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Poll: Obama Should Keep Bush Tax Cuts to Get Presidency Back on Track
Tweet Share on Facebook September 15, 2009 Comment (10)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
President Obama may have bigger problems on his hands than reforming healthcare. For the first time, the Washington Whispers poll tested the public's appetite for continuing the Bush tax cuts, which start expiring next year, and it topped healthcare reform as the No. 1 idea that could help Obama reclaim his presidency. Over one third of those in the poll from Synovate eNation said keeping the tax rate low will help the president, just edging out his top priority at 33 percent: doing whatever it takes to reform healthcare. But continuing the cuts doesn't seem likely, since he campaigned against them and ridiculed them in his recent healthcare speech to Congress. The findings in our poll are similar to others recently that show Americans eager to keep taxes low while they wait out the recession.
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Michelle Obama's Fall Garden
Tweet Share on Facebook September 15, 2009 Comment (4)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
First lady Michelle Obama's spring garden on the South Lawn is, well, pretty wilted. But that doesn't mean she's turning it into mulch. Whispers hears that the staff is planning a fall crop of veggies like cukes and radishes. And it most likely won't end there. Master gardeners tell us that the D.C. area is ripe for cool-weather crops like beets, turnips, lettuce, collards, and leeks.
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Pentagon's Gates to Face His Air Force Critics
Tweet Share on Facebook September 14, 2009 Comment (4)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, under fire in Air Force circles for capping the F-22 fighter program and firing the top brass a year ago in a leadership coup, has decided to go into the lion's den and address his harshest critics in the Air Force Association on Wednesday. His decision to speak at the group's annual conference came as a surprise to some in the community, who expected Gates to ignore the invitation and send representatives instead. But a Pentagon official said that Gates wants to address his recent moves and also boast about the efforts of the Air Force in Afghanistan and Iraq. "It's an opportunity for him to talk about all the Air Force has done, most of it unheralded," says an associate. "He also wants to explain his decisions to those most impacted."
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Group Plans to Restore Vietnam Memorial's Grounds
Tweet Share on Facebook September 14, 2009 CommentBy Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
It's no secret that the National Mall, home to some of the country's most recognizable memorials, is a worn-down mess. But fans of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial aren't waiting on Uncle Sam to fix it. Jan Scruggs, president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, says his group is taking charge to restore sod and the underground irrigation system on "the wall's" 13 acres. And the effort—aided by volunteers who also clean up trash—might not end there. Scruggs says he's raising money and looking for a corporate partner to continue the caretaking in perpetuity and perhaps add the grounds of the World War II, Korean War, and Jefferson memorials to its purview. He credits San Antonio Spurs' owner Peter Holt, chair of the fund's campaign to build an education center at the memorial, with the cleanup idea. "He has the Texas way of approaching problems—i.e., let's fix it," says Scruggs.
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Mullen Leads the Way on Twitter
Tweet Share on Facebook September 14, 2009 CommentBy Paul Bedard and Anna Mulrine, Washington Whispers
As the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his top officers go, so goes the military? Not yet, at least when it comes to social networking via Facebook and Twitter. But the examples being set on these sites by Adm. Mike Mullen and commanders like Gen. Raymond Odierno, leader in Iraq, and Adm. James Stavridis, chief of NATO, are sure to play a role in the developing Pentagon Internet policy. And as an indicator of where the policy is heading, consider a recent tweet from Mullen: "My wife now up on Twitter: @deborahmullen. She'll be tweeting about all things important to military spouses and families. Follow her!"
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Zogby: Obama's Speech Helped Unite Democrats and Frame the Agenda
Tweet Share on Facebook September 11, 2009 CommentPollster 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 simply a poll-generated job-approval number. Instead, the Washington Whispers ObamaMeter is Zogby's judgment on the performance of the president, based on multiple factors.
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Susan Rice Defends Obama's Afghanistan Troop Increase
Tweet Share on Facebook September 11, 2009 CommentBy Nikki Schwab, Washington Whispers
As Democrats in Congress get queasier over President Obama's decision to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, defended the plan at a meeting with reporters this morning. "What the American people and members of Congress need to understand is that we have a very crucial stake in Afghanistan, and if you need any reminder of that it comes today, on the anniversary of 9/11," says Rice. "This is a place in which the 9/11 attacks were planned and hatched, and those that committed those atrocities remain active in this very region."
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Not a Secret Anymore: Obama's Secret Service Watch
Tweet Share on Facebook September 11, 2009 Comment (10)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
While most makers of luxury goods have suffered in the recession, one high-end watchmaker—Jorg Gray—can thank Barack Obama for helping it weather the downturn. The president has been wearing one of the company's watches since August 2007, when he got it as a gift from his Secret Service agents for his 46th birthday. The company says that the Secret Service originally was looking for a watch for the team, something rugged, good looking, and highly accurate. It was decided to give one to Obama so he would be wearing the same watch as his detail.
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Joe Biden's Official Picture in Federal Buildings
Tweet Share on Facebook September 11, 2009 Comment (7)By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
There's been a lot of chatter in federal agencies that the official picture of Vice President Joe Biden has gone AWOL, missing from its place beside President Obama. But there's no conspiracy to hide Joe. It just took a bit longer to get his picture printed, and now it's showing up in federal buildings. The veep's office, says a spokeswoman, looks "forward to seeing it up in many more lobbies soon."
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Michelle Malkin Won't Forget Her Appearance on The View
Tweet Share on Facebook September 10, 2009 Comment (15)By Nikki Schwab, Washington Whispers
She has topped the New York Times bestseller list for six weeks now with her new Obama-bashing book Culture of Corruption, hopscotching the country doing TV and radio appearances, interviews, and book signings. But for conservative author and blogger Michelle Malkin, it was her time spent on The View that really stands out. "It was a chilly atmosphere," Malkin, in town last night to promote her book, tells Whispers. "I should have brought a sweater."
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