July 17th is the World Day for International Justice also referred to as International Justice Day is celebrated throughout the world as part of an effort to recognize the emerging system of international criminal justice. July 17th was chosen because it is the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the International Criminal Court.
Each year, people around the world use this day to host events to promote international criminal justice, especially support for the International Criminal Court. The day has been successful enough to attract international news attention, and for groups to use the day to focus attention on particular issues such as genocide in Darfur, Falun Dafa, and serious crimes of violence against women.
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The International Criminal Court (ICC), governed by the Rome Statute, is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.
The ICC is an independent international organisation, and is not part of the United Nations system. Its seat is at The Hague in the Netherlands. Although the Court’s expenses are funded primarily by States Parties, it also receives voluntary contributions from governments, international organisations, individuals, corporations and other entities.
Click here for a detailed overview of the ICC.
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Saturday Jul. 17, 2010
All Times Eastern
The First Family spends the weekend on Mount Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park in Maine.
Pres Obama receives the presidential daily briefing
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U.S. Influence Being Felt at International Criminal Court
15 June 2010 By Stephen Kaufman- america.gov
Washington — The 111 countries party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) adopted aggression as a prosecutable crime after a two-week review conference in Uganda, but the leaders of the U.S. delegation to the conference say the Obama administration’s engagement with the ICC as an observer nation helped to more carefully define the crime and ensured that it will be prosecuted in only the most egregious circumstances. The ICC also agreed to conduct a review of its approach to prosecuting aggression in 2017.
Speaking to reporters June 15 after attending the May 31–June 11 conference in Kampala, the State Department’s ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, Stephen Rapp, and legal adviser Harold Hongju Koh said the discussion over aggression had shifted the conference away from the ICC’s core human rights mission.
“Now a nonfinal approach has been tentatively reached, which takes the issue off the table for the next seven years with a notional solution that can be re-examined in 2017,” Koh said.
Rapp said the U.S. delegation had concerns not only with the definition of aggression, but also that by having the ICC take political sides by deciding to charge certain states while declining to charge other states with the crime, the court could find it difficult to get the kind of international cooperation “that it needs to deal with atrocity crimes.”
For the entire article: http://www.america.gov/st/democracyhr-english/2010/June/20100615174816esnamfuak0.1439936.html
VOALearningEnglish video, July 15, 2010 -
This is the VOA Special English Development Report on this month’s meeting of member countries of the International Criminal Court in Kampala, Uganda.
Statement by NSC Spokesman Mike Hammer on the International Criminal Court Appeals Court Ruling
July 13, 2010- WhiteHouse.gov
The United States strongly supports international efforts to bring those responsible for genocide and war crimes in Darfur to justice and believes that there cannot be a lasting peace in Darfur without accountability. We continue to call on the Government of Sudan and all other parties to the conflict to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Court.
Save Darfur Ccoalition video, November 26, 2007 -
Then-Senator Barack Obama answers the Save Darfur Coalition’s questions about his plan to end the genocide in Darfur.
rp4obama video, October 18, 2008 -
Then-Senator Obama visits a refugee camp on the border of Sudan/Darfur Region.
“The United States has a stake for National Security reasons as well as Humanitarian reasons for stabilizing this region.” –Barack Obama
Statement by the President on the Signing of the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009
May 24, 2010
Today, I signed into law the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. The legislation crystallizes the commitment of the United States to help bring an end to the brutality and destruction that have been a hallmark of the LRA across several countries for two decades, and to pursue a future of greater security and hope for the people of central Africa.
The Lord’s Resistance Army preys on civilians – killing, raping, and mutilating the people of central Africa; stealing and brutalizing their children; and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Its leadership, indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, has no agenda and no purpose other than its own survival. It fills its ranks of fighters with the young boys and girls it abducts. By any measure, its actions are an affront to human dignity.
Of the millions affected by the violence, each had an individual story and voice that we must not forget. In northern Uganda, we recall Angelina Atyam’s 14-year old daughter, whom the LRA kidnapped in 1996 and held captive for nearly eight years — one of 139 girls abducted that day from a boarding school. In southern Sudan, we recall John Loboi — a father, a husband, a brother, a local humanitarian assistance worker killed in an ambush while helping others in 2003. Now, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, the people of Dungu and of Obo, too, have their stories of loss and pain.
We mourn those killed. We pray for those abducted to be freed, and for those wounded to heal. We call on the ranks of the LRA to disarm and surrender. We believe that the leadership of the LRA should be brought to justice.
For the entire transcript: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/statement-president-signing-lords-resistance-army-disarmament-and-northern-uganda-r
ResolveUgandaDC video, May 25, 2010 -
On May 24, 2010, after a year of dedicated activism from tens of thousands of people across the country, President Obama signed the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act into law. This historic legislation gives the President 180 days to produce a strategy for the United States to help finally end the LRA’s campaign of violence and abductions in central Africa.
You may have to click again to take you to the YouTube site to view this great video.
Amnesty International
What is international justice?
“The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish were so calculated, so malignant and so devastating that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored, nor survive their being repeated.”
– Justice Robert H. Jackson, Chief of Council for the United States,
in his Opening Statement before the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg
We live in an increasingly globalized and interdependent world. The physical boundaries that separated countries have given way to a global economy, instantaneous communication, the ability to span the globe in less than a day and the proliferation of crimes that have international implications. This phenomenon both necessitates and enables the creation an international system of justice that complements and reinforces national justice systems.
The trend towards a “globalization of justice” is defined by an increasingly wide net of international obligations covering everything from free trade to labor standards, environmental regulations and the protection of fundamental human rights. It is evidenced by the establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC), the creation of ad hoc tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, the creation of internationalized courts and the increasing use of domestic courts to bring criminal and civil cases against individuals accused of gross violations of international human rights.
The world has sustained atrocity after atrocity without having recourse to justice, but this is changing. Global rules and systems that enforce human rights at the international level are increasingly being deployed as tools to prevent conflict and promote peace and justice. An international system of justice is essential to deter those contemplating human rights crimes, to enable victims to obtain justice and redress, to re-build nations ravaged by war and to support post-conflict reconciliation.
* Check out the International Justice Hotspots Map. (Also in printable pdf format!)
* 14 Frequently Asked Questions about International Justice
* Additional resources (all printer friendly) for your film screening event.
* Take action today!
http://www.amnestyusa.org/justice/page.php?id=1011416
International Criminal Court charges Sudan’s Omar Hassan al-Bashir with genocide
7/13/10 Colum Lynch & Rebecca Hamilton – WashingtonPost.com
The International Criminal Court’s judges on Monday charged Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir with orchestrating a bloody campaign of genocide against Darfur’s three main ethnic groups, the first time the Hague-based court has accused a sitting head of state of committing the most egregious international crime.
The three-judge pretrial chamber issued a formal arrest warrant for Bashir — the second time it has done so — on three counts of genocide. They include the crime of targeted mass killing, the causing of serious bodily or mental harm to members of a target group, and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction. “There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. al-Bashir acted with specific intent to destroy in part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups,” the judges concluded.
The decision provided a degree of vindication to the United States, which has stood largely alone in characterizing the killing in Darfur as genocide. It also gave a boost to the court’s Argentine prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, whose pursuit of the Sudanese leader has generated intense opposition from other African and Arab leaders. Moreno-Ocampo suffered a setback this month when his case against another alleged war criminal, the Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga, was suspended for a second time.
Sudan’s U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, dismissed Monday’s ruling as a politically motivated effort to undercut prospects for peace in Sudan and vowed never to surrender Bashir. “We condemn this in this strongest terms; it will only harden our resolve,” he said in an interview. “This court’s objective is to destroy chances for peace in Sudan; we’re not going to be bothered by it.”
For the entire article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/12/AR2010071205295.html?wprss=rss_world/africa
ReutersVideo, July 13, 2010 -
The International Criminal Court issues a second arrest warrant for Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for the crime of genocide; Sudan says it’s a Western conspiracy.
U.S. Takes Stock Of War Crimes Court
by Michele Kelemen – NPR
May 31, 2010
The U.S. is not a part of the International Criminal Court and unlikely to sign up anytime soon, but the Obama administration is making an effort to cooperate more with it. Top State Department lawyers are taking part in a review conference meant to take stock of the court’s proceedings so far. The court needs countries to help get some of the indicted war criminals to face trial. Another issue to be discussed is how the court defines “aggression.” U.S. officials are worried that the U.S. could be exposed to prosecutions if the crime of aggression is too broadly defined.
MELISSA BLOCK, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Im Melissa Block.
Legal experts from around the world have gathered in Kampala, Uganda this week to talk about one thing: The International Criminal Court. The U.S. is not a part of the court is unlikely to sign up any time soon. But the Obama administration did send a high-level team as observers to help with plans to bring the world’s war criminals to justice.
NPR’s Michele Kelemen reports.
MICHELE KELEMEN: For people who have made a career out of trying to bring war criminals to justice, the conference in Kampala is a key milestone. David Tolbert, who is a prosecution in the international tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, says it’s hard to believe that the International Criminal Court has been working for seven years now with 111 member states.
Mr. DAVID TOLBERT (President, International for Transitional Justice): When I started in this business in the mid-’90s, I think it was in our wildest imagination that we’d have an International Criminal Court that is actually functioning and covered this many countries.
KELEMEN: It may seem early to take stock of the court, no trials have been completed and there are plenty of outstanding arrest warrants, including one for Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, and for Ugandan guerilla leader Joseph Koney – the head of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Tolbert, who now runs the International Center for Transitional Justice, says it will take time and more cooperation by member countries to get such high-profile figures to court.
Thats one of the many topics being discussed in Kampala. Another is how to define acts of aggression and what it would take for the ICC to prosecute that type of crime. The U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Stephen Rapp says he’s worried that the ICC could be drawn into political battles or border disputes, rather than staying focused on the tough job it has already to prosecute crimes that shock the world’s conscience.
Mr. STEPHEN RAPP (Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes): This court has not yet scratched the surface of doing that effectively. And to now cross into this other area, I think runs the risk of it becoming less effective.
For the entire article and the audio interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127295616
IntlCriminalCourt video, July 15, 2010 -
Statement of Judge Sang-Hyun Song, President of the ICC, on the occasion of the Day of International Criminal Justice on 17 July.
This video was produced in 2010 by the Public Information and Documentation Section of the ICC, for non-profit and educational purposes.
