Daily Briefing: Drunk With Power
• SantorumtellsDeLayto "lay out what he did and why he did it."Shays: "I don't thinkTom DeLayis going to survive."McCain, meanwhile, opposes filibuster ban: "I think that there's a problem with a slippery slope." [ WP , LAT , LAT ]
•Reduction of American forces in Iraq expected. [ NYT ]
•Democrats, taking page fromGingrich, call Republicans "drunk with power, overreaching on issues... ethically challenged, and profoundly out of touch."Slaughter: "The apex of it wasSchiavo." [ NYT ]
•Administrationreallydoesn't care about polls.Brownstein: "In their eyes, mass opinion doesn't matter as much as the attitude of the voters motivated to turn up on election day. . . That meansBushand his party can survive ratings with the general public that might sink other presidents." But, "Bushcan lead just his party, or transcend it to lead the country." [ LAT ]
• Bolton's "combative style" and "commitment to hard-line foreign policies" will be controversial issues at today's hearing. [ WP ]
•OnBush's iPod (a gift of the twins, managed by aideBlake Gottesman): George Jones, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney;Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" is a favorite. [ NYT ]
•Administration sets aside $3m for democracy-building in Iran. [ USAT ]
• Sharonmeets withBushtoday in Crawford. [ USAT ]
• Negroponteurged to quickly "let people know he's in charge." [ NYT ]
•Senators funnel millions from military bill to state interests. [ WP ]
•Investigation ofAbramoffworries connected lawmakers. [ NYT ]
•Niche political advocacy ads go mainstream. [ WSJ ]