Obama: People Saw "Overreach" in My Actions

President Obama said at a press conference Wednesday that the results of yesterday's midterm elections - in which his party lost Control of the House as well as Senate seats and governorships - "underscores for me that I've got to do a better job."

"I won the election in 2008, one of the reasons, I think, that people were excited about the campaign was the prospect that we would change how business is done in Washington," he said. "And we were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn't change how things got done. And I think that frustrated people."

He also placed the blame for the outcome of the midterms on that "very tough decisions" made by his administration during his first two years in office on the stimulus package, the bank bailouts (which were first passed under President Bush) and the auto bailouts.

"I think people started looking at all this and it felt as if government was getting much more intrusive into people's lives than they were accustomed to," he said. "Now, the reason was, it was an emergency situation. But I think it's understandable that folks said to themselves, 'You know, maybe this is the agenda as opposed to a response to an emergency.'"

Continued the president: "And that's something that I think, you know, everybody in the White House understood was a danger. We thought it was necessary. But, you know, I'm sympathetic to folks who looked at it and said, 'This is looking like potential overreach.'"

(source:cbsnews.com)

Obama India Trip 2010 Includes Challenges During 'Strategic' Visit

Following a colossal dip in U.S. public support, President Barack Obama will touch down in India on Saturday for a four-day trip that promises to be simultaneously challenging and significant.

Following his arrival in Mumbai Nov. 6, he is expected to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and address a joint session of the Indian Parliament, reports Reuters. Among the varied topics Obama will reportedly discuss: lifting a 1998 ban on U.S. exports of dual-use technology, which can be used for both civilian and military purposes, to India. "Our teams continue to work hard to reach an agreement that strengthens the international non-proliferation system while treating India in a manner that is consistent with our strategic partnership," he is quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying.

While describing India as a "cornerstone" of American engagement in Asia, Obama acknowledged difficulty in supporting India's long-standing bid for a permanent place on the U.N. Security Council. "I do...expect to discuss India's role on the global stage during my visit," he told Reuters.

As two of the world's largest global democracies, the U.S. and India share a natural affinity and many of the same core values, according to Indian Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prithviraj Chavan. In addition, Obama faces a somewhat unique challenge in visiting India, a country known for its unusually warm stance toward former U.S. President George W. Bush, says the New York Daily News.

(source:huffingtonpost.com)

Obama Appeals for 'Common Ground' After Democrats Lose House

President Obama, reflecting on the Democrats' historic losses in Congress in the midterm election, appealed Wednesday for both parties to find "common ground" while continuing to stand by his administration's policies.

Though those policies were used to tarnish Democrats in races across the country, Obama described his decisions to date as "tough" but "right." But as he faces down a new landscape in Congress starting in January, the president said he must take "direct responsibility" for the frustration over the economy that led to those changes and pledged to do more to reach "consensus" with Republicans.

"No party has a monopoly on wisdom," the president said. "I want to engage both Democrats and Republicans. ... I do believe there is hope for civility. I do believe there's hope for progress."

The news conference in Washington gave Obama his first opportunity to explain what his approach will be to a split Congress, with Republicans decisively in charge of the House and cutting deep into the Democrats' majority in the Senate.

Pressed for specifics, Obama suggested he'd be open to joining Republicans in calling for a moratorium on earmarks and taking a second look at a controversial provision in the health care law that requires businesses to file 1099 tax forms for large purchases. Republican leaders, in a series of speeches since Tuesday night's victories, have called on Obama to move toward the center. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, calling the election a "referendum" on Obama's policies, pointedly said Wednesday that the Democrats can either "work with us" or face another "change" election in 2012.

Obama on Wednesday directly attributed GOP gains to frustration over the economy, declining to sign on to claims that it was a referendum on his policies.

"Some election nights are more fun than others. Some are exhilarating. Some are humbling," Obama said. "Yesterday's vote confirmed what I've heard from folks all across America. People are frustrated, they're deeply frustrated with the pace of our economic recovery."

Republicans are projected to pick up about 65 seats in the House of Representatives, surpassing the gains they made in the 1994 election. They will not take the majority in the Senate but so far have snatched six seats away from Democrats.

(source:foxnews.com)

President Obama Urges Youth To Vote On Ryan Seacrest Radio Show

If you were driving around listening to "On-Air With Ryan Seacrest" on Tuesday morning (November 2), and you thought you heard him say he was about to talk to President Obama in between reports on Demi Lovato, the traffic and weather, you weren't mistaken.

