USA Today: “After hosting three White House immigration meetings in as many weeks, Obama is scheduled to speak today in the border city of El Paso about the fate of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. The Hispanic community has been waiting more than two years for the effort, since immigration reform was a campaign promise that helped Obama garner 67% of the Hispanic vote in the 2008 election. The president pushed last year for the DREAM Act, which would have allowed some children of illegal immigrants to become legal residents, but the bill died in the Senate.”

“‘There were high expectations raised in the Latino community and, right now, it doesn't appear those expectations are being met,’ said Janet Murguia, president of the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil rights group, who attended one of the White House meetings.”

The AP reminds us that this is the president’s first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border since becoming president. “The president's speech in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, and his visit to a border crossing there, are the latest high-profile immigration events by Obama, who has also hosted meetings at the White House recently with Latino lawmakers, movie stars and others. It all comes despite an unfavorable climate on Capitol Hill, where Republicans who control the House have shown no interest in legislation that offers a pathway to citizenship for the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants.”

Here’s our take on the new NBC poll: “In the days after Barack Obama ordered the successful mission to kill Osama bin Laden, the president’s approval rating on foreign policy issues reached an all-time high, even as public opinion regarding his handling of the economy sunk to the lowest point of his administration, according to a new NBC News poll. The survey shows a mixed picture for Obama, whose overall job-approval rating was bumped higher by a modest three points after the al-Qaida leader’s death was announced late Sunday.”

“House Speaker John A. Boehner defined the GOP’s terms for raising the legal limit on government borrowing Monday, demanding that President Obama reduce spending by more than $2 trillion in exchange for an increase big enough to cover the nation’s bills through the end of next year,” the Washington Post says. “The extent of Boehner’s demands was unclear. Aides declined to say over what period the cuts would have to take effect, saying only that they could be achieved on a time frame longer than the life of the debt-limit increase.”

CAIN: Herman Cain has been waging “a ceaseless ground attack” for months, but his performance in Thursday’s Republican debate in South Carolina earned him loud plaudits, the Wall Street Journal writes. “Long-shot presidential candidates seek one thing in the early stages of a campaign: Traction. Mr. Cain may have just won that.” 

DANIELS: Influential Iowa social conservative Bob Vander Plaats praised Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels for deciding to sign a bill ending taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood in his state, saying it ended Daniels’ so-called “truce” on social issues. “Actions speak louder than words,” Vander Plaats said accourding to Real Clear Politics.   

GINGRICH: While Newt Gingrich is planning to formally announce his run for the presidency on Wednesday on Facebook and Twitter, the Boston Globe writes, “that seems sure to be anticlimactic given that his staff is forecasting the news nearly 48 hours in advance.”

The New York Times profiles his wife, Callista. “Today, Ms. Bisek is Mrs. Gingrich, married for 11 years, but perhaps best remembered for the six-year affair that contributed to her husband’s political downfall. His critics cast Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker, as a hypocrite who sought to impeach a president over infidelity while engaging in it himself with Ms. Bisek, who was a Congressional aide. Yet in a curious tale of Washington reinvention, the onetime congressman from Georgia is counting on the third Mrs. Gingrich for his political redemption.”

Gingrich is unapologetic about his past advocacy for addressing climate change, Politico writes. Unlike Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has called his work on climate change a “mistake,” Gingrich is embracing his beliefs towards climate change, even though he has criticized the Obama administration for pursuing cap-and-trade legislation and called for the replacement of the EPA.

HUNTSMAN: Jon Huntsman’s decision to visit a nondenominational church, rather than one of the six Mormon churches in the Charleston, S.C. area this weekend raised questions over whether Huntsman is distancing himself from his Mormon religion in order to avoid scrutiny, the St. Louis Tribune writes. But Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Huntsman’s former chief of staff, told the Tribune that Huntsman always “felt it imperative to reach out” to other faiths.  

Conservative blogger Erick Erickson condemned Huntsman on his blog Red State, saying he would never support Huntsman for the Republican nomination because his presidential ambitions were well reported on while he was still serving as the American ambassador to China: " From a level of patriotism and pride in my country, regardless of politics and Presidents, I cannot tolerate a man serving as our ambassador to our chief strategic adversary in the world plotting, while in that capacity, to run against the President of the United States. It is unseemly and disgusting,” Erickson wrote.

A Huntsman staffer then wrote an email to Politico’s Ben Smith, saying it was  “ironic that someone who suggested sending President Obama to the death panel is calling someone else disloyal to the President,” and suggesting that Erickson judge Huntsman by his record as governor of Utah.

The feud continued as Erickson responded, “Jon Huntsman’s record as Governor is irrelevant compared to his judgment that it is perfectly okay to plot a campaign for the Presidency against the incumbent President of the United States while serving as that President’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.”

The take from conservative writer Matt Lewis: “Part of Erickson’s criticism seems to be that Huntsman is…ambitious. Name me a politician who isn’t. Political ambitions can be unseemly without being unpatriotic. Regardless, the notion that Huntsman’s political considerations might have compromised or overshadowed his service in China doesn’t jibe with media reports.”

PAUL: Ron Paul’s primary run could benefit from the preponderance of libertarians who have migrated to New Hampshire over the past few years and have formed a movement called the “Free State Project,” National Journal writes.

ROMNEY: The socioeconomic divide among Republican voters is put in deep relief in a new Gallup poll, in which Mitt Romney outpolls his potential rivals among people who earn more than $90,000 a year, and college gradates (21% each) and Sarah Palin leads the Republican pack among people who earn less than $24,000 a year (22%), USA Todays writes.

From NBC's Luke Russert and Carrie Dann
House Speaker John Boehner is expected on Monday to link an increase in the nation’s debt limit to “trillions” of dollars in spending cuts, raising the stakes in the congressional budget battle and potentially teeing up a series of tough votes for lawmakers heading into the 2012 election cycle.

Boehner will call for spending cuts at least as deep as the increase in the nation’s debt limit during his remarks to the Economic Club of New York City Monday night, according to excerpts provided to NBC News.

"Without significant spending cuts and reforms to reduce our debt, there will be no debt limit increase,” Boehner is expected to say. “And the cuts should be greater than the accompanying increase in debt authority the president is given.”

The debt limit -- the amount the U.S. government can borrow --  is set to expire on August 2^nd, and Congress must pass an increase to prevent the nation from risking default.

