Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Next Battle: Roadblocks To Surge

As the House moves toward an expected vote today on a nonbinding resolution criticizing President Bush's Iraq policy, much of the reporting shifts to Democratic Rep. Jack Murtha's strategy to derail the "surge." Murtha's measure would, in the words of the CBS Evening News, "place substantial roadblocks in the way of the President's troop surge." Murtha, "head of the powerful committee that approves funding for the war, made it clear he plans to go well beyond symbolism." Murtha's bill would "prohibit sending any soldiers back into battle until they've had a full year at home" and "set equipment and training requirements that the military can't currently meet." But USA Today says both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is close to Murtha, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, were "cool" toward the proposal.

The Christian Science Monitor says the "next move" could create a rift among Democrats, which is what Murtha "hopes to avoid" by opposing "a troop buildup in Iraq, without cutting funds to troops in harm's way." On its front page, the Washington Times reports on the Murtha measure, saying that "some Democrats said the proposal, released on the eve of a symbolic vote against the war in Iraq, does not do enough to stop the war."

The GOP Defectors Numbers Game With approval of the House resolution a virtual certainty, one aspect of the story that remains unclear is the degree to which GOP lawmakers may or may not abandon the White House. The Washington Post says this morning that a "broad swath" of House GOP members are "defecting" on the resolution vote, but the article itself tallies them at just "a dozen or more," the latest estimate in a week of fluctuating guesses on how many Republicans will bolt. On Thursday, the Washington Post had put the number at "between 40 and 60." USA Today, also on Thursday, estimated it would be "between 20 and 40," the same figure cited in the Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire" this morning. On Wednesday, the AP said Democrats expected "at least two dozen" Republicans to come over. And on Monday, the Los Angeles Times estimated between 30 and 60 would jump ship.

Reid Gives Colleagues Saturday Surprise The Washington Post writes that "after four years of fighting in Iraq, and two weeks of trying to force senators to debate the conflict, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday wheeled out the ultimate weapon. He ordered his colleagues to work on Saturday." The New York Times says Reid "abruptly scheduled a weekend debate on Iraq in an effort to break a stalemate and avoid impressions that partisan bickering was weighing down deliberations over the war." The procedural vote scheduled for Saturday afternoon is not on the resolution itself, but on a procedural matter required to "move forward to the actual debate." The Washington Times reports on how Reid's weekend schedule will affect those senators who are running for president and had campaign stops scheduled.

Biden Trying To Trim Bush's Authority The AP reports Biden said he would "move to repeal the authority Congress gave...Bush in 2002 to send U.S. troops into Iraq and replace it with a narrower mandate." Biden, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, "said the legislation was based on the idea that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and was designed to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein." He said he is "working to repeal the authorization and to replace it with 'a much narrower mission statement for our troops in Iraq.'" On CNN's The Situation Room, Biden said, "We ought to get real here. This is a president who sent our troops to war unprepared. He didn't send enough of them to war. Now he's sending them in the middle of a civil war."

Bush Poised For Comeback? In his Washington Post column, headlined "Bush Regains His Footing," David Broder says President Bush is "poised for a political comeback" at the "very moment the House of Representatives is repudiating his policy in Iraq." Bush "now shows signs of renewed energy and is regaining the initiative on several fronts. More important, he is demonstrating political smarts that even his critics have to acknowledge" in diminishing the importance of today's vote while shifting the subject to war funding, a "fight he is likely to win."

Bush May Go Along With Tax Hike On Rich

The Wall Street Journal reports congressional Democrats are "looking to rein in looming tax increases on the middle class, possibly covering the cost by raising taxes on upper-income households. And the Bush administration may not stand in the way." The possible bargain "centers on the Alternative Minimum Tax, a kind of parallel income tax that hit 3.5 million U.S. taxpayers in the 2006 tax year. Congressional Democrats are eager to keep the AMT from ensnaring millions more middle-class taxpayers." Bush Administration officials "have signaled they may not oppose a likely method of covering those costs: raising taxes on the nation's wealthiest citizens." Meanwhile, under the headline "Democrats Push Economic Policy That Benefits Poor, Middle Classes," McClatchy reports congressional Democrats "are moving quickly to impose their economic agenda."

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White House Role In US Attorney Switch?

A US attorney in Arkansas who lost his job last year "was ousted after Harriet E. Miers, the former White House counsel, intervened on behalf of the man who replaced him," the New York Times reports. Citing "congressional aides," the Times says Miers called an aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to suggest J. Timothy Griffin, who had been a deputy to Karl Rove and the political director of the Republican National Committee, be given the job. US Attorney H. E. Cummins III was later "removed without explanation and replaced on an interim basis by Mr. Griffin."

Agencies Told To Ignore Earmarks

The Washington Times reports the Bush Administration "no longer will be bound by most congressional pork-barrel spending requests, the director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget said yesterday in a memo on how federal departments and agencies should treat money in the new spending bill the president signed into law." Some Republicans "hailed it as a giant turnaround, while Democrats said they already had taken steps to restrict pork spending this year."

