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Tuesday, July 14, 2009
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Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer on Monday delivered what could prove to be damaging testimony in the perjury and obstruction trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff. ABC World News said Fleischer told the jury "that Libby had leaked to him the identity of a CIA employee whose husband criticized the President's Iraq policy." Perhaps "most damaging to Libby, Fleischer testified that the meeting happened on July 7th, several days before Libby told authorities he learned of the identity from the reporters." NBC Nightly News reported that Fleischer "blew another hole in Scooter Libby's story."
The AP reports that "Fleischer reminded Washington on Monday why he was considered one of the city's most unshakable spinmasters." USA Toda and Washington Post run similar reports, while in his Washington Post "Washington Sketch" column, Dana Milbank writes that Fleischer "has lost nothing off the old curveball," and "Libby's defense team" learned "what any reporter could have told them: The longer you question Fleischer, the less knowledge you take away from the experience." And the New York Times reports Fleischer's testimony showed that "he only knew what the truly powerful chose to tell him, and sometimes that was not much. On occasion he would pronounce with great authority the administration's position on a topic only to find it had changed and nobody had bothered to let him know."
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports Fleischer "was followed to the stand by a prosecution witness regarded as perhaps the most secretive and publicity-averse employee in the White House, David S. Addington." Addington testified "about a meeting at which "Libby had quizzed him as to whether the C.I.A. would have records showing when someone sent a relative on a mission."
Russert Says He Did Not Tell Libby That Plame Worked At CIA. The AP reports, "NBC News reporter Tim Russert said Monday that he did not tell" Libby "that a prominent war critic's wife worked at the CIA, as Libby has claimed. Russert, who spoke in Tulsa and Oklahoma City at functions sponsored by Oklahoma State University's Spears School of Business, said he expects to be called to testify."
Cheney's Office Compared To "Sopranos" In his Washington Post column, Eugene Robinson writes, "If you've been following the...Libby perjury trial, I can understand how you might confuse Dick Cheney with Tony Soprano. Cheney's office is beginning to sound a lot like the Bada Bing, minus the dancers."
In an interview yesterday with National Public Radio, President Bush said, "If Iran escalates its military action in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and/or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly." The interview generated limited media coverage, and, although he discussed a variety of issues, focused primarily on his remarks on Iran. The CBS Evening News, for example, noted the President had warned Iran to "back off," while in a brief report, NBC Nightly News said Bush "added, however, that he has no intention of invading Iran." The AP reports Bush "also acknowledged skepticism concerning US intelligence about Iran, because Washington was wrong in accusing Iraq of harboring weapons of mass destruction before the US-led invasion in 2003." The Chicago Tribune reports that on the issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions, Bush "insist[ed] that he is confident in the power of diplomacy to resolve it." The President also "repeatedly has asserted the right of US forces to intervene in the Iranian shipment of weaponry into Iraq." The Washington Times reports Bush "accused Iran of being part of an effort to bring down Lebanon's government as well," saying it is working with Syria and Hezbollah to "foment violence." In addition, says AFP, the President also "deplored" recent violence in Lebanon and warned that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah must be "called to account" for trying to destabilize that country.
"Proof Positive" Of Iran Meddling? The CBS Evening News reported last night the US "has repeatedly warned Iran against meddling in Iraq." Bush "has accused Iran of supplying insurgents with weapons that have killed nearly 200 servicemen and women and wounded nearly 600 since the war began. Iran has denied it, but tonight the US military says it has proof positive...[which] can only worsen the tension between the US and Iran." US officials "tell CBS News serial numbers on parts used to make advanced explosive devices powerful enough to breach the armor on an American tank have been traced directly back to Iran. These officials also say rocket propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles found in Iraq bear Iranian factory markings."
North Korea, Iran Cooperate On Missile The Washington Times reports in a front page article that North Korea and Iran "are cooperating in developing long-range missiles," the deputy director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said yesterday. During an address at the George C. Marshall Institute, Army Brig. Gen. Patrick O'Reilly "said...North Korea test fired a long-range Taepodong missile in July, and Iran is working on a space launcher that would help develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could hit the US."
