Morning Bulletin – Monday, April 13, 2009
A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:
Two non-political Obama-related questions popped up over the weekend – an eagerly anticipated one was finally answered, while the other unanswered one lingers.
Interestingly, Bo isn't the pup's only name. The Chicago Tribune's Mark Silva reports that his official American Kennel Club name is the less catchy "Amigo's New Hope."
The Sunday before Inauguration Day, he attended the 19th Street Baptist Church in Washington; yesterday, he "opted for the safe choice for Easter Sunday, visiting the pale yellow church across from the White House where other presidents have worshipped.
The pick puts off — for now — a decision on a new permanent congregation for the first family," writes the Associated Press' Philip Elliot. "Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters took Communion at St. John's Church on Lafayette Square, where they heard a come-as-you-are sermon tailored to doubters and skeptics. The Rev. Luis Leon made no direct reference to the Obamas, who made their first trip to a Washington church since Inauguration Day under tight security and scrutiny."
CBN.com's David Brody reports, "A source with knowledge of the White House's thinking believes that President Obama will visit several other congregations before making a final decision on where to attend Church. No church names were given but a White House source does tell me that being an imposition on Churches is a concern.
"I think that safely explains one of the main reasons St. John's Episcopal Church in DC was picked by President Obama on Easter Sunday considering parishioners there have been through the whole song and dance of Presidential visits. They are used to it and it was relatively hassle free. ...
"This is a very important vetting process. It's one thing for a Cabinet Nominee to have some tax problems. That can be a problem but if The White House gets the church pick 'wrong' then it makes for a huge P.R. problem. Let's be honest. During the campaign, you could argue that Mr. Obama's relationship with Jeremiah Wright and Trinity United Church was the single biggest powder keg with the ability to derail his presidential run. It ended up not taking him down because he and his campaign aides carefully navigated those waters successfully. They need a repeat performance here so this doesn't explode on him and distract from the legislative business at hand. A flawed choice could be disastrous."
TODAY: The President and First Lady host 30,000 guests on the South Lawn for the annual Easter Egg Roll this morning. Special guests include pop star Fergie, reggae star Ziggy Marley and children's favorites SteveSongs and Imagination Movers perform Monday on a new stage facing the White House. Chefs Art Smith, Spike Mendelsohn and Jose Andres plan to show guests how to cook healthful foods. And Education Secretary Arne Duncan will join actors James Cromwell and Josh Duhamel to read to the kids.
Later, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will visit the Transportation Department and Secretary Ray LaHood to mark the 2,000th project to be helped by the economic stimulus package.
"Administration aides note the six-weeks-old law is already producing jobs nationwide, including the day's highlighted project in hard-hit Kalamazoo County, Mich.," writes the Associated Press' Philip Elliot.
"That $68 million project planned to widen an interchange from four lanes to six along Interstate 94 in Portage, Mich. 'The Recovery Act is being implemented with speed, transparency and accountability,' Vice President Joe Biden said in remarks prepared for delivery during a visit to the department. 'Don't take my word for it — just look at what's happening today. We have the 2,000th transportation project now under way — that's going to help create jobs, make it easier for folks to get to the jobs they have and improve our nation's infrastructure all at the same time.'"
The LA Times' Mike Dorning profiles Sec. LaHood, "The Republican in Obama's corner"
Meantime, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., and Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pa., "sent a memo to President Obama saying he needed to assert more political leadership instead of leaving it to Congress to draft a plan for improving the nation's aging highways, bridges and ports," reports the LA Times' Peter Nicholas.
"At a meeting with the president last month, the two governors and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg discussed the memo they had sent to the White House, a draft of which reads: 'It is very important that the administration be proactive rather than left reacting to congressional proposals.'
"In the coming months, Congress will consider a bill to set aside as much as $450 billion for highway and other infrastructure projects over a span of six years. House aides said members of Congress intended to insert special projects, or earmarks, into the bill, despite warnings from Obama that he wanted to rein in such spending. ...
