Entries for April 18, 2007

From U.S. News reporter Silla Brush:

Ohio Democrats are going on the attack, criticizing Republicans in the state for inviting Karl Rove to the annual Tuscarawas County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner.

"Rove doesn't represent us; does he represent Ohio Republicans?" asked Chris Redfern, head of the state Democratic Party. The ploy makes it apparent that Democrats are trying to continue the "culture of corruption" theme of the 2006 election campaign. As part of the strategy, the party has put out an "affidavit" asking Karl Rove to sign a document saying he had no involvement in the U.S. attorney firings, did not discuss the firing of New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias with President Bush or Sen. Pete Domenici, did not delete hundreds of E-mails pertaining to investigations, did not play any politically motivated role in the outing of Valerie Plame, and did not meet with Jack Abramoff.

There is no delicate way to put it: Tragedy is good for business.

Virginia Tech merchandise is suddenly in hot demand among those wishing to show solidarity with the school, particularly since Friday has been designated as a nationwide "Orange and Maroon Effect" day.

Steve Glosh, the assistant director for Virginia Tech Services Inc., which operates the on- and off-campus bookstores where merchandise is sold, said demand has spiked in the store since it reopened this morning.

"It's been very active in the store all day," Glosh said. "House flags are particularly hot." He said the store has not been able to gather statistics yet on the increase in demand but has also been flooded by mail and Internet orders.

Democrats

• Most of the Democratic candidates are in Washington, D.C., today. Both John Edwards and Chris Dodd are delivering policy addresses.

Republicans

• Rudy Giuliani attended a fundraiser this morning in New York City at the Metropolitan Club.
• Mike Huckabee skips around New Hampshire, delivering a guest lecture at a nursing class at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, attending a lunch hosted by the Strafford County Federation of Republican Women in Durham, and attending a house party at the home of Dorene and Ron Dupuis in North Hampton.
• John McCain holds two town hall meetings today with veterans in South Carolina, one at Murrells Inlet and another in Summerville. He then attends a fundraiser at the home of John Marko and Deborah Rice-Marko.
• Mitt Romney delivered the keynote address at the Northern Virginia Technology Council's Presidential Series Breakfast at the Hilton in McLean, Va. Later he'll hold a fundraiser featuring his congressional endorsements.
• Tommy Thompson is in Bettendorf, Iowa, today to address the Quad Cities Home Builders Association.

Update: The student gunman at Virginia Tech had been accused of stalking two female fellow students in 2005, police say. In the second incident, Cho was taken to a mental health facility after reported suicidal behavior.

Students still on edge after the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history got another scare as police swarmed Burruss Hall, the AP reports. The report of suspicious activity turns out to be unfounded.

This morning's top stories:

• Thousands gathered in Blacksburg, Va., yesterday to remember the 32 students and faculty slain by gunman Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old student at Virginia Tech.
• Meanwhile, the horrific shooting has vaulted the issue of gun control back onto the national platform.
• Two deadly explosions in Baghdad killed 15 and wounded 19, the AP reports.
• The mayor of Nagasaki died early today after being shot by a suspected gunman. Gun violence is typically very low in Japan, Reuters reports.
• The car carrying New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine that crashed last week, critically injuring him, was traveling 91 mph, according to police.
• An analysis of Federal Election Commission reports by the Associated Press turned up the fact that the John Edwards campaign dropped $800 for two haircuts for the candidate by a celebrity stylist in Beverly Hills.