Not that we heard much from him as "president" for the last year of his tenure, but talk about a clean break. Since junior got on that helicopter and headed back to his ranch photo set in Texas, the only peep in the news about him or his minions hasn't come from them as much as it has come from the percolating talk of investigations, subpoenas, and war crimes. Faux news pundit rover received another subpoena last week from the Honorable Congressman John Conyers. This time the White House might not back his executive privilege defense for not honoring it. A UN official said this week that there is enough evidence on rummy to prosecute him for War Crimes. Neither of these stories made Major headlines. There was another big story outshining them.... President Barack Obama's First Week in Office.
It's been a little over a week since the Inauguration (that even had the Rude Pundit feeling verklempt). There's a Great zoomable picture of it here (if only it was taken from the other side I could have found myself). Since January 20th, President Obama has signed executive orders and Presidential directive memoranda strengthening ethics rules in the Executive branch (an order that has made the appointment of the Secretary of Defense's choice/Obama's nominee for Under Secretary a bit sticky). In another order, President Obama opened presidential and ex-presidential records, reversing one of his failure of a predecessor's secrecy policies. He repealed the ban on funding international groups who provide information about abortion. He halted "war crimes trials" at Guantanamo Bay (for review). His administration will close Guantanamo Bay in a year, along with all the other CIA "black sites". He has ensured "lawful interrogations", stating plainly "the United States will not torture". He talked with both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Day One, as well as his military leaders. He struck a Respectful/we're all in this together tone when he gave the first presidential interview to an ARABIC television station. During the interview, the President of the United States said "Americans are not your enemy" and "all too often the United States starts by dictating". He has the Environmental Protection Agency reevaluating the 13 states that want higher gas mileage regulations. He froze pay increases on his highest paid (about 100) aides. He has his new and improved www.whitehouse.gov up and running, where he has started his weekly video addresses. The "most technologically advanced campaign" walked into a White House complete broken email systems and old computers running on old operating systems. One aide commented ";It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari," President Obama departed from junior on global warming, wolves, and drilling in Utah. He and Secretary of State Clinton spoke of "direct diplomacy" with Iran. The New President met with Republicans from the Senate and the House to show his respect (however unwarranted) and to listen to their ideas most specifically on his far reaching, high price tag "stimulus package" which will focus on energy, infrastructure, and education projects, mainly. How many times did the previous administration talk to Democrats when they were the minority on policy matters? The republicans have been grasping at arguments against the "package", even after the Democrats gave into their billions (33% of the price tag) in corporate tax cuts, and cut the funding for medicaid family planning, because republicans couldn't understand how contraceptives, preventing disease and unwanted pregnancy, save US money in Health Care and Welfare (These are the same people who were for millions on "abstenance training"). The obstructicans didn't understand how resodding and upgrading the National Mall in Washington DC would create jobs. I guess none of them have hired grounds keepers or landscapers at home. It too has been removed. Some suggest that it, along with the family planning funding, were put in the legislation to be removed as "compromise". But obstructicans are literally making up fictious reports to prove their pathetic points. President Obama's outreach, given his mandate, seemed pretty unprecedented and unfortunately unappreciated. The obstructicans won't be happy unless as big fat idiot and known doper limbag hopes "Obama fails" or at least there are more tax cuts for the rich and big business, because they've been so effective since reagan came up with his "trickle down" reagonomics... Not! Bipartisanship may have meant republicans get whatever they want when they were in the majority for twelve years, but does it have to be the case now that the Democrats hold the House, the Senate and the White House. I'm sure we'll talk more about "the American Recovery and Reinvestment plan" that the President says he plans to sign by the middle of February. It passed the House, without one republican vote (talk about a strictly political vote for republicans). I wonder how much spending they'll vote yes to for building infrastructure in Iraq. President Obama had this to say on the vote.
And speaking of the economy...
