“Listen, there’s been three independent investigations now all of whom come to the same conclusion that I had nothing to do with it, no knowledge of it, didn’t direct it and didn’t have anything to do with it.”
— Gov. Chris Christie (R), in an interview on ABC News about the intentional George Washington Bridge lane closures ordered by his aides.
“Hillary Clinton re-launched her presidential campaign over the weekend by saying she would be a “fighter” for families struggling to pay bills and save for retirement. But for weeks she avoided picking a side in the fight that has bitterly divided her party: the pending 12-nation, Pacific Rim trade deal,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“By Sunday, her reluctance had become untenable. In a speech in Iowa, Mrs. Clinton aligned herself with the party’s congressional liberals, saying their concerns about free trade were valid and that President Obama, who is pushing for the trade pact, should work ‘to make sure we get the best, strongest deal possible.'”
“A deep Democratic divide over President Barack Obama’s ambitions to expand trade in the Pacific clouded prospects this week for reviving key legislation after the House dealt it a stinging setback and Hillary Clinton expressed her own qualms Sunday from the campaign trail,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
New York Times: “Unless he can convince scores of Democrats to change their votes in the coming days, the centerpiece of his much-touted re-engagement with Asia will slip away along with one of the last chances he has to leave his imprint on the world before leaving office.”
Politico: House GOP may take another shot at trade bill
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“House GOP Benghazi investigators will face off with a combative confidant of Hillary Clinton this week in a closed-door interrogation session — one of the biggest moments for a Benghazi probe that continues to dog the Democratic presidential front-runner,” Politico reports.
“The House Select Committee on Benghazi on Tuesday will depose Sidney Blumenthal — a longtime Clinton family friend — about why he emailed the former secretary of state unsubstantiated intelligence on Libya, whether he was paid for the work and whether he used his Clinton connections to help his business partners.”
A new Morning Consult Poll in New Hampshire finds Jeb Bush leading with 14%, followed by Scott Walker at 10%, Rand Paul at 9%, Marco Rubio at 8% and Donald Trump at 8%.
A new Morning Consult Poll in Iowa finds Scott Walker leading the GOP field with 18%, followed by Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul at 10%. They are followed by Marco Rubio at 7%, Chris Christie at 6%, and Ben Carson and Donald Trump at 5%.
Mike Allen: “Most likely Scott Walker announcement date is Mon., July 13. He isn’t making a decision until after the Wisconsin state budget deadline (June 30), and we don’t have to worry about Fourth of July. So look for it soon thereafter.”
A new Morning Consult Poll in South Carolina finds favorite son Lindsey Graham leading with 14%, but followed closely by Ben Carson at 12%, Jeb Bush at 11%, Scott Walker at 10%, Marco Rubio at 8%, Mike Huckabee at 7% and Ted Cruz at 6%.
Jeb Bush told CNN that he believes he’ll be in a better position to break away from the rest of the Republican field when he announces his presidential candidacy.
Said Bush: “People make up their minds in the last weeks of these primaries. My expectation is we’ll have slow, steady progress. That’s been the expectation all along.”
Jeb Bush “may not be nearly as strong in Florida as his reputation suggests. A Bloomberg Politics study conducted with University of Florida political scientist Daniel A. Smith found that nearly three-quarters of Florida’s 12.9 million currently registered voters have never even seen Bush’s name on a ballot.”
“By contrast, 92 percent of Floridians who voted when Marco Rubio was last on the ballot, in 2010, are still registered.”
“With all that bad news, is it not true that arguably President Obama is the worst foreign policy president in history? I think he is.”
— Mitt Romney, quoted by the Washington Post, after giving a presentation to about 200 GOP donors.
Washington Post: “It has long been said that voters use presidential elections to correct perceived deficiencies in the incumbent. Asking for continuity of power while nevertheless advocating changes, Clinton appears eager to contrast herself with Obama in ways that are both subtle and direct.”
“If Obama spoke of transformation, Clinton is running as a workaday problem solver with a lengthy to-do list and the policies to match — an incrementalist who will measure progress in small changes as much as grand achievements. If the Obama who defeated her eight years ago was the candidate of soaring rhetoric, of hope and inspiration, Clinton is running as a dogged and determined fighter at a time when many voters are looking for evidence of achievable results.”
“If Obama is faulted for having failed to develop relationships with Republicans — or even Democrats, as Friday’s trade vote in the House reminded — Clinton will be presented as someone whose approach is not that of a president often described as distant from other elected officials.”
Wall Street Journal: Why Hillary Clinton will be tough to beat
New York Times: “On Thursday, Pope Francis will release his first major teaching letter, known as an encyclical, on the theme of the environment and the poor. Given the pope’s widespread popularity, and his penchant for speaking out on major global issues, the encyclical is being treated as a milestone that could place the Roman Catholic Church at the forefront of a new coalition of religion and science.”
Wonk Wire: Climate change deniers will be the big money losers
“In a significant move to deter possible Russian aggression in Europe, the Pentagon is poised to store battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 American troops in several Baltic and Eastern European countries,” the New York Times reports.
“The proposal, if approved, would represent the first time since the end of the Cold War that the United States has stationed heavy military equipment in the newer NATO member nations in Eastern Europe that had once been part of the Soviet sphere of influence. Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine have caused alarm and prompted new military planning in NATO capitals.”
“Sketching a vision of a more hopeful, inclusive America that takes care of own while taking on big challenges such as climate change, Hillary Clinton said Saturday she is running for president to be the champion the country needs now, as well as its history-making first female commander in chief,” the Washington Post reports.
“Clinton launched her campaign in earnest with a 45-minute address that melded her personal biography as an advocate for women and children with promises of policy changes she promised would make the country fairer for all. It was the first time since entering the race in April that Clinton made a sustained case for her second run for the White House and told voters why she thinks she deserves to win.”
Said Clinton: “I may not be the youngest candidate in this race, but I’ll be the youngest woman president in the history of the United States.”
“There is only one thing that I really miss about being president, and that’s being the commander-in-chief.”
— George W. Bush, quoted by The Hill.
“You know, it’s wonderful watching a campaign when you’re seeing it from the outside. I don’t look back and second guess. I don’t say, ‘Oh I wish I made a different decision.’ I’m glad I made the decision I did. And I’m looking forward to playing what limited role a guy who lost can play in a presidential contest.”
— Mitt Romney, quoted by the Boston Globe.
Former President George W. Bush told Israel Hayom that the United States will need combat troops on the ground to defeat the Islamic State.
Said Bush: “The president will have to make that determination. My position was that you need to have boots on the ground… We will see whether or not our government adjusts to the realities on the ground.”
Taegan 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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