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Campbell Brown
House of Representatives Passes Obama Stimulus Bill
Aired January 28, 2009 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody.
Breaking news tonight: President Obama wins round one in Congress, but not without getting roughed up.
Bullet point number one: House Democrats approve his nearly $820 billion recovery plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: On this vote, the yeas are 244. The nays are 188. The bill is passed.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
PELOSI: Without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: At the very same time, though, Republicans sent a pretty tough massage to this very popular president. Not a single Republican, not one, voted for it, despite White House warnings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When it comes to rebuilding our economy, we don't have a moment to spare. The businesses that are shedding jobs to stay afloat, they can't afford inaction or delay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Bullet point number two tonight: a simple question that deserves an answer. What is in this massive stimulus bill? Tonight we are going to dig into the fine print. Some of it, we assure you, will be quite surprising.
And bullet point number three: Oh, to be a fly on the wall at this party, after what has just happened. Right now, the president is welcoming some of the very same members of Congress who just tried to stop his stimulus plan. Does he really think that the bipartisan spirit can survive after the GOP has turned its back on him this first round? We will talk about that.
But, first, as always, we are "Cutting Through The Bull." And, tonight, unfortunately, we are again asking the president to explain why, exactly, that he announced with great fanfare new ethics rules if he had no intention of abiding by them.
The Obama administration is yet again asking for a waiver to its very own rules about hiring lobbyists. This time, it is the new treasury secretary, Tim Geithner. He wants a former lobbyist for Goldman Sachs to be his top aide at the Treasury Department.
My view is simple. Mr. President, if you want to hire former lobbyists because you think that they are in fact the best people to do the job, then hire former lobbyists. Just don't told a big news conference first to tell us how your administration is going to be so different from previous administrations, in that you won't be hiring lobbyists.
Don't make your disdain for lobbyists and your pledges that they won't wield influence in your administration a centerpiece of your campaign. It's the hypocrisy and the double-talk that makes so many of us so cynical.
Do what you think is best for the country. Just be straight with us about how you are going to do it.
National political correspondent Jessica Yellin is here with me right now to talk a little bit more about this.
And, Jessica, I want to be clear, because lobbyists in many ways have become the boogeyman. They certainly were in the campaign. And they certainly have for many politicians. It's easy to point to them and say, oh, they are the bad guy. But, in fact, you know from covering Washington -- I know -- they are crucial to the process and often some of the most important people about a given issue.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are priceless to lawmakers.
And the truth is, Campbell, just about everybody in political Washington is a lobbyist in one way or another. There are 15,000 of them who are registered as lobbyists.
The bottom line is, the new road you drive on, the tests your kids take at school, the price of corn you buy at the supermarket, all of that is the way it is because someone asked Congress to pass a law about it.
Now, lobbyists they know who to talk to, to get a bill done. In fact, the story goes, they're called lobbyists because back in the day they would hang out in the lobby to talk to lawmakers.
Now, usually, lobbyists are former members of Congress or they're staff, like Bob Dole become a lobbyist. They're not necessarily promoting bad causes. People fighting child abuse have a lobbyist. But the trouble comes in when they try to trade things like campaign contributions or a job for a family member in exchange for legislation. And the problem for Obama is that, if you say no lobbyists, that means you are ruling out a lot of talented people. And they are often the ones who know the most, Campbell, about how Washington works.
BROWN: Indeed. The problem, though, is the pledge. If you make the pledge, you have got to stand by the pledge.
YELLIN: Hypocrisy.
BROWN: All right, Jessica Yellin for us tonight -- Jessica, thanks.
We want to go back now to our breaking news. So, much for the new kumbaya bipartisan spirit in Washington. Yes, tonight's House vote on the stimulus bill did go the president's way, but without a single Republican voting yes.
And that is after President Obama went to Capitol Hill to lobby congressional Republicans in person, which was very unusual. This morning meeting with business leaders, the president sounded like he knew which way the wind would blow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am very grateful that all of these individuals have taken the time to come. These are some of the leading CEOs in the country.
These are people who make things, who hire people. They are on the front lines in seeing the enormous problems in our economy right now. Their ideas and their concerns have helped to shape our recovery package. And I am grateful that they are here today to talk about why it's so important that we act and act swiftly in order to get this economy back on track.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys.
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA: I am confident we're going to get it passed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, is this vote a sign of things to come?
Senior White House correspondent Ed Henry has been working the phones for us tonight.
And, Ed, they have got to be disappointed there. What is going on at the White House?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, they absolutely are deep down. But publicly they are trying to keep a brave face.
