Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Bush: Prior Iraq Policy Was Failing

In an interview on PBS "NewsHour" last night, President Bush said this about his decision to change strategies in Iraq: "I had a choice to make. Do what we're doing -- and one could define that maybe a slow failure. Secondly, withdraw out of Baghdad and hope for the best. I think that would be expedited failure. And thirdly is to help this Iraqi government with additional forces -- help them do what they need to do, which is to provide security in Baghdad. ... I chose the latter because I think it's going to more likely be successful." The Washington Post says this morning that it was "perhaps the president's frankest admission that the previous strategy was not working." However, most media coverage focuses on Bush's comments on the executions of Saddam and his former aides. The AP reports Bush said "the unruly execution of Saddam Hussein 'looked like it was kind of a revenge killing,' making it harder to persuade a skeptical US public that Iraq's government will keep promises central to Bush's plan for a troop increase." The New York Times and USA Today report on those comments, with the New York Times running a second piece on how the "botched" hangings have "helped to accelerate Sunni-Shiite sectarianism across an already fragile Middle East, according to experts across the region."

A number of opinion pieces continue to pound on Bush's Iraq plans this morning. David Ignatius, in the Washington Post, writes that Bush's "surge" is "a mistake because it is piling more precious chips -- more human lives -- on what so far has been a losing bet." Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times that "after scaring Americans into backing the Sack of Iraq by warning that radicals could get W.M.D., now he's trying to scare Americans into supporting the Surge in Iraq by warning that radicals could get W.M.D. So many deaths, so little progress." And Wall Street Journal op-ed contributor and AEI fellow Reuel Marc Gerecht says, "Recent remarks by Defense Secretary Robert Gates -- predicting troop reductions within a year, and saying that we might not need an additional five brigades in Baghdad for a successful operation -- are a frightening echo of the self-defeating, undermanned optimism that came from the US military under Mr. Gates's predecessor."

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Times columnist Max Boot writes Bush's plan "has not...been well received. But does anyone have a better idea?" And former Defense Secretary Mel Laird addresses Congress' upcoming debate in the Washington Post, writing, "Cutting off funding is not a plan. Holding hearings to excoriate the executive branch is not a plan. Emotional oratory about casualties is not a plan." Therefore, "Congress must stop the partisan gamesmanship that feeds on itself and becomes an end rather than a means."

Administration "Off-Stride" The Washington Post's Al Kamen writes in his "In the Loop" column that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley "and others seemed a bit off-stride, less self-assured, last week as they got a bipartisan hammering on the Hill and from the media about the war in Iraq." Instead, "It fell, once again, to Vice President Cheney to show how to take the long view in handling this sniping."

Hagel Takes Lead Against Bush

The Washington Post reports, "Senate leaders will introduce a bipartisan resolution of opposition to President Bush's new Iraq policy as early as today, taking the lead from House Democrats who are increasingly divided on how far to go to thwart additional troop deployments to Iraq." The resolution is being authored by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph R. Biden Jr., Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl M. Levin, and Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican. It "will not come to a vote before Bush's State of the Union address on Tuesday." But "by sending it to Biden's committee this week, Democratic leaders will give senators from both parties multiple opportunities to voice concerns about the president's policy." The New York Times reports Hagel "said the intent of the resolution was not to 'bash the president' or to call for the immediate withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq, but a responsible way for senators to register their opinion on the increase of more than 20,000 additional troops announced by Mr. Bush last week." Roll Call reports aides said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "is attempting to carefully craft the resolution to appeal to as many Republicans as possible in the hopes of piecing together a truly bipartisan coalition."

The Christian Science Monitor reports, "If a nonbinding resolution opposing the surge of 21,500 troops into Iraq is approved, Democrats could quickly move stronger legislation to build a congressional firewall against any future move to broaden the war to Iran or Syria." And the Wall Street Journal says Republican votes "will decide the coming debate in Congress over the Iraq war, so Democrats are first working to build bipartisan support for nonbinding criticism before taking on the White House over funding."

