Biden: Kagan Will Be Confirmed ‘With Strong Bipartisan Support’
Appearing on CBS’s The Early Show, Vice President Biden said he was “confident” that Elena Kagan will be confirmed to the Supreme Court. “I think they’ll be a lot of noise, but this is a mainstream, incredibly qualified woman,” Biden said, who adding that Kagan will “pass with strong bipartisan support.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET, and will meet with senior advisers at 11:20 a.m. ET. He will have lunch with Vice President Biden at 12:30 a.m. ET. Obama and Biden will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at 1:25 p.m. ET, and with Clinton and Ambassador to Iraq Karl Eikenberry at 1:45 p.m. ET. Obama will meet at 2:15 p.m. ET with Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT). Obama and Biden will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET with Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Obama Administration On Charm Offensive For Karzai Visit
The New York Times reports that the Obama administration is seeking to positively engage Afghan President Hamid Karzai on his trip to Washington this week, a different approach from the previous one of confrontation: “This time, the Americans are pulling out all the stops for Mr. Karzai as part of a new charm offensive. Mrs. Clinton, one of the few people in the administration with a good rapport with him, has invited him for a stroll through the grounds of a private enclave in Georgetown. Richard C. Holbrooke, the special representative to the region, was dispatched to Andrews Air Force Base at 7 a.m. on Monday to personally greet Mr. Karzai. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will be Mr. Karzai’s host for a private dinner at the vice president’s mansion.”
Hillary Clinton: ‘We Will Not Abandon The Afghan People’
Appearing with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States remains committed to Afghanistan. “We will not abandon the Afghan people. Our civilian commitment will remain long into the future,” said Clinton. She also added: “The ability to disagree on issues of importance to our respective countries and peoples is not an obstacle to achieving our shared objectives. Rather, it reflects a level of trust that is essential to any meaningful dialogue and enduring strategic partnership.”
White House To Propose Splitting Key Energy Agency
The Obama administration is set to propose splitting the Minerals Management Service into two new agencies, in the wake of the BP oil spill. One half would inspect oil rigs, investigate oil companies and enforce safety regulations, while the other would oversee drilling leases and the collection of oil royalties.
Democrats Poised To Move Measures With High Price Tags
The Hill reports: “Democratic leaders are looking in the next three weeks to send President Barack Obama a slew of measures that cost more than $200 billion, including a multiyear extension of unemployment benefits, an extension of expiring tax provisions and Medicare doctor payments totaling $180 billion and a $33 billion Afghanistan war supplemental bill. Because most of those costs won’t be paid for, Republicans plan to use those bills and the Democrats’ budget blueprint to highlight massive deficits ahead of the congressional midterm election.”
GOP Still Downbeat On Economy Despite Uptick In Jobs
Roll Call reports: “It’s a quandary for House Republicans: How do you talk about the best job growth in four years when your mantra has been, ‘Where are the jobs?’ Riding high and hopeful that they can retake the House in the fall, GOP leaders so far are largely sticking to last year’s playbook despite last week’s jobs report showing 290,000 jobs were added in April and 573,000 so far this year.”
