The List, Obama's Seventy Fourth Week in Office

Nachumlist.com ^ | 6/25/10 | Nachum

[Nachum]

 

Obama's Seventy Fourth Week in Office

Document: Obamacare, Three months of broken promises

The List" for 6/24/2010

White House welcomes Shariah finance specialist- Obama selects Muslim expert in Islamic transactions as fellow

Almost one year after the Obama legal team at the firm Perkins Coie concluded that Governor Palin’s legal defense fund failed to comply with Alaska law, a new investigator dusted off that report and essentially re-issued it. Why are we not surprised? First, some context. Who is Perkins Coie? The firm is counsel of record for the Democratic National Committee, and other political clients include nearly all Democratic members of the United States Congress, as well as several Presidential campaigns, including those of John Kerry and Barrack Obama.

Adm. Roughead: Other nations taking note of USA's shrinking Navy- The chief of naval operations said last week that the U.S. Navy is the smallest it has been since 1916 despite being asked to do multiple missions and that further cuts in naval forces are likely.

U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman is now receiving death threats in the aftermath of his ruling to overturn the Obama administration’s moratorium on deep water drilling

Harris: Obama knew of Blagojevich plot

Emanuel pal delivered message from Obama

Blagojevich on tape: Get Obama to fund-raise from Warren Buffett, Bill Gates

Testimony: Obama Had 4 Senate Successors In Mind- Jurors in ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial got a purported look Thursday at a short list of candidates President Obama favored to replace him in the U.S. Senate.  Federal prosecutors played a tape that revealed the first official message from the budding Obama administration about who the president supported for the Senate seat.  In the call, Blagojevich's chief of staff, John Harris, tells his boss that Rahm Emanuel, Obama's soon-to-be top aide, had called him to give him a list of four people that Obama would find acceptable as his successor in the Senate

850 Orthodox Rabbis: Kagan 'Not Kosher' for Supreme Court

The former Civil Rights Division lawyer who quit the Justice Department after he was denied permission to speak about his work on a controversial voter intimidation case will testify before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Obama's Space Economic Task Force Seeks Florida Public Comments

Gov't says it's complying with moratorium ruling on drillling ban

Judge denies Obama admin stay on drill ban

VIDEO: Obama agenda and organizing for america

A top aide to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he believed Barack Obama knew of Blagojevich's plot to win himself a presidential Cabinet post in exchange for appointing Valerie Jarrett to the U.S. Senate. John Harris, Blagojevich's former chief of staff, testified Wednesday in the former governor's corruption trial that three days after the Nov. 4, 2008, presidential election, the ex-governor told Harris he felt confident Obama knew he wanted to swap perks.

Obama and leaders in his administration have made many statements to mark “LGBT Pride Month,” calling for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of anti-discrimination laws to advance the LGBT “agenda” in the U.S. and overseas. They characterized opponents as foes of progress. Obama spoke at Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Pride Month Reception in the East Room of the White House. He noted his pledge not to put aside “matters of basic equality” despite “enormous challenges” for the economy and for foreign policy.

The List" for 6/23/2010

Document: Obamacare, Three months of broken promises

House Republican Leader John Boehner is marking the 90-day anniversary of health care reform with a 43-page report "designed to chronicle ObamaCare’s three-month journey from hype to harsh reality."

Days after the November 2008 election, Rod Blagojevich sent word to Obama that he would name one of the president-elect's close friends to the Senate in exchange for a position in the Cabinet, the ousted governor's former chief of staff testified Wednesday. After court adjourned Wednesday, Blagojevich attorneys filed a motion asking to see the FBI's summaries of interviews agents conducted with Obama.

Drilling companies and others who won an order from a federal judge Tuesday lifting the Obama Administration's moratorium on deepwater oil drilling are accusing the administration of defying the court's order by announcing plans to reimpose the moratorium

Gen. Petraeus' surge was pronounced by Obama as an "utter mistake" when Obama was a senator, now he is Obama's top commander in Afghanistan

A day after his disparaging comments about America's civilian leadership surfaced and dramatically struck a nerve in the White House, the top commander in Afghanistan has been relieved of his post. President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal "with considerable regret" and nominated Gen. David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command.

