Soft Middle: On Afghanistan, health care, Obama appeals to center that may not be there

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: He wanted a deliberative process, and now he's got one — actually, more than one.

On Afghanistan, and simultaneously on health care, President Obama is on a search for a middle ground that may not exist.

The eighth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan is Wednesday, and the president's wide-ranging strategy discussions are firmly in the public sphere — now with 30 would-be generals who happen to control the purse strings adding their voices.

The president is rejecting the extremes of the argument — it's not just pull out or double down — but in the nuances rest the political perils. (Nothing quite like going into a critical stretch in a presidency-defining war with everybody hating the new strategy just a little.)

And the continued courtship of Republicans and Democratic moderates on health care — plus the roll-out of GOP supporters from outside Washington — continues as the bill itself languishes in an odd limbo state. There are four, but not-quite five bills done, with no floor action scheduled, plenty of delays ahead, and still no firm guidance from the top on critical elements.

(All while perceptions of the electoral landscape — and, with GOP recruiting coups, the landscape itself — shifts around the president's feet.)

First — a hopeful sign for the White House, or what passes for it these days, after months of salesmanship:

Obama's job approval is pegged at 56 percent — the first uptick in the AP poll since he took office.

Plus: "The latest Associated Press-GfK poll has found that opposition to Obama's health care remake dropped dramatically in just a matter of weeks. Still, Americans remain divided over complex legislation that Democrats are advancing in Congress," the AP's Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Trevor Tompson report.

"The public is split 40-40 on supporting or opposing the health care legislation, the poll found. An even split is welcome news for Democrats, a sharp improvement from September, when 49 percent of Americans said they opposed the congressional proposals and just 34 percent supported them," they continue. "In a significant change, opposition among older Americans dropped 16 percentage points."

But what of those indies? Gallup has Democrats up just 46-44 in a generic ballot question — and you know why: "The Republican Party's relatively strong position on the generic ballot in the latest poll, conducted Oct. 1-4, stems from the support of political independents, who now favor Republican over Democratic candidates by 45% to 36%. In July, independents were evenly divided in their party voting preferences, whereas last fall they showed a clear preference for the Democrats."

On Afghanistan — coalition-building begins at home:

"Mr. Obama seemed to be searching for some sort of middle ground, saying he wanted to ‘dispense with the straw man argument that this is about either doubling down or leaving Afghanistan,' as White House officials later described his remarks," Peter Baker and Jeff Zeleny report in The New York Times.

"But as the war approached its eight-year anniversary on Wednesday, the session underscored the perilous crosscurrents awaiting Mr. Obama. While some Democrats said they would support whatever he decided, others challenged him about sending more troops. And Republicans pressed him to order the escalation without delay, leading to a pointed exchange between the president and Senator John McCain of Arizona, his Republican opponent from last year's election."

"Half-measures is what I worry about," McCain told reporters after the meeting.

So do the troops: "A concern that the troops we've spoken to do have is that the people in Washington will come up with a compromise," ABC's Chris Cuomo reported on "Good Morning America" Wednesday, from Afghanistan. "They are afraid of compromise."

Does a middle even exist here? ABC's George Stephanopoulos: "No one I talked to believes the President has made up his mind. But it sure sounds like he's searching for a middle ground — a position that may not please anyone from the start.  If that's the course Obama takes, can he make the case?  Likely to be his biggest test yet."

Tending a base, of sorts: The president "suggested he is looking at the middle range of the spectrum, somewhere between a major increase in forces and a large drawdown," Christi Parsons and James Oliphant report in the Los Angeles Times. "The afternoon congressional summit appeared designed to be an olive branch to Republican lawmakers not invited to the White House in half a year. Afterward, they flocked to microphones set up outside the West Wing to voice support for a troop increase should the generals advocate one."

Is this who the president wants to depend on? "In an unusual twist, Republicans on Tuesday sought to provide President Barack Obama with political cover should he decide to send tens of thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan," The Hill's Mike Soraghan, Molly K. Hooper and Sam Youngman report.

