Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Immigration Bill "Back From The Dead"

As the CBS Evening News reported last night, "The immigration bill is back from the dead." The new deal came, says USA Today, after President Bush "pledged $4.4 billion for border security and enforcement of employment laws," a move "designed to win over Republican skeptics." In addition, the Wall Street Journal reports "Democratic and Republican supporters agreed to a set of about 22 amendments, which will frame the remaining debate and refine issues already in the bill. The precise wording of the amendments wasn't released. ... Both parties had to give ground to keep the list to about 11 for each side, and even then the Senate might stay in session through next weekend to complete action." A dispute over how many amendments would be considered before a final vote was one of the main reasons support for the bill collapsed a week ago.

While the bill's passage is by no means assured, the Washington Post notes Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott indicated yesterday that "he could produce enough GOP votes to clear the 60-vote threshold to get the bill back to the floor and push it to a final vote." However, the Washington Times and AP report that the concerns of conservative critics of the bill are unlikely to by assuaged by the new border security funding.

Media Credits Bush This morning, the President is being credited with having engineered the revival of the defunct immigration package. The Washington Post, for example, reports "the breakthrough was a clear victory for Bush, whose visit to Capitol Hill on Tuesday appeared to come too late to resurrect a measure that had been pulled from the Senate floor five days earlier." And USA Today says "the deal to revive the bill came after a stepped-up lobbying effort by...Bush." McClatchy, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune run similar reports.

That's quite a turn-around for the media. On Wednesday, a number of reports portrayed Bush's visit to Capitol Hill to lobby for the bill as a failure. NBC Nightly News said Bush "went to the Capitol to throw the power of his office behind" the immigration measure, and "he might have learned something in the process about the power remaining in his presidency." ABC World News appeared to mock the President for telling reporters, "I'll see you at the bill signing," noting that the bill "may just be dead." CNN's Situation Room said reviving the bill "may be a task that is insurmountable for a president who's clout is shrinking." The Washington Post's Dana Milbank and the AP, among others, reached similar conclusions. This morning, the New York Times continued to offer a similar analysis, quoting "Matthew A. Towery, a political analyst in Atlanta who was once a campaign chairman for Newt Gingrich and is now chief executive of a polling firm, Insider Advantage," saying, "Having George W. Bush come out and speak in favor of the immigration bill does not do any good for Republican senators. He just irritates the conservative base of the Republican Party, which has abandoned him on this issue."

Poll: Most Didn't Want Bill Revived The Business Journal of Phoenix reported on a new Rasmussen Reports poll that found "only 20 percent of those surveyed" wanted the immigration bill "revived for further consideration. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they prefer smaller steps than the comprehensive approach taken in the proposal. Another 16 percent want the immigration plan put off until next year."

Walton Puts The Squeeze On Libby, Bush

Judge Walton yesterday denied "Scooter" Libby's request to stay out of prison while he appeals his conviction for perjury. Not only that: ABC World News notes the judge said that "he's received so much hate mail, from Libby's supporters and critics, that he saved the letters in case something happens to him." The Washington Post reports Libby "remained stoic as Walton announced his decision, while his wife, Harriet Grant, wiped away tears."

It now appears that unless a higher court rules in Libby's favor in the "emergency" appeal his lawyers are filing, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff is going to jail. USA Today reports Libby's attorneys will argue that "when Attorney General John Ashcroft and other senior Justice Department officials recused themselves from the leak investigation, they gave" prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald "unconstitutional and unchecked authority." Most analysts do not expect that argument to carry much water.

Therefore, says the New York Times, "the only thing standing between Mr. Libby and prison is a pardon," and President Bush "has so far shown no inclination to intervene." Democrats "have said that any pardon would be improper and a display of favoritism. The discussion among Republicans has been occasionally vitriolic, demonstrating the vexing political situation the Libby conviction has thrown up for Mr. Bush." The Washington Post notes that as president and as the governor of Texas, Bush "has been sparing in granting pardons and has typically done so only after those involved served partial sentences." But "he is under substantial pressure from conservatives who are indignant that Libby was convicted of lying in an investigation that never charged anyone with the illegal leak of information." White House spokeswoman Dana M. Perino said, "Scooter Libby still has the right to appeal, and therefore the president will continue not to intervene in the judicial process. ... The president feels terribly for Scooter, his wife and their young children, and all that they're going through." The Los Angeles Times and Washington Times, among other news outlets, also note the conservative pressure on Bush.

Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.

Reid Shoots At Generals, Hits Himself

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is facing heavy blowback over his direct criticism of US Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus and outgoing Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace. Reid was seemingly incensed by a Thursday USA Today story that quoted Petraeus saying he "sees 'astonishing signs of normalcy' in the Iraqi capital." The Washington Post reports Reid said Petraeus, who took command "four months ago, 'isn't in touch with what's going on in Baghdad.'" Reid also suggested Petraeus "has not been sufficiently open in his testimony to Congress."

