TPMDC Morning Roundup

Bernanke To Testify Today On His Re-Nomination To The Fed
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will testify today before the Senate Banking Committee, at a hearing on his re-nomination for another term at the central bank. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has placed a hold on the nomination, potentially delaying the process, arguing that Bernanke has not done enough for average Americans, and been too lenient with the big banks.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. Obama will deliver remarks at 1:30 p.m. ET, at the opening session of the Jobs and Economic Growth Forum, and he will deliver remarks again at the 3:45 p.m. ET closing session. At 5 p.m. ET, the First Family will attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.

Biden's Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will attend President Obama's morning briefings mentioned above. At 11 a.m. ET, he will host conference calls with governors and mayors from across the country, to discuss stimulus implementation. At 1:30 p.m. ET, he will attend and deliver remarks at the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth. He will spend the afternoon in meetings at the White House, and in the evening he will attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.

Rumsfeld: Obama Does A Disservice To The Truth, And To Veterans Of Afghanistan, By Attacking Bush Administration
Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is denouncing President Obama's statement during his speech that troop requests for Afghanistan were rejected during the Bush administration: "The President's assertion does a disservice to the truth and, in particular, to the thousands of men and women in uniform who have fought, served and sacrificed in Afghanistan." However, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that there were such requests, and that there were no troops to meet them because they were in Iraq.

Afghanistan And Pakistan Rattled By U.S. Plan For Drawdown
The New York Times reports that Afghan and Pakistani officials are left in an uncertain situation by President Obama's plans for an eventual drawdown of U.S. forces, and the demands it will place on them. "Can we do it?" said Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta. "That is the main question. This is not done in a moment. It is a process."

War Costs Haunt Democrats
Roll Call reports that the question of how the Afghanistan surge will be paid for presents stumbling block for House Democrats' support. "We didn't pay for the Vietnam War; we paid a heavy price afterwards. We're going to do the same thing here if we don't pay for it," said Rep. Jack Murtha (D-PA). On the idea of a war tax, Murtha said: "I don't have any other."

Black Caucus: Obama Doing Too Little For African-Americans
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are complaining that the Obama administration isn't doing enough for African-Americans, who have a higher unemployment rate than the national average. "We have not been forceful enough in our efforts to protect the most vulnerable of our population," said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA). "We can no longer afford for our public policy to be defined by the worldview of Wall Street."