Romney, Obama show rare interest in California

California, usually forlornly on the sidelines during presidential contests, saw a brief glimpse of a potential general-election kerfuffle Wednesday. Mitt Romney came to Los Angeles and slammed President Obama's handling of the economy; not coincidentally, Obama made his case in an interview with a Los Angeles television station, a rare shift from his focus on the states likely to matter most next year.

Romney, a Republican candidate and former Massachusetts governor, took a break from fundraising to appear before empty storefronts at a desiccated North Hollywood mall where he argued that Obama had failed to fully focus on the economy, instead pushing a liberal agenda that made the recession worse.

"Sadly, as we look around us at this development, we see a development that is no longer going to be developed," Romney said. "There was a plan to put a $600-million shopping mall here, but the Valley Plaza development plan has been scrapped in part because of the challenges in the economy."

Yet as Democrats were happy to point out, the mall was in decline well before Obama took office. One of the first outdoor shopping malls in the nation — then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy delivered a speech in its parking lot in 1960 — it suffered structural damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Many of the businesses closed their doors during the George W. Bush administration.

Romney acknowledged that the shopping center's decline could not be fully blamed on Obama, but he argued that a massive revitalization plan was shelved because of the president's handling of the economy.

"Obviously, the challenges here are not all the result of the current administration. A lot of economic woes you are seeing around you and around the country are the result of errors made over a long period of time, but what's happened in the last couple years has not helped," Romney said. "The president is fond of saying he didn't cause the recession, he inherited the recession — and that's true. But he made it worse."

City Councilman Paul Krekorian said Romney was misleading voters. The company that owns much of the property — led by a Romney donor — is working with Krekorian and city officials to create a new development proposal for the mall. A preliminary proposal is expected soon. The company, iStar, was not contacted by the campaign about the event.

"In the San Fernando Valley, we make a lot of movies and we make a lot of television shows," Krekorian said. But "we know the difference between a movie set and real life. Today, Gov. Romney used my neighborhood as a movie set, and I'm a little resentful of that."

When pressed by reporters, Romney said, "I'm sure there's going to be something done here, and if I'm president there will be something done in places across the country to put people back to work."

Obama, meanwhile, argued in an interview on KABC-TV that he was actively engaged in creating more jobs.

"We've got more to do. First thing we have to do is get our fiscal house in order, and we should be able to do that in the next several weeks," Obama said, referring to negotiations over raising the nation's debt ceiling.

"The next step is to start looking at bolder plans, like infrastructure, for example — putting people to work rebuilding not just our roads and bridges but also broadband lines, high-speed rail, putting all those construction workers that used to be in housing to work rebuilding California and rebuilding America," he said. "That can have huge ripple effects.

"And then the last thing we have to do is we have to make sure that we're investing in research and development and training our workers for the jobs of the future, thinking about clean-energy jobs, making sure the solar panels and the wind turbines and electric cars are built here in the United States, built in California. All that can help in terms of moving us forward."

Obama's remarks represented a departure from his routine of conducting interviews with television reporters from swing states. In recent months, his targets have included Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Presidential candidates of both parties typically ignore California during general elections, and pay attention at this time of the electoral cycle for one reason — the vast trove of wealthy donors who live here.

Focused on fundraising here Wednesday were Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is expected to announce within weeks whether he's running for president, was also conducting private meetings in the state.

In the interview, Obama took up a state issue: budgetary whacks at education.

Noting that school funding had been "drained away," he said: "What I encourage states and local officials to think about is what are the things you can't do without, but make sure you're still investing in those things that are going to help us win the future."

Source http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-0721-romney-obama-20110721,0,3345747.story

Poll: Four in 5 approve of Obama's plan for Afghanistan drawdown

About four in 5 Americans approve of President Obama's plan to bring troops home from Afghanistan and more than half would approve an even bigger withdrawal, a new CBS News/New York Times Poll finds.

In the survey, conducted between June 24-28, Americans overwhelmingly expressed their approval of Mr. Obama's announcement last week that he intends to withdraw about a third of the 100,000 U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan by the fall of 2012. According to the poll, 79 percent of Americans - including a majority of Republicans, Democrats, and independents - approved, while just 17 percent disapproved.

