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HavenWorks.com/politics/archive/2002 |
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/ Archive
/ 2002
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2002
ELECTION News
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- CLONING
NEWS
- "Cloning
ban to face debate: Congress could take up
dilemma over experiments." ... "Real or hoax, the claim that the world's
first human clone has been born puts the next step squarely into Congress's
court: Will it ban baby-making via cloning?" ... "The nation has no specific
law against human cloning. But the Food and Drug Administration, which
regulates human experiments, contends that its regulations forbid human
cloning without prior agency permission - permission it has no intention
of giving." -By Lauran Neergaard
-AP via -Boston/Globe
- Trent
Lott Controversy |
 |
Trent
Lott - "Politicos
stunned by Bush's 'skilled' removal of Trent Lott:
President 'extracted' the senator without leaving fingerprints." ... "As
President Bush was cheerily shaking the hands of thousands of guests at
glittering White House Christmas parties this week, his advisers and influential
Republicans were working overtime to jettison Trent Lott as the Senate
Republican leader." ... "By the end of the week, as the White House watched
its favorite, Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee, step up to replace Lott, R-Miss.,
Washington's political professionals were left stunned and awed. They said
that Bush and his powerful political adviser, Karl Rove, had stumbled at
times, but still had managed to depose in eight days the unanimously elected
Senate leader of their own party." -By Elisabeth Bumiller
-NYTimes via -SeattlePI.NWsource
- "South
Korea picks liberal Roh for president." ... "Ruling
party candidate Roh Moo-hyun won South Korea's presidential election on
Thursday, a result that could complicate ties with the United States as
the allies grapple with North Korea's nuclear programme." ... "The triumph
of Roh, 56, a populist human rights and labour lawyer, marks a stunning
turnaround after the 11th-hour desertion of his election alliance partner,
Chung Mong-joon." ... "The United States has 37,000 troops helping protect
the South from its reclusive neighbour. North and South Korea are technically
still at war as the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty."
-By Paul Eckert -Reuters
via /Asia
- Trent
Lott - "[Minnesota
Republican Governor elect Tim] Pawlenty calls on Lott to leave leadership
post." ... "Minnesota Gov.-elect Tim Pawlenty became
one of the first prominent Republicans in the nation to call on Trent Lott
to step down as Senate Republican leader." ... ""I don't think you can
be an effective spokesperson and leader for the party if you are perceived
as embracing segregationist politics," Pawlenty said Tuesday, on the eve
of a White House conference for freshman governors." ... ""He's not just
a rank-and-file member of Congress," Pawlenty said of the Mississippi senator.
"He's a leader of the Republican majority in the Senate and one of the
leading national spokespeople for the party. I don't believe he can continue
to be an effective spokesperson."" -By Kevin Diaz
-StarTribune.com
ELECTION
2004 - "Democrats
expect wide-open fight: More candidates likely
to join 2004 fray." ... "Had Gore run, said veteran California Democratic
consultant Bill Carrick, “everything would have pivoted off him as the
front-runner, and people would have chosen sides for or against him. Now,
all the candidates will be trying to find out exactly who their constituencies
are, and the primary voters will be much more in a shopping-around mode.”"
... "Gore’s decision was not good news for the White House, where political
aides had been openly hoping for a rematch. Despite the fact that Gore
won the popular vote in 2000, he was viewed as a perfect foil for the president.
One official commented that Gore “was very defined in his views, and one
of those definitions was the fact that he kept changing those views.”"
-Analysis By David S. Broder-WashingtonPost
via -MSNBC
ELECTION
2004 - "Gore
takes self out of '04 race." ... "''I've decided
not to run,'' the former vice president said during a last-minute interview
with the CBS News program ''60 Minutes.'' ''I've decided that I will not
be a candidate for president in 2004.''" ... "Gore, who also ran unsuccessfully
for president in 1988, would not rule out another campaign in 2008 or beyond,
but he said, ''I make this decision in the full knowledge and in awareness
that if I don't run this time -which I'm not going to run in 2004 - that's
probably the last opportunity I'll ever have to run for president.'' He
added that he believes he can continue to affect policy outside the political
arena." -By Glen Johnson
-Boston/Globe
ELECTION
2004 - "Gore
passes on 2004 presidential run." ... ""I personally
have the energy and the drive and the ambition to make another campaign,
but I don't think it's the right thing for me to do," Gore, 54, said on
CBS' 60 Minutes. A rematch "would inevitably involve a focus on the past
that would in some measure distract from the focus on the future that I
think all campaigns have to be about."" -By Susan
Page -USATODAY
ELECTION
2004 - "Gore
won't run for president." ... "Former Vice President
Al Gore won't run for president in 2004 and will make an announcement on
CBS news program "60 Minutes" on Sunday evening." -By
Allen Wan
-CBSNews /MarketWatch
- TIA:
Total Information Awareness
- "Keeping
Track of John Poindexter." ... "The head of the government's
Total Information Awareness project, which aims to root out potential terrorists
by aggregating credit-card, travel, medical, school and other records of
everyone in the United States, has himself become a target of personal
data profiling." ... "Online pranksters, taking their lead from a San Francisco
journalist, are publishing John Poindexter's home phone number, photos
of his house and other personal information to protest the TIA program."
-By Paul Boutin -Wired
- "Mitchell
withdraws from terrorism panel." ... "Citing a reluctance
to quit his law firm, former Sen. George Mitchell on Wednesday withdrew
from the new commission that will investigate the Sept. 11 attacks." ...
"Mitchell was to be vice chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist
Attacks, which former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is heading. Replacing
Mitchell will be former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind." ... "The commission
will follow up the work of the congressional inquiry that issued its final
report Wednesday on intelligence failures leading up the terrorist attacks.
The commission will conduct a broader investigation, looking at issues
beyond intelligence, including aviation security and immigration." -By
Ken Guggenheim -AP
via -SFGate.com
- "Bush
taps an economic salesman: Bush names John
Snow as new Treasury chief with task of selling tax cuts and buoying confidence."
... "By appointing John Snow, a railroad executive, as Treasury secretary
Sunday, and probably Stephen Friedman, a Wall Street executive, as White
House economic counselor Monday, Mr. Bush will be getting two people who
are, by all accounts, consensus builders and "listeners."" ... "That will
help the administration speak more with one voice on the economy, but not
necessarily result in new initiatives. "I think the president is looking
for a new messenger, not a new message," says Sung Won Sohn, chief economist
at Wells Fargo Banks, of Mr. Snow's appointment. "So he would be a good
messenger."" -By David R. Francis and Ron Scherer
-CSMonitor
- 
- "Judge
Rebuffs Effort to Obtain Records on Cheney [energy] Task Force."
... "In a case involving bedrock constitutional issues, a federal judge
today threw out a lawsuit brought by an agency of Congress against Vice
President Dick Cheney over the formulation of the administration's energy
policy." ... "Judge John D. Bates of Federal District Court found that
Comptroller General David M. Walker, the head of the General Accounting
Office, did not have sufficient standing to sue the vice president." ...
"Mr. Walker had asked the judge to order the White House to reveal the
identities of industry executives who helped the administration develop
its energy policy last year." -By David Stout
-NYTimes via
-AltaVista-News
ELECTION
2002 News
- "Democrat
retains Louisiana seat." ... "Mary Landrieu held
off Suzanne Haik Terrell, who conceded the election late on Saturday evening."
... "In the new Senate, the Republicans will hold 51 seats to the Democrats
49." -BBC/News
ELECTION
2002 News
- "Landrieu
Beats GOP Challenge In Louisiana: Democrat
Takes 52% of Vote In Runoff for Senate Seat." ... "Democratic Sen. Mary
Landrieu of Louisiana, staving off a concerted challenge by the ascendant
Republican Party and by President Bush, won reelection to a second term
tonight [20021207]
against state Elections Commissioner Suzanne Haik Terrell in a runoff."
