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Obama Okay With Drone Strikes In Pakistan

Obama’s acknowledgment, in a global Internet video chat event Monday, that U.S. drone strike target tribal areas in Pakistan brought some tough questions and cautious responses during a White House news briefing on Tuesday. One human rights group has urged the administration to clarify legal justifications for the use of drones. In Monday’s video chat on Google, Mr. Obama responded to a question from a young man in Brooklyn, New York, who noted that the president had ordered more drone attacks in his first year in office than his predecessor in the White House, George W. Bush. The man then asked how the president believes drone attacks, which he said cause “a lot of civilian casualties,” help the United States and whether they are worth it.

Obama at first remarked about a Monday New York Times report about the use of unarmed drones in Iraq to help ensure security for U.S. diplomats. But then he addressed the general issue of drone strikes and what he called a perception that care is not taken in their execution. “I want to make sure that people understand that Read more

2012: 02/01
CATEGORY: National Issues
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North Korea Making Missile Able To Hit The U.S.

Intelligence indicates that North Korea is moving ahead with building its first road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile, an easily hidden weapon capable of hitting the United States, according to Obama administration officials. The intelligence was revealed in a classified Capitol Hill briefing last month. Its existence was made public in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta from five House Republicans. “As members of the House Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces …, we write out of concerns about new intelligence concerning foreign developments in long-range ballistic missile development, specifically ballistic missiles capable of attacking the United States,” the Nov. 17 letter said. “We believe this new intelligence reiterates the need for the administration to correct its priorities regarding missile defenses, which should have, first and foremost, the missile defense of the homeland.”

Officials familiar with the intelligence said government analysts believe the missile could be a variant of North Korea’s new Musudan intermediate-range missile, first disclosed publicly in October 2010. The CIA assesses that North Korea also has a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons. North Korea was a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but withdrew in 2003, citing the failure of the United States to fulfill its end of the Agreed Framework, a 1994 agreement between the states to limit North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, begin normalization of relations, and help North Korea supply some energy needs through nuclear reactors.

On October 9, 2006, the North Korean government issued an announcement Read more

2011: 12/07
CATEGORY: International Events
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Thousands Protests Against Putin After Russia Vote

Several thousand people protested in central Moscow on Monday against what they said was a fraudulent parliamentary election, shouting “Revolution!” and calling for an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s rule. The protest, a day after an election in which Russians sharply reduced the parliamentary majority held by Putin’s United Russia party, appeared to be one of the biggest opposition demonstrations in Russia in years. Police said they arrested 300 people including prominent activist Ilya Yashin and opposition blogger Alexei Navalny after the protesters marched towards the Lubyanka Square that houses the feared FSB security service. The observers said there had been “serious indications of ballot box stuffing” in a harsh verdict on the election that suggested United Russia could have suffered an even bigger decline in support if the voting had been completely fair. Around 250 were remained detained by Tuesday morning.

Potesters initially gathered in the rain on a tree-lined boulevard where they had permission for a rally. They denounced the vote as shameful and shouted “Russia without Putin!” Many protesters then tried to march out onto a major street and were confronted by a chain of police officers who locked elbows and divided the surging crowd into two parts. Navalny has won a huge following on the Internet for exposing corruption at state-owned firms and he coined the phrase, which has now been taken up by all the opposition, “swindlers and thieves” to describe United Russia. The result was Putin’s worst election setback since he came to power 12 years ago and signaled growing weariness with his domination of Russian politics as he prepares to reclaim the presidency in an election next March. President Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday’s election was “fair, Read more

2011: 12/06
CATEGORY: International Events
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Obama’s Government Shutdown

A government shutdown occurs when a government discontinues providing services that are not considered “essential.” Typically, essential services include police, fire fighting, armed forces, utilities and corrections. Interestingly, Congress and the President are exempt from the furlough and continue to receive compensation despite the fact that other services are suspended.

Inconvenienced Citizens

Medicare: Some 400,000 newly eligible Medicare recipients were delayed in applying for the program.

Social Security: Claims from 112,000 new Social Security applicants were not processed. 212,000 new or replacement Social Security cards were not issued. 360,000 office visits were denied. 800,000 toll-free calls for information were not answered.

Healthcare: New patients were not accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ceased disease surveillance and hotline calls to NIH concerning diseases were not answered.