"Rendell cautioned in an interview that if the bill was larded with earmarks, it could jeopardize the political consensus needed to modernize the nation's network of roads. 'If your administration is to have a substantive impact on this key legislation,' the memo reads, 'you must take the lead in setting forth a new national vision for infrastructure policy, as well [as] articulating goals and program specifics for this once-a-decade legislative vehicle.'"
"Obama's quiet backstage decision to authorize the Defense Department to take necessary action if Capt. Richard Phillips' life was in imminent danger gave a Navy commander the go-ahead to order snipers to fire on the pirates holding the cargo ship captain at gunpoint. For Obama, the benefits were instantly clear: an American life saved and a major victory notched against an increasingly worrisome scourge of the seas off the Horn of Africa.
"Obama's handling of the crisis showed a president who was comfortable in relying on the U.S. military, much as his predecessor, George W. Bush, did. But it also showed a new commander in chief who was willing to use all the tools at his disposal, bringing in federal law enforcement officials to handle the judicial elements of the crisis. The rescue appeared to vindicate Obama's muted but determined handling of the incident. What won't be known for some time is whether Obama will benefit politically."
The Washington Post's Michael D. Shear adds, "It was one of the earliest tests of the new American president -- a small military operation off the coast of a Third World nation. But as President Bill Clinton found out in October 1993, even minor failures can have long-lasting consequences.
"Clinton's efforts to land a small contingent of troops in Haiti were rebuffed, for the world to see, by a few hundred gun-toting Haitians. As the USS Harlan County retreated, so did the president's reputation. For President Obama, last week's confrontation with Somali pirates posed similar political risks to a young commander in chief who had yet to prove himself to his generals or his public.
"But the result -- a dramatic and successful rescue operation by U.S. Special Operations forces -- left Obama with an early victory that could help build confidence in his ability to direct military actions abroad. Throughout the past four days, White House officials played down Obama's role in the hostage drama. Until yesterday, he made no public statements about the pirates. ...
"After the rescue ended, White House officials immediately offered expanded information about Obama's role, though the president simply released a statement praising the troops and expressing pride in the captain's bravery. The operation pales in scope and complexity to the wars underway in Iraq and Afghanistan. And Obama's adversaries are unlikely to be mollified by his performance in a four-day hostage drama.
"Nonetheless, it may help to quell criticism leveled at Obama that he came to office as a Democratic antiwar candidate who could prove unwilling or unable to harness military might when necessary. And as Obama's Democratic predecessors can attest, a victory -- no matter how small -- is better than a failure."
LATER THIS WEEK: President Obama heads to Mexico Thursday to meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon to discuss the drug cartel violence and immigration. He will then head to the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago over the weekend.
"President Barack Obama plans to tell Latin American leaders later this week that the U.S. is willing to discuss how to improve relations with Havana, but wants Cuba to take steps toward democracy before it is reintegrated into the Western hemisphere's economic and political institutions," reports the Wall Street Journal's Bob Davis and Jose de Cordoba.
"Cuba is likely to be at the forefront of discussions at the Summit of the Americas, a gathering of 34 heads of government that has always excluded Cuba, starting April 17 in Trinidad. Cuba's main ally, Venezuela, as well as other countries, have said they want to use the summit to press for closer relations between Washington and Havana.
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez stopped in Havana on Friday to coordinate pre-summit strategy with Cuban President Raúl Castro and his ailing bother Fidel. ... While the U.S. wants the meeting to focus on the global economic recession, Obama administration officials said the president is ready to engage on the Cuba issue if it's brought up by other leaders. "We won't duck it," said an official.
"The White House is also considering whether to remove restrictions that limit travel to Cuba by Americans for non-degree cultural and educational purposes, administration officials said, a category under which many thousands of tourists could qualify. Another possibility is restarting direct talks with Cuba on immigration issues."
The Hill's Bridget Johnson reports, "Just days away from their first meeting at the Summit of the Americas, Hugo Chavez will have to decide if he'll profess to smell sulfur or roses in President Obama's presence.
"His seesawing statements have shown Chavez's sentiments swing from love to hate to love before Obama has finished his first 100 days. Once the Venezuelan and American presidents meet in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday, though, there will undoubtedly be some new soundbites to indicate the desired direction of relations with 'the empire,' as Chavez has called the U.S. in a less-than-flattering manner over the years. ...
