Wednesday, October 25, 2006
On the campaign trail with potential '08ers
Clinton celebrates 59th birthday in NYC
Who: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York What: Fundraising event celebrating her 59th birthday Details: -Will attend her own birthday bash held in the Central Park Tent at Tavern on the Green on Thursday in New York City. Former President Bill Clinton will also attend his wife's birthday celebration. Foley treatment location is revealed
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Rep. Mark Foley, who resigned his seat after it was revealed he had sexually explicit instant message conversations with teenage House pages, is seeking treatment at the Sierra Tucson, a treatment center in Arizona, his lawyers said this afternoon.
The center is located near Tucson and offers counseling for various kinds of addictions including alcoholism, according to its website. Foley, who professed being an alcoholic when the page scandal story broke, checked himself into the facility on Oct. 1. Foley is still receiving treatment and has asked, though his lawyers, that his privacy be maintained. -- CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti
Ahead on CNN
4 p.m. ET, The Situation Room
-Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman joins Wolf to discuss the controversial RNC ad in Tennessee implying Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. fraternizes with playboy playmates and weighs in on how the midterm elections are shaping up. -Democratic strategist Paul Begala and Bay Buchanan, chairperson of Team America PAC, discuss President Bush's Iraq press conference, the New Jersey Supreme Court gay marriage decision, and Rush Limbaugh's controversial comments on Michael J. Fox's stem-cell research ad. 5 p.m. ET, The Situation Room -Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, joins Wolf to discuss his tight reelection race. -Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who is challenging DeWine for his Ohio Senate seat, will discuss the state of the race. 7 p.m. ET, Special Town Hall Debate: Broken Borders -CNN's Lou Dobbs holds a special town hall meeting on illegal immigration in San Antonio, Texas on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. Rep. Michael McCaul, R Texas, as well as the leaders of League of United Latin American Citizens and Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, community leaders, law enforcement and citizens of border communities will all participate in this hour-long special. 9 p.m. ET, Larry King Live -Rep. Harold Ford, Jr., D-Tennessee, Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, Rep. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, and Democratic strategist Paul Begala will discuss the 2006 ad wars. -The Dixie Chicks will discuss their new documentary in the wake of lead singer Natalie Maines' anti-George Bush statement at a 2003 concert. 10 p.m. ET, Anderson Cooper 360 -Democratic strategist James Carville will weigh in on President Bush's press conference. -Political commentator David Gergen and Time's Joe Klein will discuss how the Bush Administration is attempting to define its message with two weeks until the midterms. Former President Clinton in demand
ALBANY, New York (AP) -- Considered a political albatross in 2000, former President Clinton is arguably the most sought-after Democratic campaigner in the final days of the midterm elections.
Jetting into New York's state capital on Thursday, Clinton plans to pump up the congressional candidacy of Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand and probably drop a good word or two about his wife, the state's junior senator. Full story Related: Clinton says GOP chose 'ideology over community' Ford: I have not shifted on social stances
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Harold Ford Jr., the Democratic nominee in the race for retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill First's seat, brushed aside charges Tuesday he has shifted his stance on key social issues to appeal to more conservative voters.
Ford said he has always opposed gay marriage and flag desecration and noted he changed his stance on partial birth abortion after witnessing "something from a physician in my district." He also said his conservative social stances stem from his religious views. "My relationship with my good Lord, Mr. Blitzer is very simple," Ford told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in response to a charge that several Democratic strategists are disappointed in his social positions. "He knows far more than I will ever know, and as long as I'm continuing to learn and continuing to be open-minded, I think I can continue to be not only a good public servant, but a good Christian. I make no apology for that to any Democrat, Republican or anyone for that matter." Ford and former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, the Republican nominee, are battling for this Tennessee seat. For CNN's coverage of key races, check out America Votes 2006 --CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
On the trail with potential '08er's
Kerry campaigns with Lamont Wednesday
Who: Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts What: Town hall meeting with Ned Lamont and Connecticut voters Details: -Kerry will appear with Lamont and Connecticut veterans in a town hall meeting in East Hartford, 10/25 Schwarzenegger writes Bush on global warming
(AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently signed a sweeping law to cut greenhouse gas emissions in California, complained in a letter to President Bush that there is no coherent federal policy to stop global warming.
