Thursday, October 05, 2006
Conflicting stories on Freeh's proposed role in Foley page scandal
From CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Aides to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, offered conflicting accounts Thursday night as to what role Hastert was proposing for former FBI Director Louis Freeh in the Foley page scandal. Hastert's spokesman Ron Bonjean took issue with Pelosi's spokeswoman's account to CNN that the speaker was "notifying" the minority leader of a "unilateral decision" to bring in Freeh to head an independent inquiry of the page program. Jennifer Crider, Pelosi's spokeswoman, stood by her description of the discussion between Hastert and Pelosi. Crider repeated that Hastert called Pelosi and said, "I'm notifying you," and that Hastert stated, "Louis Freeh will investigate the Page Program." Bonjean stressed that the Hastert was focused on reviewing security measures, not launching an outside investigation. "The speaker reached out to leader Pelosi to offer her the suggestion of having Louis Freeh come in and oversee the new security measures of the page program," he said. "She rejected that." Bonjean added, "The speaker reached out and offered her a suggestion, because we were being criticized for not reaching out in a bipartisan way. We want to make sure people are moving forward to take control of the situation." Bonjean said the speaker still wants a security review. "It's left in leader Pelosi's court," he said. "We believe that the safety of our pages is a top priority. There are pages working on the Hill as we speak." Crider said the current rules governing the page program are sufficient and the ethics committee process needs to move forward to find out who knew what and when about former Rep. Mark Foley’s, R-Florida contact with pages. Asked about Hastert’s focus on safeguarding pages, Crider said, “The Republican leadership had an opportunity to put the safety of these young people first a year ago, and they chose to protect Mark Foley over pages' safety." Bush places support call to Hastert
From CNN's Kathleen Koch
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush called House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., Thursday evening and "expressed his support," according to White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino. In the conversation, which lasted only a few minutes, the president thanked the speaker for "making a clear public statement today in which he and the House leadership took responsibility and said that they are accountable to the American people," Perino said. The president also said he appreciated that "when leadership found out about the lurid emails, that they swiftly made clear that Foley must resign and that they promptly called for a professional investigation by the DOJ," according to Perino. Page Board member calls for reforms
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Shirley Moore Capito, a Republican on the three-member House Page Board, said the program must be "updated and strengthened," if it can continue to operate. The West Virginia lawmaker proposed several reforms Thursday in a letter to Page Board Chair John Shimkus, R-Illinois. Capito called for increasing the number of House members who serve on the Page Board, implementing a page peer-counseling program, and establishing a monthly meeting with the Page Board, pages, and a member of the Capitol Police. Capito also said House members must be better educated on pages' responsibilities and the nature of relationships allowed between lawmakers and the teenagers. Page's family: Leave our 'hero' son alone
(CNN) -- The family of a Louisiana teenager who reported "sick" e-mails from former Rep. Mark Foley called their son a hero Thursday and said they want reporters to go away.
