Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Wiretapping Law Casts Pall On Democrats

With Congress out of town, media outlets continue to analyze the performance of the Democratic majority. Some media sources suggest last weekend's passage of a wiretapping bill, opposed by the party's liberal base, may prove politically troublesome for Democrats. The New York Times said the congressional vote "that authorized eavesdropping without warrants on international communications, including those involving Americans within the United States, has shown that there is at least one arena in which Mr. Bush can still hold the line: terrorism." The victory "points up an enduring challenge for Democrats, even as they have gained other advantages over Mr. Bush and his fellow Republicans."

ABC World News said the wiretapping measure "passed in part of because major turnaround by Democrats in Congress. Two years ago, when a similar wiretapping program was first reported, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said, quote, 'calls into question the integrity and credibility of our nation's commitment to the rule of law.' Now, Sen. Feinstein and 15 other Senate Democrats have voted to give the government even more power to wiretap."

The New York Times editorializes, "It was appalling to watch over the last few days as Congress -- now led by Democrats -- caved in to yet another unnecessary and dangerous expansion of...Bush's powers, this time to spy on Americans in violation of basic constitutional rights." The "spectacle left us wondering what the Democrats -- especially their feckless Senate leaders -- plan to do with their majority in Congress if they are too scared of Republican campaign ads to use it to protect the Constitution and restrain an out-of-control president." Similarly, under the headline "The Politics Of Fear," the Los Angeles Times says in an editorial, "That this flawed legislation was approved by a Democratic Congress is a reminder that many in the party are still fearful that they will be labeled 'soft on terror' if they don't give this administration what it wants when it wants it."

On Fox News' Special Report roundtable, Morton Kondracke said, "I would say that the Congress gets an F for style, and maybe a C-minus for substance. The F for style is that they are always fighting. They are always yelling and screaming, and it came to a crescendo as they were leaving town with the House completely out of order. And when they are not doing that, they are beating up on Alberto Gonzales, or they are beating up on the president. They are constantly fighting, and it looks terrible." Also on the roundtable, Bill Sammon of the Washington Examiner said, "They are getting some things done. But another way to look at this substantively is that they promised to end war in Iraq, and they failed to do that." On the same show, columnist Charles Krauthammer said the six month sunset provision on the FISA bill "means it will become an issue early next year, and the Republicans will win again. That is a slam dunk issue for the President."

The Politico, under the headline "New Congress, Same Culture," says "Democrats swept into power last fall promising to change the tone on Capitol Hill. But after a meltdown of civility on the eve of the August recess, many voters might be scratching their heads."

The Baltimore Sun, meanwhile, reported Democrats' "ambitions have been checked this year by a Republican minority that has held together on controversial issues." And "on the most important issue facing the nation -- the war in Iraq -- despite seven months and countless hours of debate, Democrats have yet to make significant progress on reversing President Bush's policy."

White House Takes On NYTimes

The New York Times reports the White House "maintained Monday that the surveillance measure signed into law by President Bush over the weekend did not give the government any sweeping new powers to eavesdrop on Americans without court warrants." The White House "issued a statement that criticized as 'highly misleading' a front-page article in the New York Times on Monday that described the legislation as having 'broadly expanded the government's authority to eavesdrop on the international telephone calls and e-mail messages of American citizens without warrants.'"

The Washington Post reports the Administration "plans to leave oversight of its expanded foreign eavesdropping program to the same government officials who supervise the surveillance activities and to the intelligence personnel who carry them out, senior government officials said yesterday." The Los Angeles Times notes "the administration officials offered some new details on the FISA warrant system, saying that the process for obtaining court orders often required submitting lengthy applications that must be assembled with the help of intelligence analysts pulled away from other counter-terrorism tasks."

