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Friday, May 9, 2008
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As the House debate on a non-binding resolution against the President's Iraq strategy gets underway, House Democratic leaders are making it clear the anti-surge vote (expected Friday) is only the beginning. USA Today notes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday, "A vote of disapproval will set the stage for additional Iraq legislation, which will be coming to the House floor." Pelosi offered no explanation of what that legislation might be, and media accounts in several major news outlets including all three network newscasts didn't delve into the issue.
But this morning, the DC-insider publication The Politico offers an outline of the Democratic strategy. "Top House Democrats," it reports, "working in concert with anti-war groups, have decided against using congressional power to force a quick end to US involvement in Iraq, and instead will pursue a slow-bleed strategy designed to gradually limit the administration's options." Led by Rep. John P. Murtha and "supported by several well-funded anti-war groups, the coalition's goal is to limit or sharply reduce the number of US troops available for the Iraq conflict, rather than to openly cut off funding for the war itself." The legislative strategy "will be supplemented by a multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign designed to pressure vulnerable GOP incumbents into breaking with...Bush." The one unknown factor on the planners' mind as they get ready to implement their strategy: "Why many Democrats have remained timid in challenging Bush, even as public support for the president and his Iraq policies have plunged." Perhaps, as the AP reports, "many rank-and-file" Democrats, "particularly moderate newcomers who rode to Congress on a wave of public discontent about Iraq -- are wary of casting any vote that could be construed as ending funding for the mission."
The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times offer their own interpretations of what Pelosi meant yesterday. The Post sees her words as a warning about funding, reporting "both sides of the debate agreed that the real fight will come next month, when Democrats move to attach binding language to a $100 billion war spending bill that would limit future deployments to Iraq and begin to bring troops home." The Times, under the headline "House debate: Prelude to a faceoff?," says "many Democrats...made clear that they wanted to follow the resolution vote with binding steps to force the Pentagon to begin withdrawing the more than 135,000 US forces now in Iraq."
As things stand right now, media reports (including reports on the AP, ABC World News and The CBS Evening News) estimate that between 12 and 24 Republicans could support the Democratic sense-of-the-House resolution as opposed to the 30 to 60 GOP votes some were forecasting earlier in the week. Meanwhile, says the AP, Democratic leaders "said they expected no more than one or two members of their rank-and-file to oppose the resolution. Following the House vote, says the Chicago Tribune, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "plans to call the House resolution for a vote in his chamber Feb. 27."
At this point, there appears to be little Republicans can do to derail the House resolution. However, statements by key Republicans yesterday offered a preview of what their strategy may be in coming days. The Los Angeles Times notes GOP Rep. Sam Johnson, "a Vietnam veteran who 34 years ago Monday was released after seven years in a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp -- called the Democratic resolution a 'first step for them to cut funding for our troops in harm's way.'" And Minority Leader John Boehner told reporters, "We know what al Qaeda thinks when America retreats from the battlefield. ... They think we can't stomach a fight. This is why they haven't been afraid to strike us whenever they've had the opportunity." The New York Times reports, "On its face, several Republicans conceded, the resolution was difficult to oppose." That is why "many Republicans who spoke on Tuesday appeared to heed that message, framing the war as an important battleground in a global struggle against militant Islam."
Meanwhile, McClatchy reports that although "the White House dispatched national security adviser Stephen Hadley to advise any lawmakers who wanted to listen," lawmakers "said neither Republican congressional leaders nor the White House was twisting arms." The Washington Post notes that "while the House of Representatives debated weighty matters of war and peace yesterday, President Bush headed to the YMCA." He "is publicly ignoring the" House "clash -- a display that is part strategy and part concession to reality."
The Post adds, "By not engaging in the debate, Bush sends the signal that it does not matter to him what Congress says in a nonbinding resolution, hoping to minimize the impact of what the White House considers the inevitable outcome. And according to strategists in both parties, he has limited influence on Capitol Hill at this point, even among fellow Republicans."