... "Landrieu beat her Republican challenger by about 40,000 votes out
of more than 1.2 million tallied. With all precincts reporting, Landrieu
had 642,974, or 52 percent, to 603,160, or 48 percent, for Terrell." ...
"Landrieu's victory limits the Republicans to a 51 to 49 majority in the
Senate and stems the tide of GOP victories at the polls last month, which
staggered and disoriented the Democrats." -By
Lee Hockstader -WashingtonPost
ELECTION
2002 News
- "Democrat
clings to lead in Louisiana in last Senate race of 2002."
... "The GOP failed to hold on to a U.S. House seat: With all precincts
reporting, Democrat Rodney Alexander had 85,720 votes and Republican Lee
Fletcher had 85,202 votes -- a difference of just 518 votes in the heavily
conservative district." ... "The two men spent weeks swapping bitter accusations
and attack ads as they sought the seat Republican Rep. John Cooksey gave
up to run for Senate. There was no immediate word from Fletcher on whether
he would seek a recount." -By Guy Coates
-AP via -SFGate.com
ELECTION
2002 News
- "New
Orleans: a recount." ... "Republicans took control
of the Senate last month and Bush had campaigned here last week in hopes
of pushing Terrell to victory. Landrieu scrambled to cast herself as a
centrist who backed Bush three-fourths of the time but wouldn't be a "rubber
stamp" for the president." ... "Secretary of State Fox McKeithen said he
expected turnout to be 45 percent -- low by Louisiana standards. Voters
seemed dismayed by the sharp salvos between the two New Orleans women who
share the same views on most political issues."
-AP via -SFGate.com
ELECTION
2002 News
- "Democrats
in La. to face critical test in Senate runoff." ...
"Louisiana hasn't sent a Republican to the US Senate since 1877, when it
was forced under Reconstruction to embrace the party of Abraham Lincoln.
It has sent only Democrats to the Senate ever since." ... "Yet time and
political tide may finally be reaching the Bayou State, as they already
have its neighbors, including Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Voters
last month turned Democrats out of a Senate seat in Georgia and out of
governors' offices in all three states." ... "Now it might be Senator Mary
Landrieu's turn. Relentlessly labeled a liberal in a conservative state,
Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana, is locked in a tight race for reelection
and could lose to Republican challenger Suzanne Haik Terrell, the state
elections commissioner." -By Steven Thomma -Knight
Ridder via -Boston/Globe
ELECTION
2002 News
- "Louisiana
race down to wire: A statistical dead heat
makes voter turnout critical." ... "Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is fighting
for political survival against GOP state Elections Commissioner Suzanne
Haik Terrell. Pre-election polls showed the race -- which drew President
Bush and other Republican luminaries to the state on Terrell's behalf --
was too close to call." ... "Voters in northeast Louisiana's 5th Congressional
District will also decide a runoff between Republican Lee Fletcher and
Democrat Rodney Alexander for the seat vacated by GOP Rep. John Cooksey,
who made an unsuccessful Senate bid." -By John Mercurio
-CNN /AllPolitics.com
ELECTION
2002 News
- "One
last Senate campaign - gumbo style: Louisiana
vote Saturday tests strength of GOP momentum." ... "As Republican donors
stream through the lobby of the swank Fairmont hotel - where Christmas
decorations have transformed the ceiling into a canopy of cotton "snow"
- the sense of significance is palpable." ... "It was here that legendary
populist Huey Long headquartered his campaign back in 1928, mapping out
a winning coalition of small farmers and workers that would propel him
into the governor's seat and shape Louisiana politics for decades to come."
... "Now, as the site of a high-profile campaign stop by President Bush,
the Fairmont may play a key role in another transforming election: one
that could send a Republican to the Senate from Louisiana for the first
time since the days of Reconstruction." -By Liz Marlantes
-CSMonitor
- "Bush
Shakes Up Economic Team With Ouster of 2 Advisers."
... "Wrestling with a shaky economy and criticism that his administration
projects a muddled message on how to respond, President Bush today dismissed
his Treasury secretary, Paul H. O'Neill, and the director of his National
Economic Council, Lawrence B. Lindsey." ... "The president's move also
demonstrates that the White House has grown increasingly concerned that
Mr. Bush, like his father, could pay a political price if the country's
economic woes are not addressed more forcefully." ... "The dismissals also
come when business confidence is stubbornly low, investment is weak and
joblessness is rising. Less than two hours before Mr. O'Neill surprised
Washington with his resignation, the Commerce Department reported that
unemployment last month surged at an unexpectedly fast rate last month,
to 6 percent from 5.7." (1, 2)
-By Edmund L. Anderews
-NYTimes via -Google-News
- "Appointee
bonus got quiet OK from White House in March:
2,100 are eligible for up to $15,000." ... "The Bush administration has
quietly approved a plan giving large cash bonuses to its political appointees,
a practice abandoned during the Clinton administration to prevent officials
from using taxpayer funds to reward loyal partisans." -By
Anne E. Kornblut -Boston/Globe
- "Appointees'
Bonuses Stir Anger: Critics Say Bush Plan Slights
Career Employees; Agencies Move Cautiously." ... "The Bush administration's
decision to revive cash bonuses for political appointees touched off a
fury of criticism yesterday from Democrats, unions and some policy experts
who said the move slighted ordinary federal employees and raised the specter
of cronyism." ... "The Clinton administration ended the practice of doling
out bonuses to most political appointees in 1994 after questionable payments
to some outgoing aides in the final days of the administration of President
George H.W. Bush, the president's father." ... "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
(D-N.Y.), the former first lady, called it "a decision that beggars the
imagination." She noted that Bush cited a "national emergency" and the
need to conserve money for the fight against terrorism last week when he
froze one part of a federal pay raise for 1.8 million civilian employees."
-By Christopher Lee and Mike Allen-WashingtonPost
- "Bush Reinstates Appointee Cash Bonuses -N.Y. Times." ... "The policy
shift means appointees could receive annual cash bonuses of up to $10,000
with the approval of Cabinet-level officials and agency chiefs, or more
than $25,000 with the approval of the White House, the newspaper said."
-Reuters via -ABCNEWS.com
- "Ex-Bush
Aide Apologizes for Criticism." ... "A former senior
aide to President Bush apologized yesterday after being quoted as saying
a band of "Mayberry Machiavellis" is running a White House in which politics
trumps policy." -Reuters
via -WashingtonPost
- "Why
Are These Men Laughing? Excerpts from our newsmaking
story on Karl Rove, politics, and policy in the Bush administration." ...
"" -By Ron Suskind -Esquire
OPINION
- "The
DiIulio Letter." -To: Ron Suskind From: John DiIulio
- 20021024
- Via: Esquire.com
- "Ex-Official
Blasts White House." ... "The former head of President
Bush's faith-based office charged in a magazine article released yesterday
that the administration's domestic policies are determined entirely by
political considerations, with "everything" being run by the office of
senior adviser Karl C. Rove." ... "John J. DiIulio Jr., a Democrat who
resigned last year as the first director of the White House Office of Faith-Based
and Community Initiatives, is one of only a few officials who have left
Bush's senior staff since his inauguration, and the only one who has publicly
attacked his colleagues." -By Mike Allen-WashingtonPost
- "Bush
Trims Federal Pay Hikes." ... "Federal workers will
get a smaller raise next month because President Bush is freezing part
of the increase, citing a national emergency because of the fight against
terrorism." ... "In a letter sent Friday to congressional leaders, Mr.
Bush announced he was using his authority to change workers' pay structure
in times of "national emergency or serious economic conditions" to limit
raises to 3.1 percent." ... "Most federal employees also were to receive
a second pay hike based on private-sector wages earned in metropolitan
areas. But Mr. Bush said that increase would be too expensive and "inappropriate"
at this time."
-CBSNews
- "Security
overhaul OK'd: Reorganization to be the largest
in 50 years." ... "The Senate overwhelming approved the creation of a new
Department of Homeland Security yesterday, paving the way for the biggest
federal government reorganization in a half century and putting to rest
a contentious political issue." ... "By a 90-to-9 vote during the final
hours of an unusual lame-duck session, senators agreed to move 170,000
employees from 22 existing government agencies into a single department
dedicated to domestic security." ... "It will be the largest governmental
reorganization since 1947, when the United States realigned its military
under the Department of Defense and created the National Security Council
and the CIA." -By Susan Milligan
-Boston/Globe
- "U.S.
Homeland Security Bill Faces New Hurdle." ... "Senate
Democrats on Friday moved to strip what they called "egregious special
interest provisions" from a bill to create a U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, complicating efforts to complete one of President Bush's top
legislative priorities." ... "Democrats said the vaccine provisions in
the bill appeared to be aimed at shielding major U.S. pharmaceutical companies
-- which were among the biggest donors to Republican campaign coffers --
from a wave of lawsuits seeking to link a mercury-based vaccine preservative
to childhood autism." -By Andrew Clark
-Reuters /Politics
/World
- "Shields
for vaccine makers weighed: Bush administration
already offers it in war on terrorism." ... "While senators debate shielding
childhood vaccine makers from lawsuits, the Bush administration already
has provided such protection for at least two vaccines key to the war on
terrorism —smallpox and anthrax." -AP
via -MSNBC
- 
- "Penn.
bill to require pledge in schools: Students
in private and public schools would be required to recite the Pledge of
Allegiance or sing the national anthem each morning under a bill unanimously
passed this week by the state Senate." -AP
via -CNN
- "White
House Denies Assertions on Preoccupation With Iraq."
... "The White House disagreed sharply today with assertions by senior
Democratic senators that the campaign against terrorism is lagging and
that a preoccupation with Iraq is one of the reasons." ... ""We have locked
up or detained or eliminated important Al Qaeda leaders," Condoleezza Rice,
President Bush's national security adviser, said at a news briefing." ...
""We have eliminated their base in Afghanistan, so they cannot operate
in the way that they have in the past. We have strengthened the resolve
and the capacity of countries like Yemen and the Philippines and countries
in Africa to deal with this threat. A lot has been done."" ... "Dr. Rice
noted that Mr. Bush has said repeatedly that the campaign will be a long
one. "It took a while for them to lodge themselves in 60 countries around
the world, including the United States," she said. "It's going to take
a while to break them up."" (1, 2)
-NYTimes via -Google-News
- "Bush
to Allow Private Sector Bids." ... "Up to half of
the nation's 1.8 million federal civilian workers eventually could find
they have a new boss or, worse, no job." ... "The Bush administration is
taking steps to privatize federal jobs at an unprecedented level, and officials
proposed rules Thursday to make it easier for companies to compete with
the government for maintenance, construction, secretarial and other work."
... "Employee unions raised strong objections, contending the administration
was trying to help its business allies at the expense of workers' rights.
Bush officials said it was just a question of saving money."-AP
via -Guardian.co.uk
ELECTION
2002 - "High-tech
smells success in Republican Congress." ... "With
Republicans in the driver's seat after Tuesday's elections, tech firms
can expect a sympathetic ear on a wide range of issues from free trade
to taxes to stock options, lobbyists said, while Bush administration officials
will likely face less scrutiny over efforts to relax media and telecommunications
regulations." -Reuters
via -Forbes
- 
-
- "US,
France agree on new Iraq resolution. " ... "The U.N.
Security Council set the vote for 10 a.m. EST after the United States and
its cosponsor Britain, at French urging, changed the wording in a key provision
that would declare Iraq in "material breach" of its U.N. obligations."
... "The change addresses concerns by France, Russia, Syria and others
that the original text would have let the United States determine on its
own whether Iraq had committed an infraction." -By
Edith M. Lederer -AP
via -Boston/Globe
- "Harvey
Pitt resigns as SEC chief." ... "Securities and Exchange
Commission chairman Harvey Pitt stepped down late Tuesday, bringing a stunning
end to his tumultuous 15-month reign as the nation's top securities regulator
amid still-unfolding financial scandals." ... "Although Pitt got caught
in numerous public-relations flaps during his tenure, his resignation stems
directly from his handling of the appointment of former FBI director William
Webster to head a new five-member panel charged with overseeing the accounting
industry." ... "Webster's selection was controversial because he was chosen
over a candidate opposed by the accounting industry. At a contentious Oct.
25 hearing, Pitt and the two other Republican commissioners voted for Webster
and the two Democrats voted against him." -By Greg
Farrell -USATODAY
- ELECTION
2002 - "Two-term
Democrat is a first in 30 years." ... "Iowa voters
gave Gov. Tom Vilsack a second four-year term Tuesday night, choosing the
Democratic incumbent over Republican candidate Doug Gross." ... "Vilsack,
who became Iowa's first Democratic governor in more than three decades
with his election four years ago, gained a new distinction with his victory
Tuesday night. Eight years at the helm of state government will make him
Iowa's longest-serving Democratic governor. Harold Hughes, the last Democrat
to occupy the governor's office, served six years in the 1960s. Branstad
held office longer than any other Iowa governor: 16 years." ... "Among
the 39 people who have held the governorship since Iowa became a state
in 1846, only nine have been Democrats." -By Jonathan
Roos -DesMoinesRegister/News
ELECTION
2002 - "GOP
in Control: Energy, Taxes and Judges Top List
of Priorities for Republicans." ... "Now, with the GOP making gains in
the House and taking a slight edge in the Senate, Bush is likely to be
able to move ahead with an agenda that includes making deeper cuts in taxes,
an energy bill that could see more national parks opened up to oil exploration
and logging, and a slate of conservative judges whose appointments have
been blocked." ... "The only area where Bush might face a challenge from
the party he carried to victory is his proposal to privatize Social Security,
a plan that lost a lot of its popularity in the collapse of the stock market
that saw many Americans take a hard hit to their retirement hopes."
-ABCNEWS.com
- ELECTION
2002 - "Media
rely on 'real votes' to project winners." ... "Voter
News Service, the media consortium whose flawed data led to erroneous projections
on Election Night 2000, withheld results from national and state exit polls
Tuesday because it could not guarantee their accuracy." ... "Exit polls
survey voters after they leave polling places. Without them, television
networks had to rely on vote counts to project winners in congressional
and gubernatorial elections." ... "Voter News Service (VNS) said the problems
with the exit polls lay in the software that crunches information from
questionnaires filled out by voters." ... ""If you see a number that looks
suspicious to you, you check it out. If the process is not calculating
every element properly, you have to adjust or you have to fix the program,"
VNS executive director Ted Savaglio said. "We saw things that we didn't
like, and we just didn't feel we could publish the poll."" -By
Martha T. Moore with contributions from Charisse Jones -USATODAY
ELECTION
2002 - "GOP
reclaims control of Congress." ... "GOP control of
the Senate was assured with former U.S. Rep. James Talent's early morning
victory over incumbent Missouri Senator Jean Carnahan. Carnahan conceded
defeat shortly after 2 a.m." ... "A handful Senate races remained in play
early Wednesday, but none offered Democrats an opportunity to upset the
emerging balance of power in the Senate." ... "With the polls closed across
the country, two races were too close to call. In South Dakota, Democratic
Sen. Tim Johnson battled Rep. John Thune. In Minnesota, former Vice President
Walter F. Mondale ran against Norm Coleman." -USATODAY
ELECTION
2002 - "GOP
candidates ride presidential coattails in midterm triumphs."
