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HavenWorks.com/election/2006 2006 ELECTION NEWS VOTE NEWS |
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 2006
Election
2006 ELECTION News:
 Michael
Steele -  Political
-  Money
-  Federal
-  Law
-  Maryland
- 2006
Election
"RNC [Republican] chief Michael Steele says he'll cooperate with FBI: enying allegations of impropriety in his 2006 campaign spending, Steele says he will voluntarily hand over papers to the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation], which had contacted his sister over payments her company received." ... "Reporting from Washington -- Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele said Sunday that he would provide records from his 2006 [election, Maryland, United States] U.S. Senate campaign to the FBI in an effort to speed an apparent investigation into allegations of improper campaign spending." ... "Steele confirmed that his sister was recently contacted by FBI agents looking into allegations that his campaign paid a company she owned more than $37,000 in 2007 for campaign work that was never performed. The allegations were made by Steele's former campaign finance chairman in an attempt to gain a more lenient prison sentence after he was convicted of fraud in an unrelated case." ... "Alan B. Fabian, who had been finance chairman of Steele's Senate campaign in Maryland, made the allegations in March in an effort to get a reduced sentence for his part in a $40-million fraud scheme." -By Paul West -LAtimes
 Pete
Sessions - Michael
Steele -  Terrorism
-  Radio
- Government
- Economic
- Legislation
-  Job
-  Tex
-  Ga
- Maryland
- 2006
Election
 "Republicans
See Long-Term Victory in Defeat on Stimulus Plan."
... "GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] Sees Positives In Negative Stand:
Leaders Seize On Spending Issue." ... "After giving the package zero [Republican]
votes in the House, and 0 with their [Republican] counterparts in the Senate
likely to provide in a crucial procedural vote today only the handful of
votes needed to avoid a filibuster, Republicans are relishing the opportunity
to make a big statement. [Texas Republican Representative] Rep. Pete Sessions
(R-Tex. [Representative-Texas]) suggested last week that the party is learning
from the disruptive tactics of the Taliban, and the GOP these days does
have the bravado of an insurgent band that has pulled together after a
big defeat to carry off a quick, if not particularly damaging, raid on
the powers that be." ... "And it means rallying to Rush Limbaugh, who has
put himself forward as a de facto party leader, penning an op-ed article
in the Wall Street Journal and accepting the on-air apologies of [Georgia
Republican Representative] Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga. [Republican-Georgia]),
who criticized the radio host and paid for it in a deluge of angry calls."
... "[Republican National Committee chairman Michael S. Steele congratulated
congressional Republicans in some of his first remarks as Republican chairman,]
"The goose egg that you laid on the president's desk was just beautiful,"
he told them. "You and I know that in the history of mankind and womankind,
government -- federal, state or local -- has never created one job. It's
destroyed a lot of them."" ... "Steele is also facing a distraction --
a federal inquiry into allegations that his 2006 [election Maryland] Senate
campaign paid a defunct company run by his sister for services that were
never performed. The campaign's finance chairman made the allegations to
federal prosecutors last year as he sought leniency during plea negotiations
on unrelated fraud charges." -By Alec MacGillis and
Perry Bacon Jr. -WashingtonPost
Michael
Steele - Money
- Politics
- Federal
-  Investigation
- 2006
Election - Maryland
"Steele's Campaign Spending Questioned: Agents Contact Sister After Ex-Aide's Claims." ... "Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors." ... "Federal agents in recent days contacted Steele's sister, a spokesman for Steele said yesterday." ... "The claim about the payment, one of several allegations by Alan B. Fabian, is outlined in a confidential court document. Fabian offered the information last March as he was seeking leniency for himself during plea negotiations on unrelated fraud charges." ... "Fabian's claims emerge as Steele begins his new role at the RNC [Republican National Committee], where he oversees the raising and spending of hundreds of millions of dollars in party money. The former Maryland lieutenant governor has faced questions about his handling of campaign money in prior elections and was twice fined for missing filing deadlines." ... "The recent allegations outlined four specific transactions. In addition to the payment to Steele's sister, Fabian said that the candidate used money from his state campaign improperly; that Steele paid $75,000 from the state campaign to a law firm for work that was never performed; and that he or an aide transferred more than $500,000 in campaign cash from one bank to another without authorization." ... "In one of his allegations, Fabian points to a February 2007 payment by Steele's Senate campaign of more than $37,000 to Brown Sugar Unlimited, the company run by Steele's sister, Monica Turner. Campaign finance records list the expense as having been for "catering/web services." Turner filed papers to dissolve the company 11 months before the payment was received." (1, 2, 3) -By Henri E. Cauvin with contributions by Aaron C. Davis, Matthew Mosk, Katherine Shaver, John Wagner and Meg Smith -WashingtonPost 
 Sarah
Palin -  Ted
Stevens - Political
- Ad
- 2006
Election - 2008
Election -  Alaska
"Palin Ad Starring Ted Stevens Already Scrubbed From Palin's Campaign Website." ... "This morning, an ad from [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin's 2006 [Election for Alaska's Governor] gubernatorial campaign featuring an endorsement from scandal-plagued Alaska [Republican] Senator Ted Stevens was available on Palin's campaign Web site." ... "...but now the Stevens ad has already been scrubbed." ... "Luckily, the ad featuring Stevens and Palin is still available for your viewing pleasure!" -By Greg Sargent -TPMElectionCentral .TalkingPointsMemo  WATCH:
"Stevens Endorses Palin for Governor."
 John
McCain -  Ralph
Reed -  Jack
Abramoff - Money
- Religion
- Georgia
- 2006
Election - 2008
Election
"Protesters mark McCain’s visit to Atlanta for fund-raiser." ... "More than 50 protesters marched in front of the Marriott Marquis [in Georgia's capital Atlanta] on Monday, shouting “Bush, McCain, same thing!”" ... "Across Peachtree Center Avenue, Georgia Democratic Party chairwoman Jane Kidd and state [Georgia Democratic state Senator] Sen. David Adelman (D-Atlanta) held a news conference to add a more official voice of protest." ... "Kidd blasted McCain for only coming to the state to raise money and not to meet with regular voters." ... "“Instead of listening to Georgians, John McCain chose to talk with people who have given him thousands of dollars,” she said." ... "That includes Ralph Reed, said Adelman." ... "Reed is the former head of the Christian Coalition who in 2006 [election] lost a bid for the Georgia GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] nomination as lieutenant governor after he was implicated, but not charged, in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal in Washington." ... "Reed e-mailed supporters and friends to urge them to give to the [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain campaign. Reed also instructed potential donors to send contributions directly to him. Reed told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he sent the e-mail at the request of the campaign and was given boilerplate language to use. He said he has no role in the campaign or in this event, something the McCain campaign confirmed." ... "But Reed’s involvement in raising money has been a source of ridicule and scorn from Democrats." ... "Reed, Adelman said, “has sold his influence with Christian conservative voters to the highest bidder.”" -By Aaron Gould Sheinin -AJC
 Gordon
England - Secret-  Military
- Law
- Terrorism
- Politics
- 2008
Election - 2006
Election - Osama
bin Laden
- War
Crimes -  US
- Guantánamo
-  Cuba
-  Intelligence
- Torture
- Prison
-  Michael
V Hayden
"Navy Lawyer: Gitmo trials pegged to political campaign." ... "The Navy lawyer for Osama bin Laden's driver argues in a Guantánamo [Guantánamo Bay, Cuba] military commissions motion that senior Pentagon officials are orchestrating war crimes prosecutions for the 2008 [Election] campaign." ... "The brief filed Thursday by Navy [Lieutenant Commander] Lt. Cmdr. Brian Mizer directly challenged the integrity of [Republican] President Bush's war court." ... "Notably, it describes a [September] Sept. 29, 2006, meeting at the Pentagon in which Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, a veteran [Republican President Bush] White House appointee, asked lawyers to consider Sept. 11, 2001, prosecutions in light of the campaign [2006 Election ]." ... "''We need to think about charging some of the high-value detainees because there could be strategic political value to charging some of these detainees before the election,'' England is quoted as saying." ... "The brief quotes England as a stipulation of fact and cites other examples of alleged political interference, which Mizer argues makes it impossible for Salim Hamdan, 37, to have a fair trial." ... "It asks the judge, Navy [Captain] Capt. Keith Allred, to dismiss the case against Hamdan as an alleged 9/11 co-conspirator on the grounds that Bush administration leadership exercises ``unlawful command influence.''" ... "As described the Hamdan brief, the England meeting came three weeks after President Bush disclosed in a live address that he had ordered the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] to transfer ''high-value detainees'' from years of secret custody to Guantánamo for trial." ... "Bush also disclosed that the CIA used ''an alternative set of procedures'' to interrogate the men into confessing -- since revealed by the CIA director, Air Force [General] Gen. Michael V. Hayden, to include waterboarding." -By Carol Rosenberg -MiamiHerald 
TV: [WATCH:
"The Prosecution of Siegelman."
via 60
Minutes]
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Election 2006 News Sources:
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US
- 
Iraq
- Military
- 2006
Election - "Rumsfeld
resigned before election, letter shows." ... "Donald
Rumsfeld, architect of the unpopular Iraq war, resigned as [Republican
President Bush's] defense secretary before last year's November [2006]
election but his decision was not announced until after the voting, according
to his resignation letter obtained by Reuters on Wednesday." ... "The letter
was dated November 6, the day before voters, angered by Iraq, went to the
polls and swept President George W. Bush's Republicans from power in Congress.
According to a stamp on the letter, Bush saw it on election day." ... "Just
days before the election, Bush told reporters he would like Rumsfeld to
stay on for the rest of his presidency but later admitted he intentionally
misled them." -By Kristin Roberts
-Reuters via -Yahoo
Alberto
R Gonzales - 
Karl
Rove
- 
Sara
M Taylor
- Political
- Federal
- Employees
- 
Media
- Markets
- 
California
- 2004
Election - 2006
Election - 2008
Election - "Gonzales
Now Says Top Aides Got Political Briefings." ...
"Justice Department officials attended at least a dozen political briefings
at the [Republican President Bush] White House since 2001, including some
meetings led by Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, and
others that were focused on election trends prior to the 2006 [election]
midterm contest, according to documents released yesterday." ... "Attorney
General Alberto R. Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee last week
that he did not believe that senior Justice Department officials had attended
such briefings. But he clarified his testimony yesterday in a letter to
Congress, emphasizing that the briefings were not held at the agency's
offices." ... "Internal guidelines forbid partisan meetings at the Justice
Department and sharply restrict the ability of employees to participate
directly in election campaigns or other political activities, a Justice
official said yesterday." ... "[California Democratic Representative Henry]
Waxman is investigating whether the meetings violated the Hatch Act, which
prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity
on federal government property." ... "Top ambassadors in early January
learned from Rove and [Sara M.] Taylor the top 36 targets among House Democratic
incumbents in the 2008 [election] races, while State Department employees
at a White House meeting in 2001 learned what the most critical media markets
were for Bush's reelection in 2004 [election]." -By
Dan Eggen and Paul Kane -WashingtonPost
US
- 
Foreign
- Karl
Rove- Sara
M Taylor
- Government
- 2008
Election - 2006
Election - 2004
Election - 2002
Election - Lawmakers
- Media
- Markets
- "Diplomats
Received Political Briefings: [Republican President]
Bush Aides Listed Election Targets." ... "White House aides have conducted
at least half a dozen political briefings for the Bush administration's
top diplomats, including a PowerPoint presentation for ambassadors with
senior adviser Karl Rove that named Democratic incumbents targeted for
defeat in 2008 [election] and a "general political briefing" at the Peace
Corps headquarters after the 2002 midterm elections." ... "The documents
show for the first time how the White House sought to ensure that even
its appointees involved in foreign policy were kept attuned to the administration's
election goals." ... "In one instance, State Department aides attended
a White House meeting at which political officials examined the 55 most
critical House races for 2002 [election] and the media markets most critical
to battleground states for President Bush's reelection fight in 2004, according
to documents the department provided to the Senate committee." ... "On
Jan. 4, just after the 2006 elections tossed the Republicans out of congressional
power, Rove met at the White House with six U.S. ambassadors to key European
missions and the consul general to Bermuda while the diplomats were in
Washington for a State Department conference." ... "According to a department
letter to the Senate panel, Rove explained the White House views on the
electoral disaster while Sara M. Taylor, then the director of White House
political affairs, showed a PowerPoint presentation that pinned most of
the electoral blame on "corrupt" GOP lawmakers and "complacent incumbents."
One chart in Taylor's presentation highlighted the GOP's top 36 targets
among House Democrats for the 2008 election." (1, 2)
-By
Paul Kane -WashingtonPost
Karl
Rove
- Sara
Taylor
- 
North
Carolina - Political
- Sheriffs
- Government
- Drug
- Media
- 2006
Election - "Drug
czar's visit questioned." ... "A visit from the White
House drug czar to western North Carolina last year has raised questions
in a congressional investigation into the politicization of the national
drug policy office." ... "Drug czar John Walters met with [North Carolina
Represenative] Republican Reps. Patrick McHenry and [North Carolina Republican
Represenative] Charles Taylor in their home districts in August." ... "The
meetings, each with local sheriffs, were held behind closed doors but highlighted
in local newspapers at the time." ... "According to a memo and e-mails
obtained by a House oversight committee, the visits appeared to be part
of a larger program to have officials from the Office of National Drug
Control Policy visit districts of vulnerable GOP [Republican] members of
Congress [before the 2006 election]." ... "The memo, authored in part by
White House political affairs director Sara Taylor, describes 31 suggested
or completed visits by Walters to Republican districts around the country."
... "In a follow-up e-mail, a White House official passed along praise
from Karl Rove, [Republican] President Bush's top political advisor, for
the work of Walters and his deputies." -By Barb Barrett
-NewsObserver.com
Lurita
Doan
- 
Scott
Jennings - Government
- Politics
- 2006
Election - 2008
Election - "White
House urged to punish GSA chief to 'fullest extent'."
