Democrats Say Freedom' s Watch A 'Political Group'

The campaign committee for House Democrats has asked the IRS to investigate the activities of a conservative advocacy group.

There's a special election for an open House seat in Louisiana, and Freedom's Watch is running an ad attacking Democrat Don Cazayoux as a big-spending liberal.

"Where does Don Cazayoux stand? With Barack Obama for a big government scheme. Their plan raises...." the ad proclaims.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accuses Freedom's Watch of being a political operation, that's getting away with the tax breaks meant for non-partisan organizations.

Freedom's Watch is financed by big donors. Democrats say it's doing work that the National Republican Congressional Committee can't do, because its contributions are down.

But a spokesman for Freedom's Watch says the Democrats don't understand the law.

Freedom's Watch spokesman Ed Patru says the group's tax-exempt status permits some political work. And his organization is careful to stay on the right side of the law.

-- Peter Overby

1:02 PM ET | 04-30-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Obama, Clinton Pick Up More Superdelegates

As we mentioned yesterday, Sen. Hillary Clinton picked up the endorsement of North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley. At the press conferenced announcing his support for Clinton, Easley immediately angered Philadelphia when he called popular film character Rocky Balboa a "pansy" compared to Clinton. (Yea, but could she go three rounds with Apollo Creed?)

But Sen. Barack Obama also had a good day with superdelegates. He picked up the endorsement of Kentucky Rep. Ben Chandler, and Montana farmer Richard Machaceck, who is also a member of the Democratic National Committee.

Clinton's superdelegate lead continues to shrink. Obama is now only 21 behind her 260-239. He already leads in pledged delegates, popular vote and states won.

4:23 PM ET | 04-29-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Former DOJ Official Pleads Guilty in Abramoff Case

Sometimes it's not what you know, it's who you know. And it worked in at least two ways for former Justice Department official Robert Coughlin II.

NPR's Peter Overby reports that Coughlin has admitted that he did favors for Jack Abramoff's lobby firm. He pleaded guilty to one count of conflict of interest in federal district court in Washington.

It was a short appearance. The proceeding only took 21 minutes. Coughlin made no statement. He just gave terse answers to questions by the judge.

Coughlin worked at the Justice Department, where he promoted the interests of Kevin Ring, a friend who was on Jack Abramoff's lobbying team. Ring took Coughlin to sports events, concerts, fancy meals and a golf course. The gifts were worth between 48 hundred and 62 hundred dollars.

(Interestingly, the government and defense disagree over the value of skybox seats for Redskins games.)

Coughlin has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. He is the third former Bush administration official to be snared in the probe. One GOP congressman has served prison time. Four others have been defeated or given up their seats.

Abramoff's Republican lobbying network collapsed in 2004, and he's now in prison.

But there's a twist to this tale ...

Now, the DOJ is hardly shy when it comes to prosecuting people involved in the Abramoff case. After all, they've been on this investigation since 2005 and they want us to remember. Typically they send out 2 press releases: one when the indictment or criminal information is filed, another when the defendant pleads.

But here's a case where DOJ said nothing. No press release. No release of the court documents. When DOJ public affairs was asked for the documents by reporters, they never replied to the requests.

There has been 13 prosecutions in the Abramoff probe. This is the only one that has been played in this way.

2:55 PM ET | 04-23-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Weekend Edition Sunday Announces New Political Blogs

Never a bad time to talk about new NPR political blogs.

Weekend Edition Sunday is launching a new feature, Sunday Soapbox. It's the Web companion to the show's political coverage.

Here is what Davar Ardalan, supervising senior producer, has to say about the blogs.

"We are fortunate to have 3 fantastic experienced bloggers from different persuasions on-board to send us blogs regularly - both text and audio and soon video. Mindy Finn served most recently as Director of eStrategy for Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, Faye Anderson is a citizen journalist and blogger and new media consultant. She shares news information and trends that resonate with African American voters, and Joshua Levy is a web strategist whose work explores the intersections of technology politics and activism. He is Associate Editor of Personal Democracy Forum and TechPresident, two websites that cover how technology is changing politics, and is a frequent commentator on the use of the web in the 2008 election."

There are two posts available now. Mindy talks about why Sen. John McCain has the momentum right now. (Her thoughts on how online media have changed the dynamic, and ensured McCain coverage during a peroid when he might expect nothing, are eye-opening.)

Josh looks at online trends versus offline polls. While polls can give you one measurement, new online tracking tools can give quite another. For instance: "Despite Clinton's slight lead in the polls in Pennsylvania, Obama's Yahoo Buzz score there is 78% to Hillary's 19%. This means that among online voters searching for a Democratic candidate, folks are looking for Obama by a measure of roughly 4 to 1 -- about the same as Compete's FaceTime findings."

Meanwhile, Faye is in Philadelphia and will be doing some blogging for Weekend Sunday in the days leading up to the April 22nd Pennsylvania poll.

Thoughtful stuff.

Davar says she plans to ask readers to send in questions when the show plans to interview prominent political figures. So let'em know what you think.

