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Sunday, November 22, 2009
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Following President Bush's comments yesterday, termed "defiant" in several media reports, analysts believe a constitutional showdown over the powers of the executive branch could be in the offing. At issue, Congressional subpoenas for Karl Rove and former White House counsel Harriet Miers on the fired US attorneys controversy. The AP reports that a "defiant" President Bush "warned Democrats...to accept his offer to have top aides speak about the firings of federal prosecutors only privately and not under oath, or risk a constitutional showdown from which he would not back down." McClatchy says Bush's "counterattack put the White House and Congress on a collision course." And USA Today, describing Bush as "combative," reports he "promised a constitutional showdown if Democratic leaders attempt to force White House aides to testify under oath." The CBS Evening News said Bush was "very angry," and NBC Nightly News described him as "Shermanesque" and "angry."
Democrats did not back down. The Washington Times reports Sen. Charles E. Schumer declared, "We will not be deterred," and said the Judiciary Committee "will move forward" tomorrow to authorize subpoenas of Karl Rove and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. The Times notes that once subpoenas are authorized, committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy "can issue them at any time," in consultation with Sen. Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the panel. According to the New York Times, Democrats "promptly rejected" Bush's "offer," and Sen. Pat Leahy said, "I don't accept his offer. ... It is not constructive, and it is not helpful to be telling the Senate how to do our investigation or to prejudge its outcome." In a similar report, the Washington Post says the "conditions enraged congressional Democrats." The Chicago Tribune quotes Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying of Bush's offer, "If Karl Rove plans to tell the truth, he has nothing to fear from being under oath like any other witness."
The Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill, meanwhile, notes that before Bush's remarks, White House Counsel Fred Fielding "met with Judiciary Committee members from both chambers, who said they would take the private-interview proposal to their panels for consideration." However, Democrats "appeared suspicious of Fielding's terms, particularly the withholding of requested transcripts and internal White House e-mails." The Wall Street Journal notes that "in response to President Bush's assertion that he was trying to preserve presidential power," Democrats "issued a list of presidential advisers who have testified under such conditions before Congress," including President Carter's counsel Lloyd Culter and Clinton White House aides John Podesta and Harold Ickes. Roll Call adds that the Bush administration's record "stands in stark contrast to former-President Bill Clinton's White House, when aides to the president testified a whopping 47 times on a variety of topics, with many prominent aides giving testimony on the Whitewater scandal."
Echoing the Democrats' response, the New York Times, in an editorial, describes Bush's remarks as "nasty and bumbling," and contends Bush's proposal "was a formula for hiding the truth, and for protecting the president and his staff from a legitimate inquiry by Congress." And in a related development, USA Today notes "the Senate on Tuesday voted to strip the administration of its power to appoint interim US attorneys without Senate confirmation."
Bush Backs Gonzales, For Now Yesterday President Bush said Attorney General Gonzales "has support from me," but that did little to dampen speculation that the White House is making contingency plans in case Gonzales is forced out. Fox News' Special Report reported that during his appearance before the cameras, the President "did not answer a question about his level of confidence in Attorney General Gonzales. He did -- this morning -- make a phone call to the Attorney General saying...that he had 'strong confidence' in him." But "top Republicans continue to wonder aloud if there is anything to this controversy," and "acknowledge it has not looked good for" Gonzales. Fox added, "Multiple reports this week cited Republican sources saying that the White House is looking for a replacement for Gonzales. Senior White House aides say that that report is just flat false. However, privately, Republican sources say that if this does not go away fast, Gonzales may have to step down."
USA Today says "support is eroding for Gonzales on Capitol Hill." Rep. Adam Putnam, the House's third-highest ranking Republican, said Gonzales' "ability to effectively serve the president and lead the Justice Department is greatly compromised, and he himself should evaluate his ability to serve as attorney general." The inside-the-Beltway newspaper The Politico refers to "the likely resignation" of the Attorney General, and the Financial Times cites an "influential Republican with close White House ties" who "said the attorney-general's position was not safe." He added that White House counsel Fred Fielding "had not lined up a replacement for the attorney-general, but that he 'knows all the potential choices.'" The Los Angeles Times and Roll Call run similar reports, the Washington Post, in its "In the Loop" column, says that potential replacements include former deputy attorney general Larry Thompson and former deputy attorney general Laurence Silberman.
