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Tuesday, May 29, 2012
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The House Judiciary Committee's vote to issue criminal contempt citations against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers pushed Congress and the White House closer to a collision over executive privilege. Media coverage emphasizes the potential for a major constitutional showdown, with White House Press Secretary Tony Snow's description of the committee vote as "pathetic" finding its way into most TV and print reports. In fact, in their brief reports, both ABC World News and NBC Nightly News noted Snow's blunt assessment. The Financial Times says Snow said, "This is pathetic. What you have is partisanship on Capitol Hill that boils down to insults, insinuations, inquisitions and investigations, rather than the normal business of trying to pass legislation."
Fox News Special Report says the party-line 22-17 vote took place amid "loud objections from committee Republicans." The Washington Post notes the Bush Administration "has said that it will block the prosecution of any contempt charges," while the New York Times reports a Justice Department official "affirmed earlier comments from a White House spokesman that any effort to enforce the contempt citation would be futile." The CBS Evening News said "the full House will likely consider the citations after the August recess."
The Hill says that following the vote, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers "sent a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding urging him to reconsider negotiating terms to resolve the conflict without further escalation." But as the Wall Street Journal reports, "both sides now seem set on a collision course that would provide a major test of each institution's claimed powers," and "for both sides, the constitutional questions are particularly thorny."
Congressional Democrats framed the debate in the larger context of congressional prerogatives. The New York Times reports Conyers said the action "was needed 'not only to gain an accurate picture of the facts surrounding the US attorneys controversy, but to protect our constitutional prerogatives as a co-equal branch of government,'" while the Financial Times notes Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "The contempt proceedings are part of a broader effort by House Democrats to restore our nation's fundamental system of checks and balances."
Gonzales Could Face Perjury Probe The AP reports documents indicate congressional leaders were briefed about the Bush Administration terrorist surveillance program "on the eve of its expiration in 2004, contradicting sworn Senate testimony this week by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales." At issue is whether Gonzales intentionally misled the Congress about internal Administration objections to renewing the NSA surveillance program. The documents "underscore questions about Gonzales' credibility as senators consider whether a perjury investigation should be opened." The Washington Post reports Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy "threatened yesterday to request a perjury investigation" of Gonzales.
The AP reports "leading House Iraq war critic" Rep. John Murtha said he plans to "push legislation that would order U.S. troop withdrawals to begin in two months." However, the Los Angeles Times says, "in a bid to gain more Republican support and increase pressure on the president, Murtha said the latest Democratic plan would not set a deadline for when the withdrawal should be complete." But as the Wall Street Journal writes, "most Republicans, however war weary, will be reluctant to support Rep. Murtha before hearing from" Gen. David Petraeus in the fall. Murtha's plan also faces criticism from the Democrats' own antiwar flank, The Hill reports.
House Bars Permanent Iraq Bases The New York Times says the House "voted overwhelmingly," 399-24, to bar permanent US bases in Iraq. Republicans "offered little resistance, saying the plan essentially reflected current law and Bush administration policy." The Washington Post notes House Minority Leader John Boehner called it "a 'meaningless stunt'" before voting for it.
Hollywood Takes On Iraq War The New York Times runs a front-page feature on the spate of new feature films casting the Iraq war in a mostly negative light. A number of them will "use the damaged Iraq veteran to raise questions about a continuing war."
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The Los Angeles Times reports US threat analyst Edward Gistaro told Congress Wednesday that al Qaeda's Iraq organization "is overwhelmingly composed of fighters from that country, and that the terrorist network's ability to operate in Pakistan poses the greater danger" to the US. The Times sees his comments as "undercutting new assertions by President Bush...that Al Qaeda in Iraq is substantially controlled by foreign operatives, and that most of them would be trying to kill Americans if not for the ongoing war there." Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports, Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Lt. Gen. James Clapper told Congress that al Qaeda is "continuing to plan attacks" against the US and is "seeking nuclear and other unconventional arms for the strikes."
A Washington Post -ABC News poll finds 71% of Americans believe al Qaeda "is as strong as or stronger than it was before Sept. 11, 2001, and a majority of those with that view blamed President Bush for the terrorist network's continued resilience."
The White House commission on veterans' care, headed by ex-Sen. Bob Dole and ex-HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, recommended an extensive overhaul of the system. McClatchy reports President Bush, who met with the co-chairs Wednesday, called the recommendations "very interesting" and said he told the Pentagon and VA to take the recommendations "seriously and to implement them, so that we can say with certainty that any soldier who has been hurt will get the best possible care and treatment that this government can offer."
