Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Snow denies Iraq war has diverted U.S. attention from North Korea
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- White House Press Secretary Tony Snow Tuesday disputed criticism that the Iraq war has strained America's resources and allowed Iran and North Korea to develop nuclear arsenals. "What you have is, in fact, that the United States has been engaged actively on all three problems," Snow told reporters during his daily briefing. "We are continuing to work aggressively with the Iranians and with the North Koreans." Snow also said it is unfair to say President Bush has made mistakes in his dealings with North Korea. "You need to give presidents the benefit of the doubt when national security is involved," Snow said. Transcript of briefing Page tip line flooded with calls in first week
From CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than 400 people have called into the tip line established last week by the House to field questions and concerns about then-Rep. Mark Foley's, R-Florida, inappropriate conduct with the chamber's pages, a Democratic leadership aide tells CNN. The House inspector general's office is transcribing the messages and determining whether the information should go to the House ethics committee, FBI, or elsewhere, the aide said. Ahead on CNN
4 p.m. ET, The Situation Room
-Secretary State Condoleezza Rice will sit down with Wolf in an exclusive interview about North Korea's nuclear ambitions and Iran's increasing influence in the Middle East. 5 p.m. ET, The Situation Room -Democratic Strategist Donna Brazile and former GOP Rep J.C. Watts will weigh in on the latest developments in the Foley scandal as well as North Korea's reported nuclear test. -Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector and author of "Target Iran," will also weigh in the latest developments in North Korea. 6 p.m. ET, Lou Dobbs Tonight -California GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, will voice his opinion on North Korea's actions. -Author Robert Kagan will discuss his book "Dangerous Nation," an examination of how America's role in the world has evolved since its founding. 9 p.m. ET, Larry King Live -CNN anchor Lou Dobbs joins Larry King to discuss his new book, "War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back." -New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador who has visited North Korea, will discuss North Korea's latest provocations. 10 p.m. ET, Anderson Cooper 360 -The Atlantic Monthly's Robert Kaplan will profile North Korea's mysterious leader, Kim Jong II. FBI interviews page about Foley messages
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In Oklahoma City, FBI agents conducted a two-and-a-half-hour interview Tuesday with a former page who has reported receiving sexually explicit instant messages from Foley, his lawyer said.
Jordan Edmund, the former House page who engaged in a sexual online conversation with former Rep. Mark Foley, met with FBI officials investigating the matter for over two hours Tuesday. "Jordan answered all of their questions, relying upon his memory as it exists," Edmund's lawyer, Stephen Jones, told reporters outside the U.S. Attorney's office in Oklahoma City. "He was not served with any subpoenas to appear before any grand jury. He was not asked to return. " Jones previously represented Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing case. High court rejects appeal on abortion
From CNN Supreme Court Producer Bill Mears
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court turned back a legal appeal Tuesday from a Georgia woman who wanted the justices to reverse a 1973 ruling giving her the right to an abortion. Sandra Cano was part of the original series of landmark rulings from the high court legalizing the medical procedure. The justices without comment refused to reopen the case. Cano, a resident of Atlanta, was "Mary Doe" in the Doe v. Bolton appeal that was a companion argument to the more famous Roe v. Wade, both decided on Jan. 22, 1973. Cano argued in her appeal that she had never wanted in abortion in the first place, had been living in an abusive relationship, and had been forced by her attorney to fight the abortion option in court. Crist leads Davis in Florida governor's race
From CNN Researcher Xuan Thai
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a new poll from Quinnipiac University on the Florida governor's race, Republican Attorney General Charlie Crist is leading U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, D-Florida, by 10 percentage points among likely voters. The poll was conducted from October 3 through October 8, 2006. Crist (R) 53% Davis (D) 43% Sample Size: 783 likely voters Margin of Error: +/-3.5 Crist (R) 50% Davis (D) 39% Undecided 9% Sample Size: 968 Register Voters Margin of Error: +/- 3.2 % For CNN's coverage of key races, check out America Votes 2006 Fordham to appear Thursday before House ethics committee
From CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Kirk Fordham, a former top aide to disgraced Rep. Mark Foley, will testify Thursday before the House ethics committee about his ex-boss' inappropriate communications with teenage pages, a source close to the investigation tells CNN. Fordham, who says he informed senior GOP House officials about Foley's conduct, will address the committee in a meeting that is closed to the public. The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct -- or ethics committee -- is expected to interview more than four dozen people in the Foley matter. Fordham last week resigned his position as chief-of-staff to Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-New York, who is also under fire for acknowledging that he knew Foley had contacted the pages. But Reynolds denies knowing the extent of Foley's exchanges with the teenagers. Reynolds laying low after televised apology for Foley scandal
From CNN Producer Julian Cummings
