President Obama's Tuesday press conference focused primarily on events in Iran. The continued upheaval there, and the President's comments, led all three broadcast network newscasts Tuesday evening, and dominate today's front-page headlines. Reports agree that the President's comments were his toughest to date on the ongoing Iran crisis.
ABC World News reported President Obama "escalated his criticism of Iran's crackdown on protesters opposed to the outcome of the election, but he skirted the issue of how the unrest might affect future relations with Iran." Using his "most aggressive language yet," Obama condemned the "iron fist" of the Iranian government "cracking down on those protesters, but he said it was too early to determine whether or not there would be consequences."
The President, NBC Nightly News reported, was "tougher than he has been on the Iran situation." The CBS Evening News said the President is still "choosing his words about Iran very carefully, and today he chose two more, appalled and outraged, his strongest words yet." Under the front-page headline "Obama Rips Iran In Tactical Shift," the Wall Street Journal says Obama "delivered his sharpest criticism of Iran's election and political crackdown, throwing into question his plan for diplomatic outreach to Tehran."
The New York Times, under the headline "Obama Assails Iron Fist In Iran Against Protesters," says the President "hardened his tone" using "unambiguous language" to "assail the Iranian government," but "beyond muscular words," says he "has limited tools for bringing pressure to bear." McClatchy notes that the remarks "came after days of Republican pressure to step up his criticism of Iran," but Obama "rejected the notion that he was responding to that pressure, saying he's been 'very consistent' in his remarks since Iran's disputed June 12 election."
The Los Angeles Times says Obama "particularly deplored the shooting of a young Iranian woman during a protest, horrific images of which were captured by a cellphone camera and broadcast around the world in the last 48 hours." The Washington Post says Obama "has sought to preserve his options for future dealings" with the current Iranian government, "assuming it survives. While his rhetorical message has sharpened, he has not called the June 12 election a fraud, refused to deal with the announced winner, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or spelled out sanctions Iran might face if it continues its crackdown on protesters."
Administration Reportedly Contacted Khamenei The Washington Times reports that "prior to this month's disputed presidential election in Iran, the Obama administration sent a letter to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for an improvement in relations, according to interviews and the leader himself."
Obama Dismisses Reports Of CIA Role The President yesterday also dismissed reports that the CIA has played a role in the post-election unrest. NBC Nightly News showed him saying, "They [the Iranians] have got some of the comments that I have made being mistranslated in Iran suggesting that I'm telling rioters to go out and riot some more. There are reports suggesting that the CIA is behind all of this. All of which are patently false."
Media coverage of President Obama's strong statement of support for a public option at his press conference on Tuesday generally cast his remarks as the opening round of a clash with the insurance industry. ABC and CBS both included coverage of healthcare reform in their Tuesday evening newscasts; ABC previewed an interview with the President, while CBS ran a skeptical report on the consequences of a public option.
The AP reports President Obama "squared off with the insurance lobby over industry charges that a government health plan he backs would dismantle the employer coverage Americans have relied on for a half-century and overtake the system." The "harsh exchange came after months of polite White House photo-ops at which the administration and insurers emphasized their search for common ground."
The New York Times reports Obama "argued that a government-run plan competing with private insurers would be an 'important tool to discipline insurance companies' and scoffed at complaints that it could drive some out of business." The Times adds that "two hours before Mr. Obama's news conference, the insurance industry fired off a new broadside against proposals for a public insurance plan." The Washington Times reports AHIP and BlueCross BlueShield Association "warned Congress Tuesday that creating a federally run health insurance plan that is open to the American public would destroy the free-market model of employer-provided health care."
The Wall Street Journal reports Obama also "signaled flexibility," suggesting "he is open to an overhaul that doesn't include a government-run program to compete with private insurers." USA Today reports Obama "challenged the health insurance industry Tuesday to drop its steadfast opposition to a government-run plan that could compete with private insurers to drive down costs in a revamped health care system." The Los Angeles Times reports Obama "ridiculed critics of his government-run insurance proposal, saying private insurers have nothing to fear if they are efficient and consumer-friendly."
Obama Tends Grassroots To Build Momentum The Washington Post reports that in "search of momentum," the President "and his troops are preparing for a prime-time broadcast Wednesday night and a weekend of grass-roots projects from canvasses to blood drives. Turning increasingly to the tactics that carried him into the White House, Obama is entering what his supporters say will be the largest-ever issues campaign."
