Archive for category White House
Obama Declares War Against the Uninsured
12:39 pm, July 21st, 2009 on Health, Humor, White House
Delirious
The Obama administration today announced a sustained, national campaign against the uninsured, one that will go far beyond retaliation against the perpetrators of insurance terrorism in the United States.
U.S. President Barack Obama said the campaign would become the driving force of his presidency, and other top officials described a methodical unleashing of United States health insurers likely to unfold not in a single, retaliatory spasm but in repeated strikes aimed at destroying bases of the uninsured terrorists and the communities that harbor them. Read on »
Obama’s Health Care Plan Faces Existing Problems
11:33 am, July 19th, 2009 on Health, White House
Interesting article from The Philadelphia Tribune, an African American newspaper in the Philly area…
This article originally appeared in the July 12 issue of The Philadelphia Tribune, authored by Christopher Moraff.
We all know the routine. You call your doctor for appointment, and — unless you have an acute illness — you might get one in two weeks, ten days if you’re lucky. On the day of your visit you get to the office early only to find three, four, or even five patients in the waiting room who seem to have been given the same appointment time as you.
After about 40 minutes spent flipping through old copies of Sports Illustrated your name is called and you are escorted to an exam room. Okay, you think, here we go. But you’re not seeing a doctor yet. Instead, you’ll sit in that tiny room staring at the jars of cotton and trays of plasma vials for another 20 minutes before the physician finally comes in. He’ll spend, on average, ten minutes with you before scribbling something in your chart and rushing out to the next patient. By the time you leave, your one o’clock consultation has turned into a brief, two o’clock encounter. Read on »
What’s the Rush, Barack?
4:40 pm, July 17th, 2009 on Economy, Health, White House
Obama calls upon Senators to pass his pet health-care reforms ASAP, saying:
Now is not the time to slow down
What’s the rush? Can we prioritize and fix the economy first, instead?
Obama’s Birth Certificate Still Causing Trouble + That Army Major is a Coward
1:58 pm, July 14th, 2009 on Politics, White House
Barack H. Obama’s birth certificate, that was released last year after much prodding and poking, is still causing consternation for his supporters, and some hope for conspiracy theorists…
Born Where?
Regina Benjamin, Obama’s Surgeon General: Not So Partisan?
4:30 pm, July 13th, 2009 on Health, White House
Obama's Future SG
Obama’s nominee for the position of Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, doesn’t seem as partisan as his other choices so far. Her work so far ought to solicit praise and respect:
Benjamin gained fame through her public efforts to rebuild her rural health clinic after Hurricane Katrina devastated it. She founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in 1990 and rebuilt it after the hurricane.
Benjamin has also served as the first black woman to head the State of Alabama Medical Association and was associate dean for rural health at the University of South Alabama’s College of Medicine. Read on »
Obama Wants to Ru(i)n Small Businesses Now
3:02 pm, July 10th, 2009 on Economy, White House
Wannabe Small Business Magnates
Already tired of running all the big banks, AIG, GM and Chrysler, President Barack H. Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner want to diversify into small businesses now.
Apparently:
A proposal being floated by senior Treasury Department officials calls for using the bailout funds to expand an existing government program that helps small companies borrow money from banks a low rates to keep their businesses going, the source said. These “working capital” loans would come with few restrictions and could be used for buying inventory, holding onto employees and paying off short-term debt.
How noble sounding!
Obama’s Stimulus Not Working … Couldn’t You Tell Before?
6:35 pm, July 9th, 2009 on Economy, White House
NYT analyzes:
With unemployment already at 9.5 percent and likely to exceed 10 percent, much higher than White House officials predicted back in February, Mr. Obama has been facing attacks that his $787 billion stimulus program was either too timid or wrong-headed or both. Now, just five months after Congress agreed on the plan, with only a fraction of the money actually out the door, Washington is debating the need for a second round of stimulus amid economic and political crosscurrents.
Wasn’t it apparent even before the stimulus was passed that it wouldn’t work?
It took $787 billion in Congressional funding, and trillions more in Treasury money, and thousands of lost jobs to make it clear that Obama’s plan will not help. And, he’s asking for more?!
