By Jim Meyers

NEWSMAX - Rush Limbaugh has responded sharply to President Barack Obama’s comment about the radio talk show host, calling Obama’s economic stimulus plan "a trillion-dollar debacle."

At a meeting with Republican leaders on Friday, Obama told the lawmakers they shouldn’t be listening to Limbaugh if they plan on getting along with him.

"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," he told the GOP leaders during a discussion about his planned stimulus package.

Limbaugh fired back in an e-mail to the Palm Beach Post’s “Page 2 Live” columnist Jose Lambiet, saying Obama is trying to shift the focus of the public debate from the stimulus plan to the radio talker.

Limbaugh, who has referred to Obama’s inauguration as "The Immaculate Inauguration," mockingly called the new president "The Great Unifier."

"If I can be made to serve as a distraction, then there is that much less time debating the merits of the trillion-dollar debacle," Rush wrote.

"The Great Unifier’s plan is to isolate elected Republicans from their voters and supporters by making the argument about me and not about his plan. He is hoping that these Republicans will also publicly denounce me and thus marginalize me."

Limbaugh continued in his e-mail to Lambiet: "I believe his stimulus is aimed at re-establishing 'eternal' power for the Democrat Party rather than stimulating the economy, because anyone with a brain knows this is NOT how you stimulate the economy.

"Obama’s plan would buy votes for the Democrat Party, in the same way FDR’s New Deal established majority power for 50 years of Democrat rule, and it would simultaneously damage any hope of future tax cuts."

Obama's $825 billion stimulus bill is set for debate in Congress this week.

[See the full story about Limbaugh’s e-mail in the Palm Beach Post — Click Here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the U.S. House of Representatives scheduled to vote Wednesday on President Barack Obama’s ‘American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan,’ the Campaign for Jobs and Economic Recovery said the time has come for U.S. Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11), Leonard Lance (NJ-7), Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2) and Chris Smith (NJ-2) take and a stand on the Obama plan that will create or save three to four million jobs, strengthen our middle class, and improve the economy in the near and long term by making sound investments in state fiscal relief, health care, energy efficiency, transportation and schools. Identified by the Campaign as key votes, Reps. Frelinghuysen, Lance, LoBiondo and Smith have received scores of phone calls and emails urging them to put struggling out-of-work New Jersey families ahead of partisan gamesmanship by voting in favor of the Obama jobs plan.

Brad Woodhouse, President of Americans United for Change: “Just 48 hours remains before the U.S. House holds the most significant vote since the vote to authorize the war in Iraq, and the people of New Jersey need to know where their Representatives in Congress stand.

President Obama’s jobs and economic recovery plan takes bold and immediate steps to address the worsening U.S. recession that has already hemorrhaged millions of jobs and threatens millions more if nothing is done It is our hope that Representatives Frelinghuysen, Lance, LoBiondo and Smith put the interests of struggling out-of-work New Jersey families first by supporting this plan that will put millions of middle-class Americans back to work quickly through solid and sound long-term investments in health care, energy efficiency, transportation and education. We can not afford to slow down the process with the same old petty partisanship and political gamesmanship – the more we delay in sending this major jobs and economic recovery plan to the President’s desk, the more Americans will lose their jobs and healthcare."

Launched on December 18th with nearly 50 events from coast to coast, the Campaign for Jobs and Economic Recovery is a coalition of more than 30 leading progressive groups and unions utilizing all the resources and techniques of a modern campaign to pass the Obama jobs plan. From grassroots and grass tops contacts, to phones, emails, web videos and paid advertising – this $4-5 million campaign aims to pressure key and potentially deciding votes in Congress and to build a movement for an overwhelming victory for this package so that the American people have confidence in the plan and its ability to help turn our economy around.

