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Political Circus: Kumar’s back

Posted on November 16, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — Politics is serious business — but not all of the time. From the halls of Congress to the campaign trail, there’s always something that gets a laugh. Here are some of the things you might have missed:

Take 2

Actor Kal Penn, better known as Kumar from the “Harold & Kumar” movies is back at the White House, ABC News reports. He left this summer to film another H&K movie.

The actor, whose real name is Kalpen Modi, began his duties on Monday as the associate director in the Office of Public Engagement. He served in a similar role prior to heading off to the movie set.

Who knew he had time to write another book?

President Obama’s children’s book, “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters” has been released.

The 31-page book, featuring illustrations of his daughters and his dog Bo, begins: “Have I told you lately how wonderful you are? How the sound of your feet running from afar brings dancing rhythms to my day?”

Proceeds from the book, which has a suggested retail price of $17.99, will be donated to a scholarship fund for children of fallen and disabled soldiers.

Notable quotable

“Hey have you heard that President Obama’s picture book for kids comes out tomorrow? That’s when you know things have changed right? When Bush writes a 500-page memoir and Obama hands in a coloring book” — Jimmy Fallon

No tea (conspiracy) for me

Bristol Palin is knocking down claims that there is a conspiracy by Tea Party activists to keep her on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” She has consistently received low scores throughout the show and yet remains in the top four.

Bristol Palin was quick to dismiss the notion that she’s only there because of her mother’s supporters. In an interview with E! News, she said “Think about all the people who hate my mom!”

I’ll have what the POTUS is having

CNN’s Eatocracy blog takes a look at just how first class the food is aboard Air Force One — complete with pictures and a critique from senior photojournalist Mark Walz.

Who knew there was an Air Force One tobasco sauce?

Picture you need to see

From Getty Images: Members of the U.S. Park Police arrest gay rights activist and former Army Lt. Dan Choi, who handcuffed himself to the fence of the White House during a protest Monday.

The protesters are calling on the Obama administration and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to keep their promise on repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ — the law banning gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military.

Headline of the day

“The Economy of the Aging Sex Kitten”

Late-night laughs

Conan O’Brien: “Recent reports suggest that passages from former President George W. Bush’s new book may have been lifted from other books … Yes especially the parts about Dumbledore and Voldemort.”

Jon Stewart: “[Cindy McCain is] against what ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ does but she’s for ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ No wonder they have so many houses! They need them to keep all their different beliefs in them.”

Jimmy Kimmell: “Sarah Palin’s reality show premiered last night on TLC. Huge ratings — 5 million viewers. It was the biggest premiere in the history of that network. If you didn’t see it, it’s basically ‘Jon and Kate’ plus about four meets ‘The Deadliest Catch’”

Political Circus: Kumar’s back

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Political Circus: Hotties in the House

Posted on November 12, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — Politics is serious business, but not all of the time. From the halls of Congress to the campaign trail, there’s always something that gets a laugh. Here are some of the things you might have missed.

I’m not just a pretty face!

Check out Politico‘s “10 Crushworthy New Reps” featuring Hansen Clarke, Colleen Hanabusa, Adam Kinzinger and Kristi Noem.

Kinzinger, described by many Hill staffers as “the new hottie on the block,” gets this glowing endorsement from writer Karin Tanabe:

“Why he’s crushworthy: He’s heroic. He won the U.S. Air Force Airman’s Medal for saving a woman’s life in 2007. Plus, we’ll say it: He’s handsome. A pilot and an Iraq war veteran, Kinzinger, in aviators and a flight suit, conjures up memories of Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun’ — which isn’t a bad thing!”

As for GOP rising star Noem from South Dakota? “She’s more than pretty. Noem isn’t just a strikingly attractive woman, she’s a strikingly attractive woman who can run a farm.”

‘A happy wife is happy life’

Republican Sen. John McCain’s wife, Cindy — a staunch supporter of gay rights — is featured in an ad for the NOH8 campaign championing the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

“Our political and religious leaders tell LGBT youth that they have no future,” she said in the ad, which features other celebrities. “They can’t serve our country openly.”

Her ad, though, could cause some issues at home. After all, her husband has signaled he is against repealing the law, which bars openly gay men and women from serving in the military.

From the Twitterverse

What’s in a name, you ask? McCain’s daughter Meghan has the answer.

@McCainBlogette: ” ‘Peter Sellers’ was my secret service nickname and has been my pseudonym at hotels for YEARS (whenever a crazy person threatening my family)”

The next South Beach Diet?

