In remarks at the White House yesterday morning, President Bush said he would give Gen. David Petraeus "all the time he needs" in Iraq before proceeding with further reductions in US troop levels. Bush also said, as the CBS Evening News reported, that "army tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan will be reduced from 15 months to the original 12-month deployment beginning in August." Moreover, notes the Los Angeles Times, he said "that troops would have at least a year at home before being sent back to the field."
ABC World News reported Democrats "welcomed" Bush's move to shorten deployments, "but tore into the President for what they called an open-ended commitment in Iraq." Majority Leader Harry Reid was shown saying: "He has no intention of bringing home any more troops." The Washington Times notes Democrats also "accused Mr. Bush of passing the buck to the next president and said the administration has not forced the Iraqi government to stand on its own militarily or economically."
The AP refers to Bush ordering an "indefinite" freeze in US troop withdrawals. And his stance, while "foreshadowed by two days of testimony before a skeptical Congress by Petraeus" and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, is being cast as ushering in a new confrontation between the White House and Congress, this time about Iraq funding and the "strategic framework" between the US and Iraq. USA Today, for example, describes Bush's speech as "a line in the sand," adding that it "sets up a battle later this month over the next $108 billion funding request and another this fall over the war's political fallout." The President "warned Congress not to attach strings, timetables or additional spending to the next funding installment, which will be needed by summer. 'If the bill meets all these requirements, it will be a strong show of support for our troops,' he said. 'If it doesn't, I'll veto it.'" The Hill notes "Democratic leaders...quickly rejected...Bush's demand that they pass the Iraq supplemental spending bill on his terms, but didn't lay out their own plans." Senate Leader Harry Reid said, "The president need not lecture us on taking care of the troops. ... We are taking care of the troops."
Moreover, the Washington Post says "lawmakers from both parties" yesterday took on Bush's plan to sign a "strategic framework" with Iraq "that would outlast his presidency...without congressional approval." The Post adds "lawmakers from both parties said that Bush is trying to govern war policy after he leaves office, and they maintained that an agreement with such enormous consequences should be submitted to the Senate for ratification as a treaty." And "at a rancorous Senate hearing, Republicans warned that they would join Democrats in fighting the pact."
A New York Times story notes Bush also said in his remarks that "he had ordered senior American diplomats to the Middle East to meet leaders of Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and urge them to reopen their embassies in Baghdad, as Bahrain did recently." Secretary Rice, added Bush, will "attend a conference later this month in Kuwait for neighboring states and another in Stockholm for nations helping Iraq rebuild its economy." And the Washington Post reports that "at Bush's direction, Crocker and Petraeus plan to stop in Saudi Arabia before returning to Iraq as part of an effort to urge Arab states to help Iraq more."
Crocker And Petraeus: War Could Last For Years The Washington Post ¸ meanwhile, reports, "During lunch with Washington Post editors and reporters," Ambassador Ryan Crocker "agreed that the history of insurgencies suggests that the war will last several more years. 'Yeah, I think this is going to be an extended process,' he said. 'I can't put numbers of years on it. But I don't think that necessarily means we're going to have to play the same roles at the same levels.'" Similarly, in an interview with NBC Nightly News, Petraeus said "what is happening now is, in fact, the drawdown of our forces in a variety of different locations, and I think that is likely how this will end -- it will be a thinning out. There will be some form of engagement, I'm sure, for years, and I think we should be realistic about that."
Gates, Petraeus At Odds? The Financial Times reports that testifying before a Senate panel yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates "said he hoped the Pentagon could withdraw more troops later this year. 'I do not anticipate this period of review to be an extended one, and I would emphasise that the hope, depending on conditions on the ground, is to reduce our presence further this fall,' he said. 'But we must be realistic. The security situation in Iraq remains fragile.'" Gates, however, "also conceded that he no longer believed it was possible to reduce troop levels to 100,000 this year, as he had hoped last September." The Washington Post says Gates struck "a tone distinct from that of...Petraeus," telling "lawmakers on Capitol Hill that they do not see the halt in US troop reductions from Iraq as indefinite." Gates "reiterated that he expects only a 'brief pause' in the drawdown before it continues this fall." The Post adds, "In testimony this week, Petraeus declined to use the words 'brief' or 'pause' to describe the time needed to assess further troop reductions, and said the process could last months."
On its front page, the Los Angeles Times runs a similar story under the headline "Gates And Petraeus Differ Over Troop Levels In Iraq," in which it says the incident reveals a "rift" over troop levels inside the Pentagon. But the Wall Street Journal notes Gates "acknowledged the apparent conflict between his remarks and those of...Petraeus," but added he and the general "were effectively saying the same thing in different words. Mr. Gates said that he expected Gen. Petraeus to make a further assessment of conditions in Iraq in September and that further withdrawals could take place if the general finds Iraq's security situation had held steady or improved."
Powell: Bush's Successor Must Reduce Troop Levels The AP (4/11) reports, "Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday that...Bush's successor will have to come to grips with the reality that the United States cannot continue to keep such large numbers of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan." The AP adds that "without taking sides in the race for the White House, Powell said, 'Whichever one of them becomes president on Jan. 1, 2009, they will face a military force that cannot continue to sustain 140,000 people deployed in Iraq and the 20 (thousand) odd or 25,000 people we have deployed in Afghanistan and our other deployments.'"
