Washington News

Axelrod: GOP "Reign Of Terror" Preventing Immigration Reform CNN noted on its site that on CNN's State Of The Union, Presidential advisor David Axelrod "said a congressional 'reign of terror' has prevented supportive Republicans from cooperating on immigration issues, which were a hallmark of President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign." According to CNN, Axelrod contended that "it would be unfair to blame the president when Republicans were unwilling to work with him on a bill and blocked passage of the DREAM Act." Axelrod is quoted as saying, "A lot of Republicans in Congress want to cooperate, know better, but they're in the thralls of this reign of terror from the far right that has dragged the party to the right."
The Huffington Post carries a Reuters' article on the same Axelrod comments that is linked to via a banner homepage headline reading: "Axelrod: GOP Trapped By 'Far-Right Reign Of Terror.'" Jeff Poor, also spotlights Axelrod's "reign of terror" remark in a post for the Daily Caller .
Axelrod, on CNN's State Of The Union said the President has "initiated those actions...[but] not one of those Republicans was willing to stand up and work with him to pass a bill. We tried to pass the DREAM Act through the Congress. It was blocked by the Republican legislature. ... I believe when the President wins re-election in the fall, there will be a new opportunity to get this done. Hopefully, we can get something done beforehand, but to say because you have an implacable group of Republicans in the Congress, who simply aren't going to let that move, that the President hasn't kept his promise, is a little bit disingenuous."
High Court's Immigration Case Could Turn On Federal-State Power Conflict The Washington Times says while "the Supreme Court's healthcare showdown last month was all about Constitution theory and prerogatives," this week's "arguments between Arizona and the Obama administration over the state's tough immigration law looks to be all about power. Arizona argues that the federal government has failed to enforce its laws on the books and says states should be free to enforce their own laws as long as they complement the national goals." But the Obama Administration says the Constitution "gives power over immigration to the federal government, and there can be no infringement."
On its front page, the New York Times similarly reports that "constitutional lawyers on both sides of the argument say the case raises fundamental questions about federal powers," and "with the strong conservative bent the court has shown this session, a distinct possibility has emerged that the justices could uphold at least some of the Arizona law's contested sections." That "would provide a big lift to groups that campaign against illegal immigration, which have clamored for tough action by states."
The Wall Street Journal notes that the Obama Administration opposes the Arizona law, while likely GOP presidential standard-bearer Mitt Romney is in favor of letting it stand. The court's decision, adds the Journal, could come in late June.
Peter J. Spiro, a law professor at Temple University, writes in the New York Times that Arizona "is one of several states, including Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Indiana, that, frustrated by Congress's idling on immigration reform" have passed their own legislation. They have done so with laws which "are misguided at best, mean-spirited and racially tainted at worst," yet "in the long run, immigrant interests will be better helped if the Supreme Court upholds S.B. 1070. Laws like Arizona's are such bad policy that, left to their own devices, they will die a natural death -- and their supporters will suffer the political consequences."

