Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty after making a series of smart strategic moves over the past few months in advance of an expected run for president in 2012, has struggled on the national stage in the past few weeks.
First, Pawlenty, a Republican, waded into a special election in upstate New York on behalf of Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman - a move that came directly after former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s decision to endorse Hoffman over Dede Scozzafava, a Republican state assemblywoman.
“We cannot send more politicians to Washington who wear the Republican jersey on the campaign trail, but then vote like Democrats in Congress on issues like card check and taxes,’’ Pawlenty said in a statement announcing his decision.
Then, in an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe’’ last Monday, Pawlenty seemed to make an unforced error by calling into question whether Senator Olympia Snowe, a Maine Republican, belonged within the Republican party.
“If Olympia Snowe disagrees with us on one or two things, there’s room for her, of course,’’ said Pawlenty. “But if she disagrees on everything, then that’s a problem.’’
In retrospect, neither move appeared to be a smart one. Hoffman fell short in the special election, and Pawlenty had to reach out to Snowe in the wake of his comments to make clear that his belief was that the party was a big tent rather than a small one.
Pawlenty detractors may see these two incidents as evidence of a transparent attempt to tack to his ideological right in advance of a presidential primary process that is dominated by conservative activists.
Defenders of the governor insist that his motives had little to do with 2012. In the case of New York’s 23d, he felt compelled to get involved once he became aware of the selection process - 11 county chairs picked the nominee - and Scozzafava’s support for the Employee Free Choice Act. With Snowe, it was less a premeditated attempt to appease the right than a simple mistake by a candidate new to the national stage.
-- Washington Post
Obama plans to meet with Netanyahu today
The White House said yesterday that President Obama would be meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israeli prime minister’s trip to Washington to address Jewish groups, ending days of uncertainty.
Netanyahu was to arrive in the US capital last night for a speaking engagement at the three-day 2009 General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. He will meet with Obama on this evening.
US-Israeli relations have been strained since Netanyahu rejected Obama’s demand that the Israeli government stop building or expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The Palestinians say Israel has deeply encroached into land the Palestinians claim for a future state.
Not long after taking office, Obama announced his determination to facilitate peace between Israel and the Palestinians and said an end to settlements was a necessary condition for a resumption of negotiations.
Netanyahu has rejected that demand, but last week Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared to support an Israeli proposal that would restrain - but not stop - more West Bank housing.
Palestinian and Arab diplomats reacted with outrage, and Clinton was forced to backpedal. Arab officials questioned whether the United States had tilted toward Israel, abandoning the American position that continued Israel settlements were illegitimate and must end.
-- Associated Press
