Bob Schieffer: Obama Trying to Take Control

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President Obama in his prime time press conference Wednesday night made his most dramatic call for health care reform to date, said CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer.

As Congress haggles over the details of reform, the president is trying to assert his authority on the issue, Schieffer told CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric after the event.

"What the president's really trying to do here... is take control of something that he had kind of farmed out to Congress," he said. "He told Congress to come up with a health care reform plan that met his goals for reform, and so far they haven't done it."

In order to push the process along, Mr. Obama "tried to argue that we have no choice but to do this," Schieffer said.

The president has made numerous televised pitches for health care reform so far this month, and that is likely to continue, according to Schieffer.

"The president is a good salesman," he said. "You're going to keep seeing him here as he tries to get control of this once again."

CBS News Capitol Hill Correspondent Nancy Cordes told Couric members of Congress would like to see the president step up his leadership on the issue.

You can watch the video of Couric, Schieffer and Cordes above.

More Coverage of Obama's Press Conference:

Obama: Changes Will Make People Healthier

Full Transcript Full Video

Obama: Cops Acted "Stupidly" in Professor's Arrest

Obama: "Why Not Pay Half Price?"

Obama: Banks Will Act Recklessly Without Reform

Bob Schieffer: Obama Trying to Take Control

Reality Check: Do Obama's Health Care Claims Hold Up?

Jindal Pans Obama's "Marketing" of Health Plan?

Obama's "Stupid" Comment Disappoints Cop

More Video: Opening Statement On Professor Gates Sacrifices For Healthcare Reform? Politics of Medicare Instant Analysis from Bob Schieffer and Nancy Cordes

[hungry1968-16]

by crazybajan July 23, 2009 8:04 AM EDT
I am all for putting someone down when they can no longer take care of themselves. We do it to our beloved pets. This would save billions.







Let's start with the republicans.

They're just about extinct anyway.

[hungry1968-16]

by sandycat4 July 22, 2009 11:56 PM EDT
Obama is incapable of actually doing any hard work and making decisions. He wants Democrats in Congress to make all the decisions. That's why he is letting this up to them. It was really screamingly funny to hear Obama try to blame the Republicans for the current problems with getting a health care bill done. The Dems can pass whatever they want to pass without the Republicans. Why are the Dems wavering? Because they are afraid if they cram this crappy peice of legislation down Americans throats and Americans and their families have to live and DIE with the consequences, and Americans hate it, Dems will be a long time coming in being elected again.






This roughly translates to: "Obama is letting congress and the senate craft the laws, because he's afraid that he's going to get slammed for bad legislation."

Which in a nutshell means that you have NO CLUE how legislation is crafted in this country. You must have missed "I'm just a bill" when School House Rock used to be on, huh?

[endurorob]

"Obama is a good salesman" I wonder if that is meant as a compliment. As far as I am concerned a "Good Salesman" refers to someone who can sell you what they want to sell you not what you actually need or even want.

[Michelle48188]

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Forwarded Message:
Subj: Obama in the British Media
Date: 7/22/2009 2:32:50 A.M. China Standard Time
From: Bdunton110
To: BuckMaster568, [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], SEKiene
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Not verified but I agree with what he is saying....


Obama in the British Media

Here is an interesting editorial from someone outside our country as to what is going on!


If al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the rest of the Looney Tunes brigade want to kick America to death, they had better move in quickly and grab a piece of the action before Barack Obama finishes the job himself. Never in the history of the United States has a president worked so actively against the interests of his own people - not even Jimmy Carter.

Obama's problem is that he does not know who the enemy is. To him, the enemy does not squat in caves in Waziristan, clutching automatic weapons and reciting the more militant verses from the Koran: instead, it sits around at tea parties in Kentucky quoting from the US Constitution. Obama is not at war with terrorists, but with his Republican fellow citizens. He has never abandoned the campaign trail.

That is why he opened Pandora's Box by publishing the Justice Department's legal opinions on waterboarding and other hardline interrogation techniques. He cynically subordinated the national interest to his partisan desire to embarrass the Republicans. Then he had to rush to Langley, Virginia to try to reassure a demoralised CIA that had just discovered the President of the United States was an even more formidable foe than al-Qaeda..

"Don't be discouraged by what's happened the last few weeks," he told intelligence officers. Is he kidding? Thanks to him, al-Qaeda knows the private interrogation techniques available to the US intelligence agencies and can train its operatives to withstand them - or would do so, if they had not already been outlawed.

