The AP reports a "breakthrough in stem cell research could give President Bush and his anti-abortion allies a political I-told-you-so in a debate Democrats have long been planning to use in next year's elections." Bush's "twin vetoes of bills to put taxpayer dollars behind embryonic stem cell research, Democrats said, showed that he would let ideology block progress in finding cures to diseases that afflict millions of people. Bush insisted that medical advances could be made without destroying embryos." And yesterday, "two teams of scientists on different continents reported advances in research that might prove him right, giving his administration a dose of vindication in an otherwise grim last year of office." Karl Zinsmeister, "Bush's domestic policy adviser," said yesterday, "This is evidence...that we can get the good results we want from science without cutting corners on ethics. ... Let's not set up a false choice between on the one hand, progress, and on the other hand, ethics."
The New York Times says, "Now that scientists in Japan and Wisconsin have apparently achieved what Mr. Bush envisioned, the White House is saying, 'I told you so.'" The Washington Post says "even skeptics of the president's approach acknowledged that the new findings could make it more difficult to keep up the political momentum for embryo research, even if scientists say it is too early to abandon it." Another Washington Post piece, titled "Advance May End Stem Cell Debate," reports, "As news of the success spread in recent days, stem cell scientists seemed almost giddy that their field could suddenly become like other areas of biomedical science: appreciated, eligible for federal funding and wide open for new waves of discovery." The Washington Times noted that "some observers said the discovery could all but eliminate the controversy over the morality of using embryonic stem cells, a process Mr. Bush and others view as the taking of human life."
USA Today notes White House press secretary Dana Perino issued a statement saying "Bush was pleased: 'By avoiding techniques that destroy life, while vigorously supporting alternative approaches...Bush is encouraging scientific advancement within ethical boundaries.'" The Hill, on its website, further quotes Perino stating, "The president believes medical problems can be solved without compromising either the high aims of science or the sanctity of human life. ... We will continue to encourage scientists to expand the frontiers of stem cell research and continue to advance the understanding of human biology in an ethically responsible way."
The story was the lead on two of the networks last night. NBC Nightly News led its broadcast with the report, saying, "Scientists for the first time have converted ordinary skin cells in what appear to be embryonic stem cells without the involvement of human embryos." The CBS Evening News reported, "Today scientists announced a discovery they could alter, if not end, that debate." ABC World News said, "Stem cell researchers rarely use the word breakthrough. But they did so today."
Stories on the breakthrough appear on the front pages of major newspapers this morning, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Times and Wall Street Journal.
The release of excerpts of former White House press secretary Scott McClellan's book, in which he discusses the deception of the public about the role of presidential aides in the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, quickly drew media scrutiny. The AP says McClellan "blames President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for efforts to mislead the public" about the Plame leak. In reference to his "2003 news conference in which he told reporters that aides Karl Rove and I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby were 'not involved' in the leak involving operative Valerie Plame," McClellan wrote, "There was one problem. It was not true."
In his "In The Loop" column in today's Washington Post, Al Kamen writes, "Looks as though [McClellan's book] may be more interesting than we expected." USA Today notes McClellan "writes in a memoir that he unintentionally misled the public about the revelation of" Plame's identity "because of mistaken information by President Bush, political adviser Karl Rove and other top administration aides." And saying that McClellan "names names in a caustic passage from" his book, The Politico reports the "excerpts give no details about the alleged involvement of the president or vice president. But McClellan lists five top officials as having allowed him inadvertently to mislead the public," writing, "And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president's chief of staff and the president himself."
In a lengthy piece, the NBC Nightly News said McClellan's book "has focused new attention on one of the biggest scandals of the Bush Administration and how much the President knew about it at the time." Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball, opened his broadcast by asking, "Was Bush himself part of the CIA leak cover-up?" Fox News' Special Report also reported "sources close to McClellan...point back to an interview in March where McClellan said he believed that the President believed what he was being told...was true at the time."
GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, appearing on MSNBC's Hardball said McClellan's charge is "stunning" and that "these are serious allegations. They deserve to be thoroughly examined, investigated, and the truth brought to the American people." Huckabee added President "will have to respond to it."
