Just POlitics

Schwarzenegger’s Washington trip

The LA Times reports on their state’s Governor’s trip to D.C.:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger prodded California's congressional delegation Thursday to work more cooperatively in bringing federal money back to the state, while Democratic lawmakers warned him to lay off the name-calling and rhetorical attacks that have figured prominently in the governor's political vocabulary.

Schwarzenegger met behind closed doors for two hours with the state's 53-member delegation. And although few officials expect to see much largesse from Washington, some contend that forces are in place to at least pick up a few extra billion dollars: California Republicans run six important House committees.

Europe terrorist recruiting ground

The Washington Post covers how Europe is the key recruiting ground for terrorists in Iraq:

That man, Mustapha Darwich Ramadan, was arrested shortly before he planned to flee Copenhagen on a flight to Amman, Jordan, police said. He was convicted of robbery and served 3 1/2 years in prison. After his release in June 2001, Copenhagen police said, he struck again, robbing a money-transfer store of about $15,000. This time, he escaped to either Jordan or Lebanon, police said.

Since then, according to European intelligence officials, Ramadan has surfaced in Iraq as a leader of Ansar al-Islam, a radical group that U.S. officials say has carried out at least 40 suicide bombings and other attacks resulting in more than 1,000 deaths in the war-ravaged country.

Officials say Ansar also operates an extensive underground network that recruits young Muslims across Europe to join the insurgency in Iraq. Intelligence estimates of the numbers sent from Europe by Ansar and other groups vary from 100 to more than 3,000, but there is general agreement that the flow is increasing.

House Republicans oppose Bush

The NY Times reports on opposition in the House Republican leadership to President Bush putting on the table the option of an increase in the amount of income above the current cap of $90,000 subject to Social Security payroll tax:

The Republican majority leader in the House expressed opposition on Thursday to the idea of increasing or eliminating the cap on earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax, deflating President Bush's first effort to promote bipartisan trust over how to address the retirement system's projected financial troubles.

The majority leader, Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, said subjecting more earnings to the payroll tax amounted to a tax increase and was unacceptable. His comments came a day after the publication of newspaper interviews in which Mr. Bush left open the possibility of lifting the earnings cap as part of a plan to put Social Security on permanently sound footing.

Speaker J. Dennis Hastert joined Mr. DeLay in distancing House Republicans from the idea. Their quick and negative reaction underscored the difficulty the administration is having in moving forward with its plan to overhaul Social Security, the issue Mr. Bush has put at the top of his domestic agenda and made a test of his political clout.

Protester throws shoe at Perle

The AP reports on a protester who threw a shoe at Richard Perle during a college debate with Howard Dean:

Howard Dean, the newly minted leader of the Democratic Party, and former Pentagon adviser Richard Perle made clear their opposing views on the war in Iraq during a debate marred by a protester who tossed a shoe at Perle.

Perle had just started his comments Thursday when a protester threw a shoe at him before being dragged away, screaming, "Liar! Liar!"

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