Wild World Of Politics: December 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

Statement by President Barack Obama on Removal of HEU from Ukraine

Release Time:

For Immediate Release

“I congratulate President Yanukovych on the recent shipment of highly enriched uranium from Ukraine for secure disposal in Russia, which advances a top priority for my administration and for global security. This action brings us all one step closer to securing all vulnerable nuclear materials, as President Yanukovych and I and 45 other world leaders pledged to do this April at the Nuclear Security Summit. The low enriched uranium and nuclear safety equipment provided to Ukraine in connection with this shipment will support Ukraine’s development of safe and secure nuclear energy. These actions represent continued Ukrainian leadership in making sure that nuclear weapons never fall into the hands of a terrorist, and working toward a world without nuclear weapons.”

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Patricia Murphy on ABC News: 2010 Elections Trends Favor Republicans

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President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 12/22/10

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For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

Agnes Gund, Member, National Council on the Arts

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint John Casteen as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. His biography is below.

President Obama said, “I am confident these talented individuals will serve the American people ably in their new roles. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:
Agnes Gund, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Arts
Agnes Gund is president emeritus of the Museum of Modern Art and chairman of its International Council. She is also chairman of the MoMA P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center. Ms. Gund joined MoMA’s Board in 1976 and served as president from 1991 until 2002. A philanthropist and collector of modern and contemporary art, she is chairman of the Mayor’s Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission of New York City, and currently serves on the boards of Chess in the Schools, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, The Frick Collection, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and Socrates Sculpture Park, among others. Ms. Gund is the founder and a trustee of the Studio in a School Association, a nonprofit organization she established in 1977 in response to budget cuts that substantially reduced arts classes in New York City public schools. She earned a B.A. in History from Connecticut College and an M.A. in Art History from Harvard University.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:
John Casteen, Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
John Casteen is president emeritus of the University of Virginia and also University Professor and professor of English. He was president from 1990 through 2010, and held the same position in the University of Connecticut from 1985 through 1990. He was previously an English professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Admissions Dean and English professor at the University of Virginia, and Virginia’s Secretary of Education under Governor Charles S. Robb, from 1982 until 1985. He has chaired the College Entrance Examination Board, the Association of American Universities, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the International Universities’ Consortium known as U-21. He won the Gold Medal of the National Institute of Social Sciences in 1998, and he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Casteen holds a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in English, all from the University of Virginia.

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Blue Dog Coalition to Face Post-Election Shake-up

The Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democratic House members is likely to face a major upheaval after the election. That?s because the drubbing that Democrats might receive should send some Blue Dogs back home, Roll Call reports. In addition, one of the group?s main founders, Rep. John Tanner of Tennessee, is retiring.
?We don?t know what the leadership positions will be like, because we don?t know the outcome of the election,? says Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., a senior blue dog who said the group may well lose half of its 54 members in a Republican blowout.
With Tanner out, Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida may be elevated to a leadership role. The blue dogs respect him for his policy and fundraising skills. And he?s close to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who consistently has sought good relations with the group. Moderate Democrats formed the coalition after Republicans seized control of Congress in the 1994 elections.

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Weekly Pulse: Judge Rules Against Health Reform, Takes Cash from Opponents

by Lindsay Beyerstein, Media Consortium blogger
The Virginia federal judge who ruled against a key component of health care reform on Monday has ties to a Republican consulting firm. Judge Henry Hudson is a co-owner of Campaign Solutions, as Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! reports.
Hudson, a President George W. Bush appointee, has earned as much as $108,000 in royalties from Campaign Solutions since 2003. A cached version of the firm’s client roster lists such vocal opponents of health reform as Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jim DeMint (R-SC), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), the Republican National Committee and the American Medical Association.
In November, Collins and Snowe joined McConnell in signing an amicus brief to challenge the constitutionality of health care reform in a separate suit in Florida. Campaign finance records show that Campaign Solutions has also worked for Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who is spearheading the lawsuit. Tiahrt added an amicus brief to Cuccinelli’s lawsuit.
Today, the mandate. Tomorrow, the regulatory state?
Hudson ruled that the individual mandate of health care reform is unconstitutional. The mandate stipulates that, after 2014, everyone who doesn’t already have health insurance will have to buy some or pay a small fine. The judge argues that this requirement exceeds the federal government’s power to regulate interstate commerce.
The Commerce Clause gives the federal government the power to regulate commerce between the states and international trade. Suzy Khimm of Mother Jones explains that this clause underpins the power of the federal government to regulate the economy in any way:

But the issues at stake in Cuccinelli v. Sebelius (Ken Cuccinelli is the conservative attorney general of Virginia; Katherine Sebelius is President Barack Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, or HHS) are actually far broader. Hudson’s ruling doesn’t just show how the Supreme Court could gut the health law—it shows how the court could neuter the entire federal government.

Is it constitutional?
Chris Hayes of The Nation interviews Prof. Gillian Metzger, a constitutional law scholar at Columbia University, about the merits of challenges to the constitutionality of health care reform. According to Metzger, “the argument that [the mandate] is outside the commerce power is also pretty specious given the existing precedent.”
Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly accuses Judge Hudson of committing an “inexplicable error” in legal reasoning. There is a longstanding precedent that the federal government can regulate economic activity under the Commerce Clause. Hudson acknowledges this, but he maintains that this power doesn’t cover regulations of “economic inactivity” (i.e. not buying health insurance). As Benen notes, people who don’t buy insurance aren’t opting out of the market, they’re opting to let society absorb their future medical costs. Everyone who does buy insurance pays more because freeloaders coast without insurance and hope for the best.
Luckily for the Obama administration, the judge did not bar the implementation of health reform while the case works its way through the courts. The Supreme Court will ultimately hear this case. In the meantime, the federal government can continue building the infrastructure that will eventually support health care reform.
This is the third time a federal judge has ruled on the constitutionality of health care reforms and the first victory for the anti-reform contingent.
Mandatory mandate
Paul Waldman reminds TAPPED readers why the mandate is critical to any health care reform based on private insurance. With a single-payer system, you don’t need a mandate because everyone is automatically covered. A mandate only comes into play when you have to force people to buy insurance.
Without a mandate, healthy risk-takers who don’t buy insurance will starve the system of premiums while they are well and bleed the system for benefits when they get sick. Meanwhile, people who already know they’re sick will sign up in droves, and the Affordable Care Act will force insurers to accept them. Without a mandate, the private health insurance industry would collapse and take health care reform down with it.
Is expanding Medicare the answer?
Matthew Rothschild of the Progressive argues that the legal headaches over the individual mandate illustrate why it would have been legally and procedurally easier to achieve universal health care by simply expanding Medicare to cover everyone.
At Truthout, Thom Hartmann argues universal health insurance in the form of “Medicare Part E” would spur economic growth and innovation because entrepreneurs could start businesses without worrying about how to provide health insurance for their employees.
Meanwhile, Brie Cadman reports at Change.Org, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is trying to defund health care reform by cutting funds for preventive health care. Coburn is urging his fellow Republicans to vote against a House-passed measure that would allocate $750 million for the 2011 Prevention and Public Health Fund. Cadman notes the irony of a medical doctor like Coburn, who also claims to be a fiscal conservative, trying to scuttle funds to control preventable diseases which would otherwise cost society billions of dollars a year.
This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about health care by members of The Media Consortium. It is free to reprint. Visit the Pulse for a complete list of articles on health care reform, or follow us on Twitter. And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy, environment, health care and immigration issues, check out The Audit, The Mulch, and The Diaspora. This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of leading independent media outlets.

