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Home > Window on Washington > Archives > 2007 > November
November 2007
Watchdog Group Sees Signs of Progress
“Despite popular belief, not everyone in Washington is trying to rip us off,” begins the group’s latest newsletter. It celebrates the defeat of the bridge project, once planned to connect tiny Gravina Island airport with sparsely populated Ketchikan, Alaska.
Other positive steps cited include: Congress voted to disclose more information about once secretive “earmarks” for their pet projects; President Bush’s veto of the Labor-Health and Human Services spending bill; and the decision of Lee County, Fla., officials to turn down $10 million for a “Coconut Road” interchange.
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Video: A White House Christmas
Your invitation to one of the many White House holiday parties may get lost in the mail.
So here’s your chance to see what the big house on Pennsylvania Avenue looks like in its holiday regalia.
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White House Christmas ornament
The theme of this year’s White House Christmas display is “Holiday in the National Parks.”
The tree in the Blue Room is decked out with ornaments from 347 national parks.
The one shown here is from the newest National Park site: The Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
And here’s the annual list of fun facts about holiday season at the White House, which means two-a-day receptions and a constant stream of tourists:
Tourists: 60,000/ Christmas cards sent by the Bushes: 895,000/ Christmas trees: 33/ Feet of garland: 862/ Wreaths: 232/ Cookies: 20,000/ Cakes: 700/ Tamales (handmade): 10,000/ Gallons of egg nog: 320
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Bush economic aide leaving
Biggest growth industry at the White House these days? Resignation letters.
Today’s comes from Allan Hubbard, the dual-titled assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council.
Comes year’s end and Hubbard is outta here.
Unlike Fran Townsend, the White House homeland security adviser (see “Mr. President, you are such a man” item on Nov. 19), Hubbard actually took time to type up the resignation letter he submitted today.
Some highlights from Hubbard’s six-paragraph “Dear Mr. President” letter:
“I write with very mixed emotions to confirm my intention to leave the White House at the end of this year.”
“Were it not for my strong desire to spend more time with my kids, I would not have considered departing.”
“As your economic advisor, I am most proud of the strength and resiliency demonstrated by the U.S. economy because of your policies and in the face of trying circumstances.”
“Our Founders, in their wisdom, made legislating a difficult and cumbersome process, often requiring years to complete.”
“Achievements aside, what I will perhaps miss most of all is the camaraderie of the White House team. To a person, they put America’s interests ahead of their own. Washington is often portrayed as an arena of deception and self-promotion; but within our team I found only forthrightness, dedication, intelligence, hard work and mutual respect. You deserve great credit for this.”
Keith Hennessey, now the No. 2 man at the National Economic Council, will take over Hubbard’s roles, the White House announced today.
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The great White House hunter’s Xmas ornaments
This sign is on a box of holiday decorations sitting on a White House driveway. Seem to be headed for space controlled by famed bird hunter Dick Cheney.
Make your own jokes. Feel free to share them here. And remember, it’s the holiday season. Be nice.
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Bush to Middle East?
President Bush has trotted the globe as president but there is a glaring hole in his travel record. Since moving into the White House in January 2001 Bush has not been to Israel or the Palestinian territories.
The possibility of a visit didn’t come up when Bush met Monday with PLO President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
“They didn’t talk about travel,” says Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino. “The president enjoyed his trip very much to the region when he went as governor. He has not been as president. I’m sure it is something that the president, if he could fit it into the next year’s activities, would consider it.”
Bush has meetings with Abbas and Olmert again on Wednesday in the Oval Office. Time for travel talk?
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Mideast peace plan text
Here’s the text of the “joint understanding” signed today in Annapolis by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Liberation Organization President Mahmoud Abbas:
The representatives of the government of the state of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, represented respectively by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Mahmoud Abbas, in his capacity as chairman of the PLO executive committee and president of the Palestinian Authority, have convened in Annapolis, Maryland, under the auspices of President George W. Bush of the United States of America, and with the support of the participants of this international conference having concluded the following joint understanding:
We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis.
In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements.
We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008.
For this purpose, a steering committee led jointly be the head of the delegation of each party will meet continuously as agreed.
The steering committee will develop a joint work plan and establish and oversee the work of negotiations teams to address all issues, to be headed by one lead representative from each party.
The first session of the steering committee will be held on 12 December, 2007.
