The Senate passed its version of the omnibus spending bill, which will fund government operations for 214 Cabinet departments. Most significantly, the Senate tacked on $70 billion to fund the US war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill's passage is portrayed today as a big victory for President Bush -- and a defeat for Democrats. USA Today /AP, for example, reports by a 70-25 vote, "Bush and his GOP allies won a major victory in passing a measure providing $70 billion for the wars without restrictions that Democrats had insisted on for weeks." Another AP dispatch says "Bush was ready to sign the bill, assuming the war funding clears the House on Wednesday."
The Washington Post calls the vote "a retreat by Democrats who had vowed a month ago to withhold all money for the Iraq war unless strict timelines for the withdrawal of troops were established." On its website, The Hill says the Senate "handed...Bush a critical victory in the Iraq debate," capping "a year of unsuccessful Democratic attempts to sufficiently chip away at solid GOP support for the war." The Washington Times notes Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "said the $554 billion spending bill represented a compromise that did not fully satisfy the Democrat-led Congress or the White House."
Roll Call recounts that "in an unusual move, Senate Democrats split the votes on war funding and domestic spending, even though both will -- upon House passage -- move to the president as one piece of legislation." Dividing the vote "ensured that Democrats opposed to war funding would not have to cast a vote for the overall bill with that funding included." The New York Times says Democratic leaders "conceded they were not happy with having to accept the war money and hew to the president's limit on spending. But they noted they were able to steer money to their priorities, win some spending against White House wishes, and complete all the spending bills, which they saw as a victory in itself."
Meanwhile, USA Today notes congressional Democrats "with the encouragement of...Bush vowed this year to seek a 50% reduction in federal budget 'earmarks' -- projects and programs inserted into spending bills by members of Congress to benefit their states or districts." Watchdog groups "such as Taxpayers for Common Sense say the reduction is closer to 25%, once all earmarks are counted. They count 11,144, for $15.3 billion." Fox News' Special Report reported that the spending bill is "thousands of pages long, and includes at least 10,000 projects. Figuring out what to do with it is a full-time job right now at the White House. ... The White House is still poring through the huge omnibus spending bill to see what the half trillion dollars would buy." Roll Call says "more than half of 'airdropped earmarks' -- provisions that had not previously been approved in either chamber -- were targeted to districts represented either by a member of the Appropriations Committee or a Member considered vulnerable for the 2008 elections."
The Wall Street Journal editorializes, "As we at the Journal debated Washington's latest spending deal yesterday, one of our tribe noted that it is the best budget of the Bush Presidency. To which someone else quipped that that was 'the soft bigotry of low expectations.'" Yet "this is hardly a lean or mean budget. When combined with the Defense spending bill that has already been signed, Congress will still exceed Mr. Bush's $933 billion 'top-line' thanks to about $11 billion in budget gimmicks and 'emergency' spending."
Senators Get Extra Vacation Week Roll Call reports in its "Morning Business" section that Majority Leader Harry Reid "has decided to give his colleagues an extra week of vacation next month, opting to call the chamber back into business on Jan. 22 rather than on Jan. 15."
The New York Times reports on its front page that "at least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives from Al Qaeda." The "accounts indicate that the involvement of White House officials in the discussions before the destruction of the tapes in November 2005 was more extensive than Bush administration officials have acknowledged." The lawyers were then-White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, Cheney aide David S. Addington, National Security Counsel attorney John B. Bellinger III, and former White House counsel Harriett Miers.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports, "Over the objections of the Justice Department, a federal judge said Tuesday he would explore whether the US had violated a court order to preserve evidence when the CIA destroyed videotaped interrogations of two terrorism suspects in 2005." The Washington Post notes that in June 2005, the judge "had ordered the government to preserve detention and interrogation records as part of an ongoing civil lawsuit by a group of detainees held at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba." The Washington Times runs a similar report.
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President Bush is expected to sign today the energy bill passed by Congress, notable for including an increase in mileage standards for cars and trucks. NBC Nightly News reported Congress is "forcing automakers to move those numbers up in the hope that gas consumption will then go down and, with it, our overall dependence on foreign sources of oil." It is "the first hike since President Ford signed the fuel economy legislation 32 years ago. ... There will be a massive increase in renewable motor fuels, like ethanol to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Today ethanol is made from corn, but in the future much of it will be required to come from switchgrass and wood chips, non-food sources."
ABC World News says the bill "could save millions of barrels of oil every day. And it could impact everything from the kind of cars we drive, to the amount of energy we use in our homes." The President agreed to sign the bill "only after Congress agreed to continue $13 billion in tax breaks for the nation's five largest oil companies." Fox News' Special Report reported, "The Democrats took credit for what they said were major improvements to the nation's energy policy," while on its front page, the Washington Post reports, "White House press secretary Dana Perino gave credit to Bush, saying he 'pushed Congress to pass this legislation all year.'" The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Washington Times also report on the bill's passage.