YES: Restricting Speculations in Oil Trading
6:09 pm, July 7th, 2009 on Economy, White House
The Feds are finally recognizing that wild fluctuations in oil and commodity prices are caused by speculations, not by Chinese and Indian demand. I wish Bush had done something like this – we could have avoided at least some of the economic crisis.
Regulation is needed; restricting oil contracts is essential. Good thinking, Gensler, I hope you go ahead with your plan.
Sorry, But, Michelle Obama Looks Like a Maid
12:23 pm, July 7th, 2009 on White House
I don’t want to sound racist (I positively am not), and any other First Lady of the United States of America dressed like this for Independence Day would have earned the same comment.
That's a Maid
I don’t care that it’s a Narciso Rodriguez. It’s still horrible.
As usual, HuffPo is drooling:
Michelle Obama traded the traditional red, white, and blue for Saturday’s 4th of July festivities in favor of black and white. The first lady paired the dress with her favorite silver flats. Daughters Malia, who was celebrating her 11th birthday, and Sasha both wore their hair in ‘mini-Michelle’ buns.
Powell No Likee Obama Now?
12:06 pm, July 7th, 2009 on Americas, GOP, White House
What was Colin Powell thinking when he supported Obie last year? That he was going to be a conservative hero? Powell:
I’m concerned at the number of programs that are being presented, the bills associated with these programs and the additional government that will be needed to execute them.
Obama’s liberal agenda was never a mystery. Powell dumped his party for implicitly racial reasons. Why regret your decision now?
Where’s Obama’s Stimulus Going?
6:28 pm, June 30th, 2009 on Economy, White House
It ain’t going to the consumers. And, its surely not helping their confidence.
According to the latest numbers…
The consumer confidence index fell to 49.3 in June from 54.8 in May. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a healthier reading of 55.0 for the month.
Oops. Ouch. Oh no. Where did all of Obie’s trillions disappear?
Abroad, we could say it all lined politicians’ pockets … how about here?
Obama Supports a Future Dictatorship in Honduras
6:38 pm, June 29th, 2009 on Foreign Policy, White House
Trying to Follow Chavez
Following another bloodless coup in Honduras, Obama says:
We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the president of Honduras, the democratically elected president there…
It would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backwards into the era in which we are seeing military coups as a means of political transition, rather than democratic elections…
But, of course, you do. Because Zelaya had joined the:
leftist Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, an alliance led by Venezuela’s populist president, Hugo Chávez …
… who’s Obama’s “amigo” and, this was probably the only way his man Manuel Zelaya could be removed from office. Read on »
A Hindu Pandith to be Muslim Envoy?! An Insult!
7:48 pm, June 26th, 2009 on Middle East, White House
Farah: Muslim Not Even in Name?
Obama has appointed Farah Pandith (more on this Hindu name after the jump) as a special envoy to the Muslim world. State’s press release follows:
… Clinton has asked Farah Pandith to head the new Office of the United States Special Representative to Muslim Communities. Special Representative Farah Pandith and her staff (S/SRMC) will be responsible for executing the Administration’s efforts to engage with Muslims around the world on a people-to-people and organizational level… Read on »
Obama Intervenes in Somalia From Afar: Doomed to Failure
5:08 pm, June 26th, 2009 on Africa, White House
America is now supplying weapons and training support to the transitional government in Somalia. No American troops or even trainers on the ground; just weapons and support.
The 1992 Mess
Apparently, Obama has learnt the lessons from the last failed intervention in the African Horn. One of the iconic photos from the ‘92-’93 era was that of an American Marine being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu by Somali rebels.
Americans have stayed away from Somalia since then, apart from providing naval and air support to the Ethiopian invasion a few years back. The recent resurgence of Somali rebels, however, has caused sufficient concern in Washington to merit another intervention, but from afar.
