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| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| Obama diary: The first 100 days | Obama diary: The first 100 days |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Barack Obama was elected on a message of change. Now he is in office, change is expected both in foreign and domestic policy. Here the BBC's team in Washington tracks developments in the first 100 days of the Obama presidency. | Barack Obama was elected on a message of change. Now he is in office, change is expected both in foreign and domestic policy. Here the BBC's team in Washington tracks developments in the first 100 days of the Obama presidency. |
| TUESDAY 10 FEBRUARY - DAY 22 | |
| 0245 EST What about Iran? | 0245 EST What about Iran? |
| Kim Ghattas: In the dying days of the Bush administration, the question was "should we engage Iran?". Under Obama it has become "how do we do it and when?" | Kim Ghattas: In the dying days of the Bush administration, the question was "should we engage Iran?". Under Obama it has become "how do we do it and when?" |
| For a few weeks now, people in Washington and probably in Tehran have been waiting for Obama to announce he is appointing someone to handle the Iran portfolio. | For a few weeks now, people in Washington and probably in Tehran have been waiting for Obama to announce he is appointing someone to handle the Iran portfolio. |
| The man for the job is apparently Dennis Ross, a former US envoy to the Middle East. It has yet to be officially announced but sources at the state department tell me it is a done deal, it's just a question of timing. | The man for the job is apparently Dennis Ross, a former US envoy to the Middle East. It has yet to be officially announced but sources at the state department tell me it is a done deal, it's just a question of timing. |
| Maybe, maybe not. The delay underscores how vexing the Iran file is for the US. | Maybe, maybe not. The delay underscores how vexing the Iran file is for the US. |
| How indeed do you engage a country with which you have had no diplomatic ties since 1980? Act now and risk empowering President Ahmadinejad before the Iranian elections, as he claims steadfastness eventually brought America around? | How indeed do you engage a country with which you have had no diplomatic ties since 1980? Act now and risk empowering President Ahmadinejad before the Iranian elections, as he claims steadfastness eventually brought America around? |
| Or wait and hope that the more moderate Khatami will be the interlocutor? | Or wait and hope that the more moderate Khatami will be the interlocutor? |
| Observers in Washington say Ross is a smart pick if Obama is planning something far-reaching - his credentials will help do away with any claims that the president's efforts to engage are naive. | Observers in Washington say Ross is a smart pick if Obama is planning something far-reaching - his credentials will help do away with any claims that the president's efforts to engage are naive. |
| MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY - DAY 21 | |
| 2130 EST, Washington | 2130 EST, Washington |
| Kevin Connolly: Mr Obama's lightning trip to Elkhart County, Indiana, provided him with food for thought, and material for his prime-time televised news conference - throwing the glare of the global spotlight on a troubled place with an unemployment rate double the US average at 15.3%. | |
| The president noted that local TV there now carries announcements giving the locations of food banks - even though the food banks are struggling to meet demand. | The president noted that local TV there now carries announcements giving the locations of food banks - even though the food banks are struggling to meet demand. |
| But Elkhart - home of the American RV (mobile home) industry - provided an illustration of one of the nuts and bolts problems underpinning the recession. | But Elkhart - home of the American RV (mobile home) industry - provided an illustration of one of the nuts and bolts problems underpinning the recession. |
| Customers who want to buy RVs cannot get a loan even if their credit is good. | Customers who want to buy RVs cannot get a loan even if their credit is good. |
| Even the most solid companies in the industry cannot get money from their banks. The financial institutions - who caused most of these problems - are compounding them by refusing to start lending again. | Even the most solid companies in the industry cannot get money from their banks. The financial institutions - who caused most of these problems - are compounding them by refusing to start lending again. |
| Mr Obama promised we would hear the government's plans for dealing with that from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday. | |
| It is going to be complicated, and it will not be as dramatic as the legislative mud-wrestling up on Capitol Hill - but it could be one of the most important announcements of the year. | It is going to be complicated, and it will not be as dramatic as the legislative mud-wrestling up on Capitol Hill - but it could be one of the most important announcements of the year. |
| 1945 EST White House | 1945 EST White House |
