Sunday Snapshot -- I'm Only A Bill. And I'm Sitting Here On Capitol Hill.

The Sunday shows mainly concentrated on the stimulus package/TARP funds and Pres. Obama's executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year.

During an appearance on "This Week," Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed a bipartisan approach to the stimulus package.

ABC's Stephanopoulos: "The president has made it pretty clear he wants this to be a real bipartisan effort. Yet House Republicans have said they have been shut out of this process. There were no Republican votes in the appropriations Committee, no Republican votes in the Ways and Means Committee. Is this the bipartisan effort President Obama has called for?"

Pelosi: "Well, because the Republicans don't vote for it doesn't mean they didn't have an opportunity to. The Republicans asked for a couple things. One that related to process that you described, that there would be an open process where they could present their amendments. They didn't vote for the final bill but we voted for some of their amendments in the committees that had the markups the day before yesterday and this week. Secondly ... some ideas that were put on the table by the Republicans at that time were contained in the bills that we wrote. And now this morning they had some more suggestions which we will review and see if they create jobs, turn the economy around and to do so in a cost-effective way."

More after the jump, including the exception to Obama's lobbying rules, NY SEN and Biden on his new role.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Pelosi, asked how hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services is stimulus: "The family planning services reduce cost."

Stephanopoulos: "So no apologies for that?"

Pelosi: "No apologies. No. We have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy. ... There is more bang for the buck ... by investing in food stamps and in unemployment insurance than in any tax cut. Nonetheless, we are committed to the tax cuts because they do have a positive impact on the economy even though not as big as the investments" (ABC, 1/25).

Other Dems touted the plan:

VP Biden: "Roughly 40 percent of this entire package is tax cuts. That's not what the Democrats wanted. And 60 percent of it is spending, economic stimulus. That's not what the Republicans wanted. But we've come a pretty long way already. So there will be, I'm sure, more compromise. ... I think you'll see a fairly strong vote, across the board, out of 534 members, for this stimulus package" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 1/25).

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY): "A third of the package is tax cuts. That's generally the way the Republicans prefer to jump-start the economy. ... We think that tax cuts are probably not the most efficient way to do it, but in effort to compromise, there is a significant chunk of tax cuts in there. ... But overall, the air of bipartisanship is in the air, and that's been set by President-elect Obama" ("Fox News Sunday," 1/25).

Nat'l Economic Council dir. Lawrence Summers, on the size of the package: "This is the largest stimulus plan in the country's history. It's the largest investment in the backbone of our economy since the interstate highway system. It's going to double renewable energy. And it is only one phase of the approach that the president is taking. The president has made clear that there will be strong action to address the terrible problems in our housing sector, that he will be using additional funds for a substantial financial recovery plan to get the flow of credit going. This is one component of our strategy to bring about expansion. ... We believe that this is a properly sized approach to move the economy forward."

NBC's Gregory: "One of the biggest mistakes you can make is doing too little. Yes, this is the largest stimulus in our history, but the problem, as you said, is something we've never seen in our history. So if you have a hole in the economy that's at least a trillion, maybe 2 trillion, don't you need a stimulus package that fills that hole?"

Summers: "Well, no. We have what economists call the multiplier. ... When the government spends a dollar creating a job, that person has higher income; because they have higher income, they're able to spend more, that creates other jobs down the road. That's why we surveyed a range of economists ... both Democrat and Republican. And you know, frankly, some of them think the stimulus should be larger, some of them think the stimulus should be smaller. The president balanced the different views and I think came to the approach that we've taken. ... It's balanced between very substantial new investments that are referred to between very important protections to prevent teachers and cops from being laid off, and also -- and this is a substantial part of the package -- tax cuts, because we recognize that we've got to help households to be able to spend, and businesses."

Summers, asked if Obama wants to repeal the Bush tax cuts this calendar year: "I don't think there's any question they have to be repealed. The country can't afford them for the long run. ... What the timing will be, that's something that's going to have to get worked out."