In the final push to get out the vote as midterm election balloting got under way across the nation, the president made a number of pre-taped appearances on mainstream morning radio shows, dropping in to chat with "American Idol" host Seacrest as well as popular urban radio personalities Russ Parr and Steve Harvey.

"This is such a critical election, because we're living in a huge moment of change in this country," the president said of the past two years, which he called the toughest since the Great Depression. "Despite that, I am optimistic about this country because of young people. Because of their energy, because of their enthusiasm, because of their ideas. But none of that will make a difference if they're not participating."

With pundits predicting that the Democratic Party could lose control of one, perhaps both, houses of Congress, the president steered clear of any partisan rhetoric while chatting with Seacrest, instead focusing on big picture topics like immigration reform, jobs, terrorism and his role as First Father while urging the wave of young voters who helped him get elected in 2008 not to stay home on election day.

"I just want to make sure that everybody who's listening understands we need that same enthusiasm and interest on the part of young people in 2010," he said. "Because of the issues of war and peace, the issues of the economy, making sure that we have good opportunity for young people. That they can afford to go to college, that they can find good jobs. Those issues are still on the table, and we're going to need to make sure that we keep on making progress in the years to come."

After being criticized last week for becoming the first sitting president to appear on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," which is considered by some Washington pundits as a lightweight entertainment show, Obama again faced barbs from the right for the broad pop-culture reach of his election-day radio messaging.

Rather than ask about Justin Bieber or Snooki, though, Seacrest kept the 10-minute chat mostly topical, quizzing the president about the negative tone of campaign ads and the revelation over the weekend that two bombs were found on cargo planes in what appears to have been an attempted terror attack.

In speaking to a young audience, Obama stressed the positive work his administration has done providing Pell Grants to students and encouraging them to make sure they do everything they can to maximize their education. "We live in a competitive global environment and the more we have the best trained young people in the world, not only will that be good for them, that will be good for the whole country," he said.

And though he touched on the attempted plane bombings and urged citizens to remain alert to prevent terror attacks, Obama also faced a few lighter questions about being a dad in the White House.

"The truth is the girls are thriving," Obama said about daughters Sasha and Malia. Because the press have kept up their promise to leave the first daughters alone, the president said his kids have adjusted well to school, made friends and are able to go to the mall, have sleepovers and go to the movies just like other grade-schoolers. They even got to go trick-or-treating on Sunday, with Malia dressing as a Sour Patch girl and Sasha donning a turkey costume.

The president also admitted that he never gets to hit the snooze button because of his hectic work schedule. When he tries, the White House operator has been instructed to keep calling until he wakes up. He also said he'd been called "much worse" than "dude," which is how Stewart referred to him at one point last week during their interview.

"The main thing I want everyone to remember is you can't shape your future if you don't participate," the president said. "Young people all across this country, they're the ones who are going to make the difference, not just now but in the future."

(source:mtv.com)

Obama fights to save Democratic majorities on Election Day

Washington -- President Barack Obama made a last-ditch effort to save the Democratic majorities in Congress on Tuesday, as voters seemed poised to deliver landslide victories to the Republican Party.

He phoned in to three high-profile radio shows and taped a message for AOL users, saying his "ability to work on behalf of middle-class families is going to be hampered if I do not have people in Congress who want to cooperate."

But polls suggest that's just what the president won't get in these elections, the most expensive midterms in history.

Polls indicate a dissatisfied electorate could clean house -- literally -- by tossing out the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and possibly doing the same in the Senate.Losses by the governing party are common in the first midterm election it faces, but the shift Tuesday could rival or match historic levels dating back decades.

Unemployment -- at a rate of 9.6 percent amid a slow recovery from economic recession -- has been the dominant issue, with Republicans accusing Obama and the Democrats of pushing through expensive policies that have expanded government without solving the problem.

Obama has led Democrats in defending his record, saying that steps such as the economic stimulus bill and auto industry bailout were necessary to prevent a depression, while health care reform and Wall Street reform will lay the foundation for sustainable future growth.

Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine said Tuesday that party candidates will still pose a challenge to Republicans.

"While I think we've got the headwind we're running against, we're not throwing in the towel," Kaine told CNN's "American Morning."

"However the numbers are, the margins will be closer," Kaine said.

