Obama agenda: Back to immigration

“It's an immigration day for President Obama,” USA Today writes. “The president meets separately Tuesday with labor and business leaders to push his immigration plan, one that includes a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the United States.”

“A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be ‘senior operational leaders’ of al-Qaida or ‘an associated force’ -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S., NBC’s Michael Isikoff reports. “The 16-page memo, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News, provides new details about the legal reasoning behind one of the Obama administration’s most secretive and controversial polices: its dramatically increased use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects, including those aimed at American citizens, such as the  September 2011 strike in Yemen that killed alleged al-Qaida operatives Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Both were U.S. citizens who had never been indicted by the U.S. government nor charged with any crimes. The secrecy surrounding such strikes is fast emerging as a central issue in this week’s hearing of White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, a key architect of the drone campaign, to be CIA director.”

A filibuster of President Obama’s Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel is unlikely now that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has come out against one.  “I just do not believe a filibuster is appropriate, and I would oppose such a move,” he told Politico, adding, “I will try to make that argument to my colleagues.”

Later, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) joined McCain and Roy Blunt (R-MO) in opposing one. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, however, over the weekend left open the possibility of a filibuster. If he were to go through with one, it would be historic.

As one of us wrote yesterday, no presidential cabinet nominee in history has been required to attain the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster. Nine have been voted down, however, but not since John Tower’s nomination for Defense in 1989 amid accusations of womanizing and alcohol abuse. Twenty-one nominees have been withdrawn by presidents, most recently former Sen. Tom Daschle (taxes), who was President Obama’s pick to head Health and Human Services in 2009, and Bernard Kerik (undocumented housekeeper) before that in 2004 under George W. Bush.

Reuters goes to coal country. One coal exec sees the industry going away by 2035. "There are no coal-fired plants being built. Mr. Obama took care of that. I think we're totally eliminated by 2035," said Robert Murray, chief executive of Murray Energy Corp., who also raises money for the GOP. Murray blames Obama, who ironically was known as a “liquid coal” senator when her represented Illinois, for cracking down on emissions from coal-fired plants and promoting wind and solar.

More: Murray, who helped raise money for Mitt Romney “can be affable one moment and erupt with fury the next over what he called President Barack Obama's attempt to shut down the coal industry; the president's failure to understand business; his pandering to environmental radicals; and his promoting the ‘hoax’ of global warming. The president, he says, is ‘destroying America.’”

Joe Biden’s meeting with the British prime minister today. 

Discuss this post

Check it out! A conservative actually got the first post today!

HA! (I'll bet that stings doesn't it, Fisty! You're slipping old girl!)

:OP

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Now, what goofy gaff's will we get out of Biden's meeting with the British Prime Minister today? I'm sure there will be something... can't wait!

  • 4 votes
Reply#1 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 9:14 AM EST

"A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S."

In short - an assassination, with appropriate vague legalize to hide the truth.

If it was Bush issuing this order, the media would be in an uproar, but since it's Obama, the response will be negligible.

  • 4 votes
#1.1 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 9:40 AM EST

It's always entertaining when the right wing posters complain about the liberal media giving Obama a free pass because they aren't covering a controversy by posting a response to a story in the liberal media covering said controversy.

  • 3 votes
#1.2 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 10:26 AM EST

Wow, Sick Of- your world must not be very big, huh?

so sad....

  • 4 votes
#1.3 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 10:58 AM EST

So you must be on the MSNBC payroll, because you managed to post first, right? Isn't that the right-wingers complaint about Feisty getting the top slot almost every day?

  • 5 votes
#1.4 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 11:10 AM EST

Check it out! A conservative actually got the first post today!

Then proceeded to post a bunch of mindless useless drivel.

  • 5 votes
#1.5 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 11:23 AM EST

drive-by-observer

Wow, Sick Of- your world must not be very big, huh?

Hypocrite much?

Never see you post such comments about any of the libs that celebrate 'first posts'. (or is that FRIST posts?)

  • 1 vote
#1.6 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 4:48 PM EST
Reply

Robert Murray, another paranoid republican (also known as a nut). Murray's afraid he'll have to treat his workers with respect and pay them a living wage. Besides it's apparent he's a President Obama hater (also know as tea people).

  • 3 votes
Reply#2 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 9:20 AM EST

It just drives the tea people republicans crazy seeing President Obama doing more than one thing at a time. Especially when they struggle doing just one thing at a time. See it confuses tea people republicans when they have to try and defend (lie) about more than one thing at a time.

  • 4 votes
Reply#3 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 9:24 AM EST

Mo, they struggle with too many inane talking points to memorize.

  • 2 votes
#3.1 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 9:35 AM EST
Reply

See it confuses tea people republicans and especially democrats when they have to try and defend (lie) about more than one thing at a time.

Fixed it for you Ron.

  • 4 votes
Reply#4 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 9:37 AM EST

Who's Ron?

See Talk to the Hand, you're a confused tea person.

  • 2 votes
#4.1 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 11:21 AM EST

No, just calling you by your last name.

    #4.2 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 4:42 PM EST
    Reply

    They came on what amounted to a handshake agreement during an economic upsurge when we simply were not processing papers effectively or quickly enough to keep up with demand. That's the only reason they are "illegal" in the first place. Now is not a time to renege on that agreement, due to an economic downswing. Issue the papers and be done with it, soon enough the economy will be going up, and it's the right thing to do in any case.

    • 1 vote
    Reply#5 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 9:57 AM EST

    Murray's just mad because President Obama rejected his proposal to divide coal mining up regionally into various districts, then kidnap two children from each one every year to force them to fight to the death on TV. Mittens would have been down with that.

    • 2 votes
    Reply#6 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 10:31 AM EST

    The Republicans really should have no problem with the proposal. It was Ronald Reagan, Saint of the right wingers, who gave amnesty to millions of illegals and besides that some of what is in the Presient's proposal was made by Republicans before anyway.

    • 1 vote
    Reply#7 - Tue Feb 5, 2013 1:03 PM EST
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