Arizona Sen. John McCain predicted a renewed effort of reform the nation's campaign finance laws as an outgrowth of the unrestrained influx of donations in this year's presidential campaign. 

The Supreme Court's 2010 decision in the Citizens United case, which struck down many of the restrictions on political spending and spurred the advent of so-called "super PACs," was one of the worst in modern history, McCain said. 

"I think there will be scandals as associated with the worst decision of the Supreme Court in the 21st Century — uninformed, arrogant, naive," McCain said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"The fact is that the system is broken," he later added. "I predict to you that there will be scandals, and I predict to you that there will be reform again."

McCain has long been an advocate of campaign finance reform; a landmark 2002 campaign finance law bearing his name was the subject of the legal challenge that led to the Citizens United ruling. 

That decision did away with many of the limits on the magnitude of political contributions, fueling an inflation in the cost of campaigns, particularly on the federal level. Super PACs like American Crossroads, Restore our Future and Priorities USA Action have been able to spend tens of millions of dollars already on the campaign. They're able to cull their support from a handful of wealthy donors, the size of whose report is sometimes clouded by twin nonprofit groups associated with super PACs, which don't have to disclose their donors. 

One of the largest such donors has been Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate who gave over $10 million to a super PAC in the primary that supported Newt Gingrich for president. Adelson's since pledged at least $10 million to the pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future. 

McCain fretted earlier this week that Adelson's contributions would be tantamount to "foreign money" entering the campaign, since Adelson's fortune is built in part by revenues from overseas casinos. 

McCain said on Sunday that he's worried about Adelson's influence, but no more so than the influence of organized labor spending or other donors' impact on the campaign.

"Not any more than other people who will give lots of money; not any more than the trade unions, the labor unions have. The whole system's broken, and there's a wash. I don't pick out Mr. Adelson any more than I pick out Mr. Trumka," he said, referring to the AFL-CIO's president.

Mitt Romney would pursue some type of comprehensive, long-term reform to America's immigration system, the former Massachusetts governor and his supporters said on Sunday. 

Republicans accused President Obama of playing politics on Friday when he announced that the government would no longer seek the deportation of immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children, under certain conditions.

"What I would do, is I’d make sure that by coming into office, I would work with Congress to put in place a long-term solution for the children of those that have come here illegally," Romney said Sunday on "Face the Nation."

A top surrogate of Romney's, Arizona Sen. John McCain, went slightly further. Romney was "certainly willing to address that issue and immigration reform in a comprehensive way," McCain said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Obama administration won't seek deportation of young illegal immigrants

The Obama administration's announcement on Friday has had immediate reverberations on the presidential campaign trail. The shift in policy was seen as a bid toward energizing Latino voters, who could prove a decisive voting bloc in certain swing states, behind Obama's candidacy. 

Romney, whose conservative rhetoric on immigration during the primary prompted worries about turning off Latinos, sidestepped a question about whether he should specifically undo Obama's order. He said that question would be rendered moot — "overtaken by events," he said — by the long-term solution he would instead put in place. 

For its part, the Obama administration denied that the announcement was motivated by electoral considerations.

"It wasn't about politics," White House adviser David Plouffe said on NBC. "We're absolutely confident … this is well within our powers to do."

Romney wants 'long-term' solution for illegal immigration

Plouffe said he expected the election to be a close on regardless, but nonetheless acknowledged the administration's new policy toward young immigrants could give Obama a leg-up among Latinos in swing states. 

"We're going to have to fight for every vote," Plouffe said, "but there's no doubt our strength with Latino voters helps in Nevada, Arizona, Florida."

Republicans, though, said that they viewed Obama's move with skepticism, accusing the administration of acting with an eye toward November.

"This was obviously a way to divert attention from very bad news the president has received the last tree or four weeks," McCain said.

Romney argued that the "timing is pretty clear," saying that Obama could have acted sooner in his administration to address immigration had he wanted to. Mobilizing Latinos, Romney argued, was "certainly a big part of the equation."

The new immigration proposal tracks closely to a plan that had been developed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, which Romney had said he was studying. Rubio is thought to be on the short list of candidates to become Romney's running mate this fall. Romney said on CBS that he had expected Rubio's proposal to be unveiled shortly, before Obama acted.

Rubio the VP favorite at conservative conference

Neither Romney nor McCain offered any specific outline of what the presumptive Republican nominee's alternative immigration plan would accomplish. The term "comprehensive" has long been a buzzword among conservatives who who oppose a process toward citizenship — or even some sort of legal status — for illegal immigrants, which they view as "amnesty." 

McCain had long been a proponent of a variation of comprehensive immigration reform that offered a pathway toward citizenship. He admitted that conservative opposition was a "major factor" in felling past attempts at that kind of reform, but he also blamed Democrats' insistence on other measures opposed by Republicans as a factor.

The dueling speeches delivered Thursday by President Barack Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney in Ohio offered a clear preview of the type of campaigns they intend to run against each other. And they made them in defiance of a week of protests from influential voices in their own parties who urged them both to offer voters forward-thinking solutions.

Obama and Romney essentially doubled-down on the strategies they have pursued so far, each waging a campaign meant to define – and disqualify – the other in the eyes of voters. The president’s speech was intended to transform 2012 into a “stark choice,” in the words of his campaign; Romney’s near simultaneous speech was meant to transform the election into a referendum on whether Obama has succeeded in turning the economy around.

Steve Nesius / Reuters

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney addresses supporters during a campaign rally at Con-Air Industries Inc., in Orlando, Fla.

The president’s speech in Cleveland painted Romney in broad strokes, portraying the presumptive GOP nominee as a rehash of the Bush era, “except on steroids.”

"[I]f you want to give the policies of the last decade another try, then you should vote for Mr. Romney," Obama said.

As for Romney, speaking in Cincinnati, he said the president’s talk is “cheap.”

“He’s going to be saying today that he wants four more years. He may have forgotten he talked about a one term proposition if he couldn’t get the economy turned around in three years. But we’re going to hold him to his word,” the former Massachusetts governor said.

But both candidates drew criticism from the media and their opponents for their remarks, accusing both Obama and Romney of offering little in terms of substance, opting instead for broad attacks.

It’s a criticism weathered by both Obama and Romney this week from members of their own party, who worry about the turf over which the campaign will be fought.

In a memo that received wide media coverage, longtime Democratic operatives Stan Greenberg and James Carville urged the president’s campaign to shift toward a message that “focuses on what we will do to make a better future for the middle class.”

“They want to know the plans for making things better in a serious way – not just focused on finishing up the work of the recovery,” the pair wrote for the group Democracy Corps.

Or, as their onetime boss, former President Bill Clinton said on CNN: “I don't think I should have to say bad things about Gov. Romney personally to disagree with him politically.”

It’s a line of criticism not dissimilar to the frustration Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker voiced this week about the way Romney’s run his campaign.

