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Obama to center stage, promises action on economy

By NEDRA PICKLER and TERENCE HUNT, Associated Press Writers
2 hrs 51 mins ago

CHICAGO – Inheriting an economy in peril, President-elect Obama warned on Friday that the nation faces the challenge of a lifetime and pledged he would act urgently to help Americans devastated by lost jobs, disappearing savings and homes seized in foreclosure. But the man who promised change cautioned against hopes of quick solutions.
"It is not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in," Obama said at his first news conference since winning the presidency on Tuesday.
The No. 1 priority, Obama said, is to get Congress to approve an economic stimulus plan that would extend jobless benefits, send food aid to the poor, dispatch Medicaid funds to states and spend tens of billions of dollars on public works projects. If the plan is not approved this month, in a special session of Congress, Obama said that "it will be the first thing I get done as president of the United States."
In his first appearance since a jubilant election-night celebration, Obama sought to project an air of calm and reassurance to a deeply worried nation. He stood in a presidential-like setting with an array of eight American flags and a lectern showing a presidential seal above the words "The Office of the President Elect." The stage behind him was lined with advisers he had summoned, his economic brain trust.
Almost 20 minutes late to his first meeting with reporters, Obama spoke for just 20 minutes and broke no ground with new policy announcements or disclosures of who would be in his Cabinet. In lighthearted moments, he joked about seances with dead presidents and the appeal of animal shelter dogs that are "mutts like me."
Constrained by the fact he will not take office until Jan. 20, Obama deferred to President Bush and his economic team on major decisions. "The United States has only one government and one president at a time," he said.
Declaring he would not respond to issues "in a knee-jerk fashion," Obama declined to say how he would deal with Iran, whose president sent a letter of congratulations to Obama. "I want to be very careful that we are sending the right signals to the world as a whole that I am not the president and I won't be until January 20th," he said.
A new jobless report offered no comfort. The unemployment rate climbed to a 14-year high in October,and 10.1 million people were out of work. In Detroit, General Motors reported a huge third-quarter loss and said it may run out of cash next year. Ford planned more job cuts after burning through billions of dollars of its own.
While standing back as long as Bush is president, Obama said his advisers would keep close watch on the administration's efforts to unlock frozen credit and stabilize financial markets. Obama said he wanted to make sure the Bush administration was "protecting taxpayers, helping homeowners and not unduly rewarding the management of financial firms that are receiving government assistance."
Obama spoke after he and Vice President-elect Joe Biden met privately with economic advisers to discuss ways to stabilize the economy.
"We are facing the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime, and we're going to have to act swiftly to resolve it," Obama said.
He said he was confident that "a new president can have an enormous impact," but he tempered that optimism by adding, "I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead."
"Immediately after I become president, I will confront this economic challenge head-on by taking all necessary steps to ease the credit crisis, help hardworking families, and restore growth and prosperity," Obama said.
"Some of the choices that we're going to make are going to be difficult," he said. "It is not going to be quick. It's not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in." But he said he was confident the country could do it.
Obama left the door open to the possibility that economic conditions might prompt him to change his tax plan that would give a break to most families but raise taxes on those making more than $250,000 annually.
"I think that the plan that we've put forward is the right one, but obviously over the next several weeks and months, we're going to be continuing to take a look at the data and see what's taking place in the economy as a whole," Obama said.
Democratic congressional leaders want to pass a broad economic aid package in a postelection session later this month, but prospects appear dim because of Bush's opposition.
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., the majority leader, said the House wouldn't reconvene for a postelection session unless Bush did an about-face and drops his opposition. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., isn't sure such a package could get through the Senate either, he added.
"Clearly there's no point in us doing something if the administration's going to take a position that they're not going to sign something," Hoyer said.
If Congress and Bush can't come to terms on a stimulus bill this fall, lawmakers have spoken with Obama's team about a Plan B: The new Congress could quickly pass an economic aid package when it reconvenes in early January, readying it for Obama's signature as his first official act after being inaugurated, Democratic leadership aides said.
That measure would probably be just the first installment of a broader package, including a middle class tax cut, that Congress could pass separately after Obama is in the White House.