Former President Bill Clinton worked the phones Tuesday on behalf of Democrats in Ohio, where first-term Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland is fighting to hold on to his seat.

Clinton called in to four Ohio radio stations during a day of campaigning that will take him from New York through West Virginia and Kentucky before he ends up in Florida.

But Rand Paul, the Tea Party-backed Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky, voiced the sentiments of many in the grass-roots anti-establishment movement.

"What I'm going to work to try to change is the whole government," he said. "I think government's broken from top to bottom." He insisted that the government needed to balance its budget, loosen regulations on business and cut waste in the defense budget. "We have a significant recession, probably the worst recession since the Great Depression," he said on "American Morning." He blamed Obama's health care reform and banking regulation. "And my fear is it's not just President Obama's policies, Obamacare and the new banking regulations. I don't care who proposed them, but I think they're a disaster for our economy," he said.

As voting day approached, voter anger appeared to tune out the Democratic arguments.Conservative groups and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce funded attack ads that skewered increased spending under Obama and the health care reform bill he championed, while labor unions and traditional Democratic donors warned that a GOP victory would bring back Republican deregulation and policies that caused the recession.

On the day before Election Day, phone service went out at Democratic and Republican field offices in New Hampshire, officials from both parties said.

A spike in campaign robocalls may be the culprit, according to Comcast, one of the telephone services in the area.

"Comcast -- and we believe, other local phone carriers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts -- are experiencing severe call volumes on the evening before the election due to auto dialing activity that is generating a massive number of inbound political phone calls to our network," company spokesman Marc Goodman said Monday.

The long and bitter campaign season will cost more than $3.5 billion, the most expensive non-presidential vote ever, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group.

With about 100 of the 435 House seats at stake considered "in play," or competitive, the anti-Democratic mood is predicted to result in big Republican gains.

On the Senate side, where 37 of the 100 seats are being contested, the majority will be decided by key races in Nevada, Washington, and a few other states where Democratic incumbents face strong challenges.

Republicans need to win an additional 39 seats to claim the House majority and 10 more Senate seats to overtake Democrats there.

A national poll released Monday showed that the number of Americans who say things are going badly in the country -- 75 percent -- is higher than it has been on the eve of any midterm election since the question was first asked in the mid-1970s.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey also indicates that the economy remains, by far, the top issue on the minds of Americans. The economy ranked higher in the poll than all other major issues combined, including terrorism, health care, illegal immigrants and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In addition, the rise of the conservative Tea Party movement has added a new element to the election cycle, roiling Republican races by boosting little-known and inexperienced candidates to victory over mainstream figures in primaries across the country.

Tuesday's vote will show how many of the so-called Tea Party candidates can win in a general election, but no matter the final tally, the result is expected to shift the Republican agenda to the right.

That means little chance of compromise or bipartisan approaches on major issues, observers warn.

Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist who worked for the last Republican House speaker, Dennis Hastert, put it bluntly: "It's been a hostile atmosphere, but it will be hostile on nitroglycerin."

Ohio Republican Rep. John Boehner is expected to be the new House speaker if the GOP wins control of the chamber. He already has signaled little appetite to negotiate with the White House or congressional Democrats, saying last week that "this is not a time for compromise."

Boehner and other conservatives say the top priorities must be spending cuts to try to balance the budget and job creation to spur the economy. However, they also advocate extending Bush-era tax cuts for everyone at a cost of $4 trillion over the next decade.

In the Senate, legislative gridlock is likely if Republicans strengthen their current minority of 41 seats. Obama and Democrats accuse Senate Republicans of using obstruction tactics as a political tool, showing the distrust and animosity that already exists.

Democrats are also wary of a recent comment by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who told the National Journal, "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."

The first test of a new relationship will come in mid-November when Congress convenes a post-election lame-duck session to try to clear unfinished legislation before the newly elected Congress convenes in January. Among other issues, lawmakers must decide whether and how to extend Bush-era tax cuts.

Voters on Tuesday also will decide governors' races in 37 of the 50 states, with the outcome potentially having an influence on redistricting based on the results of the 2010 census.

Every 10 years, the states redraw House district lines to reflect population shifts. Some states gain more House seats due to population growth, while others lose seats due to declines.

In most cases, state legislatures draw the lines, and governors have the power to approve or veto the maps. Governors also can influence whether any loss or gain of seats in their state involves districts represented by Republicans or Democrats.

