President Obama admitted last night that his campaign will, more or less, coordinate with the SuperPAC raising unlimited corporate money to reelect Obama. 

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., declared on Tuesday that Republicans needed to “go bold,” and he vowed that his new budget proposal wouldn’t be a step backwards from his ambitious plan that became the target of Democratic attacks last year.

The American Civil Liberty Union announced today that President Obama's decision to mandate coverage for birth control does not violate religious liberty.

President Obama's top campaign strategist said that Obama "will continue to fight" to eliminate superPACs after the presidential campaign, but needs superPACs for now to combat Republicans.

"The president is going to continue to fight for ways to reform this system, in the future, but that's not going to happen in this campaign," David Axelrod said today on Morning Joe, "and we have to live in the world as it is, not as we want it to be."

Axelrod explained the campaign thinking behind the move. "We see Karl Rove, the Koch brothers, and others, talking about raising collectively upwards of half a billion dollars to try and defeat the president and we were faced with a situation as to whether we could afford to play by two sets of rules, and the answer is obviously 'no'," he explained. "But that doesnt mean that we believe that this is the best way for the system to function."

 

Theological doctrine has split Catholics, Protestants and Jews for centuries, but President Obama has found a way to unite them in America.

Examiner alum Lachlan Markey has an update on the mayhem that CPAC attendees can expect.

During a Thursday meeting at McPherson Square, until Saturday the epicenter of the protests, Occupiers brainstormed tactics for shutting down or disrupting the conference, according to a source who was present at the meeting.

The protesters suggested pulling fire alarms in the hotel where the conference will take place, screaming “fire” during conference activities, “glitter-bombing” participants, cutting electrical power, and barricading entrances to the hotel, according to the source, who requested anonymity.

“Speakers will be physically assaulted, not just verbally confronted,” the source told Scribe in an email. Two Occupiers, who the source also identified as members of the New Black Panther Party, “said they would be disappointed if they didn’t get arrested and planned to ‘make it count.’”

Occupy DC also has a new denunciation of the event on its website -- "another gathering of bigots, media mouthpieces, corrupt politicians, and their 1 percent elite puppet masters." In addition to the local union-planned events on Friday, the Occupiers are planning a Saturday march to the event from Malcolm X Park at 16th and Euclid.

Here is their write-up:

On February 9th through February 11th, a who’s who of dastardly politicians will be holding the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel at 2660 Woodley Road, NW. Similar to the Alfalfa Club dinner, this event is another gathering of bigots, media mouthpieces, corrupt politicians, and their 1 percent elite puppet masters.

CPAC will parade and attempt to perpetuate the radical right wing’s imperialist ideologies with keynote speakers, movies and banquets dedicated to pursuing its racist, sexist, patriarchal and exploitative agenda.

Spectacles will include imperialist topics such as “From Fidel to Chavez: How Do We Stop the Resurgence of Socialism in Latin America?”, “Is the ‘Arab Spring’ Good or Bad for America?” and frequent bloviation on “American exceptionalism.” Openly racist discourses will be given on “The Failure of Multiculturalism: How the pursuit of diversity is weakening the American Identity” and “Islamic Law in America: How the Obama Justice Department Is Selling Us Out.” The conference will also glorify the role of money in politics in talks such as “How to Raise Money… the Easy Way,” “Citizens United Productions Hosts Blogger Briefing” and “Fundraising Secrets from the Billion $ Man.”

Our Mission: Occupy CPAC. Create as much non-violent resistance as possible, and make this a conference the attendees will never forget.

We will be joining in solidarity with the AFL-CIO, SEIU, National Nurses United, Metro Labor Council, OurDC, and more to make our voices heard in our increasingly top-down, money-corrupted democracy. We will have actions on Friday at noon and 5pm (for Scott Walker’s speech at the Reagan Banquet), and on Saturday we will meet at Malcolm X Park at 16th and Euclid at noon to march to the Marriott.

To find out more about the Conservative Political Action Conference, visit http://cpac2012.conservative.org/

The list of corrupt, divisive speakers includes Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Ann Coulter, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, John Boehner, Andrew Breitbart, Herman Cain, Grover Norquist, Jim DeMint, Rick Perry, Oliver North, Mitt Romney, Scott Walker, and more.

WE WANT YOUR PRESENCE. WE WANT YOUR ENTHUSIASM. WE WANT YOUR VOICE. TELL YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FRIENDS’ FRIENDS, AND ANYONE WHO HAS EVER BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF REAL DEMOCRACY, EQUALITY AND POSITIVE DISCOURSE.

We are the 99%. We are unstoppable. Another world is possible.

