1333 Obama - pockets

from eyblast.tv

1334 Obama - Or so he says

Associated Press, Recovery Act Implementation Conference, March12, 2009

"If we see money being misspent, we're going to put a stop to it" President Obama

"Six months from now, if the verdict on this effort is that we've wasted the money, we built things that were unnecessary or we've done things that are legal but make no sense, then, folks, don't look for any help from the federal government for a long while" V.P. Biden

"All of you are at the front lines of what is probably the most important task that we have in this country over the next couple of years, and that's getting the economy started again" President Obama (the audience gasped when he entered the room)

"make sure that every single dollar is well spent" President Obama

1335 Obama - Doom Bunker

Doom Bunker

1336 Obama - March Madness

In the spirit of March madness coming up next week. And given that Rush Limbaugh is right 99% of the time and Steve is wrong 99% of the time, Let's dwell on Steve's right 1%, and that has to do with sports (remember he is in favor of college football playoffs). So in that spirit, there should be a betting line on when Steve's first official VETO happens.

Heaven knows, he should have vetoed today's pork bill, since he promised during the campaign that there would be no more earmarks and that the American people would get to review all bills for 5 days before he signed them.

Knowing America's recent luck, his first veto will probably be vetoing college football playoffs.

1337 Obama - gift gaffe

Newsbusters 20090307

The Obamas, Barack and Michelle both, pretty much diplomatically botched the recent visit of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife. Oddly enough, the U.S. Old Media seems uninterested in the story that is a hot topic in England, a story that's left many Brits a bit miffed.

• As the visit of the national leader of our closest ally began, the President informed the Brits that he wouldn't be attending the joint press conference that was planned to be held once PM Brown's plane touched down. This threw the visiting delegation into a tizzy leaving them scrambling to explain the sudden change in plans to the folks back home. Still, meetings were had and things smoothed out. Eventually the visit seemed to right itself... then came the Obama's gift gaffes.


• It is well understood that visiting diplomatic delegations come bearing gifts and gift giving is returned in like fashion by the host country. It is an ages old human practice in diplomacy after all. Usually the gifts are valuable, representative of the products of the nations involved, or at least symbolic of the history of those nations.


• For his part, PM Brown gave two symbolic gifts and one that expressed national pride. Brown came bearing a pen holder carved from the timbers of the sister ship of that which gave the wood to create the famous "Resolute Desk," the desk that has been in America's charge since 1880. He also gave Obama the framed commission for that famous ship, the HMS Resolute. His third gift was a seven-volume biography of one of England's greatest leaders, Winston Churchill.


• So, what did President Obama give the British PM? 25 movies on DVD. Yeah, that's it. Brown gives a symbolic gift like the pen holder fashioned from a famous British warship and Obama responds by sending a staffer to WalMart to pick up a few quick movies.


• How thoughtful. Or not.


• And I'm not the only one to scoff at this thoughtless gift. The entire British press is up in arms. Many in Britain are seeing this as entirely gauche and indicative of the low esteem in which the Obama's hold England.


• Worse, no one is 100% sure that Obama was smart enough to know that DVDs made in America don't play on European DVD players. American DVDs are created in the "Region One" format while those in Europe play in "Region Two" format. A U.S. DVD just won't play on a machine made for the English market.


• Not to be out done in tastelessness by her husband, Michelle got into the act, too. Mrs. Brown came bearing two outfits for the Obama girls from Topshop, one of Britain's trendiest and expensive women's wear retail outlets.


• In return, Michelle apparently had a staffer run down to the White House gift shop and grab two toy Marine One helicopter models for the Brown's boys.


• Class all the way, huh?


• All of this is on top of the snub of the Brits that Obama tossed off immediately upon entering office. One of his first official acts was to summarily return to the Brits the generous gift of the most famous bust of Winston Churchill that has sat in the Oval Office since the attacks on 9/11.


• This threw British diplomats into a tizzy really blindsiding them. Even when they reiterated that Obama could keep the generous gift to the American people, he rejected it without comment leaving the Brits at a loss for words.


• Now, I thought that Obama was going to improve our relations with "the world" once he took office? So far, all he's done is tell our enemies he's their friend and carelessly wave off our actual friends.

1338 Obama - Caterpillar

from Chicago Sun Times

On President's day, 2009, Steve gave one of his golden tongued teleprompted speeches. But before that:

• WASHINGTON--Visiting the Caterpillar Plant in East Peoria on Thursday afternoon, President Obama was drumming up support for his stimulus bill. He pressured freshman Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.)--Caterpillar is in his district--for his vote by basically wondering out loud if he will measure up to the two men who had the seat before him--Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood and former House Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.)
  
• No House Republicans voted for the stimulus the first time around. I've heard that as of Thursday, no Illinois House member will vote yes on the final version.


• Said Obama at the plant, "I want to thank Peoria's own Ray LaHood, who is doing outstanding work as my Transportation secretary. You know, Ray comes from a long line of Republicans I love, starting with Bob Michel and -- you know, they're just -- I think there's a common-sense, Midwestern, can-do, bipartisan attitude that Ray represents. And I am so pleased that he's in my Cabinet.


• "Now, his successor, Congressman Schock -- where is he? He's back here. He's right here. Stand up, Aaron. This is -- Aaron's still trying to make up his mind about our recovery package...... So, you know, he has a chance to be in the mold of Bob Michel and Ray LaHood."
  

Guess What? Congressman Schock heard from 1,400 of his constituents from Caterpillar. All 1,400 said they were against the stimulus ARRP