Home Depot, Caterpillar, Sprint Nextel, Texas Instruments, Microsoft, Pfizer, Ford, Boeing, Starbucks, and Allstate announced they were cutting thousands of jobs, probably about 100,000 in all. Unemployment is over 7%. The GDP is down 3.8% (suffering its biggest drop in 27 years). "New-home sales collapsed". And "durable-goods orders slumped". And wall street executives received $18.4 billion dollars in bonuses, which the New President of the United States called "shameful" and "the height of Irresponsibility", with Secretary of the Treasury Geithner at his side.
So as Cindy Sheehan is printing her t-shirts that read "Adios Mother F&#@er" bush, I join with Most Americans in saying "Hello President OBAMA!" Pretty damn good first week, Sir, but there remains a HUGE and deepening hole for Us to get out of.
Here are some excerpts from the President's interview with al-Arabiya Television (Dubai):
"Ultimately, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. And that instead, it's time to return to the negotiating table."
"We have not been perfect."
"ultimately, people are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions and my administration's actions. And I think that what you will see over the next several years is that I'm not going to agree with everything that some Muslim leader may say, or what's on a television station in the Arab world -- but I think that what you'll see is somebody who is listening, who is respectful, and who is trying to promote the interests not just of the United States, but also ordinary people who right now are suffering from poverty and a lack of opportunity. I want to make sure that I'm speaking to them, as well."
"Q: President Bush framed the war on terror conceptually in a way that was very broad, "war on terror," and used sometimes certain terminology that the many people -- Islamic fascism. You've always framed it in a different way, specifically against one group called al Qaeda and their collaborators. And is this one way of --
THE PRESIDENT: I think that you're making a very important point. And that is that the language we use matters. And what we need to understand is, is that there are extremist organizations -- whether Muslim or any other faith in the past -- that will use faith as a justification for violence. We cannot paint with a broad brush a faith as a consequence of the violence that is done in that faith's name.
And so you will I think see our administration be very clear in
distinguishing between organizations like al Qaeda -- that espouse violence, espouse terror and act on it -- and people who may disagree with my administration and certain actions, or may have a particular viewpoint in terms of how their countries should develop. We can have legitimate disagreements but still be respectful. I cannot respect terrorist organizations that would kill innocent civilians and we will hunt them down.
But to the broader Muslim world what we are going to be offering is a hand of friendship."
It's been a little over a week since the Inauguration (that even had the Rude Pundit feeling verklempt). There's a Great zoomable picture of it here (if only it was taken from the other side I could have found myself). Since January 20th, President Obama has signed executive orders and Presidential directive memoranda strengthening ethics rules in the Executive branch (an order that has made the appointment of the Secretary of Defense's choice/Obama's nominee for Under Secretary a bit sticky). In another order, President Obama opened presidential and ex-presidential records, reversing one of his failure of a predecessor's secrecy policies. He repealed the ban on funding international groups who provide information about abortion. He halted "war crimes trials" at Guantanamo Bay (for review). His administration will close Guantanamo Bay in a year, along with all the other CIA "black sites". He has ensured "lawful interrogations", stating plainly "the United States will not torture". He talked with both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Day One, as well as his military leaders. He struck a Respectful/we're all in this together tone when he gave the first presidential interview to an ARABIC television station. During the interview, the President of the United States said "Americans are not your enemy" and "all too often the United States starts by dictating". He has the Environmental Protection Agency reevaluating the 13 states that want higher gas mileage regulations. He froze pay increases on his highest paid (about 100) aides. He has his new and improved www.whitehouse.gov up and running, where he has started his weekly video addresses. The "most technologically advanced campaign" walked into a White House complete broken email systems and old computers running on old operating systems. One aide commented ";It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari," President Obama departed from junior on global warming, wolves, and drilling in Utah. He and Secretary of State Clinton spoke of "direct diplomacy" with Iran. The New President met with Republicans from the Senate and the House to show his respect (however unwarranted) and to