The AP obtained a memo from the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs showing "The Pentagon is buttressing its public relations staff and starting an operation akin to a political campaign war room... New teams of people will "develop messages" for the 24-hour news cycle and "correct the record."
Rumsfeld says he is troubled by the terrorists' success in "manipulating the media." "That's the thing that keeps me up at night," he said.
The New York Times profiles a frustrated and desperate Sen. Rick Santorum who is consistently well behind his Democratic challenger Bob Casey in the polls. Santorum's campaign is airing "a television commercial that shows a mushroom cloud, missiles streaking through the air and the faces of North Korean, Iranian and terrorist leaders. It concludes, "We just can't take a chance on Bob Casey."
An organization working on behalf of Bob Corker (R) in Tennessee is running ads claiming that Rep. Harold Ford (D) favors "foreign terrorists having the same rights as American citizens."
Correction: Ford leads Corker 52%-44% in a new CNN/Opinion Research poll.
The poll has Jim Webb leading Sen. George Allen 50-46% in the Virginia Senate Race.
In Missouri, Claire McCaskill leads Sen. Jim Talent (R) 51-43 in registered voters.
And in New Jersey, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez holds a 51-44 percent edge among likely voters over his GOP challenger, state Sen. Tom Kean Jr.
The Cook political report is predicting major changes in the House.
"Barring a dramatic event, we are looking at the prospect of GOP losses in the House of at least 20 to 35 seats, possibly more." The Democrats need to win 15 seats to take control of the house.
"With just eight days to go until Election Day, the list of vulnerable Republican House seats continues to grow."
Added to the list is Rep. Richard Pombo's seat, a one hour drive from the San Francisco. Having gone to the district twice myself to get out the vote, I recommend people who live in the Bay Area do so, too. The McNerney campaign is impressively organized but it needs all the help it can get.
And according to a Majority Watch poll, after Nov. 7, Democrats could control from 222 to 242 seats in the next House.
Palm Beach Post "Former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley has extended his 30-day stay at a pricey rehab center in Arizona, according to acquaintances."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/nation/epaper/2006/10/31/a5a_foley_1031.html
The New York Times details the investigation of GOP Rep. Curt Weldon today. "Law enforcement officials said they were examining a wide variety of Mr. Weldon's connections with foreign companies," possibly including his connections to a major Italian military contractor.
"Taxpayers paid for Mr. Weldon's stay [in a fancy Italian resort]. He received a $1,153 daily expense allowance from the federal government and flew over [to Italy] on a military jet."
Michael J. Fox stumped for Rep. Sherrod Brown yesterday.
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has a front pay story today detailing GOP Congressional candidate Vern Buchanan's use offshore companies in Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands to avoid paying taxes. Though he is doing nothing illegal, his methods are controversial. The US Government loses as much as $100 billion in tax revenue from such offshore tax havens.
USA Today: The federal government is now targeting its "no sex without marriage" at "unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs, which include millions of dollars in federal money."