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Washington News
White House: Obama Has Not Shifted Stance On Gay Marriage Vice President Biden's comment, on NBC's Meet The Press Sunday, that he is "absolutely comfortable" with gay marriage continues to generate a great deal of coverage this morning, including a front-page article in the New York Times , which reports that "some officials close to the president worry that Mr. Biden might become less restrained in sharing his personal positions -- as he did Sunday on same-sex marriage -- in the service of his own political ambitions."
Education Secretary Arne Duncan's statement Monday morning, on MSNBC's Morning Joe, that he too supports gay marriage was said to give more weight to the belief that the Administration is shifting its message on the issue. Nevertheless, media outlets are reporting that Biden's comments were not anticipated by the White House. NBC Nightly News reported, "President Obama does not support gay marriage," and "that comment by the Vice President...caught the White House and the President's campaign a bit flat footed." On MSNBC's Hardball, The Huffington Post's Sam Stein claimed, "If you look at it objectively, there is daylight between Biden and the President."
On the other hand, Dana Milbank, in a column for the Washington Post on the White House press briefing dominated by the topic Monday, says the President "is widely assumed to share Biden's views," and the White House press corps expects that he will "go public with this position after Election Day, when he no longer need fear losing independent voters."
The New York Times ascribes the White House nuance to the likelihood that "senior strategists like David Axelrod and David Plouffe, confronting the prospect of a close election, are loath to raise a subject that could cost votes in swing states."
Similarly, the Washington Post , in an article titled, "Biden Comments On Same-Sex Marriage Expose Internal White House Divisions," reports, "Several people close to the White House said the episode has exposed internal tensions within Obama's team between those who want the president to say he favors same-sex marriage before the November election and others who worry about a political backlash if he does."
NBC Nightly News reported that the White House "spent the day knocking down an issue they were not planning to knock down today" after Duncan "was asked if he supports gay marriage." Duncan: "Yes, I do."
Chris Matthews, on MSNBC's Hardball, said Biden "came out in favor of same-sex marriage," but "it's assumed he was speaking for himself, not for the President." Matthews added that "perhaps" the question about gay marriage on Meet The Press "struck...Biden by surprise," and "it certainly struck the White House by surprise, but he came out with a from-the-heart response, what he really believes, apparently, without any kind of guidance or coordination." The Huffington Post's Sam Stein responded, "It shouldn't have struck him by surprise," but "I get the sense that Biden really did speak from the heart" and "wasn't operating off talking points."
The Los Angeles Times , in an article titled, "Carney Refuses To Comment On Obama's Gay Marriage Stance," reports White House press secretary Jay Carney said Biden's comments are "in line with President Obama's views on the matter, saying the administration has not changed its position and both men are 'evolving.'" Carney, during what the Times describes as a "lively briefing dominated by questions about Biden's expression of support for gay marriage," said, "I have no update on the president's personal views. ... What the vice president said yesterday was to make the same point that the president has made previously, that committed and loving same-sex couples deserve the same rights and protections enjoyed by all Americans and that we oppose any effort to roll back those rights."
Axelrod Highlights Romney's Opposition To Gay Marriage David Axelrod, appearing on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, reiterated that "the policy that the Vice President was describing there...is the President's policy." Axelrod went on say that the President's position is "a big distinction between him and...Romney, who supported the effort financially in California...a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage."
According to Politico , "Instead of reflecting on Obama's views, Axelrod also deflected to...Mitt Romney, saying that [Romney] has supported anti-gay marriage efforts and that there's a 'very clear distinction' between him and Obama."
"Occasional Tensions" In Obama-Biden Relationship Described The New York Times , in a front-page article titled, "For A Blunt Biden, An Uneasy Supporting Role," focuses on Biden's relationship with the President, which the Times says has been "marked by...occasional tensions." The Times recounts an incident when the President remarked that "not surprisingly" he did not understand Biden's comment to House Democrats "that even if the administration did everything right, 'there's still a 30 percent chance we're going to get it wrong.'" According to the Times, Biden "complained that the quip was disrespectful," and the President "apologized but expressed his own frustration about Mr. Biden's verbal misadventures."
