The hostage situation at Hillary Clinton’s campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire, ended shortly after 6 p.m. when the hostage taker surrendered to police. He was identified as Leeland Eisenberg, according to the Associated Press.

Clad in gray slacks, white dress shirt and a red tie, Eisenberg was put on the ground, handcuffed and taken two blocks to the police office in the back of a tactical response vehicle. Read more here

A delegation from the Westchester Progressive Forum brought a resolution urging impeachment of Vice President Cheney and President Bush to U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey’s office in White Plains today.

They also brought her a copy of the book the Genius Of Impeachment by John Nichols to explain why they think the investigations are necessary.

“We summarized the administration’s actions in violation of the Constitution: Lying to justify the war against Iraq, warrantless surveillance, detention with due process of law, torture and rendition,” said forum member Gloria Karp. “But we spent most of the meeting laying out the case for immediate action despite the shortness of time remaining for the Bush incumbency.”

Karp summarized the arguments as follows:

Without initiation of an impeachment investigation, the Executive Branch will continue to expand its definition of its powers. All opposition is characterized as aiding terrorism. The war in Iraq will continue and bombing of Iran may ensue.

Most Americans are behind the investigations, according to the polls, and over 600 communities have adopted resolutions asking for impeachment. It is important to show strength, morality and principle to win the White House in 2008.

Pat Kegan, Lowey’s legislative assistant, gave the group a letter which is currently in the mail to all constituents who wrote about HR 333 introduced by U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich. In it, Lowey says there will be many Congressional hearings where the truth will emerge. Oversight and accountability are top priorities for her, but she believes that impeachment will further divide the country and distract from opportunities to reverse Bush policies.

Putnam County Republican Chairman Anthony Scannapieco, Jr. has called a secret meeting for Dec. 3 of all elected Republican officials and members of the county and town executive committees.

The strategy session at the Italian American Club in Mahopac is “long overdue” if Republicans are going to successfully meet the electoral challenges of the 2008 elections, Scannapieco wrote.

“We as a party must unite and speak with one voice as we are the only county in Southern New York controlled by Repulicans,” he wrote. “This fact is totally neglected by the anti-Republican Journal News. I ask everyone to make every effort to attend this meeting and also not to discuss the meeting with our friends at the Journal News.”

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has canceled a speech at the winter meeting of the Democratic National Committee because of a hostage situation at her campaign office in Rochester, N.H.

Clinton has not been in New Hampshire since Monday.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean announced Clinton’s decision to cancel her 2:30 p.m. speech at a hotel in northern Virginia around 2 p.m.

Clinton supporters who lined the walls in the back of the hotel ballroom in anticipation of her speech headed home shortly after the announcement.

“Sen. Clinton is doing the correct thing by standing by her staffer and canceling her appearance,’’ said Sandy Allen, a former member of the District of Columbia City Council.

“Her concern is always the American people and a hostage situation conjures up scary thoughts,’’ said Michelle Battle, another Clinton supporter from Washington, D.C. “Security is always an issue. More is always not the answer. The senator is a former first lady and already has Secret Service, praise the Lord.’’

“We are in solidarity with Hillary at this moment when we think of what she is going through,’’ said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, one of two candidates who went ahead with their convention speeches Friday afternoon.

According to NewsCenter 5 and TheBostonChannel.com, a witness who spoke to a woman released by the hostage taker said a man walked into the office around 1 p.m., opened his coat, and displayed a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape.

The Clinton campaign has 16 offices in New Hampshire. The state headquarters office is in Manchester.

The Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee will host its annual brunch on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Beckwith Pointe, New Rochelle.
The theme for the Jazz brunch is “Working Hard, Regaining Strength and Serving the People.” Proceeds will be used
to continue community awareness programs, youth career and job development programs and senior initiatives.

Chairwoman Serapher Conn-Halevi will handout leadership and achievement awards to Thomas Abillama, Susan Capeci, Daniella Jackson, Rudy Persaud, and Charnese Stephenson. Others to be recognize include Robert Doughty.

Tickets are $95. Attendees are asked to bring hats, gloves, scarves and blankets for city seniors.

Say what you might about Barack Obama’s politics, but the Illinois senator knows how to make the most of a few days in New York.

Aside from raising substantial campaign funds, Obama scored audiences with some of New York’s top politicos and made appearances at some its prized landmarks during his brief visit.

For starters, there was dinner last night at the soul food restaurant Sylvia’s in Harlem with the Rev. Al Sharpton. Then it was on to the famed Apollo Theater, where he was introduced to a sold-out audience by comedian Chris Rock. Read more about the Apollo fundraiser here.

This morning, it was a breakfast meeting with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Read more about that here.

Not bad for quick visit, but then again, Obama is no ordinary tourist.

Blake Zeff, a spokesman for rival Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton offered this statement last night about Obama’s visit.

“We’re gratified that poll after poll shows Sen Clinton soundly beating all candidates of any party in New York, but we’re taking nothing for granted and working hard for every vote,” Zeff said.

This week’s installment tackles Gov. Spitzer’s make-up party with Democrats and why your tolls are increasing on the state Thruway.

Download:

Rudy Giuliani isn’t letting the controversy over his mayoral expenses slow his ad campaign in New Hampshire. He’s launched a new commercial in the Granite State entitled “Promise” that touts is record as a tax cutter and casts the top Democratic candidates as tak raisers.

“I know that reducing taxes produces more revenues. Democrats don’t know that,” Giuliani says in the ad. “They don’t believe it. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, here’s a promise I assure you they’ll keep. They are making the promise to raise taxes. The only thing I can tell you in addition to that is they’ll raise taxes even more than they promise.”

See the ad here

The magazine Vanity Fair unveiled a much-anticpated article today about Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s first year in office and it’s not very kind to the governor.

“The question now is no longer how many miracles he can perform but whether he can get anything done at all. Spitzer is at one of those proverbial tipping points, poised somewhere between formidable and vulnerable, redeemable and incorrigible,” the article by David Margolick states.

Read more here

Iraq Veterans Against the War plan a campaign in March called Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan to take place in Washington, D.C.

In 1971, members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories of war. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation.

Perry O’Brien, an organizer of the second Winter Soldier hearings, said he plans to testify about the illegal use of Afghan corpses for medical “practice,” that he witnessed while serving as a medic in Afghanistan.