The Republican governor wrote that the state's request for a federal waiver to set vehicle emissions standards has been "ignored with no explanation" despite an earlier letter from the governor to Bush, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. Full story Frist to GOP hopefuls: Don't stress Iraq
(AP) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says if Republican candidates want to succeed on Election Day, they should turn their focus away from the Iraq war.
"The challenge is to get Americans to focus on pocketbook issues, and not on the Iraq and terror issue," Frist said in an interview with the Concord Monitor on Tuesday. Full story For CNN's coverage of key races, check out CNN's America Votes 2006 'Safe Democrats' urged to part with campaign cash
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A push to persuade 70 "ultra-safe" House Democrats to hand over a portion of their campaign war chest to competitive House races is gaining steam online. After identifying over $50 million in the campaign accounts of Democrats who do not face any significant challenge in next month's elections, liberal blogger Chris Bowers at Mydd.com teamed up with MoveOn.org to urge people to call the lawmakers and ask them to "pony up." Since the pressure campaign started Monday, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, announced on his Web site he was donating an additional $250,000 to Democratic candidates and the Democratic Party -- a decision his spokesman said was "spurred in part" by the online campaign. Now three more Democrats on Bowers' list, Rep. Adam Schiff, Rep. Hilda Solis, and Rep. Grace Napolitano, all from California, have announced new donations. Spokespeople for each campaign acknowledged receiving calls, though each said the donations were not directly related. Other Democrats have signaled their campaign money is staying put. A spokeswoman for Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Massachusetts, whose over $4 million in campaign cash has made him a prime target, said they have no plans to move funds. She noted the Congressman will continue raising money directly for the DCCC. -- CNN Internet Correspondent Abbi Tatton Potential Democrat '08 rivals join forces
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two potential 2008 presidential rivals teamed up Wednesday to raise money for four Senate Democratic candidates locked in hotly contested races.
Sen. Barack Obama asked Sen. John Kerry's political supporters to donate to New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez as well as Senate challengers Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jim Webb of Virginia, and Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. of Tennessee, in an e-mail solicitation. Obama, who thanked Kerry for giving him the opportunity to speak at the 2004 Democratic convention, said the two potential presidential hopefuls are joined in their effort to campaign for Democrats. "In the past two years, he and I have been working tirelessly to win back Congress," Obama said. Kerry praised Obama's communicating skills on ABC's "This Week" Sunday but brushed aside questions about the potential '08 match up. "Whatever he wants to do; I mean, look, this is a free country," Kerry said. "I think he's a very interesting and very powerful communicator." For CNN's coverage of key races, check out America Votes 2006 --CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Stem-cell research foes get own ad
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Days after actor Michael J. Fox appeared in a TV ad urging Missouri voters to support stem cell research, opponents will unveil their own commercial during the World Series Wednesday night.
The Cardinals' starting pitcher for Game 4, Jeff Suppan, is among several celebrities who appear in the minute-long ad. Others include Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, Kansas City Royals player Mike Sweeney and two actors --Patricia Heaton of TV's "Everybody Loves Raymond" and Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ." View ad Full story Has Corker called RNC?
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Tennessee GOP Senate Candidate Bob Corker told CNN his campaign has asked the Republican National Committee to stop airing a controversial ad that implies his opponent Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. parties with playmates, but the former Chattanooga Mayor would not say whether he has personally asked RNC chairman Ken Mehlman to take the ad down.
