Thursday, October 26, 2006
Laura Bush: My husband never misled about Iraq
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In her first public comments about Bob Woodward's explosive book "State of Denial," first lady Laura Bush sharply denied claims in the book that her husband has misled the public about the level of violence in Iraq.
"Absolutely I think that is wrong," Bush said in an exclusive interview with CNN Wednesday. "Of course, the president has been frank from the very very first speech he gave to the country after the September 11 attacks, talking about this is a long war, this is a very difficult war. "It's a different war than our country has ever faced. The enemy can make a big show on television like they did for the bloody last month we had in Iraq by blowing themselves up a lot of times along with other people. But our success is not so easy to see. But the fact is that we are succeeding." Full story --CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry
Republicans gambling on New Jersey
WEST ORANGE, New Jersey (AP) -- New Jersey is to Republicans what slot machines are to gamblers: irresistible, with long odds of winning.
Gamblers pull the lever, hoping for the big payout. Republicans are sharing the same dream, throwing $3.5 million into the Senate race with days left and banking that GOP challenger Tom Kean Jr., can defeat Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez on Nov. 7. Menendez has maintained a huge cash advantage over Kean throughout the election cycle and the last two weeks, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been running $4 million worth of ads against Kean. Full story Check out CNN's New Jersey Senate race page Bush helps fund two Republicans
WARREN, Michigan (AP) -- With precious air time still left to buy before Election Day, President Bush raised money Thursday for two Republican candidates trying to knock off Democratic incumbents in an uphill year for the GOP.
The president was in the final days of a nearly two-year-long effort of unmatched fundraising for dozens of Republican candidates across the country. The president has raised more than $193 million in nearly 90 events, according to the Republican National Committee, a figure that dwarfs what any other individual has raised for Republicans or for Democrats. Full story For CNN's coverage of key races, check out America Votes 2006 Ahead on CNN
4 p.m. ET, The Situation Room
-Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and conservative radio host Bill Bennett will square off on the midterm elections, the gay marriage ruling in New Jersey, and the ad wars over stem-cell research. 5 p.m. ET, The Situation Room -Claire McCaskill, the Missouri state auditor challenging Sen. Jim Talent for his Senate seat, will discuss the state of her race and the controversial Michael J. Fox ad that is running on her behalf. 6 p.m. ET, Lou Dobbs Tonight -GOP Wisconsin Rep. James Sensenbrenner, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, will discuss his views on illegal immigration 9 p.m. ET, Larry King Live -Former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey will react to the New Jersey ruling Wednesday on gay marriage. President criticizes gay marriage ruling in stump speech
DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- President Bush on Thursday said the decision by New Jersey's Supreme Court that same-sex couples are entitled to the rights and benefits of marriage is a ruling by an "activist court." "We believe marriage is a fundamental institution of civilization," the president said as part of a stump speech for GOP congressional candidate in Iowa. "Yesterday in New Jersey, we had another activist court issue a ruling that raises doubts about the institution of marriage. I believe marriage is a union between a man and a woman," Bush said. "And I believe it's a sacred institution that is critical to the health of our society and the well being of families, and it must be defended." In Wednesday's ruling, New Jersey's Supreme Court said that state lawmakers must find a way to provide the rights and benefits of marriage to gay and lesbian couples. For more of CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 --CNN White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano Schwarzenegger camp uses consumer data
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gin or vodka? Ford or BMW? Perrier or Fiji water? Does the car you buy or what's in your fridge say anything about how you'll vote?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign thinks so. Employing technology honed in President Bush's 2004 victory, the Republican governor's re-election team has created a vast computer storehouse of data on personal buying habits and voter records to identify likely supporters. Campaign officials say the operation is the largest of its kind in any state, at any time. Full story For CNN's coverage of key races, check out America Votes 2006 McCain drums up support in New Hampshire
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain added 50 New Hampshire state Representatives to his political action committee Thursday in the Arizona Republican's latest effort to build support in this crucial presidential primary state.
