Thursday, December 14, 2006
House task force to look at independent ethics board
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House leaders on both sides of the aisle have agreed to explore the idea of creating an independent ethics board to keep an eye on lawmakers' behavior, instead of relying on members to police themselves, House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday.
Pelosi said she and House Republican leader John Boehner have agreed to create a bipartisan task force "to consider and propose an outside enforcement mechanism for the ethics process." The panel, whose membership has not yet been determined, is to report back by March, she said. "We want to work together with (Republicans), with the expectation that his bipartisan task force will make a proposal for how we have outside enforcement of a high ethical standard in the Congress," Pelosi said. "There is no question that the ethics process in the past couple of years has lost the confidence of the American people. I'm hopeful that it is possible that we can have an outside entity that will restore that confidence." Pelosi said the "particulars" of an independent panel, such as the scope of its powers and whether it would have an enforcement role, will be determined by the task force. But the incoming speaker said she is "full committed to considering the possibility of an outside entity to review the enforcement of the ethics process." Johnson having an "uncomplicated post-operative course"
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- South Dakota Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson's office has released the following statement from Admiral John Eisold, the attending Physician of the United States Capitol.
"Senator Tim Johnson has continued to have an uncomplicated post-operative course. Specifically, he has been appropriately responsive to both word and touch. No further surgical intervention has been required." Ahead on CNN
4 p.m. ET The Situation Room
-Democratic strategist James Carville and former Congressman J.C. Watts will comment on the political ramifications of Sen. Tim Johnson's health scare and debate incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's agenda for the next Congress. 5 p.m. ET The Situation Room -Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger will discuss the latest conditions in Iraq. McCain recruits key Florida, Michigan Republicans
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain tapped two Republicans from key battleground states Thursday to join his presidential exploratory committee, the latest in the Arizona Republican's ongoing effort to amass a national support network ahead of an expected official announcement of a presidential run.
Kathleen Shanahan, currently serving as the vice chair of Florida Gov.-elect Charlie Crist's transition team, will join McCain's national strategy team, should he decide to run. Shanahan was previously chief of staff to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and has served the last three GOP presidents in various capacities. Mike Cox, the current Michigan attorney general, has also signed on to McCain's exploratory committee, agreeing to serve as its national chairman of law enforcement and its Michigan chairman. Elected attorney general in 2002, Cox became the fist GOP attorney general to serve Michigan in 48 years. McCain has said he will make a decision on a presidential run in early January. -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Record amount spent on campaign ads in 2006
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Candidates, political parties and interest groups spent over $2.1 billion in television advertising in the two-year election cycle that just ended -- a record breaking amount in any presidential or midterm election, according to a study by TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group, CNN's consultant on political ad spending.
More than half of this amount ($1.1 billion) was spent in the final 30 days of the campaign. The 36 gubernatorial races held this year accounted for $652 million in ad spending, compared to $391 million spent on U.S. House races and $365 million spent on U.S. Senate races. An additional $302 million was spent on TV ads regarding various state ballot measures across the nation. The incoming freshman class in both the Senate and the House spent at least a combined $110 million in TV ads to win office. Those ads mainly addressed the Iraq War ($32.3 million), taxes ($29.1 million), health care ($22.6 million) and energy ($12.6 million). The first ad of the campaign season aired in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 18, 2005, approximately 21 months before Election Day in that state's race for governor. The final ad of Election 2006 aired Tuesday in San Antonio, Texas, for a run-off election in the state's 23rd congressional district. The final ad to air on Election Day on November 7 ran in Evansville, Indiana, five hours after polls had closed in that state. The previous record for political ad spending was $1.7 billion in the 2004 election cycle. The previous ad spending record for a mid-term election cycle was $1 billion in the 2002 campaign. -- CNN Political Research Director Robert Yoon
Johnson able to retain senate seat even in prolonged absence
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Democrats' slight hold on power in the Senate is largely safe despite South Dakota Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson's health scare, Senate Historian Don Richie tells CNN. As stipulated by Senate rules, Johnson could retain his seat even if he is incapacitated, unable to vote, and not even able to show up to work.