"The partisan split evident after the meeting, which 30 lawmakers attended, illustrated the political challenge Obama faces in Congress over this conflict," The Washington Post's Scott Wilson reports. "Opinion polls show that only a minority of Americans believe the battle is worth fighting, and much of that opposition is rooted in the Democratic Party."

Guess who else the president could have on his side?

Sarah Palin, on Facebook (of course) — endorsing calls for more troops and warning against "cold feet": "Our allies and our adversaries are watching to see if we have the staying power to protect our interests in Afghanistan. I recently joined a group of Americans in urging President Obama to devote the resources necessary in Afghanistan and pledged to support him if he made the right decision. Now is not the time for cold feet, second thoughts, or indecision — it is the time to act as commander-in-chief and approve the troops so clearly needed in Afghanistan."

As for the pressure on Gen. Stanley McChrystal: "There's no rift with McChrystal," Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., tells Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board smells a scapegoat: "Democrats have found someone worth fighting in Afghanistan. His name is Stan McChrystal."

President Obama meets with his national-security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan at 3:30 pm ET, in the Situation Room.

Vice President Joe Biden is back on the trail Wednesday, raising money Gov. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., and Rep. Larry Kissell, D-N.C. ABC's Karen Travers: "Biden has held events for 20 members of Congress and brought in over $1 million this year."

You really want a foreign-policy challenge? We know this song…

ABC's Jonathan Karl: "Is the U.S. stepping up preparations for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities? The Pentagon is always making plans, but based on a little-noticed funding request recently sent to Congress, the answer to that question appears to be yes. . . . Now the Pentagon is shifting spending from other programs to fast forward the development and procurement of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. The Pentagon comptroller sent a request to shift the funds to the House and Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees over the summer."

Camp Casey, coming to K Street? "She's back and this time, she's here to stay. Cindy Sheehan says she is moving to Washington," ABC's Yunji de Nies and Sunlen Miller report. "The anti-war activist was outside the White House for the second day in a row, with a bullhorn and a handful of protestors, shouting against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Guantanamo and calling for ‘health care not warfare.' "

Concerns beyond foreign policy — on questions of political moorings: "Because Obama has yet to make significant movement on signature issues or achieve a definitive policy success, people are anxious and impatient. A lethal combination in a political context," Jonathan Capehart writes for Washingtonpost.com. "When questions about where Obama is on policy become questions about who he is at his core, negative impressions could harden, hurting his ability to actually get something done and quiet the criticism."

From the unsolicited advice department … Mark Penn, in a Politico op-ed: "In campaigns, it is easy to issue policy papers; in government, you have to choose the policies. In Round One, the president chose stimulus, more troops to Afghanistan and a bold vision of health care reform. Now it's time for the much tougher, and potentially politically costly, decisions of Round Two."

Looking forward to the next round of elections — some troubling perceptions for Democrats are beginning to take hold.

"Frankly, a lot of what's going on in Washington has made it very tough," gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds, D-VA., said in the WJLA-TV/Politico forum last night, per Jonathan Martin. "We had a very tough August because people were just uncomfortable with the spending; they were uncomfortable with a lot of what was going on, a lot of the noise that was coming out of Washington, D.C."

And what does this say about one political veteran's read on the political landscape? (Not to mention Republican recruiting successes for 2010 — which has gone from a defensive year to an offensive year for the GOP.)

"Mike Castle set up what could be the nation's most heated political race next year with his surprise announcement Tuesday that he will be running for the U.S. Senate," Ginger Gibson writes for the Wilmington News Journal. "The only missing piece for a political clash that could become the most expensive in Delaware history and attract wide national attention is whether Attorney General Beau Biden, as expected, will also seek the seat held until last year by his father, Vice President Joe Biden."