Thwarting President Bush's own gambit on the Colombia trade deal, House Democrats yesterday came together to change the rules under which it is to be considered. As a result, chances of approval for the trade pact are slim. The Financial Times reports on the "unprecedented move," one that "critics and the White House portrayed as a huge setback for US trade policy." The Democratic-led House "voted 224 to 195 to stop the 90-day 'fast track' time-table under which most significant US free trade deals have been ratified since the 1970s." The move "drew an irate response from the Bush administration and other critics." USA Today says the Democratic move "upends the established politics of US trade deals," but "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the unprecedented move, which infuriated Republicans, gives Democrats 'leverage' in economic policy negotiations with the White House." And "despite the political skirmishing, business groups say they expect Democrats and the White House to bargain."
The Washington Post notes Pelosi said after the House vote that "she had previously told" Bush that the trade deal "would not be considered for a vote until the White House yielded to Democratic demands for support of additional domestic economic stimulus provisions, such as more money to help workers who lose jobs because of international competition and an extension of unemployment benefits." The Politico, Washington Times and The Hill go on to report on Republican outrage over Pelosi's action.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports "senior Bush administration officials have reached out to reassure international trade officials and trade partners rattled by a setback to the US push for open markets, as the House of Representatives sidelined a free-trade deal with Colombia." Pelosi also "spoke with the Colombian ambassador to the US to offer assurances that the House action wasn't meant as a show of disrespect and could ultimately lead to passage, according to an aide to the congresswoman."
Move Masks "Deep" Democratic Divisions The New York Times says this morning "the unity exhibited Thursday by House Democrats in stalling a White House-sponsored trade pact with Colombia masks deep party divisions on the issue, which is certain to become even more highly charged given coming consequential trade deals with South Korea and other countries." The Times adds "an influential bloc of Democrats continues to favor expanded trading relationships with nations willing to meet labor and environmental conditions. That puts them at odds with fellow Democrats allied with unions that blame trade deals that have helped advance globalization for the loss of millions of American industrial jobs."
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The Senate yesterday passed a housing aid bill opposed not only by the White House but also by House Democrats. The Washington Post notes the "modest" bipartisan package contains "tax breaks and other provisions aimed at easing the nation's housing crisis." The Post notes "the White House has not explicitly threatened a veto," but as the Wall Street Journal says, "the prospects of the legislation becoming law are slim" because House Democrats "favor different fixes to help stem record numbers of foreclosures and the resulting economic dislocation." The House's "housing-stimulus proposals include a package of tax credits for first-time home buyers, increased assistance for low-income rental housing and a more-modest property-tax deduction. In addition, House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D., Mass.) is pushing a plan to use the Federal Housing Administration to guarantee as much as $300 billion in loans to help refinance at-risk loans." The New York Times, however, notes that "despite the differences still to be ironed out between the Senate and House, and between Congress and the White House," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "said he was confident that final legislation could be achieved 'fairly quickly.'"
The Washington Post reports this morning President Bush "says the Summer Games in Beijing are about sports, not politics, but much of the rest of the world seems to think otherwise." Bush "faces growing pressure, including from some conservatives, to bow out of the opening ceremonies in August to protest China's crackdown on Tibet and other human rights abuses." Sen. John McCain said Thursday that Bush should consider boycotting the opening ceremonies "unless they change some things pretty quickly." Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama "have made similar statements in recent days, with Clinton expressing a slightly more categorical opposition to Bush's attendance." And outside the US, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy "have already said they will not be at the opening." As USA Today puts it, if "Bush attends the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing, he could be a lonely leader."
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In what's being widely described as a reversal, Sen. John McCain yesterday unveiled a housing plan. The New York Times says McCain, "who drew criticism last month after he warned against broad government action to solve the deepening mortgage crisis, pivoted Thursday and called for the government to help qualified homeowners with subprime mortgages refinance and get federally guaranteed 30-year mortgages." McCain "said his plan would apply only to people who have subprime mortgages on their primary residences who could show that they would be able to meet the terms of a new, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage." The Wall Street Journal notes McCain also "called for a Justice Department task force on criminal wrongdoing among mortgage lenders, a move many senior Justice Department officials have resisted."
The AP reports, however, that "still missing" were "details on exactly who would be eligible for help," and adds McCain's "current plan would only apply to owners of a single home. Of lenders and borrowers caught up in what was once a lucrative buying-and-selling market, McCain said, 'It is not the responsibility of the American public to spare them from the consequences of their own bad judgment.'" Similarly, McClatchy says McCain "offered no specifics, nor did he address any of the ideas for help being considered by his congressional colleagues." But "in offering federal guarantees for new mortgages and assistance to homeowners, McCain is essentially embracing what many Democrats on Capitol Hill have been demanding."
