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Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Rival Messages as Obama Lands in the Mideast
By JEFF ZELENY and HELENE COOPER -June 4th, 2009
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Aiming to repair the American relationship with the Muslim world, President Obama was greeted on Wednesday with reminders of the vast gulfs his Cairo speech must bridge, as voices as disparate as Al Qaeda’s and the Israeli government’s competed to shape how Mr. Obama’s message would be heard.
In a new audiotape, Osama bin Laden condemned Mr. Obama for planting what he called new seeds of “hatred and vengeance” among Muslims, while in Jerusalem, senior Israeli officials complained that Mr. Obama was rewriting old understandings by taking a harder line against new Israeli settlements. [Pages A6 and A14.]
The speech that Mr. Obama is to deliver Thursday in Cairo is intended to make good on a two-year-old promise to use a major Muslim capital as the scene for a major address. Mr. Obama has pledged a new face and tone to relations between the United States and the Muslim world. But whether his expected call for America and Islam to come together can trump Mr. bin Laden’s call to arms is a question that could define Mr. Obama’s presidency in the years to come.
Aware of the high expectations for the speech, Mr. Obama and his advisers have spent months soliciting opinion and advice from a wide variety of experts, from men of the cloth to Arab businessmen to Persian scholars. On his first stop in the Middle East, Mr. Obama spent Wednesday afternoon with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s two holiest sites, and declared on arrival, “I thought it was very important to come to the place where Islam began.”
In a bid to make sure that Mr. Obama’s message will be heard, particularly among young people, the White House has mounted an unusually aggressive campaign, including a Web site created in Arabic, Persian, Urdu and English where people outside the United States can sign up to receive the speech via text message. The State Department is to translate the speech into at least 13 languages.
Mr. Obama’s advisers nevertheless sought to lower expectations. “There’s been an undeniable breach between the American and Islamic world,” said David Axelrod, a senior adviser to the president.
“That breach has been years in the making. It is not going to be reversed with one speech. It’s not going to be reversed, perhaps, in one administration.”
The speech will cover a wide swath of territory, advisers said, beginning by challenging the misperceptions that Americans may hold about Muslims and that Muslims may hold about Americans. Mr. Obama will touch upon violent extremism, the threat of a nuclear Iran and the need for the expansion of human rights and democracy.
But even on Wednesday night, as Mr. Obama headed to his quarters at Al Janadriyah Farm, where he is a guest of the king, he told his advisers that he had more thinking to do on the speech and that he would deliver a final version by dawn.
As the son and grandson of Muslims, Mr. Obama has had years to reflect on America’s troubled ties with the Islamic world. But the path to the Cairo address, as described by some advisers, also offers a case study in the president’s approach to a delicate issue, one in which he reached out to dozens of people on how to shape his message.
Before his trip, he and his aides talked to American chief executives of major companies who are Muslims. He read unsolicited essays that were sent to the White House. And he sought out not only Muslims, but also Jews and people of other faiths and experts across academia.
In recent weeks, as advisers presented him with drafts of the speech, Mr. Obama would end sessions with a question. “Are you making sure that we are hearing a Muslim voice?” he would say, according to participants.
Among the Muslim business leaders consulted during the preparations were: S. A. Ibrahim of the Radian Group; Tariq Malhance, the president of UIB Capital; Hultam Olayan of the Olayan America Corporation; and Noosheen Hashemi, a former vice president at Oracle.
On the Friday afternoon before the Memorial Day weekend, White House officials hosted a group of Muslim and other foreign policy scholars to discuss what points Mr. Obama should touch on. The meeting was organized by Michael McFaul, the White House senior adviser for Russia, who arranged it under his purview as a senior democracy adviser. Other White House officials in the 90-minute meeting included the National Security Council officials Mara Rudman, Dan Shapiro, Denis McDonough and Ben Rhodes.
On the other side of the table were Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian-American expert from the Carnegie Endowment, Ghaith Al-Omari, a former Palestinian peace negotiator, Vali Nasr, another Iran expert who is soon to join the Obama administration, and Shibley Telhami, a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, who described for the assembled officials the results of polling in the Middle East about attitudes toward the United States, according to people in the meeting.
Even as Mr. Obama flew toward Saudi Arabia early Wednesday, he sat on Air Force One, long after most of his advisers had fallen asleep, working with pen in hand through page after page of the speech.
On the first of a five-day trip through four countries, Mr. Obama was treading carefully, with every move being carefully watched in the Middle East. He exchanged a light embrace and a double-kiss with King Abdullah, but the president did not bow as he did at their first meeting in London this year in a gesture that drew criticism.
“I also want to express my best wishes to the friendly American people who are represented by a distinguished man who deserves to be in this position,” King Abdullah said, presenting the president with a large gold medallion known as the King Abdul Aziz Collar.
“Shoukran,” Mr. Obama replied, which in Arabic means “thank you.”
Jeff Zeleny reported from Riyadh, and Helene Cooper from Washington.
