March 15, 2010 2:00 pm
Wired, “Obama Supports DNA Sampling Upon Arrest”
by David Kravets
Josh Gerstein over at Politico sent Threat Level his piece underscoring once again President Barack Obama is not the civil-liberties knight in shining armor many were expecting.
Gerstein posts a televised interview of Obama and John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted. The nation’s chief executive extols the virtues of mandatory DNA testing of Americans upon arrest, even absent charges or a conviction. Obama said, “It’s the right thing to do” to “tighten the grip around folks” who commit crime.
When it comes to civil liberties, the Obama administration has come under fire for often mirroring his predecessor’s practices surrounding state secrets, the Patriot Act and domestic spying. There’s also Gitmo, Jay Bybee and John Yoo.
Wired article continues here.
March 15, 2010 1:58 pm
Fox News, “Obama Drops Objections to Sweetheart Deals as House Moves to Craft Health Care Fixes”
The White House is backing down from efforts to drop “sweetheart” deals poisoning health care legislation as House Budget Committee Democrats meet Monday to craft a “fix-it” bill that does not yet have a price tag.
In a new take on its policy, White House top strategist David Axelrod said President Obama only objects to state-specific arrangements, such as an increase in Medicaid funding for Nebraska, ridiculed as the “cornhusker kickback.”
But instead of dropping them, the concept behind those deals could be widened so that all states benefit.
Fox News article continues here.
March 12, 2010 11:18 am
The Hill, “Obama puts off overseas trip to focus on healthcare reform battle”
by Michael O’Brien
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed the decision to delay the trip from March 18 to March 21 in a message on Twitter.
Obama was set to leave March 18, and the White House hoped the House would approve the Senate’s healthcare bill by that time.
But House leaders have pushed back at the deadline, criticizing Gibbs and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the process.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday that meeting the White House deadline is highly unlikely.
The Hill article continues here.
March 12, 2010 11:18 am
Breitbart (PR Newswire), “Obama Justice Department Shut Down Federal ACORN Investigation According to Documents Obtained by Judicial Watch”
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detailing federal investigations into the alleged corrupt activities of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The documents reference serious allegations of corruption and voter registration fraud by ACORN as well as the Obama administration’s decision to shut down a criminal investigation without filing criminal charges.
The documents include background information on two specific complaints filed in October 2008 by Lucy Corelli and Joseph Borges, Republican Registrars of Voters in Stamford and Bridgeport, Connecticut, respectively, during the 2008 election season.
Breitbart (PR Newswire) article continues here.
March 10, 2010 9:59 am
The Washington Post, “Obama’s plans for NASA changes met with harsh criticism”
by Joel Achenbach
Harrison Schmitt’s credentials as a space policy analyst include several days of walking on the moon. The Apollo 17 astronaut, who is also a former U.S. senator, is aghast at what President Obama is doing to the space program.
“It’s bad for the country,” Schmitt said. “This administration really does not believe in American exceptionalism.”
Schmitt’s harsh words are part of a furious blowback to the administration’s new strategy for NASA. The administration has decided to kill NASA’s Constellation program, crafted during the Bush administration with an ambitious goal of putting astronauts back on the moon by 2020. Obama’s 2011 budget request would nix Constellation’s rocket and crew capsule, funnel billions of dollars to new spaceflight technologies, and outsource to commercial firms the task of ferrying astronauts to low-Earth orbit.
The Washington Post article continues here.
March 8, 2010 9:59 am
Fox News (AP), “Obama to Sell Public on His Health Care Plan”
With the fate of his signature legislative initiative far from certain, President Barack Obama is taking his last-ditch push for health care reform on the road.
In a speech Monday in Philadelphia, Obama will try to persuade the public to back his plan to remake the nation’s health care system, while also urging uneasy lawmakers to cast a “final vote” for a massive reform bill in an election year.
Obama’s pitch in Philadelphia, along with a stop in St. Louis Wednesday, comes as the president begins an all-out effort to pass his health care proposals. Though his plan has received only modest public support, Obama has implored lawmakers to show political courage and not let a historic opportunity slip away.
Fox News (AP) article continues here.
March 4, 2010 3:35 pm
The Weekly Standard, “Obama Now Selling Judgeships for Health Care Votes?”
by John McCormack
Tonight, Barack Obama will host ten House Democrats who voted against the health care bill in November at the White House; he’s obviously trying to persuade them to switch their votes to yes. One of the ten is Jim Matheson of Utah. The White House just sent out a press release announcing that today President Obama nominated Matheson’s brother Scott M. Matheson, Jr. to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
“Scott Matheson is a distinguished candidate for the Tenth Circuit court,” President Obama said. “Both his legal and academic credentials are impressive and his commitment to judicial integrity is unwavering. I am honored to nominate this lifelong Utahn to the federal bench.”
The Weekly Standard article continues here.
March 4, 2010 3:34 pm
Yahoo! News (Reuters), “Pelosi: Lawmaker healthcare concerns can be satisfied”
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday she was confident of satisfying Democratic concerns about a Senate-approved healthcare bill and passing the measure.
Pelosi made the comment at her weekly news conference — just hours after one lawmaker said a dozen House Democrats opposed to abortion were willing to kill the legislation unless it satisfies their demand for language barring federal funding of the procedure.
Their threat to kill healthcare reform came a day after President Barack Obama launched a final push to pass the overhaul, a top domestic priority, and urged Democrats in Congress to vote on the bill this month, even without Republican support.
Yahoo! News (Reuters) article continues here.
March 3, 2010 3:53 pm
Breitbart (AP), “Time to act on health care, Obama declares”
by Alan Fram
President Barack Obama urged Congress Wednesday to vote “up or down” on sweeping health care legislation in the next few weeks, endorsing a plan that denies Senate Republicans the right to kill the bill by stalling with a filibuster.
“I don’t see how another year of negotiations would help. Moreover, the insurance companies aren’t starting over,” Obama said, rejecting Republican calls to begin anew on an effort to remake the health care system.
The president made his appeal as Democratic leaders in Congress surveyed their rank and file for the votes needed to pass legislation by majority vote—invoking rules that deny Senate Republicans the right to block it through endless stalling debate. Obama specifically endorsed that approach.
Breitbart (AP) article continues here.