The Politico reports a "group of Senate Democrats has begun quietly exploring ways to replace the venerable Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, believing he's no longer physically up to the job." Under "one scenario being circulated in Democratic circles, the 90-year-old Byrd would be named 'chairman emeritus,' and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would become 'acting chairwoman' for the remainder of the 110th Congress." There is "broad discontent among committee members over the way Byrd has run the panel this year and the resulting problems in completing work on the fiscal 2008 spending bills."
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The CBS Evening News reports that Hillary Clinton campaigned with her husband and basketball star Magic Johnson in Iowa yesterday. The Los Angeles Times reports that during a rally at a high school gym, Johnson "expounded on the theme that the ex-president broached a few days ago in an interview with PBS' Charlie Rose. 'You don't want somebody in there [as president] that is young or a rookie at politics,' Johnson said. 'We want somebody in there that knows what they're doing, because this job is so huge.'" The AP adds, "Implicit in Johnson's comments was the suggestion that Hillary Clinton had more experience than her rivals Barack Obama, who has served in the U.S. Senate since January 2005 and John Edwards, who spent one term as a senator. ... Johnson said he has been good friends with the Clintons since they were in the White House and gave him advice on how to bring economic development - such as stores and movie theaters - to impoverished neighborhoods across the country. He said that's a big reason he has endorsed the senator." Meanwhile, MSNBC is reporting this morning that President Clinton's penchant for wandering away during joint campaign events with his wife drawing cameras and reporters away from her is driving Sen. Clinton's campaign nuts.
Fox News' Special Report reported last night that the Clinton campaign "took a knock from former president George H.W. Bush responding to Mr. Clinton's claim that if his wife is elected she plans to send the two former presidents out on a world tour undoing damage done under the current administration. The senior Bush said he had never discussed this supposed around the world trip with either of the Clintons and besides that, he says he doesn't believe it is warranted because he is proud of the role that America is playing in the world. So later today Bill Clinton seemed to backpedal a little bit on his plan saying that while he is sure Hillary can't count on any votes from the former president Bush, maybe he, meaning Bill Clinton, can go on the trip with some former secretaries of state."
The Wall Street Journal reports former President Bush "quickly put an end to that talk, the subtext of which is that his son, President George W. Bush, has hurt the U.S.'s reputation. The elder Mr. Bush 'wholeheartedly supports the President of the United States, including his foreign policy. He has never discussed an 'around-the-world-mission' with either former President Bill Clinton or Sen. Clinton, nor does he think such a mission is warranted since he is proud of the role America continues to play around the world as the beacon of hope for freedom and democracy,' his chief of staff, Jean Becker, said in a statement to CNN."
On MSNBC's Tucker Carlson reported that when asked about Bill Clinton's statement, A.B. Stoddard of The Hill said, "I really think that he needs to be contained. He needs some discipline. He's uncorked. Something is going wrong. He's panicking. But at the same time they've really acknowledged now after almost a whole year of this candidacy that he's really the best they've got. I mean, so many people have come to her because of her husband and we were talking I think last week about the polls that show she has half her support she's won on her own and the other half she's won because of her husband."
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John Edwards brought some celebrities of his own to New Hampshire. The CBS Evening News reported Edwards "is on the road with celebrity supporters Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Brown in the Granite State. He's hoping to keep his momentum going there after a strong showing in Iowa." The AP reports Raitt and Brown "are traveling with him for the two days, reprising their help of last month in Iowa, and they kicked things off with a performance before the jammed Lebanon Opera House here, the first of five events."
The AP reports that Mike Huckabee yesterday "defended his Christmas ad amid suggestions that the ordained Baptist minister had gone too far mixing religion and politics." The spot "shows Huckabee in front of a Christmas tree as he says, 'Are you about worn out by all the television commercials you've been seeing, mostly about politics? Well, I don't blame you. At this time of year sometimes it's nice to pull aside from all of that and just remember that what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family and friends.'" Huckabee "said the ad was a harmless holiday greeting even though it excludes other religions." But Catholic League president Bill Donahue "said Huckabee went beyond wishing people a joyous holiday. Donahue said he was especially disturbed by the cross-like image created by a white bookcase in the background of the ad, saying he believed it was a subliminal message."
CNN reported on its "Political Ticker" blog that Huckabee "poked fun at critics who said a bookshelf in his new Christmas-themed ad that appeared to highlight the shape of a cross was meant to send a subliminal message. 'Actually I will confess this, if you play this spot backwards it says 'Paul is Dead, Paul is Dead, Paul is Dead,'" Huckabee "joked to reporters in Houston Tuesday. 'So the next thing you know, someone will be playing it backwards to find out the subliminal messages that are really there.'" Huckabee "said the spot was last-minute and ad-libbed: 'They had a bookshelf behind me, a bookshelf. So now I have these people saying, 'ahhh there was a subtle message there, said Huckabee. 'I never cease to be amazed at the manner in which people will try to dissect the simplest messages, can't even say 'Merry Christmas' anymore without somebody getting all upset about it.'"
