Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Hill Report On Iraq Preempts Petraeus

With Gen. Petraeus report on Iraq just weeks away, the leak to the AP of the conclusions of a negative Congressional report on the "surge" made a huge splash in Washington yesterday. The Hill reports "leading Democrats seized on early news" of the report, from the Congress' Government Accountability Office (GAO), which said Iraq would only meet 3 out of 18 "benchmarks" for success. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "said a new strategy must begin immediately and warned about GOP 'spin' coming from the White House and Congress depicting Iraq in a rosier light than the facts warrant." Reid also "cited press reports that a government whistleblower may have leaked a draft copy of the GAO report to the press in an attempt to prevent the possibility that administration or military officials would soften the final report." In an editorial, the New York Times echoed those concerns. Under the headline "More Realism, Less Spin," says the GAO report "provides a powerful fresh dose of nonpartisan realism about Iraq as...Bush tries to spin people into thinking that significant -- or at least sufficient -- progress is being made."

The Financial Times (8/31, Sevastopulo, Ward) reports the White House said the GAO report "was 'unhelpful' because it set the bar for success so high that it was almost guaranteed to find failure," while the Pentagon's Morrell said it portrayed the situation in "only in 'blacks and whites' instead of considering some of the 'grey' areas of progress." Striking a harsher tone, the AP says the report "drew fierce objections from the White House on Thursday and provided fresh ammunition for Democrats who want to bring troops home." The "political wrangling" came days before the report was to be released "and while most lawmakers were still out of town for the August recess, reflecting the high stakes involved for both sides in the Iraq war debate."

Fox News' Special Report showed White House spokesman Tony Snow saying, "The standard that is set by the legislation is to assess whether a benchmark has been met. Well, look, it's no secret that many of the benchmarks have not been met. What is significant is that there is progress towards a great number of them." The Washington Post notes Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said yesterday that the Defense Department has "provided the GAO with information which we believe will lead them to conclude that a few of the benchmark grades should be upgraded from 'not met' to 'met,'" but "declined to specify which grades he was citing." Although the State Department "proposed some changes" to the report, "it did not dispute the basic conclusions," according to an Administration official. The Washington Times, however, says both "the Pentagon and State Department provided detailed and lengthy objections to the findings."

White House Believes It's Gaining Ground Echoing a story in yesterday's New York Times, the Washington Times reports this morning the White House "believes it has made significant progress over the past month in swaying public and political opinion toward supporting a continued US military effort in Iraq, one of President Bush's closest advisers said in an interview." That adviser is Ed Gillespie, counselor to the President, who told the Times, "It is clear that the surge is producing significant results. And that does not seem to be an object of controversy really, significant controversy, anymore."

In what could be an indication that the momentum may be shifting away from the Democrats, the Washington Post reports this morning that Sen. Harry Reid, in an apparent shift, said yesterday "he is now willing to compromise with Republicans to find ways to limit troop deployments in Iraq." Reid "acknowledged that his previous firm demand for a spring withdrawal deadline had become an obstacle for a small but growing number of Republicans who have said they want to end the war but have been unwilling to set a timeline." Said Reid, "I don't think we have to think that our way is the only way. ... I'm not saying, 'Republicans, do what we want to do.' Just give me something that you think you would like to do, that accomplishes some or all of what I want to do."

Petraeus: White House Not Writing Report On its website, The Hill reports Gen. Petraeus "assured lawmakers this week that the administration is not involved in the writing of his report, according to a lawmaker who has recently returned from the region." Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek "told reporters Thursday that Petraeus said he and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker had briefed the administration on the situation in Iraq, but added that 'as far as [Petraeus] is concerned...he is writing his recommendations of that report and testimony.'"

Meanwhile, the Financial Times (8/31, Sevastopulo, Ward) reports the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday will provide President Bush with their own assessment, "which some reports have suggested will include a recommendation to cut forces in Iraq when the surge ends in April." The New York Times and AP run similar reports.

Codel Bios For Troops Upset Lawmakers

The Washington Post reports that congressional delegations (codels) visiting Baghdad's Green Zone discovered troops had been given short biographies of lawmakers so that the soldiers knew where they stood on the war before prearranged meetings." The biography of Rep. Moran included a section titled "Moran on Iraq policy" and went on "to cite some of the congressman's most incendiary statements, such as, 'This has been the worst foreign policy fiasco in American history.'" The bio of Rep. Ellen Tauscher "was no less pointed, even if she once supported the war and has taken heat from liberal Bay Area constituents who remain wary of her position. ... 'This is beyond parsing. This is being slimed in the Green Zone,' Tauscher said of her bio." The Post says that the trips "have been as much about Iraqi and U.S. officials sizing up Congress as the members of Congress sizing up the war. Brief, choreographed and carefully controlled," the trips "often have showed only what the Pentagon and the Bush administration have wanted the lawmakers to see."

