Health Care

A Very Hawaiian Health Care Bill?

Christina Bellantoni | December 4, 2009, 5:56PM

President Barack Obama

The White House has long been saying President Obama wants a health care bill on his desk this year.

That's the messaging used by the DNC's Organizing for America, pro-health reform groups and, as Brian reported this week, the Democratic leadership is prepared to work "right through Christmas."

A reporter today asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs about the lag as the Senate debates its version of the bill.

"Given that it took four days to vote on the first two amendments in the health care bill do you think realistically you're looking at a date closer to the state of the union for a bill?" the reporter asked in the morning gaggle.

"I'm not going to wiggle on a date," Gibbs said.

TPMDC followed up asking Gibbs about the First Family's annual Hawaiian vacation. The dates aren't public yet, but Obama will be in the Aloha state for a good chunk of time in late December.

"If the bill is passed the president would be happy to sign it in Hawaii - I could think of any number of picturesque locations," Gibbs said.

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Climate Change

Change Of Plans: Obama Going to Copenhagen At End Of Climate Talks

Christina Bellantoni | December 4, 2009, 4:54PM

President Barack Obama and the Earth

President Obama was all set to go to Copenhagen for the global climate change talks next week, but the White House has announced a change of plans.

Environmental experts and other nations questioned the effectiveness of the president's decision to attend the conference at the beginning instead of at the end when other world leaders were gathered there.

One reason for the shift is that Obama intended to get things kicked off. Before the conference has even started China and India announced major carbon reduction plans for the first time ever, and Europe and Australia have settled on a $10 billion per year to help developing countries meet whatever is established as the new framework.

The White House says Obama always wanted to attend the talks when his presence would be most meaningful, and given the early positive signs, it made sense for him to delay the trip.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs just released a statement saying that Obama will do just that.

"Based on his conversations with other leaders and the progress that has already been made to give momentum to negotiations, the President believes that continued US leadership can be most productive through his participation at the end of the Copenhagen conference on December 18th rather than on December 9th," Gibbs said.

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Afghanistan

Hungary Sending 200 More Troops To Afghanistan

Christina Bellantoni | December 4, 2009, 12:25PM

Vice President Joe Biden and Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai

Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said after a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden that his country, a member of NATO, is sending 200 more troops to Afghanistan.

It's an increase of 60 percent that Biden deemed "significant" due to the country's relatively small population he estimated is about 10 million.

Bajnai said Hungary "made clear we agree with the strategy" President Obama laid out this week for the war in Afghanistan and that his country is "ready to participate" and will send "up to 200 new" troops.

Bajnai said the new troops are to help the situation "get done." He said Hungary has "a duty" to help. "We believe in the strategy," he said.

Biden said the U.S. is "grateful" for Hungary's support and said they discussed a stable Pakistan in addition to Afghanistan "as the president always does."

Biden said "most Americans" might say 200 troops seems like few, but "this is a significant commitment" since there will be a total of 500 troops in Afghanistan from a country he said has about 10 million people.

Biden said it is a "politically important and courageous decision."

They also spoke about the U.S.-Hungarian relationship and the economy.

Later today Bajnai will meet with National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones and Treasury Sec. Tim Geithner.

As press left, Biden turned to Bajnai and said "I hope Jim Jones is buying you lunch."

White House

White House: Look! We're Changing Washington!

Christina Bellantoni | December 4, 2009, 10:46AM

White House

The White House is pleased with a new Congressional Research Service report showing that since taking office in January, President Obama has made "historic" change to how lobbyists interact with the executive branch.

Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, blogged today at WhiteHouse.gov a long item boasting about the report's findings.

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Russia

Gibbs: U.S. And Russia Will Continue START Treaty

Christina Bellantoni | December 4, 2009, 10:35AM

President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said it is "unlikely" the outstanding issues between the U.S. and Russia will be resolved in the next 24 hours so the two world powers will instead issue a joint statement agreeing to continue the expiring nuclear arms START treaty until the new agreement is inked.

Gibbs said President Obama spoke with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and they agreed on the statement, which the Kremlin has already sent out a day early.

The treaty expires Dec. 5 and the statement agrees to keep with what is in place now for an indefinite period.

Gibbs declined to discuss the sticking points but said he believes they can "work through" them and come to a new agreement.

