O Reilly Obama interview

O'Reilly-Obama interview: President says Egypt 'not going back'

In an interview with Bill O'Reilly on Fox's Super Bowl pregame show, President Obama calls for a orderly transition to a new representative government in Egypt.
Reporting from Washington —
In an interview with Bill O'Reilly, President Obama said Sunday that he's confident a new Egyptian government would continue to be a partner of the United States, and he again called on President Hosni Mubarak to allow for an orderly transition to a new representative government.

"Egypt is not going to go back to what it was," Obama said during the interview on Fox's Super Bowl pregame telecast. "The Egyptian people want freedom, they want free and fair elections, they want a representative government, they want a responsive government. So what we've said is, you've got to start a transition now."

Obama also said the Muslim Brotherhood should be part of that transition, even as he conceded there are "strains of their ideology that are anti-U.S."

"The Muslim Brotherhood is one faction in Egypt. They don't have majority support," he said. "There are a whole bunch of secular folks in Egypt. There are a whole bunch of educators and civil society in Egypt that wants to come to the fore as well. So it's important for us not to say that our only two options are either the Muslim Brotherhood or a suppressed Egyptian people."

The 15-minute interview, teased endlessly as a showdown between Obama and the conservative commentator, was a freewheeling exchange in which the two sparred about Obama's ideology and record just after he has reached the midpoint of his term. O'Reilly asked the president whether he favors a redistribution of wealth, whether he was prepared for his healthcare law to be struck down, and whether he has moved to the center since a self-described "shellacking" of his party last November.

"I'm the same guy," he said. "My practical focus, my common-sense focus right now, is how do we out-innovate, out-educate, out-build, out-compete the rest of the world. How do we create jobs here in the United States of America, how do we make sure that businesses are thriving? But how are we also making sure that ordinary Americans can live out the American dream, because right now they don't feel like they are."

On healthcare, Obama pointed to court rulings supporting his landmark law overhauling the system even as a court in Florida found a provision mandating that all Americans have insurance was unconstitutional. He framed that provision as one of personal responsibility.

"There's nothing socialist about that," he said. "That's saying to Americans, we're each of us going to be responsible about healthcare."

This was the third year the president has sat down for a live interview before the Super Bowl, typically the highest-rated television event of the year.

Obama is also hosting his traditional Super Bowl party for friends, family, staff and lawmakers from the home states of the competing teams — this year the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Also on the guest list: entertainer Jennifer Lopez and her husband, Marc Antony.

Guests will be eating a meal that includes bratwurst, kielbasa, deep-dish pizza and buffalo wings, the White House said.

The president, who was hoping his favored Chicago Bears would be playing Sunday, declined to pick a winner, saying he only wanted a good game.

Copyright © 2011, The Los Angeles Times

Abercrombie Admits Failure

Abercrombie Admits Failure,
Celebrity Journalist: I Never Spoke to Hawaii Gov About Obama Birth Certificate

A celebrity journalist now claims he misspoke when he said last week that Hawaii’s governor told him he was unable to find President Barack Obama’s original birth certificate after a search of state and hospital archives.

Mike Evans told FoxNews.com on Wednesday he was remorseful and embarrassed that he appeared to have given the impression that he had discussed the search for Obama’s birth certificate with Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

Evans, who says he has been a close friend of Abercrombie since the 1980s, appeared on Minnesota’s KQRS radio last week and said he’d been told by the governor himself that Obama’s birth certificate was nowhere to be found. Evans told KQRS on Jan. 20:

"Yesterday, talking to Neil's office, Neil says that he searched everywhere using his powers as governor ..... there is no Barack Obama birth certificate in Hawaii. Absolutely no proof at all that he was born in Hawaii."

But that’s no longer Evans’ story.

“Only this I can you tell you is 100 percent fact: that Neil never told me there was no birth certificate,” Evans told Fox News. “I never talked to him.”

Last week’s radio interview was part of Evans’ syndicated five-minute feature, “On the Road with Mike Evans,” which is broadcast on 34 stations across the country each morning.

On the morning of Jan. 20, Evans says he accidentally told one of those radio stations -- KQRS -- that he’d spoken directly with Gov. Abercrombie about the Obama birth certificate.

“I was on 34 radio stations that morning. That was the only station where I said, instead of saying ‘the hospital said there’s no birth certificate’ I misspoke and said Neil said that,” Evans said. “I misspoke and I apologize for that. I apologize to Neil.”

Abercrombie’s spokeswoman did not respond to Fox News e-mail and phone requests for comment.

Evans says he first noticed the story on Jan. 18, when he was reading an online article with the headline, “Hawaii governor can't find Obama birth certificate.” The article cites an interview with a former Honolulu elections clerk who says records of Obama’s birth could not be found at either Honolulu hospital.

“Halfway down the story it said the long form certificate was not on file at the two hospitals,” Evans said. “It says the hospitals say there’s no birth certificate and says Neil says he couldn’t find it.”

Evans said he continued reading other reports online, including one that quotes a former Honolulu election official as saying no hospital has been able to find Obama’s original long form birth certificate.

Evans says he then placed a call to Abercrombie’s office in Hawaii to follow up on the reports.

“I called Neil, but Neil never called me back,” Evans told Fox News. “I haven’t talked to Neil since he’s been governor.”

In 2008, the Obama campaign provided a certification of live birth -- a shorter form document that bears the same legal weight as the more detailed original certificate of live birth -- to prove his eligibility to be president. That has not quelled calls by those who have asked for the president’s original, longer form birth certificate, which they maintain would more clearly prove his status as a natural-born American citizen.

The U.S. Constitution stipulates that only “a natural-born citizen,” or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of the President.”

News From: www.foxnews.com

Abercrombie Birth Certificate

Abercrombie Birth Certificate: Answering the Eternal Mystery of Obama’s Birth

It’s the case of the missing birth certificate…. it seems the powers that be just can’t seem to make up their minds whether President Obama has a birth certificate on file with the state of Hawaii!

For years a question mark has been around over the birth of Barack Obama. The question of his birth got a bit murkier earlier today when rumors swirled that the Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, had said that he had been unable to find any record of Obama’s birth anywhere in the state of Hawaii. Now late this afternoon, the dude who started the whole controversy is back-pedalling on his remarks and pleading his own ignorance.

Journalist Mike Evans had started the ball rolling during an appearance on the Minneapolis based KQRS radio station when he said, “Yesterday, talking to Neil’s office, Neil says that he searched everywhere using his powers as governor ….. there is no Barack Obama birth certificate in Hawaii. Absolutely no proof at all that he was born in Hawaii.” Now Evans says he never spoke to the gov and really has no idea about Obama’s birth certificate.

So basically there are still no answers about whether or not Obama has a birth certificate on file or not.

News From: blogs.babble.com

Michele Bachmann Speech Attacks Obama Care

Michele Bachmann State Of The Union Response Speech Attacks Obama Care Stimulus And More

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) delivered her own rebuttal to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday night despite Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) being tapped to give the official Republican response (video below).

CNN was the only cable network to carry the Tea Party favorite's speech.

Bachmann suggested she's "not in competition with Paul Ryan," according to CNN.

The Atlantic relays advanced excerpts of Bachmann's remarks.

Click here for live coverage of the 2011 State of
After the $700 billion bailout, the trillion-dollar stimulus, and the massive budget bill with over 9,000 earmarks that the President signed, many of you implored Washington to please stop spending money we don't have.

But, instead of cutting, we saw an unprecedented explosion of government spending and debt at President Obama's direction; unlike anything we have seen in the history of our country.

For two years President Obama made promises... He claimed that he would find solutions to fix our economy and help create jobs.

Well, here are a few suggestions:

The President could stop the EPA from imposing a job-destroying cap-and-trade system.

The President could agree with House Republicans and commit himself to signing a Balanced Budget Amendment.

The President could also agree to an all-of-the-above energy policy whereby we increase American energy production, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, reduce the price of gas at the pump, and create good-paying jobs in the U.S.

