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VIDEO:
President Obama Weekly Address

Today

President Obama discusses the economic
stimulus package he signed this week in his weekly address to
the nation.

Washington, DC

VIDEO:
Governors Gather for Winter Meeting

Today

This weekend, the Nat'l Governors Association
holds its annual winter conference. This year’s theme is,
“Strengthening the nation’s infrastructure.” Today's
speakers include: Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), NGA Chairman; Gov.
Jim Douglas (R-VT), NGA Vice Chairman; and T. Boone Pickens,
BP Capital Management.

Washington, DC

The
quickest and broadest tax cut ever

from White House.gov Blog Feed

Two important takeaways from the President's Weekly Address this
morning.

#1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act will start having an impact as soon as a few weeks from now,
in the form of the quickest and broadest tax cut in history:

"Because of what we did, 95% of all
working families will get a tax cut -- in keeping with a promise
I made on the campaign. And I’m pleased to announce that
this morning, the Treasury Department began directing employers
to reduce the amount of taxes withheld from paychecks -- meaning
that by April 1st, a typical family will begin taking home at
least $65 more every month. Never before in our history has a
tax cut taken effect faster or gone to so many hardworking Americans."

#2, once the economy has recovered and
we’ve laid the groundwork for a sustainable future, the
President is committed to taking on the massive deficits we inherited:

"That work begins on Monday, when
I will convene a fiscal summit of independent experts and unions,
advocacy groups and members of Congress to discuss how we can
cut the trillion-dollar deficit that we’ve inherited. On
Tuesday, I will speak to the nation about our urgent national
priorities, and on Thursday, I’ll release a budget that’s
sober in its assessments, honest in its accounting, and that
lays out in detail my strategy for investing in what we need,
cutting what we don’t, and restoring fiscal discipline."

SATURDAY, February 21, 2009

WEEKLY ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT

TO THE NATION

THE PRESIDENT: Earlier this week,
I signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
-- the most sweeping economic recovery plan in history. Because
of this plan, 3.5 million Americans will now go to work doing
the work that America needs done.

I'm grateful to Congress, governors
and mayors across the country, and to all of you whose support
made this critical step possible.

Because of what we did together, there
will now be shovels in the ground, cranes in the air, and workers
rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, and repairing our
faulty levees and dams.

Because of what we did, companies
-- large and small -- that produce renewable energy can now apply
for loan guarantees and tax credits and find ways to grow, instead
of laying people off; and families can lower their energy bills
by weatherizing their homes.

Because of what we did, our children
can now graduate from 21st century schools and millions more
can do what was unaffordable just last week -- and get their
college degree.

Because of what we did, lives will
be saved and health care costs will be cut with new computerized
medical records.

Because of what we did, there will
now be police on the beat, firefighters on the job, and teachers
preparing lesson plans who thought they would not be able to
continue pursuing their critical missions. And ensure that all
of this is done with an unprecedented level of transparency and
accountability, I have assigned a team of managers to make sure
that precious tax dollars are invested wisely and well.

Because of what we did, 95 percent
of all working families will get a tax cut -- in keeping with
a promise I made on the campaign. And I'm pleased to announce
that this morning, the Treasury Department began directing employers
to reduce the amount of taxes withheld from paychecks -- meaning
that by April 1st, a typical family will begin taking home at
least $65 more every month. Never before in our history has
a tax cut taken effect faster or gone to so many hardworking
Americans.

But as important as it was that I
was able to sign this plan into law, it is only a first step
on the road to economic recovery. And we can't fail to complete
the journey. That will require stemming the spread of foreclosures
and falling home values, and doing all we can to help responsible
homeowners stay in their homes, which is exactly what the housing
plan I announced last week will help us do.

It will require stabilizing and repairing
our banking system, and getting credit flowing again to families
and businesses. It will require reforming the broken regulatory
system that made this crisis possible, and recognizing that it's
only by setting and enforcing 21st century rules of the road
that we can build a thriving economy.

And it will require doing all we can
to get exploding deficits under control as our economy begins
to recover. That work begins on Monday, when I will convene
a fiscal summit of independent experts and unions, advocacy groups
and members of Congress, to discuss how we can cut the trillion-dollar
deficit that we've inherited. On Tuesday, I will speak to the
nation about our urgent national priorities. And on Thursday,
I'll release a budget that's sober in its assessments, honest
in its accounting, and lays out in detail my strategy for investing
in what we need, cutting what we don't, and restoring fiscal
discipline.

No single piece of this broad economic
recovery can, by itself, meet the demands that have been placed
on us. We can't help people find work or pay their bills unless
we unlock credit for families and businesses. We can't solve
our housing crisis unless we help people find work so that they
can make payments on their homes. We can't produce shared prosperity
without firm rules of the road, and we can't generate sustained
growth without getting our deficits under control. In short,
we cannot successfully address any of our problems without addressing
them all. And that is exactly what the strategy we are pursuing
is designed to do.