Soldiers Angry At Democrats? ABC World News last night asked a couple of US Army sergeants stationed in Ramadi, Iraq, "what they thought of the resolution." First Sgt. Louis Barnum, US Army: "Makes me sick. I was born and raised a Democrat. When I see that, it makes me sad." Sgt. Brian Orechowski, US Army: "I don't want to bad mouth the President at all. To me, it is treason."
The agreement with North Korea, which some would argue is an important victory for the Bush Administration, has been received less than enthusiastically both by conservatives and congressional Democrats. The deal is coming under fire from "both sides of the political spectrum," says the New York Times, as "hardliners argued that the United States should have held out until North Korea agreed to fully declare and dismantle its entire nuclear program," while Democrats "argued that the deal was no better than one they said the United States could have gotten four years ago." Regardless, the Times say the deal "represented a bureaucratic victory for [Secretary] Rice, who has pushed for a more diplomatic approach with North Korea than more hawkish administration officials would have liked. In the end, it was Ms. Rice who convinced President Bush to sign onto the pact, administration officials said." The Washington Post says the deal "came under attack yesterday, with conservatives labeling it a betrayal and Democrats charging that Bush allowed North Korea to become a nuclear-weapon state without gaining much improvement over a Clinton-era deal that collapsed during Bush's first term." Similarly, the Los Angeles Times notes the "outrage from conservative allies of the administration" and the reaction of "former Clinton administration officials" who questioned why it took Bush so long, while the Washington Times runs a similar piece.
Moreover, media analyses are portraying Bush's "weakened" political position as the true reason for the deal implicitly agreeing with some of the Democratic critics of the agreement. In its analysis this morning, the Financial Times says the deal may be "a partial capitulation by a weakened administration...badly in need of a diplomatic breakthrough to set against his Middle East troubles." On its front page, the New York Times reports that for Bush, "bogged down in Iraq, his authority undercut by the November elections, any chance to show progress in peacefully disarming a country that detonated a nuclear test just four months ago could no longer be passed up." The Chicago Tribune refers to "a rare foreign policy victory at a time when the US faces severe difficulties in Iraq and elsewhere." McClatchy says the deal reflects "a changed power balance within the Bush administration, with Rice at the forefront and Vice President Dick Cheney's influence diminished, at least on this issue and for now."
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The AP reports the Senate is "poised to send President Bush a huge spending bill that strikes a balance between Democrats controlling Congress and Republicans whose budget work stalled last year." The "catchall $464 billion measure would fund 13 Cabinet agencies covering foreign aid and every domestic agency save for the Homeland Security Department." A final vote "is slated for Wednesday after Democrats on Tuesday won a key vote to limit debate by a lopsided 71-26 margin." The Washington Times and Wall Street Journal run similar reports, while McClatchy says that when President Bush "sent Congress his 2008 budget last week, Democratic lawmakers accused him of using accounting gimmicks to appear fiscally responsible and intent on reducing the federal deficit." But it "turns out, the Democrats have some accounting tricks of their own. A massive spending bill to fund the government through September contains billions of dollars in savings that exist only on paper, but which free up real money to spend on discretionary programs Bush has sought to cut."
The US News Political Bulletin has learned that, emboldened with ideas aired at two private retreats, Senate Republicans as soon as Thursday are planning to release their 2007-2008 legislative agenda which they hope will help the 21 GOP senators up for reelection next year keep their seats. "It will be a document of what we stand for and why," a leadership aide tells the Political Bulletin. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his two deputies, Sens. Trent Lott and Jon Kyl, will join in a press conference to lay out their broad message, said the aide. "This is 30,000 feet in the air stuff, not a bunch of in the weeds specifics," he added. While the Republicans are trying to keep the agenda secret until Thursday, one insider tells the Political Bulletin it will propose broad health care benefits, a bid to make the Bush tax cuts permanent and a new energy plan. Several other issues will be included. The plan is based in part on what GOP senators brought up during two retreats. A source said that several believed that the 2006 losses were due in part to a lack of a positive agenda. In addition, all GOP senators were asked to fill out a survey to help prioritize the major issues. Another leadership aide said that the package "basically shows what we are for and to positively contrast us with the Democrats." Both aides said it is hoped that the agenda will aid members up for reelection, though the GOP believes that only about four of them are in real danger.
