Free Republic

<p>Arnold Schwarzenegger flexed his muscles last night in his first California recall election debate, accusing Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz M. Bustamante of "pulling the wool over people's eyes" and telling liberal columnist Arianna Huffington that "you need a little more decaf."</p>

<p>Postponing the California gubernatorial recall until March would cost the state much more than the estimated $66 million price tag for the Oct. 7 election, and local officials say they are not equipped run the recall election effectively with the state primary.</p>

<p>A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals relied heavily on the landmark Supreme Court case that settled the disputed 2000 presidential election to delay the California recall, a link legal experts called tenuous at best and a direct challenge to the high court at worst.</p>

<p>Federal officials "contributed to the murders" of those killed in the September 11 attacks by failing to tighten immigration laws, relatives of some victims said yesterday.</p> <p>Members of "9/11 Families for a Secure America" and Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican, used the second anniversary of the hijackings that killed more than 3,000 people in New York City, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania to make their point.</p>

<p>The 1994 ban on assault weapons expires next year and with its renewal hardly guaranteed, gun-control advocates plan to keep the pressure on Congress.</p> <p>But so far, none of the Democratic Party's presidential candidates has made gun-control a major thrust of the campaign, further dimming the prospects of passage of a tougher ban.</p>

<p>The nation's energy secretary told Congress yesterday that the Bush administration can't identify what caused the massive blackout in the Northeast, but that the Republican-led omnibus energy bill awaiting passage would be a start to preventing a repeat.</p> <p>"Today, less than three weeks after the blackout, I think we're making good progress in putting together the extraordinarily complex sequence of events which surrounded the incident," said Spencer Abraham, speaking to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.</p>

<p>The Senate yesterday began to play catch-up with the House in passing spending bills for 2004, pushing ahead to prove that a Republican-controlled Congress can buck the historical trend and finish its business on time.</p> <p>Republican leaders set a goal of moving through the 13 appropriations bills before the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. Though meeting that deadline seems unlikely, Congress is well ahead of last year's pace, which eventually collapsed, forcing the government to be funded by numerous continuing resolutions well into 2003.</p>

<p>Left-wing activists, energized by what they see as an incompetent and ultraconservative Bush administration, have taken their fight to the Internet, the best-seller lists and pop culture, mirroring the rise of conservative media and talk radio during the Clinton years.</p>

<p>California Gov. Gray Davis' pledge to sign a bill giving homosexual couples nearly all traditional marriage rights is seen by many as an attempt to cobble together a coalition of liberal voters to fend off the recall effort.</p> <p>The California state Senate narrowly passed the bill Thursday, which contradicts Proposition 22, the Protection of Marriage Initiative, that was approved in 2000 with 61 percent of the vote.</p>

<p>California Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante yesterday told voters he would raise taxes and fees by $8 billion if he becomes governor in October's recall vote.</p> <p>In an address titled "Tough Love for California," Mr. Bustamante called for the new taxes, combined with $4.5 billion in spending cuts, to help alleviate a record $38 billion budget deficit, which voters blame largely on Gov. Gray Davis.</p>

<p>Just three years ago, California Gov. Gray Davis widely was considered the brightest star in the Democratic Party.</p> <p>Presiding over Silicon Valley's technology boom, he could boast of a 62 percent job-approval rating, among the highest of any California governor. He was on the short list of potential running mates for Al Gore's 2000 presidential ticket. And California had a $12 billion budget surplus, leaving the pleasant task of figuring out what to do with all those riches.</p>

<p>The massive blackout last week will force Congress to directly address the fractured electricity-delivery system in the country, a complicated task that legislators were poised to largely avoid as they enter a conference for an omnibus energy bill next month.</p>

<p>The leading candidates fighting to replace California Gov. Gray Davis in a historic recall election will face off in a September debate characterized as a "conversational give-and-take."</p> <p>The 90-minute round-table debate, sponsored by the California Broadcasters Association, will be held at California State University at Sacramento. Only candidates who receive at least 10 percent support in any of three major polls before Sept. 5 will be invited.</p>

<p>Gun-rights groups gained momentum for their cause this year after a series of victories at the state level made it easier to legally carry concealed weapons.</p> <p>Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski, a Republican, signed a bill in June that allows residents to carry concealed weapons without applying for a special permit. The new law would also allow permit-holders from any state to freely carry their weapons in Alaska.</p>

<p>Former Vice President Al Gore will deliver a "major speech" on Iraq to a liberal activist group in New York tomorrow, fueling speculation that he will re-enter the race for the Democratic nomination for president.</p> <p>A member of MoveOn.org said Mr. Gore approached the group, founded to battle President Bill Clinton's impeachment, a few weeks ago about setting up the event.</p>

<p>Former Vice President Al Gore will deliver a "major speech" on Iraq to a liberal activist group in New York tomorrow, fueling speculation that he will re-enter the race for the Democratic nomination for president.</p> <p>A member of MoveOn.org said Mr. Gore approached the group, founded to battle President Bill Clinton's impeachment, a few weeks ago about setting up the event.</p>

<p>Howard Dean is too liberal and would lead a "ticket to nowhere" if he were to snag the Democratic nomination for president next year, said Sen. Joe Lieberman, one of Mr. Dean's chief rivals in the race to take on President Bush.</p>

<p>Senate Republicans abandoned their stalled energy bill yesterday, scuttling months of arduous political labor, and agreed to substitute the energy bill written by Democrats last year when they controlled the chamber.</p> <p>The extraordinary political maneuver, brought on by days of delaying tactics each party blamed on the other, ensures an energy bill will get to conference with the House, which passed its version in April.</p>

<p>Senate Republicans turned back amendments to an omnibus energy bill yesterday that would have forced automakers to build more fuel-efficient cars and trucks.</p> <p>"This is still America, isn't it? Is Congress going to mandate that people drive these things?" asked Sen. Trent Lott, Mississippi Republican, pointing to a car the size of a golf cart.</p>

<p>Former President Bill Clinton's advice that Democrats should quit harping on President Bush's disputed statement that Iraq had pursued nuclear material from Africa was well-received by many Democrats on Capitol Hill &#8212; but not his wife.</p> <p>"Everybody makes mistakes when they are president," Mr. Clinton said Tuesday night on CNN's "Larry King Live," adding that "the thing we ought to be focused on is what is the right thing to do right now."</p>