Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

"Surge" May Be Splitting Democrats

The Washington Post, in a front-page story this morning, reports congressional Republicans and Democrats are seeking to "gain momentum before the next political showdown over the war. Republican leaders have seized upon any positive statements from lawmakers returning from Iraq to portray Democratic leaders as wedded to failure there while the Democratic Party grows increasingly divided over the war's progress." Democratic Rep. Brian Baird "said yesterday that he will no longer vote for binding troop withdrawal timelines," while Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney suggested "that his trip to Iraq made him more flexible in his search for a bipartisan accord."

CNN's Late Edition reported what Sens. Carl Levin and John Warner are "saying is actually pretty surprising, considering the fact that these are two men who oppose sending more troops to go to Iraq. What they are saying coming back from this trip to Iraq is that on the military side, the president's strategy is actually having some progress." However, "they are still saying that they're pretty pessimistic on the progress on the political front."

Petraeus To Testify On 9/11 Anniversary The Hill reports the White House announced on Monday that Gen. David Petraeus "likely will testify before Congress on the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks." Democrats "tried to make an issue of whether Petraeus and" US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker "would testify in open session and attempted to paint the administration as trying to stifle such testimony."

US Planning Substantial Troop Drawdown The AP reports U.S. military officials are "narrowing the range of Iraq strategy options and appear to be focusing on reducing the U.S. combat role in 2008 while increasing training of Iraqi forces." The military has "not yet developed a plan for a substantial withdrawal of forces next year. But officials are laying the groundwork for possible overtures to Turkey and Jordan on using their territory to move some troops and equipment out of Iraq, the official said."

Leahy Threatens White House With Contempt

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy on Monday upped the ante in the battle between the Democratically-controlled Congress and the White House over President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program. An irate Leahy, reports the AP, threatened Administration officials with contempt citations. The senator was upset that the White House had missed a deadline to turn over subpoenaed documents,. The New York Times reports that "nearly two months ago, the Senate voted to subpoena the White House and the Bush administration for access to the documents as part of its investigation into the program." The White House, "in a letter to Mr. Leahy on Monday, said it had identified a number of classified documents that appeared to fall under the subpoena but it said the documents could be covered by a claim of executive privilege." Congressional Quarterly and The Politico also reported the story.

Cheney Has Wiretapping Documents Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports Vice President Cheney's office "acknowledged for the first time yesterday that it has dozens of documents related to the administration's warrantless surveillance program, but it signaled that it will resist efforts by congressional Democrats to obtain them." The Hill reports Cheney's office "responded separately from the White House to a Senate subpoena for documents on warrantless wiretapping and resurrected the controversial contention that Cheney is not part of the executive branch." The response from Cheney's office "was...surprising, because the White House was believed to have abandoned the argument that Cheney is a hybrid entity with both executive and legislative powers."

Leahy Mocked By Columnist Dana Milbank, under the headline "The Caped Crusader From Vermont," mocks Leahy in his Washington Post column, widely read in the nation's capital. That "aspiring superhero Leahy," he says, left "little doubt that, if the ne'er-do-wells continue to defy him, he may give the White House another good scolding when Congress returns from recess. And -- who knows? -- he may bring Robin the Boy Wonder (played by Chuck Schumer)." Leahy's "Batman obsession is unique. He had a non-speaking role in the 1997 Batman movie, did a voice-over for an animated Batman series and wrote a foreword for a Batman comic collection." But now, "Leahy is really venturing into the Batcave." Milbank adds that while criticizing the White House yesterday, Leahy appeared to avoid pledging to seek a contempt citation against Bush aides, and concludes with, "Holy incrementalism, Batman!"

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Congressman Faces Assault Charges

After an incident at Dulles International Airport, Democratic Rep. Bob Filner faces misdemeanor assault and battery charges. Filner, known for having a fiery temper, is leading a congressional delegation to Iraq and Germany, and released a statement that challenge the facts of the report. On the front page of its metro section, the Washington Post says Filner "has been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery for allegedly pushing an airline employee at Dulles International Airport on Sunday during a dispute over baggage, authorities said." The New York Times reports Filner "disputed the account in a brief statement issued by his office: 'Congressman Bob Filner is on his way to Iraq, visiting our troops, and will have a full statement when he returns.'" The Hill notes the "charge is for a 'Class 1' misdemeanor, which according to a state website can be punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of as much as $2,500."

Congressional Quarterly reports Filner is "scheduled this week to lead a congressional delegation to Iraq and Germany to study the transition of military service members to civilian life." Filner, "now serving his eighth term, is known for his fiery temper - a reputation that nearly cost him the chairmanship of the Veterans' Affairs Committee at the start of the 110th Congress."

Kansans Don't Want Gitmo Inmates Next Door

The Chicago Tribune reported in a 1300-word article, "As high-profile Republicans increasingly join Democrats and civil rights groups in denouncing the U.S. holding of alleged terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, a proposal to move detainees to" the Defense Department's maximum security prison at Fort Leavenworth "is gaining widespread political support." But the plan "has drawn criticism from many residents around Ft. Leavenworth."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Liberal Blogger Hits Thompson With FEC Complaint

The AP reports liberal blogger Lane Hudson "has filed a federal complaint against former Sen. Fred Thompson, the actor and unannounced Republican candidate for president, accusing him of violating election laws as he ponders his entry into the race." Hudson "submitted his complaint to the Federal Election Commission on Monday saying Thompson has raised far more money than he needs to explore whether to run for president." According to "a financial report filed with the Internal Revenue Service late last month, Thompson had raised nearly $3.5 million and had had spent $625,000. Thompson must raise money within federal contribution limits and must report it to the FEC once he becomes an official candidate." Thompson spokesman Jim Mills said, "We're following the law." The Hill reports Hudson, "known for posting e-mails from former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) in last year's page scandal, said Thompson 'has been presenting himself as a candidate, he has been raising large sums of money beyond what would be required to explore a possible candidacy and he has signed a long term lease on a headquarters for his campaign.'" In his complaint, Hudson "lays out a number of examples ranging from Thompson's extensive fundraising to quotes from the senator and his advisers."