In his remarks, Boehner will say that, while default would be irresponsible, “it would be more irresponsible to raise the debt ceiling without simultaneously taking dramatic steps to reduce spending and reform the budget process.”

During the last budget fight, House Republicans pushed negotiations with the White House nearly to the point of a federal shutdown but ultimately secured about $39 billion dollars in cuts.

But this time, by “significant” cuts, Boehner means “trillions.”

“We should be talking about cuts of trillions, not just billions,” he will say. “They should be actual cuts and program reforms, not broad deficit or debt targets that punt the tough questions to the future. And with the exception of tax hikes -- which will destroy jobs -- everything is on the table.”

That includes "honest conversations" about Medicare. Boehner will say that the health program for seniors -- often described as a political third rail treasured by the nation’s most dependable voter bloc - should be on the table for saving the country money.

"We all know, with millions of Baby Boomers beginning to retire, the status quo is unsustainable," Boehner will say. "If we don't act boldly now, the markets will act for us very soon.”

(At a press event last week, House Budget Committee chief Paul Ryan conceded that a major overhaul of Medicare is unlikely in the short term, although he hopes to start making changes to the program. "We're not under any delusion that we're going to get some grand slam agreement," on Medicare between the White House and congressional Republicans, Ryan said, adding that he hopes for a "single or a double.")

Boehner’s comments present a harsh new ultimatum for President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats. To agree to raise the debt limit and avoid roiling markets, Boehner will demand a high level of spending cuts, and compromise will not come easy.

Last week Majority Leader Eric Cantor that said both sides had a “clear sense of direction” to find “common ground” on the issue. But it’s difficult to see Senate Democrats agreeing to trillions in cuts and that begs a question of where exactly the “common ground” will be.

The new marker also means that the budget fight is unlikely to be over quickly.

If spending cuts really do need to equal increases in the debt limit, it is practically impossible to raise the debt limit significantly, setting up a series of similar fights when the limit is inevitably reached months down the line.

That means members of Congress could be forced to take many politically difficult votes heading into November 2012.

 NBC's Shawna Thomas contributed.

Inside a Madison courtroom Monday morning, a Dane County judge gave Waukesha county until May 26 -- a 2 1/2 week extension -- to conclude its recount in the race for State Supreme Court between conservative incumbent David Prosser and liberal challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg.

Judge Richard Niess approved the extension, requested by Wisconsin Government Accountability Board attorneys, to finish counting the roughly 83,000 votes yet to be tabulated. The original deadline -- and still the deadline for the other 71 counties -- is set to expire later this evening.
 
Waukesha is the origin of the recount controversy. After it appeared Kloppenburg finished ahead of Prosser in the April 5 election by a slim 204 vote margin, Waukesha County Clerk Kath Nickolaus announced she omitted votes from Brookfield in her initial tally.
 
The Brookfield votes swung the election in Prosser's favor, giving him an unofficial victory by 7,316 votes. Kloppenburg then asked for a recount. While Nickolaus -- a Republican -- recused herself from the recount process, Kloppenburg’s attorneys alleged problems in Waukesha continue and those problems are responsible for slowing the pace of the recount. Waukesha County Corporation Counsel told the court this morning that more than 400 exhibits have been marked. 
 
Accountability Board spokesman Reid Magney told NBC News that there will be a conference call this Friday to update Waukesha's progress towards completing its recount. So far, the board has certified the results from 60 of the 72 counties, and it expects to certify the other outstanding 11 counties -- excluding Waukesha -- by the end of the day.

U.S. officials tell NBC News that Pakistani officials are prepared to grant Washington's request and give U.S. intelligence officials access to Osama bin Laden's three wives -- or at the very least share the information gathered in the Pakistani's interrogations.  According to the officials, an announcement of Pakistan's decision is expected soon, not necessarily today.

The officials also confirm Prime Minister Gilani's claim before the Pakistani parliament today that ISI, the Pakistani intelligence agency, provided the United States information that ultimately led to Osama Bin Laden. The officials say, however, the tips from ISI came "very early in the process," and helped track down Bin Laden's trusted courier. But the officials emphasize that ISI nor anyone else in the Pakistani government gave the U.S. any information that bin Laden was holed up in a compound in Abbotabad.

In his interview on "60 Minutes," President Obama admitted he didn't lose any sleep over the possibility of taking out Osama bin Laden.

"Justice was done," Obama said. "And I think that anyone who would question that the perpetrator of mass murder on American soil didn't deserve what he got needs to have their head examined.”

It appears most of the American public agrees with him -- at least the part about taking out bin Laden.

According to a new NBC poll, 80 percent of Americans said it was the right decision to kill the al Qaeda leader versus capture him. Eleven percent said was the wrong decision, and 9 percent were not sure.

The NBC poll -- which will be released in full tonight at 6:30 pm ET -- was conducted May 5-7 of 800 adults (100 reached by cell phone), and it has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.5 percentage points.

Newt Gingrich will officially announce Wednesday he will seek the Republican nomination for president, Gingrich's spokesman confirmed to NBC News.

The former House speaker will make the official announcement via social networks Facebook and Twitter. His first television interview will be later that night on Hannity on FOX. There, he will lay out his rationale for running, according to spokesman Rick Tyler.

Gingrich will make his first speech as a presidential candidate Friday at the Georgia GOP convention. And then heads to Eureka, Ill., Ronald Reagan's hometown, where he delivers the commencement speech at Eureka College (Ronald Reagan's alma mater). And next week, Gingrich will be traveling in Iowa.

Gingrich, a former congressman from Georgia, will base his campaign in Georgia.

As we wrote this morning, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was expected to be jumping into the presidential race sometime this week. At a news conference in March, Gingrich announced the formation of a fundraising website but stopped short of establishing a formal presidential exploratory committee.

In a recent national poll from Quinnipiac, Gingrich won the support of five percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters.

Obama’s last seven days represent his best week since his inauguration… But two important reality checks: 1) the national average for gasoline has reached $4 a gallon, and 2) the 2012 election is nearly 550 days away… Obama’s “60 Minutes” appearance… Boehner’s economic speech in NYC… Watching Newt and Daniels this week… On Huntsman’s weekend speech in South Carolina… Can Romney downplay IA and SC?... Dems get their Chris Coons in IN.

