Friday, September 29, 2006
FL law: Foley's name must stay on the ballot
From CNN's Xuan Thai
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The following summarizes Florida election law on the resignation of members of Congress before a general election:
Latest fundraising totals for FL-16
From CNN Political Research Director Robert Yoon
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Earlier this month, then-Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida, and Democrat Tim Mahoney filed fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission for the 16th Congressional District of Florida. The highlights are listed below: Tim Mahoney (D) Total Raised: $1,148,435 (including $555,400 in loans to himself and $22,600 in contributions to himself) Cash on hand as of 8/16/2006: $343,755.55 Mark Foley (R) Total Raised: $1,538,654 Cash on hand as of 8/16/2006: $2,787,281 GOP leaders support Foley's resignation
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House GOP leadership backed Rep. Mark Foley's decision to resign after his e-mails to a congressional page surfaced, while promising action to ensure the safety of all Capitol Hill pages.
"He's done the right thing," said Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, adding. "None of us are very happy about it." Hastert explained that Foley sent a letter of resignation for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a copy of which was obtained by the congressional leadership. The speaker said he has asked Rep. John Shimkus, R-Illinois, the head of the page board, to look into the issue. Majority Whip Roy Blunt echoed Hastert, saying, "It sounds ... to me that Mark made the right decision to leave the Congress." Calling Foley a "friend" and "hard-working member of Congress," the Missouri Republican said, "I'm concerned that Mark is able to deal with this problem in the way he needs to deal with it. "I'm particularly concerned about any pages who may have been involved," he added. Rep. Foley statement on resigning from Congress
The following is a statement from Rep. Mark Foley:
"Today I have delivered a letter to the Speaker of the House informing him of my decision to resign from the U.S. House of Representatives, effective today. I thank the people of Florida's 16th Congressional District for giving me the opportunity to serve them for the last twelve years; it has been an honor. "I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent." Quick Facts on Rep. Mark Foley and FL-16
From CNN's Robert Yoon
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Quick facts on Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida, and the 16th Congressional District he represents: Rep. Mark Foley (R) * represents Florida's 16th congressional district * elected 1994 * was seeking 7th term in Congress Votes in Congress supporting Pres. Bush's position 2005: 79 percent of the time 2004: 79 percent of the time 2003: 93 percent of the time 2002: 90 percent of the time 2001: 81 percent of the time Source: Congressional Quarterly Votes in Congress supporting Pres. Clinton's position 2000: 39 percent of the time 1999: 32 percent of the time 1998: 38 percent of the time Source: Congressional Quarterly Florida 16th Congressional District Location: South central Florida, includes parts of Martin and Palm Beach Counties, including Port St. Lucie and parts of Port Charlotte and Wellington 2004 presidential results in FL-16 Bush: 54 percent Kerry: 46 percent 2000 presidential results in FL-16 Bush: 53 percent Gore: 47 percent Rep. Foley resigns from Congress effectively immediately
From CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Mark Foley of Florida has submitted his resignation one day after a report came out detailing an e-mail conversation that Foley apparently had with a 16-year-old former congressional page, GOP sources tell CNN. "Today, I have delivered a letter to the Speaker of the House informing him of my decision to resign from the U.S. House of Representatives, effective today," Foley said in a statement released by his office. "I thank the people of Florida's 16th Congressional District for giving me the opportunity to serve them for the last twelve years; it has been an honor. "I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent." According to ABC News, the young man forwarded the e-mail to an unknown congressional staffer and described it as "sick, sick, sick." A spokesman for Foley told CNN the congressman admitted he had an e-mail exchange with the former page but flatly denied that it was anything inappropriate. According to the GOP sources, Foley was concerned there may be other potential politically damaging e-mails or information out there and has concluded it's best not to run again for office. More to come . . . Congressional fundraising deadline looms
From CNN's Robert Yoon
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Candidates for the U.S. Senate and House are furiously beefing up their campaign bank accounts today before a midnight Saturday reporting deadline set by the Federal Election Commission. These third-quarter fundraising totals, which will not be released to the public until next month, will be used by campaigns, parties, and news organizations to assess candidates' financial strength heading into the final weeks of the hotly contested mid-term elections. As of the last reporting deadline on June 30, Senate candidates had raised a total of $350 million ($190 million by Democrats, $154 million by Republicans), and House candidates had raised at total of $544 million ($246 million by Democrats, $296 million by Republicans). Who's ahead on CNN?
4 p.m. ET, Situation Room
-Democratic strategist James Carville and conservative commentator Bay Buchanan will weigh in on what Congress -- about to take its fall recess -- has and has not accomplished. Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, the Majority Whip, will offer a Republican view on what's happened on Capitol Hill the last two years. 5 p.m. ET, Situation Room - Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, a vehement critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, will talk to Wolf Blitzer about the war. 10 p.m. ET, AC 360 - Robert Blackwill -- one of the architects of the Bush administration's post-war Iraq policy before resigning in late 2004 -- will discuss Bob Woodward's new book, "State of Denial." David Gergen -- a former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton -- likewise will offer his opinions on how the book and the Iraq war, generally, may affect the political landscape. Cleland touts the South's patriotism on campaign trail
From CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley
FRANKLIN, North Carolina (CNN) -- At a campaign stop Thursday in this Republican stronghold, former Sen. Max Cleland, D-Georgia, told about 100 people that the South "is the most patriotic part of the nation." Cleland, a veteran who lost three limbs in the Vietnam War, was campaigning for congressional candidate Heath Shuler, a Democrat challenging Rep. Charles Taylor, R-North Carolina, in November. Cleland described Shuler, a former college football star and NFL quarterback, as "an All-American America needs." Since losing re-election in 2002, Cleland has been a fixture on the campaign trail including Sen. John Kerry's, D-Massachusetts, unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2004. Cleland is scheduled to campaign for Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, in Johnstown on Saturday. America Votes 2006 State Department: Rice-Rumsfeld relationship 'very good'
(CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have a "very good personal and professional working relationship," a State Department spokesman said Friday, disputing reports in Bob Woodward's upcoming book that their relationship was "hostile".
"There's no shortage of communication," said Sean McCormack, speaking at the department's daily briefing. "They talk to each other all the time." The comments came ahead of the Monday release of Woodward's book, "State of Denial." A New York Times story on Friday said the Washington Post editor wrote that the officials' relationship was so icy that President Bush had "to tell [Rumsfeld] to return her phone calls" when Rice was national security adviser. McCormack disputed that assertion, saying the officials and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell "talked every single morning." That tradition continues, he added, with a regular call involving Rice, Rumsfeld and current national security adviser Stephen Hadley. Allen introduces bill to help black farmers
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Virginia Senator George Allen, who has been rebutting allegations of racial insensitivity, has introduced a bill to help black farmers.
