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Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh Endorses Clinton, Will Serve As National Campaign Co-Chair

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh Endorses Clinton
Bayh Will Serve As National Campaign Co-Chair

The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of Indiana Senator Evan Bayh and named him a national Campaign Co-Chair.

"Hillary Clinton is a seasoned, experienced leader who will be ready to lead this country on Day One," Bayh said. "She will run the kind of campaign and administration that will appeal to all corners of America, emphasizing national security and middle class economic progress."

Sens. Bayh and Clinton are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and have traveled together to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and met with the Presidents of those countries.

First elected to the Senate in 1998, Sen. Bayh has earned a reputation as a bipartisan problem solver, committed to strengthening our national security, growing small businesses to create new jobs and encouraging responsible fatherhood.

"I have seen firsthand how effective she is interacting with global leaders and the respect she commands," Bayh said. "I believe that her approach to our national security challenges will be strong but also more effective, because it will be more thoughtful and comprehensive than the current administration's. Senator Clinton is both tough and smart."

Prior to being elected to the Senate, Sen. Bayh served two terms as Governor of Indiana, where he established a track record of fiscal responsibility and economic growth, passing the largest tax cut in state history and creating 350,000 new jobs. Prior to being elected Governor, Sen. Bayh served as Indiana's Secretary of State.

Sen. Bayh currently serves on five committees: Banking Housing and Urban Affairs, on which he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance; Armed Services; the Select Committee on Intelligence; the Special Committee on Aging; and the Small Business Committee.

"In an increasingly rancorous political environment, Evan has consistently reached across the aisle to tackle our nation's toughest challenges and get results," Clinton said. "I'm honored to have his support as we bring our message of change across the country."

All three broadcast networks led Sunday evening with the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the United States. ABC World News opened its report by calling him "a man who has denied the Holocaust, says Israel should not exist, and is allegedly arming our enemies in Iraq while building a secret nuclear program." The CBS Evening News said the "debate and the protests are underway" as Ahmadinejad begins "his controversial visit to New York." CBS added, "Before leaving Tehran for the United Nations, Ahmadinejad said he welcomed the UN as a forum to offer his solutions to the world's problem. The Bush Administration says he is the problem, citing his calls for the destruction of Israel, Iran's role in supplying arms to Iraqi insurgents, and his alleged nuclear weapons program." NBC Nightly News also said the visit "generated a wave of controversy over where he wants to go and who he plans to address." All three network reports mention Ahmadinejad's desire to visit the World Trade Center site as well as the uproar over his planned speech at Columbia University.

The AP reports Ahmadinejad "arrived in New York to protests Sunday and said in a television interview that Iran was neither building a nuclear bomb nor headed to war with the United States." His motorcade "pulled up to the midtown hotel where he will be staying while he appears at a series of events including the U.N. General Assembly and a forum at Columbia University, where about 40 elected officials and civic leaders decried his visit."

In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes taped Thursday, Ahmadinejad said, "It's wrong to think that Iran and the U.S. are walking toward war. Who says so? Why should we go to war? There is no war in the offing." The Washington Post reports Ahmadinejad "echoed sentiments expressed yesterday by the commander of U.S. Central Command. Adm. William J. Fallon, who is on a seven-nation tour of the Persian Gulf region, said in an interview with al-Jazeera that the recent 'drumbeat of conflict...is not helpful and not useful.' Fallon added that he does not expect war between the United States and Iran 'and that is what we should be working for.'" The Financial Times also notes Fallon's remarks.

A second AP story says Ahmadinejad said Sunday that Americans "are eager for different opinions about the world, and he is looking forward to providing them with 'correct and clear information,'" according to Iranian state media. USA Today quotes Ahmadinejad saying, "The American people in the past years have been denied correct and clear information about global developments and are eager to hear different opinions." He also said the UN General Assembly "was an 'important podium' for him to express Iran's views."

The Wall Street Journal says Ahmadinejad's "speaking plans over the next few days have stirred ire in many quarters." Presidential hopeful "question whether he should have been allowed in the country at all," and "Jewish groups plan rallies across Manhattan to protest his appearances at the U.N. and Columbia University." Newsday says Ahmadinejad "plans to bring 'alternative views' to the United States audience during a speech at Columbia University Monday afternoon." The New York Sun reports New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said state lawmakers, "outraged over Columbia's insistence on allowing the Iranian president to speak at its World Leaders Forum, would consider reducing capital aid and other financial assistance to the school."


