Quote: President Obama

“I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions,” President Obama

Uninvited Guests Make It Into State Dinner

This much is known: About 7:15 Tuesday night, a glittering blonde, decked out in a red and gold sari, holding the hand of her black-tuxedoed-escort, swept past the camera crews and reporters camped out to catch the red-carpet arrivals for the first state dinner given by President Obama.

“Hey, that’s a ‘Desperate Housewife’!” one reporter yelled out.

In fact, the couple — Michaele Salahi and her husband, Tarek — are Virginians who have been auditioning for a possible role in a different housewives franchise: the TV program “The Real Housewives of Washington.”

They swept past the camera crews and followed the trail of other bigwigs attending the dinner.

But neither Mr. or Mrs. Salahi, best known in the Washington area for promoting wine and polo in Virginia, was on the guest list for the event, a fact first reported Wednesday morning on the Washington Post Web site.

A White House official confirmed Wednesday that the Salahis were not invited nor were they seated for dinner in the tent erected for the evening. It was not clear Wednesday night how close the Salahis got to President Obama and his wife, Michelle, or to the guest of honor, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, and his wife, Gursharan Kaur.

Edwin M. Donovan, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said Wednesday night that “initial findings identified a Secret Service checkpoint which did not follow proper procedures” allowing the couple to get access to the festivities, even though their names were not on the invitation list.

He declined to offer any more details, including what kind of procedures were not followed, why they were not followed and whether the couple has been interviewed. He said the investigation was ongoing.

“The bottom line is that they should not have gotten in,” Mr. Donovan said.

He also said that he was unaware of any other examples of this kind of party-crashing at the White House. “I’m not aware of any other incidents like this,” Mr. Donovan said.

The Salahis posted photographs of themselves at the dinner on their Facebook page: “Honored to be at the White House for the state dinner in honor of India with President Obama and our First Lady!”

NY Times

Obama Eyes Economic Triage for Unemployed

The Obama administration has begun talks with congressional Democratic leaders on moves to extend health insurance subsidies, the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit and jobless benefits, congressional and administration officials told FOX News late Friday.

After another grim jobless report, President Obama is turning his attention to extending a lifeline to the unemployed and making the case that his health care plan would create jobs by making small business startups more affordable.

The Obama administration has begun talks with congressional Democratic leaders on moves to extend health insurance subsidies, the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit and jobless benefits, congressional and administration officials told FOX News late Friday.

Meanwhile, in his weekly radio and Internet video address Saturday, the president linked one of his biggest challenges — joblessness — with passage of far-reaching changes to the nation’s health care system.

FOX NEWS

President Obama to dance with IOC

COPENHAGEN — Barely a year after his election, he was campaigning not for himself but for his adopted hometown. Yet as President Obama pitched Chicago’s bid to host the Summer Games of 2016 on Friday, he put his own credibility on the line as well.

Arriving here after an all-night flight, Mr. Obama swept into a convention hall in the Danish capital, took the lectern and appealed to the International Olympic Committee to choose “that most American of American cities,” the same place that put him on the path to becoming the world’s preeminent leader.

Read More at the NY Times