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Sen. Larry Craig Tells Staff He'll Resign Saturday

August 31, 2007 5:37 PM

Sen. Larry Craig told his staff he intends to announce his resignation tomorrow, according to a Senate Republican source. "It's over," the source said.

During what was described as an emotional conference call with his staff at about 4:30 this afternoon, the senator apologized to his staff and maintained that he is innocent and will work to clear his name, the source told ABC News. The call lasted for about 15 minutes.

His announcement will be made at 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time at the Historic Boise Train Depot.

Pressure has been mounting on Craig to resign after news broke of his arrest in an undercover sting operation in an airport men's room. Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on Aug. 8 but has maintained that he did nothing wrong.

Republican leaders have launched investigations into the matter and Republican senators have publicly called on Craig to step down.

August 31, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (88)

Snow Steps Down, Perino Steps Up

August 31, 2007 3:16 PM

ABC News' Jennifer Duck reports: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow announced Friday is is leaving the White House on September 14th. 

Snow said, "Cancer has nothing to do with this decision."  Snow was diagnosed with colon cancer and had his colon removed in 2005.  A reoccurrence of cancer appeared in his lower abdomen in March, and Snow completed chemotherapy treatment two weeks ago.

Snow explained he simply "ran out of money," and his White House job doesn't provide the salary he made in prior years as a FOX News anchor and conservative pundit. 

President Bush said he "sadly" accepts Snow's decision to leave his post, telling the press: "...it's been a joy to watch him spar with you.  He's smart, he's capable, he's witty. He's capable of -- he's able to talk about issues in a way that the American people can understand."

The President thanked Snow's family.  "They have watched a man they love take on a big job, and at the same time, fight disease -- with a lot of courage.  And so I accept, I love you, and I wish you all the best."

Snow thanked the President saying, "I've had an enormous amount of fun and satisfaction, and I'm proud to be working for you, and will continue, after I leave, working for the White House, to speak out about issues I care about."

Bush had kind words and a hug for Snow's replacement Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino, telling the press, "I'm not worried about her standing here at the podium.  What I look for in somebody like Dana is somebody who will walk in that Oval Office and give me sound judgment and good advice.  And I have found that over the course of the time I've known her she's capable of doing that.  And she's also capable of running the shop that she'll be in charge of."

Snow also praised his colleague, saying Perino is very capable of filling his shoes, something she has done while Snow had surgeries and chemotherapy treatments.

Perino, who is almost a foot shorter than Snow, used a hidden step within the podium to step up and respond to Snows comments, "He mentions filling shoes, and I've said before, he leaves very big shoes to fill, and I only wear a size 6." 

Snow said he will still be involved in politics and plans to look at book proposals and give speeches on his experiences -- both his professional experiences and his experiences battling cancer.

This news comes on longtime Bush adviser Karl Rove's last day at the White House.  Josh Bolten reportedly told staff members to let him know by Labor Day if they were leaving.  A number of staffers haven stated their decision to leave the White House, including Rove and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

August 31, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (2)

Clinton Campaign Distances from Fugitive Fundraiser

August 31, 2007 2:21 PM

ABC News' Kate Snow reports: With Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu now facing jail time in California, Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign is racing to put some distance between the Senator and the former fugitive.

The campaign is making plans to give twenty-three-thousand dollars donated by Hsu to Clinton's campaigns and political action committees to a charity for Iraq war veterans, Clinton campaign spokesman Phil Singer said.

New invitations are being printed for a fundraiser scheduled for late September in Woodside, California, which Hsu was originally supposed to host.

"His event was cancelled," said Singer.

Hsu turned himself in at San Mateo County Superior Court on Friday.  California authorities said they had been looking for him for years after he skipped a sentencing hearing for a 1991 grand theft charge.

While he was on the lam, Hsu was busy raising money for many Democratic causes and candidates, including 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and current presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Other Democratic campaigns are also returning money tied to Hsu.

Obama's campaign has also said it will give the money donated by Hsu to charity.

Hsu was -- to use campaign parlance -- a "bundler."  He often gathered donations from friends and associates. That practice is common among all campaigns and is not unique to Clinton. 

On Clinton's campaign website, there is still a photo of Hsu on a list of so-called "Hillraisers" -- donors who have pledged to raise at least $100-thousand dollars for the campaign.

