Wednesday, February 21, 2007
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Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... In a statement to lawmakers in the House of Commons, Blair said British troop numbers based in Basra would be reduced from 7,200 to 5,500 in the coming months -- but only if Iraqi security forces could secure the southern part of the country. "The actual reduction in forces will be from the present 7,100 -- itself down from over 9,000 two years ago and 40,000 at the time of the conflict -- to roughly 5,500," Blair said. Blair said British troops would increasingly play a support role with Iraqi forces assuming responsibility for security operations. (CNN.com) Chief defense lawyer Theodore V. Wells Jr. "countered with an intensely emotional defense ending in a choked sob. He argued that Mr. Libby's testimony to the grand jury and his interviews with the Federal Bureau of Investigation may have contained inaccuracies but that they were the result of innocent memory lapses explained by his pressing schedule of national security issues." (New York Times) "Jurors will begin deliberating Libby's fate after instructions from federal Judge Reggie Walton today." (USA Today) "Stars who showed up for the $2,300-a-ticket event included Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman, Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller. From the reception, Obama headed to [David] Geffen's Beverly Hills estate to dine with about 40 guests - those who raised at least $46,000 apiece for the Hilton gathering." (Los Angeles Times) He now says he'll repay the state, but how is Deval Patrick dealing with the first "political and media storm" of his seven-week-old administration? Find out in Hot Topics below! President's Schedule: At 12:15 pm ET, the president participates in "A Conversation on Health Care Initiatives" at the Chattanooga Convention Center. A new Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive poll conducted February 7-9 found "nearly half of Americans don't trust President Bush to reform the nation's health-care system." "When asked how much they trust the president to come up with good policies for improving and reforming the U.S. health-care system, 49% said "not at all," while 16% said "not much." (Wall Street Journal) Also on the Political Radar: Confirmed candidates include Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Chris Dodd, fmr. Sen. John Edwards, fmr. Sen. Mike Gravel, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, NM Gov. Bill Richardson and fmr. IA Gov. Tom Vilsack. On Obama's absence from the AFSCME forum, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee: "He'll be noticeably absent because he's the only one not there... If two, three or four others weren't there, it might be a little different." (Des Moines Register) ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) NOT MUCH FAITH IN BUSH'S HEALTH CARE PLAN: Nearly half of Americans don't trust President Bush to reform the nation's health-care system, a new Wall Street Journal Online/Harris health-care poll found. When asked how much they trust the president to come up with good policies for improving and reforming the U.S. health-care system, 49% said "not at all," while 16% said "not much," according to the online survey of 2,482 U.S. adults. By comparison, 18% said they trust Mr. Bush "to some extent" and only 9% trust him "a great deal" on the issue. The survey was conducted Feb. 7-9. Wall Street Journal: Many Americans Don't Trust Leaders To Reform Health Care, Poll Finds WHITE HOUSE GETS "KEY VICTORY" IN GITMO CASE: A federal appeals court panel yesterday, in a 2-1 vote, upheld a key provision of anti-terrorism legislation signed by President Bush that blocks prisoners at Guantanamo Bay from challenging their detention in U.S. district courts. "Federal courts have no jurisdiction in these cases," wrote Judge A. Raymond Randolph in the 25-page majority ruling, which was supported by Judge David B. Sentelle. In a key victory for the White House in its war on terrorism, Judge Randolph, named to the bench by President Reagan, and Judge Sentelle, appointed by President George Bush, argued that Congress had successfully stripped the detainees of their right to seek a hearing through a writ of habeas corpus. "The arguments are creative, but not cogent," Judge Randolph said in response to appeals by two detainees who asked the court to consider their unlawful-detention appeals. Washington Times: Court hands Bush win in Gitmo case LIBBY "TOLD A DUMB LIE AND GOT CAUGHT," SAYS FITZ: role in leaking a CIA officer's identity in order to keep his job and protect the White House from political embarrassment, prosecutors told jurors yesterday in the closing arguments of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's perjury trial. Pointing to a courtroom screen showing eight witnesses who contradicted Libby, Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald said it was no coincidence that Bush administration colleagues and reporters recalled Libby as intensely focused on undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame early in the summer of 2003, as her husband was publicly challenging the White House's rationale for going to war in Iraq. "This is something important, something he was focused on, something he was angry about," Fitzgerald said. "He had a motive to lie, and... he stole the truth from the justice system." Washington Post: Libby 'Told a Dumb Lie,' Prosecutor Says in Closing Argument DEFENSE COUNTERS WITH "INTENSELY EMOTIONAL" CLOSING STATEMENT: Theodore V. Wells Jr., Mr. Libby's chief defense lawyer, countered with an intensely emotional defense ending in a choked sob. He argued that Mr. Libby's testimony to the grand jury and his interviews with the Federal Bureau of Investigation may have contained inaccuracies but that they were the result of innocent memory lapses explained by his pressing schedule of national security issues. Unlike the prosecutors, Mr. Wells stalked about the courtroom during his summation, his