Daily Briefing: The Big Chill

• Senate vote on immigration legislation is set for today; Karl Rove “got a cold reception” from Republican lawmakers. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Legal analysts say FBI raid on Rep. William Jefferson’s congressional office was probably legal; Reps. Hastert and Pelosi demand seized documents be returned. [WP, WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Cheney wanted to “get all the facts out,” according to Lewis Libby’s testimony; new filing indicates the vice president may be called to testify. [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Speaker Hastert is “in the mix” of the FBI’s investigation of congressional corruption, ABC News maintains despite denials from the Hill and the Justice Department. [ABC News]
• Database of immigrants will need more than $1B in upgrades; labor, big business, and civil-liberties advocates oppose the plan. [WP]
• Prosecutor says David Safavian, former procurement official, repeatedly “lied, concealed and misled” investigators about his dealings with Jack Abramoff. [WP, NYT]
• Loss of unity among Republicans is fueled by worries about the election. [W$J]
• Fiscal conservatives take on Republican leadership in attempt to reduce earmarks and pet projects. [NYT]

READ MORE: 2006, Campaigning, Democrats, Republicans, Robert Zoellick, condoleezza rice, david safavian, dennis hastert, dick cheney, fbi, george w. bush, house, immigration, jack abramoff, john mccain, karl rove, leak investigation, lewis libby, lobbying scandal, nancy pelosi, senate, william jefferson

Daily Briefing: Political Hot Potato

• House Republicans set vote on Dubai port deal for next week despite White House resistance. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio): “This has become a very hot political potato.” [WP, NYT]
• Military spending for Iraq and Afghanistan will reach $117.6b this fiscal year. [W$J]
• Harold Ickes, with George Soros, are sidestepping the DNC to create a massive nationwide voter list. Ickes: “The Republicans have developed a cadre of people who appreciate databases and know how to use them, and we are way behind the march.” [WP]
• Congress renews Patriot Act by vote of 280 to 138. [WP, NYT]
• Senate Select Committee on Intelligence rejects Democratic calls for inquiry of NSA eavesdropping; White House agrees to new oversight rules. [WP, NYT, W$J]
• The CIA is not interested in cooperating with the Libby investigation by providing classified documents. [WP, NYT]
• Sen. Clinton moves to tie up money and talent for ‘08 race. [NYT]
• Cato Institutes vents beef with Bush. [WP]
• Rep. DeLay wins Republican primary in Texas. [AP]

READ MORE: 2006, 2008, CIA, Campaigning, Democrats, Pentagon, Republicans, afghanistan, cato, congress, dubai, eavesdropping, george soros, george w. bush, harold ickes, hillary clinton, iraq, john boehner, lewis libby, military spending, nsa, patriot act, port deal, tom delay, war on terror

Daily Briefing: Let’s Go to the Tape

• Video shows Bush was warned about the potential for a levee breach, despite denials after the fact: “Was the president misinformed, misspoken or misleading?” [WP, USAT]
• Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco hesitantly told Bush that the levees were safe on the morning of Aug. 29th. [AP]
• U.S. and India announce deal for nuclear cooperation, for energy and weapons; “new plan would allow India enough fissile material for as many as 50 weapons a year.” [WP, NYT, W$J]
• Senate passes renewal of the Patriot Act by vote of 89 to 10. [NYT]
• 54% disapprove of Bush’s handling of the war on terrorism and 64% say the country is on the wrong track, according to LAT-Bloomberg poll; findings echo new Gallup poll. [LAT, Bloomberg, USAT]
• Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee,vows to stop Dubai port deal. [WP, W$J]

READ MORE: Pentagon, alberto gonzales, dubai, duncan hunter, ethics, george w. bush, homeland security, india, john mccain, kathleen blanco, katrina, leak investigation, lewis libby, mining, new orleans, nuclear weapons, patrick fitzgerald, patriot act, polls, port deal, randy cunningham, sec, senate

Daily Briefing: ‘Gosh, I Hope There’s War’

• Dubai firm delays port deal after Karl Rove floats the idea. Bush: “This wouldn’t be going forward if we were not certain that our ports would be secure.” [WP, NYT, W$J, LAT, WT]
• Chertoff only became aware of port deal after it was approved. [WT]
• Rove dismisses objections, saying lawmakers “are just picking up and reading something in the newspaper, hearing something on talk radio.” [WP]
• White House report on Katrina response avoids finger-pointing but recommends 11 key changes before the next hurricane season. [WP, NYT, USAT]
• Attorneys for Lewis Libby argue Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald lacks the legal authority to press charges. [WP, WT]
• Bush raises $1.6m for congressional candidates during visits to Indiana and Ohio. Bush: “I wish I wasn’t talking about war. No president ever says, ‘Gosh, I hope there’s war.’ For those of you who are young here, I want you to know what I’m leading to is how to keep the peace and do my job that you expect me to do, which is to prevent the enemy from attacking again.” [NYT, WT]
• Bob Dole’s involvement in port deal creates conflict for Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.). [WP]
• Vice president of the Service Employees International Union supports Bush’s guest worker plan. [NYT]

