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| BLOG ARCHIVE: NOVEMBER 16-31, 2006 FRIST
QUITS; CARTER WANTS GORE; OBAMA DRAFT; NEWT'S LIMITS; TANCREDO
INSULTS. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. NO
INTEL CHAIR FOR HASTINGS; DEMS TAKE PA HOUSE; GILMORE WEIGHS P2008
RUN. FREE
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SPEECH ZONE. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. Note: We're going to take a brief break for the Thanksgiving holiday. Our next update will be on Monday, November 27. FREE
SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD. Note: We're going to take a brief break for the Thanksgiving holiday. Our next update will be on Monday, November 27. SHAHEEN
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SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD. LIKELY
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SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD. DEMS
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in
2006 in order, seemingly, to prepare for a White House run --
announced Wednesday he will not run for President in 2008. Polls
showed Frist had been gaining.little support in the GOP contest,
despite his frequent visits to Iowa and New Hampshire. "For
me, for now, this season of being an elected official has come
to a close," said Frist. A surgeon and multi-millionaire
hospital chain executive, First reportedly plans to return to
the medical industry. Frist's exit is most likely to benefit retiring
Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) and former US House Speaker Newt
Gingrich (R-GA), who appear to be the most likely Southerners
to enter the contest ... Retired Army General Wes Clark (D-AR)
said he will not make the same mistake in 2008 that he made in
2004: a late entry in the Presidential contest. Clark promises
to make a formal decision by early 2007 ... North Carolina CD-8
contest is finally over. With the hand recount well underway,
and with few changes in the outcome, Larry Kissel (D) conceded
the race to Congressman Robin Hayes (R). Kissel lost by 329 votes
... Speaking on MSNBC's Hardball, former President Jimmy
Carter 
said
he wanted former Vice President Al Gore (D-TN) to run for President
in 2004. So much so that Gore actually got annoyed with Carter's
frequent pestering. Carter said he still hasn't given up on Gore:
"If I had to choose now a candidate out of all the ones that
exist, at this point, at least, Al Gore would still be my preference"
... The "Draft Obama" movement keeps growing. Just check
out 
with
a Constitution Party member holding the one remaining seat ...
Stumping in New Hampshire this week, former House Speaker Newt
Gingrich (R) said President Bush needs to admit the Iraq War is
"a failure." According to the Union Leader, Gingrich
also ominously "said the country will be forced to reexamine
freedom of speech to meet the threat of terrorism." He explained
a "different set of rules" for free speech may be needed
to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech
to recruit and get out their message ... Not winning friends in
what is likely to be an early P2008 contest state, Congressman
Tom Tancredo (R-CO) is drawing lots of fire for his insulting
comments this week about South Florida. "You would never
know you're in the United States of America [in Miami]. You would
certainly say you're in a Third World country," said Tancredo.
Governor Jeb Bush, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and other
Florida Republicans have demanded that Tancredo apologize for
his xenophobic "Third World" remarks. Not only did Tancredo
not back down, by mid-week he blasted back at Bush in a written
statement: "I certainly understand and appreciate your need
and desire to try and create the illusion of Miami as a multiethnic
'All American' city. Indeed sir, one of us is naive." 
Given
that GOP conservatives have prevented their colleagues on the
House and Senate Appropriations panels from moving forward with
plans to pass the nine remaining spending bills as an omnibus
package, Republicans leaders are now expected to punt the issue
to next year’s Democratic-led Congress rather than take
the time to piece together major spending legislation" ...
Ohio election officials finally finished the initial counting
of ballots in the CD-15 race on Monday. With all votes counted,
Congresswoman Deb Pryce (R) defeated Franklin County Commissioner
Mary Jo Kilroy (D) by 1,055 votes (or 50.2% to 49.8%). However,
as the margin was less than 0.5% of the vote, state law requires
an automatic recount. Neither side expects the the outcome to
change in the recount ... Iowa Republicans selected August 11,
2007, as the date for their non-binding Ames Straw Poll. The vote
is a major test of grassroots organization strength. Also, the
Boston Globe reported that California, Florida and Michigan
-- three giant states -- are attempting to move their Presidential
primaries to "as close as possible" to the date of the
New Hampshire primary.
strongly
hinted on ABC's This Week that he will soon make an official
announcement on his likely Presidential candidacy. "We're
very close with announcements ... and really considering whether
we could bring a message to the country that needs to be discussed.
