Hotline On Call: July 2007 Archives

Huckabee, asked if troops could be out of Iraq by the end of the year: "First of all, even if we made the decision today, I don't think there's a plan in place. We couldn't get them out that soon."

Richardson: "What I believe needs to happen is a six-month withdrawal. If it takes another month, it's important that we make that happen, because, otherwise, our troops have become targets."

Huckabee: "I don't want us to end up having to do over what we didn't do right, and that's why we have got to stay until the job is done. General Petraeus was given until September. It is incredibly to me inappropriate for to us be talking about withdrawing before he's even had a chance to put the surge into place."

Richardson: "Every month that goes by is over 100 of Americans soldiers die; 25,000 are wounded. This is not working. This surge is not working. You can see it every day with violence increasing, but also instability in the region. Here's my point. We have a major war against al Qaeda. We have to fight it. But diverting our resources in Iraq, in a war that is not working, takes us away from the real focus of our national security interests, fighting international terrorism, nuclear terrorism, nuclear proliferation, a world that is very dangerous and unstable. And perpetuating our policy in Iraq is part of the national security problem that we're in today."

Huckabee: "If we pull out prematurely, the one thing we won't have is stability. And I think that's why many of us believe that, as painful as it is to stay, it's more painful to disappear, lose any chance of stability" (CNN, 7/30).

THE HUNT IS ON

Duncan Hunter played "Hardball" last night:

On Iraq: "All of us, Republicans and Democrats, have been with this operation for the last four years, and I think that we should see it through. I think we should accomplish this mission, finish this mission."

Asked about Gonzales: "I haven't been reading the transcripts, watching the hearings, so I don't want to disserve him by just repeating the headlines and statements by senators. So unless I was in those hearings and had a chance to really examine the record, I don't want to trash Attorney General Gonzales. I would say that the Democrats have a major responsibility here under the so-called FISA legislation. According to our intelligence people, we have a major gap in intelligence reporting because terrorist communicators who are outside the United States but who make a communication that goes through the United States, through our communication apparatus, we are now barred from wiretapping those particular communications. And that is depriving us of essential information for the security of this country. I think that's more
important than what happens to Mr. Gonzales" (MSNBC, 7/30).

ANOTHER SCANDAL FOR THE MEDIA TO LOVE

There was also late-breaking news on Sen. Stevens:

CNN's Johns: "The feds have been eying the Stevens' house for some time. Back in 2000, the senator and his wife commissioned extensive renovations, doubling the size of the place. Stevens insists he paid for the remodeling out of his own pocket, but the feds are looking into whether an Alaska oil company called VECO could have helped foot the bill" ("AC 360," 7/30).

MSNBC's Olbermann: "Senator Stevens this evening resorting to the same tactic the administration used for Scooter Libby, saying in statement: 'I will continue my policy of not commenting on this investigation until it has concluded'" ("Countdown," 7/30).

CNN's Toobin: "The U.S. attorney in Alaska did not make this decision alone. To seek and obtain a search warrant against any member of Congress, but especially someone who has been in the U.S. Senate since 1968, is of enormous significance and it certainly had to go to the top of the Justice Department, Alberto Gonzales had to approve it or his designee, the director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, had to approve it. They would not have taken such an extreme step without approval all the way up the chain of the command, and one has to conclude, without a serious reason for doing it" ("Situation Room," 7/30).

PLAYING DOCTOR

And there was talk on SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts health:

NBC's P. Williams: "None of this came up in his confirmation hearings" ("Nightly News," 7/30).

CNN's Toobin: "From a historical perspective, there have been 43 presidents of the United States and only 17 chief justices of the United States. So, that gives you an idea of how important a position this is. What makes this especially shocking is that of the nine justices, John Roberts is the youngest. He's 52 years old, 35 years younger than John Paul Stevens, the senior in age member of the court. So to say that a health problem in John Roberts is a surprise is really an understatement" ("Situation Room," CNN, 7/30). [EMILY GOODIN]

On The Download: Million Dollar Web Campaigns

July 30, 2007 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) |

It's time to welcome Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney to the million-dollar club, as both presidential candidates have now spent at least $1 million on their Internet operations so far this year.

A survey of Federal Election Commission records compiled by PoliticalMoneyLine.com also showed that Rudy Giuliani spent at least $782,205, John McCain spent at least $646,601, and Barack Obama spent at least $485,400.

But a single number does not tell the full story about a campaign's online operation -- even if that number follows a dollar sign. One of the biggest trends to come out of these reports is the blurring line between an Internet team, a communications shop and the rest of the campaign, as many staffers do double duty and grassroots fundraising becomes almost synonymous with online fundraising.

Many political Internet experts say that by the 2009-2010 election cycle, there no longer will be Internet departments because Web staffers will be fully integrated into every other section of the campaign war room.

Below are the details on how much the presidential campaigns of 2008 have spent on their online operations in the first two financial-reporting quarters, according to FEC records compiled by PoliticalMoneyLine.com. The list is organized from the most expenditures to the least.

(A single asterisk notes that despite a request for more information, the information could not be confirmed, though at least one source with knowledge of the staffers confirmed their status. A double asterisk notes that the person or company is known to no longer be on the campaign's payroll.) [SHIRA TOEPLITZ]

Joe Biden
Firms ($64,076 total): NGP Software, Inc. ($33,697), GetActive Software Inc. ($12,945), Advocacy Inc. ($9,965), Articulated Man Inc. ($7,469).
Staff ($50,137 total): Eric Carbone, Joel Meister, Timothy Westmyer.
Minimum total spent on internet-related expenditures: $114,213.

Hillary Clinton
Firms ($1,207,730 total): NGP Software, Inc ($700,725), Mayfield Strategies ($507,005).
Staff ($178,400 total): Jesse Berney, Peter Daou, Nancy Eiring, Sarah Foy*, Recardo Gibson*, Jess O'Connell*, Crystal Patterson, Kevin Thurman.
Minimum total: $1,386,130.

Chris Dodd
Firms ($4,384 total): Wired for Change ($2,800), Pair Networks ($1,584).
Staff ($65,529 total): Tim Cullen, Matt Browner-Hamlin, Erik Moe, Tim Tagaris.
Minimum total: $69,913.

John Edwards*
Firms ($312,607 total): Plus Three, LP ($167,214), NGP Software, Inc. ($69,393), Matthew Gross Communications ($45,000), Advocacy Inc ($18,600), Care2.com Inc ($10,000), Advomatic LLC ($2,400).
Staff ($135,398 total): Ryan Alexander**, Ben Brandzel, Amanda Marcotte**, Melissa McEwan **, Aaron Myers, Amy Rubin, Tracy Russo, George Stern.
Other: Auburn Quad ($40,130).
Minimum total: $448,005.

Dennis Kucinich
Staff ($138,375 total): Michael Criscione, Chad Ely, Karen Kilroy.
Other internet-related expenses ($679): ActBlue.
Minimum total: $139,054.

Barack Obama
Firms ($223,802 total): NGP Software, Inc. ($97,039), Brightcove ($67,168), Blue State Digital ($59,595).
Staff ($155,767 total): Scott Goodstein, Sam Graham-Felson, Chris Hughes, Jon Jones, Chris Northcross, Josh Orton, Luke Peterson, Udai Rohhegi, Joe Rospars, Jessica Slider.
Other internet-related expenses ($105,831 total): Auburn Quad ($61,608), Google Adwords ($23,229), Hitwise ($13,000), Webster Strategies ($7,994).
Minimum total: $485,400.

Bill Richardson
Firms ($135,848 total): Articulated Man ($36,455), Blue State Digital ($26,230), Rock Coast Media ($25,000), NGP Software, Inc. ($24,100), Care2.com Inc ($17,500), Anne Lewis Strategies LLC ($6,563).
Staff ($28,368 total): Joaquin Guerra, Andrea Johnson, Seth Tanner.
Other internet-related expenses: Auburn Quad ($10,467).
Minimum total: $164,216.

Sam Brownback
Firms ($119,627 total): ElectionEdge US ($72,000), Aristotle International ($47,627).
Staff ($5,500 total): Leon Wolf.
Minimum total: $125,127.

Rudy Giuliani
Firms ($741,727): Opera New Media LLC
Staff ($40,478): Kathryn Harbath, Ted Jarrett, Patrick Ruffini**.
Minimum total: $782,205.

Mike Huckabee
Firms ($34,314): LCM Strategies ($20,488), GSL Solutions, Inc (13,826)**,
Staff ($3,615 total): Vincent Harris, Zach Taylor.
Minimum total: $37,929.

Duncan Hunter
Firms ($70,231 total): ElectionMall Technologies ($34,983), TCV Media ($26,500), Aristotle Intl ($8,748).
Staff ($2,841 total): John Hawkins, Sam Hunter.
Minimum total: $73,072.

John McCain*
Firms ($456,529 total): 3EDC ($339,940), Campaign Solutions ($86,589), New Media Strategics ($30,000).
Staff ($38,844 total): Christian Ferry.
Other: EDonation.com ($151,228). McCain's campaign also reported a debt of $721,066 to 3EDC.
Minimum total: $646,601

Ron Paul
Firms ($53,434 total): Bill Dumas Productions ($50,284), Terra Eclipse Media Design ($3,150).
Staff ($14,688 total): Justine Lam.
Minimum total: $68,122.

Mitt Romney
Firms ($1,305,019 total): Molecular ($803,523), Salesforce.com ($345,268), MediaForge ($109,000), Diginovations ($47,228)
Staff ($98,055 total): Abby Brack, Gary Coby, Mindy Finn, Andrew Goodrich, Larry Simmons, Stephen Smith.
Minimum total: $1,403,074.

Tom Tancredo
Firms ($71,119): Aristotle International Inc ($70,219), Six Apart ($900).
Staff ($2,974): Mike Tate.
Minimum total: $74,093.

Tommy Thompson*
Firms ($22,466 total): Maelstrom Solutions ($14,466), Aristotle Inc ($8,000).
Minimum total: $22,466.

Quote Of The Day

July 30, 2007 12:45 PM | Permalink |

From today's Hotline:

"It will come back to them."

-- John Edwards, on reminding voters of his '04 SC win, Columbia State, 7/30

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 30, 2007 11:00 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Smile for The Camera

July 27, 2007 3:43 PM | Permalink |

Part of what has made the recent Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama feud so noteworthy was that the two candidates went on camera to talk about it. Obama was the first, speaking to NBC News on Wednesday. The next day Clinton spoke with CNN. But, for the last two months, the two have been nearly invisible when it comes to face time on the tube.

In June, according to Hotline TV tracking, Clinton and Obama didn't do a single TV interview. This month, before the "dictator dust-up", each gave CNN's John Roberts a minute (literally, one minute) of camera time during the festivities for the CNN/YouTube debate in Charleston. Before that, the only other appearance was an Obama stop- by on the "Today" show after the Senate's all-nighter on Iraq.

The top-tier presidential candidates rarely go on television themselves, preferring to let their surrogates speak for them. In the spin rooms after the debates you won't spot Clinton, Obama or John Edwards. It's their campaign managers, strategists or spokespersons that do the talking.

So for the two of them to go on the record, on camera themselves made what could have been a one-day story last out the week. And it gave television something to air over and over again. [EMILY GOODIN]

Quote Of The Day

July 27, 2007 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

From today's Hotline:

"I got my trophy wife the first time."

-- MS Gov. Haley Barbour (R), on his Dem foe, Jackson Clarion Ledger, 7/27

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 27, 2007 11:09 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- Clash of the Titans

July 27, 2007 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) |

Lots of good TV last night:

Two days ago NBC cameras caught up with Barack Obama. Yesterday, CNN cameras happen to catch up with Hillary Clinton:

Clinton: "This is getting kind of silly. You know, I've been called a lot of things in my life, but I've never been called George Bush or Dick Cheney, certainly. You know, you have to ask, whatever has happened to the politics of hope?" ("Situation Room," 7/26).

MARCH OF THE ADVISERS

HRC adviser Howard Wolfson and Obama adviser David Axelrod made the TV rounds to battle it out:

Wolfson: "Senator Obama referred to Senator Clinton as Bush-lite. Six months ago, he entered the race promising to elevate our politics. And I just want to know and Senator Clinton asked today, what happened to the politics of hope, David?"

Axelrod: "I say to Howard that the politics of hope is ending a foreign policy that has been predicated on the notion that somehow we make advances as a country by not engaging our adversaries."

CNN's Blitzer: "He's not backing away. I didn't hear him backing away from the Bush/Cheney-lite comment, Howard."

Wolfson: "Well, I think that's unfortunate. It certainly doesn't represent the politics of hope. I don't what kind of politics it represents, but I don't think it's what Democratic primary voters are looking for" ("Situation Room," CNN, 7/26).

MSNBC's Matthews: "Hillary Clinton, in that debate -- and I want to get the word right -- correct me if I'm wrong -- didn't she say that Obama was naive on foreign policy?"

Wolfson: "She didn't say that in the debate. She said that after the debate."

