The Note: Summertime
— -- WASHINGTON, June 20
NEWS SUMMARY
Pending:
1. Will there be a Bolton vote? (etc., etc.)
2. Is Sen. Durbin done apologizing?
3. How do White House communication strategists adjudge the (latest) turn-the-page effort to be going?
4. Is there a Social Security (solvency) plan that could get majorities in both chambers and a Bush signature, even by secret ballot?
5. When will breathless reporters and activists admit/understand that a Bush replacement for Rehnquist won't/can't move the Court to the right?
6. Did Sen./Dr./Leader Frist read David Brooks' Sunday column? LINK
7. Did Sen. Biden read his morning clips (and how did they make him feel?)?
8. Is there a more complicated journalist-politician relationship in the world than Bob Novak-Chris Dodd? (Yes: Fred Dicker and George Pataki!!!)
9. (Speaking of which:) Which conversation would you most want to hear today: George Pataki and John Sweeney; Scott Reed and his stream of consciousness; Jen Bluestein and her stream of consciousness; or Jim Manley and any Senator who read this weekend's Bob Novak column?
10. Can you identify the nut graph and the to-be-sure paragraph in Dick Stevenson's magnum opus must-read New York Times story on the state of the Bush presidency? LINK
That last one is easy.
Stevenson's nut graph:
"The cumulative effect of his difficulties in the last few months has been to pierce the sense of dominance that he sought to project after his re-election and to heighten concerns among Republicans in Congress that voters will hold them, as the party in power, responsible for failure to address the issues of most concern to the public."
Stevenson's to-be-sure graph:
"It is far too early to dismiss Mr. Bush as a lame duck. He remains exceedingly popular among Republicans, he has a skilled and aggressive political team around him, and he has had a way in the past of teasing full or partial victories from dire-looking situations. Even if he has to wheel and deal, he stands a good chance of signing an energy policy bill and a trade agreement with Central American nations this summer."
The aforementioned Page-Turner-in-Chief hosts the U.S.-European Union Summit today at the White House. Among those in attendance will be European Council President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The three leaders hold a joint press conference between 1:00 and 2:00 pm ET following the summit.
On the Senate agenda today: energy and John Bolton. At 2:00 pm ET, Senators resume debate over the energy bill and at 6:00 pm ET, they decide whether to cut off debate on Bolton's nomination. No one — living or dead — knows what the outcome will be.
Meanwhile, the House meets to consider the FY2006 Defense Appropriations bill.
The Supreme Court unites for the (tentatively) penultimate time this term at 10:00 am ET to announce up to four decisions. In the pool of potential decisions are the Ten Commandments case and the Grokster file-sharing case, according to ABC News' Manny Medrano.
At 11:00 am ET, AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney launches his reelection campaign at CWA headquarters.
At 3:30 pm ET, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Democrats hold a news briefing on the NCEP's proposed amendment to the Senate energy bill.
The House Rules Committee meets at 5:00 pm ET today to discuss a proposal for a possible constitutional amendment authorizing Congress to ban the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.
Also today, the Denver Three -- those three Democrats kicked out of the presidential event in Colorado by somebody who probably shouldn't have kicked them out -- today plan to meet real Secret Service agents as they try to deliver a letter "demanding answers" to the White House at 4:00 pm ET.
And your look at the week ahead:
Tomorrow, President Bush meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to mark the 10th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Bush also plans to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Ben Bernanke as Chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers. The president also speaks via satellite to the Southern Baptist Convention, and hosts the Republican Senators for lunch.
Also tomorrow, Sen. Biden (D-DE) delivers a speech titled "U.S. Policy in Iraq: Rhetoric vs. Reality" at 2:00 pm ET at the Brookings Institution.
At 10:00 am ET on Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee holds a hearing on the impact of economic trends on Social Security's financing and retirement security.
Former Sen. John Edwards is in Portsmouth and Nashua, NH on Tuesday for Democratic fundraisers.
The National Association of Attorneys General begins its annual three-day summer meeting on Tuesday in Big Sky Resort, MT.
The National Federation of Independent Business continues its annual meeting with Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) speaking at noon and 7:30 pm ET respectively.
