Donald Trump said Monday that the rebels in Libya are tied to al Qaeda and Iran.

During an interview with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News, the possible 2012 White House hopeful ripped President Obama's handling of the conflict in Libya, questioning why the U.S. is backing the rebels, who are trying to oust Moammar Gadhafi.

Trump said, "What are we fighting for? They talk about the rebels. But I hear, on fairly good information, that the rebels are closely associated with Iran. And they're closely associated with al Qaeda.

"So what are we going to do? Put Iran into Libya?"

Trump also said the U.S. is paying far too much for the operation in Libya, calling on other countries to commit more resources to the effort.

The Senate is headed for votes on EPA rules regarding climate change that are certain to reverberate during the campaign.

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Mike Huckabee has cited the cost and toll of a presidential campaign, but been encouraged by polls showing him ahead.

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President Obama's decision Monday to speak at a town-hall forum broadcast by a Spanish-language network highlights the increasing importance of the Hispanic community in American politics, particularly at the national level.  

Univision, which aired the event, is now one of the top five networks in the country and is increasingly an outlet for lawmakers of both parties to address the growing Hispanic community. Its version of "Meet The Press," called "Al Punto," attracts almost 1 million viewers each Sunday and has hosted everyone from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and first lady Michelle Obama, to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

As the 2012 campaign begins, Cesar Conde, president of Univision Network, said lawmakers from both parties are "waking up" to the need to address Hispanics directly or risk electoral defeat. In an interview, he talked about the role Univision will play in the next campaign, the growing influence of Hispanics and what issues will be important to them heading into the next election.

Ballot Box: Are Democratic leaders more eager than Republicans to appear on Univision?

Cesar Conde: We've got a tremendous amount of interest from both parties and all spectrums. I think people are really realizing, [because of] the census, how fundamental the Hispanic demographic is going to be in the future growth of our country. People are really waking up to that.

Candidates who want to win election fully understand that they cannot do it on a national, and certain state level, unless they have the opportunity to speak directly to the Hispanic community.

I think both parties are continuing to hone their skills when it comes to speaking directly to the Hispanic community in Spanish language. Certainly in this last cycle, all the Hispanic candidates that were elected to federal office were Republicans. In the past, it was Democrats. What it really shows is that the Hispanic community's vote is up for grabs. Hispanics are the swing vote in this country right now. And any candidate from either party that wants to be able to win consistently is going to have to be able to speak effectively to that community on the issues that matter to Hispanics.

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Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock says his primary challenge to longtime Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) will become the pre-eminent conservative-versus-establishment match of the 2012 primary season.

"Given those who are up for reelection next year, I think you may see a lot of money flow into this race," Mourdock told The Hill on Monday. "You have [Sen.] Olympia Snowe in Maine, who I don't see getting much of a conservative challenge. You have [Sen.] Orrin Hatch in Utah, which has a convention system, making money less important. That leaves my race."

Despite the institutional advantages for Lugar — sky-high name ID and deep pockets — Mourdock will announce he’s raised between $125,000 and $150,000 during the first month of his campaign and has already lined up the backing of dozens of party officials throughout the state.

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After watching her rival chalk up several high-profile endorsements, California House candidates Debra Bowen dropped her own big-name backer Monday -- Howard Dean.

The liberal icon called Bowen, who currently serves as California's secretary of state, an "intelligent, humble, and passionate public servant."

"We simply cannot afford to let the opportunity to send a progressive leader like Debra to Washington pass us by," the former Vermont governor said in a statement. Bowen "has the courage to stand up to the special interests and has the record to back it up."

The backing of the former Democratic National Committee chairman and one-time presidential candidate could give Bowen a boost with liberals in the 36th district where she's running in the special election for former Rep. Jane Harman's (D-Calif.) seat.

Bowen's main rival, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn (D), has been endorsed by officials ranging from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (Mo.).

Dean's backing of Bowen provides some counterweight to those endorsements, and also may help neutralize any support for anti-war activist Marcy Winograd, who ran against Harman in the Democratic primary last cycle.

The special election vote is set for July 12, with the primary slated for May 17.

--Updated at 8:17 p.m.

Texas Senate candidate Michael Williams (R) has tapped retired Gen. Tommy Franks for a top position with his campaign.

Franks, who campaigned for President George W. Bush in 2004, said he felt compelled not just to support Williams, but serve as national chairman of his bid to succeed Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas).

"As a retired military man, I don't often get involved in political campaigns. But I decided that there's a race going on in Texas right now that’s so important that I just couldn't stand on the sidelines," Franks said in an endorsement video released by the Williams camp.

While Franks isn't as politically active as, say, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, he's no stranger to the verbal jousting of a tough campaign. During the 2004 presidential race, Franks defended Bush's handling of the war in Afghanistan from criticism by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). He's also no stranger to controversy.

Franks was CENTCOM commander at the outset of the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Journalist Thomas Ricks and others criticized Franks for his handling of the post-invasion situation in Iraq that spurred the development of a bloody insurgency. He retired from the Army in the summer of 2003, shortly after the onset of the American occupation. 

The short endorsement video features photos of Franks in his four-star Army uniform and of him receiving the Medal of Freedom from Bush in 2004. 

Williams and Franks both attended the Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas, the general noted in the video. "I know that [Williams] loves our country just as much as I do. I've spent a lifetime serving America," Franks said. "And I know it takes leaders like Michael Williams to make the right, conservative decisions." 

Williams faces former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, former solicitor general Ted Cruz, former Secretary of State Roger Williams and Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones for the GOP nod. Other candidates are expected to join the race later this year.

Many have speculated that the former Arkansas governor will pass on another White House bid; he says he hasn't decided.

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The new chairman of the Republican National Committee is spending the majority of his workday courting donors as he seeks to rebuild the organization's credibility.

"I am spending 5-6 hours a day on the phone raising money and we have gotten our mail program back up and running the way it should be," Reince Priebus, chairman of the RNC, told The Political Insider, a conservative publication. "We have work to do but we have taken great steps in the right direction with both mail and rebuilding relationships with major donors."

Many in the Republican donor community soured on the committee during former chairman Michael Steele's reign because of a perceived misuse of funds. 

Priebus, who has been on the job for about three months, said raising money was his main focus and predicted President Obama will "run the first billion dollar campaign" in 2012.

"We need to match him dollar for dollar," he said. "If he can spend $750 million to $1 billion dollars in messaging to try and mask and undo the fiscal realities of where we are in this country, that’s why the money issue is going to be our biggest challenge."