Media reports last night and this morning, including the lead stories on all three networks, featured President Obama's defense of his outreach to Cuba and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. While noting GOP criticism of Obama, most reports and analyses generally offered a positive assessment of the President's efforts. The CBS Evening News, for example, reported in its lead story that "the President said that reaching out to longtime enemies will help, not hurt." The Wall Street Journal reports while "it was far from clear whether the overtures...would augur improved relations with the US or just a smooth patch in a long and often unfriendly road," Obama "used the three-day summit to express a tone of openness from the US, and he said on Sunday that he thinks other nations would be more interested in cooperating with the US if the country were seen as a 'force for good.'"
The AP says in an analysis piece that while "historic analogies are never perfect, Obama's stark efforts to change the US image abroad are reminiscent of the stunning realignments sought by former Soviet leader Michael Gorbachev." ABC World News reported that the "picture of the President smiling and chatting" with Chavez, "who famously called President George W. Bush 'the devil,' created something of a backlash." The AP notes the President "made sure to inject some go-it-slow caution and clear expectations." On Cuba, "he said Castro should release political prisoners, embrace democratic freedoms and cut fees on the money that Cuban-Americans send back to their families."
NBC Nightly News reported the trip "was the culmination of an eight country, three continent, three-week swing that brought the President face-to-face with some 90 world leaders." USA Today reports "Obama cast his outreach to Latin American leaders as a continuation of his efforts in Europe earlier this month to repair foreign relationships." The New York Times says President Obama "sought to calibrate his message more finely, aware that his gestures to those nations may not sit well back at home." On its front page, the Financial Times, meanwhile, notes presidential adviser David Axelrod also "welcomed Venezuela's announcement that it is sending an ambassador to Washington."
On the CBS Evening News, Jeff Greenfield commented on criticism of the President's outreach to Chavez, saying, "There is fallout from those people who already regard Obama as anything from a socialist to a fascist to a dangerously weak president. I'm talking about people on the right. If it doesn't spread beyond that, you're going to have the same situation where about 30% of the country really regards him negatively but the rest says 'so far so good.'"
The Miami Herald notes Obama also called "Cuban leader Raúl Castro's recent offer to discuss all issues -- including the fate of political prisoners" a "'a sign of progress' that could lead to more deliberate strides toward normalization." McClatchy reports the President went on to defend "his support" of the Cuban embargo. After Obama's trip, the AP reports, "America's estranged relationship with Cuba" has changed markedly, "at least in tone," and the President "now is assessing whether a genuine change in relations with the isolated communist island is already under way."
The Washington Post notes Obama ventured "so far as to say that he felt the United States could learn a lesson from Cuba, which for decades has sent doctors to other countries throughout Latin America to care for the poor. The policy has won Cuban leaders Fidel and Raúl Castro deep goodwill in the region."
In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, former senator and presidential candidate George McGovern writes, "President Obama holds my admiration with high hopes for his message of change in Washington. It is puzzling, however, that he has adopted most of the previous administration's formula for dragging out the withdrawal of our troops from the mistaken war in Iraq for nearly three more years." McGovern urges Obama "to bring our troops home from the Middle East this year. A good target date for completing an orderly withdrawal from two ill-conceived and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would be Thanksgiving 2009."
Pakistani Militant Foresees Islamist Takeover The Washington Post reports a "potentially troubling era dawned Sunday in Pakistan's Swat Valley, where a top Islamist militant leader, emboldened by a peace agreement with the federal government, laid out an ambitious plan to bring a 'complete Islamic system' to the surrounding northwest region and the entire country." Cleric Sufi Mohammed "bluntly defied the constitution and federal judiciary, saying he would not allow any appeals to state courts under the system of sharia, or Islamic law, that will prevail there as a result of the peace accord signed by the president Tuesday."
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Top Obama aides over the weekend defended the Administration's release of Bush-era interrogation memos as Republicans and former intelligence officials criticized the disclosure. ABC World News reported the Obama Administration was "criticized today on...the release of Bush administration memos defending and describing harsh techniques used to interrogate terror suspects -- techniques like body slamming and waterboarding." Four former CIA directors "say the release makes it harder for intelligence agents to battle terrorists in the future."
Emanuel, on ABC's This Week, maintained that "one of the reasons the President was willing to let this information out was already the information was out." The AP covered Emanuel's appearance on "This Week" reporting, "President Barack Obama does not intend to prosecute Bush administration officials who devised the policies that led to the harsh interrogation of suspected terrorists." White House senior advisor David Axelrod, on CBS's Face The Nation, also contended that "virtually everything that was in those memos has been publicly reported."
On Fox News Sunday, former CIA director Gen. Michael Hayden said the White House did not ask for his advice about releasing the "so-called torture memos." On ABC's This Week, House minority leader Rep. John Boehner said, "I think the release of these memos is dangerous and I agreed with what Leon Panetta had to say when he made it clear that he thought that this would hamper our ability to get information from terrorists and get other countries to work with us."
The New York Times reports on Gen. Hayden's TV appearance, noting he said that the memo's "descriptions gave Al Qaeda a tactical advantage by allowing them to prepare for specific practices used by the C.I.A., even if those practices are not in use now." Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) "also criticized the administration on Sunday, saying that the disclosure would limit future options against terrorism." The Washington Post reports the Obama administration opposes any effort to prosecute those in the Justice Department who drafted legal memos authorizing harsh interrogations at secret CIA prisons."
