Diluvial Update

Posted by Andrew Zajac at 4:24 p.m. CST

The Supreme Court's landmark Hamdan decision was a big win for Northbrook native and 1987 Loyola Academy grad Neal Katyal, who argued the case in his first appearance before the high court.

Posted by Frank James at 2:00 pm CDT

Unfortunately for the Democrats, the torrential rain which inundated the nation’s capital this week ended in time to allow the playing of the 45th Annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game.

The Republicans stomped the Democrats 12 to 1 in the game played at RFK Stadium, home of the Washington Nationals. Whether or not this is an omen for the November elections who can say? But it looks like the Democrats need to work on their pitching and defense maybe even more than their political message.

On the mound was Illinois’s own Rep. John Shimkus who pitched the entire seven innings.

The loser according to a news brief on the Roll Call website was Rep. Joe Baca of California. Roll Call says it was the sixth consecutive win for Republicans. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

(Photos were provided by Rep. Shimkus's office.)

Posted by Frank James at 12:00 pm CDT

In an item I posted yesterday on the Supreme Court’s Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision, I said the decision would be, for congressional Republicans, an unintended gift that would keep on giving through the November election.

I said that because the decision would allow House Republicans to employ their strategy for re-election and holding onto power which is to portray themselves as far tougher and thus more effective in the war on terror than their Democratic collegues.

Posted by Mark Silva at 11:30 am CDT

Thirty years after the Supreme Court ruling that enabled states to reinstate the death penalty in the United States, about two-thirds of Americans still voice support for capital punishment for people convicted of murder.

While support is strong, it is not as strong as it was a decade ago. And many Americans are ready to accept life imprisonment as an alternative to death – when a life term is posed as an option in a murderer’s sentencing, support for death slips to 47 percent, with 48 percent supporting life. These are among the findings of a recent Gallup Poll, as the 30th anniversary of the July 2, 1976, ruling in Gregg v. Georgia nears. That ruling became a trigger for many states ready to resume capital punishment.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Friday, June 30, as compiled by the Associated Press.

President Bush is showing off a bit of Americana to visiting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, taking him to Elvis Presley's Graceland estate in Memphis. And Bush later in the day campaigns for Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine in Columbus.

June 30 - July 4. FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL — First session of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, focusing on life in the Canadian province of Alberta, evening concerts celebrating African American music from New Orleans, and basketweavers from a wide variety of geographical regions, others.
10:30 a.m. Opening ceremony, with Premier Ralph Klein of Alberta, members of Congress, others.
Location: Mall between 7th and 14th Sts.

Posted by Mark Silva at 4 pm CDT

President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush gave a present to the president’s buddy, the Elvis-loving prime minister of Japan: A jukebox.

But it’s difficult to rival the spread that the White House is laying out for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at an official dinner tonight. The menu includes Texas Kobe beef with cracked black pepper shitake mushroom jus. Bush, thanking the Japanese leader for starting to import U.S. beef after fears of also importing Mad Cow disease, told him in the East Room today: “I think the Japanese people are going to like the taste of U.S. beef.’’

Posted by Frank James at 2:27 pm CDT

In its decision handed down today in the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, in which the Supreme Court majority essentially said President Bush didn’t have the authority to use military tribunals to try accused terrorist detainees, it added that to abide by the law, Bush needed to go back to Congress to get that power.

After digesting the high court’s decision, Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), the Senate’s majority leader, indicated this afternoon that, if he has anything to do with it, Congress will speedily give the president that authority.

Posted by Mark Silva at 11:30 am CDT

WASHINGTON – President Bush, visibly troubled by the Supreme Court's repudiation of his handling of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, pledged today to "find a way forward'' with Congress on trials for many people whom the president maintains cannot be returned home.

"We will work with the Congress,'' said Bush, saying he takes the ruling "very seriously… I want to find a way forward.''

Posted by Mark Silva at 6 am CDT

Most Americans believe that the country is on the wrong track -- and nearly half say the nation's economy is "worse off'' today because of President Bush's economic policies -- according to the findings of a new Los Angeles Tiimes/Bloomberg poll.

And 61 percent of those surveyed believe that the president is responsible in some way for the high price of gasoline, according to the survey of 1,321 adults conducted June 24-27. (Just 20 percent of those surveyed call Bush entirely responsible for gas prices, while 41 percent say partially responsible.)

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Thursday, June 29, as compiled by the Associated Press.

President Bush meets with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi and later hosts an official White House dinner for him.

The Supreme Court is handing down more decisions.

The Commerce Department is releasing its revised first quarter report on the Gross Domestic Product at 8:30 a.m.

Posted by Mark Silva at 11:20 am CDT

Japanese and American flags are flying side-by-side from poles lining Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, a sign that President Bush will play host to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi this week.

And the White House announced today that the president will be the guest of German Chancellor Angela Merkel next week at her home state on the Baltic Sea, in a region of northeast Germany that once stood behind the Iron Curtain. Bush loves to celebrate the alliances that the United States has today with former adversaries - and as a sign of friendship plans to treat Koizumi to more than an official dinner at the White House on Thursday; Bush also plans to take the Japanese prime minister, who is a fan of Elvis Presley, on a tour of Graceland on Friday.

Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 7:37 a.m. CDT

Sen. Barack Obama is giving fellow Democrats a little religion today.

