44 - Politics and policy in Obama's Washington.

Posted at 01:33 PM ET, 08/30/2011

Speaking to American Legion, Obama promises jobs help for returning troops

By David Nakamura

Speaking to the American Legion, President Obama pledged Tuesday to find jobs for tens of thousands of troops returning from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By David Nakamura | 01:33 PM ET, 08/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:27 AM ET, 08/30/2011

Live coverage: Obama speaks to veterans in Minneapolis

By Natalie Jennings

By Natalie Jennings | 11:27 AM ET, 08/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:48 AM ET, 08/30/2011

Obama: Bush put us in a hole

By Peter Wallsten

President Obama agrees that deficits are making the recovery harder, but he pins the blame on his predecessor.

By Peter Wallsten | 10:48 AM ET, 08/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:13 AM ET, 08/30/2011

Obama appears on Tom Joyner radio show, tries to reassure African American listeners

By Peter Wallsten

President Obama appeared on a popular African-American-oriented radio show to assure listeners he understands their concerns.

By Peter Wallsten | 10:13 AM ET, 08/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:55 AM ET, 08/29/2011

Princeton’s Alan Krueger nominated as Council of Economic Advisers chairman

By David Nakamura

President Obama has nominated Princeton professor Alan Krueger as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, to replace Austan Goolsbee.

By David Nakamura | 11:55 AM ET, 08/29/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:05 PM ET, 08/26/2011

Hurricane Irene prompts Obama to end Martha’s Vineyard vacation a day early

By David Nakamura

Obama plans to return from Martha’s Vineyard to Washington Friday evening, a day earlier than planned, to monitor the progress of Hurricane Irene

By David Nakamura | 02:05 PM ET, 08/26/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 08:55 AM ET, 08/25/2011

White House: Obama exploring jobs plan to aid construction workers

By David Nakamura

President Obama has promised to propose new ideas on how to create jobs in his post-Labor Day address to the nation. What those ideas will be has become a popular guessing game in Washington.

By David Nakamura | 08:55 AM ET, 08/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:22 PM ET, 08/24/2011

Obama vacation criticism dismissed as ‘cable chatter’ by White House

By David Nakamura

The president isn’t talking publicly, but a White House spokesman says that Obama brushes off such griping about his Martha’s Vineyard vacation as “cable chatter.”

By David Nakamura | 01:22 PM ET, 08/24/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 08/24/2011

Obama plays through on golf course during earthquake, inspires critics

By David Nakamura

Is this the “bad optic” that President Obama’s critics have been waiting for: An Associated Press photo of the president taking a call on the golf course within the hour after the East Coast earthquake Tuesday?

By David Nakamura | 06:00 AM ET, 08/24/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama

Posted at 08:30 AM ET, 08/23/2011

Obama to speak to labor groups in Detroit

By David Nakamura

President Obama will travel to Detroit on Sept. 5 to address tens of thousands of union workers during an annual Labor Day parade.

By David Nakamura | 08:30 AM ET, 08/23/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:22 PM ET, 08/22/2011

Maxine Waters to tea party: Go to Hell

By Nia-Malika Henderson

hendersonn@washpost.com

By Nia-Malika Henderson | 01:22 PM ET, 08/22/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 08:09 AM ET, 08/22/2011

From beach to golf course, Obama keeps tabs on Libya during his vacation

By David Nakamura

President Obama is receiving updates from top advisers during his vacation at Martha’s Vineyard as he follows the crumbling of Moammar Gaddafi’s long rule in Libya.

By David Nakamura | 08:09 AM ET, 08/22/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:51 PM ET, 08/19/2011

White House advisers join Obama on Martha’s Vineyard

By David Nakamura

The White House has stressed that the president will receive daily briefings from his senior advisors while he’s on Martha’s Vinyard. Who are those advisors?

By David Nakamura | 12:51 PM ET, 08/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 03:51 PM ET, 08/18/2011

Republicans agree, briefly, with Obama on Syria

By David Nakamura

After the president

By David Nakamura | 03:51 PM ET, 08/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:16 AM ET, 08/18/2011

Obama: Plan for nightcap with press in Iowa foiled by Secret Service

By David Nakamura

As President Obama tells it, he was planning to slip away and join reporters in Iowa for a pint or two but was stymied when his Secret Service detail got wind of the plan.