Rolling Stone 'Runaway General'- Reporter: Aloof Obama 'Didn’t Really Understand What Counterinsurgency Meant'

Bork Says Kagan Lacks ‘Mature Philosophy' Needed in a Justice; Says Court is Becoming 'Committee of Ideologues'

A huge majority of senators co-signed a letter to Obama defending Israel's actions in the flotilla incident last month and urging the administration to oppose a U.N. resolution critical of the country

AUDIO: Obama suggested border-security tradeoff years ago (2004)

Obama loan program flounders: Half of all loan modifications delinquent within year

VIDEO: Obama Relieves McChrystal From Command: "I Welcome Debate, But Won't Tolerate Division"

Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court has complicated the government’s effort to force the tobacco industry to cough up nearly $300 billion. If confirmed by the Senate as a justice, Kagan would have to sit out the high court’s review of the government’s decade-old racketeering lawsuit against cigarette makers. That’s because she already has taken sides as solicitor general, signing the Obama administration’s Supreme Court brief in the case — an automatic disqualifier.

VIDEO: GOP Senator Sessions: Kagan Supported Teaching Islamic Sharia Law

VIDEO: Kagan on Bork

VIDEO: Secretary of Energy Steven Chu in 2007: BP is Going to Help Us Save the World

Federal Gov't Halts Sand Berm Dredging

Facing health insurance premium hikes, Obama administration eyes price controls

The Obama administration formally asked Congress on Tuesday for $600 million in emergency funds to hire another 1,000 Border Patrol agents, acquire two drones and enhance security along the Southwest border.

Record Debt Reducing GDP, Costing As Many As 1 Million U.S. Jobs

New home sales plunge 33 percent in May after homebuyer tax credits expire

The Obama administration homebuyer tax credit program granted $9.1 million to 1,295 prisoners who were incarcerated when they said they purchased their home.

Obama vows to end homelessness in 10 years

The List" for 6/22/2010

VIDEO: Obama Judicial Nominee Believed “Sexual Sadism” Should be “Mitigating Factor” in Serial Killer Case

Democrats are looking at the possibility of raising taxes on families below the $250,000-a-year threshold promised by Obama during the election

The Obama administration on Tuesday backed a proposal to spend up to $6 billion more on subsidies for electric vehicles

The U.S. government plans to buy a state prison in rural Illinois even if Congress blocks President Obama's plan to use it for terror suspects

Louisiana becomes first state with a Democrat legislature to oppose requirement to purchase health insurance

Crist: You know who’s doing a great job in the Gulf ? Obama !

Kagan practices answers, poise in mock hearings

On another tape just played by prosecutors, Rod Blagojevich is heard talking to John Harris over the phone on Nov. 3, 2008 -- the day before the election. They are discussing how Barack Obama is sending two representatives -- union leaders Tom Balanoff and Andy Stern -- to visit to talk about Valerie Jarrett. "Do they think I would just appoint Valerie Jarrett for nothing?" Blagojevich is heard saying of the Obama camp. "Just to make it happen?"

Clinton pledges to defend gay rights at home and abroad

8 of 15 Experts Consulted by Obama Administration on Offshore Drilling Were Not Informed of Moratorium--And Now Oppose It

 U.S. Bribes to Protect Convoys Are Funding Taliban Insurgents

Obama warned insurance firms on Tuesday not to use his healthcare overhaul as an opportunity to enact big rate increases and said the federal government would work with states to monitor them. "Insurance companies ... shouldn't see it as an opportunity to enact unjustifiable rate increases,"

Over 2,000 Skimmers Available In US That Obama Refuses To Use

IRS May Tax Payments to Gulf Coast Victims

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he will issue a new order imposing a moratorium on deepwater drilling after a federal judge struck down the existing one

The White House said Tuesday it will immediately appeal a federal judge's ruling against the Obama administration's moratorium on new deepwater drilling.

Judge blocks offshore drilling moratorium imposed by Obama administration after Gulf spill.

VIDEO: MSNBC Host Admits Working with White House on Talking Points, “I have a file that I’ve been working on with the White House—and I’ll be very transparent about that..."

Kagan sought secrecy in 4 of 5 open gov't cases

A defiant Obama says he'll defend his new health care law against a Republican campaign to repeal it.

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, on Monday evening warned that Republicans may boycott the start of Elena Kagan's Supreme Court hearings if senators do not get to review scores of documents from the solicitor general's past.

White House 'satisfied' with its response to Gulf disaster

Gen. Stanley McChrystal says he's talked to President Obama only once since taking command of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan over the summer

General Stanley McChrystal tenders his resignation

The reprinted Rolling Stone interview with McChrystal

VIDEO: Robert Gibbs Says Gen. McChrystal Has “Made an Enormous Mistake”; Won’t Say Job Still Secure

White House Questions McChrystal's Judgment, Maturity

Def. Sec. Gates makes statement on Gen. McChrystal: "I read with concern the profile piece on Gen. Stanley McChrystal in the upcoming edition of ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine. I believe that Gen. McChrystal made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment in this case."