In addition, the New York Times says Reid aides "would neither confirm nor deny" that the top Senate Democrat called outgoing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace "incompetent." White House spokesman Tony Snow was quick to respond, saying, "At a time of war, for a leader of a party that says it supports the military, it seems outrageous to be issuing slanders toward the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and also the man who's responsible for the bulk of military operations in Iraq." The AP, meanwhile, reports Democrats "typically have shied from stinging comments on military officers, instead focusing on President Bush and administration policies in Iraq." The Los Angeles Times reports Reid "later issued a carefully crafted statement in which he called Pace 'a distinguished military veteran and public servant.'" But "he rejected a suggestion by a reporter that criticizing the generals sent a damaging message to the troops."

Ex-UN Ambassador John Bolton said on Fox News' Big Story, "I think Sen. Reid's comments coarsen the debate. You want to know why things are bad in Washington. People aren't arguing policy. They're making personal attacks and I think it demeans the Senate as an institution."

Liberals Plan "Iraq Summer" Campaign The US News Bulletin has learned Democratic activists are gearing up for a summer full of targeting House and Senate Republicans over Iraq policy. Liberal groups including Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, MoveOn.org, and Americans United for Change plan to take their "Iraq Summer" tour to 15 states, targeting 40 Republicans. The project's 100 organizers will work closely with local organizers and veterans to target Republicans who have been opposed to setting a timeline to end the war in Iraq. One organizer tells US News Political Bulletin that they're planning to "basically beat them over the head with it." The Washington Times says Reid's recent vocal criticisms on Iraq coincide with the start of the "Iraq Summer."

Kerry: Iraq Worse Than Vietnam Sen. John Kerry said on MSNBC's Hardball, "I think Iraq is worse than Vietnam, and the reason it's worse is that it came about as a war of choice, not the extension of a major, ideological effort like the Cold War, and I think that the deception and the inadequacies of leadership have been far greater in the long run."

DOJ Probing Gonzales Meeting With Aide

The Justice Department is investigating whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales "sought to improperly influence the testimony" of former aide Monica Goodling, the Washington Post reports on its front page. During her Capitol Hill testimony last month on the controversial firings of US attorneys, Goodling said "the attorney general's comments during the session made her feel 'a little uncomfortable.'" The New York Times, in a brief piece, quotes DOJ spokesman Brian Roehrkasse, who said in a statement, "We've previously stated that the attorney general has never attempted to influence or shape the testimony or public statements of any witness in this matter, including Ms. Goodling, and that the statements made by the attorney general during this meeting were intended only to comfort her in a very difficult period of her life." The Post says the probe adds "a new dimension to the troubles already besetting" Gonzales.

Executive Privilege Fight Could Last Rest Of Bush Term The Christian Science Monitor says the House and Senate Judiciary Committees "would like to know exactly how involved the White House was" with the firings, so they "issued subpoenas to try to compel" former White House advisers Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor to publicly testify. The Monitor says that if the Administration "chooses to fight the subpoenas on grounds of executive privilege, the legal struggle might last until the end of the Bush presidency."

Perils And Opportunity For Solicitor General The Wall Street Journal considers the role of Solicitor General Paul Clement, who could become "an unlikely player in the months-long controversy." Clement is "one of the conservative legal movement's brightest stars" and some see him as a future Supreme Court justice. But as the "highest-ranking Justice official not involved in the firings, he is charged with overseeing the department's investigations into the matter." The Journal says how Clement negotiates the tricky situation "could determine whether he emerges as a replacement should Mr. Gonzales depart -- and how far his judicial ambitions will take him."

Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.

Top

CAMPAIGN NEWS

Clintons Covered In Cash

Members of the Senate and House made their financial disclosures Thursday, but most of today's media coverage focuses on Sen. Hillary Clinton and on her shared wealth with her ex-president husband. The CBS Evening News said Sen. Clinton "has plenty in the bank, thanks primarily to her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The senator listed assets of up to $50 million. Bill Clinton earned more than $10 million last year alone, mostly from speeches."

The AP says Bill Clinton, "who might someday be the first spouse, traveled the globe last year, making more than $10 million giving speeches at corporate retreats, trade group gatherings and motivational venues." The AP also says the Clintons "liquidated a blind trust valued at $5 million to $25 million in April after learning that it included such investments as oil and drug companies, military contractors and Wal-Mart." Spokesman Howard Wolfson said, "As a presidential candidate, Sen. Clinton was required to make her assets public. As a result, she had to dissolve her blind trust. Upon its dissolution, she and the president chose to go above and beyond what was required of them and liquidate their assets in order to avoid even the hint of a conflict of interest."

Four major dailies cover the Clintons' wealth, though they split on emphasis. The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times focus on ex-president's eight-figure speaking draw, while the New York Times and Washington Post stress the dissolution of the blind trust. The Wall Street Journal says Bill Clinton "was paid between $75,000 and $450,000 apiece for nearly five dozen speeches, making 2006 his most lucrative year as a speaker since leaving the White House in 2001." The Los Angeles Times says "Clinton Inc." has undergone a "remarkable financial transformation since they left the White House in 2001 encumbered by millions of dollars in legal debts." In fact, Sen. Clinton "is one of the wealthiest members of Congress running for president."

