l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 For Obama, little to say that hasn't been said
October 8, 2013 - 6:35 PM
By JULIE PACE, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — His Asia trip was scrapped, most of his staff has been
furloughed and he's refused to hold negotiations with House Republicans. So
on Tuesday, President Barack Obama was looking for something to fill his
time.
His destination? The White House briefing room, where reporters and
photographers packed in for a hastily arranged news conference, eager for
any sign of a breakthrough in Washington's latest round of gridlock. But
there was little to say that hadn't already been said.
That didn't keep Obama from saying it all again. He promised that his
opening statement would be brief — then proceeded to speak for nearly 15
minutes before taking questions.
"The greatest nation on earth shouldn't have to get permission from a few
irresponsible members of Congress every couple months just to keep our
government open or to prevent an economic catastrophe," he said.
It was a point Obama made over and over throughout an afternoon news
conference that stretched beyond the one-hour mark.
The president appeared at one point to provide an opening for a resolution
of the impasse, saying his offer to negotiate with Republicans would still
stand even if they only passed short-term spending and debt ceiling bills.
But less than an hour later, that pathway was shut down by House Speaker
John Boehner, R-Ohio, who said the president was asking for "unconditional
surrender" from Republicans in exchange for negotiations.
The standoff between Obama and House Republicans has largely stranded the
president in Washington with little to do. He had planned to spend the week
on a four-country trip to Asia promoting stronger trade ties with the U.S.
But the White House canceled the trip so Obama could stay in Washington
during the partial government shutdown, which is now in its second week.
When Obama's travel plans changed, the White House found itself staring at
an empty schedule — and plenty of empty desks, where the furloughed
staffers who would have been busy planning new events and trips normally
would be sitting. That's left the remaining staff planning the schedule one
day at a time and scrambling to find opportunities for the president to be
in the public eye without taxing resources that are already stretched thin.
Obama bemoaned the cancellation of his travel to Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia
and the Philippines, a trip that included meetings at two regional economic
summits the U.S. plays a substantial role in organizing.
"It's almost like me not showing up to my own party," he said. Secretary of
State John Kerry stood in for Obama.
Obama's absence from the economic meetings has raised speculation that China
will try to take advantage of the American political mess and make the case
the countries in the region that the U.S. cannot be counted on.
"I'm sure the Chinese don't mind that I'm not there right now," the
president quipped. However, he said he did not expect there to be long-term
damage to America's relationship with Asia as long as lawmakers resolve the
current dispute quickly.
The president also tackled a case argued before the Supreme Court on Tuesday
that could eliminate limits on campaign contributions by the biggest
individual donors. He railed against cutting the caps, saying it would shut
ordinary Americans out of the process.
But Obama, who set campaign fundraising records in both of his runs for the
White House, acknowledged that "there's nobody who operates in politics that
has perfectly clean hands on this issue."
The president, who held his last full news conference in August, typically
takes seven or eight questions from reporters from major news organizations.
But in an unusual move, Obama answered queries from 11 reporters, including
some from news outlets that don't normally get the chance to question the
president.
That spurred some mild griping in the briefing room from some of those left
off the list. The president pleaded innocence.
"I'm just going through my list, guys," he said.
Seeking to shift the blame elsewhere, he motioned to his press secretary Jay
Carney. "Talk to Jay," he said. | a**********2
发帖数: 3726 | 2 He should quit, period. The worst President ever! A complete socialist whose
goal is not to make USA more and more prosperous but to lead America to a
dead end. | z***e
发帖数: 5600 | 3 两边嗓门加大，但Obamacare不再是目标，就是要找可以下的台阶下了
政府关门 /国债上限这出戏进入高潮阶段，很快就要结束了。共和党得休养生息一段，
一时半会不会再折腾了。明年政客们就要忙中期选举顾不上为国操劳了。做好买股票的
准备吧。
So
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: For Obama, little to say that hasn't been said
: October 8, 2013 - 6:35 PM
: By JULIE PACE, Associated Press
: WASHINGTON (AP) — His Asia trip was scrapped, most of his staff has been
: furloughed and he's refused to hold negotiations with House Republicans. So
: on Tuesday, President Barack Obama was looking for something to fill his
: time.
: His destination? The White House briefing room, where reporters and
: photographers packed in for a hastily arranged news conference, eager for
: any sign of a breakthrough in Washington's latest round of gridlock. But
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