Moreover, the Senate does not have the power to forcefully remove Johnson unless he committed a crime. Such a scenario has even occurred in Johnson's home state of South Dakota. After South Dakota Sen. Karl Earle Mundt had a stroke in 1969 he remained in office until his term expired in 1973 without casting another vote after the governor refused Mundt's wish of appointing his wife to the post. A state governor has the power to appoint a new senator only if the current senator dies in office or resigns his seat. -- CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett
Pelosi plans to establish new intelligence oversight panel
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Speaker designate Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said Thursday she plans to establish a new congressional panel in the next session that integrates oversight with the House committee in charge of the intelligence budget .
Pelosi said the creation of the new House panel -- to consist of members from both the House Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Appropriations Committee -- will address a key recommendation of the 9-11 Commission, which said intelligence oversight by Congress was "dysfunctional" and called for reorganization. The panel will ultimately make "oversight stronger and makes the American people safer," Pelosi said. -- CNN Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel
New Hampshire Democrats invite Clinton to headline 2007 fundraiser
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- New Hampshire Democrats have invited New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be the featured speaker at a major fundraiser early next year and the potential presidential candidate is considering the invite.
The event, usually held in February or early March, would mark Clinton's first trip to the early presidential primary state in several years. Polls show Clinton is the Democratic front-runner, but Illinois Sen. Barack Obama drew standing room-only crowds at two appearances last weekend in his first visit to the state. Other presidential hopefuls have made repeated visits to New Hampshire this year. Nick Clemons, the state party's executive director, said Clinton has not accepted the invitation and no date has been set. "We have invited Senator Clinton and we'd like very much for her to be our guest," he said Thursday. Clinton has been conferring with Iowa and New Hampshire party activists as well as hiring staff for an expected presidential run. Romney reaffirms his opposition to gay marriage, abortion
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has reaffirmed his opposition to gay marriage and abortion, dismissing criticism that he's flip-flopped on both issues.
The possible 2008 presidential candidate says he's opposed to same-sex marriage, but has also "opposed unjust discrimination against anyone" for racial and religious reasons and for sexual preferences. The remarks were published online today in an interview with the National Review magazine. As for abortion, Romney says -- as he has previously -- that while he campaigned for governor as an abortion-rights supporter, he changed his position several years ago after being briefed on embryonic stem-cell research. The comments were the first for Romney about the issues since the publication last week of a 1994 letter in which he cited his sensitivity to the concerns of a gay GOP group, Log Cabin Republicans. Reid: 'There isn't a thing that's changed'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Saying Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota "looks really good," incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid insisted Thursday Democrats will hold the majority in the Senate.
"There isn't a thing that's changed." Reid said after visiting Johnson at George Washington University Hospital. "The Republicans selected their committees yesterday. "We have completed ours. I have a very busy schedule today getting ready for the next year." -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Pelosi holds off commenting on a 'hypothetical' situation'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- California, brushed aside hypothetical situations Thursday regarding a potential shift in the Senate balance if Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, is not able to continue his term.
"If you don't mind, my colleague, my former colleague Mr. Johnson is, hopefully we're going to get some good news about his recovery and that is a hypothetical that I really don't, will not address," Pelosi told reporters when asked about the possibility of a GOP takeover in the Senate. Democrats currently hold the Senate majority by a 51 to 49 seat margin. If Johnson had to resign, South Dakota's GOP governor could appoint a Republican replacement to serve the next two years. With Vice President Dick Cheney's tie breaking vote, control of the Senate would then swing back to Republicans. Pelosi also wished the South Dakota Senator a "speedy recovery." "I want to extend my personal warm wishes and prayers to Barbara Johnson and the Johnson family for speedy recovery for our former colleague in the House, Tim Johnson," Pelosi said. -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Verbatim: Mehlman praying 'for a full and complete recovery for Senator Johnson'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman issued the following statement Thursday regarding Sen. Tim Johnson's, D-South Dakota, hospitalization.