"Everybody at the RNC from the top down knows that I want this down," Corker told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Tuesday when asked if he had directly called the RNC. "There are senators who are my friends, some of which are inside that are making calls that do the same. Everyone knows that we want it down." Corker also called the ad 'tacky,' but would not say if he thought it was racist, as some people have asserted. "I, you know, it's tacky and certainly has no place in this race," Corker said when asked if he personally believed the ad had racial overtones. Corker and Ford are battling for retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's seat in a race that has become increasingly negative as Election Day draws near. --CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Bush confident GOP will win
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Wednesday "I see a lot of enthusiasm among grass-roots" Republican activists and predicted "we're gonna win" the mid-term elections.
"Now, I understand here in Washington, people have already determined the outcome of the election -- like it's over even before the people actually start voting," Bush said, referring to predictions that the Democrats could take the House, Senate or both in November. "We've got some people dancing in the end zone here in Washington, D.C., measuring their drapes, going over to the Capitol and saying, my new office looks beautiful. I think I'm going to have this size drape here this color." Bush: Leaders must be held accountable for 'wrongdoing'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Wednesday said politicians and others in positions of responsibility must be "held to account" for any "wrongdoing."
Bush had been asked at a White House news conference about scandals now embroiling Republicans in relation to his early campaign messages in 2000, when he discussed the importance of responsibility and ethics. "If any person in any party fails to live up to high standards, they ought to be held to account," Bush replied. DNC ad: 'America deserves more than change in rhetoric'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Democratic National Committee ridicules the Bush administration's change in rhetoric about the War in Iraq, in a web ad released Wednesday morning.
The one-minute ad demands more than a change of words and catalogues several Bush administration officials saying we must "stay the course in Iraq" before the White House announced Monday President Bush was no longer going to use this phrase. "Mr. President, America deserves more than a change in rhetoric, America deserves a change in policy," the ad states. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 --Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Nelson holds commanding lead over Harris
WASHINGTON (CNN) --Sen. Bill Nelson (D) has a 35-point lead over Rep. Katherine Harris (R) in Florida's senate race. The poll was conducted by Quinnipiac University.
--CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai
Sherwood trails Carney in PA-10
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Don Sherwood (R) is trailing Democratic challenger Christopher Carney by 9 points in Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District. The Keystone Poll is conducted by Franklin & Marshall College.
--CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai
On the trail with potential '08er's
Bayh heads to the New Hampshire and Kentucky Wednesday
Who: Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana What: A speech at New Hampshire's Political Library and two campaign events with Kentucky Congressional candidate Ken Lucas Details: -Will speak at New Hampshire Political Library's National Speaking Series, Politics and Eggs, in Bedford, 10/25 -Will appear at a fundraiser for House Democratic candidate Ken Lucas in Edgewood, Kentucky, 10/25 -Will participate in a press roundtable with Lucas in Edgewood, 10/25 Bush expresses concern over Iraq
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Wednesday that he is concerned about the situation in Iraq, but it is "critical" that U.S. troops remain there and oust the insurgents.
"The events of the past month have been a serious concern to me and a serious concern to the American people," Bush said in a White House news conference. Bush said, "a military solution alone will not stop violence." Full story Bush to make 'substantial' Iraq statement
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush is expected to make a "substantial" statement about Iraq in a White House news conference this morning, a senior administration official said.
Wednesday's news conference comes after the Bush administration announced this week it is tossing out its "stay the course" mantra on the Iraq war. Full story Special Programming Note: Dobbs on borders
CNNs' Lou Dobbs holds a special town hall meeting on illegal immigration in San Antonio, Texas on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. Rep. Michael McCaul, R Texas, as well as the leaders of League of United Latin American Citizens and Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, community leaders, law enforcement and citizens of border communities will all participate in this hour-long special.
Scandal limiting Hastert campaigning
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sidelined by scandal, House Speaker Dennis Hastert has been largely absent from the campaign trail this month as Democrats mount their strongest challenge in a decade to the Republicans' grip on the House.
