A four-hour stop in New Orleans, on his way to a $3 million fundraiser.
Snubbing the Dalai Lama.
Signing off on a secret deal with drug makers.
Freezing out a TV network.
Doing more fundraisers than the last president. More golf, too.
MEDIA BIAS? WHAT MEDIA BIAS!
The Obama administration has cut funding for pro-democracy and human rights programs in Iran, reversing years of efforts during the Bush administration to help develop a civil society, congressional sources told Newsmax this week.
The move is apparently intended to please Iran’s rulers after they criticized President Obama and the State Department for allegedly seeking to fund a “velvet revolution” during the June presidential elections in Iran.
“It sounds like the Iranians complained in Geneva and we acceded to their demands,” a former senior government official familiar with the pro-democracy programs told Newsmax.
Russia and the United States have tentatively agreed to a weapons inspection program that would allow Russians to visit nuclear sites in America to count missiles and warheads. The plan, which Fox News has learned was agreed to in principle during negotiations, would constitute the most intrusive weapons inspection program the U.S. has ever accepted.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said publicly Tuesday that the two nations have made "considerable" progress toward reaching agreement on a new strategic arms treaty.
The 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, expires in December and negotiators have been racing to reach agreement on a successor.
Clinton said the U.S. would be as transparent as possible.
"We want to ensure that every question that the Russian military or Russian government asks is answered," she said, calling missile defense "another area for deep cooperation between our countries."
On another critical issue, Lavrov declared that it would be counterproductive to threaten Iran with more sanctions over its nuclear program -- as he resisted efforts by Clinton to win agreement for tougher measures should Iran fail to prove its program is peaceful.
Sima Samar: Women’s rights activist in Afghanistan: “With dogged persistence and at great personal risk, she kept her schools and clinics open in Afghanistan even during the most repressive days of the Taliban regime, whose laws prohibited the education of girls past the age of eight. When the Taliban fell, Samar returned to Kabul and accepted the post of Minister for Women’s Affairs.”
Ingrid Betancourt: French-Colombian ex-hostage held for six years.
Dr. Denis Mukwege: Doctor, founder and head of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He has dedicated his life to helping Congolese women and girls who are victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence.”
Handicap International and Cluster Munition Coalition: “These organizations are recognized for their consistently serious efforts to clean up cluster bombs, also known as land mines. Innocent civilians are regularly killed worldwide because the unseen bombs explode when stepped upon.”
Hu Jia: Human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-a-half-year prison term for ‘inciting subversion of state power.’”
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Wei Jingsheng: Spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China’s communist system. He now lives in the United States.”
AND THE WINNER IS!!!!!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. labor group on Thursday asked the Obama administration's "pay czar" to stop any retirement payments to Bank of America Chief Executive Ken Lewis.
The Service Employees International Union sent a letter to pay czar Kenneth Feinberg, calling Lewis "one of the chief architects" of the economic crisis and saying he should not receive any retirement or severance package until the bank stops foreclosures and increases lending.
"Taxpayers have already provided nearly $200 billion in bailouts and backstops to Bank of America," the letter said. "This enormous public investment entitles taxpayers to have a say in the bank's executive compensation practices."
If you take FED money, be prepared to have unions thugs along with a PAY CZAR have a say in what your compensation will be.
Good luck Mr. Lewis!
Gen. McChrystal has proposed a strategy for Afghanistan that calls for more troops. Substantially more troops!
In another brilliant international policy move, Obama has decided to not meet with the universal symbol of peace, the Dalai Lama.
In a monumental blow to Obama, the IOC eliminated Chicago in the first round of voting.
[T]he administration should consider a tax on consumption, such as a value-added tax [VAT] system similar to that in use in the European Union. Mr. Podesta suggested that its impact should be limited to protect lower-income people, who otherwise might be hit particularly hard.
“As progressives we need to debate the policy merits [of] a range of options, including designing a small and more progressive value-added tax,” Mr. Podesta said in a statement Tuesday.