IntlCriminalCourt, July 15, 2010 -
This video has been produced to commemorate the Day of International Criminal Justice on 17 July.
tnreporttv video, July 16, 2010 -
Biden: Republicans Have No Credibility
Vice President Joe Biden tells an audience of Democrats in Tennessee that Republicans handed the Obama administration a massive debt and have no business blaming the nation’s financial troubles on Democrats.
WCSH6.com, Portland, Maine,July 16, 2010 -
First Family spends the weekend in Bar Harbor
President Barack Obama and his family are in Maine for a weekend coastal getaway.
After landing at the airport in Trenton, the Obamas went for a bike ride around Witch Hole Pond in Acadia National Park. They then headed for the top of Cadillac Mountain, where they chatted with others tourists.
The family also stopped for ice cream cones at Mount Desert Ice Cream before heading to their hotel, the Bar Harbor Regency.
The First Family will be on Mount Desert Island until Sunday.
Video here:
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=120775&catid=2
Thanks Kathleen for all your great articles and videos!
Thanks Kat for the video.
Hi guys
You have to read this. Gail Collins is just too awesome:
This week, Congress passed the huge reform of the financial industry that it had been working on for nearly two years. You’d think there would have been cheering from coast to coast, but the left was disheartened to discover that contrary to all previous precedent, Congress had passed a bill that was imperfect.
“Ending debate on the bill is finishing before the job is done,” said Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, the only Democrat to vote no.
Great idea. I think I speak for us all when I say that there is absolutely nothing I would like better than additional talking in the Senate. It always seems to make things better. Meanwhile, down in the House, John Boehner, the Republican leader, raised the ante, calling for repeal.
Who says that Boehner just hangs out at bars and tanning parlors and doesn’t work hard? The man is tireless! Everybody else was exhausted, but he wanted to start over.
“There are common sense things we should do to plug the holes in the regulatory system … and to bring more transparency to financial transactions. Because transparency is like sunlight and sunlight is the best disinfectant,” he said.
This is an exciting new analogy for Boehner. Just a couple of weeks ago he was leading the opposition to a bill that would require groups that pay for political attack ads to reveal their true identities. Boehner called it a “back-room deal to shred our Constitution.” In this case, transparency was a dangerous concept that would strip away all protective covering and allow vicious ultraviolet rays to stream through the window and burn away our precious freedoms.
Most Republicans are not joining Boehner in his call to repeal the financial reform bill because they are too busy calling for the repeal of health care reform. “The bill should be scrapped and replaced with much better ideas,” said Mario Rubio, the Republican Senate candidate in Florida.
Rubio’s own idea is to eliminate the requirement that healthy people have insurance, but keep the part that says insurance companies have to cover people with pre-existing conditions. This sounds like the ideal solution — no one would have to buy insurance until they got sick, and then they could make the companies sell them a whole bunch of coverage. I don’t know why nobody thought of this before.
With all these great ideas around — debate more, start over, don’t clean the windows — it’s a wonder that Washington hasn’t become the image of Athens in the age of Pericles. But instead, all Barack Obama’s critics have been able to do is make the country feel gloomy about Barack Obama. He’s passed more major legislation than anybody since Franklin Roosevelt and he’s got popularity ratings that look more like Martin Van Buren’s.
This week, there was an enormous outcry at the news that the president was going to take his wife and children to Maine for the weekend. This is the third time he and his family went away for a weekend since the gulf oil crisis. Three weekends in three months!
“Presidents are certainly entitled to vacation, just like everybody else, but there is a fine line as to when presidents should do it, what they should and where they should do it,” a former member of George W. Bush’s staff told CNN. The staff member in question, Brad Blakeman, was in charge of appointments and scheduling. Surely there is nobody better qualified to discuss this important subject than the man who helped the previous president get out of town for a third of his entire time in office.
The Republicans have now set up a site called “Golf or Gulf” that lists all the things Obama has been doing for the last three months when he could have been sitting around worrying about the oil spill. He had Paul McCartney over to the White House. And he played golf 10 times!
Let’s repeal the oil spill and start all over. The right way to handle the disaster, it appears from the many, many critiques, would have been to:
— Call all the oil company executives together to come up with a plan.
— Denounce all the oil companies.
— Apologize to the oil companies.
— Tell Paul McCartney he cannot sing in the White House until all the pelicans are clean.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/opinion/17collins.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Good morning and thanks BWD!
This is great!
Weekly Address: Filibustering Recovery & Obstructing Progress
7/17/10 Jesse Lee – WhiteHouse.gov
The President blasts Republicans in the Senate who are blocking unemployment insurance and small business tax breaks to create jobs — even as they push for permanent, massive tax cuts for the richest Americans.
Weekly Address: President Obama Says GOP Senate Leadership Choosing to “Filibuster Our Recovery and Obstruct Our Progress”
July 17, 2010- WhiteHouse.gov
WASHINGTON – In this week’s address, the President criticized the Republican leadership in the Senate for opposing initiatives which that would create jobs and strengthen the economy like cutting taxes for small businesses and extending unemployment insurance for Americans who have lost their jobs during the recession. Aiding small businesses and renewing unemployment insurance are not just the right things to do for those hit hardest by the recession, they are steps that will help strengthen the recovery. When crises strike Main Street, the President believes it’s important to put aside politics and act in the best interests of American families and small businesses.
For the entire transcript: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-says-gop-senate-leadership-choosing-filibuster-our-r
California tracking fight gets heated
7/16/10 By MAGGIE HABERMAN – POLITICO
I haven’t had a California interlude on this blog in awhile, but here’s video from some of Meg Whitman’s trackers roaming outside yesterday’s rally by the Golden State’s nurses as they protested the GOP gubernatorial hopeful in her hometown.
Staffers handling security for the event appear to mix it up with the trackers, which is not exactly shocking. It’s also a bit hard to tell from some of the video what’s happening, and one gentleman at the beginning claims he was hit and caught it on video, but not much seems to be occuring.
Whitman’s use of trackers this cycle has gained major attention, as she’s able to afford many of them to staff events, and with the advent of cheap technology, it’s easier than ever.
UPDATE: Shum Preston, spokesman for the California Nurses Association, forwards these photos which he said are Whitman trackers who “snuck in” to their press conference last week after pretending to be reporters.
“As part of her war against California nurses, Queen Meg has been sending out her ‘Whitman Youth’ guys to stalk and harass nurses, in concert with all her other attacks (last count: junk mail, crank calls, push polls, online dirty tricks, and privacy invasions),” Preston said.
I’m not sure what crank calls they’re referring to. But this is one ugly war.
good morning O family. Thanks for this article CR. Typical dirty tricks. I hope this all backfire. My bet is on the nurses, I don’t care how much money money bags has. Off to light my candle.
Nobody messes with nurses, so she’s really asking for it. This is going to be a battle royale. Whitman is running circles around the media and sucking all the air out of the airwaves. Her commercials are everywhere. I’m so tired of her voice and her fake concern about what’s happening to the average person in California. Now that the primaries are over all those horrific things she said to court Republicans have magically disappeared. She’s even advertising how much she cares on Univision to court the Latino vote. She is lying! Jerry Brown had better start spending some of his money sometime soon and get this thing going.
I agree Meta. Jerry had better stop being so frugal. This woman do not care for anyone except herself. If she had cared about what happened in CA and the country, she would not have sat on her but and not voted all these years. I think I heard or read somewhere that Fiorina has a dismal voting record also.
Good Morning Everyone!
Thank you to everyone of YOU who come here and contribute to make this site a success!!!
Good Morning CR & BWD and all of our O’Team
Please join me in lighting a candle for the President, his family and the sucess of our Day of Action Event today.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=pbo
Good morning and thank you Donna!
Good morning, OTeam. Today is a big day for us. We have SO much to be proud of and we are not quitters.
Good morning Meta! YES WE CAN!!!
Good morning everyone. Wow. Lots to read this morning. You guys are awesome!
Good morning Jackie!
I put a new tab up at the top of the site “2010 Voter Registration”.
Thanks to Kathleen for days of hard work in going through each state’s voter registration rules to create this great source of reference!!!
*bows*
Thanks Kathleen! As my beloved mom used to say, “You’re as handy as a pocket in a shirt”!
BWWAAHAAA! I love that!
Yes, lots of appreciation goes to Kat for her considerable work pulling all that info together so we can be more productive in our outreach to help Democrats. THANK YOU, Kat. I see chocolate in your future.
>^oo^< "Chocolate!?!"
*curtsies*
After watching and reading the week’s Republican obstructionism, and seeing President’s Weekly Address, I think we need to hit the blogs with the names of the Senators who have been voting against the unemployment extensions. Number one should be Jon Kyl. We also need to start exploiting the Republican’s newest gift from Agent Orange John Boehner, calling for a moratorium on any regulations. I know Rock in on Twitter and Facebook, so perhaps he could do this for us? I have lost the capability on my home computer to easily cut and paste by losing my Microsoft Word Home Office software.
I will send Rock an email with your message Jackie!
Sorry to hear about your losing the software ability.
No worries. I will get it reinstalled, but I lent my software to someone who still has it.
I think that’s a good idea Jackie. I am still learning how to use twitter lol….I am disheartened by the obstructionism behind the unemployment extension. Every night on our local news they have been showing families that are getting ready to lose their cars and homes due to the failure to extend unemployment. Every family that I have seen so far has children. The news can not get either Jim Demint, or Lindsey Graham to even give them an interview explaining why they are voting no and against the interest of these struggling families. Jim Demint’s VM has been full daily, and Lindsey Graham’s has been busy. Finally Demint issued a statement saying that he is voting no because it “increases the deficit.” Lindsey Graham put something on youtube I believe, but they refuse to face the music. I hope this is a wake up call for people in this state, but I doubt it.
Tori from Greenville SC
Hey Tori!!!
Hi Tori. Glad to see you here. It is nearly impossible to reach these people. They know how we feel, but they don’t care. That’s why voicemail is full. We also can’t email unless we have a zip code and/or an address that fits their district. I think the high profile Republicans should be called out with a sprinkling of other little known Republicans in bits and pieces. Sort of like a “Did you know that Jon Kyl, Judd Greg and Mitch McConnell voted against an extension of unemployment benefits for the third time but they want to extend the tax cuts for the wealthy that will increase the deficit by 68 billion dollars a year” kind of blurb. That ties a familiar name with an unfamiliar name until we get all 41 Senators I believe. McConnell, Kyl, Hatch, DeMint, Inhoff, McCain, Corker, Cornyn, Grassley, Ensign and Graham come to mind off the top of my head. If nothing else, the names may ring a bell with some down the road at election time.
