The Note

AARP Endorses Cloture Vote, Not Yet Reid's Bill

ABCNews.com — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:02:09 -0500

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Democrats continued their search Saturday for 60 votes to break a filibuster and officially consider Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s $848 billion health reform bill.

Moderate Democrats have real issues with the bill and leaders have tried to draw a distinction between voting to debate the bill Saturday and voting to pass the bill after a floor debate later on.

AARP CEO Addison Barry Rand drew the same distinction in a letter written Friday encouraging Senators to vote to debate the bill without exactly endorsing the full bill.

“We strongly urge the Senate to vote for the cloture this Saturday to begin debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” reads the letter from Barry addressed to Reid.

But Barry clarifies that this is not an endorsement of the legislation he wants the Senators to debate.

“After further analysis, we will send you a more detailed letter of our views of the legislation,” Barry writes.

“We look forward to working with you and your colleagues on both sides of the aisle to improve the legislation as the debate moves forward.”

Harry Reid - Democratic - Filibuster - Senate - Party leaders of the United States Senate

McCain Targets Ben Nelson on Health Care Vote

ABCNews.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:10:38 -0500

ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports: Senator John McCain has taken the unusual step of personally targeting a fellow senator in an attempted grassroots campaign against the Democratic health care reform bill.

In an mass email sent through his political action committee, McCain asks his supporters to call Senator Ben Nelson and urge him to vote “no” on tomorrow night’s key health care vote. He even gives out the phone numbers for Nelson’s offices in Washington and Nebraska.

Outside groups frequently do this kind of thing, but senators rarely – if ever – do it to each other.

The email reads:

My Friend,

Tomorrow, Saturday November 20th, at 8:00pm the United States Senate will have its first vote on the Democrats health care reform bill. I encourage you to call Senator Ben Nelson at (202) 224-6551 and ask him to vote "No" on government-run health care. You may also visit his website to leave your comments by following this link.

Thank you for your participation in this process. I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

John McCain
Chairman, Country First PAC

Ben Nelson - United States Senate - United States - Democratic - Health care

'Top Line' -- Ambassador Oprah? Senator Oprah?

ABCNews.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:31:19 -0500

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports:

Oprah Winfrey's announced exit from her daily broadcast format has prompted new speculation in political circles about the next step for the talk-show queen -- one that just might involve playing off of her famous connection to President Obama.

"Let's say she does just stop her show and works on her cable network. Well, she could take an appointment from President Obama -- an envoy role, roving ambassador, some UN appointment," said Lynn Sweet, the Washington bureau chief of the Chicago Sun-Times and a columnist for Politics Daily, told us today on ABCNews.com's "Top Line."

And might Oprah run for office?

"Don't rule things out. You know, careers have long arcs to them, and you never know where someone ends up. I wouldn't be surprised if years from now we're talking about Oprah running for something or getting an important appointment," she said.

We asked Sweet, who writes regularly about First Lady Michelle Obama on her blog and at Politics Daily, about Tina Brown's suggestion, on "Good Morning America" today, that Mrs. Obama could one day move into a perch like Oprah's.

"I think Mrs. Obama has many opportunities open to her whether or not Oprah continues as a talk-show queen or not. … She'll be young in four or eight years, so there's an incredible future," she said.

And might Illinois one day have senators known simply as Oprah and Michelle? "Could be," Sweet said. "And we'll still be covering it!"

Watch the full discussion with Lynn Sweet HERE.

Oprah Winfrey - Lynn Sweet - Politics - Tina Brown - Michelle Obama

Sen. Brown: Health Care Bill Needs More Subsidies

ABCNews.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:55:56 -0500

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: Even if Democrats -- as expected -- get the 60 votes they need to advance the Senate health care bill tomorrow, the legislation is in for a long amendment process, with pressure from both the right and the left.

On ABCNews.com’s “Top Line” today, Sen. Sherrod Brown, a supporter of the bill, said he thinks the bill needs to do more to help lower-income Americans buy health insurance.

“I want to do the calculations again to make sure the subsidies are high enough,” said Brown, D-Ohio. “I’d like to see them higher. I think there’s a way of doing that and paying for it.”

A mandate for people to purchase health insurance only works in practice if everyone’s able to afford it, he said.