To date, the following organizations have signed on the Campaign for Jobs and Economic Recovery Now: AFSCME, SEIU, AFLCIO, MoveOn.org Political Action, NEA, Americans United for Change, USAction, Campaign for America’s Future, ACORN, Health Care for America Now, TrueMajority.org, Sierra Club, People for the American Way Foundation, 21st Century Democrats, American Postal Workers Union, Campaign for America’s Future, Institute for Policy Studies – Cities for Progress, Community Action Partnership, Economic Policy Institute, Environment America, League of Conservation Voters, Medicaid Health Plans of America (MHPA), National Education Association, National Postal Mail Handlers Union, National Priorities Project, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, National Women’s Law Center, People for the American Way Foundation, Progressive Future, Roosevelt Institution, United Food and Commercial Workers, Women’s Voices - Women’s Vote Action Fund, Working Group on Extreme Inequality, Young Democrats of America and YWCA USA.

The Assembly Transportation and Public Works Committee advanced legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande that would ban drivers of public transportation vehicles from sending text, or electronic, messages.

The measure, A-3358, comes after a September train crash in California that killed 25 and wounded 135 others. The engineers sent and received texts seconds before the commuter train blew past a red light and collided with a freight train.

"That was a tragic loss of lives that should never be repeated," Casagrande, R-Monmouth and Mercer," said. "I hope this law would serve as a reminder to New Jersey's bus drivers and train operators that countless lives are in their hands and they must use all their attention to safely operating their vehicles."

If enacted, the bill would charge violators with a disorderly persons offense that carries a fine of up to $1,000 and/or six months imprisonment.

By PETE YOST

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Monday that Vice President Dick Cheney has broad discretion in determining what records created during his eight-year tenure must be preserved.

Absent any evidence that Cheney's office is failing to safeguard records, it is up to the vice president to determine how he deals with material, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled.

"Congress drastically limited the scope of outside inquiries related to the vice president's handling of his own records during his term in office," the judge said in a 63-page opinion.
The Presidential Records Act "provides only narrow areas of oversight," the ruling added.
At issue is whether Cheney had impermissibly limited the scope of the Presidential Records Act, a law aimed at protecting White House records.

Cheney has taken the legal position that his office is not part of the executive branch of government, triggering a lawsuit by several groups including three organizations of historians and archivists concerned that the record of Cheney's time in office might not be adequately safeguarded.

Last summer, Cheney chief of staff David Addington told Congress the vice president belongs to neither the executive nor legislative branch of government, but rather is attached by the Constitution to Congress. The vice president presides over the Senate.

The lawsuit alleges that the Bush administration's actions over the past eight years call into question whether the White House will turn over to the National Archives a complete record of the activities of Cheney and his staff.

The ruling means that there is little room for the courts or the U.S. archivist to ensure that records are being protected.

"This is a huge loophole in the Presidential Records Act and Congress needs to address it immediately," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group that was one of the plaintiffs in the case.

CREW tried but failed to get permission from the judge to question Addington about Cheney's record-keeping practices.

SURVEY: Corzine-Christie a tight race in the early days; Economy & property taxes top voters’ priorities