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and his wife are planning to write a vegan diet book called “The Cleveland Diet.”

It will detail Kucinich’s “evolution from eating a traditional meat-and-potatoes diet to eating no animal products,” according to the article.

Headline of the day

Gawker: “White House Undecided On Whether To Let Republicans Walk All Over Them”

Mama Grizzly’s Alaska, or the other way around?

Sarah Palin’s new reality show, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” premieres this Sunday on The Learning Channel. But it’s already being panned — especially by New York Daily News columnist David Hinckley.

“Whether you think Palin is America’s breath of fresh air or a lightweight opportunist, there can be no argument this show is way more Palin than Alaska,” he wrote. “If she were buying the time, she couldn’t have created a more flattering infomercial.”

Happy to be here? Raise your hands …

In this handout photo to Getty Images, members of the G-20 Economic Summit pose for their class shot. The photo was taken Friday at the fifth meeting of the G-20 group of nations in Seoul, South Korea.

Notable quotable

“President Obama is meeting with world leaders in South Korea today at the G-20 economic summit. John McCain heard ‘G-20,’ and he yelled ‘Bingo!’ ” — George Lopez

Late-night laughs

Stephen Colbert: “Wall Street hands out record bonuses. Poor people — get ready to be trickled down on.”

Jimmy Fallon: “This guy in Indonesia wrote this book about President Obama. … It’s 5,472 pages long — the thickest book in the world. The book is called ‘One of Obama’s Speeches.’ “

David Letterman: “I’ll say this — the president [George W. Bush] looks great now and is everywhere talking about his book. And he is being very candid: In one interview, he said that he used to do stupid things while he was drunk. But think about it: Who among us hasn’t had a couple of drinks and invaded Iraq?”

Political Circus: Hotties in the House

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2012 Senate battle already under way

Posted on November 5, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — Three days after Democrats took a whipping in the House in the midterm elections, jockeying has already begun in the next battle for the Senate, with Democrats — and even some Republicans — already feeling the heat.

Some lawmakers are already quietly discussing whether to run for re-election in two years. Thirty-three Senate seats are up for grabs in 2012, with 23 of those belonging to Democrats and the two independents who caucus with them.

It’s doubtful that the political climate will be as friendly in 2012 to Democrats as it was in 2006, when the party won back control of both the House and the Senate. Among those Democratic senators who could face challenging re-elections: Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Jim Webb of Virginia, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester of Montana, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Bill Nelson of Florida, and Sen.-elect Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

“There is no question that Democrats start the next cycle on the defensive. They’re defending more seats in some tough, red, territory,” said Nathan Gonzales, political editor at the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. “But at least Democrats have the advantage of time. We’re still a long way from the next elections and it’s impossible to know where the economy will be in two years.”

Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who is part of the Democrats’ coalition in the chamber, is also up for re-election. The big question is whether he’ll face one or two opponents.

But it’s not just Democrats who will be facing difficult re-elections.

While Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana survived a sex scandal in this year’s election, there’s no guarantee Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, also tainted by a sex scandal, will be as successful when he’s up for re-election in 2012. And Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who pulled an upset earlier this in year in the battle to succeed the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, will be in the Democrats’ sights next election.

But it’s not just Democrats that Republicans have to fear. The Tea Party movement successfully targeted incumbent GOP Sens. Bob Bennett of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska in this year’s primaries. While Murkowski may survive, thanks to a general election bid as a write-in candidate, the writing is on the wall for Republican lawmakers who have in the past been willing to compromise with Democrats and who may not be fiscally conservative enough for Tea Party activists.

Republican senators up for re-election who could come under attack by the Tea Party movement include, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Olympia Snowe of Maine, Richard Lugar of Indiana, Bob Corker of Tennessee, and even Brown, who received assistance from Tea Party activists in his election victory at the beginning of the year.

On Wednesday, Red State’s Erick Erickson, a CNN contributor, added Brown to his list of “Potential Tea Party Targets for 2012.” Tea Party supporters have issues with some of Brown’s votes since he was sworn in. Among national Tea Party groups, Tea Party Express took the lead this year in targeting what they call “Republicans in name only,” or RINOs.

“Hopefully the 2010 election results will cause more senators to see the light about excessive growth of government and deficit spending. So we will give them a chance to improve before we make them feel the heat in their re-election campaigns,” said Tea Party Express spokesman Levi Russell. “After the results this week, my guess is many senators will suddenly be more willing to adhere to conservative ideals.”

