Clinton heads for NH for a late-night presser

by Rick Pearson

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa—Acknowledging a tightening race in Iowa, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney challenged rival Mike Huckabee's fiscal record of raising taxes in Arkansas and supporting in-state tuition breaks for children of undocumented immigrants.

Romney, who has seen his longtime front-runner status in the nation's first caucus state challenged by the former Arkansas governor in recent weeks, also questioned whether rival Rudy Giuliani could defeat Hillary Clinton in a general election contest because the two were so "similar" on social issues.

Appearing at the Kirkwood Community College, Romney noted a record as Massachusetts governor of cutting taxes 19 times, though he acknowledged "not all of those were backbreaking lifts."

In this image from AP Television News, S.W.A.T. team members escort a hostage out of Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, N.H. Friday Nov. 30, 2007. (AP Photo/APTN)

by Jill Zuckman, updated at 6:39 pm

Update:

A mentally ill man released all of his hostages from the Clinton campaign office in Rochester, N.H. and police took him into custody this evening, ending a tense afternoon that brought out swarms of police, sharpshooters and media to the small seacoast town.

Leland Eisenberg, the Rochester man who entered the office with a bomb-like device strapped to his chest, had said he was having trouble getting mental health help and wanted to talk to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Two hostages inside the Clinton campaign office had released earlier in the day.

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Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign said it would release information when appropriate following a hostage situation in its Rochester, N.H. campaign office.

A man with a bomb strapped to his chest has taken two campaign workers hostage, according to WMUR-TV.

by Christi Parsons

Hillary Clinton's campaign released this statement about the hostage situation at their Rochester, N.H. headquarters:

"There is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, NH office. We are in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction. We will release additional details as appropriate."

An aide to Barack Obama says they have evacuated their campaign office just down the street.

By Jill Zuckman

Sen. Hillary Clinton is not leaving her home state of Illinois to its own senator, Barack Obama. She's been raising money in Chicago and has now formed a large and prominent group of citizens to serve on her Illinois Steering Committee.

Not surprisingly, Chicago City Alderman Daniel Solis, whose sister, Patti Solis Doyle, is Clinton's campaign manager, is on the list.

by Jim Tankersley

An armed man has apparently taken members of Hillary Clinton's campaign staff hostage in New Hampshire, news outlets and Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean have just reported.

The situation, at a Clinton campaign office in Rochester, N.H., has caused Clinton to cancel her appearance at the DNC fall meeting in Virginia this afternoon, Dean announced moments ago. He asked the hotel ballroom crowd, which largely consists of Clinton supporters for the afternoon session, to keep the campaign staff in their prayers.

Stay tuned to the Swamp for more details as they develop.

Update: The Clinton campaign has released this statement:

"There is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, NH office. We are in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction. We will release additional details as appropriate."

by Matthew Hay Brown, updated

A day after Rep. John P. Murtha said he thought the surge in Iraq was working – a comment on which Republican supporters of the war quickly seized – the House Democrats’ leading war critic is trying to get back on the party script.

Murtha’s acknowledgement to reporters Thursday that the surge had reduced violence in Iraq was an apparent reversal for the powerful chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee on defense. He had told CNN as recently as July that the it had not been successful, and called President Bush’s claims to the contrary “delusional.”

Today, he issued a “clarification.”

“The military surge has created a window of opportunity for the Iraqi government,” the Pennsylvania Democrat said. “Unfortunately, the sacrifice of our troops has not been met by the Iraqi government and they have failed to capitalize on the political and diplomatic steps that the surge was designed to provide.

“The fact remains that the war in Iraq cannot be won militarily, and that we must begin an orderly redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as practicable.”

The statement – not so different from recent comments by other Democratic leaders– illustrates the challenge now facing the party.

by Mark Silva

President Bush, citing Scriptures and his faith in religious volunteers to help wage the world fight against AIDS, hailed the work that $15 billion of U.S. aid has supported in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world.

"I call it a good start,'' said Bush -- who is calling for a doubling of U.S. aid for the world fight against AIDS. He delivered his appeal to Congress today from the Calvary United Methodist Church in Mt. Airy, Md.

"People here come from obviously different backgrounds and different denominations, yet they share this timeless calling to heal the sick and comfort the lonely,'' Bush said. "And their stories are incredibly inspirational and touching.

"I appreciate the fact that they live out their faith, just like hundreds of thousands of other people do who are involved with the HIV/AIDS crisis,'' he said. "And in so living out their faith, they better our world.

"World AIDS Day is both a day of sadness and a day of hope,'' he said. "We remember with sadness all those lost to AIDS. We mourn their lives cut short, their dreams of future denied. And we ask for God's blessing on the loved ones they have left behind. We also mark this day with hope -- for the improving prospects of those living with the virus, for the unprecedented number of infections being prevented, and for new progress toward eradicating this disease.

"Above all,'' he said, "we rededicate ourselves to a great purpose: We will turn the tide against HIV/AIDS -- once and for all.''

By Jim Tankersley

VIENNA, Va. - The first three candidates to hit the stage at the Democratic National Committee fall meeting pitched themselves as champions of American workers and jobs, and they promised to revamp American foreign policy to repair what they called the damage of the Bush Administration.

Bill Richardson, John Edwards and Barack Obama all gave modified versions of their standard stump speeches. None of them criticized a rival by name. But each of them argued strongly that he would give Democrats the best chance to win the White House next year.

Richardson, first up, stressed his experience as a diplomat and a governor, framed the election as a referendum on candidates' history of accomplishment and told his opponents, "I'll put my record up against any one of you."

He chided the Democratic field for not focusing enough on job-creation and bowed deeply to organized labor, pushing to support key union-backed legislation. Saying education and job creation go hand in hand, he vowed to scrap the No Child Left Behind federal education bill.

He also promised action on climate change, health care and foreign affairs - starting with pulling all American troops from Iraq. "Until we deal with Iraq," RIchardson said, "it will be nearly impossible to deal with anything else."

by Sabrina Fang

by Frank James

A Republican aide on Capitol Hill was nice enough to point reporters this morning to this poll report from Gallup's pollsters:

PRINCETON, NJ -- Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats or independents to rate their mental health as excellent, according to data from the last four November Gallup Health and Healthcare polls. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans report having excellent mental health, compared to 43% of independents and 38% of Democrats. This relationship between party identification and reports of excellent mental health persists even within categories of income, age, gender, church attendance, and education.

Here's a graph that runs with the Gallup report:

by Frank James

The narrative following the Republican presidential debate in St. Petersburg, Fla. has been that the greatest beneficiary of the debate was former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Here's one more piece of evidence supporting that storyline.

HCD Research and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion showed segments of the Wednesday night debate to 637 Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Using their MediaCurves technology, which is essentially the dial-testing of voter perceptions over the Internet, they found that Huckabee experienced the largest, post-debate bounce.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani remained the most popular of the candidates but the debate and its aftermath were clearly a case of Huckabee Rising.

By Jim Tankersley

VIENNA, Va. -- The Democratic National Committee is wrapping up its fall meeting today in the suburbs of Washington D.C. It's the last committee meeting before the Democratic National Convention in Denver next summer - and one of the last chances before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3 to see all the Democratic candidates for president speak in turn.

The speeches kicked off this morning with DNC chairman Howard Dean, who praised the Democratic field as a whole and slammed the Republican contenders.

Every Democratic candidate has a plan to get out of Iraq, Dean said -- and all of the leading GOP candidates want to continue the war. It's clear, he added, that a Democratic congress can't end the war. For that, he said, "we need a Democratic president."

After ripping the GOP on economics, health care and corruption, Dean said Democrats were well-positioned to capture a new, young generation of voters.

"We are the campaign that the under-30s think looks most like their generation," he said, noting the presence of a woman, an African American and a Latino candidate among the Democratic field. "We are the campaign that looks like America. And when the other side's candidates get up, they look like the 1950s."

"And when they talk," he added a moment later, "they sound like they're from the 1850s."

The Chicago Tribune today debuts Trail Guide, a weekly snapshot of the campaign. Tidbits follow.

WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN

Clinton No. 1 for black voters

Hillary Clinton has enjoyed an upbeat week. A poll of black voters gave her a more favorable rating than Barack Obama. She was endorsed by South Carolina ministers, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Amalgamated Transit Union. One possible negative: The revelation that a questioner at CNN's Republican debate was an unpaid Clinton adviser.

Giuliani faces a new security issue

Rudolph Giuliani came under criticism after the Politico Web site reported that, as New York mayor, he billed obscure city agencies for security expenses during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons. Giuliani denied wrongdoing.

Hawkeyes high on Huckabee

A Rasmussen Reports poll of likely Iowa caucusgoers showed Mike Huckabee ahead with 28 percent to 25 percent for Mitt Romney, a statistical tie within the poll's margin of error. Huckabee was endorsed by Jerry Falwell Jr., son of the late evangelist, and some commentators believe he won Wednesday's debate.

By Jim Tankersley

Consider, if you will, a deceptively political question: Three sharpshooters step outside at high noon. Each has a gun and a single bullet. Only one heads back to the ranch alive. So -- who shoots whom?

In game theory, the scenario is called a "truel," a duel with three participants. In politics, it's called "the 2008 Democratic primary."

by John McCormick

Sen. Barack Obama had eggs over easy and white toast, while the mayor had scrambled eggs and white toast.

But this was a different mayor from the one he normally meets with (Mayor Richard Daley). This mayor might even have more power. His name is Michael Bloomberg and he's the mayor of New York City and a potential presidential (or vice presidential) candidate.

Sources say the Illinois Democrat and current presidential candidate paid for this morning's breakfast.

The mayor’s staff reportedly reached out and offered a standing invitation for Obama to sit down with him and have coffee when he was next in town. Coffee turned into breakfast and a discussion about the economy, education, homeland security and global warming.

The two had previously met when the mayor testified before a Senate committee.

"They share the common theme of believing that there is too much game playing in Washington and not enough problem solving," Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said.

Obama appeared Thursday night at a fundraiser at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem.

by Mark Silva

President Bush will celebrate his administration’s commitment to the global fight against AIDS today at a church in Maryland – a symbolic setting for a program that places a lot of faith in the ability of faith-based organizations in Africa and other parts of the world to wage a battle against deadly diseases.

At the Calvary United Methodist Church in Mount Airy, Md., the president and First Lady Laura Bush – who traveled to Africa this year to showcase some of the administration’s work – will meet with members of local churches involved in the fight in AIDS-afflicted nations and faith-based organizations that are working in partnership with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR.)

Critics of the American campaign complain that it has placed too much emphasis on promoting abstinence and fidelity as ways of averting the spread of the HIV virus. Yet the Bush administration points to more than one billion condoms distributed since a program known as “ABC’’ – for Abstinence, Being Faithful and Condoms – since the president first proposed his global initiative in the 2003 State of the Union address.

While Congress has required that one-third of AIDS-prevention funding go toward the promotion of abstinence, prevention accounts for about one quarter of all the $15 billion that the U.S. has committed to the first five years of a program that includes testing for HIV and treatment of AIDS victims with antiretroviral drugs. Bush is asking Congress to double that commitment to $30 billion over the next five years.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today announced that it is supporting life-extending treatments for 1.4 million people living with AIDS and HIV – an 88 percent increase in the past year. The fund draws most of its money from the U.S. contribution.

The fund has delivered anti-TB drugs to 3.3 million and delivered 46 million insecticide-treated bed nets which serve in the prevention of the spread of malaria – that’s a 155 percent increase over last year’s distribution of 18 million nets.

by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting, or both, Washington-related stories.

The Bush Administration and some of the nation's largest banks are near an agreement that would temporarily freeze interest rates on some home-mortgage loans, a pact that could buoy both two million homeowners whose adjustable-rate loans are soon due to reset to higher rates, and the financial markets.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke was the latest central bank official to indicate that more interest cuts could be ahead as concerns grow that turmoil in the financial markets related to the subprime-mortage mess and resulting credit crunch could further harm the economy.

Iraq doesn't have a plan to reintegrate returning refugees into neighborhoods which is seen as essential if Iraq is to avoid renewed sectarian violence.

by John McCormick

Sen. Barack Obama has held his so-called Generation Obama fundraising events across the country. On Dec. 7, the day before he campaigns in Iowa with Oprah Winfery, he is bringing some top names to Chicago for one of the events, targeted toward young professionals.

Performing will be Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco) and Stephan Jenkins and Leo Kramer (of Third Eye Blind). The presidential candidate will also speak.

The event that Friday evening will be held at The Riviera Theater, with tickets starting at $35, sold in advance on the campaign's Web site.

By Jim Tankersley

Consider, if you will, a deceptively political question: Three sharpshooters step outside at high noon. Each has a gun and a single bullet. Only one heads back to the ranch alive. So -- who shoots whom?

In game theory, the scenario is called a "truel," a duel with three participants. In politics, it's called "the 2008 Democratic primary."

The shots are now flying furiously on the presidential campaign trail as the calendar shows five weeks to the Iowa caucuses. After months of relatively genial politicking, the candidates are in effect choosing their enemies -- deciding whom to strike and how hard.

To voters, all the charges and counter-charges can appear dizzying, if not random. Why is Mitt Romney suddenly criticizing Mike Huckabee and John McCain? Why aren't Barack Obama and John Edwards going after each other? When did Ron Paul become a target?

Game theory -- a branch of mathematics that examines the smartest choices for people in strategic situations -- can help explain who's blasting whom, and why. See the full story, including the breakdown of the Democratic "truel", in today's Tribune.

by Andrew Malcolm

Gee, maybe Americans are beginning to pay attention. Maybe.

The television ratings for last night's Republican debate in Florida show that 4.9 million folks watched -- 4.4 million on CNN itself and another 500,000 on CNN Headline News.

That makes it the highest rated primary debate in cable news history, surpassing the previous record-holder of only two weeks ago, the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, which drew 4 million. Reviews of the debates differ as shown here and here as eight people per party argue over what they thought they heard their opponents claim and attempt to draw divisive partisan distinctions foreign to the everyday lives of normal people.

But what seems to be happening is that the audiences have more than doubled since the early debates a few months ago. Candidates have become more practiced and argumentative. Media coverage has increased. The end of college football's regular season has left many passions pent up. And the start of balloting approaches almost as quickly as the shopping days left until Christmas dwindle.

It would be comforting to think that as American and other troops struggle in Iraq to bring stability sufficient for an infant democracy to maybe survive there, the folks living blithely back home were informing themselves on the choices they can make when the voting they've taken for granted all their lives occurs peacefully as scheduled this winter -- and most of us don't bother to participate.

But then we checked the population clock on the Census Bureau website. At last check tonight we had an American population of 303,486,444 542 748. Which means that slightly more than 98.4% of the country was not watching.

Andrew Malcolm writes for Top of the Ticket, the Los Angeles Times' political blog.

by Andrew Malcolm

Republican presidential candidates are trailing badly in the campaign fundraising race to win the White House.

But so far this year, and going largely unnoticed, is the fact that Republican governors are far out-raising their Democratic counterparts in the money race to control the state houses.

As members of the Republican Governors Association gathered at the St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point for their post-election conference this week, they can feel a measure of comfort, having won two of three races this year.

Led by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, the GOP group raised $12.3 million in the first half of 2007, compared with $5.4 million for the Democratic Governors Association. The GOP likely will need it, given that there are 22 Republican governors and 28 Democrats.

In 2008, there will be 11 gubernatorial races. Democrats expect four incumbents to defend their positions, and hold two others where Democrats are departing.

by Rick Pearson

DES MOINES — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards says he doesn't want to get involved in the "petty bickering" over expanding health care that has been at the forefront of high-profile battling between rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

But the former North Carolina senator also doesn't want Iowa caucusgoers to forget that he proposed his own universal health plan early in the campaign, that it mandates people obtain insurance, and that anything short of that—such as the Illinois senator's proposal—doesn't meet the "threshold requirement for health care reform in this country."

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of Iowa county officials at a downtown hotel, Edwards would not go as far as Clinton did the day before in accusing Obama of "betraying the Democratic Party's principles" with a plan that does not mandate that people obtain health insurance." Obama's campaign labeled Clinton's remarks "desperate."

But Edwards also noted that Clinton has failed to specify exactly how she would require people to get health insurance. Under his plan, Edwards said anyone who came in contact with the health-care or education system would be required to sign up for insurance.

"Sen. Clinton's plan, which came out in September, is very similar to mine that came out in February, but I have not seen any specifics about how her mandate would work or how she would enforce her mandate," Edwards said. "I've laid out exactly how my mandate would work and we have a way to make sure it's enforceable."

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Friday, November 30.

President Bush is making a statement on World AIDS Day in Mount Airy, Md.

The Human Rights Campaign and other groups are paying tribute on the National Mall to the 12,000 men and women mustered out of the military since the signing of the “Dont Ask, Dont Tell” law designed to keep acknowledged gays and lesbians out of the armed forces.

The Consumer Federation of America is holding its 20th Annual Financial Services Conference, with discussion of mortgages, 401(k) fees and student lending practices.

by John McCormick

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Armed with a large pair of garden sheers, Michelle Obama cut the blue ribbon this afternoon to open the 37th Iowa office for her husband's president campaign.

Amazingly, there were about 100 people there to observe the event, plus reporters from the Chicago Tribune, The Des Moines Register, The Associated Press and the Washington Post. And it wasn't even that slow of a news day in Iowa.

"We are feeling very good about this campaign," said the wife of Sen. Barack Obama. "He's going to be the best president we have seen for a long time."

Suburban mothers with their small children waiting in the cold for more than a half hour, as did other campaign supporters.

Michelle Obama told the gathering that their help would be needed to make phone calls, knock on doors and offer babysitting for others who want to attend the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. "We're going to need you working every day," she said.

The rather small office is in a suburban office park. But the location, as many other presidential campaigns have found this year, is more convenient for volunteers who live in the rapidly growing suburbs west of Des Moines.

Rudy Giuliani remains the favorite among voters of all parties included in a new study but Mike Huckabee's performance during Tuesday's debate has increased his support.

The study--conducted by HCD Research and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion--found that 637 voters who identified themselves as Republicans, Democrats or Independents would choose Giuliani as the Republican presidential nominee.

But after viewing Huckabee's responses to questions posed during the debate his support jumped among voters in all parties. The full results of the study can be found here.

By Bay Fang

A long-delayed fourth round of U.S. talks with Iran over security in Iraq is expected to take place soon, but Iran has not yet agreed on a date, according to U.S. officials. The Americans had been saying that the talks could begin as early as tomorrow.

The talks will be headed on the U.S. side by Marcie B. Ries, a former Ambassador to Albania who is now counselor for political-military affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Tehran had originally hoped for an ambassador-level meeting, according to a U.S. official, and has not yet announced who will be representing it at the talks.

by William Neikirk

Movie star Chuck Norris and his wife showed up at a Capitol Hill press conference with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee today to express his support for the Republican presidential contender.

Huckabee took most of the questions, but one reporter couldn't resist asking the action-film star about what he thought about the political scene in Washington and getting into politics. A twinkle came to Norris' eye.

He said he had been asked several times to run for office and had declined, using a stock answer: "Let's say I run for a position in politics and I am debating my opponent and my opponent starts attacking my character and I leap over the bench and choke him unconscious, it's not going to help my campaign."

by Frank James

The blogs are ablaze today over the Washington Post's front-page story over how Sen. Barack Obama's personal ties to Islam (his paternal grandfather was a Muslim as was his Indonesian stepfather) have been mischaracterized by his political enemies to falsely accuse the Democratic presidential candidate of being a Muslim. (He's a Christian who belongs to one of black Chicago's best-known churches.)

The piece by Perry Bacon Jr. is straightforward journalism. It reports the reality—that Obama is the subject of false charges regarding his religion—and that Obama himself hasn't been shy on the campaign trail about bringing up the fact that he lived in an Islamic country, Indonesia, for a while as a youth or his grandfather's religion.

