TPMDC Morning Roundup

Obama Reappoints Bernanke To The Fed
President Obama took a moment out of his vacation to deliver a statement to the press this morning, announcing that he is reappointing Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve. "As an expert on the causes of the Great Depression, I'm sure Ben never imagined that he would be part of a team responsible for preventing another," said Obama.

Cheney Blasts Obama, Says Interrogators "Deserve Our Gratitude"
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has released a statement condemning the new investigation of Bush-era interrogation practices. "The people involved deserve our gratitude. They do not deserve to be the targets of political investigations or prosecutions," said Cheney. "President Obama's decision to allow the Justice Department to investigate and possibly prosecute CIA personnel, and his decision to remove authority for interrogation from the CIA to the White House, serves as a reminder, if any were needed, of why so many Americans have doubts about this Administration's ability to be responsible for our nation's security."

Biden's Day Ahead
Vice President Biden is spending the day in Washington, DC. He will receive a health insurance reform update from Nancy Ann DeParle, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform, at 1 p.m. ET. Then at 3 p.m. ET, he will host a conference call with Tribal leaders to discuss the Recovery Act.

WaPo: Auto Industry Prepares For Cash For Clunkers "Hangover"
The Washington Post reports that the auto industry is preparing for a "hangover" after the Cash For Clunkers program. "There might not be as many people to buy because they bought during the clunker program," said Jeff Schuster of J.D. Power and Associates. "And if at the same time there's less of an incentive program from carmakers, you could have fewer people buying. That could stall the recovery we're in."

Rudy Moving Towards Run For Governor Of New York
The New York Times reports that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) is taking concrete steps towards running for Governor of New York in 2010. "Watching him closely, when he hears me talking about how the people need him, that seems to be when his ears perk up," said former Rep. Guy Molinari (R). "I get the sense that if he felt that he'd be the one that could take on that task and turn things around up in Albany, he might consider running."

Schakowsky: We'll Have To Pass Health Care Reform Without GOP
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a leading House progressive, is now predicting that Democrats could end up passing a health care bill by themselves: "I think that at some point everyone's going to see that the Republicans simply are not going to agree to any kind of healthcare reform that the insurance industry isn't supporting and that, reluctantly, we're going to have to do it without them."

NRSC Cuts Into DSCC Fundraising Lead
CQ reports that although Senate Republicans have virtually no chance of taking a majority in 2010, they nevertheless have managed to cut into the Democrats' financial advantage. The NRSC raised $2.8 million in July, compared to the DSCC's $2 million. The DSCC has raised $25.3 million so far this year, and has $7.2 million on hand with $3.3 million in debt. The NRSC has raised $23.5 million, and has $4.4 million on hand with no debt.

Alec Baldwin: Lieberman One of The "Few Moderate Republicans Left In The Senate"
Actor Alec Baldwin has responded to Sen. Joe Lieberman's (ID-CT) "Make my day" remark, regarding Baldwin's talk of a possible campaign in 2012 against Lieberman. In a statement, Baldwin said that "Part of me would hate to see Lieberman go," for the reason that "there are so few moderate Republicans left in the Senate today."