The President could turn back some of the 132 regulations put in place in the last two years that each have an impact of $100-million or more on our economy.

Thanks to all of you, there's reason to hope that real spending cuts are coming. Last November many of you went to the polls and voted out big-spending politicians and you put in their place men and women who have come to Washington with a commitment to follow the Constitution and cut the size of government. And I believe that we are in the early days of a history-making turn here in the House of Representatives.

Last week we voted to repeal ObamaCare, and each day going forward, we must work hard to dismantle the massive government expansion that has happened over the past two years.

Video:

Obama's SOTU

Obama SOTU: Putting the Jam on the Lower Shelf So the Little People Can Reach It

We have long known that Barack Obama can do the "vision thing." In this State of the Union address, though, he did the specific thing.

This president, who reportedly pores over every David Brooks column, rejected the Times man's elite advice and instead spoke directly to the guy who drives the truck that delivers the Times. Sorry to pick on Brooks, who is terribly nice and very bright and thoroughly decent. But his most recent column called for Mr. Obama not to address the economy "in the standard way," but rather "in a visionary way." The global economy, in Mr. Brooks' metaphor is "like the competition between elite universities, who vie for prestige in a networked search for knowledge."

As compelling as it may be to compare your brother-in-law's unemployment to Harvard bidding against Princeton for a top sociology prof, the president chose a different course. He dropped the airy-fairy visionary verbiage and talked turkey.

The president used the word "job" or "jobs" 30 times, and "competitive" just once. Hurray! He used commonsense metaphors (Sputnik was the exception) like saying that "cutting the deficit by gutting our investments in innovation and education is like lightening an overloaded airplane by removing its engine. You may feel like you're flying high at first, but it won't take long before you'll feel the impact."

Critics will no doubt complain that the speech was a laundry list. But when you're feeling naked, clean laundry is a pretty useful thing. No one has ever walked up to me and said, "I need a visionary American competitiveness initiative." But lots of folks have told me, "I need a job."

In his State of the Union address, President Obama spoke directly to those people -- the ones Bill Clinton calls "walkin' around folks." I suspect a lot of those folks will be lining up to march behind the plainspoken, commonsense, practical leadership President Obama is offering.

Earmarks Reid Dismisses Obama's Call

Reid Dismisses Obama's Call For Ban On Earmarks

Barack Obama's top ally in the Senate Tuesday brusquely rejected the president's call for a ban on the practice of stuffing home state projects known as earmarks into spending bills.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the president "has enough power already" and that Obama's reported embrace Tuesday night of an earmark ban promoted by Republicans is just a "lot of pretty talk."

Reid made his remarks at a news conference in which he otherwise praised Obama in advance of Tuesday's State of the Union address.

Reid is a skilled practitioner of earmarking, in which lawmakers direct projects like new roads, grants to local police departments and community development grants to their states and congressional districts.

Obama has frequently said he opposes earmarks but he has repeatedly accepted them in larger spending bills. The earmark ban has been driven chiefly by House Speaker John Boehner, who vows not to send Obama any spending bills containing them.

Opponents of earmarks say they too often divert money from worthy projects into wasteful ones. An explosion of earmarking under GOP control of Congress in the late 1990s and early 2000s sparked a "pay to play" culture in which lobbyists and business executives seeking earmarks lubricate the system with campaign contributions.

The earmark ban is one of the few areas where Obama and tea party activists are in agreement, but Reid said the idea unfairly "takes power away from the legislative branch of government. And I think that's the wrong thing to do."

News From: www.npr.org

Occ Foreclosure

Key Senator Urges Obama To Push Foreclosure Relief In State Of The Union

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is urging President Barack Obama to pledge a new round of foreclosure relief during his State of the Union address next week. In a letter to the president obtained by The Huffington Post, Merkley said the administration's current anti-foreclosure programs have proven woefully inadequate, and pushed for a more thorough program to keep families in their homes.

"A record one million families lost their home to foreclosure last year," Merkley wrote. "Next week, Mr. President, you will have the attention of the nation. I urge you to use this opportunity to renew efforts to tackle the national foreclosure crisis."

Merkley's call for presidential leadership on foreclosures comes as infighting among federal regulators appears to have stalled out key reforms to the bank divisions that work with troubled borrowers and process foreclosures.

The FDIC has been pushing to impose new requirements on the operations of those divisions, which are known as mortgage servicers. The agency has been engaged in heated negotiations with other regulators at the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the Fed had initially opposed the plan, but agreed to support the rules after a few weeks of negotiations. The OCC, however, which is currently responsible for regulating the largest mortgage servicers -- Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup -- has resisted those rules. The OCC has never publicly sanctioned a mortgage servicer, despite widespread court findings of servicer fraud in the foreclosure process.

The Treasury Department, which had supported the new rules, had expected an agreement between agencies by Friday, Jan. 14, according to a spokesman. That anticipated agreement has not yet come to fruition.

But Treasury itself is engaged in a delicate dance on foreclosure policy -- defending the foreclosure prevention program criticized by Merkley, even as it urges sweeping reform of the bank divisions that participate in that program.

"The goal of the [Home Affordable Modification Program] was to prevent three to four million foreclosures," Merkley wrote, "but to date, fewer than 600,000 homowners have been approved."

Merkley is a persistent advocate for financial reform, and co-authored a key provision of last year's Wall Street overhaul legislation known as the Volcker Rule, which bars banks from speculating with taxpayer money.

At a Wednesday meeting of the Mortgage Bankers Association, Cindy Gertz, Treasury's Director of Operations for HAMP, praised the servicers involved in the Treasury plan, noting that they had ramped up staffing in order to deal with the foreclosure flood. Treasury spokeswoman Andrea Risotto told HuffPost that Gertz's praise for servicers was restricted to HAMP, and not to any other servicer activities. But servicer abuses within HAMP have been widely documented, with borrowers frequently making good on loan modification arrangements only to be foreclosed on.

Risotto noted that Treasury has a "compliance agent" that inspects servicers once a month to make sure banks are implementing the program correctly. Nevertheless, servicer employees have admitted to fraudulently robo-signing hundreds of foreclosure documents a day as a matter of ordinary procedure. Treasury has never sanctioned a servicer for violating HAMP rules, and maintains that it has no authority to do so, because the program is voluntary for banks.

But as Treasury defends servicers with one hand, it is also demanding fundamental reform of the servicer industry with the other. On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called for an overhaul of the way servicers are paid, arguing that the status quo is a "broken" system.

Regulatory agencies are debating whether to include standards for servicer conduct in new "skin-in-the-game" regulations for the mortgage bond market. The Wall Street overhaul legislation contains a provision requiring banks to retain at least five percent of the default risk whenever they sell mortgages off to investors. But there's a key exception to the rule: for standardized, top-quality loans, banks will not have to retain any of the risk. The FDIC hopes that by including mortgage servicing rules in the definition of a standardized, top-quality mortgage, they can create a new gold standard for mortgage lending that is immune from current abuses.

But these new regulations would only reform the way that servicers operate with regard to new mortgages. They will not help the millions of borrowers already trapped in unaffordable loans, nor will they provide a way to manage the widening gyre of fraud allegations and other improprieties that pose massive potential losses at the nation's too-big-to-fail banks.

In a speech Wednesday, FDIC Chair Sheila Bair warned, "Chaos in mortgage servicing and foreclosure is introducing a dangerous new uncertainty into this fragile market." Bair suggested creating a foreclosure disaster fund akin to the BP oil spill fund that would compensate wronged homeowners and investors, while capping liabilities for big banks.

Merkley wants to find a solution that deals with homeowners already facing foreclosure (and bank fraud). He's pushing for a six-point program to overhaul the current foreclosure system, including new standards for servicer conduct and new legal mechanisms to provide debt relief to deserving families.