Stu Rothenberg makes the Delaware seat "Lean Takeover": "Even if Attorney General Beau Biden (D) runs for the open Senate seat – certainly not guaranteed given the cordial relations between Castle and Joe Biden over the years, and the fact that Castle would be filling only the last four years of Biden's unexpired term — Castle, the former governor who has been elected statewide for over 25 years, has the early advantage in the race."

Which brings us to health care — still making Afghanistan policy look easy.

"Senate Democrats are facing another round of delays in their effort to expand Americans' access to health care because of concern over the cost of the plan and demands that they disclose more about it," Bloomberg's Ryan J. Donmoyer and Laura Litvan report. "The Senate Finance Committee has yet to vote on its bill as it waits for the Congressional Budget Office to assess the cost. And a group of eight Democrats whose votes may be crucial to final passage urged that the public be given more time to read new drafts of the legislation." 

ABC's Z. Byron Wolf does the math — and Democratic moderates in the Senate have the votes to force the issue: "That's 216 hours — 9 days — that the conservative Democrats want set aside for legislative meditation."

Other math that won't make things easier: "Congressional tax experts say Senate health care legislation would impose $29 billion more in taxes on health care industries than originally thought," the AP's Erica Werner reports. "The Joint Committee on Taxation says drug companies, medical device manufacturers and insurers would pay $121 billion over 10 years as a result of taxes in the Senate Finance Committee bill. That's compared with $92 billion originally calculated."

Looking forward to conference? "More than half of the Democrats in the House have signed on to a letter denouncing a key element of the Senate Finance Committee's health care legislation as labor unions draw a line in the sand on paying for reform," Politico's Ben Smith and Patrick O'Connor report. "The Democrats are attacking a plan to finance expanded health care by taxing expensive health insurance plans. The plan, sometimes cast as a tax on ‘Cadillac' plans, would in fact include the health care plans of many public employees and union members and has triggered a revolt from Obama's labor supporters and their many allies on the Hill."

Not impressed by all those boldfaced GOP names: "I don't believe these other Republicans are going to be for it when they see the final bill that's being written in the back rooms right now," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said on ABCNews.com's "Top Line" Tuesday.

No coincidences here: "Most of the endorsements came at the prompting of the White House political team. Each friendly statement was then immediately circulated and promoted by White House aides in e-mails and telephone calls," Michael D. Shear and Ceci Connolly write in The Washington Post. 

Working on perhaps the most stubborn Democratic vote in the Finance Committee: "Democratic leaders resent having to scramble to secure Wyden's support in advance of a final committee vote on the Baucus bill later this week or next," Roll Call's Emily Pierce reports.

(FireDogLake has the backstory on why Wyden feels wronged by Chairman Max Baucus' leadership in committee.)

From the Rangel files — playing out on the House floor Wednesday.

Per the office of Rep. John Carter, R-Texas: "Members Wednesday will have to cast a recorded vote on whether it is acceptable for Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) to evade federal taxes for over a decade, and yet pay none of the penalties and interest charges that the IRS piles on the average American taxpayer for far less serious offenses. House Republican Conference Secretary John Carter (R-TX) this morning is introducing a Privileged Resolution calling for Rangel to be removed as Chairman of the committee that oversees the IRS and the federal tax code, until the 16-month investigation of multiple tax, federal disclosure, and ethics violation charges against Chairman Rangel has been concluded."

Guess who has the votes? "House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said Tuesday that he will move to block any Republican attempt this week to push Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel to step aside until an ethics probe is complete," CQ's Edward Epstein reports.

From the Pelosi files — the DCCC is firing back at the NRCC over the statement that Pelosi should be "put in her place" by McChrystal. The online petition drive is already up.

The Kicker:

"If you can't practice, you make a fool of yourself out here." — Tom DeLay, leaving "Dancing With the Stars" (but not before leaving behind memories of an impressive final costume).

"If you don't want to vote for me because I was wearing a bra with fruit, go ahead." — Adam Azia, one of about 50 lesser-known candidates for Sen. Ted Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts.

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