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Political Wire

• Is Barbour Running for President?
  While Mitt Romney (R) has improved his chances of becoming the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee by keeping a low profile, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) is taking a page from the same playbook. CQ Politics notes if anyone knows how to win the Republican party's presidential nomination, it's Barbour. ...
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:01:52 -0500
• Romney Improves, But Palin More Popular in GOP
  A new Pew Research poll looks at the favorability ratings of leading Republicans and notes Mitt Romney (R) has seen his ratings improve the most "and now enjoys a positive balance of opinion among the general public: 40% rate him favorably, 28% unfavorably." Alaska Gov. ...
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:53:06 -0500
• Maloney Edges Gillibrand in Primary Match Up
  A new Quinnipiac poll in New York finds Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) leading Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in a possible Democratic primary, 27% to 23%. Key finding: Almost half of Democratic voters are still undecided. In general-election match ups, Maloney leads Rep. Peter King (R), 42% to 26%, while Gillibrand is ahead of King, 44% to 28%
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:47:17 -0500
• Run By Not Running
  As South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) and Sen. ...
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:37:05 -0500
• GOP Spent Nearly $1 Million on Coleman Challenge
  The NRSC spent nearly $938,000 last month to help Norm Coleman (R), "with most of it going to pay legal bills to firms in Minneapolis and Washington," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Meanwhile, the DSCC reported raising more than $282,000 in May contributions earmarked to help Al Franken (D) in the Senate recount fight.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:01:15 -0500
• Daily Pulse on Health Care Politics
  President Obama's news conference yesterday was part of an orchestrated attempt by the White House to draw public attention to the need for overhauling the country's health care system. It appears most Americans agree. ...
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:45:00 -0500
• Sanford Due Back, But From Where?
  South Carolina Gov. ...
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:48:12 -0500
• Castle Still Weighing Senate Bid
  Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) -- who may run for U.S. Senate, re-election or simply retire -- made a curious comment picked up by Philadelphia Business Today. Said Castle: "They've asked me to run for the Senate as a Republican. I don't know if I'm going to do that." Is Castle, a lifelong Republican, also considering a possible party switch?
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:04:45 -0500
• Cheney Gets Book Deal
  "As widely expected, Vice President Dick Cheney has signed a deal with an imprint of Simon & Schuster to write a memoir about his life in politics and his service in four presidential administrations," the New York Times reports. The book will be published in the spring of 2011. The deal was negotiated by Robert Barnett.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:05:13 -0500
• Pushing Obama's Buttons
  Walter Shapiro: "Barack Obama, as everyone knows, is one of the most disciplined, controlled and unflappable political leaders in modern times. Except when he grows testy. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:13:42 -0500
• Investigating Ties to Health Care Industry
  Heard in the CQ newsroom: According to financial disclosure forms recently made public, there are nearly four dozen members of Congress who have spouses employed in the health care industry and another 15 are doctors themselves. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:05:46 -0500
• White House Tweets to Iran
  The White House posted a message in Persian to Twitter with a link back to his remarks today on the Iranian elections.
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:15:52 -0500
• Bonus Quote of the Day
  "There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white. Or a rape." -- President Nixon, in newly-released tapes of Oval Office conversations.
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:07:24 -0500
• Blumenthal to Join Clinton Inner-Circle
  Former Clinton White House advisor Sidney Blumenthal will become a "special advisor without portfolio" to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, The Cable has learned. "Blumenthal refused to comment. But sources say he is filling out the paperwork and disentangling himself from other obligations as he moves to become a special advisor to the secretary whose presidential campaign he helped advise. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:48:33 -0500
• New York Democrats Lock Themselves in Senate Chamber
  New York Daily News: "Power-sharing talks have broken down and Senate Democrats have locked themselves into the chamber -- the first time they've been in since the June 8 coup -- beating their GOP counterparts to the punch in an effort to establish control over the gavel."The move comes just two hours before the special session called by New York Gov. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:29:42 -0500
• Was Sanford Hiking Naked?
  Palmetto Scoop: "The governor who dropped off the face of the Earth for five days was reportedly found Monday night by his staff hiking along the Appalachain Trail. That explanation of Mark Sanford's disappearance has puzzled many folks in South Carolina and across the country... Well, The Palmetto Scoop have discovered the answer to all the secrecy: the governor may have gone for a naked hike. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:31:47 -0500
• Political Disappearing Acts
  South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) disappearance reminded The Fix about two other similar incidents: Rep. Steve Largent (R-OK) was bowhunting in Idaho on Sept. 11, 2001 and didn't hear about the terrorist attacks until two days later. Largent's disappearance was used by Brad Henry (D) in the 2002 governor's race, which Largent narrowly lost. Sen. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:38:28 -0500
• Twitter Raffle
  It's time for another Twitter raffle! This time we have multiple copies of CQ's Politics in America 2010 which is a must-have for any political junkie. The profiles of the 535 members of Congress offer concise analysis of personalities, political styles, legislative agendas, political ambitions, and reputations of members at home and on Capitol Hill. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:06:13 -0500
• Republicans Losing Hold of Ohio Senate Seat
  A new Public Policy Polling survey in Ohio finds both potential Democratic candidates with solid leads in the race to replace retiring Sen. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:37:42 -0500
• Ensign Will Address Colleagues
  Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) "is expected to address his GOP colleagues at their weekly luncheon today to try to turn the page on the high-profile sex scandal that has derailed his rising political career," Roll Call reports. "While no one knows exactly what Ensign will say to his fellow Senators, the move is becoming an increasingly familiar one for embattled Republicans. Sen. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:08:14 -0500
• Quote of the Day
  "So if it's a cost problem, it's easy: Get the people in a room who have the most and the most direct impact on cost, and do the deal. Do the deal. It's not that complicated. If it's an access question, people don't have access to health care, then figure out who they are, and give them access! ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:59:02 -0500
• Daily Pulse on Health Care Politics
  "With a carefully designed timetable at risk in the Senate, President Obama and his allies this week are launching a public relations blitz to bolster the case for health care reform," Roll Call reports.The White House "announced that Obama will hold a midday Rose Garden press conference today, at which Obama aides are expecting a barrage of health care questions -- and the opportunity for Obama t
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0500
• Obama Approval Slips on Handling Economy
  An impressive 65% of Americans in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll approve of Obama's job performance. However, the economy is Obama's make-or-break issue -- and his advantage over the Republicans in trust to handle it, while still broad, has narrowed from a record 37 points, 61% to 24% in April, to 24 points, 55% to 31%, today.
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:19:58 -0500
• Former Edwards Aide Shopping Book Proposal
  Andrew Young, a longtime aide to John Edwards, is shopping a book proposal which tells "the tale of his long friendship with the Edwards family, his attempt to help Edwards by taking a pregnant Rielle Hunter into his home to live with him and his wife, Cheri, and their three children, and the fallout when the press (and Elizabeth Edwards) caught wind of the plan," reports the Daily Beast."Accordin
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:58:12 -0500
• Sanford Disappearance Sparks Political Fight
  "In a new twist to an already-bizarre episode, South Carolina's lieutenant governor said Monday night that neither he nor Gov. Mark Sanford's staff know where the governor is and that Sanford's office refused his demand to talk to his fellow Republican," reports Politico. Said Lt. Gov. ...
  Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:30:57 -0500