Bush, Congress Far Apart On Spending
The New York Times reports that with "the new fiscal year just a week away, President Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress are far from agreement on the proper level of spending for myriad federal programs, and the two sides have not even begun negotiations to resolve their differences." Bush's "public comments suggest he is determined to veto one or more appropriations bills, to highlight what he describes as excessive spending. But neither side has a postveto strategy."

The Wall Street Journal reports House and Senate Democrats "hope to win quick passage this week of a stopgap spending resolution to keep the government operating through mid-November and provide an estimated $5.2 billion for the purchase of heavily armored vehicles -- a top priority for Marine and Army forces in Iraq." The "draft resolution, which is still being finalized, is intended to buy as many as six additional weeks for negotiations." Roll Call reports that although they "condemned Republicans last year for their failure to pass spending bills, Senate Democrats find themselves in much the same situation this year, with little hope of fully funding the government until late December and no current prospects for sending any bill to the president before the beginning of the new fiscal year next week."

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Thumbs Up For White House's Bolten
McClatchy reports Joshua Bolten, President Bush's "bass-guitar-playing White House chief of staff, has been hitting the right notes lately, even with some of the administration's harshest critics." Several Democratic lawmakers "praised Bolten this week for helping to find pragmatic outsider Michael Mukasey to replace Bush's longtime inner-circle friend Alberto Gonzales as attorney general -- and thus avoiding the fierce Senate confirmation fight that was expected if Bush had chosen another loyalist or ideologue." Administration "friends and foes alike say they see positive change in the White House, thanks largely to its low-profile chief of staff." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "I have found Josh Bolten to be a breath of fresh air."


Mukasey Soothed Top Conservatives
Newsweek reports that after President Bush decided to nominate Michael Mukasey for attorney general, White House officials "were privately worried about how conservatives would react given the ex-judge's lack of 'movement' credentials." But in a series of private meetings prior to the nomination, Mukasey "reassured top hard-liners." According to three sources, Mukasey "said that he saw 'significant problems' with shutting down Guantánamo Bay and that he understood the need for the CIA to use some 'enhanced' interrogation techniques against Qaeda suspects. Mukasey also signaled reluctance with naming a special prosecutor to investigate Bush-administration misconduct, according to one participant."

U.S. News and World Report says Mukasey has won "widespread respect on the federal bench -- and bipartisan praise since President Bush nominated him" He "is likely to prevail, taking over a department beset by scandal and loss of public trust. The administration hopes for a hearing by early October."

Mukasey Scrutinized Over Post-9/11 Cases The New York Times reports in a front page story that although Mukasey is "widely admired by prosecutors and defense lawyers alike in New York, his handling of the cases of" Jordanian immigrant Osama Awadallah and "other material witnesses taken into custody in terrorism investigations after Sept. 11 produced some rare, sharp criticism of his performance on the bench and raised concern among civil liberties groups." Senate Democrats "have suggested they will focus on the issue when Mr. Mukasey is questioned at his confirmation hearings."


NYT Gave MoveOn Price Break On Ad
In his New York Times column Sunday, the newspaper's public editor, Clark Hoyt, said the Times did give MoveOn.org a preferential rate for its September 10 ad criticizing Gen. David Petraeus, and wrote, "I think the ad violated The Times's own written standards." The revelation was seen by Republicans as confirmation of the Times' liberal bias.

ABC World News reported, "Today, the New York Times public editor said he believes the ad violated the paper's standards and that MoveOn got a price break that it was not entitled to. MoveOn said that it had no idea of that price break, and is sending the Times $77,000 to make up the difference." The Washington Post reports after "two weeks of denials, the New York Times acknowledged that it should not have given a discount to MoveOn.org" for the full-page ad." Newsday says the American Conservative Union "has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, charging the Times' lower rate was an illegal campaign donation to MoveOn.org."

Clinton Criticizes MoveOn Over Ad Sen. Hillary Clinton, during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, was asked if President Bush "has a point" when he claims Democrats "are more afraid of irritating the left wing and MoveOn than you are about insulting the American military." Clinton responded, "No, he doesn't. But I think it's clear I don't condone attacks on anyone who has served our country with distinction and with honor, and I have been very vocal in my support of and admiration for Gen. Petraeus. I did vote for a resolution that made it clear I do not condone and do condemn attacks on any American, impugning their patriotism." On CNN's Late Edition, Clinton added that she "thought it was pretty sorry when [President Bush's] campaign attacked Sen. Kerry's record of service, and I thought it was pretty sorry when the Republicans attacked Sen. Cleland."


