Monday, April 16, 2007
CNN Political Ticker AM
For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker. All politics, all the time. Compiled by Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau.
Making news today... In a GOP race featuring Newt Gingrich and Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani leads John McCain by just 3 percentage points (27%-24%). In that scenario, Thompson places third (11%), Romney fourth (10%), and Gingrich fifth (8%). On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton now holds an eight-point advantage over Barack Obama (36%-28%) when Al Gore is not included in the race. John Edwards scores 15% without Gore. MORE POLL RESULTS: (pdf) "Now, it's tough... it's a very difficult assignment, but we've got a new commander in the field, we've got a good strategy in place, and I think we will see positive results." "The surge is not working. [It's] absolutely clear that the surge is, in fact, failing. The attack on the Iraqi parliament inside the Green Zone is clear evidence of that." The full interview will be posted on The Ticker later today. Elizabeth Taylor, Chevy Chase, Candice Bergen, Michael Douglas, and Don Henley gave Hillary Clinton the legal maximum, $4600. Zach Braff, Morgan Freeman, Dennis Haysbert, and Tobey Maguire each gave Barack Obama $2300. Tom Hanks and the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines maxed out with $4600 each. And some celebrities, like Barbra Streisand and Steven Spielberg, couldn't decide on just one candidate, so they gave to at least three. Check back to the Ticker later this morning to see who in Tinseltown is opening their wallets for '08 candidates. President's Schedule: Also on the Political Radar: ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) "CONGRESS WILL PASS CLEAN LEGISLATION," SAYS CHENEY ON "FACE": Despite the conviction of his former chief of staff in a high-profile trial, Vice President Dick Cheney said today that he has not had an opportunity to speak to his friend, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the highest-ranking official of the Bush administration to be convicted of federal crimes. During an appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, the vice president also said he expects the Democratic-led Congress will eventually relent in its demand that future funding for the Iraq war be tied with a timetable for withdrawal. "I think the Congress will pass clean legislation," Cheney said. "I don't think that the majority of the Democrats in Congress want to leave America's fighting forces in harm's way without the resources they need to defend themselves." CBS News: Cheney Steers Clear Of Libby Mess "I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE," GONZALES WILL TELL SENATORS: Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales offered a measured apology for his mistakes in the dismissal of eight United States attorneys, but said in testimony prepared for a Senate hearing on Tuesday that he had "nothing to hide" and that none of the prosecutors were removed to influence the outcome of a case. In his testimony, which was released Sunday by the Justice Department, Mr. Gonzales provided an account of his actions that was largely consistent with his past assertions that his role was very limited and his recollection fragmentary. Mr. Gonzales said that he did not select any of the prosecutors slated for dismissal last year and that he largely delegated the effort to his former chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson. "I have nothing to hide," he said in his testimony, "and I am committed to assuring the Congress and the American public that nothing improper occurred here." New York Times: 'Nothing to Hide,' Attorney General Insists DOJ'S BATTLE CONTRADICTS A.G.: The former Justice Department official who carried out the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year told Congress that several of the prosecutors had no performance problems and that a memo on the firings was distributed at a Nov. 27 meeting attended by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, a Democratic senator said yesterday. The statements to House and Senate investigators by Michael A. Battle, former director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, represent another potential challenge to the credibility of Gonzales, who has said that he never saw any documents about the firings and that he had "lost confidence" in the prosecutors because of performance problems. Battle's statements, relayed to reporters yesterday by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), came as Gonzales prepares for a make-or-break appearance on Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Washington Post: Ex-Justice Official's Statements Contradict Gonzales on Firings WOLFOWITZ VOWS TO STAY ON AT WORLD BANK: World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz rejected calls to resign even after a panel representing the governments that fund the agency rebuked him for a decision to promote his girlfriend. "I believe in the mission of this organization, and I believe I can carry it out," Wolfowitz, 63, told a press conference in Washington yesterday. "This is important work, and I intend to continue it." World Bank directors are weighing Wolfowitz's future after finding that he personally dictated the terms of his partner's salary increase and promotion. The raise was twice as large as allowed by bank rules, according to the Staff Association, which represents 13,000 employees and is demanding Wolfowitz resign. Minutes before Wolfowitz spoke, the Development Committee, which represents the 185 member nations of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, issued a statement saying "the current situation is of great concern to all of us." Bloomberg: Wolfowitz Rejects Calls to Quit; Panel Cites 'Great Concern' DCCC'S "FRONTLINERS" RAISE CASH AT "FRANTIC PACE": Freshman House Democrats, buoyed by the new majority their victories