Obama Touts PAYGO Rule, Executive Order To Create Fiscal Commission
In this weekend’s YouTube address, President Obama touted the return of the Pay-As-You-Go rule, compared to the policies of the previous administration that passed massive tax cuts while simultaneously creating a new drug program that wasn’t paid for. And Obama confirmed that he is creating a bipartisan Fiscal Commission by executive order:
“Because in the end, solving our fiscal challenge – so many years in the making – will take both parties coming together, putting politics aside, and making some hard choices about what we need to spend, and what we don’t,” said Obama. “It will not happen any other way. Unfortunately this proposal – which received the support of a bipartisan majority in the Senate – was recently blocked. So, I will be creating this commission by executive order. After a decade of profligacy, the American people are tired of politicians who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk when it comes to fiscal responsibility. It’s easy to get up in front of the cameras and rant against exploding deficits. What’s hard is actually getting deficits under control. But that’s what we must do.”
Graham: Civilian Terror Trials Compromise Intelligence, Help Bin Laden
In this weekend’s Republican address, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) criticized the Obama administration’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other terrorists in civilian criminal courts, instead of military commissions. Graham said that the 1995 Blind Sheikh trial, regarding the first World Trade Center bombing, compromised U.S. intelligence and aided Osama bin Laden:
“In the 1995 trial, because of civilian court rules, the government was required to disclose the identity of all known co-conspirators to the defense,” said Graham. “One of the conspirators — relatively obscure at the time — was Osama bin Laden. Our intelligence services later learned this list made its way back to bin Laden tipping him off about our surveillance. A conviction was obtained in that trial, but valuable intelligence was compromised. The rest is history.”
Biden Tells U.S. Athletes They will Be Face Of America
Vice President Biden spoke yesterday to the U.S. athletes at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. “You’re going to be the face of America for the next couple weeks,” Biden said. “The whole world isn’t looking at me or the president or anybody else, for that matter.” He added: “People have no idea how hard you worked to get to this place. But they have a sense of it. They have a sense about your perseverance and about your sacrifice. But it’s a lot more.”
Eyeing Midterms, Dems To Push Republicans To Go On Record Against Key Bills
The Washington Post reports that Democrats are shifting strategy for this election year, as illustrated by the recent moves over a jobs bill: “The emerging strategy seeks to take advantage of the partisan stalemate in Congress over Obama’s nominees and major policy initiatives, and to turn the page on a year when the White House failed to secure passage of complicated health-care and energy legislation. The idea is to make Republicans either vote for a series of more modest bills identified as popular with the public or explain to constituents this fall why they opposed them.”
NYT: Obama Making Plans To Use Executive Power
The New York Times reports that the Obama administration is preparing to use his executive power to advance his agenda on energy, environmental, fiscal and other issues: “Any president has vast authority to influence policy even without legislation, through executive orders, agency rule-making and administrative fiat. And Mr. Obama’s success this week in pressuring the Senate to confirm 27 nominations by threatening to use his recess appointment power demonstrated that executive authority can also be leveraged to force action by Congress.”
Obama Nuke Plant Loan Guarantees Reflect New Energy Strategy
President Obama will announce in the coming week a loan guarantee for a new nuclear power plant in Burke, Georgia, with other loan guarantees expected in future months. The Associated PRess reports: “Spiraling costs, safety concerns and opposition from environmentalists have kept utilities from building any new nuclear power plants in the U.S. since the early 1980s. The 104 nuclear reactors now in operation in 31 states provide about 20 percent of the nation’s electricity. But they are responsible for 70 percent of the power from pollution-free sources, including wind, solar and hydroelectric dams that Obama has championed as a way to save the environment and economy at the same time.”
Obama Names Special Envoy To Muslim World
President Obama announced today that he is naming a special envoy to the Muslim World. In a recored video message, Obama told the U.S.-Islamic World Forum, held in the Qatari capital of Doha, that he is naming White House official Rashad Hussain to the post.
Bill Clinton Back At Work: ‘I’m Doing Very Well. I Feel Very Blessed’
Former President Bill Clinton told reporters yesterday that he is back at work on Haiti relief efforts, after his heart procedure on Thursday. “I’m doing very well. I feel very blessed,” said Clinton. “I was fortunate that you know I kind of had a feeling about it.”