“Almost all experts say you can’t do health care reform without everybody getting health insurance. So we’ve got to find a way to do it,” he said.

Brown said he’s also looking to take out the Senate bill’s new tax on high-end health insurance plans, a concept that is fiercely opposed by leading labor unions.

“The House funded pretty much that whole block of money coming from a surtax on people making a half million, a million and up a year,” he said. “So I would prefer that by far to overtaxing sort of middle-class, sort of the upper end of middle-class health care plans. That’s the way we ought to do it. But let’s see what happens on the Senate floor.”

Watch the full interview with Sen. Brown, including his take on the heat surrounding Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, HERE.

“I think Secretary Geithner’s listening better than he might have been earlier in the year and, I’m hopeful there,” Brown said.

We also chatted with Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times and Politics Daily on a busy day for news out of Illinois -- with Oprah Winfrey announcing an end date for her show, the resolution of the Ethics Committee investigation of Sen. Roland Burris, plus Gov. Pat Quinn’s apparent nodding off during a gubernatorial debate.

Watch part two of today’s “Top Line,” with Lynn Sweet, HERE. Or, as always, you can download today’s edition for free at iTunes.

Pat Quinn - Health insurance - Health care - Senate - ABC News

GOP Leaders: Obama Has ‘Emboldened Our Enemies' with Afghanistan Deliberations

ABCNews.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:31:24 -0500

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports:

House Republican leaders today are sending a letter to President Obama calling on him to make a quick decision on a new Afghanistan strategy, and are urging him to fulfill Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for a significant escalation in US forces.

The letter, signed by House Minority Leader John Boehner and 13 other leading House Republicans, expresses "deep concern over the state of your Afghanistan policy."

"For over two months you have been engaged in a strategy review that has left the country, our military, and allies uncertain about your commitment to the war in Afghanistan and unsure about your will to do what is necessary to win this conflict. Worse, we fear the process has emboldened our enemies," they write.

"We believe that it is long overdue for our military to be in the execution stage of the strategy instead of the evaluation phase," the letter continues. "Mr. President now is the time where the country needs your leadership."

ABC's George Stephanopoulos is reporting that a decision is unlikely to be announced until after Thanksgiving, and may not come until December. The president is widely expected to order additional troops, but not near the 40,000-plus scale envisioned by McChrystal.

Stanley McChrystal - Afghanistan - Barack Obama - John Boehner - War in Afghanistan

Burris Cleared of Legal Wrongdoing -- But With Swipe from Ethics Committee

ABCNews.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:19:26 -0500

ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf and Rick Klein report: Sen. Roland Burris, D-IL, today was cleared of any legal violations by the Senate Ethics Committee in connection with his appointment as President Obama’s replacement in the Senate.

But committee members still condemned him for providing “incorrect, inconsistent, misleading” information about his contact with then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his team in the weeks before his appointment.

“While the committee did not find that the evidence before it supported any actionable violations of law, Senators must meet a much higher standard of conduct,” committee members wrote, in a letter of “qualified admonition.”

“Your sworn affidavit and sworn testimony before the Illinois House of Representatives were inconsistent, incomplete and misleading,” the letter continues.

Burris, who has said he’s not running for a full term next month, said in a statement: “I am pleased that after numerous investigations, this matter has finally come to a close.”

Roland Burris - Rod Blagojevich - Barack Obama - United States Senate - Illinois

Friends, in Need: Obama Faces Backlash on Jobs, Economy

ABCNews.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:07:32 -0500

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports:

Maybe health care is the easy part.

Not quite easy, fine. But getting 60 votes on Saturday is, at the moment, among the least of the worries for an administration that's left on the lookout for its friends.

President Obama is back home now -- and feeling kind of lonely. On Afghanistan, on the economy, on the stimulus, on Fort Hood, on Gitmo, and maybe even on health care, the administration doesn't have the allies it needs in the numbers it needs.

Congress is venting. Lawmakers are speaking up on a front the public has long expressed worry about -- a disconnect between public assurances and private sentiments on whether things are getting better.

Alarm bells are going off over the administration's handling of the economy -- as support for the administration's positions crumbles in worrisome directions.

It all has much to do with trust: Saying your policies are working is easier when the numbers back you up. Somewhere between double-digit unemployment and those million "saved or created" jobs that no one can really technically locate, that's a tough one.