The lawmakers will form an advisory committee to council McCain on issues relevant to Granite State voters ahead of the midterm elections. "I am honored by the outpouring of support from New Hampshire Republicans," McCain said in a statement. In 2000, the Republican senator won the New Hampshire presidential primary, but lost his bid for the GOP presidential nomination to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. --CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Bush signs immigration fence bill
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Thursday signed an immigration bill into law that authorizes the construction of nearly 700 miles of fencing on parts of the U.S. border with Mexico.
It is one of the first steps toward a tougher stance on illegal immigration touted by Republicans and comes 12 days before mid-term elections. Bush said the measure will "help protect the American people. This bill will make our borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform." "Ours is a nation of immigrants. We're also a nation of law," the president said. "Unfortunately, the United States has not been in complete control of its borders for decades, and therefore illegal immigration has been on the rise." Bill Clinton stumps on wife's home turf
ALBANY, New York (AP) -- Former President Bill Clinton, saying he was trying to deliver on a birthday promise to his wife, told more than 400 cheering Democrats Thursday that the party can take back Congress if they get Democrats to the polls and pull some Republicans to their side on Election Day.
Clinton's comments came as he stumped across New York, Sen. Hillary Clinton's home turf, as part of his national effort to boost Democratic efforts to win back the Senate and the House. Full story Clinton solicits donations for Iowa Congressional candidate
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called on her supporters Thursday to contribute to an Iowa Congressional candidate, a move that could buy the New York Democrat some good will with influential Iowa caucus goers should she decide to run for president in 2008.
Clinton solicited donations on behalf of Bruce Braley, the Democrat running for the open seat being vacated by retiring GOP Rep. Jim Nussle. Mike Whalen is the Republican nominee in the contest. "This is a bellwether race," Clinton wrote in an e-mail to her political supporters. "We win it, and we win back the House of Representatives." --CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney Report: 2006 most expensive midterm cycle ever
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new report proclaims the 2006 elections will be the most expensive midterm contest in history, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.
The center foresees that a total of $2.6 billion will be spent by candidates, interest groups and political parties -- a $4 million increase from the last midterm election held in 2002. In 2004, when President Bush defeated Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, to win a second term, the center noted that $4.2 billion was spent on the election. -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney America's Broken Government: "Power Play"
Analysis: Power struggle between Bush, Congress WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Republican-controlled Congress that has largely given President Bush his way in post-9/11 America -- and largely kept silent even when his actions offended -- is now beginning to challenge the administration about the expanding role of the executive branch. And it's an administration that from early on has shown disdain for congressional interference. Full story -- CNN Chief National Correspondent John King King reports on the Bush administration's controversial efforts to wrest back executive authority stripped away by Congress in the years following Vietnam and Watergate. Watch at 8 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. ET. Mehlman uses Kerry, Kennedy to spur GOP base
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In an effort to energize the conservative base 12 days before the midterm elections, Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman challenged GOP supporters Wednesday to match the combined $1 million Massachusetts Sens. John Kerry and Edward Kennedy just donated to Democratic campaign committees.
"Kennedy and Kerry are leading the charge for Democrats for good reason," Mehlman wrote in a message sent to the RNC's e-mail list. "If they take control of Congress, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry have no agenda but to undo the historic accomplishments of this President." Kerry and Kennedy announced that they are each donating $500,000 from their campaign war chests evenly divided between the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 -- CNN Ticker Producer Alex Mooney DeWine says he does not always side with Bush
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Embattled Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, told CNN he does not follow President Bush in lock-step and will break with him on issues that he thinks are not in the best interest of his state. "I was sent to Washington by the people of the state of Ohio," DeWine said in an interview on Wednesday's 'Situation Room.' "We have a diverse state. I'm an advocate and a fighter for this state and if the president agrees with us fine. If he does not agree, then I go a different way." On the issue of Iraq, DeWine said he does not think it is accurate to say the U.S. is winning the war. "I don't think anyone -- you can describe it as 'winning,'" DeWine said. "Certainly, there are parts of Iraq that are moving as well as they should, but frankly, until the Iraqis get their act together, things are not going to be the way they should be." At a news conference earlier in the day, Bush said, "We are winning and we will win -- unless we leave before the job is done and the crucial battle right now is Iraq." DeWine's Democratic challenger, Rep. Sherrod Brown, has made a point to try and link the Republican senator to Bush. -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney Wisconsin governor pushes back on Rush
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle condemned Rush Limbaugh Wednesday for the conservative talk radio host's criticism of actor Michael J. Fox.