Let the games begin! Governor Corzine gave his re-election year State of the State address on Tuesday. It came a week after the GOP establishment’s favored candidate, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, threw his hat in the ring. The latest Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll provides both good news and bad news for the two, as well as for the other potential contenders.
Governor Corzine starts 2009 with a 43% approve to 40% disapprove job rating among Garden State voters. While these numbers are not stellar, it marks the first time his job ratings have been in net positive territory in more than a year. His job numbers went south – 42% to 46% – after last January’s State of the State speech when he unveiled his highly unpopular toll hike plan. They bottomed out at 34% approve to 55% disapprove in March 2008, and held steadily negative through the summer and fall.
This year, the governor’s State of the State laid out more modest plans, with the emphasis on the economy as his top priority for the coming year. The voters agree with Corzine – about half name either the economic downturn (35%) or jobs (19%) as the issue they most want to hear the gubernatorial candidates address this year. However, New Jersey voters are also likely to say that they want the candidates to explain what they are going to do about property taxes (38%).
“Property tax reform remains the sleeping giant in New Jersey , and it is inextricably tied to the economy. When you ask the typical homeowner how state government can help ease their economic pain, the first response is to lower property taxes,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Education (18%) and health care (14%) are among other issues mentioned by Garden State voters as important in this year’s election.
Looking ahead to potential November match-ups, Chris Christie starts the year as the strongest likely challenger to the incumbent. Currently, Jon Corzine holds a negligible 38% to 36% lead over Christie among the state’s registered voters. The two-point gap between Corzine and Christie in early voter preferences is little different than how the incumbent fares against a generic challenger. In a match-up between Corzine and “another Republican candidate,” Corzine is preferred by 36% to 32%.
“Compared to other potential GOP nominees, Chris Christie enters the race with comparatively high name recognition and generally favorable voter opinion, but he still has a way to go to break beyond the support a typical Republican would get in the state,” said Murray .
The poll found that the other announced and potential Republican candidates fare slightly worse than Christie in hypothetical match-ups with the incumbent governor. Currently, voters prefer Jon Corzine over former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan by 45% to 29%; over Assemblyman Rick Merkt by 41% to 27%; and over Franklin Township Mayor Brian Levine by 44% to 27%.
While the GOP nomination for governor is by no means a foregone conclusion, Chris Christie starts the race for the June primary as the strongest candidate among Republican voters in the state. The former U.S. Attorney has name recognition among more than 8-in-10 Republican voters, and nearly all of those voters have a favorable opinion of him – 69% compared to only 3% who are unfavorable. By comparison, Lonegan, who garnered 8% of the primary vote when he ran for governor in 2005 – is known to 43% of Republican voters, including 18% who have a favorable opinion and 9% with an unfavorable opinion of him. Only 1-in-4 GOP voters say they recognize the name of Merkt (23%) or Levine (28%).

– Corzine vs. Christie on the Issues –
Although Chris Christie’s announcement-via-email last week was a bit anti-climactic, his entry into the field was certainly one of the most highly anticipated events for New Jersey ’s political class. However, aside from his tenure as a corruption-busting U.S. Attorney, his record and stance on other important issues has yet to be articulated. The poll asked some benchmark questions to see how Christie matches up against Jon Corzine on a number of key issues prior to the official unveiling of his platform.
Not surprisingly, Christie has the clear advantage over the incumbent when it comes reducing corruption – 43% of voters say Christie would do a better job of this compared to 25% who pick Corzine on this issue.
On the other hand, the incumbent has a clear 39% to 29% advantage on the issue of education. Corzine also has a smaller 38% to 33% advantage over Christie on the top voter concern – the economy. However this issue advantage shrinks to a negligible 30% to 29% among independent voters.
The two are basically tied on handling the state budget – 37% prefer Corzine on this issue to 34% who say Christie would do a better job.
The New Jersey electorate is also split on who is better able to handle the property tax issue – 36% say it’s Christie to 32% who prefer Corzine. However, among the state’s independent voter group, Christie starts the campaign with a sizeable 37% to 23% edge over Corzine on this other top issue.
“It’s very interesting that while Chris Christie has yet to articulate a property tax plan, many voters are already inclined to believe that whatever he has in mind has got to be better than the current administration,” said Murray .