"Growing discontent over the economy and frustration with efforts to speed its recovery boiled over Thursday on Capitol Hill in a wave of criticism and outright anger directed at the Obama administration," Brady Dennis, Zachary A. Goldfarb and Neil Irwin report in The Washington Post. "Episodes in both houses of Congress exposed the raw nerves of lawmakers flooded with stories of unemployment and economic hardship back home. They also underscored the stiff headwinds that the administration faces as it pushes to enact sweeping changes to the financial regulatory system while also trying to create jobs for ordinary Americans."

"Political frustration over the rescue of Wall Street and high unemployment erupted in the House Thursday," Sudeep Reddy and Damian Paletta write in The Wall Street Journal.

Fitting it together -- with the public driving the Congress: "The most troubling problem for the Democrats may be that government interventions into the economy -- meaning the bailout and the stimulus -- are increasingly perceived as having failed, which in turn increases skepticism about government intervention overall, in health care and other areas," Nate Silver writes at FiveThirtyEight.com.

It's all complicated by the fact that, in what would typically be the end-of-year lull, there's a lot of turkey on the table.

"A president's job is always busy. But Obama's plate is piled so high that Thanksgiving seems to have come early at the White House," the AP's Chuck Babington writes.

Calls for Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's head (so eight months ago, right?): "Echoing comments made by a Democratic lawmaker Wednesday night, two Republican members of the Joint Economic Committee today called for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to resign," ABC's Matthew Jaffe reports.

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, to Geithner: "For the sake of our jobs, will you step down from your post?"

Replied Geithner: "I agree with almost nothing in what you said, and I think that almost nothing in what you said represents a fair and accurate perception of where this economy is today."

He continued: "You gave this president an economy falling off the cliff...."

ABC's Bianna Golodryga, on "Good Morning America" Friday: "It was anything but your typical Capitol Hill hearing."

"The administration is 100 percent behind Tim Geithner," George Stephanopoulos reported on "GMA." "What you're seeing from those members of Congress right there -- they're trying to get ahead of the stampede."

Rallying, from the left: "Rep. Peter DeFazio, one of the most outspoken Democratic critics of the White House economic team, said he plans to press the 27-member Congressional Populist Caucus to back his call for their ouster," Roll Call's Tory Newmyer reports.

Said DeFazio, D-Ore., of his press to oust Geithner and Larry Summers: "I see it as helping the president get rid of the losers on his staff that America doesn't need."

Paul Krugman, on the AIG bailout: "By making what was in effect a multibillion-dollar gift to Wall Street, policy makers undermined their own credibility -- and put the broader economy at risk. ... And the bitter paradox is that this play-it-safe approach has ended up undermining prospects for economic recovery."

Krugman continues: "Government officials, perhaps influenced by spending too much time with bankers, forgot that if you want to govern effectively you have retain the trust of the people. And by treating the financial industry -- which got us into this mess in the first place -- with kid gloves, they have squandered that trust."

Why this firestorm will be tough to put out: "It is a call [for Geithner to resign] he is likely to hear again and again as next year's election campaign heats up," Bloomberg's Robert Schmidt and Lorraine Woellert report. "While Democrats have generally defended Geithner's handling of the economy and the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, some are beginning to blame President Barack Obama's administration for not doing enough to help Main Street voters."

For the defense, David Brooks: "The evidence of the past eight months suggests that Geithner was mostly right and his critics were mostly wrong."

When Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., team up and win a vote in committee -- something's up:

"In an unprecedented defeat for the Federal Reserve, an amendment to audit the multi-trillion dollar institution was approved by the House Finance Committee with an overwhelming and bipartisan 43-26 vote on Thursday afternoon despite harried last-minute lobbying from top Fed officials and the surprise opposition of Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who had previously been a supporter," Ryan Grim reports for Huffington Post.

"The vote was the latest blow to the central bank, which has been become a lightning rod for politicians responding to popular anger that Wall Street was bailed out while the public wasn't," per The Wall Street Journal.

Hill scrutiny for Recovery.gov: "The government watchdog overseeing economic stimulus spending said Thursday that, in its rush to take credit for saving hundreds of thousands of jobs, the Obama administration was overly confident in its job-counting and did not acknowledge significant errors in the figures," the AP's Matt Apuzzo writes.