... "[Republican President Bush appointee] General Services Administration
chief Lurita Doan should "be disciplined to the fullest extent" for violating
the law that limits political activity in [federal government] agencies,
the head of the independent agency investigating the matter said in a letter
to President Bush Friday." ... "The four-page
letter [pdf], released by the Office of Special Counsel late Monday,
stated that Doan also should be punished for failing to cooperate fully
and honestly with OSC's investigation." ... "Special Counsel Scott Bloch
said in the letter that the investigation concluded Doan violated the Hatch
Act's prohibition against using her authority to interfere with or affect
an election through her role in a Jan. 26 meeting at GSA headquarters.
After a presentation by White House official Scott Jennings, Doan allegedly
asked a question about helping Republican candidates [for the 2008 election],
though accounts of her exact wording vary." ... "The letter does not address
whether the presentation itself, which included a 28-slide PowerPoint presentation
that analyzed the results of the 2006 midterm election, was a violation.
OSC is investigating this issue separately."
-By Daniel Pulliam -GovExec.com
Bradley
Schlozman
- Government
- US
Attorney - Politics
- 2006
Election - 
Missouri
- Civil
Rights - "Justice
official is said to have favored GOP loyalists."
... "In March 2006, [Bradley] Schlozman was given an interim appointment
as the U.S. attorney in Kansas City [Missouri], replacing [then U.S. Attorney
Todd] Graves." ... "Less than a week before the November [2006] election,
Schlozman obtained indictments of four members of the liberal activist
group Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, for allegedly
submitting fraudulent voter registrations. The Justice Department election
manual says prosecutors should refrain generally from bringing cases just
before elections, out of concern that the charges could affect voting."
... "ACORN itself had brought the case to the attention of authorities
after discovering that some of its employees were making up names of registrants
as part of a voter-registration drive." ... "Schlozman's office, apparently
in a hurry to file the case, got one of the names on the indictments wrong."
... ""It seems to me that the only way that could have happened was if
the subject of the investigation had not been interviewed. It seems to
me they were in such a rush to indict these people that they didn't bother
to interview them first," said Robert Kengle, another former Justice voting
rights official." ... "Missouri Republicans seized on the charges in the
final days of the campaign. Nevertheless, Missouri voters narrowly elected
Democrat Claire McCaskill over Republican incumbent Jim Talent, a victory
that sank GOP hopes of maintaining control of Congress." ... "In April,
the suit was dismissed by a federal judge, who ruled that the government
failed to produce any evidence of fraud or that any Missouri resident had
been denied the right to vote because of the alleged registration deficiencies."
-By Richard B. Schmitt
-LAtimes
Lurita
Alexis Doan
- J
Scott Jennings - Karl
Rove
- 2006
Election - 2008
Election - Political
- Government
- Employee
- "GSA
Chief Violated Hatch Act, Special Counsel's Report Alleges."
... "The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has found that General Services
Administration chief Lurita Alexis Doan violated the federal Hatch Act
when she allegedly asked GSA political appointees during a January briefing
how they could "help our candidates" win the next [2008] election, according
to a report by the office." ... "The Hatch Act restricts executive branch
employees from using their position for political purposes. The special
counsel's office, which investigates alleged violations of the law, said
it would recommend that President Bush take disciplinary action against
Doan, including possible removal from office." ... ""Her actions, to be
certain, constitute an obvious misuse of her official authority and were
made for the purpose of affecting the result of an election," investigators
said in a copy of the 19-page report obtained by The Washington Post. "One
can imagine no greater violation of the Hatch Act than to invoke the machinery
of an agency, with all its contracts and buildings, in the service of a
partisan campaign to retake Congress and the Governors' mansions."" ...
"The special counsel's investigation was spurred by allegations that Doan
solicited agency employees "to participate in political activities during
a meeting held at GSA headquarters on January 26," the report said. The
meeting, a "brown bag" luncheon, featured a presentation by J. Scott Jennings,
deputy director of political affairs in Karl Rove's office at the White
House." ... "Jennings gave a PowerPoint presentation of polling data about
the 2006 midterm elections. In a slide called "2008 House Targets: Top
20," the presentation named 20 Democrats on whom Republicans intended to
focus in 2008. Another slide, called "2008 House GOP Defense," listed GOP
candidates to be protected." (1, 2)
-By Robert O'Harrow Jr. and Scott Higham
-WashingtonPost
Karl
Rove
-
Alberto Gonzales - Kyle
Sampson
- Bradley
Schlozman - Political
- US
Attorneys - Law
- Enforcement
- 2006
Election - 
New
Mexico - 
Pennsylvania
- 
Wisconsin
- MO
- "White
House sought investigations of voter fraud allegations before elections."
... "Only weeks before last year's pivotal [2006] midterm elections, the
White House urged the Justice Department to pursue voter-fraud allegations
against Democrats in three battleground states, a high-ranking Justice
official has told congressional investigators." ... "In two instances in
October 2006, [Republican] President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove,
or his deputies passed the allegations on to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales'
then-chief of staff, Kyle Sampson." ... "Sampson tapped Gonzales aide Matthew
Friedrich, who'd just left his post as chief of staff of the criminal division.
In the first case, Friedrich agreed to find out whether Justice officials
knew of "rampant" voter fraud or "lax" enforcement in parts of New Mexico,
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and report back." ... "But Friedrich declined
to pursue a related matter from Wisconsin, he told congressional investigators,
because an inquiry so close to an election could inappropriately sway voting
results. Friedrich decided not to pass the matter on to the criminal division
for investigation, even though Sampson gave him a 30-page report prepared
by Republican activists that made claims of voting fraud." ... "While it
was known that Rove and the White House had complained about prosecutors
not aggressively investigating voter fraud, Friedrich's testimony suggests
that the Justice Department itself was under pressure to open voter fraud
cases despite a department policy that discourages such action so close
to an election." ... "Another former U.S. attorney, Todd Graves of Kansas
City, Mo. [Missouri], revealed this week that he was asked to step aside
for another candidate. He also said he had refused to sign off on a voting-rights
lawsuit, which another Justice Department official later approved in Washington.
The official, Brad Schlozman, later became Graves' temporary replacement."
-By Margaret Talev and Marisa Taylor
-McClatchy via
-RealCities
Bradley
Schlozman - Political
- Civil
Righs - US
Attorneys - Law
- Enforcement
- Texas
- Georgia
- Missouri
- 2006
Election - "Missouri
attorney a focus in firings: Senate bypassed in appointment
of [Republican lawyer Bradley] Schlozman." ... "Todd Graves brought just
four misdemeanor voter fraud indictments during his five years as the US
attorney for western Missouri -- even though some of his fellow Republicans
in the closely divided state wanted stricter oversight of Democratic efforts
to sign up new voters." ... "Then, in March 2006, Graves was replaced by
a new US attorney -- one who had no prosecutorial experience and bypassed
Senate confirmation. Bradley Schlozman moved aggressively where Graves
had not, announcing felony indictments of four workers for a liberal activist
group on voter registration fraud charges less than a week before the 2006
election." ... "Republicans, who had been pushing for restrictive new voting
laws, applauded. But critics said Schlozman violated a department policy
to wait until after an election to bring voter fraud indictments if the
case could affect the outcome, either by becoming a campaign issue or by
scaring legitimate voters into staying home." ... "Schlozman is emerging
as a focal point of the investigation into the firing of eight US attorneys
last year -- and as a symbol of broader complaints that the Bush administration
has misused its stewardship of law enforcement to give Republicans an electoral
edge." ... "No stranger to election law controversy, Schlozman previously
spent three years as a political appointee in the Justice Department's
Civil Rights Division, where he supervised the voting rights section."
... "There, he came into conflict with veteran staff over his decisions
to approve a Texas redistricting plan and a Georgia photo-ID voting law,
both of which benefited Republicans. He also hired many new career lawyers
with strong conservative credentials, in what critics say was an attempt
to reduce enforcement of laws designed to eliminate obstacles to voting
by minorities." ... ""Schlozman was reshaping the Civil Rights Division,"
said Joe Rich , who was chief of the voting rights section until taking
a buyout in 2005, in an interview. "Schlozman didn't know anything about
voting law. . . . All he knew is he wanted to be sure that the Republicans
were going to win."" -By Charlie Savage
-Boston/Globe
Renzi
- 
Domenici
- 
Wilson
- 
Hastings
- 
Ariz
- NM
- Seattle
- 
WA
- 2006
Election - US
Attorneys - Law
- "Renzi
Aide Called U.S. Attorney to Ask About Probe: Chief
of Staff Inquired About Land Deal Investigation; Prosecutor Among Eight
Who Were Fired." ... "The top aide to [Arizona Republican Representative]
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) called the office of Arizona's U.S. attorney
about six weeks before the prosecutor was fired, inquiring about a federal
probe into the congressman's role in a land deal that benefited a former
business partner and political patron." ... "The former U.S. attorney,
Paul K. Charlton, told House investigators this week that his office alerted
the Justice Department's headquarters about the call from Renzi's chief
of staff, Brian Murray, because he considered it potentially improper,
according to congressional sources who spoke about the probe on the condition
of anonymity. Justice rules require prosecutors to report contacts from
members of Congress seeking information about investigations." ... "The
incident means that Charlton was the third of eight U.S. attorneys forced
to resign last year who had reported to Justice officials that Republican
members of Congress or their staffs made inappropriate overtures to their
offices about politically sensitive investigations they were supervising."
... "The former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, David C. Iglesias, has told
Congress he felt pressured to speed up an indictment of Democrats during
phone calls last October from [New Mexico Republican Senator] Sen.
Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) and [New Mexico Republican Representative]
Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-N.M.). And former U.S. attorney John McKay of
Seattle has said he was called by the chief of staff to [Washington Republican
Representative] Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) about a preliminary inquiry
into [2006 election] voter fraud in Washington state." -By
Amy Goldstein and Dan Eggen -WashingtonPost
Renzi
- Gonzales
- 
Miers
- Kyle
Sampson
- Arizona
- 2006
Election - US
Attorneys - Political
- Government
- 
Land
- Business
- Enforcement
- "Delays
in Renzi Case Raise More Gonzales Questions." ...
"As midterm [2006] elections approached last November, federal investigators
in Arizona faced unexpected obstacles in getting needed Justice Department
approvals to advance a corruption investigation of [Arizona Representative]
Republican Rep. Rick Renzi, people close to the case said." ... "The delays,
which postponed key approvals in the case until after the election, raise
new questions about whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales or other
officials may have weighed political issues in some investigations. The
Arizona U.S. attorney then overseeing the case, Paul Charlton, was told
he was being fired in December, one of eight federal prosecutors dismissed
in the past year. The dismissals have triggered a wave of criticism and
calls from Congress for Mr. Gonzales to resign." ... "Investigators pursuing
the Renzi case had been seeking clearance from senior Justice Department
officials on search warrants, subpoenas and other legal tools for a year
before the [2006] election, people close to the case said." ... "Mr. Renzi
is the subject of a criminal inquiry into land deals, among other things.
The
Wall Street Journal reported last week that federal agents are focusing
on a $200,000 cash payment Mr. Renzi received from a former business partner
in 2005 following a land sale that was to be part of a proposed government
land-exchange bill." ... "In September, [Republican] President Bush hosted
a fund-raiser in Scottsdale [Arizona] on his behalf. About the same time
Mr. Charlton was added to a list of prosecutors "we should now consider
pushing out," wrote Mr. Gonzales's then-chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, in
a Sept. 13, 2006, email to then-White House counsel Harriet Miers." -By
John R. Wilke and Evan Perez -WSJ.com
Renzi
- Land
- Money
- Politics
- Enforcement
- Arizona
- 2006
Election - US
Attorneys - "Lawmaker
leaves panels after FBI raid." ... "An Arizona [Republican]
congressman temporarily stepped down from two more House committees on
Tuesday and got caught up in the probe of the firings of U.S. attorneys,
less than a week after the FBI raided his wife's insurance business." ...
"[Arizona Republican Representative] Rep. Rick Renzi said in a statement
Tuesday that he was taking a leave of absence from the House Financial
Services and Natural Resources committees. He stepped down from the House
Intelligence Committee last week." ... "Even as he insisted that he had
been "the subject of leaked stories, conjecture and false attacks" about
a 2005 land exchange, Renzi became entangled in the U.S. attorneys probe
when his chief of staff acknowledged calling Arizona's prosecutor's office
to discuss the matter." ... "The prosecutor, Paul Charlton, was one of
the eight prosecutors fired by the Justice Department over the winter."
... "Brian Murray, Renzi's top aide, issued a statement late Tuesday acknowledging
that shortly after the local media reported that the congressmen was being
investigated, he called Charlton spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle." ... ""I called
Mr. Hornbuckle seeking information about press accounts which appeared
just weeks before [the 2006] Election Day alleging a pending indictment,"
Murray said in a statement." ... "Murray's disclosure came a few hours
after Charlton related the call to House investigators probing whether
the firings amounted to a political purge by the Bush administration."
-By Jennifer Talhelm with contributions by Laurie
Kellman -AP
via -SeattlePI
Domenici
- Gonzales
- Rove
- Wilson
- US
Attorneys - Law- Politics
- 2006
Election - New
Mexico - "Domenici
Sought Iglesias Ouster." ... "Former U.S. Attorney
David Iglesias was fired after [New Mexico Republican Senator] Sen. Pete
Domenici, who had been unhappy with Iglesias for some time, made a personal
appeal to the White House, the Journal has learned." ... "Domenici had
complained about Iglesias before, at one point going to Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales before taking his request to the president as a last resort."
... "At some point after the [2006] election last Nov. 6, Domenici called
Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, and told him he wanted Iglesias
out and asked Rove to take his request directly to the president." ...
"Domenici and Bush subsequently had a telephone conversation about the
issue." ... "The conversation between Bush and Domenici occurred sometime
after the [2006] election but before the firings of Iglesias and six other
U.S. attorneys were announced on Dec. 7." ... "Iglesias' name first showed
up on a Nov. 15 list of federal prosecutors who would be asked to resign.
