House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi on Sunday is scheduled to address the Israeli Knesset -- the country's parliament. Mrs. Pelosi will be the highest-ranking American women to speak at the Knesset.

In her first speech to a foreign government, the speaker said she will discuss America's commitment to Israel and the challenges facing the two nations in the Middle East.

Mrs. Pelosi and a bipartisan congressional delegation arrived today in Israel, where they will meet with the prime minister, deputy prime minister, and foreign minister in the upcoming days.

-- Sean Lengell, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Who could make a room full of conservatives stand up and applaud the recipient of a "God, I Hate America" award?

Michael S. Steele, that's who.

At the Media Research Center's annual "Dishonor Awards" banquet last night, a crowd of about 1,000 red-meat conservatives offered a standing ovation to Mr. Steele as he -- tongue firmly in cheek -- "accepted" the dubious award for Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of the New York Times.

Mr. Sulzberger's recent commencement speech, in which he railed against the Iraq war, secured him the "dishonor."

For his part, Mr. Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland who lost a U.S. Senate bid last year, won more applause when he described himself as a "proud, black, Catholic, conservative Republican" and announced that he will be a candidate again.

"There are still some Democrats out there I haven't ticked off yet," he said to even more applause.

But he kept it real too, noting the Republicans' loss of majorities in the House and Senate in the wake of several congressional scandals last year.

"Voters gave us the keys in the 1994, and they took them back briefly in 2006," Mr. Steele said. "I want those seats back."

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

A Fishwrap spy informs us that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) accidentally voted for the Democratic budget this afternoon.

The spy said Boehner staffers got calls during the vote wondering why their boss was the only Republican supporting the majority party's plan, which he had derided as "the largest tax increase in U.S. history."

Boehner quickly corrected the situation and the Democratic budget passed 216-210, with the Republican proudly voting "nay."

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

A truly embarrassing moment for House Minority Leader John Boehner at today's Congressional Medal of Honor ceremony honoring the Tuskegee airmen.

During his short speech to those in attendance, Boehner six times mispronounced the group's name as the "Tusk-E-gee,'' eliciting audible groans from the front to the back of the Capitol Rotunda. One woman standing in front of me leaned to her companion and whispered, "This is so embarrassing, and he's from my state."

Perhaps making matters worse, almost all of Boehner's speech focused on the general accomplishments of American forces in World War II, paying little direct respect to those in the room.

As if to remove any doubt about the verbal kerfuffle, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took the stage and began his speech by pronouncing the group's name correctly, while making a clear, if passing, glance in Boehner's direction. Immediately afterward, the entire crowd broke into applause at the correction.

-- Eric Pfeiffer, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Senators Sam Brownback, Kansas Republican, and Mary Landrieu, Louisiana Democrat, today announced the reintroduction of the Brownback-Landrieu Human Cloning Prohibition Act, which bans human cloning.

The bill prohibits human somatic cell nuclear transfer -- the process by which a human close is created.

The bill doesn't ban medical procedures to assist a woman in becoming or remaining pregnant, doesn't interfere with gene therapy, nor ban DNA, cell or tissue cloning -- outside of cloned human embryos.

"Human cloning is an affront to the most basic level of respect for human life and dignity," Brownback said. "Through the process of human cloning, human beings are reduced to commodities and spare parts."

Added Landrieu: "Human cloning is like an unmarked and unchecked interstate system, with researchers racing as fast as they can with few restrictions. Creating human life simply for the purpose of destroying it through experimentation is immoral, unethical and should be illegal."

The legislation, which the senators have unsuccessfully introduced in past years, includes provisions for enforcement penalties, including a criminal sentence of up to 10 years, and civil fines of at least $1 million.

The bill has 28 original co-sponsors.

-- Sean Lengell, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has made misleading statements when explaining the firing of eight federal prosecutors, his former chief of staff told a Senate committee this morning in sworn testimony.

"I don't think the attorney general's statement that he was not involved in any discussions about U.S. attorney removals is accurate," said D. Kyle Sampson, who is testifying voluntarily today before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Gonzales said in a March 13 press conference that he "was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions about what was going on."

Mr. Sampson resigned the day before Mr. Gonzales' press conference.