Gregory: "You say we can't afford to let those Bush tax cuts expire later, but we can afford to spend up to $700 billion for the tax cut that you like?"

Summers: "It's a good question. We certainly can afford to do what is necessary now to stimulate this economy. ... When you put money into the hands of middle-class families, history and experience suggest that they spend a substantial part of it, pushing the economy forward. When you put money into the hands of those with very high incomes, only a much smaller fraction of it is spent and so you derive much less benefit in terms of pushing the economy, in terms of pushing the economy forward" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 1/25).

SOD OFF

Meanwhile, GOPers raised their objections to the plan:

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), asked if he can vote for the stimulus package as it stands now: "No. We need to make tax cuts permanent, and we need to make a commitment that there'll be no new taxes. We need to cut payroll taxes. We need to cut business taxes. ... There's got to be some kind of litmus as to whether it will really stimulate the economy and whether it will in the short term. ... There should be an end point to all of this spending as well, say two years. ... There has to be major rewrites if we want to stimulate the economy."

McCain, asked if he would filibuster it: "I want us all to sit down and negotiate. The Republicans have not been brought in to the degree that we should be into these negotiations and discussions. So far, as far as I can tell, no Republican proposal has been incorporated. Maybe there has been. I just may have missed it. But clearly, we need to have serious negotiations" ("Fox News Sunday," 1/25).

House Min. Leader John Boehner, on what he doesn't like about the package: "I just think there's a lot of slow-moving government spending in this program that won't work. ... Let's allow American families and small businesses to keep more of what they earn. Let's make sure that there's incentives for people to invest in our economy, because government can't do this. ... There's a $2 trillion hole in our economy this year. Government can't fix this. We can't borrow and spend our way back to prosperity. But what we can do are provide incentives to businesses and families to reinvest in our economy."

More Boehner: "$200 million to fix up the National Mall, $21 million for sod, over $200 million for contraceptives, how does this going to fix an ailing economy?"

Boehner, asked if the Obama admin. will repeal the Bush tax cuts this year: "I've got my doubts whether they'll be bold enough to do that. They may wait till next year."

Boehner, asked if the stimulus can pass the House without GOP support: "Well, Republicans believe that we have a difficult economy. We believe that we need an economic rescue plan that helps American families and small businesses, and one that will work. And right now, given the concerns that we have over the size of this package and all of the spending in this package, we don't think it's going to work. And so if it's plan that I see today, put me down in the no column."

NBC's Gregory: "And Republicans, rank and file, will fall in line?"

Boehner: "I think a lot of Republicans will vote no, because they see this as a lot of wasteful Washington spending, padding the bureaucracy and doing nothing to help create jobs and preserve jobs" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 1/25).

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "I can support a stimulus package that has robust tax cuts that will help people create jobs in the near term and the long term. I can support government spending, if it will create a job in the near term. ... The private sector can't do this by itself; that's why the government has a role here" ("State of the Union," CNN, 1/25).

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND): "I think it's critically important that we focus on the overall package. That means the TARP funds as well as the economic recovery funds, how they function together. Because I think the basic underlying package the president's supporting is wise. It's required. The question is, are we doing enough to help the financial sector? And are we doing enough about housing? Because if we don't get those two right, we're not going to see the kind of lift out of this downturn that we need" ("State of the Union," CNN, 1/25).

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN): "Bipartisanship should mean more than having the opportunity to vote on Democrat bills. The process, I think, the American people want to see us accomplish here is one where we're taking the best ideas from the party that won the majority, from the administration and from the minority that represents, you know, some 100 million Americans who are bringing them together. That's not what is happening here" ("State of the Union," CNN, 1/25).

MO MONEY, MO PROBLEMS

The debate over the second TARP installment continued:

ABC's Stephanopoulos: "The crisis in America's financial institutions is not abating, either. And administration officials have signaled that they might need billions more from the Congress to direct to the banks. Are you open to that?"

