Christiane Amanpour debuts on This Week, Sarah Palin questions Obama’s “cojones,” and Lindsey Graham fears an “unholy alliance” of conservatives and liberals. That and more in our roundup.
Pelosi Has “Never Voted for a Perfect Bill”
In her first official week hosting This Week, Christiane Amanpour nabbed exclusive interviews with both Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. First up, Pelosi addressed “inter-party bickering,” stressing the importance (and challenge) of finding common ground. “That's our responsibility,” she said. “But if we can't find it, we still have to move. I've never voted for a perfect bill in my life. I don't think anyone has.”
Palin: Obama Doesn’t Have the “Cojones” to Deal With Immigration
Fighting words from Wasilla! On Fox News Sunday, Sarah Palin stumped for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer by slamming Obama—and applauding the governor’s tough stance on immigration. "Jan Brewer has the cojones that our president does not have," Palin said. "If our own president will not enforce our federal law, more power to Jan Brewer."
Lindsey Graham Fears “Unholy Alliance”
What keeps Sen. Lindsey Graham up at night? Why, fear of an “unholy alliance” between the right and the left, of course! At least, that’s what Graham told Candy Crowley on State of the Union, saying he thinks liberals and conservatives might join forces to try and undermine President Obama’s Afghanistan efforts.
Obama Grades Himself “Incomplete”
President Obama stopped by CBS’ Sunday Morning, where he shared what grade he’d give his presidency so far. “It’s incomplete, because until the economy has rebounded fully, and people are feeling better, we’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “Until the unemployment rate is down and the economy is where it needs to be, I’m not gonna be satisfied.”
Sec. Gates: We’re Not in Afghanistan to Build a Better Society
On This Week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates echoed Vice President Biden’s remarks earlier in the week, saying, “We are not [in Afghanistan] to take on a nationwide reconstruction or construction project.… We are in Afghanistan because we were attacked from Afghanistan, not because we want to try and build a better society.”
New York Times’ Bill Keller Talks WikiLeaks
On Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz put New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller in the hot seat regarding the paper’s use of WikiLeaks' data, asking Keller about the implications of “teaming up” with a group that has potentially endangered the lives of soldiers and Afghan informants. “We accepted access to the data, we looked at it and handled it responsibly,” Keller said. “WikiLeaks is, to put it mildly, an independent organization. It will do what it is going to do, not what we would have it do.”
Adm. Mullen: U.S. Has Iran Strike Plan
On Meet the Press, Admiral Mike Mullen dropped a bit of a bomb, revealing that the U.S. has an Iran strike plan in place, though he hopes never to use it. "The military options have been on the table and remain on the table," he said. "I hope we don't get to that, but it's an important option and it's one that's well understood."