Meeting With US Lawmakers, Iraqi Official Watches Cartoons The same Washington Post story notes that a US Congressional delegation recently tried to "discuss the state of Iraqi security forces" with Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie. But "the large, flat-panel television set facing the official proved to be a distraction." According to the Post, Rubaie was watching children's cartoons. When Democratic Rep. Jim Moran asked him to turn it off, Rubaie "protested with a laugh and said, 'But this is my favorite television show.'"

More In GOP Urge Craig To Go

Fox News's Special Report reported that "pressure is mounting rapidly" on Sen. Larry Craig to resign from the Senate. Fox News noted that Sen. John Ensign, chairman of the NRSC, said Craig ought to resign. Sens. Norm Coleman and Susan Collins, both facing reelection next year, "said they would donate contributions from Craig's political action committee...to charity." The Republican National Committee "is contemplating calling on Craig to resign if he doesn't do so by tomorrow. The Senate Republican leadership is prepared to say unanimously that Craig should resign over these charges if he doesn't do so by close of business tomorrow. All the national Republican apparatus is aligning against Craig, urging him to resign." McClatchy Newspapers reports Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell "called his conduct 'unforgivable.' ... When he was pressed about his colleague's future, McConnell declined to say whether he thought Craig should resign. But he said that many Republican senators thought Craig should." According to the Washington Times, Craig "was free-falling in Idaho opinion polls and getting excoriated on talk-radio shows as the state's largest paper yesterday called for his resignation over a sex scandal." A SurveyUSA poll showed Craig's statewide approval rating "dropped to 34 percent in the automated telephone survey of 600 adults. His approval numbers had ranged from 71 percent to 81 percent among Republican voters in 19 consecutive monthly surveys, but his rating dropped to 46 percent this week."

Audiotape Released The release of an audiotape of Craig's interrogation by an undercover policeman at the Minneapolis airport was covered widely on cable news program's last night, as well as on the network news broadcasts. ABC World News reported that on the audiotape Craig "insists he was just reaching for a piece of toilet paper on the floor. ... But the undercover officer, Sergeant Dave Karsnia claims Craig's hand was palm up, not palm down. Police say his apparent attempt to reach under the stall, with his hands and feet, were a clear sign Craig was soliciting sex." The AP reports that the officer who arrested Sen. Craig "accused the senator of lying to him during an interrogation." Craig "accuses the officer of soliciting him for sex. 'I'm not gay. I don't do these kinds of things,' Craig told Sgt. Dave Karsnia minutes after the two men met in a men's room at the airport on June 11. 'You shouldn't be out to entrap people,' Craig told the officer. 'I don't want you to take me to jail.'" The Washington Post notes that in the police report, Karsnia "wrote that based on his experience, Craig's touching his foot to the officer's and running his hand under the partition separating the stalls are well-known signals among men who use public restrooms for sexual encounters." The New York Times reports that the restroom "is listed on Web sites that describe places for gay men to meet for sex, and the airport police have made multiple arrests in it in recent months."

Is "Intolerance" Behind GOP Criticism? The New York Times editorializes that the Republican Party "is in quite a rush to keelhaul Senator Larry Craig for his run-in with the vice squad in an airport men's room." The Times concludes, "Underlying the hurry to disown the senator, of course, is the party's brutal agenda of trumpeting the gay-marriage issue. ... The rush to cast him out betrays the party's intolerance, which is on display for the public in all of its ugliness. But it also betrays their political uneasiness as the next election approaches." The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus claims that "the story of Craig's encounter with a police officer in an airport bathroom underscores the continuing grip of homophobia on American society." The Wall Street Journal, in an editorial, writes, "Senator Craig was elected by the people of Idaho, and it is properly a matter between them and him whether he should finish his term. We agree, however, with those in his party who want the Senator to forgo re-election next year. The Republican Party needs to get its house in order. It is a mess."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Thompson To Jump In Next Thursday

"At long last," Fred Thompson "has set a date to formally announce his candidacy" for president, NBC Nightly News reported. The ex-senator and actor will enter the GOP race on September 6 via a webcast. He will then head off to Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

But is it too late? On ABC World News, George Stephanopoulos said, "His opponents say he's already missed his moment by not getting his act together earlier in the summer. He didn't raise enough money as he promised. There was a series of staff shake-ups." The New York Times also says Thompson's "undeclared campaign has had a somewhat rocky start," and The Hill said his delayed entry, "lower-than-expected June fundraising numbers," and staff issues "have sparked a number of questions about his ability to capitalize on strong poll numbers."