"After conceding the fact that the $18 million government Web site tracking stimulus funds doesn't accurately track U.S. jobs data, the chairman of the Obama administration's Recovery Board told Congress today that he wasn't surprised by the mistakes found on the Web site listing non-existent congressional districts," ABC's Elizabeth Gorman reports.

Said Earl Devaney: "In reality this data should serve in the long run as evidence of what transparency can achieve."

"The government watchdog in charge of tracking stimulus dollars said he can't be sure how many jobs the $787 billion program has created, admitting it ‘could be above or below' the 640,000 jobs the administration touts," Kara Rowland reports in the Washington Times. "Republicans said false numbers amount to ‘propaganda' and that the uncertainty should cool Democrats' talk of passing a second stimulus bill."

Another economic issue that needs an administration answer -- Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., in a CNN op-ed: "The path of least resistance that we have trod for so long is the path to national weakness. If you have the same people and the same process, you are going to get the same results. For this reason, I will vote ‘no' on raising the debt ceiling unless Congress adopts a credible process to balance our books and eliminate the red ink."

Recalibrating some messaging -- and some policy-making: "For the first time, Democrats are talking seriously about going back and rechanneling portions of their $787 billion stimulus bill to help jump-start job-creation initiatives -- such as a long-delayed highway bill," David Rogers reports for Politico.

As for health care -- the push for 60 is looking mighty expensive. ABC's Jonathan Karl reports that a two-page section applies to exactly one state -- Louisiana -- where Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is a critical vote. "How much does it cost? According to the Congressional Budget Office: $100 million."

Your shepherd: "Now it is Senator Harry Reid's health care bill," Carl Hulse reports in The New York Times. "Should Mr. Reid shepherd the measure successfully through the Senate and meld it with the House version into final legislation that President Obama can sign, it would be the biggest accomplishment of his career. Should the bill fall victim to the complex political, procedural and substantive fights raging around health care, it would be a stinging defeat for him, his president and his party — all while he faces a tough re-election fight at home."

The final press, in the run-up to the vote at 8 pm ET Saturday: "A platoon of top strategists -- including pollsters Mark Mellman and Geoff Garin, incoming White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Jim Messina -- met with Democratic Senators Thursday afternoon to impress upon those who might be wavering that everyone's political fate is now joined with the success of President Obama's top domestic priority," Time's Karen Tumulty reports. "The White House team also pledged whatever support the Senators might want, including visits to their states by Vice President Biden and making Administration officials available for interviews with home-state media."

Zero Republicans will vote for the motion to proceed: "As it stands, [Sen. Olympia] Snowe said she is not happy with Reid's package, and has informed him that he will not have her vote Saturday," write Lori Montgomery and Shailagh Murray of The Washington Post.

Still to get worked out -- the abortion debate: "The White House is on a collision course with Catholic bishops in an intractable dispute over abortion that could blow up the fragile political coalition behind President Barack Obama's health care overhaul," Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar writes for the AP.

Plus, immigration: "In my view, if [undocumented immigrants] use their own money to purchase insurance without any taxpayer subsidy, it would make a lot of sense," Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said Thursday on ABCNews.com's "Top Line."

Why the ban? "A forensic study would show it all leads back to Rahm Emanuel and the White House," Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., tells Politico's Jonathan Allen.

Allen writes: "Whether or not the CHC members are pointing their frustration in the right direction, the perception that Emanuel is pushing policies that they see as harmful to their communities for the political advantage of the president or moderate Democrats in Congress could cause the White House problems with the CHC in future negotiations."

On the heels of the mammogram recommendations: "New guidelines for cervical cancer screening say women should delay their first Pap test until age 21, and be screened less often than recommended in the past," Denise Grady of The New York Times reports.

And what about eliminating wasteful procedures? "Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius did a marvelous job this week of undermining the move toward evidence-based medicine with her hasty and cowardly disavowal of a recommendation from her department's own task force that women under 50 are probably better off not getting routine annual mammograms," Steven Pearlstein writes in his Washington Post column.