“The way he wins is that, if voters see that 'R,' instead of thinking 'Republican,' they think of 'reformer.' Because here's a candidate that has a clear, bold plan to take on both the economic and fiscal crisis our country faces,” he said at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast this week.

Both the Obama and Romney campaigns have long protested that their positions are not just clear, but detailed as well. The president has pushed for Congress to authorize stalled elements of his American Jobs Act, though no serious political observer expects that to advance through a gridlocked Congress.

"You might have thought that it would be a moment when he would acknowledge his policy mistakes and suggest a new course," Romney said of Obama's speech on Friday in New Hampshire. "But no. He promised four more years, of more of the same. Four. More. Very. Long. Years."

"That's really the divide in this race. The president thinks we're on the right track and his policies are working," Romney added. "I believe with all my heart that we can — that we must — do better!"

Romney has his own 59-point economic plan – a strategy that includes a series of tax cuts and regulatory repeals that, he says, would spur job creation. But his central message on the campaign trail doesn’t revolve around any digestible plan of his own.

Walker even suggested to reporters that Romney might develop his own version of Herman Cain’s “9-9-9” plan — not in terms of substance, but in terms of crafting an easily recognizable jobs plan that voters would immediately associate with the candidate.

"The American people I think will rightly demand to know something more than he's not President Obama," Republican Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said on "Fox News Sunday" last weekend. "So, he'd better have an affirmative and constructive message and one of hope."

There’s still plenty of time for Obama and Romney to craft and debut new plans before voters begin tuning into the election more intently this fall.

But the general election, so far, has been defined by complaints about its banality — from its Twitter wars to press releases demanding each candidate disavow what a tenuously-related associate has said. And while some elders in each party seem to believe that a bold policy move would give their candidate a leg up, others seem resigned to the emerging dogfight between Romney and Obama.

"It’s not going to be big on policy," former Republican Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour told reporters on Friday, as reported by TPM. "It’s going to be personal. ‘He doesn’t care about people like you, he’s not like us, he’s mean to his dog, he’s married to a well-certified equestrian.'"

MILFORD, NH -- Presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney believes a long-term-solution is needed to fix America’s immigration problem, especially for young illegal immigrants -- but not the changes announced by President Barack Obama Friday afternoon.

“I think the action that the president took today makes it more difficult to reach that long-term solution, because an executive order is, of course, just a short term matter,” Romney told reporters outside his campaign bus following an ice cream social here.

Romney went on to say what the president did can be “reversed by subsequent presidents.” But when he was asked if he himself would overturn the changes -- if elected president -- Romney did not answer.

He also commended Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R) DREAM Act alternative, despite saying in April that he was still looking at Rubio’s proposal.

“I'd like to see legislation that deals with this issue, and I happen to agree with Marco Rubio as he considers this issue. He said that this is an important matter, we have to find a long-term solution. But the President's action makes reaching a long term solution more difficult,” Romney said.

"If I'm president," he concluded, "we'll do our very best to have that kind of long-term solution that provides certainty and clarity for the people who come into this country through no fault of their own by virtue of the actions of their parents."

These remarks by the former Massachusetts governor came nearly two hours after Obama announced that people younger than 30 who came to the United States before the age of 16, who pose no criminal or security threat, and who were successful students or served in the military could apply for a two-year deferral from deportation.

It also came months after Romney blasted Texas Gov. Rick Perry in the GOP presidential primary for supporting in-state college tuition for young illegal immigrants in Texas. And during the primaries, Romney said he would veto the DREAM Act.

Romney made no mention of Obama’s announcement during his campaign stop here nor when asked repeatedly by reporters on the ropeline. Only after Romney got on his campaign bus for some time while reporters gathered outside did he reemerge to give a brief statement.

*** UPDATE *** The Obama camp issued this response: “During the primaries, Gov. Romney called the DREAM Act a handout and said he would veto it. His ‘solution’ to our immigration challenges was self-deportation. Today he continues to refuse to express support for legislation that lets children who were brought to the U.S. and want to contribute by pursuing higher education or serve in the military stay in America. The president remains committed to passing the DREAM Act, which was drafted with bipartisan support, but he won’t sit back and allow these children to get deported in the face of inaction. Congressional Republicans must end their continued obstruction to allow us to achieve the ultimate goal of signing the DREAM Act into law.”

Alex Wong / Getty Images

Neil Munro of The Daily Caller tries to ask his question the second time as he interrupts President Barack Obama's remarks about deportation of illegal immigrants June 15, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

President Barack Obama introduced his administration's new policy granting qualified legal status to illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children in a Rose Garden statement interrupted by the heckling of a conservative reporter.

As the president, standing at a podium outside the White House, explained why he was implementing the policy, Daily Caller writer Neil Munro began to shout questions, asking why Obama would want foreigners in the country instead of giving jobs to Americans.

“It is not the time for questions. Not while I'm speaking,” the president, visibly irritated, said just five minutes into his speech. 

After a pause, he continued to tout the new policy of suspending deportation actions against qualified students for two years and allowing them to instead apply for job permits. According to White House officials, those individuals would have to reapply after two years in the event Congress does not pass permanent legislation in the meantime.

Obama noted that his new policy could quickly be made permanent if Congress passed the stalled DREAM act, which would provide U.S. residency to immigrants who have a college education or served in the military.

“This is a temporary stop-gap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people," Obama said. “Precisely because this is temporary, Congress needs to act."

A few minutes later, the heckler started up again, allowing Obama to even more forcefully make his point as he countered the shouting.

“And the answer to your question, sir,” he began, pointing his finger from the podium directly at Munro, “-- and the next time I'd prefer you let me finish my statements before you ask that question -- is this is the right thing to do for the American people.”

“If there's a young person here who has grown up here and wants to contribute to this society, wants to maybe start a business that will create jobs for other folks who are looking for work, that's the right thing to do,” he continued, at that point seeming to speak with the dual purpose of heralding the new policy and drowning the heckler out.

ORLANDO, FL -- Vice President Joe Biden on Friday enlisted America's mayors to combat partisanship on Capitol Hill, urging them to fight for immediate federal measures to aid local governments still battered by the recession.

Speaking to an annual conference of the nation's mayors, Biden urged city administrators to lobby congressional Republicans to end "obstructionism" impeding federal infrastructure and transportation assistance.

"This is an election year. Believe me I understand," the vice president said. "But regardless of which party you belong to, I think all of us in this room understand there are certain things that are bigger than the party."

Noting that he was not trying to come off as "a wise guy," Biden specifically thanked GOP mayors in the crowd for their help during the early stages of the recovery effort.

"I hope those of you who are Republicans will tell your Republican colleagues in the House that some of this shouldn't be partisan," he said.

"Man, if I sound frustrated, it's because I am!" he interjected at one point.

Biden, who was tasked with working with local elected officials to implement the 2009 stimulus act, lamented the melting away of past bipartisan agreement on federal aid.