The White House on Tuesday stepped up its rhetorical assault on congressional Democrats for failing to pass a bill to fund war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Wall Street Journal says the "impasse over Iraq war funding is quickly becoming a high-stakes confrontation between the Pentagon and House Democrats over what impact will be felt by the military and their families." Defense Secretary Robert Gates is "threatening to send pre-Christmas furlough notices to thousands of base employees and close child-care and family-counseling programs early next year." And USA Today says the Administration "pressed Democrats in Congress on Tuesday to provide billions in new funding for the war in Iraq or risk the jobs and well-being of military families."
The AP says that in "their latest tussle with the White House on the Iraq war, two leading House Democrats said Tuesday the Pentagon was using scare tactics to try to goad Congress into passing another war spending bill." Reps. David Obey and John Murtha "said they won't budge." The Hill reports on its website that Obey said yesterday, "The money is available and then some. ... All the president needs to do is call the Senate Republican leader [Mitch McConnell (Ky.)] and say 'Mitch, let it come to me.'" The Politico says "the Senate remains deeply divided over whether to give...Bush all the money he wants -- without limitations -- for continuing the war." The Washington Post reports the White House and Congress "appear ready to push toward a showdown in the coming weeks."
Fox News' Special Report reported that "new reports in the New York Times and Newsweek magazine confirm what we have been reporting for some time now -- something positive is happening in Baghdad and in Iraq generally. Hard numbers from the American military and Iraqi government show violence is down significantly." Under the headline "US Reports 'Phenomenal' Drop In Iraq Violence," the Financial Times reports, "Violence in Iraq has fallen at a rate that has surprised military commanders and even one of the architects of the 'surge' that boosted US troop numbers in the country this year, according to figures gathered by the US."
But the Washington Times reported on its website that Democratic Rep. John Murtha "dismissed US military gains in Iraq and vowed to tighten the purse strings until President Bush accepts a pullout plan." Said Murtha, "We can't win militarily."
Bush Thrilled Surge Is Bringing Results ABC World News interviewed President Bush last night. Asked to comment on the "doubting and rather skeptical questions about the surge" when he proposed it, Bush said, "I'm thrilled for the Iraqis that they're beginning to see enough security so that reconciliation is taking place, as well as the economy's beginning to move."
Pundits Urge Caution David Ignatius writes in the Washington Post, "What accounts for these welcome changes? That's where we need to be careful. This isn't an American victory over a well-defined adversary; it's not that kind of war. And Iraqis aren't showering their American liberators with flowers now any more than they were in April 2003."
Thomas Friedman writes in the New York Times, "If you were President Bush and your whole legacy was riding on the outcome of this war, wouldn't you be sending your top diplomat to Baghdad to work with Iraqis and their neighbors to broker a political settlement and not let them grow complacent that they have an open-ended commitment from the American people?"
The Senate will formally remain in session over the Thanksgiving recess in order to prevent President Bush from making any recess appointments. The Washington Times notes the "'pro forma' session" is "a tactic the Democratic majority is using to prevent President Bush from making personnel appointments while Congress is out for its two-week Thanksgiving layoff." The New York Times also reports the story. The Christian Science Monitor notes "Bush's previous recess appointments include John Bolton as UN ambassador and Judges Charles Pickering and William Pryor to the US Court of Appeals." With "165 recess appointments," Bush "ranks No. 4."