CIA Thwarts Al Qaeda Plot To Bomb Airliner The announcement that the CIA had uncovered an al Qaeda plot to bomb an airliner with a non-metallic device was the lead story on all three network newscasts yesterday evening. The three networks devoted more than 17 minutes to the story.
NBC Nightly News reported, "There has been a lot of talk of late tied to the first anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden that Al Qaeda as an organization has been greatly weakened and is much less effective without its senior leadership. But we begin here with fresh evidence of continued efforts to attack the United States. Officials are telling us the CIA thwarted a plot by an Al Qaeda branch in Yemen to detonate a bomb on a US-bound jet liner using a powerful explosive and a more sophisticated new device intended to clear airport metal detectors."
On the CBS Evening News, Norah O'Donnell reported that the President "hasn't said anything, but we're told he knew about this in early April. He was informed by his top counterterrorism official John Brennan. He received regular updates and briefings and was told that there was never any threat to the public because they were watching this so closely from the beginning."
On ABC World News, Brian Ross reported, "The CIA and other intelligence services had the would-be bomber under surveillance for some time before taking him into custody and seizing the bomb that had been made for him, but US and European officials tell ABC News the threat is far from over, that there may be other would-be bombers with similar non-metallic devices that could get through most airport security screenings." According to Ross, "White House officials say President Obama was briefed on the plot in April, and just one week ago, his top counterterror adviser John Brennan, denied there was any such plot."
The Washington Post says "the plot was stopped before any aircraft or passengers could be put in danger. Obama 'was assured that the device did not pose a threat to the public,' said Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council."
Plot Tied To Failed 2009 Attempt By "Underwear Bomber" According to the CBS Evening News, "The bomb...now in the hands of the FBI for analysis" is "said to be a more sophisticated version of the underwear bomb that was used in an unsuccessful attack on a US airliner in 2009."
The New York Times also reports that "officials said the plot appeared to be a second attempt at the kind of attack that failed in 2009 when a passenger on a flight to Detroit tried to set off an explosive hidden in his garments. The explosive, which contained no metal parts and had a more sophisticated triggering device, may have been designed by the same bomb-maker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, they said. The officials did not say they had captured the bomber or any other individuals...or whether a suicide bomber had even been recruited yet."
Senate Will Vote On Student Loan Bill Today The Los Angeles Times reports that "the fight over student loan interest rates...will resume Tuesday with a vote in the Senate." According to the Times, Senate Democrats "will highlight Obama's plan to extend the lower rate by paying for it with a new tax on wealthier Americans," and Republicans "will counter with a proposal to divert money from a fund that is part of the president's healthcare law." The Times says "the White House and its allies in Congress see the student loan issue as an opportunity to replay the strategy they used during the payroll tax fight -- a battle the president's advisors believe he won."
The AP reports that the White House released a statement on Monday calling on Republicans in Congress "to back Democratic legislation preventing interest rates on federal student loans from doubling in July as the two parties remained deadlocked over how to pay for the move." The AP suggests that the statement was "aimed at raising the discomfort level among GOP senators" as the body debates "a $6 billion Democratic bill keeping today's subsidized Stafford loan interest rates of 3.4 percent from doubling for another year."
Campaign News
Obama Goes Positive With Big Ad Buy The AP reports that President Barack Obama's campaign "plans to spend $25 million on advertising this month, a dramatic escalation of its media presence in a handful of states that could determine the outcome on Nov. 6. Campaign adviser David Axelrod announced the new figure Monday," saying that "the campaign intends to provide a positive message about Obama's candidacy, but will respond to negative ads from Mitt Romney." The Obama camp "released a new ad Monday portraying America as on the rise and urging voters to stick with the president."