Central to the program is a reform of the bankruptcy code, dubbed by Merkley as "lifeline bankruptcy reform." Mortgages are currently excluded from the bankruptcy process, so even if borrowers declare bankruptcy -- a process that is difficult to qualify for and comes with serious financial penalties -- they cannot get debt relief on their mortgage. By making mortgages subject to renegotiation in bankruptcy under the supervision of a judge, Merkley hopes to establish a process that would allow borrowers to remain in their homes without simply granting a get-out-of-debt free card to everyone whose home value has declined since the collapse of the housing bubble.

"This makes much more sense than paying for modifications," economist Dean Baker, co-Director of the Center for Economic Policy and Research, told HuffPost. Under HAMP, the Treasury pays servicers $1,000 to implement each loan modification, plus an additional $1,000 for every year that borrowers keep paying on the modified loan.

A similar program for farm loans was adopted during the mid-1980s and helped thousands of family farms avoid foreclosure, and a recent IMF report suggested bankruptcy reform as an effective solution to the U.S. mortgage mess. The same report found that the high rate of foreclosure may be responsible for between 1 percent and 1.25 percent of the U.S. unemployment rate, currently at 9.4 percent.

Mortgage bankruptcy reform was endorsed by then-Sen. Barack Obama during his presidential campaign, but died in the Senate in Spring 2009 amid weak backing from President Obama. Senate Republicans, who pushed for bankruptcy to be the appropriate way to deal with faltering megabanks, did not believe that consumers should receive the same treatment. Several bank-friendly Democrats also opposed the bankruptcy overhaul, prompting Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to fume that banks "frankly own the place," referring to Congress.

Merkley also calls for an end to the "dual-track" system, in which mortgage servicers begin the foreclosure process even as they negotiate loan modifications with troubled borrowers. The system allows banks to foreclose as quickly as possible if the modification falls through, but also leads to many unnecessary foreclosures as banks improperly continue with foreclosures on successful modifications. Merkley would also require servicers to establish a single individual to contact borrowers, preventing paperwork mix-ups and other bank confusion which lead to improper foreclosures, and establish an independent party to review whether banks have followed the rules on foreclosures.

OCC policy already bans the dual-track system unless the process is required by mortgage bond agreements, but the OCC is yet to enforce that ban with any sanction against banks that violate it.

The potential impact of other elements in Merkley's plan is less clear. He would implement a "short-refinance" plan, which would allow homeowners who owe more on their loan than their house is worth to refinance into a new loan at the current value of their home. Government agencies would then pay the existing bank to expunge the remaining debt levels. But Baker was skeptical that such a program would be workable. With home prices down dramatically nationwide from their bubble-level peaks, even outright housing speculators will be sure to seek relief, triggering a government payout to the very banks who caused the problem by lending recklessly in the midst of a bubble. "There is not going to be any plausible means test that you can put in place that will prevent almost anyone in this situation from taking advantage of the opportunity," Baker said.

Merkley would also provide a $5,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers in an effort to boost home sales. But Baker said such an arrangement is unlikely to be an efficient mechanism to lift the struggling housing market.

State of the Union Barack Obama use address

State of the Union: Barack Obama to use address

Barack Obama will use Tuesday’s State of the Union address to cement himself in the political centre as he aims to capitalise on a series of unexpected recent political successes.
White House advisers have indicated that the speech will be used as a rebranding amid a revival in his fortunes that he hopes lead to his being re-elected next year.
The annual address on Tuesday night, which last year was watched by 48 million, will pull together the themes the US president has been developing over the past two months as he sought to rescue his presidency following what he described as a “shellacking” for Democrats in the November midterm elections. Read Full Story

2011 State of the Union Drinking Game

The Barack Obama 2011 State of the Union Drinking Game

4 taxpayers of any sex: 1 rich white banker- type wearing dark suit with loosened tie. 2 ordinary folks wearing jeans; 1 in a blue or flannel work shirt, the other in a white shirt, sleeves rolled up. 1 poor bedraggled person wearing clothes that look like they were retrieved from the bottom of a rodeo dumpster behind the animal performer stalls.

1 living room with a TV tuned to the State of the Union Address.

1 shot glass per person. Everybody brings own, scattering array on coffee table in front of TV. Banker gets first choice for use during game. White shirt picks next, then work shirt. Banker pockets last shot glass as well, and Rags either rents it from him, steals a replacement from the kitchen or drinks out of own cupped hands.

Ante up 25 bucks. Cash. Except Banker, who tosses in an I.O.U. and Rags who everybody just avoids eye contact with.

3 packages of steamed Vienna Beef Chicago style hot dogs in the middle of table with butter grilled buns, tomatoes, onions, and some of that weird neon green relish on the side.

1 bottle of bourbon.

A large stash of beer in cans on ice. Rags gets whatever is on sale, like Heileman's Old Style Ice Light Dry. Banker gets import of choice. Jeans get whatever they want, but have to buy all the beer, bourbon, hot dogs, condiments and carry the groceries by themselves.

RULES OF THE GAME:

Every time Barack H Obama mentions bipartisanship, everybody has to drink 2 shots of beer. If he talks about the lessons of Tucson, the last person to throw their arms in the air, fall to their knees and shout "Hallelujah!" has to drink 1 entire beer.

Everybody has to drink 2 shots of beer whenever John Boehner appears to cry. 1 shot of bourbon if he breaks down sobbing and disappears entirely from view.

Every time Barack H Obama says "Democratic leadership," the first person to stop laughing is exempt from drinking 2 shots of beer.

If either Vice President Biden or the Speaker of the House Boehner is seen nodding off on camera, last person to start singing "Wake Up, Little Susie" has to drink 3 shots of beer.

If the President says the State of the Union is good, but could be better, the last person to eat a fully accoutered hot dog has to drink 1 shot of bourbon.

Whenever the President defends ObamaCare, everybody drinks 2 shots of beer. If he mentions Congress voting to repeal it, drink a whole beer and throws hot dogs at the television. The first person to hit Nancy Pelosi in the head is exempt from having to drink 2 shots of bourbon.

If the President relates a touching heartfelt story of a supporter who was denied a decent education, Rags gets to kick everybody else once. Twice, if the subject of the anecdote is in the audience. 3 times, if he/ she is sitting next to a 2 star general.

Every time President Barack Obama talks about his resolve and adopts a frowny look with his brow all furrowed and stuff, drink 1 shot of beer.

If the Chief Executive winks at or points at Michelle, all 4 players swordfight with hot dogs. Whoever is left with an intact weenie does not have to eat an entire shot glass full of that weird green relish.

If the president mentions the Chinese President by name, the last person to ask "Hu Dat?" has to drink 2 shots of beer.

EXTRAS:

Optional: Have all players drink with left hand. Unless left- handed. If they are caught drinking with dominant hand, they must watch the entire Republican response and no drinking allowed.

If the Dancing Baby from Ally McBeal appears on the screen at any time, stop drinking immediately.

Banker takes home money, shot glasses and bourbon. The I.O.U. is discarded.

Leftover beer and hot dogs go home with Rags after he/ she finishes washing the dishes.

San Francisco based political comedian, Will Durst, writes sometimes: this is an example. Coming soon from Ulysses Press: "Where the Rogue Things Go!" Pre- order your copy at Amazon.

News From: www.sfgate.com

Mr. President Obama Say Tuesday Night

Mr President Obama Say This on Tuesday Night

With four days until President Obama gives his State of the Union address, interest groups have buried the White House with a barrage of unsolicited advice about what they want him to say.

The suggestions come from all quarters — the Mr. Obama’s liberal supporters who are already suspicious of his commitment to their causes, the conservative activists who oppose his policies and independent groups who are urging compromise and conciliation.

Gun control groups want the president to call for restrictions on the size of high capacity ammunition clips. Gay rights organizations say he should talk about bullying aimed at homosexuals. Think tanks believe he should focus on the nation’s debt. Tea Party groups hope he will endorse a repeal of his health care overhaul.

Aides to Mr. Obama remained largely silent on which of those, if any, are likely to make it into the president’s address, which he will give Tuesday night in front of a joint session of Congress.