"It's called infrastructure," he declared. "It's the stuff that makes businesses competitive."

"Over the past 40 years, it's not been about whether we do these things, it's been about how we do it," he added.

The vice president also offered a robust defense of the stimulus package, which Republican critics frequently paint as wasteful and lacking an impact.

"Although we were vilified at the outset by our opponents as well as saying no, the proof of the pudding is in the eating," he said. "And now after its implementation the vast majority of economists acknowledge the Recovery Act kept us from going over a cliff."

Biden's speech to the group of mayors came as the Obama administration has stepped up pressure on House Republicans --  and by extension, presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney -- to embrace measures to step up funds for public sector workers and offer tax incentives to spur hiring.

Hitting some colloquial notes, the vice president won laughter for praising the city administrators in the audience, whose jobs he called "a hell of a lot" harder than his own role as a nationally-dubbed foreign policy expert.

"I think you're all crazy," he said. "Being a mayor, that's a real job, man. They know where you live."

WASHINGTON, DC -- Who should be Mitt Romney's vice-presidential pick?

The answer to that question, according to interviews with several attendees here at the Faith & Freedom Coalition, is pretty clear: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), who addressed this crowd on Thursday. 

Jeff Biggs from North Carolina:
"Rubio. We heard him speak yesterday and he did an outstanding job. It seems like he speaks from the heart."

Barbara Samuells from Long Island, New York:
"I think there are many good choices out there. My husband and I have this discussion every now and then, and I very much like Marco Rubio, but I think just lately my favorite and who I think could bring the most to us is Paul Ryan."

Lisa Roper from Texas:
"Marco Rubio. He is pure passion and he brings America all in one voice. Just being an immigrant and his family, and I think that's something that America can relate to and it's a serious issue on the table for Republicans, so I am certainly for him."

Jim McCarroll from Blairsville, Georgia:
"Marco Rubio. I just have a feeling he's the right guy." 

Happy Shuler from North Carolina: "A good Christian, Constitutionalist and one who believes in America and what our founding fathers were about. I like a fellow that's from Florida. You know who that is? Rubio."

Ashley Taylor from Richmond, Virginia:
"There are a lot of good people out there. I think Bob McDonnell has something unique to offer. Virginia is obviously a critical state. Bob McDonnell has proven himself to be a candidate that can appeal to people throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia." [Note: McDonnell addresses this crowd later tonight.]

Rebecca Jacob from North Carolina: 
"I've heard Jeb Bush, but I hope it's Marco Rubio. He's an American man. He's very conservative, and I do believe they would compliment each other. Mitt's a little on the more liberal/conservative side, but I think once he makes president, God says the same, he'll be the best for the job and Rubio would make an awesome vice president."

Aron Randall from Georgia:
"Rubio. I think he'll balance out the ticket and think he adds something to it. He gives the ticket what it needs. Mitt Romney is a great guy, but he needs a little bit more support, he needs a little more vigor." 

Artie Post with the tri-county Tea Party in Florida:
"Oh boy, there is such a field. Rubio of course comes to mind. I don't know at this point, it's still developing." 

Kimberly Erb from Smyrna, South Carolina:
"Ron Paul. He's the person that I voted for in the primaries. I don't think that Romney is conservative enough, and maybe Ron Paul is a little too conservative so I think the two together would be really good."

STRATHAM, NH -- Mitt Romney today kicked off his first major bus tour since clinching the Republican nomination with an event at the same family farm where he announced his candidacy for president just a year ago.

“Washington’s big government agenda should not smother small-town dreams. In the America we love, every town counts. Every job counts. And every American counts,” Romney told the 1,000-plus crowd at Scamman Farm. “In the days ahead, we'll be traveling on what are often called the 'back roads of America.' But I think our tour is going to take us along what I will call the 'backbone of America.'”

This event launched the campaign’s “Every Town Counts” bus tour that will bring the GOP nominee to six battleground states over the next five days: New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan.

In a briefing to press at Romney headquarters in Boston, MA Friday morning, a campaign strategist noted that all states visited on the tour were won by President Barack Obama in the 2008 campaign.

"We're certainly campaigning on their turf as opposed to what would be considered our turf," strategist Russ Schriefer said.

As Romney addressed the crowd two planes flew overhead in the crystal blue sky, very reminiscent of his announcement day: “Romney for President 2012” [paid for by the campaign] and “Romney’s Every Millionaire Counts Tour” [from MoveOn.org] -- a sign of the ongoing battle between the two sides during this election cycle. The former governor was also very critical of Obama during his roughly 20-minute speech.

While mocking Obama’s long speech yesterday, Romney called him a “a detached and distant president.” 

"If there has ever been a president who has failed to give the middle class of America a fair shot, it is Barack Obama," Romney told the crowd. "I have a very different vision for America, and of our future. And I know what we must do to truly give our fellow Americans a fair shot and a better chance." 

Romney was joined in the small New Hampshire town by U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), who has accompanied the former Massachusetts governor at his past three visits to her state.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

President Barack Obama makes remarks about the Department of Homeland Security's recent announcement about deportation of illegal immigrants in the Rose Garden at the White House June 15, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Updated 4:18 p.m. ET - The Obama administration announced on Friday that it would no longer seek the deportation of most young illegal immigrants, and would instead allow them to apply for work permits, a significant policy shift with potentially major electoral implications.

The Department of Homeland Security said that, effective immediately, the government would no longer seek the deportation of illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, and would allow them to apply for work permits if they meet certain criteria.

The decision was intended to make America's immigration system "more fair, more efficient and more just," President Barack Obama said in an afternoon statement in the Rose Garden.

"They were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as infants, and oftentimes had no idea they were undocumented until they applied for a job," the president said. "They are Americans in their hearts, in their minds ... in every single way but one: on paper."

A senior administration official said in a conference call with reporters that as many as 800,000 undocumented immigrants stand to benefit from this change.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the shift represented neither immunity nor amnesty -- buzzwords for conservatives who oppose illegal immigration -- but instead represented an instance of "prosecutorial discretion" in which the government had re-evaluated its priorities in enforcing the law.

"This is not amnesty; this is not immunity; this is not a path to citizenship," Obama said, calling today's move a "temporary fix."

Obama interrupted by heckling at immigration announcement

The shift essentially accomplishes many of the legislative intentions of the DREAM Act, an immigration reform bill that had stalled in Congress due to Republican objections. President Barack Obama favors the legislation, while presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has said he would veto that law.

The new rule comes amid a bruising election year fight between Obama and Romney, in which the Latino vote could be decisive. Obama enjoys a strong advantage with Latino voters, winning 61 percent of Latinos vs. 27 percent for Romney in a mid-May NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo poll.

Romney, speaking to reporters in New Hampshire, said he thought that the status of children who were brought to the United States illegally is important to resolve, but only on a long-term basis.

