From NBC's Kristin Wilson
"Polls don't mean spit" was the oft-repeated mantra today in DC by the president of the International Association of Firefighters and Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Chris Dodd.

According to Dodd, and IAFF president Harold Shaitberger, however, the  "very extensive surveys we've conducted and phone contacts with voters in these states" (hey, isn't that called "polling?") in Iowa and New Hampshire do mean, ummm, spit.

Shaitberger said voters are apparently still undecided in the early primary and caucus states, and will make their decisions not in August, which is filled with "more theater, more popularity contests," but rather in December and January, when "they get serious about their decision."

"We've ignored the polls and the money and the pundits, who are generally off base...put it all on the table, and our choice was clear," he said.

Referencing the IAFF's endorsement of Sen. John Kerry in 2003, Shaitberger said that though trailing "badly" in the polls, Kerry was the "leader we needed at the time, and we were borne out to be right....we're gonna see if we can make lightning strike once again."

Hoping to get traction from the much-needed endorsement, Dodd asked why, given "all the attention, all the resources" at his opponents disposal, "why aren't they doing better?"

Ahhh, those polls.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
In another sign the presidential selection process may be headed for 2007, Wyoming Republicans voted to move their conventions to Jan. 5, leapfrogging Iowa and New Hampshire.

"We're first in the nation," State party County Convention Coordinator Tom Sansonetti told the AP. "At least for the next couple, three weeks until New Hampshire and Iowa move, which I expect they will."

Iowa and New Hampshire are currently scheduled for Jan. 14 and Jan. 22, respectively. But that is expected to change, since South Carolina moved its Republican primary to Jan. 19. We reported earlier, though, that the Republican National Committee is vowing to take tough action against states like Florida, South Carolina, New Hampshire and Michigan for moving its primary dates up. The Democratic National Committee levied the heavy sanction of stripping Florida of its delegates Saturday -- if within 30 days Florida doesn't agree to move its primary date back by at least a week.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Senior officials tell NBC News it is unlikely President Bush will be ready to nominate a choice for attorney general before the president leaves for the APEC Summit next week. It appears there is not sufficient time on Thursday and Friday for the president to complete interviews with candidates and be ready for an announcement, advisors said.

Officials said they now "have more names in the mix than when we started" and that consultations with members of Congress and others outside government have contributed to the process. They refused to discuss specific names, but advisors suggest that Paul Clement, George Terwilliger and Larry Silberman are among those being considered. 

Advisors said they believe the speculation about Michael Chertoff has run its course, and he is not in the running to succeed Gonzales. "It gets unfair to Mike," one advisor said.

The positive reaction to Clement as acting attorney general takes some pressure off the timing, advisors said.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Might the Republican leadership remove embattled Sen. Larry Craig from committee assignments or request that he steps down? The leadership has not made plans to take those steps, but a GOP aide says, "We reserve that right." Craig is a member of the powerful appropriations committee.

Also, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called Craig yesterday prior to releasing the statement from the GOP Leadership calling for an ethics investigation. McConnell's office wouldn't characterize the call other than to say they were giving Craig a heads-up on the GOP position. In that statement, the leadership said it will be "examining other aspects of the case to determine if additional action is required."

Also note that while senators' press offices often spam Capitol Hill reporters with press releases from the mundane to the sublime, we've seen nothing so far from anyone except the previously mentioned statement from the GOP leadership yesterday.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The liberal, anti-war group MoveOn.org will go up with an ad by the end of this week in Democratic Rep. Brian Baird's district in Washington state, accusing him of a "flip-flop" on the Iraq war.

Baird, along with Sens. Clinton and Carl Levin, recently said the troop surge in Iraq is showing signs of progress -- at least in Al-Anbar province. Baird had voted against the Iraq military action in 2003.

"MoveOn.org Political Action Committee is sponsoring the ad to call attention to the congressman's decision to go against the views of his constituents, and his previous voting record, to support President Bush's failed policy in Iraq," the group said in an e-mailed statement.

"Congressman Baird's new position, in favor of keeping our troops in an unnwinnable civil war in Iraq, is out of line with the majority of his district and the nation," Nita Chaudhary of MoveOn said in the statement. "So far this has been one of the bloodiest summers in Iraq and voters don't want to continue down a failed path. They want representatives who will stand up to President Bush's reckless policy and bring our troops home."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The Romney campaign is the latest to try and appeal to younger viewers with a gimmicky, "Create Your Own Ad!" push. "Yes, we're serious," the campaign boasts on the edit-it-yourself Web site JumpCut.com. The ad can be on "Mitt's biography, his family, his record as Governor, or his agenda for a stronger America. In fact, your ad can have practically any theme you choose as long you support the campaign creatively and responsibly."