*** Obama’s last seven days: President Obama’s last seven days represent his best week -- politically -- since his inauguration. It started with the news last Sunday of Osama bin Laden’s death, and it ended with last night’s “60 Minutes” interview. In between, there was the best monthly private-sector jobs gain in years, as well as Thursday’s GOP presidential debate that was dominated by candidates who are unlikely to win the Republican nomination, a contrast that Plouffe and Axelrod couldn't have planned better. So it was a great week for Team Obama, but there are two reality checks: 1) the national average for gasoline has now reached $4 a gallon, and 2) the 2012 presidential election is nearly 550 days away.  

*** Poll day! How have the past seven days impacted Obama’s political standing? Be sure to watch “Nightly News” beginning at 6:30 pm ET, or click on to MSNBC.com, for the results from NBC’s brand-new poll in the aftermath of bin Laden’s death. Here are two sets of numbers we’re releasing before tonight. One, a whopping 72% said Pakistani leaders knew that Osama bin Laden was hiding in their country and deliberatively withheld that information from the U.S; just 13% said these leaders didn’t know where bin Laden was. And two, nearly two-thirds of Americans back Obama's decision not to release the photos taken after bin Laden's death -- 52% said they strongly believe the Obama administration should not release the photos, and an additional 12% agreed, although not as strongly. But what about the president's political standing now vs. last week, and what role are gas prices and the economy playing? Tune in.

*** Obama on “60 Minutes”: On “60 Minutes” last night, Obama discussed the past seven days for him. (“Well, it was certainly one of the most satisfying weeks not only for my presidency but I think for the United States since I've been president.”) He talked about his most difficult decision. (“The most difficult part is always the fact that you're sending guys into harm's way. And there are a lot of things that could go wrong.”) He noted how few knew about the operation. (“The vast majority of my most senior aides did not know that we were doing this.”) He observed what the mood was like in the Situation Room. (“It was the longest 40 minutes of my life with the possible exception of when Sasha got meningitis when she was three months old.”) And the interview concluded with this quote: “The one thing I didn't lose sleep over was the possibility of taking bin Laden out. Justice was done. And I think that anyone who would question that the perpetrator of mass murder on American soil didn't deserve what he got needs to have their head examined.”

*** Boehner’s economic speech:  In New York at 7:00 pm ET, House Speaker John Boehner delivers a speech to the New York City Economic Club. Expect him to outline what the GOP is hoping for in the legislative battle over raising the debt ceiling, NBC’s Luke Russert notes. What will or won't he say about Paul Ryan's Medicare plan?

*** Watching Newt and Daniels: Turning to the still-developing GOP presidential race, we could get news from two Republicans this week. First, Newt Gingrich is expected to get into the race before Friday. And second, we could learn if Mitch Daniels is getting in; Daniels and his wife speak at the Indiana GOP spring dinner on Thursday. It's the experience Mrs. Daniels has on the campaign trail that might be the single most important political development in the Republican Party this year.

*** Huntsman’s speech in South Carolina: Meanwhile, another Republican who increasingly looks like he’ll be running for president -- former Utah Gov. and Ambassador Jon Huntsman -- delivered the commencement address at the University of South Carolina. Per his remarks, he struck an optimistic tone, which is different from what other Republicans are saying. The question is whether this is the kind of message GOP primary voters want to hear. “I know there are many in China who think their time has come, that America's best days are over,” he said. “But these people aren't seeing things from my earlier vantage point of 10,000 miles away. The way I saw it from overseas, America's passion remains as strong today as ever. Hold on to that sense of optimism.” Huntsman also said this about his service in the Obama administration: “Give back. As much as you’re able. Work to keep America great. Serve her, if asked. I was, by a president of a different political party.” Quick question: After bin Laden’s death, does Huntsman -- with his foreign policy experience -- get a stronger look from Republicans if he gets in?

*** Can Romney downplay both IA and SC? Speaking of South Carolina, Politico’s Ben Smith wrote over the weekend that Team Romney might keep the Palmetto State at arm’s length in 2012, due to concerns about Romney’s Mormon faith. “‘People will have to reluctantly admit that the Mormon issue was a bigger problem last time around than people would want to acknowledge,’ said Warren Tompkins, Romney’s key consultant here in 2008 who is not working for him this cycle. ‘A large part of [Gov. Mike] Huckabee’s success came at the expense of Gov. Romney being Mormon.’” Can the front-runner Romney effectively downplay both Iowa and South Carolina? The consequence of Romney not winning both contests – and eyeing New Hampshire and Florida instead – probably guarantees that if he wins the GOP nomination, it will be after a LONG and potentially BLOODY primary season. And that's if Romney does well in New Hampshire. This strategy puts a premium on New Hampshire for Romney, a state that LOVES to reject front-runners and the Conventional Wisdom. Is Romney really going to end up skipping or, better, SKIMPING, on Iowa and South Carolina? Or is this all just a mini-2011 ploy? Who bets Romney plays in both states rather competitively once all is said and done?

*** Ain’t too proud to beg (to get Christie into the field): Don't miss this AP story: "Some of Iowa's top Republican campaign contributors, unhappy with their choices in the developing presidential field, are venturing to New Jersey in hopes they can persuade first-term Gov. Chris Christie to run. The entreaty is the latest sign of dissatisfaction within the GOP over the crop of candidates competing for the chance to run against President Barack Obama in 2012. Bruce Rastetter, an Iowa energy company executive, and a half-dozen other prominent Iowa GOP donors sought the meeting with Christie, the governor's chief political adviser, Mike DuHaime, told The Associated Press. The get-together is set for the governor's mansion in Princeton, N.J., on May 31."

*** Dems get their Chris Coons in Indiana: For the last few months, Democrats have told us that, for the Senate contests in Indiana and Maine, they’re looking for the next Chris Coons -- a Democratic candidate who could win if the Tea Party ends up taking down the establishment Republican. Well, in Indiana, Democrats seem to have their man: Indiana Congressman Joe Donnelly, who is expected to announce his candidacy today. Though Democrats will be the underdog in this race, they’re hoping a tough GOP primary between incumbent Sen. Dick Lugar and state Treasurer Richard Mourdock gives Donnelly a shot in 2012. A big reason why Donnelly is running: “Republican state lawmakers approved new congressional district maps that make his South Bend-based 2nd District much tougher territory for Democrats,” the Evansville Courier & Press says.  