Good evening jackie…im rerady to help any way I can :0)
Dr. Steve Chu turned out to be a Godsend:
Energy Secretary Emerges to Take a Commanding Role in Effort to Corral Well
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/us/politics/17chu.html?_r=1&src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fnational%2Findex.jsonp
Thank you President Obama for filling your administration with people who have unquestionable competence.
Thank you Pres Obama and his administration staff!
Dr, Chu is awesome!!!! Thanks POTUS.
Good Morning everyone!!HOPE you enjoy the weekend.
Thank Kat, CR, Donna, Jocelyn, meta, COS, Jackie – you all are phenomenal.
Good morning Sandy!
Good Morning to all of you. I have been here daily reading, but I don’t post too often.
Tori from Greenville, SC.
Good morning, Tori. So glad to see you here. Please jump in whenever you can.
Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard C. Holbrooke Travels to Germany, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and the United Kingdom July
15-July 22
July 14, 2010 http://www.state.gov
Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard C. Holbrooke will travel to Germany, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and the United Kingdom July 15-July 22.
In Germany on July 15, Special Representative Holbrooke will meet with counterparts and government officials.
In Pakistan from July 16-19, he will attend a meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan and participate in a Strategic Dialogue session to reinforce the close partnership between the United States and Pakistan.
In Afghanistan on July 20, he will attend the Kabul Conference, co-chaired by the Government of Afghanistan and the United Nations, to reinforce U.S. support for the Afghan Government’s plans to assume lead responsibility for security and development.
Special Representative Holbrooke will also travel to India and the United Kingdom where he will have additional meetings with counterparts and government officials.
FYI -
Potential Legislation To Extend Unemployment Benefits Has Failed 3 Times in the United States Senate
The list of Senators who voted to no on unemployment benefits extension (H.R. 4213).
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brown (R-MA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Nelson (D-NE)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Wicker (R-MS)
Not voting:
Murkowski (R-AK)
Please post this everywhere. These people need to be held accountable. Ben Nelson is the ONLY Democrat standing in the way of helping people out of work.
You’re the bomb Meta. Thank you!
Briefing on Secretary Clinton’s Upcoming Travel
Kurt M. Campbell
Asst Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
July 15, 2010 http://www.state.gov
MR. TONER: Good morning. Welcome to the State Department. As you know, I think P.J. announced yesterday, Secretary of State Clinton will be traveling to the Republic of Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan from July 19th through the 23rd. And here to walk us through that trip as well as provide background and context for the other – for the issues she’ll address during her trip is Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell. He’ll give some brief introductory remarks and then take your questions, and if you can just remember to state your name and affiliation.
Kurt.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Hi, good morning, all of you. Thank you very much for coming this morning. I’ll talk primarily, obviously, about the East Asia component of the trip. You will have already been briefed about the portion of the trip in South Asia. We will be meeting up with Secretary Clinton in the middle of next week, on Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning, in Seoul, South Korea. She will be visiting Seoul with Secretary Gates as part of a long-planned 2+2 meeting between our secretaries of State and Defense and their ministers of foreign affairs and minister of defense. This is the first-ever 2+2 between our two countries in Korea. It is meant to signal the very real and longstanding strength of our alliance and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.
During her time in Seoul, Secretary Clinton will do a variety of things. She will have official meetings with her interlocutors where we will discuss a range of issues, including our very strong coordination and cooperation between our two governments in the aftermath of the tragic sinking of the Cheonan. We will discuss issues associated with our economic relationship. We will work together on joint steps that we are proposing to take in the future. The Secretary will also have an event with American exporters to underscore the importance of the Korean market and work that the United States and Korea are doing together economically. Secretary Gates and Secretary Clinton will also have opportunity to lay a wreath and pay tribute to those who died during the Korean War and also will be making some public appearances together.
For the entire article: http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2010/07/144695.htm
Sec State Clinton is doing a great job!
Bloomberg poll: Americans Blame Bush, Not Obama, for Deficit, Jobs, Afghan War
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-15/americans-blame-bush-not-obama-for-deficit-jobs-afghan-war.html
Thank you BWD!!!
Thanks, BWD…Although I haven’t been watching any punditry for about 2 months now, I am sure that they will not cover this poll. I am sure nothing has changed with them. They only love to highlight polls that show the President slipping.
I didn’t know how much the MSM was hindering me, until I turned them off. Now, I realize just how they were bogging me down. I get all of my info from you guys and reading different websites.
Tori from Greenville, SC
Funny how an overwhelming majority of voters elected PBO and you’d think the MSM would want their viewership and readership with fair and accurate and objective reporting. They’d rather put their energies into tearing him down and hope that everyone hates him by the time 2012 rolls around. What they don’t understand is that we would rather tune them out and turn them off. I hope their ratings suffer and then fold for good.
It is about politics and the fact that they believe that they are ENTITLED to the power and have to do everything they can to get it back.
Yes!
CR, why did changing my gravatar not work?
Try it again.
Off to snag some voters. Have a good day everyone and see you later.
Success to you Meta! Have a great day!
Great good luck, Meta!
Happy Saturday CR, BWD, COS, Meta, Donna, Jackie, Tori, Sandy and all friends!
>^..^<
Bonjour Kathleen!
Bonjour, Jocelyne !
Bonjour Jocelyne!
Bonjour CR: thunderstorms here today: I hope the heat breaks!
The Montreal forecast for Saturday is:
T-storms
Hi 82°
Lo 72°
It is miserable to have it hot at night!
Hi Kathleen. Thanks for all your info above. It is very much appreciated.
I think ProPresObama.org has the best online reporters — we all find so much great information!
Good morning Kathleen!
When 256 Doesn’t Equal 256
7/16/10 by Tom Schaller – fivethirtyeight.com
This week, sparked by WH Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’s “in play” comment on Meet the Press, chatter and speculation about a possible Republican takeover of the House rose to new heights. As it happens, I had been working on an invited piece for Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball site at the University of Virginia in which I examine regional differences between the Democrats’ House majority heading into the 2010 midterms and the one they had on the eve of their epic, 1994 midterm catastrophe. That piece, entitled Republicans’ Regional Recipe, ran yesterday, and I’ll summarize the key parts of it first, and then share some addition reflections for which I didn’t have space in the original analysis.
What I didn’t have room for, and Isaac and Larry asked me not to bog the piece down with, was an examination of specific House contests. (There’s just too many House seats to cover, and that would make the piece longer and noisier.) But with the benefit of a bit more follow-up space here, I wanted to examine just a handful of those “leaning Democratic” House seats that, in a big or at least big-enough-to-flip-the-chamber scenario, would be part of the new Republican majority for the 112th Congress.
Three of Wood’s “leaning Democratic” seats in particular jumped right off the ranking sheet for me: Arizona 5, Michigan 9, and New Jersey 3. Why? Because all three have about the same white share of the population (roughly 80 percent), which means incumbents there are unlikely to be saved by an uptick in post-Obama, non-white voter turnout, or damaged by a midterm drop-off in non-white voters; and all three feature above-national-average household incomes. In other words, these are not working-class white districts more likely to fall because they bear more of the brunt of the economic recession, nor are they districts with significant non-white populations that may hold the line for the Democratic House candidates running there. If affluent, college-educated white voters of what Ron Brownstein calls the “Diploma Belt” variety turn against the Administration and the Democrats, you probably get Speaker Boehner; if not, you probably keep Speaker Pelosi.
For the entire article: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/07/when-256-doesnt-equal-256.html
That is extremely good news on Arizona 5′s incumbent Harry Mitchell. He is not in my District, but he may be Arizona Grandma’s Congressman. My guy is Jon Hulburd, District 3. I wish 538 would have had great news about that seat. This seat is up for grabs due to the retirement of John Shadegg.
Hi guys
Here’s a little something:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/7/17/885101/-The-party-who-brought-you-George-Bush,-and-their-servants-in-the-media…
I hope you’re all having a great weekend.
Love you.
Way to go BWD!
Keep them coming, and you have yourself a great weekend.
Love you back!
BWd this is another great diary. You never disappoint. I love all of the behind the scene photos. As Jackie and PBO says “Love you back”.
I loved it BWD!
Splendid!!
My comment:
I love “Barack Obama’s failed Presidency”!!!
Now that we live on the other side of the Looking-Glass — where Republicans define success as failure, hard work as laziness, patriotism as treason, the rule of law as socialism, the Golden Rule as communism, recognition of racism as racism itself, tanning bed users as an oppressed minority group and deadly crude oil as toothpaste or chocolate mousse — I can only say we need more “failure” like this and I thank President Obama for it!
“We’re just getting the car out of the ditch. We can’t have you drive it back in the ditch.” – President Barack Obama
Oh So Good BWD!!
Thank you BWD. You kicked some serious azz with this one. Well done.
FLOTUS will be headed to Mississippi to visit the Coast Guard handling the oil spill next week.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hdHFAXwe41Qhj_Kgi7y6aGeJDXLQD9H0CGI02
Thanks COS!
First family enjoys tennis, sights on Maine coast
7/17/10 MARK S. SMITH, AP
BAR HARBOR, Maine – President Barack Obama and the first family played tennis and took in the sights around a Maine resort Saturday even as he contemplated a new struggle over jobless benefits with his GOP foes.
After a first vacation day packed with biking, boating and a visit to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, Saturday’s program was more laid-back. The Obamas went to the Bar Harbor Club to play tennis and “hang out” at the pool, spokesman Bill Burton said.
Then they motorcaded across Mount Desert Island to a hotel overlooking Southwest Harbor. Lunch was served against a backdrop of sailboats swinging at anchor in a gentle breeze.
The Obamas toured Bass Harbor Head Light, in the southwest corner of Acadia National Park. Built in 1858 on an outcrop overlooking Blue Hill Bay, the lighthouse is run by the Coast Guard. “It looks spectacular,” Obama said as he and his family were led on a tour.
They climbed to the top of the light and held fast to its railing as first dog Bo frolicked on a path below. A pair of surprised kayakers paddled in close for a look, and a pleasure boat motored slowly past, its excited passengers jumping to their feet and waving. The Obamas waved back.