The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Sen. John McCain "broke with" President Bush" on how to manage the nation's emergency stockpile of petroleum, saying the administration should stop adding oil to the reserve at a time of high prices," a move which gives "new hope to Democrats who are pushing legislation that would require the administration to stop purchasing oil for the stockpile for the rest of the year or until the price of oil falls to less than $75 a barrel." The Washington Post reports that Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had already endorsed the proposal.
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The Philadelphia Inquirer reports this morning that Sen. Hillary Clinton said yesterday that she would follow through on her pledge to begin withdrawing US troops from Iraq within 60 days of her inauguration, even if the military cautioned against it. Clinton said in Pittsburgh yesterday, "Let me just describe to you the way our system works. Policy is set by the civilian leadership. The president of the United States sets the policy. Our military, and thankfully so, carries out the policy that is set."
The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that candidates "traditionally get out the money to get out the vote," a tradition that "sets up a culture clash" for the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, because Sen. Barack Obama will not engage in the practice. The Times says the "dispute" revolves around "street money," a "long-standing Philadelphia ritual in which candidates deliver cash to the city's Democratic operatives in return for getting out the vote. Flush with payments from well-funded campaigns, the ward leaders and Democratic Party bosses typically spread out the cash in the days before the election, handing $10, $20 and $50 bills to the foot soldiers and loyalists who make up the party's workforce. It is all legal -- but Obama's people are telling the local bosses he won't pay."
McClatchy reports that Hillary Clinton "remains ahead" of Barack Obama in Indiana in most polls, but Obama "is making a serious push" in the state in the run up to the May 6 primary. Obama is "counting on his national front-runner status, his support from respected Indiana names such as former congressmen and 9/11 commissioners Lee Hamilton and Tim Roemer, and his fans in Indiana's black population centers and college towns to help him close in." While he is also making a push in Pennsylvania, the Indianapolis Star reports that Obama also is putting in significant trail time in Indiana campaigning in Gary yesterday where he delivered the message "Get the troops home from Iraq, use the savings to rebuild the nation's economy and create jobs and pay as much attention to Main Street as to Wall Street."
Obama Focusing On Importance Of Parents In Education Their Children The AP reports that while in Gary yesterday, Obama gave "a bit of a lecture to mothers and fathers on how to be parents. Sure, there is the usual critique of current government policies. But the cheering peaks with a dose of tough talk. 'Parents if you don't parent, we can't improve our schools,' he said. 'You've got to parent. You've got to turn off the television set in your house once in a while, you've got to put the video game away once in a while.'" The Northwest Indiana Times adds that Obama said, "If your child is misbehaving in school, don't curse out the teacher. You know who you are. It's not the teacher's fault if your child is misbehaving. Don't blame the teachers and the government and the schools if you're not doing your job."
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The Washington Post reports in a front page story entitled, "Big Donors Among Obama's Grass Roots," that while Barack Obama touts his base of small campaign donors, "those with wealth and power also have played a critical role in creating Obama's record-breaking fundraising machine, and their generosity has earned them a prominent voice in shaping his campaign." 79 bundlers, "five of them billionaires, have tapped their personal networks to raise at least $200,000 each." The Post adds, "The bundler list also sheds light on those who might seek to influence an Obama White House. It includes traditional Democratic givers -- Hollywood, trial lawyers and Wall Street -- and newcomers such as young hedge fund executives, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Chicago-based developers and members of the black business elite."
The Boston Globe reports this morning that Sen. Barack Obama "pledges that if he wins the presidency, he would pass an employment nondiscrimination law covering gay Americans, guarantee federal benefits to gay couples in civil unions, and would end the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy that prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military."
A new AP -Ipsos poll shows Sen. John McCain running essentially even with both Democratic candidates in general election trial heats, rallying from a significant deficit two months ago. The poll shows McCain tied with Barack Obama at 45% apiece; Obama led McCain 51%-41% in a similar poll in February. Sen. Hillary Clinton holds a slight lead over McCain, 48%-45%, down from at 48%-43% lead in February. In the Democratic primary contest, Clinton leads Obama 46%-43%. The poll surveyed 1,005 adults nationally from April 5-7.
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Jay Leno: "In Washington this week, the presidential candidates" got "to grill our top commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. And Hillary demanded...an orderly troop withdrawal. And believe me, if there's anyone who knows when it's time to get out, it is Hillary."
Jay Leno: "Last night, at Madison Square Garden, Elton John held a big fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's campaign. He raised $2.5 million. At his concert, Elton John lashed out and he attacked the misogynist anti-women feelings many Americans have. And then he played his hit song, 'The Bitch Is Back.'"
Jay Leno: "The number two man in al Qaeda in Iraq, terrorist mastermind Abu al-Masri, is dead. ... He reportedly died of natural causes." That is "when you know the war has been going on a long time, okay? When your enemies just start dying of natural causes! How long is this war?"
Jay Leno: "In the congressional newspaper 'Roll Call' reports that a growing number of Democrats are acknowledging that 90-year-old senator Robert Byrd may be too old to chair the appropriations committee. Really? ... They can overlook the fact he was in the Ku Klux Klan, but if you're in the AARP, sorry, sorry. What about the Klan? Hello!"
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