Administration

A plurality of respondents believe President Obama's response to the election in Iran and the ensuing protests is "about right," according to a new survey.

The Rasmussen Reports survey, released Friday, found that 43 percent approve of Obama's response. On the other hand, 35 percent say his response is "not aggressive enough."

The survey comes as the House on Friday approved a resolution supporting the dissidents in Iran by a 405 to 1 margin.

Some, particularly those on the right, have criticized Obama's response to this week's protests in Iran. Obama has said he is troubled by the violence that has broken out but has been careful to avoid "meddling" in Iran's election.

Interestingly, the Rasmussen survey found that a plurality - 43 percent - has followed the Iranian election "very closely." Another 36 percent said "somewhat closely."

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House Republican Caucus Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) on Friday adamantly advocated for his House bill on Iran and "respectfully disagreed" with President Obama's position.

The House is currently debating H.Res. 560, which Pence introduced and was reworked by House Foreign Relations Chairman Howard Berman (D-Calif.).

The legislation, Pence said on MSNBC, is a "word of support not to one candidate over another but to the people of Iran who I really believe have gotten a whiff of freedom here."

Here is the main tenets of the legislation:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

• 
  
  (1) expresses its support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law;
  
  

• 
  
  (2) condemns the ongoing violence against demonstrators by the Government of Iran and pro-government militias, as well as the ongoing government suppression of independent electronic communication through interference with the Internet and cellphones; and
  
  

• 
  
  (3) affirms the universality of individual rights and the importance of democratic and fair elections.
  
  

Pence disagreed Obama's refusal to strongly condemn the violence in Iran. Obama has said it would be unproductive for the U.S. to act in a way that could be construed as meddling in the election.

"The administration has drawn the line where they see fit," Pence said. "I respectfully disagree with the president."

"Despite the calls by many commentators for America to, essentially, stay neutral," Pence added, "the American people, through their congress...is going to condemn the violence."

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In response to reports that North Korea is readying a missile launch toward Hawaii, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has moved ground to air missile defense equipment to the Aloha State.

News broke on Thursday that North Korea may be preparing to launch a Taepodong-2 long-range missile around July 4. The missile is believed to be able to fly 4,000 miles, which would put Hawaii out of range by about 500 miles.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. has moved a (rather cool looking) sophisticated floating radar system near Hawaii. The U.S. has also moved ground to air anti-missile equipment to the area.

"We do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile...in the direction of Hawaii," Mr. Gates said, according to the Journal. "We are in a good position, should it become necessary, to protect American territory."

If North Korea does fire the missile, the administration will be faced with a tough decision. Launching the ground to air anti-missile system in an attempt to strike down the missile mid-air could be unsuccessful and, if it fails, could be interpreted as a sign of weakness in Pyongyang.

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The Pew Reserach Center released some new polling numbers that appear to reinforce the results of the NBC/Wall Street Journal polled released Wednesday.

The Pew survey found that Obama continues to ride high personal favorability numbers but that his economic policies and handling of General Motors and Chrysler get significantly lower marks.

Obama has a 61 percent job approval rating in the Pew poll, just up from the 56 percent in the NBC/WSJ poll. And similarly, 53 percent in the Pew survey approve of his handling of the economy, that's down from 60 percent in April.

In the NBC/WSJ poll, 51 percent approved of Obama on the economy, down from 55 percent in April.

The good news for Obama is that respondents in the Pew survey continue to say his policies will right the economy. Sixty-five percent believe they will improve the economic crisis and 55 percent say he will reduce the budget deficit in the long term.

Also, more than half said Obama's economic policies have not had an effect so far or it is too early to tell if they have. Read more...

There appears to be a bit of a debate brewing over whether PETA is criticizing President Obama for killing a fly during a recent interview.

Australia's Daily Telegraph is reporting that PETA is criticizing the president for swatting and killing a fly during a recent interview with CNBC.

PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich told the Telegraph that "swatting a fly on TV indicates he's not perfect...and we're happy to say that we wish he hadn't."

Friedrich also said PETA has sent Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher.

Hold on a minute. Over on PETA's blog, Alisa Mullins wrote a rather curious post about Obama and the fly.