Foley resigned last week after Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-leaning watchdog group, posted some of the e-mails he exchanged with the former male page in 2005, who was then 16 and had worked for Rep. Rodney Alexander, a Louisiana Republican. Read full story and family statement Obama heads to Sunshine State
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, a visible presence on the campaign trail this election season, heads to Florida Friday for a campaign rally with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis. Davis faces a close race against Republican state Attorney General Charlie Crist for the office being vacated by Jeb Bush. The freshman Democrat will attend a rally in Miami with Davis, as well as Lt. Governor Nominee Daryl Jones, former Rep. Carrie Meek, and Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman. Obama, a possible presidential hopeful in 2008, has assumed an active campaign role ahead of the Midterm elections, dropping in on many of the country's closest races in the past several weeks. Dean to Hastert: Stop 'dodging tough questions'
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, should stop 'dodging tough questions' about his handling of former Rep. Mark Foley's questionable emails with a House page. "It's disgraceful that Speaker Hastert and the Republican leadership didn't stand up for our children and do the right thing when they learned about the problem years ago, rather than a week after it became public," Dean said in a statement responding to Hastert's press conference. "They chose to protect Congressman Foley and their party instead of the victims. Americans don't want to see finger pointing from the Republican leadership; they don't want to see the Speaker dodging tough questions. They want to see the people involved unequivocally stand up, take responsibility for their failures and investigate immediately." Pelosi calls decision to name Freeh a 'unilateral decision,' questions need for an outside investigation
From CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told House Speaker Dennis Hastert she viewed his decision to appoint an outside investigator to look into the Foley scandal to be a "unilateral decision," a Pelosi spokeswoman told CNN. Pelosi spokeswoman Jennifer Crider described the conversation between the Illinois Republican and the California Democrat as: "He said, 'I'm calling to notify you,' and Pelosi responded, 'You'll do what you'll do.'" It was widely reported that Hastert would appoint former FBI Director Louis Freeh to head the investigation during his Thursday afternoon news, but Hastert said he was still looking for "a person of high caliber." GOP leadership aides said that Pelosi had objected to naming Freeh, but Crider denied that Pelosi had outright rejected Freeh, saying Pelosi "has the highest respect for his law enforcement credentials, but his expertise is not exploited children." Pelosi also believes the House ethics committee should be allowed to conduct its investigation and that the rules governing the page program due not need reform, Crider said. "There is a process and rules in place to protect the pages," she said. "It's not that the rules were inadequate. It's that the rules in place weren't followed by the Republican leadership." Menendez gains lead in New Jersey Senate Race
From CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai
WASHINGTON (CNN) - New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez has a 5 point lead over Republican challenger Tom Kean, according to Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind poll conducted from September 27 through October 2, 2006.
Sample Size: probable voters Margin of Error: +/- 4% Appearing on CNN Tonight
4 p.m. ET, The Situation Room
-Democratic Strategist Donna Brazile and former Republican Congressman J.C. Watts weigh in on the latest developments in the Foley House page scandal in today's strategy session. -Virginia Senate Democratic Candidate Jim Webb will discuss his tight race against incumbent Sen. George Allen and voice his opinion on the unfolding Foley scandal. 5 p.m. ET, The Situation Room -Former Defense Secretary William Cohen joins Wolf to discuss North Korea's nuclear ambitions. -Time Magazine's Michael Weisskopf, who lost his right hand while on assignment in Iraq, will talk about his new book, "Blood Brothers." 6 p.m. ET, Lou Dobbs Tonight -ABC News Political Director Mark Halperin and the Washington Post's John Harris, authors of "The Way to Win," will debate what the media's impact will be on the 2008 election. 9 p.m. ET, Larry King Live -Former President George H. W. Bush joins Larry to discuss a variety or topics including journalist Bob Woodward's allegations that the former President thinks Condoleezza Rice is a disappointment. 10 p.m. ET, Anderson Cooper 360 -Political commentators Joe Klein and David Gergen will voice their opinions on the latest developments in the Foley House page scandal. Rep. Blunt: No 'daylight between the Speaker and me'
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, the No. 3 Republican member in the House, said he stands by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, even as some media reports have indicated otherwise. "Those who are trying to create the appearance of disunity between myself and the Speaker should know: There is not, and has not been, any daylight between the Speaker and me," Blunt said in a statement. Frist supports Hastert, applauds proposed investigation
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, expressed confidence in House Speaker Dennis Hastert Thursday and applauded the Illinois Republican's decision to establish an independent probe into the House page scandal. "I have tremendous respect for the exceptional leadership of the Speaker of the House," said Frist, a Tennessee Republican who is retiring this year. "Denny Hastert is good man, a capable leader and he has my confidence and support. Former Congressman Foley's conduct was a disgrace, and the expectation of House leadership that he resign immediately was appropriate. Speaker Hastert's announcement today is a positive step forward to ensure that the facts are fully identified and any future transgressions are prevented." Page's identity temporarily unveiled
From CNN Internet Correspondent Abbi Tatton
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- ABC News said Thursday one instant message transcript between former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida, and a former congressional page that was posted on their Web site Friday "had not been properly redacted" - leading to the IM screen name of the former page to be visible for a short time. While the transcript has since been corrected, one little-known conservative blogger was able to access the un-redacted version and use the screen name to uncover the young man's identity. That blogger subsequently posted the former page's name, online profile and photo on his Web site -- a move some prominent bloggers today labeled irresponsible. Hastert will cooperate with House Ethics Committee
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert has advised his lawyer to cooperate fully with the House Ethics Committee, according to a statement.