The campaign provides photos, video and music -- though you can use your own. You just have to "cut, splice and edit to your heart's content." The deadline is Sept. 17. The campaign also provides its most recent ad as an example. Under the handle "govmittromney," Romney's campaign writes: "Here's one of our television ads, 'Tested, Proven.' Think you can do better? Just click the green 'Edit' button on this video (or any of the dozens of clips we've provided) and show us what you can do!" Here are some Romney videos on the site.

From Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
 *** "I Am Not Gay": While GOP Sen. Larry Craig's press conference yesterday wasn't as shocking and bizarre as Jim McGreevey's was a few years ago, it was quite a spectacle. And it raised more questions than answers, the chief one among them: Why would a local newspaper investigation force a three-term US senator to plead guilty to disorderly conduct regarding lewd behavior in a men's restroom? Republicans don't seem to be buying the defense, and before Craig's presser, the Senate GOP leadership released a statement recommending that the Senate Ethics Committee look into the incident. Of course, GOP Sen. David Vitter's recent press conference about his links to a DC madam's phone list was just as big of a spectacle -- and Vitter (with his wife's help) seems to have survived that incident, at least for now. But then again, being linked to a DC madam doesn't seem to compare to playing footsie with a plainclothes police officer in a men's bathroom stall. We're not the first to say this, but the biggest beneficiary to all of this has been Alberto Gonzales. Did he pick a great week to finally resign, or what?

*** Katrina, Before And After: Heading into the summer of 2005, the Bush White House was suffering its first true political defeat -- over Social Security -- and the situation in Iraq kept getting worse and worse. But few at that point envisioned that the White House and GOP were in danger of losing control of Congress. In the July 2005 NBC/WSJ poll, Bush's approval rating stood at 46% (almost where it was before he won re-election), and his fav/unfav was 47%-43%. Then came Hurricane Katrina and the federal government's widely criticized response to it. In the next NBC/WSJ survey, Bush's plummeted to 40%, then his lowest rating in the poll, and his fav/unfav numbers essentially flipped. Katrina -- which slammed into the Gulf Coast exactly two years ago today -- is hardly the sole explanation for the White House's current woes (and even lower poll numbers). But it served as the point at which the wheels started to come off.

*** Not The Big Easy: President Bush, whose approval rating now stands at 31% in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, commemorates Katrina's second anniversary with a visit to the Gulf Coast. He begins the day with a stop at a New Orleans charter school, where he participates in a moment of silence and then makes a statement on the city's recovery efforts. He then heads to Mississippi, where he makes another statement. None of the presidential candidates will be joining Bush in New Orleans, but many of them (Clinton, Edwards, Huckabee, Hunter, and Obama) were there in the last few days.

*** Its Downballot Impact: But Katrina didn't only influence Bush's political standing. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D), whose response to the hurricane was just as widely condemned as Bush's, isn't running for re-election this year -- and Republican Bobby Jindal seems a safe bet to claim that seat. Other Gulf Coast governors, however, have seen their political fortunes rise, simply because their states didn't look as bad as Louisiana did. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R), stung in 2003 by a failed tax increase, cruised to re-election last year. And Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), who took a hit before Katrina for working to eliminate Medicaid benefits for thousands of poor state residents, is now in a strong position to win re-election this year, although a recent Bloomberg News article alleging that Barbour's friends and family financially benefited from the federal reconstruction aid there might complicate things.

*** Labor Gains: A day after Clinton won the endorsement of the United Transportation Union, Dodd picks up his biggest prize so far -- and perhaps his best piece of news since he launched his presidential bid -- when the International Association of Fire Fighters endorses him today at a press conference in DC. The IAFF, of course, is the sole major union that backed John Kerry before he went on to win in Iowa in 2004 (and it also has been the group hammering Giuliani on his 9/11 record). But while Kerry was overshadowed by Dean at this point in the '04 race, he was the initial Democratic front-runner and was still registering in double digits in national polls. That's not the case for Dodd. But, as the Hartford Courant's Lightman puts it, the endorsement is certainly "an important boost to his underdog campaign."

*** Billary Returns: The Clinton campaign just issued a press release noting that Clintons -- both Bill and Hillary -- will campaign together over the Labor Day weekend. On Sunday, they hit New Hampshire and then travel to Iowa on Monday.

*** On The Trail: Elsewhere today, Biden campaigns in Iowa; Edwards, in Georgia, gives a speech that his campaign says will touch on all the issues upon which he has built his campaign (poverty, health care, global warming); McCain raises money in California and Arizona; and Romney hits two fundraisers in Georgia. 

Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 5 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 52 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 69 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 80 days
Countdown to Iowa: 137 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 159 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 433 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 510 days

The New Orleans Times-Picayune has a special Katrina: Two Years Later issue with several stories looking back. The front page has a large "Thank You!" There is an installment called "Touched By an Angel" with vignettes from people who were helped by others' kindness.