In a speech to be delivered this morning, the Illinois Democrat gently scolds liberals for being dismissive of religious Americans. It's time, he said, for Democrats to court evangelicals and to speak openly about their own religious beliefs.

"At best," he says, "we may try to avoid the conversation about religious values altogether, fearful of offending anyone and claiming that – regardless of our personal beliefs – constitutional principles tie our hands.

Gpood morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Wednesday, June 28, as compiled by the Associated Press.

The Supreme Court may hand down more decisions today as it nears the end of its annual session.

President Bush is campaigning in St. Louis for the re-election of Missouri Sen. Jim Talent.

The House Veterans Affairs Committee holds an oversight hearing on the recent security breach at the VA Department. 10:30 a.m.

Posted by Andrew Zajac at 3:44 p.m. CST

FBI Director Robert Mueller has filled a key vacancy, tapping Willie Hulon to be Executive Assistant Director for the bureau's National Security Branch. Simply put, he's the guy who's supposed to make sure the FBI shares information with CIA and the rest of the national security apparatus, something that hasn't always happened amongst the ferociously competitive and territorial intel agencies.

Posted by Christi Parsons at 3:15 pm CDT

It was a tight squeeze, but Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich managed during a visit to the nation's capital this week to fit in a brief meeting with members of the state's delegation in Congress.

The meeting took place over the lunch hour on Tuesday in the Capitol offices of Sen. Dick Durbin, who hosted several lawmakers for a chat with Blagojevich and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley about their federal agenda. After the meeting, Blagojevich dashed for the door, at first dodging a previously scheduled press conference with Durbin, Daley and other members of Congress who had taken part in the lunch discussion. But then he decided to drop in for the press conference -- after he got stuck talking to a gaggle of reporters in the hallway anyway.

Posted by Mark Silva at 10:20 am CDT

As senators open hearings this week on President Bush’s proliferation of “signing statements’’ – the many formal statements that Bush has issued expressing reservations about bills even as he signs them into law – the White House insists that the president isn’t breaking any of the laws he is signing.

“The president does not, and the adminsitration does not, refuse to carry out the laws that have been passed by Congress and signed into law by the president,’’ White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said today. This doesn’t mean the statements are “academic,’’ Snow noted, but it does mean they have “no teeth.’’ But, wait a minute -- they certainly signal agencies about how to carry out laws which the president has expressed reservations about, he acknowledged, adding: “That’s how the regulatory process works.’’

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Tuesday, June 27, as compiled by the Associated Press.

The Senate may vote today on whether to approve the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, which says in its entirety: "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." If the amendment wins a two-thirds vote in the Senate it would be sent to the 50 state legislatures, at least 38 of which would have to ratify it before it became part of the Constitution.

President Bush is speaking this morning on the line-tem veto he wants Congress to give him the right to use to stem federal spending.

Posted by Andrew Zajac at 5:45 p.m. CST

Like several other government buildings along Constitution Avenue, the Justice Department's main headquarters building, between Ninth and 10th streets, is closed today due to flooding from monsoon-like rains which have inundated the Washington area over the last three days.

Posted by David Lightman at 3:28 p.m. CDT

Andi Grant, a Rocky Hill, Ct., woman who began an effort to send care packages to Iraq troops in the basement of her home, was among 14 support groups honored today at the White House.

Grant, whose husband Brian was a Marine sargeant in Iraq, started painting Easter eggs to send to U.S. forces in 2003, when her husband was first deployed. Soon volunteers were helping, and Grant began sending care packages to troops. Today, her group, Give2TheTroops, has branches in eight states and sends thousands of boxes to troops fighting the war.

She almost missed her appointment with Bush, though.

Posted by Mark Silva at 11 am CDT and updated at 11:25 am CDT

The White House is soft-pedaling as "scenario-building'' reports that American military commanders in Iraq are starting to speak of scaling back American forces – with Gen. George Casey hinting at a draw-down of 7,000 troops in September and 28,000 by the end of next year.

"Gen. Casey is assigned the business of making a lot of plans, and this is one of the plans that's under consideration,'' said Tony Snow, White House press secretary, maintaining as the president has for months that the deployment of nearly 130,000 American troops in Iraq will be based by "conditions on the ground.''

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Monday, June 26, as compiled by the Associated Press.

Vice President Cheney is campaigning in Nebraska for congressional candidate Adrian Smith and later in the day for Minnesota congressional candidate Michele Bachmann.

The Supreme Court may hand down more decisions.

Posted by Mark Silva at 10:25 am CDT

As President Bush came face to face with a souring opinion of the United States as he traveled across Europe last week, my mind reeled to one of the face-to-face encounters that Bush had with his rival for the White House during the presidential campaign of 2000.

"If we're a humble nation, but strong, they'll welcome us,'' said Bush, when asked during a series of presidential campaign debates how he might project the United States around the world. And now, with more than 100,000 U.S. troops deployed across Iraq and Afghanistan, and with the Bush administration committed to maintaining military forces in Iraq until the new government can "stand up,'' I was reminded of these words that Bush voiced during the second of the 2000 campaign debates: "I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building. I think our troops ought to be used to fight and win war.''

Posted by Mark Silva at 9:06 am CDT

One of the flight attendants aboard the press charter that followed President Bush to Europe and back this week recalled the first presidential charter she had worked – following President Clinton on a two-week trip to Japan.