*/

In August 2010, President Obama used his weekly address to denounce the flood of attack ads run by "shadowy groups with harmless sounding names." "The worst thing of all they don't have to reveal who is having to pay for them." Obama said, criticizing Republicans for "keeping the American public in the dark." "We can not allow a corporate takeover of our democracy," Obama added, vowing to fight this type of advertising. "Let's challenge every elected official who benefits from these ads to defend this practice or join us is stopping it." he declared. "Millions of Americans are struggling to get by and their voices shouldn't be drowned out by millions of dollars in secret special interest advertising," Obama added, "Their voices should be heard."

President Obama's immigration enforcement officials have created a Public Advocate to help prioritize certain types of deportation cases above others and be a "point of contact" for people involved in immigration proceedings, as well as third party groups.

"As our first Public Advocate, Andrew Lorenzen-Strait will work to expand and enhance our dialogue with the stakeholder community," Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton said in a statement. ICE explained that "Lorenzen-Strait will serve as a point of contact for individuals, including those in immigration proceedings, NGOs and other community and advocacy groups, who have concerns, questions, recommendations or other issues they would like to raise."

Lorenzen-Strait reports to the Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations. ICE said that, among other things, he would help "ensure discretion is used in deciding the types of individuals ICE prioritizes for removal from the country."

Here's the summary of the Public Advocate's responsibilities:

 

• Assisting individuals and community stakeholders in addressing and resolving complaints and concerns in accordance with agency policies and operations, particularly concerns related to ICE enforcement actions involving U.S. citizens;
• Informing stakeholders on ERO policies, programs, and initiatives and enhance understanding of ERO's mission and core values;
• Engaging stakeholders and building partnerships to facilitate communication, foster collaboration, and solicit input on immigration enforcement initiatives and operations; and
• Advising ICE leadership on stakeholder findings, concerns, recommendations, and priorities as they relate to improving immigration enforcement efforts and activities.

 

"There essentially seven reasons the Reagan administration has failed in its foreign policy goals," said Newt Gingrich in 1986. Thanks to Andrew Kaczynski at BuzzFeed, we have video of the dramatic speech where Gingrich makes his case against a timid Reagan foreign policy. Here is a summery: 1: Not focused on vision and clarity of language defining and describing reality 2: Has not developed a systematic debate ensuring continuity and public awareness and learning about the Soviet empire. 3: A vision level shift from "McGovernite passivism" to "Reaganite activism," convincing the media, changing the congress, and educating the grass roots. 4: Implementing changes in the Executive branch (diplomatic, intelligence, and military systems) to promote "pro-freedom strategy. "Again and again, the gap between the Reagan rhetoric and Reagan administration reality is massive and self destructive." 5: Requiring and managing dramatic change in bureaucracy, getting effective helicopters and a South American public awareness campaigns. 6: Accepting the fact that Reagan's vision of the Soviet Empire is unacceptable to the McGovernite-left. "We're engaged in a struggle between two visions of America and two visions of the world, these visions are incompatible and beyond compromise." 7: Reagan keeps trying to achieve incremental changes by courting McGovernite groups. "He is going to have to fight more often and incrementally."

The Washington Post's Brad Plummer posted an item Friday that somehow managed to whitewash the National Environmental Policy Act's starring role in our nation's infrastructure crisis without ever even mentioning the act. Quite an accomplishment. Plummer begins:

Last night, it was revealed that President Obama would allow campaign officials to actively seek donations for the Super PAC fund supporting his re-election.

Taken by itself, President Obama’s decision to ask donors to give money to his Super PAC, Priorities USA, could be interpreted as a pragmatic decision by a principled reformer. That is certainly how his campaign manager, Jim Messina, portrayed the decision at The Huffington Post: “With so much at stake, we can’t allow for two sets of rules in this election whereby the Republican nominee is the beneficiary of unlimited spending and Democrats unilaterally disarm.”

According to a statement from Archbishop Broglio, Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, agreed that it was a mistake to stop the reading of the Archbishop’s letter protesting Obama's contraception mandate decision.

The long anticipated Washington Free Beacon is now live, promoting the type of "combat journalism" practiced by the left online.  Matthew Continetti, editor in chief describes his mission below:

For once it's not George W. Bush's fault. But the Obama-Biden reelection campaign is still blaming a Republican for its remarkable flip-flop to back a so-called Super PAC, Priorities USA: Mitt Romney.

In an email to supporters explaining why the campaign and president, long critics of private super political action committees, campaign manager Jim Messina said that helping the outside group raise big money is the only way the Democrat can fight Romney and the groups expected to help him if he wins the GOP nomination.

