I thought Obama gave a terrific news conference

[Nancy Waterman]

His answers were very clear and comprehensive. He took plenty of responsibility, clarified many issues, and did his best to dial down some of the hyperbole and unrealistic expectations that have been spreading lately. There are some who will never be satisfied, but I thought he did a fine job and he made me proud.

[pnwmom]

1. K & R. n/t

[Jennicut]

2. Yes, he gave very down to earth common sense answers.

And he took responsibility, something many other politicians are unwilling to do in certain situations.

[breadandwine]

39. No, he took some responsibility, but he also sounded too joined at the hip to BP.

He was passionless. He sounded like "Slick Barry" with a smooth answer but lack of real fight in his belly to kick ass and stop the leak. Full of excuses.


Now we're finding out the main leak is 5 miles away and BP did nothing about that and neither did Obama. This really is Obama's Katrina.

[Scurrilous]

3. I agree.

:thumbsup:

[bunny planet]

4. Me too

I think he waited too long to do it but it was very reassuring once he did.

[MadBadger]

5. I Disagree

Then Again I Didnt see it

:P

[Cha]

7. Badger!

[Cha]

6. I definetly thought so too, Nancy..I was

really bummed when my internet feeds shutdown the sound and froze.

Able to get a lot of information on Clio's thread and want to see the whole thing on youtube when it comes out.

But, he was very clear, empathetic, and took responsibility..just like his history exemplifies.

[Nancy Waterman]

8. I liked what he said about

MMS. It was something like: "We knew it was a problem, we were working on changing it, but we should have approached it with more urgency."

I thought that was a great answer and very clarifying.

[Cha]

25. That is very well put.

[NJmaverick]

9. I was unable to listen to it, but I am happy to hear your assessment

:hi:

[tishaLA]

10. He apparently didn't make Tweety forget he's black

[Nancy Waterman]

11. Tweety has a real stick up his behind lately

He has bought into the "Obama has failed us a superman" meme. Get over it!!

[lamp_shade]

12. Chris made a stoopid remark a week or so ago and just can't bring himself to say "I was wrong".

[flamingdem]

14. which one?? nt

[lamp_shade]

19. I can't remember the phrase he used but it was VERY critical of the President and the clip was

shown on all the Sunday talk shows.

[Phx_Dem]

16. Bingo.

[alstephenson]

23. I think Tweety is jealous of the attention Rachel's been getting...

He knows he doesn't measure up to that level.

[MadMaddie]

32. He's back to his "whichever the wind blows" self

he makes me tired watching his manic yo yo mind.

[HughMoran]

18. Obama forgot to give Tweety his lollipop

[Cha]

24. Perfect rebuttal to tweety.

[Still Sensible]

13. I thought he said what he needed to say

and that he stood up to every question. He could have shown a little more viscera, as was hinted at by Axelrod yesterday. John King on CNN, who often comes off as a right wing shill, was correct I believe in his analysis of this presser. He said President Obama's cool personality serves him well in many situations, but in a crisis such as this, not so much. Despite his apparent disdain for empty photo ops, a lot of the public really wants to see that the President is fully engaged and a bullhorn moment or a Clintonesque "I feel your pain," superficial though that may sometimes seem, would be helpful. I think the presser satisfied much, in an intellectual sense, that the White House has been and is engaged... on his trip to the Gulf tomorrow he will have the opportunity to show that solving the problems, cleaning up the devastation and restoring the coast is not simply an intellectual exercise.

[Phx_Dem]

15. Ditto. Facts matter. n/t

[gateley]

17. I just kept thinking - Obama is a GOOD man. He gave honest and forthright

answers, and it seemed clear to me he's committed to doing the right thing.

[IndianaGreen]

20. He didn't know that MMS Elizabeth Birnbaum had resigned

which tells me that there is too much information being filtered before it gets to him, as Jim Carville suggested early this morning.

Salazar's head is the one that should have rolled, together with the inept administrator for NOAA (good scientist does not make a good leader or administrator).

[LiberalFighter]

21. Considering that Salazar is the head of the Energy Dept and responsible for operations

I wouldn't fault there being up to a day before the President is aware of it.

