Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Obama Cabinet Spending Cuts Ridiculed

Yesterday, President Obama ordered his cabinet to identify $100 million in budget cuts. The CBS Evening News reported that "critics say the amounts are so small," that "it's nothing more than a publicity stunt." CBS added that the President "admitted $100 million is a drop in the budget bucket, but insisted there's a lot more cutting to come." The New York Times says "budget analysts promptly burst out laughing. A reporter declared at the White House briefing that the initiative would become fodder for late-night talk show hosts," and "the Republican Study Committee, a group of fiscal conservatives, put out a news release with the headline 'Obama's 0.0025% spending cut.'" The Cato Institute's Dan Mitchell, appearing on CNBC's The Kudlow Report, said, "I almost thought it was April Fool's Day. Talk about a kick in the teeth for taxpayers. ... And, oh by the way, these wouldn't be spending cuts the way you and I understand it. These would be reductions in the planned increases that are already built into the government budgeting baseline. This was a spit in the face to hard-working American taxpayers." Former labor secretary Robert Reich agreed that "this is pretty small potatoes. I mean, it's the beginning. It's at least a gesture, an important gesture. ... Yes, Obama needs to do more."

The Wall Street Journal reports "Obama has left himself open to the charge of overspending as he focuses on jump-starting the stalled economy with the huge stimulus bill and shoring up its foundations with big overhauls of health care, energy and education." And "anticipating the charge, the administration sought to build savings into its budget plans. But results so far have been modest." The AP says the Obama move "set off outbursts of mental math and scribbled calculations as political friend and foe tried to figure out its impact." Adds the AP, "The bottom line: Not much." The Washington Post, however, reports that in addition to the $100 million, "many other planned reductions are already underway -- and with total savings of far more than $100 million." David Brooks, in his New York Times column, says that "Obama imposes hard choices on others, but has postponed his own. He presented an agenda that bleeds red ink a trillion dollars at a time. Now he seems passive as Congress kills his few revenue ideas (cap and trade) and spending cuts (agricultural subsidies)," and "huge fiscal gaps are opening this decade that can't be closed by distant entitlement reform."

Obama Won't Renegotiate NAFTA

The AP reports, "Softening President Barack Obama's campaign-year trade rhetoric, the top US trade official said the administration can strengthen provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement without having to renegotiate the pact." US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon "'have both said they don't believe we have to reopen the agreement now' to address labor and environmental side agreements."

The New York Times notes that then-candidate Obama "promised...to renegotiate the accord -- a politically popular position in some electorally important Midwestern states that have lost thousands of manufacturing jobs."

Mexico Names New Ambassador To The US The AP reports Mexico "has approved a Cuban-American with expertise in conflict management as the new US ambassador." Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa "told reporters Mexico approved the new US ambassador several days ago, though she did not say who it was. Foreign Relations Department spokesman Victor Aviles later told The Associated Press it was Carlos Pascual."

Bush Lawyers Could Be Prosecuted For Torture

President Obama's speech at CIA headquarters yesterday is receiving extensive media coverage, including the lead story on two out of three network newscasts. The New York Times reports that while Obama "vowed not to prosecute CIA officers...aides Monday did not rule out legal sanctions for the Bush lawyers who developed the legal basis for the use of the techniques." The Times adds that there were also "signs" that Obama "might not be able to avoid a protracted inquiry into the use of interrogation techniques." Yesterday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman, "wrote Mr. Obama asking him not to rule out prosecutions until her panel completed an investigation over the next six to eight months."

ABC World News reported "Obama was greeted enthusiastically." but CIA officers "are anxious and concerned." The Washington Post says Obama was "greeted by raucous cheers," but "his mild words immediately drew criticism from civil liberties groups that have called for an independent prosecutor to investigate whether Bush administration officials who authorized the practices committed criminal acts of torture." The Washington Times reports Obama "said his hand was forced by a pending lawsuit." The AP quotes the President saying, "I acted primarily because of the exceptional circumstances that surrounded these memos, particularly the fact that so much of the information was public." Fox News' Special Report, however, reported that "the details were not" public, according to "several former CIA directors of both parties who opposed the release of documents, that includes the most recent director, Michael Hayden -- and, he says, current director Leon Panetta."

