Monday, May 21, 2007
CNN Political Ticker AM
Compiled by Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau
Making news today... PROGRAMMING NOTE: Richardson will appear in The Situation Room at 5 pm ET. President's Schedule: Also on the Political Radar: Clinton will propose "a federal fund to help states create or expand universal pre-K programs." (New York Times) "I want every 4 year old, regardless of parental income, to have access to high-quality pre-K," Clinton told NBC's "TODAY" this morning. ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) ROUND II WITH ISG? After an initially tepid reception from policymakers, the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group are getting a second look from the White House and Congress, as officials continue to scour for bipartisan solutions to salvage the American engagement in Iraq. With negotiations continuing this week on a new war funding bill, the administration is strongly signaling that it would accept the idea of requiring the Iraqi government to meet political benchmarks or else risk losing some assistance from the United States. That was one of the key proposals from the group headed by former secretary of state James A. Baker III and former Indiana congressman Lee H. Hamilton, but it was initially dismissed by the White House when first proposed last December. Washington Post: Second Life for Study Group "SPECIAL TREAT" FOR NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: President Bush is banking on NATO support to help quell the violence in Afghanistan as he meets with the alliance's leader to review strategy on a flurry of issues. Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has met privately with Bush a handful of times, but never before at the president's getaway in central Texas. The invitation was meant to be a special treat, an offer of extended personal time with Bush. Afghanistan's surging violence, NATO's role in Kosovo and U.S. plans for a missile defense system in Europe all were likely to be on Monday's agenda. On Sunday, a relaxed Bush and first lady Laura Bush greeted de Hoop Scheffer and his wife, Jeannine, who arrived by helicopter. The president, in blue jeans and cowboy boots, then climbed into his extended-cab pickup truck and drove the couples down the road - men in the front seat, women in the back seat. AP via Yahoo! News: Bush meets NATO leader at Texas ranch HOUSE IMMIGRATION CAUCUS SAYS DEAL "VIOLATES THE RULE OF LAW": Members of the Congressional Immigration Caucus say a compromise reached between members of the Senate and the Bush administration over immigration reform violates the rule of law, giving amnesty to millions of illegal aliens in the United States. "The compromise... will reward 12 million illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship -- what part of 'illegal' does the Senate not understand?" asked Rep. Brian P. Bilbray, California Republican and caucus chairman. "Any plan that rewards illegal behavior is amnesty. "You would think the Senate would have learned their lesson after the 1986 amnesty debacle, but it looks like their idea of a compromise is to repeat the failed policies of the past," he said. Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas Republican and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said the proposed compromise would "do lasting damage to the country, American workers and the rule of law." He said amnesty puts lawbreakers ahead of those legally seeking citizenship, puts foreign workers ahead of U.S. workers and encourages more illegal immigration. Washington Times: Caucus criticizes plan for 'amnesty' EMPLOYERS "UNHAPPY" WITH IMMIGRATION PACKAGE: Employers, who helped shape a major immigration bill over the last three months, said on Sunday that they were unhappy with the result because it would not cure the severe labor shortages they foresee in the coming decade. In addition, employers expressed alarm as they learned that the Senate bill would require them to check a government database to verify that all current and former employees - aliens and citizens alike - were eligible to work in the United States. The Senate begins debating the bill on Monday. Supporters, including the White House, had hoped that senators would finish work on it this week, before the Memorial Day recess. But leading members of Congress said Sunday that the bill would take more time and could face significant hurdles. New York Times: After Aiding Bill on Immigration, Employers Balk IMMIGRATION ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS DIFFERENCES AMONG GOP TOP TIER: As Congress begins debate on a complex immigration bill, the leading Republican candidates for president have finally found a policy issue to squabble over. The chief differences have emerged between Senator McCain of Arizona, who helped forge a fragile agreement with Senator Kennedy in the Senate, and Mitt Romney, who quickly came out against the bill and derided it as a form of "amnesty" for illegal immigrants. In the middle is Mayor Giuliani, who has joined many politicians on both sides of the aisle in taking a wait-and-see approach to the bill, which may face a slew of amendments in the Senate. Such a clear