From msnbc.com's Carrie Dann
As we noted this morning, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came under fire during his presidential run for his commutation of the sentence of Wayne Dumond, who was found guilty of rape and murder in Missouri after being released from prison in Arkansas.
 
In light of the news that Huckabee commuted the 95-year sentence of the suspect in yesterday's slaying of four Washington state police officers, we dusted off our 2008 campaign research books to take another look at the numbers.
 
On his radio show today, Huckabee again addressed the slayings, placing blame both with his own state's system and the government of Washington.
 
"Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state," he said of Clemmons.
 
Huckabee blames the Arkansas parole board for granting Clemmons' parole -- something he did in the case of Dumond as well. Parole board members, however, told NBC News in 2007 that Huckabee initiated and encouraged Dumond's parole. 

Video: Huckabee discusses his crime record in 2007Dumond's case also highlighted the relative frequency of Huckabee's pardons and commutations in comparison to his predecessors, which the Arkansas governor's GOP opponents were happy to reference during the primary in an effort to slam Huckabee for being soft on crime.
 
Bill Clinton, who served as governor of the state between 1979 and 1992, issued a total of 426 pardons and commutations, the Arkansas Leader pointed out in the middle of Huckabee's tenure in 2004.

Republican Frank White and Democrat Jim Guy Tucker issued 39 and 42, respectively. By the end of his 10-and-a-half years as governor, Huckabee had issued 1,033. 

As of 2004, Huckabee had issued more pardons than the leaders of six neighboring states combined -- Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Missouri -- in the preceding eight years.

From NBC's Ali Weinberg and Kelly Paice
President Obama must "set a timeline" for foreign combat troop involvement, insist on sustained commitments from allied countries, and recalibrate the U.S.-Pakistani relationship in order to achieve results in Afghanistan, experts from the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress said today.
 
In anticipation of Obama's prime time speech tomorrow, in which he will outline his new strategy in Afghanistan, CAP senior fellow Lawrence Korb said that the president should set a timeline for foreign troop withdrawal. "You can make it flexible but you need to have goals," Korb said. "If we do not do that, we're going to be seen like the British and the Soviets as occupiers." In regard to the increased troop numbers the president is expected to announce tomorrow, Korb predicted it would take around a year to get some 30,000 new troops deployed to the region.
 
Despite waning worldwide support for the Afghanistan war, Obama must also stress the "international nature of this mission," said Caroline Wadhams, a CAP national security analyst. "We should not be asked to bear the burden alone especially in the midst of our own economic crisis." Wadhams added that "security interests in Afghanistan don't just affect us but threaten the globe."
 
Senior Fellow Brian Katulis added that one of President Obama's challenges in tomorrow's speech is "to appeal to our allies in Europe."
 
Katulis added that the U.S. must expand its relationship with Pakistan, which he characterized currently as "we send them money and tell them to do things." He stressed a "broader contact with the Pakistani society" to avoid "having the Musharraf problem again," referring to former President George W. Bush's close ties with General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 military coup before resigning last year.
 
The Washington Post reported today that "the political weakness of [Pakistan's current president Asif Ali] Zardari is an additional hazard for a bilateral relationship," as he is "disliked by the military and is challenged by the political opposition and his own prime minister."
 
While Katulis said he was "not sure how much [Obama] will speak publicly about it," including in tomorrow's speech, he said the president "will need to keep a focus" on Pakistan. Katulis pointed out key U.S. challenges in Pakistan including internal divisions among Pakistanis and the fact that U.S. leverage is not all that strong. He also stressed that there are worries among the Pakistani people regarding the risks of destabilizing Pakistan.
 
In his daily briefing today, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that, in fact, "a good portion" of the president's address "will discuss the relationship with Pakistan," including "a renewed engagement diplomatically."

From NBC's Kelly Paice
The conservative blogosphere is hitting Mike Huckabee hard today regarding his granting of clemency to the suspect in the Washington state shootings that killed four police officers. Their conclusion, like First Read's earlier this morning, is that it doesn't help his 2012 prospects.

Michelle Malkin is calling the shooter, Maurice Clemmons, "Huckabee's Willie Horton II" saying, "The man being sought by police was granted clemency by former GOP Arkansas Mike Huckabee despite his violent history and vehement protestations from prosecutors and victims' family members. He was most recently in jail for alleged second-degree rape of a child. This isn't Huckabee's first Horton moment..." Malkin then goes into detail of another criminal, Wayne Dumond, who was also granted clemency by Huckabee. Malkin writes regarding the Dumond case, "Huckabee tried to evade responsibility for setting a convicted rapist free…only to rape again."

Red State's Erick Erickson also weighed in on the "Willie Horton" angle: "This is going to be extremely problematic for Governor Huckabee. Of course, a lot of folks said the last guy was Mike Huckabee's 'Willie Horton.' How many Willie Horton's can one man have?"

In regard to Huckabee's response to Clemmons' alleged involvement in yesterday's slayings, Malkin writes: "Note the passive language and blame-shifting to prosecutors with no explicit mention of Huckabee's role in granting clemency over the objections of prosecutors."

NRO's Kathryn Jean Lopez seems to agree with Malkin on the tone of Huckabee's statement: "Most commentary seems a bit premature, but, at the same time, this statement seems a bit passive for the former governor."
 
American Spectator's Quin Hillyer suggests that there's no way Huckabee can viably run in 2012, especially after his connection to this alleged killer: "The fact that it was the asinine Mike Huckabee who commuted his [Clemmons'] sentence merely confirms all the stories that I and others spent so much time in 2007-2008 trying to alert people to -- namely, that Huckabee A) has massive ethical problems and B) that his history of commutations of criminals shows a reckless disregard for public safety and for victims' rights."

Don Surber writes, "[I]n a just world, if Clemmons were convicted of these murders, his buddy Mike Huckabee would serve along beside him."
 
Hugh Hewitt posts the column "Global Eyes on the President at West Point" written by Managing Director of the White House Writers Groups, Inc. Clark Judge, giving his perspective of President Obama's much awaited speech tomorrow evening on the way forward in Afghanistan. Judge focuses on the political implications Pres. Obama's new war strategy for Afghanistan will have for leaders around the globe. Judge says that throughout his journalistic experiences across the world, "What I sensed in total was growing doubt about the president. He speaks well, everyone acknowledged, but is there substance behind the rhetoric? He is given to sweeping pronouncements. But will he, can he follow through? He commands the most capable military force on the globe. But does he have the stomach for a fight? Does he have the strength to make and stick with hard choices, or any choice at all? As one globally prominent (and I would have thought friendly to the president) American journalist summed up global opinion at a conference in Geneva: 'Machiavelli said it is better to be feared than loved. Mr. Obama is loved.'"
 
