Entries for July 2009

Pollster John Zogby regularly updates our Obamameter. Each week, Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis and interaction with major players to come up with a rating of between 1 and 100. The Obamameter, however, is not a generic job approval number. Instead, the Washington Whispers Obamameter is his judgment on the performance of the president once multiple factors are considered.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

In another twist that raises new questions about a New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning story, the Government Accountability Office has given its blessing to a wartime Department of Defense program that briefed retired military officers about operations in Iraq and Afghanistan before they went on TV to talk about the conflicts. "There is no doubt that DoD attempted to favorably influence public opinion with respect to the administration's war policies" with the program, said the GAO. "However, we conclude that these activities did not violate the publicity or propaganda prohibition."

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

The Democrats have Renaissance Weekend, and now conservatives are trying to catch up with their own weekend of policy brainstorming. Several tell our Suzi Parker that they are planning for the Steamboat Institute Inaugural Freedom Conference, slated for August 28-29 in Colorado.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

Retirement hasn't had any impact on former President George W. Bush's internal clock. Just as when he was in Washington, associates say he rises early and gets to his Dallas office virtually every day at 7 a.m. And he stays until midafternoon. What's there to do for eight hours? He splits his time working on his White House memoir, raising money for his presidential library and museum, and drafting those highly paid speeches that pay the rent.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

A GWU Battleground Poll, done by pollsters Celinda Lake and Ed Goeas, was released today, and it shows some trend lines that will make Republicans a bit happier. Namely, that voters are souring on President Obama and sound very eager to vote in the 2012 elections.

But it was the name recognition and view of five top politicians that caught our eye. Pollsters asked voters for their view—favorable, unfavorable, no opinion, or never heard of—of President Obama, Vice President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

By Nikki Schwab, Washington Whispers

It's better than a dog's life for canines at the White House. The kibbles are fancy, the grass is fresh, and the squirrels are unsuspecting. And horticulturist Dale Haney, the official pet master, is always ready with a ball or a leash. But we hear that the Obamas are taking such a hands-on approach with first pup Bo that Haney, who's been on pet patrol since 1976, is missing his pet time. "He doesn't see Bo as much because the girls and Mrs. Obama, the whole family, is taking care of Bo, so Dale has been demoted a bit," says White House photo archivist Janet Philips. "He misses the dogs." It might also be that Bo doesn't need as much training or discipline as Bush's dogs. "The dog is really nice, and I'm not afraid he's going to bite me like Barney and Miss Beazley," says Philips.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

The Pentagon's two-front war-fighting strategy is going the way of the battleship: to the junkyard. A recognition of shrinking budgets and the reality that World War II isn't likely to repeat itself, the emerging plan will be a big change for the military. Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, got the buzz rolling this month when he suggested that the developing plan would be to have the capability to fight smaller wars like in Iraq and Afghanistan and only one with a major "peer competitor" like China or Russia. The old two-war plan he dubbed an "extreme."

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

Senate Republicans beat President Obama to the punch. Just hours before he planned to hold an online healthcare town hall with AARP members, the Republicans told Whispers that they have already talked to 1.3 million Americans in their own nightly healthcare town halls. It's just the first step in what both Democrats and Republicans say will be a heated and very busy August recess when lawmakers and special interests groups plan to flood the airwaves, phone lines, and even county fairs with their pitches for and against Obama-style healthcare.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

It's the most wonderful time of the year again, when the White House Historical Association reveals its new White House Christmas ornament to Whispers. This year's a beaut: a colorful, two-sided hanger that features the first tree with electric lights, an innovation of Grover Cleveland's second presidency, 1893-97. Cleveland was a Christmas junkie, jamming the White House with trees and decorations. But he will always be known for being the first to use electric lights—red, white, and blue, of course—on a White House tree. WHHA says the $16.95 ornament is becoming a major collectible and is its top gift-store offering.

By Nikki Schwab, Washington Whispers

First Wall Street. Then Detroit. Now the media? That's the talk among some in the news biz who want a government bailout. "I would argue it is the only answer," says John Nichols, the Washington correspondent for the Nation, a liberal magazine. His argument: The Founding Fathers wanted the public to be informed. "So what did they do? They created a media system" with subsidized papers. Nichols argues that, with the right policies, the modern government can give the media a boost through tax cuts, postal subsidies, and other initiatives—like funding high school newspapers—to make sure communities are getting coverage. R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., founder and editor-in-chief of the righty American Spectator, thinks that's nuts. If Uncle Sam pays, then the feds could police journalism and that might hurt partisan publications like his or the Nation, he says. "There are a lot of people who would consider the American Spectator not journalism, so we wouldn't get the subsidy," Tyrrell says.

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

The government's new "cash for clunkers" program, which pays up to $4,500 for older cars and trucks traded in for new and more fuel-efficient vehicles, officially kicked off today, and already some car makers are seeing a huge uptick in Internet interest. Ford tells Whispers that it has logged 500,000 hits on its site, Let Ford Recycle Your Ride.