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Politics in brief

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 21, 2006

Rochester, N.Y.

Sen. Clinton says she's focused on the Senate

The Republican seeking to unseat Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton went on the attack in their first debate Friday, accusing her of putting presidential aspirations ahead of voters.

"I'm the only one standing on this platform who wants to be a United States senator for New York for the next six years," said John Spencer, a former Yonkers mayor.

Clinton acknowledged that she has thought about running for the presidency in 2008, but said she is committed to running for Senate re-election.

"As you might guess, I've been asked that a few times before," she said of her possible White House aspirations. "I am focused on this election. I am focused on my work in the Senate. Obviously, people are talking about whether I will or should be running for president, and I'm flattered by that."

washington

Elizabeth Edwards apologizes to Clinton

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of White House hopeful John Edwards, apologized to Sen. Hillary Clinton after saying her choices in life have made her happier than the senator, a Clinton aide said Friday.

Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson said Edwards called Clinton on Friday night just after she finished a debate in Rochester, N.Y.

"They had a good conversation," Wolfson said.

The apology followed remarks by Elizabeth Edwards on Thursday at a luncheon sponsored by Ladies' Home Journal.

"She and I are from the same generation," she said of the senator and former first lady. "We both went to law school and married other lawyers, but after that we made other choices. I think my choices have made me happier. I think I'm more joyful than she is."

Ariz. voters will have to show IDs in Nov.

The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for Arizona to enforce a new rule for November's elections that requires voters to show proof of identification before casting a ballot.

In an unsigned and apparently unanimous opinion, the justices reversed a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco that had blocked the Arizona law from taking effect.

The justices stressed they were not ruling on the still-pending constitutional challenge.

Elsewhere ...

austin, texas: A reprimand against Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht was dismissed Friday after a three-judge panel found he did not violate ethics rules when he advocated putting White House counsel Harriet Miers on the U.S. Supreme Court.

[Last modified October 21, 2006, 01:39:14]