Bush says he likes Obama

Ref: NDTV.com

Agence France-Presse

Monday, January 12, 2009, (Washington)

US President George W Bush said he likes his successor Barack Obama, praising him as "engaging" in an interview broadcast.

Bush had nothing but compliments for Obama when asked about his impressions of the president-elect on a news channel on Sunday.

"I liked him," said Bush, who met with Obama as recently as Wednesday when former presidents gathered for a historic lunch at the White House.

"Listen, the man's obviously a charismatic person ... and the man is able to persuade people that they should trust him. And he's got, he's got something, he's got a lot going for him," he said.

Bush, who will step down on January 20, praised Obama for placing a high priority on his family and said he was "impressed" by how president-elect had handled his transition to the White House.

He said that Obama had "showed decisiveness" in his choices and "has picked people that are capable and competent people." 

Bush tries to win goodwill as tenure ends

Ref: NDTV.com

Maya Mirchandani

Friday, January 16, 2009 8:41 AM(Washington)

US President George W Bush is set to hand the reins to Barack Obama. President Bush bid farewell in a final speech on Friday after an eight year term.

As Bush packs his bags and prepares to leave the White House in five days, America's most unpopular president is trying to win back some goodwill from his countrymen.

"History can only judge the breadth of this presidency after some time, not immediately," said Bush in his last press conference as the US President.

A new poll suggests that his approval ratings have gone up slightly since the farewell appearances began. Could that be just because people are excited to see him go? Or they may genuinely miss his gaffes?

After all, he is the president who told America that he had been "mis-underestimated", and told Pope Benedict he'd made an "awesome speech".

Ironically, as unpopular as President Bush has been, his wife Laura has been on top of the popularity charts throughout the eight years. She is considered to be the most popular first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt.

So in his farewell appearances and exit interviews, as they are being called, he makes sure she's right by his side as he reflects and defends the decisions he made during his eight year presidency.

As the countdown to Barack Obama's swearing in begins, the outgoing president is gracious in defeat.

"I have a front row seat to history in the making," says Bush.

He defended his decisions post 9/11 calling them tough ones even though some of his countrymen didn't agree.

And as America says goodbye to Bush, many wonder if Barack Obama would have managed a landslide victory had George W Bush not been this unpopular.

End of Democratic White House race could be near

Article taken from AOL.com


End of Democratic White House race could be near


Reuters News
Posted: 2008-05-30 08:16:16
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The end is near. Probably.

After five months of voting, 16 months of campaigning and more surprises, reversals and comebacks than any U.S. political race deserves, the grueling duel for the Democratic presidential nomination could be entering its final days.

With three small nominating contests left, Barack Obama has moved within a few dozen delegates of beating rival Hillary Clinton and securing the right to face Republican John McCain in November's presidential election.

When the last votes are counted in Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday night, Obama will have either just enough delegates to the August convention to clinch the nomination or be just a few short.

If he is shy of the magic number, a flurry of endorsements from some of the nearly 200 uncommitted superdelegates -- party leaders who can back any candidate -- would easily put him over the top and likely send Clinton to the sidelines.

"After June 3, you're going to see a wave of superdelegates beginning to go Obama's way," said Democratic consultant Chris Kofinis, an aide to former U.S. Sen. John Edwards during his presidential bid this year.

"And when Sen. Obama reaches the magic number, whenever that is, Sen. Clinton is going to do what every Democrat will do -- acknowledge he is the Democratic nominee and help unify the party to defeat John McCain in November."

For weeks, Clinton has shrugged off calls to step aside before the voting concludes in their back-and-forth battle for the nomination. She also has called for an agreement to allow the delegates from disputed contests in Florida and Michigan to be seated at the convention.

Clinton still says superdelegates should consider her argument that she would be a stronger candidate against McCain in November than Obama.

"This is going down to the wire. Neither one of us have the number of delegates yet that would secure the nomination," the New York senator and former first lady, said on Thursday in Huron, South Dakota.

The final three contests are in Puerto Rico on Sunday, and Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday. A party committee will try to resolve the Florida and Michigan dispute on Saturday.

STEP ASIDE

Clinton aides have hinted she will be willing to step aside once the final issues are resolved, and even some of her staunchest supporters see the end coming.

"I'm a realist, and I think most likely the superdelegates will give Sen. Obama the votes he needs," Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania, who endorsed Clinton and helped her win his home state in April, told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday.

"I think it's very unlikely that Sen. Clinton can prevail. I think that means we're not going to field our strongest candidate," he said.

Obama, an Illinois senator, made his expectations clear.

"We've got three contests in succession, and at that point all the information will be in," Obama told reporters on Wednesday. "There will be no more questions unanswered. I suspect that whatever remaining superdelegates will be able to make their decisions quickly after that."

Once he has enough delegates to clinch the nomination, Obama said, "then I'm the nominee."

