Monday, February 12, 2007
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Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... "If all 435 House members use their five minutes, debate will last 36 hours." McCain told CNN the article is the "worst hit job that has ever been done in my entire political career." (CNN.com) "'The problem's not that the info's not out there,' he said of his record on policy issues. 'The problem is that that's not what you guys have been reporting on. You've been reporting on how I look in a swimsuit.'" "'I think it's flattering that one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me on the day after I announced,' Obama said of the low blow from Down Under." CLINTON: "That's not what I hear... I know what Newt Gingrich tells people privately. I know what Tom DeLay tells people privately... I'm the one person they're most afraid of, because Bill and I do know how to beat them." (New Hampshire Union-Leader) President's Schedule: At 2:30 pm ET, Bush makes remarks at the Celebration of African American History Month in the East Room. Also on the Political Radar: ================================================================= 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) EVIDENCE OF IRAN-SHIITE EXTREMIST CONNECTIONS "PUT ON THE TABLE": After weeks of internal debate, senior United States military officials on Sunday literally put on the table their first public evidence of the contentious assertion that Iran supplies Shiite extremist groups in Iraq with some of the most lethal weapons in the war. They said those weapons had been used to kill more than 170 Americans in the past three years. Never before displayed in public, the weapons included squat canisters designed to explode and spit out molten balls of copper that cut through armor. The canisters, called explosively formed penetrators or E.F.P.s, are perhaps the most feared weapon faced by American and Iraqi troops here. In a news briefing held under strict security, the officials spread out on two small tables an E.F.P. and an array of mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades with visible serial numbers that the officials said link the weapons directly to Iranian arms factories. New York Times: U.S. Says Arms Link Iranians to Iraqi Shiites LEADERS SPAR OVER SCOPE OF HOUSE "SURGE" VOTE: A House vote on Iraq this week will be limited to the question of supporting President Bush's troop escalation, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Sunday. Hoyer's comment drew a vehement objection from House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, who said House Democrats had promised to allow a vote this week on a Republican alternative opposing a cutoff of money for the war. Hoyer, D-Md., said such a vote would occur later. "Live up to your word," Boehner told Hoyer. Democrats, Boehner said, "won't even let us have a substitute... Give us a vote this week." AP via Yahoo! News: Rep. Hoyer: Vote on Iraq will be limited MEMBERS TO "JOCKEY FOR PRIME TIME" ON C-SPAN: Three days of intense debate over the Iraq war begins in the House today, with Democrats planning to propose a narrowly worded rebuke of President Bush's troop buildup and Republicans girding for broad defections on their side. Both parties will jockey for prime time before the C-SPAN cameras, with leaders claiming the best time slots and rank-and-file members trying to make the most of the five minutes each will be allotted. If all 435 House members use their five minutes, debate will last 36 hours. It is likely to begin by late morning and run until midnight tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday. A vote is expected Friday. Washington Post: GOP Expects Defections as House Debates Iraq Resolution SENATE DEMS AND REPUBLICANS BEGIN "COMPETING PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGNS": Following a week of virtual gridlock over the Iraq War debate that left little for either side to gloat about, Senate Democrats and Republicans today will begin competing public relations campaigns designed to secure some stronger political ground heading into the first recess of the 110th Congress. Democrats will spend the coming days trying to increase party momentum under the broad message that the voters put them in charge because they wanted change, and the majority has started to deliver. Republicans, meanwhile, will use the week to poke holes in the Democrats' initial stewardship of the chamber, while outlining the specifics of a Congressional agenda they hope to sell to the public in the coming months. Roll Call: Senators Enter Spin Cycle LIBBY LAWYERS TO BEGIN DEFENSE WITH "HIGH-PROFILE JOURNALISTS": Lawyers for Lewis "Scooter" Libby are scheduled to begin their case Monday by calling a brace of high-profile journalists to give testimony they hope will clear Libby of perjury and