Barack Obama: Latest News on the Former President - Page 171

Forget That Stimulus Bill:
5 Things Obama Should Fix

OPINION

Dec 10, 2008 5:53 PM CST

Forget That Stimulus Bill: 5 Things Obama Should Fix

Obama shouldn't rely on a stimulus package for a cure-all

(Newser) - Barack Obama and his team are devoting much effort to a proposed stimulus package for 2009, but that is simply a superficial fix, writes James K. Galbraith in Mother Jones. “The effect ends when the stimulus does, when the sugar shock wears off,” says Galbraith, who suggests five...

Obama Energy
Pick a Nobel
Physicist

Dec 10, 2008 5:15 PM CST

Obama Energy Pick a Nobel Physicist

Chu was an early advocate for climate change solutions

(Newser) - Nobel laureate Steven Chu is Barack Obama's nominee for energy secretary, the Wall Street Journal reports. The acclaimed physicist, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, was an early advocate for finding scientific solutions to climate change, and his lab is doing groundbreaking work in developing carbon-neutral sources of energy,...

Obama
to Blago:
Resign
Already

Dec 10, 2008 12:11 PM CST

Obama to Blago: Resign Already

NOTE: Headline is intentional callback to the Tribune editorial earlier

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama is calling for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign. An Obama spokesman says the president-elect agrees with other prominent politicians that "under the current circumstances, it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois."

Blago Dialogue
Worthy of Mamet

OPINION

Dec 10, 2008 11:42 AM CST

Blago Dialogue Worthy of Mamet

(Newser) - An astute reader of the criminal complaint against Rod Blagojevich will notice that, with shockingly little tweaking, the wiretapped conversations between the Illinois governor and his co-conspirators could be dialogue from a David Mamet play. Choire Sicha demonstrates in Salon, turning it into a quick one-acter. From the trash-talking femme...

Complaint Shows Blago's
Wife Plotted With Him

Dec 10, 2008 11:15 AM CST

Complaint Shows Blago's Wife Plotted With Him

(Newser) - Rod Blagojevich's wife was deeply involved in his alleged scheming, the Chicago Tribune reports, based on details in the federal complaint against the Illinois governor. Though Patricia Blagojevich has not been charged with a crime, she was a vocal party to wiretapped conversations. In one recording, she can be heard...

Blago Scandal Will Test
Obama's Cred

ANALYSIS

Dec 10, 2008 9:50 AM CST

Blago Scandal Will Test Obama's Cred

How fast, and how bluntly, will he move to censure corrupt pols?

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s first test was supposed to come from somewhere like Iran. Instead, write Charles Mahtesian and Jonathan Martin at Politico, it sneaked up from his home turf in the form of Rod Blagojevich—not to mention blossoming charges against Rep. Charlie Rangel. If Obama wants his change message...

Tuskegee Airmen
to Attend Inaugural

Dec 10, 2008 6:22 AM CST

Tuskegee Airmen to Attend Inaugural

Invitation recognizes their contribution to historic event

(Newser) - The Tuskegee Airmen of WWII have been invited to the inauguration of the nation's first black president, the New York Times reports. Barack Obama has acknowledged his debt to the elite all-black force, whose heroes fought for a country that discriminated against them. Now in their 80s and 90s, it's...

Obama's 'Pull'
on Ethics Bill
Helped Spark
Gov. Case

ANALYSIS

Dec 10, 2008 1:59 AM CST

Obama's 'Pull' on Ethics Bill Helped Spark Gov. Case

But past ties also reveal Obama's ascendency through machine politics

(Newser) - Barack Obama isn't as distant from the scandal surrounding the indicted governor of Illinois as he has let on. The president-elect used his pull in the Illinois senate to get an ethics bill passed that contributed to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's indictment on corruption charges, reports the New York Times. While...

Obama: No Dealings With Blago

Dec 9, 2008 3:47 PM CST

Obama: No Dealings With Blago

Illinois governor now out on bond as deputy calls for resignation

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama today denied having any dealings with Rod Blagojevich over his Senate replacement, and said news of the Illinois governor’s alleged corruption “saddened and sobered” him, the Chicago Tribune reports. Blagojevich, meanwhile, walked out of federal court on a $4,500 bond after hearing that he...

Gitmo Trial Could Pose a Big Dilemma
for Obama

OPINION

Dec 9, 2008 1:49 PM CST

Gitmo Trial Could Pose a Big Dilemma for Obama

Death penalty or move case to US courts?

(Newser) - If the trial of alleged 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed carries over into Barack Obama’s presidency, it would mean a “messy” moral decision for the president-elect: Follow through with a Mohammed death sentence, or overturn it and move the Guantanamo case to US courts, writes Bronwen Maddox in...

Blago Charges Go Beyond Obama Seat

UPDATED

Dec 9, 2008 1:22 PM CST

Blago Charges Go Beyond Obama Seat

'Breadth of corruption' would 'make Lincoln roll over in his grave'

(Newser) - In addition to bartering over President-elect Obama’s vacant Senate seat, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich sought campaign contributions in return for government action, and attempted to influence the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, the Sun-Times reports. The FBI released transcripts of incriminating conversations today. “The conduct would make...

