Democrats Kill Effort to Make Czar Jobs more Transparent

Senate Democrats, under pressure from a White House arguing separation of powers, rejected a GOP attempt Thursday to provide greater transparency and congressional oversight of 18 so-called czars appointed by the Obama administration without Senate confirmation.

Democrats employed a procedural tactic to kill the GOP proposal, which would have withheld federal funds for the creation of any new, unconfirmed czar positions until the administration agreed to allow the individuals to testify before Congress under "reasonable" requests.

The proposal also would have required every czar to produce a detailed "public, written report" biannually of their actions and involvement in the creation of policy, rules, and regulations.

But Democrats used a Senate rule that prohibits legislating on a spending bill -- something that is often done by both political parties despite the rule -- to kill the measure.

Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine who sponsored the amendment to a spending bill that funds the Interior Department, decried the move on the Senate floor, saying she was "deeply disappointed" in her Democratic colleagues.

"My amendment has been carefully tailored to cover officials that the president has unilaterally designated for significant policy matters," said Collins, who is the top Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"It would not have covered the president's chief of staff, for example, and it would not cover less senior White House officials, despite some misinformation to the contrary," Collins said, noting that her staff had worked with White House officials Wednesday night without agreement.

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a close ally of the White House, was not convinced. He said he sensed a more politically-motivated attack by "czar watchers," invoking "the political wiseman" FOX News' Glenn Beck, as well as Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who Durbin said had found a larger number of czars than Collins, who detailed 18 unconfirmed czars for the record. - FOX News Story

Bill to Require Transparency Struggling for Votes

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., launched a bipartisan effort Wednesday to require all legislation be made available on the Internet at least 72 hours before a vote on the House floor.

The measure would amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to mandate that all legislation and conference reports be posted in full and online in a format searchable by text, three days before a vote.

Exceptions would be made for classified material, which would continue to be handled under existing laws and rules. The resolution also would require a two-thirds majority vote to waive the 72-hour requirement for a national emergency.

On Wednesday, Walden filed a discharge petition, which requires 218 signatures to bring the legislation up for a vote on the House floor. The bill currently has 98 co-sponsors, including Democrats and Republicans.

Walden and Baird agree this is not about partisan politics. The goal is transparency.

"People always want to know, 'Have you read these bills?'" Walden said. "Members of Congress, the public and the press all deserve the time to read these bills before we have to vote on them on the House floor. ... It doesn't guarantee good government, but it helps." - FOX News Story

I am not quite sure how you can really vote against this bill. I am sure that the talking heads will come up with some BS to try and sell us.

Obama is not A Friend to Israel

In declaring that it is time for Middle East peace "without preconditions," President Obama used his speech to the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday to fire a warning at Israel that "America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."

Obama's stark declaration, which drew applause, was coupled with a call for Palestinians to end their "incitement of Israel."

But it was the use of the U.N. forum to carry the settlement message to Israel that drew the most enthusiastic response on the floor -- and incredulous reaction outside its walls.

Obama just put Israel "on the chopping block," said former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton. - FOX News Story

Stephanopoulos Spars with Obama - It is a TAX!!!

President Obama and ABC News' George Stephanopoulos got in a testy sparring match Sunday over whether the president's health care plan includes a tax increase, leading the host to look up the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of taxes.

In the interview airing Sunday, Stephanopoulos pressed the president on his plan to require people to purchase health insurance.

"Under this mandate, the government is forcing people to spend money, fining you if you don't. How is that not a tax?" the host asked.

Obama responded: " No, but -- but, George, you -- you can't just make up that language and decide that that's called a tax increase."

Stephanopoulos then offered the dictionary definition.

"I don't think I'm making it up. Merriam-Webster's dictionary: 'Tax, a charge, usually of money, imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes,'" he said.

Visibly taken aback, Obama rejected the notion it was a tax increase and said pulling the dictionary out was a sign the host was "stretching" a little.

"No. That -- that's not true, George. The -- for us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase," Obama said. - FOX News

Health Care Bill Calls it a Tax, Even if Obama Won't

n the most contentious exchange of President Barack Obama’s marathon of five Sunday shows, he said it is “not true” that a requirement for individuals to get health insurance under a key reform plan now being debated amounts to a tax increase.

But he could look it up — in the bill.

Page 29, sentence one of the bill introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont) says: “The consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an excise tax.”

And the rest of the bill is clear that the Finance Committee does, in fact, consider it a tax: “The excise tax would be assessed through the tax code and applied as an additional amount of Federal tax owed.” - Politico Story

Obama Urges Patience with Afghanistan, WHAT!!!

The White House on Monday tried to calm the controversy over a new report from the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan warning that the United States risks failure in the long-running war without more troops.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that while President Obama has read Gen. Stanley McChrystal's assessment, he does not expect a formal request for more troops for a "little bit." And he said the president is not yet focused on resource decisions.

"We're going to conduct that strategic assessment and do that in a way that lays out the best path forward before we make resource decisions, rather than having this go the other way around where one makes resources decisions and then finds a strategy. That's not what we're doing," Gibbs said.

While Republicans are pressing for more troops, the prospect of a greater U.S. presence in Afghanistan makes Democrats uneasy.

But McChrystal warned about the risk of ignoring the need for more troops in a five-page Commander's Summary.

"Resources will not win this war, but under-resourcing could lose it," he wrote. His 66-page report, sent to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Aug. 30, is now under review by Obama. - FOX News Story

OK, You are the Commander in Chief, Your leading General is saying that more troops are needed or we will lose the war as things are deteriorating quickly, and you URGE PATIENCE!!! For all of those families losing loved ones over there, just be patient. I am not ready to make a decision on this yet. I need a poll, maybe a czar.