"All of our thoughts and prayers are with the Johnson family and people of South Dakota as we pray for a full and complete recovery for Senator Johnson." Democratic leadership aide: 'We're not changing hands any time soon'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Telling CNN "we're not changing hands any time soon," a Democratic leadership aide insisted Thursday the newly elected Democratic majority is not in jeopardy, Sen. Tim Johnson's, D-South Dakota, hospitilization. The aide pointed to several precedents of senators who retained their seats despite taking extended leaves of absence, sometimes lasting for several months and even years. According to the U.S. Senate Historical Office, three senators have taken extended leaves of absences in the last twenty years alone. In 1991, Arkansas Democratic Sen. David Pryor was absent from the Senate for five months after suffering a heat attack. In 1989, then-Tennessee Democratic Sen. Al Gore left the Senate for a month when his son was involved in a car accident. In 1988, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, didn't cast a single vote in eight months after he suffered a brain aneurysm. Since 1942, nine senators have taken extended leaves of absences. -- CNN's Dana Bash and Ted Barrett
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: 'Long road' ahead for Sen. Johnson
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Sen. Tim Johnson should expect a "long road" to recovery after suffering a brain hemorrhage and undergoing surgery, according to CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
"We are not talking about hours and days of recovery, but rather days and weeks, maybe even months at a minimum," Gupta said. The bleeding apparently is on the left side of the senator's brain, the part responsible for speech and strength on the right side of his body, Gupta noted. Several factors -- including hypertension -- can cause the tangle of arteries and veins to place pressure on the brain. Read Dr. Gupta's blog Police question Blair over fundraising scandal
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been questioned by police in connection with a political fundraising scandal, his spokesperson said.
In a highly unusual move, Blair was questioned at his Downing Street office on Thursday about allegations that donors or lenders to his ruling Labour Party had been offered honors such as knighthoods and peerages in exchange for their financial support. He was not spoken to under caution, his spokesperson said, which means the prime minister was questioned as a witness and not a possible suspect. Full story Sen. Minority Leader Reid: Johnson 'looked very, very good'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said fellow Democrat Tim Johnson "looked very, very good" after undergoing overnight brain surgery at George Washington University Hospital.
Reid commented shortly after 9 a.m. after departing the South Dakota senator's hospital room. The Nevada Democrat -- slated to become Senate Majority Leader, if Johnson and 50 other Democrats take office in January -- declined to answer specific questions about Johnson's condition, but did say he was "so happy to see him this morning." Full story -- CNN's Ted Barrett and Dana Bash
Verbatim: Sen. Johnson's wife 'encouraged and optimistic'
Sen. Tim Johnson's spokeswoman Julianne Fisher provided the following remarks to CNN from Barbara Johnson, the senator's wife:
"The Johnson family is encouraged and optimistic. They are grateful for the prayers and good wishes of friends, supporters and South Dakotans. "They are especially grateful for the work of the doctors and all medical personnel and GWU hospital." Verbatim: Capitol physician explains Sen. Johnson's condition
Sen. Tim Johnson's spokeswoman Julianne Fisher provided the following remarks to CNN from Admiral John Eisold, Attending Physician of the United States Capitol:
"Subsequent to his admission to George Washington University Hospital yesterday, Senator Tim Johnson was found to have had an intracerebral bleed caused by a congenital arteriovenous malformation. He underwent successful surgery to evacuate the blood and stabilize the malformation. The Senator is recovering without complication in the critical care unit at George Washington University Hospital. It is premature to determine whether further surgery will be required or to assess any long term prognosis." Gates unlikely to curb Pentagon's intel operations
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Robert Gates is unlikely to rein in the Pentagon's controversial post-September 11 expansion into intelligence, despite concerns the U.S. military is ill-suited for espionage outside the battlefield, experts say.
But Gates, the former CIA director who will be sworn in as defense secretary on Monday, could help heal a rift between the Pentagon and civilian intelligence agencies caused by the confrontational tactics of his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld. Pentagon intelligence, which accounts for 80 percent of the overall U.S. intelligence budget, got a scathing review from the Iraq Study Group. The high-level panel said the Defense Intelligence Agency's use of inexperienced analysts was partly to blame for U.S. ignorance about Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militias. But experts say the Defense Department has needed larger intelligence operations for more than a decade to support its increased role as a vehicle of U.S. foreign policy. Elder Bush fears trade backlash against China
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China needs to do more to address its trade deficit with the United States or risk a backlash from protectionist elements in the newly Democrat-controlled legislature, former President George Bush said on Thursday.
Bush, father of the current U.S. president and a self-described "old friend" of China, scarcely mentioned human rights in his speech at a Chinese university, praising the Beijing government and saying Sino-U.S. ties would be this century's most important relationship. "The huge trade deficit remains a very sensitive issue for the United States and in the long run an issue for the leaders of China," Bush told students at the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Source: Sen. Johnson's surgery 'successful'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota underwent what a source close to him described as a "successful" brain surgery early Thursday.