“The State of the Union is an annual occasion to get a mountain of advice both public and private on what to include in the speech,” said Dan Pfeiffer, the president’s communications director. “A lot ends up on the cutting room floor, but getting all the ideas and sifting through them is a very constructive process.”

The Caucus asked more than 20 interest groups in Washington what advice they are giving the president, either in public or in private. Here’s a sampling of their responses:

Mark McKinnon, No Labels: “President Obama, you have an opportunity in your State of the Union Address to bookend the great speech you delivered in Tucson. We are at a potential inflection point in our politics where we have an opportunity to tone down heated hyper-partisan rhetoric and recognize that our opponents are not “enemies” but people of pure motive who just have a different approach and ideas. Your speech next week can help heal the partisan breach by compelling us all to work together to achieve consensus on the pressing issues facing the country.”

Damon Silvers, policy director for the AFL-CIO: “We need to have an economic recovery that creates jobs and rebuilds the middle class because if we are reduced to competing to cut spending instead of deciding how to compete in the world economy then we are having the wrong conversation. … We also hope that the president will protect and defend Social Security and Medicare, which are crucial lifelines for working families, seniors and the disabled.”

Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women: “I am writing to you with a heartfelt plea to take a stand against Social Security benefit cuts or any other weakening of the program that may be attempted in the new Congress. Will you speak out against any undermining of Social Security in your State of the Union message?”

Edward F. Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans: “Retirees will be watching the State of the Union address on Tuesday, and they will support President Obama’s call to lower federal spending. But they know that Social Security did not create these deficits and that we cannot balance the budget on the backs of current and future retirees.”

Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinators of Tea Party Patriots: “Based on his newfound understanding and respect for the views of the majority of Americans, Tea Party Patriots hopes that he will encourage repeal of Obamacare in the Senate, and then sign the bill and begin to engage in true bipartisan negotiations to solve the nation’s health care problems.”

Colin Hanna, president of Let Freedom Ring: “If he fails to address the need to rein in the excessive and economically ineffective deficit spending of his administration’s first two years, anything that he says about raising the debt ceiling should be disregarded.”

Paul Helmke, the president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: “We’re hoping he’s going to say something about gun violence. Here’s a chance for some leadership and some eloquence. He should call for a presidential commission on guns and support for the legislation limiting the size of ammo clips.”

Fred Sainz, spokesman for Human Rights Campaign: “This past year Americans were confronted with the epidemic of bullying against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people that goes on in our schools. The State of the Union address would be an appropriate time for the president to assert leadership on this moral issue and call on all schools to address the problem head on.”

Jim Kessler, vice president for Third Way: “The president ought to make long term economic growth the theme of his State of the Union. He should declare that with the passage of health care reform, America’s 85-year quest to weave a strong safety net is now complete. From there he would describe a clear, tangible, and compelling destination for the nation – that of American excellence. It is a destination where America has the strongest, most vibrant, and most advanced economy on earth.”

Ralph Benko, senior adviser on Economics for American Principles Project: “President Obama must make the case that public funds for essential government services not be used up in paying exorbitant retirement benefits, a trillion dollar problem that news reports show is threatening more than 100 American municipalities with bankruptcy and up to 20 states with insolvency.”

Former Senator Pete Domenici, a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center: “First, he must carefully explain the severe nature of the nation’s debt and deficit problem, showing why it is unlike any other fiscal problem we have ever faced. Next, he should discuss the consequences that may occur if we simply continue to delay facing the problem with concrete proposals. Finally, I hope that he will outline a comprehensive plan of what must be contained in a real debt stabilization initiative.”

Adam Green, co-founder, Progressive Change Campaign Committee: “He should use the State of the Union to draw a firm line in the sand against any reduction of the Social Security benefits that American workers earned, paid for, and do not want to see cut. Then he should offer a progressive vision for creating jobs and fighting for middle class families over big corporations.”

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform: “You should say you recognize that spending $800 billion on stimulus didn’t create jobs. You should say you will bring corporate tax rates down, extend the expensing of business investment, and allow repatriation of overseas assets. These are tax cuts that you and Democrats have endorsed that would have bipartisan support.”

Richard Socarides, president of Equality Matters: “In order to be the kind of transformational leader he can be, he should show the country the way forth on dismantling the so-called Defense of Marriage Act so that the law no longer robs the states of their right to decide the question of marriage, nor deprives lawfully married gay Americans of their federal benefits. That’s the advice I’m giving to all the people I know who might actually influence the speech. If you want to be a leader, this is the speech in which to do it.”

News From: thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com

Sasha Obama Practices Chinese With Hu Jintao

Sasha Obama, President Barack Obama's nine-year-old daughter, wanted to test her developing Chinese skills this week while Hu Jintao was in town. Just whom did she want to practice them with?

The Chinese president himself, according to a White House official who recounted the story on Thursday after a formal state dinner the previous night.

News :Yahoo.com

Obama Birth Certificate

Making this the last item ... because that's where I put it in importance. For now. It's just that something rather curious has become even curiouser. I'm talking about the Barack Obama birth certificate stuff.

No ... I'm not a birther ... but there are some things that have happened lately that you really just cannot ignore.

In December some character named Neil Abercrombie is sworn in as Governor of Hawaii. Now I'm sure that Hawaii, like most other states, has a few problems that need to be addressed. But Governor Abercrombie seemed to think that the issue of Barack Obama's birth certificate was near the top ... not because he had any doubts about whether or not Obama was actually born in Hawaii ... but because he wanted to take that birth certificate and essentially shove it down the throats of those pesky birthers out there.

Birthers? OK .. here's the deal. These are people who say that Obama isn't a natural-born citizen of the United States and is thus serving as President illegally. They say he was either born in Kenya or Indonesia. They say that the certificate of live birth that has been shown as proof of Obama's citizenship is actually proof of nothing more than the fact that someone brought the infant Obama to a hospital in Hawaii claiming that he had been born at home, and the hospital issued a certificate essentially saying "yup ... it's a baby all right, and here it is in our hospital in Hawaii!" The claim is that the certificate of live birth only proves that Obama was born, not where he was born.

OK ... so here we have Governor Abercromcie. He's on the spot because he volunteered to "..do what I can do" to publicly verify that records show Obama was born in Hawaii and is a citizen of the United States. He wanted to put this thing to rest so that it wouldn't be an issue in 2012.

So ... how's that going for the governor? The Honolulu Star Advertiser asked Abercrombie "You stirred up quite a controversy with your comments regarding birthers and your plan to release more information regarding President Barack Obama's birth certificate. How is that coming?" The only answer the media gets from Abercrombie is that an investigation has "unearthed papers" proving Obama is a citizen. Those papers haven't been produced. He says "it's written in the archives, written down." But nothing produced.

The London Daily Mail has now weighed in, saying that "It became apparent that what had been discovered was an unspecified listing or notation of Obama's birth that someone had made in the state archives and not a birth certificate." The Daily Mail says that Abercrombie suggested that a long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate may not, in fact, exist.

Why bring this up? If you listen to me you know that my position is that we should forget this birther stuff and just concentrate on defeating this dangerous man in 2012 and continuing to undo the damage he has done in his ongoing efforts to "radically transform" our Republic. But the Hawaii governor stepped up to say he was going to put the controversy to rest. It's time to perform. If he doesn't .... Then the controversy grows.

News From: www.boortz.com

Michelle Obama's State Dinner Dress

Right-Wing Fashion Police Attack Michelle Obama's State Dinner Dress

The right-wing media attacked First Lady Michelle Obama for wearing a red dress to the White House State Dinner, suggesting she did so to honor "Commie Red China."

The Drudge Report displayed a prominent picture of Mrs. Obama with the words "Commie Red" underneath. This echoed remarks from pundit blogger Jim Hoft who called the event the 'Commie Red China Obama State Dinner.'

