MSNBC: N. Korea nuke test "provides Republicans with some relief"

[Human Torch]

First Glance
Posted: Monday, October 09, 2006 9:06 AM by Huma Zaidi

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/

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Twenty-nine days before election day... Before the news broke of North Korea's nuclear test, it had been hard to imagine what events might pop up over the next four weeks to provide Republicans with some relief from the negative storylines of the Foley scandal and Iraq, where the rate of US troop casualties has shot up. Voters continue to call Iraq their top issue for the midterm elections, and the Foley scandal eclipsed last week's stock market highs and gas price and unemployment lows.

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The news out of North Korea, bad as it might be for the Administration's diplomatic efforts there, returns Bush to the bully pulpit -- he'll make a statement at 9:45 am -- and may help Republicans return the focus to the more favorable, broader security debate. For example, Republicans occasionally hit certain Democrats for opposing a missile defense shield. But the ongoing House Ethics Committee and Justice Department probes will keep the Foley scandal in the news.

The White House and GOP leadership continue to stand behind Speaker Dennis Hastert, with President Bush scheduled to appear with Hastert at an open-press fundraising event in Chicago on Thursday. Political observers are watching for signs that the scandal has hurt the party's midterm election outlook on two levels -- in national public opinion surveys, and through less obvious but equally crucial blows to party fundraising and turnout efforts. The latest Newsweek Poll has Bush's job approval rating at 33% and Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot test by 12 points among adults. The poll also finds that more than half of those surveyed think Hastert was aware of Foley's behavior and covered it up. The better clues, though, will come from polls of likely voters, which is where real signs of disillusionment among the GOP base would show up.

Bush's event with Hastert on Thursday isn't the only damage-control effort on his schedule this week. He'll also meet with the head of the Southern Baptist Convention at the White House on Wednesday. Per its website, the organization declares that homosexuality "is not a 'valid alternative lifestyle'... It is not, however, unforgivable sin. The same redemption available to all sinners is available to homosexuals."



NBC News Political Unit Researcher Huma Zaidi conducts research, reports, writes and field produces for NBC political unit while managing the network's political tape library during election cycles.