Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Bush, Congress Near Iraq Veto Showdown

After failing to do so two weeks ago, the Senate yesterday passed legislation that specifies all US troops must be withdrawn from Iraq by March 2008. The White House wasted no time in reiterating its veto threat. Most media coverage this morning portrays the 50-48 vote as a "momentous" move, as both chambers of Congress are now on record asking for a US pullout. Looking forward to the endgame in this debate, NBC Nightly News said last night that "over the coming weeks, we're going to be waiting to see which side will blink first." Likewise, the Los Angeles Times reports, "With the House having approved its own timelines last week, congressional Democrats are close to presenting the president with a stark choice: Veto the essential war funding or negotiate directly with war critics in a way he has never done."

McClatchy reports Democrats "say the votes in both houses of Congress reflect strong public opposition to Bush's plan for Iraq," and the Washington Post says Democratic leaders "think the 50 to 48 victory greatly strengthens their negotiating position as they prepare to face down a White House that yesterday reiterated its threat of a presidential veto." USA Today, which interprets the Senate move as a sign of "eroding support for the president's policy," offers a similar analysis. Democrats think the vote will have another consequence: The Wall Street Journal reports Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said yesterday "the veto fight, by itself, is crucial if Congress is to pressure the Iraqi government to show more progress on military and political benchmarks demanded in the bills." The confrontation, he added, "will show the Iraqis that 'there is a determined element of the government pressing the president, and also that it has momentum,' he said."

The Senate debate was fierce and the rhetoric became markedly heated. ABC World News said "the idea of setting a timetable for withdrawal drew the fury of most Republicans, including Senator John McCain." McCain was shown saying, "They wish to get out of Iraq, whatever the consequences for America. They conceive no failure is worse than remaining in Iraq. And no success, worthy of additional sacrifice. They are wrong, terribly, terribly wrong." Fox News also showed footage of McCain: "This bill should be named the 'date certain for surrender act.' A second year cadet at West Point will tell you that to announce to the enemy that you're leaving is a recipe for defeat." Fox also noted Sen. John Warner "called the vote a 'bugle call of retreat that will be heard from every minaret in Iraq,'" and Sen. Lindsey Graham said, "This is irresponsible. This does everything wrong that the Congress could do at a time when things could get better."

NBC Nightly News, meanwhile, showed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying, "This war is not worth the spilling of another drop of American blood." That quote reverberated in local TV newscasts last night. And Fox News ran a clip of an ebullient Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy saying, "I'm confident once the withdrawal of our troops begins there will be no turning back."

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, however, appeared unfazed by the developments. The Washington Times reports McConnell reiterated that Republicans "will not filibuster the bill, but, if it passes, they have the votes to sustain the president's veto. 'To delay the bill doesn't serve the intent of getting the money to the troops,' said the Kentucky Republican." Antiwar activists, meanwhile, are sending McConnell (who is up for reelection next year) a clear message as he prepares to go back to his home state of Kentucky for Easter. Roll Call reports the senator "will find himself targeted in a new television ad that criticizes his support for the Iraq War. The ad, paid for by the liberal group Americans United for Change, seeks to portray McConnell as a leading obstacle to changing US policy in Iraq."

Hagel, Nelson Switch Flipped Vote Total A similar Senate measure was narrowly defeated two weeks ago. What changed? The Washington Post this morning notes the Democrats "surprise victory" came after the two senators from Nebraska Republican Chuck Hagel and Democrat Ben Nelson switched their position" from two weeks ago. Republicans were confident Nelson would side with them up until shortly before the vote, with one leadership aide telling the US News Political Bulletin yesterday morning, "We are very close to having the votes." Nelson, says The Hill today, attributed "his final choice to the move by Sen. Thad Cochran, with whom he had been working on a compromise, "to strike not only the withdrawal timetable but a list of findings on the intractable nature of the Iraq conflict." As for Hagel's defection, says the New York Times, "Republicans were stung" by it. In addition to Hagel and Nelson, two other senators "crossed party lines" yesterday: GOP Sen. Gordon H. Smith, "who supported the withdrawal date," and Democrat Mark Pryor, "who opposed the plan. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, voted with the Republicans."

Beleaguered Gonzales Leaves Press Conference

The pressure on Alberto Gonzales continues. The Chicago Tribune reports that a scheduled 15-minute news conference featuring the Attorney General "was quickly cut short in Chicago on Tuesday, with Gonzales leaving the room after just three questions about the controversial dismissal of a group of U.S. attorneys." The Washington Post also notes Gonzales gave a 64-second opening statement and then invited questions. He spent 1 minute 38 seconds answering three queries about the firings, then left the stage."

