Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Poll: Majorities ready for black or female president
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In what may be good news for two potential Democratic presidential contenders -- Sens. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and Hillary Clinton, D-New York -- a new CNN poll indicates that Americans may be ready for a black or a female president. However a large section of Americans, according to the poll, are skeptical that the nation is ready to break its string of 43 white, male heads of state.
Obama -- the Senate's only African-American -- has said he believes America is ready for a black president, and most of Americans who responded to the poll -- 62 percent-- agree with him. Of those who responded to the poll, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for CNN, 32 percent believe America is not ready for a black president. A similar number of Americans -- 60 percent -- believe that the nation is ready for a female president, according to the poll. The margin of errors on both questions were plus-or-minus 3 percent. Whites were more likely than blacks, according to the poll, to believe that the U.S. is ready for a black president. Nearly two thirds, 65 percent, of whites believe that the nation was ready for a black president. However, a large portion of each race -- 42 percent of African-Americans and 31 percent of whites -- believe the country is not ready for an African-American president. The margin of error on racial breakdowns was plus-or-minus 5 percent. The poll involved 1,207 Americans. For full poll results and analysis of the findings watch a special edition of 'Paula Zahn Now,' tonight at 8 p.m., E.T. Poll results Dodd mulls joining the growing Democratic presidential field
NEW YORK (AP) -- Sen. Chris Dodd said Tuesday he plans to have "a conversation with the mirror" over the Christmas holidays to decide whether he'll join a growing field of Democratic presidential contenders.
But Dodd, a 25-year Senate veteran, added, "If I had to make a decision in the next thirty seconds, I'd say, 'Let's go."' In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, the 62-year-old Dodd called himself a dark horse in a crowded field dominated by New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Neither Clinton nor Obama has announced they will seek the presidency, but both lead every national poll of Democratic contenders. Yet with the early nominating contests still 13 months away, the Connecticut senator insisted he still has a chance to break through. "People don't want to be told this race is over, or that it's down to a couple of people and everyone else is wasting their time," he said. And while not mentioning Obama -- the field's charismatic newcomer -- by name, Dodd said, "the idea that someone could come to this race and bring little or no experience and still connect is going to be hard." U.S. government appeals ruling on changes to currency for the blind
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration on Tuesday asked the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to overturn a lower court ruling requiring that the federal government redesign the nation's paper money to aid the blind in differentiating between denominations of bills.
U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson ruled last month that the U.S. Treasury Department is violating the law by keeping all paper money the same size and feel, preventing blind people from distinguishing the amount. Robertson, in a ruling on a suit by the American Council of the Blind, ordered the feds to come up with a way to tell bills apart. In its appeal, the Bush administration disagreed with Robertson's ruling that the blind were denied "meaningful access" to money by the same-sized bills because portable currency readers exist to help distinguish the bills. The government also said blind people can use credit and debit cards instead of cash. The government also disagreed with Robertson's ruling that making changes would not impose an "undue burden." The government said that making any changes to the currency would interfere with mandates to guard against counterfeiting and produce a prohibitive cost. Gore goes online to raise national profile
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show," former Vice President Al Gore continues to raise his national profile.
Gore is teaming up with the liberal web site MoveOn.org to organize hundreds of DVD viewing parties nationwide for his global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." The parties -- with names like "Get Your Green On" and "A Convenient Viewing" -- will be held on Saturday. Gore will also host a national conference call from Nashville during the house parties. Over 1,600 parties have been organized so far, according to AlGore.com. On his web site, Gore says he will "take the message to Congress" next year. Asked if Gore will use the conference call to make any political announcements, a Gore spokesperson said: "His campaign is about global warming. That's what you can expect him to talk about." Also sponsoring the viewing parties is JohnKerry.com. Kerry, another possible 2008 candidate, is sending an email to three million supporters promoting the documentary viewing parties. In the email, he praises Gore as a "strong leader" and says he deserves "our full support" in raising global warming awareness. -- CNN's Peter Hamby
Nevada Democrats tap Iowa operatives to run caucus
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Nevada Democratic Party announced Tuesday that it is turning to Iowa Democratic veterans to run the western battleground state's 2008 presidential caucus.