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Readout of the President's Call with First Vice President of Sudan Salva Kiir

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Earlier this afternoon, President Obama called First Vice President of Sudan, Salva Kiir to discuss the status of peace negotiations and underscore the United States’ commitment to a peaceful and on-time referendum on Southern Sudanese self-determination that is just 16 days away. The President underscored the importance of Vice President Kiir’s leadership during this volatile time period in Sudan’s history and urged Kiir to engage seriously with the National Congress Party in the coming days to resolve the outstanding issues related to Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) implementation and take actions to prevent outbreaks of violence. The two agreed to continue the dialogue on the United States and the future of Southern Sudan.

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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Statement by the Press Secretary, 12/29/2010

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For Immediate Release

On Wednesday, December 29, 2010, the President signed into law:

H.R. 6398, which provides for permanent Federal deposit insurance coverage for Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts, the interest earned on which is used by States to support legal aid for low-income individuals;

H.R. 6517, the “Omnibus Trade Act of 2010,” which extends the Andean Trade Preference Act Trade Adjustment Assistance;

S. 3386, the “Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act,” which protects online consumers from unfair and deceptive sales tactics on the Internet by: (1) requiring companies that offer goods or services on other companies' websites to meet certain requirements before charging consumers' financial accounts; (2) prohibiting companies from transferring their customers' billing information to companies that are offering goods or services on their websites; and (3) requiring companies that use "negative options" (i.e., require consumers to take an affirmative action to reject goods or services) to meet certain minimum requirements; and

S. 4058, “Helping Heroes Keep Their Homes Act of 2010,” which extends enhanced protections for service members relating to mortgages and mortgage foreclosures through December 31, 2012.

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Franklin Graham: Palin's Compassion Touched Haitians' Hearts

Franklin Graham told Newsmax the following:
Sarah Palin?s visit to the earthquake-ravaged Haiti showed she is not ?afraid to get her hands dirty,? says the Rev. Franklin Graham. The former Alaska governor is a ?woman of strong principle and no question she has a strong faith in God,? the son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham said during a Newsmax.TV interview in which he discussed his hosting her Haitian visit.

?I showed her what Samaritan?s Purse has done? to alleviate the suffering from the killer earthquake and a hurricane this year, said Graham, president of the international relief organization. ?We have built over 10,000 shelters for people to live in. We have set up entire communities across the Port-au-Prince area, but more importantly there is a cholera epidemic now and this cholera epidemic was understated . . . This could be a huge, huge problem. We have already 2,000 people dead.?

Graham, who said he has worked with Palin on a number of projects in Alaska, invited her to Haiti to view the relief efforts. Accompanying her on the tour last weekend were her husband, Todd, and daughter Bristol.

The former GOP vice-presidential candidate ?has tremendous compassion for people, she loves people, and she cares deeply about people,? Graham said.

?She was an encouragement not only to the staff and to the relief workers (but) even to the Haitian people who didn?t know her,? Graham said.

?She came in with her smile. She would sit on the cots. Now, you have to understand a cholera clinic, these cots have been soaked in urine, and fecal matter, and vomit. Cholera is a horrible thing, and she just sat right there in the middle of it, holding peoples? hands, talking to people, holding babies, it was an amazing thing. She?s quite a lady and not afraid to get her hands dirty."

As for Graham?s appraisal of Palin, he said: ?When you read her book ?Going Rogue,? she gives a testimony on how she gave her life to God. And the last page of her book ?Going Rogue,? she mentions or says to the reader if you haven?t done what I?ve done, I encourage you to do it. And she invites a person to invite God into their heart, their life. I?ve seen the governor on a number of occasions and no question her faith is a big part of her life ? that?s who she is. She?s a believer in Jesus Christ, a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, that?s just her makeup. It?s her DNA.?

Samaritan's Purse also needs medical personnel in Haiti over Christmas. Please pass along word of this need to anyone in the medical profession that you know.

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Statement by the President on the Inauguration of President Conde of Guinea

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For Immediate Release

On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the people of Guinea as they witness the inauguration of their first democratically elected President since becoming an independent state in 1958. Just over a year ago, the world’s attention was drawn to Guinea by horrifying atrocities and dangerous instability. Today, people all over the world are coming together to congratulate Guinea, and to express genuine admiration for the voters who steadfastly acted to support peace and democracy. They have set their country on a path for a more prosperous and stable future.

As the country begins its new democratic era, I extend congratulations to President Alpha Conde on his inauguration. I also express my appreciation for the way in which Cellou Dalein Diallo gracefully accepted the outcome of the election and spoke of the importance of a unified Guinea in moving forward. While the road ahead may be challenging, the United States looks forward to working with the incoming administration as it pursues an inclusive government that represents the people of Guinea, irrespective or ethnicity, religion, and gender; establishes a platform of economic development for all to realize the dividends of democracy; and works to enact critical reforms in the security sector.

The past year will remain a powerful example of how a country at such a pivotal moment can make a choice for a better future, and the responsibility of those in positions of authority to put the country first. As such, I also recognize and honor the leadership of Interim President General Sékouba Konaté who provided the necessary vision and support for Guinea’s historic transition.

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Jim DeMint's Support of Tea Party Candidates Could Boost His Senate Profile

