Strategy Memo: A Nobel President
President Obama, now a Nobel Peace Prize winner, will start his work day with morning briefings and a meeting with senior advisors, then give brief remarks in the Rose Garden at 10:30 a.m. He'll sit down with Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) in the Oval Office, followed by lunch with Vice President Biden. This afternoon, he'll speak in the East Room to rally support for a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency and urge passage of a regulatory reform package. Then, another meeting with his war council on Afghanistan. Tonight, Obama hosts a barbecue for members of the Secret Service and their families.
The Senate Finance Committee has set the vote for Tuesday on the chairman's health care bill, and the House ethics committee has expanded its investigation into Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), whom Republicans have been calling on to step down from his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee.
Both the House and Senate meet in pro forma session today, meaning most Members have left for the Columbus Day recess. Both chambers return to session Tuesday.
**President Obama
*AP: "The White House says President Barack Obama woke up to the news that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize a little before 6 a.m. Press secretary Robert Gibbs learned from reporters that Obama had won the 2009 prize, and telephoned the White House early Friday to pass along the news to his boss."
*Washington Post: "The Obama administration has concluded that the Taliban cannot be eliminated as a political or military movement, regardless of how many combat forces are sent into battle." The new U.S. goal then is "to weaken the Taliban to the degree that it cannot challenge the Afghan government or reestablish the haven it provided for al-Qaeda before the 2001 U.S. invasion. Those objectives appear largely consistent with McChrystal's strategy."
*Among the options in the McChrystal evaluation is a request for as many as 60,000 troops, though 40,000 is the preferred number, the Wall Street Journal reports.
*Time's Michael Scherer has an interesting look at the White House press strategy. "Rather than just giving reporters ammunition to 'fact-check' Obama's many critics, the White House decided it would become a player, issuing biting attacks on those pundits, politicians and outlets that make what the White House believes to be misleading or simply false claims."
*It was "perhaps the most exclusive after-work, backyard basketball game ever" as President Obama played 10 games on the White House court with Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress. They played for two hours, "with everyone switching teams throughout," Bloomberg reports.
**Congress
*"Olympia J. Snowe may be, for the moment, the most powerful woman in Washington. As the lone congressional Republican working to support President Obama's healthcare overhaul, no one will be more closely watched when the Senate Finance Committee votes next week," L.A. Times reports.
*HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said "the healthcare reform bill that hits the Senate floor will include a government-run public option insurance program," The Hill reports.
*National Journal's Congressional Insiders Poll finds Democrat and Republican Members of Congress evenly split on whether a health care bill that clears Congress will include a public option, with 79% of Democrats saying yes and 80% of Republicans saying no. On the economy, 44% of Democratic Members think Congress should pass a second stimulus package if unemployment continues to rise, while 51% say it should not. Meanwhile, 89% of Republicans are against the idea of another stimulus, with just 7% supporting it.
*Ethics: "House Republicans got fresh ammo for their assault on embattled Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) with the Thursday revelation that the House ethics committee is once again expanding its probe of the Harlem Democrat. But top House Democratic sources said the news was unlikely to weaken Rangel's grip on his gavel. Instead, party leaders will hold to their mantra that the veteran lawmaker is innocent until proven guilty, that the ethics process is working and that it must be allowed to conclude," Roll Call reports.
**Campaign Stuff
*The Hotline's Tim Sahd released his latest House rankings yesterday, with three Republican seats -- LA-02 (Cao), DE-AL (Open) and NY-23 (special) -- most likely to change party control.
*And former NJer, Politico's Charles Mahtesian, looks at the 2010 Senate races, with Republicans defending 18 seats and Democrats 19 seats (including the January special election in Massachusetts). The story comes with this handy 2010 Senate race guide, for all you visual learners.
*An interesting story to watch in Connecticut. Were state funds used on political polling for Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell (R)?
*Vice President Biden will raise money for Harry Reid on October 16, the Reno Gazette-Journal reports.
*St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman (D) has decided not to run for governor in Minnesota after months spent prepping for a bid. The Star Tribune: "Coleman had already assembled a campaign team with statewide and even national experience, and would have been a serious contender in the DFL fight to replace Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is not running for a third term. But in the end, Coleman decided to stay put."
*DE Sen: Although Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) raised little during the 3rd quarter ($57k), he began October with more than $850,000 in the bank, CQ reports.
*CA Sen: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will report having $6.3 million in the bank, SF Chronicle reports.
--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli