The Note: Tight Under the Collar

— -- WASHINGTON, July 26

After his welcome meeting and press conference at the White House yesterday, Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki addresses a joint session of Congress this morning at 11:00 am ET in what has proven to be a controversial invitation, as Democrats have fought to persuade House Speaker Rep. Dennis Haster (R-IL) to cancel the speech. After Maliki came nowhere near the apology Democrats were hoping for during the press conference yesterday, some Democrats remain miffed while some GOPers say they detect a transparent effort to court Jewish voters in the United States. LINK

Following his address to Congress, the Prime Minister is scheduled to attend a luncheon along with President Bush and military personnel and their families in Fort Belvoir, VA at 1:05 pm ET. The President then attends a campaign reception for Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in Charleston, WV at 5:35 pm ET.

Up until now, Rep. Capito's race has not been considered truly competitive. But according to a recent expenditure, national Republicans have polled in her district, leading the DCCC to think/hope that the NRCC is privately concerned about Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH) former chief of staff testifying that the Abramoff team received assistance on the GSA properties from several GOP members of Congress or their aides, including a former top aide to Rep. Capito. Asked about the findings of the poll conducted in Rep. Capito's Charleston-based district, NRCC spokesguy Carl Forti tells ABC News: "We don't discuss independent expenditure polling." As for alleged ties to Abramoff, Forti says: "She's already addressed this." Link to the expenditure on the FEC's Web site: LINK

This MIGHT be the most important story in the papers today relating to the midterms: House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) "said yesterday that Republican leaders would soon hold the first House vote in a decade on increasing the minimum wage, and predicted that the bill will pass on the eve of crucial midterm elections," reports the Boston Globe's Rick Klein. LINK

"'We're at the point where that vote is coming,' Blunt said. 'I'm not sure that it's a "must-pass," but it will probably be a "will-pass."'"

Vice President Dick Cheney is scheduled to attend the swearing-in ceremony for Steve Preston as administrator of the Small Business Association at an open press event at 4:45 pm ET. Last week's edition of Business Week highlighted Preston's credentials and his "tough road ahead" as head of a struggling organization. LINK

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice continues her travels abroad and arrives in Italy this morning to attend an international conference on Lebanon. Her morning press event got roadblocked cable coverage.

The House Republican Conference and the House Democratic Caucus held closed-door meetings at 9:00 am ET. At approximately 10:00 am ET, Majority Whip Roy Blunt (MO), Conference Chairman Deborah Pryce (OH), Chief Deputy Majority Whip Eric Cantor (VA), Policy Committee Chairman Adam Putnam (FL), and others discuss the GOP's legislative record outside of the Capitol Hill Club.

DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) will address the entire Democratic Caucus (if Speaker Pelosi's orders are followed by her foot soldiers) at its weekly meeting today. Rep. Emanuel is expected to update House Democrats on new polls since his last briefing to the group six weeks ago. LINK

The House Education and Workforce Committee continues its immigration hearings with the Education Reform Subcommittee's hearing on "Examining Views on English as the Official Language" at 12:30 pm ET. The hearing is followed by a news conference hosted by Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) on making English the official language of the U.S. at 2:30 pm ET.

The Senate reconvened at 9:00 am ET and begun consideration of the motion to proceed to a contentious offshore drilling measure (S 3711) that would hasten oil and gas exploration in a section of the eastern Gulf of Mexico known as "Lease Area 181."

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Dick Lugar (R-IN) co-sponsor a briefing on the Pediatric AIDS Pandemic at 3:30 pm ET.

Former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) addresses the Democratic Leadership of the 21st Century Young Democrats in New York City before attending the Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century and Air America Radio program's "Eye on 2008" series at 6:30 pm ET.

RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman attends a 6:00 pm ET (closed press) fundraising reception and a 8:00 pm ET (closed press) fundraising dinner for Sen. George Allen's reelection campaign in McLean, VA.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean campaigns with Florida State Attorney General candidate Walter "Skip" Campbell at noon ET in West Palm Beach, FL.

See below for more schedule items.

Maliki politics:In an interview with CNN's Soledad O'Brien this morning, Dr./Leader/Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) discussed today's address to Congress by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Rising above his disagreement with Maliki's comments about Israel, Frist declared that he would be "very disappointed if Democrats walk away and do not show respect" after Maliki's address. When asked about the increasing violence in Iraq, Frist said: "You cannot say things are not improving if in 15 minutes I will be welcoming the elected leader of a sovereign country. Yes, violence has increased there on the ground against the Iraqis, but at the same time Iraqi security forces are being increased by the hundreds."

On CBS's Early Show this morning, Dr./Leader/Sen. Frist said that the United States is "going to have to have direct talks" with Lebanon and Syria if a "lasting" ceasefire will be forged in the region. Frist also criticized Democrats for running from Maliki, saying, "Democrat colleagues not showing up to me is just wrong."

In a phone interview with Don Imus this morning, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) lambasted United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his accusation that Israel intentionally killed four U.N. observers during an air strike in Lebanon: "Kofi Annan knows better than to say or believe than to say that Israel would intentionally strike U.N. observers...It reveals some sort of a bias." Sen. McCain refused to condemn President Bush for his recently overheard comments and reaffirmed his support for the Iraq war: "I still believe that if Saddam was in power, the arms sanctions would have evaporated…he would have tried to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Having said that, I have lamented on this program for several years the fact that we've made several mistakes and that we're paying the price for it."

In one of the day's most powerful ledes, Roll Call's John Stanton and Steven Kornacki write: "As part of their effort to link the outburst of violence in Lebanon and Iraq to President Bush and Congressional Republicans, House and Senate Democrats denounced the decision by GOP Congressional leaders to allow Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to address a joint session of Congress today…"

The Hill's Josephine Hearn reports on the Democratic boycott, which has grown to over 50 members of Congress. LINK

The Washington Times' Christina has Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) saying that Maliki has not clarified "which side is he on when it comes to the war on terror." LINK

"Even as the fighting continues and the civilian casualties mount in Lebanon, sentiment in Congress is overwhelmingly on Israel's side," reports the Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman, quoting several Lebanese-American MOCs, including an emotional-sounding Ray LaHood. LINK

Bush to add troops in Baghdad:President Bush announced on Tuesday that he will send more U.S. troops and equipment to Baghdad from other parts of Iraq in an effort to quell rising sectarian violence.

ABC News' Jake Tapper takes a look at yesterday's press conference featuring President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the issues between them that will determine the fate of the situation as well as President Bush's legacy. LINK

The New York Times' Rutenberg on the "starkly different" mood surrounding this Bush/Maliki meeting than the one they had in Baghdad during the President's surprise trip last month. LINK

The Washington Post's Peter Baker and Josh White report that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld refused to discuss the number of troops moving into Baghdad, although the SecDef put a floor under the number. LINK

Per Bloomberg's McLean and Keil, President Bush announced alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that while he will relocate more troops to Baghdad, he offered no indication when he'd start to withdraw US personnel from the country. LINK