First Thoughts: Damage Control

First Read from NBC News
---------------------------------------------------------------------

First Thoughts: Damage Control

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg

FIRST THOUGHTS.
*** Damage control: For the better part of the past two years, "damage control" has been this administration's middle name -- whether it has been rescuing the financial industry, saving the health-care legislation from defeat, firing Stanley McChrystal, trying to stop the BP spill, and most recently dealing with the TSA pat-down story (which turned out to be more hype than reality over the Thanksgiving holiday). And now comes the Obama administration's latest damage-control challenge: coping with the WikiLeaks dump of secret State Department cables. Presidential administrations can pick some of their fights (see health care), but most of their fights pick them. As the New York Times, a recipient of the WikiLeaks leaks, writes: "The disclosure of the cables is sending shudders through the diplomatic establishment, and could strain relations with some countries, influencing international affairs in ways that are impossible to predict." NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports that we can expect to hear from Secretary of State Clinton this morning. http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222E6:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&

*** I am serious, and don't call me Shirley: A few other stray thoughts regarding the WikiLeaks leak: Will it change American diplomacy and interaction with other countries, or will this slowly fade over time? We're already hearing a lot of "there's nothing surprising here" or " there's nothing you folks in the media didn't already know in some form." (And expect those lines to continue to be uttered by folks in the administration all this week as it's right out of the "damage control 101" playbook.) Still, to see this laid out for all to see can't be dismissed. On Iran, we've known the Saudis were quietly supportive of the saber-rattling, but does the fact so much of the rest of the Arab world is there to translate into more pressure to act? Iran may be more isolated than even they thought. Perhaps that's why Ahmadienjiad had to issue a statement today re: Wikileaks. The most damaging allegation for the U.S. is easily the U.N. spying. How any government official can explain this away is beyond us…

*** I just want to tell you both good luck; we're all counting on you: Damage control can also describe the White House's efforts to get the new START treaty passed during the lame-duck Congress. On "Meet the Press" yesterday, GOP Sen. Jon Kyl reiterated his opposition to passing the treaty during the lame duck, but he said his opposition was "a matter of reality, not a matter of policy." Translation: There's just not enough time during the lame duck to pass it. "Harry Reid … can bring the START treaty up anytime he wants to, but he has a different agenda," Kyl said. "He wants to do the Dream Act in order to appeal to certain segments of the Hispanic community. The 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy to appeal to the gay and lesbian community. To appeal to the unions, he wants to do the so-called firefighters federal unionization bill. In addition to various political commitments that he's made to do legislation in the lame duck session, we have to fund the government for the remaining 10 months of the fiscal year." Is this Kyl simply trying to get the Dream Act -- and a few other items -- off the lame-duck calendar? http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222E7:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&

*** A hospital? What is it? It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now: On Capitol Hill today, Vice President Biden swears in Mark Kirk (R) as Illinois' next senator at 5:30 pm ET. Consider this: Democrats' 60-seat Senate is now down to 58 -- thanks to Republicans winning Ted Kennedy's seat (earlier this year) and Kirk winning Obama's old seat (earlier this month). But also remember this: When Obama was inaugurated, Democrats had 58 Senate seats. Arlen Specter's switch in the spring of '09 gave them 59, and Al Franken's swearing in gave them 60.

*** I'm doing everything I can... and stop calling me Shirley! Also on Capitol Hill, there are a few must-do items on the House's agenda this week, NBC's Shawna Thomas notes. First, it needs to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government running, since the money that keeps the lights on runs out on Friday. Second, the House will work to pass its Medicare doc-fix, since Medicare rates for doctors are supposed to drop by the end of the month if Congress doesn't act. (The Senate already passed a one-month extension before the Thanksgiving holiday.) Third, this isn't technically on the agenda, but it's worth keeping an eye on whether the House will consider extending unemployment benefits again; the benefits run out on Tuesday. (As Thomas reminds us, House Democrats earlier brought up this extension to the floor as a suspension bill and it didn't pass.) There's one other item on the House's agenda: Charlie Rangel's possible censure. Per Thomas, it's expected that the House will vote on Rangel, and if the yeas win, he would then have to stand in the well of the House as the Speaker publicly rebukes him.