Allen has been dogged for weeks by accusations that he used racist language and liked Confederate symbols. He had been favored for re-election over Democrat Jim Webb, who served as Navy secretary under President Reagan. The bill Allen is sponsoring would give black farmers another chance at compensation under the settlement of a discrimination lawsuit against the Agriculture Department. A similar measure is pending in the House. The department agreed seven years ago to pay farmers who could show they were discriminated against. Most would receive payments of 50-thousand dollars, but others could get more. More than 60,000 people submitted claims but missed the filing deadline. Black farmers' groups have been lobbying Congress to let those claims proceed. Bush: Corruption, poor leadership impair Afghan police training
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush admitted Friday that "corruption and substandard leadership" have hampered efforts to train Afghanistan's 46,000-member police force, in sharp contrast to the war-torn nation's flourishing army.
Bush said Afghan President Hamid Karzai will announce a new leader of the nation's police by year's end. Meanwhile, he praised Afghanistan's armed forces, which consists of 30,000 active troops and several thousand more training in Kabul. Some are serving alongside the 41,000 coalition troops -- including more than 21,000 U.S. servicemen -- now in the country. "Afghans in uniform are determined to protect their nation and fight our common enemies," Bush told members of the Reserve Officers Association, a 75,000-member group consisting of officers, former officers and spouses of uniformed services, primarily the Reserve and National Guard. Full story AG jabs at judges who seek to limit presidential war powers
From CNN Justice Producer Terry Frieden
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- At a conference on maintaining judicial independence, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales countered Friday that judges who seek to curb a president's powers "especially during wartime" cannot expect to be immune from criticism. Gonzales did not mention specific cases, though courts have recently ruled against President Bush's handling of detainees and "terrorist surveillance program." His remarks came at a gathering of legal leaders at Georgetown Law Center co-chaired by sitting Justice Stephen Breyer and retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has expressed concerns harsh criticisms of court rulings could threaten judicial independence. Gonzales said he strongly supports judicial independence but judges need to be prepared to take the heat. "Respectfully, when courts issue decisions that overturn long-standing traditions or policies without proper support in text or precedent, they cannot -- and should not -- be shielded from criticism," he said. Rumsfeld downplays Woodward's critical 'State of Denial'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld downplayed Bob Woodward's upcoming book, "State of Denial," which purportedly is highly critical of the Bush administration's Iraq war policy.
In comments to a pool producer traveling with him in Slovenia, the secretary said he had not read Woodward's book -- to be released Monday -- or two more sympathetic books on the White House recently produced by the veteran Beltway scribe. "You can find somebody in government to say almost anything," Rumsfeld said. "So I wouldn't hold your breath on this one." In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," Woodward suggested the White House has kept intelligence under wraps that the insurgency could worsen in 2007, has underplayed the frequency of attacks on U.S. troops and had gotten advice from Henry Kissinger, President Nixon's former secretary of state. Democratic senators to launch fresh attack on Iraq policies
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a fresh political assault tied to criticisms from retired military officers and ahead of Bob Woodward's upcoming book, "State of Denial," top Democratic senators plan to assail the Bush administration's Iraq policies in a noon press conference.
Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada will be joined by fellow senators Richard Durbin of Illinois, Charles Schumer of New York, Carl Levin of Michigan and Jack Reed of Rhode Island. Levin and Reed are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. According to Democratic staff, the senators "will demand a new direction from failed Bush Republican national security policies that have made America less safe." Special Report: America Votes '06 -- Iraq Pennsylvania-07 candidates in dead heat
From CNN's Robert Yoon
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The latest Keystone Poll from Pennsylvania's hotly contested 7th Congressional District, conducted September 22-27 by Franklin and Marshall College:
For full Keystone Poll results, including how U.S. Senate candidates Rick Santorum and Bob Casey fare in 7th district, click here. Congressional report details lobbyist's White House ties
From CNN's Joe Johns, Suzanne Malveaux and Deirdre Walsh
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his firm had hundreds of contacts with Bush administration officials, including top White House lieutenants, according to a congressional report released this morning. Only a few contacts had been acknowledged previously, but the 95-page report by the House Government Reform Committee details more than 400 instances where Abramoff's firm billed clients for lobbying work which appeared to involve the wining and dining of White House officials, although most were not mentioned by name. But a pair of key names are mentioned in the report -- White House adviser Karl Rove and then White House Political Director Ken Mehlman. Both have denied having a close relationship with Abramoff. The information was gleaned from more than 14,000 pages of e-mails and billing records from Abramoff's lobbying firm Greenberg Traurig. Deputy White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the report shows nothing new. "The report is based on billing records that are widely regarded as fraudulent in how they misrepresent Abramoff's activities and level of access," she said. "So there is no reason why they should suddenly be viewed as credible." Full final report House Government Reform Press Release Rep. Emanuel: 'I'm not on Howard Dean's holiday mailing list'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While vowing that Democratic candidates will be fully prepared for the midterm elections, the congressman charged with spearheading his party's campaign efforts acknowledged tension remains with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.
"My guess is that I'm not on Howard Dean's holiday mailing list, and he's not on mine," Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), said in an interview with CNN anchor Miles O'Brien on American Morning. "That doesn't matter. We're both committed to winning this election." Dean and Emanuel have quarreled over the amount of money the DNC was willing to give the DCCC for the November elections. While an agreement has been reached between the two Democratic leaders, Democratic sources say Emanuel would prefer a bigger investment. Since taking the helm of the DNC, Dean has focused his attention on a long-term strategy to rebuild the state party infrastructure, while congressional Democrats argue that the money should be invested in states where they have a chance of winning. "The way you build [the] party is you win elections every election cycle," Emanuel said. Focused on taxes, RNC sets sights on Rangel
From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The latest Republican National Committee effort to rally its base hit GOP e-mail boxes early this morning with RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman warning that a Democratic takeover of Congress would result in tax increases. "Just when you thought across-the-board tax increases were a thing of the past -- a relic of the Clinton era -- one of the most powerful Democrats lays it all out for us: if Democrats are allowed to take control, they will raise your taxes -- and everyone else's," Mehlman writes in the fundraising appeal. Mehlman takes particular aim at Rep. Charles Rangel, the senior New York Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, in the e-mail. And the RNC this morning will offer a scathing critique of Rangel in its latest "America Weakly" campaign missive. Jennifer Crider, spokeswoman for House Minority Nancy Pelosi, D-California, dismissed the GOP's claims that Democrats are a pro-tax increase party. "House Democrats are focused on cutting taxes for the Middle Class and doing something that Republicans weren't willing to do this congress, which was to renew the widely supported tax extender package," she said. McCain targets Iowa congressional candidate over Iraq stance
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, will go on the offensive in an effort to stymie Democrats' attempt to regain control of the House, taking part Friday in a conference call targeting Democrat Bruce Braley's opposition to the Iraq war.