Thank goodness this has nothing to do with the CBO scoring of health care reform: "The House overwhelmingly approved a physician repayment bill to permanently fix the way doctors who cover Medicare patients are reimbursed," The Hill's Molly K. Hooper reports. "Despite a vow to offset any new spending, the Democratic measure would cost $210 billion over 10 years but does not include a ‘pay-for' in the bill."

New ad from MoveOn.org -- airing in Maine and Arkansas. "Tell Congress: No triggers. Real health care reform means a strong public option -- now."

Checking in on that Fort Hood hearing: "For those waiting for the new White House to make good on its vow to bring transparency to the executive branch, it was another disappointing brush with Obama opacity," The Washington Post's Dana Milbank writes.

Tying up a loose end from the Asia trip -- ABC's Jake Tapper and Clarissa Ward: "First the Chinese government refused to broadcast live on state-run television President Obama's town hall meeting with university students in Shanghai. Now some US media are saying the government is blocking access to an interview President Obama did in Beijing with the relatively progressive newspaper Southern Weekly, which in the past has pushed the limits of Chinese censors' delicate sensibilities with actual journalism. But the truth may be more complicated than that."

More woes for Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. ABC's Cynthia McFadden sat down with Doug Hampton, in an interview that will air Monday on "Nightline."

Hampton says the $96,000 he got from Ensign's family was a severance package, not a gift -- which would make it a violation of campaign-finance laws: "Crystal clear," Hampton said. "I took notes. I've shared those notes. They're well documented. They were clearly what he deemed as severance."

Plus, Hampton tells McFadden that Ensign was knowingly help him break the "revolving door" regulations by setting him up in a lobbying practice after he left his Senate employ: "John Ensign was perfectly aware that it was going down exactly how he wanted it to go," says Hampton.

McFadden: "So there is no doubt in your mind that John Ensign understood that ethics laws were being broken."

Hampton: "There is no doubt."

As for Democrats with ethics woes -- with leadership push to oust Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., and Defense Appropriations Chairman Jack Murtha, D-Pa.?

"What many House Democrats would clearly prefer is for Murtha and Rangel to announce that they won't seek re-election, thus avoiding the bloodletting that trying to oust them would cause," Charlie Cook writes for National Journal. "So the question is whether the Democratic leadership feels it should risk taking no action against Rangel and Murtha; should try to take away their gavels; or should give them a hearty thank-you for their long years of service -- a thank-you accompanied by a big push toward retirement. If Rangel and Murtha signal that they are headed for the exit, they might make themselves less appetizing targets for ambitious prosecutors seeking to nail a politician's scalp to the door."

At the Republican Governors Association meeting -- a spring in some gubernatorial steps:

"Thrilled with twin victories this month, Republican governors are looking to lead a party-wide resurgence in 2010 and shape the GOP for years to come," the AP's Liz Sidoti reports. "Republicans boast of a strong crop of gubernatorial candidates who could be future party leaders, $25 million in the bank a year before the elections and a difficult environment for Democrats, particularly in financially ailing swing-voting states like Ohio and Iowa."

The roll call from this Palin-free zone: "On hand were possible presidential candidates like Barbour and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota as well as Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Mitch Daniels of Indiana. Govs.-elect Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Chris Christie of New Jersey attended, as did the GOP's top recruits for 2010 races, including John Kasich, a former congressman, in Ohio and Attorney General Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania."

Social issues, anyone? "What was most striking about the Republican governors was not simply their sense of optimism -- a sentiment that would draw no Democratic quarrel these days -- but exactly how they saw their road back to power and unity," The New York Times' Adam Nagourney reports. "The talk here was of the health care plan being debated in Congress, increased spending under President Obama, the climbing deficit and concern among Americans about jobs and the education of their children."

Have they been near the Hill lately? "Republican governors Thursday urged GOP candidates competing in 2010 elections to not harshly attack President Barack Obama, citing polls that show his personal popularity remaining strong despite unease over his policies," Peter Wallsten reports in The Wall Street Journal.

Rudy's ruminations: "Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has decided not to run for governor next year after months of considering a candidacy, according to people who have been told of the decision," Danny Hakim writes in The New York Times.

"Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who many Republicans have been pushing to run for governor in 2010, is instead leaning more toward a run for U.S. Senate, according to two party advisers," the AP's Michael Gormley reports.