And the analogy that White House spokesman Robert Gibbs has been trying to use all day is it's like a baseball game. It is the only third inning, not the ninth inning. There are a lot of steps yet to go, and this is just the first them.
And for them, a win is a win. And that's why the president put out a written statement saying tonight -- quote -- "I hope that we can continue to strengthen this plan before it gets to my desk, but what we can't do is drag our feet or allow the same partisan differences get in our way."
And what he's talking about in terms of the future innings in this game is that it's going to go the Senate, and the White House hopes that some changes will be made there. Maybe some of the egregious pork spending will be taken out. Maybe there will be some changes and tweaks to the tax cuts, and bring more Republicans on board.
Having said, this is still a stinging victory, I guess, instead of a stinging defeat. They won. A win is a win. But it's not how they wanted to win. They wanted the first initiative from the president right out of the gate to be an overwhelming bipartisan win. Instead, this is a party-line vote. It looks like something that would have happened in the Bush era.
And it doesn't look like the kind of sort of the turn the page and change the tone in Washington that the president has been pledging -- Campbell.
BROWN: So it can't be very comfortable there at the White House this evening, right, Ed?
(LAUGHTER)
HENRY: Well, right behind me, there are a line of SUVs and sedans from these various Democratic and Republican leaders.
They are over here. And, as you said, what it is interesting is that this president is operating differently from his predecessor, who didn't work Congress very much. From this first week, Barack Obama tonight invited Democratic and Republican leaders to a cocktail reception with the first lady knowing that this would likely be a party-line vote.
After the vote, he wanted them over here because I think he realizes not only is there more battles ahead, in terms of the stimulus bill, but don't forget this is just the first of many battles on a whole bunch of fronts. He can't give up this early. He has to take the small victory he got and realize he needs to work these Democrats and Republicans on health care reform, not just on the economy, a whole host of issues to come.
So, he is sort of trying to take the long view -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right. Ed Henry at the White House for us tonight -- Ed, thanks very much.
And we are just getting starting poring through all the fine print on the president's plan. This is it, 647 pages of his fascinating stimulus package, just what you want to curl up in bed with.
In a moment, our political panel is going to weigh in. Why would this economic rescue plan pay to help people quit smoking? Surprising list of expenses in this plan that the White House considers vital.
Plus:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Can I make a comment that is unrelated to the economy very quickly? And it has to do with Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, why the president is mocking his new hometown's trouble with the weather. We will explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: You're looking right now at a live picture of the White House, where at this very moment President Obama is hosting a bipartisan cocktail party for congressional leaders.
And, oh, to be a fly on the wall as the president pals around with the very Republican congressmen who resoundingly voted against his stimulus package just a couple of hours ago. Good times there, for sure.
President Obama promised to bring a whole new tone to Washington. But tonight it is looking more like politics as usual, sharp divisions along party lines. So, what does he do now to find common ground?
Joining me now to talk about this, senior political analyst Gloria Borger, Republican strategist Kevin Madden, and political analyst Roland Martin.
Roland, how much of a wakeup call is this for President Obama? He spends the whole first week talking about the importance of working with Republicans. First big piece of legislation, not a single Republican vote.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's not a shock.
Again, working with Republicans and getting them to come on board is not the same thing. He is doing the right thing in terms of communicating with them, talking with them. But the bottom line is, he has the ability -- he has the reality of having a significant majority on the Democratic side.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: So, but, Roland, then why doesn't he just say, you know what -- why the show of bipartisanship, then? Why not just say, my way or the highway; I got the votes? MARTIN: No, because you have to make the effort.
We saw that my way or the highway thing, frankly, with President Bush even among his fellow Republicans. You want a president who is communicating with both sides. And, so, if you don't get them to come across, it's going happen, but you make the effort.
BROWN: And to Roland's point here, Gloria, more than 2.5 million jobs were lost last year. Is this vote going to hurt Republicans? Are they going be seeing this as politically tone-deaf for not showing some willingness?
(CROSSTALK)
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think there is a real possibility there.
The Republicans in the House took a risk. They really wanted a unanimous vote. My sources told me that there were probably 30 Republicans who said that they could have voted with the president. But they got whipped into line by the House Republican leadership.
Now, if this works, if this stimulus package works and in the end they don't vote for it, they could be in for some trouble. But they took a risk here. They needed to stand united, they thought. And this was really in a way not so much a vote against Barack Obama as it was against Nancy Pelosi and her Democrats in the House. So, Barack Obama walked into a fight House Republicans have been having with House Democrats for years.
BROWN: Kevin, what's your take on this? Good move for Republicans to stand united against him?
