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From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
Obama’s campaign is not viewing his five-country swing through Europe and the Middle East next week as a political trip, his foreign policy advisers said today on a conference call previewing the much-talked-about tour.
“The trip is not at all a campaign trip, a rally of any sort,” said Robert Gibbs, the campaign's senior strategist for communications and message.
Obama -- who senior foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said had “a very productive conversation” with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in planning the trip -- will discuss issues ranging from nuclear non-proliferation to energy security to climate change and combating terrorism with a series of leaders in Jordan, Israel, Germany, France, and Great Britain.
VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on Barack Obama's planned visit to Iraq and Afghanistan. In Europe, the senator is set to meet with British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown and opposition leader
David Cameron ; Germany’s Chancellor
Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier ; and French President
Nicolas Sarkozy ,
the aides confirmed.
In the Middle East, Obama will meet with King Abdullah of Jordan and several Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert , President Shimon Peres , Defense Minister Ehud Barak , Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni , and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu . He also plans to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
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From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro Bob Novak is reporting that Phil Gramm apologized to McCain for his "nation of whiners" comment, and that Gramm will continue as an adviser and surrogate to the campaign.
Asked for a response to this news, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers told First Read: "No comment. We have nothing to announce on Sen. Gramm."
Last week, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reported that, per GOP sources, McCain wasn't expected to strip Gramm of his "volunteer designation" as co-chair of the McCain campaign, and that the former Texas senator remains a "trusted friend of the campaign." However, they did say that other surrogates and advisers -- like Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Carly Fiorina -- would be driving the campaign's economic policy.
Last Friday, McCain said that he didn't agree with Gramm's comments to the Washington Times last week that the United States was only in a "mental recession" and had become a "nation of whiners."
"Phil Gramm does not speak for me; I speak for me," McCain said.
And when asked whether Gramm would possibly serve as Treasury secretary in a McCain Administration, the presumptive GOP nominee replied, "I think Sen. Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, although I'm not sure that citizens of Minsk would welcome to that."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
"Positions that helped him win his nomination,” an announcer says. “Now Obama is changing to help himself become president. John McCain has always supported our troops and the surge that's working. McCain. Country first.”
McCain has had negative Web videos of Obama, but nothing on paid television.
The new ad is being cycled into the campaign's buy on national cable and CO, IA, MI, MO, NV, NH, NM, OH, PA, VA (NoVA) and WI.
McCain's ad, "Love ," had several veiled shots at the presumptive Democratic nominee, but the focus was on McCain's biography -- not Obama.
*** UPDATE ***
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From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
President Bush and
McCain are playing catch-up with
Obama when it comes to Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama advisers said on a conference call today.
The aides were responding to news that Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki had agreed that any new agreement regarding US-Iraqi relations after the UN mandate expires at year-end should include “a general time horizon" for withdrawing American troops from the country.
Senior foreign policy adviser Susan Rice said the presumptive Democratic nominee had been a leader on issues regarding Iraq and Afghanistan -- having long-called for a strategic redeployment of US troops from the former, and for increased efforts to deal with the national security threats presented by the latter.
VIDEO: Presidential hopeful Barack Obama hopes to bolster his foreign-policy credentials in a five nation trip to the Middle East and Europe. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports from Baghdad. “[Obama] has made the prescient point that we ought to put more US brigades into Afghanistan to step up our effort there; that we ought not to put all of our military eggs and political eggs in Pervez Musharraf’s basket; and that our Pakistan and Afghanistan policies need to be adjusted,” Rice said. “We are now seeing Sen. McCain come gradually and belatedly around to that position. And today, we see the further evidence -- not only from the Iraqis, who have asked for a timetable for US withdrawal -- but from the administration, acknowledging that indeed a time horizon is desirable and necessary and is moving in that direction.”
She argued that McCain was trying to raise questions about the Illinois senator’s judgment on issues of foreign policy “to deflect attention from the fact that despite his claims to be the expert on national security, when it comes to critical issues he and President Bush are following Barack Obama’s lead.”
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From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
WARREN, Mich. --
McCain took questions from auto employees at the GM Technology Center here this morning and gave them some of his patented "straight talk" on the future of their industry.
After telling the audience in his opening remarks that "there'll be times when you and I disagree on issues and one of them probably is trade," McCain quickly stumbled on another point of contention between his position and theirs -- the right of states to set their own fuel standards.
VIDEO: Defending free trade, John McCain says, "Lowering barriers to trade creates more and better jobs and higher wages." This has been a controversial issue of late, most notably between the Bush administration and the auto companies on one side and the California legislature on the other in the western state's attempt to set stricter carbon emission standards than those currently in place nationwide.
"I'm torn on the issue because I am at heart a federalist that believes that the states should make decisions as to what happens within their states," McCain said. He then added, "but it also is complicated because every state doesn't manufacture automobiles and they don't stay within their states. …So I have to say I guess at the end of the day I support the states being able to do that, but I also think there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to sit down and work this out."
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From NBC's Jim Popkin Obama schlock is outselling John McCain schlock at least five to one, according to interviews NBC News conducted with gift-shop retailers and t-shirt manufacturers.