The AP's Fournier writes that New Orleans is every Americans' tragedy. "What happened to this historic city two years ago is more than the obvious cautionary tale of what might befall your community after a natural disaster or a terrorist strike. It's also a sad reflection of what's happening now - today, in your hometown and across an anxious and ailing nation. Inadequate health care. A housing crisis. Crumbling infrastructure. Racial division. Poor schools. Rising crime. And at the core of these and other problems threatening our way of life: a pernicious failure of leadership." 

The Los Angeles Times has a different take. "Today, by accident and by necessity, this city is awash in ideas: the new and the ambitious, the au courant and avant-garde, the idealistic and the slightly nutty. The New Orleans public education system, long considered one of most ineffective in the nation, has been revitalized with a grand experiment in charter schools; more than half of the city's public campuses are charters, the highest percentage of any major metropolis."

CLINTON: The New York senator won the first endorsement by a national union in the 2008 campaign from the 125,000-member United Transportation Union.

The Los Angeles Times follows up on yesterday's Wall Street Journal article about Clinton fundraiser Norman Hsu (who has also donated to Biden, Obama, and other Democrats over the years). "For the last 15 years, California authorities have been trying to figure out what happened to a businessman named Norman Hsu, who pleaded no contest to grand theft, agreed to serve up to three years in prison and then seemed to vanish… Since 2004, one Norman Hsu has been carving out a prominent place of honor among Democratic fundraisers. He has funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions into party coffers, much of it earmarked for presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York… Hsu [also] has focused on delivering hefty contributions from citizens who live modest lives and are neophytes in the world of campaign giving."

Said Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson in the article: "During Mr. Hsu's many years of active participation in the political process, there has been no question about his integrity or his commitment to playing by the rules, and we have absolutely no reason to call his contributions into question or to return them."

The Wall Street Journal runs another piece on Hsu (but not including the bit about the grand theft). "People who have met him at events describe Mr. Hsu as warm, giving, charming and well-dressed. But unlike most big fund-raisers this cycle -- such as hedge-fund magnate Paul Tudor Jones for Mr. Obama and buyout pioneer Henry Kravis for Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain -- Mr. Hsu remains remarkably low-profile. Even some other Clinton fund-raisers say they don't know him at all and have been surprised to see him emerge as a top fund-raiser."  

The New York Post writes there is "furor" over that family in the lime green house that's given her $45,000. "Campaign aides yesterday said they won't return tens of thousands of dollars contributed by a seemingly low-income family living in a tiny bungalow tied to one of the Democratic Party's biggest donors."

DODD: The Hartford Courant's Lightman on Dodd picking up the endorsement from the International Association of Fire Fighters: "The 280,000-member union, whose backing was sought by most major candidates, will provide Dodd with an instant network of local workers throughout the country as well as some potential for more fundraising." More: The union … has long been close to Dodd, who wrote major legislation in 1999 to provide more federal dollars for training and equipment. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he pushed for state and local grants that would allow fire departments to hire more personnel… Dodd will … immediately embark on a multi-state tour with firefighters, who are particularly active in New Hampshire, the nation's first primary state."  

The Washington Post calls the news the "first significant prize in the competition for labor union endorsements." "The firefighters count 281,000 members, meaning they are only the 10th-largest union in the AFL-CIO. But they are among the most politically active and symbolically prized labor groups in the country, in part because of the heroic actions of firefighters at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon when terrorists struck on Sept. 11, 2001."

EDWARDS: USA Today reports on Edwards recent campaign swing through New Hampshire. "With his megawatt smile, unruffled demeanor and smooth accent, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards looks and sounds like the optimistic, positive guy he claims to be. But on his second trek along the primary trail, Edwards has a dire message for voters and increasingly pointed criticism of his opponents."

"'I'm the same person I've always been, very positive, very optimistic by nature. And I always speak true,' he says in an interview. 'I see some truths that need to be spoken, and I do see the need for real, specific, substantive change.'"

RICHARDSON: Richardson is setting the bar for himself in Iowa. "I think that in order for me to do well, I have to beat one of the three major contenders," he said.

BROWNBACK: He said No Child Left Behind should be revised "to let states negotiate how they meet the education law's requirements," the Des Moines Register reports. "Where it failed was not giving flexibility to the states," Brownback said.

HUCKABEE: The former Arkansas governor has taken some implicit shots at Romney, but he was more direct in an interview with CBN's Brody. "'I'm going to accept that his position (on the life issue) now is a position he currently and indeed does hold but nobody can deny that it's not the position that he had held. He's the first to admit that and when you add to that positions that he's held on other topics like the second amendment and even the Bush tax cuts, on same sex relationships and marriage and other things, that's what I think causes people to say how many different changes of position can one have during an adult's lifespan as a politician and then be confidant that that person is going to have another epiphany at some point in the future.'"