Red State's Erick Erickson analyzes just how conservative Florida's Charlie Crist is: "Last week, Charlie Crist decided to attack conservatives by telling reporters that 'It's hard to be more conservative than I am on issues — there's different ways stylistically to communicate that — I'm pro-life, I'm pro-gun, I'm pro-family, and I'm anti-tax,' then went on to say he guessed he just wasn't angry enough." And Erickson reports that "[j]ust this morning, Crist's spokesman says Charlie is willing to shift ground on his principles for pragmatic reasons," such as accepting stimulus money for the state.
 
Yet, Erickson argues that "Having failed to show that Marco Rubio is not a conservative, the Crist campaign has gone back to square one and has decided if they just keep telling everyone Crist is a conservative, perhaps someone will believe them." And Erickson points to a 2007 Sarasota Herald-Tribune article to argue that Crist himself admits to not being a true conservative: "Asked what being 'conservative' meant to him, he grew vague. 'I don't know,' [Charlie Crist] said. 'It doesn't really matter to me. I'm not really absorbed much by labels others might put on me.'"

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
Reacting to that Politico "seven narratives" piece by John Harris, Daily Kos cites its own poll: "According to Harris, DC-types think that the Democrats' big problem is that independents are fleeing to the GOP, and they cite [the gubernatorial election in] Virginia as evidence of that thesis. But that's not the case." According to the blog's latest poll, 81% of Republican voters and 65% of Independents polled indicated they would vote in the 2010 Congressional elections, compared with only 56% of Democratic voters. "That right there is a recipe for a 2010 electoral horror show for Democrats, but not for the reasons that the "conventionally wise" crowd in DC is chasing around the cocktail circuit. Those numbers right there show us a Democratic base that is apathetic and uninspired, and anyone who thinks the way to fix that problem is by moving to the right is dumber than a sack of bricks." 
 
The Washington Monthly's Steve Benen takes issue with Harris' statement that Obama should fear a prevailing perception that "he is comfortable with a relative decline in U.S. influence or position in the world." Benen: "In April, the president was specifically asked about whether he subscribes "to the school of 'American exceptionalism' that sees America as uniquely qualified to lead the world." Obama offered what struck me as the perfect response: 'I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism. I'm enormously proud of my country and its role and history in the world.' It's not how the right perceives American exceptionalism, and it's not how the wired-for-Republicans media perceives American exceptionalism, but it's a thoughtful, nuanced, mature approach to the issue. That this might be a problematic "narrative" is absurd."
 
Harris' observation that President Obama's "intellectuality has contributed to a growing critique that decisions are detached from rock-bottom principles" incites this response from Balloon Juice's DougJ: "Are there other first-world countries where the media spends a lot of time worrying that its leaders are too rational?"  
 
Talking Points Memo on the latest Washington Post poll showing Sarah Palin's popularity with Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck fans, a far greater percentage than GOP support overall. Per the Post's Dan Balz and Jon Cohen, "18 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents cited her as the person most representative of the party's core values, the highest percentage among prominent Republican figures. Among those who regularly listen to Limbaugh, however, Palin was cited by 48 percent, and among Beck's viewers, it was 35 percent, far surpassing others."  

TPM: "As the recent Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll illustrates, the Republican base is very enthusiastic right now. If politics comes down to the simple question of who shows up, then the people who do like Palin could end up exercising a much greater influence than their raw numbers would suggest." 

Think Progress picks up on "two people who don't fare as well [as Palin] in the Post poll:" George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. From the Post: "Just 1 percent pick George W. Bush as the best reflection of the party's principles, and only a single person in the poll cites former vice president Richard B. Cheney. About seven in 10 say Bush bears at least "some" of the blame for the party's problems." 
 
And America Blog spotlights another finding from the Post poll: "Those who identify as Republicans today see themselves as more conservative politically than those who said so during the last years of the presidency of George W. Bush." AmericaBlog: "This is the challenge for Republicans. How do you deal with the pressure in your own party to veer to the right, when by doing so, you risk alienating the very people who left your party because it veered too far to the right - people you need back in order to win elections?"

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Atlanta holds its mayoral runoff election tomorrow, and it's likely to be decided along racial lines.

The race is between City Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who is white, and former state Sen. Kasim Reed, who is black. Norwood won 46% of the vote on Nov. 3rd, but needed 50% to win outright. Reed, who pulled in 36%, split the black vote in a crowded field of other African-American candidates.

The city is comprised of about 57% African Americans and 38% whites and hasn't had a white mayor since Sam Massell was defeated in 1973. Massell's "runoff campaign slogan was a covert warning to city whites: 'Atlanta's Too Young to Die,'" the Associated Press writes. Massell "lost to Maynard Jackson, who rode 90 percent of the black vote to become Atlanta's first black mayor. That office, along with much of the city's leadership, has been black ever since. For many, Tuesday's vote will determine whether it stays that way.

" 'Atlanta is a black city, a symbol to the world,' political strategist Tom Houck said. 'Putting Mary's face on that picture would be hard for a lot of people to stomach.'"

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution put it this way after the Nov. 3 election: "The path to victory for Atlanta's next mayor is clear, even if the candidates don't want to say it. It's about race. ... This week's mayoral election showed that decades after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. urged that people not be judged by the color of their skin, blacks and whites in his hometown are voting along racial lines." 

Without trustworthy public polling on the contest so far, political observers have said it's unclear who will prevail. If Norwood "can hold onto her strong support from whtie voters [in Northside Atlanta], and she draws away a respectable minority of black voters, as she did [Nov. 3], she wins...," the Journal-Constitution wrote. If Reed, who was the lesser-known candidate on Nov. 3rd, "can boost his black get-out-the vote effort and bring in supporters of [the third-place candidate], a black woman, he wins."

Even though black voters outnumber whites in Atlanta, a higher percentage of whites showed up at the polls on Nov. 3.

From NBC's Libby Leist
Discussion about Afghanistan won't only take place with President Obama's speech tomorrow night at West Point.
 
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Clinton is expected to testify before the Senate Armed Services and House Foreign Affairs committees -- along with Defense Secretary Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen.
 
On Thursday, Clinton is expected to testify before Senate Foreign Relations -- again with Gates and Mullen. Clinton leaves for Brussels and NATO meetings on Thursday afternoon. She will not appear before House Armed Services because of her travel to NATO.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Some might say Congress is already its own reality show, but proceedings on Thursday might actually become a scene in one.