Jean Hessburg -- the executive director of the Iowa Democratic Party during the 2002 and 2004 elections -- will oversee Nevada's Democrats only caucus in early 2007. Jayson Sime, who was the Iowa Democrat's field and canvass director in 2004, is slated to assist Hessburg. The Nevada Democratic presidential caucus holds the No. 2 spot on the 2008 calendar, falling five days after Iowa's and four days before New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary. -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Conservatives say Romney needs to explain record on gay rights
BOSTON (AP) -- Conservatives concerned about inconsistencies in Republican Mitt Romney's record on gay marriage and abortion said Tuesday the Massachusetts governor has some explaining to do.
For now, at least, the potential presidential candidate isn't talking. The governor's office issued a brief statement last weekend amid reports of a 1994 letter in which Romney, then a U.S. Senate candidate, pledged to be a more effective champion for gay causes than his opponent, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. The statement said the governor has been a "champion of traditional marriage." At a gathering of San Diego County Republicans Monday night, Romney brushed aside a question from The Associated Press. "Thanks, I have other people to talk to right now," he said. Such dodges may not satisfy conservatives, who hold critical sway in the primaries and could opt for other possible candidates with strong records on social issues such as Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Ahead on CNN
4 p.m. ET, The Situation Room
-Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, will discuss his presidential ambitions. 5 p.m. ET, The Situation Room -Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, will discuss his plans to run for president. -Ambassador Peter Galbraith, author of "End of Iraq," will assess the latest developments in Iraq. -Democratic strategist Paul Begala and Terry Jeffrey, editor of "Human Events," will discuss how the 2008 presidential race is shaping up. 6 p.m. ET, Lou Dobbs Tonight -Rep. George Miller of California, the incoming chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, will weigh in on the middle-class squeeze. Reid hammers Bush for 'waiting and delaying' on Iraq
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Saying "time is running out," incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, expressed disappointment Tuesday that President Bush had decided to wait to announce a new Iraq strategy until after the new year. "
It has been six weeks since the American people demanded change in Iraq," Reid said in a statement. "In that time Iraq has descended further toward all-out civil war and all the president has done is fire Donald Rumsfeld and conduct a listening tour. Waiting and delaying on Iraq serves no one's interests." White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters Tuesday the president had decided to delay an announcement because of the complexity of the situation and the amount of information he was receiving. "I think what happens is, people have come back with answers, and he said, 'I want more,'" Snow said the White House daily briefing. "And he's not going to move before its ready." -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Pelosi blocks Jefferson's return to House Ways and Means Committee
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, moved Tuesday to keep Rep. William Jefferson, D-Louisiana, off the House Ways and Means Committee.
Jefferson, who won a runoff re-election Saturday despite facing allegations of bribery, had indicated he hoped to regain his seat on the powerful committee. Pelosi led the charge last spring to remove Jefferson from the post after Justice Department officials discovered $90,000 in his Capitol Hill freezer. A Democratic aide told CNN Monday that Pelosi will not allow Jefferson to return to the committee until he has been cleared of all bribery charges Related: Jefferson seeks return to House Ways and Means Committee -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Snow: Bush not ready to release Iraq policy 'before its ready'
Washington (CNN) -- Saying "it's not ready yet," White House Press Secretary Tony Snow told reporters Tuesday President Bush has delayed announcing a new Iraq strategy because of the amount of recommendations and information he must take into account.
"I think what happens is, people have come back with answers, and he said, 'I want more,'" Snow said the White House daily briefing. "And he's not going to move before its ready." The president had originally hoped to unveil his vision of Iraq's future before Christmas but informed his aides Tuesday that he needed more time. -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Federal deficit shows improvement early in the budget year
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal budget deficit is showing a slight improvement through the first two months of the 2007 budget year, although the imbalance is still expected to exceed last year's figure.
The Treasury Department reported Tuesday that the deficit for November totaled $75.6 billion, down from a deficit in November 2005 of $83.1 billion. Through the first two months of the current budget year, which began Oct. 1, the deficit totals $124.9 billion, down 4.2 percent from the $130.3 billion in red ink run up in the same period last year. On the campaign trail with potential '08ers
Bayh heads to Florida Wednesday
Who: Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana What: Delivers speech at the Democratic Professionals Council of Broward County in Ft. Lauderdale Kucinich confident he can win his second bid for presidency
CLEVELAND (CNN) -- Democrat Dennis Kucinich announced Tuesday in his hometown of Cleveland that he'll take another shot at running for president.