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "I'm open to resolving the financial crisis in our country. Whatever we have to do will have to be clearly explained to Congress and to the American people as to what the purpose of the money is, why it is urgent, and then accountability for it as it is distributed. If they come back there's going to have to be a justification because people will be very, very disappointed in how his money was dealt with at first."

Pelosi, asked if it's a good idea to nationalize the banks: "If we are going to put money into the banks we certainly want equity for the American people. In other words, if we are strengthening them then the American people should get some of the upside of that strengthening. Some people call that nationalization. I'm not talking about total ownership but ... if the taxpayer is putting money up, the taxpayer should have equity" ("This Week," ABC, 1/25).

VP Biden, asked if $700B isn't enough: "All I know is, we cannot do anything in my view realistically more absent demonstrating to the American public that we can husband their money and have much more responsibility and accountability for this $350 billion. We have now been given the authority to, quote, spend on our financial institutions. That's the first order of business. ... We're focusing on in this 350, this remaining, this next 350. And we'll go from there" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 1/25).

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), on increasing talk that the $700B isn't enough: "We'd have to see how the money was spent. Obviously, there's a lot of disquietude about the first TARP, the first 350 billion, and now the president has promised to put much more controls on how the money is spent, to have much greater transparency and, very importantly, to put a significant amount in putting a floor to the housing market and dealing with the mortgage mess. So if we need more money, it's something we'll all give a careful look, but not without controls and conditions" ("Fox News Sunday," 1/25).

Nat'l Economic Council dir. Lawrence Summers, asked if more money will be needed down the road: "We can make important progress and get started with the support that has been provided. What ultimately will be necessary is something that will play out over time. The president has made clear that our administration is going to be leaning forward, that we're going to be proactive and that he is prepared to do what is necessary, but only to do what is necessary in the context of responsibility ... in the context of trust" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 1/25).

House Min. Leader John Boehner, on saying there needs to be an exit strategy from TARP: "At some point we need to understand how we're going to preserve taxpayer funds, how we're going to begin to withdraw those funds at some point. Understand that I voted for this plan back in late September because I thought there was a credit crisis in America, we needed more capital in the system. So I corralled votes and I took an awful lot of hits for it. But I've been rather critical over the last three or four months in terms of how it was spent; the lack of transparency, the lack of accountability. And now they want the second half of this money, no demonstrated need and no plan for what they're going to do with it. ... The administration needs to come to us and say, 'All right, here's the problem, and here's what we're going to propose to do with this extra $350 billion'" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 1/25).

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), on voting against the second installment of money: "It had nothing to do with Barack Obama. ... If we had known on the first vote for the first $350 billion money would have not gone to banks but would have gone to the big three automobile companies, it wouldn't have passed. And I thought it was a breach of trust as to how the money was going to used. And I want assurances it's going to go to deal with the underlying problem, and that's the mortgage problem, home failures in this country, not car failures" ("State of the Union," CNN, 1/25).

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN): "Republicans again oppose the balance of sending the next $350 in the banking bailout because what we really need to do here in a very real sense is pursue policies that will get this economy growing again. We simply cannot continue to borrow billions of dollars from our children and grandchildren and bail out every failing business and every failing bank in America. ... We don't have the votes to stop it now. But I always tell my colleagues, a minority in Congress plus the American people equals a majority. So we're going to take our case for tax relief versus slow and wasteful government spending to the American people this week. We'll take it to the president when he comes by our conference on Tuesday and we'll see where it goes from here" ("State of the Union," CNN, 1/25).

IF THEY'RE GOING TO SAN FRANCISCO, BE SURE TO WEAR SOME FLOWERS IN THEIR HAIR

Meanwhile, Obama's Gitmo decision received mixed reaction:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "I've spent a long time in the intelligence side of things in the Congress, I'm the longest-serving person, in fact, on the Intelligence Committee in the House. And it's brilliant."