In his Washington Post column, Dana Milbank says the White House press corps "strutted their stuff" yesterday as they awaited President Bush in the Rose Garden. Bush was there to officially pardon a Thanksgiving turkey (plus a back-up). Their names? "May" and "Flower." Milbank writes, "Somebody said the two birds should be named 'Scooter' and 'Libby.' Another proposal: 'Ramos' and 'Compean' -- the two imprisoned border agents whose pardons CNN's Lou Dobbs fervently seeks." Meanwhile, "Ken Herman of Cox News feared that Bush would ship the birds off to Gitmo, where they would be 'water-basted.' Another reporter, in an allusion to the president's low poll ratings, wondered whether there would be difficulty figuring out which one is the turkey."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
The Washington Post reports in a front page story that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, "buoyed by strong support from Christian conservatives, has surged past three of his better-known presidential rivals and is now challenging former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney for the lead in the Iowa Republican caucuses, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll." Huckabee has "tripled his support in Iowa since late July, eclipsing former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former senator Fred D. Thompson (Tenn.) and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.)." His "rise from dark horse to contender in Iowa is one more unexpected twist in a race that has remained fluid throughout the year and adds another unpredictable element to the competition for the GOP nomination." The poll "found that overall, 28 percent of likely GOP caucus-goers support Romney, while 24 percent support Huckabee. Thompson ran third in the poll at 15 percent, with Giuliani at about the same level, with 13 percent. McCain, whose Iowa campaign appeared to derail earlier this year over his stance on immigration, had 6 percent and was tied with Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.), who rose from 2 percent in July." The poll "was conducted by telephone Nov. 14 to 18 among a random sample of 400 likely GOP caucus-goers. The results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus five percentage points."
ABC News reported on its website that Huckabee's "surge is equal parts size and intensity, having gained considerable ground among key parts of the GOP base in the Hawkeye state -- evangelicals, conservatives, weekly church-goers, and abortion opponents -- with 50% of his supporters 'very enthusiastic' about him, compared with 28% of...Romney's supporters." However, Huckabee's "hurdle today remains the same one he faced last week when despite his more ardent opposition to legal abortion he lost the endorsement of the National Right to Life Committee to" Thompson. ABC added, "Few Americans are convinced he can actually win the White House. In fact, only 42 percent of Huckabee's own supporters in Iowa think he's going to be elected president."
The ABC News/WPost poll released earlier this week may show Hillary Clinton struggling in New Hampshire, but two new polls show her running strong in a key pair of early states. The AP reports that in a CNN/WMUR poll of 389 likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters, conducted over November 14-18, 36% would vote for Hillary Clinton; 22% would vote for Barack Obama; 13% would vote for John Edwards; 12% would vote for Bill Richardson; and 10% were undecided. WMUR-TV Manchester, NH reported on its website that while Clinton still leads, "voters in the poll did not find her the most trustworthy. That distinction went to Obama, with 27 percent calling him the most honest and trustworthy, more than doubling Clinton's 13 percent. Edwards was second, with 18 percent, followed by Richardson at 14 percent. But when it comes to who the voters think will actually win the Democratic nomination, Clinton handily tops the list with 69 percent, compared to Obama's 10 percent."
Meanwhile, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported on its politics blog that a Research 2000 survey of 400 likely Democratic caucusgoers in Nevada conducted Nov. 16-19 shows Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential field with 45%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama with 20%, John Edwards with 12% and Gov. Bill Richardson with 8%. On the GOP side, the Research 2000 survey of 400 likely Republican caucusgoers shows Rudy Giuliani leading with 29%, followed by Mitt Romney with 22%, Fred Thompson with 15%, Sen. John McCain with 8%, Rep. Ron Paul with 7% and Mike Huckabee with 6%.
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
In an interview yesterday, President Bush offered praise for Hillary Clinton's experience, reinforcing one of the central themes of her campaigns. The AP reports Bush "said Tuesday that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was a 'very formidable' presidential candidate who understands the pressures of public life, yet he expressed confidence that a Republican could beat her next year." In an interview Tuesday "at Camp David with Charlie Gibson of ABC's 'World News,' Bush said Clinton's experience as first lady has prepared her to handle the pressure of a presidential race and to understand the klieg lights." Bush added, "I do believe our candidate will beat her, if she happens to be the nominee." The AP adds if that "sounds familiar, it's because it is straight from the White House talking points on Clinton." On ABC World News, Bush said, "I think she's a very formidable candidate. One of the interesting things that she brings is that she has been under pressure. She understands the klieg lights. You know what I'm talking about. You are the klieg light." Gibson: "You want to get caught on the Republican side, too?" President Bush: "It's hard for me. I don't have a sense because I'm not out there."