I think there is room, on the Republican side, for somebody that's
a full-scale conservative, that's an economic and fiscal and social
conservative," he said. He is also a leading voice in Congress
for US action to end the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Brownback
has made several trips to Iowa, New Hampshire and other early
contest states over the past year. Brownback -- the most socially
conservative of the likely GOP candidates -- would need to rely
on heavy support from the party's Religious Right base in order
to gain traction ... Former
US Army Brigadier General Janis Karpinski told Spain's El Pais
newspaper that Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld personally authorized
in writing the mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib
prison. Karpinski was the commandant of the prison when the abuses
took place. The letter authorized US contractors to use sleep
deprivation, making prisoners stand for hours on end, and other
similar techniques. "The handwritten signature was above
his printed name [in the letter] and in the same handwriting in
the margin was written 'Make sure this is accomplished,'"
said Karpinski. She said she is now willing to testify against
Rumsfeld in any court cases or hearings. The Pentagon declined
comment on Karpinski's statements ... Incoming House Committee
Chairs Barney Frank (D-MA) and John Dingell (D-MI) said the Dems
plan to advance an agenda for "mainstream America" in
the next Congress. Because of that, according to Frank, don't
look for the new House leadership to spend time on divisive, hot
button, liberal issues like gays-in-the-military, etc. 
Comic
and author Al Franken (D-MN) promises to make a public decision
as to whether or not he will challenge US Senator Norm Coleman
(R-MN) by the end of this holiday long weekend ... While the counting
of provisional ballots continues in Ohio, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt
(R) can be declared the winner in CD-2. Schmidt gained votes in
the ongoing counting, making her 51% advantage mathematically
insurmountable at this point ... In the Ohio CD-15 race between
Congressman Deb Pryce (R) and Franklin County Commissioner Mary
Jo Kilroy (D), the incumbent leads by 3,717 votes. However, nearly
19,000 ballots still remain to be counted in Franklin County.
That count is expected to be completed sometime next week ...
Texas has yet to decide whether the CD-23 runoff between Congressman
Henry Bonilla (R) and former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (D) will
take place on December 12 or December 19.
Postscript: Governor Perry selected December 12 as the run-off
day.
are
starting to tip their hands. Former Governer Brereton Jones (D)
-- who served 1991-95 -- confirmed to the Lexington Herald-Leader
he is interested in the race. One other possible candidate --
attorney and '02 Congressional nominee Jack Conway (D) -- said
Jones recently met with him to see if Conway would be his runningmate.
Conway, however, remains interested in the top job. Term-limited
State Treasurer Jonathan Miller (D) appears likely to run, as
does Lieutenant Governor Steve Pence (R). Other Dems openly considering
the race include State Senator and '04 US Senate nominee Dan Mongiardo
(D), State Senator David Boswell, and former State House Speaker
and '79 candidate Terry McBrayer (D). Attorney General Greg Stumbo
told reporters last week he had "no plans to run for Governor
at this time" -- but added that he was not yet ready to make
a final decision ruling out a run. Congressman Ben Chandler, who
was the Dem nominee against Fletcher in 2003, is sounding like
he plans to stay in Congress now that the Dems captured majority
control. Former Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry (D), McCracken
County Board of Education Chair Billy Harper (R), demolition contractor
Otis Hensley (D) and frequent candidates Peppy Martin (R) and
Gatewood Galbreath (D) have each publicly stated they are in the
race. Other prominent Republicans are also being mentioned as
possible primary challengers. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson
(D) and State Auditor Crit Luallen (D) both announced last week
they are not running.
