The Obama Administration thread

[tim_m]

There's also a criminal investigation by the government into BP. I'm interested to see where that goes.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Each of the last four republican presidents weren't at Arlington National Cemetary at least once. Stop making such a big deal about this. in 2002 George W. Bush was in Normandy. His father George H.W. Bush spent 3 of his 4 years in Kennebunkport and once in Italy. Reagan missed 4 of 8 years and LBJ was in Gettysburg in 1963. And for the record he is going to the gulf today to survey the damage for the second time this month. Stop acting like he isn't fully engaged with what's going on.

I wasn't aware of George HW Bush's time spent in ME... but I can see why W. would be in Normandy or LBJ in Gettysburg (look up the origins of 'decoration day'). Between those 2 sites how many American Servicemen gave their lives? Exactly how many gave their lives on the South Side of Chicago?

I expect better out of your posts COma.  Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery is a National Cemetery for fallen American servicemen and is no less important than Arlington National Cemetery.  I think it's highly insulting considering the fact that not only is the Lincoln National Cemetery outside of Chicago bigger than Arlington, it is the permanent home of more fallen American servicemen than Arlington. 

It's friggin sad that those on the right would choose to denegrate the president by insinuating he doesn't honor all of our brave veterans.  Fucking pathetic.  Not a fucking word of complaint came up when George HW Bush didn't go to Arlington once for Memorial Day observances...I wonder why...I wonder why.   

By the way...kind of funny how conservatives will yell and scream about a federal government that's, "TOO BIG!," and, "TOO INTRUSIVE!!," and, "TOO POWER HUNGRY!!!," and now they're yelling that the federal government's, "NOT DOING ENOUGH!!" regarding the BP fuck-up.
You do realize how friggin pathetic that sounds, right?

[Dr. Blutarsky]

Not being at Arlington is a political story that does not mean much in reality. He sent Biden.

But he has No handle on the Gulf Oil spill. Was not Obama's fault, but the aftermath has been handled terribly.

How so? What more would you like him to do? He can only do so much. Ultimately it has to be BP that stops the leak and cleans it up.

There could be a much bigger effort involved with keeping the oil from coming ashore. Maybe not take weeks to allow Louisiana build the barriers they've been requesting.

[D]

if gas raises to 5 bucks a gallon cause of this horse shit, we should all get in an uproar.

President needs to do something... what? i don't know, im not the president.

Point is, if this were Bush, u lefties on here would have 20 pages on what a shit job he is doing.

[Dr. Blutarsky]

Gotta love the double standard!

[Axl4Prez2004]

if gas raises to 5 bucks a gallon cause of this horse shit, we should all get in an uproar.

President needs to do something... what? i don't know, im not the president.

Point is, if this were Bush, u lefties on here would have 20 pages on what a shit job he is doing.

D, that's bullshit.  When 9/11 occurred, were "lefties" in an uproar?  Did they skewer W for the "shit job he ws doing?"  No.  Approval ratings for the president were up near 90% immediately following the tragedy.  Right, left, middle were behind the president.  It took some serious fucking up over the next few years to drag W's approval rating into the shitter.
Let's see...the president is holding the responsible party responsible (BP).  A criminal investigation has been set up.  He's stated BP is going to pay for its fuck-up...what else do you want him to do?  Should he rent a submarine and go down there himself to try and plug the hole?  Jesus Christ.
Still no reply to the hilarious and pathetic irony of conservatives bitching and moaning about the federal government's LACK of action.  Priceless shit.   

...and yeah, no rebuttal to the cemetery flap?  Are the approximately 400,000 fallen heroes in the Lincoln National Cemetery not as important as the heroes buried in Arlington?  Fucking bullshit.  Fuck Faux News. 

btw D, on the fallen police officers...I think it's a greater show of respect when Democrats actually want to allot funds to make sure police officers are hired and employed as opposed to the GOP's "slash the budget, freeze police funding, but oh yeah, we'll attend memorial services, etc."  Come on.

[D]

actually obama slashed federal benefits for families of officers killed in the line of duty.

Bush couldn't be faulted for 9/11 cause he was there and did a kick ass job

but how about Katrina? Bush got absolutely hammered.

not saying Obama should dive to the bottom of the ocean, what did u guys want Bush to do? Jump in a boat and paddle like Sean Penn?

just pointing out the double standard. Bush got blasted for Katrina, Obama is lobbying for Lebron James and meeting with the Duke Blue Devils... does this hurt his job? NO but it just sends the wrong message.

