Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Senators Join Forces On Iraq Resolution

The AP reports Sens. Carl Levin and John Warner, the Chairman and ranking Republican, respectively, of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, have "joined forces...agreeing on a nonbinding resolution that would oppose the plan and potentially embarrass the White House." Warner and Levin "had been sponsoring competing measures opposing Bush's strategy of sending 21,500 more US troops to the war zone, with Warner's less harshly worded version attracting more Republican interest." The new resolution "would vow to protect funding for troops while keeping Warner's original language expressing the Senate's opposition to the buildup." The Washington Post also notes in a front page story that the resolution "does not include the Democratic language saying the Bush plan is against the national interest, but it also drops an earlier provision by Warner suggesting Senate support for some additional troops."

The Los Angeles Times, in a story titled "Senate Closer To Rebuke For Troop Increase," reports Majority Leader Harry Reid "said there was 'near unanimity' among Democrats" on backing the new measure, and "acknowledged that an alternative resolution sponsored by Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)...could not garner the GOP support to reach the 60 votes needed to overcome a promised Republican filibuster." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also last night, indicated the House would move toward passage of a resolution based on the Warner compromise language.

The Politico this morning focuses on the growing acrimony within GOP ranks over the Iraq debate. House and Senate Republicans "with reservations about...Bush's plan...are complaining of harsh criticism from their GOP colleagues. This intra-party squabbling, in some cases, has seen Republicans accusing fellow Republicans of undercutting the American effort in Iraq, a charge previously reserved for Democrats." These lawmakers, "several of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from party leaders or the White House, are stunned by the hostility expressed by fellow Republicans." The New York Times says that even Warner, "a lawmaker often admired for his demeanor and experience," has "attracted unusually tough criticism from fellow Republicans who have suggested that he -- a World War II veteran and former Navy secretary -- is undercutting Mr. Bush, the new military command being installed in Iraq and the troops themselves." As the Virginia senator "fights to stay relevant in the Iraq debate, he has fewer tools at his disposal even as he considers whether to run for re-election next year."

DeMint Derides "Resolution Of Defeat" The Washington Times reports, "Senate Republicans yesterday said those in Congress who have turned against the war in Iraq are forsaking the troops on the ground and are ensuring defeat with a resolution condemning...Bush's plan to send in reinforcements." Sen. Jim DeMint said, "This resolution is a resolution of defeat and disgrace."

Bush Unsurprised By Dissent In Congress. Fox's Neil Cavuto interviewed President Bush yesterday. Asked if he felt his partisans in Congress had abandoned him in a time of difficulty, Bush said, "I don't feel abandoned. And that's -- I mean, what do you expect? When times are good, you know, there's millions of authors of the plan. When times are bad, there's one author. And that would be me."

War Critics Would Pay Iraqi Reparations. The Hill reports Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee of California, co-chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus, "is vowing to use the appropriations process to force lawmakers to vote on separate parts of a resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of US soldiers from Iraq. The resolution would pay Iraqis reparations of up to $10,000 for damages caused by the war if they made claims; ban American firms from pumping oil in Iraq; cut off funds to build long-term bases in Iraq; pay for the destruction of landmines; and create a House-Senate select committee to study the origins of the war in Iraq."

A "Populist" Bush Touts Economy

President Bush addressed Wall Street executives yesterday, delivering what he termed a "State of the Economy" address. The President touted the economy's health and made the case for his domestic agenda, but his comments on CEO compensation and "income inequality" are getting the most attention this morning. ABC World News, Bush was shown saying, "The salaries and bonuses of CEOs should be based on success and improving their companies and bringing value to their shareholders. We need to pay attention to the executive compensation packages that you approve." Bush, "for the first time," also "acknowledged that not everyone has shared equally in the recent economic prosperity." Bush said, "The fact is that income inequality is real. It's been rising for more than 25 years. And the question is, whether we respond to the income inequality we see with policies that help lift people up, or tear others down."

