The View From Here

This Sunday, the country's most pressing issues - terrorism and the economy

This Sunday, we looked at two of the country's most pressing issues: terrorism and the recession.

On terrorism: 

Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan told me he is "tiring of politicians using national security issues, such as terrorism, as a political football...They're unknowing of the facts."

More specifically it seemed Brennan was tired of Republicans using Abdulmutallab's failed attack and the KSM trial as ammo against Obama. The Obama adviser said he called  Republican leaders Christmas evening to inform them how the terrorist was being handled. "None of those individuals raised any concerns with me at that point," he said.

In response to the criticism, Brennan said Abdulmutallab was being treated as a terrorist, not as an ordinary citizen.  He added that concerns from New York officials have to be taken into account before KSM would be tried there, but made no commitment as to where the trial would be held.

His comments came days after security officials told Congress that an attempted attack on the U.S. in the next 3 to 6 months is "certain." 

Brennan seemed to echo those concerns. "It shouldn't have come as a surprise to anybody that Al Qaeda is attempting to carry out an attack," he said. 

The types of attacks are changing. In an acknowledgment of U.S. success in stopping terrorism, Brennan said Al Qaeda is no longer focused on another 9/11 scaled strike.  They are now interested in smaller strikes. "I  think the Abdulmutallab attempt is a reflection of just how difficult it has become for Al Qaeda to carry out attacks," he said.

On the economy

Alan Greenspan told me the recession is over, but warned it is difficult to predict if unemployment will come down soon. 

Henry Paulson said the economy is "clearly recovering" but also was unsure when the unemployment rate would dramatically decrease.

Greenspan said cutting taxes for small businesses is a key for economic recovery, and Paulson said housing is a critically important issue for stability.

Both economists warned of the trouble running a high deficit will cause.  Paulson said, "I just have no doubt that it is by far the most serious long-term challenge we as a nation face."

Greenspan added, "History tell us that great powers, when they've gotten into significant fiscal problems, have ceased to be great powers."

For more from Brennan, Paulson, Greenspan and our roundtable with Ed Gillespie and Dee Dee Myers, visit our Web site. 

Reads for this Friday

1. The Economist editorializes that neither the president nor Congress knows how to deal with the deficit, while Paul Krugman warns us not to fear the debt scare.
2. The unemployment rate dropped, but the economy continued to shed jobs.
3. Mikhail Gorbachev writes about the lessons the Soviets learned in Afghanistan, while Sen. John Kerry says Yemen will pose a greater threat if we don't act now.
4. Sarah Palin will be the headline speaker tomorrow night at the National Tea Party convention in Nashville. But the event seems to be highlighting the confusion over who the Tea Party is and what they support.
5. Peggy Noonan is less interested in Question Time, and more interested in bipartisan solutions.
6. Finally, we are just days away from the big game.  After this Sunday's show, my eyes will be locked on Caps v. Pens, in what is becoming one of the best rivalries in sports.

What I've got my eye on, 2/4

1. President Obama calls on Democrats to "finish the job" on health care and financial reforms, saying that "the lesson of Massachusetts...is not to do nothing."
2. Attorney General Eric Holder says that he ordered that the Christmas Day Bomber be read his Miranda rights, calling the decision "fully consistent" with policies of previous administrations.
3. The Illinois Senate race is giving Democrats headaches. 
4. Did the GOP's reacton to the president's State of the Union address undermine their populist appeal? Joe Conason argues that the Republican defense of banks and corporate political donations reveals an agenda focused on protecting the rich and powerful.
5. George Will worries that while China is investing in the future, America is investing in the past.

What I'm reading today, 2/3

1. Thomas Friedman examines how the economy may influence international relations in the coming year.
2. The consensus of opinion for what led to the economic meltdown is wrong or vastly simplified, according to Robert Samuelson.
3. Maureen Dowd is encouraged by what she saw from Adm. Mullen during yesterday's hearing on "don't ask, don't tell."
4. After yesterday's primary in Illinois, the race is set to find out if a Democrat can hang on to Barack Obama's former Senate seat - and things have already gone negative.

What I'm reading, 2/2

1. The New York Times calls Obama's budget "a step in the right direction," while the Wall Street Journal believes it is "one of the greatest spend-while-you-can documents in American history."
2. The military alters the procedure for discharging soldiers based on their sexual orientation, in a move that may be a precursor to the full repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
3. David Brooks writes that the "young lack the political power" to change the way Washington works, and that the future lies with the elderly.
4. Michael Lind explains why the deficit hawks are actually dodos.
5. Sarah Palin uses Facebook to call on President Obama to fire Rahm Emanuel.

Was last week a presidential pivot?

David Axelrod told me on Meet the Press this morning that he believes the country is better off today than it was a year ago, but acknowledged there is still a great deal of work to be done.

The president's senior adviser joined me to cap off a week that may turn out to be a pivot point of the Obama administration.