However, media reports are skeptical on whether the suggested reforms will actually be implemented. The CBS Evening News noted that when asked when the panel's recommendations might be implemented, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow "couldn't say." The Washington Post reports in a front page article that Snow "initially told reporters yesterday that Bush would not act immediately on the panel's advice," but late yesterday afternoon, after "criticism from a veterans group," Bush "announced that he will move quickly." Meanwhile, NBC Nightly News said that "only hours" after the commission released its report, the White House "scheduled a photo op of President Bush jogging on the South Lawn with two Army amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
ABC World News reported the panel said "fundamental changes are needed" to a system "exposed as under-staffed, under-funded and under pressure from an unexpected flow of severely injured troops." USA Today notes on its front page the report was "the latest in a long series of studies that have recommended many of the same changes without much success." On its front page, the New York Times says that while the investigation was "spurred by a series of embarrassing news reports about the substandard treatment returning soldiers received," the report "avoided harsh assessment of the Administration's handling of the military and veterans health care systems."
When asked if there is the political will in Washington right now to implement the recommendations, Dole said on CNN's The Situation Room, "No, but we were told, if we produced a good product...there would be some action. And this came from the highest levels at the White House. And we told...the President this morning that we think we have a good product." On the same program, Shalala noted that most of the recommendations "can be implemented...by DoD and the VA. In fact, of the 35 action steps they need to take, only six of those steps need to be taken by Congress."
USA Today notes that the release of the recommendations "coincided with passage of a Senate bill calling for many of the same changes." On the CBS Evening News, Sen. Patty Murray was shown saying: "We can pass legislation, the commission put forward recommendations, but unless this administration directs DoD and VA to do it and tells them that they will have the resources to make that happen, it's just going to be another piece of legislation and another commission report."
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said President Bush "will veto a multibillion-dollar House bill extending government farm and nutrition programs because it doesn't to enough to reduce subsidies to growers," the AP reports. The New York Times says Johanns said, "The bill put forth by the committee misses a major opportunity. The time really is right for reform in farm policy."
McClatchy says the White House budget office "cited various budget 'gimmicks,' revenue provisions and subsidy policies in recommending a presidential veto." The Washington Post notes Republicans "quickly picked up on a White House statement branding the funding plan as an unacceptable tax increase." The AP reports "farm-state Republicans threatened to defect from the measure in a spat over taxes."
The Los Angeles Times reports senators "clashed anew over immigration Wednesday" as Republicans "pushed to introduce far-reaching new enforcement measures and California's senators led an impassioned plea to allow in more foreign agriculture workers." The Times says the "often tart, sometimes angry" exchanges "came during debate on the homeland security spending bill, creating new fault lines and deepening old ones." The AP has a less critical take, saying that Majority Leader Harry Reid's announcement that the Senate "would soon approve the border control money after stripping out policy provisions deemed too harsh by Democrats...ended a difficult day in relative peace."
The Washington Times, meanwhile, focuses on Senate Democrats, who "proposed a new agriculture workers program to bring in hundreds of thousands of foreign workers and grant legal status to illegal aliens now working in the fields." The paper says the Senate saw "the first major skirmish on immigration since President Bush's bill collapsed last month" as members of both parties file "piecemeal measures to deal with various aspects of the crisis."
The Hill says "confident Senate Democrats" are looking for "a veto-proof 67 votes" on their "politically popular" bill to reauthorize and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). While President Bush has threatened a veto, the Los Angeles Times notes "some Republicans already have signaled they will break with the party line on this issue."
Smokers Rally Against SCHIP Tax Hike The Los Angeles Times asks, "Are cigarette smokers the only people left in America whom politicians think it's fine to raise taxes on?" The House SCHIP bill would raise cigarette taxes by 115%, the Senate version 156%. As a result, "smokers and the tobacco industry have teamed up with anti-tax conservatives to oppose the plan." The Wall Street Journal says through websites like "one set up by Philip Morris, companies have been urging smokers to contact lawmakers to complain about the tax."
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Amid heavy media coverage, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continued to exchange fire yesterday, with Obama trying to turn the focus towards Clinton's vote to authorize the Iraq war. NBC Nightly News reported on the "sharp words" spilling over from the CNN/YouTube debate between Democratic frontrunners Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. "It was Obama who late today got in the last word." The segment continues to relate an "exclusive interview" Obama gave to NBC News in which he said, "What is irresponsible and naive is to have authorized a war without asking how we were going to get out. And I think Senator Clinton still hasn't fully answered that issue."
The AP reports Barack Obama "tried to turn rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's words back on her Wednesday, saying her vote to authorize the Iraq war was 'irresponsible and naive.'" Clinton had "used the same language a day earlier to criticize Obama for saying he would be willing to meet with leaders of nations such as Cuba, North Korea and Iran without conditions within the first year of his presidency." But Obama "told NBC News it's obvious that the diplomatic spade work must be done before any such meeting," and that he "wants to change Bush administration policies that freeze out enemies and move to a principle that says the United States should talk with everybody."