6:38 PM ET | 04-19-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Bloomberg: Next Year Will See An Adult in White House

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg definitely will not be invited to the ranch in Crawford, certainly not after his remarks about President Bush Thursday.

The New York Post reports that Bloomberg, former Democrat, former Republican and now Independent, was "hosting the city's most powerful executives at the Four Seasons for the annual distribution of the 'New York City Card,' a guide to the issues that top the mayor's agenda."

Bloomberg, and his friend California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, fielded questions on topics ranging from redistricting to free trade. During one of those discussions, Bloomberg quipped, "at least we'll have an adult in the White House next year."

Ouch.

Bloomberg himself still hasn't back a candidate yet. "I'm looking for a candidate who is willing to face reality and say we can't have everything."

10:21 AM ET | 04-18-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Sen. Specter Rediagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease

Sen. Arlen Specter has been diagnosed with a recurrence of Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymph system for which he was treated three years ago.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Specter said the recurrence "was detected during a routine scan of his chest and abdomen. A biopsy confirmed that the cancer had returned in a chest lymph node." Just last month he had talked about beating the disease while doing a tour for his new book, Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate." This time, his stage is considered IIIA, which is "significantly less advanced," according to the statement from Specter's office.

"I consider this just another bump on the road to a successful recovery from Hodgkin's, from which I've been symptom-free for three years," Specter said in the statement. "I've beaten some tough medical problems and tough political opponents and I expect to beat this, too."

Specter has had a history of health problems. In 1993 he underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumor, which recurred in 1996 and was successfully treated. He also had coronary bypass surgery in 1998.

10:50 AM ET | 04-16-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

House Lobbying Rules Leave Lots of Loopholes

The House ethics committee has written new rules for lawmakers who want to become lobbyists. There's been a recent spurt in the number of lawmakers leaving Capitol Hill for lobbying jobs.

House members who become lobbyists have to wait one year before they hit on their colleagues. A new law limits their other lobbying in the meantime.

Now the House ethics committee says those limits permit almost anything that's done "behind the scenes." That includes soliciting and advising clients.

The former lawmakers just can't let their names be openly associated with lobbying on Capitol Hill.

Even those new rules haven't kept up with the spinning of the revolving door.

Maryland Democratic Congressman Albert Wynn lost a primary in February. In March, he signed with a law firm that lobbies for 25 different corporations. But he won't make the move till June.

Nothing in the rules addresses Wynn's slow departure. But he promises to avoid conflicts

-- Peter Overby

10:58 AM ET | 04-10-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Sec. of State Rice: U.S. Has "Birth Defect" About Race

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that the United States still has trouble dealing with race because of a national "birth defect" that denied blacks the same opportunities as whites when the country was founded.

And Rice, while declining to comment on the current presidential campaign, said it was important for Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama to give his recent speech on race "for a whole lot of reasons."

"Black Americans were a founding population," she said. "Africans and Europeans came here and founded this country together -- Europeans by choice and Africans in chains. That's not a very pretty reality of our founding."

As a result, Miss Rice told editors and reporters at The Washington Times, "descendants of slaves did not get much of a head start, and I think you continue to see some of the effects of that. That particular birth defect makes it hard for us to confront it, hard for us to talk about it, and hard for us to realize that it has continuing relevance for who we are today," she said.

On the one hand, she told the Times, race in the U.S. "continues to have effects" on public discussions and "the deepest thoughts that people hold." On the other, "enormous progress" has been made, which allowed her to become the nation's chief diplomat.

"What I would like understood as a black American is that black Americans loved and had faith in this country even when this country didn't love and have faith in them -- and that's our legacy," she said.

10:20 AM ET | 03-28-2008 | permalink | comments (46) | e-mail post

Democrats Want To Close KBR Tax Loophole

Several Democratic lawmakers have decided that it's time for KBR Inc., the large U.S. contractor that provides many services to the U.S. military in Iraq (and that until last year was a unit of Halliburton Co.) to pay up.

On March 6th, the Boston Globe reported that KBR "skirted federal requirements to pay payroll taxes for Medicare and Social Security by setting up front companies" in the Cayman Islands.

More than 21,000 people working for KBR in Iraq - including about 10,500 Americans - are listed as employees of two companies that exist in a computer file on the fourth floor of a building on a palm-studded boulevard here in the Caribbean. Neither company has an office or phone number in the Cayman Islands.

The Defense Department has known since at least 2004 that KBR was avoiding taxes by declaring its American workers as employees of Cayman Islands shell companies, and officials said the move allowed KBR to perform the work more cheaply, saving Defense dollars. But the use of the loophole results in a significantly greater loss of revenue to the government as a whole, particularly to the Social Security and Medicare trust funds.

So The Swamp political blog reports that this news has lead Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John Kerry Thursday "to propose legislation that would prohibit companies like KBR from exploiting tax havens to avoid payroll taxes." Reps. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois and and Brad Ellsworth of Indiana are proposing the legislation, known as the Fair Share Act of 2008, in the House.

