37: President Bush?s approval rating, tied for his lowest ever in an AP-Ipsos poll. The survey also found ?[m]ore and more people, particularly Republicans, ?question his character and no longer consider him a strong leader against terrorism.?
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O?Connor lashed out at conservative leaders ? like Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). O?Connor said right-wing verbal attacks on the courts threaten the American constitutional system.
A second Indian tribal chief represented by Jack Abramoff scored a ?White House lunch date and a meeting with the President? in 2001 just days after the tribe paid Grover Norquist?s Americans for Tax Reform $25,000 at Abramoff?s direction.
I like it, I love it? Actually, he?s sick and tired of it. Country singers Tim McGraw and wife Faith Hill blast Bush?s Katrina reconstruction efforts as ?embarrassing? and ?humiliating.?
DeLay, Northern Mariana Islands, 1997:
When one of my closest and dearest friends, Jack Abramoff, your most able representative in Washington, D.C., invited me to the islands, I wanted to see firsthand the free-market success and the progress and reform you have made.
DeLay, in a letter to his constituents, 2/6/06:
The reality is, Jack Abramoff and I were not close personal friends. I met with him only occasionally?
CNN, on DeLay?s reaction to the new Vanity Fair article, 3/9/06:
REPORTER: There is one powerful Washingtonian who is not disputing Abramoff?s accounts in the Vanity Fair article. Republican Congressman Tom Delay?s spokesman tells CNN he has no quarrel with anything in the piece which stated that the two were friends who would talk about philosophy, politics, and golf.
Santorum, 1/17/06:
QUESTION: Senator Santorum, you have been the Senate?s liaison for the so-called K Street projects. It?s been reported you hosted monthly meetings with lobbyists, the top lobbyists in town. What makes you the correct person to lead this charge to reform?
SANTORUM: Well, I don?t know what you mean by Senate liaison to the, quote, ?K Street Project.? I?m not aware of any Senate liaison job that I do for the K Street Project.
Today:
After saying in January that he would end his regular meetings with lobbyists, Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), the third-ranking GOP leader in the Senate, has continued to meet with many of the same lobbyists at the same time and on the same day of the week.
House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) ?has traveled on more exclusive golf outings, lobbyist-funded vacations and fundraising excursions to luxurious destinations than he has on return trips back to his Ohio district to visit constituents? over the last six years, a new report shows.
Lott Says Straw Poll is Rigged
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) said he believes the Southern Republican Leadership Conference?s straw poll is ??a rigged deal? and should not serve as a barometer to determine who might be the best candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008,? reports CNN.
Lott accused Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) of bussing people in to influence the outcome of the poll.
The Hotline notes Lott is backing Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
Warner's Ways
Save some time this weekend to read the Sunday New York Times Magazine cover story on former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) who is quickly becoming the favorite alternative to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in the 2008 Democratic presidential race. The piece spends a lot of time on Warner's appeal to rural voters and his focus on technology and the global economy, but in this partisan and increasingly divisive era what caught my eye was this:
"As governor, he was known for inviting his opponents over to the mansion for drinks and then inviting them back again, until he?d earned their trust. The less inclined you are to like Warner, the more inclined he is to court you, which probably explains his counterintuitive bond with Virginia?s rural, less-educated voters."
I spent 15 minutes on the phone with Warner earlier this week and what's striking is how genuinely likable he is. He comes across as a real person because he actually listens and engages you in a real conversation. Very few politicians have this quality. Though he's very wealthy, grew up in Connecticut and went to Harvard Law School, it will be difficult for Republicans to paint Warner as a cultural elitist because he connects with the average person.
The other thing that struck me was how important the new book by Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Saunders may be in understanding Warner's political strategy and philosophy. It's out later this month and should be on your reading list.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O?Connor lashed out at conservative leaders ? like Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). O?Connor said right-wing verbal attacks on the courts threaten the American constitutional system.
A second Indian tribal chief represented by Jack Abramoff scored a ?White House lunch date and a meeting with the President? in 2001 just days after the tribe paid Grover Norquist?s Americans for Tax Reform $25,000 at Abramoff?s direction.
I like it, I love it? Actually, he?s sick and tired of it. Country singers Tim McGraw and wife Faith Hill blast Bush?s Katrina reconstruction efforts as ?embarrassing? and ?humiliating.?
DeLay, Northern Mariana Islands, 1997:
When one of my closest and dearest friends, Jack Abramoff, your most able representative in Washington, D.C., invited me to the islands, I wanted to see firsthand the free-market success and the progress and reform you have made.
DeLay, in a letter to his constituents, 2/6/06:
The reality is, Jack Abramoff and I were not close personal friends. I met with him only occasionally?
CNN, on DeLay?s reaction to the new Vanity Fair article, 3/9/06:
REPORTER: There is one powerful Washingtonian who is not disputing Abramoff?s accounts in the Vanity Fair article. Republican Congressman Tom Delay?s spokesman tells CNN he has no quarrel with anything in the piece which stated that the two were friends who would talk about philosophy, politics, and golf.
Santorum, 1/17/06:
QUESTION: Senator Santorum, you have been the Senate?s liaison for the so-called K Street projects. It?s been reported you hosted monthly meetings with lobbyists, the top lobbyists in town. What makes you the correct person to lead this charge to reform?
SANTORUM: Well, I don?t know what you mean by Senate liaison to the, quote, ?K Street Project.? I?m not aware of any Senate liaison job that I do for the K Street Project.
Today:
After saying in January that he would end his regular meetings with lobbyists, Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), the third-ranking GOP leader in the Senate, has continued to meet with many of the same lobbyists at the same time and on the same day of the week.
House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) ?has traveled on more exclusive golf outings, lobbyist-funded vacations and fundraising excursions to luxurious destinations than he has on return trips back to his Ohio district to visit constituents? over the last six years, a new report shows.
Lott Says Straw Poll is Rigged
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) said he believes the Southern Republican Leadership Conference?s straw poll is ??a rigged deal? and should not serve as a barometer to determine who might be the best candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008,? reports CNN.
Lott accused Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) of bussing people in to influence the outcome of the poll.
The Hotline notes Lott is backing Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
Warner's Ways
Save some time this weekend to read the Sunday New York Times Magazine cover story on former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) who is quickly becoming the favorite alternative to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in the 2008 Democratic presidential race. The piece spends a lot of time on Warner's appeal to rural voters and his focus on technology and the global economy, but in this partisan and increasingly divisive era what caught my eye was this:
"As governor, he was known for inviting his opponents over to the mansion for drinks and then inviting them back again, until he?d earned their trust. The less inclined you are to like Warner, the more inclined he is to court you, which probably explains his counterintuitive bond with Virginia?s rural, less-educated voters."
I spent 15 minutes on the phone with Warner earlier this week and what's striking is how genuinely likable he is. He comes across as a real person because he actually listens and engages you in a real conversation. Very few politicians have this quality. Though he's very wealthy, grew up in Connecticut and went to Harvard Law School, it will be difficult for Republicans to paint Warner as a cultural elitist because he connects with the average person.
The other thing that struck me was how important the new book by Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Saunders may be in understanding Warner's political strategy and philosophy. It's out later this month and should be on your reading list.
