TPMDC Missile Defense
WV-SEN
One GOPer's Proposal To Save The World: '1,000 Lasers' (VIDEO)
Senate candidate John Raese (R-WV)
West Virginia's Republican nominee for Senate, John Raese, has a plan. And that plan is to put 1,000 lasers in orbit to save us all.
Not 999. Not 1,001. 1,000 frickin' lasers.
"If there is a rogue missile aimed at our country, we have 33 minutes to figure out what we're going to do," Raese said told the crowd at a recent campaign stop, according to NBC's Shawna Thomas and Carrie Dann. "We are sitting with the only technology in the world that works and it's laser technology. We need 1,000 laser systems put in the sky and we need it right now. That is [of] paramount importance."
The cost of such a program? A cool "$20 billion," according to Raese.
Topics: 2010 elections, John Raese, Missile Defense, NBC, Senate '10, WV-SEN
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
NYT: Behind The White House Vs. Fox News Fight
The New York Times reports on the White House-Fox News feud, and how it followed an unsuccessful attempt by senior adviser David Axelrod and Fox head Roger Ailes to work out their problems. "We simply decided to stop abiding by the fiction, which is aided and abetted by the mainstream press, that Fox is a traditional news organization," said deputy White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will depart form the White House at 10:05 a.m. ET, arriving in Boston at 11:30 a.m. ET. He will tour a research laboratory at MIT, at 12 p.m. ET, and will deliver remarks on clean energy at 12:30 p.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at a fundraising reception for Gov. Deval Patrick at 2:05 p.m. ET, and will speak at a fundraising event for Patrick at 2:45 p.m. ET. He will depart from Boston at 3:40 p.m. ET, arriving at 4:35 p.m. ET in New York City. He will join Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), and tour a small business at 5:15 p.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at a Dodd fundraising dinner at 6:45 p.m. ET. He will depart from New York at 8 p.m. ET, arriving back at the White House at 9:10 p.m. ET.
Topics: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Bob Corker, CT-SEN, Chris Dodd, David Axelrod, Deval Patrick, Fox News, Japan, Joe Biden, John Kerry, MA-GOV, Missile Defense, Roundup, Senate '10
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Obama Going Quiet In Health Care Public Debate
President Obama has decided to lower his public profile in the health care debate, the New York Times reports, moving away from public rallies and towards negotiation in Washington. "I think his time is better spent on this particular issue in conversation with members and in talking to his own advisers and instructing them on how to proceed," said senior adviser David Axelrod. "That's the phase that we're in."
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet at 12:40 p.m. ET with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). At 1:50 p.m. ET, Obama will announce a package of initiatives to increase credit to small businesses. At 3 p.m. ET, he will attend a Cabinet-level earthquake tabletop exercise. He will depart from the White House at 3:25 p.m. ET, arriving at 4:35 p.m. ET in Newark, New Jersey. At 6:05 p.m. ET, he will deliver remarks at a rally for Gov. Jon Corzine, at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He will depart from New Jersey at 7:25 p.m. ET, arriving back at the White House at 8:35 p.m. ET.
Topics: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, David Plouffe, Joe Biden, Missile Defense, Pete Hoekstra, Roundup, Steve Schmidt
MA-SEN
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Patrick To Announce Senate Pick, Kirk The Favorite
Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA) will announce today his appointment for interim Senator, at an 11 a.m. press conference. The widespread expectation is that Kennedy family friend Paul Kirk will be appointed to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, to serve as a caretaker until the January special election.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will chair a 9:15 a.m. ET meeting of the U.N. Security Council. At 12 p.m. ET, he will co-chair, with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a meeting of the leaders of the Friends of Pakistan. He will depart from New York at 2:20 p.m. ET, arriving at 3:30 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At 6 p.m. ET, the President and First Lady will greet leaders of the G-20 and their spouses. At 7:30 p.m. ET, Obama will attend a G-20 leaders working dinner.
Topics: Bailout, Barack Obama, Blue Dogs, Deval Patrick, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Joe Biden, MA-SEN, Missile Defense, Nancy Pelosi, Paul Kirk, Russia
Missile Defense
Right-Wing Pundits React To Obama's Missile Defense Move
President Barack Obama
As you can imagine, conservative pundits have not been taking kindly to President Obama's decision to scrap the Bush administration's planned missile defense sites in Eastern Europe.
National Review is turning into a hub of criticism. In its official editorial, the magazine says that any possible decrease in the relevant threat from Iran would have happened because of this program itself -- and they favorably quote the wisdom of Don Rumsfeld:
If Iran has in fact slowed down its work in this area -- a claim that national-security experts have questioned -- it may have been in response to American determination to construct a NATO-approved system in Eastern Europe. Today's announcement may persuade Tehran to reconsider and look for ways to exploit a new vulnerability. As Donald Rumsfeld once warned, weakness is provocative.PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)
Topics: Missile Defense
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