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| Senator Shelby To Back Sununu |
| 10/29/2001 4:53 PM |
In another blow to Sen. Bob Smith's (R-N.H.) re-election campaign, a second Senate Republican has decided to support Rep. John Sununu (R-N.H.) in his bid to unseat the two-term incumbent.
The Sununu-Smith battle is also threatening to fracture GOP unity in the party's bid to hold onto a key Senate seat, as Smith recently accused a top Republican Senator of not doing all he could to ensure his victory in November 2002.
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), along with former Sen. Warren Rudman (R-N.H.), is planning to hold a fundraiser soon on behalf of Sununu, according to Republican sources.
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| Lott Would Scrap Seniority For GOP Slots |
| 10/29/2001 4:52 PM |
Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (Miss.) is suggesting that the Republican Conference dramatically alter the way it awards committee assignments by scrapping the seniority system and giving the Republican leadership more say in how panel slots are allotted.
The idea appears to have at least tacit support from many of Lott's lieutenants. If the Conference approved such a measure, it would cede tremendous power to the Republican leadership and mirror how the Democratic Caucus awards committee assignments.
Lott emphasized he would recommend the change be implemented after he leaves the post of Republican leader, which would shield him from criticism that he is promoting the idea to benefit himself.
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| Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Congressional Pay Raises |
| 10/29/2001 4:51 PM |
Washington politicians don't have to worry about their paychecks. The Supreme Court on Monday turned back a constitutional challenge to congressional salary increases dating back a decade.
The court refused to consider reinstating Republican Rep. Bob Schaffer's lawsuit seeking to block yearly cost-of-living adjustments for Congress. The latest increase, earlier this month, bumped up congressional salaries to about $150,000.
Schaffer, of Colorado, contends the increases violate the 27th Amendment, which forbids congressmen from increasing their salary during their term.
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| Same President, Different Man in Oval Office |
| 10/28/2001 11:10 PM |
The terrorist attacks that reshaped his presidency also changed George W. Bush forever. Those who know him well say he shows little physical wear and tear from the pressures of the war in Afghanistan and anthrax fears in the USA.
But in the 7 weeks since the attacks, they say, he has become more serious and pensive. They also see a newfound calmness in him. He turns even more often to the Bible for sustenance. He's using strenuous exercise as an outlet for stress.
Bush's teasing humor is still intact, but it doesn't emerge quite as regularly as it did before Sept. 11, advisers and friends say. Children always make him smile, but he rarely uses the nicknames he once used constantly with members of Congress and reporters.
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| Memorial Service Held at Ground Zero for Families, Workers |
| 10/28/2001 11:01 PM |
The sounds of melodious song and mournful prayer filled the crisp, brilliant autumn air, still thick with the stench of smoky rubble, as grieving families and city workers gathered Sunday where the World Trade Center once stood.
They were there to remember those they had lost, to embrace, to weep, and to grasp at any strands of closure or solace they could find.
"We come to you this afternoon as your children who are hurting," began the blessing of New York Archbishop Edward Cardinal Egan, who delivered a poetic eulogy to the victims of the tragedy.
The Sunday afternoon memorial service at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan was the first time family members of the nearly 5,000 victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks came together in one place -- and the closest most had been to the site where their relatives died.
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| Mayor Giuliani Endorses Bloomberg |
| 10/28/2001 10:57 PM |
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani endorsed Republican mayoral hopeful Michael Bloomberg on Saturday, and the media billionaire promised to follow in Giuliani's footsteps and build on his accomplishments.
"I'm very very confident that the city would be in absolutely wonderful hands in the hands of Mike Bloomberg," Giuliani told reporters on the steps of City Hall.
Bloomberg has spent $41 million of his own money on the campaign so far, spokesman Ed Skyler said. Democratic mayoral candidate Mark Green has spent about $9 million, according to the latest campaign finance report.
Giuliani said he was willing to campaign with Bloomberg and appear in television commercials for him before the Nov. 6 election.
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| Smaller Congressional Battleground Poses Challenges for Both Parties |
| 10/23/2001 11:30 AM |
Redistricting has been completed in nearly half of all Congressional districts across the country, but the full-scale redesign of all 435 House districts has not produced an expected increase in the number of competitive House seats, a development that has significant implications for the battle over the House majority.
In fact, a Democratic party strategist conceded last week that there will actually be approximately half the number of competitive House seats in the 2002 elections than existed after the last election following redistricting in 1992, when there were approximately 100 competitive House seats.
This new reality has caused both Democrats and Republicans to re-examine their game plans in the high-stakes struggle for control of the House. But Democrats, who need six seats to gain control of the majority, point out that the 2002 battleground will still be much larger than in the previous two cycles.
