WASHINGTON NEWS

Defiant Bush Holds Firm On Surge

As the White House delivered what it termed a "mixed" progress report to Congress on the Iraq war, President Bush held a press conference to make his case for continuing the surge strategy until September. Media reports portray him as holding his ground, and note Bush and members of his Administration sought to stress that the report contained only interim findings. In what is a common refrain, ABC World News said the Bush team was attempting to "buy time," though on Capitol Hill many Democrats "made clear they have no intention of waiting." USA Today also reports the President "is seeking more time for the Iraq security strategy" to succeed.

Most analysts believe the President gained little ground yesterday. NBC Nightly News said Bush's "resolve has failed to quell a Republican rebellion and bipartisan calls to impose a withdrawal timeline." The Wall Street Journal observes that Thursday's report "seemed certain to complicate White House efforts to maintain congressional support for its handling of Iraq." The Christian Science Monitor also says that "an assessment that basically calls for more patience on Iraq may end up having a limited impact in part because it emphasizes military achievements at a point in the Iraq effort when everyone from military commanders to analysts agree that political progress is now the crucial determining factor."

The Washington Post describes Bush as "a weakened president [who] is desperately playing for time while a Democratic opposition mounts its case against him and Republican lawmakers agonize over how long to stick with him." The New York Times says Bush's Iraq strategy "now boils down to this: He is trying to buy time for a surge that is living on borrowed time," and "even some of" his "aides acknowledge that the" surge "the president so ardently defended...was already in its final phases. From the White House to the Pentagon to the military headquarters in Iraq, the focus of behind-the-scenes planning is already on what follows."

The San Francisco Chronicle says that given his low poll numbers, Bush "has little to lose politically in using the last 18 months of his presidency to try to prove critics of his war policy wrong." But "the rest of his Republican Party...is looking at something entirely different: elections for the House, Senate and the presidency that, absent a miraculous turnaround in Iraq or a suicidal stumble by Democrats, are headed for a debacle."

In one of the few positive assessments of Bush's performance yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports the President stemmed "a revolt among Senate Republicans," and appeared to "win two more months for his 'surge' strategy in Iraq after arguing that US forces had made some progress and needed time to make the country more secure. ... Leading Republicans said they remained skeptical that the buildup of 30,000 troops would work, but they appeared to have accepted the president's plea to wait until a more comprehensive Pentagon assessment is released Sept. 15 before trying to force any change in course." The Kansas City Star said the "Republican bloc continues to crack in the Senate," but some wavering senators said Congress "should at least wait until hearing" US commander Gen. David Petraeus in September "before it attempts to alter Iraq strategy."

On PBS's NewsHour, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said, "I certainly hope that the United States Senate will not do something that looks politically advantageous right now, but would be a terrible policy for our country, and it would hurt our reputation for years into the future." On MSNBC's Hardball, Sen. Kit Bond said of the war, "I think it can be won." Sen. Jon Kyl said on CNN's The Situation Room, "If we do succeed militarily, there is at least a chance that it can succeed. ... And that's why we want to wait until September, when Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker come back to report to us to see what the status is at that point."

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said on MSNBC's Hardball, "I think everybody understands that there's a lot of controversy and people are unhappy with the war. A lot of people want us out. Republican politicians are hearing that from constituents. But it's interesting, because if you listen to a lot of the same Republican politicians, they're not aiming at getting out. They're aiming at trying to figure out how to win."

The Christian Science Monitor interviews Petraeus, who said, "September is September from my perspective. What [Ambassador Crocker] and I will do in September is to provide a forthright, comprehensive assessment of the situation at the time and provide discussion of the potential consequences of various courses of action that might be considered."

Bush Stares Down Congressional Democrats A number of media accounts emphasize Bush's resoluteness yesterday -- and his "aggressive new tone" toward Congress. The New York Times says Bush "struck an aggressive new tone on Thursday in his clash with Congress over Iraq, telling lawmakers they had no business trying to manage the war." The Chicago Tribune says Bush "adamantly drew a line between his powers as commander in chief and the prerogatives of Congress, which he said has 'all the right' to finance the war but no business controlling troop deployments," while the New York Daily News says Bush "scoffed at public opinion" and "lectured lawmakers that the role of Congress is to fund the troops in Iraq -- not direct the war." The Boston Globe says Bush "sought to minimize the role of an increasingly restless Congress."

The Financial Times reports Bush acknowledged Americans were "tired of war" but "showed no sign of shifting policy" despite the report's "mostly negative assessment," and the Washington Post notes he "insisted" he would not be "rushed into an early withdrawal, even as lawmakers voted to begin pulling troops from Iraq in the coming months." In their response to the report, Democrats "were more scathing, accusing Bush of whitewashing the findings and failing to face reality." McClatchy reports Bush said his report was "a cause for optimism," even as he "acknowledged that Iraqi security forces remain beset by manpower problems and sectarian divisions."