Mr. Sampson said he and Mr. Gonzales discussed the firings "before he became the attorney general, when he was the attorney general-designate in January of 2005 … then from time to time, as the process was sort of in a thinking phase through 2005 and 2006."

"The credibility of the attorney general on this issue has been more or less shattered by what happened in that hearing room," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, during a midday briefing with reporters.

"His chief of staff contradicted what the attorney general said on repeated, important questions," Mr. Schumer said.

E-mails released in last week have shown that Mr. Gonzales attended a Nov. 27, 2006, meeting in which the firings were discussed, causing Mr. Gonzales to clarify his earlier statements.

But Mr. Sampson said that he and Mr. Gonzales had "at least five" conversations about the firings.

"I spoke with him every day," Mr. Sampson said.

Mr. Schumer asked Mr. Sampson if Mr. Gonzales had seen documents related to the firings, and Mr. Sampson said he did not remember giving any to the attorney general.

Mr. Sampson defended the firings themselves, saying they were "properly made but poorly explained" and said he resigned because he felt "honor bound to accept my share of the blame for this problem."

Mr. Sampson also said he advised Mr. Gonzales to circumvent the Senate's confirmation process for U.S. attorneys, using a portion of the U.S. Patriot Act that was inserted in the law's 2006 renewal.

"That was a bad idea," Mr. Sampson said. "I did advocate that idea at times ... It was never adopted by the attorney general. It was rejected by the attorney general. He thought it was a bad idea."

The Senate and House both voted overwhelmingly last week to eliminate the attorney general's power to appoint interim U.S. attorneys with open-ended terms.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

The Senate's emergency supplemental bill for funding the war in Iraq is packed with pork -- at least $20 billion in non-military earmarks by some estimates. But when Sen. Jim DeMint noticed a provision tucked in the bill to provide $40 million in aid the Christmas tree industry, the South Carolina Republican had enough.

So during debate in the Senate this morning on the bill, the senator introduced a point of order to strike the piney pork item from the bill, saying it violates "Rule 16" of the Senate's standing rules regarding non-germane items attached to bills.

"It's outrageous to spend millions for Christmas trees and ornamental shrubs on a war supplemental," DeMint said.

DeMint's effort was voted down, 57 to 41.

-- Sean Lengell, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

"This episode has been personally devastating to me and my family, and it's my hope that I can come up here today, and share with you the information that the committee and the Congress wants, and frankly put this behind me and my family," said D. Kyle Sampson, former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, in his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary committee this morning.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, promised Mr. Sampson he will be in for a long day of questioning on what he knows about the firing of eight federal prosecutors last year.

"Maybe no one has anything to hide and everyone acted honorably, but it sure is hard to come to that conclusion based on the events of the past seven weeks," Mr. Schumer said. "Given the unbroken stream of mishaps, missteps and misstatements, the burden has shifted. It is now arguably up to the Department of Justice to show it behaved well, not for us to show that it behaved badly."

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

The video of Karl Rove rapping at the TV and Radio Correspondents Dinner last night is up on YouTube.

Don't know which is funnier -- Rove hamming it up or David Gregory trying to dance to rap.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

When Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware) apologized for his appearance during a Senate floor speech this evening, busy scribes here in the press gallery looked up in curiosity.
The presidential hopeful, indeed, was wearing unusual garb for debate on an amendment related to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He was in a tuxedo, he explained, because he tonight is attending a congressional dinner and did not expect to be outlining his bill at such a late hour.
-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

All the senators debating the war supplemental are calling Barack Obama "Mister President."
No, it's not an unprecedented bipartisan endorsement of his 2008 candidacy from everyone in the chamber. The Illinois Democrat is sitting in the president's chair, acting as Senate president pro tempore.
But what's more fun for Obama, elected to the Senate in 2004, is that none of his Democratic rivals for the nation's top office will get the pleasure of being called "Mister President" (Or Madam President, for that matter) on the Senate floor.
Why? He's the most junior of all his colleagues running for president, and the freshmen and sophomore senators are given the mundane task of running floor procedure.

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

So this is why dozens of guys in big hats were hanging out in the Senate reception room today. We just got the following press release.

In its third year, the National Day of the American Cowboy, introduced in the Senate today by U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, recognizes cowboys and cowgirls as a significant part of our nation's history.

