House Had Its Say

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

House Had Its Say

The House voted by nearly a four to one margin to give Terri Schiavo's family access to the federal courts. But a new ABC News poll found that 60 percent of those asked oppose federal intervention in the Terri Schiavo case, with even more saying it's inappropriate for Congress to get involved in the matter.

In addition, 67 percent said they believed political leaders have gotten involved largely for a political advantage. Only 19 percent said it was out of concern for Schiavo herself. In addition, 63 percent in this poll said they support the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube.

News in Twos

The Associated Press, which serves nearly seven thousand media outlets in the U.S. and more than 8,500 abroad, is now going to offer its newspaper subscribers two versions for many of its stories, one version that starts in the usual straightforward way, and a so-called "optional" version that's a little more creative. As an example, the AP says, the first sentence of a story out of Iraq might traditionally say, "A suicide attacker set off a bomb that tore through a funeral tent jammed with Shiite mourners Thursday, splattering blood and body parts over rows of overturned white plastic chairs."

But an alternative first-sentence might now read, "Yet again, almost as if scripted, a day of hope for a new, democratic Iraq turned into a day of tears as a bloody insurgent attack undercut a political step forward." The AP says it's an attempt to "draw in the reader through imagery, narrative devices, perspective or other creative means."

Cheney on Road Means Trouble for Proposals?

New Jersey Democratic Senator Jon Corzine says Vice President Dick Cheney's tour to promote President Bush's Social Security reform proposals shows that they are in trouble, saying, "He is certainly not being sent on the road to convince blue staters, Democrats or moderate voters to support the Administration's privatization scheme -- he is obviously being sent to stop the bleeding among their own base."

What's more, Corzine, on a conference call with reporters today, said, "trusting Dick Cheney to protect Social Security is like trusting the fox to guard the henhouse." According to the AP, Corzine also compared Cheney's appearances on the road to sending Saddam Hussein to campaign for democracy in Iraq. That prompted Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman to call Corzine "irresponsible," saying, "Comparing the Vice President to a tyrannical despot who murdered thousands of his own people is rhetoric you would expect to hear from Michael Moore but not a United States Senator."

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report