This is the congressman's second bid, after an unsuccessful run in 2004's presidential campaign. "I am announcing my candidacy for president of the United States with the intention of rallying the American people to the cause of our troops in the field, to the cause of stopping more American families from suffering, to the cause of ending a deepening tragedy in Iraq, to the cause of repairing America's reputation in the world," he said to applause from supporters. Kucinich, 60, has said he is against the war in Iraq and has called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. "We have a right to defend ourselves but our leaders have confused offense with defense," he said. Not daunted by his withdrawal from the 2004 race, Kucinich said he fully expected to win "because when the American people hear this clarion call for a new and a true direction, this call to confirm their intent, their power, I am confident they will respond as powerfully as they did just one month ago to demand that America quickly change course in Iraq and demand a leader who will make it happen." Sen. Clinton: Today's "electronic village" dangerous for kids
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Arguing new technologies make it difficult for parents to monitor their children's lives, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, says today's "electronic village" complicates the task of raising a child.
Clinton's words come in an updated version of her book "It Takes a Village" -- re-released in a new hardcover edition Tuesday 10 years after it was first published when Clinton was first lady. "When 'It Takes a Village' was published, the Internet was largely the province of scientists; no one owned an iPod or a PSP; and cell phones weighed as much as brick. Innovations are now coming at an exponentially faster pace, and media saturates our kids' lives as never before," Clinton writes in the new edition. Clinton also assesses the impact of emerging global threats on children around the world. "Beyond assembling the local support team it takes to raise a child well, we need to come together globally to create conditions that provide all children everywhere hope and opportunity," Clinton writes. Clinton isn't the only potential 2008 presidential candidate out with a new book. Seven other potential candidates have either recently published books or have book releases upcoming. Related: Prospective presidential candidates publish, publish, publish -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Bush 'more likely' to announce new Iraq strategy in January
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush, about to wrap up a rushed weeklong effort to arrive at a new course for Iraq, now is "more likely" to lay out his plan to the nation after Christmas, a
senior White House official said Tuesday. "He's been pushing the bureaucracy pretty hard," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision was not final. "There's still work to be done." Obama-Waxman report finds dangerous lead levels in Capitol Hill gifts
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Some jewelry and inexpensive children's gifts sold in U.S. Capitol gift shops consist of dangerous levels of lead, according to a new report released by Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California.
The study, conducted by the Democratic staff of the House Government Reform Committee's Special Investigations Division, found that seven of thirteen items screened contained dangerously high levels of lead. "As a parent of two young children, it's frightening to think that a toy or memento like the ones sold in the Capitol gift shops could unknowingly expose my daughters to toxic lead," Obama said in a statement. Obama and Waxman have introduced legislation that requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban lead in children's products. -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Poll: State of race relations depends on who is asked
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As Sen. Barack Obama -- an Illinois Democrat and the Senate's only African-American -- mulls a presidential bid, a new CNN poll indicates Americans have mixed feelings on the state of race relations.
According to the poll -- conducted for CNN by Opinion Research Corporation -- 33 percent of blacks think that many white people dislike them while another seven percent feel they are disliked by all white people. In all, four in 10 black Americans feel disliked by whites. Conversely 69 percent of whites polled believe only a few whites dislike blacks while 24 percent of whites say that many white people dislike blacks. The full poll results will be discussed and analyzed on a special edition of tonight's Paula Zahn Now, 8 p.m. ET. Prospective presidential candidates publish, publish, publish
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Potential 2008 presidential candidates who have books scheduled for release or who have recently released books:
--Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's "From Hope To Higher Ground: 12 STOPS to Restoring America's Greatness," is set for release in January. --Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is editing a collection of essays on prescriptions for alleviating poverty, due out in 2007. Another book by Edwards, "Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives," was published in November. --Arizona Sen. John McCain is working on a book due out in August 2007 about historically important decisions. --Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, are co-writing a book on environmental issues that's due out this spring. --Former Vice President Al Gore has a book due out May 2007, "The Assault on Reason," which contains a less-than-flattering assessment of the Bush administration. --Retired Gen. Wesley Clark has a book, "American Son," slated for a fall 2007 release. --Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream," released in October, is a best-seller. --A 10th anniversary edition of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's "It Takes a Village" was scheduled for release Tuesday. Democrats devise a plan to slice the 'pork' out of spending bills
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats taking power in January have settled on a plan to clean up $463 billion worth of GOP budget leftovers, but they're not happy about it -- and neither is the White House.