Singer said Hsu's photo will not be removed since, for better or worse, he was an active donor and "Hillraiser." 

"If we were to take his name off we would be re-writing history," Singer said.

August 31, 2007 in Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (12)

Craig Aide Says Business as Usual

August 31, 2007 12:45 PM

ABC News' Ronna Waldman reports: Despite reports today quoting anonymous 'GOP sources" that embattled Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho., will resign Friday, his aide says the Senator will return to Washington, D.C. next week to continue his work as best he can, Craig's Idaho press secretary tells ABC News.

If that plan changes, the media will be notified, the aide said.

Pressure is mounting on Craig to resign after news broke of his arrest in an undercover sting operation in an airport men's room. Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on Aug. 1 but has maintained that he did nothing wrong.

Republican leaders have launched investigations into the matter and Republican senators have publicly called on Craig to step down.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Craig's conduct "unforgivable," the AP reported Friday. The GOP Senate Leader acknowledged many caucus-members are pushing for Craig to step down.

"We have acted promptly to begin the process of dealing with this conduct," McConnell told the AP. "We will see what happens in the coming days."

August 31, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (46)

Elizabeth Edwards Responds to Mommy Wars

August 31, 2007 10:29 AM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: According to TIME magazine's "Swampland" blog, Elizabeth Edwards yesterday responded to a question about the Good Morning America piece on the controversy over the mommy wars.

After a house party attendee referenced the GMA spot at a house party in Bow, New Hampshire…

"...Elizabeth explained how she and her husband had decided to pull the children out of school to be home-schooled, how they determined which campaign trips to bring them along on, and when to leave them at home, how her own nomadic upbringing as a military brat taught her that a classroom isn't the only place to get an education. Her argument began as one of practicalities and logistics. But as she talked, you could see the indignation rising. Again.

"There are people serving in Iraq right now who are not with their children at all," she said, "The very idea that you have to put your child on a school bus and that you have to have cookies and milk on the table every afternoon in order to be a good parent denigrates all of their parenting and is completely and totally unfair.

She added: "The choice we had to make was a very public choice, but the choice didn't belong to the public. The choice belongs to us." At that point, the crowd--about 60 people, many of whom had told me that they are undecided how to vote in the primary--erupted into applause. "Around the country, every place that I've gone, people who have been in the same shoes that I've been--sadly--have all made the same choice, to live, to embrace the things they care about.

"She did, in fact, call me a 'terrible mother,' which I thought might have been going a little far," Elizabeth concluded. "But you put yourself out there in the public light, and you're going to get that stuff, and you have to let it roll off your back. But it's a little bit hard when they talk about mothering."

August 31, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (5)

Mrs. Obama Crosses Pond for Cash

August 31, 2007 10:03 AM

ABC News' Jonathan Greenberger Reports: John Kennedy said he was the man who accompanied his wife, Jacqueline, to Paris, but it seems in this campaign potential first ladies are going it alone.

Michelle Obama, aspiring first lady and wife of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., will travel to London in mid-October to attend two fundraisers in support of her husband's presidential bid.

While it's not entirely unusual for candidates to seek support from Americans abroad (Diana Kerry, the younger sister of Sen. John Kerry, served as Chair of Americans Overseas for Kerry in 2004), it's not all that often that candidates or their spouses actually travel across the pond to enrich their campaign coffers.

There is no prohibition against it, however, as long as the people giving money certify they are "not a foreign national who lacks permanent resident status in the United States."

Obama spokesman Bill Burton says the scheduled fundraisers are simply a reflection of the support Obama receives from around the world.

"Given the enthusiasm from Americans abroad, this is an opportunity for those folks to be a part of this effort," says Burton.

The fundraisers are scheduled for the 5-star Landmark Hotel in central London on Monday, Oct. 15.

According to the invitation, the main reception is at 7:00 pm, but bundlers who raise $23,000 from friends and family will receive an additional invitation to a VIP Pre-Reception.

August 31, 2007 in Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (105)

Bush to Announce New Policy on Home Financing

August 30, 2007 10:56 PM

ABC News' Jennifer Duck reports: President Bush will make a statement in the Rose Garden Friday at 11:10 am on home financing.

