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(McClatchy Newspapers) Brownback pushes plan to divide Iraq: Sen. Sam Brownback says there's only one sure way to bring peace to Iraq: Divide the country into three states and separate the warring factions. With Congress and the White House at loggerheads over a proposed timetable to end the war, the Kansas Republican is part of an unlikely Senate duo that's promoting the plan to partition Iraq. Brownback and Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, both candidates for president in 2008, say it would give breathing room for Sunni Muslim Arab, Shiite Muslim and Kurdish leaders. "I do not agree with setting a timetable for pulling out of Iraq," Brownback, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview. "The day we pass that is the day al-Qaida declares victory. ... This three-state, one-country solution is your only viable political solution." At the first nationally televised debate for 2008 Republican presidential candidates, on Thursday night, Brownback touted the plan when he was asked whether he'd differ in any way from President Bush on the Iraq war.

(Washington Times) Pro-choice Giuliani called acceptable: Two leading Republican lawmakers said yesterday that former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's pro-choice stance on abortion should not disqualify him from becoming their party's presidential nominee or from receiving the support of conservative voters. Making the comments were House Majority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, one of Mr. Giuliani's rivals for the nomination. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, a social conservative also running for the party's nomination, said during the Republican presidential debate last week that he could accept a candidate with differing views on abortion.

(Quad-Cities Online) Brownback touts conservative voting record: U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas said Saturday his strong conservative voting record separates him from other presidential candidates. ... The candidate had breakfast Saturday morning with 10 people, including Iowa state Sen. David Hartsuch, R-Bettendorf, at the Radisson Quad City Plaza Hotel, Davenport, before speaking at the "Believing Prayer Seminar" at the RiverCenter. Sen. Brownback made other stops in Muscatine and Davenport Friday. Sen. Brownback said he's opposed to abortion in all cases, except to save the life of the mother. "Rape and incest are very difficult cases, but still you have an innocent child that's involved," he said in an interview with The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus.

(Myrtle Beach Online) President hopefuls focus on rural woes: Improving life in rural America is a priority for a few of the presidential candidates. U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican who grew up in a small Kansas town, backs a New Homestead Act that he says would combat falling rural populations. His plan would offer rewards for people who make a five-year commitment to living and working in a rural area. It would help pay off college loans and offer a $5,000 tax credit for rural first-time home buyers.

(The Daily Iowan) Brownback stresses ending abortion: In the wake of a recent national debate that critics say left lesser-known Republican candidates out of the spotlight, one dark horse campaigned through Iowa this past weekend emphasizing his socially conservative stances. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., speaking at the "Believing Prayer Seminar" at Davenport's RiverCenter, narrowed his campaign message to overturning Roe v. Wade, ending cancer deaths in 10 years, and aiding those in war-torn regions. While candidates such as Brownback, who take strong conservative stances, may appeal to some Republicans, polls may indicate GOP voters are looking for a presidential hopeful who is not so ideologically charged, experts say.

_The Brownback Report will appear Monday through Friday. If you've seen a news story or other blog entry about the GOP presidential hopeful that we've missed, do let us know._