Daily Briefing: Bush Defends DeLay, VNRs, Self
•Senate approves ANWR drilling, 51-49; rejects additional funding for Amtrak, 52-46, and pay-as-you-go plan, 50-50. [ WP , WSJ , NYT , LAT , WT , LAT , USAT ]
• Bush, at presser, notes "progress" in fight over Social Security, mentions possibility of "progressive indexing."Bush: "I have confidence inTom DeLay's leadership and I have confidence inTom DeLay." [ WP , WSJ , NYT , USAT , WT ]
• Bushoptimistic and confident at news conference: "I've got a lot to do. And I like to make decisions, and I make a lot of them."McClellan: "He wants to do more press conferences," probably monthly. [ LAT ]
• BushnominatesWolfowitz, "compassionate, decent man," to lead World Bank; alters line of succession at Pentagon. [ WP , WSJ , NYT , LAT , LAT , USAT ]
•Nod toWolfowitzdisturbs Europe. [ WP ]
•House approves $81.4b for Iraq, Afghanistan in landslide 288-43 vote. [ WP , NYT ]
• Bushdefends distribution of video news releases: "This has been a longstanding practice of the federal government to use these types of videos." [ NYT ]
• Kevin Martin--hard on indecency, soft on regulation-- nominated to head FCC. [ WSJ , WP ]
• Chertoffopens DHS to full-scale review: "Old categories, old jurisdictions and old turf will not define our objectives. Bureaucratic structures and categories exist to serve our mission, and not to drive it." [ WP , NYT ]
•Republicans introduce car metaphor to Social Security debate. [ WP ]