An influential conservative senator who bucked his party leadership when it came to primary battles for open Senate seats this year said he won’t be targeting fellow Republicans in the chamber in 2012.

“I have no intentions, at this point, of supporting primary challengers to any of my colleagues,” Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina told CNN’s John King on Wednesday.

“I think you may see primary challenges if our colleagues don’t do what we’ve promised as Republicans. And that’s to support constitutional limited government. I didn’t recruit any primary challengers this time. … But the people, I believe, will help us make those decisions.”

2012 Senate battle already under way

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Texas Dem fights for survival in GOP hotbed

Posted on October 8, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Waco, Texas (CNN) — The volunteers file into the steamy campaign headquarters wearing bright red Chet Edwards T-shirts. A group of old men pull their “Vets for Chet” hats down tight, waiting for the congressman to fire up the troops.

“I think they might have predicted our demise a little too soon,” an energetic Chet Edwards tells the crowd to a round of cheers.

A young volunteer turns to a friend and says he’s eager to help the long-term Democratic congressman because, “he needs all the help he can get.”

The dozens of supporters standing in the room know Rep. Chet Edwards is in the toughest fight of his political life.

Edwards has long defied the political odds in Texas — a Democrat repeatedly elected to Congress since 1990 in one of the most conservative districts in the country.

The district includes Waco and Bryan-College Station, home to Baylor and Texas A&M universities, both bastions of conservatism.

In 2004, John Kerry received 30 percent of the vote in Edwards’ congressional district. In 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama managed 32 percent. Each time, Chet Edwards was elected back to Congress.

Edwards is often called an “endangered species,” as many conservative Democrats have disappeared from the political landscape of Texas in the last 20 years.

His political survival skills even catapulted him to the shortlist of potential vice presidential nominees for President Obama in 2008.

Now, Edwards’ opponent doesn’t miss an opportunity to link Edwards to the unpopular president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The Republican challenger, Bill Flores, paints Edwards as part of the Washington establishment.

“Since Nancy Pelosi took over, Edwards votes with her 96 percent of the time,” said one Flores campaign advertisement.

Edwards said he feels comfortable as an underdog. “I think voters have known me for years and they’ve known I’ve always been independent.”

Edwards sounds like a Republican in his campaign commercials, criticizing Democrats for passing health care reform and for being too liberal.

“I think Democrats in Washington have tried to do too much,” he said. “I wish some of them had focused more on our economy.”

Edwards bills himself as an independent voice in tune with the conservative side of his constituents. It won him the endorsements of the National Rifle Association, the Texas Farm Bureau and many military veterans groups.

But the intense anti-incumbent, anti-Washington mood is blowing swiftly across the rural Texas prairie that makes up much of Edwards’ congressional district.

The lunchtime crowd at the Bunkhouse BBQ joint in Clifton, Texas, symbolizes the struggles Edwards is facing this election year.

Burl and Dianne Hammons describe themselves as independent conservatives who’ve supported Chet Edwards in the past.

They have a son in the military and the congressman’s support of military issues often won them over. But this year, the Hammons are voting for Republican Bill Flores, even though they admit they don’t know much about him.

“He’s [Edwards] done a lot of good, but he’s through. He’s finished. He’s moving into the Pelosi area. … That doesn’t get my vote,” Burl Hammons said.

The last month of the campaign promises to be intense. The Edwards campaign accused Flores of supporting plans to privatize veterans health care and Social Security.

Flores said that’s not true but said he does support giving veterans the choice to use private doctors at government cost if they don’t want to travel to a VA hospital.

According to Flores, those attacks show Edwards is in more trouble than he’s ever been before and the Flores campaign said this is the first time the “right kind” of Republican opponent has matched up against Edwards.

Flores grew up in the Texas Panhandle, graduated from Texas A&M and spent 30 years working in the energy industry. This is his first run for public office.

Flores’ attempts to paint Edwards as a Washington liberal appears to be working.

Back at the Bunkhouse BBQ joint, Kim Watkins remembers all the votes she cast for Edwards, but said the congressman has swung to the left.

“He’s a hometown boy — he’s been around a long time, but I think the Democratic roots are showing up a little more,” said Watkins.

The Edwards campaign said it’s starting to cut into Flores’ lead. According to the campaign’s internal polling, Flores had a 10-point lead in mid-September. Their poll this week says the congressman has cut the lead to four points.

