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Washington (CNN)– Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele called for a Senate Ethics Committee hearing to evaluate any possible wrongdoing by Sen. Max Baucus Saturday.

In a statement released by the RNC  Steele said:

"Today's report that Senator Max Baucus used his Senate office to advance a taxpayer funded appointment for his staff-member girlfriend raises a whole host of ethical questions. This issue demands the attention of the Senate Ethics Committee. They should hold a hearing to identify who was involved in this process, what they knew and when they knew it, and why Senator Baucus put his personal needs above those of the people of Montana."

Washington (CNN)— Sen. Max Baucus’ office confirmed Saturday the Montana Democrat was in a relationship with a woman he also recommended for U.S. Attorney.

According to a statement released by the senator's office, both Baucus and Melodee Hanes decided to withdraw her name for personal reasons, adding that their relationship was not the cause of their respective divorces.

"When Senator Baucus and Melodee Hanes, his former state director, realized that their relationship was developing beyond a purely professional nature, Melodee began the process of resigning her Senate employment," Ty Matsdorf, a spokesman for Sen. Baucus said in a statement. "With an extensive background as a prosecutor and extensive legal experience, Ms. Hanes submitted her name for consideration for the U.S Attorney position from Montana."

The statement, which includes a copy of Hanes' resume, shows years of political and defense experience. Her name was one of six recommended for U.S. Attorney. After "extensive evaluation," by a third party, Hanes' name was submitted as one of three to be considered for the position, it said. After further interviews by Baucus and the junior senator from the state, Jon Tester, Hanes' name was submitted to the White House along with two other top candidates, it added.

"While her personal relationship with Senator Baucus should in no way be either a qualifier or a disqualifier for the position, during the nomination process and after much reflection, both Senator Baucus and Ms. Hanes agreed that she should withdraw her name from consideration because they wanted to live together in Washington, DC," Matsdorf said.

Baucus, the chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, has been in the spotlight for his prominent role in the health care debate.

UPDATE: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a statement about the development, saying "Max is a good friend an outstanding Senator and he has my full support."

A Democratic leadership aide defended Baucus saying, "she withdrew of her own accord and is not the nominee. There's no real issue here other than that the press likes a good story where they can use the word "girlfriend." It's doubtful that there's any ethical and certainly no legal issues."

–CNN's Dana Bash contributed to this report.

Washington (CNN) – Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin defended the public's right to question the legitimacy of President Obama's birth certificate, but noted that she is not demanding for it to be released.

Appearing on conservative radio host Rusty Humphries program, Palin said that she supports people inquiring about it.

"I think the public rightfully is still making it an issue," Palin said in the interview with Humphries. "I don't have a problem with that. I don't know if I would have to bother to make it an issue, because I think that members of the electorate still want answers."

Humphries, whose radio show airs on about 300 stations across the country, went on to press Palin about whether it is "fair" game to ask such questions.

"I think it's a fair question, just like I think past association and past voting records - all of that is fair game," Palin responded.

She also criticized her own presidential campaign for not asking enough questions about Obama.

"The McCain-Palin campaign didn't do a good enough job in that area," the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate said. "We didn't call out Obama and some of his associates on their records and what their beliefs were and perhaps what some of their future plans were and I don't think that was fair to voters to not have done our job as candidates.

The interview aired at 10:30 p.m. ET, and just a few hours later Palin made it clear in a posting on her Facebook page that she, personally, is not asking to see it.

"Voters have every right to ask candidates for information if they so choose," Palin said. "I've pointed out that it was seemingly fair game during the 2008 election for many on the left to badger my doctor and lawyer for proof that Trig is in fact my child. Conspiracy-minded reporters and voters had a right to ask... which they have repeatedly. But at no point – not during the campaign, and not during recent interviews – have I asked the president to produce his birth certificate or suggested that he was not born in the United States."

Washington (CNN)– President Obama said Saturday despite a promising job report from the Labor Department, more work needs to be done to strengthen the economy and get the nation's unemployed back to work.

"Yesterday, the numbers released by the Labor Department reflected a continuing positive trend of diminishing job loss," Obama said in his weekly radio and Web address. "But for those who were laid off last month and the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession, a good trend isn't good enough."