Despite all the media attention being paid to the nonbinding resolution in the House on the president's plan to increase the number of troops in Iraq, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said this morning that a great deal of work is underway on Gulf Coast issues. He said that "early next month" the House would address issues relating to Hurricane Katrina, and he mentioned that small business and financial services committees could take up related legislation in the House. He didn't rule out using the supplemental budget request as a vehicle to increase funding for the Gulf Coast. "That is a possibility," he said. Or, he said, "we could have legislation...out of committee." Hoyer mentioned legislation involving housing waivers and small business issues. "This is a high priority for Democrats," Hoyer said.
NBC Nightly News reported last night that neither Vice President Cheney nor his former chief of staff Scooter Libby will testify at the latter's trial." The AP says that the decision not to call Libby or Cheney "spares the defense team two dangerous bouts with cross-examination. But it also forces Libby to look elsewhere for someone to make the memory defense for him." John Hannah, "who served as Libby's deputy and replaced him as Cheney's national security adviser, helped in that effort Tuesday. He described Libby as someone responsible for the nation's most sensitive intelligence but whose memory was notoriously spotty." The Los Angeles Times reports Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald "got Hannah to admit that Libby was not too busy in the summer of 2003 to take time out to track the doings of Wilson. The defense decision not to call Libby appeared to harden feelings a bit with the prosecution team." In a front-page story, the Washington Post runs a similar report. Meanwhile, the New York Times notes Cheney's testimony, "which was much anticipated, would have set a precedent as the first appearance of a sitting vice president as a witness at a criminal trial."
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ABC World News reported that the congressional bribery scandal that led to the resignation and conviction of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham "expanded today with the indictment of a former top CIA official. Kyle Foggo who was the CIA's number three official until last May was charged with fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering." Foggo and Cunningham "were linked to a defense contractor," Brent Wilkes, "who was also indicted today." CNN noted the indictment alleges that Foggo "used his senior position at the CIA to steer contracts to Wilkes -- the deal shielded and the money laundered through shell companies and strawmen. In exchange, prosecutors say, Foggo benefited richly." The story is getting significant national attention, with the AP, San Diego Union-Tribune, USA Today, Roll Call, The Hill, Washington Times and Los Angeles Times all reporting the story this morning.
In a front-page story, the Washington Post says that "while the probe has threatened to sweep in other members of Congress, some uncertainty surrounds it. A key U.S. attorney involved in it -- Carol C. Lam in San Diego -- has been fired by the administration for unspecified 'performance-related' deficiencies along with a handful of other federal prosecutors." The Wall Street Journal also notes the controversy surrounding Lam's dismissal and adds, "The indictment and its details would seem to heighten the risk to other members of Congress still under investigation; Mr. Wilkes also had dealings with several of them."
The Hill reports Rep. Keith Ellison "called the Capitol Hill Police" on Rep. Tom Tancredo last Wednesday night "as Tancredo was in his office smoking a cigar. The lawmakers have neighboring offices on the first floor of the Longworth House Office Building." Tancredo was "still stunned a day later. 'It's very bizarre,' said Tancredo, who has never met Ellison. 'Seemed to me not a good way to say hello.'" The Hill adds the police officer "told Tancredo that the officer came because he was required to do so and not because the officer wanted to. The officer had already told Ellison that Tancredo was permitted to smoke in his office."
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Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) yesterday formally kicked off his presidential bid yesterday at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Romney's decision to kick-off his candidacy in Michigan capitalizes on the reputation of his father, who served as Michigan's governor, and, according to Fox News' Special Report, allows Romney "to portray himself as someone outside Washington D.C., and outside the sort of thinking and dealing that goes on here. ... Casting himself as an outsider, he underscored his commitment to new and innovative thinking, something he pointedly suggested his GOP rivals are incapable of."