The Senate Indian Affairs committee meets on Wednesday to conduct another hearing into Jack Abramoff and his Indian gaming lobbying empire, with some focus on the actions of Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist.
The president attends a Social Security event in Washington on Wednesday.
The Senate's Armed Services Committee meets to hear about reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan at 10:00 am ET on Wednesday.
At 8:15 am ET on Wednesday, the New America Foundation holds a national policy forum on "America's Economic Future." Don't miss the 9:45 am ET discussion with Minority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA). Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is also scheduled to speak.
At 7:05 pm ET on Thursday, more than 50 Democratic and Republican members of Congress go to bat in the third game of the 44th Annual Roll Call Congressional baseball game held at RFK Stadium.
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) participate in a news conference sponsored by the Horatio Alger Society on Thursday. At the conference, scheduled for 10:00 am ET, the Senators are expected to announce a new military scholarship program for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq.
At 10:00 am ET, the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee conducts a hearing on the AIDS epidemic, with an appearance by actress Ashley Judd.
The Pew Global Attitudes Project releases the results of a poll on America's image at 2:30 pm ET on Thursday, with comments by co-chairs Madeleine Albright and former Senator John Danforth.
On Friday, President Bush meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and continues his new communications/message initiative.
At 8:00 am ET on Friday, the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs sponsors a forum on "Governing in the Global Age." Bipartisan delegations from Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Nevada, New Jersey and Texas, including state legislatures, cabinet members, and representatives are slated to attend.
The College Republican National Convention kicks off on Friday in Arlington, VA.
SCOTUS:
Elisabeth Bumiller's chock-full-of-nuggets article today (which cleverly masquerades as a casual White House Letter), includes the follow graphs:
". . . Republicans close to the preparations say that the White House has assembled research on some 20 Supreme Court candidates, with more intensive research on a handful of the most mentioned, all federal appellate judges and all conservative: J. Michael Luttig and J. Harvie Wilkinson III of Virginia, Michael W. McConnell of Colorado, John G. Roberts Jr. of the District of Columbia, Samuel A. Alito Jr. of New Jersey and Emilio M. Garza of Texas. The White House also plans mock hearings in which the nominee will field aggressive questions from a 'murder board,' or a phalanx of lawyers and administration officials playing senators on the Judiciary Committee. Such hearings were conducted for Mr. Thomas and have even been conducted for some of the current administration's appellate court nominees, like Mr. McConnell." LINK
And when will that White House "point person" reveal him/herself?
On Sunday, the Washington Post's Peter Baker reported that as the White House is faced with choosing a nominee for the Supreme Court, the president's advisers are exploring two tracks — either a solid conservative or a history-making Hispanic chief — and the three top candidates are allegedly federal appeals Judges John G. Roberts and J. Michael Luttig, and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. Gonzales, considered by some an "easy confirmation," also runs the risk of alienating the Republican base — and is reportedly "ambivalent" about the possibility, according to one source. LINK
Hats off to Baker for minimizing his use of weasel words — but a hedge about how this president likes to spring surprises might have been prudent.
The Los Angeles Times' Janet Hook takes a closer look at the activists on both sides of the aisle gearing up for the fight over Supreme Court nominees — particularly the 24-hour and 72-hour plans to respond immediately to any appointment the president makes — and the lessons learned from past nomination fights that inform what they're doing today. LINK
Bolton:
Bob Novak says it's unlikely there'll be 60 votes for cloture today and blames -- you guessed it -- Sen. Chris Dodd and his alleged obsession with being nice to Fidel Castro. LINK
The Washington Post's Peter Baker and Dafna Linzer write that after John Bolton's departure from the State Department, there has been some (so-called) progress in negotiations with Russia over securing nuclear materials, and some changes in policy, such as ending its attempts to replace the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and working with European allies to try to get Iran to drop its nuclear weapons program. LINK
Social Security:
On Saturday, the Washington Post's Chuck Babington reported that this week, some Republican lawmakers plan to propose an idea to fund personal retirement accounts with surplus money that currently funds other programs — and would have to replace the money with higher taxes. LINK
"Democrats appear on the verge of scoring a huge political victory over Bush by defeating what had been the centerpiece domestic policy of his second term," writes Carolyn Lochhead of the San Francisco Chronicle before putting the hopes of the White House squarely in Chairmen Thomas and Grassley's hands. LINK
On Sunday, the Boston Globe's Rick Klein looked at Republican efforts to seize on recent news reports concerning under-funded pensions as a way to broaden the debate over President Bush's Social Security plan to a discussion of comprehensive retirement reforms in hopes of bringing some Democrats on board. LINK
"Republicans' bid to overhaul Social Security remains somewhat unfocused, and finishing legislation before Congress breaks for the summer at the end of next month will be difficult because of the issue's complexity. And with the 2006 midterm elections looming, politically tough votes will become more difficult to cast. Still, efforts are emerging in both the House and the Senate that appears likely to result in bills that combine aspects of pension overhaul with changes to the Social Security system."