The Politico reports Obama "stressed that he is committed to protecting national security secrets." Bloomberg News notes that "in an indirect jab at the Bush administration, Obama vowed his administration 'will protect your identities." The Hill reports Sen. Kit Bond (R MO) "said Obama's 'pep rally' would do little to assuage the anger of some agency officers who viewed last week's decision as a sign that they do not have the full support of the president."

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, said, "There's a lot of evidence that remains to be gathered. And I think no good prosecutor would make a decision about going forward until he had all the evidence in place." According to the New York Times, "CIA interrogators used waterboarding...266 times on two key prisoners from Al Qaeda, far more than had been previously reported." The Washington Post editorializes, "Now comes the revelation that CIA interrogators were far from restrained in their use of this ancient and cruel technique."

Cheney Wants More Memos Released Former Vice President Dick Cheney, on Fox News' Hannity , said, "I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw, that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process. ... And I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos. ... Let's have an honest debate." Former Bush aide Marc A. Thiessen, in a Washington Post op-ed, writes that "Obama declared that the techniques used to question captured terrorists 'did not make us safer.' This is patently false."

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Coleman Keeps Race Going

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that "Ignoring opponents' demands that he concede," Senate candidate Norm Coleman (R) "told the Minnesota Supreme Court Monday that a lower court got it all wrong when it ruled that Al Franken won the 2008 U.S. Senate election." The St. Paul Pioneer Press adds that the appeal "raises five objections for the justices to weigh, including a constitutional question central to Coleman's complaints: whether local election officials applied differing standards in accepting or rejecting the 293,000 absentee ballots cast in the 2008 election." The Politico says Coleman's move "was expected, but it comes after a week of pressure from Democrats, Minnesota media and even some Gopher State Republicans for him to concede."

Obama To Help Party Raise Cash

The Hill reports President Obama "will headline a major fundraiser in Washington benefiting his party's campaign committees on June 18, according to Democratic sources," which "will rake in millions for the" DCCC and DSCC "at a time when both are struggling with massive piles of debt." In a story headlined "Groups accept Obama rules - for 1 night," The Politico reports that while the DCCC and DSCC "agreed to forego lobbyist and political action committee cash at a June fundraiser in order to land President Barack Obama as the keynote speaker," the committees "will go right back to taking lobbyist and PAC cash which Obama refused during his presidential campaign the day after their June 18 fundraiser with Obama."

Giuliani Opposes Gay Marriage

The Politico reports that "thrice-married" ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) "has come out strongly against" New York Gov. David Paterson's (D) proposed gay marriage bill. Giuliani's opposition, articulated in an interview with The New York Post published Monday, was widely interpreted as an attempt by the moderate Republican to position himself for a possible" 2010 bid for governor.

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Radio's Elder Looking At Boxer Challenge

Roll Call reports that former radio talk-show host Larry Elder (R) is "considering" challenging California Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) "but is holding his fire while top GOP officials wait for favored candidate Carly Fiorina (R) to make a final decision on whether she'll run, Republican sources confirmed Monday."

Quigley Set To Be Sworn In

The AP reports that IL5-elect Rep. Mike Quigley (D) "is known for being an independent, reform-minded politician, but he learned politics the old-school Chicago way," and that "training will come in handy in Congress," where he will be sworn in today to fill Rahm Emanuel's seat.

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "There's been a lot of talk lately about lifting the trade embargo in Cuba. President Obama says he understands that a relationship that has been frozen for this long won't thaw out overnight, to which Hillary said, 'Tell me about it!'"

Jay Leno: "President Obama met with his entire Cabinet today. Well, sure, now that April 15th has passed, they've all come out of hiding."

David Letterman: Top Ten Things Overheard In The Meeting Between Barack Obama And Hugo Chavez: "10. 'Dónde está 'el Presidente dumb-a#@?'

9. 'Sorry, Mr. President, they don't sell Marlboros here.'

  8. 'Let's get a picture of you shaking hands with Hugo Chavez to really piss off Rush Limbaugh.'

7. 'Mr. Chavez, I have a book for you too Artie Lange's 'Too Fat To Fish."

6. 'Does this breakup mean Lindsay Lohan is back to dating guys?'

5. 'Remember, you can't spell Hugo without "hug."'

4. 'I can't believe they killed Edie on "Desperate Housewives."'

3. 'Does Biden really think he's fooling anybody with those plugs?'

2. 'I think there's one thing we can both agree on there's a new star in the Hollywood galaxy by the name of Zac Efron.'

1. 'Is it too late for me to buy your Senate seat?'"

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