The list of states that will gain or lose seats is released in December. However, Election Data Services issued estimates based on preliminary census figures that indicated Texas will gain four seats; Florida will gain two; and Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Washington will each gain one. The estimates also indicate Ohio and New York will lose two seats, and Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania will each lose one.

(source:cnn.com)

Things to watch on Election Day

Against the backdrop of a bitterly divided Congress and an angry and frustrated electorate, the most expensive midterm election in history finally comes to a climax Tuesday as America votes on 37 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

Here are five things to watch as the day plays out:

218 is the number: Republicans need a net gain of 39 seats to reach the 218-seat majority needed to control the House. While most experts believe they'll win control of the chamber, it remains to be seen how big a margin they might have when the new Congress is sworn in next year.

What happens if GOP wins control of the House?

Republicans are also expected to make gains in the Senate but come up short of the 10 seats they need to win control there.

What's at stake in the Senate

If Republicans gain control of the House, look for them to take steps to try to roll back portions of health care reform; extend the Bush-era tax cuts, if the current Congress doesn't when it returns after the election; write legislation for targeted tax credits for small businesses, which they believe will spur job growth; and trim the federal budget by as much as $150 billion.

But without control of the Senate, they'll need Democrats there to vote with them to get bills passed. And then they'll need the signature of President Obama, who opposes at least parts of that agenda.

CNN pundits predict the 2010 vote

Turning out the vote: Polls show Republicans more energized than Democrats, which suggests a higher turnout of GOP voters. While Americans aren't happy with either party, they tend to vote against the one in power.Obama has drawn large crowds lately in a series of rallies at college campuses to try to energize young voters, a key segment that helped elect him two years ago. The question is whether they'll come out to vote on Tuesday.

Midterm election at a glance

The year of the outsider: With so much frustration focused on Washington, incumbents began to fall in the primaries, and that wave is expected to continue Tuesday.

The insurgent Tea Party has had a major influence on the Republican Party and has some Democrats in close races distancing themselves from Obama and Democratic leaders in an effort to save their political careers.

While the number of winning "outsider" candidates will be determined Tuesday, the larger question won't be addressed until January, when the new Congress takes their seats: Will their influence in the House and Senate change Washington and will it further polarize it? Most analysts say an insurgent voting bloc will create an even more partisan Congress.

And how frustrated will voters be by the next time they get to select their legislative leaders?

What the Twitterverse is saying about the election

Speaking of 2012... The next presidential race begins with these midterms -- although if you live in an early-voting or key battleground state, you would have sworn that it's been going on for months, based on the number of visits by potential Republican candidates.

The early favorite among those who seek to unseat Obama will be the person who can make political capital out of the chits he or she has collected through endorsements and fundraising for winning House and Senate candidates.

2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has gotten much attention for endorsing Tea Party candidates in a number of high-profile races. But South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint has emerged as a GOP kingmaker, with a string of underdog candidates whom he backed winning unlikely victories.

Palin is already looked on by the party establishment as unelectable, because she's a polarizing figure outside of the party's conservative base. But DeMint could take the blame if the GOP fails to win the Senate.

DeMint's candidates -- most notably Delaware's Christine O'Donnell -- beat establishment-backed Republicans in primaries, but are expected to have a tougher time in the general election.

When might we know the outcome? Several key races in the eastern half of the country could give a good indication of how the House will go. But with key Senate races in states out west -- including Alaska, where the polls don't close until 1 a.m. Eastern time -- some races won't be decided until Wednesday morning, if then. Alaska's Republican primary wasn't decided until incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski conceded a week after the vote, while absentee ballots were still being counted.

Now running as a write-in candidate, Murkowski is in a tight race with Tea Party-backed Joe Miller, who beat her in the primary, and Democrat Scott McAdams.

And remember, the last Senate race in 2008 wasn't decided until after an eight-month court battle gave the seat to Democrat Al Franken.

(source:cnn.com)

Rs150-crore security system to keep watch on Obama

world’s most sophisticated surveillance system will be used for the security of US president Barack Obama when he visits Delhi.

The system, codenamed C4Eye, has been imported from Israel at a cost of approximately Rs150 crores. It had a bit of a rough run at the beginning — flopping on debut at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on October 3. This caused a flutter and angered Union home minister P Chidambaram. Later, the system did its job at all important venues during the Games.

The security apparatus has the capacity to ‘Command-Control-Communicate-Coordinate’ 36 surveillance cameras at the same time. These cameras can be installed at various places of strategic importance and can be monitored from control rooms at the Delhi police headquarters.

