Advertisement

 

National Briefing

OBAMA

1. Puff, Puff, Pass

"Even as he struggles with his own addiction to cigarette-smoking," Pres. Obama 6/22 signed into law a bill giving the FDA the "authority to regulate the content and marketing of tobacco products" (Youngman, The Hill, 6/22).

At a Rose Garden presser, Obama "invoked his personal struggle" as he signed the law: "Each day, 1,000 young people under the age of 18 become new regular, daily smokers, and almost 90 percent of all smokers began at or before their 18th birthday. I know; I was one of these teenagers. ... I know how difficult it can be to break this habit when it's been with you for a long time" (Goldman/Neher, Bloomberg, 6/23).

And "with that," Obama "moved on." He "did not mention whether he still smokes," and "instead talked about the dangers of the addiction and its causes" (Zeleny, New York Times, 6/23). Later, he "did not respond to a reporter's question about how his struggled to stop smoking was going" (Barrett, McClatchy, 6/23). Neither have Obama's aides "answered directly" when asked whether Obama "has completely broken the habit." WH press sec. Robert Gibbs, after the ceremony: "Obviously, this is a struggle that he continues to have" (Goldman/Neher, Bloomberg, 6/23). The venue for the signing "was funny because if Obama is still smoking," the "most likely spot for it is right outside the Oval, in the Rose Garden" (Mason, "Beltway Confidential," Washington Examiner, 6/22).

Some of Obama's invited guests 6/22 "offered a charitable view." Ex-FDA Commis. David Kessler: "Who knows better than a smoker how difficult it is to quit?" Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA): "He's an adult and knows the dangers. As the president said, the most important thing we can do now is stop kids from starting. I was a dumb 16-year-old when I started" (Farhi, Washington Post, 6/23).

The "historic legislation," which gives the FDA "unprecedented authority to regulate what goes into tobacco products, to make public the ingredients and to prohibit marketing campaigns geared toward children," is America's "toughest anti-smoking law" (Elliott, AP, 6/23). A spokesperson for the Philip Morris USA parent company Altria Group noted that the company "backed" the bill. But some companies, including R.J. Reynolds, "argued that the FDA is already overburdened" (Dinan, Washington Times, 6/23).

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Obama will hold a presser in the Rose Garden at 12:30 pm today. Gibbs, on what to expect: "In all honesty, the press conference has been on our block schedule for several weeks. ... I think the president will use the occasion again to discuss the progress that he believes the country needs to make on laying a foundation for growth. I think you will hear him talk about the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. The president will talk about progress that is being made on energy independence legislation going through Congress" (Cook, "The Vote Blog," Christian Science Monitor, 6/22).

Today's event will mark Obama's "fourth domestic" presser, but his "first in 55 days." It occurs at a "rare weak moment" for the admin. as Obama "seeks to re-focus the political debate amid criticism of his approach to the ongoing protests in Iran and lingering doubts" about the economy and health care reform. Obama "is, without question, the best advocate for his own policies." Americans "are more likely to side with him on policy matters when they hear directly from him," and that's "exactly the sort of opportunity that today's" presser "affords" him (Cillizza, washingtonpost.com, "The Fix," 6/23).

NBC's Todd: "What you should expect out of this news conference today is more questions [about Iran], more directly at the president. What are the consequences going to be in the relationship between Iran and the rest of the world? Where is the president now, you know, after seeing, frankly, some of the gruesome footage that we've seen overnight. This young woman who has become now a little bit of the face of this protest movement. So I think direct reaction to that."

More Todd: "It's my understanding the administration knows that one of the reasons we're seeing this news conference come when it comes is that they know that more people want to hear from him directly about Iran, and I think that we might see a little something different out of the president later today" ("Today," 6/23).

GOP pollster Ed Goeas "said that it is clear" the WH "is aware the public is casting a skeptical eye" on the admin.'s economic policies and "subtly shifting its message as a result." WH officials "used to talk about 'saving or creating' jobs, and now they're just focusing on 'saving' them," according to Goeas (Falcone/Barr, Politico, 6/22).

