week in Review 7/24/10

Deficit Debacle; Obama Debt Commission Struggling to Achieve Consensus

President Obama has repeatedly promised to tackle the long-term structural deficit of this country, but when? Even his debt commission is at odds over whether it would be better to chip away at the deficit in earnest while the economy remains in such a delicate state, or after stability takes hold.

On Thursday, Mr. Obama signed a bill intended to stem government bloat by reducing federal government waste, fraud and abuse by $50 billion between now and 2012. “We have to challenge a status quo that accepts billions of dollars in waste as the cost of doing business,” the president proclaimed at the White House event.

With a report from the president’s Bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform not due until December, public comments from its members have yet to reveal a consensus view over how to proceed with deficit reduction. Sparing no frankness, Commission Co-chair and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson said recently that the group is comprised of “good people of deep, deep difference, knowing the possibility of the odds of success are rather harrowing to say the least.” Read more.

N. Korea Threatens ‘Physical Response’ to U.S. Drills; Clinton Blasts ‘Belligerent’ Acts

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — North Korea on Friday threatened the United States and South Korea with a “physical response” to planned weekend naval exercises as tensions with the communist nation rose in the aftermath of the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on the North.

In Vietnam for a Southeast Asian regional security forum, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a North Korean official traded barbs over the ship incident, the upcoming military drills and the imposition of new U.S. sanctions against the North.

The spokesman for the North Korean delegation to the talks, Ri Tong Il, repeated Pyongyang’s denial of responsibility for the March sinking of the ship that killed 46 South Korean sailors and said the upcoming military drills were a violation of its sovereignty that harkened back to the days of 19th-century “gunboat diplomacy.” Read more.

President Obama, White House react to ‘cable chatter’

President Barack Obama has made a mantra out of insisting he and his White House won’t get caught up in “cable chatter,” with aides proudly insisting they don’t let 24-hour news outlets drive decision-making.

But this week’s forced resignation of a previously obscure Agriculture Department employee is just the latest example of Obama officials reacting to a cable news-driven obsession of the right.

It not only infuriates Obama’s liberal base, which feels like the episodes just reinforce the power of the right to push a damaging story into the mainstream press. But as this week shows, the White House’s touchiness even threatens Obama’s ability to keep control of his own public persona, or steer the national conversation in a way that’s conducive to promoting his message and his agenda. Read more.

10 nations join Mexican opposition to Arizona law, politician says

(CNN) — Mexico has received the support of parliamentary leaders from 10 nations in opposition to Arizona’s controversial new immigration law, the Mexican Senate president said Wednesday.

Mexico and the other nations signed a declaration expressing their “strong condemnation and profound rejection of the law,” said Senate President Carlos Navarrete Ruiz.

The Arizona law, which is scheduled to go into effect later this month, requires anyone being investigated by police for a possible crime to provide proof of legal residency.

Opponents say the measure is discriminatory and invites racial profiling, but supporters say it’s necessary to curb the flood of illegal immigrants in the border state. Read more.

Climate bill on the ropes

The Senate climate bill has been at death’s door several times over the past year. But with the days before the August recess quickly slipping away, the case may truly be terminal now.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has wanted to introduce a sweeping energy and climate bill by next week, and Reid even told POLITICO on Monday night that the package was almost ready to go.

But by Tuesday afternoon, Reid was noncommittal about when a bill would come or what it would contain.

“We’re going to make a decision in the near future,” Reid said, describing plans for a Democratic caucus on the issue Thursday. “We’re really not at a point where I can determine what I think is the best for the caucus and the country at this stage.” Read more.

Republicans See Path to Control of Senate

WASHINGTON—Democrats for the first time are acknowledging that Republicans could retake the Senate this November if everything falls into place for the GOP, less than two years after Democrats held a daunting 60-seat majority.

Leaders of both parties have believed for months that Republicans could win the House, where every lawmaker faces re-election. But a change of party control in the Senate, where only a third of the members are running and Republicans must capture 10 seats, seemed out of the question. Read More.

GOP senators: Obama failing in oil clean-up

Just days after BP temporarily plugged the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, Senate Republicans on Sunday lashed out at the Obama administration for failing to clean up America’s soiled shoreline.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the administration was suffering from incompetence.