The new law continued to spark criticism. Eugene Robinson writes in the Washington Post, "I'm as anxious as the next guy to catch terrorists before they strike, but what's wrong with having at least a fig leaf of judicial oversight?" And on MSNBC's Hardball, Mark Green of Air America Radio also criticized the revised NSA wiretapping statute, saying, "An American speaking to a foreigner now can be wiretapped secretly by Alberto Gonzales without a court approving it. And in six of 20,000 instances, the FISA court since 1978 has disapproved of a warrant. That's why William Safire and Bob Barr joined the ACLU and Ted Kennedy. This is not left/right, this is right/wrong."

Bush, Karzai Paint Positive Picture

A day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai told CNN's Late Edition that the "security situation in Afghanistan over the past two years has definitely deteriorated, there is no doubt about that," he met with President Bush at Camp David. Karzai's pessimistic assessment had triggered a number of negative press stories, such as one in the New York Times headlined "Afghan President Bringing Bush A Gloomy Report On Security," which suggested that he had come to the US to sound the alarm on his country's security situation. But yesterday, says the Chicago Tribune, "the two presidents put a determinedly upbeat cast on the situation in Afghanistan on Monday, as Bush insisted that US and allied forces are gaining the upper hand against the Taliban and Karzai asserted that the radical Islamist movement is defeated and in hiding."

The Financial Times, likewise, notes Karzai "insisted...the Taliban posed no threat to his government," and the CBS Evening News used identical language reporting Karzai "told reporters the Taliban are still terrorizing Afghan civilians but pose no threat to his government." Fox News' Special Report, meanwhile, reported Karzai also "vowed to finish off the Taliban inside Afghanistan with US help."

Another major theme is today's coverage is Bush's comment about Pakistan -- and whether the US would consider striking Al Qaeda there. The AP notes Bush "stopped short of saying whether he would ask the Pakistani president before dispatching US troops into that nation." ABC World News says Bush "sidestepped a question about whether the US would seek Pakistan's permission before attacking Al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan."

Bush's refusal to be pinned down on the issue earned him some praise from unlikely quarters, the Los Angeles Times editorial page. Says the Times, "Say what you like about...Bush's poor stewardship of US foreign policy -- and we have -- the president got it exactly right Monday." Bush "was asked whether he would wait for permission from...Musharraf to send US forces into Pakistan if he had actionable intelligence about the whereabouts of top Al Qaeda leaders, although waiting might mean missing an opportunity to strike at them." Bush "artfully dodged the question."

USA Today reports Bush's comments "came as a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll showed 52% of Americans would support military action against terrorists in Pakistan if there was enough credible evidence of their whereabouts, known as actionable intelligence, and Pakistan was not doing anything about it."

Leaders Apparently At Odds Over Iran Headlining its story "Bush Differs With Karzai On Iran's Role In Afghanistan," the New York Times reports Bush and Karzai "found much to agree on as they completed a two-day meeting here on Monday, with one major exception: the role of Iran in Afghanistan." Karzai "characterized Iran as 'a helper' in a CNN interview broadcast Sunday." But "when the two men greeted reporters...on Monday, Mr. Bush pointedly disagreed, saying, 'I would be very cautious about whether the Iranian influence in Afghanistan is a positive force.'"

Likewise, the Washington Post titles its report "Bush Urges Karzai To Be More Wary Of Iran," and notes Bush called "the Islamic republic a 'destabilizing force' that should be isolated until it drops any nuclear aspirations and proves it can be a positive influence." The Los Angeles Times also says that "for the most part, Bush and Karzai spoke in harmony about the progress Afghanistan has made over the last six years, but they sounded a notably discordant note over the role of Iran."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Rivals Hit Clinton Over Lobbyist Donations

As polls show Sen. Hillary Clinton opening a wide lead over her rivals, at least nationally, Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards believe they see a chink in her armor: her willingness to take donations from lobbyists. The AP reports that Clinton's two rivals "portrayed her as the consummate Washington insider with special interest ties." The AP notes that their labeling Clinton as "a Washington creature who would maintain the status quo" come after her refusal to "forsake campaign donations from the special interest industry," which "drew boos and hisses from liberal bloggers" at the YearlyKos convention in Chicago Saturday. "Neither Edwards nor Obama accept money directly from federal lobbyists but both take contributions from people who work at firms with lobbying operations." The New York Daily News reports, "Hillary Clinton's top rivals tag-teamed her in Iowa yesterday, trying to take her down over links to Washington lobbyists." The Daily News suggests that Obama and Edwards "smelled blood" after Clinton refused to stop "taking money from Capitol Hill influence peddlers."