But the Flores campaign fired back with its own internal polling taken September 23 that shows Flores with a 19-point lead.

Edwards is used to this story. He often jokes that his Republican opponents start measuring the drapes too soon.

“They’ve written my obituary in so many elections over the years,” he said.

Texas Dem fights for survival in GOP hotbed

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Henry in the House: Who Is Pete Rouse?

Posted on October 1, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Chicago, Illinois (CNN) — President Obama is going from a chief of staff dubbed “Rahmbo” who once sent a dead fish to a political opponent to the exact opposite: a shy, self-effacing guy known for being a gentle boss and a cat lover.

The style differences between outgoing chief Rahm Emanuel and incoming chief Pete Rouse could not be more stark. Emanuel is hard-charging and profane, often dispensing shrewd political advice with a string of F-bombs to accentuate the point.

Rouse is the low-key, behind-the-scenes player who carefully maps out each move in an understated and yet equally effective way. After all, he was the guy who while serving as then-Sen. Barack Obama’s chief of staff meticulously laid out an improbable but meticulous battle plan about how a largely unknown freshman senator could put together a winning presidential campaign.

In public, Rouse never took any victory laps after playing such a pivotal role in helping to get Obama elected as the nation’s first African-American president. He simply went back to work, this time as a senior adviser in the White House, with little fanfare — a perfect fit with the “No Drama Obama” style we came to know during the campaign.

Drama, of course, is Emanuel’s middle name. He’s loud and rarely shy about being quoted in the media — either named or unnamed — in stories highlighting his vast influence over the Obama agenda.

While there were some people inside the White House who privately chafed at that approach, the fact is there’s no denying that Emanuel’s efforts have brought Obama major successes in the first two years of the administration.

I remember being in Chicago, Illinois, almost exactly two years ago, right after the 2008 presidential election, and I remember Obama immediately pouncing on the opportunity to try and woo Emanuel into leaving his seat in the House of Representatives to become his chief of staff.

Emanuel confided in me and others at the time that he was severely conflicted because he really wanted to stay in the House and become the first Jewish speaker of the House someday. But Obama was tugging him in the other direction with another piece of history, the opportunity to steer the country back on course with once-in-a-generation policy changes like the $787 billion stimulus and landmark health care reform.

Admittedly the jury is still out on the Obama-Emanuel “Big Bang” approach to governing, that the severity of the financial crisis demanded swift, bold and unprecedented action. There are Republicans who believes they far overstepped their mandate, while there are Democrats who agree with the policies but are privately waiting to see the Nov. 2 midterm election results before they’re willing to say whether the approach made sense politically.

Emanuel jumped at the chance to be running the White House at such a pivotal time, and he never looked back much on the decision to bolt the House. And his approach has been at least partly vindicated with a series of legislative victories that most presidents would love to have for the history books.

“I think his leadership, his energy has helped us accomplish so much in helping our economy recover,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. “In passing landmark Wall Street reform, health care reform, credit card reform, student loan reform … there is not an important thing that has happened in this administration that we’ve been able to accomplish for the American people that has not involved heavily his signature.”

Nevertheless, there are senior people in the Democratic Party who privately believe that Emanuel’s win-at-all-costs mentality is perfect for the rough and tumble world of Chicago politics, but it is not the best long-term approach for the president as he tries to bring the country together heading into his 2012 re-election battle.

That’s why there is a feeling among some top Democrats that Rouse may wind up being more than just an interim White House chief of staff.

According to this theory, a couple of months of Rouse on the job may show the president that for all of Emanuel’s successes, a more low-key manner may be the best way to approach the next two years with either a Republican Congress or a severely weakened Democratic Congress.

Think of Erskine Bowles, the equally quiet and self-effacing White House chief of staff who helped President Clinton forge some legislative victories, such as a balanced budget, with a hostile Republican Congress.

Rouse’s fans note to me that he spent a few decades as a powerful staffer on Capitol Hill, and was known as the “101st Senator” during his days as top aide to then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, because of his quiet influence behind the scenes. He became known for sharp political instincts, fierce loyalty and absolute discretion on sensitive matters.

It’s important to remember that Daschle has deep ties to Obama. They bonded during the 2004 Senate campaign season, when Obama was first elected while Daschle lost his re-election bid. Daschle encouraged Obama to hire Rouse, who wanted to try something new, but was coaxed out of it by the freshman senator who clearly had designs on higher office.

