^ LOL!

Poll Shows Secretary Clinton Now More Popular Than President Obama
October 15, 2009

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/10/poll-shows-clinton-now-more-popular-than-president-obama.html

10/16/2009 1:21:54 PM

Quote :

"White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said the most critical issue facing U.S. strategy is whether the Afghans can be an effective partner in destroying Al Qaeda safe havens and bringing stability to the region. It would be irresponsible to send more troops to Afghanistan until a legitimate and credible government is in place, the White House and top Democrats said Sunday. . . . A troop surge remains a thorny issue in Congress, as lawmakers spar over the need for additional troops and U.S. casualties continue to mount. General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander on the ground, said in a report leaked to The Washington Post that thousands of additional troops were needed to achieve success -- while others, like Vice President Biden, have said the U.S. should shift its focus to Pakistan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, meanwhile, is undertaking the tricky task of convincing allies to remain committed to the war. Gates himself is undecided -- at least publicly -- on whether to order more forces to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan as McChrystal there has requested or to focus more narrowly on Al Qaeda terrorists believed to be hiding in Pakistan. Emanuel gave no timetable for a presidential decision in Afghanistan. He said the White House plans to have additional strategy sessions this week and next, extending a review process that began after McChrystal requested more troops. "

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/18/decision-send-troops-reckless-credible-afghan-government-place-white-house-says/


This is just stalling. President Obama made a big deal in the campaign about being able to multi-task when McCain suspended his campaign to "work on the economic crisis". It isn't as if he didn't know there was a war going on in Afghanistan. He's waiting for a politically desirable answer to materialize instead of making a decision.

10/18/2009 3:39:54 PM

Quote :

"President Obama recently shifted authority for approving sales to China of missile and space technology from the White House to the Commerce Department -- a move critics say will loosen export controls and potentially benefit Chinese missile development. The president issued a little-noticed "presidential determination" Sept. 29 that delegated authority for determining whether missile and space exports should be approved for China to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Commerce officials say the shift will not cause controls to be loosened in regards to the export of missile and space technology. Eugene Cottilli, a spokesman for Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, said under new policy the U.S. government will rigorously monitor all sensitive exports to China. "

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/15/inside-the-ring-2059116/


Not sure where this falls, worth noting.

10/18/2009 5:44:05 PM

Is Obama Tough Enough?
Neither foreign leaders nor U.S. lawmakers fear the vengeance of the president, critics say.
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009

Quote :

"'Obama has created an atmosphere of no fear,' says Douglas Brinkley, a history professor at Rice University and the author of several presidential biographies. 'Nobody is really worried about the revenge of Barack Obama, because he is not a vengeful man. That's what we love about him -- he is so high-minded, and a conciliatory guy, and he tries to govern with a sense of consensus -- all noble goals, but they don't get you very far in this Washington knifing environment.' 'He has been all carrots and no sticks so far,' observed a veteran Senate Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity. Obama's style 'has to be more Lyndon Johnson. Half, "I love you, but I'll stick this screwdriver right through your heart in a second if it is to my advantage." On the fear question, I don't think he or his team is feared.' Brinkley agrees: 'He needs to be more like LBJ or Theodore Roosevelt. He has to change his tactical framework, if his personality will allow it, to being a much more in-your-face, cutthroat, high-minded nationalist, pushing the country's agenda to the people.'"

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/cs_20091017_2537.php

10/18/2009 6:18:49 PM

haha
this just in: a few people criticize obama!!

10/18/2009 7:53:48 PM

jimmy carter part deux

10/18/2009 7:56:02 PM

^^^ I don't disagree with that. Obama has been mollycoddling the GOP obstructionists and it infuriates me.

All the talk of high-minded bipartisanship is meaningless if the opposing party A: has absolutely no intention of coming to terms and is instead simply intent on sabotaging your agenda and B: does not have the numbers to effectively pull off anything they're threatening.

It's time for it to stop, the GOP needs to be reminded of their minority position. Obama needs to remember that he is the President, not Olympia Snowe and start exercising his political will.

