The California wildfires continue to dominate domestic news stories, with the major dailies running front page reports and television news programs reporting on little else. Much of the coverage has focused on the dire threat the fires pose to people and property, and some local sources are reporting this morning that the worst may be over in San Diego County.
The CBS Evening News reported from Qualcomm Stadium, which has become home to more than 10,000 people in "the biggest evacuation since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In San Diego County alone, 346,000 homes have been ordered evacuated." ABC World News opened its broadcast flying over San Diego, "where the worst of these fires have been bedeviling firefighters through the day." NBC Nightly News reported that the AP had put "the number of evacuated at 950,000 Californians, that's almost a million people. Much larger than Katrina, it would make it the largest single peacetime movement of Americans since the Civil War." President Bush "promised aid today." President Bush was shown saying, "We send our prayers and thoughts with those who have been affected and we send the help of the federal government as well."
Meanwhile, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that thousands were returning to their homes Tuesday "as officials said the worst is over." Speaking at a news conference with DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, San Diego Director of Emergency Operations Ron Lane said, "The worst is behind us." Chertoff, meanwhile, said he had "spoken to President Bush," but "declined to say when federal assistance would be forthcoming. 'We will review the recommendation for emergency declaration promptly,' Chertoff said. Chertoff said before the feds act on it, 'It has to be looked at first. It's hot off the presses now.'"
Under the headline "With Katrina Fresh, Bush Moves Briskly," the New York Times reports, "For a presidency still haunted by memories of Hurricane Katrina, the forceful round-the-clock response was a political no-brainer - the 'anti-Katrina,' in the words of Peter Wehner, a former domestic policy adviser to Mr. Bush." The Los Angeles Times reports that after a tour of neighborhoods in the Lake Arrowhead region yesterday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said at a press conference that "he had spoken to President Bush and alerted him to the possible need for federal aid in the damaged areas."
The Washington Post reports on its front page that after being "sharply criticized for his sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005," President Bush has "declared a federal emergency in seven Southern California counties." The Financial Times reports the "fires provided a test of the improvements made to US emergency response capabilities since the Bush administration's botched handling of Hurricane Katrina two years ago." However, the Wall Street Journal reports on its front page that the wildfires prompted "squabbles...among government officials over their preparedness and access to firefighting resources." The Hill reports Speaker Nancy Pelosi "said that Congress could have to consider sending more aid" to the state.
President Bush yesterday spoke at the National Defense University in Washington, where he touted the benefits of the US missile defense system, which would be based in the Czech Republic and Poland. Some media reports contrasted Bush's wholehearted advocacy for the program with Defense Secretary Robert Gates' suggestion that the US would delay implementation of the system. The Los Angeles Times reports Bush warned "that without it Europe had no means to protect itself from Iranian missiles and that the United States could be vulnerable by the middle of the next decade."
USA Today reports "hours after" Secretary Gates "suggested a possible delay of a missile defense system in Europe, President Bush said Tuesday he plans to move ahead -- hopefully with the help of an objecting Russia." Bush's speech "came a day after a telephone conversation with" Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which the pair reportedly "discussed missile defense and endorsed continuing negotiations on U.S. plans."
The New York Times reports that Bush "strongly defended plans to build missile defenses in Europe, arguing that Iran posed an urgent threat to some NATO allies." The Financial Times reports that Bush's "remarks signalled US determination to push ahead with proposed missile defence facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic in spite of fierce opposition from Russia."
Using the word "Diverges" in its headline, the Washington Post says the "seemingly contrasting messages" from Bush and Gates "came as the Bush administration grappled with continuing Russian protests." The AP reports Defense Secretary Gates' assurance to Moscow that the administration "would consider delaying activation of the system until it has 'definitive proof' that Iran poses a missile threat."
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The AP reports October is "on course to record the second consecutive decline in U.S. military and Iraqi civilian deaths and Americans commanders say they know why: the U.S. troop increase and an Iraqi groundswell against al-Qaida and Shiite militia extremists."