BUFFALO, New York (CNN) -- Rep. Tom Reynolds plans to lay low for most of the week after airing a televised apology for the scandal surrounding ousted Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida, a source close to his campaign said Tuesday. In a television ad that debuted Saturday in his district, the New York Republican apologized for the controversy over Foley's contacts with teenage congressional pages, and turned blame on other House leaders he said failed to investigate. Trandahl will cooperate with Foley investigation, but won't go public
From CNN Producer Paul Courson
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Jeff Trandahl, the former House clerk who oversaw the chamber's page program, will cooperate with the FBI's and House ethics committee's investigations into disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley's interactions with the teenage messengers, his attorney said Tuesday. But Trandahl will not be making any public statements about the Foley matter, Cono Namorato, Trandahl's attorney, said. "At this time, Mr. Trandahl will not be airing his recollections with the media," Namorato said in a statement. McCain vs. Clinton--Sign of what's to come?
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) --In an early glimpse of a potential 2008 match-up, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, sharply criticized Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, over who is to blame for North Korea's reported acquisition of a nuclear weapon. "Some of the reasons we are facing this dangerous situation is because of the failed policies of the Bush Administration," Clinton, a potential presidential candidate, said Monday at the New York City Columbus Day parade. "I regret deeply their failure to deal with the threat posed by North Korea." McCain, who is also considering a White House run, issued a strong rebuke of his senate colleague Tuesday, describing her husband's dealings with the North Koreans a "failure." "I would remind Senator Clinton and other critics of the Bush Administration policies that the framework agreement of the Clinton Administration was a failure," McCain said of former President Bill Clinton. "We had a carrots and no sticks policy that only encouraged bad behavior. When one carrot didn't work, we offered another." Trandahl expected to break silence on Foley scandal
From CNN Producer Paul Courson
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Jeff Trandahl, the former House clerk who oversaw the House Page Program, is expected to break his silence Tuesday on the Foley page scandal, according to a colleague familiar with the media's interest in the case. As clerk, Trandahl oversaw the page program at the same time then-Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida, was having sexually explicit conversations with the teenage messengers. Trandahl, who resigned as clerk in 2005 to become executive director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, has not commented yet on the scandal. Hastert will dismiss any staff involved in cover-up
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert Tuesday said he would fire anyone on his staff found to have covered up complaints about former Rep. Mark Foley's email messages with teenage House pages. The Illinois Republican also said his staff handled the matter "as well as they should," but acknowledged they could have handled the matter better. "In 20-20 hindsight we could probably do everything better, but if there was a problem, if there was cover-up then we should find that out through the investigation process." Hastert said in a press conference in Aurora, Illinois. "They will be under oath, and we'll find out if they did cover something up, then they should not continue to have their jobs." Hastert also said he is unaware of what Arizona GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe, a former member of the board that oversees the House page program, knew about Foley's inappropriate advances. "He was on the page board, that was his job to do that, that confrontation, I don't know anything more about it," Hastert said. "If it was something of a nature that should have reported or brought forward, then he should have done that." Rep. Kolbe denies personally confronting Foley over e-mail
From CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Arizona, acknowledged he received a complaint from a page about email exchanges with former Rep. Mark Foley but said he did not personally confront the disgraced former Congressman. "I did not have a personal conversation with Mr. Foley about the matter," Kolbe said in a statement released Tuesday. "I assume e-mail contact ceased since the former Page never raised the issue again with my office. I believed then, and believe now, that this was the appropriate way to handle this incident given the information I had and the fact that the young man was no longer a page and not subject to the jurisdiction of the program." Kolbe did not say when he received the complaint. Giuliani heading to New Hampshire this week
From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Big Apple Mayor Rudy Giuliani is crisscrossing the country this week to help raise money for GOP candidates, including John Faso, the Republican nominee for New York governor. But perhaps the most interesting stop for Giuliani will be his visit Thursday to the Granite State, where he is scheduled to attend a Republican fundraiser for the New Hampshire House Victory Committee and an event for GOP Rep. Jeb Bradley. Early polls show that Giuliani is one of the frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, but there is question as to whether the conservative base will shun him because of his moderate views on hot-button social issues such as abortion and gay rights. Giuliani is also raising money this week for Republicans in Connecticut, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington State. AP: Tenn. Republicans Praise Ford's Campaign
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Democrat Harold Ford Jr. has been one of the most effective political candidates this year. Just ask Tennessee Republicans.
