Obama Abroad
Obama Shakes Hands with Gaddafi
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi shakes hands with President Obama during the G8 summit on July 9, 2009 in L'Aquila, Italy.(Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
By Glenn Kessler
"Mad dog" no more.
Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, who former president Ronald Reagan once denounced as a "mad dog," supped on pasta just two seats away from President Obama at the Group of Eight summit today and even secured a handshake with the U.S. president.
Gaddafi is attending the summit in his role as president of the African Union, the latest step in a global reemergence of the North African country after years of isolation for its links to terrorism, including the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988. But Libya settled outstanding claims for billions of dollars and gave up its efforts to build weapons of mass destruction in 2003. Now it even has a seat on the U.N. Security Council.
Last year, then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice became the most senior U.S. official to visit Libya in more than half a century, but Obama is the first U.S. president to shake Gaddafi's hand. (Gaddafi did not shake Rice's hand but bowed respectfully.)
Gaddafi, one of the grand survivors of Middle Eastern politics, seized power in a coup in 1969, and though much of his career he used Libya's vast oil wealth to bolster terrorist movements around the world.
At the meal, Gaddafi, as is his fashion, wore a colorful outfit. He sported a red and gold cap, with a red and gold sash draping over his shoulder and a matching shirt and pants in black and tangerine with a wave-like pattern.
Posted at 5:48 PM ET on Jul 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Obama Abroad
The Scoop on Obama's Gift to Pope Tomorrow
By William Wan
What do you get for a man whose possessions include leadership over one-sixth of the world's population not to mention the Church's highest earthly authority?
When President Obama's staff went searching for the perfect gift for Pope Benedict XVI, they called Louis DiCocco, owner of a religious gift shop in Philadelphia, for advice.
"Someone there remembered us from the Pope's last visit," DiCocco said in a phone interview from his shop today. He and his shop had design and built one of the chairs used by the pope during his meeting with U.S. bishops in Washington last year.
For five days, DiCocco and the state department officials went back and forth, trying to strike the right balance of history, significance and sentiment. A lot was at stake. Not just American-Vatican relations (the perfect gift just might be the thing to spark a warm discussion), but also in the balance was Obama's reputation as a decent gift giver (re: critics' howls when Obama gave Queen Elizabeth that iPod).
At first, DiCocco suggested an antique chalice his family had in their shop that could be traced back to the 1920s, a parish priest style gold-plated cup with a highly engraved base. Written around the mouth of the chalice were the words, "Sanctus, Sanctus, Santus," meaning "holy, holy, holy."
But the cup had history and character but they kept looking.
Continue reading at God in Government»
Posted at 3:27 PM ET on Jul 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Dan Balz's Take
As Clouds Gather at Home, Obama Administration Buckles Down
President Obama speaks at a press conference following the Major Economic Forum meeting outlining ways to manage climate change on the second day of the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
By Dan Balz
President Obama has spent the past two days in an earthquake zone in Italy but he must wonder if somehow the earth is moving back home in Washington.
From the moment of his election last November, the story line has been fixed and rigid: Obama astride the political world; Republicans in shambles. The president has enjoyed strong approval ratings and generally strong, if somewhat lower, confidence in his policies. He has commanded the stage as few presidents before him, a virtual embodiment of the 24/7 media environment.
Republicans, in contrast, have been portrayed as the basket case of politics -- leaderless and without vision. Their decimated congressional wing has been described as the "party of no." Elsewhere they have been defined by scandal (Mark Sanford's Argentine affair) and surprise behavior (Sarah Palin's Alaska resignation). They are the shrunken party.
Suddenly there are new tremors: hints of slackening faith in Obama's leadership and signals of concern among the president's followers about some of his policies. Gallup's daily tracking has recorded a downdraft in the president's approval from 63 percent at the end of last month to 56 percent on Wednesday. Questions about the administration's stimulus package have grown louder. Republicans sound emboldened, if still beset by a host of problems.
Posted at 1:30 PM ET on Jul 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Sarah Palin
Palin Doesn't Have a New Job Lined Up, Her Attorney Says
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin fishes on July 6, 2009, in Wasilla, Alaska. (ABC NEWS via Getty Images)
By Kimberly Kindy
Departing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has no new job offer and is resigning because of her combative relationship with the state legislature and because of the distractions and costs of fighting off numerous ethics complaints, her private attorney said.
In an interview with The Washington Post this week, attorney Thomas V. Van Flein said Palin has "received hundreds of credible offers since the campaign, none of which she has accepted or pursued, with the exception of her book deal."
Among the offers were jobs in media, including offers to host her own talk show, and requests that she consider appearances in Hollywood productions, he said, declining to be more specific.
Van Flein said he hopes Palin will take time off to rest and be with her family but said, "she is a woman with a lot of energy. We'll see."
Palin and state lawmakers have acknowledged the growing strain in their working relationship since she returned from the campaign trail with Arizona Sen. John McCain. Van Flein attributed the strain largely to the partisan role she played in the campaign.
He said Alaska lawmakers and residents were accustomed to a bipartisan governor, and were taken by surprise by much of the criticism Palin aimed at Obama and Biden during the campaign.
Posted at 11:36 AM ET on Jul 9, 2009 | Permalink
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The Rundown
Obama's Honeymoon Is Over, Cont'd
By Ben Pershing
Since the day President Obama was sworn into office riding a wave of political momentum and goodwill, the press has kept an eye out for evidence that -- pick your metaphor -- the honeymoon is over, the smooth sailing has ended and the bloom is off the rose.