Daschle later became the first major Democrat to encourage Obama to actually run for president when others were laughing at the notion, and it was Rouse who then carefully put together the playbook. He later played important behind-the-scenes roles in the presidential campaign and the presidential transition, and his power has only grown inside the White House.

“There is a complete loyalty and trust with somebody like Pete,” Gibbs said. “Pete’s strategic sense has played a big part in the direction of virtually every big decision that’s made inside of this White House. So I think the type of trust that the president and others throughout this administration have in Pete is enormous.”

Rouse is a bachelor who rarely seems to mind the long hours he has to put in at the office. Friends note that one of the only nonwork things that he goes on and on about is his love for Maine coon cats, which are “large and energetic,” according to catfacts.org.

Emanuel certainly brought plenty of energy to the job. I just can’t imagine him being a cat lover — or even a puppy lover for that matter.

Henry in the House: Who Is Pete Rouse?

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Obama, top Dems to huddle on way out

Posted on September 30, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — Top congressional Democrats will huddle with President Obama Thursday for one last strategy session before lawmakers leave Washington to campaign for their jobs.

As November election season nears, Democrats are dealing with voter anger about lingering high unemployment, two wars and a growing federal deficit.

Earlier this week, Obama had already appeared to be in campaign mode as he addressed a group at a town hall-style meeting in the yard of a home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

At the meeting Tuesday, Obama faced a range of questions but no matter the topic — education, small businesses, military veterans, clean energy — he repeatedly reminded listeners that the upcoming congressional elections would be their time to decide.

“I hope everybody is going to pay attention and do their homework and find out about candidates,” Obama said at the end of the hour-long event. “And I think what you’ll find is, is that when you’re making choices for governor and you’re making choices for Senate and Congress, that these choices are going to mean something.”

He encouraged people to ask themselves, “What direction do I want this country to go in?”

“Do I want to invest in our people, in our middle class and making it stronger, and our infrastructure and our education system and clean energy — is that one vision,” Obama said, “or are we just going to keep on doing the same things that got us into this mess in the first place?”

His stark portrayal of the stakes in November and his Thursday White House meeting with party leaders comes as polls show likely losses for Democrats, with a possibility they could lose their majority in the House.

Obama, top Dems to huddle on way out

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Meek gets a hand from pal Clinton

Posted on September 9, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — It’s been a long time since U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek and former President Clinton met at the Suwanee Swifty store in Tallahassee, Florida.

Clinton, during his 1992 presidential bid, needed to make a stop for deodorant after landing at the airport. Meek, then a state trooper, was assigned to Clinton’s detail and accompanied the Arkansas governor.

It’s a visit both would remember for a long time — and something that would solidify a friendship lasting nearly two decades.

“We stopped at the Suwanee Swifty on Lake Bradford Road, where then-Gov. Clinton picked up some underarm deodorant roll-on. And he commenced putting it on in front of the Suwanee Swifty. As the protector of the governor, I didn’t want him to go down putting on roll-on, but we bonded through the process,” Meek recently told reporters.

A year later, Clinton, now president, was in Miami for an event at a hotel, and Meek, still a state trooper, was again part of Clinton’s security detail. As the two were walking, the president turned around to Meek and made a comment along the lines of “We’re a long ways away from Suwanee Swifty,” said Adam Sharon, Meek’s campaign communications director.

“I think that really just stood out for him as being a remarkable memory — that President Clinton in all that he had gone through that year to become president — remembers a moment in time from a year prior with Kendrick, who was a state trooper at the time,” Sharon said.

Meek, 44, now faces a tough battle to become Florida’s next senator. The Democrat, first elected to Congress in 2002, faces off against Gov. Charlie Crist, an independent, and Republican Marco Rubio.

When I first met Kendrick Meek, I knew he had the potential to become a strong leader and a fine public servant.
–Former President Clinton
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The congressman has received overwhelming support from Clinton on the campaign trail and at fundraisers before the August 24 Democratic primary. Meek squared off against billionaire Jeff Greene and won the race by double digits.

Clinton has made nine appearances for Meek. On Tuesday, the ex-president headlined a fundraiser that raked in $175,000, according to the campaign.

Clinton repeatedly has heaped praised on Meek, who represents the 17th Congressional District in South Florida.

“Almost 20 years ago, when I first met Kendrick Meek, I knew he had the potential to become a strong leader and a fine public servant,” Clinton said in a statement on Meek’s election website. “Kendrick has spent the last two decades faithfully serving the people of Florida, staying true to his core beliefs and giving everything he has to improving the lives of others.”