[IndianaGreen]

22. Chu is the head of Energy, Salazar has Interior

Colorado DUers will give you an earful about Salazar.

[LiberalFighter]

26. I just realized just now while watching Thad Allen

[FrenchieCat]

27. Yes, Pres. Obama knew she was let go......and he didn't say he didnt.....

Here, I respond to the same post you stated elsewhere:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=316727&mesg_id=317061

[cornermouse]

45. I got the impression he was trying to protect Salazar.

[ejpoeta]

46. is it possible that he wasn't sure if she was 'fired' or 'resigned'

because i think each means something different. if she were fired, then it's the president is taking charge and getting rid of those responsible. if she resigned, then it's she got to fall on her sword. semantics really. whether outright fired or asked for her resignation she didn't have much of a choice. i can't believe this is what came out of the presser. this is the big news out of the press conference. he should have been on top of this, but he is human and we all make mistakes.

[cornermouse]

49. Does Obama have access to a computer with internet capabilities?

Does Air Force 1 have a phone on board?
Does he have access to a cell phone?

He knew.

[ejpoeta]

50. i didn't mean he didn't know. sometimes they tell the publi

someone resigned voluntarily when they were essentially fired. i guess i'm talking about what they were going to tell the public.

[aquart]

61. You're right on this. His staff messed up big time.

They're the ones tasked with keeping track of things and making sure he's up to date. That they put him in a position to be embarrassed like that? It's a Rahm screw up.

[Nancy Waterman]

28. What I like is that there is absolutely no bull sh**

No huffing, no puffing, no arrogance, no strutting, just the facts and the situation, and what we have done and what we can do, and what we should have done differently and are trying to correct. Crystal clear.

[MadMaddie]

33. no socks in the crotch of an airflight suit

[hisownpetard]

40. Exactly! eom

[moondust]

29. Agree. n/t

[JanetLovesObama]

30. Yup, my Man Rocks !

He is the greatest President this Country has ever been blessed with.:bounce:

[besdayz]

31. '

part of the job description of POTUS is making those personal trips and photo ops....yeah its sickeningly just for perception but perception is very important....not to mention so many things can be learned by actual visiting a crisis scene instead of relying on reports, briefings, news, satellite feeds.....

[proud patriot]

34. Agreed

[Dave From Canada]

35. Yeah, his answers were as clear as the water in the Gulf of Mexico.

Question about Sestak...no answer
Question about the MMS resignation or firing...didn't know

[Kerrytravelers]

36. Just as I expected.

He answered questions, but in reality, this is a long and drawn out process that will take months to clean up, fix and re-regulate. I do not envy all those involved in this mess one bit.

[cornermouse]

37. If you like hearing that he, too, now sees terrorists lurking

behind every tree and bush and plans to expand the war accordingly and send our family members over there to die in order to save us, it was a good speech. And if you think listening to him spin his participation in the attempt to bribe Sestak isa good thing.

[ShortnFiery]

38. Yes, those wiley tribal Taliban who tend to be local to AF-PAK may be under my bed tonight ...

I better check! :eyes:

We must stay there and KILL more of the local people of Afghanistan because there just might be a few handfuls of al Qaeda (all of 126 total in country) lurking behind a goat or mud hut ... just waiting to recruit them.

Further, if our troops kill enough of their women and children, the TALIBAN may just decide to join the international network of al Qaeda.

If so, the War Profiteers in our MIC will live happily ever after. :crazy:

[bertman]

41. I am so glad the man was elected President. I worked to get out the vote for him.

I gave a lot of my money to his campaign. But, to be honest, I am really tired of President Professor Obama. I want to see a leader who does not wait five weeks to take charge of one of the biggest man-made environmental catastrophes to occur in modern times. Sometimes tough decisions have to be made and immediate action has to be taken or you lose control of the situation. This was one of those situations and he failed to act decisively and quickly. I am highly UNimpressed.


I still HOPE, but the flame is dying.

[flor-de-jasmim]

43. Why do people assume he's only working when he's in FRONT of the cameras?!

[cornermouse]

44. Why do you assume people assume he's only working

when he's in FRONT of the cameras?!