In a 1,200-word story on its front page, the New York Times also recalls the Clintons' past financial woes, leading by saying the couple, "concerned that their personal finances might become a political liability once again," sold off "the millions of dollars of stocks held by their blind trust" two months ago. The Washington Post, also on its front page, says the Clintons "accrued the $5 million to $25 million in the trust -- nearly all since leaving the White House -- through investments in foreign companies, oil giants and drugmakers without their input or knowledge and without public disclosure."

The Long Island Newsday adds that in addition to money made on the lecture circuit, former President Clinton "likely made millions more in income from a book advance and from business dealings with political backers that he isn't required to disclose under Senate ethics rules."

Under the headline, "Bill Babbles For Big Bucks," the New York Daily News adds that former President Clinton's "biggest payday - a whopping $450,000 - came from a speech to a British do-gooder group called the Fortune Forum, where Clinton was given the British Red Cross Humanity Fellowship Award."

Gore Keeps Door Narrowly Open On Bid

The AP reports that in Milan, Italy on Thursday, Al Gore said that "he hopes to push the environmental agenda to the forefront of the 2008 presidential election -- but probably not as a candidate. 'I don't plan to be a candidate again. I haven't completely ruled out that possibility, but I don't expect to be a candidate,' Gore told several hundred people, including scientists and university students, at a Benetton-sponsored event organized around an environmental exhibit."

Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.

Giuliani Takes "Indirect Swipe" At Bush

Rudy Giuliani has been so far fairly reluctant to criticize President Bush, but that began to change yesterday. The AP reports Giuliani, "in an indirect swipe at President Bush, said Thursday the overwhelming attitude that the US is headed in the wrong direction reflects a lack of leadership." Speaking in Delaware, Giuliani "told more than 200 supporters: 'What we're lacking is strong, aggressive, bold leadership like we had with Ronald Reagan.'" But talking to reporters after the event, Giuliani "declined to take a direct jab at Bush. The Republican candidate said he has 'tremendous admiration' for the president." Giuliani said, "I think President Bush made the single biggest decision of his presidency correctly; he put us on offense against terrorism, and I will always admire him for that. But as far as the things that developed my ideas and thinking which developed as a much younger man, it was Ronald Reagan." Long Island Newsday adds, "Increasingly...Giuliani is delivering an implicit but crucial message: He has better leadership skills than President George W. Bush." The New York Times runs a similar report under the headline "Giuliani Cites Reagan, Not Bush, As Model For Strong Leadership."

Clinton Competitive In Texas Poll

Texas has long been a GOP presidential stronghold, but a new poll suggests that Sen. Hillary Clinton might be competitive in the state in 2008. The Dallas Morning News reports that a non-partisan Texas Lyceum poll of 1,002 adults conducted April 26-May 7 shows John McCain leading Clinton just 36%-35% in President Bush's home state, although the high percentage of undecideds (29%) clouds the picture a bit. The poll shows Rudy Giuliani in a similarly tight contest with Clinton. The key to her success? "Among undecided Texas voters, Mrs. Clinton is the 2-1 favorite against Mr. McCain and nearly 3-1 against Mr. Giuliani, according to the survey."

Richardson Proposes "Department Of Water"

All politics is local, so the saying goes, but Bill Richardson this week looked to make a regional issue into a national concern. The Elko (NV) Daily Free Press reported that Richardson, campaigning in Nevada, said he "would create a new cabinet, the Department of Water, specifically to address water issues -- and task it with the development of a national water policy. 'I would hold a national water summit,' Richardson told the Free Press" on Wednesday. Richardson "would direct the water secretary to build consensus among all 50 states, allow states to sell water to other states, perform a full assessment of the country's water realities and promote strong conservation measures -- all under federal leadership."

Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.

Top

POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "Finally, some good news today. There's been a breakthrough compromise on this immigration bill everybody's been complaining about," and "I think it's going to make everybody happy. You might have heard about this. Under this new bill, we let in 12 million illegal immigrants," but "we deport Paris Hilton. That seems fair."

Jay Leno: "Scooter Libby going to jail unless -- they say -- unless President Bush acts quickly. Yeah. And today, the city of New Orleans says, 'Good luck with Bush acting quickly.'"

Jay Leno: "Presidential candidate Tommy Thompson" gave "a major campaign speech yesterday...to let everyone know he is not dropping out of the race" and "that he was entering the Iowa straw poll, and he intends to win it. And then the kid at the McDonald's drive-through said, 'You want fries, mister? We got to move.'"

David Letterman: President Bush "was visiting Albania, and somebody...stole his watch, just grabbed it -- and Bush is upset. He is really angry, and he says now he has no choice but to bomb Iran."

Conan O'Brien: "Yesterday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told a Latino group that if immigrants want to learn English, they should not read foreign language newspapers. ... Yeah, the Latino group told Arnold, 'How about you tell us how you learned English, and we'll do the opposite.'"

Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.

Top