Popluar conservative columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin featuered a guest post on her blog from Doug Powers suggesting that the dress, and other preparations were conciliatory to China.

"As for the state dinner for the Chinese president, Michelle Obama appropriately enough wore a red dress, and an all-star cast of Broadway stars performed a rousing musical rendition of 'If my friends could see me Mao' to close out the evening," he wrote.

The comments follow an event that itself was marked by partisan politics. A number of Republican politicans refused to accept the invitation to the State Dinner from the Democratic White House.

Ohio's John Boehner, the new Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, declined the invitation, saying he was meeting with Hu Thursday on Capitol Hill. He has declined invitations to the dinners every time.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell also declined his state dinner invitation, he cited logistical reasons. Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada also cited similar reasons for not showing up.

News From: www.ibtimes.com

Barack Obama to grant Hu Jintao dinner denied by Bush

Barack Obama to grant Hu Jintao the state dinner denied by George W Bush

Barack Obama will on Wednesday grant Hu Jintao, the president of China, the honour of a White House state dinner, in marked contrast to his previous visit to the US when George W Bush offered him only lunch.

Mr Obama will be hoping for an evening free of controversy as he returns the hospitality he was shown at a state dinner in Beijing on a visit in November 2009.

That trip proved awkward however, with Beijing making it clear it was either unwilling or unable to play the role of the co-operative superpower that Washington sought. Mr Obama faced criticism back home for "kowtowing" to the Chinese.

The Obama administration has since toughened its tone, complaining that the exchange rate of China's yuan is hindering the US economic recovery and criticising Beijing's human rights record.

China has meanwhile bristled at a visit by the Dalai Lama, the Tibet spiritual leader, to Washington, and US arms sales to Taiwan while North Korea has also exposed diplomatic fault lines.

"America and China have arrived at a critical juncture, a time when the choices we make, big and small, will shape the trajectory of this relationship," said Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, ahead of the visit.

Mr Hu said both sides needed to find "common ground" but respect each other's differences. With China holding most American sovereign debt, he knows that Washington's scope for criticism is limited.

With US unemployment near 10 per cent, Obama officials have said that a stable relationship with China is indispensable.

It will be the first state dinner for a Chinese leader for 13 years, and will serve as the highlight of a four-day visit that began on Tuesday night with a working dinner at the White House and will include a visit to Chicago, America’s mercantile centre.

"This is a relationship that has huge economic benefits for Americans," said Timothy Geithner, the Treasury Secretary.

"Last year, our exports to China passed the $100 billion mark ... China is likely to become our biggest trading partner sometime roughly ten years from today," he added.

Mr Obama's predecessor Mr Bush, mindful of anti-Chinse protests and his own friendship with the Dalai Lama, disappointed his visitor in 2006.

Mr Hu was then welcomed with a pomp-filled arrival ceremony on the South Lawn, including a 21-gun salute. But the ceremonies were spoiled by a woman protesting against China's treatment of the banned Falun Gong religious movement and a White House announcer who fluffed China's formal name by calling it the "Republic of China" – the name for Taiwan – instead of the "People's Republic of China."


News From: www.telegraph.co.uk

Obama Orders Regulation Review Business, Economy

Obama Orders Regulation Review To Boost Business, Economy

In another attempt to better insulate himself against Republican charges that he's anti-business and a devotee of heavy handed federal rules, President Obama has ordered his administration to review regulations and shed those that are unnecessary.

The president outlined why he signed the executive order in an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal Tuesday.

An excerpt:

This order requires that federal agencies ensure that regulations protect our safety, health and environment while promoting economic growth. And it orders a government-wide review of the rules already on the books to remove outdated regulations that stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive. It's a review that will help bring order to regulations that have become a patchwork of overlapping rules, the result of tinkering by administrations and legislators of both parties and the influence of special interests in Washington over decades.


Lest his supporters who believe it's the job of an activist and robust federal government to create and police rules meant to protect consumers and workers think Obama has morphed into Ronald Reagan, he seeks to reassure them.

Where necessary, we won't shy away from addressing obvious gaps: new safety rules for infant formula; procedures to stop preventable infections in hospitals; efforts to target chronic violators of workplace safety laws. But we are also making it our mission to root out regulations that conflict, that are not worth the cost, or that are just plain dumb.

For instance, the FDA has long considered saccharin, the artificial sweetener, safe for people to consume. Yet for years, the EPA made companies treat saccharin like other dangerous chemicals. Well, if it goes in your coffee, it is not hazardous waste. The EPA wisely eliminated this rule last month.

This will probably come as news to most people who've been ingesting saccharin for years that the EPA regulated the compound though it was dangerous. The example strongly makes Obama's point that some rules just violate the common-sense test.

Then Obama gets to the nub of the issue, as he sees it. Mirroring the larger argument he has made during his presidency that the debate shouldn't be about big or small government but about smart government, he writes:

But creating a 21st-century regulatory system is about more than which rules to add and which rules to subtract. As the executive order I am signing makes clear, we are seeking more affordable, less intrusive means to achieve the same ends—giving careful consideration to benefits and costs. This means writing rules with more input from experts, businesses and ordinary citizens. It means using disclosure as a tool to inform consumers of their choices, rather than restricting those choices. And it means making sure the government does more of its work online, just like companies are doing.

Expect a continuing stream of such announcements from the Obama White House as it tries to rebut Republican charges and general suspicions that he is anti-business. Improving relations with the business community is one of the jobs of William Daley, the new White House chief of staff and former JP Morgan Chase official.

Republicans countered that Obama is a Johnny come lately on the issue of curing regulatory bloat:

From a statement by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor:

“More than a year ago when our country was still struggling from the recent financial crisis, I unveiled the ‘No Cost Jobs Plan’ aimed at spurring the economy and creating jobs by putting in place common sense policy proposals. One of the chief planks of my plan was to address the out-of-control and costly bureaucratic rules and regulations that bog down businesses small and large, so that they’re free to grow and create jobs.

“Today’s Executive Order from President Obama shows that he heard the same message I did in the last election – that Americans are sick and tired of Washington’s excessive overreach and overspending. While I applaud his efforts on this new Executive Order today, we must go further. That’s why I am relaunching the ‘No Cost Jobs Plan’ today – a plan we presented to the President and his party last year. Interestingly, though he and his Administration didn’t embrace it last year, we have noticed pieces of the plan being incorporated by the President including trade agreements and rolling back barriers to job creation found in the regulatory system.

To a certain extent, Democratic presidents tend to be viewed warily by the business community partly because Democrats in the White House have tended to champion regulations meant to protect consumers and organized labor.

In Obama's case, that suspicion was heightened by his lack of a lengthy track record on business issues when he became president.

His criticism of the insurance industry during his fight for the health care overhaul, his castigation of Wall Street, and his support for energy legislation that would have increased costs to American businesses under a cap and trade system all added to concerns in the business community about his administration.


News From: www.npr.org

Dick Cheney's NBC Interview

Dick Cheney's NBC Interview: Addresses Obama, Palin 'Target Map,' Arizona Shootings, And More

In his first interview since undergoing major heart surgery last July, former Vice President Dick Cheney addresses a wide range of topics, including the Arizona shooting and the resulting political fallout, his latest views on Barack Obama's presidency, his offer to George W. Bush to step down as vice president, and his upcoming health decisions.

Read the full release from NBC News along with key quotes below.
* * * *

NBC NEWS EXCLUSIVE -- FORMER VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY SITS DOWN WITH JAMIE GANGEL IN HIS FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE HIS HEART SURGERY LAST JULY

The Interview Will Air On "Today" Tuesday, January 18 and an Excerpt Will Air Tonight On "NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams"

NEW YORK - January 17, 2011 -- In his first interview since his heart surgery last July, former Vice President Dick Cheney sits down exclusively with "Today" National Correspondent Jamie Gangel. The interview will air on "Today" tomorrow, Tuesday, January 18, and an excerpt will air tonight on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams."