"The White House has deflected questions on efforts to combine pension overhaul and private Social Security accounts, saying the focus should remain on making Social Security solvent for the future."
Note the kind words about this broader approach by Rep. Boehner (R-OH), Sen. Sessions (R-AL), and Sen. Conrad (D-ND).
The politics of national security:
ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports during the Q&A following her Cairo speech, Secretary of State Rice declared she is not meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood and will not meet with them in the future.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned by the government, is Egypt's largest opposition group. It renounced violence years ago.
Rice did not get any applause during the speech. Two questioners got applause, though: one when she was asked why the United States did not apologize for desecrating the Koran and another when she was asked about human rights abuses in Palestine.
Rice this morning is meeting with eight Egyptian opposition figures, including presidential hopeful Ayman Nour, who was thrown in jail earlier this year.
Note Rice apparently did not invite anybody from the two most important opposition groups in Egypt:
1) Kifaya ("Enough"): This is the coalition of pro-democracy/anti-Mubarak groups that has been leading recent pro-democracy demonstrations throughout Egypt.
2) Muslim Brotherhood.
Tune in to ABC News' World News Tonight to see more of Jonathan Karl's reporting on Secretary Rice's trip to the Middle East.
The New York Times reports that "Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is considering new top command assignments that would possibly include promoting Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the former American commander in Iraq during the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, Pentagon and military officials say. Such a move, which has been urged by senior Army officers and civilian officials now that an Army inquiry has cleared General Sanchez of wrongdoing, seems to reflect a growing confidence that the military has put the abuse scandal behind it. It is one of two changes being considered that would involve new posts for senior generals who had previously been ruled out for nominations to the commands because of Senate outrage over Abu Ghraib, the officials say." LINK
The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler and Scott Wilson look at the agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority announced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Jewish settler homes in the Gaza Strip will be demolished upon the pullout of Israeli citizens and soldiers. LINK
Newsweek's Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey look at the work President Bush has cut out for him trying to energize his base as voters' frustration with both the White House and Congress has grown, and even Bush's allies have begun to question and criticize his handling of situations like Guantanamo Bay. LINK
Energy bill:
Per the Wall Street Journal's Fialka, McKinnon and Ball, "President Bush is facing new pressure from key allies — both abroad and in his own Republican Party — for tougher action on global warming. While the White House remains opposed to new regulations, the shifting politics of the issue could force Mr. Bush to move further this summer on curbing greenhouse gases."
"In the latest sign of change, Senate Energy Chairman Pete V. Domenici is indicating support for legislation mandating limits on carbon emissions. That raises the prospect that Congress this year could pass global-warming regulations for the first time. And it comes as European leaders prepare to lobby President Bush next month to pledge stronger action against so-called greenhouse gases at the annual summit of the Group of Eight leading nations."
"House leaders say they will fight hard for an environmental-liability waiver for oil companies that make the gasoline additive, methyl tertiary butyl ether. The Senate so far has rejected that. Some aides say an energy bill containing both measures could emerge from a House-Senate conference committee."
"Then it would be up to President Bush to decide whether such a proposal might lead him to veto an energy bill he has long sought. Administration officials are concerned about growing political support for some regulation, and Vice President Dick Cheney met with Mr. Domenici Friday morning to discuss the issue."
