The Weekly Presidential Address March 28 2009

President Barack Obama
Weekly Address

Saturday, March 28, 2009
Washington, DC

The full text of the President's speech is below the video.




Even as we face an economic crisis which demands our constant focus, forces of nature can also intervene in ways that create other crises to which we must respond – and respond urgently. For the people of North and South Dakota and Minnesota who live along rivers spilling over their banks, this is one such moment.

Rivers and streams throughout the region have flooded or are at risk of flooding. The cities of Fargo and neighboring Moorhead are vulnerable as the waters of the Red River have risen. Thousands of homes and businesses are threatened.

That is why, on Tuesday, I granted a major disaster declaration request for the State of North Dakota and ordered federal support into the region to help state and local officials respond to the flooding. This was followed by an emergency declaration for the State of Minnesota. And we are also keeping close watch on the situation in South Dakota as it develops.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency continue to coordinate the federal response. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is helping to oversee federal efforts and she remains in close contact with state officials. Acting FEMA administrator Nancy Ward has been in the region since yesterday to meet with folks on the ground and survey the area herself.

In addition, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is assisting in the emergency construction of levees. The Coast Guard is aiding in search and rescue efforts while the Department of Defense is helping to move people and supplies. Members of the National Guard have been activated and are on the scene as well.

Hospitals and nursing homes in the area are being evacuated and residents in poor health or with special needs are being transported to higher ground. Teams from the Department of Health and Human Services are aiding in this work. And the Red Cross is in place to provide shelter and supplies for folks in need.

It is also important for residents in these states to remain vigilant in monitoring reports on flood crests and to follow instructions from their state and local leaders in the event that evacuations become necessary.

My administration is working closely with Governors John Hoeven, Mike Rounds and Tim Pawlenty. And I’ve been meeting with Senators Byron Dorgan, Kent Conrad, and Amy Klobuchar, as well as Congressmen Earl Pomeroy and Collin Peterson, to pledge my support. I will continue to monitor the situation carefully. We will do what must be done to help in concert with state and local agencies and non-profit organizations – and volunteers who are doing so much to aid the response effort.

For at moments like these, we are reminded of the power of nature to disrupt lives and endanger communities. But we are also reminded of the power of individuals to make a difference.

In the Fargodome, thousands of people gathered not to watch a football game or a rodeo, but to fill sandbags. Volunteers filled 2.5 million of them in just five days, working against the clock, day and night, with tired arms and aching backs. Others braved freezing temperatures, gusting winds, and falling snow to build levees along the river’s banks to help protect against waters that have exceeded record levels.

College students have traveled by the busload from nearby campuses to lend a hand during their spring breaks. Students from local high schools asked if they could take time to participate. Young people have turned social networks into community networks, coordinating with one another online to figure out how best to help.

In the face of an incredible challenge, the people of these communities have rallied in support of one another. And their service isn’t just inspirational – it’s integral to our response.

It’s also a reminder of what we can achieve when Americans come together to serve their communities. All across the nation, there are men, women and young people who have answered that call, and millions of other who would like to. Whether it’s helping to reduce the energy we use, cleaning up a neighborhood park, tutoring in a local school, or volunteering in countless other ways, individual citizens can make a big difference.

That is why I’m so happy that legislation passed the Senate this week and the House last week to provide more opportunities for Americans to serve their communities and the country.

The bipartisan Senate bill was sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Ted Kennedy, a leader who embodies the spirit of public service, and I am looking forward to signing this important measure into law.

In facing sudden crises or more stubborn challenges, the truth is we are all in this together – as neighbors and fellow citizens. That is what brought so many to help in North Dakota and Minnesota and other areas affected by this flooding. That is what draws people to volunteer in so many ways, serving our country here and on distant shores.

Our thanks go to them today, and to all who are working day and night to deal with the disaster. We send them our thoughts, our prayers, and our continued assistance in this difficult time.

Thank you.

Pakistan Mosque Bombing

A mosque was bombed on Friday in Jamrod located in the northwest of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. The bombing occurred just a few hours before President Barack Obama announced the new plans for the Afghan region.

Friday is the most Holy day for Muslims, and the mosque was packed with those attending the services. Estimates place the total in the two story mosque to have been at around 250 worshipers.


The bomber made his way into the crowded mosque and detonated himself, killing 50 and wounding another 100 as the blast took down the Mosque itself. The wounded were wandering about trying to located others injured and trapped by the rubble of the collapsed building.

Two men were spotted fleeing the blast zone on Friday by police. They were arrested about 30 minutes after the bombing.

This suicide bombing was in the region populated by Islamic militants in and along the Afghanistan border, where NATO and the U.S. led forces have been clashing with the Taliban and al Qaeda militants.

The mosque had been frequented by Pakistani security officials who work along the supply route used by NATO from Pakistan into Afghanistan.

A Real Bipartisan Congress?

A true bipartisan congress.


Democrats and Republicans working together in harmony for a better America.

Think it will happen?

No chance in hell..


This congress is to bitter. The Republicans have lost too many seats and are poised to loose more still. If Franken is seated this is a definite NO from the Party of No.