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| Dr. Frist, Congress' Chief Spokesman on Anthrax |
| 10/23/2001 11:27 AM |
While some Senators fidgeted nervously, others sat stoically as they struggled to understand group of health and bioterrorism experts explain the consequences of anthrax exposure at a closed-door meeting Wednesday.
The scientists' jargon was confusing to some Senators who were already agitated by the situation. Sensing the tension, Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) stepped in and told his colleagues what they wanted to hear: The people exposed to the anthrax virus were going to be OK.
Hearing those words from a Senator, who in a previous life served as a heart surgeon, helped ease the politicians' anxieties. And now Frist, who has a history of brandishing his medical skills in the Capitol hallways, has once again found himself in the spotlight, this time as Congress' chief spokesman during the anthrax scare.
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| Survey Hints At Shift: Watts Says Parties Facing 'Dealignment' |
| 10/23/2001 11:24 AM |
Last month's terrorist attacks have caused a fundamental shift in American politics, with voters reassessing their loyalty to the two parties and the policies they espouse, according to new polling conducted for House GOP Conference Chairman J.C. Watts (Okla.).
The numbers show that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of undecided voters, according to Watts, which the Oklahoma Republican described as the result of a "fundamental rethinking of long-held beliefs and positions."
"This shift in values has also translated into a historic shift among the public, leading millions of Americans who previously backed Republican or Democrat policies to rethink their priorities as well as which party to support," a memo that Watts is planning to send to all House Republicans this week reads in part.
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| Congress Returns, Warily |
| 10/22/2001 11:11 PM |
The House and Senate will reconvene today after a nearly week-long recess, but in a sign of extraordinary concern over anthrax contamination on Capitol Hill, congressional leaders decided late yesterday to keep closed the six buildings that provide office space for lawmakers and their committees until testing is completed.
Faced with an indefinite office shutdown, House and Senate leaders secured temporary space for members elsewhere on Capitol Hill. The unprecedented move underscored the pressure lawmakers are under to demonstrate they can conduct the nation's legislative business during a time of crisis.
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| Rumsfeld Assails Leak on Troops |
| 10/22/2001 11:10 PM |
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld expressed consternation yesterday with recent press reports on the presence of U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan and said defense officials who leaked the information had violated federal criminal law and put soldiers' lives at risk.
Rumsfeld said a close hold on information is justified by the nature of the conflict is Afghanistan, where U.S. forces are fighting against a ruling government militia, the Taliban, and a shadowy terrorist organization, al Qaeda, that do not present conventional military targets. In such a war, he said, the success of U.S. attacks is heavily dependent upon surprise.
"It is not in our country's interest to let them know when, how or even why we are conducting certain operations," Rumsfeld said, adding that the release of such information "clearly was a violation of federal criminal law and something that was totally [in] disregard for the lives of the people involved in that operation."
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| House Control Tough Goal for Democrats |
| 10/22/2001 11:08 PM |
The combination of Republican redistricting gains and fewer competitive races is making a Democratic takeover of the House increasingly remote next year, say election analysts.
"Those few states that have either completed redistricting or are moving ahead with likely plans seem to be drawing relatively few competitive districts," says Stuart Rothenberg, a veteran congressional elections analyst.
"Obviously, the fewer the number of competitive races nationally, the more difficult it will be for the Democrats to gain the six net seats that they will need to take over the House," Mr. Rothenberg said in a recent report assessing next year's congressional races.
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| Talent has Unexpected Visitor in his First Candidate Web Chat |
| 10/18/2001 11:18 PM |
Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Jim Talent hosted his first Internet campaign chat Wednesday night, and in between questions on tax cuts and gun control, he fielded a query from one unexpected guest, his 11-year-old son who logged on as "Gregg" from St. Louis.
Gregg asked the candidate, "Last election you didn't attack your opponent a lot, are you going to attack more this election?"
But it takes a lot to fool a dad.
Talent responded, "Folks, I've just been informed that 'Gregg' is actually my 11-year-old son Michael who is sending in questions from the computer in the office next door. Michael, do the words 'time out' mean anything to you?"
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| Cheney Makes First Visit to WTC Ruins |
| 10/18/2001 11:14 PM |
Vice President Dick Cheney, who has largely kept a low profile since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, returned to the spotlight Thursday.
Cheney, who was taken to a bunker below the White House after the attacks, got his first look at the wreckage of the World Trade Center on Thursday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Cheney appeared with President George W. Bush at the White House before the president left for China. The vice president spent most of the last week working out of a secure location and has been largely hidden from public view.