In fact, most Americans do not think Mr. Obama's proposed troop withdrawal goes far enough. Fifty-nine percent of Americans think even more than the proposed one-third of U.S. troops in Afghanistan should be withdrawn.

Still, for the first time since Mr. Obama took office, a majority (53 percent) of Americans say the Afghanistan conflict is going well. In March, only 44 percent of Americans said the same - a figure which was at the time outweighed by the 49 percent of those who said they thought things were going badly.

But while most Americans expressed confidence that the war in Afghanistan is now going well, they appear ambivalent about America's mission there. Fifty-eight percent of Americans say the U.S. should not be involved in Afghanistan, the highest percentage recorded since the question was first asked in September 2009. Only thirty-five percent of Americans said they thought the U.S. was doing the "right thing" there.

Furthermore, most Americans don't think the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan will have a significant impact on the threat of terrorism against the U.S. Twenty-six percent said they thought the threat would increase, but 65 percent said the threat would likely remain the same. Six percent said they thought the threat will decrease.

Despite Americans' general support Mr. Obama's proposed withdrawal, however, the survey suggests that they don't necessarily think that the U.S. has achieved most of its goals there. Only 36 percent think the killing of bin Laden means the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and the surrounding areas has been completed; 58 percent disagree.

On the question of U.S. military operations in Libya, public opinion remains relatively unchanged in recent weeks: 59 percent of Americans say the U.S. should not be involved there, while 29 percent say America is doing the right thing.

Moreover, most Americans think the Obama administration should have to get congressional authorization in order to continue U.S. military action in Libya - despite the president's recent statements to the contrary. Six in 10 Americans think the President should have to get Congressional authorization.

There are partisan differences, however: 81 percent of Republicans think the president needs Congress to approve military actions in Libya, compared to half of Democrats.

Source http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20075503-503544.html

Nearly 80% of Obama’s Top Bundlers Given “Key Administration Posts”

President Obama launched his campaign in 2007 promising a change in the way business is done in Washington, DC, but today a report from the Center for Public Integrity says that when it comes to major campaign donors scoring plum administration positions, it’s business as usual.

The report says that 184 out of 556, or about one third of 2008 Obama campaign “bundlers” -- donors who agree to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a campaign – “or their spouses joined the administration in some role. But the percentages are much higher for the big-dollar bundlers. Nearly 80 percent of those who collected more than $500,000 for Obama took ‘key administration posts,’ as defined by the White House.

The Center points out that candidate Obama suggested that big moneyed interests would not have as prominent a role in DC during his administration.

"The cynics, the lobbyists, the special interests who've turned our government into a game only they can afford to play,” said then-Sen Obama in his February 2007 announcement speech. “They get the access while you get to write a letter…The time for that kind of politics is over."

The White House today pushed back on the Center report, saying it’s “hardly a story” and insisting that donations play no role in these plum jobs.

"The people who got those positions got them because of their credentials," said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. "They also happen to be donors in some cases. ... Being a supporter does not qualify you for a job or guarantee you a job, but it does not disqualify you."

It's essentially the same explanation the Bush administration gave.

"We make no distinctions about people on the basis of whether they've given or not," said White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer in January 2001.

Tom Perrelli raised $500,000 for Obama in 2008 and is now associate attorney general. Charles Rivkin did the same and is now ambassador to France, so did Donald H. Gips, ambassador to South Africa, and John Roos, ambassador to Japan.

Carney insisted that all bundlers given these positions were qualified, but earlier this year, the Ambassador to Luxembourg, Cynthia Stroum -- who also was a half-million dollar Obama bundler -- resigned right before a State Department report was issued calling her "aggressive, bullying, hostile and intimidating."

Schulte, Senior Reporter with the Center, says that there is a difference between the Bush administration and the Obama administration.

“We did look at the administration of George Bush which was widely criticized for appointing donors to these kinds of posts, and they had about the same number in four years that the Obama administration has had in two years,” Schulte said.

And according to the American Foreign Service Association, President Obama has nominated more “political” appointees for ambassadorships versus foreign service candidates than any president in at least the past 20 years. A full 36.2% of Obama’s ambassadors are political, while just over 30% of Bush’s were political. Former President Clinton, 27.82% were political, for President George H.W. Bush, 30.3% were political.

