Congress Speaks-Up Regarding Obama – Netanyahu Rift

More than 250 members of Congress have signed on to a declaration reaffirming their commitment to “the unbreakable bond that exists between [U.S.] and the State of Israel”, in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The letter was sent in the wake of the severe recent tensions between Israel and the U.S. over the prior’s decision to construct more than 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem, a project it announced during U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the region.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took advantage of his trip to the United States this week to try to mend the rift with the Obama administration, but he was greeted with cold welcome by the White House.

Netanyahu also met during his visit with members of Congress, who welcomed him with significantly more warmth.

The letter from Congress expresses its “deep concern” over the U.S.-Israel crisis, and emphasizes that lawmakers had received assurances from Netanyahu that the events leading up to the recent tensions would not be repeated.

Letter from members of Congress

Dear Secretary Clinton:

We are writing to reaffirm our commitment to the unbreakable bond that exists between our country and the State of Israel and to express to you our deep concern over recent tension. In every important relationship, there will be occasional misunderstandings and conflicts.

Joe Biden Sums Up Health Reform Perfectly

After a century of struggle, euphoric Democrats watching President Barack Obama sign historic health reform into law seemed to agree with the over zealous reaction of gaffe-prone Joe Biden.

“This is a big f(expletive) deal,” Vice President Biden said in an aside to his boss, in a remark meant for Obama’s ears only.

But he was clearly heard above a gale of applause on television microphones, just after paying a gushing tribute to Obama in a signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House, teeming with lawmakers, political aides and cameramen.

The expletive quickly became … a big deal, as cable news channels went into overdrive, and one Internet entrepreneur immediately printed the quote on a tee-shirt and hawked it online.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs played down the latest gaffe by America’s infamously loose-lipped vice president.

“And yes, Mr Vice President, you’re right,” he wrote on his twitter feed.

Alexander Haig Dies At Age 85

Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig, a four-star general who served as a top adviser to three presidents and had presidential ambitions of his own, died Saturday of complications from an infection, his family said. He was 85.

Haig’s long and decorated military career launched the Washington career for which he is better known, including top posts in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations. He never lived down his televised response to the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

Hours after the shooting, then Secretary of State Haig went before the cameras intending, he said later, to reassure Americans that the White House was functioning.

“As of now, I am in control here in the White House, pending the return of the vice president,” Haig said.

Some saw the comment as an inappropriate power grab in the absence of Vice President George H.W. Bush, who was flying back to Washington from Texas.

Haig died at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where he was surrounded by his family, according to two of his children, Alexander and Barbara. A hospital spokesman, Gary Stephenson, said Haig died at about 1:30 a.m.

Schmidt: Palin Believed Candidacy Was ‘God’s Plan’

Sarah Palin believed that Sen. John McCain chose her to be his running mate in 2008 because of “God’s plan,” according to a top political strategist in the Arizona Republican’s campaign.

In an interview with the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes,” Steve Schmidt described Palin as “very calm — nonplussed” after McCain met with her at his Arizona ranch just before putting her on the Republican ticket. McCain had planned to name Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., as his vice presidential choice until word leaked, sparking what Schmidt called political blowback over picking the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Schmidt said he asked Palin about her serenity in the face of becoming “one of the most famous people in the world.” He quoted her as saying, “It’s God’s plan.”

Fur Flies Over Michelle Obama PETA Ad

Animal rights group PETA has used the image of Michelle Obama without her consent on a new poster that praises the U.S. first lady for not wearing fur, the White House said.

The poster, which PETA says was put up at just two metro rail stations in the U.S. capital, features Michelle Obama, talk-show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks and country singer Carrie Underwood under the headline “Fur-free and Fabulous.”

“We did not consent to it,” said Semonti Stephens, a spokeswoman for the first lady.

Stephens confirmed that Michelle Obama did not wear fur, but was unaware whether she had seen the poster.

A White House official said the White House had contacted PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, about the poster.

But PETA, known for its attention-grabbing campaigns, did not appear to be backing down.

Its president, Ingrid Newkirk, said in a statement her U.S.-based organization had not asked the White House to fund or promote the campaign, “as they can’t do such things.”

But she said that Michelle Obama has issued a statement indicating that she doesn’t wear fur, “and the world should know that in PETA’s eyes, that makes her pretty fabulous,” she said.

A PETA poster promoting vegetarianism was banned in Britain last year for wrongly implying that eating meat caused swine flu.

Obama: ‘I’m Skinny … But Tough’

President Barack Obama has lashed back at critics who fear he lacks the steel to be a successful president, saying “I’m skinny … but I’m tough.”

Obama, who is trying to navigate a climate of sharp political partisanship, said he was spoiling for a fight to enact his ambitious agenda.

“There are people saying mean things about me and folks are worried,” Obama said as he headlined a pair of Florida Democratic Party fundraisers that racked up a total of 1.5 million dollars.

