Politics Today: The Comeback Kid Is Back
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:
**Bill Clinton returns with freed journalists...
**President Obama focuses on the economy today...
**'Cash for Clunkers' to live - for now...
**Health care latest...
**Sotomayor debate continues in Senate...
BILL CLINTON & N. KOREA: The Comeback Kid is back.
Former President Bill Clinton is back from North Korea with the two freed U.S. journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling. And he's back on the national stage, returning there not because of his wife or some controversy he's been involved with, but because of his diplomacy skills.
5215248"Mr. Clinton's mission to Pyongyang was the most visible by an American in nearly a decade," write the New York Times' Mark Landler and Peter Baker. "It came at a time when the United States' relationship with North Korea had become especially chilled, after North Korea's test of its second nuclear device in May and a series of missile launchings.
"It ended a harrowing ordeal for the two women, who were stopped on March 17 by soldiers near North Korea's border with China while researching a report about women and human trafficking. They faced years of imprisonment in the gulaglike confines of a North Korean prison camp.
"And it catapulted Mr. Clinton back on to the global stage, on behalf of a president who defeated his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a bitter primary campaign last year, and who later asked her to be his secretary of state."
A senior administration official laid out for reporters the timeline of how the journalists' release transpired:
"In mid-July, during [a] phone call [to their families], Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee shared what the North Koreans had told them -- that they would be willing to grant them amnesty and release the two Americans if an envoy in the person of President Clinton would agree to come to Pyongyang and seek their release. ...
"Both the families and former [Vice] President Gore asked us in the United States government to assist in seeing if President Clinton could go on a humanitarian mission, and if he did, whether such a trip would be successful in securing the release of Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee. ...
"During the course of these discussions, it was insisted that the North Koreans acknowledge, as former President Clinton's visit was not any part of a negotiation, it was not in any way connected to the nuclear issue or other issues that we have a government-to-government basis with the DPRK, including their noncompliance with international obligations and behaviors that have been the subject of Security Council resolutions and statements and actions by our government and other governments in the international community.
"The North Koreans confirmed to us directly that they accepted his visit in a private capacity that exclusively focused on the humanitarian purpose of releasing the two Americans. On this basis, President Clinton proceeded to make the logistical arrangements to go to North Korea to seek the -- secure their release."
The Los Angeles Times' Paul Richter adds, "The senior official said that Clinton met with Kim Jong Il for more than three hours and 15 minutes, including a dinner that ran more than two hours. The official said he didn't know what the two discussed, but added, 'I'm sure President Clinton gave . . . Kim his views on denuclearization.'
"Contrary to North Korean claims, the official denied that Clinton had offered Kim an apology. He said the administration doesn't intend to ease up on the North Koreans now that they have released the journalists, but will continue trying to enforce United Nations sanctions imposed this spring after North Korean nuclear and missile tests.
The Wall Street Journal's Evan Ramstad and Jay Solomon add that "Mr. Clinton spoke briefly with the White House on his return flight but didn't provide details of his talks with Mr. Kim, the official said. ...
"Mr. Kim's willingness to greet Mr. Clinton shows the North Korean leader's health might not be as dire as it seemed from images of his recent public appearances and speculative news reporting in Asia."
"The discreet discussions to secure the women's release continued even as Hillary Clinton slammed North Korea last month, saying it had 'no friends' and was acting like an unruly child," adds the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler.
"But in critical ways, she also moderated her tone with regard to the case, moving from declaring in June that the charges were 'absolutely without merit or foundation' to saying last month that the journalists 'are deeply regretful, and we are very sorry it's happened.'"
"Bill Clinton's trip to Pyongyang to free two U.S. journalists has given his host, Kim Jong Il, a moment in the global spotlight that may help open a path for a return to talks over North Korea's illicit nuclear-arms program," reports Bloomberg News' Indira A.R. Lakshmanan.
"The success of the former U.S. president in securing the release of reporters Euna Lee and Laura Ling eases strains created by North Korea's nuclear and missile tests and the regime's refusal to return to negotiations, former U.S. officials said.
"The international attention from Clinton's visit gives the North Korean leadership 'an opportunity to pull themselves off a ledge' and a chance for the U.S. to benefit from 'a ratcheting down of tensions and a potential for re-engagement,' said Victor Cha, who ran North Korea policy at the White House National Security Council under President George W. Bush."
"In either event, however, this week marks a curious full circle in the life of Bill Clinton, who until this week was an elder statesman who seemed without a clear identity or useful role in Barack Obama's presidency. A Clinton adviser said the former president is ready and eager for more Obama assignments."
Associated Press' Steven R. Hurst, "Obama lets NKorea's Kim save face"
PRESIDENT OBAMA TODAY: "President Barack Obama returns to Elkhart, Indiana, today at a moment when the town -- so hammered by recession that Obama made it a symbol of the need for his stimulus plan -- is finally getting some good news," report Bloomberg News' Nicholas Johnston and Roger Runningen.
"Obama will announce Energy Department grants for electric- car development during a speech at a Navistar International Corp. factory in Wakarusa, about 10 miles south of Elkhart.
"That will follow yesterday's announcement by Sweden's Dometic International AB that it plans to hire 241 people to make refrigerators for recreational vehicles in Elkhart, a city of 53,000 about 100 miles east of Chicago.
"'There are signs that it is getting better,' said Wakarusa Town Manager Tom Roeder, 61."
"Elkhart, locals say, is in a traditionally conservative region that has shown a willingness to tilt Democratic. The county backed Sen. John McCain in the last presidential election, but the state went to Obama -- the first victory for a Democratic presidential candidate there since Lyndon B. Johnson won in 1964.
"The visit fits a pattern of high-level White House trips to states that are historic presidential battlegrounds. Obama is looking to hold the state in 2012 -- and so Indiana is getting a disproportionate share of his travel time."