What Did Bush Know? More information has been made available about Administration dealings regarding the firings. This morning, McClatchy reports Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty and "other high-ranking officials" drafted a "response to possible criticism of the firings and secured the approval of the firings from" then-White House counsel Harriet Miers. Miers "said she would consider whether the president should be brought in." McClatchy notes that "three days before the firings, the White House signed off the plan." However, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino "said this week that 'there's no indication it ever was' brought to President Bush's attention."
Last night the CBS Evening News revealed that Miers sent an e-mail to Attorney General Gonzales' former chief of staff Kyle Sampson stating: 'Not sure whether this will be determined or require the boss's attention.' Sampson answered with a question: 'Who will determine whether this requires the President's attention?' There is no answer in the 3,000 pages of e-mails and documents the Justice Department dumped on Capitol Hill." The Los Angeles Times also say Miers "mused in November, a month before the firings, about whether...Bush should be personally briefed about the terminations." The Christian Science Monitor and Washington Post run similar stories. The Washington Post also describes the scene at the Capitol Monday night as Congressional aides waited for the administration to deliver the promised documents. According to the Post, House Judiciary Committee staffers "were told that about 2,000 pages of correspondence would arrive at about 6:30 p.m. At 8:30, a courier dropped off a copy-paper box stuffed with 3,000 documents -- 1,000 more than expected, hard copies only, one set only, clipped and banded together in categories that weren't self-explanatory."
Iglesias Details Calls From Lawmakers In an op-ed for the New York Times, former US Attorney David Iglesias writes that "the argument that we were fired for 'performance related' reasons (in the words of Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty) is starting to look more than a little wobbly. ... Politics entered my life with two phone calls that I received last fall, just before the November election. One came from Representative Heather Wilson and the other from Senator Domenici." Wilson "asked me about sealed indictments pertaining to a politically charged corruption case widely reported in the news media involving local Democrats. Her question instantly put me on guard. Prosecutors may not legally talk about indictments, so I was evasive. Shortly after speaking to Ms. Wilson, I received a call from Senator Domenici at my home. The senator wanted to know whether I was going to file corruption charges - the cases Ms. Wilson had been asking about - before November. When I told him that I didn't think so, he said, 'I am very sorry to hear that,' and the line went dead."
Facing a revolt on her liberal flank days before a vote on her Iraq pullout plan, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is making it clear she will have little patience for defections on this particular issue. The Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill reports this morning the Speaker "is holding the implied threat of lost committee seats over the heads of Democratic Caucus members who may vote against her $124 billion Iraq war supplemental bill." With "a real "possibility of losing the first really big vote since taking majority control in the November elections," Pelosi "is talking tough to wavering lawmakers and isolating those opposed to the bill." These days, Pelosi "is spending 90 percent of her time trying to sway the 10 percent of the caucus that is either undecided or opposed to the bill, according to a senior lawmaker and a leadership aide." Loss of a committee seat, particularly those in the Appropriations committee, can diminish lawmakers' ability to secure funding for projects in their home districts and thus could affect their reelection chances.
With Republicans unified about the plan, the AP notes Democrats "can afford only 15 'no' votes and still be assured of passing the legislation." And so far, they don't have the votes. The inside-the-beltway publication The Politico reports "a House Democrat said Tuesday night the Democrats' whip team was still 14 votes short of the 218 votes needed to pass the supplemental spending bill for military operations this year in Iraq and Afghanistan." The lawmaker said "the hard count is 204," adding that "the number was current 'as of an hour ago,' 6 p.m. Tuesday night." Another story in The Hill estimates "there are at least 11 Democrats who are firmly against the bill or leaning no," but given the number of undecided lawmakers, House leaders "admitted yesterday that they currently don't have the votes."
The Washington Post notes Pelosi is making progress, but the "late conversions only pointed up the difficulties in the whip organization," which the Post later characterized as "disarray." One of "the Democrats' chief designated vote counters," Rep. Maxine Waters, "is actively working against the Iraq war spending bill. The leadership's senior chief deputy whip, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), spoke passionately against it on the House floor. And one of the whip organization's regional representatives, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), is implacably opposed."