MCCAIN: He is now eligible for public funding. "The Arizona senator quietly requested authority to receive matching funds on Aug. 10, but his campaign said he has not decided whether he would ultimately accept the money."

ROMNEY: On Larry Craig, Romney "called it 'very disappointing' that one of his supporters has 'fallen short' of the standards for elected officials." He also invoked Bill Clinton in the same breath as Mark Foley.

The AP reports that Romney used fee hikes to balance the budget in Massachusetts -- 33 new ones, and he increased 57 others.

The Boston Globe front-pages all of the scandals that are "putting campaigns to test." The paper also front-pages its graphic with mug shots of Sen. Larry Craig (Romney's former Idaho chairman and Senate co-liaison), Thomas Ravenel (former Giuliani South Carolina co-chairman), and Bob Allen (former McCain Florida chairman).

While much of the focus has been on the Democratic National Committee and its sanctions on Florida (and possibly Michigan) for moving up their primaries, the Republican National Committee may take similar steps against Florida, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina. They "face sanctions for moving their contests to before Feb. 5. Two other early nominating states, Iowa and Nevada, will escape Republican sanctions because they hold nonbinding caucuses, not primaries." 

Per NBC's Lauren Appelbaum, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg reiterated "I am not running for president" after speaking in DC -- despite two Draft Mike groupies, who waited for him outside of the National Press Club. "I have 157 days and five hours left to go in my job. I plan to finish out my job. There are lots of candidates in both parties, and I think what you should do is hold them accountable… Everybody's going to promise a chicken in every pot," Bloomberg continued. "But the truth of the matter is, by now, we should have learned, that's not realistic… Make the candidate have to justify your vote."
 
Bloomberg praised Sen. Chuck Hagel (R), but added he has not had another conversation with him since their dinner months ago at The Palm in Washington. Bloomberg, by the way, spoke to the Draft Mike groupies, but only about poverty -- the topic he addressing at the Press Club. During his speech, part of the Brookings Center on Children and Families briefing on the Census Poverty Report, Bloomberg stressed the importance of education in solving poverty and called for a "substantial expansion and reform of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit." He also explained New York's "Opportunity NYC" initiative, in which high school students can earn money for passing tests and near-perfect attendance, and adults can earn money for working full-time.

The Washington Post front-pages that Bush "plans to ask Congress next month for up to $50 billion in additional funding for the war in Iraq, a White House official said yesterday, a move that appears to reflect increasing administration confidence that it can fend off congressional calls for a rapid drawdown of U.S. forces." More: "The request -- which would come on top of about $460 billion in the fiscal 2008 defense budget and $147 billion in a pending supplemental bill to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- is expected to be announced after congressional hearings scheduled for mid-September featuring the two top U.S. officials in Iraq."

In its coverage of the president's Iraq speech yesterday, the New York Times notes that Bush said "that an American withdrawal from Iraq would unsettle the entire Middle East, create a haven for Al Qaeda and embolden a belligerent Iran. He said Tehran's nuclear programs threatened to put 'a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust.'"

"Biden chastised the president for continuing to tie the war in Iraq directly to the struggle against the al-Qaida terrorists that attacked the United States in September 2001," the Quad City Times reports. "'Today, the president argued we have to stay in Iraq to fight extremists. But the fact is his misguided and mismanaged war has fueled extremists in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond.'"

The Washington Post covers the White House search for a successor to Gonzales. "Among those who are said to be under serious consideration are Solicitor General Paul D. Clement, whom Bush picked to serve as acting attorney general …; George J. Terwilliger III, a former deputy attorney general; former solicitor general Theodore B. Olson; Michael B. Mukasey, former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; and Laurence H. Silberman, a senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit." 

The New York Times says that Gonzales' resignation "does not mean an end to several investigations into his actions and truthfulness during his tenure at the Justice Department, with Congressional Democrats promising on Tuesday to press their inquiries."

In a front-page article, the New York Times writes, "Just when Republicans thought things could not get any worse, Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho confirmed that he had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct after an undercover police officer accused him of soliciting sex in June in a Minneapolis airport restroom… It was a bizarre spectacle, and only the latest in a string of accusations of sexual foibles and financial misdeeds that have landed Republicans in the political equivalent of purgatory, the realm of late-night comic television."

The Washington Post's Milbank adds, "From the opening line of his statement yesterday, Sen. Larry Craig was in trouble. 'Thank you all very much for coming out today,' he began. 'Coming out' was perhaps not the best phrase for a guy who had pleaded guilty to some rather un-senatorial conduct in an airport men's room -- and now stands accused in his home-state paper of a homosexual encounter in Union Station."

Per another Post article, Craig "said that he has retained a lawyer to review his guilty plea, though earlier this month he signed court papers declaring that he had read the police report of the incident and understood the nature of the crime and he paid a $500 fine. Legal experts said that would make any challenge difficult."