“This is mainly a failure of the administration,” McConnell said. “BP caused the spill. It’s BP’s responsibility to plug that leak. The federal government has been trying to keep the oil off the shores of the United States. It took the administration 70 days to order [oil-collecting] skimmers down to the Gulf.” Read more.

Week in Review 7/17/10

RALEIGH — The first tax under ObamaCare is a 10 percent sales tax on indoor tanning salons. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required tanning salons to start collecting the tax July 1. However, business owners across the country are unsure of details related to the tax, because the IRS released its rules only weeks before the deadline.

The influential American Academy of Dermatology pushed for the inclusion of the tax, which is projected to collect $2.7 billion over 10 years. But the academy hopes individuals will stop patronizing indoor tanning salons altogether, which would result in the collection of no tax revenues.

To watch CarolinaJournal.tv's full report on the tanning tax, click on the video.

Rev. Peterson Repudiates NAACP’s Anti-Tea Party Resolution and Blasts Michelle Obama for Embracing Racist Black Group

LOS ANGELES, July 14 /Standard Newswire/ — Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson (photo), Founder and President of BOND Action, is repudiating the NAACP (National Association for The Advancement of Colored People) for passing a resolution condemning members of the conservative Tea Party movement as “racists.” The NAACP is charging Tea Party members with using “racial epithets” and accusing them of engaging in “explicitly racist behavior.” Rev. Peterson is calling the NAACP’s claims “baseless” and is blasting First Lady Michelle Obama for appearing as the keynote speaker at their annual convention. The following is Rev. Peterson’s statement:

“This resolution is a politically motivated attack by the NAACP designed to smear, intimidate, and derail a great conservative grass roots movement. Where’s the NAACP’s resolution condemning the New Black Panther Party and its members for advocating the killing of ‘white crackers’ and ‘white babies’? Where’s their proof of ‘racist’ Tea Party behavior? This is the height of hypocrisy.

“The NAACP is a racist and bigoted group. And shame on Michelle Obama for embracing their racist platform. Instead of condemning this hateful resolution and rebuking the organization, she encouraged them to ‘increase their intensity.’ This is pure wickedness. Read more.

Governors: Obama’s Immigration Suit Is ‘Toxic’

Democratic governors expressed “grave” concerns to White House officials this weekend about the Obama administration’s suit against Arizona’s new immigration law, warning it could cost the party in crucial elections this fall, The New York Times reported late Sunday.

The closed-door meeting took place at the National Governors Association in Boston on Saturday, according to two unnamed governors who spoke to the Times.

“Universally the governors are saying, ‘We’ve got to talk about jobs, and all of a sudden we have immigration going on,’” Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, a Democrat, was quoted as saying. “It is such a toxic subject, such an important time for Democrats.”

The Arizona law, which is facing a U.S. Justice Department challenge, requires police to question people about their immigration status while enforcing other laws if there’s reason to suspect someone is in the country illegally. Read more.

Terror Experts Blast Obama Move to Drop References to Islamic Extremism

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s recent move to drop references to Islamic radicalism is drawing fire in a new report warning the decision ignores the role religion can play in motivating terrorists.

Several prominent counterterror experts are challenging the administration’s shift in its recently unveiled National Security Strategy, saying the terror threat should be defined in order to fight it.

The question of how to frame the conflict against Al Qaeda and other terrorists poses a knotty problem. The U.S. is trying to mend fences with Muslim communities while toughening its strikes against militant groups. Read more.

States Can’t Count on Bailout, Obama Appointees Say

(Bloomberg) — States can’t count on the federal government for more budget bailouts, the heads of President Barack Obama’s debt commission told governors.

States expecting Congress to authorize more assistance are “going to be left with a very large hole to fill,” said Erskine Bowles, co-chairman of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. States including New York and California have urged Congress to extend stimulus spending authorized to combat the recession, including extra Medicaid funding and money to pay public school teachers.

“I don’t think we can count on the federal government again,” Bowles, White House chief of staff under former President Bill Clinton, said yesterday at the National Governors Association meeting in Boston. “They just do not have the financial resources.” Read more.

Obama Raises $500,000 for Robin Carnahan in Missouri Senate Race

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — With a handshake and hug, President Barack Obama embraced Democratic Senate candidate Robin Carnahan on Thursday, while proclaiming that she would be an independent voice if elected.