Which Al Qaeda? The New York Times reports, "In rebuffing calls to bring troops home from Iraq, President Bush on Thursday employed a stark and ominous defense. 'The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq,' he said, 'were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th, and that's why what happens in Iraq matters to the security here at home.'" Bush's "references to Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and his assertions that it is the same group that attacked the United States in 2001, have greatly oversimplified the nature of the insurgency in Iraq and its relationship with the Qaeda leadership." Bush's "critics argue that he has overstated the Qaeda connection in an attempt to exploit the same kinds of post-Sept. 11 emotions that helped him win support for the invasion in the first place." Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia "did not exist before the Sept. 11 attacks," and is "in many respects an Iraqi phenomenon."

House Backs Iraq Exit The Los Angeles Times reports that hours after President Bush "credited the recent troop buildup with 'measurable progress' in the Iraq war, the House today voted 223 to 201 to bring most of the troops home by April 1." However, USA Today said the vote "indicated that anti-war forces do not have enough votes to override a presidential veto." Democratic leaders, however, "say they will continue to put Congress on record throughout the summer in opposition to Bush's policy." The Washington Times reports 10 Democrats "voted against the measure -- four fewer than the 14 who opposed withdrawal dates in March. Republicans voted against the measure by a 191-4 margin."

Bush: Libby Commutation Fair, Balanced

During a news conference yesterday, President Bush defended his commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's jail sentence, and said it was time to move on. The Washington Post reports President Bush "acknowledged for the first time yesterday that 'somebody' in his administration leaked the name of an undercover intelligence officer but declined to say whether he was disappointed in such an action and contended that it is time to move on." Bush described his decision to commute I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison term "as 'fair and balanced.'"

The AP reports Bush "declined to express any disappointment in the people who worked for him and who were involved in disclosing the name of a CIA operative."

Judge Perplexed By Libby Clemency The Los Angeles Times reports US District Judge Reggie Walton, who sentenced Libby to 30 months in jail, "said he was 'perplexed' by the act of clemency" in an "unusual expression of frustration." Walton "took issue with Bush's statement that the prison sentence ordered for Libby last month was 'excessive.'"

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

Miers Could Face Contempt Charges

The Washington Post reports the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law "took the first step toward bringing contempt charges" against former White House counsel Harriet Miers, who had been subpoenaed to testify about her role in the dismissals of US attorneys. Miers "declined to attend" after current White House counsel Fred Fielding "advised her not to appear. The snub provoked a 7 to 5 vote by" the House panel.

The Los Angeles Times says the vote was on party lines, and quotes Rep. Steve Cohen saying, "I can't fathom a private citizen getting a subpoena to come before this body and not showing up." The New York Times reports Rep. Linda Sanchez, who chairs the subcommittee, said of the executive privilege claims, "Those claims are not legally valid."

DC Madam Placed Five Calls To Vitter

The AP reports Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the woman "accused of running a Washington prostitution ring, placed five phone calls to" Louisiana Sen. David Vitter "while he was a House member, including two while roll call votes were under way, according to telephone and congressional records." Vitter, "a Louisiana Republican now in the Senate, acknowledged Monday that his number was on the woman's call list and apologized for a 'very serious sin.'"

In his Washington Post column, E.J. Dionne offers a "qualified defense" of Sen. Vitter, saying, "The magnitude of our public problems does not afford us the luxury of indulging in crusades about politicians' private lives, even those involving a high degree of hypocrisy."

House Limits Use Of Gun Purchase Data

The AP reports, "Pro-gun rights Democrats teamed with House Republicans on Thursday to block local governments and law enforcement agencies from gaining routine access to gun-purchasing data." The House Appropriations Committee "defeated two attempts by gun control advocates to strip four-year-old restrictions on the use of information from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tracing gun sales. The votes were a victory for the National Rifle Association and came despite the Democratic takeover of Congress in January."

The New York Times reports the panel "dealt a major blow to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's campaign against illegal firearms yesterday, refusing to allow police departments broader access to data that tracks guns sales."

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

Top

CAMPAIGN NEWS

Obama Wows NAACP Forum

The battle between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama over the black vote took center stage yesterday. The AP reports Obama "drew the loudest cheers of the eight Democratic candidates" at the NAACP forum in Detroit yesterday "as he assailed the Bush administration's record on race relations." Obama's "performance was the first time he has managed to outshine" Sen. Hillary Clinton "in a candidate's forum. That includes last month's debate at Howard University, a historically black college in the nation's capital." The New York Times reports "no one else was greeted with as much enthusiasm as" Obama, "whose mere presence on the stage shot adrenalin through the mostly African-American audience of thousands." Although "this was not a debate - the event was billed as a forum for ideas - it was as if Mr. Obama, the only black candidate, enjoyed the home field advantage over the seven other Democrats and one Republican who had accepted invitations. And he performed as if he knew it." But "judging by the audience's reaction," Mrs. Clinton also struck chords with the crowd. By luck of the draw, she spoke first and was able to make some of the most powerful early statements about the plight of poor blacks during and after Hurricane Katrina and about disparities in the quality of health care and education."