"I'm going to be in 30-some districts," the Illinois Republican said in early October. "We're going to be continuing on the trail. We have a story to tell." Full story Florida Governor candidates debate
DAVIE, Florida (AP) -- Candidates in the tight race for Florida governor haggled over standardized testing, property taxes and property insurance Tuesday in their first debate.
U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, a Democrat, criticized Attorney General Charlie Crist, a Republican, for wanting to "stay the course" by using the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test to reward and punish schools, saying the state's graduation rate and SAT scores are among the country's worst. Full story For CNN's coverage of key races, check out America Votes 2006 Frist: Pelosi will compromise national security
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist strongly ridicules House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's record on national security issues and questions whether the California Democrat is fit to be House speaker, in an email sent Tuesday to supporters of his political action committee.
"How long do you think it will take Speaker Pelosi to compromise 100% of our National Security," the Tennessee Republican writes in the note sent to his Volunteer PAC e-mail list. Jennifer Crider, a Pelosi spokeswoman, dismissed Frist's criticism. "President Bush and his rubber stamp Republican Congress are committed to stay the course -- stay the course in Iraq and stay the course on a failed homeland security policy that scored D's and F's from the independent 9/11 Commission," Crider said. "Clearly, the president and his rubber stamp Republican Congress is getting desperate if all they can do is try to scare the American people with false claims." -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney Bush to hold press conference, 10:30 a.m. ET
President Bush will hold a press conference in the East Room at the White House at 10:30 a.m. ET. Check back with the Ticker for coverage of the president's remarks.
Texas candidate wrote racy romance novel
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The willowy brunette laughed heartily, lustily, as she dismissed the notion that her romance novel full of steamy sex scenes crossed the line into pornography.
"Everybody thinks it's fun," said Susan Combs, who happens to be Texas agriculture commissioner and is now running for state comptroller, the top financial post. "It's lighthearted and entertaining." Full story Key Hastert aide to testify in Foley probe
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A key aide to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who gave advice on handling a complaint about e-mails sent to a teenage page by former Rep. Mark Foley, will testify Wednesday before the House Ethics Committee, CNN has learned. Ted Van Der Meid, Hastert's in-house counsel, will appear before the committee Wednesday, a source close to Van Der Meid said. Tuesday, Hastert himself spent more than two hours behind closed doors, testifying to the ethics panel about the Foley matter. "I answered all the questions they asked to the best of my ability," the GOP speaker told reporters after emerging from the committee room. "I also said that they needed to move quickly to get to the bottom of this issue, including who knew about the sexually explicit messages and when they knew about it." Hastert's deputy chief of staff, Mike Stokke, followed Hastert and testified for about five hours. He made no comment as he left the committee room Tuesday night. -- CNN's Dana Bash and Deirdre Walsh Dole and Schumer to debate races
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-North Carolina, square off over the midterm elections at the National Press Club this afternoon. Schumer is the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, while Dole is the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Democrats need to win six seats in November to take back the majority. -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney Poll: Most Americans uncertain about border fence
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Although a majority of Americans support increasing the number of Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexican border, most do not support building a 700-mile fence along the border, according to a CNN poll released Wednesday.