White House Delegation Meets With Senate Democrats The Politico reports as Senate Democratic leaders "voiced increasing skepticism about reaching a bipartisan health care compromise, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and a high-powered delegation of administration officials huddled with key Democratic senators on Capitol Hill Tuesday." The Hill reports Senators "emerging from the meeting insisted that no decisions had been made about the contents of the healthcare reform bills, when to proceed or whether Democrats should abandon attempts to attract bipartisan support."
The meeting comes as Roll Call reports senators "conceded Tuesday that it appears increasingly unlikely that Congress will reach a bipartisan consensus on health care reform this year, with a rift growing over whether to include a government-run insurance option in the legislation."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
NBC Nightly News reported, "At his news conference today, President Obama was asked again about his struggle with smoking. And he said, again, he sometimes falls off the wagon." President Obama: "Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No. I don't do it in front of my kids. I don't do it in front of my family. And, you know, I would say that I am 95 percent cured, but there are times where, there are times where I mess up." The AP reports, "It was the first public acknowledgment from the president that he still hasn't completely kicked the habit. In the past, he had alluded to his three-decades-old habit without giving direct answers."
In its report, the Los Angeles Times writes, "It may not be as big as 'read my lips,' but it's shaping up as a notable broken campaign promise: Barack Obama's pledge to his wife that he would quit smoking if she let him run for president." But the New York Daily News writes, "Experts say cut the guy a break - it's understandable."
The AP reports Vice President Biden said "a new government council will help auto industry workers transition to new manufacturing opportunities, including jobs in alternative energy." President Obama "was expected to sign an executive order Tuesday that establishes the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers." The council will "be chaired by one of the president's top economic advisers, Lawrence Summers, and his labor secretary, Hilda Solis."
Energy Department Announces Automaker Loans AFP reports the US government "will loan 5.9 billion dollars to Ford Motor Co. and 1.6 billion dollars to Japanese automaker Nissan to invest in improving the fuel economy of their US-built vehicles, officials said Tuesday." The loans "are the first awarded out of a 25-billion-dollar program to help automakers meet upcoming fuel efficiency standards, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said at a press conference." Another "465 million dollars will be loaned to electric sports car maker Telsa."
The Wall Street Journal reports it is "unclear whether Americans will embrace electric vehicles and when the market will be ready for them." And "any significant price premium over a similar-sized gas model could crimp sales -- especially if gas prices remain relatively low. Most auto makers haven't disclosed pricing plans for electric models, though General Motors Corp. has said its Chevrolet Volt is likely to cost about $40,000."
The Financial Times reports the funding "is another example of how Ford has benefited by not joining General Motors and Chrysler, its two Detroit-based rivals, in asking for direct government bail-outs." The New York Times reports General Motors and Chrysler bankruptcies "made them ineligible for the first round of loans but they are expected to be approved in later rounds."
The Wall Street Journal reports House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "has scheduled a vote Friday on a sprawling climate-change bill, signaling the Democratic leadership's confidence that it can overcome objections from Farm Belt Democrats." Opponents and supporters "of landmark climate legislation are ramping up their public-relations campaigns ahead of the planned vote."
The Hill reports Pelosi "is moving forward with a floor vote on climate change legislation this week even though many Democrats are undecided on the controversial bill." Pelosi's "gamble to schedule a Friday vote is one of the riskiest moves she has made as Speaker." Roll Call also reports that while Pelosi "didn't have a deal to secure its passage" when the vote was scheduled, "she appeared to have one Tuesday evening when aides said an agreement had been struck between" Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman and Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson, "who was leading a key bloc of moderate opponents."
The Washington Post reports the House Rules Committee "unveiled the latest version of the bill, which weighs in at 1,201 pages. It features new items such as $7.5 billion in 'green bonds' for a new federal financing agency called the Clean Energy Deployment Administration, extra emission allowances for politically powerful rural electric cooperatives, greater flexibility for states that want to use free allowances for mass transit, and tweaks benefiting a range of companies, including algae-based biofuel producers and major petroleum refiners."
The New York Times reports "several significant issues" are "still unresolved but with Democratic leaders expressing confidence that they will muster the votes to pass it." President Obama "endorsed the measure on Tuesday at a White House news conference, calling it 'extraordinarily important.'"
Roll Call (reports House Democrats "struck a deal on climate change legislation Tuesday evening, clearing the path for final House passage on Friday." Waxman and Peterson "announced their agreement after emerging from a closed-door meeting with the fiscally conservative Blue Dogs." The Politico reports under the deal, "the U.S. Department of Agriculture will oversee the offset program for farmers, and the House will seek further guidance from the Obama administration about the appropriate role for the EPA."