KEVIN MADDEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, look, I think Republicans realize the economic realities here of voting against a bill that the public is going largely see as a massive, a trillion- dollar spending bill that's not going create jobs.
And I think it was less of a vote against Nancy Pelosi and Democrats than it was a vote against Nancy Pelosi and Democrats and the way they have acted. They did not allow for any Republicans to have any input on this bill.
And this is, again, Nancy Pelosi and Capitol Hill Democrats protecting the status quo. Roland is right in the respect that Barack Obama reached out to Republicans. But that bipartisan spirit was not copied by a lot of Capitol Hill Democrats up there. And that's why we had essentially bipartisan opposition to this bill.
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: But people don't care. People don't care about an internal fight between Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives.
MADDEN: Right. I agree with you on that. BORGER: They want to see jobs created. And this is a bill that says that it can create three million jobs.
(CROSSTALK)
MADDEN: Gloria, at the price of $275,000 per job. You know, that's a lot of money. And this is taxpayer dollars.
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: But economists are disagreeing on this, Kevin. I'm not an economist, but...
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: But, to Kevin's point -- let me -- hold on Roland, because I do -- Kevin has a point on some of this stuff, like the original bill, for example, included projects Republicans hate, like funding for contraceptives.
The White House got them to take that out under pressure. But how does it get in there in the first place? Don't things like that and attempts like by Democrats sort of poison the atmosphere?
MARTIN: Well, first of all, of course it happens, because, again, you are looking for something to latch on to and to criticize.
Also, from the Democratic side, they had a problem trying to explain this whole deal. But, Campbell, let me say this, which people in D.C. somehow don't want to admit. Nobody knows if this bill is going work. Nobody. OK?
You have some economists who say, oh, it's going to work, some who say, it will not work, same with the previous bailout bill. They are making an effort, but they simply don't know. And I wish folks would just go ahead and say it. But to stand here and say, oh, it's not going to create any jobs, we don't know that. Is it going to stimulate economy? We don't know that. It's an effort to try to do something to deal with this difficult economy.
BORGER: This reminds me of Bill Clinton in 1993 when he passed his big deficit reduction package, and he had to do it with only Democrats. And it turned out to be one of the most important things he did in his presidency.
MADDEN: And, just remember, Gloria, in 1994, Republicans swept into power.
(LAUGHTER)
BORGER: I know. I know. I know. So, it's risky on both sides, no doubt about it.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: It's called politics. You make a decision, yes or no. BROWN: So, Gloria, what does he learn from this? What does Obama take away from this going forward if he is serious about trying -- or President Obama going forward if he's serious about trying to do things in a more bipartisan way?
BORGER: I think, look, he learns that he stepped into this big fight on the House side. And I think he's still going to continue to work with Republicans in the Senate.
Don't forget, this bill is not done yet. But I think this is somebody who came to Washington trying to change the tone. And he is going continue to do it, because, in the end, President Obama can say, look, I tried. I reached out.
BROWN: And, Kevin, do you think for that same reason that there's going be a lot of pressure on Republicans -- and you may see this happening in the Senate, certainly -- showing some flexibility and a willingness to work with him?
MADDEN: Well, look, I think this underscores Barack Obama's greatest challenge, which is that he's going to continue to have problems from within his own party up on Capitol Hill.
And I do believe that he will get credit for having reached across the aisle and tried to help Republicans make a better -- design a better bill. But, at the end of the day, Barack Obama did more reaching out than Nancy Pelosi did. And if we're going to have bipartisan accomplish on Capitol Hill, Barack Obama is going to work and use that incredible leverage and that political capital he has right now to bring his own party along.
Right now, this is a crushing defeat, first and foremost, for Nancy Pelosi. But if Barack Obama doesn't get his hands around Capitol Hill and his own party up there, he's going to have bigger problems.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: I don't know if you can call it a crushing defeat, though, Kevin. They won.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: That is not a defeat.
BROWN: Right.
BORGER: But, in the end, he may have to make some Democrats unhappy with whatever comes in the final stimulus package.
MADDEN: Ed Henry said it best, stinging victory.
BROWN: OK, stinging victory.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: That's better.
All right. OK, guys. Gloria, Kevin, and Roland, as always, thanks. Appreciate it -- $819 billion, that is a lot of stimulus.
Just ahead, as we will for the next few days, we're going to break down the fine print of the really big-ticket items to explain where exactly your money is going to go.
And then later, will Governor Rod Blagojevich finally show up at the one place he has been avoiding, his own impeachment trial?
