The Federal Elections Commission voted yesterday to weaken their restrictions on issue ads run by third party groups before an election, bringing the rules in line with a recent Supreme Court ruling. The new rules will allow a group to specifically mention a candidate by name and comment upon their positions, but it must be done within the overall context of discussing the issue at hand.

The ruling has the potential to open the floodgates for more issue ads in the upcoming primaries and the general election season, whereas some groups would have shied away from doing so last time. Reform advocate Fred Wertheimer told the Associated Press that the final rules are too permissive, and that they "will open the door to campaign attack ads masquerading as issue ads again being funded with soft money."

The country's Catholic bishops have approved a document entitled "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," essentially a guide on how Catholics can maintain their faith in the context of voting in the upcoming election. The guidelines do give Catholics an escape clause if they want to vote for a pro-choice candidate, saying that it must be despite that position and because of "other morally grave reasons."

Another cardinal, Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, is not being so flexible. Saying that the Democratic Party is "extremely insensitive" to the church's positions, he's openly criticizing the support that many Catholics give to Democratic candidates: "I think that, at times, it borders on scandal as far as I'm concerned."

As a reminder, today is Election Day for various races across the country.

In Kentucky, Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) is expected to lose re-election by a landslide, while Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (R) is the favorite to win re-election. There will also be state legislative elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Mississippi.

Also occurring today is the the special election primary in Ohio's Fifth Congressional District, which became vacant when Republican Congressman Paul Gillmor died in September. The Republican primary has been bitterly fought between state Rep. Bob Latta, son of former Congressman Del Latta, and state Sen. Steve Buehrer, who has the Club For Growth's support. The Democrats are expected to nominate 2004 and 2006 nominee Robin Weirauch.

In a key local election in Manchester, New Hampshire, first-term Republican Mayor Frank Guinta faces Democrat Tom Donovan, a former school board member. Whoever wins, both Guinta's and Donovan's endorsements will be much sought after by both parties' presidential fields.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who is both a strong pro-lifer and a vociferous deficit hawk, said yesterday that the budget is in fact the more pressing issue — and he has a rather novel rationale.

"The greatest moral issue of our time isn't abortion, it's robbing our next generation of opportunity," Coburn said at the National Press Club. "You're going to save a child from being aborted so they can be born into a debtor's prison?"

A new Democracy Corps memo/press release explores the current pessimism in the country, which the authors argue is even worse than it was in 1992, when nearly 20% of voters went for Ross Perot.

The Democrats, they argue, need to go beyond being simply anti-Bush and anti-Iraq War and become a party of change across the board: "The biggest challenge and opportunity one year out from the 2008 election is whether the Democrats will become the voice of that change."

Senator Mel Martinez's (R-FL) will reportedly resign today from his position as "general chairman" of the Republican National Committee, a move that has been expected for some time.

In his statement, Martinez will say that he has accomplished his goals as general chairman, and wants to focus his energies on his work in the Senate.

The general chairman position was created as an honorary role specifically for Martinez after the 2006 debacle — when Republican defeats were exacerbated by a sharp decline in the Latino vote — with longtime GOP operative Mike Duncan as the party's chairman.

However, Martinez had his own clashes with the party on the immigration issue over the past year — the same issue that has contributed so much to the Republican collapse with Hispanic voters.

This should make for some good theatrics: According to Political Wire, Karl Rove and Max Cleland, the triple amputee vet who was knocked out of the Senate partly by a nasty GOP ad campaign linking him to Osama Bin Laden, are set to debate one another at Pat Robertson's Regent University on Oct. 26. The topic: Whether American Democracy should be exported to the world.

They've apparently never met. It'll be interesting to see if Cleland asks the question directly of Rove that so many people have asked since his 2002 loss: "Sir, were you behind those ads tying a veteran who sacrificed three limbs for his country to a terrorist mass murder of thousands of Americans?" Stay tuned.

Here's the new ad from Americans United For Change, being run against President Bush's veto of the SCHIP bill:

The narrator says that Bush's veto was not simply of the program, but of the individual children who would have benefitted. She then says sternly, "George Bush and his backers would rather send half a trillion to Iraq than spend a fraction of that here, to keep our kids healthy."

The ad buy comes to about $1 million, targeting 20 Republican members of the House in order to bring public pressure for a veto override.

Retired general Wes Clark has joined the campaign against Rush "phony soldiers" Limbaugh, with a specific goal in mind: Getting Congress to dump the talk show host from Armed Forces Radio.

WesPac, Clark's political organization, is appealing to supporters to add their names to a Clark-authored email pressing their members of Congress to get Limbaugh off the station, a course of action that some Limbaugh critics, such as Jane Hamsher, are pushing as an alternative to a Congressional measure condemning him.