– Emails, the Death Penalty, and W –
No Garden State election campaign is complete without its share of negative attacks on wedge issues. The poll tested a number of possible messages that could be used against this year’s main contenders.
On Monday, a state appeals court ruled that Governor Corzine does not have to release his email correspondence with Carla Katz, his former girlfriend and state union local president. Two-thirds (67%) of New Jersey voters are aware of this issue – up from the 55% who heard about it when the story first broke in summer 2007. While the court declared that the emails are protected by the governor’s executive privilege, fully 6-in-10 voters (61%) say Corzine should release the emails “in order to clear the air.” Only 29% say he should keep them private to preserve executive privilege. Those who say the emails should be released include majorities of Democrats (53%), independents (60%), and Republicans (73%) alike.
There is some potential for this to become a campaign issue. At the current time, 31% of voters say they would be less likely to vote for Corzine if he chooses not to release these emails.
Considering the probable focus on crime and safety in this year’s race if Christie is the GOP nominee, the governor’s support and signing of the state’s death penalty ban in December 2007 could also become a wedge issue. About one-third of voters (34%) say this issue would make them less likely to vote for Corzine compared to 15% who say it makes them more likely to re-elect the incumbent.
On the other hand, Chris Christie may be hampered by his association with an unpopular, albeit soon to be out of office, president. George W. Bush appointed Chris Christie to the U.S. Attorney position early in his first term. Christie was also a fundraiser for the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign. One-third of voters (35%) say knowing this information makes them less likely to vote for Christie, compared to 14% who say it makes them more likely.
“A number of potential wedge issues in the gubernatorial race are already in play. The question is whether any of them will be relevant eight or nine months from now,” said Murray .
The Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll was conducted by telephone with 413 New Jersey registered voters from January 12-14, 2009. This sample has a margin of error of + 4.8 percent. The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University

By Alexander Bolton

THE HILL - The former Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee will support Eric Holder's nomination for attorney general, giving him a major boost toward confirmation.Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), who chaired the panel for a decade beginning in 1995, told The Hill that he will support Holder.

“I intend to,” said Hatch.His decision could undermine GOP efforts to stall or block the confirmation.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said Friday that Holder would be the only Cabinet nominee to face a tough confirmation fight.

Hatch said that Republicans should try to strike a cooperative tone with President-elect Obama during the first days of his administration.

“I start with the premise that the president deserves the benefit of the doubt. I don’t think politics should be played with the attorney general,” he said.“I like Barack Obama and want to help him if I can.”

Other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, however, have vowed to grill Holder about his time as deputy attorney general under President Bill Clinton. Republicans and other critics have questioned whether Holder should be disqualified because he gave Clinton a green light to pardon fugitive financier Marc Rich. The pardon created an uproar eight years ago because Rich’s former wife was a friend of Clinton’s and had given tens of thousands of dollars to his presidential library and Democratic political committees.

“People don’t realize how many people are denied pardons and deserve them a hundred times more,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a member of Judiciary. “I don’t see how anyone can lean favorable on that and lead the Justice Department,” said Sessions.

Holder, who had several contacts with Rich’s lawyers in the weeks leading up to the pardon, advised Clinton that he was neutral but leaned toward favoring a pardon.

“I don’t know why he felt he had to comment either way on the Rich pardon, which was so unjustified,” said Sessions. “We need to give him a chance to discuss it.”

Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), who is now the senior Republican on the Judiciary committee, has questioned whether Holder would maintain his independence under Obama.

Hatch said it will be important for Holder to explain his role in the Rich pardon but said he expected the confirmation hearing to settle his concerns.

“I like Eric; I think he’s a very fine person but I think he’s made some mistakes,” said Hatch.

“He’s going to have to explain himself,” Hatch added. “If he handles that well he’ll be fine.

All the Democrats will vote for him.”Democrats now hold a 10-9 advantage on the committee. That margin will likely grow to their favor once Senate leaders set new committee ratios.

Reuters reporterd on Sunday that former president George H.W. Bush would like to see his second son, Jeb, become president of the United States some day.

Interviewed on "Fox News Sunday," Bush said his second son, a former governor of Florida, had all the qualifications to serve in the White House.

Jeb Bush, 55, has said he was considering running for a U.S. Senate seat representing Florida in 2010. The current incumbent, Republican Mel Martinez, has announced he is stepping down.
"I'd like to see him run. I'd like to see him be president one day, or senator, whatever, yes I would," said Bush, who served as president from 1989-1993.

No father has ever been followed by two sons into the White House.

George W. Bush will leave office on Jan. 20 with approval ratings hovering just below 30 percent in many polls, some of the lowest of any president in history.