When Marco Rubio embarked on his campaign for the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race in Florida, he had very little public support among Republican power brokers, who overwhelmingly backed Charlie Crist, Florida governor and odds-on favorite at the time.
Enter Jim DeMint.
The junior Republican senator from South Carolina, who has developed a reputation for bucking authority in the Capitol, met with Rubio, the former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, in Washington on May 12, 2009. DeMint liked what he heard enough to endorse Rubio a month later. Rubio now has a commanding lead in the polls over Democrat Kendrick Meek and independent Crist, who bolted the GOP when it became clear he would lose to Rubio in the primary.
Rubio is among candidates DeMint has backed in the midterm elections as part of a multimillion-dollar effort to push the Senate's Republican caucus to the right. Those candidates -- mostly associated with the Tea Party movement -- also could help DeMint consolidate a leadership role in the Senate, assuming some or all of them win.
DeMint's early support of the then-relatively unknown Rubio did not go unnoticed. Across the country, other outsider, conservative hopefuls approached DeMint, looking for help in their battles against the establishment.
"There was a line of candidates down the street who wanted to talk to him," said Matt Hoskins, a spokesman for DeMint's political action committee, the Senate Conservatives Fund.
In an effort to bring more like-minded conservatives to the Senate, DeMint endorsed and funded alternative candidates in Republican primaries throughout the country. His Senate Conservatives Fund is still supporting 10 of these candidates in their general election bids, and all but one, Delaware's Christine O'Donnell, are either leading in the polls or in very competitive races.
When the victors arrive in Washington in January -- and political analysts project four to nine of the DeMint picks will win -- they will bring with them a heightened level of influence and power for their benefactor within the Republican Party.
DeMint's goal throughout the election season has been to steer the Senate to the right. With his own re-election assured well before the Nov. 2 vote, DeMint focused his efforts on raising money for the types of conservatives he'd like to serve with in the Senate, especially those with an appetite for reigning in the federal budget. DeMint regularly found himself the only national Republican supporting certain candidates.
"He was the first one," said Owen Loftus, spokesman for Ken Buck, the Republican nominee for Senate in Colorado. "It wasn't until after the primary that others followed."
And DeMint has given more than his name to these candidates. Hoskins estimated that the Senate Conservatives Fund has spent more than $4 million so far on the 10 Senate candidates DeMint is backing.
In the process of nudging the Senate to the right, DeMint almost inevitably will provide a boost to his own influence within the chamber.
"DeMint is a faction leader now," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "He'll have some votes. When you have votes that you can potentially deliver, you have power."
Sabato and other Beltway experts foresee the formation of a small but outspoken Tea Party caucus within the Senate Republicans. The belief is that these new senators will regularly side with DeMint because of a shared view of the role of government and, perhaps, a sense of debt.
"They will come in with sort of a natural affinity in terms of their ideas," said Robert Oldendick, a professor of political science at the University of South Carolina. "Plus, given the role that DeMint is playing in each of their campaigns, there is some kind of, 'OK, I owe some chips to this guy.' So he has become the de facto leader of this."
Hoskins insisted that DeMint's support of these candidates comes with no strings attached. But he expressed optimism that an influx of DeMint-backed candidates could change the direction of the Republican caucus in the Senate.
"I think you're going to see maybe a little more fight from the Republican Party in terms of its principles," Hoskins said. "A lot of people just focus on the numbers but in the Senate sometimes you don't need to have 50 votes. You need three people willing to stand up and speak out on something. If you've got that you can begin to rally the American people and before long you have 50 votes."
Some observers question DeMint's motives in getting so involved in the midterm elections. They claim DeMint is angling to become the Republican leader in the Senate or even to run for president. But Hoskins said DeMint's sole goal is to pack with the Senate with fellow hard-right conservatives.
"He wants to support these candidates to strengthen the Senate," Hoskins said.

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Governor Palin Signs Books in Anchorage

Here's a photo gallery of the Governor signing books in Anchorage courtesy of the Anchorage Daily News.

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Weekly Pulse: Judge Rules Against Health Reform, Takes Cash from Opponents

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Governor Palin On The O'Reilly Factor

O/T As much as I hate doing this, someone has to do it, I'm going to do some begging here. We are nearly done with restoring the new site. We have responded to readers suggestions and made some changes accordingly. As we've noted the costs of setting up the new sites are running much higher than expected and the editors can only handle so much, today alone we had some unforeseen expenses. Many of you have contributed already and we really appreciate and thank you for your assistance. We are however way behind our target (which is a fraction of our expenses). We would really appreciate if people who haven't yet answered our call would help us out today by contributing here.Thank You!

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Court Rules that New Mexico is in Violation of Federal Voter Registration Law

Voting rights groups scored a major victory in their efforts to bring the State of New Mexico into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) when a judge ruled that the state Human Services Division is violating the NVRA through their policy of only offering the opportunity to register to vote to clients who explicitly request to do so.
Yesterday’s ruling was the result of a lawsuit brought by a coalition of voting rights groups against New Mexico’s Human Services Division (HSD) and Secretary of State Mary Herrera, which cited clear evidence that New Mexico public assistance offices are violating their federally mandated responsibility to offer tens of thousands of New Mexicans each year the opportunity to register to vote. The plaintiff is represented by voting rights groups Project Vote, D?mos, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), as well as by the law firm of DLA Piper U.S.
Section 7 of the NVRA requires that public assistance agencies give clients a voter registration application with every application for benefits, recertification, and change of address. New Mexico policy, however, has been to give voter registration application forms to only those clients who explicitly request them, a practice that plaintiff maintains is in violation of the NVRA.
Yesterday, United States District Judge Judith Herrera agreed and the court held that “Section 7 does not make the provision of a voter registration application contingent upon an affirmative request,” meaning that the State’s current policy is a violation of the law.
“This is a huge victory for NVRA enforcement, not just in New Mexico, but all across the country,” said Project Vote’s Director of Public Agency Voter Registration, Nicole Zeitler. “Agencies must give out a voter registration application form to everyone who applies for benefits, recertifies, or changes address. Federal law requires it, the Department of Justice has confirmed it, and now the federal courts are ordering it.”
The voting rights groups are hailing this as the first legal ruling on the issue of whether clients must “opt in” to be offered the opportunity to register to vote. “This should be a wake-up call to other states whose agencies are still refusing to give out voter registration applications unless the client specifically asks for it,” says Zeitler.
The voting rights advocates won on all fronts in yesterday’s ruling. Not only did the court grant plaintiff’s motion for partial summary judgment, but it also denied both HSD’s and the Secretary of State’s motions for summary judgment. In denying HSD’s motion, the court pointed to plaintiff’s allegations of years of widespread non-compliance, noting that “the Court cannot say as a matter of law that HSD has demonstrated that it has the tools in place to be compliant in the future without an injunction and Court monitoring.”
“The Court hit on the exact reasons why we brought this case in the first place,” says Robert Kengle, Acting Co-Director of the Lawyers’ Committee’s Voting Rights Project. “New Mexico’s public assistance offices have been out of compliance with the NVRA for years, and nothing short of comprehensive reform, ordered and monitored by the court, will repair the damage that has been done to the voting rights of low-income New Mexicans.”
In another important decision, the District Court rejected Secretary of State Herrera’s claim that her office is not responsible for ensuring compliance with the NVRA in New Mexico. Relying on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision in Harkless v. Brunner, an NVRA lawsuit filed by the same voting rights groups in Ohio, Judge Herrera agreed with the Sixth Circuit that “each state’s chief election official is responsible for NVRA state compliance,” and that therefore “Defendant Herrera has the obligation to prescribe the actions that the state, including HSD offices, must take to comply with Section 7.”

“Courts now have repeatedly confirmed that state election officials must take responsibility for ensuring that low-income voters receive the voter registration opportunities required by federal law,” said Demos’ Counsel Allegra Chapman. “This decision should encourage chief election officials throughout the country to examine agency practices on voter registration, and take corrective action when needed.”
The coalition of voting rights groups has been advocating for enforcement of the NVRA in several states, and settled a related claim against New Mexico’s Motor Vehicles Division in July of this year. Following the groups’ successful lawsuit in Missouri in 2008, voter registration applications submitted at the state’s public assistance offices skyrocketed from fewer than 8,000 a year to more than 130,000 a year. More than 200,000 clients have applied to become registered voters in Ohio after a similar lawsuit was settled in that state last year.
The groups estimate that proper implementation nationwide of the NVRA’s public assistance provisions could result in 2-3 million additional registrations per year.

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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Blue Dog Coalition to Face Post-Election Shake-up

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Open Thread

Thank you to everyone who has helped us with the costs that we incurred because our site was hacked during the transition from Blogger to WordPress. We are pretty close to hitting our goal. If you are able to and want to make a contribution, we'd greatly appreciate it. Here is where you can make a contribution. In any event, here's the news:-Her interview with Robin Roberts will air tomorrow on Good Morning America and tomorrow on Nightline.-She has a book signing at the Anchorage Costco on Saturday.-People Magazine named her the "Big Gun" of 2010 in a special edition that will be released tomorrow.-Far-left liberal Taylor Marsh says that Governor Palin should have been TIME's person of the year.-Political analyst: Advantage to Palin in 2012-Sarah Palin vs. the Kennedy Legacy-Even Yahoo news concedes that "Palin got the last laugh, having boosted multiple candidates to wins across the country, and she remains prominent on the short list of potential list of GOP presidential contenders 2012."-Dan Riehl on Sarah Palin's Alaska.-Cubachi on the latest from Meghan McCain.What else is going on today?