The Christian Science Monitor reports if "this week's White House request for $196 billion more for Afghanistan and Iraq is included, total costs for these operations will reach about $808 billion by the end of next year, according to figures compiled by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA)."
USA Today reports on its front page, "The cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could total $2.4 trillion through the next decade, or nearly $8,000 per man, woman and child in the country, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate scheduled for release today."
The New York Times reports, "From 1993 to 2001, prosecutors in Manhattan convicted some three dozen terrorists through guilty pleas and in six major trials." But since "the Sept. 11 attacks, the government's track record has been decidedly spottier, and its failure to obtain a single conviction on Monday in its terrorism-financing prosecution of what was once the nation's largest Islamic charity was another in a series of missteps and setbacks."
The AP reports Senate Democrats "on Tuesday reversed President Bush's cuts to education, health research and grants to local communities as they gird for Bush's first-ever veto of a regular appropriations bill." By a 75-19 vote, the Senate "gave bipartisan approval to a huge health and education spending bill that will likely be the first of the fiscal 2008 spending bills Democrats will ship to the White House to start a veto battle involving the budget for almost every domestic agency."
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The Washington Post reports that with "deadlines fast approaching for printing 2007 tax forms, Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. warned yesterday that Congress's delay in repairing the alternative minimum tax could affect 50 million households, or more than a third of all American taxpayers." Paulson said "if the AMT is unchanged by the end of the year, 25 million households would pay an average additional $2,000 in federal income tax." Meanwhile, The Hill reports Senate Republicans are "demanding the extension of President Bush's signature tax cuts before they cooperate on hemming in" the AMT, which "they contend affects mostly 'blue state' voters living along the coasts."
And in his column in The Hill, Dick Morris says the Democratic Party is "concocting an elaborate costume with which to disguise its coming mammoth tax increases." They will "bill their tax increases as a middle-class tax cut by including in the calculation the Bush middle-class tax cuts, which they will not permit to sunset, and also by taking credit for a long-term fix of the AMT."
The AP reports House Democrats, "convinced that President Bush blundered by vetoing an expansion of a children's health care program, plan to approve a very similar bill this week even as the administration offered new concessions Tuesday." On the "key issue of spending, Democrats say they will not budge from the original $35 billion price tag."
The Hill reports Democrats "announced Tuesday that they plan to bring their children's health insurance proposal back to the floor again this week, quickly reigniting a fight with President Bush where they clearly believe they are on the right side of public opinion."
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports the Senate on Tuesday "was confronted with a stark choice: health care for children, or pet projects for lawmakers' home states. The final tally? Pet Projects 68, Kids 26." Sen. Tom Coburn's "many opponents grumbled" it was "a political stunt. But, as stunts go, this one was particularly revealing."
The AP reports Republicans "failed in an effort Tuesday to have the House censure Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., who said in a congressional speech last week that U.S. troops are being sent to Iraq 'to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement.'" Without debate, "the House voted 196-173 to kill the proposal," and moments later, Stark "addressed the House to apologize to his colleagues, 'to the president and his family,' and to U.S. troops offended by his remarks."
The Los Angeles Times notes Stark "made his comments during a debate Thursday over President Bush's veto of a $35-billion increase in a program to provide health insurance to children." The New York Times reports Stark "escaped a censure Tuesday for incendiary remarks he made last week about President Bush and the war in Iraq." The Hill reports Stark "added that he hoped the apology would allow him to 'become as insignificant as I should be' and explained that public attention should remain focused on critical, divisive issues such as the war in Iraq and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill. Stark then left the podium, wiping away tears." The Politico reports Republicans last week "eventually tried to reprimand" Stark "on the floor over separate remarks in the debate, but the House parliamentarian ruled against them."