Iran, Don't Iwalk

Obama gave the "first-ever one-on-one interview" by a pres. to the Pakistani media, telling the Dawn newspaper in an interview published 6/21 that "part of the key" to improving U.S.-Muslim relations is "to isolate the extremists who have been wreaking havoc around the world." Asked about the protests in Iran, he said: "We respect Iran's sovereignty, but we also are witnessing peaceful demonstrations, people expressing themselves, and I stand for that universal principle that people should have a voice in their own lives and their own destiny. And I hope that the international community recognises that we need to stand behind peaceful protests and be opposed to violence or repression" (Iqbal, Dawn.com, 6/21).

On 6/22, Obama continued to keep "his distance from the election and the ensuing demonstrations," saying, "This is not an issue of the United States, or the West versus Iran" (Jacobs, "Briefing Room," The Hill, 6/22).

(For more, see today's IRAN story).

Hail To The FIFA

Obama "has plans meet with" FIFA President Sepp Blatter, "but has yet to decide if he will attend next year's World Cup in South Africa." Gibbs, responding to an ESPN report that Obama had already committed: "I'm told for scheduling that the president has accepted a meeting with the head of FIFA World Cup but that we have not yet all together made plans" (Mooney, "Political Ticker," CNN, 6/22). Blatter, in the ESPN report: "The World Cup in Africa will go well, there is no doubt. And the man who said, 'Yes we can do it,' will be there. ... Of course the schedule of heads of state can change, but he has said he will be there if he can" (ESPNsoccernet, 6/22).

Golf, What's It Good For?

More of Obama's interview with CBS' Smith aired on "Early Show" this a.m.

Smith: "Golf. What does it do for you?"

Obama: "First of all, I'm terrible."

Smith: "I'm horrible. Worst thing I ever started. Best thing I've ever done."

Obama: "It is the only time that for 6 hours -- First of all that I'm outside. And second of all, where you almost feel normal. In the sense that you're not in a bubble. There are a whole bunch of Secret Service guys, but they're sort of in the woods. ... And you're hacking away, and hitting some terrible shot and your friends are laughing at you."

More Obama: "You're out of the container. ... I realize now it's as close as you're going to get to being outside of this place" (CBS, 6/23).

More Like "Wonderwall"

Obama has "invited some" gay and lesbian advocate "leaders to an East Room reception" 6/29 to "commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion," the '69 Greenwich Village demonstrations "that gave birth to the modern gay rights movement." The WH "has not publicized" the event as advocates are intensifying their criticism of the WH. Gay leaders from Washington and "around the country said they had received either telephone calls from the" the WH "or written invitations to the event, and were told" Obama "is expected to speak." Some "said it would take more than a recption to change their view that" Obama "has not been aggressive enough in pursuing gay rights."

Obama "would not be the first" Dem pres. "to mark the Stonewall uprising." Bill Clinton declared Jun. as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. But Obama's "reception comes amid growing complaints from gay leaders" who supported Obama but "are becoming increasingly upset with him as" pres., and it's "unclear" whether Obama "will address the complaints" at the reception. One invitee said the WH was "billing the event as a celebration, akin to the festive affairs the" admin. has on St. Patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo. Another "said the invitation included an offer to bring a guest." WH spokesperson Shin Inouye: "Next Monday's event is a chance for the White House to recognize the accomplishments of LGBT Americans. Invited guests include families, volunteers and activists, and community leaders. This event was long planned as way to applaud these individuals during Pride month" (Stolberg, New York Times, 6/22).

Ready On Day One

Politico's Smith writes, "few commentators predicted" Sec/State Hillary Clinton would produce "an era of grindstone leadership" at the State Dept. when Obama named her last fall -- or that she would become "a disciplined loyalist who jostles" for WH influence as much as any other sec. who has "advanced her cause by striking some key internal alliances." Clinton now also has "about as low a news-making profile as is possible," and it appears to be "an arrangement that ... seems to suit Clinton and" the Obama WH "just fine" -- even as it has "contributed to increasing chatter" in foreign policy circles "about her clout."

