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Crist told CNN Wednesday he never endorsed the president's stimulus measure.

(CNN) – Florida Gov. Charlie Crist tells CNN he never endorsed President Obama's $787 billion stimulus measure, in what appears to be the latest effort by the Florida Republican to distance himself from the president as he seeks his party's Senate nomination.

"I didn't endorse it. I didn't even have a vote on the darned thing," Crist told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an interview Wednesday on The Situation Room. "But I understood that it was going to pass and I wanted to be able to utilize it for the benefit of my fellow Floridians."

The comments came a day after former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, Crist's conservative challenger for the GOP nomination, launched a Web site featuring a photograph of the governor appearing with President Obama at a Florida rally for the stimulus measure last February.

Text under the image reads, "Get the picture? Donate now to stand up for conservative principles."

Crist was one of only a handful of Republican governors to publicly extend some support to the president's $787 billion stimulus package – a move that rankled some conservatives in his home state and across the country.

Watch:  Crist extends support for stimulus measure

In the interview with CNN, Crist called the move a "pragmatic" one given that the bill was certain to pass and his state stood to benefit from federal dollars.

"That was back in February, less than a month after the president was sworn into office, the first time he visits our state," Crist said. "And I was pragmatic, I think, about what we needed to do. Everybody knew the bill was going to pass."

"I, like all other Republican governors, utilized that money for the benefit of the people in my state. And that's what a pragmatic conservative does - a CEO, if you will, of a state does that," Crist also said.

But Crist appeared considerably more enthusiastic about the spending measure at the Florida rally on February 10 when he was introducing the president.

"It's getting harder every day, and we know that it's important that we pass this stimulus package," he said then with the president by his side. "It's important that we do so to help education, to help our infrastructure, and to help healthcare for those who need it most - the most vulnerable."

"This is not about partisan politics, this is about rising above that, helping America, and reigniting our economy," Crist also said then. (video below)

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Gov. Corzine insisted Monday that a controversial ad was not about his Republican challenger's weight.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine said Monday that a recent ad about his Republican challenger should have used a different expression than "threw his weight around," a turn-of-phrase which some political observers took as an effort to ridicule Chris Christie because of his waistline.

Late last month, the Democratic governor released a campaign ad that focused on what the Corzine campaign views as Republican Christie's track record of using his status as a U.S. attorney to gain special treatment in New Jersey. But the ad measured accusations by "weight."

"If you drove the wrong way down a one-way street, causing an accident and putting the victim in a trauma center...would you get away without a ticket?" the announcer said in the 30-second Corzine television ad. "Chris Christie did...."

"Christie threw his weight around as U.S. attorney and got off easy," the ad said.

In a recent debate and last week on CNN's "Situation Room," Christie directly responded to the ad's implication about his size.

"I'll let all of your audience in on a little secret," Christie told CNN's Wolf Blitzer last Wednesday, "I'm overweight and I've struggled with my weight for the last 30 years on and off and that's the way it is."

Christie also told Blitzer that he thought the Corzine ad was "beneath the office [Corzine] holds," and the New Jersey Republican slammed his opponent for not admitting that the ad was targeted at his weight rather than his conduct.

Appearing on "Situation Room" Monday, Corzine insisted that the controversial ad was meant to highlight Christie's behavior.

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Gov. Corzine insisted Monday that a controversial ad was not about his Republican challenger's weight.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine said Monday that a recent ad about his Republican challenger should have used a different expression than "threw his weight around," a turn-of-phrase which some political observers took as an effort to ridicule Chris Christie because of his waistline.

Late last month, the Democratic governor released a campaign ad that focused on what the Corzine campaign views as Republican Christie's track record of using his status as a U.S. attorney to gain special treatment in New Jersey. But the ad measured accusations by "weight."

"If you drove the wrong way down a one-way street, causing an accident and putting the victim in a trauma center...would you get away without a ticket?" the announcer said in the 30-second Corzine television ad. "Chris Christie did...."