Pelosi, asked about the fear that detainees will be released in the U.S.: "I don't even know that that is a possibility. ... Using the standards that the president is putting forth, reviewing why they are there, how they got there in the first place, I know that there is provision for sending them home or to another country. There are all kinds of options. ... So this plan is, I think, ingenious in what it does. Let's see how that works."

ABC's Stephanopoulos: "Congressman Bill Young of the Defense Appropriations Committee, Republican of Florida, suggested ... that the detainees who can't be released should actually be housed at Alcatraz in your district."

Pelosi: "Perhaps he has not visited Alcatraz. And let me say, Bill Young is a great member of Congress and I have a great deal of respect for his opinion. Alcatraz is a tourist attraction. ... It's a national park."

Stephanopoulos: "Not a serious proposal?"

Pelosi: "No" ("This Week," ABC, 1/25).

House Min. Leader John Boehner, asked if it's realistic for Guantanamo to be closed within a year: "I don't believe so. And I've got concerns about it. I understand the problem with Gitmo and the black eye that it's given us, but President Bush wanted to close down Gitmo, too. So did Senator John McCain. And the reason that Gitmo's still there is they couldn't determine, what do you do with these 270 prisoners? ... Unilaterally saying we're going to close Gitmo in a year, without knowing how we're going to deal with them, where we're going to house them, how we're going to try them, I think keeps a campaign promise but may be irresponsible."

More Boehner: "We don't know where the prisoners are going to go, nor how they're going to be tried. You know, if the liberals in America believe that Gitmo ought to go, then maybe we ought to just open Alcatraz and move those prisoners there."

NBC's Gregory: "It's a national park and not really suitable for prisoners, however."

Boehner: "It's very secure" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 1/25).

VP Biden, asked where the detainees will go: "We won't release people inside the United States because all but one, I believe, is not an American citizen, an American national. ... You've got to give us some time. ... We're going one prisoner at a time. We're trying to figure out exactly what we've inherited here. The one thing we do know is that the maintenance of Guantanamo, its symbol and the consequences of the symbolism around the world, it has grown terrorist organizations, not diminished terrorist organizations."

Biden, asked if Guantanamo can realistically be closed in a year: "I think so. It's going to be hard. There's nothing easy about this. I don't want to mislead the American public at all" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 1/25).

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): "Guantanamo has become a symbol and it should be closed, in my view. ... It's all the things that have damaged America's image in the world. But we need to have a process that replaces the military commissions. ... We need to decide what you do with people that we can't return to the countries that they came from. ... Where are you going to send them? That decision I would have made before I announced the closure. Because I don't know of a state in America that wants them in their state. You think Yucca Mountain is a NIMBY problem? Wait till you see this one" ("Fox News Sunday," 1/25).

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "It's a well-run jail now, but it does represent image problems for this country. The battleground and the war on terror is not a location. It's not a capital or a particular country. Part of it is the moral high ground. By closing Guantanamo Bay and relocating these prisoners, we get a chance to start over and prove to the world they are going to be housed under the rule of law. ... I believe that plan should include trials for war criminals and military commissions. We can reform the commissions. But I think the military should try these people. ... The worst thing we could do is criminalize this war. We're not fighting a bunch of criminals. We're fighting warriors committed to our destruction. And we need to get this right" ("State of the Union," CNN, 1/25).

RULES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN?

Obama manager David Plouffe was asked about the nomination of Dep. Defense Sec.-designate/Raytheon Senior VP/ex-Defense Under Sec. Bill Lynn on "State of the Union."

CNN's J. King: "[Obama] said no lobbyists, we're closing the revolving door. He said all who serve in his administration will be bound by these new rules. And yet, within 48 hours, we learned that his choice to be the number two at the Pentagon, William Lynn, a former lobbyist for Raytheon, gets a waiver. How can you say all who serve in my administration will have to abide by these rules, and then in your first week of office, say except this guy?"