Matthews: "How would you describe her position in voting to authorize the war in Iraq, believing we weren't going to war, that Bush really didn't intend to go to war? Was that naive?"

Wolfson: "Look, she has taken responsibility for the vote. She has been asked about this."

Matthews: "But wouldn't you call that naive, to believe that we weren't going to war, when everybody thought we were going to war?"

Wolfson: "No."

Matthews: "I knew we were going to war."

Wolfson: "I guess 80 percent of the country was naive, then."

Axelrod: "Barack Obama stood up in 2002 and he said we should not go to war because we are going to get mired in a civil war with ancient ethnic rivalries that would be of undetermined length, cost, consequences. And he said it would distract us from al Qaeda and the real mission in Afghanistan. ... That is leadership, standing up when it is hard, not when it's easy, not waiting for 80 percent."

Wolfson: "Senator Obama represented one of the most liberal state Senate districts in the country. You're telling me that it took courage from Hyde Park to be against the Iraq war? Please."

Axelrod: "He was running for the United States Senate." More: "The point is that he got it right, that he analyzed what was available, and he got it right."

Wolfson: "If David Axelrod and the Obama campaign want this election to be about strength and experience, bring it on. We're up for it" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 7/26).

RIGHT SAID FRED

Fred Thompson was on "Hannity & Colmes":

Asked if he's planning to make an announcement soon: "August is kind of a down month, not much going on, so it wouldn't make sense to do it in August, but clearly, I think you know the direction I'm headed in. A final decision will be made soon, and I'm just urging my friends to keep their powder dry."

FNC's Hannity: "The Washington Post is attacking every client that you represented as if those were your views. Do you want to respond to any of that?"

Thompson: "No, not really. I mean, they're a little bit upset I'm not playing by their rules. You know, everybody announced earlier this year." More: "But I'm doing it at my own pace, and they want to make sure that I don't get all the benefit from it, because I seem to be doing OK without announcing yet, and none of the detriment, so they're making sure I get some detriment. So I'm getting a lot of attention from the Democratic National Committee and even Senator Clinton the other day, and Michael Moore, and a few other folks. We can live with that" (FNC, 7/26). [EMILY GOODIN]

Bring it on!

July 26, 2007 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

According to tomorrow’s National Journal Insiders Poll, a whopping 83 percent of the GOP Political Insiders say that a Senate vote on Sen. Russ Feingold’s (D-WI) proposal to censure Bush, Cheney & Co., for their “misconduct” relating to the war in Iraq and other “assaults on the rule of law,” will end up helping the Republican Party, while only 13 percent think it will hurt.

While Republicans acknowledge that there’s plenty of antipathy within the party towards the White House these days, they think a fight over Feingold will on end up rallying GOP Senators and as well as the rank-and-file to the President’s defense. As one Republican Insider put it: “This is the real slam dunk—exact tonic for an ailing GOP base.”

Other Republican Insiders thought the Democrats would look like they’re catering to the anti-war left at the expense of trying to find a substantive solution to the war. And then there’s the politics of personal destruction. One Republican Insider asked: “Did impeachment of Clinton help the GOP?”

This looks less like a dare from the Republicans when you consider that 70 percent of the Democratic Insiders say that a vote on the Feingold measure would hurt their party. While Feingold was something of a prophet on proposing timetables for withdrawing troop from Iraq, only 28 percent of the Democratic Insiders believe that a vote on his censure motion would help their party.

Many Democrats worry that the measure would look more like an empty gesture and just feed the perception that the Democrats can’t stop the war or make progress on other issues. “Pass some meaningful legislation first to show people you are delivering on their needs before you are seen as playing politics,” said one Democratic Insider. But others assert that the more they talk about Iraq, the better the party’s political prospects.

The Political Insiders were also asked this week whether it would be smart for their own party’s presumptive presidential frontrunner, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, to agree to participate in debates for just the top-tier candidates. And here the Democratic and Republican Insiders were also in agreement: For Hillary and Rudy, the more (candidates) the merrier. An overwhelming 88 percent of the Democratic Insiders say it would not be smart for Clinton to engage in a debate with just her top rivals and a hefty 75 percent of the Republican Insiders say Giuliani would make a mistake to debate only the top tier of his competitors. Insider sentiment in both parties is that Hillary and Rudy are already dominating their respective debate matches and why try to fix what isn’t broken? The Insiders also note that it could look a bit arrogant for the two frontrunners to appear to be dictating who “belongs” in a debate and it would be more than a tad stupid to give their chief opponents more air time and opportunities to draw a bead on them. [JIM BARNES]

Quote Of The Day

July 26, 2007 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

From today's Hotline:

"We all hoped it wouldn't come to this."

-- Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), calling for an investigation of AG Gonzales, CNN, 7/26

Pre-fix This

July 26, 2007 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) |

Barack Obama continued to frame his dispute with Hillary Clinton this a.m. as old thinking versus a new approach. He said Clinton's views mirror those of the Bush admin.-- to meet with enemy leaders only after they met a set of preconditions. Obama said he's willing to meet them w/o preconditions, but not w/o preparation (and again, not just for coffee).

Engaging our adversaries "allows us to send a message to the rest of the world," he said, which "increases our leverage" in trying to deal with other problems. Obama also challenged reporters to question Clinton's campaign about whether they "are walking back" her statements on the issue.

Obama's comments came during a conference call with Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH), who has endorsed him and will serve as a national co-chair.

"Paul I think overcame a lot of the predictions that he couldn't beat an incumbent several years ago because he was a fresh new voice and spoke the truth," Obama said. "For him to be a part of this campaign gives us an enormous boost."

Hodes said that during his campaigns, he sensed "a deep desire in this country and in New Hampshire for a new direction and for changing the way politics is done." He sees endorsing Obama as a way to "complete his mission," saying the Illinois senator "has the skills, the talent, the ability and the strength to lead this country in a new direction in a new century" [MIKE MEMOLI].

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 26, 2007 11:00 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- Special Stake Out Edition

July 26, 2007 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (16) |

NBC News caught up with Barack Obama for an on-camera interview about his spat with Hillary Clinton. NBC's Mitchell: "He's taken their fight to a new level."

Obama: "What is irresponsible and naive is to have authorized a war without asking how we were going to get out -- and you know I think Senator Clinton hasn't fully answered that issue."

More Mitchell: "Clearly stunned, Obama is now taking her on."

Obama: "If we are laying out preconditions that prevents us from speaking frankly to these folks, then we are continuing with Bush-Cheney policies, and I am not interested in continuing that" ("Nightly News," 7/25).

NBC has put a transcript of the entire interview on "First Read."

THE HOUSE GETTING ITSELF IN ORDER

There was also a lot of talk last night about the House Jud Cmte's decision to hold two WH aides in contempt of Congress:

FNC's Baier: "The House Judiciary Committee today took another step towards a constitutional showdown with the White House in the investigation over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys" ("Special Report," 7/25).

CNN's Bash: "The Democrats here came one step closer to a constitutional showdown with the White House. And, right now, neither side is showing any sign of blinking." More Bash: "The next step here is a vote by the entire House of Representatives, but a Democratic leadership aide said that it's unlikely to happen until Congress returns from its month-long August recess" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/25).

CNN's Malveaux: "The tone and the message was very clear from the White House, and that is essentially, bring it on. They really feel invigorated and engaged by this confrontation" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/25).

MSNBC's Shuster: "This is a really, really big deal and a big problem for Gonzales. ... Just based on the documentary evidence that might exist, which we now know does exist, this is a clear case of perjury. ... And so now the question is whether Democrats want to call for a special prosecutor and say, look, a U.S. attorney needs to bring this to a grand jury, seek an indictment. ... But the question is, will Democrats demand a special prosecutor at this point?" ("countdown," 7/25).

NOTHING BUT NEWT

Newt Gingrich appeared on "Hannity & Colmes" last night:

On his "pygmies" comment: "The point I made was trying to make even though Mayor Giuliani, Governor Romney, Senator Fred Thompson are terrific people, the process by which we are currently trying to pick a president inevitably reduces them in stature and inevitably, I think, limits their ability to have a serious dialogue."

On Obama saying he would meet with world leaders: "I think Senator Obama is an authentic voice of the left. I think meeting with Fidel Castro makes perfect sense if you come from the American left because the American left fears the U.S. military. They fear the CIA. They fear the American government. They never fear our enemies. It would make perfect sense for him to openly announce he will visit with virtually any dictator in the planet who would be willing to have him" (FNC, 7/25). [EMILY GOODIN]

Quote Of The Day

July 25, 2007 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

From today's Hotline:

"It's almost as if the man and the moment met."

-- Southern Baptists Convention's Richard Land, on Fred Thompson, Boston Globe, 7/25

Research Dir. No Longer "With Fred"

July 25, 2007 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

The Atlantic's Ambinder reports this a.m. that Fred Thompson's research director, J.T. Mastriandi, has resigned.

Mastriandi's resignation comes on the heals of other personnel moves within the campaign, most notably bringing on ex-Energy Sec./ex-Sen. Spencer Abraham as campaign mgr. and FL GOP strategist Randy Enright. Current active campaign manager Tom Collamore has moved into an advisory role, Thompson spokesperson Linda Rozett told the AP.

For more on the Thompson staff shake-up, check out today's Hotline.

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 25, 2007 10:25 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- Ladies Night

July 25, 2007 8:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

We'll spare you the details of Lindsay Lohan's arrest, but we will give you the highlights of Chris Matthew's interviews with the Obama Girl Amber Lee Ettinger, Hot4Hill Girl Taryn Southern, and Giuliani Girl Adolina Kristina:

Ettinger, on why she did the video: "I am 25, but that is not the whole reason why I did the video. ... I do modeling and acting full time, and Ben Relles, the creator, approached me with the idea and I thought it was going to be a funny great project."

Southern: "I saw Miss Amber strutting her stuff in the Obama Girl video a couple weeks ago, thought it was great, and really funny, and wanted to put together my own spoof version."

Kristina: "I really like what he did for New York City and how he cleaned up the crime."

Matthews: "You are doing it. You are flashing your incredible eyebrows at me. Look at that. It's awful what you're doing. Look, do you think this will affect the elections? Doesn't it scare you if it does, Taryn?"

Southern: "At first I thought that it just seems ludicrous that me shaking my booty in a bikini is going to impact the election. But I guess from a broader scale, we're getting young people more interested in politics. They're going on Youtube and they're at least thinking about the election. I don't think we'll sway votes either way. I hope not."

Matthews: "I feel like Larry King tonight" (MSNBC, 7/24).

FINALLY, A RACE TO REPORT!

And there was a lot of talk about the Hillary Clinton/Barack Obama back-and-forth:

MSNBC's Carlson: "The most substantial development in last night's Democratic debate was some long-awaited conflict between the two front runners on the Democratic side, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton" ("Tucker," 7/24).

CNN's Crowley: "You can expect that this will ratchet up, particularly since Obama has the money to go toe to toe with Hillary Clinton. She's got the poll numbers. So, you have what really is a titanic struggle, at least politically, and then you have John Edwards who is looking for a little running room between the two with his sort of populist approach to a number of things. ... So, you know, it is a real race going on here. And it is only likely to get livelier" ("PZ Now," 7/24).

WashingtonPost.com's Cillizza: "It shows you how desperate for news, frankly, sometimes we are, that a thing like this, which happened in a 15 second span of a two-hour debate, became a huge controversy today" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 7/24).[EMILY GOODIN]

Quote Of The Day

July 24, 2007 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

From today's Hotline:

"I don't trust you. "

-- Senate Jud Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to AG Alberto Gonzales, AP, 7/24

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 24, 2007 11:01 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- Will Video Kill The Anchor Star?

July 24, 2007 8:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

The first DNC-sanction debate was last night:

CNN's Cooper: "YouTube got nearly 3,000 video clips. Thirty-nine of them actually made it into the debate" ("AC 360," 7/23).

FNC's Cameron: "This was supposed to be the intersection, the debate in which new and old media got it together. ... We had at one point a video where a snowman was asking about global warming" ("Hannity & Colmes," 7/23).

Ex-WH adviser David Gergen: "The clear winner tonight was this format, because the questions were fresh." More Gergen: "The overall impact of tonight's debate was there was no clear winner, and even though the rest of the candidates were better, the fact that Hillary Clinton continues to deliver a superior performance I think is really beginning to set in now an making it much tougher to beat her" ("AC 360," CNN, 7/23).

CNN's Crowley: "No open warfare, but the two leading Democratic contenders circled each other time and again." More Crowley: "I really think the stars of this show at this point were the questioners. I really think they did bring out something a little different in these candidates. I thought the variety of the questions gave us new looks at not just the top tier, but the lower tier, as well" ("AC 360," 7/23).

Dick Morris: "I thought that CNN has at least solved its big problem, which is really boring anchors" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 7/23).

GOP pollster Frank Luntz, on the reax of his focus group: "It was a good night for Joe Biden and good night for Senator Obama" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 7/23).