distinction on a policy matter has been rare among the top three Republican hopefuls, with the exception of social issues such as abortion, on which Mr. Giuliani has parted ways with his rivals. New York Sun: GOP Presidential Hopefuls Square Off Over Immigration ROGERS WILL TRIGGER VOTE ON MURTHA REPRIMAND: The House floor will be the stage for a partisan fight over earmarks and ethics today, as Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) is scheduled to drop a privileged motion to trigger a House vote on whether to reprimand senior Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for allegedly threatening to deny Rogers' earmarks for "now and forever." The Michigan lawmaker said last week that Murtha had vowed to cut his earmarks in retaliation for Rogers' attempt to strip a Murtha project from the intelligence authorization bill the week before. Murtha has declined to offer his version of events. Once Rogers offers the resolution, Democrats have four procedural options. The most likely, aides said, is a motion to table the resolution that effectively kills the bill. They also can debate the resolution and then vote to table it, refer it to the ethics committee or allow an up-or-down vote. Roll Call: Rogers, Murtha to Battle Over Alleged Earmarks Threat THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY'S "NO. 1 CRITIC": "Are you kidding me?" says Senator Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, when asked why he's so critical of insurance companies. Lott, 65, launches into a critique of the industry, peppering it with words such as "arrogant" and "mean- spirited," statistics about company profits and executive pay and angry questions about why its lobbyists are fighting a clutch of bills he is pushing -- including one that would strip companies such as State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and Allstate Corp. of their 62-year-old exemption from federal antitrust laws. The Senate's No. 2 Republican has become the industry's No. 1 critic in Congress ever since he lost a house to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. While Lott recently settled with his insurer, State Farm, after a year-long court battle, he is continuing the fight in the Senate. His experience, the senator says, has convinced him that an industry he defended his entire career is in need of reform. Bloomberg: Lott, 'Scorned' After Katrina, Targets State Farm, Allstate BRAUN ATTACKER CHARGED: A South Side man was charged Sunday with attacking former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun in April after she identified him in a lineup, Chicago police said. Joseph A. Dixon, 38, of the 6100 block of South Drexel Avenue, was charged with aggravated battery and attempted armed robbery Sunday evening, police said. Dixon was arrested Friday after money was taken from a tip jar in a Subway restaurant at 1449 E. 57th St. in Hyde Park, Sgt. Nancy Higgins said. Once he was in police custody, he became a person of interest in Braun's attempted robbery. Braun, the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, was attacked and injured around midnight on April 27 outside her Hyde Park home in the 1200 block of East 56th Street, police said. Braun fell to the ground in the struggle and broke her wrist. Chicago Tribune: Man charged in Braun case ONLINE POPULARITY GAP: No Republican comes close to matching the popularity of another Democratic candidate, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, on YouTube, MySpace and Facebook, the social-networking triumvirate. The Democrats are ahead in the online money race. The top three Democrats, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama and Edwards, amassed more than $14 million over the Internet in the first three months of 2007; in contrast, the top three Republicans, Giuliani, McCain and Romney, collected less than half of that, $6 million. Furthermore, ABC PAC, the conservative fundraising site, has raised $385 so far for Republican presidential hopefuls; Act Blue, its liberal counterpart, has collected about $3 million for Edwards alone. One reason for the disparity between the parties, political insiders say, is that the top Republican candidates are not exciting voters the way the Democratic front-runners are. Washington Post: Online, GOP Is Playing Catch-Up RICHARDSON CALLS ATTENTION TO MEXICAN ROOTS: A couple of months ago a reporter in Washington asked Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson why he thought he could do well next year in the California primary. Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, paused for a moment, stared at his questioner, and then ran through a comprehensive, policy-oriented list: Western governor, strong on environment, solid on immigration, pro-growth to please the Silicon Valley folks, and so on. He paused. Leaned forward. "Plus I'm Hispanic," he said. "Did you know that?" He was teasing, but it's a real strategic issue for a candidate with a vanilla name. Washington Post: The Pro-Familia Candidate MOTHER OF KILLED MARINE CHALLENGES STORY IN RICHARDSON'S STUMP SPEECH: On the campaign trail, presidential hopeful Bill Richardson tells a moving story about a New Mexico Marine killed in Iraq and his mom. But is it true? Three years ago, Richardson attended a memorial service for Lance Cpl. Aaron Austin, 21, who died in April 2004. As he campaigns for the Democratic nomination, the New Mexico governor often recounts an emotional conversation with Austin's mother, saying she thanked him for the federal death benefits she had received and even showed him the government check. In speeches in New Hampshire, Richardson has gotten Austin's name wrong at least once and age wrong at least twice. He also has called Austin the first New Mexico soldier killed in Iraq - instead of the third. But that's not what bothers the Marine's mother, De'on Miller, of Lovington, N.M., who says the conversation about money never took place. AP via Yahoo! News: Marine's mom disputes Richardson story ROMNEY LEADS IN DES MOINES REGISTER POLL: Mitt Romney has sprinted ahead of presidential competitors John McCain and Rudy Giuliani in a new Iowa Poll of likely Republican caucus participants. The Des Moines Register poll shows Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, is the top choice of 30 percent of those who say they definitely or probably will attend the leadoff Iowa caucuses in January. McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona, nips former New York Mayor Giuliani for second place — 18 percent to 17 percent. Other polls taken in Iowa this month, presenting a different lineup of candidates that included Newt Gingrich and Fred Thompson, have shown Giuliani, McCain and Romney bunched together. The former U.S. House speaker and former Tennessee senator have said they are considering presidential bids but have not taken steps toward running. Des Moines Register: Mitt Romney leads Republicans CLINTON TO ROLL OUT UNIVERSAL PRE-K PROPOSAL: Two presidential candidates plan to unveil significant domestic policy proposals today, with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton calling for a $5 billion plan for universal prekindergarten classes and Senator John McCain urging more efficiency and ethics in government. Mrs. Clinton, Democrat of New York, will visit an elementary school in Miami today to propose her first major education initiative of the campaign: a federal fund to help states create or expand universal pre-K programs. The program would be voluntary for states, which would be required to provide a dollar-for-dollar match and would not be allowed to reduce their current spending on pre-K, according to a summary of the plan provided yesterday by the Clinton campaign. New York Times: 2 Candidates to Roll Out Domestic Proposals McCAIN TO TALK GOVERNMENT REFORM IN OK: Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is promising to hold Cabinet chiefs accountable for ensuring the integrity of their agencies and proposing to withhold money from government programs that don't meet performance expectations. "It is essential to our party's success, and to the nation's honor that we claim sincerely the mantle of reform," the Arizona Republican says in a speech he plans to give Monday at the Oklahoma statehouse in Oklahoma City. "We were elected the majority in Congress thirteen years ago for that reason more than any other: to reform the way government is funded and structured, and to hold it accountable for its ability or inability to address the serious challenges of our time," McCain says, six months after Republicans lost power of the House and Senate. AP via Yahoo! News: McCain to push GOP on government reform GIULIANI TESTING CLOUT OF CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE LEADERS: Bill Carswell has voted for numerous Republican presidential candidates who oppose abortion, even though he supports legal abortion... "It's a personal decision. It's up to the individual." Carswell says he votes "for leadership" and that's why he overlooked the anti-abortion views of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and others. The big question now is whether social conservatives are willing to make the same calculation as they weigh who would be their party's strongest nominee. At least two prominent figures - Focus on the Family President James Dobson and Republican strategist Richard Viguerie - already have supplied an answer. They won't vote for Giuliani. "I will personally work to defeat the GOP ticket in 2008" if he is the nominee, Viguerie said. For decades, Christian conservatives have turned out in Republican primaries and had great influence. Giuliani's candidacy is testing their clout, and some analysts predict it will be a turning point. USA Today: GOP's commitment on social issues tested |
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• Paul: 'I'm more Republican than they are'• Martinez: Immigration bill could save GOP • Bilbray: Senate bill will cause 'next big wave' of... • Chertoff: 'Tempers got hot' • Romney ad decries 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants... • Martinez to Florida: Don't move up primary • Pelosi: We will pass an Iraq bill by Memorial Day • Obama and Brownback team up on Iran bill • 'Raw Politics' tonight: Dems v. Bush on Iraq, Iowa... • Gonzales avoids controversies at awards ceremony SUBSCRIBE
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