NYT: Obama Promoting “Anti-Bush Doctrine”
The New York Times takes a look at President Obama’s now-concluded overseas trip: “Pragmatic, conciliatory, legalistic and incremental, he pushed what might be called, with a notable exception or two, an anti-Bush doctrine.” Whereas Bush eschewed broad international alliances and promoted America as a force to push democracy around the world, Obama is instead focusing on broad cooperation to deal with immediate problems such as nuclear weapons or the economy, without a single grand strategy as of yet.
Biden: Cheney Is “Dead Wrong,” And He Made U.S. Weaker
Vice President Biden told CNN that Dick Cheney is “dead wrong” in his denouncements of the Obama White House’s national security policies: “This administration — the last administration left us in a weaker posture than we’ve been any time since World War II: less regarded in the world, stretched more thinly than we ever have been in the past, two wars under way, virtually no respect in entire parts of the world.”
Obama Back In Washington, No Public Events Today
President Obama returned late last night to Washington, from his surprise trip to Iraq. He does not have any public events scheduled for today.
Biden Speaking To Troops At Fort Bragg
Vice President Biden is traveling today to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, welcoming the XVIII Airborne Corps back home from their second deployment to Iraq since 2006. Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks at 10 a.m. ET.
WaPo: Biden To Lead Push In Senate For Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
The Washington Post reports that President Obama will be putting Vice President Biden in charge of shepherding the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty through the Senate. Biden led the previous push in the Senate for ratification in 1999, when he was the ranking minority member of the Foreign Relations Committee, coming up 19 votes short of the 67 needed in the then-Republican controlled chamber.
Three Dem House Members Visit Castro
Three members of Congress — Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Laura Richardson (D-CA) and Bobby Rush (D-IL) traveled to Cuba yesterday and met with Fidel Castro, who asked how his country can improve ties with the United States. “Cubans do want dialogue. They do want talks. They do want normal relations,” said Lee, who described Castro as “very healthy, very energetic, very clear thinking.”
Poll: Support For Gun Control At All-Time Low
A new Gallup poll finds that support for new gun control laws is the lowest it’s ever been. Support for a ban on handguns is only 29%, down from a high of 60% when polling first began 50 years ago, and general support for making gun laws more strict is at 49%, the lowest since polling began 19 years ago.
Corker Visiting South Carolina GOP; Ensign To Visit Iowa
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) will be headlining the South Carolina GOP’s annual Silver Elephant Banquet this May. In addition, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) will be speaking in the Republican stronghold of Sioux City, Iowa, this June, hosted by the American Future Fund.
