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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
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Newspaper accounts this morning are suggesting that in the end there will not be an up-or-down vote on the much talked about Senate anti-"surge" resolution. Instead, Republicans are expected to be able to block consideration of the bipartisan Warner bill. The Financial Times says the Senate will launch its debate today, but "several senators from both parties on Sunday warned it was unlikely to win the 60 votes needed for approval." The Christian Science Monitor, under the headline "In Senate, Passage Of Iraq Resolution Uncertain," reaches a similar conclusion, while USA Today reports Republicans "are threatening to use the filibuster...to prevent a vote," adding that "may be the only way for Bush supporters to prevent a bipartisan vote of no confidence." The Los Angeles Times says that regardless of the final outcome, the "immense symbolism of what may be the first formal rebuke of Bush's war strategy has produced the most passionate war debate on Capitol Hill since the invasion of Iraq nearly four years ago."
GOP senators John McCain and Chuck Hagel, leaders for and against President Bush's Iraq strategy, squared off yesterday on the Sunday shows. On ABC's This Week, McCain said approval of one of the critical resolutions would be "a vote of no confidence in both the mission and the troops who are going over there." Also on ABC's This Week Hagel took exception to McCain's statement, saying, "What this resolution is about is, first, disagreeing with the President's position on increasing our military involvement in Iraq." The AP and Washington Times, among other print sources, note the comments by McCain and Hagel, both of whom may end up running for president in 2008. The Washington Post and Christian Science Monitor, meanwhile, note Iraq's strong impact at least so far on the 2008 presidential campaign.
USA Today runs an op-ed by GOP Sen. John Kyl in which he makes the case for Bush's plan, while Roll Call reports that in the upcoming debate, Sen. Joe Lieberman "will demonstrate once again to his Democratic colleagues that he is his own man. And while the Democratic leadership has made clear that Lieberman should be treated just as any other Caucus member, they cannot completely extinguish skepticism in their ranks about his long-term party loyalty." Democrats "privately acknowledged they are still worried that as an Independent free from party peer pressure, Lieberman may cost them precious votes or even go so far as to join the GOP Senate minority." Also this morning, USA Today, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News and Washington Times weigh in on Iraq and the Senate debate.
The Washington Post reports President Bush submits his budget to Congress today, projecting "the federal deficit falling in each of the next four years and would produce a $61 billion surplus in 2012, administration officials said. But to get there, Bush is counting on strong economic growth, diminishing costs in the Iraq war and tight domestic spending to offset the cost of his tax cuts." The Washington Times says that to balance the budget, Bush "would allow only modest growth in the government programs outside of defense and homeland security. He is proposing eliminations or sharp reductions in 141 government programs, for a savings over five years of $12 billion, although Congress has rejected many of the same proposals over the past two years." USA Today, meanwhile, notes Bush will present his budget "amid a charm offensive intended to woo Democrats. His speech Saturday at a House Democratic retreat was the latest effort to reach out to opposing party members, who felt widely ignored during six years of GOP dominance. It was his first visit to the annual retreat since 2001."
The proposed defense spending boost will be a large one: the Los Angeles Times says the White House is "expected to ask for a defense budget of $481 billion -- near historic highs, even when adjusted for inflation." It will also ask for "additional funding for Iraq and Afghanistan, taking the cost of those conflicts this year to close to $165 billion, and will present estimates for next year's costs that will push war spending above the total cost of Vietnam." Another budget item Bush would increase is national parks. USA Today reports, "National parks would be a big winner under...Bush's 2008 budget, and a plan to match up to $100 million annually in private donations could guarantee increases for a decade. Bush's budget, being unveiled today, would give the National Park Service $2.4 billion next year, administration officials told USA TODAY." That "includes a $258 million increase for daily operations, up 14.5%."
In addition, the Wall Street Journal reports Bush is "embracing a new cause he is hoping will cross party lines and leave him with an end-of-term accomplishment: easing rush-hour traffic." In his budget, Bush "intends to showcase a highway 'congestion initiative,' according to White House documents, with grants for state and local governments to experiment with anti-jam strategies." The "centerpiece of the traffic plan involves an initiative that some critics say amounts to a tax, a plan depicted by administration officials as 'congestion pricing.'" A second Wall Street Journal story addresses the fact that since he became president, Bush has "boosted annual defense spending by 50%...and doubled spending on homeland security. At the same time, he's cut taxes, expanded Medicare to cover prescription drugs, approved $100 billion to clean up after Gulf Coast hurricanes, and signed bills that spend a little more each year on domestic programs." Yet the economy, adds the Journal, remains strong. No one "knows when this bonanza might end, although end it must. ... For now, the budget the president will offer today essentially counts on continued good luck."