The Washington Times describes Bush's message as "markedly populist," while the Washington Post reports Democrats "said Bush's speech is a reaction to the success of their agenda and to growing anger among voters who feel they are being left behind. 'They recognize the unhappiness voters have with inequity in this country,' said Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee." Bush aides, says the Post, "did not deny that Bush was seeking to address Democratic concerns, but they said income inequality has been on the minds of senior administration officials such as Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr., who mentioned the subject in his first major address last spring, and chief economic adviser Edward Lazear."

The New York Times reports Bush's comments on CEO pay "were met with silence from an otherwise friendly crowd," but the Los Angeles Times, in a story titled "Bush Sides With Corporations On Executive Pay Issue," says Bush argued "corporate directors, not government officials, should be the ones to judge whether chief executives are earning their keep." The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, in a story headlined "Bush Gives Hope To Foes Of Sarbanes-Oxley Law," says that that in his speech, Bush "backed business demands to pare post-Enron reforms, which he called 'costly for businesses.'"

NBC Nightly News notes that after the speech, Bush was "greeted by spontaneous applause on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. A photo op meant to emphasize an economy, which he says is stronger than he gets credit for." USA Today also describes the scene, saying that the President's "appearance on the crowded trading floor sparked a frenzy."

Bush, eager to take control of the nation's agenda and focus it on the economy, also granted interviews to Fox Your World With Neil Cavuto and the Wall Street Journal editorial board. On Cavuto, he commented on "Democratic claims" that tax hikes on "the upper income" were justified by excessive CEO pay packages, Bush said, "That's the old saw, you know, raise the taxes on the rich. And, when you try to raise taxes on the rich, you also raise taxes on small business owners, sole-proprietorships, Subchapter S corporations. You know, it turns out that these tax increases are going to have to reach fairly far down the income level to meet the spending appetite of the Democrats." The Wall Street Journal, recounting its interview with the President, says this morning that "if Mr. Bush is beaten down by the polls and his party's loss of Congress, he isn't showing it. The President "talked about a wide range of subjects," but his "biggest theme was pushing back against what he feared might be a national lurch away from engagement with the world."

Positive Economic News Bush's focus on the economy came on a good day. As the New York Times reports, Bush "may be buffeted by bad news out of Iraq and record-low poll ratings, but he was buoyed yesterday by positive economic signals." As the CBS Evening News reported, "the US is economy is picking up after growing just 2% in the third quarter of last year. It gained strength in the final quarter, growing 3.5%." The AP says the data "underscored the resilience of the economy; it has managed to keep on moving despite the ill effects of the residential real-estate bust and an ailing automotive sector." Likewise, the Washington Post says the report dispelled "any lingering doubts about the momentum of the economy going into this year." The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Times and Los Angeles Times among other newspapers, run similar reports.

Another AP story, meanwhile notes the Federal Reserve "held interest rates steady on Wednesday and extended a half-year breather for US borrowers." Fed policymakers also "delivered a more positive assessment of the economy than in December, recognizing improvements in economic growth, inflation and even the troubled housing sector. 'Overall, the economy seems likely to expand at a moderate pace over coming quarters,' they said." USA Today, Financial Times, New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal run similar reports. In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal also says the latest reports were "merely the most recent repudiation of the media and Beltway bears who have predicted a recession in each of the past four years."

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Wag-The-Dog Iran Attack Worries Democrats

The US News Political Bulletin has learned Democrats on Capitol Hill are increasingly concerned that President Bush will order air strikes against targets in Iran in the next few months or even weeks. They cite as evidence the tough warnings from senior Administration officials, including the Commander in Chief, that Iranian help for insurgents in Iraq is leading to the deaths of US troops and Iraqi civilians. Democratic insiders tell the Political Bulletin that they suspect Bush will order the bombing of Iranian supply routes, camps, training facilities, and other sites that Administration officials say contribute to American losses in Iraq. Under this scenario, Bush would not invade Iran with ground forces or zero in on Iranian nuclear facilities. But under the limited-bombing scenario, Bush could ask for a congressional vote of support, Democratic insiders predict, which many Democrats would feel obliged to endorse or risk looking like they weren't supportive of the troops. Bombing Iran would also take attention away from the troubled situation in Iraq and cause a rally-round-the-president reaction among Americans, at least for a while. But Democrats add that an attack on Iran would probably be condemned around the world and would precipitate an Iranian response that could dramatically worsen Mideast turmoil and have unforeseen consequences that could be extremely damaging to the United States.