"The next 24 to 48 hours are critical," the source said. Johnson, 59, was out of surgery at 12:30 a.m. Thursday, the source added. He is listed in critical condition at George Washington University Hospital, according to David Boyd in the nursing supervisor's office, a classification given to anyone immediately following brain surgery. Should Johnson not be able to complete his term, which ends in 2008, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican, would appoint his replacement, which could shift the balance of power in the Senate. Democrats now outnumber Republicans, 51-49, and Vice President Dick Cheney would be able to cast a vote in the case of a 50-50 deadlock. -- CNN's Ted Barrett
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Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... A source familiar with the senator's condition tells CNN's Ted Barrett the surgery ended about 12:30 am ET and "the surgery was successful." He's listed in "critical" condition but that is a classification given to anyone immediately following brain surgery. "The next 24 to 48 hours are critical," the source said. President's Schedule: First Lady Laura Bush will make remarks at the summit at 9 am ET. Also on the Political Radar: ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) JOHNSON IN CRITICAL CONDITION: Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was in critical condition Thursday after undergoing brain surgery, a George Washington University Hospital source told CNN. David Boyd, in the nursing supervisor's office, confirmed Johnson's condition. Johnson, 59, was out of surgery at 12:30 a.m. Thursday, a source close to the senator told CNN. He was hospitalized Wednesday morning after he appeared to suffer stroke-like symptoms. The surgery was described as "successful." There was no formal announcement of the South Dakota senator's condition, The Associated Press reported, but a person in the hospital's media relations office, who declined to be identified, said the hospital was preparing to announce that Johnson's condition was critical. Should Johnson not be able to complete his term, which ends in 2008, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican, would appoint his replacement, which could shift the balance of power in the Senate. CNN: Senate control hangs on hospitalized member's health ALL-TIME LOWS FOR BUSH'S HANDLING OF IRAQ, APPROVAL RATING IN NBC NEWS/WSJ POLL: As the White House searches for a way to move forward in Iraq after the midterm elections and the Iraq Study Group's recent recommendations, the American public has grown increasingly pessimistic that the war there can be won, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds. Nearly seven in 10 respondents say they feel less confident the war will come to a successful conclusion. What's more, two-thirds believe the United States is already doing all it can to reduce the violence there. And a majority even says the U.S. doesn't have an obligation to killed or wounded American soldiers to remain in Iraq until the mission there is completed. "For the public, there is no confidence left," says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican Bill McInturff... Only 23 percent approve of Bush's handling of Iraq — his lowest mark on this question and an 11-point drop since the last NBC/Journal poll in late October... Bush's overall job approval rating is 34 percent, which is another all-time low for the president in the poll. NBC News: U.S. confidence at new low on Iraq war MORE POLL RESULTS (pdf via MSNBC.com) STRENGTHENING IRAQI ARMY IS PIVOTAL, SAY CHIEFS: The nation's top uniformed leaders are recommending that the United States change its main military mission in Iraq from combating insurgents to supporting Iraqi troops and hunting terrorists, said sources familiar with the White House's ongoing Iraq policy review. President Bush and Vice President Cheney met with the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff yesterday at the Pentagon for more than an hour, and the president engaged his top military advisers on different options. The chiefs made no dramatic proposals but, at a time of intensifying national debate about how to solve the Iraq crisis, offered a pragmatic assessment of what can and cannot be done by the military, the sources said. The chiefs do not favor adding significant numbers of troops to Iraq, said sources familiar with their thinking, but see strengthening the Iraqi army as pivotal to achieving some degree of stability. Washington Post: Joint Chiefs Advise Change In War Strategy SEND MORE TROOPS, SAYS McCAIN IN BAGHDAD: Sen. John McCain said Thursday that America should to deploy 15,000 to 30,000 more troops to Iraq to control its sectarian violence, and give moderate Iraqi politicians the stability they need to take the country in the right direction. McCain made the remarks to reporters in Baghdad, where he and five other members of Congress were meeting with U.S. and Iraqi officials. "The American people are disappointed and frustrated with the Iraq war, but they want us to succeed if there's any way to do that," McCain, a possible 2008 presidential candidate, said at a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq's heavily fortified Green Zone. The Arizona Republican said five to 10 more brigades of U.S. combat soldiers must be sent to Iraq. Brigades vary in size but generally include about 3,000 troops, meaning he was recommending 15,000 to 30,000 