Friday's Labor Department report showed the nation's unemployment rate dropped to 10 percent in November. The jobless level stood at 10.2 percent in October, the highest rate in more than a quarter century. The Labor Department also reported that employers cut 11,000 jobs last month, compared to an average of 135,000 jobs lost in each of the previous three months.

Obama said in order to prevent a future crisis he will work on programs that "will strengthen our economy in the long-run," by keeping the focus on job creation, health care reform, education, and clean energy.

"From the moment I was sworn into office, we have taken a number of difficult steps to end this economic crisis," Obama said. "We didn't take them because they were popular or gratifying. They weren't. We took these steps because they were necessary."

–CNN's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

(CNN) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she is thrilled about her daughter's engagement, but isn't sure how she will find the time to plan the wedding.

"I am officially an MOTB: a mother of the bride," Clinton said Friday in an interview with CNN's John Roberts. "And I am very excited about it"

Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, is engaged to marry Marc Mezvinsky, the son of former congressmen Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky of Pennsylvania and Ed Mezvinsky of Iowa.

"For me, [it's] particularly an extraordinary moment to see how happy my daughter is and to have a wonderful man that will become my son-in-law. But it's daunting to try and plan a wedding."

Related video: Clinton discusses NATO troops.

Clinton, who has been criss-crossing the globe since becoming Secretary of State, said she recently received an encouraging call from former Secretary of State Madeline Albright.

"Madeline Albright called me the other night and said, 'Well, when I was Secretary of State and had not a minute to myself, I had to plan a wedding, so if you need any advice, just call me,'" Clinton told Roberts in an interview in Brussels, where she is trying to rally European support for President Obama's new strategy in Afghanistan. "And I said, "I'll be calling."

Clinton said the size of the wedding has not been determined, but noted it would be private.

Washington (CNN) – Mitt Romney said he takes former political rival Mike Huckabee at his word for taking responsibility for granting clemency for a man accused of recently killing four police officers, but added that when he was a governor he never acted on a pardon.

During an interview Thursday night on CNN's Larry King Live, Romney, who in his four years as governor said he did not pardon or commute a single sentence, noted the focus should be on the tragedy that struck the lives of Washington State residents.

Huckabee has come under fire because, as governor of Arkansas in 2000, he signed a clemency order for Maurice Clemmons. That made Clemmons, who at the time was serving a 108 year prison sentence, eligible for parole, which was granted. Clemmons, 37, was fatally shot Tuesday by police in Seattle, Washington, after a two-day manhunt that began after he allegedly killed the officers at a coffee shop in Lakewood, Washington.

"You have three families that lost their father, one family that lost their mother, and this is just tragic," Romney said. "I think [Huckabee] indicated that had he got the chance to do it again based on what he knows now, of course he wouldn't have made that decision and I believe that's true."

As governor of Massachusetts, Romney said he put strict pardoning guidelines in place to avoid letting personal impressions fog his judgment.

"My conclusion was if somebody has been convicted by a jury of their peers and they have been prosecuted and the police were able to get the evidence necessary to put them behind bars, why in the world would I step in and reverse that sentence," he said.

Romney and Huckabee, who both unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, are considered possible contenders for the 2012 GOP nomination.

(CNN) – With Tuesday's vote too close to call, the Atlanta mayoral race may be headed for a recount.

The latest count shows former state senator Kasim Reed leading City Councilwoman Mary Norwood by 620 votes, out of more than 84,000 cast. Reed claimed victory early Wednesday morning, but Norwood, who is trying to become the city's first white mayor in 35 years, said she will not concede and is open to a recount.

Provisional ballots are expected to be counted Thursday and the election could be certified at Noon on Saturday. Since the margin of victory will most likely be less than one percent of the total vote, the runner up is allowed to petition for a recount.

On November 3, Norwood won 46 percent of the vote, 4 points short of the 50 percent needed to secure victory outright. Failing to reach that threshold level, Norwood faced the runoff with Reed, who won 36 percent of the vote on November 3.

Washington (CNN) – A proposal to legalize same-sex marriage in the nation's capital won approval Tuesday in the first of two city council votes required for it to go into effect.

The measure was supported by a vote of 11 to 2, according to Doxie McCoy, spokeswoman for the council's chairman, Vincent C. Gray.

