Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | November 25, 2009, 9:00AM

Obama To Explain Surge, Exit Plan In Afghanistan
The Washington Post reports President Obama will use his speech on Afghanistan next week to simultaneously explain his plan to increase America's troop presence, and to lay out an exit strategy: "Obama's prime-time address, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, will begin the White House effort to sell his revised war plan -- one leading scenario calls for sending 30,000 additional U.S. troops -- to powerful skeptics within his party, reluctant allies abroad and an Afghan public uncertain whether international forces or the Taliban will win the war."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will hold the annual turkey-pardoning ceremony, at 11:35 a.m. ET in the Rose Garden. In the afternoon, the First Family will participate in a service event in the Washington area.

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Health Care

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 29, 2009, 9:02AM

WaPo: Dems Boning Up On Health Care Bill
The Washington Post reports that House Democrats have gone through a five-hour meeting on the health care bill, in which they were briefed on the ins and outs of the 1,000-page bill section by section. "No one's going to say we haven't read the bill," said Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD). After a cram session like this, they better ace their finals...

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will hold an 11:55 a.m. ET town hall meeting on health care reform in Raleigh, North Carolina. He will depart Raleigh at 2:45 p.m. ET, arriving in Bristol, Tennessee, at 3:40 p.m. ET. At 4:15 p.m. ET, he will hold another town hall on health care reform in Bristol, Virginia, with Kroger Supermarket employees. He will depart from Bristol at 6 p.m. ET, arriving back at the White House at 7:25 p.m. ET.

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Barack Obama

TPMDC Fourth Of July Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 4, 2009, 1:04PM

Obama Recognizes Fourth Of July -- And Goes After His Naysayers
In this weekend's Presidential YouTube Address, President Obama paid tribute to the Independence Day Holiday, and the spirit of those who built America. Furthermore, he tied this into his own agenda on energy, health care and other issues, and against his critics who say he's doing too much:

"These naysayers have short memories," said Obama. "They forget that we, as a people, did not get here by standing pat in a time of change. We did not get here by doing what was easy. That is not how a cluster of 13 colonies became the United States of America. We are not a people who fear the future. We are a people who make it. And on this July 4th, we need to summon that spirit once more."

McCain Stands With Iranians In GOP's Independence Day Address
In this week's Republican Address we have President Obama's rival in last year's general election, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who also paid tribute to the founding ideals of the United States. For his part, McCain took the opportunity to stand with the dissidents of Iran

"They do not ask us to arm them or come to their assistance with anything other than public declarations of solidarity, and public denunciations of the tyrants who oppress them. We have a moral obligation to do so," said McCain. "There are those among us who warn that a strong and unequivocal declaration of moral support for Iranians would be used by the cruel regime in power there to convince their subject people that the United States is behind the civil unrest they have attempted to hide from the world. But the regime will make that claim no matter what we say or do."

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Dick Cheney

Cheney: Powell Welcome In GOP -- But Party Must Remain Conservative

Eric Kleefeld | May 27, 2009, 5:58PM

In an interview with Larry Kudlow on CNBC, Dick Cheney extended an olive branch to Colin Powell, saying that Powell is welcome in the Republican Party -- but the GOP itself must remain a conservative institution, lest the party go against its core supporters:

KUDLOW: Speaking of political, I guess you're trying to outline a message for the Republican Party here to limit government and limit taxation and so forth. You kind of took a shot at General Colin Powell the other day, said you didn't know he was still a member of the Republican Party. He responded to you by saying that you were mistaken. He is a member of the Republican Party, and he regards himself a, quote, "Jack Kemp Republican," end quote. Could you react to what Mr. Powell is saying?

Mr. CHENEY: Well, we're happy to have General Powell in the Republican Party. I was asked a question about a dispute he was having, I think, with Rush Limbaugh, and I expressed the consent, the notion I had that he had already left since he endorsed Barack Obama for president. But I meant no offense to my former colleague. I wasn't seeking to rearrange his political identity.

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Colin Powell

Poll: Powell Viewed Favorably By Republicans -- And So Are Cheney And Limbaugh

Eric Kleefeld | May 25, 2009, 4:11PM

A new CNN poll finds that Colin Powell has much higher national favorable ratings than his two main Republican antagonists, Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh -- but among Republican respondents only, it's a close one.

The numbers, among all Americans: Powell is viewed favorably by 70%, compared to only 37% for Cheney and 30% for Limbaugh.

But among Republicans only, it's 66% favorable for Cheney, 64% for Powell, and 62% for Limbaugh. So Powell still remains popular with Republicans. But so are Cheney and Limbaugh, too -- and it would make some intuitive sense that Powell's portion differs somewhat from Cheney's and Limbaugh's.

