Political Bulletin

WASHINGTON NEWS

Obama, Cheney Lay Out Views On Post-9/11 Policies

Most national media outlets are combining their coverage of yesterday's speeches by President Obama and Dick Cheney into a single story, casting the speeches as a showdown of sorts between Obama and the former vice president. All three network broadcasts led with the story, devoting a combined total of 28 minutes and 35 seconds to the speeches. NBC Nightly News called the dueling speeches "political theater" and "a virtual debate," while ABC World News referred to an "extraordinary and important debate." The CBS Evening News, meanwhile, reported, "We have never seen anything quite like this." Similarly, the Washington Post headlines its front-page story "In Dueling Speeches, A National Security Debate," and calls the speeches "the national security debate" the country "never had during last year's campaign. ... Presidential scholars could not recall another moment when consecutive administrations intersected so early and in such a public way." Fox News' Special Report called the dueling speeches "unprecedented at this or any other time of war."

The Wall Street Journal headlines its story "Face-Off Over Terror Fight," and the New York Times says the "dueling appearances amounted to real-time philosophical combat between competing national security visions." "Obama And Cheney Battle It Out" is the headline from The Politico, while the AP says "both men appeared to have written their speeches over crystal ball forecasts of what the other would say." Fox News' Special Report said Obama abandoned "all pretense of subtlety," while the AP refers to "two tough speeches." CNN's Situation Room reported that "the President essentially accused the Bush Administration of abandoning American values and bungling the war on terror."

Some commentators thought the President marginally helped his cause yesterday, but most said he appeared to have failed to change Senate Democrats' minds. On ABC World News, George Stephanopoulos, said that before the speech the President "was losing ground on that issue. I think he froze Democrats in place right now. But he's going to have to come out with a plan quickly in order to turn that around in the Congress." On NBC Nightly News, however, Andrea Mitchell said "the President failed to put out this firestorm because his allies on the Hill still say he has not given them the details that they want." CNN's Situation Room reported, "Congressional Democrats remain frustrated with the President for putting them in a vulnerable political position by asking for $80 million to close Guantanamo without a plan for prisoners there."

In a front-page analysis piece, the New York Times says Obama is "arguably on the defensive over policy for the first time since taking office," and "gambling that his oratorical powers can reassure the public that bringing terrorism suspects to prisons on American soil will not put the public in danger." USA Today reports that Obama "denounced those who he said have engaged in 'fear-mongering' for political purposes," and "emphasized that his main motivation is protecting the nation from future acts of terrorism."

Geithner: US Cannot Aid California Without New Legislation

The Los Angeles Times reports California has asked the White House "to provide loan guarantees for billions of dollars in emergency loans, saying it will soon run out of cash without help from Washington," but Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner "expressed doubt that he had the authority, without new congressional legislation, to aid the state" under the existing bailout program. McClatchy reports Geithner "told a House panel that federal law would not allow the Obama administration to act on its own. That's a blow to backers who had hoped to get quick approval from the Treasury Department, bypassing a fight in Congress." With a "poor credit rating and a deficit of more than $21 billion, California won Geithner's sympathy, but he said the state's budget woes are not unique."

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White House Planning To Guide GM Into Bankruptcy

The Washington Post reports the White House "is preparing to send General Motors into bankruptcy next week under a plan that would give the automaker tens of billions of dollars more in public financing." The Post says the plan, and preparations "to lift the nation's other faltering car company, Chrysler, from bankruptcy protection," are "landmarks in the Obama administration's attempt to broker a historic restructuring of the American auto industry in the space of months."

GM, UAW Reach Tentative Deal, But Bankruptcy Still Looms The Financial Times reports on its front page that GM and the United Auto Workers have "reached a deal that, among other concessions, paves the way for the embattled carmaker to contribute shares rather than cash to a new union-managed healthcare plan." The AP says the deal, which would cut "labor costs, close factories and change the way retiree health care is funded," could "ease one of GM's biggest problems: The cost of its work force. But the automaker is still struggling with a crushing debt that may drive it" into bankruptcy. The Wall Street Journal reports, "While GM faces a June 1 deadline from the U.S. Treasury to restructure out of court, company executives are aiming to file for bankruptcy by the deadline because they have been unable to reach a debt-for-equity agreement with bondholders, which the Treasury has mandated." The New York Times says "there appears to be little chance that the required 90 percent of bondholders will agree to its terms."

LaHood: White House Had No Role In Choosing Dealerships To Be Closed The Detroit News reports Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday that the White House "had no role in picking the auto dealerships that are being closed" by GM and Chrysler. LaHood said the CEOs of the two companies both told him "no pressure was put on them" to "close X number of dealerships or do it at a certain time."

Holiday Publication Notice.

Please be advised that the US News Political Bulletin will not publish Monday May 25, due to the Memorial Day Federal holiday. We will resume publication Tuesday.

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Cheney To Stump For GOP Candidates?

The Christian Science Monitor reports National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday that Dick Cheney "could be useful as a campaign surrogate in the upcoming battle to win senate seats depending 'on the circumstance and on the race.'" In a story headlined "Cornyn: Dick Cheney will help some GOP races," The Politico adds that Cornyn "praised...Cheney's growing role as the party's chief spokesman against President Barack Obama's national security policies. 'I think the vice president is controversial in some quarters, but there is nobody that knows better than he does what the threats are that are facing our nation and why it is necessary to take extraordinary measures that will affect our country,'" said Cornyn. The Senator "said whether Cheney should stump for GOP Senate candidates is up to each individual candidate to decide whether the former vice president's appearance would boost his or her campaign."

Obama Heading To California For Cash Call

President Obama will be heading out to the Sunshine State to provide a needed boost to his party's campaign coffers next week. The San Francisco Chronicle reports Obama will be in California on May 27 to "star" in a $3 million fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. CQ Politics reports the Republican National Committee raised $5.8 million in April, finished the month with $24.4 million in the bank, and no debt, while the Democratic National Committee brought in $4.5 million, had $9.1 million on hand, and $5.4 million in debt.

Deeds Gets Big Endorsement, But Still Trails McAuliffe In VA

In an editorial this morning, the Washington Post endorses Creigh Deeds over Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran in the Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary, saying, "Deeds's moderate platform would have the broadest appeal." However, CQ Politics reports that a SurveyUSA poll out yesterday shows McAuliffe leading that race with 37%, followed by Deeds with 26% and Moran with 22%, while a Research 2000 poll out yesterday shows McAuliffe on top with 36%, followed by Moran, 22%, and Deeds, 13%.

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POLITICAL HUMOR

The Latest From Late Night Comedians

Jay Leno: "Today, president Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney gave speeches on torture. Now, is it me or have we seen more of Dick Cheney in the last week than we did in the past eight years?"

Jay Leno: "I tell you," the "economy's in bad shape. Oh, the economy's hurting; economy is so bad, Joe Biden was outside the White House, selling maps to politicians' secret locations."

Jimmy Kimmel: "Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been in the news a lot this week, attacking President Obama. For eight years, this Dick Cheney never said two words, now all of a sudden he's like Regis, all over the place. He's been making so many speeches lately I'm starting to think he's not really dead."

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