The New York Times says documents "gathered by lawyers for the families of Sept. 11 victims provide new evidence of extensive financial support for Al Qaeda...by members of the Saudi royal family." The case "has put the Obama administration in the middle of a political and legal dispute, with the Justice Department siding with the Saudis in court last month in seeking to kill further legal action. Adding to the intrigue, classified American intelligence documents related to Saudi finances were leaked anonymously to lawyers for the families."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
The AP reports, "Mark Sanford's aides said he was stunned by all the fuss over his five-day absence and would cut short a secretive hike along the Appalachian Trail. State officials and even his wife said they had no idea where he went over Father's Day weekend, and not everyone is buying his explanation. Columbia, South Carolina's, The State reports, "Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor called chief of staff Scott English on Tuesday morning, and was surprised by the attention. ... But there are still unanswered questions about Sanford's whereabouts, from his exact location on the Appalachian Trail to why the governor, a father of four, would leave town over Father's Day weekend." NBC Nightly News reported that "the heat is coming down on" Sanford "for apparently literally taking a hike." NBC's Mark Potter added that "Officials said a ping from his cell phone was detected late last week in Atlanta before the phone was shut off. As a result tongues are wagging." Meanwhile, in a story headlined "Legislators have trouble believing Sanford's story," The Hill reports, "South Carolina Republicans are having trouble swallowing" the Governor's "explanation that he spent the last several days hiking the Appalachian Trail, and they say questions remain."
The AP reports, "Conservative Republican Dan Proft is running for Illinois governor. A political commentator on WLS radio, Proft announced Tuesday he's in the race because Illinois needs new leadership. He promised to take on the top Democrats who control the state." In a blog posting, the Chicago Tribune reported, "Proft's political background includes serving as an aide to unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes, who lost to Barack Obama in 2004. The following year, Proft was a top aide to Larry Dominick's successful run for mayor of Cicero."In a blog posting, CQ Politics reported, "Proft will be running in the Feb. 2, 2010 Republican primary along with state Sens. Bill Brady and Matt Murphy; Bob Schillerstrom, the chairman of the county board in suburban DuPage County; Joe Birkett, a the top prosecutor in DuPage County and the losing Republican nominee for state Attorney General in 2002 and lieutenant governor in 2006; businessman Adam Andrzejewski; and Frank Edwards, a city councilman in Springfield."
CNN reported in its 'Political Ticker' blog, "When a leading Republican public official visits New Hampshire and Iowa back-to-back, it sparks speculation of a 2012 run for the Republican presidential nomination. And that's exactly what" Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) is "doing this week." However, Barbour "is playing down talk of presidential politics. CQ Politics reports, "Asked later to clarify whether he meant that he wouldn't run in 2012, Barbour shot back, 'I don't think I said that.' It was not the first time that Barbour has left open the door to a run. 'He's a potential candidate. It is as wide open as its been in many, many years for the 2012 nomination,' said Craig Shirley, a Republican consultant who has worked in party politics and advised GOP presidential contenders."The Washington Post reported in its 'The Fix' blog that "Barbour dined with a handful of senior" GOP "strategists Monday night in Washington, a gathering certain to further stoke talk of" Barbour's "interest in a 2012 race. The attendees at the dinner...included former Bush White House political director Sara Taylor, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, Club for Growth founder Steve Moore, president of the 2008 Republican National Convention Maria Cino, American Gas Association executive vice president Rick Shelby, former Bob Dole campaign manager Scott Reed and lobbyist Ed Rogers."
Sign up here to get the US News Political Bulletin emailed to you each morning at 8 a.m.
Top
Conan O'Brien: "The Navy has dispatched a destroyer named the USS John McCain to deal with the North Korean ship that may have illegal weapons. Well, actually, the Navy didn't dispatch the John McCain, it just kind of wandered off on its own."
Conan O'Brien: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced he is not "going to run for governor of California. ... Villaraigosa realized he had no chance of becoming governor of California because he was born in this country and you can understand every word he says."
David Letterman: Bernie Madoff "could be going away for 150 years. Whoa, man, that's a long time. When he gets out, the Republicans could be back in."
David Letterman: South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's wife "had no idea where the guy was for four days. And today he gets a call from Bill Clinton saying, 'Hey, who's your travel agent? How do I get in on this?'"
David Letterman: "Here's a big story, ladies and gentlemen: Yesterday, there was an earthquake in Alaska. I'm kind of afraid to say anything."
Jimmy Fallon: "Everybody, the Department of Homeland Security says that they will no longer use any US spy satellites for domestic surveillance. In other words, yes, they will."
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.
