Cheney Won’t Budge On National Security

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

Former Vice President Dick Cheney reiterated his support for the Bush administration’s national security approach today during an address to the Gerald Ford Foundation's annual journalism awards ceremony at the National Press Club.

When questioned about President Barack Obama’s decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility by the end of the year, Cheney said that the administration had erred by ordering to discontinue use of the facility without a plan for the distribution of the prisoners.

“If you don’t have a place to hold these people, the only other solution is to kill them, and we don’t operate that way. We capture people in combat, we hold them as prisoners, we treat them as prisoners of war and are to be held till the end of the conflict,” Cheney said.

Since January, Obama has signed two presidential orders to close the facility within a year.

Cheney recently asked Obama to declassify the CIA’s interrogation documents related to water-boarding so as to prove that the Bush administration was not responsible for what is considered as the widespread condoning of torture by U.S. government officials under the Bush administration.

“[Obama] could with the stroke of a pen, declassify those documents that I’ve asked for,” Cheney said, adding,“The president has the authority to declassify whatever he wants, he is the ultimate classification authority of the federal government.”

When asked if he still believed there was a link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, “The fact that he was a state sponsor of terror, provided sanctuary and safe harbor and resources to terrorists is I think without question, a fact,” adding, “That’s not something I made up. That’s not something I thought of. That’s something the director of Central Intelligence was telling us,” Cheney answered.

Since leaving office in January, Cheney has emerged as a frequent critic of Obama’s national security policies. He accused Obama of making the U.S. less safe during a CNN appearance in March and then again during a speech to the American Enterprise Institute late May. He has also given numerous television interviews conveying the same theme.

Obama: With Bankruptcy, General Motors Will Emerge Stronger

By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service

Two months after laying his plan with his Auto Task Force to keep struggling U.S. auto giants from collapsing, President Barack Obama announced today that General Motors has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

“Working with my Auto Task Force, GM and its stakeholders have produced a viable, achievable plan that will give this iconic American company a chance to rise again. It’s a plan tailored to the realties of today’s auto market - a plan that positions GM to move toward profitability, even if it takes longer for our economy to fully recover; and it’s a plan that builds on GM’s recent progress in making better cars,” Obama said.

Also today, Fritz Henderson, GM President and CEO, said that: "The economic crisis has caused enormous disruption in the auto industry, but with it has come the opportunity for us to reinvent our business. We are going to do it once and do it right. The court-supervised process we are pursuing provides us with powerful tools to accelerate and complete our reinvention, as well as strong safeguards for our customers and our business. We are focused on the job at hand, for the benefit of our customers, employees, dealers, suppliers, retirees, taxpayers, investors and other stakeholders."

Obama said that GM will build a larger share of its cars in the U.S. and will be more committed to building more fuel-efficient cars.

In addition to the $19 billion already given to the company with federal loans, Obama said that the federal government is investing about $30 billion in GM which will “entitle American taxpayers to ownership of about 60 percent” in the auto company. Obama said his administration was doing this to protect jobs and “that is the only way to help GM succeed.”

The Obama Administration has no interest in running GM or making decisions for the auto company in the future, Obama said.

“GM will be run by a private board of directors and management team (that) will call the shots and make the decisions about how to turn this company around,” said Obama. “The federal government will refrain from exercising its rights as a shareholder in all but the most fundamental corporate decisions.”

But “building a leaner GM will come at a cost. It will take a painful toll on many Americans who have relied on General Motors throughout the generations... More jobs will be lost. More plants will be close. More dealerships will shut their doors, and so will many parts suppliers,” said President Obama.

Report: America Now A Center-Left Country

By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service

Overall, Americans politically lean center-left, and a new generation of young people, 45 million 18 to 29 year old who are eligible to vote, desire more governmental presence in their daily life, according to a recently released report by Campaign for America’s Future and Media Matters for America. Entilted “America: A Center-Left Nation”, the report tracks the political ideology of large swaths of Americans since the election of President Barack Obama last November.

“The notion that this is a center-right country continues to be a staple of the media,” said Robert Borosage, co-Director of Campaign for America’s Future, at a press conference in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.

This notion from the mainstream media “cuts through the way issues are reporting on a regular basis, on a daily basis, whether you are talking about health care, whether you are talking about the economy, or any of the major social issues,” said Eric Burns, President of Media Matters for America and co-author of the report. He added that “the orientation of the media’s reporting, the framing of the issues are always ten degrees to the right of really from where the American people stand.”

“The media has the responsibility to understand where the American people are in terms of their views on these issues so that they can more accurately report what the real tensions points are... The vast majority of Americans support some sort of nationalized health care plan but that is not reflected in the reporting,” Burns said.

More progressive ideas and a stronger presence of the federal government are sought by a new generation of young Americans who are more racially diverse, progressive and politically active.