Nevertheless, the Post and Bacon are being excoriated on liberal blogs like Digby's Hullabaloo and the Carpetbagger Report today for essentially reporting the truth.

By Jim Tankersley

As young Capitol Hill staffers are apt to do, Peter Roskam often showed up early for work in the mid-1980s. Often, he recalls, his boss was already in the office.

"You could smell cigar smoke," Roskam said today. "His door would be open and there he was, writing on a legal notepad with a felt-tip pen. A couple hours later, he’d be one of the clean-up speakers on the key foreign policy issue of the day.”

The boss was Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.). Roskam worked a year for him as a legislative assistant. Later, he would represent portions of Hyde's congressional district in the state senate. When Hyde retired, Roskam won the 2006 election to succeed him in the House. Today, following news of Hyde's death at age 83, Roskam reflected on his former boss with sadness and stories.

“There’s no replacing Henry Hyde," Roskam said. "I’m his successor, but I’m not his replacement.”

By Mark Silva

President Bush traveled to Prague this year to meet with political dissidents – and declared himself a “dissident’’ in the cause of freedom – to advance what the White House calls “the freedom agenda.’’

Steve Hadley, the president’s national security adviser, traveled across town last night – to the Washington campus of the Johns Hopkins Unversity Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies – to talk about that freedom agenda.

This comes on the heels of The Annapolis Conference, at which Israeli and Palestinian leaders – in the presence of many Arab leaders – pledged to begin negotiations aimed at producing a lasting peace in the Middle East. This, too, is part of the White House’s freedom agenda. Hadley contends that the opportunity for peace in the Middle East has something to do with President Bush’s commitment to confront terrorism in the region.

“Why do we believe that there is an opportunity to achieve a Middle East peace at this particular time?’’ Hadley asked. “Why is it important to seize that opportunity?... How did we get to this moment of opportunity? ‘’

“And finally,’’ he asked himself, “how is Annapolis linked to the president's broader agenda of promoting freedom in the Middle East and beyond?’’

This is his answer:

by Mark Silva, and updated

The White House today wants to talk about the war "by the numbers:''

-- Nearly 200,000 combat troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

-- 70 days of vacation taken by Congress since the president first sought additional war funding which he hasn't received yet.

-- About 100,000 civilian workers at bases across the country facing pre-Christmas furlough notices -- that is the threat, at least, if Congress does not come through with some more of the "supplemental'' war funding that the White House seeks from time to time.

That's the sort of shutting-down-the-Washington-Monument-talk that often comes at the height of budget disputes, says Norm Ornstein, a senior scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. And near year's end, Bush and Congress have reached a serious standoff.

Here's another number: The White House is looking for nearly $200 billion for the wars. The House has offered $50 billion, with timelines for troop withdrawals -- a non-starter at the White House, threatening another veto if the president gets another war-spending bill with strings.

by Frank James

The economic news today is definitely of the good news, really bad news variety.

First the good news. The Commerce Department revised upward the third quarter's economic growth, clocking it at 4.9 percent largely on the back of exports and inventory investments by companies. Thank the dollar's weakness relative to other major currencies for the export surge.

But here's the really bad news which the good news can't offset. Experts don't foresee such a strong economic expansion lasting into the fourth quarter, given the meltdown in the mortgage sector, which has in turn led to the credit industry to practically seize up.

To see a stark example of just how bad thing are in terms of the giving of credit, a major economic driver, check out the chart that ran with this New York Times story today about the credit crunch and its impact on businesses in need of money.

by Mark Silva

The holiday buffet table is opening at the White House -- yes, it's that time of year again when the White House throws open its doors to invited guests for a series of holiday parties unrivalled for their decorations and treats, including those Barney and Mizz Beazley cookies.

This year, the place is decorated in a theme honoring the national parks, inclluding that memorial in a field in Pennsylvania where passengers forced one of the four airliners hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, into the ground. Park Service Indian Head cookies also will be served.

More than 60,000 guests are expected.

Sally McDonough, press secretary for First Lady Laura Bush, says the theme is "Holiday in the National Parks.'' She says: "In the spirit of gratitude for our natural and historic treasures found from sea to shining sea, this year’s theme highlights America’s national parks.''

Holiday decorations include a model of North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, paintings of Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park and Utah’s Zion National Park, a reproduction of the Statue of Liberty National Memorial, and the Gingerbread White House featuring the Bush family pets along with "creatures found in our national parks.''

The official White House Christmas Tree (note: that's not a holiday tree) is an 18-foot Fraser fir from Mistletoe Meadows Christmas Tree Farm in Laurel Springs, N.C. It is adorned with ornaments representing the national parks.

The spread on the tables of the East Room and State Dining Room, as the first floor of the presidential mansion is opened to guests gathering to the strings and horns of the Marine Band -- plus a series of invited musical guests throughout the season:

by Mike Dorning

Barack Obama is on the cover of the new TIME Magazine and tells the magazine that, if elected, he would offer Bill Clnton a place in his Administration "in a second. There are few more talented people."

Al Gore would be offered a position “in a minute,” Obama said in an interview, adding the “country and world caught up to [Gore]” on the climate change issue.

The magazine cover asks "Barack Obama Has Promised to Change Politics. Has Politics Changed Him?"

“The truth is, for all his talk about inventing a new kind of politics, Obama has always understood that the old rulebook cannot be completely thrown out in a nomination fight—not if you want to win," TIME writes in the cover story.

by James Oliphant

It's a drama that still likely will never see its final act, but the confrontation between the Senate and the White House over last spring's U.S. attorney controversy is inching ever so forward.

Today, Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, declared that several current and former White House must comply with committee subpoenas to testify and that their reasons for failing to do so were insufficient.

“I have given the White House’s claims of executive privilege and immunity careful consideration,” Leahy wrote in a formal ruling on the subpoenas. “I hereby rule that those claims are not legally valid to excuse current and former White House employees from appearing, testifying and producing documents related to this investigation."

The late Rep. Henry Hyde, as chairman of the House Committee on International Relations, conferring with aide Daniel Freeman at an April 2002 hearing. (Chicago Tribune Photo by Pete Souza.)

by William Neikirk

Former Illinois congressman Henry Hyde, who led the impeachment effort against President Clinton and also sponsored a high-profile anti-abortion amendment, died today.

The news was confirmed by the office of House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ill.). Hyde, 83, had triple bypass surgery on his heart in July and has been in failing health.

He was a 32-year veteran of the House and was known for his soaring speeches and high intellect. But he was also a tough Republican partisan who rose to chair two key committees of the House, Judiciary and International Relations.

by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important or most interesting, or both, Washington-related stories.

Republican presidential hopefuls had often feisty exchanges in their CNN/You Tube debate in St. Petersburg, Fla. whose tension betrayed the high stakes of the meeting with the first casting of real votes just slightly over a month away.

The accelerating pace of the U.S. program to embrace Sunnis in Iraq has Iraq's Shiite-led government increasingly worried that the Americans are creating an empowered Sunni force that will threaten the government once the U.S. disengages from that country.

The Marine Corps's top general has proposed that Marines being pulled from Iraq be redeployed to Afghanistan where the Taliban and al Qaeda have been resurgent. But his proposal is meeting with Pentagon resistance.

The credit being provided by lenders to U.S. companies is tightening severely and at a rate not seen in decades, raising concerns of a possible recession.

(AP Photo/CNN)

by Mark Silva

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- It turns out that the retired brigadier general who is "an openly gay man'' and who stood here last night to press the Republican candidates for president about their policies toward gays and lesbians in the military - and who declared that he wasn't satisfied with the answers -- also has served the campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton.

" Following the debate, CNN learned that retired Brigadier Gen. Keith Kerr served on Clinton's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender steering committee,'' the sponsors of the debate here said in a statement issued today. David Bohman, senior vice president and executive producer of the debate, added: "We regret this incident. CNN would not have used the general's question had we known that he was connected to any presidential candidate."

The sponsors had verified Kerr's military service and found that he had not contributed money to any of the presidential candidates. And Kerr, who said he has done no work for the Clinton campaign, said he is a member of the Log Cabin Republicans and was representing no one other than himself. Kerr said in an interview here this morning that he had allowed his name to be used on Clinton committees because she "is such a strong advocate'' for gay rights.

Yet the old general's question was germane to this presidential debate, and one of the candidates had some trouble with it.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (centrer) sparred with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (right) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the CNN/YouTube Republican presidential debate in St. Petersburg, Fla. Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

by Mark Silva

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For a presidential contest in which religion – and indeed the religious faith of at least one candidate – will play a certain role in the choices which many voters make, two questions loom large here: Is every word in the Bible true, and “what would Jesus do’’ about capital punishment.

For Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister who had a career in Christian broadcasting before election as governor of Arkansas – a "pro-life'' governor who has executed the death penalty – these questions set up a couple of quick hits over the fences in last night’s televised debate of the Republican candidates for president.

“Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office,’’ Huckabee said. “That's what Jesus would do.’’

But the ones who are running for the Republican nomination in 2008 confront a political fact: One in four of the potential voters in their primaries and caucuses this winter consider themselves Christian conservatives, though religion will play a greater role for some than for others. And in the campaign of Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts who is a Mormon, the choice which many Evangelical Christians make in Iowa, New Hampshire and beyond may have as much to with who he is as what he says.

“I believe in the Bible,’’ Romney declared here.

From St. Petersburg, Fla....

by Mark Silva in today's Chicago Tribune
video by Sabrina Fang

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-- In a sharp debate among the Republican candidates for president Wednesday – with rivals sparring over illegal immigration, taxes, abortion, guns and torture – the stakes of the looming January caucuses and primaries played out in dramatic color on the television screens of American voters.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the national front-runner among the GOP's hopefuls, traded jabs with Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, who apparently is running strongest in the initial contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Romney accused Giuliani of running "a sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants. Giuliani responded by accusing Romney of running a "sanctuary mansion" – employing illegal immigrants in his own home.

Interesting story from Newsday...

by Craig Gordon and Tom Brune

WASHINGTON - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's campaign scrambled last night to deflect a new report questioning whether Giuliani tried to cover up his extramarital affair with Judith Nathan in the Hamptons by hiding his security expenses in obscure city agencies.

The report on Politico.com throws new attention on Giuliani's messy personal life just five weeks before the first votes in Iowa - and could severely undercut his defense that his affair with future wife Nathan had no effect on his duties as mayor.

The report said tens of thousands of dollars in travel and security expenses for Giuliani were shifted into little-known city agencies from 1999 to 2001 - right at the time Giuliani reportedly was beginning an extramarital affair with Nathan, who had an apartment in Southampton.

Giuliani's police details bought gas and stayed at various East End hotels over those three summers, billing the city for stays at the Southampton Inn, the Village Latch Inn and the Atlantic Utopia Lifestyle Inn, according to travel records obtained by the Web site.

by Andrew Malcolm

Us grown adults tend to think of politics as, well, an adult game despite some of its participants' antics. Every once in a while we need a reminder that there's an entire demographic under the voting age of 18 that is watching this baffling election process very closely.

XM Satellite Radio's POTUS 08 channel 130 got that reminder yesterday. The new subscription channel is an ultimate fix for political junkies, all-politics all-the-time. Producer Joanna Welch was opening the mail this morning and came upon a unique letter that had some spiling errers but made a very valid point.

It was from Sophia McCrimmen, who turns out to be 8 years old and an avid politics and POTUS fan who lives in Mechanicsville, VA. "I love lisning to your shows!" she wrote. "I love politics so much! I just have one problem, you are underestimating the number of days until the election! You are forgeting that 2008 is a leap year!...Plese add one day too your total to acount for leap day. Keep up the good work.

"P.S. Can you mabie read this on the radio? That would be super cool!!!!

"P.P.S. If you have time. I don't want to mess you up."

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Thursday, November 29.

President Bush is meeting with President Elias Antonio Saca Gonzalez of El Salvador and also attending a Pentagon briefing.

British Conservative Party leader David Cameron is speaking at the Brookings Institution.

The Democratic National Committee is holding its fall meeting in nearby Tysons Corner, Va.

by Rick Pearson

ANKENY, Iowa—Intensifying the rhetoric over competing health-care expansion plans, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused rival Barack Obama of "betraying" Democratic principles Wednesday while he questioned whether she was more interested in scoring political points than in explaining her plans.

The attacks on each side reflected a deepening contentiousness between the two major Democratic contenders on the issue of providing universal health insurance, an issue that has consistently ranked among the top list of concerns of party voters.

Clinton has maintained her plan, which would mandate that people obtain insurance with the help of tax breaks and employer assistance, represents universal coverage while Obama's would leave millions uninsured.

But Obama has maintained that Clinton has failed to show how she would force Americans to get insurance. He has said his plan, which would mandate coverage only for children while offering various subsidies for adults, would make insurance more affordable for people to get.

They used to give away free copies of the evening Independent every day it rained here in St. Petersburg, Fla. The old paper is gone, but the storm clouds have gathered this evening over the bayfront Mahaffey Theater where the Republican candidates for president have come to debate in a two-hour show starting at 8 pm EST and sponsored by CNN and YouTube.

by Mark Silva

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- "Welcome to the Ron Paul debate,'' reads the banner strung across an expressway leading into downtown St. Petersburg, where the Republican candidates for president assembled this evening for a nationally televised debate run by CNN.

But this really is the Rudy Giuliani debate -- played out in a state where Republican voters are heavily leaning toward the former mayor of New York, who still must strive to hold his claim to national front-runner's status among his party's candidates. It's a claim that will be quickly challenged in Iowa, New Hampshire and other primary contests in January, with Giuliani looking forward to a 20--plus state sweep of primaries on Feb. 5 to repair whatever damage is done.

And this is the Mitt Romney debate -- as the former governor of Massachusetts strives to hold an early advantage that massive early campaigning and costly television advertising has earned him in Iowa and New Hampshire.

And this is the John McCain debate -- as the senator from Arizona attempts to make good on the story line of that McCain-is-rebounding-story. McCain, who forfeited Iowa in his first bid for the White House in 2000 and has relatively little support there today, counts on New Hampshire to rekindle his campaign, just as the state's voters boosted him in '00.

This also is the Mike Huckabee debate -- as the former governor of Arkansas and Baptist minister appeals to those social conservatives within his party who ask themselves if they really want a Giuliani, who supports abortion rights, or a Romney, who once supported abortion rights but now opposess abortion, or a McCain, whose time may have come and gone.

And, OK, it's also the Ron Paul debate -- as the only anti-war candidate in the crowd attempts to parlay the support he has found on the Internet into a respectable ground campaign in the early primary states. And it's the Tom Tancredo bar-the-borders-debate, and the Duncan Hunter, revive-the-military-industrial complex debate

It is, after all, the big debate of the night. So join us here in the Spin Room before, during and after the two-hour show starting at 8 pm EST to tell us whose debate it really was.

by Frank James

It's the holiday season, not necessarily the best time to be told that you're not going to get the pay raise you had hoped for.

But that's exactly what President Bush is telling federal workers as he gets very Scrooge-like, announcing a reduction in their expected pay raises, in some cases quite substantial, just in time for the holidays.

For workers who live in pricey metropolitan areas, like Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles or Chicago, the president is pretty much doing away with a cost-of-living adjustment meant to narrow the gap somewhat between what federal workers and private-sector workers earn in such areas.

In a letter the president sent congressional leaders, he essentially says federal workers must take one for the team, as it were, since giving them the raises they expected would hurt the nation's war on terror.

In a formulation Bush himself might appreciate, we must cut the bureaucrats' pay raises here, so we can fight the terrorists over there. You really can't make this stuff up.

Here's how the Associated Press reported the story:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush ordered Wednesday that federal workers living in more expensive regions of the country will get smaller pay raises than expected, citing what he called unacceptably high costs to the nation.

Current law provides that federal civilian workers will get a 2.5 percent across-the-board raise in January. That will not change under Bush's order.

by James Oliphant

NEW ORLEANS—The Big Easy isn't taking this one lying down.

This rebuilding city has its pro sports team back and is set to host the Sugar Bowl, the NCAA Championship Game and the NBA all-star game this winter. Hotels and tourist areas are operating at full speed. Getting around isn't a problem. The convention center has been upgraded.

So you might understand why some residents and local media are miffed that the city has been deemed unfit to host a presidential debate. And they believe that the Commission on Presidential Debates has yet to give the city a straight answer as to why.

Local columnist Jarvis DeBerry, of the Times-Picayune, wrote this week that the commission is "now discovering that New Orleans is not the woman who cries quietly into her napkin at the news of her rejection. To the contrary, she is the woman who demands to know what the hell's wrong with the person walking away."

To New Orleanians, it's isn't about prestige. It's about focusing the candidates – and the American public – on the status of the region more than two years after Hurricane Katrina hit and the levees failed. City councilman Arnie Fielkow told the New York Times that the city "has been through too much, and progressed too far, to be falsely disparaged on this national stage."

The proposal was organized by the advocacy group Women of the Storm, in cooperation with four local universities and was supported by seven presidential candidates, including former Sen. John Edwards, who launched his presidential bid here. Anne Milling, founder of Women of the Storm, called New Orleans the "clear moral choice" for hosting a debate.

U.S.S. Kitty Hawk is towed by tug boats on arrival at its home port in Yokosuka, Japan on Tuesday Nov. 27, 2007 after being refused a Hong Kong port call by the Chinese government. (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)

by Frank James, updated at 3:40 pm with White House response

The saying "Any port in a storm" may resonate with mariners and even landlubbers around the world but apparently they're not the ones calling the shots inside the Chinese government.

The U.S. Navy is apparently fighting mad with China because of a recent incident in which the Chinese prevented two U.S. naval ships seeking safe harbor from a Pacific storm from entering the port of Hong Kong.

As Los Angeles Times reporter Julian Barnes reports, this is a violation of maritime customs dating back centuries.

by Rick Pearson

DES MOINES—Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Biden says any talk that the U.S. troop surge in Iraq is working is "fantasy" since its goal was to lead to a fully functioning unity government in the war-torn country.

The Delaware senator, speaking to the Iowa State Association of Counties at a downtown hotel today, also joined his rival and Senate colleague, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, in calling for a massive investment in the nation's infrastructure—its roads, bridges and sewers—to make up for a longtime lack of upgrading public works.

Biden, the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said one key to helping counties and other municipal governments deal with federal mandates is to help free up some of the money now used to fund the Iraq War.

Amid reports that the U.S. military surge has helped to stabilize insurgent attacks in Baghdad and a recent Pew Research Center poll that found 48 percent of Americans now believe the U.S. military effort in Iraq is going well, up from 30 percent in February, Biden said, "This whole notion that the surge is working is fantasy.

by Chris Jones

Presidential candidate Barack Obama is finally going to see the hit Second City revue "Between Barack and a Hard Place." Or bits of it, at least.

The Obama for America campaign will host a fundraiser at the Wells Street comedy joint (5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7), featuring Obama himself.

The 90-minute event will feature a custom 15-minute show by the current cast of the mainstage revue. Most of the Obama material from the revue will be performed, including the "I am Barack Obama" sequence which pokes fun at the way Obama has become a malleable symbol of impossibly disparate liberal hopes and dreams. A maybe-gay Abraham Lincoln (who likes to call Obama "B.O.") is also slated for an appearance. Michelle Obama already saw the whole show at a public performance in July, as did Maya Soetoro-Ng of Honolulu (Sen. Barack Obama's half sister), and her husband, Konrad Ng. Most of Obama's staffers also checked it out over the summer.

If you want to join the Senator, live in Old Town, be ready to open your wallet. Tickets are $750 per person.

by Andrew Malcolm

Turns out, some Obama PAC money came from PACs.

Before he ostentatiously stopped taking money from political action committees to run for president, Sen. Barack Obama quietly took money from political action committees.

As a presidential candidate, Obama claims to be an outsider eager to shake up the Washington establishment by refusing to accept donations from political action committees and Washington lobbyists. This year, they're the bad guys.

But this wasn’t always the case.