"I think the action that the president took today makes it more difficult to reach that long term solution because an executive order is, of course, just a short term matter. It can be reversed by subsequent presidents," Romney said. He didn't say whether he would seek the new rule's reversal.

"If I'm president, we'll do our very best to have that kind of long term solution that provides certainty and clarity for the people who come into this country through no fault of their own by virtue of the actions of their parents," the former Massachusetts governor added.

The Hispanic vote is of particular importance in swing states like Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Florida, among others. Those states could swing the election toward Obama or Romney, elevating the importance of the margin between the two candidates with Latino voters.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

Immigration activists gather in front of the White House to celebrate the Obama Administration's announcement about deportation of illegal immigrants June 15, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Obama's biggest challenge, though, has involved motivating Latino voters to turn out for him with the same strength they had in 2008. The president had faced lingering complaints stemming from his inability to advance the comprehensive immigration reform he had promised as a candidate in 2008.

Skepticism, joy among illegal immigrants over Obama decision

The president tweaked Republicans in Congress for blocking the legislation, saying that he continued to favor both the full DREAM Act as well as a broader comprehensive immigration reform package that would allow a pathway to citizenship.

"There's no reason that we can't come together and get this done. And as long as I'm president, I will not give up on this issue," Obama said.

In a memorandum to immigration enforcement officials, Napolitano wrote that immigrants who were illegally brought to the United States as children "lacked the intent to violate the law," and pose few national security risks.

The memo said the government would not pursue immigrants who met five criteria. Individuals must:

• Have come to the United States under the age of 16,
• Be no older than 30,
• Be currently enrolled in school, have graduated high school or served in the military,
• Have been in the country for five continuous years, and
• Have a clean criminal record.

A senior administration official noted that the new rules were not permanent, though, and conceded that a different administration with a different policy could conceivably choose to withdraw this regulation.

"The executive can always change its mind about how to exercise discretion," said the official.

The policy shift presents a challenge for Romney, who ran to the right of some of his opponents on the issue of immigration during the Republican primary. He had opposed the DREAM Act, and explained during a debate that his immigration policy involved "self-deportation."

First Read: Obama leads big with Latinos

That hard-line stance prompted handwringing among Republicans who have long worried about the long-term political fallout associated with alienating Latino voters. Florda Gov. Jeb Bush suggested earlier this week that much of the Republican rhetoric surrounding immigration had been "insulting."

"Change the tone would be the first thing," he said of his advice to Republicans. "Second, on immigration, I think we need to have a broader approach."

Ironically, the Obama administration's new rule would accomplish many of the same goals of a limited version of the DREAM Act proposed by Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, which stops short of offering young illegal immigrants citizenship, but gives them a type of legal status. Romney said he was considering the proposal from Rubio, a popular choice of conservatives to round out the Republican ticket as a vice presidential nominee.

In a statement, Rubio straddled praise and criticism for the move.

"Today’s announcement will be welcome news for many of these kids desperate for an answer, but it is a short term answer to a long term problem," he said. "And by once again ignoring the Constitution and going around Congress, this short term policy will make it harder to find a balanced and responsible long term one."

Romney said of Rubio: "I'd like to see legislation that deals with this issue and I happen to agree with Marco Rubio as he considers this issue. He said that this is an important matter, we have to find a long term solution but the president's action makes reaching a long term solution more difficult."

Obama’s speech yesterday: creating the contrast… A speech he probably didn’t want to give, but which probably silenced antsy Democrats and donors… Romney’s rebuttal… Transitioning away from the Silly Season?... Obama’s and Romney’s selective amnesia… It’s all Greek to me: The importance of Sunday’s Greek elections… Romney begins his bus tour in New Hampshire… Today’s Faith & Freedom Conference line-up... And “Meet” has Plouffe and McCain.

From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Brooke Brower, and Natalie Cucchiara:

*** Obama’s “State of the Campaign” speech: Call it a “State of the Campaign” speech. You could tell that his economic address in Cleveland yesterday was a speech that Team Obama didn’t want to have to give. It was a defensive speech -- when your back is against the wall. There was a time in February and March that the president’s campaign team thought they’d be able to give a more optimistic, things-are-turning-around speech. But that’s not the reality. For that very reason, it’s hard to see how this speech could ever go down as one of his best. On the other hand, the speech should be enough to silence antsy supporters and donors, as well as the Chattering Class. Its effectiveness should be measured on whether it brings an end to what’s been a rough couple of weeks.

Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

President Barack Obama speaks on the economy during a campaign event at the Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, on June 14, 2012.

*** Creating the contrast: So, yes, it wasn’t President Obama’s best speech. It was long, and it didn’t contain anything new in it. But his speech also will have been a political success if it forces Mitt Romney to answer how his policies are any different than George W. Bush’s. “If you want to give the policies of the last decade another try, then you should vote for Mr. Romney,” Obama said. The White House now hopes Romney will be asked this very question when he hits CBS in his first non-FOX Sunday Show interview of the presidential cycle. As we’ve said before, Obama has to make this election a choice -- not a referendum. Just like Scott Walker was able to do in Wisconsin…

*** Romney’s rebuttal: As for his own speech in Ohio yesterday, Romney continued to fire away at the president, trying to ensure the race is a referendum -- not a choice. “He’s been president for three and a half years, and talk is cheap,” Romney said in Cincinnati. “Actions speak very loud. And if you want to see the results of his economic policies, look around Ohio, look around the country.” The discipline that the Romney campaign has displayed so far is quite impressive. And it’s something that is just frustrating the daylights out of the White House. Romney’s rope-a-dope, at times, seems to almost tire out the punches coming from Chicago. Bottom line: The White House sure misses the GOP primary.

*** Transitioning away from the Silly Season? Yesterday’s dueling speeches by Obama and Romney may very well have marked a new phase to this still-early general election campaign -- a move away from the Silly Season. Don’t get us wrong, there still will be plenty of “silly” moments ahead. But after the past couple of months of Etch A Sketch, Hilary Rosen, Romney’s dancing horse Rafalca, and “the private sector is doing fine,” it’s possible we have entered a new -- and more serious -- phase of this race. What are their plans to improve the economy? Reduce the deficit and reform entitlements? As Obama said yesterday, “More than anything else, this election presents a choice between two fundamentally different visions of how to create strong, sustained growth; how to pay down our long-term debt; and most of all, how to generate good, middle-class jobs so people can have confidence that if they work hard, they can get ahead.”

*** Selective amnesia: Another thing that struck us about yesterday’s dueling speeches by Obama and Romney: their selective amnesia. Romney’s remarks never acknowledged the Bush years -- either their economic record or the financial meltdown that took place before Obama took office. For his part, Obama pretty much skipped over the relatively slow growth and the political stalemate that occurred over the past three years. The election could very well come down to which side does a better job of reminding voters of those things.

