Daily Briefing: 'Confluence of Crises'
• Patrick Fitzgerald"has assembled evidence that suggestsCheney's long-standing tensions with the CIA contributed to the unmasking of operativeValerie Plame." [ WP ]
• MierstellsSchumer: "No one knows how I would rule on Roe v. Wade." The White House tries to focus on her qualifications. [ WP , NYT , LAT , USAT , WT ]
•Conservative "apparatus" built byRove"has splintered overMiersand broken free from its commander"; "rarely have they turned against a president so normally aligned with them on such a central, legacy-building priority." [ WP ]
•"Confluence of crises. . . has some critics asking whether [Andrew Card] needs to clean house or assert himself more forcefully. . . before [Bush] is downgraded permanently to lame duck status."David Frum: "The lesson of both Katrina andMiersis that the system of decision making in the White House no longer meets the needs of the president." [ NYT ]
• Bush's approval rating slips to 39% in Gallup Poll; only 29% approve of Congress. [ USAT ]
• DeLaycould have saved his position as majority leader if he accepted deal to plead guilty to a misdemeanor. [ WP , LAT , USAT ]
•Lobbying groups say they will delay big spending on Supreme Court fight until the start of hearings onMiers. [ USAT ]
•Lawmakers are ready "major confrontation" over budget. [ NYT ]
•Rep.Robert Ney(R-Ohio) is under investigation by Florida federal prosecutors for dealings withAbramoff. [ WP ]
•Leaked emails "show that the government's response plan, two years in the making, began breaking down even before Katrina hit the Gulf Coast." [ WP ]
• Miersexpressed devotion toBushin speeches: "ServingPresident BushandMrs. Bushis an impossible-to-describe privilege. . . My admiration [their] leadership has been reaffirmed on virtually a daily basis." [ LAT ]
•State officials decry shift of billions of dollars in Medicare costs from the federal government. [ NYT ]
•Republican commentatorBruce Bartlettdismissed by conservative group for being overly critical ofBush. [ NYT ]
•Emily's List turns 20. [ WP ]