53 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 12 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 5/8/09

The Obama Administration: April 11 Thru 30 2009

By       (Page 2 of 7 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   2 comments
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Robert Arend
Become a Fan
  (10 fans)

Day86/April 16th/Thursday: Concerned about Mexican drug violence spilling across the border into the United States, the President traveled to Mexico City, Mexico, where he was welcome by Mexico’s President Calderon. Calderon said both counties must work together to fight organized crime. President Obama and President Calderon held a joint press conference. Video of Press Conference

The United States Justice Department released four, Bush era, CIA memos that detailed 14 enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, forced nudity, slamming detainees into walls and sleep deprivation. The memos were released due to an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit. Three of the memos were written by Steven G. Bradbury, then a lawyer in the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in 2005. The fourth memo was written by then OLC head Jay S. Bybee (presently ranked one step below the United States Supreme Court in his judgeship on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco) August 2002.   President Obama released a statement in which he stated: 

In releasing these memos, it is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution. The men and women of our intelligence community serve courageously on the front lines of a dangerous world. Their accomplishments are unsung and their names unknown, but because of their sacrifices, every single American is safer. We must protect their identities as vigilantly as they protect our security, and we must provide them with the confidence that they can do their jobs.” __U.S.President Barack Obama statement, April16, 2009. Text

 

United States Attorney General Eric Holder went even further by promising the CIA that the United States Justice Department will provide free legal representation in any legal proceeding or congressional investigation related to the Enhanced Interrogation Program, and pay any financial judgment assessed against CIA personnel. “It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department," Holder said.

The memos can be downloaded at Wikileaks, which provides, midway down the page, a number of download links.

Day87/April 17th/Friday: The Obama Administration’s Middle Class Task Force in St. Louis, Missouri. Vice-President Joe Biden chaired the topic: "Making College More Affordable for Our Families". This was the third in a series of task force meetings being held across the country on key issues facing the middle class. Meeting Transcript

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an endangerment finding on green house gas emissions, stating carbon dioxide and 5 other green house gases are a danger to public health and welfare. Text of Press Release

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued stem cell research guidelines that limit federal funding to only embryos already in fertility clinics and donated for research purposes. Policy & Guidelines

The President traveled to Port of Spain, Trinidad for the thirty-four nation Summit of the Americas for the weekend.

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conducted a townhall (live and web-based discussion) from the Dominican Republic. Video & Text of Highlighted Remarks 

Day88/April 18th/Saturday: In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced that Jeffrey Zients, a CEO, management consultant and entrepreneur, will join the administration as the Chief Performance Officer, and that Aneesh Chopra, Virginia’s Secretary of Technology, will serve as the Chief Technology Officer. Video

The President attended the Summit of the Americas. The President cautioned the leaders of the other thirty-three nations not to blame all of their problems on the United States. Text of the President's Remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the Summit of the Americas 

The President sat through a 52-minute speech by the President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega in which Ortega blasted the United States as responsible for everything wrong in the world.

Day89/April 19th/Sunday: At the closing of the Summit of the Americas, the President declared, “Over the past few days we’ve seen potential positive signs in the nature of the relationship between the United States and Cuba and Venezuela, but as I’ve said before, the test for all of us is not simply words but also deeds.” Video

Day90/April 20th/Monday: The President convened his full cabinet (minus the yet to be confirmed Health and Human Services designee Kathleen Sebelius) for the first time and asked all its members to develop $100,000 of spending cuts in each of their departments, for a combined total of $100 million in 90 days.

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 1   Well Said 1   News 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Robert Arend Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Retired, Robert Arend was president of an AFSCME local from 1997-2007.
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

New Jersey Women Could Vote In 1776. Why Was That Right Taken From Them

Ayn Rand Revises the Sermon on the Mount

First Olbermann, Now Schultz: Reading the Comcast Tea Leaves

Extraordinary Extradition: The Brian and Kerry Ann Howes Story

Rachel Maddow Gently Rolls Olbermann Under the Bus

Wanda Sykes Takes Aim and Pierces Limbaugh's Treasonous Heart

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend