CNN Political Ticker AM, Friday, April 13, 2007 For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker
http://www.cnn.com/ticker. All politics, all the time.

Compiled by Stephen Bach (stephen.bach@cnn.com)
CNN Washington Bureau

Making news today...

* NJ Gov. Jon Corzine (D) suffered numerous injuries as "the SUV carrying him from Atlantic City to the governor's
mansion swerved and bounced off a wayward vehicle along the Garden State Parkway, then slammed into a guardrail"
shortly after 6 pm ET last night. Corzine "suffered 12 broken ribs and fractures to his collarbone, left leg, sternum
and a lower back bone," his spokesman said last night. (Newark Star-Ledger)

* The fate of Don Imus "is stirring quiet but heartfelt concern in an unlikely quarter: among Democratic politicians."
Dems "came to count on Imus for the kind of sympathetic treatment that Republicans got from Rush Limbaugh or Sean
Hannity." (Los Angeles Times)

* "The White House said yesterday that it could not find an unknown number of e-mails written by Karl Rove and at least
21 other officials, including some correspondence that has been sought in connection with the firings of eight US
attorneys." (Boston Globe)

Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) "scoffed" at the claim that the emails were lost: "I've got a
teenage kid in my neighborhood that can go get 'em for them," he said. (AP)

* Sen. John Warner (R-VA) raised just $500 in Q1, "setting off yet another round of speculation that the aging senator
will retire, leaving an open seat in 2008." (The Hill)

* In an Appropriations subcommittee hearing on contaminated pet food yesterday, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WVa) "informed the
panel three times that he has a Shih Tzu, nine times that his late wife named the dog Trouble, and three times that he
prefers to call it Baby." (Washington Post)

* And is ex-footballer/PA Gov. Candidate Lynn Swann gearing up for another political run? Find out the latest in Hot
Topics below!

President's Schedule:

* President Bush makes remarks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, 8:30 am ET at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

At 1:15 pm ET, the president and Mrs. Bush participate in a meeting with parochial education leaders and parents in the
Roosevelt Room at the White House.  They depart for Camp David at 2:10 pm ET.

Also on the Political Radar:

* The House is not in session this week.

* Newt Gingrich addresses the American Medical Association in Tampa at 8 am ET.

* Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) tours the Medical University of South Carolina Cancer Center in Charleston, SC, at 9:45 am
ET. He also holds a 1:30 pm ET town hall meeting at College of Charleston, and addresses the Annual Charleston GOP
Convention at 7 pm ET.

* Mitt Romney also has a busy day in SC. 8:45 am ET grassroots breakfast in West Columbia; 10 am ET small biz "Ask Mitt
Anything" in Lexington; 	3 pm ET presser in Mount Pleasant, and the Charleston GOP convention at 6:45 pm ET.

* Mike Huckabee attends an editorial board meeting at The Des Moines Register at 10:30 am ET.  At 1 pm ET, he keynotes
an Iowapolitics.com Luncheon at Drake University in Des Moines.

* Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) attends the Kalamazoo Lincoln Day Lunch at 12:15 pm ET in Kalamazoo, MI.

* Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) gives a "major policy address" at St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH, at 1:30 pm ET.
Later, she participates in a 5:45 pm ET "Conversation with Granite Staters" at Central High School in Manchester.

* Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) attends an afternoon community meeting on education at South Florence High School in
Florence, SC.  He later attends the SC Legislative Black Caucus dinner in Columbia at 6 pm ET.

* Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) addresses the Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder at 3 pm ET.


* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook: http://www.senate.gov/galleries/radiotv/list.htm

=================================================================
Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

TOUR EXTENSIONS ADDS NEW ELEMENT TO WAR FUNDING DEBATE: Senate Democrats seized on the troop announcement and the
sensational attacks in Baghdad on Thursday as evidence that the president and his inner circle are in denial about what
is going on in Iraq. The Democrats said that the decision to keep American forces there, for what they described as the
longest tours of duty since World War II, will only bolster the Democratic position in the fight with the
administration over Iraq policy. "This really hurts," said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in
the Senate, about the longer deployments. "People understand this." New York Times: Action on Troops Reshapes Bush's
Debate With Congress http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/washington/13cong.html

RNC MISSING "AT LEAST FOUR YEARS' WORTH" OF ROVE'S EMAIL: A lawyer for the Republican National Committee told
congressional staff members yesterday that the RNC is missing at least four years' worth of e-mail from White House
senior adviser Karl Rove that is being sought as part of investigations into the Bush administration, according to the
chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. GOP officials took issue with Rep. Henry Waxman's
account of the briefing and said they still hope to find the e-mail as they conduct forensic work on their computer
equipment. But they acknowledged that they took action to prevent Rove -- and Rove alone among the two dozen or so
White House officials with RNC accounts -- from deleting his e-mails from the RNC server. Waxman (D-Calif.) said he was
told the RNC made that move in 2005. Washington Post: Rove E-Mail Sought by Congress May Be Missing
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/AR2007041202408.html

JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN HAS DOUBTS: The White House's claim that e-mails sent on a Republican Party account might have been
lost was challenged Thursday by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, who quipped that even his teenage
neighbor could find them. "They say they have not been preserved. I don't believe that!" Leahy shouted from the Senate
floor as the dispute over the firing of federal prosecutors continued at a high pitch. "You can't erase e-mails, not
today. They've gone through too many servers," said Leahy, D-Vt. "Those e-mails are there; they just don't want to
produce them. We'll subpoena them if necessary." Later, Leahy and his committee's ranking Republican, Arlen Specter of
Pennsylvania, said the White House and lawmakers should agree on an independent forensic expert to try to recover the
messages. AP via Yahoo! News: Leahy doubts Bush aides on lost e-mails
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070413/ap_on_go_co/fired_prosecutors

SOME MISSING MISSIVES MAY DEAL WITH FIRED ATTORNEYS: The White House said Thursday that missing e-mail messages sent on
Republican Party accounts may include some relating to the firing of eight United States attorneys. The disclosure
became a fresh political problem for the White House, as Democrats stepped up their inquiry into whether Karl Rove and
other top aides to President Bush used the e-mail accounts maintained by the Republican National Committee to
circumvent record-keeping requirements. New York Times: Missing E-Mail May Be Related to Prosecutors
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/washington/13emails.html

IMUS FIRING A BLOW TO THE DEMS: They came by the hundreds that hot August day in tiny Johnson City, Tenn., gathering on
an asphalt parking lot to meet Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. It was not just that he might become the state's first black
senator. More than that, even in Republican eastern Tennessee, the Democratic congressman was a celebrity Â a regular
guest on Don Imus' radio show. And today, with Imus' career in tatters, the fate of the controversial shock jock is
stirring quiet but heartfelt concern in an unlikely quarter: among Democratic politicians. That's because, over the
years, Democrats such as Ford came to count on Imus for the kind of sympathetic treatment that Republicans got from
Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. Equally important, Imus gave Democrats a pipeline to a crucial voting bloc that was
perennially hard for them to reach: politically independent white men. Los Angeles Times: Democratic politicians lose a
soapbox with Imus http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-imuspol13apr13,0,2734444.story

WORLD BANK STAFFERS BOO WOLFOWITZ OVER GIRLFRIEND PAY, PROMOTIONS: World Bank President Paul D. Wolfowitz publicly
apologized yesterday for the "mistake" of personally orchestrating a high-paying job and guaranteed promotions for a
bank employee with whom he is romantically involved, as new details of his role in the arrangement emerged and staff
members angrily demanded his resignation. Wolfowitz attempted to address about 200 staffers gathered in the bank's
central atrium but left after some began hissing, booing, and chanting "Resign... Resign." He had approached the
gathering after holding a news conference in which he said, "I made a mistake for which I am sorry." Bank insiders
confirmed reports from the bank's staff association that Wolfowitz directed personnel officials to give Shaha Riza, his
longtime companion, an automatic "outstanding" rating and the highest possible pay raises during an indefinite posting
at the State Department, as well as a promotion upon her return to the bank. Washington Post: Wolfowitz Apologizes For
'Mistake' http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/AR2007041201188.html

IS WARNER'S $500 A SIGN? By most standards, $500 is not a lot of money. In a Senate campaign it's about the equivalent
of a nickel that's been left on a set of train tracks. Thus, Sen. John Warner's (R-Va.) first-quarter fundraising sum
of $500 is setting off yet another round of speculation that the aging senator will retire, leaving an open seat in
2008... According to a report published by the Federal Election Commission, Warner received no money from individual
contributions, political action committees or party committees. The report also said the senator disbursed more than
$30,000 for the period and still has $667,272 cash on hand. Warner's office released a statement from the senator late
Thursday afternoon in which Warner said he is "seriously considering" a reelection bid, but right now, he is focused on
his duties as a senator. The Hill: Warner's paltry first-quarter figures raise eyebrows
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/warners-paltry-first-quarter-figures-raise-eyebrows-2007-04-12.html

SECOND SANCHEZ QUITS CHC: Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-Calif.) suspended her membership in the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus Thursday afternoon, citing a need for "structural reforms to ensure that the caucus is more equitable and
inclusive of all its members." She is the second member of Congress to leave the group this year as lawmakers lobbed
charges of chauvinism within the group, mismanagement of the group's political arm and too great an emphasis on
seniority. Sanchez's sister, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) resigned earlier this year after accusing the group's
chairman, Rep. Joe Baca, another California Democrat, of referring to her as a "whore" during a meeting in California.
(Baca has denied making the comment.) The Politico: Linda Sanchez Leaves Hispanic Caucus
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0407/3514.html