cadence and pitch varying, but his tone of outrage constant. "If it turned out that what he said was wrong that doesn't mean he is a liar," Mr. Wells told the jury. "It means he may have misrecollected what happened." New York Times: In Closing Pleas, Clashing Views on Libby's Role JOHNSON "QUIETLY" LEAVES GW FOR PRIVATE REHAB FACILITY: More than two months after surviving a massive brain hemorrhage, South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson was quietly moved from George Washington University Hospital last week to a private rehabilitation center. The Democratic senator's staff would not reveal the name of the center or even its general location out of concern the media or camera-wielding citizens would pester him. His staff waited until Tuesday to tell the public that Johnson was moved Friday. "When he first went into the hospital, there were cameras camped outside our office in D.C. and two of the three offices in the state and outside of the hospital for days on end," Johnson's spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said. "It was very intense. "The family is trying to release as much information as they can, but they want him to focus on getting better and not feel self-conscious." Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Johnson moved to private rehab center AIDES ANTICIPATE JOHNSON WILL SEEK RE-ELECTION: Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) now appears likely to run for re-election next year, as he continues to improve from a stroke that had thrown his political future into doubt. Johnson had put his re-election plans on hold and halted putting together a campaign team pending his recovery from the brain hemorrhage he suffered on Dec. 13. But with Johnson's rehabilitation following brain surgery going well, his aides now say they anticipate he will seek another term. "We anticipate that he will run. He just has to get back to a point where he can get back" in the office, Johnson spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said Tuesday afternoon. "I think that he's made a great recovery." Roll Call: Released From Hospital, Johnson Eyes Re-election LOBBYISTS CAN STILL UNDERWRITE 1-DAY, SOMETIMES 2-DAY TRIPS: The House and Senate have approved internal rules banning most lobbyist-funded travel for members and their staffs. But lobbyists can still underwrite one-day trips for lawmakers to visit a site, give a speech, attend a forum or sit on a panel. And that lobbyist-funded travel has been expanded to allow a second night's stay in some cases, according to new guidelines the House ethics committee released last night. Lobbyists can pay for a second night stay if the ethics committee determines "that such expenses are necessary due to availability of transportation to or from the event, or in those circumstances when an additional night's stay is practically required in order to facilitate the individual's full participation in the event," the guidelines state. The Hill: Travel rules eased in new guidelines SCOTUS RULING "A VICTORY FOR THE CIGARETTE INDUSTRY": The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned an Oregon jury's award of $79.5 million in punitive damages against Philip Morris on the ground that jurors might have improperly calculated the figure to punish the cigarette maker for the harm it caused to smokers other than the man whose widow brought the case. Although of limited scope, the 5 to 4 decision was a victory for the cigarette industry and for other corporate defendants whose products or behavior have caused widespread injury and who are thus likely to face skeptical or hostile juries. The court was tightly focused on a question of procedural fairness: the need, in the majority's view, to make sure that juries do not punish defendants for harm to others who are not parties to the lawsuit, or who even may have brought their own lawsuits previously and lost. New York Times: Justices Overturn $79.5 Million Tobacco Ruling ID REQUIREMENTS REDUCED '04 TURNOUT BY ABOUT 3%; MORE AMONG MINORITIES: States that imposed identification requirements on voters reduced turnout at the polls in the 2004 presidential election by about 3 percent, and by two to three times as much for minorities, new research suggests. The study, prepared by scholars at Rutgers and Ohio State Universities for the federal Election Assistance Commission, supports concerns among voting-rights advocates that blacks and Hispanics could be disproportionately affected by ID requirements. But federal officials say more research is needed to draw firmer conclusions about the effects on future elections. Tim Vercellotti, a professor at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University who helped conduct the study, said that in the states where voters were required to sign their names or present identifying documents like utility bills, blacks were 5.7 percent less likely to vote than in states where voters simply had to say their names. New York Times: Lower Voter Turnout Is Seen in States That Require ID WHY IS ROMNEY HITTING THE AIRWAVES SO EARLY? "BECAUSE HE CAN": The reason for Romney's decision is two fold. First, he needs to transition from a candidate with great potential to a great candidate. Romney still trails Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani badly in both state and national polling. Romney must, therefore, start to make his case for the nomination sooner rather than later. He has run a deft campaign thus far by successfully wooing the Republican establishment and Washington's chattering class but now must prove that early success is predictive of how he will be received by the broader Republican electorate. The second reason for Romney early ad blitz is simple: because he can. Romney has proven an able fundraiser -- collecting more than $6 million on a single day last month. He will have more than enough financial resources to build his name identification in early states. washingtonpost.com's The Fix: Mitt's Media Blast CLINTON, OBAMA FIGHT FOR HOLLYWOOD CASH: It's the Hollywood primary. White House hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are competing for support from stars and moguls here this week as they hunt for millions of dollars from an elite group of famous donors to bankroll their campaigns. Hillary and Bill Clinton have been mining the stars and studio heads for years. Obama is the new name on the marquee. He topped off a two-day California money blitz headlining his own $2,300-a-ticket fund-raiser with the stars that raised $1.3 million for his 2008 bid. Some people are taking sides. Some are giving to both. Chicago Sun-Times: The fight for Hollywood OBAMA SKIPPING NEVADA FORUM FOR DES MOINES TOWN HALL: The first issue-focused cattle call of the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign is set for today, although in neither of the traditional early nominating states - Iowa and New Hampshire. All but one of the candidates for the nomination will be in Nevada's capital city for the event, sponsored by the nation's largest public employees union and a spotlight moment for the No. 2 caucus state. Only Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is not scheduled to participate in the event, which is expected to draw more than 100 national and foreign news organizations to Carson City. "He'll be noticeably absent because he's the only one not there," said Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "If two, three or four others weren't there, it might be a little different." Des Moines Register: Obama chooses Des Moines stop today over Nevada HILLARY SLAMS BUSH FOR "SQUANDERING WORLDWIDE GOODWILL": Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed yesterday to change the United States so it's no longer an "arrogant power" that alienates the world. "When I'm president, I'm going to send a message to the world that America is back - we're not the arrogant power that we've been acting like for the last six years," Sen. Clinton said during her first campaign stop in the Sunshine State. "We want to be an admired country again in the world. There is a lot of work to be done," Clinton said to applause from a predominantly black audience gathered for her town-hall-style chat in the Liberty City section of Miami. Clinton blamed the Bush administration for squandering worldwide goodwill in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. New York Post: CLINTON VOWS TO END U.S. 'ARROGANCE' AS PRESIDENT McCAIN DEFENDS AGAINST "PANDERING" CHARGES": Republican presidential candidate John McCain is defending his outreach to conservative Christians, arguing that his effort is not political pandering to win the GOP nomination. McCain met privately Monday with religious broadcasters in Orlando, Fla., then answered questions about his appeal to conservatives in Vero Beach. In the 2000 campaign, McCain angered the party's right by calling evangelist leaders Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell "agents of intolerance." Last spring, he spoke at Falwell's Liberty University although hard feelings still linger among some conservatives. Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has said he won't support McCain. "Nobody accused me of courting and pandering to the liberals when I went to the New School," McCain told the crowd, a reference to the New York City school. "What I have found out in my life, is that every time I have done something for political reasons and not the right reasons, I have paid a very heavy price for it - a big price." AP via Yahoo! News: McCain defends Christian outreach effort DODD "NOT ABOUT TO PANIC," "ENOUGH TIME" TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD: Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd is banking that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, with their preference for vetting candidates in cafes instead of convention halls, will level the playing field among Democrats seeking the party's presidential nomination. In the primary season's early stages, Dodd and a handful of other Democrats find themselves far behind headliners such as Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards. Dodd acknowledges - and even jokes about - his uphill climb, but he's not about to panic. "There is enough time yet to change this, because there are places like Iowa and New Hampshire that give candidates like myself a chance to be heard," Dodd told The Associated Press on Tuesday before a lunch meet-and-greet in this Big Ten college town. AP via Yahoo! News: Dodd: Iowa, N.H. may level 2008 field MA GOV WILL REPAY STATE $10,000 DRAPES: Governor Deval Patrick spent more than $10,000 on damask drapes for his State House office as part of a $27,387 makeover that also included a new desk, settee, and other furnishings paid for with taxpayer money. Yesterday, after an inquiry from the Globe, Patrick abruptly announced that he would repay the state for the draperies and furnishings. At the same time, Patrick said he would contribute $543 each month to the lease of the Cadillac DTS he uses for state business, bringing the cost to the public in line with the more modest Ford Crown Victoria used by Governor Mitt Romney. Patrick, who just days ago defiantly defended his lease of the $46,000 luxury car, said he changed his mind after a weekend spent struggling with the state's dismal finances and the budget cuts he has asked his agency leaders to make to bridge a deficit of at least $1 billion. Boston Globe: Patrick to repay taxpayers for decor |
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• Prosecution: Witness testimony proves Libby lied• Obama, McCaskill to introduce legislation to impro... • Johnson released from hospital, enters private reh... • First major 2008 presidential ad four months earli... • Man accused of helping terrorists gave thousands t... • Specter calls for hearings on Bush's Iraq policy • McCain courts conservative Christians, defends his... • Romney hits the air with first presidential ad • Bush praises new director of national intelligence... • '08ers on the trail Tuesday SUBSCRIBE
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