From the Democrats' press release on the proposed legislation:

"The reform will close the loophole that recently has allowed the defense contractor KBR Inc. to fleece the American taxpayer by almost $100 million a year. It was discovered that KBR has avoided paying its fair share of Social Security and Medicare taxes by creating shell companies in the Cayman Islands. The Fair Share Act of 2008 will end the practice of U.S. government contractors setting up sham companies in foreign jurisdictions to avoid payroll taxes."

4:00 PM ET | 03-13-2008 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

"Doctor Death" to Run For Congress in Michigan

Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian says he's running for Congress in Michigan.

The Oakland (MI) Press reports that Kevorkian (who will be 80 in May) picked up petitions from the Oakland County Clerk's Office on Tuesday to run as a candidate with no party affiliation.

"I plan to," Kevorkian said Tuesday afternoon. "I wouldn't do this otherwise. We need some honesty and sincerity instead of corrupt government in Washington."

Kevorkian, who spent eight years in prison on second-degree murder charges because of his work with assisted suicides, said he would have more news on his candidacy next week.

Oakland County Prosecutor Dave Gorcyca, whose office was responsible for sending Kevorkian to prison, dismissed Kevorkian decision to run.

"I would place Jack Kevorkian's candidacy in the same ranking with (Texas U.S. Rep.) Ron Paul's (presidential run)," Gorcyca said. "It's probably more of a publicity stunt. To call attention to himself is standard protocol for Jack when he doesn't have the limelight focused on him. I would not consider his candidacy to be a legitimate one."

Michigan law does not prevent Kevorkian from either voting or running for office once he is released from prison. He lives in the 9th Congressional District. The seat is held by eight-term Republican incumbent Rep. Joe Knollenberg.

A clerk in the Oakland County's election office said that no one was quite sure exactly which office Kevorkian was running for (he said most of the time the office doesn't know until the papers are actually filed) but most people assume it's for Congress. If so, Kevorkian will need a minimum of 3000 and a maximum of 6000 registered voters to sign his petition.

In 1998, Kevorkian's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, was the Democratic candidate for governor of Michigan and (to put it politely) got clobbered.

5:00 PM ET | 03-12-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Gov. Spitzer Says He Will Resign Effective Monday

Update: In a news conference this morning, New York Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer said he will resign his office, effective Monday.

"I'm deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me," he said in his resignation speech.

--------

The Associated Press is reporting that a top New York state official is saying that Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer has decided to resign, "completing a stunning fall from power after he was nationally disgraced by links to a high-priced prostitution ring."

Spitzer will hold a news conference at 11:30 this morning where he will announce his resignation, according to a second Spitzer official. Spitzer would be replaced by Lt. Gov. David Paterson, who will become New York's first black (and legally blind) governor. ABC News is reporting that transition talks are underway.

10:52 AM ET | 03-12-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Second Muslim Elected to Congress

Democrat Andre Carson -- who describes himself as an "orthodox, secular, universal Muslim" - won Tuesday's special election to succeed his grandmother, the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, and fill out the final 10 months of her term.

The IndyStar.com reports that Carson defeated Republican Jon Elrod 54-43 percent in the battle for Indiana's 7th District. But Carson's struggles are not over. The Star reports that he faces a tough fight in the May 6th Democratic primary, and then another campaign in the fall to become the full-time member for the district and "be more than a footnote to his grandmother's legacy."

Carson's faith was an issue for some during the campaign, the Star also reports.

"And although much has been made of his faith as a Muslim -- as well as the fact that controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan was among those who eulogized Carson's grandmother at her funeral -- Carson said his campaign had benefited from volunteers who crossed all age, racial, religious and social backgrounds."

Carson said in a recent interview that he is not a member of the Nation of Islam, not does he attend one of its mosques.

Elrod declined to concede Tuesday night's special election, saying he would wait until all the votes are counted. He also faces two Republican opponents on May 6th in his ongoing battle for become the first Republican to hold the district since 1975.

8:57 AM ET | 03-12-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

NPR Projects That Obama Wins Mississippi Primary

Based on early returns and exit polls, NPR projects Barack Obama will win the Democratic primary in Mississippi tonight.

8:28 PM ET | 03-11-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Source: Spitzer Was Initial Target of Investigation

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press Tuesday that the prostitution case involving New York Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer grew out of "a public corruption inquiry triggered by Spitzer's movement of cash to bank accounts operated by the call-girl ring."

"Speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, the official said that Spitzer was the initial target of the investigation, and that he was tracked using court-ordered wiretaps."

Spitzer was allegedly caught on a federal wiretap "arranging to meet in a Washington hotel room the night before Valentine's Day with a prostitute from a call-girl business known as the Emperor's Club V.I.P."

The New York Daily News reports that Spitzer used the name of friend and political donor George Fox when he signed into the Marriott Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in D.C.

NPR reports that Spitzer has hired the Manhattan law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison, one of the largest in the nation.

10:30 AM ET | 03-11-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer Linked to Prostitution Ring

The New York Times reports that New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer told his senior administration officials that he is linked to a prostitution ring, an official said.