In addition to the director of the Secret Service, the chairman of House Homeland Security Committee, Bennie Thompson (D-MS), has asked party-crashers Tareq And Michaele Salahi to testify before the committee after the state-dinner security breach.

A committee spokesman says that the Salahis have not been subpoenaed, therefore, they are not required to testify. The spokesman added that the committee should know in the next day or two whether the spotlight-seeking couple will appear.

Here's the full committee release:

Thompson to Examine White House Security Breach at Congressional Hearing Thursday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, November 30, 2009

Secret Service Director Sullivan and Mr. & Mrs. Salahi will be called to testify

(WASHINGTON) - Having reviewed preliminary findings regarding a breach of security at the White House State Dinner last Tuesday, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, announced his intention to hold a Full Committee Hearing on the matter this Thursday, December 3, at 10am in room 311 of the Cannon House Office Building.

Thursday's hearing will focus on the breakdown in security arrangements on the evening of Tuesday, November 24, deficiencies in security planning leading up to the State Dinner, actions taken to correct the vulnerabilities and identify any violations of Secret Service policy or management failures at the agency. The Committee plans to invite testimony from Mr. and Mrs. Salahi, who managed to attend portions of the State Dinner without proper White House and Secret Service clearance, and Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, who is responsible for the safety of Secret Service protectees and the plans his agency develops and implements to secure them.

"This is a time for answers, recognition of security deficiencies past and present, and remedies to ensure the strength of the Secret Service and the safety of those under its protection," said Chairman Thompson. "This is not the time for political games or scapegoating to distract our attention from the careful oversight we must apply to the Secret Service and its mission," Chairman Thompson cautioned. "My confidence in the management of the Secret Service hangs in the balance."

"The intent of this Administration may be openness and transparency, but a security breakdown that allowed anyone who looked the part to walk off the street into a State Dinner is a slap in the face to the Secret Service employees who put their lives on the line to protect our form of government and its leaders," said Chairman Thompson.

For more than two years, Chairman Thompson and the Committee on Homeland Security has investigated and reviewed accusations of mismanagement at the Secret Service including concerns of inadequate resources at the agency, potential inaugural security vulnerabilities, insufficient diversity and recruitment strategies to ensure the agency is ready for its expanding mission, the appearance of discrimination, and morale issues plaguing the Service's Uniform Division.

# # #

From NBC's Libby Leist
Secretary Clinton and Australian Prime Minister Rudd held a brief photo-op earlier at the State Department. The two leaders made short statements and took no questions.

Clinton called the Rudd-Obama meeting at the White House this morning "excellent and comprehensive." They discussed Afghanistan and climate change among other topics. Clinton said Rudd was one of the most "creative thinkers" about the worlds problems.

Rudd said it was a "good discussion" with the president. They discussed "common challenges" in Afghanistan.

"Australia takes its alliance with the United States very seriously," Rudd said. "That's why we have been with America for a long time in Afghanistan and why we will be with America for the long haul."

Clinton ignore a shouted question on Iran.

From NBC's Robert Bazell
The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control just came out.

For the week ending Nov. 21, the number of people going to doctors and hospitals for flu symptoms continued its sharp decline, further validating the notion that the current wave of the epidemic in this country peaked around Oct. 20.

Still, as we reported Wednesday, 35 children died that week of flu -- tying the all time record. In the previous four years, between 43 and 90 children died during the entire year. So 35 is very high.

Thirty-two states reported widespread activity, down from 43 the previous week. The 32 were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Another worrisome trend: The percentage of all deaths from pneumonia and influenza remains very high, especially for this time of year.

Note: All cases are not tested, but extensive random testing suggests that 99% of all flu circulating now in the United States is swine flu (a.k.a. H1N1). So we are talking about swine flu here. Officials believe other seasonal strains could appear anytime, but they have not yet seen evidence of that.

From NBC's Mark Murray
As we await President Obama's Af-Pak speech tomorrow, it's worth remembering that he already gave one back on March 27 -- in which he talked about sending more troops there (a combined 21,000, including ones to help train Afghan forces), about the benchmarks that Afghanistan's government must meet, and about U.S. goals for Afghanistan.

This does raise the question: Is tomorrow's speech just going to rehash what we already heard back in March? What's going to be new -- beyond 21,000 troops vs. some 30,000 troops? (A senior administration official did tell the New York Times that there will be new information from the president. "It's accurate to say that he will be more explicit about both goals and time frame than has been the case before and than has been part of the public discussion.")

*** UPDATE *** Our own Chuck Todd asked this very question to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs today. Gibbs' response: Obama's speech tomorrow will have "new wrinkles."

Obama back in March on more troops to Afghanistan:
"I've already ordered the deployment of 17,000 troops that had been requested by General McKiernan for many months. These soldiers and Marines will take the fight to the Taliban in the south and the east, and give us a greater capacity to partner with Afghan security forces and to go after insurgents along the border. This push will also help provide security in advance of the important presidential elections in Afghanistan in August… For three years, our commanders have been clear about the resources they need for training. And those resources have been denied because of the war in Iraq. Now, that will change. The additional troops that we deployed have already increased our training capacity. And later this spring we will deploy approximately 4,000 U.S. troops to train Afghan security forces."

On Pakistan's role:
"[T]he security of America and Pakistan is shared. Pakistan's government must be a stronger partner in destroying these safe havens, and we must isolate al Qaeda from the Pakistani people. And these steps in Pakistan are also indispensable to our efforts in Afghanistan, which will see no end to violence if insurgents move freely back and forth across the border."

On benchmarks for Afghanistan government:
"And I want to be clear: We cannot turn a blind eye to the corruption that causes Afghans to lose faith in their own leaders. Instead, we will seek a new compact with the Afghan government that cracks down on corrupt behavior, and sets clear benchmarks, clear metrics for international assistance so that it is used to provide for the needs of the Afghan people."

On U.S. goals:
"Going forward, we will not blindly stay the course. Instead, we will set clear metrics to measure progress and hold ourselves accountable. We'll consistently assess our efforts to train Afghan security forces and our progress in combating insurgents. We will measure the growth of Afghanistan's economy, and its illicit narcotics production. And we will review whether we are using the right tools and tactics to make progress towards accomplishing our goals."

From NBC's Pete Williams
As expected, the U.S. Supreme Court today tossed out a lawsuit brought by the ACLU, which had sought to force the Obama administration to release photos depicting the abuse of detainees overseas. After the lawsuit was filed, Congress changed the law, giving the Defense Secretary new grounds on which to withhold the pictures from public release. Last month, Secretary Gates invoked that authority and ordered the pictures withheld.