Obama appeared with Carnahan at a pair of Kansas City fundraisers that her campaign said would bring in at least $500,000. It marked the first time the president has campaigned with Carnahan, who was noticeably absent when Obama came to Missouri in March to raise money for Democratic Senate candidates.

Obama drew a fine line in his praise of Carnahan on Thursday as he defended his own policies on the economy, health care and energy. He portrayed Carnahan both as a loyal supporter and someone unafraid to take her own stand.

“We are moving in the right direction and I know that Robin Carnahan gets it — she’s going to help us keep on moving in the right direction,” Obama said during a fundraiser that drew about 750 people to the Folly Theater. Read more.

Obama DOJ corruption case has ties to Robin Carnahan

Barack Obama visited Kansas City on Thursday, July 8th, ostensibly to highlight the products of Smith Electric Vehicles (SEV) which produces electric delivery vehicles.

SEV’s web site claims its vehicles “dramatically reduce noise and deadly exhaust” as well as reduce energy and maintenance costs. Obama claimed credit for creating jobs at SEV, all 50 of them, while the current first time unemployment claims revealed another 450 thousand jobless Americans. Smith is the recipient of $32 million in government grants. SEV is owned by private investors, senior management, and a British firm, Tanfield Group, PLC.

But the real reason for Obama’s visit was to campaign for Robin Carnahan, current Missouri Secretary of State and Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican, Christopher “Kit” Bond. Bond is retiring. Carnahan’s Republican opponent likely will be Congressman, Roy Blunt. Read more.

week in Review 7/10/10

Black Panther Intimidation

Majority of Likely Voters Agree ‘Socialist’ Accurately Describes Obama

A majority of likely voters think “socialist” is a fair description for President Obama, according to a new poll that looks at how well Obama’s critics have been able to tag him with that buzzword and its often negative connotations.

The poll by Democracy Corps, the firm of James Carville and Stan Greenberg, estimates that 55 percent of likely voters believe “socialist” is a somewhat accurate description of Obama. Poll respondents were asked about a list of words and how well they related to Obama.

When asked about “a socialist,” 33 percent of likely voters said it described Obama “very well,” 22 percent said “well,” 15 percent said “not too well,” and 25 percent said “not well at all.”

A majority of likely voters, 56 percent, also found that Obama is too liberal – 35 percent saying it describes him as “very well,” 21 percent saying “well,” another 21 percent saying “not too well” and 17 percent saying “not well at all.

Officials: 3 arrested in Norway al-Qaida bomb plot

OSLO (AP) – Three suspected al-Qaida members were arrested Thursday morning in what Norwegian and U.S. officials said was a terrorist plot linked to similar plans in New York and England.

The three men, whose names were not released, had been under surveillance for more than a year. Officials believe they were planning attacks with portable but powerful bombs like the ones at the heart of last year’s thwarted suicide attack in the New York City subway.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has called that one of the most serious terrorist plots since 9/11. On Wednesday, prosecutors revealed the existence of a related plot in Manchester, England. Officials believe the Norway plan was organized by Salah al-Somali, al-Qaida’s former chief of external operations, the man in charge of plotting attacks worldwide.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. The Norwegian Police Security Service said only that the three were arrested on suspicion of “preparing terror activities.” Read more.

Obama to Fill Medicare and Medicaid Post Without Senate Approval

WASHINGTON — President Obama intends to bypass Congress and appoint Dr. Donald Berwick to head Medicare and Medicaid, the White House announced Tuesday — filling the job while Congress is in recess to get around Republican opposition that threatened to derail Berwick’s confirmation.

Berwick’s supporters say he is the right man in the right place at the right time. But his opponents have lined up against him. They say that while he may be a the highly respected doctor, he is also an outspoken proponent of the British health care system, which they say is all wrong for Americans.

“This recess appointment is an insult to the American people,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Tuesday night. “Dr. Berwick is a self-professed supporter of rationing health care, and he won’t even have to explain his views to the American people in a Congressional hearing.” Read more.

Former Justice Attorney Set to Testify in New Black Panther Case

A former Justice official who claims the administration backed off a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party for racial reasons is set to testify Tuesday before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

The testimony from J. Christian Adams, who resigned from the Justice Department last month in protest of the administration’s handling of the case, comes after he made a series of explosive allegations during an interview with Fox News last week. He said the administration abandoned an open-and-shut case of voter intimidation and that Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez gave false testimony before the commission in May.