In the wide-ranging interview from his home on the eastern shore of Maryland, Cheney opens up to Gangel on multiple topics. On his health, Cheney says he hasn't made a decision yet on a heart transplant. On President Obama, Cheney says he still thinks he is a one-term president, but he is pleased to see him adopting some of the Bush/Cheney policies on the war on terror. On the tragedy in Tucson, Cheney says we should be careful about drawing a connection to political rhetoric. He also reveals he offered to step aside as vice president multiple times. Cheney also discusses his upcoming book, which is set to come out in September.

Excerpts from the interview below; mandatory credit to NBC News with airdates.

Jim Bell is the executive producer of "Today" (Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-11 a.m. ET)

***

CHENEY ON HIS HEALTH:

JAMIE GANGEL:

Let's start in the obvious place. For those who have not seen you recently, you look a little different. You lost some weight. This past summer your doctors told you that after five heart attacks you had to make a decision. And you had major surgery. And you had a heart pump put in. Can you tell me a little bit about what they did?

DICK CHENEY:

Sure. Well, there's a system called the LVAD, Left Ventricular Assist Device. And it in effect takes blood from the ventricle chamber of your heart and moves it into your aorta. And it significantly increases the amount of blood flow you've got going, which is vital when you get to end stage heart failure.

It significantly improves the function in the kidneys and your liver because they get an adequate supply of blood. And I'd reached the point after 30 years and five heart attacks where I really needed to do something. And so that's what we did. It's a pump that runs at about 9,000 RPMs. It's battery powered from the outside. But it's a wondrous device. It's really a miracle of modern technology. And now I'm here today because we have that kind of technology. And because the doctors were able to adapt it to my situation.

...

...

JAMIE GANGEL:

More and more people are using these instead of heart transplants, but usually they use them for a year or two. Are you thinking about a heart transplant?

DICK CHENEY:

I haven't made a decision yet. The technology was originally developed to provide a transition. To take somebody who's reached the point where they needed a transplant but a transplant wouldn't immediately be available, so they put this in as a temporary measure.

What's happened over time is the technology's gotten better and better and we've gotten more and more experience with people living with this technology. So I'll have to make a decision at some point whether or not I want to go for a transplant. But we haven't addressed that yet.

***

CHENEY ON PRESIDENT OBAMA:

JAMIE GANGEL:

You said that you thought that President Obama was going to be a one term President. Do you still?

DICK CHENEY:

I do.

JAMIE GANGEL:

Because?

DICK CHENEY:

Well, because I think he embarked upon a course of action when he became President that did not have as much support as he thought it did. That once he got into the business, for example, of the healthcare reform. I think he's enacted a program that a great many people are very worried about. And that there's a lot of support out there for the effort to repeal that healthcare package.

I think his overall approach to expanding the size of government, expanding the deficit, and giving more and more authority and power to the government over the private sector is a lack of-- sort of a feel for the role of the private sector in-- in creating jobs, in creating wealth and getting our economy back on track. Those are all weaknesses, as I look at Barack Obama. And I think he'll be a one term President.

JAMIE GANGEL:

He's recently rebounded in the polls a little bit. Do you think he's gotten more in tune with some of these things?

DICK CHENEY:

Well, I think perhaps he learned a lesson or two in the off term elections, the off year elections. The Democrats suffered major defeats. The Republican victory in the House was one of the most momentous changes, if you go back and look at our history, that we've ever had in terms of the number of seats captured.

He obviously has been through the fires of becoming President and having to make decisions and live with the consequences. And it's different than being a candidate. When he was candidate he was all for closing Gitmo. He was very critical of what we'd done on the counterterrorism area to protect America from further attack and so forth.

I think he's learned that he's not going to be able to close Guantanamo. That it's-- if you didn't have it you'd have to create one like that. You've got to have some place to put terrorists who are combatants who are bound and determined to try to kill Americans.

I think he's-- in terms of a lot of the terrorism policies-- the early talk, for example, about prosecuting people in the CIA who've been carrying out our policies-- all of that's fallen by the wayside. I think he's learned that what we did was far more appropriate than he ever gave us credit for while he was a candidate. So I think he's learned from experience. And part of that experience was the Democrats having a terrible showing last election.

JAMIE GANGEL:

You said you believe President Obama has made America less safe. That he's actually raised the risk of attack. Do you still feel that way?

DICK CHENEY:

Well, when I made that comment, I was concerned that the counterterrorism policies that we'd put in place after 9/11 that had kept the nation safe for over seven years were being sort of rapidly discarded. Or he was going to attempt to discard them. Things like the enhanced interrogation techniques or the terror surveillance program.

They'd been vital from our perspective in terms of learning basic fundamental intelligence about al Qaeda, about how they operated, who they were, where we could find them. And we were able to put in place a successful policy that did prevent any further major attacks against the United States over all those years. And he campaigned against all of that.

As I say, I think he's found it necessary to be more sympathetic to the kinds of things we did. They've gotten active, for example, with the drone program, using Predator and the Reaper to launch strikes against identified terrorist targets in the various places in the world.

That's all well and good. That's a plus that he's learned in that regard. But I still worry that until you've been there -- clearly a day I'll never forget-- 9/11-- I mean most Americans will always remember where they were on that day. But to sit in the Presidential bunker under the White House as al Qaeda launches hijacked aircraft and hits New York, hits Washington and kills 3,000 Americans, that's something I'll never forget.

And-- it requires you to-- certainly stimulated in me and I think the President I worked for an absolute commitment that that's never going to happen again on our watch. And that we'll do whatever we have to do in order to prevent it. And I hope President Obama is to that point now where he has that same basic attitude. But we might never find out until there's actually another attack.

***

CHENEY ON THE TRAGEDY IN TUCSON AND POLITICAL RHETORIC:

JAMIE GANGEL:

We don't know what motivated this young man, but immediately there was an uproar about contentious political rhetoric being responsible. Whether it's Sarah Palin using words like, "Don't retreat, reload," or President Obama in 2008 said, "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun," are those kinds of metaphors dangerous? Do you think the political rhetoric has gotten out of control?

DICK CHENEY:

Well, I think we have to be a little bit careful here-- about a rush to judgment. Trying to explain the event when we don't really know everything we need to know in order to be able to make sort of a final judgment. There's a lot more I'd like to know about the man who was the perpetrator of this awful crime.

And I think we need to be a little careful about assuming that somehow the rest of society or the political class bears the responsibility for what happened here when it was the act of a deranged, crazed individual that committed a crime.

I think our politics can get pretty rough at times. Having been vice president for eight years, maybe I'm more (CHUCKLES) sensitive to it than others, but the fact of the matter is, a good, tough political fights is one of the great strengths of our democracy. And so I think we have to be cautious I guess about jumping to conclusions here about the extent to which the sort of the political environment contributed to or caused this event. I think the event was caused by a deranged individual. And-- that's where we ought to look in terms of trying to assess guilt.

In the meantime certainly there's nothing wrong with, and I wouldn't be critical about people who are saying, "Look, we need to be careful about our rhetoric. We need to treat one another with respect during the course of our political debates," and so forth. I think that's always good, sound advice.

But I don't think we should anticipate that we can somehow take a system that was designed for political combat, if you will, between the parties, between ideas, between principles and set that aside. I wouldn't want to do that. That's the heart and soul of our political system. And that's basically a good thing.

JAMIE GANGEL:

Do you think we should watch our language? Do you think we should avoid things like targets on websites?

DICK CHENEY:

Well, perhaps. But again, as I say, I'm reluctant to judge our politicians based upon the act of what appears to be a lone, crazed gunman. Who perpetrated the crime.

***

CHENEY ON OFFERING TO STEP ASIDE AS VICE PRESIDENT:

JAMIE GANGEL:

Let me talk to you about President Bush's book. In his memoir he said about you, "Ten years later I've never regretted my decision to run with Dick Cheney," but he also writes that you offered and he considered dropping you from the ticket. And he says, quote, "He'd become a lightning rod for criticism. He was seen as dark and heartless, the Darth Vader of the administration." First of all, why did you offer to step aside? And I gather it was not the only time you offered?

