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White House: Too bad about the Iraqi Olympic team
The International Olympic Committee says the Iraqi Olympic team - five members - is banned from the upcoming Beijing games because the government failed to address accusations of political interference.
Says White House Press Secretary Dana Perino: “I don’t know the particular details as to why Prime Minister Maliki decided to take that action. But I’m sure that the Iraqi athletes who have trained so hard and were finally going to represent a country that is free, and sovereign, and working to establish its democracy, they have to be terribly disappointed. And I’m disappointed for the athletes, as well.”
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Obama to meet with House Dems
Sen. Barack Obama will be visiting and speaking with House Democrats next week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today in her weekly meeting with reporters.
Obama, who will just have returned from a tour of the Middle East and Europe, will attend the House Democratic Caucus on Tuesday afternoon.
Pelosi said Democrats hope Obama talks to them about defense and the economy — the two most pressing issues on Americans’ minds.
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Bush private fundraisers to remain private
Some pretty good back and forth today when White House Press Secretary Dana Perino was questioned about the video that surfaced showing President Bush, at a recent private fundraiser in Houston, saying “Wall Street got drunk” and helped cause the nation’s economic woes.
White House reporters this morning raised the always touchy question of why the public is not allowed to hear what the president says at fundraisers in private homes.
Here’s part of the transcript:
Q: Are you now going to take cameras and cell phones away from donors at fundraisers?
Perino: I don’t think so, no.
Q. How about letting us hear what he says at these events? It was evident in the video that there was a lectern and a microphone. You could very easily give us an audio feed of those statements that he makes at those fundraisers.
Perino: Well, first of all, we don’t record it if it’s closed press. The reason that there’s a lectern and there’s a microphone is because it’s a large room of people. And we’ve been down this road before. We are not going to be opening those closed-press fundraisers at private residences.
…
About the Bush remarks, Perino said it was a more colorful and blunt way of making a point Bush has made in public about the economy.
“I do think that people benefit from hearing the president in all of his candor,” she said.
“Now, some people in this (White House briefing) room have participated in off-the-record sessions with the president and they’re very beneficial. And in my, in our judgment, we think that closed press fundraisers are appropriate at private residences and we’re not going to change the policy.”
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Texas lawmakers on flight that makes unplanned landing
U.S. Rep. John Carter’s spokeswoman said this evening that the Round Rock, Texas, congressman, along with six other Texas lawmakers, was aboard a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Washington that was forced to land in New Orleans today after losing cabin pressure.
The lawmakers were hoping to make Tuesday night votes in the House. Nobody was harmed and they are expected to arrive in Washington tonight.
According to a report by KHOU, the CBS affiliate in Houston, other Texas lawmakers on the flight were Republicans Ted Poe and Ron Paul and Democrats Ciro Rodriguez, Solomon Ortiz, Nick Lampson and Henry Cuellar.
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Oil prices volatile; Congress predictable
Major U.S. airlines are exhorting frequent fliers to urge Congress to pass the Stop Excessive Speculation Act, aimed at limiting oil speculation. Such limits would help lower fuel prices, supporters say.
On Monday, Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and other proponents held a press conference to blame speculators for pushing fuel costs higher. “There is an orgy of speculation,” he said.
But while Dorgan’s outrage was clear, his path to legislative success was not. Senate Democrats are planning a vote Tuesday to end debate and move towards passage this week. But Republicans object, and instead want Congress to open more coastal waters to oil drilling.
Rather than moving towards compromise, the Senate may be on course for another stalemate. Dorgan himself stated the obvious when he concluded: “The Senate isn’t working very efficiently.”
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Rose Garden dance
It was Olympians day in the White House today as President Bush welcomed members of the U.S. team heading to Beijing. The usual congratulatory remarks from the president. The usual honored-to-be-here comments from the Olympians.
And this bit of impromptu Rose Garden dancing from Liv Leschly, 2, of California when the familiar strains of the Olympic theme kicked in. Can’t stop her from dancing when music starts, her mom said.
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Barr cheers Gore’s energy plan
Last week, oil mogul T. Boone Pickens unveiled a plan to increase the amount of electricity supplied by wind power to at least 20 percent as soon as possible. Environmental advocate and former vice president Al Gore called Pickens’ bet — and raised it.
