“The active public is against this. I don’t know a member of Congress whose e-mails and phone calls are in favor of this.”
— Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), in an interview with the Washington Post, on support for military strikes in Syria.
Obama Mulls Oval Office Address on Syria
President Obama “is weighing an Oval Office address to explain to the American people why a U.S. military strike in Syria is in the best interests of the nation,” The Hill reports.
Resolution to Authorize Strikes in Syria Falters
“A resolution authorizing the use of force in Syria won’t make it through the House or the Senate without significant cajoling from the White House,” Politico reports.
“That means Obama, who struggles to get Congress to follow his lead on almost everything, could burn his limited leverage convincing Democrats and Republicans to vote for an unpopular military operation that even the president says he could carry out with or without their approval.”
Mike Allen: “Sources tell us the House and maybe even the Senate would not approve the Syria military strike if the vote were held today. The support of the top leader in each chamber is doing little to overcome what a number of members call surprisingly unconvincing private briefings by the White House, State and Pentagon.”
An ABC News whip count finds 199 House members either opposed or likely to oppose the resolution. The Washington Post counts 174 likely to vote against.
What Virginia’s Election Will Tell Us About the Future
Larry Sabato: “The crystallized summary of this nearly 50-year tour through history is less an iron rule of politics than a cautionary one: Omens can be deceptive. Of the 12 examples in our table, five Virginia elections were genuinely predictive of the next year’s midterm results. Another five were misleading indicators. The remaining two (1985 and 1989) could be argued either way.”
“So take out the coin in your pocket and flip it. Your nickel is as good a bet on the future course of politics as the outcome of Virginia’s gubernatorial elections. Remember this in November when you see firm prognostications about ‘what it all means.'”
EPA Adviser Stole Nearly $1 Million
“Over the past 12 years, John C. Beale was often away from his job as a high-level staffer at the Environmental Protection Agency. He cultivated an air of mystery and explained his lengthy absences by telling his bosses that he was doing top-secret work, including for the CIA,” the Washington Post reports.
“For years, apparently, no one checked.”
“Now, Beale is charged with stealing nearly $900,000 from the EPA by receiving pay and bonuses he did not deserve. He faces up to three years in prison.”
GOP Lawmaker Suggests Syria Strike is to Bury Scandals
GOP Sources Say Boehner Will Step Aside After Midterms
“Former aides to John Boehner and other high-level GOP operatives are increasingly convinced that the House Speaker will step aside after the 2014 midterm elections,” Huffington Post reports.
Chafee Will Not Run Again
Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (D) will not seek re-election in 2014, the Providence Journal reports.
The move “opens the door for a number of prominent politicians who have been eyeing the governor’s office.”
Chafee recently switched his voter registration to become a Democrat in advance of what many expected to be a tough re-election race.
Paul Threatens Filibuster of Syria Resolution
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) will filibuster any effort to bring an authorization to use military force in Syria to a quick vote in the Senate, the New York Times reports.
“The decision likely will scramble the Senate schedule and could delay any vote of the Senate for days. House leaders want the Senate to move first to build momentum. But for the Senate to move quickly, the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, would need unanimous consent at least to bring the authorization of force to the Senate floor.”
However, Roll Call notes a filibuster may not be that easy.
Weiner Shouts at a Voter
Anthony Weiner got into an awesome shouting match with a voter earlier today.
Gawker: “Watch the thoughtful discussion of morality and divine judgement that ensued.”
When Politics Worked
Coming soon: Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked by Chris Matthews.
New York City Comptroller Race is Very Close
A new Quinnipiac poll in New York City finds the race for Comptroller is too close to call, with Scott Stringer edging ahead of Eliot Spitzer among likley voters, 47% to 45%.
Christie Won’t Take Stand on Syria Intervention
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) called the use of chemical weapons by Syria “intolerable for civilized society” but would not give his opinion about whether the United States should respond militarily, the Bergen Record reports.
Said Christie: “I’m going to leave that to the people who represent us in Congress to make that decision.”
Cruz Says Obama is Providing Al Qaeda an Air Force
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told The Blaze that President Obama’s efforts to authorize military strikes in Syria was a misguided attempt to intervene in a civil war.
Said Cruz: “We certainly don’t have a dog in the fight. We should be focused on defending the United States of America. That’s why young men and women sign up to join the military, not to, as you know, serve as Al Qaeda’s air force.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“We work, we argue about some issues. We are human. Sometimes one of us gets vexed. But I would like to repeat once again that global mutual interests form a good basis for finding a joint solution to our problems.”
— Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with the Associated Press, on President Obama canceling their scheduled meeting.
Weiner Does the Weather
Anthony Weiner was asked by Fox New York what he’ll do if he loses the New York City Democratic mayoral race in six days.
Said Weiner: “I’ve always had this dream of doing weather and sports on your show, standing in front of that screen.”
And then he did.
Poll Finds Most Think Polls are Biased
A new Kantar poll finds the vast majority of Americans think polls are biased.
Key findings: 75% said they believe the polls are biased in some way, though they couldn’t agree in which direction, while 17% said they thought polls had a liberal bias and 4% said they were slanted toward conservatives.
Rumseld Calls Obama the ‘So-Called Commander in Chief’
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld referred to President Obama as “the so-called commander in chief” and also said Obama didn’t need to seek Congressional authorization to strike Syria, The Hill reports.
Said Rumsfeld: “Now, did he need to go to Congress? No. Presidents as commander in chief have authority, but they have to behave like a commander in chief.”
