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NEWS ABOUT: David Axelrod

Hillary: Obama 'Absolutely' Able to Handle 3am Call

Secretary of state puts Iran, N. Korea on notice

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton made her first Sunday show appearance as secretary of state today, vowing “there would be retaliation” against Iran if it attacked Israel, and that Washington might return North Korea to its state terror list. Clinton, speaking on This Week a year to the day after she ceded... More »

Obama Already Throwing Weight for Midterms

Takes steps for Reid, Specter, Gillibrand 4 months into term

(Newser) - He’s been in office just a few months—but President Obama’s already working to get Democrats elected in 2010, the Wall Street Journal reports. So far this month, Obama has urged a potential candidate to run in North Carolina, battled a primary threat to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, pledged... More »

'Rasputin' Axelrod Razzed on NPR Quiz Show

(Newser) - Obama adviser David Axelrod took the bait and appeared for a taping last night of NPR’s quiz show, Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me!—with by turns earnest and hilarious results, Politico reports. When host Peter Sagal asked if he’d been in on the presidential pooch... More »

Supreme Wish List: Pragmatist, Easy to Confirm, 'Home Run'

As Obama vetting begins, 4 women lead

(Newser) - President Obama's choice to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court will be a pragmatist unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom, insiders tell the Washington Post. While Obama will not play it safe, they say, neither does he want a provocative choice that will create another partisan confirmation battle. "He's... More »

Treasury's Mantra: 'Rahm Wants It'

"Rahm wants it" is new motto around Geithner's office

(Newser) - Tim Geithner's early struggles to gain the confidence of the markets and the public have led to a stronger-than-usual White House presence at the Treasury Department, where "Rahm wants it" is a frequent refrain, reports the Wall Street Journal. Although it's a dramatic shift from the Hank Paulson regime,... More »

First 100 Days: Team Obama Looks Back

(Newser) - With decisions that some presidents don’t make in 4 years packed into his first 100 days, what President Obama’s advisers deride as a “Hallmark holiday” presents a legitimate occasion for a report card, and for a Politico team to catch up with White House insiders. “I... More »

White House's Preferred First-100-Days Story Lines

Look out for these White House plugs next Wednesday

(Newser) - President Obama's savvy advisers may scoff at his 100th day as a "Hallmark holiday," but they're happy to tell reporters how to cover it. Politico lists what the White House is spinning:
  • Obama's not overambitious, just a promise-keeper—right down to that new pup.
  • His broader vision is
... More »

'Weighty' Torture Memo Decision Took Weeks

President's belief in rule of law won out in choice to release Bush-era memos

(Newser) - President Obama spent weeks thinking "very long and hard" about his "weighty decision" to release memos on harsh CIA interrogation techniques green-lighted by the Bush administration, senior adviser David Axelrod tells Politico. In the end, Axelrod says, the president's belief in transparency and the rule of law won... More »

Geithner, Henderson Open to GM Bankruptcy

Treasury sec adamant that GM won't fade away

(Newser) - Bankruptcy remains an option for GM as a last resort, both new chief Fritz Henderson and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said today. “You can’t rule options off the table,” Henderson told CNN’s State of the Union. Whatever happens, Geithner stressed on CBS’ Face the Nation that... More »

Obama Polling Machine Kicks Into Gear

White House relies on public opinion data to push agenda

(Newser) - President Obama is increasingly reliant on polling data as he fine-tunes his budget pitch, relying on Washington outsiders in an operation more involved than his predecessor’s but less comprehensive than President Clinton’s. The process, sources tell Politico, is almost completely focused on pushing policy and not on measuring... More »

Axelrod Still Obama's Guardian, Attack Dog

Strategist turned senior adviser enjoys unparalleled access

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s coterie has grown substantially since taking office, but nobody has as much access as David Axelrod, campaign strategist turned special adviser. Though he spends his days fine-tuning every speech, poring over polls, and orchestrating political battles, the New York Times reports, Axelrod is wary of any comparison... More »

Prez Loves to Work the Phone

Obama loves to get info and connect with people, voice-to-voice

(Newser) - President Obama might love his Blackberry for the email, but the new commander-in-chief also spends a sizable amount of time working the phones with people ranging from close advisers to world leaders, reports the New York Times. Obama often makes more than two dozen calls a day in order to... More »

Gibbs Has the Ear of Obama

(Newser) - Press Secretary Robert Gibbs may be best known these days for deflecting harsh questions in the briefing room, but his advisory role in the administration goes much deeper than that, writes Michael Scherer in Time. “There isn't a single decision that the president has formed in the course of... More »

Stimulus Will Hit Fast: Axelrod

Obama aide defends Geithner; Graham: country 'screwed' if this is bipartisanship

(Newser) - Calling Tim Geithner’s economic rescue plan “a very thoughtful strategy,” David Axelrod said the economic stimulus will be felt soon and defended the treasury secretary today on NBC’s Meet the Press. President Obama’s senior adviser said Wall Street’s expectations were unrealistic and that the... More »

Axelrod to Rove: Be Quiet

Obama adviser dismisses criticisms from Bush's brain

(Newser) - If Karl Rove’s so smart, how come his party’s the one locked out of power? That’s what top White House adviser David Axelrod seemed to ask in an interview with the Washington Post. Dismissing Rove’s criticisms of Obama’s stimulus plan as “intramural stuff,”... More »

In Obama's White House, Informality Rules

New prez jettisons Bush's insistence on jacket and tie

(Newser) - When George W. Bush was in charge, no one was allowed to enter the Oval Office without a suit and tie—and 43 even demanded business attire on weekends. Barack Obama's White House is a more casual place, where even the president himself works in shirtsleeves, the New York Times... More »

First 100 Days? Too Slow for O

In new White House, change will happen in 100 hours—or maybe mere minutes

(Newser) - At minute one, everything changes. The inaugural passing of the baton will happen at lightning speed today, Politico reports, as the new team hits the ground running, amid an economic crisis that makes the traditional timetable obsolete. Through the morning, White House staff will work furiously to get the building... More »

Pelosi Open to Prosecuting Bushies

Emanuel: Blago didn't imply anything shady in talks with me

(Newser) - Nancy Pelosi would consider prosecuting some Bush White House officials, she told Fox News Sunday, even though Barack Obama has signaled that he doesn't favor such a move. "We cannot let the politicizing of, for example, the Justice Department to go unreviewed," says the speaker of the House.... More »

Axelrod to Warren Haters: Get Over It

Obama aide says tax cut coming; Laura Bush defends George

(Newser) - To those who object to Rick Warren delivering the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration, chief adviser David Axelrod has a message: chill out. On today's Meet the Press, he heralded the choice as political bridge-building: A conservative pastor praying for a progressive president "is a healthy thing and... More »

73% of Americans Back Obama

Poll reveals reservoir of national goodwill for prez-elect

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama will begin his term of office with an enormous reservoir of goodwill among American voters, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The poll found 73% of adults approve of his preparations to take over, with even 29% of John McCain voters now viewing Barack Obama... More »

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