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Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Aiming to repair the American relationship with the Muslim world, President Obama was greeted on Wednesday with reminders of the vast gulfs his Cairo speech must bridge, as voices as disparate as Al Qaeda’s and the Israeli government’s competed to shape how Mr. Obama’s message would be heard.
In a new audiotape, Osama bin Laden condemned Mr. Obama for planting what he called new seeds of “hatred and vengeance” among Muslims, while in Jerusalem, senior Israeli officials complained that Mr. Obama was rewriting old understandings by taking a harder line against new Israeli settlements. [Pages A6 and A14.]
The speech that Mr. Obama is to deliver Thursday in Cairo is intended to make good on a two-year-old promise to use a major Muslim capital as the scene for a major address. Mr. Obama has pledged a new face and tone to relations between the United States and the Muslim world. But whether his expected call for America and Islam to come together can trump Mr. bin Laden’s call to arms is a question that could define Mr. Obama’s presidency in the years to come.
Aware of the high expectations for the speech, Mr. Obama and his advisers have spent months soliciting opinion and advice from a wide variety of experts, from men of the cloth to Arab businessmen to Persian scholars. On his first stop in the Middle East, Mr. Obama spent Wednesday afternoon with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s two holiest sites, and declared on arrival, “I thought it was very important to come to the place where Islam began.”
In a bid to make sure that Mr. Obama’s message will be heard, particularly among young people, the White House has mounted an unusually aggressive campaign, including a Web site created in Arabic, Persian, Urdu and English where people outside the United States can sign up to receive the speech via text message. The State Department is to translate the speech into at least 13 languages.
Mr. Obama’s advisers nevertheless sought to lower expectations. “There’s been an undeniable breach between the American and Islamic world,” said David Axelrod, a senior adviser to the president.
“That breach has been years in the making. It is not going to be reversed with one speech. It’s not going to be reversed, perhaps, in one administration.”
The speech will cover a wide swath of territory, advisers said, beginning by challenging the misperceptions that Americans may hold about Muslims and that Muslims may hold about Americans. Mr. Obama will touch upon violent extremism, the threat of a nuclear Iran and the need for the expansion of human rights and democracy.
But even on Wednesday night, as Mr. Obama headed to his quarters at Al Janadriyah Farm, where he is a guest of the king, he told his advisers that he had more thinking to do on the speech and that he would deliver a final version by dawn.
As the son and grandson of Muslims, Mr. Obama has had years to reflect on America’s troubled ties with the Islamic world. But the path to the Cairo address, as described by some advisers, also offers a case study in the president’s approach to a delicate issue, one in which he reached out to dozens of people on how to shape his message.
Before his trip, he and his aides talked to American chief executives of major companies who are Muslims. He read unsolicited essays that were sent to the White House. And he sought out not only Muslims, but also Jews and people of other faiths and experts across academia.
In recent weeks, as advisers presented him with drafts of the speech, Mr. Obama would end sessions with a question. “Are you making sure that we are hearing a Muslim voice?” he would say, according to participants.
Among the Muslim business leaders consulted during the preparations were: S. A. Ibrahim of the Radian Group; Tariq Malhance, the president of UIB Capital; Hultam Olayan of the Olayan America Corporation; and Noosheen Hashemi, a former vice president at Oracle.
On the Friday afternoon before the Memorial Day weekend, White House officials hosted a group of Muslim and other foreign policy scholars to discuss what points Mr. Obama should touch on. The meeting was organized by Michael McFaul, the White House senior adviser for Russia, who arranged it under his purview as a senior democracy adviser. Other White House officials in the 90-minute meeting included the National Security Council officials Mara Rudman, Dan Shapiro, Denis McDonough and Ben Rhodes.
On the other side of the table were Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian-American expert from the Carnegie Endowment, Ghaith Al-Omari, a former Palestinian peace negotiator, Vali Nasr, another Iran expert who is soon to join the Obama administration, and Shibley Telhami, a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, who described for the assembled officials the results of polling in the Middle East about attitudes toward the United States, according to people in the meeting.
Even as Mr. Obama flew toward Saudi Arabia early Wednesday, he sat on Air Force One, long after most of his advisers had fallen asleep, working with pen in hand through page after page of the speech.
On the first of a five-day trip through four countries, Mr. Obama was treading carefully, with every move being carefully watched in the Middle East. He exchanged a light embrace and a double-kiss with King Abdullah, but the president did not bow as he did at their first meeting in London this year in a gesture that drew criticism.
“I also want to express my best wishes to the friendly American people who are represented by a distinguished man who deserves to be in this position,” King Abdullah said, presenting the president with a large gold medallion known as the King Abdul Aziz Collar.
“Shoukran,” Mr. Obama replied, which in Arabic means “thank you.”
Jeff Zeleny reported from Riyadh, and Helene Cooper from Washington.