The plan by the incoming chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations committees would kill thousands of hometown projects, called "earmarks," that lawmakers add to spending bills. Staying within President Bush's thrifty budgets for domestic agencies like the Agriculture and Education departments is part of their proposal. "There will be no congressional earmarks," Rep. David Obey, D-Wisconsin, and Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, said Monday in a statement announcing their plans, which were endorsed by incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada. Although critics call hometown projects "pork," their sponsors claim that, as elected representatives, they know more about the needs of people in their states than the president and government bureaucrats. Projects they often want funded range from road, bridge and flood-control construction to economic development. Beneficiaries include local governments, hospitals and universities. CNN Political Ticker AM
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Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... Scoring lower than members of Congress in the poll: Insurance salesmen (13%), HMO Managers (12%), Advertising practitioners (11%), and Car salesmen (7%). President's Schedule: At 1:45 pm ET, Bush meets Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi in the Oval Office. Also on the Political Radar: ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) EXPERTS SHARE WH "SKEPTICAL VIEW" OF ISG RECOMMENDATIONS: President Bush heard a blunt and dismal assessment of his handling of Iraq from a group of military experts yesterday, but the advisers shared the White House's skeptical view of the recommendations made last week by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, sources said. The three retired generals and two academics disagreed in particular with the study group's plans to reduce the number of U.S. combat troops in Iraq and to reach out for help to Iran and Syria, according to sources familiar with the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the session was private... The military experts met with Bush, Vice President Cheney and about a dozen aides for more than an hour. The visitors told the officials that the situation in Iraq is as dire as the study group had indicated but that alternative approaches must be considered, said one participant in the meeting. In addition, the experts agreed that the president should review his national security team, which several characterized as part of the problem. Washington Post: Experts Advise Bush Not to Reduce Troops BREAKING SADR'S INFLUENCE: After discussions with the Bush administration, several of Iraq's major political parties are in talks to form a coalition whose aim is to break the powerful influence of the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr within the government, senior Iraqi officials say. The talks are taking place among the two main Kurdish groups, the most influential Sunni Arab party and an Iranian-backed Shiite party that has long sought to lead the government. They have invited Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to join them. But Mr. Maliki, a conservative Shiite who has close ties to Mr. Sadr, has held back for fear that the parties might be seeking to oust him, a Shiite legislator close to Mr. Maliki said. Officials involved in the talks say their aim is not to undermine Mr. Maliki, but to isolate Mr. Sadr as well as firebrand Sunni Arab politicians inside the government. New York Times: Iraqis Consider Ways to Reduce Power of Cleric "WE NEED TO PUT THE ANGRY YOUNG MEN TO WORK": As Iraq descends further into violence and disarray, the Pentagon is turning to a weapon some believe should have been used years ago: jobs. Members of a small Pentagon task force have gone to the most dangerous areas of Iraq over the past six months to bring life to nearly 200 state-owned factories abandoned by the Coalition Provisional Authority after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Their goal is to employ tens of thousands of Iraqis in coming months, part of a plan to reduce soaring unemployment and lessen the violence that has crippled progress... "We need to put the angry young men to work," [Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli] said in a phone interview from Baghdad. "One of the key hindrances to us establishing stability in Iraq is the failure to get the economy going. A relatively small decrease in unemployment would have a very serious effect on the level of sectarian killing going on." Washington Post: To Stem Iraqi Violence, U.S. Aims to Create Jobs TOO LATE FOR BUSH TO "WOO" DEMS? Hoping to avoid a lame-duck final two years in the White House, President Bush is openly wooing moderate and conservative House Democrats as potential allies on a variety of issues as their party prepares to take control of Congress in January. But the president's effort is running up against a major obstacle. The Democrats he has