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| Follow the Leader |
| 10/18/2001 11:12 PM |
Less than a month after President Bush ended his speech to a joint session of Congress with a warm embrace of Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.), Rep. John Thune (R-S.D.) is aiming to give Daschle a verbal hug of his own in his fledgling Senate campaign.
In both his Oct. 8 announcement that he would run for Senate and in a subsequent television ad that began airing in the state last week, Thune has emphasized his ability to reach across the aisle and work with the Majority Leader for the good of South Dakota. The message is expected to be a continuing theme of Thune's campaign against Sen. Tim Johnson (D), Daschle's home-state colleague who is a top target of national Republicans.
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| Homeland Security Chief Holds First Press Conference |
| 10/18/2001 11:08 PM |
Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge sent a powerful message to Americans Thursday: They should feel confident in the government and its response to terror threats real and imagined.
Ridge said his objective will be to provide clear, concise, and comprehensive information to the public while looking for ways to protect America. It was his first press conference since being sworn into office on Oct. 8. He has been given the difficult task of creating a staff pulled from among the personnel of 50 different federal agencies.
Ridge spoke along with Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Surgeon General David Satcher and Dr. Mitch Cohen from the Centers for Disease Control. Also present were Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, Postmaster General John E. Potter, Deputy Surgeon General Rear Admiral Kenneth P. Moritsugu and General John Parker, of the Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases.
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| Giuliani 'Humbled' by Knighthood |
| 10/15/2001 3:04 PM |
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani received the news that he is to receive an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II with the words: "Just call me Rudy."
Giuliani received the honor on Monday for his "outstanding help and support to the bereaved British families in New York" in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Honorary titles of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire are also being conferred on the city's police and fire commissioners.
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| Sununu to Run Against Smith in New Hampshire |
| 10/15/2001 2:59 PM |
Rep. John Sununu answered the call of disgruntled Republicans on Monday, saying he will challenge maverick two-term Sen. Bob Smith in next year's GOP primary.
Though never mentioning Smith by name at a news conference, Sununu needled him with promises to be "a temperate and deliberate voice" in the Senate and "a senator who makes New Hampshire proud."
Smith, one of the Senate's most conservative members, often has stood almost alone on issues. He provoked the wrath of many Republicans when he briefly quit the party in 1999 to run for president as an independent. He delivered a stinging attack on the GOP from the Senate floor.
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| Another Wealthy Businessman May Challenge Durbin |
| 10/14/2001 10:10 PM |
Continuing their efforts to recruit candidates to challenge Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Republicans appear to be setting their sights on financial consultant and dairy magnate Jim Oberweis (R).
"If Senator Frist and Speaker Hastert and some Illinois people say, 'Jim, I'd like you to do it,' I'm in," said Oberweis Thursday.
Oberweis, whose name had not surfaced until just recently in Illinois political circles, traveled to Washington on Friday to discuss the race with Sen. Bill Frist (Tenn.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and other committee officials. He said he expects to make a decision within the next 30 days.
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| Is New York Tapped Out? |
| 10/14/2001 10:08 PM |
As Democrats and Republicans wipe the cobwebs off their fundraising operations a month after the terrorist attacks, both political parties are ready to resume fundraising efforts in New York City, a crucial source of campaign dollars.
Fundraising has already resumed in the nation's capital and other cities across the country, but the political parties have temporarily shied away from holding events in the Big Apple, which is still mourning the loss of more than 6,000 people.
But Democrats and Republicans are now taking steps to reconnect with their New York City fundraising bases. House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) was scheduled to hold fundraising meetings there last night that were to continue into today, while Sen. Bill Frist (Tenn.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is expected to do the same later this month.
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| Missouri Secretary of State Gets Called for Navy Duty |
| 10/4/2001 9:41 PM |
Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt, a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve, has been called to active duty as part of the nation's response to the terrorist attacks.
Blunt, who reported Tuesday morning at a Naval Reserve center in Springfield, is scheduled to depart Oct. 9 for active duty. Blunt received standard orders to serve 12 months but said it was unclear how long he would be gone.
"It obviously could be much less, or it could be much more," Blunt said in a news conference Wednesday in Springfield. "We'll see how this thing progresses."
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| New Old Pal |
| 10/4/2001 9:36 PM |
Faced with a common danger, terrorism, the United States and Russia are recasting their relationship in a way that would have been unthinkable during the Cold War, President Bush's national security assistant said Thursday.
"The United States and Russia may be on their way to a fundamentally different relationship," Condoleezza Rice said in a speech to the U.S.-Russia Business Council, a largely corporate group seeking new business opportunities in resource-rich, post-Marxist Russia.