Republicans are going after Braley, a candidate for Iowa 1st congressional district, for his comments that Congress should cut funding for the war in Iraq to force the president to withdraw troops -- a tactic employed late in the Vietnam War. Braley is running against Republican Mike Whalen to succeed Rep. Jim Nussle, who is the Republican nominee for governor. CNN Political Ticker AM
Compiled by Stephen Bach
CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... Read the full report now on the CNN Political Ticker. President's schedule: Also on the Political Radar today: =================================================== Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) WOODWARD SAYS BUSH ADMIN HAS "KEPT SECRET" LEVEL OF VIOLENCE IN IRAQ: Veteran Washington reporter Bob Woodward tells Mike Wallace that the Bush administration has not told the truth regarding the level of violence, especially against U.S. troops, in Iraq. He also reveals key intelligence that predicts the insurgency will grow worse next year. In Wallace's interview with Woodward, to be broadcast on 60 Minutes this Sunday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. ET/PT, the reporter also claims that Henry Kissinger is among those advising Mr. Bush. According to Woodward, insurgent attacks against coalition troops occur, on average, every 15 minutes, a shocking fact the administration has kept secret. "It's getting to the point now where there are eight-, nine-hundred attacks a week. That's more than 100 a day. That is four an hour attacking our forces," says Woodward. CBS News: Bob Woodward: Bush Misleads On Iraq BUSH IN 'BAMA CALLS DEMS "THE PARTY OF CUT AND RUN": President Bush said Thursday the Democrats want to cut and run from Iraq, while he and his fellow Republicans will do what it takes to win the war on terror. "Five years after 9/11, the worst attack on American homeland in our history, the Democrats offer nothing but criticism, obstructionism and endless second guessing," Bush said in a speech at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. "That's right," replied someone in the friendly audience of about 2,000 gathered at a luncheon fund-raiser for Gov. Bob Riley's re-election campaign. "The party of FDR and the party of Harry Truman has become the party of cut and run," Bush said to applause. Birmingham News: Bush calls Democrats 'cut and run' party SENATE APPROVES DETAINEES BILL IN 65-34 VOTE: Congress approved landmark changes to the nation's system of interrogating and prosecuting terrorism suspects last night, preparing the ground for possible military trials for key al-Qaeda members under rules that critics say will draw stiff constitutional challenges. The Senate joined the House in embracing President Bush's view that the battle against terrorism justifies the imposition of extraordinary limits on defendants' traditional rights in the courtroom. They include restrictions on a suspect's ability to challenge his detention, examine all evidence against him, and bar testimony allegedly acquired through coercion of witnesses. Washington Post: Senate Approves Detainee Bill Backed by Bush HOUSES PASSES WIRETAPS BILL... SENATE PASSAGE NOT EXPECTED BEFORE BREAK: The House voted on Thursday to give the president the formal power to order wiretaps on Americans without a court order for 90 days, even as a federal judge in Detroit once again declared the administration's program of wiretapping without warrants to be illegal. The House approved the surveillance measure, 232 to 191, after rejecting efforts by Democrats and some Republicans to impose greater restrictions on the wiretapping authority. It appears all but certain that Congress will not reach an agreement on a final surveillance bill before its pre-election recess this week. New York Times: House Approves Power for Warrantless Wiretaps SENATE EXPECTED TO PASS BORDER FENCE BILL: The Senate agreed Thursday night to end debate and press ahead with a final vote on the construction of 700 miles of fencing along the U.S. border with Mexico to help stem the tide of illegal immigration into this country. The bill would require construction of reinforced fencing in stretches of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas that are considered among the most porous parts of the 2,000-mile border with Mexico... The Senate, which voted 71-28 to end debate, is expected to hold a final vote on the bill by Saturday. But it was uncertain whether the House would then have enough time to vote on changes in the Senate bill and send the measure to President Bush before Congress recesses. Chicago Tribune: Senate poised to approve fence along Mexico border HP EXECS LESS THAN EAGER TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY: No one took the blame. Fourteen key players in HP's snooping scandal appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday. But not one claimed responsibility for a spying fiasco that threatens the computer giant's once-vaunted reputation - and exposes it to legal liability. CEO Mark Hurd, speaking in a hearing room packed with reporters and cameramen, came the closest. "I should have been able to catch (the problem). I didn't," he said. "The buck stops with me." But Hurd also said that he had little to do with the snooping, which started before he was hired at HP in April 2005. Former chairman Patricia Dunn, who was involved with the program early and ran it at a high level, could make no such claim. But she insisted that she was culpable only of trusting well-respected subordinates. "I do not accept personal responsibility for what happened," she said. USA Today: HP execs on spying: It wasn't me SCOTUS TO RESUME WORK MONDAY: The Supreme Court will begin its annual term Monday with a schedule that includes cases on abortion rights, school integration and global warming, topics that will test the impact of the court's two new conservative members. Such disputes, and a slate of business cases, could offer significant clues on how Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito will influence the law. Both have roots in Ronald Reagan's administration and were touted by President Bush as reliable conservatives. USA Today: Term should indicate new justices' influence "UNPRODUCTIVE CONGRESS" GOES HOME WITH "LITTLE TO SHOW": Republican lawmakers head home this weekend to campaign for re-election after overseeing a Congress that failed to enact their top legislative priorities and saw some of their most prominent leaders weakened or sidelined by scandals and disunity. None of the goals President George W. Bush set out in his January 2005 State of the Union address -- overhaul of the Social Security system, restructuring the tax code, reshaping medical-malpractice law -- was achieved. Bush's proposed overhaul of immigration laws is in limbo because of divisions between House and Senate Republicans. "This is a quite unproductive Congress," said David Mayhew, a political science professor at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The only major legislation lawmakers can point to is an overhaul of the U.S. private-pension system this year, he said. Bloomberg: Republican-Led Congress Winds Down With Little to Show Voters KERRY TO HIT THE TRAIL WITH LAMONT: Sen. John Kerry is ready to join an exclusive club: prominent Democrats shunning three-term Sen. Joe Lieberman to campaign in Connecticut for his anti-war rival Ned Lamont. The Massachusetts senator, the party's 2004 presidential nominee, plans to travel to the state Oct. 25 for Lamont. Kerry's running mate, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, appeared at a Lamont rally last month. Other top Democrats, however, have tacitly backed Lamont, who seized the Democratic nomination from Lieberman in last month's primary, but have avoided public displays of support. The rationale is simple: Lieberman is running as an independent and has a good shot of winning another term; a statewide poll released Thursday showed him up by 10 percentage points. AP via Yahoo! News: Kerry to campaign for Lamont in Conn. ALLEN INTROS BILL TO HELP BLACK FARMERS... NBFA PREZ WON'T "SPECULATE ON MOTIVATIONS": Sen. George Allen, under fire on the campaign trail for alleged racial slurs, yesterday introduced a bill to help about 72,000 black farmers nationwide. Allen, R-Va., and Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced a bill to give the farmers a sec- ond chance at claiming relief under a 1999 civil-rights settlement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The farmers were turned down earlier because they filed claims too late. John W. Boyd Jr. of Baskerville, Va., president of the National Black Farmers Association, sought the legislation, according to an Allen news release yesterday... Boyd, who voiced frustration over failed past efforts to get meetings with Allen's staff, said he finally got a meeting Friday. Boyd would not speculate on Allen's motivations for introducing the bill yesterday. Richmond Times-Dispatch: Allen backs bill to