obstruction charges. Among those likely to be called, according to court transcripts: NBC's Andrea Mitchell, Bob Woodward of The Washington Post, Evan Thomas of Newsweek and Jill Abramson, managing editor of The New York Times... Theodore Wells, Libby's lead counsel, has said in court filings and statements to the court that he'll call these journalists to show there was no "plot" to unmask Plame's identity and that talk of her CIA job was widespread. USA Today: Libby lawyers to call on high-profile journalists CHENEY EXPECTED TO MAKE "HISTORIC APPEARANCE" ON THE STAND: One figure has dominated the trial of I. Lewis Libby Jr. without even showing up in the courtroom. Day after day, the jury has heard accounts of the actions of Vice President Dick Cheney, watched as his handwritten notes were displayed on a giant screen, heard how he directed leaks to the news media and ordered the White House to publicly defend Mr. Libby, his top aide and close confidante. Now, as the defense phase of the perjury trial begins, Mr. Cheney is expected to make a historic appearance on the witness stand. It is an act of loyalty that carries considerable risk for Mr. Cheney, a powerful figure in the administration who has in recent months suffered a series of major political and policy setbacks. New York Times: Cheney Testimony in Libby Trial Would Carry High Risk NEWSOM OPENS RE-ELECTION OFFICE WITH ANOTHER APOLOGY: Mayor Gavin Newsom, vexed by a sex scandal and an admitted drinking problem, played to a warm crowd of friends, family and volunteers at the opening of his re-election campaign office Sunday. In a packed storefront-turned-headquarters on Sutter Street near Van Ness Avenue, Newsom shook hands, hugged supporters and took the stage, where he apologized again for having an affair with his former campaign manager's wife. "The last week or so have been extraordinarily difficult," the mayor said. "I cannot tell you from the bottom of my heart how honored I am that you guys stuck by me." If it hadn't been for the recent revelations, this event might have been low-key and moderately attended. But Newsom's planners had to place risers in the room so television cameras and photographers could get a good shot of the mayor. San Francisco Chronicle: Contrite Newsom tells backers he's 'not going away' WITH NJ, IL, FL, AND CA IN THE MIX, COMPLICATED SUPER TUESDAY STRATEGIES: A move by four major states to hold their 2008 presidential primaries early next February will have a dramatic impact on the nominating process by favoring front-runners in a high-speed race, say party officials. An accelerated nominating calendar will affect the candidates' campaign strategies, putting more pressure on most of them to succeed in the early January contests. But it also has renewed political debate over the nature of an increasingly front-loaded process that chooses a nominee before much of the country has had any say. Contenders are forced to campaign on television in a larger number of big states simultaneously without meeting many voters. Washington Times: First primaries could call the races OBAMA IN IOWA: U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois painted a new picture of himself to a packed Hilton Coliseum crowd Sunday - as that of a nonpolitical politician, a diplomat who claims he could salvage the country's broken foreign relations. But it will take more than just a new breed of presidential candidate to revive voters, he said. It will take a change in American attitudes to make a difference in politics... Wearing a sport jacket and no tie, Obama was greeted with applause and intermittent whoops from the crowd of about 5,000 inside the coliseum. Supporters waved hundreds of campaign signs. Some held up cardboard placards that read "We Need a Hero - Thank You" and "Obama-Rama." Obama touched on a range of issues and was scathingly critical of the Iraq war. He continued to emphasize that he was against the war from the beginning of his political career as an Illinois state senator. Des Moines Register: Obama: Attitudes must change SHOWS "AMBIVALENT RELATIONSHIP" WITH REPORTERS AT AMES PRESSER: Barack Obama used his first news conference after announcing his run for president to accuse the media of ignoring his substantive record and falsely depicting him as a lightweight. "The problem's not that the info's not out there," he said of his record on policy issues. "The problem is that that's not what you guys have been reporting on. You've been reporting on how I look in a swimsuit." Obama's peevish comment reflected an ambivalent relationship with the national media, rooted in his transformation from an obscure Chicago politician into a bona fide celebrity over just 2 1/2 years. Obama has been the subject of almost entirely favorable coverage from the national media, and his aides acknowledge that he's parlayed that new