Obama Meets With Senate Democrats Over Health Care Reform

John DuBois, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

As the debate over the Senate's health care reform bill enters what could be its final stages, President Barack Obama met with Senate Democrats at the White House Tuesday to shore up support for the much fought-over legislation.

“This was a broad based discussion about how we move forward. Whatever differences remain, there is broad consensus around reforms that will finally.....protect every American from the worst practices in the health industry,” said Obama in remarks following the closed-door meeting.

“If we don’t get this done your premiums are gauranteed to go up,” added Obama.

Despite facing challenges from centrist Senators like Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who recently rejected a proposed compromise that would scrap a public option for the expansion of Medicare eligibility, the president voiced his assurance that the legislation will pass.

“I’m absolutely confident that if the American people know what is in this bill and if the Senate knows what is in this bill, it will pass, because it’s right for America,” said Obama.

The president delivered his remarks accompanied by Senate Democratic leadership, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Chairmen of the Finance and HELP Committees, Max Baucus (D-Mont.) Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) respectively.

Members Of Congress Urge Full Implementation Of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement

Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News

Members of Congress today urged the Obama administration to fully implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), a 2005 peace treaty between the Sudanese government and a rebel movement aimed at easing tensions in the troubled region.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) suggested that the CPA is on the verge of unraveling. He noted that the Sudanese government is falling apart with corrupt elections and an ongoing genocide.

“It seems to me that the CPA is on life support. It’s in grave danger of unraveling,” said Smith. “This administration has to get much more serious than it has been or the killing field will continue. The Nobel Peace prize winner needs to use the gravitas that he has gained from that great award and say 'Sudan is my priority. I’m not going to let the CPA unravel.'”

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) called on President Barack Obama to make good with his campaign promises to ensure tougher sanctions on Sudan “if the government didn’t shape up."

“The time is now for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama to personally and actively engage Sudan,” said Wolf. “During the campaign, then candidate Obama said, ‘the Bush administration should be holding Sudan accountable for failing to implement significant aspects of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, imperiling the prospects for the scheduled multiparty election in 2009.'”

Wolf pointed to recent testimony by a former top U.N. investigator Enrico Carisch at a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on Africa, wherein Carisch testified that the U.S., along with other nations, have relaxed efforts in Sudan.

”In contrast to that leadership of 2004 and 2005, the United States appears to have now joined the group of influential states who sit by quietly and do nothing to ensure that sanctions work to protect Darfurians,” said Carisch.

House Minority Whip: U.S. Can’t Spend Our Way Out Of Recession

Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) told reporters at a press conference Tuesday that President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats cannot stimulate the economy through spending alone.

“[I] absolutely disagree that we can spend our way out of recession...You can’t spend money that we don’t have and keep doing it,” said Cantor. “We can do something to reinvigorate the confidence of investors.”

The press conference was in direct response to Obama’s remarks earlier today at the Brookings Institute. Obama proposed new growth solutions with tax cuts and incentives for small businesses and continued investment in American infrastructure.

"Ensuring that economic growth and job creation are strong and sustained is critical to ensuring that we are increasing revenues and decreasing spending on things like unemployment so that our deficits will start coming down," Obama said.

Cantor refereed to his “No-costs jobs plan,” that he introduced last week during a discussion at the Heritage Foundation. Cantor’s plan proposes the Obama administration rescind self-imposed obstacles to economic growth and wealth creation by eliminating small business rules and regulations that have been detrimental for growth.

“We’ve got a lot of uncertainty out there right now that is inhibiting investors from getting back into the game. Obviously the White House is listening to the American people. Although the speeches are nice and the rhetoric about wanting to get Americans back to work are nice, the real question is ... 'what are they going to do,'” said Cantor.

Obama May Disappoint At Copenhagen

Travis Martinez-University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

As the climate change summit in Copenhagen looms, analysts believe Obama’s efforts may end in disappointment.

Following Congress’ failure to finalize climate change legislation, it appears that the president will be showing up empty handed.

“My grandmother used to say ‘whenever you visit someone you shouldn’t come empty handed.’ As the American delegation heads to Copenhagen, they don’t have the legislation that they wanted or regulations towards some step of climate regulation,” said Ben Lieberman, Senior Policy Analyst with the Heritage Foundation, during a panel discussion at the National Press Club. “This time, the strategy was to get much more done domestically and then go to Copenhagen to make it international. As we know the bill has stalled in the Senate and it faces an uncertain future.”

Lieberman added that the formation of a significant treaty at the Summit is also unlikely.

“China and other fast developing nations, mainly China, don’t want binding and verifiable targets. The U.S. and other nations from the developed World have already come to the realization that emissions growth from these nations is growing so fast that exempting them would make a treaty almost pointless,” said Lieberman.

Lieberman called an EPA announcement earlier today declaring carbon dioxide a pollutant a “consolation prize” and “first stage of regulation beyond getting legislation.”

US To Host Global AIDS Conference In 2012

Travis Martinez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News

As the Obama administration prepares to repeal the HIV ban on infected foreigners, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced today that the U.S. will host the biannual global AIDS conference in 2012.

The U.S. last hosted the conference in 1990.

“We have to continue to see a global solution to this global problem,” she said. “It is clear that our nation’s investments in HIV/AIDS are having an impact. President Obama and I are dedicated to enhancing America’s leadership in the fight against global AIDS,” said Clinton.

“The American people can be proud of the work that is taking place, and of the dedicated people who are doing it. Yet it is equally true that the global AIDS emergency is not over,” added the Secretary of State.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called the lifting of the HIV ban a consequential shift in U.S. policy.

“It was a policy that tore families apart, kept people from getting tested, forced others to hide their HIV status and forgo live saving medication,” she said.

According to a press release, the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), is working to develop and implement a National HIV/AIDS strategy which would involve goals to reduce HIV incidence, increase access to care and optimize health care outcomes.