Adams claims the administration has failed to prosecute non-whites when it comes to voting intimidation cases and that the New Black Panther incident demonstrates that. Read more.

Obama Immigration Speech Draws Complaints on Both Sides, May Not Move Needle

If President Obama was hoping to light a spark under immigration reform, he’d better get more matches.

The president’s speech last week outlining the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the system for processing both legal and illegal immigrants has been met with a collective yawn on both sides of the debate.

Republicans resistant to any national overhaul before the borders are better secured accused the president of playing politics with the speech and gave no signs of budging in this election year.

Latino leaders in Congress, meanwhile, praised Obama for finally delivering a high-profile speech on the issue, but other supporters of a national overhaul expressed disappointment that the president didn’t go further and skepticism that it would move forward the stalled debate in Congress. Read more.

Week in Review 7/2/10

God Bless This Great Nation

National debt soars to highest level since WWII

The federal debt will represent 62% of the nation’s economy by the end of this year, the highest percentage since just after World War II, according to a long-term budget outlook released today by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

For more detail on the report, check out this post in USA TODAY’s The Oval.

Republicans, who have been talking a lot about the debt in recent months, pounced on the report. “The driver of this debt is spending,” said New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee. “Our existing debt will be worsened by the president’s new health care entitlement programs…as well as an explosion in existing health care and retirement entitlement spending as the Baby Boomers retire.” Read more.

Son of Hamas Founder Granted Asylum in U.S.

Mosab Hassan was more shocked than anyone when a Department of Homeland Security official announced in immigration court today that government officials had changed their mind about him.

Yesterday they saw him as a “threat to U.S. national security.” Today they say he’s welcome to stay in the United States and become a citizen.

Why the change of heart? DHS officials won’t say, but public pressure, Congressional support for Hassan and the word of an Israeli intelligence agent likely all played a part.

Mosab Hassan was born in the West Bank, the son of one of the leaders and founders of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group considered a terrorist organization by the US. Read more.

Burr-Chambliss bill diversifies energy, avoids cap and trade

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and a Republican colleague have introduced energy legislation they say would help the United States diversify its energy portfolio without the political hurdle of a cap-and-trade system.

The bill would provide a bevy of tax credits and taxpayer-financed support for nuclear plants, electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles and a variety of renewable energy sources.

Unlike the Senate’s better-known energy legislation, though, this bill contains nothing about global warming.

“It’s not a climate bill. It’s not a carbon bill,” Burr said in an interview. “But implemented, it would probably have a bigger impact on the reduction of emissions than the Kerry/Lieberman bill.” Read more.

EDITORIAL: Robbing Peter to pay Paul’s health care

Obamacare is a socialist law designed to take money from some Americans and use it to benefit others. The health care bill signed into law by President Obama is full of hidden time bombs. One costly provision buried in the lengthy reconciliation bill at the last minute has taxpayers covering long-term at-home care for the elderly. Through the so-called Community Living Assistance Services and Support Act (CLASS Act), Americans will find between $150 and $250 taken out of their paychecks each month to cover this program nobody knew about.

Democrats claim this isn’t a controversial program, but if they really believed that, they wouldn’t have had to sneak the provision into the reconciliation bill. But it was snuck in the reconciliation bill only two days before the House vote. Read more.

The Secret Agent Brouhaha

According to mainstream media and the FBI, a major Russian spy ring has been exposed and the members arrested. The suspects are believed to have buried stashes of money and exchanged secret messages in invisible ink, swapped bags in passing at a train station, and used Wi-Fi technology as they openly learned about U.S. policy and sought out confidential information. The tabloids were also given the priceless gift of a young, dashing Russian woman who would make the Bond girls of the movies green with envy. This story is simply bizarre, but it is also banal.

Again, Hollywood and memories of the Cold War have collided. However, it will most likely stop there. Until more information is released, it should be expected that both Russia and the United States will hope this story fades away quickly—both countries have more important things to work on together. Read more.

What did Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower have in common?

Here is something that should be of great interest for you. Back during The Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover ordered the deportation of ALL illegal aliens in order to make jobs available to American citizens that desperately needed work..