"By some lights, no one should be surprised" by Clinton's "encore performance" of the same strategy she used when arriving to "a chamber of skeptical colleagues." Ex-Middle East negotiator Aaron Miller: "You've got the empire of envoys that she acquiesced in, which sent into motion these little fiefdoms. The general proposition is that in diplomacy and strategy, all power seems to be flowing away from the State Department."

Both State and the WH are "eager to rebut this perception." NSA Thomas Donilon: "Her star power has been an enormously effective tool for us." Donilon and other top officials "emphasized how well she has fit in" among the "alpha males" -- as she put it to AfPak rep. Richard Holbrooke -- who compose the rest of the foreign policy team. Defense Sec. Robert Gates spokesperson Geoff Morrell noted that "those two have emerged as particular allies." It may be "too early to answer the largest questions" of Clinton's role -- in particular, what is her "personal stake" in a foreign policy "whose face is unquestionably" that of Obama. Some predecessors have been "publicly aligned with clear policy positions," but Clinton does "not yet have that kind of issue profile" and "does not seem eager to gain one."

State Dept. spokesman PJ Crowley said "one of her key roles" would be "to be primarily responsible for our big power relationships" with countries like China and Russia. But the "unprecedented reliance" on high-profile envoys "will perhaps be the key to her success or failure." Crowley: "The envoys will be the primary metric through which you will judge her legacy" (6/23).

Don't Have A Kowtow, Man

"Family members of the victims" of the 9/11 attacks "say they have been blindsided" by the Obama admin.'s "opposition to their lawsuit seeking damages from top members of the Saudi Arabian" gov't "over suspected financial links to the 9/11 attackers." A "series of closed-door meetings between the relatives' groups" and Justice Dept. officials, "arranged as an update" on Obama's plan to shutter Guantanamo, "turned instead into a sharp clash over the Saudi legal action." 9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America co-founder Debra Burlingame: "Physically, President Obama has done what previous presidents have done for a long time, which is bow down." The SCOTUS is expected to decide whether to take up the families' case 6/25 (LoBianco, Washington Times, 6/23).

Oh Rahm, Oh Rahm Emanuel

Washington Post's Kurtz writes, "perhaps no" WH CoS "in modern history has worked the media as aggressively and relentlessly as" CoS Rahm Emanuel. "Drawing on his long-standing relationships" with reporters, Emanuel "serves up on-the-record quotes, background spin and the sort of capital gossip that lubricates relationships." He "also seeks their take on events and floats possible administration tactics. And Emanuel is brusquely efficient." NBC's Chuck Todd: "It's a no-nonsense relationship. He's always trying to extract as much information as he's trying to give." Adviser David Axelrod: "He thinks like a journalist" (6/23).

The Long Road To 60?

On 6/22, "nearly four months after" Obama nominated Yale Law School dean Harold Koh to become legal adviser to the State Dept., Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid "filed cloture and moved his nomination to the floor." Confirming Koh "to a powerful but usually uncontroversial position had proven harder than either his supporters or his detractors could have expected." Heritage Foundation fellow Steven Groves: "When you consider Dean Koh's impressive resume, this process should have been more of a coronation than a fight. It's only become a fight because serious issues were raised on his views of transnational law" (Weigel, Washington Independent, 6/22). A cloture vote is set for 6/24 (Cong. record, 6/22).

Take Them To Our Leader

New York Times' Hansell writes, the WH made its "first major entree" into gov't "by the people" last month when it set up an online forum to ask "ordinary people" for their ideas on how to carry out Obama's 1/21 "open-government pledge" -- and "it got an earful" on "legalizing marijuana" and "verifying Obama's birth certificate to prove he was really born in the US." But "most of the suggestions were closely related to the topic at hand" -- like publishing a list of everyone who meets with Obama, using computer graphics to "track how rapidly agencies respond to" FOIA requests and installing webcams to "monitor federal offices."