Plus, President Obama visits the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon -- a new battlefield strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan. He talked from there. We will have details. You will hear from him when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: As we have been telling you, President Obama is one big step closer tonight to getting his economic recovery plan rolling. And, today, the president said there is not a moment to waste, that any delay would have devastating consequences.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The businesses that are shedding jobs to stay afloat -- they can't afford inaction or delay. The workers who are returning home to tell their husbands and wives and children that they no longer have a job, and all those who live in fear that their job will be next on the cutting blocks, they need help now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And to get that help, to get what he wants, the president does want to spend a lot of money. And you should know where it is actually going.
Tonight, we are breaking it down with chief business correspondent Ali Velshi.
And, Ali, yesterday, we talked about breaking down the tax breaks that are part of this plan. Today, go through the spending, the big- ticket items in the stimulus.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: All right, Campbell, the spending is the biggest part of the stimulus, about two- thirds of it.
And some of it is things that we're going to feel right now when it goes into the system. Let me show you how the administration is breaking it down -- $142 billion goes into education. Some of that is for more grants for students in need.
Some of that is for improvements to classrooms, but, generally speaking, to improve the educational system -- $111 billion going into health care. And there are many different things about health care, but one of the most important is the improvement to the way record- keeping is done, electronic record-keeping, a major area of efficiency that we have not got in the health care system -- $90 billion goes into infrastructure building.
That's the bridges and roads, the actual building, the area where we're going to see a lot of construction jobs added. That is sort of what you think about as a typical infrastructure stimulus spending bill -- $72 billion is going go to aid for benefiting seniors and people who are disabled. We talked a little about that yesterday, because some of that works into the area of aid directly to people -- $54 billion goes to energy, renewing the electrical grid in this country, making buildings more energy-efficient.
So, that's a big deal and a big part of the Obama campaign before he became president. And $16 billion goes into science and technology. About $6 billion of that is to get high-speed broadband Internet access into areas of the country, rural areas, that do not have that right now.
So, this is how it's breaking down for now as far as the plan is going through. It may change, obviously, when it gets to the Senate. There may be additions to this, but this is pretty much -- these are the big areas and the estimated costs for those -- Campbell.
BROWN: And, Ali, the Obama administration says that a lot of the spending is on long-term investments, not just short-term recovery.
But is a long-term investment really stimulus?
VELSHI: Yes...
BROWN: I mean, is that jump-start we need, I guess?
VELSHI: ... it's a good question.
Some of the things will be immediate, will create jobs immediately. The aid and benefit to seniors and people with disabilities, that is money that will go into the system immediately, $450 extra. Infrastructure, there are projects ready to go that will employ people within the next few months.
But some of these things are longer-term investments. So, the health care, the automating of records for the health care system, that's one of those things that it's a longer-term benefit. It's not stimulus as we think about it, immediate. It's a longer-term investment under the umbrella of stimulus -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right. Ali Velshi for us -- as always, Ali, thanks.
And let's go back right now to this morning and listen to what the president said about just how his stimulus plan would work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: But even as this plan puts Americans back to work, it will also make the critical investments in alternative energy, in safer roads, better health care and modern schools that will lay the foundation for long-term growth and prosperity.
And we'll invest in broadband and emerging technologies, like the ones imagined and introduced to the world by people like Sam and so many of the CEOs here today, because that's how America will retain and regain its competitive edge in the 21st century.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Now, I think we can all agree that better health care, modern schools, safer roads all worthy goals. Emerging technology, Sure.
But, in this time of economic crisis, is this how to get the most bang for the buck?
National political correspondent Jessica Yellin is back. She has been digging through the stimulus plan also all day.
And, Jessica, let's peel back yet another layer on the onion here and get into some of the specifics. This bill has $4.5 billion in it to modernize the electricity grid. Explain to us how spending like this is going to get us out of a recession. Why not, as a lot of people would argue, just write every American a check?
YELLIN: Sure.
And, Campbell, here's the idea. If the government gives me cash, I might spend it or I might put it in my pocket and save it. And that's not stimulus. But if the government spends money to update our electrical grid, they will have to hire workers to do it. That worker is getting a paycheck. And he can spend it at the market.
Well, the market now has more money to buy products, which means truckers have work. Then that trucker spends money while he's on the road. So, what started off as money to update the electric grid snowballs into more money getting into the economy. And that, Campbell, that is stimulus.
BROWN: But I know, Jessica, a lot of people will say, OK, I get infrastructure projects. I get how they are going to help. But I don't get some of the other things that are in this plan, like $75 million for a smoking-cessation program, or $4 billion for Head Start.
