Here's what we're working on today:
President Obama will address the nation tonight at 8pm ET and announce his plan to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. The speech will run about 10 minutes and the president is expected to announce that all the surge forces will be out by the end of 2012. The thinking from the White House is that we're drawing down from a position of strength -- that if the goal was to disrupt al-Qaeda, the mission has been successful. But he's caught between his generals, who want to stick it out, and a growing number of war critics both left and right who are pushing for an end to the war -- at a time when we can barely afford it. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57489.html, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/us/politics/22costs.html?hp
Meanwhile a new Pew poll shows a 56 percent of Americans want U.S. troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible -- that's a new record. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57452.html#ixzz1Q0OY5dNT
Huntsman and Pawlenty illustrate the division in the Republican party over the Afghan war. Pawlenty says we shouldn't get wobbly and Huntsman says it's time to come home. http://abcn.ws/jbKPZ1, http://politi.co/mUEm
Al Gore is going after Pres. Obama on the topic that's dearest to him -- climate change. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57514.html
While foreign policy dominates the news today, President Obama has more to worry about domestically. A new Bloomberg poll shows Americans are increasingly frustrated with his handling of the economy. And the number of voters who say they'll definitely vote for him in 2012 is dropping. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57507.html#ixzz1Q0OmhKhZ
Speaking of 2012, Just one day in the race and Huntsman has become the hunted. He's betting on electability in the general election, but he has a long road ahead just to win his party's nomination. The conservative Club for Growth opened up a new line attack against the former Utah governor, criticizing his record of spending as governor of Utah.
And finally, Michele Bachmann will make her official presidential announcement on Monday from the town where she was born: Waterloo, Iowa. Talk about an auspicious beginning!