Today's fuel for the "fading Obama" fire is candidate recruitment, or lack thereof. The Fix writes, "The White House's vaunted political operation has struggled in the early months of the 2010 cycle," pointing out Team Obama's failure to get Lisa Madigan in the Illinois Senate contest and its inability to keep primary challengers out of the Senate races in New York and Pennsylvania. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin also disappointed some Democrats by deciding to stay in South Dakota's lone House seat.
On the flip side, Republicans are having at least some success persuading their top recruits to jump in the fray, headlined by Mark Kirk's indications yesterday that he would make the Illinois Senate race. The GOP is also cheered by Kelly Ayotte's burgeoning bid for Senate in New Hampshire. According to The Hill, "Public anxiety over the economy, stocks in decline, rising unemployment and a string of expensive Democratic initiatives are all encouraging high-caliber Republicans to compete in 2010." And Politico writes, "independent voters are deserting [Obama] nationally and especially in key swing states, recent polls suggest." (Not really, The Fix says.)
Continue reading at Political Browser »
Posted at 8:25 AM ET on Jul 9, 2009 | Permalink
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The Daybook
POTUS Events: Obama at G-8
President Obama will spend the day in several meetings and bilateral discussions with the G-8 and leaders of other countries such as China, Egypt and South Africa.
At 10:15 a.m. ET President Obama will attend a Major Economies Forum discussion on the environment. Following the forum he will meet with the press at 12:30 p.m. to discuss the meeting.
The President ends his day with a dinner hosted by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano at the Guardia di Finanza School in L'Aquila, Italy.
For a rundown of noteworthy events happening around Washington, see our Federal City Digest.
Posted at 7:02 AM ET on Jul 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Obama Abroad
Obama Tours Earthquake Damage with Berlusconi
President Obama (2nd L) tours the ruined city of Onna near L'Aquila in central Italy July 8, 2009. (REUTERS/Jim Young)
The Post's Michael A. Fletcher is in L'Aquila, Italy, traveling with the president. His pool report from Obama's tour of the town with the Italian prime minister follows:
President Obama joined Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for a tour of the earthquake-shattered center city of L'Aquila.
Walking through the old town's narrow streets in his shirtsleeves, Obama got an up-close look at the damage from the April earthquake that killed nearly 300 people and displaced 65,000 others.
Many of the buildings in the town remain in a state of collapse or partial collapse. Scaffolding lined many others. And piles of rubble were everywhere.
Obama and Burlesconi examined a series of maps displayed in the town square that illustrated the pattern of the seismic damage and buildings that can be repaired.
Obama then expressed his condolences to city officials while thanking rescue workers for their efforts.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all the family members who lost loved ones," Obama said.
He then took pictures with the workers, telling them "Nice job. Keep up the good work."
Obama said the United States has been supportive in the rescue and rebuilding efforts, and he singled out Italian Americans for their help and concern.
The president walked down one narrow street to survey damage of a collapsed government building up close along with Berlusconi and the city's head of civil protection, who led the recovery effort.
The site was about a 15-minute drive from the site of the G-8 meeting.
Also, when Obama arrived in the old town square he was initially apologetic for not wearing a suit coat, when he saw the town's mayor had one on.
"I'm sorry I didn't put on my coat," he said. "I thought we were going to walk." But as it turned out, he did walk.
Posted at 2:13 PM ET on Jul 8, 2009 | Permalink
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In Case You Missed It
Letterman on Palin: "Something I Said?"
By Garance Franke-Ruta
David Letterman, who famously feuded with and then apologized to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin over a joke he made about one of her daughters and a New York Yankee, hasn't let up, coyly asking on his show Monday night, "Something I said?"
A lawyer who helped Palin set up her political action committee told The Post that that joke, in fact, had helped persuade her to step down. Here's the clip:
Posted at 10:45 AM ET on Jul 8, 2009 | Permalink
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National Security
Suspicious Package Outside Vice President's Residence
By Lori Aratani
The Special Operations Division of the District's Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department is investigating a suspicious briefcase that was left outside the vice president's residence this morning about about 9 a.m. Their units as well as various federal law enforcement officials are on the scene, which has backed up traffic along Massachusetts Avenue.
Posted at 10:19 AM ET on Jul 8, 2009 | Permalink
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The Rundown
Obama Helps Aides With Damage Control
By Ben Pershing
In the midst of a major international trip, with the economy still teetering and his biggest domestic priorities hanging in the balance back home, you'd think President Obama has enough on his plate. But on Tuesday, he had to spend some precious time cleaning up the messes made by his two top subordinates.
First, Obama paused in the middle of his visit to Russia to clarify the words of his No. 2, emphasizing that the U.S. had "absolutely not" given Israel the green light to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. The question arose after Vice President Biden's appearance Sunday on "This Week With George Stephanopoulos," when he repeatedly made the point that Israel is a sovereign nation and the U.S. can't stop it from defending itself. That may be technically true, and the White House swore that the vice president did not misspeak. But Biden also had ample opportunity to say that an Israeli strike would be problematic or destabilizing for the entire Middle East, and he didn't. (Michael Mullen did make that exact point Tuesday.)
Obama didn't just feel the need to clarify Biden's remarks, he also gave Rahm Emanuel an assist in repairing the damage from the chief of staff's own controversial comments. Many Democrats were upset to read in yesterday's Wall Street Journal that Emanuel was open to compromise on whether the health care reform package should include a public option. He also spoke favorably of a public option "trigger," which most liberals oppose.
Continue reading at Political Browser »
Posted at 8:31 AM ET on Jul 8, 2009 | Permalink
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