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Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Obama won't oppose ruling weakening 'don't ask'
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
(05-19) 20:19 PDT -- The Obama administration, criticized by gay rights advocates for not following through on a campaign promise to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on military service, has taken a quiet step to allow a federal court in San Francisco to limit enforcement of the policy.
Without fanfare, the Justice Department told congressional leaders last month that it would not seek Supreme Court review of a May 2008 ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling cast doubt on the constitutionality of discharging gay and lesbian soldiers from the military for revealing their sexual orientation and required military officials to justify each dismissal.
President George W. Bush's administration had asked the court to reconsider the ruling but fell short of the majority vote needed for a new hearing in December. The Obama administration was given extensions of time to file a further appeal but let the deadline expire May 3.
The decision not to appeal was made "after extensive consultation with the Department of Defense," Attorney General Eric Holder said in the letter to Congress. He said the Justice Department will defend the policy when the case returns to a trial court to determine whether an Air Force officer should be discharged because of a lesbian relationship. In the meantime, the ruling is binding on federal courts in California and eight other Western states covered by the nation's largest appellate circuit.
"This decision makes it significantly easier to strike down at least the application of 'don't ask, don't tell' in many if not most cases," gay rights attorney Jon Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal, said Tuesday. Davidson filed arguments supporting the Air Force officer in the case.
"We're happy that this is not going forward to the Supreme Court at this point," Davidson said. He said many opponents of the policy would prefer to steer clear of the high court during a period of international tension when the justices are likely to defer to military decisions.
"Don't ask, don't tell," approved by Congress and President Bill Clinton in 1993, replaced a ban on gays in the military. It bars the armed services from asking members about their sexual orientation but requires the military to discharge those who acknowledge being gay or engage in homosexual activity. At least 12,500 gays and lesbians have been discharged since the policy took effect.
President Obama said during last year's campaign that gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military. But he has not made the issue a priority, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates told an interviewer in late March that any change was "down the road a little bit."
White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said Tuesday that Obama still wants the policy repealed and is consulting with military officials to see that "this change is done in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security."
But until Congress changes the law, LaBolt said, "the administration will continue to defend the statute" in court.
The appeals court ruling, the first of its kind in the nation, came in the case of Maj. Margaret Witt of Spokane, Wash., a decorated flight nurse, who was suspended without pay in 2004 and discharged in 2007 after the Air Force learned of her longtime relationship with a civilian woman.
In reinstating Witt's lawsuit challenging her discharge, the appeals court relied on its interpretation of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2003 ruling overturning state laws against gay sex.
That ruling established a new level of constitutional protection for gays and lesbians, the three-judge appellate panel said. It said courts can no longer accept the government's claim that all openly gay service members weaken the armed forces, and instead must require the Air Force to prove that discharging Witt would promote troop readiness or unit cohesion.
E-mail Bob Egelko at begelko@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/20/MNBO17NEVG.DTL
This article appeared on page A - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Washington - Obama Urges House To Pass Hate Crimes Bill Quickly, Vote Passed 249-175
Washington - President Obama urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass hate-crimes legislation quickly.
The House is scheduled to vote this week on the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (the Matthew Shepard Act), which would permit greater federal involvement in investigating hate crimes and expand the federal definition of such crimes to include those motivated by gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.
Last night, President Obama issued a statement to urge the quick passing of the bill by the House this week:
"This week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. I urge members on both sides of the aisle to act on this important civil rights issue by passing this legislation to protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance – legislation that will enhance civil rights protections, while also protecting our freedom of speech and association. I also urge the Senate to work with my Administration to finalize this bill and to take swift action." White House.
The bipartisan Senate bill is being carried by Democrat Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine. Other cosponsors include Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Republican Susan Collins of Maine, and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who switched his affiliation Tuesday from Republican to Democrat.
U/D:
Hate-crimes legislation passes House
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act by a vote of 249-175.
The House is scheduled to vote this week on the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (the Matthew Shepard Act), which would permit greater federal involvement in investigating hate crimes and expand the federal definition of such crimes to include those motivated by gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.
Last night, President Obama issued a statement to urge the quick passing of the bill by the House this week:
"This week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. I urge members on both sides of the aisle to act on this important civil rights issue by passing this legislation to protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance – legislation that will enhance civil rights protections, while also protecting our freedom of speech and association. I also urge the Senate to work with my Administration to finalize this bill and to take swift action." White House.
The bipartisan Senate bill is being carried by Democrat Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine. Other cosponsors include Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Republican Susan Collins of Maine, and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who switched his affiliation Tuesday from Republican to Democrat.
U/D:
Hate-crimes legislation passes House
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act by a vote of 249-175.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Ethanol test for Obama on climate change, science
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's commitment to take on climate change and put science over politics is about to be tested as his administration faces a politically sensitive question about the widespread use of ethanol: Does it help or hurt the fight against global warming?
The Environmental Protection Agency is close to proposing ethanol standards. But two years ago, when Congress ordered a huge increase in ethanol use, lawmakers also told the agency to show that ethanol would produce less pollution linked to global warming than would gasoline.