Back in 2005 and 2006, Obama raised $123,283 from other political action committees and put them into a political action committee of his own. He called it Hopefund.

by Jim Tankersley

It's fair to say Jay Footlik has a unique background for a congressional candidate. He's a lawyer, a Middle East and renewable energy policy wonk and a former Clinton White House advisor. His father left his family when Jay was four, an experience Footlik recounted in his first campaign commercial in Illinois' 10th district, where he's running against business consultant Dan Seals in the Democratic primary for the right to challenge Rep. Mark Kirk.

Footlik is also a former child actor. His career features small parts in two 1980s movies. One was Iron Eagle with Louis Gossett Jr. The other, a Michael J. Fox classic, features prominently in Footlik's new campaign ad.

The ad, airing on cable starting today, mimics the opening credits of The Brady Bunch and includes several local Footlik volunteers talking about why they're switching from Seals -- who narrowly lost to Kirk in 2006 -- to Footlik this year.

“I voted for Dan last time, but Jay’s got the experience we need in Congress,” one says. “I think Jay is the one who can beat Mark Kirk,” another adds. Eventually, a smiling young woman appears.

“I loved him in Teen Wolf,” she says.

For the record, imdb.com says Footlik played "Student No. 1" in the 1985 teenager-discovers-he's-a-werewolf-and-uses-his-powers-for-basketball-domination flick. Footlik's campaign elaborates by saying he auditioned for a leading role but was apparently too tall -- the actors weren't supposed to be taller than Fox. As consolation, Footlik got a scene with Fox and a line of dialogue.

Seals, on the other hand, "fully admits that he cannot compete with Jay on his acting credentials," campaign manager Patrick Mogge said today. "But Dan's second grade daughter did a great Thanksgiving dance in her recent school play."

by Jim Tankersley

Pledges have become quite the rage in politics over the last decade or so -- Grover Norquist's no-tax-increase pledge most famously -- but usually it's candidates who sign them. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards turned the tables this morning, unveiling a web site that asks voters and caucus-goers to pledge their allegiance to candidates who don't take money from lobbyists or "special interest" political action committees.

The pledge, posted here, states its target as the "broken system in Washington that works for special interests and not us." But politically, its target would seem to be a single person: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who leads the Democratic presidential field in national polls.

Clinton, Edwards' campaign notes frequently, accepts lobbyist and PAC money. Edwards never has. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the other leading Democratic presidential contender, accepted lobbyist and PAC donations in the past but hasn't this campaign.

The Edwards camp says signing the pledge wouldn't stop anyone from voting for Obama -- or for Clinton, if she announced she was no longer taking lobbyist dollars. Of course, the pledge can't actually stop anyone from voting for any candidate -- it's not written in blood -- but announcing it brings some obvious strategic benefits for Edwards.

by Mark Silva

Abortion plays an unavoidable role in any Republican primary election, particularly elections like those coming this winter: In which Rudy Giuliani, the party’s front-running candidate for president, supports abortion rights for women.

Yet, as a measure of how pragmatic Republicans may be willing to be next year – looking for a White House winner who may not align with them on social issues that matter – Giuliani is running well among a traditionally conservative Republican constituency, Florida’s.

In preparation for tonight’s debate of the Republican candidates in St. Petersburg, Opinion Research Corp. interviewed 1,099 Floridians, including 300 who say they are likely to vote in the Sunshine State’s Jan. 29 primary election.

Only 19 percent of the likely Republican voters surveyed said they believe that abortion should be legal “under any circumstances, and 61 percent said it should be legal “under only certain circumstances.’’ Another 19 percent said it should be illegal always. Just 2 percent voiced no opinion.

And in this same Nov. 25-26 survey, 38 percent of the likely Republican primary voters voiced a preference for Giuliani. His closest rival in Florida: Former Gov. Mitt Romney, with 17 percent. Sen. John McCain draws just 11 percent.

Giuliani also supports gay rights – though stops short of endorsing gay marriage. Among the Republican voters surveyed in Florida, 77 percent said marriage between homosexuals should not be recognized as valid under the law, with the same rights as traditional marriage. Just 19 percent said it should be.

On the one matter which the former New York mayor has made his signature issue, Giuliani’s strength in the fourth-largest state is measured by this gauge: Far and away the majority of likely Republican voters in Florida – 53 percent – saying he would best handle terrorism as president. McCain drew just 19 percent on this score.

And on the question of which Republican stands the best chance of beating the Democratic nominee in 2008, Giuliani was a runaway favorite: 61 percent.

by Sabrina Fang

by Frank James

Political reporter Adam Nagourney has an interesting retrospective in today's New York Times on the race that never was, the widely anticipated but aborted Year 2000 contest for a Senate seat from New York between then First Lady Hillary Clinton and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The premise for the story is that, if the electoral stars align just right in Iowa, New Hampshire and a spate of states on Feb. 5, these two could face off in 2008 and political junkies will finally have the contest they were denied when Giuliani withdrew from the 2000 Senate race, mainly because he didn't have the fire in the belly to be in the Senate.

After being chief executive of a city of eight million souls, being one of 100 in a deliberative body didn't appeal to Giuliani, Nagorney makes clear. It sounds like Giuliani was, for the most part, just going through the motions, not even talking much about federal issues in a race for a federal office.

by Mark Silva

Ron Paul, that freedom-loving candidate for president, will take his support where he can find it -- including, it appears, from the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Nevada.

Paul, appearing on Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends this morning, was asked about his endorsement from Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch near Carson City, Nevada -- scene of one of the early caucuses.

Hof has reported being so impressed with Paul at a campaign stop in Reno that he has decided to raise money for him. Hof and two of his prostitutes, including a woman who goes by the name of Air Force Amy, also attended a Paul news conference. The women reported liking what they saw, but suggested they still want to shop around the rest of the field.

Jeff Greenspan, a spokesman for Paul, has said that the congressman from Texas does not personally condone prostitution, but doesn't think the federal government should regulate it.

Paul, who has run for president as a Libertarian and now is raising a lot of money as a maverick Republican, anti-war and also anti-abortion, had this to say about Hof's endorsement.

"“Now I don’t know much about him, but I don’t screen anyone who wants to send me money,'' he said on Fox today. "If they believe in freedom and want to endorse it and they want to give me money, what they do with their freedom is their business, but I don’t screen people.

"We got 37,000 donors in one day,'' said Paul, who has been raising big money on the Internet, "There’s no way I could find out what each individual believes in. As long as they endorse what I believe in, the Constitution and individual liberty, freedom means people have a choice with what to do with their lives and their money and what they want to do with their religious beliefs, but that doesn’t mean that if you believe in freedom you endorse what people do with their freedom”.''

by Craig Gordon

One of the occupational hazards of covering Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign is running into friends from New York City. The conversation is always the same.

"How can Giuliani be leading in the polls?" these New Yorkers sputter in disbelief. "Don’t they know what he’s really like?"

That’s often followed by a detailed critique. One recalled how Giuliani had berated a well-regarded schools chancellor, Ramon Cortines, who ultimately quit. Another noted that the cleanup of Times Square meant it was wholesome enough for – gasp -- a Disney store.
Manhattanites like to think of themselves as living in the cultural and financial center of the universe, but many have a blind spot as big as the Empire State building when it comes to their so-famous-he-only-needs-one-name ex-mayor.

They think of him as the combative my-way-or-the-highway leader who took on porno shops and bus placards that gently criticized him with equal vigor, turned his cops loose on petty offenses and tried to sanitize and suburbanize a great American city.

But what they often don’t realize is that some of the same traits that bothered them about Giuliani in the waning years of his time in City Hall are some of the very things that many Republicans like. And it’s not just 9/11, though that helps – making him a man many Republicans see as hard-nosed on crime, welfare AND terrorists in equal measure.

by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting, or both, Washington-related stories.

Israel and Palestinian leaders agreed to hold peace talks in the coming year in an attempt to reach a comprehensive settlement next year but large challenges lay ahead as it was expected that extremists on both sides would try to derail any progress.

While it didn't attend the meeting, Iran's growing importance in the Middle East, and the Islamic radicals it supports, was a major concern for Israel and the Arab state participants in Annapolis.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf officially relinquished his post as military chief but retained ultimate power in the nation as its civilian head of government.

by Don Frederick

Ron Paul opened a campaign office this week in Charleston, S.C. -- his third in a state that traditionally has been crucial to deciding who Republicans nominate for president.

According to Brian Gentry, the South Carolina field coordinator for Paul, more than 150 people attended the event, where the Republican candidate for president and congressman from Texas spoke for about 15 minutes, then answered questions for another 20.

The new digs join offices already operating in Greenville, S.C., and Columbia, S.C.

In Iowa, meanwhile, campaign aide John Zambenini reports that a couple of satellite operations soon will open, supplementing the work performed at the main headquarters in Des Moines. In New Hampshire (a much smaller state) the one office in Concord probably will suffice. But state campaign coordinator Jared Chicoine says it's spacious -- 2,400 square feet -- and now includes telephone banks.

The point? Inexorably, Paul is establishing the type of infrastructure that not so many months ago would have been hard to imagine for such a renegade politician. Presumably, the nuts and bolts being put in place gives the campaign a chance to channel the obvious ardor that he has generated.

by Mark Silva

Here’s something worth remembering – five weeks from the Iowa caucuses, but nearly one year from Election Day 2008:

In Florida, scene of tonight’s televised debate of the Republican candidates for president, Rudy Giuliani holds a comfortable advantage over any of his party’s rivals, but Hillary Clinton, front-running Democrat, holds a comfortable advantage over Giuliani in a general election-matchup.

This is the nation’s fourth-largest state, a place that hasn’t sided with many Democrats since World War II – Southerners mainly: Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, but only in his reelection bid. And, well, Al Gore, if you listen to his lawyers.

But for whatever advantage the former mayor of New York holds in the state that will hold its primary elections on Jan. 29 – over the objections of national parties which vow to penalize the state in its seating of delegates at the 2008 presidential nominating conventions -- the candidate who may rule the stage of Republicans debating in St. Petersburg tonight could face one tough fight for the Sunshine State if he becomes the GOP’s nominee and Clinton is the Democrat.

by Mike Dorning

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.-Barack Obama surrounded himself with blue bunting, American flags and foreign affairs luminaries at a public forum Tuesday that brought the atmosphere of a Washington policy seminar to the early-primary state of New Hampshire.

With panels of foreign policy heavyweights preceding Obama's appearance with praise for his foreign policy abilities, the event allowed the freshman senator to showcase his veteran policy team and demonstrate he had gained the confidence of seasoned professionals in the area. It clearly was convened with an eye toward countering rival Hillary Clinton's criticism that he lacks the experience to guide the nation in an age of terrorism.

At the same time, Obama and his advisers emphasized foreign policy themes that draw contrasts with Clinton, arguing that the times call for a fresh approach to international relations and Obama would be the better global messenger for a break with the past not only because of his life experience but also his early opposition to the war in Iraq.

Obama, who has recently been criticizing Clinton on the campaign trail for artful political stands that lack sufficient clarity, also called for "open and candid" stands on international issues from presidential candidates.

" We've seen what it is like when the door is shut on the American people. We know what it is like to have old Washington hands like Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld say 'Trust us. We know what we're doing,'" Obama said, in a thinly veiled swipe at Clinton's claims of greater experience in Washington..

The three-hour program included Anthony Lake, Bill Clinton's first national security adviser, opining that Obama probably is better prepared in foreign policy than was his former boss or presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush were when they were first elected.

"I cannot understand why he is attacked for a lack of experience," Lake said.

by Mark Silva

The folks at CNN and YouTube have sifted through some 5,000 suggested questions for the Republican candidates for president, in preparation for tonight's televised debate in Florida.

"The questions are funny,' reports Sam Feist, CNN's political director. "Some of them are striking. Some of them are sad. They are incredibly meaningful... You watch hundreds of these questions and you really get a sense of what's on people's minds."

The candidates will get a sense of that tonight in St. Petersburg, with a two-hour debate at a downtown performing arts theater aired nationally and starting at 8 pm EST.

If it's anything like the debate that CNN and YouTube staged for the Democratic presidential candidates on July 23, there will be plenty to chew on.

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Wednesday, November 28.

President Bush is meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the White House.

The Nixon Presidential Library is releasing about 123,000 pages of materials from the Nixon presidency.

The School of Advanced International Studies is holding a discussion on the Mideast with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.

The entrance to the hall at the U.S. Naval Academy where the Middle East peace conference was convened today. Photo by Mark Silva

by Mark Silva

ANNAPOLIS -- "Thanks for coming,'' President Bush told the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, representatives of Saudi Arabia, Syria, the Sudan and some three-dozen other nations represented at today's Annapolis Conference.

And then Bush was gone.

The president, who has maintained that the United States will foster but not attempt to steer any of the peace-talks to which the Israelis and Palestinians have committed themselves today, did not even stay for lunch at the Naval Academy officer's club.

Bush shook hands and clasped Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as the three delivered promising speeches here -- all sounding a common refrain, that "the time is right'' for peace talks. See Bush's speech here.

But 10 minutes after Olmert finished speaking, just after noon, Bush lifted off from the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy in Marine One for a return helicopter ride to the White House. Abbas and Olmert, who met with Bush in the Oval Office on Monday, will return Wednesday for a followup before departing and opening talks which they have pledged to start next month.

"Thanks for coming'' -- Bush told the audience around the square table of Memorial Hall. He had met here with the two leaders beforehand, strode into the hall with them, and then he was gone. He returned to the White House for a meeting with Iraqi representatives and an interview with the Associated Press, in which he was certain to speak of today's achievements.

It was "a big event,'' White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said later in Washington. Tomorrow morning "is like the after-party.''

by Mark Silva

"For the first time in a long time,'' the Pew Research Center's Andrew Kohut reports, "nearly half of Americans express positive opinions about the situation in Iraq.''

That may not sound like a groundswell. But it's a more positive sounding of American opinion about the state of affairs in Iraq than Pew has found in some time.

Still, most say it's time to bring the troops home.

"A growing number says the U.S. war effort is going well, while greater percentages also believe the United States is making progress in reducing the number of Iraqi casualties, defeating the insurgents and preventing a civil war in Iraq,'' Pew President Kohut reports.

Roughly half of those surveyed -- 48 percent -- have told Pew the U.S. military effort in Iraq is going very or fairly well. As recently as June, only about one third -- 34 percent - had said so.

The number of those surveyed saying the U.S. is making progress in reducing civilian casualties in Iraq has doubled from 21 to 43 percent since June. The proportion saying progress has been achieved in preventing terrorists from establishing bases is also up substantially, as is the number saying the U.S. is making progress in defeating the insurgents militarily.

"However, a rosier view of the military situation in Iraq has not translated into increased support for maintaining U.S. forces in Iraq, greater optimism that the United States will achieve its goals there, or an improvement in President Bush’s approval ratings,'' Kohut notes. "By 54 to 41 percent, Americans favor bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq as soon as possible rather than keeping troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized.''

That balance has not changed "significantly'' all year.

The latest survey was run Nov. 20-26, with interviews of 1,399 adults. See it here.

by Mark Silva

ANNAPOLIS -- The presence of Arab leaders at The Annapolis Conference is taken by some as one of the more hopeful signs of this conference where the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority have pledged to begin negotiations toward a lasting peace.

"It is time to bring this conflict to an end,'' the Saudi Arabian foreign minister said here today, following public pronouncements of a commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Samuel Lewis, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Israel under Presidents Carter and Reagan and director of policy planning at the State Department during President Clinton's first term, calls the Arab participation at this summit "not insignificant, because without a lot of support from a lot of the Arab players, it is extremely difficult for (Palestinian President Mahmoud) Abbas to make any of the concessions that are going to be necessary to come out of these negotiations…

"The fact that the Arab League agreed to support the conference is a significant achievement… including the Saudi foreign minister,'' Lewis says. "Al of that is good, and it hasn’t happened before.''

by Rick Pearson

DES MOINES—While Barack Obama has been getting a lot of hype for announcing that Oprah Winfrey will be joining him on the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton's campaign fought back in classic style by announcing the New York senator had been endorsed by Barbra Streisand.

Streisand, an actor, singer and filmmaker, has long been a liberal Democratic activist. In a statement provided by the Clinton campaign, she called the concept of "Madame President of the United States…an extraordinary thought."

"Hillary Clinton has already proven to a generation of women that there are no limits for success," Streisand said. Citing Eleanor Roosevelt's contention that "there may be a day when women will be looked upon as persons" in government and business, Streisand said, "More than 50 years later 'that day' is now upon us…and Hillary Clinton is ready to shatter through that glass ceiling for all women."

For her part, Clinton said Streisand "has used her immense talent to be an advocate for truth, justice, and fairness and I deeply appreciate her confidence in my candidacy as we work together to change the direction of our nation."

While it is debatable what practical effect the Chicago-based media-megastar Winfrey will have in influencing voters on behalf of Obama, an Illinois senator, the comments by Streisand provided by Clinton's campaign are clearly aimed at trying to prevent any potential slippage among women voters.

by John McCormick

DES MOINES – Sen. Hillary Clinton defended her increasingly aggressive approach on the campaign trail, saying in a Tribune interview today that she was not the first to throw a stone in the Democratic presidential race.

"I have for months tried to stay positively on the issues, to talk about what I will do as president, to set forth my credentials and experience, the strengths that I think I bring to the position," she said in a phone interview while traveling in South Carolina. "But I have been attacked pretty regularly by my two leading opponents, and it's gone on for months. So, at some point, as we get toward the end of these campaigns, you have to stand up and rebut what people are saying and put out the contrasts and that is what I intend to do."

by Mark Silva

Tony Perkins is president of the Family Research Council, one of the leading political organizations pursuing a Christian conservative agenda.

Rudy Giuliani is the front-running Republican candidate for president. He addressed the Family Research Council's recent "Values-Voter Summit'' in Washington and promisied, if he is elected president, to appoint strict judges who will interpret the law, not attempt to write it.

"As the Republican presidential primaries approach early next year, a chorus of voices for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is consistently telling the public that he would appoint "strict constructionist" judges to the federal bench,'' Perkins writes. "Media pundits like Sean Hannity brandish the phrase as if it were a conclusive argument for the acceptability of Giuliani's campaign to "pro-life" Americans.

"The Rev. Pat Robertson apparently agrees,'' he writes, noting Giuliani's endorsement by the founder of the Christian Coalition. "But the most important man in the room - Giuliani himself - doesn't,'' Perkins writes, citing his own personal information on the subject and calling it "appalling to see social conservatives embrace Giuliani's camapign:"

by Frank James

Former Clinton Administration Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers had a recent column in the Financial Times that has gotten much attention. The New York Times' David Brooks, for instance, cited it in his column today.

Summers's essential point is that the downside risk to the economy is so great, the likelihood of a recession so large, that the Federal Reserve needs to cut short-term interest rates and Congress and President Bush need to engage in some good old-fashioned pump priming by engaging in deficit spending. But even that may not stop the economy from going to hell in a handbasket, he says.

Summers clearly is sounding Keynesian notes here, embracing the notion that the federal government at times when the economic engine shows signs of seizing up, can give the economy a boost through its spending, deficits be damned.

by Gabrielle Russon

If the Democratic presidential primaries are like an enormous feast, black voters are choosing between filet mignon and lobster tails as they decide between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, one expert said today.

According to a new survey released today, African-Americans slightly favor Clinton over Obama, but both are viewed in a favorable light.

“It’s not a choice between filet mignon and bologna,” said David Bositis, a senior policy analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “It’s not like it’s a bad choice.”

by Matthew Hay Brown
Video by Sabrina Fang

Following is the statement agreed to by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and President Bush, as read by Bush this morning at the Annapolis Conference and released by the White House:

The representatives of the government of the state of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, represented respective [sic] by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and President Mahmoud Abbas in his capacity as Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee and President of the Palestinian Authority, have convened in Annapolis, Maryland, under the auspices of President George W. Bush of the United States of America, and with the support of the participants of this international conference, having concluded the following joint understanding.