In effect, you're trying to read minds and tell other people who you've never met what they should be thinking.

[ejpoeta]

47. you are right. i wouldn't have blamed him for coming out and saying

look... just because you don't see me doing it doesn't mean i am not working. i've been working. and even though you've become accustomed to someone who can't do more than one thing at a time, I CAN!! i can do multiple things at the same time.

[cornermouse]

51. He hasn't gotten out ahead of this.

In fact, he still hasn't really gotten out in front of it. He left a power vaccuum which enabled Jindal to jump in front of him with a plan and get public attention.

If the government is running things, then reports of refusal to allow planes to fly over the spill and demands for embedded reporters only are the government's decision, not BP's decision. You can't have it both ways. Its either BP doing it or its the government doing it. Either way, its not good for the rest of us.

[ejpoeta]

52. agree with you there. BP shouldn't be telling the coast guard to do anything!

it's supposed to be the other way around.

[cornermouse]

53. Yes. The stuff I've seen about BP makes me really angry.

They act like they own us.

[FrenchieCat]

48. Because people only believe what they can see......

Same people have all of their papers on their desk, nothing in drawers.
Much of America operates that way these days; may be a lack of imagination,
or something. :shrug:

[bertman]

62. Or maybe it's because people only believe their leader is leading when he/she steps forward

in a crisis and let's them know he/she IS IN CHARGE and he/she IS WORKING to save our environment. At a time of national crisis, leaders do not work behind the scenes. They get out front and LEAD. It's called instilling confidence in the people whose welfare you are supposed to be protecting.

Sometimes it seems to me that President Obama (or whoever gives him his advice) is more worried about the President maintaining his aura of professorial, studied neutrality than in his being quick to commit to jumping right in on something that is obviously so in need of government intervention and oversight as this catastrophe.

[NYC_SKP]

42. K & R! nt

[theFrankFactor]

54. Wow, The Spill is Bad And He Won't Rest Until AFTER Jay Leno!

He's a Corprocratic clown, just a better actor than Bush.

[theFrankFactor]

55. President Obama opens new areas to offshore drilling -LINK-

http://bit.ly/dCb92Q

Corprocrat.

[southernyankeebelle]

56. I thought it was a good conference. We now know that he is involved. He

is the type that is quiet. I do wish he show more outrage. My husband said that it isn't his style to scream and yell. He goes about his business.

[scentopine]

57. LOL! He had 37 days to prepare for it, glad people believe there is nothing urgent here -nt

[ProSense]

58. Is this urgent enough:

Statement about day one activities.

For Immediate Release April 22, 2010

Statement by the Press Secretary on the President's Oval Office Meeting to Discuss the Situation in the Gulf of Mexico

The President and First Lady's thoughts and prayers are with the family members and loved ones facing the tragic situation in the Gulf of Mexico. The President was briefed in the Oval Office this afternoon by a number of senior officials including Department of Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, Admiral Thad Allen, United States Coast Guard Commandant, Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate as well as a host of senior white house officials including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner, Chair of Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley and Director of the National Economic Council Lawrence Summers.

The United States Coast Guard informed the President that search and rescue efforts are ongoing. The President made sure that the entire federal government was offering all assistance needed in the rescue effort as well as in mitigating and responding to the environmental impact and that this response was being treated as the number one priority. The President asked the responding departments to devote every resource needed to respond to this incident and investigate its cause.

The National Response Team has been activated and Unified and Area Commands have been established near New Orleans to coordinate search and rescue operations and oil spill response efforts.

The Department of the Interior and the Minerals Management Service as well as the Coast Guard are also working with responsible parties to support their important efforts to secure the pollution sources. Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes was dispatched to the region yesterday to assist with coordination and response. The President wishes to thank the bravery of the professionals across the government who have worked non-stop over the last two days to save lives and protect the environment.

A perspective of the Gulf effort that's different from the media's

[rury]

59. K&R

Yes, he did a fantastic job and held his own with forthright, concise answers.

[IronLionZion]

60. VIDEO:

I think this is it. I didn't get to watch it live so I searched google.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/37382016#37382016