USNews.com: Political Bulletin: Thursday, July 5, 2007

Thursday, July 5, 2007

WASHINGTON NEWS

Bush's Iraq Rhetoric Unchanged

His party has lost control of Congress, and Democrats and some Republicans are doing their best to thwart his Iraq policies, but President Bush, says the Washington Post, shows "little sign of backing down." Yesterday, in remarks to National Guardsmen and their families in Martinsburg, WV, he reiterated some of those statements that tend to infuriate his critics. Statements such as: "In this war, we face dangerous enemies who have attacked us here at home ... These people want to strike us again"; "If we were to quit Iraq before the job is done, the terrorists we are fighting would not declare victory and lay down their arms. They would follow us here"; or his warning that victory will require "more patience, more courage and more sacrifice". As the Los Angeles Times reports, Bush's remarks appeared to be "a reprise of speeches he delivered throughout the 2006 congressional campaign." The President added an Independence Day twist to his argument. The Gulf Daily News reports Bush called "today's US troops the 'successors' to Revolutionary soldiers who fought for American independence," noting "it took them six more years after the first anniversary of Independence Day to end the war with Britain."

In reporting that denoted some skepticism about the President's claims, NBC Nightly News said last night Bush made "little reference to sectarian divisions in Iraq as a cause of chaos there." Instead, "the President pointed to al Qaeda." NBC added Bush addressed "an invite-only crowd, where children, hand over heart, stirred a patriotic mood." The AP and New York Times strike a similar tone in their reports this morning. Meanwhile, on its website, the Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill describes Bush's comments "a thinly veiled swipe at Democratic leaders." The conservative Washington Times runs a more benign assessment of the President's words in a story headlined "Bush Braces Americans For Prolonged Struggle In Iraq."

The President's audience, meanwhile, reacted enthusiastically to his remarks. The Wheeling News-Register notes such a reaction when the President "called on his audience to find ways to say thanks to the citizen-soldiers of the United States Armed Forces and their families because they were prepared to make sacrifices to ensure the freedom of their countrymen." The Hagerstown Herald-Mail reports "the president received thunderous applause when he told the crowd that it was better to fight terrorists in the Middle East than face them in the United States. " Bush "said all Americans long for the day when US troops can come home, but the forces should be withdrawn on the advice of military leaders -- not the agendas of politicians in Washington, DC." Another story in the Hagerstown Herald-Mail notes the President "drew laughs when he joked that his wife, Laura Bush, couldn't join him in Martinsburg because he'd told her to 'fire up the grill.'"

Even more positive was a story in the Martinsburg Journal about a man named Mike Eshbaugh, who was in the National Guard with Bush in the 1960s -- and who also attended yesterday's speech. Says the Journal, "Even as a basic trainee in the Air National Guard during the 1960s, George W. Bush knew how to exercise authority and influence over those around him," according Eshbaugh, who added, "He showed great leadership then, and I can still see it now. ... He kept us straight."

Bush: Full Pardon For Libby Possible

As media and legal analysts blasted President Bush's decision to commute "Scooter" Libby's sentence, Bush on Tuesday made quite a splash when he made it clear that he hasn't ruled out a full pardon. "As to the future," he said, "I rule nothing in and nothing out." However, the Washington Times notes, Bush also "said that some of the punishments that were given to Libby -- such as a $250,000 fine and probation -- were 'adequate.'" The CBS Evening News said Bush "raised the ante" by not ruling out a pardon, and asked, "Where's the Vice President, Vice President Dick Cheney, in all of this? White House officials say they have no idea whether or not he tried to intervene on behalf of his long-time aide Scooter Libby. As usual, the Vice President left no fingerprints." On MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews made a similar argument, saying Bush had "escalated the...matter by openly suggesting that he might pardon him."

The New York Times referred to a "storm of criticism, as well as a new investigation on Capitol Hill." House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. "announced Tuesday that he would hold a hearing next week to examine 'the use and misuse of presidential clemency power' for executive branch officials." The Washington Post reported Conyers said yesterday, "Taken to its extreme...the use of such authority could completely circumvent the law enforcement process and prevent credible efforts to investigate wrongdoing in the executive branch."

A number of news reports took issue with Bush's legal rationale in eliminating Libby's sentence. The Los Angeles Times, under the headline "Harsh For Libby But Not For Others," reports "records show that the Justice Department under the Bush administration frequently has sought sentences that are as long, or longer, in many cases similar to Libby's." Similarly, the Washington Post says "defense lawyers and experts on federal sentencing guidelines said the president's actions are at odds with the administration's position on those guidelines." The AP and New York Times ran additional pieces on Bush's legal rationale. The Times says Bush "drew on the same array of arguments about the federal sentencing system often made by defense lawyers -- and routinely and strenuously opposed by his own Justice Department."

Snow Said To Have Lost "His Cool" Fox News Special Report noted White House spokesman Tony Snow "stressed the President's desire to honor the jury's conclusion by leaving in place some of the penalties. And he disputed some reporters' assertions that the punishments are just a slap on the wrist." MSNBC's Hardball said Snow "appeared to lose his cool as reporters asked about convicted felons who want what Libby has now." This morning, Snow defends Bush's decision to commute Libby's sentence in an op-ed in USA Today.