Robert Gibbs

Gibbs On Unemployment Numbers: Moving In Right Direction

Christina Bellantoni | December 4, 2009, 10:12AM

White House Press Sec. Robert Gibbs

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today's unemployment figures are the best released in the last 22 months.

"The numbers today show that we continue to make much needed progress in getting this economy going again," Gibbs told reporters in his morning gaggle. "We are clearly moving in the right direction."

He said there will still be "bumps" ahead and credited the $787 billion economic stimulus plan with improvements to the unemployment statistics. Gibbs said President Obama is "pleased" the jobless claims were lower than expected but added that Obama believes any jobless claims are "too many."

VA-GOV

McDonnell Spent $2M More Than Deeds In Final Weeks Of Va. Campaign

Christina Bellantoni | December 4, 2009, 8:59AM

VA-GOV Candidates Creigh Deeds (D) and Bob McDonnell (R)

New reports for the final weeks of the Virginia governor's race show the Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell dramatically outspent Democratic State Sen. Creigh Deeds before crushing him in a landslide.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan group that posted all the data covering from Oct. 22 to Nov. 26, Deeds spent $1.8 million while McDonnell spent $3.8 million.

Deeds had $91,590 in his campaign account as of Nov. 26 and McDonnell had nearly $600,000 left in his account.

More detail from the Washington Post here.

Health Care

New NARAL Ad Asks Stupak 'Why' He Injected Abortion In Health Care Debate

Christina Bellantoni | December 3, 2009, 5:35PM

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI)

As Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) is drafting his own anti-abortion amendment to the health care bill, NARAL Pro-Choice America is taking to the airwaves to fight against Rep. Bart Stupak's (D-MI) measure that passed the House last month.

The ad asks why abortion has been injected into the health care debate. NARAL says the ad will run in midsize media markets, including Richmond, Va., Raleigh N.C. and the Portland and Bangor markets in Maine. It also will run in Stupak's Michigan Congressional district.

NARAL president Nancy Keenan, who has been attempting to get the White House to demand abortion be stripped from the health care debate, said the ad aims to "help us enlist even more Americans into our campaign to defeat the Stupak abortion-coverage ban."

Watch the ad after the jump.

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State Dinner Crashers

Peter King: Rogers Must Testify, But Salahis Have A Lot Going On

Christina Bellantoni | December 3, 2009, 3:57PM

Rep. Peter King (R-NY)

Sounds like Michaele and Tareq Salahi have Rep. Peter King (R-NY) on their side.

King, who says he wants to subpoena White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers over Party Crasher Gate, seems to be more forgiving of the Salahi couple who started the whole affair.

He said this morning on CBS it was up to them if they wanted to testify.

"I think they have enough legal problems without increasing it by testifying," King said.

Rogers, on the other hand, is covering up for the White House by declining to testify, King suggested, asking today what she had to hide.

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Health Care

Insurance Lobby Exec Says Costs Not Addressed In Health Care Bills

Christina Bellantoni | December 3, 2009, 2:03PM

AHIP President and CEO Karen Ignagni

America's Health Insurance Plans CEO Karen Ignagni is speaking today about health care at the Detroit Economic Club and says the bills being debated do not sufficiently address cost containment.

"As far as cost containment is concerned, it's as though the house is on fire and the strategy is to rush to the scene with an eight-ounce glass of water," she said.

Readers will recall that in October AHIP commissioned PriceWaterhouse Coopers to do a report showing that insurance premiums would rise under the bills being considered on Capitol Hill.

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Health Care

Sen. Rockefeller Hints About Public Option Compromise

Christina Bellantoni | December 3, 2009, 12:42PM

From Brian Beutler on the Hill:

Sen. Jay Rockefeller didn't offer much detail, but told reporters on Capitol Hill this afternoon there are new talks going on to negotiate a public option that's amenable to both conservative Democrats and those who share his views on wanting a more robust public option.

"There's sort of a new initiative on the public option, which is highly useful, without saying anything more about it," said Rockefeller (D-WV).

"There's going to be a group of people representing various points of view who are going to just closet themselves and try and resolve this so we can have something on the floor that can pass," he said.

Health Care

Nelson: I'll Filibuster Without Stupak-Like Amendment

Christina Bellantoni | December 3, 2009, 12:05PM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)

Brian Beutler reports in from Capitol Hill:

Sen. Ben Nelson told reporters today he will filibuster the health care bill if it doesn't contain an abortion amendment similar to Rep. Bart Stupak's amendment that passed attached to the House health care bill last month.