... "A president's party must run against history in midterm elections,
but Republicans beat the odds in Tuesday's voting, strengthening their
House majority and bidding to seize control of the Senate. Democrats grudgingly
credited President Bush's aggressive campaigning for results that could
provide him considerable political swagger." ... "He raised more than $140
million for GOP candidates, a record for presidential fund-raising, and
visited more than 30 states this election year. In the last five days alone,
Bush campaigned for two dozen candidates; 19 of those races were final
early Wednesday morning and, of those, Republicans won 17."
-AP via -USATODAY
ELECTION
2002 - "Voters
face range of ballot measures: Initiatives
include medical marijuana, crating pigs, tax issues." ... "While Washington's
attention focuses on key congressional races and contests for governor,
ballot measures have a direct impact on how U.S. society is run and often
presage future national political debates." ... "The more than 200 state
initiatives on Tuesday’s ballot focus on everything from animal rights
and drug policy to health care and education — with a few oddball measures
thrown in to reflect the wide-ranging passions of the electorate."
-Reuters via -MSNBC
- ELECTION
2002 - "VNS
Abandons National Exit Polls." ... "Voter News Service
was forced to abandon state and national exit polls designed to help analyze
Tuesday's midterm election results and also saw its vote-counting operation
slow to a crawl." ... "The failures were a major setback for VNS - a consortium
consisting of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox and The Associated Press. VNS had
completely rebuilt its system in response to the 2000 election, when television
networks twice used its information to make wrong calls in the decisive
Florida vote for the presidency." ... "VNS said the exit poll information
was being collected but not being properly analyzed by the organization's
new computer system." ... "VNS had other problems: computer screens briefly
froze when workers phoned in exit poll information, and more people than
expected failed to call with completed questionnaires, Savaglio said."
-By David Bauder
-AP via -FindLaw/LegalNews
ELECTION
2002 - "Evenly
divided Senate offers plot twists: Election
may foster political tug of war." ... "Complicating the puzzle is the Louisiana
Senate race, which may not be decided for another month, potentially setting
up a one-shot campaign for control of the Senate." ... "Any Louisiana candidate
who garners a majority of the vote today wins office, but a candidate who
fails to crack 50 percent faces a Dec. 7 runoff against the second-place
finisher. Unable to recruit a single powerful opponent against Senator
Mary Landrieu, Republicans have fielded three candidates in an effort to
keep the Democrat to a plurality and force her into a runoff." -By
Robert Schlesinger -Boston/Globe
OPINION
- ELECTION
2002 - "Coping
with Election 2002: The only solution: Hold
your nose, vote and then fight for reform." ... "Campaign 2002 saw some
of the most vitriolic TV ads in recent memory. There was the ad in the
Georgia senatorial race that sought to link war hero Max Cleland, who lost
both legs and an arm in Vietnam, with mass murderers Osama bin Laden and
Saddam Hussein because he had voted against some of President Bush's homeland
security measures. And then there was Texas governor Rick Perry's just-this-side-of-slanderous
attempt to smear his opponent, Tony Sanchez, with the blood of a DEA agent
murdered by Mexican drug lords 17 years ago. "The Justice Department,"
the ad slimed, "said Sanchez had a choice: to cooperate with law enforcement
or the drug dealers. Sanchez chose the drug dealers."" -By
Arianna
Huffington -Salon
ELECTION
2002 - "Closely
Watched Polls: Election Day Offers Tough Choices
for Americans, Challenge for Bush." ... "Voters are heading to the polls
today in a crucial midterm election that could swing control of the House
and the Senate." ... "About the only certainty is that this Election Day
will be a long one with votes being counted late into the night and some
races possibly not being settled before Wednesday arrives. In fact, the
Senate race in Louisiana may not be decided until December, because if
none of the four candidates receives at least 50 percent plus one vote,
it would put the decision in the hands of the state legislature."
-ABCNEWS.com
- ELECTION
2002 - "Last-minute
push for votes: Analysts blame major parties
for electorate's dissatisfaction." ... "Donald Richter, a retired truck
driver from Milpitas, says he's failed to vote for a candidate only once
in 26 years. This year, he's doing it again in protest." ... "When he marks
the ballot for [California] governor on Tuesday, "I'll vote for Mickey
Mouse," he said, "and hope the major parties get the message."" ... "A
new Field Poll predicts that just 39 percent, or 8.4 million of the state's
21.5 million eligible voters, will cast ballots in California. That's the
lowest number recorded in the 42-year history of the poll." -By
Carla Marinucci -SFGate.com
ELECTION
2002 - "Election
2002: Races to Watch: Congressional control
hangs in the balance as voters head to the polls Tuesday. What's at stake?
And where are the closest races?" ... "The President has spent weeks on
the road campaigning for Republican candidates, breaking fundraising records
and helping to net a whopping $190 million for GOP races. Democrats, who've
just begun to take advantage of Bill Clinton as a fundraiser, raised $130
million." -By Jessica Reaves
-TIME.com
ELECTION
2002 - "Election
2002: Both parties press toward finish line:
More women governors a near certainty." ... "In tomorrow's elections voters
will choose 435 voting members of the House, 34 members of the Senate and
36 governors. Before the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., the Democrats
held a one-seat edge in the Senate; Republicans hold a six-seat edge in
the House. There are 21 Democratic governors and 27 Republicans; the other
two are independents." -By Adam Nagourney
-NYTimes via -SeattlePI.NWsource
Paul
Wellstone
- "Tone
of Wellstone memorial generates anger: Ventura
blasts 'political rally'." ... "The partisan tone of the memorial service
for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone stirred anger Wednesday in some Republicans,
political consultants and radio talk show hosts who say some of the comments
and behavior were inappropriate." ... "Some Republicans in Minnesota demanded
equal time from the local television stations that carried last night's
memorial, attended by a crowd of more than 20,000. But officials at local
television stations pointed out that they will cover President Bush's expected
trip to Minnesota this weekend, when he will campaign for Republican Norm
Coleman." ... "Democrats, who initially dismissed the criticism, later
apologized for some activity, but said the event was unscripted and reflected
the strong emotions people felt about Wellstone's death."
-CNN /AllPolitics.com
Paul
Wellstone
- "Race
to replace tragic senator." ... "Democrats are in
a race against time to appoint a new candidate to replace Senator Paul
Wellstone, who died in an air crash on Friday, as crucial mid-term elections
loom." ... "Mr Wellstone was one of eight people who died, including his
wife and daughter when their plane crashed in northern Minnesota." ...
"His death comes just two weeks before mid-term elections in which he was
hoping for re-election to boost the Democrats' chances of retaining their
one-vote majority in the Senate." ... "He is survived by two sons."-BBC/News
- Paul
Wellstone
- "Sen.
Wellstone's Legacy: Mark Shields, David Brooks,
and the Washington Post's Dan Balz share personal and political reflections
on the late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), who died in a plane crash in
Minnesota Friday." ... "DAVID BROOKS: ... One of the things that really
impressed me, and this as a senator, he wasn't a particularly good senator
when he started; made a lot of unnecessary enemies, didn't really play
the game. But he decided pretty quickly that he didn't want to just be
a noble loser. He wanted to actually get some things done and he made some
allies; he worked with people like Jesse Helms, who he earlier said he
despised; worked with John Ashcroft, won support from veterans groups,
not automatic. So he really improved as a senator and was always a man
of conviction, always very popular with conservatives." -PBS.org
/ newshour / index
Paul
Wellstone
- "Senator
Wellstone [Minnesota Democrat] killed in plane crash."
... "Eight deaths were confirmed at the scene, including the senator s
wife Sheila, and a daughter, Marcia. Three unnamed staff members and two
crew members were also reported dead." ... "The senator's death recalls
the October 2000 plane crash that killed Mel Carnahan, Missouri's Democratic
governor, who was campaigning for Senate. Mr Carnahan remained on the ballot
and won the election, defeating his opponent, then-senator John Ashcroft."
-By Jeff Pruzan -FT.com
- "Bush
Seeks to Cut Back on Raise for S.E.C.'s Corporate Cleanup."
