The Note: The Future Is Now...
— -- WASHINGTON, June 30
NEWS SUMMARY
If front-of-the-book best quotes are good enough for Newsweek and Time, they are good enough for us.
So, in an homage to Majority Leader DeLay, who on Tuesday said "It's not a pay raise. It's an adjustment so that they're not losing their purchasing power," we proudly present your regular Thursday Note Quotes of the Cycle:
1. "There's going to be an appetite by some to relitigate past decisions." -- White House counselor Dan Bartlett, in Peter Baker and Dan Balz's Washington Post's Rosetta Stone on how the White House is looking at history and public opinion about wars. The Ultimate Must Read of the cycle, this one. LINK
2. "'It was stupid mouth, and everyone has stupid mouth at some point. Rick Perry isn't someone who is a closet obscenity screamer.'" -- Merrie Spaeth, Republican communications consultant, from Bloomberg. LINK
3. "George Allen is football analogies and chewing tobacco. That is an image he has carefully cultivated over the years . . Frist is doctor and AIDS in Africa. One is a career politician and one is a citizen legislator." -- A "source supportive of Frist" quoted in Chris Cillizza's classic Must Read on alleged Frist-Allen tensions, which will be gobbled up by the Gang of 500 and very few others. LINK
4.. "This is nothing new. What is new in this case is that we have had to come here at a late time and -- and add additional resources. And I think it's -- it's unfortunate, as I said earlier, I was very, very critical of this administration for not being more forthright and felt, as the Senator from Idaho suggested, that when we cast our votes saying that there was -- against the Murray amendment, that we did so with -- with not the information we needed."
"And -- and I think the administration justifiably should be criticized for that. I think, unfortunately, the tone that the Senator from Nevada took, the Democratic Leader, was not one of frustration that all were sharing but simply a -- an attempt to launch into a partisan attack, which I think given the nature and tenor of what we've been work on here was very unfortunate." -- Sen. Rick Santorum, on the floor of the Senate. (Per ABC News' Ed O'Keefe.)
5. "Jim Nicholson is a veteran, and I'm sorry I didn't acknowledge his service in the United States military in addition to his being the chair of the RNC prior to his taking over the job as secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs. And I thank him personally for his service."
"But, Mr. President, I will not be lectured about civility by the Junior Senator from Pennsylvania who has repeatedly disrespected veterans. Three times he opposed funding for veterans, votes in committee and here on the Senate floor. I ask consent that his voting record be submitted in the record on those issues." -- Sen. Harry Reid, in response to Santorum. (Per ABC News' Ed O'Keefe.)
6. "We finally got a winning team. Now they're going to hand it over to a convicted felon who wants to legalize drugs and who lives in New York and spent $5 million trying to defeat the president? How's he going to get him out to the opening game?" -- Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) on George Soros's bid for the Nats, in the New York Times LINK (Note that Soros is appealing his conviction for insider trading in France.)
7. "I think he would certainly help out a lot of people if he told his side of the story. Maybe he likes the controversy." -- Democratic legend and long-time Bob Novak friend Bob Strauss, on Novak, in a Jacques Steinberg story on the Ed Henry grilling. LINK
8. "Now they've got a decision to make, and I've got one. A corporation is not the same thing as individual. They have different responsibilities and obligations and there is no dishonor obeying a lawful order backed with the force of the Supreme Court of the United States. I prefer they not hand over documents that disclose the identity of my sources, but that's their decision to make." -- Time's Matt Cooper, as quoted in a Laurie Cohen/Joe Hagan article in the Wall Street Journal.
9 "We stress Mr. Biden's views because he strikes us as one Democrat who understands the stakes in Iraq and seems genuinely interested in a good outcome." -- The Wall Street Journal's editorial board, on Democratic opposition.
10. "In Massachusetts, code orange means John Kerry just got out of the tanning salon." -- Out-of-state yuk-yuks from Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, at a Connecticut Republican Party fundraiser. Note to Gov. Romney: at some point, you'll need some new jokes. "> LINK
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President Bush will provide a preview today of his plans for this year's G-Eight summit next week when he speaks at a Washington art gallery at 9:30 am ET. The headline of the summit is expected to be a big boost in aid to Africa. That includes a plan to erase some $40 billion in debt owed by the world's poorest nations. But yesterday, the House voted to strip $1 billion from Bush's top aid plan, the Millennium Challenge Account program.