The economy:
The White House already knew this, of course, but the Wall Street Journal's Greg Ip writes that "New federal housing data show that the nation's most overheated local housing markets now make up such a large share of the total U.S. market that a sharp fall in their values could stall or slow national economic growth."
"Some economists say local bubbles are less worrisome than a nationwide one because they are more likely to pop individually, in response to local events, reducing the national fallout."
"Unlike stocks, the housing market 'would be more likely flat with 10% to 20% declines in some regions, or down slightly nationally with some regions looking ugly,' says Ethan Harris, chief U.S. economist at Lehman Brothers. Even local housing crashes take years to unfold, he says."
"Still, a flat housing market could damp overall economic growth by restraining new construction and consumer spending financed by borrowing against home values. Mr. Harris estimates that if the overheated local markets declined 10% a year for three years, while the rest of the country rose 5% a year, it would reduce U.S. economic growth from 4% to about 2.5%."
Robert Pozen, the It-Boy economist of a few months back, has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal advocating enhanced oversight of hedge funds.
Judicial nomination battles:
Don Lambro, writing in the Washington Times, makes a good case that "following the swift confirmation of a half-dozen or more of Mr. Bush's long-delayed judicial appointments (a number that could grow to 10 or more in the weeks to come), Mr. Frist is now seen as the victor in the GOP's battle to put more conservative jurists on the bench, and the liberal Democrats are emerging as the losers." LINK
"Mr. Bush was putting a bunch of his previously filibustered nominees on the federal bench. Mr. Frist had forced a key bloc of Democrats to back down in the face of his threats to prohibit judicial filibusters, making him a majority leader to be reckoned with. The federal judiciary was being redirected in a much more conservative direction."
"Who says nothing is getting done in Congress?"
Ethics:
Elizabeth Drew, writing in the New York Review of Books, has an excellent summary of Where Things Stand in the Abramoff case and does a fine job of relating it to what she sees as an endemic tide of a "new, higher level of corruption." LINK
Guantanamo Bay:
President Clinton told the Financial Times of London that the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay should "be closed down or cleaned up." LINK
Senator Dick Durbin may regret his comments comparing treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay to that meted out by Nazis or Soviets, writes the Los Angeles Times' Janet Hook, but it doesn't mean his Republican cohorts are going to be satisfied with that posture. LINK
We wonder what Sen. Durbin though of Sen. McCain's prediction on "Meet the Press." And we wonder when Sen. Frist wrote his hard-charging weekend statement — and with whose help.
Bush agenda:
The New York Daily News' Goldiner writes up Bob Geldof's praise for President Bush's Africa efforts, but it is Bono's "hunch" that will probably capture the attention of the folks at the Africa desk at the State Department. LINK
Dean's Democrats:
Bob Novak's Sunday column contended that Howard Dean faced fundraising competition from Democracy for America, now headed by his brother. LINK
Now that the national press has completed a cycle of stories on Howard Dean's recent controversial comments, local reporters awaiting his arrival to their state can get some mileage out of them too. The State's Lee Bandy did just that for his Sunday readers. LINK
Rekha Basu of the Des Moines Register suspects that Chairman Dean's recent claims of Republican homogeneity are detracting much-needed attention from the real issues — the issues themselves — and urges Dean and his Democrats to re-stoke the debate fires with policy talk. LINK
In a New York Post op-ed, former Kerry campaign staffer Ari Melber urges his Democratic Party to solve its national security quandary and get rid of that "mommy party" label. LINK
"High-profile Democrats who think outsourcing is more important than al Qaeda need a 'Sistah Souljah' moment — and it can't wait until 2008."