listen to their ideas most specifically on his far reaching, high price tag "stimulus package" which will focus on energy, infrastructure, and education projects, mainly. How many times did the previous administration talk to Democrats when they were the minority on policy matters? The republicans have been grasping at arguments against the "package", even after the Democrats gave into their billions (33% of the price tag) in corporate tax cuts, and cut the funding for medicaid family planning, because republicans couldn't understand how contraceptives, preventing disease and unwanted pregnancy, save US money in Health Care and Welfare (These are the same people who were for millions on "abstenance training"). The obstructicans didn't understand how resodding and upgrading the National Mall in Washington DC would create jobs. I guess none of them have hired grounds keepers or landscapers at home. It too has been removed. Some suggest that it, along with the family planning funding, were put in the legislation to be removed as "compromise". But obstructicans are literally making up fictious reports to prove their pathetic points. President Obama's outreach, given his mandate, seemed pretty unprecedented and unfortunately unappreciated. The obstructicans won't be happy unless as big fat idiot and known doper limbag hopes "Obama fails" or at least there are more tax cuts for the rich and big business, because they've been so effective since reagan came up with his "trickle down" reagonomics... Not! Bipartisanship may have meant republicans get whatever they want when they were in the majority for twelve years, but does it have to be the case now that the Democrats hold the House, the Senate and the White House. I'm sure we'll talk more about "the American Recovery and Reinvestment plan" that the President says he plans to sign by the middle of February. It passed the House, without one republican vote (talk about a strictly political vote for republicans). I wonder how much spending they'll vote yes to for building infrastructure in Iraq. President Obama had this to say on the vote.
And speaking of the economy...
Home Depot, Caterpillar, Sprint Nextel, Texas Instruments, Microsoft, Pfizer, Ford, Boeing, Starbucks, and Allstate announced they were cutting thousands of jobs, probably about 100,000 in all. Unemployment is over 7%. The GDP is down 3.8% (suffering its biggest drop in 27 years). "New-home sales collapsed". And "durable-goods orders slumped". And wall street executives received $18.4 billion dollars in bonuses, which the New President of the United States called "shameful" and "the height of Irresponsibility", with Secretary of the Treasury Geithner at his side.
So as Cindy Sheehan is printing her t-shirts that read "Adios Mother F&#@er" bush, I join with Most Americans in saying "Hello President OBAMA!" Pretty damn good first week, Sir, but there remains a HUGE and deepening hole for Us to get out of.
Here are some excerpts from the President's interview with al-Arabiya Television (Dubai):
"Ultimately, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. And that instead, it's time to return to the negotiating table."
"We have not been perfect."
"ultimately, people are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions and my administration's actions. And I think that what you will see over the next several years is that I'm not going to agree with everything that some Muslim leader may say, or what's on a television station in the Arab world -- but I think that what you'll see is somebody who is listening, who is respectful, and who is trying to promote the interests not just of the United States, but also ordinary people who right now are suffering from poverty and a lack of opportunity. I want to make sure that I'm speaking to them, as well."
"Q: President Bush framed the war on terror conceptually in a way that was very broad, "war on terror," and used sometimes certain terminology that the many people -- Islamic fascism. You've always framed it in a different way, specifically against one group called al Qaeda and their collaborators. And is this one way of --
THE PRESIDENT: I think that you're making a very important point. And that is that the language we use matters. And what we need to understand is, is that there are extremist organizations -- whether Muslim or any other faith in the past -- that will use faith as a justification for violence. We cannot paint with a broad brush a faith as a consequence of the violence that is done in that faith's name.
And so you will I think see our administration be very clear in
distinguishing between organizations like al Qaeda -- that espouse violence, espouse terror and act on it -- and people who may disagree with my administration and certain actions, or may have a particular viewpoint in terms of how their countries should develop. We can have legitimate disagreements but still be respectful. I cannot respect terrorist organizations that would kill innocent civilians and we will hunt them down.
But to the broader Muslim world what we are going to be offering is a hand of friendship."
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