"Junior, as I will call him, has done an excellent job of campaigning," said Jim Melton, 59, of Maryville in east Tennessee. "He has done an excellent job of appearing to be conservative. He is not." Read full story For CNN's coverage of key races, check out America Votes 2006 AP: Allen, Webb Spar in Final TV Debate
RICHMOND, Va (AP) --Republican Sen. George Allen and his Democratic challenger Jim Webb sparred with both each other and their pasts during the final televised debate in Virginia's tight, closely watched U.S. Senate race.
The face-off Monday shed little new light on the positions of either candidate in a race that could help determine whether the GOP retains control of the Senate. Both sides generally evoked boilerplate answers, often lifted directly from campaign literature. Read full story For CNN's coverage of key races, check out CNN's America Votes 2006 Kolbe statement expected shortly
From CNN Correspondent Dana Bash
WASHINGTON (CNN) --Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Arizona, the congressman who received a complaint about former Rep. Foley as early as 2000, is expected to release a statement within the hour. Check back with the Ticker for details when the statement is released. Ex-House clerk raised early alarms about Foley, sources say
From CNN Correspondent Dana Bash
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former House Clerk Jeff Trandahl raised alarms about former Rep. Mark Foley's contacts with congressional pages long before he resigned from the post in 2005, multiple sources said Monday. In addition, a spokeswoman for an Arizona congressman said a former page warned her bossc about Foley in 2000, resulting in "corrective action" against the now ex-lawmaker. Trandahl repeatedly raised red flags about Foley's behavior with pages years before Republican leaders confronted Foley about an e-mail he sent to a former page in 2005, several sources familiar with the situation told CNN. The sources said Trandahl took his concerns to Kirk Fordham, then Foley's chief of staff, several times. Read full story Laura Bush back on the campaign trail
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With less than one month before the midterm elections, first lady Laura Bush barnstorms across the country this week as she continues to help raise money for GOP candidates. Bush will attend four fundraisers in as many states midweek. The first lady first heads to Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday to attend a fundraising lunch for GOP Rep. Steve Chabot. She then heads south to Tennessee to deliver remarks at a fundraiser for GOP senate candidate Bob Corker, who is locked in a tight battle with Democratic Rep. Harold Ford for retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's seat. On Thursday, Bush visits Indiana to campaign for GOP Rep. Chris Chocola, who faces Democratic candidate Joe Donnelly in a rematch from 2004. The first lady will also stump Thursday evening for Sen. Jim Talent, R-Missouri. The first term GOP senator finds himself in a dead heat with Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, in a race that could ultimately decide which party will control the Senate in January 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... Check out complete results from the CNN poll and new numbers from the latest Washington Post/ABC News, New York Times/CBS News, and USA Today/Gallup polls in Hot Topics below. President's Schedule: President Bush meets with Peruvian President Alan Garcia at 9:10 am ET in the Oval Office, then travels to Chevy Chase, MD, where at 1:15 pm ET he'll participate in a school safety summit at the National 4-H Conference Center. First Lady Laura Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings are also scheduled to attend the event. This afternoon, Bush takes a quick trip south to campaign for Congressional candidate Mac Collins at the Macon Centreplex in Macon, GA. POTUS returns to the White House at 8:40 pm ET. Also on the Political Radar today: ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) BUSH CALLS NK TEST "A PROVACTIVE ACT," U.S. PROPOSES SANCTIONS: The United States proposed tough new United Nations sanctions on North Korea on Monday after its reported test of a nuclear device, and President Bush warned the North that he considered its activity a potential threat to American national security. At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the United States pressed for international inspections of all cargo moving into and out of North Korea to detect weapons-related material, and a ban on all trading in military goods and services with the country. At the White House, President Bush called the North Korean test "a threat to international peace and security" and condemned it as a "provocative act." New York Times: Bush Rebukes North Korea; U.S. Seeks New U.N. Sanctions EXPERTS SAY BLAST WAS "SHY OF A TYPICAL NUCLEAR DETONATION": U.S. intelligence agencies say, based on preliminary indications, that