profile into his presidential campaign. But Obama also espouses a new brand of politics aimed at transcending the celebrity obsessions and superficiality promoted by modern 24-hour news cycles. The Politico: Obama Casts Peevish Eye on National Media AUSTRALIAN PM'S COMMENTS "FLATTERING": Newly minted presidential candidate Barack Obama delivered a tart smackdown yesterday to the Australian prime minister, who declared that Al Qaeda is rooting for Obama. "I think it's flattering that one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me on the day after I announced," Obama said of the low blow from Down Under. Prime Minister John Howard said Obama's plan to withdraw troops by March 2008 would play into terrorists' hands. "If I were running Al Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory, not only for Obama but also for the Democrats," Howard said. New York Daily News: Obama blows off Aussie dis WORRIED ABOUT NAME RECOGNITION: Barack Obama said Sunday that name recognition would be his toughest challenge in his 2008 presidential campaign. His leading rivals for the Democratic nomination are far better known to voters, the Illinois senator said in an Associated Press interview the day after announcing his candidacy. "At least two of my fellow candidates have been campaigning for years," Obama said, referring to New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. "They have an infrastructure and name recognition that are higher than mine so there will probably be a higher burden of proof for me," the first-term senator said. AP via Yahoo! News: Obama calls name recognition big hurdle SECRET SERVICE ALERTED TO REMARK ON BLOG: A blogger's rant calling for Hillary Rodham Clinton's death - and posted on one of Sen. Barack Obama's campaign Web sites yesterday - came as her security has been being dramatically beefed up, The Post has learned. The Secret Service was alerted to the twisted item, which was on the Obama blog page for about seven hours before being yanked... The anonymous note came as new details emerged about the former first lady's U.S. Secret Service detail - which has received a major boost since the New York senator declared her bid for the White House on Jan. 20. New York Post: SICKO: KILL HILL HILLARY TAKES FIRST CRACK AT NH "LIVING-ROOM POLITICS": Sen. Hillary Clinton breezed through the second day of her Presidential campaign's inaugural tour through New Hampshire yesterday with dual stops at Democratic "house parties" in the southern tier. In Manchester and Nashua, the New York Democrat and former first lady took her first crack at the living-room politics that typically defines the New Hampshire Primary... Clinton told attendees she has the experience required to fill the seat her husband once occupied, and reassured one voter who asked why some prominent Republicans seem to be clamoring for Clinton to win her party's nomination. "That's not what I hear," Clinton told the crowd in Nashua. "I know what Newt Gingrich tells people privately. I know what Tom DeLay tells people privately... "I'm the one person they're most afraid of, because Bill and I do know how to beat them." New Hampshire Union-Leader: Up close and personal with Hillary "ENERGETIC BUT NOT ECSTATIC" GRANITE STATE RECEPTION: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) touted the politics of the possible Sunday during her inaugural visit to New Hampshire as a presidential candidate, a message that found an energetic but not ecstatic reception in town-hall meetings and house parties across the state. Clinton veered away from drawing simple conclusions on issues such as the war in Iraq and health care, insisting that each is a complex problem that does not lend itself to a simple solution. Washington Post: Clinton's Search for Common Ground Gets Mixed Reviews in N.H. McCAIN CALLS POST PIECE "WORST HIT JOB" IN "ENTIRE POLITICAL CAREER": Sen. John McCain blasted a report in the Washington Post that said the Arizona Republican, who has campaigned against the use of "soft money," is using just those kinds of funds to support his GOP presidential nomination. McCain told CNN the article is the "worst hit job that has ever been done in my entire political career." According to the story published on Sunday, campaign and IRS records show several of McCain's finance co-chairmen "have given or raised large donations for political parties or 527 groups." Named after tax code, a 527 is a tax-exempt organization created to influence political campaigns. "Soft money" refers to a type of unlimited contribution to these organizations from corporate and wealthy donors. "In all, the finance co-chairs have given at least $13.5 million in soft money and 527 donations since the 1998 election," the Washington Post reported. CNN: McCain denies links to 'soft money' |
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