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Chafee: Iraq, high court made me back Senate gym pal Obama

WPRI.COM

Ted Nesi

Updated: Feb 22, 2012 4:46 PM

By Ted Nesi

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Governor Chafee says it was an easy call for him to sign on as co-chair of President Obama’s re-election campaign, particularly in light of the president’s foreign policy and his appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We go way back,” Chafee told WPRI.com on Wednesday.

The pair served in the U.S. Senate together in 2005 and 2006 and often saw each other at the private gym for senators on Capitol Hill. ”We had similar workout hours,” Chafee said. “Often it was just us, on the treadmills, stretching.” They were on the Senate Environment and Public Works and Foreign Relations committees, as well.

“He’s been kind to me since,” Chafee continued. The then-governor-elect and his wife, Stephanie, sat at the president’s table in December 2010 when they attended a meeting of incoming governors at the White House.

“And of course, he helped me in the campaign by not endorsing,” Chafee added, referring to Obama’s decision not to back Democrat Frank Caprio in their 2010 gubernatorial contest. “So this is natural.”

Obama’s campaign asked Chafee to serve as a co-chair about a month ago and he agreed but warned them his “help might be limited” because of Rhode Island’s myriad problems. “Certainly, my priority is here in Rhode Island,” the governor said. “Something’s always happening here.”

Substantively, Chafee singled out his belief that Obama and not a Republican should make future appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying the two justices picked by President Bush – John Roberts and Samuel Alito – “have really changed America” with decisions such as the Citizens United campaign finance ruling.

“It’s important, protecting some of these decisions,” Chafee said. “It’s critical.”

Last year, Chafee told WPRI.com he was hesitant to endorse Obama again because of the president’s handling of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. But on Wednesday Chafee said he was pleased Obama had withdrawn U.S. troops from Iraq, noting that he was the only Republican senator who voted against the war in 2002.

“I applaud that move,” Chafee said. “There are always areas where we’re going to disagree, but it’s a huge change from the previous administration – such an arrogant approach to the world.”

Asked whether he thinks Obama will win in November, Chafee said simply: ”Yes, I do.”

Ted Nesi ( tnesi@wpri.com ) covers politics and the economy for WPRI.com and writes the Nesi’s Notes blog. Follow him on Twitter: @tednesi

• Related: Chafee is national co-chair of Obama’s re-election campaign (Feb. 22)

(photo: Charles Dharapak/AP)

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