Blue Radar

As I post each morning, here are some of the political stories thatmight not be worthy of their own posts, but are nonetheless newsworthy:

• AP: Bush approval rating at 35%.  Congress approval rating at 25%.  Support for the war at 39%.
• The White House insists that General Petraeus will indeed testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee in September, contradicting rumors that the White House would not only write his assessment but testify for him as well.
• The number of US troops in Iraq this fall could reach 171,000 -- a new record.  This would put troop levels higher than what Bush promised before the surge began.
• Congressman Chip Pickering (R-MS) will retire from Congress in 2008 and plans to work in the K Street lobbying industry.
• In an analytical piece posted last night, John Nickols of The Nation made the case why Dennis Hastert, who will retire in 2008, will go down as the worst House Speaker in American history.  Here is an excerpt: "Even as Hastert prepares to exit Congress, the threat posed by hisapproach to the speakership continues. That threat is rooted in theprospect that he has created a model for House leadership -- or thelack thereof -- that will be reasserted at future moments when thelegislative and executive branches are under the common control of asingle party."
• Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT) is asking Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine to investigate whether Alberto Gonzales perjured himself during his last testimony.  If he did, then a special prosecutor may be called.
• With John Edwards pulling staff out of Nevada, Bill Richardson is attempting to fill that political vacuum by "expanding its Nevada campaign operation," reports The Hill magazine.  Nevada is will hold its vote just several days after Iowa, and right before New Hampshire.
• Rhetorically speaking, GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is sounding a lot like John Edwards: "There are a lot of people who are working harder than they everworked, they’re staying at best even. But their cost of health care,their cost of fuel, their cost of college education means that nomatter how hard they’ve worked, they’re not quite making it to the nextlevel. That’s a sensitivity the president better have." (Huckabee is beginning to scare the living heck out of me as far as his electability is concerned.  Voters will probably elect a populist candidate as president.  With that said, he would stand a great shot against Hillary.)
• On Wednesday, August 22nd, Barack Obama will be a guest on the Daily Show.
• Iowa Democrats (ONE): Edwards - 30%, Clinton - 22%, Obama - 18%, Richardson - 13%.
• Michigan Democrats (EPIC/MRA): Gore - 36%, Clinton - 32%, Obama - 16%, Edwards - 8%.  (Without Gore: Clinton -  45%, Obama - 26%.)

If we left something out, it's because we either wrote about ityesterday or are scheduled to do so in an individual post later today. Otherwise, feel free to add any stories in the commentbox.

Comments

[RJ]

Todd, thanks for keeping the Gen Petraeus matter in the forefront. Your efforts, combined with other outlets, will hopefully ensure the General's words are not twisted in a political spin session.