READ MORE: 2006, White House, bob dole, dubai, elizabeth dole, homeland security, immigration, indiana, karl rove, katrina, lewis libby, michael chertoff, ohio, patrick fitzgerald

Daily Briefing: Unprecedented GOP Revolt

• White House acknowledges that Bush was informed of the Dubai port deal from the media, after it was approved; Bush sounds “conciliatory” in the eye of an “unprecedented Republican revolt.” Some Republicans “have been looking for ways to distance themselves from Bush without appearing to be soft on terrorism.” Scott McClellan: “This is one where we probably should have consulted with or briefed Congress on sooner.” [WP, NYT, USAT, WT, LAT]
• Administration had secret deal with Dubai Ports World that stated the company would “cooperate with future U.S. investigations”; White House insists safeguards are in place though some “routine restrictions” were relaxed. [AP, W$J]
• Bush “is on the defensive on national security for the first time in his presidency.” [WT, USAT]
• South Dakota Senate passes abortion ban designed to challenge Roe. NARAL president: “When you see them have a ban that does not include exceptions for rape or incest or the health of the mother, you understand that elections do matter.” [WP, NYT]
• Attorneys for Lewis Libby will argue that he had no intention to lie, he was just preoccupied. [WP]

READ MORE: Democrats, Republicans, White House, abortion, dubai, dubai ports world, george w. bush, homeland security, india, katrina, lewis libby, military, ports, roe, senate, south dakota

Gossip Roundup: Playing Dumb

• Reliable Source:  Nude portrait is leaving the National Press Club bar… Donna Shalala, who makes $516,904 a year from the University of Miami, is trying to stop the unionization of its janitors. [WP]
• Under the Dome:  Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.): “Now I guess bright young boys are geeks and nerds, and pretty girls won’t date them. And really bright girls have to play dumb to get a date.”… The Congressional Club releases a new cookbook that includes a mint julep recipe by Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and a frozen margarita recipe by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.).  [The Hill]
• Inside the Beltway:  Hillary for President thong is now available. [WT]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown:  Lewis Libby’s defense fund has raised $2m. [NYDN]
• Liz Smith:  On “Meet the Press,” a toned-down Maureen Dowd made Mary Matalin’s “costume and maquillage all the more striking”… Alan Greenspan and Andrea Mitchell will stay in Washington. [NYP]

READ MORE: 2008, Personalities, alan greenspan, andrea mitchell, congressional club, donna shalala, hal rogers, hillary clinton, jon kyl, lewis libby, mary matalin, maureen dowd, meet the press, national press club, roscoe bartlett

Daily Briefing: Stating the Obvious

• House Republicans will issue 600-plus-page report on Wednesday that harshly criticizes all aspects of the government’s response to Katrina: “It was a failure of leadership. In this instance, blinding lack of situational awareness and disjointed decision making needlessly compounded and prolonged Katrina’s horror.” [WP, NYT]
• Cheney accidentally shoots companion during hunting trip in Texas. Mary Matalin: “He felt badly, obviously. On the other hand, he was not careless or incautious or violate any of the [rules]. He didn’t do anything he wasn’t supposed to do.” [WP, NYT, USAT, WT]
• Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Tom Daschle believe eavesdropping is necessary but doubt Bush has the legal authority. [WP, LAT]
• Dean says Cheney should resign if he was involved in the leaking of Valerie Plame’s identity. [NYT, WT]

READ MORE: 2006, 2008, Democrats, Republicans, bill frist, bruce bartlett, dick cheney, eavesdropping, estate tax, george w. bush, hillary clinton, house, howard dean, hunting, jane harman, katrina, leak investigation, lewis libby, mary matalin, nsa, tom daschle, valerie plame

Daily Briefing: The ‘Lull’ on the Homeland

• FEMA and the White House knew of levee failure earlier than previously disclosed; also, “officials knew long before the storm showed up on the radar that 100,000 people in New Orleans” had no exit strategy. [NYT, NYT]
• Former top CIA official accuses the administration of “cherry-picking” intelligence to justify war against Iraq and suppressing warnings about post-war conditions: “It has become clear that official intelligence was not relied on in making even the most significant national security decisions, that intelligence was misused publicly to justify decisions already made, that damaging ill will developed between [Bush] policymakers and intelligence officers, and that the intelligence community’s own work was politicized.” [WP]
• Lewis Libby says “supervisors” authorized leaks of classified documents about Iraq’s weapons programs. [NYT, W$J]
• Bush defends eavesdropping by citing foiled terror plot against Los Angeles: “We cannot let the fact that America hasn’t been attacked in four and a half years since September 11, 2001, lull us into the illusion that the threats to our nation have disappeared. They have not.” [WP, NYT, USAT, WT]
• Jack Abramoff says he met with Bush in “almost a dozen settings” over the last five years. [WP, NYT]
• Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) received about $68,000 from Abramoff’s firm; ties found between lobbyist and Reid’s staff. [WP]

