President-elect Obama is expected to establish a White House-level post to address the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The Boston Globe reports the office will "coordinate efforts to prevent terrorists from obtaining nuclear or biological weapons," giving "the highest priority to thwarting a catastrophic attack that a bipartisan panel warns could come in the next five years."
ABC World News also noted the "blunt new report" that "warns the chances are better than even that a biological or nuclear attack will be launched within five years. The report from a commission set up by Congress concludes that without urgent action, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013." The CBS Evening News calls the report "sobering." The Washington Times reports the commission, chaired by former Sens. Bob Graham and Jim Talent, "is recommending that the Obama administration appoint a national security aide devoted exclusively to coordinating U.S. intelligence, military and political efforts to curb weapons proliferation."
The Washington Post editorializes that the bipartisan commission "noted progress, particularly in securing nuclear weapons and materials. But it said that bioterrorism is a 'more likely threat' and urged the incoming administration to make prevention of a bioterrorist attack 'a higher priority.'"
The Detroit automakers on Tuesday submitted their restructuring plans to Congress in a bid to secure emergency financing. NBC Nightly News reported the plans show it is "possible the American car business is in worse shape than we first thought." The AP says the car companies are "pledging to slash workers, car lines and executive pay in return for a federal lifeline." The Washington Post says that GM "threw itself at the mercy of Congress," with the Detroit News, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Financial Times and Washington Times running similar stories.
The plans, however, appear to have found a skeptical reception in Congress. ABC World News reported that "even the staunchest advocates of Detroit here on Capitol Hill say that as of right now, there just are not the votes to get this passed." So supporters "say that what they really need here is the active involvement of President Bush and more importantly, President-elect Obama." But as the Detroit News reports, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm "met privately with President-Elect Barack Obama today about the auto industry crisis, saying afterward 'I urged him to be supportive.'" Obama, said the governor, "expressed personal interest" but "made no specific promises."
The Hill reports, "Congressional leaders appear no closer to finding an auto bailout deal with the White House," and Roll Call reports, "House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said on Tuesday that the House will not come back into session next week unless a deal is reached in the coming days." McClatchy reports the "troubled automakers got an important nod late Tuesday" Speaker Pelosi, "who said that no U.S. carmaker would be allowed to fall into bankruptcy." But "skepticism remains widespread in Congress."
The Wall Street Journal reports the companies' "best hope for federal aid may be legislation accelerating the release of $25 billion in already-approved government loans," calling Speaker Pelosi an "important roadblock to overcome." The bill "is backed by President George W. Bush and has bipartisan support in the Senate," but Pelosi is said to be "adamant that the existing loan program...shouldn't be used as temporary financing to help Detroit weather the economic downturn."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
CNN's The Situation Room reported last night that "a Democratic source tells CNN" that President-elect Obama "will name" New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson "as his choice for commerce secretary." Richardson "brings to this plate, in particular in an era where the economy is the focus of attention, a lot of skill that could be put to use, perhaps opening up marketplaces for US products abroad. He has also in New Mexico sought to bring in new businesses to create jobs in New Mexico." The AP says Obama plans to announce his decision "on Wednesday, adding another former campaign rival to his Cabinet, Democratic officials said." The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune also report on Obama's expected announcement.
But The Politico warns that while Richardson "is well-regarded in the business community" his "own brief foray into the corporate world resulted in affiliations that seem an awkward fit with the president-elect's platform." Adds The Politico, "In the nearly two years between the end of the Clinton administration and his election as New Mexico's governor, Richardson traded on the prominence and expertise he accrued as Bill Clinton's ambassador to the United Nations and as energy secretary to land more than 20 paying gigs, yielding hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of directors' fees and stock options -- much of which came from entities dealing in areas directly related to his work in the administration."
Meanwhile, says The Hill, "the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is formally asking President-elect Obama to consider a number of Hispanic legislators for his Cabinet, according to a letter signed by the CHC and sent to the transition team Tuesday afternoon. The members of Congress whom the CHC is pushing include Reps. John Salazar (D-Colo.) for secretary of Agriculture, Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas) for secretary of Education, Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) for secretary of Interior, Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) for Environmental Protection Agency administrator and Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) for secretary of Labor. ... 'We understand that the incoming administration will have a vast pool of talent from which to choose,' reads a portion of the letter obtained by The Hill. 'The individuals we have endorsed constitute the best talent while reflecting the diversity that is so valued by President-elect Obama.'" Bloomberg News runs a similar report.
In a trip unheralded by the network and national print media, President Bush yesterday visited Greensboro, North Carolina to praise volunteer mentors for the children of prisoners. The AP says Bush was "trying to emphasize the softer side of his policy record before leaving office." After a "private discussion with a few children and their mentors," Bush said, "These youngsters have ambitions and goals. ... They want to go to college. They want to make a difference. And I suspect that the mentors will be anxiously following the career of someone they've been able to help." Bush "popped into the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Greensboro -- which has worked with Youth Focus Inc., a nonprofit agency -- to match 220 children of prisoners with adult mentors. The program is part of a national initiative, championed by Bush, that has provided mentors to more than 110,000 children."
The Greensboro News-Record reports that "as he stepped off Air Force One onto the chilly tarmac at Piedmont Triad International Airport," Bush "met with Donna Turner of High Point to give her the President's Volunteer Service Award, recognizing 25,000 logged hours of service with Hospice of the Piedmont." The High Point (NC) Enterprise notes "Turner has volunteered with Hospice of the Piedmont for 25 years, helping patients and their families cope with the ravages of illness near the end of someone's life. She also spent 25 years with Mobile Meals, delivering meals to shut-ins in the High Point area."
