Obama Holds Press Conference, Addresses Iran Demonstrations And Health Care Reform

President Barack Obama addressed the massive demonstrations in Iran that followed the country’s troubled Presidential election during a press conference Tuesday, praising what he described as the “courage and dignity of the Iranian people”.

“The Iranian people can speak for themselves. That is precisely what has happened these last few days. In 2009, no iron fist is strong enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to the peaceful pursuit of justice,” said Obama.

The President stated that he would still be willing to establish diplomatic relations with Iran, a willingness that he had expressed during the 2008 election, but that the country would first need to cooperate with international norms and rules.

“There is a path available to Iran in which their sovereignty is respected, their traditions, their culture, their faith is respected, but one in which they are part of a larger community that has responsibilities.”

Although Obama did not say what consequences he believed the Iranian government should face following their violent, hard-line approach to the demonstrations, he did state that how the Islamic Republic treats their demonstrators will affect Iran’s standing on the world-stage.

When asked if he had seen the viral video featuring an alleged Basiji militiaman shooting a young protestor known as Neda in the chest, the President confirmed that he had.

“It’s heartbreaking, and I think anybody who sees it knows there is something fundamentally unjust about that,” Obama replied.

Health care reform also played a significant role in the nearly hour-long press conference.

The President was reluctant to say whether a public insurance option would be a required aspect of any new health care legislation, but did explain that a public plan made sense.

If...the insurance companies are saying is true: that they are doing the best to serve their customers, that they are in the business of keeping people well and giving them security when they get sick, they should be able to compete,” said Obama.

The President went on to say that if the public plan produced lower administrative costs than private insurance companies, then private companies should take note and model their own costs after the public plan.

On the issue of health, Obama did confirm that despite trying to quit, he still occasionally smokes cigarettes, although the President denied smoking on a daily basis.

“As a former smoker, I constantly struggle with it. Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes.”

No Apologies Necessary: Obama's Upcoming Overseas Tour

By Courtney Ann Jackson- Talk Radio News Service

While President Obama is scheduled to travel next week to Egypt, Germany and France, his administration has not found its foreign policy footing, according to analysts at the Heritage Foundation.

“This trip next week is going to be watched very closely all over Europe, all across the world,” said Nile Gardner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, “Every statement he makes will be scrutinized very carefully to see whether he is seeking to further atone for America’s past, which I think would be disastrous for the President to do so. The fact is that President Obama is increasingly being viewed as a soft touch on the world stage.”

On the President’s last visit to Europe he discussed American arrogance and Gardner believes it was a “huge strategic error in judgment” for him to “condemn his own country on foreign soil.”

On this tour, Obama is expected to give a speech on foreign policy while in Egypt but James Phillips, senior research fellow of Middle Eastern Affairs at the Heritage Foundation, believes the focus should be on a comparison between the people’s future defined by the Islamists and a future defined by freedom.

The consensus of the analysts was that the worst thing Obama could do on his visit is to succumb to the idea of incessantly apologizing for America’s past and issues like what the Bush administration dubbed the “War on Terror” and instead step up to the challenges boldly.

Gardner said he believes the President “needs to toughen his act on the international stage, project strong international leadership, and stand up to both the threat of a nuclear armed Iran as well as a nuclear armed North Korea.” He added that this is the time for strong U.S. leadership.

GOP Wants More Time For Gitmo

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

It was a day of confrontation for Senate Republicans today as more members of the GOP decided not to back President Obama on his decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) recently returned from a visit to the Cuba-based facility.

Both agreed that the detention center is the best solution for the allocation of the Guantanamo prisoners, at least for the moment.

“It is a remarkable facility, it really seems to be the perfect facility for these detainees,” Barrasso said. “The facility that they have there is remarkably equipped, it is safe, it is secure, there has been no escape from that area and the treatment these detainees are receiving was surprising to me because it is so good.”

In terms of Human Rights, Barrasso argued that the medical treatment in the prison is “Health care at the level that you’d want for the people of this country.”

Calling to all Republicans, Brownback said “ I think it’s important for us to send a signal and hopeful that we get an affirmative vote in the Senate not to have detainees to the U.S. and I think we should have that vote and do it on the supplemental this week.”

Additionally, Barrasso warned that “I would challenge the President to go to Guantanamo Bay. Look at this facility before you make your final decisions and determinations, I think you should take a look at this
facility.”

“When you say I want to close it if you choose to still do that, I recommend that you have a specific plan before coming to the senate and this specific plan should say what you want to do with the detainees, but it shouldn't be bring them to the U.S.,"said Barrosso in his message to President Obama.

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.

“The Most Dangerous Credit Card in the History of the World”

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

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House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio)
Photo by Michael Ruhl

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called congressional voting cards “the most dangerous credit card in the history of the world”, because then enable Congress and the president to engage in reckless spending. This was not Boehner's first criticism of Obama, but his statement came on the 101st day of the Obama Administration, a time which Boehner has criticized as being pock marked with excessive borrowing, reckless spending and a massive growth in government.

Boehner said that Democrat’s “record on spending and debt is staggering, but our economy is growing weaker, and it’s not going to get any better by growing the size of the government here in Washington.”

Boehner believes that the Democratically controlled Congress has enabled and contributed to the recklessness, and thinks it is up to the Republicans to put a stop to it. Republicans must be “the party of better solutions” if they are going to stand up to the Democrats in Congress, Boehner said, adding that he hopes Democrats will be committed to a bipartisan policy approach..

Citing the elections of 2008, Boehner said “out brand has been tarnished”, but to help the party serve the American people, Republicans must stand up to the Obama Administration when disagreements arise, and to offer alternative solutions.

Leader Boehner applauded President Obama on his strategy towards Afghanistan and Iraq, but showed concern at Obama’s greater national security policy.

“The big question continues to be: what is the Administration’s overarching plan to fight terrorism? Judging from their recent decision to release 30 terrorist detainees with no plan on where to put them, it continues to beg the question,” referring to Obama’s closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center without knowing where the detainees will be sent.