ushered in, raked in campaign money at an almost frantic pace in the first three months of the off-election year, showed fundraising tallies for the most vulnerable among them. According to a tabulation by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the 29 Members of the DCCC's "Frontline" program -- which directs funds to the party's most endangered incumbents -- raised an average of $291,000 in the first three months of 2007. That reflects more than a $100,000 jump from the average the Frontline members raised in the first quarter of 2005. There also are almost three times as many Members in the program this cycle, due to the Democratic victories in last year's midterm elections that netted the party 30 seats and control of the House. Roll Call: Frontliners Get Quick Cash Start GOP CANDIDATES STILL WANT HELP FROM FUNDRAISER-IN-CHIEF: President Bush may be unpopular inside the Beltway, but to Republicans nationwide, he remains the fundraiser extraordinaire, and he is expected to pull in more than $200 million for Republican candidates by Election Day 2008. Although his approval rating hovers in the 30s, between 70 percent and 80 percent of Republicans support his policies, including the "surge" of troops to secure Baghdad. Even though the next elections are 20 months away, the growing partisanship and polarization makes the president an even bigger draw for campaign cash... Mr. Bush "remains interested in helping the party, interested in helping candidates," said Sara Taylor, White House political director. "I anticipate that he would be on par or ahead of where he was in the last off-year. He very likely will be ahead of it." Washington Times: Bush in demand to fill war chests OFFICIAL Q1 NUMBERS IN: Hillary Rodham Clinton banked a daunting $24 million for the Democratic presidential campaign at the end of the first quarter even as rival Barack Obama outraised her in a display of fundraising prowess. Clinton, the senator from New York, raised $19 million for the primary election, trailing Obama, who collected $24.8 million in donations for the primary. Obama reported $18.2 million cash on hand for the primary, keeping him at Clinton's heels as the presidential campaign enters a more intense second quarter. The first quarter financial reports established Clinton and Obama as the undisputed money leaders of the Democratic field, a significant but not determining factor in politics. The reports also show that as a group, Democratic presidential candidates outraised Republicans by a margin of eight to five. AP via Yahoo! News: Clinton has $24 million for primaries CANDIDATES TAKING CUES FROM THE IDEOLOGICAL BASES: Five months after midterm elections that demonstrated the rising power of independent voters, conservative and liberal activists continue to drive the presidential campaign dialogue, deepening the red-blue divisions that have defined national politics for more than a decade. The huge gulf between the two parties' candidates is most evident on Iraq -- a division reinforced last week by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who excoriated his Democratic rivals on the war. The top Republican contenders uniformly support President Bush's troop buildup strategy; Democrats just as forcefully argue for starting to withdraw U.S. troops and a timetable for eventual removal of virtually all combat forces... On issues such as taxes and spending, health care, and education, candidates are mostly taking their cue from -- or trying to cozy up to -- their respective ideological bases. Washington Post: Candidates Still Take Cues From Their Base NO FAVORITE FOR EVANGELICALS: Evangelical Christians have long been a key constituency for the Republican Party, but leading religious conservatives are expressing dissatisfaction with the party's current crop of presidential candidates... Eight years ago, Christian conservative stalwarts Gary Bauer and Alan Keyes sought the Republican nomination in a presidential field led from start to finish by Mr. Bush, who proudly proclaimed his born-again faith. Each of the three Republicans most often mentioned as front-runners for the 2008 presidential nomination -- Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- present significant problems to evangelical voters, said Mr. Olasky, a University of Texas professor and Christian journalist. Washington Times: Republican '08 options disappoint evangelicals 69% CAN NAME THE VEEP: Americans' knowledge of national and international affairs has changed little in two decades despite the emergence of 24-hour cable news and the Internet as major news sources. People surveyed in February were slightly less able than those polled in 1989 to name the vice president, their state's governor and the president of Russia but slightly more able to answer other questions correctly about national politics, according to a poll released Sunday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Of the 1,502 adults survey in February, 69 percent correctly answered Dick Cheney when asked who was the vice president, compared with 74 percent who correctly responded Dan Quayle when the same question was asked in 1989. Two-thirds correctly named their state's governor in February compared with three-fourths who got that right in 1989. AP via Yahoo! News: Knowledge unchanged by new news outlets FULL POLL RESULTS: "What Americans Know" (pdf) |
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• GOP presidential candidate defends Imus, slams Jac...• Rove's attorney says there was a 'gap' in White Ho... • White House: Potentially five million e-mails are ... • Romney releases full fundraising numbers • Cheney's former chief of staff skips motion for ne... • Cheneys report earning $1,614,862 in 2006 • Justice releases nearly 2,400 pages of documents,s... • Bushes report earning $642,905 in 2006 • Bush backs Wolfowitz amid scandal • The Hollywood Primary: Giuliani wins Ben Stein's m... SUBSCRIBE
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