SORRY ABOUT THAT

And on "Countdown" last night, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann apologized to Wendy Vitter:

Olbermann: "We owe an apology for something that happened on this newscast on a night I was off last week and we offer it fully and unreservedly. It is to Mrs. Wendy Vitter, wife of the senator from Louisiana who has been caught up in the DC madam scandal. Last Tuesday this program aired a segment about her attire and her demeanor at their joint news conference. Not only was a series of unfortunate and inappropriate terms used, there was no justification for such a segment about what a woman, a victim of her husband's inappropriate behavior was wearing in public. The story should not have aired, it should not have been couched in the terms used, it should not have happened, and it won't happen again. So to Mrs. Vitter and to you, the viewer, I once again apologize" (7/23). [EMILY GOODIN]

In The Future, Everyone Gets Their Thirty Seconds

July 23, 2007 10:05 PM | Permalink |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Steve Peterson described how he received an e-mail from YouTube at 2 AM last week asking him if he would come to South Carolina to have his questions featured on tonight's debate. He was one of about a dozen or so YouTube users asked to be in the audience and have the opportunity to ask their questions of the candidates live and in person.

Peterson is no stranger to Internet politics -- he works for The Bivings Group which consults for Fred Thompson. He wanted to ask the candidates where they got their news and information from and why do they trust those sources. Less than half of the YouTube users brought to Charleston this evening had their questions answered -- and Peterson's video didn't make the cut.

But his trip hasn't been anything close to a waste for Peterson. YouTube let these dozen or so users -- and only these users -- be the only people in the debate room with personal video cameras. While they weren't allowed to use the cameras during the debate, they've spent their last day or so vlogging their time in Charleston. Besides, he says, his most memorable moment was when Anderson Cooper asked him jokingly how he was doing in the debates so far:

"I think you're having fun up there," Peterson said in response.

[SHIRA TOEPLITZ].

Who's Surprised....

July 23, 2007 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

... that there have been no technical glitches as we approach the final few minutes of the debate. You might recall in New Hampshire that Rudy Giuliani was interuppted by static when he answered a question on religion. Tonight's technology made that debate look like Nixon vs. Kennedy. YouTube executives said they had a couple of contingency plans if the small monitors on the candidates' stands didn't work, but it **seems** like those plans weren't even necessary.

30 Second Updates, Part II

July 23, 2007 8:38 PM | Permalink |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Bill Richardson stays on message with his job interview commercial series. It's nothing new, but as a second tier candidate he needs to keep running this kind of message especially on a national platform like this. Mike Gravel takes an issue-based approach to talk about his candidacy, ending his 30 seconds with his trademark water ripples. Joe Biden goes with a clean cut film that asks people what they would do if they were trapped in a room with politicians and had to make do.

These three videos bring up the question of just how professional these 30 second videos should look. Should they look like a campaign commercial? Should they use humor? Time for a soap box? Reinforce their campaign message? Is creative freedom really a burden? Above all, these candidates should do whatever that particular candidate needs to do to be memorable.

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE: Barack Obama also used his 30 seconds to advertise his text messaging campaign. So far campaigns are still figuring out how to use text messaging in an inexpensive and effective way. Let's see how well text messaging works when it's been integrated into a larger media campaign.

Just Sayin'

July 23, 2007 8:30 PM | Permalink |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- So far On Call has counted 26 videos aired tonight. Of those videos so far, six were recorded by women and at least 17 were recorded by men.

And a couple videos were either mixed or from non-gender entities. You know, like an animated snowman asking about global warming.

Okay, Personal In A Different Way Now

July 23, 2007 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A user asks whether the candidates have or would send their children to public or private school. A rundown of their answers:

John Edwards said his children go to public school. Hillary Clinton said her daughter went to public school in Arkansas, but went to private school for high school when they came to Washington. Barack Obama said his children go to private school at the U of Chicago where he used to teach. Joe Biden said his two sons went to private school after his wife died in a car crash. Dennis Kucinch said his daughter went to public schools in Cleveland. Mike Gravel said his children went to both public and private schools. Chris Dodd said his young children go to public preschool. Bill Richardson does not have any children.

In a semi-unrelated observation, the camera has flashed to Elizabeth Edwards at least twice if not three times when her husband has referenced her.

Now It Gets Personal

July 23, 2007 8:03 PM | Permalink |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- It's the first emotional appeal about Iraq: A man, a camera and the flags that draped his family members' coffins. The YouTube user asks pointedly when the candidates can get the troops out and how many family members they have who have served.

Chris Dodd starts out by saying he can get the troops on their way out by next April and then lists his family members who have served the country. Bill Richardson comments that he doesn't have any troops left in his national guard. Joe Biden attacks on the aforementioned candidates for not being able to get the troops out when they say they can.

When Clinton starts to answer this question, she looks to the big screen to address the questioner, then looks away. This might be the first example of how this debate format proves it's hard to relate to such an emotional request when the questioner isn't even in the room.

You Have 30 Seconds To Make Your Case

July 23, 2007 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- So far three candidates have presented their 30-second clips sprinkled around the commercial breaks. Two of the candidates -- Chris Dodd and John Edwards -- made jokes about their hair (hare?), while Hillary Clinton was a little more serious.

Clinton's campaign sponsored an initiative to use her 30-seconds for another user-submitted video that best states why she should be president. Internet experts for the most part hailed Clinton's initiative to put more user-generated content in her e-campaign, but now she'll probably get some slack for putting up a video that is so on message. It might be user-generated content, but it's also supporter-generated content.

Surprise! He's In The Audience!

July 23, 2007 7:37 PM | Permalink |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Rev. Reggie Longcrier from North Carolina was the first of ten YouTube users flown in to town to ask their question in person to the candidates. That's the first surprise. The second surprise was the Reverend's reaction when Anderson Cooper asked him if he thought John Edwards answered his question. The Rev. didn't think so -- but that's because he said he couldn't hear Edwards answer. A technical glitch? Or is the American voter still not paying attention?

By the way, not all of the ten YouTubers will necessarily be able to ask their questions tonight, but they are all equipped with cameras to record their experiences for YouTube.

Don't Look At Us, We Didn't Write The Questions

July 23, 2007 7:32 PM | Permalink |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A YouTube user asks both Clinton and Obama to confront their critics who say gender and race still play a roll in politics. As one reporter put it to me today at lunch, is CNN using the YouTube users to ask the questions they don't want to take responsibility for asking? Probably not, because CNN gets lots of second-wave press for asking controversial questions. But it's worth asking because this might be one of the first times both Clinton and Obama confronted the issue in the same room.

Opening Shot: What Makes You Any Different?

July 23, 2007 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Chris Dodd gets the first shot at this one -- he deserves it after getting much less times that the first tier candidates in the last couple of debates.

"The question hit the nail on the head," Obama says when he's asked the same question.

So far the candidates aren't trying to talk back to the big, swimming-pool size screen on which the YouTube videos are shown. They're talking to Anderson Cooper and the audience. Is a YouTube debate so different after all if the candidates aren't answering the questions any differently?

Life on the Big, Big, Big, Screen

July 23, 2007 6:54 PM | Permalink |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Live blogging will commence with the debates, but first a quick note about another technology candidates are using today. Barack Obama and John Edwards both sent out text messages to their SMS list in the hours before the debate.

Sent via SMS from Edwards from 5:07pm EST: "During tonight's debate @ 7pmET you can send John Edwards your questions. Repuly to this txt with your question and watch his response on JohnEdwards.com at 9:15."

Vis SMS from Obama circa 3:31 pm EST: "Watch Barack debate tonight live on CNN 7pm EDT. REPLY back with your name and your thouts during & after the debate. We will post to our blog & discuss."

UPDATE: We forgot Dennis Kucinich's text PEACE (73223) for more information. And he gets extra bonus points for using his 30-second spotlight to advertise his SMS initiative.

And now check out the debate hall:

This Is What An Empty Spin Room Looks Like

July 23, 2007 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- This is the spin room, located in the press filing center across the green and grassy quad from the debate hall. And yes, those are mutli-colored bean bag chairs on the stage.

Press Perks, Google Style

July 23, 2007 2:24 PM | Permalink |

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- If you've ever read anything about Google's Mountain View headquarters, you know the company has a reputation for treating its employees well. There are a couple four-star restaurants on campus, massage chairs available for general use and a volleyball court -- just because. While the Google offices in Washington, D.C. are still transitioning to their swanky new space downtown, the New York offices emulate Google's colorful attitude towards work, play and everything in between.

Accordingly, one might understand why Google and YouTube would want to make a good first impression as the National Press corps descends on this traditional southern town. First there was a semi-exclusive reporters/bloggers lunch with Google's policy/politics shop, YouTube executives and founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen at High Cotton. Over choice of salmon over cous cous, bouborn glazed pork or tenderloin au poivre, about 35 media heard Hurley, Chen and YouTube News and Politics Editor Steve Grove talk about tonight's debates.

YouTube stopped accepting videos lat night, but Grove said there were about 2,981 videos submitted to candidates over YouTube. CNN Washington Bureau Chief David Bohrman and his team sifted through to find the final couple of dozen videos for tonight's debate, a decision that's been pinned as controversial because users can't choose which videos get asked.

"The real reason right now is we didn't want to give a heads up (to the candidates)...," said Hurley. "In the future we're always about making our platform truly democratic. I think that's how we became so popular." Hurley, by the way, maxed out to Barack Obama in Q1, according to FEC records. He confirmed this at lunch today, but noted tonight isn't about his personal politics.

Both Chen and Hurley seemed almost captivated by what their young, multi-billion dollar project has become over the past couple of years. Chen said he was up until 5 AM last night watching video submissions. "You don't have to be in New Hampshire, you don't have to be in Iowa to present a question..." remarked Chen.

But for the most part, the Google/YouTube executives at the lunch said they had very little or no knowledge of which videos will be aired tonight. They've (gladly?) left that responsiblity up to Bohrman. Hurley even declined to tell us which user-submitted question was his favorite.

Meanwhile back at the Citadel, Google also outfitted a playful lounge for reporters with the typical fare that their employees have come to expect. Check out the sweet snacks (organic yogurt-covered pretzels!!), vitamin water and colorful couches. And you can't see it by the photos, but there's a pool table in back [SHIRA TOEPLITZ].

Check out the movie after the jump....

Continue reading "Press Perks, Google Style" »

Quote Of The Day

July 23, 2007 12:47 PM | Permalink |

From today's Hotline:

"We don't want it to be a joke."

-- CNN Sr. VP David Bohrman, on tonight's debate, "Reliable Sources," 7/22

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 23, 2007 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Sunday Snapshot

July 23, 2007 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) |

Sen. Russ Feingold was on "Meet the Press" where he announced he plans a resolution to censure Pres. Bush:

Feingold: "I'm shocked by the administration, in particular the president's response to the November election. Usually, when presidents are repudiated in elections, they say, 'Well, maybe I ought to reassess.' Instead, he did just the opposite. He did this surge, which went contrary to the will of the American people. I think we need to do something serious in terms of accountability. And that's why I will be shortly introducing a censure resolution of the president and the administration."

Asked if he will censure anyone else: "Potentially yes. I think when it comes to Iraq, obviously the vice president. Vice President Cheney has been one of the worst actors in American history in this situation. There may be others."

NBC's Russert: "Do you think the American people will look on this saying, 'Here go the Democrats just trying to create something sensational by censuring the president rather than trying to solve the problem of Iraq?'"

Feingold: "What I am proposing is a moderate course, not tying up the Senate and the House with an impeachment trial, but simply passing resolutions that make sure that the historical record shows the way they have weakened our country, weakened our country militarily and against al Qaeda, and weakened our country's fundamental document, the Constitution. I think that's a reasonable course and does not get in the way of our normal work."

Asked if he's talked to the Dem leadership about this: "I have."

Asked if they're supportive: "We haven't drafted it yet. We're going to work cooperatively with whoever wants to work with me."

Asked if he has GOP support: "We'll find out."

Asked when he'll be introducing it: "Shortly. In a few days" (NBC, 7/22).

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): "It's appropriate for us to take the censure resolution up. It is short of impeachment, but it's an important debate" ("Late Edition," CNN, 7/22).

HARRY REALLY DOESN'T NEED THIS HEADACHE

Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid was on "Face the Nation":

Reid: "The war in Iraq is the most serious issue facing the American people. The soldiers have done their job. ... It's time to bring them home now. ... That's what the debate was all about, and the Republicans blocked that. I have to say this ... there were a number of valiant Republicans. Olympia Snowe is going to be on your show later. I admire and respect her so much because she broke from the pack and voted with us as did a number of senators. We need more Olympia Snowes, people who are willing to do the right thing."

More: "I offered on many occasions, not one, two, three, four occasions, many occasions said, let's vote on all the Iraq amendments, all of them, and have a simple majority for them. The Republicans wouldn't let us. ... It's one of the myths that's been established by this Republican spin machine and coming from the White House that we wouldn't allow votes on this. We wanted votes on this, every one of them."