The Boston Globe has this headline: "GOP seeks probe of senator."

From NBC's Mark Murray
In a press conference from Idaho, embattled Sen. Larry Craig (R) apologized for bringing a cloud over his family and his state -- but not for what happened at that Minneapolis airport. "I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport," he said, adding it was a "lapse in judgment" to plead guilty for committing a lewd act in a men's bathroom.

VIDEO: Sen. Larry Craig's Boise, Idaho statement.

He said pleading guilty was an overreaction to a monthslong investigation by the local Idaho Statesman into his sex life. "I am not gay. I have never been gay."

He went on to say, "I believe I can still be an effective leader for our state," and stated he would keep his plans to announce whether he will seek re-election next month.

DOCUMENTS: Police Report; Petition to enter guilty plea; Complaint against Craig; Register of Actions

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Senate Republican leadership is recommending an ethics committee investigation into embattled Idaho GOP Sen. Larry Craig.

Here's the statement from Republican leaders Mitch McConnell, Trent Lott, Jon Kyl, Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Ensign "on the incident involving Senator Larry Craig:"

"Late yesterday we became aware of the incident involving Senator Larry Craig and his subsequent admission of guilt in a Minnesota court. This is a serious matter. Due to the reported and disputed circumstances, and the legal resolution of this serious case, we will recommend that Senator Craig's incident be reported to the Senate Ethics Committee for its review. In the meantime, Leadership is examining other aspects of the case to determine if additional action is required."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro

Biden urged caution today with regard to President Bush's rhetoric in the run-up to the September Iraq report from Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. The president spoke today to the American Legion and warned that "Our allies in the region would be under greater siege" if troops were pulled too soon.

"We're going to be hearing a lot about the surge over the next few weeks. But remember it's purpose," Biden said in a conference call with reporters. He added that the purpose was to buy the Iraqi government time to find a political solution, and that's not happening, Biden said.

In President Bush's speech last week to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, he compared Iraq to Vietnam, though "The lesson he apparently drew is that we didn't stay in Vietnam long enough," Biden said. "I don't think most Americans read history the same way. I know I don't."

Biden added, "The president in my view likes to confuse al-Qaeda in Iraq with the al-Qaeda that attacked us on 9/11. They are not one in the same." Biden calls this the "Bush-fulfilling prophecy."

He also said the most recent National Intelligence Report "should have put to rest his [Bush's] refrain, 'We're fighting them in Iraq, so we don't have to fight them over here.' They took al-Qaeda's name and tactics and are focused on wrecking havoc on Iraq, not America -- at least for now."

Biden also repeated his call for President Bush and others to adopt his plan for Iraq, which includes decentralizing and splitting parts of the country along ethnic lines. Biden said this is not a partition plan, and that Baghdad would not be split up, because it would be a federal city -- as called for in the Iraqi constitution.

Biden points to Sarajevo as a place where this kind of plan was successful. "Once there was a political accommodation," Biden said, "the Serb living next door to the Croat no longer felt the need to take out his neighbor for fear of being taken out. Everything stopped" because there was an overarching political solution in place.

"There's nothing easy about the plan that I have," Biden said. "I just say to those who have legitimate criticisms of what I have: What's your plan? What is the political settlement offered by anyone other than what I have suggested?"

From NBC's Mark Murray

In his interview on CNBC's Kudlow & Company (which will air later this afternoon), Mitt Romney had some sharp words for Sen. Larry Craig, who had endorsed the former Massachusetts governor's presidential campaign and was his Idaho chairman. "Once again, we've found people in Washington have not lived up to the level of respect and dignity that we would expect for somebody that gets elected to a position of high influence. Very disappointing. He's no longer associated with my campaign, as you can imagine... I'm sorry to see that he has fallen short."

And Romney also included this jab at Bill Clinton as he continued to talk about Craig: "I think it reminds us of Mark Foley and Bill Clinton. I think it reminds us of the fact that people who are elected to public office continue to disappoint, and they somehow think that if they vote the right way on issues of significance or they can speak a good game, that we'll just forgive and forget. And the truth of the matter is, the most important thing we expect from elected--an elected official is a level of dignity and character that we can point to for our kids and our grandkids, and say, `Hey, someday I hope you grow up and you're someone like that person.' And we've seen disappointment in the White House, we've seen it in the Senate, we've seen it in Congress. And frankly, it's disgusting."

***UPDATE*** Below is the conversation regarding Craig and Clinton....

LARRY KUDLOW, host: 
Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, presidential candidate on the Republican side, who is surging in the polls, actually.

Governor, welcome back to KUDLOW & COMPANY.

Governor MITT ROMNEY: Thanks, Larry, good to be with you.

