Democrats Put On Combat Boots
The Hill reports: “Welcome to Bizarro Washington, where Republicans are trusted to lead on the economy and President Obama is the man with the big stick who killed Osama bin Laden. For decades, the roles of the two major parties were clearly defined by voters: Republicans were strong on national security, and Democrats, the mommy party, were the anti-war crowd whose strength was the economy. Now that Obama can claim the scalp of bin Laden, voters, especially those under 30 years old, might be forced to reevaluate those traditional views.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and Obama will meet at 10:30 a.m. ET with senior advisers. At 3:15 p.m. ET, Obama will welcome the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride. Then at 4:30 p.m. ET, Obama will meet with Prince Charles.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will attend President Obama’s daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET. Then at 11 a.m. ET, he will meet with Budget Director Jacob Lew and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling to discuss fiscal policy. In the afternoon, he will meet with senior advisers.
Obama, Osama And The Foreign Policy Stature Gap
The Washington Post reports: “The potential Republican presidential field contains five former governors, one current governor, a former Speaker of the House, a former senator, two sitting members of Congress and two businessmen. And of that dozen, there is not a single candidate with a deep reservoir of foreign policy experience to match President Obama. That chasm has widened in the days following the announcement Sunday that an operation approved by Obama had led to the death of Osama bin Laden.”
Tensions Rise As U.S. Officials Press Pakistan For Answers
The New York Times reports: “Tensions between the American and Pakistani governments intensified sharply on Tuesday as senior Obama administration officials demanded answers to how Osama bin Laden managed to hide in Pakistan, and the Pakistani government issued a defiant statement calling the raid that killed the Al Qaeda leader ‘an unauthorized unilateral action.’ John O. Brennan, the top White House counterterrorism adviser, said there were many questions about how the sprawling compound ‘was able to be there for so many years with Bin Laden resident there and it didn’t come to the attention of the local authorities.'”
Republicans Signal Moves On Debt Limit Hike
Reuters reports: “Republicans in the Congress on Tuesday signaled a willingness to raise the country’s credit limit ‘sooner rather than later’ and avoid a series of short-term measures that could damage the economy. In the face of intense pressure from business groups for a prompt and tidy handling of a statutory increase in how much the government can borrow, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner told reporters, ‘Why wait’ until the last minute for Congress to pass legislation.”
Hopes For ‘Gang Of Six’ Wane
Roll Call reports: “The much-hyped ‘gang of six’ is on the verge of being left behind. Democratic and Republican leaders have never been overly enthusiastic about the bipartisan group and have already started looking for other ways to cut a deal on the budget and raising the debt limit. And with the group still unable to reach an agreement despite months of negotiations, Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad said Tuesday he is prepared to go forward in his committee with a budget blueprint of his own as soon as next week.”