The CBS Evening News said Thompson trails Rudy Giuliani by 20 points nationally, though he still leads Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain, and the rest of the GOP field. CBS chief political correspondent Jeff Greenfield said Thompson "faces a good degree of skepticism." USA Today says Thompson "faces high expectations because of his poll numbers, recognition (he played Manhattan District Attorney Arthur Branch on NBC's Law & Order) and niche as a Southern conservative." In addition, Mike Huckabee's campaign "said Wednesday that he had moved to third place, ahead of Thompson, in a new poll of Iowans."

But ABC said "national polls show he's still in the hunt," and as the Washington Post reports, Tennessee Rep. Zach Wamp, "who launched an effort to draft Thompson into the race earlier this year, predicted that Thompson will quickly become the candidate to beat."

Unions Like Clinton, Huckabee, Edwards

The Washington Times "Inside Politics" column reports on two sets of endorsements in the presidential race. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is backing Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination and Mike Huckabee for the Republican nomination, while the United Brotherhood of Carpenters endorsed John Edwards for the Democratic nod.

Huckabee Rides Post-Straw Poll Wave

The Washington Post has a Style section story on the attention GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is receiving in the wake of his strong Iowa Straw Poll finish earlier this month. The Post says Huckabee, "once ridiculed for holding his hand up during a debate when asked which candidates didn't believe in evolution," has "risen above the label of religious zealot into" a "conservative whom liberals...kind of like."

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Two More States Move Votes To January

The AP says Michigan's legislature approved a plan to move the state's presidential nomination contests to January 15, "just days after national Democrats vowed to punish states that vote too early." Meanwhile, the AP also reports Wyoming Republicans are "moving their delegate-selection conventions" to January 5, "before even Iowa or New Hampshire vote."

Gen. Franks For Veep?

The Washington Times "Inside The Ring" column reports "well placed" GOP operatives say three announced Republican presidential candidates are considering retired US Central Command head Tommy Franks, who led the US invasion of Iraq, for vice president. The nomination of Gen. Franks "would be a direct affront to antiwar Democrats." The Times does not say which three candidates are considering Franks.

Warner To Announce Plans Today

Virginia Sen. John Warner will announce today whether or not he will seek reelection, the Washington Post reports. The Washington Times says if the five-term Republican retires, GOP insiders "predict the political 'dominos will start to fall' as centrists and conservative members of the party jockey to replace him." The New York Times says on the GOP side, a nomination fight could ensue between moderate Rep. Tom Davis and conservative ex-governor Jim Gilmore, while on the Democratic side, ex-governor Mark Warner would be the favorite.

Democrats Bail On "Rainmaker"

The New York Times reports prominent Democrats including Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, now say they will donate funds they received through Democratic "rainmaker" Norman Hsu to charity. Hsu has been revealed to be a fugitive in a fraud case. The Los Angeles Times says Hsu has garnered "both trappings and trouble" from his money, noting that his political largesse has made him a Democratic "insider," but he has also allegedly been kidnapped by debtors and convicted for "what authorities called a Ponzi scheme."

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "It was 110 today. Man, I was sweating like President Bush telling people in New Orleans everything was just going to get better."

Hillary Clinton: Top Ten Hillary Clinton Campaign Promises (Read by Sen. Clinton):

"10. Bring stability and long term security to 'The View'.

9. Each year on my birthday, every American gets a cupcake.

8. You'll have the option of rolling dice against the IRS for double-or-nothing on your taxes.

7. Having trouble getting a flight and Air Force One is available -- it's yours.

6. My vice president will never shoot anybody in the face.

5. Turn Gitmo into a Dairy Queen as soon as possible.

4. For over a century there have been only two Dakotas -- I plan to double that.

3. We will finally have a president who doesn't mind pulling over and asking for directions. Am I right, ladies?

2. I will appoint a committee to find out what the heck is happening on 'Lost.'

1. One more pantsuit joke and Letterman disappears."

Holiday Publication Notice.

Please be advised that the US News Political Bulletin will not publish Monday September 4, due to the Labor Day Federal holiday. We will resume publication Tuesday September 4.

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