President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert will continue to meet on a biweekly basis to follow up the negotiations in order to offer all necessary assistance for their advancement.
The parties also commit to immediately implement their respective obligations under the performance-based road map to a permanent two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict issued by the quartet on 30 April, 2003 - this is called the road map - and agree to form an American, Palestinian and Israeli mechanism led by the United States to follow up on the implementation of the road map.
The parties further commit to continue the implementation of the ongoing obligations of the road map until they reach a peace treaty. The United States will monitor and judge the fulfillment of the commitment of both sides of the road map.
Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, implementation of the future peace treaty will be subject to the implementation of the road map, as judged by the United States.
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Bush at peace conference
Highlights of President Bush’s speech this morning at the Mideast peace conference in Annapolis:
“Today, Palestinians and Israelis each understand that helping the other to realize their aspirations is the key to realizing their own - and both require an independent, democratic, viable Palestinian state. Such a state will provide Palestinians with the chance to lead lives of freedom, purpose and dignity. And such a state will help provide Israelis with something they have been seeking for generations: to live in peace with their neighbors. Achieving this goal will not be easy. If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago.”
“Our purpose here in Annapolis is not to conclude an agreement. Rather, it is to launch negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. For the rest of us, our job is to encourage the parties in this effort - and to give them the support they need to succeed.”
“In light of recent developments, some have suggested that now is not the right time to pursue peace. I disagree. I believe that now is precisely the right time to begin these negotiations - for a number of reasons: First, the time is right because Palestinians and Israelis have leaders who are determined to achieve peace. … Second, the time is right because a battle is underway for the future of the Middle East - and we must not cede victory to the extremist. … Third, the time is right because the world understands the urgency of supporting these negotiations.”
“The task begun here at Annapolis will be difficult. This is the beginning of the process, not the end of it - and much work remains to be done. Yet the parties can approach this work with confidence. The time is right. The cause is just. And with hard effort, I know they can succeed.”
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Perino: Bush doesn’t and didn’t lie
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino today unequivocally denied that President Bush knowingly lied about his staffers’ involvement in the leak of former CIA Agent Valerie Plame Wilson’s identity.
The topic came up again today in the wake of a publishers’ recent release of an excerpt from former Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s upcoming book. See below.
“I know that this president has not and would not knowingly ask anyone to pass on false information,” Perino said, adding she spoke with Bush about the specific incident in question.
Despite the explosive allegation in the excerpt, McClellan - who’s not commenting now - previously has said he believes Bush was lied to by top aides who had leaked Wilson’s identity. McClellan never has said Bush intentionally passed along information he knew was false.
Central Texas woman helps present White House Xmas tree
That’s the White House North Portico this morning as Laura Bush headed out to receive the White House Christmas tree.
On hand was Beth Walterscheidt of Elgin, Texas, president of the National Christmas Tree Association.
“We knew her when George was governor and we would receive the tree then for the Texas Governor’s Mansion in the Texas capital,” Mrs. Bush noted.
Tree stats: Fraser fir. Grown at Mistletoe Farms in North Carolina. Age 19. Headed for the White House Blue Room, where the chandelier has to be removed in order to install the tree.
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A turkey of a White House story
On the White House website, just above the “Setting the Record Straight” section, yesterday’s Rose Garden event (see below) is referred to as the “60th Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon.”
To kick off the event, President Bush told attendees, “Each of you is taking part in a tradition that goes back to the days of Harry Truman.”
It’s time for some setting the record straight.
Truman, it seems, was more interested in turkey dinner than poultry mercy.
From the Truman Library website: “The library’s staff has found no documents, speeches, newspaper clippings, photographs, or other contemporary records in our holdings which refer to Truman pardoning a turkey that he received as a gift in 1947, or at any other time during his presidency. Truman sometimes indicated to reporters that the turkeys he received were destined for the family dinner table.”
Gulp.
Closer scrutiny of the White House website shows some careful efforts to avoid the tricky situation. The site also refers to this year’s “60th anniversary of the National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation.” That’s “presentation,” not “pardon.”
“Though live Thanksgiving turkeys have been presented intermittently to presidents since the Lincoln administration, the current ceremony dates to 1947, when the first National Thanksgiving Turkey was presented to President Harry Truman,” it says, making no claim as to the turkey’s fate.
Happy Thanksgiving, anyway.