The Los Angeles Times reports that Laura Bush "underscored a key rationale for Clinton's White House run, saying her predecessor's experience as first lady would be 'very helpful' in the Oval Office. 'You certainly know what it's like,' she said. 'You know the pressure there is. You know the difficulties.'"
ABCNews.com reports that Sen. Barack Obama's campaign "wasted no time in responding to the President. 'I can't tell if Bush is endorsing Hillary, hoping she's the nominee, or thanking her for her votes on Iraq and Iran,' Obama, D-Ill., spokesperson Bill Burton told ABC News."
The AP reports Barack Obama on Tuesday told Manchester Central High School students "that when he was their age he was hardly a model student, experimenting with illegal drugs and drinking alcohol." Obama said, "You know, I made some bad decisions that I've actually written about. You know, got into drinking. I experimented with drugs. There was a whole stretch of time that I didn't really apply myself a lot. It wasn't until I got out of high school and went to college that I started realizing, 'Man, I wasted a lot of time.'"
The move is receiving mixed responses from Obama's potential rivals. The CBS Evening News adds, "Obama told the students he later turned things around in college. The Senator's admission drew praise from Republican Rudy Giuliani." Rudy Giuliani, presidential candidate: "I respect his honesty in doing that. I think that one of the things that we need from our people running for office is not this pretense of perfection." FOX News adds that Mitt Romney "called Obama comments a 'huge error.'" Romney is quoted as saying, "It's just not a good idea for people running for president of the United States, who potentially could be the role model for a lot of people, to talk about their personal failings while they were kids, because it opens the doorway to other kids thinking, 'Well I can do that too.'"
The New York Daily News reports, "Anti-drug crusaders bashed Barack Obama's candid chat with New Hampshire high schoolers Tuesday, saying his casual manner sent a dangerous message: You can get high and still be President. 'A person in his position has an obligation to be very clear about the seriousness and illegality and potentially deadly results of using drugs,' said Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation. She said the two most effective weapons against teen addiction are emphasizing the harm drugs can cause and stressing societal disapproval of using them. 'He basically violated both of those,' Fay said." And "Andrea Barthwell, the former White House deputy drug czar who quit in 2004 to consider -- and then decline -- a Senate run against Obama, said Obama missed a chance to underscore how casual use can lead to serious addiction."
The New York Times reports, "Fog may have diverted Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's plane from her campaign stop" in Shenandoah, Iowa, "but that did not prevent her from continuing her attacks on Senator Barack Obama's experience." It was "an odd moment. Mrs. Clinton, her voice piped in over a sound system, apologized for missing the event, expressed concern about the safety of food and toys from overseas and, pivoting off the overseas topic, tweaked Mr. Obama for saying on Monday that living overseas as a child had increased his experience in foreign relations." Clinton said, "Now voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges that the next president will face. I think we need a president with more experience than that."
NBC Nightly News reported, "Falling behind in Iowa, Hillary Clinton stepped up her attack on Barack Obama today, mimicking the latest Republican attack line, that he doesn't have foreign policy experience." Clinton: "With all due respect, I don't think living in a foreign country between the ages of 6 and 10 is foreign policy experience." Mitchell: "Her attack today almost identical to this Republican National Committee memo from yesterday, citing Obama's number one foreign policy credential, living overseas when he was a child."
The AP reported that Clinton "ridiculed" Obama "for his contention that living in a foreign country as a child helped give him a better understanding of the foreign policy challenges facing the U.S." According to the AP, Clinton's jibe was "prompted by a comment Obama made a day earlier when asked about his foreign policy credentials." On Monday Obama was quoted as saying, "Probably the strongest experience I have in foreign relations is the fact I spent four years overseas when I was a child in Southeast Asia."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Once again, the late night shows were in reruns last night due to the ongoing writers strike.
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5advertisement
Get your POLITICALBULLETIN
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5Embed exclusive U.S. News headlines, rankings, columns, and blog postings to your Web site, blog, or social network.
advertisement
Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
