Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Obama Unlikely To Quickly Close Gitmo

The Los Angeles Times reports that in an interview on ABC's "This Week," President-elect Obama "acknowledged that not everything he promised to do during the campaign would be able to happen quickly, given the country's economic quagmire. ... In particular, he said, he was unlikely to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center in the first 100 days of his presidency." The Financial Times says the remarks "may prove disappointing to some of his supporters."

Newsweek reports President-elect Obama "was elected partly to cleanse the temple of the Bush-Cheney stain, and in his campaign speeches he promised to reverse Cheney's efforts to seize power for the White House in the war on terror. It may not be so simple." In the "view of many intelligence professionals, the get-tough measures encouraged or permitted by George W. Bush's administration - including 'waterboarding' self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - kept America safe." But the "flaw of the Bush-Cheney administration may have been less in what it did than in the way it did it."

In a separate story, Newsweek presents the case of Cole bombing architect Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri as one of the "tricky dilemmas facing the new Obama administration." Rather than "seek his extradition so he could be charged in a U.S. court, as some FBI officials had urged, Nashiri was handed to the CIA. CIA Director Michael Hayden has since confirmed that Nashiri was one of three 'high-value detainees' who was 'waterboarded.'"

Under the headline "The Bush Administration's Most Despicable Act," Joe Klein writes in Time that President Bush said "after the first, horrifying pictures of US troops torturing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq surfaced" in 2004, "This is not the America I know." But Bush, adds Klein, "was not telling the truth. 'This' was the America he had authorized on Feb. 7, 2002, when he signed a memorandum stating that the Third Geneva Convention...did not apply to members of al-Qaeda or the Taliban. That signature led directly to the abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay. It was his single most callous and despicable act."

Obama Signals He Doesn't Favor Bush Probe In a front-page story titled "Obama Signals His Reluctance To Look Into Bush Policies," the New York Times reports President-elect Obama "signaled in an interview broadcast Sunday that he was unlikely to authorize a broad inquiry into Bush administration programs like domestic eavesdropping or the treatment of terrorism suspects." At the Central Intelligence Agency, "in particular, many officers flatly oppose any further review and may protest the prospect of a broad inquiry into their past conduct."

The Hill reports that even as he stated that "he does not believe that 'anybody is above the law,'" Obama "stressed that he believes 'that we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards.'" The Politico notes Obama also said, "Part of my job is to make sure that for example at the CIA, you've got extraordinarily talented people who are working very hard to keep Americans safe. I don't want them to suddenly feel like they've got to spend all their time looking over their shoulders and lawyering."

The Washington Times notes that "the most popular question on the Obama transition team's Web site is whether he will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate torture and warrantless wiretapping conducted by the Bush administration." William Kristol writes in the New York Times, "Perhaps the president-elect was just being polite. Or perhaps he just enjoys torturing (metaphorically!) some of his previously most ardent supporters who want Dick Cheney tried as a war criminal."

Democrats Plan To Stop Estate Tax Repeal

The Wall Street Journal reports President-elect Obama and "congressional leaders plan to move soon to block the estate tax from disappearing in 2010, suggesting the levy might outlive the 'Death Tax Repeal' movement that has tried mightily to kill it." The Democratic "stance on the estate tax contrasts with Mr. Obama's reluctance to press forward with his campaign pledge to raise income-tax rates on top earners, which he worries could have an adverse economic impact during a recession."

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "told CNN's 'Late Edition' that she wants to take immediate steps to repeal President George W. Bush's tax cuts for those earning more than $250,000 a year." Said Pelosi, "The sooner they are repealed, the less negative impact they'll have on our deficit." On CNN's Late Edition, Pelosi said that raising the marginal rate from 35% to 39% for the $250,000 tax bracket is "not a tax increase. We're repealing something they should never have had in the first place."

Obama's Proposed Tax Cuts Under Fire U.S. News and World Report reports that "a number of economists are critical of the just-floated Obama tax proposals, calling them poorly designed, potentially ineffective, and likely to trigger what" Columbia University's Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, "called 'an administrative nightmare.'"

Under the headline "The Case For Bigger Government," Time reports while "expanded spending by government...is urgently needed...large deficit financing is not a long-term option." Although President-elect Obama's "tax cuts might stimulate consumer spending -- and placate Republicans -- any permanent cut would be a huge error, and even short-term tax cuts are an unnecessary risk."

U.S. News and World Report reports the stimulus package "has triggered a lobbying spree as potential recipients extol the advantages of specific projects, whether it be a new Tappan Zee Bridge in New York, a refurbished Interstate 70 to zip motorists across Missouri, or improved port and rail facilities in the San Francisco Bay area." One "key voice in what may wind up being a coast-to-coast rebuilding binge is Democratic Rep. James Oberstar of Minnesota, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee."

Meanwhile, The Hill reports Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday "vowed that there will be no earmarks in the upcoming economic stimulus bill that Congress and the incoming Obama administration are negotiating." On CNN's Late Edition, Pelosi said, "I can pledge to you that no earmark or any of that, any description you want to make of it will be in the bill that passes the House."

Roll Call reports, "They may not be called earmarks, but lawmakers are looking to write legislative formulas into the package to ensure that their districts share in the wealth and won't simply be at the mercy of Washington's bureaucracy or the nation's governors." House Majority Whip James Clyburn "is leading the effort, personally lobbying Obama, top Obama adviser David Axelrod and committee chairmen on the issue last week."