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McClellan implicates Bush in lies
Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan is speaking up about President Bush’s involvement in misleading the American people about the involvement of former administration aides Karl Rove and Scooter Libby in leaking the identity of then-CIA Agent Valerie Plame.
McClellan’s comments come in a teaser excerpt from his upcoming book entitled “What Happened,” due for April publication. The book carries the subtitle “Inside the Bush White House and what’s wrong with Washington.”
“The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White House briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. There was one problem. It was not true. I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president’s chief of staff, and the president himself.”
Public Affairs, the publisher of the book, says in an online blurb that the “refreshingly clear-eyed book” was “written with no agenda other than to record his experiences and insights for the benefit of history.”
McClellan served as White House press secretary from 2003 through August 2006.
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Turkey time at the White House
It’s another White House election nailbiter.
May and Flower narrowly edged out Wish and Bone in the White House on-line election to name the turkey (and an alternate) granted the traditional presidential Thanksgiving pardon. The winners pulled 24 percent of the vote, a single percentage point more than Wish and Bone. Wing and Prayer were third at 20 percent.
Other nominees: Jake and Tom (15 percent), Gobbler and Rafter (12 percent), Truman and Sixty (6 percent). FYI, Truman and Sixty were a nod to President Truman who performed the first turkey pardon 60 years ago.
Vice President Cheney’s favorite names: “Lunch and Dinner,” Bush said.
White House press corps favorite: Scooter and Libby. And that would have had to have been a commutation, not a pardon.
Big day for Dolley Madison
First Lady Laura Bush hosted a White House event this morning marking the release of a new Dolley Madison gold coin.
Mrs. Bush said nice things about Mrs. Madison’s contributions to the White House and to James Madison’s political career.
She also offered this: “Dolley’s sparkling personality was the perfect balance to her shy husband’s public manner. On a visit to the executive residence, Washington Irving wrote that Mrs. Madison is ‘a fine, portly, buxom dame who has a smile and a pleasant word for everybody.’”
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“Mr. President, you are such a man”
Here’s Fran Townsend’s resignation letter (see below). Highlight is on second page:
“In 1937, the playwright Maxwell Anderson wrote of President George Washington: There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, til all men walk on higher ground in their lifetime.”
“Mr. President, you are such a man.”
Click for full 3 page letter in larger resolution (PDF)
Top White House homeland security adviser leaving
Next to join the exodus from the White House: Fran Townsend, whose formal title is assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism.
It’s a title that made her President Bush’s top adviser on the topic.
Formal announcement of her resignation is due this morning.
See her official bio here http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/townsend-bio.html
And here’s Bush’s statement on the resignation:
“Over the past four and a half years, Fran Townsend has served my administration with distinction as assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. Fran has always provided wise counsel on how to best protect the American people from the threat of terrorism. She has been a steady leader in the effort to prevent and disrupt attacks and to better respond to natural disasters.
“Fran’s remarkable career as a public servant has spanned more than two decades. She has prosecuted violent crimes, narcotics offenses, mafia cases and white collar fraud as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Manhattan. During her career, Fran worked to protect the American people as the Counsel to the Attorney General for Intelligence Policy, the Assistant Commandant for Intelligence at the U.S. Coast Guard and as the Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism at the National Security Council.
“With her extensive experience, intellect and candor, Fran has ably guided the Homeland Security Council. She has played an integral role in the formation of the key strategies and policies my Administration has used to combat terror and protect Americans. She has traveled the world to meet with allies in the Global War on Terror and has partnered extensively with first responders at the state and local level to enhance our preparedness. We are safer today because of her leadership.
“Laura and I wish Fran, her husband John, and their two sons, James and Patrick, all the best.”
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Kean for McCain
GOP presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign announced Sunday he will get “a major national security endorsement” on Monday in Boston.
Who?
Ex-New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, according to a McCain adviser. Kean was one of the co-chairmen of the 9/11 commission set up by President Bush and Congress, a post that makes Kean a big deal in the national security community.
Look for McCain to announce the endorsement Monday afternoon at Boston’s Logan Airport.
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Laura Bush calls for Burmese gem boycott
First Lady Laura Bush, who has expressed personal and high-profile opposition to the repressive regime in Burma, today urged the world to take a pass on buying gems from that country.
The statement came as the regime opened a gem show in Rangoon.
