Gibbs: GOP Could Win House
Appearing on Meet The Press, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs acknowledged that the Republicans could potentially win the House of Representatives: ” I think there’s no doubt that there are a lot of seats that will be up, a lot of contested seats. I think people are going to have a choice to make in the fall. But I think there’s no doubt there are enough seats in play that could cause Republicans to gain control. There’s no doubt about that. This will depend on strong campaigns by Democrats. And again, I think we’ve got to take the issues to them. You know, are–do you want to put in, in to the speakership of the House a guy who thinks that the, the financial calamity is, is tantamount to an ant? The guy who’s the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Joe Barton, started his congressional testimony of the CEO of BP by apologizing, not to the people in the gulf, but to the CEO. I think that’s a perfect window, not into what people are thinking, but the way they would govern. Joe Barton, John Boehner, those are the type of things you’ll hear a lot, I think, from both the president and local candidates about what you’d get if the Republicans were to gain control.”
Holder: DOJ Not Ruling Out Racial Profiling Suit Against Arizona Law
Also during his appearance on Face The Nation, Attorney General Eric Holder explained that the federal government was not ruling out opposing the Arizona illegal immigration law on the grounds of racial profiling, in addition to the federal preemption argument that is currently the basis for their lawsuit against the statute. “It doesn’t mean that if the law, for whatever reason, happened to go into effect that six months from now, a year from now, we might not look at the impact the law has had and… see whether or not there has been that racial profiling impact,” he said. “And if that was the case, we would have the tools, and we would bring suit on that basis.”
Holder: Not Holding KSM Criminal Trial Makes Country ‘Much Weaker’
Appearing on Face The Nation, Attorney General Eric Holder blamed political considerations for delaying the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and said that not holding a civilian criminal trial would weaken the country. “There have been a really limited number of people who have been tried in the military tribunals, which is not to say that they should not be used,” he said. “But… I think if we try to exclude the federal criminal justice system, we are taking away one of the tools that we have. And I think ultimately we make this nation much weaker. That’s a very dangerous thing, I think, to take that tool out of our hands.”
Axelrod To Progressives: ‘Don’t Make The Perfect The Enemy of The Good’
Appearing on State of the Union, White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod responded to criticism from progressives who think the Obama administration has not done enough on their issues. “My admonition would be: Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good,” Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union in an effort to speak directly to the president’s liberal critics. “We’ve achieved more in these two years – in terms of advancing a solid progressive agenda for this country that will help working families and make this a better, more balanced economy – than anyone has done, you know, in our generation.”
Axelrod: ‘Better’ Economy ‘Does Not mean That It’s Good’
Appearing on This Week, White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod addressed concerns about the economy: “The fact that it’s much better than it was when we took over does not mean that it’s good. And we don’t accept it that way. We accept the challenge of moving this economy forward, and we’re going to keep launching initiatives, and they don’t all involve spending.”
Netanyahu: No ‘Change Of U.S. Policy or Daylight Between Israel And The United States’
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispelled any idea of frayed relationship between Israel and the United States. “If anyone thought that there was a change of U.S. policy or daylight between Israel and the United States on these questions, I think he did a lot to lay that to rest,” said Netanyahu. He also said of the peace process: “I need a partner on the other side. I can’t be a trapeze artist that wants to connect with the other guy and there’s no one there. I need a Palestinian partner.”
Gutierrez: U.S. And Mexico Should Have Joint Response To Border
Appearing on This Week, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) said: “I mean, there are people in Mexico dying every day, prosecutors, justice department, police, fighting these criminal elements. They’re also damaging us. Should we have a joint response? Shouldn’t that joint response say, we’re going to secure that border. We’re going to do everything. But let’s separate those that are coming here, crossing that border, looking for jobs, who are also a victim and prey to that very same criminal element, from the criminals, and have laws the effectively combat the criminals and resolve our immigration problem?”
