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"If you want to be a leader and you want to communicate with people, you have to love people. Not just care about them. Love them."

— Rudy Giuliani, on leadership, New York Daily News, 6/28.

National Briefing

OBAMA

1. Too Little, Too Straight?

Pres. Obama "meets with 250 gay rights activists today" to "commemorate the 40th anniversary of the birth of the gay rights movement." The administration "took another step to mark the anniversary last week by formally apologizing to Frank Kameny, who was fired 50 years ago from his government job for being gay." These actions "come as some suggest the president is lagging behind on gay issues as the more Americans embrace the culture, and its call for equal rights" (Washington Post, 6/29).

However, Obama is still "under fire from some gay and lesbian groups for what they see as slow movement on two of their most important issues," and "is taking steps to keep that voting bloc in his column. ... Despite" VP Biden's "efforts at a fundraiser last week, the event was still boycotted by some over the administration's inaction in repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the military's Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell policy. ... White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said not to expect any announcements on the two controversial policies surrounding" the event. But Gibbs "insisted that the event was planned in honor of Gay Pride Month and not as a result of political pressure" (Youngman, TheHill, 6/29).

San Diego Tribune's Navarette: "Things are so touchy (for gay rights activists) that when Obama recently made a gay-themed joke, some gays and lesbians were not amused. At the 2009 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Obama noted that he and senior adviser David Axelrod 'have been together for a long time.' ... Then, Obama joked, Axelrod 'said to me the same thing that partners all across America are saying to one another right now. Let's got to Iowa and make it official.' ... The deteriorating relationship between Obama and the gay and lesbian community is no laughing matter. It never is when a group of voters feels written off by one party and taken for granted by another. And it never is when a group of voters feels completely let down by a political leader in which they put their trust" (Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle, 6/29).

Family Feud

Obama "is facing his first open clashes with" Dems over spending, as the WH "tries to curb lawmaker demands for big-ticket items in the military and transportation budgets." He has made his "first formal veto threat, opposing a pair of military fighter jets." He said the administration "'strongly objects to Congress'' desire to spend" $369M for new F-22s "because officials say the aircraft aren't suited for the guerrilla warfare being waged in Iraq and Afghanistan." Obama "also objects to the" $603M "Congress wants to spend for a new second engine for the F-35."

43 Dems on the HCTI sent the White House a "harsh letter" this week rejecting its suggested 18-month delay on a "sweeping" $500B transportation plan as "shortsighted." Members "see the plan as long overdue for repairing the nation's crumbling highways and setting in motion a modern transportation system." The letter: "Your proposal...will lock us into the discredited politics of the past and prevent us from moving toward the transportation system of the future" (Bendavid/Conkey, Wall Street Journal, 6/29).

First Nico On "Lipstick Jungle" Was Canceled... And Now This?

Axelrod was on "Meet the Press" 6/28, and he was asked how Obama impacted what he thinks will happen in the '10 elections.

Axelrod: "I think that the American people voted for change, they voted for action, they voted to get things done and to deal with the big problems facing this country. I think the president has done that. I think he's done that at home. I think he's changed the tenor abroad in a way that is positive for the United States. ... That that is going to root down to the benefit of the Democratic Party."

More Axelrod: "The other fact is that those who oppose what he's doing ... they're looking backwards, not forward. And the question is, what are you going to do to build a better future? Don't recycle old ideas that haven't worked. Where are your new ideas?" (NBC, 6/28).

Axelrod was also asked about the question Obama took from Huffington Post's Nico Pitney during the 6/23 news conference.

Axelrod, asked if the WH coordinated with Pitney: "The White House didn't coordinate with the reporter about a question, we were looking for a way to get questions from within Iran. We did not have access to Iranian journalists. ... We knew that he had been and he was very publicly involved in trafficking and communications in and out of Iran."

NBC's Gregory: "Why is it appropriate to coordinate with a reporter about what's asked at a time when we're championing democracy around the world?"

Axelrod: "We didn't coordinate with him about what was asked. ... In fact, he asked probably one of the toughest and most probing questions at that press conference. We had no idea what he was going to ask."

Gregory: "If President Bush had done that, don't you think Democrats would have said that's outrageous?"

Axelrod: "I do not, because if -- what would have been outrageous is if we knew what question was going to be asked, just as if you told us what question you were going to ask."

Axelrod, asked if they'd do it again: "Yeah, I have no problem with what was done. We want to foment dialogue around the world. And if we can get quotations from within Iran asked, whatever those questions may be -- and as I said, that one was a tough one -- I think we're doing something positive" (NBC, 6/28).

For more on this story, see today's MEDIA MONITOR.

The Economic Stimulus... Part Two?

Axelrod said 6/28 that "the economic stimulus has not yet 'broken the back of the recession' but set aside calls for a second massive spending bill." GOPers, meanwhile, "called spending under way a failure." Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney "said the spending was ill-designed and served only to expand the size of government." "Sensing their own vulnerabilities, Obama's top advisers have ramped up their defense of spending that is incomplete and going slower than many had hoped. ... Some economists and business leaders have called for a second spending bill designed to help guide the economy through a downturn that has left millions without jobs. Axelrod said it's too early to know if more spending would be needed."

Axelrod: "Look, when the president signed the stimulus package - the economic recovery package - he said it's going to take a while for this to work. ... Most of the stimulus money - the economic recovery money - is yet to be spent. Let's see what impact that has. I'm not going to make any judgment as to whether we need more" (Elliot, AP, 6/28).

