Gibbs: Afghanistan Buildup Will Be Accelerated, Will Have Exit Strategy
With President Obama set to officially announce his Afghanistan policy today, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told MSNBC that Obama will lay out an exit strategy because “we can’t be there forever.” Gibbs also said the surge will be accelerated: “They’re going to get in sooner, quite frankly, than the original assessment asked them to get in.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama held a videoconference this morning with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the economic daily briefing at 9 a.m. ET. Obama will meet at 1:05 p.m. ET with Nobel Laureates and their families. He will meet with senior advisers at 2:25 p.m. ET. Obama and Biden will meet with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at 3 p.m. ET, and with members of the Congressional leadership at 4 p.m. ET. Obama will depart the White House at 5:30 p.m. ET, arriving in West Point, New York, at 6:55 p.m. Et. He will deliver remarks at the United States Military Academy at West Point at 8 p.m. ET, on Afghanistan policy. He will sign the academy’s guest book at 9 p.m. ET. He will depart at 9:40 p.m. ET, arriving back at the White House at 10:50 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will attend President Obama’s daily economic briefing at 9 a.m. ET. He will meet at 11:15 a.m. ET with Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, and then with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, to discuss stimulus implementation. At 3 p.m. ET, he will join the President’s meeting with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and with members of the Congressional leadership at 4 p.m. ET. He will meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at 5 p.m. ET.
Salahis Deny Being Party-Crashers
Appearing on the Today show, Tareq and Michaele Salahi denied that they were not invited to the state dinner, and that there was a misunderstanding. “We’re greatly saddened by all the circumstances,” said Tareq Salahi, who also bemoaned “portraying my wife and I as party crashers. I can tell you we did not party-crash the White House.”
Gibbs: Obamas “Angry” Over Party-Crashers
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has described President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as “angry” over the security breach of the state dinner party-crashers. “It’s safe to say he was angry. Michelle was angry,” Gibbs told MSNBC.
D.C. To Legalize Gay Marriage
The D.C. City Council will hold an initial vote today to legalize gay marriage, and it appears unlikely that congressional Republicans will be able to move any efforts to stop it in Congress. “We can try to strike funding or use some other creative way to address the issue,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT). “But it’s very difficult to deal with the 30-day time frame, especially given the fact that the Democrats have an iron grip on the process.”
Lobbying Shops Toning Down Holiday Parties
The Hill reports that Washington lobbying firms are cutting back on the scale of their usually lavish holiday parties, in light of the tough economy and stricter ethics rules: “Some said the new ethics law has put a damper on the inside-the-Beltway cocktail circuit. A Republican lobbyist said that since the gift ban, talk of holiday parties has been ‘way, way down’ and that most firms would not invite congressional aides because of the ethics rules.”