After the lighthouse, it was a 3-minute motorcade and off they went hiking in the park, which takes in 47,000 acres of island, granite hills, pine forests and rocky coast.
The three-day vacation was due to end Sunday morning — a brief respite from the pressures and policy clashes of Washington.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100717/ap_on_re_us/us_obama
As always ObamaDiary gives us great O-photos:
http://obamadiary.wordpress.com/
I love these!
Success unlikely in DOJ suit
6/17/10 Stanislaus Pulle – http://www.vcstar.com
Arizona’s SB1070 is due to take effect July 29 unless halted or voided by the Obama Department of Justice that has impressed into service a lethal constitutional weapon known as federal pre-emption. But how accurate is its aim?
In what has come to be known as the “supremacy clause” under Article VI, state law that conflicts with valid federal legislation on the subject gets ousted.
Courts have identified some clear areas of federal pre-emption. For example, only the federal government is allowed to coin money, hence state law that conflicts with this express power is automatically pre-empted.
Other instances would be in the field of patent and copyright protection, or one may encounter a case that presents a physical impossibility of conforming to both federal and state law standards as in matters of aircraft or oil tanker design specifications (conflict pre-emption).
The Constitution specifically entrusts to Congress the power “to establish a uniform rule of naturalization,” and hence the entry of aliens and their right to remain in the United States is exclusively a federal domain. Our Supreme Court has affirmed that “over no conceivable subject is the legislative power of Congress more complete than it is over the admission of aliens.”
But a state law effectuating this federal purpose or one that can be accommodated within the federal scheme is one thing and raises no real issue of pre-emption, whereas state law that derails, thwarts or frustrates the federal purpose or implementation is quite another and is decidedly unconstitutional. And it is to this latter aspect that the DOJ brief summons its ballast.
If congressional intent is made manifestly clear that there be no state role then pre-emption will apply. But Congress has not. Thus, the DOJ brief advances the case that Congress has established a regulatory scheme so pervasive as to imply that it intended to foreclose any and all room for state regulation, support, or intervention (Field pre-emption).
The complaint accuses Arizona of disrupting a calibrated federal policy that seeks in purpose and effect to enforce a national immigration scheme. It cites how SB1070 rides roughshod over federal humanitarian imperatives whereby aliens who are victims of natural disasters or to insure family unity or as part of asylum concerns are provided shelter.
The DOJ lawsuit contends that Arizona’s “lawful stop, detention, and verification on grounds of reasonable suspicion and arrest” is hammer-locked onto a new slew of state criminal penalties for an alien’s failure to federally register or carry in person federal registration documents.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jul/17/success-unlikely-in-doj-suit/?partner=yahoo_feeds#ixzz0tyjH52yR
- vcstar.com
I hope the author is wrong. I’m looking at his archived articles, and he strikes me as being on the conservative side.
Oh good then he is just biased.
Good afternoon/evening O’Team. Today was exhausting in a good way. Hot as all get out but so fulfilling. We got 273 pledges and I think Jason said 52 new registrations. Most people in our area are already registered to vote.
I wasn’t working on the voter registration I was working on the pledge cards. Our youth are awesome but for the most part they have basically tuned out of politics but they got an education today
I had an awesome team working with me today. Truly dedicated folks that are determined to keep our Governorship Blue and our majorities in the House and Senate Democratic.
Now I am going to go take a nice long soaking bath.
How did your day go?
Wow congratulations Donna!
The new “2010 Voter Registration” tab that Kathleen worked on for days is up!
I also added this instruction:
Electoral fraud can occur at any stage in the democratic process, but most commonly occurs in voter registration. The two main types of electoral fraud are preventing eligible voters from casting their vote freely (or voting at all); and altering the results. Any GOTV volunteer entrusted with assisting a voter registrant is responsible for having the form filled out correctly and having the form mailed out in a timely fashion.
This instruction is good to know for volunteers.
That sounds wonderful, Donna!
Sent you an O-mail.
Got it. You are simply amazing
Considering I type with paws…
This NY Daily News headline made me laugh:
President Barack Obama and family hike, swim and eat ice cream on vacation, GOP not pleased
http://nydn.us/aahE6Q
Pffft!
:b
Our very own Kevin Winterfield g+/s+ who now for some reason goes by the name ‘the hammer’ at OFA just posted this on Facebook. He had a phenomenal phone bank today.
Here is his blog on it:
http://ofanorthernwestchester.blogspot.com/2010/07/we-did-it-thank-you-battleground.html
Thanks Donna!
Now I know the identity of THE HAMMER! I posted a comment to his blog.
In laying out his case for why the GOP should have a minimal platform for the November elections, a New York Republican has given ammunition to critics who say the party knows its policies wouldn’t be popular if they were put under the microscope.
Rep. Peter King (R-NY) told a radio show Thursday that the GOP should focus on its strategy of being against President Barack Obama’s policies, but shouldn’t give too many specifics on its own policies — or those policies could be used against them.
GOP strategy should be “a combination of being against what Obama is for, and also giving certain specifics of what we are for,” King told the Bill Bennett Radio Show. “Having said that, I don’t think we have to lay out a complete agenda, from top to bottom, because then we would have the national mainstream media jumping on every point trying to make that a campaign issue.”
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0716/king-republican-agenda-hidden/
Ha! Mr. Frum didn’t get the memo. heheheh
Running on saying ‘no’ to Obama will get Republicans nowhere. Despite all the economic trouble, the oil spill, bad news abroad etc., over the past several months Obama’s approval rating has steadily held just a tad below 50% (the RealClearPolitics average has not strayed outside the 46-50% range since last year). It’s not great, but still healthy.
Just to put things in perspective, that’s a couple points higher than McCain’s share of the popular vote. It also means that roughly 90% of Obama voters still approve of him and thus he has not yet suffered any major erosion of support. Furthermore, while some 10% of his voters are disappointed in him, virtually none of them have yet turned against him, as evidenced by the fact that the RealClearPolitics average disapproval rating of 47.1% (as of right now) just happens to be exactly the same as the percentage of Americans who voted against Obama.
Incidentally, this also means that a year and a half of angry rhetoric by Limbaugh, Beck et al. did not manage to convince anybody other than McCain voters that the Obama presidency is not good for the country. Yes, intensity matters too — especially in midterm elections — but the problem is that some methods of energizing the Republican base risk also energizing the Democratic base and/or turning off independents.
http://www.frumforum.com/not-smart-to-run-against-obama
I think that Democrats, Independents and the Republicans who volunteered and voted for Pres Obama in 2008 should really think about what it be like if they did not help again and did not vote Democratic this November
that would mean a….
Republic majority in Congress who is getting paid by American tax dollars to do nothing and to make sure that ALL LEGISLATION IS GROUND TO A HALT.
Is that what they REALLY WANT???
COME ON AND GET GOING TO GET DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS SO THAT WE CAN PROPEL THE ECONOMY FORWARD PEOPLE!!!!
Hilarious yet true — if the rank and file voters who go for the GOP really understood what that party actually stands for, they’d surely be less likely to vote for Republicans.
I have a cute little story to tell you. I have a very dear friend named Catherine. She is 78 years old. She attends church every single Sunday, sings in the choir and also volunteers on Mondays at the charter school run by the church. She continually complains about the bashing of Obama that she hears from the paritioners. She tells me that the pastors every Sunday ask for prayers for the President and his family. She thinks Pastor does this because he hears these people–supposedly good christians–talking so negatively. She tells me she just can’t stand it. She has quit watching cable news too.
Catherine called me today and she has decided she is not going to take it anymore — she says she will not ignore the comments. She has started an Obama file! She doesn’t have a computer or email but she reads the paper faithfully. She has started cutting out articles about how President Obama’s policies had made a difference. Today, she cut out an article about the Medicare fraud. She says she is going to carry the file with her and when someone says that the President hasn’t done anything, she going to show them the articles.
Is that cute or what!
Bless her heart!
Oh, that’s so sweet and makes me want to work harder. I know that people feel this slime in their bones. We know in our hearts that there is a very ugly campaign against the truth. And we just can’t sit by and let it happen. KUDOS to Catherine. I am with her in spirit.
That made me cry Jackie! Give her a big hug from all of us!!!!! Thank you, thank you for sharing that with us!
Long day but a good one. Went to my first event at a local supermarket in a pretty high end neighborhood. A lot of volunteers showed up (66 sign-ups!) so then I opted to check my email for some other events I’d seen that didn’t show up on OFA. Jumped on a bus and went to another area and found another group of volunteers in a very diverse neighborhood. This was a great opportunity to talk to voters and sign people up to vote in November. I don’t have any final numbers because I was not in charge of the petitions but I think we did fairly well. It’s tough to sign up new voters here because we did such a great job in 2008. But I was diving for the younger ones and snagged a good bunch. Had some pushback from some Repubs but I had my rap down. I hit back with facts and data and they were sort of blown away that I knew what I was talking about. It’s fun to disarm prejudice with information. Ha!
Hope everyone is doing well tonight!
Nice job, Meta!!
Kat, I think people are expecting us to be depressed and hiding in our corner but that is not what’s going down! We are still out there fighting for every vote going forward, just like we did to elect our dear President 2 years ago. I’m so proud of all the people who care so much about our future!
Wow, Meta, that is so great! I think fighting back is the only answer because the alternative is not acceptable. Thanks for all you do.
Thanks for sharing your successful event with us Meta!
Thank you everyone for another good day!
“See” you tomorrow!
Good night, CR!
Thank you for ProPresObama.org!
Sunday Jul. 18, 2010
All Times Eastern
The Obamas leave Mount Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park in Maine.
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
12:05 PM
Obama arrives at Andrews Air Force Base.
12:20 PM
Obama arrives at the White House from Andrews Air Force Base.
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
Clinton aims to refine goals of Afghan war
7/18/10 MATTHEW LEE, AP
ISLAMABAD – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton started a South Asia tour on Sunday aimed at refining the goals of the nearly 9-year-old war in Afghanistan and pushing neighboring nations to work together in the fight against al-Qaida and Taliban extremists.
Clinton landed in Islamabad where she will underscore the need for Afghan-Pakistani cooperation in winning the war but also announce plans to beef up U.S. development assistance to Pakistan, which is rife with anti-American sentiment.
In talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Sunday and military and civilian officials on Monday, Clinton is seeking to convince Pakistanis the U.S. is committed to the country’s long-term development needs and not just short-term security gains.
