All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

March 21, 2011 7:11 PM

Dem Sen. Joe Manchin bucks party on debt limit

Once again freshman Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is bucking his own party. This time around it has to do with the national debt limit.

Manchin said this morning in a speech at University of Charleston in West Virginia that he will vote against raising the federal debt ceiling unless there is a budget plan to address the nation's deficit problems and financial mess.

"I have never put together a budget - be it my family's or as governor - that was based on how much we wanted to spend, but on what we had," Manchin said, according to prepared remarks released by his office. "That is why I will vote against raising the debt ceiling unless the vote is linked to a real budget plan that begins to fix our fiscal mess. We cannot make budgets based on the next election; they must be based on the next generation."

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Tags:
Joe Manchin ,
Senate ,
Debt Ceiling
Topics:
Congress
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March 21, 2011 7:05 PM

Will Libya attacks lead to stalemate?

On Monday's Washington Unplugged, CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante spoke separately with national security correspondent David Martin and Robert Danin, senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations about the dilemma facing the U.S. and European allies.

Is it possible to protect the citizens of Libya and not oust longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi without causing a stalemate?

It's a perplexing thought that has sparked fears that the U.S. will enter a third war in the Middle East because of the differing words and actions from the administration.

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Tags:
Libya ,
cbslibya ,
Qaddafi ,
Washington Unplugged
Topics:
In The News ,
Foreign Policy ,
Washington Unplugged ,
Obama Administration
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March 21, 2011 6:30 PM

Emerging GOP line: Obama has made America a follower

President Obama speaks from Chile about the situation in Libya, March 21, 2011.

(Credit: CBS)
President Obama's handling of the Libya crisis is prompting Republican criticism that he is turning America from the world's leader into a mere follower - a country all too ready and willing to take orders from even the French.

"When we have [French] President [Nicolas] Sarkozy dictating the pace and terms and conditions for security initiatives in the world, we know that we've entered a new era in terms of America's place and leadership and vision for security around the world, and that concerns me greatly," former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, who just announced a presidential exploratory committee, said Monday.

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Tags:
Obama ,
leader ,
American exceptionalism ,
Tim Pawlenty ,
libya ,
follower
Topics:
Foreign Policy ,
Campaign 2012
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March 21, 2011 4:50 PM

Kucinich says Obama "crossed the line," calls attacks on Libya an "indisputable" impeachable offense

Target sights and planes flying over a map of Libya (Credit: CBS/AP/iStockphoto)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) told Hotsheet today that it's an "indisputable fact" that President Obama committed an impeachable offense by authorizing a military attack without congressional approval.

"The next question is what does Congress do it about it," Kucinich said, adding that he hasn't said he's introducing a resolution for impeachment.

"This is a teachable moment," he said. "The American people should understand that our Constitution does not provide for the president to wage war any times he pleases."

Kucinich and other lawmakers -- including both liberal Democrats and some Republicans -- are raising concerns about the air strikes the U.S. military is conducting in Libya to prevent Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi from killing civilians who oppose his rule.

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Tags:
Libya ,
Congress ,
war ,
Barack Obama ,
impeachment ,
Dennis Kucinich
Topics:
Foreign Policy ,
Congress
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March 21, 2011 3:47 PM

Tim Pawlenty: Time to "take back our government"

In a slick campaign-style video released Monday afternoon, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty announced he is forming a presidential exploratory committee ahead of a likely run for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

The video, which was released on Facebook, opens with Pawlenty discussing how he saw job loss as a child in Minnesota. In a voiceover, Pawlenty goes on to repetedly call for a more limited federal role, at one point saying the time had come to "take back our government."

"We need to encourage...the brave men and women throughout this country's history who have asked for nothing more than the freedom to work hard and get ahead without government getting in the way," he says.

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Tags:
Tim Pawlenty
Topics:
Republicans ,
Campaign 2012
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March 21, 2011 3:17 PM

Obama: Qaddafi must go, but current Libya mission focused on humanitarian efforts

Updated at 3:50 p.m. ET

The United States maintains that Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi must give up power, President Obama said today, even as the current United Nations mission -- and U.S. military involvement -- remains more limited.