North Korea did not produce its first nuclear blast yesterday. U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that seismic readings show that the conventional high explosives used to create a chain reaction in a plutonium-based device went off, but that the blast's readings were shy of a typical nuclear detonation. "We're still evaluating the data, and as more data comes in, we hope to develop a clearer picture," said one official familiar with intelligence reports. Washington Times: U.S. doubts Korean test was nuclear DEMS ATTACK BUSH'S NK POLICY: Democrats seized on North Korea's brazen act to criticize President Bush's record in confronting the communist regime, contending the administration's focus on Iraq ignored legitimate threats. Democratic Sen. John Kerry, the president's rival in 2004 and a potential 2008 candidate, assailed Bush's policy as a "shocking failure," and said, "While we've been bogged down in Iraq where there were no weapons of mass destruction, a madman has apparently tested the ultimate weapon of mass destruction." AP via Yahoo! News: Democrats assail Bush's N. Korea policy $650,000 A YEAR ON HENNESSY?!!! The United States moved quickly yesterday to seek tough U.N. sanctions against North Korea - including an export ban that would cut off alcohol-guzzling Kim Jong Il's flow of his beloved top-shelf booze... The Bush administration urged the United Nations to take urgent steps, including: Banning sales of military hardware to North Korea, Inspecting all cargo entering or leaving the country, and Freezing assets connected with its weapons programs. But it was a ban on countries exporting "luxury" items to North Korea that would hit Kim the hardest - right in his prodigious liquor cabinet, stocked with the world's best libations. The often-drunk Pyongyang dictator is known for his huge consumption of pricey French wines, Johnnie Walker scotch and the finest cognac. He is said to spend an astounding $650,000 a year just for Hennessy cognac, and the basement of his official residence is a wine cellar with nearly 10,000 bottles of one of France's most famous exports. New York Post: Kooky Korean to Lose Booze 52 PERCENT THINK HASTERT SHOULD QUIT IN NEW CNN POLL: About half of Americans believe the scandal over former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's contacts with teenage congressional pages should cost House Speaker Dennis Hastert his leadership post, according to a CNN poll released Monday. The poll, conducted Friday through Sunday by Opinion Research Corp., found that 52 percent of the 1,028 adults interviewed think Hastert should step aside. Thirty-one percent said they think he should keep his post, and 17 percent had no opinion... Fifty-eight percent of likely voters say they plan to vote for Democrats in November, compared with 37 percent who say they'll vote GOP. The 21-point gap is five points wider than it was in a CNN poll conducted last week. Among registered voters, the gap is narrower, as 54 percent said they plan to vote for Democrats and 38 percent say they're casting ballots for Republicans... President Bush's approval rating is 39 percent. CNN: Poll: About half think Hastert should resign FULL POLL RESULTS (pdf via CNN.com) RVS PREFER DEMS IN MIDTERMS 54-41 IN WASHPOST/ABC NEWS POLL: Democrats have regained a commanding position going into the final weeks of the midterm-election campaigns, with support eroding for Republicans on Iraq, ethics and presidential leadership, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll... Approval of Congress has plunged to its lowest level in more than a decade (32 percent), and Americans, by a margin of 54 percent to 35 percent, say they trust Democrats more than Republicans to deal with the biggest problems the nation is confronting... By a margin of 54 percent to 41 percent, registered voters said they plan to vote for the Democrat over the Republican in congressional elections next month. President Bush's approval rating, which rose to 42 percent in September after an anti-terrorism offensive marking the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, registered 39 percent in the latest poll. Washington Post: Poll Shows Strong Shift Of Support to Democrats FULL POLL RESULTS (via WashingtonPost.com) BUSH APPROVAL SLIPS TO 34 PERCENT IN CBS/NYT POLL: Seventy-nine percent of respondents said House Republican leaders were more concerned about their political standing than about the safety of teenage Congressional pages. About half of respondents said that the House Republican leadership had improperly handled the Foley case, compared with 27 percent who said they approved of how it was handled; 46 percent of respondents said Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois should step down... There has been no change since mid-September in the gap between Americans who said they planned to vote for a Democrat over a Republican in their district this November: 49 percent to 35 percent... Mr. Bush's job approval