Biden: Tea Party Wins Could Be Good For Democrats

Vice President Joe Biden remarked Thursday that the Tea Party candidates who have won recent primary upsets in Alaska and Delaware could be help Democrats by energizing the party’s base.

“Maybe the best thing to happen to us lately is the tea party wins,” Biden said during a fundraiser for in Maryland for Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) “Maybe it’ll shake some of our constituency out of their lethargy.”

Biden added that he remained a stalwart believer in Democrats’ ability to maintain their Congressional majorities.

“I guarantee you we’re going to have a majority in the House and a majority in the Senate,” Biden said.

Rahm Emanuel Could Leave White House By Next Month

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will likely leave the Obama administration by next month, according to a reports from various news outlets.

Emanuel is widely suspected to be eyeing a run for mayor of Chicago following Richard M. Daley’s announcement that he would not seek the position for a seventh term.

Prior to joining the White House, Emanuel served in Congress for three terms and in 2006 was named the Chair of the Democratic Caucus. His district, Illinois’ fifth, included part of Chicago.

Defense Department Mum On Woodward Book

The Pentagon is declining to comment on veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s upcoming book “Obama’s Wars” after details of the book appeared in the press Tuesday evening.

“We haven’t read the book, so [we] can’t comment on what might be in it,” Pentagon spokesperson Col. David Lapan told reporters Wednesday.

According to an article in the New York Times, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is depicted in the book fretting that National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones would be replaced by Deputy Adviser Thomas Donilion.

In addition, the Times says that the Pentagon sent a request to the White House asking the President for 4,500 troops to assist the additional 30,000 announced in December.

“All I can say at this point is that the Department is fully focused on the mission at hand in Afghanistan and implementing the President’s strategy,” Lapan said.

Lapan could not answer what level of cooperation Secretary Gates may have had with the Woodward.

Reid: Republicans Hurting Troops, U.S. By Opposing Defense Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) issued a statement Tuesday chiding Republicans for blocking the advancement of the Defense Authorization bill, claiming that their opposition could hinder soldiers’ abilities to do their jobs.

“Republicans are again playing politics with our national security,” Reid said. “They blocked the Senate from debating a bill that would give our troops the resources they need to keep America safe … stopping not only funding for combat vehicles and bulletproof vests or measures to improve our military’s readiness.”

Reid also noted that the failure to open the bill up for debate also delays a pay increase for U.S. servicemen.

Senate Democrats failed to secure the 60 votes needed to sidestep a Republican filibuster based primarily on a provision within the $726 billion appropriation bill that would grant the President the authority to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

OMB Nominee Passes First Hurdle

Jacob “Jack” Lew passed his first hurdle on his way to becoming White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Monday after he was approved 9-0 by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Tuesday.

The nominee, who served in the position during the Clinton administration, now requires the consent of the Senate Budget Committee before his nomination is voted on by the Senate as a whole.

Lew will be replacing Peter Orszag, who left the post in late July. He will be joining the White House from the State Department. Prior to that Lew was an executive at Citigroup, where he received a $950,000 bonus after the company was bailed out via TARP funds.