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Roll Call reports that "with a vote on one or more nonbinding resolutions opposing President Bush's decision to boost troop levels in Iraq likely a week away, Senate Democratic leaders are expected to use the delay to push back against tough White House rhetoric and attempt to build a bipartisan coalition on the issue, aides said Monday." A senior Democratic leadership aide said Majority Leader Harry Reid "likely will 'extend some olive branches' later in the week as the chamber moves closer to next week's vote." USA Today and Washington Post also run stories on the Senate debate, in which they highlight the emotional split in the chamber between opponents and proponents of the US-led war.
Feingold To Call For Cutting Off Funds The Politico reports Sen. Russ Feingold "has decided...to challenge what he calls the 'timidity' of Democratic leaders. He is going to introduce legislation cutting off funding for the Iraq war and he may do it, he told me, as early as this week."
Democrat Says Surge Too Small To Work Senate Armed Services Committee member Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, is expected to say in a speech today that "only another 200,000 or 300,000 U.S. troops would make a substantial difference in Iraq," and that President Bush's proposed "surge" of 21,500 will prove fruitless, the AP reports.
ISG's Baker To Testify Before Senate Iraq Study Group co-chairman James Baker "has ended weeks of resistance and today will testify" before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the war, The Hill reports. Baker reportedly did not want to seem to be "lobbying against President Bush at the height of his push for 21,500 additional troops in Iraq."
Bush Sees Senate Contradiction During a NPR's All Things Considered interview yesterday, President Bush was asked about his reaction to the Senate debate about his Iraq plans. He replied, "My feeling to the Senate echoes what Joe Lieberman said the other day, and that is, it is ironic that the Senate would vote 81-0 to send a general into Iraq who believes he needs more troops to do the job, and then send a contradictory message." Sen. McConnell echoed that point on Fox News' Your World, saying, "Gen. Petraeus, having just been promoted without opposition, ought to be given a chance to succeed in his mission. It seems to me it hardly makes sense to confirm the general, head him out to Iraq, and then turn around and say, 'but your mission can't possibly succeed.'"
Even Republicans supporting President Bush's new Iraq strategy have been saying this is the last chance for the Iraqi government, and there may be an underlying message for the President there as well. US News Political Bulletin hears from GOP strategists with close ties to Capitol Hill that the President and his senior aides are too optimistic about keeping GOP congressional support for the Iraq war over the long term. One senior Republican adviser says Bush has "until April or May" to improve things in Iraq. If he cannot, he could face a GOP rebellion that could result in reductions in spending for the conflict and legislation to start bringing the troops home.
During a radio interview with Juan Williams of NPR's All Things Considered, Bush again said Iraqis must step up, and tied the Iraq war to the larger fight against terrorism. Bush said, "One of the things that I expect to see is the Iraqis take the lead and show the American people that they're willing to do the hard work necessary to secure their democracy. And our job is to help them. ... We can debate terms, but what can't be debated is the fact that Iraq is violent. And the violence is caused by Sunni Arabs, like al Qaeda, who have made it clear that they want to create chaos and drive the United States out so they can have safe haven, and then they could launch attacks against America." In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking Republican Richard Lugar seems to agree, saying Bush's plan "is an early episode in a much broader Middle East realignment that began with our invasion of Iraq and that may not end for years." However, Lugar warns that the Administration "must avoid becoming so quixotic in its attempt to achieve the optimal outcome in Iraq that it fails to adjust to shifts in the region or political realities within Iraq."
Meanwhile, emboldened Democrats are planning the next steps toward stopping the war. While much of the talk this week has been dominated by nonbinding resolutions, antiwar Democrats plan to use the budget process to make the Administration pay for the war through the regular appropriations process and not through a series of supplemental spending requests. One adviser to congressional Democrats said, "The supplementals have been part of the blank check that Bush has been given by the previous majority in Congress."