Also today, the court:
-- left standing a jury award of $82.6 million to a woman who was paralyzed when her Ford Explorer rolled over. Ford challenged the size of the punitive damages -- $55 million;

-- declined to take up a dispute between a Colorado high school and a student who was punished for including religious remarks in her commencement speech;

- and ordered a new sentencing hearing for a Korean War veteran convicted of murdering his former girlfriend and her boyfriend. In an unsigned opinion, with no dissent, the court ruled that George Porter had strong grounds for claiming that he did not have effective counsel. The jury was never told of his boyhood of abuse or his harrowing combat experience, which the court said "left him a traumatized, changed man."

From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
Adding to the tabloid stories out there (Tiger Woods, those party crashers)...
 
Aides to the Clintons confirm that Chelsea and Marc Mezvinsky became engaged on Thanksgiving Day -- and will be married next summer. The couple sent an email to friends, alluding to the flurry of false rumors last summer that they were getting married then.  The Clintons family was hounded by those false reports.

Now it is true -- that Chelsea is marrying her childhood friend, a fellow Stanford graduate. Marc's mother is former Democratic Rep. Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky, who also at one point worked for WNBC. His father is a former Iowa member of Congress who ended up facing legal difficulties and some jail time.

The two sent out an email the morning of Friday November 27 saying, "We're sorry for the mass email but we wanted to wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving! We also wanted to share that we are engaged! We didn't get married this past summer despite the stories to the contrary, but we are looking toward next summer and hope you all will be there to celebrate with us. Happy Holidays! Chelsea & Marc."

 

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Another big week: As the country returns from its long Thanksgiving weekend, as everyone obsesses over those White House party crashers, and as the strange Tiger Woods story dominates the water-cooler talk, President Obama embarks on yet another important week in his young presidency. In fact, it very well could rank right up there as his most important week so far, given that it involves the two issues that could make or break him: war and jobs. Today, he meets with Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to discuss (among other things) Afghanistan and climate change. Then, tomorrow night at West Point, Obama delivers his long-awaited announcement on Afghanistan. On Thursday comes the president's jobs summit, and on Friday, he talks jobs in Allentown, PA as the new unemployment numbers are released. And just to add to the agenda, the Senate this week begins debating its health-care bill. "Is this a historic week? Yes," White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said yesterday, per the Wall Street Journal. "It's a historic week within a historic year."

*** Previewing tomorrow night's speech: As for Obama's Tuesday night speech on Afghanistan, the New York Times front-pages that in addition to announcing sending some extra 30,000 troops there, the president will lay out a time frame for winding down the war. "It's accurate to say that he will be more explicit about both goals and time frame than has been the case before and than has been part of the public discussion," a senior official tells the paper. "He wants to give a clear sense of both the time frame for action and how the war will eventually wind down." Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that the U.S. is offering Pakistan a strategic partnership that includes additional military and economic assistance. "'We can't succeed [in Afghanistan] without Pakistan," a senior administration official involved in the White House review said. 'You have to differentiate between public statements and reality. There is nobody who is under any illusions about this.'" The president, it seems, has so many audiences he'll be speaking to in tomorrow's speech. From the domestic folks (like many in his own party who don't want a troop escalation) to the leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as NATO allies, he's got to simultaneously reassure folks in America he's got a plan to get out while letting the world know we're not going anywhere anytime soon. Is that even plausible, let alone possible?

*** Reaching the (jobs) summit: As for Thursday's job summit, the White House yesterday released a partial list of the approximately 130 folks who will attend. The list includes Google's Eric Schmidt, AT&T's Randall Stevenson, Qwest's Surya Mohapatra, Fed Ex's Fred Smith, Comcast's Brian Roberts, Disney's Bob Iger, Boeing's James McNerney, Dow's Andrew Livens, economists Paul Krugman (who today offers what he'd like to see to create jobs) and Joe Stiglitz, and union leaders Anna Burger and Leo Gerard. "The Obama administration and U.S. business leaders will meet at the White House this week to ponder ways to boost employment. Their ideas, though, don't overlap much," the Wall Street Journal says. "Businesses of all sizes are brimming with proposals they say would spur economic growth. The most commonly voiced are tax cuts and boosting access to credit… But many of the nostrums floated by business would increase spending or reduce tax receipts, unpalatable moves for the White House as the nation's huge deficit becomes a political liability." The challenge for the White House on this event: to make sure it isn't simply a well-named photo-op. Can something concrete come out of this summit in a timely fashion?

*** Shame, shame, shame: And just in case you thought today -- as well as this week -- wasn't busy enough, here is this story: "The Obama administration on Monday plans to announce a campaign to pressure mortgage companies to reduce payments for many more troubled homeowners, as evidence mounts that a $75 billion taxpayer-financed effort aimed at stemming foreclosures is foundering. 'The banks are not doing a good enough job,' Michael S. Barr, Treasury's assistant secretary for financial institutions, said in an interview Friday. 'Some of the firms ought to be embarrassed, and they will be.' Even as lenders have in recent months accelerated the pace at which they are reducing mortgage payments for borrowers, a vast majority of loans modified through the program remain in a trial stage lasting up to five months, and only a tiny fraction have been made permanent." 

*** Guns a-blazing: In fact, it seems the White House has used the day after the holiday weekend to come out guns a-blazing on all the big issues. This morning, it has released a video on health care that features Vice President Biden asking whom do you trust -- the defenders of the status quo or the nurses and doctors who are backing reform? Speaking of the vice president, the New York Times magazine yesterday ran a lengthy profile of Biden, which called him the second-most powerful VP ever behind Cheney. (And before Cheney, didn't folks argue that VP Gore was the most influential VP in some time?)

*** Forget about Huck in 2012? This news can't help Mike Huckabee's 2012 chances, if he's thinking about another White House run. The suspect in yesterday's slaying of four Washington state police officers "was paroled in 2000 after then-Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted his 95-year prison sentence," the Washington Post says. Huckabee has released this statement: "Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990. This commutation making him parole eligible and was paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him. It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior but was not kept incarcerated by either state. This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

*** Remember Wayne Dumond? NBC's Chris Donovan reminds us of another controversial commutation that hurt Huckabee during last year's presidential contest. "Wayne Dumond, a rapist who was convicted, sentenced in Arkansas, the parole board voted not to parole him in September of--in August of '96. You announced that you were going to commute his sentence, and then the parole board reversed course and agreed to parole him, and you supported their decision to parole. He was, was freed, left the state, killed and raped someone else in Missouri. Do you regret supporting that parole?" the late Tim Russert asked Huckabee on "Meet the Press" in 2007. Huckabee answered, "You know, looking back, certainly I wish that I had known more than I knew, but here's what I knew: I never commuted his sentence; his sentence was commuted by my predecessor. When he was parole eligible, he had not yet made parole. And I supported that he was parole-eligible. Later, the parole board did, in fact, give him their parole, supervised." Remember, Huckabee never truly received front-runner scrutiny in 2008; his candidacy flamed out just as news organizations were preparing more detailed looks at his pardons and other controversies -- including the petty cash-like expenses he seemed to regularly charge the state when he was governor.