"For someone like Rush Limbaugh to question Michael J. Fox's integrity is despicable," Doyle said following Limbaugh's accusation that Fox might have stopped taking medication to treat his Parkinson's disease before making a series of campaign ads in support of stem cell research. Fox appears in an ad for Doyle. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 -- CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai Verbatim: President Bush on the 'Secure Fence Act'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush made these comments after signing a bill authorizing construction of nearly 700-miles in fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border:
"This bill will help protect the American people. This bill will make our borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform ... "Ours is a nation of immigrants. We're also a nation of law. Unfortunately, the United States has not been in complete control of its borders for decades and, therefore, illegal immigration has been on the rise ... "We're modernizing the southern border of the United States so we can assure the American people we're doing our job of securing the border. By making wise use of physical barriers and deploying 21st-century technology, we're helping our Border Patrol agents do their job. "The Secure Fence Act is part of our efforts to reform our immigration system. We have more to do." Full story DNC: Border fence bill a 'political stunt'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Democratic National Committee slammed the bill -- signed today by President Bush -- authorizing construction of nearly 700 mils of fencer along the U.S.-Mexico border, calling the legislation "flawed and politically-driven."
In a statement, the DNC criticized the bill as counterproductive to efforts to formulate "comprehensive immigration reform." Democrats claim that Bush flip-flopped from his earlier pronouncements not to make the fence bill a political issue, instead signing it less than two weeks before the mid-term elections in a bid to placate the GOP's conservative base. Dems shoot for 'Rocky Mountain high' on November 7
DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- The governorship and three GOP-held House seats are within Democratic reach in the state, Colorado, that backed a Republican in the past three presidential elections and is home to military bases and the prominent religious conservative group Focus on the Family.
A confluence of growing voter unease with the Iraq war, President Bush's sagging poll numbers and Republican blunders and intraparty fighting have undercut the GOP -- a reality Republicans acknowledge. Full story Stem cell issue dominates Missouri race
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (AP) -- The battle over stem cell research in Missouri doesn't lack for star power. Ailing actor Michael J. Fox, rock star cancer-survivor Sheryl Crow, Super Bowl hero Kurt Warner, World Series pitcher Jeff Suppan and celebrities galore have all given voters their two cents.
Their fame threatens to overshadow the tight Senate race between Republican Sen. Jim Talent and Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill. As the Nov. 7 elections near, Missouri's Senate race is intertwining with a ballot measure that would engrave the right to conduct embryonic stem cell research into the state constitution. McCaskill supports it; Talent opposes it. Full story Maryland Senate candidates bicker during debate
ARLINGTON, Virginia (AP) -- Maryland's Senate candidates bickered over embryonic stem cell research and the war in Iraq during a televised debate Wednesday as each sought to portray himself as the most independent.