Seventy-four percent of 1,013 poll respondents said they would be in favor of more U.S. agents along the border. But only 45 percent said they wanted a border fence built, according to the survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of CNN. And while 58 percent said they would support large fines on employers who hire illegal immigrants, 54 percent said they would oppose jail terms for those employers. More than two-thirds of poll respondents -- 67 percent -- said the number of illegal immigrants in the United States should be decreased. But only 34 percent said all illegal immigrants should be removed. The numbers for the recent poll were roughly the same as a similar poll conducted in June. The sampling error in the survey, conducted Oct. 20-23, is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Clinton: GOP chose 'ideology over community'
WASHINGTON (CNN) --Former President Bill Clinton charges that Republicans have chosen "ideology over community," in an e-mail solicitation sent Tuesday on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
"Under Democratic leadership, we created millions more jobs; we lifted millions more people out of poverty and gave them healthcare; we expanded the middle class and raised the incomes of our families," the former president wrote. Clinton, who has assumed a visible role on the 2006 campaign trail, also derided the GOP leadership that followed him. "They've chosen ideology over community, harsh politics over good government and personal destruction over common good," Clinton wrote. --CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
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... President's Schedule: Also on the Political Radar today: She then delivers remarks at a Minnesota Victory 2006 Rally at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester at 1:05 pm ET. She'll also rally the troops in Indiana this afternoon. At 3:45 pm ET, she speaks at an Indiana Victory 2006 event in Columbus. ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) 18 MONTHS: The top U.S. military commander in Iraq set a timeline yesterday of 18 months for the Iraqi security forces to take over war operations in all the country's provinces "with some level of support from us." Army Gen. George Casey did not commit to a timeline for removing 147,000 U.S. troops, as House Democratic leaders have demanded and as President Bush has resisted. But achieving Gen. Casey's new benchmark would assuredly mean a smaller American force in Iraq, where about 2,800 U.S. service members have died since the March 2003 invasion. Iraqi forces now control operations in just two of 18 provinces. Washington Times: Iraqi takeover target set IN IRAQ, FOOD, HOUSING, SECURITY CAN TRUMP ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS: Overhead costs have consumed more than half the budget of some reconstruction projects in Iraq, according to a government estimate released yesterday, leaving far less money than expected to provide the oil, water and electricity needed to improve the lives of Iraqis. The report provided the first official estimate that, in some cases, more money was being spent on housing and feeding employees, completing paperwork and providing security than on actual construction. Those overhead costs have ranged from under 20 percent to as much as 55 percent of the budgets, according to the report, by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. On similar projects in the United States, those costs generally run to a few percent. New York Times: Idle Contractors Add Millions to Iraq Rebuilding COURTING CONSERVATIVES WITH JUST 13 DAYS TO GO: Beset by discouraging polls and division within ideological ranks, the White House is accelerating efforts to woo back disaffected conservatives and energize the Republican base in a reprise of a strategy that succeeded in the last two campaign cycles. President Bush and Vice President Cheney have given multiple interviews to conservative journalists, senior adviser Karl Rove has telephoned religious and social activists, and the White House has staged signing ceremonies for legislation cracking down on terrorism and illegal immigration. Two weeks before Election Day, Bush aides invited dozens of radio talk show hosts for a marathon broadcast from the White House yesterday to reach conservative listeners. Washington Post: The GOP Leans on A Proven Strategy SARASOTA VISIT TYPICAL OF POTUS ROLE NEXT TWO WEEKS: The appearance, which Republican officials said raised $375,000, offers a hint of how White House strategists will use Mr. Bush in the final two weeks of the midterm campaign. With his public approval ratings hovering around 37 percent, Democrats making effective use of advertisements attacking the president and Republicans in many races distancing themselves from him, Mr. Bush is far more limited than he was four years ago in where he can appear. New York Times: Bush Finding Welcome Mats as G.O.P. Looks for an Edge ELECTIONLINE.ORG PREDICTS A MESSY