First 100 days: Last night’s newser
Posted: Thursday, April 30, 2009 9:17 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
The First 100 Days
The AP’s lead on last night’s Obama news conference: ”President Barack Obama said Wednesday night that waterboarding authorized by former President George W. Bush was torture and that the information it gained from terror suspects could have been obtained by other means. ‘In some cases, it may be harder,’ he conceded at a White House news conference capping a whirlwind first 100 days in office.”
The Boston Globe: "Marking the end of a feverish first 100 days in office, President Obama last night laid out his agenda for the rest of the year, pledging to forge ahead on a healthcare overhaul, promote energy independence, and revive the banking and auto industries. In a wide-ranging White House news conference that covered the flu pandemic, Taliban encroachment in Pakistan, and congressional politics, Obama touted his early accomplishments but warned that two of his biggest challenges -- achieving healthcare and energy policy reform -- still await him."
The Wall Street Journal: “President Barack Obama said he wants to get the government out of the private sector as fast as possible -- but that as long as his administration is acting as a major shareholder for large sectors of American commerce, from cars to finance, he won't hesitate to shape decisions at those firms.”
The New York Times: “President Obama said Wednesday that he was “gravely concerned” about the stability of the Pakistani government but that he was confident Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal would not fall into the hands of Islamic militants. Speaking at a prime-time news conference on his 100th day in office, Mr. Obama called the government in Pakistan, where army forces are at war with Taliban insurgents who have been advancing on Islamabad, “very fragile.” Pakistan’s leader … is to visit Washington next week, and American officials have been pressing his government to be more aggressive in battling the insurgency.”
The Hill: "On the 100th night of his administration, President Obama defended the moves he has made so far on the release of torture memos and corporate bailouts, as he generally reflected on the whirlwind beginning of his term and posited that the traditional measuring mark was 'a good start.'"
Politico’s take on the newser: “Far from electric, this was a tranquilizing performance. So much so that it was impossible not to conclude that a president who certainly knows how to be exciting was making a calculated effort not to be.”
The second 100 days, the AP's Babington writes, are largely in Congress' hands.
And leading up to the upcoming White House Correspondents Dinner, there's a new blog chronicling the big event.