Plouffe: "As we said during the campaign, no standard is perfect and you retain the right to make exceptions. He is uniquely qualified in a critical position in government. ... No one who works in that administration, including Mr. Lynn, can then leave and lobby the administration."

King: "But an example like that can help undermine it, gives your opponents, your critics to say, look, he didn't really mean it. That's the same old Washington that he promised to change. When you say that one exemption, is that it, or will there be more exemptions as we go forward?"

Plouffe: "Well, I'm not in the government, as you know. But I think what the American people are going to focus on is the large standard, and I think they realize that there can be an exception from time to time. But that has never happened before. A president has never said that no one who works in his administration can then go out and lobby it. And that's a fundamental change in the way this town works, and they desperately need it" (CNN, 1/25).

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "I'm not so sure it's hypocrisy. It's just reality. The fact is that there are a lot of talented people who have been in the lobbying business that could serve the country well, and I guess every rule has a goal, and that's to show the government's going to be run differently. And Mr. Lynn has a resume that shows he could serve in a very important role now, so it's just the reality of policies versus governance."

Graham, asked if it's a promise Obama should not have made: "Well, no, I applaud him for trying to change the culture of government, but, also, people like me, you have to understand that, as you try to create new policies and new images, you've got to also govern the nation. And I think Mr. Lynn is very good at what he would be assigned to do, so I'm willing to let it go if he's willing to make the waiver" ("State of the Union," CNN, 1/25).

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), asked if he will support an exception for Lynn: "I don't like it. I think it's a bit disingenuous to announce strict rules and then nominate someone with a waiver from the rules that you just announced in one of the most important jobs in Washington, the number two person at the Defense Department. I have asked to see which areas that Mr. Lynn will be recused from. But I think we need to probably move forward with his nomination" ("Fox News Sunday," 1/25).

KIRSTEN GET YOUR GUN

During her appearance on "This Week," Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked about NY Gov. David Paterson (D) naming Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) to fill Hillary Clinton's seat.

ABC's Stephanopoulos: "It's no secret that you and she have not had the easiest relationship. And New York Democrats told us that you were urging Governor Paterson not to pick Congresswoman Gillibrand. And you actually made three calls to the governor, is that true?"

Pelosi: "I spoke to the governor, he called me. And then I returned his call and -- I don't know, I speak to him -- he's a friend of mine. I think he's a great governor of New York. And I think he made an excellent choice."

Stephanopoulos: "So you weren't urging him not to..."

Pelosi: "Well, my concern ... as speaker of the House is of all the choices that he had, this is a district that is important to us. We worked very hard to win that seat. And so, of course, I want to keep my numbers here. ... We've only just found this out in the last 24 hours. But what's important is that he be elected governor and Kirsten be elected senator. I don't have an uneasy relationship with Kirsten. I appointed her to the Steering Committee when she came here a very coveted position. And now just recently, the past few weeks, named her to be head of our women's leave effort, again, much coveted by other members at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee."

More Pelosi: "So my concern is can they all be re-elected, can we win this seat. ... But she'll be a great senator. What I love about it is that as a mom, she has two little babies, two little children ... she will speak to the aspirations of so many working moms in the country as she represents New York State so well."

Pelosi, asked if Caroline Kennedy was treated fairly in the process: "Well, politics is a brutal business. ... I think she would have been a great senator. But the fact is Governor Paterson had many excellent choices" (ABC, 1/25).

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), asked if he's satisfied with the way Paterson handled the process: "The one thing he said he did wrong is he called it the wrestling match, wrestling in his own mind with who was the best candidate. He shouldn't have talked about that wrestling match publicly, and I think we can leave it at that. But that's hardly the most venal of sins."