E-DAY: Two weeks before the midterm elections, at least 10 states, including Maryland, remain ripe for voting problems, according to a study released yesterday by a nonpartisan clearinghouse that tracks electoral reforms across the United States. The report by Electionline.org says those states, and possibly others, could encounter trouble on Election Day because they have a combustible mix of fledgling voting-machine technology, confusion over voting procedures or recent litigation over election rules -- and close races. The report cautions that the Nov. 7 elections, which will determine which political party controls the House and Senate, promise "to bring more of what voters have come to expect since the 2000 elections -- a divided body politic, an election system in flux and the possibility -- if not certainty -- of problems at polls nationwide." Washington Post: Report Warns of Potential Voting Problems in 10 States READ THE REPORT (pdf via Electionline.org) REYNOLDS CONFIDENT GOP WILL HOLD HOUSE: House Republican campaign Chairman Thomas Reynolds said Tuesday that voter loyalty and a fine-tuned turnout effort will preserve the Republican congressional majority on Election Day, despite sagging poll numbers and gloominess from some in his own party. "We still believe we can hold the House," the New York congressman told USA TODAY and Gannett News Service in an interview. "I know what I have to do. I'm doing it. My team is doing it." A pugnacious four-term veteran, Reynolds dismissed polls that show voters increasingly dissatisfied with President Bush and the GOP as merely "interesting information" in a year when contests will be decided in states and congressional districts. "This is hand-to-hand combat in the trenches," he said. USA Today: Reynolds: GOP can hang on to House majority NRCC'S "FINAL PUSH LIST"... 29 GOP SEATS, 4 DEM SEATS: With Democratic momentum mounting and control of the House at stake, senior Republican strategists are urging donors to contribute to 33 GOP members and candidates who are "most in need of support right now." The National Republican Congressional Committee's (NRCC) "Final Push List" consists of 29 Republican seats and only four Democratic seats, indicating that the GOP is playing defense. The list, obtained by The Hill, provides a rare glimpse of the races that congressional strategists are concentrating on close to Election Day. NRCC focuses on most but not all toss-up House races in its Final Push roster, dated Oct. 19. The Hill: NRCC targets 33 districts DEMS NEED RURAL VOTERS IN MO, TN, AND VA TO WIN SENATE: Capturing a Senate majority is within the Democrats' reach, but the party is facing potentially decisive resistance from rural voters in three critical Republican-leaning states, a series of Times/Bloomberg polls has found. If Democrats can't break through on Nov. 7 to win the Senate races in at least two of those three states - Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia - they are unlikely to control the chamber. The surveys show Democratic candidates leading in hotly contested races for Republican-held seats in Virginia and Ohio. Republicans, however, lead in races for the GOP-held seats in Missouri and Tennessee. The Times/Bloomberg polls found that among likely voters: Los Angeles Times: Democrats' Senate hopes lie with rural voters, poll finds SPEAKER MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE, TALKS TO ETHICS CMTE FOR 3 HOURS: House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) spent nearly three hours behind closed doors with the House ethics committee yesterday, describing what he knew about then-Rep. Mark Foley's relationships with young male pages and when he knew it. The extraordinary appearance came just a few hours after the House Republican campaign chief, Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (N.Y.), went before the committee to reiterate his contention that he personally told Hastert in the spring about suspicious e-mails that Foley had sent to a Louisiana teenager. Hastert has said he has no recollection of that conversation and did not learn of the Foley matter until it surfaced in late September. "Since I had requested prompt action by the committee, I took the opportunity to thank them for moving expeditiously to look into this matter," Hastert said as he emerged from the committee's Capitol basement hearing room. "I answered every question they asked fully and to the best of my ability." Washington Post: Hastert, Reynolds Testify About GOP's Handling of Foley Case "TOXIC" FOLEY SCANDAL INHIBITS HASTERT APPEARANCES: Sidelined by scandal, House Speaker Dennis Hastert has been largely absent from the campaign trail this month as Democrats mount their strongest challenge in a decade to the Republicans' grip on the House. "I'm going to be in 30-some districts," the Illinois Republican said in early October. "We're going to be continuing on the trail. We have a story to tell." But that was before the full impact of the Mark Foley episode sank