Apparently no one at the Associated Press heard Barack Obama’s inauguration speech.
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama opened his presidency by breaking sharply from George W. Bush’s unpopular administration, but he mostly avoided divisive partisan and ideological stands. He focused instead on fixing the economy, repairing a battered world image and cleaning up government.
“What an opportunity we have to change this country,” the Democrat told his senior staff after his inauguration. “The American people are really counting on us now. Let’s make sure we take advantage of it.”
In the highly scripted first days of his administration, Obama overturned a slew of Bush policies with great fanfare. He largely avoided cultural issues; the exception was reversing one abortion-related policy, a predictable move done in a very low-profile way.
The flurry of activity was intended to show that Obama was making good on his promise to bring change. Yet domestic and international challenges continue to pile up, and it’s doubtful that life will be dramatically different for much of the ailing country anytime soon.
Great article. I searched the page for “For more barackobama.com updates, please click here,” but couldn’t find it.
Obama closed Gitmo, something most people were against than for, according to national polling. He then called out Republicans with the “Rush Limbaugh” sting and rubbed “I won” in their face when they questioned his stimulus package. He gave the most partisan inauguration speech in recent memory. None of that is considered divisive?
Bush passed No Left Child Behind (bi-partisan), campaign finance reform (bi-partisan) and began the Iraq War with bipartisan support. You can’t claim he’s divisive with abortion, when Obama gets a pass for the same issue. Dems were in a huff over tax cuts, but other than maintaining the war, much to the left’s chagrin, what exactly did Bush do that was so “in your face?” Bush wasn’t the one who changed positions on Iraq or the overall war.
I also like the assertion that when Republicans do what they were voted to do, they are considered divisive. With Obama, it’s “change.”
In one Oval Office ceremony, Obama went through each executive order as he signed them, reading parts of each and methodically explaining them. He even halted a few times to ask for clarification from his White House counsel. That sort of deferral to someone else in a public setting and admission of a less-than-perfect command of the facts was never Bush’s style.
I’m not expecting Obama to be anything than who he is. He’s the President, if he wants to reimplement abortion funding overseas or name himself Willie Wonka and start making choclate bars on the White House lawn, he’s free to do that. Ifor one, expect him to be divisive and it should called that. Some intellectual honesty about what Obama is and what he’s doing would be nice.
I’ve found reading this helps with the blood pressure after reading crayp like that AP story, JohnFN.
Remember when the AP reported facts?
This could also be written this way:
Which wouldn’t be fair, either. Neither version is what we should expect from the AP.
And, of course, principled opposition from Republicans amounts to “griping,” while Obama remains “a picture of poise.”
The article’s main theme is how bipartisan Obama’s actions have been so far, while the only issues discussed are the closing of Guantanamo and the use of taxpayer funds to abort Mexicans. According to the AP, these actions are not divisive because they are unsuprising.
The AP doesn’t divulge whose balls these were. (I’m guessing Ted Kennedy’s.) But that’s beside the point. Whoever the balls belonged to, the President should not have been twirling his wife at them.
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Yep we got ourselves a five star fifteen year old in the White House. Even his “stings” sound teeny bopper…whats with this I won I won…can we add a Nanny Nanny Nanny Boo Boo? What a pr&ck.
I read that headline on Yahoo and my head exploded. All I read the last couple of days is that he is nothing but partisan.
I loved that they painted the abortion thing as something done with little fanfare. Or it could also be described as him doing it in a way that was pretty damn underhanded cause he knew it was wrong and most Americans are against it.
Butchered fetuses get a Hefty trash bag,not fanfare