PoliticsDaily's Cannon: "Someday quite soon...this mess of an economy will belong to Barack Obama and his administration. He will own it, not his predecessor. ... It (has been) long enough for Americans to start to wonder if Obama and the ruling Democrats in Congress have the answers - or, even more ominously, whether their prescription has made things worse. ... Two weeks ago, the unemployment rate went to that stunning 9.4% level. Last week, at a press conference, Obama said rather casually that it would probably go over 10%, which has happened only once - in Reagan's first term - in the last 70 years, and which signals deep trouble for the president and his political party" (6/29).

Flew The Coup

The Obama admin. and members of the Organization of American States "had worked for weeks to try to avert any moves to overthrow (Honduran) President Zelaya." Honduran amb. Hugo Llorens "sought to facilitate a dialogue between the president's office, the Honduran parliament and the military." The efforts "accelerated over the weekend," as the WH grew "increasingly alarmed." On 6/28, the U.S. embassy in Honduras "tried repeatedly to contact the Honduran military directly, but was rebuffed." The Obama admin. "called the removal of President Zelaya a coup and said it wouldn't recognize any other leader" (Kiernan/Cordoba/Soloman, Wall Street Journal, 6/29).

Obama, in a release: "I am deeply concerned by reports coming out of Honduras regarding the detention and expulsion of President Mel Zelaya. As the Organization of American States did on Friday, I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference" (6/28).

I Got Elected President, And I All Got Were These Lousy Problems

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Shribman: "Iraq and the economy are hard problems. President Obama seems to be handling them gracefully. Iran and health care are hard problems. The president is having more difficulty with them. Could it be more than a coincidence that his Democratic president seems more sure-footed with the problems he inherited from Republican President George W. Bush than he is with the problems he inherited from the failures of Democratic Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton? (6/28)

Washington Post's Dionne: "Every general studies the mistakes of the last war, and President Obama's style has been much influenced by the difficulties of Bill Clinton's presidency. In particular, Obama has shied away from handing Congress his own plans on 'stone tablets,' a phrase much loved by" Axelrod. "Obama's initial approach of laying out principles and giving Congress latitude was the right response to Clinton's mistake of offering a detailed proposal, only to see it mocked and rejected" (6/29).

Washington Times' Thomas: "There was a noticeable change in the climate" during Obama's 6/23 news conference "that had nothing to do with the heat and humidity. ... For the first time in a long time, the president was challenged about his positions on Iran, health care and his 'occasional' smoking. This may have been because of the heavy criticism the media have been getting from commentators who have accused them of not doing their jobs with coverage that has bordered on worshipful." Obama "said his comments on the (Iran) election and the demonstrations have been 'consistent' when clearly they have not. But better to get to the right place on a long trip than refuse to begin the journey" (6/28).

I'm A Pusher, Not A Fighter

U.S. News & World Report's Walsh writes: "Brushing aside criticism from Washington veterans that he is overloading the capital's political circuits, he is alarming both allies and adversaries with his push for change, the faster, the better. His critics have a point. His challenge to the status quo may be causing too many powerful forces to line up against him, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, members of the medical establishment, the conservative power structure in Washington, and Rush Limbaugh and his cohorts in the punditocracy of the right. If Obama fails to overcome them, his credibility could be shattered, and his dreams of change could evaporate." Obama "has staked his presidency on his belief that Americans will agree that there can be no more procrastination" (6/26).

Frankie Says Relax

Washington Post's Wittes/Goldsmith: "Obama, to put in bluntly, seems poised for a nearly wholesale adoption of the Bush administration's unilateral approach to detention. The attraction is simple, seductive, familiar. The legal arguments for unilateralism are strong in theory; past presidents in shorter, traditional wars did not seek specific congressional input on detention. Securing such input for our current war, it turns out, is still hard. The unilateral approach, by contrast, lets the president define the rules in ways that are convenient for him and then dares the courts to say no. This seductive logic, however, failed disastrously for Bush - and it will not serve Obama any better."

When Franklin D. Roosevelt "sought congressional authorization for the Lend-Lease program in" Jan. '41, "the isolationist-leaning nation was evenly split over the proposal. After two months of sharp congressional argument and national debate, almost two-thirds of the country supported Lend-Lease, and Congress passed the program by large margins. ... Roosevelt's approach, not Bush-era unilateralism, should be" Obama's model (6/29).

Friends, With Benefits

"In a fractious labor movement fraught with rivalries and mutual suspicion," SEIU head Andy Stern's "close association with Obama has given him cachet that may prove important in the fierce competition to lure new members." The SEIU spent $60M "to help elect Obama, according to the union. ... Now in" the WH, Obama "has continued to derive political benefits from the union. It was the SEIU's health chief, Dennis Rivera, who helped bring industry to the table to start talks on a healthcare overhaul." Stern "estimates he visits" the WH once a week. "SEIU officials talk to senior Obama advisor Nancy-Ann DeParle about healthcare - a top priority for Stern - and to Obama aide Cecilia Munoz about immigration." Stern: "We get heard" (Nicholas, Los Angeles Times, 6/28).

An Exit Strategy?

WI Gov. Jim Doyle (D) is denying reports that he would be named "head of the Peace Corps." Doyle spokesperson Lee Sensenbrenner: "Any speculation that there is a pending appointment is just a goofy rumor and untrue."

Doyle and his wife, Jessica, "were Peace Corps volunteers in Tunisia" in the late 60s. "Earlier rumors" had Doyle, who "has been raising funds for his re-election" in '10, being named to a Cabinet post" or as amb. to Ireland (Forster, "All Politics Blog," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/26).

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

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