The Detroit Free Press reports Obama "was the rock star of the NAACP's presidential forum, prompting enthusiastic standing ovations both at his introduction and after his soaring three-minute speech to the crowd of more than 1,000 people." The "other two front-runners," Clinton and Edwards, "also received enthusiastic receptions," and "each of the remaining five candidates...had lines in their opening statements that brought the crowd to their feet."

The Chicago Tribune reports that throughout the "two-hour forum...the full field of Democratic presidential candidates spoke about issues of poverty, justice and equality in the clearest terms of the campaign to date." There was "a heightened sense of confidence among those in attendance, many of whom seem well-aware of their potential to have greater influence over the selection of the next Democratic presidential nominee than at any time in recent history."

The Detroit News reports "nine of the 10 Republican presidential hopefuls took a pass. Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo was the only GOP candidate to show up."

Hot Mikes Catch Clinton, Edwards Trying To Freeze Out Rivals One interesting side note from the event -- the AP reports that "Fox News microphones" caught Sen. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards "discussing their desire to limit future joint appearances to exclude some lower rivals. ... Edwards says, 'We should try to have a more serious and a smaller group.' Clinton agrees, saying, 'We've got to cut the number' and 'they're not serious.' She also says that she thought their campaigns had already tried to limit the debates and say, 'We've gotta get back to it.'"

More Problems For McCain

After the trouncing he's taken in the media this week, it looked like things couldn't get any worse for John McCain's presidential campaign. In the key early state of Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports that two of McCain's "Iowa consultants have quit the Arizona senator's campaign, in light of the departure of national campaign manager Terry Nelson this week." Ed Failor Jr. and Karen Slifka said they "were stepping down, Failor said, out of loyalty to Nelson but they remained supportive of Sen. McCain." Failor, "executive vice president of Iowans for Tax Relief, and Slifka, former Midwest regional director of the Republican National Committee, had agreed last week to stay on with McCain's campaign, albeit unpaid, after disappointing second-quarter fundraising prompted a shakeup of the campaign." Prior to their departure, McCain had already slashed his staff in the state by half.

There was more trouble with staff in another key early state yesterday. The Hill reports one of McCain's Florida campaign chairmen "was arrested Wednesday night for allegedly trying to solicit oral sex from an undercover officer." McCain's camp "declined to comment on the arrest of Florida state Rep. Bob Allen (R), who serves as one of six chairmen for McCain's campaign in Florida." CNN reported on its website that Allen "faces charges of solicitation for prostitution after he was arrested in a Titusville city park that had been under surveillance, police said. He allegedly offered an undercover police officer $20 for the unspecified act."

Dem Video Shows Romney Distancing Self From GOP

The AP reports a new video "posted on both YouTube and the Internet by Democrats includes a montage of political moments in which" Mitt Romney "repeatedly downplays his Republican Party affiliation while running for governor of heavily Democratic Massachusetts in 2002." In a Sept. 21, 2002, interview with WBZ-TV, Romney said, "I've been very clear, I think, to people all across the commonwealth, that my 'R' didn't stand so much for 'Republican,' as it does for 'reform.'" The AP adds the "montage, posted by the Massachusetts Democratic Party, includes several clips of Romney complaining about the lack of political balance in heavily Republican Utah, where he spent three years while he headed to 2002 Winter Olympic Games." Romney "often made that point as he argued for equilibrium in Massachusetts, which tilted to the opposite end of the political spectrum."

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: "Today Vitter put out a statement saying he only started to cheat on his wife after he began hanging out with the wrong crowd. You know, Giuliani, Newt Gingrich..."

David Letterman: "David Vitter, I think is his name, and he has admitted now he dates hookers in Washington, DC. And also in Louisiana, yeah. He said in his defense he always selected the girl who made the lowest bid. So he's fiscally prudent."

David Letterman: "President Bush was talking about Iraq today. And he said that the United States...has met eight out of 18 of the benchmarks required in Iraq. 8 out of 18. You know, if things don't improve, people are going to start thinking the war's not going well."

David Letterman: "And how about Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff. He says he had a 'gut feeling' that there could be a new terror attack. Said he had a gut feeling. Coincidentally, Al Gore said he had a gut feeling that he needed more pie."

Conan O'Brien: "This week, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he is opposed to medical marijuana. However, Giuliani did say he's a huge supporter of medical Rogaine."

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

Top