Rove Says History Will Vindicate Bush The Washington Times reports former Bush adviser Karl Rove "walked into the lion's den Tuesday night to argue that his former boss is not the worst president of the past 50 years." Rove "appeared at a formal debate on New York City's notoriously liberal Upper West Side as the most famous, and infamous, member of a four-member panel there to hash out the outgoing president's legacy." The setting "was not entirely hostile to Mr. Rove and his fellow conservative, New York Times and Weekly Standard columnist William Kristol." Robert Rosenkranz, "whose conservative-leaning foundation organized the event, opened the debate with a statement that President Carter was in fact 'a truly awful president'" and credited Mr. Bush with preventing a second terrorist attack on US soil after the Sept. 11 attacks."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Media reports are casting Sen. Saxby Chambliss' decisive win in yesterday's runoff election as a glimmer of good hope for the GOP. The Wall Street Journal calls it "a morsel of good news for Republicans in an otherwise bleak election season for the party," while the Washington Times reports Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl called the results "huge," and "drew parallels with the party's march back to prominence after election defeats in 1992 that started with a Georgia runoff election win in which Republican Paul Coverdell defeated incumbent Democrat Sen. Wyche Fowler."
The New York Times notes that "with 96 percent of the state's precincts reporting in the runoff election, Mr. Chambliss had 57.5 percent of the vote, and his Democratic challenger, Jim Martin, 42.5 percent. The margin was far greater than the three percentage points that separated the two men in the Nov. 4 election." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the GOP senator's "double-digit victory dashed Democrats' dreams of securing a filibuster-proof, 60-vote 'super majority' in the Senate and buoyed a Republican Party battered by staggering losses in the Nov. 4 general election." The AP reports "Chambliss portrayed his win as an encouraging sign for Republicans looking to regroup as they head into the next election cycle."
The Politico says Martin "aligned himself closely with Obama, and was hoping that the president-elect would campaign for him in Georgia. But in the midst of a closely-watched transition, Obama decided not to expend any political capital on a tough race and only taped a one-minute radio ad and a robo-call on Martin's behalf." The Hill said, "Early voting indicated a strong drop-off in African-American turnout in the race, which was seen as a result of the lack of Obama's name on the ballot and, perhaps, his failure to appear with Martin."
The Miami Herald reports this morning Sen. Mel Martinez (D-FL) announced yesterday that he would not seek reelection, a move that "set off a political free-for-all throughout Florida, as a slew of would-be successors began jockeying for position in the state's marquee race in 2010." Martinez's decision "will force the Republican Party, already weakened by recent election defeats, to defend another seat in Congress and to court the Hispanic community without one of its most prominent voices." The Washington Post says Martinez "was widely regarded as one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents up for reelection in 2010, given his narrow win in 2004 and gains made by Democrats in Florida last month." The Orlando Sentinel reports adds that "there were questions about his re-election campaign that went beyond his low standing in the polls. As of Sept. 30, Martinez had $1.2 million on hand for another run -- not a lot for an expensive state like Florida. His Democratic counterpart, Sen. Bill Nelson, had roughly $2 million on hand two years before he ran for re-election in 2006."
The Politico reports former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is weighing a run, and that "asked whether he was interested in running for the seat then, Bush told Politico by email Tuesday night: 'I am considering it.'" The Tallahassee Democrat reports state Attorney General Bill McCollum "issued a statement through the Republican Party this afternoon, saying he intends to seek re-election to his state Cabinet post -- but will also consider a bid for Martinez's job in Washington." Other potential Republicans: Reps. Vern Buchanan and Adam Putnam, along with former Florida House Speak Marco Rubio. On the Democratic side, the Democrats says potential candidates include Reps. Allen Boyd and Kendrick Meek, plus Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and state Senate Minority Leader Dan Gelber. The Washington Post adds "national Democrats believe that" state CFO Alex Sink "is their strongest candidate to win the seat."
The Hill reports Minnesota challenger Al Franken's (D) "lead attorney told reporters on Tuesday that his count shows the satirist trailing Sen. Norm Coleman (R) by just 50 votes with more than 200,000 left to be counted." Attorney Marc Elias "spoke at a Washington press conference held hours after election officials found nearly 200 ballots that had not been counted on election night." The Minneapolis Star Tribune, on the other hand, says that "by the end of Tuesday, with 93 percent of the total vote recounted," Coleman's "lead stood at 303 votes with the state Canvassing Board set to finalize results Dec. 16." The St. Paul Pioneer-Press also puts Coleman's lead at 303 votes.
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Jay Leno: "Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said in a recent interview that Republicans 'cannot be the old, white guy party.' ... I believe he made this statement at a national shuffleboard convention in Boca Raton, Florida."
Jay Leno: "Well, President Bush opening up a little bit. He gave an interview to ABC News. Bush said he wished the intelligence on Iraq had been different. Hey, how many wish the intelligence in the White House had been different?"
Jimmy Kimmel: "President Bush has less than two months left before he two-steps back to Texas for some serious brush clearing time. But the President sat down with Charles Gibson of ABC for an interview that aired tonight. Surprisingly, he admitted to some mistakes. He said he was unprepared for how long and difficult the Iraq war would be and that he shouldn't have gone to war based on reports that Iraq had WMDs without first asking what WMD stood for."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5advertisement
Get your POLITICALBULLETIN
Click image for larger view.
Smart analysis, insightful reporting, in-depth perspective—in a new, digital format.
Log in | Buy Now | See sample
View sample page 2View sample page 3View sample page 4View sample page 5Embed exclusive U.S. News headlines, rankings, columns, and blog postings to your Web site, blog, or social network.
advertisement
Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