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Browner Tied To "Socialist International"

The Washington Times reports that until last week, Carol M. Browner, "President-elect Barack Obama's pick as global warming czar, was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for 'global governance' and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change. By Thursday, Mrs. Browner's name and biography had been removed from Socialist International's Web page, though a photo of her speaking June 30 to the group's congress in Greece was still available."

Bush Aide Says Vitriol Undeserved

Under the headline "Bush May Be Gracious Toward Obama, But He's Still Divisive," Kenneth T. Walsh writes in U.S. News and Word Report that President Bush's "very gracious and cooperative manner toward President-elect Barack Obama" stands "in contrast to the harsh and rancorous tone that Bush helped to foster in Washington over the past eight years." Walsh quotes from an email sent by a "senior White House official," who wrote that "the one thing that burns me up about this criticism of the President is that he has never once personally attacked any of them -- and yet, they get away with calling him a liar, a thief, and a war criminal." The "official" adds that "the most vitriolic and hateful things were said openly about him, and he never rose to the bait." Walsh goes on to note that "this adviser's defense, however heartfelt, does not explain why Bush has generated such intense reactions for so long."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Burris Gains More Momentum

Roland Burris (D), tapped by scandal-tainted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace Barack Obama in the Senate, gained more momentum towards being seated over the weekend. The Washington Post reported that the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Burris did not need the signature of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White (D) to join the Senate, something that Senate leaders had argued he required. Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate's number two Democrat, continued to oppose Burris' appointment following the ruling, the Chicago Sun-Times reported over the weekend, but now appears to be softening his stance. On CBS' Face the Nation yesterday, Durbin said that if Burris "has the proper certification and papers, then we're going to take one look at the process and move forward from there." The Hill adds "a senior Senate Democratic aide said the various legal teams will review documents that Burris has collected in recent days, which he believes meets an 1884 Senate rule requiring all senators to have certificates signed by their states' governors and secretaries of state."

Durbin's Stance On Burris Softens The AP reports Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said Sunday "that he is moving away from resisting former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor and hopes a resolution to the disagreement will be reached soon." Durbin said on CBS' "Face the Nation," "I started off obviously skeptical, as all of the Democratic members did. ... But as time has gone on and we've looked closely, we want to be fair to Roland Burris. If he has the proper certification and papers, then we're going to take one look at the process and move forward from there." Under the headline "Burris May Breeze Into Senate," The Politico also notes Durbin's remarks. The Chicago Tribune and Roll Call run similar reports.

On CBS' Face The Nation, Durbin said, "We have to look at the new documents that have been filed by the [Illinois] Secretary of State -- they are different than those filed earlier -- and see if they comply with Senate rules. Then we're going to have to take a look at his testimony before the impeachment committee. It could take some period of time."

The Hill reports "lawyers for...Burris will be in Washington Monday to meet with Senate attorneys and press their case for seating Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's (D) controversial appointee." On CBS' Face The Nation, Burris said, "All the documents have now been submitted. There is a seal from the secretary of state with the secretary of state's signature on it. It is our position that those documents are now in compliance with the Senate rules, and therefore after the lawyers have reviewed this my attorneys will be in Washington on Monday to confirm with the parliamentarian and the attorneys to confirm that all of this is in order."

Summers Kept Waiting 30 Minutes The Chicago Tribune reports Senate Democrats "spent about 30 minutes discussing Burris' situation in a closed-door meeting Sunday that resulted in Obama's chief economic adviser, Larry Summers, cooling his heels in a Senate hallway waiting to discuss the president-elect's economic recovery package."

Another GOP Senator Expected To Retire

The AP reports that Ohio Sen. George Voinovich (R) "has told associates he intends to retire next year rather than seek a new term, party officials said Sunday night. He is the fourth Republican to make departure plans since the Democratic landslide in November." The Columbus Dispatch says that "Until last week," Voinovich "had publicly insisted he would seek re-election and had nearly $3 million in his campaign treasury."

The Politico reports that Voinovich's "retirement would give Democrats a shot at an open Senate seat in a battleground state that voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 elections and elected Democrat Sherrod Brown to the Senate in 2006" and potentially signals "another tough election cycle for the GOP in 2010." The Hill describes Voinovich's move as "another blow to Senate Republicans."

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on its 'Openers' blog that Democrats who may compete for the seat include OH17 Rep. Tim Ryan (D) and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D), while former Rep. Rob Portman is a potential GOP candidate, and the Washington Post says former Sen. Mike DeWine (R) might also consider a bid.

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "Hey, did you all see Barack Obama's speech about the economy yesterday? Very sobering. He told Washington, 'We've arrived at this point due to an era of profound irresponsibility.' And of course, there's only one way out of it. Spend more money we don't have. Yeah, that's the ticket!"

Jay Leno: "The economy is so bad, when he was in the White House the other day, Jimmy Carter thought he was still president."

David Letterman: "George W. Bush now" has a "couple of weeks" until "he's out of office. And people are...saying, 'Mr. President, what are you going to do?'" He "said, 'I'm hoping to find something where I just get in up to my head.'"

David Letterman: "And Vice President Dick Cheney is leaving Washington," and "Cheney was busy packing earlier today. He bubble wrapped his water board."

David Letterman: "Governor" Palin "was very excited." She brought "the grandson over to her house and held it up to the window so the Russians could get a look at it."

David Letterman: "But it was quite an event. The baby was delivered by Joe the obstetrician."

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