"I will not vote to take it off the floor," said Nelson (D-NE).

"Now I don't know that it's going to come down to that, because I don't know that Stupak's not going to pass, number one," he said. "Number two I don't know what kind of alternative legislation may be offered as an alternative bill. I don't know what the next steps are, but I've made it clear that whatever is finally considered has to have that language in it."

We'll update as senators react to this latest.

Michaele and Tareq Salahi

Gibbs Reacts To King's Push To Subpoena WH Social Secretary

Christina Bellantoni | December 3, 2009, 10:20AM

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs reacted this morning to reports that Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said he would push to subpoena White House social secretary Desiree Rogers over last week's infamous party-crashing incident, saying that "we'd be happy to look at it."

He said there is a history of White House staff being able to advise the president confidentially with the few exceptions of Watergate, 9/11 and Whitewater.

"I don't think even Peter King would have the audacity to in some way put the Salahis in the trifecta of Watergate, 9/11 or some of the financial dealings," he said.

Late Update: King responds to the Gibbs dig:

"The only audacity I had was 'the audacity of hope' that the White House would be honest. Unfortunately, they are more interested in covering up and stonewalling."

State Dinner Crashers

White House Releases Its Own Review After Party Crashers

Christina Bellantoni | December 2, 2009, 4:57PM

Michaele and Tareq Salahi at the State Dinner.

We reported earlier that the White House has changed its procedures for parties after the incident at the state dinner last week.

They just posted the new guidelines on the White House Web site.

The memo, written by Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina, praises the Secret Service and details that they failed to stop the crashers when they weren't on the guest list.

The money line in the conclusion goes to the heart of the problem that allowed Michaele and Tareq Salahi to get into the dinner and hobnob with Vice President Joe Biden, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and others.

After reviewing our actions, it is clear that the White House did not do everything we could have done to assist the United States Secret Service in ensuring that only invited guests enter the complex. White House staff were walking back and forth outside between the check points helping guests and were available to the Secret Service throughout the evening, but clearly we can do more, and we will do more.

The memo in full after the jump.

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White House

A White House Christmas: 'Reflect, Rejoice, Renew'

Christina Bellantoni | December 2, 2009, 12:59PM

First Lady Michelle Obama

The theme of this year's White House Christmas is "Reflect, rejoice, and renew" and it's reflected in the refurbished ornaments festooned on the 18-foot tall White House Christmas tree.

First Lady Michelle Obama introduced the holiday decorations, which were inspired by the White House's "residential, warm atmosphere," her office said.

The 800 ornaments on display throughout the house and on the Christmas tree are from past administrations. They were sent out to communities to be personalized - with decopage and beading to reflect local landmarks and flavor.

The first lady said her favorite depicted Chicago's Lincoln Park zoo. The decorations included "natural materials" such as flowers, berries and dried roots from the White House kitchen garden.

Obama also announced a new "Feed a neighbor" initiative via Serve.gov to help fight hunger across the country.

The program would allow citizens to volunteer to help homebound seniors and start community gardens.

Obama encouraged giving to Toys for Tots and said she would personally deliver the toys collected at the White House to Quantico later this month.

She thanked the volunteers who put in more than 3,000 hours to flock the home, saying their work "has really transformed the White House." She noted that more than 50,000 visitors would take tours this season.

Health Care

Like Wearing A Seatbelt: Osrzag Says Health Coverage To Become 'Cultural Norm'

Christina Bellantoni | December 2, 2009, 11:32AM

CBO Director Peter Orszag

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag said today the penalty for not having health insurance will be plenty motivational for the uninsured to purchase coverage.

Speaking with reporters at an event sponsored by Health Affairs at the National Press Club, Orszag dismissed critics who say the fine that essentially mandates coverage will work because he believes it is more of an issue of being socially acceptable.

As an example, Orszag cited seatbelt use, saying that there is more adherence to seatbelt laws than speeding laws because of social norms.

Orszag argued that if someone got in a car and driver was a bit over the speed limit they wouldn't complain, but a person would say something if the driver weren't wearing a seatbelt.

He said reporters should remember the implementation of mandating coverage is more important than the amount of the penalty for not having it.

He said he disagrees with the "econ 101 approach to life" and cited the $750 fine in Massachusetts where coverage had a more "dramatic" increase than expected.

