Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Democrats: Senate Won't Cut Off War Funding

Key Democrats yesterday broke with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on the issue of cutting off funds for the Iraq war. Sen. Carl Levin, the Senate Armed Service Committee chairman, said on ABC's This Week that he will not support such a move, adding, "What we should do, and we're going to do, is continue to press this President to put some pressure on the Iraqi leaders to reach a political settlement. That is what he is not doing." The AP, NBC Nightly News and Washington Times, among other outlets, noted Levin's words. The Times also reports Sen. Charles E. Schumer "echoed Mr. Levin's comments on troop funding, telling 'Fox News Sunday' that 'we are not going to leave the troops high and dry, plain and simple. Senator Reid has said that. I've said that. E very leader of the Democratic Party has said that.'"

The President also weighed in on the debate over the war funding bill. The Wall Street Journal notes that in his Saturday radio address, he "criticized Democrats...for going on vacation without first giving him what he wants: a war spending bill free of orders to pull troops home. 'I recognize that Democrats are trying to show their current opposition to the war in Iraq. ... They see the emergency war-spending bill as a chance to make that statement. ... Yet for our men and women in uniform, this emergency war-spending bill is not a political statement, it is a source of critical funding that has a direct impact on their daily lives."

But despite the rhetoric, U.S. News and World Report is reporting this week some Republican strategists "with close ties to Congress predict that Democrats and Bush will find a compromise on the Iraq funding standoff sooner rather than later. One possible outcome: The White House accepts some form of nonbinding 'benchmarks' for success in Iraq as part of legislation to increase supplemental funding for the war, while at the same time the Democrats delete a mandatory-withdrawal timetable from the funding bill."

Bad News Out Of Iraq Over the weekend, there were some disturbing news out of Iraq, in addition to the deaths of 10 US soldiers in insurgent attacks. The Washington Post reports, "Calling the United States the 'great evil,' radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Sunday accused US forces of dividing Iraq by stoking violence." Sadr "said the 'enemy' wants 'to draw you into a war to end Shiism, or rather Islam,' and he urged Iraq's army and police to remain independent of US forces and to avoid being 'drawn after the occupier, because he is your stark enemy.'" Sadr, who reportedly has been hiding in Iran, chose to speak up only days after the resolution of that country's hostage crisis with the UK. The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Times and USA Today also note the radical cleric's comments.

In addition, a front-page analysis in today's New York Times suggests the President's "surge" strategy has, so far, failed to accomplish its "main purpose." The Times says "there has been some success in reducing the number of death squad victims found crumpled in the streets each day," and "a few parts of the capital have become calmer as some death squads have decided to lie low." But "there is little sign that the Baghdad push is accomplishing its main purpose: to create an island of stability in which Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs and Kurds can try to figure out how to run the country together. There has been no visible move toward compromise on the main dividing issues, like regional autonomy and more power sharing between Shiites and Sunnis." In addition, "for American troops, Baghdad has become a deadlier battleground."

Bush Aides Brace For More Bad News

U.S. News and World Report reports this week White House aides "hope that President Bush made the most out of his sojourn in Crawford, Texas, last week. His strategists are bracing for a long, miserable spring because of so much bad news on so many fronts." A Bush adviser said, "You just get to the point where you hate to go out to your stoop and pick up your paper in the morning and see what today's lead story is. The news always seems to be bad, and we can't catch a break." In his Time column, Joe Klein says, "The first three months of the new Democratic Congress have been neither terrible nor transcendent." A "much bigger story is unfolding: the epic collapse of the Bush Administration." The "three big Bush stories of 2007 -- the decision to 'surge' in Iraq, the scandalous treatment of wounded veterans at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys for tawdry political reasons -- precisely illuminate the three qualities that make this Administration one of the worst in American history: arrogance (the surge), incompetence (Walter Reed) and cynicism (the U.S. Attorneys)."

How week is Bush's standing? USA Today reports he "is reaching levels of consistency that no White House would want. Bush's job-approval rating in a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Monday through Thursday is 38%. His standing has stayed below 40% for seven consecutive months. Since the advent of modern polling, only two presidents have suffered longer strings of such low ratings. One was Harry Truman, whose popularity sank during the final 26 months of his tenure as the Korean War stalemated."

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Gonzales Prep Sessions Going Poorly

Newsweek reports Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has "virtually wiped his public schedule clean to bone up for his long-awaited April 17 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee." But "even his own closest advisers are nervous about whether he is up to the task. At a recent 'prep' for a prospective Sunday talk-show interview, Gonzales's performance was so poor that top aides scrapped any live appearances." During the March 23 session, Gonzales "kept contradicting himself and 'getting his timeline confused,' said one participant who asked not to be identified talking about a private meeting." The source said his advisers "finally got 'exasperated' with him," and public-affairs chief Tasia Scolinos told top aides, "He's not ready."

Schumer Aide Plans To Seek Subpoenas For Rove Deputies Time reports the White House "has said" advisor Karl Rove "will talk only in private and without a transcript, but" Preet Bharara, chief counsel to Sen. Charles Schumer on the Senate Judiciary Committee "plans to chip away by expanding subpoena authority to cover two of Rove's deputies -- Scott Jennings and Sara Taylor -- and to ask for more White House documents."

