Washington News

Obama Defends Energy Policies, Blasts Republicans In Visit To Nevada President Obama touted his energy policies yesterday in Boulder City, NV, and chastised his Republican opponents, accusing them of opposing alternative energy production and likening them to "members of the Flat Earth Society." Media accounts place the President's trip in the context of this year's presidential campaign, as a White House attempt to avoid growing political damage from rising gas prices.
Both Obama and his GOP opponents, reports the AP are "wooing a nation of increasingly angry motorists" and "seeking the upper hand as energy becomes a driving issue in the election campaign." The Nevada visit, says McClatchy , is part of "a two-day, four-state tour Wednesday to brag about his energy policy, an attempt to escape political fallout for soaring gasoline prices that could threaten his re-election." The tour includes "photo-ready stops at a solar-energy power plant in Nevada, oil and gas drilling rigs in New Mexico, an oil pipeline site in Oklahoma and a research lab in Ohio," and it "comes as gas prices keep rising, Republicans keep blaming the president, and American voters keep fuming each time they fill up their tanks."
The CBS Evening News reported last night that Obama "has seen his approval ratings drop as the price of gas has gone up," and added (O'Donnell) that he "wants America to be less dependent on foreign oil, to explore new sources because this White House is keenly aware that those spiking gas prices could doom his reelection chances." Obama spoke at Boulder City's solar plant, the largest of its kind in the US, and said of GOP opposition to federal aid to the solar industry, "Think about that mindset, that attitude, that says because something is new, it must not be real. If these guys were around when Columbus set sail, they'd be charter members of the Flat Earth Society."
The AP also reports that "Obama mocked Republicans for having a lack of imagination and dismissing clean energy technologies just because they are new," and Politico notes that "while he didn't mention Rep. John Fleming by name," Obama was referencing "the Louisiana Republican's May 2011 floor speech where he questioned the president for pushing 'phony green jobs.'" The Las Vegas Review-Journal quotes the President as saying, "These politicians need to come to Boulder City and see what I'm seeing. ... They should talk to the people who are involved in this industry, who have benefitted from these jobs. ... When it comes to new technology the pay off isn't going to come right away."
The AP reports from Maljamar, NM, that after leaving Nevada, the President "traveled to the outskirts of a no-stop-light town in solid Republican territory Wednesday evening to promote his administration's commitment to continued increases in domestic oil and gas development." Obama "told a crowd gathered in a cold wind that his administration has opened millions of acres of public lands in 23 states to production, has increased access to potential offshore resources by 75 percent and recently approved drilling of a field in the Gulf of Mexico that has the potential to produce 400 million barrels of oil." AFP notes that today, "the president will be in Oklahoma, a state that consistently votes in the Republican column but is the proposed site of a portion of the giant Keystone XL oil pipeline."
Obama To Expedite Construction Of Southern Piece Of Keystone XL Pipeline Politico reports that ahead of Thursday's visit to Cushing, OK, President Obama has announced that he'll "issue an executive order on federal permitting of infrastructure projects, 'which will require agencies to make faster permitting and review decisions for vital infrastructure projects while protecting the health and vitality of local communities and the environment.'" There will also be "a specific memorandum in Cushing" issued to direct agencies at the federal level "to expedite the Cushing Pipeline," the White House said.
In the "E2 Wire" blog in The Hill Ben Geman writes that the memo, to be issued Thursday, will involve the "southern portion of the Keystone XL project." The move is part of attempts the White House has begun to mitigate "GOP attacks on Obama's energy record" as gas prices continue to rise.
The AP notes that the portion Obama is seeking to expedite is 485 miles extending from "Cushing, OK to refineries on Texas' Gulf coast." This portion is designed to "remove a critical bottleneck" in current oil transport, as increasing domestic oil production has outpaced capacity of current pipelines to transport "oil to refineries."
Poll Shows Solid Support For Keystone XL New polling data from Gallup shows that Americans support building the Keystone XL pipeline by a 2-1 margin. While 57% said the federal government should approve the pipeline, only 29% said it should not. Among Democrats, the split is 44%/38%, while it stands at 81%/9% among Republicans and 51%/35% among independents. Regionally, those surveyed in the Midwest and the South -- where the pipeline would travel -- are the most supportive, with 68% and 61% respectively backing the project.