When Bush made his 15th trip to Europe this week, Air Force One lifted off from Andrews Air Force Base at 7:20 am EDT on Tuesday and returned to the air base at 8:10 pm EDT on Thursday – a voyage to Vienna and Budapest and back completed in less than 61 hours. Yet, if Bush doesn't share his predecessor's zeal for long-term foreign travel, Bush does long for something else that President Clinton possessed briefly – the line-item veto. The president plans to deliver a speech in Washington on Tuesday urging Congress to give him the line-item veto, and made the case in his weekly radio address today.

Guest posting by David Lightman at 8:00 pm CDT

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's first major presidential fundraiser took in about $1 million this week. The event at Washington's Phoenix Park Hotel was the first bid for presidential cash since the Connecticut Democrat said May 22 he was considering a run for the White House.

Dodd has made few public moves since saying May 22 he was considering a White House bid; he knows his biggest need is to come up with a campaign treasury that will be considered viable. In the insular world of early presidential politics, activists look to the money figures as evidence of credibility and support.

Posted by Frank James at 4:28 pm CDT

Members of Illinois’s congressional delegation whose districts include Chicago, and Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, have seized on the disclosure of the Sears Tower terror plot to ostensibly ask the Bush administration to better secure Chicago from terrorism.

But they also wanted to make a political point in this mid-term election year. The White House and congressional Republicans have repeatedly indicated that they plan to make the coming mid-term election a referendum on national security, the Republican argument being that they are strong and Democrats are weak on the issue.

Posted by William Neikirk at 4:03 pm CDT

I received a call from a reader today who questioned whether I should have described President Bush as a "weakened president" in my Chicago Tribune story today about the Senate's defeat of two Democratic amendments calling for troop withdrawals from Iraq.

"Why do you think that President Bush is a weak president?" he asked. "My wife and I think he is a strong president because he stands up for what he believes."

Posted by Frank James at 12:59 am CDT

Several major newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, our sister publication, reported on the Bush administration’s efforts at tracking terrorist finances by gathering vast amounts of personal banking information from across the international banking system.

The reports indicated that although the White House asked the newspapers to refrain from publishing the stories, when it became clear the newspapers indeed planned to publish, the administration made officials available to confirm details of the program.

Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 12:58 p.m. CDT

Vice President Dick Cheney touted the administration's economic policies during a speech today at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

He stopped by the Merc during a three-hour trip to Chicago, where he also headlined a fundraising luncheon for Republican congressional candidate David McSweeney, who is challenging Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.).

The 21-minute speech covered a watershed of economic issues, from taxes and spending to outsourcing and innovation to jobs and health care. No new proposals were unveiled in his address.

The speech, as transcribed by the White House, is after the jump.

Posted by Frank James at 11:50 am CDT

The indictment related to the arrests of seven men who allegedly plotted to commit terrorist acts like blowing up the Sears Tower in Chicago and buildings housing federal offices in the Miami area makes the group sound like al Qaeda wannabes who lacked the wherewithal to actually pull off the attacks of which they daydreamed.

Still, it would be a mistake to not take such people seriously. Obviously, all domestic terrorists, like Timothy McVeigh or Eric Rudolph, first start with an idea.

This is the point Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appeared to make when a reporter asked him the following question at a Justice Department press conference today.

Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 9:27 a.m. CDT

Democrats, at least when it comes to the Iraq war, hardly have been marching in lockstep. This week, a fierce debate in the Senate underscored deep divisions within the party over how, whether and when U.S. troops should be withdrawn.

This disagreement, if you believe Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), is a good thing.

"Although unity is important, it is not the most important value," Clinton said today. "I think it is a tribute to the Democratic Party at this point in time that we are honestly and openly struggling with a lot of the difficult issues facing the country."

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Friday, June 23, as compiled by the Associated Press.

President Bush is attending a kids' Tee-ball game on the White House lawn.

Vice President Cheney is in Chicago, speaking on the economy this morning at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and later campaigning for congressional candidate Dave McSweeney.

Posted by Frank James at 6:38 pm CDT

We reporters who covered the Senate immigration debate this spring clearly remember it as a bipartisan effort. Republican senators Arlen Specter, John McCain, Chuck Hagel, Mel Martinez and Sam Brownback and others in their party worked mightily with Democrats to negotiate a deal and all celebrated together when they succeeded.

In a bit of revisionist history, however, House Republicans have taken to calling the Senate bill the Kennedy bill or, in a variation, the Reid-Kennedy bill after Democratic senators Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate’s highest-ranking Democrat

Posted by David Lightman at 3:56 pm CDT

You win some in Congress, you lose some. And you win by losing 86-13.

So said Sens. John Kerry and Russell Feingold today, after their bid to require the president to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq by July, 2007, lost by that lopsided margin.

But don't count the loss as a loss, they said.

Posted by William Neikirk at 12:45 p.m. CDT

The nation's deep division over the Iraqi war showed up today as the Senate defeated two Democratic amendments calling for withdrawal of American troops. The votes also revealed differences between the two Illinois Democratic senators, Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, on setting a timetable for pulling
troops out of the war-ravaged country.

Senate Republicans rallied behind President Bush in beating back the two amendments, swallowing any misgivings they might have in the name of unity. Democrats, many of whom voted for the war, found themselves torn over the strategy of disengagement. By 86-13, the Senate killed an amendment by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) to set a July 1, 2007 date for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq. Durbin voted for this approach.