"It's time to put real pressure on Rush Limbaugh," Clark writes. "His show is broadcast on Armed Forces Radio, and this time we are going to go straight to the lifeblood of Rush's show -- Congress. Congress has the power to remove Rush Limbaugh from Armed Forces Radio, and it won't be as easy for elected officials to ignore our call. Tax dollars are used to fund Armed Forces Radio, and that money is not intended for radio show hosts to spout insults at our soldiers."

House Dem sources were unable to say at this early juncture whether the idea would gain traction with the Dem Congressional leadership. Seems like an interesting approach -- stay tuned.

Here's a fun little twist in the Rush Limbaugh "phony soldiers" brouhaha -- a GOP member of the House has introduced a resolution praising Rush for his "relentless efforts to build and maintain troop morale."

What are those efforts? Well, they're largely his radio broadcasts, according to the resolution, which was submitted by Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), though there's a reference to a bit of pro-troop charity Limbaush's said to have engaged in. You can read the full resolution after the jump.

Read more »

This is pretty interesting. Newt Gingrich sat down for an interview with two conservative bloggers, Robert Bluey of RedState and Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters. While the two understandably were most interested in Gingrich's contention that Hillary is the most effective candidate among the Dems, another line grabbed our interest.

Specifically, Newt denounced the campaign Republicans ran against Kerry in 2004 as "cheap and nasty." Take a look:

Gingrich, speaking about Hillary, says:

"The most effective candidate in the race is Hillary Clinton. She has done exactly what you asked. It's just that her answers are wrong. Senator Clinton is a serious, competent, formidable person who works hard every day. She's for too much government, she's for too liberal a policy, she would appoint judges who are way too liberal. But she is a formidable person. No one on our side is going to beat her by the kind of cheap and nasty campaign that beat John Kerry."

"Cheap and nasty" -- that's what a lot of Dems, and independent observers, were saying about the GOP's campaign against Kerry at the time, too. What did Newt say he thought of the campaign against Kerry while it was happening? Might be worth checking into. At any rate, definitely noteworthy, and interesting that Newt thinks that Hillary is not "swift-boatable" the way Kerry was.

The first Republican member of Congress -- and first GOP Presidential candidate -- has now stepped forward to condemn Rush's "phony soldier" remark.

Time.com's Ana Marie Cox asked John McCain for a response to Rush's comments, and she received this blistering statement from the veteran and torture victim:

Any American who risks his or her life to defend us has earned the respect and gratitude of every American citizen, irrespective of their views on this war. If Mr. Limbaugh made the remark he is reported to have made, it reflects very poorly on him and not the objects of his offensive comment. I expect most Americans, whatever their political views, will have the same reaction. He would be well advised to retract it and apologize.

That's pretty tough stuff.

Meanwhile, lots more other developments in the "phony soldiers" saga. Huffington Post has unearthed a new and even more eye-opening episode of Rush soldier-bashing.

And Think Progress has obtained a letter from Senate Democratic leaders calling on Rush's parent company, Clear Channel, to repudiate his remarks.

Meanwhile, our take on the press dynamic at play on this story is right here at The Horse's Mouth.

"Let me be clear. I think Republican consultants are mostly very stupid. I think they have no education. I think they have no sense of history."

-- Newt Gingrich, in an interview with blogtalkradio flagged by Jonathan Martin.

The Dem denunciations of Rush Limbaugh for saying that antiwar troops are "phony soldiers" are coming fast and furious now. We've just received a statement from antiwar Dem Rep. Patrick Murphy, an Iraq war vet himself:

“Someone should tell chicken-hawk Rush Limbaugh that the only phonies are those who choose not to serve and then criticize those who do. I served proudly, so did two of my fellow paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne who spoke out and died just weeks ago. Generations of American veterans have worn the uniform with pride and we know it is no contradiction to serve your country and still disagree with the Bush-civilian leadership that mismanaged this war.”

The fellow paratroopers who died that Murphy refers to are the authors of the Times Op ed questioning the war who were killed in Iraq after their piece appeared.

As we reported earlier today over at The Horse's Mouth, Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show that soldiers who favor U.S. withdrawal from Iraq are "phony soldiers."

The assertion -- reminiscent of MoveOn's attack on Petraeus, which generated enormous controversy when Republicans attacked the group -- has the potential to be equally explosive, since some troops who are currently fighting in Iraq, and a handful who have died there, have questioned the war in the media.

Now Dems are stepping forward to blast his remark. First up: the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Here's the statement just released by DCCC chief Chris Van Hollen:

“Rush Limbaugh’s personal attack on our men and women in uniform is reprehensible. It minimizes the sacrifice our troops in Iraq and their families are making and has no place in the public discourse. Rush Limbaugh owes our military and their families an apology for his hurtful comments that minimize their service to our country.”

We have a feeling that more will be coming on this. We have lots more on Rush's radio appearance right here.

