memeorandum: Obama: Gulf spill ‘echoes 9/11’ (The Politico)

10:25 PM ET, June 13, 2010

Top Items:

Obama: Gulf spill ‘echoes 9/11’ — Sounding reflective as he heads into a bruising electoral season, President Barack Obama told POLITICO columnist Roger Simon that the Gulf disaster “echoes 9/11” because it will change the nation's psyche for years to come.

Discussion: Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog, theblogprof, Raw Story, Freedom's Lighthouse, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Riehl World View and Gateway Pundit

New York Times:

The President's Moment — If ever there was a test of President Obama's vision of government — one that cannot solve all problems, but does what people cannot do for themselves — it is this nerve-racking early summer of 2010, with oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico and far too many Americans out of work for far too long.

Discussion: Don Surber and NewsBusters.org

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

Obama Tells Politico the Oil Spill is Like 9-11... Then Goes Golfing for 4 Hours — Barack Obama told The Politico this morning that the Gulf oil spill was like 9-11. — Then he went golfing for 4 hours. — Fore! — The Hill reported: … Leadership.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin and The Hill

Stephen Castle / New York Times:

Flemish Separatists Win in Belgium — BRUSSELS — The move to break up Belgium gathered momentum Sunday as separatists won an emphatic election victory in Flanders, the prosperous Dutch-speaking half of the fiercely divided nation. — A stunning electoral success for Bart de Wever's Flemish …

Discussion: Comments from Left Field and Truthdig

BBC:
Belgians vote in poll dominated by separatism

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Reaction

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Isn't It Ironic? — It's funny how things work out sometimes. — The two men running the White House have very different relationships with the press; one is warm and one is frosty. — One's relationship is more JFK, and one's has self-pitying echoes of Nixon.

Discussion: NewsReal Blog, The Talking Dog, Rumproast, Don Surber, NewsBusters.org and Commentary

Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:

Obama pleads for $50 billion in state, local aid — President Obama urged reluctant lawmakers Saturday to quickly approve nearly $50 billion in emergency aid to state and local governments, saying the money is needed to avoid “massive layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters” and to support the still-fragile economic recovery.

Discussion: Confederate Yankee, Firedoglake, Calitics, theblogprof, The Hill, Washington Monthly, A plain blog about politics, Vox Popoli, Politico Live's Blog, The Politico, Scared Monkeys, Political Punch, Power Line, Eschaton, Patterico's Pontifications, The Page, Newsalert and Daily Kos

James Risen / New York Times:

U.S. Discovers Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan — WASHINGTON — The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself …

New York Times:
U.S. Intelligence Puts New Focus on Afghan Graft

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Danger Room, Washington Post, Prairie Weather, Politico Live's Blog, Matthew Yglesias and No More Mister Nice Blog

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

Students Instructed to Chant “I Am an Obama Scholar” (Video) — What is with these leftists? — Students are directed to chant “I am an Obama scholar.” — From Tom Ficklin in New Haven — Via P/Oed Patriot: — Obviously, that separation of church and state rule only applies to Christianity.

Discussion: The P/Oed Patriot, Outside the Beltway, Cassy Fiano, Riehl World View and Newsalert

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Boehner: Lift the Cap — House Minority Leader John Boehner on This Week today said he's now in favor of lifting the cap on BP's liability in the Gulf oil spill. Though currently law makes BP responsible for cleaning up the actual oil, it limits its liability to $75 million.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, TPMDC and First Draft

Erika Lovley / Politico Live's Blog:
Boehner to Hoyer: Stop Blaming Bush

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Political Punch:
Boehner: Lift Liability Cap for BP

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, ABCNEWS, The Plum Line, Firedoglake and The Page

Jackie Calmes / New York Times:

Obama Plans First Oval Office Speech to Put Pressure on BP — WASHINGTON — President Obama will use his first Oval Office speech Tuesday night to outline a plan to legally compel BP to create an escrow account to compensate businesses and individuals for their losses from the oil spill …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Post, Politics Daily, The Moderate Voice, Eschaton, Washington Monthly, The Mahablog and Truthdig

Mike Allen / The Politico:
EXCLUSIVE: Obama to demand third-party panel for BP payouts

Discussion: CNN, Outside the Beltway, Gawker and The Page

CNN:
Obama to push BP to set up escrow fund to pay damage claims

Discussion: The Politico

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:

Abbas to Obama: I'm against lifting the Gaza naval blockade — The Palestinian president reportedly told Obama that lifting the naval blockade of Gaza would bolster Hamas, a move that shouldn't be done at this stage. — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is opposed to lifting …

Discussion: Commentary, Israel Matzav, Hot Air, Comments from Left Field, The Moderate Voice, Nice Deb, The New Republic, Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations, Political Punch, Israellycool, Wake up America, Gateway Pundit, Jules Crittenden and Biased BBC

David Brooks / The Atlantic Online:

Teachers Are Fair Game — I started covering education reform in 1983, with the release of the “Nation at Risk” report. In those days everybody had some idea for how we should reorganize the schools or change the curriculum—cut school size, cut class size, create vouchers, create charters …

Discussion: Open Left

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

This Time Is Different — My friend, Mark Mykleby, who works in the Pentagon, shared with me this personal letter to the editor he got published last week in his hometown paper, The Beaufort Gazette in South Carolina. It is the best reaction I've seen to the BP oil spill …

Discussion: The Glittering Eye

Times of London:

Defence chief to be axed — BRITAIN'S most senior military officer is to be axed as the new government seeks to draw a line under past failures in Afghanistan. — Liam Fox, the defence secretary, told The Sunday Times the chief of the defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup …

Discussion: Guardian and Telegraph