This, officials hope, will lead to greater Pakistani cooperation on key U.S. policy goals, particularly combatting Pakistan-based militants accused of conspiring to attack the United States, including the failed Times Square bombing, and stepping up action against extremists along the Afghan border.
“To get there we need to change the core of the relationship with Pakistan,” said Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
For the entire article: http://yhoo.it/eJzNiW
Honoring the service of soldiers who commit suicide
7/18/10 By Greg Jaffe – Washington Post
There was only the subtlest hint that this memorial service was different.
The Baker Company first sergeant called his men to attention in front of a ragged rock wall, built to shield troops from incoming mortar fire. A chaplain read an invocation, followed by a brief recitation of Staff Sgt. Thaddeus S. Montgomery Jr.’s biography. He had spent three years in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Humvee gunner, a sniper and infantry squad leader. He loved reggae music, camping and fishing and wore his hair in dreadlocks before enlisting.
“Monty was someone I could talk to when things got tough,” said one of his men, according to a video of the ceremony, which was held early this year in eastern Afghanistan. “He brought laughter to the squad and a bright outlook on life.”
He was a “fearless leader,” his company commander said.
“I’ll never know why Monty did what he did on the 20th of January,” said his best friend in the platoon.
On that day Montgomery, 29, aimed his gun at himself and pulled the trigger, Army officials said.
said.
For the entire article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/17/AR2010071702692.html
CR, that is such a moving article. I can’t understand the lack of compassion in those who call these poor people who take their own lives “dishonorable.” They should be honored for their service and mourned like any other combat death.
I agree
Louisiana reopens Gulf waters to sport fishing
Move seen as boon to ailing industry, but commercial boats remain at dock
7/17/10 by Mike Brunker- msnbc.com
Tossing a life preserver to its ailing tourism industry, the state of Louisiana has reopened most of its state waters in the Gulf of Mexico to recreational fishing.
The state’s seven-member Wildlife and Fisheries Commission announced Wednesday that approximately 86 percent of recreational fishing in state waters extending 3 miles off the coast would be reopened immediately to recreational fishing, including shrimping and crabbing. Excluded are “heavily oiled areas, areas associated with boom and areas of active cleanup,” it said.
The areas remain closed to commercial fishing, though charter boats, bait fishermen and “dealers who harvest for and sell to recreational fishermen exclusively” can resume operations.
The move makes Louisiana the first state hard hit by BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill to lift strict restrictions on recreational fishing. Mississippi’s coastal waters in the Mississippi Sound remain closed to both commercial and recreational fishing, while state waters along Alabama and a 23-mile stretch of northeast Florida are open only for “catch and release” recreational fishing. (Texas, which has so far largely been spared by the oil, has placed no restrictions on commercial or recreational fishing.)
The federal government also has closed a wide swath of the Gulf to all fishing.
Joe Shepard, administrator of Louisiana’s fisheries division, said state officials acted after analysis of approximately 500 samples of fish, crabs, oysters and shrimp from near shore indicated that they posed no health threat.
State officials are nonetheless urging fishermen to use common sense and to “smell and examine catch closely to ensure that there are no obvious oil or chemical residues.”
For the entire article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38284766/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf/
First Lady Michelle Obama Returning to the Gulf Region
7/16/10 Melissa Canone- http://www.katc.com
WASHINGTON (AP) – First lady Michelle Obama is returning to the
Gulf region next week to meet with Coast Guard personnel in
Mississippi who have been responding to the massive oil spill.
Mrs. Obama will also christen a Coast Guard cutter named in
honor of Dorothy C. Stratton, the Coast Guard’s first female
commissioned officer.
The first lady made her first oil spill trip to the region
earlier this month when she visited Pensacola, Fla., and met with
business and tourism officials. President Barack Obama says he
plans to return to the region as well in the coming weeks.
Information on Gulf Coast Spill
http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill/
Obama family heads home Sunday after weekend getaway at Maine resort
7/18/10 Mark S. Smith, AP
BAR HARBOR, Maine – President Barack Obama and his family managed to make it through a couple of days of family vacation time without a crisis forcing a change in plans.
The first family was to head home to the White House on Sunday after two days of nearly nonstop recreation at this upscale resort on the northern Maine coast.
From the moment they arrived Friday, it was clear the Obamas were determined to make the most of their time here, much of it in Acadia National Park.
The president, his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha set the tone right away, motorcading straight from the airport to a park bike trail for an hour of cycling.
What followed was a whirl of outings, as their motorcade crisscrossed Mount Desert Island. They went boating on Frenchman Bay, hiked on a park nature trail, played tennis, hung out at the pool, toured a lighthouse, had lunch and dinner at harbourside restaurants and — of course — stopped for ice cream.
Even their dog Bo had fun, playfully wrapping up a Coast Guard lighthouse keeper in the leash Sasha, 9, was holding.
But the high point — literally — was their visit to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, listed by park officials as the tallest peak on the Eastern Seaboard. From the granite mountaintop, as they listened to a park superintendent, the Obamas beheld a spectacular vista of granite hills above an emerald bay.
It was certainly a more uplifting scene than what awaited the president on his return to Washington: more wrangling with a bitterly divided Congress heading toward the August recess, lawmakers’ attention increasingly focused on the fall elections.
The Obama family was also eyeing its August plans. Malia, 12, is headed to summer camp for the first time. Her dad has said he plans to return to the Gulf soon for another look at the oil spill zone. And residents of Martha’s Vineyard are wondering if the Obamas will spend part of the month on the island off the Massachusetts’ coast, as they did last summer.
The trip to Maine did appear to accomplish one important thing: breaking the Obama family travel jinx.
Since last year’s Vineyard stay was interrupted by Sen. Edward Kennedy’s death and funeral, Obama family travel plans have been repeatedly altered by events.
Christmas Day in Hawaii had the president responding to a near-bombing of a Detroit-bound jet. A planned trip to Indonesia, where Obama spent part of his youth, has twice been postponed. And other trips have had their schedules scrambled.
Of course, the Obamas’ departure for Bar Harbor was itself delayed briefly, when Obama stopped to talk to reporters the morning after BP finally capped its runaway well that for weeks had poured millions of gallons of polluting crude into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, despoiling rich fishing grounds and chasing away summer vacationers.
I am glad that the Obamas had a restful two days outside of D.C. and no disasters happened this time during their time away.
Now that was a very nice and positive article.
That was a good one.
Good Morning Everyone! I HOPE that you all have a good day!
Good morning everyone. My internet and phone have been down since about midnight.
Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.
Please join me in lighting a candle for our President and First Family as they travel back from their weekend in Maine.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=pbo
Good morning and thank you Jackie!
Glad you are back on-line!
Me too. I needed my “fix” for the day!
‘Extraordinary vision’
Obama’s b-day wishes for Mandela
07/18/10 By POLITICO
President Obama’s statement marking Nelson Mandela’s 92nd birthday, and the first annual Nelson Mandela International Day:
“On behalf of the United States, I wish Nelson Mandela a very happy 92nd birthday. We are grateful to continue to be blessed with his extraordinary vision, leadership, and spirit. And we strive to build upon his example of tolerance, compassion and reconciliation. I also join the American people, the South African people, the United Nations, and the world in celebrating the first annual Nelson Mandela International Day. I encourage us all to heed the call to engage in some form of service to others, in honor of the 67 years of sacrifice and service Madiba gave to us. We strive to follow his example of what it means to truly give back to our communities, our nations, and our world. “
Happy Birthday Mr. Mandela!!
He was born on 18 July 1918
TubeMySchool video, July 18, 2010 -
Children sing for Nelson Mandela on 92nd Birthday
Children from Nelson Mandela’s home town in East London were flown to Johannesburg by SAA for his 92nd birthday. Here they are practicing their songs in front of his house before meeting Madiba [honorary title - Wikipedia]. Afterwards the kids received schoolwear hampers from MySchool and Woolworths.
Cute!
NTVKenya, July 18, 2010 -
Former South African President Nelson Mandela is gearing up for another milestone in his eventful life. The retired president is marking his 92nd birthday today just days after his country hosted the biggest sporting event in the world. Leaders from his party, ANC and dozens of children from his village in the Eastern Cape visited Mandela at his house in Houghton on the eve of his birthday. The ANC wished him well on the day that has now been declared by the United Nations as the international Mandela Day. The ANC leadership conveyed a message from the National Executive Committee wishing him good health and many more years to live. South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma is expected to address thousands of people at the main celebrations at Mandela’s village of Mvezo. Mandela is expected to spend his birthday at home with his family.
Hip Hip Hooray!
news247365 video, July 18, 2010 -
World marks first Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18
July the 18th is former South African leader Nelson Mandela’s 92nd birthday. The United Nations has set the date as Nelson Mandela International Day, a tribute to the anti-apartheid leader’s moral leadership and lifelong commitment to fighting racial oppression and promoting peace. This year the Nobel Peace Prize laureate has issued a message, calling on people to focus on the cause of humanity. Across South Africa, people are planning events to mark Mandela Day.
Here are some great photos of the first family on vacation. http://www.daylife.com/photo/06klcE577qcWB?q=Michelle+Obama
Good morning and thanks Tori!
I’m so glad our First Family was able to get out and breathe the air in such a beautiful place.
Looks like Bo is having a good time, too!
Obama Maine Food Report, Day 2: Date Night At Havana Restaurant, Lunch At Xanthus
7/17/10 obamafoodorama.blogspot.com
Obamas enjoy local, organic, sustainable lunch & dinner amidst day of outdoor play
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama capped the second day of their Maine weekend vacation with a special Latin-inflected Date Night dinner in Bar Harbor on Saturday evening. It followed outdoor fun with daughters Malia and Sasha, accompanied by First Dog Bo, which included lunch at the historic Claremont Hotel on Mount Desert Island. (Above: The First Family walking on the grounds of the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse)
The Maine Event Date Night dinner began at about 7:30, according to pool, and lasted for more than an hour and a half at Bar Harbor’s Havana restaurant, an upscale Cuban eatery overseen by Executive Chef Jason Casey. Cuisine is described as “American fine dining with a Latin flair,” and the restaurant touts its local, organic and sustainable sourcing:
Since opening eleven years ago, we have been committed to serving local and organic meats, produce and seafood. We consistently search out New England farmers and fisherfolk to purchase products that are not only great tasting, but great for the environment and local economy as well.