... "Less than three months ago, President Bush signed with great fanfare
sweeping corporate antifraud legislation that called for a huge increase
in the budget of the Securities and Exchange Commission to police corporate
America and clean up Wall Street." ... "Now the White House is backing
off the budget provision and urging Congress to provide the agency with
27 percent less money than the new law authorized. Administration officials
say their proposed increase is enough and that other budgetary needs, like
the military and security against terrorism, make it impossible to afford
more." ... "Harvey L. Pitt, the commission's chairman, has acknowledged
through a spokesman that the administration's level of financing will not
allow it to undertake important initiatives." (1, 2)
-By Stephen Labaton-NYTimes
via -AltaVista-News
- "JudgeOrders
White House Papers' Release: Cheney Lawyers
to Ask Appeals Court to Keep Energy Task Force Records Secret." ... "The
Sierra Club and Judicial Watch, the plaintiffs in this case, are two of
several groups that have alleged that the administration improperly met
with private officials from the energy industry last year while shaping
its energy policy. Environmental groups say they were largely excluded
from the meetings." ... "The Bush administration has said repeatedly that
the separation of powers doctrine shields those documents from outside
review because they might show the administration's internal, deliberative
process." -By Neely Tucker
-WashingtonPost
- "Technology
Shapes Get-Out-The-Vote Efforts: Candidates,
Parties Using E-mail and Wireless Devices To Organize Supporters." ...
"Keenly aware that the role of the World Wide Web in the 2000 elections
fell far short of the hype, campaign consultants now are selling the Internet
less for its vote-getting power than as a command-and-control tool to reach
out to the faithful." ... ""The Internet is a medium that's best used to
preach to the choir, not to convert," said Dan Manatt, director of YDemsCan.net,
a Democratic political action committee that supports candidates aged 40
and younger. "The political landscape online is changing subtly in that
it's really starting to tilt toward the medium's strengths."" ... "In Iowa,
a state hosting several pivotal and tight races, both parties are counting
on technology to gain that extra edge." (1, 2)
-By Brian Krebs-WashingtonPost>TechNews
- "Congress
Passes Iraq War Resolution: Congress Approves
Use of U.S. Military Force to Confront Iraq, Send Resolution to White House."
... "Congress approved the use of America's military might against Iraq,
reinforcing President Bush's insistence that Saddam Hussein's government
had no other option but to disarm. "The days of Iraq acting as an outlaw
state are coming to an end," Bush said." ... "After days of solemn debate,
both the House and Senate passed and sent to the White House a resolution
authorizing the president to use military force, if necessary, to compel
Iraq to get rid of its biological and chemical weapons and disband its
nuclear weapons program." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-West
Coast Port Lockout
- "Bush
Gets The Goods Moving." ... "Judge Alsup will hold
a hearing in a week on whether to grant a full 80-day injunction. Such
an order would push the dispute past the Christmas buying season, past
the November elections--and, perhaps, past the start of the war, if it
comes." ... "The judge issued a temporary restraining order that expires
Oct. 16. On that day, he will hold a hearing to determine whether to impose
the 80-day cooling-off period as mandated by Taft-Hartley at that time.
Both sides expect the judge to do so." -By Dan Ackman
-Forbes
-West
Coast Port Lockout
- "Bush
to Seek to Lift Port Lockout: Bush to Ask Federal
Court to Reopen West Coast Ports for 80 days, Labor Dept. Official Says."
... "Monday's move came hours after contract negotiations between workers
and management collapsed. Port operators and manufacturers' groups applauded
the move, but the longshoremen accused the administration of trying to
break the union. The workers have been locked out, without pay, by management."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
- "Bush
faces crucial week in forging unity on Iraq:
Monday speech, likely vote in Congress, and UN maneuvering will test support
for US action." ... "The Senate's more guarded response on Iraq seems to
mirror the American mood. A poll released last week by the respected Program
on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland shows that
while a strong majority supports an invasion of Iraq if it is carried out
with multilateral support, only a small minority favors an invasion by
America acting alone." -By Howard LaFranchi
-CSMonitor/buy
Quad
Cities -
-
- "Leach
says he will not back Iraq resolution." ... "U.S.
Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, said Wednesday he will break with the Bush administration
and oppose a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq." ...
"The Davenport native said there is too great a danger of such action resulting
in a biological weapons attack against Israel and an Israeli nuclear counterattack.
“This is a circumstance we should step back from,” he added." -By
Ed Tibbetts -QCTimes
- STEM
CELL NEWS
- "Nancy
Reagan Fights Bush Over Stem Cells." ... "Mr. Bush
sharply limited such research. At 81, the former first lady is obliquely
but persistently campaigning — through friends, advisers, lawmakers and
her own well-placed calls and letters — to reverse the president's decision."
... "Mrs. Reagan believes that embryonic stem cell research could uncover
a cure for Alzheimer's, the disease that has wiped out her husband's memory.
She was dismayed, friends say, when the White House took issue on Monday
with a new California law that encourages embryonic stem cell research."
... ""A lot of time is being wasted," she told a friend last week who was
given permission to pass her words on to The New York Times. "A lot of
people who could be helped are not being helped."" -By
Alessandra Stanley -NYTimes
via -Google-News
- "Firing
Back From Iraq." ... "Iraq's rejection of any new
United Nations resolution that toughens the terms of disarmament appeared
calculated to widen the gap dividing the United States and Britain from
the other big powers at the United Nations as they were struggling to find
a common approach to confront Saddam Hussein." ... "But if it stands as
Iraq's last word, this refusal could also mark the beginning of the transition
from diplomacy to war in the Persian Gulf, as President Bush and Prime
Minister Tony Blair were already wheeling their military forces to higher
states of readiness." -By Patrick E. Tyler
-NYTimes via
-AltaVista-News
- "Elections
weigh on Iraq debate: Partisan battling between
Democrats and Bush may slow war-resolution vote in Congress – and consensus
at UN." -By Peter Grier and Linda Feldmann
-CSMonitor/buy
- "Iowa
Republicans allege man with ties to Sen. Harkin leaked transcript."
... "On Wednesday, Des Moines lawyer Brent Rosenberg issued a statement
he said was from the man who provided the transcript. In it, the man said
he was a Ganske donor who decided to give the Harkin campaign a tape of
the strategy session because he had been angered by comments the Republican
made. The statement didn't identify the man." -By
Mike Glover -AP
via -SFGate.com
- "Harkin
says campaign aide was wrong to leak transcript."
... "U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa apologized Tuesday for his campaign's
role in passing along a transcript of a secretly taped meeting involving
his election opponent. The aide who released the transcript acted independently,
without the approval of Harkin or his campaign manager, the senator said."
... "Harkin said he had no knowledge of the controversy until he read published
reports Monday, learning later that day that a campaign press aide had
sent the transcript to a reporter." -By Jane Norman,
Thomas, Beaumont, and Jonathan Roos -DesMoinesRegister/News
- "Transcript
of Ganske campaign event." ... Greg Ganske: ""We
just need to have the funds to do that, to put that information out. And
it will be mindblowing. You’ve never seen a campaign where anyone will
attack him [Tom Harkin] like we’re going to. (Pause). With a smile on our
face. Not angry, not growling or scowling, just being so happy we are just
going to whip back the stress from our shoulders." Congressman Greg Ganske
at event ." -QCTimes
-
- "Will
Germany shift Iraq stance? Reelected Sunday,
Schröder begins effort to mend divisions caused by anti-US campaign
rhetoric." ... "In the last weeks before Sunday's balloting, incumbent
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder sharply criticized President George Bush's
plan to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Mr. Schröder's defiant
refusal to take part in military action against Iraq – even if the UN were
to approve it – broke a taboo. Never before in the postwar period had a
German chancellor so publicly defied a US president. Now the German leader,
whose ruling coalition was narrowly reelected Sunday, hopes to mend fences."