Believe it or not, we've actually been contacted by multiple media outlets wanting to know PETA's official response to the executive insect execution.

Ok, so the media is blowing this all out of proportion. But then comes this graf:

In a nutshell, our position is this: He isn't the Buddha, he's a human being, and human beings have a long way to go before they think before they act.

AHHA! It's all of humanity's fault, not Obama's.

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President Obama on Tuesday said that that "something has happened" in Iranian election in response to the country's "antagonistic postures" toward the international community.

Speaking at a press conference, Obama reiterated that he has "deep concerns" about the protests in the country and that he believes the election shows something - he was careful not to say "progress" - is happening in Iran.

"I do believe that something has happened in Iran where there is a questioning of some of the antagonistic postures toward the international community" that have occurred in the past, he said.

The remarks indicate a slight increase in the intensity of Obama's rhetoric on the election and the protests that have followed. On Monday, Obama said that he is "deeply troubled" by the protests.

As a result, Obama has come under criticism for Republicans for not speaking out more strongly on the issue.

On Tuesday, Obama was again careful with his words. He said it would be "not productive" for the U.S. to be seen as "meddling" in Iran's election results.

"My hope," Obama said, "is that the Iranian people will make the right steps in order for them to be able to express their voices."

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In an apparent effort to unseat yet another Republican in New York, President Obama approached Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) about an ambassadorship to Ireland, the New York Daily News reports.

From the Daily News:

King chose to remain in Congress despite the Democrats' desire to wipe out all the Republican members of Congress in the Northeast.

"I'm shocked [King] didn't pursue it," said an inside source. "He loves Ireland almost as much as he loves the U.S."

Obama in effect reduced New York's House Republican delegation to just two earlier this month when he nominated Rep. John McHugh (R) to be secretary of the army. Only King and Rep. Chris Lee (R) remain in New York's 29 member House caucus.

Democrats have also recently ramped up their attacks on King, insisting that the Long Island Republican is vulnerable. King dismissed the attacks as a "waste of money" in an interview with The Hill.

(Via The Note)

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North Korea will likely be issue Number 1 when President Obama meets with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday. In addition to North Korea's nuclear testing, it is apparently on the verge of a new leader and the country recently convicted two American journalists sentenced them to 12 years in a labor camp.

Former Bush administration deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz has an interesting op-ed in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal that sets the stage for the meeting. Obviously, I doubt that Wolfowitz and Obama agree on many foreign policy fronts, but Wolfowitz lays out the case for addressing North Korea's refugees, which he says is a "purely humanitarian issue."

Wolfowitz writes that the most important factor in helping refugees is developing a partnership with "first asylum" countries and "resettlement" countries. Read more...

The Obama administration has decided against providing bailout funds to California, which has the eighth largest economy in the world and is on the verge of economic collapse, the Washington Post reports.

The Post labels California's current crisis "one of the biggest remaining threats to the economy" and reports that the Obama administration decided against doling out funds because it could lead to requests from other states.

California's deficit is believed to be $24 billion for the next fiscal year. The Golden State, led by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), is seeking to save money by making massive budget cuts.

From the Post:

After a series of meetings, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, top White House economists Lawrence Summers and Christina Romer, and other senior officials have decided that California could hold on a little longer and should get its budget in order rather than rely on a federal bailout.

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In focusing on how "quality" would be defined and the prospect of the government making patients' insurance decisions, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) provided a preview of the GOP's reaction to President Obama's Monday healthcare speech.

On a conference call sponsored by the Republican National Committee, Price, a physician, said there are two major criticisms of Obama healthcare reform principles.

"Number one," he said in classic GOP pre-buttal style, "where are medical decisions going to be made?"

Obama's plan, Price said, would take the authority to make medical decisions away from patients and doctors.

Secondly, price said the government would define was "quality" medical care is. Therefore if the government determines an individuals healthcare is not up to its standards, that individual may be forced to enroll in the government run program.

"It crowds out individuals who are eligible for that plan and moves them into the government run program," he said.

That first criticism appears a bit misleading, though. Price sharply criticized Obama's plan as taking away decision making authority from patients and doctors. At first glance, that sounds like it means that the government would be making individual healthcare decisions - like what treatment is administered. Read more...