Countdown to NY-26 special election: 15 days
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 95 days
Countdown to NV-2 special election: 127 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 183 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 273 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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From President Obama’s interview on “60 Minutes,” The Hill leads with Obama saying there was a support network in Pakistan for bin Laden.

The Washington Post's summary of the interview: “President Obama faced sharply divided counsel and, to his mind, barely better-than-even odds of success when he ordered the commando raid last week that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the president said in an interview broadcast Sunday. Obama acknowledged having only circumstantial evidence placing bin Laden at the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. There was not a single photograph or confirmed sighting of the man, he said, and he worried that the Navy SEALs would find only a ‘prince from Dubai’ instead of the terrorist leader responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.”

Here’s the full interview transcript with President Obama on “60 Minutes.”

CNBC's John Harwood tries to answer this question in his weekly New York Times column: What difference does past week make to President Obama? "The short answer, Obama advisers and outside analysts in both parties say, is that it makes some difference, but not a dramatic one. In distinct if subtle ways, it alters calculations by the White House and its partisan adversaries concerning his foreign policy goals, domestic agenda and prospects for re-election. 'You have to take the security, personal and economic things in different buckets,' said John Podesta, who managed Mr. Obama’s transition to the White House and served as chief of staff for President Bill Clinton."

The Hill points out: “[I]n several key 2012 battleground states, where economic progress will likely be critical to Obama's reelection hopes, the unemployment rate remains above the national average.”

“Former Vice President Dick Cheney said that he would reinstate the practice of waterboarding if he were president,” The Hill reports. “In the wake of last week's killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, Cheney said he would advocate lifting President Obama's ban on the enhanced interrogation tactic, which critics say is torture.  ‘I certainly would advocate it; I'd be a strong supporter of it,’ Cheney said of the use of waterboarding on ‘Fox News Sunday.’”

Just a reminder, as NBC’s Michael Isikoff reported last week: “[D]etails suggest that the most aggressive “enhanced interrogation” techniques -- including waterboarding, against other detainees, particularly 9/11 mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohammed – proved useless in learning the identity of the bin Laden  courier.”

The New York Daily News: “A parade of former Bush administration officials went on the Sunday political shows to talk up waterboarding and claim a measure of credit for bagging Osama Bin Laden.”

Vice President Biden’s budget group meets again tomorrow. By the way, the Treasury Department says the federal government will hit the debt ceiling one week from today.

The reluctance of high-dollar donors and fundraisers to give their money to any of the current 2012 contenders has resulted in a “chicken-egg dynamic that is delaying the party’s urgent need to begin raising money to defeat an incumbent president whose fund-raising goals are as high as $1 billion,” the Sunday New York Times writes. “Potential candidates have been slow to get into the race without the assurance that they can raise the money necessary for a credible campaign, while donors are waiting to see how the field develops before making decisions.”

“Tea party activists have long criticized President Barack Obama’s jobs agenda, and in doing so, they may have inadvertently created one of their own,” Roll Call writes with a headline of “The Tea Party: Turning Pro.” “Several tea party leaders have found paid jobs for themselves in the movement as it evolves from an amateur grass-roots wave into a professional lobby.” The leaders of Tea Party Patriots, Express and Nation all take money from their organizations now. They include two lawyers, a former housekeeper/Home Depot worker, and flight attendant.

BACHMANN: Bloomberg profiles Bachmann and notes that despite her calls for smaller government, she wants to build a $633 million bridge in her district. (First Read reported on the bridge back in March.)

Bachmann participated in the annual Tax Cut Rally, Minnesota’s largest conservative gathering, at the State Capitol on Saturday, the Pioneer Press reports. “Just before the rally's speakers took the stage, a small plane towing a banner that read ‘Ron Paul Revolution’ flew overhead,” the Press notes.

CAIN: Herman Cain’s campaign released a statement on Friday indicating that he would hold a rally on May 21 to announce his decision on running for president, and when asked about his intentions by a conservative blogger, Cain asked, “Do you think I'm going to be making a big deal out of this to announce that I'm not going to run?” according to CNN.

CHRISTIE: A group of Iowa Republican donors requested a meeting, set for May 31, with Chris Christie to try to persuade him to run for president, the AP reports.

Christie will also meet with Jon Huntsman this coming week, The State Column reports.

DANIELS: Mitch Daniels greeted President Obama when he came to visit Indianapolis on Friday, the Muncie Star Press reports. The two talked for more than five minutes as crowds looked on – mainly, the governor’s office said, about basketball.

“A Daniels candidacy probably would be taken as a sign that the games are over for the Republican Party, that it is time to buckle down and organize to beat President Obama,” the Washington Post’s Cillizza writes. But a field without Daniels “would mean a race that remained in considerable flux as candidates considered sideshows at best (Donald Trump, anyone?) dominated headlines and complicated GOP efforts to convince the public that the party can present a credible alternative to Obama.”

GINGRICH: Newt Gingrich’s vast organizational reach – through nonprofits, advocacy groups, Latino news group and even a production company – “His network has amassed more than 1.7 million voter and donor contacts and raised $32 million between 2009 and 2010—more than all his potential 2012 rivals combined,” the Wall Street Journal writes. “Far less clear is whether these efforts, and the extent of his organizational infrastructure, will be enough to put him out front, should Mr. Gingrich decide to seek the presidential nomination.”

HUNTSMAN: In a commencement speech Saturday at the University of South Carolina, Jon Huntsman seemed to sneak in a defense of his work for the Obama while encouraging the graduates he spoke to. “Work to keep America great,” Hunstman said, according to Bloomberg. “Serve her, if asked. I was, by a president of a different political party. But in the end, while we might not all be of one party, we are all part of one nation.” Huntsman also told Bloomberg he would not consider self-funding a presidential campaign. “Unless you can raise it legitimately, you don’t win. I learned that running for governor,” he said.

AP: “In a high-profile speech to the University of South Carolina, the former Utah governor said patriotism should trump partisanship and defended his two years in Beijing as the Democratic administration's top diplomat. Said Huntsman: "Work to keep America great. Serve her if asked. I was — by a president of a different political party. But in the end, while we might not all be of one party, we are all part of one nation — a nation that needs your generational gift, energy and confidence," he told graduates, “pitching himself as an above-politics figure and appealing to voters who have grown weary of political bickering.”

