advertisement
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
advertisement
The AP reports the Pentagon "is considering a buildup of Navy forces in the Persian Gulf as a show of force against Iran." Fox News' Special Report quoted unnamed senior Defense officials who confirm the administration may send a second aircraft carrier battle carrier group to the Persian Gulf. FNC notes analysts say a second aircraft carrier could "provide air support for additional US troops in Iraq should the president decide to 'surge' thousands more into the country as senior administration officials have told Fox he's become increasingly inclined to do."
Under the headline "US Not Winning War In Iraq, Bush Says For 1st Time," the Washington Post reports on its Oval Office interview with President Bush. The President told the Post he "plans to expand the overall size of the 'stressed' US armed forces to meet the challenges of a long-term global struggle against terrorists." In addition, "as he searches for a new strategy for Iraq, Bush has now adopted the formula advanced by his top military adviser to describe the situation. 'We're not winning, we're not losing,' Bush said." The Post calls that assessment a "striking reversal" and notes Bush declared, "absolutely, we're winning" in Iraq only two months ago.
Bush's interview with the Washington Post is generating generally positive media coverage on the announcement of an expansion of the military. USA Today, for example, quotes influential Democratic members of Congress who endorse the proposal, including Rep. Ike Skelton, incoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. The AP, the Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor and the Financial Times ¸ among other media sources, run summaries of the Washington Post interview. In an analysis of its exchange with Bush, the Washington Post notes Bush "bluntly dismissed the suggestion that the midterm elections meant voters want to bring the mission" in Iraq "to closure" but interpreted the results "as people not satisfied with the progress" in Iraq."
Bush's support for an increase in overall troop strength is being portrayed as a sharp departure from the approach advocated by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The New York Times says Bush's comments "indicated that the administration was breaking abruptly with the stance taken by...Rumsfeld, the former Pentagon chief, who championed the view that better intelligence and technological advancements could substitute for a bigger military." NBC Nightly News characterized it as "a total reversal of the Pentagon's former policy under...Rumsfeld and comes only one day after Rumsfeld stepped down." But the policy "reversal" appears to be an isolated event. The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Washington Times reports on Secretary of State Rice's roundtable discussion with reporters yesterday, in which she took pains make clear that "stark shifts aren't in the offing," as the Journal puts it.
Rice: Bush May Send More Troops To Iraq If Bush's plan to expand the size of the military is being received favorably, the same cannot be said of the possibility of a "surge" of additional US soldiers into Iraq. McClatchy reports Secretary Rice said yesterday Bush is in fact considering that move, "despite strong reservations by some US military leaders and the incoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee." NBC Nightly News claimed "most military leaders still think the best option is to accelerate the training for the Iraqi forces so they can take over the fight but acknowledge that could still take years." The New York Times catalogues the various criticisms of the "surge" proposal, while the Washington Post focuses on comments by Democratic members of Congress. Opinion pieces this morning, such as David Ignatius' column in the Washington Post, also argue against the "surge."
In a related development, the New York Times and Los Angeles Times note that Gen. John P. Abizaid, the senior commander in the Middle East, who has been consistently "resistant to increasing the American fighting force" in Iraq, will retire in March.
Kurds Fear US "Sellout" In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Kurdish intelligence chief Masrour Barzani blasts the Iraq Study Group, which he claims "ignores" his people. Writes Barzani, "Once again Kurds are about to be sold out."
Good News Out Of Iraq In the midst of all this gloom, the AP reports new Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Baghdad this morning in an unannounced visit. And he was, it would appear, greeted by some good news. The New York Times reports Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has "tentatively approved" a US-backed coalition of Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties in an attempt to "isolate" Moqtada al-Sadr. Also, the Washington Times and AP report Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who is in charge of training the Iraq army and national police, said the "final target" of 325,000 trained personnel will be met this month, "with 'dramatic improvement' in performance envisioned by July." The Times notes Dempsey's "assessment comes as President Bush weighs options for changing strategy and tactics." Dempsey said Iraqi officials "are working to reform police, take more responsibility for their security and make financial investments in troops and equipment -- all steps toward freeing U.S. troops to return home." The AP adds evidence of Dempsey's optimistic assessment. US forces handed over security responsibilities in Iraq's northern Najaf province to Iraqi forces Wednesday morning.
