Campaign News

Obama, Romney Deliver "Dueling Speeches" On Economy In Ohio For the first time since Mitt Romney secured the Republican presidential nomination, both he and President Obama were in the same state Thursday -- Ohio, a state with 18 electoral votes that decided the 2004 election, and one that no Republican has ever lost while winning the White House. The latest RealClearPolitics average shows a tight race in Ohio, with Obama at 46.4% to Romney's 44.6%. More than a dozen sources say the candidates delivered "dueling" speeches -- the President in Cleveland, and Romney in Cincinnati. Many reports say neither candidate offered new policy prescriptions, but the President's address was called "the most vigorous defense of his presidency to date" by the Washington Post, a judgment shared by several other sources.
All three broadcast networks reported in detail on the speeches, with more than 10 minutes of combined coverage, but only NBC Nightly News opened with the story, reporting, "If you were looking for a preview of the upcoming fall election season this was it today. The state of Ohio is Election Central. Ohio has given us eight American presidents. It's a hugely valuable swing state. ... That is why both Obama and Romney were there today slugging it out." NBC (Todd) added, "It's a taste of what we expect to see in the fall. President Obama, Mitt Romney, making dueling speeches on the economy in the same battleground state on the same day."
ABC World News reported that with 145 days "until you walk into the both and vote in November," the candidates "squared off, same place, same time, dueling speeches on the issue that matters most to American families, the economy." Romney: "He's been president for three and a half years, and talk is cheap. Actions speak very loud." President Obama: "If you want to give the policies of the last decade another try, then you should vote for Mr. Romney."
On the CBS Evening News, Norah O'Donnell reported, "It has been a tough month of bad economic news for President Obama. So today he tried to make the case that he needs more time. He also acknowledged that he and Mitt Romney agree on one thing -- that this election will be about America's economic future, but beyond that, he said they are offering two fundamentally different visions." President Obama: "Of course the economy isn't where it needs to be. Of course we have a lot more work to do. Everybody knows that. The debate in this election is about how we grow faster and how we create more jobs and how we pay down our debt."
Next on the CBS Evening News, Jan Crawford reported that Romney "says the President has just run out of time and his ideas to fix the economy not only aren't working but in fact are making things worse. ... Romney has a fundamentally different approach for creating jobs, relying less on government spending and more on encouraging growth in the private sector."
On ABC World News, George Stephanopoulos said the President's supporters "were happy" with the speech, "because what they were most worried about was...they wanted the President to stop trying to convince people that they're a lot better off than they were four years ago. Whether or not he believes its true, they think it's a losing argument."
On Fox News' Special Report, Ed Henry reported, "After suffering a brutal two weeks from weak jobs numbers and a slip-up about the private sector," the President "tried to hit the reset button, by acknowledging the economy is not where it needs to be, but claiming he can turn it around." Henry said the President "spent the rest of the 54 minutes linking...Romney to the House GOP." Also on Fox News' Special Report, Carl Cameron said Romney "began his speech 20 minutes almost early in Cincinnati" and, "unlike Mr. Obama, Romney used no teleprompter."
Chris Matthews, on MSNBC's Hardball, said that in Cleveland, the President "showed us a choice between his economic policies and Romney's. ... He wants people trained for jobs; he wants government to put people to work." Matthews added, "Today, President Obama...clearly tried to turn this election...into a choice, not a referendum on how the economy is doing; a choice between two candidates."
The AP reports the President "cast his re-election race" against Romney "as the economic choice of a lifetime on Thursday, seeking to stir undecided voters and asking the nation to buy into his vision for four more years or face a return to the recession-era 'mistakes of the past.' ... From opposite ends of Ohio, a state vital to both of their political futures, Romney and Obama dueled in economic speeches that set the tone for a fierce, final five months of debate." Bloomberg News says the "appearances today in the pivotal swing state were a rare moment of near-direct conflict in a race that has largely revolved around a barrage of campaign advertising and closed-door fundraisers with donors."

