Reuters/Jim Young
–Russ Feingold is a “no” on financial reform. Maria Cantwell is still on the fence; her office tells me she is still examining the final language. Susan Collins has joined Scott Brown in protesting the $18 billion financial sector tax tacked on in the 11th hour to pay for implementation. Snowe’s in a similar …
The White House sends over excerpts of her opening statement. Anticipating the standard Republican inquisition over “judicial activism” and “legislating from the bench,” Kagan’s remarks come off as a paean to rule of law, impartiality and proper deference to the legislative branch. From her prepared remarks (emphasis mine):
“Mr.
…
Win McNamee / Getty
–Robert Byrd, the longest serving congressman in U.S. history, died at 92 early Monday:
For more than a third of its 144-year existence, the state of West Virginia was represented in the U.S. Senate by one man: Robert C. Byrd. So encompassing was Byrd’s 50 years of service in the Senate and so encyclopedic
…
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
–Final language for financial reform is more or less done. The marathon 20-hour session that only wrapped up a few hours ago saw House and Senate negotiators run out of paper and conferees fall asleep at the table, but ultimately produced a product that (likely) has the support to make it to the president’s …
I’ve been glued to the mind-numbing spectacle of financial reform conference committee unfolding on C-SPAN 3: Crusty old men testily kvetching about GSE reform for the the 4000th time in two weeks. But they went on break for a bit, so I had a chance to get in some real TV. Here’s Bristol Palin’s acting debut on some ABC Family show or …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–Petraeus’s words prove prescient.
–House and Senate conferees are trying to wrap up their negotiations on financial reform today. You can watch on C-SPAN 3.
–They’ve saved the best (read: most difficult) for last.
–Blanche Lincoln is still defending her derivatives language, …
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
–Obama and McChrystal are meeting face-to-face this morning and the administration’s full AfPak team will convene shortly thereafter.
–More consequential than any personnel decision is the overall direction of the war.
–McChrystal is reportedly telling administration officials he’s …
Official White House Photo
–You can read Rolling Stone‘s full piece on Stanley McChrystal here. The general and his inner circle were something beyond cavalier and insulted a lot of people, but probably the most troubling aspect to the White House is that the commander of American forces in Afghanistan brazenly impugned the …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–Ahead of this week’s G20 summit in Toronto and in wake of intensive lobbying efforts by Timothy Geithner, China has announced plans to allow its currency to float against the dollar. It’s widely viewed as a strategic concession, and the long-term impact of the decision is still largely …
Two characters to be sure. Michael and Jay discuss on this week’s podcast:
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–A National Journal Insiders Poll finds 91% of the Democrats surveyed said unemployment is a greater political liability than government spending and 54% of Republicans agreed.
–The cut down “tax extenders” bill was nonetheless stymied again last night in the Senate.
–Cap-and-trade …
After his “misconstruction” apology apology and his “retraction” apology apology, Joe Barton is still in the doghouse with House GOP leadership.
Reps. Boehner, Cantor and Pence just sent out a stern reprimand stating unequivocally that “Congressman Barton’s statements this morning were wrong.” But that might not be the end of it. The …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–BP CEO Tony Hayward is testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee this morning. You can watch the brutal proceedings unfold here.
–If criminal charges come down the pike, BP is on the hook for a lot of money.
–Scott Brown throws cold water on cap-and-trade, which …
