Capital Abuzz about Abramoff, Powell, Woodward Political observers are buzzing about big stories leading the headlines — new disclosures about former lobbyist Jack Abramoff's White House connections, a new biography of Colin Powell and President Bush's current strategy in Iraq in<a href=""> LED Flood Light</a> of a new book claiming the U.S.-led occupation is going worse than the White House lets on. MADELEINE BRAND, host: This is DAY TO DAY. I'm Madeleine Brand.
ALEX CHADWICK, host: I'm Alex Chadwick. Coming up, the interview that got DAY TO DAY listeners really hot on the e-mail. We'll check with Letters editor Steve Proffitt. BRAND: First in Washington, news about a book and some boys. CHADWICK: The boys were congressional pages. A Florida congressman, Mark Foley, wrote laws to protect children on the Internet at the same time he was writing sexual instant messages to some of those pages. BRAND: And the book is from Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward.
CHADWICK: It details the internal debates about Iraq within the White House. The title is State of Denial. The theme: that's where the president and his inner advisers are over Iraq and the war on terror. Here is Mr. Bush this weekend on the presidential radio address. President GEORGE W. BUSH: Withdrawing from Iraq before the enemy is defeated would embolden the terrorists. It would help them find new recruits to carry out even more destructive attacks on our nation, and it would give the terrorists a new sanctuary in the heart of the Middle East, with huge oil riches to fund their ambitions. America must not allow this to happen. CHADWICK: And now here's part of the Democratic response. This was given by an Iraq war veteran in wheelchair. Her name is Tammy Duckworth. She's running for an Illinois seat in Congress. Ms. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (Congressional Candidate): Like so many others, I proudly fought and sacrificed.
And I believe the brave men and women who are serving in Iraq today, their families, and the American people, deserve more than the same empty slogans and political name-calling. It is time to encourage Iraqi leaders to take control of their own country and make the tough choices that will stop the civil war and stabilize the country. BRAND: NPR's senior Washington editor Ron Elving is with us now. And Ron, what has the president had to say about any of these stories that are swirling around him? RON ELVING: Nothing yet, Madeleine. The president has had a couple of photo ops this morning with visitors at the White House, but he has refused to take questions. And later today he's heading out to California to campaign with several Republican candidates for Congress, so presumably we'll hear more from him then.
BRAND: Well, how internally is the White House dealing with this new pressure, dealing with the fallout over this Bob Woodward book? ELVING: This is a White House that prides itself on stay-the-course style. Steadfastness first and foremost. Not just on Iraq but on everything. And that goes for Donald Rumsfeld, who's a main focus in this book, and it goes for the rest of the Woodward book. There have been some denials from the White House, but of course that sets up a certain humor, given the title of the book, as you mentioned.