The Washington Times reports Senate Democrats yesterday "vowed to resurrect their legislative effort to pull combat troops out of Iraq by next March." Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "I think we have a very good opportunity [to pass] this one," adding that "the withdrawal timetable likely will be attached to the chamber's version of an emergency war funding bill this week." Another Washington Times piece says the Iraq debate is dividing Democrats and crowding out their agenda, noting "none of the elements of the newly minted Democrats' congressional agenda have made it to President Bush's desk," as Iraq "has dominated everything lawmakers are trying to do." The Los Angeles Times, meanwhile, casts the debate in a more favorable light for the Democrats, noting they "are relying on lawmakers...who have served in the military." As a result, "charges that Democrats are meddling with and undermining the military -- long a staple of GOP attacks -- now confront impassioned rebuttals."
Activists Vandalize GOP Lawmaker's Office The AP reports this morning that as the House debate continues, "vandals upset over the Iraq war defaced US Rep. Mike Rogers' office overnight, a spokesman said Tuesday. The unknown individuals splattered red paint on the Lansing building and put up a sign saying the Republican has 'blood' on his hands."
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The Kansas City Star President Bush "continued his drumming for less reliance on foreign oil Tuesday, using two Kansas City-area auto assembly plants as his backdrop." Speaking at Ford's Claycomo facility, he "offered it and GM's Fairfax operation as examples of the technological innovators needed for energy independence. Both plants produce hybrid and flex-fuel automobiles." Bush "lauded the carmakers for embracing hybrid technologies and called on consumers to recognize their benefits." The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, among other newspapers this morning, also report on Bush's trip.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, says "the auto industry is facing one of its toughest political battles in years as shifts in the political and business landscape have eroded its defenses against stricter fuel economy standards." The new Congressional majorities and Bush's support of higher standards have "hampered Detroit's efforts to fend off new rules." And "increasingly, the war in Iraq and related concerns over US dependence on foreign oil are changing the dynamics of the debate."
The AP reports former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's newly published memoirs -- "No Retreat, No Surrender" "skewer his former comrades in the historic 1994 Republican revolution for squandering the victory through useless and ineffective leadership." DeLay "singles out" former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former House majority leader Dick Armey for criticism. President Bush "is dismissed as 'compassionate, but...certainly no conservative.'" The New York Times, in an editorial, mocks DeLay, stating: "Despite Mr. DeLay's retreat from public office after his indictment for political money laundering, the memoir is, of course, entitled "No Retreat, No Surrender." According to the Times, DeLay "excoriates...the leader of the moribund House ethics committee that finally found the temerity to admonish him. He is furious that Republicans didn't back his attempt to stay in power after his indictment."
Meanwhile, this morning Roll Call notes DeLay was nominated to the board of the American Conservative Union last year, "prompting four longtime board members to resign in protest. He eventually joined the board in February." ACU Chairman David Keene "said the arrangement gives [DeLay] "a chance to make up for his performance in House leadership."
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Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D), whose handling of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath badly damaged her public standing in the Pelican state, said yesterday that she would not seek reelection. ABC World News reports that Blanco "became a national figure after Hurricanes' Katrina and Rita struck. Her popularity plummeted amid criticism of how she handled the disaster." The AP adds that in a TV interview, Blanco said yesterday, "I am doing this so we can work without interference from election year politics." She "had already broken the news in phone calls to legislative leaders, a meeting with her Cabinet secretaries and in a letter to her staff." The New York Times describes Blanco as "politically battered by a shaky post-Hurricane Katrina performance," and the Los Angeles Times says she "has seen her popularity plummet due in large part to the state's sluggish recovery from hurricanes Katrina and Rita." According to analysts, "her leadership during the crisis probably would have sealed Blanco's defeat had she run." Recent polls have showed her trailing GOP candidate Rep. Bobby Jindal (R) badly.
Decision Felt To Help Breaux, Harm Jindal. Blanco's decision may open the door for former Sen. John Breaux (D) to enter the race. The Washington Post reports that Breaux, "who thanked Blanco for her service to the state but made no mention of his intentions in a statement last night, has reached out to Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu -- the brother of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and another potential gubernatorial candidate -- to sound out his interest in a bid." Charlie Cook, "a national political analyst and native son of Louisiana, said it is a 'close call' on whether Breaux runs, but he added that recent ads sponsored by the state Republican Party seeking to raise questions about Breaux's residency and eligibility for the office may backfire. The commercials 'infuriated' Breaux, according to Cook, and 'nudged him toward getting in.'" The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that while Breaux is "the biggest potential winner," Foster Campbell (D) and Walter Boasso (R) may also "get more attention." Meanwhile, Jindal has "the most to lose." The Baton Rouge Advocate calls the announcement "a political bombshell that all but negates earlier chatter on who will be Louisiana's next governor" and "turned the race for governor upside down." Meanwhile, although "Republicans conceded that a Breaux candidacy would put a new spin on a race they felt good about if Blanco was the Democrat to beat," there are "bruising political issues sure to accompany any such bid for governor." Other possible candidates are Rep. Charlie Melancon (D), Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu (D), Jim Bernhard (D) and former Louisiana Rep. Chris John (D)
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that a new group has formed to raise money for an effort to convince former senator and TV personality Fred Thompson (R) to run for president. The "Draft Fred Thompson" group "is legally formed, accepting donations and seeking volunteers and VIPs for its bandwagon, Treasurer Dean Rice said. ... On Tuesday the campaign picked up another public endorsement of a top-elected GOP leader in Tennessee," TN1 Rep. David Davis (R). Reps. John Duncan Jr. and Zach Wamp "earlier urged Thompson to run. Also, former Senate GOP leaders Howard Baker and Bill Frist of Tennessee back a Thompson bid." Rice "said he hopes that the www.fred08.com Web site will help attract enough Thompson supporters and public attention to convince Thompson to run."
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The Washington Times reports this morning that Bill Clinton headlined a fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday in Washington DC, drawing 1,000 donors and $2.7 million in contributions. The Times notes, "Last night's fundraiser was the third joint appearance for the former first couple in less than 20 days. The two kept separate public schedules for the first month-and-a-half after Mrs. Clinton announced that she would seek her party's presidential nomination in 2008. Each of those three appearances has been a strategic move that uses Mr. Clinton to his best advantage: fundraising last week in Manhattan and again yesterday in Washington, and helping court black voters in Selma, Ala., where Mr. Clinton was added into the program at the last moment to personally be inducted into the Voting Rights Hall of Fame." The former President is set to reprise this role again today, headlining another fundraising in Cincinnati today, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Ex-Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) appeared on CNN's Situation Room last night to discuss his presidential campaign plans, which he said he will formally announce in the coming weeks. The Green Bay Press-Gazette reported on its website that Thompson "tentatively" will formally launch his bid on April 4.
Thompson also weighed in on Iraq on CNN last night with several new suggestions for resolving the conflict there. Thompson said, "I support the troops there, but I also go way beyond what the President and other candidates are talking about. I would require the al-Maliki government to vote as to whether or not they want the United States in their country -- nobody has ever asked that. Number two, I would have all of the 18 territories set up their own state governments." And thirdly, Thompson said he would "split up the oil revenues," between the federal and state governments, as well as distribute one-third among the people.
The move towards a de facto national presidential primary continues unabated. The AP reports that the Georgia state House yesterday voted to move its presidential primary up a month to February 5, a day which might see as many as 28 states hold their primaries. The AP adds, "Supporters say it would allow the Peach State to play a greater role in picking the next commander in chief, although some worry the state could get lost in the battle for the big electoral prizes of California, New York, Texas and Florida."
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R) is wagering his political future on his long-shot presidential bid, The Hill reports this morning. Hunter said yesterday that he would not seek reelection in the House next cycle, although his is grooming his son, Duncan H. Hunter (R) to replace him.
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Jay Leno: "According to a new study, one-third of Washington, DC, is illiterate. To give you an idea of how bad it is, Alberto Gonzales can't even read the writing on the wall."
Jay Leno: "This afternoon, President Bush held a news conference where he accused the Democrats of playing politics with the firing of the US attorneys. You know, the attorneys he fired for not playing politics?"
Jay Leno: "In fact, President Bush even called Alberto Gonzales to offer his support. To give you an idea how unpopular Bush is, Gonzalez said, 'No, thanks. I'm fine.'"
Adam Sandler (guest-hosting for David Letterman): "I'm not going to make fun of President Bush. He's a nice guy. Actually, he told me he's seen 'The Waterboy' 28 times."
Conan O'Brien: "Some Republicans in Washington are looking for a replacement for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, but apparently they need to find an experienced legal mind that President Bush is comfortable with. Yeah. As a result, the number one candidate is Judge Judy."
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