Earlier this week I reported that Rick Santorum had surprised negative forecasters by greatly outpacing State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. in their second quarter fundraising totals.

Casey raised $1.9 million compared to $3.5 million for Santorum. Santorum also has $5.6 million cash on hand, compared with $1.5 million for Casey.

In terms of where the money came from, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

Almost a third of Santorum's money in the last quarter came from one event: a Bryn Mawr fund-raiser with President Bush that brought in $1.1 million. At the same event, $700,000 was raised for a Republican State Committee account that benefits federal candidates, including Santorum.

Casey raised $300,000 via the Internet, including donations spurred by the endorsement last month of MoveOn.org, a liberal advocacy group with a national donor network.

FEC numbers show that Virginia Senator George Allen raised nearly $2.5 million this past quarter towards his Senate 2006 re-election. With no named Democrat opponent yet in the race, Allen can keep raising funds that could later be used towards a 2008 White House run. As of the reported filing, Allen has over $5 million cash on hand.

In an email letter to supporters John Edwards asks for fundraising donations to his PAC. Edwards says the money will be spent for races in state legislatures in Ohio, South Carolina and Michigan. All states just happen to be 2008 primary states as well.

Edwards says he will travel to Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Maine and Missouri in the coming weeks to campaign for Democrat candidates.

In the new issue of National Journal (subscription required) Joe Biden says he will not change his standards for President Bush’s SCOTUS nominee, based on his own presidential ambitions. Biden said, “I am going to be like I always have.” Biden also disagreed with liberal critics who are disappointed with him for not blocking the nomination of Clarence Thomas in 1991.

The Center for Responsive Politics reports Hillary Clinton raised more in campaign funds from the “50 most politically active professions” than any member of Congress the first quarter of 2005. CRP’s Steve Weiss said, “She's seen by some as emblematic of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, but she's raising money from a number of industries that traditionally give more to Republicans than Democrats.”

George Pataki won’t be the only governor checking out Iowa this weekend. Mitt Romney comes along as well for the National Governor’s Association meeting. The Boston Globe notes Romney’s “aggressive” outreach over the past year to Iowa Republicans through his PAC brings him back to the state “with his political standing enhanced.”

The Associated Press reports Kansas Senator Sam Brownback begins his series of a half-dozen appearances and events in South Carolina today. Brownback’s visit will include a state GOP fundraiser, a radio interview and a meeting with Christian pastors.

Brownback spokesman Brian Hart said, “Sen. Brownback is … continuing to discuss issues important to the country and to South Carolina,"

The New York Times says New York Governor George Pataki will “test ’08 winds” for a possible presidential campaign with a visit to Iowa this weekend.

The Times writes Pataki “associates” tell the paper his trip is “an exploration of whether he should run for president in 2008, reflecting what they called an increased likelihood that he would forgo a bid for a fourth term next year and turn to the national stage.”

The New York Times reports, but any Buzz readers knows:

If he ran, Mr. Pataki, who supports abortion rights and gun control, would most likely be the most moderate candidate in the Republican field, and would face significant hurdles with a Republican primary electorate that has become increasingly conservative, particularly in states like Iowa.

Here’s another picture I took from yesterday’s MoveOn protest of Karl Rove at the White House. You can read the full article here.

John McCain yesterday reiterated his belief that the so-called “Gang of 14” will remain united and avoid a filibuster over President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee. McCain said, “It took us hundreds of hours to come up with what we came up with. I guarantee you, no one wants to revisit it."

California House Republican Randy “Duke” Cunningham announced last night that he will not seek re-election. The Los Angeles Times reported:

"I do not believe that a political campaign in the midst of such an investigation is in the best interest of my family or my constituents," said Cunningham, 63, a former fighter pilot who has looked worn and physically weaker in recent weeks. "I learned in Vietnam no one person is more important than the mission, and I do not intend to forget that lesson now."

Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the Boston Globe brought Mitt Romney into their story on Senator Rick Santorum. When pressed to respond to Santorum’s comments, Romney said:

I'm not going to suggest -- well, let me say I am going to suggest that he's wrong on the conclusion he's reached. And hopefully upon further examination, he will realize it's not a Boston issue. It's a national issue, it's a world issue, and the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church is not a Massachusetts- or Boston-centered problem.

Senator Rick Santorum said Democrats are digging old comments from him critical of Massachusetts liberals for “purely partisan” reasons. Responding to criticism from Ted Kennedy, Santorum said, “I don't think Ted Kennedy lecturing me on the teachings of the church and how the church should handle these problems is something I'm going to take particularly seriously.”

Santorum’s comments were originally published in July 2002 in Catholic Online. They had not come under criticism until the Boston Globe republished the remarks this week.

Your NRO Media Blog has been up since the break of dawn with all the latest on Karl Rove, Bob Novak, etc.

Over at NRO this morning you can read my full piece on yesterday's MoveOn.org protest of Karl Rove.

I crossed enemy lines so you don't have to. Who knows how much I really learned during my college courses back in Eugene, Oregon during the late 90's? But I at least know my way around this kind of crowd. Well, that's a mildly disturbing thought...

The Washington Post reports the House and Senate have agreed to postpone Social Security reform to September, “at the earliest.” Senate Finance Committee Chair Charles Grassley said in a statement:

There are competing demands for the time of senators and House members, so work will probably continue well after the August recess. I won't give up trying to bridge the divide.

