President Obama Phones New GOP Senators and House Members

If you were wondering what President Obama has been up to during off-hours during his trip to Asia, wonder no longer. The New York Daily News reports that

President Obama has reached out to most of the incoming GOP lawmakers victorious on Nov. 2, telephoning many of them while abroad traveling to meetings in Asia.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner’s press secretary Michael Steel.

[….]

the President has also spoken to many of the incoming GOP House committee chairmen, including Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.), who will take the gavel of the Homeland Security Committee.

The same Peter King who recently said that George W. Bush “should get a medal” for approving waterboarding?

“There was no harm done,” King said Wednesday, referring to the waterboarding of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohmammed, who was subjected to simulated drowning 183 times in March of 2003. “In the big picture, to hold someone’s head underwater, the chance of permanent damage is minimal and the rewards are great.”

The Daily News did not report whether President Obama called new Democratic Senate and House members.

In other new of White House weakness, Sam Stein reports that The President and his top advisers had no warning about the release of the draft report of the Catfood Commission chairmen yesterday. In fact David Axelrod had to look up the report on-line.

Hours after the commission’s two chairs — former Sen. Alan Simpson and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles — unveiled their 50-page list of deficit reduction recommendations, White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod admitted that he had to find a copy of the report on the Internet.

“I heard at noon that those guys were going to hold a press conference at 1 PM,” Axelrod told The Huffington Post. “And I pulled off the Internet the coverage of it.”

Asked if he was bothered by the lack of warning, Axelrod replied: “I think they set out to be an independent commission and they are being independent. But we will let them complete their work and we will take a look at what they’ve done. Maybe they will get consensus around some of these ideas, maybe they won’t. We will take a look at it.”

Apparently I spoke too soon when I suggested Axelrod is running the Obama administration. Perhaps John Boehner is now in charge?

This is an open thread.