Schumer, on Gillibrand: "I believe she's a great choice. ... She's a hard worker. She's a good legislator. She's sort of a go-to gal. ... The district she represents is quite different than much of the state. It's very rural. In some ways, it's more like Montana than New York City. It has no large cities. And yet even there, she has a very Democratic record. ... There are some issues where she would disagree with the majority of New Yorkers. Certainly with me, gun control is one of those. ... As Kirsten begins to represent the whole state, and she's already downstate listening, you learn the damage that gun violence, for instance, causes in cities and that many of those guns come from out of state."

Schumer, asked if he would support Gillibrand when she runs for election in '10: "I think she's going to be a great, great candidate, and we're going to work very hard in the Senate. I don't make endorsements in primaries two years in advance, but I have every expectation of supporting her, and I think she's going to be very well received throughout New York State" ("Fox News Sunday," 1/25).

LEND ME YOUR EAR

In his first TV appearance since taking office, VP Biden spoke about his role on "Face the Nation."

CBS' Schieffer: "You are following what I would say is the single most powerful vice president in the history of this country, and certainly one of the most controversial. ... There is some argument as to whether the vice president really is in the chain of command. Be that as it may, what is your concept of the vice presidency? Do you see it in the same way that Dick Cheney did?"

Biden: "I don't see myself as the deputy president. I see myself as the president's confidant. Hopefully I can help shape policy with him. ... Hopefully I'm the last person in the room with every important decision he makes. Thus far, that's how it's worked. ... When the president was generous enough to ask me to join him as vice president on the ticket ... I said, 'Barack, I don't want to be on the ticket unless you're hiring me for my judgment. If you trust my judgment; if you think my judgment is value-added, and I can be involved in all this, then I'd be honored to be with you.' So that's what I view my role to be, a confidant, an adviser, essentially the last guy in the room when he makes these critical decisions."

Schieffer: "Is this going to change you? You are known for being candid, for talking, being unafraid to talk. Is it harder now? ... You now are part of a team."

Biden: "It is harder now. I'm really happy to be part of a team. But what I have to think about now is, everything I say, I am the vice president. I am not the president. I'm the vice president. So everything that I say reflects directly on the administration. And so I may have strongly held views that the president may not have. ... The bottom line, it's harder."

Biden also talked about his recent trip to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq.

Biden, asked if we should expect more American casualties in Afghanistan: "I hate so say it, but yes, I think there will be. There will be an uptick. Because as the commander in Afghanistan said, 'Joe, we will get this done, but we're going to be engaging the enemy much more.'"

Biden, on the state of Iraq: "If I can use a football metaphor moving up to Super Bowl Sunday, I think we're basically on the 20-yard line, 20 yards to go. But now comes the really hard part. The surge did work. Our military has done everything we've asked of them, but there needs to be a political reconciliation in Iraq. You've heard me on your program many times talking about in the past the need for the Iraqis to determine whether they have a federal system or a strong central government. They're in a debate on that. There is going to be three major elections that are going to take place this year, provisional elections, national elections, and I won't bore everybody with the details. The bottom line is that a political reconciliation among Sunni, Shia, and Kurds, Arab and Indo-European, Arab and Kurd -- all of that is still in flux. There's progress being made on it, but we need a much stronger push."

More Biden: "And there has to be an additional, I think, show of responsibility on the part of the Iraqi leaders that they're able to govern. Last point: There's a need for a petro-chemical law, an oil law. How do they divide up the revenues? It's a big, big, big, big deal. There's a need for there to be a decision on what authority the regions have."

CBS' Schieffer: "Can this happen when all the people involved know that we're bringing our people home?"

Biden: "Yes. ... We're bringing our people home totally consistent with what had been worked out with the Iraqi parties. The one strong sign of some political movement is all the parties voted for this so-called SOFA. That is the deal on how we protect American troops, when we draw them down, and in what order we draw them down. ... It's totally consistent. I think we can do it" (CBS, 1/25).

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN

And during his appearance on "Meet the Press," House Min. Leader John Boehner was asked about the future of his party.