Sanchez Angrily Quits Hispanic Caucus

The Politico reports Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez of California "has quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, accusing the chairman, Rep. Joe Baca, of telling people she's a 'whore.' Baca denied the charge." Sanchez said, "I'm not going to be a part of the CHC as long as Mr. Baca illegally holds the chair ... I told them no. There's a big rift here. You treat the women like shit. I have no use for him."

Pelosi Wants Military Plane Use

The Washington Times reports Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office "is pressing the Bush administration for routine access to military aircraft for domestic flights, such as trips back to her San Francisco district." Sources say Pelosi is "seeking regular military flights not only for herself and her staff, but also for relatives and for other members of the California delegation. A knowledgeable source called the request 'carte blanche for an aircraft any time.'" Sources "said Mrs. Pelosi's request goes beyond what" former Speaker Dennis Hastert "received."

GOP Leaders Spurn "Cassandra" Luntz

The Washington Post runs Bob Novak's syndicated column, in which he says GOP pollster Frank Luntz "for the past decade has issued warnings to his fellow Republicans that they did not want to hear, but never has he been so out of touch with them as he is today." While Luntz "views 2006 election defeats as ominous portents, the party's congressional leaders see only transitory setbacks and now dwell on bashing Democrats." Like "those of Cassandra of ancient Troy, Luntz's prophecies of impending disaster have been both accurate and disregarded."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Biden: First Day Flameout

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden (D) certainly drew attention to his presidential campaign on its first official day although not the sort of notice he probably had hoped for. Biden is taking heavy fire today for comments made yesterday about several fellow Democratic Senators running for the presidency. The AP reports that Biden "spent his first day as an official presidential candidate regretting his description of Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama as 'clean,' and explaining why he had dissed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards." The AP adds that, in a New York Observer piece published yesterday, Biden "criticized" Sen. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards "for their proposals to end the Iraq war." Biden "also questioned the credentials of" Sen. Barack Obama, "while calling him 'a mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean.'" The New York Times leads its coverage of the Biden brouhaha with this line, "In an era of meticulous political choreography, the staging of the kickoff for this presidential candidacy could hardly have gone worse."

In a report titled "A Biden Problem: Foot in Mouth" on the website of ABC News, reporter Jake Tapper wrote, "Immediately the conservative media establishment -- Rush Limbaugh, the Drudge Report, bloggers -- publicly pounced." Tapper later added, "But it wasn't just conservatives. 'When I heard his comments I thought Joe Biden was referring to a bygone era,' said Donna Brazile, the former campaign manager for Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign and a prominent African-American political consultant. 'Years ago when white folks referred to black people with education they often used words like articulate. To suggest they were different, they were acceptable. That they were OK as compared to rest of African-Americans. So I think it came across that Joe Biden was referring to Sen. Obama as if he was a candidate running in the 1960s, not in the 21st century.'" National political correspondent Gloria Borger reported on the CBS Evening News, "This morning, the Senator used the Internet to introduce his presidential campaign the way he really wanted to. But tonight his campaign is doing damage control. But within hours, this audiotape of an interview he gave to the New York Observer talking about Barack Obama was all over the web."

The Washington Times relates that Biden "told the Observer interviewer that" Sen. Clinton's "plan for Iraq is 'a serious mistake.'" And that Biden "jabbed at former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina: 'I don't think John Edwards knows what the heck he is talking about.'"

In a damage control appearance last night on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart", host Jon Stewart asked Biden to comment on his quote from the Observer article in which Biden said of Obama, "I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook man." Biden: "Well, let me tell you something, I spoke to Barack today --" Stewart: "I bet you did!" Biden: "I also spoke to Jesse and Al Sharpton and -- and I also --" Stewart: "And Michael Jordan and anybody you could get your hands on! The Jackson Five. Who else?!" Biden went on to say "the word that got me in trouble is using the word 'clean.' I should have said fresh. What I meant is he's got new ideas."