At a campaign event in Delray Beach in mid-August, Clinton said flat-out, “I love Kendrick Meek,” adding that “I also believe in my heart that he should be the next United States senator from Florida.”

And part of that love seems to stem from their commitment to Haiti.

Meek has been a vocal advocate on issues affecting the struggling nation. The former president’s affection for the nation and its people goes back to his honeymoon spent in the country and to his recent work there helping earthquake victims.

“There are many ways that they have come together. Obviously Florida is a critical state for any election and politics in general — but Haiti as well,” said Sharon, the campaign communications director. “Kendrick has always stood out as a leader on issues affecting the Haitian-American community and the nation of Haiti. Obviously, President Clinton has had a very long and deep tie to that nation and now in many ways more than ever.”

And then there is the relationship that further developed during the 2008 presidential election.

Kendrick spent months with the ex-president on the campaign trail in support of Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid.

The congressman said at the time that she was the Democratic candidate with the “perfect blend of leadership, talent and intellect to lead our nation in a new direction,” according to a Clinton campaign press release. He added that it was his “honor” to endorse her to become the next president.

Meek also was a senior adviser to the campaign.

His ringing endorsement and campaign help was certainly not lost on Clinton’s husband, a man known for cherishing loyalty among his ranks.

“Often on campaigns, that’s where relationships are only further cemented, and the ties become that much stronger,” Sharon said. “In all sorts of ways he has shown his support of Kendrick, and in large part it’s due to a friendship that is long-lasting, stretching back now almost two decades when both men were at different stages in their lives.”

Meek gets a hand from pal Clinton

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Mitchell: ‘Window of opportunity’ in Mideast

Posted on September 1, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — Fresh off a major speech on Iraq, President Obama on Wednesday turns his attention to the extremely difficult task of trying to broker Mideast peace, with his special envoy declaring there is a “window of opportunity” for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to achieve an historic deal within one year.

Former Sen. George Mitchell, Obama’s special envoy for Middle East Peace, told reporters at a briefing Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are paying close attention to polls in the Mideast which show fear there will be many more years of intense conflict if negotiations over a two-state solution collapse.

“Now, I believe that it is an awareness of these and other realities by the two leaders and their leadership that there is a window of opportunity,” said Mitchell. “A moment in time within which there remains the possibility of achieving the two-state solution, which is so essential to comprehensive peace in the region, that — difficult as it may be for both leaders, and we recognize that difficulty for both of them — the alternatives for them and the members of their societies pose far greater difficulties and far greater problems in the future.”

Several top officials close to the negotiations said it is hard to be optimistic about a peace deal right now, but hope springs eternal because at least the Israelis and Palestinians are meeting again after a year and a half of stalled talks. And Obama is getting more personally invested in the process this week because achieving a deal is one of his administration’s top foreign policy goals.

The officials close to the negotiations say that nobody directly involved in the talks is expecting an actual peace treaty to be brokered this week, over the course of two days of negotiations between Netanyahu and Abbas. They are joined by other key players from the region coming to Washington to move the talks along, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan.

Instead, officials are hopeful that by the end of the talks on Thursday there will be a statement revealing that a second round of talks will begin in the near future, possibly in the Middle East in order to build international confidence that they’re able to move the talks along without being too dependent on the United States to keep pushing it.

“The biggest breakthrough would be an agenda [emerging Thursday] for a second round of meetings soon to move forward,” said one top official actively engaged in the talks.

Mitchell is acutely aware of the need for the United States to walk a careful balance of staying engaged in the talks but not overwhelming or overshadowing the Israelis and Palestinians.

The envoy said there needs to be “active and sustained United States participation so that we are not on some distant sideline cheering the parties on without active participation, but at the same time we recognize that this is a bilateral negotiation, and in the end the parties must make this decision by and for themselves.”

There are all kinds of potential roadblocks to a deal, including the fact that the Palestinian view of having its own state includes getting back the land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war, and the Palestinians want East Jerusalem to serve as its capital. Netanyahu has expressed openness about a Palestinian state in theory, but that support would come with heavy conditions, including a desire to not let the Palestinians take East Jerusalem.

Another big impediment could come from the fact that Israel’s 10-month moratorium on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank will expire September 26. Abbas has declared that the peace negotiations will end if Israel does not extend the freeze, while Netanyahu is under great pressure within his country to end the moratorium.

