Presidential Campaigns

A group of Connecticut Republicans have gotten out in front for the 2012 presidential election, officially filing the first official documents with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to draft Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) into the race.

The "2012 Draft Sarah Palin Committee" is the first to have filed papers with the FEC, one of the group's organizers told the Associated Press. The group's first meeting will be held Tuesday in Connecticut.

The group is said to have raised $3,000 in funds already.

Ann Coulter is "offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing," would-be first daughter Meghan McCain declared Monday.

In a blog post for The Daily Beast, McCain -- the daughter of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) -- accused the conservative pundit Coulter of being "the poster woman for the most extreme side of the Republican Party."

"She does appeal to the most extreme members of the Republican Party

The Republican Party needs to be more like John Deere tractors -- that is, more sturdy and reliable -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) argued.

"In many ways, a political party is nothing more than a brand," Sanford told Newsweek in a short interview. "The great brands of time have succeeded in as much is that they've done what they say they're going to do."

"People buy a John Deere tractor because it does what it says they're going to do," he added.

Sanford has seen his national profile as a conservative leader rise since vocally opposing the stimulus package passed by Congress last month, and refusing to take some of the dollars for his home state.

"You know, that's very flattering and kind, but I can't be focused on that," Sanford said in response to the "rising star" characterization.

A majority of Minnesotans would prefer that their governor, Republican Tim Pawlenty, not run for president in 2012.

61 percent of Minnesotans said in a Rasmussen poll that Pawlenty should not seek to take on President Obama, while 22 percent believe he should.

Pawlenty still benefits from solid approval numbers from voters, though.

56 percent of Minnesota voters approve of the way Pawlenty is handling his job; 44 percent disapprove.

Pawlenty, the two-term Republican governor of the typically progressive Minnesota, is eligible to seek a third term in 2010.

Republicans need to stop worrying about who their nominee will be in 2012, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) -- a potential candidate -- cautioned.

"I think Republicans need to stop worrying about the candidate, the messenger," Jindal said in a "10 Questions" segment with Time magazine. "Focus more on the substance."

Jindal, who some Republicans have hoped might challenge President Obama's reelection bid, said that the GOP must be willing to work with the president and Democratic majorities in Congress when possible, and start matching its actions with its rhetoric.

"The American people are looking to the Republican Party to work with the new president, work with the new Congress, every chance we can," he said.

Jindal emphasized that Republicans must stop making excuses for corruption, and that it must focus on tangible solutions for people.

The former House member also responded to critics' poor reviews of his response to President Obama's joint-session address in late February.

"The reality is, the content is what's really important to me," Jindal said. "I'll be the first to admit that I'm not as good of a speaker as the president."

Jindal also dismissed comparisons to the character "Kenneth" on the NBC show "30 Rock" made by some, saying he's never seen the show, but hopes the character is a nice guy.

Watch a video of the interview here.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) argued Tuesday that his relationship with President Obama is fine, contrary to media reports that the two had become distant in recent weeks.

"I'm the loyal opposition," McCain said during an interview with Fox News's Neil Cavuto Tuesday afternoon. "The country's in too bad of shape for us to not work together."

Still, McCain vowed to stand on principle -- even against members of his own party -- when necessary, especially on earmarks, which the former Republican presidential nominee said plagued both parties.

Signals were that the relationship between the two sparring partners this past fall had waned.

"It's a bipartisan disease, and we don't seem to get it," McCain said of the earmarks in the omnibus bill inserted by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. "It is a habit, and it's become corruption."

McCain said it would be "disgraceful" for the president to sign such a package into law.

The White House has begun vetting invocations given by ministers before presidential events, said to be an unusual by members of past administration and religious authorities.

The White House Office of Public Liason has requested that the ministers of various religious traditions who are asked to give opening invocations at events submit their prayers for approval beforehand, according to a report by U.S. News, which characterizes the vetting as a "departure from previous presidents."

The White House refused to directly comment on the issue, though a spokeswoman said that the practice of preapproving the invocations has "been standard since the campaign."

"If a similar thing had been done by President Bush's White House, I guarantee you there would have been a lot of people crying foul," Bill Wichterman, deputy director of the Office of Public Liaison under President George W. Bush, told U.S. News. "Democrats can do this with immunity, but when Republicans do it, it becomes controversial."

"The only thing worse than having these prayers in the first place is to have them vetted, because it entangles the White House in core theological matters," Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "Why would you even request getting a copy of the prayer in advance if you didn't want to exercise the power to change it or even cancel it?"

(h/t The Weekly Standard)

Vice President Joe Biden questioned Wednesday just how much the man who gave the Republican response to President Obama's speech, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, is doing for his own state.

"In Louisiana, they're losing 400 jobs a day. What's the governor doing about that?" Biden asked, mirroring similar remarks made Wednesday by Democrats, who took aim at Jindal's record as governor of Louisiana.

"I hear a lot of criticism, but I never hear anything in response -- what would you do?" Biden continued, during a Wednesday morning appearance on the Today show.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said Wednesday morning that she feels sorry for the people of Louisiana.

Jindal's decision to reject some elements of the stimulus package passed by Congress and supported by the administration has drawn the enmity of some Democratic politicians.

Biden also revealed that President Obama would make a formal announcement Friday about U.S. strategy in Iraq. The vice president refused to elaborate on the administration's plans, but reports this morning say the administration will set a goal of drawing down to a roughly 50,000-troop presence in Iraq by the middle of 2010.

Watch a video of Biden's Today Show appearance below:

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When taking questions from lawmakers at today's fiscal discipline summit, President Obama looked first to his former campaign nemesis.

Obama called on Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) first at the closed-door meeting, Sen. Claire McCaskill reported via Twitter. McCaskill, a maven of the social networking site, has been tweeting the meetings at the White House fiscal summit throughout the afternoon.

There was no immediate indication what McCain asked Obama, his Democratic opponent in the 2008 presidential campaign.

The summit is currently wrapping up at the White House, and Obama is fielding questions from lawmakers and economists who have been huddled to suggest solutions to the country's long-term fiscal problems.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) is only a "light" version of a Democrat, former Gov. Jeb Bush's (R) son claimed Saturday.

"There's some in our party that want to assume that government is the answer to all of our problems," Bush said at a meeting of young Republicans, as reported by the Orlando News. "You know who I'm talking about," he added, referencing Crist.

After the speech, Bush said Crist is perhaps becoming more of a "D light" politician, not adequately in line with Republican politics.

Bush, 32, has been mentioned as the next candidate from the Bush dynasty to seek elective office, though he said he has no plans to seek office anytime soon.

"I haven't achieved my personal goals," he said. "Definitely down the road I'd love to reassess but as of right now it's not for me.