Buzz reader John writes in on yesterday’s MoveOn protest of Karl Rove at the White House:

I relied on yesterdays report, and associated dog photo, in determining that the Rove protest was relatively benign and that I could safely walk down Pennsylvania Ave from my office to my wife's after work.

Unfortunately, halfway down the road I noticed a tall, skinny, long haired, hippy guy prancing around wearing nothing but a flesh colored mesh Speedo thingy.

Why, o why, did you not warn your readers!? I nearly lost my lunch.

Just got back from the MoveOn organized Karl Rove protest at the White House. There were about 100 protestors in attendance and at least a dozen reporters. MoveOn handed out signs to the protestors that read “Fire Karl” and “Stop the Cover-Up Fire Karl Rove.”

I’m assuming MoveOn didn’t know Rove was actually traveling with the president today and not in the White House.

The protest ended nearly as soon as the cameras disappeared. They marched for about 15 minutes, huddled for a brief speech; then headed on their way.

But I did manage to snap this pic, amongst others.

I’m headed down to the White House to check out MoveOn’s protest of Karl Rove. I’ll check in later this afternoon with anymore 2008 or related updates for Buzz readers. See you then.

Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey said yesterday that she would “push” Mitt Romney to sign a bill broadening access to the so-called ''morning after" pill. Healey said:

I am a strong advocate for prochoice and I expect to bring that voice to the table when the governor and I and his other advisers sit down to discuss the bill.

He hasn't changed one bit from when we were running together for governor and lieutenant governor back in 2002. He has always said that he was personally prolife, and I've always said that I was personally prochoice.

Roll Call reports (subscription required) that both John Kerry and John Edwards are using their respective PAC’s to pay for staff to work on local races in New Hampshire.

Yesterday I returned from the dentist with a mouthful of blood. As I drifted into a brief nap, I figured the worst was behind me. Instead, I awoke with my living room TV still on and Democrat Senator Evan Bayh engaging in some anti-trade hysteria with CNN’s Lou Dobbs. Needless to say, Dobbs ended the protectionist love fest by asking Bayh if he plans to run for president. Bayh answered: I'm flattered you asked. Yes, I'm interested but I haven't made a final decision yet. I guess we'll have to save that for another program.”

Despite my great commitment to sharing all 2008 news with Buzz readers, I can’t see myself consciously choosing to watch Lou Dobbs again anytime in the near future.

Bayh truly is the new Al Gore. He talks up energy independence but votes against raising fuel efficiecy standards. He gives bloated answers when pressed on nearly any issued of substance. And he tried to gain liberal cred by voting against Condoleezza Rice's nomination for Secretary of State.

In other words, he'd make a great Democrat nominee!

The Hotline also polled on some questions concerning 2008. In their poll, Hillary Clinton has a positive approval rating of 48 to 44 percent.

By contrast, Condoleezza Rice has a 59 to 25 percent approval rating.

By an overwhelming percentage of 85 to 9, respondents said they would be comfortable supporting a female candidate for the White House. And by a greater margin, 86 to 4 percent, participants said they would vote to support an African-American candidate who was well qualified.

Rice also strongly outpolls Clinton on all national security questions: who is stronger on national security issues, ability to handle an international crisis, ability to protect the U.S. from a terrorist attack, ability to manage Iraq and ability to be a “strong and decisive” leader.

For more on Rice, please check out my NRO piece today.

In the new Westhill/Hotline poll released today, President Bush has a 50 percent approval rating, with 47 percent disapproving. The Democratic Party receives a 49 to 42 percent approval rating, while the Republican Party gets a 45 to 44 rating.

If you’re not already familiar with it, I recommend checking out the Another Rovian Conspiracy blog. Good stuff.

The New York Post’s Deborah Orin says Hillary Clinton may have caught “MoveOn disease” with her recent pandering to the liberal base.

Hillary Clinton and a group of Democrat Senate colleagues want to increase the size of the Army by 80,000 members over the next four years.

Later in his speech before the NAACP, RNC Chair Ken Mehlman said something that should catch the attention of all you Bench Memos readers:

Under Alberto Gonzales’ leadership, this Administration will protect the voting rights of all Americans through the strictest enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. As Congress re-authorizes this important law, the party of Lincoln welcomes your thoughts and advice for continuing to ensure that we protect every single American’s fundamental right to vote.

RNC Chair Ken Mehlman spoke at the national NAACP conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin today. Here are some excerpts from his remarks:

I want to speak to you from the heart today, and share a message that I deliver everywhere I go: no matter how many elections Republicans win, no matter how many times we hold the White House, no matter how many seats in Congress, how many governor’s mansions, how many state legislatures we win, the party of Lincoln will not be whole again and won’t truly reflect the dream of African American political empowerment until we effectively and forthrightly respond to the cause of the African American community.

The Boston Herald reports Mitt Romney is pushing to reinstate the death penalty in Massachusetts. However, Romney’s bill would limit state executions to only the “most heinous of crimes,” which include: “murders committed through acts of terrorism or prolonged torture, multiple slayings, and killings aimed at changing the outcome of a trial.”

It’s an interesting move by Romney at a time when doubts about government-sanctioned executions seem to be on the rise. Full disclosure: I personally oppose the death penalty for the same reason I oppose abortion. As a small-government conservative, my stomach turns at the notion of the state voiding my, or anyone else’s, right to exist. But that’s another debate for another time.