Or: "Rudy Giuliani doesn't have to run for governor, or senator, either, because he's already got a bigger voice and bank account than most elected leaders," the New York Daily News' David Saltonstall reports. "That's what some of Giuliani's closest aides were whispering Thursday as speculation spiked that the former mayor had decided against a run for governor but was still mulling a U.S. Senate bid against Kirsten Gillibrand."

In Texas -- on the air: "I'm going to do everything I can to stop the government takeover of healthcare. And it's why I'm staying in the Senate through the primary, at risk to my political future," Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says in a new TV ad. "I cannot walk away while this is pending in Congress."

From the Palin chronicles: "Fort Bragg on Thursday changed its mind about banning the media from Sarah Palin's public book signing Monday. The change was announced late Thursday after protests by The Fayetteville Observer and The Associated Press," Henry Cuningham reports in the Fayetteville Observer.

The Kicker:

"In a way they are not unequivocally bad." -- Earl Devaney, chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, of the errors found at Recovery.gov.

"I don't know of anything that disqualifies her." -- Gov. Haley Barbour, R-Miss., on the spot and never quite answer Chris Matthews' question about whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be president.

For up-to-the-minute political updates check out The Note's blog . . . all day every day:

Intern for the ABC News Political Unit:

The ABC News Political Unit is now seeking full-time spring 2010 interns in Washington, D.C.

The paid internship begins Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, and runs through Friday, June 4, 2010.

Political Unit interns attend political events and contribute to stories for the politics page of ABCNews.com. They also help ABC News by conducting research, maintaining our calendar of upcoming political events, and posting stories to ABCNews.com.

In order to apply, you MUST be either a graduate student or an undergraduate student who has completed his or her first year of college. The internship is NOT open to recent graduates.

You also must be able to work eight hours per day, Monday through Friday. Interns will be paid $8.50/hour.

If you write well, follow politics closely, and have some familiarity with web publishing, send a cover letter and resume to Teddy Davis, ABC News' Deputy Political Director, at teddy.davis@abc.com, by Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, with the subject line: "INTERN" in all caps.

Please indicate in both your cover letter and the body of your email your student status and the specific dates and hours of your availability.

Barack Obama - Peter DeFazio - Washington Post - Timothy Geithner - Democratic

Doug Hampton: Ensign Knowingly Broke Ethics Rules on Lobbying

ABCNews.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0500

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: Doug Hampton’s interview with ABC’s Cynthia McFadden seems likely to spark a new round of questions regarding Sen. John Ensign’s efforts to set his former mistress’ husband up in business.

In one part of the interview, set to air Monday on “Nightline,” Hampton tells McFadden that Ensign, R-Nev., helped Hampton launch a short-lived lobbying career. Hampton says Ensign went so far as to help solicit clients for him, and set up a meeting with an administration official -- despite the one-year “revolving door” ban on former top Senate aides lobbying the Senate.

McFadden asks Hampton whether Ensign “was aware that he was helping and assisting you in breaking ethics rules.”

Responds Hampton: “John Ensign was perfectly aware that it was going down exactly how he wanted it to go.”

McFadden: “So there is no doubt in your mind that John Ensign understood that ethics laws were being broken.”

Hampton: “There is no doubt.”

McFadden: “This is a serious allegation you are making against a sitting United States senator, that he knowingly assisted you…”

Hampton: “Why would a client hire Doug Hampton if he didn't think he would have access to John Ensign's office? It's the only reason I would hire him!”

McFadden: “You understand that what you're saying could make you criminally liable?”

Hampton: “It's the truth. And it's under duress. And it's under the power and abuse and orchestration of a senator who controlled our lives.”

Ensign has denied wrongdoing. In a statement released to The New York Times last month, he said: “I am confident we fully complied with the relevant laws and rules governing current and past employees. I have worked on these Nevada issues with these Nevada companies for years, long before Doug Hampton left my office.”