10/18/2009 11:18:58 PM

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/18/794745/-Breaking:-Obama-Admin.-Announces-New-Marijuana-Policy

Quote :

"Breaking: Obama Admin. Announces New Marijuana Policy This is coming off the AP right now and is really good news... WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday. All I can say is: it's about time! * Adam Buchen's diary :: :: * So as you probably know, a number of states have laws on the books allowing medical marijuana. However, the Federal DEA has ignored the state's wishes and there's been a general jurisdictional headache. Attorney General Holder announced earlier this year that states' laws should be respected on this. But there hasn't been any formal policy change... until now! Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws. ... A 3-page memo spelling out the policy is expected to be sent Monday to federal prosecutors in the 14 states, and also to top officials at the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The memo, the officials said, emphasizes that prosecutors have wide discretion in choosing which cases to pursue, and says it is not a good use of federal manpower to prosecute those who are without a doubt in compliance with state law. Yahoo! Finance More to come... "

10/18/2009 11:40:49 PM

the beauty of it all:

black people realize that one man is not going to change the world

democrats realize that one man cannot create socialism in 4 years, nor is making healthcare a federal govt right easy

republicans realize that they are not going away as a result of this administration, but that there is a lower class that will not let them fuck the lower class any longer

the federal reserve is going to keep us all from the edge of oblivion, and that is not obama or bush or anyone else's fault

god willing, we will pull out of this shit just as we have in many previous recessions, and zeus willing, obama will not be considered the fucking savior of mankind.

10/18/2009 11:55:22 PM

^^ that’s pretty great, I think, but where is that focus and resolve when it comes to the other issues?

10/19/2009 12:02:54 AM

Quote :

"democratsRepublicans hopefully realize that one man cannot create socialism in 4 years, because that is not anyone's goal."

TIFTFY

10/19/2009 12:54:03 AM

^^ The Federal Reserve will save us? You've got to be fucking kidding me.

10/19/2009 1:47:29 AM

Quote :

"haha this just in: a few people criticize obama!!"

pooljobs

If by "few" you actually mean many across the political spectrum, then yes.

Quote :

"All the talk of high-minded bipartisanship is meaningless if the opposing party A: has absolutely no intention of coming to terms and is instead simply intent on sabotaging your agenda and B: does not have the numbers to effectively pull off anything they're threatening. It's time for it to stop, the GOP needs to be reminded of their minority position. Obama needs to remember that he is the President, not Olympia Snowe and start exercising his political will."

timswar

Just wow. First, RINO Olympia Snowe is one person. If this is now the standard for so-called bipartisanship, then it has no meaning anymore.

Second, the following sentence in your second paragraph is ridiculous: "It's time for it to stop, the GOP needs to be reminded of their minority position." The Democrats control the House, the Senate, and the White House--why don't the Democrats simply move forward with their supposedly wildly popular agenda? The answer is that the Democrats are fighting among themselves--to not know this is ignorant and to not acknowledge it is disingenuous:

Discord among Dems 'par for the course,' experts say
October 13, 2009

Quote :

"(CNN) -- When President Obama took office, Democrats stood beside him in unity, but just as soon as Congress got to work, divisions in the party emerged. Now, nearly a year after the election, Democrats have little to show for this legislative session, despite holding a majority in both chambers of Congress. The Democratic leadership, most recently, has butted heads over health care, and, throughout Obama's term, the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats have had a hard time swallowing the massive increases in government spending."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/13/democrat.divisions/

Democrats' inaction--even though we control two of the three branches of government--is because we're thoughtful. Republicans are dummyheads. . .RAWR, RAWR!

10/19/2009 4:31:11 AM

Quote :

"The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday. All I can say is: it's about time!"

agreed, I wouldn't be counting my chickens before they hatch though. Some pretty powerful lobbies are aligned with the drug war and President Obama hasn't shown much evidence of a stiff spine in face of opposition yet.

Quote :

"It's time for it to stop, the GOP needs to be reminded of their minority position. Obama needs to remember that he is the President, not Olympia Snowe and start exercising his political will."

