Odierno: U.S. Pullout From Iraq On Schedule After Vote
Speaking to reporters in Baghdad, Gen. Ray Odierno said that the country’s election were a milestone on the way to the scheduled pullout of American combat forces. “Unless there’s a catastrophic event, we don’t see that changing,” Odierno said. “We believe we’re right on track for that. We think this is another milestone.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will depart the White House at 9:35 a.m. Et, then depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 9:50 a.m. ET, arriving at 10:35 a.m. ET in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. He will deliver remarks on health insurance reform at 11 a.m. ET. He will depart from Willow Grove at 12:30 p.m. ET, arriving back at Andrews Air Force Base at 1:15 p.m. ET, and back at the White House at 1:30 p.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at 1:50 p.m. ET, welcoming the BCS National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide to the White House. He will meet at 3 p.m. ET with President Funes of El Salvador. The President and First Lady will deliver remarks at 4:30 p.m. ET, at an International Women’s Day reception. Obama will at 5:30 p.m. ET with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Biden Touring The Middle East
Vice President Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden departed from Andrews Air Force Base last night, at shortly before 8:30 p.m. ET, embarking on a tour of the Middle East. The Bidens will arrive today in Jerusalem, and do not have any other public events scheduled.
Obama To Nominate Retired General For TSA
President Obama is expected to announce the nomination of retired Army Gen. Robert Harding, who has an extensive background in intelligence, to head up the Transportation Security Administration. This comes after the withdrawal of the previous nominee, Erroll Southers, who faced a tough confirmation fight in the Senate.
Gates Visits Afghanistan, Urges Caution
On a visit to Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates discussed recent successes in the country, but also cautioned against optimism. “People still need to understand there is some very hard fighting, very hard days ahead,” said Gates.
Reconciliation Not Easy To Lobby
Roll Call reports that with the health care bill headed into a final budget reconciliation phase, there will not be much room left for lobbyists to influence the outcome. “The majority of issues in play are unlobbyable at this point,” said Andy Rosenberg, a principal in the firm Thorn Run Partners, who said that a key role for K Street now is to explain the process to clients and “helping them handicap the likely outcomes.”
Kerry Lobbies Business For Climate Compromise
The Hill reports that Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have been courting business groups in their efforts to formulate an energy policy bill, though the bill itself is not yet completed: “A utility executive who was at the briefing this week said Kerry provided a ‘20,000-foot’ perspective of the bill, meaning he spoke in more general terms than specifics. Kerry reiterated in his talk to executives that he and his partners would use different strategies to reduce emissions in different sectors, and that the bill would be deficit-neutral.”