On Feingold's proposal to censure Bush: "I'm sure Russ Feingold will try to find a way to offer that amendment. The Republicans won't let us vote on it. They'll block it."

More: "Frankly, we have so many other things to do. The president already has the mark of the American people that he's the worst president we've ever had, and I don't think we need a censure resolution in the Senate to prove that. ... At this stage, Russ is going to have to make his case as to why we should do that rather than do our appropriation bills, finish the defense authorization bill, Homeland Security appropriation bill" (CBS, 7/22).

BUT McCONNELL IS ENJOYING THE CHANGE IN SUBJECT

Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell was on "Late Edition":

On Feingold's censure proposal: "Today marks the 200th day of the new Congress. And I'm kind of stunned that Senator Feingold just recommended on the heels of the all-night theater of Tuesday night gives you a sense ... of why this Congress now has a 14 percent approval rating. We think it's the lowest in the history of polling. All they do is have Iraq votes and investigations. On the legislative side about all we've been able to accomplish is to keep the lights on in the Capitol, 19 or 20 post office renamings, and we have passed a very important troop funding bill, thank goodness. ... Senator Feingold's suggestions are right in league with the all-night session the other night, which the American people are looking at with disbelief."

On Iraq: "Most of the Democrats, regretfully, have already made up their mind. They're not going to pay any attention to General Petraeus's report. They want us to leave tomorrow with all the dangers that that envisions. ... We know, the one thing we know for sure, is the decision to get on offense in the war on terror, to go into Afghanistan, to go onto Iraq, has protected the homeland, the United States of America for almost six years. That part we know has been a huge success" (CNN, 7/22).

WHERE'S JACK BAUER WHEN YOU NEED HIM?

DNI Mike McConnell was on "Meet the Press":

Asked the most serious facing the U.S.: "The most serious threat is that the plotters that are being observed will be successful in penetrating our defenses and conducting an attack that would result in mass casualties. Their intent is to effect an attack with mass casualties. A secondary attempt, attempt would be political or infrastructure targets to even include economic targets that would have long-lasting impact."

Asked if they have nuclear capability: "They have not achieved nuclear, based on our current understanding. The intent is either chemical, biological, nuclear radiological or even nuclear to include a nuclear yield. I would add what we see currently is primarily a focus on explosives, explosives that can generate a large explosion but they're put together with commercially available material."

More: "There are sleeper cells tied directly to al Qaeda inside the United States. So we have the strategic warning, not the specific tactical warning, but we know their intent" (NBC, 7/22).

WH Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend made the Sunday show rounds:

Asked her gut feeling on the state of things: "We don't have to rely on my gut feeling or my intuition or anybody else's. We have men and women around the world collecting the intelligence we need in a very focused way to allow us then to take targeted action to defeat those threats. And so while I'm sympathetic -- I think what Secretary Chertoff was trying to do was communicate that, without revealing sources and methods -- it may have been an unartful way of saying it, but what he was talking about is what you see in the NIE, and that is we're in this heightened period of threat" ("Late Edition," CNN, 7/22).

On al Qaeda in Iraq: "Al Qaeda in Iraq is not a distraction. ... It's actually a critical enabler. ... This is part of bin Laden's plan to try and extend the influence of al Qaeda" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/22).

BEST OF THE REST

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN): "We need a middle ground where we keep enough forces there to fight al Qaeda but to begin to draw back so they can't use us as a recruiting post around the Islamic world, they don't use us to undermine moderate Arab regimes that we have to rely on, and that we do a better, more effective job in focusing on those areas that are the central front, Afghanistan and Pakistan" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/22).

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME): "Both leaders have to come together to resolve these questions so that it doesn't look like the United States Senate simply is a matter of process and procedures and partisanship and politics to no end."

More: "I would hope that the Senate could come together in this question, look at the various issues. And in addition to that, the president needs to understand that September 15 is going to be a serious deadline for change in our mission in Iraq. Frankly, I think the leaders, both the houses and both branches, should sit down and begin to negotiate a resolution and a compromise in anticipation to General Petraeus' report on September 15" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 7/22).

ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP

The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed Feingold's censure resolution and the war in Iraq.

The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed WH '08 and the Senate's all-nighter:

Weekly Standard's Kristol: "Elizabeth Edwards is more interesting than her husband. Bill Clinton, with all due respect to Senator Clinton, is more interesting than Hillary Clinton. And I am a fan of Michelle Obama. So you know, you guys should host that ... the Democratic spouses debate. Mrs. Kucinich would be excellent."

FNC's Hume, on F. Thompson's abortion lobbying work: "This is not abortion scandal, in my view. This is a billing scandal. And what I think this tells us is the extent ... to which clients are sometimes billed for work done by the people they engage -- lawyers, lobbyists and the rest -- that is so insignificant to the person doing it that they don't even remember. I believe Thompson didn't remember this. And I don't believe he did very much for that abortion group."

The "Late Edition" roundtable talked about the Senate all-nighter and WH '08 [EMILY GOODIN].

The YouTube/CNN Pre-Game Show

July 22, 2007 11:02 PM | Permalink |

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The first in a series of six DNC sanction debates is supposed to be different from any other one of its kind in political history. In what has often been billed the future of political discourse, this debate is the first to use questions submitted via YouTube for the candidates.

Over the past few weeks, a team of CNN and YouTube employees have looked through all the videos to determine which ones will be used in tonight’s first DNC sanctioned debate. Each candidate will get 30 seconds to make their case to both the virtual and real life audience before moderator Anderson Cooper will let the videos roll. Additionally, a few lucky YouTube users have been flown into South Carolina to ask their questions of the candidates to the candidates in person.

In preparation for tonight, campaigns have to count on doing some things a little differently. How do you express empathy to a video tape? How do you react when a voter shows you their hurricane-ravaged home on a screen? How tersely do you respond to a pointed question when the questioner isn’t even in the room? Although the Democratic campaigns have been unsurprisingly mum on how they prep the candidates for this debate, a few of the campaigns have planned online activities (read: try to get the media’s attention) in preparation for the big event. Here’s a quick survey of what the campaigns have done and plan to do for the CNN/YouTube debates [SHIRA TOEPLITZ]:

Continue reading "The YouTube/CNN Pre-Game Show" »

Quote Of The Day

July 20, 2007 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) |

From today's Hotline:

"You know, in the horror movie you kill the monster, and the hand re-emerges. And if you're not looking, the hand grows back and then the monster's there again. That cannot be allowed to happen."

-- Rudy Giuliani, USA Today, 7/20

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 20, 2007 11:15 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- No Harry Potter Spoilers Here

July 20, 2007 8:33 AM | Permalink |

Iraq continues to dominate the cable news, with most of the discussion being about the Pentagon briefing and Amb. Crocker's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Cmte:

CNN's McIntyre: "Two things seem increasingly clear from today's developments. Congress is losing patience with the war, and the U.S. military has no plans to end the surge in September" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/19).

CNN's Bash: "The U.S. ambassador to Iraq downplayed the importance of benchmarks, devised by his own administration as a reliable way to judge the Iraqi government success. His public testimony came after privately warning lawmakers, CNN is told, that the Iraqi government will have difficulty meeting those benchmarks by September" ("Situation Room," 7/19).

FNC's Griffin, on the Pentagon briefing: "General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker answered their questions from Baghdad. Notably absent, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senators Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Chuck Hagel, who are all pushing for a troop withdrawal" ("Special Report," 7/19).

Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), on the briefing: "I didn't leave it less optimistic, because I haven't been all that optimistic in the last few weeks. But the bottom line for me is this: we do not have the force structure to maintain the level of troops we have in Iraq now, and certainly to increase them. So, whatever General Petraeus tells us in September, we are still going to have to reduce the number of troops in Iraq. And that's why I think it would be wise to let the Iraqis know that now, that there will be a gradual reduction in troops" ("Situation Room," CNN, 7/19).

Bill Press, asked why most members did not attend the briefing: "To get 50 members of the House and 40 members of the United States Senate to go to Virginia, to cross the river, is a phenomenal feet. You can't get 90 members of Congress for free drinks in this building if you invited them. I think it was a very good turnout. ... If you want the leadership of the Senate and the House at an event, the White House knows how to reach them. .. They just didn't do a good job of it" ("Tucker," MSNBC, 7/19).

PLAME OUT

CNN's Todd: "Two and a half weeks after Scooter Libby's sentence was commuted, more bad news for Joe and Valerie Wilson" ("Situation Room," 7/19).

MSNBC's Shuster: "The ruling today was far more critical of how Congress wrote a particular law than whether Valerie Wilson deserves money for having her cover blown" ("Countdown," 7/19).

NOT DEF TO THE POLITICAL SCENE

Russell Simmons was in the "Situation Room" and asked which '08er would lead in the African-American vote:

Simmons: "Whoever is going to look to change the condition of suffering of many in our communities is the leader. In other words, those who want to fight poverty and ignorance and those who want to get equal high-quality education, those who might want to really address poverty in a meaningful way, for me, that's the concern. Senator Obama has talked a great deal about poverty, for that, I applaud him. John Edwards has said a lot of very important things about poverty. So it's important that we talk about lifting people up" (CNN, 7/19). [EMILY GOODIN]

Quote Of The Day

July 19, 2007 12:42 PM | Permalink |

From today's Hotline:

"At my age, any scream is a good scream."

-- Ex-Pres. Clinton, on an Iowa woman mistaking him for Bob Barker, "GMA," ABC, 7/19

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 19, 2007 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- Iraq Still TV's Favorite Topic

July 19, 2007 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Joe Biden was on the "NewsHour" to discuss the situation in Iraq:

Asked how he'd decide whether or not to leave troops there: "If there's a political settlement and the international community's imperator is on it, and it's real, I leave troops there. If there is no political settlement, all the king's horses and all of king's men can't put Iraq together. My son, whose likely to be going over there with his unit next year, they've gotten the notification as a captain, I don't want him going. But guess what? I don't want my grandson going 15 years from now. And how we leave, what we leave behind will determine whether our grandkids go. But we'll have no choice, in my view, absent a political settlement, no choice but ultimately completely leave Iraq."

More: "One thing the American people won't tolerate ... they will not tolerate losing their sons and daughters just to keep things from getting worse. They'll tolerate losing their sons and daughters if you're making things considerably better and safer for America and the region in the long run."

Biden: "For this president, information is like the pupil of the eye. The more information you give it, the more tightly he rejects it. He is living in an unrealistic fantasyland about the state of affairs on the ground in Iraq" (PBS, 7/18).

SENATORS STILL SLEEPY

Iraq and the Senate's all-nighter remained big TV topics last night:

MSNBC's Carlson: "Most of us have pulled the occasional all nighter, always out of desperation or foolishness. And for our sleeplessness, we have almost always wound up with a decent five page paper or a with a passing grade a wild story to tell our friends. The Democrats in the Senate pulled an all nighter last night to debate the Iraq war most certainly out of desperation and maybe foolishly. For their sleeplessness, the Democrats saw their proposal to withdraw American troops from Iraq voted down this morning by bleary eyed Republicans who were more annoyed than convinced. No five page paper, no passing grade, no wild story; nothing for the sixth time on this issue" ("Tucker," 7/18).

Newsweek's Alter: "Everybody is arguing over nothing, because in order to preserve the Republican party, Bush will start to draw down in the next six months to a year. There's no question about it. Otherwise, the Republicans will lose so badly in 2008" ("Tucker," MSNBC, 7/18).

FNC's Garrett: "Even though Republicans prevailed, anxiety runs high in leadership circles that as many as a dozen Republicans could in the months ahead embrace a mandatory troop withdrawal timeline" ("Special Report," 7/18).

CNN's Koppel: "It is entirely possible that there may not be another vote on Iraq until September" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/18). [EMILY GOODIN]

Ferry Returns To McCain Camp

July 18, 2007 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) |

Christian Ferry has been named John McCain's new dep. campaign mgr, a spokeswoman confirmed.

Ferry was formerly the McCain eCampaign dir. until a few weeks ago when he departed the opertation as part of the staff purge. He worked for McCain's '00 campaign as the ass't mgr. McCain already brought back his '00 manager, Rick Davis, last week to run his revamped campaign [SHIRA TOEPLITZ].

T-Paw Comes To Washington, Again

July 18, 2007 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

Why is Tim Pawlentyin DC today?

Although Pawlenty has endorsed John McCain and serves as a nat'l co-chair, the gov would not directly discuss federal campaigns today, instead focusing on "state-based" issues and the future of the greater GOP. He met with members of the nat'l media at a luncheon today at Akin Gump law firm hosted by ex-RNC Chair Ken Mehlman and ex-Rep. Vin Weber (R-MN).

In a round-about fashion, one reporter (OK, it was our own Charlie Cook) was able to infer a bit about Pawlenty's WH '08 outlook from a "state-based" perspective. Asked who he would most want at the top of his party's ticket if he were running for re-election in '08, Pawlenty carefully replied on behalf of his "light blue" state saying he would want a president who appealed to the GOP base as well as indies and moderates. Although he said there are "several" who could do that, he went on to list just two -- Mitt Romney and McCain -- respectively.