The three candidates -- Democratic Rep. Ben Cardin, Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and Kevin Zeese, nominee of the Libertarian, Green and Populist parties -- disagreed, sometimes angrily, over who was best suited to replace retiring Democrat Paul Sarbanes. Full story Local voters to take a stand on Iraq withdrawal
BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Voters in several cities in Wisconsin and Illinois -- as well as in 139 Massachusetts communities -- will vote next month on a nonbinding question that calls for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
Organizers said they do not expect the results to turn U.S. policy around. But they said the outcome could at least make the growing anti-war sentiment clear to the policymakers. Full story 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... Tonight, "Power Play": CNN's Chief National Correspondent John King reports on the Bush administration's controversial efforts to wrest back executive authority stripped away by Congress in the years following Vietnam and Watergate. Watch at 8 and 11 p.m. ET. President's Schedule: At 1:45 pm ET, Bush attends a [Jeff] Lamberti for Congress and Iowa Victory 2006 Luncheon at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. At 5:40 pm ET, POTUS attends a [Mike] Bouchard for U.S. Senate Reception at the Mabry Banquet and Convention Center in Warren, MI. Also on the Political Radar today: ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) BUSH WALKS "A CAREFUL LINE BETWEEN OPTIMISM AND PESSIMISM" ON IRAQ: President Bush declared yesterday that the United States is winning the war in Iraq despite the deadliest month for U.S. troops in a year, but he added that he is not satisfied with the situation and vowed to press Iraqi leaders to do more to stabilize their country on their own. Trying to walk a careful line between optimism and pessimism less than two weeks before midterm elections, Bush lamented the "unspeakable violence" raging in Iraq while trying to reassure American voters that he is adapting his approach to address it. He vowed to "carefully consider any proposal that will help us achieve victory" as long as it does not involve withdrawing troops prematurely. Washington Post: Bush Is Reassuring on Iraq But Says He's 'Not Satisfied' AL-MALIKI NOT ON BOARD WITH TIMETABLE PLAN: Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki put himself at odds on Wednesday with the American government that backs him, distancing himself from the American notion of a timetable for stabilizing Iraq and criticizing an American-backed raid on a Shiite militia enclave. Speaking in Baghdad just hours before President Bush held a news conference in Washington, Mr. Maliki tailored his remarks to a domestic audience, reassuring the millions of Shiites who form his power base that he would not bend to pressure by the American government over how to conduct internal Iraqi affairs. His comments stood in stark contrast to the message given Tuesday by the top two United States officials in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who said the timetable for political measures had been accepted by the Iraqi government. New York Times: Iraq's Leader Jabs at U.S. on Timetables and Militias IRAQ WAR THE "GRAVEST THREAT TO CONTINUED REPUBLICAN RULE": Just three months ago, Republican strategists believed that doubts about Iraq could be contained -- or even turned into an electoral advantage -- if the battle was framed as a vital front in the war against terrorism. Voters would be invited to choose: Stand firm or capitulate. But the issue is not playing out that way. In both parties, a consensus now exists -- buttressed by polls -- that disaffection with a war grown costly and difficult to manage is the gravest threat to continued Republican rule. Iraq is not only a potent issue in its own right, but is also a resonant metaphor for doubts about the competence and accountability of the Republican Party. Washington Post: War Now Works Against GOP BUSH TO SIGN FENCE LAW: When President Bush signs a bill authorizing 700 miles of new fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, he'll give GOP candidates a pre-election platform for asserting they're tough on illegal immigration. Yet the centerpiece of his immigration policy, a guest worker program, remains stalled in Congress... The measure Bush is putting into law Thursday before heading for campaign stops in Iowa and Michigan offers no money for the fence project covering one-third of the 2,100-mile border. Its cost is not known, although a homeland security spending measure the president signed earlier this month makes a $1.2 billion down payment on the project. The money also can be used for access roads, vehicle barriers, lighting, high-tech equipment and other tools to secure the border. AP via Yahoo! News: Bush to sign bill for Mexico border fence CNN POLL FINDS MOST AMERICANS OK WITH BUSH RECORD ON CIVIL LIBERTIES: Most Americans do not believe the Bush administration has gone too far in restricting civil liberties as part of the war on terror, a new CNN poll released Thursday suggests. While 