The Obama Timeline

Former ambassador to the Vatican and Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon turns down the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal because it would be awarded to her during the May 17 graduation ceremony at which the pro-abortion Obama will give the commencement address. The Laetare Medal is awarded to a candidate “…whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity.” [2543, 2616]

The Treasury Department announces on April 27 that it will borrow a record $361 billion for the three-month period of April through June. An estimated $515 billion will be needed for the subsequent quarter. (The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30 of the following year.) The national debt is $11.1 trillion, and is expected to increase by at least $9.3 trillion or more under Obama’s proposed budgets. [2544]

The swine flu outbreak in Mexico that has claimed several lives prompts calls for the southern border of the United States to be completely closed. William Gheen of the Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC) warns “The Obama administration’s failure to secure our borders against a possible pandemic is putting American lives at risk at a time when days and hours matter. The weak and inadequate ‘passive surveillance’ described during Sunday’s press conference is offensive to the rational mind.” (Administration officials appeared on television April 26 to remind Americans to wash their hands often and cover their mouths when they cough.) As of April 27, there were 44 reported cases of swine flu reported in the United States and 11 in Canada. Mexico has reported 149 deaths, some of which may turn out not to be the result of swine flu. (The World Health Organization reports only seven deaths worldwide, all in Mexico, as of April 29.) Swine flu is unlikely to be a significant problem in the United States, where sanitary standards and high and health care is exceptional, but large areas of Mexico lack clean water, basic sanitation, and adequate medical care. (In a typical year, some 35,000 Americans die from common flu viruses.) [2545, 2546, 2573]

The administration authorizes a low-altitude (1,000 feet) flight mission involving a Boeing 747 (a back-up Air Force One) and two F-16 fighters near the Statue of Liberty and New York City. Although the New York City Police Department is aware of the flights, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered it not to discuss the plans. Not surprisingly, many frightened New Yorkers run from buildings when they see the low-flying planes over the Hudson River, believing it might be a terrorist attack. A Merrill Lynch worker states, “Everybody panicked. Everybody was screaming and we all ran downstairs. I’m devastated… Everybody was running, we didn’t know why we were running. We just knew it was a plane, there we go, 9/11 again.” The flight was apparently for taking “souvenir publicity” photos of Air Force One flying past the city and the Statue of Liberty. The White House later apologizes in a written statement by Military Office Director Louis Caldera: “It’s clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused.” Obama reportedly was not told about the plan, but retired Lieutenant Colonel Buzz Peterson, who for two years carried the briefcase of “secret codes” for Bill Clinton, argues that the “highest levels” of the administration (perhaps Rahm Emanuel, if not Obama himself) would have known about and approved the action. New York Senator Charles Schumer remarks, “To say that it should not be made public knowing that it might scare people it’s just confounding. It’s what gives Washington and government a bad name. It’s sheer stupidity.” The Air Force estimated the cost of the flights to be $328,835. It is not clear who was taking the “souvenir photos,” because a standard F-16 holds only the pilot—who certainly cannot take his hands from the controls in order to take photographs of a 747 flying past the New York skyline. (The White House later states the photos will not be released. Columnist Michelle Malkin files a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the photographs and related documents.) [2547, 2548, 2557, 2565, 2566, 2596, 2636, 2637]

Odds increase that Obama will have Senate Democrats use the budget reconciliation process to push through a national health plan and cap-and-trade global warming legislation in order to avoid a Republican filibuster. The reconciliation procedure was designed to speed up the process of making minor adjustments to legislation, not as a way of avoiding debate on significant changes or passing new legislation. But because Obama has only 58 votes in the Senate and needs 60 to stop a filibuster, he may have Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid abuse the rules to get his national health program. The risk for Obama is that he may start an all-out war with Republican legislators, and may be handing them significant ammunition for the 2010 and 2012 elections if the public ends up dissatisfied with the legislation he sneaks in through a back-door process. Republicans can disown any mess created by Obama and his fellow Democrats. [2549]

It is reported that Obama’s regulatory czar nominee, Cass Sunstein, has advocated a “fairness doctrine” for the Internet, going so far as to suggest that angry e-mails should be prevented from being sent for a 24-hour cooling off period. (Sunstein once proposed “…a Civility Check that can accurately tell whether the e-mail you’re about to send is angry and caution you, ‘warning: this appears to be an uncivil e-mail. Do you really and truly want to send it?’”) Sunstein has also proposed that the Internet automatically post links to opposing opinions. (An article that disputes man-caused global warming could, for example, be required to display links to sites that promote the “Gore doctrine.”) Obama wants Sunstein to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. [2550]