"I have directed my longtime counsel, Randy Evans of McKenna, Long, and Aldridge, to cooperate with the Committee in getting to the bottom of this." Hastert said. "As I have said, anyone who had knowledge of the vile instant messages should have turned them over immediately so that our House Pages could be protected," Hastert also said. "Someone did have those messages. There are reports that a Congressional aide was a source. The Committee should help find out who had the messages and why they were not turned over sooner." Read full statement House staff could be subpoenaed in Foley investigation
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Dozens of House of Representatives members, officers
and staff could be subpoenaed in the investigation into former Rep. Mark Foley's contacts with teenage pages, the head of the House ethics committee said Thursday. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., would not say which staff members would be called on to testify. The committee convened in the wake of the Foley matter on Thursday and voted unanimously to form an investigative subcommittee to be headed by Hastings and the committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Howard Berman. Berman said he expects the investigation to take "weeks, not months." Hastings said the committee approved nearly 48 subpoenas. Daily Oklahoman says former aide to Oklahoma congressman may be involved in
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (CNN) -- A former House page now working in the
gubernatorial campaign of Oklahoma Republican Rep. Ernest Istook may be part of the unfolding Foley sex scandal, according the Daily Oklahoman newspaper. In a Thursday article, the paper said the former page has hired a high-profile attorney to represent him. The newspaper said the name of the former page surfaced on internet blogs which identified him as having exchanged messages and e-mails with U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, who abruptly resigned from Congress after details of his activity with pages surfaced in the media. Hastert taps ex-FBI chief for independent Foley probe
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert has asked former FBI
Director Louis Freeh to conduct an independent probe of ex-Florida congressman Mark Foley's contacts with teenage pages, CNN has learned. Hastert has scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon outside his district office in Batavia, Ill. Clark to lend Lamont a hand
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark heads to Connecticut Friday to campaign for Ned Lamont, the Connecticut businessman who grabbed the Democrat's senate nomination from Sen. Joe Lieberman this summer. Lamont currently trails Lieberman, who is running as an independent, in most polls. Clark, who served as NATO's supreme commander, is slated to participate in a rally for University of Connecticut students and appear with Lamont at a reception for veterans in Derby, according to a statement. "In Connecticut, Ned Lamont is running the type of campaign all Democrats can be proud of," Clark wrote in an email to supporters of his political action committee. "Standing up to President Bush's failed policy in Iraq, dispensing with self-serving and wishy-washy notions of 'independence,' and pledging to invest in America's future, Ned Lamont is a candidate for Senate who I am proud to endorse." Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean told CNN Thursday that he will also campaign for Lamont in the coming weeks. For more of CNN's coverage on key races, check out America Votes 2006 AP: Hastert to take responsibility, call for new rules
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert will take
responsibility for the page sex scandal that has rocked the House and call for new rules to discipline anyone making inappropriate contact with teenage pages, a House Republican official says. AP: Hastert will stay; press conference at 1 p.m.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert insists he will
stay on as leader of House Republicans, as the ethics committee opened an investigation Thursday into an unfolding scandal over whether House leaders failed to protect teenage pages from a lawmaker's come-ons. At a news conference scheduled at 1 p.m., Hastert will announce he intends to remain as speaker now and for the new term of Congress in 2007, a GOP aide said Thursday. Ethics Panel Launches Foley Case Probe
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives ethics committee
convened Thursday for a closed-door session on when the congressional leadership was aware of former Rep. Mark Foley's contacts with teenage pages and whether the leaders acted appropriately to stem the behavior. As part of its preliminary investigation into the matter, the FBI Thursday was to interview former congressional aide Kirk Fordham a day after he resigned, saying he had tried to warn top House leaders about the Florida lawmaker's contacts with teenage pages before 2005, Fordham's attorney Tim Heaphy told CNN. Hastert activates Foley hotline
From CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, released a statement Thursday emphasizing that he assumes "responsibility for everything in the building," as he announced the activation of a hotline to field tips about Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate contacts with House pages and the program as a whole. "The buck stops here," Hastert said in the statement. "The safety and security of the students in the Page program is imperative." People with information about Foley are being urged to call: 1-866-348-0481. Callers will be asked to leave a recorded message with their tip and are being urged to provide contact information for a return telephone call. McCain adds 13 Iowa lawmakers to PAC
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain added 13 Iowa state lawmakers to his Straight Talk America political action committee, in the potential presidential hopeful's ongoing effort to drum up support in preparation for that state's early caucus. The newly added legislators will form a "legislative advisory team" which will advice McCain on Republican issues before the Iowa state legislature and efforts to spread Iowa's GOP's message across the state. "I am honored to have the support of these fine legislators," McCain said in a statement. "Their connection with the grassroots community in Iowa will make a big impact on our efforts to elect Republicans in 2006." The 13 legislators joining Straight Talk America are Sen. Larry McKibben, Sen. John Putney, Sen. Pat Ward, Sen. Mark Zieman, Rep. Rich Anderson, Rep. Dave Heaton, Rep. Steve Lukan, Rep. Mike May, Rep. Rod Roberts, Rep. Bill Schickel, Rep. Doug Struyk, Rep. David Tjepkes, and Rep.Walt Tomenga. McCain, who has acknowledged he is considering another run for the White House, has also asked David Roederer, the former chairman of the Iowa Bush-Cheney 2004 Campaign, to join his political action committee. House Ethics committee to hold a 1:30 p.m. ET presser on Foley
From CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The senior Republican and Democrat on the House Ethics Committee will hold a 1:30 p.m. ET news conference to discuss the Foley situation. The committee is currently meeting behind closed doors on Capitol Hill this morning to discuss the matter. AP: Schwarzenegger Won't Release Tapes
SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger 's office on Wednesday rejected a request that it release several hours of audio tape that contained the governor's now infamous comments about the mingling of "black blood" and "Latino blood."
The letter from Schwarzenegger Legal Affairs Secretary Andrea Lynn Hoch came in response to a demand from the Republican governor's Democratic opponent in the November election, state Treasurer Phil Angelides. Hoch said the audio files were obtained without authorization from a password-protected area of the governor's Web site. She also said they "were accessed in a way that would suggest to any reasonable person that the files had not been posted for public distribution." Read full story AP: Santorum Struggles to Win Voters' Hearts
HERSHEY, PA (AP) -- Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pennsylvania, has spent 12 years in the Senate--and millions of dollars on TV ads for a third term. Yet a lot of Pennsylvania voters just plain don't like him.
Polls show Santorum's approval rating is in the 30s, just about what it was a year ago. Roughly the same number of voters view him unfavorably as favorably. Questions over the use of Pennsylvania tax dollars to pay for the cyber schooling of his six children in Virginia continue to dog him. Anger lingers over comments he made in a book last year criticizing some working parents, as well as statements he made in opposition to same-sex marriage and in support of keeping Terri Schiavo alive. Read full story FBI to interview aide who allegedly warned Hastert's office on Foley
From CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI Thursday will interview Kirk Fordham a day after he resigned as chief of staff to a top Republican lawmaker, saying he had tried to warn top House leaders about Rep. Mark Foley's contacts with teenage pages before 2005, Fordham's attorney told CNN. The FBI will interview Fordham -- once Foley's chief of staff before assuming that same job for Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-New York -- as part of its investigation into the Foley scandal, attorney Tim Heaphy said. The interview will focus on whether Fordham knew about any criminal behavior by Foley, Heaphy said. 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... From Boehner's letter to the Clerk: "[I]t has been alleged that he may have been seen intoxicated at night outside the U.S. House of Representatives Page Dormitory, possibly attempting to gain entry to the building." President's schedule: ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) EX-AIDE SAYS HE NOTIFIED SPEAKER'S OFFICE ABOUT FOLEY "BEFORE 2005": House Speaker Dennis Hastert's office was notified of concerns about then-Rep. Mark Foley before 2005, casting doubt on top GOP leaders' statements that they heard nothing of Foley's inappropriate behavior before then, a former aide to Foley says. Hastert's office has denied the claim. Kirk Fordham made his remarks after resigning Wednesday amid allegations that he tried to protect Foley from congressional inquiries into his inappropriate contact with congressional pages. Fordham elaborated in an interview with ABC News and said he told Hastert's chief of staff, Scott Palmer, that Foley was too friendly with the pages, and that Palmer talked to Foley. Hastert's spokesman Ron Bonjean told ABC News, "That [warning] never happened." Added Palmer, "What Kirk Fordham said did not happen." CNN: Aide: I warned Hastert's office about Foley HASTERT: "NO THOUGHTS OF RESIGNING": In an interview with the Tribune on Wednesday night, Hastert said he had no thoughts of resigning and he blamed ABC News and Democratic operatives for the mushrooming scandal that threatens his tenure as speaker and Republicans' hold on power in the House. "No. Look, I've talked to our members," Hastert said. "Our members are supportive. I think that [resignation] is exactly what our opponents would like to have happen--that I'd fold my tent and others would fold our tent and they would sweep the House." Chicago Tribune: Hastert vows to hold on "PRESERVATION LETTER" SIGNALS "INTESIFYING INVESTIGATION" BY FBI, DOJ: Federal prosecutors yesterday ordered the House of Representatives to preserve all documents and other materials related to Mark Foley's electronic communications with male teenage pages, signaling an intensifying investigation by the FBI and the Justice Department into possible criminal activity by the disgraced former GOP congressman. The three-page "preservation letter" -- sent to House Counsel Geraldine R. Gennet from the office of acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor in Washington -- indicates that law enforcement officials are preparing, if necessary, to seek grand jury subpoenas for records or searches of Foley's Capitol Hill office, said law enforcement officials and legal experts. Washington Post: Order on Documents Signals Justice Dept. May Pursue Foley ETHICS COMMITTEE MEETING TODAY: Speaker Dennis Hastert's job is on the line as members of the House ethics committee decide how to launch a credible investigation of former Rep. Mark Foley's salacious computer messages to teenage pages. An extraordinary political spectacle surrounded the committee's first scheduled meeting Thursday. Republicans publicly blamed Hastert for failing to take action after he was warned about the messages, and a former Foley aide said he told Republican leaders about the Florida congressman's conduct years earlier than they have acknowledged. AP via Yahoo! News: Ethics committee ready to probe Foley case ROY BLUNT "SLAMS... PARTY'S MUTED HANDLING" OF FOLEY E-MAILS: A third Republican in the House leadership team publicly distanced himself from the burgeoning scandal over former Rep. Mark Foley yesterday as a top aide resigned amid charges that he tried to suppress the reporting of sexually explicit Internet messages that Mr. Foley had sent a teenage boy. "I think I could have given some good advice here, which is you have to be curious, you have to ask all the questions you can think of," Majority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri said yesterday about his party's muted handling of "over-friendly" e-mails that Mr. Foley wrote to former congressional pages. The parents of the 16-year-old boy who received the e-mails alerted congressional Republicans to the messages but said they didn't want to pursue the matter beyond ordering Mr. Foley to quit contacting their son. "You absolutely can't decide not to look into activities because one individual's parents don't want you to," Mr. Blunt said of the decision by top Republicans not to investigate further. Washington Times: Majority whip slams handling of Foley scandal FOLEY SCANDAL RENDERS BUSH MEGAPHONE "PRACTICALLY USELESS": Through disappointing polls and bad news in Iraq, intraparty squabbling over immigration and bipartisan broadsides on port security, President Bush has been able to use the megaphone of his office to shout above the din and shape the national debate. But the Mark Foley scandal is rendering that megaphone practically useless, just as the president is trying to turn up the volume to help his party beat back Democratic efforts to take control of Congress this November. During his three-day campaign swing out West this week, Mr. Bush's carefully honed attacks on Democrats as soft on terrorism have been drowned out by the Foley case and its political repercussions. New York Times: Bush's Megaphone Unable to Reach Above the Din