January 2007 - Posts
From NBC's Mark Murray and Ken Strickland
Obviously not the way he wanted to kick off his presidential campaign, Sen. Joe Biden's conference call with reporters this afternoon announcing his White House bid was dominated by questions about his comments to the New York Observer regarding fellow Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards.
In the New York Observer article, Biden called Clinton's plan for Iraq "nothing but disaster"; said Edwards doesn't know "what the heck he is talking about" on Iraq; and said this about Obama: "'You got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy... I mean, that's a storybook, man.'"
In the conference call, Biden didn't question the accuracy of those quotes, but said they were being taken out of context. He said Clinton is "clearly qualified to be president," but that he disagreed with her plan for Iraq (especially the provision to cut off funding for Iraqis). "I think her policy is a serious mistake."
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From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, Huma Zaidi, Lauren Appelbaum, and Carrie Dann
Politics abhors a vacuum, and the delay in the debate over the resolutions opposing a US troop increase in Iraq is giving some of the bigger participants time to jockey for better positions. Two leading presidential candidates have further fleshed out their stances on the war, and the White House and Democratic Hill leadership have announced the formation of a bipartisan working group to discuss the way forward.
NBC's Ken Strickland reports that the still unnamed group would be assembled by Senate Majority Leader Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, likely consisting of chairs and ranking members of the committees with oversight of national security issues. The group "offers the best prospect for meaningful bipartisan consultations," per Reid spokesman Jim Manley. He added that leadership will urge President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and some Cabinet members to attend the meetings, the first of which will be next week. Strickland notes that a similar idea was first introduced last December by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I) and Susan Collins (R), leaders of the Senate's Homeland Security Committee.
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Pelosi and members of her recent delegation to Iraq and Afghanistan plan to go to the White House later today to brief the President on their trip. Roll Call raises the possibility that even though House Democrats will have a limited Q+A session with Bush at their retreat this Saturday, there could be some unscripted moments on Iraq.
The Washington Post reports on internal splits among Republicans over which resolution(s) to support. "Vice President Cheney and senior military officials attended a Republican policy lunch yesterday, which turned into a raucous debate about the various resolutions... Bush will meet with GOP senators on Friday as the White House continues to try to tamp down opposition... Having chastised Democrats for not showing unity on Iraq, Republican leaders have decided they need a resolution of their own when the Senate begins debate on nonbinding resolutions of opposition next week."
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Also today, Bush will also give interviews to FOX and the Wall Street Journal editorial board.
The Wall Street Journal follows up on yesterday's New York Times report on Bush's latest controversial executive order: "A White House move to tighten its control over federal regulations is providing fresh evidence of the Bush administration's intent to leave its conservative imprint on government over the next two years... Most notably, the White House has given itself more review authority over many informal agency dictates known as guidance. Critics say the executive order gives the White House a chokehold over new guidance it dislikes. White House officials deny that, saying it is simply strengthening a review process that already occurs in many instances."
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Bush's visit to Caterpillar yesterday has returned the usually back-burner issue of trade to front sections this morning. Hill Democratic leaders are asking former top Clinton aides like Gene Sperling and Robert Rubin "to help persuade the freshman class of ’06 to moderate the militant critique of globalisation that helped get them elected."
The Los Angeles Times says House Ways and Means chair Charlie Rangel is willing to work with Bush on fast-track trade negotiating authority.
In an interview with the New York Observer, Biden has harsh words for his Democratic opponents on Iraq. He calls Sen. Hillary Clinton's plan to cap troops "'nothing but disaster,'" and says that former Sen. John Edwards, who has proposed an immediate withdrawal, doesn't know "'what the heck he is talking about.'" He also expressed his skepticism of newcomer Obama: "'You got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy... I mean, that’s a storybook, man.'" Biden added the accusation that his rivals are posturing on the Iraq issue purely to advance their 2008 bids: "'You didn’t hear any one of them get in this debate at all until they announced for President.'"