Welcome to a republic. Obstructionism is all what it is about and, quite frankly, is a good thing. Hyperactive legislative bodies have rarely been the route to peace and prosperity. But really, it wasn't the congressional Republicans that stalled health care, it was people angry enough to show up at town hall meetings and confront congressmen and women who had pretty much ignored them for the past 18 months.

Quote :

"black people realize that one man is not going to change the world"

It wasn't just black people with a messianic perception of Barack Obama and many of those who held it, still cling to it.

Quote :

"the federal reserve is going to keep us all from the edge of oblivion, and that is not obama or bush or anyone else's fault"

The Fed had a lot to do with pushing us to the edge.

10/19/2009 5:12:24 AM

Quote :

"The Democrats control the House, the Senate, and the White House--why don't the Democrats simply move forward with their supposedly wildly popular agenda? "

Funny thing about Democrats, they don't all agree on every issue and you'll find few who want to force their colleagues to agree with them.

Oh, and you probably ought to quit using the term RINO, it's petty and ridiculous.

10/19/2009 7:31:23 AM

RINO is a bit overplayed, but not as overplayed as attempting to pass off the incompetence of presidential and congressional leadership as some sort of nobility inherent in the Democratic party.


To be sure, I find their incompetence endearing so long as it prevents the passage of legislation.

10/19/2009 12:10:23 PM

Quote :

"Democrats' inaction--even though we control two of the three branches of government--is because we're thoughtful. Republicans are dummyheads. . .RAWR, RAWR! "

10/19/2009 1:05:51 PM

Yeah, the delays are because Dems are being "thoughtful." It's because they're actually sitting down and thinking about the opinions of the opposition. They're actually trying to reach across the aisle and bring their fellow legislators into the process of government, a process that the Dems could cut off from their colleagues.

The opposition party has, however, made few if any real attempts to work with the majority party. An olive branch was extended and seems to have been rejected. It's past time to put down the olive branch and turn away from the obstructionists.

Ultimately, this reflects poorly on Obama. As the ranking Democrat in government the buck stops with him as far as whipping the party in line and actually accomplishing the promised agenda. Reid and Durbin have shown themselves unwilling or unable to bring their fellows in line on recent issues, so the duty falls to the President himself.

As a sidenote, this is the first time in two years I've been ok with the job Pelosi is doing. I'm sure that it won't last, but it's a nice change of pace.

10/19/2009 1:50:28 PM

How exactly does a president "whip the party in line"?

Congressmen vote with either their constituents, their special interest backers, or their campaign promises.

10/19/2009 3:38:35 PM

Quote :

"The opposition party has, however, made few if any real attempts to work with the majority party."

Isn't that the job of an opposition party? To represent the desires of their constituents by objecting to those part's of the majority party's platform which they oppose? Wasn't that part of the problem with Iraq in 2002 and 2003? That the Democratic party didn't oppose President Bush.

Cooperation has no inherent virtue.

Quote :

"Yeah, the delays are because Dems are being "thoughtful." It's because they're actually sitting down and thinking about the opinions of the opposition."

Right, because Nancy Pelosi has been a paragon of articulate and intelligent thought. The house has had to keep their speaker from speaking in public for fear of what she might say. President Barack Obama has failed to take a stand on any difficult issue yet, except to say that he wants a health care bill.

10/19/2009 6:40:16 PM

I give Obama credit on the medical marijuana decision. He made the right call.



Look for the Green Cross. Accept no substitutes.

[Edited on October 19, 2009 at 8:31 PM. Reason : ]

10/19/2009 8:31:04 PM

White House Slams Financial Industry Execs, But Benefits From Their Donations
President Obama Walks a Line Between Raising Funds and Rebuking Execs
By JAKE TAPPER
Oct. 20, 2009

Quote :

"The president flew to New York today to shake the money tree -- including some fruit from Wall Street. The president was attending two fundraisers Tuesday evening for the Democratic National Committee, which were expected to raise around $3 million. Democrats say about a third of the attendees are from the financial sector -- the same sector top White House aides just took to the airwaves to chastise for setting aside tens of billions of dollars for bonuses. Goldman Sachs will award its executives $16.7 billion in bonuses; JP Morgan, $21.8 billion; Citi, $18.7 billion; and Bank of America, $24 billion. 'The American people have limited tolerance for this,' White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos.'"

http://tinyurl.com/yks3w8s

Fundraiser-in-Chief
By Max Fisher on October 20, 2009

Quote :

"On Tuesday, President Obama holds his 23rd fundraiser while in office--dramatically more than President Bush held during his first nine months in the White House."

