Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Soldiers Tell Gates They Back Surge

The AP reports Defense Secretary Robert Gates "traded ideas with Iraqi leaders Thursday about boosting military assistance for the embattled government and warned Iraq's neighbors that the US will be a presence in the Persian Gulf for a long time." And the New York Times says Gates, "talking to enlisted soldiers on his second day in Iraq, heard broad support today for a proposal to send more American forces to Iraq." Gates also said that in a "meeting with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and other senior Iraqi officials...he had discussed 'the possibility of some additional assistance' with the Iraqis, but that there had been no mention of specific numbers of additional American troops."

The Washington Post, meanwhile, says Gates "got an earful" from US soldiers about the need for more troops. The Post also provides some details on what the Iraqis would like those additional US troops to do: Maliki, according to the Post, has "proposed a two-pronged strategy in which US troops would target Sunni Arab insurgents in outer Baghdad neighborhoods for four to eight weeks, while Iraqi forces would take over control of inner Baghdad."

Despite the conventional wisdom about military leaders being opposed to sending in more troops, the Wall Street Journal reports this morning in its "Washington Wire" column that "some military leaders aren't opposed to Iraq troop surge. Army leaders privately tell White House they could back more soldiers if Bush provides latitude to sustain the effort through reserve call-ups." Also today, the New York Times runs a profile of Gates in which the new secretary is contrasted (favorably) with former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Draft Would Help Society, Says VA Chief

Just as the President mulls over boosting troop levels in Iraq, his Veterans Affairs Secretary is quoted in an AP story saying that "society would benefit" if the US "were to bring back the draft and that it shouldn't have any loopholes for anyone who is called to serve." Jim Nicholson, the VA chief, "later issued a statement saying he does not support reinstituting a draft." Another AP dispatch notes "the administration has for years forcefully opposed bringing back the draft, and the White House said Thursday that its position had not changed."

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Goode Won't Apologize For Muslim Comments

GOP Rep. Virgil Goode of Virginia is under fire for a second day for comments about Minnesota's Keith Ellison, the first Muslim-American ever elected to Congress. Ellison had said he'll use a Koran during his swearing-in ceremony. In response, Goode asked Americans to "wake up," arguing that immigration must be tightened or soon "there will be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran." NBC Nightly News reported on the story yesterday, and noted "leading Muslim groups call Goode's letter Islamophobic and ignorant."

The Washington Post, in an editorial, calls Goode a "bigot," and Rep.-elect Ellison, on CNN's The Situation Room, said, "Diversity in our nation is a great thing and we should embrace it, not be afraid of it." The Washington Times says Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel "called on" Goode "to meet with Rep.-elect Keith Ellison." Emanuel, who is Jewish, said, "If he meets with Keith, he'll see what I saw: a good American with good values of a different faith." But Goode insisted yesterday that he will not apologize. The AP reports Goode said he is "receiving more positive comments from constituents than negative," adding that he "wants to limit legal immigration and do away with 'diversity visas,' which he said let in people 'not from European countries' and 'some terrorist states.'" Stories in the Roanoke Times, Los Angeles Times and Richmond Times-Dispatch, among other newspapers, also report on the controversy.

Bush Makes Two Recess Appointments

President Bush used the last few days before the holidays, with Congress out of town, to give recess appointments to nominees blocked by Democrats. The move is expected to anger Democrats. The AP reports Bush "has appointed an outspoken conservative television producer to the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting." Warren Bell "has been an online contributor to the conservative National Review magazine. In May 2005 he described himself as 'thoroughly conservative in ways that strike horror into the hearts of my Hollywood colleagues.'" Bell's recess appointment "means he will stay on the board through the congressional session that ends in 2007."

Meanwhile, the Washington Times says the President also gave a recess appointment to Mark McKinnon, who "will join the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) in time for its Jan. 10 meeting. The recess appointment is good for a year, but Mr. McKinnon said yesterday that he is confident the Senate would confirm him for a full term that would end in 2009. Senators, however, often don't look favorably on recess appointees." McClatchy says Sen. Joe Biden, "the incoming Senate Foreign Relations Committee who takes over in January, was not likely to move McKinnon's nomination, said insiders, prompting the White House action."

Bush Hikes Cheney's Pay

The AP reports President Bush yesterday signed an executive order "to raise the pay of federal workers, members of Congress and Vice President Dick Cheney in the new year." The President's "annual salary of $400,000 is not affected by the legislation." The Washington Post notes "members of the armed forces will also see their base pay rise next year by an average 2.2 percent" and salaries for House members and senators "will climb to $168,000, up from $165,200. Congress has put the raise on hold, however, because Democrats first want to approve an increase in the minimum wage, which they believe will prove popular with voters." Cabinet secretaries "will make $186,600 in 2007, up from $183,500 this year. The vice president's salary will be $215,700, rising from $212,100."

Bush Wasn't Somber, He Had The Flu

Some reporters and other observers thought President Bush looked tired and unusually somber at his news conference Wednesday. Yesterday, there was buzzing around Washington that perhaps the commander in chief is demoralized or weighed down by the pressures of the Iraq war and the burdens of office. But White House aides tell the US News Political Bulletin that the chatterers have it all wrong. "He looked tired because he's under the weather," says a senior Bush adviser who sees him every day. "He's got the flu." The adviser adds that there's been no change in the President's underlying optimism or his enthusiasm about what can be accomplished in the remainder of his term.