-By William Boston
-CSMonitor/buy
- "US
Says Israeli Moves at Arafat Complex Not Helpful."
... "The White House on Sunday urged Israel to ease its siege of Palestinian
President Yasser Arafat's largely demolished Ramallah headquarters, saying
Israeli actions near the complex were "not helpful" to ending Palestinian
suicide bombings or promoting Palestinian reforms." -By
Arshad Mohammed -Reuters
via -Miami/Herald
- "US
negotiates its line in Iraqi sand: A week of
tense talks begins at the UN, as the US pushes for inspection deadlines
and tough consequences." ... "Sixteen times in the past decade the UN Security
Council has passed resolutions on Iraq's weapons programs. But in just
the last few days, there's been a global shift in support of the US position.
And this time around, the US will be pushing for two elements missing in
the past: a deadline for admitting inspectors and concrete consequences
if Iraq doesn't comply." -By Howard LaFranchi
-CSMonitor/buy
- 
- "[Iowa]
GOP ad features out-of-state actress declaring support, disappointment
for Democratic incumbent." ... "A TV commercial aired
on behalf of Republican Rep. Greg Ganske's Senate campaign features an
out-of-state actress who says she was a longtime supporter of incumbent
Sen. Tom Harkin but now believes he has turned his back on the elderly."
-AP
via -SFGate.com
- "Powell
says it's too late for Iraq to negotiate." ... "Secretary
of State Colin Powell said Sunday that U.N. weapons inspectors must be
allowed to go "anywhere, anytime" if they returned to Iraq -- rejecting
that country's conditional offer to allow inspections to resume." ... "At
a news conference Saturday, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said
his nation would allow inspectors to return only if the United States doesn't
bring military action and if U.N. sanctions are lifted."
-CNN
- "Bush
presses the UN." ... "''Saddam Hussein has defied
the United Nations 16 times. Not once, not twice, 16 times, he has defied
the UN,'' said Bush, who this week challenged the world body to enforce
its resolutions on Iraqi disarmament. ''Enough is enough.''" ... "''The
UN will either be able to function as a peacekeeping body as we head into
the 21st century, or it will be irrelevant,'' Bush said. ''That's what
we're about to find out.''" ... "Though many countries praised Bush for
turning to the United Nations, his speech also drew criticism for failing
to provide evidence supporting the need for a preemptive strike on Iraq."
-By Patricia Wilson -Reuters
via -Boston/Globe
- "UN
speech wins over Bush critics, fans in Congress:
Hawks, doves like call for all nations to act in concert." ... "Hawks and
skeptics on Capitol Hill found something to like in President Bush's speech
yesterday to the United Nations, with one camp praising the president's
harsh indictment of Saddam Hussein, and the other expressing relief that
Bush appeared willing to involve the international community and possibly
give more weapons inspections a try before ordering a military strike."
-By Susan Milligan
-Boston/Globe
-
- "President
Bush's address to the United Nations. [CNN Full-Text Transcript]."
Highlights: "The history, the logic and the facts lead to one conclusion:
Saddam Hussein regime is a grave and gathering danger." ... "To suggest
otherwise is to hope against the evidence. To assume this regime's good
faith is to bet the lives of millions and the peace of the world in a reckless
gamble, and this is a risk we must not take." ... "The first time we may
be completely certain he has nuclear weapons is when, God forbid, he uses
one. We owe it to all our citizens to do everything in our power to prevent
that day from coming." ... "The United States help found the United Nations.
We want the United Nations to be effective and respectful and successful.
We want the resolutions of the world's most important multilateral body
to be enforced. And right now those resolutions are being unilaterally
subverted by the Iraqi regime." ... "My nation will work with the U.N.
Security Council to meet our common challenge. If Iraq's regime defies
us again, the world must move deliberately, decisively to hold Iraq to
account. We will work with the U.N. Security Council for the necessary
resolutions." ... "But the purposes of the United States should not be
doubted. The Security Council resolutions will be enforced, the just demands
of peace and security will be met or action will be unavoidable and a regime
that has lost its legitimacy will also lose its power."
-CNN
-
- "French
Leader Offers Formula to Tackle Iraq." ... "France
has a particular interest in the future of Iraq. France became Iraq's main
military supplier in the West and was building a nuclear reactor for Iraq
that was destroyed by the Israelis in 1979. As prime minister in 1975,
Mr. Chirac welcomed Mr. Hussein to France, referring to him as "a personal
friend" and inviting him to his home. France had the closest relationship
with Iraq of any Western country, but that ended when Iraq invaded Kuwait
in 1990, and France participated fully in the American-led coalition that
ousted Iraq. In recent years, French companies have received billions of
dollars in contracts in Iraq under a United Nations program."
-NYTimes via
-AltaVista-News
-
- "Iraq
'Could Make' N-Bomb; [French President Jacques] Chirac Urges UN Deadline."
... ""I am totally against unilateralism in the modern world," Chirac said
in his interview, and proposed a U.N. Security Council resolution giving
Iraq a three-week deadline to readmit U.N. inspectors without restrictions
or preconditions." ... "If Saddam did not comply, a second resolution should
be passed, authorizing the use of military force, he said." -By
Edmund Blair -Reuters
via -Miami/Herald
- "Disarm
Iraq Quickly, Bush to Urge U.N.: Failure to
Move May Lead to U.S. Action." ... "President Bush plans to tell world
leaders at the United Nations next week that unless they take quick, unequivocally
strong action to disarm Iraq, the United States will be forced to act on
its own, senior administration officials said yesterday." -By
Karen DeYoung and Mike Allen-WashingtonPost
- "Congress
Now Promises to Hold Weeks of Hearings About Iraq."
... "Congressional leaders said today that they would undertake weeks of
hearings and debate on whether to support military action against Iraq,
a move that could delay a final vote until after the November elections."
... "Even as Congressional leaders discussed an extended timetable, a United
Nations official said today that international weapons inspectors had identified
several nuclear-related sites in Iraq where new construction or other unexplained
changes had occurred since their last visit nearly four years ago." -By
David Firestone and David E. Sanger -NYTimes
via -AltaVista-News
- "Making
Case to Hit First." ... "Implicitly, Mr. Bush has
agreed to engage the country in a discussion over a fundamental change
in America's national security strategy: his doctrine that perilous times
have forced the United States to assert a right to launch pre-emptive strikes
against any state that could put weapons of mass destruction into the hands
of terrorists." ... "Any resolution approving pre-emptive action could
set a precedent that could be used in a variety of other conflicts, and
will almost certainly be seized upon by other nations — maybe China in
its confrontation with Taiwan, or India in its conflict with Pakistan —
as they pursue their own agendas." -By David E. Sanger
-NYTimes via
-AltaVista-News
- "Bush
to Put Case for Action in Iraq to Key Lawmakers."
... "Some senators demanded hard evidence to back up Vice President Dick
Cheney's contentions that Mr. Hussein is close to producing a nuclear weapon
and poses an urgent threat to the United States." -By
Alison Mitchell and David E. Sanger -NYTimes
via -AltaVista-News
- "First
Among Evils? The Debate Over Attacking Iraq Heats Up."
... "But one thing has changed: the regional threat that Iraq poses now
has more clearly global implications. Its efforts to inflame the Israeli-Palestinian
fight reverberate in America's extremely delicate relationships in the
Middle East, and those relationships are critical to its ability to secure
aid and sympathy in its war on terrorism. Beyond that, the administration
is convinced that sooner or later Al Qaeda and Mr. Hussein will find a
mutuality of interests, with Iraq providing chemical, biological or nuclear
materials and Al Qaeda the bodies to deliver them.'' -By
David E. Sanger -NYTimes
via -AltaVista-News
- "Iraq strike
faces chorus of opposition: White House determined
amid resistance from major countries, key allies." ... "On Wednesday, U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan joined a chorus of voices urging the United
States to resist attacking Iraq. His comments echoed those of regional
allies that would be key to carrying out such a strike, such as Qatar and
Saudi Arabia, as well as major world powers including Germany and China.
