Morning Bulletin – Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:
In Iraq, he met with U.S. troops at Camp Victory and "gave them a bit of a pep talk, said his primary purpose for being here is to thank them," reported CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Chip Reid. "He said, 'we have not forgotten what you've done, we are grateful for what you will do, and as long as I'm in the White House you will get support that you need.' He said the troops have performed brilliantly in every situation. He also said even though he opposed this war initially, he said that 'you have given the Iraqi people the opportunity to stand on their own, and that is something is something that the Iraqis can thank the American people for.' He has made very clear that even though he did oppose the war, he has an obligation to end the war responsibly and that is what he said these troops are doing."
The president later urged "the leaders of Iraq's feuding sectarian factions to find 'political solutions' to their disputes," report the Wall Street Journal's Jonathan Weisman and Yochi J. Dreazen. "His daylong trip came at a pivotal moment for the U.S.-led war effort, which will begin winding down later this year. At least 12,000 American troops will leave Iraq in the next six months, part of the administration's move to withdraw all U.S. combat forces from Iraq by August 2010. The remaining American forces are slated to leave by the end of 2011."
They continue: "Some U.S. officials in Baghdad and Washington worry that a series of unresolved political disputes -- including the fates of tens of thousands of Sunni militiamen and the limits of Kurdish self-rule -- could spark violence as Iraq's competing factions work to secure their positions ahead of the American withdrawal. Two bloody days of attacks in Baghdad have raised concern that a declining U.S. troop count -- coupled with new fiscal constraints forced on Iraq by lower oil prices -- could make it tough to counter any new upswing in violence. ... During his time at Camp Victory, a sprawling U.S. base near Baghdad's airport, Mr. Obama met with Mr. Maliki and said he 'strongly encouraged' the Iraqi leader to calm sectarian tensions. Mr. Obama also conferred with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, U.S. officials said."
"'Dialogue should be the only way to resolve any issue, whether it was among components of Iraqi society or in the region,' Maliki said, summarizing his conversation with Obama," writes the Washington Post's Ernesto Londono. "In sharp contrast to the previous U.S. presidential visit to Iraq, in December, when an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush, many Iraqis spoke approvingly of Obama on Tuesday. 'It is important as it represents American pressure on the Maliki government to take serious steps toward reconciliation,' political scientist Nasayef Jassem said of the visit. 'It is important in that it will push the government to fulfill its promises.'"
Meantime, the Washington Post's Michael D. Shear and Kevin Sullivan wrap up the president's overseas trip: "President Obama concluded his inaugural overseas tour Tuesday after presenting to the world a starkly different image of the United States than his predecessor had, returning home from encounters with exuberant U.S. troops in Iraq, fawning crowds in Europe and Turkey, and foreign leaders who welcomed a new partnership with the country but did little to support its goals. ... Throughout his trip abroad, Obama portrayed a proud but flawed United States, using a refrain of humility and partnership in an attempt to rally allies around such issues of mutual concern as the global economy, climate change and nuclear proliferation. He talked about the nation's 'darker periods' of slavery and repression of Native Americans, and its past sanction of torture that he has ended."
They continue: "He also spoke with pride about the United States' diversity and its central role in rebuilding post-World War II Europe, while condemning 'anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious.' Despite his celebrity reception at nearly every stop on the six-country tour, Obama was unable to persuade European allies to increase fiscal stimulus spending or to send additional combat troops to Afghanistan for long-term deployments. ... The president's advisers pointed to the Group of 20 agreement to commit more than $1 trillion in new money to the International Monetary Fund and other programs to revive the global economy and protect the poorest nations from the economic downturn. Obama announced new arms-reduction talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. And, the advisers said, the president, through his tone and policy proposals, outlined a broad framework for improving U.S. relations with the world. ...
"But his conservative critics at home said Obama displayed more style than substance. Thomas Donnelly, a resident fellow in foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, said the president 'maintained, and if anything added to, the feeling of bonhomie that the rest of the world now regards him.' 'On the substantive front, there wasn't all that much, and what there was, if you hold it up to the light, there should be many questions about it,' he said, referring to Obama's goal, outlined in Prague, of eliminating the world's nuclear arsenals. Donnelly added that 'in the case of Afghanistan, the silence was deafening.' 'People already liked Obama, that's nothing new,' he added. 'And at some point there needs to be a 'therefore' clause. The president already had the world's goodwill, but he has yet to translate that into action for the public good, especially on the security issue.'"
The LA Times' Peter Nicholas and Mike Dorning raise the inevitable question: Could Obama's foreign travel become a liability?
"When Americans learned that unemployment had reached its highest level in a quarter of a century last week, President Obama was midway through a star turn in Europe. And next week, with barely time to pack fresh shirts and refuel Air Force One, he's off again -- first to Mexico, then to a summit meeting in the Caribbean. It's the sort of thing that can get a political leader into trouble, jetting out of town while the home front suffers. Obama strategists see his foreign travel as satisfying another domestic political need -- the longing of many Americans to view their president as a global leader commanding respect for himself and his country."
They add: "But even some of Obama's supporters are nervous about the timing of the trips. They worry that meetings with the queen and other bits of stagecraft may suggest a detachment from the concerns of ordinary people. James Carville, an architect of former President Clinton's victory in 1992, said his guess was that the weeklong, multi-country visit would be a 'neutral' to 'a slight positive' for Obama but could turn out to be a mistake. Carville said people had been calling White House aides to deliver the message that 'foreign trips aren't what they used to be. We got a recession back here!' One former Obama campaign advisor said in an interview: 'There's a delicacy about the optics. Do they [the public] want to see him speaking before the Turkish parliament, or would they rather be seeing him conferring with the Treasury secretary?' Obama's team is moving to stave off any potential backlash. An event to highlight the number of homeowners who have benefited from refinancing their mortgages is planned for next week -- before Obama leaves the country again."