Former Bush Aide Joins Biden Staff The Washington Times reports "a counterterrorism adviser" to the President "is leaving the White House to join the staff of a prominent Democratic senator gearing up to investigate the administration's war policies." Todd M. Hinnen, a "director for combating terrorism on the staff of the president's National Security Council (NSC), will become the chief counsel for" Foreign Relations Chairman Joe Biden.

Over 1,000 Troops Sign Anti-Surge Plan The AP says this morning several anti-war groups "that include members of the military on Tuesday delivered petitions against the war in Iraq to" Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who has "long been against the conflict." Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out "sponsored the 'appeal for redress' petition, which was signed by more than 1,000 active duty military members." McClatchy reports, "Although they're duty-bound to carry out the president's orders," the troops "have a legal right to use this means to express their views." The Los Angeles Times says the "public opposition" comes "from a slice of the American population that rarely speaks out: the military rank and file."

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White House Denies Global Warming Flip Flop

The Financial Times reports the White House "denied it was planning a U-turn on its climate change policy by embracing a system of formal caps on greenhouse emissions, despite rising pressure from European governments to change its stance." White House spokesman Tony Snow said, "I want to walk you back from the whole carbon cap story. ... The carbon cap stuff is not accurate. It's wrong." The Washington Times reports Snow said Bush "will lay out his new climate-change policy in his State of the Union address next week, but sources familiar with the drafting of the speech said the president will argue that global warming can be better addressed through technology and greater use of renewable energy sources than through caps imposed on businesses and industries."

Utilities Back Bill To Cut CO2 Emission The Hill reports this morning that "six electric companies plan to support a Senate bill to cut greenhouse-gas emissions to curb global warming. The bill, cosponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.), would establish a national 'cap and trade' program to limit power-plant carbon-dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2020 from current projections."

Webb To Deliver Response To Bush Speech

The AP reports "freshman Sen. Jim Webb, a Vietnam War veteran, will deliver the official Democratic response to President Bush's State of the Union Address, where the war in Iraq is expected to be a central topic." CQ Politics describes Webb as "an early opponent of the Iraq war" and "a critic of President Bush's current proposal to increase troop strength there, and a vocal advocate of economic populism." The Washington Post says Webb's selection by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "underscores the party's efforts to counteract Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq at a time when opinion polls show most Americans want to begin exploring ways to bring more troops home." The Washington Times and The Hill run similar stories.

Bush Withdraws Court Nominee

The AP reports President Bush "withdrew a controversial federal appeals court nominee, a nod to the Senate's new Democratic leadership." Bush had "just resubmitted Norman Randy Smith of Idaho to the Senate last week for a seat on the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Obama Enters Presidential Fray

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama announced yesterday the formation on an exploratory committee with an eye on a 2008 White House run, and the media is treating it as a major news story. In general, the coverage is laudatory of the Illinois senator, with pieces noting his quick rise and the diversity of the emerging Democratic field. A widely-distributed AP this morning praises him, calling him a man of "uncommon political talents," and McClatchy reports his decision "propels him into the top tier for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and puts him in position to test how much his party and his country hunger for change." The Chicago Tribune reports Obama would be "the most formidable African-American candidate ever, offering a call to common purpose as a remedy to bitter partisan divisions and marking a potential turning point in the nation's race relations."

Much of the coverage focused on the potential to have a high-profile battle for the Democratic nod fought between a black man and a woman. The Washington Post, for example, runs a front-page piece titled "Race And Gender Make Democrats' Field Historic," in which it says "Democrats moved a step closer yesterday to what shapes up as one of the most historic and compelling contests ever for their party's presidential nomination." The news media, adds the Post, "will find the story line" of a contest between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton "irresistible, and Democrats around the country are eagerly anticipating the competition." In a similar story, USA Today also notes the "historic Democratic nomination race dominated by a black man and a first lady-turned-senator."

The evening news programs also praised Obama. The CBS Evening News described Obama as "the candidate who says it's time for a younger generation to change America's future," and notes that "just two years ago, Obama was a novice mounting the national stage, a young Illinois state Senator with a great story. ... His message is twofold, that American politics is too divisive, and the baby boomers, who have been fighting the same old fights for years, need to move over." NBC Nightly News showed the senator saying, "I certainly didn't expect to find myself in this position a year ago. But as I've spoken with many of you in my travels across the states these past months, I've been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics."