Late Update: Here's John Kerry's statement:

"This disgusting attack from Rush Limbaugh, cheerleader for the Chicken Hawk wing of the far right, is an insult to American troops. In a single moment on his show, Limbaugh managed to question the patriotism of men and women in uniform who have put their lives on the line and many who died for his right to sit safely in his air conditioned studio peddling hate. On August 19th, The New York Times published an op-ed by seven members of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division critical of George Bush's Iraq policy. Two of those soldiers were killed earlier this month in Baghdad. Does Mr. Limbaugh dare assert that these heroes were 'phony soldiers'? Mr. Limbaugh owes an apology to everyone who has ever worn the uniform of our country, and an apology to the families of every soldier buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He is an embarrassment to his Party, and I expect the Republicans who flock to his microphone will now condemn this indefensible statement."

Note the reference to the dead soldiers who authored that Times Op ed against the war, as well as the demand that GOPers condemn Rush for his remark.

Later Update: Looks like the Dems are determined to make a major issue of this. Rep. Frank Pallone was just on the House floor blasting Rush. He asked whether all the GOPers who condemned MoveOn will hold Rush to the same standard, concluding: "Don't hold your breath."

Even Later Update: Here's Dem Rep Patrick Murphy, an Iraq war vet himself, in a statement sent to us moments ago:

“Someone should tell chicken-hawk Rush Limbaugh that the only phonies are those who choose not to serve and then criticize those who do. I served proudly, so did two of my fellow paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne who spoke out and died just weeks ago. Generations of American veterans have worn the uniform with pride and we know it is no contradiction to serve your country and still disagree with the Bush-civilian leadership that mismanaged this war.”

The Senate voted 60-39 today — just enough votes for cloture against a threatened Republican filibuster — to attach the hate crimes bill to the Defense Authorization bill, expanding current hate crimes protections to include sexual orientation.

All 51 Democratic Senators voted for the bill, along with nine Republicans: John Warner (VA), Richard Lugar (IN), Susan Collins (ME), Olympia Snowe (ME), George Voinovich (OH), Arlen Specter (PA), Norm Coleman (MN), Judd Gregg (NH), and Gordon Smith (OR).

And among the 39 Republicans who voted No were David Vitter of Louisiana, plus Idaho's Larry Craig. And finally, John McCain missed the vote.

Late Update: This post accidentally said that 48 Republicans voted no. Rather, 48 total Republicans voted, with John McCain absent and nine more voting with the Dems.

A new Gallup poll finds the Democratic Party's public image in much, much better shape than the Republicans'. The Dems have a 53% favorable rating and 43% unfavorable, compared to the GOP's dismal 38%-59% figure.

On the issues, the Dems are ahead, too. Asked which party would do a better job keeping the country prosperous, the Democrats holds a 54%-34% advantage over the Republicans. And when asked which party would do a better job protecting the country from terrorism and military threats, the Dems win 47%-42%, just barely inside the polls ±3 margin of error.

The reason? The GOP's favorability has tracked almost exactly with President Bush. Right now they're at 38% favorable, and he's at 36%, a statistically indistinguishable difference.

Joe Biden went on MSNBC last night and slammed Boehner's "small price" line in very harsh terms, saying:

"It's unconscionable. Simply unconscionable. And the rationale put forward is simply ridiculous."

Note that Biden wasn't just slamming the remark itself, he was also ridiculing the argument by Boehner's people that he was only referring to the expense of the war. The question Boehner was answering, however, was very clearly about troop deaths, too.

Here's video of Biden (the key moment comes towards the end):

Now that the ultra, super serious John McCain and Joe Biden have both faulted Boehner, how much longer can the press pretend this isn't news?

Looks like there'll be some severe disappointment tonight among those who think Scholar-Warrior Petraeus would make a good Veep candidate.

Like Union General Sherman, who famously ruled out a run for President after the Civil War, Petraeus tells the USA Today edit board that he has no interest in running for political office.

The weeks-long P.R. campaign to convince the public that the "surge" has shown results has failed miserably, according to this new Associated Press poll released today. It finds that barely more than a third -- 36% -- think the escalation has "helped stabilize the situation" in Iraq.

Key number: The survey also finds that only slight majorities of conservatives think the surge has shown success.

The poll was taken in the runup to General Petraeus' testimony yesterday and today. It'll be interesting to see whether surveys register any kind of meaningful shift in public opinion at all in the days ahead. The AP poll also finds that 59% think that history will judge the war a complete or partial failure, suggesting that public opinion is pretty locked in at this point -- no matter how bright the gleam on Petraeus' medals.

For weeks now we've been hearing endlessly that today's testimony by General Petraeus will mark a key moment in deciding which way public opinion will swing on Iraq.

Guess who disagrees with that prediction? The public, that's who.