However, the Obama visit will be an acid test for the C4Eye system, since it has never been used during VVIP visits, let alone a US president.

The cameras have been installed in consultation with top American officials who have been taking care of the minutest security details of Obama’s trip. The US president’s security team has been on the job in Delhi for the past three months, leaving nothing in the hands of Delhi Police or other agencies.

More than 1,500 security personnel have been flown in from the US to be deployed during Obama’s visit to Mumbai and Delhi. This will be in addition to thousands of security personnel from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces who will provide peripheral, traffic and other security arrangements.

US securitymen will take over Taj Hotel in Mumbai a week before Obama lands there. They will be at the ITC Maurya Sheraton from November 2. Obama’s staff will bring food items and chefs from the US to make sure everything is fool-proof.

An officer connected with Obama’s security said it’s now part of the US president’s travel mandate that everything is brought in special jets wherever he travels in the world. Obama’s contingent will be largest ever and will fill up only Maurya but neighbouring Taj too. The president will travel in Air Force One. His contingent, comprising US businessmen and officials, will come in two jumbo jets.

Plus, there will be four cargo planes and two security jets. The president will travel in cars specially flown from the US and specially-designed keeping his security needs in mind. When Obama is in Mumbai, ships and vessels from the Indian Navy, the US Navy and the Coast Guard will patrol up to 330km of the seashore to prevent any attack.

(source:dnaindia.com)

Obama visit: India, US to partner in Africa anti-poverty drive

Next week president of United States Barack Obama sits down for talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh next week, India and the US will look to joining hands in spurring a green revolution and health uplift in Africa - a partnership that has the potential to counter China's growing clout in the oil-rich continent.

"India and the US will explore the principles and parameters of jointly working together in Africa," a senior Indian official told IANS, adding that collaborating in Africa figured prominently in recent high-level discussions between the two sides.

"The US appreciates the Indian experience of working in Africa in human resource development and food security. The US too has vital stakes in these areas," said the official.

Obama is expected to flag off these areas of cooperation during his address to top corporate honchos in Mumbai Nov 6 and later when he meets Manmohan Singh for official talks in New Delhi Nov 8.

Africa will also figure in the discussions when the two leaders will discuss maritime security and piracy, part of a larger collaboration on counter-terrorism.

The key areas of collaboration that are being discussed include pooling together resources and research to spawn a second green revolution and developing a coordinated strategy for combating HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, said officials.

The two sides also plan to collaborate in the development of non-conventional sources of energy such as solar and wind energy and sharing their experience in e-learning and the India-aided Pan Africa e-network that brings the benefits of tele-education and tele-medicine to Africans.

Poverty eradication in Africa is high on the global agenda of Obama, the first African American president of the US who was born to a Kenyan father. In his whirlwind visit to African countries last year, Obama described himself as having "Africa in his blood" as he spoke of the possibilities of the continent's emancipation from the scourge of poverty and disease.

With his deep admiration for Mahatma Gandhi and for India's experience in poverty reduction, Obama is open to constructive partnerships with likeminded countries like India in this area, said a US official.

Although the two sides officially deny competition with China as a motive animating their partnership, R.K. Bhatia, India's former high commissioner to South Africa, said the Americans often voiced apprehensions about Beijing's activities in Africa during his interactions with US envoys posted in African capitals.

"They definitely will be talking about how the two large democracies can spread the arc of democracy and economic growth," Bhatia told IANS.

Against the backdrop of the surging Chinese influence in Africa, the US and some of the Western powers find themselves drawn to the cost-effective and transformational model of India's engagement with Africa that hinges on trade, technology transfer, human resource development and lines of credit for African-owned infrastructure projects.

On the other hand, China's $108-billion bilateral trade, billions of dollars in aid, the practice of befriending dictatorial regimes and its focus on extractive resources have aroused much concern in key Western capitals.

It's not the US alone but its key ally Japan also held a maiden dialogue with India early in October on exploring cooperation in Africa. The Indian side was led by Gurjit Singh, joint secretary in charge of west and south Africa. The dialogue focused on sharing experiences of working in Africa, specially in areas of developmental cooperation, an official said. 

(source:indiatimes.com)

Obama hits Northeast, Midwest to stem GOP tide

CHICAGO — On his final campaign swing through four states in the Northeast and Midwest before Tuesday's midterm elections, President Barack Obama is asking Democratic voters to go to the polls and help stem an expected Republican tide.