Environment: Toxic waste clean-up work at 609 sites stopped as 2,400 Superfund workers were sent home. Read more

2011: 04/08
CATEGORY: National Issues
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Obama’s Old People Song

This is a parody written & sung by Paul Shanklin

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The Clintons, Jews And Niggers
The House Negro And The Field Negro
Michelle Obama On Beach In Spain
Michelle Obama Chimp Image On Google
Rush Limbaugh: The Obamas Party Like Royalty
Michelle Obama Monkey Faces
Glenn Beck: Planet Of The Apes Remarks
Scott Baio Michelle Obama Joke
The Race Card
Obama ‘Buckwheat’
Hillary Clinton Warned America About Obama
Black People Don’t Like Black Conservatives

2011: 04/06
CATEGORY: National Issues
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Bahrain Army Open Fire On Innocent (Warning Graphic Video)

2011: 02/19
CATEGORY: International Events
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Obama Chamber Of Commerce Speech (transcript)

Obama is speaking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at 11:30 AM ET. Obama and the Chamber sparred in the lead-up to the 2010 midterm elections, but the two are now seeking common ground.

Below are the president’s remarks:

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Please, have a seat. Thank you very much, Tom, for the gracious introduction. I want to make a few other acknowledgments. To Tom Bell, the Chamber Board President, thank you for helping to organize this. There are some members of my administration I want to make sure are introduced. My Chief of Staff, Bill Daley, is here. (Applause.) Senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, who is interfacing with many of you and has gotten terrific advice from many of you, is here as well. Secretary Ray LaHood, our Transportation Secretary. Ambassador Ron Kirk, who is working hard to get trade deals around the world. Our Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills. My director of the National Economic Council, Gene Sperling, is here. And I also want to make mention, Fred Hochberg, our Export-Import Bank Chairman; Elizabeth Littlefield, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation President. And I also want to acknowledge a good friend, Paul Volcker, the outgoing chair of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Thank you all for being here. (Applause.)

2011: 02/07
CATEGORY: National Issues
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Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl 2011

During Where is the Love?, the pop star got a little political and changed the lyrics to mention two issues – education and unemployment. “In America we need to get things straight / Obama, let’s get these kids educated / Create jobs so the country stays stimulated.”

The “Yes We Can” Song and music video, written and directed by Will.i.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and Jesse Dylan (Bob Dylan’s son), was inspired by Obama’s New Hampshire Speech.

2011: 02/07
CATEGORY: National Issues
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Obama Egypt Speech Intensifies Violence And Chaos (transcript)

6:44 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, everybody. Over the past few days, the American people have watched the situation unfolding in Egypt. We’ve seen enormous demonstrations by the Egyptian people. We’ve borne witness to the beginning of a new chapter in the history of a great country, and a long-time partner of the United States.

And my administration has been in close contact with our Egyptian counterparts and a broad range of the Egyptian people, as well as others across the region and across the globe. And throughout this period, we’ve stood for a set of core principles.

2011: 02/03
CATEGORY: Transcripts
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Obama And The Muslim Brotherhood, Cairo 2009 (transcript)

I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt’s advancement. Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress. I am grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. I am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum.

We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world – tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.

2011: 02/01
CATEGORY: Obama
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Obama Fiddles As Egypt Collapse

As we see the nation of Egypt coming apart at the seams, the Obama administration is doing nothing. Demonstrators were gathered peacefully in central Cairo on Jan. 25 to demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s nearly 30 years in power and protest economic woes in the North African nation. The protests came days after Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced into exile by demonstrations in his home country. The United States has a stake in the survival of the regime, if not so much that of Mubarak personally or the succession of his son, Gamal. This means that U.S. policy should put an emphasis on the regime’s survival. The regime might be better off without the Read more

2011: 01/29
CATEGORY: International Events
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Rush Limbaugh “Leftists Push Obama as Reagan” (Transcript)

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: State-Controlled Media right in there trying to draw comparisons between Ronaldus Magnus and Barack Obama. On MSNBC this morning, Morning Joe, they talked to the managing editor at TIME Magazine, Richard Stengel, because the latest cover of TIME is a Photoshopped Reagan with his arm around Obama. And Stengel was asked to explain this.

STENGEL: The cover is, Why Obama Loves Reagan. It’s a Photoshopped image of the two men together. They never actually met, but I’d like to think they’d have a good time if they were sitting down at the White House together and it’s basically how Obama from even the 1980s started looking at Reagan as a transformational politician –

RUSH: Oh, come on, man.
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2011: 01/27
CATEGORY: Rush Limbaugh
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Michelle Obama’s China State Dinner Dress

Michelle Obama’s latest state dinner dress symbolizes good luck in Chinese culture. The dress is by designer Alexander McQueen, who died almost exactly one year ago. Her earrings were by Kimberly McDonald.