Romney Appears At Chicago Fundraiser Hosted By Former Obama Backer The Chicago Tribune reports that at a Chicago fundraiser, Mitt Romney raised "$3.3 million for himself and fellow Republicans as he warned the Democratic incumbent would put the nation on a perilous European economic path. 'I don't think he's a person who's not a nice guy, I just don't think his policies are able to get this country on track again,' Romney told a reception crowd of more than 220 people at...the Public Hotel, the former Ambassador East."
The Chicago Sun-Times reports, "Four years ago, hedge fund manager Ken Griffin was impressed enough with Barack Obama that he invited him to speak to his employees and helped raise $50,000 to $100,000 for his presidential run," although Griffin "also hedged his bets by raising a similar amount for...John McCain." The Sun-Times adds, "But this year, Griffin...[is] all in with...Romney," and "co-sponsored a $3.3 million fund-raiser on Obama's home turf at the Pump Room Thursday night." The Sun-Times says Griffin and his wife "have emerged as among the nation's most generous donors to pro-Romney or anti-Obama SuperPACs."

Obama Raises $4.5 Million At Two New York Fundraisers The AP reports President Obama "soaked in the support -- and the campaign cash -- of Manhattan's elite entertainers Thursday as his re-election team sought to fill its fundraising coffers." The AP says he President and First Lady "made a rare joint fundraising appearance when they visited the home of actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. The intimate dinner banked about $2 million, with 50 people paying $40,000 each."
The New York Daily News reports that "after viewing the guests seated at a pair of long tables...the pool reporter wrote: 'There were many attractive people seated at the tables, but your pooler sadly did not recognize them.'" The Daily News adds, "A few the reporter did recognize: actress Meryl Streep, fashion designer Michael Kors and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who served as co-host."
Bloomberg News adds that "another 250 people will pay $10,000 apiece for a dinner at the Plaza Hotel hosted by singer Mariah Carey and Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey."
Spielberg Denies Assisting Obama Campaign Josh Gerstein, in a Politico blog post, reported that Andy Spahn, a spokesman for Steven Spielberg, "is disputing a report that" Spielberg "instructed marketing personnel at his DreamWorks movie studio to meet with and give advice to...Obama's campaign manager, Jim Messina." According to Spahn, "Spielberg did not offer to set up such a session and no encounter with Dreamworks marketers ever occurred."

Washington News

Court Dissolves Egyptian Parliament, Approves Shafiq's Presidential Bid In what is being cast as a serious blow to the pro-democracy movement, Egypt's Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the nation's first democratically elected parliament should be dissolved and struck down a law that would have barred former Mubarak-era prime minister Ahmed Shafiq from running in this weekend's presidential run-off. The developments are garnering significant media attention, including nearly four minutes of network news coverage and front-page headlines in several major US newspapers.
Calling the moves "a reminder that the road to democracy is neither easy nor straight," ABC World News reported, "Many here are calling it a coup, a massive power grab by Egypt's ruling military using the Supreme Court to deliver the biggest blow yet to this fledgling democracy. The freely elected parliament, the revolution's biggest achievement...will be dissolved and its power assumed by the country's ruling generals."
The CBS Evening News said the ruling "hands the military the authority to write the new constitution, and that will decide how much power the President has." The Muslim Brotherhood, however, "warned...that its supporters would take to the streets again if it was necessary to prevent what it called a return to the old, corrupt ways."
The New York Times , in a front-page story, notes that the court is made of judges appointed by ousted president Hosni Mubarak. Their ruling, it adds, "threw the nation's troubled transition to democracy into grave doubt," and "were quickly condemned as a 'coup,'" by analysts and activists who "feared the decision was a step toward re-establishing a military-backed autocracy."
On its front page, the Wall Street Journal reports the court's ruling came as a shock and much still remains unclear. While this weekend's election is still scheduled to take place, some fear the Muslim Brotherhood could withdraw from the contest or call for renewed protests that could again destabilize the country.
Clinton: "No Going Back" On Democratic Transition Under the headline "Confusion In Egypt Leaves US Scrambling," the Wall Street Journal reports yesterday's court rulings in Egypt caught US officials off-guard. Responding to the news, Secretary of State Clinton said, "There can be no going back on the democratic transition called for by the Egyptian people." Noting that Clinton did not comment specifically on the rulings, she is quoted as saying, "Even if they are temporary, they appear to expand the power of the military to detain civilians and to roll back civil liberties."
AFP reports Clinton said the Administration "was still assessing the court decision," but said Egyptians have "made it clear that they want a president, a parliament and a constitutional order that will reflect their will and advance their aspirations for political and economic reform. That is exactly what they deserve to have."

