Washington Post: “Drug Enforcement Administration agents allegedly had ‘sex parties’ with prostitutes hired by local drug cartels overseas over a period of several years, according to a report released Thursday by the Justice Department’s watchdog. The report did not specify the country where the parties occurred, but a law enforcement official familiar with the matter identified it as Colombia.”
Archives for March 2015
Days of Votes that Don’t Count
New York Times: “In one of those dubious traditions of the upper chamber of Congress, the Senate has opened its well to an unlimited number of amendments to the budget blueprint for the coming fiscal year. Some are politically freighted. Some are parochial. Some are serious. Some are not.”
“But none of them are binding, even if they are collectively time consuming. The Senate is likely to stay in session through the night, finally voting on the budget by dawn. At last count, 739 amendments had been introduced for consideration. Not all will be voted on, but the tally may grow.”
Politico: Senate grinds through ‘vote-a-rama‘
Bonus Quote of the Day
“On the global warming alarmists, anyone who actually points to the evidence that disproves their apocalyptical claims, they don’t engage in reasoned debate. What do they do? They scream, ‘You’re a denier.’ They brand you a heretic. Today, the global warming alarmists are the equivalent of the flat-Earthers. It used to be that it is accepted scientific wisdom the Earth is flat, and this heretic named Galileo was branded a denier.”
– Sen. Ted Cruz, in an interview with Texas Tribune.
Biden Refuses to Rule Out White House Bid
MSNBC: “Interviews with more than a dozen people close to the vice president paint a picture of a politician torn between a decades-long aspiration for the presidency, a deep commitment his family and a recognition of a political reality tilted against him. For reasons both bigger and smaller than Hillary Clinton, Biden will not achieve the dream to which he’s now come so close. But he refuses to rule himself out completely and will keep a presidential pilot light burning as long as possible. If nothing else, the fiercely loyal Biden will use these next two years to defend the legacy of the Obama administration and his role in it.”
U.S. Caught In Middle East Proxy War
First Read: “Talk about the United States being in a difficult place. One hour, the U.S. is conducting airstrikes to combat Sunni extremists — ISIS — in Iraq… The next hour, it’s helping aid Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign against Shiite extremists — the Houthi rebels — in Yemen.”
“The backdrop, of course, is the clear proxy war in the Middle East between Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia. But as the New York Times writes, one of the reasons why the United States has taken a more active role in the bombing campaign in Iraq is because it’s worried that Iran now has too much influence in the country.”
GOP Presidential Race Shaping Up as a Marathon
“The race for the Republican presidential nomination is shaping up to be one of the most drawn-out in a generation,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The candidate field looks unusually crowded, with more than a dozen contenders appealing to different slices of the GOP. The rise of super PACs allows candidates to stay in the race longer than before. And nominating rules meant to compress the process may complicate a front-runner’s ability to amass the delegates necessary to win.”
“The result, some GOP strategists say, is that next year’s contest has the ingredients to be the longest since then-President Gerald Ford prevailed over Ronald Reagan at the 1976 convention.”
House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Fix Medicare
“The House overwhelmingly approved sweeping changes to the Medicare system on Thursday, in the most significant bipartisan policy legislation to pass through that chamber since the Republicans regained a majority in 2011,” the New York Times reports.
“The measure, which would establish a new formula for paying doctors and end a problem that has bedeviled the nation’s health care system for more than a decade, has already been blessed by President Obama, and awaits a vote in the Senate. The bill would also increase premiums for some higher income beneficiaries and extend a popular health insurance program for children.”
Obama Airport?
“Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel, currently fighting for his political life in a heated run-off campaign, floated the idea Wednesday of naming an airport after the Windy City’s favorite son: President Barack Obama,” Politico reports.
Jeb Bush’s Toughest Rival
Steve Kornacki says “the most interesting potential threat to Jeb isn’t running – yet. Ohio Governor John Kasich, reelected last fall in an historic landslide, was in New Hampshire this week and has been issuing fiery defenses of his conservative credentials. A leading Republican congressman in the pre-W. 1990s, Kasich now sports solid outsider credentials that could appeal to the GOP’s anti-establishment grassroots.”