*** It’s all Greek to me: Out of all this weekend’s political activity -- Romney’s bus tour and the Faith & Freedom confab (and more on those things below) -- the most important DOMESTIC political event will take place overseas on Sunday in Greece, especially as it relates to November and the world economy. The New York Times: “Greek elections on Sunday could bring urgency to a debate that has been largely academic: whether the euro zone can withstand the departure of one of its members. With a good chance that the elections will produce either a political stalemate or a populist left-wing government in Athens, even people who say they do not believe Greece will drop out of the common currency are preparing for that possibility. “

*** Hop on the bus, Gus: Romney today begins his five-day “Every Town Counts” bus tour in Scamman Farm in Stratham, NH, where he kicked off his presidential campaign in June 2011. He’ll be joined there by New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. The bus tour rolls through Pennsylvania on Saturday; Ohio (with Sen. Rob Portman) on Sunday; Wisconsin (with Rep. Paul Ryan) and Iowa on Monday; and Michigan on Tuesday. Two points on this bus tour: 1) This will be the most exposure Romney has had seen becoming the GOP’s presumptive nominee. What unexpected pops? 2) By visiting small towns in these battleground states, Romney is going precisely to the places where he hasn’t connected yet with voters. So Team Romney is trying to solve Romney’s own “small town” problem. By the way, the DNC will be launching its own bus tour following Romney around the country…

*** Gotta have faith: Today is the second day of the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in DC. The line-up: Sen. Rand Paul (9:35 am ET), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (10:15 am), RNC Chair Reince Preibus 11:25 am), Virginia Senate candidate George Allen (12:15 pm), Newt Gingrich (12:35 pm), Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (8:15 pm), and Utah Sen. Mike Lee (9:27 pm). On Saturday, Romney (via satellite), Rick Santorum, and Scott Walker are the speakers. And yesterday, Sens. Rob Portman and Marco Rubio -- two top VP possibilities for Romney -- addressed the Faith & Forum confab. NBC’s Andrew Rafferty writes that both men had tough words for Obama and his economic record. 

*** McConnell’s other speech today: In addition to his Faith & Freedom speech today, Mitch McConnell will deliver at the American Enterprise Institute on free speech and the 1^st Amendment, and he previews that speech in a Politico op-ed. His beef: Democratic efforts to pass legislation disclosing the names of individuals who write checks to 501(c)4 groups engaging in political activity. He also argues that Democrats are using the IRS to check on these very groups. “No individual or group in this country should have to face harassment or intimidation, or incur crippling expenses, defending themselves against their own government, simply because that government doesn’t like the message they’re advocating,” McConnell writes. “If you can’t convince people of the wisdom of your policies, then you should come up with better arguments. But, sadly, a growing number of people on the left, and now in the government itself, appear to have concluded that they can’t win on the merits. So they’ve resorted to bullying and intimidation. The potential consequences are grave.”

*** On “Meet the Press”: This Sunday, NBC’s David Gregory interviews Obama White House senior adviser David Plouffe and Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Countdown to GOP convention: 73 days

Countdown to Dem convention: 80 days

Countdown to Election Day: 144 days

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*** Friday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Jesse Jackson, National Journal’s Ron Fournier, Real Clear Politics’ Erin McPike, Democratic strategist Kiki McLean, Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, State Department Press Secretary Victoria Nuland, and advertising executive Howard Bragman.

*** Saturday’s and Sunday’s “Weekends with Alex Witt” line-up: As part of her weekly “Office Politics” series, MSNBC’s Alex Witt interviews

*** Saturday’s and Sunday’s “Up with Chris Hayes” line-up: On Saturday, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes interviews (among others) Harvard’s Lawrence Lessig. On Sunday, he interviews Daniel Ellsberg, Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen, and Buzzfeed’s Michael Hastings.

*** Saturday’s and Sunday’s “Melissa Harris-Perry” line-up: On Saturday, MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry interviews (among others) MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts and the Center for American Progress’ Tara McGuinness. On Sunday, she interviews the NAACP’s Ben Jealous, Dem strategist Keith Boykin, and Newsweek/Daily Beast’s Michael Tomasky. 

The New York Times: "Framing his re-election bid as a stark choice between government action to lift the middle class and a return to Republican economic policies that he said had caused a deep recession, President Obama on Thursday called the presidential decision facing Americans a clear-cut one that will determine the long-term trajectory of the economy...The address, by a president who sounded as if he realized he was in a fight for his political life, represented a determined effort to stem two weeks of political and economic sliding that began with a grim jobs report."

The RNC has a web video making the point that there wasn’t anything actually new in Obama’s speech yesterday.

"Mitt Romney vs. Barack Obama is not exactly Jefferson–Adams or Lincoln–Douglas. No Harry Truman or Bill Clinton here, let alone FDR or Reagan. Indeed, it’s arguable that neither party is fielding its strongest candidate. Hillary Clinton would run far better than Obama. True, her secretaryship of state may not remotely qualify as Kissingerian or Achesonian, but she’s not Obama. She carries none of his economic baggage. She’s unsullied by the last three and a half years," Charles Krauthammer writes in The Washington Post. "Similarly, the Republican bench had several candidates stronger than Romney, but they chose not to run. Indeed, one measure of the weakness of the two finalists is this: The more each disappears from view, the better he fares. Obama prospered when he was below radar during the Republican primaries. Now that they’re over and he’s back out front, his fortunes have receded."

"President Barack Obama soaked in the support — and the campaign cash — of Manhattan’s elite entertainers Thursday as his re-election team sought to fill its fundraising coffers. The president and first lady Michelle Obama made a rare joint fundraising appearance when they visited the home of actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick," The Associated Press writes. "The intimate dinner banked about $2 million, with 50 people paying $40,000 each. Speaking in a dimly lighted, art-filled room, Obama told supporters they would play a critical role in an election that would determine a vision for the nation’s future. “You’re the tie-breaker,” he said. “You’re the ultimate arbiter of which direction this country goes.”

The AP previews Romney’s bus tour that begins today. “Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney’s first traditional campaign trip of the general election, a six-state trek by bus, is aimed at swaying undecided voters living outside America’s big cities. To hear his advisers tell it, he’ll be visiting the towns President Barack Obama forgot. The former Massachusetts governor is planning to roll through at least 14 small cities and towns over five days on his ‘Every Town Counts’ tour. His aides say he will stop in the kinds of places that are hurting because of the bad economy — not those, they say, that Obama has in mind when he speaks about how to make things better.”

"Mitt Romney, seeking to overshadow an appearance by the president in Ohio on Thursday, mocked President Obama as a candidate of words, not deeds, whose eloquent speech-making abilities have not been matched by the effectiveness of his economic policies," The New York Times writes. "Giving his own economic speech in the same state where Mr. Obama was presenting his, Mr. Romney said that the president’s re-election campaign felt compelled to deliver a major address on the economy “because he hasn’t delivered a recovery for the economy.”"