"Christie threw his weight around as U.S. attorney and got off easy," the ad said.

In a recent debate and last week on CNN's "Situation Room," Christie directly responded to the ad's implication about his size.

"I'll let all of your audience in on a little secret," Christie told CNN's Wolf Blitzer last Wednesday, "I'm overweight and I've struggled with my weight for the last 30 years on and off and that's the way it is."

Christie also told Blitzer that he thought the Corzine ad was "beneath the office [Corzine] holds," and the New Jersey Republican slammed his opponent for not admitting that the ad was targeted at his weight rather than his conduct.

Appearing on "Situation Room" Monday, Corzine insisted that the controversial ad was meant to highlight Christie's behavior.

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Arizona Republican Rep. Jeff Flake says he spent a week alone on an uninhabited island made him feel like he was 'was actually doing something again.'(Photo Credit: Rep. Jeff Flake)

WASHINGTON (CNN) – So why did Rep. Jeff Flake really spend a week alone on a deserted island? Because, he told CNN Wednesday, he "felt like a pansy."

"Ever since leaving the ranch and the farm years ago, I've kind of felt like a pansy, I guess," the Arizona Republican told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "And this made it feel like I was actually doing something again."

Flake spent a week in isolation on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean last summer, subsisting on coconuts and fish and sleeping in a hammock.

Despite the flawless photographs that show him posing shirtless in front of the sunset and with a fish caught on his spear, Flake promised that he was the only one on the island. His secret: a tripod and a timer.

Related: From Congressman to Survivorman

Arizona Republican Rep. Jeff Flake says he spent a week alone on an uninhabited island made him feel like he was 'was actually doing something again.'(Photo Credit: Rep. Jeff Flake)

WASHINGTON (CNN) – So why did Rep. Jeff Flake really spend a week alone on a deserted island? Because, he told CNN Wednesday, he "felt like a pansy."

"Ever since leaving the ranch and the farm years ago, I've kind of felt like a pansy, I guess," the Arizona Republican told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "And this made it feel like I was actually doing something again."

Flake spent a week in isolation on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean last summer, subsisting on coconuts and fish and sleeping in a hammock.

Despite the flawless photographs that show him posing shirtless in front of the sunset and with a fish caught on his spear, Flake promised that he was the only one on the island. His secret: a tripod and a timer.

Related: From Congressman to Survivorman

Schwarzenegger: Treat Polanski 'like everyone else'.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told CNN on Thursday that he thinks filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was arrested in Switzerland last weekend for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, should not get special treatment because of his celebrity status.

As some in Hollywood rally to Polanski's defense, the movie star-turned-Republican governor said he wouldn't promise the director a pardon if he gets extradited to the United States and re-enters California's legal system. He said that he would "not treat (Polanski's) situation any differently than everyone else's."

"It doesn't matter if you are a big-time movie actor or a big-time movie director or producer," Schwarzenegger told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I think that he is a very respected person, and I am a big admirer of his work. But nevertheless, I think he should be treated like everyone else."

Schwarzenegger: Treat Polanski 'like everyone else'.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told CNN on Thursday that he thinks filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was arrested in Switzerland last weekend for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, should not get special treatment because of his celebrity status.

As some in Hollywood rally to Polanski's defense, the movie star-turned-Republican governor said he wouldn't promise the director a pardon if he gets extradited to the United States and re-enters California's legal system. He said that he would "not treat (Polanski's) situation any differently than everyone else's."

"It doesn't matter if you are a big-time movie actor or a big-time movie director or producer," Schwarzenegger told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I think that he is a very respected person, and I am a big admirer of his work. But nevertheless, I think he should be treated like everyone else."

In fact, Grayson - a Democrat who represents a central Florida swing district that includes Orlando - made another floor speech in which he apologized to the dead and their families for not acting sooner on health care reform, and then defended both speeches on CNN's "The Situation Room."

"What I mean is they have got no plan," Grayson told Wolf Blitzer. "It's been 24 hours since I said that. Where is the Republican plan? We're all waiting to see something that will take care of the pre-existing conditions, to take care of the 40 million Americans who have no coverage at all.