"We decided to do this because we can't afford for the work you're doing in your communities, and the grassroots donations you give to support it, to be destroyed by hundreds of millions of dollars in negative ads," he wrote. "It's a real risk."

The move is an aggressive one for a campaign expected to raise $750 million or more and a sign that the overall 2011 campaign could cost billions. It is also a key move, say Democrats, to fight back hard against the GOP super PACS spawned by the Citizens United court decision.

Said Messina in a blog post, "With so much at stake, we can't allow for two sets of rules in this election whereby the Republican nominee is the beneficiary of unlimited spending and Democrats unilaterally disarm." Here is Messina's latest memo to supporters sent after the campaign issued a statement referenced in Philip Klein's earlier Beltway Confidential.

"Paul -- "I wrote something for our blog about our decision to support Priorities USA, the Super PAC that can help neutralize the avalanche of special-interest spending to defeat President Obama. Every supporter should read it... "I just want to add something for you specifically about your role in all of this. "We decided to do this because we can't afford for the work you're doing in your communities, and the grassroots donations you give to support it, to be destroyed by hundreds of millions of dollars in negative ads. "It's a real risk. "In 2011, the Super PAC supporting Mitt Romney raised $30 million from fewer than 200 contributors. Ninety-six percent of what they've spent so far, more than $18 million, has been on attack ads. The main engine of Romney's campaign has an average contribution of roughly $150,000. "That's why it's up to us -- the grassroots organization -- to win this election where we have the real advantage, and that's on the ground. More than 1.3 million Americans have already donated. Our average donation is $55, and 98 percent are $250 or less. "The stakes are too important to play by two different sets of rules. If we fail to act, we concede this election to a small group of powerful people intent on removing the President at any cost."

Rick Santorum is leading in two of three states voting Tuesday, according to Public Policy Polling, putting him in position to reclaim the mantle as the leading conservative alternative to Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential nomination fight.

In his recent State of the Union Address, President Obama decried the "the corrosive influence of money in politics," but today his campaign announced it was fully embracing so-called "super PACs" as part of his reelection effort.

President Obama uses the force of government to tell Catholic Church entitites with what to compensate their employees -- and that compensation must include free birth control, which the Church opposes. Obama allies at the Center for American Progress charge Catholic dissenters with "politicizing" this issue.

 

Uncle Sam made a whopping $115 billion in improper overpayments last year and lawmakers think that is just a fraction of what the federal government could be losing every year.

About half of the improper payments were made in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, with others from departments like Defense and unemployment insurance, due to shoddy spending and audit controls.

Remarkably, though, it could have been worse. Through a program they call the Campaign to Cut Waste, the Obama administration slashed $20 billion in additional overpayments that were scheduled to be paid out.

The issue takes center stage in Congress Tuesday when a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee opens a probe into federal misspending. According to Rep. Todd Platts, chair of the subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management, the problem boils down to bad management.

In his testimony for tomorrow’s hearing, Platts cites Office of Management and Budget reports that “high-error programs” include Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, unemployment insurance and the Earned Income Tax Credit. He also said that the $115 billion cited by the administration “is only an estimate; the total amount of improper payments is unknown.”

In a memo provided to Washington Secrets, the committee suggested that one answer is legislation proposed by Sen. Tom Carper, Delaware Democrat, that establishes a “Do Not Pay” list that would require agencies to check databases, including death lists, before issuing federal checks.

“Billions of taxpayer dollars are misspent every year through improper payments. The administration and agency leaders have made significant efforts to reduce improper payments and their work is both important and commendable,” Platts, a Pennsylvania Republican, said in his testimony set for delivery tomorrow. “However, we need more solutions to better protect taxpayer money.”

Forty-three months in prison had one major impact on scandalous former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. After helping send 20 former friends and associates to jail, he’s going to stop being a rat.

Repeatedly whining about the prison conditions he faced at the minimum security facility in Western Maryland, Abramoff told a Public Citizen audience today that he would play no role in naming any more suspects in the congressional corruption scandal he headlined in 2006.

“Having gone through what I went through, watching my family being torn to shreds and my children suffer immensely, I can’t be the agent of doing that to someone else. I can’t be the agent of causing somebody to go to prison,” he said.

Now an unlikely champion of lobbying reform, he said “prison is horrible” and “there’s some fear, there’s violence there.” But he said that it was prison guards, not inmates, who pushed him to the edge. The reason: He claimed they had been told he was like Hannibal Lecter, the horror figure in Silence of the Lambs, who couldn't be trusted or even talked to.

“Even my worst enemy I wouldn’t send” to prison, he said.