Congressional Democrats appear to have blinked in their spending showdown with the White House. As the Washington Post reports this morning, House Democratic leaders "yesterday agreed to meet President Bush's bottom-line spending limit on a sprawling, half-trillion-dollar domestic spending bill, dropping their demands for as much as $22 billion in additional spending but vowing to shift funds from the president's priorities to theirs." Roll Call says Democrats are "bowing to the threat of...Bush's veto pen" and "appeared poised to accept a $70 billion package of spending for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with no strings attached." The Hill calls it a Democratic "capitulation," saying it is "the latest instance of Bush prevailing on a major policy showdown." The AP reports Democrats are "prepared...for major concessions on Iraq war funding, children's health insurance, tax policies, general spending and energy. ... The pain is deepest in the House."
The New York Times says "the decision represented a recognition by Democrats that they could not overcome the president's refusal to consider total spending above his budget level -- about $933 billion for domestic and military programs." Similarly, the Los Angeles Times says "the action underscored the restraints on the Democrats, who have narrow majorities in the House and Senate and who face a Republican president steadfast in his threat to use the veto."
Feuding Democrats' Performance Under Fire On its front page, the Washington Post says that "as Congress struggles to adjourn for Christmas, relations between House Democrats and their colleagues in the Senate have devolved into finger-pointing." House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel "accuses Senate Democratic leaders of developing 'Stockholm syndrome,' showing sympathy to their Republican captors by caving in on legislation to provide middle-class tax cuts paid for with tax increases on the super-rich, tying war funding to troop withdrawal timelines, and mandating renewable energy quotas." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in turn, "has taken to the Senate floor to criticize what he called the speaker's 'iron hand' style of governance." Democrats "in each chamber are now blaming their colleagues in the other for the mess in which they find themselves. The predicament caused the majority party yesterday surrender to...Bush on domestic spending levels."
The Wall Street Journal reports a year after Democrats took control of Congress, the "image that haunts them most is one symbolizing no direction at all: gridlock. Unfinished work is piling up -- legislation to aid borrowers affected by the housing mess, rescue millions of middle-class families from a big tax increase and put stricter gas-mileage limits on the auto industry." Bush and Republicans "are contributing to the impasse," but "there's another factor: Intraparty squabbling between House Democrats and Senate Democrats is sometimes almost as fierce as the partisan battling."
The Hill, meanwhile, reports "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says that Democratic hopes of tagging him with an 'obstructionist' label will be fruitless, predicting that his party would be unscathed from the legislative deadlock on Capitol Hill." In an interview with The Hill, McConnell said "Democrats' increasingly determined tactics to pin the blame on him and the GOP caucus for blocking change on issues ranging from spending, tax policy, healthcare, energy and the Iraq war would matter little in the outcome of the 2008 elections."
House Democrats Pass "Doomed" AMT Bill Under the headline "House Democrats Pass Another Doomed Tax Bill," the Washington Times reports, "House Democrats yesterday passed another bill destined to die in the Senate because it 'pays for' a middle-class tax cut with new taxes on Wall Street fund managers, prolonging a stalemate over taxes and spending as the end of the session looms."
The Hill reports, "House Democrats moved toward a collision with the Senate Wednesday, as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) vowed to do 'everything in my power' to extend relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) without violating his party's pay-as-you-go budget rules." The New York Times says that in the Senate, "Democrats have already accepted that preventing the AMT from spreading to millions more middle-class taxpayers is more important than finding a way to pay for its absence, even if that means adding to the deficit."
Bush Says He'll Veto Latest Energy Bill The Wall Street Journal reports Senate Democratic leaders on Wednesday "played Santa Claus in their efforts to salvage the energy bill, but...Bush sent word the latest version of the bill still won't get past his desk." White House press spokeswoman Dana Perino said "Bush and his advisers were unimpressed by a new $21.8 billion version of the bill's tax package, released by the Senate Finance Committee yesterday." In an editorial titled "A Shameful Presidential Threat," the New York Times urges the Senate to "ignore an incredibly mischievous last-minute veto threat from the White House and vote resoundingly in favor of an energy bill that could come before it as early as today."
