Entries for March 26, 2007

Chief White House Correspondent Kenneth T. Walsh has unearthed some good news and some bad news for presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani in the past few days:

First, the good: The former New York City mayor has become so popular during his travels that the staff builds in scheduled time to allow for making way through admiring crowds.

"People want to reach out to him, to touch him, meet him," says a GOP strategist who has seen Giuliani in action. "He takes longer to make his way out of a room than anyone I've seen in this race, and his staff now builds in time for that."

Diplomatic correspondent Thomas Omestad is traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on her Mideast trip, and has this to report from Jerusalem:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met again with top Palestinian and Israeli leaders on Monday in an effort to help negotiate a two-state peace deal. Hours after meeting the Palestinan Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, Jordan, Rice is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in an intensifying diplomatic campaign to inject some momentum into the Middle East peace process.

From Chief White House Correspondent Kenneth T. Walsh

It's a common refrain among Republican insiders, even admirers of Senator John McCain: They say he is waging the last campaign when times have changed, and that's why he has cratered in the polls.

"John has been trying to bill himself as the inevitable nominee and the Establishment candidate, with a huge number of endorsements from party officials," says a GOP strategist who is advising another presidential campaign. "But he can't sustain that image when he has fallen behind."

Many religous ideals and core tenets of social conservatism have grown less common in America over the past decade, according to figures just released by the Pew Center for People and the Press.

Here are the percentage of people who say they "completely agreed" with the following statements since the poll began in 1987:

"Prayer is an important part of my daily life"

1987: 41

1999: 55 (peak)

2007: 45

Democrats:

• Hillary Clinton participated in a town hall meeting about healthcare in Des Moines this morning, where she announced support for universal healthcare. (Read the ABC News transcript here.)
• John Edwards gives a series of policy speeches in Los Angeles and San Francisco today, focusing on energy conservation and global warming.
• Barack Obama has breakfast with local Hispanic leaders in West Palm Beach, Fla., and then attends two fundraisers in Atlanta and April, Ga.
• Bill Richardson addresses the Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century in New York City.

Republicans:

• Sam Brownback is also in Des Moines to meet with Republicans in the Iowa House of Representatives and for an editorial meeting with the Des Moines Register.
• Duncan Hunter addresses Keene State College in New Hampshire.
• John McCain attends a fundraiser in Dallas and San Antonio.
• Mitt Romney is also on the money trail in Dallas.

The 15 British soldiers detained by Iran for allegedly entering Iranian waters last Friday may face charges, the Iranian foreign minister said on Sunday while attending a U.N. meeting in New York. Meanwhile, Tehran remains defiant of new sanctions approved by the U.N. Security Council this weekend.

The Supreme Court hears opening arguments today in a price-fixing case centering on a local Texas retailer that lost its supply of women's accessories after lowering prices.

The New York Times leads today with a look into denied health claims for elderly Americans with long-term care policies.

On the Sunday talk show circuit, several prominent Republicans voiced increased doubt over Alberto Gonzales's credibility as attorney general in the wake of the fired U.S. attorneys flap.

The head of the General Services Administration--the federal government's procurement organization--is being accused of actively engaging in helping Republican candidates in the 2006 elections, the Washington Post reports.