Washington (CNN) - A new memoir by Karl Rove details the circumstances that led to the selection of former Vice President Dick Cheney as President George W. Bush's running mate.
The highly anticipated release of "Courage and Consequence," purchased by CNN Friday at a Washington area bookstore ahead of its release date next week, is a wide-ranging look at Bush's rise in politics as seen through the lens of his longtime strategist and aide. Rove also chronicles his life and political career.
The parts of the 516-page book that cover the selection of Cheney as Bush's running mate suggest that the longtime Republican insider was not comfortable when offered the position.
"Cheney arrived at Bush's Crawford ranch in early July with a stack of binders on other prospects," Rove writes. "After they had worked their way through the pile, Bush took Cheney out to the backyard. I'm sure Cheney wondered what was up: Crawford in July is hot. Bush surprised Cheney by asking him to think about becoming his running mate. Cheney said he'd consider it but wasn't certain it was a good idea for Bush or for him."
Rove goes on to deny that Cheney, who was tasked with helping Bush vet potential vice presidential candidates, somehow manipulated the selection process to his advantage.
Washington (CNN) - Embattled Rep. Eric Massa, D-New York, said Friday that he will resign from the House on Monday afternoon.
"I [resign] with a profound sense of failure and a deep apology to all those whom, for the past year, I tried to represent as our nation struggles with problems far greater than anyone can possibly imagine," Massa wrote in a statement posted on his House Web site.
On Wednesday, Massa had said he would not seek re-election because of health concerns and denied reports that he had harassed one of his Capitol Hill staffers.
The House Ethics Committee announced Thursday that it was "investigating and gathering additional information" on allegations against Massa.
Massa, in the statement Friday, said he had already decided to quit because of concerns about cancer before he learned that a staffer had complained to the Ethics panel.
"After I decided not to run again I was told, for the first time, that a member of my staff believed I had made statements that made him feel 'uncomfortable,'" Massa wrote.
(CNN) - The effort to unseat Gov. Deval Patrick is kindling the bipartisan spirit in Massachusetts. Tim Cahill, a former Democrat who became an independent last year, announced Friday that he had signed up four veterans of Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential bid.
The McCainites include John Weaver, who was the senator's longtime political adviser, and speechwriter Mark Salter, who the Cahill campaign describes as McCain's "alter ego." Cahill also said he has brought on two other McCain political minds: John Yob and Mike Dennehy. "These guys are the best in the business," Cahill said in a statement.
Washington (CNN) - Megastars Beyonce and Jay-Z, accompanied by a small group of friends, visited the White House on Wednesday for a special tour that included the White House Situation Room, White House aides confirmed.
A photo, apparently taken of the group in the Situation Room, was released on the Web site Rap Radar. The photo shows Jay-Z sitting at the head of the table, the seat normally occupied by the president. He is surrounded by his wife, Beyonce, and others in his entourage.
White House tours for the public normally do not include a stop inside the Situation Room. When occupied by the president and his national security team, the room is typically used to mobilize the administration during a crisis situation and communicate to officials around the world. But one White House aide said special visitors occasionally get access to the Situation Room.
"It's not like there's classified information laying around," the aide said. "It's really just a conference room."
Last December, the White House posted a virtual tour of the Situation Room, touting it as "an exclusive look inside one of the most secure spaces in the country."
White House aides confirmed that Jay-Z and Beyonce stopped by before Jay-Z's concert Wednesday night at Washington's Verizon Center.
(CNN) - New York Gov. David Paterson, who for the last several weeks has been the target of stinging reports in the press, said Friday that he will not resign.
"I don't have any plans to resign," Paterson said as he walked into his Manhattan office. "At a certain point, I will cooperate with the investigations and will be clearing my name."
Paterson again took a swipe at news outlets, which he did not name, that he says practice shoddy journalism.
"I think that people originally hearing about this thought that the governor should be allowed to clear his name," Paterson said. "But there have been a number of more articles with unsourced information. Rumors and innuendo and inaccurate information that when cobbled together over and over and over again, certainly have an effect."
Washington (CNN) - The Silver State senator has proven once again that he lacks a silver tongue.
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, took to the Senate floor Friday to trumpet the Labor Department's newly released jobless numbers. February's unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent as the economy shed 36,000 jobs. Not great, but the consensus forecast among economists at Briefing.com was for unemployment to rise to 9.8 percent with a net loss of 68,000 jobs.
Democrats wanted to seize on the numbers as evidence that the economic slide has stopped. Unfortunately for his colleagues, Reid mangled the message.
"Today is a big day in America," he proclaimed. "Only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good." Reid noted that prognosticators had expected the numbers to be much worse.
Republicans immediately pounced on the campaign ad fodder from the four-term senator, who is facing a tough re-election fight this year.
"It's difficult to think of a Washington politician who is more out of touch with working Americans than Harry Reid," National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh said.
"Only in Harry Reid's world is it a good thing that 36,000 more Americans lost their jobs in February. Unfortunately, it's working families in Nevada who continue to pay the price for Reid's out-of-touch and failed leadership."
Washington (CNN) – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, considered to be a leading candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, said Friday that he thinks potential GOP rival Sarah Palin is qualified to serve as president of the United States.
Romney, in an interview to air on "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer," cited her service as a local and then state official as well as her selection as the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2008 as examples as to why she is qualified.
Blitzer, who was interviewing Romney about his new book "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness," specifically asked whether Palin is qualified to be president. "I sure do," said Romney.
He added, "She's been a mayor, she's been a governor, she's been part of a presidential campaign, she's got a lot of support."
Washington (CNN) – An Alabama congressman has managed to inspire a certain level of political bipartisanship, but not in a way that will make his colleagues jealous.
Former Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith rocked the political world in December when he switched parties and announced he would seek re-election as a Republican.
And now, only a few months later, his decision has prompted an unlikely coalition to form that is opposed to his re-election.
Democrats, Republicans and politically likeminded groups aligned with both political parties announced they will protest a fundraiser scheduled for March 8, in Huntsville. The headliner: House Minority Leader John Boehner.
Huntsville Tea Party, Left In Alabama, Athens-Limestone Tea Party Patriots, AAMU Democrats Student Club, The Dale Jackson Show, North Alabama Healthcare for All, Madison County Republican Executive Committee, and the Limestone County Republican Executive Committee issued a joint statement Friday announcing their intent to protest.
The involved parties share a goal, but have vastly different motivations. The Huntsville Tea Party said they will use the event to send GOP leaders the message that Griffith isn't their first choice.
Washington (CNN) - Illinois Republicans finally have a nominee for governor, 31 days after voters finished casting their ballots.
State Sen. Bill Brady prevailed over his colleague and rival, fellow GOP state Sen. Kirk Dillard, for the right to challenge Democratic incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn in the November general election.
The long and protracted contest ended Friday when the state's top elections officials met to certify the results of the February 2 gubernatorial primary, in which Brady narrowly beat Dillard by a margin of 193 votes.
Brady garnered 155,527 votes compared to 155,334 votes for Dillard.
Washington (CNN) – From President Jefferson to President Obama, politicians have been using new media to promote their campaigns, besmirch opponents and bottom line: win elections.
Jefferson printed short opinion pieces known as tracts in the 1800 presidential campaign, while Obama is credited with successfully harnessing social media technology in his 2008 bid for the White House. Recently, Obama's White House staff has warmed up considerably to Twitter.
Listen to Costantini's report:
From CNN Politics
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