4883547"Administration officials have demurred when asked if Chavez and Obama would meet for one-on-one talks during the summit, saying last week that the president's schedule should include standard, closed-door meetings between all 34 heads of state and a few group sit-downs. ... Banking on his most recent statement, Chavez would love the chance. Not to just talk with Obama and rekindle soured relations, but to wipe out nuclear weapons together."
REP. JESSE JACKSON JR. and BLAGO: The Chicago Sun-Times' Natasha Korecki reports: "Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's camp was told last year that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) would raise up to $5 million in campaign cash for the ex-governor if he was appointed to President Obama's U.S. Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
"The overture came from at least two members of the local Indian community who approached the Blagojevich fund-raising team last fall, sources say. Besides the $5 million to be raised by Jackson, the proposal also included another $1 million for Blagojevich's campaign fund that would come from Indian donors, sources say.
ECONOMY / STIMULUS
USA Today's Oren Dorell, "Tax revolt a recipe for tea parties": "What started out as a handful of people blogging about their anger over federal spending — the bailouts, the $787 billion stimulus package and Obama's budget — has grown into scores of so-called tea parties across the country. The biggest demonstration so far drew 6,000 people in Cincinnati. A nationwide protest in 500 cities and towns is scheduled for Wednesday, the deadline for filing federal income tax returns. The goal is to pressure Congress and states to reject government spending as a way out of the recession and build an anti-spending coalition around regular taxpayers."
Former Bush 43 White House spokesman Ari Fleischer writes in the Wall Street Journal, "Everyone Should Pay Income Taxes"
FOREIGN POLICY
Associated Press' Steven R. Hurst, "Iraqi leader will decide on troop withdrawals"
Politico's Josh Kraushaar, "Odierno believes troops will be out of Iraq by 2011"
GM'S FUTURE
NY Times' Micheline Maynard and Michael J. de la Merced, "'Surgical' Bankruptcy Possible for G.M."
Wall Street Journal's John D. Stoll, "GM's Plan For Brief Stay In Bankruptcy Faces Hurdle"
EDUCATION
Washington Post's Maria Glod and Michael Birnbaum, "Schools' Money is Falling off the Truck"
Associated Press' Brian Westley, "White House reaches out to DC's troubled schools"
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Gallup Poll: "Americans Most Confident in Obama on Economy"
Washington Post's Shalaigh Murray, "Give-and-Take With Emanuel Advances President's Agenda"
Politico's Kenneth P. Vogel, "Avalanche! Agenda fuels ad landslide": "If it seems as if every time a cable television news show cuts to commercial, some group with a vague but noble-sounding name wants you to urge your congressman or senator to support or oppose part of President Barack Obama's agenda, you are probably right. Television viewers are being deluged by so-called issue ads paid for by corporations, unions, advocacy groups and individuals who have spent a whopping $270 million just since Obama took the oath of office, according to data provided to POLITICO by the Campaign Media Analysis Group. It's an unprecedented clip, experts say, a breakneck pace that could yield more than $1 billion in issue ad buys before the end of the year."
NY-20 SPECIAL ELECTION
The Hill's Reid Wilson, "Analysis: No winner in New York 20"
FUTURE RACES
2009 NYC Mayor: NY Daily News' Elizabeth Benjamin, "Mayor Michael Bloomberg will run as Republican in bid for third term"
2010 NY Governor: NY Times' Nicholas Confessore, "Black Voters Waver on Support for Paterson"
2010 RI Governor: Providence Journal's Katherine Gregg, "Chafee's Web site reads like campaign announcement"
2010 CT Senate: Stanford Advocate's Peter Urban, "Does Dodd look old? Blame it on Hi-def TV"
2010 NV Senate: Las Vegas Review-Journal's Molly Ball, "Angle weighs run against Reid in '10"
2010 OH Senate: Cincinnati Enquirer's Howard Wilkinson, "Portman Senate campaign leads race with $3 million"
SARAH PALIN
Anchorage Daily News' Sean Cockerham, "As Alaska stimulus showdown nears, Palin to leave town"