Here’s what Mrs. Bush wants people to do, and why:
“The sale of gems is the regime’s third largest source of revenue. These funds prop up the regime, allowing it to continue to harass, arrest, and sentence peaceful activists who seek freedom of speech, worship, and assembly. … Despite statements that arrests had ended, the regime arrested Su Su Nwe, an ailing activist who continues to risk her life to press for change. The junta also arrested and reportedly sentenced U Gambira, a brave and respected monk, for treason.”
“Those who support freedom and justice for the Burmese people should not help fill the regime’s coffers at this gem show. I applaud the Jewelers of America and member companies such as Tiffany and Cartier for taking a stand against the importation of Burmese gems. I urge others in the industry, both in the U.S. and worldwide, to join in this important effort and refuse to have the trade in Burmese gems prop up the Burmese regime. Consumers throughout the world should consider the implications of their purchase of Burmese gems. Every Burmese stone bought, cut, polished, and sold sustains an illegitimate, repressive regime.”
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Bush invites Gore to Oval Office
This one has potential, but odds are everybody will behave.
The White House today announced that President Bush will host former Vice President Al Gore in the Oval Office on Nov. 26. Should be an interesting reunion of a couple of buddies from the 2000 presidential campaign and its historic aftermath.
It won’t be a one-on-one. Gore got the invitation because Bush is hosting this year’s U.S. winners of Nobel Prizes. Gore got the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming. Several other 2007 Nobel winners also will be on hand.
In making the announcement, Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto, making sure everyone knows which Al Gore this is, identified the ex-veep as “Vice President Al Gore … from Nashville, Tennessee.”
Oh, that one.
Turkey time at the White House
Next Tuesday is pardon-the-Thanksgiving-turkey time in the Rose Garden, which means you still have a few days to cast your vote on names for the pardoned bird and the alternate.
Here are the nominees (and they run as a ticket): Wing and Prayer; May and Flower; Gobbler and Rafter; Wish and Bone; Truman and Sixty (Harry Truman presided at the first pardoning 60 years ago); Jake and Tom
Last year’s winning names: Flyer and Fryer
Vote here http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/2007/
And, for the first time since he took office, President Bush will give what aides say is a “Thanksgiving-themed” speech. It will come Monday at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City, Va. Spokesman Tony Fratto said Bush will talk about the things Americans have to be grateful for and folks he met this year who have inspired him.
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Rove’s new gig
Former Bush adviser extraordinaire Karl Rove is about to weigh in with his two cents.
Newsweek today announced that the former White House deputy chief of staff, who resigned earlier this year, will be a “contributor” to the magazine and offer “occasional opinion pieces” in the publication’s print and on-line versions.
Says Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham: “Whether one agrees or disagrees with Karl, there is no arguing that he has been a critical player in the political world with insights and experiences that we think will give our readers something unique.”
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Airspace gets Thanksgiving “express lane”
President Bush has decided to open what Press Secretary Dana Perino today called a “Thanksgiving express lane” for air traffic during the upcoming holiday travel crush.
The express lane will be created next Wednesday through Sunday by allowing commercial air traffic in portions of military air space from Florida to Maine, Perino said. The lane will be reopened during the Christmas travel rush season, she said.
Also on tap is a Bush plan to double the compensation for passengers bumped due to overbooking. That, however, probably won’t be in place until next summer, according to Perino.
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Bush complains about judicial selection process
In a speech tonight to the Federalist Society, President Bush will bemoan the state of the judicial confirmation process.
Big ol’ mess, Bush will say.
Excerpts released in advance by the White House.
On the Senate confirmation process: “Senate confirmation is part of the Constitution’s system of checks and balances. But it was never intended to be a license to ruin the good name that a nominee has worked a lifetime to build. Today, good men and women nominated to the federal bench are finding that inside the Beltway, too many interpret ‘advise and consent’ to mean ‘search and destroy.’ As a result, the Senate is no longer asking the right question - whether a nominee is someone who will uphold our Constitution and laws. Instead, nominees are asked to guarantee specific outcomes of cases that might come before the court. If they refuse - as they should - they often find their nomination ends up in limbo instead of on the Senate floor.”