The biggest problems for the transitional government are dearth of support among the populace, lack of fighters and a parliament without credible leaders. Read on »
Oh, oh, oh, Obama = Bush, says Ahmadinejad
6:51 pm, June 25th, 2009 on Middle East, White House
Obama must find it very disconcerting to be compared to Bush, despite his constant grovelling towards the Iranians:
“Do you think that this kind of behavior is going to solve any of your problems? It will only make people think you are someone like Bush,” says Ahmadinejad
Perhaps, BHO needs to suck up to Mahmoud a bit more. Just ignoring the protests isn’t enough,
Mahmoud Thinks So
Obama: I am Watching (and Learning from) Iran
4:51 pm, June 19th, 2009 on Humor, Middle East, White House
The news according to media reports, and the translation into what Obama really means:
US President Barack Obama has warned Iran that “the world is watching.”
Obama: “I am watching and learning how to violently suppress dissent when I institute radical changes in the USA.”
[He] said that the way the authorities dealt with people who were “trying to be heard” would send a message to the international community.
Obama: “Your system needs improvement. I can do better. Yes, I can!”
Extending Benefits is Right, But…
11:51 am, June 17th, 2009 on Gay Marriage, White House
Jake Tapper is blogging that:
…[today] President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum extending benefits to the same-sex partners of gay and lesbian federal employees.
… it comes at a time that gay and lesbian supporters of the president are expressing anger and disappointment at his inaction on rescinding Don’t Ask/Dont Tell, his opposition to same-sex marriage, and his support for the anti-same-sex-marriage Defense of Marriage Act in a legal brief that compared same-sex unions to incestuous ones.
Denying benefits, that are already available to heterosexuals, to same-sex couples is wrong.
Government, like any employer, does not have the moral right to decide the sexual orientation or preferences of its employees. But, unlike any private business that can deny employment based on sexuality under certain circumstances, the Federal Government cannot do so. It cannot, likewise, discriminate employees based on their sexual preferences. If any benefits are provided to heterosexual couples, the same must be provided to homosexual couples.
Additionally, I feel that such benefits should not be restricted to sexual relationships alone. Any couple living together, whether the bond be forged by blood, friendship or any such ties, that declares itself to the government should be eligible for benefits.
Why does the government or any employer have the right to decide that a couple must be engaged in a sexual relationship before it can take advantage of benefits?
Now, even if Obama does make this decision, will it placate the gay rights lobby? Apparently not entirely:
“It seems to me at least to be a nice gesture, but a disappointment,” said Richard Kim, a senior editor at The Nation magazine.
But, of course, nothing is ever enough. Even when gay marriage is legal, we’ll have some other issue.
Bravo President Obama, Boo Conservatives
1:09 am, June 5th, 2009 on Foreign Policy, Middle East, White House
This is probably the first and last time that the above line appears on this blog. After reading Obama’s speech at the Azhar in Cairo, I am left wondering why President Bush couldn’t have given a similar one during his 8 years. Bush was seen as fighting a war against Islam, despite his earnest protestations, and distrust in the Muslim world and hatred for all things American continued to be exacerbated by perceived American attitudes towards the Middle East, Muslims, Islam and the Palestinian-Israeli problem. Read on »
Obama may have experienced Islam – so what?
5:25 pm, June 3rd, 2009 on White House
Bush’s folly to be replaced by Obama’s folly
12:53 am, May 27th, 2009 on White House
Obama is playing the race card very nicely by nominating Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. The NYT gleefully declares that Obama has once again proved to be The One by
“choosing a daughter of Puerto Rican parents raised in a Bronx public housing project to become the nation’s first Hispanic justice.”
First of all, justices to the Supreme Court should be nominated on their legal acumen, experience and intellect, not on race, religion, gender or any other factor. NY Senators Schumer and Gillibrand apparently consider only race to be the deciding factor as to who should be nominated. In a letter to Obama, the two claim:
“It’s long overdue that a Latino sit on the United States Supreme Court.” Read on »
Obama flip-flops (again) on military tribunals
7:17 am, May 16th, 2009 on Foreign Policy, Politics, White House
Last year, I was telling everybody that Barack Hussein Obama was not going to be too different from Bush or McCain on foreign policy or on national security, but I was ridiculed for being naive and uninformed. Now, I feel like saying: “I told you so.”
