President Obama

Read the latest post-presidency news about President Barack Obama on Newser.com

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Hunky 'Cover Prez' Proves Hot Can Be Brainy

Hot doesn't have to be brainless

(Newser) - A photo of a buff, shirtless Barack Obama on the cover of Washingtonian magazine this month is either evidence of a disrespectful, maybe even racist, press, or simply oo-la-la, depending on who you listen to. Many Americans found the cover offensive, the magazine's editor told Judith Warner of the New ...

Pelosi's CIA Charges Hardly Jibe With Obama Talk Points

(Newser) - Nancy Pelosi’s accusation that the CIA lied to Congress about waterboarding will likely have broad political consequences, Chris Cillizza writes in the Washington Post. In the short term, Pelosi has stolen President Obama’s thunder on credit-card reform and could force the early announcement of a Supreme Court nominee...

Democrats Lose Patience Over Wars, Gitmo

Support ebbs on left as Obama's security plans look uncertain

(Newser) - Democrats are having misgivings about the war in Afghanistan and the shuttering of Guantanamo Bay, particularly in the more liberal House, the New York Times reports. Though Congress is sure to approve another $96.7 billion in war funding, the House took out $80 million to close Guantanamo, saying the...

Don't Let 'Waste' Taunts Prompt More Waste
Don't Let 'Waste' Taunts Prompt More Waste
OPINION
May 14, 2009 9:01 AM CDT

Don't Let 'Waste' Taunts Prompt More Waste

Obama shouldn't scrap chopper deal just to appease McCain

(Newser) - Fearful of appearing wasteful, the Defense Department wants to dump a contract for new presidential helicopters and start fresh—but that means losing $4 billion already spent on the project. It’s the same old story when it comes to “wasteful procurement,” writes Gail Collins in the New ...

Obama to ASU Grads: What Snub? They Were Right

(Newser) - President Obama has no problem with the so-called snub from Arizona State University. In fact, he embraced it tonight in a speech to graduates and used it to encourage them, reports the Arizona Republic. "I come here not to dispute the suggestion that I haven't yet achieved enough in...

Five Women on Obama's Short List for Supreme Court

(Newser) - President Obama has narrowed his list of Supreme Court picks to at least six names, with women in five of the top spots, reports CNN. Obama is expected to make a selection by Memorial Day, sources say. Among the finalists: Federal appeals court judges Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Wood; Solicitor...

Social Security Easily Fixed; Medicare Is Another 'Monster'

Worry about that, not easy-to-fix social security: Reich

(Newser) - After yesterday’s news that Social Security and Medicare funds will run out of money earlier than previously predicted, it’s the latter that should really scare us, former Labor secretary Robert Reich writes for Salon. A slight tax tweak fixes Social Security, but “Medicare is entirely different. It’...

Obama Wants to Tame Wild Derivatives Market

(Newser) - President Obama wants to put the so-called dark markets under control, the New York Times reports, seeking congressional approval to regulate the byzantine world of derivatives trading—which played a large role in the current financial mess. In a letter to lawmakers, Treasury chief Timothy Geithner calls for an oversight...

Health Care Reform: What We Can Agree On
 Health Care Reform: 
 What We Can Agree On 
analysis
May 13, 2009 1:54 PM CDT

Health Care Reform: What We Can Agree On

High costs hurt all of us—here's how we can cut them

(Newser) - The issue of health care reform crops up regularly, then disappears—but now it may have a foothold, writes Karen Tumulty in Time. That’s because the focus of the issue is on the current system’s huge cost to everyone. Much of the spending may be unnecessary, and a...

Obama Reverses, Will Block Release of Abuse Photos

In reversal, president says images would endanger US troops

(Newser) - President Obama has reversed position and will oppose the release of abuse photos of detainees in US custody, the Washington Post reports. "The publication of these photos would not add any additional benefit to our understanding of what was carried out in the past by a small number of...