"In Republican Mitt Romney's bid for the White House, there are the obvious obstacles: namely a sitting president, Democrat Barack Obama, and his massive campaign organization. And then there are the less predictable hurdles - such as Gary Johnson, a self-effacing former New Mexico governor who could complicate Romney's efforts to challenge Obama in New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada in the November 6 election," Reuters reports.

Per NBC's Andrew Rafferty: "As Mitt Romney spent Thursday attempting to knock the wind out of President Barack Obama's economy-focused address, two Republican senators largely considered to be in the top tier of potential vice presidential choices did the same. Sens. Marco Rubio, of Florida, and Rob Portman, of Ohio, followed the Republican presidential nominee's lead and pre-butted Obama's speech in Ohio with appearances and statements throughout the day."

National Journal reports: "Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire will join Romney in their respective home states, and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin will campaign with the candidate in Ryan’s hometown of Janesville, Wis., staff members for the three legislators confirmed."

RUBIO: "Sen. Marco Rubio was on the verge of dropping out of the 2010 race for the Senate, convinced that then-Gov. Charlie Crist's popularity, power and money would be too much to overcome in a Republican primary. He was also afraid any future political ambitions would be crushed by Crist's supporters, Rubio wrote in his autobiography to be released next week," USA Today reports.

In an exchange with the Capitol Hill publication The Hill, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that he wanted to work with the Obama White House -- on immigration and the line-item veto -- but President Obama and his team never reached out.

“Let’s get real here,” McCain told The Hill. “There was never any outreach from President Obama or anyone in his administration to me.”

McCain disputes the notion that he has rejected entreaties to cooperate with the White House because he is bitter from his defeat four years ago.

He said he expressed eagerness to work with the president on immigration reform and the line-item veto, but has been left out in the cold.

McCain, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, also said Obama failed to consult with him on national-security issues.“He never asked for advice on national-security nominees,” McCain said.

But when looking at the major Senate votes over the past three years, it's hard to find a Democratic-sponsored measure that McCain supported, even ones backed by other GOP senators (including McCain ally Lindsey Graham).

Consider:

On the most significant piece of legislation on immigration -- the topic on which he said he wanted to work with the White House -- McCain voted against the DREAM Act, which would give young illegal immigrants who are pursuing a college degree or serving in the military a chance for citizenship. Three Republicans (Bob Bennett, Dick Lugar and Lisa Murkowski) voted for the legislation that failed to get 60 Senate votes.

Despite voting for every other Supreme Court nominee since joining the Senate, McCain voted against both of Obama's picks, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Notably, Grahman and eight other Republicans voted for Sotomayor, and Graham and four other Republicans voted for Kagan.

McCain also voted against the New START treaty with Russia, even though that was supported by 12 Republican senators; he voted against the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which was backed by eight GOPers; and he voted against the financial-reform legislation, supported by three Republicans.

(And as far as the claim that Obama never reached out to McCain, remember there was that inaugural dinner that the then-president-elect hosted in McCain's honor.)

A McCain spokesman tells First Read that McCain didn't vote for those measures because they went against his principles.

"Everyone knows that the president failed to fulfill his promise to reach across the aisle and bridge the partisan divide," spokesman Brian Rogers said. "Sen. McCain was never going to sacrifice his principles to support legislation he fundamentally opposes, but he was willing to work with the president on areas of common concern."

Rogers added, "The president’s outreach has been non-existent –- not just to Sen. McCain, but many Democrats in Congress say the exact same thing."

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA -- As President Obama and Mitt Romney clashed in minutes-apart addresses in Ohio, the president's top lieutenant appeared in a different swing state to implore high school graduates to ignore negativity and cynicism as the nation's future is rapidly reshaped by new technologies.

"There's a lot of talk these days, you hear a cacophony of voices that America's future is not as bright as its past," Vice President Joe Biden told seniors at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach. "I'm here to tell you don't believe it for a moment."

"Don't give in to the cynicism, the pettiness and the negativity that you see and hear all around you that pervades our public discourse," Biden told the 463 graduates. "Believe in yourself, because you have reason to. And believe -- because there's no reason not to believe in the continued promise of this great country."

The vice president warned students to consider the values of "tolerance, respect, and understanding" as their generation deploys new technologies such as social media both here and abroad.

"As the world continues to shrink, the cultural divides that have separated us do not shrink," he said. "The lines marking cultural and religious differences do not blur. In fact those lines become more stark as we confront those differences up close. After all, the same technology that can inspire a democratic revolution across the Middle East [can] spread gossip, innuendo and lies around the world just as rapidly."

The Virginia Beach area narrowly favored Republican John McCain over Barack Obama in the 2008 election by a margin of less than one percent.

Biden's third and final commencement address of the spring season was markedly similar to the one he delivered last week at a Miami-area high school, although the vice president offered a particular focus on the Virginia Beach area's heavy military community.

Noting his son's 2008 deployment to Iraq as a JAG, he recognized the sacrifices of both troops and the families they leave behind -- many like the students celebrating their graduation today.

"My son, Beau Biden, spent a year in Iraq, and I watched the impact on my grandchildren," he said. "The games missed, the birthdays missed, the Christmases missed, the empty seat at Thanksgiving dinner."

Tallwood boasts a "global studies and world languages" honors program, which encourages students to gain an international perspective. Curriculum includes coursework like "International Business," "Global Economics," and "Music and Art in China." Students also focus on two languages, with Arabic, Russian, and Chinese among the offerings.

Biden lauded those graduates Thursday, saying that their mastery of foreign languages will serve as a much needed asset for the country. "We will need you," he declared.

Later in the day, Biden travels back to Delaware to appear at a fundraising event to benefit his son Beau, who serves as that state's attorney general.

CINCINNATI -- Speaking immediately before President Obama's economic speech in another corner of Ohio, Mitt Romney said Thursday that "talk is cheap," and that the president's rhetoric shouldn't earn him another term.

"You may have heard that President Obama is on the other side of the state and he’s going to be delivering a speech on the economy. He’s doing that because he hasn’t delivered a recovery for the economy," Romney said. "And he’s going to be a person of eloquence as he describes his plans for making the economy better.  But don’t forget, he’s been president for three and a half years. And talk is cheap. Action speaks very loud. And if you want to see the results of his economic policies, look around Ohio, look around the country, you’ll see a lot of people are hurting."

The speech served effectively as a "pre-buttal" to Obama's own remarks. (Romney moved up the timing of his speech so as to avoide an overlap.) And it also offered a preview of the looming battle between the two candidates over the election's top issue -- the economy -- in a swing-state that's been ravaged by the fallout of the recession.

Ohio's unemployment rate stood at 7.4 percent through the end of April (the last month for which data is available), lower than the national rate of 8.2 percent. But Romney slammed Obama for the weak national economy as well, urging voters to hold the president accountable for his management of the economy.