targeted for cooperation are the same lawmakers who are most critical of the huge budget deficits and increased national debt that have been amassed during Bush's six years in the presidency. They also want major changes in Bush's Iraq policy and have pledged their support for Democratic Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi's "six for '06'' platform of major legislative items that she will push in the early days of the new Congress. Bush met with leaders of the 44-member Blue Dog Coalition and the 62-member New Democrat Coalition at the White House last Friday, at his invitation, and all pledged to try to cooperate in the new Congress. But beneath the surface, the tension and the Democrats' pique at being ignored by the Bush White House until now were obvious. San Francisco Chronicle: Bush courts Democrats -- but may be 6 years too late BUSH APPROVAL AT 38% IN NEW USATODAY/GALLUP POLL: As President Bush weighs changing course in Iraq, Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the war and want most U.S. troops withdrawn within a year, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday says. Three of four support the major recommendations unveiled by the Iraq Study Group last week. Most predict the administration won't implement the bipartisan commission's proposals, however. And fewer than 1 in 5 have "a great deal" of trust in Bush to "recommend the right thing" for the United States to do in Iraq. Confidence in Democratic congressional leaders to chart the proper course is even lower, at 14%... The president's job-approval rating is 38%, up 5 percentage points from the survey taken immediately after congressional elections last month. USA Today: USA more pessimistic on Iraq war MORE IRAQ POLL RESULTS (via USATODAY.com) FEW GIVE CONGRESS HIGH MARKS FOR ETHICS, HONESTY: Members of Congress have never been the most trusted members of society, but they rated higher than lawyers and stockbrokers five years ago. Now, two months after an election that ousted dozens of incumbents, they're on par with insurance salespersons. Only 15% of 1,009 adults in a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday gave U.S. senators high or very high marks for honesty and ethical standards. Only 14% did so for U.S. representatives. Both are down from 25% in 2001, when members of Congress got their best score since the survey began in 1976. "It's not surprising that in a year of huge scandals, people's faith in government has fallen," says Peggy Kerns, director of the Center for Ethics in Government at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "This is a big concern," she says, and makes some people less likely to seek office or even vote. USA Today: Poll: Washington scandals eating away public trust MORE ETHICS POLL RESULTS (via USATODAY.com) RUNOFF IN TX-23 - WILL IT BE AN "EXCLAMATION POINT" ON '06? Today's runoff between U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla and Ciro Rodriguez either will be an exclamation point at the end of the Democratic takeover of Congress or a question mark hinting at a potential Republican comeback down the road in two years. Voters in Congressional District 23 will be the last to cast ballots this campaign season. But Bonilla, a seven-term incumbent and San Antonio Republican, said Monday he considered the race the first of the 2008 cycle - a contest that, if he wins, could give the GOP something to rally around after Democrats picked up 29 seats in the November election. Rodriguez, for his part, urged supporters to continue the shakeup of Congress at a rally Sunday that featured former President Clinton. On Monday, Bonilla responded with own VIP - hosting George P. Bush, President Bush's nephew. San Antonio Express-News: Runoff may hint at 2008 landscape PRYCE WINNER AFTER OH-15 RECOUNT: After the official recount showed her no closer to winning a central Ohio congressional seat, Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy conceded defeat [Monday] to Rep. Deborah Pryce. Pryce, a six-term incumbent from Upper Arlington, edged Kilroy by 1,062 votes out of more than 220,000 cast at the end of a machine recount completed over the weekend. The recount widened Pryce's lead by seven votes, giving her 50.24 percent of the vote in the 15th Congressional District comprised of western Franklin County as well as Union and Madison counties. Kilroy refused to concede the race after election-night results showed Pryce leading by some 3,000 votes with 20,000 absentee and provisional ballots remaining to count. Once those ballots were factored into the total, Pryce's lead shrank to 1,055, triggering an automatic recount under Ohio law since the margin was less than 0.5 percent. The recount ended with Pryce gaining 25 votes and Kilroy picking up 18. Columbus Dispatch: Pryce winner of 15th District race after recount KUCINICH TO ANNOUNCE CANDIDACY: Democrats jazzed by the hype that political stars Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton might run for president will have to settle for