No word yet on what the President and First Lady actually ordered; that will come tomorrow, when service staff and management–or owners Michael Boland and Deirdre Swords–are debriefed by local media. Crowds of people were gathered outside the eatery hoping for a glimpse of the First Couple, according to pool. But after dinner the Obamas left through a back entrance, and the motorcade was rolling at 9:14, taking a side street to avoid the mob of well wishers. Pool was held up the block at a different restaurant and noted “No further readout on their date night but poolers thoroughly enjoyed the quality of food and service at Poor Boy’s Gourmet Restaurant where we ate, and recommend it.”
For the entire article: http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2010/07/obama-maine-food-report-day-2-date.html
Sounds nice! Havana Restaurant website:
http://www.havanamaine.com/index_BH.html
I’ll have the house salad, the mussels in tomato sauce, roasted halibut, and the Chocolate Trio for dessert.
Followed by a really long hike in Acadia to burn it all off!
Chocolate Trio dessert for me, myself and I
You two crack me up with your “sweetness”
I love sweets but I am not a big chocolate person. I only like chocolate as a topping…for instance, yellow cake with chocolate icing or vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate syrup on top.
Ok now I have to go find something to satisfy my need for sweet….I blame both Kat and CR for my dilemma.
I have three weeks to go until my birthday and I still need to lose 7 lbs to make my 20lb loss goal.
So your birthday is close to PBO’s!
I remember that you said that you like your husband’s yellow cake with chocolate frosting!
Donna, you have great persistence!
I humbly accept my share of blame for all subsequent sweet consumptions.
Oh, CONGRATS on getting to your goal! That’s terrific!
Moist yellow cake with chocolate frosting makes a delicious birthday cake.
Good Sunday Afternoon/Morning O’Team
Geesh, the President and family are back in DC already. Not that I am not happy that they are safely back home but they take a 48 hour trip to the Cape (in actuality they have one full day there) and we have every major news outlet comment about them taking a “vacation”. Good Lord, what vacation?
We have the worse media in the world.
BTW-Did you notice how close the President always seemed to be in most every pic we saw while on the Cape to Malia? I think he is really struggling with his baby girl growning up. Dads and their little girls are such a special relationship. Seeing her become a little lady is I’m sure really tough for him. She is going to be such a stunner. I bet she will top out at 6 feet tall.
Good morning Donna and all of my O family. Donna, I was thinking the same thing about Malia. He is really having a hard time with her growing up. He revealed that when he mentioned her braces at that rally.
Dads always have a hard time letting go. I pity the guys who captures his girl’s hearts. He jokes about having the secret service check them out but deep down inside I am sure he will do it. He probably wanted to spend a little more time with Malia before she goes to camp also. 
Have a wonderful day everyone.
Hi COS!
Donna, the GOP/media noise machine never fails to amaze. I’m only surprised that they don’t attack the First Family for eating ice cream on a hot summer day, because it would make as much sense as anything else they carry on about!
Good morning Donna!!
Good morning, OTeam.
I really did notice how close PBO is to Malia during this whole trip. They are often seen holding hands or he has his arm around her. She’s grown so much and I’m sure he’s feeling awfully sentimental about her childhood as she becomes such a beautiful young lady right before our very eyes.
Right around the time of the election, I went to a small reception with PBO’s sister Maya – who BTW is one of the warmest and sweetest people you will ever meet – and she talked at great length about what an incredible girl Malia is and how much she is loved. It really touched my heart to see how close this family is and how proud they are of each other. They just radiate that beautiful bond.
Good morning Meta!!
I was reading the comments on another site and someone gave the “First Kids” the acronym MACOTUS (most adorable children of the united states). That put a big ole smile on my face.
Oh, that’s perfect! I’m going to be so curious about what Malia becomes, what she chooses to do with her life. To have such astonishing parents and such an extraordinary experience of living in the White House, I wonder how she’ll find her calling.
I’ll second that!
Hi Meta! What wonderful experiences you’ve had.
Happy Sunday CR, Jackie, Tori, Donna and all friends!
>^..^<
Good morning Kathleen!!
Happy Sunday Kat.
Hope everyone has a good restful day.
Good Morning/afternoon O’family. Happy Sunday.
Happy Sunday Sandy!
Hi Sandy!
Hello Sandy!
Here’s some cool video of our First Family. Scroll down to the bottom of the post:
http://obamadiary.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/cmon-dudes-lets-go/
OK O’family I need a little education. I have not followed closely with the NAACP as I always assumed it’s a good organization and stand up for civil rights for all. I saw an interesting FB page lately and hit like, I have since regretted because the person whose FB it is has had a lot bad things to say about NAACP one of which it’s a racist organization. Have I missed something through the years. I know this is not PBO related but I just would like to get some info that maybe I might not be aware of. Any info will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I will send COS an email. She can give you info as they are members.
Thanks CR.
Sandy and CR the NAACP is absolutely not a racist organization. I can only speak from what I have seen and my experience. My husband use to be president of our local chapter and he use to get calls and help folks from all walks of life, no matter what color. I am a lifetime member and no way would I be involved with an organization if I saw any hint of racism.
Perhaps Sandy’s friend is listening to the republican talking points since they repudiated the tea party racism. Don’t know what else I can say.
My husband attended the convention all last week. He is a retired military guy and I know he would not be involved with an organization if he thought it was racist.
Thank you COS!
I know that the NAACP are not racists; in fact they are the one’s who are trying to end discrimination. I thought that an actual representative of the organization should answer.
I know you know it, CR!
Here are Congressional websites:
The House: http://www.house.gov/
Nancy Pelosi’s blog: http://www.speaker.gov/blog/
The Senate: http://www.senate.gov/
Great links, CR.
The Gavel – Speaker Pelosi’s blog, July 16, 2010:
Republican Leader John Boehner’s Moratorium: Who Would Pay the Price?
by Office of the Speaker
Today Republican Leader John Boehner put his mouth where the money is. After a meeting this morning with a bevy of special interest lobbyists, and one day after he called for the repeal of Wall Street reform, he said:
“I think having a moratorium on new federal regulations is a great idea.”
Boehner said the ban would send “a wonderful signal to the private sector that they’re going to have some breathing room.”
That’s right, instead of standing up for American workers, their families and small businesses who have been burned by Wall Street, Big Banks and Big Oil – Boehner wants to give “breathing room” to the special interests. The Bush-Republican decision to take the referee off the field is what led to the most serious fiscal crisis since the Great Depression.
Which of these proposed federal regulations to protect taxpayers and consumers does Mr. Boehner think is “a great idea” to stop to give “breathing room” to the special interests?
SAFE CRIBS AND BASSINETS FOR CHILDREN: The Commission is proposing a more stringent safety standard for bassinets and cradles that will further reduce the risk of injury associated with these products.
TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING: The establishment of a free, public, website containing full disclosure of all Federal contract award information.
CONSUMER PROTECTIONS FOR AMERICAN AIR TRAVELERS: New action to strengthen the rights of air travelers in the event of oversales, flight cancellations and long delays, and to ensure that passengers have accurate and adequate information to make informed decisions when selecting flights.
We are not going back to the failed policies of the Bush Administration where the special interests and lax oversight wasted our taxpayer dollars and put our economic and family security at risk.
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=2397
Senate.gov:
Live webcam of U.S. Capitol:
http://www.senate.gov/general/capcam.htm
Senate.gov:
This week in Senate history:
July 17, 1789
Oliver Ellsworth (F-CT) Under the leadership of Connecticut Senator Oliver Ellsworth, the Senate shaped and passed the Judiciary Act of 1789. This landmark statute fleshed out the Constitution’s vague guidelines for the federal judicial system.
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/g_three_sections_with_teasers/origins.htm
Short bio of Sen. Ellsworth: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/Featured_Bio_Ellsworth.htm
Senator Ellsworth’s Judiciary Act: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Senator_Ellsworths_Judiciary_Act.htm
House.gov:
Going green in the House of Representatives:
http://cao.house.gov/greenthecapitol/
Green the Capitol video, May 24, 2010 -
House Wins Prestigious Award for Saving Taxpayers $2,000 a Day
Biden: US Troop Withdrawal From Iraq Remains on Schedule
7/18/10 Michael Bowman | Washington, D.C. – voanews.com
The Obama administration says the United States will stick to a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, despite the country’s inability to form a coalition government and continuing sectarian violence.
Just one month remains for the Obama administration to complete the scheduled withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq. Vice President Joe Biden says Iraq is ready to stand on its own.
“Iraqi security is being provided by the Iraqis, with our [U.S.] assistance. We are still going to have 50,000 troops there. We will have brought home 95,000,” he said. “There is no one in the military who thinks we cannot do that. I do not have a doubt in my mind that we will be able to meet the commitment of having only 50,000 troops there, and it will not in any way affect the physical stability of Iraq.”
The vice president was speaking on ABC’s This Week program.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Iraq’s political parties to show greater urgency in forming a coalition government and end the political stalemate that has continued since inconclusive Iraqi elections in March.
Vice President Biden expressed confidence a coalition government will be forthcoming, and suggested that political squabbling by Iraqi factions is preferable to full-blown sectarian civil war – a fate many observers feared for Iraq just a few years ago.
“There will be a central government with control of its foreign policy, with control of the military,” said Mr. Biden. “And look: this is their first crack at democracy. Politics has broken out [in Iraq], not war.”
Even so, Iraq has seen an upswing in violence since the March elections.
Sunday, officials reported two suicide bombings, one southwest of Baghdad and another near the border with Syria. The blasts killed several dozen people and wounded dozens more.
U.S. President Barack Obama came into office promising to end the war in Iraq, which during the 2008 campaign he criticized as a “stupid” war. Since entering the White House, Mr. Obama has spoken of the benefits of preserving a stable and democratic Iraq.
ABCNews video -
Vice President Joe Biden with ABC News’ Jake Tapper, Part 1.
ABCNews video -
Vice President Biden with Jake Tapper, Part 2.
Thanks Kathleen!
Great interviews! VPOTUS has a way of explaining things the way the really are. And that is a BFDeal to the American public!
So now the teabaggers expel Mark Williams (their spokesperson over that ‘Colored Person” racist letter he posted on his website last week.
What a bunch of hypocrites. They loved this guy and had him as their spokesperson but they’re not racist. Oh no its the mean old liberal media just drumming up lies about them.
Give me a break but of course this will be played down by our lazy, sloppy media.
