Obama To Honor Troops As Iraq Combat Mission Ends
The Associated Press reports: “As President Barack Obama prepares to officially end the lengthy and divisive U.S. combat operation in Iraq, he’ll personally thank some of the soldiers who fought there for their service to a mission he forcefully opposed from the start. Many of those soldiers deployed from Fort Bliss, the sprawling Army base in El Paso, Texas, that Obama will visit Tuesday. After speaking with the troops, Obama will return to Washington to address the nation and formally end a combat mission in Iraq that lasted more than seven years, leaving more than 4,400 U.S. troops dead and thousands more wounded.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will depart form the White House at 8:30 a.m. ET, and depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 8:45 a.m. ET. He will arrive at 12:30 p.m. ET in El Paso, Texas, and he will meet with troops at Fort Bliss Army Base at 1:10 p.m. ET. He will depart from El Paso at 2:20 p.m. ET, and arrive back at Andrews Air Force Base at 5:55 p.m. ET, and at the White House at 6:10 p.m. ET. He will address the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. ET, on the official end of the American combat mission in Iraq.
Boehner To Speak Against Obama On Iraq
Politico reports: Hours before President Barack Obama’s address to the nation on Iraq, House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio will challenge the commander-in-chief caustically for his handling of the Middle East. ‘Some leaders who opposed, criticized, and fought tooth-and-nail to stop the surge strategy now proudly claim credit for the results,’ Boehner says in remarks prepared for delivery to the American Legion’s 92nd national convention, in Milwaukee. ‘[T]oday we mark not the defeat those voices anticipated – but progress.'”
Boehner: GOP Majority Still An ‘Uphill Climb’
The Hill reports: “House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Republicans still face an ‘uphill climb’ to take back the House, even as his party took its widest-ever lead in a key poll. Boehner sought on Monday to manage expectations that his party would take the 39 seats necessary in November’s midterm elections to win back the House, a victory that would likely make him Speaker. ‘We’ve got real opportunity,’ Boehner said during an appearance on the conservative Sean Hannity radio show. The top House Republican cautioned, though, that winning back the House is not a foregone conclusion.
‘Young Guns’ Book Includes Ryan’s Entitlement Plan
Roll Call reports that Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget roadmap, which includes Social Security privatization will be included in an upcoming book by member of the GOP leadership: “The proposed entitlement overhaul by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), known as the Roadmap for America’s Future, is featured with many GOP solutions for the debt, national security and health care in ‘Young Guns,’ according to an early edition of the book obtained by Roll Call. Ryan, Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Chief Deputy Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) wrote the book. The three divided the majority of the writing into separately authored sections, but the inclusion of the entitlement plan indicates an implied endorsement by at least some of the GOP leadership.”
Wall Street Donors Deserting Obama
The New York Times reports on the switch of many Wall Street political donors who supported President Obama two years ago, but have gone over to the Republicans: “Less than two years ago, Democrats received 70 percent of the donations from Wall Street; since June, when the financial regulation bill was nearing passage, Republicans were receiving 68 percent of the donations, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group. But what is surprising is that some of the president’s biggest supporters have so publicly derided his policies, even at the risk of hurting their ability to influence the party in the future. Issues like the carry-interest tax on private equity or the Volcker Rule have become personal.”