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Newsday.com

Kremlin: Medvedev, Obama agree in phone call on need to meet soon

By DAVID NOWAK
Associated Press Writer

2:18 PM EST, November 8, 2008


MOSCOW (AP) _ The Kremlin said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had agreed with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama in a telephone call Saturday that they need to meet soon.

Medvedev congratulated Obama on his election win, and the two agreed on a need to work on Russia-U.S. ties, a Kremlin statement said. Several issues have tested relations between Moscow and Washington, including NATO's possible eastward expansion and U.S. plans for placing components of a missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Moscow has strongly objected to the missile-defense plans, and on Wednesday — a day after Obama's election — Medvedev announced he would respond by stationing short-range missiles in Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, on the doorstep of Poland and Czech Republic.

Obama's plans remain unclear regarding the defense system, the deals for which were brokered under U.S. President George W. Bush.

The Kremlin statement said Obama and Medvedev agreed in their phone call Saturday "to create constructive and positive interaction for the good of global stability and development."

It said they spoke of "the priority of the nature of relations of Russia and the USA ... the positive development of which is principally important not only for the people of both countries, but for the international community as a whole."

Obama and Medvedev also agreed their countries have a common responsibility to address "serious problems of a global nature," and so should schedule an "early bilateral meeting" to address them, the statement said. A Kremlin spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, declined to elaborate or say when such a meeting could take place.

It is unlikely to be at next week's G-20 world summit in Washington, which Obama's representatives said he would not attend. It is not known if Medvedev will be there or if he will send another representative for Russia.

Obama takes over from Bush on Jan. 20.

An Obama aide said Saturday that, during a recent conversation with Polish President Lech Kaczynski, Obama did not commit to the missile-defense plans, contradicting earlier claims by Kaczynski.

Washington has said that the missile-defense system poses no threat to Russia and is meant to protect Europe from possible attacks from the Middle East.

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Obama urges Congress to move on economic plan

By ANN SANNER
Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO (AP) -- President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday urged Congress to get moving next week on an economic rescue plan that would extend jobless benefits among other actions.

"If Congress does not pass an immediate plan that gives the economy the boost it needs, I will make it my first order of business as president," Obama said in his Democratic Party's weekly radio address.

The radio address was also videotaped and posted online through a YouTube link to Obama's transition Web site, http://www.change.gov . Before Obama appears in the video, "Your weekly address from the president-elect" flashes across the screen. Part of an American flag is shown in the frame as Obama speaks directly into the camera.

The president-elect plans to continue to record online videos of the addresses after he takes the oath of office Jan. 20.

Obama said he was pleased President George W. Bush brought world leaders to Washington to discuss turmoil in the financial markets, "because our global economic crisis requires a coordinated global response."

Obama stressed the importance of creating jobs in the United States and helping to relieve the nation's economic distress.

Digging the country out of tough times will require people to pitch in and look after each other, in addition to long-term investments such as making health care affordable and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, he said.

"Make no mistake: This is the greatest economic challenge of our times," Obama said. "And while the road ahead will be long, and the work will be hard, I know that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis because here in America we always rise to the moment, no matter how hard. And I am more hopeful than ever that America will rise once again."

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Obama needs to stand back until Jan. 20

    Regarding Mary Baker’s Dec. 1 opinion that it is a little early for anti-Obama cartoons, I ask her this: Isn’t it a little early for Mr. Obama to try to run this country? After all, she states that Obama has not even got into office yet. That is true. In fact, he will not take office for another month and a half (Jan. 20).
    Believe it or not, people will fi nd fault with Obama’s policies. He didn’t get 100 percent of the vote, so there’s some people out there that do disagree with him. Barack Obama promises “change” to help get this country back on track. Some of us don’t want to be part of his plan.
    I ask this question, except for the attacks on 9/11, what was the problem in the country under the Bush administration, when the Republicans controlled Congress? The major problems we are facing as a country right now have been under a fully Democrat-controlled Congress.
    If we need to wait for him to get into office before we “start picking on the guy,” then why doesn’t he just lie back for the next month-and-a-half and allow the country to run as it should — under the final days of the Bush administration?
    KEVIN MARCH
    Rotterdam