TPMDC Jack Reed
John Boehner
Boehner To Obama: Please Provide Clear Answers on Libya
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is demanding detailed answers from President Obama on the scope and objective of U.S. military action in Libya and his plans for removing Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi from power if he does not voluntarily step down in the next few days.
In a letter (read it here) to the White House sent Wednesday afternoon, Boehner asks Obama to outline the "scope, objective and purpose of the mission in Libya and how it will be achieved."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 'Obama's Wars', Barack Obama, Carl Levin, Dick Durbin, House Republicans, House of Representatives, Jack Bauer, Jack Reed, John Boehner, Libya, Muammar Qaddafi, Senate Armed Services Committee, no-fly zone, pentagon
Libya
Senior Senate Dems Defend Obama's Decisions on Libya
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Three senior Senate Demorats are coming to President Obama's defense on his decision to seek international support before directing air strikes against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.
Sen. Dick Durbin (IL), the assistant majority leader, Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (MI) and Sen. Jack Reed (RI), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, gave the President a collective pat on the back for his diplomatic and military decisions on Libya in the last week in the face of harsh criticism from both sides of the aisle that Obama's handling of the Libyan crisis was too little too late and did not seek congressional approval for the military action.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 'Obama's Wars', Barack Obama, Carl Levin, Dick Durbin, George H. W. Bush, Harry Reid, Jack Reed, Libya, Muammar Qaddafi, Senate Armed Services Committee, United Nations, declaration of war, pentagon
John McCain
McCain Fears Sadr's Influence In Iraq Ahead of U.S. Withdrawal
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is expressing concern about the movements of radical Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr in and out of Iran and Iraq ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq later this year.
"I'm very concerned about Sadr's activity -- and his followers...I'll be pretty blunt," McCain said Thursday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Ben Nelson, Iran, Iraq, Jack Reed, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Moqtada Sadr, Senate, Senate Armed Services Committee, Shiite, State Department, Sunni, Taliban
Roundup
TPMDC Sunday Roundup
Gillespie: Obama 'Has A Very Disdainful View Of The American People' On Muslim Center
Appearing on Face The Nation, former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie criticized President Obama's remarks in support of the Muslim community center in New York. "I thought it was a revealing comment by the president. He said that the 70% of Americans who are opposed to this controversial imam building this mosque at ground zero are denying the freedom of Muslims in this country. That's how he cast it," Gillespie said. "It was said in the reporting this morning that he made a conscious decision to weigh in on it in that regard. I think it tells you that he has a very disdainful view of the American people. I think that's why his favorability ratings have come down. People see that in him. There's a kind of condescension towards them they don't like."
Kaine: Religious Freedom Is In The Constitution For A Reason
Also appearing on Face The Nation, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine stood by Obama's remarks on the Muslim center. "I'm going with my Virginian, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson on this one. They put the religious freedom to worship in the First Amendment of the Constitution for a reason," Kaine said. "This wouldn't be a controversial if it was to build a synagogue or church. I'm not the New York zoning commissioner, don't know the reason for this decision, but we can't stop people from doing something that others could do because of the religion they practice."
Topics: 'Ground Zero Mosque', Afghanistan, Bob Corker, DNC, David Petraeus, Ed Gillespie, Jack Reed, Jerrold Nadler, Peter King, Roundup, Sunday Shows
Roundup
TPMDC Sunday Roundup
Sessions: 'It's Conceivable A Filibuster Might Occur' Against Kagan
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) did not rule out a filibuster against the Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan. "I think the first thing we need to decide is, is she committed to the rule of law even if she may not like the law?" Sessions said. "Will she as a judge subordinate herself to the Constitution and keep her political views at bay? And then secondly, if things come out to indicate she's so far outside the mainstream, it's conceivable a filibuster might occur."
Leahy: If Obama Had Nominated Moses, Some Would Say He Hasn't Produced A Birth Certificate
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) joked that Republican lines have already been drawn against any Supreme Court nomination by President Obama: "It's reached the point that if [Obama] had nominated Moses the law giver, some would have said we can't have him because among other things he hasn't produced a birth certificate."
Topics: 2010 elections, Afghanistan, David Petraeus, Dianne Feinstein, Elena Kagan, Jack Reed, Jeff Sessions, John McCain, Leon Panetta, Lindsey Graham, Patrick Leahy, Roundup, Stanley McChrystal, Sunday Shows, Supreme Court, Supreme Court vacancy
Chris Dodd
Reformers Eye Schumer's Role In Wall Street Negotiations
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Progressives are hoping to keep congressional Wall Street reform negotiators on their best behavior as they iron out the difference between House and Senate legislation. But they fear that at least one Democratic conferee might be a bit meddlesome: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is the fourth ranking member on the Bankng Committee, who, despite close ties to Wall Street, laid very low during the financial reform floor fight, raising his head only occasionally to support fellow Democrats as they worked to advance and improve the bill.
Now suddenly he's one of only a small number of legislators who will get to influence the final product.
"It did surprise me," said Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America's future. "I didn't expect him to be on it, I have to admit. I assume he must have really asserted himself to get that position."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Chris Dodd, Chuck Schumer, Democrats, Financial Reform, Jack Reed, Senate, Tim Johnson, Wall Street
Roundup
TPMDC Sunday Roundup
Axelrod: Obama Opposed To Bill With Stupak Amendment
Appearing on State of the Union, White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod said that President Obama would oppose the Stupak Amendment as a change in the status quo on abortion law. "The president has said repeatedly, and he said in his speech to Congress, that he doesn't believe that this bill should change the status quo as it relates to the issue of abortion," said Axelrod. Asked whether Obama would sign a final bill that contains the Stupak Amendment, Axelrod replied that Obama "believes both these issues and can and will be worked through before [the final bill] reaches his desk."
Conrad: Health Care Bill Can't Pass Without Restriction On Abortion Funding
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) said that the health care bill cannot pass without something like the Stupak Amendment. "What is clear is at the end of the day, for this bill to be successful, that there cannot be taxpayer funding of abortion," said Conrad, also adding: "It was clear in the House. It'll be clear in the Senate."
Topics: Abortion, Afghanistan, Barack Obama, David Axelrod, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, Jack Reed, Kent Conrad, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Patrick Leahy, Pete Hoekstra, Roundup, Rudy Giuliani, Stupak amendment, Sunday Shows
Roundup
TPMDC Sunday Roundup
Liz Cheney: Obama Given Nobel Prize For Opposing American Dominance
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Liz Cheney attacked President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. "Well, I think what the committee believes is they'd like to live in a world in which America is not dominant. And I think if you look at the language of the citation, you can see that they talk about, you know, President Obama ruling in a way that makes sense to the majority of the people of the world," said Cheney. "You know, Americans don't elect a president to do that. We elect a president to defend our national interests. And so I think that, you know, they may believe that President Obama also doesn't agree with American dominance, and they may have been trying to affirm that belief with the prize. I think, unfortunately, they may be right, and I think it's a concern."
McCain: Palin 'Energized Our Party'
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) defended his former running mate Sarah Palin, against the criticism of his former campaign manager Steve Schmidt. "There are fundamental facts ... that cannot be denied," McCain adds. "When we selected or asked Sarah Palin to be my running mate, it energized our party. We were ahead in the polls, until the stock market crashed. And she still is a formidable force in the Republican Party, and I have great affection for her."
Topics: Afghanistan, Bob Casey, Carl Levin, Dianne Feinstein, Health Care, Jack Reed, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Liz Cheney, Nobel Peace Prize, Roundup, Sarah Palin, Saxby Chambliss, Steve Schmidt
TPM Top News
© 2011 TPM Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