DICK CHENEY:

Well, I actually went in about three different times because I didn't think he took me seriously the first time. That it was all in that period right before the '04 campaign. And the reason I did it was I thought he needed to have the ability to do whatever was necessary-- to make sure he won.

I always remembered what happened in '92 when his father ran. And there was a lot of speculation at the time that if he had gotten a new Vice President-- not to say anything negative about Dan Quayle. He's a friend of mine. But if he'd reached out and gotten a new Vice President he might have won reelection.

And I didn't wanna stand in the way if in fact that kind of decision would enhance the President's prospects of winning reelection in 2004 when he was up against John Kerry. And I thought he ought to have the freedom to change anybody he wanted, including me.

Obama Speech Tucson Videos News

Obama Speech Tucson

Obama Speech Tucson, (CNN) - Obama was trying to console a grieving community as he spoke at the memorial service for victims of the weekend shooting in Arizona. He paid tribute to those who lost their lives and encouraged Americans to talk to each other in a manner “that heals, not in a way that hurts.”

The president spoke Wednesday night at the University of Arizona McKale Memorial, whose school was held just under 14,000 people, with a crowd of 13,000 in the

stadium football school.

Obama in Tucson: the unit on the angry rhetoric

Obama’s remarks came four days after a gunman-opened fire during a political event outside a supermarket in Tucson. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition after being shot in the head. The shooting left six dead, including a federal judge and 9 years, Christina Green.

Memorial to honor young victims of mass shootings in Arizona

The president’s speech praised, although some observers were surprised by the atmosphere and tone.

Here is an overview of some of the reaction. Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

David Gergen, CNN senior politicalanlyst:

“Many of us in the TV room listening to Tucson expect a solemn service commemorating the dead and wounded. So it was jarring at first to find an atmosphere more like a rally, even a campaign rally. John King on the scene to CNN said that people in Tucson needs a catharsis.

. “Once we adjusted to the atmosphere, I thought the president had an important message – that in the wake of the massacre, we should talk to each other to heal, not wound Now the question becomes: Will we get what we? Leaders eventually become models? What should we do? ”

John King, CNN chief national correspondent:

“Some in the house could have been a little surprised at how exciting, all the encouragement, all the applause, and have been here for a few days as you travel through town, you go to coffeeshops, you are in the hospital where Giffords member is still hospitalized, and some of the other victims, the makeshift shrines in different locations throughout the city, there are many tears in Tucson in recent days.

“There are plenty of stunned, shocked silence in Tucson these days. And I think tonight, after five horrible days, this city should applaud.

Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian:

“I thought Obama did a great job tonight. I thought he really brought people together. I mean, when he, in the middle of the floor, said: “Gabby has opened my eyes, Gabby opened her eyes, and you could almost hear an inflection Martin Luther King-like – and that he wore throughout much of speech.

“I was, as David Gergen earlier, a bit put off by the weather, 14,000 people mad. But the president, I think, made its way into the atmosphere. Thus, by the end of it, one could almost feel the excitement people embrace in the warmth and love in the arena. ”

video

Obama Arizona memorial service

Obama leads Arizona memorial service

TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) – Thousands of people crowded an arena on Wednesday to hear President Barack Obama comfort Americans shaken by a shooting rampage that killed six people and wounded U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

A memorial service that began with an American Indian blessing by a tribal elder was to conclude with a speech by Obama who led a large contingent of dignitaries to the memorial service for the six killed and more than a dozen wounded.

Obama began his visit to Arizona by stopping at University Medical Center in Tucson to see Giffords, who survived a gunshot to the head that traveled the length of her brain on the left side. He also visited four other patients wounded in the attack.

"The president wanted to begin this solemn trip by stopping first at the hospital where Congresswoman Giffords and others continue to recuperate," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.

Crowds snaked around several Tucson blocks as thousands of people, some with children in tow, stood in line for several hours to get into the McKale Memorial Center to hear Obama address the tragedy.

Obama was expected to speak for up to 18 minutes during which he would urge Americans to unite regardless of political divisions and offer comfort to the victims' families.

In Washington, the House of Representatives condemned the shootings that gravely wounded Giffords, denouncing the "horrific attack" that has left lawmakers worried about their own security.

Member after member of the House spoke of their respect for Giffords, a third-term Democrat who is in critical condition with a bullet wound to the head, which she suffered while meeting with constituents at an outdoor event.

House Speaker John Boehner, struggling to hold back tears, opened a day of speeches on the resolution saying, "We are called here to mourn an unspeakable act of violence ... these are difficult hours for our country."

The resolution replaced on the House schedule what originally had been set as a day for voting to repeal Obama's landmark healthcare reform law.

Besides honoring Giffords and the other victims, the resolution applauded the bravery of those at the scene on Saturday who may have prevented more loss of life.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, has been accused of firing at Giffords and others gathered in a Tucson parking lot where the congresswoman was hosting an event for constituents.

'GETTING BETTER EVERY DAY'

Giffords' doctors reported signs of improvement.

"She is making more and more spontaneous movements ... she is getting better every day," trauma surgeon Peter Rhee told reporters at the University Medical Center in Tucson.

"She was able to actually feel her wounds herself ... we are very happy" with her progress, Rhee said.

The 40-year-old Giffords, who is married to U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly, was in a tough race for re-election last year. The campaign was marred by violent threats against her and vandalism at one of her Arizona offices.

"Political disagreement and dissent must never violate our nation's values as expressed in the Constitution for free expression of speech and peaceful assembly," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday, adding, "Gabby spoke to that right here from the floor last week."

The shooting rampage has fueled a debate about whether the heated partisan rhetoric featured in recent U.S. political campaigns can lead to violence. Politicians in both parties have suggested cooling the tone of discourse in Washington.

Prominent U.S. Republican Sarah Palin defended her fiery rhetoric on Wednesday but ignited a fresh controversy by accusing critics of "blood libel" in linking her to the shooting spree.

Palin has been a focus of criticism from the left since the shootings for urging followers to "reload," not retreat, after the healthcare debate and publishing an electoral map identifying vulnerable Democratic congressional districts, including Giffords', with rifle cross-hairs.

Earlier on Wednesday, House members received closed-door briefings on their own security and received an update from the FBI on the investigation into the shooting.

In California, a Palm Springs man was arrested on Wednesday on charges of threatening to kill Democratic Representative Jim McDermott of Washington state.

According to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Charles Turner Habermann, 32, left two threatening, expletive-filled voicemail messages at the Seattle office of McDermott on December 10.

Republican Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas was drafting legislation to permit members of Congress to carry guns in Washington, including into the House chamber, according to an aide.

But Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer said, "I don't think it's the answer" to have more guns, when asked by a reporter following a security briefing for lawmakers.

Law enforcement officials were piecing together more about Loughner and the events leading to the shooting that has brought multiple federal charges against him.

Just hours before the rampage, Loughner was stopped by an Arizona Game and Fish Department office for running a stoplight. Authorities said Loughner received a verbal warning and was released.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro, Donna Smith, Jeremy Pelofsky and John Whitesides in Washington, Dan Whitcomb and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, John Goh in Singapore; Writing by Richard Cowan and Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Obama Speech

Stadium opened after arena fills for Obama speech

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The University of Arizona has opened its football stadium after it became clear that the 14,000-seat arena would not be big enough to hold everyone wanting to see President Barack Obama's speech about the mass shooting.

Those at the stadium were watching the memorial service on the scoreboard.

The crowd in the main venue warmed up with a number of live performances, though "Amazing Grace" was almost drowned out by cheers as the surgeons treating the victims of the massacre were escorted to their seats.

Spectators also roared when Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik was shown on the large screen. Dupnik drew praise and criticism after he blamed the rampage in part on extreme political rhetoric, bigotry and hatred.