President Bush yesterday vetoed for a second time legislation designed to expand the SCHIP health insurance program for low-income children. The AP reports it was "Bush's seventh veto in seven years -- all but one coming since Democrats took control of Congress in January. Wednesday was the deadline for Bush to act or let the bill become law." The Washington Post notes Bush "cited the same reasons that led him to veto a version of the bill on Oct. 3 -- that it raised cigarette taxes and provided coverage for children of middle-class families instead of focusing on the working poor."
The New York Times reports, "If Congress sustains the veto of the children's health bill, leaders of both parties say they hope to pass a one-year extension of the program." Their aim is "to include enough money in the measure to maintain current levels of enrollment, estimated at 6.6 million children." The Washington Times says Bush had "initially requested a $5 billion increase but later said he was willing to accept a slightly higher amount."
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The AP reports the "bipartisan leaders of the House Intelligence Committee" said on Wednesday that "the CIA failed to fully inform Congress that it was videotaping the harsh interrogations of terrorist suspects and that it destroyed the tapes in 2005." CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden "said he learned of the terrorist interrogation videotapes more than a year ago in his tenure as principal deputy director of national intelligence, a post he held from April 2005 to May 2006. He said he did not know that the tapes were being destroyed."
The New York Times reports Hayden also "acknowledged on Wednesday that the CIA had failed to keep members of Congress fully informed that the agency had videotaped the interrogations of suspected operatives of Al Qaeda and destroyed the tapes three years later." Those comments "struck a different tone from a message he sent to CIA employees last Thursday, when he said that Congressional leaders had been informed about the tapes and of the 'agency's intention to dispose of the material.'"
The Financial Times reports the House Intelligence Committee also "plans to call George Tenet and Porter Goss, former Central Intelligence Agency chiefs, to testify over the scandal." The Washington Post notes that yesterday "28 retired generals and admirals wrote to the House and Senate intelligence committees urging them to require the CIA to abandon harsh interrogation techniques."
The Washington Post reports that "after being grilled by the Senate Intelligence Committee for more than an hour Tuesday," Hayden "went to Vice President Cheney's annual holiday party, where he endured more interrogation for a full 20 minutes from the Fourth Estate." Hayden "fielded questions -- off the record -- from eggnog-lubed reporters. He withstood the friendly Q and A with smiles and a relaxed air (aided by a nice, cold beer) until he spotted someone who could stop the torture: Cheney chief of staff David Addington."
The Wall Street Journal reports Iraqi oil output "has climbed slowly back to levels seen before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, thanks in large part to increased production from the north." Although "it is unclear whether the gains can be maintained, the higher numbers have been an encouraging sign to U.S. and Iraqi officials in Baghdad." After "averaging about 2.4 million barrels a day last month, Iraqi output is now some 2.5 million barrels a day."
Deadliest Attack In Iraq In Four Months The CBS Evening News reported there was "a deadly attack today against civilians" in Iraq, "the worst in four months. At least 41 were killed in a series of car bombings in Amarah. 150 others were wounded in what's part of a power struggle in southern Iraq." McClatchy says "the police chief of the predominantly Shiite Muslim city, which had never been struck by a car bomb before, was immediately fired for negligence amid accusations that the police had been infiltrated, though by whom was unclear." The Washington Post says the bombings "underscored the fragility of southern Iraq." Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, "who was visiting Basra on Tuesday, said the attack was carried out by those seeking to undermine efforts to stabilize the country." The AP reports, "The devastating blasts in Amarah, an oil-producing city largely spared from sectarian bloodshed, occurred only days before Britain was expected to hand over a neighboring southern province -- the last remaining under British control since the 2003 invasion." The Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Washington Times /AP run similar stories.
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Coverage of the final pre-Iowa Republican presidential debate (complete transcript ) focuses on the anticlimactic tone of the event, which was forecast to be the last chance for rivals to take on surging Iowa frontrunner Mike Huckabee but which turned out to be a relatively staid affair. ABC World News said Huckabee "was expected to be a target of attacks, but it didn't happen. The candidates took shots at budget deficits, China, even the debate moderator, but for the most part, avoided attacking one another." The AP called it a "subdued" debate that "belied the fierce, increasingly negative battle in Iowa and elsewhere for the party's presidential nomination. The candidates largely held their fire" in a 90-minute session "remarkably free of acrimony." USA Today says the candidates "spent more time selling themselves and less attacking one another." Iowa Republican Chairman Ray Hoffmann said the "overall tone of the debate was 'cordial.'" Hoffmann added, "People are sick and tired of the negative stuff and people beating each other up."