The AP reports Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain "sought to enhance their stature in a field of Republican presidential contenders that Newt Gingrich derisively called 'pygmies,' criticizing their Democratic rivals as too liberal and ill-prepared for the nation's top job." Romney "singled out" Sen. Hillary Clinton, "telling senior citizens in central New Hampshire: 'I don't think Hillary Clinton could get elected president of France with her platform. France is moving toward us.'" Meanwhile, McCain "took exception to remarks in which Obama asserted his foreign policy judgment was superior to any of the candidates in the race, Republican or Democrat, partly because he has lived overseas and had a multicultural upbringing. 'Well, I also think I'm the most qualified to run the decathlon because I watch sports on television all the time,'" McCain "said with a degree of sarcasm. 'I think that Senator Obama showed a degree of naivete when he advocated direct talks with the leader of North Korea and the president to Iran and of all these other people who are sponsoring terror all over the world,' McCain told The Associated Press between campaign stops in New Hampshire."
The Concord Monitor says Romney "has stepped up his rhetoric in the presidential race -- and he's training his fire not on this race, but the next one. Analysts say that's a strategy that carries some risks but serves two goals: First," Romney "is making red-meat headlines aimed at the Republican Party's conservative base. Second, the new tack conveys the impression that he is already the front-running candidate and has moved his focus beyond the primary -- a notion belied by polls that have him running in the single digits nationally. He does, however, lead in several New Hampshire polls."
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The Wall Street Journal reports Sen. John McCain's "well-known media team has resigned, an indication that his campaign shake-up is continuing to backfire and imperiling the Arizona Republican's presidential candidacy." Media consultants Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens, "veterans of President Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns, on Monday emailed the new campaign manager -- lobbyist and longtime McCain adviser Rick Davis -- to say that they were quitting." Meanwhile, current and former campaign McCain advisers say Davis' business activities "which involved a business he started and another launched by an acquaintance of his -- amounted to profiteering at the campaign's expense and risked embarrassing the senator."
The AP adds, "McCain communications director Jill Hazelbaker on Wednesday described the departure of" Schriefer and Stevens "as amicable and said the Arizona Republican 'appreciates their service' but accepted their resignations when they were offered Monday night." The Washington Post quotes Schriefer saying, "We'd really like to refer anything about this to the campaign. We did leave amicably and have the greatest respect for the senator."
The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) yesterday endorsed Hillary Clinton. Feinstein credited Clinton's "'hard-tempered' experience," adding that her endorsement adds "another significant name to Clinton's list of West Coast political backers. Both senators referred to the history-making potential of the election. ... Both also sought to emphasize Clinton's credentials as a two-term senator with eight years of close proximity to the Oval Office while her husband, Bill Clinton, was president." The San Francisco Chronicle adds, "Feinstein's early endorsement underscores what appears to be a growing challenge for the campaign of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in the Golden State -- and increasingly open grassroots doubts about his campaign organization here."
However, the high-profile endorsement didn't go entirely smoothly. The Los Angeles Daily News reports, "Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's marital infidelity generated new controversy Wednesday" during Feinstein's endorsement as she "lashed out when a television reporter asked Clinton how she felt about Villaraigosa endorsing her amid his recently exposed marital infidelity with Telemundo reporter Mirthala Salinas. ... When the reporter did not back down, Clinton offered her own perspective -- not as the cheated-upon wife she has been, but rather as the politician she is. Noting she has spoken with Villaraigosa since the affair became public, Clinton said: 'I think his work on behalf of the many issues that I care about is very significant, and I will continue to welcome his support.'" The San Francisco Chronicle adds, "A bristling Feinstein let it be known the question didn't sit well with her. 'Dick Helton, this is Dianne Feinstein. I'm surprised at you for that question! My goodness,' the senior California senator fumed, as Clinton was heard chuckling in the background. 'Hillary's running for president. She doesn't need to get into this!'" Clinton added, "I echo my friend Dianne's comments."
New polling data out this morning from ABC News and Washington Post shows Rudy Giuliani opening a wide lead over his rivals for the GOP nomination more than doubling the support of his nearest competitors. Giuliani leads the field with 34 percent, followed by John McCain at 16 percent and Fred Thompson at 14 percent. Mitt Romney takes 8 percent, while Newt Gingrich takes 7 percent. The rest of the field is at 3 percent or less. In a similar survey released in early June, Giuliani led McCain 32 percent to 19 percent. The July survey sampled 403 Republicans from July 18-21.
Giuliani's lead grows if anyone in the current field exits the race. Without Gingrich in the contest, Giuliani leads McCain 37 percent to 16 percent. If McCain exits, as some have speculated he would do in the wake of his campaign's financial meltdown, Giuliani would lead Thompson 39 percent to 16 percent, with Romney at 10 percent. In the unlikely event that Thompson does not enter the race, Giuliani's lead over McCain would expand to 39 percent to 17 percent.
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Jay Leno: "It got a little testy at the debates the other night, where Barack Obama said he would be willing to meet with leaders of countries hostile to the United States. And then Hillary Clinton accused Barack of being naive. ... This is the same woman who thought Bill Clinton would forsake all others, until death do you part."
Jay Leno: "A brand new book out about Dick Cheney, a very intimate portrait of Dick Cheney's life. It's called...'Tuesdays with Meanie.'"
David Letterman: "President Bush is...having a bad week. Senate investigations, congressional hearings, a colonoscopy. I'm telling you, it's just one probe after another."
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