in... Now, two weeks before the Nov. 7 midterm elections, the speaker is a symbol of the scandal - and, as such, a potential liability - for many of his endangered rank-and-file Republicans fighting to win re-election in a campaign environment favoring Democrats. AP via Yahoo! News: Scandal limiting Hastert campaigning HASTERT'S IN-HOUSE COUNSEL TO TESTIFY TODAY: A key aide to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who gave advice on handling a complaint about e-mails sent to a teenage page by former Rep. Mark Foley, will testify Wednesday before the House Ethics Committee, CNN has learned. Ted Van Der Meid, Hastert's in-house counsel, will appear before the committee Wednesday, a source close to Van Der Meid said. The Ticker: Key Hastert aide to testify in Foley probe PELOSI STAFF SAYS SHE'S RAISED $50 MILLION THIS CYCLE: Even more than fighting a contest of ideas with Republicans, Rep. Nancy Pelosi is waging a multimillion-dollar fundraising battle intended to produce a Democratic House majority in the Nov. 7 midterm elections... Pelosi's staff estimates that with just 13 days left until the midterm elections her peripatetic travels and phone calls on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (the House Democrats' campaign arm), individual candidates and her personal political action committee, "PAC to the Future," have generated about $50 million this campaign season. San Francisco Chronicle: Pelosi is dealing dollars to win -- for the House, the party, herself SUSPENDED INTEL STAFFER SAYS HE'S NOT LEAK SOURCE: Larry Hanauer, the Democratic staffer on the House Intelligence Committee whose access to classified information was suspended last week by panel Chairman Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), is mounting a public-relations offensive declaring that he did not leak a classified intelligence document on Iraq to the media. Hanauer, through his attorney, has gone as far as writing to The New York Times, asking the newspaper's editors to publicly declare that he was not a source for a Sept. 24 article concerning a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. Hoekstra, at the request of Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), suspended Hanauer's security clearance on Oct. 17 because the staffer requested a copy of the Iraq NIE just days before the Times published its story. LaHood speculated that Hanauer may have given a copy of the report to the newspaper, although he has acknowledged that he had no proof such an exchange occurred. Roll Call: Democratic Intel Staffer Denies Leak, Protests Suspension ED DEPT. ANNOUNCES SINGLE-SEX CLASSROOMS PLAN: The Bush administration is giving public school districts broad new latitude to expand the number of single-sex classes, and even schools, in what is widely considered the most significant policy change on the issue since a landmark federal law barring sex discrimination in education more than 30 years ago. Two years in the making, the new rules, announced Tuesday by the Education Department, will allow districts to create single-sex schools and classes as long as enrollment is voluntary. School districts that go that route must also make coeducational schools and classes of "substantially equal" quality available for members of the excluded sex. New York Times: Federal Rules Back Single-Sex Public Education LIMBAUGH APOLOGIZES AFTER CALLING MICHAEL J. FOX SHAKING "AN ACT": Rush Limbaugh has accused actor Michael J. Fox of exaggerating the physical effects of his Parkinson's disease in political ads urging viewers to vote for Democrats in next month's election. The conservative radio host told listeners Tuesday that Fox's lurching, palsied movements in a TV ad for Missouri Senate challenger Claire McCaskill were "an act." Limbaugh noted that Fox, a longtime advocate for research on embryonic stem cells, has said he sometimes does not take his medication in order to illustrate Parkinson's severe physical effects. Uncontrolled shaking and stiffness are among the symptoms of the nerve disease. "If this was not an act," Limbaugh said later on the show, "then I apologize." John Rogers, Fox's spokesman, called Limbaugh's remarks "shameful." USA Today: Limbaugh says actor Fox exaggerating his disease as stem cell issue churns RENZI LAWYERS UP AFTER AP/NYT REPORTS OF FED PROBE: Rep. Rick Renzi hired a lawyer Tuesday, two weeks before Election Day, amid an escalating number of inquiries and reports about a federal investigation into the congressman's activities. "We don't know if there is an investigation," said Renzi's lawyer, former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods. "There's really nothing there, other than these (media) reports." On Tuesday, the Associated Press and the New York Times reported that authorities are scrutinizing Renzi. The AP said authorities are looking at a potential land-swap deal Renzi had been involved with last year. The Times said authorities were looking into whether Renzi had introduced legislation that