On the CBS Evening News, senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield said, "Everyone expected Mitt Romney to go after the new frontrunner Mike Huckabee. Instead it was an extremely civil exchange and as far as Mike Huckabee was concerned, he used his time to inoculate himself against attacks by sounding a little bit like Barack Obama." Huckabee: "We are right now a very polarized country and that polarized country has led to a paralyzed government. We have got Democrats who fight Republicans, liberals fighting conservatives, the left fights the right. Who's fighting for this country again?"
The Washington Post calls the debate "lifeless" and "lackluster," saying Huckabee and Romney vowed "to wage a spirited fight." After the debate, both candidates "acknowledged that the year-long campaign is now a battle between them for Iowa -- a state that could slingshot one of them to victory in New Hampshire and the GOP presidential nomination, and spell the end for the other's candidacy." The Post says Fred Thompson turned in "one of his better performances at the debate." The Wall Street Journal says the debate "likely did little to clarify" the "free-for-all" that the GOP race has become. A recent Des Moines Register poll "showed that 60% of likely Republican caucus-goers are undecided."
The New York Times says the candidates "largely stuck to their talking points, which allowed Mr. Huckabee, a former preacher, to showcase his folksy aphorisms. Calling for more preventive medicine, Mr. Huckabee said it was cheaper to 'kill the snake rather than just treat the snakebites.'" Romney "largely refrained from attacking Mr. Huckabee at the debate, choosing instead to focus on his own business experience and his conservatism." Romney "also made a direct appeal to 'the people of Iowa.'" Romney said, "I need your help. I'd like your vote. I want you to get out and participate in that caucus." Along similar lines, McClatchy carries a piece headlined "GOP Rivals Stage Mild Exchange Of Sound-Bite Views." The Des Moines Register called it a "free-wheeling" debate, but like other newspapers, said it "fell short of the confrontation that had been anticipated" between Huckabee and Romney.
No Consensus On Winner While there were few fireworks, several pundits did see several of the contenders aiding their candidacies, particularly Thompson and Huckabee. In the Des Moines Register, David Yepsen writes Thompson "came out on top" and "did himself the most good." Huckabee and Romney "also scored well," but "it was Thompson...who was specific, good-humored and exuded an executive persona during the low-key, 90-minute session." In a column on the website of the Des Moines Register, Rekha Basu writes that though McCain "was impressive at times," only Huckabee "came close to both inspiring a vision and forging a connection that is necessary for a presidential candidate. But he sometimes sounded like a Democrat in doing so." In a posting on "The Stump" blog on the website of The New Republic, Michael Crowley wrote that Huckabee was "generally poised and articulate. In that sense, and given that no one took a real chunk out of him, I say it was a good day for Huckabee that doesn't reverse the narrative of his rapid ascent." Crowley added that "overall, the flagging Romney surely wanted a better day than this." In an analysis on the website of The Weekly Standard, Dean Barnett wrote, "The winner was Fred Thompson. ... He was serious, thoughtful, and authoritative. It was a wonderful day for him." Barnett added, "The silver medalist was Mitt Romney. Romney continued his fine run."
Debate Format, Moderator Draw Criticism As has been the case during several past debates this year, the format and the handling of the event by the moderator are drawing criticism this morning. In a blog posting on the website of U.S. News & World Report, Liz Halloran wrote that "what really emerged during today's GOP debate in Des Moines were the conspicuous limits of the event's format: 90 minutes of scattershot questions, a demand for 15- and 30-second answers to important, complicated questions, and a stage crowded with nine candidates. (The lineup included the voluble Alan Keyes, who has no discernible campaign and whose presence was a needless and time-consuming distraction.) What was the Des Moines Register, the debate's sponsor, thinking?"