On the loss of good judicial candidates: “Everyone in this room has watched a good person who has had his or her name unfairly tarnished by the confirmation process. What you do not see are the good men and women who never make it to the confirmation process. Lawyers approached about being nominated will politely decline because of the ugliness, uncertainty, and delay that now characterize the confirmation process. … When people like this decline to be nominated, they miss out on a job. But America is deprived of something far more important: the service of a fair and impartial judge.”
On activist judges: “When the Founders drafted the Constitution, they had a clear understanding of tyranny. They also had a clear idea about how to prevent it from ever taking root in America. Their solution was to separate the government’s powers into three co-equal branches: the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. Each of these branches plays a vital role in our free society. Each serves as a check on the others. And to preserve our liberty, each must meet its responsibilities - and resist the temptation to encroach on the powers the Constitution accords to the others. For the judiciary, resisting this temptation is particularly important - because it is the only branch that is unelected, and whose officers serve for life. Unfortunately, some judges give in to temptation and make law instead of interpreting it. Such judicial lawlessness is a threat to our democracy - and it needs to stop.
On a “living Constitution”: “Advocates of a more active role for judges sometimes talk of a ‘living Constitution.’ In practice, a living Constitution means whatever these activists want it to mean. They forget that our Constitution lives because we respect it enough to adhere to its words. It is the oldest written Constitution in the world. It is the foundation of America’s experiment in self-government. And it will continue to live only so long as we continue to recognize its wisdom and division of authority.”
On upholding the Constitution: “The president’s oath of office commits him to do his best to ‘preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.’ I take these words seriously. I believe these words mean what they say. And I ask my nominees to the federal bench to take seriously their own oath to uphold the Constitution - because I strongly believe our freedom depends on the willingness of judges to be bound by the Constitution and the law.”
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Viva Rudy
Raul Romero, a President Bush buddy and former Houston businessman, was named today as national chairman for Viva Rudy, the Hispanic outreach operation in Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign.
Romero now heads Alliance Consulting Group in Washington. Previously, he was CEO of Houston-based S&B Infrastructure, an engineering/construction firm that made a nice profit from government contracts. As governor, Bush appointed Romero to the state’s General Services Commission and University of Texas Board of Regents.
Romero was a top fundraiser for Bush’s two presidential campaigns.
“Mayor Giuliani has consistently demonstrated a commitment to the issues important to Hispanic families, like lowering taxes and standing up for small businesses,” Romero says in the Giuliani release announcing the appointment. “I look forward to helping grow support for him in communities across our country”
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Out to lunch
This gem today in The Washington Post’s weekly listing of health code violations:
“The Washington Post executive kitchen. 1150 15th St. NW. Closed last Thursday for operating without a license.”
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Texan Smith heads Romney’s security policy group
As of today, Texas Rep. Lamar Smith is in charge of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s homeland security policy advisory group, a panel than also includes Texas Rep. Kay Granger.
Smith, who also advises Romney on judicial matters, is on the House Homeland Security Committee.
Predictably, Smith - in a release from the Romney campaign - says Romney is just the guy to lead the nation at this perilous time.
“Governor Romney has years of experience working to improve our nation’s homeland security policies. He oversaw security efforts at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, served on the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council and brought innovative tactics to Massachusetts’ homeland security strategy,” says Smith.
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Bush bids a final farewell to Gonzales
Once more, with feeling, President Bush today bade farewell to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, his long-time friend who was forced from office earlier this year as congressional pressure mounted for his resignation.
Today’s words from Bush at the swearing-in ceremony for Attorney General Michael Mukasey:
“As our new attorney general, Michael Mukasey follows in the footsteps of a fine man and a fine American, Al Gonzales. I have known Al since our days working together in the state of Texas. As White House counsel and as attorney general in my administration, Al Gonzales worked tirelessly to make this country safer and to ensure that all Americans receive equal justice before the law.”
“For many years, I’ve witnessed his integrity, his decency and his deep dedication to the cause of justice. I’m grateful for his friendship. I thank him for his service to our nation. And Laura and I wish him and his wife, Becky, and their children, Jared, Graham and Gabe, all the very best.”
Alas, Gonzales was not on hand to hear the kind words from an old friend.
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Perry at Hillary HQ
Yes, that’s Texas GOP Gov. Rick Perry.
Yes, that’s him standing outside Hillary Clinton’s campaign office in Iowa City, Iowa on Monday.
No, Perry didn’t go in.
He was headed next door to Rudy Giuliani’s campaign office. Also in the building are the HQs for Democrats Bill Richardson and Barack Obama.
