Emanuel takes aim at Barton, GOP
WASHINGTON, June 20 (UPI) -- White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Sunday Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton's apology to BP typifies the GOP view that BP is the "aggrieved party."
Barton has since rescinded his apology to BP Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward and apologized for saying a $20 billion BP fund for Gulf of Mexico oil spill victims resulted from a "shakedown" by the White House.
The apology notwithstanding, Emanuel said on ABC's "This Week" the original statements and apology were no accidents.
"That's not a political gaffe. Those were prepared remarks," he said. "(Republicans) see the aggrieved party here as BP, not the fishermen and the communities down there affected.
"I think what Joe Barton did was remind the American people, in case they forgot, this is how the Republicans would govern," Emanuel said.
He noted Rand Paul, as a Senate candidate in Kentucky, called BP's treatment "un-American" and said other Republicans have defended BP and criticized the White House for forcing the company to set up the $20 billion fund.
Emanuel defended the administration's handling of the oil spill while acknowledging "problems" and "bottlenecks" he called inevitable as the well continued gushing oil a mile beneath the surface of the gulf.
"What's important is: Are we capping the well? Are we capturing oil? Are we containing the cleanup? Are we filing the claims? Are we cleaning up the mess?" Emanuel said. "That's what's important."
He said more than 6,000 ships and 25,000 workers are involved in oil containment, capture and cleanup and that the White House forced BP to set up the victims' fund, increase cleanup capacity and create a second relief well.
Gates denies large-scale troop pullout set
WASHINGTON, June 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates rejected a suggestion the Obama administration would begin large-scale troop removal from Afghanistan in July 2011.
Gates, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," was responding to a question about Vice President Joe Biden's being quoted in Jonathan Alter's new book "The Promise" as saying, "In July 2011 you're going to see a whole lot of people moving out. Bet on it."
"That absolutely has not been decided," Gates said.
The defense chief said he expected the recent spike in U.S. casualties in Afghanistan and complained "there's a rush to judgment" that fails to take into account progress.
"It is a tough pull and we are suffering significant casualties," he said. "We expected that. We warned everybody that would be the case last winter, that as we went into areas that the Taliban had controlled for two or three years that our casualties would grow, especially this summer."
He pointed out less than a third of the 30,000 additional troops President Obama pledged as part of the surge have not been sent to Afghanistan.
"We are still in the middle of getting all of the right components into place," Gates said.
Troops will begin withdrawing in July 2011 but the pace will depend on Afghanistan's readiness to take over government, security and policing, Gates said.
Red tide contaminates Puget Sound
SEATTLE, June 20 (UPI) -- Red tide at potentially deadly levels is moving up into Washington state's Puget Sound, officials said.
The shoreland on Fidalgo Bay in Skagit County is among those closed to recreational shellfish harvesting because of deadly levels of paralytic shellfish poison -- red tide algae -- KOMO-TV, Seattle, reported.
The report said the Fidalgo beach was closed Friday and will remain closed until toxin levels have lowered. Health officials closed beaches throughout Discovery Bay in Jefferson County earlier in the week.
Right now a 4-ounce portion of recreationally harvested shellfish from Jefferson County could kill the eater, health officials said.
But health officials also say commercially produced shellfish is safe, KOMO reported.
Netanyahu White House visit set
WASHINGTON, June 20 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is set to meet July 6 at the White House with U.S. President Barack Obama, the administration said Sunday.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, speaking on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, confirmed the visit, which will come more than a month after the cancellation of a previous scheduled visit by the prime minister.
The cancellation came amid strained relations between the two countries after Israeli commandos' raid of a humanitarian aid flotilla resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish civilians.
"The president has been clear of what we need to do to seize this moment of opportunity here in the region to finally make peace … where Israel feels secure and peace that's in balance with the Palestinians' aspirations for sovereignty," Emanuel said.
Netanyahu's fifth visit to the White House will focus on restarting Mideast peace talks, Emanuel said.
"That is possible," Emanuel said. "It was close in the Camp David of 2000. It is now the time, given where we are, to basically find that proper balance that gives Israel the sense of security it needs and the firm commitment it needs on security and measure that up with what the Palestinians need for their own sovereignty."