Super PACs Are Taking Over From Campaigns
Time: “In 2012 super PACs were used as blunt instruments of destruction: the group backing Mitt Romney devoted about 90% of the $142 million it spent overall to TV attack ads. But in the 2016 presidential race, these organizations are poised to play a much bigger role, taking over more-traditional campaign duties ranging from field organizing and voter turnout to direct mail and digital microtargeting.”
“Campaign-finance watchdogs say that super PACs, which were created in the wake of two 2010 court rulings, undermine spending limits that have governed elections for generations and allow high-dollar donors to amass influence that Congress has long sought to prevent. The new crop of super PACs are now pushing boundaries in ways that were unimaginable just five years ago.”
Why Ted Cruz Is a Threat to Scott Walker
E.J. Dionne: “Although Cruz has always been a religious conservative, the senator from Texas is much better known for his crusade against Obamacare and his willingness to shut down the federal government. His evangelical turn is his first play to create a base on the right end of the party to challenge Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as the main alternative to Jeb Bush.”
“The Cruz strategy starts with marginalizing former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Ben Carson, the physician and best-selling author who has developed a significant following on the right. Huckabee and Carson are also in the running for evangelical votes. If Cruz pushes them aside, he can then go after Walker and, after that, Bush. Perhaps all this is fanciful, but Cruz knows what he’s doing.”
Some Donors Just Aren’t Rich Enough
Washington Post: “Bundlers who used to carry platinum status have been downgraded, forced to temporarily watch the money race from the sidelines. They’ve been eclipsed by the uber-wealthy, who can dash off a seven-figure check to a super PAC without blinking. Who needs a bundler when you have a billionaire?”
“Many fundraisers, once treated like royalty because of their extensive donor networks, are left pining for their lost prestige. Can they still have impact in a world where Jeb Bush asks big donors to please not give more than $1 million to his super PAC right now? Will they ever be in the inner circle again?”
Senate Holds Voting Marathon to Score Points
Politico: “The Senate’s famous budget ‘vote-a-rama‘ on Thursday won’t change any laws — far from it, it’s a daylong, only-in-Congress charade, the main purpose of which is to make the other party look bad and score political points. And yet it has the potential to be among the most consequential days in Congress this year.”
House Approves GOP Budget
“House Republicans adopted a 2016 budget in a 228-199 vote on Wednesday that represents a major victory for GOP leaders after a rocky start to their year,” The Hill reports.
“The budget would increase defense spending next year by boosting the Pentagon’s war fund to $96 billion, well above President Obama’s $58 billion request. The provision won over dozens of defense hawks, including members of the Armed Services Committee who have called for more robust resources for the Pentagon.”
Roll Call: Defense hawks trump fiscal conservatives in budget vote
Paul Reverses Position on Defense Spending
“Just weeks before announcing his 2016 presidential bid, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is completing an about-face on a longstanding pledge to curb the growth in defense spending,” Time reports.
“In an olive branch to defense hawks hell-bent on curtailing his White House ambitions, the libertarian Senator introduced a budget amendment late Wednesday calling for a nearly $190 billion infusion to the defense budget over the next two years—a roughly 16 percent increase.”
Quote of the Day
“This is no way to treat an ally. Conducting the foreign policy of a great nation requires maturity and a strategic sense of America’s long-term interests. This is no time for schoolyard antics.”
— Jeb Bush, writing for National Review, on President Obama’s relationship with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Walker Holds Big Lead in Iowa
A new InsiderAdvantage poll in Iowa finds Scott Walker way ahead in the GOP presidential race with 29%, followed by Ben Carson at 14%, Jeb Bush at 12%, Mike Huckabee at 11%, Ted Cruz at 7%, Marco Rubio at 5%, Rand Paul at 5% and Chris Christie at 5%.
Graham Could Shake Up GOP Presidential Race
“There aren’t many Republicans who believe Lindsey Graham’s mercurial presidential campaign-to-be will actually result in Lindsey Graham becoming president,” CNN reports.
“But the South Carolina senator’s mere presence in the 2016 race could throw a curveball into the nominating process, forcing his soon-to-be GOP rivals to consider how a Graham candidacy would scramble Republican allegiances in a vital early nominating state.”
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