Panetta: Cheney Almost Wishing For America To Be Attacked
CIA Director Leon Panetta told the New Yorker that former Vice President Dick Cheney may be hoping for America to be attacked by terrorists. “It’s almost, a little bit, gallows politics,” Panetta said of Cheney’s recent speeches. “When you read behind it, it’s almost as if he’s wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point. I think that’s dangerous politics.”
Obama’s Day Ahead: Pitching Health Care To AMA
President Obama will be speaking today, at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association, at 12:15 p.m. ET in Chicago. The AMA has come out against a public option, so expect Obama’s remarks on health care to rebut potential objections. He will then go back to Washington, where he will meet with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at 4:15 p.m. ET in the Oval Office.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will be having private meetings today in Wilmington, Delaware. He does not have any scheduled public events.
WaPo: White House Supervising Liberal Groups On Sotomayor
The Washington Post reports that the Obama Administration is coordinating with liberal groups on the Sotomayor confirmation process — and to a large degree is urging people to remain calm and not be too active. Said progressive legal activist Doug Kendall: “What he wants, and what I think the progressive community has done pretty well, is to stand back a bit and let the president and Judge Sotomayor present their case and explain for themselves.”
Former AMA Head Predicts Tough Crowd For Obama
Dr. Donald Palmisano, a former president of the American Medical Association, told The Hill that President Obama will likely get a tough reception at the AMA today. “Our policy is clear: We’re opposed to government involvement in medicine,” said Palmisano, a registered Republican. He added: “If he says again: ‘We want to level the playing field,’ everybody’s going to say: ‘So what does that mean?'”
Obama Open To Limiting Malpractice Suits
The New York Times reports that President Obama is open to the idea of limiting medical malpractice suits, as a means of both lowering costs and winning support among doctors for wider health care reform. Dr. James Rohack, incoming president of the AMA, said he told Obama, “if we as physicians are going to say, ‘Here’s our guidelines, we will follow them,’ then we need to have some protections. He listened and he said, ‘Clearly, that concept is worthy of discussion.'”
Dean Pitching Public Option In New Book
CQ reports that Howard Dean is throwing himself into the health care debate with his new book, which staunchly advocates for a public option. Dean also adds a twist of having the government supply medical care to everyone under 30, in lieu of a burdensome individual mandate, and subsidizing it for older adults who can’t afford it. “The reason I got involved in politics in the first place was to make sure we have universal health care,” said Dean.