Obama's Reluctance To Criticize The Secret Service Examined The Secret Service scandal continues to draw significant media attention, with a combined focus on new revelations and on the President and his administration's reaction. The New York Times , in an article titled, "Administration Torn On Secret Service Scandal Response," details the Secret Service's extraordinary preparations for Presidential trips and says these steps are "a big reason President Obama has been so reluctant to criticize the Secret Service, as the agency reels from a scandal over suspected misconduct involving prostitutes during a trip to Cartagena, Colombia. 'How do you stand up and criticize people who have pledged to take a bullet for you?' one administration official said on Friday, speaking on the grounds of anonymity." The Times notes that the President "said himself the one time he addressed the scandal," that he "would be 'angry' if the accusations are proved true," but, "at the same time, the president and his aides are skittish about publicly lambasting the same agents who put themselves in harm's way on their behalf."
David Axelrod, on CNN's State Of The Union, said, "In my experience the Secret Service has been completely professional, so impressive. I always felt like they were willing to do anything to protect the President and the people around the President, and so this was really disappointing. Obviously we have to get to the bottom of it, but those problems should not denigrate the efforts of so many who do such a good job." Axelrod said on NBC's Meet The Press, "I think on the whole, the Secret Service does heroic work. My experience has been they're quite professional. I've always felt that way. But this is really disturbing. We have to get to the bottom of it and I'm sure that we will."
The Washington Post reports, "At least four congressional committees are receiving daily briefings from Secret Service officials as the investigation continues, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee have made formal requests for full information on the scandal by as early as Friday. Lawmakers from both parties on Sunday continued to voice support for Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan and his investigation while expressing amazement at the risky behavior of agents in Cartagena."
Karl Rove, on Fox News Sunday, said Sullivan "is an enormously able individual," who "has moved aggressively and appropriately." Rove added, "The people who will be most disgusted and most angry and most upset about this are the members, the men and women of the Secret Service."
Agent Under Investigation Stayed At The Same Hotel As Obama The CBS Evening News reported, "There is more to report on the Secret Service scandal tonight with word that suspicion is spreading beyond the agents in just one Colombian hotel." CBS added, "We're now learning a 12th agent, the latest to be investigated was staying at the very same hotel where President Obama later stayed, a development that is fueling new calls for a wider investigation. A law enforcement official tells CBS News the latest agent now under investigation brought a woman back to the Hilton Hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, five days before the President would stay there."
Discussing this revelation on CBS' Face The Nation, Sen. Joe Lieberman said, "Now you're into the hotel where the president of the United States was going to stay. And it just gets more troubling." Rep. Peter King (R), whose Homeland Security Committee is probing the scandal, said, on NBC's Meet The Press, "In the next day or so, I think we're going to see more Secret Service agents leaving."
According to USA Today , "Six Secret Service agents have left the agency since the scandal, through resignation, retirement or dismissal. Five others remain under investigation. One other Secret Service official has been cleared of 'serious misconduct' but faces 'appropriate administrative action.'"
The Washington Times reports, "Most of the Secret Service agents embroiled in a South American prostitution scandal are likely to lose their jobs -- some as soon as Monday."

US, Afghanistan Reach Strategic Partnership Agreement The announcement of a new US-Afghan "strategic partnership" agreement generated coverage from major print media, but was not mentioned on the network newscasts. Reports cast the pact as a significant development in the US process to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. The AP calls the pact "key to the US exit strategy in Afghanistan because it establishes guidelines for any American forces who remain after the withdrawal deadline and for financial help to the impoverished country and its security forces." US embassy spokesman Gavin Sundwall told reporters, "Our goal is an enduring partnership with Afghanistan that strengthens Afghan sovereignty, stability and prosperity and that contributes to our shared goal of defeating al-Qaida and its extremist affiliates."
McClatchy reports the deal "was initialed by Afghanistan's national security adviser, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker," according to President Hamid Karzai's office. The Los Angeles Times notes that "in a possible sign of continuing tensions...the two sides characterized Sunday's development somewhat differently." While a statement from Karzai's office "said the agreement 'is now ready for signature' by Karzai and President Obama," Sundwall said yesterday, "After much hard work together, we are pleased that we are close to completing negotiations on strategic partnership."
In a similar report, the Wall Street Journal notes that such an agreement preceded the US pullout from Iraq. The New York Times , meanwhile, reports "Western diplomats in Kabul said the agreement was an important marker and a positive one, both because it would help persuade other Western countries to continue to support Afghanistan and because it will signal all sides, including the Taliban, that they will not have a free hand to manipulate the country after 2014." A "European diplomat," who "noted that the Taliban would not like" the deal, told the Times, "The Iranians don't like it because it shows the US is going to be here for a long time."
The Washington Post reports, "The document pledges American financial support for Afghanistan through 2024 and refers to the ongoing US role in bolstering Afghan democracy and civil society." While "in the past, American officials have described the strategic partnership agreement as a key signal to the Afghan government and the insurgency that the United States will not suddenly abandon its fight against the Taliban," the draft agreement "provides only a vaguely worded reassurance, leaving many to guess at what the US commitment means in practice." An unnamed "US official who is familiar with the negotiations" tells the Post, "The nature, function and size of the US security commitment still has to be worked out."