The Times reports that "a person with knowledge of the governor's role said that the person believes the governor is one of the men identified as clients in court papers."

Spitzer is holding a news conference this afternoon to discuss the charges. More details as they emerge ...

Update: NPR reports that Spitzer apologized to his family and the public, but did not elaborate on the details of his involvement with the prostitution ring.

Spitzer says he "acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family" and says he has to spend time with his family. His wife stood at his side, her hands behind her back and her eyes cast downward, as he made the statement.

More: The Times is now reporting that Spitzer was caught on a federal wiretap "with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a person briefed on the federal investigation." The Web site of the escort service, which worked under the name of the Emperors Club VIP, says it is "temporarily unavailable due to high traffic." But there are examples of past home pages at the Internet archive known as the Wayback Machine.

More: New York Newsday have a report on the man who would replace Spitzer if he steps down, Lt. Gov. David Paterson. If Spitzer does step down - as many political experts believe he will - Paterson will become the eighth African-American governor and New York's first.

6:45 PM ET | 03-10-2008 | permalink | comments (50) | e-mail post

Pryor to Run Uncontested For Second Term

Let's see, there was something that Arkansas Republicans were supposed to do today ... hmm, what was it? Hold a fundraiser for Mike Huckabee? ... Nope, already did that ... hold a primary? ... ditto ... oh yea, make sure they had a candidate to run against Democratic Senator Mark Pryor in the fall... oh, shoot!

It seems Pryor will get to run uncontested this year. The Associated Press reports that "Tom Formicola, who lost a bid for a Congressional seat in 2006, decided not to run against Pryor after thinking about it further over the weekend and discussing it with his family. Republican Party Chairman Dennis Milligan says the party does not plan to have a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat."

Huckabee actually had the most interesting comment about the race. When asked in February if he would run for the Senate, he said "There's a greater chance that I would dye my hair green, cover my body with tattoos and go on a rock tour with Amy Winehouse."

4:04 PM ET | 03-10-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Democrat Captures Former GOP Speaker's Seat

Former Republican Speaker of the House Denny Hastert represented his Illinois district in Congress for 21 years. But Saturday what had been a longtime Republican district switched when it elected Democrat Bill Foster in a special election.

The Associated Press reports that Foster, a wealthy businessman and scientist, defeated Republican businessman Jim Oberweis by capturing 53 percent of the nearly 100,000 votes cast in the election.

Republicans were quick to downplay the election's significance for the fall general election.

"The one thing 2008 has shown is that one election in one state does not prove a trend," National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Karen Hanretty said in a statement.

But Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen predicted Foster's win would send out a "political shock wave."

"The message to Republican candidates is that John McCain's not going to be able to save you in this election," said Van Hollen, a Maryland congressman.

6:56 AM ET | 03- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Could GOP Lose Hastert's Illinois Seat?

An election to replace outgoing Representative (and former Republican Speaker of the House) Dennis Hastert is turning into a knock-em down, drag-em out battle between the GOP and Democrats in Illinois.

The national parties have each poured about $1.5 million into this contest in the last week alone.

As NPR's David Schaper reports the Democrats are pulling out the big guns, including airing ads by Sen. Barack Obama, to help their candidate, physicist Bill Foster. Traditionally, the district has voted for Republicans. The Democrats see a victory here as a real knock against the Bush presidency and a possible bellwether for the fall campaign.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Republican dairy magnate Jim Oberweis is having problems "selling himself to mostly Republican voters in this far west suburban congressional seat ..."

"There's a lot of Republicans who just don't like Jim Oberweis,'' said NIU political science professor Matthew Streb. "He's got more name recognition. He's got slightly more money, and the district leans Republican. There's no reason Jim Oberweis should lose, but there's a very legitimate chance he could lose this election."

Foster, the Sun-Times notes, has adopted an interesting approach to questions about what he would do as a freshman in Congress. "Not much," he admits, noting that new members don't have all that much clout.

Foster, who is new to politics, also runs a theatrical lighting company. Aside from Obama he has the backing of 21 Nobel Prize winners (who apparently love the idea of a scientist winning a seat in Congress). Oberweis chairs an asset management company and three mutual funds. The Sun-Times reports that he "is well-known to voters from controversial ads and statements he made in three previous races for governor and U.S. Senate. In 2001, he compared anti-abortion activists to members of the Taliban."

10:58 AM ET | 03- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Ron Paul, Kucinich Win Their Primaries

Ohio Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich and Texas Republican Representative Ron Paul both held off contenders last night to easily win their parties' primaries in their districts.

Morning Edition reports that the two presidential candidates (one who has ended his campaign and one who continues on despite the prize already being won by someone else) were supposed to be in a bit of trouble because they had spent so much time running for the Oval Office. But both men easily defeated challengers.

Top of the Ticket at the Los Angeles Times reports that "With about half the precincts counted (what's the rush--it's Texas) Paul was thumping Friendswood City Councilman Chris Peden by two-to-one."