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Fundraiser-in-Chief-1346

Just wow.

10/21/2009 4:49:53 AM

as much as I would like to at that, let's be honest: Obama is a damned good campaigner, so why not use that as an asset?

10/21/2009 4:16:09 PM

^ I didn't say he shouldn't--the hypocrisy is the point, dude. To the MSM and the moonbats here, ONLY evil Republicans can be greedy, ONLY evil Republicans can be in the pocket of the corporations. When the top Democrat, Obama, outpaces his predecessor by about four times as many fundraisers thus far, all it gets is a yawn.

Thus .

10/21/2009 4:23:24 PM

maybe, but I view a fundraiser as a little bit different than an "evil, greedy corporation." There's not much hypocrisy there

10/21/2009 4:24:34 PM

Not from me - I'm unhappy with his corporate connections.

10/21/2009 4:24:37 PM

^^ Um. . .then you need to check you definition of "hypocrisy." And did you happen to catch this part?

Quote :

"Democrats say about a third of the attendees are from the financial sector -- the same sector top White House aides just took to the airwaves to chastise for setting aside tens of billions of dollars for bonuses. Goldman Sachs will award its executives $16.7 billion in bonuses; JP Morgan, $21.8 billion; Citi, $18.7 billion; and Bank of America, $24 billion."

What about a conflict of interest?

10/21/2009 4:39:53 PM

Wait a minute.
Obama actually took his complaints in front of the people those complaints are about? He actually dared to challenge his own supporters for the way they've behaved instead of simply nodding his head and smiling.

He, after a fashion, took his own supporters to task and they still donated money?

And you have a problem with this?

Quote :

"When the top Democrat, Obama, outpaces his predecessor by about four times as many fundraisers thus far, all it gets is a yawn"

Well, you do have to temper that with remembering how much time Bush took for vacation in his first nine months. Hell, he took THE ENTIRE MONTH OF AUGUST in 2001.

Hard to go out and campaign when you're on vacation the whole time. 250 days in his first 2.5 years.

[Edited on October 21, 2009 at 4:53 PM. Reason : .]

10/21/2009 4:48:09 PM

^Yes, now you have it.

The American people have limited tolerance for this ['excess'].

Now, give me your money--so Democrats can get elected!

Quote :

"Democrats say about a third of the attendees are from the financial sector -- the same sector top White House aides just took to the airwaves to chastise for setting aside tens of billions of dollars for bonuses. Goldman Sachs will award its executives $16.7 billion in bonuses; JP Morgan, $21.8 billion; Citi, $18.7 billion; and Bank of America, $24 billion."

[Edited on October 21, 2009 at 4:53 PM. Reason : Which part don't you understand?]

10/21/2009 4:51:55 PM

Ah, I see, you're just whining that he's doing something with his time instead of going on vacation.

[Edited on October 21, 2009 at 5:01 PM. Reason : I'm learning how to strawman like Hooksaw!!! Crap I should stop posting before I become a troll]

10/21/2009 4:54:48 PM

^Yes, you've got it.

Quote :

"To the MSM and the moonbats here, ONLY evil Republicans can be greedy, ONLY evil Republicans can be in the pocket of the corporations."

This is textbook hooksaw right here. He fabricates strawmen that have some ridiculous view and then mocks them with rolly eyes and gets all cocky about it.

This isn't about Obama's credibility to him. This is about trolling people and making himself feel better through imaginary victories.

Now cut to him telling me to get back on topic or piss off, which is his stand-by defense.

[Edited on October 21, 2009 at 5:12 PM. Reason : .]

10/21/2009 5:07:18 PM

^ Not even close.