ABC News pokes some fun at Senator Rick Santorum this morning:

ABC News' Linda Douglass requested an interview with Sen. Santorum yesterday. An aide to the Senator responded thusly: "This is all about politics. It's all about politics. The Democratic National Committee is using you to push its agenda, and you know that. You know this is not a story. They are just using you."

That said, Klo put it perfectly in the Corner this morning, “He may actually be the one senator who can't be waking up every morning thinking of the day he's president. He doesn't have that luxury as he fights for his political life for reelection to the Senate.”

And The Buzz could not agree more. We’re giving Santorum a lot of coverage over here, but not because I honestly believe he will pursue the White House in 2008. Has a little more to do with the fact that his re-election race is arguably the hottest of the 2006 bunch with issues of life, the right to privacy and support for the war on terror all in the balance.

Hillary Clinton wants the government to investigate and further regulate the latest Grand Theft Auto videogame. But her logic is even more perverse than some of the game’s explicit content. Clinton argues the game manufacturer should be held responsible for private citizens who create “mod” files, i.e. add-on software, to the game’s content.

In this particular case, private gamers have created downloadable files that allow PC users to alter their Grand Theft Auto game. The alteration allows certain characters in the game to engage in sexual activities.

Even without the modification, the game has a voluntary rating of “mature,” meaning that much like a rated “R” movie, children under the age of 17 are not allowed to purchase it. As GTA creator Rockstar Games told explained:

Patricia Vance, president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, defended the rating system. "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was rated Mature, for ages 17 and older, with five content descriptors: intense violence, blood and gore, strong sexual content, strong language and use of drugs," she said. "It's hard to call that inaccurate. It's been appropriately rated."

It's more than a little obvious Clinton is making the move solely to bolster her "family values" credability. But those who care about such things know it takes a family, not a regulator, to instill them.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the U.S. and other members of the six-party talks deserve credit for brining North Korea back to the negotiating table over its nuclear weapons facilities. Many in the media are trying to give sole credit to South Korea, who offered to supply the North with electricity in exchange for returning to the talks. Rice said:

How do you know that the South Koreans made a difference? Have you been talking to the North Koreans about what made a difference? I think I can make the argument that a number of diplomatic efforts here by the Chinese, by the South Koreans, by the United States were responsible. The Japanese and the Russians have been involved too.

In its story on the so-called “Gang of 14,” the New York Times notes how the compromise on judicial filibusters has hurt Ohio Republican Senator Mike DeWine:

The gang is also facing pressure from the right, particularly on Senators Graham and DeWine. Both had intended to vote in favor of the nuclear option, both infuriated conservatives when they joined the gang, and both are facing possible primary challenges in their next elections as a result.


In Mr. DeWine's case, the fallout may have extended to his family. When his son, Pat, lost a primary campaign for the House of Representatives last month, some Christian conservatives said they believed that he had been hurt by his father's participation in the compromise.

Kansas Senator Sam Brownback will visit primary state South Carolina this week as he considers a possible 2008 run. Brownback has already visited New Hampshire and Iowa.

While in South Carolina, Brownback will hold six meetings, including a state GOP fundraiser.

Even Bill Clinton is dumbfounded by the media’s five-year plus love affair with John McCain. Clinton told a group of student activists yesterday:

'For example, if you're a Democrat and you have sort of normal impulses, you're a sellout, like when Hillary said abortion is a tragedy for virtually everybody who undergoes it [and] we ought to do all we can to reduce abortion," Clinton said.


''All of a sudden," he continued, the media began asking, '' 'Is she selling out? Is she abandoning her principles?' But if [Senator] John McCain, who's prolife, works with Hillary on global warming, he's a man of principle moving to the middle."


''It's nuts," he said.

So, Howard Dean hates Republicans. But he also wants to build the DNC around a grassroots model formulated by the RNC and conservative activists. And he’s not the only one.

The Washington Post reports from the Washington Convention Center, where former President Bill Clinton and a group of liberal supporters held a series of speeches and meetings in an effort to organize the next generation of liberal activists.

Much like conservative groups have done for decades, the liberal Center for American Progress has created a fund to support liberal college campus publications and will send left of center speakers to these schools to meet with students. Of course, with the vast majority of professors and student publications already veering to the far left, it seems the Democratic Party is in more dire need to its own ideas than a cookie cutter path to electoral gains.

Senators Arlen Specter and Diane Feinstein are proposing legislation to limit the reach of the Patriot Act while renewing several of its provisions. However, the bill is receiving criticism from both sides of the spectrum – those who oppose its restrictions and those who think it does not go far enough. One 2008 hopeful, Russ Feingold, falls in the latter category, “In its current form, I cannot support this bill, but I hope we can work together to improve the legislation in the coming weeks,” Feingold said.

My new piece is up on the NRO main site. It’s a look at the various organizations hoping to draft their respective candidate into the 2008 sweepstakes. It’s been more than 50 years since a candidate was successfully “drafted” into the Oval Office. Nonetheless, the draft movement may be larger than ever.

This afternoon, MoveOn will be organizing a protest of Karl Rove at the White House. In a letter to supporters, MoveOn’s Tom Matzzie writes, “You're invited to come speak out against Karl Rove's abuse of power and demand that President Bush fire Rove.”