Meanwhile, Dennis Kucinich was winning too; "The main competitor was City Councilor Joe Cimperman, who trailed Kucinich 52% to 33% in early returns, despite several endorsements by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The liberal Kucinich dropped out of the Democratic presidential race and, using his list of national donors, most of whom don't live in Cleveland on purpose, Kucinich raised a reported $700,000 to protect his congressional seat."

Paul faces an easier reelection bid in the fall, while Kucinich will face off against Republican state Rep. Jim Trakas.

10:30 AM ET | 03- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Ron Paul Starts to Spread His Donors List

He won't come close to winning the Republican presidential nomination, but Texas Rep. Ron Paul is using some of the money he raised during his bid to help candidates for other political offices who share his views.

Paul raised $32 million through the end of January, and as CQ Politics points out, he created a massive donors list. He's using that list to help candidates such as Murray Sabrin, a New Jersey Senate candidate, and his fellow representative Walter B. Jones in North Carolina who is also an ardent opponent of the war in Iraq.

Jones said he already has raised about $5,000 from Paul supporters, which is not an insubstantial figure in a relatively inexpensive market. Jones had raised $192,185 through the end of December, and his rival for the GOP nomination, Joe McLaughlin, had collected $78,278.

Paul says lending a hand to his friends is old hat but acknowledges it's a bigger hat these days.

"I've been helping people for a long time. Nothing new about it," he said during a brief interview in the Capitol on Tuesday. "The degree might be different but the principle's the same."

Paul's presidential spokesman, Jesse Benton, said the campaign is still working on idea of how to use its donor list to help candidates who run on a constitutionalist platform. "We put together a movement and that movement is going to continue," Benton said.

6:59 AM ET | 03- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Anchorage Mayor to Run Against Sen. Stevens

It's been a tough year for Alaska Republican Senator Ted Stevens. Last July, the FBI raided one of his homes as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation into ties between Alaska politicians and the oil services giant VECO. Stevens has refuted the charge.

The Anchorage Daily News has also reported that "The government is also investigating the extensive connections between Ted Stevens, his son Ben Stevens, who is a former Alaska Senate president, and Alaska and Seattle fishing companies, according to other subpoenas that have become public."

Now comes word that Stevens may face his toughest competitor in years in his 2008 contest to keep his seat in the Senate. Politico.com reports that "Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is expected to announce this afternoon that he'll be running against Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), setting up a political battle between an iconic figure in Alaska politics against one of the rising Democratic stars statewide."

Stevens faces self-funding businessman David Cuddy in the Republican primary, which will be held August 26. And Begich still has to win his party's nomination, where he is set to face former state Rep. Ray Metcalfe.

2:37 PM ET | 02-27-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

William F. Buckley Dead at 82

The New York Times website reports that leading conservative writer and commentator William F. Buckley has died at age 82.

More details as they come.

Update: The Corner at National Review Online, the web version of the magazine Buckley founded, is collecting readers' comments about Buckley.

More: Here is the YouTube version of the classic talking-duel from the Buckley versus Gore Vidal debate in 1968.

More: Here is an hour-long Charlie Rose show that features many clips of Buckley.

11:20 AM ET | 02-27-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Boxer: Evidence Proves EPA Chief Overruled Staff

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson is gonna have more 'splaining to do.

At least that the opinion of Sen. Barbara Boxer, the chair of the Senate's Committee on the Environment and Public Works. She released more evidence today that Johnson overruled the almost unanimous opinion of his staff not to block the efforts of California and 15 other states to combat greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.

As Talking Points Memo notes, the Johnson decision made the White House and the automobile industry happy.

Boxer says the evidence - which includes talking points prepared for a senior official in the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality for a meeting with Johnson - illustrates how opposed the senior staff was to his decision.

One of the talking points reads: "From what I have read and the people I have talked to, it is obvious to me that there is no legal or technical justification for denying this. The law is very specific about what you are allowed to consider, and even if you adopt the alternative interpretations that have been suggested by the automakers, you still wind up in the same place."

Another reads: "You have to find a way to get this done. If you cannot, you will face a pretty big personal decision about whether you are able to stay in the job under those circumstances. This is a choice only you can make, but I ask you to think about the history and the future of the agency in making it. If you are asked to deny this waiver, I fear the credibility of the agency that we both love will be irreparably damaged."

"These documents paint a picture of an Environmental Protection Agency in crisis," Boxer told a news conference. "They show the dedicated professional staff of the EPA working hard to do what they are paid to do by the American people - protect our health and our environment. At the same time, we see more and more evidence of Administrator Johnson ignoring the science and the facts, and discarding the advice of his professional staff."

Boxer said the decision would be overturned by the next administration, or the courts, but that Johnson "can save the taxpayers time and money, and can get us started cleaning up our air if he would simply follow the law, the facts, and the advice of his agency professionals."

4:54 PM ET | 02-26-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Attorney General to Website: Let's Be Buddies Again

A few month ago, the center-liberal website/blog TMPMuckraker.com ran an article about what it alleged were a series of "false statements DOJ spokesman Brian Roehrkasse had made during the course of the US Attorney scandal before being promoted to Director of the Office of Public Affairs at the end of last summer."