"That's what I meant when I said that the Republican plan is don't get sick. And if you do get sick, die quickly."

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Latimer said on CNN on Wednesday that he has 'no regrets' about writing a tell-all memoir about his time spent in George W. Bush's White House.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former speechwriter Matt Latimer said on CNN on Wednesday that he has "no regrets" about writing a tell-all memoir about his time spent in George W. Bush's White House.

Latimer, whose new book, "Speech-less: Tales of a White House Survivor," just hit bookstores this week, has been under fire from many members of the previous administration for alleging that Bush had never heard of Sarah Palin and that he had called her "not even remotely prepared" for the national stage.

"I think the president made a smart political assessment, which is this is something that Gov. Palin and her family weren't prepared for, the spotlight is going to be thrust on them," Latimer told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I don't know if it was a concern or criticism of the McCain campaign for the way they brought her out, but it was a warning and the president said let's wait a few weeks and see if the bloom's off that rose, meaning it's too soon to tell how Gov. Palin would come across to the American people."

Latimer said his goal was to be a "tape recorder" to show what Bush and other members of his administration were really like. He noted that Bush used "salty language" and recalled a discussion about Hillary Clinton.

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A Democratic strategist said Monday that the new CIA interrogation probe announced by Attorney General Eric Holder is 'terrible politics' for the Obama administration.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A prominent Democratic strategist said Monday that the Justice Department probe of CIA interrogations during President George W. Bush's administration may turn into a political liability for President Obama.

"This is terrible politics for the Obama administration and the Democrats," James Carville, a Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor, said Monday in an interview on 'The Situation Room.' "The country – like – really doesn't want this."

But, Carville added that the decision to open the probe into Bush-era interrogations of terrorism suspects is being driven by a belief that "we are a nation of laws."

Ed Rollins, a Republican strategist and CNN political contributor, agreed with Carville.

"Well, we are a nation of laws," Rollins said. "And, I think, obviously if there's anybody who violated laws, they should be punished."

But, Rollins noted that the probe runs the risk of sapping morale at the CIA "at a time that we need them to be on alert and moving forward."
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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will sit down with Wolf Blitzer in The Situation Room Monday.

(CNN) - The field of candidates vying to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger as California governor could grow today.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will announce this afternoon whether he's going to jump into the race. The mayor will make his news on exclusively on CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer at 4pm ET.

If Villaraigosa jumps in, he'll join San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who announced in April that he would run for Democratic nomination for governor in next year's election. California Attorney General and former governor Jerry Brown has indicated he plans to run as well, but he has not officially tossed his hat into the gubernatorial ring. Lt. Gov. John Garamendi may also join the contest.

"Villaraigosa is obviously very well known in Los Angeles and LA has the largest media market in the state," said CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider. "Ordinarily being a Latino would give Villaraigosa a large base of voters, but he may have to compete with Brown for some of those voters, particularly older ones, who were very loyal to Brown when he was governor back in the 1970's."

On the Republican side, although she hasn't officially announced her candidacy, former eBay executive Meg Whitman appears to be running governor. She would join former Rep. Tom Campbell and California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, who have officially announced their intentions to run for governor of California in 2010.

(CNN) – After days of being criticized for an off-color joke about the daughter of Alaska's Republican Gov. Sarah Palin, late night TV talk show David Letterman got a vote of support from a fellow comedian.

Bill Maher, host of HBO's "Real Time," called the apology that Letterman issued Monday "a real shame."

Related: Letterman apologizes to Palins over 'coarse joke'

"David Letterman should not have had to apologize," Maher told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room. "I've known David Letterman a long time."

"He's a very fundamentally decent Midwesterner. It's just not in his DNA to have said something that they're accusing him of saying," Maher added.

"It was an easy and obvious joke to make. It was funny. It was not offensive in any way," the HBO host said after detailing his take on the circumstances leading up to Letterman's controversial joke. "And they made it sound like he said something completely different. So he's apologizing for something he never meant, never thought, and never said."

