News & Opinion for 8/18/05

Posted by Mary Mancini on August 18, 2005 under Uncategorized |

Robert Unlikely to Face Big Fight
Democrats have decided that unless there is an unexpected development in the weeks ahead, they will not launch a major fight to block the Supreme Court nomination of John G. Roberts Jr., according to legislators, Senate aides and party strategists.

Woodward: Cheney to run in ‘08
Renowned journalist Bob Woodward predicts Dick Cheney will be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2008 and that the vice president could face Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton in a dramatic partisan showdown.

Democrats embrace tough military stance

Democrats Conflicted on Playing Rough
After months of internal debate and closed-door discussions, Democrats have begun to develop a more aggressive foreign policy that focuses heavily on threats they say are being neglected by the Bush administration, while avoiding taking a contentious stance on Iraq.

Big-Government Conservatives
Mr. Bush’s attempt at spending discipline has been especially limp.

Bush not as popular as Reagan or Clinton
President Bush’s standing with an American public anxious about Iraq and the nation’s direction is lower than that of the last two men who won re-election to the White House — Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton — at this point in their second terms.

Abramoff Indictment May Echo in Other Cases, Ex-Prosecutors Say (Bloomberg)
The U.S. indictment of Jack Abramoff on fraud charges in Florida may reverberate throughout Washington as federal prosecutors increase pressure on the Republican lobbyist to cooperate in other investigations.

FEC Faults Accounting at DeLay’s PAC (Washington Post)
The Federal Election Commission criticized a political fund chaired by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) for misstating accounts and failing to report debts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Lavish RNC funding of accused consipirator’s defense is criticized
A New Hampshire member of the Republican National Committee was “uncomfortable” to learn that the RNC has used its donors’ contributions to pay more than $700,000 in legal bills for accused 2002 GOP phone-jamming conspirator James Tobin.