McClatchy reports, "These are tough times for" Rudy Giuliani, who is "still the leading Republican presidential candidate in national polls, but only by two percentage points over former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, according to five national polls this month averaged by RealClearPolitics.com." Also, "in early-voting states, Giuliani's sinking fast. He's a distant third in Iowa, a closer third in New Hampshire and has sunk to fourth in South Carolina, according to recent polls. With Iowa's first-to-vote caucuses on Jan. 3 and New Hampshire's primary five days later, Giuliani's campaign appears to be sliding." Giuliani campaign officials "remain confident in their unconventional strategy of trying to weather losses in early-voting small states, then start winning when big states vote, beginning with Florida's winner-take-all primary on Jan. 29." But "some analysts question that strategy and wonder whether Republican voters are having second thoughts about the fiscally conservative, socially moderate ex-mayor."
Novel Giuliani Strategy Seen As Risky ABC World News reported, "With 16 days before the Iowa caucuses, nearly all the major candidates were on the campaign trail today, all except...Giuliani. It's part of Giuliani's strategy, one that carries some degree of risk. ... With more than 20 states holding their contests on February 5th, Giuliani is trying to rewrite the rules of nomination politics." According to ABC, Romney "has held 161 events in Iowa, Huckabee, 101, Giuliani, 41. This modest campaign headquarters in a strip mall outside Des Moines reflects Giuliani's presence in this state. And in a way, he's marginalized himself from the conversation here. As Giuliani's pursued this strategy, he's dropped to third or fourth place, in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. And he's even dropping nationally. His greatest decline is among those following the race very closely, aware of his baggage."
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A new Washington Post /ABC News poll of likely Iowa Democratic caucus-goers shows Barack Obama leading with 33%, followed by Hillary Clinton, 29%, and John Edwards, 20%. The Post reports that poll "offers good news for each of the leading candidates. More than seven in 10 of Obama's supporters said they are certain to participate in the caucuses, compared with 59 percent of Clinton's backers." Clinton's supporters, however, "are the most firmly behind her. Seventy percent said they will definitely caucus for her in two weeks, while Edwards's and Obama's supporters were more apt to say there is a good chance they might change their minds. Moreover, 59 percent of Clinton's backers said they are very enthusiastic about supporting her, compared with 49 percent of Obama's supporters."
ABC News' Gary Langer writes, "Applying tighter turnout scenarios can produce anything from a 10-point Obama lead to a 6-point Clinton edge -- evidence of the still-unsettled nature of this contest. ... And not only do 33 percent say there's a chance they yet may change their minds, nearly one in five say there's a 'good chance' they'll do so. Another factor is the Iowa Democratic Party's 'viability' rule, in which, generally, candidates who garner less than 15 percent support in the first round of caucusing are dropped, and the contest continues without them. In this poll, when supporters of single-digit candidates are reallocated to their second choice among the top three, Obama goes to a lead, with 37 percent support; Clinton has 31 percent, Edwards 26 percent."
Second Poll Shows Democratic, GOP Races Very Tight Another Iowa poll out this morning stressed the uncertainty that turnout models can produce on polling. Fox News reports a new InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion poll of likely Iowa Democratic caucus-goers shows Edwards leading with 30, followed by Clinton with 26% and Obama with 24%. However, when the poll was tightened to include only those most likely to caucus, Obama leads with 27%, followed by Edwards with 26% and Clinton with 24%. On the GOP side, Huckabee leads with 28%, followed by Mitt Romney with 25%. Fred Thompson and John McCain vie for 3rd with 10% and 9% respectively. When the pool of respondents was tightened to include only the most likely caucus-goers, Romney led Huckabee 28%-25%. The poll surveyed 933 Democrats and 835 Republicans on December 16 and 17.
A new WMUR-TV /CNN poll released this morning shows Hillary Clinton opening a 38%-26% lead over Barack Obama in New Hampshire, with John Edwards at 14% and Bill Richardson at 8%. In a similar poll released earlier this month, Obama trailed Clinton by only one point. On the GOP side, Mitt Romney leads with 34%, followed by John McCain, 22%; Rudy Giuliani, 16%; and Mike Huckabee, 10%.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports that Hillary Clinton's lead over Barack Obama in California "dropped by more than 10 percentage points in the past three months, according to a poll of likely voters in California's Democratic primary that was released today. The 25-point lead that" Clinton "held in October over" Obama "has dwindled to 14 points, according to the Field Poll. ... Currently, 36 percent of those likely to vote in the state's Feb. 5 Democratic primary favor Clinton, a significant decrease from the 45 percent of voters who preferred her in October. Obama saw a slight increase to 22 percent in the current poll, from 20 percent in October. ... Meanwhile, the number of undecided likely Democratic voters has more than doubled since March, the poll revealed. Twenty percent of such voters told pollsters they are uncertain." John Edwards "finished behind 'undecided' in the poll, with" 13%. The poll of 457 likely California Democratic primary voters was conducted Dec. 10-17 has a margin of error of +/- 4.7%.
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The late night shows continue to be in reruns due to the ongoing writers' strike.
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