A variety of interesting articles I read today, each following a pattern, of Republicans in Congress circling the chairs carefully to make sure they have a place to sit after November.
GOP senator rejects 'blank check' for Iraq
Stevens told administration officials at a hearing: "Some of my colleagues have said that you're asking us to give you a blank check because of the word 'may' in this provision. I would intend to change that to say it 'shall' only be used for these accounts."
Bush Outlines Ideology of War on Terror
Down towards the middle is this little tidbit...
In Washington, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Richard Lugar proposed a "Middle East 21st-century trust" as an alternative to Mr Bush's Middle East initiative.
The power shift on Capitol Hill
With the White House vulnerable, an array of members of Congress, particularly senators, have shifted power away from the administration.
Some of the senators come from the president's party. From Sen. Lindsey Graham on Iraqi prisoner abuse to Sen. John McCain on the budget, these lawmakers are driving policy as opposed to reacting to it for the first time since Bush became president.
The rebellion against the White House is likely to grow even stronger this summer as legislative candidates jump into the fray, offering their prescriptions for the nation's major policy questions from health care to international cooperation.