National security emerges as Obama strong point
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on September 11th, 2011 4:35 am by HL
National security emerges as Obama strong point
Barack Obama was always vulnerable to charges that he would be weak on national security.
He was a relative political newcomer with no history of military service. He opposed the war in Iraq and pledged to roll back many of the George W. Bush administration’s toughest anti-terrorism policies.
At one politically perilous moment just months into Obama’s presidency, the young commander in chief appeared at the National Archives to declare a “new direction” in fighting terrorism, only to be scolded as “naive” by former vice president Dick Cheney, the graying architect of aggressive post-9/11 policies.
9/11 memorial for victims of Flight 93 is dedicated near Shanksville, Pa.
SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — In the middle of a vast stretch of grassland in western Pennsylvania, poet Robert Pinsky read out 40 names to a somber and silent crowd. After the poet said each name, two large bells were chimed.
Former presidents, state officials, bereaved relatives, artists and members of the public gathered Saturday to open a 1,500-acre national park on the outskirts of Shanksville, in honor of the 40 passengers and crew members who died on United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001.
As states lag in implementing health-care law, bigger federal role looks likely
Across the country, states are lagging in preparations to erect the health insurance marketplaces at the heart of the 2010 health-care overhaul, bogged down by a combination of partisan hostility and practical hurdles.
Faced with the delay, administration officials have been ramping up talks with state leaders in recent weeks over ways the federal government could pitch in without having to completely take over — speaking both informally and at a series of regional meetings underway.
All eyes on New Hampshire in 2012 governors races
As Republican gubernatorial candidates in Kentucky and Missouri have utterly fizzled, the GOP’s attention has turned to other states like West Virginia and Washington looking for opportunities to grow their nationwide majority of governorships.
The latest potential Republican opportunity? New Hampshire with a big “if”. That “if”? If Democratic Gov. John Lynch (D) decides to retire.