[C0ma]

I expect better out of your posts COma.  Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery is a National Cemetery for fallen American servicemen and is no less important than Arlington National Cemetery.  I think it's highly insulting considering the fact that not only is the Lincoln National Cemetery outside of Chicago bigger than Arlington, it is the permanent home of more fallen American servicemen than Arlington. 

It's friggin sad that those on the right would choose to denegrate the president by insinuating he doesn't honor all of our brave veterans.  Fucking pathetic.  Not a fucking word of complaint came up when George HW Bush didn't go to Arlington once for Memorial Day observances...I wonder why...I wonder why.   

Like I said... I wasn't aware that 41 was spending his Memorial Days in Southern ME... which to me is a bigger kick in the balls because he was a WWII combat pilot who lost a co-pilot... that day should mean as much to him as just about anyone (aside from a Gold Star Parent). To me (and this is personal opinion) there is a huge difference visiting Arlington National Cemetary (being withness to the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) and visiting a place like Bourne National Cemetary on the Cape (Where I have several relatives buried). Agan IMO, while there are larger cemetary's with more fallen service men Arlington is a larger symbol. My beef with Obama (and now 41) is that you are the leader of the free world, you have some desicion making ability when choosing you vaca time...it's not like he has to worry about Biden putting in fr a week before he does... why not hit Chicago the first full week in June? Maybe his new found link to 41 will connect back up in 2012 when he becomes only the 2nd President in the last 30 years to serve a single term. I can dream...

[tim_m]

actually obama slashed federal benefits for families of officers killed in the line of duty.

Bush couldn't be faulted for 9/11 cause he was there and did a kick ass job

but how about Katrina? Bush got absolutely hammered.

not saying Obama should dive to the bottom of the ocean, what did u guys want Bush to do? Jump in a boat and paddle like Sean Penn?

just pointing out the double standard. Bush got blasted for Katrina, Obama is lobbying for Lebron James and meeting with the Duke Blue Devils... does this hurt his job? NO but it just sends the wrong message.

Not be faulted for 9/11? Are you aware he was warned by Clinton on his way out that Al Qaeda was planning something big? He was warned by other world leaders. Did he take any action to try and prevent this? NO.

[freedom78]

Bush couldn't be faulted for 9/11 cause he was there and did a kick ass job

Not comparable.  There wasn't much to do after 9/11 except go to war (a President's job) and clean up (which wasn't an environmental issues...though it has caused health problems since).  9/11 was a one day catastrophe, unlike Katrina or this oil spill.

but how about Katrina? Bush got absolutely hammered.

not saying Obama should dive to the bottom of the ocean, what did u guys want Bush to do? Jump in a boat and paddle like Sean Penn?

just pointing out the double standard. Bush got blasted for Katrina, Obama is lobbying for Lebron James and meeting with the Duke Blue Devils... does this hurt his job? NO but it just sends the wrong message.

Umm...not exactly.  There are many key differences.

Most obviously, no one is on the roof of a building surrounded by shit filled flood waters begging to be airlifted away.  This is not a HUMANITARIAN crisis, but an ENVIRONMENTAL and ECONOMIC one.  It's completely shitty, of course, but the failure to get this fixed isn't killing people.

Second, this leak is occurring in a pipe that is 5,000 ft below the surface of the ocean and the pipe itself (pure speculation, but I'd bet money on it) can't be more than a few meters in diameter (if that).  This isn't exactly a "send in the national guard" type operation.  You can try one thing at a time, pretty much from one location.  Katrina, on the other hand, saw thousands of starving, thirsting people suffering for a long time.  In that situation, gov't had a much larger and clearer role to play, but failed to do so to full effect.  If your suggestion is for the gov't to take over the capping operation from BP, then that's fine, but it won't change the logistics of fixing this leak.

That said, this is certainly politically bad for the President.  From my perspective, he stupidly caved on drilling only to have a disaster soon follow.  From the GOP perspective, the government they hate isn't doing enough to fix the problem caused by the company they don't want regulated which was doing the activity that they want more of.  Despite that, when you're in charge you bear the brunt.  Too bad when people vote to punish Dems, they'll vote in retards who will make it worse by deregulating these assholes and allowing more drilling.  Oh well.  Oil under the bridge, and the key fault of a two party system.  Eventually, we'll learn.

if gas raises to 5 bucks a gallon cause of this horse shit, we should all get in an uproar.

President needs to do something... what? i don't know, im not the president.

Point is, if this were Bush, u lefties on here would have 20 pages on what a shit job he is doing.

Gas prices have gone down about 30 cents ('round here) since the Memorial Day spike.  Shows how little one well matters to production.

As far as us lefties, I'll admit that government hasn't been great for the last couple of years.  That's what happens when you elect people who hate government to run government.  Laws are shitty, bureaucracies are unprepared, and those left unaccountable for their actions run amok.   

actually obama slashed federal benefits for families of officers killed in the line of duty.