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
In what some media reports are portraying as another headache for the Administration, the AP says this morning Vice President Dick Cheney "will be called to testify on behalf of his former chief of staff in the CIA leak case, defense attorneys said Tuesday, ending months of speculation over what would be historic testimony. 'We're calling the vice president,' attorney Ted Wells said in court. Wells represents defendant I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, who is charged with perjury and obstruction."
The Wall Street Journal, under the headline "Cheney Testimony Could Exacerbate White House Woes," reports "Cheney's testimony...will add to White House political problems, at a time when President Bush will be seeking to rebuild his eroded standing. ... The spectacle of the vice president testifying in court is likely to deepen the White House's public-relations problems, as Democrats on Capitol Hill also will launch investigations of the administration in a number of areas, including its conduct of the Iraq war." Along similar lines, the New York Times says "the prospect of Mr. Cheney's testimony suggested that Mr. Libby's trial could be transformed from a narrowly gauged perjury case into a riveting courtroom drama with the taciturn vice president as the star witness. He would testify under oath and be exposed to cross-examination by prosecutors." All three networks noted the story, which is also covered in today's major dailies, including reports in the Washington Post, USA Today, New York Post and Financial Times.
During his interview with the Washington Post yesterday, President Bush also addressed his domestic priorities now that Democrats control both chambers of Congress. The Post reports that Bush said he plans to cooperate with Democrats in Congress "on a broad range of domestic issues, declaring that despite the impending power shift there are 'some wonderful opportunities' to address concerns that have long festered without a political solution." Specifically, Bush mentioned immigration reform, education legislation and his willingness "to discuss Democratic ideas for solving the Social Security problem, including tax increases."
The AP reports President Bush yesterday "signed bills to raise federal funding for autism, shift AIDS money to rural areas and the South and create a government unit to oversee response to a bird flu pandemic or bioterrorism attack." The autism bill "increases federal funding by 50 percent for the disorder, which afflicts 1.5 million people in the United States."
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito are having a definite impact on the balance of the Supreme Court, says USA Today this morning. Although "most of the major decisions in their first full term together won't be announced for months," they "have signaled a readiness to move the court to the right." In recent cases "involving abortion, global warming and school integration, Roberts and Alito have been aggressive and sometimes feisty proponents of conservative views and particularly sympathetic to arguments by the Bush administration."
The AP reports First Lady Laura Bush said "she did not disclose she had a skin cancer tumor removed five weeks ago because, 'It's no big deal and we knew it was no big deal at the time.'" Mrs. Bush's comments, "relayed by presidential spokesman Tony Snow, came a day after the White House belatedly acknowledged she had a squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer, excised from her right shin a few days after the Nov. 7 election." Snow said that "unlike her husband, the first lady is not an elected official."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
On the day Rudy Giuliani's presidential exploratory committee held its first major fundraiser, likely rival John McCain released a list of high-profile New York supporters. The New York Times reports McCain "has a holiday greeting" for Giuliani, releasing a list that includes "some of the biggest Republican names in the New York region," including "Lewis M. Eisenberg, former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Woody Johnson, owner of the Jets; Henry R. Kravis, finance chairman for the Republican convention; Georgette Mosbacher, a major Republican fund-raiser; Peter G. Peterson, chairman of the Blackstone Group; and John C. Whitehead, former head of Goldman Sachs." However, a McCain adviser dismissed the timing as a coincidence.
Meanwhile, the AP reports that McCain is also very active in South Carolina, home of the first Southern GOP primary, where he has "hired field organizers, courted grass-roots activists, distributed money to local candidates and secured endorsements from elected officials who previously stood with" President Bush when he defeated the Arizona Senator in 2000. GOP observers say McCain "appears to be building a so-called firewall intended to stop an opponent's ascent and put the senator on solid ground should he stumble in the Iowa caucuses, which he skipped in 2000, or the New Hampshire primary, where he could face stiff challenges from neighboring Northeasterners, Giuliani and Romney."