Rep. Dennis Kucinich, at least for now. Five weeks after being elected to a sixth term in the U.S. House, the former Cleveland mayor will announce today that he is running for president, his second bid in 2.5 years. While the presidential spotlight has focused on Obama, Clinton and other better-known potential candidates, Kucinich is only the second Democrat to officially launch his campaign. Outgoing Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack announced his campaign for president earlier this month. Best known locally as a populist politician who presided over the city when it slid into default in the late 1970s, Kucinich has earned a national reputation as an anti-war activist, in part thanks to his proposal to create a Cabinet-level department of peace. Cleveland Plain Dealer: Kucinich, talking of peace, to run again for president NANCY'S DILEMMA: WHAT TO DO ABOUT JEFFERSON? House Democratic leaders, who have vowed to run a more ethical Congress, are struggling with how to respond to the reelection of Rep. William J. Jefferson, the Louisiana Democrat whose Washington home freezer once held $90,000 in alleged bribe money. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), poised to be the next speaker, stripped Jefferson of his seat on the influential Ways and Means Committee in June and has hinted that she may place him on no committee when the 110th Congress convenes next month. But a source close to Pelosi said yesterday that she is more likely to place him on a lower-profile committee and hope the controversy dies down. Washington Post: Pelosi May Give Jefferson a Lesser Committee Assignment PELOSI VOWS CHANGES TO PROTECT PAGES: Add House page program reform to the list of issues that the 110th Congress will address in the early days of its newly elected Democratic majority. "As I assume responsibility for the operation of the House, Congress will protect the young people who serve as Pages," incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declared in a statement released by her office today. Pelosi said she will move forward soon after Congress reconvenes in January with the introduction of legislation that would overhaul the membership of the House Page Board, which is charged with managing the program, and increase oversight to better protect the teenagers who work and live on Capitol Hill. More specifically, the legislation would require an equal number of Democrats and Republicans on the board, add the parent of a current House page and a parent of a former page to the board's membership and require the board to meet regularly. Roll Call: Pelosi to Offer Legislation to Reform Page Program DEMS EXTEND CURRENT BUDGET LEVELS, FREEZE EARMARKS: Democratic leaders declared a temporary moratorium on special-interest provisions known as earmarks as they attempt to cope with a budget crisis left by the outgoing Republican-led 109th Congress. Congress adjourned early Saturday, having completed work on two of the 11 spending bills for the 2007 fiscal year that began Oct. 1. As a short-term fix, lawmakers extended current funding levels until Feb. 15. But the incoming Democratic chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations committees announced yesterday that they would extend current levels until the 2008 fiscal year begins next Oct. 1... [The new chairmen, Rep. David R. Obey (Wis.) and Sen. Robert C. Byrd (W.Va.)] also said they would place a moratorium on all earmarks until lobbying changes are enacted. Those special spending provisions included in the unfinished fiscal 2007 bills will be eligible for consideration next year, the chairmen said, subject to new standards. Washington Post: Democrats Freeze Earmarks for Now KENNEDY WANTS TO KNOW WHERE KERRY STANDS: Senator Edward M. Kennedy yesterday dropped his public commitment to support Senator John F. Kerry in a 2008 presidential race, saying that he won't wait "indefinitely" for Kerry to declare his intentions while the Democratic primary field takes shape. Hours later, Kerry aides promised that the senator would make a decision "shortly after the turn of the year," despite recent signals that Kerry could wait until late spring before deciding. A Kennedy spokeswoman said Kennedy would continue to support Kerry if the junior senator jumps into the race on that time line. But in an hourlong interview with Globe reporters and editors, Kennedy offered strong praise for two of Kerry's possible presidential rivals: senators Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, calling them "formidable figures" who are connecting with rank-and-file Democrats. Boston Globe: Kennedy wants sign of Kerry's plans for '08 CLINTON SAYS '08 DECISION WILL BE MADE NEXT YEAR: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton insisted yesterday she won't decide whether to make a 2008 run for the White House until next year. "I'm talking to people who have opinions about what our country needs to do going forward, and whether or not I make any decisions I can't really confront until after