George Wenschhof
Hillary Clinton in Pakistan - the Secretary of State is visiting to repair differences after the covert U.S. action inside Pakistan resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden. She is joined by Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Mike Mullen. Time.com has more here.
The visit comes as Pakistan announces it will allow U.S. forensic C.I.A. teams to further investigate the Bin Laden compound. The Washington Post has more here.
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Russia Offers Mediation in Libya - at the G-8 meeting in France, Russian President Demitry Medvedev said Gaddafi must go and offered to mediate. This offer comes after the G-8 pledged 20 Billion in aid to new Arab democracies. Reuters.com has more here.
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Alabama Republican State Representative Switches to Democratic Party Over Law Aimed at Teachers - Daniel Bowman, who just won a seat in the state legislature in November, has switched due to a law pushed by Republicans which weakens tenure for state teachers and makes it easier to fire them. TPM.com has more here.
Democratic leaders view this switch which comes after the Democratic upset win in the NY Dist. 26 race as another sign Republican actions have been too draconian of late.
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Patriot Act Extension Signed By Obama - Congress waited until the last day to pass the extension, sending it to President Obama for signature. Obama, who is in Europe, was expected to approve the four year extension by electronic signature. TheHill.com has more here.
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Palin To Begin Bus Tour in D.C. on Sunday - the bus tour will head up the northeast coast and is entitled the "One Nation Tour". The plan is to visit historical sites which were pivotal in the development of the United States. ABC News has more here.
Let's hope she knows her history better than Representative Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who used what happened in Massachusetts with the "shot heard round the world" while in New Hampshire.
Regardless, the tour keeps her White House bid rumors alive and her money making machine going.
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Mitt Romney to Announce June 2 - the Republican front runner will make it official next Thursday, in New Hampshire. His organization and fund raising capabilities will make him tough to beat in the Republican Party battle for the presidential nomination. The Washington Post has more here.
However, the magical "it" that is needed for a candidate to win, Romney does not have and he can not beat President Obama.
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Rick Santorium To Announce on June 6 - the former Pennsylvania Senator will join the cattle call of candidates vying for the Republican Party nomination for president. Don't look to see him catch on. Politico.com has more here.
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Friday, May 27, 2011
Daily Political Wire
Friday, May 20, 2011
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Netanyahu Rejects 1967 Borders Proposed By Obama - Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Obama and also address a joint session of Congress today. This comes after Obama delivered his Middle East speech yesterday in which he continued to call for a two state solution for Israel and Palestine. BBC News has more here.
The heavily nuanced speech covered many controversial issues. Obama stopped short of calling for UN recognition of Palestine as a state with pre 1967 six day war borders, which is what Palestine has been asking for from the UN. Instead, Obama called for mutually agreed upon land swaps moving toward the 1967 borders. President Obama was right to bring up the 1967 pre-war borders as a discussion point.
Remember, it was during vice-President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, a year ago, to announce proximity peace talks between Israel and Palestine, Israel announced new building permits for the West Bank. This was considered a slap to the U.S. efforts to broker peace and contributed to the proximity peace talks eventually breaking down. With the Netanyahu visit, the Obama speech was perhaps tit-for-tat.
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Palin Remains Coy About Presidential Bid - appearing on her favorite Fox News channel, she told Greta Van Sustren "she has the fire in her belly", but is concerned about the scrutiny one faces when they run for president - huh? The Daily Caller has more here.
She will be tempted as the GOP field is weak, but don't look to see her run. She is making plenty of money on the talk circuit.
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Senate Republicans Block Liu Appointment - President Obama had nominated Goodwin Liu for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The vote to break the filibuster was 52-43 and largely along party lines. TheHill.com has more here.
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House Dems Want Warren Recess Appointment - they want Elizabeth Warren to be appointed to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau during Congressional recess to avoid a confirmation vote which would surely fail. Warren pushed for the inclusion of this agency in the Finance reform bill which was passed last year. Republicans opposed the creation of this agency. Politico.com has more here.
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Patriot Act Extended - yesterday, in what was a fairly quiet move, Congressional leaders agreed to extend by four years provisions in the Patriot Act which helps the F.B.I. in it's counter terrorism and surveillance efforts. The NY Times has more here.
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