United States: Californian governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has distanced himself from President George Bush, declaring that he is no closer to the president than he was to winning an Academy Award as an actor.
"To link me to George Bush is like linking me to an Oscar. It's ridiculous," Mr Schwarzenegger said during an appearance on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
The governor, who is seeking re-election next month, also criticised the conduct of the war in Iraq and said it was time to devise "an exit strategy".
Mr Schwarzenegger drew loud applause from the studio audience when he said that any Republican leaders who covered up former congressman Mark Foley's inappropriate contacts with teenage boys should resign.
Mr Bush has become a liability for many Republican candidates in next month's elections as the president's approval rating remains below 40 per cent and the Iraq war grows increasingly unpopular. New polls show Democrats with a solid, double-digit lead over Republicans nationally, with enough seats in play to give the Democrats a chance to win control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Most voters say the Foley scandal will not affect how they vote but the daily accretion of sordid details could help to depress turnout among Republicans, while Democratic voters remain angry and energised.
The House ethics committee yesterday interviewed Mr Foley's former chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, who claims he warned house speaker Dennis Hastert's office in 2003 about the Florida congressman's behaviour.
Mr Hastert's aides say they first heard in late 2005 of an "overly friendly" e-mail Mr Foley sent to a former congressional page and never knew about more sexually explicit messages until late last month.
While most candidates are focused on next month's contest, a handful in each party are looking beyond the midterm elections to the 2008 presidential race. In a surprise move yesterday, former Virginia governor Mark Warner, widely seen as one of the strongest Democratic candidates, said he would not seek the nomination.
"While politically this appears to be the right time for me to take the plunge - at this point, I want to have a real life. And while the chance may never come again, I shouldn't move forward unless I'm willing to put everything else in my life on the back burner," he said in a statement.
As a Democratic governor of a Republican state, Mr Warner was the most serious potential rival to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the centre right of the party. He also cultivated the "netroots", internet activists and bloggers who have become an increasingly important part of the political scene, both as fundraisers and opinion formers.
Mr Warner's withdrawal could also benefit former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards, who is now the most well-known southern Democrat with presidential ambitions in 2008. Ms Clinton remains the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, with a vast lead over her rivals in terms of money, name recognition and political organisation.