Politics Today: Rove Under Fire
Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in Politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:
**As President Obama held a calm town meeting, members of Congress felt the heat at theirs...
**Karl Rove involved in U.S. Attorney firings, Democrats allege...
"Obama on Health Care: A Civil Town Hall in New Hampshire", Politics Daily
"Obama Offers Reassurance on Plan to Overhaul Health Care", New York Times
"Obama Faces 'Scare Tactics' Head-On", Washington Post
"Obama Touts Health Plan", Portsmouth Herald
...Congressional Democrats are recovering from the shouting matches that erupted at their events yesterday:
"Specter gets 'an earful' at Pa. town halls", Philadelphia Inquirer
"Hundreds of protesters, supporters show up to Schiff's health care meeting," Pasadena Star-News
"Crowds shout back at McCaskill's town hall meeting" KRCG-TV
Democrats and supporters of health reform are blaming "organized" opposition for stirring up trouble at these congressional town halls. Opponents are saying their concerns and, in some cases, fears are legitimate.
"Obama answered his critics indirectly. At his town hall in Portsmouth, N.H., he urged Americans to ignore those who try to 'scare and mislead the American people,' telling a cordial audience, 'For all the scare tactics out there, what is truly scary is if we do nothing.'
"Though his popularity is slipping in polls, Obama himself is repeatedly trying to make the case to the public for passage of comprehensive legislation this year to bring down costs and extend coverage to many of the 50 million uninsured."
USA Today's Richard Wolf and Susan Page add, "Bruce Buchanan, a government professor at the University of Texas at Austin, watched the town hall meeting on TV and thought Obama's 'folksy' tone may have helped lower the temperature of the debate.
"'Obama feels it's important to go out and do some debunking,' Buchanan said. 'It's essentially to squelch misinformation, and to the extent that he's able to do that — and he's got the biggest megaphone around — that should help calm the hysteria a little bit.'
"The fight is hardly over. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced it would begin airing 30-second ads in about 20 states Monday criticizing the Democratic health-care proposals. R. Bruce Josten, the chamber's executive vice president, said the multimillion-dollar ad buy would be one of the largest so far critical of Obama's effort.
"One difficulty for Obama and his supporters is the lack of a specific plan to describe and defend. The three House committees with oversight of health care have produced plans, but the House has yet to vote on them. In the Senate, one committee has produced a plan but another is still working behind closed doors. Obama has chosen only to outline broad principles."
"Frustrated older Americans are packing the town halls on health care. They are incredibly passionate about their Medicare benefits. Polls show senior citizens largely disapprove of health care reform ideas so far.
"And of course, they vote — in larger numbers than any other demographic.
"But so far, Democrats have focused much of their health care sales pitch on middle-class Americans and the uninsured — a slight that has been noticed by senior citizens, who hold great influence with members of Congress.
"Some experts say the real problem is that Democrats haven't done enough to address seniors' concerns to date, allowing the perception to grow that seniors will lose under reform.
"Proponents haven't talked enough about how health reform will benefit seniors, said Jeff Blum of USAction, a progressive grass-roots organization pushing health reform.
"'We were vulnerable, and that was a mistake on the part of us promoting health reform,' Blum said. 'The opposition found an opportunity and ran with it.'"
Miami Herald's John Dorschner, "Fear, uncertainty haunt elderly as healthcare critics speak out"
Los Angeles Times' Janet Hook, "Many seniors aren't sure healthcare system needs repair"
The Hill's J. Taylor Rushing, "Dem health care talking points: Change over status quo"
CBS News' Kimberly Dozier, "Angry Voices in N.H. Over Health Care Reform"
Washington Post's David Montgomery, "Going to the Mat on Health-Care Bill"
CBSNews.com's Stephanie Condon, "Sen. Nelson Responds to Liberal Attacks with Ad"
Washington Post's Dan Balz, "What They're Really Arguing About"
Associated Press' Walter R. Mears, "Health care debate a long-running story"
4336078KARL ROVE: McClatchy Newspapers' Marisa Taylor reports: "Karl Rove and other top officials in the George W. Bush White House were deeply involved in pushing for the ouster of several U.S. attorneys, notably including one in New Mexico, according to testimony and e-mails that the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee released Tuesday.