On Thursday, Gore introduced his plan for all electricity in the country to be supplied by renewable, natural resources like wind, solar and geothermal within 10 years. This could be a tall order, considering more than 70 percent of U.S. electricity is supplied by coal, natural gas and petroleum, according to the Department of Energy.
The speech at Washington’s Constitutional Hall drew a packed crowd, which included several politicians, including Libertarian presidential candidate and former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr.
Barr did not hesitate to share his ideas with the media. He called Gore’s plan important for moving the country away from its dependence on foreign oil. He also criticized fellow candidates Barack Obama and John McCain for not showing up for the event, saying their absence showed “they don’t really care about the issue.”
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Bush and McClellan: Together again
Not much to report from the first time that President Bush and former Press Secretary Scott McClellan were in the same room since McClellan penned an unflattering book about his ex-boss.
Could have something to do with the size of the room and the event it housed.
Bush and McClellan didn’t get anywhere near other today at the Washington funeral for Tony Snow, who got the press secretary job when McClellan was forced out. Snow died of cancer on Saturday.
McClellan arrived early and took a seat about two-thirds of the way back in the massive Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the nation’s largest Catholic church.
McClellan stared in Bush’s direction when the president arrived in the church with Laura Bush holding his left arm. They were too far apart to come anywhere near making eye contact.
Bush offered a firm “no comment” when questioned about McClellan’s book at a Tuesday White House press conference.
McClellan saw many of his former administration colleagues but also was nowhere near them in the church.
After the service, he ran into Scott Sforza, formerly a top White House aide in charge of setting the backdrop for presidential events, outside the church. “Good to see you,” Sforza told McClellan.
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Ah, the good old days for housing
Conservative lawmakers are unhappy with much of the housing reform and rescue legislation that Congress likely will pass next week. They say it gives government too big a role in the housing market.
At a hearing Tuesday, Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., said the legislation amounted to “socialism.” He and other conservatives argue that the country should go back to a simpler time when Congress stayed out of the housing market.
On Thursday, a Commerce Department report on June housing starts suggested the country already is starting to relive those simpler days, at least in some ways. Housing starts are now on track to fall below the 1 million level this year for the first time since 1945, when the country was still fighting World War II.
“Even banks with solid balance sheets are reluctant to finance any project related to housing,” said Patrick Newport, an economist with the Global Insight Inc. forecasting firm.
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Mike and Mike and ground-rule doubles
We shall use the above video as a teaching opportunity about baseball, specifically about the most repeated, redundant, recurring mistake made about the game.
The video comes from today’s White House tee ball game, which, as usual was a joyful activity involving kids who are probably too young to realize how cool it is to play tee ball on the South Lawn.
But that’s not the point. The point is about adults, specifically the ones invited to do the play-by-play. On the video you will hear ESPN’s Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic discuss the most impressive hit of the day, a solid line drive by six-year-old Blake Money of North Port, Florida, who lined a one-hopper over the center field fence.
Mike and Mike call it a “ground-rule double.” It is not a ground-rule double. It is a double because the rules of baseball, specifically rule 6.09, say it’s always a double when “a fair ball, after touching the ground, bounds into the stands.”
That’s a book rule, applicable in all circumstances, as opposed to a ground rule enacted to deal with specific conditions at a specific ballpark.
And you can look it up.
Latest comments
You forgot to note that the seven congressmen were flying to Washington to vote on the Aviation Safety Enhancement Act.
They missed the vote.
... read the full comment by dl004d | Comment on Texas lawmakers on flight that makes unplanned landing Read Texas lawmakers on flight that makes unplanned landing
Both, Gore’s and Pickens’ proposal are dependent either on bureaucrats or large corporations. You can see my proposal on Fanstory under “Two Dollars can Perform a Miracle.”
... read the full comment by Guenter | Comment on Barr cheers Gore's energy plan Read Barr cheers Gore's energy plan
Wow…I say let’s do it in 1 year. Why wait? Does this make me the winner?
Don’t most of us know that Pickens just invested a bunch of money in wind power? And of course this is just Gore being Gore?? Sure wish Gore was this
... read the full comment by Larry | Comment on Barr cheers Gore's energy plan Read Barr cheers Gore's energy plan
Carly Fiorina, the woman who was solely responsible for the collapse and virtual destruction of one of the America’s industrial giants of technology: Hewlett Packard. And her reward for such utter incompetence? She got a severance package of more than $21
... read the full comment by Lew | Comment on Fiorina in McCain Cabinet? Read Fiorina in McCain Cabinet?