It was not on a similar list prepared in October." ... "Senate and House
Democrats have focused on a telephone call Domenici made to Iglesias in
October." ... "Iglesias testified before the congressional committees that
Domenici called him at home [prior to the 2006 election] and asked if indictments
were imminent in a public corruption investigation of Albuquerque's Metropolitan
Courthouse construction. Iglesias told him indictments were not expected
anytime soon." ... "Iglesias testified that Domenici said, "I'm very sorry
to hear that." And then hung up." ... "Iglesias said he felt "pressured"
and "violated" by the telephone call but did not report it to Justice Department
headquarters as required." ... "Democrats have accused Domenici of attempting
to influence the outcome of a tight congressional race between incumbent
Republican Heather Wilson [New Mexico Representative] and former [Democratic]
state Attorney General Patricia Madrid. Wilson won the election by fewer
than 900 votes." ... "Delays in the courthouse case led to frustration
among Republicans who had tried to make Madrid's track record on ethics
and corruption cases an issue in the Madrid-Wilson race." -By
Mike Gallagher -ABQjournal.com
BobPerry
- 
Tom
DeLay - Secret
- Money
- Politics
- Advertising
- 
Television
- 2006
Election - 2004
Election - 2002
Election - 
People
- 
Colorado
- 
Virginia
- Texas
- Homebuilder
- Immigration
- Law
- Military
- 
Social
Security
Karl
Rove
- J
Scott Jennings - Lurita
Doan
- Government
- Employee
- Law
- '08
Election - 2006
Election - Calif
- "Panel
Asks Rove for Information on '08 Election Presentation."
... "The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sought more information
yesterday about a presentation by a White House aide given to political
appointees at the General Services Administration that discussed targeting
20 Democratic congressional candidates in the next [2008] election." ...
"In a letter to [Republican President Bush's] White House political affairs
director Karl Rove, the committee chairman, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.
[California]), asked about the Jan. 26 videoconference by Rove deputy J.
Scott Jennings, which was directed to the chief of the GSA and as many
as 40 agency officials stationed around the country." ... "Jennings's 28-page
presentation included 2006 election results and listed the names of Democratic
candidates considered beatable and Republican lawmakers thought to need
help. At a hearing Wednesday about the GSA, Waxman said the presentation
and follow-up remarks allegedly made by agency chief Lurita Alexis Doan
may have violated the Hatch Act, a law that restricts federal agencies
and employees from using their positions for political purposes." -By
Scott Higham and Robert O'Harrow Jr. -WashingtonPost
Karl
Rove
- Lurita
Doan
- J
Scott Jennings - Government
- Money
- Employee
- Law
- 2006
Election - 2008
Election - Calif
- "GSA
Chief Is Accused of Playing Politics: Doan Denies
'Improper' Use of Agency for GOP." ... "Witnesses have told congressional
investigators that the chief of the General Services Administration and
a deputy in Karl Rove's political affairs office at the White House joined
in a videoconference earlier this year with top GSA political appointees,
who discussed ways to help Republican candidates." ... "With GSA Administrator
Lurita Alexis Doan and up to 40 regional administrators on hand, J. Scott
Jennings, the White House's deputy director of political affairs, gave
a PowerPoint presentation on Jan. 26 of polling data about the 2006 elections."
... "When Jennings concluded his presentation to the GSA political appointees,
Doan allegedly asked them how they could "help 'our candidates' in the
next [2008] elections," according to a March 6 letter to Doan from Rep.
Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif. [California]), chairman of the House Oversight
and Government Reform Committee. Waxman said in the letter that one method
suggested was using "targeted public events, such as the opening of federal
facilities around the country."" ... "On Wednesday, Doan is scheduled to
appear before Waxman's committee to answer questions about the videoconference
and other issues. The committee is investigating whether remarks made during
the videoconference violated the Hatch Act, a federal law that restricts
executive-branch employees from using their positions for political purposes.
Those found in violation of the act do not face criminal penalties but
can be removed from their jobs." ... "The committee is also expected to
question Doan about her attempt to give a no-bid job to a friend and professional
associate last summer. In addition, the committee plans to look at Waxman's
charge that Doan "intervened" in a troubled technology contract with Sun
Microsystems that could cost taxpayers millions more than necessary." (1,
2,
3)
-By Scott Higham and Robert O'Harrow Jr. with contributions
by Alice Crites -WashingtonPost
Gonzales
- Monica
Goodling - Paul
McNulty
- Domenici
- US
Attorneys
- Politics
- 
NY
- NM
- 2006
Election - "Gonzales
Aide to Invoke Fifth Amendment." ... "Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales' liaison [Monica Goodling] with the White House will refuse
to answer questions at upcoming Senate hearings about the firings of eight
U.S. attorneys, citing her Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination,
her lawyer said Monday." ... "Goodling's statement contradicted her boss'
promise to allow his top aides to testify before Congress, voluntarily
and under oath." ... "[New York Democratic Senator] Sen. Chuck Schumer,
D-N.Y., who is leading the Senate's investigation into the firings, said
Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty told him he was misled by other Justice
Department aides before he testified to Schumer's panel on Feb. 6." ...
"A day earlier, Goodling was among those who helped McNulty prepare his
testimony. Schumer has said McNulty may have given Congress incomplete
or otherwise misleading information about the circumstances of the firings."
... "Additionally, Goodling was involved in an April 6, 2006, phone call
between the Justice Department and [New Mexico Republican Senator] Sen.
Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who had complained to the Bush administration and
the president about David Iglesias, then the U.S. attorney in Albuquerque
[New Mexico]. Domenici had wanted Iglesias to push more aggressively on
a corruption probe against Democrats before the 2006 elections." ... "Iglesias
told Congress earlier this month that he rejected what he believed to be
pressure from Domenici to rush indictments that would have hurt Democrats
in the November elections." ... "At a March 13 news conference, Gonzales
denied that he participated in discussions or saw any documents about the
firings, despite documents that show he attended a Nov. 27 meeting with
senior aides on the topic, where he approved a detailed plan to carry out
the dismissals." -By Laurie Kellman with contributions
by Lara Jakes Jordan -AP
via -SFGate.com
Wilson
- Domenici
- New
Mexico - 2006
Election - Rove
- Government
- Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
- "Second
Lawmaker Contacted Prosecutor: Wilson Complained
About Pace of Probes." ... "[New Mexico Republican] Rep. Heather A. Wilson
(R-N.M.) acknowledged yesterday that she contacted a federal prosecutor
to complain about the pace of his public corruption investigations, as
the Senate ethics committee signaled that it had opened a preliminary inquiry
into a similar communication by her state's senior senator, [New Mexico
Republican] Pete V. Domenici (R)." ... "Wilson denied allegations from
former New Mexico U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias that she pressured him
to speed up a political corruption investigation involving Democrats in
the waning days of her tight [2006] election campaign last fall." ... "Iglesias,
one of seven U.S. attorneys fired by the Justice Department on Dec. 7,
is expected to tell Congress today that Wilson and Domenici were trying
to sway the course of his investigation. Domenici acknowledged Sunday that
he called Iglesias about the corruption case but said he did not pressure
him. The telephone calls to Iglesias by Domenici and Wilson appear to put
them in conflict with congressional ethics rules that bar contacts with
federal agency officials during most active investigations." ... "The furor
over Domenici and Wilson has rapidly become the focus of the dispute over
the firings of eight U.S. attorneys and a change in law that allows Attorney
General Alberto R. Gonzales to appoint interim prosecutors for an indefinite
period of time. The Justice Department has said that seven of the prosecutors
were dismissed for failing to follow Bush administration policy on multiple
issues, and acknowledged that one was sacked to make way for an ally of
White House political adviser Karl Rove." ... "But most of the prosecutors
have cited positive job reviews, and Democrats have alleged that there
were political motivations behind the firings." (1, 2)
-By Paul Kane and Dan Eggen
-WashingtonPost
New
Mexico - 2006
Election - Law
- Enforcement
- Money
- "Sources:
GOP lawmakers tried to influence federal investigation."
... "[New Mexico Republican Senators] Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather
Wilson of New Mexico pressured the U.S. attorney in their state to speed
up indictments in a federal corruption investigation that involved at least
one former Democratic state senator, according to two people familiar with
the contacts." ... "The alleged involvement of the two Republican lawmakers
raises questions about possible violations of House of Representatives
and Senate ethics rules and could taint the criminal investigation into
the award of an $82 million courthouse contract." ... "The two people with
knowledge of the incident said Domenici and Wilson intervened in mid-October,
when Wilson was in a competitive re-election campaign that she won by 875
votes out of nearly 211,000 cast." ... "David Iglesias, who stepped down
as U.S. attorney in New Mexico on Wednesday, told McClatchy Newspapers
that he believed the Bush administration fired him Dec. 7 because he resisted
the pressure to rush an indictment." ... "The allegations have fueled a
weeks-long controversy over whether the Bush administration forced out
eight Republican-appointed U.S. attorneys because of partisan politics."
-By Marisa Taylor -McClatchy
via -RealCities
2006
Election - Virginia
-
Allen
- 
Montana
- 
Burns
- "Allen
concedes defeat, sealing transfer of Senate." ...
"Virginia [Republican] Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) conceded today, putting
the Senate in Democratic hands for the first time since 2003 and giving
the Democrats a sweep of both houses — a seismic shift in the Washington
political climate." ... "Montana Republican Sen. Conrad Burns conceded
earlier today in his reelection bid after his Democratic challenger, Jon
Tester, claimed victory Wednesday." ... "Coupled with Allen's defeat, those
Senate victories give the party a 51-49 Senate majority, counting two independents
who are expected to caucus with the Democrats." -By
Johanna Neuman with contributions by Janet Hook -LAtimes
2006
Election - Government
- Money
- Abortion
- 
Health
- Stem
Cells - 
Science
- "GOP
already starts the 'blame game' over its big losses."
... "Dick Armey, former House majority leader and an architect of the Republicans'
1994 takeover of Congress, told National Public Radio's Diane Rehm that
the GOP had become the big government party. "They actually grew the government,"
he said." ... "The Republican Majority for Choice, a lobbying group for
Republicans who support abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research,
blamed the losses Tuesday on Iraq and "social extremism," Co-chairwoman
Jennifer Stockman said. "Moderates have been alienated for years. This
was the last straw."" -By Emily Bazar
-USATODAY
Election
2006 - US
- Iraq
- Military
- Missouri
- Montana
- Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- Santorum
- 
Rhode
Island - 
Ohio
- 
Indiana
- 
Kentucky
- "Democrats
win House control in midterm elections; Senate still in doubt."
... "Democrats took over the House in Tuesday's midterm elections but Senate
control might take weeks to decide, in an election shaped by voter discontent
with President Bush and the direction of the Iraq war." ... "Democrat Claire
McCaskill's victory over incumbent [Republican] Sen. Jim Talent in Missouri
has put Senate control within her party's grasp. Two Senate races remained
undecided early Wednesday -- Montana, where a Democratic challenger led,
and Virginia, where another Democratic challenger was ahead by the slimmest
of margins. Democrats must win both to seize Senate control." ... "Four
incumbent Republicans lost in the Senate. Pennsylvanians voted out conservative
stalwart Rick Santorum [Republican] — the No. 3 GOP leader in the Senate
— in favor of Democrat Bob Casey; Rhode Island voters picked Democratic
challenger Sheldon Whitehouse over incumbent Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee;
Ohio voters chose Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown over Republican incumbent
Mike Dewine; and McCaskill beat Talent." ... "Democrats also won major
House races in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky and the closely contested
governor's race in Ohio, the AP projected. And Democrats seized a majority
of the nation's governorships for the first time in 12 years."
-USATODAY
US
- 2006
Election - Opinion
- Government
- Iraq
- Military
- "Corruption
named as key issue by voters in exit polls." ...
"By a wide margin, Americans who voted Tuesday in the midterm election
say they disapprove of the war in Iraq." ... "But when asked which issue
was extremely important to their vote, more voters said corruption and
ethics in government than any other issue, including the war, according
to national exit polls." ... "And defying the traditional political maxim
that "all politics is local," 62 percent of voters said national issues
mattered more than local issues when deciding which House candidate to
pick." -CNN
Voting
Machine Problems - Indiana
- 
Illinois
- Ohio
- 
Florida
- 
Utah
- Kentucky
- 2006
Election - Politics
- "Voting
machine problems bedevil multiple states." ... "As
both parties revved up their massive get-out-the-vote operations across
the nation, programming errors and inexperience dealing with electronic
voting machines caused some early problems:" ... "• Election officials
in Delaware County, Ind., planned to seek a court order to extend voting
after an apparent computer error prevented voters from casting ballots
in 75 precincts. Delaware County Clerk Karen Wenger said the cards that
activate the machines were programmed incorrectly. "We are working with
precincts one-by-one over the telephone to get the problem fixed," Wenger
said." ... "• Illinois officials were swamped with calls from voters complaining
that poll workers did not know how to operate new electronic equipment[.]"
... "• In Ohio, some machines wouldn't function."We got five machines —
one of them's got to work," said Willette Scullank, a troubleshooter from
the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, elections board." ... "• In Florida, voting
was briefly delayed at four districts because of either mixed up ballots
or electronic activators being unintentionally wiped out, according to
Mary Cooney, spokeswoman for the Broward County Supervisor of Elections.
Voters were forced to use paper ballots after an electronic machine broke
in the Jacksonville suburb of Orange Park." ... "• In Utah County, Utah,
workers failed to properly encode some of the cards that voters use to
bring up touchscreen ballots." ... "• In Kentucky, a school board race
was inadvertently left off the touchscreen ballot in two precincts in Bourbon
County, requiring the county clerk to make paper ballots on the spot. "
-By Douglas Stanglin with contributions by Bill Nichols,
Kathy Kiely, and David Jackson -AP
via -USATODAY
Virginia
- 2006
Election
- Politics
- Law
- "FBI
looking into possible Va. voter intimidation: Officials
probing reports of phone calls allegedly intended to confuse voters." ...