The New York Times' Sheryl Gay Stolberg writes that the president's trip is part of a larger effort to "put a brighter face on the economy."
"The White House is making a major push this week to persuade Americans that President Obama's policies are helping bring the nation out of recession. But a four-letter word — jobs — may well get in the way.
"With poll numbers showing that support for Mr. Obama's handling of the economy has declined, the president and other top administration officials — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke — will hit the road on Wednesday in a coordinated show of force.
"They will try to make the case, as the president said Saturday in his weekly address, that 'in the last few months, the economy has done measurably better than expected.'"
Associated Press' Ben Feller, "Obama ventures back to hurting region - with money"
Wall Street Journal's Christopher Conkey and Louise Radnofsky, "Stimulus Slow to Flow to Infrastructure"
"'We'll pass cash for clunkers. Before we leave here,' said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. 'The vast majority will be voting for this,' added Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. The Senate is scheduled to begin a month-long summer recess Friday."
"If the bill were amended, it would effectively kill the program until Labor Day, since the House has already begun its August recess and would be unlikely to return to approve the Senate version," the New York Times' Matthew L. Wald points out.
"But administration officials and Senate Democratic leaders said the Senate would approve the House version, giving more Americans a chance to get rebates by trading in gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles."
Associated Press' Brett J. Blackledge, "Obama administration withholds data on clunkers"
Wall Street Journal's Charles Forelle, "When Precision Is Only 92.11567% Accurate"
"At lunch with Democrats at the White House, Mr. Obama vowed to respond to Republican attacks on his plan, which aims to guarantee insurance for all Americans while slowing the explosive growth of health costs.
"When Democratic leaders left the meeting, they gave an upbeat account of the lunch, where they joined the president in celebrating his 48th birthday with a chocolate cake."
"Other Democrats said Obama mentioned no specific deadline for success in the bipartisan negotiations, and did not endorse a Sept. 15 date that officials have said Baucus declared last week," adds the Associated Press' Jennifer Loven.
"The Finance Committee chairman is under pressure from the White House as well as fellow Democrats to produce an agreement quickly.
"House members left last week for their August recess, and senators follow this week. The lengthy recess, which finds lawmakers back home in their districts listening to constituents, could become a turning point in the divisive debate over the sweeping health care overhaul that Obama wants."
The Washington Post's Ben Pershing, "$52 Million Has Been Spent So Far on Health-Care Reform Ads"
The Washington Times' Jon Ward, Matthew Mosk, "Dems attack, create grass-roots efforts on health"
Politico's David Rogers, "With bill elusive, Democrats pitch small ball"
Los Angeles Times' Mike Dorning, "President Obama's VIP healthcare"
Politics Daily's Jill Lawrence, "Why a Doctor in Congress Has No Health Insurance"
Associated Press' Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Gov't insurance would allow coverage for abortion"
Wall Street Journal's Janet Adamy and Elizabeth Williamson, "As Congress Goes on Break, Health Lobbying Heats Up"
Los Angeles Times' Noam N. Levey, "In healthcare debate, small business becomes pivotal"
Washington Post's Ceci Connolly, "Obama Returns to Grassroots for Reform"
5168028SOTOMAYOR: "Floor debate over Sonia Sotomayor's history-making nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court began late Tuesday -- and though her confirmation seems assured, it will not happen painlessly," report the Los Angeles Times' James Oliphant and David G. Savage.
"Senate Republicans are determined to use the occasion to mount a broad attack on what they view as a liberal legal agenda favored by Sotomayor and the Obama administration.
"Almost 30 lawmakers are expected to take the floor in coming days to criticize the nominee and perhaps lay down a marker in advance of the next Supreme Court vacancy.
"Even so, there appears to be little doubt about the outcome this time around."
"Senate Republicans have lined up in staunch opposition to the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, rejecting concerns about alienating the growing Hispanic vote," write the Washington Post's Paul Kane and Perry Bacon Jr.
"Most Senate Republicans say opposition to Sotomayor is a principled stand based on the belief that her public speeches reveal a personal bias in her judicial philosophy. Republicans have cited her views on Second Amendment cases, speeches she has given during her time as a federal judge and a key ruling on affirmative action -- all issues that are of sharp interest to conservative-base voters.
"But some senators and Republican strategists worry that efforts to shore up support from conservative voters who dominate the GOP primaries could become a missed opportunity to extend an olive branch to Latino voters, who gave just 31 percent of their ballots to McCain last fall."
FOREIGN POLICY
NY Times' Jeffrey Gettleman, "In Kenya, Clinton Starts Africa Tour"
Associated Press' Matthew Lee, "Clinton addresses trade meeting in Kenya"
FUTURE RACES
2009 NJ Governor: Newark Star-Ledger's Tiffany N. Garlic, "GOP governor candidate Chris Christie takes campaign to Franklin"
2009 VA Governor: Washington Post's Sandhya Somashekhar, "Is Race for Governor More About Obama?"
2009 VA Governor: Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Poll: Republicans lead Va.'s three statewide races"
2010 TX Governor: Associated Press, "Hutchison joins Perry in accepting debate invite"
2010 KY Senate: Lexington Herald-Leader's Jack Brammer, "Paul to declare Senate candidacy"
2010 PA Senate: Philadelphia Daily News' William Bender, "Sestak launches campaign against Specter for Democratic Senate nomination"
2010 PA Senate: Wall Street Journal's Jake Sherman, "Specter Faces Democratic Primary Challenge"
2010 FL-24: Orlando Sentinel's Mark K. Matthews, "Ex-coach Lou Holtz considering running for Congress"
ETC.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Bob Von Sternberg, "Ventura's new venture: 'Conspiracy Theories'"