All politics is local! President Obama announced his jobs plan last night before a Joint Session of Congress, and it’s more ambitious than was expected—but now he has to sell it. Obama made thinly veiled mentions of deficient bridges, tunnels and roads in the districts of Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and 2012 hopeful Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX). And today he travels to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA)’s district to point out the 94—yes, that’s 94—“structurally deficient” bridges. Will his tactic drive the point home? And will it be enough to jump-start the country’s economy and bring down the unemployment rate ahead of the 2012 race? Tonight, we’re asking msnbc Political Analysts David Corn and Eugene Robinson.
This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We’ll look back on that day with two men who witnessed history: Lt. Col. Robert Darling USMC (RET), who spent 24 hours inside the President’s bunker and saw then-Vice President Cheney order Flight 93 shot down, and Dick Keil, who was traveling with President Bush in Florida that Tuesday as a member of the press pool. They had a front-row seat to one of the most important days in America’s recent history. Hear their firsthand stories tonight.
And on this anniversary, the country is faced with credible but unconfirmed reports of a terror plot planned for New York or Washington, D.C. this weekend. NBC News Terrorism Analysts Evan Kohlmann and Michael Sheehan are bringing us the latest information tonight.
Plus: The campaign against Gov. Rick Perry. Will Karl Rove and the Bush Republicans mount an effort in opposition to Perry, their longtime rival? We’re asking Sasha Issenberg, who just published the e-book “Rick Perry and His Eggheads,” and msnbc Political Analyst and Huffington Post Reporter Alex Wagner.
And look for Chris Matthews on msnbc this Saturday from noon to 3 PM ET. He’ll be anchoring coverage of the dedication ceremony of the Flight 93 National Memorial from Shanksville, PA.