Senator's Comments Said To Recall Past Gaffes The Washington Post, in an article titled "Biden Stumbles at the Starting Gate," reports, "With his remarks about Obama, Biden began his second campaign for the White House much as the first one ended, arguing that his public comments were being misinterpreted. He quit the 1988 campaign after being captured on videotape adopting the rhetoric and in some cases the life story of British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock." In a report on NBC Nightly News, senior White House correspondent David Gregory related, "Biden, who admits he has a tendency to bloviate, has made indelicate remarks before. Last year speaking about Indian Americans." Sen. Joseph Biden: "You cannot go to a Seven Eleven or Dunkin' Doughnuts unless you have an Indian accident." Gregory: "Biden's first presidential run 20 years ago was undone after evidence emerged that he plagiarized a speech from a British politician, Neil Kinnock."

Biden's comments provoke a sharp jab from a prominent African-American Democrat. McClatchy Newspapers reports Rep. Charles Rangel (D) "chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, dismissed Biden's comment -- and candidacy -- with a thinly veiled slap at his forced withdrawal from his last presidential campaign. 'I didn't even know he was a candidate, so I don't see how he could have hurt himself,' Rangel deadpanned. 'It probably was something someone else said and he picked it up and used it himself,' he said, adding with emphasis, 'by mistake.'"

Prominent media pundits also piled on to Biden last night. On MSNBC's Hardball, Jay Carney of Time said, "We all knew that this would happen to Joe Biden in his presidential campaign. It is a little shocking that it happened on the first day." Also on Hardball, Anne Kornblut of the Washington Post said, "This is classic Joe Biden. ... He tends toward the hyperbolic often in his speech, and he talks and talks and talks."

Pataki All But Out Of The Presidential Race

Meanwhile, another presidential long shot campaign also looks to be in trouble. Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) has released "key Granite State Republicans and several of his own committed activists" to back someone else if they like, John DiStaso reports in the New Hampshire Union Leader today. One supporter who attended a dinner with Pataki and other New Hampshire backers said, "He never came out and said, 'I'm not running for President,' but everybody basically saw the handwriting on the wall, which is he's out. When you tell your activists it's OK to go support other candidates, the handwriting is on the wall." The Nashua Telegraph reports that a Pataki spokesman said he is suspending active campaigning because Pataki "wants his focus to be on issues, and not on campaigning." However, the Telegraph adds that a source close to the campaign "said Pataki did not rule out re-entering the campaign later this year, particularly if Giuliani ultimately opts not to run in 2008 or stumbles badly."

The New York Sun reports, "To many, Mr. Pataki's failure to propel himself into what is already a heated national campaign for the Republican nomination is a clear indication that his presidential ambitions are over. Although he has long harbored the aim of leveraging his time at Albany into a run for the White House, he has singularly failed to gain traction in a race that, although still more than a year away, is in full swing."

Franken To Challenge Coleman.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that comedian and liberal radio talk show host Al Franken (D) "has begun calling Democratic members of Congress" and "prominent" members of the Minnesota Democratic Party "to tell them he will definitely challenge Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008, the Star Tribune learned Wednesday." The AP reports that "in a statement, Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Ron Carey said he was confident Minnesotans 'will reject Franken's divisive, scorched-earth attacks.' The state Democratic Party declined to comment."

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "Did you hear about this? Oh, God. Joe Biden, on the day of announcing his candidacy for President of the United States, he called Barack Obama 'the first mainstream African-American who is articulate...bright and clean.' I think we've seen the shortest presidential campaign in history, ladies and gentlemen."

Jay Leno: "No word yet on when Biden will admit himself into rehab."

Conan O'Brien: "Earlier today on Wall Street, President Bush visited the New York Stock Exchange. That's right, yeah. Yeah, there was an awkward moment when President Bush asked, 'When do I get to meet Dow Jones?'"

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