night everyone

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in the “Pit Crew Challenge” station during an event with the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition on the South Lawn of the White House, May 9, 2011. The First Lady visited seven activity stations during the event, which helped promote both the Let’s Move! and Joining Forces initiatives. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

****

MediaLife: “60 Minutes” landed a big scoop with President Barack Obama’s first interview after the killing of Osama bin Laden, and it delivered a big audience.

“Minutes” averaged 13.8 million total viewers at 7 p.m. last night, according to Nielsen overnights, up 29 percent over the 10.7 million who tuned in last week.

The interview was easily Sunday night’s most-watched show on broadcast, with the No. 2 program, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” drawing about 4 million fewer viewers.

****

****

There have been endlessly frustrating problems with the OFA site since I started ‘The Obama Diary’ fundraising effort for Obama/Biden 2012 yesterday, lots of you have had trouble with the link – I’ve contacted OFA to let them know about the problems, but the automated reply said it could be a “few weeks” before they get back to me. Insane – people want to donate to the campaign and they can’t!

Any way, thank you so much to those who persevered and helped bring the total up to $830 today, just $170 short of the target. If any of you could manage $10 or more to bring it to $1,000 that would be great, but absolutely no worries if you’re not in a position to donate – as I said before, these are really difficult times for many of you.

This in the link – I hope it works!

****

President Obama made this statement to mark the 63rd anniversary (according to the Jewish calendar) of the founding of the state of Israel:

“Sixty-three years ago, when Israel declared its independence, the dream of a state for the Jewish people in their historic homeland was finally realized. On that same day, the United States became the first country in the world to recognize the State of Israel.

As Israelis celebrate their hard-won independence, it gives me great pleasure to extend the best wishes of the American people to the people of Israel and to honor their remarkable achievements over the past six decades. Our two nations share a unique and unbreakable bond of friendship that is anchored in common interests and shared values, and the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.

I have every confidence that the strong relationship between our countries will grow deeper with each passing year. This is a period of profound change in the Middle East and North Africa, as people across the region courageously pursue the path of dignity and self-governance. Just as I know that Israel will always be one of our closest allies, I believe that the region can be more peaceful and prosperous when its people are able to fulfill their legitimate aspirations.

We will continue our efforts with Israel and others in the region to achieve a comprehensive peace, including a two-state solution, and to working together toward a future of peace, security and dignity for the people of Israel and all the people of the region. I offer my best wishes to President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the people of Israel as they celebrate their 63rd Independence Day. “

***

***

***

Classless:

GOPolitico: Rick Perry has declined the White House’s request that he greet President Obama when Air Force One lands in Texas on Tuesday, the Republican governor’s office says.

“We did try to arrange something with the White House,” said Lucy Nashed, a spokeswoman for Perry. “They asked us if we wanted to meet him out on the tarmac in El Paso, but we weren’t able to work anything out, based on the fact that it’s probably going to be a 10-minute greeting.”

***

***

See you tomorrow 😉

she’s arrived!

Arrive magazine

Thank you Hachikō!

o’really o’reilly?

September 4, 2008

r.o.f.l.

I don’t know where this photo originated, but the funniest part is when I looked for it on Google Images, after seeing it on a (sometimes) pro-Dem site, like the GM photo below it showed up on a right-wing site in a post dated …. March 2011. So, eh, this was meant to be an anti-Obama pic. Little did they know!! 😆

blue ray!

Halo, thanks so much for telling us about Ray LaHood’s interview on Hardball, will try to find the video – this will do for now!

One question: What is on John Mica’s head in that video? 😯

Mention of LaHood reminds me of this gem:

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican member of the Cabinet, feigns being a blocking back for President Barack Obama as he arrives backstage to meet with GOP House leaders before speaking to their issues conference at the Renaissance Baltimore Harbor Place Hotel in Baltimore, Md., Jan. 29, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

‘gm to invest $2 billion in plants in 8 states’

The Detroit News: General Motors Co. is expected to announce Tuesday it will invest about $2 billion at its plants in eight states…

GM chairman and CEO Dan Akerson will announce the plans at the company’s Toledo Transmission plant in Ohio. The company is expected to add about 250 jobs as part of a $250 million upgrade to the plant.

With the money, the automaker could upgrade 17 plants in all and add thousands of jobs. The upgraded plants will include sites in Michigan.

GM is expected later to announce future upgrades to other plants, including its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, where it builds the Chevrolet Volt.

***

I found this photo on Google Images, it comes from a right-wing site …. I think they’ll be removing it once they read this news, they’ll hardly want to remind their readers of yet another Obama Administration success 😉

****

The gem that is BWD had this news first, read her post here

full circle

CBS: “60 Minutes” producer Maria Gavrilovic takes us back to 2007 when she just was “the new girl” at CBS, and President Obama the longshot candidate. Those were very early days for Obama, and his campaign looked far from promising. Only a small handful of reporters were traveling with him at the time, and for Gavrilovic, it wasn’t exactly the plum assignment that a frontrunner candidate like Hillary Clinton was.

….Gavrilovic reminds us of a controversial campaign promise, made four years ago, when Obama gave a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. On August 1, 2007, the candidate said, “If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.”

His Democratic opponents – including Clinton – subsequently attacked him for being naïve and inexperienced in matters of foreign policy. The dust-up lasted for weeks, recalls Gavrilovic.

Gavrilovic, who helped produce this week’s Obama episode for “60 Minutes,” connects the dots between the killing of bin Laden and a four-year-old campaign pledge that got Candidate Obama in hot water.

****

The original, better quality video can be seen here

move! (videos added)

First Lady Michelle Obama and Michelle Kwan participate in a fitness event with military families on the South Lawn of the White House, May 9

And this is me at the White House today:

Well, it would have been me if I’d been at the White House today. Honest. 😕

gifted

President Obama receives a gift from the crew of the final Discovery Space Shuttle mission commemorating their flight, in the Oval Office, May 9. The crew pictured are Commander Steve Lindsey (L), Mission Specialist Alvin Drew and Mission Specialist Michael Barratt.

plain weird

Notice anything odd about this photo?

Jezebel: Ultra Orthodox Hasidic newspaper Der Tzitung is telling its readers like it isn’t – by editing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from the now-iconic Bin Laden raid Situation Room photo. Oy vey.

The religious paper never publishes pictures of women, as they could be considered “sexually suggestive.” Apparently the presence of a woman, any woman, being all womanly and sexy all over the United States’ counterterrorism efforts was too much for the editors of Der Tzitung to handle.

…Audrey Thomason, the counterterrorism analyst seen peeking out from behind another onlooker in the back of the original photo, was also airbrushed away, due to all of the sexy man-tempting that her very presence in a photograph would do.

Full post here

Update:

CBS: Brooklyn-based Hasidic newspaper Der Zeitung has apologized for publishing an iconic photograph of President Obama and his national security team with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security team member Audrey Tomason photoshopped out.

….Der Zeitung has now released a statement saying that “we should not have published the altered picture, and we have conveyed our regrets and apologies to the White House and to the State Department”….

…The newspaper offered kind words for Clinton and said it respects all government officials, but that religious considerations prevent it from showing images of women.

“In accord with our religious beliefs, we do not publish photos of women, which in no way relegates them to a lower status. Publishing a newspaper is a big responsibility, and our policies are guided by a Rabbinical Board. Because of laws of modesty, we are not allowed to publish pictures of women, and we regret if this gives an impression of disparaging to women, which is certainly never our intention. We apologize if this was seen as offensive.”

****

I think I prefer this photo:

Thanks Fred!