That would mean that five times as many Obama t-shirts are on the streets…five times as many Obama bumper stickers are junking up cars…and five times as many Obama bobble heads are wiggling on desks across America.
At the Capital Noveltees manufacturing plant in Washington, DC, for example, demand for Obama gift items is through the roof. The firm, a major supplier to retailers nationwide, has sold 54,028 pro-Obama t-shirts since March. During that same period, the company has sold only 5,979 pro-McCain t-shirts, said company owner Susan Benovitz.
"It's not that we're favoring one candidate over another," Benovitz said. "I just know how fast the re-orders come in for Obama."
Is this a sign of an enthusiasm gap, as perhaps the Obama campaign would have you believe? Not so fast, says Ira Teinowitz, the Washington Bureau Chief for Advertising Age. Since Obama is so popular with Gen Facebook, young voters likely skew the sales. “It’s logical to assume that young people are more likely to wear T-shirts than old [folks],” Teinowitz said. “If you look at the cool versus non-cool aspect of this, McCain isn’t exactly cool” to wear on a faded t-shirt, he added.
The McCain campaign reacted to the "doomsday" news with characteristic humor. Is this gift-buying discrepancy an omen of a campaign in trouble, we queried in an email?
"Al Gore and John Kerry sold a lot of t-shirts too," McCain spokesman Joe Pounder replied.
For more on this -- and actual serious topics -- check out the NBC News Deep Background blog.
You can't make this up... NBC's John Yang reports President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have agreed that a new agreement setting the parameters for US-Iraqi relations after the current UN mandate expires at the end of the year should include non-binding language--"a general time horizon" and not "an arbitrary date"--about the withdrawal of US troops.
*** UPDATE *** Biden is out with this statement: “I welcome today’s announcement that the President has reversed course and dropped his adamant opposition to a timeline for redeployment of American troops from Iraq. He also has acknowledged the need to transition from a combat mission to one that focuses on training and counter-terrorism. The Bush Administration is finally facing reality. They are now engaging directly with Iran and recognizing the need for more forces in Afghanistan while scaling down our force commitment in Iraq. The President should begin a responsible redeployment of our combat forces from Iraq so that we can meet the many other challenges we face around the world, starting with taking the fight to Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan – the people who actually attacked us on 9-11.”
*** UPDATE 2 ***
"The President's effort to distinguish between a 'time horizon' and a 'time table' to accomplish that goal falls flat."
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro McCain’s opportunity: So how will McCain spend Obama’s summer “vacation,” as the Democratic candidate heads abroad? Per NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, McCain’s advisers say they won't "litigate" all the "campaign hoopla" generated by Obama's foreign travel, but acknowledge they may have to "fight for scraps that fall off the table" when it comes to media coverage and public attention. Looking for the positive, they will try to "mop the floor" with being the "only candidate in the country." These advisers add that McCain will "drive the message" of jobs, the economy, energy, and domestic issues, highlighting contrasts with his Democratic opponent. And he’ll start that today when he holds a town hall at a GM facility in Warren, MI. Much attention in that recent Washington/ABC poll was given to Obama’s deficit on foreign affairs issues when compared with McCain. But the survey also showed McCain trailing Obama on the economy by a whopping 19 points. What’s easier -- Obama erasing his foreign affairs deficit or McCain erasing his economic one? Indeed, this next week might be as important to McCain as it is for Obama.
VIDEO: Will Barack Obama be able to sell himself as a credible commander-in-chief with his trip abroad or might he commit an embarrassing gaffe that could undermine his candidacy? A Hardball panel discusses. ***
That Berlin event: How vulnerable is Obama on this idea that he's campaigning overseas? Will the Berlin event backfire? Will some be offended by the idea of holding a campaign rally in a foreign country? Then again, one of the objectives for this overseas trip -- besides boosting Obama’s commander-in-chief credentials -- is to drive home the argument to American voters how the rest of the world wants the US to embark on a different course (and contending that McCain can’t deliver on that promise). As one of
Obama’s new TV ads puts it, “We are a beacon of light around the world. At least that's what we can be again. That's what we should be again.” There really isn't a precedent for actually holding a campaign event overseas. How does Obama walk this fine line of appealing to the rest of the world without turning off American voters and appearing that he’s already won the election?
*** This gym stuff: We're a bit suspicious. Anyone else think Obama is holding some secret VP meetings? With Obama on his way out of Chicago and some Obama beat reporters not going overseas, maybe we ought to find out if Caroline Kennedy, Eric Holder, Joe Biden, or Evan Bayh happens to like going to Chicago gyms... If Obama plans to name his running mate before the Olympics, he's probably got to be close to a decision, because he'd have to name the running mate in the week he returns from his overseas trip. Time's running out for Team Obama if they want a big pre-Olympics VP rollout. So maybe he's a lot closer than we all realize, and maybe these gym stops are well, you know… Then again, perhaps he just loves shootin' hoops.
