Polinaut: September 12, 2007 Archive

The Daily Digest: 9-12-07

Posted at 10:29 AM on September 12, 2007 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Daily Digest

Gov. Pawlenty signs the flood relief bill. The early morning action comes just hours after the measure passes the House and Senate. The Star Tribune, the Pi Press, MPR, the APand Forum Communications have stories.

Pawlenty is headed to Washington DC today to speak at the National Press Club on Clean Energy.

The Winona Daily News says the flooding could result in higher property taxes.

Congress

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman says he wants Iraq timelines and dates. He made the comments during a hearing that featured Gen. David Petraeus.

The New York Times says Coleman is one of a few key Republicans seeking a new path regarding the war in Iraq.

MPR details where the delegation stands on the Petraeus report.

The U.S. Senate approves $195 million for the I-35W bridge.

Larry Craig has a court date.

The Senate will hold a toy safety ban hearing today. DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar is the lead author of the bill.

Finally

There will not be a digest tomorrow.

That veep thing reconsidered

Posted at 12:51 PM on September 12, 2007 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

Put me down in the column that says "Charlie Cook fan." I enjoy listening to his analysis. Midday today aired a speech he gave to the City Club in Cleveland last Friday. He does a nice job of sizing up the presidential candidates.

He also got me thinking -- again -- that Tim Pawlenty's name doesn't necessarily have to be associated with John McCain in order to be an attractive vice presidential candidate.

"You take Minnesota out of the Democrat column, and suddenly that 270 (electoral votes) looks pretty tough," he said.

Which also got me rethinking the notion that Fred Thompson would make a good vice presidential candidate for Rudy Giuliani (if Giuliani were to win the nomination). Will Giuliani, for all his pro-choice, New York, questionable family values warts in the eyes of conservatives really hurt him in a head-to-head with Hillary Clinton (or "H-Rod" as Cook would say)?

Are the conservatives really going to stay home on Election Day? I doubt it. The South? The election season starts by painting the south all red and it's a pretty sure bet it stays that way. Giuliani doesn't need help getting the south (if he's the Republican nominee). He might even take Arkansas.

And that reminds me of yet another comment I heard the other day on KFAN while driving home. They were talking with a political writer for, I think, the National Journal who was covering the Petraeus hearings. He said, basically, that nothing will get done in Congress at least until after the primaries when we're down to just two.

After that, the suggestion was, the finalists don't really need their "base" anymore and they're free to troll the middle.

A reminder that the political process is an adulterous process.

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