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ABC World News reported last night a senior US military officer on Sunday told reporters "the operation to secure Baghdad" is close to getting underway, and it will be "unlike anything the city has seen." The Washington Times also reports, "Briefing a small group of foreign reporters, three American colonels who are senior advisers to the Iraqi army and police in Baghdad said a command center overseeing the crackdown in the capital would be activated today." The Christian Science Monitor notes "US military officials cautioned patience despite the deployment of an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq. '[That] will not turn the security situation overnight,' Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said in Baghdad."
Meanwhile, the New York Times says "a growing number of Iraqis blamed the United States on Sunday for creating conditions that led to the worst single suicide bombing in the war, which devastated a Shiite market in Baghdad the day before." They "argued that the Americans had been slow in completing the vaunted new American security plan, making Shiite neighborhoods much more vulnerable to such horrific attacks."
Newsweek's Mark Hosenball writes this week that the White House has "ratcheted up rhetorical attacks, suggesting that Iranian government elements were supplying Iraqi Shia insurgents with deadly weapons technology." But the "idea that Iran plays a key role in fomenting violence inside Iraq took a knock last week with the publication, by the U.S. intelligence czar's office, of a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq. The NIE, representing the consensus view of all 16 U.S. intel agencies, says that because sectarian antagonisms among Iraqis themselves are so intense and 'self-sustaining,' Iranian or Syrian involvement is 'not likely to be a major driver of violence.'"
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports this morning House Government Reform and Oversight Chairman Henry Waxman "will unleash four days of hearings this week aimed at exposing an array of 'waste, fraud and abuse' in government." On Tuesday, Waxman will dig "into the Bush administration's program to rebuild war-torn Iraq. Scheduled first is former Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, who oversaw the early reconstruction effort." Waxman plans to ask Bremer "about allegations that the reconstruction agency he ran 'filled positions with unqualified staff who were politically connected.'" The "oversight panel also is set to focus on private contractors hired to provide supplies for the U. military effort in Iraq, especially subcontractors working for Halliburton." The Politico, a Washington, DC, insider publication, interviewed Bremer, who said he "looks forward to committee members' questions." The Financial Times, meanwhile, says "executives from government contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, including KBR and Compass of the UK, face a rocky ride" in the hearings. Waxman "is likely to focus his line of inquiry on allegations that Halliburton wrongly entered into a subcontracting arrangement with ESS, a division of Compass that ran a dining facility in Iraq, which in turn used Blackwater to provide it with security services."
In his Washington Post "Media Notes" column, Howard Kurtz writes, "These days, many in the media seem to be writing off President Bush." Are "pundits giving us the unvarnished truth, that we are witnessing the historic collapse of a presidency?" But "professional resentment may still be behind some of the increasingly negative coverage," stemming from "Iraq, where the media fell down on the WMD debate," and "to Bush's 2000 campaign persona as a compassionate conservative." Many journalists "now believe they were led astray," and "that has given an extra edge to their stories and columns."
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Democratic presidential hopefuls addressed the Democratic National Committee winter meeting over the weekend, and Iraq was the main topic, NBC Nightly News reported. The New York Times said the contenders, "to shouts and cheers from thousands of Democrats," condemned the war but differed "over how to end it." Sen. Hillary Clinton, who voted to authorize the war, was heckled when she spoke, and she also "faced strong opposition from the left in the form of" John Edwards, "who said that his former colleagues should not support the nonbinding resolution next week and should instead vote for measures to cut off funds for the war." The Hill also says Edwards "continued to move to the left of his leading presidential rivals" with his remarks. But it was Clinton who drew the attention of the Washington Times, which ran a Saturday front-page headline reading, "Hillary Vows To End War." During her speech, as Newsday reported, Clinton said, "If we in Congress don't end this war before January 2009, as president, I will."
The Washington Times said Sunday that "candidates whom many consider underdogs" spoke Saturday. The Albuquerque Tribune says New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told Democrats Congress "should repeal the authorization for the Iraq War and 'bring our troops home by the end of this year.'" The Des Moines Register reports Tom Vilsack "painted himself as an outsider and a truth-teller before members" of the DNC, "calling for an immediate end to financing of the war in Iraq."
The Washington Post wrote that despite a seven-minute time limit on the speeches, Edwards spoke for 17 minutes and 40 seconds, Clinton for 16 minutes and 12 seconds, and Obama for 15 minutes and 30 seconds. Sen. Christopher Dodd and Rep. Dennis Kucinich also spoke Friday; Dodd took 20 minutes and 15 seconds for his speech, which Kucinich finished after 12 minutes and 38 seconds, "but this was probably because the audience treated his appearance as a chance to start conversations or to visit the restrooms."