Marring his announcement a bit, Bloomberg reports that Biden's son Hunter, a lobbyist, is being sued by a partner for fraudulently excluding him from the purchase of a hedge-fund investment firm. "Biden and his uncle James Biden squeezed investment consultant Anthony Lotito Jr. out of the 2006 acquisition of New York-based Paradigm Cos., Lotito says in a complaint filed Jan. 5 in New York state court. The Bidens lied to Lotito about their joint offer while negotiating a better deal alone, Lotito's complaint says... The Bidens have not yet filed a response to Lotito's complaint. Their attorney... e-mailed a statement denying Lotito's allegations."
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McCain has put together a House GOP whip team in an effort "to jump-start his effort to build support for his 2008 presidential bid in a chamber where he has never been terribly popular with his fellow Republicans," says Roll Call. "At times [McCain] has riled conservatives with his willingness to buck the Republican establishment, and his efforts to limit pork barrel spending also have drawn the ire of appropriators and other Members seeking to fund pet projects back home."
Campaigning in South Carolina this week, where he said his campaign would focus on grassroots support and not political endorsements, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said his decision to become pro-life was one based on the morality of the issue, not politics.
While there, Romney also faced questions about his Mormon faith.
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The New York Times on the testimony yesterday by its former reporter, Judy Miller, who spent 85 days in jail for originally refusing to reveal her sources: “In her more than two hours on the stand, Ms. Miller became the focal point for an intense drama involving three people in the room: herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick and Mr. Libby. As she provided the testimony that was most damaging to Mr. Libby, he sat almost motionless in his chair about 20 feet away and stared at her.”
The Washington Post's Kurtz: "Throughout the afternoon, an unspoken question hung in the air: What do journalists give up when they agree to protect high officials in exchange for juicy information?"
From NBC's Ken Strickland
Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama today introduced legislation calling for a phased redeployment of US troops in Iraq to be concluded by March 31, 2008. "The time for waiting in Iraq is over," he said this evening on the Senate floor. "The days of our open-ended commitment must come to a close. And the need to bring this war to an end is here."
His bill, "The Iraq War De-escalation Act of 2007," also caps the number of US troops in Iraq to those there on January 10, 2007. Parts of his bill are consistent with the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group -- which Obama says President Bush has "so assiduously ignored." If the Iraqi government is successful in meeting the 13 benchmarks laid out by the Bush Administration, Obama's plan allows for a temporary suspension of the redeployment, provided Congress agrees.
Introducing his bill on the senate floor moments ago, Obama called his legislation a responsible course of action: "Too many lives have been lost and too many billions have been spent for us to trust the president on another tried and failed policy." He concluded by saying, "It is time to give Iraqis their country back."
From NBC's Mark Murray
The first Democratic presidential cattle call will occur this weekend in DC at the Democratic National Committee's annual winter meeting, and the DNC has just released the speaking order for the 10 announced, all-but announced, or possible candidates who will participate. On Friday morning, after speeches by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and DNC chairman Howard Dean, Chris Dodd will kick off the cattle call -- and he'll be followed by Barack Obama, Wes Clark, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, and (last but certainly not least) Hillary Clinton.
On Saturday morning, Joe Biden will lead things off -- followed by Bill Richardson, Mike Gravel, and Tom Vilsack. The DNC says that each candidate's speech will be limited to about seven minutes. And as we mentioned earlier, we'll find out which songs they all will be using for their entrance and exit music.
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
Much anticipated Senate votes on the various non-binding resolutions opposing a US troop increase in Iraq won't take place until next week, NBC's Ken Strickland reports. While leadership aides on both sides expect the minimum wage bill to pass sometime on Thursday, no votes are scheduled for Friday because of a GOP retreat.
There's also no agreement between Senate leaders as of yet on the terms of the debate. One Senate Republican who opposes a troop increase claims that the White House strategy is to flood the zone with various resolutions that would provide fence-sitting Republicans with alternatives to the two measures that reject Bush's plan, Strickland reports. Siphoning GOP support away from those resolutions, this Republican believes, would ensure that no resolution musters the filibuster-proof 60 votes. The White House-backed resolutions could include one being drafted by GOP Sen. John McCain (on Iraq having to meet political, economic, and military benchmarks), and/or another by White House ally John Cornyn (on giving Iraq a reasonable chance to execute the new plan).