So how will the EPA define greenhouse gas emissions from ethanol production and use? Given the political clout of farm interests, will the science conflict with the politics?
Environmentalists, citing various studies and scientific papers, say the agency must factor in more than just the direct, heat-trapping pollution from ethanol and its production. They also point to "indirect" impacts on global warming from worldwide changes in land use, including climate-threatening deforestation, as land is cleared to plant corn or other ethanol crops.
Ethanol manufacturers and agriculture interests contend the fallout from potential land use changes in the future, especially those outside the United States, have not been adequately proven or even quantified, and should not count when the EPA calculates ethanol's climate impact.
"It defies common sense that EPA would publish a proposed rule-making with harmful conclusions for biofuels based on incomplete science and inaccurate assumptions," complained Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.
He was one of 12 farm-state senators, both Democrats and Republicans, who wrote EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in March, urging the agency to stick to assessing only the direct emissions.
Ethanol, which in the future may come from cellulosic sources such as switchgrass and wood chips, is promoted by its advocates as a "green" substitute for gasoline that will help the U.S. reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, especially foreign oil. That transition is a priority of the Obama White House.
In 2007, Congress ordered huge increases in ethanol use, requiring refiners to blend 20 billion gallons with gasoline by 2015 and a further expansion to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022.
Congress said any fuel produced in plants built after 2007 must emit 20 percent less in greenhouse gases than gasoline if it comes from corn, and 60 percent less if from cellulosic crops.
Meeting the direct emissions would not be a problem. But if indirect emissions from expected land use changes are included, ethanol probably would fail the test.
Nathaniel Greene, director of renewable energy policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, said that wouldn't mean the end of ethanol.
Ethanol from existing production facilities is grandfathered and "there are ways to produce advanced ethanol's that would comply with the greenhouse thresholds," even using land use climate impacts if the industry chose to adopt them, Greene said.
But farm interests and their allies in Congress are pushing to get the EPA to at least postpone any consideration of the land-use impacts issue, arguing the science surrounding the issue is uncertain.
The senators' letter said that an overreaching regulation by EPA on ethanol's link to climate change "could seriously harm our U.S. biofuels growth strategy by introducing uncertainty and discouraging future investments."
Environmentalists say there have been enough studies on the indirect impact of ethanol on greenhouse pollution to justify the science.
Ignoring the indirect impacts "will undermine the environmental benefits" of the renewable fuels program "and set a poor precedent for any future policies attempting to reduce global warming pollution," 17 environmental group wrote Jackson in response to the senator's plea.
Greene said the EPA's handling of the ethanol rule will be a "a test of our ability to follow sound science" even when it conflicts with the interests of powerful interests.
The environmental organizations noted that Obama has "vowed to make the U.S. a leader on climate change" and put science over politics, and "now is the time to uphold those pledges."
EPA spokeswoman Andora Andy declined to say when an agency proposal — a holdover issue from the Bush administration — would be issued. Interest groups on both sides of the debate said it could come in days. The White House Office of Management and Budget concluded its review of the EPA proposal last week.
___
On the Net:
Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov
Senators' letter: http://tinyurl.com/cwd69f
Natural Resources Defense Council: http://www.nrdc.org/
Friday, May 1, 2009
Obama Vows ‘Independent’ Replacement for Souter
By DAVID STOUT
May 2, 2009
WASHINGTON — Justice David H. Souter formally told the White House on Friday that he will retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term in June, a development that stirred intense interest about who his replacement will be and how the change will affect future court rulings on abortion and the balance between personal liberty and national security.
President Obama praised Justice Souter and his record on the court, and said he hoped to have a new justice confirmed by the Senate by the time the court reconvenes in October.
Promising to nominate a replacement with “a sharp and independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity,” Mr. Obama, who startled reporters by walking to the lectern for a cameo appearance in the middle of the daily White House press briefing, said that he would look for a candidate for whom the law was not a matter of abstract theory, but a force that affects real people in their daily lives.
He took no questions, and offered no clue about the choice of a new justice, always one of a president’s most lasting decisions. But even before Justice Souter’s letter was delivered to President Obama in mid-afternoon, the speculation about a successor was rampant, with much of the attention focused on women or minority candidates. Reports of Justice Souter’s deccision to retire first emerged Thursday evening on National Public Radio.
Mr. Obama and some close aides and friends are known to have been thinking for months that he would soon face the need to fill a vacancy on the court. The White House Counsel’s office prepared privately to step up its efforts to search for a replacement on Friday.
Lawyers and legal scholars said on Friday that while Mr. Obama may choose a white man for a later vacancy, he would probably not do so in his first opportunity to shape the court. Names of prominent women and minority jurists, on the other hand, were widely discussed as likely candidates.
At 69, Justice Souter is two decades younger than Justice John Paul Stevens, and there have been no rumors that Justice Souter has serious health problems. But he is known to like his home state of New Hampshire much better than he does Washington.
