Obama administration

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5 Things Obama Has Done Right (or Better Than You Thought)
5 Things Obama Has Done Right (or Better Than You Thought)
MARK HALPERIN
Dec 28, 2009 12:13 PM CST

5 Things Obama Has Done Right (or Better Than You Thought)

...and 5 failures bigger than you realize

(Newser) - Obama clearly ran a successful campaign—but what kind of a job did he do running the country in his first year at the helm? While the president "has not been overmatched, he has not yet mastered the role either," Mark Halperin writes in Time . Some things he's...

A Year of First Lady Fashion
 A Year of First Lady Fashion 
Dec 28, 2009 11:55 AM CST

A Year of First Lady Fashion

A look back at Michelle Obama's daring sartorial debut

(Newser) - After a year of big guns, big designers, and bold choices, New York takes a look back at the many styles of first lady Michelle Obama. Who can forget the inaugural outfits, the Grand Canyon shorts, and all those cardigans? For many more photos, and info on designers, click here...

Obama Bites Off More Than He Can Chew
Obama Bites Off More Than He Can Chew
analysis
Dec 27, 2009 4:25 PM CST

Obama Bites Off More Than He Can Chew

Solid first year falls short of president's ambitious agenda

(Newser) - In his first year in office, President Obama has done a more-than-acceptable job—but his own stated ambitions were so numerous and wide-ranging that by his own definition, his performance has been disappointing. The bar was simply set too high, writes Doyle McManus for the Los Angeles Times , "and...

US Offers Unlimited Aid to Fannie, Freddie

Feds also allow top officials to bring home fat paychecks

(Newser) - The Obama administration yesterday gave a blank check to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—just in case. The government declared it is willing to provide unlimited financial assistance to the mortgage giants over the next three years, a move designed to reassure markets that the US won't let them fail....

White House Telling Me to Zip It: Stupak
 White House 
 Telling Me to 
 Zip It: Stupak 
HEALTH CARE REFORM
Dec 23, 2009 1:25 PM CST

White House Telling Me to Zip It: Stupak

Rep predicts Senate abortion language won't pass House

(Newser) - The White House would really rather Bart Stupak keep his opinions about the abortion funding “compromise” in the Senate health care bill to himself, but the staunch rep isn’t playing ball. “They think I shouldn’t be expressing my views on this bill until they get a...

Obama Picks New Head of Cybersecurity

Howard Schmidt is a veteran of eBay, Microsoft, FBI

(Newser) - Howard Schmidt, a former security official for eBay and Microsoft, will be named White House cybersecurity chief, the Wall Street Journal reports. Schmidt, who is president of a nonprofit computer security group and has worked in the past for the White House, FBI, and Air Force, was picked for his...

Why Dems Scheduled Xmas Eve Health Care Vote
 Why Dems Scheduled 
 Xmas Eve Health Care Vote 
11th hour, much?
Dec 21, 2009 11:16 AM CST

Why Dems Scheduled Xmas Eve Health Care Vote

Momentum, urgency, fear of embarrassment, etc.

(Newser) - Lamar Alexander has called the Democrats' push to quickly pass health care reform "a political kamikaze mission toward a historic mistake," but Senate Dems have reasons other than self-immolation for scheduling a 7pm vote on Christmas Eve. Politico looks at five:
  • To maintain momentum: If the latest compromise
...

White House Sets 3-Hour Limit on Tarmac Waits

Passengers must be allowed to deplane under new regulation

(Newser) - The Transportation Department is ordering airlines to let passengers stuck in stranded airplanes to deplane after three hours. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the new three-hour limit today, along with other new passenger protections long sought by consumer advocates. From January to June this year, 613 planes were delayed on...

VP Urges Dems to Unite Behind Senate Health Bill
VP Urges Dems to Unite Behind Senate Health Bill
joe biden
Dec 20, 2009 2:04 PM CST

VP Urges Dems to Unite Behind Senate Health Bill

'In Washington big changes never emerge in perfect form,' ex-senator writes

(Newser) - As president of the Senate, Joe Biden has the run of the place, but the vice president takes to the op-ed page of the New York Times to urge fellow Democrats to stop sniping and support the health care bill. "I’ve been around a long time," the...

How Michelle Became the Popular Obama

First lady stays above the fray, elevating her image

(Newser) - Her days as a lightning rod on the campaign trail firmly behind her, Michelle Obama has polished her image in a paradoxical way for a political wife: by steering clear of politics. She's a familiar presence on the national scene, and her poll numbers are robust, even among Republicans. "...

