Mark Halperin’s Three Things

Mark Halperin's three things to watch for in politics for Friday, May 22.

1. Watch the continued discussion of President Obama’s national security agenda heading into the weekend. Because his speech and former Vice President Cheney’s speech were so closely linked in the media, there’s a notion circulating around that the president’s was on the defensive in choosing to give this speech and in precisely what he said. Watch to see if that still seems to be the case now that the chatter on Cheney’s speech is dying down and the focus is on the White House’s policy objectives.

2. Watch Nancy Pelosi and her handling of the CIA controversy.  Some Republicans have said that the calls from Newt Gingrich and others for the Speaker to resign have not been helpful for their case, so watch to see if the GOP can frame things in a way that keeps Pelosi on the defensive.  She’s set to hold a presser today at 10:15 am ET, so watch to see whether she’s able to do a good job calming the criticism going into Congress’ Memorial Day recess.

3. Watch for more developments on the survival of the U.S. auto industry. The story has largely died down in the last few weeks, but GM is approaching its June 1 deadline to provide a plan for further restructuring to the federal government, so watch to see what the consensus seems to be on what that plan will look like and whether it will include bankruptcy. Also watch to see how things seem to be panning out for Chrysler in its bankruptcy proceedings.