The immediate reaction to Justice Souter’s impending departure demonstrated how polarizing the issue of abortion continues to be; the fundamental debate over constitutional rights and whether they have been eroded in recent years and, at least implicitly, whether the next justice should be someone other than a white man from a privileged background.
“Justice Souter has been a consistent supporter of abortion rights,” Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights said in a statement. “His departure provides a critical opportunity for the president to nominate someone who has a strong understanding of and voice on the realities of women’s lives and to deliver on his stated commitment to nominate justices with ‘empathy,’ who understand the real life experiences of people.”
The Alliance for Justice issued a statement praising Justice Souter “for his commitment to public service and the rule of law.” His replacement should be “a highly qualified nominee who will uphold our Constitution and the law to provide equal justice and protect personal freedoms for everyone in America, not just a few at the top,” the organization said.
“Recent appointees to the Supreme Court are aggressively and systematically undermining the Constitution,” the alliance said. That was an unsubtle allusion to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who were picked by former President George W. Bush.
President Obama will surely be under pressure from some quarters to nominate a woman, which would delight Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has made no secret of her disappointment that a woman was not named to succeed Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He may feel the need to select a member of a minority group.
And if he feels it necessary to put someone with “real world” experience on a court now heavy with former appellate judges, he may turn to someone with political, rather than judicial, experience — or someone who has both. A dozen or more names were floated as possible candidates on Friday, including black women, and some had appealing, up-from-the-bootstraps personal histories.
The coming vacancy will be a Democratic president’s first chance to fill a high court seat since President Bill Clinton named Justice Stephen G. Breyer in 1994. President Bush’s nominations of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito were in line with the president’s pledge to name justices who would interpret the law, rather than try to make new law — code language for conservative jurists, to the extent that labels are reliable.
Now, President Obama has a strong Democratic majority in the Senate, and he has a chance not to change the ideological makeup of the court at this point but, at least, to keep it from becoming more conservative.
As for labels, Justice Souter is a reminder that they are not always dependable. After being nominated by the first President Bush in 1990, he provided to be far more centrist, even liberal, in his judicial philosophy than the president and his supporters had expected.
endit
endit
Peter Baker, Jeff Zeleny, Jim Rutenberg, Adam Nagourney, Neil Lewis and Doug Mills contributed reporting.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
He makes the boys SWOON.
As President Obama began addressing Federal Bureau of Investigation employees at FBI headquarters Tuesday, the crowd went wild with applause — and one FBI worker fainted.
“Did somebody faint? Do we have an EMT here?” Obama asked, pausing in his speech.
“Give him a little space,”
Specter To Switch Parties
By Carl Hulse
Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania said on Tuesday he would switch to the Democratic party, presenting Democrats with a possible 60th vote and the power to break Senate filibusters as they try to advance the Obama administration’s new agenda.
In a statement issued about noon as the Capitol was digesting the stunning turn of events, Mr. Specter said he had concluded that his party had moved too far to the right, a fact demonstrated by the migration of 200,000 Pennsylvania Republicans to the Democratic Party.
“I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” Mr. Specter said, acknowledging that his decision was certain to disappoint colleagues and supporters.
If Al Franken prevails in his ongoing court case in Minnesota and Mr. Specter begins caucusing with Democrats, Democrats would have 60 votes and the ability to deny Republicans the chance to stall legislation. Mr. Specter was one of only three Republicans to support President Obama’s economic recovery legislation.
If Al Franken prevails in his ongoing court case in Minnesota and Mr. Specter begins caucusing with Democrats, Democrats would have 60 votes and the ability to deny Republicans the chance to stall legislation. Mr. Specter was one of only three Republicans to support President Obama’s economic recovery legislation.
The news shocked Senate Republicans, who had been hanging on to their ability to block legislation by a thread. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, called an emergency meeting of party leaders who had no forewarning of Mr. Specter’s plans.
On Capitol Hill, Mr. Specter arrived for a vote shortly after noon with his wife, and said he would be lunching in the private Senate dining room rather than joining either of the weekly party policy lunches that were being held.
Democrats were jubilant about the development.
President Obama was handed a note from an aide at 10:25 a.m. on Tuesday during his daily economic briefing. The note, according to a senior administration official, said: “Specter is announcing he is changing parties.”
Seven minutes later, Mr. Obama reached Mr. Specter by telephone. In a brief conversation, the president said: “You have my full support,” according to the official who heard the phone call. The president added that we are “thrilled to have you.”
“We will welcome him with open arms,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan.
Mr. Specter faced a primary challenge from former Republican Congressman Pat Toomey and polls showed him trailing Mr. Toomey. But he had previously resisted overtures to join the Democrats.
Mr. Specter faced a primary challenge from former Republican Congressman Pat Toomey and polls showed him trailing Mr. Toomey. But he had previously resisted overtures to join the Democrats.