“Huntsman, dressed in the university’s garnet robe, didn’t use the opportunity to set up any presidential buzz, although he did toss out a few lines about the country’s optimistic future that, should he run, are likely to show up in campaign stump speeches,” the Salt Lake Tribune writes.

After meeting with South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Friday, Jon Huntsman told reporters that “things are moving pretty quickly” with regard to his decision-making process over whether to run for president, the Washington Post writes. He also said that Americans are looking for “a new set of eyeballs” in politics.

PAWLENTY: Tim Pawlenty will speak at the 100^th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth celebration in Johnson County, IA, on May 13, the Des Moines Register reports.

ROMNEY: According to the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody, Mitt Romney will speak at the Faith and Freedom Conference and Strategy Briefing on June 3 in DC. “This will be the first time during the 2012 presidential cycle that Romney will speak in front of a predominantly conservative Christian audience. This is a BIG event,” Brody writes.

SANTORUM: Santorum not only participated in the South Carolina GOP’s presidential debate on Thursday but also its dinner forum Friday night. “If Rick Santorum has proven anything this week, it's that he cares about South Carolina,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes of the former Pennsylvania senator. At the dinner, Santorum, the only presidential candidate at the event, had Republican honchos including Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Lindsey Graham “all to himself.” That South Carolina spotlight may have contributed to Santorum’s victory in the dinner’s straw poll that night. He won 150 out of 408 votes, according to Reuters. Mitt Romney came in second with 61 votes, followed by Herman Cain with 44 votes.

“House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi made her first trip to Iraq in two years this weekend, following closely on the heels of a visit by Speaker John Boehner,” Roll Call writes.

And right after Pelosi arrived, so did Sen. John McCain, which he Tweeted about.

“After years of resisting proposed increases for military men and women, budget-conscious lawmakers are suddenly poised to make them pay a bit more for their health care, though not on the terms proposed by President Obama,” AP writes.

“Sen. Scott Brown on Saturday gave credit to President Barack Obama for the killing last Sunday of Osama bin Laden, but he suggested that Obama was simply completing a task that President George W. Bush had prepared for him,” Roll Call writes. Said Brown, "This was the pledge of President George W. Bush in the days after 9/11, and he kept it in seven years of relentless, decisive action against the al-Qaida network. In the case of bin Laden, it fell to President Obama to give the final order. He did so calmly, swiftly and decisively. It was a fine moment for our commander-in-chief and for our country."

FLORIDA: Roll Call looks at the GOP Senate primary there to challenge incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D).

Is Allen West starting to care more about reelection than ideology?

INDIANA: Rep. Joe Donnelly’s (D) getting in the race for Indiana Senate. Democrats are hoping that long-time Sen. Richard Lugar loses or is badly damaged in a Tea Party primary.

IOWA: To commemorate 100 years of the presence of a cow sculpted out of butter – also known as the “butter cow” – at the Iowa state fair, attendees this year will have the chance to paint a limited number of concrete cows, the AP reports.

MICHIGAN: Roll Call notes how the GOP is still searching for a candidate to challenge potentially vulnerable Debbie Stabenow (D).

SOUTH CAROLINA: Businessman and motivational speaker Chad Connelly was elected the state’s new Republican Party chairman on Saturday, The State reports. Connelly’s biggest responsibility will be to raise money to host the election – Gov. Nikki Haley has opposed the $1 million the state House included in its budget for the primary, and could veto the money. “State and federal filings show the [South Carolina GOP] had less than $92,000 on hand at the end of March. Most of that is in the party’s state operations account, which covers day-to-day expenses. The party burned through $143,762 during the first quarter in that account,” the AP writes.

The latest NBC News poll finds that nearly two-thirds of Americans back President Obama's decision not to release the photos taken after Osama bin Laden's death.

Fifty-two percent said they strongly believe the Obama administration should not release the photos, and an additional 12 percent agreed, although not as strongly.

By comparison, 24 percent said they strongly believe the photos should be released, and 5 percent more agreed not so strongly.

On Wednesday, the Obama administration announced it would not be releasing the photos, even though some politicians claimed they were needed to prove to the public and world that bin Laden was dead. However, on Friday, al Qaeda confirmed that bin Laden was killed.

The survey -- which will be released in full Monday night -- was conducted by Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart and Republican pollster Bill McInturff, and it was taken of 800 adults (100 reached by cell phone) from May 5 through May 7. It has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.5 percentage points.

The consensus in the conservative blogosphere is Tim Pawlenty distinguished himself from the other candidates as the clear winner of last night's GOP presidential primary debate in Greenville, SC. Still, some were unhappy that Republicans didn't tee up President Obama's economic policies more.

As First Read reported earlier this morning, just 5 1/2 of the 90-minutes were devoted to jobs and the economy.

BigGovernment's Jason Bradley said it all with his headline: "Talk About the Economy, Stupids." Bradley lamented this morning the five debaters -- aside from lacking the ability to go all the way -- fell into the trap of having foreign policy used against them instead of hounding after the economy, what he calls Obama's "kryptonite."

Bradley writes:

There are plenty of past and current decisions in which to choose from that shows President Obama’s lack of strategic insight. More importantly, they must not allow it to prevent them from discussing the real issue in America and for Americans. The Republicans may not have a trophy such as OBL but they do hold kryptonite and it’s called the economy.

Bradley's recourse is highlighting the "rising debt and sinking deficits" to go to bat against the president. And he cites a case study, too. Bradley argues Bill Clinton shifted the focus to personal interests to topple George H.W. Bush in 1992 whose personal approval rating reached 89 percent after sending Saddam Hussein's forces back to Baghdad.

But most other blogs concede, if they had to pick a winner it was the former Minnesota governor.

Hot Air's Jazz Shaw said that, despite lacking "any highlight reel sizzle," Pawlenty turned in a solid, smart performance.

While he wondered if Pawlenty's decision to show up would hurt him in the long run, Townhall.com's Guy Benson writes "Team Pawlenty will not regret their decision to show up and play."

Benson continues:

Pawlenty shone, especially in the program's opening minutes. He came across as serious, relatively polished, and credible. He also seemed to be the target of some of the toughest questions of the evening, and handled them fairly well -- though he dodged a bit on evolution/creationism in schools. Given the opportunity to attack Mitt Romney over healthcare, he demurred. If I had to pick a winner tonight, it would be Tim Pawlenty.

