“i address a women’s leadership forum every night at dinner”

President Obama arrives to speak at a Women’s Leadership Forum, May 19

For better quality video go to C-Span – thank you Donna 😉

‘no more lies’

Fred Rotondaro (Chairman of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good): … President Obama took more than his share of verbal assaults during his 2008 campaign …. For the first time in history, a major candidate found his birth qualifications to be President questioned, in addition to false claims being made about his religion…

To his everlasting credit, John McCain was not one of those bigots who spread such lies … From what I have seen so far, I hope but do not expect such decency and true patriotism in 2012.

Four major candidates have spoken already about Barack Obama not being born in America or having a Kenyan worldview. The potential Republican candidates seem to be appealing to the worst elements of their own party … they seem terrified of confronting the bigotry that is often directed at the President. When Newt Gingrich calls Obama a “food stamp president,” he is giving a dog whistle to racists. When Michelle Bachmann said she took President Obama at his word regarding his place of birth, she was winking at the birthers. America needs better than this in 2012.

Deceit has worked its way into important debates also …. While the financial regulation bill was being discussed, Mitch McConnell met with Wall Street leaders to discuss strategy and raise campaign funds. Soon, back in Washington, he began pounding the theme that the bill was an attempt to set up bailouts for banks. This was not spinning. This was an out and out lie to the American people.

The debate about health care centered for a time on the theme of non-existent death panels after former Gov. Palin tweeted about them.….

This is where the American religious community can play a vital role by insisting on truth in public policy debates … Politicians campaign dishonestly because they can. Let’s make it difficult and let them know they will pay a price for deceptive campaign tactics. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and our country.

Full post here

** Thank you Suzanne **

give & take

BBC: US President Barack Obama has insisted that the “1967 border” must be the “basis for negotiations” to set up a future Palestinian state. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Obama said the position was “obvious” to those who had followed the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

…”The basis for negotiations will involve looking at that 1967 border, recognising that conditions on the ground have changed and there are going to need to be swaps to accommodate the interests of both sides,” Mr Obama said in an interview to be broadcast in full on Sunday.

The US president said Israel would not “move forward” in negotiations unless the country felt secure against attacks from Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. And he acknowledged that the future status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees would remain to be discussed.

“Our argument is let’s get started on a conversation about territory and about security,” he said. “If we make progress on what two states would look like and a reality sets in among the parties, that this is how it is going to end up, then it becomes easier for both sides to make difficult concessions to resolve those two other issues.”

Israel immediately rejected Mr Obama’s vision of a Palestinian state based on the borders before the 1967 Six Day war between Israel and a bloc of neighbouring Arab states. In a statement, Mr Netanyahu, who is due to hold talks with Mr Obama in Washington on Friday, said the 1967 lines would leave Jewish settlements outside Israel.

More here

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I see the President is being attacked by both extremes after his speech today (which is a good sign)…. reminds me of these two photos:

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Washington Post: President Obama used an address Thursday on the tumult in the Middle East and North Africa to increase pressure on American allies in the region, including Israel, to carry out lasting political reform and make peace with old enemies.

…Obama used one of the longest sections of his speech to urge Israel, in unusually frank terms, to negotiate a final peace agreement with the Palestinians.

For the first time, Obama cited Israel’s boundaries on the eve of the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war as the basis for negotiation over final borders, saying that a “full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces” from the West Bank should be carried out in coordination with Palestinian security forces.

The formulation goes beyond principles outlined by President George W. Bush, who stated during his term that “it is unrealistic to expect” Israel to pull back to the 1967 lines. Obama said the negotiations over final borders, which he indicated may include land swaps to accommodate Israel’s large settlement blocs, should result in “a viable Palestine, a secure Israel.”

Obama acknowledged that the conflict’s most emotional questions — the division of Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians claim as their capital, and the right of Palestinian refugees or their descendants to return to homes inside Israel — would still need to be resolved. But he said moving forward now on the border and security aspects would provide a foundation for resolving the two “wrenching and emotional issues” in a “just and fair” manner.

By doing so, Obama essentially embraced the middle ground between two camps within his national security team, which for months have debated how far he should go in spelling out his plan for an Israeli-Palestinian peace…..

Full article here

let’s groove!