The Washington Post, in a second article titled, "Gonzales TV Appearance Sheds No Light On Firings," contends that Gonzales's interview with NBC News on Monday, and "his breakneck tour of U.S. attorney's offices around the country in recent days," have "done little to tamp down growing unrest among fellow Republicans over Gonzales's credibility."

Meanwhile, the AP reports that "for now" President Bush is standing by Gonzales, but "at the same time, the president has put the onus on Gonzales to set things right with his congressional detractors." White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said, "The attorney general has some work to do on Capitol Hill, and that remains true today."

The Washington Times is reporting that House Democrats "are set today to bring in private sector lawyers -- at a cost of up to $225,000 over the next nine months" in order to "help in [the] investigation of the firing of eight federal prosecutors." The Washington Post's Harold Meyerson notes, "The truly astonishing thing about the latest scandals besetting the Bush administration is that they stem from actions the administration took after the November elections, when Democratic control of Congress was a fait accompli. ... Gonzales' hour-long meeting on sacking federal prosecutors took place after the election. The subsequent sacking took place after the election." George Terwilliger, former acting U.S. attorney general, in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal predicts "the courts are not likely to enforce Congressional subpoenas to presidential aides."

According to Fox News' Special Report, former DOJ liaison to the White House Monica Goodling's decision to in invoke her Fifth Amendment rights rather than testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee "led some on Capitol Hill to ask whether the Senators would have treated her fairly." However, committee chairman Patrick Leahy "said the public would see the decision as a sign of guilt." Goodling's attorney claims Democrats "have already decided that the Justice Department misled them on the reasons for the firings of eight U.S. Attorneys." Perino was shown saying, "It is unfortunate that a public servant no longer feels that her testimony would be treated fairly before the Congress." The Wall Street Journal editorial board supports the White House's view of Goodling's decision, writing that Goodling "has been around, and she can see Democrats don't really want to know the truth; they want to shout 'liar, liar' and set the stage to accuse Justice officials of criminal behavior."

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Snow's Cancer Returns

The White House announced yesterday that press secretary Tony Snow is fighting cancer again. Snow had undergone treatment for colon cancer two years ago now the condition appears to have spread to his liver. USA Today reports Snow and his doctors "are discussing 'an aggressive treatment' that will likely involve chemotherapy 'but could include other things as well,'" according to the White House. The Washington Post calls the cancer's return "an ominous development," but adds "moderately useful treatments remain open to him, and even a cure is a remote possibility. Precise estimates of survival are not available, although several studies suggest it is about two years on average."

At the conclusion of its report on Snow, Fox News' Special Report host Brit Hume said, "I spoke with Tony today. His spirits are remarkably good. He is aware of the outpouring of sentiment for him and he said it means more to him than we will ever know." And NBC Nightly News showed President Bush saying, "His attitude is one that he is not going to let this whip him, and he's upbeat. My attitude is, is that we need to pray for him and for his family."

The Washington Times notes "both Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate expressed support for Mr. Snow. 'I hope and I pray that Tony Snow will again be able to whip this cancer that he's already been able to whip once,' said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat." The Politico and New York Times run stories praising Snow's performance as White House spokesman, and the AP, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and McClatchy also report the story.

Congress To Tackle Immigration.

The US News Political Bulletin has learned that after months of being in what one staffer calls "listening mode," assessing the various ideas and stances on immigration reform in the House, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee, will take the first steps toward legislative action this week. Lofgren will hold a hearing on Ellis Island this Friday that will focus on the "historical trends and personal experiences" of American immigrants. This will be the first in a series of hearings slated for this spring. Right now there are no formal plans to hold a hearing dedicated solely to the so-called STRIVE Act, a guest-worker bill introduced by Democratic Rep Luis Gutierrez and Republican Rep. Jeff Flake with much fanfare last week. One committee aide, though, tells the Political Bulletin such a hearing is still "a distinct possibility." "We want to move forward quickly at this point," says the aide, "In our view, there's a lot at stake."

This morning, Roll Call reports House and Senate lawmakers "will put a heavy emphasis on bipartisanship as Congress moves to complete a comprehensive immigration reform package before the August recess. As the Senate looks to debate a bill before Memorial Day, four key Senators met Tuesday afternoon to try to advance bipartisan efforts. Republican Sens. Mel Martinez (Fla.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) were set to huddle with leading Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy (Mass.) and Ken Salazar (Colo.) to discuss their respective parties' attempts to craft a workable bill this year."

