Daily Briefing: 'Massive' Effort
• Bush's approval rating down to 42% in NYT/CBS poll, with substantial doubts about Social Security and Iraq; approval of Congress at 33%; and 61% say country is headed in the wrong direction. Respondent: "It's all a political thing and they're forgetting the basic needs of the people." [ NYT ]
•Republicans look for alternative solution for Social Security in hopes of claiming any victory; White House pins failure on Democrats. [ WSJ ]
•Administration watered-down G-8 report on global warming. [ WP ]
•Senate presses environmentally friendly provisions in energy bill. [ WP , NYT ]
• Bushassails Iranian election, tells Iranian people that "the people of America stand with you." [ WP , NYT , USAT ]
• Fristsets vote onBoltonfor Monday. [ WT ]
•White House pushes back tax code reform for two months. [ NYT ]
• Durbindefends comments about Gitmo: "If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime... that had no concern for human beings." [ WP ]
• Fristsays his comments onSchiavowere not a medical "diagnosis." [ WP , LAT ]
• Conyersleads panel discussion about Downing Street memo: "We now know the truth." [ NYT ]
• Reps. Jones Jr. (R-N.C.), Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), Kucinich (D-Ohio), Paul (R-Tex.)produce a resolution to withdraw troops from Iraq. [ WP , LAT ]
• Bushstarts "massive education effort" ahead of Medicare revamp. [ WP , NYT , USAT ]
•House expects to pay $45b for Iraq, Afghanistan next year. [ USAT ]
•Conservatives actively promotingKlein's book onHillary. [ NYT ]