Another day, another Obama avail
Posted: Sunday, July 13, 2008 9:06 PM by Chuck Todd
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
SAN DIEGO, CA, July 13 – Barack Obama sent condolences to the families of nine soldiers killed in Afghanistan during an assault by militants, during a brief press conference here Sunday after his speech to the National Council of La Raza.
The assault, which also wounded 15 soldiers, was the deadliest attack on US forces in Afghanistan in three years, according to the Associated Press report.
“I want to start off with the sad news of the nine US troops that appear to have been killed in Afghanistan,” Obama told reporters. “Details are still coming in, so I’m not going to comment on exactly what happened. But the main thing I want to communicate is our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these extraordinary heroes, and we need to make sure that we are providing them to every bit of support that we can.”
The senator also said that Congress should be consulted about any backstop measures to help lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in case they cannot honor their debt, while reiterating his earlier comments that the companies were “critical components” of making sure that mortgages are available and that people can stay in their homes. The Federal Reserve and the Treasury are in talks with the two government-sponsored companies.
“Congress has to be closely consulted, particularly if you've got taxpayer money at stake,” the senator said.
Obama declined to comment on a report that said he had called former President Bill Clinton potentially problematic and appeared to bristle when asked for his response to a cartoon on the July 21 cover of the New Yorker magazine that depicts he and his wife Michelle doing a fist bump. Michelle is shown with an afro and an AK-47, while the senator is shown wearing a white turban of sorts. He said he had no response but did not say whether he had seen the cover.
New Yorker cartoons are generally meant as satire.