Iraq "Surge" Troops Lack Equipment The Washington Post reports US officials said "boosting US troop levels in Iraq by 21,500 would create major logistical hurdles for the Army and Marine Corps, which are short thousands of vehicles, armor kits and other equipment needed to supply the extra forces." US commanders "privately expressed doubts that Iraq-bound units would receive a full complement of Humvees."
Iraqi Forces Performing Poorly? The New York Times reports Iraqi forces were "surprised and nearly overwhelmed by the ferocity of an obscure renegade militia in a weekend battle near the holy city of Najaf and needed far more help from American forces than previously disclosed, American and Iraqi officials said Monday." They "said American ground troops -- and not just air support as reported Sunday -- were mobilized to help the Iraqi soldiers." USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Washington Times also report on the battle. The Christian Science Monitor, in a story titled "Battle Suggests New Sectarian Divides In Iraq," says that "what precisely happened near the Shiite shrine city of Najaf Sunday is still being sorted out, but it seems likely that at its root was an unusual new wrinkle in Iraqi violence: a Shiite plan to attack Shiites."
At a field hearing on the slow pace of the recovery from Hurricane Katrina, Sens. Barack Obama, Joe Lieberman, and Mary Landrieu criticized the Bush Administration's handling of aid and reconstruction assistance. Democrats also reiterated their complaints about Bush failing to mention the disaster or New Orleans in his State of the Union. The New York Times, NBC Nightly News and Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets, run stories on the hearing. The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports following complaints from business leaders that "too many efforts to help the US disaster response were thwarted by red tape" after Hurricane Katrina, Business Executives for National Security, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advisory group representing disaster-related industries, has released "a plan for public-private disaster coordination."
Landrieu: Terror Attack "Preferable" Roll Call reports in its "Heard on the Hill" column that Sen. Landrieu "had some highly original things to say" at Monday's hearing. "'I often think we would have been better off if the terrorists had blown up our levees. Maybe we'd have gotten more attention,' Landrieu said, according to a report from the New Orleans station WWL-TV." Landrieu continued that there is a bias against her state in Washington, D.C., and that "Mississippi is actually the most corrupt state in the union."
The AP reports President Bush "said Monday he wasn't trying to disparage the party now running Congress by referring to it as the 'Democrat majority,' as opposed to the 'Democratic majority,' in his State of the Union speech." In an interview with National Public Radio, Bush said, "That was an oversight. ... I mean, I'm not trying to needle." But the Los Angeles Times says "experts of political locution say it's a deliberate, if ungrammatical, linguistic strategy," and the New York Times says the schedule distributed by the White House on Monday noted: "The president makes remarks to the House Democrat Conference." But "late yesterday," adds the Times, "a new version of the schedule was released. 'Democratic conference,' it said." The Washington Post reports White House press secretary Tony Snow "seemed peeved with reporters asking about the Bush mispronunciation at his morning press 'gaggle' yesterday, accusing the reporters of making 'three mountains out of a molehill' and suggesting that the press was not much interested when Democrats bashed Bush with language calling him a 'loser' or a 'liar.'"
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The AP reports that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) has recruited "veteran New Hampshire Republican activist" Wayne Semprini to lead his campaign in the Granite State. Semprini had headed the state GOP until his retirement from that post this past weekend. In Washington, the Capitol Hill publication Roll Call reports that "superlobbyist" Dirk Van Dongen has signed on to serve as Giuliani's DC finance chairman, "and allies of the former New York mayor say the move is only a preview of the high-profile, inside-the-Beltway support he is building." Van Dongen, who "is a top Republican fundraiser with close ties to President Bush, represents a big catch for Giuliani among the president's top money men - the group of 'Rangers and Pioneers' who helped pour millions into his two White House campaigns." Elsewhere, the AP reports that Rick Wiley, the executive director of the Wisconsin GOP, is leaving his post to work for Rudy's nascent campaign.
