BP And Other Oil Companies Face Grilling In Congress
Top oil company executives will testify today at the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as they face new potential new regulations and oversight by the federal government. BP America head Lamar McKay will appear before the committee, along with executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Royal Dutch Shell
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive a briefing at 10:15 a.m. ET with Adm. Thad Allen and local officials in Pensacola Beach, Florida, on efforts to fight the BP oil spill. He will deliver remarks at a 12:10 p.m. ET event with military personnel. He will depart from Pensacola at 1:15 p.m. ET, arriving at Andrews Air Force Base at 3:15 p.m. ET and the White House at 3:30 p.m. ET. He will address the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden hosted an 8 a.m. ET breakfast meeting with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at the Naval Observatory. Afterwards, he will meet with senior advisers at the White House. At 4:30 p.m. ET, he will deliver remarks at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Issues Conference.
McConnell Won’t Campaign Against Reid
Roll Call reports that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will not directly campaign against the re-election of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), in an effort to maintain a working relationship in the Senate: “McConnell’s decision, which follows Reid’s move to avoid directly attacking the Minority Leader during his somewhat competitive 2008 re-election bid, is an unspoken deal between the two Senators to return some of the decorum lost in the chamber in 2004. That year, then- Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) traveled to South Dakota to campaign against then-Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a deviation from tradition that rankled even many Republicans who were otherwise happy to see Daschle ousted.”
Concern On Capitol Hill About Afghanistan War Grows
The Washington Post reports: “A series of political and military setbacks in Afghanistan has fed anxiety over the war effort in the past few weeks, shaking supporters of President Obama’s counterinsurgency strategy and confirming the pessimism of those who had doubts about it from the start. The concerns, fed largely by unease over military operations in southern Afghanistan that are progressing slower than anticipated, spurred lawmakers to schedule last-minute hearings this week to assess progress on the battlefield and within the Afghan government.”
Intraparty Squabble Erupts on Spending
Roll Call reports that House Democrats are frustrated with President Obama’s call for a $50 billion local aid package, which came suddenly over the weekend in an environment where members have become worried about spending. “They are not doing themselves any good by not reaching out and trying to coordinate a unified push with Congress on something of this importance,” said an unnamed House Democratic leadership aide.
Kerry Mends Relationships With Pickens, Lieberman
The Hill reports on how Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) worked to repair his working relationship with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), as the two have worked together on a climate-change bill — and also with T. Boone Pickens, who had funded the Swift Boat ad campaign against Kerry in 2004. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): “He sat down with Boone Pickens in my presence and they buried the hatchet and John couldn’t have been nicer.”