Mr. Specter faced a primary challenge from former Republican Congressman Pat Toomey and polls showed him trailing Mr. Toomey. But he had previously resisted overtures to join the Democrats.Doug Mills/The New York Times Mr. Specter’s announcement shocked Senate Republicans.
“Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration tobecome Democrats,” Mr. Specter said in a statement released in the early afternoon. “I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.”
He said he has experienced a change of heart since the response to his vote for the stimulus legislation.
He said he has experienced a change of heart since the response to his vote for the stimulus legislation.
“Since then, I have traveled the State, talked to Republican leaders and office-holders and my supporters and I have carefully examined public opinion,” his statement said. “It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable. On this state of the record, I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate.”
Mr. Specter, who has a history of finding his own way in the Senate, said he would not be a guaranteed vote for Democratic initiatives and he declared that he would remain opposed to a top labor priority – legislation that would make it easier to unionize American workplaces.
“Whatever my party affiliation, I will continue to be guided by President Kennedy’s statement that sometimes party asks too much,” Mr. Specter said. “When it does, I will continue my independent voting and follow my conscience on what I think is best for Pennsylvania and America.”
Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and a man with his own history of breaking with his party, expressed regret and said he had no indication that Mr. Specter would change parties. But Mr. McCain said he understood the reason for Mr. Specter’s shift: “It’s pretty obvious the polls show him well behind his primary opponent.”
Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, did not mince words about the senator, saying Mr. Specter “didn’t leave the G.O.P. based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Senator Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don’t do it first.”
But Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, who also supported the Obama administration’s economic stimulus legislation, said Mr. Specter’s decision reflected the increasingly inhospitable climate in the Republican party for moderates.
“On the national level of the Republican Party, we haven’t certainly heard warm, encouraging words about how they view moderates, either you are with us or against us,” Ms. Snowe said. She said national Republican leaders were not grasping that “political diversity makes a party stronger and ultimately we are heading to having the smallest political tent in history for any political party the way things are unfolding.”
Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, called the decision “a real problem.”
Mr. Specter, who has had serious health problems in recent years, remains active on a variety of major issues and has been a leading advocate for increased funding for health care research.
Democrats called the decision a game-changer. “It helps on everything,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California. “This is a substantial change.”
Democrats called the decision a game-changer. “It helps on everything,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California. “This is a substantial change.”
Democrats said they made no promises to Mr. Specter about committee positions or other incentives to switch, but the party can provide significant campaign support and deter other Democratic candidates from running against him in the primary next year.
The turnabout was reminiscent of the decision in 2001 by Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont to leave the Republican party and become an independent, handing control of the Senate back to Democrats just as President George W. Bush’s first term was beginning. The Jeffords switch flipped party control but some Democrats said Mr. Specter’s move could be just as consequential given the Senate’s recent struggles with filibusters.
“Specter’s decision could be more consequential because it came just as the Senate was beginning work on health care reform,” said Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon. “Specter’s decision is a big impact decision.”
Mr. Specter’s move to the Democratic column is likely to have a chilling effect on other potential Democratic candidates for the Senate. So far, Joseph Torsella, former head of the National Constitution Center and a former deputy mayor of Philadelphia, is the only Democrat to have declared his candidacy.
Others with higher name recognition seem to have been holding back to see how the field would shape up. Even before Mr. Specter announced his switch today, Representative Allyson Schwartz, a Democrat representing parts of Philadelphia and the nearby suburbs, had told The New York Times she was unlikely to make the run. Other possibilities, including Representatives Patrick Murphy and Joe Sestak, had also stayed mum.
Gov. Edward G. Rendell, a Democrat, and Vice President Joseph Biden, both of them long-time friends of Mr. Specter, had urged him to switch parties several weeks ago but Mr. Specter declined. Mr. Rendell said in a recent interview that he had promised Mr. Specter that if he became a Democrat, he would help him raise money; Mr. Specter joked that if he became a Democrat, he wouldn’t need Mr. Rendell’s help on that front.
There had been speculation in Pennsylvania political circles that something was afoot because Mr. Torsella, a close colleague of Mr. Rendell, said little about Mr. Specter when he announced his candidacy.
But Mr. Specter put the kibosh on talk that he might leave the Republican Party and become either a Democrat or an independent, insisting, though without much evidence, that there was room in the Republican Party for moderates.
The move brings Mr. Specter full circle with his earlier political leanings. He was a registered Democrat when he first ran for district attorney of Philadelphia in the mid-1960s, though he ran on the Republican line.
Jeff Zeleny from Washington and Katharine Q. Seelye from New York contributed reporting.
The highs and lows of Obama's first 100 days
2 hrs 48 mins ago
Ever since FDR, the judging of the president's first 100 days is a time-honored tradition, something akin to a teacher issuing a report card. Or a fraternity hazing the new pledge.