“Our position on settlements is well known, and it remains unchanged,” Mitchell said Tuesday when asked about the moratorium. “We’ve always made clear that the parties should promote an environment that is conducive to negotiations.”

Mitchell also declared that Obama has taken a very active, personal role in trying to broker a deal in public as well as in private and said he “will continue to be fully and actively a participant in the process, as necessary. He has many, many important obligations, but he places a high priority on comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

That personal engagement intensifies Wednesday as Obama holds a series of one-on-one meetings with Netanyahu, Abbas, King Abdullah, as well as President Mubarak. After that series of meetings, Obama will make a public statement without the other leaders at the White House.

Later on Wednesday, Obama will make another public statement at the White House but this time he is expected to be joined by the four leaders. Then the five of them will have a private dinner at the White House, joined by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who now serves as the Quartet representative trying to help make progress toward Mideast peace. The Middle East Quartet consists of the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union.

Then on Thursday, Obama will pull back from a direct role and have Secretary of State Hillary Clinton convene a meeting at the State Department between Netanyahu, Abbas, and their delegations. Follow that meeting, Mitchell is expected to make a public statement revealing where the negotiations stand.

Mitchell reiterated that the president is confident, based in part by public and private statements from both Netanyahu and Abbas, that a final deal could be achieved within one year. “We think it is realistic,” he said. “We think it can be done.”

Mitchell added, “It’s very important to create a sense that this has a definite concluding point,” he said. “And we believe that it can be done and we will do everything possible, with perseverance and patience and determination, to see that it is done.”

Mitchell: ‘Window of opportunity’ in Mideast

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Primary votes in Louisiana, West Virginia

Posted on August 27, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

(CNN) — Primary voters are set to head to the polls this weekend, this time in Louisiana and West Virginia.

In Louisiana, GOP Sen. David Vitter is expected to easily overcome a primary challenge Saturday in his first appearance on the ballot since a 2007 prostitution scandal.

In West Virginia, voters are choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for a November special election to replace the late Sen. Robert Byrd, a Democrat.

Vitter is being opposed in the Republican primary by former state Supreme Court Justice Chet Traylor and Nick Accardo. Tulane University political science professor Brian Box said after Traylor’s last-minute entry into the race, “it seemed like it could be an interesting primary.”

When he announced his challenge, Traylor said that “we wouldn’t be in this position if we had a senator who could get results.” He ran a radio ad targeting Vitter over “family values,” and cited a Vitter aide’s arrest on domestic abuse charges.

But with little money and questions raised about Traylor’s past, Box said that, in the end, Traylor’s campaign “never became anything.”

With polls showing him holding a large lead, Vitter has spent most of his time in the primary focusing on the general election, not his Republican opposition.

Vitter’s advertising “is almost entirely against [likely Democratic nominee Charlie] Melancon,” Box said. “There was nothing against Republicans.”

Melancon, the congressman from Louisiana’s 3rd District outside New Orleans, is the favorite in the Democratic Senate primary against Cary Deaton and Neeson Chauvin.

The nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report rates the general election as “favored Republican.”

Several U.S. House primaries are also on the Louisiana ballot, including the race for candidates seeking Melancon’s seat. Republicans believe they have a chance to pick up the seat, the only one in the state currently in Democratic hands. Box said three major Republican candidates have been competing, “trying to out-tea party each other.”

Meanwhile, four Democrats are competing to challenge vulnerable GOP Rep. Joseph Cao in his New Orleans district. The race has been targeted by national Democrats as a seat considered vulnerable in November. The seat was held by Democrats until Cao was elected to replace former Rep. William Jefferson, who is serving a 13-year prison term after his conviction on corruption charges.

Cao initially voted with House Democrats on health care reform, but voted against the final version of the bill.

“Cao is in a lot of trouble,” Box said. Democrats have focused “so much on defending turf, [but] this is a chance for a pickup.”

In West Virginia, both parties will select nominees for the general election race for the seat of Byrd, who was serving his ninth term in the Senate when he died in June at age 92.

Gov. Joe Manchin is expected to win the Democratic nomination over two opponents, including 95-year-old Ken Hechler. Hechler was a four-term secretary of state and represented West Virginia in the U.S. House from 1959 to 1977.

On the GOP side, 10 candidates are competing for the nomination, including businessman John Raese, who was defeated by Byrd in 2006.

Primary votes in Louisiana, West Virginia

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Will Obama take the plunge in Florida?