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Palin Leads in Ohio

She maintained her lead in Ohio according to the Daily Kos pollster:Palin 21%Huckabee 19%Gingrich 18%Romney 15%Paul 6%Daniels 5%Pawlenty 3%Thune 2%She has the best net favorable rating among Ohio Republican primary voters of all the candidates. It's pretty clear that Governor Palin will likely win this state by a good margin without Huckabee in the contest given his strong second place finish in this poll (she'll likely win Ohio anyway even in the unlikely event that Huckabee runs).

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Governor Palin: Quads, Bogs, and Bones

She just posted the following on Facebook:Life is so unpredictable, and like my dad always says, it?s ?too short to be stuck in a rut!? One way to get out of a rut is to find inspiration in the great outdoors. Activity and fresh air are energizing! Sunday at 9pm ET/8c on ?Sarah Palin?s Alaska,? we show you a few things that we find more fulfilling than staying indoors and sitting on the couch. Plato said, ?You learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.? So join us as we learn more about each other and what God?s creation has to offer, as we pack up the RV to go dog mushing, white water rafting, four-wheeling, and fossil hunting where we find evidence of ancient sea life on the high hilltops of the Last Frontier! Come join us as we experience more of Alaska?s amazing sights and meet a few more of our friends, including a very special friend we visit in this episode who passed on recently. This episode is dedicated to our old friend ?Bones.? You can watch a preview of it here. My early New Year?s wish for all is that inspiration and fulfillment will be yours in 2011. Remember that one way to find that is to get outdoors.- Sarah Palin

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Carl Paladino Plays Up Redneck Politics

Andrew Cuomo Has Double-Digit Lead Over Carl Paladino in N.Y. Governor Race11 days ago

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Franklin Graham: Palin's Compassion Touched Haitians' Hearts

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Governor Palin: Senate Republicans: Vote No on New START;Update

Governor Palin writes the following piece at the National Review:The proposed New START agreement should be evaluated by the only criteria that matters for a treaty: Is it in America?s interest? I am convinced this treaty is not. It should not be rammed through in the lame duck session using behind the scenes deal-making reminiscent of the tactics used in the health care debate.New START actually requires the U.S. to reduce our nuclear weapons and allows the Russians to increase theirs. This is one-sided and makes no strategic sense. New START?s verification regime is weaker than the treaty it replaces, making it harder for us to detect Russian cheating. Since we now know Russia has not complied with many arms control agreements currently in force, this is a serious matter.New START recognizes a link between offensive and defensive weapons ? a position the Russians have sought for years. Russia claims the treaty constrains U.S. missile defenses and that they will withdraw from the treaty if we pursue missile defenses. This linkage virtually guarantees that either we limit our missile defenses or the Russians will withdraw from the treaty. The Obama administration claims that this is not the case; but if that is true, why agree to linking offensive and defensive weapons in the treaty? At the height of the Cold War, President Reagan pursued missile defense while also pursuing verifiable arms control with the then-Soviet Union. That position was right in the 1980?s, and it is still right today. We cannot and must not give up the right to missile defense to protect our population ? whether the missiles that threaten us come from Russia, Iran, China, North Korea, or anywhere else. I fought the Obama administration?s plans to cut funds for missile defense in Alaska while I was Governor, and I will continue to speak out for missile defenses that will protect our people and our allies.There are many other problems with the treaty, including the limitation on the U.S. ability to convert nuclear systems to conventional systems and the lack of restriction on Russian sea launched cruise missiles. In addition, the recent reports that Russia moved tactical nuclear weapons (which are not covered by New START) closer to our NATO allies, demonstrate that the Obama administration has failed to convince Russia to act in a manner that does not threaten our allies.If I had a vote, I would oppose this deeply flawed treaty submitted to the Senate. Just because we were out-negotiated by the Russians that doesn?t mean we have to say yes to this. New START?s flaws have to be addressed in the form of changes to the treaty language that, at a minimum, completely de-link missile defense from offensive arms reductions. Other issues would have to be addressed in the ratification process. If this does not happen either now or next year, Senate Republicans, vote no!? Governor Sarah Palin is a former Republican vice-presidential nominee and author of the bestselling Going Rogue and America by HeartUpdate: Governor Palin also spoke against the START treaty in a joint interview with Congresswoman Bachmann in April, in her Southern Republican Leadership Conference speech also in April, and in a Facebook post in November to newly elected Congress members where she challenged them to hold to firm convictions and bold actions.

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Remarks by The First Lady to Children While Tracking Santa with NORAD

Release Time:

For Immediate Release

Via Telephone

12:00 P.M. HST

OPERATOR: We have Max.

MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama, with NORAD, tracking Santa. How can I help you?

MAX: Hi.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi. What’s your name?

MAX: Max.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Max. How old are you?

MAX: Eight.

MRS. OBAMA: Eight? Okay, well, this is the First Lady. And I'm helping them track Santa tonight, so how can I help you? You want to know where Santa is?

MAX: I live in Los Angeles.

MRS. OBAMA: You live in Los Angeles? Have you been a good boy this year?

MAX: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: I'm sure you have, Max, right?

MAX: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: I know you have. Well, you know where Santa is right now? Right now I'm looking at the radar and I see a big, bright light. Santa is moving pretty fast, and right now he is in Johannesburg, South Africa. That's what the radar says. He sees him and he’s got a sleigh full of toys. So pretty exciting, right?

MAX: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Yes. Well, it’s important, Max, that you know that Santa only comes after boys and girls have gone to sleep, no matter where he is in the world. So Santa won't be at your house until you’re fast asleep, okay?

MAX: Would you want to talk to Alex?

MRS. OBAMA: Is Alex your brother?

MAX: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Hello, Alex.

MAX: He’s right here.

MRS. OBAMA: I'd love to talk to Alex.

ALEX: Hi.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Alex. How old are you?

ALEX: Seven.

MRS. OBAMA: You're seven? Well, this is the First Lady, and I'm helping NORAD, and they track Santa. And I just told your brother, Max, that right now Santa’s sleigh is over South Africa -- Johannesburg, South Africa. That's where the sleigh is. The radar has got him.

ALEX: (Giggle.)

MRS. OBAMA: Okay? But you’ve got to go to sleep before Santa gets to your house, okay?

ALEX: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. You promise? Well, merry Christmas, sweetie, all right?

ALEX: Merry Christmas. Bye.

MRS. OBAMA: Okay, bye-bye. Say merry Christmas to your family, okay? All right. Good night. Sleep tight. Don't forget to leave your cookies.

OPERATOR: Mrs. Obama, I'm going to be connecting you with Colin, Anna, and Evan.

MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. I'm working with NORAD to help track Santa. How can I help you guys?

COLIN: We want to know where Santa is.