The letter continues:

Rove betrayed the identity of an undercover CIA operative forcing her to end a decade of important national security work. He did it to protect the Bush political agenda. Now, the White House is covering up this betrayal of our national security. The media is ready to report on public outrage about Rove. Will you show up and speak out?

P.S. If you want to come dressed up in costume as a spy and protest the media will love that. Think: trench coat, sunglasses and a little nametag that says, "Spy."

In an email letter to supporters today entitled, “I agree with George Bush,” DNC Chair Howard Dean accuses Karl Rove of, “a treacherous, potentially criminal thing: a senior administration official leaked the identity of a covert CIA operative. They endangered the agent's life and compromised our national security in a time of war.”

Dean then quotes former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie:

Here's what former Republican Party chairman Ed Gillespie had to say on 'Hardball' on September 30, 2003: "I think if the allegation is true, to reveal the identity of an undercover CIA operative -- it's abhorrent, and it should be a crime, and it is a crime." Asked by MSNBC's Chris Matthews if it would be worse than Watergate, he said, "Yeah, I suppose in terms of the real world implications of it. It's not just politics."

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that Virginia Governor Mark Warner is trying to translate his domestic experience into perceived foreign policy expertise:

Warner is addressing what may be the most troublesome gap on a résumé similar to those of the two successful Democratic candidates for president since 1960: Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

The Indianapolis Star’s Matthew Tully writes that Evan Bayh looked very presidential during his recent New Hampshire visit, but still sounds a lot like your average DC politician. Tully says:

So often, Bayh was too perfect, too polished, or too wedded to seemingly poll-tested talking points. During Q&A sessions, Bayh frequently seemed like a lost driver scanning a map in his head for the path back to a carefully crafted, speechlike point.


He would then deliver grandiose lines fit for a State of the Union address. That's a problem when you're standing by a tray of meatballs in a place called "The Pub," trying to bond with 25 casually dressed Democrats.

The Rocky Mountain News reports on House Republican Tom Tancredo’s first experience “stumping” across Iowa promoting a possible 2008 White House campaign. In addition to losing his luggage Tancredo also: “faced cases of mistaken identity, a mind-numbing schedule of interviews and a swarm of insects that seemed straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie,” during his three day visit.

However:

Despite all that, Tancredo created a buzz of his own. He got enough standing ovations from hard-core conservative Iowa voters that it should worry any top-tier presidential hopefuls who thought they could get through 2008 without touching the immigration hot-button.

Two weeks ago I pointed Buzz readers to a small AP story noting that Senators Bill Frist and Rick Santorum were considering a bill that would increase research funding for an alternative form of embryonic stem cell research that does not destroy embryos.

I put in multiple calls to both Senators offices but only received a response from Santorum’s people. They admitted to me that Frist’s office was “holding tight” the information on the issue. Why? Probably because the research is highly speculative at this point and the vote-counting debate in Congress probably favors their opposition at this point.

Nonetheless, a member of President Bush’s commission on bioethics who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the issue contacted me. The source confirmed the research is “still somewhat speculative” but it seems the compromise is one the president could support.

Here are several links to research, including the commission’s own findings, on the issue:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/05/AR2005060500872.html

http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v11/n5/full/nm0505-459.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18625014.100

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050627/full/050627-1.html

http://bioethics.gov/reports/white_paper/index.html

The Boston Globe finally has something nice to say about Mitt Romney:

After a stumble-filled spring the governor deserves credit for stepping up his performance here at home. With his prospective presidential candidacy much on the public mind, it's easy for critics to dismiss Romney as having lost interest in his day job. Easy but unfair, for even as he's tested the national waters, the governor has demonstrated he's paying close attention to Massachusetts matters.

Rick Santorum has caused a fair amount of controversy with his new book. Some residents of Massachusetts were taken aback by a past Santorum assertion that the state’s liberalism played a role in the Roman Catholic Church pedophilia scandal, with Boston’s “sexual license” and “sexual freedom” nurturing an environment where abuse could occur.

Santorum has refused to back off from his comments, saying in an interview yesterday, “The basic liberal attitude in that area . . . has an impact on people's behavior.” Santorum added, “'If you have a world view that I'm describing [about Boston] . . . that affirms alternative views of sexuality, that can lead to a lot of people taking it the wrong way.”

State Democrats were outraged yesterday, with House liberal Barney Frank calling Santorum a “jerk.” John McCain joked that if Santorum wants to run for president in 2008, “I think he probably has written off Massachusetts.”

The Associated Press caught Senators Rick Santorum and Hillary Clinton in a mini-debate while passing through the Capitol basement. Santorum has just released his new book, “It Takes a Family,” which is a socially conservative counter to Clinton’s “It Takes a Village” book released back in the 90’s. While passing each other in the Capitol basement, the two Senators/authors had the following exchange:

"It takes a village, Rick, don't forget that," Clinton called out.

"It takes a family," he countered.

"Of course, a family is part of a village!" she replied.

The two continued on in opposite directions.