You know, energy-efficient appliances, I know they're spending a lot of money on, all may be good things, you can certainly argue. Head Start is a great thing. But how are those tax dollars stimulus?
YELLIN: Right.
And you have nailed the issue that came up today. This is why so many conservatives oppose this bill. The Obama team decided, look, they had to spend $800 billion to get us out of the recession, but there actually were not $800 billion worth of infrastructure projects that were ready to go to spend it on.
So, they came up with other ways to spend the money, like Head Start or like other early-education programs, or a program, like you said, to help people quit smoking.
Now, a lot of this just advances a Democratic agenda. Of course, Democrats would say, oh, it will help the economy in the long run. But it is not immediate stimulus. And that's why this is the most political and controversial part of this bill.
BROWN: Certainly will be.
Jessica Yellin for us tonight -- Jessica, thanks.
And we should mention, this weekend, we are hosting the first ever CNN Money summit. This is a panel of experts, journalists, politicians, business leaders who are all going to look at how President Obama can fix the economy. They will answer your questions as well. That is the CNN Money Summit this Friday night at 11:00 Eastern. Ali Velshi all over it. You are not going to want to miss it.
Coming up: President Obama makes his first official visit to the Pentagon, and has words of warning for many Americans. We're going to have that story.
And, later, Ted Haggard stunned the evangelical world when he was caught in a sex and drug scandal. Well, now he is back with even more shocking revelations.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Your mail could be the next victim of the recession. Just ahead, the historic change that could be coming to the U.S. Postal Service.
First, though, Joe Johns has tonight's briefing -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, the man you interviewed just last night on NO BIAS, NO BULL finally says yes to showing up at his own impeachment trial.
Prosecutors rested their case today against Governor Rod Blagojevich, and he is set to appear tomorrow, even if legislators decide not to let him speak.
A peanut butter maker shipped out products that had tested positive at least once for salmonella, according to federal regulators. An FDA report finds Peanut Butter Corporation of America detected salmonella bacteria 12 times in the last two years at its Georgia plant, but then sent the peanut butter out after additional testing found no sign of the bacteria. Eight deaths have been linked to that outbreak.
Evangelical pastor Ted Haggard says he considered suicide after being caught in a relationship with a male escort. Haggard told Oprah Winfrey he lied about that affair before he was fired from the church he founded and forced out as president of the National Association of Evangelicals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TED HAGGARD, FORMER EVANGELICAL PASTOR: I thought my wife would divorce me. I thought my children would leave me. I thought the church would, too. And a portion of that came through but the part about my family did not. My family responded in a way that rescued me.
I think I would have killed myself during and after this scandal. I would have died if my wife and my children wouldn't have made the decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Also today, Haggard denied new allegations of an affair with another man. Haggard will be on "LARRY KING LIVE" tomorrow here on CNN.
Winter weather is leaving a deadly path across the country. Seventeen people have died and more than a million homes are without power because of ice and snow storms. Kentucky, Arkansas and Oklahoma were especially hard hit. Storm damage stretches from Texas to New England.
And a Florida couple spent more than $150,000 to have their dog cloned. The yellow Lab named Lancelot Encore (ph) was born to another dog implanted with the DNA of the original Lancelot that died last year. The owners have nine other dogs, but they say they wanted another Lancelot because the first one was so special.
I've got a yellow Lab. I get it.
BROWN: All right. Joe for us tonight, Joe Johns.
They call the president no drama Obama. Well, next, we're going to show you how the White House plays that image using stagecraft.
Also, the president gets an upclose look at the changing strategy in Afghanistan. Is it too late to gain the upper hand there?
And in our "Political Daily Briefing," an inconvenient truth, the sequel? Al Gore offers new evidence our planet needs our help.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY FINDLAN, 3RD GRADE, ROYLE ELEMENTARY: Dear Mr. President. My name is Emily Findlan. I am 8 years old. My hobbies are ice skating. My favorite school is Royle Elementary School.
I have two dogs. How is your new home? I want to go to the White House since I was little. I would like to be friends with your daughter, Sasha. Sincerely, Emily Findlan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: She has two dogs? Emily, you might actually be able to sell Sasha on a visit.
We love to read children's letters to the new president. And if you have a letter you'd like to share with us, find out how to do that by going to CNN.com/Campbell and clicking on the iReport link.
Now we know this president has a message and an agenda. Change, transparency, a pledge to work with all sides. One weekend the Obama administration is hard at work getting that message out.
Enter the stagecraft, and Erica Hill is here with a closer look at that aspect.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a very carefully crafted message, as you can imagine. As Campbell mentioned, change, transparency, that pledge to work with all sides.