The Des Moines Register reports that Obama told an audience in Le Mars, IA on "Monday that he thinks...Clinton has spent too much time in Washington." The Register adds, "Although Obama did not specifically name Clinton in his remark, his Iowa campaign staff confirmed Monday that the comment was aimed at Clinton. Obama has noted during stops in Iowa that he does not accept money from PACs or federal lobbyists. His fundraising team has, however, used state lobbyists, former lobbyists, spouses of lobbyists and partners in lobbying firms who are not registered for specific clients to reach the rich, the Washington Post reported in April."

Radio Iowa (8/6, Henderson) added on its website that Obama, campaigning in Iowa Monday "said those who think lobbyists don't have too much influence in Washington have been in Washington too long" and "again brushed aside Hillary Clinton's contention that he could be a propagandist's pawn if he were to talk to some of the world's rogue leaders in his first year in the White House."

Edwards Touts Pro-Labor Trade Policies

With the Democratic field set to appear at an AFL-CIO forum tonight, John Edwards is looking to do some last-minute burnishing of his pro-labor credentials and put some space between him and Hillary Clinton on a key issue. The AP reports that Edwards, in "a defiant move meant to highlight rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's relationship with special interests," Monday blasted former President Bill Clinton for letting "corporate insiders" design NAFTA, saying the treaty "has cost U.S. jobs." Though Edwards did "not mention the name Clinton," he referred to "presidential leadership" during the measure's passage, and said "the trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada was 'written by insiders in all three countries.'" Edwards continued to bemoan NAFTA's impact on the U.S. middle class and it's lack of labor or environmental protections. Radio Iowa added on its website that Edwards "took a shot at Bill Clinton" over NAFTA, which he said "helped multinational corporations much more than it helped ordinary Americans."

Bloomberg reports that Teamsters president James Hoffa is pressuring Sen. Clinton and Barack Obama to match dward's commitment to union-friendly policies, noting that Clinton "has already put some distance between herself and the free-trade policies of the administration of her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Edwards's plank may force her to go further, starting tonight with the Democratic presidential candidates' forum before the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation."

Clinton Opens Wide Lead Over Obama Nationally

USA Today reports a USA Today/Gallup Poll taken over the weekend shows Sen. Hillary Clinton "significantly" increasing her lead over Sen. Barack Obama since three weeks ago. Clinton increased her margin from 40% to 48%, while Obama's score dropped from 28% to 26%. "The 22-point gap between the two leaders is nearly double the margin found in the July 12-15 poll." USA Today suggests that Clinton's gains stem from success "in portraying her chief rival as inexperienced and naive on foreign policy," referring to their foreign policy exchange during and after the CNN/YouTube debate two weeks ago.

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "Hey, congratulations to Matt Damon. His movie 'The Bourne Ultimatum,' biggest movie opening ever for the month of August, made $70 million. ... If you haven't seen the movie, it's about a guy who works for the government who can't remember his past. I think the original title is 'The Alberto Gonzales Story.'"

Jay Leno: "Yesterday at Camp David, President Bush signed a bill into law that expands his wiretapping powers. President Bush said he knew the bill would pass because he had bugs planted in both houses of Congress."

Conan O'Brien: "Potential Republican candidate" Fred Thompson "is now busy defending his much younger wife. ... In a recent interview," Thompson "said that all criticism of his wife should be directed at him. ... As a result, conservative groups told Thompson he's been showing too much cleavage."

Conan O'Brien: "In Iraq this week, the US Army started using armed robots to patrol the streets of Iraq. ... Apparently, everyone thinks it's a good idea, except the armed robots."

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