Cheney Group Raises Cash to Save US From Obama

President announces increased military presence in Australia

(NEWSER) - The US and Australia announced a new security agreement today, seen by many as a response to China’s growing power, but President Obama insisted that “the notion that we fear China is mistaken.” Under the agreement, the US military presence will be expanded, with about 250 Marines heading to Australia next year. Ultimately 2,500 US military personnel will be based there, and the US will have increased equipment and access to Australian bases. But officials are calling it a “sustained” military presence, not a permanent one, the AP notes. More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s campaign has set up a new take on its old “Fight the Smears” concept… only this time it’s a lot less friendly looking. Gone is the white-and-blue motif, replaced with an ominous red-and-black site called " Attack Watch "—and conservatives appear to find it hilarious. Seemingly every tweet using the suggested #attackwatch tag has been a conservative either mocking the site, or decrying it as a scary Big Brother exercise, the Wall Street Journal reports, offering examples:

• “@thorninaz I saw someone purposely squeeze the Charmin in the grocery store”
• “@Drill_Thrawl Hey Kids, are mommy and daddy talking bad about Obama? Be sure to report them at #attackwatch #1984"
• “@JLMandl I’m still using REAL LIGHT BULBS. Come get me!”

Africa advocates say White House overlooks troubled continent

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama's trip to southern Africa this week is giving new life to criticism that the Obama administration is overlooking the troubled continent, reports the Washington Post . The president has been to sub-Saharan Africa only once since taking office— a 24-hour trip to Ghana in 2009 —and critics say the region has been largely ignored. The American government is “not seeing Africa as a big priority," said a spokesman for TransAfrica Forum. "There has been some ambivalence.” More»

Admin Says It's Open to Further Talks

(NEWSER) - There was a time when the White House and Sen. Lindsey Graham seemed close to striking a bipartisan deal on closing Guantanamo Bay and other national security issues, but in May those talks “went completely dead,” Graham tells Politico . “They could never quite pull the trigger,” he adds, suggesting that the administration was unwilling to take on such a heavy issue in an election year. More»

The former rivals are easing into their new alliance

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have put the bitter presidential campaign behind them to form a solid partnership. They support each other, meet regularly and even joke about their status as 'frenemies.' “We’ve developed, I think, a very good rapport, Clinton said recently. “I see the president when I need to see him; I talk to the president when I need to talk to him,” she tells the New York Ti mes. More»