OK. Let me bring you up to date on National Politics... Message? What Message?

*** Not So Popular Right Now: During the first 11 weeks of the Obama presidency, congressional Republicans have achieved this feat: They have maintained (for the most part) a unified opposition to Obama and the Democratic agenda. All Republicans, save for three moderate GOP senators, voted against Obama's stimulus. And every single Republican voted against the Democratic budget. But looking at recent polls, we've got to ask: Where has this gotten the GOP so far? The recent New York Times/CBS poll showed the Republican Party's favorability rating at an all-time low, matching the result from last month's NBC/WSJ poll. One GOP strategist tells First Read that Republicans are hoping that short-term pain leads to long-term gain. "My sense is we are making progress towards reclaiming mantle of fiscal responsibility, which is first step towards rebuilding," the strategist said. "Obama is hugely popular, which makes for a tough environment. But that will/must fade with time, and we'll get our second look from public." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/us/politics/07poll.html?_r=1&hp and http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Sections/090303_NBC-WSJ_poll.pdf

*** The Never-Ending Recount: After yesterday's recount activity in Minnesota -- where Al Franken (D) increased his lead over Norm Coleman (R) -- the question for many is no longer whether Coleman is going to lose; rather, it's when he's going to lose. Coleman's lawyers maintain they're going to appeal to Minnesota Supreme Court, and there's the possibility they might take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. But from a P.R. standpoint, it wasn't good news for Coleman that the legal challenge he initiated ended up (so far) handing more votes to Franken. (Does that mean that Franken might pick up even more votes if this moves to the state Supreme Court?) "When you contest the results of an election, and you lose ground, you ought to know time is up," Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said in a statement. Countered GOP Sen. John Cornyn: "Events [yesterday] do not address the main issue that remains unresolved: over 4,000 Minnesotans were disenfranchised by this three-judge panel. That's why it's so critical for this process to move forward before the Minnesota Supreme Court and why Senate Republicans fully support Senator Coleman's efforts."

*** Shiver Me Timbers: NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports that pirates have seized the U.S.-flagged, Danish-owned ship Maersk Alabama about 240 miles off the coast of Somalia. Mik adds, "Reports indicate that as many as 21 American crewmen are aboard. The Maersk Alabama is part of a line based in Norfolk, VA and a primary contractor for the U.S. Defense Department. Military officials could not say exactly what cargo the container ship is carrying, but do not believe it is a DOD or U.S. government shipment. At the time the pirates seized the vessel, the nearest U.S. Navy warship was more than 300 miles away. It is believed that one or more of the Navy's counter-piracy Task Force 151 is headed toward the Maersk Alabama."

*** Special Election Rundown: Speaking of Illinois politics, the Democrat running for Rahm Emanuel's congressional seat -- Mike Quigley -- easily won the special general election yesterday. And in that still-undecided NY-20 congressional race, the counting of absentee ballots begins today.

Countdown to Obama's 100th day: 21 days

Countdown to NJ GOP primary: 55 days

Countdown to VA Dem primary: 62 days

Countdown to Election Day 2009: 209 days

Countdown to Election Day 2010: 573 days

Click here to sign up for First Read emails. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7422971/Text FIRST to 622639, to sign up for First Read alerts to your mobile phone.


FIRST 100 DAYS: The Baghdad surpriseThe president surrounded by soldiers reaching for him and taking photos is five columns wide on the cover of the New York Times and also the above-the-fold photo on the cover of the Washington Post. http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=NY_NYT&ref_pge=lst and http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=DC_WP&ref_pge=lst
A different photo of troops with outstretched hands to the president is on the cover of the Wall street Journal. http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=WSJ&ref_pge=lst
The New York Times' story: "President Obama made an unannounced trip to Iraq on Tuesday, his first visit as commander in chief to the site of one of the two wars he inherited and must now see through to an end." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/middleeast/08obama.html?ref=politicsThe Boston Globe: "President Obama drew praise from troops and veterans groups for his surprise visit yesterday to Baghdad, another step in his concerted effort to win the support of the military despite having opposed the Iraq war and never having served in uniform." http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/04/08/troops_welcome_obama_in_iraq/The Washington Post: "President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis 'must take responsibility for their country' and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040700247.html?hpid=topnews
The New York Post's headline: "Barack star!" http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=NY_NYP&ref_pge=lst

FIRST 100 DAYS: The anti-Bush doctrineThe New York Times with this news analysis after Obama's overseas trip: "In eight days in Europe, President Obama has started down the road to remaking the global financial system, reinvigorating the NATO commitment to Afghanistan and Pakistan, rewriting nuclear policy, and repairing relations with the Muslim world. So, 77 days into his presidency, is there an emerging Obama grand strategy?