After the article appeared, TPMuckraker and its mothership, Talking Points Memo, suddenly found it was persona non grata with the DOJ and saw its supply of press releases from the department dry up. Josh Marshal says this sudden dry spell also started right around the time Mr. Roehrkasse got his new job as the head of the office that sends them out.

Marshall says that various explanation for the dry spell followed - "like an apparent budget shortfall or bandwidth dearth that made the costs of sending us their email press releases prohibitive."

Well, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and others took the matter up with the new Attorney General Michael Mukasey ... and he must have found a few extra dollars in the kitty because on Friday, the press releases once again began pouring into the TPM in-boxes.

Roehrkasse told The New York Times that the issue was whether TPM was a "credentialed" news organization.As Marshall writes in conclusion, " ... suffice it to say that we are no more 'credentialed' today than we were in October. So I'll let people draw their own conclusions."

What Marshall is too modest to mention is that his and TPM's reporting on the DOJ fired-attorney scandal last week won a George K. Polk Award for legal reporting.

4:00 PM ET | 02-25-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Why The Globe Didn't Run the Times' McCain Story

When The New York Times ran its much-criticized story (even the paper's own ombudsman attacked it in his column on Sunday) about Sen. John McCain and his relationship with a lobbyist named Vicki Iseman, one of the papers that didn't run the Times piece was The Boston Globe. Instead, the Globe went with an update on the story from The Washington Post.

Which was a bit unusual since the Globe is owned by the Times. When asked for a comment on why the Globe did this, editor Marty Baron said "no comment."

But according to an item in the Top of the Ticket blog in the Los Angeles Times political section, there was a reason. Andrew Malcolm wrote that a senior editor from the Globe contacted him with an interesting bit of information. While the Globe's website did contain a link to the original Times story, the Globe editor sent him another link - to a transcript of a chat with Walter V. Robinson, a Globe investigative reporter, Pulitzer Prize winner, editor and now a journalism professor at Northeastern University.

The chat is about a series of articles that Robinson wrote on Jan. 5, Jan. 7 and Jan. 9 in 2000 about McCain's connections to Paxson Communications (one of the firms represented by Iseman) and other special interests.

"Robinson found McCain traveling on corporate jets owned by special interests to give speeches against special interests within days of receiving political contributions from the special interests' executives. McCain and the executives denied any quid pro quo, and noted his actions were legal at the time."

Which, we can now understand [Malcolm writes], is a real reason behind the Globe not publishing the New York Times' "scoop." Because it wasn't news. The Boston paper, a Times subsidiary, had already exposed the same issues and people and denials regarding McCain in articles written by its own reporter fully eight years ago.

"What's it like," one of the online chatters asks the now retired reporter, "to be first on a story and then see some other outfit redo it and get huge national play?"

To which Robinson simply replies, "Imitation is the highest...etc."

2:00 PM ET | 02-25-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Bob Inglis Knows How to Get Down and Boggie!

OK, it's the age of the Internet video and all of the presidential campaigns have posted numerous made-for-the-'Net videos on video-sharing sites like YouTube. And many outside groups and supporters have created their own videos and musical numbers to celebrate their candidates.

But few of them can top incumbent Republican South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis for sheer get-down, flunky ... boogy-ness - in a sort of awkward, white-guy kind of way.

The Inglis for Congress Committee has put together a video that would make John Travolta ... give up dancing forever. Under the motto of "To first lead a nation, you must lead a line dance," the congressman for the "reliably conservative" District 4 House seat uses the video to invite folks to an event on Saturday March 8th. It's funny and self-deprecating and well, painful to watch in a "I have this recurring nightmare about high school dances in the 70s" kind of way.

But it's also a great example of how candidates can reach whole new audiences in new ways - especially younger audiences.

So get on your boogie shoes and watch the video!

(Hat tip to NPR's Robert Smith.)

12:17 PM ET | 02-25-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Report: Karl Rove Wanted Dirt on Alabama Gov.

A former campaign worker has told CBS's 60 Minutes that Karl Rove, President Bush's one-time top adviser, tried to get her to find evidence that former Alabama Gov. Don Siegleman was cheating on his wife. Jill Simpson has long alleged that Rove may have influenced the Justice Department when it sought charges against Siegleman, who is currently serving seven years.

Rove's attorney denied the charges.

The Justice Department has said there is no basis in Simpson's allegations about Rove interfering in the case, and that Siegleman was convicted by a jury. The Associated Press reports that the Justice prosecution of Siegleman "stemmed from his appointment of former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy to an influential hospital regulatory board in exchange for Scrushy arranging contributions to Siegleman's campaign for a state lottery."

But Democrats on Capitol Hill are looking into the case as part of a broader look at how the White House may have influenced cases at the Justice Department. Forty former Attorneys General have also called for a congressional investigation into the case.

10:10 AM ET | 02-22-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

House Proposes New Version of Farm Bill

House lawmakers proposed a new version of the farm bill in an effort to get it approved by the president. The White House has said that the original bill was full of "wasteful spending."