“Just ’cause I’m skinny doesn’t mean I’m not tough. I don’t rattle,” Obama said, tongue in cheek.

“I’m not going to shrink back, because now is the time for us to continue to push and follow through on those things that we know have to be done but haven’t been done for decades.”

Obama reeled off a list of what he billed as the early achievements of his administration, including rescuing the economy from a possible depression.

He also said he was “confident” that he would be able to force a landmark healthcare reform bill through Congress by the end of the year.

A number of commentators have in recent weeks started to question Obama’s fortitude, worrying that his cool demeanor masks a lacking killer instinct.

Sarah Palin’s ‘Going Rogue’ Is Already A Best Seller

Move over, Dan Brown. Sarah Palin is on top of the charts.

Just two days after HarperCollins announced that Palin’s “Going Rogue” had been moved up from the spring to Nov. 17, preorders for the former Alaska governor’s memoir made it No. 1 on both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

Among the books “Going Rogue” is outselling: Sen. Ted Kennedy‘s “True Compass,” Mitch Albom‘s “Have a Little Faith” and Brown’s “The Lost Symbol,” his first novel since “The Da Vinci Code” and, perhaps until now, the year’s most anticipated release.

Palin, in collaboration with author Lynn Vincent, completed her 400-page book just four months after agreeing to terms with HarperCollins, which plans a first printing of 1.5 million copies. It’s the first book by Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor until suddenly resigning last summer.

She is regarded as a possible 2012 contender for the presidency. Past candidates, notably Barack Obama, have been helped by writing best-selling books, invaluable platforms for politicians to tell their story.

Bin Laden Sports ‘I Love Guantanamo’ T-Shirt

Travelers on the metro in the Washington DC risk coming facing to face with Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, smiling and wearing an “I Love Guantanamo” T-shirt.

The irreverent billboard image of America’s number one enemy, just a short distance from the White House, is part of an activist campaign aimed at highlighting that Al-Qaeda uses the US detention center as a recruiting tool.

The metro billboard is “to remind policymakers that torture is illegal, unethical and a top recruiting tool for the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network,” creators from the Avaaz activist group said.

Avaaz believes Guantanamo is a potent symbol for the “war on terror” torture excesses of former President George W. Bush and that Al-Qaeda plays on this fact to pull in new members.

Another poster presents former vice-president Dick Cheney, who has ardently defended the controversial interrogation techniques of the Bush-era, begging the question: “Could this be Al-Qaeda’s best recruiter?”

President Barack Obama, who has vowed to shut the camp by January, is shown in a third poster, looking pensive, alongside a slogan from his inauguration speech: “We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.”

The advertisement campaign aimed at shutting the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is being run at Farragut North metro station, one of the closest to the White House, and in the Washington Post daily newspaper.

Defense Secretary Rober Gates said that the complexities of trying to re-house the 223 inmates still at Guantanamo meant it was “going to be tough” to meet Obama’s January 22 deadline for the camp’s closure.

President Obama Has A Food Taster

A US “taster” tested the food being dished up to President Brack Obama at a dinner in a French restaurant, a waiter said.

“They have someone who tastes the dishes,” said waiter Gabriel de Carvalho from the “La Fontaine de Mars” restaurant where Obama and his family turned up for dinner.

“It wasn’t very pleasant for the cooks at first, but the person was very nice and was relaxed, so it all went well,” he said on the Itele news channel.

Asked by AFP to comment, the restaurant confirmed the report.

Queen Miffed At Apparent French Snub

The White House said it was working with organizers of next weekend’s D-Day 65th anniversary commemorations to secure an invitation for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

President Barack Obama’s spokesman Robert Gibbs was asked whether his boss thought that Queen Elizabeth, 83, should be present at the event on the Normandy beaches.

“He does,” Gibbs replied. “We are working with those involved to see if we can make that happen.”

The comments may revive debate about the looming absence of the queen, who served in uniform during World War II, from the commemoration ceremonies, following last week reports of an Anglo-France rift over the ceremony.

France said last week that Queen Elizabeth would be welcome to attend the event, featuring Obama, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

But the queen did not specifically receive an invitation from the French government, even though she was present for the 60th anniversary event in 2004, amid claims in the British press that she was annoyed at being excluded.

Paris said an invitation had been extended to the British government and it was up to Prime Minister Gordon Brown to decide who would attend.

“The Queen of England, as British head of state, is naturally welcome,” said French government spokesman Luc Chatel.

“It’s not up to France to decide who will represent Britain,” he said.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman however made it clear that the queen would not be attending the events in France marking D-Day, and stressed she was not upset about the situation.

“Neither the queen nor any other members of the royal family will be attending the D-Day commemorations on June 6 as we have not received an official invitation to any of these events,” the spokeswoman said.

“We would like to reiterate that we have never expressed any sense of anger or frustration at all, and are content with all the arrangements that are planned.”