The New York Times, in a separate article, reports that waterboarding "was used by C.I.A. interrogators 183 times on one prisoner from Al Qaeda and 83 times on another," according to one of the memos. The "fact that waterboarding was repeated so many times may raise questions about its effectiveness, as well as assertions by Bush administration officials that their methods were used under strict guidelines." The Los Angeles Times reports, "The conclusion in recently released Justice Department memos that CIA interrogation techniques would not cause prolonged mental harm is disputed by some doctors and psychologists, who say that the mental damage incurred from these practices is significant and undeniable."
Meanwhile, David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey, who served in the Justice Department under George H.W. Bush and who were U.S. delegates to the U. Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, write in the Wall Street Journal (4/20), "The four memos on CIA interrogation released by the White House last week reveal a cautious and conservative Justice Department advising a CIA that cared deeply about staying within the law."
The Washington Post reports President Obama "plans to convene his Cabinet for the first time today, where he will order members to identify a combined $100 million in budget cuts over the next 90 days, according to a senior administration official. The budget cuts, while they would account to a minuscule portion of federal spending, are intended to signal the president's determination to cut spending and reform government, the official said."
Congress Resisting Obama Revenue Proposals The New York Times reports Obama "is running into stiff Congressional resistance to his plans to raise money for his ambitious agenda, and the resulting hole in the budget is threatening a major health care overhaul and other policy initiatives. The administration's central revenue proposal - limiting the value of affluent Americans' itemized deductions, including the one for charitable giving - fell flat in Congress, leaving the White House, at least for now, without $318 billion that it wants to set aside to help cover uninsured Americans." According to the Times, "the unwillingness to embrace some of the major White House tax and revenue proposals has frustrated administration officials. They note that lawmakers, many of them supporters of the president's ambitious agenda, clamor to hold down the deficit while balking at the proposals to finance his program."
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Yesterday in Williamsburg, Virginia, the three Democratic candidates in the gubernatorial race squared off in a debate at the College of William and Mary, where campaign fundraising emerged as a particular point on contention, the Washington Post reports. State sen. Creigh Deeds (D) questioned the contributions his rivals "received from wealthy out-of-state donors and defense contractors," saying, "We will not be the party of the middle class if the nominee of this party is beholden to Donald Trump and Wall Street interests or tainted defense contractors who got millions of earmarks." The AP adds that Terry McAuliffe (D) "was put on the defensive for raising the vast majority of his campaign funds from out of state," saying, "I've got a lot of friends." Meanwhile, the Roanoke Times reports Brian Moran (D) "made no apologies for receiving contributions from defense contractors, particularly Virginia-based firms," saying, "This Democrat will not be afraid to talk about the defense of this country."
The Politico reports, "With all of the unchallenged absentee and overseas military ballots counted," Scott Murphy (D) leads Jim Tedisco (R) by 273 votes "and looks in extremely strong position to prevail" in the NY20 special election. Roll Call adds, "As of Friday afternoon, both sides were preparing to return to court on Monday when the legal wrangling over challenged ballots will continue," though Murphy's camp "was confident the outcome of any court action over ballots won't change the result of the race."
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ABC World News reported last night that some Republicans, including John McCain's daughter McCain and his former campaign manager Steve Schmidt, are encouraging the GOP to drop its vocal opposition to same-sex marriage. Schmidt said "...it cannot be argued that marriage between people of the same sex is un-American." Schmidt sees the move as a way for the GOP to distance itself from the "religious right," adding "In a free country, a political party cannot remain viable in the long-term if it is seen as a sectarian party."
CNN reported over the weekend that the Republican National Committee "announced Friday it will report receipts of $25.3 million in the first three months of 2009, the committee's first fundraising quarter under the chairmanship of Michael Steele," including $7 million transferred from the McCain-Palin Victory Committee, while The Politico (4/19, Smith) reports the Democratic National Committee brought in $11.9 million, "plus $2 million transferred to the group from Organizing for America."
The Chicago Tribune reports that Illinois Sen. Roland Burris (D) "said Sunday he has made no decision on seeking election to the seat next year, but a top strategist said the" Senator "is launching a 'very aggressive' fundraising regimen," after raising just $845 in the 1st quarter while "racking up $111,032 in debts."
In his St. Petersburg Times column, Adam C. Smith writes that Florida GOP Chief Jim Greer (R) on Sunday "warned" ex-state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) that he should not challenge Gov. Charlie Crist (R) in a Senate primary, saying, "Anyone thinking of challenging Charlie Crist for any public office, I would encourage them to look somewhere else."
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Jay Leno: "And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States is now ready to talk to Cuba. You know what that means? Apparently, we are already interviewing replacements for Texas."
Jay Leno: "Sometimes we Americans, you know." Well, "climate experts say we should tell villagers in developing countries to reduce the amount of cooking smoke they generate to help fix global warming." As "if these people don't hate us enough already. I mean, they live in mud huts, they have thatch roofs," and "their clothes are made of straw. We pull up in a bunch of Humvees and SUVs going, 'Hey, you want to cut the smoke out of here?'"
David Letterman: "Earlier this week, there was a reunion" of "Bush Administration officials in Dallas, Texas." Because "there is one team you want to put back together, am I right? You bet, buddy!"
Jimmy Fallon: "Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana," criticized "Dick Cheney today, saying that he shouldn't question" President Obama's "patriotism. In response, Cheney said, 'I respect your opinion. That's cool. Hey, would you like to go on a hunting trip this week?'"
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