Posted by Cam Simpson at 12:40 pm CDT

We can't find any evidence in the official Department of Defense bio for Thomas Gimble, the principal deputy in the DoD's office of inspector general, that he was once a track star or a Golden Gloves champ. But Gimble made an impressive dash from a hearing room in the Rayburn House Office Building Wednesday after
successfully ducking a question from your trusty scribe.

As we reported in the Tribune today, Gimble is the author of a previously undisclosed memo, dated April 14, regarding some of the specific findings in the Tribune's award-winning series, "Pipeline to Peril."

Posted by Frank James at 7:20 am CDT

The Senate debated late into Wednesday night an amendment proposed by Sen. John Kerry (D-Ma.) that would call for the withdrawal next year of U.S. forces from Iraq.

What makes these debates fascinating to watch is the way senators manage to take the same set of facts and come to opposing conclusions. It's something lawyers do all the time though the stakes in a courtroom usually aren't as cosmic as those associated with war and peace.

Sen. John Warner (R-Va,) late in the evening raised the horrible deaths of the two captured soldiers from the Army's 101st Airborne and argued it would be a betrayal to such sacrifices to declare a date certain by which U.S. forces would be withdrawn.

Kerry, who for years has criticized the Bush administration's Iraq strategy as wrongheaded, used the discussion of the two soldiers' deaths to say his goal was to get U.S. military members out of harm's way since the current course appeared to only endanger them without a clear strategy for success.

William Neikirk has a story in today's Chicago Tribune about yesterday's Senate debate.

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:20 am CDT

BUDAPEST -- American and Hungarian flags fly together in this land once ruled by the Soviet Union, the standards draped from a cable crossing a wide boulevard in Budapest that leads to the Danube River.

(U.S. President Bush reviews the Hungarian honor guard at Sandor Palace in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, June 22, 2006. AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Bush is here to celebrate the 50th anniversary of an uprising that led to Hungary's release from Soviet control, at the expense of many Hungarian lives in a conflict that prompted many more to flee to the West. With a democratically elected government since 1990, Hungary has become a staunch American ally, supporting the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and joining the European Union.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Thursday, June 22, as compiled by the Associated Press.

President Bush is meeting with Hungarian officials before flying home to Washington.

The Supreme Court is meeting and likely to hand down more decisions as it heads toward the conclusion of its yearly term at the end of the month.

10 a.m. TEEN DRIVERS — The AAA Foundation holds a news conference to release new research showing safety measures that significantly lower death and injury crash rates for teen drivers.
Location: National Press Club.

The Senate Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee holds a hearing on the AT&T-Bell South merger. 3 p.m.

Posted by Mark Silva at 3:50 pm CDT

BUDAPEST -- This European shuttle diplomacy, with President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush flying from Vienna to Budapest this evening, takes a toll on the White House's standard bedtime.

The first lady, suggesting that the first couple lives "above the shop,'' noted today that the president's morning commute enables them to rise at 5:30 am Eastern time each morning and still enable Bush to get to the Oval Office by 7 am Eastern. This also requires an early bedtime, Laura Bush explained to students in a roundtable discussion at the Austrian National Library today, before the first couple departed for Budapest, where they are spending the night before returning to Washington late Thursday evening -- in time, perhaps, for a slightly delayed bedtime at the White House.

Posted by Frank James at 2:07 pm CDT

The Hill newspaper which covers Congress reported today that the peppery Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.,) currently serving as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said he won’t serve another term in that post because he wants to spend more time with his family.

The DCCC chairman has one purpose – to get more Democrats elected to the House. With Democrats hoping this is the year when they will regain control of the House, the pressure on Emanuel to raise money and recruit candidates has been enormous and the travel is near constant.

So it isn’t surprising that Emanuel would want to give someone else a chance in the pressure cooker.

Posted by William Neikirk at 12:48 pm CDT

The House is set to pass a line-item veto bill this week. On the whole, this action will receive great praise, and lawmakers will feel good that they have accomplished something.

Indeed, to hear many analysts speak, it is an accomplishment, but it is by no means the answer to our looming deficit problem. And there is the chance that, if used cynically and unwisely, the line-item veto will not be worth the paper it's written on, according to some of them.

Posted by Frank James at 12:16 pm CDT

A story of mine ran in today’s Chicago Tribune about a move by House Republicans that greatly lessens the chance that immigration-reform legislation will be passed this year.

House leaders are planning to hold a number of hearings this summer to examine in detail the immigration legislation the Senate approved in May.

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:20 am CDT

VIENNA -- The foreign minister of Austria, Ursula Plassnik, is tall and, uh, stately.

(President Bush and Austrian President Heinz Fischer shake hands with Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, left, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right during a photo-op at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria Wednesday, June 21, 2006. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In the magnificent Hofburg Palace, President Bush stood alongside Austrian President Heinz Fischer this morning, with the two presidents flanked by Plassnik and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "This is called thorns between two roses,'' Bush said.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Wednesday, June 21, as compiled by the Associated Press.

The National Transportation Safety Board is holding its second day of hearings on last year's runway overrun by a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 at Chicago Midway Airport.
Location: NTSB offices, 429 L’Enfant Plaza

President Bush is in Vienna, meeting with Austrian and EU officials.