Source http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/06/report-nearly-80-of-obamas-top-bundlers-given-key-administration-posts.html

Obama to meet with his Republican opponents

Look for pointed disagreements over raising the $14.3 trillion federal debt limit when President Obama meets Wednesday with the 240-member House Republican Conference.

Led by Speaker John Boehner, most of the House Republicans will troop down to the White House for a tete-a-tete, to be followed Thursday by House Democrats -- the day their caucus grows to 193 following last week's special election in New York.

The sessions follow similar meetings with Republican and Democratic senators two weeks ago and illustrate Obama in full bipartisan mode. The main goal: a meeting of the minds on what it will take to let the government continue to borrow money hand over fist.

Americans "expect their elected leaders here in Washington to come together and work out solutions to these challenges that we face, rather than talk past each other," White House press secretary Jay Carney said. "It's useful to come together in the same room, talk and listen. So that's what he looks forward to doing."

House Republicans met with the president in January 2009, shortly after he was elected, and again in January 2010. At the first, Obama sought support -- unsuccessfully -- for his economic stimulus plan. At the second, he sought support -- unsuccessfully -- for his health care overhaul. Both measures passed with Democratic votes.

Those meetings came before Republicans flexed their muscles and won a House majority last November. Now, they have virtual veto power over Obama initiatives.

"Members always appreciate an opportunity to propose and debate solutions with the president," said Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck. "But this shouldn't be viewed as a budget negotiation. No deal will be struck tomorrow. It's an opportunity to discuss priorities."

Source http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/05/obama-to-meet-with-his-republican-opponents/1

Oprah didn't scrap dated Obama scoop

After a morning of agonizing, Oprah yesterday aired her interview with President Obama -- taped nearly a week ago -- without mentioning the stunning news that Osama bin Laden had been killed in a daring raid ordered by the president.

"Trying to decide what to do about tomorrow's show with prez that was taped last week. Show will feel dated because we taped last week. Not even a hint of Osama's demise," Winfrey tweeted Sunday night.

It was a sticky spot for the queen of daytime, a former TV news anchor who does not like to be shown up by events.

OOPS: Oprah's interview with the Obamas was taped last week so there was no mention of Osama Bin Laden's death.

But the show aired, uncut and without an Oprah intro explaining what had happened since it was taped.

The only indication was a line on the screen, "Previously recorded," that appeared several times during the show.

"The decision was made late [Sunday] night to air the original show as taped . . . with the inclusion of a notification to our viewers that the program was previously recorded," said a Harpo spokesperson.

Was there any discussion of yanking yesterday's show altogether?

"There was discussion about how to remind our viewers that today's show was pre-taped," the Harpo spokesperson said.

The interview was taped last Wednesday in Chicago.

Subjects ranged from Obama's release that morning of a copy of his long-form birth certificate to the secrets of a healthy marriage to his re-election campaign. But no mention was made during the hour of the war on terrorism.

Source http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/ld_news_Wx2dLehHKa9k2Pe32NtGlN

President Obama and Sarah Palin extend their Passover wishes in similar ways

President Barack Obama called Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to wish him a happy Passover. On Saturday, Obama delivered a message to all Jews in an attempt to send warm wishes "to all those celebrating the sacred festival of Passover."

"The story of Passover — which recalls the passage of the children of Israel from bondage and repression to freedom and liberty — inspires hope that those oppressed and enslaved can become free," Obama said in a statement. "This year, that ancient instruction is reflected in the daily headlines as we see modem stories of social transformation and liberation unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa. Against the backdrop of change, we continue to pray for peace between Israel and her neighbors, while reaffirming our enduring commitment to Israel’s security."

PalinFormer Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin posted a Passover message to her Facebook account on Monday that mirrored Obama's in structure and substance.

"Tonight is Passover, the Jewish people’s celebration of their deliverance from bondage and their Exodus to the Land of Israel," Palin wrote. "Passover contains poignant spiritual and historical meaning for Jews, but it also reminds all of us of mankind’s universal aspiration to be free from bondage and oppression.

"Today, in the same region where the story of Exodus took place, Arabs suffering under despotic regimes are seeking their own freedom and self-determination. As Jews in Israel, the Middle East’s only liberal democracy, gather for Passover, we hope for the spread of freedom and peace throughout the region. On this Passover holiday, our family sends our best wishes to the Jewish community. Chag kasher V'Sameach. Happy Passover. And next year in Jerusalem," Palin posted.