Red State's Erick Erickson wrote Pawlenty "proved he is Presidential material" but was only able to do so because of the general weakness of the other candidates, saying "the one eyed man is king among the blind." On Herman Cain, Erickson said, as did most of his colleagues, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza helped himself the most tonight, winning several loud ovations for his "straight talking, no-nonsense answers.

Erickson continues on Cain:

He went from being unknown to a household name. Herman Cain gave the best one liners and a brilliant defense of his lack of elected experience. He pointed out all the guys in Washington who have been elected and asked, “How’s that working out for ya?” It was a golden moment.Cain also shined

President Obama goes to Texas to deliver a speech on comprehensive immigration reform; Newt Gingrich gets in the presidential race. Does Jon Huntsman follow suit?

Produced by Andrew Gross; Edited by Andrew Gross and Domenico Montanaro

Pivoting back to jobs and the good news for Team Obama -- 244,000 jobs created in April, though unemployment rate ticked up to 9.0%… But last night’s GOP presidential debate pivoted away from jobs… Pawlenty on offense and defense… Our take on the other participants -- Santorum, Paul, Cain, and Johnson… The big winner? Any Republican who was thinking about getting into the race… Al Qaeda confirms bin Laden’s death (so much for those photos, eh?)… The line-up for this Sunday’s “Meet the Press”: Tom Donilon, Michael Chertoff, and Michael Hayden… Obama heads to Indiana (to talk about the economy) and then to Kentucky (to address returning U.S. service members)… And TPaw’s in PA, while Santorum remains in SC.

*** Pivoting back to jobs… : Five days after Osama bin Laden’s death, we pivot back to the issue that will likely remain the most important one to voters come Nov. 2012: the economy. And here are the latest jobs figures for the month of April: 244,000 jobs were created (well above expectations), while the unemployment rate ticked up from 8.8% to 9.0% (which shouldn’t be surprising now that it appears more are looking for work). This is VERY good news for the Obama administration, on top of Sunday’s bin Laden news. The AP's dispatch: “Employers added more than 200,000 jobs in April for the third straight month, the biggest hiring spree in five years. But the unemployment rate rose to 9 percent in part because some people resumed looking for work… Private employers shrugged off high gas prices and created 268,000 jobs -- the most since February 2006.”

*** … but debate pivots away from them: Given today’s economic focus, what was perhaps most striking about last night’s GOP presidential debate in Greenville, SC was the lack of attention on the economy. According to our rough count, just 5 ½ minutes of the 90-minute debate were devoted to jobs and the economy. Much of it can be attributed to the bin Laden news, because the debate was heavy with foreign-policy and national-security questions. Every candidate last night -- Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Herman Cain, and Gary Johnson -- talked about keeping taxes low, but taxes are already at their lowest level since 1950. They also talked about the need to cut spending, but as Britain is proving right now, fiscal austerity isn’t necessarily a way to further grow the economy. And they talked about the National Labor Relations Board case against Boeing, but that’s a South Carolina-specific issue. They weren’t speaking to the nation as a whole.  

*** Pawlenty on offense and defense: As for the individual performances last night, Pawlenty was focused, direct, and strong when it came to Obama’s policies and record. But when it came to his own record (his state’s budget deficit, his previous support for cap-and-trade), he found himself on the defensive. Out of everyone on the stage, Pawlenty has the best chance of being the GOP’s 2012 nominee. But it’s saying something that he yet doesn’t have the magnetism or raw political talents of, say, a John Edwards -- let alone a Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. And it had to hurt that Herman Cain was the winner of the FOX-Luntz focus group of the debate.

*** On Santorum, Paul, Cain, and Johnson: Rick Santorum also was strong, and he displays charisma that Pawlenty doesn’t. His closing remarks about being a true conservative leader who didn't have to apologize for his record were probably the strongest of the bunch (and were a contrast with Pawlenty’s apology for his past support of cap-and-trade). Meanwhile, Ron Paul was, well, Ron Paul. He has his loyal following and is the godfather of the Tea Party movement, but his positions on foreign policy, gay marriage, and drug legalization put him at odds with most conservative Republicans, especially those in South Carolina. Cain is a talented speaker and was the winner of the FOX focus group, yet his answer that he would rely on experts and advisers on foreign policy was a weak response. (What if those experts and advisers disagree? And what if Obama gave that answer in ’07?) And as for Johnson, it was a rough performance -- whether it was complaining about the lack of questions he received, his swaying at the podium, or his hand gestures. (Jazz hands, anyone?)    

*** Winner, winner, chicken dinner: The biggest winner of the night? Well, that probably would have been any Republican who was thinking about getting into the race. The GOP nomination is for the taking, and last night’s debate only confirms that. (Example: TPaw saying, “I love the Huck.”) As for Mitt Romney -- who didn’t show up -- he had to spend the evening being cast in a negative light (even though Pawlenty went easy on him) by some of the questions. Then again, Romney probably had nothing to gain from last night’s debate. And Palin? She was an afterthought, except when Johnson was talking about a hypothetical reality show.

*** The political unimportance of the bin Laden photos: A final observation: What does it say about where even conservatives stand on the bin Laden photos when Cain was the only one on the stage to say that the photos should not be released, and the FOX-Luntz focus group still overwhelmingly -- without hesitation -- chose him?

*** Al Qaeda confirms OBL’s death: Speaking of those bin Laden photos, it appears that the White House didn’t need to release them after all -- at least to confirm his death. Per the AP, “Al-Qaida has issued its first confirmation of Osama bin Laden's death in an Internet statement posted on militant websites. Friday's statement by the terror network says bin Laden's blood "will not be wasted" and it will continue attacking Americans and their allies.”

*** Pakistan’s leverage: On Meet the Press’ weekly “Press Pass,” NBC’s David Gregory spoke with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steve Coll about Pakistan. Said Coll, “Right now [Pakistan's government and military have] leverage over the United States because of the Afghan war. They control supply lines to American soldiers in the war and they also could help the Taliban become even more of a cross-border force than they already are.” Meet the Press’ line-up for Sunday: Tom Donilon, Michael Chertoff, Michael Hayden, Bob Woodward, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Katty Kay, and Mike Murphy.

