1. Wish you weren’t coming, Bibi — but since you are …
It’s no secret the White House is miffed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted an invitation to address Congress and make his case about the Iranian nuclear negotiations.
Less clear, though, is how the White House will react — or not — during the Prime Minister’s stay in Washington next month. Julie Pace of The Associated Press took us inside the West Wing deliberations:
“On the one hand, they don’t want to just cede this space to Netanyahu. He’s got the speech to Congress and a big speech to AIPAC,” said Pace, referring to the American Israel Political Action Committee.
“On the other hand, they don’t want to get into this public tit and tat, where you’ve got Netanyahu speaking and Obama responding.”
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The Wisconsin governor is up in the polls of late and occupying the space in the race that Rubio covets — the next-generation candidate who is acceptable to the GOP’s tea party base AND its more corporate establishment.
So yea or nay for Rubio?
He is visiting the first four nominating-contest states this month to assess things firsthand. And he continues to add to his fund-raising and political teams so that he is prepared to run if he ultimately decides to take the plunge.
Will he?
One adviser involved in the deliberations put the odds at “60-40 in favor of running.”
Rubio has said he will decide by the spring. Because the other candidates are so active, there is some internal pressure to make his intentions clear soon — perhaps by the end of March.