Webb Comes To Jailed Aide's Defense, Sort Of

Last night Fox News' Special Report said, "The strange case of the Senate aide with a loaded gun got a bit stranger today when Virginia Sen. Jim Webb finally spoke about the incident." Webb's aide, Phillip Thompson, "pleaded not guilty...after spending a night in jail for bringing a loaded pistol into a Senate building." Fox went on to report, "Webb has apparently gotten one of his closest aides in a heap of trouble but Webb argued today that no one intended to do anything wrong." Webb was shown saying, "This is one of those very unfortunate situations where completely inadvertently he took the weapon into the Senate yesterday." The Washington Post, in an article titled, "Webb Is Vague About Gun Incident," notes Webb "declined to confirm what...Thompson told authorities after he was taken into custody on Monday: that the gun belongs to the senator and that he was 'safekeeping' it for him." The New York Times claims that "some of the sparse details that Mr. Webb offered on Tuesday on how the incident unfolded appeared to contradict what other authorities said had happened." The Los Angeles Times also has a report on Webb's press conference.

According to Roll Call, Thompson "now faces a May court appearance and risks a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and up to five years in jail." As far as the political implications of this incident go, the Washington Post's Dana Milbank makes the point that "a Virginia politician has never lost an election for loving guns too much."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

NOW Set To Endorse Clinton Today

The AP reports this morning that the political arm of NOW, the National Organization for Women, is expected to endorse Sen. Hillary Clinton's bid today, "according to Democratic officials familiar with the plan." Clinton "will join NOW president Kim Gandy to accept the endorsement, which will take place at Washington's Sewell-Belmont House, the historic home of the National Women's Party. 'The NOW PAC is excited to close out Women's History Month with news that's sure to energize women's rights supporters across the country,' Gandy said in an e-mail statement. ... Founded in 1966 by activist Betty Friedan, NOW is one of the oldest and best-known feminist advocacy groups in the country."

Edwards On Top In Iowa

Polling data out last night from Zogby America shows John Edwards leading the Democratic field in Iowa. Edwards tops the field with 27 percent, followed by Hillary Clinton with 25 percent and Barack Obama with 23 percent. Joe Biden trails far behind in fourth place with 3 percent, with all other candidates at 2½ percent or less. Respondents opinions also seem fairly set on their choice 87 percent said their support for the candidate of their choice was either "strong" or "very strong." The telephone survey interviewed 506 Democrats last night and has a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percent.

Candidates Drive Down Fundraising Expectations

There is a new unofficial contest in the race for the presidency which campaign can lower expectations about their first quarter fundraising the most. There have been a number of reports over the last week about Sen. John McCain's efforts to poor-mouth his Q1 cash totals, but a Bloomberg piece this morning takes a broader look, and finds that the field is rife with predictions of fundraising woe. Bloomberg writes that, for example, Terry McAuliffe, Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, "recently pulled aside one of the candidate's big supporters at a New York City fundraising event. McAuliffe's message: Barack Obama was likely to raise more money than Clinton in the first quarter." However, "Obama adviser David Axelrod was delivering a different message in an interview: The Illinois senator was behind others in fundraising, but 'we're trying to do the best we can.'"

Giuliani Takes Hard Line On Iraq

Sen. John McCain has been taking a lot of flak for his vocal support of the Iraq war, but comments by Rudy Giuliani yesterday on a campaign stop indicate that McCain is not alone in his position. The AP reports that Giuliani, speaking at a deli in New Jersey yesterday, said of the Democratic effort to force withdrawal dates from Iraq, "I can't imagine in the history of war anybody announcing a timetable to run out and retreat. I think it's a terrible mistake. To put up the white flag and announce a timetable for retreat seems like a very bad strategy to me." The AP adds, "I hope that the president vetoes it. The full focus of our energies should be on supporting the troops that are there and trying to act against terrorism, trying to create an Iraq that acts as a bulwark against terrorism instead of a headquarters for terrorism." The AP adds that Giuliani "said he favors a 'clear, hold and rebuild' plan similar to one proposed by Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. military commander in Iraq. 'Clear, meaning you pacify it as best you can, then keep it that way for a while and get people in Iraq engaged in rebuilding their country,' he said."

Connecticut Abandons Super Tuesday For Super Duper Tuesday

Yet another state is joining the de facto national presidential primary on February 5. The Hartford Courant reports this morning that a plan endorsed by officials in both parties yesterday to move their primary from March 4, the old "Super Tuesday" to the new "Super Duper Tuesday" a month earlier. The Courant adds that officials in Massachusetts and Rhode Island are expected to follow the Nutmeg State's move.

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "Homeland Security announced that they are -- there are 600,000 fugitives unaccounted for in America: 600,000. And those are just the ones in the Bush Administration. That's unbelievable."

David Letterman: "Beautiful day here in New York City, ladies and gentlemen. It was so warm today that Alberto Gonzales was firing attorneys in the park!"

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