The politics of health care:
The Los Angeles Times' Ron Brownstein explores the political issue of health care and access to it that is spurring the looming conflict between General Motors and the United Auto Workers, Noting that the sinking approval ratings from voters of both Congress and the president may force them to confront the huge issue of higher health care costs and the effect they have on businesses who are trying to shift the burden to families and families who are trying to pay the premiums. Brownstein looks at the plans proposed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Senator Hillary Clinton, who want to give hospitals incentives to computerize records, and Senator John Kerry, who wants Washington to assume the bulk of costs for patients whose annual health expenses reach $50,000. Lowering prescription drug costs by letting Medicare negotiate them and covering more uninsured Americans also would greatly lift some of the load, Brownstein writes. LINK
Stem cell politics:
In a New York Times op-ed, Mario Cuomo seeks to talk President Bush into a stem cell compromise. LINK
House of Labor:
Howard Fineman of Newsweek examines how the "family feud" within Big Labor that's been brewing has finally come to fruition in the form of a split, and the seismic effect it's having on Democratic politics. LINK
Congress:
Roll Call's Teddy Davis and Paul Kane look at the various explanations that 13 Republican Senators offered last week for not co-sponsoring the Senate's apology for past inaction on anti-lynching laws. Most Republicans who didn't join the sponsorship said they supported the bill, and/but some said they favored a different approach.
2008:
David Espo wrote a must-read guide to where each and every 2008er in the Senate stands on ethanol. LINK
USA Today's Kathy Kiely takes a quick look at the bills in Congress dealing with ethanol and MTBE that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are likely to keep tabs on. LINK
Roll Call's Chris Cillizza takes an interesting look at how candidates select consultants — and consultants select candidates — for presidential campaigns, and how companies like Public Opinion Strategies and Garin Hart Yang try to avoid conflicts among multiple clients during the presidential cycle. Read the whole thing, and while you're at it, make a chart to help you follow along with who's already signed up to work for whom.
Andrew Miga of the Boston Herald interviews Sen. Ted Kennedy, who questions Gov. Romney presidential abilities in 2008 saying he must show the "ability to mobilize both his party and the country in terms of national leadership." Kennedy feels that junior Sen. Clinton has "the kind of quality people are looking for in terms of trying to lead the country." LINK
But EMK is still a JFK guy.
2008: Republicans:
David Brooks's harsh observations of Sen. Bill Frist in his Sunday column concluded that while on Schiavo, he "did betray his medical training, which is the core of his being, to please a key constituency group," his "story is more subtle than that." LINK
"These days he seems not so much the leader of the Senate conservatives, but someone who is playing the role. And because he is behaving in ways that don't seem entirely authentic, he is often trying just a bit too hard, striking the notes more forcefully than they need to be struck."
"Sometimes in their quests to perform greater acts of service, people lose contact with their animating passion. And the irony is that the earlier Frist, the Tennessee Republican, the brilliant and passionate health care expert, is exactly the person the country could use."
(Hint: it's a must-read.)
In his second trip to South Carolina in less than one month, Sen. Frist had this to say about his future: "I'm thinking about being a medical missionary, I'm thinking about returning to my cardiac-surgical practice." LINK
Frank Phillips of the Boston Globe writes that big donors may spend up to $50,000 dollars at the Republican Governors Association to be held next week in Boston. The high priced donation will buy you four Red Sox right field roof deck tickets, casual access to state governors attending the event and a picture taken with the governor of your choice. Gov. Mitt Romney serves as vice chairman and in 2004, the association was able to offer $12 million to 11 GOP gubernatorial campaigns. LINK
2008: Democrats:
The Washington Post's Dan Balz wraps Sen. Biden's assertion yesterday on "Face the Nation" that he plans to run for President in 2008 if he determines that he has a "clear shot at winning the nomination," and he's going to road-test his message with Democrats to see if it works. LINK
The New York Daily News' Dave Goldiner Notes the potential official early start to the 2008 race if Biden gets in by the end of the year. LINK
The home state paper's talented Jennifer Brooks has a great story on all this and some Biden history. LINK