By David Nakamura | 09:16 AM ET, 08/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:00 PM ET, 08/17/2011

Obama aims to answer critics in renewed debt showdown

By David Nakamura

President Obama’s plan to deliver a speech laying out a new jobs proposal represents a direct answer to critics in both political parties.

By David Nakamura | 04:00 PM ET, 08/17/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 03:00 PM ET, 08/17/2011

Jeb Bush says 2012 GOP presidential field is largely set

By Peter Wallsten

By Peter Wallsten | 03:00 PM ET, 08/17/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:49 AM ET, 08/17/2011

Rick Perry says others have similar concerns about the Federal Reserve

By Krissah Thompson

Rick Perry hit back Wednesday at critics who had blasted him for questioning the integrity of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben. S. Bernanke. But this time the Texas governor shifted his focus from the Fed chief to the agency itself.

By Krissah Thompson | 09:49 AM ET, 08/17/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:53 PM ET, 08/16/2011

White House’s Jay Carney once called Bush’s working vacation strategy a ‘photo op’

By David Nakamura

The words that White House Press Secretary Jay Carney wrote as a reporter covering the White House occasionally come back to haunt him.

By David Nakamura | 02:53 PM ET, 08/16/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:02 PM ET, 08/15/2011

Obama launches Midwest bus tour as Republicans attack the ‘Debt-End Express’

By David Nakamura

The president heads to the heartland amid criticism of his economic policies.

By David Nakamura | 01:02 PM ET, 08/15/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:19 PM ET, 08/12/2011

Bears fan Obama banters with Green Bay Packers

By David Nakamura

Partisanship returned to the White House Friday afternoon.

By David Nakamura | 04:19 PM ET, 08/12/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:42 AM ET, 08/12/2011

Obama to head to Iowa in wake of Republican debate

By David Nakamura

Obama isn’t willing to let his Republican presidential rivals have all the fun in Iowa.

By David Nakamura | 11:42 AM ET, 08/12/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:47 AM ET, 08/12/2011

Obama raises money in Manhattan as rivals debate in Iowa

By David Nakamura

After delivering a pointed speech at an auto-parts factory Michigan, the president told some of his most famous supporters that, “democracy is messy.”

By David Nakamura | 09:47 AM ET, 08/12/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:16 PM ET, 08/11/2011

Obama in Michigan: House Republicans play politics ‘at the expense of our country’

By David Nakamura

President Obama took the offensive in his standoff with Republican rivals in the House by accusing them of trying to score political points “at the expense of our country.”

By David Nakamura | 04:16 PM ET, 08/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:50 PM ET, 08/11/2011

Are the French next for a downgrade? Ask Paddy Power

By Al Kamen

If you’re a betting person, Al Kamen has a bookie who’s taking bets on which country will get downgraded next.

By Al Kamen | 12:50 PM ET, 08/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 08/11/2011

Obama tries to change subject back to green jobs

By David Nakamura

The president is scheduled to hit the road Thursday, touring

By David Nakamura | 06:00 AM ET, 08/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 08:05 PM ET, 08/10/2011

White House honors Muslim Americans at annual Iftar dinner

By David Nakamura

At the White House’s annual Iftar dinner Wednesday evening, President Obama noted the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and said that those killed in the attacks included “proud and patriotic Muslim Americans”

By David Nakamura | 08:05 PM ET, 08/10/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:00 PM ET, 08/10/2011

Press corps kept in dark about Obama’s Dover trip

By David Nakamura

Members of the White House press corps were instructed not to report on the trip ahead of time and then kept away from the “dignified transfer” ceremony of the troops’ remains.

By David Nakamura | 05:00 PM ET, 08/10/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:55 PM ET, 08/09/2011

Obama pays his respects to slain troops at Dover Air Force Base

By David Nakamura and Craig Whitlock

President Obama went to Dover Air Force Base on Tuesday to pay his respects to the 30 U.S. troops who were killed in Afghanistan on Saturday when their helicopter was shot down.