Roll Call reported on its website that Axelrod said Monday "that the president's campaign would respond aggressively to the 'Karl and Koch brothers' contract killers in super PAC-land' and treat their ads as if they came from...Romney himself. Axelrod was referring to GOP strategist Karl Rove's group American Crossroads and the billionaire Koch brothers, Charles and David, who have bankrolled several conservative political action committees."
The Hill reported on its website, "In addition to Florida and Ohio, the latest Obama spot will air in Nevada, New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Virginia."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on its website, "The minute-long spot, titled 'Go,' credits" Obama "for improved jobs numbers, a rescued auto industry and for Osama bin Laden's death." In the ad, a narrator says, "Some said our best days were behind us. But not him. ... He believed in us. Fought for us. And today our auto industry is back, firing on all cylinders. Our greatest enemy brought to justice by our greatest heroes. Our troops are home from Iraq. Instead of losing jobs, we're creating them."
In Email Letter To His Supporters, Santorum Endorses Romney The Washington Post reports Rick Santorum "endorsed Mitt Romney late Monday. In a letter to his supporters," Santorum "said that he was impressed with Romney's 'commitment to economic policies that preserve and strengthen families.'" Of Romney, Santorum wrote in an email to his backers, "He clearly understands that having pro-family initiatives are not only the morally and economically right thing to do, but that the family is the basic building block of our society and must be preserved."
The Los Angeles Times adds, "In the 13th paragraph of a 16-paragraph email, Santorum offered his endorsement of Romney: 'Above all else, we both agree that President Obama must be defeated. It will require all hands on deck if our nominee is to be victorious. Gov. Romney will be that nominee and he has my endorsement and support to win this the most critical election of our lifetime.'"
The Washington Times says that for Romney, Santorum's endorsement "could help him win over conservatives who have been slow to warm to him thanks to his stiff style on the stump, evolving stances on abortion and gun rights and support of the individual insurance mandate in Massachusetts."
Lugar The "Underdog" In Today's GOP Primary The Washington Post reports that Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar (R) is the "underdog" in Tuesday's GOP Senate primary contest with state Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R), a "conservative challenger, threatening to end" the Senator's "36-year tenure not as his party's elder statesman on foreign affairs, but as an ousted moderate who had trouble explaining to voters where he lived." The Post adds that will polls showing him down, "many insiders think that Lugar's only chance for survival is by generating a large turnout of independent and Democratic voters in the Hoosier State's open contest."
The AP reports that heading into today's contest, Lugar "was hoping for a high turnout, but early voting was down by some 40 percent from the record set in 2008, when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton crisscrossed Indiana in their tight contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. Nearly two-thirds of the some 89,000 early ballots were cast in the Republican primary."
The Indianapolis Star , though adds that low turnout "favors incumbents such as Lugar, said Margaret Ferguson, chairwoman of the political science department at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. But she said candidates such as tea party favorite Mourdock can win if they have put in enough work to get out their base. ... 'Most of the people who vote in primaries are true believers,' Ferguson said."
Democrats To Select Walker Challenger Today USA Today reports Wisconsin Democrats will select a candidate today to face Republican Gov. Scott Walker in the June 5 recall election. USA Today adds, "Voters will choose between Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, former Dane County executive Kathleen Falk, state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, and Secretary of State Doug La Follette. Barrett and Falk have led the other Democratic candidates in fundraising and in the polls. Barrett has consistently led Falk in the polls, including a Marquette University Law School poll on May 2."
The AP reports that Barrett "stopped at diners in Sheboygan and Kenosha on Monday, where he shook hands with customers and urged them to vote for him." Falk, meanwhile, "campaigned Monday in Barrett's backyard, shaking hands with students eating lunch at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee." The AP notes that while Barrett "has led in polls and has backing from leading Democrats, Falk has been the favored candidate of the major unions that spurred the recall against Walker, including the statewide teachers union and the AFL-CIO."
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