TPMDC Morning Roundup

CPAC 2010 Event Kicks Off Today
The annual Conservative Political ACtion Conference begins today, with conservative activists and politicians gathered in Washington for the three-day event. Speakers include Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), Liz Cheney, Ann Coulter, and many more.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:15 a.m. ET, and meet at 9:45 a.m. ET with the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform co-chairs Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson. Obama will deliver remarks at 10:10 a.m. ET, signing the executive order establishing the fiscal commission. He will meet at 11:15 a.m. ET with the Dalai Lama. He will depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 1:15 p.m. ET, en route to Aurora, Colorado. He will arrive in Aurora at 4:50 p.m. ET, deliver remarks at a 5:30 p.m. ET grassroots fundraiser for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), and deliver remarks at a 6:40 p.m. ET fundraising reception for Bennet. He will depart from Aurora at 7:35 p.m. ET, arriving at 9:15 p.m. ET in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Biden's Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will join President Obama's 9:15 a.m. ET daily briefing, the 9:45 a.m. ET meeting with Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, and the 10:10 a.m. ET event to announce the executive order creating the fiscal commission. At 1 p.m. ET, Biden will deliver a speech at National Defense University on the future of the United States' nuclear deterrent capabilities, and on Obama's agenda for nonproliferation and nuclear security. He will be joined by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright.

Axelrod: Republicans 'Rooting For Failure,' Will Not Be Rewarded
White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod told The Hill: "Structurally, it is a challenging year, both because of the number of seats we have to defend and the natural mid-year effect, compounded by the impacts of the recession. But I believe we will have a strong case to make about the leadership the President's provided in a difficult time, and vision for rebuilding America's strength for the future. And to the extent the Republican Party is seen as sitting on the sidelines, rooting for failure, I don't think they will be rewarded."

Dalai Lama Aide: Tibetans 'Will Feel Encouraged' By Today's Meeting With Obama
The Dalai Lama's advisers say that today's meeting with President Obama sends a strong, positive message to the people of Tibet. "They will feel encouraged that the president of the United States, a global superpower, is meeting with His Holiness," said Chhime Chhoekyapa, the Dalai Lama's secretary said. "It means the world has not forgotten them."

U.S. Ambassador To Iraq Sees Delay In Next Government Formation
Speaking to United States Institute of Peace, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill predicted that there will be a long process to form the next government after the March 7 election. Hill said that in the run-up to the vote there would be "some tough days, violent days as well, some intemperate days," and that afterwards the seating of a new governing coalition "could take not just weeks but could be months."

GOP Leaders Lay Out Plan To Block Jobs Bill: Claim Partisanship From Dems
Roll Call reports that the Senate Republican leadership has mapped out a strategy to block Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) jobs bill, nailing down the votes of their own Senators and claiming an excess of partisanship. "The feeling is they aren't going to say anything in opposition to the bill, except to say it's incomplete," said a lobbyist who attended a meeting with top Senate Republicans. "They are not opposed to the bill, they just believe their rights as the minority have been abridged."