We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis. In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements.

We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations, and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008. For this purpose, a steering committee, led jointly by the head of the delegation of each party, will meet continuously, as agreed. The steering committee will develop a joint work plan and establish and oversee the work of negotiations teams to address all issues, to be headed by one lead representative from each party. The first session of the steering committee will be held on 12 December 2007.

President Bush, center, with Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas, right, and Israeli Ehud Olmert, in the U.S. Naval Academy's Memorial Hall heralding the promised start of Middle East peace talks. Photo by Mark Silva

by Mark Silva

ANNAPOLIS -- The time is “precisely… right’’ for negotiations which Israeli and Palestinian leaders will start after leaving the Annapolis Conference, President Bush said today, outlining a framework for Middle East talks that will start in December and lead to biweekly meetings of the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian president.

"The time has come,'' both Israel's Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas said in their own addresses to 42 nations and international organizations attending the conference.

Their work, Bush said will be aimed at achieving a peace agreement before the end of 2008.

“I give you my personal commitment to support your work,’’ Bush told the leaders, promising his own personal involvement in his final year as president.

“I believe now is precisely the right time to begin these negotiations,’’ Bush said. “Israelis and Palestinians have leaders who are determined to achieve peace.’’

A steering group will hold its first session on Dec. 12, Bush said, emerging from a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address a conference of 40 nations assembled at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Calling this “an extraordinary opportunity’’ for the creation of a Palestinian state that will exist side by side with Israel, Bush said: “We’re off to a strong start.’’

"Together we shall start,'' Olmert said. "Together we shall arrrive.''

Memorial Hall, where the Annapolis Conference on Middle East peace will get underway today. Photo by Mark Silva

by Mark Silva

ANNAPOLIS -- "Don't Give Up the Ship,'' reads the motto on the flag hanging in a glass case above the main hallway of Bancroft Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy which leads to Memorial Hall, an ornate space surrounded by pillars, topped with a vaulted skylight and adorned with chandeliers.

The same flag hangs in a glass case on a side wall of the conference's Memorial Hall as well -- hanging above the side of the table where President Bush will be seated.

This is where Bush will join Israeli and Palestinian leaders and representatives from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria and others -- a total of 40 nations, plus the Arab League and Portugal as the representative of the European Union -- around a square table set up for "The Annapolis Conference.'' No negotiations will take place here, the White House says. But instead, Israeli and Palestinian leaders will commit themselves to negotiations aimed at securing a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

The goal has eluded them for decades. And for three decades, American presidents have attempted, in varying measures, to secure an accord that not only confirms Israel's place in the world, but also provides Palestinians a place. President Bush, the first U.S. president to endorse the creation of a Palestinian state, has convened this conference -- some five years after first voicing his goal of Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in peace.

For leaders filling Memorial Hall, it is a question of saving ships of state.

Bancroft Hall, on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. This houses Memorial Hall, setting for the Annapolis Conference. Photo by Silva

by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting, or both, Washington-related stories.

President Bush was making a late-term bid for Middle East peace between Israel, the Palestinians and the Jewish state's Arab neighbors but doubts abounded over any there being any significant results from the discussions in Annapolis, Md.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for more spending by the nation on the State Department to further diplomacy and the use of the U.S.' "soft power."

Sharply lower interest rates on bonds indicated that investors expected the Federal Reserve Board to further cut short-term interest rates next year in response to concerns the economy could be sliding into recession.

by Mark Silva

ANNAPOLIS -- At the riverside U.S. Naval Academy, President Bush is meeting this morning with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before addressing a conference on Middle East peace that is expected to lead the way toward negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.

"Today, Palestinians and Israelis each understand that helping the other to realize their aspirations is the key to realizing their own – and both require an independent, democratic, viable Palestinian state,'' Bush plans to say, in an address to the conference.

"Such a state will provide Palestinians with the chance to lead lives of freedom, purpose and dignity,'' the president will say. "And such a state will help provide Israelis with something they have been seeking for generations: to live in peace with their neighbors.

"Achieving this goal will not be easy,'' the president plans to add. "If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago.''

Read more of his planned remarks here, and see the Tribune's story today:

Updated

by Mike Dorning

LITTLETON, N.H.-Barack Obama is challenging Hillary Clinton's health care plan, arguing that her promises of universal coverage depend on key details on which she has been unwilling to take a clear position.

The two Democratic candidates recently have been sparring over health care, with Clinton charging that Obama's plan isn't really universal health care because he would not require all Americans to purchase health insurance as she does. Obama has countered that his plan offers guaranteed access to health insurance and lower costs.

But after an event Monday in Littleton, N.H., Obama said her promise of universal coverage will be no more than a hollow "political talking point" unless she can come up with a way of enforcing the requirement to buy health insurance that she proposes.

"Sen. Clinton still hasn't explained what this mandate is: What's she going to do if somebody doesn't purchase health care? Is she going to fine them? Is she going to garnish their wages?" Obama said.

"One of the problems with her approach is that she hasn't been straight with the American people about how she's going to impose this mandate. And without an enforcement mechanism, there is no mandate. It's just a political talking point," he continued.

Clinton spokesman Phil Singer responded that the former first lady "has said she is going to work with Congress on those details."

by Mike Dorning

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama sharpened criticism of rival Hillary Clinton's frequent use of Bill Clinton's term in office as a qualification for the presidency, comparing the argument to his wife Michelle hypothetically claiming to be "best-qualified" for the U.S. Senate because she confers with him "on occasion."

In an interview aired Monday night on ABC's Nightline, Obama also accused Clinton of "cherry-picking" her husband's record to her best advantage.

"There's no doubt that Bill Clinton had faith in her and consulted with her on issues, the same way that I would consult with Michelle if there were issues," Obama added. "On the other hand, I don't think Michelle would claim that she is the best-qualified person to be a United States senator by virtue of me talking to her on occasion about work that I've done."

Obama also sharpened his tone while reiterating past criticism that Clinton has simultaneously sought to distance herself on politically disadvantageous parts of the Clinton White House record such as passage of NAFTA while embracing popular achievements.

by Mark Silva

After years of relative inaction, President Bush is stepping personally into the Middle East peace process today as he hosts a conference of regional leaders in Annapolis, Md., with ambitious talk of a peace accord before the end of his term colliding with widespread skepticism that an agreement is possible.

For the Bush administration, which ridiculed Bill Clinton's frenetic push for Mideast peace at the end of his presidency, the sudden turnaround appears to be a bid for a legacy-level contribution to world events at a time when Bush's domestic political capital is at a low. It is also an attempt to reshape the Middle East while the long-term impact of the Iraq war remains in doubt.

"We want there to be peace," Bush said Monday, at the start of a preliminary White House session with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. At a separate meeting, Bush told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, "I'm optimistic. I know you're optimistic."

For many veterans of the Middle East, the prospects for securing a long-sought accord between Israelis and Palestinians in the year ahead seem as unrealistic as the newly fashioned peace-broker's role that Bush hopes to play near the conclusion of a tumultuous two terms occupied by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush was the first American president to call for an independent Palestinian state, in 2002, when he announced his support of a "two-state solution" involving Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in peace. But many analysts say he invested too little in achieving that goal during the past five years to make success likely in his remaining year.

The White House, attempting to set expectations as low as possible for a conference of more than 40 nations and organizations at the U.S. Naval Academy on Tuesday, has cautioned that it is not Bush—but Israeli and Palestinian leaders—who hope to proceed quickly with formal negotiations following this conference. Aides say the presence of many Arab leaders in Annapolis is a hopeful sign that Israelis and Palestinians may find the support they need.

"If you put all those things together, it seems to be that the time is right," said Stephen Hadley, the president's national security adviser. "The notion of trying to do it in the next year, by the end of 2008, is an idea that the parties have articulated.''

See the rest of the story in today's Tribune:

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Tuesday, November 27.

The Mideast peace conference is being held in Annapolis, Md. and President Bush is making introductory remarks.

NASA is unveiling a new, more detailed map of Antarctica.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and AARP, the seniors' lobby, are releasing the results of a national poll of African Americans likely to vote in the 2008 primaries and caucuses.

by Mike Dorning

LITTLETON, N.H.—Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continued sparring over the details of their health care plans today, with Obama casting doubt on Clinton's ability to enforce a requirement in her plan that every American buy health insurance.

Clinton has been criticizing Obama's health care plan for falling short of universal health coverage because unlike her plan his would not require every American to buy insurance. He has argued that his plan would lower the cost of insurance and guarantee access, removing the obstacles most often faced by people without insurance.

But when asked by reporters about Clinton's criticism after an event in Littleton, N.H., Obama counter-attacked, arguing that his rival has been unwilling to say how she would enforce the mandate to buy health insurance. Without enforcement, he said, it is nothing more than an empty "political talking point."

"Sen. Clinton still hasn't explained what this mandate is: What's she going to do if somebody doesn't purchase health care? Is she going to fine them? Is she going to garnish their wages?" Obama said.

"One of the problems with her approach is that she hasn't been straight with the American people about how she's going to impose this mandate. And without an enforcement mechanism, there is no mandate. It's just a political talking point," he continued.

Clinton spokesman Phil Singer responded that the former first lady "has said she is going to work with Congress on those details."

by Rick Pearson

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is formally resigning from Congress today.

Hastert said he did so on the advice of attorneys with the aim that a special primary election to replace him could be held on Feb. 5---the same day as the state's regular primary election, which will decide nominees for Hastert's long-term replacement as well.

Hastert said he wanted to avoid the extra costs of a special primary election by county election officials in the 14th Congressional District, which runs from western DuPage County to nearly the Iowa border. Still, those counties are likely to face extra costs for holding a special general election in late spring to fill the remainder of Hastert's term.

The former speaker said he also decided to step down now because his interests in developing new national energy policies was being sidetracked in the Democratic-controlled Congress, which is focused on the presidential election campaign.

"I wanted to get some energy policy done, but everything is being done behind closed doors on a partisan basis," Hastert told the Tribune. "You know, it seems to get tougher as we move into a presidential election year, and so I figured it was time for me to go out and live the rest of my life."

See Hastert's letter of resignation, effective at 10:59 pm CDT: Download file

And read on:

by Mark Silva

Al Gore slipped out the side door of the West Wing.

In his private Oval Office meeting with President Bush, the former vice president insisted that they had spoken about global warming "the whole time.'' It wasn't clear if the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, who shared the honor for his work on climtate change, was serious.

"Of course,'' they had spoken about global warming, Gore said, strolling down a rain-slick Pennsylvania Avenue with wife Tipper Gore after a private session with the president. For Gore, who had gone into the White House for a reception for the American winners of the 2007 Nobel Prizes, this was his first return to the Oval Office since leaving office.

But Gore, calling the meeting with Bush "very cordial'' and "substantive,'' declined to elaborate on their meeting. "I'm not going to do an interview here,'' Gore said in his walk down the streets outside the White House. "I don't want to comment more.''

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as she campaigned for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Davenport, Iowa, Thursday Sept. 13, 2007. (AP Photo/Quad-City Times, Jeff Cook)

by Mike Dorning

LITTLETON, N.H.—Barack Obama has often questioned Hillary Clinton's use of her husband's presidency to assert to policy experience.

So he was ready this morning when a reporter asked him about comments that Clinton made in Iowa a day earlier offering her trips abroad as first lady as evidence of her foreign policy qualifications and asserting she was "the face of America" abroad during the Clinton presidency.

Clinton was echoing a comment her most prominent Iowa supporter, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, made a few days earlier that she was " the face of the administration in foreign affairs” during the Clinton years.

Well, Obama wasn't buying either line.

"If she wants to tout her experience of having visited countries, that's fine," Obama said. But, he added, "I don't think that Madeleine Albright would think Hillary Clinton was the face of foreign policy during the Clinton Administration. But maybe she'll disagree with that."

Albright, United Nations Ambassador and then Secretary of State for the Clinton Administration, is supporting Hillary Clinton's bid as a foreign policy adviser.

Later in the day, Albright released a statement through the Clinton campaign saying the former first lady "had represented American interests and values during her visits to more than 80 countries" and would "be ready from the very first day to lead our nation in a dangerous and complicated world, which is why I am supporting her candidacy."

By Mike Dorning

LITTLETON, N.H.—Barack Obama said Monday that he expects Oprah Winfrey's campaign appearances on his behalf to inspire more voters to take a look at his campaign and add a bit of "fun" to campaign events.

But he said he does not expect her endorsement to translate into automatic support in the same way her "book club" recommendations generate sales for authors.

"People are going to make the decision (on how to vote) not based on who's endorsing," Obama told reporters after a rally in rural Littleton, N.H. "Ultimately I'm going to have to make the sale."

Still, the celebrity talk show host's draw is clear to the campaign. At the rally this morning, a local veteran who gave introductory remarks for the senator boasted that Oprah would be coming to the state with Obama.

" It's fun," Obama told reporters. "Campaigns are not just about issues and policy but it's also about bringing people together and this creates excitement and an event."

Hopefully, we can attract some people who might not otherwise be interested in politics, who aren't regular viewers of C-SPAN," he continued. "But on the other hand once they're there I'm able to talk to them about critical issues like the health care crisis and home foreclosures, and things that affect their lives on a day-to-day basis."

Asked how he thought Oprah compared to former president Bill Clinton as a campaign surrogate, he demurred.

"Bill Clinton is a great surrogate for Hillary as well. So if he wanted to endorse me, I'd take it," he chuckled. "I don't think he will."

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Sen. Trent Lott, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, announcing his planned retirement from Congress by January. He made his announcement Monday, Nov. 26, 2007 in Pascagoula, Miss. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

by Jill Zuckman

Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), one of the most influential Republicans to help lead the Senate, is announcing today that he will retire at the end of this year after more than three decades in Congress.

In the Senate, Lott served as both majority leader and minority leader before being forced from his leadership role in a firestorm of criticism at the end of 2002. Lott had praised then-Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) at his 100th birthday party, but his words struck some as racially insensitive and supportive of Thurmond’s segregationist past.

“I want to say this about my state,” Lott said at the time. “When Strom Thurmond ran for president we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over all these years either.”

Lott apologized repeatedly, but he received a high-profile scolding from President Bush, which further eroded support for Lott among his Senate colleagues. Eventually, he relinquished his post, paving the way for then-Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to take the helm as majority leader.

by John McCormick

DES MOINES -- Just hours after announcing that Oprah Winfrey will appear on the campaign trail with him, Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign announced that it has formed "Women for Obama" leadership committees in more early primary and caucus states.

On Wednesday, the campaign said, hundreds of women in several Feb. 5 states will gather for events to kick off their organizing efforts. Michelle Obama will also lead a conference call and give a campaign update on the state of the national race for participating women.

Since the launch of Women for Obama in April, the group has focused on fundraising and grassroots/online organizing.

"The state-by-state committees in key February 5th states will join similar structures in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina set up to lead a national grassroots network of 20,000 women who are organizing on behalf of Barack Obama," the campaign said. "February 5th state WFO launches and organizing events will include: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Minnesota and New Jersey."

The Tribune looked at the efforts of the Obama and other candidates in Feb. 5 states in Monday's edition. The story is linked here.

President Bush is joined by Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, center, via video teleconference Monday, Nov. 26, 2007, in signing the U.S.-Iraq Declaration of Principles for Friendship and Cooperation. White House photo by Eric Draper.

by Mark Silva

President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed an agreement today to begin formal negotiations for an American commitment to Iraqi security in a long-term bilateral relationship between the United States and Iraq.

This is not a treaty, the White House says – nor will negotiations leading to an expected formal agreement by next summer produce any treaty that requires U.S. congressional ratification. Rather, the Bush administration’s “war czar’’ said today, this will serve as a common “music sheet’’ which Bush and Maliki follow as they negotiate the framework of a formal strategic agreement.

Today’s agreement, signed in a secure video-conference between Bush and Maliki, “frames our emerging strategic relationship with Iraq,’’ according to Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the administration’s deputy national security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It signals a commitment’’ by the U.S. to “an enduring relationship based on mutual interests,’’ Lute said. “The message here is clear. Iraq is increasingly able to stand on its own… But it won’t have to stand alone.

by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting, or both, Washington-related stories.

Syria's decision to attend the Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Md. raised hopes for progress in soothing tensions in the region between Arab nations and Israel.

Recession fears are rising, hitting the financial markets hard, even as the nation's leading economists say they don't see economic conditions getting that bad.

The back and forth between Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney in New Hampshire is getting more nasty as the presidential campaigns of both Republican candidates see winning that early state as increasingly important.

Oprah Winfrey in Chicago, Wednesday Sept. 27, 2006. (Chicago Tribune photo by Jose More.)

by John McCormick

DES MOINES -- The presidential campaign for Sen. Barack Obama confirmed this morning what has long been expected: Oprah Winfrey is going to hit the campaign trail with her favorite politician.

The talk show star will join the Illinois Democrat for stops in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire on Dec. 8 and Dec. 9. She will attend two events with him in Iowa and one in each of the other states.

The Dec. 8 Iowa stops will be in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, the state's largest cities and media markets, while those on Dec. 9 will be in Columbia, S.C., and Manchester, N.H.

There is great debate about how much celebrity endorsements help presidential candidates, but Winfrey's presence is certain to generate a significant buzz in the early voting states. She could also help Obama with women, a key electoral demographic.

Tickets for the events, likely to draw large crowds, will become available on Dec. 3. In Iowa, the campaign plans to offer training for how to participate in the state's rapidly approaching Jan. 3 caucuses.

The tickets will be free, but the campaign is asking for some political help in return. To secure "preferred seating" in Iowa, for example, the campaign says people must either "commit four hours to volunteering for Barack's campaign" or "attend a caucus training with your local organizer or precinct captain."

In September, Winfrey hosted a fundraiser at her estate in California where she helped raise $3 million for Obama.

by Mark Silva, and updated

George W. Bush won the White House.

Albert A. Gore Jr. won the Nobel Prize.

The two will meet today in the Oval Office, where President Bush will honor the American winners of this year's Nobels, including Gore, the former vice president who claimed his share of the Peace Prize this year for his work on global warming and also claimed a majority of the popular vote in the presidential election of 2000 but lost to Bush in the Electoral College -- following a 36-day court fight over a disputed 537-vote margin for Bush in Florida.

They have met before -- at the Clinton presidential library opening in Arkansas, for instance. But not privately, and not in this environment: The office which Gore once hoped to claim.

"The president is very pleased that both Vice President Gore and Mrs. Gore will attend today,'' said Dana Perino, the White House press secretary. "President Bush personally called Vice President Gore and asked him to attend… They will meet privately… in the Oval… prior to the visit with the other Nobel laureates.

"This president is looking forward to having a private meeting with him,'' she said.

Yet the Oval Office ceremony with the Nobel laureates will serve as a "photo opportunity,'' not a public ceremony per se, the White House says today. What's said in the Oval Office may well stay in the Oval Office.

The 3 pm EST session also follows two other higher-profile, and also private, meetings for the president today in the Oval Office: With Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. They are preparing for Bush's Middle East conference in Annapolis tomorrow -- where the White House says Olmert and Abbas will declare intentions to open negotiations toward a peaceful settlement of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Bush also plans to address delegations from the region this evening at a State Department dinner.

by John McCormick

OAKLAND, Calif -- The date is being called "Tsunami Tuesday" because so many delegates will be up for grabs on Feb. 5 when more than 20 states hold elections and caucuses on the biggest single day of balloting in presidential primary history.

They include three of the nation's most populous states -- California, New York and Illinois -- and the huge stakes have galvanized early attention from candidates who can afford to compete in so many places.

Although a long way from the nation's current political epicenters in Iowa and New Hampshire, Sen. Barack Obama's office here was abuzz with activity on a recent evening as volunteers painted signs, called potential supporters and underwent training.

On most nights, there are 30 or more volunteers in the 2,000-square-foot space in a historic downtown building, all working to remind California voters that they may actually play a major role in nominating the next president.

by Rick Pearson

NEVADA, Iowa—Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton declared herself "by far" the most electable candidate for the White House among those in her party, citing a history of tempestuous dealings with Republican critics.

