Entries for January 2008

Richard Boucher, the assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, said in Senate testimony today that as 3,200 U.S. marines arrive in Afghanistan in March, "we're definitely going to use the deployment . . . as a lever to get other countries to step up."

One day after picking up the endorsement of former presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani, John McCain is expected to receive the endorsement today of another high-profile Republican: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Aides say the announcement will be made at a news conference in Los Angeles.

The Senate may begin voting today on several measures associated with the economic stimulus package that recently passed in the House. Several senators have proposed additional measures to extend rebates and benefits to disabled veterans and more wealthy individuals, setting up a potentially contentious debate.

John McCain and Mitt Romney squabbled repeatedly last night about their records on the war in Iraq, with McCain reiterating his contention that Romney, for political purposes, had failed to speak out in support of the surge when it was first proposed in 2006. Visibly annoyed, Romney at one point leaned backward, slung his right arm over the back of his chair, and fixed his other hand like a spear at his opponent.

The rush by many supporters of departing GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani to back front-runner John McCain isn't being followed by all the New Yorker's friends despite Team Rudy's encouragement.

House leaders say that Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will likely push through a new global warming bill this spring, presenting the administration with a new battle over the environment and energy policy.

The Florida results are in and the presidential field is narrowing. John McCain boasted last night that he had won his first all-Republican primary, defeating Mitt Romney. Rudy Giuliani, who had put all of his eggs in the "win Florida" basket, came in a distant third. In a surprising flip, former frontrunner Giuliani will drop out of the race today, before tonight's GOP debate in California, and endorse McCain, whose campaign at one time looked dead in the water.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton won a decisive victory in Florida over Barack Obama and John Edwards. However, because the state held a primary before February 5, at this time no Florida delegates will be sent to the Democratic National Convention this summer in Denver. Edwards is expected to announce that he will drop out of the contest when he speaks in New Orleans later today.

And as the economy becomes a bigger and bigger issue in the presidential race, the Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates today, following a similar move last week. Analysts are unsure what the size of the cuts will be.

House and Senate Democratic leaders came out guns blazing today when asked to review President Bush's State of the Union address, which included a vow to veto earmarks.

A survey by a private ethics research organization finds a "high incidence of ethical misconduct" among government workers at all levels and warns of major scandals to unfold.

The Ethics Resource Center found that 30 percent of federal employees believe their employers have sound ethics and compliance programs. Only 1 in 10, the ERC found, say there is "a strong ethical culture in their federal workplace."