Harry Truman deported over two million Illegal’s after WWII to create jobs for returning veterans.

And then again in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower deported 13 million Mexican Nationals! The program was called ‘Operation Wetback’. It was done so WWII and Korean Veterans would have a better chance at jobs.

It took 2 Years, but they deported them!

Now…if they could deport the illegal’s back then – they could sure do it today. Read more.

Concerns Over Kagan’s Immigration Views Add to Debate Ahead of Hearing

House Republicans want the Senate to grill Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on her involvement in a federal challenge to an Arizona immigration law, adding a new layer of questioning into the mix with Kagan’s hearing set to begin Monday.

The immigration issue would be one of several concerns that have developed among Kagan’s critics in recent weeks. Though her nomination has been overshadowed in Washington by other issues ranging from the BP oil spill to the Afghanistan command shake-up, Republicans are looking to throw up hurdles next week to Kagan’s confirmation. She may not be the most controversial nominee, but she’s still got questions to answer and Republicans are not taking a filibuster off the table.

Fourteen Republican representatives on Thursday wrote to the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Jeff Sessions, urging him to press Kagan on her role in the administration’s Supreme Court filing in May challenging a 2007 Arizona law. The law gives the state the right to suspend business licenses of employers hiring illegal immigrants. Read more.

week in Review 6/26/10

Immigration back on front burner due to Ariz. law

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — With the scrawl of a pen, GOP Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona awakened the dormant but explosive issue of illegal immigration, sending shock waves across the political spectrum in an election year when both parties had hoped to sidestep the topic.

Two months after Brewer signed a law instructing police to demand proof of a questionable person’s legal status, voters have refocused on a topic that had faded into the background after Congress failed to overhaul the immigration system in 2007.

Protests have flared. Lawsuits have followed. Arizona boycotts are under way. More than 20 states are discussing similar efforts. Read more.

EXCLUSIVE: AWOL Afghans Found … on Facebook

At least 11 of the 17 members of the Afghan military who went AWOL from an Air Force base in Texas and are considered deserters by their nation have turned up in the exact place you’d expect to find them in the year 2010.

They’re on Facebook.

And, by the look of things, they’re not unlike millions of other young men on the social networking site. One proclaims to be a fan of Paris Hilton and is a member of a group named “FREE Webcam Sex with ME!” Another is a fan of hip hop music, Michael Jackson, the tearjerker movie The Notebook, Family Guy and Sports Center. Another is a fan of soccer and the Godfather. Read more.

Senate Republicans Defeat Jobless Aid Measure Over Deficit Fears

The Senate has failed to reach an agreement to extend weekly jobless benefits, leaving more than a million out-of-work Americans without anunemployment check by week’s end.

The 57-41 loss was a major blow for President Obama and Democrats. They needed three more votes — for a total of 60 — to stop a GOP filibuster.

The rejected bill would also have provided billions of dollars in new aid, protecting the jobs of tens of thousands of state and local government workers as the country begins to emerge from the worst recession in seven decades. Read more.

Alternative Energy Partners (AEGY) CEO Calls for Obama to Take Charge of Climate Bill

“We need to hold British Petroleum responsible for its reckless actions in the Gulf. But to truly solve the problems caused by our dependence on fossil fuels, we must as a nation transition to clean, renewable energy sources. There are so many practical and affordable options; we need strength in leadership to guide the market.

“Yesterday, leading Democratic Senators asked President Obama to take charge of the climate control bill to ensure it passes with strong clean energy provisions. We join the Senators in urging the President to use his influence to advance the legislation quickly and to get the job done. Read more.

McChrystal resigns, but problems persist in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s decision to accept Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s resignation and draft his superior, Gen. David Petraeus, to lead the war in Afghanistan eliminates a source of friction, but it doesn’t address the problems plaguing U.S. policy there.

The change in command, Obama made clear Wednesday, is a change in personnel, not in a policy that’s hampered by, among other things:

The absence of a political strategy.

Rising U.S. casualties.

Growing ethnic tensions.

Endemic political corruption.

The administration’s July 2011 deadline for beginning a troop withdrawal.

A stalled offensive in the country’s second-largest city. Read more.

