Hillary Warns North Korea — And Slams Bush
During her overseas trip to Asia, Hillary Clinton simultaneously warned North Korea about their nuclear program — and blasted the Bush Administration for creating the conditions that have helped it get this far. “There is no debate that, once the Agreed Framework was torn up, the North Koreans began to reprocess plutonium with a vengeance because all bets were off,” said Clinton. “The result is they now have nuclear weapons, which they did not have before.”
Obama Going Back To Washington Today
President Obama is heading back to Washington today, after having spent the weekend in Chicago. He is scheduled to leave O’Hare at 11 a.m. ET, and to arrive back at the White House at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Biden Meeting With Fire Fighters Union Head
Vice President Biden is in Washington today, where he’ll be meeting with Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Report: Obama To Form Auto Task Force, Drop “Car Czar” Plan
President Obama will reportedly appoint a special task force, co-chaired by Tim Geithner and Larry Summers, to oversee the restructuring of the auto industry, replacing the prior proposal to appoint a single “car czar.” This comes as General Motors and Chrysler face a deadline tomorrow to submit a business plan for how they can become viable again after receiving $13.4 billion in aid from the Bush Administration.
Burris: “I Responded To All Questions”
At a press conference yesterday, Senator Roland Burris (D-IL) responded to his critics over his failure to disclose during the Blagojevich impeachment hearings that Blago’s brother had asked him for political contributions this past November — though Burris says he didn’t actually donate. “I responded to all questions that were asked of me by the impeachment committee in the time allotted,” said Burris. “At no time did I ever make any inconsistent statements.”
Cornyn: Coleman Knows How Important Keeping The Seat Is To Us
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), the chairman of the NRSC, told the Politico that Norm Coleman will keep contesting the MInnesota Senate race “however long it takes” — and it’s important to the GOP. “I encourage him to see it through the end,” Cornyn said. “He feels like he owes it to the voters of Minnesota and his colleagues here. He realizes how important retaining that seat is to us.”
Stimulus Includes Money For Health Care Effectiveness Study
The New York Times reports that the stimulus bill now includes a key piece of health-care reform: $1.1 billion, and a 15-member advisory council to the president, to compare the costs and benefits of different treatments for the same illness. Rep. Peter Stark (D-CA) said the new research “will save money and lives,” while Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) was less than enthusiastic, warning that “federal bureaucrats will misuse this research to ration care, to deny life-saving treatments to seniors and disabled people.”
Ken Starr Predicts Trouble For Obama’s SCOTUS Nominees
Speaking on Friday to a group of attorneys in Boston, Ken Starr hinted at some more partisan rancor to come when Barack Obama appoints a Supreme Court Justice. Starr gave this line about Obama, which is sure to be repeated by any Republicans who might filibuster a nominee: “He is the first president of the United States ever in our history to have participated in a Senate filibuster of a judicial nominee. Never before has that happened.”