All three network devoted significant time to covering the announcement, focusing on Romney's Mormonism and formerly liberal views on social matters. ABC World News reported that "what he said and where he said it, spoke volumes about his candidacy. ... In front of a new Ford hybrid and a 1963 Rambler once championed by his father, the former Governor of Massachusetts talked about the need for innovation." ABC noted Romney is "eager to highlight his Midwestern values and distance himself from some of the moderate stands he took as governor," but his "biggest challenge may be his religion." According to the CBS Evening News, "apparently many people are asking, Mitt who? A new CBS News poll found that 72% of Americans haven't heard enough about the former Governor of Massachusetts to form an opinion. Then there's the issue of his religion. Romney is Mormon, and that...may prove to be an obstacle as he embarks on his campaign." NBC Nightly News said Romney "has real challenges. He says he is the true social conservative in the race, opposed to abortion and gay marriage. But here was Romney in 1994." Romney was shown saying, "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country"; and "I feel that all people should be allowed to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation." NBC nonetheless characterized Romney's religion as his "biggest hurdle."
The AP portrays Romney as "a lesser-known Republican in a jam-packed presidential field." The AP notes the symbolism of yesterday's event and emphasizes that Romney is "casting himself as a political outsider with the managerial skills necessary to fix a flawed Washington." USA Today reports, "Only one Republican presidential candidate has run a business, governed a state and turned an ailing Olympics into a success story. That record...Romney said Tuesday, makes him uniquely qualified to transcend Washington's 'petty politics' and deliver change. ... The Michigan launch allowed Romney to focus on his Midwestern roots rather than the liberal state he governed until last month."
A new USA Today /Gallup national poll out today shows Sen. Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani opening up their leads in their respective primary fields. On the Democratic side, Clinton leads with 40%; followed by Sen. Barack Obama, 21%; Al Gore (who has not indicated he is running), 14%;, and John Edwards, 13%; with the rest of the field at 4% or less. A similar poll taken a month previously showed Clinton leading with 29%, followed by Obama at 18%. On the GOP side, Giuliani leads with 40%; followed by McCain, 24%; Newt Gingrich, 9%; and Mitt Romney, 5%; with the rest of the field at 3% or less. A month ago, the contest was much tighter with Giuliani leading McCain 31%-27%.
Fox News' Special Report reported that Sen. John McCain "is now making plans for his announcement, targeting March 12th to join the race officially."
. The California state senate yesterday easily approved a bill to move their presidential primary to February 5, the AP reports today, potentially giving the nation's largest state a large say in the presidential nominating process. The Los Angeles Times notes that "at least four other big states are poised to hold early primaries, potentially eroding the greater role California hopes to play. Legislation similar to California's is pending in Illinois, Texas, Florida and New Jersey -- some of the most heavily populated states -- and politicians in New York and elsewhere are pondering early primaries." The move may give a boost to those that are able to raise significant sums of money. McClatchy Newspapers reports, "Some say an early primary gives the advantage to top tier candidates with the biggest campaign war chests and highest name ID -- such as New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama among the Democrats and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain on the Republican side." However, others "say that California could offer breakthrough opportunities to underdogs such as Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, with his Latino heritage, or Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, with his conservative record and clearly-defined opposition to the Iraq war."
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Jay Leno: "Now, here's something I didn't know. This is kind of interesting. When Al Gore presented the best album award to Red Hot Chili Peppers the other night at the Grammies -- did you know this? -- Al Gore said that, because of global warming, the Chili Peppers are now 20% hotter than they were 10 years ago."
Conan O'Brien: "In a recent interview -- this is interesting -- First Lady Laura Bush said that President Bush always forgets Valentine's Day. That's what she said. She said he always forgets Valentine's Day. The First Lady went on to say unless the holiday has a bunny or a flying reindeer, forget it."
Conan O'Brien: "Mitt Romney announced he's running for president. If he wins, he'd be the first Mormon president. That's right. Yeah, first Mormon president. Apparently, Romney is planning on winning the soccer mom vote by marrying all of them."
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