Obama strategy: Marginalize most powerful critics
10/21/09

Quote :

"President Obama is working systematically to marginalize the most powerful forces behind the Republican Party, setting loose top White House officials to undermine conservatives in the media, business and lobbying worlds. With a series of private meetings and public taunts, the White House has targeted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the biggest-spending pro-business lobbying group in the country; Rush Limbaugh, the country's most-listened-to conservative commentator; and now, with a new volley of combative rhetoric in recent days, the insurance industry, Wall Street executives and Fox News. Obama aides are using their powerful White House platform, combined with techniques honed in the 2008 campaign, to cast some of the most powerful adversaries as out of the mainstream and their criticism as unworthy of serious discussion."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28532.html

Absolutely fucking Nixonian.

10/22/2009 12:49:32 PM

^ so you, and the right, seem to be saying that Limbaugh, Beck, and Hannity represent the most powerful critics the right has? hahaha that is so sad.

10/22/2009 1:52:51 PM

White House Secret Media Meeting 5x Longer than McChrystal's
October 22nd, 2009

Quote :

"NEW YORK: Fox News reported Oct 21 on The O'Reilly Factor that on Monday Oct 19 Obama spent 2-1/2 hours in a secret meeting with David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel, Robert Gibbs, 3 columnists from the New York Times, 2 commentators from MSNBC, 'as well as a variety of other committed left wingers.' Presumably they were working on White House media strategy. On October 2nd The New York Times reported that Obama spared a whole 25 minutes to speak to his Afghan field commander General Stanley A. McChrystal. This only after SisterToldJah.com, Michelle Malkin, and the rest of the media reported September 28th that Obama had met with the general only once in 70 days. At the time of this post only truthfreedomprosperity.com seems to notice. When the NIP heard this report we wondered how it is that the President could spend 5 times more time planning his media strategy than planning his strategy in Afghanistan. We wonder how this looks to world leaders, not to mention our military."

http://prevarication.net/2009/10/22/white-house-secret-media-meeting-5x-longer-than-mcchrystals/

Just wow.

10/22/2009 2:19:26 PM

It wasn't a secret meeting, if it was secret nobody would know about it.

It was an off-the-record meeting, of the same variety that Obama had with conservative reporters before the inauguration and of the same variety that the bush administration had with Beck and Hannity.

In other words, this is a non-story hyped up by Fox News because, for once in the last decade, they weren't on the invite list.

10/22/2009 3:14:41 PM

^ are you suggesting that Fox News may not be honestly reporting an issue? ANd hooksaw might not be intelligent enough to realize this? Because that's preposterous!

10/22/2009 3:33:23 PM

No, I don't believe I was suggesting that at all.

10/22/2009 3:41:12 PM

wow, no replies in 3 days, he must be doing an EXCELLENT job!

10/25/2009 2:30:26 PM

White House Clears Habitat Protections for Polar Bear

Quote :

"The White House yesterday completed its review of proposed habitat protections for the polar bear, clearing the Interior Department to introduce the regulations. The White House Office of Management and Budget determined the rule was not economically significant or a "major rule," putting it on a potentially faster track for completion. OMB sent the rule back to the Interior Department yesterday, two weeks after receiving the proposal -- a relatively quick turnaround for the agency. But once proposed, the habitat protections could add another layer in what has become a complicated process for protecting the bear, fraught with concerns and legal complaints from environmentalists and industry groups. The George W. Bush administration listed the polar bear as a threatened species last year because of its melting ice habitat. The decision -- itself the result of a lawsuit -- brought on a bevy of other legal complaints from environmentalists, hunting groups, industry groups and the state of Alaska. A partial legal settlement over one of those lawsuits led Interior to agree to propose critical habitat for the bear. The agency is on a legal deadline to finalize the habitat protections by June 2010. Critical habitat designations prohibit federal agencies from permitting actions that harm protected species within those areas. The habitat protections could create more controversy over how federal officials should deal with climate change that is changing the bear's current habitat and what level of protections the bears need from oil and gas drilling in the Arctic. Environmental groups want the habitat protections to address oil and gas development and protect not only land where the polar bear currently dwells but also the habitat it has lost from global warming. An exception included in the polar bear's listing rule allows oil and gas companies to operate in the bear's habitat, one of the issues environmentalists challenged in a lawsuit against the administration. In the final months of the Bush administration, the Interior Department launched a controversial plan to ramp up offshore drilling in Alaska, as well as the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The Obama administration is moving forward with that plan. The department closed a public comment period last month but has not set a timetable for a final decision."