39 percent of the 1,013 poll respondents said the Bush administration has gone too far, 34 percent said they believe the administration has been about right on the restrictions, according to the Opinion Research Corp. survey. Another 25 percent said the administration has not gone far enough. Asked whether Bush has more power than any other U.S. president, 65 percent of poll respondents said no. Thirty-three percent said yes. Of those who said yes, a quarter said that was bad for the country. Seventy-two percent of poll respondents said they believe the size of the federal government has increased in the past four years. Twenty percent believe it has decreased, and 8 percent had no opinion. CNN: Most feel civil liberties not harmed by war on terror W. TO DEMS... QUIT "DANCING IN THE END ZONE": President Bush mocked Democrats and the "punditry" Wednesday for predicting a Democratic sweep on Election Day, less than two weeks before voters decide control of Congress. "They're dancing in the end zone," Bush said at a White House news conference. "They just haven't scored the touchdown." Bush said Republicans would continue to hold both the House of Representatives and Senate because voters agree with his party on low taxes and an aggressive war on terrorism. He also lauded a "fantastic grass-roots organization" designed to bring more GOP voters to the polls. Asked if he would ever admit the possibility of GOP losses, Bush said, "We're not going to lose, in my heart of hearts." USA Today: Bush warns opponents not to celebrate early CONSERVATIVE DEM CANDIDATES "CUT FROM A DIFFERENT CLOTH": Republicans are ringing alarms about what the House would be like if the GOP lost control: a throwback to the unreconstructed liberalism of big-government activism, tax increases and a weak-kneed defense policy. They point with Halloween-season horror to the likely lineup of Democratic committee chairs, including Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) and other liberal old-timers. But... many of the Democratic candidates most likely to be elected are cut from a different cloth. Sixteen of them have been endorsed by the Blue Dogs, a coalition of conservative Democrats. Several used to be Republicans... With so many conservative-leaning candidates at the forefront of the Democratic effort, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) has, at least for now, stuck to a minimalist agenda that steers clear of grand, liberal ambitions. Los Angeles Times: A right kind of Democrat SCHUMER "JUST AS SURPRISED AS ANYONE" ABOUT DEMS' SEN. POSITION: Sen. Charles E. Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, says he is just as surprised as anyone that Democrats have a legitimate shot at taking control of the Senate in the November election. "Here we are, two weeks from Election Day, in a position we'd never thought we'd be in," the New York Democrat said yesterday during a National Press Club appearance with his Republican counterpart, North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole. "In 2005, most people were predicting we'd be lucky just to keep our 45 [seats]," Mr. Schumer said. "And now, I'd be disappointed if we just hold." Mrs. Dole, chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, acknowledged the negative draw President Bush's Iraq policy is having on her party's candidates, but she asked what leaving Iraq now would accomplish and questioned the national security credentials of Democrats. Washington Times: Schumer upbeat on Democrats' Senate odds A VERY DIFFERENT LANDSCAPE SINCE LAST TIME DEMS RULED SENATE: It's been only four years since Senate Democrats last savored the taste of majority rule, an 18-month fling with power that bears little resemblance to what Democrats will confront if they win control of the Senate on Nov. 7. "There would be a lot of pressure on the Democrats in the Senate to produce, as there should be pressure," said Sen. Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat seeking re-election. No one would feel that pressure more than Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and the dozen new Democratic chairmen who would take over the key oversight, legislative and spending committees of the Senate. Producing legislation has not been a recent Democratic priority. Instead, Democrats mostly have worked to block President Bush and his Republican allies in Congress, even during their short-lived Senate majority in 2001-2002. AP via Yahoo! News: Dems face pressure if they regain Senate BAD DECISIONS, GAFFES, AND "LOSING THEIR COOL" IN THE FINAL STRETCH: Representative Barbara Cubin, a Wyoming Republican facing a strong challenge in what should be a safe seat, this week told an opponent who uses a wheelchair that she would slap him were he not disabled. Representative Christopher Shays, Republican of Connecticut, normally a low-key moderate, portrayed the treatment of Iraqis at the Abu Ghraib prison as the product of a sex ring rather than of abuse. Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, accused a black Senate candidate of "slavishly" supporting Republican policies and later apologized for a poor choice of words. Senator Conrad Burns, a Republican fighting for his seat in Montana, hinted that there was a secret party plan for the war in Iraq. Representative Harold E. Ford Jr. of Tennessee used his campaign bus to interrupt a news conference of his opponent in the Senate race. New York Times: Candidates Show Strain of Tough Election Season A CHOICE FOR DEM LOBBYISTS IF CHANGE IN POWER ON HILL: Most Democratic lobbyists, looking at the polls, have dollar signs in their eyes. But while they are salivating at the possibility of fatter paychecks if their party wins control of the House and maybe the Senate, a small group of Democratic K Streeters is considering forgoing the income boost to return to Capitol Hill for a government salary, should the party win control on Nov. 7. This minority of Democratic lobbyists, speaking privately so they won't jeopardize current or future jobs, say they are flirting with the idea of rejoining an old boss or moving up the party hierarchy on the Hill so they can be a part of the action from the inside. Meanwhile, sources say people on the Hill quietly have reached out to some of their most trusted advisers downtown to see who might be willing to sacrifice the larger paychecks in favor of a Congressional badge. Roll Call: Democrats' Dilemma: K St. or Hill? FOLEY REHAB COSTING AT LEAST $40,000/MONTH: Since resigning from Congress last month, former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley has been a patient at a sprawling rehab center to the stars: a 160-acre campus in the Sonoran Desert north of Tucson, Ariz., where a month of therapy costs more than $40,000. Foley's lawyers confirmed Wednesday that he checked into a 30-day alcohol treatment program at Sierra Tucson on Oct. 1, two days after he left office amid reports that he exchanged sexually explicit Internet messages with former congressional pages. His stint in the program puts a congressman known to hobnob with Hollywood big shots in a place where many of the biggest names in television, music and the sports world have gone during their darkest hours. Palm Beach Post: Foley's rehab center in Arizona known for catering to the stars HUMAN RIGHTS CAMP. EMPLOYEE FIRST POSTED FOLEY EMAILS ON THE NET: A liberal gay rights group said Wednesday that one of its employees, acting anonymously, had created the Web site that first published copies of unusually solicitous e-mail messages to teenagers from former Representative Mark Foley, which led to his resignation. A spokesman for the group, the Human Rights Campaign, said it first learned of its employee's role this week and immediately fired him for misusing the group's resources... The rights campaign's spokesman, David Smith, said the employee, whose name he declined to disclose, was a junior staff member hired last month to help mobilize the organization's members in Michigan. "The minute we learned about it we took decisive action," Mr. Smith said. New York Times: Rights Group Fires Publisher of Foley E-Mail ETHICS NEAR THE END OF WITNESS LIST: After nearly three weeks of hearing testimony about Mark Foley's inappropriate behavior toward former pages, House investigators appear to be reaching the end of their witness list. A four-member ethics panel worked into the night Wednesday interviewing a senior aide for House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Ted Van Der Meid, who oversaw the page program for the speaker, testified for more than six hours... It is expected to hear Thursday from Tim Kennedy, a more junior Hastert aide who last fall fielded the complaint about Foley from the office of Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., the former page's sponsor. Kennedy alerted his supervisor. AP via Yahoo! News: Foley investigators near end of witnesses NJ COURT OPENS THE DOOR FOR STATE TO APPROVE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: In a ruling that advanced the cause of same-sex couples and at the same time disappointed many of them, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled yesterday they are constitutionally entitled to all rights and benefits heterosexual couples get through civil marriage. Everything, that is, except the title "marriage" itself. In a 4-3 decision, the justices ruled that only the Legislature can confer that status, which could set up a heated battle for lawmakers facing election next year. The court gave the Legislature 180 days to revise the state's 1912 marriage laws in one of two ways. Lawmakers can follow the lead of Vermont and Connecticut and give same-sex couples all the benefits of marriage, but by another name, such as civil union. Or they could make New Jersey the first state to recognize same-sex marriage by legislative action. Newark Star-Ledger: COURT EXPANDS GAY RIGHTS SD ABORTION BAN DECISION WILL "REVERBERATE" THROUGHOUT U.S.: If voters uphold the law, which also would make it a felony for doctors to perform abortions unless the woman's life is in jeopardy, Planned Parenthood plans a lawsuit asserting the ban is unconstitutional. Supporters of the ban would use the case to challenge Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. California