Barack Obama
Obama mourns the shootings at Fort Hood
By Anne E Kornblut
President Obama extended his condolences to families of the Fort Hood victims in his weekly address Saturday -- deploring, on a third day of grieving, that a tragedy of that kind occurred in a place "where our soldiers ought to feel most safe."
"It is an act of violence that would have been heartbreaking had it occurred anyplace in America. It is a crime that would have horrified us had its victims been Americans of any background. But it's all the more heartbreaking and all the more despicable because of the place where it occurred and the patriots who were its victims," Obama said.
He intends to attend a memorial service when it is scheduled, the White House said. Obama has ordered the flags over federal buildings flown at half-mast until Veterans Day on Wednesday.
The full transcript of Obama's speech is after the jump:
Posted at 6:00 AM ET on Nov 7, 2009 | Permalink
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Cabinet
Duckworth recalls Obama at Walter Reed
By Ed O'Keefe
President Obama made his first visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center as commander in chief on Friday, but one administration official recalls seeing him there several times as a senator.
"He visited my hospital bed in the middle of the night as a junior senator," Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth recalled during a recent interview for a forthcoming profile.
VA Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth
Duckworth lost both of her legs five years ago next week after her Army Blackhawk helicopter was shot out of the skies over Baghdad. She recuperated at Walter Reed and joined VA in April as head of public affairs and intergovernmental affairs.
In her new role, Duckworth regularly quotes Obama's statement that, "American has a covenant to keep with her veterans," or a deep responsibility to ensure vets receive the benefits and services they need. She travels at least twice a week to meet with veterans groups or visit patients at VA hospitals, is partly responsible for leading an internal reorganization and regularly provides customer feedback as a high-profile recipient of VA benefits and services.
Duckworth admitted she cannot remember many details of her stay at Walter Reed, but said Obama visited her at least three times without staff in the evenings. He would ask about her recovery, asked questions about her unit still deployed in Iraq and if she had any other concerns about other veterans at the hospital.
"That's why I'm working in this administration, because when I was laying in a hospital bed, that senator came through and spent a lot of time talking to me about what VA soldiers needed, and listened to me about what younger soldiers needed," Duckworth said.
"They were very personal conversations and he did that not just for me but for anybody else who was there," she added. But Duckworth also met frequently with former senator Robert Dole (R-Kan.) and Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), who later helped launch her ultimately unsuccessful bid for an Illinois congressional seat in 2006.
Posted at 3:57 PM ET on Nov 6, 2009 | Permalink
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Midday Quiz: Military Matters
Take a moment to chew on some political trivia. Here's a sample question from today's Political Stump quiz:
About how many U.S. troops have been injured in combat in the past three months in Afghanistan?
• Between 200 and 400
• Between 400 and 600
• Between 600 and 800
• More than 1000
Answer this question and more at washingtonpost.com/politicaltrivia.
Posted at 1:02 PM ET on Nov 6, 2009 | Permalink
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The Rundown
Texas attack reverberates in D.C.
By Ben Pershing
The major political debates of the moment suddenly appeared small Thursday, after an army psychiatrist walked into a medical building at Fort Hood and opened fire, killing at least 13 and wounding 30.
The Texas army base is roughly 1,500 miles from Washington, but the reverberations were quickly felt in the nation's capital. Statements poured forth from members of Congress, the Pentagon became a vital source of information and reporters worked the local angle, as the suspect hailed from Virginia, worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and attended mosque in Silver Spring. Nidal Malik Hasan "began having second thoughts about a military career a few years ago after other soldiers harassed him for being a Muslim, he told relatives in Virginia," the New York Times reports. "He had also more recently expressed deep concerns about being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan." The Washington Post writes that Ft. Hood "has been hard hit by the growing strain on the Army from multiple combat deployments" and that "Army personnel are experiencing record rates of suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental health problems, as well as worsening alcohol and drug abuse." The New York Daily News reports that "Arab and Muslim groups were quick to condemn the Fort Hood massacre on Thursday - and to warn against anti-Muslim retribution."
Continue reading at Political Browser »
Posted at 8:39 AM ET on Nov 6, 2009 | Permalink
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Barack Obama
Obama Delays Trip to Hill, Will Pay Visit Friday to Walter Reed
Associated Press
President Obama is pushing back a trip to Capitol Hill to discuss the proposed health-care overhaul with lawmakers.
Obama had planned to head to the Capitol on Friday. Now the White House schedule shows Obama planning to visit the Capitol on Saturday.
On Friday afternoon, Obama plans to visit Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
White House officials say the trip to Walter Reed had been scheduled before the fatal shootings Thursday at Fort Hood, Tex. They insist that the visit to Walter Reed, Obama's first as president, is separate from the incident at Fort Hood.
Posted at 10:35 PM ET on Nov 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Health Care
Obama touts endorsements by seniors, doctors groups
By Scott Wilson
President Obama said Thursday he is "extraordinarily pleased and grateful" for the AARP and American Medical Association endorsements of the health care reform legislation moving through the House of Representatives.