"The National Day of the American Cowboy has gained a tremendous following thanks to the work of non-profit organizations, country music stars, and folks around the country who want to honor cowboys and cowgirls contributions to our nation's history," Thomas said.

"I'm pleased to continue efforts to recognize cowboys and cowgirls for their spirit, grit, and determination -- particularly in Wyoming and the West.

A Senate resolution to recognize the third-ever "National Day of the American Cowboy" slates July 28, 2007 as the day of celebration. The plan is to seek the fourth Saturday of July to be celebrated as part of the history of our nation.

President Bush has offered his support both in 2005 and 2006 for the National Day of the American Cowboy.

In a Presidential Message Thomas read at Cheyenne Frontier Days, the President said, "The cowboy is an American icon that holds a cherished place in our Nation's history. Our past is filled with wonderful stories of cowboys who embodied the finest American values of daring, discipline, and patriotism."

Senator Thomas was originally approached about the recognition day for cowboys by Sheridan-based American Cowboy magazine, which launched a campaign in 2004 to seek recognition for cowboys and cowgirls.

Senator Thomas drafted legislation in early 2005 to recognize the first day. An effort was subsequently launched by the National Day of the Cowboy Organization to build support for the day.

A number of events for the public good, including through education, the arts, and community activities have been jump-started by the organization.

The organization touts the day as one set aside by the United States Senate to pay homage to our Cowboy and Western heritage, as well as to honor working cowboys and cowgirls, rodeo athletes, western musicians, cowboy poets, western artists, ranchers, and all others who continue to contribute to the cowboy and western culture in America today.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, in addition to his letter to the White House today, has also sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales about the fired federal prosecutors probe.

The letter inquires about Justice Department officials who Mr. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, wants to testify before his committee.

"We have learned that Monica Goodling has taken a personal leave of absence from the Department and we have been informed by her counsel that she will invoke the Fifth Amendment's privilege against self-incrimination in a criminal matter," Mr. Leahy wrote.

Ms. Goodling is Mr. Gonzales' chief counsel.

"Is Ms. Goodling still employed by the Department of Justice? What is the employment status of Michael Battle, Michael Elston and William Mercer with the Department of Justice? Please inform the Committee of those employees who have separate counsel," Mr. Leahy says.

Mr. Battle is the director of the executive office for United States Attorneys. He was the one who called seven of the eight prosecutors in December and told them of their dismissals.

Mr. Elston is chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty. Mr. Mercer is acting associate attorney general.

Mr. Leahy added a handwritten note to Mr. Gonzales at the bottom of the letter, scribbling, "Could I have an answer before Thursday's hearing?"

He is referring to the hearing tomorrow where Mr. Gonzales' former chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, is scheduled to testify under oath.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

Congressional Democrats leading a probe into the firing of federal prosecutors sent a letter to the White House today, seeking to negotiate over access to documents and accusing President Bush's chief counsel of not communicating with them.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, Vermont Democrat, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr., Michigan Democrat, have requested that the White House turn over some documents related to the firing of eight federal prosecutors last year.

"The White House documents to and from the Department of Justice and with third parties, such as Republican state party officials, should be provided without delay," Mr. Leahy and Mr. Conyers write.

The Democrats say that while they do not think "internal" White House documents should be withheld from disclosure, they are willing to negotiate about those documents at another time.

"Recognizing we have a dispute over those documents should not delay the committees receiving the other documents that you indicate you are willing to provide," says the letter, which is posted on the House judiciary website.

The letter also says that recent developments -- e-mails showing that Mr. Gonzales may have known more than he has previously said and the announcement that a top Justice official will refuse to testify -- "magnifies the need for a prompt, thorough and fair investigation."

"When we met recently, each of us agreed to continue to talk and to keep the lines of communication open. Nevertheless, we have not heard from you," Mr. Leahy and Mr. Conyers wrote.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

The Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative House Democrats, announced today it was formally endorsing their party's budget proposal.

In past years the Blue Dogs often had rejected the Democratic budget proposal, opting to draft their own more conservative version.

But Blue Dogs say this year they're pleased with the almost $3 trillion budget for fiscal year 2008 crafted by House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. John Spratt, South Carolina Democrat, particularly because they say it includes no new taxes.