An MSNBC delegate count gives Obama 1,982 delegates, 44 short of the 2,026 now needed to win the nomination.

If the rules committee seats the Florida and Michigan delegations, it could add to the total needed to win. Seating half the delegates from each state, a compromise to be considered on Saturday, would put the finish line at 2,118.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said the campaign was anxious to shift into a full-time general election battle with McCain.

"Our goal is to get to the nomination number as quickly as we can so that we can move our entire focus to the general election because, you know, the clock is ticking here," he said.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro in South Dakota, editing by David Wiessler)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)


05/30/2008 07:07 EST

Today on the presidential campaign trail

Article from AOL.com

Today on the presidential campaign trail
AP
Posted: 2008-05-30 08:18:30
IN THE HEADLINES

South Dakota newspaper endorses Clinton five days ahead of primary ... Obama campaign mastered party rules and used them to foil Clinton ... League of Democracies concept gains ground in presidential race ... Texas Democratic Party chairman, wife endorse Obama

South Dakota newspaper endorses Clinton

WASHINGTON (AP) - South Dakota's largest newspaper endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination while acknowledging that rival Barack Obama may be unbeatable.

The Argus Leader in Sioux Falls said in an editorial Friday that Clinton "is the strongest Democratic candidate for South Dakota."

"Her mastery of complex policy detail is broad and deep, and her experience as a senator and former first lady matches that," the editorial said. "Measured against her opponent, Clinton is philosophically more moderate. That is likely a good thing for South Dakota."

South Dakota and Montana hold the last primaries in the marathon Democratic nomination race on Tuesday. South Dakota has 15 delegates at stake, Montana 16.

Obama leads Clinton by about 200 delegates, according to a tally by The Associated Press.

Obama used party rules to foil Clinton

WASHINGTON (AP) - Unlike Hillary Rodham Clinton, rival Barack Obama planned for the long haul.

Clinton hinged her whole campaign on an early knockout blow on Super Tuesday, while Obama's staff researched congressional districts in states with primaries that were months away. What they found were opportunities to win delegates, even in states they would eventually lose.

Obama's campaign mastered some of the most arcane rules in politics, and then used them to foil a front-runner who seemed to have every advantage - money, fame and a husband who had essentially run the Democratic Party for eight years as president.

"Without a doubt, their understanding of the nominating process was one of the keys to their success," said Tad Devine, a Democratic strategist not aligned with either candidate. "They understood the nuances of it and approached it at a strategic level that the Clinton campaign did not."

Careful planning is one reason why Obama is emerging as the nominee as the Democratic Party prepares for its final three primaries, Puerto Rico on Sunday and Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday. Attributing his success only to soaring speeches and prodigious fundraising ignores a critical part of contest.

League of Democracies gains ground in prez race

WASHINGTON (AP) - Gaining ground this political season is a proposed League of Democracies designed to strengthen support for the next president's overseas agenda and ensure a global leadership role for the United States.

John McCain, the virtually certain Republican presidential nominee, has endorsed the concept of a new global compact of more than 100 democratic countries to advance shared views and has discussed the idea with French and British leaders.

"It could act where the U.N. fails to act," he said last month, and pressure tyrants "with or without Moscow's and Beijing's approval."

McCain said the League might impose sanctions on Iran, relieve suffering in the Darfur region of Sudan and deal with environmental problems.

Barack Obama, who has a lead in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, has not taken a stand. But Anthony Lake, one of Obama's policy advisers, has spoken in favor of the idea.

Analysts at think tanks in Washington and elsewhere envision a league focused on maintaining peace and limiting U.S. military intervention, such as the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Texas Democratic chairman, wife endorse Obama

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Barack Obama picked up two Texas superdelegates, bringing him closer to locking up the Democratic presidential nomination.

Texas Democratic Party chairman Boyd Richie and his wife, Democratic National Committee member Betty Richie, endorsed Barack Obama for president late Thursday.

Texas has 32 superdelegates and the Richies were among a handful of those remaining who had not committed to either Obama or rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"I believe Senator Obama is the candidate who can best provide the leadership and change Texans desire," Richie said in a statement issued by the party. "Senator Obama has the skill and ability to unite Americans from all walks of life and put our country back on the right track."

Clinton narrowly won the state's primary March 4, but Obama has prevailed in two rounds of caucuses that also determine pledged delegates from Texas. The final division of those caucus delegates comes next week at the state convention in Austin.

THE DEMOCRATS

Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with voters in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Barack Obama holds a rally in Great Falls, Mont.

THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain holds an informal news conference in Milwaukee.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Listen and learn. Listen and learn. That's what great commanders do. That's what great leaders do. You listen and you learn." - John McCain.

STAT OF THE DAY:

Of South Dakota's 508,240 registered voters - 235,388 are Republicans, 195,063 are Democrats and 75,894 are independents, according to the South Dakota Secretary of State's Office.

