Thursday March 26,2009



In the opinion section of theLA times today a journalist expresses his theory on the 13 question coincidence.
13 questions. Coincidence? I think not.

I have three theories here. The first is that the president considers Q&A sessions to be unlucky, so he takes 13 questions as some kind of occult countermeasure. Admittedly, that's not a likely explanation. More probable is that his team has calculated somehow that a number around a dozen sends the right message to the public. But the simple answer may be that Obama can't fit in more than about 13 answers per event because he just can't stop himself from filibustering. Er, I mean, lecturing. (Under this theory, if Vice President Biden moves up to the top job, the tally will fall to 5 or 6.)




In the NY Times President Obama plans to further bolster American forces in Afghanistan and for the first time set benchmarks for progress in fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban there and in Pakistan, officials said Thursday.
In the Washington Post day Lawmakers Hear Obama Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategy..
“The era of the blank check is over,” Mr. Obama told Congressional leaders at the White House, according to an account of the meeting provided on the condition of anonymity because it was a private session.The new strategy, which Mr. Obama will formally announce Friday, will send 4,000 more troops to train Afghan security forces on top of the 17,000 extra combat troops that he already ordered to Afghanistan shortly after taking office, administration and Congressional officials said. But for now, Mr. Obama has decided not to send additional combat forces, they said, although military commanders at one point had requested a total of 30,000 more American troops.

Wednesday March 25, 2009







In the LA Times today recapped the major points in the press confrence from yesterday and stated that "Obama uses news conference to call for time, patience, understanding". obama made his second prime time television appreance in two months in hopes to promote a budget that supporters praise as ambitious and critics slam as big-spending. Obama consistenly raved that climbing out of the recession will not happen over night and asked that Americans show patience and have faith.


The NY Times belives that optimism is growing within the congress regarding Obamas new budget plan. The president visited the Capitol on Wendesday to urge senators to preserve his initiatives on health care, energy and education.Despite some blacklashing among some Senate Democrats about the level of spending and future deficits, Mr. Obama’s appeal seemed to find a receptive audience. The article stated that "Democratic senators indicated increasing optimism about the prospects for approval of the fiscal blueprint after they pared spending and made other adjustments."Just before midnight, the House Budget Committee voted, 24 to 15 along party lines, to approve its spending plan, sending it to the full House for consideration next week.



The Washington Post gave another side to this story insisting that Obama agreed to softening up his wish list and agreeing that the congress wont be able to give him everything that he wants. Obama excalimed that this budget was great because "it is what lays the foundation for a secure and lasting prosperity." The article then later states that asked twice whether he would accept a budget that did not include provisions for additional tax cuts for the middle class, or that did not launch a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Mr. Obama demurred. Obama called for he called for "a serious energy policy that frees ourselves from dependence on foreign oil and makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy".

Tuesday March 24, 2009




The Washington Post recapped today's press confrence that Obama held addressing the congress about the economic recession, his administration's recovery strategy, and other current events during the first 60 days of his presidency. President Obama sought to reassure Americans today that his administration has made progress in reviving the economy and said his $3.6 trillion budget is "inseparable from this recovery." During this time obama has delt with backlash from republicans that beleive his blueprint is irresponsible, and also heard from skeptical Democrats who have already set about trimming back his top budget priorities. obama later stated in response to all the budget criticism saying "We never expected, when we printed out our budget, that they would simply Xerox it and vote on it. We assume that it has to go through the legislative process. . . . I have confidence that we're going to be able to get a budget done that's reflective of what needs to happen in order to make sure that America grows." we shall see, all we can do now is wait and hope there is hope to that blueprint of his.



The NY Times also had a simlar story regarding the press confrence held today, but decided to give a different twist. this article relayed more to the housing situation and explaing the values of houses and what exactly is taking place. Obama stated "We’ve already seen a jump in refinancings of mortgages as homeowners take advantage of lower rates. And every American should know that up to 40 percent of all mortgages are now eligible for refinancing. This is the equivalent of another tax cut, and we’re also beginning to see signs of increased sales and stabilizing home prices for the first time in a very long time." Im in the process of looking for a home and i can definitely agree that alot is available and so many availble for refinancing, so other persons lost as become many others gain.



The LA times also reported the same story, obviously the press confrence was the big hit of the day. this article zoomed in on the question that was asked about Obama's plans as far as efforts by the U.S. to combat the growing violence unleashed in Mexico by drug cartels and whether Obama feels they are a threat to US security. Obama replied saying "The Obama administration this morning unveiled an ambitious multi-agency plan to help Mexico attack the growing problems created by powerful Mexican drug cartels, vowing to send U.S. money, manpower and technology to the southwestern border as soon as possible." Obama later praised Mexican President Felipe Calderon, calling him "courageous" for his efforts to fight the cartels.