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The Chicago Tribune covers Bush’s remarks yesterday to National Public Radio, in which he said that Iranian aggression inside Iraq would be met with US force. “At the same time, Bush asserted his determination to resolve what the U.S. sees as Iran's ambitions for nuclear weaponry through diplomatic channels.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon to review her findings from her recent trip to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Roll Call reports that with debate over the resolutions now a week away, "Senate Democratic leaders are expected to use the delay to push back against tough White House rhetoric and attempt to build a bipartisan coalition on the issue."
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The New York Times front-pages that Bush, in a recent executive order, directed each federal agency to have a regulatory policy office headed by a political appointee. “The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.” More: “This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.”
The AP previews Bush’s stop at Caterpillar today, saying he'll tout the company as an example “of how his administration's trade agreements and tax breaks can boost global sales and create jobs for U.S. workers… Others, though, say Caterpillar itself is behind a global sales surge that helped the heavy equipment maker post record profits and revenues for three straight years, creating about 5,000 jobs at its U.S. plants in Illinois, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.”
While both are taking steps to tackle the huge issue of the uninsured, the Los Angeles Times says that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's agenda may conflict with Bush's. "Schwarzenegger wants $3.7 billion a year in new federal funding to cover a big chunk of his healthcare plan for Californians... The cost of helping states fund their health plans has already attracted the attention of budget cutters because it is complicating President Bush's stated goal of balancing the federal budget in five years. In his new budget,... Bush is expected to call for a substantial slowdown in federal healthcare spending. Some of the cuts Bush proposes could affect programs Schwarzenegger is counting on to help pay for his plan."
First Read has mentioned before how global warming has become a hot topic for some presidential candidates, in part because of the success of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is holding a hearing on the issue, and chairwoman Barbara Boxer has asked her colleagues who have offered pertinent legislation to testify. Among the witnesses expected are Biden, McCain, and Obama. Clinton is a member of the committee and is expected to attend. NBC's Strickland notes that some of the witnesses may wind up on the same panel.
The Wall Street Journal emphasizes the significance of House Democrats' $463.5 billion spending bill, which is "designed to keep the government operating for the rest of the fiscal year and bridge the gap left by the collapse of the budget process last fall. Never before in modern times has Congress attempted this type of streamlined funding resolution on such a large scale. The bill touches almost every corner of the government, down to securities transaction fees charged by federal regulators and even lawmakers' pay."
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The White House was asked yesterday if Bush has been asked to authorize Secret Service protection for any of the announced presidential candidates yet, and if the budget that comes out next week will provide for what may be an unusually large number of candidates. Snow said he knew "the answer to neither" at the time. Clinton already has Secret Service protection.
A new Quinnipiac poll shows Clinton performing well in the key battleground state of Ohio, besting McCain (46%-42%), Giuliani (46%-43%), and Romney (52%-31%). Also in the poll, McCain edges Obama (41%-38%) but loses to Edwards (44%-41%).
The New York Post notes that White House press secretary Tony Snow pounced yesterday on her comment over the weekend that Bush was being irresponsible for passing along the Iraq war to his successor.
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Bloomberg says Rudy Giuliani's affiliation with a big Texas-based law firm gives him a Southern base from which to raise his profile and possibly a lot of cash.
GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel may be acting like a possible presidential contender in some ways, but not in others. The Hill points out that Hagel's "year-end financial filing shows that he raised just $80,000 for his campaign committee in the final three months of 2006, bringing his cash on hand to $140,000 from $110,000." But: "Spokesman Mike Buttry said Hagel’s campaign financial filings offer no clue about his future plans and emphasized Hagel’s fundraising through his political action committee, which raised more than $400,000 during the last cycle."
The Wall Street Journal looks at how former Gov. Mitt Romney (R) benefited from "a little-noticed gap between federal and state law" which allowed Romney to "set up fund-raising committees in three" states which don't limit political contributions: Michigan, Iowa and Alabama. "During that time, his political action committees raised $7 million."