Related: Palin accepts Letterman's apology

"I've been through this," Maher told Blitzer. "It stinks."

Maher's show appears on HBO, a sister network of CNN that also is owned by Time Warner.

(CNN) – After days of being criticized for an off-color joke about the daughter of Alaska's Republican Gov. Sarah Palin, late night TV talk show David Letterman got a vote of support from a fellow comedian.

Bill Maher, host of HBO's "Real Time," called the apology that Letterman issued Monday "a real shame."

Related: Letterman apologizes to Palins over 'coarse joke'

"David Letterman should not have had to apologize," Maher told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room. "I've known David Letterman a long time."

"He's a very fundamentally decent Midwesterner. It's just not in his DNA to have said something that they're accusing him of saying," Maher added.

"It was an easy and obvious joke to make. It was funny. It was not offensive in any way," the HBO host said after detailing his take on the circumstances leading up to Letterman's controversial joke. "And they made it sound like he said something completely different. So he's apologizing for something he never meant, never thought, and never said."

Related: Palin accepts Letterman's apology

"I've been through this," Maher told Blitzer. "It stinks."

Maher's show appears on HBO, a sister network of CNN that also is owned by Time Warner.

Actor Richard Gere discussed Tibet on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer Monday.

(CNN) – Actor Richard Gere told Wolf Blitzer in an interview on Monday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “misspoke in the moment” when she said that human rights “can’t interfere with the global economic crisis.”

While on a diplomatic trip to Asia in February, Clinton said that the global economic crisis, climate change and security take precedent over human rights issues when dealing with China. Gere said that Clinton has always been on the “forefront of human rights.”

“Let’s assume she said more than that because she’s more complicated than that,” Gere said. “For me, these are all the same issue. If you want to make it about human rights, that’s perfectly valid. From my point of view, human rights are very important. To an American, human rights are desperately important and you have to say the words.”

Gere is the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, which has focused on fighting for human rights and democratic freedom in Tibet. He attended a reception with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Monday afternoon to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dalai Lama’s exile from Tibet.

Submit your question for Mike Huckabee.

Got a question for Mike Huckabee? The former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate will be on CNN's "Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer. Send a question on video and it could be used as part of the interview. Huckabee is out with a new book called “Do the Right Thing” where he reflects on his presidential campaign and settles some scores with his rivals. Among other things, he calls Mitt Romney disrespectful and says Fred Thompson’s campaign lacked common sense. We want to know what you would ask Huckabee about the election and more.

Click here to go to ireport.com and upload your video question for Mike Huckabee.

Bill Maher has harsh words about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in this interview from the Situation Room.

(CNN) - Watch comedian and political commentator Bill Maher as he discusses the presidential race with The Situation Room's Wolf Blitzer.

Maher is the host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."  CNN and HBO are both part of the Time Warner family of companies.

Do you have a question for Mitt Romney?

(CNN)–Now you can be in "The Situation Room!” Former Governor and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be our guest Wednesday. He’s now a top supporter of Sen. John McCain and is often mentioned as a vice presidential candidate. What do you think? Submit your video questions to Mitt Romney on the economy and we'll have him answer some.

Click here to send us your questions on video, and be sure to keep them clear and concise. Your videos could be used on air–and your views a part of the best political team on TV.

So you have a question for Nancy Pelosi?'

(CNN)–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to be in "The Situation Room" next Thursday, July 17. Send us your videos and your questions for the California Democrat and it could be asked on CNN.

Click here to submit your questions!

Do you have a question for Ingrid Betancourt?

(CNN)–Former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt will be a guest Thursday in “The Situation Room.” She was rescued last week after being held hostage in the jungle for 6 ½ years. What questions do you have for her about her time in captivity and what she’s going to do now? Submit your video questions and we’ll ask her some of them.

Be sure to keep your questions clear and concise and put them on video! Then watch “The Situation Room” Thursday to see if you made the cut.

Click here to submit your question