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Washington News
Obama Marks Anniversary Of Bin Laden Raid With Speech From Kabul President Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan yesterday. His speech from Afghanistan last night generated a massive amount of positive coverage. Last night, the networks presented the speech as a signal that the war is winding down, and a reminder that the President oversaw the elimination of Osama bin Laden a year ago.
The New York Times , in a front-page article titled, "Obama Signs Pact In Kabul, Turning Page In Afghan War," reports, "Mr. Obama's address...was a chance for him to make an election-year case that he is winding down a costly and increasingly unpopular war." According to the Times, the President "sought to portray the withdrawal as an unalloyed achievement, though it remains far from certain that the Afghan government can hold its own against the Taliban with reduced American support, or that what were once considered critical American goals here can still be met."
USA Today , in an article titled, "Obama: Defeat Of Al-Qaeda At Hand," reports that in his speech, the President "said it was time to transition US troops out of Afghanistan, noting that the Taliban's momentum has been slowed, Afghan security forces have been built up and bin Laden and much of al-Qaeda's top leadership has been taken out." USA Today adds, "The Afghanistan visit...came as" Mitt Romney "and GOP lawmakers have accused Obama of politicizing the death of bin Laden."
The Washington Times reports that at Bagram Air Force Base earlier Tuesday, the President "acknowledged the difficult struggle troops and their families still face on a daily basis." Obama said, "I know it's still tough. I know the battle's not yet over. Some of your buddies are going to get injured, and some of your buddies may get killed, and there's going to be heartbreak and pain and difficulty ahead. But there's a light on the horizon because of the sacrifices you've made."
ABC 's Dianna Sawyer, as the President left his podium, noted that he "said the goal is within reach," and "talked about the end of the war." George Stephanopoulos added, "No question about it. He said to the American people that our troops will be coming home." Immediately after the President finished speaking, CBS's Scott Pelley said the President was "laying out a plan for the eventual withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan and a war that is now in its 11th year."
CNN 's Wolf Blitzer said the President was "outlining an exit strategy for the United States military in Afghanistan, an exit strategy that will take place over the next 2 1/2 years, between now and the end of 2014." On ABC World News, Jake Tapper reported, "In Kabul today, the President reiterated his eagerness to put this war in his rear view mirror."
The timing of the trip is widely accepted to be a function of the Obama campaign's eagerness to capitalize on the anniversary of the bin Laden raid. For instance, on NBC Nightly News, Chuck Todd reported that the White House "specifically picked this date. ... It was the White House that said, 'let's do it on the anniversary of the bin Laden death.'" On the CBS Evening News, Norah O'Donnell said, "The President's advisors admit it is no coincidence the President chose this day."
George Stephanopoulos, on ABC after the speech, said, "This White House has not been shy at all about driving home the message that this was a success on the President's watch." Jake Tapper added, "It seems clear that the Obama campaign and President Obama will make this successful mission against Osama bin Laden a cornerstone of his re-election campaign."
Howard Fineman, in the Huffington Post , says the President's "drop-in on the one year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden was the most dramatically political photo-op by a president in a commander-in-chief role since President George W. Bush landed in a jet on the S.S. Abraham Lincoln in May 2003."
Romney: Obama Deserves Credit For Bin Laden Raid, But He Would Have Done The Same According to Fox News' Special Report, Mitt Romney "marked the one-year anniversary of...bin Laden's death by applauding the intelligence community, the military and their commander in chief." Romney: "I acknowledged actually a year ago...that the President deserved credit for the decision he made, and I continue to believe that, and certainly would have taken that action myself." Fox's Shannon Bream noted that "Romney's comments follow the President's Monday remarks...seemingly suggesting that Romney has flipped on the issue of whether or not he would have gone into Pakistan after bin Laden. ... Romney said he was disappointed that the President is using this anniversary as a political football," and noted that "his 2007 position was the same as Joe Biden's."