Ill. official who dealt with Emanuel to testify, IL

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Former Governor Rod Blagojevich’s top aide asked Rahm Emanuel for help in 2006.

Bradley Tusk was Blagojevich’s deputy governor when he asked Emanuel to write a letter to a newspaper defending Blagojevich.

Emanuel is now President Barack Obama’s chief of staff. In 2006, he was an Illinois congressman and political ally of the governor now on trial for political corruption.

Emanuel’s staff asked for Tusk’s help in releasing a state grant on the same day Tusk asked for his favor.

Tusk testified Monday in Blagojevich’s corruption trial about an alleged extortion attempt by Blagojevich involving the grant.

Tusk told The Associated Press after court he didn’t remember the letter to the newspaper.

The White House didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Election-year deficit fears stall Obama stimulus plan

Barely a week after President Obama tried to re-energize his push for more spending on the economy, his agenda is stalled on Capitol Hill, mired in election-year anxiety about the deficit.

Congress has delivered only about a quarter of the $266 billion in “temporary recovery measures” the president sought in his February budget request and ignored much of the rest. There is unlikely to be another “recovery” check for Social Security recipients. Come December, Obama’s “Making Work Pay” tax credit — the signature initiative he regularly touts as a tax cut for 95 percent of Americans — will probably be gone. Read more.

week in Review 6/19/10

Not Another Czar!

Big Government: In a “fireside chat” to quell concerns about the Gulf oil disaster, the president announced the appointment of an oil czar. Is more bureaucracy the answer to every problem?

The media elite just can’t comprehend the anger of the Tea Party movement. The New York Times this week enlisted a professor of philosophy to write an article with a resounding conclusion: “In truth, there is nothing that the Tea Party movement wants; terrifyingly, it wants nothing. .. . (T)hey are nihilists.”

In fact, the Tea Party movement is pretty clear about its demands, exemplified by a protester’s placard with a photo of a crying baby and the message, “Stop Spending My Money — I Haven’t Even Earned It Yet!” Read more.

Dem Lawmakers Challenge Pentagon on Afghan War

WASHINGTON (AP) — A schism deepened Wednesday between U.S. war leaders and Congress as lawmakers — crucial Democrats among them — challenged Pentagon assertions that progress is picking up in Afghanistan.

“I wouldn’t call it eroding,” Democratic Sen. Carl Levin said of once-solid Democratic support for President Barack Obama’s war strategy. “But there’s a lot of fair concern.”

Congressional hearings stepped up pressure on the Pentagon, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates complaining about negative perceptions taking root in Washington about the war. Another top military official acknowledged feeling “angst” about the conflict.

But military leaders said the U.S. effort is advancing. “I think that we are regaining the initiative,” Gates told a skeptical Senate panel. “I think that we are making headway.” Read more.

Obama’s Oil Spill Speech Turns to Energy Policy, Fueling Capitol Crossfire

President Obama tried Tuesday night in his Oval Office speech to rally the nation behind his efforts to tackle the Gulf oil spill, but by also highlighting his energy agenda, he set off reaction on Capitol Hill that could risk turning the disaster into a political football.

Obama, trying to take control of a crisis that has slowly eroded support for his administration, pointed to the relief efforts already under way and said the government would hold BP responsible. But later in his 18-minute speech, he turned his focus to the need to “seriously tackle our addiction to fossil fuels.”

“We can’t afford not to change how we produce and use energy, because the long-term costs to our economy, our national security, and our environment are far greater,” Obama said in the first Oval Office address of his presidency.

The speech came 57 days after the April 20 explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 workers and sparked the crisis, in which millions of gallons of oil already have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. The speech also served as a prelude to Obama’s meeting Wednesday with BP executives at the White House.

Republicans accused the president for using the oil spill to push his legislative agenda. Read more.

Sestak silence worries Pa. officials

Four weeks after claiming the Pennsylvania Senate nomination, Rep. Joe Sestak continues to have an awkward relationship with many leaders of the state’s Democratic establishment — with the two-term congressman so far neglecting to check many of the boxes that ordinarily would be routine for a candidate trying to unify his party after a hard-fought primary.

It’s been nearly a month since the May 18 primary, and key local party leaders have not been in close contact with Sestak. His unorthodox campaign organization is unnerving Democratic officials, and his public comments suggest he hasn’t forgotten the rough treatment he received from the White House and the state party establishment, both of which worked furiously to deliver the nomination to party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter. Read more.