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The ethics bill being "unveiled in the House of Representatives today would limit lawmakers' ability to raise money from special interests for conventions but would not affect the 2008 events," says
USA Today. "A Senate bill passed this month would bar members from attending lobbyist-sponsored parties thrown in their honor but would leave intact the ability of special interests to pay for the quadrennial events. The host committee in Denver, where Democrats will gather next year, already has collected more than $16 million, some from companies lobbying Congress and federal agencies. Organizers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, site of the Republican event, also raise money from companies with business in Washington."
Former New York Times reporter Judith Miller is expected to take the stand today, "the first time the former New York Times reporter has testified publicly against the man she went to jail to protect as a source," the AP notes.
The Washington Post's Milbank lampoons former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer's testimony yesterday, saying that Libby's defense team learned "what any reporter could have told them: The longer you question Fleischer, the less knowledge you take away from the experience. And Fleischer, protecting his own role in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame, was determined not to give even a kernel of fact to Libby's defense." As a main prosecution witness, Fleischer testified that Libby informed Fleischer of Plame's identity three days earlier than Libby has claimed to investigators that he first learned of it.
"During more than three hours of testimony that offered a rare glimpse inside the usually secretive Bush White House, Fleischer showed little of the unyielding discipline that defined his tenure as press secretary. He pointed fingers at a former colleague, acknowledged frustration at how powerless he often was to sway the media, and described in detail the frantic White House efforts to contain a spreading public relations debacle," says the Los Angeles Times.
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
As we near the end of the current Bush presidency, with Iraq overshadowing the rest of his agenda and endangering his legacy, the question is no longer whether he'll be able to accomplish big things during these final two years. Poll after poll shows him lacking the influence to force his legislative priorities through, at least not without considerable compromising with the Democratic majority. The question going forward is whether Iraq will inflict long-term damage on his party's standing on national security, similar to how the Monica Lewinsky scandal wrought lasting damage on the Democratic party on moral values.
The Democratic party's hangover on values from the Clinton era lingers even today. The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows Republicans retaining a 9-point advantage on the question of which party is better at promoting strong moral values -- though that's a far cry from their years of double-digit leads, presumably because Iraq is weighing them down on every issue.
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In Iowa yesterday, Clinton, still trying to get out from under her vote in favor of the war, asserted that it would be "the height of irresponsibility" to pass the war along to the next president. White House spokesman Rob Saliterman responded, "It is disappointing that Senator Clinton is responding to the President's new strategy for Iraq with a partisan attack that sends the wrong message to our troops, our enemies, and the Iraqi people who are working to make this plan succeed. The height of irresponsibility would be to cap our troop numbers at an arbitrary figure and to cut off their funding."
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Joe Biden said yesterday on ABC that he estimates that no more than 20 of his colleagues support a troop increase. Biden is expected to finally/formally enter the 2008 race this week.
On FOX yesterday, underdog 2008 contender and Sen. Sam Brownback (R), who opposes a troop increase, said, "'I think if the president would reach out to the Democratic leadership and ask them not what are you opposed to, but what are you for, we can start coming together. I thought that was the whole purpose of [the Iraq Study Group].'"
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The Wall Street Journal covers the start of Democratic efforts to divest spending bills of earmarks. "Restoring earmarks in future budgets will be that much harder once whole accounts have been wiped out... But eliminating earmarks doesn't always produce savings. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency will continue to distribute the roughly $197 million earmarked in fiscal 2006 for state water projects. However, that distribution now will be dictated by the agency or federal funding formulas -- not by lawmakers. That is the biggest rub, since Democrats know they are giving more spending discretion to a Republican, President Bush."
The White House schedule notes that Bush is attending and speaking at the House "Democrat" Conference this coming weekend.
Spotting a lot of Administration figures in the press lately? The Washington Post notes that Cheney's Newsweek interview "was the third granted to the media this month by the vice president, who had been relatively quiet since Republicans lost both houses of Congress in November's midterm elections."
National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley touts Bush's focus on Baghdad in a Washington Post op-ed. And in a USA Today op-ed, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman touts Bush's plan to "reduce gasoline use by 20% in ten years," while the paper's editorial page calls Bush's energy proposals weak.