The Washington Post says the contrast between Romney eating pizza in New York Tuesday while the President was in Kabul is "a fresh illustration of one of the more difficult challenges Romney confronts...to press the case that Obama is weak abroad despite having ordered the raid that killed the world's most-hunted terrorist. So far, Romney is responding to the challenge in a nuanced manner. ... Romney's message was subtle yet clear: Obama deserves some credit, but hardly all of it."
Obama: US Is In Talks With The Taliban CBS's Scott Pelley said the President was "acknowledging...that the United States is in direct talks with the Taliban."
Bloomberg News reports, "Tempering expectations for what the end result will be in Afghanistan, Obama said the goal can't be fully eradicating the Taliban."
Correspondent Catherine Herridge, discussing the President's confirmation that the US has "had direct talks with the Taliban" on Fox News' The Fox Report, reported that Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said that some in the Administration "remain wedded to the idea of direct talks, and said there is an issue here because right now we don't even meet the threshold for good negotiations because, in his opinion, we already told the Afghans and Taliban when we're getting out, in 2014, so, therefore, over time, our bargaining position gets weaker."
NYTimes: Obama "Squandered" His Opportunity To Offer "Exit Strategy" The New York Times , in an editorial, says the President "squandered the chance to fully explain his exit strategy from a war Americans are desperate to see brought to an end." The Times also complains that the speech was "frustratingly short on specifics," including "what...Karzai plans to do to rein in the corruption and incompetence that are the hallmark of his leadership and that have alienated so many of his own people, playing into the hands of the Taliban."
Chinese Rights Activist Leaves US Embassy An early Wednesday breaking report from the Washington Post reports activist Chen Guangcheng was riding in a car with Ambassador Gary Locke, apparently en route to "a Beijing hospital." The Post notes it "was the first time Chen has emerged since he escaped from house arrest in his village, Dongshigu, in Shandong province." Locke actually phoned the Post around 3:30 p.m. local time to relay that "he was with Chen." A Post reporter "spoke briefly to Chen on the phone, who said he was fine and on the way to the hospital. Locke said there would be a fuller press briefing later Wednesday." The contact from Locke serves as "the first official US confirmation that American diplomats had been sheltering Chen."
In a breaking report, the AP writes that a senior US official speaking on condition of anonymity, said Chen will "be reunited with his family." Meanwhile the Chinese government's news service, Xinhua, reported that Chen left ""of his own volition" and the Chinese Foreign Ministry "demanded the U.S. 'apologize for a Chinese citizen's entering' the embassy."
The New York Times reports, "An American statement, issued six hours after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Beijing, said, 'Chen Guangcheng has arrived at a medical facility in Beijing, where he will receive medical treatment and be reunited with his family.'" However, the statement "did not make clear whether Mr. Chen would stay in China or be granted asylum in the United States. Mr. Chen said in the past, and statements from his supporters have reiterated, that his goal is to remain in China as a free person able to live a normal life under the Chinese constitution."
FBI Thwarts Ohio Bridge Bomb Plot, Arrests Five Anarchists In Cleveland The FBI's arrest of five self-described anarchists in Cleveland, OH, which thwarted their Cuyahoga Valley National Park bridge bomb plot, received heavy reporting in the wires and dailies in Cleveland and Chicago, as well as 4 minutes and 30 minutes of broadcast coverage on network television. Most reports of the FBI's role in foiling the plot were positive, though a number of stories alluded to possible entrapment issues.
NBC Nightly News reported, "The FBI arrested five self-described anarchists in Cleveland, Ohio today. The men are between 20 and 37 years of age and are accused of plotting to blow up a bridge over a Cleveland park. The plot was uncovered by an FBI sting operation which provided the men with what they thought was bomb making material. The FBI says, as is the case with so many of these, there was never any real danger associated with the plan."
