Day 64: Obama Holds Prime Time News Conference
On his sixty-forth day in office, President Obama held a prime-time press conference designed to help him move past the outcry over the AIG bonuses and drum up support for his ambitious budget proposal.
"Bankers and executives on Wall Street need to realize that enriching themselves on the taxpayers' dime is inexcusable, that the days of outsized rewards and reckless speculation that puts us all at risk have to be over," he said. "At the same time, the rest of us can't afford to demonize every investor or entrepreneur who seeks to make a profit. That drive is what has always fueled our prosperity, and it is what will ultimately get these banks lending and our economy moving once more."
"This is really exciting because we're investing back here on the ground (in) a whole array of solar and other renewable energy projects," he said. "And so, to find out you're doing this up at the space station is particularly exciting."
And he called for quick action on new regulations for financial institutions like AIG that would allow the government to take them over in order to avoid collapse of the financial system.
Watch CBS Evening News reporting on the president's day below.
Full Coverage Of Obama's Press Conference:
- By Topic: Budget | AIG Outrage | Tax Increases | Race | Mexican Drug Cartels | Israel | Funding For Veterans | Sacrifice
- Full Transcript
- Fact Check: Obama Having It Both Ways?
- Analysis: Philosophy Of Persistence | Grades From Marc Ambinder | Instant Reaction | Focus Group Weighs In
- Video: | | | |