Well, it started from the very first moment less than an hour after taking that oath, there was President Obama signing papers to officially nominate members of his cabinet. Now, this is a small but public move when the administration knew it would be covered heavily. See, we're still talking about it.
The message here, President Obama hit the ground running. And then on Wednesday, his first full day on the job, the White House sent out these pictures to show us.
Look, no jacket for the president. He is hard at work, America, like the rest of you. This other picture there sent, though, doesn't exactly send that same message. Apparently, it was sent out by mistake, the which door do I choose.
This shot, by the way, which was also sent by the White House, proof that he did take the oath of office a second time. But think about the stagecraft here. There is no pesky video to be shown over and over again like the first oath. Instead, we'll just loop this still picture incessantly, a control link of the message there.
On the campaign trail, of course, candidate Obama talked a lot about reversing President Bush's policies and he didn't waste any time. His first executive order? Shut down the prison at Guantanamo Bay. The press was invited in for the signing, cameras rolling, Mr. Obama surrounded by retired military. The message here, he is keeping a promise and doing it with support.
But when it came to another big Bush error reversal, a controversial abortion policy, that fanfare was nowhere in sight. The president, in fact, waited until the day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and didn't invite the cameras in for this. Instead, he quietly announced that change in a statement. All very controlled stagecraft. And then how about this? An impromptu by the president to the White House press corps Thursday night, furthering the image of a more open, transparent commander in chief. Maybe. It seems, though, there's a quick meet and greet but it turns out perhaps the president forgot who his audience was. This is some reaction to a question about lobbyists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I came down here to visit. I didn't come down here --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are strict lobbying rules and Lynn is a lobbyist, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't worry guys. We'll --
OBAMA: This is what happens. I can't end up visiting you guys and shaking hands if I'm going to get grilled every time I come down here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Yes, you can't do that if you're going to talk to the press because inevitably, they're going to ask you questions.
Meantime, to further his case to the rest of the world that President Obama is changing the way America does business, his first formal TV interview goes to Arabic language satellite network Al- Arabiya. And then just yesterday in an effort to try to show he's willing to work with adversaries, Obama made -- President Obama makes a very rare visit to Capitol Hill.
Right off the bat, there he is reaching across the aisle, walking in with his transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, who's a former Republican congressman. Obama also met with both House and Senate Republicans but after his meeting, he actually had to speak with members of the media twice, once at the House podium, once at the Senate podium. It seems like maybe some stagecraft could have helped here to coordinate into one podium.
Also an interesting note here, he accidentally called the senators his colleagues, which probably may still kind of work together, Campbell, or not. Technically Senate colleagues any more, so it doesn't really work.
Tonight, we could get a little bit more. There is an after hours little meet and greet.
BROWN: Cocktail party.
HILL: A little cocktail party. Not sure how many pictures we're going to get with that but little, careful stagecrafting there to perhaps make some better (INAUDIBLE).
BROWN: We will see what happens and have an update on that. Erica Hill for us tonight. Erica, thanks. We'll be seeing you back a little bit later for more shortly.
Still to come tonight, the president's lobbying again, this time trying to win over the chiefs at the Pentagon. What message did he bring to those who defended America? What did they say to him about Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran?
Also, a study finds the National Science Foundation is wasting your money. Wait until you hear what it's researching on the web. We're not allowed to show it on TV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Take a look at the welcome President Obama received this afternoon on his first visit to the Pentagon. The hallways lined with troops eager to shake the hand of the new commander in chief. All smiles, of course, but then the work began.
The president huddling behind close doors with his defense secretary and the joint chiefs of staff. And when he emerged, he had a sober warning to share. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to have some difficult decisions that we're going to have to make surrounding Iraq and Afghanistan most immediately. We have, for a long time, put enormous pressure on our military to carry out a whole set of missions, sometimes not with the sort of strategic support and the use of all aspects of American power to make sure that they're not carrying the full load. And that's something that I spoke with the chiefs about and that I intend to change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Let's get an insider's view now of just what happened today at the Pentagon and what's likely to happen next in the war on terror. And I want to bring in CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence and CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen.
And Chris, you know, everybody seems to agree right now the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating that we need to get more troops in, get them in quickly. But privately, some people at the Pentagon are raising concerns about just how easy that will be. What can you tell us?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, not only privately but publicly. And Campbell, it all comes down to risk.
Everyone agrees that the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse. Now, you can leave those troops that are in Iraq indefinitely and minimize the risk there in Iraq, but every day that you do so maximizes the risk of something going very wrong in Afghanistan. And there's the rub, how soon to manage that risk between Iraq and Afghanistan. And that's a political concern.
