TESTING, TESTING – How much damage will Obama’s hot-mic incident do over the long term? So far, the evidence is mixed:
The incident stole the show in Seoul. POLITICO’s Jennifer Epstein reports: “The trip that took [Obama] to South Korea was built around substance — nuclear security, forward-looking meetings with the leaders of Russia, China, Turkey and Pakistan — but it was defined by an image of him with binoculars and an inadvertently recorded comment.” More here. http://politi.co/Hdob6c
The president, of course, was captured on microphone Monday telling Medvedev he’d have more “flexibility” in missile-defense negotiations following the 2012 election. Obama yesterday sought to explain away the episode, saying the current environment in Congress is not conducive to “thoughtful considerations.”

CONGRESS WEIGHS IN — McCain: Russia is in the tank for Obama. “You could understand why the Russians might attack Romney,” he told DEFCON Hill. “They obviously want [P]resident Obama reelected, that’s pretty clear.” Jeremy Herb has more. http://bit.ly/Hg7KSh
And 43 Republican senators have put Obama on notice: “We will oppose any efforts by your administration to arbitrarily limit our missile defense capabilities or pursue ill-advised nuclear arms reductions,” they wrote in a letter to the president.
The letter was missing the signatures of four GOP senators: Scott Brown, Lamar Alexander, Thad Cochran and Rand Paul. (salute: DEFCON Hill http://bit.ly/GVYCnw)

Obama’s civillian force? H.R. 3670, To require the Transportation Security Administration to comply with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act: The bill would require the TSA to comply with USERRA when carrying out some personnel decisions. USERRA directs employers to rehire certain active-duty workers when they return from their deployments. “The TSA mission is not so specialized that TSA should have its own version of USERRA,” said sponsor Tim Walz. “We have USERRA protections in place for a reason, and this bill will ensure that veterans working for TSA are protected as they would be in any other position.” Read the bill text. http://1.usa.gov/GVG9eT
H.R. 4048, Improving Contracting Opportunities for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses Act of 2012: The bill would clarify that VA contracting officers may use the Federal Supply Schedules to meet acquisition goals for Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. “My bill makes it clear that the Supply Schedules are subject to the special contracting tools given to VA,” said sponsor Bill Johnson. Text. http://1.usa.gov/GVHORF
H.R. 4051, The TAP Modernization Act of 2012: Under the bill, the Transition Assistance Program would be offered to service members and veterans at locations other than just military installations. “TAP is the key to a successful transition from military service to civilian life,” said sponsor Marlin Stutzman. “The skills learned through this program should be available to veterans — especially those in the National Guard and Reserve — as well as those who may not have had the opportunity to attend while on active duty.” Text. http://1.usa.gov/Hk6cbb
H.R. 4072, Consolidating Veteran Employment Services for Improved Performance Act of 2012: The bill would transfer Department of Labor veteran employment programs to the VA. “Veterans programs rightfully belong in the department dedicated solely to our veterans,” said sponsor Jeff Miller. Text. http://1.usa.gov/GVQ0Q6

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