Bill Subject to
Toothless Rules

Dec 9, 2008 1:07 PM CST

Bill Subject to Toothless Rules

Obama's regulations may do little to restrain ex-prez

(Newser) - Bill Clinton agreed to rules covering his charity work and earnings so his wife can run the State Department, but the new restrictions still offer the former president plenty of leeway, Politico reports. Clinton may stick to the rules at first, but “then perhaps—just because he has this...

Send
Princess
Caroline
to DC

OPINION

Dec 9, 2008 12:54 PM CST

Send Princess Caroline to DC

Senate seat the perfect ending to her 'fairy tale'

(Newser) - Sure, you can make a case against it, but Caroline Kennedy becoming a senator would be the perfect ending to a "modern fairy tale," Ruth Marcus writes in the Washington Post. Putting aside her tendency to "recoil from political dynasties," Marcus points out that there are...

View Host Fires Back, Calls Rev. Wright 'Archaic, Sexist'

Dec 9, 2008 12:49 PM CST

View Host Fires Back, Calls Rev. Wright 'Archaic, Sexist'

Hasselbeck attacks him for calling her a 'dumb broad'

(Newser) - The View’s Elizabeth Hasselbeck fired back at Rev. Jeremiah Wright from her own pulpit yesterday, saying he’s “archaic” and “sexist” for calling her a “dumb broad” during a rant about the media in his Sunday sermon. Haselbeck's liberal co-hosts came to her defense, though some...

Blagojevich Sought Cabinet Post for Obama's Senate Seat

updated

Dec 9, 2008 11:53 AM CST

Blagojevich Sought Cabinet Post for Obama's Senate Seat

FBI tapes reveal wish for health secretary post

(Newser) - Rod Blagojevich had said he wanted “something real good” in exchange for his choice of a replacement for the president-elect in the Senate, Politico reports. Otherwise, he said in FBI tapes the day before the election, “I’ll just send myself.” A Senate seat is a "...

Racial Identity Shifts With Social Status

Dec 9, 2008 11:33 AM CST

Racial Identity Shifts With Social Status

Who is seen as black or white can change over time, study finds

(Newser) - Racial identity isn't set at birth—it's a malleable perception that changes with one's social status, a university study has found. Over 23 years, 12,700 people were asked to identify themselves and others as black or white. One-fifth switched their answers over time, often deeming people black if they...

State, Chicago Threaten BoA Over Ill. Sit-in

Dec 9, 2008 10:00 AM CST

State, Chicago Threaten BoA Over Ill. Sit-in

Will yank business if bank doesn't restore window factory's credit

(Newser) - The sit-in launched by laid-off workers at a Chicago door and window factory could have a nine-figure financial impact on Bank of America. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a day before his arrest on corruption charges, called on state agencies to cease doing business with the bank, and the city of...

Recession Weighs
on Obama's Big Party

Dec 9, 2008 8:45 AM CST

Recession Weighs on Obama's Big Party

Planners seek appropriate tone for huge inauguration

(Newser) - Washington is getting ready for what promises to be the biggest presidential inauguration in history, dwarfing the record 1.2 million who came out for LBJ in 1965. But with the country in a recession and at war, inaugural planners are struggling to find the right tone for the celebrations....

Unaired McCain Spot Blasts
Rev. Wright

Dec 9, 2008 5:58 AM CST

Unaired McCain Spot Blasts Rev. Wright

Attack ad surfaces, but GOP candidate refused to run it

(Newser) - John McCain's campaign created a commercial slamming Barack Obama for his relationship with inflammatory pastor Jeremiah Wright. The 30-second spot, obtained by ABC News, contrasts McCain's years in a Vietnam POW camp with footage of Wright shouting "God damn America." The commercial was ready for release and...

Gore-Obama Meeting Fuels Job Rumors

Dec 9, 2008 5:02 AM CST

Gore-Obama Meeting Fuels Job Rumors

But former veep says he wants to keep working from 'outside'

(Newser) - Barack Obama and Joe Biden will meet today with Al Gore just as the transition team is set to choose the key environmental appointments of energy secretary and EPA chief, CNN reports. The meeting in Chicago has triggered speculation that Obama may be considering Gore for a slot in his...

Barack Obama

Read the latest post-presidency news about President Barack Obama on Newser.com

Obama shouldn't rely on a stimulus package for a cure-all

Chu was an early advocate for climate change solutions

NOTE: Headline is intentional callback to the Tribune editorial earlier

How fast, and how bluntly, will he move to censure corrupt pols?

Invitation recognizes their contribution to historic event

But past ties also reveal Obama's ascendency through machine politics

Illinois governor now out on bond as deputy calls for resignation

Death penalty or move case to US courts?

'Breadth of corruption' would 'make Lincoln roll over in his grave'

Obama's regulations may do little to restrain ex-prez

Senate seat the perfect ending to her 'fairy tale'

Hasselbeck attacks him for calling her a 'dumb broad'

FBI tapes reveal wish for health secretary post

Who is seen as black or white can change over time, study finds

Will yank business if bank doesn't restore window factory's credit

Planners seek appropriate tone for huge inauguration

Attack ad surfaces, but GOP candidate refused to run it

But former veep says he wants to keep working from 'outside'