READ MORE: CIA, White House, budget, cindy sheehan, conservatives, dianne feinstein, dick cheney, eavesdropping, fema, george w. bush, gulf coast, harry reid, homeland security, intelligence, iraq, jack abramoff, katrina, lewis libby, michael brown, new orleans, nsa

Daily Briefing: ‘Cry of Concern’

• House Republicans elect Ohio Rep. John Boehner as majority leader, signaling break from status quo. Boehner: “The members wanted to make a big decision, and they did… We must act swiftly to restore the trust between Congress and the American people.” [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT, WT, W$J]
• Election of Boehner heralds his comeback and shows a “cry of concern by an entrenched Republican majority”; Boehner “tapped into members’ election-year anxieties about the GOP’s scandal-scuffed leadership.” [WP, WP, NYT]
• Administration seeks $120b for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. [WP, NYT, USAT]
• Democrats attack Republican rhetoric at hearing on security threats; insist on more oversight. Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.V.): “I am deeply troubled by what I see as the administration’s continued effort to selectively release intelligence information that supports its policy or political agenda while withholding equally pertinent information that does not do that.” [WP, WP, NYT, USAT, WT]

READ MORE: 2006, Democrats, Republicans, White House, afghanistan, george w. bush, gulf coast, house, iraq, john boehner, john rockefeller, katrina, lewis libby, national security, senate, tax cuts

Daily Briefing: Nuanced and Unresolved

• Sens. Kerry and Kennedy may attempt to filibuster Alito; Dems Ben Nelson (Neb.), Robert Byrd (W.Va.), and Tim Johnson (S.D.) announce support of Alito’s confirmation. [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Bush distances himself from Jack Abramoff during news conference; offers defense of NSA eavesdropping and stance on Katrina inquiry. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT, WT]
• Admin has used “at least two separate rationales for why they did not ask for statutory authority” for NSA eavesdropping program. [WP]
• Public opinion of NSA eavesdropping is “nuanced and remains highly unresolved,” according to NYT-CBS poll; disapproval of Congress and the Republican Party are both high. 61% are concerned about losing civil liberties. [NYT]
• If tax cuts are allowed to expire in 2010, deficit will turn to surplus in 2012. [USAT]
• Lewis Libby’s lawyer asks Patrick Fitzgerald for documents “related to what journalists knew from any source” about Valerie Plame. [WP, NYT]

READ MORE: SCOTUS, ben nelson, eavesdropping, george w. bush, jack abramoff, joe lieberman, john kerry, john mccain, katrina, lewis libby, nsa, patrick fitzgerald, robert byrd, samuel alito, ted kennedy, tim johnson, tom coburn, top, valerie plame

Gossip Roundup: Novak Fights Back

• Reliable Source: Bob Novak receives scolding after a fight with a fellow first class passenger: “Some guy pushed me and I pushed him back.”… Signatures restaurant shuts its doors… Tom Friedman wins the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award with a cash prize of $52,000. [WP]
• Under the Dome: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) are growing beards for hunting season… Budget bill passes because of impromptu BBQ between Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) to Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.), two key lawmakers… Sens. McCain and Lott attend University of Mississippi football game together. [The Hill]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Lloyd Grove’s autographed copy of Lewis Libby’s novel auctions for $90. [NYDN]
• Rush & Molloy: John Kerry attends NASCAR race in Miami. [NYDN]
• Page Six: Jenna Bush spotted at Fat Baby store in New York looking “absolutely lovely.” [NYP]

READ MORE: Personalities, bob novak, jenna bush, john kerry, john mccain, lewis libby, lloyd grove, mike castle, paul ryan, sherwood boehlert, signatures, steve pearce, tom friedman, trent lott

Daily Briefing: ‘Exceedingly Well-Timed’

• Administration likely to get its way on the renewal of the Patriot Act. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Libby’s attorneys plan “to use Woodward’s testimony to try to show that Libby was not obsessed with unmasking Plame and to raise questions about the prosecutor’s full understanding of events.” [WP, WP, USAT]
• Revelation of Woodward’s knowledge of Plame extends life-span of the leak scandal. [NYT, USAT]
• Woodward’s “handling of the matter has now raised questions about his paper’s credibility and has roiled The Post’s newsroom.” [NYT]
• Alito’s 1985 memo fuels partisan fire. Schumer: “Anyone who thinks that this nomination is a foregone conclusion is sadly mistaken.” [NYT, WT]
• Cheney attacks critics of the Iraq war at a conservative gathering: “The president and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone, but we’re not going to sit back and let them rewrite history.” [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Administration strategy attacks Democrats critics and courts congressional Republicans. Nicolle Wallace: “Our strategy has to include hitting back… and calling them out for what are actually lies.” [USAT]

READ MORE: Democrats, Republicans, alaska, bill clinton, bill frist, bob woodward, congress, dick cheney, iraq, leak investigation, lewis libby, oil, patrick fitzgerald, patriot act, roy blunt, samuel alito, scots, tom delay, valerie plame, washington post