Fox News' Special Report reported Stark's comments were "the latest in a long line of bitter partisan broadsides." And Roll Call says reports Stark's "verbal controversy during the SCHIP debate - for which he apologized on the House floor Tuesday - served as not only the latest in a long line of inflammatory statements but also as a reminder that Stark is next in line to become Ways and Means chairman. Privately, the almost universal belief among Democrats is that Stark is too much of a liability to ever ascend to the top slot on the powerful tax-writing panel."
The AP reports Dick Thornburgh, who served as attorney general in the first Bush Administration, "told a House panel Tuesday he thinks the Justice Department had political aims in prosecuting a high-profile Democratic coroner from Pennsylvania." Thornburgh, whose "law firm is representing coroner Cyril Wecht in the pending trial and who acknowledged speaking as an advocate for Wecht, said the outspoken Democrat was 'an ideal target for a Republican U.S. attorney trying to curry favor with a (Justice) Department which demonstrated that if you play by its rules, you will advance.'" The New York Times adds Thornburgh "became the first former Republican attorney general to join with Democratic lawmakers to suggest that the Justice Department under Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales had singled out Democratic politicians for prosecution."
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Hillary Clinton is up almost 3-1 over her nearest competitor in a new Los Angeles Times /Bloomberg poll, while Rudy Giuliani has opened up a 2-1 lead in the GOP contest. The poll of 1,039 registered voter nationwide taken October 19-22 shows Clinton topping the Democratic field with 48%, followed by Barack Obama, 17%; John Edwards, 13%; and Bill Richardson and Joe Biden with 2% apiece. The rest of the field is at 1% or less. On the GOP side, Giuliani leads with 32%, followed by Fred Thompson, 15%; John McCain, 11%; and Mitt Romney, 7%. The rest of the field is at 2% or less.
Bloomberg writes of the poll, "Among self-described Christian conservative voters, who make up almost 30 percent of Republicans," Giuliani "runs about even with Thompson and well ahead of the other contenders. ... 'Giuliani's toughness and leadership qualities seem to be trumping traditional Republican positions,' said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist not aligned with any campaign." Meanwhile, "Clinton's commanding lead in the Democratic field is being fueled by strong backing among both men and women, as well as minorities. By more than a 2-to-1 margin, all voters think it's a good thing that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, would be in a position to offer advice on issues in the White House; Democrats believe this by a margin of 71 percent to 5 percent."
Clinton, Obama Top All Republicans In Trial Heats In hypothetical 2008 election trial heats measured in the Times poll, Clinton leads Giuliani 47%-41%. She also tops McCain (48%-38%), Thompson (49%-38%), and Romney (49%-34%) by even larger margins. Obama isn't as strong as Clinton, but he still tops all Republicans. Obama leads Giuliani (43%-40%), McCain (44%-36%), Thompson (46%-31%) and Romney (42%-32%).
The Boston Globe reports Barack Obama's "new TV ads are coming fast and furious, now, part of his push to close the gap between him and Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire." Obama's campaign yesterday unveiled its fourth ad in New Hampshire (and its second of the week), "which touts Obama's work as a community organizer and his willingness to forgo a more lucrative career path and includes a testimonial from Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe."
The AP reports that Obama is releasing a new South Carolina radio ad, to be featured on urban and gospel stations, including comments from Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., son of the famous activist and former presidential candidate, "recalling 1988, when his father won South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary. 'Once, South Carolina voted for my father, and sent a strong message to the nation,' the younger Jackson says in the ad. 'Next year, you can send more than a message. You can launch a president.'" The Charleston Post and Courier calls the ad Obama's "latest volley in the battle for the hearts of South Carolina's black voters," saying that Jackson addressed "how Obama has worked to stop racial profiling, to help the poor get a fairer shake in the justice system and to reverse the moral crisis in the black community. 'Barack Obama is not speaking as a friend of the community; he's part of the community,' Jackson said Tuesday. 'He's one of us, and he directly relates to the struggles of the African-American community. ... He doesn't always tell people what they want to hear. He tells them what they need to hear.'"
