Obama 'Skeptical' About More Troops in Afghanistan

There are plenty of reasons the president should be worried

(NEWSER) - Democrats, and many pundits, seem to believe that President Obama is rebounding, and will surely win re-election, but Jim Vandehei of Politico isn't buying it. Here's why he thinks the president should be sweating right now:

• The economy: The recent CBO report not only projected another trillion-dollar deficit, it predicted that unemployment will rise to 8.8% in the third quarter—something Obama's own advisers doubt he could recover from.

Medvedev also says he'll back out of the START treaty

(NEWSER) - Russia is once again making noise about NATO's plans to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Dmitry Medvedev warned that Russia would deploy new missiles and aim them at the shield installations today, in a harshly-worded statement that the AP sees as an attempt to rally domestic support ahead of Russia's upcoming elections. Medvedev also threatened to back out of the New START arms control treaty with the US if the sides couldn't reach a deal. More»

Democrats rejoice as president goes on the attack

(NEWSER) - On Labor Day, Carl Levin gave President Obama the text of a speech by Harry Truman—who won reelection despite a bad economy by attacking Republicans so viciously that he earned the nickname “Give ‘Em Hell Harry.” Ever since, Obama’s been giving Republicans hell, the Washington Post observes. With liberals furious over what they see as Obama’s constant capitulations, he’s now fighting with the gloves off for his jobs bill, on a barnstorming tour he intends to continue through December. More»

School renovations, unemployment benefit extension part of strategy

(NEWSER) - President Obama plans tomorrow to unveil a $300 billion jobs strategy that will involve tax relief for workers and spending on public works projects such as road repair and school renovations to put America back to work, according to sources familiar with the plan. Half of the stimulus will come from tax cuts, including a year-long extension of a Social Security payroll tax reduction for workers and a possible cut in payroll taxes paid by employers, according to Bloomberg . The plan also involves the extension of unemployment benefits, offering job training for the unemployed, and a program to prevent teacher layoffs, reports the Los Angeles Times. More»

Estimate acknowledges weakness in economy

(NEWSER) - If you’re waiting for the economy to get back to normal, the White House has a message for you: Don’t hold your breath. The White House budget office released its midyear economic forecast yesterday, and it wasn’t pretty, predicting that unemployment will remain at 9% next year, and won’t return to the more comfortable 5% range until 2017, the New York Times reports. More»