assist black farmers THE PIRROS... "AN ECHO OF THAT OTHER WESTCHESTER POWER COUPLE?" To hear Jeanine F. Pirro's supporters tell it, she is a wronged woman leg-shackled to a loser, an ambitious and effective wife brought low by her badly behaved husband, Albert. Now her fears about his philandering have set off a federal investigation into possible eavesdropping and have threatened to derail her quest to become New York attorney general. But to many people who have been watching the couple for decades, the Pirros look a lot like an echo of that other Westchester power couple, the Clintons, who are also political and financial partners whose fates and fortunes are profoundly intertwined. The Pirros live in Rye, the Clintons in Chappaqua. New York Times: Pirro & Pirro, a Partnership of Love, Power and Distrust JEANINE SUSPECTED AL WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH HIS LAWYER'S WIFE: Jeanine Pirro confided to friends that she feared her scandal-plagued husband was having an affair with his lawyer's wife, Lisa Santangelo - a stunning brunette 20 years her junior, sources said yesterday. At around the same time she was caught on tape last year discussing planting a secret listening device on hubby Al's boat, the then-Westchester DA grumbled to several people that she suspected he was cheating on her... Santangelo, 35, is married to Michael Santangelo, a politically connected Westchester County lawyer who represented Al Pirro in a 2000 federal tax-fraud case in which he was convicted and served 11 months in prison. New York Post: JEANINE'S FEAR OF 'OTHER LADY' DON'T CALL HER FASO'S "RUNNING MATE": Gubernatorial hopeful John Faso is the state's GOP standard bearer - but apparently he doesn't think much of the standards of fellow Republican Jeanine Pirro. On a day that saw more bombshells fall around the attorney general hopeful, Faso yesterday labeled "very troubling" reports that she had explored how to wiretap her allegedly cheating husband, Albert Pirro... When a reporter then referred to the former Westchester County district attorney as his running mate, Faso put even more distance between himself and the scandal-plagued Pirro. "Scott Vanderhoef is my running mate, and he's a very fine candidate," Faso said, referring to the Rockland County executive, who is the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. New York Daily News: Faso is fast to back away HILLARY TO LEND A HAND IN TIGHT RACES: Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a possible White House candidate, will lend a hand to congressional candidates, several of whom just happen to be in presidential battleground states. Cruising to a second term, the New York lawmaker told a gathering of Democratic Party faithful she will be traveling to states with close races next month to boost the party's hopes of taking control of Congress this November. "I'm always the most paranoid campaigner you can find, but I'm also going to be campaigning around the country in these last weeks for other candidates," Clinton told a women's leadership gathering for the Democratic National Committee. AP via Yahoo! News: Clinton to help congressional candidates NYT/CBS NEWS POLL SHOWS SPITZER HOLDS A HUGE LEAD: Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the Democratic candidate for governor, is making inroads both in Republican strongholds and on traditional Republican issues, with voters seeing him as the most likely to improve the economy, help avert terrorism and hold taxes steady or lower them, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. Five weeks before the election, about 8 in 10 voters said that they had no opinion of Mr. Spitzer's Republican rival, John Faso. Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, is supported by a majority of those surveyed not only in the Democratic-dominated city, but also in its more heavily Republican suburbs and in upstate areas... If the election were held today, 64 percent of the voters surveyed said that they would vote for Mr. Spitzer, and 18 percent said they would vote for Mr. Faso. New York Times: Democrat Ahead in New York G.O.P. Areas, Poll Finds HARRIS CUTS NELSON'S LEAD TO 18: Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson continues to hold a wide lead over challenger Katherine Harris in Florida's U.S. Senate race, although Harris has gained ground among Republican voters. Nelson leads Harris 53 percent to 35 percent, according to an Orlando Sentinel poll released Wednesday. About 10 percent of voters remain undecided. The Republican congresswoman has cut Nelson's lead by 10 percentage points since July, but she's done so by pulling in more GOP voters, a group that should have been hers all along. Nelson's lead, meanwhile, has not dipped below 15 points since June 2005, according to Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Harris adds GOP votes but has long way to go FOLEY "BEING MADE TO EXPLAIN" EMAILS... SPOKESMAN SAYS IT'S "CHARACTER ASSASSINATION": A Republican House member from Florida who was expected to cruise to reelection faced questions Thursday about the propriety of e-mails he sent to a teenage page on Capitol Hill, potentially adding to the GOP's political struggles as it attempts to maintain its congressional majority. Six-term Rep. Mark Foley, a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and chairman of the House Entertainment Industry Task Force, is being made to explain a series of e-mails he sent in 2005 in which he asked the page how old he was and requested a photo. The e-mails, copies of which were obtained by The Times, indicate that the boy, 16, then complained to another congressional staff member, noting: "Maybe it is just me being paranoid, but seriously. This freaked me out." Los Angeles Times: Lawmaker Questioned On E-Mails to Page MENENDEZ: "NOTHING SCARINCI SAID IN THAT TAPE WAS AT MY DIRECTION": With the Democratic establishment standing firmly behind him, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez yesterday denied any involvement in the alleged shakedown of a Union City psychiatrist seven years ago. Menendez, in a brief interview, said he did not know that his closest political adviser, Donald Scarinci, invoked his name in pressuring the psychiatrist to hire a Menendez acquaintance in 1999. In a secretly recorded telephone call, Scarinci tells the psychiatrist, Oscar Sandoval, Menendez "would consider it a favor." On the same tape, Scarinci said the hire would offer Sandoval "protection" after the psychiatrist complained of trouble renewing his lucrative county contracts. "As it relates to Donald's comments, I am disappointed in him," Menendez said. "Nothing Scarinci said in that tape was at my direction." Newark Star-Ledger: Menendez denies role in alleged shakedown "LIGHTEN UP," SAYS BURNS SPOKESMAN AFTER SENATOR'S REMARK: Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, who has gotten into hot water before for comments seen as disparaging various groups, joshingly remarked Thursday on the number of Italian-Americans at the Federal Aviation Administration. The Montana senator, facing a tough re-election fight against Democrat Jon Tester, was heading an aviation subcommittee hearing of the Commerce Committee when two FAA officials, Michael Cirillo and Nicholas Sabatini, introduced themselves as witnesses. "I'm wondering if that's all they're hiring," Burns said of the federal agency. Burns campaign spokesman Jason Klindt said the senator was just kidding around with the two Italian-Americans... "Political correctness has run amok. I mean everyone just needs to lighten up." AP via Yahoo! News: Burns jokes about Italian-Americans Control of Congress on the line
From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With less than six weeks before the midterm elections, lawmakers are set to wrap up business on Capitol Hill as the battle for Congress now shifts full time to individual districts and states across the country. Democrats are hoping to make this election a referendum on President Bush, particularly his handling of the unpopular Iraq war. Republicans, meanwhile, will argue Bush and the Republican-led Congress have successfully executed a national security policy to disarm a global terrorist threat. A CNN poll released this week shows that control of Congress, is indeed up for grabs. "Republicans need to keep the emphasis on security issues and on the weaknesses of their Democratic opponents," said Amy Walter, senior editor of the non-partisan Cook Political Report. "And Democrats need to continue to keep this a referendum on Iraq and the president." CNN poll ROLL CALL: House Report Details 485 Contacts Between Abramoff Team and White House
A House committee has documented hundreds of contacts between top White House officials and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates, as well as tens of thousands of dollors worth of meals and tickets to sporting events and concerts that were offered to these officials during a three-year period starting in early 2001.