The Educational Testing Service is releasing its results of a 6th annual nationwide survey of Americans’ views on key education issues. 11 a.m.

Posted by Mark Silva at 3:45 pm CDT

VIENNA – My driver's name is Wolfgang.

He has delivered me to my downtown hotel following a high-speed ride with President Bush's motorcade from Vienna Schwechat International Airport, where we landed just after 9 pm Vienna time, seven hours ahead of Chicago and with plenty of light left in the Northern sky. The streets were cleared, with sentries stationed every 50 yards and a helicopter escort overhead. But it wasn't the president's passing motorcade that enthralled people assembled at an outdoor café on a channel of the Danube. It was the soccer game between England and Sweden playing on a big-screen TV.

Posted by Frank James

As tragic as today’s news from Iraq of the discovery of the bodies of two missing U.S. soldiers kidnapped last week at a military checkpoint was, it wasn’t surprising. It was expected that in a land with a tradition of revenge killings, there would be payback for the U.S.’s killing of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Zarqawi’s group, al Qaeda in Iraq, is claiming responsibility for the killings which one Iraqi official described as “barbaric.” Indications are that the soldiers tortured and beheaded though to my knowledge U.S. military officials haven’t provided such details. In news reports, they appear to be coming from Iraqi sources.

Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 6:58 a.m. CDT

Before President Bush left Washington for a three-day swing through Europe, he helped raise $27 million for Republicans at the party's largest fundraiser of the year.

But by the time dinner was served at "The President's Dinner" on Monday evening,
the president was long gone. He appeared on stage, in fact, for less than 27 minutes.

In the world of Washington fundraisers, this is among the biggest of them all. More than 5,000 people took their seats at the Washington Convention Center, a cavernous room that is nearly the size of five football fields. The event is so large that images of Bush and other speakers were broadcast on five giant screens.

Posted by Mark Silva at 5:15 am CDT

BOARDING AIR FORCE ONE -- President Bush is taking off this morning for a three-day swing through two European capitals, with a goal of solidifying European support for U.S. demands that Iran suspend its enrichment of nuclear fuel and a celebration of Hungary's revolution.

In Vienna, Bush will meet with leaders of the European Union on Wednesday. He will underscore the importance of a united front in the pressure that the U.S., European allies, China and Russia are placing on Iran to suspend a long-concealed enrichment program that experts now believe is headed toward development of nuclear weapons. Iran denies such intentions, insisting that it is developing only a civilian nuclear power-generating program. The Bush administration is offering to open negotiations with Iran on a broad range of economic and culture exchanges, if Iran will suspend its enrichment.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Tuesday, June 20, as compiled by the Associated Press.

The National Transportation Safety Board is opening a two-day public hearing into the Dec. 2005 runway overrun by a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 at Chicago Midway Airport.
Location: NTSB offices, 429 L’Enfant Plaza

President Bush is departing for his European trip and meetings with the European Community.

Energy Information Administration chief Guy Caruso is releasing the International Energy Outlook 2006 with forecasts of world energy supply and demand through 2030.

The House Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee holds a hearing on consumer privacy in the commercial sector with Meg Whitman, President and CEO of eBay Inc.

Posted by Frank James at 4:15 pm CDT

Vice President Cheney was at the National Press Club today, on behalf of his former boss, President Gerald Ford, the namesake of journalism awards that were officially presented today.

Now, it’s no secret the relationship between the vice president and the press corps is fairly prickly. But there was an earlier, more innocent time when relations between Cheney and journalists were, yes, still prickly but with a lot more yucks.

Posted by Frank James at 2:17 pm CDT

What had been rumored for weeks was officially announced today--Naperville, Ill.'s very own, Robert Zoellick, is stepping down as Deputy Secretary of State.

Zoellick, who will be 53 next month, said on announcing his departure from government service today, with Secretary Condoleezza Rice at his side, that he will be joining Goldman Sachs, the investment banking firm. To this, all I can think to say is CHA-CHING!

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Monday, June 19, as collected by the Associated Press.

9 a.m. - 11 a.m. GERALD FORD-TRIBUTE — National Archives tribute to the former president with ``President Ford’s Washington and the World.’’
Location: McGowan Theater, National Archives.

2 p.m. JUDICIARY — The Senate Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship Subcommittee is holding a hearing on immigration enforcement in the workplace and lessons learned from the 1986 legislation. The witnesses are Stewart Baker, Department of Homeland Security; Julie Myers, Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Dept. of Homeland Security; Martin Gerry, Social Security Administration; Richard Stana, GAO; C. Stewart Verdery, former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security; Cecilia Munoz, National Council of La Raza.
Location: Room 226, Dirksen.

10 a.m. REAL ESTATE PRICING — Consumer Federation of America releases report on how the real estate brokerage industry functions as a price-setting cartel.
Location: National Press Club, 14th and F Sts. NW

7 p.m. PRESIDENT’S DINNER — The National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee hold the President’s Dinner.
Location: Washington Convention Center, Mt. Vernon Square.

Posted by David Lerman of The Daily Press in Newport News, Va., at 10:20 pm CDT

DES MOINES -- Over a burger at a hot and humid outdoor picnic here, Gary Warman was happy to size up the potential Republican candidates for president in 2008.