4924721PRESIDENT'S SCHEDULE: Mr. Obama has no public events today. Tomorrow, "President Obama will participate in an event at the White House where he will discuss the need to enhance the quality of healthcare afforded to members of our Armed Forces and our Veterans," per the White House. "President Obama and his family will mark the beginning of Passover with a Seder at the White House with friends and staff. On Friday, President Obama will meet with his economic advisers."
"We will be appealing this to the Minnesota Supreme Court,' [Coleman attorney Ben Ginsburg] said. Franken attorney Marc Elias brushed aside the threat. 'I don't think there is much of a case on appeal at all,' he said. ... The judges' verdict in the trial could come this week or next and is expected to include all remaining decisions that the court has yet to make," add the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Pat Doyle and Kevin Duchschere. "That includes a ruling on Coleman's claims that some ballots in DFL-leaning precincts were counted twice and that officials erred in using an Election Night machine count for a Minneapolis precinct after 132 ballots went missing during the hand recount. But Coleman's case at trial rested mostly with counting absentee ballots that he said had been wrongly rejected. Barring an unexpected court ruling, he now lacks the ballots needed for a trial victory. A verdict would trigger a 10-day period in which Coleman could appeal to the state Supreme Court. Even assuming that such an appeal would be sped up for quick resolution, a decision from the state high court might not come before Memorial Day, said Hamline University political scientist David Schultz. Until then, a new senator couldn't be certified under state law. The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that state appeals must be exhausted before an election certificate can be issued by Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie."
RAHM EMANUEL'S HOUSE SEAT: "Democratic Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley claimed victory tonight in the 5th District race to replace Rahm Emanuel in Congress.
With 94 percent of the Chicago and suburban Cook precincts reporting totals, Quigley was ahead with 70 percent of the vote over Republican Rosanna Pulido and Green Party candidate Matt Reichel," reports the Chicago Tribune's John McCormick.
ALSO TODAY: Vice President Joe Biden is in Fort Bragg, N.C. to speak at the welcome home ceremony for the 18th Airborne Corps returning from Iraq.
FOREIGN POLICY
LA Times' Paul Richter, "Biden warns Israel off any attack on Iran"
Politico's Alex Isenstadt, "CBC members praise Castro"
Wall Street Journal's Joe Lauria, "U.S. Says It Failed to Stop Rwanda Killings"
Haaretz's Aluf Benn, "Obama team readying for confrontation with Netanyahu"
Agence France-Presse, "Obama's support may boost Turkey's bid for European Union membership"
FINANCIAL BAILOUT
Wall Street Journal, "Plan Gets Mixed Review"
Reuters' Corbett B. Daly, "Bank tests could put Treasury in tough spot"
Wall Street Journal's Lingling Wei, "Real-Estate Industry Pushes Fed to Lengthen TALF Terms"
FMR. SEN. TED STEVENS
CBSNews.com's Michelle Levi, "Holder to Couric: No One Can Say We Dragged Our Feet On Stevens"
NY Times' Neil A. Lewis, "Tables Turned on Prosecution in Stevens Case"
Wall Street Journal's Evan Perez, "Judge Orders Probe of Prosecutors"
Washington Post, "The Prosecutors Under Investigation"
Associated Press' Nedra Pickler, "Low-key Harley lover running Stevens investigation"
GAY MARRIAGE
Reuters' Jason Szep, "Vermont becomes 4th U.S. state to allow gay marriage"
NY Times' Abby Goodnough, "With Victories, Gay Rights Groups Expand Marriage Push"
Washington Post's Nikita Stewart and Tim Craig, "D.C. Council Votes To Recognize Gay Nuptials Elsewhere"
Politico's Ben Smith, "New campaign fights same-sex marriage"
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION - PENTAGON
NY Times' Elisabeth Bumiller and Christopher Drew, "Gates's Cuts to an Array of Weapons Brings a Fight"
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Washington Post's Al Kamen, "Big Donors Will Still Get Some Sweet Embassy Spots"
Associated Press, "Biden says Cheney 'dead wrong' on security policy"
Wall Street Journal's Naftali Bendavid, "White House Presses Plan on Car Swaps"
Washington Post's Walter Pincus, "Biden to Shepherd Test Ban Treaty Vote"
CBSNews.com's Brian Montopoli, "Actor Kal Penn Joins White House Staff"
NY-20 SPECIAL ELECTION
Albany Times' Union's Casey Siler, "Race makes paper storm - Murphy, Tedisco campaigns seek tons of documentation about absentee ballots"
FUTURE RACES
2010 FL Governor: Tallahassee Democrat's Bill Cotterell, "Bronson to join race for governor if Crist makes leap for US Senate"
2010 AK Senate: Anchorage Daily News' Sean Cockerham, "Palin plans to assist Murkowski campaign in 2010 – Governor tries to end speculation that she aspires to senator's seat"
2010 KY Senate: CQ Politics' David Baumann, "Will Bunning Swing and Miss in 2010?"
2010 PA Senate: The Hill, "Howard Stern endorses Arlen Specter"
2010 UT Senate: Deseret News' Lisa Riley Roche, "Romney in Utah Tuesday to raise money for Bennett"
ETC.
Washington Post's Ian Shapira, "Would-Be Obama Staffers Hurry Up and Wait"
Politico's Amie Parnes, "Obama's TV: sports and a few surprises"