May 01, 2012 06:38 PM
Argue this Point - The Bush administration went to some lengths to tie Osama bin Laden to Iraq. The Obama administration has gone to some lengths today to meld the American politics of Osama bin Laden's death in Pakistan to an unpopular war in Afghanistan.
Obama will address the nation (the U.S.) from Afghanistan at 7:30 p.m. ET. Â He won't see the sun in Afghanistan.
Quick trip.
He'll make a point, in the pre-dawn hours in Afghanistan, about a new day for Americans, according to Jake Tapper.
"As we emerge from a decade of conflict abroad and economic crisis at home, it is time to renew America. An America where our children live free from fear, and have the skills to claim their dreams. A united America of grit and resilience, where sunlight glistens off soaring new towers in downtown Manhattan, and we build our future as one people, as one nation."
The president is in Afghanistan on the anniversary of OBL's death to announce a new "Strategic Partnership Agreement" with Afghanistan.
All things on Obama and Afghanistan on the Bin Laden Anniversary are here, with reporting from ABC News' Richard Coolidge with the president in Afghanistan, Jake Tapper at the White House and Devin Dwyer in Washington -
http://abcn.ws/IHNbhTTapper: "The Strategic Partnership Agreement provides the framework for the U.S.-Afghanistan partnership after the transition and drawdown of US forces, from 2014-2024. The agreement will detail how the partnership will be normalized as the war comes to an end, senior administration officials told pool reporters traveling on Air Force Once. Afghan forces are scheduled to take the lead on security in 2013, with U.S. troops scheduled to withdrawal from the country in 2014."
- http://abcn.ws/IDc7xFA senior administration official tells Tapper there will be a pledge not to repeat the mistakes of 1989 in tonight's speech -
What's in this agreement?
·       The U.S. is committed to help with political, economic development, and with security
·       Afghanistan pledges to work on greater transparency and better governance
·       A pledge to consult in the event of a threat to Afghan security…if something bad happens, the U.S. will consult with Afghan leaders, similar to what we had with the Iraqis and what we have with other countries.
·       The agreement calls for negotiating a new bilateral security agreement within one year. This could include a residual force after 2014, which would require a "Status of Forces" agreement.
·       Today's agreement stipulates there will be no permanent bases or permanent U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.
·       It says we're not going to use Afghanistan as a platform to launch attacks on other countries (NOTE: This is not the same as launching an attack on a terrorist who is hiding in another country)
What's NOT in this agreement?
·       There are no specifics about potential residual forces or troop numbers
·       There's no formal security commitment or binding guarantee about Afghan security
Blowback on Obama in Afghanistan - Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., in a paper statement says that President Obama's Afghanistan visit today is "campaign related."
"This trip to Afghanistan is an attempt to shore up his national security credentials, because he has spent the past three years gutting our military," Inhofe says. "I was just in Afghanistan two weeks ago, and it is clear that the gains made are fragile. The security improvements and the killing of Osama bin Laden a year ago are great American victories that should not be politicized." (Sunlen Miller)
Bye, Newt - Elicia Dover Recalls Covering Newt - What other candidate wrapped, zoos, Greece and space into a white-maned ball of grandiosity - He ends his candidacy tomorrow -
http://abcn.ws/KGzCoI
Sen. Rob Portman on Fox: "America made a decision in 2008 to go with a president who did have sizzle. And look, he was kind of a celebrity" (Falcone)
What Rudy Giuliani Brings Mitt Romney - Joel Siegel reports Romney has been on the defensive, trying to beat back suggestions by President Obama and Vice President Biden that Romney would not have ordered the raid on bin Laden's Pakistani compound had he been president.
Giuliani vouched for Romney today, declaring, "Mitt Romney, anyone else, would have made the same decision." Giuliani also said that Obama deserves credit for ordering that raid, "but I wish he wouldn't use it as a source of negative campaigning. I think that's a big mistake."
Giuliani was wrapping up his second term as mayor when two planes crashed into the Trade Center's towers. He has been a potent symbol and weapon for the Republican Party ever since, even though his own candidacy for president fizzled four years ago. -
Fundraising Floodgates Opening For Romney - In-depth from Shushannah Walshe - With Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich out of the way, high-dollar Republican donors are able to open their wallets to both Mitt Romney's campaign and the RNC Victory Fund at joint fundraising events all over the country.
Several Romney fundraisers are now saying many of the big donors that had been staying "on the sidelines" in the primary are coming to their camp and writing big checks. -
http://abcn.ws/IDiy3VRomney's Vice Presidential Checklist - Elizabeth Hartfield offers these thoughts after a fact-finding trip deep into the heart of Republican Massachusetts -
http://abcn.ws/KGpQmq
By the way, the Jewish Journal special series on the Berman vs. Sherman race - "Two Jews, One District," is fun to read -
http://bit.ly/IHN99WRubio Admits 'Mistake' In Use of State Party Credit Card, Takes on Other Controversies -
http://abcn.ws/K5tqHY
