Specter Loses Seniority On Committees
The Senate Democratic Conference voted unanimously last night to deny seniority to Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), putting him near or at the very bottom of the Democratic rankings in each of his five committees during this Congress. He will be the last Senator to ask questions during the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings. This matter could potentially be revisited after the 2010 elections.
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will meet with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) at 11:30 a.m. ET. Obama and Vice President Biden will then meet at 12 p.m. ET with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-MT). At 2 p.m. ET, Obama and Biden will meet with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, and then at 2:40 p.m. ET with President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan, followed by a 3:30 p.m. trilateral meeting with both Karzai and Zardari. Obama will then deliver public remarks at 4:15 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
In addition to the meetings with President Obama and Presidents Karzai and Zardari, Vice President Biden will hold a regular meeting of the Economic Recovery Implementation Cabinet, at 10:45 a.m. ET. In the evening, he will host Karzai and Zardari for dinner at the Naval Observatory.
Obama To Press Pakistan On Taliban
The Associated Press reports that President Obama will use today’s meetings with Presidents Zardari and Karzai to press for better coordination between Afghanistan and Pakistan on fighting the Taliban. Obama will also urge Zardari to have Pakistan step up its commitments, and seek assurances that the country’s nuclear weapons are secure.
WaPo: Obama Relying On Inner Circle For SCOTUS Selection
The Washington Post reports that President Obama is relying on a small group of advisers for vetting potential Supreme Court nominees. Key players are Vice President Biden — a former chairman of the Judiciary Committee — plus Rahm Emanuel, Gregory Craig and deputy counsel Cassandra Butts.
Report: Banks To Face Conditions For Returning Bailout Money
The government will reportedly set new conditions for banks seeking to returns TARP money, imposing a requirement that the banks also be able to operate without debt guarantees from the FDIC. The measures will be done in order to prevent banks from benefitting from government aid while avoiding TARP requirements, and to make sure that they are indeed prepared to work without government aid.
McCain And Graham In WSJ: Keep Military Commissions
Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have a new op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, calling for a tough policy going forward on Guantanamo detainees: “We have great faith in our military justice system — appropriately modified for war crimes trials — and we believe that military judges and lawyers render fair and impartial justice not only for our troops, but for enemy combatants as well.”