One has to wonder where the GOP's "next superstar" will turn if his current dog really quits the race. Here are some suggestions inspired from today's luncheon. Granted this kind of guess work might be premature, but Mehlman and other DC GOPers certainly see something in his brand of populist conservatism, often referred to as "Sam's Club Republicans" this afternoon.

Continue reading "T-Paw Comes To Washington, Again" »

Quote Of The Day

July 18, 2007 12:37 PM | Permalink |

From today's Hotline:

"It's just like getting up and going on the tractor."

-- Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), on being assigned to preside over the Senate from 5-6 am, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/18

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 18, 2007 10:20 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- All Night Long

July 18, 2007 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

The Senate's all-nighter got its desired cable coverage:

CNN's Bash: "Democrats are trying to use the publicity from this all-nighter ... essentially to try to pressure Republicans, more and more Republicans who we have seen lately come out and say that they are against the war, to say essentially that it's time for them to put their vote where their mouth is, to vote with Democrats on their deadline for troop withdrawal. But here is a reality check for you. After this very long night we are going to see here, there is going to be a vote tomorrow morning, and no one expects it to pass. Even privately, Democrats will tell you that" ("AC 360," 7/17).

MSNBC's Shuster: "The goal is to simply to punish Republicans" ("Countdown," 7/17).

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT): "I do not mind staying overnight, I will be glad to stay and debate ... but the truth is, if we want to stay overnight, then we might as well do something that has a chance of helping somebody, including our soldiers, which we are not doing with this" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 7/17).

A LADIES MAN?

John Edwards played "Hardball" last night:

Asked if he would debate Hillary Clinton and Dennis Kucinich in the "Hardball" Plaza: "As long as we don't exclude anybody, and if ... there's a way to break us into small groups. ... Any way we can have a more serious discussion with smaller groups, I am happy to participate in."

On Elizabeth saying he is a better advocate for women than HRC: "It is not shocking that my wife is for me. I am proud to have her support. I hope I get her vote too. ... I actually talked to Elizabeth this afternoon about this. I think the point she was making is that if you look at things like poverty, there are more women in poverty than there are men. ... And in these kinds of substantive areas that have a direct impact on the lives of women, I have been very aggressive. I have been out front and lead a on those issues" (MSNBC, 7/17).

And on "Hannity & Colmes" last night, FNC's Hannity noted: "In yet another sign of the mainstream media providing cover for Democratic politicians, it looks like 'Good Morning America' physically removed a man who appeared to be sleeping during yesterday's John Edwards town hall meeting. Now close to the 7:00 hour, the man pictured at right, right there, appeared to be dozing off, getting a little snooze. And then around 7:11 a.m. the man mysteriously disappeared, and no movement could be seen. What happened here? Did he sneaked out, or did network executives do some sort of TV magic" (FNC, 7/17).

NUMBER ONE OR NOTHING?

Chris Dodd was in the "Situation Room":

Asked what he needs to do to break into the top tier of Dem '08ers: "About an hour or two with you ... ought to do it. You know, the polling data doesn't mean an awful lot. Anyone you've talked to who has gone through these processes in the past will tell you that the polling number in July and the summer mean almost nothing."

More: "The people in New Hampshire and Iowa and South Carolina and Nevada are not going to choose the candidate based on how well known they or how much money they have. ... Remember, only four years ago, John Kerry was at 4 percent in the polls in mid-December and ended up winning the nomination. ... I'm stunned, frankly, that people who observe this process here have almost no memory about what's happened historically with people who have not necessarily done well in the polls but end up doing better as people pay more attention to the race."

Asked if he'd rather be VP or CT SEN: "I'd rather be the senator from Connecticut."

Asked if that means he doesn't want to be VP: "No, not at all."

CNN's Blitzer: "I don't know anybody who has wants to be vice president anymore."

Dodd: "Dick Cheney has ruined the job" (CNN, 7/17). [EMILY GOODIN]

Whitehead (not) Ahead in GA-10

July 18, 2007 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

There's an upset in the making in GA-10 this a.m.

With 98% of the precincts reporting, physician Paul Broun (R) leads ex-state Sen. Jim Whitehead (R) by 371 votes. A Broun win would be a shocker; Whitehead had the endorsements and fundraising edge heading into the vote.

Continue reading "Whitehead (not) Ahead in GA-10" »

Quote Of The Day

July 17, 2007 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

From today's Hotline:

"He is the only one who has shown interest. But if Obama comes, because he's an African-American, he'll probably win here."

-- Edwards supporter James Figgs, on Edwards' poverty tour in MS, Raleigh News & Observer, 7/17

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 17, 2007 11:00 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- Sleepover Special

July 17, 2007 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Lots of different political topics on TV last night -- reax to David Vitter's presser, several '08ers made appearances, and Iraq is always a television mainstay:

CNN's Crowley, on Vitter's presser: "It's always very powerful to have the wife up there. Because voters look at that and say, well, if she forgives him, you know, then we forgive him" ("Situation Room," 7/16).

MSNBC's Carlson: "The fact is, the guy cheated on his wife, and it's nobody's business. We make money from covering it, but we ought to draw the line at camping out on his lawn or following his kids to church" ("Live with Dan Abrams," 7/16).

MARCH OF THE CANDIDATES

John Edwards talked with CNN's Cooper in New Orleans:

Asked about how much fundraising he has to do: "Except for the fact that you're in the car now, I would be on the phone right now."

On his poverty campaign: "I hope that America sees that what they saw in New Orleans is not just in New Orleans. It's in rural areas in the South. It's in big cities in the North. And it is still a pervasive -- poverty is still a pervasive issue in America" ("AC 360," 7/16).

Bill Richardson was in the "Situation Room":

CNN's Blitzer: "You heard the complaints from Dennis Kucinich when Hillary Clinton and John Edwards were talking, at least off mic -- they thought they were off mic -- about limiting the forums, limiting the debates. Kucinich saying as a result of that, 'Whispering, trying to rig an election, then denying what's going on and making excuses. It all reflects a consistent lack of integrity.' Where do you stand as someone who's, shall we say, in the second tier, at least right now, according to the polls of the Democratic candidates?"

Richardson: "Well, I am moving into the first tier. And you'll be seeing that in Iowa and New Hampshire, too. But I believe for now, Wolf, everybody should participate. We shouldn't limit who participates and who doesn't. Because candidates like Dennis and others have that disadvantage. They don't have the millions the top-tier candidates have. And so this is an opportunity for them to be heard by the public, unfettered without consultants, without money. So, I say leave the debates the way they are. Maybe right before the primary, if a major network like yours wants to do another debate, maybe at that time you limit those with the highest poll numbers. But for now, this is six months away from the election. Let all the candidates show their stuff. The best way to do it is unfettered debates."

Asked what's wrong with being VP: "Well, there's a better job. It's called governor of New Mexico. And I've got four years to go. I'm not running for vice president" (CNN, 7/16).

And Newt Gingrich was on the "O'Reilly Factor":

Gingrich: "Senator Thompson is going to be a very strong competitor. I think the race will rapidly shake into Governor Romney, Mayor Giuliani, and Fred Thompson. I think clearly Senator McCain is rapidly fading at this stage" (FNC, 7/16).

A SENATE SLEEPOVER

CNN's Bash, on tonight's Iraq debate: "Pulling an all-nighter is a tried and true way to get attention around here. But the reality is, it may be good press for Democrats, but it may not give them exactly what they're looking for and what they need, votes" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/16).

FNC's Garrett: "That means roll away beds off the floor for sleepy senators. Republicans last deployed the made for photo-op roll-aways in the struggle in confirming federal judges in 2003" ("Special Report," 7/16). [EMILY GOODIN]

Ocean's Seventh Hits SC, IA and NH

July 16, 2007 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) |

Mitt Romney just went up with his seventh TV advertisement of the campaign, "Ocean," running in IA, NH and SC. While it's not the campaign's first ad buy in SC, it's the campaign's first significant buy in the Palmetto state in a few months. Campaign spokesperson Kevin Madden said that aside from an initial round of ads that ran in FL and SC just after Romney's announcement in February, ads have been concentrated in NH and IA. The SC portion of the "Ocean" ad buy is just for cable.

The timing of this ad and its content are unique for a couple of reasons:
-It's the day before Ann Romney hits the road with her own campaign bus. Nothing says family values like having your wife hit the road on your behalf.
-SC is the only early state where Romney is not yet leading in the polls. The campaign is probably aiming to fix that this quarter with the TV ad.
-John McCain's in-state staff is shrinking, while southerner Fred Thompson might be on his way in soon. It's the perfect window.
-This is the state where many believe he will encounter the most resistance on his Mormon religion. And appropriately, "Ocean" emphasizes socially conservative themes -- the last frame of the ad shows Romney bouncing a grandchild on his knee.
-Isn't this ad just a little bit dull? Perhaps the water theme is an ode to this avant garde gem of a Web video from Mike Gravel's campaign.
-Finally, under what circumstances would you not put Romney's presidential good looks in a TV ad? [SHIRA TOEPLITZ].

Quote Of The Day

July 16, 2007 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

From today's Hotline:

"I'm hopeful that, in fact, most Democrats will support our amendment, just as a matter of common sense."

-- Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), "This Week," ABC, 7/15

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 16, 2007 10:44 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Sunday Snapshot

July 16, 2007 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

NSA Stephen Hadley made the Sunday show rounds and Iraq remained the main topic of the weekend shows:

Hadley: "Everybody is looking at how we can get to a point where Iraq is in a different place and our role is different. ... And it starts with, in September, a series of reports of where we are in Iraq, both from the government and outside the government, and a report from the commander in the field and our ambassador in the field, the guys charged with carrying out the existing strategy."

Asked if he thinks the situation in Iraq will look different in Sept: "I think it will. I think we will have had two additional months of our security strategy going forward" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 7/15).

Asked how confident he is the admin can hold the Senate on Iraq: "There's been a lot of attention on the comments that Senator Lugar and Senator Warner have made and the legislation they have introduced. It's interesting, too, if you look at that, they are not calling for an arbitrary withdrawal deadline or a withdrawal schedule. They are also talking and recognizing that what happens in Iraq deeply affects American security at home. ... All they're simply saying is we need to think about now how we can transition to a new phase in Iraq when U.S. forces may have a different role."

More: "There will be in September, supplemented by a series of reports from the administration, from outside the administration -- and that will be the time to consider the kinds of questions and issues these gentlemen have raised" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/15).

More on Lugar-Warner: "They've done a useful service in indicating the kinds of things that we should be thinking about. But the time to begin that process is September. And the opening shot really ought to be to hear from the commanders on the ground who can make an assessment of where we are in our current strategy" ("This Week," ABC, 7/15).

Hadley, on Iraqi PM Maliki: "We think that he has grown as a leader and is more effective as a leader, but there is a piece that remains, which is the basic bargain between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds, about how they are going to work together under a democratic constitution. That is not yet in place. There are some things we are seeing that we think are hopeful. Prime Minister Maliki is working more closely with the presidency council that has Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish representation. We are hopeful that a political bloc may emerge among the key parties across all three groups that can provide a caucus within the council of representatives to get this legislation. But they have more work to do. Prime Minister Maliki has to lead. But the representatives of the other three groups have to follow and step forward and make some hard decisions" ("Late Edition," CNN, 7/15).

SENATORS HAVE THEIR SAY

Sen. John Warner (R-VA), asked if the current Iraq mission would pass a vote today: "I doubt very much that it would."

Asked if he expects a new strategy from Bush, Warner: "Well, of course, some modification to the strategy. But it's going to be taken in context of what his commanding officers recommend of him. He's the president. General Petraeus is not going to decide it. Petraeus reports; the president decides. He is the commander in chief. And I have confidence that he will look at that ground situation and the lack of accomplishment by the government. After all, we started this surge thing to give a certain degree of security in Baghdad so that the Baghdad government could perform. It's not likely to perform as we anticipated. So the president will have to make some changes, and I'm confident he will do so, report to the Congress" ("This Week," ABC, 7/15).

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), on working with Dems: "I'm hopeful that, in fact, most Democrats will support our amendment, just as a matter of common sense" ("This Week," ABC, 7/15).

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN): "I don't think the strategy is working. I think we need a new strategy. I think most senators do and the country does and I wouldn't be surprised if the president does" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 7/15).

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI): "They try to make it out in their own self-assessment that this is a glass which is half full rather than it being half empty. As a matter of fact, this is a cup or a glass with a big hole in the bottom. This is not a half full, half empty issue. They have made no progress in the one key area that everyone agrees must have progress or the violence will not end, and that's on the political side of things" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/15).

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI): "The premise of the president's surge was that there would be political activity, political decision. They haven't materialized. And I doubt very seriously in the next several weeks they will materialize" ("Late Edition," CNN, 7/15).

Continue reading "Sunday Snapshot" »

Senate Retirement Watch

July 13, 2007 4:48 PM | Permalink |

2ndQ FEC reports have been filed today for 3 GOP senators widely rumored to be considering retirement in 2008: John Warner, Chuck Hagel, and Larry Craig.

