*Richard Wolffe about to discuss his new book on Obama admin on WNYC (listen live 12pm EST)*

[Clio the Leo]

(link to "listen now" is on right hand side of page)
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/2010/nov/16/

Again, there is no more "inside" source (among journalists) on the Obama White House than Wolffe, he wrote "Renegade" and his new book on the administration's first year "Revival" is out today. He's so comfortable w/the President he had to be reminded by an aid to stand up when the President came into the room (Obama just rolled his eyes at the notion.) and the President kidded him about stealing the West Wing thumb drives.

And, as early excerpts are showing, he's expected to throw the Rahm haters a bone or two.

[Whisp]

1. have to register? I don't see the Listen Now link

[Whisp]

2. got it, Clio. thank you.

[Clio the Leo]

3. Starting now. nt

[Clio the Leo]

4. Says that Rouse is part of the "survivalist" camp...

... which Rahm was the head of .... the camp that's been "battling" the Revivalists headed by Ax, Anita Dunn, etc. It basically comes down to the folks working on the Obama campaign vs. the folks who worked with the President in the Senate.

[Clio the Leo]

5. Wolffe says time & gain folks count the President out, say he's done...

.... and he always comes back. Says he thinks we're at another one of those times (cites Scott Brown's election as an example.)

[Clio the Leo]

6. Says the "Revivalists" group has come back into power since the elections..

..... again, the Revivalists are the campaign folks. I love that name ... Obama campaign rallies, complete with Springsteen's "The Rising" always reminded me of what my grandparents would call a "tent meeting."

[Clio the Leo]

7. Gibbs came up with the idea of doing HCR in the first year...

.... during the campaign as a news item .... Hillary had a plan and they didn't.

[Clio the Leo]

8. If Wolffe's account is true, admin REALLY thought the GOP would work with them...

.... and the notion that they didn't caught them off guard.

[Gin]

10. if that is true...okay...but how many times (no)does it take to register

that they would not work with the admin?..duhhhh

[Clio the Leo]

12. lol, oh, I think they've figured it out now. nt

[Clio the Leo]

9. host is playing clips from the famous meeting with the GOP caucus on HCR...

..... good times. :)

[Clio the Leo]

11. Admin was taken aback by the tea party....

.... but "relish" the notion of the impending divide between the establishment GOP and the tea party GOP .... is looking for areas to drive them apart. (And I think we saw that yesterday with the earmark moratorium.)

[Clio the Leo]

13. Woffe thinks there'll be a more rapid movement toward leaving Afghan. after Gates is gone...

.... that Biden is eager to say to DoD "you had your chance, now let's wrap it up."

[Clio the Leo]

14. Says Pres. was deeply skeptical of the DoD during the Afghan planning process. nt

[Clio the Leo]

15. Says Obama confronted Petraeus on an open ended commitement in Iraq...

.... and will do the same on Afghanistan.

[Clio the Leo]

16. Aides say "we couldn't sell an economic policy to the public because..."

"we couldn't decide on what the policy was." Blames Summers.

[Clio the Leo]

17. Says Obama assumes we're tired of campaign rhetoric....

... that we've heard it all and he doesn't want to run it into the ground.

That's explained more here...
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/12/131274744/-revival-author-outlines-white-house-identity-crisis

Wolffe says he the President may be WRONG in that notion ... and I agree.