I forgot the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/18/tea-party-expels-mark-williams_n_650445.html
Donna, they are truly hypocrites. I could not help but see the article about the ad by that republican group of thugs accusing Harry Reid for not bringing enough stimulus to NV. Give me a break. There is no level low enough for these folks to stoop. I know Harry is going to respond to this.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/18/anti-stimulus-group-attac_n_650386.html
If the teabaggers’ brilliant plan is to expel each of their members/spokesidiots who make them look racist, one day soon it’s going to come down to one guy/gal standing alone in a room expelling him/herself.
What I don’t understand about racists (well, one of the many things) is why they’re so afraid of the word “racist” when they embrace its meaning. It’s like, “How dare you call me an arsonist! I just like to burn down houses.”
YUP!
EU Envoy Criticizes Israel During Gaza Visit
7/18/10 Robert Berger | Jerusalem – voanews.com
Europe’s top diplomat has criticized Israel during a visit to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton visited war-torn Gaza, a month after Israel eased its crippling land blockade. She said it is not enough.
“The position of the European Union is very clear, that we want to see the opportunity for people to be able to move around freely, to see goods not only coming into Gaza, but exports coming out of Gaza,” Ashton said.
Israel came under intense pressure to ease the three-year-old blockade following its deadly commando raid on an aid flotilla trying to sail to Gaza seven weeks ago. Nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed, sparking international outrage.
Since then, Israel has allowed all food and some building supplies into Gaza. But Israel bans most exports from Gaza because it is ruled by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that is at war with the Jewish state. In addition, the naval blockade on Gaza remains in force.
At the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israeli officials said Ashton is not taking Israel’s security concerns into account.
“It is in the best interest of everyone who does not want to see a new round of violence in the area, to make sure that no weapons and no ammunition get to the Hamas government in Gaza,” Cabinet Minister Yuli Edelstein said.
Palestinian business leaders in Gaza told Ashton that the economy cannot recover unless Israel allows shipments of all raw materials. But Israel bans supplies like fertilizer which can be used for explosives and cement which can be used for bunkers and military infrastructure.
MediaMatters.org, July 18, 2010:
Why is CNN still allowing Mark Williams on its network?
Just how racist does Mark Williams have to be before CNN will refuse to invite him on its network?
Williams has a long history of incendiary and racially charged remarks. CNN knows about this– heck, Anderson Cooper called him out on it last September. But it has never stopped CNN from repeatedly inviting him on.
Williams wrote a July 15 blog post in which he not only attacked the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for the use of “colored people” in its name as racist — an idea he also promoted in an appearance on the July 14 edition of CNN’s The Situation Room, in a debate with Roland Martin — he also portrayed blacks as lazy and NAACP leader Ben Jealous as supporting the repeal of civil-rights laws so that “massa” would again take care of blacks: “As Coloreds we must have somebody care for us otherwise we would be on our own, have to think for ourselves and make decisions!”
Williams’ post was so incendiary that he was forced to remove it, and the tea party organizations in which he has been active are working to separate themselves from him and demoting his involvement with them.
You’d think that would be a sign that Williams is not someone who should be invited on CNN. You’d be wrong.
John King led his July 16 edition of John King USA with an interview of Williams to defend himself. Williams, of course, never really apologized for the post; rather, he seemed proud of it, touting how it was “successful” in “slap[ping] some sense into a lot of people.” Nevertheless, King invited Williams on again if accompanied by Jealous to have a “civil conversation about what divides the two of you.” Never mind that Williams has exhibited little evidence of being able to hold such a “civil conversation.”
Then, in a discussion of Williams’ blog post on the July 17 edition of CNN Newsroom, anchor Don Lemon announced that Williams would appear on CNN again today to explain himself.
Why does Williams deserve two — let alone any — opportunities to come on CNN and discuss his incendiary blog post? Has CNN ever extended such a courtesy to a liberal who made controversial claims?
Most news outlets would have interpreted Williams’ record of offensive remarks as a warning against ever allowing him on. CNN, however — apparently operating under an exemption to its supposed dictate to not book radio hosts — seems to think those remarks are a reason to mainstream him.
UPDATE: The National Tea Party Federation announced on today’s edition of CBS’ Face the Nation that Williams and the group he represents, the Tea Party Express, has been expelled from the federation. If Williams’ own fellow tea partiers no longer want anything to do with him, why does CNN?
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201007180010
CNN is just a wantabe FOX
If Mark Williams is to scummy for the tea party, you would think that CNN would think the same. CNN is trying to get their ratings up but they do not realize that folks do not see them as a news station anymore. The only thing CNN is good for is the live streams. John King and his wife Dana Bash are definitely republicans.
MSM just want to promote shock & awe stories to keep everyone’s attention that have nothing to do with journalistic integrity or decent human interest stories.
That’s the truth!
FLOTUS has a pretty full schedule next week.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/07/michelle_obama_july_19_20_21_2.html
Thank you COS!
7/28, Wednesday, PBO will be in NY for a fundraiser
7/31, Saturday is Chelsea’s wedding in NY
Good evening CR I got the email
yesterday…I think its time to make
as many facts about the g-no-p go
viral as possible.
YES WE CAN! Hey Rock!
Yes we will, Tigerfists!
Hi Kat…hope u’re enjoyin ur sunday :0)
It’s a nice one, Tigerfists, thanks!
CR I responded to you email re my experience with the NAACP upthread.
Yes, thanks I knew that we could count on you!
The press keep asking if he has been invited to Chelsa’s wedding. I assume he is. I have no idea why the press is so interested in this. If he wasn’t invited, they would have a 24/7 news loop. Apparently they won’t get their wish. The press is shameless.
Have you noticed how we can almost predict what the media slant will be on everything that happens when it comes to PBO?
How many saw the “vacation” scandal coming the minute the first family boarded their chopper?
Or, the minute Chelsea’s wedding plans were announced, it would be whether PBO would be invited? How stupid can they be even questioning that he’d be invited?
But, let’s give the racist scumbucket, Williams lots of time to continue to spew his rhetoric!
Yuk, yuk, yuk!
The media is so predictable, and useless. Believe it or not, I think they underestimate the public. I am sure a lot of people watch shows just to see what lie or controversy will they manufacture next. Sometime I watch just for a laugh.
Hi guys
Here’s a fun read:
Obama’s speed vacation
BAR HARBOR, Me. – President George H.W. Bush did speed golf. President Barack Obama does speed vacationing.
In Maine this past weekend the practice began immediately.
While most travelers head from the airport to their hotel, Obama stepped off a Gulfstream Jet at Bar Harbor Airport Friday for his family weekend vacation on Mt. Desert Island and zipped over to Acadia National Park for a bike ride.
The president, the first lady and their two daughters, Sasha, 9, and Malia, 12, made quick work of the tree-lined carriage trails around Witch Hole Pond. Within 90 minutes they were en route to their next destination: a hike around the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest elevation point on the Atlantic Coast.
Obama strolled along the stone paths hand-in-hand with his wife, looked out at the scenery with his daughters and was back in his motorcade zooming down the mountain 39 minutes after arriving. He sped over to Mt. Desert Island Ice Cream in downtown Bar Harbor. The president wandered a few feet with his coconut ice cream cone to chat with some German exchange students and pose for a picture.
“Auf Wiedersehen,” he said as he left the students, who, like most people in Bar Harbor, were squealing with delight at his presence.
Total time at the ice cream shop: 11 minutes.
Indeed by the time Obama checked into the Bar Harbor Holiday Inn Regency Friday for his family weekend vacation, he already had three of the town’s must-dos crossed off his list.
“He doesn’t get a lot of time outside of Washington with his family so he enjoys taking in as much as he can on these brief trips,” said deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton, who was traveling with Obama in Maine.
And so the weekend went.
Admiring the view from the top Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse: 10 minutes. A boat ride on Frenchman Bay, followed by lobster and a martini: less than two hours. Skipping rocks and playing with the first dog, Bo, along Ship Harbor Hiking Trail: one hour. Tennis and pool time at the Bar Harbor Club: two hours. The president and the first lady even packed in a one-on-one date night dinner for a whole hour and a half.
On Saturday, Obama, who was joined on the trip by close family friend and senior White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, made eight motorcade movements and checked off five activities in 11 hours.
His darting in and out of sites is not unique to his weekend in Bar Harbor, although he was the first president in 100 years to vacation in the small, popular summer town.
Obama did similar drive-by tours last summer during the first family’s trip out west. Stopping by Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, a quick view of the Grand Canyon from the rim. An hour-long tour of the Biltmore Estate during a weekend in Asheville, N.C.
His zipping around is a stark contrast to other presidents such as George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, who spent their vacations at their ranches largely out of sight. Obama also doesn’t own a summer home, unlike other presidents. President George H.W. Bush, who liked to whip through 18 holes of golf as fast as he could, spent much of his vacation time at his estate in Kennebunkport, Maine. Richard Nixon had a home in Florida, and John F. Kennedy had Hyannis Port. Obama, more similar to Bill Clinton, just owns a house in Chicago, so he has to stay in hotels or rental homes when he vacations.
He’s also an active and youthful – 49 next month – urban president with young children, and his presidential style of recreation reflects that.
But playing tourist is never easy for a president. The eyes of the press corps are always prying from a distance.
“Aren’t you guys going to get some?” Obama asked reporters as he licked his coconut ice cream cone. “This stuff is terrific.”
And the president becomes a sight to be seen wherever he goes.
When Obama arrived at Cadillac Mountain, tourists stopped in their tracks and turned their backs to the panoramic view to stare at him and his family. Every outing comes with a dose of hand-shaking and picture-posing with fellow travelers. And while presidential time is valuable, it’s not always a treat for fellow travelers to share a vacation with him either, which is part of the reason Obama doesn’t linger.
Guests get held at bay while the president tours a site. Traffic gets backed up for motorcade movements and detoured around the president’s hotel (the Bar Harbor detour notably took drivers past a big sign crediting the stimulus bill for a project.) Obama’s vacation even threatened to disrupt a long-planned Saturday evening wedding at the hotel where he was staying. The Bangor News quoted guests at their hotel saying when they ran into first lady Michelle Obama, she apologized for interrupting their vacations.
But after two days of moving around town at a steady clip, the Obamas left their Bar Harbor hotel Sunday morning with one destination: home.