Obama dep. chief tech. officer Beth Noveck: "Even for people who want to talk about U.F.O.'s or the Kennedy assassination, we have created a forum for people to have a conversation with each other, and potentially to go off and organize and develop this further." The WH proceeded 6/22 with Phase 3 of the process -- asking people to "collaborate online to draft language that could be used to create the final rules" -- but the experience so far shows "just how hard it is to allow all voices to be heard and still have a coherent discussion." But Noveck "argues" that the experience of sites like Wikipedia "proves that groups of users can police sites to keep small groups from spoiling things."

Phase 3 will use yet another format: a wiki. Visitors will be able "to submit and edit drafts" of the open-gov't rules. However, Noveck added that ultimately "this is not policy by referendum." OMB will "consider the public comments" and the views of agency officials and WH staff and then "put together its own formal draft" of the rules. The final rules will then "become effective and will govern" federal agencies after soliciting one more round of public comment (6/22).

Image Is Everything

According to experts, information "is harder to find" on the Obama Web site than it was on the site created and run by the Bush admin. Federal Computer Week's Drapeau: "It doesn't seem to be quite in line with the notion of the pillars of government 2.0 being openness and transparency. It seems just the opposite." But Drapeau added this "might be a short-term trend," as the admin. has begun a long-term effort to use new technologies to open up the gov't. The "biggest fans" of the site "all love the look and feel" of the new whitehouse.gov. -- "but their markers for excellence are telling." Wurkit Web founder Daniel Ritzenthaler: "The biggest difference is the imagery. There's a lot of President Obama during work hours at meetings and speeches and debates. This does a really good job of making it more personal" (Ward, Washington Times, 6/23).

Past The Infatuation Stage

GOP strategist Tony Blankley writes in the Washington Times, last week both Washington Post's Broder and NBC's Todd "declared" Obama's "honeymoon over." Though Obama "remains broadly admired," his "policy proposals are becoming less popular with the public as they are emerging in more detail. And as even those policies that are popular appear to be unaffordable, the president's Democratic senatorial allies are focusing more on their responsibilities as senators -- and less on their party loyalties to a Democratic president. Although [Obama] is looking somewhat inconsistent and less effective while his policies are looking less plausible, it's early, and legislative success may yet be the president's this season. But it is not too early for Democratic Party nerves and their ending of the presidential honeymoon" (6/23).

Wall Street Journal's Seib writes, Obama and his team "ought to start worrying about" indies, who "are starting to simply view" Obama "as more liberal than they expected." In recent weeks, Obama's "standing" among indies "has eroded noticeably." As indies "tend to decide most elections," the "slide" in support shows Obama "has reached a politically hazardous juncture at the midpoint of his first, exceptionally hectic year." Dem pollster Peter Hart: "This is a clear and important danger for him" (6/23).

 

Editor-in-Chief: Amy Walter

Executive Editor: John Mercurio

Managing Editor: Quinn McCord

Senior Editors: Maura O'Brien, Tim Sahd, and Reid Wilson

TV Editor: Abby Livingston

Senior Writers: Holly Noe and Rachelle Douillard-Proulx

Staff Writers: Ian Faerstein, Sean J. Miller, Steven Shepard, and Felicia Sonmez

Online Producer: Carrie Dindino

Executive Assistant: Meredith Nettles

Associate Writers: Cyra Master, Michelle Price, Beth Sussman, and Kurtis Lee

Registering with NationalJournal.com enables subscribers to view our up-to-the-minute analysis and unparalleled coverage of Congress, politics and policy in its entirety. If you would like to continue reading please click on the "Register" button to the right and create a username and password, then activate your subscription(s).

This one-time registration is required to access subscription content on NationalJournal.com and will only take a moment. Subscribe now: Call (800) 424-2921 or email subscriptions@nationaljournal.com.