Special Counsel Accused Of Intimidation

The Washington Post reports a "trouble-plagued whistle-blower investigation at the Office of Special Counsel -- whose duties include shielding federal whistle-blowers -- hit another snag this week when employees accused the special counsel of intimidation in the probe." The Office of Personnel Management's inspector general "has been investigating allegations by current and former OSC employees that Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch retaliated against underlings who disagreed with his policies -- by, among other means, transferring them out of state -- and tossed out legitimate whistle-blower cases to reduce the office backlog. Bloch denies the accusations."

FBI Probes Governor's Ties To Contractor

The AP says the FBI is investigating Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons' interactions with defense contractor eTreppid Technologies during Gibbons' tenure in the US House. Gibbons, who was elected governor last fall, "denied any wrongdoing." He said, "They can look as deeply as they need to and I encourage them to do so, but there would have been absolutely no influence." eTreppid's Warren Trepp, a "longtime friend" of the governor, contributed nearly $100,000 to Gibbons' 2006 campaign "through different companies he controls." The story was broken by the Wall Street Journal yesterday. This morning, in addition to the AP, the Wall Street Journal, Reno Gazette-Journal and Washington Post also report on the investigation.

Friends Buzz Over Bush Remark On Father

President Bush's remarks to C-SPAN earlier this week that his father's Presidency is one of the most underrated in history has family friends buzzing, the US News Political Bulletin has learned. They wonder why the younger Bush took so long to finally mention his dad, in a high-profile interview, on the list of his presidential role models. One friend says it's not because Bush, the 43rd President, has suddenly become an admirer of the 41st President's commitment to diplomacy, as some have speculated in the wake of the Administration's agreement with North Korea to limit its nuclear program. The real reason, the friend says, is that the father has had various physical ailments of late -- he has obvious difficulty walking because of recent hip surgery -- and his son wants to give his spirits a boost. That, the friend adds, explains 43's comments on C-SPAN, when Dubya repeated his admiration for Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman and then added his father to the list: "Sure, the son is worried about his dad," a family insider tells the Political Bulletin, "but it's a health issue. He's trying to be a good son and give his father some credit as he gets older."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Poll Shows Giuliani Topping Democrats

As things now stand, Rudy Giuliani would stand a good chance of beating either of the two top Democratic candidates. A Fox News/Opinion Dynamic poll taken February 13-14 shows Giuliani would beat Sen. Hillary Clinton 49%-40% in a general election match up. Sen. Barack Obama actually does better than Clinton against Giuliani, but still trails 45%-39%. Giuliani's key he beats the Democrats among self-identified independents. Among that group, the former NYC mayor leads Clinton 46%-39% and Obama 42%-39%.

Giuliani May Have Banked $2 Million In Speaking Fees Recently

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who's $100k speaking fees began garnering national attention yesterday, may have pulled in some serious cash from them during the time he has been looking to run for president. Long Island Newsday reports this morning that Giuliani "has made about 20 motivational speeches for pay since he set up an exploratory committee for a presidential bid last November and still has commitments for several more, a campaign aide said Thursday." Giuliani "often gets paid $100,000 a speech, and at that rate he would have made $2 million in speaking fees while testing the waters for a presidential run in the past three months."

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Richardson Holds Big Cash Event

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), who's presidential campaign has been below-the-radar in the national media, was set to make a significant fundraising splash last night. HispanicBusiness.com reported that Richardson expected "to raise $2 million" Thursday night "at a single fundraising event in Albuquerque that" hoped "to draw close to a thousand supporters from across New Mexico."

National Party Warns Florida GOP Against Earlier Primary

It looks like national Republicans are looking to put the kibosh on efforts by at least one state party to bump up their presidential primary. The Tampa Tribune reports Florida GOP officials "got a stern message" from GOP national headquarters this week: "If the state moves up its presidential primary date as planned, the party will strictly enforce rules limiting Floridians' participation in the 2008 national convention. The Florida GOP would lose half the delegates and alternates it can send to the convention -- 224 at the 2004 convention." Florida lawmakers "of both parties want to change the mid-March presidential primary to make the state a more important part of the presidential nominating process. ... A bill in the Legislature specifies that the primary would be held Feb. 5 or a week after the New Hampshire primary. Under New Hampshire's current plans, that would mean Jan. 29 for Florida, which would break the party rules."

Coleman In Good Shape For Reelection

Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman may be considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the Senate this cycle, but a new poll shows him easily seeing off either of his declared Democratic opponents. A SurveyUSA poll taken this week for KSTP-TV Minneapolis shows Coleman leading comedian and talk show host Al Franken 57%-35%. Coleman also leads attorney Mike Ciresi 57%-34%.

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "Al Qaeda released another videotape today from their number two man. This one had some shocking revelations on it. Here, take a listen." Voice of Translator: "The Great Satan will soon taste unspeakable suffering at our hands. Oh, and by the way, I am the father of Anna Nicole's baby."

Conan O'Brien: "The President's keeping busy. Yesterday, President Bush gave a speech warning Americans about the threat from Iran. Yeah. Afterwards, the President admitted he took an old Iraq speech and replaced all the q's with n's."

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