The
recount in the NM-1 race shows Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R)
officially won re-election by 879 votes ... Former US Secretary
of State Henry Kissinger -- who served during the Vietnam War
under Presidents Nixon and Ford -- said Sunday in an interview
with the BBC that he did not believe it was realistic for the
US to win a victory in Iraq. "If you mean by clear military
victory an Iraqi government that can be established and whose
writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under
control and sectarian violence under control ... I don't believe
that is possible," he said ... In FL-13, auto dealer Vern
Buchanan (R) will be certified the winner on Monday by a 369 vote
margin. The big issue remains the inexplicable 18,000 "undervotes"
-- possibly meaning that thousands of cast ballot were lost in
Sarasota County due to machine or 
programming
errors. Florida touchscreen voting machines currently do not produce
any paper trail of receipts, meaning that ballots "lost"
by machines are permanently lost. Look for banker Christine Jennings
(D) to file suit within the next ten days seeking a new special
election against Buchanan ... A "hand-eye" manual sampling
recount is expected to begin this week in NC-8, where Congressman
Robin Hayes (R) is currently leading teacher Larry Kissel (D)
by just 339 votes. The provisional ballots will also begin to
be counted Monday in the still undecided OH-2 and OH-15 races
... Green Party candidates for Governor across the nation this
year scored a combined total of over 854,000 votes, making this
the best third party showing in gubernatorial contests since the
Reform Party's showing of 1.3 million in 1998 (when Jesse Ventura
was elected Minnesota Governor as a Reform candidate). The Libertarian
candidates came in this year at around 422,000 votes ... Recently
defeated US Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) said he will "absolutely,
positively not" be a candidate for President in 2008 ...
Governor John Lynch (D-NH) said he is not looking to run against
US Senator John Sununu (R) in 2008.
John
Boehner (R-OH) easily fended of a challenge from Congressman Mike
Pence (R-IN) for the Minority Leader position by a lopsided 168-27
vote. Pence praised Boehner's past service, but had vowed to return
the House GOP to fiscal conservatism. The race for Minority Whip
was thought to be much more competitive, but it also ended in
a blowout. Current House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) defeated
Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ) by a 137-57 vote. Shadegg was
aligned with Pence's call for more conservative House leadership.
Congressman Adam Putnam (R-FL) defeated Congressman Jack Kingston
(R-GA) by a 100-91 vote on the third ballot for House Republican
Conference Chair. Two others were eliminated on earlier ballots.
In the race for NRCC Chair, Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK) was elected
on the second ballot. Cole -- the NRCC's Executive Director in
the early 1990s -- is also the father of Mason Cole, one of our
regular bloggers here on Politics1.
veteran
and vocal Iraq War opponent -- by a vote of 149-86. Hoyer spent
the past year fundraising and campaigning on behalf of over
80 House candidates. Murtha, although backed by incoming House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was hurt by his past involvement
in the 1979 ABSCAM corruption probe ... The Florida Department
of Law Enforcement, after opening a preliminary review last month,
confirmed Thursday it was now launching a full-scale criminal
investigation into the online sex scandal of former Congressman
Mark Foley (R-FL). An FDLE spokesperson told CNN the agency found
"a basis to open a criminal investigation" ... Congressman
Bobby Jindal (R-LA) reactivated his gubernatorial campaign account
this week and has begun raising money for a second run next year
against Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) ... Two aging incumbents
thought to be likely retirement candidates -- US Senators Ted
Stevens (R-AK) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) -- announced Thursday
they will both seek re-election in 2008. Stevens,
a seven-term incumbent, will be 84 in 2008. Domenici, a six-term
incumbent, will be 76 in 2008 ...
Congressman John Barrow (D-GA) officially survived his tough re-election
challenge from former Congressman Max Burns (R) by a margin of
864 votes. Burns conceded on Thursday, saying he will not seek
a recount. The vote counting and recounting still continues in
five congressional contests: FL-13, NM-1 NC-8, OH-2, and OH-15.
Wednesday
unanimously selected current
US Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to be the US Senate
Minority Leader in the next Congress. By contrast, the race for
Minority Whip between Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Trent Lott (R-MS)
was hotly contested. Both men have national stature. Alexander
is a former Presidential Cabinet membet and two-time White House
candidate. Lott is the former US House Minority Whip, US Senate
Majority Whip and US Senate Majority Leader -- who gave up the
Leader post under pressure in 2003 after making remarks seen as
praise of Strom Thurmond's Dixiecrat run for President in 1948.
Since then, Lott wrote his memoirs -- Herding Cats -- detailing
his career. The book savaged the White House and a few of his
GOP colleagues for what he complained was back-stabbing disloyalty
to him during the Thurmond incident. When the votes were counted
Wednesday, Lott defeated Alexander by a 25-24 upset win.
January
to form a Presidential exploratory committee. Thompson briefly
flirted with making a 2000 White House run, and later served as
HHS Secretary in the Bush Administration. Thompson is expected
to have the same impact
on the GOP contest as former US Senator Mike Gravel is having
on the Democratic contest ... As I previously mentioned two days
ago, US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) filed paperwork this week for
his Presidential exploratory committee. Since then, the GOP frontrunner
launched his 
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