Former Republican House Speaker and possible 2008 candidate Newt Gingrich appeared on NBC’s Today show this morning. Gingrich was asked about the Karl Rove/Joe Wilson leak controversy and responded:

Joe Wilson lied to the country about who got him the job. The Senate Intelligence Committee is seething about that. He lied to the country about his own conclusions. The Senate Intelligence Committee Report repudiates him on that. … It turns out in retrospect he had been talking to the Kerry campaign for months. He was a contributor to Kerry and he was essentially a Kerry supporter. … His book title is “The Politics of Truth,” and yet the Senate Intelligence Committee said that Wilson specifically was using falsehoods on 3 or 4 occasions.

Senator Robert Byrd yesterday told Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends program, “[President Bush] called me today and I said to him, ‘I am shouting your name from the steeple tops for reaching out, reaching across the aisle.’”

USA Today says the White House has contacted 60 of 100 Senators already about President Bush’s SCOTUS selection.

Have to make a quick visit to the doctor’s office, but will be back shortly with the rest of your morning update.

Also, check the main NRO site this morning (as you always should!) for a new article. And I’ll have some new reporting on Bill Frist’s stem cell research alternative as well. See you then.

Yesterday I posted John Kerry’s email letter to supporters calling for Karl Rove to be fired. USA Today reports he has at least one ally. When Hillary Clinton was asked if she shares Kerry’s sentiment, Clinton said, "I'm nodding.”

As her new Senate re-election website debuts today, the New York Times devotes a second straight day of coverage to the topic and finds:

As she gears up her re-election campaign for the United States Senate, Hillary Rodham Clinton is presenting a side of herself that might have given some of her supporters great pause just a few years ago.

A new Quinnipiac poll has Democrat State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. leading Senator Rick Santorum in their likely 2006 showdown. Casey leads in the poll 50-39 percent. That’s in the same range as an April Quinnipiac poll showing Casey leading Santorum 49-35 percent.

Santorum does maintain a 51-35 percent job approval, but only a 48 to 35 percent personal approval rating.

Stem cell research is another test of Bill Frist’s Senate leadership and prospects as a 2008 candidate. On one hand, Frist faces a Republican led House and Senate that is prepared to increase funding for stem cell research. On the other hand is a significant block of conservative voters who oppose the practice, including President Bush, who is threatening to veto any legislation that loosens restrictions on the issue.

If a stem cell bill passes that Bush vetoes, it will only deteriorate Frist’s clout with social conservatives. He will also alienate more moderate voters who might still see such a move as Frist pandering to a base he does not sincerely agree with. But if Frist can push through his alternative bill and meet with White House approval, it could strengthen his hand. The question is how valid is the research he is promoting and can it be seen as a legitimate compromise?

As I first reported on The Buzz several weeks ago, Bill Frist is preparing to introduce an alternative bill that would increase research funding for a as-yet-unproven method of embryonic stem cell research with the potential to not destroy embryos in the process. The New York Times writes:

Mr. Frist, who is considered a likely presidential contender in 2008, is under pressure from all sides on the issue. Four years ago, he was instrumental in prodding the president to open the door to federal financing for embryonic stem cell research. But he has said that he now opposes expanding that policy, a position that has put him at odds with prominent members of his own party, including Nancy Reagan, the widow of former President Ronald Reagan, who suffered from Alzheimer's.

Joe Biden tells the Washington Post that President Ronald Reagan asked Biden for his views on Supreme Court nominations after the Senate rejected the nomination of Robert Bork. Biden said Reagan had “already made up his mind” about nominating Anthony Kennedy, but still sought input.

Biden says he told White House Chief of Staff Andy Card yesterday to draw up a list of possible candidates, even some not under actual consideration, and ask “key” senators their opinions.

By “key” senators, does he mean those running for president in 2008?

Is the John Bolton nomination fight all but over? It could be, at least until 2006. The Washington Post reports:

With neither the White House nor Senate Democrats showing any sign of yielding in their long-running dispute over documents related to Bolton's State Department work, speculation is rife that Bolton is prepared to accept a recess appointment good through the end of 2006, despite warnings from some GOP senators that it would weaken his influence and effectiveness.

Democrat Buzz reader Tom writes in on the recent coverage of Hillary Clinton:

Treat her as irrelevant; you have Ted Kennedy and now Dick Durbin to raise money with. You don’t need her anymore; you have to get the country (and especially the media!) into the habit of ignoring her and treating her stuff as the ranting of some insignificant Senator. You have 1 year to do it, after that, it’s too late. She’s too cautious to take actually political stands on issues and promote things. I submit CAFTA as my example there. On high profile issues she will wait till the last minute to make a politically expedient decision, just like Bill would.

John Kerry writes in a letter to supporters calling for the White House to “fire” Karl Rove:

Karl Rove is the President's top advisor in the White House and
what he has admitted doing has deep and troubling consequences for
our national security.

It's hard to understand how the President can tolerate his top
advisor being involved in exposing a CIA agent in the name of
politics by telling reporters about her work - making her already
dangerous job that much more dangerous.

In order to do what the President called on us to do earlier this
week - "continue to take the fight to the enemy" - the White House
and Karl Rove must stop taking it to their so-called political
enemies here at home.

It's perfectly clear that Rove - the person at the center of the
slash and burn, smear and divide tactics that have come to
characterize the Bush Administration - has to go.