Orszag said advertising at Fenway Park was more important than the fine since it "created a social norm" and "everyone knew about it and you were expected to have insurance."

Some lawmakers in the House have argued for a stiffer fine. As a candidate, President Obama argued the fine wasn't the best approach since most people wanted health care coverage.

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Afghanistan

Obama Lays Out 'Way Forward' In Afghanistan

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 10:15PM

President Obama told the American people tonight his rationale for sending 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan by offering a stern rebuke of mistakes made with the Iraq war and promising to be tough on Pakistan.

In his less than 35-minute speech, Obama did not offer a firm commitment for when the nearly 100,000 troops who will serve in combat in Afghanistan will return home, and instead assured cadets at West Point Military Academy and military families across the country that his decision did not come lightly. He also declared Afghanistan was no Vietnam.

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Afghanistan

No Surge Here: Obama Doesn't Use The Term

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 8:35PM

TPMDC wrote earlier that Obama administration officials seemed quite comfortable with the term "surge" that was used to characterize President George W. Bush's increase in troops to Iraq.

Tonight, President Obama did not use the term surge as he detailed the 30,000 more troops he will send to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Obama Blames Iraq War For Deterioration In Afghanistan

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 8:17PM

President Obama started his remarks tonight reminding the American people that the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were the reason the U.S. and NATO waged war on Afghanistan eight years ago.

Obama said the feeling of global united and a new government gave Afghans "reason to hope" until 2003 when the United States invaded Iraq.

He said while he did not want to rehash the arguments against that war, which he campaigned against, "the Iraq War drew the dominant share of our troops, our resources, our diplomacy, and our national attention."

"[T]he decision to go into Iraq caused substantial rifts between America and much of the world," Obama said.

The president went on to detail his plan to remove all combat troops from Iraq by the end of summer 2010 in what he calls a "responsible end" to the war.

"That we are doing so is a testament to the character of our men and women in uniform," Obama said, earning his first applause during the speech from the 4,250 cadets and their family members in the audience at West Point Military Academy.

"Thanks to their courage, grit and perseverance , we have given Iraqis a chance to shape their future, and we are successfully leaving Iraq to its people."

Read the president's remarks as prepared here.

Afghanistan

Team On Hand: Who Rode Air Force One With Obama

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 7:57PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama's national security team hopped a ride on Air Force One tonight to West Point Military Academy for his speech laying out a surge in troops.

The White House told reporters that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones, Gen. David Petraeus, Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were aboard the president's plane.

The only elected official joining him was Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), who also accompanied Obama on a trip to Afghanistan last summer when he was a candidate.

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State Dinner Crashers

House Panel Getting Briefing On Party Crashers

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 5:23PM

Tareq and Michaele Salahi

A Capitol Hill source tells TPMDC that members of Congress are getting a briefing about the state dinner incident tomorrow.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Wednesday at 4 p.m. is holding a members-only briefing about how Michaele and Tareq Salahi were able to get into the state dinner at the White House last week.

Follow TPM's coverage here.

Afghanistan

Surge Details: Drawdown Starting 2011 Is 'The Beginning Of a Process'

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 4:50PM

President Obama and his war council

President Obama tonight will not set a date for the war in Afghanistan to end, but instead will say that a drawdown could start in the summer of 2011, based on conditions on the ground.

Senior administration officials briefed reporters this afternoon to offer a bit of detail before Obama gives a speech at 8 p.m. from West Point Military Academy.

The officials, speaking on a condition of anonymity since Obama has not yet made the formal announcement, said the "top development priority from here forward will be agriculture."

One official said Obama settled on this option after nine meetings of his war council because it "gets more troops into Afghanistan faster than any option that was previously presented to him."

"It does put everyone under pressure to do more sooner," the official said. "That pressure of the timeline begins with the U.S. government itself."

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Afghanistan

That Settles That: Obama Administration Calls It A 'Surge'

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 3:14PM

President Barack Obama

Senior administration officials are briefing the press about President Obama's speech tonight detailing the 30,000 more troops he'll be sending to Afghanistan.

They say he will outline a "new window of opportunity" and a "new approach" to the region.

But another talking point emerged, with language we've heard before.

An official told reporters that tonight at West Point Military Academy Obama will announce he will "surge American forces" to reverse the momentum of the Taliban and with the main goal of training Afghan forces.

