Daily Briefing: 'Conveys flexibility without being flexible'
•House Republicans concerned "DeLayeffect" will spoil chances in '06.Ney, Pombo, Feeney, Taylorare targeted by liberals;Shays: "Some of the most conservative of my constituents are asking, 'What's going on down there?'" [ WP ]
•9/11 Commission members seek detailed status check of security agencies.Kean: "There are a lot of our recommendations that have not been implemented." [ NYT ]
•North Korea apparently ready to talk with administration about its nuclear program. [ NYT ]
•Congressional agenda is in "disarray." [ LAT ]
• Biden, Edwardsbreak fromDean.Biden: "I don't think he speaks for the majority of Democrats. . . I wish that rhetoric would change." [ WP ]
•Many East Asian diplomats worriedRumsfeldis making China an enemy by treating it as an enemy. [ WSJ ]
• Riceout of step with Pentagon regarding North Korea. [ WP ]
•Energy bill may not make it toBush. [ WSJ ]
•First-term lawmakers are increasingly influential; seeObama, Thune, Salazar, Schultz. [ USAT ]
• Laura's comments two weeks ago about democracy in Egypt are still reverberating through the Middle East. [ NYT ]
• Rehnquistretirement watch: when? [ USAT ]
• Voinovich, on the verge of tears. Senator gets emotional aboutBolton: "My emotions are a little bit closer to the surface than maybe they should be." [ NYT ]
•Critics question ifHadleyis too nice and too accommodating toRice, Cheney.Gelb: "He's intellectually forceful without being rhetorically forceful. He's a guy who conveys flexibility without being flexible." [ LAT ]
•Business-friendly regulations for cars that run on ethanol have actually increased gas consumption.Waxman: "It's a special-interest provision that benefits the automobile manufacturers, based on a pretense." [ WP ]