Obama 2008

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March 2009
- Vatican Condemns Obama Stem-Cell Decision
  
  Associated Press | Mar 10, 09 3:18 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Vatican is in a tizzy over President Obama’s decision to lift the federal ban on embryonic stem-cell research, the AP reports. A top official called it a “victory of politics over ethics” and said that “probably some drug companies, or some economic interests” influenced the move. Both the Vatican’s newspaper and the US Bishops Conference have criticized yesterday's decision. More »
- Obama Quashes Bush Signing Statements
  
  Politico | Mar 9, 09 3:41 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama today told government agencies to ignore George W. Bush’s signing statements, but has not sworn off the practice for his own administration, Politico reports. The statements, written when the president OKs a bill but disagrees with certain provisions, are often followed as if they were law. Spokesman Robert Gibbs said Bush’s resulted in “people disregarding portions of legislation or the intent of Congress.” More »
- Hey, Obama: Centrist Opposition Is Stirring
  
  Weekly Standard | Mar 7, 09 4:56 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Be careful, President Obama. Your poll numbers are high, but political danger lurks, writes Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard . The moderate candidate has shifted left as president, just as Bill Clinton did to his own detriment, and an "embryonic" centrist-right opposition is stirring. “Obama may be fostering a stronger and more united gathering of opponents than he and his strategists imagine," writes Barnes. More »
- We May Need a Bigger Stimulus, Say Analysts
  
  Washington Post | Mar 7, 09 12:35 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The lousy unemployment numbers released this week—and they're bound to get worse before they get better—cast the effectiveness of the Obama administration’s fiscal plans into doubt, analysts say. The stimulus package intended to “save or create” 3.5 million jobs now has to keep up with 4.4 million jobs lost since the recession began. “I hate to break it to you,” one economist tells the Washington Post . “It’s not going to be enough.” More »
- Decisions Make Obama 'Abortion President': Rep
  
  Fox News | Mar 7, 09 10:50 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A Republican congressman who fiercely opposes abortion and embryonic stem-cell research has called Barack Obama the “abortion president” for decisions affecting both issues, Fox News reports. Obama will lift the federal ban on new stem-cell research along with a Bush edict allowing caregivers to refuse abortion on moral grounds. “Why does the president persist in the dehumanizing of nascent human life?” said Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey. More »
- Obama to End Stem-Cell Ban Monday
  
  Time | Mar 6, 09 4:54 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - President Obama will overturn the Bush administration’s ban on federal funding for stem-cell research Monday, Time reports. The move fulfills a campaign promise and Obama’s pledge to bring science back to the fore in America, and will precede legislation expected later this year preventing future presidents from banning the research. Once announced, the end to the ban will be effective immediately. More »
- NEWSWEEK Poll: Obama's Approval Ratings Are High | Newsweek Politics
  
  Newsweek | Mar 6, 09
  
  Amid all the gloom, Obama gets high marks in the latest NEWSWEEK poll, with the GOP in the doghouse.
- Woes Won't Sour Obama Numbers ... Yet
  
  FiveThirtyEight | Mar 5, 09 3:05 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - If Barack Obama is lucky, and the predictions of most economists indicate he will be, the US economy will emerge from recession long before the populace expects it to, Nate Silver writes on FiveThirtyEight. And “it will be quite some time yet before the public pins most of the blame for the economy on Obama,” Silver writes. More »
- White House Starts Mortgage Rescue Plan
  
  Wall Street Journal | Mar 4, 09 2:21 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The White House today kicked off its $75 billion plan to curb mortgage foreclosures, the Wall Street Journal reports. The federal dollars will both push lenders to lower monthly payments and help homeowners keep paying. “Today, we are providing servicers with the details they need to begin helping eligible borrowers,” Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said. Here are the details: More »
- Obama Trade Nominee Has Tax Snafu, Amends Returns
  
  Reuters | Mar 2, 09 3:44 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Ron Kirk, President Obama’s nominee for US trade representative, has some tax problems of his own, Reuters reports today, with the Senate Finance Committee estimating a liability of about $10,000; Kirk has already moved to correct the errors. The majority stem from speaking funds he passed directly to his alma mater, Politico adds. Kirk made the mistake of not paying taxes on the income or declaring the gifts charitable donations. More »
February 2009
- Lefty Lobbyists Ready for Battle
  