Obama Meets With Senators on Court Choice

Nominee coming 'soon,' should be seated by October, say Dems

(Newser) - President Obama’s choice for the next Supreme Court justice is coming “soon,” said Democratic senators after a meeting with the president. The White House says the appointee won’t be announced this week, but Harry Reid and Patrick Leahy say he or she should be seated by...

High Court Pick's Gender, Race Not an Issue: Poll

Proportion wanting female appointee shrinks from 2005

(Newser) - Americans don’t feel strongly that the next Supreme Court appointee should be a woman, Hispanic, or black, Gallup Poll results suggest: most say it’s a non-issue. Some 64% say it “doesn’t matter” whether the appointee is a woman; 68% say it doesn’t matter whether he...

Obama Wants Health Care Bill by Year's End

(Newser) - President Obama today called on lawmakers to send him a health care reform bill before the end of the year, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We've got to get it done this year,” the president said in a meeting with House Democrats. “We don't have any excuses,...

Publicity Hound Cheney Makes Strategic Return

Ex-VP setting himself, party up to benefit from another 9/11

(Newser) - Dick Cheney isn’t in an undisclosed location anymore. The former VP is suddenly waging a one-man campaign defending the Bush administration’s interrogation tactics. Even he can’t believe that’s a great political move, writes Michael Duffy of Time, so what’s he up to? It’s possible...

GOP Blocks Obama Interior Dep't Pick
GOP Blocks Obama Interior Dep't Pick
May 13, 2009 11:31 AM CDT

GOP Blocks Obama Interior Dep't Pick

Rejection of top deputy marks first Republican KO of nominee

(Newser) - Republicans have blocked President Obama's pick for the No. 2 job at the Interior Department because of a flap over oil leases in Utah. In a 57-39 Senate vote, Democrats fell short of the 60 votes they would have needed to advance the nominee past GOP obstacles. It's the first...

Notre Dame Splits on Obama Speech, Protests

Students excited about visit, not pleased with activists' tactics

(Newser) - As President Obama's commencement speech at Notre Dame approaches, pro-life activists have converged on the campus with banners, planes, and plans for civil disobedience. But students, who expressed pride that the president chose their school, aren't too happy with the protests. "It cheapens the argument. As someone who is...

White House Jams to Spoken Word

Theater, jazz, poetry collide in East Room event

(Newser) - Spoken word, jazz, and theater took the White House by storm last night in what has been called the first presidential poetry jam, the Washington Post reports. “We're here to celebrate the power of words,” President Obama said, adding that his wife is his poet. The jam, Michelle...

Washington Can't Take a Joke
 Washington Can't Take a Joke 
OPINION
May 13, 2009 7:44 AM CDT

Washington Can't Take a Joke

Uproar over Sykes' routine shows we take things too literally

(Newser) - Sure, Wanda Sykes’ controversial jokes at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner were “over the top,” and they weren’t all that funny, writes Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post. But the uproar they sparked just shows “we take ourselves far too seriously—and literally.” Sykes...

Why the Olympics Could Be Bad News for GOP
Why the Olympics Could Be Bad News for GOP
analysis
May 12, 2009 7:59 PM CDT

Why the Olympics Could Be Bad News for GOP

(Newser) - Barack Obama is wielding his clout to try to win the Summer Olympics for Chicago in 2016, which, if you follow the bouncing political ball, could be great news for Hillary Clinton or another lucky Democrat, writes Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. Here's the logic: The Olympics create a groundswell...

At House Tonight / Obamas Plan / First-Ever Poetry Slam

Mayda Del Valle, ELEW among invitees

(Newser) - Check off another campaign promise. President Obama is hosting the White House’s first-ever poetry slam, part of his vow to open up “the people's house” to artists, WNBC-TV reports. The 100 guests include actor James Earl Jones, writer Michael Chabon, jazz musician Esperanza Spalding, and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda....

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