Poll: Public Opposes Afghanistan War — And Favors More Troops For It?
A new CNN poll finds a somewhat contradictory result regarding the war in Afghanistan. The poll has 50% of respondents favoring a troop surge in Afghanistan, with 49% opposing it. At the same time, only 45% favor the war, with 52% opposing it — meaning that there are a few respondents who oppose the war, and want to send more troops.
Obama’s Day Ahead
The President and First Lady will welcome Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur to the White House, at 9:15 a.m. ET. President Obama and P.M. Singh will hold a bilateral meeting at 10:20 a.m. ET, with an expanded bilateral meeting at 10:55 a.m. ET, and a joint press conference at 11:35 a.m. Et. President Obama will meet with senior advisers at 2 p.m. ET, and with Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 3:10 p.m. ET. The President and Vice President will meet with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at 4:30 p.m. ET. The President and First Lady will greet P.M. Singh and Mrs. Kaur at 7 p.m. ET on arrival for a state dinner, and host the dinner at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden will join the President and First Lady to welcome Prime Minister Singh and Mrs. Kaur to the White House. Biden will join Obama and Singh’s 10:55 a.m. ET expanded meeting. At 2 p.m. ET, Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will host a lunch at the STate Department, in honor of P.M. Singh and Mrs. Kaur. Biden will join Obama’s 4:30 p.m. ET meeting with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. In the evening, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will attend the state dinner in honor of P.M. Singh and Mrs. Kaur.
AP: Senate Health Care Bill Only 209 Pages — At A Small Font
The Associated Press debunks a Republican talking point that the “2,000-page” Democratic health care bills are allegedly longer than War and Peace — pointing out that Congressional bills use very large type and double-spacing: “The bill passed by the House is 319,145 words. The Senate bill is 318,512 words, shorter than the House version despite consuming more paper. Various versions of Tolstoy’s novel are 560,000 to 670,000 words. Bush’s education act tallied more than 280,000 words.” When reduced to a much smaller typeface, the Senate health care bill is only 209 pages.
Health Care Bill Revives Abortion Political Groups On Both Sides
The New York Times reports that the debate over abortion from the health care bill, ranging from pro-life groups opposing government-sponsored health and to pro-choice groups opposing the Stupak Amendment, has given new energy to political groups in the abortion fight. “The reaction has been phenomenal, like a match dropped on dry kindling,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Former Palin Aide: She Turned Me Into A Fictional ‘Incompetent Slob’
Sarah Palin’s former legislative director John Bitney is disputing Palin’s negative depiction of him in her book. “I’m just pilloried right and left and turned into the big bad wolf here for stuff I didn’t do,” Bitney told the Anchorage Daily News. “It’s like I’m this fictional character that she’s decided to make me out to be this sort of incompetent slob.”
Santorum Headed To South Carolina
Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) will be traveling in December to South Carolina, a key primary state for the Republican presidential nomination, where he will campaign for Rep. Gresham Barrett’s gubernatorial campaign. Santorum serviced two terms in the Senate, where he was known for his hard-line conservatism, until he was defeated in a 59%-41% landslide in 2006. He has previously addressed GOP activists in Iowa and Michigan.