Continue reading "Senate Retirement Watch" »

Quote Of The Day

July 13, 2007 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) |

From today's Hotline:

"I can smell what's about to happen."

-- Joe Biden, on Iraq, MSNBC, 7/13

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 13, 2007 11:05 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- House Of Cards

July 13, 2007 9:46 AM | Permalink |

Last night's TV mainly focused on reports that al Qaeda has built itself back up to the strongest it has been since pre-9/11. There was also discussion on the House voting 223-201 to get all U.S. combat forces out of Iraq by Apr. '08:

Washington Post's Robinson, on the House vote: "It's an important statement. But ... it is not going to become law. I mean, they don't have the Senate and George Bush is going to veto it in the event that it got through. It's certainly a reflection of what's becoming the sentiment in this city outside of the precincts of the White House, that it's time to set a date certain at least to begin a withdrawal, if not to complete one" ("Tucker," MSNBC, 7/12).

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), asked if Senate can pass a 120-day resolution like the House did: "If the Republican senators who have spoken out on the floor of the Senate, as well as back home, about wanting to change direction in Iraq and really break from the president's policy will join us, we have a chance to pass this. But if it's just a speech for hometown consumption and it isn't translated into a vote on the floor, no, I don't think we'll prevail" ("NewsHour," PBS, 7/12).

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), asked if the Senate GOPers are "solid enough" to keep the resolution from passing: "I think so. I really believe that most Americans see that, yes, this is not what we wanted it to be, but we are the strongest country on Earth. We are the only country that has the capability to stand and fight for freedom and also the commitment to do it. And I don't think the American people want the United States Senate to be a cut-and-run, do what's expedient, don't look for the future. They expect us to stand up for the reputation of America" ("NewsHour," PBS, 7/12).

And talk on the interim report:

FNC's Goler: "The 25-page report was required by Congress and was delivered to Capitol Hill today. But Iraq's progress fell short of what was needed to continue U.S. economic aid, forcing Mr. Bush to waive a provision that would have shut it off. The report found satisfactory progress in eight areas, unsatisfactory in eight more and mixed results in two. In general, Iraq's military did well and its government fell short" ("Special Report," 7/12).

CNN's Bash: "The mixed results in the president's report are unlikely to lure more GOP senators to support the Democrats' demand that troops come home by May 1 of next year, a measure that does not have enough votes to pass. But the report also did nothing to calm the concerns of an increasing number of Republicans" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/12).

MSNBC's Shuster: "Most of the political benchmarks were unsatisfactory. And on the key issues, including oil revenue sharing, deba'athification and writing a new constitution, the report said the Iraqi
government has made no progress. The report did find some progress in Iraqi security efforts, and the president used that as a reason to be optimistic about the overall situation" ("Hardball," 7/12).

Dep. Sec/State John Negroponte: "The interim report, I would want to stress, that was issued today indicates, the results are mixed. On about eight fronts they are making progress. On eight others, they have not made satisfactory progress. And on a couple of them, it is just too early to assess. But again, I just want to stress, this is an interim report, it is work in progress. And I think we have to give the Baghdad surge and the other elements of the policy at work a chance to show the results" ("Situation Room," CNN, 7/12).

CNN's Dobbs: "President Bush today declared that Congress has no business trying to run the war in Iraq. President Bush blasted Democratic and some Republican senators who are now demanding a quick change of course on American strategy. The president's remarks came as an interim report said the Iraqi government has failed to meet key economic and political targets. But the report also showing that Iraq is making satisfactory progress on achievement of most military goals" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/12).

WH Press Sec. Tony Snow: "I think what the president did today is tell Americans something maybe
they hadn't have heard a lot of, which is, since we have gone in with the surge, there has been considerable success on the security side. And let's face it; you're not going to have political progress if politicians are worried about their very existence, if they're worried about their survival, and, furthermore, if they're worried about sectarian violence. Fortunately, sectarian violence is down. The casualty counts are down. So, there is now a little bit of breathing space, and it is up to the politicians now to take some of the next steps" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 7/12).

MORE ON MOORE

Mike Huckabee was on "Tucker" last night:

MSNBC's Carlson: "So Michael Moore could ease the burden that we all share for America's health care if he just dropped a little weight?"

Huckabee: "No, I think the real issue is that Michael Moore has tried to make [the point we] would be better off if we all went to Havana, Cuba to get our health care. What nonsense. ... Moore's film apparently is all about saying that what we need is ... let the government pick your doctor. And frankly, I don't think most Americans want the same people picking our doctor that runs the air traffic control system."

Carlson: "How much do you think he weighs, by the way?"

Huckabee: "I have no idea, but I know this, that a lot of it is probably overblown in some ego. I think he looks at himself as a guy who is going to solve all of America's problems."

Asked if he wants to eliminate fat people: "No, I think what it's a matter of is wanting to see that
children live longer than their parents and grandparents" (MSNBC, 7/12).

WAIT FOR IT ...

And "Hannity & Colmes" aired FNC's Hannity's interview with Fred Thompson at the Freedom Concert in Atlanta 7/10 p.m.

Thompson, on Iraq: "We were supposed to be waiting until September until we got a report back from [Gen. David] Petraeus. And now, it looks like they've moved the time frame on them because of, you know, political pressure that they're feeding. I think that the leadership in Washington and Congress simply does not understand the nature of the battle that we're in and the fact that it's global. In fact, it's going to last a long time."

Hannity, following the interview: "For the record, he didn't say when he'd announce" (FNC, 7/12) [KATHERINE LEHR].

Insider Poll: Mitt-Mentum

July 12, 2007 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (21) |

The results of the latest Insiders Poll are out and Mitt Romney has pulled into a dead heat with Rudy Giuliani as the frontrunner for the '08 GOP nod. Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to lead the Democratic field for her party’s nod.

Continue reading "Insider Poll: Mitt-Mentum" »

New Trends in the Old Dominion?

July 12, 2007 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

In '04, John Kerry made a short-lived push for VA's 13 electoral votes, but it wasn’t a sincere effort. “We were the Rodney Dangerfield of states,” remembers Susan Swecker, who ran Kerry’s campaign there. This time around, strategists from both parties expect Dems to challenge more aggressively. The question is, will it be a Tier 1 swing-state?

Continue reading "New Trends in the Old Dominion?" »

Quote Of The Day

July 12, 2007 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

From today's Hotline:

"Obviously, my opinion is one that's informed by my having worked professionally in the area of counterterrorism."

-- DHS Sec. Michael Chertoff on his "gut feeling" about al Qaeda, CNN, 7/12

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 12, 2007 10:50 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

Hotline After Dark -- Chronic Fatigue

July 12, 2007 9:23 AM | Permalink |

Last night's TV was dominated by DHS Sec. Michael Chertoff's "gut feeling" that there be a terrorist attack this summer. Talk of Iraq also continued:

FNC's Garrett: "National Security Advisor Steven Hadley traveled to Capitol Hill today and appealed for Senate Republican unity. A short time later, the White House witnessed the single largest GOP revolt since the Iraq war began. ... Democrats fell just four votes shy of the just 60 needed to overcome a filibuster, as seven Republicans voted to end debate on a Democratic move to limit future Iraq troops deployment" ("Special Report," 7/11).

Congressional Quarterly's Crawford, on House Min. Leader John Boehner labeling GOP sens. who are calling for a change in course as "wimps": "The problem with people like Boehner and others, even a lot of the Republican presidential candidates, is that they are playing to the base of the Republican Party, who still support the president on the war in pretty high numbers. ... I guess they like preaching to the choir, they are just sort of blind to what the congregation thinks" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 7/11).

Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), asked if he would back legislation to implement the ISG recommendations, even though the WH rejected most of them: "I would very much so, and now that I know more about them, I acknowledge that. ... I wouldn't join it if we had a fixed time, because it's too early to fix a time. And the perfection of this bill is that it's going to allow both Democrats and Republicans to join. ... When we choose the time, it will have a chance of getting the requisite votes to become law."

Asked if John McCain's statement that the U.S. "cannot let fatigue dictate our policies" was directed at him: "No. I don't know why he would be. ... Look, fatigue may very well mean that you're tired, but I have never said I'm tired of this war. When I said I'm tired of it, I'm tired of the fact that we don't seem to have any solutions. That instead of solutions, we seem to be getting worse and worse, and the fractionalization in the country is getting worse and worse, not better. So he might have been referring to me, but I doubt it" ("Situation Room," CNN, 7/11).

FIRE AWAY

Int'l Assn of Fire Fighters Pres. Harold Schaitberger appeared on "Hardball" last night to talk about the 13-minute video criticizing Rudy Giuliani for his handling of the 9/11 attacks.

Schaitberger, asked why the video attacks a GOPer before there is even a GOP nod: "It's not about a Republican candidate, it's about a candidate that is trying to build his candidacy on this legend of his
leadership on 9/11. He's trying to embrace our industry, our profession, firefighting. ... People on his behalf with the campaign are out around the country trying to sign up our members to become part of the campaign ... so he can use them in their photo ops, and so that he can add to this myth that he is a hero
of 9/11."

MSNBC's Matthews: "Do you believe you speak for all firefighters when you say you won't vote for Giuliani?"

Schaitberger: "We have got 281,000 members. And you know our union. Our union is politically diversified. It's a cross-section of this country. ... I'm not going to suggest that every member will agree with this. ... I will suggest this. Walk into any New York City firehouse and ask them about their position and their opinion of former Mayor Giuliani. I will live with that result. ... The fact is, we do speak for our members. And the fact is that our members are more than concerned about the treatment of those that were lost on that day" (MSNBC, 7/11).

And IAFF CoS Pete Gorman appeared on "Tucker":

MSNBC's Carlson: "I understand that the political arm of the union has produced this video. But you are using the name of the union, proporting to represent many firemen across the United States. Have you poled them? Are they in favor of this? Have you asked them thier permission before putting this on the internet?"

Gorman: "This is an education piece put out by the IAFF to educate our members of the problems. ... We did not poll 280,000 members. No. ... We have an executive board comprised of 16 members from the United States and Canada. And this was vetted at a very long process over a number of months. ... This is a political message to our members that we hope reaches every household in the United States" ("Tucker," MSNBC, 7/11).

WashingtonPost.com's Cillizza: "Anything that gets at tarnishing that reputation is potentially dangerous. And it's why we've seen the Giuliani campaign strike back very quickly. ... They are coming out and painting the IAFF as a partisan organization. It is a smart move. What they are trying to do is discredit the messenger. They are saying look, this is to be expected. This isn't a neutral organization that's representing the good of firefighters. This is an organization that has endorsed all the past Democratic candidates for president, in the past four of five elections, and is very likely to endorse a Democrat again" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 7/11).

IN REMEMBRANCE

Lady Bird Johnson, who passed away 7/11 in Austin, TX, at the age of 94, was also remembered:

Pres. historian Doris Kearns Goodwin: "There was no question that she played a central role in stabilizing Lyndon Johnson. ... She once said to me she knew she could have married someone who would have come home at 5:00 at night and given her a more calm existence, but Lyndon had shown her a world, and she never once regretted it. She was an incredible force. It's one of those times when, you know, you look at maybe the beautification of Washington, the public things she did. But must more important was her personal role in keeping him alive in a very good way" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 7/11).

Washington Examiner's Sammon: "She arguably changed history by talking her husband out of running for re-election in 1968 because of the Vietnam War. ... She softened some of the hard edges of her husband, and I think we didn't really appreciate her until maybe even after he was out of office" ("Special Report," FNC, 7/11).

CNN's Sesno: "It's important to remember, we talk about the war that we're experiencing today and the divisiveness, it's nothing compared to what it was then. We had people demonstrating in the streets. We had people saying we were in the middle of a revolution just about. And we had the civil rights disturbances at the same time. This was the Washington that the Johnsons inhabited" ("Situation Room," 7/11).

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME): "I am very, very sorry to hear that. She was a magnificent woman who served this country superbly and with love and affection. And it is a sad moment for our country" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 7/11) [KATHERINE LEHR].

Treadwell, Raises Well

July 11, 2007 3:13 PM | Permalink |

On the House fundraising front, ex-NY GOP chair Sandy Treadwell (R) said today that he'd raised $333K in the 2ndQ for his race against freshman Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY 20). Aides say only $6K of that total is a contribution from the candidate.

Treadwell's numbers are the highest total announced by any GOP challenger this cycle so far, but he'll need every dollar he's raised - Gillibrand raised $667K, or double Treadwell's impressive 2ndQ take, in the 1stQ.

Continue reading "Treadwell, Raises Well" »

Quote Of The Day

July 11, 2007 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) |

From today's Hotline:

"Have you ever done anything wrong? So have I."

-- Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), asked about Sen. David Vitter's (R-LA) alleged link to prostitution, The Hill, 7/11

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 11, 2007 10:11 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- Taming The Salvage Beast

July 11, 2007 9:10 AM | Permalink |

Iraq, Pres. Bush's speech in OH, and John McCain's campaign shakeup were the dominant issues on TV last night:

FNC's Barnes: "The idea of the benchmarks is not that they were supposed to all be met at the beginning of surge, it's at the end of surge. ... It would have been nice to see the Iraqi government do more than they have, which isn't much, but they are paralyzed. But they are almost irrelevant to the surge and the counterterrorism campaign run by General Petraeus. ... We will find out more when he comes back in September. ... Democrats have moved it into July. And why have they moved it into July? ... It's only because of the congressional calendar that they are doing it now, and that is a pretty poor reason" ("Special Report," 7/10).

CNN's Dobbs: "Exactly six months after President Bush announced the surge strategy in Iraq, the president today appealed to Congress to give his strategy a chance to succeed. President Bush insists the United States can win the fight in Iraq, but Republican support for the war is splintering" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/10).

CNN's Malveaux: "This speech certainly wasn't what it was billed to be, a so-called post surge strategy, emphasizing the aftermath of all of this. Instead, it is very much what we heard this president say time and time again. Despite Democrats' calls to bring American troops home and Republican pleas to change strategy, right now President Bush is refusing to do either" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/10).

CNN's Cooper: In the Senate today, as John McCain urged his fellow lawmakers to give the mission in Iraq more time, much of Washington was wondering how much longer McCain ... can last. Four of his campaign aides resigned today, including his top two advisers. In public everyone involved put a polite face on what was clearly a massive housecleaning. The question tonight: can John McCain remake himself as a comeback kid?" ("AC 360," 7/10).

MSNBC's Carlson: "I do think that secretly, he likes being in this position. He likes fighting off his back. He likes being the underdog. He does not like being in front" ("Tucker," 7/10).

Young Dems for America's Alexandra Acker: "President Bush is clearly the noose around his neck that has been pulling his campaign down" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 7/10).

FNC's Cameron: "A bigger question being asked all over town and all over the campaign trail is where are all those McCain staffers now going? Are they going to sit on the bench? Are they going to watch from the sidelines or get involved? They are denying that the are flocking to the Fred Thompson campaign. But those discussions are underway. ... Look for the very first week of August for Fred Thompson to get in, quite possibly with former McCain staffers in tow" ("Special Report," 7/10).

CNN's Crowley: "McCain's really big problem right now is he really does have to convince people that things are going well. Otherwise, he's not going to get the money to keep him going" ("AC 360," 7/10).

SAME MESSAGE, DIFFERENT DAY

And Chris Dodd played "Hardball" last night.

On Bush's speech: "It sounds like he's staying the course. ... I didn't hear any change there at all. He talked about the commanders on the ground dictating the troop levels, but frankly, the realities on the ground are dictating the troop levels. ... Hence, I think we're going to have a very strong debate here over the next two weeks on the defense authorization bill, and hopefully, going to come up with some clear datelines here, some deadlines for redeploying or withdrawing our troops out of Iraq" (MSNBC, 7/10) [KATHERINE LEHR].

When Old Is News

July 11, 2007 6:59 AM | Permalink |

Amidst the slew of press coverage revealing that Sen. Robert Byrd is -- wait for it -- old, the 89-year-old took to the Senate floor recently to say he would continue to serve until his “old body just gives out and drops.”

Byrd, no stranger to the floor statement, initially declined to publicly respond to pieces in the Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston Gazette, Washington Post and the AP focused on his declining health. Bryd said he was only compelled to address the coverage “head on,” after the AP ran photos comparing a recent signature of his with one from last year. Byrd acknowledged, “It is true that this year’s signature looks like I signed it in a moving car” but said his tremor—the cause of the more sloppy signage – “is hardly evidence that I am at death’s door.”

For his part, Byrd blamed a “culture of botox, wrinkle cream and hair dye” on the obsession with his age, but perhaps another culprit is at play: an increasing unforgiving media.

Continue reading "When Old Is News" »

He's Got Rick Davis Eyes

July 10, 2007 4:37 PM | Permalink |

John McCain's campaign released a late afternoon statement from newly appointed campaign manager Rick Davis. Davis: "This campaign has always been about John McCain and his vision for reducing federal spending, defending traditional values, and winning the war against Islamic extremists. Today we are moving forward with John's optimistic vision for our country's future."

In the wake of the inside the beltway campaign shakeup at McCain HQ, plans are still set to travel to Concord, NH this Friday (the 13th, of all days) for an address on "Iraq and the War Against Islamic Extremism." Campaign spokesperson Danny Diaz expressed confidence that today's shakeup will not affect outside the beltway voters. Diaz: "Senator McCain is the most prepared and best equipped candidate to move the country forward. He will continue to address the important issues confronting the American people and lay out a plan for keeping America safe and prosperous."

Will the shakeup in the upper echelons of the campaign staff continue to extend out to the key states? Following last week's dismal fundraising news, the NH team, state dir. Mike Barnett and ex-nat'l pol. dir turned NH McCain consultant Mike Dennehy, was still intact. Will they stand by the newly Mavericked McCain when he comes to NH this weekend sans his former leadership team?

More so, as McCain soldiers on in his defense of President Bush's strategy in Iraq this week, will he be able to effectively communicate a message of hope and progress while his '08 army suffers its own internal breakdowns? [AMY DUDLEY]

Quote Of The Day

July 10, 2007 12:38 PM | Permalink |

From today's Hotline:

"Terry Nelson and John Weaver are the McCain campaign. The last person left is the candidate himself."

-- Newsweek's Richard Wolffe, MSNBC, 7/10

Weaver/Nelson, Off The Bus

July 10, 2007 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Two of John McCain's top WH'08 aides, campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver, have resigned. Read the Nelson/Weaver/McCain statements below:

Continue reading "Weaver/Nelson, Off The Bus" »

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 10, 2007 11:00 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Hotline After Dark -- Panic In The War Room

July 10, 2007 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) |

Last night's TV mainly focused on Iraq and Pres. Bush invoking exec. privilege to deny requests by Congress for testimony from ex-WH counsel Harriet Miers and ex-WH Pol. Dir. Sara Taylor.

ABC's Raddatz: "ABC News has been told the White House is 'in panic mode' over the recent defections of Republican senators on the President's stay-the-course policy in Iraq ... despite Monday's on-the-record briefing by White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, who played down any concern over the recent spate of GOP senators who have spoken out publicly in support of changing course in Iraq" ("World News," 7/9).

CNN's Bash: "Moderate Republican Olympia Snowe has never been a fan of the president's Iraq policy, but she has never voted to pull troops out either. Now she likely will. It's the latest sign of mounting GOP opposition to the war. ... Just because more and more Republicans agree with Democrats that the Bush Iraq strategy is a failure, it doesn't mean they agree on how to fix it, though there are several groups of senators working here behind the scenes trying to find a new consensus plan. ... In fact, despite the rising tide of opposition, Democratic and Republican sources concede, political pressures on the right and the left may once again prevent Congress from finding consensus on a new Iraq plan" (AC 360," 7/9).

MSNBC's Olbermann: "Breaking news tonight from an unnamed U.S. official quoted by the Associated Press, who says that the draft report upcoming on the Iraq government shows that all of the benchmarks it was to meet, of all of them, the number it has actually met is zero, none" ("Countdown," 7/9).

FNC's Goler: "Faced with five subpoenas for documents and testimony by two former officials,
the White House repeated its offer to answer questions about eight fired prosecutors, but only on the president's terms, not in public and not under oath" ("Special Report," 7/9).

Ex-WH Counsel John Dean: "The further you get away from a direct conversation with the president, the weaker the privilege. In fact, the Supreme Court has said the strongest privilege is with national security. Clearly, the politics and the Department of Justice does not come under national security. So they`re on pretty weak ground already, even when they get away as far as they have from the president" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 7/9).

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, on WH counsel Fred Fielding's letter: "The subtitle of this letter should have been, 'Who the hell do you think you are?'It was a letter to Congress, and said who are you to direct the president to compile a log of privileged documents? Who are you to establish a deadline of 10:00 a.m. on Monday for these people to show up and give evidence to your committee? And who are you to write a letter to the president about all of this, last week, which begins with an assertion that the president is acting not in good faith? ... The Fielding letter will give comfort to supporters of this administration that there is at leave some starch left in the White House" ("Special Report," FNC, 7/9).

NO BIGGIE

Talk also continued about reports that Fred Thompson lobbied for a pro-choice org.:

MSNBC's Carlson: "It just seems to me, with Rudy Giuliani running as a pro-choice candidate, and running in first place, it is hard to believe Fred Thompson, who says I`m opposed to abortion, he`s going to be penalized for this. It`s kind of hard to see it" ("Tucker," 7/9).

CNN's Crowley: "It is not necessarily something that's going to stop conservatives and social conservatives from supporting Fred Thompson. ... They keep saying in the Thompson non-campaign that, in fact, he did have an 80 plus percent voting record with social conservatives. McCain-Feingold was the one thing that really stuck in their craw. But beyond that, he says he also has changed since seeing the sonograms of his two young daughters. So there is a conversion factor there, as well" ("Situation Room," 7/9).

THE FOX FACTOR

And Mike Huckabee appeared on "Hannity & Colmes" last night.

Asked if he supports increasing the troop surge in Iraq: "If the issue is what it takes to make sure that we don't walk away with a bigger mess than is there now, I still think that there's an incredible amount of naivete about what we really face. Not just in Iraq but around the world. These are not people who are going to leave us alone if we leave them alone. That's nonsense."

More: "I think a lot of people have the idea that we have two options: shock and awe or cut and run. I think there's also another option, and that is maybe snatch and grab."

On why he hasn't reached top tier status: "I just haven't been on 'Hannity & Colmes' enough" (FNC, 7/9) [KATHERINE LEHR].

What, No Stop At Wally World?

July 9, 2007 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

In a conference call with reporters this afternoon, John Edwards' campaign manager David Bonior unveiled the campaign's upcoming "Road to One America" Tour. The Tour, which runs from 7/16-7/18, will go through eight states and 12 towns and cities. The goal of the three-day tour is to "highlight the new face of poverty in America."

Pressed on the political goals of the trip, Bonior replied, "Honestly, to force the issue into debate. … We're not going to early states. We're doing this because we think it's important for the country to talk about it. If we do well as a result, well than fine. But the main point is that everybody should be talking about this, not just John Edwards." Bonior also emphasized that there will not be any fundraising events held during the three-day tour.

Invoking historically famous efforts to combat poverty, the tour will end in Prestonburg, KY, where Robert F. Kennedy concluded his 1968 200-mile tour of impoverished regions in southeastern KY. It will also include a stop in Marks, MS where Martin Luther King Jr. launched his Poor People's March to Washington, D.C.

From the tour schedule released today:

Pre-event -- Sunday, July 15th

Walking tour of Lower 9th Ward

Day 1 -- Monday, July 16th

"Rewarding Work and Ending Poverty in America"

New Orleans, LA

Canton, MS

Marks, MS

Marianna, AR

Memphis, TN

Day 2 - Tuesday, July 17th

"Strengthening Neighborhoods and Cities Rising"

Cleveland, OH

Youngstown, OH

Pittsburgh, PA

Day 3 - Wednesday, July 18th

"Restoring Hope to Rural America"

Wise, VA

Norton, VA

Whitesburg, KY

Prestonburg, KY

[AMY DUDLEY]

Quote Of The Day

July 9, 2007 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (20) |

From today's Hotline:

"I think anybody who uses the Internet would like to be left alone."

-- Ron Paul, explaining his online fundraising success, MSNBC, 7/9

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 9, 2007 11:00 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Arizona -- AZ Political News

Sunday Snapshot

July 9, 2007 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

Most of the Sunday shows led with Pres. Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence:

House Judiciary Cmte Chair John Conyers (D-MI), asked the purpose of his cmte's hearings this week: "What we're trying to do is to find out what the purpose of the commutation was, and also where we should be going in these kinds of activities of pardons, clemency and commutation. ... What separates this from President Clinton's pardons and anybody else's is that this stepped in in violation of the rules of sentencing guidelines, in which the president is not supposed to intervene until there has been the exhaustion of the appeals process. And here, the president didn't wait."

More Conyers: "What we have here -- and I think we should put it on the table right at the beginning -- is that the suspicion was that if Mr. Libby went to prison, he might further implicate other people in the White House, and that there was some kind of relationship here that does not exist in any of President Clinton's pardons, nor, according to those that we've talked to -- and this is why we're doing the hearings -- is that it's never existed before, ever" ("This Week," ABC, 7/8).

Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT), on the scheduled hearings: "We've had dozens of hearings in Congress and come up with nothing. ... It's clearly within the authority of the president. To go after the president on this issue shows a dearth of any opportunity to go after something substantive in this administration. I would prefer that we not waste our time in Congress on these witch hunts and frivolous activities" ("Fox News Sunday," FNC, 7/8).

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): "Under commutation, the person who is commuted has much greater Fifth Amendment rights. And so it means that, if there were a pardon, Libby could be called before Congress to testify on a whole bunch of things. Commutation makes it much, much harder to do that."