additional forces. AP via Yahoo! News: McCain: Deploy more troops to Iraq FL'S NELSON MEETS ASSAD IN DAMASCUS: Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), the newest member of the Intelligence Committee, emerged from a Wednesday meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying that opportunities exist to continue a dialogue about Syria's role in helping steady the chaos in Iraq. Nelson was the first U.S. official to visit Syria since the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommended involving Syria and Iran, two nations considered state sponsors of terrorism by the White House, in the stabilization of Iraq. While Nelson responded cautiously to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his judgment that there is "a crack in the door" for future talks sparked immediate criticism from the Bush administration and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). The Hill: Nelson meets with Syrian leader, earns criticism from Kyl '04 REPORT RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT DETAINEE TREATMENT: A previously undisclosed Pentagon report concluded that the three terrorism suspects held at a brig in South Carolina were subjected to months of isolation, and it warned that their "unique" solitary confinement could be viewed as violating U.S. detention standards. According to a summary of the 2004 report obtained by The Washington Post, interrogators attempted to deprive one detainee, Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, a Qatari citizen and former student in Peoria, Ill., of sleep and religious comfort by taking away his Koran, warm food, mattresses and pillow as part of an interrogation plan approved by the high-level Joint Forces Command. Interrogators also prevented the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting at least one detainee, according to the report, which noted evidence of other unspecified, unauthorized interrogation techniques. Washington Post: '04 Pentagon Report Cited Detention Concerns FLOTUS TO ADDRESS MALARIA SUMMIT: Laura Bush will open a White House summit on malaria today to rally global partners and ordinary Americans, including schoolchildren, to work together to eliminate the scourge, which kills about 1 million people a year, mostly in Africa. In an interview with the Globe yesterday at the White House , Bush also said the health of African mothers and children has become personal for her -- so much so that a group of HIV-positive mothers in South Africa refer to her as "Grand Mama Bush." And their connection through the universal bond of motherhood took on an added dimension, she said, when her daughter witnessed the deaths of AIDS-ravaged babies while volunteering in a South African hospital last year. "The idea... that your children could have a chronic disease that they could die from, that they couldn't live through childhood, is what every mother worldwide fears," Bush said. Boston Globe: Laura Bush to open malaria summit PELOSI PLANS NEW INTEL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving to establish a new House intelligence oversight committee that will have unusual authority over funding for the nation's major spy agencies. The California Democrat said she hopes to break a logjam that for two years has stymied recommendations by the 9/11 Commission, which argued that Congress must strengthen oversight of U.S. intelligence agencies by drawing a close link between oversight and funding. The membership of the new panel, Ms. Pelosi said in an interview, would be a "hybrid" drawn from the House Intelligence and Appropriations committees, and serve as a bridge of sorts between the two. Additional investigative staff will be hired for oversight, and the new panel would prepare the classified section to the annual Defense Department appropriations bill that covers much of the annual intelligence budget. Wall Street Journal: Pelosi Plans Panel to Oversee Spy-Agency Funds DEMS WANT TO "ASSERT MORE CONTROL" OVER IRAQ FUNDS: Frustrated by the Bush administration's piecemeal financing of the Iraq war, Democrats are planning to assert more control over the billions of dollars a month being spent on the conflict when they take charge of Congress in January. In interviews, the incoming Democratic chairmen of the House and Senate Budget Committees said they would demand a better accounting of the war's cost and move toward integrating the spending into the regular federal budget, a signal of their intention to use the Congressional power of the purse more assertively to influence the White House's management of the war. The lawmakers, Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Representative John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina, said the administration's approach of paying for extended military operations and related activities through a series of emergency requests had inhibited Congressional scrutiny of the spending and obscured the true price of the war. New York Times: Democrats Plan to Take Control of Iraq Spending "WE HAVE A DUTY TO REPAIR REAL DAMAGE," SAYS LEAHY: Incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy said yesterday that he plans to rein in President Bush's program of wiretapping without warrants, rewrite the policy for handling terrorism detainees and more closely scrutinize nominees to the federal courts. "As a Democratic majority prepares to take the lead on the Judiciary Committee, we do not have the luxury of starting with