May 2009
April 2009
White House Swine Flu: Aide Has Suspected Case →
huffingtonpost.com
A security aide helping with arrangements during President Barack Obama’s recent trip to Mexico became sick with flu-like symptoms and three members of his family later contracted probable swine flu, the White House said Thursday.
The disclosure from press secretary Robert Gibbs comes days after the White House played down risks to the U.S. delegation on the two-day trip that started April 16. Gibbs remained steadfast that the president was never at risk of contracting the flu, which has quickly spread across the globe.
The employee, who was not named by the White House, is an aide to Energy Secretary Steven Chu and helped plan the Mexico trip.
“This individual never flew on Air Force One,” Gibbs said. “He was asked specifically if he ever came within 6 feet of the president and the answer to that was no.”
Churchgoers more likely to back torture →
ac360.blogs.cnn.com
The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new analysis.
More than half of people who attend services at least once a week — 54 percent — said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is “often” or “sometimes” justified. Only 42 percent of people who “seldom or never” go to services agreed, according the analysis released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
/weeps
Humble
sraz:
If you’re watching the Presidential News Conference, I hope you will remember this particular mundane moment as well as I will: A reporter asks a ridiculously melodramatic question about what has surprised, humbled, enchanted etc. Obama in his first 100 days. Obama pokes fun at the reporter and gets a big laugh. He asks the reporter to repeat the question and gets a bigger laugh. The reporter is clearly embarrassed in front of his peers. Here’s what happens next: Barack sincerely and thoughtfully covers each point of the question. He thinks about his answers and articulates them with feeling. He spends more time answering this crazy question than any other in the press conference. No matter how minor and incidental, Obama leaves the man with his dignity.
Most days I think I’m a pretty good guy but, politics or no politics, I think Barack Obama is the man we all wish we were.
Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switches to the Democratic Party →
npr.org
Proud of my home state and proud of Arlen. What took you so long? You rarely voted with W after 2006. - G
Likewise.