"The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the possibility of
voter intimidation in the hard-fought U.S. Senate race between Sen. George
Allen, a Republican, and Democratic challenger James Webb, officials told
NBC News." ... "State officials alerted the Justice Department on Tuesday
to several complaints of suspicious phone calls to voters who attempted
to misdirect or confuse them about election day, Jean Jensen, Secretary
of the Virginia State Board of Elections, told NBC's David Shuster." ...
"Jensen told NBC that she had been contacted by FBI agents. The FBI in
Richmond refused to comment." ... "State Democratic Party counsel Jay Myerson
said in a written statement issued by the Webb campaign that he believed
Republicans are behind an orchestrated effort to suppress votes for the
Democratic challenger." -MSNBC
2006
Election - Money
- Phone
- Law
- "It's
a Candidate Calling. Again." ... "Republicans Deny
Subterfuge as Phone Barrages Anger Voters." ... "This year's heavy volume
of automated political phone calls has infuriated countless voters and
triggered sharp complaints from Democrats, who say the Republican Party
has crossed the line in bombarding households with recorded attacks on
candidates in tight House races nationwide." ... "Some voters, sick of
interrupted dinners and evenings, say they will punish the offending parties
by opposing them in today's [2006] elections. But critics say Republicans
crafted the messages to delude voters --especially those who hang up quickly
-- into thinking that Democrats placed the calls." ... "Democrats cited
federal records indicating that the NRCC recently spent about $600,000
in at least 45 contested House districts for robo-calls, which are among
the least expensive campaign tools." ... "Many voters hang up as soon as
a robo-call begins -- without waiting for the criticisms or the NRCC sign-off
at the end -- so they think it was placed by the Democratic candidate named
at the start, said Sarah Feinberg, spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee." ... "Democrats also cited Federal Communications Commission
guidelines saying the originators of automated calls must identify themselves
at the beginning of each call. Republican Party lawyers, however, said
the requirement does not apply to political nonprofit organizations. They
rebuffed a "cease and desist" letter sent yesterday by the DCCC." (1, 2)
-By Charles Babington and Alec MacGillis with contributions
by Jonathan Weisman, Dale Russakoff, and Michael Powell -WashingtonPost
Sherwood
- Secret
- Money
- Politics
- Pennsylvania
- Election
2006 - "Rep.
paying ex-mistress about $500K." ... "A Republican
congressman [Don Sherwood of Pennsylvania] accused of abusing his ex-mistress
agreed to pay her about $500,000 in a settlement last year that contained
a powerful incentive for her to keep quiet until after Election Day, a
person familiar with the terms of the deal told The Associated Press."
... "The settlement, reached in November 2005, called for Cynthia Ore to
be paid in installments, according to a person who spoke on condition of
anonymity because the deal is confidential. She has received less than
half the money so far, and will not get the rest until after the Nov. 7
election [2006], the person said Thursday." ... "A confidentiality clause
requires Ore to forfeit some of the money if she talks publicly about the
case, according to this person and two other people familiar with elements
of the case." -By Michael Rubinkam
-AP via -Yahoo
Foley
- Ohio
- Florida
- NM
- NY
- Police
- Election
2006 - "Scandals
Alone Could Cost Republicans Their House Majority."
... "Indictments, investigations and allegations of wrongdoing have helped
put at least 15 Republican House seats in jeopardy, enough to swing control
to the Democrats on Tuesday [2006 Election] even before the larger issues
of war, economic unease and President Bush are invoked." ... "Democrats
have repeatedly hit [Republican] Rep. Deborah Pryce (Ohio), the House Republican
Conference chairman, for inaction on the [Florida Republican Mark] Foley
matter. And Democrats have tried to hold two former members of the Page
Board, [New York Republican] Reps. Sue W. Kelly (N.Y.) and [New Mexico
Republican] Heather A. Wilson (N.M.), accountable for Foley's actions."
... "Meanwhile, new allegations continue to spring up. Vern Buchanan, a
Republican running for the Florida seat vacated by Rep. Katherine Harris
(R), was the target of local media reports this week detailing his use
of business entities in Caribbean tax havens to reduce levies on his auto
dealerships. The Albany Times Union published an article yesterday charging
that the wife of [New York Republican] Rep. John E. Sweeney (R-N.Y.) called
police late last year to report that her husband was "knocking her around"
during a late-night argument." -By Jonathan Weisman
and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum -WashingtonPost
Virginia
- 
Electronic
- Voting
Machines - Election
2006 - "Some
Voting Machines Chop Off Candidates' Names: Computer
Glitch Affects Voters in 3 Jurisdictions; Error Cannot Be Fixed by Nov.
7 [2006 election]." ... "U.S. Senate candidate James Webb's last name has
been cut off on part of the electronic ballot used by voters in [the Virginia
state cities of] Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville because of
a computer glitch that also affects other candidates with long names, city
officials said yesterday." ... "The error shows up only on the summary
page, where voters are asked to review their selections before hitting
the button to cast their votes. Webb's full name appears on the page where
voters choose for whom to vote." ... "Thus, Democratic candidate Webb will
appear with his first name and nickname only -- or "James H. 'Jim' " --
on summary pages in Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville, the only
jurisdictions in Virginia that use balloting machines manufactured by Hart
InterCivic of Austin." -By Leef Smith
-WashingtonPost
Secret
- Electronic
- Voting
Machines - Company
- Hackers
- Technology
- Election
2006 - Politics
- Maryland
- "Electronic
Voting Machines Could Skew Elections: Researchers,
Candidates Have Little Confidence in Machines Designed to Make Elections
Easier to Call." ... "Cheryl Kagan, a former Maryland Democratic legislator,
was shocked when she opened her mail Wednesday morning." ... "Inside, she
discovered three computer discs. With them was an anonymous letter saying
the discs contained the secret source code for vote-counting that could
be used to alter the votes cast through Maryland's new electronic voting
machines." ... ""My understanding is that with these disks a malicious
person could skew the outcome of an election," Kagan said." ... "Diebold,
the company that makes the voting machines, told ABC News, "These discs
do not alter the security of the Diebold touch-screen system in any way,"
because election workers can set their own passwords." ... "But ABC News
has obtained an independent report commissioned by the state of Maryland
and conducted by Science Applications International Corporation revealing
that the original Diebold factory passwords are still being used on many
voting machines." ... "The SAIC study also shows myriad other security
flaws, including administrative over-ride passwords that cannot be changed
by local officials but can be used by hackers or those who have seen the
discs." (1, 2)
-By Jake Tapper, Rebecca Abrahams, and Eduardo Sunol
-ABCNEWS.com
Sherwood
- Pennsylvania
- 2006
Election - Law
- Police
- "During
National Character Counts Week, Bush Stumps for Philanderer."
... "So it has come to this: Nineteen days before the midterm elections,
President Bush flew here [Pennsylvania] to champion the reelection of a
congressman who last year settled a $5.5 million lawsuit alleging that
he beat his mistress during a five-year affair." ... ""I'm pleased to be
here with Don Sherwood," a smiling president told the congressman's loyal
but dispirited supporters at a luncheon fundraiser Thursday. "He has got
a record of accomplishment."" ... "Quite a record. While representing the
good people of the 10th District, the married congressman shacked up in
Washington with a Peruvian immigrant more than three decades his junior.
During one assignation in 2004, the woman, who says Sherwood was striking
her and trying to strangle her, locked herself in a bathroom and called
911; Sherwood told police he was giving her a back rub." ... "At a time
when Republicans are struggling to motivate religious conservatives to
go to the polls next month, it is not clear what benefit the White House
found in sending Bush to stump for Sherwood -- smack dab in the middle
of what Bush, in an official proclamation, dubbed "National Character Counts
Week."" ... "The nature of the accuser's allegations -- she said Sherwood
gave her "facial lacerations, bruises about the head, neck and other portions
of her body, head injury, injuries to her teeth, mouth and gums, back and
neck strain, injuries to her scalp" -- makes it more than a distraction.
Sherwood continues to deny abuse after reaching the secret settlement."
-By Dana Milbank -WashingtonPost
Sherwood
- Pennsylvania
- 2006
Election - Lawmaker
- Police
- "Bush
campaigns for Pennsylvania congressman enmeshed in sex scandal."
... "He said she was "a casual acquaintance." She said they were extra-marital
lovers, but told police that he tried to choke her. His wife says she forgives
him. So does President Bush." ... "In fact, Bush traveled to northeastern
Pennsylvania Thursday to help the wayward husband, Republican Rep. Don
Sherwood, keep his seat in Congress. Perhaps it's a measure of the Republicans'
plight that the president would throw his prestige behind a candidate whose
marital misbehavior conjures memories of Bill Clinton." ... "Sherwood's
five-year fling with a woman half his age has all the elements of a bad
soap opera, but voter reaction to his performance could help decide whether
Republicans keep control of the House of Representatives. Polls show Sherwood
trailing Democratic challenger Chris Carney in a district that had been
considered a lock for the GOP." ... "Sherwood's problems started in September
2004, when Cynthia Ore called police to the congressman's Capitol Hill
apartment claiming that he'd choked her for no apparent reason." ... "She
was 29 at the time; he was 63." ... "Sherwood was never charged, and the
matter attracted little attention until the following spring, when Ore
threatened legal action and provided details of a relationship that Sherwood
had initially denied. The two met in 1999 at a gathering for young Republicans."
-By Ron Hutcheson -McClatchy
via -KansasCity.com
US
- Government
- Money
- Politics
- Legislators
- Election
2006 - TV
- Radio
- Ads
- Washington
- Virginia
- Indiana
- 
Connecticut
- Iraq
- 
Afghanistan
- Military
- "Dems
using hourly wage issue against GOP rivals." ...
"Democratic challengers in more than two-dozen House and Senate races are
attacking Republicans in Congress for taking pay raises while voting against
a minimum wage increase." ... "The attacks are contained in television
and radio ads running from Washington state to Virginia. In some races,
such as House contests in Indiana and Connecticut, Democrats also link
pay raises to Republican votes against combat bonuses for U.S. troops fighting
in Iraq and Afghanistan." ... "Most members of Congress currently earn
$165,200 a year; top leaders earn more. That's $31,600 more than in 1997,
when the federal minimum wage was raised to the current $5.15 an hour.
Unless legislators act during a lame-duck session after [2006] Election
Day, lawmakers who will be part of the Congress that convenes in January
will get an automatic 2% raise to $168,504." -By Andrea
Stone -USATODAY
George
Allen - Virginia
- Politics
- 2006
Election - "Allen's
Undisclosed Stock Options Were Worth Up to $1.1 Million."
... "Stock options that Senator George Allen [Virginia Republican] described
as worthless were worth as much as $1.1 million at one point, according
to a review of Senate disclosure forms and U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission filings." ... "The records appear to contradict remarks he made
to the Associated Press. ``I got paid in stock options which were worthless,''
AP quoted him as saying." ... "Allen served as a board member of Chantilly,
Virginia-based Xybernaut Corp. from 1998 until December 2000 and was awarded
options on 110,000 shares during that period. His Senate financial disclosure
form for 1999, required for candidates as well as officeholders, doesn't
report that he owned the options." ... "The stock options issue didn't
arise during a televised debate last night between Allen, a 54-year-old
Republican, and Democratic nominee Jim Webb, 60. Nevertheless, Mark Rozell,
a professor of public policy at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia,
said the issue poses a problem for Allen, who polls show is in a close
[2006 election] race with Webb." ... "``In an election season in which
congressional ethics and morality are at the top of public discussion,
Allen may now be seen by much of the public as part of a larger problem
afflicting his party,'' Rozell said. " -By Michael
Forsythe and Miles Weiss -Bloomberg
Hastert
- Foley
- E-Mails
- Messages
- 
Teenage
- Election
2006 - Mil
- Illinois
- Florida
- "Under
Siege in D.C., Hastert Is at Least Safe at Home."
... "After maintaining a rather low personal profile for most of his tenure
as House Speaker, 10-term Illinois Republican Rep. J. Dennis Hastert is
getting a dose of unwanted publicity, stemming from his handling of the
scandal involving resigned Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley’s inappropriate
e-mails and instant messages to teenage male pages. The furor has put Hastert’s
continued service as Speaker at serious jeopardy." ... "But — at least
at this juncture, more than four weeks out from Election Day [2006] — Hastert’s
continued hold on his seat in Illinois’ Republican-leaning 14th District
appears far less at risk. CQPolitics.com, though carefully watching developments,
is holding its rating on the race at Safe Republican." ... "That does not
mean the Foley scandal is not of some potential benefit to Hastert’s longshot
Democratic challenger, 32-year-old U.S. Navy veteran John Laesch. It has
drawn the kind of attention to him and his bid to be a political “giant-killer”
that the underfunded candidate certainly hasn’t been able to buy." ...
"As of June 30, Laesch had raised a minuscule total of just more than $91,000
to Hastert’s roughly $3.6 million." ... "Laesch said he was motivated to
enter the race because of his views against the war in Iraq. His brother,
a sergeant in the U.S. Army, is currently serving in Baghdad."
-CQ.com via -NYTimes
Sherwood
- Pennsylvania
- 2006
Election - TV
- Ad
- Politics
- Law
- "Congressman
apologizes for affair in TV ad: [Pennsylvania Republican]
Rep. Don Sherwood, R-Pa. also denies abusing mistress." ... "Rep. Don Sherwood,
a Republican fighting for [2006] re-election in northeastern Pennsylvania,
says in a TV ad that he is "truly sorry" for cheating on his wife but denies
ever abusing the woman he had the affair with." ... "Sherwood, a four-term
congressman, has a seat that had been considered safe until it was revealed
last year that police in 2004 investigated an incident between Sherwood
and Cynthia Ore at his Washington apartment." ... "Charges were never filed,
but Ore sued Sherwood, claiming he had choked her. Sherwood apologized
for the affair but denied abusing Ore. The suit was settled for an undisclosed
sum." -AP
via -MSNBC
Hastert
- 
Reynolds
- Foley
- Computer
- Messages
- Teenage
- Lawmaker
- Law
Enforcement - 2006
Election - Illinois
- New
York - Florida
- "Aide
says he told Hastert's office about Foley's conduct more than 3 years ago."