Buzz reader Steve writes in on my assessment of John McCain's value to the Republican Party:

Mr. Pfeiffer,

I agree with your take on the Good Senator from Arizona. In that spirit, one wonders how often the current occupant of a certain house on Pennsylvania Avenue - given his prior occupation - has asked: “Can we trade him?” The analogy falls down, of course, when one remembers that a legislator cannot be traded like a left-hand reliever. Nonetheless, the pros and cons of having him on the team surely have been (and will continue to be) debated. I think the most prescient of considerations is whether or not you would want to play against him. I, as a conservative, vote “no” to that thought. If one needs reinforcement, imagine the Senator, before a fawning Chris Matthews, as a Democrat. It would be tenfold what the current love-fests are like. No, I’ll take him, despite the occasional wild curve ball, thank you very much.

Powerline takes note of John McCain’s statement on judges from his Dallas fundraiser and finds:

Every time I am ready to give up on John McCain, he does something good.

There is almost no one better on the war effort, particularly as a public spokesman, than McCain. And with the media still swooning over his role in the so-called Gang of 14, he is an invaluable asset to Republicans in the Supreme Court nomination debate. When John McCain says judges deserve an up-or-down vote, the media pays attention and that’s a net gain for Republicans.

Senators Pat Roberts and Chuck Hagel toured Guantanamo Bay over the weekend. Hagel tells hometown paper the Omaha World-Herald he did not see signs of abuse at the facility:

These detainees are being treated very humanely. ... What we saw is a very sophisticated process, underpinned by a focus on the rights of the 500 detainees.

Under the marker "War", the Drudge Report quotes John McCain from a Dallas fundraiser on SCOTUS:

During the campaign, President Bush said he will appoint judges who will strictly interpret the constitution... thinking anything else is either amnesia or ignorance... elections have consequences... whomever he nominates deserves an up or down vote and no filibuster... and an up or down vote is what we will have.

The Indianapolis Star reports that during his two-day trip to New Hampshire last weekend, Senator Evan Bayh said President Bush made a mistake in not calling for greater energy independence after September 11, 2001.

However, Bayh was caught by a Democrat audience member who pointed out the Senator had voted against raising fuel efficiency standards:

In 2002, Bayh was one of 19 Democrats who sided with the majority of Republicans in killing higher standards, which Bayh said could hurt Indiana's auto industry.


Bayh didn't explain to the New Hampshire Democrats that he had opposed the approach favored by environmentalists and most Democrats.


"There have been a couple of votes in the Senate on that," Bayh said. "Unfortunately, neither approach was successful."

RNC spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt had this to say about Hillary Clinton’s comment comparing President Bush to Mad Magazine character Alfred E. Neuman:

Hillary Clinton's opportunistic attempt to market herself as a centrist is like a wolf dressing up in sheep's clothing. The truth is that Hillary is in lockstep with today's wild-eyed Democrats who have nothing to offer the American people but anger.

One additional line that deserves special attention from today’s New York Times piece on Hillary Clinton’s campaign website: When the Times spoke with Clinton’s advisers about the shift of emphasis on her views, they noted, “Mrs. Clinton's own advisers have privately conceded that she must win re-election decisively - not merely eke out a victory - in order to seriously pursue any national candidacy.”

For political junkies, the initial reaction is “duh.” But for Clinton’s people to reveal such information somewhat openly is telling.

A brief update on Howard Dean’s fundraising over at the DNC: As I’ve reported previously, the DNC is still pulling in about $1 million a week. As of the last reporting, they have about $9 million cash on hand. That’s a step above their 2003 pace, but still only about half of what Ken Mehlman and the RNC are raising.

The New York Times spends some time with an advanced look at Hillary Clinton’s re-election website. The official site won’t debut till tomorrow, but the Times found:

Previewing the themes for her re-election drive next year, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is opening an effort emphasizing her role on defense and other areas that Republicans have long used to their advantage … Hillary for Senate, Mrs. Clinton's re-election campaign, also highlights her goal of reducing abortions by preventing unwanted pregnancies, even as it casts her as a champion of abortion rights.

Democrat reader Ron writes in on the Bob Casey Jr./Rick Santorum match-up:

I’m a pro-life Pennsylvania Democrat, and I am a BIG fan of Bob Casey’s. I have seen the early polls, which show him competitive against Sen. Santorum, but I don’t believe that he will win. The main reason is that Casey is pro-life, so is not well liked by the Democratic Party activist crowd. Being a state auditor and treasurer is one thing, but becoming a US senator is different. At least, that’s my experience with the local party activists, who generally tolerate, but basically loathe Casey. I don’t see any campaign excitement or money coming from the hard-core Democrats in Pennsylvania, even if it did mean getting rid of Santorum. Instead, I would predict that a “suitable” Democrat will emerge and challenge Casey in next year’s primary. Either way, I see an easy Santorum reelection.

Another day, another piece from the Boston Globe on Mitt Romney and abortion.

Yesterday, Romney became the first possible 2008 candidate to meet with the House Conservatives Fund, a political action committee established by socially conservative House Republicans to highlight their agenda.

Before attending the meeting, Romney emphasized he had met with GOP groups “of all stripes”:

We're a “big tent” party. No party wants to narrow its base. I have had the privilege of speaking to groups from both sides of the party and those right down the center.

I haven't looked at this particular group's stand on the issues. I do know it's a solid Republican group that supports Republican candidates. So do I. I'm certainly a fiscal conservative.

