Politics Today: Obama Works the Phones for Health Care
Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:
** Obama gathers doctors in support of health care reform...
** A deadly attack in Afghanistan...
** Snubbing the Dalai Lama...
5356466PRESIDENT OBAMA TODAY: As health care reform legislation is expected to move out of the Senate Finance Committee this week, the president will hold an event with doctors in the Rose Garden to push, yet again, for Congress to continue moving forward on reform.
"Despite months of outward ambivalence about creating a government health insurance plan, the Obama White House has launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to get divided Senate Democrats to take up some version of the idea for a final vote in the coming weeks," report the Los Angeles Times' Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook.
"President Obama has cited a preference for the so-called public option. But faced with intense criticism over the summer, he strategically expressed openness to health cooperatives and other ways to offer consumers potentially more affordable alternatives to private health plans.
"In the last week, however, senior administration officials have been holding private meetings almost daily at the Capitol with senior Democratic staff to discuss ways to include a version of the public plan in the healthcare bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to bring to the Senate floor this month, according to senior Democratic congressional aides."
"At least two Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee have refused to pledge support for the health-care reform bill scheduled for a vote this week," adds the Washington Post's Ceci Connolly.
"Although Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said he has the votes to pass the 10-year, $900 billion bill out of the committee, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) remained undecided Sunday. If all 10 Republicans on the panel vote no, two Democratic defections would be enough to send Baucus and the Obama White House scrambling to regroup. ...
"Committee defeat of the bill is an unlikely scenario, but one that highlights the power every Senate Democrat -- and perhaps a few Republicans -- holds going forward in a process that could stretch beyond Thanksgiving."
"The challenge for congressional leaders lies not only in the scope of the legislation, though it would be the largest undertaking by the government since at least 1965, when Medicare and Medicaid passed; it comes also from the delicacy involved in weaving together five separate pieces of legislation — two distinct Senate bills and three from the House," writes Time Magazine's Karen Tumulty. "They must both satisfy the competing (and often conflicting) political and ideological interests within their party, and still produce a coherent bill that does not do more harm than good to a health-care system that accounts for one-sixth of the economy.
"Among the still not truly resolved issues that are certain to be argued again in the broader arena of the House and Senate floors: Whether the bill should include a requirement that individuals who do not get coverage from their employers or from government programs buy it on the open market. If so, how can lawmakers ensure that people who are required to buy coverage can actually afford it? Should it include a requirement that all but the smallest firms provide a package of health benefits to their workers, and if so, how would it be enforced? How should the proposal be financed, and should it include a tax hike on the wealthy or a tax on high-end insurance plans? There will also be renewed debate over some of the side issues that have arisen, such as coverage of abortion and whether illegal immigrants might find ways of entering the system.
Politics Daily's Jill Lawrence, "Jay Rockefeller's Health Care Moment, 45 Years in the Making"
Three doctors, all former presidents of the American Medical Association, write in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, "What We Would Have Told Obama": "We aren't among the doctors invited to a Rose Garden event today to 'join the President in pushing for health insurance reform this year and [who] have offered their help and support,' as a White House press release put it. It's unfortunate only supporters of the president's plans will be there. Mr. Obama has missed an opportunity to learn more about the real issues facing patients and doctors and to formulate a plan that truly puts patients in control with doctors as trusted advisers."
Meantime, the Washington Post's Scott Wilson reports: "National security adviser James L. Jones suggested Sunday that the public campaign being conducted by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan on behalf of his war strategy is complicating the internal White House review underway, saying that 'it is better for military advice to come up through the chain of command.'
"Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who commands the 100,000 U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, warned bluntly last week in a London speech that a strategy for defeating the Taliban that is narrower than the one he is advocating would be ineffective and 'short-sighted.' The comments effectively rejected a policy option that senior White House officials, including Vice President Biden, are considering nearly eight years after the U.S. invasion.
"McChrystal's statement came a day after senior White House officials challenged him over his dire assessment of the war, and what it will take to improve the U.S. position there, during a videoconference from Kabul with President Obama and his national security team. Obama then summoned McChrystal to Copenhagen the day after the general's speech for a private meeting aboard Air Force One."
"Insurgents attacked a pair of remote American military bases in Afghanistan over the weekend in a deadly battle that underscored the vulnerability of the kind of isolated bases that the top American commander there wants to scale back," report the New York Times' Sabrina Tavernise and Sangar Rahimi.
"The commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, is pressing for a change in strategy that would shift troops to heavily populated centers to protect civilians and focus less on battling the insurgents in the hinterlands.
"As though to reinforce his point, insurgents carried out a bold daylight strike on two bases on the Pakistani border, killing eight Americans and four Afghan security officers in the deadliest attack for American soldiers in more than a year, Afghan and American officials said Sunday. The assault occurred less than 20 miles from the site of a similar attack that killed nine Americans last year, which had already become a cautionary tale at the Pentagon for how not to win the war in Afghanistan. And it came as the debate within the administration over the war sharpened Sunday, as President Obama's national security adviser, Gen. James L. Jones, seemed to distance himself from General McChrystal, saying that he did not believe that Afghanistan was in "imminent danger of falling" to the Taliban."
"'The issue of proliferation is one that really keeps us up at night, and should keep us up at night, whether it's North Korea or Iran, and on both fronts we're seeing movement in the positive direction,' Jones said.
"CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer asked Jones about a New York Times report out [Sunday] morning which says that Iran has enough information to design and build a functional A-bomb. 'Whether they know how to do it or not is, you know, is a matter of some conjecture, but what we're watching is what is their intent. We have been worried about that intent,' he said.