Even so, the Bush administration remains adamant in its position, saying
it will make the “right” choice, even if it is a lonely one."
-MSNBC
- 
- "Bush
makes case to hit Iraq; Saudis still say no." ...
"... a Saudi spokesman, Adel al Jubeir, made the rounds on television shows
to make it clear that the Saudi position about how to deal with Saddam
was unchanged." -By David E. Sanger
-NYTimes via -Miami/Herald
- "Cheney
speech seen setting path to war." ... "The Bush administration
has set itself on a ''path toward war'' against Iraq with Vice President
Dick Cheney's forceful speech on Monday, accelerating the campaign to win
over allies to oust Saddam Hussein, conservative and liberal analysts agreed
yesterday." ... "Cheney, who delivered the address Monday to the 103d National
Convention of Veterans of Foreign Wars with little advance fanfare, called
Iraq a mortal threat and said that Iraq was systematically building up
offensive weapons of mass destruction ''for the purpose of inflicting death
on a massive scale.''" -By John Donnelly and Susan
Milligan -Boston/Globe
-
- "On
campaign trail, a call for US restraint grows louder:
Schroeder rejects Cheney's Iraq view." ... "German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
stepped up his opposition yesterday to any military attack against Iraq,
saying it was wrong to consider preemptive strikes against the country."
... "Fighting an uphill battle for re-election, Schroeder made it clear
in a campaign speech he did not support the ideas of US Vice President
Dick Cheney, who had laid out Monday the case for preemptive strikes against
Iraq." -Reuters
via -Boston/Globe
- "[Oregon]
State looking at $450 million shortfall." ... "Oregon's
budget crisis deepened Monday with news that the state shortfall has swelled
to at least $450 million, and Gov. John Kitzhaber expects to release his
plan today for emergency tax increases and program cuts." ... "Since adjourning
the regular session last year, lawmakers have had to resolve more than
$1 billion in deficits, as state revenues dove sharply from their predicted
levels. To date, they've balanced the books through a combination of cutbacks
and revenue sources, including bonding measures." -By
Harry Esteve -OregonLive.com/Oregonian
- "Bush
Aides Say Iraq War Needs No Hill Vote: Some
See Such Support As Politically Helpful." ... "Lawyers for President Bush
have concluded he can launch an attack on Iraq without new approval from
Congress, in part because they say permission remains in force from the
1991 resolution giving Bush's father authority to wage war in the Persian
Gulf, according to administration officials." Also cited are "the
Constitution's designation of the president as commander-in-chief," as
well as the "Sept. 14 resolution – passed 98 to 0 in the Senate and 420
to 1 in the House – endorsing a military response to the terrorist attacks
on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. That argument would depend
on linking Iraq and al Qaeda." -By Mike Allen and
Juliet Eilperin -WashingtonPost
- "GOP
debate over Iraq heats up." ... "Republicans sounded
a mixed message Sunday for President Bush about whether, when and how to
use military action to remove Saddam Hussein from power." ... "Bush did
not expect such divergence among leading Republicans, which broke into
the open in recent weeks from lawmakers including Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska,
the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep.
Dick Armey of Texas, the House majority leader."
-AP via -CNN
- "A
troubled friendship." ... "One of Osama bin Laden's
main objectives in waging the terror attacks of September 11 was to provoke
a clash between the west and Islam and undermine a decades-long alliance
between the US and his native Saudi Arabia. It is not clear whether the
master terrorist is still alive. But what is increasingly evident is that
his dream is threatening to become a reality." ... "September 11 and the
involvement of Saudis in the attacks exposed the secretive kingdom to unprecedented
US scrutiny. The attacks provoked outrage at Saudi Arabia's undemocratic
political system and the fundamentalism of its Wahabi brand of Islam, a
combination that was seen as breeding extremism." -By
Roula Khalaf -FT.com
- "Iowa:
election ground zero: Close battles for House,
Senate, and governor make the state unusual –and critical." ... "In a year
in which fewer than four dozen House races are expected to be competitive
nationwide, a remarkable four out of five seats in Iowa are in play. On
top of that, Iowa has a competitive Senate race and a highly contested
governor's race, making it one of the most up-for-grabs states in this
year's elections." -By Liz Marlantes
-CSMonitor
- "States
not treated equally under Medicare, Democrat says."
... "Medicare limits the services available to many elderly patients by
failing to adequately reimburse hospitals and health care professionals
in dozens of states, Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, said Saturday." ...
"Iowa ranks last in the nation in Medicare reimbursement, getting $3,053
for each Medicare recipient, Boswell said. Louisiana is the top-ranked
state, getting $7,336 for each recipient."
-AP via -NandoTimes
- "At
Iowa State Fair, Bush and Democrats Argue About Economy."
... "On this lazy summer day, Iowa became the epicenter of American politics,
testament to the critical role it may play in November in determining the
shape of the new House and Senate, and to its position as the state that
will begin the presidential nominating process in 2004." -By
Dan Balz and Mike Allen-WashingtonPost
- "[Mexican
President Vicente] Fox cancels meeting with Bush to protest execution."
... "Fox canceled an Aug. 26-28 visit to four Texas cities and to Bush's
ranch to protest the state's execution Wednesday of convicted police killer
Javier Suarez Medina. Fox says Suarez is a Mexican national. Texas officials
said it was unclear on which side of the border Suarez was born." ... "Of
the more than 200 convicted killers executed in Texas since capital punishment
resumed in 1982, over 130 were put to death while Bush was governor."
-AP via -USATODAY
OPINION
- "Kerry Gets
Out Front With Attacks on Bush: The president’s
handling of the war on terror is facing tough questioning from a potential
Democratic rival." ... " Kerry is a serious fellow, and his argument is
a serious one: that, despite its initial success in blowing the Taliban
out of Afghanistan, the Bush administration has failed so far on every
other count in the war Bush declared on terrorism after September 11. By
not using enough elite U.S. troops in Tora Bora, and by not sealing escape
routes in Operation Anaconda, Bush and his war cabinet missed a crucial
opportunity to kill the network before it could disperse. Meanwhile, Kerry
argues, the U.S. has needlessly upset and confused its allies with tough
talk on Iraq—and yet, at the same time, given the bad guys more time to
prepare for whatever we decide to do." -By Howard
Fineman -MSNBC/-Newsweek
Operation_TIPS
- "Controversial
Operation TIPS appears dead." ... "The Homeland Security
Bill passed early Saturday by the House of Representatives appears to kill
Operation TIPS...." ... "The 200-page bill, which passed by a 295-132 vote,
prohibits programs such as the proposed Terrorism Information and Prevention
System." ... "The House bill, masterminded by Rep. Dick Armey, R-Tex.,
the House majority leader, is intended to prevent "citizens spying on one
another," said Armey aide Richard Diamond." ... "Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.,
the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has compared TIPS to a
ghetto informant program run by the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover in the 1960s.
Agents hired neighbors of suspected political protestors to spy on them."
-By Cassio Furtado -Miami/Herald
Operation_TIPS
- "Senators
Quiz Ashcroft on Citizen Watch Program." ... "While
Ashcroft said on Thursday he had recommended that the information not be
stored in any Justice Department database, earlier statements from the
department indicated the information would be kept in a database." -By
Niala Boodhoo -Reuters
via -Miami/Herald
Operation_TIPS-
"Citizen-spy
plan facing opposition in public, House." ... "Plans
become more vague." ... "By midweek, the language on the [CitizenCorps.gov/tips.html]
Web site had been made more vague. Mention of specific occupations was
taken out and the timing for the program's launch pushed back." -By
Andy Newman -NYTimes
via -SeattleTimes.NWsource
Operation_TIPS
- "Bill
would ban public-informant plan: Part of Bush's
security proposal quickly opposed." ... "A controversial Bush administration
idea to get millions of Americans to snoop on one another met formidable
opposition Thursday when the top House Republican shepherding legislation
for a new Department of Homeland Security proposed banning such programs."