Think about it, if the Republicans start to work with the Democrats and moving forward in a bipartisan way then President Barack Obama will suddenly become a highly effective President and a shoe in for a reelection along with many of the Democrats in the Senate and Congress. If they however remain the Party of No they can make the President ineffectual and the American Bipolar voting machine could actually swing very quickly to the Republicans in hopes of getting something done.

The 2010 election cycle is already on it's way. The Democrats might have 4 seats in play, and again only need to pick up one seat to hit 60 if Franken does end up getting seated in the next few weeks.

The Republicans have about 12 seats in play this time around.

The No party is taking a big risk by playing this tactic, if they drop just half of the seats that are going to be in play they may never get back what they have lost.

What do you think, will we ever see a real bipartisan Congress this go round?
Will it work?

President Obama's internet based town hall event today

President Obama held an internet based town hall meeting today, Open for Questions.

The questions seemed to want to center around the legalization of marijuana, at least that is what it looked like when I checked the web page where the questions were posted at around 8 am.

In the end there were almost a hundred thousand participants and more than three and a half million votes on the questions to be posed to President Barack Obama.

The over all experience showed the potential of what this kind of open engagement can accomplish.

It also showed the possible problems it could pose for the President and the Administration.

The online town hall had the feel of something that had never been done before, and something that the White House and the Obama Administration will obviously be running more of.

Just in case you missed it, below is the video of the event:

North Korea preps for launch

North Korea recently informed U.N. agencies that it plans to launch a satellite into outer space. The launch is believed to be slated for sometime between April 4 and April 8 of this year.

According to reports by the United States, the North Koreans are believed to have placed what appears to be a long range ballistic missile on its launch pad.

U.S. and South Korean officials have both said that North Korea is actually preparing to test fire a long range missile under the guise of a satellite launch.

If this is in fact a long range ballistic missile test, officials expect the missile to come down in Pacific Ocean after passing over Japan. A U.N. Security Council resolution in 2006 banned North Korea from conducting any ballistic missile testing. Japanese officials have stated that they could shoot down the object whether it is a missile or a satellite, but however will probably not do so.

Japan will have little over ten minutes to react to a launch of any type from North Korea.

The US has stated that they will know with in three minutes of the launch if the intention is to attain orbit for a satellite payload delivery or if the launch is in fact a missile test.

Many believe that this is the North Korean Taepodong-2 missile. The Taepodong-2 is thought to have a tactical flight range of about 4,200 miles, which if correct would put Alaska and Hawaii with in range.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young has publicly stated that "The South Korean government believes that if the North conducts its launch despite continuous warnings of the South Korean government and the international community, it is a provocative action that constitutes a serious threat to the security of northeast Asia and the Korean peninsula,""The launching of the long-range rocket is a clear violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 1718, and we strongly urge North Korea to immediately stop such measures."

Suicide bomber kills 10 in Pakistan March 26 2009

A suicide bomber struck a small inn located in Jandola, a town near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. This is the the lawless tribal areas where Taliban and Al-Qaeda extremists are entrenched. The bomber detonated his explosives as patrons of the inn tried to overpower him.

Approximately 25 people were wounded in the blast.
Several people are in serious condition according to reports.
10 People were killed.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but local officials suggest that Taliban militants could have been responsible.

Clinton calls American demand for illegal drugs "insatiable"

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the American demand for illegal drugs "insatiable" during her visit to Mexico on Wednesday. A combination between the US appetite for drug consumption and the failure to stop weapons smuggling into Mexico is at the heart of the current cartel wars erupting through out Mexico and along the US / Mexico boarder towns.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also said that the nearly three-decade old "war" on drugs "has not worked," "Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians," "I feel very strongly we have co-responsibility,".

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has been battling rising cartel violence as the remaining cartels fight for power and control of the trade. He has called on the Obama administration to step up involvement of the US and do more to stop the back flow of guns and bulk cash from the United States into Mexico.

Under the Merida Initiative which allocates $1.4 Billion in aid to combat the Mexican drug cartels, Congress has currently approved $700 million in assistance to build more effective security forces. Lawmakers have however cut back the first installment of aid from $450 million to $300 million.

Some members of Congress and Mexican officials are complaining that the promised money, training and equipment to fight the cartels is taking too long to arrive.

During a Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday, the Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano was criticized by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Wednesday morning for rearranging resources in order to fund the crackdown on gun running from the US across the border into Mexico that is fueling the violence between cartels and the Mexican government.

The Committee told the Secretary that the situation warrants new congressional appropriations, in spite of deficit spending.

South Carolina Republican Senator and member of the Senate homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said "Quite frankly, it's not appropriate to say we have budget problems when it comes to this," as he pressed for the Secretary to request more governmental funding for the undertaking. "There is a lot of conflict about the budget, but this is where Americans would cheer us for spending money wisely," he said.

Committee chairman and Connecticut independent, Sen. Joseph Lieberman said he would introduce an amendment to the budget to increase funding for the government to go after gunrunners. The administration's new plan is "a significant first step forward. But I don't think it is enough."