The official repeated a bit later that "this surge, if you will, will be for a defined period of time" and said it again later in the call.

More coverage here.

Stimulus

Biden: 'Experts Have Spoken' On Jobs Created By Stimulus

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 1:33PM

Vice President Joe Biden

Coming off a rough few weeks after problems with the reporting of jobs created by the stimulus program, the White House has a bit of good news from the Congressional Budget Office.

In a new report, the CBO estimates the $787 billion economic stimulus has created 600,000 jobs this year.

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Afghanistan

Fine-Tuning His War: How President Obama Arrived At Afghanistan Decision

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 12:40PM

Top Left: Afghanistan and Pakistan Map Bottom Left: President Obama with War Council Right: President Obama

By June 1, there will be about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan with a mission of weakening the Taliban, rooting out Al Qaeda and helping the Afghan government bolster its own forces.

President Obama's wartime decision comes after weeks of private Situation Room meetings between key Cabinet members, generals and his national security team. After nine of those meetings, Obama also has spoken with world leaders and allies who are backing him by sending more troops of their own.

Republicans after weeks of blasting Obama for taking too long already are hailing the decision as the right one. Meanwhile, left-leaning groups question the cost in both blood and treasure, and Code Pink is out with a tough new flier mocking Obama's "hope" slogan and marching in front of the White House today.

Obama at 8 p.m. in a speech at West Point will set a timetable for withdrawing those troops and benchmarks, the White House says, for evaluating success there.

Mindful of the political repercussions, the DNC tells the 2.7 million on the Obama Twitter feed that he will "lay out the path forward" in Afghanistan.

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Afghanistan

Obama Sending 30,000 More Troops To Afghanistan

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 10:28AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama will send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, an administration official tells TPMDC.

The official, speaking on a condition of anonymity because Obama has not announced the new strategy yet to the nation, said the president "intervened" to make sure the military deploys these troops to the region faster than initially planned.

This will bring the total troops in Afghanistan to more than 100,000 - a jump of more than 60,000 since Obama took office in January.

They will be there within six months, the official said.

The New York Times describes it as a "more, sooner" policy. The president reached the conclusion after nine meetings of his war council.

In his speech tonight at West Point, Obama will talk about a timeframe for withdrawal. The official said after the nine meetings, "consensus" has emerged among the key players, which "will make it easier to implement."

Before leaving for West Point late this afternoon, Obama will meet with Congressional leaders to discuss the decision.

Afghanistan

Dem Leaders, Cantor, McCain Among Last To Speak To Obama Before Troops Speech

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 9:39AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama tonight will announce he is sending between 30,000 and 35,000 more troops to Afghanistan, offering his rationale for the surge in a speech to West Point Military Academy.

As TPMDC has reported, Obama has been phoning world leaders

White House officials tell TPMDC Obama also spoke for one hour via video teleconference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai this morning. ABC News reported that Obama's message to Karzai is there will be no more "blank check" for Afghanistan.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the Oval Office this afternoon.

But critical as the president faces pressure on his decision, right before leaving for West Point, Obama will brief more than 30 members of Congressional leadership and the chairmen and ranking members of relevant committees.

Lawmakers are among the most frequent leakers of information coming from the White House, so it's a safe bet to host them at the last minute.

Among the invited members are Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), along with Democratic critics including Rep. David Obey (D-WI).

The list of invited Congressional leaders, per the White House, after the jump.

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Health Care

Bayh Reassured By CBO Health Care Analysis

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 8:59AM

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

Sen. Evan Bayh, one of the moderate Democrats whose health care vote is in question, said the Congressional Budget Office analysis he requested "alleviates a major concern."

Bayh (D-IN), said in a statement:

"My primary focus has been making health insurance better and more affordable for average Americans. This report alleviates a major concern that has been raised--that insurance costs will go up across the board as a result of this legislation.

"This study indicates that for most Americans, the bill will have a modestly positive impact on their premium costs. For the remainder, more will see their costs go down than up. Hopefully, we can continue to focus the Senate debate on additional ways to make health insurance even more affordable for all Americans."

Ambassadorships

Obama Names Top Campaign Bundler To Ambassador Spot

Christina Bellantoni | November 30, 2009, 6:45PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama tonight named another top donor to a plum diplomatic post.