*** Retreating on Medicare: Today’s New York Times -- following yesterday’s Washington Post -- reports that House Republicans are backing away, legislatively, from their proposal to overhaul Medicare shouldn’t be surprising. With Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House, it has no chance of advancing past the House during this Congress. Yet if that’s the case, why did House Republicans so quickly vote on that proposal as part of Paul Ryan’s 2012 budget? They gave Democrats a vote to highlight over something that won’t become law, at least in 2011 and 2012. 

*** Obama’s day: President Obama, in Indianapolis, delivers remarks on the economy at 12:15 pm ET from Allison Transmission, which benefited from the 2009 Recovery Act. After that, the president -- along with Vice President Biden -- heads to Ft. Campbell, KY, where he will address returning U.S. service members who have returned from Afghanistan. His remarks will take place at 3:55 pm ET. Also at Ft. Campbell, Obama will privately thank some of the Navy SEALs who participated in the operation on bin Laden, NBC’s Savannah Guthrie reported yesterday.

*** On the 2012 campaign trail: Pawlenty is in Pennsylvania, speaking to the Allegheny County Republican Party… And Santorum makes four stops in South Carolina.

Countdown to NY-26 special election: 18 days
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 98 days
Countdown to NV-2 special election: 130 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 186 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 276 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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“President Obama heaped praise upon police Thursday, including dozens of NYPD and Port Authority cops who answered the call on Sept. 11,” the New York Daily News writes.

He also gets this headline from the paper: “Eloquence of silence: Obama's poignant moment seems to stop time in Pit at World Trade Center.” And this one: “Euphoric crowd cheers on President Obama during his visit to Ground Zero.

“President Barack Obama on Friday will privately thank U.S. personnel involved in the operation against Osama bin Laden, an administration official said Thursday,” msnbc.com writes. The meeting will take place during his trip to Ft. Campbell, KY.

In National Journal, Ron Brownstein wonders if bin Laden’s death provides foreign-policy opportunities for President Obama.

Taxed by the mile? “The Obama administration has floated a transportation authorization bill that would require the study and implementation of a plan to tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive,” The Hill writes. “The plan is a part of the administration's Transportation Opportunities Act, an undated draft of which was obtained this week by Transportation Weekly.”

The New York Post’s lead: “Five Republicans slammed President Obama -- but went easy on one another -- in South Carolina last night for the first presidential debate of the 2012 elections, while many big-name potential candidates stayed on the sidelines.”

“Republican presidential hopefuls on Thursday night didn't allow President Obama's widely-praised operation that killed Usama bin Laden this week to deter them from attacking his foreign policy or blaming his domestic policies for high gas prices and the fragile economy recovery,” Fox News writes of its South Carolina debate last night. “Pawlenty and Santorum were among the five participants seeking to prove themselves to be more than the party's B-team as they try to catapult their White House bids into the national spotlight.”  

This may be the most important point of the night: “The candidates offered few specific solutions for adding jobs and improving the economy, a key voter issue according to an April poll by Winthrop University,” The (South Carolina) State newspaper’s O’Connor writes. (There was only about six minutes out of 90 devoted to the economy, by our rough count last night.)

The New York Times’ take: “While candidates in presidential debates often need no introduction, the participants who filed onto the stage at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts offered an exception to that rule. There were two former governors, a member of Congress, a former senator and the former chief executive of a chain of pizza restaurants — all of whom round out the lower rung of an unsettled Republican field.”

More: “The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, sought to allay the worries of party activists who believe Republicans are missing an opportunity to start defining Mr. Obama in their quest to win back the White House. ‘As we all know, there are numerous other candidates that are looking at it — and thank God,’ Mr. Priebus said before the proceedings began. “Quite frankly, I think Americans are sick and tired of two-year, knock-out drag-out contests with a zillion debates and forums.”

The Washington Post calls the debate an “awkward moment” for the GOP. “With many of the party’s potentially strongest candidates either choosing not to participate — or still making up their minds about whether to run — the 90-minute debate offered a platform for second-tier candidates to make their case. They took full advantage of the spotlight, but in the process they offered dissonance in the GOP message along with moments of comedic relief to the audience. That made for a sometimes-entertaining evening for the audience in the hall and those watching on television. But it probably did little to help Republican voters figure out who has the stature and the strength to take on the president in 2012.”

The Wall Street Journal: “Just days after Mr. Obama scored one of the biggest triumphs of his presidency with the killing of Osama bin Laden, several of the candidates laid into Mr. Obama for actions taken elsewhere in the world. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty congratulated Mr. Obama on the bin Laden killing but complained that the president had deferred to allies in the intervention in Libya. ‘If he said [Libyan leader] Moammar Gadhafi must go, he needs to maintain the options to make Gadhafi go. And he didn't do that,’ Mr. Pawlenty said.”

Ouch. Pawlenty’s comments on climate change are dubbed, “The ‘I’m sorry’ moment” by The State. It did note, however, that it thought Pawlenty (and Paul) got the “loudest support.” It also labels Santorum as “dodging the question,” for his answer on Pakistan and what he’d do about it.

HUNTSMAN: Some members of Congress – including some in key primary state South Carolina – reject the notion that Jon Huntsman’s campaign is a nonstarter because of his work as an ambassador in the Obama administration, The Hill writes. “I think that enhances his credentials — he was sent to represent the people of the United States,” said Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.).

Jon Huntsman is scheduled to meet with Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina today, the Salt Lake Tribune writes.

PAUL: An online money bomb for Rep. Ron Paul raised nearly $590,000 in advance of Paul’s appearance in the Fox News debate last night, The Hill reports.

Paul has opened a campaign office in Ankeny, IA, the Des Moines Register writes.

PAWLENTY: Tim Pawlenty “found himself on the defense several times during the debate,” Minnesota Public Radio recounts. “He defended his fiscal record as Minnesota governor, claiming he did not leave Minnesota's finances in poor shape. And he, once again, apologized for his early interest in cap and trade, a market-based system designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Erick Erickson says Pawlenty and Cain won the debate. “Tonight, he proved he is Presidential material. Maybe it was because of the people surrounding him — the one eyed man is king among the blind. But I think it was more than that. He came across polished in his own right and not just in comparison to the others. His answers were solid. His admission of error on cap and trade was solid. His jobs answer was golden. His attacks on the President were spot on.”

Roll Call’s Bellantoni: “Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty used the first Republican presidential debate — and the absence of major contenders — to showcase his credentials, deflect criticism of unpopular positions and introduce himself to voters.” But: “The most newsworthy element of the Fox News-hosted forum held Thursday night in Greenville, S.C., might have been the number of likely candidates missing from the stage.”

