Response to Obama's Afghanistan Update

Obama met with congressional leaders today to give them an update on Afghanistan.
Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, John McCain respond:

The long version:

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Obama to Huddle With Democrats

Obama may be telling democrats that they're going to have to give up some stuff.

Politico: Obama will meet with House and Senate Democratic leaders at the White House tomorrow at 4:45 p.m., according to Democrats familiar with the arrangement.

The stimulus package will likely be the chief topic of discussion as the president looks to ease the tensions between Democrats and Republicans over the content and makeup of the bill.

In Obama's live interview (see it here) prior to the Super Bowl, he said he expects the stimulus to be refined and says, ultimately it will pass, though he didn't venture a guess as to how many republicans would support it.
David Brooks says it will pass but also suggests the bill will change. He says the items that don't create jobs fast need to be stripped from the bill. Brooks is growing on me.

Democrats are showing a willingness to compromise:

NYT: Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said that Senate Democrats were interested in considering Republican proposals to do more to help the sputtering housing market, including instituting a $15,000 tax credit for all home buyers.

“One of the Republican proposals is to raise the $7,500 tax credit we give to new home buyers, raise it to up $15,000 and do it for all home buyers,” Senator Schumer said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “That’s something that we look favorably upon.”

Mr. Schumer, who is a member of the Finance Committee, also said he was also interested in passing legislation aimed at getting mortgage rates down to 4.5 percent, although he said he thought that might go in the next part of the bailout measure approved by Congress last year, not the stimulus package.

He added, “I think we will get real agreement on the housing part.”

Obama's Cincinnati Office

packed organizational meetings for obama in ohio... from the buckeye state blog.

I won't go into the details of the meeting, but when it was wrapping up, Bettina told us that they had made 700 copies of signup sheets, and they had run out. It goes to show you that people in Ohio have been chomping at the bit to get into this thing, when they can get that kind of turnout in super-short notice. It also seems from my perspective that the now-legendary Obama Ground Game Operation is for real.

In all my years of political activism and volunteerism, I'd never seen anything like it. We weren't coming to a rally, and we weren't coming to vote. We were coming to offer our time and our support. And to do that, just that one simple act of participation, we sat in a traffic jam on a miserable February day, we slid across treacherous ice, and ruined our best work shoes in the grey city snow. And we did this, with less than 24 hour notice, in the most incredible numbers I've ever seen for a primary election. A primary! And in Cincinnati, the Republican bastion of the state! I've never even seen a crowd half its size for the first volunteer meeting for a general election! more

the rest of the day's news:
Obama Camp Says Clinton Nomination "Highly Unlikely"U.S. News & World Report
Another Obama snubbingBoston Herald -
Hillary Clinton: Barack Obama all 'talk' no 'action'Baltimore Sun -
Obama and McCain have a history of scufflesInternational Herald Tribune
Chafee Endorses ObamaNew York Times
McCain and Obama Turn Fire on Each OtherNew York Times
Sister: Obama's Success Rooted in HawaiiThe Associated Press
Obama looks past Clinton to McCainJerusalem Post
Surging Obama shifts offensive to McCainGlobe and Mail -
Obama steps out in frontDetroit Free Press
Obama gets Sprizzo's bestBy Darryl Enriquez
Barack Obama speaks to CNN in SpanishBarack Obama speaks to CNN in Spanish
The Hybrid Car Candidate: Barack Obama