"I have... stated that it is U.S. policy that Qaddafi needs to go," Mr. Obama said in a press conference from Santiago, Chile. "But when it comes to our military action, we are doing so in support of U.N. Security resolution 1973. That specifically talks about humanitarian efforts, and we are going to make sure that we stick to that mandate."

The United States on Monday fired cruise missiles over Libya, after leading a successful round of air attacks over the weekend. The air attacks are part of an effort to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya approved by the United Nations last week. The U.N. resolution approving the no-fly zone also approved "all necessary measures" to prevent attacks on civilians.

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Tags:
Libya ,
UN ,
Barack Obama
Topics:
Foreign Policy ,
Obama Administration
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March 21, 2011 12:19 PM

Will Washington have a "serious" budget debate?

U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement about limited military action against Libya (Credit: AP)

This post originally appeared on Slate.


It's hard to take anyone seriously in politics these days. It's not that the politicians have gotten sillier--though an outbreak is always possible; it's that they talk about being serious so much, the word has lost all meaning.

Washington is obsessed with measuring seriousness. President Obama's televised discussion of his NCAA bracket proved he isn't a serious leader. House conservatives said GOP leaders weren't serious enough about cutting the deficit. Senate Republicans leveled that charge against their Democratic counterparts.

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Tags:
Budget ,
Paul Ryan ,
Barack Obama
Topics:
Congress ,
Campaign 2012
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March 21, 2011 11:01 AM

Tim Pawlenty to announce presidential committee

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition Event March 7, 2011 in Waukee, Iowa.

(Credit: Photo by Steve Pope/Getty Images)

Updated 11:47 a.m. Eastern Time

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty plans to announce Monday afternoon that he is forming a presidential exploratory committee, CBS News has learned - the likely precursor to a full-blown run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.

Pawlenty will make the announcement, which an aide to the candidate confirmed to CBS News, on his Facebook page at 3:00 p.m. Eastern today. Only those who have elected to "like" Pawlenty on Facebook will have access to the message.

Pawlenty confirmed his plans on a conference call with supporters Monday morning. He said he will file the paperwork for the exploratory committee today, adding that he expects a full announcement of a presidential run will "come soon enough."

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Tags:
2012 ,
Tim Pawlenty ,
exploratory committee ,
president
Topics:
Republicans ,
Campaign 2012
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March 21, 2011 9:46 AM

Boehner, GOP want Obama to consult with Congress on Libya

John Boehner (Credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), along with other top Republicans, are warning President Obama to consult more with Congress before stepping up military action in Libya.

In a statement released Sunday, Boehner said the United States has a "moral obligation to stand with those who seek freedom from oppression and self-government for their people."

However, Boehner added, "The President is the commander-in-chief, but the Administration has a responsibility to define for the American people, the Congress, and our troops what the mission in Libya is, better explain what America's role is in achieving that mission, and make clear how it will be accomplished. Before any further military commitments are made, the Administration must do a better job of communicating to the American people and to Congress about our mission in Libya and how it will be achieved."

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Tags:
John Cornyn ,
Libya ,
military ,
Republicans ,
John Boehner ,
Congress ,
Richard Lugar ,
Barack Obama
Topics:
Foreign Policy ,
Congress
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March 21, 2011 5:00 AM

Abortion battles spring up nationwide as states test the limits of Roe v. Wade

Registered nurse Julie Aber, right, of the Ashland Care Center, administers an ultrasound to Erin Glockner, of Pataskala, as testimony to the house committee on House Bill 125 continues Wednesday, March 2, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio. House Bill 125, also known as the heartbeat bill, prohibits abortions after the first detectable heartbeat.

(Credit: AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)


In Ohio on March 2, two fetuses "testified" before the Ohio House on behalf of the so-called "heartbeat bill." The hearing room was packed with spectators who listened to the rapid, gentle pulsing of the heartbeat from a 15-week old fetus, and the barely audible heartbeat of a nine-week old fetus.

Ohio's "heartbeat bill" would ban abortions in the state as soon as a heartbeat could be detected, with exceptions for medical emergencies. But while a heartbeat may make for compelling "testimony," even most anti-abortion rights activists acknowledge the "heartbeat bill" wouldn't hold up in court.

So why push this bill? Some anti-abortion activists may answer, why not?

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Tags:
state laws ,
abortion ,
Americans United for Life ,
Planned Parenthood
Topics:
Domestic Issues ,
State Politics
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