``I do like Newt,” said the retired Navy man, referring to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. ``Of all the people running, he’s probably my favorite because of all the ideas he’s bringing forth.”

Posted by Mark Silva at 9:06 am CDT

If landing on an aircraft carrier off the coast of California wasn't enough to get President Bush's blood flowing -- on that day, May, 1, 2003, when the president declared "mission accomplished'' in Iraq at the conclusion of major military operations -- flying into Baghdad this week certainly was exhilirating.

Bush, who took a position in the cockpit of Air Force One as it made a secret landing at Baghdad International Airport this week, spoke of his own experience in that surprise visit to Iraq and his hopes for the new Iraqi government with his weekly radio address today. His administration attempted to downplay the 2,500th death of American servicemen and women in Iraq this week, maintaining, as the president did again in today's radio address, that "our efforts in Iraq are well worth it.''

Posted by Frank James at 4:05 pm CDT

The race card was played very artfully Thursday night after House Democrats voted to kick Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) off the House Ways and Means Committee because of the ethical and legal cloud hanging over him.

It happened while Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, talked to the press after House Democrats’s vote against Jefferson. Because the decision to bounce Jefferson was made under no known rule, Watt could only imagine what some voters (read African American voters) might conclude.

Posted by Frank James at 12:24 pm CDT

Now that Rep. William “Cold Cash” Jefferson (D-La.) has been booted off the House Ways and Means Committee, does that mean it’s time to let the “culture of corruption” slogan roll, the theme Democrats hope to successfully attach to Republicans in November's mid-term elections?

Maybe, if voters thought that Democrats were inherently less corruptible than Republicans. But it’s likelier that voters have a more sophisticated view and see corruption as having more to do with power than party.

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:15 am CDT

In case you were wondering what a "Rodeo on the South Lawn'' is like – the congressional picnic that President Bush hosted at the White House last night – you've come to the right place.

It was after six on the East Coast, and a few haystacks were laid out on the South Lawn Thursday evening – like cowboy coffee tables – and this part is completely true; A countrified rock band comprised of congressmen performed a Sixties anthem that ought to resonate in D.C.: "You've Got to Change Your Evil Ways.''

Good Morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Friday, June 16, as compiled by the Associated Press.

The House continues its debate on the war in Iraq.

President Bush is attending political events in Washington state and New Mexico.

Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 3:45 p.m. CDT

It's picnic time at the White House.

Tonight is the annual Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn, a time for members of Congress who have spent the day sniping at one another - and President Bush -- to come together and break bread.

No, you're not invited. We're not either.

Posted by Mark Silva at 2:15 pm CDT and updated at 4 pm CDT

The American presidency may be the gift that keeps giving, but the gifts this president gets from other leaders go on and on – silver, gold, crystal, jewelry and volumes of literature as well as fine wine for a president who doesn't drink and a humidor for one who doesn't smoke.

But in the catalog of gifts that President Bush has collected from foreign leaders, one tome in particular may carry particular relevancy: A paperback copy of "`The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook,'' courtesy of the sultan of Brunei.

Posted by Mark Silva at 12:45 pm CDT

The White House today was asked for the president's reaction to news that the 2,500th member of the American military had died in Iraq.

"It's a number,'' said Tony Snow, the White House press secretary.

Posted by Frank James at 10:45 am CDT

Today the House is taking up a controversial resolution that essentially ties the Iraq War to the Global War on Terror.

As irony would have it, it comes on the same day that the Pentagon confirmed the U.S. military death toll has reached a new milestone—2,500 service members dead.

Posted by Mike Dorning at 10:05 am CDT.

The financial disclosure forms released by Congress on Wednesday revealed House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s participation in a lucrative land deal in the vicinity of a controversial proposed freeway which he helped fund through a $207 million earmark in federal transportation legislation.

The story, as reported in today’s Chicago Tribune, follows:

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Records reveal Hastert's hand in land deal
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Hastert spokesman Ron Bonjean rejected the notion that the land, located 5 1/2 miles from the proposed Prairie Parkway route, rose in value because of the highway project. The speaker long has been an aggressive proponent of the highway and helped secure more than $200 million in federal funding through an earmark in federal transportation legislation.

Posted by David Lightman of the Hartford Courant at 9:01 am CDT

Joe Lieberman's campaign is swinging back at Ned Lamont's boffo appearance in Washington by pointing out that it was, after all, in Washington.

Lamont spoke at the Take Back America conference Wednesday, his first appearance on a national stage, and wowed the crowd of 350 progressive activists.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Thursday, June 15, as compiled by the Associated Press.

President Bush speaks at the Initiative for Global Development’s 2006 National Summit.

The Supreme Court meets at 10 a.m. to hand down decisions, and in the afternoon for ceremonies in remembrance of the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist.


10:30 a.m. BIRD FOSSILS — A new discovery of bird-fossil specimens preserved in China’s Changma Basin will be announced a news conference. Research will be published in the Friday, 16 June issue of the journal SCIENCE. Speakers are: Jerald D. Harris, Dixie State College, St. George, Utah; Matthew C. Lamanna, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Hai-lu You, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing.
Location: AAAS headquarters, 12th and H Streets NW.

Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace attend ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of work on the Pentagon Memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. 1:30 p.m.