a completely clean slate," the Vermont Democrat told an audience at Georgetown University Law Center. "We begin knowing that we have a duty to repair real damage done to our system of government over the last few years." Mr. Leahy accused Mr. Bush of "corrosive unilateralism," eroding the privacy rights of Americans, erasing constitutional checks and balances, and "packing" the federal judiciary. Washington Times: Leahy vows to repair Bush 'damage' "CRYPTIC" STATEMENT FROM APPROPS CHAIRMEN CAUSES "WIDESPREAD CONFUSION AND ANXIETY": The announcement this week that the new Democratic Congress will eliminate all 2007 spending earmarks and instead pass a stopgap measure to keep the government funded for the entirety of this fiscal year has caused widespread confusion and anxiety, both within the Bush administration and on K Street, as lobbyists scramble to figure out how their clients will be affected. "We don't know what that means," said Sean Kevelighan, spokesman for Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Portman. He added, "There's no real clarity above and beyond the statement that was released." Roll Call: Byrd-Obey Approps Move Puzzles OMB, Lobbyists JEFFERSON TO JOIN "LOW-PROFILE" SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE: A day after being denied a seat on the prestigious Ways and Means Committee, beleaguered Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson said Wednesday he was pleased with his new assignment on the Small Business Committee. The Democratic Steering Committee decided Tuesday that Jefferson, stripped of his spot on the Ways and Means panel last June, won't be reassigned to that committee until a federal bribery investigation involving him is completed. On Wednesday the Steering Committee said Jefferson, who won a runoff election last Saturday to claim a ninth term representing his New Orleans district, would join the Small Business Committee, one of the more low-profile committees in Congress. Jefferson, in a statement, said he appreciated the granting of his request to join Small Business because "it allows me to focus on areas of our (Katrina) recovery that deserve more attention such as the Small Business Administration loan program." AP via Yahoo! News: Rep. Jefferson happy with new assignment SWIFT BOAT VETS, MOVEON, AND LCV HIT WITH SIX-FIGURE FEC FINES: Three independent political groups paid six-figure settlements to resolve charges that they broke campaign-finance laws in the 2004 presidential election, the Federal Election Commission said Wednesday. The action is the first clampdown on outside political groups, FEC Chairman Michael Toner said, and could diminish the role of such organizations. Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth paid $299,500 in penalties; the MoveOn.org Voter Fund paid $150,000; and the League of Conservation Voters 527 and 527 II paid $180,000. The groups stepped over the line by either raising funds or by paying for activities that called for the election or defeat of the presidential contenders, Toner said. These so-called 527 groups, named for the section of the tax code that governs their activity, emerged as players in the 2004 race between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. USA Today: Groups penalized for breaking campaign finance laws in 2004 election OBAMA PAC HAS COLLECTED OVER $1 MILLION IN "LOW-DOLLAR DONATIONS": Though Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has yet to announce whether he will run for the presidency, he already is showing considerable success in transforming grass-roots enthusiasm for his message into the kind of hard dollars that he would need to wage a national Democratic primary campaign. A political action committee that Obama has formed already has taken in more than $1 million this year in the kind of low-dollar donations that reflect excitement among ordinary voters. More than $165,000 flowed in during a six-week period this fall that coincided with the Democratic senator's highly publicized book tour, according to federal disclosure documents. That level of support from Americans who send in checks or click on an Internet site to make contributions of $20 or $50 suggests Obama has momentum and a solid base of potential repeat donors to at least begin a presidential campaign, political veterans and academic analysts said. Chicago Tribune: Obama's appeal attracting donations HILLARY MEETS WITH BILL'S "BRAIN TRUST": With Obama-mania soaring to new heights, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton rushed yesterday to powwow with her husband's brain trust. Sen. Clinton hosted a dinner at her swank Embassy Row home last night with Bubba's buddies James Carville, Paul Begala, Joel Johnson and Joe Lockhart. Bill Clinton's former gurus serve as an informal sounding board and think tank for the former first lady, separate from her army of campaign staffers and consultants. The confidential confab - coming as Sen. Clinton plots her official candidacy for the White House - is a repeat of 2000, when she hosted a similar dinner shortly before announcing her Senate bid. New York Post: BUBBA'S BUDS CHEW OVER 2008 WITH HILL CLINTON WOULD BE "SOUNDLY BEATEN" BY McCAIN TODAY, SAYS LAT/BLOOMBERG POLL: Democrats have an overwhelmingly favorable view of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, but she would be soundly beaten if she ran for president against Republican Sen. John McCain now, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found. Underscoring