"When you offer an alternative it's because you don't like what's put forth before you," said Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas and coalition co-chairman. "If there was a single penny of new taxes in the Democrats budget, the Blue Dogs wouldn't have supported it."

The coalition says Mr. Spratt's budget proposal includes several other vital accomplishments, including: balancing the budget by 2012; providing adequate funding for the military and defense matters; and providing more money for children's health care programs, law enforcement and community block grants than President Bush's budget proposal.

"This budget demonstrates that the Democratic Party is the party of fiscal responsibility," said Blue Dog Rep. Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota.

The House today began debate on the budget. A vote is expected tomorrow.

-- Sean Lengell, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

"I would say to him: Calm down with the threats. There's a new Congress in town."
-- Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.), describing the message she would give President Bush when extending to him a "hand of friendship."

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

A massive peace symbol has sprouted on the lawn in front of the west steps of the Capitol.

A U.S. Capitol Police officer deduced that anti-war activists carefully sprinkled fertilizer to create the slightly darker green shape on the lawn.

"That's one of the smartest things I've seen the protesters do," the officer said.

-- S.A. Miller, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met today with Grammy winning singer Sheryl Crow to tout his breast cancer research bill.

It's not the first time Reid (D-NV) has had famous rock stars in his office.

Last year, U2's Bono was wooing the leader to boost support for poverty and AIDS awareness as well as international genocide prevention.

Crow, herself a breast cancer survivor, offers hope to the nation with her "star power," Reid said.

"As a breast cancer survivor, and someone who cares deeply about women's health, I want answers to the question of what causes breast cancer and how to prevent it," Crow said, adding that Reid's bill will help provide those answers.

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Democratic plans to spend money on extra lawyers from a private D.C. law firm shows that Congress is going to "investigate, not legislate," the White House said this morning.

"If they are going to spend $25,000 a month to hire a private law firm in Washington D.C., it's only further evidence of what their intentions are ... I think it's to investigate, not legislate," said White House spokesman Dana Perino at a morning briefing.

"Not a penny of that is going to go towards anything that the American people want the Congress to be working on," Mrs. Perino said.

Mrs. Perino was responding to a report in the Washington Times that House Judiciary Committee John Conyers Jr., Michigan Democrat, plans to spend up to $225,000 over nine months to bring in more lawyers to his committee.

The contract, with Arnold & Porter, is specifically for help with the committee's probe into the firing of eight federal prosecutors last year.

But Rep. Henry A. Waxman, California Democrat, said he could not recall ever hiring outside lawyers to help in his many investigations as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

"We usually rely on staff," he said.

The House judiciary committee includes close to 30 paid staff positions, not including the many subcommittee staff members.

A spokesman for Mr. Conyers had not responded to multiple requests for comment.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

Call it the girl power trifecta.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) is getting three boosts today among women voters, who already favor her over any other Democratic presidential candidate.

The National Organization of Women is poised to endorse her 2008 candidacy.

Clinton's campaign is offering supporter and female tennis legend Billie Jean King up in a telephone conference call dubbed the "Women's Power Lunch" this morning.

Also, one-time female vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro sent an e-mail through the Clinton campaign today, urging contributions before Saturday's big fundraising deadline.

"Hillary is poised to break the biggest glass ceiling of them all," Ferraro said. "We can do it. We can make history and elect the leader America needs. Let's tell Hillary we've got her back."

"It's hard to believe that in the decades since I was the first woman nominee for vice president, with all the progress we've made, no other woman has been able to get so far," she continued. "But now's the time."

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

John Boehner, House Republicans' leader, was shouted down by union employees this morning when he used President Bush's key argument for continuing to fight the war in Iraq. The workers at the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Department conference erupted into jeers when Mr. Boehner told them the United States must fight in Iraq so it's not "fighting them here on the streets of America."

In trying to calm the crowd, he only made them angrier when he acknowledged the disagreement but said the fight was coming "and if we don't fight them now, when will we fight them?"

The union members that make up the building and construction trades were the backbone of the blue collar Reagan Democrats, and to have lost them so resoundingly should worry Republicans hoping to maintain the White House and recapture Congress.

Following Mr. Boehner on the speaker's platform, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards drew a loud standing ovation when he challenged Mr. Bush on the war: "It's time to ask the president to be patriotic about something other than war," Mr. Edwards said.