MRS. OBAMA: You want to know where Santa is? Well, let me take a look. Hold on a second, I'm going to look at the radar screen, okay? Ooh, I see him. Right now Santa’s sleigh is flying over Africa. He’s flying over Africa. Now, more specifically, he’s in Namibia. Now, you can ask your parents where Namibia is. You can look on the map. But he moves from place to place. He’s only there for a couple of minutes. So he’s right now over Namibia in Africa. Okay? So you guys, it’s important to know that Santa won't get to your house until you're fast asleep. Okay? No matter where he is in the world -- he goes all over the place, but he doesn’t come to your house until every child is asleep. Okay?

COLIN: Okay.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. So make sure you leave your cookies out and some vegetables for the reindeer, okay?

COLIN: Okay.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Have a merry Christmas and be good.

COLIN: Merry Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA: Merry Christmas, everybody.

COLIN AND ANNA AND EVAN: Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA: Take care.

OPERATOR: I'm going to connect you to Ailene. And her father’s name is Lou.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. I'm helping out with NORAD tonight. Is Ailene -- is she ready to find his position? Hello?

AILENE: Hi.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Ailene. How old are you?

AILENE: Six.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. And I'm helping NORAD track Santa. Do you want to know where he is right now?

AILENE: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Okay. I'm looking at the radar screen Oh, we've got him. Do you know where he is? He’s over Africa -- specifically Gabon. Now, you're going to have to ask your dad exactly where Gabon is, but it’s in Africa. So right now we see a bright light and all the pilots here are pretty confident that it is Santa. And his sleigh looks very full -- full of toys. So I hope you were a good girl. Were you a good girl this year?

AILENE: Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Well, make sure you go to bed so he'll get to your house, okay?

AILENE: Thank you. Bye.

MRS. OBAMA: All right, bye-bye. Merry Christmas.

OPERATOR: We have the next caller on the phone. I'm going to be connecting you with Trevin and Tegan.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, this is First Lady, Michelle Obama. I'm helping NORAD track Santa tonight. How are you?

TREVIN: Good.

MRS. OBAMA: How can I help you? Do you guys want to know where Santa is?

TREVIN: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Okay, hold on, let me check the radar. Oh, okay, they’ve got him. They’re spotting him. Right now he is flying over Africa -- the Central African Republic of Bombari. And it looks like his sleigh is pretty full of toys. And they can see a little red light and it looks like Rudolph might be guiding the sleigh tonight. Have you guys been good this year?

TREVIN: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Well, it looks like he’s got a lot of toys, but you do know that Santa only comes to your house after every child has gone to sleep. They have to be fast asleep before he'll come, no matter where he is in the world. Okay?

TREVIN: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right, well, you make sure -- are you going to leave your cookies out for Santa and some vegetables for the reindeer? All right, that sounds good. Well, tell your whole family merry Christmas. And I hope Santa brings you everything you want. Okay? Merry Christmas. Bye.

OPERATOR: Mrs. Obama, I have Tyson on the line.

MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is First Lady Michelle Obama. I'm helping NORAD track Santa tonight. How can I help you?

TYSON: Well, we just wanted to know where Santa lives at -- where he’s at right now.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, I can help you with that. There’s a huge radar -- I'm going to look on the radar plot to see where he is. Oh, okay, we've spotted him. He is flying over Africa right now -- Cameroon, to be specific. He’s right over the country of Cameroon in Africa. Where are you from?

TYSON: We're in -- Alaska

MRS. OBAMA: Wow, that's pretty exciting. Well, you do know that Santa only comes to your house after all the kids are fast asleep, no matter where he is in the world. So you have to make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight, all right?

TYSON: yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Have you been good this year?

TYSON: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Well, you should have a great Christmas when you wake up in the morning, okay?

TYSON: Okay.

MRS. OBAMA: Tell your family merry Christmas, all right?

TYSON: Okay.

MRS. OBAMA: And have fun tomorrow.

TYSON: Thanks, Mrs. Obama.

MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Good night, sweetie.

OPERATOR: Mrs. Obama, I have Sean and his mother Lisa waiting to speak to you.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi.

LISA: Hi. Merry Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA: Merry Christmas. How are you?

LISA: Great. How is Hawaii?

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, it’s beautiful. It’s beautiful.

LISA: I wish I was there.

MRS. OBAMA: Where are you?

LISA: We're in Colorado Springs.

MRS. OBAMA: You guys don't have snow, right?

LISA: Oh, no.

MRS. OBAMA: That's okay.

LISA: It’s going to be a sunny Christmas this year.

MRS. OBAMA: Santa gets wherever he’s got to go, right? (Laughter.)

LISA: He does, that's right. So I'm with my son.

MRS. OBAMA: I would love to talk to him.

LISA: That would be great. Hang on one moment. I wish your family a merry Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA: Same to you. You guys enjoy.

SEAN: Hello.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Sean. It’s Mrs. Obama. How are you?

SEAN: Good.

MRS. OBAMA: What can I do for you?

SEAN: I just wanted to know where Santa was.

MRS. OBAMA: All right, well, I'm right by the radar screen and right now it looks like Santa is flying over Africa. Pretty amazing.

SEAN: Yeah, that's cool.

MRS. OBAMA: The radar shows that it looks like the vehicle is being pulled by all nine reindeer and it’s pretty full of toys. And to be specific, it’s over Chad, the country of Chad. So pretty exciting. He’s moving at a pretty good clip. The weather looks good, so there shouldn’t be any problems with him getting the toys around.

SEAN: That's really cool. I can't wait for him to get to my house.

MRS. OBAMA: Yes. Have you been good this year?

SEAN: Yes. I got an email from Santa this year.

MRS. OBAMA: You got an email from Santa? Well, he’s really moving up. He’s pretty high-tech now.

SEAN: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, the important thing to remember is that he doesn’t come to your house until you're fast asleep, no matter where he is in the country. So you’ve got to make sure you get a good night’s sleep. Leave out your cookies and some vegetables for the reindeer and you should be good to go.

SEAN: Do you know about what time he’s going to be here?

MRS. OBAMA: You know, he doesn’t -- from what I understand from the people at NORAD who’ve tracked him for centuries, they say he kind of pops all over the country, all over the world. There’s no real clear pattern. So it depends on when kids go to sleep. If you go to sleep and you're out in a couple hours, he might pop over your house right now. But you’ve got to be asleep. You’ve got to make sure you get a good night’s sleep, okay?

SEAN: Okay. Thank you so much.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Well, merry Christmas, sweetie.

SEAN: Merry Christmas to you, too.

MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Have fun tomorrow.

SEAN: Okay. Thank you. Bye.

MRS. OBAMA: Bye-bye.

OPERATOR: We have Seth on the line. I'm going to be connecting you.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Seth. This is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. I'm helping NORAD track Santa tonight. How can I help you?

SETH: I wonder where Santa is.

MRS. OBAMA: You want to know where he is? Well, I'm going to look on the radar right now. Oh, you know where he is? He’s flying over Africa right now. And the radar is showing that there’s a glowing object and they’ve got a lock on that object. They can confirm that it is, in fact, Santa’s sleigh. And it looks like all nine reindeer are pulling the sleigh, and it looks like the sleigh -- this is good news -- is completely full of toys. Pretty exciting. So have you been a good boy this year?

SETH: Is Rudolph on there?