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/10/21/21greenwire-white-house-clears-habitat-protections-for-pol-71140.html?scp=7&sq=polar%20bears&st=cse

+1 for President Obama

10/25/2009 5:16:18 PM

So, both Karzai and Abdulla support a troop increase in Afghanistan.

Whether or not the President wants to do that is up to him, but he needs to quit hiding behind the elections. He's stalling and it is hard to be a transformative leader if you shrink from every tough decision.

10/26/2009 5:20:22 AM

do you honestly believe he and his advisers aren't weighing every option on the table daily?

what do you think he's "stalling" for? you think he enjoys being criticized daily by loony pundits and message board posters? you think nothing is going on behind the scenes that these tv and interweb scholars don't know about?

shit man, didn't the pentagon just complete some war games assessing the viability of a troop surge in Afghanistan?

Yeah, he's "stalling." right

10/26/2009 7:07:19 PM

I can't wait for my children to be born and get in on this in 17 years.

(As long as there're a few towelheads left for them to prove their manhood on. May have to move on to asians by then.)


[Edited on October 26, 2009 at 7:11 PM. Reason : .]

10/26/2009 7:09:01 PM

Quote :

"what do you think he's "stalling" for? you think he enjoys being criticized daily by loony pundits and message board posters?"

No. I do think he is afraid of making the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and be known as the President who 'lost Afghanistan' (right or wrong). The problem is, he is equally afraid of committing more troops to a war unpopular with his base, which is about the only group he has support from right now.

President Obama has a track record of dodging firm stances on anything. He told congress to give him a health care bill, but has demonstrated rather little leadership on what is supposed to be a cornerstone of his administration. So far his game plan has been:

1) Have Congress craft a bill
2) Go on a round of pep talks
3) Give Congress a pep talk
4) Back on the pep talk circuit while congress dukes it out.


This is the same man who said he represents, "a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."

Quote :

"didn't the pentagon just complete some war games assessing the viability of a troop surge in Afghanistan?"

Again, both Afghan Presidential candidates want more troops, the military leadership from the SECDEF down to the President's hand picked commander want more troops. Either way, Afghanistan didn't just sneak up on this administration, the situation is not significantly different from November 2008. This is a decision 11 months in the making..

Quit stalling.

10/26/2009 8:11:22 PM

For First Time Under Obama, Majority Says U.S. Is on Wrong Track
Posted: 10/27/09

Quote :

"Fifty-two percent say the country is on the wrong track compared to 36 percent who say it is headed in the right direction with 9 percent saying conditions are mixed and 3 percent undecided. While there have been pluralities saying the U.S. is on the wrong track in four of the previous five WSJ/NBC polls during Obama's presidency, this is the first time the number broke 50 percent. The one month where that was not true was April when 43 percent said things were on the right track and an equal number said they were going in the opposite direction."

Quote :

"But the approval ratio for his handling of the economy has dipped from 51 in September to 47 percent in October. Forty-nine percent are very dissatisfied with the state of the economy and another 31 percent are somewhat dissatisfied. Seventeen percent are somewhat satisfied and only 2 percent are very satisfied."

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/27/for-first-time-under-obama-majority-says-u-s-is-on-wrong-track/

[Edited on October 30, 2009 at 1:32 AM. Reason : ^ BTW, That's correct. I try not to agree with you--people won't like you if I do. ]

10/30/2009 1:29:34 AM

White House announces end to HIV travel ban
Updated 12:30 p.m.