Posted by Frank James 6:08 pm CDT

Congressional Republicans have been spinning for a while the message that House Democrats are in disarray, unable to come up with an agenda and only able to obstruct Republican initiatives.

So Republicans had a field day when they learned that House Democrats had once again postponed the roll out of their grand agenda meant to give voters a reason to vote them into power come November.

Posted by Timothy M. Phelps of Newsday at 5:40 p.m. CDT

President George W. Bush was in a good mood after his surprise trip to Iraq, engaging as he is wont to do in a little repartee with reporters as he called on them yesterday during his news conference.

Posted by David Lightman at 4 pm CDT

Here’s how you know you've made it big in Washington political circles…

Ned Lamont, the Greenwich, Ct., businessman trying to win the Democratic Senate nomination from incumbent Joe Lieberman, appeared at the "Take Back America" convention today. It was Lamont's first appearance on a national stage, and he brought the crowd of about 350 people to their feet three times.

Posted by Mark Silva at 10:30 am CDT

President Bush, stressing the importance of success for the new government in Iraq, vowed today that opposition to the war at home and "American politics'' will not divert him from the mission.

"Don't bet on American politics forcing my hand, because it's not going to happen,'' Bush said at a Rose Garden press conference today, with the president visibly emboldened by his surprise visit to Baghdad. "It is worth it,'' Bush said of the war. "It is necessary, and we will succeed.

Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 10:22 a.m. CDT

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) took his turn this morning before a gathering of liberal activists on the final day of the progressive "Take Back America" conference.

Iraq, not surprisingly, was a topic that figured heavily into his speech. And while much of his address was devoted to a blistering critique of the Bush administration, he saved some of the blame for Democrats.

"I still cannot believe that Democrats helped facilitate this," Feingold said. "I didn't just write an op-ed on this. I didn't just decide it was a mistake. I just plain voted against it because I thought it was a terrible mistake."

Posted by Frank James at 10:10 am CDT

It's Flag Day and that can only mean one thing, congressional Republicans and Democrats are using the day as an opportunity to essentially say to each other "my patriotism is bigger than yours."

Anyway, here's what both sides had scheduled. First up this morning was an event featuring Senate Republicans and said to be sponsored by something called the Citizens Flag Alliance in what's known as Upper Senate Park, a few hundred yards from the U.S. Capitol.

Posted by David Lerman of The Daily Press in Newport News, Va., at 6:05 am CDT

Virginia Democrats nominated a Republican war hero from Ronald Reagan’s Pentagon Tuesday night in hopes of ousting conservative Republican Sen. George Allen this fall.

Former Navy Secretary and author James Webb won about 53 percent of the vote in a Democratic primary, beating former telecommunications lobbyist Harris Miller, according to preliminary returns.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Wednesday, June 14, as collected by the Associated Press.

President Bush is scheduled to meet with the President Alvaro Uribe Velez of Colombia in the morning and in the evening is hosting the annual congressional picnic on the South Lawn of the White House.

The House Energy Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is holding a hearing on NIH research policies regarding human tissue samples at 10 a.m.

Posted by Mark Silva at 3 pm CDT

During his reelection campaign, President Bush loved to tell audiences that the prime minister of Japan is an Elvis fan.

Now Bush is taking PM Junichiro Koizumi to Graceland.

Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 3:33 p.m. CDT

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is headed to K Street.

K Street Lounge, that is, not the world of lobbying.

These days, most members of Congress try to avoid venturing too close to K Street, the address in downtown Washington that is associated as being paved with lobbyists. Not so for the Illinois Democrat, at least tonight, when he is hosting an "Open Mic Night" fundraiser at the sleek nightclub.

Posted by William Neikirk at 12:35 CDT

President Bush certainly has a flair for the dramatic, making a surprise trip to Iraq to show his support for the new Iraqi government.

Even the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, didn't know that the president was going to show up until five minutes before Bush arrived. It would be hard to imagine that a foreign head of state would try to make such an unannounced visit to the White House on such short notice. Things like that just aren't done here.

Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 10:13 a.m. CDT

The challenges facing Democrats – and how they talk about the Iraq war – were on vivid display today during back-to-back speeches at a gathering of progressive activists.

The three-day convention, "Campaign for America's Future: Take back America," featured a united upbraiding of the Bush administration. But when the topic turned to Iraq, at least judging by the applause and the heckling, sentiments were far from unified.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), whose support for the Iraq war has put her at odds with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, conceded: "This is a difficult conversation." She said, though, that she did not agree with other Democrats who believe a timetable should be set to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.

Posted by Mark Silva at 9:11 am CDT and updated at 10 am CDT and 12:40 pm CDT

President Bush, intent on giving the new Iraqi government the boost it needs to succeed, made a surprise and tightly guarded overnight journey to Baghdad to conduct in person a meeting today that he had promised via teleconference with the new Iraqi prime minister and key Cabinet members.

And with an address to American troops on his way out of Baghdad, Bush voiced the same promise that he had delivered in a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that came as a surprise to even the Iraqi leader: That the U.S. will stand by the new government. "My message to the Iraqi people is this: Seize the moment,’’ said Bush, who planned this visit as a means of bolstering the newly seated Iraqi government, which the White House is intent on seeing succeed.

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:20 am CDT

Karl Rove, longtime chief political adviser to President Bush and mastermind of campaign strategies for the Republican Party, will not face any charges as a result of the leak of a CIA operative's identity, according to Rove's private attorney.