KUDLOW: All right, thank you, sir. I'm obliged to begin with what has become a front-page story. Senator Larry Craig of Ohio was caught in a police sting operation in the men's room of the Minneapolis Airport making sexual advances to another man. He's pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct at the moment. Mr. Craig's one of your Senate leaders. I believe he was your Idaho state chairman. What is your comment on the Craig problem, sir?

Gov. ROMNEY: Well, very disappointing. Once again, we've found people in Washington have not lived up to the level of respect and dignity that we would expect for somebody that gets elected to a position of high influence. Very disappointing. He's no longer associated with my campaign, as you can imagine. He resigned just today. And you know, he was one of those who was helping my effort, and I'm sorry to see that he has fallen short.

KUDLOW: One of your backers, radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, he's a great friend of mine, has called for Mr. Craig to resign from the Senate. Are you going to ask him to resign from the Senate? Will you make a public call on that?

Gov. ROMNEY: You know, I haven't made a call on that at this stage. You know, I haven't seen the allegations yet, I just heard that there was a guilty plea and he submitted a resignation as my liaison in the Senate. And you know, I'm very disappointed that he has--he's disappointed the American people.

KUDLOW: You know, there's a whole flood of stories on this, which I think to some extent may be a test of leadership in this primary. The Idaho Statesman has a devastating article about Craig, so does The Washington Post, so does Roll Call. Apparently, a couple years ago, a professional man close to the Republican Party reported having oral sex with Craig at Union Station in Washington in 2004. Apparently, there are allegations and charges going back to 1982, where Mr. Craig was forced to deny having sex with pages. Isn't this the sort of thing that reminds us all of the Mark Foley episode last fall, before the elections, that was devastating to the Republicans?

Gov. ROMNEY: Yeah, I think it reminds us of Mark Foley and Bill Clinton. I think it reminds us of the fact that people who are elected to public office continue to disappoint, and they somehow think that if they vote the right way on issues of significance or they can speak a good game, that we'll just forgive and forget. And the truth of the matter is, the most important thing we expect from elected--an elected official is a level of dignity and character that we can point to for our kids and our grandkids, and say, `Hey, someday I hope you grow up and you're someone like that person.' And we've seen disappointment in the White House, we've seen it in the Senate, we've seen it in Congress. And frankly, it's disgusting.

KUDLOW: Governor, if there were a President Romney, and you heard this, and your staff briefed you on some of the past allegations and charges, and there seems to be something of a cover-up, a silence on this with regard to Craig, would you not call for him to resign from the Senate?

Gov. ROMNEY: If--you know, I don't know the circumstances right now of his setting, and so I really can't call--make that call without having reviewed it, Larry. I will review that, and we'll give you a call on that. I certainly felt that Bill Clinton shouldn't have stayed in office. But you know, with regards to this setting, why, we'll take a close look at it.

KUDLOW: Actually, on that Clinton point, you threw Clinton in with the Craig episode and the Mark Foley episode. Could you just expand a little bit on that for us, sir?

Gov. ROMNEY: I'm not sure I need to. I think we've all heard the story about Bill Clinton and the fact that he let us down in his personal conduct with a--with a White House intern. And that strikes me as another one of these extraordinary acts of falling short of what America would expect of elected officials, particularly one who should be held to a higher standard.

KUDLOW: Do you think the Monica Lewinksy, impeachment and so forth, she was indicted--he, Mr. Clinton, was indicted in the House, he was not convicted in the Senate, Governor, does that become an issue again in this presidential campaign?

Gov. ROMNEY: I don't think so. I think the experience of the--of mine in the political world is that the things that we've heard about in the past, we tend to forget and not bring back up. But obviously, the continued parade of sexual misconduct in Washington, DC, is something which is very disturbing to America's families. And when you're trying to raise children, and you have stories like the ones we've seen over the last several years coming out of
Washington, that's very troubling. And I expect that people should be held to a higher standard, and that is something I'd expect to see in this particular case as well as in other cases that have proceeded it.

KUDLOW: You know, a friend of mine was on the phone this morning. A friend of mine was saying to me, you know, if you don't do these things, then you don't get into any trouble. Why do you think it is that we still get these kinds of news items coming out of Washington, DC? Elected officials, instead of just not doing them, they are insisting on doing them. What does it say about our culture? What does it say about the morality of public figures?

Gov. ROMNEY: Well, it does say, in my view, that some people in the public sphere expect that once they've been elected to something, they're prominent, that they're--that they're above the law, that they won't get caught, that people will give them a break, that they--that they somehow can live a different morality. And the truth of the matter is, if there's a different morality they should live, it should be a high--a higher level of morality. And if they've been involved in any discretion in their life, they should cease that discretion by the time they become elected, and should try and set an example in the way they live, which is consistent with the things they say. And you know, that's hard for everyone. But certainly, expecting people to live a life consistent with the dignity of the office to which they're elected is something which the American people should be able to count on.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Police arrest-booking photo of Sen. Lary Craig, R-Idaho

From NBC's Jim Popkin
Additional documents released today by the Minneapolis airport police show that an "agitated" Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) returned to the airport-police offices 11 days after his arrest and complained that he had been "drug down to this office" when arrested on June 11.

