TPMDC Saturday Roundup

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Obama: Fiscal Discipline Needed
In this weekend’s Presidential YouTube address, President Obama discussed his goal of making government more efficient and controlling spending, such as the re-introduction of PAYGO principles:

“We cannot sustain deficits that mortgage our children’s future, nor tolerate wasteful inefficiency,” said Obama. “Government has a responsibility to spend the peoples’ money wisely, and to serve the people effectively.”

GOP Address: Dems Have Put Us Behind France
In this weekend’s RNC YouTube message, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) warned that the Democrats have put behind the French on issues like fiscal discipline and energy — so much so that the United States would be ineligible to join the European Union:

“Now of course we don’t want to be in the European Union,” said Alexander. “We’re the United States of America. But French deficits are lower than ours, and their president has been running around sounding like a Republican — lecturing our president about spending so much.”

No Obama Or Biden Public Events Today
Neither President Obama nor Vice President Biden have any public events scheduled for today.

Hillary Clinton: U.S. Will Not Abandon Iraq
Hillary Clinton made a surprise visit to Iraq today, saying that the United States will not abandon the country and that the drawdown of U.S. forces will be done in a “responsible and careful way.” She told a town hall meeting at the U.S. Embassy: “Let me assure you and repeat what President Obama said, we are committed to Iraq, we want to see a stable, sovereign, self-reliant Iraq.”

Goss Blasts Release Of Memos: “Americans Have To Decide Now”
Former CIA Director Porter Goss, who is also a former GOP Congressman, has a new op-ed piece in the Washington Post today, lambasting the Obama White House for releasing the torture memos. “I am speaking out now because I feel our government has crossed the red line between properly protecting our national security and trying to gain partisan political advantage,” Goss writes. “We can’t have a secret intelligence service if we keep giving away all the secrets. Americans have to decide now.”

Obama To Meet With Progressive Caucus
Roll Call reports that President Obama is set to finally meet with the 77-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, the single largest internal faction of the House Democrats. Obama had previously met with the New Democrats and the Blue Dogs, as well as the Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus, leading Progressive Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) to warn that “we are good soldiers but we’re not just go-along-to-get-along people.”

Kerry Seeks To Invest In Iraq Veterans Documentary
John Kerry is seeking to use $300,000 in campaign funds to invest in a documentary film about Iraq War veterans, called “Keeping the Faith.” “As this opportunity emerged, his first step was straight to the ethics committee to see if his participation would violate any regulations,” said Kerry spokeswoman Whitney Smith. “The health and well being of our veterans is a top priority for Senator Kerry, but he plans to wait for a response from ethics before taking on any part of this project.”

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