Said CNN analyst Bill Schneider: "Moderate Republicans fighting back against Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney. They're ready to rumble. And they've got a soldier to lead them."

Guantanamo Bay

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | May 24, 2009, 12:53PM

Mullen: Gitmo Needs To Be Closed
Appearing on ABC's This Week, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen reaffirmed his belief that the prison at Guantanamo Bay should be closed. "The concern I've had about Guantanamo in these wars is it has been a symbol, and one which has been a recruiting symbol for those extremists and jihadists who would fight us. So and I think that centers -- you know, that's the heart of the concern for Guantanamo's continued existence, in which I spoke to a few years ago, the need to close it."

Obama's Day: Camp David
President Obama has been spending the weekend at Camp David, and is scheduled to arrive back at the White House tonight at 10 p.m. ET. He does not have any public events scheduled. Vice President Biden is in Wilmington, Delaware, and also does not have any scheduled public events.

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Colin Powell

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | May 22, 2009, 3:33PM

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: Adm. Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

• CBS, Face The Nation: Former Sec. of State Colin Powell; Dr. Alvin Poussaint, psychiatrist, Harvard University.

• CNN, State Of The Union: Former Sec. of Homeland Security Tom Ridge; Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Richard Shelby (R-AL); and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND).

• Fox News Sunday: Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE).

• NBC, Meet The Press: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA).

Republicans

GOP Rep. Price: Limbaugh And Cheney Aren't Better Republicans Than Colin Powell

Eric Kleefeld | May 18, 2009, 11:34AM

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) appeared today on Morning Joe, and said the Republican Party is big enough for both the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Colin Powell -- and upon further questioning by Scarborough, Price disagreed with the idea that Limbaugh or Dick Cheney are better Republicans than Powell:

Scarborough: Congressman, do you disagree with Rush Limbaugh that Colin Powell should leave the Republican Party?

Price: Look, it's not up to Rush Limbaugh to decide who ought to be in the Republican Party.

...

Scarborough: Congressman, do you believe that Rush Limbaugh or Dick Cheney are better, quote -- I'm just using terms that we hear every day on TV and radio -- that they are somehow better Republicans than Colin Powell?

Price: No. Goodness.

Scarborough: God bless you, Congressman. God bless you.

Barack Obama

Election Central Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | January 19, 2009, 9:02AM

WaPo: Unemployment Going Up Among Washington Republicans
The Washington Post reports that Republican political appointees are now facing unemployment in the middle of a tough job market, and with K Street preferring Democrats. Said former George H.W. Bush advisor Ron Kaufman: "You have lots of folks in the House and Senate on the streets and 3,000 administration appointees on the streets at a time when the job market is shrinking anyways. It's just not a fun time."

Barack And Michelle Obama To Attend Community Service Lunch
Barack and Michelle Obama are attending a lunch today with community service volunteers in Washington, as part of Obama's "Renew America Together" initiative, calling for more people to volunteer.

Obama To Honor Powell, McCain, Biden
Barack Obama will be attending three dinners tonight to honor three different political figures from across the spectrum. First up is a dinner honoring Colin Powell, beginning at 5 p.m. ET, then a dinner honoring John McCain, also beginning at 5 p.m. ET, and finally a dinner at 6:30 p.m. ET to honor Joe Biden.

Michelle Obama, Jill Biden Hosting Concert For Military Families
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will be attending the Kids' Inaugural, a concert honoring military families and for which free tickets were distributed by the Presidential Inauguration Committee and the Department of Defense. The event begins at 7 p.m. ET, featuring acts such as Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.

Sullenberger Gets Inauguration Ticket
Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the US Airways pilot who successfully landed his damaged passenger plane into the Hudson River with no deaths or serious injuries, has been given free tickets to Barack Obama's inauguration tomorrow, for both himself and his family.

NYT: Obama Reaching Out To McCain
The New York Times reports that Barack Obama has been consulting closely with John McCain on his appointments and other areas of foreign policy, seeking to build a consensus on how to pursue his own policy goals. "He said that he understands that we had differences but he wanted to let us know that he also understands that we have got to be responsible in how we leave Iraq," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Poll: Nearly 7 In 10 Blacks Believe King's Dream Is Fulfilled
A new CNN poll finds that 69% of African-Americans believe Martin Luther King's dream has been fulfilled, to 30% who say it has not. This number is actually higher than it is among whites, only 46% of whom say it has been fulfilled, to 52% who say it has not.