Quote :

"President Obama called the 22-year ban on travel and immigration by HIV-positive individuals a decision "rooted in fear rather than fact" and announced the end of the rule-making process lifting the ban. The president signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 at the White House Friday and also spoke of the new rules, which have been under development more more than a year. "We are finishing the job," the president said. The regulations are the final procedural step in ending the ban, and will be published Monday in the Federal Register, to be followed by the standard 60-day waiting period prior to implementation. A ban on travel and immigration to the U.S. by individuals with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was first established by the Reagan-era U.S. Public Health Service and then given further support when Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) added HIV to the travel-exclusion list in a move that was ultimately passed unanimously by the Senate in 1987. A 1990-1991 effort to overturn the regulatory ban failed in the face of outcry and lobbying from conservative groups and bureaucratic turf disputes. The ban was upheld in 1993 when Congress added it to U.S. immigration laws. The Senate finally voted to overturn the ban as part of approving legislation reauthorizing funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, in 2008, and President Bush signed it into law on July 30 of that year. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and then-Sen. Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.) led the process in the Senate. "This really proves that immigration laws that exclude families and stigmatize individuals are destined to fail," said Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, a group that has mobilized more than 20,000 comments in support of ending the ban. "The climate has really changed," she said, attributing the end of the ban to a diminishment in "misinformation about HIV and AIDS." The lifting of the ban removes one of the last vestiges of early U.S. AIDS policy. "We're thrilled that the ban has been lifted based on science, reason, and human rights. Our hope is that this decision reflects a commitment to adopting more evidence-based policies when confronting the AIDS epidemic and developing a comprehensive national AIDS strategy," said Kevin Robert Frost, CEO of amFAR, an AIDS research foundation. Until today's announcement, the U.S. was one of only 7 countries with laws that bar entry of people with HIV, the group noted."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/10/30/obama_to_announce_end_to_hiv_t.html?wprss=44

10/30/2009 2:05:36 PM

$160,000 Per Stimulus Job? White House Calls That 'Calculator Abuse'
October 30, 2009

Quote :

"Posting its results late this afternoon at Recovery.gov, the White House claimed 640,329 jobs have been created or saved because of the $159 billion in stimulus funds allocated as of Sept. 30. Officials acknowledged the numbers were not exact, saying that states and localities that reported the numbers have made mistakes. In recent days, the Recovery Act board has been reviewing all the numbers, with many inaccurate ones having been posted. California's San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission received $5 million in stimulus funds to hire workers to build addition train track for the Union Pacific Railroad in an economically tarnished spot of the Golden State. Brian Schmidt, director of planning and programming for the commission said that his staff originally reported to the Obama administration that the stimulus money saved 250 jobs. Then, realizing they had mistakenly double credited, they later changed that to 125 jobs. Tuesday, they updated it again to 74 jobs."

Quote :

"White House officials heralded the unparalleled transparency in reporting job numbers to the public, but acknowledged there is no consistent standard across states or localities, or among federal agencies giving out stimulus funds, in differentiating between a 'saved' job and a 'created' job."

Quote :

"So let's see. Assuming their number is right -- 160 billion divided by 1 million. Does that mean the stimulus costs taxpayers $160,000 per job? Jared Bernstein, chief economist and senior economic advisor to the vice president, called that 'calculator abuse.' He said the cost per job was actually $92,000 -- but acknowledged that estimate is for the whole stimulus package as of the end of 2010."

Quote :

"Of the 640,329 jobs cited today, White House officials said 80,000 were in the construction sector and more than half -- 325,000 -- were education jobs, despite President Obama's claim in January that 90 percent of the stimulus jobs would be in the private sector. Bernstein said Mr. Obama's pledge was an assessment of the totality of the jobs saved or created by the end of 2010."

http://tinyurl.com/ygdlvb7

10/30/2009 7:45:30 PM

so wait, he just today met with the Joint Chiefs for the first time about the Afghanistan issue?

10/30/2009 8:19:23 PM

^ I think the bolded introductory element answers that question.

Quote :

"For the first time since President Barack Obama kicked off a formal review of his Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy in late September, he met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday to help determine the way forward."

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/military/july-dec09/generals_10-30.html

10/30/2009 8:36:03 PM

Quote :

"+1 for President Obama"

Yes. +1 for continuing to label a species with well over 200000 members and rising "endangered" and acting like it actually is.

10/31/2009 4:58:39 PM

^wiki says their population is a tenth of that.

10/31/2009 5:24:17 PM