Joining Mr. Edwards to address today's conference are most of the Democrats running for president. No Republican candidates are expected to speak.

-- Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times

"This is a new thing for the president. You know, he doesn't veto things. In six years, he had one veto and that was on stem cell research basically because he always got everything he wanted." -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), on President Bush's increased veto threats since Democrats took over Congress in November.

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Sen. Jim Webb asserted today he has a right to defend himself in the face of terrorist threats but declined to comment about his aide's arrest for carrying a loaded gun into the U.S. Capitol.
The Virginia Democrat, a freshman who has been in office since January, described the arrest as "enormously unfortunate" but did not apologize.
"It's important for me personally and for a lot of people in the situation that I am in, to be able to defend myself and my family. Since 9/11, for people who are in government, I think in general there has been an agreement that it's more, a more dangerous time," Webb told reporters. "I'm not again, I'm not going to comment again with great specificity about how I defend myself, but I do feel that I have that right."
Phillip Thompson, a longtime friend of Webb's and an aide to the politician since he began his campaign a year ago, was arraigned this afternoon on the charge of carrying a pistol without a license and being in possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition. He was arrested following the incident Monday morning and released yesterday from jail on the promise to return May 1 to D.C. Superior Court, according to press accounts.
U.S. Capitol Police detained Thompson, a former Marine, after a bag he carried into a Senate office building was found to contain a loaded handgun and two fully loaded magazines.
Webb explained he was in New Orleans when Thompson was arrested and said, "I did not give the weapon" to him.
He declined to get specific, but mentioned that three cars "were being moved about because of my trip and that is probably a reason this inadvertent situation developed."
"He's a fine individual," Webb said. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. I think this is one of those very unfortunate situations where completely inadvertently he took the weapon into the Senate yesterday."
When asked, Webb said, "I have never carried a gun in the Capitol complex."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada declined to comment, but said, "I'm confident everyone recognizes that he made a mistake."
Webb noted that Congressional leaders and members of the executive branch get protection units, adding: "We are required to defend ourselves, and I choose to do so."
During Webb's campaign against Republican Sen. George Allen last year, the National Rifle Association told its 100,000 Virginia members that it strongly endorsed Allen with an "A-plus" rating, even though Mr. Webb has an "A" rating from the gun rights group.
He insisted today he supports Virginia's gun laws as "fair," and said, "Wherever you see laws that allow people to carry, generally the violence goes down."
-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill reporter, The Washington Times

Never thought I'd see the day where the Democratic National Committee would praise President Bush in an effort to hit John McCain. But that day has arrived. In an email to supporters, the DNC calls today a "bittersweet anniversary" for McCain's presidential campaign, noting that it was exactly five years ago that Bush signed into law the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill.

Calling the bill one of Bush's "signature legislative accomplishments," the DNC says McCain is "backing away from the reforms he once championed," by considering forgoing matching public funds for his campaign and, "cozying up to the donors he once blasted."

"Given how quickly he's abandoned his signature issues and principles its no wonder that conservatives suspect John McCain won't let anything get in the way of winning," said DNC spokesman Luis Miranda in the email.

Two immediate points come to mind. First, let's strip away the notion that the DNC is looking out for McCain or the electoral desires of the Republican's conservative base. Offering "advice" to the other side is something both parties do regularly, but it doesn't make their insights anymore intellectually honest. Secondly, there is a fair argument to make that McCain has backpedaled to some extent by expressing a willingness to forego the same CFR rules he helped usher into law. But those reforms were supported by a number of 2008 Democratic presidential aspirants, including Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, both of whom have also indicted their willingness to bypass public spending limits.

-- Eric Pfeiffer, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Blogger NZ Bear has a copy of the actual Senate Iraq War Supplemental bill. You can view it here, along with a complete list of all the pork included.

-- Eric Pfeiffer, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

At first glance, the fundraising e-mail from comedian, former radio host and Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken seems pretty typical.

"Dear friend," it starts, going on to state the importance of Saturday's money deadline.

"I'll be honest: I need your help just as much as anyone else. And I'm hoping that you'll choose to support my campaign (or, if you've already made a contribution, consider doubling your commitment) because that early support will show the chattering class (not to mention my opponent) that I'm serious," the former Saturday Night Live star says in touting his candidacy to challenge Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008.