MUST LOVE DOGS: A bomb had struck the Iraqi parliament earlier in the day, but it would take more than that to bring
the United States Senate to heel. "For many in America, pets are more than just companions -- they are members of the
family," Chairman Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) said at the start of his Appropriations subcommittee's hearing yesterday into
contaminated pet food. "An important part of the family," agreed the ranking Republican, Bob Bennett (Utah). "Members
of the family," echoed Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.). "Our pets are our companions, our soul mates and our hedge against
emotional turmoil." Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, tried to establish dominance over the pack by
raising a can of Alpo for the cameras -- but not before Byrd broke free of his leash. Washington Post: Byrd Doggedly
Expresses His Love for Man's Best Friend
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/AR2007041202101.html

CORZINE INJURED IN CAR ACCIDENT: Gov. Jon Corzine suffered numerous fractures to his leg, breastbone, collarbone and
ribs last night when the SUV carrying him from Atlantic City to the governor's mansion swerved and bounced off a
wayward vehicle along the Gar den State Parkway, then slammed into a guardrail, officials said. The state trooper
driving the governor, and an aide to Corzine riding in the car, also were injured in the accident, which occurred
shortly after 6 p.m. in Galloway Township. A police helicopter flew Corzine, 60, from the crash scene to Cooper
University Hospital in Camden, where surgeons worked last night to repair the broken bones... Corzine spent about two
hours in surgery and was transferred just before midnight to the intensive care unit in critical but stable condition,
hospital officials said. A spokesman for the governor, Anthony Coley, said Corzine suffered 12 broken ribs and
fractures to his collarbone, left leg, sternum and a lower back bone. The injuries, he said, "were not
life-threatening" and Corzine didn't appear to have suffered brain or spinal cord damage. Newark Star-Ledger: Corzine
Injured in Parkway Crash http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-11/117644315597130.xml&coll=1

OBAMA WINS MOVEON POLL: MoveOn.org's supporters voted Sen. Barack Obama the Democratic presidential candidate they
think can best lead the country to get out of Iraq, while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton lagged behind in fifth place, the
liberal online organization announced yesterday. Mr. Obama won 28 percent of the 42,882 votes cast, former Sen. John
Edwards, North Carolina Democrat, took second place with 25 percent and Mrs. Clinton garnered 11 percent. It was a
strong showing for Mr. Edwards who, like Mrs. Clinton, voted to authorize the Iraq war in 2002, but has since done a
far better job of repairing relations with Internet and anti-war activists than Mrs. Clinton, the New York Democrat who
has refused to call her vote for the war a mistake. The poll was taken after MoveOn supporters watched a "virtual town
hall" -- recorded remarks from seven Democratic candidates on what they would do about the war in Iraq -- either online
on their own, or at more than 1,000 organized house parties. Washington Times: MoveOn supporters put Obama on top
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070413-010932-2057r.htm

CLINTON TO LAY OUT REFORM PLAN: Pledging to rebuild "the competence of government and the confidence of the American
people," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she wants to streamline the functions of the federal government and boost its
accountability to taxpayers. The Democratic presidential front-runner was to offer details of a government reform plan
Friday in a speech at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. She was expected to propose cutting 500,000 government
contractors for a savings of up to $18 billion a year. In an interview with The Associated Press, Clinton said the
government needed to become more consumer-friendly, cost-efficient and transparent in the way it does business. AP via
Yahoo! News: Clinton to give ideas for rebuilding gov't http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070413/ap_on_el_pr/clinton2008

KUCINICH SAYS FELLOW DEMS "MASKING THEIR SUPPORT" FOR THE WAR: U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich criticized fellow Democratic
presidential candidates Thursday for waging a "fake debate" over the war in Iraq, saying they are masking their support
for the war. "You cannot claim you are for peace and vote to fund the war," Kucinich said in an interview in Des
Moines. "It's totally contradictory." Kucinich, of Ohio, met at the Iowa Statehouse with House and Senate Democrats. He
conceded his long-shot status for the presidency but said public anger about the war in Iraq could work to his
advantage. Des Moines Register: Kucinich assails rivals over 'fake' war debate
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070413/NEWS09/704130374/1056

SWANN WEIGHING HOUSE BID: Lynn Swann is thinking about running for Congress. The former Pittsburgh Steelers star, a
Republican who lost Pennsylvania's gubernatorial race last fall, said Thursday he has been approached to run for the
Pittsburgh-area seat held by Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire. "I'm still collecting information," Swann, of Sewickley
Heights, told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "People are still talking to me about it." Swann would not say
who has talked to him or when he plans to make up his mind. "It's a process. It's not a matter at this point about
whether it's something I thought about doing in the past or would think about doing in the future," Swann said. "It's a
matter of getting information and keeping an open mind." AP via Yahoo! News: Swann considers run for Congress
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070413/ap_on_el_ho/swann_congress



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