*** Speaking of…: Here’s some research on VP timing from NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli… From 1980-2004, the vice presidential pick was announced typically within one week of the start date of the convention. The exceptions are:
*** Meet Joe Biden: Next up in our look at potential veep picks is Joe Biden. He’s Delaware's longest-serving senator, winning his Senate seat at age 29. Five weeks later, his wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident. Biden later re-married… Biden ran for president in 1988, but bowed out after a plagiarism scandal. That same year, he suffered a brain aneurysm…. He commutes an hour and a half to DC every day from Wilmington on Amtrak; in fact, he’s gotten to know the train's crew personally and hosts an annual Christmas dinner for them… In addition to his presidential campaign calling Obama a "Johnny-Come-Lately " on Afghanistan in 2007, Biden also has said Obama is not ready to be president. At a debate in August of last year, he stood by a Newsweek quote in which he said, "I think he can be ready, but right now I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training." Biden's response at the debate? "I think I stand by the statement."
*** Dodge, dip, duck, dive, dodge: On Morning Joe, Pawlenty dodged the question whether he’s being vetted. He's consistently denied being vetted in the past.
*** On the trail: McCain begins his day with a town hall at a GM facility in Warren, MI, raises money in Detroit, and then appears on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Cindy McCain is in Rwanda on the bipartisan ONE campaign trip.
Countdown to Dem convention: 38 daysClick here to sign up for First Read emails.
With Obama headed abroad, the New York Times writes that “Republicans seem unable to decide whether that is worthy of praise or an opportunity for payback for Mr. Obama’s unrelenting criticism of their own policy. ‘I’m pleased that he is going to Iraq for only the second time and Afghanistan for the first time,’ Mr. McCain, who last visited the region in March, told reporters aboard his campaign bus on Thursday in Kansas City, Mo. ‘If he was so concerned about Afghanistan and the threat there and the need to send troops, don’t you think he should have gone there?’”
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel talks about John McCain camp's tactics in attacking Barack Obama's overseas trip. But: “Earlier in the day, Mr. McCain’s communications director, Jill Hazelbaker, had dismissed Mr. Obama’s trip as the ‘first-of-its-kind campaign rally overseas.’ But Mr. McCain initially rejected that ‘damned if you do, damned it you don’t’ approach and sought a more nuanced position. ‘I can only give you my opinion, and I will talk to her,’ Mr. McCain said. ‘The fact is that I’m glad he is going to Iraq. I am glad he is going to Afghanistan. It’s long, long overdue if you want to lead this nation.’”
“Later on Thursday, in Grand Haven, Mr. McCain elaborated on his and Ms. Hazelbaker’s initial remarks. He differentiated the Iraq and Afghanistan parts of the trip from its other legs, saying Mr. Obama’s activities in the other countries could have ‘a political flavor, to say the least.’”
More on Obama’s trip … “‘The stakes are very high for Obama,’ said Lee Hamilton, president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a supporter of the Illinois Democrat. While Obama currently leads in the polls, ‘foreign policy is one area where they (voters) have their doubts’ about him, Hamilton said. The trip is planned to put Obama into settings often occupied by presidents, including formal meetings with foreign leaders, public speeches and visits to historical sites. ‘There will be a lot of eyes on him, and we know that,’ [Obama’s Chief Strategist David] Axelrod said, when asked about the risk of politically damaging errors.”
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The DNC is releasing a memo arguing that McCain had a tough week , after his reversals on Afghanistan and gay adoption, as well as him incorrectly referring twice to “Czechoslovakia,” a nation that no longer exists. “Two weeks into the latest ‘relaunch’ of his campaign and it’s more of the same for John McCain: more of the same bad news, bad reviews and campaign chaos,” the memo reads. “While the elevation of Steve Schmidt was supposed to tighten McCain’s message and organization, McCain was under fire from all sides this week… With less than 110 days left until the election, is it time to start wondering how many more weeks like this McCain can afford?”
“McCain said Thursday that his proposal to suspend the gas tax for three months this summer may need to be extended longer if high gas prices continue to take a toll on the economy. ‘I think we ought to seriously look at whether we need to have it be longer or not depending on what the economy (does),’ McCain said, standing beside the Grand River. ‘I think we have to consider all options but the fact is we need a gas tax holiday. We need it, we need it, we need it very badly. The Americans that are hurt the most are low income Americans that are driving the oldest automobiles.’” never said how he would replace the million that go from the gas tax to the roads infrastructure improvements, saying only it would come out of the general fund.
Per a new Pew analysis, McCain “has a smaller lead among white evangelical Protestants than Republican George W. Bush had at a similar point in the 2004 campaign, even though Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has made few inroads into this key constituency… About six-in-ten (61%) white evangelicals favor McCain while 25% support Obama. McCain's 36-point advantage among this group is comparable to Bush's lead in 2000 but smaller than Bush's 43-point lead in 2004. Nonetheless, Obama has made no significant gains among this important constituency. The number of white evangelicals who say they would vote for Obama (25%) is about the same as the number who supported the Democratic presidential candidates in June 2004 (26%) and June 2000 (28%).”
Wow, how nervous are McCain folks about Ron Paul disruptions at the Nevada GOP state convention? They've cancelled the convo and will deal with the delegate issue via conference call.