KY'S REP. LEWIS CANCELS HASTERT EVENT: U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis has canceled a fundraiser next week with U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, citing the growing scandal over former Florida Rep. Mark Foley... Lewis said in an interview yesterday with The Courier-Journal that he takes Hastert's statements "at face value." But he also said he needs to know more about what House GOP leaders knew, when they knew it, and whether they did anything about it. "With this cloud that's hanging over our leadership, I'm going to withhold my fundraiser and other activities with the speaker and the leadership until we get this resolved," Lewis, R-2nd District, said. "I'm just withholding judgment until I can get some facts." Louisville Courier-Journal: Rep. Lewis cancels event with Hastert McHENRY WANTS TO KNOW WHAT THE DEMS KNEW AND WHEN THEY KNEW IT: North Carolina Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry called on Democratic leaders yesterday to testify under oath about when they knew of former Rep. Mark Foley's (R-Fla.) Internet communications with a House page. Writing to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), McHenry questioned whether Democrats had a role in publicizing the e-mails, which broke in the middle of the fall election season creating a furor rarely seen in congressional politics. "Is the American public to believe that neither of you nor your staffs nor anyone associated with your staffs had prior knowledge or involvement with the release of Foley's e-mails and/or explicit instant messages? The Hill: McHenry seeks sworn Dem account THE BLOG THAT SCOOPED EVERYBODY: One of the more curious angles to emerge from the scandal surrounding Foley is the creation of a little-known Web site called Stop Sex Predators. It was at that site on September 24, four days before ABC News reported Foley's e-mails with a 16-year-old page, that the Florida congressman's correspondence first appeared. Because the site was virtually unknown at the time, bloggers were skeptical of the e-mails' authenticity. Nothing is known about the site beyond the small number of postings on it. The site appeared in July, declaring that it was "dedicated to exposing sex predators before they can get to our kids." Over the next two months the blog featured a few intermittent postings on notable public sex scandals. Then on September 21, Stop Sex Predators says, it received e-mails from readers suggesting Foley was a "danger to any young, slightly attractive young man on The Hill." CNN: Mysterious blog scooped media on Foley messages THE "NEW COUNTERINSURGENCY DOCTRINE": The United States Army and Marines are finishing work on a new counterinsurgency doctrine that draws on the hard-learned lessons from Iraq and makes the welfare and protection of civilians a bedrock element of military strategy. The doctrine warns against some of the practices used early in the war, when the military operated without an effective counterinsurgency playbook. It cautions against overly aggressive raids and mistreatment of detainees. Instead it emphasizes the importance of safeguarding civilians and restoring essential services, and the rapid development of local security forces. The current military leadership in Iraq has already embraced many of the ideas in the doctrine. New York Times: Military Hones a New Strategy on Insurgency "LOW EXPECTATIONS" FOR RICE AS ARAB-ISRAELI PEACE SEEMS "FURTHER AWAY THAN EVER": Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged Wednesday to "redouble" U.S. efforts to alleviate the economic plight of Palestinians facing escalating tensions and the threat of a humanitarian crisis. But U.S. officials cautioned not to expect any significant breakthroughs as prospects for a renewed Arab-Israeli peace process seem further away than ever... Rice, on her sixth trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories as secretary of state, has come with fewer prospects for major progress in the near future than on any previous visit. She is struggling just to revive an agreement to open border crossings between the Gaza Strip and the outside world that she brokered in November after all-night negotiations. Washington Post: Rice Cites Concern for Palestinians, But Low Expectations Mark Visit CHENEY RAISES CASH FOR CANDIDATE IN DeLAY'S OLD DISTRICT: Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday gave a critical financial boost to the Republican candidate running a last-minute, write-in campaign to claim former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's seat. Nearly 200 people paid at least $500 to dine on sandwiches and potato chips while Cheney spoke for 20 minutes at a downtown Houston hotel. His visit was one of the few signs that Shelley Sekula-Gibbs' campaign was generating any support outside Houston. Sekula-Gibbs, a Houston city councilwoman, is fighting to increase her name recognition and her profile since August when she