Obama Won't Speak Publicly To Mark Health Reform Law Anniversary While the White House and Senate Democrats "have stayed largely silent" this week, House Democrats "have taken the lead" in marking the second anniversary of the healthcare reform law, The Hill reports in its "Healthwatch" blog. Republicans "say the president is hiding from the controversial law ahead of the November election." While administration officials acknowledge "that the president won't offer a vigorous public defense of the law, hold events or even make public remarks in the lead-up to the Supreme Court case," the White House "points out that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has toured the country to defend the law this week, and other administration officials have also marked the anniversary in op-eds and at public events."
The Washington Times reports that as the healthcare law marks its second anniversary, Republicans and Democrats are focusing on different aspects of the healthcare law. The Obama Administration and its congressional allies "have homed in on provisions among the law's 1,000 pages that offer quick returns: extending parents' plans to cover young adults, expanding drug coverage for seniors and eliminating lifetime benefit caps." Meanwhile, Republicans focus "almost exclusively on the long-term costs of the law and potential limits they say the government will be forced to impose on care."
RNC Ad Hits Obama On Healthcare Costs A Republican National Committee ad airing in Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia attacks President Obama "for failing to reduce healthcare costs," USA Today reports. USA Today notes that Republicans are focusing on the healthcare law "as a central part of their appeal to voters in November." USA Today also examines the accuracy of the ad's claims on premium increases and a government takeover the healthcare system.

North Korea Warns Summit Against Discussing Its Nuclear Program The New York Times reports that ahead of a nuclear security summit meeting in Seoul, South Korea, "North Korea warned on Wednesday that any criticism of its nuclear weapons program would be considered a 'declaration of war.'" According to the Times, the warning "came as President Obama and his allies in the region planned to use the Nuclear Security Summit early next week to discuss how to discourage the North's nuclear program and its scheduled attempt to launch a satellite, and what can be done should it press ahead with the launching next month." The Times says that while the official agenda does not include discussions on North Korea, "the conference will bring together the five major powers involved in long-running talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program."
The Wall Street Journal however indicates that during his trip to South Korea to attend the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, President Obama is in fact expected to address both Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs in sideline meetings with China, Russia and Turkey. The Journal says a speech he will deliver will also highlight the difficulties Iran and North Korea's programs present. The Journal says the US has warned North Korea that it risks losing a food aid deal if it moves forward with the rocket launch and indicates Obama is expected to reiterate this point during his visit.

Campaign News

"Etch A Sketch" Gaffe Overshadows Jeb Bush's Endorsement Of Romney The AP reports that the GOP "establishment started to coalesce around Mitt Romney in earnest on Wednesday, with Jeb Bush and other leading Republicans pressuring Rick Santorum to leave the race after a thumping in the Illinois primary. But, on what should have been a triumphant day, Romney found himself having to defend his conservative credentials anew after one of his own top advisers, Eric Fehrnstrom, remarked that 'everything changes' for the fall campaign." Said Fehrnstrom, "It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and we start all over again."
After noting Bush's endorsement of Romney, the New York Times , in a front-page report, says that Fehrnstrom's "reference to a children's drawing toy that erases the last image with a simple shake immediately fed attacks from Mr. Romney's rivals that he was an untrustworthy standard-bearer for the conservative cause."
NBC Nightly News reported, "By lunchtime, etch-a-sketch was viral. A Democratic operative had tweeted a Romney caricature inside a picture of the classic red toy. Soon after, the DNC was out with a new web video. By afternoon, both Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum were using actual etch-a-sketches as props."
ABC World News reported that Wednesday's "kerfuffle undermined the attempts to do what former Florida Governor Jeb Bush called for in his key endorsement. 'Now is the time for Republicans to unite behind Governor Romney,' he said." The Miami Herald reports that along with overshadowing Bush's endorsement, Fehrnstrom's "flub was a costly one because it involved such a childish goofy sounding word that pointed to a more-serious truth: Opponents see Romney as a flip-flopper."
The CBS Evening News focused on Jeb Bush's backing of Romney, saying that while the former Massachusetts Governor has received a number of endorsements, "this one is different because Jeb Bush is a well-respected figure in the party, and Romney's been making the case in the wake of his big win in Illinois that the party should rally around him. ... And Jeb Bush echoed that view saying after 34 contests it was time to unite the party."
The Washington Post notes that the endorsement of Romney by Bush came shortly after "Freedomworks, a large tea party organization led by former Rep. Dick Armey, said it had dropped its opposition to Romney's presidential bid. The twin developments gave credence to what Romney advisers have been saying for weeks: that he is all but inevitable as the Republican nominee, and that it is time for the party to unite in preparation for the general election."

