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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,306178,00.html
Bush Rallies Troops, Calls White House Meeting to Strategize With
Republicans
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
WASHINGTON - President Bush invited the entire House Republican caucus to
meet with him Tuesday morning, and he will make a public statement afterward
likely calling for speedy accord on top White House priorities, including
confirmation of his pick for attorney general and a the renewal of an August
surveillance bill.
Bush's nominee for the top Justice Department spot, Judge Michael Mukasey,
has run into trouble in recent days over what some perceived as wavering
over the torture issue. In recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary
Committee, he did not immediately rule out waterboarding as a form of
torture, something some Democrats are using as a reason to oppose him.
The administration said this week that it's unfair to peg Mukasey yet on the
torture issue because he does not yet have access to more information about
administration interrogation programs.
But two key Democrats, Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Christopher Dodd of
Connecticut, have announced they will oppose Mukasey's nomination.
"I think Judge Mukasey's comments on waterboarding were outrageous,
especially given that he's seeking the job of attorney general," Biden told
FOX News. "Anyone who thinks that waterboarding is not torture, is not fit -
and will not have my support - to be attorney general."
Though Mukasey's confirmation appears on track, questions about what some
lawmakers regard as his evasive answers on whether waterboarding constitutes
torture have introduced an unexpected dimension of jeopardy.
Biden and Dodd are the only two declared Senate opponents of Mukasey's
confirmation but their opposition could lead Sen. Hillary Clinton of New
York, the current Democratic presidential front-runner, to harden her
current "deeply troubled" posture regarding Mukasey.
Clinton's senate office spokeswoman, Philippe Reines, told FOX that the
senator "is deeply troubled by Judge Mukasey's unwillingness to clearly
state his views on torture and unchecked executive power." Reines said
Clinton had reached no conclusion on whether she would vote to confirm
Mukasey. Biden, Dodd and Clinton are competing for the Democratic nomination
for president.
The president also is expected to push hard for his version of the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act. Congress passed a bill updating the
30-year-old law in August, but the new law required is set to sunset in
February.
The debate over the bill's renewal fell apart in the House this month,
although two Senate committees - Intelligence and Judiciary - are working on
versions of the bill. The president has called for immunity from liability
for telecommunications firms that assisted in government terrorist
surveillance. There dozens of civil cases pending right now; immunity would
make the cases go away.
The president is expected to speak for five to seven minutes after the
meeting, White House officials told FOX News late Monday. Officials would
not discuss the specific agenda of the meeting.
But senior administration officials have said in recent days that the White
House plans to "lean forward" against what the president feels is a
foot-dragging, Democratic-led Congress. In addition to the stalled Mukasey
nomination and the FISA law, Congress has yet to send him one of the 11
spending bills necessary to keep the federal government running.
The new fiscal year began Oct. 1, and Congress has passed a stop-gap measure
that keeps levels the same as they were the previous year.
Bush has issued a veto threat against the Democrats' spending measures, and
has vowed to do so for any bills that raise taxes, including a retooled
State Children's Health Insurance Program bill. After he vetoed that bill
earlier this month, the effort to override the veto failed when the House
couldn't muster enough Republican support. The Senate was expected to have
enough support for the override.
In the meantime, congressional Democrats are debating whether to approve $50
billion to $70 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan, less than half of Bush's
$196 billion request but enough to keep the wars afloat for several more
months, The Associated Press reported.
Such a move would satisfy party members who want to spare the Pentagon from
a painful budget dance and support the troops as Congress considers its next
major step on Iraq
But it would also irritate scores of other Democrats, who want to pay only
to bring troops home and who say their leadership is not doing enough to end
the war.
"I cannot vote for another dollar that will be used to continue the
president's occupation of Iraq," said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., a member
of the House's "Out of Iraq" caucus and one of its most liberal members.
Bush Rallies Troops, Calls White House Meeting to Strategize With
Republicans
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
WASHINGTON - President Bush invited the entire House Republican caucus to
meet with him Tuesday morning, and he will make a public statement afterward
likely calling for speedy accord on top White House priorities, including
confirmation of his pick for attorney general and a the renewal of an August
surveillance bill.
Bush's nominee for the top Justice Department spot, Judge Michael Mukasey,
has run into trouble in recent days over what some perceived as wavering
over the torture issue. In recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary
Committee, he did not immediately rule out waterboarding as a form of
torture, something some Democrats are using as a reason to oppose him.
The administration said this week that it's unfair to peg Mukasey yet on the
torture issue because he does not yet have access to more information about
administration interrogation programs.
But two key Democrats, Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Christopher Dodd of
Connecticut, have announced they will oppose Mukasey's nomination.
"I think Judge Mukasey's comments on waterboarding were outrageous,
especially given that he's seeking the job of attorney general," Biden told
FOX News. "Anyone who thinks that waterboarding is not torture, is not fit -
and will not have my support - to be attorney general."
Though Mukasey's confirmation appears on track, questions about what some
lawmakers regard as his evasive answers on whether waterboarding constitutes
torture have introduced an unexpected dimension of jeopardy.
Biden and Dodd are the only two declared Senate opponents of Mukasey's
confirmation but their opposition could lead Sen. Hillary Clinton of New
York, the current Democratic presidential front-runner, to harden her
current "deeply troubled" posture regarding Mukasey.
Clinton's senate office spokeswoman, Philippe Reines, told FOX that the
senator "is deeply troubled by Judge Mukasey's unwillingness to clearly
state his views on torture and unchecked executive power." Reines said
Clinton had reached no conclusion on whether she would vote to confirm
Mukasey. Biden, Dodd and Clinton are competing for the Democratic nomination
for president.
The president also is expected to push hard for his version of the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act. Congress passed a bill updating the
30-year-old law in August, but the new law required is set to sunset in
February.
The debate over the bill's renewal fell apart in the House this month,
although two Senate committees - Intelligence and Judiciary - are working on
versions of the bill. The president has called for immunity from liability
for telecommunications firms that assisted in government terrorist
surveillance. There dozens of civil cases pending right now; immunity would
make the cases go away.
The president is expected to speak for five to seven minutes after the
meeting, White House officials told FOX News late Monday. Officials would
not discuss the specific agenda of the meeting.
But senior administration officials have said in recent days that the White
House plans to "lean forward" against what the president feels is a
foot-dragging, Democratic-led Congress. In addition to the stalled Mukasey
nomination and the FISA law, Congress has yet to send him one of the 11
spending bills necessary to keep the federal government running.
The new fiscal year began Oct. 1, and Congress has passed a stop-gap measure
that keeps levels the same as they were the previous year.
Bush has issued a veto threat against the Democrats' spending measures, and
has vowed to do so for any bills that raise taxes, including a retooled
State Children's Health Insurance Program bill. After he vetoed that bill
earlier this month, the effort to override the veto failed when the House
couldn't muster enough Republican support. The Senate was expected to have
enough support for the override.
In the meantime, congressional Democrats are debating whether to approve $50
billion to $70 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan, less than half of Bush's
$196 billion request but enough to keep the wars afloat for several more
months, The Associated Press reported.
Such a move would satisfy party members who want to spare the Pentagon from
a painful budget dance and support the troops as Congress considers its next
major step on Iraq
But it would also irritate scores of other Democrats, who want to pay only
to bring troops home and who say their leadership is not doing enough to end
the war.
"I cannot vote for another dollar that will be used to continue the
president's occupation of Iraq," said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., a member
of the House's "Out of Iraq" caucus and one of its most liberal members.