| Adam Brookes: A packed East Room. Under chandeliers, the White House press corps is excited, even raucous. The atmosphere belies the seriousness of the topics. Mr Obama will address the need to pump life into the world's largest economy, and the difficulty of building consensus in Washington. | Adam Brookes: A packed East Room. Under chandeliers, the White House press corps is excited, even raucous. The atmosphere belies the seriousness of the topics. Mr Obama will address the need to pump life into the world's largest economy, and the difficulty of building consensus in Washington. |
| 1530 EST Leaving Elkhart, Indiana | 1530 EST Leaving Elkhart, Indiana |
| Adi Raval: "I've got to go back to Washington to convince everybody to get moving on this package," said President Obama as he left the stage in Elkhart, Indiana, for the short flight home. | Adi Raval: "I've got to go back to Washington to convince everybody to get moving on this package," said President Obama as he left the stage in Elkhart, Indiana, for the short flight home. |
| But did he convince the roughly 2,500 people who gathered to hear his remarks? It depends who you ask. | But did he convince the roughly 2,500 people who gathered to hear his remarks? It depends who you ask. |
| For Rob White, life-long resident of Elkhart, the president did a good job of making a bridge between Democrats and Republicans. But asked whether the stimulus package would provide the kind of economic activity needed, Mr White said the key point "was to find new industries" for this area, which is heavily dependent upon the manufacture of motor home vehicles. | For Rob White, life-long resident of Elkhart, the president did a good job of making a bridge between Democrats and Republicans. But asked whether the stimulus package would provide the kind of economic activity needed, Mr White said the key point "was to find new industries" for this area, which is heavily dependent upon the manufacture of motor home vehicles. |
| Curtis Graham was just the kind of the person the White House was trying to convince. Graham, a 45-year-old unemployed motor home salesman, came away impressed with the president's oratory skills but wished Mr Obama had spent more time discussing protection of American jobs. "I know it's a global economy, but let's put American jobs first," he said. | Curtis Graham was just the kind of the person the White House was trying to convince. Graham, a 45-year-old unemployed motor home salesman, came away impressed with the president's oratory skills but wished Mr Obama had spent more time discussing protection of American jobs. "I know it's a global economy, but let's put American jobs first," he said. |
| Mr Obama will continue taking his message directly to the people tomorrow in Fort Myers, Florida, another financially hard-stricken area of the country. And later in the week, he will pay a visit to a construction company in Illinois. | |
| 1330 EST Indiana town hall meeting | 1330 EST Indiana town hall meeting |
| Richard Lister: President Obama is back on the campaign trail trying to re-build public momentum for the stimulus package after a week dominated by Republican criticisms of it. | Richard Lister: President Obama is back on the campaign trail trying to re-build public momentum for the stimulus package after a week dominated by Republican criticisms of it. |
| There was no talk today of "changing the tone" in Washington, or reaching out to Republicans - quite the opposite in fact. He again lambasted the "failed ideas" which he said created the current crisis. | There was no talk today of "changing the tone" in Washington, or reaching out to Republicans - quite the opposite in fact. He again lambasted the "failed ideas" which he said created the current crisis. |
| He made clear that the audience hadn't been screened and he would take any questions - something that was potentially risky in the county with the highest unemployment rate in America. In the end, he took eight questions - and none of them directly criticised the stimulus bill. | He made clear that the audience hadn't been screened and he would take any questions - something that was potentially risky in the county with the highest unemployment rate in America. In the end, he took eight questions - and none of them directly criticised the stimulus bill. |
| The president said little that was new, but round one of this week's PR battle was his. He was able to use the event to send a message to his Congressional opponents: I won the election, I have the country behind me - get over it. | The president said little that was new, but round one of this week's PR battle was his. He was able to use the event to send a message to his Congressional opponents: I won the election, I have the country behind me - get over it. |
| He also hinted that the Congressional battle was not over - despite having won sufficient Republican support to get this bill through. | He also hinted that the Congressional battle was not over - despite having won sufficient Republican support to get this bill through. |
| He made clear he didn't like the education cuts in the bill that brought those Republican Senators on board, and would fight to get them back in before the final bill comes to his desk. | He made clear he didn't like the education cuts in the bill that brought those Republican Senators on board, and would fight to get them back in before the final bill comes to his desk. |
| 1200 EST Reality behind the rhetoric | 1200 EST Reality behind the rhetoric |
| Kevin Connolly: A quick thought on language. American politicians and the media have settled into the habit of referring to the various economic plans being considered on Capitol Hill as "stimulus programs". | Kevin Connolly: A quick thought on language. American politicians and the media have settled into the habit of referring to the various economic plans being considered on Capitol Hill as "stimulus programs". |