*** The life of everyone on board depends upon just one thing: finding someone back there who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner: Over in the Senate, the debate whether to repeal the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military hits a critical point in that chamber this week, NBC's Ken Strickland reports. The Pentagon report on repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law will be released Tuesday, and the Senate Armed Services Committee holds hearings on Thursday and Friday. Most Republicans are withholding support for repealing DADT without first having read the Pentagon report and reviewed it in subsequent hearings. They want to ensure it's supported by the troops and doesn't hurt performance, morale, or recruitment. But other Republicans -- led by John McCain and Lindsey Graham -- dispute the intent of the report and are likely to dismiss its findings or conclusions. They claim the report only addresses "how" DADT would be repealed, not whether it "should" be. On Sunday, Graham said DADT "is not going anywhere" in the lame duck session.

*** Nice beaver! (Or gopher!) It's déjà vu in Minnesota, as another statewide recount begins today at 10:00 am ET. This recount in the Mark Dayton (D)-vs.-Tom Emmer (R) gubernatorial contest "follows on the heels of a 2008 standoff over a U.S. Senate seat for Minnesota that stretched into the following summer," the AP writes. All sides say they're eager to button up this election sooner. But given the stakes, no one is taking the recount lightly. Dayton hopes the recount validates a nearly 8,800-vote lead he had coming in, giving his party the governor's office for the first time in two decades." More: "If all goes as planned, every ballot will have had a second look by Dec. 7, and stacks of disputed ballots will have been sent to St. Paul for the state Canvassing Board to rule on. A winner could be certified by Dec. 14, although litigation could follow." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222E8:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&

*** The other things to watch today and this week:
Today: Possible presidential candidate Mike Pence addresses the Detroit Economic Club.
Tuesday: President Obama meets with bipartisan congressional leaders at the White House.
Wednesday: The deadline for Obama's debt-reduction commission to offer its final recommendations.
Friday: The Labor Department releases its jobs report for November.
Click here to sign up for First Read emails. http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222E9:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
Text FIRST to 622639, to sign up for First Read alerts to your mobile phone.
Check us out on Facebook and also on Twitter. http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222EA:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF& and http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222EB:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&

OBAMA AGENDA: The new WikiLeaks leak
"A cache of a quarter-million confidential American diplomatic cables, most of them from the past three years, provides an unprecedented look at back-room bargaining by embassies around the world, brutally candid views of foreign leaders and frank assessments of nuclear and terrorist threats," the New York Times writes. "Some of the cables, made available to The New York Times and several other news organizations, were written as recently as late February, revealing the Obama administration's exchanges over crises and conflicts. The material was originally obtained by WikiLeaks, an organization devoted to revealing secret documents. WikiLeaks posted 220 cables, some redacted to protect diplomatic sources, in the first installment of the archive on its Web site on Sunday."
More: "The disclosure of the cables is sending shudders through the diplomatic establishment, and could strain relations with some countries, influencing international affairs in ways that are impossible to predict." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222E6:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
"The White House says WikiLeaks' decision to release classified U.S. diplomatic files endangers U.S. diplomats, intelligence agents and democratic activists who seek America's help," the AP adds. http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222EC:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
The New York Post's cover: "Wik-ed." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222ED:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
But McClatchy says, "Before Sunday's release, news organizations given access to the documents and WikiLeaks took the greatest care to date to ensure no one would be put in danger. In statements accompanying stories about the documents, several newspapers said they voluntarily withheld information and that they cooperated with the State Department and the Obama administration to ensure nothing released could endanger lives or national security." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222EE:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
Here's the photo of President Obama icing his lip after needing 12 stitches from an errant elbow during a basketball game over the weekend. The elbow thrower: Rey Decerega, director of programs for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute." Obama was back out on the court Sunday playing with his daughters. And he was sideline at a Howard University game Sunday. http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222EF:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF& and http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F0:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
"Laurence H. Tribe, a renowned constitutional scholar and outspoken champion of liberal causes, spent four decades teaching students who occupy some of the most powerful posts in Washington — Barack Obama among them," the Boston Globe reports. "His own foray into government service, however, has been short-lived and, according to some supporters, too low-key. Tribe, 69, is unexpectedly returning to Harvard Law School after a nine-month stint in the administration of his former research assistant. Tribe said the recurrence of a benign brain tumor, which causes facial seizures, is the sole reason for his return to Massachusetts, where he will be treated at Massachusetts General Hospital and then resume teaching next fall. His speedy exit from Washington and his low-profile post there, however, surprised colleagues." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F1:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&