... "House Speaker [Illinois Republican] Dennis Hastert's political support
showed signs of cracking on Wednesday as Republicans fled an election-year
[2006] scandal spawned by steamy computer messages from former Rep. Mark
Foley to teenage male pages." ... "At the same time, Foley's former chief
of staff said in an Associated Press interview that he first warned Hastert's
aides more than three years ago that Foley's behavior toward pages was
troublesome. That was long before GOP leaders acknowledged learning of
the problem." ... "Kirk Fordham, who was Foley's top aide until January
2004, said he had "more than one conversation with senior staff at the
highest level of the House of Representatives asking them to intervene"
several years ago." ... "Fordham resigned Wednesday as staff chief for
another lawmaker caught up in the scandal, New York [Republican] Rep. Thomas
Reynolds, the House GOP campaign chief who says he alerted Hastert to concerns
about Foley last spring." ... "The Justice Department ordered House officials
to "preserve all records" related to Foley's electronic correspondence
with teenagers, and one law enforcement official said FBI agents have begun
interviewing participants in the House page program." -By
Devlin Barrett with contributions by Andrew Taylor, Lara Jakes Jordan,
David Hammer, Laurie Kellman, Bruce Schreiner, and Marus Kabel
-AP via -STLtoday.com
Hastert
- Foley
- 
Alexander
- Teenage
- E-Mail
- Messages
- 2006
Election - Illinois
- Florida
- 
Louisiana
- "[Illinois
Republican] Hastert clings to power as scandal swirls:
Top Republicans question speaker's inaction on [Florida Republican] Foley
sex messages." ... "House Speaker Dennis Hastert [Illinois Republican]
was fighting for his political life Wednesday after new disclosures surfaced
that his office knew that a Republican House member was sending sexually
provocative messages to underage congressional pages as long as three years
ago." ... "Pressure on Hastert has built since it was reported that an
aide to Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La. [Republican-Louisiana], complained
last year to Hastert's office about an "overly friendly" e-mail message
that Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., had sent to a teenage male page sponsored
by Alexander. Alexander said he did not ask for any specific action at
the request of the boy's parents." ... "The scandal has reinvigorated the
campaign of Hastert’s Democratic challenger in the November [2006] election,
John Laesch, who said Hastert was “absolutely” guilty of a cover-up Wednesday."
... "Asked whether he believed Hastert was a man of integrity, Laesch told
MSNBC-TV’s Chris Matthews: “I think that this issue has defined the clearest
difference between myself and Mr. Hastert, that being I stand for honesty
and integrity, and I’ll let the voters decide where he stands.”" ... "The
scandal has energized his supporters, said Laesch, 32, a former naval intelligence
officer. “Our phone has been ringing off the hook, and this is they only
thing people want to talk about.”" (1, 2)
-Contributed to by Alex Johnson, Chris Matthews, and
Joe Scarborough -AP
-MSNBC
Foley
- Hastert
- 
Cunningham
- 
DeLay- 
Ney
- Children
- Lawmakers
- Politics
- 2006
Election - Florida
- Illinois
- California
- Texas
- Ohio
- "FBI
looks at [Florida Republican] Foley's e-mails to teens."
... "[Illinois Republican] House Speaker Dennis Hastert asked the Justice
Department on Sunday to investigate former [Florida Republican] congressman
Mark Foley's communications with teenage boys who worked as House pages."
... "Hastert has said he knew about non-sexual e-mails that Foley, 52,
a Florida Republican, sent to a 16-year-old former page, first reported
by ABC News on Thursday." ... "Foley is the fourth House Republican forced
out by ethics problems. [Republican] Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California
resigned in November after pleading guilty to accepting $2.4 million in
bribes. Former majority leader [Republican] Tom DeLay of Texas was indicted
on state campaign finance violations and resigned in June. [Republican]
Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio has agreed to plead guilty to charges of corruption
and is not seeking re-election [in 2006]." ... "House Democratic leader
Nancy Pelosi [from California] called on the House ethics committee Sunday
to question GOP leaders under oath. "They chose to cover it up rather than
to protect these children," she said." -By Richard
Wolf and Kevin Johnson with contributions by Kathy Kiely, Jill Lawrence,
Matt Kelley, and Wendy Koc -USATODAY
Reynolds
- Hastert
- Foley
- 
Boehner
- E-Mails
- Louisiana- Teen
- Noteworthy
- Lawmakers
- Enforcement
- Secrets
- 2006
Election - NY
- Ill
- Fla
- Ohio
- 
Mich
- "GOP
Leader Rebuts Hastert on Foley: [New York Republican
Thomas] Reynolds: Speaker Knew of E-Mails in Spring." ... "House Speaker
J. Dennis Hastert ([Republican, Illnois] R-Ill.) was notified early this
year of inappropriate e-mails from former representative Mark Foley ([Republican,
Florida] R-Fla.) to a 16-year-old page, a top GOP House member said yesterday
-- contradicting the speaker's assertions that he learned of concerns about
Foley only last week." ... "Hastert did not dispute the claims of Rep.
Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.), and his office confirmed that some of Hastert's
top aides knew last year that Foley had been ordered to cease contact with
the boy and to treat all pages respectfully." ... "Reynolds, chairman of
the National Republican Congressional Committee, became the second senior
House Republican to say that Hastert has known of Foley's contacts for
months, prompting Democratic attacks about the GOP leadership's inaction.
Foley abruptly resigned his seat Friday." ... "House Majority Leader John
A. Boehner ([Republican] R-Ohio) told The Washington Post on Friday that
he had learned in late spring of inappropriate e-mails Foley sent to the
page, a boy from Louisiana, and that he promptly told Hastert, who appeared
to know already of the concerns. Hours later, Boehner contacted The Post
to say he could not be sure he had spoken with Hastert." ... "Yesterday's
developments revealed a rift at the highest echelons of House Republican
ranks a month before the Nov. 7 [2006] elections, and they threatened to
expand the scandal to a full-blown party dilemma." ... "Republicans appeared
to have kept the matter under wraps. Rep. Dale E. Kildee (Mich.), the only
Democrat on the House Page Board, said yesterday: "I was never informed
of the allegations about Mr. Foley's inappropriate communications with
a House page, and I was never involved in any inquiry into this matter.""
(1, 2)
-By Jonathan Weisman and Charles Babington with contributions
by R. Jeffrey Smith and Magda Jean-Louis -WashingtonPost
Secret
- Children
- Crime
- Politics
- Mark
Foley - Florida
- John
Boehner
- Ohio
- Louisiana- New
York - Illinois
- 
Alabama
- 2006
Election - "G.O.P.
Aides Knew in Late ’05 of E-Mail." ... "Top House
Republicans knew for months about e-mail traffic between [Florida Republican]
Representative Mark Foley and a former teenage page, but kept the matter
secret and allowed Mr. Foley to remain head of a Congressional caucus on
children’s issues, Republican lawmakers said Saturday." ... "Among those
who became aware earlier this year of the fall 2005 communications between
Mr. Foley and the 16-year-old page, who worked for Representative Rodney
Alexander, Republican of Louisiana, were [Ohio Republican] Representative
John A. Boehner, the majority leader, and [New York Republican] Representative
Thomas M. Reynolds of New York, chairman of the National Republican Congressional
Committee. Mr. Reynolds said in a statement Saturday that he had also personally
raised the issue with Speaker J. Dennis Hastert [Illinois Republican]."
... "Democrats moved quickly to criticize Mr. Reynolds, who while overseeing
House campaigns nationally is facing the potential of a serious [2006 Election]
challenge from Jack Davis, a wealthy businessman who has vowed to spend
at least $2 million of his own money in the contest. “Tom Reynolds had
a moral obligation to protect our children,” said Curtis Ellis, a spokesman
for Mr. Davis." ... "At the Justice Department, an official said that no
investigation was under way but that the agency had “real interest” in
examining the circumstances to see if any crimes were committed." ... "Several
of Mr. Foley’s former colleagues demanded a criminal inquiry." ... "Representative
Robert E. Cramer, an Alabama Democrat who was co-chairman with Mr. Foley
of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, condemned Mr. Foley’s
actions as “shocking and disturbing.”" ... "“Anyone, including Foley, involved
in this type of behavior should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of
the law,” Mr. Cramer said." (1, 2)
-By Carl Hulse and Raymond Hernandez with contributions
by Kate Zernike, David Johnston, and Abby Goodnough -NYTimes
George
Allen - Language- 
History
- US
- Virginia
- 
Indian
- 2008
Election - 2006
Election - Military
- Law
- 
Israel
- "Guess
Who's Mad At George Allen Now? Confederate Group
Slams Va. Senator For Demeaning Rebel Flag." ... "[Virginia Republican]
Sen. George Allen's use [of] the word "macaca" for a young man of Indian
descent forced him to spend the past six weeks disputing claims that his
past is littered with racist language and a fondness for Confederate symbols."
... "What had been a warm-up race for a 2008 presidential [election] bid
has become the fight of Allen's political life. He had been a strong [2006
election] favorite over Democrat Jim Webb, a decorated combat veteran who
once served as President Reagan's Navy secretary." ... "Stories about how
the Confederate flag he kept in his home and a hangman's noose in his law
office have gained new currency. At a debate, Allen was startled and irritated
by a question about whether his grandfather was Jewish, then confirmed
it a day later." -AP
via -CBSNews
Mark
Foley - E-Mails
- Florida
- Parents
- Enforcement
- Politics
- 2006
Election - La
- NY
- Ill
- "[Republican]
Foley Resigns From Congress Over E-Mails." ... "[Republican]
Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., abruptly resigned from Congress on Friday in the
wake of questions about e-mails he wrote a former teenage male page." ...
"His departure sent Republicans scrambling for a replacement candidate
less than six weeks before midterm [2006] elections in which Democrats
are making a strong bid to gain control of the House." ... "Foley, 52,
had been a shoo-in for a new term until the e-mail correspondence surfaced
in recent days." ... "[Louisiana Republican] Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La.,
who sponsored the page from his district, told reporters that he learned
of the e-mails from a reporter some months ago and passed on the information
to [New York Republican] Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the
House Republican campaign organization." ... "Carl Forti, a spokesman for
the GOP campaign organization, said Reynolds learned from Alexander that
the parents did not want to pursue the matter. Forti said, however, that
the matter did go before the House Page Board — the three lawmakers and
two House officials who oversee the pages." ... "It was unclear what the
officials did." ... "The board currently is headed by [Illinois Republican]
Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who did not respond to requests for an interview."
-By David Espo and Jim Kuhnhenn with contributions
by Brendan Farrington, Larry Margasak, and Natasha Metzler
-AP via -SFGate.com
George
Allen - Virginia
- 
College
- Sports
- Political
- Terrorism
- History
- 2008
Election - 2006
Election - "New
'N Word' Woe For George Allen: Well-Known Professor
Says Va. Senator Used Racial Slur; Allen Denies It." ... "A noted political
scientist joined one of [Virginia Republican] Sen. George Allen's former
college football teammates in claiming the senator used a racial slur to
refer to blacks in the early 1970s, a claim Allen dismisses as "ludicrously
false."" ... "Larry J. Sabato, one of Virginia's most-quoted political
science professors and a classmate of Allen's in the early 1970s, said
in a televised interview Monday that Allen used the epithet." ... "Sabato's
assertion came on the heels of accusations by Dr. Ken Shelton, a radiologist
who was a tight end and wide receiver for the University of Virginia in
the early 1970s when Allen was quarterback. He said Allen not only used
the n-word frequently but also once stuffed a severed deer head into a
black family's mailbox." ... "Separately, the Washington Post reported
that Christopher Taylor, 59, an anthropologist at the University of Alabama,
said that during a visit to Allen's Virginia home in 1982, Allen referred
to turtles in a pond on his property and said that only "the [racial slur]
eat them."" ... "Allen, a Republican, has been mentioned as a possible
presidential candidate in 2008. Questions about racial insensitivity have
dogged him during his [2006] re-election bid against Democrat Jim Webb."
-AP via
-CBSNews
Virginia
- 2006
Election - 2008
Election -US
- Iraq
- Military
- Terrorism
- "Gaffes
Make Allen Vulnerable to Hard-Charging Webb in Va.."
... "Less than a year ago, there was little indication that Virginia Republican
George Allen would face much of a race in his bid for a second Senate term.
With Democrats then struggling to find a credible challenger, Allen was
widely expected to be able to spend a good part of this year in other states
to prospect a possible bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination."
... "But the emergence of a tough-minded Democratic nominee in author and
former Navy Secretary Jim Webb, and some self-inflicted damage on Allen’s
part, have combined to keep Allen close to home — and thrust him into a
contest that looks increasingly competitive. As a result, CQPolitics.com
has changed its rating on the race to Leans
Republican from Republican Favored." ... "Webb, a decorated Marine
Corps veteran of the Vietnam War, served as Navy secretary under President
Ronald Reagan and is the author of several best-selling non-fiction books
and novels, many with military themes. He maintained his Republican Party
allegiances right through 2000, when he favored George W. Bush for president
— and Allen in his successful bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Charles S.
Robb." ... "But Webb turned sharply because of his strong opposition to
Bush’s decision as president to launch the war in Iraq, a conflict that
Webb viewed as unnecessary to defend U.S. national security and a diversion
of personnel and resources away from the pursuit of the terrorists who
actually staged the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States." -By
Greg Giroux -CQPolitics.com
2006
Election - Computer
- Voting
Machine - Hacking
- Politics
- "Elections
Easy to Steal, Say Computer Scientists: Princeton
Team Shows How a Computer Virus Might Do It; Voting Machine Maker Objects."
