Both Parties Play the Blame Game for Economic Woes

By LAURIE KELLMAN | Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Sen. John McCain deployed heavy sarcasm. Fellow Republican Marsha Blackburn trotted out a chart. A group of conservative House Republicans mocked: “‘Deficit we inherited?’ … Spare us the false outrage.” The war between Republicans and Democrats to frame the blame for the economy erupted in earnest this week.

Republicans pushed back against President Barack Obama’s claim — echoed relentlessly by his Cabinet members and Democrats in Congress — that he didn’t cause the mess and shouldn’t be judged yet on obligating taxpayers for a trillion dollars trying to fix it.

Just how long Democrats can credibly argue that they’re merely responding to — and not responsible for — a crisis created under Republican predecessors depends on which political and economic fortune tellers are doing the predicting.

“Not for too much longer,” says Stanley Renshon, a professor of political psychology at the City University of New York. “People are distracted by the sideshow only for so long, especially when the evidence is all around them. Every day brings a new cash infusion for a new industry, and the stocks drop.” …

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In twist, GOP Likes Obama’s Iraq Plan, Democrats Don’t

By Mark Johnson, Ryan Beckwith and Steven Thomma | McClatchy Newspapers

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — President Barack Obama announced here Friday that he’ll withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010, but his plans to leave as many as 50,000 U.S. troops there through 2011 made many Democrats in Congress angry, while Republicans cheered.

It was an ironic reception for a new commander-in-chief whose presidential campaign was built initially on his early opposition to the Iraq war and his promise to end it if elected.

“I am deeply troubled by the suggestion that a force of 50,000 troops could remain in Iraq,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif. “This is unacceptable.”

“I question whether such a large force is needed to combat any al Qaida affiliates in Iraq or whether it will contribute to stability in the region,” said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.

“You cannot leave combat troops in a foreign country to conduct combat operations and call it the end of the war. You can’t be in and out at the same time,” said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. “We must bring a conclusion to this sorry chapter in American history.”

The Republican Obama defeated in November for the presidency, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, lauded the plan …

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Obama’s Helicopter Drama

AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama said Monday he had ordered a review into huge cost overruns on a new fleet of presidential helicopters, after his old foe John McCain complained at the skyrocketing cost.

In a good natured throwback to their bitter election duel, McCain mentioned the massively over-budget project when he was called on for a contribution by Obama after a White House “Fiscal Responsibility” summit.

“Your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One,” McCain said, raising concerns about how many military projects tend to come in well over budget …

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Meghan McCain: GOP Not Tech Savvy

By ANDY BARR | Politico

Arizona Sen. John McCain’s daughter Meghan criticized the Republican Party on Thursday for lagging behind Democrats on the Web.

“The Republican Party isn’t exactly Internet savvy. That’s no secret,” McCain wrote in a post on The Daily Beast.

McCain said that while blogging on her father’s presidential campaign, she “got the sense that people on the campaign thought I was wasting my time.”

“Unless the GOP evolves as the party that can successfully utilize the Web, we’ll continue to lose influence. I think nothing confirms this fact to be more true than this recent election,” she wrote. “When I first suggested launching a blog chronicling my experience on my father’s campaign for president, I was met with confusion and resistance. A few people even asked me, ‘What’s a blog?’” …

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McCain: Democrats No More Bipartisan than GOP

Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. John McCain says that Democratic lawmakers putting together an economic stimulus plan are no more open to input from the opposing party than the GOP was during the Bush administration.

The Arizona Republican says that he thought there was going to be a change in the tone of partisanship in Washington when the Obama administration took over, but he adds that he’s not seeing it …

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McCain Wants a Stimulus Rewrite

By ERIKA LOVLEY | Politico

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told “Fox News Sunday” this morning that he would not support the stimulus package as the House Democrats have written it because it includes too much wasteful spending.

The stimulus currently includes $275 billion in tax cuts and doesn’t include Republican input or a spending timeline, McCain said.

“There should be an end point to all of this spending, say two years…The plan was written by the Democratic majority in the House primarily. So yeah, I think there has to be major rewrites, if we want to stimulate the economy,” McCain said. “I am opposed to most of provisions in the bill. As it stands now. I would not support it.” …

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