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Obama Seeks to Repair Israeli Relations

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As he embarks this week on his first presidential trip to Israel, President Obama “will seek to clarify his support for the Jewish state’s theory of its historical roots — addressing one of several subtle, but essential, missteps he is attempting to fix in his second term. The trip is a mission of remedial diplomacy, rather than the kind of specific peace initiative common for previous presidential visits,” the Washington Post reports.

“Obama will also travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah during his four-day trip for air-clearing meetings with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other leaders, who are deeply disappointed by Obama and his staunch opposition to their diplomatic push for statehood through the United Nations.”

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds Americans by a wide margin sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinian Authority when it comes to thorny Middle East politics, 55^ to 9%.

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

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“You may not be interested in Islamism, but Islamism is interested in you… The vast majority of the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims adhere to a view of their religion that agrees on the need to impose Sharia, or Islamic law, on the world.”

Former Bush Attorney General Michael Mukasey, quoted by Salon, speaking on a CPAC panel.

RNC Says No More August Conventions

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RNC Chairman Reince Priebus told CBS News that he wants the party hold its presidential nominating convention earlier, preferably in June or July.

Said Priebus: “I’m calling for a convention in June or July. We are going to set up a commission that’s going to make that decision. I’m going to be a part of that, I’m going to chair that commission But no more August conventions.”

The Cloakroom: 3 things Republicans will change so they can win again.


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RNC Announces Minority Outreach Effort

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RNC Chairman Reince Priebus announced a $10 million outreach initiative to better convey the party’s message to voters, particularly minorities, Roll Call reports.

Priebus said the GOP’s “unprecedented” self-evaluation has shown that it has a “quality of context” problem with relating to voters, largely because of “parachuting” into communities months before an election rather than building grass-roots support.

Conservatives Blame Consultants Not the Candidates

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Byron York: “If there was any villain at the just-completed Conservative Political Action Conference, it was the generic figure of the Republican political consultant. Overpaid, unprincipled, always on the lookout for the next client — or easy mark — the consultants, to listen to a number of CPAC speakers, have helped bring the Republican Party to its current low state.”

“The two non-candidates most mentioned in the consultant hall of shame
were Karl Rove, the former Bush White House aide who has recently formed
a group that he says will find more electable Republican candidates,
and Stuart Stevens, the top adviser to the Romney campaign.”

Boehner Digs in on Taxes

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House Speaker John Boehner told ABC News that talk of including revenue as part of an effort to strike a so-called “grand bargain” was “over.”

Said Boehner: “The president believes that we have to have more taxes from the American people. We’re not going to get very far. The president got his tax hikes on January 1. The talk about raising revenue is over. It’s time to deal with the spending problem.”

Most Think Iraq War Was Not Worth It

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Ten years after the start of the Iraq war, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds nearly six in 10 Americans say the war was not worth fighting. Nearly as many say the same about the war in Afghanistan.

A key reason: “A substantial sense that neither war did much to achieve their goals of enhancing U.S. security. Only about half of Americans say either war contributed to the long-term security of the United States, and just two in 10 say either contributed “a great deal” to U.S. security – clearly insufficient, in the minds of most, to justify their costs in lives and lucre.”

Woman Says She Betrayed Country in $1 Million Scam

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Army staff sergeant Tonya Long “pleaded guilty to stealing at least $1 million and shipping the cash in hundred-dollar bills to the U.S. in the guts of hollowed-out VCR players,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

Said Long: “I cannot express how sorry I am… I chose to betray my country and my family.”

She did not ask for mercy, telling a judge, “because I don’t deserve it.”

New Utah Mayor Picked in Random Drawing

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The new mayor of Helper, Utah was chosen by picking a name from a basket, KSL-TV reports.

In two rounds of voting, Ed Chavez and Kirk Mascaro “each received two votes from the City Council to fill the mayor’s seat. When it became clear that the tie would not be broken, the slips of paper bearing the council members’ votes were placed in a wicker basket… City Attorney Gene Strate then drew Chavez’s name from the basket, making him Helper’s new chief executive officer.”

Window Open for a Grand Bargain?

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“Two weeks of bipartisan meals, closed-door meetings and dueling budget proposals have opened perhaps one last window for the White House and Congress to reach a deficit-reduction deal before a likely fight over the debt ceiling this summer,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Lawmakers say they now see a small opportunity to forge a comprehensive fiscal plan between now and July or August. That’s because the dynamics in recent days have changed, with a slow, steady process replacing repeated crisis-driven fights.”

Walker Admits He’d Consider Presidential Bid

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) acknowledged to Politico that “he’s open to a presidential bid and pointedly declined to pledge to serve a full four-year term if he’s reelected next year.”

Said Walker: “For me, it’s really a measure of what I’ve accomplished and what more I could accomplish if I was in a different position.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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