Document Leak May Hurt Efforts to Build War Support
The New York Times reports on the political fallout from the posting of documents about the Afghanistan war: “Administration officials acknowledged that the documents, released on the Internet by an organization called WikiLeaks, will make it harder for Mr. Obama as he tries to hang on to public and Congressional support until the end of the year, when he has scheduled a review of the war effort. ‘We don’t know how to react,’ one frustrated administration official said on Monday. ‘This obviously puts Congress and the public in a bad mood.'”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and will receive the economic daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. He will meet at 11 a.m. ET with the Congressional leadership from both parties, will deliver a statement to the press at 12 p.m. ET, and will have lunch with House members at 12:20 p.m. ET. He will congratulate the Warner Robins Softball World Series Champions at 3:05 p.m. ET. He will meet at 4 p.m. ET with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET with Defense Secretary Robert Gates. At 7 p.m. ET, he will attend a Democratic National Committee fundraising dinner.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will be in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. He will deliver remarks at 1:30 p.m. ET, at Hopi Point on the South Rim of the park.
GOP Tax Message Honed for Campaign
Roll Call reports that Republicans have been working to formulate a successful political message around retaining the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000 per year. “We realized, kind of like health care, that we faced a big messaging hurdle,” a senior Republican Senate aide said. “It’s so ingrained, when people say ‘tax cuts for the rich.’ … It’s not about tax cuts for the rich, it’s about stopping tax hikes for job creators and small businesses.”
Democrats’ Summer Strategy
The Hill reports: “House Democrats plan a six-week messaging campaign for the August recess in which they’ll warn voters that putting Republicans back in power would mark a return to failed George W. Bush administration policies. The strategy, coordinated with the White House and the Democrats’ campaign committees, is designed to put Republicans on defense by forcing them to explain where — and how — they would lead the country should they win control of Congress.”
Among House Democrats In Rust Belt, A Sense Of Abandonment Over Energy Bill
The Washington Post reports on House Democrats feeling a negative political impact from last year’s energy bill: “In the aftermath of the gulf oil spill, the Senate is set to take up a stripped-down bill next week, but the controversial carbon-emissions cap is conspicuously missing. This has left some House Democrats feeling badly served by their leaders. Although lawmakers are reluctant to say so publicly, their aides and campaign advisers privately complain that the speaker and the president left Democrats exposed on an unpopular issue that has little hope of being signed into law.”