"Iran is open to negotiations, according to Jones. 'We have two more meetings scheduled. One in which they will announce [that]... they will allow the inspectors to visit the site which has just been recently announced, and the other one to discuss methodology by which we can ship their enriched uranium out of the country. Those two things alone move the dial in our direction favorably.'"
"Congress is poised to act swiftly on new penalties against Iran if international talks on Tehran's nuclear program show signs of faltering. And this time lawmakers are talking about trying to block gas and refined petroleum exports to Iran, possibly causing serious disruptions in the lives of ordinary Iranians," reports the Associated Press' Jim Abrams.
"Sen. Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, is one of several lawmakers working on plans to expand current penalties. 'Congress must equip President (Barack) Obama with a full range of tools to deal with the threats posed by Iran,' said Dodd, D-Conn., who said his bill would include extending current restrictions on Iran's financial institutions, imposing new trade bans and exacting penalties for entities exporting certain refined petroleum products to Iran. His committee plans a hearing on the subject Tuesday."
4887966PRESIDENT OBAMA AND THE DALAI LAMA: "In an attempt to gain favor with China, the United States pressured Tibetan representatives to postpone a meeting between the Dalai Lama and President Obama until after Obama's summit with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, scheduled for next month, according to diplomats, government officials and other sources familiar with the talks," writes the Washington Post's John Pomfret.
"For the first time since 1991, the Tibetan spiritual leader will visit Washington this week and not meet with the president. Since 1991, he has been here 10 times. Most times the meetings have been "drop-in" visits at the White House. The last time he was here, in 2007, however, George W. Bush became the first sitting president to meet with him publicly, at a ceremony at the Capitol in which he awarded the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress's highest civilian award.
"The U.S. decision to postpone the meeting appears to be part of a strategy to improve ties with China that also includes soft-pedaling criticism of China's human rights and financial policies as well as backing efforts to elevate China's position in international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund. Obama administration officials have termed the new policy 'strategic reassurance,' which entails the U.S. government taking steps to convince China that it is not out to contain the emerging Asian power."
"Leaders of the Windy City's campaign to secure the 2016 Summer Games had done some nose-counting and were convinced that the International Olympic Committee might well anoint Chicago as host, according to White House officials interviewed Saturday.
"'The intelligence that we had from the U.S. Olympic Committee and Chicago bid team was that it was very close and therefore well worth our efforts,' said Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House advisor. 'The message was that . . . a personal appeal from the president would make a huge difference.'"
Politico's Glenn Thrush, "Basking in Olympic snub risky for GOP": " During the Bush era, Republicans — from Karl Rove to South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson — questioned, in ways veiled and overt, the patriotism of Democrats who challenged the administration's Iraq policy, prewar intelligence and surveillance programs. But the joyous reaction to President Barack Obama's Olympic humiliation has flipped the equation for some Democrats. A few are even turning the old 'Why do you hate America?' on their tormentors, accusing the GOP of situational patriotism, a devotion to Americanism abandoned the moment the party lost power."
New York Times' David Kocieniewski, "Corzine's Wall Street Resume Loses Value for Voters": " When Gov. Jon S. Corzine crossed from the gilded halls of Goldman Sachs to the gritty trenches of New Jersey politics, his Wall Street pedigree was an incalculable advantage that served as the very basis for his candidacy. Opponents would raise questions about his inexperience, business dealings and liberal political positions. But with the world in the midst of an unprecedented economic boom, voters were so intrigued by the fortune Mr. Corzine had amassed that many were willing to gamble that his Midas touch might revitalize New Jersey's finances, too. Today, New Jersey's economy is reeling, Goldman Sachs's luster has dulled and Mr. Corzine's greatest asset has become a political liability as he struggles to keep his job in November's election."
Richmond Times-Dispatch's Andrew Cain, "DNC giving Deeds additional $1 million": " The Democratic National Committee on Monday will give an additional $1 million to R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate for governor. The additional funding comes at a pivotal time for Deeds, who is seeking to boost his fundraising to make a late advertising push. The DNC previously has contributed $5 million to Deeds, who is in a tight race with Bob McDonnell, the Republican nominee. The Republican National Committee has said it is committed to spending $7 million on the Virginia race, one of two contests for governor this year."
2010 RACES:
Vice President Biden hits the road today to raise money for freshman U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., and Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H, who's running for U.S. Senate.
Politico's Carol E. Lee and John Bresnahan, "Joe Biden: Patron saint of House freshmen"
Boston Globe's Susan Milligan, "Midterm elections raise ante for Obama"
Washington Post's Chris Cillizza, "2 Senate Appointees Hope to Stay Longer"
NY Times' Raymond Hernandez profiles Connecticut GOP Senate candidate and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, "A Senate Candidate Accustomed to Being Thrown in the Ring"
ALSO:
NY Times' Adam Liptak, "New Court Term Hints at Views on Regulating Business"
Associated Press, "Major Supreme Court cases for the new term"
Wall Street Journal's Stephen Power, "Political Alliances Shift in Fight Over Climate Bill"
Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin, "Hurdles Remain on Climate Change Goals"
Politico's Manu Raju and Jonathan Martin, "GOP leaders to Michael Steele: Back off"
Wall Street Journal's Alicia Mundy, "One Vote Palin Won't Get"
Los Angeles Wave, "Bill Clinton to join Gavin Newsom at Monday campaign events"