A senior administration official tells ABC News the President will outline new policy to help the recent subprime mortgage fallout.

"The President will discuss a number of initiatives and reforms intended to help homeowners with subprime mortgages keep their homes," a senior administration official said.

Bush is expected to call on Congress to pass reform legislation that would give the Federal Housing Administration the flexibility to assist mortgage holders with subprime mortgages.

"He will discuss his willingness to work with congress in a bipartisan way on legislation to reform the tax code to help troubled borrowers rework their loans," the official said.

Bush is also expected to call for rigorous enforcement of laws against predatory lending.

August 30, 2007 in Vote 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (1)

Fred Thompson to Run in '08

August 30, 2007 2:22 PM

ABC News' Christine Byun reports: After a summer of "testing the waters," former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., will formally announce his intention to run for president via webcast on Sept 6th, Thompson political director Randy Enwright confirmed on a conference call to supporters Thursday.

Thompson will follow the announcement with a five-day visit to early primary states: New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina.

After a visit to Florida beginning Sept.13, there will be a "welcome home" party in Thompson's hometown of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee on Sept. 15th.

Thompson, a former 'Law & Order' actor, formed the "Friends of Fred" committee at the beginning of June with offices in McLean, Virginia and Nashville, Tennessee.

However Thompson left everyone wondering when he would officially jump into the '08 race.

Rumors pegged his announcement earlier this summer around the Fourth of July holiday. However that announcement never came.

The status of the campaign-in-waiting, staff shakeups, and less-than-expected fundraising numbers left many wondering whether Thompson waited too long and lost his momentum.

Thompson's summer-long venture into a possible candidacy also invited a liberal activist-blogger to submit a complaint with the Federal Election Committee, accusing Thompson of skirting election laws for raising more money than needed for the testing-the-waters phase.

However, as a non-candidate, Thompson has been able to maintain GOP top-tier status in national polls -- placing second at 16 percent behind Rudy Giuliani's 31 percent in the most recent Gallup poll.

His staffing has gone through a myriad of growing pains and various shufflings. Some staffers reportedly left because of chain-of-command issues, specifically with Thompson's wife, Jeri.

In late July, the "Friends of Fred" Chief Operating Officer and defacto manager Tom Collamore exited and Bill Lacy, who helped Thompson win a Tennessee senate seat in 1994, was pulled in from Kansas to staff headquarters in McLean, Virginia and take over the organizational reins.

In the last couple of days, Communications Director Linda Rozett was replaced with Todd Harris, a former McCain 2000 campaign spokesperson. From an internal letter, Lacy explained that they needed someone with more campaign experience and Rozett's exit was one of the "tough decisions to make our venture successful."

August 30, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (38)

Romney on the Run

August 30, 2007 1:27 PM

USA Today's 'On Politics' Blog Reports: If you like your presidential candidates hot and sweaty, Republican Mitt Romney's new TV ad may be just the thing for you.

Called "Leadership," it shows Romney running -- quite fast -- as the narrator talks about his work managing the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, his career as a business executive and his time as Massachusetts governor.

Watch the ad HERE.

The message: He has the "energy and experience to turn around Washington."

There's a clever touch at the end. When the camera zooms in on Romney's sweaty face, he delivers the "I'm Mitt Romney, and I approved this message" line and then speeds off.

The Romney campaign says the ad is going on the air today in Iowa and New Hampshire.

August 30, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (4)

(Re)Introducing John McCain

August 30, 2007 10:09 AM

ABC News' Bret Hovell Reports: Do you know John McCain?  His presidential campaign wants to make sure you do.

McCain's presidential campaign has released a video biography of the senator, which includes video of McCain being interrogated while a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

In a note to supporters, campaign chairman Rick Davis offered a sneak peak of the video that runs nearly 12 minutes, and includes interviews with his wife, Cindy McCain, and his 95 year old mother, Roberta McCain.

The video is intended to reintroduce McCain, R-Ariz., to an American public with whom he has lost some support in recent months.  Once considered the front runner for the Republican nomination, McCain's standing in polls has slipped in part because of his support for the unpopular war in Iraq and comprehensive immigration reform.

The campaign also released a companion 60-second version which you can view by clicking here.

August 30, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (4)