A 95-page report, which was released by the House Government Reform Committee on Thursday evening, includes an analysis of more than 14,000 pages of documents provided to the panel by Abramoff's former lobbying firm, Greenberg Traurig. Full story Thursday, September 28, 2006
Calling TSA chief an "idiot" deemed a political statement, not a threat
From CNN's Mike M. Ahlers
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Wisconsin man who wrote "Kip Hawley is an Idiot" on a plastic baggie containing small toiletries said he was detained about 25 minutes at an airport check point before authorities concluded the written insult was not a threat or a crime. Ryan Bird, 31, said he wrote the comment about Hawley -- head of the Transportation Security Administration -- as a political statement about the agency, which he feels is imposing unreasonable rules on passengers while ignoring bigger threats. A TSA spokeswoman acknowledged a man was stopped after a screener saw the comment, but likened the incident to cases in which people inappropriately joke about bombs. She said the man was "a little combative" and that he was detained only a few minutes. Senate passes bill governing trials, interrogations for terror detainees
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate has approved a White House-backed bill establishing military commissions to prosecute terror detainees and providing CIA agents more guidance in how far they can go in interrogating them.
The bill passed 65 to 34. The House passed the same measure Wednesday by a vote of 253-168. It now goes to President Bush for his signature. Bush, who has described the bill as his biggest legislative priority this year, had met with Republican senators earlier Thursday to lobby for its approval. CNN Poll: Nearly two-thrids of Americans think Iraq is in civil war
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A majority of Americans believe the communal strife in war-torn
Iraq is a civil war, and the citizenry maintains negative opinions of three major architects of the U.S.-led operation there -- President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a CNN poll said Thursday. DCNN POLL QUESTION: Do you think Iraq is currently engaged in a civil war, or do you not think Iraq is currently engaged in a civil war? (APRIL RESULTS FROM A LOS ANGELES TIMES/BLOOMBERG POLL) Full story Full results (PDF) AP: Bush says Democrats the 'party of cut-and-run'
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush counterpunched at Democrats on Thursday, saying their criticism of the war in Iraq has turned their party into one of "cut-and-run" obstructionists.
At a GOP fundraiser, Bush accused Democrats of using a new intelligence estimate that ties the war in Iraq to rising extremism to win votes in November. The National Intelligence Estimate -- compiled by leading analysts across 16 U.S. spy agencies -- concluded that Iraq has become a "cause celebre" for jihadists, who are growing in number and geographic reach. If the trend continues, the analysts found, risks to U.S. interests at home and abroad will rise. The greatest danger to America is not the U.S. military presence in Iraq, but rather a premature withdrawal of U.S. forces from the war-torn nation, Bush said. Read full story AP: Bush to raise $2.5 million for Riley, Alabama GOP
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA (AP) -- President Bush is expected to raise $2.5 million during a fundraiser Thursday for the Alabama GOP and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, who is running against Democratic Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley.
A Birmingham News/Fox6/WAFF-TV poll conducted earlier this month has Riley leading Baxley 55 percent to 34 percent with 12 percent undecided. The poll's margin of error was plus-or-minus 5 percent. President Bush has raised over $170 million for Republican candidates during the 2005 and 2006 election cycle. Who's ahead on CNN?
4 p.m. ET, Situation Room
-Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and conservative commentator Bill Bennett will weigh in on Bob Woodward's new claims that the president has not been up front with the American people about the scale of violence in Iraq. The two will also discuss the latest on the detainee bill and take a look back at what the 109th Congress has accomplished and not accomplished as it gets set to adjourn. 5 p.m. ET, Situation Room -Political satirist Al Franken will join Wolf to talk about his new book, "The Truth, with Jokes." 10 p.m. ET, AC 360 - The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee will join John Roberts to debate the latest developments in Iraq. Chairman Peter Hoekstra and ranking Democrat Jane Harman will each weigh-in with their opinions. Bush in "campaign mode" during meeting with GOP senators
From CNN's Ted Barrett
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An upbeat President Bush poked fun at himself, while expressing confidence that Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum would hold on to his seat in November, during a closed door meeting Thursday with Republicans, Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, said. "We're both beneficiaries of continuing low expectations," Bush told Santorum in the meeting with GOP senators. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, described Bush as in "campaign mode," ticking through key races where Republican incumbents are facing serious challenges. But Bush also predicted the GOP would hold its majority. Santorum is locked in a tough re-election fight with Democratic rival state Treasurer Bob Casey. AP: Maryland race goes to the dogs; voter guides
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Talk about a dogged race -- a Boston terrier is starring in campaign ads for both the Democrat and Republican in Maryland's Senate contest.
Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele started the puppy parade earlier this month, airing a commercial that poked fun at negative advertising. He is running against Democratic Rep. Ben Cardin to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes. In an ad campaign worth $606,350 that included spots in Baltimore and Washington, Steele said, "Soon your TV will be jammed with negative ads from the Washington crowd." An image of afictional newspaper with the headline, "STEELE HATES PUPPIES,"then flashed on the screen. Later in the ad, Steele tells viewers, "For the record, I love puppies." Campaign aides said Steele is a dog owner, but the black-and-white Boston terrier in the ad isn't his. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee responded with an ad this week that shows a clip of Steele's ad in which he puts an arm around the dog: "It's nice to know that Michael Steele likes puppies. But he's running for the United States Senate," the announcer says. The Democrats' ad shows pictures of Steele with an arm around President Bush, who is unpopular in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1. The ad mentions the issues on which Bush and Steele agree -- opposition to abortion rights and to increased federal funds for some embryonic stem-cell research. It ends with Bush and Steele in a red heart-shaped frame: "Michael Steele: He likes puppies, but he loves George Bush." Watch CNN's Tom Foreman's report on Maryland Senate Race For more on key races, check out CNN's America Votes 2006 Lott: Bush barely mentioned Iraq in meeting with Senate Republicans
From CNN's Ted Barrett
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush barely mentioned the war in Iraq when he met with Republican senators behind closed doors in the Capitol Thursday morning and was not asked about the course of the war, Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, said. "No, none of that," Lott told reporters after the session when asked if the Iraq war was discussed. "You're the only ones who obsess on that. We don't and the real people out in the real world don't for the most part." Lott went on to say he has difficulty understanding the motivations behind the violence in Iraq. "It's hard for Americans, all of us, including me, to understand what's wrong with these people," he said. "Why do they kill people of other religions because of religion? Why do they hate the Israelis and despise their right to exist? Why do they hate each other? Why do Sunnis kill Shiites? How do they tell the difference? They all look the same to me." Democrats and Republicans spar over New Jersey Senate race
From CNN's Xuan Thai
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Democratic campaign official flatly refuted Republican suggestions Thursday that Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez is considering withdrawing from the New Jersey Senate race in order to allow another candidate to take his place on the November ballot. National Republican Senatorial Committee lawyers told reporters that they are prepared to fight such a move if Menendez were to step aside. Menendez is under investigation for his financial dealings with a non-profit organization. "All of us believe, we know that Democrats are willing to go outside statutes, they're willing to go outside the case law and outside established precedent and legal procedure to accomplish political end," said Cleta Mitchell, the NRSC's outside counsel. "They've done it before and we're prepared not to let it happen again. We are standing guard to protect and enforce the law." Mitchell is referring to the 11th hour decision by Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-New Jersey, to withdraw from the Senate race in 2002, allowing retired Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, to take his place on the ballot. But Phil Singer, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, described the NRSC's claims as having "no basis in reality." "It is a transparent effort to change the subject," Singer said. In the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll, Sen. Bob Menendez and Republican candidate Tom Kean are in a dead heat with 45% of likely voters favoring Menendez and 44% of likely voters favoring Kean. Hastert reiterates Dems are pro-terrorist rights