The Associated Press reports that House Agriculture Committee Chairman Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson, and Virginia Rep. Robert Goodlatte, the top Republican on the committee, are proposing stricter limits on subsidies paid to wealthy farmers and slashing extra spending for farm programs.

But it isn't going to be easy. Already several prominent senators from both parties have said they won't support the House bill. Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee (which also has jurisdiction over the bill), said the Peterson proposal wasn't going to fly.

(One of the programs that was scheduled for the cutting block in Peterson's new program was a $5 billion fund created by Baucus to subsidize farmers who have lost crops due to weather-related disasters.)

This had been a long-running show - the House passed its version of the bill in July of 2007 and the Senate in December. But the White House said it has too many "extras." The new version by Peterson would reduce extra spending for farm programs by $6 billion over ten years.

But Peterson and Senate Agricultural chairman sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa are playing tough as well. They've said if they can't reach an agreement by March 15, they "might bypass an extension of current law - it expires March 15 - and allow farm policy to revert to permanent statutes last updated in 1949" - which would end subsidies and programs for almost all sectors of the agricultural industry.

4:57 PM ET | 02-14-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

The "Toscanini" of the Telestrator

If you watch cable TV as the primary returns roll in on big voting nights -- and no, boss, I'm not advocating such a radical step when my worthy NPR colleagues are on the air during our special coverage -- it's worth taking a look over at CNN and watch an extraordinary marriage of insight and technology.

I often find the bells and whistles on election nights to be overdone and underwhelming -- a desperate attempt to distract you from the absence of substance. Still, all of the television networks have introduced new graphic looks -- and our high-amped friends at Wired Magazine have beaten us to the punch in describing it down to the last pixil.

But when CNN turns things over to chief national correspondent John King, the man becomes the Toscanini of the Telestrator. He stands before a giant screen and manipulates maps as though they were icons on a giant iPhone display -- highlighting then and shunting aside states -- burrowing down to the county level and then local level --- identifying and magnifying key districts -- even using satellite photos, in one case, to show how the economy of one part of Northern Virginia is dependent on the industry linked to one building: the Pentagon.

As I watched some of the returns earlier this evening, I felt I understood where and how Mike Huckabee's surprising levels of support were emerging in the Republican primary vote in Virginia. Technology that illuminated rather than distracted -- who would have thunk it?

-- David Folkenflik

10:16 PM ET | 02-12-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

No More Money for You!

Drastic times call for drastic actions, and BUILD PAC, the political action committee of the National Association of Home Builders, says it's cutting off contributions to congressional candidates — incumbents and challengers alike.

The reason is visible in almost any neighborhood: The housing market's on the skids. The essential number for home builders, new housing starts, fell 25 percent last year. It was like getting blasted back to 1980.

BUILD PAC's 160-member board said it took the move after watching Congress and the Bush administration fumble the problem for six months. They said the freeze will last "until further notice."

The freeze-out goes against a PAC's raison d'etre. Typically, they're scrutinizing the candidates like judges at the county fair, weighing which pol merits how much money. In fact, in 14 years working this beat for NPR, I can't remember another example.

And BUILD PAC is a serious player in Washington. In 2006, it ranked third in contributions, distributing $2.9 million. (Republicans got 73 percent.) This cycle, it had only given out $865,800 as of Dec. 31 (55 percent to Republicans). It had $1.4 million in the bank.

But unless the housing market comes zooming out of this dive and association members start making money again, BUILD PAC may have much less than usual in its kitty for candidates.

- Peter Overby

6:40 PM ET | 02-12-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Other Races to Watch

While the focus of today's "Potomac Primary" is naturally on the presidential races, Maryland also has two interesting congressional primaries to watch.

In Prince George's County, a Washington, D.C., suburb with a black majority, eight-term Democratic incumbent Albert Wynn is facing a second spirited challenge from Donna Edwards. She lost by just 3 percentage points in 2006 and is better funded this time around. Liberals have been unhappy with Wynn's initial support for the war in Iraq and his vote in favor of a bill tightening bankruptcy rules.

Over on the Eastern Shore (of the Chesapeake Bay, hon) nine-term Republican incumbent Wayne Gilchrest is facing a challenge from his right. Here, conservatives are unhappy that Gilchrest voted in favor of a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq and backed a resolution against the troop surge. He has also taken moderate stands on social issues. His opponents, two state senators, say they are the true Republicans in the race.

- Brian Naylor

6:10 PM ET | 02-12-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

People Are Not Happy With President, Congress

It's like a race to the bottom.

President Bush hit his lowest approval rating of his entire presidency, registering a lowly 30 percent in the most recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll. His support among his fellow Republicans also plummeted - just 61 percent gave Bush positive reviews and only 28 percent of them expressed strong approval.

Those surveyed were particularly unhappy with the president on issues like health care, energy and the environment, His approval rating on Iraq was 33 percent, unchanged since the last poll.