Schumer, on calling special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald before Congress: "I've spoken to Senator Leahy about this-- that we're thinking of doing is calling Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor before us. You know, he's not allowed to talk about what happened before the grand jury, but he did interview the president and the vice president, not before a grand jury. And he might have some very interesting things to say" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 7/8).

Senate Jud Cmte Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT), on calling Fitzgerald: "That's something I would discuss with Senator Specter before I did, but I know how concerned Mr. Fitzgerald is. ... We may very well find ourselves going down that path. It would do no good to call Scooter Libby. His silence has been bought and paid for, and he would just take the fifth."

Senate Jud Cmte ranking GOPer Arlen Specter (PA): "Reluctant as I am to agree with Senator Schumer, I think he's right" ("Late Edition," CNN, 7/8).

THE RETURN OF WH '08ers

Chuck Hagel was on "Meet the Press."

On Iraq: "What troubles me most is the fact that we are not focused on the real issue here. ... Our focus should be on a political accommodation. In order to break this cycle of violence, to stop it, and there will be no other way to do this, is to find some way to focus our resources and harness our energies and the energies of the region and the international community on that, that focused issue. Now, is there a role for our military? Of course there is. But we can't continue to put our people in the middle of a civil war and think that this is going to get better or your going to improve the situation."

On whether he supports Sen. Ken Salazar's (D-CO) suggestion to fully implement the ISG's recommendations: "Well, I've said from the beginning -— I may have been the first senator to say it -- the president missed a tremendous opportunity when he did not use the Baker-Hamilton report late last year to build a new bipartisan consensus on Iraq. ... I support those recommendations. I was a strong supporter. Still am. It's a safe harbor for many senators to be. I mean I don't know how you could not be for almost all of those recommendations."

Asked if he will enter WH '08: "I'll make that decision in the next couple of months, and I need to make that decision as to my political future. ... I have no intention of changing parties. And that doesn't mean, by the way, that I don't think an independent does not have some renewed possibilities next year to be president. ... But I have no plans to change parties or run for president as an independent" (NBC, 7/8).

"This Week" also featured taped interviews with Ron Paul and Mike Gravel.

Paul, on his impressive 2ndQ fundraising numbers: "I think some of the candidates are on the downslope; we're on the upslope. So can you imagine what it will be like if we do as well in the next quarter, and quadruple our income and our numbers?"

Asked why he running as a GOPer instead of a Libertarian like he did in '88: "Well, I was elected to Congress 10 times as a Republican. That's a pretty good reason. I've been able to deliver this constitutional, very libertarian message to my district and they like it and they re-elect me. And it's practical. Third parties are -- the laws are biased against them. Unless you're a billionaire, you can't even get on the ballot. So that's not very democratic" (ABC, 7/8).

Gravel, on the campaign video featuring him staring straight into camera for more than a minute: "It's a metaphor, and it's two young teachers in southern California that wanted to film me. And I said, fine, you can have as much time as you need. ... I was flattered by it -- but it's a metaphor not only for a presidential candidate, for any citizen. What it is, you get a fixation of a thought you want to have, something you want to do, then you go do it. And it causes ripples in a society. ... The ripples are that we've got to pull away from politics as usual."

Asked if he wants to have Bush criminally indicted: "Well, yes, only if he doesn't end the war."

On the Clintons: "I will tell you very frankly that with respect to Hillary and the president, I view them as a package of one. They knew what was going on, but they made a political vote, and that political vote was to give Bush the power to go to war. That's what it was all about. In my mind, that is a vote that showed that they were morally tone deaf, the both of them" (ABC, 7/8).

ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP

The "Face the Nation" roundtable discussed WH '08.

CBS' Ververs, on Hillary Clinton campaigning in IA with B. Clinton: "I think it's an evolving act that we're going to be seeing over time. People in Iowa, they like to watch their candidates over a long period of time. The people I talk to there were very impressed with the professionalism, the way that the campaign rolled out Bill Clinton this week. ... This is a good first step. This is a campaign that just weeks ago had ... a leaked memo that suggested they may skip the Iowa caucuses. This was a very strong statement that they're in it, they're in it to play, and if they win it, they could run the whole table."

The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed WH '08 and Libby.

The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed Libby, WH '08, and Iraq

The "This Week" roundtable discussed Libby, WH '08, and Iraq [KATHERINE LEHR].

Quote Of The Day

July 3, 2007 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

From today's Hotline:

"Scooter Libby may petition for one."

-- WH press sec. Tony Snow, on why he won't close the door on a pardon, AP, 7/3

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 3, 2007 10:30 AM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

Hotline After Dark -- Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

July 3, 2007 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) |

The nets went into breaking news mode as Pres. Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence:

MSNBC's Shuster: "There was every expectation that at the end of the day, Scooter Libby was not going to be serving in prison" ("Countdown," 7/2).

ABC's Raddatz, from Kennebunkport: "The president was up here about three hours ago. He got out of here. That's when they made the announcement. The White House press corp is all here. He went to Washington to make this. And we're all scrambling to talk to people. This is all a very last minute move" ("World News," 7/2).

NBC's O'Donnell: "Senior advisers to the president say that Mr. Bush has been considering this for a long time and that White House lawyers have been evaluating the legal arguments for a period of weeks, and over about a last week or so, they say the president began to lean towards this option, commuting the sentence" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 7/2).

FNC's Angle, on Bush's action: "He is not challenging the verdict in any way, other than to say that the judge denied the recommendation of sentencing people, who suggested a lighter sentence" ("Special Report," 7/2).

CNN's Henry: "The pressure was really building on the president to act. And what he's trying to do here is split the difference" ("Situation Room," 7/2).

CNBC's Harwood: "When you're at rock bottom like this president really what you have left is your base. ... This is not going to be popular with the American public as a whole but Republicans are happy tonight and I tell you so is Dick Cheney" ("Nightly News," NBC, 7/2).

Washington Post's Milbank, asked if this damages Bush's presidency: "The question assumes that there is a presidency left to damage. I mean that quite seriously. For most presidents, this would be injurious. But if the president sitting at 25 percent or 28 percent in the polls, and he has already lost all but the hardcore of conservatives, this actually gains him a couple of percentage points. This could be the difference between the 27 and 29 percent presidency" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 7/2).

CNN's Toobin: "I was totally shocked by this, because pardons are poison to presidents' reputations" ("AC 360," 7/2).

GW's Jonathan Turley: "This president has been one of the most miserly presidents in history when it comes to pardons. And he is the last guy that I know of that complains about the harshness of sentences. His administration has defended sentences that have been condemned internationally because they're too harsh. Scooter Libby gets a multiple-month sentence and he says this is too severe for me to tolerate" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 7/2).

Amb. Joe Wilson: "I don't give really a darn whether Scooter Libby goes to jail or not. What I care about is that the rule of law and the system of justice that has undergirded our democracy for 220 years is upheld. And that is what has been subverted by the president's actions today" ("AC 360," CNN, 7/2).

FNC's Colmes: "What does it say, Scooter Libby, four felonies, no jail. Paris Hilton, misdemeanor, 23 days in jail?" ("Hannity & Colmes," 7/2). [EMILY GOODIN]

Monday, Bloody Monday

July 2, 2007 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) |

AP reports that John McCain's camp "is undergoing a significant reorganization with staff cuts in every department." 50 or more staffers are being let go, and senior aides "will be subject to pay cuts," as the camp announced raising just $11.2M in the 2ndQ. Manager Terry Nelson: "We confronted reality and we dealt with it in the best way that we could so that we could move forward."

Not Out-Deaning Dean

July 2, 2007 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

MyDD's Jonathan Singer is reporting that nearly a third of the $32.5 mil Barack Obama raised this quarter was raised online. The $10.3 mil raised in Q2 brings his total online numbers $17.2 mil, far surpassing any candidate in the '08 field, and on pace to shatter Howard Dean's $25 mil online mark set in '03. Singer also notes the that 110K online donations so far this year make up 40% of his overall donor base.

MyDD's Jerome Armstrong, however, notes that more than half of Dean's money came from online sources, and credits Obama's use of "paid events" for "skyrocketing" the number of Obama donors. From Armstrong: "I've not seen a story on the phenomenon that he's created, but the paid venues have got to have provided Obama with tens of thousands of donors to add to his overall numbers. It's the speaking-venue donors (similar to a rock concert), not internet donors, that's leveraged the donor numbers for Obama; and alongside the astounding high-donor numbers that have sky-rocketed his total raised, it's combined to create a compelling narrative that gives a strategic advantage to Obama" [CONN CARROLL].

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

July 2, 2007 1:50 PM | Permalink |

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates -- Updated 24/7

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

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Quote Of The Day

July 2, 2007 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

From today's Hotline:

"Apparently he doesn't have a lot of experience in Florida or anywhere else, and doesn't know a lot of Cuban-Americans."

-- Hillary Clinton on Fred Thompson, AP, 7/1

Sunday Snapshot

July 2, 2007 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) |

Most of the Sunday shows led with the latest news in the British bomb scares. Our roundup will concentrate on the political news from the weekend:

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), on the subpoenas he's issued: "Nobody on my committee, Republican or Democrat, is trying to subpoena the operations of what's been done in wiretapping terrorists."

More: "I don't want us to ever go back to the situation that we had 30 years ago when we put into place this FISA court, as you called it, where they were wiretapping somebody who disagreed with the government on the Vietnam war."

On the admin response: "They've chosen confrontation rather than compromise or cooperation. ... They say executive privilege. That means something that the president has said. The president has already said publicly he's not involved in this, the things that we're looking at. So I don't know where the executive privilege claim comes in."

Asked if he'd hold the WH in contempt of Congress: "If they don't cooperate, yes, I'd go that far" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 7/1).

THERE'S ALWAYS IRAQ TALK

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), on reax to his speech: "Most of my Republican colleagues were very interested in the speech. Some indicated they agreed with most of it. Some really wanted to say they'd like to take some action."

More: "I've also talked to Democrats after this speech, and asked them would they be prepared to work with some Republicans and the president if the president were so disposed. I've suggested this to Steve Hadley the national security adviser, and he's taken notes and is going back to the president. Now, I hope something will come of this now, not punting the ball down to September when these reports all come in and we have some good news, some bad news."

Asked if GOPers would ever consider joining with Dems to cut funding, Lugar: "The money is not going to be cut, as a matter of fact. So as a result, the president probably has the authority, if he wishes, to pursue right out to the end of his term a full-blown surge or whatever he wants to do, although my guess is the constraints of the presidential campaign, the congressional campaign are likely to bring pause even to the president if he were to have that idea" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 7/1).

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT): "The time may be running out politically in Washington, but it's not running out in Iraq, and that's the tragedy here. The fact is that the surge has just been fully implemented in terms of personnel being there. On the facts, reduced violence in Baghdad and incredibly reduced violence in Anbar province to the west which al Qaeda in Iraq was in control of about a few months ago. The surge is working. So you might say that, in Iraq, we've got the enemy on the run, but for some reason, in Washington, a lot of politicians are on the run to order a retreat by our troops even as they are beginning to succeed. ... Let's wait until September, which we said we would do" ("This Week," ABC, 7/1).

THE AVERAGE JOE

Lieberman, on who he'll endorse in '08: "I'm not going to make my selection of who to support for president in '08 based on party. I'm going to choose to support whichever of the candidates I think will be the best president of the United States to protect our security against the threat of Islamist terrorism and to rebuild America's economy, health-care system, environment and education system."

More: "It does seem to me now that the leading Democratic candidates for president are competing with each other to see which one can more quickly pull more of our troops out of Iraq, while our troops are there fighting and now succeeding with a lot on the line. ... So, yes, I'm disappointed by it, but when I make my decision, it's only a personal decision. It's going to be based on questions that are both foreign and domestic, but so far I would say that Democratic candidates, in the larger questions of American security, have been disappointing, and I hope things will get better as this goes on" ("This Week," ABC, 7/1).

THE WAIT AND SEE GAME

DHS Sec. Michael Chertoff, on future immigration reform: "I'm not going to start to speculate about pieces of legislation that haven't even been filed or haven't even moved through the process. ... Earlier this year, we tried to deal with a problem by bringing everybody together and coming up with a comprehensive solution. That is now stalled in Congress. I think now the burden is on those who think there's another approach to come forward and get that approach under way. And then we'll see what it is they have to offer" ("Late Edition," CNN, 7/1).

ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP

The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed the recent SCOTUS decisions and immigration reform.

The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed immigration reform and WH '08.

NBC's Todd, on Obama's fundraising: "Financially Obama's won it. He has caught up to [Clinton]. He has made up the $10 million transfer that she had from her Senate account. It is stunning." More: "I'm always struck at these debates how cautious he is. He's afraid go for a knockout. He's trying not to lose. He's not trying to win yet."

The "This Week" roundtable discussed the recent SCOTUS rulings, VP Cheney, and WH '08 [EMILY GOODIN].