Posted on August 14, 2010 by admin| Comments Off

Washington (CNN) — There’s really only one big question hanging over President Obama’s weekend vacation to Panama City, Florida: Will he or won’t he dive into the water to send a message that the Gulf Coast is back?

“Absolutely, I want him to take his shirt off and get in the water and show it’s clean and safe,” said Stephen Leatherman, a professor at Florida International University in Miami who puts together an annual list of America’s best beaches.

Leatherman rates the beach there as one of the top 10 in the country, and he said Obama has a unique opportunity to showcase the fact that the Gulf Coast is still open for business despite the worst oil spill in American history.

“It’s got lily-white sand, and frankly the oil didn’t really make it there — it was pretty well spared,” said Leatherman, who noted that the water is 87 or 88 degrees because of the steamy Florida weather, making it conducive to at least a quick presidential plunge.

“There is no better symbol than the president of the United States showing us the way,” Leatherman said.

But White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was cagey Friday when reporters asked whether the president will take a swim during the first family’s 27-hour mini-vacation.

“Stay tuned,” said Gibbs, who grew slightly impatient and a bit bemused about getting so many queries about something as seemingly minor as a presidential swim.

“Look, he’s going to have some fun,” Gibbs said. “Whether or not he gets in the water is up for clearly some debate. But, look, he will have an opportunity to enjoy … the physical beauty of the Gulf and do some work at the same time.”

Mindful that Obama caused a bit of a tabloid stir when he took off his shirt to reveal a muscular physique during trips to Hawaii during the 2008 presidential campaign and subsequent presidential transition, Gibbs turned it around on reporters and wondered whether they would bare their midriffs this weekend.

“Are you bringing your suits?” Gibbs said with a smile.

But Leatherman suggested it’s no joking matter because the president’s decision to swim or not to swim will carry tremendous symbolic weight.

“I think it’s very important that he gets into the water because I think there’s this feeling that if you get in, you’re going to get contaminated or get all kinds of diseases,” he said.

This will be the president’s fifth trip to the Gulf region since the April 20 explosion that sparked the horrific oil disaster. The trip is already generating criticism over whether Obama is giving the region short shrift by spending only parts of Saturday and Sunday in Panama City.

White House officials announced the trip earlier this summer after critics wondered why the president and first lady had urged Americans to vacation in the Gulf but originally chose Bar Harbor, Maine, and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, as the only locations for their own sojourns.

Now, the criticism has shifted to whether 27 hours in Panama City is too quick of a jaunt, and the Republican National Committee released a statement Friday that also said Obama has included Florida in only a couple of his trips to the region in recent months.

“It’s nice to see the president take the time out of his busy schedule of golf games and campaign fundraisers to clear his conscience and visit Florida for only the second time since the oil crisis began,” RNC spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said. “As he meets with business owners in the Panhandle, it seems like the perfect opportunity for him to explain how his reckless spending, tax increases, and government takeover of health care are supposed to help the Gulf’s devastated economy. Not even the Sunshine State can put a positive light on the president’s failed liberal policies that have sunk his approval ratings to an all-time low.”

The president will be accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama and their younger daughter Sasha — big sister Malia is still away at camp and will not be in Florida. Obama will also be joined by his Gulf Coast recovery chief, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, to try to show the administration is committed to a long-term turnaround.

Gibbs largely deflected questions about whether the trip was too short, saying the president is focused on promoting the “health of the region” with the vacation.

“Tourism in Florida and along the Gulf Coast is the economy,” Gibbs told reporters Friday. “This is an opportunity to highlight the notion that this important region of the country is still doing well and open for business.”

While Leatherman said he does think the trip seems too short, Obama should be applauded for carving out some time to help the region.

“I think it’s basically a photo-op, isn’t it?” said Leatherman. “But I still think it’s a good thing for the president to come down and show the world that it’s clean and safe. That will go a long way to helping the Gulf Coast.”

Leatherman added: “The best thing that could happen is the president saying, ‘I’m going in!’ And I don’t mean damn the torpedoes. I mean him saying, ‘It’s clean and safe, and I’m going in the water!’ “

He concluded that it’s a good thing the president is visiting one of the nation’s best beaches in the summer instead of earlier in the year.

“It’s also one of the best spring break beaches, but I don’t recommend going then,” Leatherman said. “I went once, and there were 500,000 people there. I don’t know if it was actually 500,000 all at once, but it felt like it.”

Will Obama take the plunge in Florida?

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