rating has slipped to 34 percent, from 37 percent in September. That is one of the lowest levels of his presidency and poses a complication for the White House as it seeks to send him out on the road to rally base voters. New York Times: Poll Shows Foley Case Is Hurting Congress's Image FULL POLL RESULTS (pdf via NYTimes.com) MORE BAD NEWS FOR GOP IN USAT/GALLUP: Democrats had a 23-point lead over Republicans in every group of people questioned - likely voters, registered voters and adults - on which party's House candidate would get their vote. That's double the lead Republicans had a month before they seized control of Congress in 1994 and the Democrats' largest advantage among registered voters since 1978... President Bush's approval rating was 37% in the new poll, down from 44% in a Sept. 15-17 poll. And for the first time since the question was asked in 2002, Democrats did better than Republicans on who would best handle terrorism, 46%-41%. USA Today: Dems gain big lead FULL POLL RESULTS (via USAToday.com) GOP EXPECTS TO LOSE BETWEEN 7 AND 30 (!) HOUSE SEATS: Republican campaign officials said yesterday that they expect to lose at least seven House seats and as many as 30 in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, as a result of sustained violence in Iraq and the page scandal involving former GOP representative Mark Foley. Democrats need to pick up 15 seats in the election to take back control of the House after more than a decade of GOP leadership.... In a sign that the political environment is getting worse for Republicans, political handicapper Charlie Cook now lists 25 GOP-held seats as a tossup -- seven more than before the Foley scandal broke Sept. 29. Washington Post: GOP Officials Brace for Loss Of Seven to 30 House Seats HASTERT'S OPPONENT, ONCE "LONGEST OF LONG SHOTS," NOW RAKING IT IN: The scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) has trickled down to help the longest of long shots, including Speaker Dennis Hastert's (R-Ill.) opponent. In the days since Foley resigned, Democrat John Laesch raked in $40,000 from online contributions. He has had to reorder yard signs and install new phone lines in his campaign headquarters in Yorkville, Ill. "Over the weekend, there were 20 to 30 people in the office that I'd never seen before," Laesch told The Hill. "People were coming in with a $100 check and asking for a yard sign." The Hill: Foley scandal a boon for Hastert's opponent HASTERT CANCELS SHERWOOD EVENT: House Speaker Dennis Hastert and another Republican leader criticized for his role in the congressional page scandal will not be appearing at fundraisers on behalf of a Pennsylvania congressman who has admitted to an extramarital affair... Rep. Don Sherwood, R-Pa., had been considered to have a safe seat for re-election until a woman filed suit against him and alleged that he had choked her during an altercation at his Capitol Hill apartment. Sherwood admitted to having an affair with the woman but denied hurting her. They settled the case out of court. Jake O'Donnell, a spokesman for Sherwood, said Monday that an Oct. 18 event with Hastert was only tentatively scheduled and was canceled mostly because Sherwood had another major event the next day. AP via Yahoo! News: Hastert backs out of Pa. fundraiser AT FINAL DEBATE, ALLEN CALLS M-WORD "CARELESS," N-WORD RUMORS "BASELESS": Republican U.S. Sen. George Allen and Democratic challenger Jim Webb clashed over economic policy and the Iraq war last night in the fourth and final debate of the Senate campaign. Before a potentially huge statewide television audience and with polls showing their race even, Allen said Webb would raise taxes almost $1,000 a year on the average Virginia family, while he would vote to keep taxes low... Moderator Russ Mitchell, Sunday-night anchor of "CBS Evening News," asked Allen about the "macaca" controversy that has dogged him for months. At a campaign appearance in Southwest Virginia, Allen called a young Indian-American volunteer working for Webb "macaca," a genus of monkey and, in some countries, a racial slur. Last night, Allen said: "I made a mistake; those were careless words." Asked about recent allegations that he used the n-word in referring to blacks when he was in college, Allen said those allegations were "baseless." Richmond Times-Dispatch: Candidates' final face-off LAMONT DIGS UP '88 LIEBERMAN ADS: Ned Lamont is trying to coax the ghost of campaigns past to haunt the present campaign of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. In a new Lamont ad scheduled to air today, challenger Joe Lieberman of 1988 seems to be making a case to reject the 18-year incumbent Lieberman of 2006. "After 18 years, it's time for somebody new," Lieberman says in the Lamont ad. "It's time for a change." The video is from 1988, when Lieberman's hair was longer and darker - and he was challenging Sen. Lowell P. Weicker Jr., then an 18-year incumbent under fire for missed Senate votes. Hartford Courant: Lamont Uses