and Oregon have ballot measures that would require parental consent for minors to have abortions, and voters [in SD] will vote on gay marriage and allowing medical use of marijuana. The abortion ban, though, has generated the most debate and passion. Republican Gov. Mike Rounds signed the law in March. Opponents gathered signatures to put the issue on the ballot. The latest statewide poll in July showed 47% of voters opposed the ban and 39% supported it; 14% were undecided. Both sides expect a close vote. USA Today: Abortion ban looms large on S.D. ballot GIBBONS ACCUSER STEPS FORWARD, SAYS SHE WAS BRIBED TO STAY QUIET: The Las Vegas woman who has accused Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Gibbons of assaulting her said Wednesday that she dropped charges against him the next day because people connected to his campaign had threatened her, pressured her and tried to buy her silence. In her first public comments on the circumstances that have put her at the center of the scandal that has dominated the run-up to the election, Chrissy Mazzeo said at a news conference Wednesday that she was telling the truth when she said that Gibbons had assaulted her and that she gladly would take a lie detector test. The friend whom Mazzeo accused of pressuring her denied Mazzeo's assertions and questioned her sanity Wednesday. Las Vegas Review-Journal: GIBBONS SCANDAL: Accuser alleges cover-up attempt RNC'S ANTI-FORD AD "STIRS FUROR" ON NYT A1: The commercial, financed by the Republican National Committee, was aimed at Representative Harold E. Ford Jr., the black Democrat from Memphis whose campaign for the Senate this year has kept the Republicans on the defensive in a state where they never expected to have trouble holding the seat. The spot, which was first broadcast last week and was disappearing from the air on Wednesday, featured a series of people in mock man-on-the street interviews talking sarcastically about Mr. Ford and his stands on issues including the estate tax and national security. The controversy erupted over one of the people featured: an attractive white woman, bare-shouldered, who declares that she met Mr. Ford at a "Playboy party," and closes the commercial by looking into the camera and saying, with a wink, "Harold, call me." New York Times: In Tight Race, Ad on Black Candidate Stirs Furor MA GOV CANDIDATES "GET TESTY" IN DEBATE: Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, trailing her Democratic rival in the polls, zeroed in last night on Deval L . Patrick by painting him as a lavish spender of tax dollars who is beholden to State House special interests. In the fourth televised debate among the candidates, Healey for the first time did not accuse Patrick of being soft on crime, choosing instead to highlight what she called "very stark" differences with him on taxes, spending, and immigration. "Deval, you know that all around the State House this week there's just been a buzz, which is -- we're so excited that Deval Patrick will be our next governor because he's going to be a rubber stamp for every single spending proposal that we have," Healey said... Patrick also pushed back with strong denunciations of the Healey-Romney administration on issues of education and taxes and for failing to enforce immigration hiring laws. Boston Globe: Healey, Patrick get testy 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' Mehlman denies Ford ad is racist
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A controversial ad that portrays Rep. Harold Ford Jr. as an anti-gun, weak-on-defense playboy is no longer running in Tennessee, a Republican National Committee official tells CNN.
RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman said he does not think the ad is racist, as some people have suggested because it used a Caucasian actress to claim she partied with Ford, who is African-American, at a Playboy party. "As someone who is extraordinarily sensitive to it, I don't believe that it was," Mehlman told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Wednesday on the Situation Room. "At the same time, there are good people on both sides who believe otherwise. I respect where they are coming from. I hope they respect where I am coming from." Mehlman also denied having any knowledge about the ad, because it was paid for by the RNC's independent expenditure unit. "So these ads are what are called independent expenditures, they are run by a separate unit that works not in the RNC," Mehlman said. He added, "That's the crazy thing about how this law works. I pay for it, I can't have anything to do with creating it, can't figure when its going to be on television, can't figure out when it's going to stop. If your viewers our confused, imagine how we feel dealing with these campaign laws." Danny Diaz, an RNC spokesman, said the "ad has run its course." But Diaz noted that "We are going to continue to talk about Harold Ford's flawed record." -- CNN's Mark Preston and Alex Mooney
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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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