Friday, February 09, 2007
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Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... "[T]he committee said those examining it 'will be required to review the document in the Committee's secure offices in the Capitol and sign a secrecy oath.' The members will not be allowed to leave with notes." "It shows a lack of sophistication about how this would play in newspaper headlines throughout the world," Graham said. Also, Pelosi "suggested that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld may be involved in leaking information about her request," the Washington Times reports. President's Schedule: Also on the Political Radar: AP reports although he faced "polite if pointed" questions from another House panel yesterday, Chertoff "was expected to face a gloves-off barrage of questions Friday from Democrats and Republicans worried about grant cuts, fee increases and poorly managed programs in the department's 2008 budget request." Huckabee also attends a 5 pm ET "Meet Mike Huckabee" event at The Merrimack Restaurant in Manchester, NH. ================================================================= A must read for political junkies In less than five months, the CNN Political Ticker has become a must read for political junkies from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. and all points in-between. In January, cnn.com/ticker was visited by readers 1.3 million times and served 2.6 million page views. This number does not represent the more than 4,000 and growing recipients of the twice-daily CNN Political Ticker e-mail edition. Got a news tip, a complaint or compliment? Drop us a line: politicalticker@cnn.com. ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) HOUSE'S 3-DAY IRAQ DEBATE SET TO BEGIN TUESDAY: House Democratic leaders persuaded members of their party on Thursday to limit the scope of an Iraq war resolution next week to a simple repudiation of President Bush's troop buildup plan, hoping to temporarily set aside divisive decisions over war financing and troop redeployments. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, and other party leaders met privately for more than an hour with other Democratic lawmakers. They sought to reassure Democrats that the symbolic, nonbinding resolution devised to rebuke Mr. Bush was a first step - but not a final one - toward asserting Congressional powers on Iraq... The three-day House debate, set to begin next Tuesday, comes after consideration of an Iraq war resolution faltered in the Senate. New York Times: Democrats Set House Debate to Rebuke Bush Over Iraq Policy ALL MEMBERS GRANTED ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED NIE: To the surprise of the Bush administration, the House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night to allow all 435 House members to see the classified version of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq sent to the White House last week. The report is classified in part because it contains information about sources and methods used in intelligence-gathering... In announcing the vote to allow all members access to the classified portion of the NIE, the committee said those examining it "will be required to review the document in the Committee's secure offices in the Capitol and sign a secrecy oath." The members will not be allowed to leave with notes, congressional sources said. The Politico: All 435 House Members Can See Iraq Intelligence -- and Talk on Iraq Next Week GRAHAM "OUTRAGED" BY GATES, PACE "MORALE" REMARKS: Senate Republicans yesterday contradicted top Pentagon officials who say Congress would not injure troop morale by passing a nonbinding resolution critical of President Bush's Iraq war plan. Sen. Lindsey Graham said he was outraged that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates would say U.S. combat forces "understand" politics back home and won't be disheartened by a symbolic no-confidence vote against the commander in chief. "It shows a lack of sophistication about how this would play in newspaper headlines throughout the world," said Mr. Graham, South Carolina Republican. Washington Times: War resolution seen hurting morale CASEY "HANDILY" CONFIRMED IN 83-14 VOTE: The Senate handily confirmed Gen. George Casey as the next Army chief of staff Thursday in a roll call vote that some lawmakers used to dramatize their anger over his direction of the war in Iraq. Casey was confirmed by a bipartisan 83-14 vote. He had been top U.S. commander in Iraq since July 2004, but President Bush replaced him with Army Gen. David Petraeus as part of an overhaul of his Iraq policies and his team of top U.S. officials in the Middle East. The Senate a day earlier confirmed Navy Adm. William Fallon to replace Army Gen. John Abizaid as head of U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations throughout the Middle East. It had also approved retired Vice Adm. Mike McConnell to become the nation's second national intelligence director. AP via Yahoo! News: Senate approves Casey for Army top post BUSH APPROVAL HOVERS AT 32, CHENEY AT ALL-TIME LOW IN HARRIS POLL: President Bush's approval ratings remain low, while the new leaders in Congress are also receiving negative marks for job performance, according to a recent poll by Harris Interactive. The telephone poll, conducted Feb. 2-5, found that 32% of U.S. adults consider Mr. Bush's job performance "excellent" or "good," while 67% said his performance is only "fair" or "poor." These numbers are little changed from November 2006 when Mr. Bush's approval ratings were 31% positive and 67% negative. Vice President Dick Cheney's job-performance hit an all-time low; 29% of U.S. adults surveyed gave him positive ratings and 67% rated him negatively. Wall Street Journal: Bush, New Leaders in Congress Receive Low Ratings in New Poll FITZ RESTS: Prosecutors rested their case yesterday in the perjury trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, completing a methodical portrait of a top-tier presidential aide who they say diligently scrambled to defend the White House against an early critic of the Iraq war and then lied to investigators about what he had done. Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald concluded the prosecution's portion of the trial after 11 days in which he laid out for jurors a chronological narrative -- of a volatile period inside in the White House in 2003 -- that was sometimes dry but provided tantalizing glimpses into the worlds of President Bush's closest advisers and an elite tier of Washington journalists. Washington Post: Prosecution Rests Case In Libby's Perjury Trial SPEAKER "STRIKES BACK"; SERGEANT-AT-ARMS TAKES RESPONSIBILITY: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) struck back at her Republican foes who continued to blast her Thursday on the use of military transport to travel regularly back to her California district. Pelosi released a rare statement from House Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood on Thursday afternoon in which he took responsibility for requesting an aircraft that would enable the Speaker to fly coast-to-coast without stopping and expressed "regret" that the issue was being used for political purposes. "In a post-9/11 threat environment, it is reasonable and prudent to provide military aircraft to the Speaker for official travel between Washington and her district," Livingood said. "The fact that Speaker Pelosi lives in California compelled me to request an aircraft that is capable of making nonstop flights for security purposes, unless such an aircraft is unavailable." Roll Call: Pelosi Strikes Back at Plane Critics PLANE-GATE FUELED BY RUMSFELD, PELOSI SUGGESTS: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday defended her bid for a large U.S. Air Force jet to take her home and back to Washington nonstop -- and the White House backed her up. Mrs. Pelosi suggested that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld may be involved in leaking information about her request. "It still raises the question, why would the Department of Defense not be denying this information that has been conveyed?" the California Democrat told reporters. "Why are they feeding the flames? Of course I have been a constant critic -- for nearly three years, I've called for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, who still has a desk at the Department of Defense, and I guess any chance they have..." Larry Di Rita, Mr. Rumsfeld's spokesman while defense secretary, responded, "Secretary Rumsfeld's priorities while in office did not allow for time to get too involved in member travel issues, and I doubt that has changed since he left." Washington Times: Pelosi defends request for jet "UNLIKELY ALLY" TONY SNOW HAS HER BACK: The capital saw an unusual tag team in action Thursday when President Bush's spokesman Tony Snow supported House Speaker Nancy Pelosi against an escalating attack by House Republicans over Pelosi's potential use of a government plane to fly nonstop between Washington and her home district in San Francisco. "This is a silly story, and I think it's been unfair to the speaker," Snow said at the White House briefing. San Francisco Chronicle: Pelosi finds unlikely ally in flight fuss PELOSI HOPES HOUSE WILL TAKE UP CLIMATE BILLS BY JULY 4: The United States has to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050, and mandatory restrictions are the only way to do it, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the House Science and Technology Committee yesterday. Ms. Pelosi added that even though she had once opposed using nuclear power to supply some energy needs, she now believed that it should be "on the table," if the disposal of radioactive waste could be settled. The speaker said she hoped that the House would consider bills on global warming by July 4. Ms. Pelosi spoke along with four climate scientists who worked for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations-sponsored group that issued its latest report last week. New York Times: Pelosi Backs Restrictions on Heat-Trapping Gases NEVER A RACE SO WIDE OPEN "IN HISTORY OF MODERN BROADCASTING": Presidential campaign advertising will start hitting the airwaves in the coming months, far earlier in the election cycle than during the 2004 race, and the ads will barrage the American public for much longer, delivering a windfall to television and radio stations, industry experts say. In the age of television, there never has been a presidential race so wide-open. "In the history of modern broadcasting, we haven't had an election where we haven't had a White House incumbent," said George Reed-Dellinger, who tracks the industry for Washington Analysis, a political intelligence consultancy. "The broadcasters are licking their chops." The Hill: The 2008 ad blitz begins BUSH TEAM MEMBERS BECOME SPECTATORS: No one in the West Wing is booking tickets to Iowa. No one is scouring matchup poll numbers or hiring campaign managers or dialing for dollars. As candidate after candidate jumps into the race for president, the White House sits unaccustomedly on the sidelines. This is the first White House in 80 years without someone running for president, a twist of history that will shape not just the campaign but also the remainder of the Bush administration. With neither a president seeking reelection nor a vice president positioned as the heir presumptive, the Bush team will increasingly turn into a spectator in the nation's political debate. Washington Post: White House On Sidelines In 2008 Contest "WIDESPREAD" DISSATISFACTION OVER CHOICE OF GOP CONTENDERS: Many conservatives say they pick "none of the above" when faced with a choice of Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani as the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. "When I look at these top three guys, I think of Shania Twain singing 'That don't impress me much,' " said