Joe's Old Ads FORD, CORKER PREPARE FOR BATTLE IN CHATTANOOGA: The U.S. Senate debate in Chattanooga doesn't start until tonight, but that didn't stop Republican Bob Corker and Democrat Harold Ford Jr. from lobbing charges at each other throughout Monday. The Corker campaign and its recently changed leadership team continued to press themes related to U.S. Rep. Ford's sometimes controversial politically involved family. The Corker camp provided video footage in which Rep. Ford talks about his family and says he may "take the gloves off" in the Chattanooga debate... With independent polls showing Tennessee's U.S. Senate contest nip and tuck, the candidates meet at 7 p.m. today in Chattanooga for their second televised debate. In advance of what could be a lively encounter, the Corker campaign made available video footage of a Sunday rally in Jackson, Tenn., at which Rep. Ford alluded to Mr. Corker's comments about his family's "political machine" at their Saturday night debate in Memphis. "I told him when we got off the air, I said, 'I ain't gonna be as nice on Tuesday in Chattanooga,'" Rep. Ford says in the footage. Chattanooga Times Free Press: Ford, Corker face off at UTC tonight BLAGOJEVICH, TOPINKA, CAN'T AGREE ON FINAL TV DEBATE: After spending months bickering over the details of holding as many as a dozen debates, the two major candidates for governor called off negotiations Monday and said they would have no more public face-to-face meetings before the Nov. 7 election. Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka criticized each other for failing to resolve what had been an ambitious schedule of forums. Instead, after debates last week in Decatur and five months ago in a Chicago TV studio, their last joint forum before the election will be in a meeting Tuesday with the Chicago Tribune editorial board. "For seven months, [there has been] nothing but delays, excuses, complaining and then refusing to accept our offers," Blagojevich said before stepping off Chicago's annual Columbus Day parade at Columbus and Balbo Drives. But Topinka contended the governor's team repeatedly sought to change debate dates and times, which made the forums impractical to schedule. Chicago Tribune: Blagojevich, Topinka: No TV debate ROMNEY'S HURDLE: In seeking a presidential candidate for 2008, why would Republicans look further than the governor of Massachusetts? Tall and urbane, Mitt Romney has a prime political pedigree, an unblemished personal life and the cool confidence of a CEO. He is a conservative Republican who won easy election in a fiercely liberal state - then streamlined Massachusetts' government and enacted the country's most sweeping healthcare overhaul. He is a passionate defender of states' rights and recently has embraced strong views against stem cell research and abortion - a reversal of earlier positions. He never swears, and his sole vice is Diet Coke. Not incidentally, the 59-year-old governor boasts Ivy League credentials and movie-star looks. But Romney faces a potential obstacle that has not confronted a presidential hopeful for almost 50 years. As a devout Mormon - and a onetime bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Romney adheres to a faith that makes many Americans uncomfortable. Los Angeles Times: Romney's 2008 Bid Faces Issue of Faith Bush mixes policy and politics this week
From CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush mixes politics and policy this week as he sprinkles several fundraisers into his official schedule. Bush will meet with the Peruvian president Tuesday and then participates in a panel on school safety in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Later, the president heads to Macon, Georgia, for a fundraiser for former Rep. Mac Collins, R-Georgia. On Wednesday, Bush will be back in Washington to meet with the commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and later with the president of the Southern Baptist Convention before delivering remarks on the economy. The president heads West on Thursday, delivering a speech on energy in St. Louis, Missouri, ahead of appearing at a reception for Illinois Republican congressional candidates David McSweeney and Peter Roskam. Embattled House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, is also expected to attend the fundraiser, which will also benefit the Illinois Congressional Victory Committee. On Friday, Bush signs the SAFE Port Act in the morning and attends a noon fundraiser for the Republican National Committee. Bush then holds a meeting with the "President's Management Council on the President's Management Agenda." The president also participates in a photo opportunity with members of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. To close out the week, Bush makes remarks Saturday at the U.S. Air Force Memorial Dedication. |
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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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