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Eva Longoria (originally aired November 19, 2005)
- Hardball: China, Iraq
- Weekend Update: House debate, Woodward testimony, Alito statement
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| > | Bush Press Conference. Some of the topics include:
- Asia Trip. President George W. Bush left on a weeklong trip to Asia on November 14; he will visit Japan, South Korea, China and Mongolia. A transcript of a November 16 speech about freedom is on-line here. National Security advisor Stephen Hadley discussed the trip in a November 10 press briefing on-line here.
- Rep. Murtha Comments. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania), who served in the Marines in Vietnam, criticized the U.S. presence in Iraq as destabilizing and as prolonging the insurgency in a November 17 speech (on-line here) and called for the United States to announce before the December 15 election in Iraq that the United States would redeploy its forces. "I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis," Murtha said. "I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy. All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free. Free from United States occupation."
Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), who was recently elected to fill a vacancy, criticized Murtha on November 18, citing a letter from a Marine in Iraq and implying that Murtha was a coward. Schmidt's comments sparked a heated debate in the House of Representatives about the withdrawal of troops. The House voted late Friday 403-3 against a measure calling for immediate withdrawal. Notably, Murtha himself did not vote for immediate withdrawal; he said in his November 17 speech that he would redeploy troops "consistent with the safety of U.S. forces" and still maintain a smaller presence.
President George W. Bush has linked U.S. withdrawal to the status of Iraq military training and forces. Bush has said several times during the summer that U.S. troop withdrawals would occur only once Iraqi forces were prepared to defend themselves (see this August 24 speech on-line here) for an example).
- Bush Approval Ratings. President George W. Bush's approval ratings have declined to their lowest level in recent months, as tracked by the Gallup organization. Since late July, Gallup polls have shown more people expressing disapproval of Bush's handling of the presidency than approval; polls taken from November 11 to 13 show 60 percent disapproval and 37 percent disapproval. The following graph is based on Gallup data:
Polls also show that that less than half of the American people agree with statements that Bush is trustworthy and honest or that Bush can manage the government effectively.
| | > | Weekend Update. Some of the topics include:
- House Debate. As noted above, the House of Representatives had a heated debate on November 18 following comments by Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) implying that Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) was a coward for calling for a withdrawal from Iraq. The House voted late Friday 403-3 against a measure calling for immediate withdrawal. Notably, Murtha himself did not vote for immediate withdrawal; he said in his November 17 speech that he would redeploy troops "consistent with the safety of U.S. forces" and still maintain a smaller presence.
- Woodward Testimony. Washington Post assistant managing editor and reporter Bob Woodward gave testimony on November 14 as part of the investigation by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald into the potential leak of an undercover CIA agent's status. Woodward testified that he had learned from a White House source in June 2003 about Valerie Plame's status, weeks before Plame's husband, Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, published an op-ed piece critical of the Bush administration, according to a piece by Woodward (on-line here). The testimony appears to change the chronology of events leading to the July 14, 2003 column by Robert Novak in which Plame was publicly identified as a CIA agent and raises questions about the completeness of Fitzgerald's investigation. However, it arguably does not effect the October 28 indictment of I. Lewis Libby on charges relating to Libby's alleged lies about what he told reporters and when he learned about Plame's status.
- Halliburton. An audit board supported by the United Nations recommended on November 4 that the United States repay up to $208 million to the Iraqi government related to charges by Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root, which has handled troops' logistical support needs in Iraq and has worked on the reconstruction of Iraq's oil industry. Work to substantiate these charges is ongoing, but the International Advisory and Monitoring Board recommended resolution given the significance of the amount in dispute and the time that additional work is taking.
- Alito Statement. A 1985 job application by Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. that was recently released by the Ronald Reagan presidential library (on-line here) is likely to be a centerpiece of the upcoming hearings on the Alito nomination. In the job application, Alito included a statement of principles in which he expressed his conservative philosophy and expressed pride in his role arguing against abortion rights and affirmative action.
Regarding his philosophy, Alito wrote: "I am and always have been a conservative and an adherent to the same philosophical views that I believe are central to this [Reagan] Administration. It is obviously very difficult to summarize a set of political views in a sentence but, in capsule form, I believe very strongly in limited government, federalism, free enterprise, the supremacy of the elected branches of government, the need for a strong defense and effective law enforcement, and the legitimacy of a government role in protecting traditional values. In the field of law, I disagree strenuously with the usurpation by the judiciary of decisionmaking authority that should be exercised by the branches of government responsible to the electorate."
Regarding abortion and affirmative action, Alito wrote: "Most recently, it has been an honor and source of personal satisfaction for me to serve in the office of the Solicitor General during President Reagan's administration and to help to advance legal positions in which I personally believe very strongly. I am particularly proud of my contributions in recent cases in which the government has argued in the Supreme Court that racial and ethnic quotas should not be allowed and that the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."
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By Stephen Lee
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