former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, referring to the popular country singer. Such dissatisfaction with the leading Republican presidential candidates is widespread among the party's conservative stalwarts, including many of the 150 alumni of the Reagan administration who attended an annual reunion at the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday night. Washington Times: '08 slate without standout for GOP TOP FUNDRAISERS "LAVISHED WITH ATTENTION" FROM CANDIDATES: The first phone call came from John Edwards. Sen. Joseph Biden reached out the next day. A few days later, Sen. Hillary Clinton called too. Joan Lukey, a Boston lawyer, has been lavished with attention in recent weeks. But it's not her legal skills that interest her political suitors--it's her proven ability to raise money for Democratic candidates. With the 2008 presidential race starting earlier than its predecessors--and with an unusually large number of aspirants--candidates need more money than ever before to pay large staffs, travel to primary states and get their message out to voters in a burst of multistate advertising. The ability to raise millions fast will separate the successful candidates from those likely to die a quick political death. That means people like Lukey, who single-handedly raised about $1.7 million for Sen. John Kerry's presidential effort, are in big demand. Chicago Tribune: Democratic candidates jockey for top fundraisers SHOULD "BUNDLERS'" NAMES BE DISCLOSED? When Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) laid out the financial goals for her budding presidential campaign in a private meeting at her Washington home earlier this week, a key element in her fundraising plan was a time-honored technique that relies on supporters who promise to round up big dollars - in this case, as much as $1 million each. Instead of going through the slow, expensive process of obtaining contributions one at a time, the technique — known in fundraising parlance as "bundling" - relies on well-connected individuals such as lobbyists and other insiders to canvass blocs of potential donors from businesses, unions and other groups. These canvassers then present the candidate with bundles of checks that add up to significant amounts... But there's a potential problem as the candidates seek to raise tens of millions of dollars for their campaigns: Should they make public the names of their heavy-hitting money collectors - and thereby reveal to whom they might be beholden if they win the White House? Los Angeles Times: Fundraising, with no names attached CAMPAIGNS WILL NOW DO SOME CAREFUL READING BEFORE SNAPPING UP BLOGGERS: John Edwards learned the hard way this week of the perils of grafting the raucous culture of the Internet to the decidedly staider world of a presidential campaign. Mr. Edwards announced on Thursday, after 36 hours of deliberation, that he would keep on his campaign staff two liberal feminist bloggers with long cybertrails of incendiary comments on sex, religion and politics. Deliberations over the fate of the two bloggers, Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan, created a crisis in Mr. Edwards's nascent campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 and illuminated the treacherous road ahead as candidates of both parties try to harness the growing power of the online world. New York Times: Edwards Learns Blogs Can Cut 2 Ways OBAMA "HOPES TO MAKE RACE IRRELEVANT": Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said his campaign for the presidency "will send a wonderful message to young people of color and to immigrants around the country" if successful. He makes clear, though, that he hopes to make race irrelevant in his bid to become the first black to occupy the White House. "If I'm talking about the issues that matter to people, if we do a good job in letting people know who I am and what I stand for... they'll make their judgment not based on my race but based on how well they think I can lead this country," Obama told USA TODAY. As he begins campaigning in earnest for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Obama cannot assume that he will be the favorite of black voters, who are crucial to the success of Democratic candidates in states such as South Carolina, which holds one of the earliest primaries. Blacks accounted for nearly half of the state's Democratic primary voters in 2004. USA Today: Obama focused on issues, not race ARNOLD'S CANDID REMARKS ANGER LATINOS: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's off-the-cuff comments in recently released audio recordings about illegal immigration and the unwillingness of Mexicans to assimilate into American society have drawn angry responses this week from Latino community and political leaders. "I made an effort," the Austrian-born Schwarzenegger told aides last April in conversations that touched on assimilation. "But the Mexicans don't make that effort." The governor also used an expletive to disparage the 1986 federal law that granted asylum to more than 2 million illegal immigrants. "His comments were highly offensive and outrageous," said Assembly Assistant Majority Leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles). "It's just mind-blowing that he continues to put his foot in his mouth." Los Angeles Times: Latinos lob a few words at governor |
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• Senate debate on Iraq troops on hold until end of ...• Sergeant at Arms: I requested larger plane, not Pe... • Hotline: Clemons to head Clinton's New Hampshire o... • Democratic presidential sidelines flush with cash • Giuliani's early $3 million dwarfs GOP rivals • White House v. RNC on Pelosi plane issue • Obama to skip Nevada forum • Bush to take 7-day trip through the Americas next ... • Edwards not firing controversial bloggers • House Dems set terms of three-day Iraq debate SUBSCRIBE
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