TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Petraeus Calls For 'Living Our Values,' Rejects 'Expedient Measures' In Interrogations
Appearing on Meet The Press, Gen. David Petraeus was asked by David Gregory whether he wished he had the interrogation methods that were available under the Bush administration. Petraeus appeared to say no: " I have always been on the record, in fact, since 2003, with the concept of living our values. And I think that whenever we have, perhaps, taken expedient measures, they have turned around and bitten us in the backside. We decided early on in the 101st Airborne Division we're just going to--look, we just said we'd decide to obey the Geneva Convention, to, to move forward with that. That has, I think, stood elements in good stead. "

Petraeus: 'I'm Not Sure' That Soldiers Care About Gays In The Military
Also during his appearance on Meet The Press, Gen. David Petraeus was asked whether soldiers in the field care one way or the other about the issue of gays in the military. "I'm not sure that they do. We'll see," said Petraeus. "Again, that's why this review panel. You know, all we have are, are personal soundings to go on, and I've certainly done some of that myself... I served in fact in combat with individuals who were gay and who were lesbian in combat situations and, frankly, you know, over time you said, 'Hey, how's, how's this guy's shooting?' Or 'How is her analysis,' or what have you."

McConnell: Why Is White House Going To Post Health Care Proposal Before Summit?
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) criticized the White House's plan to post a health care reform proposal online, just days before the upcoming health care summit. "You know, apparently we're going to be there most of the day and have an opportunity to have a lot of discussion," said McConnell. "But if they're going lay out the plan they want to pass four days in advance, then why are -- what are we discussing on Thursday?"

Barbour: Health Care Reform Will Happen In The States
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) made a prediction on health care reform. "Well, let me tell you what happens when Washington doesn't work. We fix the problems in the states, Democrats and Republicans alike," said Barbour, also adding: "I think that health care reform is likely to turn out like welfare reform. After a handful of governors did it very successfully in the '90s, it finally pushed it over the edge and President Clinton ultimately signed the bill. But I think that's where people are going to look for health care reform, is to the states."

Powell: 'No Regrets' About Vote For Obama
Appearing on Face The Nation, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said he had "no regrets" about his vote for Barack Obama in 2008. "I think he was the right choice when the nation voted for him," said Powell, adding that "he has done some things that help the country a great deal." However, he did think Obama had attempted to do too much on issues such as health care and energy: "As the president went into these [other] areas, all of which were important . . . in the eyes of the American people, in my judgment, it looks like it was more important than the main attack, which is fix the economy and get Americans working again."

Schwarzenegger: GOP Rhetoric On Stimulus 'Doesn't Match Up'
Appearing on This Week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) criticized other Republicans who have denounced the stimulus program as a failure, while simultaneously bringing home money for their districts: "Well, you know, to me I find it interesting that you have a lot of the Republicans running around and pushing back on the stimulus money and saying this doesn't create any new jobs, and then they go out and they do the photo ops and they are posing with the big check and they say, isn't this great? Look what the kind of -- the kind of money I provide here for the state, and this is great money to create jobs, and this has created 10,000 new jobs and this has created 20,000 new jobs. And all of these kind of things. It doesn't match up."

Rendell: 'Best Communicator' Obama Turned Out To 'Not Communicate Veyr Well' In Office
Appearing on This Week, Gov. Ed Rendell criticized the White House's political handling of its policy proposals: "Ironically, the best communicator in the history of political campaigning turned out in his first year in office to not communicate very well. They let the Republicans take the spin right from the beginning. The stimulus got beat up before one dollar was spent," said Rendell. When asked later whether the White House needed new blood, he replied: "No, I think they just need to take a deep breath, look at what happened and revamp their strategy. They've still got the best communicator I've ever seen in my life in politics."

VT Gov. Douglas: 'The Work Has To Be Done' In Washington
Appearing on State of the Union, Gov. Jim Douglas (R-VT) criticized partisan gridlock in Washington. "We have two major political parties in our country and that's fine," Douglas said. "They have different points of view and the robustness of the political process is that those views come to the table. They're debated and their reconciled. But, ultimately, something has to happen. The work has to be done."