"But I'm also asking for your money because, frankly, we could use it. Even a small contribution can make a big difference," he continued.

For example, $25 pays for phones that can be used to fundraise. Or ... "$50 buys us pizza for a volunteer shift."

It goes on to outline the need for and cost of Blackberrys, computers and gas to campaign across Minnesota.

It closes with: "$2300 pays our rent for a month. Or, I suppose, buys us a whole lot of phones and pizza."

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Rudy Giuliani likes guns.
No, really. In fact, he apparently likes them so much that he's willing to reinterpret the Constitution to protect gun owners. During an appearance on Sean Hannity's radio program, a caller asked Giuliani to clarify his stance on firearms:
"I support the First Amendment right to carry and bear arms," Giuliani said.
OK, OK, it's the Second Amendment if you want to be a jerk about it, but who's counting?
-- Eric Pfeiffer, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Last week, I mentioned some of the pork barrel highlights from the House Iraq War supplemental bill. Today, Dean Barnett congratulates some early winners of the "pork lottery" in the Senate's Iraq supplemental:

$2.1 billion for crop production losses

$1.5 billion for livestock production losses

$100 million for Dairy Production Losses

$24 million for funding for sugar beets

$20 million for insect infestation damage reimbursements in Nevada, Idaho, and Utah

$3 million in funding for a single Hawaiian sugar cane co-op

As Barnett points out, this is a bill that is supposed to be about funding the troops. Although I think you have to at least respect the semantic consistency of including $1.5 billion in pork for the loss of, well, pork.

-- Eric Pfeiffer, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

If the White House coffeemaker keeps accurate count, I am currently drinking the 8,696th cup of coffee here in the White House press corps.

The $1,000 Pony Espresso machine was a gift to the White House press corps by movie star Tom Hanks. Mr. Hanks donated the machine last summer after touring the temporary press quarters across the street from the White House, and seeing that there was no adequate coffee maker.

The machine is too expensive to keep supplied with coffee packets, however, and the White House Correspondents Association has decided not to take the machine with them when they return to their regular offices in the White House sometime this summer.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

News that Tony Snow's cancer has returned has cast a pall over the White House press corps.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino broke down into tears when she delivered the bad news at the traditional off-camera briefing.

Afterward, one reporter who is one of the Bush administration's toughest questioners sat in the press room and called it "a very painful moment."

"We need some good news around here," said another reporter as he walked out of the room.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

Sen. Hillary Clinton did more than get former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack's endorsement yesterday in Des Moines.

The press conference was held at an elementary school, and before the New York Democrat left she stopped into the library.

According to a Clinton aide, the former First Lady read high school graduation gift favorite "Oh, The places you'll go" by Dr. Seuss to the tikes.
-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

293
That's how many days are left until the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus, according to this handy Web site, which also ticks off the hours, minutes and seconds until the important 2008 contest.
-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

White House spokesman Tony Snow has cancer again, a White House spokeswoman said this morning.

"It is hard news for us," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, who broke down into tears as she briefed reporters after getting off the phone with Mr. Snow.

The cancer has metastasized and spread to Mr. Snow's liver, Mrs. Perino said.

Mr. Snow underwent surgery yesterday for a growth in his abdomen. Doctors did not know, prior to the surgery, if the growth was cancerous.

Mr. Snow has beat colon cancer once already in 2005.

"He is in consultation with doctors on chemotherapy treatments," Mrs. Perino said. "He is going to be going after it as hard as he can."

"He says he's going to beat it again," said Mrs. Perino.

She said Mr. Snow spoke to President Bush around 7 a.m.

Mr. Snow was in good spirits this morning, she said, and was giving her talking points over the phone.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

The White House says spokesman Tony Snow is "resting comfortably" after having an unidentified growth removed from his abdomen this afternoon, but did not share the nature of the growth.

"We have heard from Tony's doctor and can say that Tony is resting comfortably. We don't have further details to share at this time," said Tony Fratto, one of Mr. Snow's deputies at the White House, just after 8 p.m.

Mr. Fratto had first said, just before 8 p.m., that the White House did not have any news about Mr. Snow's surgery, and that they had been told "not to expect news" until the morning.

Mr. Snow, who survived a bout with colon cancer two years ago, was scheduled to go under the knife at 1:30 p.m. today, to remove a small growth in his lower abdomen. The nature of the growth was not known.