The AP reports that former Arkansas Gov, Mike Huckabee (R) yesterday filed with the Federal Elections Committee to form a presidential exploratory committee, "dismissing concerns that he faces a long-shot campaign against a field of well-funded Republican challengers." Huckabee said he made the move now in order to begin courting activists in key early states, saying, "Quite frankly, many of them were reluctant to make a commitment to me if I weren't ready to make a commitment to the race. With all those things whirling about, it made sense." CQ Politics adds that for Huckabee to "gain traction," he will "first galvanize support on the right, as his socially conservative views are likely to give some moderates pause. He has been an outspoken supporter of teaching creationism and is opposed to abortion even in cases of rape and incest." However, indications are that Huckabee may face flak from another wing of the GOP. A fiscal conservative group, the Club For Growth, yesterday released an "uncomplimentary" study that "identified several tax increases the governor signed into law, including one on nursing home patients; said state spending had increased more than 65 percent between 1996 and 2004; and said Huckabee 'consistently supported and initiated measures that increase government's interference in markets.'"
The AP reports the "online world discovered that" Sen. Hillary Clinton "had a hard time with a tough tune" when someone posted a video of the former First Lady singing an "off-key" rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during a campaign event in Iowa on Sunday. The AP adds that, as of yesterday morning, "the 1-minute, 8-second clip had been viewed more than 660,000 times, making it the top-viewed video for the day at that point."
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Playing on your home field does apparently have its advantages. A Siena College poll out yesterday shows Sen. Hillary Clinton easily leading the Democratic field in New York with 58%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama, 11%, and John Edwards, 9%. On the GOP side, Rudy Giuliani leads with 47%, followed by Sen. John McCain, 20%, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, 9%.
Rhode Island Poll Shows Clinton On Top Among Democrats A second poll out today shows Clinton leading the Democratic field in another "blue" state. The Providence Journal reports that a Brown University poll of Rhode Island voters shows 33% favor the former First Lady, while 15% back Obama and 8% back Edwards. However, 36% of Democrats remain undecided in the primary. The poll also shows Clinton holding double-digit leads over top Republicans in the very Democratic state.
The Wall Street Journal reports in a front page story that because he "doesn't hold federal office," former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney "became subject to the federal rules only after he set up a presidential exploratory committee earlier this month." Prior to that time, "his team took advantage of a little-noticed gap between federal and state law. While most states limit political donations, about a dozen don't. Mr. Romney's political team set up fund-raising committees in three of those: Michigan, Iowa and Alabama. During that time, his political action committees raised $7 million." The result: Romney "was able to hit the ground running."
The Boston Herald reports this morning that "pitching ace" Curt Schilling "sounded an awful lot like a politician yesterday" when he endorsed Sen. John McCain's presidential bid. In a radio interview, Schilling downplayed the possibility of a run against Kerry, but said that he has considered politics as his next career after he leaves baseball. State GOP executive director Brian Dodge said, "Of course, we'd love to see Curt Schilling run for Senate. ... He's a proven winner, he's very well-liked in Massachusetts and he clearly has an interest in politics."
The Hill reports that comedian and political commentator Al Franken (D) "will leave liberal talk radio station Air America in two weeks, he announced yesterday on his show," paving the way for him to explore a bid against Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman (R) in 2008.
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Jay Leno: "We have a special announcement for people watching at home. All 400 people in our audience tonight have announced they're running for President of the United States."
Jay Leno: "Well, of course, the knock against Hillary Clinton running is that she's smart but not electable. That's what the critics say -- smart but not electable. As experts call it, a Democrat."
Jay Leno: "Well, John Edwards, who is running for president, being criticized now because the new house he just moved into is, like, the biggest house in North Carolina. It's 28,000 square feet, 102 acres. Is that unbelievable? You know, Edwards became famous for talking about the two Americas. Now both of them actually fit in his backyard."
Conan O'Brien: "Iran is getting involved in Iraq. Officials in Iran say they're planning to open a branch of the Iranian national bank in Baghdad. That's right. Anyone who opens a new account at the Baghdad branch will receive 72 virgins and a toaster."
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