The Los Angeles Times, covering Clinton in Iowa, says her husband's White House legacy "led to her first stumble of the campaign" yesterday, "as she made a joke widely understood to be about the Monica Lewinsky scandal, then denied it had crossed her mind. Repeating a man's question for those who could not hear him..., Clinton said he wanted to know 'what in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men'... When asked later at a news conference what was on her mind during the laughs, she said she was thinking she 'could do a pretty good job' in pursuing Osama bin Laden... Finally, asked whether the crowd was thinking of President Bill Clinton, she said no."
The New York Post: “Clinton's quip, made during a morning rally with about 500 Iowans, drew 31 seconds of straight laughter and applause that left little doubt among attendees that she'd made a joke at hubby Bill Clinton's expense… The flap over her quip overshadowed her slap at President Bush's war policy.”
The Wall Street Journal on the point of her trip: "Getting enough people to know her as she'd like to be known -- rather than as the cold figure that even some admirers perceive -- is critical to her hopes of getting the party's nomination, let alone being elected the first female president."
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McCain "has decided not to address House Republican conservatives when they convene at their annual retreat this week," Roll Call reports. "Republican sources said that McCain’s campaign never responded to the invitation." Rudy Giuliani has declined, but former Gov. Mitt Romney and former Speaker Newt Gingrich will attend and speak.
The Los Angeles Times leads its front-page look at the proliferation of both promotional and damaging web videos with a professional film producer's effort to cast McCain as a flip-flopper. "The explosion of video-sharing on the Web poses major risks for presidential candidates: Gaffes and inconsistent statements witnessed by dozens can be e-mailed instantly to millions." More: "Obama... is just starting to draw the sort of negative attention that the Clintons have long attracted. Last week, Chicago-area political consultant Joe Novak posted several Web videos taking aim at the Illinois senator's wife, Michelle, for her healthcare business dealings."
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More real estate issues for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid? The Los Angeles Times reports that in 2002, Reid bought land in fast-growing northern Arizona for $166 per acre from a friend whose pension fund had owned the land jointly with Reid. "Reid's price... was less than one-tenth of the value the assessor placed on it at the time. Six months after the deal closed, Reid introduced legislation to address" an issue that his friend's "family had brought to Reid's attention in 1994... If Reid were to sell the property for any of the various estimates of its value, his gain on the $10,000 investment could range from $50,000 to $290,000... In a statement, Reid's spokesman Jon Summers said that the transaction was not a gift and that the price was due to the property's history and the fact that only a partial interest was sold." Summers also said Reid's action on the legislation "was unrelated to the sale."
USA Today, sticking to the ethics beat, reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, fourth-ranking House Democrat Rahm Emanuel, and Sen. Evan Bayh (D) "have failed to disclose they are officers of family charities, in violation of a law requiring members of Congress to report non-profit leadership roles... All three foundations are funded and controlled by the lawmakers and their spouses, and do not solicit donations from outside sources."
NBC's Joel Seidman reports that former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, a key prosecution witness, is scheduled to testify today. He is expected to say that Scooter Libby told him about Valerie Plame Wilson's identity as the wife of Joseph Wilson.
From NBC's Mark Murray
According to the AP, a source says that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) is expected to file paperwork on Monday to form a presidential exploratory committee, which would make him the latest person to make this serious move for the White House. A Huckabee spokesperson, though, would not confirm the AP story to First Read.
While GOP presidential hopefuls like John McCain and Mitt Romney have spent the past year hiring staff and luring top party fundraisers, Huckabee has been relatively quiet, giving political observers the impression that he wasn’t interested in running for the White House. If he does run, however, Huckabee has some qualities that would make him an attractive candidate -- including his weight loss of approximately 100 pounds (which voters could find inspiring) and his record as a pragmatic, yet conservative, governor.
We'll learn the full story about Huckabee's intentions when he appears on NBC's Meet the Press this Sunday.