Obama's Arizona Speech: A Low Bar to Clear

What a horrible story this Arizona shooting story is.

Every day new details emerge that threaten to turn us all into the John Boehners of our offices, misting up over our Twitter feeds. Nine-year-old Christina-Taylor Green will be buried in a special coffin built and blessed by Trappist monks from Peosta, Iowa. Dorwan Stoddard, who was murdered, was the elementary school sweetheart of his wife, Mavy; they reunited after their life-long spouses died. Jared Lee Loughner's father chased him into the desert the morning of the shooting, and then the 22-year-old was pulled over by "a wildlife officer" for running a red light just hours before going on the rampage that killed six and wounded 14. Daniel Hernandez is awesome, a model of youthful composure.

The Tea Party Express is raising money off the tragedy and full of outrage about liberals. Tea Party Nation blames the shooting on liberals, calling Loughner a "leftist lunatic." Sarah Palin makes the story all about her, issuing a video -- with the comment function turned off, natch -- to defend free speech, in which she also accuses her critics of "blood libel." Jewish groups are outraged, and the Nathan Diamant, public policy director of the Orthodox Union of Jewish Congregations of America, says Palin's "response keeps our political and civic discourse in the gutter."

Four Arizona Republicans resigned local party positions out of fear for their lives after the shooting. The Tucson Tea Party leader says threats have made him afraid to go to the Obama speech tonight.

Most of the country does not believe politics were a major factor in the shooting, and a USA Today/Gallup poll reports that 53 percent agree "that commentators who allege conservative rhetoric was responsible were mostly attempting to use the tragedy to make conservatives look bad."

This is a horrible story, sparked by a horrible person who did a horrible thing, and provoking horrible and honorable people alike into saying horrible things.

As Obama gets ready to address the nation, one thing is clear.

The bar for delivering a unifying and healing speech this evening could not be lower.

President Obama’s speech to remember victims, soothe nation

TUCSON — President Barack Obama said Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords opened her eyes for the first time since she was shot in the head Saturday.

The president made his remarks as he addressed thousands of Arizonans and the rest of the nation Wednesday night at a memorial for the victims of a bloody shooting rampage that critically wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed a federal judge and five other people.

The president visited Giffords in her hospital room in the afternoon before proceeding to the University of Arizona’s McKale Memorial Center, where an overflow crowd of more than 14,000 people waited.

Obama “will devote a significant portion of his remarks to the memory of the victims,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. “He’ll also reflect on how all of us might best honor their memory in our own lives.”

The service started at 6 p.m., with remarks by Gov. Jan Brewer, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder before Obama. The president is expected to speak for a little under 20 minutes. He will leave Arizona later Wednesday evening.

Most of Arizona’s congressional delegation are in attendance, including Sen. Jon Kyl and Sen. John McCain, who met with family members of the victims before the service began. Giffords’ husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, is seated between Napolitano and Michelle Obama.

Intern Daniel Hernandez, who is credited with aiding Giffords quickly and helping to save her life, is sitting between President Obama and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Five delegation members flew to Arizona aboard Air Force One: Reps. Paul Gosar, Trent Franks, Ben Quayle, David Schweikert and Jeff Flake, all Republicans. Rep. Ral Grijalva, D-Ariz., greeted the president at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, along with the governor and Tucson Mayor Robert Walkup and Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.

After arriving at the base, the president went straight to University Medical Center, where Giffords and six other victims are being treated for their injuries. He spent about nine minutes with Giffords and her husband in the intensive care unit of the hospital.

The president also planned to meet families of the victims at McKale Center before the memorial begins.
The event has electrified the UA campus and drawn spectators from around Tucson and other parts of Arizona. People began lining at up at McKale Memorial Center Tuesday night and by early afternoon Wednesday, UA officials said the number of people in line exceeded the capacity of the 14,000-seat arena.

Overflow crowds were sent to Arizona Stadium, where the speeches will be shown on giant video screens. The service will also be broadcast on local and national television outlets and on several radio stations.

Tom Ratliff, 22, of Tucson was standing outside the hospital watching the presidential motorcade, which has 38 motorcycles including numerous other vehicles. The president’s car passed directly in front of Ratliff, who snapped a photograph and shouted: “That is so cool.”

Jim Pofel, 41, said he is a Republican and a general contractor in Tucson: “This isn’t a Republican or Democrat thing. I’m as upset as anyone else about what happened. I’m here to show my support.”

Mai-Ling Lem, 34, a Tucson mother of five, was first in line at the arena and said she wanted her two children, ages 16 and 11, to see the president.

“I’m proud to be a Tucsonan,” Lem says. “One person does not define my city.”

In Washington, members of Congress paid tribute to Giffords and the other victims as the House of Representatives prepared to pass a memorial resolution. Lawmakers had been scheduled to vote this week on repeal of Obama’s health care laws, but postponed any action in the wake of the shooting.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., whose husband was killed and son seriously wounded in the 1993 shooting on the Long Island railroad, said of the rampage, “It’s so parallel, it’s scary.”

“I say to all of you, time will heal you,” McCarthy said on the House floor. She added that Giffords would be proud of the members of the House. “She has brought this chamber together. It’s just a shame that a tragedy had to bring us together.”

One political expert said the stakes for the Obama speech are high, characterizing the aftermath of Saturday’s chilling assassination attempt on Giffords as “a crisis moment” when Americans are looking to the president for leadership. Past presidents have similarly stepped up in times of national tragedy, like President Bill Clinton did after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and President George W. Bush did after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

“This is an opportunity for the president to heal some wounds, to send a message of cooperation and peace and really extend the olive branch to all sides,” said Fred Solop, chairman of Northern Arizona University’s politics and international-affairs department. “This is an opportunity to define the next two years of the Obama presidency. He came off the election in a more weakened position and on the defensive. This is an opportunity to reach for the higher ground and to elevate the conversation that is taking place in Washington.”

A White House official told The Republic that Obama will devote most of his remarks to memorializing the victims. Holder, Napolitano and Gov. Jan Brewer also will speak during what is expected to be an hourlong event.

“It’s a case where the best politics is no politics,” said John J. “Jack” Pitney Jr., a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California. “The best approach for him would be not to say anything that sounds political or sounds critical of any political faction. If he can deliver a message of unity, compassion and resolve, then that’s a good thing.”

The “Together We Thrive: Tucson and America” program will come hours after the House vote on the resolution honoring the victims of the mass shooting at a Safeway near Tucson. The six dead included U.S. District Judge John Roll and Gabe Zimmerman, Giffords’ outreach director. Thirteen people, including Giffords, were wounded in the attack.

Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., managed floor debate on the resolution for the majority House Republicans. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., managed the debate for the House Democrats. After the action, Flake and other members of Arizona’s House delegation plan to fly to Tucson with the president on Air Force One. Arizona’s Republican Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl and GOP Gov. Jan Brewer also are expected to attend the Tucson memorial. McCain shortened an official trip to South America to return to Arizona.

It’s unclear whether Brewer and Obama will meet or speak privately before the event. The two spoke Saturday by phone, just hours after the rampage. In contrast to their previous conversations and meetings, Brewer described Saturday’s phone call as one of kindness. In the past, Brewer and Obama have disagreed on a host of politically charged issues, including immigration, border security and the federal government’s health-care reform plan.

“He was very, very gracious,” Brewer said. “It was totally nonpartisan.”

The trip marks Obama’s fourth visit to Arizona since becoming president and his first since August 2009. Arizona, which was carried by home-state candidate McCain in the 2008 election, once was seen as a possible 2012 pickup for Obama. However, the Obama administration and Arizona Republican leaders spent much of 2010 at odds. The Justice Department sued to block Arizona’s controversial immigration-enforcement law, Senate Bill 1070, from going into effect.

Pitney doubted that Obama’s visit today will do much to reset his administration’s relationship with its Arizona critics.

“I don’t think this necessarily connects with partisan politics at all,” Pitney said.