The presidential motorcade rode along Frenchman Bay around 10 a.m., past waving onlookers and small, wooden country-style summer homes, and arrived 15 minutes later at Bar Harbor Airport.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39887_Page2.html#ixzz0u4GBWeqM
Good article, BWD!
Office of the Press Secretary, July 17, 2009:
Remarks by the President to the NAACP Centennial Convention
THE PRESIDENT:
…. The first thing we need to do is make real the words of the NAACP charter and eradicate prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination among citizens of the United States. (Applause.) I understand there may be a temptation among some to think that discrimination is no longer a problem in 2009. And I believe that overall, there probably has never been less discrimination in America than there is today. I think we can say that.
But make no mistake: The pain of discrimination is still felt in America. (Applause.) By African American women paid less for doing the same work as colleagues of a different color and a different gender. (Laughter.) By Latinos made to feel unwelcome in their own country. (Applause.) By Muslim Americans viewed with suspicion simply because they kneel down to pray to their God. (Applause.) By our gay brothers and sisters, still taunted, still attacked, still denied their rights. (Applause.)
On the 45th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, discrimination cannot stand — not on account of color or gender; how you worship or who you love. Prejudice has no place in the United States of America. That’s what the NAACP stands for. That’s what the NAACP will continue to fight for as long as it takes. (Applause.)
But we also know that prejudice and discrimination — at least the most blatant types of prejudice and discrimination — are not even the steepest barriers to opportunity today. The most difficult barriers include structural inequalities that our nation’s legacy of discrimination has left behind; inequalities still plaguing too many communities and too often the object of national neglect.
These are barriers we are beginning to tear down one by one — by rewarding work with an expanded tax credit; by making housing more affordable; by giving ex-offenders a second chance. (Applause.) These are barriers we’re targeting through our White House Office on Urban Affairs, through programs like Promise Neighborhoods that builds on Geoffrey Canada’s success with the Harlem Children’s Zone — (applause) — that foster a comprehensive approach to ending poverty by putting all children on a pathway to college, and giving them the schooling and after-school support that they need to get there. (Applause.)….
There’s no two ways about it. There’s no way to avoid it. You know what I’m talking about. There’s a reason the story of the civil rights movement was written in our schools. There’s a reason Thurgood Marshall took up the cause of Linda Brown. There’s a reason why the Little Rock Nine defied a governor and a mob. It’s because there is no stronger weapon against inequality and no better path to opportunity than an education that can unlock a child’s God-given potential. (Applause.)….
Yes, government must be a force for opportunity. Yes, government must be a force for equality. But ultimately, if we are to be true to our past, then we also have to seize our own future, each and every day.
And that’s what the NAACP is all about. The NAACP was not founded in search of a handout. The NAACP was not founded in search of favors. The NAACP was founded on a firm notion of justice; to cash the promissory note of America that says all of our children, all God’s children, deserve a fair chance in the race of life. (Applause.)….
And 100 years from now, on the 200th anniversary of the NAACP — (applause) — let it be said that this generation did its part; that we too ran the race; that full of faith that our dark past has taught us, full of the hope that the present has brought us — (applause) — we faced, in our lives and all across this nation, the rising sun of a new day begun. (Applause.)
Thank you, God bless you. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-naacp-centennial-convention-07162009
Office of the First Lady, July 12, 2010:
Remarks by the First Lady to the NAACP National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri
The First Lady:
One hundred and one years ago, the NAACP was established in pursuit of a simple goal, and that was to spur this nation to live up to the founding ideals, to secure those blessings of liberty, to fulfill that promise of equality.
And since then, the work of this organization has been guided by a simple belief: that while we might not fully live out that promise or those blessings for ourselves, if we worked hard enough, and fought long enough, and believed strongly enough, that we could secure them for our children and for our grandchildren, and give them opportunities that we never dreamed of for ourselves. (Applause.)
So, for more than a century, the men and women of the NAACP have marched and protested. You have lobbied Presidents and fought unjust laws. You’ve stood up and sat in and risked life and limb so that African Americans could take their rightful places not just at lunch counters and on buses, but at universities and on battlefields — (applause) — and in hospitals and boardrooms; in Congress, the Supreme Court; and, yes, even the White House. (Applause.) Think about it — even the White House.
So I know that I stand here today, and I know that my husband stands where he is today, because of this organization — (applause) — and because of the struggles and the sacrifices of all those who came before us.
But I also know that their legacy isn’t an entitlement to be taken for granted. And I know it is not simply a gift to be enjoyed. Instead, it is an obligation to be fulfilled.
And when so many of our children still attend crumbling schools, and a black child is still far more likely to go to prison than a white child, I think the founders of this organization would agree that our work is not yet done. (Applause.)
When African American communities are still hit harder than just about anywhere by this economic downturn, and so many families are just barely scraping by, I think the founders would tell us that now is not the time to rest on our laurels.
When stubborn inequalities still persist — in education and health, in income and wealth — I think those founders would urge us to increase our intensity, and to increase our discipline and our focus and keep fighting for a better future for our children and our grandchildren. (Applause.)….
So I’m asking you, NAACP, will you move with me? (Applause.) Let’s move! I’m going to need you, NAACP. (Applause.) This is not an endeavor that I can do by myself. We cannot change the health of our community alone. I’m going to need each and every single one of you to work together for this campaign for our children’s future. If we do this together, we can change the way our children think about their health forever.
So I want to thank you all in advance, again, for your prayers and your thoughts and your support. The struggle continues.
Thank you all. God bless you, God bless this organization, and God bless America. Thank you all so much. (Applause.)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-first-lady-naacp-national-convention-kansas-city-missouri
Official: Seep found near BP’s blown out oil well
7/18/10 COLLEEN LONG and HARRY R. WEBER, AP
NEW ORLEANS – A federal official said Sunday that scientists are concerned about a seep and possible methane seen near BP’s busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
Both could be signs there are leaks in the well that’s been capped off for three days.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because an announcement about the next steps had not yet been made.
The official is familiar with the spill oversight but would not clarify what is seeping near the well. The official said BP is not complying with the government’s demand for more monitoring. BP spokesman Mark Salt declined to comment on the allegation, but said “we continue to work very closely with all government scientists on this.”
Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen will make the final decisions on the next step. The official said Allen would issue a letter to BP shortly allowing testing to proceed in 24-hour increments, but also requiring more analysis of the seep and the possible observation of methane over the well.
If Allen doesn’t get the response he wants, the testing could stop, the official said.
The custom-built cap that finally cut off the oil flowing from BP’s broken well three days ago was holding steady Sunday.
For the entire article: http://yhoo.it/g5VUG2
I suggest that BP listen to Admiral Allen. Impatience was what got them in this mess in the first place. Thanks for the article.
Yes, COS, impatience and greed! Fortunately grown-ups are at the table now thanks to PBO.
I saw this video & found a diary on kos hightlighting it…Guess this clears up the rumors..hehe :0)
I jus tweeted this diary http://bit.ly/9me3dt
Good one, Tigerfists! Guess they’ll have to start a new rumor now.
Wow powerful statement by Ms. Warren! Thank you!
Thanks Tigerfist. Elizabeth Warren has always supported PBO. That rowdy far left crowd has been complaining every since PBO chose Geitner and Larry summers. Paul Krugman is also their darling.
Thanks so much for this. This takes the wind out of the sails of the far left who are forever on the search for a new controversy to get angry about. It’s like there’s a revolving set of designated objects of hatred and scorn. Sometimes it’s Rahm, then Geithner, then Summers, then Reid, always PBO.
Good Afternoon/evening friends.
COS thanks for answering my question. She is not a friend, but a person with a Facebook page that I got on, thought I would learn something but was wrong. I went back to the page to read more, it seems to me she has her hang ups about the NAACP and apparently a bunch of followers who think the same way. She feels let down by the organization. I won’t be going back there again, not my cup of tea.
Hope everyone is having a great sunday evening.
Hi Sandy, it’s just a quiet evening up here in the Northwest watching butterflies visit the flowers.
Hope all is well with you too!
Your day sounds utterly delightful!
Husband and self did a lot of yard work yesterday — well, it was mostly him
— so today we rest.
I visited my Mom most of the afternoon, brought her dinner (since my sisters ditch us for a road trip to Atlanta) lol.
We get a lot of Western Tiger swallowtails. Here’s some good photos on a website I just found.
It would help if I gave the link:
http://www.laspilitas.com/butterflies/Butterflies_and_Moths/Western_tiger_swallowtail/western_tiger_swallowtail.html
Great pictures!
ditto
Thanks for explaining Sandy. She did not sound like a person who would be real friend to someone who believes in PBO.
Hi Sandy :0)
Hi Tigerfists, thanks for the Elizabeth Warren’s interview.
OversightMaj, July 15, 2010 -
Chairman Edolphus Towns’ Floor Statement in support of HR 1722
Chairman Towns of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform delivered this statement in support of HR 1722, the “Telework Improvement Act of 2010.” The bill will help ensure continuity of government services during emergencies, bolster productivity, and allow the Federal government to compete with the private sector by allowing employees to telework.
I support HR 1722 as well because it would improve productivity of our government.
Chairman Towns said that HR 1722 , the Telework Improvement Act, would save the taxpayers money, reduce energy consumption, reduce air pollution, reduce traffic congestion, promote flexibility for federal employees and allow the government to attract top talent.
Now that is progress!
Since I have weaned myself off of the majority of MSM, except a couple of shows, Rachel and Keith (I fastforward and delete when thhey upset me) I have been watching a lot of Discovery and Histoy channel programs. I love the History channel.
Those are cool channels. On Discovery, I especially like Deadliest Catch.
Maybe I can find Discovery and History Channel videos on YouTube.
I hope you can CR, especially the one about the moon. Viewing it in HD make it look so real.
I know this is not PBO stuff, but I was waching today the History channel story on the moon. I did not know that there is more than one moon but the more relevant one is the one that control earth. Have you seen this one Kat? Boy, the moon affects the entire planet. I never really gave this a lot of thought.
I don’t know if I’ve seen that one. I’ll see if it’s re-run here. I like Moon stuff.
Kathleen, I haven’t watched the Deadliest catch. I turned to the Discovery channel to record it and I notice that there are several different shows in succesion. Do they continue or what?
That’s funny, I answered but it never appeared.
Deadliest Catch has a new episode on Tuesday nights, and I think the previous week’s episode comes on before it. After the new episode there is a show where the crab fisherman sit around and talk about their life at sea.
There we go!
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