*** Gone in 15 minutes? A final word on Tiger Woods, the party crashers, and Balloon Boy: It was more than 40 years ago when Andy Warhol helped coin his "15 minutes of fame" phrase. Forty years! And the phrase gets truer by the minute. Every time we think we've dug deeper into the abyss of tabloid nuttiness, we as a society somehow go one step lower. Let's start with those party crashers: The fact is they did it to get on TV (!!!) -- not just for interviews, but to get a show. While many are rightfully outraged about the security breech in the White House, realize that the folks assigned to protect the president deal with far more unknown members of the public when, say, the president works a ropeline. At least the party crashers went through a magnetometer, something many town hall attendees do NOT. But what really has so many folks in the intelligentsia so up-in-arms about this episode is that they may get rewarded for this behavior which, in turn, will only inspire the NEXT person to do something even crazier to get a reality TV series. It's truly bizarre stuff. And it's in that same vein we bring up Tiger Woods. Why did Tiger send out such a detailed pushback? Because of all the reporting by TMZ, an entity that pays sources, one of whom may ACTUALLY have been an EMT who came to Tiger's care at the scene of the accident. So whether it's for fame or fortune, everybody wants their 15 minutes of something. Wherever the bar was, it seemed to get lowered just a tad over the weekend.

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Per the New York Times, "President Obama plans to lay out a time frame for winding down the American involvement in the war in Afghanistan when he announces his decision this week to send more forces, senior administration officials said Sunday. Although the speech was still in draft form, the officials said the president wanted to use the address at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Tuesday night not only to announce the immediate order to deploy roughly 30,000 more troops, but also to convey how he intends to turn the fight over to the Kabul government."

The Washington Post: "President Obama has offered Pakistan an expanded strategic partnership, including additional military and economic cooperation, while warning with unusual bluntness that its use of insurgent groups to pursue policy goals 'cannot continue.' The offer, including an effort to help reduce tensions between Pakistan and India, was contained in a two-page letter delivered to President Asif Ali Zardari this month by Obama national security adviser James L. Jones. It was accompanied by assurances from Jones that the United States will increase its military and civilian efforts in Afghanistan and that it plans no early withdrawal."

Video: Chuck Todd discusses details about the president's preperations for his address on Afghanistan.

"A day before he is scheduled to announce a new strategy in Afghanistan, President Obama is under increasing pressure to explain how his administration intends to pay the rising costs of military operations in Afghanistan, which average about $3.6 billion per month," the Boston Globe writes. "Both Republicans and Democrats pressed the issue yesterday, previewing the political minefield that Obama will face when he addresses the nation from West Point tomorrow. Key Republicans said they intend to support him on his expected plan to send more troops, but called on him to curb domestic spending on items they oppose."

A Washington Post editorial puts it well regarding Obama's challenge Tuesday night. "Both Americans and Afghans wonder whether the president believes in the war and has the will to win it. Among his challenges Tuesday will be to put those doubts to rest." 

Politics Daily's David Corn asks a fascinating question: "Can a president declare a war must be won but not proclaim he'll wage that war for as many years as is necessary to succeed? That is the contradiction that President Barack Obama will be obligated to explain on Tuesday night when he addresses the nation from West Point to explain his apparent decision to send some 30,000 additional US soldiers to the cauldron of Afghanistan."

The Los Angeles Times notes recent comments by various administration officials, who paint the Afghanistan picture a tad more optimistically. Will we hear an optimistic vision for Afghanistan tomorrow? 

The New York Daily News: "President Obama's high-stakes Afghanistan buildup was zinged from all sides Sunday, with Republicans generally more sympathetic as Democrats gave their commander in chief tepid support."

Speaking of… Roll Call looks at the continuing storyline of liberal disaffection with Obama: "Cracks are widening between President Barack Obama and his liberal base on Capitol Hill, adding to his headaches as he tries to overcome rising unemployment and carry out a controversial new strategy for Afghanistan. Angst in the Democratic Party's left flank has been building all year. Liberal lawmakers chafed at Obama's slow-walking of immigration reform and his embrace of anti-immigrant language in the health care bill. They wished he had put up more of a fight for a public insurance option. They have complained that Obama's economic team has been too friendly to big Wall Street firms while doing too little to help small businesses and create jobs, and has tried to delay a transportation bill that would put thousands of people to work. And now Obama appears poised to announce a massive escalation of the war in Afghanistan."

This Politico story about various anti-Obama narratives that are forming may drive the administration and its supporters nuts. But it does expose a problem the administration has had these last four months: an inability to set their OWN narrative. The campaign discipline is gone, and there isn't single overarching storyline that explains the Obama presidency. Maybe that sounds simplistic, but it also explains why he's struggled politically lately. 

The Wall Street Journal: "The Obama administration and U.S. business leaders will meet at the White House this week to ponder ways to boost employment. Their ideas, though, don't overlap much. Businesses of all sizes are brimming with proposals they say would spur economic growth. The most commonly voiced are tax cuts and boosting access to credit. The White House, for its part, wants to discuss job growth in the clean-tech sector and shifting some stimulus spending to infrastructure projects. Obama aides are also eyeing a limited range of incentives for small businesses to create jobs."

More: "A 10.2% jobless rate, the worst since 1982, is emerging as the administration's biggest domestic challenge, a threat to the weak economic recovery and Democrats' hold on Congress. But many of the nostrums floated by business would increase spending or reduce tax receipts, unpalatable moves for the White House as the nation's huge deficit becomes a political liability."

The Obama family spent the weekend watching some college hoops at George Washington University in DC. The game was against Oregon State, whose coach is Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson.

"The Republican rank and file is largely in sync with GOP lawmakers in their staunch opposition to efforts by President Obama and Democrats to enact major health-care legislation, but a new Washington Post poll also reveals deep dissatisfaction among GOP voters with the party's leadership as well as ideological and generational differences that may prove big obstacles to the party's plans for reclaiming power," the Post says. Republicans and GOP-leaning independents are overwhelmingly negative about Obama and the Democratic Party more broadly, with nearly all dissatisfied with the administration's policies and almost half saying they are "angry" about them. About three-quarters have a more basic complaint, saying Obama does not stand for 'traditional American values.' More than eight in 10 say there is no chance they would support his reelection."