At 10:00 am ET, House Speaker Dennis Hastert takes to the well of the House to recapitulate the session about to end and preview the next. And Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi briefs the press at 10:45 am ET.
The Senate convenes at 9:00 am ET and resumes CAFTA debate. A vote could come as early as today.
At 3:00 pm Et, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) meet with Treasury Secretary John Snow and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan on China trade policy and Unocal and CNooC.
Former Sen. John Edwards finishes up his national tour to promote increases in the minimum wage with an appearance in Ohio today.
DNC Chairman Howard Dean heads to New Orleans, LA today for the "Essence of the Democratic Party" grassroots fundraiser.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission holds a public meeting and hearing in New York beginning at 9:30 am ET today to discuss the proposed voluntary voting system guidelines.
And the second fundraising quarter of 2005 ends today, with reports due to the FEC by the middle of Juy. Watch for the DNC to release a study today of what they see as some of the more interesting characters to donate to Republicans.
For more daybook stuff, see our final section below.
Public opinion and Iraq:
The Washington Post's Peter Baker and Dan Balz turn in a totally fascinating look at how the White House that plays down its use of polls is turning to experts on public opinion during wartime to help guide how it approaches and frames the subject of the war in Iraq with the American people. It's both a canny acknowledgement by the Administration of the political reality that the buy-in of the public is absolutely key to the success of any military action, and an special twist that they're paying attention to the polling now that the rhetoric isn't working so well anymore -- and that the optimistic words that some people question is key. LINK
"Most devastating to public opinion, the advisers believe, are public signs of doubt or pessimism by a president, whether it was Ronald Reagan after 241 Marines, soldiers and sailors were killed in a barracks bombing in Lebanon in 1983, forcing a U.S. retreat, or Bill Clinton in 1993 when 18 Americans were killed in a bloody battle in Somalia, which eventually led to the U.S. withdrawal there."
Note the Post duo seem to break the story of the White House hiring of a Duke professor, whose colleague (however) isn't singing from the Administration songbook.
Read every word, all the way to the end.
The Boston Globe's Joan Vennochi says that top Democrats are too easily buying into the President's plan on the war in Iraq.
"If you listen carefully, you realize Democrats like Kerry and Biden are saying that this war is being fought the wrong way, not that this is the wrong war. They have bought into the Karl Rove argument that might makes right. LINK
Note that the left is back in full swoon over the Vietnam analogy.
Social Security:
Bloomberg News' Jeff Bliss is a million miles ahead of the pack in writing, "Republican leaders will oppose legislation that contains benefit cuts, a retirement age increase or a rise in taxes to improve the system's solvency, said a senior Republican lawmaker, who asked not to be identified. The leadership wants any House legislation to focus on creating private investment accounts, the lawmaker said." LINK
"(Chairman) Thomas, however, said yesterday that solvency `would be part of the retirement bill' his committee is developing."
Bliss gets at the political and policy tensions that the coverage to date has glossed since the GOP switched game plans on how to deal with the issue.
Read every word of this one too.
The New York Times' David Rosenbaum explains that "if the House does approve a Social Security bill that is blocked in the Senate, it will be easier for Mr. Bush to make the political argument that he could have succeeded in resolving the difficult issue had he not been thwarted by Democratic obstructionists." LINK
Roll Call's Ben Pershing and Erin Billings look at how members of Congress are steeling themselves to go home over the recess to talk about Social Security -- with a specific plan to pitch or try to knock down.
Where did all the VA money go?:
The Washington Times's Stephen Dinan has the day's harshest write-up for the Administration: quote-after-quote of "I told you so" Democrats and embarrassed Republicans. LINK
Tom Edsall of the Washington Post has the details of the fight -- including the choice words Senate Minority Leader Reid had for, or rather, about Sen. Santorum -- that ended in the Senate approving $1.5 billion in emergency funds for health care programs funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs. LINK
CAFTA:
The St. Petersburg Times' Anita Kumar Notes that Sen. Mel Martinez's biggest corporate contribution sector was Big Sugar, so he is wrestling with a vote on CAFTA. LINK
Politics of the armed forces and Gitmo:
The New York Times David Sanger, in analyzing the (lack of) applause for the president at Ft. Bragg, quotes a commander who points to White House advance, and then the troops for taking the directive not to whoop it up a bit too rigorously. LINK
The New York Times' Neil Lewis succinctly summarizes the Democrats' difficulty about playing politics with Gitmo: "For Republicans, the mission was simple and direct: defend the military's detention center at Guantánamo as humane and deserving of admiration throughout the world. For some Democrats, the task was more complicated: to praise the patriotism and work of the vast majority of military personnel at Guantánamo, while raising questions about abuse of detainees." LINK
Ethics:
"Maddog" Kevin Madden's taking over in House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's office as communications director . LINK
"The House ethics committee is back in business," writes The Hill's Alexander Bolton. LINK
"Once staffed and organized, the committee is expected to undertake an investigation of overseas trips taken by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). Lobbyist Jack Abramoff is alleged to have paid for DeLay's travel to England and Scotland, in violation of House rules."