| The White House, sensing that Americans are wearying of all the gloomy talk of recession, prefers to speak of "reinvestment and recovery packages". | The White House, sensing that Americans are wearying of all the gloomy talk of recession, prefers to speak of "reinvestment and recovery packages". |
| It's worth bearing in mind that what they're all talking about are all really variations on a conventional scheme - borrowing large amounts of money to increase government spending - both directly and in subsidies to the private sector. | It's worth bearing in mind that what they're all talking about are all really variations on a conventional scheme - borrowing large amounts of money to increase government spending - both directly and in subsidies to the private sector. |
| That borrowing is being undertaken by a country with a growing budget deficit and a colossal national debt. That's not to say the strategy won't work - merely a reminder of the stark reality behind the political rhetoric. | That borrowing is being undertaken by a country with a growing budget deficit and a colossal national debt. That's not to say the strategy won't work - merely a reminder of the stark reality behind the political rhetoric. |
| These are desperate times in America, and they're certainly getting desperate measures. | These are desperate times in America, and they're certainly getting desperate measures. |
| 1200 EST Obama on the road | 1200 EST Obama on the road |
| Adi Raval: I'm here in Elkhart, Indiana where President Obama is holding a "campaign style" town hall meeting with residents to try to sell his fiscal stimulus package. The pressure is clearly on the White House to help the likely Senate version marry up with the House version. | Adi Raval: I'm here in Elkhart, Indiana where President Obama is holding a "campaign style" town hall meeting with residents to try to sell his fiscal stimulus package. The pressure is clearly on the White House to help the likely Senate version marry up with the House version. |
| So Mr Obama will hold two other events just like this one in economically hard-hit areas of America. | So Mr Obama will hold two other events just like this one in economically hard-hit areas of America. |
| Elkhart has an unemployment rate above 15%. Some people waiting outside told me they want to hear exactly how the package will lead to more jobs in this area. | Elkhart has an unemployment rate above 15%. Some people waiting outside told me they want to hear exactly how the package will lead to more jobs in this area. |
| Tom Kavanagh, who runs Job Works, an organisation that helps the unemployed, gives the president "much credit for coming to a typically Republican area" but what he is concerned about is how long the stimulus package will take to create jobs. | Tom Kavanagh, who runs Job Works, an organisation that helps the unemployed, gives the president "much credit for coming to a typically Republican area" but what he is concerned about is how long the stimulus package will take to create jobs. |
| Some Republicans have organised a small demonstration outside the event and are holding cardboard cut-out signs of pigs, with the slogan "Take out the pork of the stimulus" - referring to wasteful spending. | |
| Census workers were shouting to anyone who could hear that jobs are available for the census for this year. But alas, those jobs would be temporary. | Census workers were shouting to anyone who could hear that jobs are available for the census for this year. But alas, those jobs would be temporary. |
| 1100 EST A weekend retreat | 1100 EST A weekend retreat |
| Rajini Vaidyanathan: After a succession of weekends in Washington DC, the Obama family has finally taken a weekend break post-inauguration. The family spent Saturday night at the famous Camp David presidential retreat, in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. | Rajini Vaidyanathan: After a succession of weekends in Washington DC, the Obama family has finally taken a weekend break post-inauguration. The family spent Saturday night at the famous Camp David presidential retreat, in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. |
| President Obama told reporters that the trip, which he took with his wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, was "beautiful". | President Obama told reporters that the trip, which he took with his wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, was "beautiful". |
| He said: "The girls just had a great time. They had a lot of fun... You can see during the summer it's going to be a nice place to spend a lot of time." | He said: "The girls just had a great time. They had a lot of fun... You can see during the summer it's going to be a nice place to spend a lot of time." |
| The president took his mind off the current economic crisis by hitting a few golf balls and indulging in his favourite sport, basketball. Camp David has been a getaway for presidents for more than half a century. | The president took his mind off the current economic crisis by hitting a few golf balls and indulging in his favourite sport, basketball. Camp David has been a getaway for presidents for more than half a century. |
| Obama diary: Days 1-10 | Obama diary: Days 1-10 |
| Obama diary: Days 11-20 | |
| Obama diary: Contributors |