Scans had revealed nothing cancerous in the growth prior to Mr. Snow's announcement Friday that he will be out for a few weeks as he recovers from surgery.

Mr. Snow did not reveal where he was undergoing surgery.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) says that more than 25 percent of America's ground-based missile defense silos were wiped out last year by flood waters:

"The flooding occurred during a three-week period between the end of June and early July 2006 when Fort Greely, Ala., received several inches of rain. Fort Greely and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California house the nation's only Missile Defense Agency interceptor missiles. The flooding damaged 25% of the U.S. interceptor missiles' launch capability. These silos house the interceptor missiles that would be used to attempt to intercept a missile aimed at the United States. No interceptors were in the flooded silos."

Here's a Google map look at Fort Greely.

And more bad news from POGO for fiscal conservatives:

"Boeing, the contractor that is at least partly responsible for failing to protect the silos, will most likely still receive an estimated $38 million to repair the silos and a $100 million no-bid contract to build more silos. Boeing would also receive a $7 million award fee added to the contract."

-- Eric Pfeiffer, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Iowa Democrat Ray Walton is leaning toward supporting John Edwards in next year's Hawkeye State caucus, but not necessarily for the former senator's positions or platform.

Edwards had been scheduled to attend a function at Walton's Indianola home last week. The two men have met a few times but Walton doesn't know him personally. So he was surprised when his cell phone rang and the North Carolina Democrat was on the other line.

Edwards told Walton that his wife, Elizabeth, had received an "unsettling" medical report and he had to fly back home at the last minute and scrap the Iowa event.

As the week's events unfolded, the Edwards family revealed Elizabeth's breast cancer had returned but the couple reaffirmed a commitment to the presidential campaign.

"We thought he handled it so well," Walton told this Fishwrapper earlier today. "If I had been in that situation I would have passed it off to staff, or I certainly wouldn't have called myself. It was an awfully nice thing to do on a day when he had a lot of stress in his life."

Further, Walton thought the Edwards announcement revealed the couple has "grace and dignity and presence."

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

The Sunlight Foundation has released a new report claiming that congressional Web sites do not provide much in the way of useful information for constituents. Want to know what committee a member sits on, who's giving them money or what junkets they take? You're mostly out of luck, at least according to this report.

Using the above mentioned criteria, a 100 point-scale was used to rate the congressional Web sites. A "passing grade" was 40. The average score? 29.

From the findings:

"Just four Members (Senators Bill Nelson and Jon Tester, and Reps. Kirsten Gillibrand and John Doolittle) post their daily schedules, including who they're meeting with on their official, taxpayer-supported Web sites."

"Only Rep. Jim Cooper and Rep. John Culberson offer lists of the earmarks they've requested."

"Meanwhile, 499 congressional Web sites failed to provide basic information on what the member does in Washington, from providing the
name or names of committees served on to the bills they sponsor."

The White House said this morning that e-mails released Friday night are "not inconsistent" with what Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has said about his involvement in the firing of eight federal prosecutors.

E-mails released by the Justice Department Friday night show Mr. Gonzales met with other top officials and aides about the firings on Nov. 27, about 10 days before seven of the prosecutors were informed of their dismissals.

Mr. Gonzales said in a March 13 press conference: "I never saw a document. We never had a discussion about where things stood."

Mr. Gonzales also said that day that he was "not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions about what was going on. That's basically what I knew as the attorney general."

Justice spokespersons have said Mr. Gonzales' March 13 statements indicated that he was not involved in Justice discussions for almost two years prior to the firings.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino this morning backed up the Justice Department on this claim.

Mr. Gonzales, Mrs. Perinos said, "doesn't recall being involved in any deliberations leading up to the final decision."

"That meeting as I understand it was the final decision," Mrs. Perino said.

The White House pointed to a statement by Mr. Gonzales in an interview with CNN on March 14, the day after the press conference.

"I was aware of some conversations that were occurring with the White House. They were providing some input about the process, but I relied upon my chief of staff. I had confidence in my chief of staff to drive that process forward to vet names throughout the Department and, obviously, when decisions were made or recommendations were made to me, I did sign off on those names," Mr. Gonzales said.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

D. Kyle Sampson, former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, is set to testify before a Senate committee on Thursday.