The council is scheduled to hold a second vote on December 15. If it passes, the bill would be given to Mayor Adrian Fenty, who has already expressed his support and vowed to sign the bill.

(CNN)– Despite being uninvited to a "private dinner" given by Newt Gingrich, the owner of a Dallas topless club has no hard feelings. She used the money meant for a donation to the former house speaker's political organization to open up a dog shelter in his honor.

Last month, Dawn Rizos, owner of Dallas topless club The Lodge, received a letter from Gingrich's American Solutions inviting her to dine with Gingrich at a Capitol Hill club. She was also told she had been selected to receive an Entrepreneur of the Year Award. "Dawn – Newt is looking forward to finally meeting you face to face" to talk policy, read a handwritten note on the missive.

Lodge spokesman Michael Precker said they were told the group would need $5,000 to confirm her attendance, which they promptly paid. Shortly after, they were notified by a marketing company working for American Solutions that the invite had been mistakenly extended, and was being rescinded.

"Newt's Nook" opened its doors earlier this week, thanks to a $5,000 donation made by Rizos to the Animal Guardians, a dog rescue shelter 40 miles outside of Dallas. The shelter is meant to provide a place for dogs to recuperate until they are adopted.

"We're thrilled to help such a worthy project," said Rizos. "Instead of holding a grudge, we decided to make something positive out of his bad manners."

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(CNN)– President Obama took his family on an outing Saturday to the Oregon State-George Washington University basketball game in support of First Lady Michelle Obama's brother Craig Robinson.

Robinson, who coaches the Oregon State Beavers, was cheered on by the President, who snacked on popcorn, the First Lady, Sasha, Malia and the girls’ grandmother Marian Robinson.

Having a coach who’s also the president's brother-in-law meant another perk: according to the Beavers website, the team had the opportunity to tour the White House on Friday.

"I wanted the guys to experience all of the history surrounding one of the most recognizable buildings in the world," coach Robinson said, according to the website. "It was a special experience and one I hope these guys will never forget."

WASHINGTON (CNN)– Revisiting some of her campaign trail talking points, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin weighed in on the Senate health care vote, criticizing the Democrats and Majority Leader Harry Reid for a lack of transparency.

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing for yet another weekend vote (commonplace now for the party of "transparency") because he knows that the American people will be none too happy about the Democrats' proposal the longer they have to look it over," Palin wrote late Friday night in a posting on her Facebook page.

Republicans, who have expressed opposition to the Democrats' bill from the beginning, have threatened to read the full 2,074 page bill during Senate debate, claiming the more Americans hear about what is in the bill, the less they will like it.

Palin went on to talk about features in the bill: government spending, abortion, and help for special needs children.

"While this Saturday night vote might seem like a procedural matter, at the end of the day a vote against Senator Reid's motion is a vote against massive new government spending and a take-over of 1/6th of the U.S. economy; it's a vote against billions in tax increases and penalties; it's a vote against federal funding of abortion; and it's a vote against ignoring responsible tort reform," Palin wrote. "Among the provisions in this bill will be a $2,500 cap on Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). The IRS allows families with special needs children to use FSAs to cover educational expenses. This new $2,500 cap will hit these families especially hard and cost them hundreds of dollars in new taxes every year."

Palin concluded by encouraging Americans to voice their opposition to their senators before the vote.
"The American people don't support this – we support the commonsense solutions that have been proposed, but totally ignored by (at this point) some out-of-control Washington politicians. Let's put a stop to Obamacare before it goes any further," she wrote.

WASHINGTON (CNN)– As the Senate debates the first of many important health care votes Saturday, Republican Sen. Mike Crapo reiterated his party's displeasure with the bill, in the weekly Republican radio and Web address.

"This 2,000-page bill will drive up the cost of health care insurance and medical care, not down, increase taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars, cut Medicare for senior citizens by hundreds of billions of dollars, grow the federal government by over $2.4 trillion in new spending, push the needy uninsured into a failing Medicaid system, impose a damaging unfunded mandate on our struggling states, leave millions of Americans uninsured, and establish a massive governmental intrusion into management of our health care economy," the Senator from Idaho said. "This is not true health care reform and this is not what the American people want."