"We are closer to passing this reform than ever before," Obama said. "And now that the doctors and medical professionals of America are standing with us; now that the organizations charged with looking out for the interests of seniors are standing with us, we are even closer."
Obama made his remarks during a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, and his decision to do so appeared designed to generate momentum for the bill heading into a decisive weekend.
Obama is scheduled to travel to the Hill Friday to speak with House Democrats about the importance of passing the legislation. A House vote is scheduled for Saturday, the first of several key Congressional floor votes that will determine whether he secures his signature domestic policy initiative by his end-of-the-year deadline.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that the goal of Obama's Hill visit is "trying to get the bill out of the House."
Obama declined to endorse the House version during his appearance in the briefing room, but Gibbs did not rule out his doing so Friday in meetings on the Hill.
"I think it's important for members to hear the importance of continuing to move this process along, continuing to make progress on reforms that are real and tangible for the American people," Gibbs said.
Posted at 3:17 PM ET on Nov 5, 2009 | Permalink
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White House
Obama addresses Native American leaders
Wearing a tradition headdress, Marcus Levings, chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, gestured as he asked President Obama during the White House Tribal Nations Conference, held at the Interior Department in Washington. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)
By Scott Wilson
President Obama told what he called the largest gathering of Native American tribal leaders Thursday that "you will not be forgotten by this White House," pledging to work with them to address the community's chronic problems with health care, economic development, land management and education.
Obama fulfilled a campaign pledge by bringing the leaders of the 564 federally recognized Native American tribes to Washington during his first year in office.
He began his remarks with an accounting of the historically troubled relationship between the federal government and Indian Nations, telling them "few have been marginalized for as long by Washington as Native Americans."
"You have every right to wonder why this time will be any different," Obama told the Tribal Nations Conference audience, assembled at the Department of the Interior.
Posted at 11:07 AM ET on Nov 5, 2009 | Permalink
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The Rundown
Tuesday's message to incumbents
By Ben Pershing
It's the morning after the morning after, and already the conventional wisdom about Tuesday's elections has begun to shift. The initial reaction -- Republicans had a great day -- has shifted to this: Republicans had a great day, but both parties should watch their backs.
After much of Wednesday's coverage focused on the GOP's banner wins, Thursday's hones in on a broad-based undercurrent of anger and frustration in the electorate that could hurt incumbents of all stripes next fall. Associated Press ledes: "Voters' memo to politicians: We're angry and fearful, mostly about jobs and the economy. We want tangible solutions, not partisan bickering or intraparty spats. And we'll vote either party out of office if we don't think you're listening." E.J. Dionne picks up that theme, saying "the disaffection in Virginia and New Jersey -- and the unexpected narrowness of New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg's reelection margin, despite his record-breaking campaign spending -- should worry all incumbents, particularly governors seeking reelection next year. And after their strong showings in the past two national elections, Democrats happen to constitute a large share of the pool of incumbents."
Of course, both parties have their internal problems now. So which to focus on first? The New York Times writes, "Republicans emerged from Tuesday's elections energized by victories in Virginia and New Jersey, but their leaders immediately began maneuvering to avoid a prolonged battle with conservative activists over what the party stands for and how to regain power." (Mike Allen doesn't think much of the Gray Lady's news judgment: "HOME TEAM -- NYT fronts story on GOP divisions, misses biggest story in politics: Democrats are the ones more divided now because of red-state fears that independents are taking flight.") Speaking of which, Politico reports that Tuesday's results "have congressional Democrats focused like never before on jobs -- their own." The Washington Post reports that "moderate and conservative Democrats took a clear signal from Tuesday's voting, warning that the results prove that independent voters are wary of Obama's far-reaching proposals and mounting spending, as well as the growing federal debt." The Wall Street Journal says Democrats are "scrambling to renew the coalition that elected" Obama after independents deserted the party in droves Tuesday.
Continue reading at Political Browser »
Posted at 8:29 AM ET on Nov 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Obama nominates two to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals
By Michael A. Fletcher
President Obama Wednesday named two new nominees to serve on the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which has a reputation as one of the most conservative appeals courts in the country.
Obama nominated Judge Albert Diaz, a North Carolina superior court judge who handles complex business cases, and Judge James Wynn, of North Carolina's state Court of Appeals, to serve on the federal appeals court.
"Judges Diaz and Wynn have been exceptional public servants for the people of North Carolina," Obama said in a statement. "Their distinguished judicial careers leave no doubt that they will be esteemed additions to the Fourth Circuit."
Obama has now named a total of 25 nominees to the federal bench since taking office. So far, he has won confirmation for only three of the nominees -- including Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The others have been caught in anonymous holds and filibuster threats from Senate Republicans that have slowed the proceedings.
Posted at 2:31 PM ET on Nov 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Lunchtime quiz: Name that number
Take a moment to grab a bite and chew on some political trivia. Here's a sample question from today's Political Stump quiz:
How many times did President Obama stump this year for New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine (D) ahead of Tuesday's election?
• 1
• 3
• 5
• 7
Answer this question and more at washingtonpost.com/politicaltrivia.
Posted at 12:51 PM ET on Nov 4, 2009 | Permalink
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