Luckily for President Obama, there's only one "First 100 Days." But unluckily for President Obama, the stakes are much higher: In his hands lies the future of Wall Street, two wars and a recession. Here's a look at the president's report card so far:
HIGHS
Domestic policy: During the election, much was made about then-Sen. Barack Obama's lack of experience. But President Obama hit the ground running: Just days after his inauguration, Obama issued a White House pay freeze, ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay and signed his first bill into law.
Obama then pushed through a massive $787 billion stimulus bill, ended the ban on stem-cell research, and lifted travel limits to Cuba. Oh, and a few weeks ago, he authorized the use of U.S. force against Somali pirates holding an American sea captain hostage.
Foreign policy: Depending on whom you ask, Obama's European trip for the G20, NATO and EU-US summits was either a successful first step toward "soft diplomacy," or as Karl Rove dubbed it, the "President's Apology Tour."
In a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Obama set the tone for his trip, telling Brown that he came to Europe "to listen and not to lecture." By reaching out, Politico declared that Obama made it clear to the world that "the Bush era of foreign policy is over." In return, various heads of state lavished praise for the new U.S. president. A sampling:
- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown: "Your first 70 days in office have changed America, and you've changed America's relationship with the world."
- French President Nicholas Sarkozy: Called Obama a "U.S. president who wants to change the world and who understands that the world does not boil down to simply American frontiers and borders."
- Chinese President Hu Jintao: "Since President Obama took office, we have secured a good beginning in the growth of this relationship."
Back home, however, analysts were on the fence as to what Obama actually accomplished. The New York Times called the trip a "mixed bag," while Politico commented that Obama got "a warm embrace and a cold shoulder" from our NATO allies. The verdict? Not a solid "high," but since Obama was universally well-received, his trip falls into the "plus" column — for now.
The White House: So far, the Obama White House might be the most relaxed — and open — administration yet. Even after he was elected president, Obama was seen in Chicago, taking Michelle out for Valentine's Day dinner. In D.C., the president was seen sipping a beer courtside watching the Bulls play the Wizards.
It's definitely the most wired administration; Obama managed to keep his Blackberry and his weekly radio addresses are the first to be released as Web videos. In March, Obama became the first sitting president to appear on "The Tonight Show" and hosted the first virtual town hall at the White House.
And honestly — when was the last time the president and the secretary of state held a briefing meeting at a picnic table?
LOWS
Vetting nominees: But it hasn't been all roses and rainbows since inauguration day. No less than four nominees have been flagged for not paying taxes, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, despite what the administration called a "comprehensive" vetting form.
Geithner paid his overdue taxes and still got the job, but three nominees — Nancy Killefer, Tom Daschle and Bill Richardson ended up withdrawing their nominations.
Missteps, mixed messages: On the way to the White House, Obama earned the nickname "No-Drama Obama" for his famously disciplined campaign. But as of late, that famous discipline seems to be slipping. In March, when news of AIG bonuses became public, Obama waited several days before making an official statement. When it became known that the White House knew about the bonuses for almost a week, the story turned into "who knew what when" — and why Obama didn't say something sooner.
Things came to a head at a press conference at which CNN's Ed Henry asked the president why he waited so long to respond. Obama replied tersely, "It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." (Watch the clip here.) Afterward, Obama sought to limit the damage, going on a whirlwind media tour, appearing on "60 Minutes," "Jay Leno" and ESPN.
Obama's latest misstep — and one that may have the most lasting consequences — involves the investigation of detainee interrogations. On April 21, AP reported that Obama was open to a probe of the Bush-era detainee program. Days later, however, the White House declared Obama was opposed to a special commission to investigate detainee interrogations. But the president is still facing pressure from key Democratic lawmakers to establish a "truth commission" to probe abuses.
The divider: Yes, Obama has the high approval marks, but for someone who made bipartisanship a theme of his campaign, polls also show that Obama is "a polarizing figure in the mold of Bush," says RealClearPolitics. An ABC/Washington Post poll shows 93 percent of Democrats support his actions, while only 36 percent of Republicans do.
Pew Research Center finds that "Barack Obama has the most polarized early job approval ratings of any president in the past four decades." AP reports that for every step toward bipartisanship by the White House, there has been one step back: Obama put two Republicans in his Cabinet, but when Republicans pushed for more tax cuts in the stimulus package, Obama replied, "I won. So, I think on that one, I trump you."
According to David Axelrod, Obama's senior adviser, the 100-day review is the "journalistic equivalent of the Hallmark holiday." But perhaps because of Wall Street, two wars and a recession, these 100 days do matter, because now more than ever, people need the change Obama promised.
- Lili Ladaga
Yahoo! News bloggers compile the best news content from our providers and scour the Web for the most interesting news stories so you don't have to.**
Ever since FDR, the judging of the president's first 100 days is a time-honored tradition, something akin to a teacher issuing a report card. Or a fraternity hazing the new pledge.