By David Nakamura and Craig Whitlock | 05:55 PM ET, 08/09/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:16 AM ET, 08/09/2011

Obama: 2012 campaign will be ‘more profound debate’ than 2008

By David Nakamura

President Obama says next year’s election will be “even more consequential” than 2008 because he and his Republican rivals have visions for the country that are “even starker now than they were before.”

By David Nakamura | 07:16 AM ET, 08/09/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:40 PM ET, 08/04/2011

Obama celebrates the big 5-0 in Rose Garden

By Al Kamen

President celebrates birthday with celebs, close friends.

By Al Kamen | 07:40 PM ET, 08/04/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:04 AM ET, 08/04/2011

Former aide Rahm Emanuel fights back against Obama’s critics

By David Nakamura

With the president in town to celebrate his 50th birthday, former White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel took some swipes at Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney.

By David Nakamura | 09:04 AM ET, 08/04/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:12 PM ET, 08/03/2011

Poll suggests distance between Democratic voters and liberal groups bashing debt deal

By Peter Wallsten

The White House is taking heart from a new Gallup survey measuring public reaction to the debt-ceiling deal.

By Peter Wallsten | 06:12 PM ET, 08/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:58 PM ET, 08/03/2011

Obama leaves partisan Washington for supportive Chicago

By David Nakamura

If President Obama is looking for a little love after getting beaten up by both sides of the political aisle over the debt negotiations, he’ll find it waiting for him in Chicago.

By David Nakamura | 04:58 PM ET, 08/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:05 PM ET, 08/03/2011

Obama’s 50th birthday fundraiser in Chicago: Tweets from the Aragon

By Katie Rogers

Our reporter — and our readers — join in to tweet updates from the ground using #Obama50

By Katie Rogers | 04:05 PM ET, 08/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:17 PM ET, 08/03/2011

Debt drama over, Obama treats staff to lunch on Capitol Hill

By David Nakamura

What do you do when the debt ceiling is lifted?

By David Nakamura | 02:17 PM ET, 08/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:19 AM ET, 08/03/2011

Obama’s faces: from baby to president

By Paul Williams and Beth Marlowe

Barack Obama has changed a lot in the last 50 years. Watch the president’s face change from (adorable) baby to graying president.

By Paul Williams and Beth Marlowe | 11:19 AM ET, 08/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 08/03/2011

After debt deal, Obama focuses on jobs, economy

By David Nakamura

For an 11th-hour deal that averted a potential economic catastrophe, President Obama didn’t spend a lot of time talking about the deficit reduction package during his Rose Garden remarks Tuesday.

By David Nakamura | 06:00 AM ET, 08/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:17 PM ET, 08/02/2011

Hobbits and satan sandwiches: Test your knowledge of the best quotes of the 2011 debt ceiling fight (Quiz)

By Brian M. Rosenthal

As the great debt ceiling debate of 2011 fades into the distance, we offer a quiz on the most ridiculous and hypocritical quotes that our political leaders have uttered in the past two months.

By Brian M. Rosenthal | 01:17 PM ET, 08/02/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:15 PM ET, 08/02/2011

Obama gets older, and grayer

By Kelly Blessing

President Obama turns the big 50 this Thursday, and despite his few self-proclaimed “dents and dings in the fender,” the president has remained optimistic about aging.

By Kelly Blessing | 12:15 PM ET, 08/02/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:47 AM ET, 08/02/2011

Obama plans statement on the debt deal

By David Nakamura

Obama was meeting Tuesday with interest groups who have been critical of the deal.

By David Nakamura | 10:47 AM ET, 08/02/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:41 PM ET, 08/01/2011

White House deflects blame for ‘messy’ debt crisis ‘circus’

By David Nakamura

Spokesman says the president “tried to force the process forward at every juncture.”

By David Nakamura | 05:41 PM ET, 08/01/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:24 AM ET, 08/01/2011

White House, GOP already fighting over fine print of debt deal

By Peter Wallsten

The debt-ceiling deal is only hours old, and the White House and Republicans are already fighting over what the fine print means for tax policy.

By Peter Wallsten | 11:24 AM ET, 08/01/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 08:09 AM ET, 08/01/2011

Obama heading back on campaign trail after debt deal

By David Nakamura

Obama turns 50 on Thursday, and has planned a pair of birthday fundraisers in his hometown of Chicago.

44: August, 2011