Congress Mulls Affordable Housing Fund
U.S. News and World Report reports that a housing bill first proposed in 1987 "and re-energized this fall" would create "a national housing trust fund: a dedicated source of money to build affordable new houses and rehabilitate old ones. Unlike existing housing programs, which are subject to the whims of congressional appropriations, the trust fund would be politically immune."

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UAW To Decide On GM Strike Today
The AP reported early today that the United Auto Workers set a deadline of 11:00 a.m. EST Monday to strike against General Motors "if a new contract isn't reached, even as the two sides continued bargaining late Sunday night."


Workplace Immigration Raids Stepped Up
U.S. News and World Report says that while "immigration reform may be dead in Washington," across the country, employers "are bearing the brunt of Congress's failure. The burden is likely to increase as the Department of Homeland Security dramatically steps up raids against employers who hire illegal aliens. Although employers have always been liable for knowingly engaging illegals, enforcement has been limited. Last year, though, the number of arrests from such raids increased 239 percent, and in the coming months, because of renewed attention by law enforcement, it's likely to rise even further."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS
Clinton Does Sunday TV Marathon
Sen. Hillary Clinton made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows, becoming one of the few guests to make all five shows in a single day. Clinton made some news on Iraq, saying she was not able to give a deadline for withdrawing all US troops, and on healthcare, saying her universal coverage plan would not include illegal immigrants. The appearances were seen as an effort by the Clinton campaign to consolidate her lead in the Democratic primary race. Clinton was on ABC's This Week, CBS's Face The Nation, NBC's Meet The Press, CNN's Late Edition and Fox News Sunday.

In addition to the direct exposure, Sen. Clinton also garnered significant derivative coverage. The AP reports Clinton "defended her plan for universal health care and insisted she won't repeat the mistakes that doomed her earlier effort to cover millions of people when she was first lady." Clinton "also pledged to vote against additional war funding unless most combat troops get to come home." In interviews on the Sunday talk shows, Clinton "sought to portray herself as a more humble, wiser leader who has learned from her mistakes and who would work to shed her image as a polarizing figure who would mire Washington in gridlock."

The CBS Evening News reported Clinton sounded "more than ever like a Democrat holding all the good cards." John Harris, Politico.com: "I think what it really underscores is that there is Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party, and there's everybody else." Chen: "The latest CBS News-New York Times poll shows the New York senator with a commanding lead over Barack Obama and John Edwards, but she isn't just distancing herself from fellow Democrats. She's setting out a view of what her Clinton Administration would look like, with the former president cast as help mate." Republicans "seem to read the same handwriting on the wall. At this weekend's forum with Michigan voters, positioning themselves against just one opponent."

NBC Nightly News reported, "Hillary Clinton is consolidating her lead in the national polls. Some are beginning to say she's becoming the candidate to beat. But she is still dogged by questions about her early support for the war in Iraq." Clinton said she'll "vote against President Bush's expected request for nearly $200 billion more for military operations in Iraq and any other future funding to continue the war," but she "again refused to call her vote to give Mr. Bush the authority to go to war a mistake." To "listen to the leading Republican hopefuls, you would think she's already her party's nominee."

The Washington Post reports Clinton "demonstrated a particularly senatorial skill: the art of the filibuster." Asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos "whether she would withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq during a first term as president, Clinton (D-N.Y.) gave a simple answer: She did not know." But she "used more than 225 words to say so. 'You know, I'm not going to get into hypotheticals and make pledges, because I don't know what I'm going to inherit, George. I don't know and neither do any of us know what will be the situation in the region." The Post adds Clinton "did two hours of interviews by remote from a furnished barn in her back yard in Chappaqua, N.Y., part of an aggressive media blitz in the week after she offered up her plan for universal health-care coverage."

The Los Angeles Times reports Clinton defended "her new healthcare proposal" and vowed "to oppose any Iraq war funding unless it is tied to starting a U.S. troop withdrawal." On Fox News Sunday, Clinton said, "I will not vote for any funding that does not move us toward beginning to withdraw our troops, that does not have pressure on the Iraqi government to make the tough political decisions that they have, that does not recognize that there is a diplomatic endeavor that has to be undertaken." The Times adds Clinton "did not criticize her opponents for the party nomination." Clinton "dismissed criticism from Republican presidential candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani that her healthcare plan amounted to 'socialized medicine.'"