benefited a military contractor that employs his father. Neither Renzi nor anyone in his circle has been contacted by law enforcement officials, Woods said in an interview with The Arizona Republic. Arizona Republic: Reports: Feds scrutinizing Renzi over potential land swap "I LIKE FOOTBALL AND I LIKE GIRLS": Democrat Harold Ford Jr.'s campaign called on Tennessee TV stations Tuesday to cease airing a new ad from the Republican National Committee that says he voted to "recognize gay marriage" and "wants to give the abortion pill to our schoolchildren" -- charges his lawyers called false and libelous... The latest RNC ad is the second to begin airing in less than a week that have drawn criticism. The first ends with a bare-shouldered blonde woman asking for Ford to "call me" -- a reference to the Memphis congressman attending a Playboy-sponsored party at the 2005 Super Bowl, an appearance that he confirmed for the first time Tuesday. "I was there. I like football and I like girls. I don't have no apologies for that," he told reporters. Memphis Commercial-Appeal: Ford fights off allegations in latest attack ad LAMONT DOESN'T COLLECT MUCH CASH FROM HIS PALS IN DC: Ned Lamont got little financial support from congressional Democrats - and none from Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd and key Senate veterans - in the crucial weeks after he won the party's Senate nomination Aug. 8, according to new campaign finance data. Lamont's first detailed report on contributions and spending through Sept. 30 showed donations of only $31,000 from congressional sources since the primary. Traditionally, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, as well as the political committees of incumbents, pour cash into the campaigns of potential colleagues. Those funds are considered particularly important in the early days of a campaign, as the candidate has to quickly build an organization for the general election. Hartford Courant: Lamont Gets Little From Senate Dems KERRY AND KERREY STUMP FOR LAMONT AND LIEBERMAN: Democrat Ned Lamont's campaign announced a series of "town hall meetings" starting at East Hartford Middle School at 3 p.m. today. It will feature U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., a former presidential candidate, and members of VETPAC, a political action group of veterans... Other town hall meetings are being planned for Hamden, Middletown, New London, Stamford and Torrington. Dates will be announced. Lieberman will be joined by former Nebraska Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey for a "round table discussion" today on implementing the 9/11 Commission's findings. Lieberman helped establish the commission after the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., five years ago. The noon event will be held at the University of Connecticut's School of Business. Stamford Advocate: Final stretch: Senate candidates plan to meet, greet voters VEEP HANDICAPS '08 DEMS: Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday he thinks Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton could win the presidency. He said Sen. Barack Obama might be viewed by voters as too inexperienced. Cheney handicapped the Democratic field of potential candidates in an interview with conservative talk show host Sean Hannity. "I think Hillary Clinton is a formidable candidate," Cheney said. "I think she could win. I hope she doesn't. I disagree with her on nearly all the issues, but nobody should underestimate her. She's a very serious candidate for president." Cheney said Obama, an Illinois Democrat, was an "attractive guy. Don't know him well, met him a few times. I think at this stage, my initial take on him was he's been two years as a senator. I think people might want a little more experience than that, given the nature of the times we live in. But certainly, he's an attractive candidate. If he decides to run, he'll be a player on the Democratic side." AP via Yahoo! News: Cheney says Clinton could win presidency DECIMAL POINT COULD THWART AZ BALLOT MEASURE: Early-childhood-education and health programs on next month's ballot could lose millions of dollars if a misplaced decimal point is interpreted technically. Proposition 203 is built around an 80-cent-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes to pay for the programs. But the ballot language calls for an ".80 cent/pack" tax increase, or 1/100th of what backers say they intended. That's less than 1 cent per pack. Backers of the First Things First campaign always have promoted it as an 80-cent-per-pack tax increase. Even opponents have agreed it calls for an 80-cent hike. Proponents say a typo is to blame. "We think it is very clear and voters understand and read that it is an 80 cents tax on tobacco," campaign spokesman Steve Roman said. Arizona Republic: Tiny typo, big effect on ballot |
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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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