Analyses: Romney Appears Increasingly Likely To Capture GOP Nomination A number of analysis pieces out in the last 24 hours look at the delegate race and conclude that Mitt Romney's position is increasingly strong. In an "analysis" for the AP , David Espo writes, "It hasn't been pretty, but the Republican establishment, the delegate math, the money and more are increasingly lining up in Mitt Romney's favor in the long and grinding race for the party's presidential nomination."
In a very similar report, the Los Angeles Times says that while Romney's "big win in the Illinois primary didn't end the" GOP race, "it may all but guarantee that after repeated slips and stumbles, including" Wednesday's "Etch A Sketch" misstep, "the former Massachusetts governor will lead the GOP into the fall contest against President Obama." The LA Times adds that "mathematics and the political calendar...work against Santorum and appear to be steadily, irreversibly tilting the race in Romney's favor."
Writing for the New York Times , Nate Silver asks, "How certain is Mr. Romney to get the 1,144 delegates required to clinch the Republican nomination without risk of a fight at the convention, and how soon will he do it? The short answer is that Mr. Romney's chances of winning the required delegates have risen significantly in recent weeks, and the race would probably need to change in a fundamental way to keep him from securing the nomination before the convention."
Bloomberg News reports, "Seven states and Washington, D.C. -- all but one in the Northeast or mid-Atlantic regions -- will hold primary elections" in April, and Romney "stands to win most of them because they are demographically similar to states where the former Massachusetts governor performed well in previous contests." Currently, Romney "needs just 46 percent of the outstanding delegates to clinch the nomination, compared with about 70 percent for Santorum, whose bid to block Romney will grow tougher in primaries next month."
Politico reported that with his win Tuesday in Illinois, Romney "set the stage for an April showdown that could finally deliver a death blow to his rivals." If Santorum is unable to "come up with wins next month in Wisconsin and especially Pennsylvania, he'll be hard-pressed to explain why he's still in the race."

Democrats Concerned About Romney Gaining Financial Edge Over Obama Politico reports that while President Obama has amassed "a huge war chest," the Obama camp "is nonetheless nervous about their likely opponent, Mitt Romney." FEC reports filed Tuesday "showed that Romney's presidential campaign committee nearly matched Obama's in fundraising, raising $11.5 million to Obama's $13.9 million– and that's without Romney dipping into his personal fortune to fund his campaign, which he did in 2008." Some Democrats "are worried about a financial playing field that seems overwhelmingly tilted in their favor."

Allen Up 2 Over Kaine In Virginia Survey A Rasmussen Reports survey of 500 likely Virginia voters taken March 20 shows George Allen (R) edging Tim Kaine (D) 46%-44% in the race to replace retiring Sen. Jim Webb (D). The Washington Times' Inside Politics blog reported that the Rasmussen poll, along with the Quinnipiac poll released a day earlier that had Kaine up by 3, show the race is "too close to call."