August 2006 - Posts
From Ken Strickland and Elizabeth Wilner
Amid the brouhaha over Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's comments about the Administration's Iraq war critics yesterday, the White House announced five judicial nominations, including a couple of controversial retreads who've had trouble getting through the process in the past. One of them, Terrence Boyle, has languished in the system for years, most recently because of possible conflict-of-interest issues.
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While most eyes have been focused on the still-recovering Gulf Coast during the first half of this week, the Bush Administration has been dispatching some of its biggest names in national security to test September 11 anniversary messages before military audiences, including the veterans' conventions that are held at about this time every year.
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Sen. Chuck Schumer, chair of the Democratic Senate campaign committee, held an off-camera briefing yesterday in which he stated that Democrats are poised to make significant gains in November, although he admitted that taking back the Senate will be tough. "The campaigns continue to roll in our direction," he said. "We're feeling very, very good." Schumer noted that Democrats have a "good chance" of winning Virginia, something he admitted he wouldn't have said a few weeks ago (before Allen's "macaca" comment). He also observed that embattled GOP Sens. Mike DeWine, Rick Santorum, and Jim Talent have already spent millions on ads -- while his candidates haven't -- and those races haven't changed. "If you spend five and a half million and can't get over 40%, you have a huge problem," he said about Santorum.
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AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney will hold a press briefing at 12 noon today to detail the labor group's "election mobilization" efforts for the midterm elections. As we reported earlier this month, the group plans to spend $40 million and will focus their efforts on 21 gubernatorial, 15 Senate, and 50 House races. The AFL says this effort -- which they hope will reach more than 12.4 million voters in 21 states -- is the largest in their history. Sweeney will discuss how they plan on making advances on workers' issues like the minimum wage and health care, and will present new polling information on other issues.
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A potential boost for Bush and Republicans: "Gasoline prices are falling fast and could keep dropping for months... AAA foresees prices 10 cents a gallon lower by the end of next week. It reported a nationwide average of $2.84 Tuesday, the lowest since April 20. It's good news for consumers and the economy. Continued lower prices 'may act like a tax cut' and stimulate spending, says Richard DeKaser, chief economist at National City in Cleveland."
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The Times-Picayune notes that after meeting with Bush earlier in the day yesterday, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin "was noticeably absent for the remainder of Bush's visit." For the President, "quickening the flow of relief money was a major theme of the anniversary visit, and a topic on which Bush strove to display his mastery of Katrina details... He at times came up lacking," including in a local radio interview in which he overestimated Army Corps of Engineers spending.
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While most eyes have been focused on the still-recovering Gulf Coast during the first half of this week, the Bush Administration has been dispatching some of its biggest names in national security to test September 11 anniversary messages before military audiences, including the veterans' conventions that are held at about this time every year. On Monday, for example, Vice President Cheney told the Veterans of Foreign Wars that while other countries have been hit, Bush's anti-terror policies have protected the United States from another terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.
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President Bush tells “Nightly News” anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams, “The enormity of the storm just overwhelmed all aspects of the government." Read more from the
exclusive interview.
Having breakfasted earlier with Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush at this writing is about to attend a prayer service commemorating this first anniversary of the day Hurricane Katrina hit. The service will take place in St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, where Bush delivered his primetime speech on September 15. The Bushes will then take part in a roundtable on the Gulf Coast Library Recovery Initiative at a local high school, make joint remarks, and visit with local residents and volunteers.