From CNN's Dana Bash
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Speaker Dennis Hastert reiterated Thursday his claims that House Democrats who voted against the detainee bill were in favor of granting terrorists more rights. This comes after House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi called Hastert a "desperate man," for making such assertions. When asked by reporters if he "really believes" Democrats were for more rights for terrorists, Hastert replied "Oh yeah, absolutely. What we're trying to do is put terrorists behind bars and make sure that they don't get out and kill people in this country. "And yeah, it's pretty apparent to me that if you're voting about that you're saying, look at, we think that these people ought to have any right that any other American citizen should have in the courts, and in fact they're here to kill us." Pelosi Wednesday defended her vote against the bill, saying, "I think every person in America would tear these people to shreds with their bare hands if they had the opportunity," but added that "we want them punished, but not in a way that endangers our troops." Read full story O'Connor, Breyer call for end to attacks on judiciary
From CNN's Bill Mears
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Backed by four of her former colleagues on the Supreme Court, retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor sounded a deep warning on "criticism we're hearing today about so-called 'activist judges,'" calling them direct political attacks on judicial independence. Speaking at a two-day conference she is co-sponsoring with Justice Stephen Breyer, O'Connor told fellow attorneys the rule of law is undermined when judges are threatened with impeachment, legislative oversight, and loss of independence by lawmakers angry with court rulings. "The breadth of unhappiness expressed about the courts," said O'Connor, "shows a level perhaps greater than in the past, a cause of great concern." Senior White House official dismisses Woodward's claims
From CNN's Elaine Quijano
WASHINGTON (CNN) --A senior White House official denies the claim made by the Washington Post's Bob Woodward that the Bush Administration has repeatedly obscured the intensity of the violence U.S. troops face in Iraq. According to CBS News, Woodward makes his claim in his new book, State of Denial. "It doesn't appear to be anything new," the senior administration official told CNN. "The president has been very frank with the country about the challenges we face in the war on terror, how ruthless, violent and determined our enemy is. And he's been just as frank about the policy choices in front of the nation on how we fight this enemy." Menendez and Kean in a dead heat for New Jersey Senate Race
From CNN's Xuan Thai
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The latest U.S. Senate poll from New Jersey, conducted September 24-26 by the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll
Full poll results (PDF) Frist: America can't abandon Iraq on the operating table
From CNN's Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, said the recently declassified National Intelligence Estimate proves America must be victorious in Iraq to quell the spread of global terrorism, in an interview this morning on CNN's American Morning. Frist, a heart/lung transplant surgeon by trade, said America must not abandon the war in Iraq just as a doctor must not abandon a sick patient on an operating table. "If the operation doesn't work, you go in and you do a transplant," Frist said. "It doesn't mean you walk away from the patient and desert the patient while they're in the intensive care unit." The Tennessee senator is not seeking reelection but has acknowledged he is considering a run for president in 2008. Read full interview transcript Capitol Police clear suspcious powder
The Capitol Hill police have given the all clear after investigating a suspicious powdery substance found in the office of Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the Hart office building. According Brian Walsh, spokesman for Sen. Cornyn, one of the interns opened a suspicious envelope.
Police investigate suspicious powder at Senate office building
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Capitol Police were investigating a suspicious powder found Thursday in the Hart Building, the largest of the three Senate office buildings.
The substance was found in the office of Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, according to Capitol Hill police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider. She said a Hazardous materials team has responded to the call. The building has not been evacuated. CBS News: Woodward says Bush not honest with Americans on Iraq
Verteran Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward alleges in a new book that the Bush administration has not been up front with the level of violence in Iraq against American soldiers, according to CBS News. In his upcoming book, State of Denial, Woodward, CBS reports, claims that the Bush Administration has kept secret that insurgent attacks occur, on average, every 15 minutes, and are increasing in frequency and violence.
"The truth is that the assessment by intelligence experts is that next year, 2007, is going to get worse and, in public, you have the president and you have the Pentagon [saying], 'Oh, no, things are going to get better,'" Woodward tells Mike Wallace in an interview to air this Sunday on 60 Minutes. Woodward also reports that Henry Kissinger, President Richard Nixon's famed Secretary of State, often advises the Bush Administration on the situation in Iraq. "Now what's Kissinger's advice? In Iraq, he declared very simply, 'Victory is the only meaningful exit strategy.'" Woodward tells Wallace. "This is so fascinating. Kissinger's fighting the Vietnam War again because, in his view, the problem in Vietnam was we lost our will." Read full story A new Democratic group forms for Lieberman
From CNN's Mark Preston WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Connecticut, might be getting the cold shoulder from a majority of his Democratic colleagues, but three former Democratic members of Congress are forming a new organization called "Dems for Joe." Former Sen. Dennis Deconcini, D-Arizona; Rep. Norman D'Amours, D-New Hampshire; and Rep. Mel Levine, D-California, will formally announce the group in a media call later this afternoon, according to the Lieberman campaign. McCain continues to line up support in key primary states
From CNN's Mark Preston
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain announced today that the sons of two legendary South Carolina lawmakers will co-chair his Straight Talk America political action committee in the Palmetto State. The Arizona Republican, who has acknowledged interest in running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, also added two former New Hampshire Republican party chairmen to his PAC's team. McCain said that Strom Thurmond, Jr. and Carroll A. Campbell III will help lead his PAC's political efforts in South Carolina. Thurmond is the son of the late Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond, while Campbell is the oldest son of the late Gov. Carroll Campbell. McCain also named former New Hamphire GOP chairwomen Rhona Charbonneau and Jayne Millerick as advisors to his PAC. Another former Granite State GOP chairman, Steve Duprey, joined the PAC earlier this year. Club for Growth endorses four more candidates
From CNN's Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Four Republican congressional candidates today scored an endorsement from the political action committee of the influential Club for Growth, a conservative economic-policy advocacy group, for their strong stances on cutting taxes and supporting free market economic policies. "The four candidates have superb records and will vote to keep our economy strong and job creation going," Pat Toomey, President of the Club for Growth, said in a statement. The chosen candidates are Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, David McSweeney of Illinois, and Michelle Bachman of Minnesota. For more on key races, check out CNN's America Votes 2006 Gerlach ahead but under 50 in tight PA-06 race
From CNN's Robert Yoon
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The latest Keystone Poll from Pennsylvania's hotly contested 6th Congressional District, conducted September 20-25 by Franklin and Marshall College: Rep. Jim Gerlach (R) 45% Lois Murphy (D) 38% Do not know 17% Sample size: 431 registered voters Margin of error: +/- 4.7% For full poll results, including how Senate candidates Rick Santorum and Bob Casey are faring in this important district, click here. Senate to consider bill on detainee interrogations
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A day after the House passed a bill outlining procedures for interrogating terror suspects and trying them in front of military tribunals, President Bush Thursday urged the Senate to do the same "as soon as possible."