The woman who famously described herself as a hockey mom spent two days in Israel last month, where she expressed her support for the the nation, met with Netanyahu and sported a Star of David necklace. During a tour around the sacred Western Wall, she asked her guides, "Why are you apologizing all the time?" after being told that Jews were not allowed to pray openly on the Temple Mount.

Source  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/04/barack-obama-sarah-palin-passover-wishes.html

More on Alex Ovechkin and Michelle Obama

Like you and me, Karl Alzner follows Alex Ovechkin on Twitter, and so he saw the image Ovechkin posted of himself with the First Lady on Friday night.

“I don’t know how he did that,” Alzner said. “How the heck did that happen, is what I want to know. I thought they eat at home with their chef and stuff. I’ve got to find out about that.”

Well, I wanted to find out about it, too, so I asked Ovechkin after Monday’s practice.

“Me and [Jason] Arnott go to restaurant and she was there,” Ovechkin explained. “So I asked the manager can we take a picture with her. It was kind of cool, and she was very nice. Like, it’s unbelievable.”

This squares pretty well with the much longer account provided by a commenter at Japers Rink, who wrote that the encounter took place at BLT Steak DC. And indeed, the restaurant tweeted back at Ovechkin after he posted the photo, writing “Hope you both had a wonderful time!”

Ovechkin said Arnott snagged a photo with the First Lady, too, although he doesn’t have a Twitter account on which to share such things. And Ovi, of course, has had his picture taken with various Russian dignitaries, so he was not cowed by the moment. Obviously.

“Why I have to be nervous?” he asked me.

Teammates, as you’d guess, were mostly not surprised that there was a photo floating around of a goofily-smiling Ovechkin with his arm around the First Lady, because no one in that room seems to be surprised by much of anything that happens to their star.

“That’s just part of the way he is,” Matt Bradley said. “He’s just a happy-go-lucky guy, and he treats everyone the same, and that’s what makes him the kind of person he is .”

“Alex Ovechkin lives large and has fun,” Ted Leonsis wrote on his blog. “So does Nicklas Backstrom. As long as we are winning, I am good to go with it.”

Sunday night’s encounter with Lil Wayne was less of a surprise; a Caps PR person had let the appropriate people know in advance that a bunch of players would be around if Wayne and Drake had a moment to say hi. As usual, Ovechkin was the featured attraction.

“I think [Wayne] knew who Ovi was,”John Carlson told me. “I doubt that he would know who I was. He said, ‘Oh hey, what’s up, you guys are the Capitals, right?’ and he said something to Ovi. I don’t know, I was a little star struck.”

“He knew who Ovi was,” D.J. King confirmed. “He just said ‘Hey Ovi, what’s up.’ He recognized him, which we thought was really cool. Ovi didn’t really even notice that he recognized him — everyone was talking so quick and everything — but we picked up on it. It was cool.”

With Ovechkin now having posted photos of himself with the First Lady, Weezy, DJ Pauly D and Michael Vick in a three-week span, I figured maybe I should ask other members of the team whom their most famous celebrity photo was with. Mike Knuble has a picture of himself with Sly Stallone on his computer, which is tough to top. (Plus, Stallone is holding his fist by Knuble’s jaw.) Eric Fehr has one with Taylor Swift, from before she was famous. Alzner has one with DJ Tiesto, which he got with Ovechkin’s help. Bradley said his would be Pauly D, which means Ovechkin gets another assist. Brooks Laich had to stop and think when I asked him the question.

“Alex Ovechkin,” he said, adding “I’m not really infatuated with all that stuff. (For example, Laich was at the same memorabilia show when Ovechkin met Vick, but he declined a chance to meet the Eagles quarterback.)

I’m not sure if Ovechkin is infatuated, exactly, but it seems pretty clear he enjoys a bit of celebrity stalking. Though the celebrities seem to enjoy him back.

“I think that’s cool; he’s made a name for himself and people love watching him” Carlson said. “So that’s how that stuff happens.”

Source http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/post/more-on-alex-ovechkin-and-michelle-obama/2011/04/04/AFuzxadC_blog.html