John Ensign - Nevada - Cynthia McFadden - United States - New York Times

The Note's Must-Reads for Friday, November 20, 2009

ABCNews.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:31:02 -0500

The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News Desk Assistants PETER MARTINEZ, JAYCE HENDERSON, KRISTEN RED-HORSE, CARRIE HALPERIN and CLAUDIA MORALES

BOOKMARKS:

The Note: LINK

The Must-Reads Online: LINK

Top Line Webcast (12noon EST M-F): LINK

ABC News Politics: LINK

The Political Punch (Jake Tapper): LINK

George's Bottom Line (George Stephanopoulos): LINK

Clem's Chronicle: LINK

Follow ABC News on Twitter: LINK

ABC News Mobile: LINK

HEALTH CARE:

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, Huma Khan and Z. Byron Wolf: “The $100 Million Vote: Harry Reid Woos Skeptical Democrats” LINK

The Washington Times’ Jennifer Haberkorn: “Dems up pressure on health bill’s holdouts” LINK

The Washington Times’ Joseph Curl: “Coburn threatens health bill reading” LINK

USA Today: "Side-by-side: House and Senate health bills" LINK

USA Today's John Fritze: "Health care's 'public option' would cover little of population" LINK

The Washington Times’ Stephen Dinan and David M. Dickson: “Married couples face extra tax in Senate health care bill” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Greg Hitt and Naftali Bendavid: “Democrats Woo Voters With New Benefits” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Janet Adamy: “Business Sours on Overhaul as Legislation Veers to Left” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Martin Vaughan: “Medicare Tax on High Earners and Other Levies Stir Debate” LINK

Bloomberg’s Pat Wechsler, Alex Nussbaum and Nicole Gaouette: “Breast Exam Guidelines Test Cost-Cutting Push in Obama Overhaul” LINK

The Hill's Jeffrey Young: “Reid builds healthcare anticipation: 'We'll find out when votes are taken'" LINK

The Hill's Alexander Bolton: “Senate health vote set for Saturday night" LINK

The New York Times’ Robert Pear: “Senate Health Care Bill Faces Crucial First Vote” LINK

The New York Times’ Carl Hulse: “Reid, as Legislative Tactician, Takes Ownership of Health Care Overhaul” LINK

The Washington Post’s Lori Montgomery and Shailagh Murray: “Reid pushes for votes on health-care bill” LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA & FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

ABC News’ Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller: “Out Trip to the DMZ” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weisman and Peter Fritsch: “Obama Backs South Korea Trade Pact, but Congress Remains Wary” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jay Solomon: “U.S. Talks Tougher on Dealing With Iran” LINK

The Los Angeles Times' John M. Glionna and Peter Nicholas: “White House calls Obama's Asian tour a success" LINK

AFGHANISTAN:

USA Today's Theodore May: "U.S.-run prison in Afghanistan holds few Taliban diehards" LINK

The Associated Press: "Suicide bomber kills 13 in Afghanistan" LINK

The Associated Press' Anne Gearan: "Gates says Afghan surge could happen swiftly" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Alan Cullison and Anand Gopal: “Karzai Has Plenty of Promises for the West” LINK

The New York Times’ Mark Landler: ‘Clinton emerges as Key Link to Afghan Leader” LINK

The Washington Post’s Rajiv Chandrasekaran: “A softer approach to Karzai” LINK

The Washington Post’s Anne Kornblut: “White House aides: No Afghan decision before Thanksgiving” LINK

DEMOCRATS / REPUBLICANS:

The Associated Press' Michael Gormley: "Sources: Giuliani leaning toward run for US Senate" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Peter Wallsten: “GOP Officials Urge Candidates to Avoid Shrill Tone” LINK

Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown: “Reid, Dems stay cautiously optimistic” LINK

The New York Times’ Adam Nagourney: “A Tilt Away From Social Issues” LINK

U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY TIMOTHY GEITHNER:

ABC News’ Mathew Jaffe: “Echoing Democrat’s Comments, Two Republicans Call for Geithner to Go” LINK

The Washington Times’ Sean lengell: “Pressure mounts for Geithner to resign” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Sudeep Reddy and Damian Paletta: “House Attacks Fed, Treasury” LINK

Bloomberg’s Robert Schmidt and Lorraine Woellert: “Geithner Resignation Calls May Increase as 2010 Election Nears” LINK

FORT HOOD:

ABC News’ Mark Schone: “Pentagon, Senate Launch Dueling Fort Hood Investigations” LINK

USA Today's Thomas Frank: "Senate panel notes 'red flags galore' in Fort Hood incident" LINK

The Associated Press' Anne Gearan: "Pentagon looking for Fort Hood management lapses" LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Julian E. Barnes “Gates orders Pentagon inquiry on Ft. Hood shootings" LINK