Outlining the Republican plan, Crapo emphasized the importance of helping small businesses get affordable health insurance, educating Americans on how to make healthy choices, and allowing people to purchase insurance outside of their own state.

Crapo also encouraged American's to get online and read the bill for themselves.

WASHINGTON (CNN)– Vice President Joe Biden will be in Iowa Saturday as a special guest at the Iowa Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner.

Joining Biden will be Gov. Chet Culver, Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, and Reps. Bruce Braley and Leonard Boswell. According to the Iowa Democratic Party, Sen. Tom Harkin is also expected to speak, but may miss the event if he's delayed by the Senate health care vote Saturday.

The annual dinner is one of the biggest Democratic fundraising events of the year, usually kicking off the presidential primary season. In 2007, then-candidate Barack Obama's speech at the dinner has been credited to launching his path to the Democratic nomination. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson and Biden also spoke in 2007. Speakers in past years include former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore.

The event is being held at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.

UPDATE: According to the Iowa Democratic Party, Sen. Tom Harkin will not be able to attend the dinner Saturday night, but has filmed a message to be played at the event.

WASHINGTON (CNN)– The day before Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opens the debate on health care reform, a group of liberal activists who once attacked the Nevada Democrat announced they will begin making robocalls encouraging Reid to stand strong in the fight for health care reform and the public option.

In the calls, longtime Nevada nurse Lee Slaugher - the star of an attack ad released late last month which questioned Reid's political strength, tells residents in her state to stand behind their Senator.

"I'm very thankful that Senator Harry Reid has included a public health insurance option in his health care bill. He shocked the political world by being so bold on this issue." Slaughter says in the calls released by The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a liberal political action committee with the express goal of electing progressive candidates to federal office.

"If you want to join me in thanking Senator Reid, and letting him know that we'll stand with him as long as he keeps fighting for a public option, please press one on your keypad," Slaughter concludes.

The group says the calls are expected to reach 10,000 Nevada voters beginning Saturday, as Democrats and Republicans take to the Senate floor to vote on beginning debate on health care legislation introduced by Democrats.

The 2,074-page Senate bill seeks to reduce long-term costs of health care for the government, businesses and individuals while reforming how services are delivered to increase efficiency and effectiveness. It includes controversial provisions such as a government-run public health insurance option.

Republicans have vowed to try to block the bill, requiring Reid to round up 60 votes in the 100-member Senate to overcome a GOP filibuster and launch debate.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - John McCain's former presidential campaign manager Steve Schmidt is the latest McCain adviser to cry foul over accusations Sarah Palin has penned in her yet to be released memoir "Going Rogue."

Excerpts obtained by The Huffington Post characterize Schmidt in an unfavorable light, particularly in reference to the prank phone call Palin received from someone pretending to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "Right away, the phones started ringing," Palin writes. "One of the first calls was Schmidt, and the force of his screaming blew my hair back. 'How can anyone be so stupid?! Why would the president of France call a vice presidential candidate a few days out?!'"

In a telephone conversation with CNN's John King, Schmidt said how he is described and portrayed in the book is "fanciful. [And] total fiction."

In the excerpts, Palin also claims Schmidt tried to put her on a strict eating regimen, and in a conversation with Randy Scheunemann, a McCain foreign policy adviser, he had blamed the campaigns problems on Palin's "postpartum depression."

"Schmidt started in again, telling Randy what an awful pick I was - the "postpartum" problems, the wardrobe "scandal," "legal exposure" for Todd on Troopergate, whatever he meant by that," Palin writes according to the published excerpts.

In October, during The Atlantic magazine's First Draft of History Conference, Schmidt predicted to CNN's John King that he would be portrayed as "anti-rogue in the running of the campaign."

WASHINGTON (CNN)– Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney delivered a scathing criticism of President Obama's Afghanistan strategy Friday night, accusing the president of delivering rhetoric and not action in the war-torn country.

Quoting from a speech Obama delivered in March, Romney agreed with the president "that 'we are in Afghanistan to confront a common enemy that threatens the United States, our friends and allies."' Romney continued on seconding the president: "I believe 'that to succeed, we and our friends and allies must reverse the Taliban's gains, and promote a more capable and accountable Afghan government.'"

