The Wall Street Journal-20080125-Washington Wire - Insight and Analysis From WashWire-com
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Washington Wire / Insight and Analysis From WashWire.com
Kucinich Throws in the Towel,
Turns to Keeping House Seat
Two-time Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich is dropping his long-shot bid for the White House, he said in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Ohio lawmaker is expected to make a formal announcement today.
He told the paper that he won't endorse another candidate in the race. "I want to continue to serve in Congress," Mr. Kucinich said. That may be harder than he anticipates. Mr. Kucinich is facing a potentially tough primary challenge for his House seat from Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman.
Mr. Kucinich's congressional campaign emailed a fund-raising pitch to supporters Wednesday. "I'm running for re-election to the United States Congress and I need your help to make sure that I stay in Congress," Mr. Kucinich wrote, soliciting at least $100 donations. Mr. Kucinich's most recent disclosure report showed less than $4,000 cash on hand as of Sept. 30 in his House campaign account.
-- Susan Davis
Giuliani Trips Over
His Reagan Mantle
Rudy Giuliani unveiled a new TV ad promoting his record as a Reagan conservative. But perhaps, as any lawyer knows, he should pay more attention to those citations.
The ad, airing in Florida ahead of Tuesday's primary, is titled "Only One" and opens with a shot of a young Mr. Giuliani shaking President Reagan's hand. "Only Rudy was appointed by Reagan," the narrator says. "And fought for conservative judges. Only Rudy supported the Bush tax cuts. From the start."
In releasing the ad, the Giuliani campaign also offered some "ad facts." The footnotes included a 1989 New York Times article confirming the fact that Mr. Giuliani worked at the Justice Department. But the headline on the article reads: "Reaganism Now Liability For Giuliani." In 1989, Mr. Giuliani was running for mayor of a liberal city and, according to the Times article, "Mr. Giuliani noted frequently that he was supported by the liberal wing of the Republican Party and maintained that he never embraced Mr. Reagan's broad conservative agenda." The article said Mr. Giuliani was trying to distance himself from Reagan's policies, including nominations of conservative judges, such as a Robert Bork to the Supreme Court.
Today's campaign news release quoted former Solicitor General Ted Olson saying, "the people that President Reagan appointed ...on the recommendation of Rudy, among others, were the people like Bob Bork and Justice Scalia."
-- Michael M. Phillips
Mechanical Woes
Of 'Hil Force One'
President Bill Clinton often arrived fashionably late to campaign events and news conferences. But lately, it's his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, who tends to run behind schedule. The reason: Hil Force One.
The chartered 737 made its maiden voyage last week but has since experienced several mechanical problems. On Monday, Mrs. Clinton had planned to head to Columbia, S.C., for a march honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic rivals Barack Obama and John Edwards attended the event, but Mrs. Clinton didn't due to problems on the plane that put her an hour behind schedule.
On Tuesday night, the valves on the plane's central fuel tank malfunctioned, which caused a delay of over an hour returning to Washington after an event in Phoenix, Ariz. The next day, the aircraft had trouble with its tires, setting her back on a short jump from Washington to Philadelphia.
Yesterday, Mrs. Clinton arrived 45 minutes late to give a speech about the economy in Greenville, S.C., partly blaming air delays.
-- Amy Chozick