The Hill’s Geoff Earle reports Senator Sam Brownback will hold a personal meeting with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Brownback, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, was asked if he believes Gonzales would make a good SCOTUS nominee. “I need to talk with him about his view of the Constitution to tell. That’s what I hope to do this week,” Brownback said.

My initial response is that if Brownback is “interviewing” Gonzales as a possible nominee, this must mean the White House is serious about the possibility of nominating him. Brownback is one of the strongest conservative voices in the Senate and a likely 2008 candidate. Getting his stamp of approval for a Gonzales nomination would go a long way toward making that pick a reality.

Harry Reid was surprisingly good natured coming out of his meeting with President Bush on the SCOTUS pick:

This certainly is a good first or second step. The president has reached out to us previously. This is the second meeting that I participated in: one alone and now with my three friends. …


This process needs to move forward. And I was impressed with the fact the president said it would; there will be more meetings, consultations.


He said on several occasions, if you have anything that you want to bring to my attention, either talk to me or talk or talk to Harriet, Harriet Miers, who is his counsel.

Senate Minority Leader Bill Frist had a meeting with President Bush this morning to discuss Supreme Court nominees. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Judiciary Committee Chair Arlen Specter and ranking member Pat Leahy also sat in on the meeting. Here are Frist’s opening remarks after the meeting:

This morning, we had a very productive meeting with the president on the Supreme Court nomination and the nomination process. Four quick points I'd like to make


First of all, it was a productive meeting, a bipartisan meeting as we addressed both the process as well as well as the type of nominee. This consultative process is well under way.


Second point is that what the president is doing is pretty unprecedented if you look back in history. He is reaching out aggressively. He has contacted -- he or his staff have contacted over 60 United States senators, each of the members of the Judiciary Committee, over half or two-thirds of the Democrats.


Number three; the process is going to continue. And this was very important to do today but it's a process of the president. And we discussed -- is a process that will continue over the coming days.


And, fourthly, from the Senate perspective, we're ready. We made it very clear to the president that we expect a process in the United States Senate that is fair, that treats the nominee with dignity and respect, and that will be conducted in a timely way with there being a general agreement that we would have the nominee on the Supreme Court by early October.

President Bush’s poll numbers continue their slow march back into healthy standings. In the new Gallup poll, Bush’s approval stands at 49 percent, with 48 percent disapproving.

Gallup also finds that by a 55 to 44 margin, most Americans believe a terrorist attack will happen inside America “in the next several weeks.” 34 percent believe the U.S. is winning the war on terror, 21 percent the terrorists and 44 percent believe neither side is winning.

Gallup surveyed 1,006 adults. I’m still looking for the party ID breakdown and will post that as soon as it’s available.

As the House and Senate introduce new bills, Democrat efforts to limit the Patriot Act’s scope are failing.

The Washington Post reports Condoleezza Rice is the first Secretary of State to bypass the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in two decades. However, Rice is sending her deputy, Robert Zoellick, while she tours regions devastated by last year’s tsunami. When Rice was asked by reporters to explain her move she emphasized the importance of the meetings but stressed, “I'm here to show how much the United States cares about Southeast Asia.”

I’ll be away from the laptop for the next few hours working on a piece for NRO tomorrow and some Buzz reporting. But I’ll check back in later this afternoon and post any new updates or reporting I come across.

Reader Chris writes in on Bob Casey’s less than spectacular first quarter fundraising total:

On Casey’s fund raising, remember also that he is covered by Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Rule G-37, which restricts funds that investment bankers can give, by dint of his role as issuer of tax-exempt bonds and administrator of the PA college savings plans. The MSRB is also looking to restrict funds that could be given to national and state parties and later earmarked to federal candidates. All of this may have an affect on Casey’s fund raising, albeit a minimal one. Santorum, as sitting Senator, is only covered by the FEC rules.

While appearing on the second day of his weekend New Hampshire visit, Senator Evan Bayh gave one of the more awkward non-answers when asked about his 2008 ambitions:

I'm doing those practical things that you would expect to keep that open as an option, if it makes sense when the time comes.

The Boston Globe reports Mitt Romney has spent $750,000 in state advertisements on radio and “glossy” print ads. However, the Globe finds:

Some analysts say Romney's strategy, while on the surface appearing to promote a reelection campaign for governor, neatly fits into a strategy for creating a foundation for a potential presidential campaign. They say he needs to bolster his position with Massachusetts voters and blunt the criticism that he is disengaged and not popular, an image that could hurt his presidential campaign. But the ads and the pamphlet are also reaching a key voting bloc that can determine the outcome of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary in 2008: New Hampshire residents.

The Greenville News says that while appearing before 300 Republicans in South Carolina this weekend, George Allen did not discuss 2008.

Friends and colleagues have all but mocked my suggestion over the past few months that Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey Jr. may struggle somewhat in raising funds for his challenge to Rick Santorum next year.

My argument has been that while Casey will surely raise enough money to be competitive, his moderately pro-life views could hurt him with Democrat fundraising mainstays such as Emily’s List and NARAL. And Casey certainly is not going to get help from the genuinely pro-life crowd.

The conventional wisdom that Casey will soar in fundraising has its points: liberals fear almost no elected official more than Rick Santorum, Casey has name legacy recognition and is a viable challenger.