Russian President Vladim Putin's expressions of sympathy and offer to share intelligence right after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks accelerated a positive trend begun in talks between him and President Bush in Slovenia in mid-June and in Italy in July, Rice said.
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| GOP Committee Resumes Fund Raising |
| 10/4/2001 9:23 PM |
The Republican National Committee resumed raising money for campaigns Thursday in another sign that politics is gradually returning to normal.
The RNC began soliciting money by phone both in Washington and with contractors around the country Thursday and is resuming fund raising by mail, said Trent Duffy, a spokesman for the RNC.
The Democratic National Committee began to hold fund-raising events earlier this week and both the congressional and senatorial campaign committees plan fund-raisers in the coming weeks. The RNC has not yet scheduled any fund-raising events.
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| GOP Congressmen Ponder Senate Runs |
| 10/4/2001 9:23 PM |
Republican congressmen in Georgia and South Dakota are inching closer to challenging freshman Democratic incumbents in GOP-leaning states that could be key to determining control of the Senate.
A third GOP lawmaker is ready to announce his decision whether to take on an incumbent senator of his own party.
South Dakota Rep. John Thune intends to announce on Monday that he will run against Sen. Tim Johnson, according to party officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Rep. Saxby Chambliss said he has firmed up support from his GOP colleagues in the House for a possible Georgia race against Democratic Sen. Max Cleland. He said he would make a decision in a week or two.
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| A Whole New World |
| 10/3/2001 10:52 PM |
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Bill Frist (Tenn.) met this week with GOP Reps. Saxby Chambliss and Mac Collins to discuss whether a new House map that would eliminate their districts could prompt them to challenge Georgia Sen. Max Cleland (D).
Collins and Chambliss, along with Rep. Jack Kingston (R), said they are actively considering Senate bids as well as other options. Their deliberations intensified after Georgia's Democratic-controlled Legislature passed a map Friday that would split the bases of several GOP Members.
The long-awaited House map still faces a GOP-sponsored court challenge and Justice Department review. Still, it has already turned Georgia's political world upside down.
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| Media Blackout Sparks Protests |
| 10/3/2001 10:50 PM |
Congressional reporters are crying foul about a news blackout imposed by the U.S. Capitol Police and Senate officials after Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) fell ill on the Senate floor Tuesday morning.
Within minutes of Thurmond being helped to the floor after complaining of lightheadedness, the viewing galleries were shuttered, television cameras controlled by the Senate were turned off, and a security perimeter was established, forcing reporters to vacate the second-floor hallways and restricting their movements on the East Front plaza.
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| Lott's Push for Judges Imperils Partisan Truce |
| 10/3/2001 10:49 PM |
Revisiting a pre-Sept. 11 strategy, Senate Republicans plan to block and delay the appropriations process until they get solid guarantees that the Democratic majority will begin to confirm more judicial nominees.
Senate GOP leaders acknowledge this tactic may slow the appropriations process during a period of otherwise unprecedented bipartisanship, but contend that they have no other means of forcing Democrats to confirm more Bush administration judicial nominees. The move appears to have at least the tacit blessing of the White House.
"If they don't approve a significant number of them, it's going to be hard to get those appropriations bills moving," said Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.). "I'm going to assume that they are going to move them, so we won't have to resort to any extraordinary measures. If they don't, we will have to."
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| Katherine Harris to Run for Congress |
| 10/2/2001 3:06 PM |
Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who hit the national spotlight during last fall's presidential election recount, announced Tuesday she is running for Congress.
"In light of the recent tragedy, I am more committed than ever to serving the president and our nation," the Republican said in a statement. "As a nation we have united to overcome this challenge, and the bonds of our courage and strength to do what is right inspires us to succeed."
Harris, 44, wants to replace Republican Dan Miller, who represents the 13th congressional district that encompasses her hometown of Sarasota. Miller said he plans to retire when his fifth term ends next year.
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| Senator Thurmond Collapses in Senate |
| 10/2/2001 3:06 PM |
Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, 98 and ailing, fainted in the Senate chamber Tuesday and was taken to a hospital.
While Thurmond has been to the hospital several times - including a February stay for fatigue - this was the first time health problems affected him while in the Senate chamber.
Thurmond reported feeling weak to colleagues and then slumped over at his desk shortly after 10:30 a.m., said Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who was presiding over the Senate at the time.
After an aide called for help, the senior Republican was moved to the floor in the aisle between the Senate desks, where Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a heart surgeon, and several medical personnel worked on him for several minutes.
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