How’d we lose Brazil, Turkey and Lebanon?

After 17 months of diplomacy, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice was only able to get 12 of the 15 countries on the United Nations Security Council to vote to place increased sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s illegal pursuit of nuclear weapons. Yesterday, on Fox News Sunday, Rice jumped to defend the Obama Administration’s lackluster performance by claiming that previous Iran resolutions were not unanimous during the Bush Administration and that there were “abstentions”. Her strategy to minimize the Bush team’s performance in order to make her own poor performance look better isn’t factual. After so much hype about President Barack Obama’s foreign policy engagement strategy, the Obama UN resolution was remarkably weak, took too long to get and received less support than Bush’s team got in producing FIVE Security Council resolutions on Iran. Read more.

Gulf fuels new energy-bill push

President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies plan a major new push for a broad global-warming bill, fueled in part by public outrage over the BP disaster, according to top aides.

Joel Benenson, a pollster for the Democratic National Committee and Obama’s presidential campaign, argues in a new briefing for top Capitol Hill officials that a comprehensive energy bill “could give Democrats a potent weapon to wield against Republicans in the fall.”

Read the briefing.

“The oil spill is intensifying the public’s desire for clean energy investments and increased regulation on corporate polluters,” Benenson writes in the briefing, which he prepared on behalf of the League of Conservation Voters.

“In the aftermath of the spill, people firmly believe Congress needs to do more than just make BP pay. Even when pressed with opposition messaging that now is not the time for some ‘job killing energy tax,’ people coalesce around comprehensive clean energy reform. Consequently, support for a comprehensive energy bill is very high. With the right messaging, that support holds strong in the face of harsh opposition attacks.” Read more.

Company Bidding to Help Manage Tower at Ground Zero Has Arab Ties

Nearly nine years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the bi-state agency that operates the World Trade Center is looking for a private partner to help manage the 1776-foot office tower that is being built at Ground Zero — and one of two companies under consideration may have ties to the Middle East.

The bidding process for private partners for the “Freedom Tower” has been whittled down to two companies: Durst Organization and Related Companies, Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr. reports.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will soon decide which partner will manage and help market the tower, which has been renamed One World Trade Center. The partner will invest at least $100 million onto the office tower and memorial building.

Related Co. is an international real estate group whose investors include Goldman Sachs; MSD Capital, LP; Mubadala Development Company; Kuwait Investment Authority; and Olayan Group, according to the company’s website. Read more.

Pakistan’s main spy agency still supports Taliban despite US pressure, says report

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s main spy agency continues to train, fund and arm the Taliban despite U.S. pressure to sever ties with the group that Islamabad helped rise to power in Afghanistan in the 1990s, said a research report released Sunday.

The findings could raise tensions between Pakistan and the U.S., which has provided billions of dollars in military assistance to Islamabad since 2001 to help fight the Taliban. U.S. officials believe Pakistan’s support is key to defeating the insurgency.

But the country’s powerful Inter Services Intelligence agency, or ISI, continues to work closely with the Taliban and is even represented on the group’s leadership council, said the report, which was issued by the London School of Economics and is based on interviews with more than a dozen unnamed Taliban commanders. Read more.

Obama pushes for $50b in local aid

President Obama Saturday asked Congressional leaders to “urge swift action” on legislation he called crucial to shoring up small businesses, and to averting “massive layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters.”

In a letter to Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, the president said that more spending is needed immediately to avert a devastating double dip recesssion, and that concerns about the deficit, while important, may have to wait. For now, he said, the federal government needs to spend money to provide immediate economic aid to the still-struggling economy, and especially to states that otherwise may have to lay off workers to fill their own budget holes. “We are at a critical juncture on our nation’s path to economic recovery,” Obama said, deeming it “essential that we… build momentum toward recovery, even as we establish a path to long-term fiscal discipline.” Obama called the extenders legislation the Senate is considering, along with small business legislation he’s proposed as well as rebates for home improvements and additional tax credits for clean manufacturing, “cost-effective ways of spurring job creation.” The total package of state and local aid the president is pushing Congressional leaders to pass would cost $50 billion, according to the Washington Post. Read more.