Nonetheless, the PoliticsPA.com website reports Casey will report having between $1.6 and $1.8 million on hand after the June 30th filing deadline. Conversely, Rick Santorum should have over $5.6 million cash on hand.

Most likely Casey's fundraising will improve over the next several months. But it's still a slow start for what both sides consider the most-competitve 2006 Senate race.

The Washington Post was on hand for Virginia Governor Mark Warner’s speech before 400 Democrats at the Arizona Heritage Dinner on Saturday. During his speech, Warner outlined where Democrats need to go if they want to compete on the national level:

Americans want somebody who is going to be straight with them even if telling the truth may not be what they want to hear. This country is ready for a party and leaders to reclaim the sensible center. My fellow Democrats, it ought to be us.

Tom Tancredo, told a group of conservatives in Iowa over the weekend that he will run for president in 2008 if no other high-profile candidate picks up his issue of immigration reform. Tancredo told the Des Moines Register:

I'm here to get people to ask the question: What are you going to do about illegal immigration? And if I can help elevate this issue to where it really does command the debate, I will have done my job. If no one else will take up this issue in the presidential campaign, then I will.

The State’s Lee Bandy writes Rudy Giuliani and John McCain may be the 2008 GOP frontrunners, but if they want to win the South Carolina primary, both will have to do some heavy lifting:

Giuliani would have a difficult time carrying South Carolina. Most Republican primary voters are bedrock conservatives who aren’t likely to favor Giuliani’s most liberal views on social issues — he’s pro-choice and favors gay rights.

McCain can expect another unfriendly welcome in South Carolina, party officials say.

“The Straight Talk Express has got four flat tires and a blown engine in South Carolina; that’s the way McCain left it,” says state Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson. “It would take an awful lot to rev it back up.”

Speaking at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia this morning, President Bush said:

The terrorists want to attack our country and harm our citizens. They believe that the world's democracies are weak, and that by killing innocent civilians they can break our will. They're mistaken. America will not retreat in the face of terrorists and murderers. And neither will the free world. As Prime Minister Blair said after the attacks in London, 'Our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people.' The attack in London was an attack on the civilized world. And the civilized world is united in its resolve: We will not yield. We will defend our freedom.

Lindsey Graham told Karl Rove over the weekend that 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge William Wilkins would be a good choice to replace Sandra Day O’Conner.

Senator Orrin Hatch told NBC’s Meet the Press host Tim Russert yesterday that the Bush administration has reached out to the Senate on the Supreme Court nomination more than in past cases:

Frankly, this administration has done more consulting than any administration in my whole 29 years in the United States Senate. And it's not only going to be pre-consultation, I think it'll be post-consultation once the person is nominated. And I believe that they deserve a lot of credit for it. They've actually consulted as we sit here with dozens of senators in the United States Senate. That's never been done before. Usually a president will talk with the leadership and then talk with the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, but they've gone way beyond that.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is at the center of the Associated Press account of North Korea’s agreement to re-enter six party talks on its nuclear program. A meeting has tentatively been set for July 25th between the U.S., North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia.

Rice says the real issue of the summit, “is for North Korea to make the strategic choice to give up its nuclear weapons programs."

The New York Times reports on Democrat efforts in exert influence over President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee selection. Bush has received some praise from Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, for his effort to reach out across the aisle. However, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s office makes it clear that consultation has its limits:

“That is not what the framers intended," said Eric Ueland, the chief of staff for the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist. "If a Democrat wants nominating power, he or she has to be sitting in the Oval Office. … The Clinton consultation pales in comparison with the full-court press the president and his staff are engaged in seeking the views and thoughts of many of the individual members of the Senate.”

U.S. News reports liberal Reverend Jim Wallis is advising DNC Chair Howard Dean to stop discussing religion, “Dean doesn't understand religion very much," Wallis said. Wallis has advised Democrat leaders in the past and says the problem is not Dean’s message, but the messenger, “The worst thing people could do is be inauthentic," he says.

Wesley Clark uses his USA Today column to call for volunteer efforts at home to improve homeland security and improve America’s image abroad:

The United States will win the war on terror when we bring to bear all the elements of our power — not just our military might, civilian workforce and diplomatic skills, but also the power to persuade our allies in general and those in the Muslim community specifically to engage the culture of hate and terror and change it to reflect the best in all of us. Both here at home and in the global community, there can be no spectators in winning the war against terror.

2008 hopefuls Rudy Giuliani and Wesley Clark each have op-eds in USA Today this morning providing analysis of the fallout from last week’s London terrorist attacks. In his column, Giuliani writes:

Thursday's attacks demonstrate that we must remain committed to confronting and eliminating terrorism. There are those who assert that the efforts to eliminate terror are somehow provoking the terrorists. That is wrong. The terrorists have been attacking innocent people long before Sept. 11, 2001, or the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Speaking to a group at the Aspen Institute yesterday, Hillary Clinton compared President Bush’s handling of the war and economy to that of a famous magazine caricature:

"I sometimes feel that Alfred E. Neuman is in charge in Washington," Clinton said referring to the freckle-faced Mad magazine character. She drew a laugh from crowd when she described Bush's attitude toward tough issues with Neuman's catchphrase: "What, me worry?"


Clinton, who was speaking during the inaugural Aspen Ideas Festival, organized by the Aspen Institute nonpartisan think tank, didn't mention the presidential election in 2008.