A statement by police officer Adam Snedker states that, on June 22, Craig knocked on the window of the police headquarters and complained that he had been "drug down to this office" and that he hadn't heard back from the police in over a week. Craig was asking for information to pass to his lawyer. Snedker writes: "To note, Craig appeared agitated and demeaning during my first contact with him even though I did my best to answer his questions."

Craig apparently told Officer Snedker that he had been handcuffed during the arrest. The arresting officer, however, states that "I did not handcuff Craig" even though he was under arrest. Read the full arrest report here.

From NBC's Mark Murray
In a joint statement, Florida's 10 congressional Democrats said that they're firmly set to go ahead with their primary on January 29, despite the Democratic National Committee's vow that it will strip all of state party's delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention -- unless the Florida Democratic Party acts in the next 30 days to delay its nominating contest (in the form of a caucus).

"We cannot go along with anything but the state-run primary set for next January," the lawmakers said in the statement. "We strongly encourage all Democrats to vote for their preferred nominee in that primary, regardless of whatever penalties the DNC might enact."

But, in the last paragraph of the statement, the lawmakers did suggest that they're willing to reach some kind of compromise. "We hope that over the next few weeks, the DNC and its chairman will show a willingness to work with us to find an equitable solution that is acceptable to all."

See below for the entire release...

MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007
Contact:
Dan McLaughlin ( Nelson )
202-224-1679
David Goldenberg ( Hastings )
202-731-6839
Florida lawmakers unanimous in vow to support voters' rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Members of Florida's Democratic congressional delegation unanimously declared Tuesday they'll support voters' rights to have their ballots count in a Jan. 29 statewide presidential primary, in lieu of a later caucus of candidates' supporters as just ordered by the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

"We cannot go along with anything but the state-run primary set for next January," the 10 Democratic lawmakers led by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said in a joint statement issued today. "We strongly encourage all Democrats to vote for their preferred nominee in that primary, regardless of whatever penalties the DNC might enact."

"The vote is going to matter - period," the lawmakers said.

Florida's Democratic congressional delegation is comprised of Nelson and U.S. Reps. Allen Boyd Jr. of Monticello, Corrine Brown of Jacksonville, Kathy Castor of Tampa, Alcee Hastings of Miramar, Ron Klein of Boca Raton, Tim Mahoney of Palm Beach Gardens, Kendrick Meek of Miami, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston and Robert Wexler of Boca Raton.

Their statement comes after holding a conference call yesterday, and three days after the DNC under Chairman Howard Dean voted to strip the state of its delegates to the national convention if the Florida Democratic Party refuses to hold a caucus on Feb. 5 or later, instead of a binding primary on Jan. 29. The primary date is set by a new law passed recently by the Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Charlie Crist.

The congressional delegation members also said they intend to mount a legal challenge aimed at blocking the DNC from banning Florida delegates - if it comes to that. Nelson, who has spoken with DNC leadership about the Saturday decision, said today, "I hope we're going to be able to work this out. The easy solution is for a few other states to move their primaries up before Florida's."

The DNC still has four weeks in which it can change its directive regarding Florida's delegates, but has yet to signal any intention of doing so. "We hope that over the next few weeks, the DNC and its chairman will show a willingness to work with us to find an equitable solution that is acceptable to all," the lawmakers said.

From NBC's Andrew Merten and Lauren Appelbaum
Brownback and Huckabee were the only Republicans to participate in Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum in Cedar Rapids, IA this morning. Both drew from personal experience with the disease. Brownback told of his father's and own cancer experiences and how they made each of them stronger. "It changed me, moved my purpose into glorifying God and serving others." Huckabee told of his wife's successful struggle with spinal cancer and that his father died from melanoma. He also made his struggle with obesity a central facet of his call for greater public health, saying his doctor told him, "If I didn't make a lifestyle change, I was entering my last decade of life."

VIDEO: Mike Huckabee - 'I was scared into losing 110 pounds.'

Brownback promised to not only to raise the budget for cancer research but to set a clear objective: "ending deaths by cancer in 10 years."

"Look, if John F. Kennedy, if President Kennedy says I'm going to double the NASA budget, because I think we ought to try to go to the moon, does that stir the American public?" Brownback asked. "Or is it him saying we're going to the moon, and then that drove an increase in the NASA budget -- it's the objective that drives the money."
 
But co-moderator Chris Matthews came out swinging, pressuring Brownback to say from where the money would come and accused the senator of pandering to the crowd. Matthews also asked Brownback about Clinton's remark from yesterday that President Bush is waging a war on science. "I absolutely disagree," Brownback replied. "I guess that's based upon that there's this difference between faith and reason."