the first of the year," Clinton told reporters in upstate Rome, where she made a string of Senate-related stops. It was Clinton's most extensive public remarks about her timetable for deciding her future since she started making calls to donors, New York lawmakers and Democratic Party bigwigs in presidential proving-ground states. New York Post: HILL VOWS NEW YEAR'S PREZOLUTION IOWANS TO HILLARY: LOOSEN UP AND LET YOUR HAIR DOWN! That's a key bit of advice some Iowa Democrats have for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) as she entertains a dozen fellow Hawkeye Staters today to get their take on her presidential prospects. Clinton and her crew are notoriously disciplined, known for running a tight ship, sticking closely to their message and getting the word out to surrogates with remarkable efficiency. But in Iowa, home of the first-in-the-nation 2008 contest, Democrats told the Daily News the former First Lady will have to let her hair down and get her feet dirty if she wants to do well. "I don't know that you can win in the Iowa caucuses and be a control freak," said former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Gordon Fischer. Fischer is a fan of Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who is already in the White House race. New York Daily News: Hil's got to loosen up, say Iowa Dems NY POST REMINDS VOTERS HAVE "A LOT TO LEARN" ABOUT OBAMA: Barack Hussein Obama is a soaring political superstar right now - but he also sports one of the most liberal voting records in the Senate and has a shady land deal in his recent past. Democratic activists are swooning over Obama as the party's presidential alternative to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, but critics say voters still have a lot to learn about the first-term Illinois Democrat. Largely overlooked in the hubbub over the Democrats' election sweep last month was Obama's backpedaling over a questionable land deal he struck in 2005 with a tainted political fund-raiser, Tony Rezko, who has since been indicted by feds in an alleged pay-to-play scheme. New York Post: BARACKGROUND INFO GORE'S LATEST CAMPAIGN (FOR NOW)... OSCAR NOD: Al Gore is waging a fierce campaign for recognition and an Oscar statuette for his global warming documentary, while reviving talk that he's pursuing a bigger prize: the presidency. His recent itinerary has been the ultimate in high profile. The former vice president made self-deprecating jokes on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," offered ideas on preserving the environment to Oprah Winfrey and her daytime audience and parried questions on Iraq from Matt Lauer on the "Today" show. This Saturday Gore is hosting a network of 1,600 house parties across the country to watch and discuss his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," with the Democrat planning to address the gatherings by satellite hookup. The movie is on the short list of feature-length documentaries being considered for Oscar nominations. AP via Yahoo! News: Gore chases Oscar nod, possible 2008 bid DALEY ANNOUNCES BID FOR SIXTH TERM AS WINDY CITY MAYOR: On the surface it looked a lot like past campaigns for mayor, with Richard Daley touting his record in office and declaring his passion for the job and the city. But while Daley was talking Monday about seeking a sixth term, his aides were filing nominating petitions with fewer than 25,000 signatures. That figure was far from the political power plays of the past, when Daley's campaign filed as many as 200,000 signatures. It was a sign that things are a little different this time around for the mayor. Since the 2003 election, the mayor's loyal political street organizations have suffered at the hands of an ongoing federal investigation into illegal hiring that rewarded campaign workers. "All this means is that he doesn't have as many street workers this time around," said Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd). "Four years ago, the federal government wasn't breathing down his neck." Chicago Tribune: Daley says he has 'more to give' DeLAY BECOMES BLOGGER: Former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) yesterday began the long haul to restore the GOP to power and to repair his personal reputation following a year of scandal and bruising electoral defeat. His vehicle for both is a blog and grassroots political organization hosted at www.tomdelay.com. "I've got the election behind me and I'm looking forward to the future and I'm very excited about the opportunities that having a Democratic majority offers to conservatives," DeLay said in an interview with The Hill on Monday. Sitting forward in an attitude of calm determination, in a conference room adorned with mementos and pictures from his tenure in Congress, DeLay explained how his blog was aimed at improving Internet communication between conservatives. And he acknowledged that Democrats were well ahead in this area. The Hill: Tom DeLay launches comeback |
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