But he's not alone - the Democratic-controlled Congress did worse, getting only a 22 percent approval rating. As AP reports, "It's almost as if people can barely stand the thought of President Bush and Congress anymore."

The Congress is only four points from its lowest approval rating ever - 18 percent. That occurred in 1992 during a furor over lawmakers who bounced House bank checks.

8:01 AM ET | 02- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

In Other News...

In Illinois, all but overshadowed by the presidential primary featuring (adopted) favorite son Barack Obama versus favorite daughter Hillary Clinton, there are several contested congressional primaries today.

Two are in and around Chicago. In the 14th District, two Republicans are battling to win the GOP nomination to succeed former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who has resigned. In the 3rd District, incumbent Dan Lipinski is facing an unusual primary challenge from two Democrats.

Two Democrats are facing off to run against incumbent Republican Mark Kirk in the 10th District. And in the Peoria area, three Republicans are fighting for the nomination to succeed retiring Congressman Ray LaHood.

-- Brian Naylor

10:17 PM ET | 02- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

President Talks Tough, But Looks to Avoid a Fight on Earmarks

As the expression says, you can talk the talk, but you also have to walk the walk. And right now, some people are questioning whether President Bush, who has been talking tough about cutting back on earmarks, isn't just trying to pass off a confrontation over the issue to his successor.

Congressional "earmarks" are the pet-project spending items lawmakers love to attach to often totally unrelated pieces of legislation.

NPR's Peter Overby reports that the President's new budget proposal wants to cut earmarks in half, especially those that get tucked into Congressional reports. But President Bush seems to be pushing "the heavy lifting" off to the next president according to budget experts.

For instance, in his State of the Union address, he said he would instruct government offices to ignore all "future" earmarks not passed into law by Congress. The only problem is that he just signed a bill that contains 11,000 earmarks. And there is a good chance that, in an election year, bills and budgets talks will move very slowly since the Democrats control the House and the Senate, and may be willing to stall on legislation in order to see if a Democrat gets elected president in the fall.

Which means that while President Bush may like to sound tough about earmarks, there is a very good chance he'll never have to really deal with them again. That job will fall to man or possibly woman who takes is place.

11:53 AM ET | 02- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Proposed Budget Tops $3 Trillion for First Time

It's a lot of money. For the first time in history, a budget proposed by a president has topped the $3 trillion mark. The new budget proposed by President Bush this morning comes in at a whopping $3.1 trillion.

But outside of national security, most government departments get squeezed. The president also wants to find a way to save $196 billion over the next five years on Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor. But even with these savings, the deficit will soar - $410 billion in 2008 and $407 billion in 2009. President Bush already owns the record for the largest deficit ever in a 12-month period: $413 billion in 2004.

The Bush government is projecting a $48 billion surplus, however, by 2012. But that statement was met by much skepticism from many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

"They've obviously played an inordinate number of games to try to make it look better," Sen. Judd Gregg, the top Republican on the Budget Committee, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Let's face it. This budget is done with the understanding that nobody's going to be taking a long, hard look at it."

The Office of Management and Budget has the entire budget online. The president stopped passing out more than 3000 copies last year as a money saving measure. The Democrats joked it was because he ran out of red ink to print them with.

12:15 PM ET | 02- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Farmers Angry Bush Left Farm Bill Out of Speech

Let's see ... economy .. check. The success of the surge ... check. Renewing No Child Left Behind ... check. Nasty Iranian rulers ... check. Shot at Bill Clinton's remark about his willingness to pay more taxes ... check.

President Bush's checklist-like State of the Union speech covered a lot of important ground. But it seems like there was something missing, something really big ...

Oh yea, the farm bill.

No where in his speech did the president mention the multibillion-dollar measure now pending in Congress. In fact, he never mentioned "rural" once, and the only time he talked about agriculture was in the context of overseas producers. And as Politico reports, the U.S. agricultural community is not happy about being left out.

"Rural Americans are the genuine forgotten people, and you have just underscored that," William Greener, a longtime Republican political consultant who has focused on rural voting patterns, told Politico.

"As someone who has a passion for rural America, I certainly wish the president had given it more attention. And I would advise my fellow Republicans: to take any voter group, most especially rural Americans, for granted is at our own peril. It's not a good idea."

While the Bush administration may have stayed away from mentioning the expensive bill at a time when the president wants to reestablish credentials as a budget-hawk, it provides an opening for Democrats - for instance, as we mentioned yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama is campaign aggressively in normally red-state Kansas.

10:21 AM ET | 01-31-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Early Results Show Tight Democratic Race, McCain Victory

Early results from New Hampshire - about 11 percent of polls reporting - show a tight race between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. Currently Clinton has 38 percent and Obama has 36 percent. Former Sen. John Edwards is in third with 17 percent.

On the Republican side, NPR's political team has declared Sen. John McCain the winner of the New Hampshire primary. Currently he is leading former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, 37 percent to 28 percent. Mike Huckabee is third with 12 percent, then Rudy Giuliani with nine percent and Ron Paul with eight percent. Former Sen. Fred Thompson has one percent.

8:14 PM ET | 01- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post