"Look what’s happened across this country. If you think things are going swimmingly, if you think the president’s right when he said the private sector is doing fine, well then he’s the guy to vote for," Romney said. "But when he said that, there was such an outpouring of response from the 23 million Americans out of work or underemployed that I think today he’s not going to say it again. I think it’s more likely he’s going to say, 'Give me four more years, even though I didn’t get it done in the first three and a half.'"

Romney's speech to roughly 200 supporters gathered on a factory floor deviated little from his traditional stump speech, but took on an extra air of importance as today marked the first time both parties' nominees have campaigned in the same state on the same day.

Both campaigns consider the Buckeye state to be essential to their electoral success in November, with Romney strategist Russ Schriefer telling reporters yesterday that "There is no state that is more important than Ohio," and praising the state's controversial Republican Gov. John Kasich.

Today, Romney tweaked his economic message ever so slightly to appeal to the Rust Belt state, where manufacturing plays a significant role in the economy and where its revitalization might be acutely felt. The presumptive GOP nominee took aim at China, vowing as he has done in the past to label the country a currency manipulator on day one of his administration, and praising free trade, which Romney said he discussed with local business leaders before the speech.

"Trade is good. Of the business people I met with just a few minutes ago a number of them said that their business relies pretty substantially on selling products to other nations. It’s good for us to be able to trade with other nations. It creates jobs here," Romney said.

President Obama embraced a general election fight versus Mitt Romney on the core issue of the economy, casting the fall campaign as a chance to break a "stalemate" between warring political factions in Washington.

In a highly-anticipated speech in the swing state of Ohio, the president sought to re-frame the 2012 campaign after weathering a series of setbacks mostly connected to voters' concern that the economic recovery has begun to sputter.

"There is one place where I stand in complete agreement with my opponent: this election is about our economic future," Obama said at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland.

Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

President Barack Obama speaks on the economy during a campaign event at the Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 14.

The speech was intended to offer a sharp contrast versus Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who delivered a stinging rebuke of the president’s economic stewardship in a speech moments earlier in Cincinnati. The Obama campaign said it was the first in a series of actions by Obama meant to frame the general election.

“What's holding us back is a stalemate in Washington between two fundamentally different views of which direction America should take. And this election is your chance to break that stalemate,” Obama said. “At stake is not simply a choice between two candidates or two political parties, but between two paths for our country.”

For Obama, the GOP path – which, he said, Romney would advance along with unpopular congressional Republicans, hand-in-hand – represented a retread of the policies during the Bush administration. A Romney administration, the president warned, would award expensive tax cuts mostly to the wealthy and let corporations run amok of regulations, all while gutting support for education and infrastructure.

The speech was firmly ensconced in a kind of “Blame Bush” strategy that Republicans frequently decry as a political red herring, and Romney tried to keep the focus on the past three years.

“He’s going to be saying today that he wants four more years. He may have forgotten he talked about a one term proposition if he couldn’t get the economy turned around in three years. But we’re going to hold him to his word,” Romney said in Cincinnati, referring to an interview given by Obama in which he said he’d be voted out if his administration failed to improve the economy.

“I know that he will have all sorts of excuses and he’ll have all sorts of ideas he’ll describe about how he’ll make things better,” Romney said. “And so if people want to know how his economic policies have worked and how they perform, why they can talk to their neighbor and ask if things are better.”

The president’s speech was billed as a major one by both the White House and Obama’s re-election team. It follows a bruising couple of weeks politically for Obama, coming after May’s lackluster jobs report, Gov. Scott Walker’s victory in the Wisconsin recall election and the president’s gaffe last Friday, in which he suggested the private sector was doing “fine.”

(Obama made light of those comments at the top of his speech: "Over the next five months, this election will take many twists and many turns, polls will go up and polls will go down, there will be no shortage of gaffes and controversies that keep both campaigns busy and give the press something to write about. You may have heard I recently made my own unique contribution to that process.")

Obama’s message on Thursday ironically mirrored much of the rhetoric he used at his last speech at Cuyahoga Community College in September of 2010. Then, when Republicans were on the cusp of a swarming victory in that year’s midterm elections, Obama also warned in that speech about the perils of electing Republicans who would return to Bush policies.

“That’s the choice, Ohio.  Do we return to the same failed policies that ran our economy into a ditch, or do we keep moving forward with policies that are slowly pulling us out? “ Obama asked in the 2010 speech. “Do we settle for a slow decline, or do we reach for an America with a growing economy and a thriving middle class? That’s the America that I see.  We may not be there yet, but we know where this country needs to go.”

Obama paired his criticism of Romney with what he said was an alternative vision that made up the choice in front of voters this autumn.

"The debate in this election is not about whether we need to grow faster, or whether we need to create more jobs, or whether we need to pay down our debt," Obama said. "The debate in this election is about how we grow faster, and how we create more jobs, and how we pay down our debt. That's the question facing the American voter."

The crowd of about 1,500 cheered throughout most of the speech, which extended toward almost an hour in length. The president spent a considerable amount of time delving into his hopes for what investments in energy, technology, infrastructure and other priorities could do for rebuilding the middle class.

The dueling speeches, though, offered a glimpse of the general election battle that’s set to dominate the next five months. Romney will return to the Buckeye State as soon as Sunday, during a stop on a bus tour that will take him through six swing states.

Edited by NBC's Matt Loffman.

Updated 3:19 p.m. - The Senate cleared a procedural hurdle on Thursday allowing a long-stalled ambassadorial nominee to move forward toward confirmation.

Stan Honda / AFP - Getty Images

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Senators voted, 62 to 37, to move forward with the nomination of Maria Carmen Aponte as the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) rounded up a handful of Republican votes to help Aponte clear the 60-vote threshold needed to end a filibuster of the nomination. Apointe was later formally confirmed by a voice vote.

Aponte had been serving as a recess appointee of President Obama's after Senate Republicans blocked her nomination in 2010; her confirmation to a full term had moved forward this season in fits and starts, due to the objections of some conservatives.

Led by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, Republicans raised objections to some of Aponte's outspoken opinions on gay rights and they questioned her relationship with an old boyfriend, who allegedly worked for Cuba's spy agency. Republicans say they've repeatedly asked the White House for more information on her background but have been repeatedly denied their request.

Rubio, a potential vice presidential candidate this fall, had initially opposed Aponte's nomination, which has been closely watched in Hispanic media. But the Florida senator switched his stance, and led the charge to get Republican votes for Aponte. Critics accuse Rubio of flip-flipping because of the large Puerto Rican community in Florida; Aponte is Puerto Rican.

Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that he never had an opposition to Aponte, but voted against her nomination at first because he disagreed with the White House over some Western Hemisphere issues. He said that, since then, he's been working to round up the seven votes needed to get to 60 votes and break a filibuster.