"But for all the talk among Republican elected officials about a nascent comeback after gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey this month, there is also broad frustration among Republican voters about the party's direction, detachment from its congressional representatives and a schism over its priorities." 

The Hill looks at the seven possible amendment issues to watch as health legislation moves forward: the public option, excise tax, prescription drugs, affordability, insurance exchanges, and Medicare cuts.

The AP is the latest to profile Maine Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. "In a narrowly divided Senate, the two women who are willing to buck their conservative GOP colleagues enjoy outsized influence. Democrats see the pair as potential swing votes as they press forward with their health reform plan. Their support could provide a veneer of bipartisanship."

The New Orleans Times-Picayune on the state circumstances that drove Sen. Mary Landrieu to demand the "Louisiana Purchase" Medicaid concession: "Landrieu's quest to tinker with the [Federal Medical Assistance Percentage] formula was executed at the behest of the Jindal administration to solve an unintended consequence of the worst natural disaster in American history… Gov. Jindal, who opposes the Democratic health reform effort, has not joined in the noisy condemnation of Landrieu's work on the FMAP issue. His secretary of health and hospitals, Alan Levine, who has been the point man for the state on the issue all year, has praised Landrieu for her efforts, even though, like his boss, he opposes the Senate bill to which it is attached."

"Lawmakers, prompted into action by the double-digit unemployment rate, are considering business tax credits for new hires, state fiscal aid, extended unemployment and COBRA benefits, a $600 billion transportation reauthorization bill, a 'work share' program, aid to homeowners facing foreclosure and increased loans for small businesses," The Hill writes. "Congress and the White House have yet to coalesce around one approach. But congressional leaders said that some measure is necessary now that the jobless rate has reached 10.2 percent, a 26-year high. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned of an even worse unemployment situation if lawmakers fail to act." 

"House Republicans plan to use President Barack Obama's Thursday jobs summit as an opportunity to promote their own set of solutions to the current economic environment," Roll Call reports. "The GOP Economic Recovery Solutions Group led by Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) has put together a document outlining its ideas that is expected to be released at the Heritage Foundation on Wednesday."

"Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will dominate financial news on Capitol Hill this week. Most eyes will be on Bernanke, who will appear before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday for a confirmation hearing for a second term as head of the central bank."

The Miami Herald profiles Charlie Crist-appointed Sen. George LeMieux (R-FL), writing that the new senator "has quietly stepped up on behalf of his former boss. He co-headlined a Washington fundraiser for the governor last week and set up a political action committee, Protect America's Future, to funnel money to Crist and other political allies."

Stu Rothenberg unveils his dangerous dozen House seats: LA-2 (Cao), DE-AL (Castle-open, running for Senate), LA-3 (Melancon-open, running for Senate), VA-5 (Perriello), MD-1 (Kratovil), KS-3 (Moore-open, retiring), OH-1 (Driehaus-rematch), OH-15 (Kilroy-rematch), FL-8 (Grayson), NM-2 (Teague), NH-2 (Hodes-running for Senate), NY-23 (Owens).

Dems have the money advantage so far. "The Democratic National Committee, along with the fundraising arm for House Democrats, outraised Republican committees last month. Overall, all Democratic committees ended October with nearly $38.8 million cash on hand, compared with $21.3 million for Republicans," USA Today reports. "The Senate Republican fundraising arm was the sole committee to raise more than the Democrats in October, but the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ended the month with $11.3 million cash on hand, compared with $5.9 million for the National Republican Senatorial Committee." 

CONNECTICUT: If Tom Foley decides to dive into the governor's race, "what once was a flood of would-be challengers to incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd has now evaporated into what is essentially a two-person race -- former Congressman Rob Simmons versus millionaire former WWE Wrestling CEO Linda McMahon," the Norwich Bulletin writes. 

FLORIDA: The St. Petersburg Times notes that Charlie Crist, once dubbed "Governor Green," has put environmental issues on the backburner since entering the Senate race against a more conservative opponent. "Once Crist became a Senate candidate, his opponent in the Republican primary, former House Speaker Rubio, painted Crist's environmental moves as a liability among the right wing." 

ILLINOIS: The Chicago Tribune reports that state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) "released his tax returns the day before Thanksgiving, when fewer people are likely to notice," after facing criticism from Democratic opponent David Hoffman for receiving large payouts from his family's struggling Broadway Bank. According to the returns, "Giannoulias' portion of those payouts totaled $2.5 million -- $1 million of which he has said went to pay income taxes. The campaign has noted that Giannoulias didn't have a say in whether to sell the shares because he divested himself of his voting shares when he was elected treasurer."

KENTUCKY: The New York Times profiles Rand Paul, son of Ron, calling him a "serious challenger in the race to succeed Senator Jim Bunning. Capitalizing on a hearty distrust of government and an anti-Republican-establishment fervor among conservatives, he has used the Internet to raise more than $1.3 million since he began his campaign in August." 

MASSACHUSETTS: The Boston Globe on Sunday endorsed longshot Alan Khazei for the Massachusetts Senate seat: "With high hopes, the Globe endorses Alan Khazei, the prime mover behind national-service policies, as Massachusetts' best chance to produce another great senator."

Michael Dukakis, the former Democratic presidential nominee and governor, endorsed Capuano. 
 
"With only 15 weeks between Kennedy's death in late August and next week's special primary, the compressed election calendar forced the campaigns to quickly cobble together a ground game," the Boston Globe writes. "Each campaign is throwing significant resources into voter-identification efforts because in low-turnout races, the effect of an efficient field organization can be magnified." 
 
NEW YORK: "Mayor Bloomberg's 2009 campaign spending of more than $102 million to win a third term shatters a record previously set by ... Mayor Bloomberg," The New York Daily News reports. That comes out to about $175 per vote.

TEXAS: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, already embroiled in a fierce gubernatorial primary fight with Gov. Rick Perry, said her opponent "talks like a conservative, but governs like a liberal" on a public affairs television show yesterday. "During the TV appearance," the Houston Chronicle says, "the senator criticized the governor for supporting the Wall Street bailout proposed by former President Bush in 2008 -- a financial rescue package she voted for… Hutchison now says she regrets her vote, which she called a "mistake." 

Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said of Hutchison's decision to stay in the Senate through the March primary: "It's better for Texas for her to stay and fight these fights," Cornyn said during his weekly news conference."

