August 30, 2007
Hotline After Dark -- Craig's List
Still lots of Larry Craig talk last night:
CNN's Bash: "Privately, influential Idaho Republicans tell CNN they think Craig will be forced to step down. ... Several Idaho Republican sources say Craig's problems here are compounded because many supporters are already angry about his stance on immigration" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 8/29).
ABC's Stephanopoulos: "No one I spoke to in Washington today thinks Senator Craig can survive this. The top Republican leaders have decided he just has to go. They don't want another scandal" ("World News," 8/29).
NBC's Myers: "Republicans clearly are trying to force Senator Craig out of the Senate. The leadership has stripped of his committee assignment and Republican colleagues are now demanding his resignation" ("Nightly News," 8/29).
MSNBC's Olbermann: "Larry Craig last night endured a fate politically worse than becoming a convict. He became a punch line" ("Countdown," 8/29).
NBC's Viqueira: "Someone's going to come forward angered by Craig's denial and say I have had sexual relations with this man, if, in fact, he's lying. I'm not saying he is or isn't. But rumors being what they are, that's the fear here among Republicans" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 8/29).
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), asked if Craig should resign: "I think we have done so far what's appropriate. I don't we know all of the details. I saw Senator Craig yesterday say that he had not done anything wrong and that he shouldn't have pleaded guilty to resisting arrest. The leadership team has already called on this matter to be sent to the Ethics Committee to clear up what has actually occurred. And also today we did ask that he step aside from his ranking committee positions while this is being resolved. And I think based on what we know now that is appropriate. It's s very unfortunate situation, very sad and very serious. And I think we had to pay very close attention to it as we work on finding out what really went on."
More Lott: "I am shocked and I am disappointed at ... this turn of events ... but I also have learned the hard way that before you jump to conclusions or call on people to do one thing or another at least know all of the facts and ... take advantage of an opportunity to hear what ... really happened" ("Money & Politics," Bloomberg, 8/29).
CALLING FOR CRAIG TO RESIGN
John McCain sat down with CNN's J. King:
Asked if his new ad is saying the others aren't fit to be commander-in-chief: "No. ... But the fact is that I think that I am the most experienced and the most prepared. And my family, long generations of service to this country. And I'm proud of that. But I am the most prepared and most experienced and ready to serve."
Asked about John Warner's idea to start with drawing troops: "It is a bad idea, a terrible idea. And I will fight it every step of the way. John Warner and I are very close friends, but that sends the signal to al Qaeda and the bad people in Iran -- in the neighbor -- in the region that we are leaving. And that is not our position. Our position is we are going to succeed."
On Larry Craig: "I believe that he pled guilty and he had the opportunity to plead innocent. So I think he should resign." More: "My opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime then you shouldn't serve. And that is not a moral stand. That is not a holier-than-thou. It is just a factual situation. I don't try to judge people. But in this case it is clear that it was disgraceful."
Asked if he'll take matching funds: "If we make that decision -- and I guess we will have to fairly soon, I have never won a campaign on the basis of money. I've won campaigns because I can out campaign everybody else. And I can do that in the nomination and I can do that in the general election. You get coverage and earn media by going out there and working on a campaign, having the town halls meetings, doing the kind of things that are necessary to win campaigns. So it's not going to be money that win or loses any campaign of mine" ("Situation Room," CNN, 8/29).
ALSO GETTING THE CRAIG QUESTION
And Chris Dodd was in the "Situation Room":
On Larry Craig: "I've never agreed with Larry Craig on much. I mean, we don't serve on any committees together. I don't know him terribly well. But I must say -- I think the Republican leadership obviously has to fulfill its own responsibilities, but I at least want to give him a chance to hear his side of the story here. I don't know all the facts here. I've been reading a bit about it, not that much. I'd like to see all the information come out before deciding you're going to absolutely believe one side of this. Again, I'm a Democrat. He's a very conservative Republican. We don't agree on much, but give him a little space here to defend himself -- that's my reaction to it."
On Edwards saying Congress shouldn't fund Iraq without a timetable: "I wish John were back in the Senate here to be of some help to us on these issues here. And it's sort of easy to sit out in the country here making these pronouncements."
On the firefighters endorsement: "I think it's both past and future. I've worked with them. ... These are great people. The firefighters are probably the most respected public servants in America. They're trusted. They're people of deep values. They serve their communities well. And I'm deeply honored to be associated with them. ... But also something else about them here. They didn't sit around and decide that whoever was winning today was going to be their choice. They said, it's not about who's winning today, but who ought to win. It's not about who is leading in the polls today, but who should be leading our country. And so they're not motivated by polls. They weren't four years ago with John Kerry. He was at four percent in the polls."
More: "When are the national media going to start recognizing that winning the poll in August does not guarantee what's going to happen in January or February?" (CNN, 8/29). [EMILY GOODIN]
Posted at 09:15 AM
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