Biden Expresses "Regret" At Democratic Meeting The AP reported Sen. Joseph Biden tried to "stem the damage from the botched launch of his presidential campaign." Addressing the Democratic National Committee winter meeting, Biden "got right to the matter that has threatened his candidacy before it even gets off the ground," saying of his comments on Sen. Barack Obama and past black presidential candidates, "I want to say that I truly regret that the words I spoke offended people that I admire very much."
An American Research Group poll of 600 likely Iowa Democratic caucus voters, made up of 493 Democrats and 107 independents and conducted January 29-February 1, finds Sen. Hillary Clinton at 35%, John Edwards 18%, Sen. Barack Obama 14%, and Tom Vilsack 12%, with others trailing. A poll by the same organization of 600 likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters, made up of 408 Democrats and 192 independents and conducted January 31-February 1, finds Clinton at 39%, Obama 19%, and Edwards 13%, with others trailing.
Michigan Blacks Prefer Clinton To Obama The Detroit Free Press says a poll of 87 black Democrats (with a very high 10% margin of error) who plan to participate in the party's primary or caucus next year finds they "prefer Clinton over Obama, 59% to 23%."
An American Research Group of 600 likely Iowa Republican caucus voters, made up of 509 Republicans and 91 independents and conducted January 29-February 1, finds Rudy Giuliani at 27%, Sen. John McCain 22%, Newt Gingrich 16%, and Mitt Romney 11%, with others trailing. A poll by the same organization of 600 likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters (+/- 4%), made up of 427 Republicans and 173 independents and conducted January 31-February 1, finds McCain at 27%, Giuliani at Romney tied at 20% each, and Newt Gingrich 11%, with others trailing.
In South Carolina, a Whit Ayres poll of 500 likely Republican primary voters conducted January 24-28 finds McCain at 29%, Giuliani 20%, and Gingrich 14%, with others trailing. And in Michigan, a Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan poll on the Republican primary (+/- 8%) conducted last week finds Giuliani at 32%, McCain 28%, and Gingrich 16%, with others trailing.
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The New York Times reports Rudy Giuliani "appeared to move a step closer to announcing his presidential ambitions yesterday, saying after an appearance in South Carolina that 'there's a real good chance' he will run." The AP says Giuliani made the comment following a 30-minute speech and question-and-answer session with South Carolina GOP leaders.
The Washington Post writes that "power couple" Beth and Ron Dozoretz, "longtime heavyweights in national Democratic money circles" and "close friends" of the Clintons, hosted a fundraiser for New Mexico Governor and potential 2008 Democratic primary rival Bill Richardson Friday. Some suggest the couple "has indicated privately that they will be with Richardson." Meanwhile, Richardson told the New York Times Magazine, "I want to be president. If I don't win the presidency, I am not interested in the vice presidency or in being secretary of state."
In his syndicated column, Robert Novak writes that while Sen. Hillary Clinton's "presidential stock is rising among her congressional colleagues in Washington, prominent liberal Democrats in her home base of New York City privately express the opinion that she has unsolved political problems" like high negative poll numbers. Novak says her "performance in Iowa last week received poor reviews from liberals at home."
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The Hartford Courant reported that Sen. Joe Lieberman put the damper on "speculation he might join Republican Sen. John McCain on a fusion ticket" in 2008, saying, "No, that's not going to happen. My days of seeking national office are over."
The AP reports Ralph Nader "is not ready to close the door on another presidential run." Appearing on CNN's Late Edition, he said, " It's really too early to say. I don't like long campaigns. But I'm committed to trying to give more voices and choices to the American people on the ballot. ... I'll consider it later in the year." The New York Daily News says Nader called Sen. Hillary Clinton "a 'panderer and a flatterer'" and said he would "be sorely tempted to mount his own 2008 presidential campaign if she wins the Democratic nod."
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Jay Leno: "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is predicting the Indianapolis Colts will win the Super Bowl. But not to devalue her opinion, she also predicted the war in Iraq would not go into overtime, okay?"
Jay Leno: "Earlier today, President Bush spoke at the 55th annual National Prayer Breakfast. President Bush said that he has prayed every single day since he took office. Hey, you're not the only one. Join the club!"
Jay Leno: "Today was Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil was spotted. In fact, as he was coming out of his hole, he ran into Joe Biden digging a hole."
Jay Leno: "Hillary Clinton saw her shadow. Turns out it was Barack Obama climbing up in the polls."
Conan O'Brien: "Seems like half the country, now, is running for president. Yeah, everybody keeps throwing their hat in the ring. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack's staff is handing out boxes of popcorn to promote his presidential campaign. It's his gimmick, yeah. Vilsack says that when people go into the voting booth, they should ask themselves one question: 'Which candidate gave me the most popcorn?'"
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