Holder Offers Further Fast And Furious Disclosures, Proposes Meeting With Issa The AP reports that Attorney General Holder is proposing to meet with House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa "by Monday to settle a dispute over Justice Department documents the congressman is demanding on a flawed gun-smuggling probe." Holder said Thursday "the department is prepared to turn over documents detailing how Justice Department officials came to the realization that federal agents in Arizona had used a controversial investigative tactic that resulted in hundreds of illicitly purchased guns winding up in Mexico, many of them at crime scenes."
Politico reports that in his letter, Holder "said he was prepared to make 'an extraordinary accommodation' to congressional investigators by turning over internal DOJ documents to the House panel related to Fast and Furious. Holder has previously asserted that such documents are not covered by committee subpoenas."
The Hill reports, "Issa has threatened to place Holder in contempt of Congress if he does not comply with a subpoena demanding documents" from the Justice Department "about the failed gun-tracking operation. A committee vote on the contempt measure is scheduled for Wednesday."
Politico says "Issa's office doesn't seem amenable to Holder's offer. 'The letter only seems to indicate a willingness to offer a selective telling rather than full disclosure of key events that occurred after February 4, 2011. We expect the Justice Department to quickly provide necessary details about how it is prepared to alter its opposition to producing subpoenaed documents,' Issa spokesperson Becca Watkins said."
Grassley To Holder: Prove Claim Mukasey Knew Of Gun Probe The Washington Times reports that Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Republican Charles Grassley "challenged" Holder on Thursday "to 'produce any evidence' proving his claim that a prior attorney general knew about a gunrunning investigation during the Bush administration or apologize 'if no such evidence is available.'" Grassley "issued the challenge in response to Holder's Senate appearance this week during a hearing on the Fast and Furious gunrunning investigation when he testified that Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey was aware of and remained silent about a similar operation known as Wide Receiver, during which he said 300 weapons were 'walked' into Mexico."

Sources: Drone Program Not Part Of DOJ Leak Probe Reuters reports that according to unnamed sources, the Obama Administration's drone program is not part of an investigation being conducted by Federal prosecutors appointed by Attorney General Holder because most of the information related to it is classified. According to the sources, the CIA has filed a report with DOJ related to leaks over the disclosure of a foiled plot to bomb a US-bound airliner, but has not done so regarding a leak about the drone program. Instead, the second investigation is related to disclosures about the so-called Stuxnet computer virus.
Chambliss, O'Reilly Call For Special Counsel In an interview with Fox News' Fox & Friends, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) said Congress has been "stonewalled by the Administration. The Attorney General appointed two US attorneys, who I'm sure are good lawyers, to do the investigation, but the fact of the matter is...they're political appointees. ... What we need is somebody that's independent, that's outside the realm of this Administration."
Bill O'Reilly, in his opening monologue for Fox News' O'Reilly Factor, said there is "no question that someone in the Obama Administration is leaking national security secrets to the New York Times," and "the best example was the Times article on how the US is conducting espionage against Iranian nuclear facilities," which "was extremely damaging to the United States of America, and whoever did it should go to prison for a long time." O'Reilly concluded, "every fair-minded person knows that an independent council needs to be appointed to look at the leaks."
Noonan Says National Security Leaks Benefit Obama In her column for the Wall Street Journal , Peggy Noonan notes that all of the recent national security leaks benefit President Obama and his campaign. Noonan says national security should not be used to help advance a president's reelection chances.