From NBC's Chuck Todd
The White House rarely uses its press release list to tout accomplishments, a la like a campaign. But today, the White House is doing just that, touting movements on the Iran and climate issues. BTW, the real test will be when the U.S. pushes for tougher sanctions before the full U.N. Here's a full White House release: (BTW, I'd link to the release but as of this hour, the White House had not POSTED this release, simply sent it out to their press list):

Obama's leadership leads to progress on Iran, climate change

Last week, the President made important progress in showing US leadership and building international consensus on two key priorities – Iran's nuclear program, and global climate change.  

On Iran, the sustained US effort to build international consensus took another step forward, as the IAEA Board of Governors sent a strong and clear message that the international community is united against Iran's continued defiance. On climate change, the President demonstrated America's commitment to global action, while at the same time convinced key countries like China and India to pledge to take mitigation actions to reduce their carbon emissions. This progress is a result of the President's recent trip to Asia, and his policy of global engagement.

Here are some recent articles about both Iran and climate change, in case you missed them:

Diplomats: Iran censured at UN nuclear meeting Associated Press Writer VIENNA (AP) — In a blow to Iran, the board of the U.N. nuclear agency on Friday overwhelmingly backed a demand from the U.S., Russia, China and three other powers that Tehran immediately stop building its newly revealed nuclear facility and freeze uranium enrichment.  /www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iRqjZV1Meppj40hTs8IBOv4DdsQwD9C839PO4> http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iRqjZV1Meppj40hTs8IBOv4DdsQwD9C839PO4

Russia and China Endorse Agency's Rebuke of Iran The New York Times WASHINGTON — The United Nations nuclear watchdog demanded Friday that Iran immediately freeze operations at a once secret uranium enrichment plant, a sharp rebuke that bore added weight because it was endorsed by Russia and China.  /www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/world/28nuke.html> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/world/28nuke.html
 

Russia tells Iran to take IAEA rebuke seriously Reuters MOSCOW, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Russia on Friday called on Iran to treat seriously a resolution from the U.N. nuclear agency rebuking Iran for building a uranium enrichment plant in secret.  /www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSGEE5AQ1IS20091127> http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSGEE5AQ1IS20091127

China's climate pledge raises expectations for Copenhagen summit The Los Angeles Times Reporting from Washington and Beijing - China vowed Thursday to steeply reduce the intensity of its greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, a move that environmentalists and the Obama administration hailed as a major, and perhaps decisive, development toward agreement on a comprehensive climate treaty. The announcement came a day after President Obama unveiled a provisional target to reduce carbon emissions in the United States, and said he would attend climate negotiations in Copenhagen next month. The promises by the two largest emitters of the gases that scientists blame for global warming dramatically raised expectations for the Copenhagen summit. Until this week, many climate activists considered the prospects for the Dec. 7-18 conference bleak.  /www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-china-climate28-2009nov28,0,7804649,full.story> http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-china-climate28-2009nov28,0,7804649,full.story

China sets target for emission cuts
The Washington Post
China announced Thursday that it will lower its carbon emissions relative to the size of its economy by as much as 45 percent by 2020, the official New China News Agency reported, and that Premier Wen Jiabao will participate in international climate negotiations in Copenhagen next month.  The move by the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter to announce a near-term target of a 40 to 45 percent reduction, coming a day after President Obama set U.S. climate goals for the talks, suggests a possible breakthrough in Denmark next month in the long-stalled climate negotiations. But the State Council's announcement that China will cut its carbon output relative to economic growth, using 2005 as a baseline, fell short of the 50 or 55 percent cut many world leaders had hoped Beijing would make.  /www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/26/AR2009112600519_pf.html> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/26/AR2009112600519_pf.html

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
Conservative blogger Erick Erickson warns of side effects that a Republican "purity test" resolution, proposed by RNC Committeeman Jim Bopp, would have on the party's 2010 chances. The test would deny RNC funding to any GOP candidate who disagreed with more than two of the resolution's ten policy positions. Erickson cites the precedent of Dede Scozzafava, a moderate Republican who Erickson said received undue conservative bona fides by signing a no-new-tax pledge from the group Americans for Tax Reform. "Conservatives in the RNC, however well meaning they may be, risk giving liberal candidates easy opportunities to get conservative endorsements simply by checking the box without ever meaning it," Erickson writes.

The New York Times Caucus blog points out this "tiny point" with Erickson's post: "Mr. Erickson kicks off his post with a neat line suggesting that if Rome no longer sells indulgences, why should conservatives? Well, believe it or not, the Vatican has revived its indulgence policies, with bishops explaining that sinners need all the help they can get these days."

FLORIDA: Marco Rubio amps up his conservative creds with a shout-out from Rush Limbaugh, during the talk show host's appearance on a local radio show, according to liberal blog Talking Points Memo. "I like Rubio," said Limbaugh, in a guest appearance on a local Florida radio show. "I've never met him, nor have I met Crist, but I know that there's a sea change brewing and effervescing in this country." Rubio posted the interview clip on his website.

ILLINOIS: Chicago's CBS 2 News reports that State Treasurer and candidate for President Obama's former Senate seat Alexi Giannoulias says he will release copies of his income tax returns today. In question is Giannoulias' share of a $70 million dividend his family took from the Broadway Bank it owns."Heavily involved in real estate loans, it's now ranked as one of the weakest financial institutions in the state of Illinois." When asked by CBS 2 about his role at the bank, Giannoulias said, "When I left the bank, it was a well-capitalized financial institution. That was four years ago. And I think at the end of the day, people want to hear what I've done as state treasurer."

MISSOURI: "Add another candidate to the bulging roster of Republican candidates running for the southwestern Missouri district Rep. Roy Blunt (R) is leaving open to run for the Senate," CQ Politics reports. "Michael Wardell, a businessman and retired Marine, has filed candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to formally organize a campaign in Missouri's 7th district, which includes Springfield and Joplin." Blunt's 7th District, where 63% of voters supported John McCain in the 2008 election, will "surely" remain Republican, according to CQ.

PENNSYLVANIA: Sarah Palin continues to factor in 2010 races for both Democrats and Republicans, most recently in a new web ad from Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak, The Hill reports. The ad "Going Rogue's Missing Chapter," features images of then-Republican Specter standing with Palin at McCain rallies interspersed with text reading: "He campaigned for me" and "he still believes in me."

From NBC's Susan Kroll
Special envoy for Mideast peace George Mitchell told reporters today that the Israelis' announcment to limit settlement construction for 10 months to try to revive peace negotiations with the Palestinians could mark a step toward restarting peace talks.

