44 - Politics and Policy in Obama's Washington - September 27, 2009

RNC Survey in Virginia Suggests Draft, Welfare Expansion on 'Obama Agenda'

The Republican National Committee has sent some Virginia voters a questionnaire suggesting that the president and Congressional Democrats want to expand welfare benefits and reinstitute the military draft -- while raising the budget deficit well beyond what is projected by nonpartisan experts.

By Web Politics Editor | October 3, 2009; 8:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (62)
Categories: 50 States, The Green Zone
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Obama: Health Insurance Reform Would Help Small Business

By Scott Wilson President Obama used his weekly radio address Saturday to appeal to...

By Eric Rich | October 3, 2009; 6:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: 44 The Obama Presidency, Barack Obama, Health Care, Health Care
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Palin's Book Gets a Cover to Judge

Sarah Palin may not be getting much love from her former colleagues on the McCain-Palin campaign, but she's already got a best-seller on her hands with her new book, Going Rogue: An American Life.

By Web Politics Editor | October 2, 2009; 2:43 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (148)
Categories: Making the Rounds, Sarah Palin
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A Palin 2012 Run Would Be 'Catastrophic' for GOP, Says Former McCain Aide

Speaking at the First Draft of History conference at the Newseum in Washington on Friday morning, former John McCain chief strategist Steve Schmidt took some none-too-subtle swipes at McCain's former running mate, Sarah Palin, calling a 2012 presidential campaign by her potentially disastrous for both the Republican Party and the country.

By Web Politics Editor | October 2, 2009; 10:55 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (192)
Categories: Sarah Palin
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A Good Friday for Obama?

By Ben Pershing Oct. 2 could end up being one of the Obama administration's better...

By Ben Pershing | October 2, 2009; 8:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: The Rundown
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Obama Addresses Democratic Governors' Fundraiser

President Obama told a group of Democratic governors Thursday afternoon that his economic stimulus plan has helped stabilize the national economy and that his plans for health care reform, expanding educational opportunities and investing in clean energy will point the way to a more prosperous future.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 4:42 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: The Green Zone
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Beating Death of Chicago Student Prompts Upcoming Visit from AG, Education Secretary

Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will travel to Chicago next Wednesday to meet with students, community members and officials from the high school attended by a 16-year-old honor student who was beaten to death last week, White Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 3:58 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Education
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Progressive Coalition Comes Out for ACORN

Leaders of several progressive community groups stood up Thursday to defend ACORN, the community organizing group under fire and under threat of losing all federal funding, after some of its employees were caught on videotape appearing to give advice on how to conceal a prostitution business.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 3:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Cast of Characters
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Dispatch: The International Olympic Committee Session Opening Ceremony

The Post's Robin Givhan was the White House pool reporter for the opening ceremony of the 121st International Olympic Committee Session in Copenhagen Thursday. Her report.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 3:31 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Michelle Obama
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Obama Bans Federal Employees From Texting While Driving

President Obama has banned federal employees from text messaging when they are behind the wheel of government vehicles and from texting in their own cars if they use government-issued phones or are on official business.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 2:52 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Washington Life
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A Shift on Abortion?

Both foes and supporters of legal abortion should sit back and take a broad view before overreacting to Thursday's release of new poll numbers showing a big shift in Americans' attitudes about abortion.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 2:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: The Pollster
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A Republican Comeback?

The question is prompted by the new release from the Gallup organization, which showed that the gap in party identification is now the smallest it has been since 2005. Democrats are still in the lead, but not by the double-digit margins they often enjoyed the past two years.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 12:49 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (177)
Categories: Dan Balz's Take
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No White House Greeting for the Dalai Lama

When the Dalai Lama visits Washington next week, it will be the first time since 1991 that he hasn't been greeted by the sitting American president.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 11:09 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: B_Blog, Religion
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Questions for Elizabeth Warren

I'll be interviewing Elizabeth Warren Friday morning for the "Voices of Power" series, and want to hear what you'd like to ask her.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 10:49 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Voices of Power
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Deputy National Security Adviser Is Returning to Duty With the Navy

President Obama is expected to announce shortly that Mark Lippert, Deputy National Security Adviser for Operations and Chief of Staff of the National Security Council, will leave the White House, on a short-term basis, to serve in the United States Navy. Lippert is a reservist in the U.S. Navy who previously deployed to Iraq.

By Washington Post editors | October 1, 2009; 9:51 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: National Security | Tags: Deputy National Security Adviser for Operations, Mark Lippert
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Kerry Could Buck Obama on Troop Increase to Afghanistan

In an interview for The Post's Voices of Power video series, Kerry said he is prepared to buck the administration if his fact-finding leads him to conclude that Afghanistan could turn into another Vietnam.

By Web Politics Editor | October 1, 2009; 8:38 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: National Security
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On Afghanistan, Both Parties Wary of Obama

By Ben Pershing Just as President Obama is seeking to unify Democrats behind his health-care...

By Ben Pershing | October 1, 2009; 8:32 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: The Rundown
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As IOC Vote Nears, Celebrity Is the Name of the Games

The talk surrounding Chicago's campaign for the 2016 Summer Games in recent weeks has been over whether President Obama would lobby personally for the bid, not the specifics of the city's compact, lakefront venue plan.

By Web Politics Editor | September 30, 2009; 3:23 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Obama Abroad
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Obama: Stimulus Act Gave Biomedical Research Record Boost

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $5 billion in grants to accelerate research into a broad range of diseases, President Obama announced Wednesday. The White House calls the spate of grants funded as part of the $787 billion stimulus act the largest infusion ever into biomedical research.

By Web Politics Editor | September 30, 2009; 11:46 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: B_Blog, Health Care
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Liberals Regroup After Public Option Defeat

By Ben Pershing An outcome that had been expected for weeks still generated a good...

By Ben Pershing | September 30, 2009; 8:27 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: The Rundown
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With Promises of Aid, President Sends American Samoa Condolences

President Obama Wednesday morning issued a statement on the disaster in American Samoa, which was struck by a tsunami Tuesday night Eastern time in the wake of a South Pacific earthquake.

By Web Politics Editor | September 30, 2009; 7:27 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: National Security
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RNC Chairman Compares Pro-Obama Song to Communist Propaganda

In a fundraising e-mail to conservatives, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele compared a group of New Jersey schoolchildren singing the praises of "Barack Hussein Obama" to "the type of propaganda you would see in Stalin's Russia or Kim Jong Il's North Korea."

By Web Politics Editor | September 29, 2009; 6:56 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Republican Party
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Obama to Visit Gulf Coast in October

President Obama will make his first visit as president to the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast sometime in the middle of October, the White House announced Tuesday.

By Web Politics Editor | September 29, 2009; 6:03 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: 50 States
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White House Renominates a Nominee

Seems the White House, in sending his nomination up to the Hill, mistakenly said Sherman was from California, instead of from Colorado. They don't use Wite-out at the White House, a source said, so this meant they had to withdraw the nomination and then send it up again.

By Web Politics Editor | September 29, 2009; 5:40 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Cast of Characters
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Network News

44: September 27, 2009 - October 3, 2009