The New York senator, who has made "experience" a theme of her campaign in challenging the credentials of first-term Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, also said she doesn't take the GOP criticism personally.

"You know people talk about who can be elected and all that. But I believe I am by far the most electable Democrat, because I know exactly what I am getting into. I've got no illusions and there are no surprises and I am 100 percent ready," Clinton told a crowd of about 300 people at a community center in the north-central Iowa community of Nevada.

"I think my political experience of having been on the receiving end of so much incoming fire over the years equips me for understanding you don't take this personally. You can't take it personally," she said.

The former first lady said Republicans are welcome to continue to try to make her a polarizing figure.

"I drive the Republicans crazy because they've spent hundreds of millions of dollars attacking and defaming me," she said. "I don't care. I mean, if that's how they want to spend their time and their money, let them do it. Ultimately, I trust the American people."

by John McCormick

DES MOINES – Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama did something today that he rarely does in heavily white Iowa. He talked at length about race and urban issues.

"On every measure, on income, on health care, on incarceration rates, on the criminal justice system, on housing, on life expectancy, on infant mortality, on almost every single indicator, there is still an enormous gap between black and white," he told a racially mixed audience of about 500 gathered at a high school.

The Illinois Democrat made the remarks on what is likely his last day of campaigning in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa before next weekend's Brown & Black candidate forum here.

Obama said urban areas and minority communities often suffer first when problems spread across the nation. "There's an old saying that when America gets a cold, black America gets pneumonia," he said.

Iowa's importance in the nomination process is often criticized because it does not have the same level of diversity as the nation. It is 93 percent white, although the state capital where Obama spoke is 81 percent white.

Despite the problems that remain, Obama acknowledged progress has been made on racial issues.

by Mark Silva

Israeli and Palestinian leaders are expected to announce their intentions to open direct negotiations leading toward the potential creation of an independent Palestinian state and peace with Israel at a Middle East summit that President Bush will host in Annapolis, Md., this week, the White House said today.

“This is not a negotiating session. It is to launch negotiations,’’ Stephen Hadley, the president’s national security adviser, said of the Annapolis conference and meetings planned at the White House. “This is an opportunity… to showcase what is an opportunity to move into a negotiating phase between the Israelis and Palestinians.

“It will be an opportunity for the parties to indicate their intentions… and for the international community to show their support,’’ Hadley said in a conference call with reporters today. “What specifically is liable to come… from this meeting… First, the indication from the Palestinian and Israeli delegations that it is their intent to begin negotiations… These are negotiations that will follow the international meeting.’’

This includes a “parallel’’ commitment of stating their intentions to carry out elements of a “roadmap’’ to peace that includes contributions from both sides: For the Israelis, withdrawing from occupied territories, and for the Palestinians, ensuring greater security for both their own people and Israelis.

As optimistic as the Bush administration appears about the opening of negotiations following the Annapolis conference, however, chances of obtaining a final peace remain elusive. The Israelis and Palestinians remain divided over many issues, not the least of which is control of the Gaza Strip by the militant Hamas organization while the moderate Palestinian Authority controls the West Bank.

Yet both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders are voicing their own goals of reaching some peace agreement by the end of next year, according to Hadley – acknowledging that this is not “a formal timetable.’’ And the president also will state his commitment to focusing on the challenge during his final year as president.

"This conference will signal international support for the Israelis' and Palestinians' intention to commence negotiations on the establishment of a Palestinian state and the realization of peace between these two peoples," Bush said in a statement issued today.

"I remain personally committed to implementing my vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security," the president said. "The Israelis and Palestinians have waited a long time for this vision to be realized, and I call upon all those gathering in Annapolis this week to redouble their efforts to turn dreams of peace into reality."

by Christi Parsons

WINDHAM, N.H. — Republican Rudy Giuliani today said that Mitt Romney was “not one of the outstanding governors” and that he failed to lower taxes or do much else of note while he was in the Massachusetts executive office.

In fact, Giuliani said, the only reason Romney is leading some polls in early voting states is because he has been spending a lot more money than the other candidates seeking the GOP nomination for president.

Asked why he was breaking with his declared plan to keep things positive, Giuliani said that Romney and others started it.

“It’s because they criticized me,” Giuliani said. “Notice I haven’t criticized anyone who hasn’t criticized me. Gov. Romney has been criticizing me for weeks and weeks and weeks.”

The comments came during an interview on his campaign bus as Giuliani traveled to a morning coffee-and-bagel party at the home of some local supporters. Giuliani has devoted more of his resources to a nationwide campaign, while his rivals pursue a more conventional campaign aimed at the voters who will go to the primaries and caucuses in January.

by John McCormick

HARLAN, Iowa -- From his days of campaigning in Downstate Illinois, Sen. Barack Obama has been asked plenty of times about his views on gun ownership.

But the Illinois Democrat and presidential candidate added a new wrinkle Saturday night while campaigning in conservative-leaning western Iowa, when he said his Chicago-native wife, Michelle, recently commented that she could see why rural folks might want to own guns.

Here was Obama's discussion of gun ownership and his wife's thoughts during a campaign stop at a middle school:

"We should be able to combine respect for those traditions with our concern for kids who are being shot down. This is a classic example of us just applying some common sense, just being reasonable, right? And reasonable would say that lawful gun owners – I respect the Second Amendment. I think lawful gun owners should be able to hunt, be sportsmen, protect their families.

"And by the way, Michelle, my wife, she was traveling up, I think, in eastern Iowa, she was driving through this nice, beautiful area, going through all this farmland and hills and rivers and she said 'Boy, it's really pretty up here,' but she said, 'But you know, I can see why if I was living out here, I'd want a gun. Because, you know, 911 is going to take some time before somebody responds. You know what I mean? You know, it's like five miles between every house.'

"So the point is, though, we should be able to do that, and we should be able to enforce laws that keep guns off the streets in inner cities because some unscrupulous gun dealer is, you know, letting somebody load up a van with a bunch of cheap handguns or sawed-off shotguns and dumping them and selling them for a profit in the streets."

The Bush administration had prepared for the transition: Vice President Dick Cheney, viisiting Sydney in February, received Kevin Rudd, left, the Labor leader who now has defeated Prime Minister John Howard and promised to remove Australian combat troops from Iraq. Photo by Mark Silva

by Mark Silva

President Bush has lost another key ally in the war in Iraq with the election losses of Australian Prime Minister John Howard’s government.

Like former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose third term was aborted after his popularity plummeted, the long-serving Howard had staunchly supported the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq as well as the fight against terrorists in Afghanistan. Australian Labor Party candidate Kevin Rudd has swept to power in a landslide victory over the second-longest serving prime minister in Australian history.

While Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney alike had forged a close relationship with Howard, they also had prepared for this widely predicted upset. Cheney met privately with Rudd earlier this year during a visit to Sydney in which Howard reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the war against terrorism.

Unlike Howard, Rudd has pledged to pull Australian combat troops from Iraq.

Rudd, a former diplomat who has served in China, rode a wave of public discontent over domestic problems -- interest rate hikes increases that Howard had promised to control, failed workplace reforms and a bid by Howard to retire midterm and anoint a deputy who would not have to face elections.

by William Neikirk

The falling dollar may still be seen as the world's chief "reserve" currency that countries like to hold, but you'd never know it in pop culture circles. These days it's the euro that's getting the star treatment.

Consider the recent Jay-Z video in which the rapper is shown thumbing through a wad of 500-euro notes -- not greenbacks -- while cruising through New York City.

The comedown for the once-almighty dollar has been in the works for some time, especially in the last year, and questions are now swirling about how far down it will go and when it will recover. It has hit record lows against key currencies, losing 44 percent of its value against the euro since 2002. It has suffered a similar decline against the British pound.

Meanwhile, the euro, created in 1999, has steadily gained in strength and respect. Some say it may be on its way to eclipsing the dollar.

See the rest of the story in today's Tribune:

by Christi Parsons

NASHUA, N.H.--Attempts to cut back on government surveillance and "aggressive questioning" of suspected terrorists are irresponsible and undercut the country's war on terrorism, Republican Rudy Giuliani said this weekend.

"Talking about cutting back on the Patriot Act, talking about cutting back on electronic surveillance, talking about cutting back on aggressive questioning -- not torture, but aggressive questioning -- wanting to remove our soldiers from Iraq in a way that would require them to give the enemy a time table of their retreat," Giuliani said. "I don't know that I've ever seen anything more irresponsible than that."

The remarks came late in a Saturday of campaigning in the state of New Hampshire, the first of a two-day tour through the early primary state. Shortly after that address, Giuliani headed out for the Holiday Stroll in downtown Nashua, where supporters of GOP candidate Ron Paul accompanied him for most of his visit.

As Giuliani walked down Main Street shaking hands and wandering in and out of shops, the Paul supporters encircled his entourage and waved their candidate's signs as they walked.

Paul, a congressman from Texas, opposes the Patriot Act, which he once called "a moratorium on constitutional rights."

by Christi Parsons

NASHUA, N.H. -- Rudy Giuliani combined campaigning with a little shopping here this weekend, and pulled it off with all the subtlety of an elephant in a china shop.

The Republican candidate made a surprise visit at a store on Main Street specializing in New Hampshire-made candies and knick-knacks, not to mention several fragile ceramics.

Not good, given that Giuliani had about thirty reporters, a full complement of staff, his security detail and a few curious onlookers in his wake.

Twice, some little mugs with moose faces on them came perilously close to toppling off the shelf. Innocent shoppers pressed themselves against the walls of the narrow store to make way for the swarm.

Meanwhile Giuliani busied himself with some woodsy Christmas ornaments as if the whole thing were very normal.

By John McCormick

AUDUBON, Iowa -- If anyone suspects the campaign for Sen. Barack Obama stages the questions he is asked at campaign events, just listen to a few of the quirky ones from the trail Saturday in Iowa.

After one on same-sex marriage, a woman here asked him what he is reading.

The Illinois Democrat first responded that he is reading a collection of speeches by Franklin Roosevelt because he is working on a few speeches of his own.

Then, he mentioned a book about some of the so-called lost children of Sudan.

Finally, he admitted his actual "favorite" reading. "I confess, though, I'm also reading the sports pages a lot," he said.

Next, a child asked him what currency his face would appear on.

"I don't know. That's a great question. Let's see, the five-dollar bill is taken. One-dollar bill is taken. Who's on the two-dollar bill? I don't know. But the truth is they don't put the president on money until long after you are dead, so I don't want to be on money anytime soon. Maybe 75, 80 years from now, I'll be on the hundred-dollar bill or something. That would be fine, elbow Benjamin Franklin aside."

He was also asked here whether he would legalize marijuana for medical use, something he said he would support only if science and doctors said it was the best way to relieve chronic pain and that it was carefully controlled.

by John McCormick

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Sen. Barack Obama today defended his health care proposal, a key issue with voters and one that has emerged as a dispute between him and his leading Democratic nomination rivals.

"There have been some folks -- some other candidates -- who said that it's not possible to provide universal health care coverage unless there's a mandate," the Illinois Democrat said. "The reason people don't have health insurance isn't because they don't want it. It's because they can't afford it. And if we make health insurance affordable, then people will buy it."

The dispute re-emerged last week during a debate in Las Vegas, when Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York challenged Obama on the fact that his proposal would not require coverage for all.

"When it came time to step up and decide whether or not he would support universal health care coverage, he chose not to do that," Clinton said then.

Obama maintains mandating coverage is not essential and pointed to state requirements for automobile insurance that have failed to translate into universal coverage.

"There may be a few people, mainly young people, who think they are going to live forever, who decide not to get health insurance, even when it is affordable," Obama said. "If we see that people are still not covered, when we've made it affordable, then we will figure out how to make sure that everyone has coverage."

by Christi Parsons

LACONIA, N.H.—Republican Rudy Giuliani said today that he doesn't doubt the national loyalty of Democratic candidates for president, just their comprehension of international affairs.

He also accused Democrats of bowing to "political correctness" by not properly labeling the current threat to American national security.

"I'm not questioning their patriotism," Giuliani said. "I honestly think they do not properly appreciate the danger of the Islamic terrorist war against us . . . They even refuse to use those words."

The assessment came at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire, where Giuliani is on a two-day bus tour to court early primary voters over the weekend.

by Mark Silva

President Bush has summoned a call to thanksgiving for American soldiers serving abroad with his weekly radio address.

"We give thanks for a new generation of patriots who are defending our liberty around the world,'' the president said today. "We are grateful to all our men and women in uniform who are spending this holiday weekend far from their families.. And we especially remember those who have given their lives in our nation's defense.''

But the story which Bush draws from the battlefield for his thanksgiving address does not come from Fallujah or from Anbar province or from Baghdad. It comes from Afghanistan -- the one front which Americans still largely identify as directly relevant to that war on terror which Bush has committed the United States to waging for six years now.

It's the story of Lt. Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL who was conducting surveillance on a mountain ridge in Afghanistan in 2005 when his four-man team was surrounded by a far greater force. As his men counterattacked, he sought a clearing where he could call in reinforcements and was killed. He was awarded the Medal of Honor.

"We're also blessed by the many other Americans who serve a cause larger than themselves,'' said Bush, citing the police, firefighters and emergency responders and "faith-based'' community volunteers who serve the country -- but bypassing, on this day, any direct mention of the fight in Iraq which most Americans today wish the U.S. were not fighting.

For more, see the radio address here:

by Mark Silva

President Bush started the year with a warm invitation to the new Democratic-controlled Congress, spelling out steps they might "take together," from immigration reform to health care improvements to energy conservation.

"We're not the first to come here with a government divided and uncertainty in the air," the president said in his State of the Union address in January. "Like many before us, we can work through our differences and achieve big things for the American people."

Yet now, with immigration, health care and much more sidelined, and with fading prospects for an energy bill or any other major domestic achievement during his final year, Bush chides Congress week after week for failing to meet its responsibilities to the American people.

On the radio, Bush accuses congressional leaders of "political posturing." On the road, as he did last week in Indiana, he accuses them of "acting like a teenager with a new credit card."

With the president's public approval ratings in a yearlong slump about to surpass Richard Nixon's for its duration – the two are tied at 13 months of approval ratings below 40 percent – the president has turned to one target in Washington held in even lower regard. Congressional approval stands at 20 percent in the latest Gallup Poll.

The president's escalating criticism of Congress, intensifying Democratic opposition to funding for the war in Iraq, and the arrival of a political season with control of the White House and Congress at stake may signal the end of Bush's hopes for a major domestic achievement in his second term, analysts say.

See the rest of the story in today's Tribune:

Ashcroft once insisted on a coverup for "Minnie Lou," the Art Deco sculpture in the Great Hall of the Department of Justice, seen here at Atty Gen'l Michael Mukasey's swearing in. AFP photo.

by Andrew Zajac

It's been a busy month for former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

On Nov. 5, an op ed under his name in the New York Times argued that telecoms, including his client, AT&T, should be immunized from liability for cooperating with government intelligence operations.

by Mark Silva

The Bush administration could not have set expectations any lower than they are for next week's summit of Middle East and Arab leaders at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

"If the Bush administration intended to lower expectations ahead of the Middle East peace conference it is hosting in Annapolis... the effort has been a resounding success,'' writes Michael Moran, editor of CFR.org at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Yes, Arab leaders have accepted invitations to attend Tuesday's summit. Yes, Bush will meet invdividually with both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestiniani Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House on the eve of the summit. But no, the White House is not promising "instant results'' from this long-planned meeting.

"In spite of an upbeat assessment from David Welch, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, the ground looks anything but fertile,'' the award-winning Moran writes in his account of The Road to Annapolis.

"Prodded by (Secretary of State Condoleezza) Rice, the primary diplomatic actors—Israel and the Palestinian Authority—spent weeks in a fruitless effort to agree to a joint declaration on a “two-state solution” that Washington hoped would form the foundation of the conference,'' he writes. "In the latest twist, rhetorical outrage swept the Arab world when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert insisted the Palestinian side accept the notion of Israel as a Jewish state, as opposed to a multicultural one, as a precondition to any grand bargain.

"On a political level, things are hardly better,'' he adds. "A presidential election year in the United States limits the Bush administration’s options as candidates on both sides vie to be seen as a friend of Israel. Among Palestinians, meanwhile, the week preceding the conference brought new violence in Gaza, the destitute Palestinian appendage seized from President Mahmoud Abbas’ government by the Hamas movement last summer. ''

For more, see his report at CFR.org.

by Mark Silva

It may be “black Friday’’ at the malls today, but it’s six Fridays out from Iowa.

With a countdown to the January caucuses and primaries – with the Democratic contest boiling down to “a four-letter word, Iowa,’’ and the Republican race “remarkably fluid’’ – the Associated Press today offers a walk-through of the early-caucusing and voting states in presidential nominating contests that will reach a crescendo on Feb. 5.

“For now, the Democratic presidential campaign has become a four-letter word. Iowa,’’ report the AP’s Nedra Pickler and Beth Fouhy, sizing up the states for the Democratic field. And the AP’s Liz Sidoti and Libby Quaid write that “the Republican presidential race is still remarkably fluid less than six weeks before voting begins.’’

This is their state-by-state assessment of the state of play, six Fridays out from the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses:

by Frank James

For all the self-styled media critics who call into C-Span and other talk shows to insist the MSM don't ever tell the good news about what's happening in Iraq, I suggest they actually read the coverage being produced by reporters there.

In recent weeks, there've been a number of front-page stories about the drop of violence in Iraq, especially in Baghdad, a result of the U.S.-Iraqi military surge and the resistance of Sunnis tribal leaders to the insurgency, particularly that fueled by al Qaeda in Iraq.

The latest such story comes today in the Washington Post, which reports that Iraqis are returning to Baghdad as the violence levels fall and the city literally becomes more livable.

Here's how the story starts:

BAGHDAD, Nov. 22 -- Iraqis are returning to their homeland by the hundreds each day, by bus, car and plane, encouraged by weeks of decreased violence and increased security, or compelled by visa and residency restrictions in neighboring countries and the depletion of their savings.

by Tom Brune of Newsday

In 1973, a 29-year-old federal prosecutor named Rudy Giuliani indicted a Brooklyn congressman, unknowingly creating a political opening for an ambitious 23-year-old named Chuck Schumer.

It is the first and least known link between two powerful New York politicians whose paths have crossed and careers intersected in often surprising ways over the past four decades.

But it certainly wasn't the last.

Just two weeks ago, Sen. Schumer ( D-N.Y) found himself defying his own party to confirm U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, a retired Manhattan judge and close friend of the former mayor.

Schumer and Giuliani may seem an odd pairing, but they have connected in ways that often have been mutually beneficial in the past and might be again in the future.

Now that history could prove politically awkward in this presidential season for Schumer, a prominent backer of Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Giuliani, the leading GOP contender.

See the rest of the story this week in Newsday:

by Mark Silva

Here’s a gem:

Since Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf declared emergency rule and started locking up opponents, the Bush administration has said it will review its considerable foreign aid to a state that has served as an ally in the war against terrorism.

Some of that $150 million a month that the U.S. sends to Pakistan goes to educational causes, however, the administration notes – and it is in no rush to undermine aid aimed at a longer-term goal of building the institutions that will help Pakistan become a more democratic and open society over the long haul.

Like the U.S. aid that burnishes Pakistan’s jewelry craft.

A consortium of leading Pakistani universities and technical institutions announced today in Lahore that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the leading bodies of Pakistan’s gems and jewelry industry to establish the Lahore Centre of Excellence for Creativity and Design. This is a product of the Gems and Jewelry Strategic Working Group, a USAID-supported venture that devises strategies for improving the production and marketing of Pakistani jewelry.