There's also a physical one and that Afghanistan is extremely rugged, mountainous country. The U.S. military mostly getting around by helicopter. If you don't send the infrastructure and build that up first with the roads and bridges, you've got a lot of combat troops sitting in an airport doing nothing.
BROWN: And Peter, President Bush was very close with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. There are reports the Obama administration has real concerns about Karzai. What are they saying?
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, I think that the big concern is about Hamid Karzai for many years now, Campbell. You know, he has a reputation of probably being the mayor of Kabul.
There is an election which is scheduled right now for August 19th. This is a very important election. Arguably the most important event in Afghanistan's recent history, where Karzai will perhaps run again. But will he have American support?
Right now, it looks like American support is not going be just handed out willy-nilly. Who else might challenge him? But providing the security for that election is one of the most important things that President Obama and his generals have to discuss when they're talking about Afghanistan. If you can't have a secure election, the first one since 2004, for the presidency, it really sends a very poor signal about the security in the country.
BROWN: And Peter, I know you think that the appointment of Richard Holbrooke as a special envoy to the region is a lot more than a token gesture. It's a pretty big deal in terms of trying at least to solve the problem of Afghanistan and its neighbor, Pakistan. How?
BERGEN: Well, indeed, it's unprecedented. You know, Richard Holbrooke, arguably the most effective American diplomat who is responsible for the Balkan peace (ph) in the Balkans in the mid '90s. You know, the United States has never done something like this. But it's a signal both from President Obama and Hillary Clinton that Afghanistan and Pakistan, these problems are interlinked.
You know, if you are in the ambassador city in Kabul, you don't necessarily influence what's going on in Islamabad in Pakistan. But somebody like Holbrooke can come in and try and bring the partners together and the players in the region, and try and broker peace deals or military arrangements that will help deal with the Taliban which are along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
BROWN: All right, Peter Bergen for us tonight along with Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon. Guys, thank you very much.
Moving on, Al Gore came back to Capitol Hill today. You could say he was taking Congress for a ride. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is increasingly obvious that this roller coaster is headed for a crash, and we're in the front car. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So what's all that about? Here's a hint. It is, of course, Al Gore's favorite subject and it's coming at you in our "Political Daily Briefing" when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: In just a few moments, "LARRY KING LIVE" has more CNN coverage of tonight's breaking news. John King sitting in for Larry tonight.
John, what do you have?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, an interesting show tonight. We'll begin with the Democratic chairman fresh from that stimulus vote in the Congress and also a member of the Republican leadership. They will debate what's right and wrong with the Obama economic prescription.
Then we'll get more from two men who not only know their policy but also know how to make you laugh. Paul Begala and Ben Stein will be here to debate the economic stimulus plan and all issues Obama related.
And we'll close tonight, Campbell, with a panel of experts on what this all means for you out there. We'll take some viewer calls. Anybody worried about the economic stimulus plan, about all the layoffs announced this week, we'll take a few minutes and go through your concerns. It's all just ahead, Campbell, on "LARRY KING LIVE."
BROWN: All right. Thanks, John. We'll be watching.
Quick, which members of a federal agency are spending your money surfing costly x-rated Web sites? Up next, a Senate watchdog adds up how much it is costing all of us taxpayers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, something is visible again in the bird's eye view of Washington that wasn't visible back in the Bush days, and you won't believe the web surfing that some Washington scientists have been doing.
Erica Hill is back with tonight's "Political Daily Briefing" and she begins with a man who likes to take the earth's temperature, shall we say? What's that about?
HILL: Indeed. A little temperature taking of the earth today.
Former Vice President Al Gore making his case today to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee urging lawmakers to act now to combat global warming. Of course, hitting D.C. on a day when much of the city was shut down due to the snow and ice, probably it wasn't in the original plan when you talk about global warming, but hey, these things happen. The former VP warning today, though, we are dangerously close to what he called a tipping point of irreversible climate damage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The scientists are practically screaming from the rooftops. This is probably understood a planetary emergency. It is out of the boundaries of scale that we're used to dealing with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Gore told the committee the U.S. could get 100 percent of our electricity from renewable sources in ten years. Campbell, it might have seemed to some folks like it was an "Inconvenient Truth" part two because lots of slides and, you know, certain movie elements there.
BROWN: He does that very well. The professor.
HILL: You know, if you're good with it.
BROWN: The post office, latest victim of the economic downturn. What's going on?
HILL: This is the product (ph). I couldn't believe it when I read it today. It turns out that snow, rain, heat and gloom of night may not keep couriers in their appointed rounds, but lack of business might.
