Obama: Vilsack ‘Jumped The Gun’ On Sherrod
In an interview with ABC News, President Obama said that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack “jumped the gun” in the firing of Shirley Sherrod. “He jumped the gun, partly because we now live in this media culture where something goes up on YouTube or a blog and everybody scrambles,” said Obama. He also added: “I’ve told my team and I told my agencies that we have to make sure that we’re focusing on doing the right thing instead of what looks to be politically necessary at that very moment. We have to take our time and think these issues through.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 11 a.m. ET, and meet at 11:30 a.m. ET with senior advisers. He does not have any public events scheduled for today.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will be in Columbia, South Carolina. At 12 p.m ET, he will participate in the dedication ceremony for the Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library, where he will be joined by former Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC), House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) and Rep. John Spratt (D-SC). At 1:30 p.m. ET, he will attend an event for Spratt.
Liberals Air Doubts Over OMB Pick
The Hill reports: “Liberal Democrats are skeptical about President Obama’s decision to appoint a senior official from the Clinton administration to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). They suspect Jacob ‘Jack’ Lew may share an affection for market-driven reforms they say were too popular among Clinton’s staff and that he would support cuts to Social Security and Medicare. ‘I’m concerned he doesn’t have an affinity for some of the entitlement programs that we think are critical,’ said Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.”
Pentagon Faces Growing Pressures to Trim Budget
The New York Times reports: “After nearly a decade of rapid increases in military spending, the Pentagon is facing intensifying political and economic pressures to restrain its budget, setting up the first serious debate since the terrorist attacks of 2001 about the size and cost of the armed services. Lawmakers, administration officials and analysts said the combination of big budget deficits, the winding down of the war in Iraq and President Obama’s pledge to begin pulling troops from Afghanistan next year were leading Congress to contemplate reductions in Pentagon financing requests.”
US-Russia Nuke Treaty Facing Hurdles In US Senate
The Associated Press reports: “The once smooth path for Senate ratification of a major nuclear arms control agreement with Russia is looking a little dicier. Conservatives opposing New START, a replacement for a Cold War-era treaty, are trying to make it an issue in November’s congressional elections. While they are unlikely to kill the agreement, they could force Democrats to delay a ratification vote until after the election. That could be damaging to President Barack Obama.”
House Democrats Warn Obama of Opposition to Korean Trade Deal
Roll Call reports: “More than 100 Democratic House Members are requesting an audience with President Barack Obama to register their opposition to a pending free-trade deal with South Korea, they wrote in a letter Thursday. ‘The Korean [Free Trade Agreement], as negotiated by President George W. Bush’s administration, is another NAFTA-style FTA that we simply cannot support in its current form,’ they wrote. ‘We oppose specific provisions of the agreement in the financial services, investment, and labor chapters, because they benefit multi-national corporations at the expense of small businesses and workers.’ “
