leadership committee by the end of November. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) doled out $1.7 million through her leadership committee, much of it on presidential groundwork, even as she sought reelection to the Senate. Washington Post: From McCain's Deep Pockets, A Bellwether CAN RUDY WIN THE NOMINATION? The question is this: Can the thrice-married New Yorker - a supporter of abortion rights, gay rights and gun control - win the nomination of a Republican Party that has become increasingly dependent on and influenced by conservative Christians? Maybe not, says Tony Fabrizio, a GOP pollster who advised Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign. "As a presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani should absolutely be taken seriously," Fabrizio says. "As a contender for the Republican nomination, he should be taken significantly less seriously. He has the stature to be president, but how does he get the Republican nomination? That is the fundamental disconnect." USA Today: Giuliani: Can hero of 9/11 win over his own party? OBAMA "FLESHING OUT" HIS LEGISLATIVE RECORD: Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) yesterday added election fraud to the spectrum of weighty issues he has covered since informally launching his presidential bid, further fleshing out a legislative record that could be an inviting target in the intensifying 2008 campaign. Obama sought to stay focused on his bill criminalizing voter suppression and deceptive electoral tactics, his third momentum-building effort in two weeks, even as the Republican National Committee drove a wedge through the Democratic field by circulating critical comments made by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) about his fellow White House hopefuls. "I don't spend too much time worrying about what folks talk about during campaign season," Obama said yesterday. The Hill: Sen. Barack Obama tries to flesh out his record with an election-fraud bill HILLARY CANCELS GRANITE STATE CAMPAIGN VISIT: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton canceled her first presidential campaign visit to New Hampshire this weekend because of the illness of her husband's stepfather, who died Wednesday. "Due to the illness of President Clinton's stepfather Dick Kelley, Senator Clinton will unfortunately have to postpone her trip to New Hampshire this weekend," campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Hanley said. "She looks forward to rescheduling her trip as soon as possible." Kelley, 91, who had been in declining health in recent weeks, died later Wednesday at his home in Hot Springs, Ark. Hanley did not elaborate on the nature of Kelley's illness, but two sources close to the Clinton family said Kelley had cancer. AP via Yahoo! News: Clinton postpones New Hampshire trip PATAKI "NOT READY TO JUMP INTO PRESIDENTIAL RACE": Former New York Gov. George Pataki told supporters in the first primary state he is not ready to jump into the presidential race and won't object if they get behind other candidates. Pataki, a Republican who stepped down as New York governor this month, spoke at a private dinner Tuesday in Manchester. He had no public stops during the one-day visit. At the dinner, he said he wasn't going to rush a decision about running and instead wanted to focus on policies, not politics. "He didn't shut the door last night. He said 'at the present time,'" said Dave Currier, a former state representative who was with Pataki on Tuesday. AP via Yahoo! News: Pataki not ready to commit to '08 race NEWSOM CAMPAIGN MANAGER QUITS AFTER CONFRONTING MAYOR ABOUT AFFAIR: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's re-election campaign manager resigned Wednesday after confronting the mayor about an affair Newsom had with his wife while she worked in the mayor's office, City Hall sources said. Alex Tourk, 39, who served as Newsom's deputy chief of staff before becoming his campaign manager in September, confronted the mayor after his wife, Ruby Rippey-Tourk, told him of the affair as part of a rehabilitation program she had been undergoing for substance abuse, said the sources, who had direct knowledge of Wednesday's meeting. Rippey-Tourk, 34, was the mayor's appointments secretary from the start of his administration in 2004 until last spring. She told her husband that the affair with Newsom was short-lived and happened about a year and a half ago, while the mayor was undergoing a divorce from his then-wife, Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, said the sources, who spoke on condition they not be identified. San Francisco Chronicle: AIDE QUITS AS NEWSOM'S AFFAIR WITH HIS WIFE IS REVEALED |
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• Pelosi calls meeting with Bush 'constructive'• Levin takes McCain's name off statement knocking a... • Graham says anti-Iraq resolution 'undercuts our ab... • Rice hopes Colts trample da' Bears • Frist's new project: YourIdeasAmerica.com • House passes huge spending bill • Clinton cancels campaign visit to New Hampshire • Pelosi to be 'blunt but polite' to Bush about Iraq... • Pataki releases New Hampshire supporters if they c... • Bush makes visit to New York Stock Exchange SUBSCRIBE
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