Gen. McChrystal called to Washington to explain anti-administration comments

The top U.S. war commander in Afghanistan issued an apology late Monday for a "Rolling Stone" magazine profile in which he said he felt betrayed by the man the White House chose to be his diplomatic partner, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, and comments by aides insulting some of President Barack Obama's closest advisers.

The US commander in Afghanistan has mocked the vice-president and accused a top diplomat of betrayal in a magazine interview. Tensions between General Stanley McChrystal and the White House are on full display in the unflattering profile in Rolling Stone.

The List" for 6/21/2010

There are profound differences between the Obama administration and Israel when it comes to the perception of the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran

Another crisis between the Netanyahu and Obama administrations looms over housing in Jerusalem, this time because of Jerusalem’s plan to wreck 22 illegally built Arab homes to make way for an archaeological park. The Jerusalem municipality proposal also calls for making legal 66 other Arab buildings built without permits.The U.S. State Department said Monday afternoon it is “concerned” over the plan that “we think undermines the trust that is fundamental in making progress to the proximity talks and ultimately in direct negotiations.”

Aides to the top U.S. general in Afghanistan insulted some of President Barack Obama's closest advisers, calling one a "clown" and another a "wounded animal," in an article to be published Friday in Rolling Stone magazine. The article also quotes an aide describing the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal's "disappointment" with his initial one-on-one meeting with Obama last year.

Road Built By Stimulus Money Named "Barack Obama Parkway"

VIDEO: Deputy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton refusing to back comments by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that a decision has been made to challenge the Arizona anti-Illegal Immigration Law.

And he'll have fun fun fun

Obama White House loved the magazine cover of him walking on water

McChrystal Says U.S. Ambassador 'Betrayed' Him With Criticism of Afghan War Strategy- The top American commander in Afghanistan is complaining that he was "betrayed" by the U.S. ambassador during discussions of sending more troops to fight the war. WASHINGTON -- The top U.S. war commander in Afghanistan told an interviewer he felt betrayed by the man the White House chose to be his diplomatic partner, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry.

Obama on Tuesday will announce new health insurance benefits for consumers, marking the first 90 days since he signed landmark legislation to expand coverage.

The Labor Department is ready to tell employers they must give gay workers the same opportunity as heterosexual ones to take unpaid time off to care for their partners' newborns or loved ones. Two officials briefed on the policy changes said Monday that Labor Secretary Hilda Solis would announce the decision on Wednesday.

In 1995, Elena Kagan wrote a law review article praising the attacks on Robert Bork during his confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court. Bork was nominated for the Supreme Court in 1987 by Ronald Reagan, but his nomination failed after contentious confirmation hearings. In the article, Kagan wrote that Bork’s hearing should be a “model” for all others, because even though it ended in the candidate's rejection, the hearings presented an opportunity for the Senate and the nominee to engage on "controversial issues" and "educate the public".  ABC News' article misrepresents her attacks on Bork as "praise".

Republican lawmakers are calling on the Interior Department to stop charging what they describe as "extortion" money from the Border Patrol -- millions of under-the-radar dollars meant to cover environmental damage stemming from their everyday duties along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Department of Homeland Security, which houses the Border Patrol, last year signed a deal with Interior -- the administrator of America's parklands -- to cough up $50 million for environmental "mitigation" needed in the wake of the construction of a border fence. That was after DHS had already spent or committed millions more for expected environmental damage

‘ACORN Youth Union’ Chapters Were Funded by Justice Department, Says GAO

While a congressman, Emanuel asked for trades with embattled gov. President Barack Obama's chief of staff, then a congressman in Illinois, apparently attempted to trade favors with embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich while he was in office, according to newly disclosed e-mails obtained by The Associated Press.

Obama oil spill panel is unlikely to lift the 6 month drilling ban early.  The environmentalist stacked panel will delay its final report until next year

Obama Dept. of Labor chief offers to help illegals get paid 'fairly'

The White House defends Obama's fun time during the oil spill crisis. A White House spokesman says the whole country benefits when President Barack Obama takes time to go golfing and "clear his mind."

Prosecutors have now turned the questioning to yet another alleged shakedown by Blagojevich -- involving then-U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel and an experimental school on Chicago's Northwest Side operated by the Academy for Urban School Leadership. Emanuel, now White House chief of staff, had long been a close political ally of Blagojevich and even was elected to succeed Blagojevich in Congress when he became governor. The academy facility at 3400 N. Austin Blvd. was in Emanuel’s district, which of course was Blagojevich’s old district too.