jumped in the race long overshadowed by DeLay's legal and political travails. AP via Yahoo! News: Cheney stumps in DeLay's former district McCAIN COURTING COLLEAGUES FOR '08: In preparation for a likely 2008 presidential run, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been meeting quietly for the past several months with a group of Republican Senate supporters to plot campaign strategy and build a wider base of support among influential party figures. Sen. Gordon Smith (Ore.), who regularly attends the biweekly meetings, called the group "sort of a Senate kitchen cabinet," while Sen. Trent Lott (Miss.) noted that participants are "a diverse group, philosophically and regionally." Notably, New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu, whose state has one of the most influential roles in presidential nominating contests, has attended a few of the meetings, though he was careful to say he has not yet endorsed McCain, or anyone else, for president... Though Sununu is trying to remain neutral in the early stages of the '08 primary fight, his endorsement, along with that of Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.), undoubtedly will be one of the most sought-after in Granite State politics, given that the current governor is a Democrat. Roll Call: McCain Allies Plot for 2008 AS IF SHE NEEDED ANY MORE BAD PRESS: While she was Westchester district attorney, Jeanine Pirro steered a no-bid contract to Bernard Kerik and Rudy Giuliani's security firm, rebuffing protests about the arrangement, The Post has learned. The 2004 contract was ordered despite Pirro being warned by a lawyer in the DA's Office that it might be illegal or unethical to award a contract in that way. It also came in the face of protests over the cost of the deal by the private company that had to pay Kerik and Giuliani, a source close to the case told The Post. "Jeanine insisted that Kerik get the contract. She was working hard to do favors for him," said the source. New York Post: PIRRO STEERED D.A. CONTRACT TO KERIK BAD NEWS FOR ROMNEY? A Gallup poll taken last month has found that 66 percent of people questioned feel that the US is not "ready'' for a Mormon president and 29 percent said the US is ready. Sixty-four percent said the US is not ready for an Asian president. On the other hand, 61 percent said the US is ready for a woman as president. The Gallup question was asked this way: "Generally speaking, do you think Americans are ready to elect a/an [see below] as president, or not?" The subject has come up frequently as Governor Mitt Romney eyes a run for president. An LA Times-Bloomberg poll this year, which asked people if they would vote for candidates of various religious groups, found that 37 percent said they would not vote for a Mormon presidential candidate. Boston Globe Political Intelligence: Gallup poll: Two thirds of Americans not ready for a Mormon president "YOU'RE NO ROY ROGERS," SAYS BLACKWELL AT DEBATE: Trading some of the sharpest exchanges of their three gubernatorial debates, Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell and Democrat Ted Strickland clashed last night over taxes and their prescriptions for healing Ohio's ailing economy. Blackwell, trailing in the polls, was the aggressor from his opening statement...Referring to Strickland's childhood on Duck Run near Lucasville, where the cowboy actor and singer Roy Rogers also grew up, Blackwell told Strickland at one point, "I happened to have known Roy Rogers, and Mr. Strickland, you're no Roy Rogers. He was a guy who didn't duck and run when tough questions were asked." Columbus Dispatch: Sharp words, but the same words Mysterious blog scooped media on Foley messages
From CNN's Peter Hamby
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Capitol Hill controversies are nothing new, but as details emerge about former Rep. Mark Foley's e-mails and instant messages with underage congressional pages it's clear that the Internet is reinventing the Washington scandal. Not since the revelations in independent counsel Kenneth Starr's report on the President Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair have the intimate and graphic details of a Beltway scandal been at American fingertips. Most of Foley's discussions are too lurid for television, but viewers are able to go online and read the transcripts. Full story |
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• Hagel to announce decision on presidential bid Monday• Does Tiger Woods have a political future? • AFL-CIO makes push to keep unions united behind one presidential candidate • Obama: "No place for politics" in voter intimidation • Muslim congressman talks up 'American values' in State Department outreach • Year of the 'smaller' Pig • Pataki joins law firm • Bush 'sad' about Libby's conviction • House Dems urge colleagues to fund a withdrawal from Iraq • Romney recruits from the Sunshine State ARCHIVE
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