CONGRESS: Rangel's last stand?
"Representative Charles Rangel is ready to make a last stand to salvage his reputation and tell the House that a censure should be reserved for politicians who are crooked," the AP writes. "He will argue that he is not one of them. The 80-year-old Democrat from New York's Harlem neighborhood wants his punishment for ethics violations downgraded to a reprimand, according to congressional and nongovernment sources who are in touch with Rangel but are not authorized to be quoted by name… Rangel plans to argue that censure has been imposed for violations including bribery, accepting improper gifts, personal use of campaign funds, and sexual misconduct; none is present in his case." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F2:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
Oh, not passing START is Harry Reid's fault? Here's John Kyl on Meet the Press, per Roll Call: "'It is more the view of reality rather than policy' that the treaty will not be ratified in the next month, Kyl said, arguing that if Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) provided him with three weeks to debate the treaty, it could be finished. 'He has made it clear he has a different agenda in mind,' Kyl said, pointing to Reid's decision to pursue other legislation during the lame duck, including a repeal of the military's ban on openly gay service members and the DREAM Act immigration bill. 'Harry Reid, the leader of the Senate, can bring up the START treaty any time he wants to. But he has a different agenda.'" http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F3:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
John McCain doubled down on his opposition to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and he's making it personal. "We should remember where this all started," he told CNN, per Roll Call. "There was no uprising in the military. There were no problems in the military with 'don't ask, don't tell.' ... It's called 'don't ask, don't tell.' OK? If you don't ask them, you don't ask somebody, and they don't tell. The fact is, this was a political promise made by an inexperienced president or candidate for presidency of the United States. The military is at its highest point in recruitment and retention and professionalism and capability, so to somehow allege that this policy has been damaging the military is simply false." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F4:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
Here was another presidential candidate in 2006 -- John McCain: "And I understand the opposition to [DADT], and I've had these debates and discussions, but the day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, senator, we ought to change the policy, then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it, because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F5:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&

GOP WATCH: The "exceptional" debate
The Washington Post's Tumulty: "'American exceptionalism' is a phrase that, until recently, was rarely heard outside the confines of think tanks, opinion journals and university history departments. But with Republicans and tea party activists accusing President Obama and the Democrats of turning the country toward socialism, the idea that the United States is inherently superior to the world's other nations has become the battle cry from a new front in the ongoing culture wars. Lately, it seems to be on the lips of just about every Republican who is giving any thought to running for president in 2012."
"Some, however, wonder whether Obama's conservative critics are sounding an alarm about the United States' place in the world - or making an insidious suggestion about the president himself." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F6:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&

2010: Let the recount begin -- again! -- in MN
There is now just one uncalled House race remaining -- NY-1, where Democrat Tim Bishop narrowly leads Republican Randy Altschuler by 235 votes with 2,051 yet to be counted. Republicans are a net-gain of 63. Both parties will appear in a local courtroom on Tuesday to address all challenged ballots, and a state Supreme Court justice which of the challenged ballots will be counted and which will be set aside. http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F7:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF& and http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F8:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
CALIFORNIA: "Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, has been re-elected to a third term, fending off a challenge from Republican David Harmer," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "His re-election means no California congressional seat changed party hands." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222F9:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&

MASSACHUSETTS: "An Associated Press review of town-by-town election returns shows Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick gained re-election in part by winning back more than two dozen cities and towns [Scott] Brown had captured in the Senate race" although the chairwoman of the state Republican party "cautioned against drawing too many parallels between the two campaigns, saying Brown was a stronger candidate than [Republican gubernatorial nominee Charles] Baker." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222FA:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
MINNESOTA: "Minnesota hit the reset button Monday in another close election as workers began the tedious task of reviewing more than 2.1 million ballots in the governor's race — one at a time and under the watchful gaze of volunteers and lawyers for Democrat Mark Dayton and Republican Tom Emmer," the AP writes. http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222FB:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
2012: Palin in Iowa
Sarah Palin introduced herself to hundreds of potential Iowa political supporters Saturday, but kept them guessing as to whether she plans to seek the 2012 Republican nomination for president," the Des Moines Register writes of Palin's book-signing trip to the state. She "deflected" when asked about her 2012 plans. "Oh my goodness,' she said, and turned to a woman who asked to have her book signed. 'Thank you for changing the subject for me.'" http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222FC:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&
Palin was upset that some harped on her flub mixing up North and South Korea (she mistakenly called North Korea an "ally.") She, in fact, posted a Facebook headline, entitled, "A Thanksgiving Message to all 57 States." http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222FD:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF& and http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222FE:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&

"With midterm elections wrapped up, all eyes are beginning to turn toward the Granite State where GOP powerhouse Sarah Palin is lagging far behind despite her popularity," the Boston Herald reports. Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, said that as of yet Palin has "shown no love for the swing state" although she's made a point to visit voters in Iowa. http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?ctl=222FF:B2CA5A050EF65E321CC89CD214B182BF&