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8 a.m. ET: Even for presidents, the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry. So as Wednesday's 100-day milestone approaches, watch closely to see whether the White House's carefully choreographed effort to tout the administration's accomplishments and lay the groundwork for more big-ticket initiatives is instead overshadowed by a public health crisis.
Swine flu has dominated headlines for the last two days, presenting President Obama with an unexpected challenge. The U.S. has declared a "public health emergency," though Janet Napolitano yesterday cautioned, "That sounds more severe than really it is." Administration officials did say they expect many more cases of the flu to be discovered in the coming days, which ensures that the focus on this crisis will only grow as the week progresses. Is there anything Obama can or should be doing to address the crisis that he isn't already? It doesn't appear so, but it does appear that his Wednesday prime-time press conference could end up being dominated by flu talk, which is certainly not how the White House drew it up.
The swine flu crisis and the rest of the world's problems didn't stop Obama from playing golf Sunday. The president's poll numbers are good enough that the White House presumably isn't too concerned that Obama's political enemies will take pictures like these and try to portray him as elitist or out of touch. At Sunday's press briefing on swine flu, Robert Gibbs was asked: "What if anything are we meant to read into the fact the President Obama decided to go golfing today? Is this part of your effort to reassure Americans that there's no need to panic?" Gibbs said he wouldn't "draw a direct conclusion" between the flu news and the golf outing, but that's our job in the press -- to read meaning into every single thing the president does. (By the way, Obama lost yesterday. Does that symbolize something?)
On the Hill, Obama's $3.5 trillion budget will be on the House floor early this week, and on the Senate floor Wednesday or soon after. The House is also set to take up a credit card reform measure this week, after Obama jawboned banking executives last week at the White House about the need for the industry to make some changes on its own. The Senate's credit card bill isn't ready for floor action yet, as some Republicans and moderate Democrats believe it is too hard on banks. One other previously stalled item -- Kathleen Sebelius' nomination to be HHS secretary -- is finally ready for action, with a Tuesday Senate vote on tap. Now might be a good time to finally get someone in that job.
In bailout news, Chrysler managed to strike a deal with the United Auto Workers and Fiat that should pave the way for the company to receive more government cash. Note that the new Washington Post/ABC News poll gives Obama high marks for handling every issue except for the auto industry crisis, with 41 percent approving of his approach and 53 percent disapproving. Is the public upset that he is committing so much government money to the auto companies, preferring instead to let them sink or swim on their own? Or is the public simply upset that Obama hasn't been able to fix the ailing industry?
As The Fix notes, the Post poll also delivered a mixed verdict on how Obama is handling the issue of Bush-era interrogation policies. With Republicans still clamoring for the release of additional CIA memos that purportedly show that the interrogations yielded useful intelligence, Gibbs said Sunday that it would take a few weeks for the administration to review the material and decide whether to release it. It's possible that by the time the memos are released their impact will be muted, as the firestorm on this subject will have died down and the press will instead be concentrating on something like health care or climate change. Hopefully, for everyone's sake, we won't still be focused on swine flu.
By
Ben Pershing
|
April 27, 2009; 8:00 AM ET
Go to full archive for The Rundown »
Posted by: scrivener50 | April 27, 2009 10:11 AM
Its not that bad. Most people's immune systems have already seen previous swine flu variants.
President Obama really "Gets it"
He understands the danger of a "medical economic pearl harbor"
He knows that a cure for Lung Cancer will be the most valuable economic treasure that the world has ever seen and that the country that owns it and similar cures will economically rule the world.
The guy's a gift from God himself.
Posted by: svreader | April 27, 2009 10:36 AM
What's the magic N E G R O to do? The failed community organizer has to face a pandemic, that neither George Soros or the teleprompter can solve. Will he come out and say YES WE CAN one more time to his cult of stooges, hoping that the liberal media will carrying him once again across the finish line? See libs, this is why you don't elect an affirmative-action candidate to the office of the POTUS. We lead a leader, not a speaker. We need a true intelligent "well rounded" individual that wasn't brought by left wing radicals. In other words we need a conservative, a true american, someone that puts the people before policy.
"Friends don't let friends become liberals!"
Posted by: trippermeow | April 27, 2009 12:27 PM
"We need a true intelligent "well rounded" individual"
Posted by: trippermeow
I guess that rules out people who cannot accept the idea that someone else whose opinion is different than yours might be just as authentic. Another words, unAmerican opinionated conservatives like yourself. Who needed that liberal Constitution with all the equality stuff anyway?
Posted by: RetCombatVet | April 27, 2009 12:36 PM
WHERE IS THE SURGEON GENERAL? AND WILL THE APPOINTMENT BE A POLITICAL HALE FELLOW OR GAL WELL MET?... OR MAYBE... HOPEFULLY... A SEASONED PROFESSIONAL WHO HAS THE SKILLS AND MEDICAL SMARTZ TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATION AND GUIDANCE TO AN INCREASING US POPULATION OF BOTH CITIZENS AND IMMIGRANTS DURING A TIME OF HEALTH CONCERNS IN OUR COUNTRY AND THE WORLD.
BEAR BARRY
Posted by: barry65667 | April 27, 2009 12:54 PM
Americans-tell the Party of NO(GOP) that we will not put up with their obstructive tactics-demand Sebelius confirmation which the GOP conventiently delayed before the swine outbreak made headlines
Besser is doing a great press conference
Posted by: Noahark | April 27, 2009 1:22 PM
Bush left us well prepared in this area, but it will be up to Dear Leader to execute the plan. Unfortunately, it looks like he's sent out dimwit Napolitano to do so. Hopefully, she can follow the manual.
Posted by: nowanna1 | April 27, 2009 1:30 PM
What a great crisis! Now Emmanuel and Obama have an excuse to scare the US population into accepting the rapid socializing the health-care sector!
Posted by: pgr88 | April 27, 2009 1:44 PM
Has anyone looked at why the flu is just now surfacing? Why wasn't it tracked like other flu viruses that begin then spread continents away? Why now? Did someone breach a research facility where the virus was being researched? The type of strain suggests it came from somewhere and had to evolve--this cannot 'just happen'. Was it smuggled via Mexican border and are Feds covering it up? Did some people have the condition earlier and was it not reported? It sure did dilute the tea parties and Homeland Security head-hunting parties for right-winged extremists (who are pro-live, go to church, and live in man/wife households). It was perfectly planned and what a way to introduce socialized medicine. Because the admin. lies so much and covers up so much--can I believe anything anymore?
Posted by: dsmith5989 | April 27, 2009 5:18 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
re: "100 Days" press conference
A RADIOACTIVE TORTURE QUESTION FOR POTUS
Mr. President:
The Senate Armed Services Committee report on "enhanced interrogation techniques" used at Guantanamo stated at least twice that detainees were subject to "induced physical weakness and exhaustion."
The report also stated that detainees were subject to "physiological and psychological pressures" and "environmental manipulation."
Has your administration inquired as to what "induced" these effects...
...and whether detainees were exposed to microwave radiation devices such as so-called "directed energy weapon" discharges... or any other type of radiation, including X-rays, gamma rays, sonic waves, or laser "dazzlers"?
If detainees were exposed to radiation, does that not constitute "torture" and "cruel and unusual punishment" in and of itself?
http://nowpublic.com/world/bush-torture-memos-oked-radiation-weapon-use-americans-too
http://nowpublic.com/world/gestapo-usa-govt-funded-vigilante-network-terrorizes-america
OR (if links are corrupted):
http://NowPublic.com/scrivener