Obama Numbers Dropping after Speech Spike

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 30% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -8 (see trends). - Rasmussen Reports Poll

Stimulus Working? - Emegency Unemployment Bill Needed?

(AP) Despite predictions the Great Recession is running out of steam, the House is taking up emergency legislation this week to help the millions of Americans who see no immediate end to their economic miseries.

A bill offered by Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., and expected to pass easily would provide 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits for more than 300,000 jobless people who live in states with unemployment rates of at least 8.5 percent and who are scheduled to run out of benefits by the end of September.

The 13-week extension would supplement the 26 weeks of benefits most states offer and the federally funded extensions of up to 53 weeks that Congress approved in legislation last year and in the stimulus bill enacted last February.

People from North Carolina to California "have been calling my office to tell me they still cannot find work a year or more after becoming unemployed, and they need some additional help to keep their heads above water," McDermott said.

Critics of unemployment insurance argue that it can be a disincentive to looking for work, and that extending benefits at a time the economy is showing signs of recovery could be counterproductive.

But this recession has been particularly pernicious to the job market, others say.

Some 5 million people, about one-third of those on the unemployment list, have been without a job for six months or more, a record since data started being recorded in 1948, according to the research and advocacy group National Employment Law Project. - CBS News Story

I thought the Stimulus was working so well. Better than expected is what the White House says. If so why do we need more spending because of the economy?

Obama Not Ready to Win in Afghanistan?

From his headquarters in Kabul, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal sees one clear path to achieve President Obama's core goal of preventing al Qaeda from reestablishing havens in Afghanistan: "Success," he writes in his assessment, "demands a comprehensive counterinsurgency campaign."

Inside the White House, the way forward in Afghanistan is no longer so clear.

Although Obama endorsed a strategy document in March that called for "executing and resourcing an integrated civilian-military counterinsurgency strategy," there have been significant changes in Afghanistan and Washington since then. A disputed presidential election, an erosion in support for the war effort among Democrats in Congress and the American public, and a sharp increase in U.S. casualties have prompted the president and his top advisers to reexamine their assumptions about the U.S. role in defeating the Taliban insurgency.

Instead of debating whether to give McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, more troops, the discussion in the White House is now focused on whether, after eight years of war, the United States should vastly expand counterinsurgency efforts along the lines he has proposed - which involve an intensive program to improve security and governance in key population centers - or whether it should begin shifting its approach away from such initiatives and simply target leaders of terrorist groups who try to return to Afghanistan.

McChrystal's assessment, in the view of two senior administration officials, is just "one input" in the White House's decision-making process. The president, another senior administration official said, "has embarked on a very, very serious review of all options." The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations. - CBS News Story

That was the concern with Obama going into this election, he can't come up with a plan and stick to it. Now he is playing with the lives of the Americans fighting over there and our security here at home.

You can't run your Presidency on polls alone. You have to have a plan and stick to it.

Patterson Running for Governor Despite Obama Objections

Embattled New York Governor David Paterson didn’t deny reports that the White House wants to him step aside, fearing his low approval ratings are beyond repair, but told the New York Post he was still running -- for now.

Sources have said Rep. Gregory Meeks has carried the message from President Obama, and Paterson Sunday didn’t deny having serious talks with the Queens Democrat, the New York Post reported.

"I mean I have had a number of conversations with a number of different people," Paterson told reporters at the African American Day Parade in Harlem.

"They were confidential. I’m not going to discuss them ... I’m not talking about any specific conversations. As I said, I am running for office. I’m not going to discuss confidential conversations."

Paterson insisted he’s running in 2010, but added a tepid "right now" qualifier to his candidacy.

"I am running for governor right now," Paterson said. "I have no idea about any, in other words, I am a candidate for governor." - FOX News

Top Afghan General - Resources needed in Afghanistan

The top military commander in Afghanistan has warned in a new report to President Obama that the United States risks failure in the long-running war without more troops.

But asked about the report, the White House continued to urge patience Monday.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said it will be a "little bit longer" before the president receives or reviews a formal request for more troops. Gibbs said Obama is still assessing the Afghan strategy and is not yet focused on resource decisions.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal warned about the risk of ignoring the need for more troops in a five-page Commander's Summary.

"Resources will not win this war, but under-resourcing could lose it," he wrote. His 66-page report, sent to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Aug. 30, is now under review by Obama.

"Although considerable effort and sacrifice have resulted in some progress, many indicators suggest the overall effort is deteriorating," McChrystal said of the war's progress. - FOX News Story

ACORN Chief Won't Answer Questions

ACORN's top officer on Sunday dodged repeated calls to come before Congress and testify about the embattled group's finances and ties to other organizations.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, had pressed chief organizer Bertha Lewis to prove her commitment to reforming the community activist group by showing more transparency.

"The bottom line is there's no transparency in ACORN," Issa said on "FOX News Sunday."

The pressure comes in the wake of controversy over a series of hidden-camera videotapes showing the organization's employees offering advice to undercover filmmakers posing as a pimp and prostitute. ACORN has pledged to investigate its offices and workers.

"Internally, let's have some reform," Lewis said. "It's indefensible what I saw (in the tapes)."

But she refused to answer Issa's request to come before his committee.

Issa challenged Lewis to provide full disclosure to Congress on the "firewalls" in place to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not going toward political activities.

"There is no God-given right for any organization to receive a grant from the American people. The fact is there are organizations standing in line that wish they won instead of you, and they're giving us the transparency so we can have the confidence the money is spent only for the purpose of the grant," Issa said.

Lewis said her organization has "firewalls" to prevent non-political money from going toward political purposes, but Issa said that's not true.

"You shouldn't get another penny of federal dollars until you demonstrate that those dollars are firewalled for only that use, and that has not been the history of the organization," Issa said. - FOX News Story