Barack Obama News
Read news, analysis, and commentary on Barack Obama, his administration’s legacy, and his continuing impact on national debates.
-
opinion
Obama’s Tasteless Welcome of Pope Francis
Maybe we shouldn’t expect anything much from a president who gave Queen Elizabeth an iPod filled with his own speeches, and who gave former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a set of American movies on DVDs that didn’t work in the U.K. But the way this White House is choosing to “welcome” Pope Francis is… -
opinion
What the Obama Administration Isn’t Telling You About Its College Rankings
The White House just released a controversial scorecard system for the nation’s colleges, leveraging aggregated tax income data to rank colleges by how much graduates actually earn. After digging through public dataset, two things are immediately apparent. First, the household name colleges are not necessarily the best economic choices (smaller polytechnical schools often outrank the… -
news
Boehner Says It Is ‘Very Possible’ He Will Sue Obama Over Iran Deal
House Speaker John Boehner threatened to sue President Barack Obama last week over the Iran nuclear agreement. Boehner said the president did not disclose every piece of the accord to Congress as required by law and that a lawsuit over the deal is “an option that is very possible.” “If you read the provisions in… -
news
Jim DeMint: GOP Lawmakers Have ‘Not Stood Up to President Obama’
Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint criticized Republican politicians in an interview Sunday, saying they hadn’t stood firm on conservative principles. “The things that were mainstay 10 years ago—balancing the budget and limited government and getting rid of cronyism—is now called radical, far right by Republican leadership in Washington,” DeMint, the former South Carolina senator, said… -
opinion
The Fraud Factor of Obama’s New Climate Agenda
Recently, President Obama visited Alaska to scare up support for his climate agenda. But it’s becoming clear that this agenda is not, in fact, about climate. Instead, it’s the typical Washington story of power and money—other people’s money. Alaska provided the apparent novelty of ice that melts in the summer, which was used as a… -
news
Senate Democrats Block Vote to Reject Iran Nuclear Deal, Handing Obama Victory
Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked consideration of a Republican resolution to reject the Iran nuclear deal, effectively allowing the agreement to take effect without President Obama having to issue a veto. A procedural vote on what’s known as a resolution of disapproval failed 58-42. Such a vote requires 60 votes to advance. The only Democratic… -
opinion
Five Caveats to Obama’s ‘Free’ Community College Proposal
“[F]or every young person willing to work hard, I want two years of community college to be as free and universal as high school is today,” President Obama announced Wednesday in a speech at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich. The president’s remarks came as part of a renewed effort to garner support for his… -
news
House Won’t Vote on Iran Pact Until Obama Reveals ‘Secret Side Deals’
In a last ditch strategy to show its authority, House conservatives have pushed party leaders to delay a vote on the Iran nuclear deal because they believe President Obama has deceived Congress on components of the agreement. Though Obama has secured enough support to veto an attempt by lawmakers to reject the accord, it was… -
opinion
The Consistent Weaknesses in Obama’s Deals
In his first term, President Obama paid lip service to the value of diplomacy but did little negotiating. Now he’s stepped up the pace, with the Iranian nuclear deal and a trade pact with the EU in the offing. He’d have done better to have done less. Like unhappy families, bad agreements are each bad… -
opinion
Cartoon: Obama’s Mountain Size Denial
Katie Tubb wrote earlier this week on President Obama's trip to Alaska: President Obama gave a doom and gloom speech yesterday at the Global Leadership in the Arctic (GLACIER) conference in Alaska to build momentum for the U.N. climate deal in Paris this December. So far less than one third of countries have submitted plans… -
opinion
Obama Is Ignoring the Science on Climate Change
President Obama gave a doom and gloom speech yesterday at the Global Leadership in the Arctic (GLACIER) conference in Alaska to build momentum for the U.N. climate deal in Paris this December. So far less than one third of countries have submitted plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by the Wall Street Journal’s count. According… -
news
Should Mt. McKinley Be Renamed Denali? 35 Tweets on the Pros, Cons, and Obama’s Use of Executive Power
President Obama announced Sunday he is issuing an executive order to rename Mount McKinley, reinstating its original native Alaskan name, Denali. The White House said the renaming of North America’s highest mountain peak honors the “sacred status” of Denali to Alaskan natives who hold it as a “site of significant cultural importance.” The mountain has spoken… -
opinion
Obama’s New Climate Rules Will Hurt Poor, Minority Americans the Most
“We know that low-income, minority communities would be hardest hit.” That’s Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, speaking about the higher energy prices that would result from the Obama administration’s recently announced climate regulations on power plants. The Clean Power Plan, which will require drastic cuts in 47 states’ carbon dioxide emissions—consequently shifting America’s energy… -
opinion
Obama’s Iran Policy: Trust, Don’t Verify
Initially, I thought the news was beyond parody. The Associated Press last week ran a story headlined “U.N. to let Iran inspect nuke work site.” I soon realized that this revelation—a secret side agreement under which Iran is to police its own suspected nuclear weapons facilities—was too ludicrous not to parody. The host of a radio talk show asked… -
opinion
4 Misleading Claims Obama Made About Iran Deal In New Remarks
President Obama addressed the nation in a continued effort to reverse Americans’ declining support for the Iran deal. In the past few days alone, more than 900 rabbis have voiced their opposition to the deal. In addition, a group of almost 200 retired generals and admirals have signed a letter urging Congress to reject the… -
opinion
Cartoon: President Obama’s Guide to American ‘Crazies’
Nile Gardiner wrote earlier this week on the president's comments: Just back from his annual summer vacation at Martha’s Vineyard, President Barack Obama has returned to disparaging his political adversaries and anyone who happens to disagree with him on policy. According to a report in Politico, the president has taken to describing opponents of the… -
opinion
4 Reasons Obama’s New Methane Emission Regulations Don’t Make Sense
The Obama administration is proposing new regulations to reduce methane emissions for the oil and gas industry 40 percent to 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. Here are four things you need to know. 1. Methane emissions are not harmful. Methane emissions in the United States present no human health or environmental threat. Indeed,… -
opinion
Why Obama’s Wrong: Iran Deal Would Make War More Likely
Let’s cut to the chase: Does the Iran deal make war more or less likely? “No deal means a greater chance of more war in the Middle East,” President Obama says. His critics disagree. They think it will make war more likely. So which is it? Let’s break it down. First, the Iran agreement does… -
opinion
Obama Administration’s Claim That Iran Deal Will Prevent War Isn’t True
Do you think opposition to the Obama administration’s deal with Iran is strictly a partisan issue? Hardly. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York recently joined half a dozen Democrats in the House of Representatives who have voiced doubts about the agreement. Who can blame them? It flunks the most basic litmus test imaginable. After all,… -
opinion
Cartoon: Obama Is Kicking the Iran Problem Down the Road
Michaela Dodge and Cameron Swathwood wrote earlier this week on the failures of the president's Iran deal: Under the terms of the recently finalized nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), Iran will now have less oversight and restrictions on its nuclear program than the White House will admit. The Obama administration, striving to…