President Obama: Latest News - Page 250

Jan 18, 2009 3:00 PM CST

Crowds Thrill to 'Obamastock'

Obamas attend services at historic church

(Newser) - A free inauguration concert that one attendee dubbed "Obamastock" kicked off today before tens of thousands of excited but chilly visitors in Washington, DC, the Washington Post reports. Fans sat patiently on blankets and waited in long security checkpoint lines as Denzel Washington took the stage to announce Bruce...

Obama Can't Win 'Em All

ANALYSIS

Jan 18, 2009 1:12 PM CST

Obama Can't Win 'Em All

Some conservatives can't get into the spirit of unity for the inauguration

(Newser) - Washington will be swimming in champagne for the inauguration Tuesday, but some conservatives are warning merrymakers to stop drinking the Obama Kool-Aid, Politico reports. “While we’re sitting around the campfire and trying to sing Kumbaya, our country is slipping away from us,” said one. Another predicted, “...

Pelosi Open to Prosecuting Bushies

Talk show ROUNDUP

Jan 18, 2009 11:50 AM CST

Pelosi Open to Prosecuting Bushies

Emanuel: Blago didn't imply anything shady in talks with me

(Newser) - Nancy Pelosi would consider prosecuting some Bush White House officials, she told Fox News Sunday, even though Barack Obama has signaled that he doesn't favor such a move. "We cannot let the politicizing of, for example, the Justice Department to go unreviewed," says the speaker of the House....

'Oedipally
Oddball W'
Makes His
Long Exit

OPINION

Jan 18, 2009 9:46 AM CST

'Oedipally Oddball W' Makes His Long Exit

While Bush hated doubt, Obama's 'delighted' by it

(Newser) - George W. Bush’s insecurity and aversion to doubt—“the psychological traits of an asphyxiated and pampered son”—led to his botched presidency, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times. Rather than being a source of presidential insight on Iraq and Saddam, Bush’s father was relegated...

Patient US
Has Faith in
Obama: Poll

Jan 18, 2009 8:51 AM CST

Patient US Has Faith in Obama: Poll

Troubled nation prepared to wait for solutions

(Newser) - Americans are vastly unhappy about the current state of the union—but have widespread faith in Barack Obama to nurse the nation back to health, according to the latest polls. Of those surveyed, 79% of Americans are optimistic about Obama's tenure, a higher figure than findings for the past five...

In DC, Rash of Wary Tux
Renters Ahead of Inaugural

Jan 17, 2009 8:02 PM CST

In DC, Rash of Wary Tux Renters Ahead of Inaugural

(Newser) - Uninitiated DC men are scrambling to procure tuxedos for the inauguration, and they, luckily, have a few seasoned resources, the Washington Post reports. While inveterate ball-goers frequent Brooks Brothers and such, a younger class of invitees is flocking to the capital’s rental shops, where veteran tailors calm their jitters....

Obama Arrives in Washington

Slideshow of whistlestop tour

Jan 17, 2009 6:30 PM CST

Obama Arrives in Washington

(Newser) - Barack Obama rolled into Washington tonight on the last stop of his historic whistlestop train journey, the Washington Post reports. Obama retraced the path of Abraham Lincoln and called for a "new declaration of independence" for the nation. To see photos of the trip—which Joe Biden joined in...

Obama Will Ban Torture—
But Considers a Loophole

Jan 17, 2009 12:38 PM CST

Obama Will Ban Torture— But Considers a Loophole

(Newser) - Barack Obama is set to prohibit waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques by mandating the CIA follow the US Army Field Manual when questioning suspects, the AP reports. But as the president-elect debates whether to make the changes through legislation or presidential fiat, the incoming administration is also considering a...

Obama Embarks
on Symbolic
Train Ride
to DC

Jan 17, 2009 10:30 AM CST

Obama Embarks on Symbolic Train Ride to DC

(Newser) - Barack Obama undertook the final leg of his inaugural journey today, embarking on a whistle-stop train tour from Philadelphia that retraces Lincoln's journey to Washington a century and a half ago. Big crowds are expected along the way, and VP-elect Joe Biden comes aboard in Wilmington, Del. "Only a...

Obamas Urged to Turn the White House Green

Jan 17, 2009 9:22 AM CST

Obamas Urged to Turn the White House Green

Advocates push for new first family to take up organic farming

(Newser) - Advocates for all kinds of green causes are hoping to find newly fertile ground for their ideas at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the Wall Street Journal reports. Several groups are pushing for the president-elect to lead by example and plant an organic garden on the White House's ample grounds. Others urge...