Check out this key number buried in today's New York Times/CBS poll:

As you may know, a report about the situation in Iraq by General David Petraeus, the Commander of U.S. forces, and others is scheduled to be released next week. If the report says that the situation in Iraq is IMPROVING, what should the U.S. do next: should the U.S. increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, keep the same number of U.S. troops in Iraq as there are now, decrease the number of troops in Iraq, or remove all its troops from Iraq?

Increase 6%
Keep the same 32%
Decrease 39%
Remove all troops 17%

So, even if Petraeus says that the surge is improving things, a solid majority -- 56% -- will still favor removing some or all of the troops. Of course, this number could be related to the fact that in two polls now -- by The Washington Post, and by Gallup -- solid majorities say they don't expect Petraeus to honestly assess the success of his own performance. So no wonder majorities are saying his testimony won't affect what they want for Iraq.

One other key indicator: Today's Times poll also asked whether the U.S. would change its strategy in Iraq or keep going as it has after Petraeus' report comes out. A big majority -- 71% -- said it would continue as is.

Bottom line: The public appears to have decided that Petraeus won't tell them the truth about Iraq, that they want out of Iraq no matter what he says, and that the President won't change course in the wake of his testimony. Clever public.

A new CNN poll shows that a majority of Americans do not think the United States will be able to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden. Whereas a late 2001 CNN poll showed that 78% believed the United States could succeed in apprehending or killing him, only 42% believe it will be done now, compared to 54% who do not have confidence in America's ability to do so.

This 36-point decline in confidence is perfectly understandable — it has been almost six years to the day since 9/11, and he's apparently still out there.

Reminder: GOP Debate Tonight — Thompson Skipping
The Republican candidates meet in New Hampshire tonight at 9 p.m. ET for a debate on Fox News. Fred Thompson will not be showing up, instead opting to appear on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. However, Thompson will be running a 30-second ad promoting his candidacy throughout today — including during the GOP debate. "We can't allow ourselves to become a weaker, less prosperous and more divided nation. Today, as before, the fate of millions across the world depends on the unity and resolve of the American people," Thompson says in the ad, then guiding viewers to his Web site.

Larry Craig Trying To Back Out Of Resignation
An aide to Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) said last night that he is reconsidering his decision to resign on September 30, and will stay on if he can clear his name. As it turns out, Craig planned this gambit the whole time. And how do we know this? On Saturday, the day he announced his resignation, Craig tried to call his attorney in order to explain the secret plan — and he left the voicemail at the wrong number.

Giuliani Calls For Reform Of Homeland Security
Speaking in Mississippi yesterday, Giuliani argued that the Department of Homeland Security needs to be restructured in order to function better at the regional and local level. Giuliani argued that the government needs to be more focused on bolstering first responders and efforts on the ground. The former mayor did not hesitate to include frequent references to 9/11 to bolster his case, telling the crowd that he saw "a man throwing himself out of 101st, 102nd floor of the north tower.”

Oprah Considers Greater Role In Obama Campaign
Oprah Winfrey has already done plenty for Barack Obama, lending her influential endorsement and organizing major fundraising efforts, including an event on Saturday at her California home. But she may go even further. The Washington Post reports today that the TV superstar is in talks with Obama's advisors to take on a more active role in the campaign, possibly delivering stump speeches and more openly campaigning for Obama in the media.

Richardson Talks Up Mass Transportation In Iowa
Bill Richardson told an Iowa crowd that American transportation policy is "fixated on highways", leading to traffic congestion and energy inefficiency. The candidate said he believed alternatives such as light rail and commuter rail transportations would reduce traffic and preserve open spaces. He also said that the federal government should cooperate with state and local authorities to repair and upgrade the country's infrastructure, including bridges and the nation's electric grid.

Niki Tsongas Wins Democratic Primary In Special Election
Niki Tsongas, wife of the late Senator Paul Tsongas (D-MA), won the Democratic primary yesterday for the seat of former Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA), who resigned to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Meehan took 36% in a five-person field, followed by Lowell= City Councilor Eileen Donoghue at 31%. The district is heavily Democratic, so Tsongas is to be considered a strong favorite over Republican Jim Ogonowski, a farmer and retired Air Force officer who lost a brother on 9/11. Ogonowski has already said he would decline the offer if President Bush wanted to campaign for him.

Doug Lamborn Apologizes
Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-CO) has apologized for leaving a voicemail on the home phone of local Republican activists Jonathan and Anna Bartha in reaction to their letter to the editor criticizing him — a voicemail that seemed to threaten legal action. However, Lamborn still insists that their letter attacking him was false. “Therefore, when my record is not accurately portrayed, I am quick and passionate in attempting to set the record straight,” Lamborn wrote in a letter. “Unfortunately, recent events have risen to a level that was unintended.”