The report, said the administration can’t rely on taxing richer Americans and companies to reduce the deficit to sustainable levels by 2014 because those groups would see 40% tax increases.
The Obama administration wants to stimulate consumer spending to revive the economy. Ok, good idea! But to achieve that, they propose a tax on consumption. Brilliant!!
I'm getting the sense that a shittier economy is the goal of this administration.
"It's a battle -- we're going to win -- take no prisoners," the first lady said with a smile at a discussion with reporters in the White House State Dining Room....On the real war front, asked to "define victory in Afghanistan," Barack Obama said:
I'm always worried about using the word "victory" because, you know, it invokes this notion of Emperor Hirohito coming down and signing a surrender to MacArthur.
As if these comments aren't worrisome enough, I have to note that Emperor Hirohito didn't "come down" and surrendered to MacArthur, he sent Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. Then again, as a Community Organizer I don't expect Obama to 'be up on history'
Oh, and by the way, is there any doubt whatsoever that there are a lot of friends in Chicago waiting to make a bunch of C H A N G E off of the Olympics?
Would the two Community Organizers be traveling to Copenhagen if Seattle or Dallas were bidding instead of Chicago?
UPDATE: And then there's THIS
"Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow," Obama said, detailing how the facility near Qom had been under construction for years without being disclosed, as required, to the International Atomic Energy Agency. "International law is not an empty promise."
PFFFFFT!!!! Did he say, Iran is breaking rules??
Is this guy serious?
How long have we been hearing about Iran enriching uranium, and what has anyone done about it? NOTHING! Now every leader of the free world is acting shocked and outraged at this, and are calling for an investigation and maybe some sanctions. Yeah, that will put an end to Iran's nuclear projects.
Unfortunately, the only solution to all this rests with Israel who is in the cross hairs of an Iranian nuclear devise. Will Obama give Israel the "green light' to after the Iranian facilities? If you're Israel do you believe a word he says? Can Israel depend on the US to defend any actions Israel might take? Would you?
Here is what Obama had to say. *yawn*
MODERN DEFINITION:
rac·ist
Poles and Czechs voiced deep concern Friday at President Barack Obama's decision to scrap a missile defense shield planned for their countries.Polish President Lech Kaczynski said he was concerned that Obama's new strategy leaves Poland in a dangerous "gray zone" between Western Europe and the old Soviet sphere.
Recent events in the region have rattled nerves throughout central and eastern Europe, a region controlled by Moscow during the Cold War, including the war last summer between Russia and Georgia and ongoing efforts by Russia to regain influence in Ukraine. A Russian cutoff of gas to Ukraine last winter left many Europeans without heat.
The scraped plan would have been "a major step in preventing various disturbing trends in our region of the world," Kaczynski said.
But that's ok, no need to worry. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he still sees a chance for Poles and Czechs to participate in the redesigned missile defense system.
See! the Obama administration is going to redesign a new missile system. You guys have nothing to worry about.
In this past election a lot of people that voted for Obama did so as a sign that our country was moving away from racism. I'm not sure I buy that line of thinking, but I'll accept it.On a largely party-line vote, the House voted 240 to 179 to ratify a “resolution of disapproval” against Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) for interrupting Obama’s speech last week before a joint session of Congress. Just 12 Democrats opposed the resolution against Wilson, while seven Republicans supported the disapproval motion. Five Democrats voted “present,” rather than cast a yes or no vote.
During the hour-long debate, Wilson refused to apologize, saying his private phone call to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was sufficient because Obama himself said the matter was closed the day after his speech.
“It is clear to the American people that there are far more important issues than what we are dealing with now. . . . [Obama] graciously accepted my apology, and this issue is over,” Wilson said in brief remarks.
"Earlier this year, GOP leaders sent a letter to the president in May stating that they would like to work with the administration to find "common ground" on healthcare reform.