Obama oil spill panel full of anti-oil-drilling activists

Bork to publicly oppose Kagan for high court

White House officials challenged the veracity Monday of an account of a private conversation Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said he had with President Obama.  Kyl spokesman Ryan Patmintra said the senator stood by his account, which he said was "about as straight forward as you can get."

VIDEO: Kenneth Feinberg – head of the “Oil Spill Compensation Fund” – saying people in the Gulf Region can file a claim with the Government and receive “emergency payments” without providing “the type of corroboration that would normally be provided.” Feinberg said they only need to provide “basic information,” which he did not explain.

Sarah Palin called White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel a liar on Twitter yesterday, saying his comments on ABC’s “This Week” make him shallow, narrow-minded, political and irresponsible. The former governor of Alaska is apparently outraged over Emanuel telling ABC’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that Republican Rep. Joe Barton’s apology last week to BP was not a slip of the tongue, but a reflection of the “philosophy” of the Republican Party.

In direct contradiction of the White House storyline, the former Honolulu elections official who caused a national stir this month when he told WND Barack Obama was "definitely" not born in Hawaii, and that no long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate  even exists for the president in the Aloha State is now reaffirming those claims to a network television affiliate.

Gates rules out idea of 'containing' nuclear-armed Iran

The List" for 6/20/2010

The White House welcomed Israel's new rules for its land embargo, which has drawn heightened international criticism since a deadly raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Hamas-run Palestinian territory. "We believe that the implementation of the policy announced by the government of Israel today should improve life for the people of Gaza," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, is expected to leave his job later this year after growing tired of the "idealism" of Obama's inner circle.

The Department of Homeland Security Reports that it has nothing to show for spending 1.3 Billion during the last five years to build a fence to keep out illegal aliens, the fence along our border with Mexico doesn't exist and the money is gone.

Video - Sen. Kyl: 'Obama Says No Border Security without Amnesty'

Obama Fathers Day proclamation: "Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step father, a grandfather, or caring guardian."

An unlikely company has filed a claim for compensation regarding the disaster - a New Orleans strip club. The owners of The Mimosa Dancing Girls, located on the edge of New Orleans, claimed that the spill was bad for business

Rahm Emanuel: it would be "dangerous" if the GOP held power in Washington

Defense Secretary Gates says President Barack Obama could end up vetoing legislation that would lift the ban on gays serving openly in the military.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday contradicted Vice President Joe Biden’s pledge that in July 2011 “a whole lot” of U.S. forces will be leaving Afghanistan. “That absolutely has not been decided

Fighting homegrown terrorism by monitoring Internet communications is a civil liberties trade-off the U.S. government must make to beef up national security, the Obama's homeland security chief, Janet Napolitano said Friday. 

Interview: Ariz. Governor Brewer prepared to meet Obama administration in court over immigration bill.  "Bring it on"

The White house hits the BP CEO for yachting, while Obama golfs

The Obama administration is repeating its pledge to begin pulling U.S. troops out of Afghanistan next summer.  But the Pentagon and the White House are still saying different things about how many troops will leave—and when.  -Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, told ABS's"This Week" that the July 2011 date to begin withdrawal is firm. Gen. Petraeus, who oversees the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, told Congress last week that he'd recommend putting off the withdrawal if need be.

The head of the new office set up to handle damage claims for the Gulf oil spill is pledging that all eligible and legitimate claims will be paid—and paid promptly. Ken Feinberg, who's the chief of the Independent Claims Facility, wants victims to come forward, file a claim for an emergency payment and then work with the office to come up with a claims program

Over a week after Obama tried to push for more spending on the economy, stimulus spending stalls on Capitol Hill. Congress has delivered only about a quarter of the $266 billion in "temporary recovery measures"

The List" for 6/19/2010

German Chancellor Angela Merkel directly contradicted US President Barack Obama on Saturday, saying spending cutbacks were now needed following the spate of throwing money at the global economic crisis . Referring to the G20 summit in Canada next weekend, Merkel said in a videotaped message that "we are going to discuss when to quit the phase of short-term measures and go on to lasting budget consolidation." Such a move was "urgently necessary, in the view of the Europeans and particularly of Germany," she said.

Kagan notes label KKK and NRA as 'bad guy' organizations

Obama went to Ohio to talk about economic recovery.  He stayed for 58 minutes.