Bush Thinks Clinton Likely To Be President
Hillary Clinton's marathon appearance on yesterday's talks shows comes amid reports that President Bush believes she is strongest presidential candidate. The Washington Post reported over the weekend that "at an off-the-record lunch a week ago," Bush left some journalists with the impression that he believes Clinton "will win the election" and that he "has been thinking about how to turn over the country to her." The topic "came up when Bush invited a group of morning and evening news anchors and Sunday show hosts to join him in the executive mansion's family dining room a few hours before he delivered his nationally televised address on Iraq last week. Bush made no explicit election predictions, according to some in the room, but clearly thought Clinton would win the Democratic nomination and talked in a way that seemed to suggest he expects her to succeed him -- and will continue his Iraq policy if she does." The journalists "were not allowed to directly quote the president, but they were allowed to allude to his thinking."

Bush isn't the only one to see Clinton in the pole position. The New York Times yesterday ran an analysis piece that says Clinton "has consolidated her early lead in the Democratic presidential contest, showing steady strength as the candidates head toward the first voting early next year." Clinton "has been challenged for fund-raising supremacy and news media attention by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina beat her to the punch in introducing big policy proposals. But nothing that her main rivals have done has so far has derailed Mrs. Clinton, leading them to begin rolling out aggressive new strategies aimed primarily at her, including courting black voters in South Carolina and stepping up attacks." Obama advisor David Axelrod said, "I think they've run a great campaign. She's been a very disciplined candidate. They've been deft in trying to get ahead of this tidal wave of people out there who really want change. They are doing the best they can with it." Axelrod added, "The question is ultimately, Is she credible - whether people buy her as an agent of change in Washington. If they do, she'll do well."


Bayh To Endorse Clinton Today
One more sign of Clinton's strength a key endorsement by a moderate Democratic Senator. The AP reports Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh (D), who flirted with a presidential bid of his own, "will endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid on Monday, sources close to both lawmakers say. A colleague of Clinton's on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Bayh actively pursued a possible presidential bid until late last year, when he dropped out of the race amid evidence that Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois were building formidable campaign organizations." The AP adds, "Bayh, a former governor of a Republican-leaning state, is in his second term in the Senate. A centrist who won re-election with 62 percent of the vote in 2004, he is likely to be considered for the Democratic ticket in 2008." The Indianapolis Star adds that a Bayh spokesman "said he could not confirm that Bayh will be making an announcement today. Joe Hogsett, head of Clinton's Indiana campaign and a former top aide to Bayh, said any endorsement should not be seen as a sign that Bayh is seeking the vice presidential nod."


Romney Wins Michigan Straw Poll
Michigan's GOP held its biennial gathering on Mackinac Island over the weekend, allowing the presidential contenders to woo the locals in the key early state. The AP reports Michigan Republicans "gave Mitt Romney the most votes in a straw poll Friday and Saturday at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference." Romney received 383 votes, Sen. John McCain 260, Rep. Ron Paul 106, Rudy Giuliani 104, Fred Thompson 70, Mike Huckabee 25, Rep. Duncan Hunter 12, Sen. Sam Brownback three, and Rep. Tom Tancredo zero. Sixteen participants voted uncommitted. The Detroit Free Press reports Romney "used his Michigan connections to good advantage over the weekend in easily winning a straw poll of registrants to the Michigan Republican Party's biennial island conference. Romney, a Michigan native and son of a former governor, pulled in 39% of the vote open to delegates to the conference who were also Michigan residents. Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain, who has been fighting organizational woes in Michigan and elsewhere, was a relatively strong second, with 26.5%."

However, the race might be far tighter than the straw poll indicates. The Detroit News reports a Mitchell Interactive poll of 380 likely Michigan Republican primary voters shows a "virtual dead heat" among three leaders. Romney is at 21%, Giuliani 19%, and Thompson 18%, while McCain, "the upset winner of Michigan's 2000 GOP primary, is struggling" at 10%.

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POLITICAL HUMOR
The Latest From Late Night Comedians
Jay Leno: "It's getting pretty nasty out there on the campaign trail. This week, Hillary Clinton referred to Vice President Dick Cheney as Darth Vader. And today, he demanded an apology -- not Dick Cheney, Darth Vader."

Jay Leno: "And the President of Iran -- what's his name, Mahmoud I'm-A-Nutjob" -- is coming to New York "to address the United Nations. Why isn't his name on the no-fly list? ... What do you want to bet he goes through the line in two minutes, but they strip-search the 85-year-old grandmother standing behind him?"

Jay Leno: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, "'There are 300 million people in America with many different points of view.' As opposed to Iran, which has 70 million people who aren't allowed any point of view."

Conan O'Brien: "The White House has announced that during President Bush's last year in office, he's going to visit more countries than in any other year of his presidency. Bush says he's going to accomplish all of this in one weekend by going to Epcot Center."

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