Although special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has refused to publicly comment about the ongoing leak investigation, Rove's attorney said early today that Fitzgerald had advised him Monday that he does not expect to seek charges against Rove.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Tuesday, June 13, as compiled by the Associated Press.

President Bush and his top security and military advisers wrap up their two-day conclave at Camp David on future Iraq operations.

10 a.m. OCEANS INITIATIVE — A National Ocean Policy Action Plan for Congress, ``From Sea to Shining Sea: Priorities for Ocean Policy Reform, developed at the request of a bipartisan group of 10 senators, will be released by Leon E. Panetta and William D. Ruckelshaus of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative.
Location: Room 138, Dirksen.

Posted by Frank James at 4:04 pm CDT

I was on a teleconference call with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) He wanted to talk to us reporters about an amendment he has introduced to the Defense Authorization bill that would require U.S. troops to be withdrawn by the end of the year.

I think I heard most of the substance of what Kerry said though I missed a few of his words here and there since every time a new reporter clicked onto the line, an automated voice would announce “Now attending” then give the name of the journalist joining in. Also, it sounded like Kerry, who said he had just deplaned, was on a cell phone and the signal occasionally suffered interference.

Posted by Mark Silva at 6:20 am CDT

With another sign of trouble for the Republican-run Congress in this year's midterm elections, the Gallup Poll's latest survey shows that voters are more inclined to vote for Democrats than Republicans for the U.S. House

The poll mirrors other surveys that have shown similar advantages for the "generic'' Democrat. The trick for the party, of course, is running actual candidates who live up to the generic support that voters say they are likely to offer the Democrats this year. But the foundation is strong: The Gallup survey of June 1-4 shows Democrats favoroed by 51 percent of all registered voters, Republicans favored by 42 percent.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Monday, June 12, as collected by the Associated Press.

President Bush is meeting at Camp David with key American and Iraqi governmental and military leaders today and Tuesday about future operations in Iraq.

10 a.m. The Supreme Court is meeting and may hand down more decisions as its yearly term nears the end.

Posted by Jeff Zeleny at 10:00 a.m. CDT

LAS VEGAS – Markos Moulitsas, in most respects, is the father of the liberal blogosphere. He founded Daily Kos – taking the title from last three letters of his first name – and has turned it into the most popular and influential political blog.

His eyes are fixed on revolutionizing the American political process through the power of the Internet.

Moulitsas, 34, was the star of the show at the first-annual blogging convention here, "YearlyKos: Uniting the Netroots." Nearly 1,000 bloggers were on hand, which he says is a testimony to the influence of this new movement.

Posted by Mark Silva at 9:06 am CDT

"Zarqawi is dead, but the difficult mission in Iraq continues,'' President Bush said in his weekly radio address today. Bush, who has retreated to Camp David for a long working weekend, is preparing for a summit of U.S. and Iraqi leaders there to chart "the way forward'' in Iraq.

The president's two-day Camp David summit -- with his key Cabinet members and national security advisers joined by teleconference with U.S. military leaders in Iraq on Monday, and his Cabinet meeting with Iraq's new Cabinet by teleconference on Tuesday -- is designed to take advantage of "a window "of opportunity for the success of the new government in Iraq, according to a senior administration official. "Everybody recognizes there is a window here in which it is important for them to show success," said Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president, in an article appearing today in the Chicago Tribune. The president's weekly radio address, and that article, can be read below.

Posted by Frank James at 12:34 pm CDT

One of the most powerful posts in Congress is Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the panel that decides how taxpayer dollars are spent.

Rep. Jerry Lewis, (R-Calif.) who holds that post, has come under the scrutiny of federal investigators now examining the links between lawmakers, their staffs, lobbyists and money.

Posted by William Neikirk at 11:07 am CDT

When you are chairman of the Federal Reserve, you have to be careful about your words. The wrong choice of words can adversely move markets. Just ask Ben Bernanke, who has been having a hard time these days getting the markets to understand what he is all about.

And so it came as a bit of surprise Friday when Bernanke, giving the commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, advised graduates that the path to success may not be well marked and "may instead be a road without signs or maps. And remember that is OK to fail--really. New opportunities will always arise for those who seek them."

Posted by Frank James at 10:40 am CDT

Like a lot of people I wondered, on seeing the death image of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, how his face was left so relatively unscathed after two 500-pound bombs dropped on the not-so-safe house he was in. Those are some pretty smart “smart bombs,” I thought, to be able to kill a terrorist but leave him very identifiable.

Today came official confirmation that not only was Zarqawi’s face recognizably intact, but that he actually survived the twin blasts, at least briefly.

Posted by Mark Silva at 7:50 am CDT

If the air seems electrified here, this is a Washington ballroom full of women stirred by the fact that there is at least one president in the house.

The president is Michelle Bachelet, newly elected leader of Chile and the second woman elected to lead a South American nation.

She arrives with a standing ovation and moves to the front and center dinner table, where Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D, N.Y.) greets Bachelet with a bow, hugs her and then steps backward to applaud Bachelet with a tight little clapping of hands held high before Clinton smiling eyes. As further proof that this truly is the presidential table tonight – with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg seated between Clinton and Bachelet – Geena Davis, the star of television's Commander in Chief and the Thelma in Thelma and Louise, sits here too.