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Former Aides Say White House Censored Them

The New York Times today's publishes the redacted version of an op-ed written by former NSC adviser, Flynt Leverett, and former Foreign Service officer, Hillary Mann. In an accompanying op-ed titled, "What We Wanted To Tell You About Iran," Leverett and Mann say their original piece was "blacked out by the Central Intelligence Agency's Publication Review Board after the White House intervened in the normal prepublication review process and demanded substantial deletions." Agency officials, they write, "told us that they had concluded on their own that the original draft included no classified material, but that they had to bow to the White House." Leverett and Mann say the deleted passages "go into aspects of American-Iranian relations during the Bush administration's first term that have been publicly discussed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; former Secretary of State Colin Powell; former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage; a former State Department policy planning director, Richard Haass; and a former special envoy to Afghanistan, James Dobbins." The content, they note, have also been "extensively reported in the news media, and one of us, Mr. Leverett, has written about them in The Times and other publications with the explicit permission of the review board." Leverett and Mann provide a list of links to their citations "to demonstrate that all of the material the White House objected to is already in the public domain."

Pelosi Planning Really Big Bash

The Washington Post reports this reporting this morning that incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning January swearing-in festivities "on a scale associated with presidential inaugurations." She "will return to the blue-collar Baltimore neighborhood where she grew up, attend Mass at the women's college where she studied political science, and dine at the Italian Embassy as Tony Bennett sings 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco.'" But "the hoopla is more than just a party." Pelosi "is grabbing the moment to present herself as the new face of the Democratic Party and to restore the party's image as one hospitable to ethnic minorities, families, religion, the working class and women." Mike Murphy, "a Republican political consultant and former adviser to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), said the four-day extravaganza is excessive. 'What? No fireworks?' he said." He "said the schedule is 'classic Pelosi.'" USA Today also reports on inaugural bashes across the nation, noting state laws place few limits on fundraising for these types of events, and quoting several experts who call for more "transparency."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Poll Shows Obama, Edwards Up In Iowa

KCCI-TV Des Moines reports that a Research 2000 Iowa Poll, conducted Dec.18-20, "asked Iowa Democrats which candidates they would vote for if the 2008 Democratic caucus were held today. The top three candidates were Sen. John Edwards at 22 percent, Democratic U.S. Sen. Barrack Obama at 22 percent and Vilsack at 12 percent." New York Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) "came in fourth at 10 percent."

Race Tight On GOP Side. The poll shows that Sen. John McCain narrowly edges out Rudy Giuliani among Iowa Republicans 27%-26%, with Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney trailing in 3rd with 9%.

Romney Defends Conservative Credentials

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), in Manchester, New Hampshire yesterday, "defended his conservative bona fides yesterday before an audience of skeptics and supporters curious about his rightward shift on several hot-button social issues as he readies for a run for president," the Boston Globe reports. Romney "faced questions about his evolving views following reports in the Globe and other publications that examined his positions on abortion, stem cell research, and gay rights."

The New Hampshire Union Leader (12/22, DiStaso) reports that Romney "said if he runs for President, conservative voters in first-primary state New Hampshire and elsewhere will see that 'the proof is in the pudding. People will have a chance to look at my records as governor of Massachusetts and see what I've done there. Talk is cheap but action is not.' Romney said, 'With regard to abortion, I've indicated that two years ago, my position changed. That's where I am. That's where I've been and if you look at my record, you can see it's entirely consistent with those views.'" The AP adds that Romney's "change of heart on abortion was embraced by some New Hampshire Republicans on Thursday, but others said they wonder if the potential presidential candidate's views are politically expedient."

Brownback Sells Conservatism In SC

The AP reports that Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (R) "said Thursday that conservative values like opposition to abortion and gay marriage will distinguish him from others vying for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. 'I think there's room in the field for someone with full-scale conservative values,'" Brownback "told about 80 people at an office of the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. 'I don't think that end of the field's crowded.'" The Spartanburg Herald Journal adds that yesterday's stop was Brownback's first in South Carolina. Brownback "said he knows he's playing catch-up to Arizona Sen. John McCain, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who enjoy widespread name recognition and already have lined up commitments from some of the state's key figures." South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint (R) "said he considers Brownback a good friend and said he would be a good person to have in the race. But he acknowledged that Brownback was late in arriving at the party."

Court Opens Door To More Outside Ads

The AP reports a Federal court "loosened restrictions on corporations, unions and other special interest groups that run political advertising in peak election season." The 2-1 ruling "said groups may mention candidates by name in commercials as long as they are trying to influence public policy, rather than sway an election." The ruling "came in a challenge to the so-called McCain-Feingold law designed to reduce the influence of big money in political campaigns." The Washington Post reports the "divided three-judge court ruled yesterday that ads advocating for an issue and mentioning candidates can run during an election, creating a loophole in the law that sought to control the power of big money in elections." The court "found that the government had no compelling justification to regulate television ads such as the ones Wisconsin Right to Life Inc. broadcast in July 2004, which advocated stopping congressional filibusters against President Bush's judicial nominees" at a time when Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold (D) was running for reelection. The ad encouraged viewers to call Feingold's office and express their dissatisfaction with his support for the filibusters. The New York Times adds that the case now heads for the Supreme Court.

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "You know how bad the situation is in Denver? Even FEMA's heard about it. That's how bad it has gotten. They just got word less than an hour ago."

Jay Leno: "You know, I think Barack Obama getting a little ahead of himself. See what he did today? He was breaking ground on his new presidential library. I think he's jumped the gun."

David Letterman: "According to a recent survey, New Yorkers are living longer. Hard to believe, isn't it? Living to be 78 years old. That's pretty good, don't you think? ... They say a kid born today in New York City, born in 2006, could actually live long enough to see us get out of Iraq."

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