"Chicago, it's up to you to let them know that we have not forgotten, we don't have amnesia," the president told a large outdoor crowd late Saturday near his home, referring to the economic recession that hit during George W. Bush's presidency. He said the election is a choice between the policies that caused the problems and policies that will lead the country to better times.

All four stops are in states Obama carried in 2008 — Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois and Ohio — and where Democrats are struggling this year. He is to headline a final rally Sunday in Cleveland before returning to Washington for Halloween with his family and other children invited to the White House.

Obama acknowledged the difficulties Democrats face — the distinct chance of losing their comfortable majority in the House and possibly the Senate, as well as several governors' seats.

"There's no doubt this is a tough election," he said Saturday during a campaign stop in Philadelphia, "because we have been through an incredibly difficult time as a nation."

Unless Democratic voters turn out in big numbers, Obama said, all the progress made in the past two years "can be rolled back." Obama urged Democrats to "defy the conventional wisdom" that foresees huge GOP wins.

The Democratic National Committee put an ad featuring Obama on the air this weekend that warned of record cuts in education and rollbacks in financial accountability if Republicans take control of Congress.

In his appearances Saturday, Obama did not mention the thwarted mail bomb plot or the arrest in Yemen of a woman suspected of sending two mail bombs.

He focused on the fast-approaching elections.

In many races, vast numbers of the electorate had already made their choices. In Ohio, where Democrats could lose as many as six House seats, more than 721,000 votes had been cast. California officials already had in hand almost 2.5 million ballots, and Florida officials had almost 1.7 million.

Both parties worked vigorously to bank supporters' votes early. In all, more than 13.5 million votes had been cast early, either at ballot boxes that opened early or by mail. Four years ago, during the last non-presidential election, some 19 million voters cast ballots before Election Day.

Candidates were everywhere on Saturday, making last-weekend pitches for support.

Party stars were out in force, too.

Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, campaigned for Republican Senate candidate John Raese at a big rally in Charleston, W.Va. Palin said the state's Democratic governor, Joe Manchin, is a good fit in that job — so voters should keep him there rather than elect him senator over Raese.

Former President Bill Clinton, campaigning for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland's re-election, called the Republican pledge "a joke." He said, "Their deal sounds good but it doesn't work. ... Our ideas work better than theirs."

Later in Canton, Ohio, as Clinton was speaking at a rally, Ohio Rep. John Boccieri ran offstage after receiving word that his pregnant wife had gone into labor.

"The baby is now being born!" Clinton announced as the crowd erupted with cheers. "We got another Democrat."

(source:ajc.com)

Obama gets his 'Daily Show' moment of zen

WASHINGTON — President Obama stayed mostly serious during Wednesday's appearance on The Daily Show, defending his record as the host Jon Stewart poked him about the promises of "change" he made during the 2008 campaign.

Less than a week before Tuesday's elections, Obama said his team prevented an economic depression, revived private sector job growth and passed a historic health care plan. "We have done an awful lot that we talked about in the campaign, and we are going to do more," Obama said.

At one point, Stewart said Obama ran for the presidency with "audacity," but some of his legislation felt "timid." Obama somewhat testily replied, "Jon, I love your show, but this is something where I have a profound disagreement with you ... this notion that health care was timid."

When Obama said his administration has done things people don't know about, Stewart said: "What have you done that people don't know about? Are you planning a surprise party for us?"

Discussing complaints by supporters, Obama said his actions are discounted because the "assumption is we didn't get 100% of what we wanted, we only get 90% of what we wanted, so let's focus on the 10% we didn't get."

The interview took place in a playhouse in downtown Washington about 10 blocks from the White House. Stewart, normally based in New York City, is broadcasting this week in Washington before hosting a "Rally to Restore Sanity" with fellow Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert here on Saturday.

"Obviously you've got a constituency of younger voters that watch that show, and it's a good place to go and reach them," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Naomi Seligman was in the audience with her fiancé, Andrew Gumbel. The couple from Santa Monica are getting married in Washington on Saturday.

Seligman said she thought the talk was "smooth and funny."

Obama's appearance was "a great vehicle for people who don't usually care about politics," she said. "The prism they know it through is Jon Stewart. ... This makes you feel like you're sitting with him having a beer."

(source:usatoday.com)