VIDEO: Sam Brownback is challenged about health care spending gimmicks by MSNBC Chris Matthews.
 
After Brownback, Huckabee's message of greater awareness of public health was warmly received by both moderators and the audience. Huckabee touted the importance of education in nutrition and exercise and lamented the amount of chemicals that can be found in supermarket aisles, saying, "You'd be better throwing the food away and eating the package, because at least you'd get some fiber out of the cardboard." He went on to liken unhealthy eating to "pouring mud into the tank of a car."
 
One of the more surprising moments in the forum was Huckabee agreeing that he would approve federal legislation banning smoking in all public places if elected president -- something Clinton was even reluctant to say yesterday, during her turn. Huckabee broadened his call to all public places -- something he oversaw as Governor of Arkansas -- instead of just bars and restaurants, saying, "It's workplace safety issue," adding, "We shouldn't allow people to pour the toxic, noxious fumes of a cigarette into a place where people have to work." Brownback did not explicitly say he would support a ban.

From NBC's Mike Viqueira
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, an ethics watchdog group, is filing a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee against Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID). The Committee is not compelled to act on complaints from outside groups.

CREW chief Melanie Sloan says, "If pleading guilty to charges stemming from an attempt to solicit an undercover officer in a public restroom is not conduct that reflects poorly upon the Senate, what is?"

***UPDATE***From NBC's Ken Strickland
While there is an expectation that the Senate Ethics Committee will at some point launch an inquiry into the matter involving Craig, the committee does not confirm that it has undertaken an investigation. The Democratic spokeswoman for the panel would only say the panel "can" investigate if it so chooses.

The spokeswoman also said under the rules within the Senate ethics manual, there are no circumstances that would automatically trigger an investigation; nor is there anything that requires a senator to report a plea deal or conviction to the committee. As for Craig, his Senate office says this week was a scheduled vacation for the senator, so there are no public events planned for him in Idaho at this point.

From NBC's Mark Murray
A quick scan of some of the more prominent conservative blogs shows that these bloggers aren't defending Idaho Sen. Larry Craig (R), after Roll Call reported yesterday that Craig was arrested in June for lewd behavior in a men's bathroom. In fact, there are plenty of calls for his resignation.

Hugh Hewitt: "I realize that I did not say this about Senator Vitter, but Craig's behavior is so reckless and repulsive that an immediate exit is required."

Erick Erickson at Red State: "I can only say he must resign. Then I must say I told you so. If we do not clean our own house, the voters will do it for us."

National Review Online's Jonah Goldberg: "I don't know what Larry Craig's been doing in men's rooms. And it sure sounds like I don't wanna know either. But, whatever the facts turn out to be, I just love his office's initial statement (calling it a 'he said/he said misunderstanding')."

Patrick Ruffini: "All that seems clear right now is that Senator Larry Craig will not be invited back for another six years in Washington, be that through resignation ..., retirement, or defeat at the ballot box next November (or in the primary).

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
Per a source close to the White House, ex-Deputy Attorney General George J. Terwilliger III is "looking very good" to replace Alberto Gonzales. Former Solicitor General Ted Olson and former appellate judge Laurence Silberman are "also in the running." And Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and former deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson "are unlikely."

From NBC's Andrew Merten
ARLINGTON, Va. -- While Brownback and Huckabee will be participating in Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum later today, Romney discussed the same topic here this morning.  In a discussion with Susan G. Komen for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker, he touted his record of near-universal private health-care coverage as governor of Massachusetts and pledged a renewed effort in the White House for cancer research.
 
"It costs more money for us as a society to have people without health insurance," Romney told about 1,000 mostly female audience members. "It's pretty clear that breast cancer and cancer in general are not getting their fair share" of attention from Washington. He pledged that allocation of public funds for cancer research would be decided on the basis of science and not political favors, saying, he will "blast the message out there and blast the people who are sending money out based on politics."
 
Although Romney said, "There's no substitute for funding," he conceded he has not yet formulated exact numbers. "It's a little early to put together a budget," he said, jokingly. And while he stressed the importance of market-based health care in arriving at universal coverage, he resisted making any digs at his potential Democratic presidential opponents.
 
Romney was the only presidential hopeful to attend Komen's 10th Annual Mission Conference this week in Arlington, Va., but others (Brownback, Clinton, Edwards, Giuliani, and Richardson) made pre-recorded interviews, which were shown yesterday.  After her discussion with Romney, Komen founder Nancy Brinker told NBC News that she is not disappointed other candidates couldn't make it to the event in person.

"We're not in Iowa," Brinker said. "We're not where a lot of the candidates have been this last week." And when asked if she thought Lance Armstrong's concurrent cancer forum in Iowa has taken away from the number of candidates attending Komen, said, "Oh no, it's great to have a lot of voices in the cancer community working at the same time."