Campaign News

Obama Takes Lead In Gallup Tracker, Still Trails In Rasmussen The latest installment of the Gallup daily presidential tracking poll shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney 47%-44%. That marks the President's first lead in the series since tracking began earlier this month. The poll surveyed about 2,200 registered voters from April 17-21.
The Rasmussen Reports daily presidential tracking poll shows Romney leading Obama 46%-45%. The measure has been essentially unchanged for last four days. The poll surveyed 1,500 likely voters from April 19-21.
Obama Tops Romney By 4 In Ohio A new Rasmussen Report survey of 500 likely Ohio voters taken April 18 shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney 46%-42% in the Buckeye State.

In Pennsylvania, Romney Rips Obama Ahead Of Planned Appearance With Rubio The AP reports that yesterday in Pennsylvania, Mitt Romney claimed that President Obama "is a 'president who is dividing America' as he kicked off a two-day campaign swing that will feature Marco Rubio, the Cuban-American Florida senator considered as a top potential choice for vice president." Addressing a "crowd of about 200 at a Lincoln Day dinner" in Greencastle, Romney said, "This president has a road that he's traveling down where government gets larger and larger and metastasizes into every area of American life. If I'm president, we're not going to go down that road anymore." The AP notes that Rubio, "who dismissed talk about potentially joining the ticket during a Sunday interview, is set to campaign with Romney on Monday in Aston, Pa."
The Hill says the joint appearance "is sure to fuel speculation that Rubio is on Romney's short list for vice president." The two "will appear together in Aston, Pa., outside Philadelphia. That region has seen huge growth in the Hispanic community in recent years."
ABC World News said there is an "all-important question for Mitt Romney: Who will he choose for his running mate? There's one big focus on one big name: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio." ABC's Jon Karl said, "Nobody believes Marco Rubio when he said he won't take the job. Turning down a hypothetical offer is a lot different than turning down a real offer and believe me, he's going to look very close at Marco Rubio."

Hatch Forced Into June Primary Against Liljenquist The CBS Evening News reported, "The Utah Republican State Convention today forced six-term US Sen. Orrin Hatch into a primary fight against former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist." The Deseret (UT) Morning News reports Hatch "fell a few votes shy of winning" the GOP nomination outright, "forcing him into a primary election for the first time since winning office in 1976." Hatch took 59.2% of the delegate vote to Liljenquist's 40.8% after two rounds of voting. Candidates "need 60 percent to win the party nomination outright. Eight other candidates did not advance after the first ballot."
The AP reports Hatch "told delegates that experience can make all the difference in getting conservative priorities passed." Liljenquist countered that Hatch's "seniority was overrated and said that he was ready to work with freshmen Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky in changing how the Senate works."
The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune adds, "Hatch will begin the next phase with momentum from convention and far more financial support and says he's confident he will come out ahead this time. 'We're going to win it,' he said, calling the vote 'a tremendous victory' even if he didn't win the nomination outright."
Politico says Hatch "unquestionably bolts out of the starting gate as a strong favorite to prevail" in the June 26 primary, but Liljenquist "has an opening. It's predicated on his own ability to ride Saturday's momentum and the amount of buy-in he receives from interest groups that have already proven to have an outsized impact on the 2012 cycle."
FreedomWorks Takes Credit For Result Brad Knickerbocker, in the Christian Science Monitor , says Hatch "didn't lose...but he didn't win either. Even though he'd pivoted rightward rhetorically in recent months, even though he had a huge advantage in campaign funds, and even though he'd been embraced by the very popular Romney, Hatch was forced into a primary election by a tea party-backed former state senator, Dan Liljenquist." Knickerbocker notes that FreedomWorks, which spent $700,000 on the race, "was quick to laud -- and take some credit for -- Liljenquist's showing." FreedomWorks of America national political director Russ Walker says Hatch "had 36 years to get his act together, but continues to put power over policy."