"Sworn testimony from former White House Counsel Harriet Miers revealed that Rove considered former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico a 'serious problem' and 'wanted something done about it' because of complaints about politically sensitive investigations that Iglesias had mounted. Miers said that she couldn't recall whether Rove specifically demanded Iglesias' firing during a 2006 conversation, but Iglesias was fired later that year.
"Miers' testimony and e-mails between White House officials contradict Rove's assertion that he was merely a passive "conduit" to the Justice Department for complaints from Republican operatives and wasn't himself an advocate for the administration's eventual ouster of nine U.S. attorneys."
"House Democrats turned over to federal prosecutors thousands of investigative documents Tuesday, alleging they are evidence of impropriety by Karl Rove and other Bush White House officials in the controversial 2006 firing of nine U.S. attorneys," adds the Wall Street Journal's Evan Perez.
"It remains far from certain whether the 5,400 pages of emails and other documents released Tuesday contain information that would help prosecutors bring criminal charges against Mr. Rove, who served as former President George W. Bush's political adviser, or against any other former Bush officials.
"The documents, including 700 pages of interviews with Mr. Rove and other former senior Bush aides, provided a few new nuggets of information on the prosecutor firings, which led to allegations of political meddling at the Justice Department and the resignation of Alberto Gonzales as attorney general.
"Mr. Rove said he welcomed the release of the documents. 'They show politics played no role in the Bush administration's removal of U.S. attorneys, that I never sought to influence the conduct of any prosecution, and that I played no role in deciding which U.S. attorneys were retained and which replaced,' he said.
"A White House spokesman and a Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment."
"House Judiciary Chairman John M. Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) on Tuesday characterized the role of Bush White House figures in the firing of Iglesias and eight other U.S. attorneys as improper.
"'Under the Bush regime, honest and well-performing U.S. attorneys were fired for petty patronage, political horse-trading, and, in the most egregious case of political abuse of the U.S. attorney corps -- that of U.S. attorney Iglesias -- because he refused to use his office to help Republicans win elections,' Conyers said."
The Los Angeles Times' Tom Hamburger and David G. Savage add, "The newly released Judiciary Committee documents could also become an issue in the closely fought race for governor in New Jersey, where a former Republican U.S. attorney, Chris Christie, is running against incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine.
In his testimony last month, Rove revealed that Christie talked with him twice in the last few years about running for governor. By tradition, U.S. attorneys eschew politics after they assume office.
Christie has recently been fending off attacks from Corzine that he was close to the Bush White House."
Later, the president will award the Medal of Freedom to 16 people including Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, will not be in attendance. His daughter Kara Kennedy will accept the medal on his behalf. Those also receiving medals include: former tennis star Billie Jean King, former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor, actor Sidney Poitier, 1996 GOP vice presidential nominee Jack Kemp (posthumous), and South African anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu.
FOREIGN POLICY
Bloomberg News' Janine Zacharia, "Clinton to Balance Oil Need, Anti-Graft Demands in Nigeria Stop"
NY Times' Jeffrey Gettleman, "Clinton Presents Plan to Fight Sexual Violence in Congo"
Wall Street Journal's Jay Solomon, "Student's Nerves Are Cited in Clinton's Reply"
ECONOMY
Washington Post's Annys Shin, "'A Recovery Only a Statistician Could Love'"
IMMIGRATION
NY Times' James C. McKinley Jr., "Napolitano Focuses on Immigration Enforcement"
GOV. MARK SANFORD
The State's John O'Connor, "Sanford calls criticism of travel policies 'unfair'"
FUTURE RACES
CQ Politics' Bob Benenson, "Guide to the 2010 House Races"
2009 NJ Governor: Newark Star-Ledger's Claire Heininger and Josh Margolin, "Karl Rove and Chris Christie discussed N.J. governor run while serving as U.S. Attorney"
2009 VA Governor: Washington Times' Sarah Abruzzese, "Deeds in hurry on campaign trail, gets ticket"
2010 CT Senate: Hartford Courant's Daniela Altimari, "Dodd's Surgery Called Success"
2010 FL Senate: Time Magazine's Michael Grunwald, "GOP at War With Itself in Florida Senate Race"
2012 Presidential: Politico's Jonathan Martin, "Santorum dips toes in 2012 Iowa waters"