Terror Plot Shows U.S. Must Not Leave Afghanistan Early, Says Ex-White House Adviser

A recently discovered terror plot targeting mostly Western European nations demonstrates why the U.S. must keep troops in Afghanistan, according to an expert on that region.

In an interview with me today, Lisa Curtis, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, whose resume includes stints at the State Department and the White House, said the plot indicates that U.S. forces must continue to apply pressure on the generally lawless area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

“[The plot] shows that Pakistan’s tribal areas remain the most dangerous terrorist safe-haven in the world today,” Curtis said. “It demonstrates why it is so critical that we do remain in this part of the world until the situation is stable.”

U.S. and European officials announced last week that they possessed “credible but non-specific” information about a terrorist plan to conduct ‘commando’-style attacks on targets in both Europe and possibly, the United States. Reports then surfaced that some of the suspects involved may have been German citizens that received training from terrorist organizations in Pakistan.

Sources also believed that al-Qaeda was involved with planning the attacks, and that the group’s leader, 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, may have personally given executing orders.

Though the State Department on Monday issued an alert for Americans living or traveling in Europe, U.S. officials made it clear today that the U.S. was not a direct target of the plot. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that the threat “isn’t related to the United States,” adding that President Barack Obama was briefed about the plot while on a cabinet retreat at Camp David over the weekend.

Curtis pointed to recent drone missile strikes carried out by the CIA inside of Pakistan as evidence that the U.S. may have severely disrupted the plot.

“U.S. intelligence agencies seem to be on top of this,” she said, adding that “it looks like Pakistan is cooperating with this particular plot, too.”

Boehner May Budge On Tax Cuts

After a week of drawing lines in the sand over the expiring Bush tax cuts, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) hinted yesterday that he would be open to compromise.

Boehner remarked on CBS’s ‘Face The Nation’ that he would consider voting for a package of tax cuts for the middle class, even if it did not include relief for the wealthy.

“If the only option I have is to vote for some of those tax reductions. I’ll vote for them,” he said. The top House Republican added later, however, that allowing the cuts to expire for top earners would be “bad policy.”

The nuanced stance comes at the end of a week in which Boehner went indirectly toe to toe with President Barack Obama over what Congress should do when the series of tax breaks expires at the end of the year. Obama has made it clear that he wants Congress to extend the package for those making less than $250,000 per year, and last week rebuked Boehner’s proposal to freeze current tax rates for all Americans for at least two years.

Today, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs appeared on a series of morning talk shows to respond to Boehner’s comments.

“We welcome John Boehner’s change in position and support for the middle class tax cuts, but time will tell if his actions will be anything but continued support for the failed policies that got us into this mess.”

The President, who made stops in Cleveland and Milwaukee last week to promote new proposals aimed at creating jobs, is expected to make remarks about the economy in Northern Virginia this afternoon.

Gibbs: White House May Contact Florida Pastor

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said today that the administration is discussing the possibility of directly engaging a pastor in Florida over his plan to burn hundreds of copies of the Koran on the ninth anniversary of 9/11.

During his daily briefing on Thursday, Gibbs would not label the proposed event as a hate crime, but channeled remarks made this morning by President Obama, who warned that it could serve as a boon for terrorist recruitment efforts.

“There is no doubt…that this is a hateful act,” Gibbs said. He called the instigator behind the proposal, pastor Terry Jones, a “desperate man seeking the attention of the better part of the world.”

Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters today that Jones could very well expect to hear from the administration.

“That possibility is currently under discussion,” he said. “That is an active ongoing discussion in which [Defense Secretary Robert Gates] is a participant. I don’t believe they’ve come to any resolution.”

Jones said in an interview with USA Today that he has not yet been contacted by any official in Washington, but that he would listen in the event things changed.

“That would cause us to definitely think it over,” he said. “I don’t think a call from them is something we would ignore.”

Meanwhile, Jones did meet with a handful of FBI agents today about the proposed event. The pastor is expected to make a statement about that meeting later today.

Peace Activist Challenges Gibbs To A "Pee-Off"

While White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’ recent comments decrying “the professional left” have ruffled progressive feathers, perhaps the most interesting response thus far has come from peace activist Cindy Sheehan.

During an interview with the Hill, Gibbs remarked “I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested.” Sheehan announced Tuesday evening that she’s willing to take the Press Secretary’s suggestion at face value.

“I will put my urine up against Gibbs’ any day, and in fact, will travel to Washington, DC to give him a fresh and warm sample,” Sheehan said in a statement. “I will challenge him to a pee-off.”

Sheehan, who in 2005 entered the national spotlight for staging a nearly five-week long protest outside of President Bush’s Texas ranch, added that liberals who continue to support Obama should be tested for “hopium.”

Gibbs’ interview has received equally charged, albeit less colorful, responses from members of the House Progressive Caucus and the heads of liberal groups. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Mo.) has suggested the Press Secretary resign. 

Sheehan became a prominent voice in the peace movement in 2004, following her son’s death in Iraq. She was a third party candidate against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) in the 2008 race.

Conflicting Sentiment Surrounds First Lady's Trip

First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Spain last week drew criticism from some who felt as though her vacation sent the wrong message to Americans hit hard by a prolonged recession.

The Tribune’s Peter Nicholas remarked on Friday that “the pictures coming out of a sunsplashed Spanish resort…may be sending a different message.” Great Britain’s The Daily Mail reported that Mrs. Obama and her youngest daughter, Sasha, were accompanied by 40 friends, and that the five-day trip cost American taxpayers roughly $75,000 per day.

Chicago Sun-Times White House correspondent Lynn Sweet, however, rebuked some earlier reporting regarding the trip. In particular, Sweet said sources told her that the First Lady only traveled with two other women, and that they each paid for their lavish hotel rooms and other personal expenses. Sweet also wrote that a source told her that Mrs. Obama was invited to go on the trip by Anita Blanchard, a close friend of her’s from Chicago who is married to Marty Nesbitt, the treasurer of Barack Obama’s presidential campagin.

Last week, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs responded to a question of how the First Lady’s trip would be perceived by Americans. “She is a private citizen and is the mother of a daughter on a private trip,” Gibbs said. “I think I’d leave it at that,” he added.

Yet, while Mrs. Obama may not have been elected to office, she is nonetheless a public figure who oversees a major White House initiative on childrens’ health. Sweet echoed that fact in her column today, writing that “it is reasonable to ask how she spends taxpayer resources.”