MRS. OBAMA: Yes. Yes, Rudolph is pulling the sleigh. They can see -- they see a little flickering red light and they know that's Rudolph. So Rudolph is there. Santa is making his way. You’ve got to make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight, okay, because he doesn’t come to your house until you're asleep, okay?

SETH: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Have you been good this year?

SETH: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Well, it’s going to be a great day for you tomorrow.

SETH: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Make sure you leave the cookies out for Santa, okay?

SETH: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Have a very, very merry Christmas. And tell your whole family merry Christmas, okay?

SETH: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Good night, sweetie.

SETH: Bye.

MRS. OBAMA: Bye-bye.

OPERATOR: Mrs. Obama, I have Austin on the line.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi. Is this Austin?

AUSTIN: Hello.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Austin. This is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. I'm helping NORAD track Santa tonight. How can I help you?

AUSTIN: Can I ask you a few questions about being the First Lady?

MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely. What can I tell you?

AUSTIN: Is it a hard job?

MRS. OBAMA: You know, it is not as hard as being the President. My job is fun because I get to do stuff like this. I get to come to NORAD and look at the radar and help them track Santa. I get to work with kids like you guys and help make sure they’re staying healthy. So it’s a fun job. Thanks for asking.

AUSTIN: Is it hard to have all that security around you?

MRS. OBAMA: No, because the security -- the Secret Service, they’re really professional and they’re really nice guys. So they’re fun. They’re good with the girls. So they’re not -- they do their jobs, but they’re really nice guys. It’s almost like they’re family after a while. So it’s not that hard having them around. And they’re there to keep us safe, right? You can't be mad at that, right?

AUSTIN: Right.

MRS. OBAMA: What else do you want to know?

AUSTIN: Is it hard to like be married to the President?

MRS. OBAMA: No, he’s a pretty good guy. I mean, it’s a tough job and sometimes you want to do everything you can to help him, but it’s pretty easy being married to him. He’s kind of funny -- fun to hang out with.

AUSTIN: Okay, cool.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Do you want to know where Santa is?

AUSTIN: Please.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Hold on, let me look at the radar. Okay, it looks like -- all right, they’ve got a lock on a glowing object and they can confirm that it is in fact Santa’s sleigh. It’s over Africa right now -- Algeria, Africa. And they can see from here that it’s pretty full of toys. Pretty full. So hopefully you’ve been good this year. But Santa is not going to come to your house until you go to sleep.

AUSTIN: Merry Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA: Merry Christmas, sweetie. Take care.

AUSTIN: All right. Bye-bye.

MRS. OBAMA: Bye-bye.

OPERATOR: I'm connecting you to Jayna and her mother, Jill.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, this is Michelle Obama. How are you guys doing?

JAYNA: Good.

MRS. OBAMA: Great. Well, I have the best job on Christmas Eve. I'm helping them track Santa tonight. How can I help you guys? Do you want to know where Santa is?

JAYNA: Where is Santa?

MRS. OBAMA: Hold on, let me look at the radar. Oh, my goodness, they spotted a glowing light -- they can confirm that it is Santa. And he’s flying over Italy. And it’s Sicily to be precise. Maybe your mom can look on a map and show you where Sicily, Italy is. And you know what else they can see? They can confirm that they see a glowing object -- it is Rudolph’s bright red nose. Oh, it’s so cool. And they can see that the sleigh looks really full of toys. Pretty exciting.

JAYNA: That’s good.

MRS. OBAMA: Have you been good this year?

JAYNA: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: You’ve been good? That's great! Well, I know you're going to have a great Christmas tomorrow, sweetie. But you know Santa won't come to your house until you're fast asleep, so you’ve got to be asleep, okay?

JAYNA: Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA: Merry Christmas, sweetie. You guys have a wonderful holiday. You all take care.

JAYNA: Bye.

MRS. OBAMA: Bye-bye.

OPERATOR: I've got Morgan, Vanessa, Valerie and Ryan on the line.

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, a big crew. All right.

OPERATOR: Okay, gang, you're connected with Mrs. Obama.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, everybody. This is Michelle Obama. I get to help NORAD track Santa tonight. How can I help you? What do you need to know?

MORGAN: Could you look at Montgomery, Illinois?

MRS. OBAMA: Wonderful! You want to know where Santa is now?

MORGAN: We want to know when he’s going to be to Montgomery.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, you know, there’s no specific time that he gets to a place. He only comes to a child’s house after every child in the house is fast asleep. But right now the radar is showing that he is flying over Italy -- Rome, to be precise. And it looks like his sleigh is full of toys.

MORGAN: Has he been to a lot of places already?

MRS. OBAMA: Already, since I've been on the call he has flown over several parts of Africa. He’s flown over Johannesburg, Gabon, Nigeria, and he’s just moved into Europe. So right now he’s right over Rome. So it looks like he’s making his way. But what the NORAD team tells me is that he zips around the country -- it’s not clear what country he goes to first. I think he goes to whatever houses that the kids are asleep, gets it done and then moves on. But right now he’s in Italy. And this is a pretty sophisticated tracking system. They say he flies at unbelievable speeds to do this. But it looks like the weather is clear and they don't believe that there will be any problem with Santa completing all of his tasks by Christmas morning.

But make sure everybody in the house gets a good night’s sleep, they’ve got their cookies out and veggies out for the reindeer. Sound good?

DAD: We have some really well-behaved kids here.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, then that's an easy one, right, because when kids have had a great year, Santa -- he’s more than excited to come to that house.

DAD: We wish the President merry Christmas also.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, I will definitely let him know. And we wish you guys a very, very merry Christmas.

VANESSA: Tell Malia and Sasha, too.

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, thank you. I'm going to make sure they get that message. I'm going to see them in a few minutes. And they wish you guys a merry Christmas. And I'm just so proud that you have a house full of great kids, because we work hard for great kids like you guys. All right.

VANESSA: I even got them a present.

MRS. OBAMA: That's excellent. That's very generous. That is even more special. So you guys are going to have a great day tomorrow and you’ve earned it.

MORGAN AND VANESSA AND VALERIE AND RYAN: Thank you!

MRS. OBAMA: Merry Christmas. You all take care of each other. Bye-bye.

OPERATOR: I have Juliana.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi. This is the First Lady. I'm helping NORAD track Santa. Is Juliana there?

JULIANA: Yes. Hi.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, sweetie. How old are you?

JULIANA: Eight.

MRS. OBAMA: You're eight. Wow! You're one year younger than Sasha. This is so exciting. She’s bouncing off the walls. I know you are, too.

JULIANA: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Do you want to know where Santa is right now?

JULIANA: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right, I'm looking at the radar. It’s a big, huge radar -- and it looks like Santa is flying over Croatia, a part of Europe, right now. But they can tell from this radar that -- it looks like all nine reindeer are pulling the sleigh tonight, including Rudolph. And it looks like the sleigh is extremely full. So that's pretty exciting.

JULIANA: Is Rudolph leading the way?

MRS. OBAMA: Yes, he’s leading the way, leading the way. And they’re moving at unbelievable speed. So they’re predicting that Santa is going to be able to make all of his deliveries by Christmas morning.

JULIANA: Great.

MRS. OBAMA: Have you been good this year?

JULIANA: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Excellent.

