• Rove told the grand jury that he may have learned of Valerie Plame from “Scooter” Libby; their conversation “was confined to information the two men heard from reporters.” [WP]
• Leahy and Specter complain Miers‘ answers on questionnaire are insufficient; they seek elaboration. Leahy: “[T]he comments I’ve heard ranged from incomplete to insulting. Certainly it was inadequate and did not give us enough to prepare for a hearing. We will need to have more.” [WP, LAT, NYT, WT, USAT]
• Libby “appears to be deeply enmeshed in the leak investigation.” [WSJ]
• Rice fields criticism about Iraq war from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; she refuses to offer a timeframe for troop withdrawal. Lugar (R-Ind.): “Permanent instability or civil war in Iraq could set back American interests in the Middle East for a generation — increasing anti-Americanism, multiplying the threats from tyrants and terrorists and reducing our credibility.” [WP, NYT]
• Chertoff admits to House panel that FEMA was “overwhelmed” by Katrina and pledges to “re-engineer” emergency preparedness. [WP, NYT, USAT]
• Judith Miller testifies in favor of national shield law for reporters and sources; Specter visited her in prison and recalled she could not explain why she was there. [NYT]

MORE »

• Bush defends selection of Miers: “I picked the best person I could find.” Brownback, Grassley remain skeptical; Hatch, Sessions are supportive. [WP, NYT, WT, LAT, USAT]
• White House and RNC campaign to convince conservatives that Miers is a wise pick; uncertainties about Miers mutes “rapid response” from advocacy groups. [WP, WSJ, USAT]
• Bush asks Congress to offset costs of hurricane relief with “substantial” cuts in entitlement programs; says there is need for new oil refineries. [WSJ, NYT]
• Bush implies he will use executive privilege to withhold Miers documents. [NYT]
• Miers reportedly told a former boyfriend that “life begins at conception” and abortion is “taking a life”; turned to faith and conservative causes in her mid-30s. [WP, NYT, WT]
• Bork: “I think [Bush] is just trying to avoid trouble — but the message comes through: Do not be controversial, do not express strong opinions that arouse opposition.” [LAT]

MORE »

• Bush addresses nation from New Orleans: “Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes — we will stay as long as it takes — to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives. And all who question the future of the Crescent City need to know: There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again.” [WP, NYT, WSJ]
• Some conservatives call for spending cuts to offset costs of Gulf Coast relief. [WSJ, NYT]
• “Bush’s objective last night was to set out a strategy and commitment for recovery along the Gulf Coast. But the critical question is whether the damage will limit his ability to govern effectively in the remaining 40 months of his presidency and whether he will be able to focus on, let alone win approval for, major initiatives other than Katrina and Iraq,” writes Dan Balz. [WP, USAT]
• Roberts displays “more open demeanor” during third day of confirmation hearings: “I’m not an ideologue.” [WP, NYT, WSJ, LAT, USAT]
• “Democrats were unable to bloody the nominee significantly. . . the fourth and final day of hearings into Roberts left the firm impression that senators were just going through the motions,” writes Dana Milbank. [WP]

MORE »

• White House is willing to open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve if needed in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. [WSJ, WP]
• Bush, in attempt to change topic from Iraq, again calls for overhaul of Social Security and says “there is more we can do” about border security. Bush on Social Security: “I’m going to keep working this issue.”[NYT, WP, USAT]
• Roberts argued for a permanent ban of racial quotas in the workplace and against school busing designed to integrate students. [WP]
• Roberts advised the Reagan administration not to expand policing powers to government agencies such as the Interior and Agriculture Departments; called “a classic conservative articulation of the individual’s right to be protected from state power.” [NYT]
• Leahy gives heads-up to Roberts: expect questions about the “Bybee memo” that defines the legality of torture. [NYT, LAT]
• White House official says Republicans have lost their advantage on education; No Child Left Behind is increasingly unpopular among both parties. [WSJ, LAT]

MORE »

The president took to the road today to jumpstart support for his stalled plan to overhaul Social Security. And to show the crowd at Atlanta’s Wesley Wood Senior Center his natural affinity for the golden-years set, he brought along his mom: MORE »