From NBC's Andrew Merten
Former New York Gov. George Pataki, who could still jump into the 2008 presidential race, called President Bush’s call for a troop increase “unnecessary” -- given that the Iraqi government has not offered an “expression of will and clear commitment” to stem sectarian violence and promote a unity government there. Pataki, who spoke at Georgetown University this morning, is the third possible GOP presidential contender to come out against Bush's troop increase. The other two are Sens. Sam Brownback (who has declared he's running) and Chuck Hagel (who hasn't just yet).
Despite his opposition to the troop surge, Pataki doesn't think the US should leave Iraq just yet. "We cannot simply withdraw,” Pataki said, explaining that it would leave regions of the country vulnerable to complete control by al-Qaeda. But he added that if the Iraqi government does not reel in Shiite extremists, then “we should withdraw our troops from all areas where the war is essentially civil” and focus solely on defeating al-Qaeda remnants in the Anbar province.
Pataki also commented on the lack of coordination by federal, state, and local leaders after Hurricane Katrina, contrasting it with the effective integration of relief work from all levels of government under his lead in New York after September 11.
From NBC's Mark Murray
Asked about the Senate's work on a non-binding resolution opposing his troop increase, President Bush replied, "I'm the decision-maker," in remarks he made this morning during his Oval Office meeting with David Petraeus and his Pentagon brass. Per the AP, he added: "I've picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed… Some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work."
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, Huma Zaidi, Lauren Appelbaum, and Carrie Dann
If it’s Friday, it’s another round of weekend travel by the presidential hopefuls. Among the events to watch: Hillary Clinton’s trip to Iowa tomorrow and Sunday -- her first to the Hawkeye State since 2003; Mitt Romney’s own three stops there today; Rudy Giuliani’s appearance in Bretton Woods, NH tonight and his keynote address tomorrow at the New Hampshire GOP convention; and Bill Richardson’s Saturday visit at a Nevada Democratic fundraiser. Also, the National Review Institute’s three-day “Conservative Summit” in DC begins today, and it will include speeches on Saturday by Romney, Newt Gingrich, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
President Bush, meanwhile, has returned to Washington after spending the last two days stumping for the energy and health-care proposals he unveiled in his State of the Union address. As of this writing, he's meeting with his top Pentagon brass, including David Petraeus, who will receive a full Senate vote later this morning on his nomination to be the top US commander in Iraq. After that, Bush will deliver remarks to House Republicans at their retreat in Cambridge, MD.
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Many had been assuming that the sponsors of the competing non-binding resolutions opposing Bush’s troop increase would eventually reach some kind of compromise. But the AP says Sen. John Warner (R) refused yesterday to cut a deal with Sens. Joe Biden, Carl Levin, and Chuck Hagel -- whose resolution passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday. “Warner's decision bolsters chances that his resolution will be the one to win final Senate approval. Democrats are expected to vote for his proposal if their measure fails, and several Republicans said they prefer Warner's approach because it is less divisive.” Also: “His decision to avoid bargaining also decreases the odds that a single resolution would emerge that would garner a strong, bipartisan vote reproaching Bush's plan, which the White House hopes to avoid.”
On TODAY, Hagel said the resolution he’s co-sponsoring with Biden and Levin isn’t confrontational, as his critics complain. “We’re asking some tough questions,” Hagel said. “This is not confrontational… We’re not trying to hurt the president.”
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The New York Times covers Bush stumping yesterday for his new health-care proposal and indicating “he was ready for a fight. ‘If people in Washington are serious about dealing with the uninsured, here is a serious idea for them to consider,’ Mr. Bush said of his health care plan. ‘They’re just dismissing things because of pure politics.’”
USA Today: “White House spokesman Tony Fratto said public pressure — and demand for better health care — would force Republicans in Bush's party and Democrats who control Congress to work together.”
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Proving that Bush and his Cabinet members aren’t the only ones who can make a secret trip to Iraq, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats have traveled to Baghdad. “The congressional delegation … includes Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa… The delegation is scheduled to return to Washington on Monday.”
Meanwhile, Pelosi’s No.2 -- Majority Leader Steny Hoyer -- gives a speech today on Iraq at the Brookings Institution.