The Tennessean reported on its website that Hudson's complaint "asks that Thompson be forced to report his fundraising and expenditures and be penalized by the commission. But the complaint names the Fred Thompson for President Exploratory Committee, which does not exist. Instead, Thompson formed a different kind of committee, called Friends of Fred Thompson Inc., and already has filed one report showing he raised $3.4 million in June."

The Washington Post reports that FEC spokesman Bob Biersack "said the agency has received the complaint. Under FEC rules, Thompson has 15 days to respond. By then, though, he may already be a candidate."

Meanwhile, the DC-insider publication The Politico reports Thompson suffered another staffing setback yesterday. Spokeswoman Burson Snyder "tendered her resignation, according to sources close to the campaign. Snyder follows a handful of other Thompson aides out the door as the organization struggles to find its footing in the run-up to the former senator's anticipated post-Labor Day launch."

Obama Calls For Easing Cuba Sanctions

The Miami Herald reports Sen. Barack Obama "is calling for 'unrestricted rights' for Cuban Americans to visit and send money to family in Cuba, just days before his first pilgrimage to Little Havana as a presidential candidate." President Bush "clamped down on family travel and remittances to Cuba in an effort to squeeze dictator Fidel Castro. The policy has become a flash point in the Cuban-American community, which traditionally leans toward the GOP." In an opinion column in the Herald, Obama writes, "Cuban-American connections to family in Cuba are not only a basic right in humanitarian terms, but also our best tool for helping to foster the beginnings of grassroots democracy on the island. Accordingly, I will grant Cuban Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send remittances to the island." The Herald adds Obama is "expected to repeat his message Saturday at Miami-Dade County Auditorium, a site laden with nostalgia for Cuban exiles."

The AP reports on Obama's overture and suggests that the Cuban community in Florida, long advocates of strong anti-Castro measures, may be changing its position, in that more recent immigrants have stronger ties at home and less direct opposition to Castro's government.

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Clinton On Top In Oregon, While Giuliani, Romney In Dog Fight

A blog posting on the website of the Oregonian reports that a Riley Research Associates survey of 406 likely voters in Oregon shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential field with 26%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama with 18% and John Edwards with 17%. The Oregonian noted, "Clinton's popularity is starting to trail off, falling five percentage points since...March." Edwards, meanwhile, "has climbed 9 percentage points in the same time period." Pollster Mike Riley said, "It's a pretty good surge for Edwards. He's coming from obscurity to looking like he might be one of the frontrunners." On the GOP side, Rudy Giuliani leads with 16%, followed by Mitt Romney with 15% and Fred Thompson with 11%. The Oregonian added, "Back in March, Giuliani had a commanding lead, with 33 percent. 'He's dropping off a cliff,' while Romney and Thompson are moving up," said Riley.

Bloomberg Says He Wouldn't Win If He Ran

The Michael Bloomberg-for-president media boomlet has faded in recent weeks, and new comments from the New York City Mayor suggest that it may be done for this cycle. The AP reports New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg "said - again -- that he's not running for president, adding in a television interview that he wouldn't win anyway." In an interview with Dan Rather for HDNet, Bloomberg said, "Nobody's going to elect me president of the United States. What I'd like to do is to be able to influence the dialogue. I'm a citizen."

Nunn Weighing Possible White House Run

While it looks less and less likely that Michael Bloomberg will shake up the presidential race as a third party candidate, another name is floating around this morning. The Washington Post reports that ex-Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn (D) "has expressed interest in a presidential bid and is now one of 50 people who have discussed a bipartisan or independent presidential run with Unity08, a group founded by Democratic and Republican strategists who believe the two-party system is not helping to address the country's most important problems. Doug Bailey, a GOP political strategist and adviser to President Gerald Ford who is one of the group's founders, said he and other officials of the group met recently with Nunn" who's "best known for his work on nuclear non-proliferation, served in the Senate from 1972 through 1996 and now runs an organization called the Nuclear Threat Initiative."

In a "Pure Horserace" column on the website of CBS News, David Miller noted, "While his chances of victory would be very slim, Nunn's record could attract some attention: His name is attached to landmark legislation that led to dismantling of nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union. His views on social and economic issues are mixed enough to make it difficult to label him as liberal or conservative. That said, it would take a major shift in the race to allow Nunn to be more than a spoiler should he enter the race."

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

David Letterman: "How about this? Presidential advisor Karl Rove has resigned. ... Yeah. He says he wants to spend more time leaking information about his family."

David Letterman: "Here is some great news. One of the President's daughters, the lovely Jenna Bush, is getting married. How about that? Now if they can just marry off Condoleezza Rice."

David Letterman: "It's going to be an expensive wedding, and I guess this is no surprise. The $3 billion contract is going to Halliburton."

David Letterman: Top Ten Top Good Things About Marrying Into The Bush Family:

"10. Great deals on Fallujah honeymoon.

9. You'll inherit President Bush's extensive collection of Chuck Norris memorabilia.

8. It's a good bet the wedding reception will have an open bar.

7. Might see Cheney shoot an old guy.

6. Learning from Grandma Barbara how to spit chaw.

5. Every Wednesday is Taco Night.

4. What could be more fascinating than learning what makes Jeb tick?

3. If half the family hates you, you still have a better approval rating than George.

2. W can lend you the 'Mission Accomplished' banner to put up in the bedroom.

1. Little chance you'll be the dumbest guy in the family."

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