JULIANA: We got to open our presents because we weren't going to be at one of our family’s houses for Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA: We do that sometimes, too. Sometimes we open some early, sometimes we open some later. We do the same thing.

JULIANA: What Mommy gave me we got to open tonight.

MRS. OBAMA: Yes, what Santa gives you -- you get when Santa delivers them. That's just how we do it.

JULIANA: We're going to open presents tomorrow at my other friend’s house.

MRS. OBAMA: That's exciting. What’s the thing you're most excited to get tomorrow?

JULIANA: My MP-3 player.

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, you sound just like Sasha. Same thing.

JULIANA: I got one today.

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, man! Well, you're racking up. You must have been really good this year.

JULIANA: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, that's great. But you’ve got to go to sleep because Santa doesn’t come until you're fast asleep, okay?

JULIANA: I'm sleeping on the couch tonight.

MRS. OBAMA: You're sleeping on the couch? Well, it doesn’t matter where you sleep. You just have to be asleep, okay?

SISTER: Hi.

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, it’s good to talk to you. Have you been good this year?

SISTER: I've been awesome. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: Well, then you should have no problems tomorrow morning, right?

SISTER: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, that's great. Just keep being awesome, all right? We need a lot of awesome kids out there, okay?

SISTER: Yes, ma’am.

MRS. OBAMA: Okay. You all take care and merry Christmas to your whole family and all your friends that you're going to see. Tell them the First Lady said merry Christmas.

JULIANA AND HER SISTER: Merry Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA: All right, you all take care. Bye-bye.

OPERATOR: Mrs. Obama, I've got Brandi and her son, Hunter, on the phone.

MRS. OBAMA: Hello. Hi. This is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. Who am I speaking to?

HUNTER: Hi.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi. How are you? What’s your name?

HUNTER: I'm good.

MRS. OBAMA: You're good? What’s your name?

HUNTER: Hunter.

MRS. OBAMA: Hunter? How old are you, Hunter?

HUNTER: Four.

MRS. OBAMA: Four! All right. Have you been good this year?

HUNTER: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Do you want to know where Santa is flying over right now?

HUNTER: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: I'm looking at the radar screen. They spotted a glowing object -- it is flying right now over a place called Slovakia. And they say it looks like the sleigh is being pulled by all nine reindeer including Rudolph, and that -- oh, they can see, they say the sleigh looks extremely full of toys. Pretty exciting, right?

HUNTER: Yes. I want for Christmas a skateboard and -- I

MRS. OBAMA: Yes. What else?

HUNTER: (inaudible.)

MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Well, you know what, Santa doesn’t come to your house until after you’re fast asleep, okay? So you’ve got to go to bed and get a good night’s sleep, close your eyes tight and dream good thoughts, okay?

HUNTER: Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Merry Christmas, sweetie.

HUNTER: Merry Christmas.

OPERATOR: We have Savanna and Alexis for your last call.

MRS. OBAMA: Hi, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. I'm working with NORAD to help track Santa. How are you guys doing?

SAVANNA: Good.

MRS. OBAMA: How old are you all?

SAVANNA: Nine and five.

MRS. OBAMA: Nine and five? Have you been good this year?

SAVANNA AND ALEXIS: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Excellent. Excellent. Well, let me look at the radar and I'm going to check right now where they -- oh, my goodness. They spotted a glowing object. It looks like he’s -- he’s flying over Austria right now. And they’re telling me that the sleigh is pretty full and it’s being pulled by all nine reindeer including Rudolph. And they’re moving really fast. The good news -- they say the weather is all clear all around the world and that Santa is not going to have any problems delivering toys this evening. Pretty exciting! What did you guys ask for, for Christmas?

SAVANNA: I asked for a cell phone.

MRS. OBAMA: A cell phone. What else? Anything else?

SAVANNA: (inaudible)

MRS. OBAMA: Yes? Well, since you guys have been so good this year I'm sure you're going to have a great morning. But you know what, Santa doesn’t come to your house until every child is fast asleep, okay?

ALEXIS: Okay.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. So you’ve got to make sure you get a good night’s sleep. Have you left cookies out for Santa?

ALEXIS: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: And did you leave something out for the reindeer, too?

SAVANNA: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right, well, you're set. You can get a good night’s sleep and wake up in the morning and it’s going to be Christmas! Isn’t that exciting?

SAVANNA: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Well, you guys have a merry Christmas and get a good night’s sleep, okay?

SAVANNA: Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Bye-bye, sweetie.

END
12:38 P.M. HST

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

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Executive Order - Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent Graduates

Release Time:

For Immediate Release

EXECUTIVE ORDER

RECRUITING AND HIRING STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 3301 and 3302 of title 5, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. The Federal Government benefits from a diverse workforce that includes students and recent graduates, who infuse the workplace with their enthusiasm, talents, and unique perspectives. The existing competitive hiring process for the Federal civil service, however, is structured in a manner that, even at the entry level, favors job applicants who have significant previous work experience. This structure, along with the complexity of the rules governing admission to the career civil service, creates a barrier to recruiting and hiring students and recent graduates. It places the Federal Government at a competitive disadvantage compared to private-sector employers when it comes to hiring qualified applicants for entry-level positions.

To compete effectively for students and recent graduates, the Federal Government must improve its recruiting efforts; offer clear paths to Federal internships for students from high school through post-graduate school; offer clear paths to civil service careers for recent graduates; and provide meaningful training, mentoring, and career-development opportunities. Further, exposing students and recent graduates to Federal jobs through internships and similar programs attracts them to careers in the Federal Government and enables agency employers to evaluate them on the job to determine whether they are likely to have successful careers in Government.

Accordingly, pursuant to my authority under 5 U.S.C. 3302(1), and in order to achieve a workforce that represents all segments of society as provided in 5 U.S.C. 2301(b)(1), I find that conditions of good administration (specifically, the need to promote employment opportunities for students and recent graduates in the Federal workforce) make necessary an exception to the competitive hiring rules for certain positions in the Federal civil service.

Sec. 2. Establishment. There are hereby established the Internship Program and the Recent Graduates Program, which, along with the Presidential Management Fellows Program, as modified herein, shall collectively be known as the Pathways Programs. I therefore direct the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to issue regulations implementing the Pathways Programs consistent with this order, including:

(a) a description of the positions that executive departments and agencies (agencies) may fill through the Pathways Programs because conditions of good administration necessitate excepting those positions from the competitive hiring rules;

(b) rules governing whether, to what extent, and in what manner public notice should be provided of job opportunities in the Pathways Programs;

(c) a description of career-development, training, and mentorship opportunities for participants in the Pathways Programs;

(d) requirements that managers meaningfully assess the performance of participants in the Pathways Programs to identify those who should be considered for conversion to career civil service positions;

(e) a description of OPM oversight of agency use of the Pathways Programs to ensure that (i) they serve as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the competitive hiring process, and (ii) agencies are using the Pathways Programs in a genuine effort to develop talent for careers in the civil service;

(f) a description of OPM plans to evaluate agencies' effectiveness in recruiting and retaining talent using the Pathways Programs and of the satisfaction of Pathways Programs participants and their hiring managers; and

(g) standard naming conventions across agencies, so that students and recent graduates can clearly understand and compare the career pathway opportunities available to them in the Federal Government.