Gingrich: Gonzales Should Resign Newt Gingrich appeared on Fox News Sunday, where he weighed in on the controversy over the US attorney firings. Said Gingrich, "This is the most mishandled, artificial, self-created mess that I can remember in the years I've been active in public life. And the buck has to stop somewhere, and I'm assuming it's the Attorney General and his immediate team. And I think it is amazing that there's any doubt about the fact that they have totally mishandled this." Asked if the Attorney General should resign, Gingrich said, "I cannot imagine how he is going to be effective for the rest of this administration. ... I think the country, in fact, would be much better served to have a new team at the Justice Department, across the board." Gingrich's comments generated some media buzz, with ABC World News, USA Today and the New York Times, among other media outlets, noting the former speaker's remarks.

Bush To Toughen Immigration Rhetoric

Tasked with gaining the backing of conservative Republicans for his immigration reform plan, President Bush is expected to toughen his rhetoric on the enforcement side of his proposal. The Wall Street Journal notes the White House "wants at least 25 Republicans to back Mr. Bush's immigration proposals in the Senate, so as to generate bipartisan momentum for the bill in the House, where divisions are even wider." But "many Republicans have demanded proof of improved border security before they consider Mr. Bush's priorities." The President will try to deliver today, during a visit to Yuma, AZ. There, says the Yuma Sun, after more than nine months of the National Guard's Operation Jump Start, which brought troops to the US-Mexico border to assist US Customs and Border Patrol agents, officials say the program is "improving the situation on the border," even if "there is much work left to be done." Time reports Bush will "reprise last year's role as buggy-riding border sheriff." The visit "has a very specific audience in mind: the anti-immigration right wing of the Republican party. It is this deeply skeptical crowd Bush must win over if he is to get the last potential domestic policy achievement of his presidency: 'comprehensive immigration reform.'"

Likewise, the AP says Bush will "inspect the construction of border fencing and...push for the creation of a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants." Even as Bush visits Yuma, USA Today reports Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez "are heading negotiations that currently focus on Senate Republicans, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said." Stanzel "declined to detail the talks," but Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, "said one item under discussion is a 'touchback' provision. It would require illegal immigrants to return to their countries of origin at least briefly and pay a 'hefty fine' before being able to return to the USA under any guest-worker program." And the Washington Post notes "a recently leaked White House presentation, devised after weeks of closed-door meetings with Republican senators, suggests some hardening of Bush's positions." The Post adds, "As spelled out in the presentation, which White House aides describe as ideas for debate, undocumented workers could apply for three-year work visas, renewable indefinitely at a cost of $3,500 each time."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

McCain Set To "Double Down" On Iraq War Gamble

The Washington Post reported over the weekend on its front page that Sen. John McCain "will launch a high-profile effort next week to convince Americans that the Iraq war is winnable, embracing the unpopular conflict with renewed vigor as he attempts to reignite his stalling bid for the presidency." In a speech at the Virginia Military Institute on Wednesday, McCain "plans to argue" that "victory in Iraq is essential to American security and that President Bush's war machine is finally getting on track after four years, aides and advisers said." The "gamble at a critical time" for McCain is "the political equivalent of a 'double-down' in blackjack, as one person close to the campaign put it." In a negative article headlined "McCain Seeks To Regain Footing After A Bad Week," the Wall Street Journal writes, "In short order, John McCain has gone from Republican presidential front-runner to political death watch. On Wednesday, the Arizona senator kicks off a month of high-profile events, seeking a resurrection of sorts. He badly needs it. ... Most analysts won't go so far as to bury Mr. McCain, citing his Republican rivals' own baggage." But the "one-time GOP front-runner clearly had a very bad week."

Huckabee Targets Romney Over Hunting Claims

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is taking fire from a fellow Republican for his claim to have been a lifelong hunter, despite reports last week that he has not held a hunting license in any of the states in which he has lived. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said on CBS' Face The Nation, "I think it was a major mistake" for Romney "to try to portray himself as 'I've been a lifelong hunter' when he's been twice. It would be like me saying I've been a lifelong golfer because I played putt-putt when I was nine years old and I rode in a golf cart a couple of times. The best thing to do is just say, look, here's who I am. I support this issue, but I'm not particularly close to it."

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Fred Thompson Could Be Bedeviled By Cash Needs

With former Sen. Fred Thompson's (R) potential as a presidential candidate still drawing attention in the media, the Wall Street Journal runs a piece today noting that while the actor has the backing of some potentially powerful GOP fundraisers, in "a presidential campaign that is likely to be the most expensive yet -- three candidates have already banked over $20 million in donations -- dithering would seem to be a liability." Thompson's "deliberations have already cost him a natural ally. Ted Welch, a wealthy Nashville businessman with an uncanny knack for raising political cash, has long been the go-to guy for Republicans seeking the highest office," and he is supporting Mitt Romney. In his Washington Post column, George Will lays out similar concerns about a Thompson candidacy, asking "does Thompson have enough energy to raise the money he will need to be competitive -- say, $50 million by the end of November? He would need to raise $1.5 million a week, starting immediately."

Clinton On Top In Bay State

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that a KRC/Communications telephone survey of 400 Massachusetts voters taken for Statehouse News Service shows Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) leading among Democratic presidential hopefuls. Clinton was backed by 28%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama (D) at 22%; John Edwards (D) at 17%; Sen. Joe Biden (D) at 5%; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) at 4%; and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D) at 1%, while Sen. Chris Dodd (D) registers no backers in the poll.

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "The annual Easter egg hunt at the White House is going to be a little different this year. Instead of eggs, they're going to be hiding Alberto Gonzales' e-mails."

Jay Leno: "Sen. Barack Obama announced he has raised almost as much money as Hillary Clinton -- $25 million to her $26 million. See, what surprised most experts is that Obama raised most of his money from small, individual donors, while Hillary got hers from big lobbyists and wealthy supporters. And today, Hillary blamed the whole thing on a vast, ordinary person conspiracy."

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