Obama Opens Long-Shot Talks On Mideast Peace
The Associated Press reports: “President Barack Obama is opening a new round of Mideast peacemaking, bringing Israeli and Palestinian leaders together Wednesday for talks aimed at forging agreement within one year on a two-state solution: a sovereign Palestine and a secure Israel. Expectations were low as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived Tuesday for preparatory talks with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has spent months coaxing the parties back to the bargaining table. The talks will be the first face-to-face sessions between the Israelis and Palestinians since December 2008, but the two sides are far apart on all key issues, so major progress in the early going is seen as unlikely.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will participate in a call at 9:15 a.m. ET with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, on the preparations being made in advance of Hurricane Earl. At 10:45 a.m. ET, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will meet at 1:30 p.m. ET with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He will meet at 2:45 p.m. ET with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and he will meet at 4 p.m. ET with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. He will deliver a statement to the press at 5:20 p.m. ET. He and the visiting leaders will deliver statements to the press at 7 p.m. ET, and they will hold a working dinner at 8 p.m. ET.
Biden: Iraqi Leaders Close To Forming A Government
Appearing on CBS’s The Early Show, Vice President Biden said that Iraq was close to resolving its election. “I have been speaking with every one of the major leaders. I’ve met with every one of the groups that won portions of the vote in the election. And I’m absolutely convinced that they are nearing the ability of forming a government that will be a government representing the outcome of the election, which was very much divided,” he said. “There’s 325-plus members of their parliament. The largest party got 91 votes. So, it takes a while to put together this coalition. But I believe they’re close to doing that.”
Is Iraq Combat Really Over For U.S.?
The Associated Press reports: “Despite President Barack Obama’s declaration Tuesday of an end to the combat mission in Iraq, combat almost certainly lies ahead. And in asserting the U.S. has met its responsibilities in Iraq, the president opened the door wide to a debate about the meaning of success in the muddle that most – but not all – American troops are leaving behind.”
Legislation Gap Grows
The Hill reports: “When the Senate returns from its summer break in September, lawmakers will have quite a full plate of legislation to address: 372 bills, to be exact. That’s the number of bills passed by the House that are awaiting action in the Senate, according to an updated list provided to The Hill. It’s an increase of 82 bills from February, when The Hill first reported on the Senate’s stack of untouched legislation. And with the midterm elections in high gear and partisan rancor already poisoning a potential lame-duck session after November, it’s likely most of the House-passed bills will stay on the shelf.”
Pelosi To Applaud Increased Benefits For Veterans
Roll Call reports: “Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will tout an expansion of veterans benefits under her watch in an address to the American Legion on Wednesday, while vowing to do more. ‘We have made remarkable progress, but our work is not complete,’ she is expected to say, according to excerpts of her speech released Tuesday. ‘Our work will not be complete until every American who has fought for their country abroad can find a job when they come home. Our work will not be complete until there is not one homeless veteran on any street in the land of the free and the home of the brave.'”