Clintons Outraged Fox News Special Report reported, "Hillary Clinton offered a sharp criticism during a stop in Iowa last night." Clinton "appeared with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who issued 456 pardons and commutations during his presidency, about four times as many as President Bush has. One pardon went to the husband of Denise Rich, a contributor to his campaigns." The New York Times reported Bill Clinton "was asked by a radio host, David Yepsen, 'You had some controversial pardons during your presidency; what's your reaction to what President Bush did?' 'Yeah, but I think the facts were different,' Mr. Clinton said. 'I think there are guidelines for what happens when somebody is convicted. You've got to understand, this is consistent with their philosophy; they believe that they should be able to do what they want to do, and that the law is a minor obstacle.'"

"Impeachment Headquarters" Open For Business

The Los Angeles Times reports this morning, "If President Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney were ever to be impeached, their foes could cite this Independence Day as a milestone -- the day that the nation's first 'impeachment headquarters' opened its doors. 'This is an impeachment 4th of July,' Byron De Lear, a Green Party activist, said Wednesday. He called removing Bush and Cheney 'a patriotic duty to restore the integrity of the United States.'" The Times adds "the day's star power was provided by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who vigorously had defended President Clinton when he faced impeachment in 1998. 'This is one of the most important efforts this country has ever seen,' said Waters. ... When asked who might lead the cause in the Senate, Waters paused, then said she would have to defer that question."

Asked about his efforts to impeach Vice President Cheney, Rep. Dennis Kucinich said on CNN's Situation Room yesterday that the movement is gaining support, noting that "over a dozen members of Congress now" support the move. "More and more people," he said, "are looking at the conduct of the office of the Vice President. This war has weakened this nation. It has weakened or military. It's weakened the National Guard. It has weakened our budget. And I want a strong military, but one that you don't send into battles based on lies."

Too Angry About War To Pay Taxes The AP reports "war tax resistance, popularized by Henry David Thoreau in the 19th century and by singer Joan Baez and others during the Vietnam War, is gaining renewed interest among peace activists upset over the Iraq war. 'Clearly this year we definitely had more people calling, sending e-mails about how they decided to start resisting,' said Ruth Benn, coordinator of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee in New York." Peace activists are considering a mass tax resistance campaign next April to step up pressure to end the war in Iraq, Benn said."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Giuliani Tops Romney In Cash Quest

The AP reports Rudy Giuliani "emerged as the winner in the Republican presidential money contest" during the 2nd quarter, both raising more and spending less than his top Republican rivals. Rudy Giuliani brought in $17 million (all but $2 million for the primary) during the period and has about $18 million in the bank, including $15 million he can spend in the primaries. Mitt Romney brought in about $14 million, contributed another $6.5 million of his own money, and has $12 million in the bank. John McCain, whose fundraising numbers have widely been seen as a sign of a troubled campaign, brought in $12 million and had just $2 million in the bank.

A theme emerging from the fundraising returns is that the Democrats are outraising their GOP counterparts overall. ABC World News reported, "Interesting note, the leading Democratic candidates are raising much more money than the Republicans." The Wall Street Journal adds, "So far, Democrats are out-raising Republicans approximately 2 to 1."

Edwards Buying Trouble With His Haircuts

New revelations in today's Washington Post are likely to restart talk about John Edwards and his haircuts. The Post today profiles John Edwards' hair stylist, Joseph Torrenueva. The "Beverly Hills hairstylist, a Democrat, said he hit it off" in 2003 "with then-Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina at a meeting in Los Angeles that brought several fashion experts together to advise the candidate on his appearance. Since then, Torrenueva has cut Edwards's hair at least 16 times." At first, "the haircuts were free. But because Torrenueva often had to fly somewhere on the campaign trail to meet his client, he began charging $300 to $500 for each cut, plus the cost of airfare and hotels when he had to travel outside California." Torrenueva said "one haircut during the 2004 presidential race cost $1,250 because he traveled to Atlanta and lost two days of work." The Post notes that that the hair stylists story doesn't jibe with Edwards' defense of the $400 haircut that it was an aberration and that he didn't know how much it cost.

Bloomberg Would Make For Tight NJ Race

The AP reports that a new poll out today from Quinnipiac University shows Rudy Giuliani leading Hillary Clinton in New Jersey 47%-44%. However, if NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg enters the race, he takes 18%, and the two major party candidates tie at 36% apiece. The AP adds, "'If Mayor Bloomberg runs as an independent, he takes more votes from Giuliani, making the three-way race too close to call,' said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Even with Bloomberg not in the race, the Quinnipiac poll results show a tighter race than a previous Quinnipiac poll in April, which had Giuliani leading with 49 percent, versus 40 percent for Clinton, a senator from New York."

In the primaries, Giuliani leads the GOP side "with 46 percent, followed by McCain with 11 percent, Thompson at 9 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 7 percent." On the Democratic side, "Clinton leads with 37 percent, with 18 percent for Gore, 15 percent for Obama and 6 percent for 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards."

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