B+? Obama Must Be Joking
 B+? Obama 
 Must Be 
 Joking 
KARL ROVE
Dec 17, 2009 5:33 AM CST

B+? Obama Must Be Joking

Prez deserves his failing grade from the public, writes Karl Rove

(Newser) - President Obama has the lowest approval ratings of any postwar president at the end of year one, and he's done plenty to earn them, writes Karl Rove. Poor policies at home and abroad have helped send his ratings downward, as has the increasingly blatant slipperiness of the president's words. These...

Democrats Are Lost Without Bush
Democrats
Are Lost 
Without Bush
OPINION
Dec 17, 2009 1:23 AM CST

Democrats Are Lost Without Bush

Party needs to stop feuding and find a direction

(Newser) - George Bush was the best unifier the Democrats ever had, and now that he's out of the picture, they're collapsing into infighting, writes EJ Dionne. The party has to govern America through this difficult time, but they "are being held hostage by political narcissists and narrow slivers of their...

Clinton Far More Popular Than Obama

Secretary of state trumps him 75%-51%

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton may not be president, but she's more popular for it: the secretary of state enjoys much higher approval ratings than her boss and former rival. A poll of self-described "news watchers" gave Clinton a 75% approval rating, with 21% disapproval, while Obama's numbers were 51%-45%.

McCain, Cantwell Join Forces to Break Up Banks

Unlikely duo sponsor bill to reinstate Glass-Steagall

(Newser) - John McCain, reconnecting with his inner maverick, has teamed up with liberal firebrand Maria Cantwell on a bill to break up Wall Street banks by reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act. The Depression-era law, dumped a decade ago, enforced a split between commercial banking and investment banking. The effort to bring it...

Obama Overstates Domestic Al-Qaeda Threat: Experts

President, Clinton cite US arrests, but link to Pakistan appears weak

(Newser) - The White House has been overstating the link between recent domestic terrorism arrests and al-Qaeda activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan, security experts say. In justifying the Afghanistan troop buildup, President Obama cited recent arrests within the US; Hillary Clinton cited some of the same incidents a few days later. But...

White House to Reid: Get Lieberman on Board

Senate leader unwilling to cut Medicare buy-in just for Joe

(Newser) - The Obama administration is urging Harry Reid to do what he has to to secure the support of Joe Lieberman. Lieberman has gummed up the Democrats' plans for the health care reform bill by announcing his firm opposition to the expansion of Medicare to Americans 55 to 64, and Reid...

Copenhagen Summit a Face-off Between US, China
Copenhagen Summit a Face-off Between US, China 
Analysis
Dec 14, 2009 11:31 AM CST

Copenhagen Summit a Face-off Between US, China

Tensions flaring over whether China deserves international aid

(Newser) - The Copenhagen talks are starting to look like an economic face-off between Washington and Beijing, with the US concerned by China’s growing footprint and China accusing the US of not living up to its responsibilities. Nearly half the growth in global greenhouse gas emissions over the next 20 years...

Senate Sends Obama $1.1T Spending Bill

3 Republicans vote yea, 3 Dems vote nay

(Newser) - Working on a second consecutive weekend, the Senate passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill today, with the support of three Republicans but the opposition of three Democrats. The measure has already cleared the House and now advances to President Obama, who is expected to sign it. With pressing...

Obama, Beware: Afghanistan Is 'Another Vietnam'
Obama, Beware: Afghanistan Is 'Another Vietnam'
george mcgovern
Dec 13, 2009 12:10 PM CST

Obama, Beware: Afghanistan Is 'Another Vietnam'

Domestic issues must trump unwinnable war: Dem elder statesman

(Newser) - When George McGovern hears about President Obama's plans for Afghanistan, he reluctantly reaches an unavoidable conclusion. "I can only think: another Vietnam," the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee writes in the Washington Post . "I hope I am incorrect, but history tells me otherwise." After 9 years at...

McCain Morphs Into Chief Obama Foe
 McCain Morphs Into 
 Chief Obama Foe 
ANALYSIS
Dec 11, 2009 12:00 PM CST

McCain Morphs Into Chief Obama Foe

Graham calls Arizona senator 'de facto leader of the Republican Party'

(Newser) - John McCain has made the transformation from possible Obama ally to a full-blooded Republican partisan, though insiders aren’t quite sure why. Some see his vocal opposition to the Obama administration’s policies as a concession to the realities of next year’s election, where he may face a challenge...

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