Obama’s Afghanistan Trip Kept Secret
Reuters reports that President Obama’s trip to Afghanistan was kept shrouded in secrecy: “For security reasons, the trip was cloaked in secrecy. He arrived at night and left while it was still dark. Reporters were barred from telling anyone where they were going on Saturday evening as they made their way to Andrews Air Force Base, where the presidential aircraft is housed.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will arrive back at Andrews Air Force Base at 9 a.m. ET, and at the White House at 9:15 a.m. ET, after his surprise trip to Afghanistan. He will participate in a 4 p.m. ET credentialing ceremony for foreign ambassadors. At 6:30 p.m. ET, the President and First Lady will mark the beginning of Passover with a seder at the White House.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will met in the morning with senior advisers. At 2:45 p.m. ET, he will host conference calls with governors from across the country, to discuss stimulus implementation. At 3:45 p.m. ET, he will meet with Ambassador Richard Morningstar, Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy.
Obama Presses Karzai For Cooperation
The Washington Post reports that President Obama used his visit to Afghanistan to pressure Afghan President Hamid Karzai for cooperation on issues of corruption and military readiness. National Security Adviser James Jones said that Obama wanted Karzai to understand “that in his second term, there are certain things that have not been paid attention to, almost since Day One.”
NYT: Obama Team Divided On Tactics Against Terrorism
The New York Times that divisions have emerged within the Obama administration, involving both career lawyers and political appointees, over anti-terrorism tactics: “The discussions, which shaped classified court briefs filed this month, have centered on how broadly to define the types of terrorism suspects who may be detained without trials as wartime prisoners. The outcome of the yearlong debate could reverberate through national security policies, ranging from the number of people the United States ultimately detains to decisions about who may be lawfully selected for killing using drones.”
GOP Views Supreme Court As Line Of Defense On Health Reform
The Hill reports that many Republicans are looking to the Supreme Court and its conservative majority as a route to overturning key parts of the health care reform law. “It’s very probable that a number of provisions in this monstrosity violate constitutional principles,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I think there will be a lot of ongoing litigation for years to come.”
Democrats To Tout Reform Law During Recess
Roll Call reports that Congressional Democrats will be spending this recess selling the new health care reform law to their constituents. “This recess is about bringing the message home,” a Senate Democratic leadership aide said. The aide also said that members are being told to focus on those elements that take effect this year: “Talking about provisions that don’t kick in until 2014 does not help us in 2010.”
