Obama Seeking International Agreement On Afghanistan
President Obama is meeting with NATO leaders today in France and Germany, seeking international backing for his new plans for Afghanistan and Pakistan. And so far he is picking up support, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy said at their joint news conference today: “We completely support the new American strategy in Afghanistan.”
Obama’s Day Ahead: France And Germany
President Obama and Michelle Obama arrived this morning in Strasbourg, France, at about 4:45 a.m. ET. AT 5:35 a.m. ET he met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and at 6:35 a.m. ET the two briefly addressed the press pool. He held a town hall at 7:25 a.m. ET. At 9 a.m. ET the Obamas will leave for Baden-Baden, Germany, with Obama meeting Chancellor Angela Merkel at 9:45 a.m. ET. Obama and Merkel will address the press pool at 10:45 a.m. ET. President Obama and Michelle Obama will attend the NATO Concert at 1 p.m. ET, and President Obama will attend a NATO leaders working dinner at 2:15 p.m. ET. The Obamas will depart from Germany, going back to Strasbourg, at 5 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden is starting his day with private meetings in Washington. He will be in New York City today, speaking at 2 p.m. ET to the National Action Network’s annual convention. He will then head back to Wilmington, Delaware, where he will spend the weekend.
Obama: Time Running Out On Climate Change
Speaking to his town hall meeting in France, President Obama called for united action against global warming. “We all know that time is running out,” said Obama. “America must do more, Europe must do more.”
Burris Aide Slams Dem Leadership
In the wake of yesterday’s Blagojevich indictment, Roland Burris’ media consultant Delmarie Cobb issued a strong statement attacking the Democratic leadership for running down the Senator’s reputation. Cobb cited Blago’s own plea at the time of the appointment, that the allegations against himself not drag down an honest man’s reputation: “To the extent those goals have not been met, the Democratic leadership can blame its own tainted motivations. They have tried their best to discredit one of the few ‘clean’ politicians Illinois has ever known, in order to do exactly what Blagojevich warned against.”
Poll: Michelle’s Popularity Edges Out Barack
A new Gallup poll shows that Michelle Obama has taken on the traditionally popular role of a first lady, with a 72% favorable rating — ahead of her husband’s own 69% approval rating, thanks to support among some Republicans who don’t approve of the president. Last summer, in the heat of the campaign, Michelle’s favorable rating was only 43%.
Typo From White House Sends Reporters To Phone-Sex Line Instead of Conference Call
The White House has said a typographical error yesterday was to blame in giving reporters a phone number for a conference call with Hillary Clinton and James Jones that turned out to be the wrong number — sending reporters to a phone-sex line. D’oh!