Yesterday, Sen. Tim Johnson’s (D) office released another statement suggesting that the senator is continuing to make progress after suffering a brain hemorrhage in December. "Senator Johnson is showing evidence of more functional, spontaneous speech and is indicating preferences,” Dr. Philip Marion of George Washington University Hospital said in the statement. “He is answering questions and following commands appropriately."
Al Sharpton yesterday made the rounds on Capitol Hill, chatting with presidential contenders Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, and Joe Biden -- because he's concerned that they're not addressing important issues that affect the African-American community. Specifically, Sharpton's spokeswoman Rachel Nordlinger told First Read that he is concerned that he "hasn't heard candidates talk about civil rights issues."
The New York Times: “One purpose of the visit, two New York advisers and confidants of Mr. Sharpton said, was to send a signal to … Obama … that he should not take for granted the political support of Mr. Sharpton.”
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The Washington Post examines whether Sen. Chuck Hagel will enter the presidential field. “Hagel said in a wide-ranging interview this week that he is discussing his options with his family and other confidants and will make a decision in the next six weeks. He said one possibility is forming a presidential exploratory committee and … seeking the Republican nomination. Or he may seek a third Senate term. Then again, he might take a more creative path” -- running for president on a unity ticket.
When asked by NBC’s Meredith Vieira on TODAY whether he’ll run for president, Hagel responded, “You’ll be one of the first I let know.”
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In the most dramatic testimony yet in the Libby trial, MSNBC’s David Shuster reports that Cathie Martin -- Vice President Cheney’s former press aide -- yesterday told Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald she informed Cheney and Libby that Valerie Plame Wilson worked for the CIA. This revelation about Plame Wilson’s identity apparently came before Libby said he learned it from reporters.
NBC’s Joel Seidman says the Libby trial is now recessed until Monday, when Martin will continue to be on the stand. The next witness scheduled to appear for the prosecution will be former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.
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From NBC's Huma Zaidi
Rev. Al Sharpton is making rounds on the Hill today, meeting with potential Democratic presidential candidates because he's concerned that they're not addressing important issues that affect the African-American community. Specifically, Sharpton's spokeswoman Rachel Nordlinger says he is concerned that he "hasn't heard candidates talk about civil rights issues." So far today, Sharpton has met with Sens. Hillary Clinton and Chris Dodd. This afternoon he'll meet with Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Sharpton's visit is notable given questions over whether Obama can appeal to both white and African-American voters, without alienating one or the other. Clinton, who has strong support in the African-American community according to some polls, could complicate Obama's success with this key constituency.
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
Certainly, no one is more aware than John Kerry (D) that when a member of the Senate runs for the White House these days, the position he or she stakes out on Iraq is viewed through the prism of presidential politics.
And, as in Kerry's own case, a candidate's presidential prospects may come to depend on how clearly he or she stakes out that position. Kerry's inarticulateness in talking about the war -- "I voted for it before I voted against it," the botched joke he made in late October about getting "stuck in Iraq" -- was used by Republicans to undermine his credibility on an issue on which the decorated Vietnam veteran seemed otherwise well-poised to lead the charge for his party in 2004.
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Not surprisingly, Cheney's tone in talking about Iraq was much more combative during his CNN interview yesterday than Bush's was on Tuesday night. Cheney criticized the media for allegedly focusing too much on bad news coming out of Iraq, and noted that there have been "enormous successes" in the war.
USA Today on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote on the resolution opposing a troop increase yesterday: "The four-hour committee debate produced far more consensus than the roll call indicated, exposing deep misgivings in both parties about Bush's plans. Only Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said he backed the president's policy... Other Republicans who opposed the resolution made it plain their vote should not be interpreted as support for Bush's plan... In order to pass the Senate, any anti-war resolution may need 60 votes: Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is threatening a filibuster."
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"Although it had been billed as one of the most important speeches of his presidency, there were few signs on Wednesday that [Bush’s] State of the Union address had succeeded in stemming the rapid haemorrhaging of his authority," says the Financial Times. "In spite of an impassioned plea for Congress to give his Iraq strategy a chance, Mr Bush failed even to sway waverers within his own party... On domestic policy, meanwhile, the Democratic leadership in both houses dismissed Mr Bush’s proposals as either too timid or irrelevant. Mr Bush was also criticised for failing to mention reconstruction in New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005."