Heather Smith is the Executive Director of Rock the Vote, which registered 2.6 million people to vote last year. This generation “not only made a great entrance on election day in 2008 but will continue to play a major role in shaping politics and the direction of our country,” Smith said. This generation has grown up “with a fallen economy, outrageous college debt, two wars, hurricanes, the September 11 attacks” and they “understand the real need for a government and are more likely to save our government’s investment” in health care or education, she said.

Obama Wants You to Go Back to School

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

President Barack Obama
Photo by Michael Ruhl

Today President Barack Obama announced a new effort to stimulate tomorrow’s economy by reviving higher education through expanding Pell Grants and removing barriers to success. The public face for his new initiative is to be Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice-President Joe Biden and Community College Professor.

Obama’s plan, detailed at opportunity.gov, would help the unemployed go back to school to build new skill sets, with the goal of helping them gain future employment through specialized technical training.

“The idea here is to fundamentally change our approach to unemployment in this country, so that it’s no longer just a time to look for a new job, but is also a time to prepare yourself for a better job,” Obama said. “Our unemployment system should be not just a safety net, but a stepping stone to a new future.”

Among the barriers to success that the President wants to break down are state programs in which a worker might lose temporary financial support if they were to enroll in an education program. Obama said that in some places a worker may be unemployed, but may not qualify for federal assistance to get an education because of the salary they had a year ago but no longer make. The President said that he is committed to working with states to change these laws.

The President said that knowledge is the most valuable skill that one can sell. He encouraged all Americans to aim for getting at least 1 year of higher education, whether it is a community college, a four year school, vocational training or an apprenticeship.

“By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world,” Obama said optimistically.

This announcement came on the same day as the release of April’s unemployment statistics, which saw the loss of more than half a million jobs. The unemployment rate for April was 8.9 percent, up from 8.5 percent in March and 8.1 percent in February. April's numbers have already surpassed both the White House's and the Federal Reserve's projections for all of 2009, which were 8.1 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.

Acknowledging that unemployment is as its highest rate in 25 years, the President urged patience, reminding us that the economic problems didn’t happen overnight, and couldn’t be fixed immediately.

“We’re still in the midst of a recession that was years in the making and will be months or even years in the unmaking,” Obama said. He continued, “We should expect further job losses in the months to come.”

Obama said that the Economic Stimulus Package is yielding real results, manifest in higher consumer spending and home sales, and an increase in construction spending. He praised the Recovery Act, and said, “Because of this plan, cops are still on the beat and teachers are still in the classroom; shovels are breaking ground and cranes dot the sky; and new life has been breathed into private companies.”

Fixing the economy and reforming education are two goals Obama has set for his administration. He said that in the weeks to come he would start working towards more education initiatives.

Biden and Kerry: Israel and America Inextricably Linked

Jonathan Bronstein, Talk Radio News Service

.

In the wake of backlash over President Obama's decision to have diplomatic talks with Iran, high level Democrats are assuring the public that the U.S. commitment to Israel is as strong as ever.

But, "One enduring essential principle that will not change--United States support for Israel,” said Vice President Joe Biden to a standing ovation of more than 6,000 people at the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee's annual convention.

“The path we have been on in recent years has not produced peace and security for Israel and Palestinians, nor will they produce these results,” Biden said. “Because peace has not occurred, does not mean that it cannot occur."

U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who also spoke at the event, supports the Obama Administration’s policy with Israel. “You can count on Vice President Biden and President Obama in the future,” he said.

Kerry tried to calm fears about Obama’s decision to engage in open discussions with Iran because he believed that the previous administration’s strategy with the Middle Eastern country failed, and that a change is warranted. But, if diplomacy fails, hardline sanctions will be sure to follow, Kerry said.

Since December 2008, foreign criticism of Israel reached new levels. Israel decided to retaliate against Hamas by launching a full military incursion into the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Government maintains that the action was an attempt to halt hundreds of rockets that are launched over Israeli borders by militant groups in neighboring countries.

“I heard of (Israeli) children in the second grade who had spent literally everyday of their lives never 15 seconds from danger/ Fifteen seconds... No child should live that way,” said Kerry to the audience.

Kerry is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and pledged to do everything in his power “to ensure that the $30 billion in security assistance that Congress pledged to Israel is delivered in full.”

Kerry and Biden presented a challenge to Israel: that the country needs to work toward a workable, long lasting and sustainable peace.

Biden believes that any peace is a “show-me plan,” that each side must make efforts to demonstrate their dedication for the process to continue.

Biden said that the building of Israeli settlements must be stopped and that Palestinians must be given freedom of movement so the young people see hope, and do not join Hamas.

But peace must be sought from Paestinians and Israelis. “You cannot make peace out of one side of their mouth and preach hate out of another,” said Kerry, adding that Palestinian geography books should be realistic by including Israel on the map.