Have a question for President Barack Obama?

Do you have a question for President Barack Obama?

Today may be your lucky day if your question is about the economy. You can post a comment about many other topics too, just don't expect a direct response.

The President will be holding a community-moderated online town hall today taking and answering some questions related to the economy. You can submit your question about the economy and vote on submitted questions by others. They are also encouraging you to include a link to a video of yourself asking your question (ideally 30 seconds or less), but text based submissions are all that you need.

The President will answer some of the most popular submissions live at WhiteHouse.gov.

The online town hall will be held at 11:30 AM Eastern and the voting for question popularity will close at 9:30 AM.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is off to Mexico

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is off to Mexico today to kick off a two day visit with Mexican officials focusing on anti-drug cooperation between the US and Mexico. Even though both countries leaders will be present at the upcoming G-20 on April 2, Secretary of State Clinton will tackle other subjects like the North American Free Trade Agreement and energy initiatives between the two countries.

U.S. border states and there citizens have become alarmed at the increase in violence as the Mexican Government, led by Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has ramped up anti drug enforcement policies and even used the Mexican military to crack down on narcotic trafficking gangs through out Mexico.

The increase in the Mexican anti trafficking enforcement has not come without an increase in gang violence however. Since January 2008 over 8,000 people have lost there lives as rival gangs and cartels fight to extend power and control.

The Obama administration announced yesterday that it is sending additional law enforcement agents and equipment to the border region between the US and Mexico in an attempt to cut the illegal supply of American guns and money that are being back funneled to the Mexican cartels.

Clinton is the first of three US officials scheduled to travel to Mexico before President Barack Obama is scheduled to make a two day visit on April 16th & 17th.

President Obama to hold news conference tonight at 8 PM

At 8 PM tonight President Barack Obama will hold a news conference in the East Room of the White House. The news conference will be televised and will interrupt the scheduled evening television broadcast line up on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.

This will undoubtedly cause allot of you "American Idol" fans to cry uncontrollably.

But don't worry too much, Fox's "American Idol" is moving its two hour Motown themed show to Wednesday, with the eliminations on Thursday night.

CBS's "NCIS" and "The Mentalist" will be one hour later than normal.

NBC's two hour "The Biggest Loser" will also air one hour later than normal.

The main topic of tonight's news conference: President Obama's budget proposal.

I would also expect that President Obama will touch on a few other key issues:

1. The Recovery Act implementation conference calls that Vice President Biden held today with Governors, Mayors and County Executives from across the country.
2. The U.S. relationship with Mexico as Department of Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg and United States Deputy Attorney General David Ogden will lay out the Administration’s comprehensive response to the situation along the border with Mexico today.
3. AIG Bonuses
4. Monday's Rally and the Tuesday Tumble on the stock markets.

I would expect the news conference to last just short of the half hour mark.

Do you think there will be another Bowling gaff or will President Obama stick to a tight script tonight?

the 2009 Easter Egg Roll

On the other side of Washington politics, the 2009 Easter Egg Roll tickets are going to be available on-line.

The White House announced that the 131st Easter Egg Roll will be held on Monday April 13, from 8 am to 5 pm on the South Lawn of the White House and that the tickets will be distributed over the Internet.

The Theme of this year, "Let's go play"

The goal of the theme is to encourage young people to lead a more healthy and active lifestyle than the video game generation has begun to live.

The other activities to enjoy will involve cooking classes, stories and live musical performances as well as the Easter Egg roll.

For information on getting in line to get your tickets for the 2009 Easter Egg Roll go to the White House web page.

There will be no ticket distribution on the Ellipse the weekend before the event.
A maximum of six tickets will be issued per order.
Children age ten and under, along with their families are invited to attend.
There must be at least one child ten years old or under and no more than two adults per group.

Iran answers back

A few days after the release of the video by President Barack Obama to the people and leadership of Iran with an offer of better relations between the United States and Iran, there is apparently a response of sorts.

Iran's Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech in Mashhad: "Change in words is not enough, although we have not seen change in words either. Change must be real. We should tell American officials that the change he is talking about is a must", "You change, our behavior will change." He also stated that the United States was "hated in the world" and should stop interfering in other countries. Khamenei spoke of "oppressive sanctions"and of Iranian assets that remain frozen in the United States. He also referenced Washington's continued backing of Israel, which Tehran does not recognize.

Since the time of Reagan the United States has not had any diplomatic engagement with Iran, and at current the United States and others are watching the Iranian Nuclear movement carefully. Development of nuclear arms is something that Iran and there leadership deny but many speculate that Iran has a nuclear program underway currently.




Does this mean they are no longer part of Bush's "Axis of Evil"?

Don't forget these are the same leaders who held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981 after students took over the American embassy in support of the Iranian revolution.

Obama said in a message to Congress last week that his administration will continue its sanctions against Iran as "the actions and policies of the Government of Iran are contrary to the interests of the United States in the region and pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat" to the U.S. national security and economy.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has demanded Washington apologize for decades of "crimes" against Iran.