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The AP reports Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D), the state's first black governor, "waded into the contentious battle for the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, endorsing Barack Obama as the 'book smart and street smart' candidate during an evening rally on Boston Common. Patrick also took a few veiled swipes at Democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying that the White House doesn't just need to change parties, but needs a new generation of leadership from outside of the Washington bubble." The Boston Globe reports the endorsement was a "culmination of a long courtship" by both Obama and Clinton. The Globe adds, "At the rally, which Obama's campaign said drew 9,500 people, Patrick offered a forceful argument for Obama."
Fred Thompson waded into the immigration debate yesterday, looking to outflank his GOP rivals to the right on the issue. The AP reports that during a campaign visit to Naples, Florida, Thompson said "the government should yank federal dollars from cities and states that don't report illegal immigrants. In his first major policy proposal, Thompson challenged presidential rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney by criticizing 'sanctuary cities' where city workers are barred from reporting suspected illegal immigrants who enroll their children in school or seek hospital treatment." The St. Petersburg Times quotes Thompson as saying, "There's not a lot of new legislation that needs to be passed. We need to enforce the laws that are on the books. There are laws against illegal immigration, there are laws to secure the border, there are laws against sanctuary cities, there are laws against publicly funding illegals, and that law is being disregarded."
The New York Sun reports Thompson "said defending the borders and preventing terrorism were linked. 'A small amount of nuclear material could do a lot of damage in the wrong hands,' he said. 'It makes you wonder why a terrorist would bother going through an airport or a port...when we have an open border.' His campaign issued figures suggesting that 22% of crime is committed by illegal immigrants."
The Miami Herald reports that Giuliani and Romney "reacted immediately by picking apart Thompson's past votes on immigration, putting the contentious issue that flummoxed Congress earlier this year on the front burner of the 2008 campaign." The Giuliani camp said "that Thompson has opposed some anti-illegal-immigration efforts himself, including legislation that would have required employers to verify the legal status of new hires. 'That's not consistent or conservative,' said Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson." The Boston Globe reports Romney's campaign "said Thompson's plan offers nothing new. 'Fred is a couple of months behind on this issue,' said spokesman Kevin Madden. 'He's copying a very strong proposal by Governor Romney, but he's still copying nonetheless.'"
The AP reports, "Sounds like a baseball flip-flop." Rudy Giuliani, "a lifelong New York Yankees fan, said Tuesday he's pulling for their most hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox, to win the World Series over the Colorado Rockies. 'I'm rooting for the Red Sox,'" Giuliani "said in response to a question, sparking applause at the Boston restaurant where he was picking up a local endorsement. 'I'm an American League fan, and I go with the American League team, maybe with the exception of the Mets,' he said. 'Maybe that would be the one time I wouldn't because I'm loyal to New York.'"
The New York Daily News reports, "Later in New Hampshire -- a loyal dominion within New England's Red Sox Nation and, more importantly to Giuliani, home of the first primary in 2008 -- the former mayor expanded on his heresy. 'Somehow it makes me feel better if the team that was ahead of the Yankees wins the World Series,' he told a group of mostly local reporters in explaining his sudden backing of the Red Sox, 'because then I feel like, well, we're not that bad.'"
The Boston Globe reports that Giuliani "said he wasn't pandering to the local crowd or to Sox fans in neighboring New Hampshire, home of the first primary. 'I am not just saying that because I am in Massachusetts. If I am in Colorado in the next week or two, you will see that I have the courage to tell the people of Colorado the same thing,' he said."
In a story headlined, "RUDY THE YANKEE FLIPPER. MASS.-KISSER ROOTS FOR RED SOX," the New York Post says "Politics was clearly behind the move - even if it sparked outrage among fans in the Big Apple."
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The late night comedians were in re-runs last night.
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