8th-Grader's Letter Inspired Obama Speech

Team searches for ways to bolster economy

(NEWSER) - With economic recovery looking sluggish at best , President Obama is considering a national infrastructure program, alongside a wave of tax cuts for businesses and individuals. Up for discussion are additional tax cuts for small businesses, a possible payroll tax cut for businesses and individuals, and other tax breaks aimed at encouraging businesses to hire, sources tell the Wall Street Journal . More»

They reject his 'legitimacy as president'

(NEWSER) - Jimmy Carter was right when he said racism fuels some of President Obama's critics, Eugene Robinson writes for the Washington Post. Carter may have overstated it—plenty of naysayers have legit policy concerns over issues such as health reform—but "the most vitriolic attacks" reject Obama's "legitimacy as president," Robinson writes. "I can't find any explanation for it other than race." More»

Vitriol surrounding health care debate sure to continue

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s speech last night will probably prod Congress into passing health care reform, writes Joe Klein in Time. “But it will not end the public malignancy that has attended this debate, and threatens the democratic fabric of our nation.” Klein attended an Arkansas town hall recently and was shocked by the vitriol. He’s afraid that poison will spread from fans of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh to the public at large. More»

(NEWSER) - The eagerly anticipated speech President Obama will deliver to the nation's schoolchildren tomorrow contains none of the socialist indoctrination conservatives had apparently feared, Politico reports. Rather, an advance text indicates, he urges kids to work hard, not expect to get something for nothing, and "wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well" to fight the spread of swine flu. More»

Teachers won't ask kids to say 'how they can help the president'

(NEWSER) - In response to criticism over a speech President Obama plans to deliver to schoolchildren Tuesday, the White House will make the text of the speech available for review by teachers and school officials a day earlier, the Dallas Morning News reports. The administration also changed a widely criticized part of the proposed lesson plan designed to accompany the speech: it originally suggested pre-K through sixth-grade students make lists of “how they can help the president.” More»