Not yet, but that may have been the point. Pragmatic, conciliatory, legalistic and incremental, he pushed what might be called, with a notable exception or two, an anti-Bush doctrine. There was no talk of pre-emption, or of the American mission to eradicate tyranny. From the Thames to the Bosporus, and at several landmarks in between, Mr. Obama barely mentioned his predecessor. But he emphasized one of their main differences: that the United States planned not only to give greater authority to international institutions that President George W. Bush often shunned, but also to embrace the creation of some new ones. Not surprisingly, these were the applause lines of his journey across the Continent." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/us/politics/07web-sanger.html

The Washington Post on Obama's eight-day trip: "Throughout his trip abroad, Obama portrayed a proud but flawed United States, using a refrain of humility and partnership in an attempt to rally allies around such issues of mutual concern as the global economy, climate change and nuclear proliferation. He talked about the nation's 'darker periods' of slavery and repression of Native Americans, and its past sanction of torture that he has ended. He also spoke with pride about the United States' diversity and its central role in rebuilding post-World War II Europe, while condemning 'anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious.'""Despite his celebrity reception at nearly every stop on the six-country tour, Obama was unable to persuade European allies to increase fiscal stimulus spending or to send additional combat troops to Afghanistan for long-term deployments." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040701405.html?hpid=topnews

CONGRESS: Praise for the Castros?With Congress on its Easter break, a group of Congressional Black Caucus members went to Cuba, met with Raul and Fidel Castro, and had praise for them. The three who met Castro: Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee, Laura Richardson and Bobby Rush. "It was Raul Castro's first encounter with U.S. officials since formally replacing his brother as head of state," the AP notes. And it was the first time Fidel has met with Americans since he fell ill in 2006. Regarding Cuba policy: "Jeffrey Davidow, the White House adviser for the Summit of the Americas to be held in Trinidad and Tobago April 17-19, said Monday he 'would not be surprised' if the president announces more changes in U.S. policies before that meeting."
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA): Fidel Castro was "very engaging and very energetic."
Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA) said she got the sense "[Fidel Castro] really wants President Obama to succeed" in his foreign policy goals. "He sincerely wants an opportunity, I think, in his lifetime to see a change in America." She added, Castro "looked directly into our eyes" and asked, "How can we help President Obama?" Richardson said. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/04/08/lawmakers_meet_castros_urge_end_to_embargo/
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL): Raul Castro is "just the opposite of how he's being portrayed in the media. I think what really surprised me but also endeared to him was his keen sense of humor, his sense of history and his basic human qualities."http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/07/1884891.aspx and http://www.rollcall.com/news/33863-1.html

VALUES WATCH: Gay marriage in VT"The Vermont Legislature on Tuesday overrode Gov. Jim Douglas's veto of a bill allowing gay couples to marry, mustering one more vote than needed to preserve the measure," the New York Times reports. "The step makes Vermont the first state to allow same-sex marriage through legislative action instead of a court ruling, and comes less than a week after the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages in that state.""New York, New Jersey, Maine and New Hampshire are among the states where such proposals have gained legislative support in recent months." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/us/08vermont.html?hp2009/2010: Quigley winsILLINOIS: As expected, Democrat Mike Quigley won by a wide margin, 69%-24%, in the race to replace Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in Illinois' 5th Congressional District. Emanuel, by the way, forgot to vote, per the Chicago Tribune. "Quigley said he plans to return to Chicago most weekends and will sleep on his office couch while in Washington."
"I recognize in many respects I will be compared to him and that's a tough, tough task. It's extraordinary," Quigley told supporters at an election night party at a North Side Chicago bar. "For a while I will be the guy in D.C. that's recognized as that's the guy taking Rahm Emanuel's seat. We will fight very hard to set our own ground, to establish our own credentials."And, of course, as the AP notes (as have we), "It's the same congressional seat once held by impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski." http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hf86d-gxzyh7EJTjEz_-UwxG_SbwD97E1UI80 andhttp://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/04/mike-quigley-election-results-rahm-emanuel-rosanna-pulido-matt-reichel-5th-congressional-district.html and http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-fifth-district-congress-08apr08,0,6361916.story and http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/03/03/1817662.aspxNEW YORK: Counting of the absentee ballots in the still-undecided NY-20 special election between Scott Murphy (D) and Jim Tedisco (R) begins today.Politico writes that Tedisco had a 17-vote lead over Murphy as of yesterday. "The official tally is now Tedisco with 77,035 votes, and Murphy with 77,018. Tedisco regained the lead after election officials in Saratoga County apparently misreported its recanvassed tally to the state Elections Board." http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/0409/Tedisco_by_17.htmlPENNSYLVANIA: "Sen. Arlen Specter on Tuesday said that former Rep. Pat Toomey is too conservative to win a general election race in Pennsylvania, claiming his likely primary opponent 'is to the right of Rick Santorum,'" The Hill writes, adding that on MSNBC's Morning Joe yesterday, "Specter said Toomey fought for deregulation, embraced private accounts in Social Security and, if nominated, would lose the general election and allow Democrats to pass so-called card-check legislation favored by organized labor." http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/specter-toomey-cant-win-is-to-right-of-santorum-2009-04-07.html
First Read with NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd, every weekday on MSNBC-TV at 9 a.m. ET.
For more: The latest edition of First Read is available now athttp://www.FirstRead.MSNBC.com !