Compiled by Ann Sanner and Ronald Powers.


Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
05/30/08 08:17 EDT

Obama Faces More Clergyman Trouble

Article taken from AOL.com

Obama Faces More Clergyman Trouble

By CARYN ROUSSEAU,AP
Posted: 2008-05-30 07:45:02
Filed Under: Elections News, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton
CHICAGO (May 30) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that he was "deeply disappointed" by a supporter's sermon at his church that mocked Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Chicago activist, also apologized for last Sunday's sermon at Obama's church, in which he said Clinton's eyes welled with tears before the New Hampshire primary because she felt "entitled" to the Democratic nomination and because "there's a black man stealing my show."

In video circulating on the Internet, Pfleger said the former first lady expected to win the nomination before Obama's sudden popularity.

"She just always thought that, 'This is mine. I'm Bill's wife. I'm white.' ... And then, out of nowhere, came 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama." And she said, 'Oh damn, where did you come from? I'm white. I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show,'" Pfleger said at Trinity United Church of Christ.

He then went on to parody Clinton, sobbing and wiping his face with a handkerchief.

"She wasn't the only one crying," he said. "There was a whole lot of white people crying."

Obama won the Iowa caucuses, the first contest of the nominating season, in January. Days later, Clinton's eyes brimmed with tears and her voice broke as she talked with New Hampshire voters on the eve of the primary, which she won.

Obama said he was "deeply disappointed" by Pfleger's comments.

"As I have traveled this country, I've been impressed not by what divides us, but by all that that unites us," he said in a statement. "That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn't reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause."

Pfleger, the white pastor of predominantly black Saint Sabina Roman Catholic Church on the city's Southwest side, said he regretted his choice of words.

"These words are inconsistent with Senator Obama's life and message and I am deeply sorry if they offended Senator Clinton or anyone else who saw them," Pfleger said.

Clinton's campaign denounced Pfleger's comments.

"Divisive and hateful language like that is totally counterproductive in our efforts to bring our party together and have no place at the pulpit or in our politics," the campaign said in a statement. "We are disappointed that Senator Obama didn't specifically reject Father's Pfleger's despicable comments about Senator Clinton, and assume he will do so."

In March, Pfleger invited Obama's embattled former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to speak at Saint Sabina, embracing Wright in the church.

Obama recently broke with Wright, who had been his longtime pastor, after video of his sermons blaming U.S. policies for the Sept. 11 attacks and his calls of "God damn America" became fixtures on the Internet and cable news networks and created a political problem for the candidate.

Pfleger, known locally as a community activist and organizer, was arrested in June 2007 with the Rev. Jesse Jackson during a protest outside of a south suburban Chicago gun shop. The criminal trespass charges were later dropped.

He also has hosted Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam, at St. Sabina and has called him "a gift from God to a sick, sick world."


Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-05-30 07:45:02

President Obama in the Stars, Panel Says

Article taken from AOL.com

A panel at the United Astrology Conference in Denver predicts that Sen. Barack Obama would be the ultimate winner of the presidential contest this fall -- but one says there may be a threat to him actually taking office next January.

Sen. Barack Obama will win the presidency in the fall, according to seven top astrologers on a panel at the United Astrology Conference in Denver. One panelist, however, offered a caveat: "We don't have a single solid birth chart," Robert Hand said. "If those dates are wrong, everything I say is garbage."

Besides Obama's astrological chart, panelists also looked at the charts of Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. John McCain and the U.S. itself, a Denver Post columnist reported. Apparently Obama and McCain's charts have strong connections with that of the U.S. Clinton's, not so much.

Panelist Shelley Ackerman said she worried about something in January endangering Obama's chances of ever taking office, and others agreed. Plus, she said, "there are things that are going to happen in the next couple of months that could turn the game into something different than we think it is right now," The Durango Herald reported.

Obama to Reach Delegate Milestone

Article taken from AOL.com

WASHINGTON (May 19) - Barack Obama will reach a significant milestone Tuesday as he marches toward the Democratic nomination for president — a majority of pledged delegates at stake in all the primaries and caucuses.

Obama will still be short of the overall number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination, unless he were to suddenly receive an avalanche of endorsements from the party and elected officials known as superdelegates. But the Illinois senator's campaign is touting the delegate milestone as a big step in defeating his rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York."

A clear majority of elected delegates will send an unmistakable message — the people have spoken, and they are ready for change," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe wrote in a memo to supporters Monday.

"As we near victory in one contest, the next challenge is already heating up," Plouffe wrote. "President Bush and Senator McCain have begun coordinating their attacks on Barack Obama in an effort to extend their failed policies for a third term.

"Obama picked up the endorsement of Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia Monday, less than a week after Clinton overwhelmingly won the state's primary. Byrd is the longest serving member of the U.S. Senate.