In an evening release with several other nominations, Obama said he would appoint attorney Allan Katz to be ambassador to Portugal. Like all ambassadorships, it is subject to senate confirmation.

Katz, a former City Commissioner from Tallahassee, Florida, pulled together more than $500,000 in donations to the Obama campaign as one of the Democrat's top "bundlers."

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Health Care

Reactions Vary To New CBO Health Care Analysis - Dems: YAY! Republicans: BOO!

Christina Bellantoni | November 30, 2009, 3:42PM

Deputy White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer

As the debate kicks off in earnest today, the parties are predictably using the new Congressional Budget Office analysis of the Senate health care bill to their own benefit.

The White House is hailing the report as "more good news" about what the bill would mean for families.

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Afghanistan

Phoning Allies: Obama, VP Biden, Cabinet Detailing Afghan Strategy

Christina Bellantoni | November 30, 2009, 2:32PM

Pres. Barack Obama

President Obama is calling world leaders all day to outline in general terms his decision for sending more troops to Afghanistan and he's also deployed Vice President Joe Biden and key Cabinet secretaries to phone allies today and tomorrow in the lead up to the announcement.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama added Danish Prime Minister Anders Rasmussen to his list of calls on Afghanistan.

"The president expressed his appreciation for Denmark's leadership in this process. The president also updated the prime minister on his review of our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and thanked him for his country's significant contribution to the effort in Afghanistan," Gibbs said.

In addition, Obama is calling President Karzai, President Zardari, Chancellor Merkel, Prime Minister Tusk of Poland, President Hu of China and Prime Minister Singh of India to offer details of his decision, to be formally announced during a speech tomorrow night..

Gibbs said administration officials, including Biden, General Jim Jones, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Adm. Mike Mullen of the Joint chiefs are will "make consultation calls to our allies over the course of the next many hours before the speech."

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State Dinner Crashers

Gibbs: Social Office Not Problem With Dinner Crashers

Christina Bellantoni | November 30, 2009, 1:52PM

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the investigation into the state dinner party crashers was focusing exclusively on the Secret Service, not administration staffers.

Reporters pressed Gibbs on whether the White House social office was also being investigated since the checks at large events were part of protocol in previous administrations.

"My understanding is Secret Service will look at what the Secret Service did," Gibbs said. "The Secret Service, through the director, has admitted that somebody who wasn't on a list and wasn't waived in was allowed into an event that clearly he said shouldn't be."

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State Dinner Crashers

Gibbs Says Investigation Into State Dinner Crashers Ongoing

Christina Bellantoni | November 30, 2009, 11:52AM

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had no new information this morning about the party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi.

"As best I know the Secret Service continues to look into that situation," Gibbs said in his morning gaggle with reporters. "When there is something complete we'll have it."

The Salahi couple, who made a splash by attending the state dinner honoring India without an invitation, have maintained they were invited. Secret Service is doing an internal investigation as to why their names weren't verified from the guest list.

As we reported earlier, they have been called to testify before Congress.

Afghanistan

Obama Issues New Orders On Afghanistan

Christina Bellantoni | November 30, 2009, 11:13AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama huddled at 5 p.m. Sunday with his top military and national security team, issuing orders for the Pentagon to implement his plan for sending more than 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that Obama "issued orders" from the Oval Office to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Gen. David Petraeus, Adm. Mike Mullen, National Security Adviser Jim Jones, Gen. James Cartwright and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. Before that meeting he spoke via phone with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"The president communicated his final decision on the strategy ... and issued orders on the strategy's implementation," Gibbs said.

Obama also will be in "close consultation with our friends and allies throughout the day" because the administration believes the war "is a shared international challenge."

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Jobs summit

Google Exec, Columbia Prof, Union Leaders Among Invitees To WH Jobs Summit

Christina Bellantoni | November 30, 2009, 10:33AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama Thursday is hosting a jobs summit at the White House, with the administration putting its full attention toward the economy and unemployment.

Among the 130 attendees are small business owners, experts from the "green jobs" sector, business leaders, academics, city officials and representatives from nonprofits, the White House said.

Some names that jump out right away are Eric Schmidt of Google (he is an informal Obama adviser), New York Times columnist and Nobel economics prize winner Paul Krugman, Columbia Business School professor Joe Stiglitz and Anna Burger of the Change to Win union.

Full list of confirmed attendees after the jump:

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