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FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2008 photo, Republican vice presidential ...

(AP) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:49:47 GMT

(AP) - FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2008 photo, Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, signs autographs for supporters during a rally in Lancaster, Pa. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday, July 3, 2009 she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2008 file photo, Republican vice presidential ...

(AP) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:49:32 GMT

(AP) - FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2008 file photo, Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, right, speaks during the vice presidential debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday, July 3, 2009 she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Wilking, Pool, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2008 file photo, Republican vice presidential ...

(AP) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:49:25 GMT

(AP) - FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2008 file photo, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, left, is joined by Republican presidential candidate John McCain, right, and daughter Piper at the end of her speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday, July 3, 2009 she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

In this Monday, June 1, 2009 file photo, Supreme Court nominee ...

(AP) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:02:24 GMT

(AP) - In this Monday, June 1, 2009 file photo, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor meets with members of the White House Counsel's office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the White House Complex in Washington. A civil rights group advised by Sotomayor in the 1980's brought several discrimination lawsuits that sought to scrap the results of job tests because too few Hispanics scored highly enough, according to new documents that are fueling GOP criticism of the judge. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

State Sen. John Benoit, R-Palm Desert,, right bows his head ...

(AP) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:04:14 GMT

(AP) - State Sen. John Benoit, R-Palm Desert,, right bows his head as he and fellow GOP State Senators, Tony Strickland, of Thousand Oaks, foreground, Sam Aanestad, of Grass Valley, left, and Jeff Denham, of Merced, top, wait for the final votes to be cast on a budget measure before the Senate at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, June 30, 2009. By a 25-14 party line vote the Senate failed to approve a stopgap plan to stave off the need for IOUs and ease the state's $24.3 billion budget deficit. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

GOP state Senators Abel Maldonado, of Santa Maria, left, and ...

(AP) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:03:55 GMT

(AP) - GOP state Senators Abel Maldonado, of Santa Maria, left, and Roy Ashburn, of Bakersfield, confer during the debate over the state budget at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, June 30, 2009. Lawmakers have until midnight Tuesday to approve a budget plan to avoid the state from having to issue IOUs to venders. Both Maldonado and Ashburn broke ranks in February to help Democrats pass a revised budget plan. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

New York state Republican Sen. Joseph Robach, foreground, speaks ...

(AP) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:24:59 GMT

(AP) - New York state Republican Sen. Joseph Robach, foreground, speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. on Tuesday, June 30, 2009. At left are Republican Sens. Michael Nozzolio and Dean Skelos. (AP Photo/Tim Roske)

Former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman laughed at a question as ...

(AP) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:19:39 GMT

(AP) - Former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman laughed at a question as he addressed the media Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at his St. Paul, Minn., home after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Democrat Al Franken won the contested U.S. Senate race in Minnesota. At left is his daughter Sarah. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman smiles as he addressed the ...

(AP) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:14:07 GMT

(AP) - Former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman smiles as he addressed the media Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at his St. Paul, Minn., home after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Democrat Al Franken won the contested U.S. Senate race in Minnesota. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman pauses for a moment as his ...

(AP) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:00:30 GMT

(AP) - Former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman pauses for a moment as his daughter Sarah looks on as he addresses the media Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at his St. Paul, Minn., home after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Democrat Al Franken won the contested U.S. Senate race in Minnesota. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, answers one last ...

(AP) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:52:14 GMT

(AP) - Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, answers one last question concerning the state's pending cash crisis as she and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, left, leave a news conference at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, June 29, 2009. With the end of the fiscal year at midnight, June 30, Bass and Stienberg urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger and Senate Republicans to approve a stop gap measure to avoid the state from running out of cash.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, responds to a reporters ...

(AP) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:50:59 GMT

(AP) - Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, responds to a reporters question concerning the state's pending cash crisis during a news conference held with Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, left, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, June 29, 2009. With the end of the fiscal year at midnight, June 30, Bass and Stienberg urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger and Senate Republicans to approve a stop gap measure to avoid the state from running out of cash.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr., D-Bronx, speaks on the floor of the ...

(AP) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:30:17 GMT

(AP) - Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr., D-Bronx, speaks on the floor of the Senate as Republicans meet during an extraordinary session at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., Monday, June 29, 2009. Senate Democrats and Republicans again held separate sessions and passed no legislation. Espada is a dissident Democrat who joined a Republican coalition. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2009 file photo, then-Illinois Gov. ...