... "In 2001, [Princeton University professor Edward W.] Felten raised
hackles in the music industry by showing how hard it was to keep a recording
from being copied. He's written software to show how easily private computer
networks can be breached." ... "And now he's violated the sanctuary of
the voting booth by hacking into the electronic voting machines that were
designed to prevent election fraud." ... "Felten and two Princeton graduate
students, Ariel Feldman and Alex Halderman, created a computer virus that
they say could "steal" votes from one candidate and give them to another
— and go undetected." ... ""You have to be a good programmer — not a genius
— to do this," Halderman said. "I believe a good programmer could reproduce
our virus without very much effort."" (1, 2)
-By Ned Potter -ABCNEWS.com
Hacking
- Electronic
- Voting
Machine - Technology
- Business
- 2006
Election - Maryland
- "Worse
to Come in Fall Elections, Officials Fear." ... "As
officials investigated the human errors that disrupted Maryland's primary
election, there were renewed fears yesterday that electronic malfunctions
could cause even greater problems in November." ... "Computer scientists
at Princeton University released a study, including a video, that demonstrated
how they were able to hack into the type of electronic voting machines
used in Maryland and install malicious software that could sway an election.
The machines' manufacturer swiftly denounced the study as "unrealistic
and inaccurate."" ... "Meanwhile, frustrated election judges and voters
continued to report widespread trouble with voting apparatuses during Tuesday's
primary -- machines that froze, access cards that stopped working and computerized
voter lists that crashed. The glitches led to long lines at many polling
places and caused some voters to worry that their ballots had not been
recorded properly, if at all." ... "Edward W. Felten, a professor of computer
science and public affairs, said that he and two of his graduate students
spent several months studying a Diebold AccuVote-TS voting machine. They
were easily able to break into the machine and insert malicious software,
he said." ... ""The malicious code can steal votes in a manner that's undetectable
or nearly undetectable," Felten said. "And the code can spread like a virus
from one machine to another."" (1, 2)
-By Christian Davenport, Miranda S. Spivack and Cameron
W. Barr -WashingtonPost
Ohio
- Bob
Ney
- Jack
Abramoff
- Politics
- 2006
Election - "GOP:
Ohio Rep. Ney To Plead Guilty: Expected To Plead
To At Least One Criminal Charge, Republican Officials Say." ... "[Republican]
Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, is expected to plead guilty as early as Friday to
at least one criminal charge in an election-year congressional corruption
investigation, Republican officials said Thursday night." ... "Ney, whose
ties with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff have long been under scrutiny
by prosecutors, has consistently denied all wrongdoing. He announced earlier
this summer he
would not seek re-election, a step he took reluctantly and at the prodding
of party leaders fearful of the loss of his seat."
-AP via
-CBSNews
Hacking
- Voting
Machines - 2006
Election - Computer
- Politics
- "Princeton
professor raises alarm over electronic voting, hacks test machine."
... "A Princeton University computer science professor added new fuel Wednesday
to claims that electronic voting machines used across much of the country
are vulnerable to hacking that could alter vote totals or disable machines."
... "In a paper posted on the university's website, Edward Felten and two
graduate students described how they had tested a Diebold AccuVote-TS machine
they obtained, found ways to quickly upload malicious programs and even
developed a computer virus able to spread such programs between machines."
... "The researchers say they designed software capable of modifying all
records, audit logs and counters kept by the voting machine, ensuring that
a careful forensic examination would find nothing wrong." ... "The programs
were able to modify vote totals or cause machines to break down, something
that could alter the course of an election if machines were located in
crucial polling stations." ... "It was also possible to design a computer
virus to spread malicious programs to multiple machines by piggybacking
on a new software download or an election information file being transferred
from machine to machine, Felten said." -AP
via -USATODAY
Money
- People- 2006
Election - Intelligence
- "In
a Pivotal Year, GOP Plans to Get Personal: Millions
to Go to Digging Up Dirt on Democrats." ... "Republicans are planning to
spend the vast majority of their sizable financial war chest over the final
60 days of the [2006 Election] campaign attacking Democratic House and
Senate candidates over personal issues and local controversies, GOP officials
said." ... "The National Republican Congressional Committee, which this
year dispatched a half-dozen operatives to comb through tax, court and
other records looking for damaging information on Democratic candidates,
plans to spend more than 90 percent of its $50 million-plus advertising
budget on what officials described as negative ads." ... "The hope is that
a vigorous effort to "define" opponents, in the parlance of GOP operatives,
can help Republicans shift the midterm debate away from Iraq and limit
losses this fall." (1, 2)
-By Jim VandeHei and Chris Cillizza
-WashingtonPost
Rhode
Island - 2006
Election - Election
2008 - "Is
Chafee the GOP's Lieberman? [Rhode Island Republican
Senator] Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., Tries to Fend Off [Republican] Steve
Laffey in Senate Primary Rumble." ... "In an exclusive appearance on "This
Week with George Stephanopoulos," Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., predicted
he will withstand an intraparty primary challenge from Republican Mayor
Steve Laffey in one of the key races to his party's chances of holding
onto control of the Senate." ... ""This is going to be a close race," Chafee
told Stephanopoulos, who traveled to Rhode Island as a part of "This Week's"
on-the-trail series of interviews leading up to the 2006 midterm elections
and 2008 presidential race." ... "The latest independent poll done by Rhode
Island College surveyed a small sample size of only 363 registered voters,
and showed Laffey defeating Chafee in the Sept. 12 primary by a 51-to-34-percent
margin, a 17 percentage point gap. Their previous poll, conducted in June,
found the race nearly even, suggesting some movement in Laffey's direction."
... "Troubling to Republicans nationally, however, is that polls consistently
show Chafee fares far better than Laffey in the general election against
the leading Democratic candidate, Sheldon Whitehouse." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Ed O'Keefe -ABCNEWS.com
Montana
- 2006
Election - Terrorism
- US
Immigration - Law
- 
Firefighting
- Workers
- "Montana
Senator Does It Again: Conrad Burns: Terrorists Drive
Taxis By Day, "Kill At Night"." ... "[Montana] Republican Sen. Conrad Burns,
whose recent comments have stirred controversy, says the United States
is up against a faceless enemy of terrorists who "drive taxi cabs in the
daytime and kill at night."" ... "He has drawn criticism in recent weeks
for calling his house painter a "nice little Guatemalan man" during a June
speech. Burns, whose [2006] re-election campaign is pressing for tighter
immigration controls, also suggested that the man might be an illegal immigrant.
The campaign later said the worker is legal." ... "Burns, 71, also had
to apologize after confronting members of a firefighting team at the Billings
[Montana] airport and telling them they had done a "piss-poor job," according
to a state report. In July, the Hotshot crew had traveled 2,000 miles from
Staunton, Va., to help dig fire lines for about a week around a 143-square-mile
wildfire east of Billings." -AP
via -CBSNews
Nebraska
- Chuck
Hagel - 2006
Election - "Sen.
Hagel says GOP has lost its way." ... "Republicans
have lost their way when it comes to many core GOP principles and may be
in jeopardy heading into the fall elections, [Nebraska Republican Senator]
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. says. Hagel, a possible presidential candidate
in 2008, said Sunday that the GOP today is very different party from the
one when he first voted Republican." ... ""First time I voted was in 1968
on top of a tank in the Mekong Delta," said Hagel, a Vietnam veteran. "I
voted a straight Republican ticket. The reason I did is because I believe
in the Republican philosophy of governance. It's not what it used to be.
I don't think it's the same today."" ... "Hagel asked: "Where is the fiscal
responsibility of the party I joined in '68? Where is the international
engagement of the party I joined - fair, free trade, individual responsibility,
not building a bigger government, but building a smaller government?""
... "His frustration does not lead him to think Democrats offer a better
alternative. But Hagel wants to see the GOP return to its basic beliefs."
... ""I think we've lost our way," Hagel said. "And I think the Republicans
are going to be in some jeopardy for that and will be held accountable.""
-By Will Lester -AP
via -MercuryNews
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Connecticut
- Cheney
- 2006
Election - "Kerry
Calls Lieberman the New Cheney: Senator Labels Bush
Iraq Policy 'Disaster,' Lieberman Bid 'Huge Mistake'." ... "Sen. John Kerry,
D-Mass., blasted a fellow Democrat, Sen. Joe Lieberman, for continuing
his bid in the Connecticut Senate race despite a narrow loss to newcomer
Ned Lamont in the Democratic primary earlier this month." ... ""I'm concerned
that [Lieberman] is making a Republican case," Kerry told ABC News' "This
Week with George Stephanopoulos" in an exclusive appearance." ... "Kerry
accused the 2000 Democratic vice presidential candidate of "adopting the
rhetoric of Dick Cheney," on the issue of Iraq." ... ""Joe Lieberman is
out of step with the people of Connecticut," Kerry added, insisting Lieberman's
stance on Iraq, "shows you just why he got in trouble with the Democrats
there."" ... "Kerry called Lieberman's independent bid a "huge mistake"
and applauded businessman-turned-politician Lamont as "courageous" for
challenging Lieberman on the war." ... "Of his own views on Iraq, Kerry
stated forthrightly, "The course of this country in Iraq is making the
world more dangerous."" (1, 2)
-By Ed O'Keefe -ABCNEWS.com
Ohio
- 
Taft
- Money
- Politics
- History
- 2006
Election - "Taft
Admits Ethics Violations." ... "Ohio [Republican
Governor] Gov. Bob Taft (R) yesterday pleaded no contest to charges that
he violated state ethics laws, becoming the first governor in the state's
history convicted of a crime and providing powerful ammunition to Democrats
seeking to break the Republican Party's dominance in a critical swing state."
... "Political analysts said yesterday that the spreading scandal that
put Taft in a Columbus courthouse, as well as public dissatisfaction over
an economy whose unemployment rate is above the national average, leaves
Republicans vulnerable for a potential housecleaning in next year's [2006]
elections." ... "The Taft name is one of the most storied in the history
of Republican politics. His father and grandfather were both U.S. senators,
and his great-grandfather, William Howard Taft, served both as president
and as chief justice of the United States." -By Dan
Balz -WashingtonPost
US
- Iraq
- Utah
- Terrorism
- Election
2006 - "Hatch
says Demo win could help terrorists." ... "[Utah
Republican] Sen. Orrin Hatch, who continuously decries the bitter partisanship
in Washington, implied this week that Democratic success in November's
[2006] election could result in terrorist attacks on America." ... "Hatch
was quoted in Tuesday's Tooele Transcript Bulletin as saying Middle East
terrorists are "waiting for the Democrats here to take control, let things
cool off and then strike again."" ... "Democrats are criticizing Hatch
for what they see as "ridiculous" partisan hyperbole." ... "Hatch's challenger
Democrat Pete Ashdown said the senator continuously goes too far." ...
"The comment "is a further example of the demonization and the divisiveness
Senator Hatch uses to win campaigns."" ... "[Vermont Democrat Senator Patrick]
Leahy's spokesman, David Carle, combated the perception that Republicans
have kept America safe through their actions in Iraq." ... ""The gross
mismanagement of the war in Iraq has handed the terrorists the biggest
recruiting and training ground they have ever had, making us less secure
than before," he said." -By Matt Canham
-SLTrib.com
US
- 
Mexico
- US
Immigration - 2006
Election - Politics
- California
- New
York - Texas- Florida
- 
New-Jersey
- Illinois
- Georgia
- North
Carolina - Indiana
- 
South
Dakota - 
Delaware
- Missouri
- Colorado
- 
New
Hampshire - Ohio
- "Census
Shows Growth of Immigrants." ... "The number of immigrants
living in American households rose 16 percent over the last five years,
fueled largely by recent arrivals from Mexico, according to fresh data
released by the Census Bureau." ... "Coming in the heart of an election
season in which illegal immigration has emerged as an issue, the new data
from the bureau’s 2005 American Community Survey is certain to generate
more debate." ... "By far the largest numbers of immigrants continue to
live in the six states that have traditionally attracted them: California,
New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Illinois." ... "Immigrants also
continue to flow into a handful of states in the Southeast, like Georgia
and North Carolina, a trend that was discerned in the 2000 census." ...
"But it is in the less-expected immigrant destinations that demographers
find the most of interest in the new data." ... "Indiana saw a 34 percent
increase in the number of immigrants; South Dakota saw a 44 percent rise;
Delaware 32 percent; Missouri 31 percent; Colorado 28 percent; and New
Hampshire 26 percent." ... "“It’s the continuation of a pattern that we
first began to see 10 or 15 years ago,” said Jeff Passel, senior research
associate at the Pew Hispanic Center, who has examined the new census data.
“But instead of being confined to areas like the Southeast, it’s beginning
to spill over into some Midwestern states, like Indiana and Ohio. It’s
even moving up into New England.”" ... "Over all, immigrants now make up
12.4 percent of the nation’s population, up from 11.2 percent in 2000.
