Lunch Break - Make Them Accountable and My Gay Boyfriend

Politics and Media Headlines 3/25/09
From Make Them Accountable.

Weird. At Press Conference Ebony Reporter Asks Obama About Tent Cities and Children Sleeping Under Bridges (Gateway Pundit, a right-wing blog)
This was strange. Obama did not call on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal or The Washington Post at his second press conference [Tuesday night]. He did call on Kevin Chappell from Ebony Magazine who asked a weird question about tent cities and children sleeping under bridges...It's not clear what country Kevin was talking about.
Maybe it's the country of California Chappell was talking about, Gateway (see below). How strange that a right winger wouldn't know that some Americans are living out of their cars and in tents. - Caro

And it was not such a strange question to ask, when it gave Obama the chance to show his compassionate side:
Obama "Heartbroken" Over Homelessness (Homelessness.Change.gov)
(Tuesday night), President Obama directly addressed the growing homelessness crisis during a prime time press conference, saying he's "heartbroken" that any child is without a roof over their heads. In a bold and noteworthy move, he also called for a shift in the national perception of homelessness and an overhaul of our embedded judgments and beliefs. Do I sense change in the air?

This is the graphic posted at the website,
so don't blame me for the overhype.-Caro

So if Congress refuses to help the poor, well, hey, they can take comfort knowing that their president is heartbroken about it:
Senate Dems propose cutting Obama budget by billions (CNN)
Hours before President Obama was to hold a prime time news conference-in part to boost his $3.6 trillion budget plan-a key Democratic senator Tuesday unveiled a scaled-down budget proposal. Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota said the Senate Budget Committee, which he chairs, will vote on his version Wednesday. "We've made hundreds of billions of dollars of changes to make this work to get down to the deficit goal and at the same time maintain the president's priorities - education and energy and health care," Conrad said as he left a closed meeting in the Capitol, where he briefed Senate Democratic colleagues on his plan.

Conrad and other centrist Democratic senators - whose support is critical to passing the legislation - have raised concerns about the long-term impact of the president's spending plan on the deficit.
Tell me again why it was supposed to be a GOOD thing that Obama attracted votes from the right?-Caro

And oh, pooh, we can't afford to leave Iraq, either:
Iraq Withdrawal Will Be a A Massive and Expensive' Effort, GAO Says (Washington Post)
The removal of about 140,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011 will be a "massive and expensive effort" that is likely to increase rather than lower Iraq-related expenditures during the withdrawal and for several years after its completion, government investigators said in a report released yesterday. "Although reducing troops would appear to lower costs," the Government Accountability Office said, withdrawals from previous conflicts have shown that costs more often rise in the near term. The price of equipment repairs and replacements, along with closing or turning over 283 U.S. military installations in Iraq, "will likely be significant," the GAO reported.

Obama to critics: I'll bend, but not break (AP)
With Congress pushing back against his proposals for energy, taxes and other matters, President Barack Obama is taking a bend-but-don't-break posture.

Obama to answer questions on the Web tomorrow (AP)
President Barack Obama is planning an online town hall-style meeting on the White House's Web site this Thursday.

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Music: Post modern bubble gum pop. I find this video utterly charming.