“The Queen of Latin Pop Gloria Estefan had Michelle Obama movin’ and swayin’ to the Miami Sound Machine music at the Congressional Club’s lunch in honor of the First Lady at the Washington Hilton on Wednesday.”

good news is no news

Politicususa: Last night Fox News released a new poll that revealed President Obama’s job approval ratings have swung a net 13 points and increased to 55% in the past month.

The poll has Obama’s job approval rating at 55%, which is an 8 point increase over the last month. Obama’s disapproval rating has declined by 6 points from 47% to 41%….

…Liberals approve of how Obama is performing as president, 78%-17%. Moderates also approve of the Obama presidency, 72%-24%. As expected almost 2/3 of conservatives disapprove of Obama, 33%-64%….

These job approval ratings for Obama are his highest in the Fox News poll since June of 2009. Even before the capture of Bin Laden an improving economic picture had the President’s approval ratings trending upwards, and now it looks like they have taken off.

….The media won’t tell you this, but Barack Obama isn’t in that much trouble. The popular media narrative is that this president’s political future is in jeopardy. Gloom and doom sells…

When even the Fox News poll shows growing Obama approval ratings the media may just have to face the fact that this president is fairly popular, and a whole lot of Americans are going to vote for Barack Obama in 2012.

Full post here

brushing up

First lady Michelle Obama helps paint a mural a a youth center at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, May 19

‘…like a virtual wingnut flash mob’

Charles Johnson: 
In three short paragraphs about President Obama’s speech this morning, the Associated Press warps the story beyond recognition: ‘Obama says Palestine must be based in 1967 borders….’ …Wow. Rarely have I seen such blatant distortion in a mainstream news release….

Note: he didn’t say “1967 borders,” he didn’t “side with the Palestinians,” and he absolutely did still insist on mutually agreed swaps and secure borders for both countries. It’s nothing but a re-wording of the same position the US has taken for many years.

And the AP’s first sentence is completely false: “…based on the borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war.”

When people refer to the “1967 lines” they’re always talking about the post-war armistice lines. Whoever wrote this sentence needs to have their journalism examined.

Based on this distorted and very misleading AP article, Fox News instantly put together a screaming fake outrage headline, currently leading on their front page: “Obama Shocker – Backs Palestinians, Tells Israel To PULL BACK TO ’67 BORDERS.”

…And of course, it’s already all over the right wing blogosphere that President Obama “told Israel to move back to the pre-1967 borders.”

No. He didn’t.

All this fake outrage spread throughout the Internet within minutes after the President’s speech, like a virtual wingnut flash mob. I guess it’s too much to ask these people to report what the President actually said.

Full post here

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Jeffrey Goldberg (The Atlantic): Nuttiest Coverage of Obama’s Speech So Far – The winner, by a mile: The Associated Press. Charles Johnson (see above) explains why this report was filed from an alternate universe…..

The Anti-Defamation League, one of Israel’s most stalwart supporters on the planet, just issued this statement praising President Obama (see here).

This Administration has come a long way in two years in terms of understanding of the nuances involved in bringing about Israeli-Palestinian peace and a better understanding of the realities and challenges confronting Israel.

err, any ad that quotes him is a lie, okay?

Thank you M 😉

plans in place …. almost

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama talk with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and his wife, Fionnuala Kenny, in the Green Room of the White House before a St. Patrick’s Day reception, March 17, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Irish Independent: US President Barack Obama will touch down in Ireland for a 24 hour visit on Monday morning. College Green, Dublin will now be the venue for a mass rally on Monday evening, where the President will address the crowd and there will be performances from Irish acts…

The President and his wife Michelle will be greeted by Taoiseach Enda Kenny when Air Force One touches down at Dublin Airport at 9.30 am on Monday. He will travel to the Phoenix Park and Aras an Uachtaran where President Mary McAleese will hold a formal reception.

He will then travel across the Park to Farmleigh where he will meet the cabinet. A visit to Monegall in Co Offaly is scheduled for the afternoon and it is thought the President will travel there by helicopter to visit his ancestral home, before returning to the capital for 5 pm and the concert and rally at College Green. President Clinton held a similar rally at the same location during his visit to Dublin in 1995.

52.1 average? nice ;-)

Gallup today: