NBC: MEET THE PRESS
McConnell: 'Look, we need to get serious about this'
Clinton declined to repeat her statement from earlier this week that the Egyptian government is "stable." She also declined to say that the United States wants Mubarak to stay in power.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called Egypt an "extraordinarily important ally" and said Republicans and Democrats need to approach the situation with a united front.
McConnell also urged President Obama to be more bold about cutting entitlement spending, which is generally a tough political sell. "We know social security's in trouble. ... We know Medicare's on an unsustainable path," McConnell said. "Look, we need to get serious about this.
CNN: STATE OF THE UNION
Clinton: 'We're not advocating any specific outcome'
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton continued making the rounds on the Sunday shows to discuss the fast-evolving situation in Egypt. "This is a complex, very difficult situation," said Clinton, "We do not want to send any message about backing forward or backing back."
Asked whether Mubarak could survive the uprising, Clinton did not commit either way, saying it would be up to the Egyptian people. "We're not advocating any specific outcome, we are advocating that the government the representatives of the civil society, the political opposition...begin a dialog to chart a course," Clinton said.
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) provided their take on the situation in Egypt as well. "We cannot afford a Tiananmen Square in Cairo," said McCain. "This is a narrow window of opportunity." McCain went on to provide an overall positive assessment of the president's response, but said he could have gone further by proposing a roadmap for resolving the situation in Egypt.
"I basically agree with the thrust of Sen. McCain," said Schumer, going on to say that McCain's position almost entirely coincided with that of the president.
On the subject of domestic policy and the debt ceiling, Schumer said there was a more important issue on the table: continuing funding for the U.S. government, "It is playing with fire to risk the shutting down of the government."
FOX NEWS SUNDAY
Boehner: Obama has handled 'this tense situation pretty well'
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said no one is satisfied with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's efforts to protect human rights. "There is a long way to go," Clinton said, stressing that the United States wants an "orderly transition" to democracy in the country, which has been thrown into chaos as demonstrators protest.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the Obama Administration has handled "this tense situation pretty well."
Boehner criticized President Obama's State of the Union speech, saying the president was calling for more stimulus spending. Boehner said Republicans are only interested in making cuts, adding that there is "no limit to the amount of spending that we're willing to cut."
Boehner also said that he didn't think having security at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's (D-Ariz.) townhall earlier this month would have prevented the shootings that occurred.
CBS: FACE THE NATION
Clinton: 'I'm not going to speculate'
Secretary Clinton continued her rounds on the Sunday shows to describe the United States' response to the uprising in Egypt. Asked whether Mubarak will have to leave, Clinton said, "I'm not going to speculate. ... This is an incredibly complex set of circumstances and we are hoping and praying that the authorities will be able to respond to the legitimate request for participation by the peaceful protesters."
Egyptian opposition leader Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei also joined by phone, calling on Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to leave immediately. "He absolutely has to leave. This is not me, it is 85 million Egyptians." Reuters reported earlier Sunday that the Islamic Brotherhood has placed its support behind ElBaradei.
"This is a farce," he said referring to Mubarak's dissolution of his cabinet. "You have to stop the life support to the dictator," he said.
Newly-appointed White House Chief of Staff William Daley weighed in on the recent vote in the House to repeal the health-care law. "People have suggestions on how to make it better," said Daley, "but [president Obama] is not interested in re-fighting this fight."
It was Daley's first televised interview since being appointed Whilte House chief of staff.
Asked whether President Obama would be willing to raise the gas tax, Daley repeated a popular Republican refrain saying, "I don't think raising taxes on the American people is the way to go."
ABC: THIS WEEK
Clinton: 'We've been very clear about what is in Egypt's long-term interest'
Clinton said the United States is not discussing the possibility of cutting of aid to Egypt. She noted that Egypt has been an important partner for the U.S. in many respects for decades, but said the U.S. has always pushed for reforms during that time. "We've been very clear about what is in Egypt's long-term interest, and we continue to be clear."
Egypt's Ambassador to the United States, Sameh Shoukry, promised "speedier reforms" in light of the protests. "That, I'm sure, is the direction that Egypt will take within the institutions that are still in operation that are cognizant of (what's happening) on the streets."
Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei said Mubarak needs to leave office in order to make way for democracy. He said he doesn't think the army will turn on the protesters, because the army is generally on the people's side. He also discounted the idea that a replacement government might be hostile to the United States or an Islamic fundamentalist group like the Muslim Brotherhood would take over. "This is what the regime sold to the U.S.; it's either us (and) repression or Al Qaeda-type Islamists," ElBaradei said. "That's not ... Egypt."
CSPAN: NEWSMAKERS
McHenry - 'no program is going to help you as much as a job can help you'
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), chairman of the Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs, discussed the fallout from the recently-released Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission report. McHenry fielded questions from Congressional Quarterly's Steven Sloan and the Washington Post's Neil Irwin.
Asked whether he would like to re-litigate the bank bailout, McHenry declined. "I've had my opportunities...to ask those questions," he said, "I think people have pretty well made up their minds." McHenry went on to say that the reason most Americans cannot keep their homes is the "economic situation," more so than any government program. McHenry did not provide any specific policy solution when asked for one, saying foreclosures were due in large part to individuals having lost their jobs, not policy decisions. "It's an awful thing to say ... but if you don't have a job, no program is going to help you as much as a job can help you," said McHenry.
By Aaron Blake & Emi Kolawole
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