Sec. 3. Internship Program. The Internship Program shall provide students in high schools, community colleges, 4-year colleges, trade schools, career and technical education programs, and other qualifying educational institutions and programs, as determined by OPM, with paid opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school. The Internship Program would replace the existing Student Career Experience Program, established pursuant to Executive Order 12015 of October 26, 1977. The following principles and policies shall govern the Internship Program:

(a) Participants in the program shall be referred to as "Interns" and shall be students enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, in qualifying educational institutions and programs, as determined by OPM.

(b) Subject to any exceptions OPM may establish by regulation, agencies shall provide Interns with meaningful developmental work and set clear expectations regarding the work experience of the intern.

(c) Students employed by third-party internship providers but placed in agencies may, to the extent permitted by OPM regulations, be treated as participants in the Internship Program.

Sec. 4. Recent Graduates Program. The Recent Graduates Program shall provide individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs with developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service. The following principles and policies shall govern the Recent Graduates Program:

(a) Participants in the program shall be referred to as "Recent Graduates" and must have obtained a qualifying degree, or completed a qualifying career or technical education program, as determined by OPM, within the preceding 2 years, except that veterans who, due to their military service obligation, were precluded from participating in the Recent Graduates Program during the 2-year period after obtaining a qualifying degree or completing a qualifying program shall be eligible to participate in the Program within 6 years of obtaining a qualifying degree or completing a qualifying program.

(b) Responsibilities assigned to a Recent Graduate shall be consistent with his or her qualifications, educational background, and career interests, the purpose of the Recent Graduates Program, and agency needs.

Sec. 5. Presidential Management Fellows Program. The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program is an existing program established pursuant to Executive Order 13318 of November 21, 2003, that aims to attract to the Federal service outstanding men and women from a variety of academic disciplines at the graduate level who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, the leadership and management of public policies and programs. The following requirements shall govern the PMF Program upon the revocation of Executive Order 13318, as provided in section 8 of this order:

(a) Participants in this program shall continue to be known as Presidential Management Fellows (PMFs or Fellows) and must have received, within the preceding 2 years, a qualifying advanced degree, as determined by OPM.

(b) Responsibilities assigned to a PMF shall be consistent with the PMF's qualifications, educational background, and career interests, the purposes of the PMF Program, and agency needs.

(c) OPM shall establish the eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications for the program, as well as a process for assessing eligible individuals for consideration for appointment as PMFs.

Sec. 6. Appointment and Conversion. (a) Appointments to any of the Pathways Programs shall be under Schedule D of the excepted service, as established by section 7 of this order.

(b) Appointments to the Recent Graduates or PMF Programs shall not exceed 2 years, unless extended by the employing agency for up to 120 days thereafter.

(c) Appointment to a Pathways Program shall confer no right to further Federal employment in either the competitive or excepted service upon the expiration of the appointment, except that agencies may convert eligible participants noncompetitively to term, career, or career conditional appointments after satisfying requirements to be established by OPM, and agencies may noncompetitively convert participants who were initially converted to a term appointment under this section to a career or career-conditional appointment before the term appointment expires.

Sec. 7. Implementation. (a) Civil Service Rule VI is amended as follows:

(i) 5 CFR 6.1(a) is amended to read:

OPM may except positions from the competitive service when it determines that (A) appointments thereto through competitive examination are not practicable, or (B) recruitment from among students attending qualifying educational institutions or individuals who have recently completed qualifying educational programs can better be achieved by devising additional means for recruiting and assessing candidates that diverge from the processes generally applicable to the competitive service. These positions shall be listed in OPM's annual report for the fiscal year in which the exceptions are made.

(ii) 5 CFR 6.2 is amended to read:

OPM shall list positions that it excepts from the competitive service in Schedules A, B, C, and D, which schedules shall constitute parts of this rule, as follows:

Schedule A. Positions other than those of a confidential or policy-determining character for which it is not practicable to examine shall be listed in Schedule A.

Schedule B. Positions other than those of a confidential or policy-determining character for which it is not practicable to hold a competitive examination shall be listed in Schedule B. Appointments to these positions shall be subject to such noncompetitive examination as may be prescribed by OPM.

Schedule C. Positions of a confidential or policy-determining character shall be listed in Schedule C.

Schedule D. Positions other than those of a confidential or policy-determining character for which the competitive service requirements make impracticable the adequate recruitment of sufficient numbers of students attending qualifying educational institutions or individuals who have recently completed qualifying educational programs. These positions, which are temporarily placed in the excepted service to enable more effective recruitment from all segments of society by using means of recruiting and assessing candidates that diverge from the rules generally applicable to the competitive service, shall be listed in Schedule D.

(iii) The first sentence of 5 CFR 6.4 is amended to read:

Except as may be required by statute, the Civil Service Rules and Regulations shall not apply to removals from positions listed in Schedules A, C, or D or from positions excepted from the competitive service by statute.

The second sentence of 5 CFR 6.4 is to remain unchanged.

(iv) The first sentence of 5 CFR 6.6 is amended to read:

OPM may remove any position from or may revoke in whole or in part any provision of Schedule A, B, C, or D.

The second sentence of 5 CFR 6.6 is to remain unchanged.

(b) The Director of OPM shall:

(i) promulgate such regulations as the Director determines may be necessary to implement this order;

(ii) provide oversight of the Pathways Programs;

(iii) establish, if appropriate, a Government-wide cap on the number of noncompetitive conversions to the competitive service of Interns, Recent Graduates, or PMFs (or a Government-wide combined conversion cap applicable to all three categories together);

(iv) administer, and review and revise annually or as needed, any Government-wide cap established pursuant to this subsection;

(v) provide guidance on conducting an orderly transition from existing student and internship programs to the Pathways Programs established pursuant to this order; and

(vi) consider for publication in the Federal Register at an appropriate time a proposed rule seeking public comment on the elimination of the Student Temporary Employment Program, established through OPM regulations at 5 CFR 213.3202(a).

(c) In accordance with regulations prescribed pursuant to this order and applicable law, agencies shall:

(i) use appropriate merit-based procedures for recruitment, assessment, placement, and ongoing career development for participants in the Pathways Programs;

(ii) provide for equal employment opportunity in the Pathways Programs without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or any other non merit-based factor;

(iii) apply veterans' preference criteria; and

(iv) within 45 days of the date of this order, designate a Pathways Programs Officer (at the agency level, or at bureaus or components within the agency) to administer Pathways Programs, to serve as liaison with OPM, and to report to OPM on the implementation of the Pathways Programs and the individuals hired under them.

Sec. 8. Prior Executive Orders. (a) Effective March 1, 2011, Executive Order 13162 (Federal Career Intern Program) is superseded and revoked. Any individuals serving in appointments under that order on March 1, 2011, shall be converted to the competitive service, effective on that date, with no loss of pay or benefits.

(b) On the effective date of final regulations promulgated by the Director of OPM to implement the Internship Program, Executive Order 12015 (pursuant to which the Student Career Experience Program was established), as amended, is superseded and revoked.

(c) On the effective date of final regulations promulgated by the Director of OPM to implement changes to the PMF Program required by this order, Executive Order 13318 (Presidential Management Fellows Program), as amended, is superseded and revoked.

Sec. 9. General Provisions. (a) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) authority granted by law, regulation, Executive Order, or Presidential Directive to an executive department, agency, or head thereof; or

(ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 27, 2010.

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