Yes, early caucuses are good for economic development.
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Aggies in the house
The Longhorns (see below) were not the only Texans represented on license plates in the parking lot Monday night when Gov. Rick Perry, a proud grad of Texas A&M, showed up in Waterloo, Iowa to campaign for presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.
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Horns in the house
This license plate showed up in the parking lot Monday night when Texas Gov. Rick Perry, an Aggie, was in Waterloo, Iowa to campaign for presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.
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Security gains dramatic, says Iraq Study Group aide
Security in Baghdad has shown “dramatic” improvement, according to the Iraq Study Group’s executive director, Daniel Serwer, who visited the Iraqi capital in mid-October.
“Baghdad’s much quieter than it was,” said Serwer, a former U.S. diplomat. “It’s dramatic. I was there two days and I think I heard two detonations. No incoming (mortar fire) into the Green Zone at all.”
Serwer was the executive director of the Iraq Study Group. Co-chaired by James A. Baker and Lee Hamilton, the congressionally mandated panel concluded a year ago that conditions in Iraq were “grave and deteriorating.”
Serwer’s anecdotal impressions come amid Pentagon assessments citing progress in reducing bloodshed in Iraq.
Not even the generals are ready to declare victory in a war that has taken the lives of 3,857 U.S. troops. In recent weeks though, said Serwer, positive signs have emerged.
“It’s a mixed picture,” said Serwer, a conflict resolution expert with the U.S. Institute of Peace. “But a mixed picture in Baghdad is a significant improvement.”
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Journalism, elections and Pakistan
That’s author and journalism trainer Arnold “Skip” Isaacs doing his thing today in Karachi as he gives Pakistanis some handy tips on journalism and covering elections.
Interesting, at a time when President Musharraf has suspended freedom of the press and cast some doubt on the future of elections in his country.
Anyway, here’s the release that came with the photo distributed from by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.
Noted American author and journalism trainer, Arnold “Skip” Isaacs, today wrapped up his visit to Pakistan with two workshops on elections reporting in the city with local print and electronic media journalists.
Mr. Isaacs, who was in Pakistan by invitation of the U.S. Embassy, gave lectures and conducted a series of journalism training workshops on the elements of local and national elections reporting. He visited Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Khanewal, Sialkot, Bhawalpur in addition to Karachi.
“News media play a crucial role before during and after an election,” trainer Arnold Isaacs emphasized. “Journalists should not let candidates, parties or their supporters control the news.”
While in the city, Mr. Isaacs conducted a workshop for women journalists at the Lincoln Corner at Rangoonwala Community Center, for members of the Association of Television Journalists Pakistan and for reporters of a local daily newspaper. He also spoke to students of the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST).
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Q-and-A confusion
The French, they do things a bit differently.
As is the U.S. custom, President Bush called on a wire service reporter for the first question at his Mount Vernon news conference today with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
And then is was Sarkozy’s turn to pick a reporter for a question. The French, as noted above, they do things a bit differently.
Bush: You want to call on somebody?
Sarkozy (through translator): In France, I don’t choose. I don’t pick the journalists.
Bush (bewildered, without a translator): You don’t get to choose? Who chooses? I choose? (Laughter) Who would you like me to choose? (More laughter) Oh, he chose. Wait a minute, didn’t last very long, did it?
Sarkozy (through translator) I didn’t choose. I indicated a general direction.
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All in the family
John Hager is the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, which had a bad day on Tuesday and lost control of the state Senate.
John Hager also is the father of Henry Hager, who is engaged to Jenna Bush, who is the daughter of President Bush.
Which makes it interesting when Hager kind of blames the president for the Election Day problems of the Virginia GOP. Here’s what Hager told reporters in a conference call:
“We had strong forces against us up in Northern Virginia, especially with everything that’s happening in Washington with the support ratings of the president and the war in Iraq.”
Told of the comment and asked if Bush still sees himself as a “strong asset” for GOP candidates (as he proclaimed in September), White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said today that Bush has said “he will campaign for Republicans vigorously or he will campaign against them vigorously if he thinks that will help Republicans win next year.”
Bush is in Texas tomorrow as headliner at Houston and San Antonio fundraising events for GOP Sen. John Cornyn.