Noting the group's possible connection to the May Day Occupy protests, ABC World News refers to the five men as "new kind of home-grown terror group." ABC (Thomas) added, "The target of a potentially deadly plot the Route 82 bridge south of Cleveland. More than 13,000 people cross it every day. Just before 10:45 last night, the FBI said these men placed what they thought were plastic explosives at the foot of two of the bridge's pillars. But it was all a sting." The men "been targeted after an informant came to the FBI claiming he heard them advocating violence at a peaceful Occupy Cleveland rally in October."
The CBS Evening News reported, "The suspects are Midwesterners who said they wanted to strike out against corporate America, according to US Attorney Steve Dettelback."
Campaign News
Obama Camp's "Swiss Bank Account" Ad Targets Romney The Huffington Post reported that, taking aim at Mitt Romney, President Obama's campaign on Tuesday launched a new ad titled "Swiss Bank Account," which will run in Iowa, Ohio, and Virginia. In the spot, an announcer says, "As a corporate CEO, [Romney] shipped American jobs to places like Mexico and China. As Governor, he outsourced state jobs to a call center in India. He's still pushing tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. It's just what you expect from a guy who had a Swiss Bank Account."
The Los Angeles Times reported on its website, "The ad buy, which a campaign aide called 'significant,' is at the same time an offensive maneuver meant to try and shape how the public views" Romney "and a defensive one, reacting to another multimillion-dollar television campaign from a leading outside group. The Obama 30-second ad opens by branding a spot from Americans for Prosperity critical of the administration's energy initiatives as 'over the top,' 'erroneous' and 'out of context.' The conservative-backed group had claimed that billions of dollars in stimulus funds actually created jobs overseas."
The Wall Street Journal offers a similar report and notes that in response to the Obama ad, Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said, "Unable to defend his failed record of 23 million Americans struggling for work, wasteful boondoggles like Solyndra, skyrocketing national debt, and unacceptably high energy prices, President Obama has once again resorted to attacking Mitt Romney."
Obama Campaign Crafts Map Highlighting Romney's Overseas Bank Accounts The Hill reported on its website, "The Obama campaign has used Mitt Romney's 2010 tax returns to create a map of the presumptive Republican nominee's overseas bank accounts. The graphic, published on the Obama campaign website, shows the trusts, funds and partnerships that Romney holds in Bermuda, Ireland, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Cayman Islands and Australia."
PPP Survey Has Obama Up 8 In Virginia A Public Policy Polling (D) survey of 680 Virginia "voters" taken April 26-29 shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney 51%-43%, up from a 48%-42% lead in a similar poll in December. The poll also shows that the Obama would maintain his eight-point lead if Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) joined the GOP ticket. PPP says Romney is "consolidating support with Republicans as he wraps up the nomination, but still has work to do on that front – he leads within his party by an 84-9 spread, up from 79-8." Romney leads 46%-44% among independents, while Obama leads 92%-4% among Democrats.
On its website, Politico adds, "McDonnell at least wouldn't hurt Romney- the same can't be said of Eric Cantor. If he was on the ticket, Obama's lead expands to 12 points at 52/40. Cantor is an unpopular figure in the state with only 27% of voters seeing him positively to 41% with a negative opinion."
The Washington Times reports that despite the poll results, "Republican National Committee Political Director Rick Nas said Tuesday he thinks Mr. Obama has a problem in Virginia, citing Republican wins in 2009, 2010 and 2011 after the president's victory there in 2008. 'Virginia is obviously a very important battleground state in the path to 274 [electoral votes] for Gov. Romney,' he said on a conference call with reporters."
Obama, Romney Wooing Bloomberg On its front page, the New York Times reports President Obama and Mitt Romney have been working "to score the endorsement of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, whose name is all but synonymous with Wall Street clout and nonpartisan politics." Yesterday, Romney "showed up at the mayor's philanthropic foundation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan for a secret breakfast meeting," where the two, "according to aides who were briefed on the 30-minute discussion," discussed "immigration, gun control and education policy." Last week, "the White House invited Mr. Bloomberg for a round of golf" with Vice President Biden and arranged a meeting "with Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta at a military base in Northern Virginia on Saturday, according to people informed of the outings."
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