The Wall Street Journal reports that for social and economic conservatives, Bush's speech "aggravated their underlying fear: that the president might become so consumed by the worsening conflict in Iraq -- and chastened by Democrats' takeover of Congress -- that he will give up on the issues they care about." They are "becoming more openly critical, adding to the president's woes and emboldening Democrats for battles ahead. Increasingly, they are looking beyond Mr. Bush for a new standard-bearer, though no one in Republicans' emerging 2008 presidential field has yet captured conservatives."
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells The Politico in an interview that Bush "did not consult her before announcing his new strategy for the war in Iraq... She also said during the interview in her spacious Capitol suite that no one else in the White House had asked her what she would do, or what the administration should do about Iraq... Pelosi made it clear the issue was the essential backdrop in Washington for the foreseeable future, however much Bush wants to talk about domestic issues."
The New York Times covers the Senate's failure yesterday to pass a “clean” minimum wage hike. “The measure may now be headed for deadlock. Representative Charles B. Rangel, Democrat of New York and chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, has suggested he will block any minimum-wage measure that includes tax provisions.”
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The presidential field may soon expand even further. Not only will Rep. Duncan Hunter (R) announce his candidacy today at the Marriott in Spartanburg, SC, but former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) told MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell yesterday that an announcement on his presidential plans is "imminent." Huckabee will be in Iowa next week for a two-day swing.
Kerry aides and advisers said his decision not to run "came down to a political calculation that he would face long odds in capturing the presidential nomination for a second time, given his diminished public standing after his 2004 defeat by Bush," says the Boston Globe. Also, "a growing number of Democratic operatives, including some key Massachusetts supporters in the past weeks, counseled Kerry publicly and privately to stay on the sidelines."
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A star-struck chief of staff to Vice President Cheney was so moved by the appearance of two Hollywood celebs at his office in June 2003 that he had to mention it to his CIA briefer the next morning, NBC's Joel Seidman reports. The disclosure of Scooter Libby's brush with movie stars Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz caused a brief roar of laughter in Courtroom #16, where Libby is on trial for perjury and obstruction of justice.
The Hollywood stars visited Libby at his office in the Old Executive Office Building, part of the White House complex, according to prosecution witness Craig Schmall. When Schmall, Libby's CIA briefer, arrived at his home that Saturday, Libby had to impart his exuberance about the meeting. Schmall, told prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that Libby was truly "excited about it." So excited, apparently, that Schmall noted it on the table of contents of his briefing book. Schmall said Libby told him that Cruise and Cruz came by to lobby him about how Germany treats Scientologists. The CIA briefer, who made regular 7:00 am visits to Libby and Cheney at the White House, would also come to Libby's house in Virginia on Saturdays.
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From NBC's Mark Murray, Elizabeth Wilner, and Huma Zaidi
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee who narrowly lost to President George W. Bush in 2004, will not run in the upcoming presidential contest, say sources close to the senator. Kerry's decision comes after several high-profile Democrats -- including Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- have already filed paperwork establishing exploratory committees. It also comes after Kerry's widely reported "botched joke" right before the 2006 midterm elections, which hurt his political standing.
At a campaign event for then-California gubernatorial nominee Phil Angelides (D), Kerry set off a political firestorm with this comment at the top of his speech: "You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you - you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." Kerry and associates said the remark was a botched joke about the President -- not about the troops. Still, the joke earned him criticism from both Republicans and even some Democrats.
Kerry, so far, is the third high-profile Democrat to announce that he's not running for president. In October of last year, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner decided against making a White House bid, as did Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh last month. Still looming out there as the potential 800-pound gorilla -- should he decide to run -- is former Vice President Al Gore.
From NBC's Ken Strickland
At today's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) -- a possible presidential candidate -- gave a passionate plea to his colleagues to pass his non-binding resolution opposing Bush's plan for more troops in Iraq. At times pounding on the desk, he said we owe it to "the men and women we continue to send into that grinder."
Hagel said debating this resolution may be difficult for some, but that's too bad. "You want a safe job?" he asked. "G