Even what commentators view as his greatest weakness his lack of experience is seen as a possible advantage this time around. ABC World News reported, "Obama's message, his charisma, and his personal story, he's the son of an African father and white mother from Kansas, have found an audience. In recent trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, Obama drew raves for presenting fairly traditional liberal views as fresh and inspiring." Obama "has few legislative accomplishments. But he's aggressively trying to turn his inexperience into an asset, by arguing those with the most experience created an ugly partisan atmosphere -- and led the nation into the war in Iraq." Likewise, the Los Angeles Times says Obama "is gambling that voters will see his lack of national governing experience as an asset, not a liability," and adds "the electorate is seething with discontent with the Washington establishment."

Obama Expected To Open Granite State Office Within A Month The AP reports that Obama "plans to open offices in New Hampshire and visit the first-in-the-nation primary state within the next month," said New Hampshire lobbyist Jim Demers, an ally of Obama.

Concerns About Candidacy Remain. The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports, that "despite all the hype about his potential candidacy, some of Obama's closest associates worry that the senator remains untested. After winning a tough Senate primary in 2004, he sailed through the general election, aided by a Republican nominee with extensive personal travails. 'There will be bumps; there always are,' said one senior Obama adviser, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'He's going to have to manage expectations and show he has the strength and endurance for the long haul.'" The Christian Science Monitor says that with his exploratory committee, what Obama is "really testing, political analysts say, is the strength of his fundraising ability. To make a serious play for a major-party nomination, a candidate needs to raise tens of millions of dollars in the next few months a task that...[Sen. Hillary] Clinton should accomplish easily." But "the Illinois Democrat may begin to see the downside of being a media darling. In his latest book, 'The Audacity of Hope,' he describes President Bush warning him just after he joined the Senate about life in the spotlight especially for a senator who practically waltzed into his seat (after his competition imploded). The media are notorious for building people up, only to tear them down."

In addition, columnist and political consultant Dick Morris writes in the Capitol Hill publication The Hill today that Obama "made his first misstep a few days ago" when he voted against a Senate measure barring the "increasingly widespread" practice of federal legislators hiring members of their family to serve on their campaigns or as staff members for their political action committees. Sen. Clinton, "who opposes wives cashing in on their husbands' positions, voted righteously in favor of the reform and will probably use the Illinois senator's vote against him in the presidential primaries."

Tancredo Forms Exploratory Committee

Although he received much less hype than Barack Obama, a Republican Congressman with a penchant for fiery language on illegal immigration also took the first steps towards making the 2008 race yesterday. The AP reports that Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo (R), "an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration," announced yesterday that he intended to create a presidential exploratory committee. After traveling to Iowa this weekend, Tancredo said he talked to voters and "they believe that there is a void in this race that none of the other candidates are willing or able to fill." However, Tancredo is considered a longshot. The Denver Post reports that a Tancredo campaign "would be a quixotic quest, analysts said." However, political observers also said that Tancredo's "position on immigration would grant him credibility with some conservative caucus voters in Iowa and elsewhere." The Post adds, "Tancredo's presence in Iowa would put pressure on" Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), "who would have a hard time appeasing the wing of the Republican Party that agrees with Tancredo on immigration, said Norman Ornstein, political analyst with American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank."

Keating Won't Make Run For White House

The AP reports that ex-Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating (R) has decided not to run for president in 2008, a spokesman said yesterday. Keating "had been mulling a possible run for the Republican nomination in 2008, but decided against it, said spokesman Dan Mahoney."

Elway May Pass On Senate Bid

The Hill reports that there has been speculation that Hall-of-Fame quarterback John Elway would consider running to replace retiring Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard (R) on the GOP ticket next year. However, Elway's office "at the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League said yesterday that Elway 'has no intentions of running,' and observers say a 2008 Senate bid that could muddy his popular image is unlikely, though attractive to the party."

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "I tell you. It was so cold, Al Gore today tried to give a speech on global warming, got pelted with snowballs."

David Letterman: "Well, President Bush is still out on the road trying to drum up support for his new Iraq program. Earlier today, he was on 'The View.' He was drunk."

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