Mr. Sampson resigned earlier this month and is testifying voluntarily.

The Senate Judiciary Committee hopes to learn more about what happened at the Justice Department leading up to the firing of eight federal prosecutors last year.

Mr. Sampson's former boss, Mr. Gonzales, has said he knew little about the firings, and indicated that Mr. Sampson worked unilaterally within Justice, without notifying superiors of important details.

Mr. Gonzales has said this lack of communication caused inaccurate testimony to Congress by Justice officials.

Mr. Sampson will give his side of the story on Thursday.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

Sen. Hillary Clinton looked a little panicked this morning when at the close of her live Iowa health care forum on "Good Morning America," ABC anchor Robin Roberts told the audience that after a break, "Hillary is going to sing."

Perhaps she was flashing back to this moment, captured on video and promptly posted on YouTube.

But the New York Democrat and presidential hopeful feigned relief when learning that the upcoming vocals would actually be coming from pop star Hillary Duff.

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

House Republicans produced this video to try and illustrate what they have been saying in recent weeks, that Democrats are micromanaging the troops in Iraq from Washington.

It was chosen as YouTube's political video of the day and already has been watched 4,700 times.

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

Sen. John F. Kerry applauded the House Demcorats for passing today a plan for all U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq by September 2008.

"It's time for Congress to take the steps that President Bush has been unwilling to take to resolve Iraq's civil war," said Mr. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat who lost the 2004 presidential race to Mr. Bush.

Mr. Kerry is the original co-sponsor of similar legislation pending in the Senate.

"The House vote today is an important step forward and I wish the president was willing to get tough with the Iraqis instead of threatening a veto and questioning the patriotism of Democrats and Republicans who are brave enough to stand up for a new policy," he said.

Mr. Bush today said he would veto the bill, which he condemned as "politcal theater" that undermined the war effort.

S.A. Miller, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

White House spokesman Tony Snow yesterday gave an emotional response to Elizabeth Edwards' announcement that her cancer has returned.

Today Mr. Snow said it was more than just his previous fight with cancer that moved him.

"In a recent series of CAT scans and PET scans and MRIs, we have found a small growth in my lower abdomen," Mr. Snow said. "Blood tests are negative, PET scans are negative. But out of an aggressive sense of caution, I'm going to go in for surgery on Monday and have it removed."

Mr. Snow said he would out of his job "for a few weeks," and that deputy White House spokeswoman Dana Perino would be the regular administration mouthpiece until he returns.

Mr. Snow was first diagnosed with colon cancer just two years ago, in February 2007. His colon was removed and he underwent chemotherapy for six months.

President Bush brought Mr. Snow on as spokesman last year, in April 2006.

Mrs. Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, announced yesterday that her cancer has returned, in an incurable but treatable form.

Mr. and Mrs. Edwards said his campaign for president will move forward, prompting Mr. Snow yesterday to, in his own words, get "choked up."

"When you're seeing Elizabeth Edwards saying, 'I'm going to embrace life and I'm going to move forward, that is a wonderful thing," Mr. Snow said today. "Once you decide that you're going to embrace life, you become a much better patient. And once you decide that you proceed with a sense of hope and optimism, people are going to rally to your side, and they do."

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

Republicans' latest prop: the pig.

The Senate GOP is about to start a press conference to rip into pork spending they say is embedded within the Demcorats' war spending plan and budget.
The visual -- money growing on a tree, complete with a piggie in the circle where the dead president would go.

"In spending we trust," and "OINK! OINK" are emblazoned on the bills.

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times

The White House this morning firmly rejected Sen. Arlen Specter's proposal that top administration officials testify in public before Congress.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said the Bush administration is standing by its offer -- Congress can interview Karl Rove and Harriet Miers in private, with no oath and no transcript.

"Our position has been we have a position. That's it," Mr. Snow said. "We are looking for a yes to the president's position."

Mr. Specter, Pennsylvania Republican, spoke with White House counsel Fred F. Fielding yesterday, and floated the idea of public testimony without an oath.

Bill Plante, of CBS News, asked Mr. Snow what the Democrats' options were.

"If they want to cave they can just call?" Mr. Plante said, drawing laughter from reporters and a wry smile from Mr. Snow.

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times