The only outlets taking that line are right wing ones (Fox, NewsBusters).  From what I've seen, this only affects funds specifically allocated to such benefits.  If survivor benefits over those specifically allocated are necessary, they could come from other areas of that department's (Justice, I believe) budget.  In other words...no REAL change.  Only a budgeted (i.e. speculative about necessary spending) change.

[D]

one more thing on the police memorial, and as i said, i hold that dear to my heart cause my dad was killed in the line of duty and i was at that one last year in 2009.

so i definitely take it personally.

If Obama had prior engagements, had to be out of the country, was doing something very important with foreign affairs or what have u, i would have been disappointed, but would've been understanding.

BUT

when meeting a professional sports team takes priority over appearing at a memorial for falling police officers, that should show u that Obama did not have his priorities in order.......... Why i can't take Democrats seriously on here or anywhere is how everyone jumped to defend him for this..... I know obama gets hammered over shit he can't help and admittedly maybe i have over this oil leak

but, i just don't see how even the most loyal left winger can defend the police memorial thing.

True he isn't the first president to ever not attend, but im sure he is the first that housed a professional sports team instead.

[freedom78]

one more thing on the police memorial, and as i said, i hold that dear to my heart cause my dad was killed in the line of duty and i was at that one last year in 2009.

so i definitely take it personally.

If Obama had prior engagements, had to be out of the country, was doing something very important with foreign affairs or what have u, i would have been disappointed, but would've been understanding.

BUT

when meeting a professional sports team takes priority over appearing at a memorial for falling police officers, that should show u that Obama did not have his priorities in order.......... Why i can't take Democrats seriously on here or anywhere is how everyone jumped to defend him for this..... I know obama gets hammered over shit he can't help and admittedly maybe i have over this oil leak

but, i just don't see how even the most loyal left winger can defend the police memorial thing.

True he isn't the first president to ever not attend, but im sure he is the first that housed a professional sports team instead.

As we discussed a year ago, it's Police WEEK.  He went to some part of it, but not to the whole thing.  I know you think we Obama supporters hated Bush and jumped on his every move, but as A4P stated, Bush enjoyed record high approval in his first term...approval he wouldn't have had without strong support from Democraties or "loyal left wingers".  My disagreements with Bush had much more to do with policy than ceremonial issues.  When he did that strange dance those African kids ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvxKZRf8k2k ), I found it amusing.  When Cheney wore a less-than-formal coat to the Auschwitz memorial, I genuinely found it funny (tacky, sure, but funny).  And when all other Presidents have had football, baseball, basketball, collegiate or professional teams to the White House...I've found it to be worthless and silly.  As I said A YEAR AGO, ANYTHING would be more worthwhile than that.  But since they all do it, every time, I find no real problem with it save that I have to see it on the news a few times a year.

On the other hand, if Bush is a better President because he goes to Arlington, despite the fact that his policies lead to 4,400+ unnecessary military deaths, or to a ceremony for fallen police officers, when it was during his term that the Assault Weapons Ban ended....well, then I'm done playing this game, which is clearly rigged.  Apparently you can be a factor in as many deaths of our Troops and officers as you like, so long as you look fuckin' spiffy at some ceremony.     

[D]

dude, i was there, Obama came to none of it.

i love how u are gonna sit there and act like u know,when i was fucking there!

Police week boils down to two activities, the candlelight vigil the night before, and the actual police memorial where the officers are recognized with the ceremony.

so unless Obama showed up at the Marriot we were at in one of the grieving seminars that i don't know about, he was not at the candlelight vigil, was not at the memorial.

Im not saying Bush is a better President. I am saying lets be fair and lets be real. U guys act like Obama is the do nothing wrong messiah and i just wish people would acknowledge his mistakes and not make bullshit excuses. that is the exact same thing Republicans did for Bush that u guys talked shit to them about.. so really its very hypocritical.

[freedom78]

dude, i was there, Obama came to none of it.

i love how u are gonna sit there and act like u know,when i was fucking there!

Police week boils down to two activities, the candlelight vigil the night before, and the actual police memorial where the officers are recognized with the ceremony.

Alright, I'm confused.  Are we talking about last year or this year?  A few reasons:

First, if you're still bitching about last year then I don't know what to tell you.  When the issue first arose, I posted about how, instead of attending the Peace Officers Memorial Service, he attended another event.  I appreciate that you wanted him to come to "your" event and how that might have been a disappointment, but he wasn't absentee during the weeklong gathering.  You can't seem to accept that and if you're so offended that he went to another event instead of your event then there's nothing anyone can possibly do to console you.