After meeting with GOP Senators, Bush said the bill is "a very vital piece of legislation that will give us the tools necessary to protect the American people." The bill, which passed the House by a vote of 253-168, is expected to be considered on the Senate floor later in the day. It is a result of a compromise forged last week to ease the concerns of three Republican Senators, John McCain of Arizona, John Warner of Virginia, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. They had objected to the administration's attempt to define the Geneva Conventions' language barring "humiliating treatment and outrages upon personal dignity," arguing that it could open the door for other countries to define their standards of treatment for captured Americans, which could put them in danger. Opponents of the bill say it raises serious legal issues and goes against the recommendations of the U.S. Supreme Court. Indicted ex-Cheney aide fights for classified White House documents
From CNN's Paul Courson
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Detailed talks over the use of classified White House documents in a criminal case are part of a hearing that continues Thursday involving an indicted former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has pleaded not guilty and is preparing for a January court date on a five-count indictment charging him with lying to investigators and a grand jury. He resigned last October as Cheney's chief of staff when the indictment was returned. Wednesday, after a three-hour delay because of a courthouse security alert, prosecutors and defense attorneys went behind closed doors with the judge to try to establish a framework for the use of notes and summaries from White House meetings that included Libby, Cheney, and sometimes President Bush. Defense and prosecutors are addressing two questions: the extent to which the defense will use the documents at trial, rather than trial testimony, and how the defense would overcome government objections the material should be deemed hearsay. Libby is fighting a count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements in what he told investigators about onetime CIA operative Valerie Plame. CNN Poll: Americans feeling better about the economy
From CNN's Scott Anderson
When gas prices were hitting record highs this summer, the economy looked like it would be a major issue in the midterm elections. Now, it may be a sideshow. A new CNN poll finds that nearly six out of 10 respondents feel good about the economy, while nearly four in 10 rate it poor. That's a flip from August, when nearly four in 10 rated the economy good and nearly six out of 10 rated it poor. Lower gases prices are major reason for American's improved outlook. In August, 47 percent of respondents said gas prices were extremely important when they determine their votes. Now only 23 percent rated gas prices as extremely important. U.S. Economic Conditions Today The poll involved interviews with 1,009 adult Americans conducted by telephone on September 22-24 by Opinion Research Corporation. McCain vouches for Allen in TV spot
From CNN's Robert Yoon
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain of Arizona is lending a hand to fellow Republican and possible 2008 presidential rival Sen. George Allen of Virginia in a new TV ad launching Thursday. In the ad, produced by Scott Howell and Company, McCain says: "I have a friend in Washington, and he represents the state of Virginia. George Allen works hard. He believes in what he does. He's dedicated. He understands a lot of issues -- has the utmost confidence and belief that in this terrible, titanic struggle that is going on now between good and evil in the world that we will and must prevail. And one of the reasons why we prevail is because George Allen's leadership, vision, courage and his ability to stand up for what he believes in." Allen has a tougher-than-expected re-election bid against Democrat Jim Webb. Pataki set to open up offices in two key '08 states
From CNN's Mark Preston
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In the latest sign that New York Gov. George Pataki is seriously considering a run for the White House, the Republican's political action committee is set to open up offices in Iowa and New Hampshire in the coming days. Pataki's 21st Century Freedom PAC will open its Urbandale, Iowa, office on Friday and a Manchester, New Hampshire, office on Monday. At Friday's event, Pataki will announce the addition of several Iowa Republicans to his leadership team. Alicia Preston, a spokeswoman for the PAC, dismissed speculation that Pataki is ramping up for 2008. "The opening of these offices reinforces the governor's dedication to help Republican candidates win in November," she said. Still, Pataki has been making the rounds of the influential, early presidential proving grounds of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. And his PAC employs four paid staffers in the Hawkeye State and one full time staffer in the Granite State as well as the influential New Hampshire GOP consulting firm Meridian Communications. GOP Convention: Location, Location, Location?
From CNN's Robert Yoon
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Republican National Committee announced Wednesday that Minneapolis-St. Paul would host the 2008 Republican National Convention. Minnesota is an important swing state in presidential politics, but does hosting a convention in a state help you win that state? Here's a look at the track record of past convention host cities: 2004 GOP: New York City (Bush lost New York) 2004 Dem: Boston (Kerry won Massachusetts) 2000 GOP: Philadelphia (Bush lost Pennsylvania) 2000 Dem: Los Angeles (Gore won California) 1996 GOP: San Diego (Dole lost California) 1996 Dem: Chicago (Clinton won Illinois) 1992 GOP: Houston (Bush won Texas) 1992 Dem: New York (Clinton won New York) 1988 GOP: New Orleans (Bush won Louisiana) 1988 Dem: Atlanta (Dukakis lost Georgia) Lieberman leads Lamont by 10 in latest Connecticut Senate poll
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The latest U.S. Senate poll from Connecticut, conducted by Quinnipiac University:
Lieberman (D) 49% (running an independent bid for reelection) Lamont (D) 39% (Democratic Party nominee) Schlesinger (R) 5% Undecided 7% Quinnipiac University, Sept. 21-25, 2006 Sample size: 1,181 likely voters Margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points Full poll results Full story: Lieberman challenger struggles to close gap CNN Political Ticker AM
Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... President's schedule: He then heads to Hoover, Alabama for a 12:10 pm ET briefing on Energy at the Hoover Public Safety Center. At 1:05 pm ET, Bush makes a statement on energy at the center. At 2:20 pm ET, Bush attends a fundraiser for Alabama Gov. Bob Riley in Birmingham. After the Riley fundraiser, Bush heads north to New Albany, Ohio, for a fundraiser for Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, at a private home. Also on the Political Radar today: PROGRAMMING NOTE: Kerry joins CNN's Paula Zahn as she anchors PZN from DC tonight at 8 pm ET. ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) MUSHARRAF, KARZAI GET "A LITTLE TALKING-TO" AT THE WH: For the past week, the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan have been in the United States, circling one another like wary cats as they lobbed insults across the airwaves from a distance. On Wednesday night, they stood glumly - more like caged cats - in the Rose Garden with President Bush, who had invited them to the White House for dinner and a little talking-to. "We've got a lot of challenges facing us," Mr. Bush said, with President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan on his right and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan a safe distance away on his left. "All of us must protect our countries, but at the same time we all must work to make the world a more hopeful place." New York Times: Bush Plays Chaperon for Awkward Encounter ANOTHER "AWKWARD" VISITOR TOMORROW: President Bush meets Friday with the leader of oil-rich Kazakhstan, a visit made awkward by the country's poor human rights record and questions about its commitment to democracy. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's trip to the White House is the second diplomatic balancing act for Bush this week. On Wednesday, Bush hosted the quarreling presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan in an attempt to get them to jointly fight terrorism. Nazarbayev and Bush will discuss energy, Kazakhstan's economy and efforts to fight terrorism and narcotics trafficking, the White House says. USA Today: Kazakh leader's visit to require diplomatic finesse HOUSE PASSES DETAINEE LEGISLATION; SENATE APPROVAL EXPECTED TODAY: The House approved an administration-backed system of questioning and prosecuting terrorism suspects yesterday, setting clearer limits on CIA interrogation techniques but denying access to courts for detainees seeking to challenge their imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere. The 253 to 168 vote was a victory for President Bush and fellow Republicans. Bush had yielded some ground during weeks of negotiations, but he fully embraced the language that the House approved with support from 34 Democrats and all but seven Republicans... Senators predicted that their chamber will approve the legislation today, which would enable Bush to hold a signing ceremony on a high-profile and intensely debated bill about a month before the Nov. 7 elections. Washington Post: House Approves Bill on Detainees GOP SQUABBLING STALLS HOMELAND SECURITY, DEFENSE BILLS: Two must-pass defense and homeland security bills are being blocked in a fight between Republican lawmakers about border and immigration security measures. The homeland security appropriation bill and the defense authorization bill are among the handful of pieces of legislation that lawmakers had hoped to complete this week before heading home for the November elections. Now both are stalled because Republican House leaders want to include a series of measures passed in their chamber designed to strengthen border security and toughen immigration enforcement. Democrats charged the Republicans were playing politics with vital legislation and accused House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican, of "Soviet"-style tactics. Washington Times: GOP blocks defense, homeland bills TIGHT SENATE RACES IN TN, VA, MO, MT, OH, PA, RI GIVE DEMS "NEW HOPE": Six weeks before Election Day, the Democrats suddenly face a map with unexpected opportunities in their battle for control of the Senate. In Virginia, a state that few expected to be seriously competitive, Senator George Allen looks newly vulnerable after a series of controversies over charges of racial insensitivity, strategists in both parties say. In Tennessee, another Southern state long considered safely red, Representative Harold E. Ford Jr., a Democrat, has run a strong campaign that has kept that state in contention. Elsewhere, Democratic challengers are either ahead or close in races in five states held by the Republicans: Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, according to political strategists in both parties and the latest polls. All of these races could shift direction in a matter of days, let alone six weeks, and Republicans are counting on their superior finances and large blocks of television advertising to hold the line. New York Times: New Hope for Democrats in Bid for Senate DEMS EYE A BLUE CO: The colors are changing this autumn in Colorado - from solid Republican red to something approaching a strong tint of Democratic blue. A GOP stronghold from the mid-1990s through President Bush's first term, Colorado has emerged as one of the Democrats' principal prospects for gains in the 2006 election. Polls show Democrats holding an edge in most of the state's key contests, including an open House seat and the battle between Democrat Bill Ritter and Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez for the governorship. "Anything is possible, but if we were having this election today, the Democrats would be in control of Colorado, from the governorship to a majority of the congressional seats to both houses of the state Legislature," said Floyd Ciruli, a Denver-based independent pollster. Los Angeles Times: As Democrats Look West, Colorado Budges HP'S HURD AND DUNN TO TESTIFY TODAY: Hewlett-Packard's boardroom scandal moves today to Capitol Hill, where former company Chairwoman Patricia Dunn is expected to deliver dramatic testimony that she was encouraged to investigate her own board members and that she was convinced legal methods were being employed. Dunn will testify alongside other major players in the drama -- including HP's CEO Mark Hurd and the legendary Silicon Valley lawyer Larry Sonsini -- who also will stand before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, gathered to investigate the matter. Dunn, who left the company last week amid increased criticism of her handling of an investigation of media leaks at the technology giant, points the finger directly at HP's chief financial officer, Bob Wayman, saying she believed he had approved the use of certain private investigators to conduct the probe, according to an advance copy of her testimony. San Francisco Chronicle: HP leak debacle moves to Congress BOEHNER "APPEARS TO BE ON SOLID GROUND" TO STAY ON AS LEADER: One year ago today, then-Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) announced he would temporarily step down as Majority Leader after he was indicted by a Texas grand jury. Now, the man who was elected to replace him in that post, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), appears to be on solid ground to keep his seat at the leadership table in the 110th Congress - even if it's in the minority. Boehner has been Majority Leader for eight months in a session of Congress marked by leadership upheavals, ethical and criminal scandals and few major legislative victories, and yet - in the estimation of his colleagues - he has emerged largely unscathed. Roll Call: Boehner Looks Secure in 110th JUST "TEPID SUPPORT" FOR MURTHA'S LEADERSHIP BID: Liberal House Democrats are not lining up behind Rep. Jack Murtha's (D-Pa.) leadership candidacy in the numbers he had hoped despite his outspoken stance against the Iraq war. Murtha's failure to line up staunch opponents of the war could prove a blow to his hope of denying the majority leadership to Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) in the event of a Democratic takeover of the House in the 110th Congress. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), a friend of Murtha who has been helping him with the race, said tepid support among some progressives was a worry to him. The Hill: 'Concern' in Murtha camp GIVING MEHLMAN A RIDE PAID OFF FOR TWIN CITIES: In the end, personal connections, a chance ride to the airport and rivals overcoming their differences helped land the 2008 Republican national convention in the Twin Cities. On an October day last year, Tom Mason, who served as Gov. Tim Pawlenty's chief of staff, finished breakfast at St. Paul's Downtowner with Pawlenty and visiting Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman and offered Mehlman a lift. While he drove, Mason listened as Mehlman raved about Minnesota's beauty, its fall weather and its political value as a swing state and thought "Gee, we might have a shot at long last." Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Wooing both parties was bipartisan effort that paid off TONY SNOW HITS THE STUMP FOR GOP CANDIDATES: Tony Snow, the White House press secretary, formerly of Fox News, still likes to think of himself as a journalist by trade. But on Wednesday, he made clear that his transition to pitchman was complete: He announced he had begun headlining fund-raisers for Republicans. "I wanted to be able to help the president," Mr. Snow told reporters, explaining that he was about to become the first White House press secretary - to his knowledge - to help raise money for candidates... Mr. Snow, who is often asked to sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans when he travels with President Bush, said the White House political shop asked him several months ago if he would be willing to go on tour. His first appearance, he said, was last week in Harrisburg, Pa., for the state Republican Party. On Wednesday night, he gave a talk in Washington to benefit a House candidate in Minnesota. New York Times: Tony Snow, Now a Headliner DON'T BLAME CLINTON, OR BUSH, FOR 9/11... BLAME TERRORISTS, SAYS RUDY: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani defended Bill Clinton on Wednesday over the former president's counterterrorism efforts, saying recent criticism on preventing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is wrong... "The idea of trying to cast blame on President Clinton is just wrong for many, many reasons, not the least of which is I don't think he deserves it," Giuliani said in response to a question after an appearance with fellow Republican Charlie Crist, who is running for governor. "I don't think President Bush deserves it. The people who deserve blame for Sept. 11, I think we should remind ourselves, are the terrorists - the Islamic fanatics - who came here and killed us and want to come here again and do it." |
