In a Time of Universal Deceit, Telling the Truth is Revolutionary.
Friday, March 24, 2023

Day: December 1, 2009

Salahis: ‘We’re not party crashers’

December 1, 2009

A man who made his way uninvited into a White House state dinner is denying that he and his wife are gate-crashers.

In his first nationally broadcast interview since the incident, Tareq Salahi (TAH’-rehk sah-LAH’-hee) told NBC’s “Today” show that the whole experience has been “the most devastating thing that has ever happened” to him and his wife, Michaele.

Salahi said flatly that the couple “did not party-crash the White House.” He said the pair is cooperating with the Secret Service and they have “great respect” for President Barack Obama. Salahi told interviewer Matt Lauer he’s confident “the truth will come out.” about the circumstances surrounding his and his wife’s attendance at the state dinner for the visiting prime minister of India.

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Reducing unemployment will take time

December 1, 2009

President Barack Obama’s top economic adviser said on Monday that tackling high U.S. unemployment was vital but the problem would take time to fix.

“I think recessions like the one we’re suffering now have very substantial costs,” said Lawrence Summers, director of Obama’s National Economic Council.

“Addressing 10.2 percent unemployment is a matter of very great urgency. It is not something that is going to be fixed in a week, or a month, or a year,” Summers said in after-dinner remarks for a conference on innovation and the economy sponsored by Intel Corp and the Aspen Institute.

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Despite promises, Obama plays old political tricks

December 1, 2009

President Barack Obama entered the White House promising a new era of openness in government, but when it comes to bad news, his administration often uses one of the oldest tricks in the public relations playbook: putting it out when the fewest people are likely to notice.

Former White House environmental adviser Van Jones’ resignation over controversial comments hit the trifecta of below-the-radar timing: The White House announced the departure overnight on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, when few journalists were on duty and few Americans awake, much less paying attention to the news.

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Get ready: Health care debate will be nasty

December 1, 2009

Democrats called it a historic opportunity. Republicans called it a sham.

Long-awaited debate over President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul kicked off in the Senate with lawmakers trading bitter partisan words over the measure to remake one-sixth of the U.S. economy.

The legislative struggle is expected to last for weeks in a test that pits GOP senators determined not to give ground against Senate Democrats determined to deliver on Obama’s signature issue.

The 10-year, nearly $1 trillion legislation includes a first-time requirement for most Americans to carry insurance, greatly expands the Medicaid federal-state insurance program for the poor, and would require insurers to cover any paying customer regardless of their medical history or condition.

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Obama’s gamble: 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan

December 1, 2009

President Barack Obama plans to announce on Tuesday that he will send about 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in a long-awaited war strategy shift that he hopes will defeat the Taliban and allow for a U.S. exit.

After three months of deliberations that some critics called dithering, Obama is to lay out his plan in a speech to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

The high-stakes televised address will take place at 8 p.m. EDT.

The troop increase represents a major gamble by Obama. He came to office vowing a greater focus on Afghanistan but has faced skepticism from some key advisers about the wisdom of putting more American lives and money on the line for a government in Kabul widely seen as corrupt and inept.

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