So, next time a senior al-Qaeda hood is captured, all the CIA can do is ask him nicely if he would care to reveal when a major population centre is due to be hit by a terror spectacular, or which American city is about to be irradiated by a dirty bomb. Your view of this situation will be dictated by one simple criterion: whether or not you watched the people jumping from the twin towers...

President Pantywaist's recent world tour, cozying up to all the bad guys, excited the ambitions of America's enemies. Here, they realised, is a sucker they can really take to the cleaners.

His only enemies are fellow Americans.

Which prompts the question: why does President Pantywaist hate America so badly?

[dsw214]

I have no idea why he hates America, but it appears 'PERFECTLY CLEAR' that he is doing hia best to bankrupt and destroy it.

[joule18]

Among the key documents that continue to be shielded from the public by Obama:


Obama released just one brief document detailing his personal health. McCain, on the other hand, released what he said was his complete medical file, totaling more than 1,500 pages.


Obama refused to offer his official papers as a state legislator in Illinois. Nor did he produce correspondence, such as his schedules of appointments or letters from lobbyists, from his days in the Illinois state Senate.


Obama did not release his client list as an attorney or his billing records. He maintained that he performed only a few hours of legal work for a nonprofit organization with ties to Tony Rezko, the Chicago businessman convicted of fraud in June 2008, but did not release billing records that would prove this assertion.


Obama ignored requests for his records from Occidental College, where he studied for two years before transferring to Columbia University.


Obama?s campaign refused to give Columbia, where he earned an undergraduate degree in political science, permission to release his transcripts. Former President George W. Bush and presidential contenders Al Gore and John Kerry all released their college transcripts.


Obama did not agree to the release of his application to the Illinois State Bar, which would have cleared up intermittent allegations that his application may have been inaccurate.


Obama did not release records from his time at Harvard Law School.


During the presidential campaign, McCain?s campaign released a full list of all online donors. Obama?s campaign still has not released the names of those who donated at least one-third of the $750 million he raised.

Ironically, Obama accused the Bush White House of being "one of the most secretive administrations in our history," and chided then-Sen. Hillary Clinton for not releasing her White House schedules.



He is a narcissistic, control freak.

[Soapm]

It's a conspiracy... Like the mystery of his birth, I think he's from the planet krypton.

[John_Merritt]

The Commander in Chief is a title, not because they take control but because they have the ability to see all sides of the issue before making a decision.

Just like any good CEO, the President is responsible in making sure the 'best outcome' is the first outcome. I am not convinced they have done their due diligence. Everything has been expeditious and all sides of the spectrum have not been calibrated effectively.

The people have spoken that we want change, not change that is not well thought out. We do not need controlling interests, we need something that is good for everybody, all 250 million of us. Take your time and do it right the first time no matter how long it takes. There is no room for sloppy homework or decisions.

P.S. Are those lobbyists still permanent residents of the Capitol? Just thought I would ask.

[1notrub11]

"The people have spoken that we want change, not change that is not well thought out. We do not need controlling interests, we need something that is good for everybody, all 250 million of us. Take your time and do it right the first time no matter how long it takes. There is no room for sloppy homework or decisions."

Nicely said, John.

[Soapm]

Just food for thought, health care has been debated since Truman or maybe TR, They have had debate after debate, expert testimony upon expert testimony, Kennedy has 40 years personally invested and you say we need to take our time and do what? New rounds of what we've been doing for 40 years?

What bothers me is the GOP won't belly up to the table with constructive idea's. The public option sees inevitable so we need to make sure it has a fair pricing point. Those libs want Medicare plus a few percentage points which no one could compete with. Instead of making sure the legislation is also good for their constituents, they are more concerned about the politics of stopping Obama. Trying to make health care his waterloo.

I am disappointed with how they are acting, we didn't send them there to fold their arms and stick out their lips. We need them to give input on our behalf.

[sandycat4]

Obama is incapable of actually doing any hard work and making decisions. He wants Democrats in Congress to make all the decisions. That's why he is letting this up to them. It was really screamingly funny to hear Obama try to blame the Republicans for the current problems with getting a health care bill done. The Dems can pass whatever they want to pass without the Republicans. Why are the Dems wavering? Because they are afraid if they cram this crappy peice of legislation down Americans throats and Americans and their families have to live and DIE with the consequences, and Americans hate it, Dems will be a long time coming in being elected again.

[cs4466]

Bitter powerless neocons still whining? Good deal!

Carry on!