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White House snubs a Republican

The party line apparently ends at the Connecticut border. The predictably loyal Bush White House will not endorse the Republican Senate candidate in the general election. 

You heard a great deal about the race because the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Joe Lieberman lost the primary to an anti-war newcomer, Ned Lamont. Alan Schlesinger is the Republican on the ballot. But he's getting no help from the RNC and none from the White House. I asked the president's spokesman Tony Snow about this and he said, "We are not making any endorsement in Connecticut. The Republican Party of Connecticut has suggested that we not make an endorsement in that race and so we are not." Really? The president, who is the head of the party, and has predicted Republicans will hold the House and Senate, is not weighing in during one of the most visible races? Snow says he believes it has happened before that a White House has withheld an endorsement and members of the press corps quickly asked for examples.  A list has not yet been provided, though we offered a friendly reminder that our request is still pending. When we get examples, we'll let you know.

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Video blog: Presidential trip

Yes, I know, we need a better term for these things... feel free to click "Discuss" below and suggest one.  In the meantime, enjoy White House Correspondent Kelly O'Donnell's video blog. She is just about wheels-up enroute to Germany, in advance of President Bush's trip there tomorrow.  We asked her to stop by the North Lawn camera on her way to the airport. Click here to watch her video preview of the trip to Germany and the agenda at the G8 summit later this week in Moscow.

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Beefing up border patrol

A senior administration official tells NBC News the president will announce tonight his plan to authorize the use of about 5,000 National Guard troops or up to two percent of the overall force strength of the Guard for a period of about two years along the southern border. The president will also detail a plan aides describe as a "dramatic increase" in U.S. border patrol agents beyond what Congress has considered. The Guard would be tasked in a "supportive role" until those new border agents become available." Aides stress the Guard would not engage in law enforcement but would perform surveillance, transportation and construction duties.

The plan will likely include using a rotation option of National Guard training on border duty so Guardsmen from around the country could serve along the border while meeting their annual training requirements.

Those on border duty would be likely pulled from states beyond the four border states. Advisors say in response to some critics the plan would not take Guardsmen straight from the battlefield in Iraq.

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Snow's first gaggle

Press Secretary Tony Snow's first off-camera briefing  with reporters known as the "gaggle" did not go quite as smoothly as either he or the White House press corps might have hoped. 

Snow decided to move the session to his sparsely decorated office where it had be done by previous secretaries before 9/11. Snow had indicated he wanted an informal, smaller setting to discuss the day's issues instead of the briefing room. 

But first day kinks followed. The time was moved from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. No problem, except that Snow actually began with his office door closed somewhere before 9:20 with a few networks and the major wires not yet in the room. 

The office was packed given this was Snow's first "gaggle." Reporters said they could not hear. Tony stood, trying better to project, but there was discomfort in the room with reporters jammed out in the hallway straining to listen.

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New Chief in the West Wing

Outside Washington, his name is not be well known. But his new job and the influence it carries make him one of the more powerful figures to watch.   Today is the first full weekday on the job for Joshua Bolten, the president's new and only second Chief of Staff. 

Bolten comes to the task at a time when Mr. Bush's poll numbers have been lodged in the 30s and the time left in office to get things done is relatively limited.  That means if there is a shakeup to be had, expect it soon.  That could evolve with sudden resignations and some new hires.

When you boil it down, the Chief of Staff runs the White House operation and its hundreds of employees and he controls access to the president. That combination makes the Chief a formidable influence.  The Chief sets a tone.  And this new Chief is sending the signals that he intends to adjust the tone. The word being used by advisors here is "reinvigorate."  That's a sunny choice which does suggest changes but does not impugn the past.  That is very much the Bush way of doing things.

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Cheney's accident: Why all the fuss?

Editor's note: Kelly also answered a variation of this question in our weekly "White House Beat" Webcast.

With this week's unusual events, many who cover the White House have been asked that question. This space seemed like a good place to try and offer some perspective.

Some e-mailers have written that since the public was eventually informed about the hunting accident and because this did not involve official government business... what's the big deal? I can certainly understand why some feel that way. The easy part of this is we can all imagine how awful everyone personally involved in the accident must feel. There is abundant reason to be sympathetic to the trauma involved.   

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McClellan defends Katrina response

As former FEMA Director Michael Brown testifies today before the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee (Live Video link), here are some highlights from White House spokesman Scott McClellan, from his regular off-camera briefing to reporters this morning.

Taking aim at The New York Times
Without prompting, McClellan raised the NYT and ranted about its front page levee story. He called it "sad and irresponsible that the NYT is rewriting history to fit an inaccurate storyline and conveniently ignoring key facts." 

"We knew full well the flooding that was going on and that's why our efforts were focused on rescuing people and the Coast Guard was doing a tremendous job during that time."

"There were conflicting reports coming in in the initial aftermath of the storm in regards to levee system; some were saying it was overtop; some were saying it was breached and, again, we knew of the flooding that going on and that's why were focused on saving lives. The cause of the flooding was secondary to that top priority and that's the way it should be."

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Counting down at the White House

This is a big "game day" at the White House. Tonight's address sets the President's agenda for the year and triggers reaction from all corners. With hours to go before the speech, his advisors give reporters bits and pieces of what's happening behind the scenes.

For example, the President's remarks have reached draft #31 and if even a few words are changed today that number will go higher. Chunks of the speech that the White House considers important are released at 5 p.m. ET, but not the best stuff. Advisors will hold back to a degree to allow the President full effect tonight. Then at 6 p.m. ET, the White House will provide a list of the guests who will join Mrs. Bush in her box. Since President Reagan first acknowledged a special citizen, other Presidents have followed suit, weaving comments about that guest or guests in the address. The early guidance is helpful to the networks since this is the President's largest TV audience of the year. Commentators can provide a back story and take a shot of those guests. One face to expect, Samuel Alito, the newly confirmed and soon to be sworn-in associate justice of the Supreme Court. Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts are successes the President can claim and having them in the Chamber reinforces that.

On content, the president is expect talk about four domestic policy areas: Competitiveness, energy, health care and budget -- which aides refer to as "spending taxpayer money wisely." But the address will begin with foreign policy, the subject area that casts such a long shadow over the President and all he does.

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SOTU snapshot

A lot rides on tomorrow night's State of the Union address. The President faces his biggest audience of the year and his most direct opportunity to speak to the American people. The State of the Union, or SOTU in White House parlance, carries much political theater and sets an agenda that drives political debate for much of the year. Here's a snapshot this morning on preparation... Advisors say the day began with "draft 23" of the address. Even a change of a few words generates a new version, so that doesn't suggest huge revisions each time. The president has been rehearsing in what's known as the "family theater." So far, the speech clocks in at 36 minutes without applause.

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Presidential humor, take II

Comics say if you have to explain the joke it isn't funny. Though I am clearly not a comic, I am having that feeling after reading the two comments about my post today. My point in writing about the humor that is always present at presidential news conferences was simply to share a slice of what we typically do not explore in our reporting on NBC News. That's where we do all the serious stuff. I see this blog as a way to share observations you might not get elsewhere. My point was not to report on the substance. I do that in my broadcast pieces, like the one I am preparing for tomorrow morning on "Today."

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