Obama had railed against everything Bush on the campaign trail, especially the military tribunals and Guantanamo bay, calling it all:
“an enormous failure”
He has now decided to revive these same military tribunals for those same detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Well, what has changed since he was a candidate? Read on »
Obama to withhold detainee abuse photos
7:01 pm, May 13th, 2009 on Human Rights, Politics, White House
The Washington Post is reporting that the Obama Administration is changing its position on releasing photos of abuse of detainees held in military custody abroad, claiming that it:
“strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing US forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Earlier, Obama had earlier pledged to release all photos:
“The parties have reached an agreement that the Defense Department will produce all the responsive images by May 28, 2009.”
Now that the deadline is approaching, Obama has changed his mind. Apparently, he’s afraid that Cheney may prove to be right that we may not be safe under Obama:
“I think to the extent that those [Bush-era] policies were responsible for saving lives, that the administration is now trying to cancel those policies … means in the future we’re not going to have the same safeguards we’ve had for the last eight years.”
Public release of those photos will not serve any purpose. The world now knows that detainee abuse was committed at military prisons across the world, some even approved by the Pentagon. The photos will only incite violence against American soldiers and allies abroad, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq, placing them in further danger.
As far as the ACLU and the American plaintiffs of the lawsuit are concerned, they too are aware of the abuse. The photos will serve no purpose, apart from the gratuitous satisfaction of being righteous.
Obama to exempt CIA torturers?
5:46 am, April 18th, 2009 on Foreign Policy, Politics, White House
Quite honestly, two of the very few things that Obama has done so far that I have approved of is the ban on torture and other extra-legal procedures of obtaining information, and the proposed closure of Guantanamo. But, both these approvals have to be strongly qualified.
When does the honeymoon end?
7:22 pm, April 14th, 2009 on Media, White House
It has been 84 days since Obama was sworn in, but our honeymoon just doesn’t seem to end. Clinton’s lovemaking with the media lasted barely a few weeks. Bush Jr. wasn’t really accorded that pleasure because the media was all to ready to accept Gore as their President.
But, Obama continues to enjoy his superstar status in the domestic and international media establishment. His media claque continues to blindly applaud everything he does, even if it involves some major flip-flopping. I decided to search WashingtonPost.com, an important representative of the media establishment, today for stories on Obama. This is what I found:
Just like any other of the 190…
7:23 pm, April 1st, 2009 on Europe, Foreign Policy, White House
Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Great Britain, was treated like any reliable ally of the United States ought to be : just like any of the 190 other nations in the world, with a DVD box set of popular Hollywood movies, with Region 1 encoding, unplayable anywhere outside the US. No private dinners, no Camp David, just a quick meeting and out you go. Brown could have been a minor African ruler, says the National Review.
This despite the fact Mr. Brown is unlike any of the other 190. His country is the 6th largest economy in the world by GDP. Britain is also the staunchest ally of the United States, having supported its endeavours in Afghanistan and Iraq from the beginning. The UK is the only country that has actually provided a significant number of troops for both wars and continues to spend billions of dollars each year to pay for two of America’s wars.
This reminds me of the way Rajiv Gandhi, a former PM of India, treated the King of Nepal during an official visit to Delhi in the 1980s. The King was made to wait outside Gandhi’s office for several hours while Gandhi conducted other business, including playing golf and having lunch. Albeit the comparison is not perfect, but allies and friends don’t treat each other this way. Nepal has had a long relationship with India, just as Britain has had with the US. UK has proved over and over again that it is the only reliable ally for the United States in Europe.
It is understandable that Obama wants to break away from GWB’s policies. It is also understandable that he is too “busy” dealing with the economic crisis to pay any attention to minor details of protocol. Obama just doesn’t have time for dealing with foreign affairs at this time. There are, however, simply no excuses for the way Brown was treated.
The blame lies squarely with the official charged with handling Brown’s visit. Given the high level of specialization these days, this official is most likely only responsible for visits by foreign dignitaries. Is he also too busy with the economy to buy a more appropriate gift to mark Brown’s first official visit to meet the new President?
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Etc. Etc. Etc.
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- BBC
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When Can Bernie Madoff Invest My Money Again?