The New York Times’ Elisabeth Bumiller and David Johnston: “Pentagon to Review Shootings at Fort Hood” LINK

The Washington Post’s Ann Scott Tyson and Ben Pershing: “In Fort Hood aftermath, Pentagon opens two reviews” LINK

ECONOMY / JOBS / STIMULUS / TARP:

ABC News’ Matt Jaffe: “Obama May Extend TARP Beyond Expiration Date” LINK

USA Today's Haya El Nasser: "Housing bust halts growing suburbs" LINK

USA Today's Matt Kelley: "Jobs reports 'riddled with inaccuracies'" LINK

The Washington Times’ Kara Rowland: “GOP Challenges job stimulus data” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Damian Paletta: “Black Caucus Stalls Finance Overhaul” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Louise Radnofsky: “Stimulus-Jobs Tally in Doubt” LINK

The New York Times’ Michael Cooper: “Watchdog Urges Caution on Claims of $640,000 Stimulus Jobs” LINK

The New York Times’ Edmund Andrews: “Panel Votes to Broaden Oversight of the Fed” LINK

ARMED FORCES:

The New York Times’ Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt: “Air Defense Push Inspired by 9/11 Gets a 2nd Look” LINK

CLIMATE/ENVIRONMENT:

Politico’s Lisa Lerer: “McCain doesn't love climate bill” LINK

CONGRESS:

The Washington Post’s Brady Dennis, Zachary A Goldfarb and Neil Irwin: “Angry Congress lashes out at Obama” LINK

OTHER MUST-READS:

ABC News’ Cynthia McFadden: “Exclusive: Doug Hampton Speaks Out on Sen. Ensigns’s Affair” LINK

USA Today's Judy Keen: "JFK relics scattered across U.S. still hold mystique" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Suzanne Sataline: “Giuliani Eyes Senate Run” LINK

Politico’s Jonathan Allen: “Hispanics blame Rahm for immigrant ban” LINK

The Hill's Mary Ann Dreas and Kevin Bogardus: “Skepticism greets bill to lift 50-year-old Cuba travel restrictions" LINK

The New York Daily News' Kenneth Lovett and Elizabeth Benjamin In Albany and David Saltonstall: “Rudy Giuliani will very likely seek U.S. Senate seat, and if elected maybe 2012 White House: source" LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS:

“Clinton Applauds Karzai’s Agenda” LINK

“Health Care: What's Next?” LINK

“Traveling With the President” LINK

“Karzai Inauguration” LINK

“Geithner Faces Calls for Resignation” LINK

ABC News - Washington Post - United States - Wall Street Journal - Jake Tapper

Did Illinois Guv Nod Off at Health Care Debate?

ABCNews.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:47:51 -0500

ABC News' Teddy Davis reports:

Nodding off can be dangerous in the YouTube era -- just ask ex-Montana Sen. Conrad Burns, R, who was caught struggling to keep his eyes open in 2006 during a farm bill hearing.

Watch it HERE.

The latest potential YouTube moment comes in Illinois, where candidates for governor debated health care on Wednesday afternoon.

In a video procured and edited by his Democratic primary rival, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, D, appears to nod off a few times at Wednesday's debate while a woman explained that her pregnant daughter-in-law died because she didn't have health insurance.

Watch it HERE.

Aides to Illinois State Comptroller Dan Hynes, Quinn's Democratic primary challenger, got ahold of the tape, uploaded it to YouTube and started shopping it to reporters.

The Quinn camp is calling the video a deceptively edited cheap shot. Quinn's team says the governor was looking down and taking notes -- not sleeping.

Seeking to minimize any potential damage from the Hynes video, Quinn's campaign has released its own video of the governor talking with Midge Hough, the woman whose daughter-in-law died, following the event.

Watch it HERE.

Quinn is the former Illinois lieutenant governor who assumed the state's top job on Jan. 29 after the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich, was impeached and removed from office.

The Illinois gubernatorial primary is an early one; it is scheduled to take place on Feb. 2, 2010.

Watch more on the YouTube videos from ABC-7's Charles Thomas, by clicking HERE.

Pat Quinn - Rod Blagojevich - Illinois - YouTube - Democratic