Today: Palin On Oprah Winfrey
Sarah Palin’s interview on the Oprah Winfrey show will be broadcast today. The interview was taped last week, and kicks off Palin’s media tour for her new book, Going Rogue.
Obama’s Day In China
President Obama visited U.S. Consulate employees and their families in Shanghai, China, at 10:20 a.m. local time (9:20 p.m. ET last night). He met at 11 a.m. local time with Party Secretary Yu Zheng Sheng and Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng, with a working lunch at 11:30 a.m. local time. He held a town hall meeting with Chinese leaders at 12:45 p.m. local time. He departed Shanghai at 2:40 p.m., arriving in Beijing at 4:50 p.m. He arrived at the Diaoyutai State Guest House at 6:30 p.m., and was greeted by President Hu Jintao. The two held a bilateral meeting at 6:35 p.m, and had dinner at 7 p.m.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will attend a 10:30 a.m. ET event in Phoenix Arizona, for Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) and Harry Mitchell (D-AZ). At 1:15 p.m. ET, he will lead a roundtable discussion on the economy with area residents, and promote the stimulus program. He will then travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and attend a 4:30 p.m. ET event with Reps. Harry Teague (D-NM) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).
Obama Calls For Open Internet In China
Speaking in China, President Obama called upon the country’s leaders to stop censoring the Internet. “America will always speak out for these core principles around the world,” said Obama. “We do not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation, but we also don’t believe that the principles that we stand for are unique to our nation.”
Obama: Al Qaeda Is Biggest Threat, ‘Important For Us To Stabilize Afghanistan’
Also during his China visit, President Obama said that al Qaeda remains the biggest threat to the United States. “I continue to believe that the greatest threat to the United States’ security are the terrorist networks like al Qaeda,” said Obama. “They have now moved over the border of Afghanistan and are in Pakistan, but they continue to have networks with other extremist organizations in that region and I do believe it is important for us to stabilize Afghanistan.”
Norquist: We’ll ‘Give Assignments’ For 2010 To GOPers Looking At 2012
Grover Norquist told Roll Call that potential 2012 Republican candidates will be given some 2010 work by movement conservatives: “We’re going to put together a list of all the people thinking of running for president and … give assignments to each of the would-be presidential candidates.” For example, Mike Huckabee will have to campaign actively against Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln, and Rudy Giuliani will have to run for governor of New York or else find another good candidate for that office.
The Hill: Conservatives Resurrect Justifications For Judicial Filibusters
The Hill reports that many of the same conservative activists who called for the abolition of the filibuster back in 2005, when Republicans controlled the White House and the Senate, are now calling for filibusters of Obama judicial nominee David Hamilton and others. “This is one of those extraordinary circumstances where the president should be informed that his nominee is not qualified,” wrote Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) in a memo, using the language that was left from the “Gang of 14” deal to justify filibusters.