  New York Times | Feb 28, 09 4:09 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Toughened by years in the political wilderness, liberal lobbyists are organized and ready to support President Obama on issues ranging from health care to taxing the rich, the New York Times reports. “This is no longer going to be Barack Obama standing by himself getting pilloried by the special interests with no one pushing back—if I can describe what it felt like in the White House in 1993,” said John D. Podesta, whose Center for American Progress is on the front lines. More »
- Before Obama Visited Canada, Russian Bomber Did
  
  National Post (Canada) | Feb 27, 09 2:42 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - On the day before President Obama’s recent visit to Canada, that nation’s warplanes turned back a Russian bomber, the National Post reports. The plane did not enter Canadian airspace, but the incident still alarmed officials, who have striven to enforce sovereignty. “When we see a Russian bear approaching Canadian air space, we meet them with an F-18,” said Defense Minister Peter MacKay. More »
- US Will Charge 'Combatant' in Military Custody
  
  ABC News | Feb 26, 09 4:48 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Ali al Marri, the only alleged enemy combatant held on US soil, will be charged by the Justice Department, possibly for supplying material support to terrorism, ABC News reports. The move to a civilian criminal trial is an about-face from the policies of the Bush administration, which had insisted on a military tribunal. Al Marri was arrested shortly after the 9/11 attacks on suspicion of aiding al-Qaeda and has been in military custody ever since. More »
- Pentagon Lifts Coffin Media Ban
  
  CNN | Feb 26, 09 1:39 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Pentagon has lifted the media ban at Dover (Del.) Air Force Base and will allow photos of the coffins of US war casualties returning from overseas—provided the service members' families approve. Under the new rules, the families can withhold permission, CNN reports. Some relatives had lobbied against the ban; others say they prefer the ceremony be private. More »
- And the Winner Is ... Portuguese Water Dog
  
  People | Feb 25, 09 10:20 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - After a wait that felt almost as long as the presidential campaign, the Obamas have decided to adopt a Portuguese water dog, People reports. Her daughters can hardly wait, Michelle Obama said. “So Sasha says, 'April 1st.' I said, 'April.' She says, 'April 1st.' It's, like, April!" the first lady said. “You can't get a new dog and then go away for a week.” More »
- Obama to Withdraw Troops From Iraq in 19 Months
  
  Associated Press | Feb 24, 09 4:19 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - President Obama plans to withdraw most US troops from Iraq by August 2010, the AP reports. Insiders say a training force of 30,000 to 50,000 will remain but will be largely evacuated by December 2011, when the security pact between the US and Iraq expires. The US has about 142,000 troops in Iraq now, and Obama the candidate pledged to bring them home in 16 months. He'll miss that deadline by 3 months. More »
- What Should I Say Tonight? 5 Sure Bets
  
  Time | Feb 24, 09 3:07 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - President Obama has had to change his tune a few times since he took office, but the content of his speech to Congress tonight will be no surprise, Michael Scherer writes in Time . Talking points have been consistent for long enough to predict 5 key features: I'm not Bush: In case Congress didn't notice, Obama will emphasize particularly his break from the former president's "deception" as regards the budget—and the helicopters. More »
- Obama Blasts 'Casual Dishonesty' of Bush Budgets
  
  Politico | Feb 23, 09 3:58 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - At a White House “fiscal responsibility summit” today, President Obama opened fire on what he called the Bush administration’s “casual dishonesty” about the federal budget, Politico reports. “Contrary to the prevailing wisdom in Washington these past few years,” Obama said, “we cannot simply spend as we please and defer the consequences to the next budget, the next administration and the next generation.” More »
- Obama's Approval Dips to 63%
  
  Chicago Tribune | Feb 23, 09 12:55 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - President Obama’s approval rating has slipped from 68% just after inauguration to 63% one month in, the Chicago Tribune reports today—just above average for the past few presidents at this stage. Though the modest slip is likely due to a hardening of Republican opposition, any "increased public disapproval is mainly offset by a decrease in the percentage of Americans saying they have no opinion,” Gallup said. More »
- Gibbs Has the Ear of Obama
  
  Time | Feb 22, 09 12:33 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Press Secretary Robert Gibbs may be best known these days for deflecting harsh questions in the briefing room, but his advisory role in the administration goes much deeper than that, writes Michael Scherer in Time . “There isn't a single decision that the president has formed in the course of his campaign or the presidency that Robert didn't weigh in on,” said Valerie Jarrett. And when Gibbs talks, to staff or press, they know they’re hearing from Obama. More »