“We realize that industry inputs and linkages are vital for academic institutions to develop their training, design, mechanics and marketing components,” Anne Armes, Pakistan mission director of the US Agency for International Development, said in a statement released by the U.S. embassy today. “We also realize that academic preparation is an integral part of creating the skilled entrepreneurs who will help strengthen the gem and jewelry value chain.”

by Mike Dorning

If you live in Iowa or New Hampshire, the season of Christmas shopping and holiday parties that starts today is also likely to include a local visit from Oprah Winfrey.

Obama has hinted for months that Winfrey, who has boosted his presidential bid on her TV talk show and in September hosted a fundraiser that reportedly raised $3 million for him, would campaign for him.

He dropped another hint this week in a brief conversation with a big-dollar fundraiser who asked Obama about a potential Oprah campaign appearance as the Illinois senator was shaking hands at a campaign event in New Hampshire.

"First she’s coming to Iowa,” Obama told Ralph Hoagland, co-founder of the CVS pharmacy chain and a major Obama fundraiser, in a conversation overheard by a reporter and published in the Chicago Sun-Times. When asked if that meant the star would not be visiting New Hampshire, Obama replied, "No, no no. We’re just doing it one state at a time.”

Obama evidently spoke prematurely and aides declined to confirm a potential Winfrey visit or provide any details.

But he previously has also suggested Winfrey would make a visit on his behalf to South Carolina, another early primary state that votes soon after New Hampshire.

Andrew Zajac

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is fond of saying that he has lived the American Dream.

Now more than ever, perhaps.

Forced to quit his office by the uproar over the dismissal of nine federal prosecutors plus other alleged missteps relating to surveillance and the treatment of detainees, Gonzales now commands a cool $40,000 on the speakers circuit, according to recent news accounts.

by Mark Silva

President Bush, celebrating Thanksgiving with his family at Camp David, called on several servicemen and women today by telelphone n Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas deployments.

The president called 12 soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen with wishes of "happy thanks'' to them and their families, according to Press Secretary Dana Perino. Bush told them "how proud he is of them.''

"It’s a great sacrifice to be away from your children, and if it wasn’t a noble cause he would not ask them to do it,” she said. “He knows that it’s tough work but it’s necessary work and he is proud of them.”

The president is spending the holiday with wife Laura and daughters Barbara and Jenna and Jenna's fiancee, Henry Hager, members of his family and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The president is preparing for a Middle East summit in Annapolis on Tuesday.

Bush told the servicemen and women overseas: “When you tell your parents you’ve been talking with the president, half of them will think you’re fibbing, but you can tell them its true.”

From Camp David, the White House says, the president called on:

President Kennedy greets Ft. Worth, Tex. crowd hours before his death in Dallas. Photo credit: REUTERS/JFK Library/The White House/Cecil Stoughton/Handout

by Frank James

Today is not only Thanksgiving but also Nov. 22, 2007, the 44th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination on Dealey Plaza in Dallas.

Like 9/11 or Dec. 7, today is one of those anniversaries in American history that, for those old enough to remember the tragedy itself, still delivers a certain chill and a sadness. Even for many born afterwards there is a sense of loss, like what we feel for Abraham Lincoln.

It is a feeling only intensifed by looking at the webcam image from the "sniper's nest" from the Sixth Floor Museum in what was the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas. Or by this home movie of the president's motorcade made by George Jefferies about 90 seconds before the fatal shot.

Nov. 22 is a day for private remembering. Evidently, the Kennedy family has never wanted large public remembrances of the assassination. Better to remember the president's life than the way he died.

As Dallas Morning News columnist Jacqielynn Ford noted this week, it's also a day for conspiracy theorists to again get ginned up, with something of a spectacle occurring at the site of the assassination.

But for those of old enough to remember, the Kennedy assassination marked the start of the time of tumult that the 1960s were to become. Vietnam. Riots. Anti-war and civil- rights protests. More assassinations.

It is said that America lost its innocence that day 44 years ago. In truth, America was never innocent, could never be innocent.

This is either May or Flower, we're not sure which, but it's one of the two turkeys that Vice President Dick Cheney wanted to name Lunch or Dinner but President Bush pardoned this week at the White House -- see the reassuring first hand on the bird -- meaning that neither will serve as the oven roasted turkey on today's menu at Camp David. Photo by Mark Silva.

by Mark Silva

It's been a quiet week at Camp David.

That's because the president didn't get there until Tuesday.

And today, President Bush is celebrating Thanksgiving with his family in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland, where the presidential retreat of Camp David is perched atop a low range, some 1,600-feet high and somewhat cooler than its surroundings. The peak of autumn colors hit these parts about one week ago today, so you know the faded leaves are falling.

And today, all the president's menus are on the table and all the president's chefs are serving: Oven roasted turkey. Surprise.

Plus cast iron skillet cornbread dressing, jellied cranberry molds, sautéed green beans, zucchini gratin, whipped sweet potato soufflé, buttered mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, Morelia style gazpacho, fresh clover rolls with honey butter, pumpkin pie with whipped topping, apple pie, apple crisp and pumpkin mousse trifle.

So, it's a happy Thanksgiving.

At Camp David. And from the Swamp, to you.

by Mark Silva

The Granite State finally carved in stone its 2008 presidential primary election date today.

Jan. 8.

"It is kind of fitting that on the eve of Thanksgiving, a uniquely American tradition, I'm pleased to announce that another important American tradition will endure,'" said Bill Gardner, New Hampshire's secretary of state, in an announcement of the election date just now in Concord. "New Hampshire has held the first presidential primary since 1920.''

With the Iowa caucuses set for Jan. 3, the 2008 presidential nominating season already was set to open earlier than ever before. And with a spree of megastates voting on Feb. 5, the season may effectively end sooner than ever before as well.

The Michigan Supreme Court today cleared the way for a primary there on Jan. 15, Nevada, South Carolina and Florida are all set to run primaries or caucuses in January as well.

But New Hampshire, whose own state law requires that its primaries come before all others, has moved to ensure that Dixville Notch preserves its place in presidential nominating lore.

New Hampshire, which gave Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona a dramatic boost in 2000 with his 19-point primary victory over then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, will be critical to the McCain campaign again this winter. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is favored there. But for McCain, the state's vote could be fateful. Among Democrats, the state will provide a critical test of any rival's ability to thwart the bid of front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, whose apparent advantage has slipped in New Hampshire polls in recent weeks.

by Mark Silva

First the writers silenced Jay Leno and David Letterman.

Now the writers may silence Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and company.

In the case of the late-night comics, it's the Hollywood writers' strike that has cast the television entertainment world into reruns.

In the case of the Democratic candidates for president, it's the threat of a news-writers' strike that could imperil the final party debate before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3.

The Democrats today pledged not to cross the picket line, if CBS News writers strike before the planned Dec. 10 Democratic debate in California, the last in a long-running series of debates before the first presidential nominating caucuses in January.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) issued a statement about the Los Angeles debate that CBS plans in conjunction with the Democratic National Committee: "“It is my hope that both sides will reach an agreement that results in a secure contract for the workers at CBS News, but let me be clear: I will honor the picket line if the workers at CBS News decide to strike.''

by Mark Silva

At his "Ask Mitt Anything'' events, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gets asked a lot of questions.

He was on his way to one this morning in Iowa City when he fielded a question at a morning stop at The Coffee Corner down the road on West Main Street in Washington, Iowa.

A reputable source relays to the Swamp, and another strong source confirms in essence, this encouter at the coffee counter:

A woman asked the former governor of Massachusetts: What can we do to stop the newspaper and television from attacking the president?

Romney replied: "It's amazing isn't it?

"Well, fortunately you can change the channels,'' he said, "and there are channels like FOX that gives a different perspective, and you can also go on the Internet and talk radio."

by Tim Jones

The Michigan Supreme Court cleared the way today for Michigan to hold its presidential primary on Jan. 15.

The decision by that state’s highest court should remove the last significant hurdle for New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner to select the date for his state's primary, which under state law must be the nation’s first.

However, Michigan Democrats have kept open the possibility of picking their presidential preferences through a party caucus, even if the primary is held in January. That could delay Gardner’s decision on the New Hampshire primary date.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich) has been a driving force behind the move to make Michigan a more influential player in the selection process, and has suggested holding the Democratic caucus on the same day as the New Hampshire primary.

The Michigan court’s 4-1 decision overturned lower court rulings that said the law was unconstitutional because it would let state political parties keep track of voters’ names and withhold public access to that information.

by James Oliphant

Now that the Supreme Court has taken up interpreting the Second Amendment for the first time in almost 70 years, the question now turns to what happens next and how we might expect the justices to rule.

First, start with the text of the Second Amendment itself. Here’s the key passage:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

In interpreting this sentence, there’s first a fundamental question to ask: What do those commas mean? Especially that third one. The Washington newspaper Legal Times recently devoted an entire article to this question. In other words, does that last clause somehow restrict the right of “people to keep and bear arms?” And do the breaks in the sentence mean that it should, or shouldn't, be interpreted to apply only to a “well regulated Militia” and not to individual gun owners.

Grammar aside, the justices will be tasked with determining first whether the Second Amendment creates a right to gun ownership and whether that right is a collective one or an individual one, the latter being what gun rights activists have been pressing for.

by Paul West

It’s a cliché, but there’s truth to the line that candidates and campaign strategists often fight the last war—and not always to their benefit.

There are good reasons for this tendency in presidential politics. History never repeats itself exactly, but certain patterns hold true. For example, the candidate who raises the most money in the year before the election (almost always) becomes the nominee. Also, a candidate who does best in the first two voter tests, the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, (usually) winds up heading the ticket.

by Mark Silva

Scott McClellan came to Washington from Texas with George W. Bush, so that would make him pretty loyal, one suspects.

But the former press secretary to the president and ex-governor of Texas feels compelled to speak some truth in a book that he will be publishing next year, with the publisher releasing a select excerpt now. McClellan claims that he unintentionally misled the public about the leak of a CIA operative's name because both the president and his former chief political adviser, Karl Rove, had misled him.

The case ultimately led to the indictment and conviction of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice

"I stood at the White House briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby," McClellan, 39, writes in his book. "There was one problem. It was not true."

by William Neikirk

Much of the political discussion about Social Security these days concerns how it might be rescued from insolvency. Rarely do you hear that the government's popular retirement program should be expanded.

But in some circles, particularly among those who call themselves progressives (or liberal, if you will), there is increasing talk about enlarging the Social Security program because of perceived inequities in tax-deferred retirement savings like 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs).

One such program was outlined Tuesday by Teresa Ghilarducci, a Notre Dame economics professor for the past 25 years, at an event sponsored by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank. Like many others, she is concerned that the political discussion today is focused on cutting Social Security.

by Mark Silva

GQ holds itself out as arbiter of all things stylistic.

So GQ must know what it’s getting into when it includes Ron Paul and Cate Blanchett on the same list.

They are “men of the year,’’ according to that institution formerly known as Gentlemen’s Quarterly.

Paul, the Republican congressman from Texas and physician who is running for president with an Internet following of simply-obsessed Perilous Paulines who helped the “dark horse of the year’’— in GQ’s words – raise more than $4 million in one day of online fundraising for a campaign with virtually no chance of success, stands near the end of a long lineup of actors, musicians, politicians and more whom GQ has singled out for its de rigeur year-end list.

Paul stands next to last, just before Blanchett, who made the list, it appears, for playing Bob Dylan in the movies. Paul plays simply a candidate.

Never mind that neither Blanchett nor Hayden Panettierre are men. They made the cut, along with some other femmes of fashionable ways -- and a few real men as well.

It’s a long list, actually, nearly three-dozen in number, and it starts with Bill Clinton, “public citizen,’’ and it includes Kayne West, “graduate,’’ and more:

Bond-man Daniel Craig, “leading man,’’ baseball's Alex Rodriguez, “hit man,’’ Casey Affleck, “breakout of the year,’’ Hayden Panettierre, “obsession of the year,’’ Josh Brolin, “tough guy,’’ N.Y. Mayor Mike Bloomberg, “maverick,’’ Ryan Howard, “slugger,’’ American Idol's Simon Cowell, “mastermind,’’ Tom Hanks, “icon,’’ Paul, “dark horse of the year.’’ And Blanchett, “I’m not there performance of the year.’’

See it to believe it.

Andrew Zajac

One of the unusual aspects of Rudolph Giuliani's presidential candidacy is that it's based on his work in public service – primarily as mayor of New York after 9-11 – but he's spent the past five plus years in the private sector, where his work has been harder to evaluate.

Today, the Tribune takes a look at one of Giuliani's more unusual recent business deals, consulting on a casino resort proposal in Singapore.

Here's the story:

by Mark Silva

The White House's long-promised Middle East Summit will take place Tuesday in Annapolis, with President Bush pressing the leaders of Israel and the Palestine Authority to agree on principles that can pave the way toward a “two-state solution'' that Bush has long advocated.

Prospects for real progress in this summit are limited, the White House acknowledged today, conceding that there may be no “instant results'' from the conference in Anapolis. Yet, White House aides say, this will be an important juncture in the pursuit of a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis, whom Bush has stated should accept a framework of two states living side by side.

“ What the president has wanted is what he said had wanted back in July of 2002,'' White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said today. “He's the first president to call for a two-state solution.

“He'd like to see these two parties come together to talk about the substantial and core issues surrounding the peace process so that we can begin negotiations towards that end,'' she said. “That's what we've been working towards as we get toward -- get closer to an Annapolis conference.''

Bush will hold individual meetings with Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, and Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, at the White House on Monday. Bush will play host to each leader indiviually in the Oval Office – with meetings that are likely to overshadow the pre-scheduled appearances of this year's American winners of the Nobel Prize on Monday, including former Vice President Al Gore, who narrowly lost the White House to Bush in 2000.

by James Oliphant

The Tribune's series of profiles of presidential candidates continues this week with a look at the campaign of Joseph Biden, the Democrat from Delaware. Biden, who has spent 35 years in the Senate, first ran for president 20 years ago, but was forced from the race after he was accused of stealing a British politician's speech.

Biden was profiled over four days in Iowa. The story can be found here on chicagotribune.com, or below, in an extended version of the article.

You can also read an extended version of the profile here, by clicking on the link below.

by Rick Pearson

Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar is subscribing to the theory that his candidate for president, Rudy Giuliani, doesn’t need to win in Iowa and New Hampshire next year since big states such as his own have an earlier say on the nominating process.

“I don’t view the caucuses in Iowa as a meaningful way to gauge public opinion. I just don’t like caucuses,” the former two-term Republican chief executive told reporters in Chicago after appearing with the former New York mayor to endorse Giuliani.

“Now, if Iowa had a primary, I’d say, now that would mean something. But caucuses?” he asked rhetorically. “I mean, most reasonable people at that time of year would rather be home watching basketball or, in this case, probably unwrapping Christmas presents. So I’ve never thought that that was the best indicator.”

In addition to criticizing Iowa’s Jan. 3 caucuses, Edgar didn’t have much to like about the New Hampshire primaries, in which a final date still hasn’t been set.

“Nothing against New Hampshire, but I’m not sure New Hampshire is a cross-section of America,” the former governor said. “So, I think Illinois, Florida, California, New York, these large states that are going to have primaries after that--then you get a better indication. There’s a lot of delegates there.”

Though Giuliani has done some campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire, his campaign has been looking ahead to the so-called “Super Tuesday” of Feb. 5 primaries in delegate-rich states such as California, New York and Illinois where conservatives may not dominate Republican turnout.

“It’d be nice to win those first states but because you have the big states coming so soon afterwards, I think that will have a major impact on the outcome in both parties,” Edgar said.

by Christi Parsons

The Battle of the Passports continues.

Yesterday, Barack Obama said his experience living overseas in his youth helped prepare him to be president.

This afternoon, Democratic rival Hillary Clinton fired back.

“I have traveled the world on behalf of our country, first in the White House with my husband and now as a senator,” she said at an event in Shenandoah, Iowa. “I’ve met with countless world leaders and know many of them personally. I went to Beijing in 1995 and stood up to the Chinese government on human rights and women’s rights.”

In case you missed the intended comparison, here’s the finer point:

“Now, voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges the next President will face,” she said. “I think we need a President with more experience than that.”

But Obama spokesman Bill Burton says lots of passport stamps, even when accumulated by grown-ups, aren't everything.

"Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld have spent time in the White House and traveled to many countries as well,” he said. “But along with Hillary Clinton they led us into the worst foreign policy disaster in a generation and are now giving George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran.”

UPDATE, 4:11 p.m.: Obama just earned a spirited, if unusual, defense from rival Democratic candidate John Edwards. The former North Carolina senator's campaign released the following dictionary-style definition of the word "mudslinging":

"The use of insults and accusations, esp. unjust ones, with the aim of damaging the reputation of an opponent. As in: Hillary Clinton said about Barack Obama, ‘Now voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges the next president will face.’

“Now we know what Senator Clinton meant when she talked about ‘throwing mud’ in the last debate," the release concludes. "Like so many other things, when it comes to mud, Hillary Clinton says one thing and throws another.”

by Mark Silva, and updated

Pat Buchanan did it -- parlaying a high-profile cable television network soapbox into a campaign for president.

Will Lou Dobbs do it?

Will he take that bully -- and we mean, bully -- cable pulpit of his on CNN, with his nightly harrangue about the nation's "broken borders,'' and turn it into a campaign for president?

No, pretty much, he said this evening on his own network.

"I've been saying for some time, I’m very flattered that a number of people have asked me to run for office,'' Dobbs told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "That isn’t where my interest lies.

"I’m an advocacy journalist,'' he said (We're glad here that he explained that part of what he does on CNN each evening).

"You never say never, but the fact is, my commitment, my interest lies in doing what I do,'' said Dobbs, adding that he'd have to give up working with Wolf.

The folks at U.S. News and World Report were talking up the Dobbs idea today, afer Dobbs appeared on ABC's Good Morning America this morning and also cast doubt on the prospect of a campaign, without really ruling it out.

In Washington Whispers:

by Christi Parsons

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) often tells voters that the problem with the “No Child Left Behind” effort to improve public schools is that George Bush “left the money behind.”

But in a policy speech on Tuesday, Obama added two of his rivals for the Democratic nomination for president to the list of culprits – immediately inspiring them to point the finger back in his direction.

In a speech unveiling his $18 billion plan to improve public schools, Obama accused Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and former senator John Edwards of North Carolina of making a “serious mistake” in not voting for a measure in 2003 to require full funding of the program.

"It's pretty popular to bash No Child Left Behind out on the campaign trail, but when it was being debated in Congress four years ago, my colleague Dick Durbin offered a chance to vote so that the law couldn't be enforced unless it was fully funded," Obama said. "A lot of senators, including Senator Edwards and Senator Clinton, passed on that chance. And I believe that was a serious mistake."

But aides to the two Democrats noted that, as a member of the Illinois Senate, Obama voted to implement it at the state level without a requirement for full funding. And both camps pointed out other instances in which their candidates supported full funding of the law.

Obama left out the “inconvenient fact,” said Edwards spokesman Chris Kofinis, “that he supported No Child Left Behind as an Illinois state senator before he opposed it as a presidential candidate.”

By Jim Tankersley

A lot of American travelers will unwittingly stop off in Peter Roskam's congressional district this week, en route to grandmas' houses coast to coast. Roskam wants to make sure they don't run into anyone unexpected along the way - at 20,000 feet.

Roskam, a freshman Republican whose district includes O'Hare International Airport, has written the Federal Aviation Administration with some sharp questions about a pair of barely averted midair collisions near the airport. He wants to know how adequately staffed the nation's air traffic control system is, in light of a recent wave of retirements among controllers - and what procedures are in place to avoid collisions in the future.

Midwestern skies saw two near-miss collisions within a week's span this month, the Tribune reported recently, both attributed to an FAA radar station near Chicago. Roskam said in the letter that the reports worried him.

"Any air traffic control mistake that resulted in a mid-air collision would be a tragedy not only for those on board the airplanes, but also for those who live and work around the crash site," he wrote. "The aftermath of a mid-air collision could be devastating to my Congressional District."