The New York Times' Carl Hulse writes on Rep. Doc Hastings "move forward" letter to Rep. Alan Mollohan. LINK
Travel disclosure forms for House members will be filed electronically beginning in 2006. LINK
Paul Kane of Roll Call reports that Sen. Trent Lott has a proposal to change the Senate ethics rules to allow Sen. Tom Coburn to continue practice medicine, and by extension, allow other Senators to keep their outside careers.
Mary Ann Akers of Roll Call reports that the yacht on the Washington waterfront where Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham lives (owned by defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who bought Cunningham's house and sold it for a whopping loss) is up for sale.
2008:
At a $125-per-guest fundraiser in Alexandria, VA yesterday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, late arriving after the latest Capitol evacuation, was greeted zealously by a roaring crowd of supporters feasting on mushroom puffs, chicken skewers, and fresh tuna.
In her address, Clinton touched on everything from the deficit to Iraq, and she ended the night with a private VIP reception.
James Carville's cameo proved entertaining. After taking a swig of what appeared to be a cola product, Carville rushed to the podium to deliver a string of one-liners poking fun at Republicans and praising the Senator for her willingness to confront "some of the most vile and wretched people in American politics."
The Washington Post's Michael Shear sets the scene at the fundraiser with a focus on the Warner angle. LINK
"By nearly a 2-to-1 margin, Florida voters say they disagree with Gov. Jeb Bush's order to investigate whether Terri Schiavo's husband delayed calling 911 when his wife collapsed in 1990 and see his actions as motivated by politics rather than sincere conviction," the Associated Press reports on the latest Quinnipiac University survey released this morning. (Be sure to check out the GOP/Dem/Ind. breakdowns.) Gov. Bush's overall job approval rating at 49 percent appears relatively unaffected by the controversy. LINK
Gov. Pataki (R-NY) unveiled the redesigned Freedom Tower set to rise where the Twin Towers once stood. LINK
"Pataki said he prefers the new look of the tower. 'I really think this is a better design. I'm not an architectural critic, I'm just a citizen, but I like it better,' he said."
SCOTUS:
When will Erick Erickson next to talk to his source? Link
The Los Angeles Times' Faye Fiore and Janet Hook write that the Rehnquist retirement guessing game is keeping Washington on pins and needles -- or at least keeping summer plans in a state of limbo. LINK
The Manchester Union Leader's Todd Morrison describes one supremely funny joke played on Justice David Souter in response to the recent "eminent domain" decision upheld by the high court. LINK?article=57048"> LINK
Free Matt Cooper and Judith Miller:
This morning, Time Inc. announced "it would comply with a court order requiring it to deliver the subpoenaed records to a grand jury in connection with the Special Counsel's investigation into the Valerie Plame matter. The decision follows the Supreme Court's refusal to review a federal court order requiring production of the documents in a case involving Time magazine's White House correspondent, Matt Cooper (Matthew Cooper and Time Inc. v. United States, No. 04-1508.)"
Richard Schmitt of the Los Angeles Times Notes they could face jail in a week. LINK
Beyond the beltway:
Bob Novak offers a unique look at his reporting style -- and at Chicago Mayor Richard Daley -- in his column today. LINK
In today's Granite Status, John DiStaso reveals what old (former, that is) Manchester Union Leader editorial page director and columnist Bernadette Malone has been up to lately. As it turns out, she's been with Penguin Books since 2003 and recently edited that no-one-in-the-MSM-(or in the political realm and/or really no one with any access to media at all)-can-help-but-express-their-opinion-on book by Edward Klein where he divulges allegedly honest-to-goodness info about Hillary Clinton.