But Romney went on to criticize Obama for not holding enough meetings with top generals, and inadequately preparing for the elections in Afghanistan.

"The President has held his job for 10 months but does not yet have a strategy," Romney said during his speech before the Young America's Foundation in Santa Barbara, California. "What has he been doing that is more important than protecting the lives of the troops of which he is Commander-in-Chief? He has been campaigning- rallying at phony town meetings and making over 30 campaign stops for fellow Democrats. This President's inattention and dereliction remind me of those Northwest Airlines pilots who were so distracted from their jobs that they lost their way. But in this case, the consequences are far more severe."

Romney has been a constant critic of the Obama administration. In March, Romney accused the president of neglecting the country's needs, while posing for magazine covers, and making appearances on late night television during an interview with CNN's Larry King.

"This is a president who is learning on the fly," Romney said. "He's never turned anything around before. He hasn't had the experience of leading a nation or a business or a state in trouble. And the first rule I can tell him is focus, focus, focus. "

Since February, Romney has attended nine events for senatorial candidates, appeared at more than a dozen rallies or fundraisers for those running for governor this year or next, and spoken at almost two dozen meetings of Republican Party groups or conservative organizations. And he has finished a new book.

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WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Barack Obama cautioned members of Congress Saturday not to politicize questions surrounding the November 5 shootings at the Fort Hood military base in Texas.

"I know there will also be inquiries by Congress, and there should," Obama said in his weekly radio and Web address. "But all of us should resist the temptation to turn this tragic event into the political theater that sometimes dominates the discussion here in Washington. The stakes are far too high."

Obama has already ordered leaders of the military and intelligence community to complete a full review of the incident, and offer recommendations on ways military security might be improved.

"If there was a failure to take appropriate action before the shootings, there must be accountability," Obama said Saturday. "Beyond that – and most importantly – we must quickly and thoroughly evaluate and address any flaws in the system, so that we can prevent a similar breach from happening again."

Next Thursday, the Senate's Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing to assess the events leading up to Major Nidal Malik Hasan's shooting rampage that killed 13 people.

WASHINGTON (CNN)– Candidates and outside groups in New Jersey's highly contested gubernatorial race have spent nearly $37 million dollars on advertising since May.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign tops the charts spending nearly $19 million dollars on 10,161 advertisements compared to the nearly $9 million spent by Republican challenger Chris Christie. Independent candidate Chris Daggett has spent $257,447 on advertisements in the state according to analysis by TNSMI-CMAG, CNN's consultant on political advertising.

Corzine, who is estimated to be spending nearly $2 million a week on advertising has been increasingly negative in his ads, a move seen by many as a means to close the gap in the polls.

Evan Tracey, of TNSMI-CMAG, said according to his analysis, Corzine is well on track to spend more than $20 million by Tuesday when voters head to the polls.

The Republican Governors Association is lending a helping hand to Christie, spending just over $5 million on 6,032 advertisements. The Mid Atlantic Leadership Fund, a Washington based firm which usually backs Democratic candidates, has spent nearly $2 million on behalf of Corzine's campaign for re-election.

Late October polls show Corzine and Christie polling neck-and-neck, while Independent candidate Chris Daggett continues to make gains, primarily peeling support away from the Republican challenger.

WASHINGTON (CNN)– In New York's 23rd congressional district, Democratic candidate Bill Owens is capitalizing on Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava's last-minute decision to drop out of the special election as a final opportunity to tie Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman to former President Bush.

In a statement released by his campaign, Owens praised Scozzafava for her dedication as a public servant, but said his focus in the final days remains on showing voters the contrast between himself and Hoffman.

"Voters have a clear choice on Tuesday: they can elect to go back to the George Bush economic agenda, or they can vote to move forward," Owens said. "Doug Hoffman and the Club for Growth's extremist agenda won't do a thing to get our economy moving again. "...I will fight to turn the page on that agenda. I will work to create jobs Upstate to get our economy back on track because that is the type of leadership we need right now in Congress."

Vice President Joe Biden is heading back to New York's 23rd congressional district Monday to campaign for Owens the day before the special election.

Biden, who also campaigned with Owens in September, will appear in Watertown. Earlier this month, President Obama made an appearance at a fundraiser for Owens in New York City.

– CNN's Shirley Zilberstein and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this story.