Daily Briefing: Ramp-Up to Crisis
• Powelloffered "frank" opinions toChafee, HagelaboutBolton; said nominee is smart but problematic.Bush: "I urge the Senate to put politics aside and confirmJohn Boltonto the United Nations." [ WP , NYT , WT , USAT , USAT ]
•Senate inches closer to nuclear showdown as two controversial judicial nominees are approved by the Judiciary Committee.Schumer: "We're in the ramp-up to a great constitutional crisis." [ WP , NYT , LAT , WT ]
•House approves 1,000-page energy bill; nominal support of alternative fuels and conservation. [ WP , NYT , LAT ]
•Former colleague saysBoltonexaggerated his involvement in 2003 speech on North Korea. [ LAT ]
• Grassleyon Social Security: "I'm going to put together a Republican-only bill as a first step to getting bipartisan support because I can't lose time waiting for the Democrats to come to the table." [ NYT ]
• Greenspancalls federal budget "unsustainable": "Unless that trend is reversed, at some point these deficits could cause the economy to stagnate or worse." [ NYT ]
•Senate unanimously approves additional $81b for Iraq, Afghanistan, tsunami victims. [ WP , NYT ]
• Negroponteconfirmed as DNI, 98-to-2. [ NYT , WT ]
•Some religious groups criticizeFristfor participation in upcoming telecast: "Elected officials should not be portraying public policies as being for or against people of faith." [ NYT ]
•Republicans question who paid for a tripPelositook in 2001. [ WT ]
• Scaliasays partisanship over judges is "unprecedented." [ USAT ]