Evidence that the BP disaster started in February? Did the White House know?

Obama Administration Only Accepted Help From 5 Countries Out of 28 That Offered Assistance, still ignores crisis

Jones Act not hampering Gulf clean up, (why did Obama turn down foreign help?)

The List" for 6/18/2010

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) told CNSNews.com he does "not know that" Obama had the constitutional authority to tell BP to surrender its stockholders' money into an escrow account outside the company's control that would be used to pay damages to victims of the Gulf oil spill.

Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanual, opened the door on Friday for a limited Senate climate bill that focuses on capping greenhouse gases from power plants.

Biden Promises Kenya 'Money to Flow' if Pro-Abortion Constitution Passes

Obama's trip to Ohio cost 'between $500K and $1 million'; Spoke for just 10 minutes...

Feds refuse to provide spill response plans for top oil companies drilling in Gulf.  The adminstration is stonewalling FOIA requests for information

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) became the first medical society to sue to overturn the newly enacted health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). AAPS sued Friday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

Obama's point man charting a new future for the oil-poisoned Gulf Coast will do the job part-time. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who oversees 900,000 Navy and Marine personnel, is inheriting an amorphous second job as the Obama administration's leader of long-term environmental and economic planning.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said she's angry over comments by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that the Obama administration will sue the state over its new immigration law.

Gulf oil leak video could haunt Obama: The live video of the coal-gray oil gushing from BP's well a mile below the Gulf of Mexico's surface has been viewed by 88 percent of the public.  The video is a daily reminder that two months after the oil rig explosion that killed 11 and caused the massive leak and resulting environmental and economic damage, BP still hasn't plugged the well.

Obama's Stimulus Visit Results in Lost Payday for Ohio Construction Workers

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Roberts threw out a lawsuit Walpin brought in an attempt to be restored to his position at the Corporation for National and Community Service, which runs Americorps and other programs.

Obama administration: Health-care mandates are taxes after all

Guess who holds patent for carbon trading plan... Disgraced Fannie Mae CEO set to cash in for millions Obama housing adviser Franklin Raines Former Clinton and Obama budget adviser Franklin Raines owns a key carbon-emissions patent he developed as CEO of the government-sponsored mortgage giant Fannie Mae, positioning him and his partners to make millions of dollars if it is used in any carbon-capping scheme implemented by the Obama administration

Rep. Darrell Issa, the conservative firebrand whose specialty is lobbing corruption allegations at the Obama White House, is making plans to hire dozens of subpoena-wielding investigators if Republicans win the House this fall.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted on Thursday to begin the formal process of bringing the Internet under greater federal control – a move sought by both President Barack Obama and FCC Chairnman Julius Genachowski--even though federal law calls for an Internet "unfettered by Federal or State regulation."  This step comes after the federal D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in April rebuked the FCC in its attempt to enforce a controversial regulatory doctrine called Net Neutrality, which would allow the government to prevent private Internet providers from deciding which applications to allow on their networks.

The Obama administration issued strict rules Monday under which even some small changes to existing health care plans will make them subject to the requirements of the new health care reform law. The president promised repeatedly during the health care debate that individuals who like their current plans would be able to keep them. To meet that goal, the health care law envisioned that some plans would be “grandfathered in” under the old law — and therefore would not be required to meet some of the mandates of the new law, such as no-charge preventive care screenings.  But critics of the reform law said that the administration’s new rules clamp down too hard — and would effectively eliminate the old plans many Americans have and like.

Small Firms May Not Keep Current Health Plans After White House Decision

In three years a majority of workers will be forced to change their current health insurance plans, according to draft regulations being written by the Obama Administration. Despite promises that current plans will be “grandfathered” and allowed to continue once ObamaCare is fully implemented, minor changes will qualify plans as “new” and be forced to make broad, new changes to comply with the new law. To avoid ObamaCare’s new regulations, employers might drop their employer-provided insurance altogether.

An ill-conceived provision of ObamaCare is already threatening to upend insurance policies for millions of Americans. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners reported to HHS recently that they would not meet a regulatory deadline because of the massive disruption strict adherence to the new law would precipitate. According to some sources, there is potential for millions of people to lose their insurance next year based on rules which are supposed to control premiums by regulating the amount insurers are allowed to spend on administrative costs but actually just drive insurers out of the marketplace altogether.

[Nachum]

Can you believe it? It's a new day in America. The Obama administration all arrested and put in Club Fed!

Just fooling.

Now get back to work.....

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list.

[bootless]

Can you put me on the ping list, please?

[Nachum]

You got it.