In a statement today he said, “I supported Mari Carmen Aponte's nomination because the Administration has addressed my earlier concerns about its Western Hemisphere policy and because I believe she will serve our nation well in El Salvador.”

Rubio told reporters Wednesday that once the White House addressed his concerns, he started working to round up the seven votes needed to get to 60 votes and break a filibuster.

He blamed Democratic leadership for not moving immediately to confirm her. He accused Majority Leader Harry Reid of waiting until it was politically expedient with the president set to visit Florida next week.

“At the end of the day, I feel bad for her. She’s become a ping pong ball…It’s not a coincidence that we’re in an election cycle, the president’s going to be in Orlando next week and all of a sudden a nomination that wasn’t a priority …is now a priority in June,” he said.

Democrats credit the efforts of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Hispanic groups in pushing through the Aponte nomination.

After today’s vote Senator McCain acknowledged he was a target of intense lobbying.

“I’ve heard from about 300 people,” he said.

With his back against the wall (again), Obama set to deliver big speech on the economy in Cleveland, OH at 1:45 pm ET… Romney also will campaign in Ohio around the very same time… Dem pollster Peter Hart on Obama’s challenge… New Romney TV ad resurrects Obama’s “the private sector is doing fine” remark… Romney would govern like John Kasich?... And Sheldon Adelson’s $35 million (and counting).

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign fund raising event at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 12, 2012.

*** Obama’s back against the wall (again): In the five years since Barack Obama has become a fixture on the national stage, he has followed this script when the going gets tough: He gives a speech. He did it during the 2008 presidential campaign (Jeremiah Wright), as well as in his first two years as president (during the health-care debate and the BP spill). And now after his toughest stretch in the White House since the debt-ceiling debacle -- the May jobs report, the Democrats’ loss in Wisconsin, and “the private sector is doing fine” -- President Obama is set to deliver a major campaign speech on the economy in Cleveland, OH at 1:45 pm ET. The speech is intended to do what all those other examples were supposed to do: change the negative narrative, even if temporarily. In THIS speech, per the campaign, the president will mention (as he’s said before at some recent fundraisers) the stark contrast on the economy between the two presidential candidates, and he’ll say that this election has the chance to “break the stalemate” between the two parties on how to fix the economy and pay down the debt. Here’s the thing about Obama’s speeches, though: This appears to be his team’s only play sometimes. They’ve worked in the past, of course. But the question becomes: If you continually give a speech when your back is against the wall, does it inevitably have less of an impact?

*** Obama’s challenge: After he conducted a focus group of swing voters in Colorado, pollster Peter Hart -- the Democratic half of the NBC/WSJ poll -- had this advice for Team Obama in an interview with NBC News: “Our focus groups show that voters see a lot of glamour and glitz from the Obama administration; they're wondering where the vision, where the valor is going to be.” More from Hart: “[Obama] is missing the mark on the middle class. He needs to get down there. It is not just rallies; he needs to be out there feeling what they are feeling, a lot of pain, a lot of hurt, a lot of uncertainty.” And: “[The public] need a sense of a vision, they need a sense of hope, they need to be able to see that it’s not just the old Obama giving them the charisma and the cool. They need to see substance over style.” We know there are many folks in Obamaland who semi-dismiss the criticism coming from Greenberg/Carville. But the ex-Clinton folks apparently are not alone.

*** While Obama’s in Cleveland, Romney will be in Cincy: Obama isn’t going to be the only major figure in Ohio today. At the very time the president will be delivering his economic speech, Mitt Romney will be holding a campaign event in Cincinnati, OH. Indeed, this will be the first time in this general election when Obama and Romney will campaign in same battleground state on the same day. Yesterday while in DC, Romney made this comment in advance of Obama’s upcoming speech: "My own view is that he will speak eloquently, but that words are cheap, and that the record of an individual is the basis upon which you determine whether they should continue to hold on to their job."

*** Romney TV ad resurrects “private sector is doing fine”: You just knew this was coming… The Romney campaign’s latest TV ad resurrects Obama’s “the private sector is doing fine” remark. After flashing these things on the screen – the millions who are out of work, the unemployment rate above 8%, and the homeowners who are underwater, the ad plays Obama saying, “The private sector is doing fine.” Twice. Of course, the context to Obama’s words is that he was comparing the private sector’s performance to the public sector’s in job gains/losses, and the statistics back that up. Meanwhile, the pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA Action will air this TV ad tomorrow in New Hampshire hitting Romney on Bain -- at the same time as Romney begins his bus tour in the Granite State.

*** Romney would govern like John Kasich? On a conference call yesterday, Romney strategist Russ Schriefer said that Romney -- if he becomes president -- would govern like GOP Govs. John Kasich of Ohio, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, and Chris Christie of New Jersey. “I think what you’re going to see is that Gov. Romney is going to be much more like Gov. Kasich, Gov. Christie, and Gov. Daniels in those states and operate with a much more pro-business, less hostile to job creators attitude,” Schriefer said, per NBC’s Garrett Haake. It’s worth noting that Kasich’s approval rating in Ohio, according to a May Quinnipiac poll was just 41% (compared with Obama’s 49%), although another Quinnipiac poll from May had Christie’s approval rating at 57% in New Jersey. We get the Daniels and Christie comparisons, but the Kasich comment surprised us since we know of a lot of Republicans who quietly blame Kasich and his governing style for putting Romney in the small hole he’s in Ohio in the first place.

*** Sheldon Adelson’s $35 million (and counting): When it’s all said and done, perhaps the biggest story this presidential season will be all the outside groups -- and the big checks funding them -- trying to influence this election. And the biggest check-writer of them all so far? Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. He and his wife have reportedly donated $10 million to the pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future. That’s on top of the $20 million the Adelsons gave to the pro-Gingrich Super PAC during the GOP primary season. All told, the New York Times says, the Adlesons have donated $35 million to pro-GOP Super PACs. While we’ve all become numb to money in politics, that doesn’t make it less relevant. And $35 million (and possibly counting) is an astonishing sum from one individual and his wife. What’s more, we’ve seen politicians spend more than this on races -- hello, Michael Bloomberg -- but they were spending it on themselves. But folks like Adelson aren’t running for office; rather, they’re dabbling in politics like someone would dabble in fantasy baseball. It’s truly breathtaking.

*** Geithner on politics: In an interview with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell yesterday, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner gave this response to a question about all the money Wall Street is giving Romney: “I can't really speculate on their motives, but I suspect it's because they believe that they are more likely to get a more favorable hearing in terms of relaxing these reforms if the Republicans have a stronger hand in Washington. I think it's straightforward.”

*** On the trail: After the president’s speech in Cleveland, he heads to New York City, where he and the first lady will visit the World Trade Center site and then where he’ll hit two fundraisers. And after his event in Cincy, Romney travels to a fundraiser in Chicago.

Countdown to GOP convention: 74 days
Countdown to Dem convention: 81 days
Countdown to Election Day: 145 days

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