Luckily for President Obama, there's only one "First 100 Days." But unluckily for President Obama, the stakes are much higher: In his hands lies the future of Wall Street, two wars and a recession. Here's a look at the president's report card so far:
HIGHS
Domestic policy: During the election, much was made about then-Sen. Barack Obama's lack of experience. But President Obama hit the ground running: Just days after his inauguration, Obama issued a White House pay freeze, ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay and signed his first bill into law.
Obama then pushed through a massive $787 billion stimulus bill, ended the ban on stem-cell research, and lifted travel limits to Cuba. Oh, and a few weeks ago, he authorized the use of U.S. force against Somali pirates holding an American sea captain hostage.
Foreign policy: Depending on whom you ask, Obama's European trip for the G20, NATO and EU-US summits was either a successful first step toward "soft diplomacy," or as Karl Rove dubbed it, the "President's Apology Tour."
In a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Obama set the tone for his trip, telling Brown that he came to Europe "to listen and not to lecture." By reaching out, Politico declared that Obama made it clear to the world that "the Bush era of foreign policy is over." In return, various heads of state lavished praise for the new U.S. president. A sampling:
- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown: "Your first 70 days in office have changed America, and you've changed America's relationship with the world."
- French President Nicholas Sarkozy: Called Obama a "U.S. president who wants to change the world and who understands that the world does not boil down to simply American frontiers and borders."
- Chinese President Hu Jintao: "Since President Obama took office, we have secured a good beginning in the growth of this relationship."
Back home, however, analysts were on the fence as to what Obama actually accomplished. The New York Times called the trip a "mixed bag," while Politico commented that Obama got "a warm embrace and a cold shoulder" from our NATO allies. The verdict? Not a solid "high," but since Obama was universally well-received, his trip falls into the "plus" column — for now.
The White House: So far, the Obama White House might be the most relaxed — and open — administration yet. Even after he was elected president, Obama was seen in Chicago, taking Michelle out for Valentine's Day dinner. In D.C., the president was seen sipping a beer courtside watching the Bulls play the Wizards.
It's definitely the most wired administration; Obama managed to keep his Blackberry and his weekly radio addresses are the first to be released as Web videos. In March, Obama became the first sitting president to appear on "The Tonight Show" and hosted the first virtual town hall at the White House.
And honestly — when was the last time the president and the secretary of state held a briefing meeting at a picnic table?
LOWS
Vetting nominees: But it hasn't been all roses and rainbows since inauguration day. No less than four nominees have been flagged for not paying taxes, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, despite what the administration called a "comprehensive" vetting form.
Geithner paid his overdue taxes and still got the job, but three nominees — Nancy Killefer, Tom Daschle and Bill Richardson ended up withdrawing their nominations.
Missteps, mixed messages: On the way to the White House, Obama earned the nickname "No-Drama Obama" for his famously disciplined campaign. But as of late, that famous discipline seems to be slipping. In March, when news of AIG bonuses became public, Obama waited several days before making an official statement. When it became known that the White House knew about the bonuses for almost a week, the story turned into "who knew what when" — and why Obama didn't say something sooner.
Things came to a head at a press conference at which CNN's Ed Henry asked the president why he waited so long to respond. Obama replied tersely, "It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." (Watch the clip here.) Afterward, Obama sought to limit the damage, going on a whirlwind media tour, appearing on "60 Minutes," "Jay Leno" and ESPN.
Obama's latest misstep — and one that may have the most lasting consequences — involves the investigation of detainee interrogations. On April 21, AP reported that Obama was open to a probe of the Bush-era detainee program. Days later, however, the White House declared Obama was opposed to a special commission to investigate detainee interrogations. But the president is still facing pressure from key Democratic lawmakers to establish a "truth commission" to probe abuses.
The divider: Yes, Obama has the high approval marks, but for someone who made bipartisanship a theme of his campaign, polls also show that Obama is "a polarizing figure in the mold of Bush," says RealClearPolitics. An ABC/Washington Post poll shows 93 percent of Democrats support his actions, while only 36 percent of Republicans do.
Pew Research Center finds that "Barack Obama has the most polarized early job approval ratings of any president in the past four decades." AP reports that for every step toward bipartisanship by the White House, there has been one step back: Obama put two Republicans in his Cabinet, but when Republicans pushed for more tax cuts in the stimulus package, Obama replied, "I won. So, I think on that one, I trump you."
According to David Axelrod, Obama's senior adviser, the 100-day review is the "journalistic equivalent of the Hallmark holiday." But perhaps because of Wall Street, two wars and a recession, these 100 days do matter, because now more than ever, people need the change Obama promised.
- Lili Ladaga
Yahoo! News bloggers compile the best news content from our providers and scour the Web for the most interesting news stories so you don't have to.**
Monday, March 2, 2009
There's always one guy...
NBA fan exercises his constitutional right to trash-talk the president: Wizards supporter Miles Rawls good-naturedly razzes President Obama, a Bulls fan, at the Chicago-Washington game in the nation's capital. The Bulls are losing.
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