DiStaso also Notes: Dick Gephardt will be heading up (but he won't be running, mind you) New Hampshire way on Aug. 6. LINK
2005:
Beyond that boyish exterior, Gifford Miller is demonstrating he knows how to play hardball with his members. LINK and LINK
2006:
Todd Dorman writes in the Quad City Times that the answer -- to: "Who will be Iowa's Democratic gubernatorial candidate?" -- may be blowin' in the wind, or it may be in IA Dept. of Economic Development Director Mike Blouin. LINK
The New York Post's Deborah Orin praises Sen. Clinton for keeping her powder dry and refraining from criticizing the President's Iraq speech, unlike those Kerry/Biden/Bayh fellas. LINK
Ms. Orin also claims that a pro-abortion, anti-gun, pro-Shitsu gentleman/businessman/lawyer is a co-frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008.
Ed Cox, a culture-of-life supportin', HRC-opposin', Republican'n, who's challengin' Senator Clinton' gave his first presser yesterday. LINK
Cox laid out what looks to be his central theme in his effort to defeat Sen. Clinton (D-NY): She's running for president, I'm not. Note, too, Howard Wolfson's restraint. LINK
"Warming up his jabs against Democratic juggernaut Hillary Clinton, Republican Edward Cox kicked off his exploratory committee for a U.S. Senate run yesterday by framing himself as a 'real' New Yorker," leads the New York Daily News' Celeste Katz. LINK
Bloomberg News' Mary Schlangenstein explores the marketing madness in the aftermath of Gov. Perry's "mofo" gaffe.
"An off-color remark by Texas Governor Rick Perry has spurred Internet sales of T-shirts, coffee mugs and even baby bibs, and the slip may haunt Perry's re-election bid," writes Schlangenstein.
Politics:
The fifth and sixth paragraphs of the Cincinnati Enquirer's story on Gov. Taft's final budget signing event of his tenure: LINK
"The usually celebratory event comes, however, amid questions about why the governor failed to disclose golf outings with people doing business with Ohio, including rare-coin dealer Thomas W. Noe. Noe is under state and federal investigation for up to $13 million in investments he lost for the Bureau of Workers' Compensation and the alleged laundering of contributions to President Bush's campaign."
"During Taft's last three encounters with reporters, in Mansfield, Port Clinton and at the Statehouse, reporters pelted him with questions about whom he golfed with and who paid. He has declined to answer specifics on the advice of his criminal attorney, William Meeks."
David Broder looks at who didn't exactly come out the winner in the fight over restoring proposed cuts to funding for public television. LINK
The Washington Post Notes a visit between Bob Woodward and his big-screen alter-ego. LINK
Jeff Zeleny of the Chicago Tribune reports that Sen. Barack Obama got to review parts of the FBI background file of Henrietta Holsman Fore to try to answer his questions about a statement she made during a 1987 speech that have been the basis for his objection to her confirmation as undersecretary of state for management. LINK
". . .broad, bipartisan support for stem-cell research in the Congress and the public — as opinion polls suggest — may have made it impossible for Frist to protect the president from issuing the first veto of his tenure," writes Jeffrey Young of The Hill. A Coburn filibuster is still TBD. LINK
USA Today's Andrea Stone takes an excellent look at the intra-state argument over stem cell research between Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum -- and the relationship between the sometimes maverick and the up-and-comer who hews tightly to the party line. LINK
More daybook stuff:
The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing at 9:30 am ET on Army and Marine Corps efforts in the war against terrorism. Undersecretary of Defense David Chu and Gen. Richard Myers are among those who will be present.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee meets to discuss the challenges of the Mideast "road map" at 9:30 am ET.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Citizenship's hearing today on "comprehensive immigration reform" at 2:30 pm ET.
The House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the post-9/11 removal of immigrants at 10:00 am ET.
Rep. Charles Norwood (R-GA) introduces the Clear Law Enforcement for Removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens Act of 2005 at a 2:00 pm ET news conference.
The House Ways and Means Committee marks up CAFTA at 10:00 am ET. Meanwhile, Central American solidarity groups and other environmental and labor organizations protest CAFTA at a 5:30 pm ET demonstration.
Reps. Ernest Istook (R-OK) and Sanford Bishop (D-GA) lead a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in announcing the Religious Freedom Amendment at 10:00 am ET today.
The Iran Policy Committee holds a press conference at 10:00 am ET to release a report on U.S. policy in Iran titled "Sham Elections, Human Rights Abuses, and Regime Change."
Representatives from the 200-member National Coalition to End the Judicial Filibusters convene today at 12:15 pm ET to launch a campaign urging the Senate to offer a decisive vote on judicial nominees Henry Saad and William Myers.