"It falls short of a full settlement freeze, but it is more than any Israeli government has done before and can help movement toward agreement between the parties," Mitchell said. "We believe the steps announced by the prime minister are significant and could have substantial impact on the ground."

Mitchel said, "For the first time ever an Israeli government will stop housing approvals and all new construction of housing units and related infrastructure in West Bank settlements. That's a positive development."
    
Mitchell said he would return to the Mideast "in the near future".

From NBC's Athena Jones
It was a festive atmosphere on the White House North Portico on Wednesday morning for the president's annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon.

Despite the drizzle, dozens of press joined dozens of guests and White House staffers to witness President Obama pardon a 45-pound turkey dubbed Courage, from Goldsboro, NC. Courage will soon head to Dulles Airport for a flight to California where he will be the grand marshal of tomorrow's Thanksgiving Day Parade at Disneyland.

"You know, there are certain days that remind me of why I ran for this office and then there are moments like this where I pardon a turkey and send it to Disneyland," the president said to laughter.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL VIDEO OF OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL TURKEY PARDON TODAY.

Here's a short preview:

"When President Lincoln set aside the National Day of Thanksgiving for the first time -- to celebrate America's 'fruitful fields,' 'healthful skies,' and the 'strength and vigor' of the American people -- it was in the midst of the Civil War, just when the future of our very union was most in doubt," Obama said.

"So think about that," he continued. "When times were darkest, President Lincoln understood that our American blessings shined brighter than ever. This is an era of new perils and new hardships. But we are, as ever, a people of endless compassion, boundless ingenuity, limitless strength."

Obama said he was thankful for the responsibility the American people have placed in him and wished a Happy Thanksgiving to every American and to to every service member at home or in harm's way.

Full of jokes, at one point the president said he and his family had "saved or created four turkeys" by pardoning Courage and an alternate turkey called Carolina and by donating two others to Martha's Table, an organization that helps the needy in Washington. The joke was a reference to the administration's promise that the $787 billion stimulus package would "save or create" millions of jobs.

The First Family will celebrate the holiday weekend here in Washington, DC, with the official White House Christmas Tree to be delivered on Friday, an 18-and-a-half foot Douglas fir from Shepherdstown, WV. It will arrive on the traditional horse-drawn carriage to the North Portico and will be on display in the Blue Room throughout the holiday season, according to the White House.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
I know, we at First Read are "off" today, but with the president about to pardon a turkey (11:35 am ET), we thought we'd shed some light on the history of presidential turkey pardons. It's actually not as long a history as you might think.

President Harry Truman is often cited, incorrectly, as the first president to pardon a Thanksgiving turkey. (Just Google first president to pardon a turkey and see how many wiki Truman answers you get.)

Adding to the confusion, President Bill Clinton claimed on Nov. 26, 1997 at his pardoning ceremony: "President Truman was the first President to pardon a turkey."

But the Truman Library wrote in 2003: "The Library's staff has found no documents, speeches, newspaper clippings, photographs, or other contemporary records in our holdings which refer to Truman pardoning a turkey that he received as a gift in 1947, or at any other time during his Presidency."

In fact, "Truman sometimes indicated to reporters that the turkeys he received were destined for the family dinner table," the library wrote.

It appears that Abraham Lincoln, in a way, was the first to spare a turkey. But it wasn't a Thanksgiving turkey. It was a Christmas turkey his son had taken for a pet.

Clinton in that same speech: "[T]he tradition actually began 83 years earlier when President Lincoln received a turkey for Christmas holiday. His son, Tad, grew so attached to the turkey that he named him 'Jack,' and President Lincoln had no choice but to give Jack the full run of the White House."

President George W. Bush made reference to the same story in his pardoning ceremony in 2001.

So which president was the first to actually pardon a Thanksgiving turkey?

It appears it was John F. Kennedy in 1963. An NBC archive search found a Los Angeles Times article dated Nov. 20, 1963 with the headline, "Turkey gets presidential pardon."

And that turkey was a monster. The paper described it as a "55-pound broad white tom."

Despite a sign hanging around the bird's neck that read "Good eating, Mr. President," Kennedy took a look down at the "frightened, panting bird" and said, "We'll just let this one grow."
 
By the way, if you were a pardoned what would you do next? The one Obama is pardoning is going to Disneyland. Seriously. Following the presidential pardon, the turkey (and an alternate) will fly first class to Disneyland where they will live at the "Happiest Place on  Earth." (Again, not kidding.) That happens at 2:15 pm ET at Dulles.

NBC's Donna Mendell contributed to this report.

As we've mentioned, we'll be taking a break -- beginning tomorrow -- for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. We'll return bright and early Monday, although we'll update the blog as news warrants.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
COLORADO: Local pollster and analyst Floyd Ciruli tells Human Events that the state's Republican Party "has unified at a very early stage" of the 2010 campaigns. Two GOP gubernatorial contendors, Josh Penry and Tom Tancredo, declined to run and have endorsed former Rep. Scott McInnis. And yesterday, the state party unveiled "a conservative set of principles aimed at boosting the party's prospects in 2010 just as the Contract with America did for House Republicans in 1994." 
 
CONNECTICUT: Connecticut's musical chairs game continues, the Hartford Courant says. The latest to switch races is Sam Caligiuri, who was until this afternoon running for the Republican Senate nomination. He'll now be campaigning for the state's 5th Congressional seat. In a statement, Caligiuri wrote: "I have been joined in that race by other Republican candidates for whom I have come to have a great deal of respect, and who I have concluded are in a better position than I am to defeat Senator Dodd." 
 
According to Chris Cilizza, another Connecticut Republican running for the Senate -- former Ambassador Tom Foley -- issued a statement "making clear" that he may switch from the Senate to the gubernatorial race. "I have had a number of conversations with people who are encouraging me to consider running for Governor because they believe I could better serve Connecticut today as Governor than as a Senator," he said, adding that he will make an announcement on his plans next week." 
 
KENTUCKY: Having "cleared the $2 million fundraising marker," Attorney General Jack Conway holds more than a two to one cash advantage over his primary opponent, Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo, Conway's camp announced today.

***UPDATE*** The press release linked to above was originally published on October 15th. The following week, on October 26th, campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show that while Conway leads Mongiardo overall, with a total net amount of $546,241 to Mongiardo's $514,404, Mongiardo raised almost $83,000 more from Kentucky contributors than Conway. Citing his "strength among grassroots primary voters," Mongiardo spokesman Kim Geveden said Mongiardo has also raised almost four times as much as Conway from small dollar contributors, who give less than $200.