The postmaster general today asking Congress to scratch its Saturday deliveries. They've actually been required to deliver mail six days a week since 1983, but the country's number two employer is now looking at a possible $6 billion loss this year and six days a week, they say, just doesn't make financial sense anymore. If you want to find the upside here, I'm thinking, Campbell, no more pesky bills and unwanted circulars and magazines on your weekends.
BROWN: Yes, OK, fair point. I also understand the vice president having his first party at the mansion this weekend?
HILL: Yes, perfect. Super Bowl on Sunday, right? So why not? The Bidens hosting a little party.
And good news for anyone attending, it may be a little easier to get your directions online. That's because the VP's new home at 1 Observatory Circle, no longer blurred in a picture when you call it up on Google Earth or Google Map.
For the past four years, though, this particular location was blurred. Why you ask? Well, so did we.
And a spokeswoman for Google tells CNN in an e-mail that the images in the maps are updated as new ones become available. She said these new pictures went up on January 18th, but said this had nothing to do with "any other recent changes in Washington, D.C. There has been a little online speculation about that. She also told me Google does not control the images. They, in fact, come from a third party supplier. As for that Super Bowl party, though, Senator Bill Nelson is on the guest list so in case he needs to Google the direction, it should be out.
BROWN: And finally, there's this report out that some employees at the National Science Foundation have found a new pass time that kept them pretty busy at work?
HILL: Yes, very busy, actually. There have been some stories in recent weeks about people's downtime at work, spending a little too much time with porn?
Well, apparently, they're not the only ones. An internal report from the NSF, the National Science Foundation, finds employees have spent significant chunks of their day using company computers on company time to watch, download, even e-mail porn.
In one case, a senior official spent 20 percent of his workday looking at sexually explicit content and chatting with various women over the course of two years. The cost of those exploits -- $58,000 in lost time just for that one senior official. That has the head of the Senate Finance Committee asking for a full inquiry before any of the $3 billion the NSF requested in the stimulus bill be handed over, Campbell.
BROWN: I think that's a legitimate inquiry.
HILL: I would have to agree. Yes.
BROWN: All right. Erica Hill for us tonight. Erica, thanks.
Our "Bull's-Eye" still to come. So when we return, President Obama dresses down the "Nandy-Fandy" snow-fearing people of Washington, D.C.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going have to try to apply some flinty Chicago toughness to the CEOs in the country. These are people who make things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Right now, a quick update on this hour's breaking news. The House this evening passed the president's $819 billion economic stimulus bill. Not a single Republican voted for it. Eleven Democrats also voted no.
Well, tonight, the president is hosting a bipartisan group of congressional leaders for drinks at the White House. And senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is outside right now.
And Ed, given what happened tonight on Capitol Hill, I can't imagine it was always the most comfortable gab session. Tell us about the party. What do we know?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Campbell. White House officials are telling me this essentially just wrapped up. Some of the cars had just pulled away and the congressional leaders, they are basically saying it was mostly social, not a lot of policy discussed maybe because they wanted to turn the page on what happened.
Obviously, the president gets a quick victory, but as you mentioned, not a single Republican on board. He didn't want this to be such a partisan vote. That's why he spent so much time lobbying Republicans and not Democrats yesterday on Capitol Hill. So what this really is all about is trying to bring them together to say look, it's not just about this one vote. It's about moving forward and working together. Not just on the stimulus bill, but he's going to need Republicans on a whole host of other issues.
There's talk about more financial bailouts, for example. He's going to have to continue to reach out to them so he's got to turn the page, Campbell.
BROWN: Ed Henry for us tonight from the White House with that update. Ed, thanks very much.
HENRY: Thank you.
BROWN: Finally tonight, our "Bull's-Eye" goes to a family of hearty souls from the frigid, snowy Midwest. They have just moved in to a new home in Washington, D.C. only to discover that their neighbors aren't quite as used to snow as they are.
We are, of course, talking about the new first family. Check this out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Can I make a comment that is unrelated to the economy very quickly and it has to do with Washington? My children's school was canceled today because of what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ice.
OBAMA: Some ice?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not Chicago.
OBAMA: As my -- as my children pointed out in Chicago, school is never canceled. In fact, my 7-year-old pointed out that you go outside for recess in a time like this. You wouldn't even stay indoors. So it's -- I don't know. We're going to have to try to apply some flinty Chicago toughness to this. I'm saying when it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things. But anyway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: In fairness to our Washington friends, we should point out that you, Mr. President, don't have to drive to work.
That's it for tonight. "LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.
