Thread: Obama Tries Three-Front Defense

Roll Call
Obama Tries Three-Front Defense
May 27, 2010
By Jennifer Bendery and John Stanton
Roll Call Staff

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When President Barack Obama faces reporters Thursday before heading to Louisiana on Friday, he’ll be going for a hat trick, trying to neutralize attacks on three of the biggest crises facing the nation: illegal immigration, federal spending and the Gulf Coast disaster.

Obama’s efforts to get in front of issues were on prominent display this week, most notably as he scrambled to look more engaged in an unprecedented Gulf cleanup effort that has yet to yield results more than a month after the explosion that caused the oil spill.

Amid growing public outcry over the failed operation, the president will address the issue head-on Thursday in a White House news conference and announce his plan for new offshore oil drilling regulations that impose more stringent safety inspections and permitting requirements.

And after some last-minute schedule changes, Obama is squeezing in a trip to Louisiana on Friday, flying in directly from a previous engagement in Chicago and then back again that night.

The president also took steps this week to blunt criticisms on other issues that continue to dog him: He drew cheers from fiscal conservatives Monday by unveiling legislation that would give him new authority to slash spending; a day later, he embraced a GOP priority by announcing he will seek $500 million in additional border security funds and send 1,200 National Guardsmen to the Mexican border.

But Obama’s overtures don’t appear to be making headway on the Hill, where lawmakers in both parties say his latest moves are more about political posturing than a real effort to enact policies.

“He needs to deal with the Gulf immediately because everyone thinks it will get much worse before it gets better,â€

[quote]“The Obama administration’s militarization of the border amounts to a submission to the political forces brought by the Republican Party,â€

The aide said it was telling that the president made no mention of his plan to seek additional National Guard troops when he met with Republicans on Tuesday — even though Senators in the meeting with him just an hour earlier specifically called for more troops.

What's even more interesting is that he didn't bother to notify Jan Brewer of his plan.