Roundup

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 3, 2011, 1:16PM

Reid: 'Wait And See' On Arming Libyan Rebels
Appearing on Face The Nation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that the United States should hold off on arming the Libyan rebels for now. "I spoke to the president yesterday about this, President Obama, and I think at this stage we really don't know who the leaders of this rebel group is," said Reid. He also added: "We have others, as [Defense] Secretary Gates has said, that can do it more easily than we can. So I think at this stage let's just wait and see."

Graham: 'I'm Ready To Look At Arming Them'
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was more positive on arming the Libyan rebels. "I'm ready to look at arming them to help themselves," said Graham. "We need American air power back into the site. We need to take the fight to Tripoli. Go after his inner circle. That's the way to end this war decisively and quickly. The strategy we have is going to lead to a stalemate. It needs to change. Help the rebels, take the fight to Tripoli. Get this thing over with. Qaddafi must go."

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Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | January 7, 2010, 8:59AM

Jones: Americans Will Feel 'A Certain Shock' From Flight 253 Report
National Security Adviser James Jones told USA Today that Americans will feel "a certain shock" from today's upcoming report on the Flight 253 attempted bombing. Jones said that President Obama "is legitimately and correctly alarmed that things that were available, bits of information that were available, patterns of behavior that were available, were not acted on."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET, and Obama will meet at 10:30 a.m. ET with senior advisers. At 1 p.m. ET, Obama will deliver remarks on the security review of the Flight 253 attempted bombing. Obama and Biden will meet at 3 p.m. ET with Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner, and they will meet at 3:45 p.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

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Roundup

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2009, 1:16PM

Gates: July 2011 Not An Afghanistan 'Exit Strategy,' But A 'Transition'
Appearing on This Week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the plan for Afghanistan is not properly called an exit strategy. "Well, first of all, I don't consider this an exit strategy. And I try to avoid using that term. I think this is a transition," said Gates. He further explained: "Well, from my standpoint, the decision in terms of when a district or a cluster of districts or a province is ready to be turned over to the Afghan security forces is a judgment that will be made by our commanders on the ground, not here in Washington."

Feingold: Stopping Afghanistan Surge Will Be Difficult, 'We'll Do Whatever We Can'
Appearing on This Week, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) said he would do what he could to fight the Afghanistan troop surge. "And what's going to happen here is that it's probably going to be difficult to stop it now. We'll do whatever we can," said Feingold. "We're already working with members of both parties in both houses to question whether this funding should be approved. We're going to fight any attempts to use sort of accounting gimmicks to allow it to be funded. If there's an attempt to have an emergency supplemental, I think that's something we're going to oppose, not only on the grounds of it being an unwise policy, but also being fiscally irresponsible."

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James Jones

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

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

James Jones Hits Back At McCain: I Don't Play Politics With National Security
Appearing on State of the Union, National Security Adviser James Jones fired back at Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who said on the Senate floor that Jones doesn't "want to alienate the left base of the Democrat [sic] Party." Jones responded: "I've known him for many, many years. And he knows that I don't play politics with national - I don't play politics. And I certainly don't play it with national security. And neither does anyone else I know. The lives of our young men and women are on the line. The strategy does not belong to any political party and I can assure you that the President of the United States is not playing to any political base. And I take exception to that remark."

Greenspan: Economic Growth To Be 3%, Unemployment To Go Over 10%
Appearing on This Week, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan predicted that the third-quarter economic growth figure will hit 3% -- but that this won't be enough to prevent an increase in the unemployment rate. "But remember, the end of the job loss is not the same thing as if the unemployment rate is going to start down," said Greenspan. "My own suspicion is that we're going to penetrate the 10 percent barrier and stay there for a while before we start down."

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Chuck Schumer

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | October 2, 2009, 4:31PM

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

• ABC, This Week: Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

• CBS, Face The Nation: National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Gen. Anthony Zinni, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO).

• CNN, State Of The Union: National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ).

• Fox News Sunday: Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).

• NBC, Meet The Press: Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice.