Next 100 Days Promise Real Test

Israeli PM confronts fallout from deadly raid

(NEWSER) - Benjamin Netanyahu has cut short a visit to Canada and canceled a planned meeting with President Obama to return to Israel in the wake of this morning's deadly raid on aid-laden ships bound for Gaza . The Israeli PM "realized that he had to be there in order to manage the fallout," a source tells the Washington Post of the commando action, which has drawn international condemnation. More»

American protectionism worries our northern neighbor

(NEWSER) - Canada’s biggest problem now also happens to be its best friend: America. PM Stephen Harper once worried that Canada’s “special relationship” with the US had been lost under George W. Bush—and it hasn’t improved a bit under Obama, writes Luiza Ch. Savage in Macleans. Not only has Obama kept Bush’s tighter border-security measures, he’s sent spy drones to watch the border, giving it “something in common with the tribal lands between Afghanistan and Pakistan.” More»

Opponents' ability to criticize with impunity hinders the president's effectiveness

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has been praised for bringing a more conciliatory tone to the presidency after the with-us-or-against-us swagger of George W. Bush. But Obama’s preference for gentle negotiation and compromise leaves him less able to use an effective presidential tool: fear, writes Ben Smith for Politico. Obama has failed to make the impression, among conservative Democrats and Republicans alike, that openly criticizing him will have any long-term consequences. More»

(NEWSER) - One of Barack Obama's top advisers during the campaign tells Politico he's "losing patience" with the White House and wants more "bold" leadership from the president on a host of issues including health care and gay rights. “I’m not going to just sit by the curb and let these folks get away with a lack of performance for the American people,” says Steve Hildebrand, the campaign's deputy manager who helped engineer key wins in Iowa and South Carolina. More»

President expresses support for public option in speech to AFL-CIO

(NEWSER) - President Obama honored the achievements of organized labor today, pointing out that iniatives like the minimum wage and paid vacation “bear the union label,” the AP reports. Speaking at an AFL-CIO meeting in Cincinnati, Obama asked for union support in his push to reform the health care system, and he pledged to make progress on a bill that would make it easier for workers to join unions. More»