the New York Democrat's potential vulnerability, the poll also found that Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican little known to most voters, would give Clinton a run for her money. Given a choice between McCain and Clinton, half of those surveyed said they would vote for the Arizona Republican, compared with 36% for the former first lady. In a matchup with Romney, the poll indicated Clinton would win by just 6 percentage points, 42% to 36%. Los Angeles Times: Voters favor McCain over Clinton in '08 RICHARDSON WILL MEET WITH NORTH KOREANS IN NEW MEXICO: Gov. Bill Richardson will meet on Friday in Santa Fe with two North Korean diplomats for an attempt to convince the country to dismantle its nuclear weapons. The Governor's Office said the North Koreans asked for the meeting in advance of upcoming multilateral talks about the North Korean nuclear weapons program. "While I will not be acting as an official representative of the administration, I am pleased to do whatever I can to help increase understanding between our two countries and help move the six-party talks forward," Richardson said in a statement. "I believe we have an opportunity to use diplomacy to end this crisis and bring stability to the Korean Peninsula. I will press the North Koreans to start dismantling their nuclear weapons," he said. Albuquerque Tribune: Richardson to discuss nukes with North Koreans "FINAL REBUKE" FOR DeLAY: Former congressman Ciro Rodriguez's victory in a House runoff election Tuesday in Texas not only allowed Democrats to pick up their 30th seat of the 2006 elections but served as a final rebuke to one of the architects of the Republican House majority: Tom DeLay. The former congressman from Texas was the mastermind of a 2003 redrawing of congressional lines in the state that led to the removal of six House Democrats in the 2004 elections. Two years later, DeLay's fortunes have suffered a near-total reversal, as the redistricting map that once seemed certain to cement his legacy and GOP majorities for years has instead led to the end of that career and may well be a building block for a reenergized Democratic Party in the state. Washington Post: House Win Adds Insult to Injury for DeLay AFTER "20 YEARS AND $530 MILLION," A DEBATE OVER VALUE OF CUBA BROADCASTING: As Cuban President Fidel Castro battles serious illness and the nation he has ruled for more than four decades braces for change, the taxpayer-financed media outlets that the U.S. government counted on to communicate American values to Cuba find themselves invisible or ignored on the island. After 20 years and more than $530 million, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting operates a radio station that by the U.S. government's own estimates has suffered a precipitous drop in listenership and a television station that may never have been seen by anyone in Cuba for more than a few minutes at a time. Cubans who manage to tune in to Radio or TV Marti hear or see programming that is sprinkled with vulgarity, presents one-sided programming as news and omits stories critical of the Bush administration and Miami's Cuban exile community, all in apparent violation of federal broadcast standards, according to recent U.S. government quality-control reviews of OCB offerings. Chicago Tribune: U.S. broadcast efforts in Cuba worth the cost? DINNER WITH GOV. BLANCO FETCHES $1 WINNING BID: Call it a sign of the times for Louisiana's embattled governor: A chance to dine with Gov. Kathleen Blanco fetched a winning bid of $1 at a recent fundraising auction hosted by a group of business leaders. The president of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, in northeastern Louisiana, said she called Blanco's office Tuesday to apologize for a "poor joke gone awry." "It's something we deeply regret," chamber president Sue Edmunds said Wednesday. "Our organization has worked very well with the governor. We have been pleased with her efforts on behalf of this community." Dinner with Blanco was the last item up for bid at the fundraising auction last week. Edmunds said the bidding opened at $1,000 and dropped to $500 before the auctioneer accepted a $1 bid from bank executive Malcolm Maddox, a regional chairman for Capital One. Others were trying to bid on the dinner when the bidding abruptly closed, according to Edmunds. "We were all stunned," she added. "It was at the end of the auction, so there was no way to go back and amend that." AP via Yahoo! News: Dinner with La. gov. goes $1 at auction Senator in critical condition after brain surgery
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was in critical condition as of at least 1 a.m. ET Thursday after undergoing surgery, a hospital source told CNN.
The Democratic senator had brain surgery early Thursday at George Washington University Hospital after suffering stroke-like symptoms, two Democratic sources familiar with his condition told CNN. Staffers said Johnson, 59, was conscious when he was transported to the hospital Wednesday after "his speech pattern slipped off" during a conference call with reporters, his spokeswoman said. (Listen to Johnson's difficulty speaking during a WNAX radio interview -- MP3, 749 kb) Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, spent time at the hospital out of concern for Johnson, Reid's spokesman said, including arriving around 7:45 a.m. Thursday. Full story |
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