January 31, 2007
Hotline After Dark -- Deciding The Decider's Fate
Who decides who's the decider? That debate played out on TV last night:
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), on saying Bush is not the sole decider: "I didn't give him a slap. What I did was articulate the principle of the Constitution" ("Situation Room," CNN, 1/30).
CNN's Henry: "The White House seems unfazed by the latest comments from Senator Specter, other lawmakers in both parties challenging those war powers" ("Situation Room," 1/30).
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), on Dems who are now critical of Iraq: "These are some of the same people that told us we ought to go into Iraq in the first place."
On Dems who voted for the original Iraq resolution: "To me, it was obviously foolish and didn't make sense. And, so, those who voted for it made a mistake, as most of them have admitted. That doesn't mean they can't do the job in the future. But I think it's an important test of judgment, whether somebody realized that Iraq clearly was not the right move in the fight against those that attacked us on 9/11. And that has to be factored in when you consider somebody for the office of president of the United States" ("Situation Room," CNN, 1/30).
NBC's Gregory: "What we're really in the middle of though now is not just a legal battle, but a political battle. And I think Russ Feingold said it when he said this is a question of Congress's will and there are not even enough Democrats who have coalesced around the idea of cutting off funding to really oppose the surge or the war in general" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 1/30).
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): "The simple fact of the matter is that the policy of this country needs to be decided. That decision is made by the government, by the Congress and by the president" ("NewsHour," PBS, 1/30).
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX): "I don't think our founding fathers really believed that 535 members of Congress could micromanage a war. That's why we have a single commander-in-chief" ("NewsHour," PBS, 1/30).
I WILL DECIDE
Pres. Bush sat down with ABC's Stark. The net released a full transcript of the interview, portions of which aired across all ABC platforms:
Asked if his political capital is diminished: "The president's always got a pretty loud microphone and is able to get things done. But no question, the dynamic has changed and that the Congress has changed and that I'm going to be dealing with new leadership. And I've still got my friends in the Republican Party with whom I will work, but I've got a new group of leaders to work with, the speaker and the leader of the Senate. I'm looking forward to doing the best I can to work with them for the good of the country. And I hope they feel the same way."
On working with the Dems on the budget: "Hopefully, you know, they're not going to try to raise taxes. I'm going to work hard to make sure they don't. I've got a veto that will prevent them from raising taxes" (1/30).
RIGHT BACK AT YOU
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) was on "Hannity & Colmes" and was asked about a liberal bias in the media: "You're biased; you won't even let me talk" (FNC, 1/30). [EMILY GOODIN]
Posted at 07:19 AM
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