Read on for the full letter to the FAA:

by Mark Silva, and updated with full interview

President Bush, who has retreated to Camp David in the Maryland mountains for the Thanksgiving holiday, says Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York understands "pressure'' -- more so than any of the other candidates seeking his job.

"No question, there is no question that Sen. Clinton understands pressure better than any of the candidates, you know, in the race,'' Bush told ABC News' Charlie Gibson in an interview at Camp David that will air on this evening's World News.

"I do believe our candidate will beat her,'' Bush added, "if she happens to be the nominee.''

The president also hinted at his perception of a relative lack of experience in Clinton's leading Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. The president, however, declined to speculate on the outcome of his own party's race, calling it "wide open.''

by Mark Silva

At the end of this month – assuming that President Bush’s public job approval doesn’t jump from its current trough of 32 percent to 40 percent or higher – the second-term leader will surpass former President Richard Nixon in the number of months running with a sub-40 percent rating.

That will catapult Bush into second place for this dubious honor in the Gallup Poll’s post World War II-tracking of presidential approval ratings.

But Bush will have to fend off most of the public's approval for much of the rest of his term to make No. 1. That top, or bottom, honor belongs to President Harry Truman, whose public approval hovered below 40 percent in the Gallup Poll from October 1950 to December 1952 – for 26 consecutive months.

Bush’s approval rating has hovered below 40 since September 2006 – matching Nixon’s 13 months (from July 1973 until his resignation from the presidency in August 1974).

The president, whose approval stood at 32 percent in the latest Gallup Poll – in a survey of Americans taken Nov. 11-14 – stands only marginally higher than Congress in this regard. The public’s approval for Congress stood at just 20 percent in that survey.

by James Oliphant

The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Washington, D.C.'s strict ban on handguns is constitutional, perhaps setting the stage for an unprecedented public debate on gun rights and adding a volatile issue to the ongoing presidental campaign.

For gun-rights advocates, today is a red-letter day, one they've been waiting for decades.

"I'm on cloud nine," said Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation, minutes after the order from the Supreme Court was handed down Tuesday.

Gottlieb has reason to be optimistic. While the modern court hasn't ruled on the scope of the Second Amendment, its conservative majority may be inclined to make an emphatic statement about gun ownership as an individual right. And, as Gottlieb points out, the worst-case scenario -- a statement from the high court denying that such a right exists -- would galvanize the gun lobby and its supporters into furious political action during an election year.

The District of Columbia bans ownership of handguns, even in the home. The justices (the votes of four of which are necessary to decide to hear a case) will review whether such a ban infringes on residents' constitutional rights. The ruling, which likely will come in June, could have a cascade effect on similar bans across America, including one in the city of Chicago.

A federal appeals court in Washington ruled this spring that the District's ban violated the Second Amendment, forcing the city government to appeal the issue to the Supreme Court.

by Frank James

Anyone who follows Congress and cares about its endangered tradition of compromise is a little more concerned after yesterday's announcement by Rep. Mike Ferguson, a Republican moderate from New Jersey, that he's not running for re-election.

As the Politico noted, eight of the 17 Republicans who aren't running for re-election are centrists, and some of their seats stand a good chance of now being picked up by Democrats, not new Republican moderates.

It's yet another example of how in congressional politics, the center cannot hold.

This passage from the Politico story captured the moment well:

“It’s not a good time to be a moderate in American politics,” said Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.). “Ask Joe Lieberman.”

“The money has moved away from the parties, who used to be the enforcement mechanisms, to groups on the extreme right and left, and it’s killing us,” Davis said.

This state of affairs is partly of Congress's own making. Lawmakers liked the benefit they received from legislative redistricting over the years which locked in most congressional districts for one party or the other.

They also benefitted from campaign-finance laws that favor incumbents who, more than challengers, have the connections to raise the needed sums in the small amounts required by those laws.

All of this just further deepens the partisan trench warfare on Capitol Hill.

by Mark Silva, and updated

President Bush, who has vetoed two bills offering federal funding for research with new lines of embryonic stem cells, today praised laboratory developments in stem-cell work that bypasses the "culture of life'' debate over embryonic lines.

Teams of scientists in two places are reporting today that they have transformed ordinary human skin cells into stem cells using a technique pioneered with mice. From Kyoto University in Japan comes word of stem cells produced from human skin cells that were treated with genes that had been used in earlier experiments with mice. And from the University of Wisconsin at Madison comes word of similar work involving a different group of genes.

"President Bush is very pleased to see the important advances in ethical stem cell research reported in scientific journals today,'' White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said today. "By avoiding techniques that destroy life, while vigorously supporting alternative approaches, President Bush is encouraging scientific advancement within ethical boundaries.

Bush, with a televised address, had said early on in his presidency that he would forbid federal research using new lines of embryos -- but would support work with existing lines.

James Thomson, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who led one of the teams that published their findings, said at a press conference today: "My feeling is that the political controversy set the field back about four to five years."

Thomson, who co-discovered human embryonic stem cells in 1998, credited the president with providing some funds for work starting in 2001 but said Bush's funding limits "represented very bad public policy as far as I'm concerned. The field has been much slower taking off than it would have been otherwise."

by Sonja Deaner

One of the turkeys (seated on table) receiving presidential pardon today at Rose Garden ceremony. Photo by Mark Silva

by Mark Silva

President Bush, intent on proving that he is no lame duck yet, pardoned two turkeys today.

Their names are May and Flower.

They came from a farm near Dubois, Indiana, and will spend the rest of their "blissful, gobbling lives'' at Disney World, starting as honorary parade grand marshals this week, thanks to the traditional presidential pardon of Thanksgiving turkeys.

In a corn-stalk and pumpkin-framed ceremony in the Rose Garden that traces its roots to Harry Truman, Bush delivered a message to the two Hoover-bred, pardoned birds: "You cannot stand the heat, and you definitely are going to stay out of the kitchen.''

Bush also said that the clearly calculated names May and Flower, selected in online voting, are "certainly better than the names the vice president suggested, which are lunch and dinner.''

Lots of gobbling was heard on the sideline of this event, in which Bush praised the American economy and the compassion of the American people and gave thanks for the rite of Thanksgiving. Bush will head today for a holiday break at Camp David, including an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson and a year-ender with People magazine.

Addressing an audience including children from Campfire USA, Bush spoke fondly of all the letters he receives, like the one from a child in California who asked him if he ever gets a headache. "Not really,'' Bush explained. "Only when I have a press conference.''

No headaches, President Bush says, except "when I have a press conference.' Photo by Silva

by Mark Silva

With the State Department ready to announce a Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Md., later this month, the White House insists that progress, if not "instant success,'' can be made at this summit.

Asked if the president is taking a big gamble with a conference involving parties that appear at such odds, Dana Perino, White House press secretary, said:

"‘I would say it’s an important initiative… The president is not a gambler.’’

There has been "a lot of posturing… in the walkup to this conference,'' Perino said. "They have seen the difficulties.. We recognize, at the Annapolis conference, we are not going to have instant results.’’

There will be discussions, she said. "There is a lot of history, and there is a lot of tension... But I think the motivations on all sides have been genuine.’’

by Mark Silva

Merry Christmas from Washington: With Congress balking at continued war funding, the White House says the Defense Department will issue furlough notices to about 100,000 civilian workers at military bases in mid-December.

The threat of notices is the White House’s way of reminding Congress that it must authorize continued funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The House has voted to tie $50 billion in continued funding to a timeline for troop withdrawals, but that measure has been shelved in the Senate. The White House is calling on Congress to approve a spending bill before year’s end. If funding isn’t provided, the Defense Department says, the stall will have a “profoundly’’ burdensome impact on its operations.

“Before you furlough anyone, you have to provide notice,’’ White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said this morning. “If Congress provides the full funding, then the Department of Defense will not have to take the step’’ of furlough notices. They will have to be issued in mid-December, she said.

Perino also acknowledges that this was a warning shot across the bow of Congress – “that’s exactly what that was.’’

“It is not us who is making any civilians suffer,’’ she said. “We are calling on Congress.’’

by Jill Zuckman

Perhaps this is the equivalent of which presidential candidate you would want to have a beer with. Or maybe it's the 'who do you want in your living room for the next four years' test.

Picking presidents is a highly personal endeavor for most Americans. Now comes a Quinnipiac University national poll examining which presidential candidate would be most welcome as a guest at Thanksgiving dinner.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is the top choice for 27 percent of all voters, followed closely by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) with 24 percent.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani weighs in with 22 percent of all voters, followed by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) at 17 percent, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson at 14 percent and finally, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 7 percent.

by Christi Parsons

Barack Obama is planning to unveil an education plan today that would make affordable pre-school programs more widely available and offer pay incentive programs for effective teachers.

It would also allow schools to lengthen the teaching day or the school year. The $18 billion annual program would be offset by savings and cuts in federal agencies, including NASA.

According to the Obama camp, the idea about teacher incentives is not the same thing as merit pay, a concept long opposed by teachers' unions. It would not be tied to test scores and would be available to districts that wanted to "innovate" with new programs.

The cost of the early education plan would come partly from delaying the NASA Constellation Program for five years, cutting costs in the government procurement process and auctioning surplus federal property. The Obama plan also cites "closing the CEO pay deductibility loophole" and ending the Iraq war as other ways to pay for the program.

by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting, or both, Washington-related stories.

Freddie Mac, one of the major mortgage-financing companies, was hit hard by the mortgage crisis, saying its third quarter loss widened to $2 billion.

The sense of being under siege lessened for Baghdad residents as the improved security environment and reduced sectarian violence allowed Iraqis to venture outdoors in ways they haven't been able to do in more than a year.

U.S. military commanders are saying Iraqi insurgents are signing up to kill Americans less for ideology than for cash which makes it more possible that the U.S. can peel them away from the insurgency with the right inducements.

by Mark Silva

Setting the table for Thanksgiving?

Don't forget to set a place for Hillary Clinton. Or Barack Obama. Or Rudy Giuliani.

These are the presidential candidates whom voters say they'd most like to have over for Thanksgiving dinner, according to the results of a Quinnipiac University poll coming out this morning -- stay tuned for the full details, here in the Swamp, at release time this morning.

Funny about this dinner-table camraderie question: These are the same three candidates whom most voters cited for leadership abilities in another poll reported on here in the Swamp.

Leadership: Pass the gravy, please.

by Andrew Malcolm

Thousands of Americans got a personal e-mail this week from Fred Thompson. With his photo and signature and everything.

Yes, yes, of course, it asked for money. Is there any other kind of political e-mail in the barely six weeks left before the Iowa caucuses and a front-loaded flood of primary elections?

Most of the polls you read about on the Democratic and Republican races focus on the candidates' standing. But look behind the numbers and those polls also show that many voters on both sides remain undecided (60 percent among GOP voters in one New Hampshire survey), even after nearly 11 months of campaigning and news coverage.

So, there's not much time to help a lot of minds get made up. Mitt Romney probably leads everybody in TV ads, except maybe Cialis, having spent more than $10 million on nearly 15,000 TV broadcasts. So Fred's got considerable ground to make up with his look-straight-in-the-camera-like-you-really-mean-it message of consistent conservatism.

Trouble is, TV ads cost money. So instead of just asking for money, this time Fred's asking you to buy a 30-second ad in Sioux City with a $70 donation. Or you could get him on the air in Greenville, S.C., for $250.

by Mark Silva

Quick: Were more members of Congress born in Cleveland or in Baltimore (A)?

How many were born in Chicago? (B)

How many brothers and sisters are serving in Congress together? (C)

How many senators are the children of senators? (D)

Which state delivered the highest percentage vote for President Bush in 2000? (E)

Which delivered the lowest percentage for Bush in 2000? (F)

This and more is packed between the covers of the American Almanac of Politics, which has released it 2008 edition.

The people at National Journal Group who publish this Bible of the political world, with portraits of every congressional district and state and people who represent them, their history and their political proclivities in presidential and other elections are celebrating the release with a little trivia. See the answers to the above questions below.

And read on, here in the Swamp, for more fun facts, courtesy of the Journal:

A: Cleveland 8, Baltimore 7

B: 10

C: 4 pairs of siblings from Florida, Michigan, California and Colorado, read on

D: 5

E: Wyoming

F: Rhode Island

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Tuesday, November 20.

President Bush is pardoning the National Thanksgiving Turkey and then heading to Camp David for the holiday.

US PIRG is releasing its annual report on toy hazards and demonstrating unsafe toys.

The Israel Projects is hosting a discussion, “Eye on Annapolis: Assessing the Annapolis Peace Talks,” during which Middle East analysts will discuss the upcoming Annapolis peace negotiations.

by Siobhan Gorman

It's musical offices time for the nation's spy chief--again. Come next Spring, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell plans to move his 1,000-plus crew from its current headquarters at Bolling Air Force Base just across the Anacostia River from downtown Washington D.C. to a new building at the rapidly-expanding Liberty Crossing campus at an "undisclosed location" out near the CIA in Northern Virginia.

The decision dashes the hopes, for now at least, of those who had eyed downtown real estate, which would have vastly reduced the amount of time the nation's highest intelligence officer spends in traffic headed to meetings at the White House and on Capitol Hill.

The winners in this latest round of real estate roulette are the Defense Intelligence Agency and the CIA officers currently assigned to McConnell's shop.

by John McCormick, updated

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll out this afternoon shows Sen. Barack Obama in the lead for the first time in Iowa.

The poll of likely Democratic caucus participants shows Obama at 30 percent, followed by 26 percent for Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and 22 percent for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson follows the lead group at 11 percent.

The poll, linked here, has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points, so it is technically a tie between Obama and Clinton for the top spot in Iowa.

The Post reports that Obama is running even with Clinton among women in Iowa, drawing 32 percent to her 31 percent, despite the fact that the Clinton campaign has built its effort around attracting female voters.

Some other key paragraphs from the Post's story:

by Frank James

You may have heard of the E-Verify system the federal government wants employers to use to establish that workers are in the U.S. legally and thus eligible to work.

The Homeland Security Department is so serious about employers using it, it's suing Illinois because the state has thrown up a roadblock to keep employers in the state from using the system which, Illinois says, is flawed.

Given how determined the federal government is about employers using the Internet-based system, you would think the federal government would itself be uniformly relying on it to make sure the contractors it hires aren't using illegal workers. You would be wrong.

This irony hasn't escaped the attention of Sen. Charles Grassley who is calling on the federal goverment to practice what it preaches.

Grassley sent letters today asking the relevant officials to change this curious lack of urgency on the federal government's part to make comprehensive use of its own E-Verify system.

Here are letters he sent today to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Jean Manning, Chief Cousel for Employment in the Senate's Office of the Secretary:

by Mike Dorning

FORT DODGE, Iowa — With home foreclosures rising, the dollar dropping and oil flirting with $100-a-barrel, Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama clashed today on the question of who is better prepared to lead the nation out of the potential recession that worries some economic forecasters.

Now polling at a statistical dead heat with rivals Obama and John Edwards among likely participants in the crucial Iowa caucuses that open the presidential nominating contest, Clinton began a two-day swing through Iowa hinting that her rivals would need "on-the-job training" in the White House, which in a time of economic uncertainty could cost Americans dearly in their own family financial security.

While Clinton and her surrogates have challenged Obama's readiness for the White House throughout the campaign, her campaign's criticism has focused on his foreign policy experience during an age of terrorism.

Her comments, delivered in a speech on economic policy in Knoxville, Iowa, marked a shift in focus, now connecting a reservation about experience that polls show many voters have about the first-term Illinois senator to economic issues, a perennial concern of voters.

Obama, also in Iowa campaigning in Fort Dodge, wasn't willing to concede the former first lady's claims of a superior economics background.

" I am happy to compare my experiences with hers when it comes to the economy," Obama responded, when asked by reporters. "My understanding was that she wasn't Treasury Secretary in the Clinton Administration."

Obama, too, has been focusing on the economy in recent days. At a news conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday, he tweaked Clinton for past support of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

By Matthew Hay Brown

His colleagues may all have left Washington for the Thanksgiving break, but Sen. Jim Webb will be back on the Senate floor Tuesday morning.

The junior senator from nearby Virginia has been tapped by Majority Leader Harry Reid to open the upper chamber for a pro forma session, a tactic to keep the Senate from going into recess – and to keep President Bush from making recess appointments.

The Constitution gives the president authority to fill federal vacancies when the Senate is in recess – it’s how Theodore Roosevelt put Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. on the Supreme Court. More recently, the recess appointment has been used by presidents of both parties to bypass the confirmation process for controversial nominees.

Bush has used the authority to sidestep Senate filibusters against Charles Pickering and William Pryor, whom he appointed to U.S. courts of appeals, and John Bolton, who became U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Julie L. Myers, the assistant secretary of homeland security now under fire for giving a “best original costume” prize to an employee dressed as a dark-skinned, dreadlocked prisoner at a Halloween party last month, was another recess appointment.

Democrats remain particularly frosted by the installation this year of Sam Fox, the St. Louis businessman who helped to finance Swift Boat Veterans for Truth during the 2004 election, as ambassador to Belgium

Bush, meanwhile, is frustrated at what he says is the slow pace of the confirmation process under the Democratic majority. Bush is awaiting action on some 190 nominees, including 23 judges, secretaries of agriculture and veterans affairs, three members of the Federal Reserve, two members of the Council of Economic Advisers and the surgeon general.

By Jim Tankersley

John Edwards can't personally cook Thanksgiving dinner for each of his supporters -- that might be more of a, say, Mike Gravel kind of possibility -- but his mother is offering campaign donors some help with their holiday trimmings nonetheless.

For the low, low price of $20.08, Bobbie Edwards writes in a fundraising appeal today, a contributor can secure five favorite Thanksgiving recipes from the Edwards family and their top campaign advisors.

Bobbie Edwards promises to send her daughter-in-law Elizabeth's recipe for bread pudding, campaign manager David Bonior and his wife Judy's recipes for "Sweet Potatoes with Apples" and "Mushroom Soup," and strategist Joe Trippi and his wife Kathy's recipe for "Old Fashioned Down on the Farm Country Stuffing." The highlight, or at least we assume, is Bobbie Edwards' personal Mac n' Cheese recipe -- "one of John's favorites," she says.

Read on for the full culinary pitch:

by David Nitkin

 Just when it seemed as if the presidential debates might be coming to an end, a new crop has been announced.

The Commission on Presidential Debates disclosed today the dates and locations of three presidential and one vice-presidential debate to be held in September and October 2008, after the major parties have selected their nominees. Third-party candidates who garner an average of 15 percent support in polls would also be invited.

The first debate will be held on Friday, Sept. 26, at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., followed by a town-hall style debate in Nashville, Tenn., on the campus of Belmont University, on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The final debate between presidential contenders is scheduled for Wed., Oct. 15, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY.

The vice-presidential nominees will square off on Thursday, Oct. 2, at Washington University in St. Louis. All debates start at 9 p.m. eastern time.

The non-partisan debate commission unveiled a format change that organizers hope will lead to more disclosure and discussion of issues. Except for at the town-hall debate, the sessions will be divided into 8 individual 10-minute segments, focusing on a distinct issue. During each segment, the candidates should have a greater chance to address each other directly, rather than fielding questions from a moderator or responding to their opponent's position.

During the town hall debate, questions posted over the Internet will be permitted for the first time.

David Nitkin covers the White House for the Baltimore Sun, a Tribune Co. newspaper.

by Mark Silva

They dropped Rosie O'Donnell from The View, the daytime TV show.

But they like Michelle Obama, wife of the presidential candidate.

The spouse of the senator from Illinois will co-host the show on Dec. 5, the New York Post is reporting.

Obama's wife will join the show's panel of Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters and others fon its trademark "Hot Topics'' segment, the Post says.

by Mark Silva

Maybe it's Mike Huckabee's repeated warning to people that one should never aim one's weapon at a dead carcass.

Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and now a Republican candidate for a president, has become one of "Hunting and Fishing's 25 Most Influential People.'' He and Ted Nugent, the gun-toting rock star.