(AP) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:19:08 GMT

(AP) - FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2009 file photo, then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich speaks on his cell phone before making an appearance in New York on a television program. Connecticut's Republican governor has signed a bill pushed by Democrats after the Rod Blagojevich scandal that strips her of the power to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat and instead requires a special election. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, file)

Former U.S. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel (C) chats with Chancellor ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:55:26 GMT

(Reuters) - Former U.S. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel (C) chats with Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel (R) as she arrives to receive the Eric M. Warburg Award from the Atlantik-Brucke Group during a ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, June 25, 2009. The Warburg Award, given by the the Atlantik-Brucke Group to promote transatlantic understanding and cooperation, is named for a member of a prominent German-Jewish banking family who fled Nazi Germany in 1938 and found refuge in the U.S. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES POLITICS)

Sen. Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, a Democratic leader, speaks on ...

(AP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:09:24 GMT

(AP) - Sen. Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, a Democratic leader, speaks on the floor of the Senate at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., Thursday, June 25, 2009. Democratic senators held a brief session in the Senate without Republicans. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Attorney General Eric Holder, left, talks with Senate Judiciary ...

(AP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:43:08 GMT

(AP) - Attorney General Eric Holder, left, talks with Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 25, 2009, prior to Holder testifying before the committee's hearing on hate crimes legislation. The committee's ranking Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. is at center. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Members of the media wait outside the building where the woman ...

(AP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:36:12 GMT

(AP) - Members of the media wait outside the building where the woman South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford allegedly had an affair with was reported to live in Buenos Aires, Thursday, June 25, 2009. Sanford admitted Wednesday that he had secretly flown to Argentina to visit a woman with whom he was having an affair. He apologized to his family and gave up a national Republican Party post, but was silent on whether he would resign. (AP Photo/Rolando Andrade)

Members of the media wait outside the building where the woman ...

(AP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:33:47 GMT

Members of the media wait outside the building where the woman ...

(AP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:31:49 GMT

Members of the media wait outside the building where the woman ...

(AP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:26:21 GMT

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., ...

(AP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:47:48 GMT

(AP) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., right, awaits the start of the committee's hearing on hate crimes legislation, Thursday, June 25, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The committee's ranking Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., left, talks with fellow committee member Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, at center. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Members of the media wait outside a building where the woman ...

(AP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:10:23 GMT

(AP) - Members of the media wait outside a building where the woman South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford allegedly had an affair with was reported to may live in Buenos Aires, Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Sanford admitted Wednesday that he had secretly flown to Argentina to visit a woman with whom he was having an affair. He apologized to his family and gave up a national Republican Party post, but was silent on whether he would resign. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Members of the media wait outside a building where the woman ...

(AP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:10:08 GMT

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, right, a former chairman of ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:22:09 GMT

(AP) - Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, right, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, with John H. Sununu, left, current chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Committee, at a Republican Party fundraising dinner in Bedford, N.H., Wednesday, June 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:22:03 GMT

(AP) - Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, at a Republican Party fundraising dinner in Bedford, N.H., Wednesday, June 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, left, a former chairman of the ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:21:46 GMT

(AP) - Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, left, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, looks for his aide while speaking with Harry Levine, co-founder of citizen activist network Victory New Hampshire, at a Republican Party fundraising dinner in Bedford, N.H., Wednesday, June 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

GOP state Senators Mark Wyland of Solana Beach, left, and George ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:13:36 GMT

(AP) - GOP state Senators Mark Wyland of Solana Beach, left, and George Runner, of Lancaster confer as the Senate debates a Democratic budget plan at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Lawmakers failed to approve the plan to help close the state's projected $24 billion budget deficit.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Gov. Mark Sanford holds a news conference at the Statehouse ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:30:15 GMT

(AP) - Gov. Mark Sanford holds a news conference at the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C. on Wednesday June 24, 2009 where he announced he's been having an affair and will resign as head of the Republican Governor's Association. (AP Photo/The Post And Courier, Wade Spees)

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Centre, speaks ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:09:41 GMT

(AP) - Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Centre, speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Senate Republicans are suing the chamber's secretary, claiming he's thwarted their new majority coalition by locking doors, turning off lights and microphones, failing to provide necessary documents and threatening staff. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

The Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican Sen. Jeff ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:41:38 GMT

(AP) - The Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala, left, looks back toward fellow committee member Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah as he answers a question during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, to discuss Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sen. Jim DeMint-R-S.C., right, speaks during a news conference ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:38:30 GMT

(AP) - Sen. Jim DeMint-R-S.C., right, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, to discuss Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. From left are, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and DeMint. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican Sen. Jeff ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:31:05 GMT

(AP) - The Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., left, accompanied by committee members Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, center, and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, to discuss Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican Sen. Jeff ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:22:26 GMT

(AP) - The Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala, second from right, listens as Sen. Jim DeMint-R-S.C., right, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 24,2009, to discuss Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. From left are, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, left, and Sen Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Sessions, DeMint. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Republican Sen. Jeff ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:17:46 GMT

(AP) - The Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. participates in a news conference about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:06:03 GMT

(AP) - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., left, speaks with the committee's ranking Republican Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, during testimony by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, not shown, before the committee's Health subcommittee hearing on health care reform. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford arrives for a dinner held ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:36:12 GMT

(Reuters) - South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford arrives for a dinner held for the National Governors Association by U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in this file photo taken in Washington on February 22, 2009. Sanford returned to the United States on June 24, 2009, from a secret private trip to Argentina, ending days of speculation over his whereabouts and raising questions about his judgment. Sanford is the chairman of the Republican Governors' Association and a prominent fiscal conservative who has been talked about as a potential Republican candidate for the 2012 U.S. presidential election. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/Files (UNITED STATES POLITICS SOCIETY)

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee ...

(AP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:34:27 GMT

(AP) - Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., speaks as the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, looks on, during the committee's hearing on Type 1 Diabetes Research, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney speaks about national ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:04:14 GMT

(Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney speaks about national security at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington May 21, 2009. . REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

FILE - In this March 15, 2009 file photo, former Vice President ...

(AP) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:03:43 GMT

(AP) - FILE - In this March 15, 2009 file photo, former Vice President Dick Cheney appears on CNN's 'State of the Union' in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, file)

Acting Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee ...

(AP) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:27:04 GMT

(AP) - Acting Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., right, huddles with the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., center, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 23, 2009, during health care markup. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Acting Senate Health, Education, Labor and pensions Committee ...

(AP) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:51:04 GMT

(AP) - Acting Senate Health, Education, Labor and pensions Committee Chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., right, and the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., are seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 23, 2009, during the committee's markup on health care legislation. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Acting Senate Health, Education, Labor and pensions Committee ...

(AP) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:49:25 GMT

(AP) - Acting Senate Health, Education, Labor and pensions Committee Chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., right, talks with the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., center, and Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 23, 2009, during the committee's markup on health care legislation. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

President Barack Obama in an interview broadcast Monday acknowledged ...

(AFP/Getty Images/File) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:01:04 GMT

(AFP/Getty Images/File) - President Barack Obama in an interview broadcast Monday acknowledged a "deep disagreement" with the previous administration on national security matters, following recent sharp criticism from ex-vice president Dick Cheney, seen here on June 01, 2009..(AFP/Getty Images/File/Brendan Hoffman)

House Ways and Means ranking Republican Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich, ...

(AP) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:57:50 GMT

(AP) - House Ways and Means ranking Republican Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich, center, holds up a copy of the Waxman-Markey climate change legislation during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, June 19, 2009. From left are, Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Ill., Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., camp, and House Agriculture Committee ranking Republican Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Ways and Means ranking Republican Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich, ...

(AP) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:57:04 GMT

(AP) - House Ways and Means ranking Republican Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich, center, holds up a copy of the Waxman-Markey climate change legislation during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, June 19, 2009. Joining him, from left are, Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Ill., Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., House Agriculture Committee ranking Republican Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and House Science and Technology ranking Republican Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Ill., left, and House Science and Technology ...

(AP) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:50:38 GMT

(AP) - Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Ill., left, and House Science and Technology ranking Republican Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, wait for the start of a news conference on the Waxman-Markey climate change legislation, center, Friday, June 19, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

FILE - In this June 17, 2009 file photo, Sen. Christopher Dodd, ...

(AP) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:50:40 GMT

(AP) - FILE - In this June 17, 2009 file photo, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., right, accompanied by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee ranking Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., presents a stack of documents comprising of the health care reform bill during the committee's markup hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, FILE)

FILE - In this April 2, 2009 file photo, Senate Finance Committee ...

(AP) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:50:38 GMT

(AP) - FILE - In this April 2, 2009 file photo, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., left, and the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa talk on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, FILE)

FILE -- In this March 15, 2009 file photo, former Vice President ...

(AP) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:38:21 GMT

(AP) - FILE -- In this March 15, 2009 file photo, former Vice President Dick Cheney appears on CNN's 'State of the Union' Sunday, in Washington. A federal judge said Thursday that he wants to look at notes from the FBI's interview with Cheney during the investigation into who leaked the identity of a CIA operative. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)