In a posting on "The Fix" blog on the website of the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza wrote the debate "largely failed to live up to those expectations -- bound by a rigid format that allowed almost no back and forth between the candidates. As a result, the debate devolved into a series of stump speeches by the candidates with almost no differentiation between the frontrunners and also-rans like former Ambassador Alan Keyes." In an analysis on the website of The Weekly Standard, Dean Barnett wrote that debate moderator Washburn "did the impossible -- she moderated the last Iowa debate between the Republican candidates before caucuses and yet saw to it that none of the candidates engaged each other."
The AP reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton's national campaign co-chair Bill Shaheen told the Washington Post that that Sen. Barack Obama's admissions of past illegal drug use, along with other questions about his background, could make him less electable in the general election. Shaheen said, "It'll be, 'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone? There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It's hard to overcome." The AP notes that Obama campaign manager David Plouffe responded by calling the statement an act of desperation on the part of the Clinton campaign.
The New York Times says the remarks "represented the most direct criticism by a top official in the Clinton campaign, which is struggling to gain momentum in Iowa and New Hampshire against Mr. Obama. A Clinton spokeswoman, Phil Singer, said, 'These comments were not authorized or condoned by the campaign in any way.'"
The Chicago Tribune reports that Shaheen's comments "substantially upped the ante in the ongoing back-and-forth between the two campaigns over which candidate is less electable in a general election." Meanwhile, despite the Obama campaign's criticisms that Shaheen's comments represented desperation on the part of the Clinton campaign, "a source close to the Clinton campaign said Clinton officials knew nothing of Shaheen's comments until they had been posted on the Internet."
Shaheen's Comments Seen As Indicative Of Scrambling Clinton Campaign The Washington Post, in a front-page story titled "In Iowa, a Scrambling Lesson for Clinton," describes Clinton's campaign's efforts to stymie Obama's growth in the early states, framing its coverage within the context of an October "summit" the Clinton campaign held in Chicago when they "awakened to the fact that they faced a serious problem in Iowa." The meeting was held in Chicago to avoid giving the impression that Clinton's staff was panicking about Obama's gains, but the Post paints the Clinton camp as being in being in disarray, "with her earlier aura of inevitability gone." Meanwhile, "If advisers were worried about appearing panicked in early October, some are less able to hide it now." Shaheen "raised questions on Wednesday about Obama's admission that he had tried drugs, a risky tactic that telegraphed the nervousness within the Clinton campaign." Moreover, "Some prominent Clinton supporters said that, while they expected the race to tighten, they are now being forced to scramble."
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Romney Up Big On GOP side The AP reports that a CNN/WMUR-TV telephone survey of 378 likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire conducted Dec. 6-10 shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential field with 31%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama with 30%, John Edwards with 16% and Gov. Bill Richardson with 7%. The AP notes, "Clinton had a 14-point lead in the same poll last month. Television talk show star Oprah Winfrey held big campaign events for Obama while the poll was being conducted, including one in New Hampshire Dec. 9." On the GOP side, CNN/WMUR-TV telephone survey of 354 likely Republican primary voters shows Mitt Romney leading with 32%, followed by Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain with 19% each, Mike Huckabee with 9% and Rep. Ron Paul with 7%.
The AP (12/13) reports that a Suffolk University telephone survey of 300 likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire conducted Dec. 9-11 shows Clinton leading the Democratic presidential field with 33%, followed by Obama with 26%, Edwards with 15% and Richardson with 5%. On the GOP side, the Suffolk University telephone survey of 300 likely Republican primary voters shows Romney leading with 31%, followed by McCain with 19%, Giuliani with 17% and Huckabee with 10%.
A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 841 likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters taken December 11 shows Obama leading Clinton 31%-28%, with Edwards at 17% and Richardson at 8%.
The Washington Times reports Sen. Barack Obama "has expanded his lead over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the run-up to South Carolina's Jan. 26 Democratic presidential primary, drawing increased black voter support after Oprah Winfrey's campaign appearances there, a new survey shows. An InsiderAdvantage poll of 480 likely Democratic voters conducted Dec. 8-9, during and after the TV talk-show star's whirlwind two-day visit, shows Mr. Obama of Illinois leading the New York senator 28 percent to 22 percent," with John Edwards "in third place with 14 percent."
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The late night shows continue to be in reruns due to the ongoing writers' strike.
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