Helen Thomas: Press Needs More Time With Obama

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Contrary to the pabulum that Barack Obama is a do nothing President:
President Barack Obama has signed into law equal pay regardless of gender, race, or age(S.181), the Stimulus bill; expanded National and Community Service (H.R. 1388); attacked securities and commodities fraud and financial institution fraud (S.386); reduced no-bid defense contracts and improved the organization and procedures of the Department of Defense for the acquisition of major weapon systems (S.454); signed the Credit CARD Act of 2009 (H.R.627); Cash for Clunkers; Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009; and has been fighting for Health Care Reform for months and will probably get something.
He repealed previous Executive Orders removing barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells, disallowed unrelated add-ons in government procurement, revoked Executive Orders concerning the detention and interrogation that undermined the laws of the United States and the Geneva Conventions, and has instituted a policy (by Executive Order) whereby every appointee in every Executive branch agency has to sign an Ethics contract banning Lobbyist gifts and barring appointees from coming from, leaving to, and contracting with Lobbies for 2 years.
He has begun dismantling the detention center at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, he has begun rotating troops and equipment out of Iraq to back home or forward to Afghanistan, and he seems to have been extremely busy for the last few weeks carefully coordinating an Afghanistan strategy within the military and among our allies. I am confident that he will lay out the direction he is zeroing in on when he gets back from his high level talks in Asia. So far, his international diplomacy has mended strained relationships with our allies, cornered our enemies, and has Heads of State around the world talking about a new era of multilateralism; which has resulted in the exposure of a secret Iranian nuclear facility, better cooperation from the United Nations and NATO with Afghanistan and Iraq, and a Nobel Prize.
And he’s done all this while, presumably, improving his golf game, bowling average, and basketball game, and opening the White House itself to American families and children on an almost unprecedented scale.
What did your favorite President accomplish in his first 3 quarters?

Lucas Foxx of WA 10:34PM November 13, 2009

We will never know this guy, because he wants to get re-elected too badly

Anthony of MT 9:46PM November 13, 2009

First of all, he MAY not be a qualified US citizen. The SCUS(Supreme Court US)has agreed to hear one of several suits alleging that he is NOT eligible based on his original citizenship (Indonesian). While Democrats, Socialists, Communists, and other folks ponder this conundrum, the fact remains that he supposedly had about (100)days as a US Senator prior to campaigning for President. Who really knew who he was? NOT most of the nation. Even if his citizenship is validated, he is an inexperienced clod who lets Nancy Peolosi attempt to allow illegal aliens healthcare benefits, while he smiles. What a fraud! Wake up America, and toss this small fish back.

ChristmasTree of NY 9:07PM November 13, 2009

He is a do-nothing president, except expand the government and increase the debt. And be plastered all over TV ad nauseum!
I hear the ACORN-lover is working on his State of the Union speech for next January. He is going to work on the Deficit in his second year. What did he do in his first year? Create the biggest deficit in this country's history. This just takes the cake.
If Helen could only get true Press Conferences insteadof these charades that Obama orchestrates as if they were campaign stump speeches and he pre-selects which members of the press have been "good and kissed his keister" and they are rewarded with getting to ask a question. Usually a cream puff at that.

Ken of WI 6:35PM November 13, 2009

He took a stand on removing barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells.
He took a stand on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
He took a stand on no-bid defense contracts.
He took a stand against the Credit CARD companies.
He took a stand on the detention center at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base.
He took a stand against detention and interrogation that undermined the laws of the United States and the Geneva Conventions.
He took a stand against Lobbyist: banning gifts and barring every Executive Branch agency employee from coming from, leaving to, and contracting with Lobbies for 2 years. (kind of explains how they have so much extra money for tea parties and such)
He's taking stands on Health Care.
I love Helen, but I don't understand why she is so insistent that the President should have knee jerk reactions to complicated issues like his predecessor. He's been meeting for weeks to reassess and strategize. He will likely announce his strategy as soon as he returns from his Asian trip. He told us how important careful deliberation and diplomacy would be with these matters.
I hope we haven't lost her to the dark side. (

LucasFoxx of WA 5:47PM November 13, 2009

Just about everyone I know is so sick of seeing and hearing Obama that they could scream. Just give us one day without him on TV or anyone mentioning him (or his wife).

ss of VA 1:26PM November 13, 2009

She said, "He (Obama) has not taken a stand on anything," which sums things up quite nicely.
If FDR or LBJ had behaved as he has, we would not have Social Security or Medicare! He has allowed, even encouraged, the congress to try to attain "bipartisanship" by adding one lonely Republican to the Democratic voting bloc as if it really meant something.
He should have recognized from the beginning that "you can't placate the implacable" and not wasted effort on trying to win over the Party of No. It's about time he really demonstrated some leadership and do the things that he was sent to DC to do by the voters. (Unless, of course, he really has been elected by the invisible "powers that be" and is doing their bidding intstead.)
Or, next time I might just write in the name of Helen Thomas for President.

GillianB of NY 3:48PM November 12, 2009

Cannot be any worse that what is there now!

barbara Fields of IL 12:10PM November 12, 2009

As President, Obama has done far too much to advance all religions. He lets the tax-funded Faith Based Pork Barrel take scoop-outs from public treasuries. He never omits asking God's blessing on every event. He forgets how many Americans are born atheists who have sense enough not to be conned into giving a huge tenth of our assets to preachers. Ban-Abortion churches cause enormous tax costs as they send forth poor unwed moms, not to the abortionist, but to the welfare office. They send these self-made motherized paupers to get ADC, food stamps, subsidized housing & free medical care. Each poor mom with her "fatherless" baby, can have as many more objects of public charity as she can produce. Pro-Life turned into a creator of immense tax burdens, that last until each un-aborted conception is l8 years old. Ms. Thomas, unfortunately, is of advanced age, but if she were a public official, she would be very helpful. I've watched as Nixon & Reagan avoided her questions, but at least she tried, even when everyone knew favored reporters were planted with soft "questions." Thanks to her for long years as a well-educated journalist.

ajura dawnveirs of CA 1:13AM November 12, 2009

Give the President a break. He has been in office less than a year and he has done more than the previous President in eight years. Wait, be patient, and then evaluate his performance after two or three years. Furthermore, Helen has mis-read the President and the American public. We think that he has accomplished quite a bit. I applaud the President for the way in which he is achieving his agenda and I wish him the best. By the way, I am a Republican, but not a stupid idealogue who thinks that "my way or no way." My party should stop being obstructionists and become the cooperative partners that I know they can be. At least that is what I wish. So, Helen, stop griping.
Give the President a break.

curtis of CA 6:59PM November 11, 2009