Journalist Roland Martin, host of TV One’s “Washington Watch,” suggests that President Obama get tougher against Wall Street, to get a little “George W. Bush” on them in efforts toward improving American confidence in the stalled economy.
President Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize 12/10/2009
Image is screenshot of live webcast of President Obama's Nobel lecture given in Oslo.
THE PRESIDENT: Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, distinguished members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world:
I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations — that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice. READ MORE
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the 44th U.S. president for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” said Thorbjørn Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Oct. 9 when announcing the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. “The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world free from nuclear weapons.” List of all Nobel Laureates
Turkey Pardoning at the White House 11/26/2009
During the ceremony Wednesday, the president acknowledged that despite having reasons to be thankful, many families, this year, are also hurting financially.
“There’s no question this has been a tough year for America,” he said. “We’re at war. Our economy is emerging from an extraordinary recession into recovery. But there’s a long way to go and a lot of work to do.”
In an era of “new perils and new hardships,” Obama said Americans are “a people of endless compassion, boundless ingenuity, limitless strength. We’re the heirs to a hard-earned history and stewards of a land of God-given beauty. We are Americans. And for all this, we give our humble thanks — to our predecessors, to one another, and to God.”
Historic Election Recalled 11/04/2009
I wasn’t born yet when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, but I do remember where I was when the Challenger space shuttle exploded or when planes slammed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001 or when then-Sen. Barack Obama was officially elected the 44th president of the United States of America.
On Election Night ‘08, I was working as an online producer at a Nashville television station. A few weeks earlier, Obama and McCain appeared in Music City for one of a handful of presidential debates held around the country. As an online producer, I was charged with writing stories, taking and editing pictures and video and posting all of them before, during and after four nightly newscasts. On Election Night, everything moved more quickly and thankfully I worked alongside dear friend and skilled colleague Angela Gardenhire.
As the election returns came in – Ohio, the Carolinas, the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia) then the polls across the Midwest and finally the West Coast, people started calling the newsroom. Angela and I hurriedly monitored blog posts and filed updates along with our usual tasks. But, at one point, after ABC anchor Charlie Gibson called the election for Obama, I stopped. I excused myself and went into a conference room and cried. When I returned to my desk among the people who called me was my mother. Initially I didn’t recognize her voice, but the caller ID confirmed the source. She was crying, saying she wished my grandfather was alive to witness this feat. She also said she wasn’t sure months ago if she’d ever see this day, but she was glad for it. I added that I was very proud of fellow Americans who stepped away from fear to elect the nation’s first black president.
Last night, HBO aired a documentary produced by actor Edward Norton that provided behind-the-scenes access to the Obama campaign. I enjoyed reliving Election Night as well as learning about how the campaign affected staff and volunteers.