So says Outdoor Life, the magazine that claims 5.5 million readers, with news breaking in the December/January issue on newstands tomorrow. Huckabee is the only one of the presidential candidates to make the list, and one of only two politicians -- the other is Sen. Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat. The list is officially known as the Outdoor Life 25.

We thought this might have something to do with comments like the one Huckabee made during a Fox News interview recently: "Everyone’s written our political obituary for the past 10-1/2 months and we’re still on our feet,'' Huckabee said. "The fact that I am being attacked is a good sign. It’s a sign of life. This is hunting season. I’m a hunter. You don’t ever point your gun at a dead carcass. A lot of folks are pointing at me.”

But apparently the magazine has some other criteria: "The magazine lauded Huckabee’s conservation work on behalf of sportsmen during his Arkansas governorship. Huckabee, an avid angler and hunter, helped pass Amendment 75, “The Conservation Amendment,” months into office. Approved in 1996, the amendment pumps approximately $26 million into the coffers of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Outdoor Life also sited Huckabee’s work to improve public access for hunters and anglers and his kids’ fishing initiatives as additional reasons he was named to the Outdoor Life 25.''

by Mike Dorning

FORT DODGE, Iowa—Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was in Iowa today arguing she has the experience to lead the economy out of a downturn and that signs of economic trouble ahead make it risky to elect a different candidate.

But rival Barack Obama wasn't willing to concede the former first lady's claim of a superior economic background. "She wasn't Treasury Secretary in the Clinton Administration," Obama responded, when questioned by reporters.

Throughout the campaign, Clinton has suggested that Obama, who is a first-term U.S. senator, does not have enough experience to be president. Though her campaign has focused the criticism on his preparation to conduct foreign policy in an age of terrorism, she began a two-day swing through Iowa on Monday with a speech on economic policy delivered that again raised the question of experience.

''There is one job we can't afford on-the-job training for --our next president. That could be the costliest job training in history,'' Clinton said, according to excerpts released in advance by her campaign. ''Every day spent learning the ropes is another day of rising costs, mounting deficits and growing anxiety for our families. And they cannot afford to keep waiting.''

The advance excerpts released by the campaign, which usually stress the points a campaign hopes to see in media coverage, emphasized the point.

“We need a president who understands the magnitude and complexity of the challenges we face – and has the strength and experience to address them from day one. A president who has faith that the American people and the American economy are up to the task," she said. "If you give me that chance, I will be that president.”

by James Oliphant

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is the latest candidate to fashion a network of high-powered legal minds to advise him on his campaign and, ostensibly, help shape legal policy should Thompson win the White House.

He follows Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, both of whom seemingly snatched up as many conservative bright lights as they could find. But Giuliani and Romney couldn’t nab everyone, and there are plenty of high-profile legal names backing Thompson.

by Frank James

When the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued its hate-crimes report this morning, a document which indicated a nearly eight percent increase in 2006 in such crimes compared with the year before, more than a few suspicions were aroused.

Why did the agency wait until the Monday morning of Thanksgiving week to issue the report and not do it last week when Congress was still in town, as were thousands of mostly African American marchers led by Rev. Al Sharpton marched around the Justice Department to demand more federal action against hate crimes?

Was the FBI trying to keep from further riling up the demonstrators who visited Washington on Friday to express their anger at the Jena 6 and other racial incidents?

Absolutely not, said FBI spokesman John Miller. Here's what he said at length.

by Mark Silva

John Negroponte, the deputy secretary of state, reported in at the White House this morning on his trip to Pakistan, where he reiterated the Bush administration's demands that President Pervez Musharraf lift emergency rule and that Musharraf shed his uniform.

He returned with promises: Musharraf says he will step down as Army chief of staff before starting his next term as president, and that parliamentary elections will be held in January.

But until order is secured, Musharraf says, the state of emergency continues.

"Remember, in diplomacy, when you have this type of outreach, you can't expect instant results,'' White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said today, en route to Richmond, Va., with the president for some Thanksgiving-related ceremonies.

"So we are going to continue to have an open line of communication and dialogue,'' she said. "Deputy Secretary Negroponte said that he delivered a very clear message, and we'll have to continue to monitor the situation as it evolves, to see what happens next.

"Now, the fact that.. President Musharraf again reiterated that there would be -- that the elections would be held -- is a good step,'' Perno said. "That he would remove the uniform is another good step for the Pakistani people. Of course we remain concerned that there has not been a lifting of the emergency order that he put in place a little over two weeks ago.''

The U.S., which has provided billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan and provides some $150 million in aid each month, also is reviewing that aid to see if any of it carries legal restrictions which would prevent the U.S. from paying the Pakistani government any portion of it under the emergency law that Musharraf has declared.

David Lerman

Former Republican Gov. James S. Gilmore III announced Monday he will be a candidate for the U.S. Senate next year.

In a widely anticipated announcement that was e-mailed to supporters, Gilmore said he offers the experience required to fill the Senate seat being vacated by veteran Republican Sen. John Warner.

``I can offer Virginians unparalleled experience and a strong and steady hand in the Senate," Gilmore said in an annoucement video on his new campaign Web site, www.jimgilmoreforsenate.com. ``Virginia's legacy of solid principles and values is ingrained in me."

If he wins the Republican party nomination, Gilmore is likely to face former Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner, who succeeded him in the governor's mansion. A recent Washington Post poll found Virginians favoring Warner over Gilmore by a 2-to-1 margin.

The 2008 Bush calendar. RNC photo

by Mark Silva

With the New Year nigh, it's time to think about that 2008 calendar.

And with President Bush struggling with a public-approval rating that approximates the Farenheit measure of freezing, what better idea than a Bush calendar?

Laura Bush, the First Lady, signs the offer from the Republican National Committee today, peddling a calendar that "spans the entire seven years of George's Presidency.'' The cover has the appearance of a first couple, and the first dogs too, waiting for the last train out of Dodge -- with the president's cowboy hat hanging on the bench.

The images in the calendar, the first lady explains, are intended to remind Amerians of the country's greatness and about "how high the stakes are for America in the upcoming elections.'' Cash collections from the calendar will go toward helping the GOP keep the White House, she notes.

The price is right, the first lady says: $25 or more, for the RNC.

by Frank James

We are experiencing serious technical problems today which, we're told, may have something to do with bandwidth issues, like maybe we need some more. The Swamp was completely unreachable earlier but now appears to be back up, though it's kind of working in fits and starts.

Our techs are aware of the problem and are trying to fix it. Thanks for your patience.

by Mark Silva

In the wake of weekend reports of "push polling'' in New Hampshire attacking Republican Mitt Romney and promoting rival John McCain -- which both candidates have formally protested in formal complaints with the state -- the American Association for Public Opinion Research has issued a statement of guidelines calling the practice "unethical political telemarketing.''

"There are guidelines to help determine whether or not a poll is a valid survey,'' the association says. "The reminder from AAPOR comes after a round of stories described telephone calls to Iowa and New Hampshire voters as "push polls" because they included harsh information about a candidate.

"AAPOR defines a push poll as unethical political telemarketing, calls disguised as research that are designed to persuade large numbers of voters -- not to measure opinion.''

"Negative or disturbing information about a candidate does not automatically make a survey a push poll," AAPOR President Nancy Mathiowetz,'' said in an issued statement. "Message testing, when campaigns test the effectiveness of possible messages about opponents and even themselves, is very different; and it is a legitimate form of surveying.

"What's changed in the recent election cycles is that the practice of message testing, once largely invisible to the public, is now receiving a lot of scrutiny,'' she said. "Add to that a crowded, highly competitive field in the early primary and caucus states and there are going to be plenty of surveys to critique.''

by Josh Drobnyk

Few Pennsylvanians may have heard of GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Pat Toomey wants to keep it that way.

Toomey, the former Lehigh Valley congressman who now heads the anti-tax group Club for Growth, has been on a relentless campaign to undermine the former Arkansas governor's bid for the White House, which has gathered steam after a strong performance in the Iowa straw poll in August.

The Club for Growth has unleashed almost daily diatribes against Huckabee in recent weeks, criticizing him for hiking taxes during his tenure in the Arkansas state house, including a boost in the gas tax to help fix the state's roads. Huckabee counters that his record has been distorted and the gas tax increase was widely popular with the state's voters.

''Mike Huckabee is a unique candidate in this Republican field in that he is clearly a committed social conservative, but he is economically very liberal,'' Toomey said in an interview. ''And he is the only economic liberal in the field.''

Huckabee has seen his presidential stock rise since he placed second to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the influential straw poll. And while three other GOP presidential contenders -- former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and Arizona Sen. John McCain -- didn't participate in the poll, the showing has led to a significant boost in Huckabee's popularity.

Recent polls in Iowa, which is set to kick off the primary calendar with a caucus on Jan. 3, show Huckabee trailing only Romney in the state. Nationally, he has more work to do; he polls fifth in most nationwide surveys.

by Mark Silva

Frances Fragos Townsend, homeland security adviser to President Bush since May 2004, will leave the White House, the president announced today.

Townsend, who had gone to the White House from the U. S. Coast Guard, where she served as assistant commandant for intelligence, has overseen the domestic war on terrorism for the president. She also spearheaded the investigation of what went wrong with relief and recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and produced a report in 2006, Hurricane Katrina, Lessons Learned.

Townsend, who had spent 13 years at the Department of Justice, started as a federal prosecutor in 1985, working as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn. She is said to be leaving in pursuit of a "private sector opportunities'' – as many other senior members of the Bush administration have left near the start of the president's final year in office.

"Over the past four and a half years, Fran Townsend has served my administration with distinction as Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism,'' Bush said in a statement this morning.

“Fran has always provided wise counsel on how to best protect the American people from the threat of terrorism,'' the president said. "She has been a steady leader in the effort to prevent and disrupt attacks and to better respond to natural disasters.''

Dana Perino, White House press secretary, said Townsend "will pursue some private-sector opportunities.

"She does intend to remain very active in the public debate about counterterrorism,'' Perino said of Townsend today, "and especially the tools that she believes policymakers and the intelligence community and the Justice Department officials and others across the government need in order to beat back the very determined enemy that we face. ''

by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting, or both, Washington-related stories.

The U.S. military is hoping to enlist Pakistani tribes in the battle against al Qaeda.

The Pakistani supreme court that was recently reshuffled by President Perviz Musharraf dismissed legal challenges to his continued rule, setting the stage for him to serve another term as a civilian president.

The number of attacks in Iraq has fallen to the level they were at in February 2006 before the bombing of an important Shiite mosque in Samarra led to a worsening of sectarian violence.

by Jill Zuckman

COLEBROOK, N.H. -- In the toasty warmth of Howard's Restaurant, Sen. John McCain stepped in from the snow to greet the breakfastgoers in this far north town and persuade them that he's got what it takes to win.

These days, he's making the case with sharper language that he's better equipped to be president than his Republican rivals, and that he's the best choice to defeat Sen. Hillary Clinton, the Democrat that most Republicans believe will be their opponent in the general election.

He's also running into bigger and bigger crowds—some that are actually reminiscent of the standing-room-only town halls he held in New Hampshire eight years ago at the time of his smashing victory over then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. "You can start to feel the enthusiasm," said McCain.

But doubts have dogged McCain throughout this do-or-die state. His campaign's summer implosion and preceding money woes set him back with the voters, and he's working overtime with a slew of stops each day—even in the most remote reaches of the state—to find a way back into their hearts.

"What happened to the maverick?" Samuel Bird, an independent voter, pointedly asked McCain as the senator worked the pine-paneled diner. "It used to be Republican, Democrat and what John McCain said."

McCain, who once wowed New Hampshire with his "straight talk," assured the retired teacher that he's the same as always.

"I'm still the maverick," McCain said. "I'm too old to change."

See the rest of the story in today's Tribune:

Good morning.

Here are a few Washington events of note for Monday, November 19.

President Bush is making a Thanksgiving speech at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County, Va.

First Lady Laura Bush is particiapting in the debut of the new Dolley Madison coin, part of the Mint’s First Spouse Gold Coin Program.

Nine crimonology and penal experts are relasing a report examining America’s exploding prison system population and recommending significant reforms to the criminal justice system in order to reduce the prison population.

by Jill Zuckman

RINDGE, N.H. – At tonight's town hall meeting at Franklin Pierce University, Sen. John McCain was confronted by a young man who told him how impressed he is with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

He told McCain he admires Giuliani's' executive experience as mayor, and wondered what prepared McCain to "be an executive and run a government?"

He also said he respects the way Giuliani can be tough as a campaigner and believes Giuliani can beat Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the general election. McCain's words of respect for Clinton worried him, he said.

"Do you think you can be tough enough on Sen. Clinton to win the general election?" he asked.

"I believe this is going to come down to experience and ability to lead," McCain told him. "I think it's important to have been mayor of a big city, I think it's important to have been a governor."

by Jill Zuckman

RINDGE, N.H. -- In a speech at Franklin Pierce University this evening, Sen. John McCain laid out the case for his candidacy, arguing that he is the candidate best prepared to defeat the Democratic nominee, and the Republican most suited to lead the nation in times of international turmoil.

"There comes a time when a president can no longer rely on briefing books and power points, when the experts and advisors have all weighed in, when the sum total of one's life becomes the foundation from which he or she makes the decisions that determine the course of history," said McCain, a former Navy fighter pilot during Vietnam who spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war. "No other candidate has my experience or the judgment it informs."

With the first votes of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary only weeks away, McCain has begun to draw distinctions with his Republican opponents, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. He's also taking after Sen. Hillary Clinton, working to persuade voters that he could defeat her in a general election.

According to a recent University of New Hampshire survey, only 8 percent of people planning to vote in the Republican primary here believe he could, in fact, beat the Democratic nominee. McCain, however, prefers to cite a Fox News poll that shows voters believe he is more likely than anyone else to beat the woman most Republicans think will be the Democratic nominee.

Key to McCain's case is his military experience and his foreign affairs expertise compared to his Republican opponents who have no military experience and a limited background in national security and foreign affairs. As if to underscore his interest in military matters, McCain is expected to travel to Iraq on Wednesday in order to spend Thanksgiving with the troops.

"On matters of war and peace, I offer Americans my experience, my personal familiarity with the tragedy of war, deep involvement in all of the national security issues of the last two decades, and steadfast conviction that America cannot afford to relinquish its leadership of the world, and the world can’t afford it either," he said.

By Mike Dorning

MARION, Iowa—A day after a tense exchange with rival Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton over a column reporting her campaign was spreading innuendo of an unspecified scandal involving Barack Obama, Obama declared at a press conference that he would respond forcefully to any allegations of wrongdoing on his part.

"We don't want anybody to have any doubts that when it comes to these kinds of practices, I won't tolerate it," Obama said, responding to reporters' questions on the controversy. "In the era of the blogosphere…if you don't get on this stuff quick, then it starts drifting around."

With Obama addressing the controversy at a news conference with television cameras rolling, his comments are likely to keep the story alive.

The skirmish erupted Saturday after conservative columnist Robert Novak reported in a column Saturday that "agents" of the Clinton campaign had been "spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent (Obama)." Novak did not offer any details on the information.

The Obama campaign swiftly responded, calling the report "devoid of any facts, but heavy on innuendo and insinuation."

In a written statement, Obama challenged Clinton's campaign to either make the information public "or concede the truth: that there is none."

By the end of the day, the Clinton campaign denied that it was spreading suggestions of a scandal involving Obama and criticized his reaction, arguing that he was too quick to believe the worst about the former first lady and it showed inexperience on his part.

"A Republican-leaning journalist runs a blind item designed to set Democrats against one another. Experienced Democrats see this for what it is. Others get distracted and thrown off their games," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a written statement.

At the news conference this morning, Obama called that "silly."

" The fact of the matter is that we are letting Democratic voters know and we are letting Republican operatives know and we are letting other people know that we will respond swiftly and forcefully when there's untruths being floated out there," Obama said.

by Mark Silva

Former Sen. John Edwards, who ran for president in 2004 with an unfailingly upbeat campaign and then joined the ticket of his party’s nominee, has come back this fall with a fighting edge – an edge which Sen. Hillary Clinton has likened to “throwing mud… right out of the Republican playbook.’’

“I don’t think so,’’ Edwards said of the complaint which Clinton lodged about his criticism for her in the debate of the Democrat candidates in Las Vegas last week. “The idea that that this is mudslinging... We’re talking about substantive issues of war,’’ Edwards said on CBS News’ Face the Nation today. “If anybody, including Sen. Clinton, thinks this is mudslinging – this is milquetoast, compared to what we’re going to see next fall.’’

The question remains of what impact a primary campaign like this will have on the November 2008 election. Some of what Edwards has to say about the senator from New York – calling her part of a political culture of corruption – is the stuff of campaign commercials. Should Clinton win the nomination, words like Edwards’ are likely to recycle through the campaign with 1,500 points of TV ad-purchasing power behind them.

Edwards stopped short today of calling Clinton unelectable – “I wouldn’t say those things,’’ the North Carolinian said. “As to who can best be elected… I’m the candidate who actually has won in a red state… I think I can go any place in the country and compete, and I’ll let Sen. Clinton make the case for herself.’’

But Edwards was even more pointed about Clinton's mudslinging charge in an interview today with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Late Edition. "It's complete nonsense... This is not mud... It's absurd.''

"Using poll-tested slogans is not an answer,'' Edwards said of Clinton's own debate tactics. "What we're doing now is complete milquetoast compared to what's coming.... What we're doing now is making sure the Democratic voters know what our respective positions are.''

It's also "a huge mistake'' to confuse anger with passion, Edwards said on CNN, maintaining that he is not angry, but is the same candidate he was in 2004, and he is running a passionate campaign. That passion has prompted some tough talk about the party's frontrunner, however, and Edwards is having to answer for it today.

Is Clinton herself corrupt, CBS host Bob Schieffer asked Edwards.

“No, I’ve never said that,’’ said Edwards, saying that “very good people get pulled into’’ the influence-peddling culture of Washington. “I myself am guilty… I’ve turned my head myself,’’ he said. But “I do believe that we have to weed that corruption out of the system and make it work for the majority of Americans.’’

John Negroponte in Islamabad delivering upbeat assessment of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's commitment to shed his army command and hold elections. U.S. embassy photo.

by Mark Silva

John Negroponte, the deputy security of state returning from a trip to Pakistan today, delivered an assessment of the situation in Islamabad that only a diplomat could make.

After meetings with President Pervez Musharraf, who has declared a state of emergency and locked up opponents, Negroponte asserted that Musharraf had "reiterated his vision for a moderate, prosperous and democratic Pakistan,'' a nation which has "made great progress toward that vision.''

And Negroponte reaffirmed the Bush administration's support for the military leader and president whom the United States has counted on as an ally against terrorists in the region since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He commended Musharraf for his promise to proceed with parliamentary elections in January. And he said Musharraf had reiterated his own "commitment to retire from his army post before commencing his second presidential term.''

It's true that the recent "police actions... run directly counter to the reforms that have been undertaken in recent years,'' Negroponte said. But the U.S. has encouraged the government to "nurture a moderate political center'' -- the best way, he said, to counter violent extremism.

See his remarks here, dispatched by the U.S. embassy in Islamabad:

by Jill Zuckman

HANOVER, N.H. - Could someone be planting questions for Sen. John McCain?

On the heels of the Iowa controversy in which a campaign staffer told a college student what to ask Sen. Hillary Clinton, McCain received at least five highly suspicious questions.

Voters asked him to expound on his position for torture as well as climate change, the issue that got Clinton into trouble.

Another praised McCain for his "physical and political courage" and said: "Could you tell this audience about your consistent opposition to abortion?"

Though reporters laughed at the non-stop softballs lobbed McCain's way, Mark Salter, senior adviser to McCain, maintained that no one from the campaign asked any voter to ask any question or make any statement in the crowded auditorium -- the campaign's 10th event of the day.

Then McCain received this hardball: "When you are the Republican nominee, who do you think your opponent will be in the general election?"