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Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” receives the Presidential Medal of Honor
Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” made a rare public appearance today when she showed up at the White House to receive the Presidential Medal of Honor.
Here’s the citation accompanying the medal:
“Harper Lee’s beautiful book is a meditation on family, human complexity, and some of the great themes of American life. At a critical moment in our history, To Kill a Mockingbird helped focus the nation on the turbulent struggle for equality. The novel became an instant American classic and earned her a Pulitzer Prize. Nearly half a century after its publication, her work continues to captivate new readers who encounter its compelling power for the first time. The United States honors Harper Lee for her outstanding contribution to the great literary tradition of America.”
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Bond Backs Rudy
Missouri Sen. Kit Bond endorsed former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the Republican nomination for president Friday. “Because I’m from the ‘Show-Me State,’ he has shown me … why he should be elected,” Bond said at a press conference near Capitol Hill. Bond is the second Midwestern senator to endorse Giuliani this week, following Norm Coleman of Minnesota. “We’re bringing the heartland to the Giuliani campaign,” Coleman said at the press conference Friday. The candidate said the endorsements take on added significance because both senators are from “Feb. 5 states” who hold early primaries on that date. (Photo by Rick McKay)
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FEC issues historic fine against big bucks contributor
Political contenders beware of the sad tale of defense contractor Mitchell Wade.
The Federal Election Commission just slapped Wade and his defense firm MZM, Inc., with one of its largest fines ever— a $1,000,000 civil penalty for “knowingly and willfully” trying to funnel illegal contributions into congressional campaigns.
The commission’s inquiry into Wade was sparked by a complaint filed by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, alleging that Wade violated federal fundraising rules by using corporate funds to reimburse employees for contriubutions made to members of Congress.
Wade believed the contributions to a political action committee would help his defense firm win contracts, according to the watchdog group. Wade’s dealings were first exposed by the San Diego Tribune as part of its investigation into the now imprisoned former Republican Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (photo shown). Cunningham was convicted of taking bribes for contracts.
Wade has accepted a conciliation agreement where he “admits to knowingly and willfully violating the Federal Election Campaign Act by funneling $78,000 in corporate contributions” to Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., and former Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Fla., and agreeing to pay $1 million to settle the matter.
“There are serious consequences for those who knowingly and willfully try to funnel illegal contributions into federal election campaigns,” said Robert Lenhard, chairman of the commission. “The historic civil penalty collected in this case shows that the FEC has a strong and vigorous enforcement program in place.”
Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said she was gratified by the commission’s decision.
“As the presidential campaign season progresses, a fine of this magnitude should serve as a warning to all political donors that violating federal campaign finance laws has serious consequences,” Sloan said.
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Bush to reporters: C’mon in
The White House today utilized what it’s calling “a new tool” in its communications strategy.
Here’s how it worked: President Bush invited reporters into the Oval Office. He said some things. He answered some questions.
Revolutionary.
Invited in were reporters assigned to today’s pool, which rotates on a daily basis. The transcript of the session was distributed to all White House reporters.
“It was just a new tool we’d like to have in our tool box, and I hope we use it again,” said White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.
“President Bush enjoys his time talking with the media, believe it or not. He did say that,” Perino said.
Bush used the session to call for Senate confirmation of Michael Mukasey, his nominee for attorney general, and to preview a speech set for this afternoon.
An excerpt:
Q: Do you think the Congress has forgotten we’re at war, Mr. President?
BUSH: Well, I think there is a tendency for people to say, well, maybe, let me just say, there are some who say, don’t call this a war on terror. And there are some who have accused me of using the words ‘war on terror’ as a way to frighten people into voting booths. And I emphasize the word ‘some.” As I’ll say in this speech, those who say we’re not in a war on terror are either disingenuous or naive. Either way, the attitude is dangerous because I will have quoted the words of the enemy in the speech, an enemy that said, we’re going to come and kill you.
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Spellings Staying Put
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, about the last of the Texas Bushies still in the administration, said today she plans to stay on board until Jan. 20, 2009 when a new president takes over
At a breakfast with reporters, Spellings said she doesn’t know what she will do after that, other than return to Texas.
Asked about running for office, the secretary said “I haven’t ruled anything in or out, honestly.”
“I love public service,” she said. “I hope I’ll be able to afford to do some more.”
The comments come a day after Karen Hughes, another longtime Bush aide, announced she will leave the State Department and go home to Austin next month.
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