Fear of Crowds, Cold
Deter Inauguration-Goers

Jan 17, 2009 8:54 AM CST

Fear of Crowds, Cold Deter Inauguration-Goers

Organizers scale back crowd estimations as Obama supporters heed warnings

(Newser) - The biggest gathering in Washington DC's history may be a little smaller than expected, the New York Times reports. Would-be visitors for Inauguration Day are starting to take heed of warning about crowds and cold, and many have decided to celebrate in their hometown instead. Officials still expect a logistical...

'Would Have Been Great' to Be in Obama Cabinet: Dean

Jan 16, 2009 5:25 PM CST

'Would Have Been Great' to Be in Obama Cabinet: Dean

Departing DNC chair will instead head back to private life

(Newser) - Outgoing Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said today he would have liked to work in the Obama administration, but instead is embarking on a life in the private sector after nearly 30 years in politics. Some of his supporters have been upset that after all the former Vermont governor...

At Obama Swearing-In, Watchers Will Swear at Cold

Jan 16, 2009 5:01 PM CST

At Obama Swearing-In, Watchers Will Swear at Cold

Though temps could be in the 30s, officials warn of long exposure

(Newser) - The presidential inauguration is shaping up to be a trying event, what with huge crowds, restrictive security measures, and now, a chilly forecast, USA Today reports. Contingency plans range from the prudent—heated tents for the unwell—to the desperate. Organizers are trying to have "as many tour buses...

Obama Pitches Public
Service—On the Net

Jan 16, 2009 3:55 PM CST

Obama Pitches Public Service—On the Net

USAService.org connects volunteers to projects

(Newser) - Barack Obama, like John F. Kennedy before him, has issued a call to service in a novel medium. For Kennedy it was television, and Obama, unsurprisingly, is using the Internet to drum up volunteerism, Time reports. USAService.org allows willing citizens to find projects, or even organize them, and capitalizes...

Inaugural Balls Can Be a Pain

OPINION

Jan 16, 2009 2:53 PM CST

Inaugural Balls Can Be a Pain

Mystique gives way to sardine-can ballrooms and endless coat-check lines

(Newser) - Inaugural balls aren't the fairytale occasions people imagine, jaded Washington vet Carla Hall writes in the Los Angeles Times. Instead of a sea of couples gliding past the newly sworn-in president on the dance floor, the galas tend to be a bunch of tired people crammed into a ballroom straining...

'Bad Bank' for Toxic Assets Among Feds' TARP Options

Jan 16, 2009 2:12 PM CST

'Bad Bank' for Toxic Assets Among Feds' TARP Options

Paulson, Bair show support creating federally sponsored institution

(Newser) - Support is growing for the latest proposed use of bailout funds: a federally sponsored “bad bank” to purchase toxic assets from troubled financial institutions, Bloomberg reports. “A lot of work has been done on an aggregator bank,” Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said today; FDIC chief Sheila Bair...

Speechwriter Obama Gets Competitive

Jan 16, 2009 12:50 PM CST

Speechwriter Obama Gets Competitive

Inaugural address pressure is on, but Lincoln may help

(Newser) - Barack Obama has nearly completed his inaugural address, and he's uniquely qualified to take on a seemingly insurmountable challenge: living up to the example set by the likes of Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy. "I would think we would hear the most eloquent speech since JFK’s 48...

Beyoncé Will Sing for Obamas' Inaugural Dance

Jan 16, 2009 12:15 PM CST

Beyoncé Will Sing for Obamas' Inaugural Dance

Sing will also join many other performers for inauguration's Neighborhood Ball

(Newser) - Beyoncé will sing for the Obamas' first dance on inauguration night, the AP reports. The inaugural committee is tight-lipped about the specifics—"It is our hope that we can keep the song secret until the moment,” a rep said—but it's a good bet the singer/actress will be...

Obama Vows Social Security, Medicare Reform

Interview

Jan 16, 2009 8:05 AM CST

Obama Vows Social Security, Medicare Reform

Will hold summit to hash out ways to rein in spending

(Newser) - Barack Obama promised major overhauls for the country’s ever-growing entitlement programs yesterday in a wide-ranging interview with the Washington Post. We have “kicked this can down the road,” Obama said. “We are now at the end of the road.” Obama will hold a “fiscal...

Obama Plans Mideast Diplomatic Offensive

Jan 16, 2009 4:44 AM CST