Axelrod would not say the president will make an ideological shift towards the center of the political spectrum, but Obama's meeting with the GOP in Baltimore seemed to signal an openness to gaining Republican support by incorporating more conservative ideas into his agenda.

"We don't sit around in the White House making calculations on that basis.  The President of the United States has one concern, which is how do we move this country forward?" Axelrod told me. 

The White House takes umbrage to the idea that anything is being reset. The administration does not consider its first year a throw away. But between the State of the Union and the president's Q&A with Republicans, last week came off as a fresh start by connecting with unemployed Americans and focusing on the economy.

The perception has been that Obama was distracted by health care, which caused the economy to suffer.  There has been a concentrated effort by Obama and the White House to end that idea, though the GOP will not let it die easily.

Rep. John Boehner claims the Republicans haven't been able to work with the president because Obama has been too set on passing a liberal agenda.  He said:

"Listen, there aren't that many places where we can come together.  The President-- is-- he was the most liberal member of the United States Senate.  You don't get there by accident.

And if you look at the policies that we've seen over the course of this year from the Administration and-- his Democratic colleagues in Congress-- there are all these leftist proposals.  And the people of Massachusetts, the people of Virginia, the people of New Jersey are sending a pretty loud signal, just like the other 47 states to-- to Washington, saying, 'Stop.  This is-- this is way more than we ever want-- wanted Washington to do.'"

 

But even Boehner acknowledged that health care is not dead, rather that it will require a major overhaul from the bills being passed around in the Capitol.

Also this morning, Axelrod said "no decision" has been made about the 9/11 trial.  The case was set to be held in New York City, but reports came out this week that it will likely move.  Axelrod would not comment on the president's thinking, only that he was "taking into consideration what the local authorities are saying."

 

For more video - including insights from David Brooks, Eugene Robinson, Mort Zuckerman and David Faber - visit the MTP Web site. 

What I'm reading today, 1/29

1. It looks like the controversial Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial will be moved out of New York City. Some of my thoughts and questions are here . Here's what others are saying.
2. Ben Bernanke got his Senate confirmation, but that may have been the easy part.  Robert Samuelson writes that now the Fed chairman is charged with the task of rebuilding confidence.
3. After the president's big speech, are Democrats more confused and divided about the future?
4. Christina Romer says today's GDP report is the "most positive news to date on the economy." But not everyone is on the same page. 

9/11 trial unlikely to be held in NYC

NBC's Pete Williams reports this morning that the Justice Department will almost certainly move the trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from New York City. The decision to give him legal standing in our civilian courts as well as security concerns about a trial in lower Manhattan made it a controversial call from the start. Now NY Mayor Bloomberg has changed his position, saying the trial would hurt business. He suggests a military base. The President has told people he prefers a civilian trial because terrorists would use the result of a military commission as a recruiting tool. Would it be any more of a tool than a conviction in a civilian court where KSM could spew his venom for everyone to see? Furthermore, while proponents of a trial in NY say it would showcase the best legal system in the world, the reality is that even if KSM were to be acquitted, the U.S. has no intention of letting him go. It's a serious debate. More on the trial here.

Meanwhile, the President will face members of the GOP at a house retreat in Baltimore today. What kind of reception will he get? Here's my take from TODAY this morning.

 

What's being said about the speech?

1. The Washington Post editorial board is not convinced the president has a plan to move the country forward. The New Times thought Obama used the speech to show what he learned after one year of governing.
2. Was the president able to successfully relaunch the Obama brand that was so unstoppable in 2008?
3. Obama came off as strong, Joan Walsh writes.  But there are still concerns that his actions may not follow his words.
4. USA Today commends POTUS for defining problems, but finds the lack of solutions problematic. 

Obama talks economy, jobs and getting results in his first State of the Union

 A State of the Union address is like the start of a campaign. The President charts a new course and then hits the trail to sell it. So it is President Obama who will hit the road today to sell aspects of his long-term economic fix by promoting new spending on a high-speed rail. But campaigns are long hauls. And chapter two of the Obama presidency will be no different. He has told people not to expect any immediate turn around from last night's address. Ultimately, he has said, the administration has to deliver results for the American people.

You can find some analysis of the President's speech here and here.

A few thoughts from last night:

Singular focus - It's now about the economy. That means a jobs bill, making Wall St pay for its abuses and rebuilding the long-term structure of the economy. Even if the jobless rate doesn't fall by that much, the President has to show some concerted effort or else November is going to be bloody.

Off the sidelines - yes, the President threw the GOP some bones, but mostly he issued a tough warning: play or PAY. If it requires 60 votes in the Senate to get ANYTHING done, you will be held accountable to results.

Passion - "I don't quit!" Americans like their presidents to be fighters and the President is trying to position himself as the change agent that propelled him to the White House.

You can listen to my analysis on KIRO news radio in Seattle here.

I hope to tell you later who is on the program Sunday.