Second, if you're talking about THIS year, then I'm reading a story right now about him attending the very event you seem to place such importance on.  If you disagree with that, then you'll have to take it up with Bloomberg News and not me.  As you said, I was NOT there, but if the media is reporting that the President WAS there, then you'll have to convince me otherwise.  (here's the story: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-15/obama-honors-fallen-police-officers-at-capitol-hill-ceremony.html ...and FYI, the TOP COPS thing mentioned at the bottom, which occurred during Police Week, is what he attended last year...but I guess that doesn't fit into your "boiling down" of an entire week into two events). 

so unless Obama showed up at the Marriot we were at in one of the grieving seminars that i don't know about, he was not at the candlelight vigil, was not at the memorial.

Again, which year are we talking about?  Last year, TOP COPS.  This year, memorial service.  Take it up with Bloomberg.

Im not saying Bush is a better President. I am saying lets be fair and lets be real. U guys act like Obama is the do nothing wrong messiah and i just wish people would acknowledge his mistakes and not make bullshit excuses. that is the exact same thing Republicans did for Bush that u guys talked shit to them about.. so really its very hypocritical.

In short, horseshit.

A little longer...to answer this, let me post a quote, from yours truly:

From my perspective, he stupidly caved on drilling only to have a disaster soon follow. 

I posted that CRITICISM of the President just a few fucking hours ago.  But, in a week or so, you'll all pretend, once again, like those of us who support the President are just wide eyed kids who adore our leader (this, of course, while the right wing enforces MUCH greater ideological purity than does the left).  That's ok.  Play it again, Sam.  That tune never gets old. 

Oh...and horseshit!

[D]

im talking last year, when on the very same day as the memorial, he was jock sniffing the Pittsburgh Steelers.


That bill they sent is a good start as long as we dont end up paying BP back the 69 million.

[pilferk]

There could be a much bigger effort involved with keeping the oil from coming ashore. Maybe not take weeks to allow Louisiana build the barriers they've been requesting.

An effort that was not made primarily because BP said those efforts were not necessary, and that BP was handling the issue with it's methods and dispersal agents.

Horseshit?  Maybe...but that's what this administration was being told.  And precious little of the oil WAS making it to shore, at the time...and precious little has, especially in comparison to the size of the spill.  The amusing part is that if the administration had IGNORED BP's reports, and acted faster, the conservatives would have said Obama was wasting tax payer money by reacting when the private sector had the situation under control.  No matter what he does, they're going to bitch.....

Again, I don't think this administration has been perfect in this regards.  But comparing the response to Bush's response to Katrina in so completely off base, it's ridiculous.

[pilferk]

if gas raises to 5 bucks a gallon cause of this horse shit, we should all get in an uproar.

President needs to do something... what? i don't know, im not the president.

Point is, if this were Bush, u lefties on here would have 20 pages on what a shit job he is doing.

But, so far, gas prices have fallen.

Just saying he should "do something" when you have no earthly idea what he could do pretty much tells the whole, real, story. 

Point is....there is a VAST difference between Bush's response and this one.   So much so that they're not comparable.   Anything else is a "what if" game that is going to squarely come down on the side of your bias, rather than reality.

[pilferk]

not saying Obama should dive to the bottom of the ocean, what did u guys want Bush to do? Jump in a boat and paddle like Sean Penn?

I think I explained the vast difference between the two.

FEMA is a government agency who's JOB it is to respond to natural disasters.  Especially large scale ones requiring massive resources, manpower, and coordination.

What government agency exists to clean up oil spills, exactly? 

[freedom78]

What government agency exists to clean up oil spills, exactly? 

Special Protection from Oil and Nasty Goop Emissions

or

S.P.O.N.G.E.

(actually, I looked this up, and apparently SPONGE was an acronym from the 60s for "Society for the Prevention of Negros Getting Everything "...once again, the right has beat me in the free marketplace of ideas!)

[TheWalkinDude]

What government agency exists to clean up oil spills, exactly? 

Special Protection from Oil and Nasty Goop Emissions

or

S.P.O.N.G.E.

(actually, I looked this up, and apparently SPONGE was an acronym from the 60s for "Society for the Prevention of Negros Getting Everything "...once again, the right has beat me in the free marketplace of ideas!)

Nice try Freedom, but if that group existed in the 60s, it would have been a Democratic organization.  You know, how the Demoocrats voted against the Civil Rights Act three times before Kennedy won them over and how Robert Byrd fillibustered the whole thing.  Democrats have always wanted the law to treat people different based on their skin color or gender.  Now, they just try to use a different line of reasoning to justify their prejudice.