PRESIDENTIAL FACE TIME IS A WASTING ASSET:

McConnell rips Obama's 'flowery' security speech (J. Taylor Rushing, 05/21/09, The Hill)

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday called President Obama’s national security address “a big flowery campaign speech” that lacked specifics and put politics over security.

Speaking to a Senate press conference, McConnell (Ky.) suggested Obama was ignoring the Bush administration’s success in preventing a repeat of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and was dangerously close to putting his overseas popularity over America’s security.

“With all due respect to the president, what we need is not a speech but a plan,” McConnell said. “The plan is what was clearly missing from the speech today. What is driving this issue, in my view, is a quest for popularity in Europe more than continuing policies that have demonstrably made America safe since 9/11. Clearly these policies and practices worked.”

Harry Reid: We still need Gitmo details (MANU RAJU & ALEX ISENSTADT | 5/21/09, Politico)

After being pounded all week by Republicans over Guantanamo Bay, Democrats are reacting cautiously to President Barack Obama’s high-profile speech imploring Congress to help him close the detention facility.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned that Obama’s still needed to lay out a detailed plan for closing the detention center.

The White House is really on the horns of a dilemma. The President himself is the only thing they have going for them but they're having to trot him out every time they're in trouble. He's given so many speeches and press conferences already that the fact of him giving one isn't especially meaningful and they're using up the American attention span on trivialities.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 21, 2009 2:29 PM