That amounts to an estimated 4.9 million additional immigrants for a total
of 35.7 million, a number larger than the population of California." (1,
2)
-By Rick Lyman -NYTimes
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Religious
- Election
2006 - 2004
Election - Free
Speech - Law
- Colorado- Maryland
- Montana
- 
Tennessee
- Michigan
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- New
Jersey - 
Minnesota
- California
- "Conservatives
Put Faith in Church Voter Drives: Evangelicals seek
to sign up a new flock of GOP supporters in states with crucial November
races." ... "As discontent with the Republican Party threatens to dampen
the turnout of conservative voters in November, evangelical leaders are
launching a massive registration drive that could help counter the malaise
and mobilize new religious voters in battleground states." ... "The program,
coordinated by the Colorado-based group Focus on the Family and its influential
founder, James C. Dobson, would use a variety of methods — including information
inserted in church publications and booths placed outside worship services
— to recruit millions of new voters in 2006 and beyond." ... "The effort
builds on the aggressive courtship of evangelical voters in 2004 by President
Bush's reelection campaign, even as the Internal Revenue Service has announced
renewed scrutiny of nonprofit organizations, including churches, that engage
in political activities." ... "The program, announced in an e-mail to activists
last week, is seeking county and church coordinators in the targeted states
of Maryland, Montana, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey
and Minnesota." ... "Registering voters in churches is not a new tactic
for either party, but Republicans have proved far more effective in recent
years at combining religion and politics for electoral gain." ... "Critics
say the practice is potentially illegal, citing tax laws that prohibit
churches from engaging in partisan activities." ... "The IRS has launched
a program to crack down on violators, with investigations pending against
dozens of churches." ... "The IRS probe with the highest profile is that
of All Saints Church in Pasadena, one of Southern California's largest
and most liberal congregations." ... "After a priest delivered a sermon
critical of the Iraq war two days before the 2004 presidential election,
the IRS began reviewing the Episcopal church's tax-exempt status. No decision
has been announced." -By Peter Wallsten
-LAtimes
Virginia
- 2006
Election - "Allen
Quip Provokes Outrage, Apology: Name Insults Webb
Volunteer." ... "[Republican] Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) apologized
Monday for what his opponent's campaign said were demeaning and insensitive
comments the senator made to a 20-year-old volunteer of Indian descent."
... "At a campaign rally in southwest Virginia on Friday, Allen repeatedly
called a volunteer for Democrat James Webb "macaca." During the speech
in Breaks, near the Kentucky border, Allen began by saying that he was
"going to run this campaign on positive, constructive ideas" and then pointed
at S.R. Sidarth in the crowd." ... ""This fellow here, over here with the
yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's
following us around everywhere. And it's just great," Allen said, as his
supporters began to laugh. After saying that Webb was raising money in
California with a "bunch of Hollywood movie moguls," Allen said, "Let's
give a welcome to macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of
Virginia." Allen then began talking about the "war on terror."" ... "Depending
on how it is spelled, the word macaca could mean either a monkey
that inhabits the Eastern Hemisphere or a town in South Africa. In some
European cultures, macaca is also considered a racial slur against African
immigrants, according to several Web sites that track ethnic slurs." ...
""The kid has a name," Webb communications director Kristian Denny Todd
said of Sidarth, a Virginia native who was born in Fairfax County. "This
is trying to demean him, to minimize him as a person."" (1, 2)
-By Tim Craig and Michael D. Shear
-WashingtonPost
Ohio
- 2006
Election - Bob
Ney
- Abramoff
- Law
- "Ney's
formal withdrawal sets clearer stage for House race."
... "[Ohio Republican] Rep. Bob Ney's official withdrawal from a southeast
Ohio congressional race Monday was more than a procedural formality." ...
"It ended a week of intense speculation about how and if the embattled
Republican would be replaced on the Nov. 7 [2006 Election] ballot and brought
at least some clarity to the legal fight ahead over his hand-picked successor's
ability to run in his place." ... "Monday's letter from Ney to the controlling
election board in Tuscarawas County, the most populous in the sprawling
rural district, formally ends his bid for a seventh term. It also means
Republican voters, not the leaders of various party committees, will choose
his replacement." ... "When Ney announced his plans to withdraw, he cited
the strain of an intensifying corruption investigation that had focused
for months on his dealings with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Ney denies
wrongdoing and has not been charged." -By David Hammer
with contributions by John McCarthy -AP
via -MercuryNews
Cheney
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Election
2006 - Free
Speech - Law
- Connecticut
- "Demeaning
Democracy: Cheney Paints Lamont Victory As Helping
Terrorists." ... "Vice presidents are notorious for serving as an administration's
chief attack dog, and time and again Dick Cheney has been unleashed to
accuse anyone who is opposed to the Bush administration of aiding the terrorists.
But this time he has gone too far." ... "The comments he made on the result
of the Connecticut Democratic primary - that it might encourage "the al-Qaida
types" who want to "break the will of the American people in terms of our
ability to stay in the fight and complete the task" - are an attack not
just on Democrats, but on democracy itself." ... "What happened in Connecticut
is in fact a model for democracies everywhere. The people of the state
heard a vigorous debate between two competing visions of how to protect
this country. Young citizens became deeply involved, and turnout was high.
The primary reminded us of the miracle of our democracy, in which the nation
is ruled by its people -not by any entrenched set of leaders. There are
few better messages we could send the world in these troubled times." ...
"Cheney's comments about the election were ugly and frightening. They show
once again that he and his party will stop at nothing to wrap Republicans
in the flag and to insinuate that anyone who votes against them is giving
aid and comfort to the terrorists. It's obvious that this administration
lacks basic respect for our fundamental freedoms." ... "Cheney and his
crowd are all for free and open elections - as long as they turn out their
way. They are all for free speech - provided it supports the administration.
They are all for the rule of law - as long as the law does not prevent
them from doing whatever they want to do. When elections, speeches or laws
are inconvenient, he does not hesitate to declare that they are helping
the terrorists. I can think of no graver offense against our democracy."
-By Edward M. Kennedy
-Courant.com
US
- 
British
- Iraq
- Global
- Military
- Intelligence
- 
Airline
- Terrorism
- Religion
- Politics
- Election
2006 - John
Boehner
- Ohio
- "Can
Democrats make case Iraq diverted war on terror?"
... "The immediate domestic political impact of the latest airliner-bombing
plot is to bolster Republican fortunes in the campaign leading to midterm
elections on Nov. 7." ... "Terrorism has been the issue that has kept the
Bush administration afloat since Sept. 11, 2001. The White House and its
Republican allies should benefit at least momentarily from the traditional
rallying effect that helps the party in power in the face of a national
threat." ... "How long that moment lasts will be the supreme test for Democratic
candidates in the coming days. For if Democrats now, with the revelation
of the British-based plot, cannot make the case that the Bush administration
has mishandled the fight against terrorism, they deserve whatever may befall
them 12 weeks from Tuesday." ... "This will not be easy, given Republican
possession of the White House and its bully pulpit and Republican willingness
to demagogue the issue." ... "The British suspects were barely in handcuffs
before House Majority Leader John Boehner was complaining about "Defeatocrats."
Funny, but I don't recall it was Democrats who stood in the way of full
implementation of the recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission." ...
"This isn't about whether you can pack hand cream in your carry-on bag.
This is about how President Bush has squandered manpower and materiel in
the war in Iraq, a conflict that has emboldened radical Islamists and made
their cause more acceptable and recruiting much easier." ... "In his first
public response to the arrest of suspects in Britain, Bush said that uncovering
the plot was "a stark reminder that this nation is still at war with Islamic
fascists."" ... "What Bush did not say was that the continuing war in Iraq
has been a diversion from U.S. leadership in the global war on terrorism."
-By Cragg
Hines -HoustonChronicle.com
Cheney
- Terrorism
- Election
2006 - Connecticut
- 
Nev.
- "Cheney
Accused of Politicizing Terrorism: Senate Democrats
Accuse Vice President Cheney of Politicizing Terror Plot." ... "Senate
Democratic leaders on Friday accused Vice President Dick Cheney of playing
politics with terrorism and contended that voters won't buy Republican
arguments that the GOP is stronger on national security." ... ""They've
run this play one too many times. The American people simply do not recognize
any validity in what they're saying," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid,
D-Nev., said in a conference call with reporters." ... "The vice president
suggested that [Connecticut Democrat] Lamont's victory might encourage
"the al-Qaida types" who want to "break the will of the American people
in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task."" ...
"Reid took issue with the vice president's comments, saying, "This situation
isn't going well and anyone that suggests that the people of Connecticut
are somehow supporting terrorists, I don't think that's credible and that's
what Cheney suggested."" (1, 2)
-By Liz Sidoti -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
Connecticut
- 
Internet
- Election
2006 - Politics
- "Internet,
activists help topple prominent US Democrat." ...
"Fueled by opposition to the Iraq war and anger at President Bush, liberal
grass-roots and Internet activists on Wednesday claimed their most significant
political victory -- the defeat of Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman." ...
"The three-term senator from Connecticut was repudiated on Tuesday by voters
from his own party who chose Ned Lamont -- a relative unknown with a fierce
anti-war message -- to represent Democrats in the November election." ...
""The winner is people-powered politics," declared the Daily Kos Web site,
a sentiment that echoed throughout the liberal blogosphere." -By
Patricia Wilson -Reuters
via -WashingtonPost
United
States - World
- Connecticut
- Military
- Law
- Election
2006 - Politics
- "Revenge
of the Irate Moderates." ... "The rebellion against
Mr. Lieberman [Connecticut Democrat] was actually an uprising by that rare
phenomenon, irate moderates. They are the voters who have been unnerved
over the last few years as the country has seemed to be galloping in a
deeply unmoderate direction. A war that began at the president’s choosing
has degenerated into a desperate, bloody mess that has turned much of the
world against the United States. The administration’s contempt for international
agreements, Congressional prerogatives and the authority of the courts
has undermined the rule of law abroad and at home." ... "Yet while all
this has been happening, the political discussion in Washington has become
a captive of the Bush agenda. Traditional beliefs like every person’s right
to a day in court, or the conviction that America should not start wars
it does not know how to win, wind up being portrayed as extreme. The middle
becomes a place where senators struggle to get the president to volunteer
to obey the law when the mood strikes him. Attempting to regain the real
center becomes a radical alternative." -NYTimes
Tom
DeLay- Texas
- Virginia
- Politics
- Antonin
Scalia
- Election
2006 - "DeLay
on ballot but says he will not run: Texas Republican
Party plans to put forward write-in candidate." ... "Former Rep. Tom DeLay
said on Tuesday he will not run for re-election despite having his name
listed on the ballot in his Texas congressional district." ... "Monday,
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia denied the Texas Republican Party's
emergency request to block a lower court ruling that keeps DeLay's name
on the November general election ballot for the state's vacant 22nd Congressional
District seat." ... "In an effort to keep his seat in Republican hands,
DeLay announced that he was changing his legal residence to Virginia --
a move he said would disqualify him from November's race and allow the
GOP to pick a new nominee." ... "But the district judge, Sam Sparks, ruled
that DeLay in effect withdrew from the race, and Texas law prohibits the
party from replacing a candidate under those circumstances." -By
Dana Bash -CNN
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Intelligence
- Law
- 2006
Election - Nev.
- Pat
Roberts
- 
Kan.
- "Report
on Prewar Intelligence Lagging: Information Democrats
Want Most Might Not Come Out Until After Election." ... "When angry Democrats
briefly shut down the Senate last year to protest the slow pace of a congressional
investigation into prewar intelligence on Iraq, Senate Minority Leader
Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) claimed a rare victory." ... "Republicans called
it a stunt but promised to quickly wrap up the inquiry. Sen. Pat Roberts
(R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which
is overseeing the investigation, said his report was near completion and
there was no need for the fuss." ... "That was nine months ago." ... "The
Republican-led committee, which agreed in February 2004 to write the report,
has yet to complete its work. Just two of five planned sections of the
committee's findings are fully drafted and ready to be voted on by members,
according to Democratic and Republican staffers. Committee sources involved
with the report, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they are
working hard to complete it. But disputing Roberts, they said they had
started almost from scratch in November after Democrats staged their protest."
-By Dafna Linzer -WashingtonPost
Stem
Cell - Health
- Science
- Law
- Government
- Money
- 2006
Election - "Bush
rejects stem cell bill with his first veto." ...
"President Bush issued his first veto in 5½ years in office Wednesday,
rejecting a bill that would have overturned his policy limiting federal
funding for embryonic stem cell research." ... "Bush's veto came in the
face of strong public support for research and bipartisan congressional
backing for the bill." ... "Bush has signed 1,130 bills since becoming
president. Wednesday's veto and legislative action capped years of fierce,
personal debate about science and morality that divided Bush's Republican
Party and is already spilling into the [2006] fall elections." -By
Richard Benedetto and Andrea Stone -USATODAY
Tom
DeLay - Texas- Politics
- 2006
Election - "Judge's
ruling keeps DeLay on ballot." ... "A federal judge
ruled today that Republicans cannot replace former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay
on the ballot for the 22nd Congressional District race." ... "U.S. District
Judge Sam Sparks, a Republican appointee, ruled that DeLay must appear
on the Nov. 7 ballot as the GOP nominee for the congressional seat that
he abandoned last month." ... "Sparks said DeLay could "withdraw'' from
the race under Texas election law, but that still would not allow the Republicans
to replace him on the ballot." ... "If the Republicans lose on appeal,
DeLay will have to decide whether to campaign for an office from which
he already has resigned." -By R.G. Ratcliffe
-HoustonChronicle.com
Illinois
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- 2006
Election - "Out
of the War, Into a Fierce Battle for Congress: Tammy
Duckworth's injuries led her to seek office. She knows the race won't be
easy." ... "Sitting on a couch inside her cramped campaign headquarters,
the Army major seems equally comfortable talking about how she piloted
a Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq as she does her candidacy in one of the
country's most talked-about political races." ... "The life of this 38-year-old
political novice was radically changed in November 2004 when her helicopter
was shot down over Baghdad, leaving her with catastrophic wounds." ...
"As the Democratic candidate running in the Republican stronghold of DuPage
County [Illinois], the loss of her legs and the severe injuries to her
right arm have done more than distinguish her from rivals. The wounds,
which inspired her to enter the public spotlight, underscore some of her
campaign messages — including a desire to hold the White House more accountable
for the nation's military presence in Iraq." ... ""We had steak and lobster
dinners every Sunday, and not enough armor," Duckworth said. "I didn't
go to war expecting lobster. I would have happily exchanged it for better
armor."" ... "Duckworth is among nearly a dozen veterans of the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan who are vying for congressional seats this election
cycle. Many are running as Democrats, and political analysts say they could
help the party obtain a majority in the midterm elections and gain traction
on issues such as national security." (1, 2)
-By P.J. Huffstutter -LAtimes
Gay
- Religious
- Law
- 2004
Election - 2006
Election - "Bush
to Press for U.S. Ban on Same-Sex Marriage." ...
