Petraeus Leaves Room For Changes In Afghan Pullout
During his testimony Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. David Petraeus left open the possibility that he could recommend President Obama delay his plans for withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan next summer. “There will be an assessment at the end of this year after which undoubtedly we’ll make certain tweaks, refinements, perhaps some significant changes,” said Petraeus.
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and meet with senior advisers at 10 a.m. ET. He will depart the White House at 11 a.m. ET, and depart form Andrews Air Force Base at 11:15 a.m. ET, arriving at 1 p.m. ET in Racine, Wisconsin. He will hold a town hall meeting on the economy at 2:15 p.m. ET. He will depart from Racine at 4:15 p.m. ET, arriving at Andrews Air Force Base at 5:55 p.m. ET, and back at the White House at 6:10 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vie President Biden will attend an event at 1 p.m. ET in Cleveland, Ohio, for Democratic Senate candidate Lee Fisher. Later, he will return to Washington, D.C.
Eric Cantor’s Ambition Raises Concerns, Debate
Politico reports that House Minority Whip Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) upcoming book tour is attracting some attention: “This is classic Cantor: a hyperambitious move to publish and push ideas he thinks will help rebrand the GOP, on his terms — and not necessarily those of his boss, Minority Leader John Boehner. If this were an isolated incident, it would pass without a peep. But it’s not: Cantor is earning a reputation for pushing his ideas so hard and so often that some GOP colleagues are questioning his motives. Is he guided by a burning desire to help the party — or to boost himself?”
Roberts Led Supreme Court Through Assertive Term
The Washington Post reports that Chief Justice John Roberts has led the Supreme court through an eventful term, with key rulings on very big issues: “Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. continued to play a dominant role, and this year he joined the court’s liberals in a few limited cases. As a result, he was in the majority of the court’s decisions more than any other justice, including Anthony M. Kennedy, who has been the justice in the middle in the recent past.”
Members Urged To Open Wallets To The DCCC
Roll Call reports: “House Democratic leaders are mounting a major push this week to wrest outstanding party dues payments from their rank and file, racing to fill their coffers before the close of the second quarter…The top Democrats’ pitch: ‘Protect your investment.’ That is, Democrats hustled to win the majority, and lawmakers shouldn’t let it slip away now by slacking on their obligations to the DCCC.”
GOP hopes for 2012 victories in Northeast
The Hill reports that House Republicans are hoping for a comeback in the Northeast, a region where they currently have only two members from New York and none from New England. And political experts think they might be able to improve their position. Political science Professor Ross Baker of Rutgers said: “The association with the Bush administration was toxic for a lot of Northeast Republicans. Now that he’s not in the picture anymore, I think that they can come out of their burrows and bask in the sunshine a little bit.”