-By Edward Epstein -SFGate.com
Enron
News - "Army
secretary [Thomas White] defends his record as former Enron executive."
... "White was vice chairman of an Enron subsidiary called Enron Energy
Services, which critics say engaged in questionable electricity trading
that helped drive up power prices during the 2000-2001 California power
crisis." -By Matt Kelley
-AP via -Boston/Globe
- "Dick
Cheney in the Andersen [promotional] video: "I get
good advice, if you will, from their people....""
-BBC /News
WorldCom
News - "Ex-WorldCom
Execs to Refuse House: Two Subpoenaed Ex-WorldCom
Executives to Refuse to Answer Questions Before House Panel." ... ""We've
heard from their attorneys and both are expected to take the Fifth Amendment
and declare their constitutional right" to refuse to give testimony that
could incriminate them, said Rep. Michael Oxley, R-Ohio, chairman of the
House Financial Services Committee." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
Enron
News - "Senate
subcommittee says Enron board at fault: A Senate
subcommittee released a report Sunday holding Enron's board of directors
directly accountable for the energy giant's collapse." ... "The report
cites numerous failures by the board, including the failure to stop Enron
from using misleading accounting, the failure to ensure the independence
of the company's auditor, Arthur Andersen, and the failure to protect shareholders
from unfair dealings in an outside partnership run by the company's chief
financial officer." -CNN/AllPolitics.com
- "Grassley
fervent as critic of FBI: The senator from
Iowa is comfortable as the agency's top inquisitor." -By
Jane Norman -DesMoinesRegister
/ News
- "Gross
critic in Vilsack ad told: Stop." ... "A woman who
criticizes [Iowa gubernatorial candidate] Republican Doug Gross in a campaign
advertisement for [Iowa] Gov. Tom Vilsack has received a letter from Gross'
law firm demanding that she apologize and refrain from saying more." -By
Thomas Beaumont -DesMoinesRegister
/ News
WorldCom
News - "Business
Reform Gains Support In Senate, SEC: WorldCom
Crisis Prompts Call For Stronger Oversight Rules." ... "If the Senate bill
passes, as Daschle and others now expect, lawmakers will have to reconcile
it with a House-passed bill sponsored by Reps. Michael G. Oxley (R-Ohio)
and Rep. Richard H. Baker (R-La.). The House bill is supported by the accounting
industry but, like Pitt's proposal, is has been attacked by Democrats andsome
investor and consumer groups for being too soft on industry." -By
Kathleen Day and Anitha Reddy-WashingtonPost
WorldCom
News - "WorldCom
Sought Influence Up to Announcement: Access
to Politicians in Both Parties, Donations Mean Earnings Scandal May Have
Fallout on Hill." ... "Since the beginning of 2000, WorldCom has contributed
more than $1 million to candidates, about half to Republicans, half to
Democrats. It has paid much more for a stable of lobbyists who promote
the company's views on Capitol Hill and at the White House -- including
its opposition to a bill that would deregulate the Baby Bells, according
to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics." -By
Jim VandeHei -WashingtonPost
WorldCom
News - "Bush
says WorldCom probe coming." ... "WorldCom, second
to only AT&T in the long-distance market, grew from a small long-distance
company into a telecommunications force through more than 60 acquisitions
in the past 15 years. The growth was stopped in 2000 when federal and European
regulators blocked WorldCom's proposed $129 billion merger with Sprint
Corp., citing competition concerns." -By Ron Fournier
-AP via -Salon
WorldCom
News - "Congress
Hits SEC, Pledges New Laws After WorldCom." ... ""Until
somebody goes to jail I'm not sure these people are going to get the message,"
said Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain during a hearing by Dorgan's panel
on the probe of Wall Street analysts by New York Attorney General Eliot
Spitzer." ... "McCain added that there was "an absolute void" at the SEC,
where "the fox is guarding the henhouse."" -By Susan
Cornwell -Reuters
via -Miami/Herald
WorldCom
News - "Gephardt:
GOP deregulation to blame for WorldCom."
-By Ted Barrett and Dana Bash -CNN
- "House
Passes Afghan Aid Package: The U.S. House of
Representatives passed a $1.4 billion aid package for Afghanistan on Tuesday,
urging President Bush to quickly devise a plan to build internal security
within the war-torn country." -PBS
/NewsHour
- "[Iowa]
GOP plan would ax 12 state programs: GOP offers
plan to erase '03 gap." ... Iowa Governor "Vilsack charged that Republican
proposals to balance next year's budget "will harm children by not providing
access to computers at school, reducing training for the work force and
jeopardizing the quality and affordability of education."" ... "Republicans
rejected the charge" -By Jonathan Roos
-DesMoinesRegister / News
- "US
plans leadership of post-Hussein Iraq." ... "The
goal is to have Iraqi dissidents start working with Western experts as
soon as next month on issues ranging from how Iraq's postwar oil industry
and military would function. They also would address questions of justice,
amnesty, and war crimes regarding members of Hussein's government."
-By Anthony Shadid -Boston/Globe
Enron
News - "[California]
State GOP Sought Donations From Enron: Requests brought
in $50,000 during probe of the energy firm." ... "Republican legislative
leaders solicited tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from
Enron Corp. even as the state government was investigating the company
and other producers suspected of price gouging and market manipulation
during last year's energy crisis, according to internal Enron documents."
-By Virginia Ellis and Carl Ingram -LAtimes
Enron
- "An
Edge to Enron's Lobbying Strategy."
-By Johanna Neuman
-LAtimes
Enron
- "Enron
Lobbyist Plotted Strategy Against Democrats." ...
"While the Bush administration was drafting its national energy policy,
a leading lobbyist for Enron Corp. was plotting strategy to turn the plan
into a political weapon against Democrats, according to a newly obtained
memo." -By Mark Z. Barabak -LAtimes
via -ChicagoTribune
Enron
- "White
House Told to Save Enron Records."
-By Stephen Labaton and Don Van Natta Jr. -NYTimes
via -AltaVista
Enron
- Commentary - "Enron
and Campaign Finance." -CSMonitor/buy
- Enron-
"Downing
Street rebuffs Enron claims."
-BBC /News
Enron
- "Ralph
Reed denies White House, Enron job tie."
-CNN
Enron
- "Enron
and Andersen." Tracking which politicians received
money from Enron and Anderson.-Opensecrets.orgEnron-
"Congress
tries to unravel Enron mess: Audit firm continues
to shift blame; Duncan takes Fifth." -By Matt Andrejczak
-CBSnews/MarketWatch
Enron
News - "Cheney
intervened on Enron India plant: Texas official resigns:
Vice president spoke with Indian official regarding investment."
-MSNBC
Enron
News - "Enron's
reach in Congress: The company's deep connections
to both parties renews calls for campaign-finance law."
-By Liz Marlantes and Gail Russell Chaddock -CSMonitor/buy
Enron
- "Contacts
between Enron, Bush Cabinet detailed."
-By Jim Drinkard -USATODAY
Enron
News - "Pressure
on Cheney to disclose [Enron's input on nation's energy policy]."
-By William Neikirk
-ChicagoTribune
Enron
News - "Rubin
Asked Treasury About Aid to Enron."
-By Dana Milbank and Susan Schmidt -WashingtonPost
Enron
News - "Congress
deepens Enron probe: Bush officials say no
help was offered to Enron head." -By Matt Andrejczak
-CBSNews /MarketWatch
Enron
News - "Enron
Met With Cheney Before Fall."
-By Pete Yost -AP
via-LAtimes
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