Boehner: "The way back is to be able to communicate with the American people about who we are and what our principles are. You know, the principles I grew up with are the principles of the Republican Party, even though I grew up as a Democrat. And I've got 11 brothers and sisters, my dad owned a bar. I've had every rotten job there was in America, but thankful that I had each of those jobs. ... Most Americans think that if you work hard, you play by the rules, you got a really good chance of getting ahead."

More Boehner: "I don't want our party to be the party of no. I want our party to be the party of better ideas, better solutions. There are issues, a lot of issues that Americans are concerned about, and I think as a political party we have to be willing to either work with the administration, work with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle or, if we disagree, then what's our better solution for the American people? And at the end of the day, I do think we have some better solutions. And over the coming months, I think the American people will see more of them" (NBC, 1/25).

ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP

The "This Week" roundtable discussed Obama's first days in office and the stimulus package.

Cokie Roberts, on Obama's first days in office: "I think it was a very good week. The bipartisan meetings are very important for him to have, and to keep having. He's going to go to the Hill this coming week and talk to the Republican caucus, and that's wise as well. I actually think the closing of Guantanamo and the statements about terrorism are very, very important. Now, they happened at the same time that he was continuing to conduct air strikes in Pakistan, so it's not like the war on terror is over."

New York Times' Krugman, on some saying the stimulus package contains a lot of pork: "A lot of it is, one person's pork barrel is another person's necessary infrastructure investment. And there actually is a lot of necessary infrastructure investment. I think the theme [that's] particularly striking right now is, everybody's forecast calls for an extended slump in the economy. We're not looking at ... a V-shaped recession" (ABC, 1/25)

The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed the stimulus package, Obama's first days in office, NY SEN and IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D).

Weekly Standard's Kristol: "I actually am pretty amazed how badly as a political matter this debate is going so far for Obama and for the Democrats. I mean, I would have thought this would be a slam-dunk. ... We're in a pretty steep recession. It's going to get worse. Obama is a popular new president. The Democrats have big majorities. .. But the stimulus has so much bad stuff in it, and Obama has lost control of the debates in the degree that ... they're now the ones who are saying there has to be a lot of tax cuts in it, which is then confusing. You know, then why all this long-term spending?"

NPR's Williams, asked if Blagojevich's upcoming media blitz will help him with the jury pool: "Oh, sure. ... Not only is he making himself into a victim, he's now making himself into a champion of the people. He's saying he's suffering political attacks from a state legislature that doesn't want to help people with various programs that he's put in place to help veterans and the elderly, and of course that he's the guy who appointed a black man, Burris, to the Senate. ... To me, this is theater. And yet so many people are falling for it. I just can't get it" (1/25).

The "State of the Union" roundtable discussed Obama's first days in office and the stimulus package.

CNN's Starr, on Obama saying Guantanamo will be closed within a year: "This was just really the first step in remaking the war on terror in the Obama administration. Removing the blight of Guantanamo Bay and now trying to move on to the problems of Afghanistan, putting another 30,000 troops into that country and a lot of concern that Afghanistan could wind up being Barack Obama's Iraq."

CNN's Henry, asked if there is anything in the stimulus package that has the GOP stamp: "A little bit with the tax cuts, because there are some tax cuts geared toward business. People like Eric Cantor and John Boehner, some of the House Republican leaders, are happy with that. They want it to go further. But there is a little bit of their stamp. But this is mostly a Democratic bill" (1/25).

The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed the stimulus package, Obama's first days in office and Blagojevich.

New York Times' Friedman, on the stimulus package: "This moment we're in right now reminds me of that moment in the movie 'Jaws' where Roy Scheider first sees the great white shark and he walks up to the captain's cabin, his eyes wide with fear, and he says, 'You're going to need a bigger boat.' We're going to need a bigger boat."

Weekly Standard's Hayes, in response: "The risk for the Obama administration at this point is that they buy this bigger boat and then buy all sorts of other smaller boats and give them to political interests" (NBC, 1/25).