"As of April, the number of employees in the executive branch had fallen by 42, to 19,443, since (New Mexico's Bill) Richardson took office in 2003. But the number of so-called exempt employees serving at the pleasure of the governor had jumped from 292 to 437 — an increase of 145 or nearly 50 percent. The governor's own office staff has nearly doubled in size, from 27 to 49, since Richardson succeeded Republican Gov. Gary Johnson," reported the Albuquerque Journal in Sunday editions. LINK
2005:
The Associated Press reports the anticipated involvement of the RNC in Doug Forrester's campaign against Jon Corzine for the keys to Drumthwacket. And Ivette Mendez offers up her best "bring 'em on." LINK
Maggie Haberman and Michael Saul's "Campaign Countdown" column in the New York Daily News includes the high expectations Team Miller has for petition signature totals. We look forward to reading the follow-up item when the final count is in. The Daily News duo also puts the word "tartly" to excellent use. LINK
Stefan Friedman Notes Juli-Anne Whitney's quiet departure from the Ferrer campaign in his New York Post column and post-facto promotes Chad Clanton to "campaign manager." LINK
Stephanie Gaskell of the New York Post goes beyond the politics and the policy and peeks at the personal relationships behind the candidates running for mayor. LINK
Rev. Sharpton told WCBS-TV's Andrew Kirtzman that he'd like to hear Mayor Bloomberg's views on whether or not he thinks the Amadou Diallo shooting was a crime. LINK
2006:
Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) offers the New York Post's Fred Dicker a bevy of quotes expressing frustration over Gov. Pataki's refusal to make his political intentions known. And Dicker also hints that the Empire State GOP chairman, Steve Minarik, may not be around for long. LINK
"'The guy at the top needs to develop a sense of realism as to how serious the situation is,' said Sweeney, a former Pataki administration commissioner who helped steer a resurgent GOP to a string of victories in the mid-1990s."
More: "'The races next year for governor, the U.S. Senate, for attorney general and comptroller are of great significance, and we need to be as clear as we can as to what our options are, but right now, the governor has frozen the field,' said Sweeney, who has been mentioned as a potential statewide candidate."
And yet more: "'If the governor intends to run, he has to say it now. If he doesn't intend to run, he needs to say it now. Actually, he should have done it a while ago,' added Sweeney — expressing a widespread view among GOP rank-and-file activists."
Sen. Hutchison will seek to keep her seat instead of attempting to make a move to the Statehouse in Austin. LINK
New Hampshire:
On Saturday, John DiStaso of the Manchester Union Leader penned up New Hampshire Judge Philip Mangones' impending decision on whether or not the Republican State Committee must tear open all internal files concerning a 2002 Election Day scandal. LINK
Ohio:
The Toledo Blade looks at how much was known about the Ohio scandal surrounding the Bureau of Workers Compensation prior to Election Day. LINK
"The Blade has learned that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio knew of the campaign-finance allegations against Mr. Noe about three weeks before the November, 2004, election, giving it little time to do a thorough investigation."
"Mr. Noe, a Toledo-area coin dealer, was chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign in northwest Ohio."
"Democratic allegations of a GOP cover-up in the loss of $215 million managed by a Pittsburgh firm have surged in the last few days. Records released last week show that high-ranking aides to Gov. Bob Taft worked to suppress revelations about the hedge fund loss in the final days before the presidential election."
Politics:
This week's New Yorker features a story by Hanna Rosin about a college in Purcellville, Virginia, where young men and women are ideologically (as well as religiously) groomed for employment in the conservative political sector. Founded as a haven for traditional — yet smarter-than-average-joes-and-janes -- home-schooled students, Patrick Henry College's president Michael Farris espoused the Bush-Cheney 2004 election strategy — galvanizing white evangelical Christians — and implemented it outside the voting booth. Farris has seen many goals reach fruition as student after student has landed White House internships, staff placements in Congress, or even positions in intelligence requiring security clearance. LINK
So now the Center for American Progress is a Daschle for President vehicle too??? We're kidding -- it's still an HRC vehicle -- OK, we're kidding there, too. But the Center will announce today that Daschle, the former Senate Majority/Minority Leader, will join as a Distinguished Senior Fellow to work on health care policy and global economic and security issues.
The Washington Post's Eric Pianin on Sunday took an early look at Sen. Robert Byrd's new book, in which he again explains his youthful involvement with the Ku Klux Klan, and how it has been, in his words, the "albatross" that has followed him throughout his career, even as he attained positions as a highly respected member of the Senate's leadership. LINK