ROMNEY: In two recent New Hampshire polls from Suffolk University and the University of New Hampshire, Mitt Romney has a “commanding” lead, taking 35 percent of the vote in the Suffolk poll and 36 percent in UNH’s, U.S. News reports. The only other candidate to clock in with double digits is Donald Trump who had 11 percent in the UNH survey.

Romney told Politico that he agrees with President Obama’s decision not to show photos of Osama bin Laden, writing in a statement, “"It's best not to release the photo because it has the potential to incite retaliatory violence against Americans.”  

Well, that didn’t last long: “The GOP plan to replace Medicare with vouchers will have to wait, party leaders acknowledged yesterday as lawmakers bowed to political realities in pursuing a deal to allow more government borrowing in exchange for big spending cuts,” the Boston Globe reports.

The Boston Globe makes this good point: “[T]he most recent fury and flurry of votes are not likely to produce many new laws this year, and both sides know it. In the short era of divided government since the Republicans took control of the House in January, Congress has produced plenty of high-profile symbolic votes and a paltry amount of substantial laws. The reason, political specialists say: Both parties are using debates and votes to telegraph messages to their most fervent supporters, put the opposing party on record on key issues, and jockey for position for the 2012 elections.”

Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro discuss how the death of Osama bin Laden could impact the 2012 presidential election.

Edited by Alexandra Moe. Produced by Alexandra Moe and Ali Weinberg.

As a handful of Republican presidential hopefuls flock to Greenville, SC for the first GOP presidential primary debate tonight, a South Carolina Democratic group hopes to steal some of the debate's thunder.

SC Forward Progress, a small outfit headed by veteran Palmetto State political operative Lachlan McIntosh will host a "Republican Debate "Sideshow" to complement what McIntosh calls the "Republican circus."

"Every circus needs a sideshow and we thought we'd help them," McIntosh said in an interview with NBC.

Rather than hosting an ordinary gathering of Democrats, the Charleston-based consultant is taking the term "sideshow" quite literally. McIntosh said the show will feature clowns, mimes, performers on stilts and other activities -- almost everything except the tent.

The sideshow theme, according to McIntosh, is an appropriate reaction to the collection of potential GOP presidential candidates set to debate tonight -- Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Herman Cain, and Gary Johnson.

From now until South Carolina's eventual GOP primary, McIntosh's 501(c)4 group hopes to dog the GOP presidential candidates and state Republicans by taking any gaffee and making an internet video out of it.  For example, see this video it recently produced.

But Republicans dismiss the group -- confident efforts like S.C. Forward Progress will have little net impact on any South Carolina election. Joel Sawyer, the executive director of the South Carolina Republican party, said the group's aims show just how much South Carolina Democrats misuse their political resources.

"If South Carolina Democrats were half as good at actually electing candidates as they are at making silly YouTube videos, we would be shaking in our boots," Sawyer told CNN on Tuesday. "Unfortunately for them, they're not."

President Obama visited several landmark sites related to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City before he participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Ground Zero.

The president was accompanied by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani at his first stop, the "Pride of Midtown" firehouse, which, according to the White House, lost 15 men on 9/11 -- more than any other New York firehouse.

In his remarks, the president did not mention the killing of Osama bin Laden directly, but told the assembled firefighters, "What happened on Sunday" sent a message around the world that "when we say we will never forget, we mean what we say."

He seemed to try to discourage any perception that he was scoring political points over the mission, saying, "Our commitment to making sure that justice is done is something that transcended politics, transcended party; it didn’t matter which administration was in; it didn’t matter who was in charge; we were going to make sure that the perpetrators of that horrible act -- that they received justice."

The president made similar remarks when he visited a second off-schedule location, the First Precinct Police Station in Lower Manhattan, which was the first precinct to respond to the 9/11 attack.

The president said that the bin Laden killing, which he again referred to as, "What we did on Sunday," is connected to what the police officers in New York City and around the world do every day -- acts of bravery, without a lot of fanfare, to keeping Americans safe.

After the stop at the precinct, President Obama continued on to Memorial Plaza at the September 11th Memorial and Museum, where he placed a wreath at the Survivor Tree, which has its own lore, according to the White House. It was originally planted at the World Trade Center in the 1970s and sustained significant damage during the attack. It was recovered from rubble and brought to a nursery. When it was admitted to the nursery in November 2001, the tree stood eight-feet high. Now, back at the Memorial site, it is 30-feet tall.

The president also visited with families of 9/11 victims at a private stop after the wreath-laying.

A "highly-placed" source close to George W. Bush gave this explanation to the New York Daily News' Tom DeFrank about Bush's decision not to attend today's Ground Zero event after Osama bin Laden's death:

"[Bush] viewed this as an Obama victory lap," a highly-placed source told the Daily News Wednesday.

[snip]

"He doesn't feel personally snubbed and appreciates the invitation, but Obama's claiming all the credit and a lot of other people deserve some of it," the source added.

"Obama gave no credit whatsoever to the intelligence infrastructure the Bush administration set up that is being hailed from the left and right as setting in motion the operation that got Bin Laden. It rubbed Bush the wrong way."

But did President Obama really claim all the credit -- and not give any to the intelligence infrastructure during the Bush administration?

Here's what Obama said in his speech Sunday night announcing bin Laden's death:

Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.

In a press conference on Capitol Hill today, House Speaker John Boehner reiterated his support for continued U.S. aid to Pakistan, despite calls from some of his House Republican colleagues to re-examine the U.S.-Pakistan relationship after Osama bin Laden was killed hiding in the country.

Boehner said:

It's also important in my view, that we use this moment, to strengthen the ties between our country and Pakistan. Al Qaeda and it's extremist allies have made Pakistan a target. The people of Pakistan have suffered deeply as a result. Taking on Al Qaeda and radical extremism is absolutely vital to the interests of both of our countries. It's not a time to back away from Pakistan; it's time for more engagement with them and not less.

Boehner's pro-Pakistan stance means that all the criticism of Pakistan coming from more conservative members of the House GOP will most likely subside in the coming days.

With House appropriations bills set to be marked up in the coming weeks, Boehner’s support for Pakistan suggests that funds for U.S. aid to the country will avoid being cut.