"President Bush is beginning a major push for a constitutional amendment
banning same-sex marriage, part of a new campaign to appease cultural conservatives
who say he and his party abandoned their issues after the 2004 elections."
... "Democrats accused the White House of trotting out a reliable hot-button
issue to help soothe and re-energize disgruntled conservative voters five
months before the midterm Congressional elections. "Everybody's going to
see through it," said Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National
Committee." ... "But, in a new twist this year, some conservative activists
expressed similar cynicism. They said Mr. Bush and the Republicans in Congress
had a long way to go to convince social conservatives that they viewed
the issue as anything but a politically convenient tool that they picked
up only when they needed to motivate their core voters." -By
Jim Rutenberg -NYTimes
2006
Election - Political
- Hacker
- Technology-
"Will
Your Vote Count in 2006? 'When you're using a paperless
voting system, there is no security,' says Stanford's David Dill." ...
"Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the voting booth, here
comes more disturbing news about the trustworthiness of electronic touchscreen
ballot machines. Earlier this month a report by Finnish security expert
Harri Hursti analyzed Diebold voting machines for an organization called
Black Box Voting. Hursti found unheralded vulnerabilities in the machines
that are currently entrusted to faithfully record the votes of millions
of Americans." ... "How bad are the problems? Experts are calling them
the most serious voting-machine flaws ever documented. Basically the trouble
stems from the ease with which the machine's software can be altered. It
requires only a few minutes of pre-election access to a Diebold machine
to open the machine and insert a PC card that, if it contained malicious
code, could reprogram the machine to give control to the violator. The
machine could go dead on Election Day or throw votes to the wrong candidate.
Worse, it's even possible for such ballot-tampering software to trick authorized
technicians into thinking that everything is working fine, an illusion
you couldn't pull off with pre-electronic systems. "If Diebold had set
out to build a system as insecure as they possibly could, this would be
it," says Avi Rubin, a Johns Hopkins University computer-science professor
and elections-security expert." -By Steven Levy 20060529Issue
-MSNBC/Newsweek
Noteworthy
- Voting
Machines - Science
- Hacker
- Politics
- Business
- 2006
Election - 2008
Election - Pennsylvania
- California
- 
Iowa
- "New
Fears of Security Risks in Electronic Voting Systems."
... "With primary election dates fast approaching in many states, officials
in Pennsylvania and California issued urgent directives in recent days
about a potential security risk in their Diebold Election Systems touch-screen
voting machines, while other states with similar equipment hurried to assess
the seriousness of the problem." ... ""It's the most severe security flaw
ever discovered in a voting system," said Michael I. Shamos, a professor
of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University who is an examiner of
electronic voting systems for Pennsylvania, where the primary is to take
place on Tuesday." ... ""This is the barn door being wide open, while people
were arguing over the lock on the front door," said Douglas W. Jones, a
professor of computer science at the University of Iowa, a state where
the primary is June 6." ... "The new concerns about Diebold's equipment
were discovered by Harri Hursti, a Finnish computer expert who was working
at the request of Black Box Voting Inc., a nonprofit group that has been
critical of electronic voting in the past." ... "Aviel Rubin, a professor
of computer science at Johns Hopkins University, did the first in-depth
analysis of the security flaws in the source code for Diebold touch-screen
machines in 2003. After studying the latest problem, he said: "I almost
had a heart attack. The implications of this are pretty astounding."" -By
Monica Davey with contributions by Gretchen Ruethling and John Schwartz
-NYTimes
Oil
- Business
- College
- 2006
Election - Calif
- NY
- "Senate
votes to extend $70 billion in tax cuts." ... "The
Senate voted Thursday to extend $70 billion in tax cuts but heatedly clashed
over whether the plan would continue to boost the economy and create jobs
or would penalize middle-income families in favor of the wealthy and big
oil conglomerates." ... "Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., noted that a person
who earns more than $1 million a year would get a tax break worth $41,977."
... ""Well, you might say, `What does someone who earns $41,000 get back?'
$46. Not even enough to fill up your gas tank in some cases," she said.
"Whose side is the Senate on?"" ... "Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the
chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, noted that Republicans
decided to drop a provision allowing Americans to deduct up to $4,000 in
college tuition costs worth $4.5 billion." ... "Instead, Schumer pointed
out, Republicans included a tax break for oil companies worth $4.3 billion
despite the industry's record profits." ... ""The choice is stark and clear
- big oil or middle-class families," Schumer said. "The Republican Congress
chose big oil and that's why voters want change."" -By
Jill Zuckman with contributions by William Neikirk
-ChicagoTribune via -MercuryNews
US
- Iraq
- 
Turkey
- California
- 2006
Election - Terrorism
- Web
- Photo
- Media
- "Candidate
admits 'stupid' Web error: Conservative [Republican
Howard Kaloogian] uses photo of Turkey, calls it Baghdad." ... "A leading
conservative California congressional candidate who has made support for
the war in Iraq a central issue acknowledged Wednesday that a campaign
Web site photo -- billed as a peaceful street scene taken during his recent
trip to Baghdad [Iraq] -- was actually photographed in Turkey." ... "The
campaign posted the photo from Kaloogian's July trip to Iraq, a mission
dubbed the "Truth Tour" and organized to "tell the American people about
the accomplishments (troops) are making in Operation Iraqi Freedom and
the fight against terrorism,'' according to the tax-exempt group Move America
Forward, a conservative grassroots organization Kaloogian helped found."
... "The caption read that "we took this photo of downtown Baghdad while
we were in Iraq'' which is "much more calm and stable than what many people
believe it to be. But, each day the news media finds any violence occurring
in the country and screams and shouts about it -- in part because many
journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism.''" ... "But
bloggers on the popular liberal Daily Kos Web site revealed the photo depicted
a street scene in Turkey." -By Carla Marinucci
-SFGate.com
US
- Iraq
- Turkey- California
- 2006
Election - Web
- Photo
- Media
- "Photo
by candidate not taken in Baghdad." ... "For weeks,
[California Republican Howard] Kaloogian's campaign Web site featured a
photo of a peaceful city block to help make his case that things are going
well in Iraq." ... "“We took this photo of Baghdad while we were in Iraq,”
the caption accompanying the photo read. “Iraq (including Baghdad) is much
more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be.”" ... "There
was one problem with the photo. It wasn't Baghdad. It was a suburb of Istanbul,
Turkey. " ... "Kaloogian's explanation that it was an innocent mix-up isn't
being bought by bloggers across the nation who uncovered the bogus photo."
... "Some of them believe he's guilty of what he's accused the mainstream
media of doing: slanting the news to fit his own beliefs." -By
Bill Ainsworth -SignOnSanDiego.com
US
- Iraq
- Osama
bin Laden
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- 2006
Election - "Democrats
Pledge to 'Eliminate' Osama." ... "Congressional
Democrats promise to "eliminate" Osama bin Laden and ensure a "responsible
redeployment of U.S. forces" from Iraq in 2006 in an election-year national
security policy statement." ... "In the position paper to be announced
Wednesday, Democrats say they will double the number of special forces
and add more spies, which they suggest will increase the chances of finding
al-Qaida's elusive leader. They do not set a deadline for when all of the
132,000 American troops now in Iraq should be withdrawn." ... "Overall,
the Democratic position paper attempts to make the case that the Bush administration's
"inadequate planning and incompetent policies have failed to make Americas
as safe as we should be."" -By Liz Sidoti
-AP via -Forbes
2006
Election - Texas
- Illinois
- Florida
- Law
- "Primary
voting-machine troubles raise concerns for '06."
... "Problems using voting machines in the Texas and Illinois primaries
this month have reinforced fears that the 2006 elections may be beset with
glitches." ... "More than 30 million Americans will be voting on unfamiliar
equipment this year, after modernization required by the Help America Vote
Act. Congress passed the law in 2002 to address problems stemming from
the 2000 presidential election in Florida." -By Jim
Drinkard -USATODAY
2006
Election - Media
- "Democratic
group targets Senate GOP: Daschle aiding project
to gather, spread criticism." ... "Hoping to strike back at Republicans
who mounted a yearslong effort to oust him from office, former Senate Democratic
leader Tom Daschle is helping raise millions of dollars to form a new political
advocacy group aimed at creating a clearinghouse of opposition-research
information against all Senate Republicans." ... "The project is the first
concerted attempt by Democrats to create a permanent opposition-research
arm focusing on all Republicans." ... "The project's leaders say their
model is the GOP's vast opposition-research campaigns run at the national
and state level, which dig up Democrats' votes and positions on controversial
issues, then use the information as political weapons well before Election
Day." -By Rick Klein
-Boston/Globe
Jack
Abramoff
- Money
- 2006
Election - Illinois
- "Abramoff
scandal sends waves across Washington." ... "Lobbyist
Jack Abramoff's guilty plea in a U.S. corruption probe sent shock waves
across Washington on Wednesday as top Republicans sought to avoid being
tainted by the scandal and Democrats pressed the issue." ... "President
George W. Bush and House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois
were among Republicans who donated to charity campaign contributions they
had received from Abramoff, while Democrats said the issue would loom large
in November's congressional elections." (1, 2)
-By
Andy Sullivan with contributions by Steve Holland, Donna Smith, Susan Cornwell
and Rick Cowan -Reuters
US
- Mexico
- US
Immigration - 2006
Election - Politics
- Police
- Worker
- Tucson
- Arizona
- "Bush
revives immigration reform push: Switching priorities,
he only touches on guest-worker plan." ... "President Bush promised a renewed
push for changes in immigration law Monday, reversing the priorities he
had set out nearly two years ago by emphasizing tougher border enforcement
and mentioning his controversial guest-worker program almost as an afterthought."
... "Bush joins several congressional Republicans in Congress, including
several likely presidential candidates, who intend to make an overhaul
of the nation's immigration laws a priority heading into the 2006 midterm
elections." ... ""Illegal immigration is a serious challenge," Bush told
a gathering of border enforcement officials in Tucson [Arizona]. "And our
responsibility is clear. We are going to protect the border."" -By
Carolyn Lochhead -SFGate.com
Virginia
- New
Jersey - 2006
Election - 2008
Election - "Today's
elections a test for national GOP: Democrats seek
a boost for 2006." ... "Voters in races across the country today will put
the Republican Party to its most significant test since President Bush's
reelection, with Democrats looking to grab momentum in governor's races,
mayoral campaigns, and ballot initiatives that could lead them to bigger
gains in 2006's midterm congressional elections and the presidential race
in 2008." ... "Coveting a badly needed political victory, Bush used his
own clout last night for today's races by heading straight from a five-day
Latin American summit to a rally for Jerry Kilgore, the GOP's gubernatorial
candidate in Virginia. The campaign is widely considered a toss-up between
Kilgore and Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine, a Democrat, in a state Bush
carried by 8 percentage points a year ago." ... "In New Jersey, Senator
Jon Corzine, a Democrat, is favored to claim the governor's office, but
his lead over Republican businessman Doug Forrester has narrowed in recent
days, giving Forrester's party hope of taking a state that Senator John
F. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, claimed in his run for president last
year." -By Rick Klein
-Boston/Globe
US
- Iraq
- Lewis
Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- Intelligence
- Politics
- 2006
Election - "Ex-Cheney
aide pleads not guilty in CIA leak case." ... "Vice
President Dick Cheney's former top aide [I. Lewis Libby Jr.] pleaded not
guilty Thursday to five criminal charges of lying to or impeding investigators
in the case of the leaked identity of a covert CIA agent whose husband
was a prominent critic of the Iraq war." ... "It was left unclear when
a trial - in which Cheney and other top officials might be called to testify
- would begin. But chances appeared considerable that it would unfold over
several weeks next year, which is a midterm election year in the United
States, giving Democrats a prime opening to assail the Bush administration's
handling of Iraq war intelligence." -By Brian Knowlton
-IHT.com
- 
- "Sandra
Day O'Connor announces retirement: Conservatives
hope to use opportunity to shift Supreme Court further to the right." ...
"The retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, the nation's first woman Supreme
Court justice, presents President Bush and his social conservative supporters
with the best opportunity in 14 years to significantly shift the court
further to the right." ... "But with recent efforts by White House officials
to float the possible nomination of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales it
remains unclear whether Bush will view the opening on the high court as
an opportunity to reward social conservatives for their votes in 2004 or
to reach out to Hispanic voters in 2006 and 2008 by appointing a Hispanic
to replace her." -By Warren Richey with contributions
by Linda Feldmann -CSMonitor
Arizona
- Gay
- "Arizona
Initiative Seeks Gay Marriage Ban." ... "A campaign
is under way to put a proposed constitutional amendment before voters next
year that would prohibit same-sex marriages and bar state and local governments
from giving legal status to any unmarried couple." ... "The drive puts
Arizona among at least a dozen states considering 2006 ballot measures
on the marriage issue. All 11 states with constitutional bans on the ballot
in November approved them." -By Paul Davenport
-AP via -Guardian.co.uk
Texas
- Tom
DeLay
- Connecticut
- "[Connecticut's
Republican Representative Christopher] Shays: DeLay Should Quit As House
Leader: GOP Congressman Tells AP That Texas Rep.
Tom DeLay Should Step Down House Majority Leader." ... ""Tom's conduct
is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and
it is hurting any Republican who is up for re-election," Rep. Chris Shays,
R-Conn., told The Associated Press in an interview, calling for DeLay to
step down as majority leader." ... "A moderate Republican from Connecticut
who has battled with his party's leadership on a number of issues, Shays
said efforts by the House GOP members to change ethics rules to protect
DeLay only make the party look bad." ... ""My party is going to have to
decide whether we are going to continue to make excuses for Tom to the
detriment of Republicans seeking election," Shays said." (1, 2,
3)
-By Lou Kesten with contributions by Lolita C. Baldor
and Suzanne Gamboa -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