In addition to the blow dealt by Sen. McCain, Giuliani's lead-off campaign fundraiser, held in Manhattan last night, appears to have been a disappointment, Long Island Newsday reports. The event, hosted by Home Deport founder Kenneth Langone, "appeared to fall short of the 500 or so tickets needed to break the $1 million mark, which several Republicans said should have been a realistic goal for a figure like Giuliani at a New York event."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
The AP reports former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore "announced Tuesday he will explore a presidential bid in 2008. Citing what he said was the lack of a true conservative in the field of GOP White House prospects, Gilmore said he will charter a federal committee in January that would allow him to assess his chances for the race himself." Gilmore said, "There is not a committed conservative in the field who can put together a national campaign. I am and I can."
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports Gilmore "served one year as chairman of the Republican National Committee before being forced out by the White House after clashing with Karl Rove." The New York Times reports Gilmore "declined to say whether he believed the decision to invade" Iraq "was correct. He did say that he would not support an increase in troop strength there unless a specific mission was spelled out and that he would not support a timetable for withdrawing troops."
The Washington Times reports today that FEC Chairman Michael E. Toner "predicted that 2008 will produce the first $1 billion presidential race and that the $500 million that each party's candidate will need to compete will severely limit the field of contenders. ... 'The nominee of each major party is likely to opt out of the public-financing system for the first time ever for the general election,' Mr. Toner said."
The AP reports this morning that Democrats "have put off a decision on choosing a 2008 national convention site until early January, hard-pressed to pick between Denver and New York, officials said Tuesday. Party officials have been negotiating for months with host committees for New York and Denver, but a series of problems with Denver's bid -- and a significant cooling of interest from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- led Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean to seek more time to make a decision." The New York Times adds that "some Democrats in Washington with knowledge of the two bids have said that Denver offered fewer clear assurances than New York that it could raise the necessary money. Although Mr. Dean likes the idea of Denver and its promise of fertile political ground, these Democrats said, he could still conclude that New York had made the better bid." But "officials in New York have been showing some ambivalence."
The AP reports Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, "who was elected to Congress only four years ago, will lead House Democrats' fundraising and recruiting efforts heading into the 2008 election, Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday." Van Hollen will take over the chairmanship of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from Rep. Rahm Emmanuel. CQ Politics adds that Van Hollen "already is intimately familiar with DCCC operations. He played a key role in the Democrats' success this year as head of candidate recruitment strategy under" Emanuel. Van Hollen has been "regarded as a Democratic rising star since his first election to Congress in 2002, in which he accomplished the party's long-sought goal of ousting GOP Rep. Constance A. Morella from the seat in Maryland's strongly Democratic-leaning 8th District." The New York Times reports that as chairman, Van Hollen will face a significant challenge in protecting "freshman Democrats in some Republican-leaning districts and try to unseat Republicans against the uncertain backdrop of a presidential race without an incumbent candidate."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Jay Leno: "I'm sure you heard by now. What a stupid thing this is. 'Time' magazine has named everyone their person of the year. They said everyone is the person of the year. And somehow, Al Gore still came in second. How did that work?"
Jay Leno: Of course you know we're in the middle of the Hanukkah season. And today, at the White House, a very confused George Bush struck a match and lit a fedora. Yeah, I think he got a little mixed up."
Conan O'Brien: "Last night at the White House -- true story -- President Bush hosted a Hanukkah party and lit four candles on a menorah. Isn't that nice? Yeah. Or, as President Bush calls the menorah, 'that Jewish flashlight.'"
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Copyright © 2008 by the Bulletin News Network, Inc.
11190 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 130 • Reston, VA 20191
advertisement
Get your POLITICALBULLETIN
Best Careers 2008
In a shifting job landscape, we've identified where the growth lies.
advertisement
Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