None of this will be easy. The road
ahead will be long and full of hazards. But I am confident that
we, as a people, have the strength and wisdom to carry out this
strategy and overcome this crisis. And if we do, our economy
-- and our country -- will be better and stronger for it.

Thank you.

Briefing by White House Press Secretary
Robert Gibbs, 2/20/2009

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

February 20, 2009

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Briefing-by-White-House-Press-Secretary-Robert-Gibbs-2-20-2009/

PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESS SECRETARY ROBERT
GIBBS

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:50 P.M. EST

MR. GIBBS: I don't have any announcements.
Obviously we'll have a week ahead if through the process of playing
Jeopardy with you guys doesn't give everything out before we
do that. I'll start with you, Ms. Loven.

Q Thanks. I would like to ask about the
markets. How concerned are you all at how they're reacting to
what's being done this week and the afternoon markets? And is
the President doing anything, does he have anything different
on his schedule or his agenda because of it?

MR. GIBBS: Well, obviously he met with
a fairly big group of advisors to have his Presidential Daily
Briefing on the economy. And the economic situation certainly
continues to be at the forefront of his actions. But as I've
said a couple -- more than a couple of times, actually, up here,
which is I think it is unwise to believe that either everything
we do is designed to cause an immediate market reaction or that
the score should be kept by that.

I think that if you look at the news of
the week I think the market probably prices in not just -- probably
prices in a lot of information whether it's price increases,
whether it's I think a lot of news throughout the globe about
a deteriorating economy. I think it's more likely that what you're
seeing is what the President continues to talk about, some of
our greatest challenges, but certainly not just a reaction to
what we're doing.

Q Well, let me just ask it in a different
way. I understand what you're saying about not wanting to sort
of have a daily scorecard that's only kept by what Wall Street
does. But at some point you want that to take -- as well as other
indicators and for the economy to turn around. What is the President
being told by his advisors about when there might be some sort
of turning point on some level or another, whether it's markets
or somewhere else?

MR. GIBBS: Well, again, as I've said before,
I think we all recognize and I think forecasters recognize that
the downturn in the economy is very serious, very analogous to
some of the past deep recessions that we've seen, and that it's
going to take some time to get out of that hole. The question
is whether that hole gets deeper or how much deeper that hole
might get.

We believe -- obviously, the President
signed into law the Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, which was
a good first step in cushioning the blow of the recession and
working aggressively to put people back to work. But I've also
said from up here any number of times there's not just one thing
that we need to or can focus on. You've got financial stability,
you've got home foreclosures, you've got reregulation. There's
any number of things that the President continues to work on
that have to be solved, and it's going to take quite some time
to do it.

When that turnaround happens, it's hard
for me to say. The President and his team believe that the actions
that we're taking now will have a direct impact on making that
happen quicker. The investments that we make, that you saw the
President sign into law earlier this week, we think will have
an impact -- a home foreclosure plan that will stem the rising
tide and spread of home foreclosures, which is tremendously important;
and then obviously working on both financial stability and regulatory
reform to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

But we've got -- I think the President
would be frank and forthright in telling you that we've got a
long way to go. He's certainly said that and that's what he's
going to continue to work on.

Q Bank of America and Citigroup shares
are being pummeled today on Wall Street because of fears they're
going to be nationalized. Can you assure people that that step
is not going to be taken and be avoided? And also, separately,
on the automakers, you've had a couple of days to review their
plans. Is there any early read you can give, and can you talk
about the meeting at Treasury today?

MR. GIBBS: I believe the meeting is over
at Treasury, and I will attempt to get something for you all
on that, based on that ending -- and we've talked a little bit
about that this week.

Let me reassure as best I can on your first
question on banks, this administration continues to strongly
believe that a privately-held banking system is the correct way
to go, ensuring that they are regulated sufficiently by this
government. That's been our belief for quite some time and we
continue to have that.

Q Robert, the President this morning spoke
to the mayors about accountability, making sure you're spending
taxpayer money wisely, it's getting to the people who need it.
He's also spoken out about corporate leaders taking corporate
jets and spending money unwisely. Does he have similar concerns
about lawmakers in Congress, since they're off this week, flying
around? A lot of stories about Speaker Pelosi in Italy and several
other countries; Republican lawmakers flying around the world,
as well. Should the Congress, at a time of crisis, be cutting
back, as well, and not flying around the world on Air Force jets?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I mean, let me split your
question a little bit. I'll address the -- I mean, obviously
I think members of Congress going overseas on important trips
is something that the President did when he was a senator, going
several times with -- or once with Senator Lugar and a longer
trip to Africa because of the importance of it -- the continent
played in our security concerns. So obviously I think they are
-- many of those trips are important.

I think what you saw the President do today
was reiterate what we have said throughout this process, which
is -- and there were stories about this even today -- that we
have -- we've been entrusted with the taxpayer money and appropriate
it in a way in which the President and his team, and Democrats
and Republicans, think will best move this economy forward.

We understand that that level of trust
is extraordinary, and that whether this money goes to the states
through a formula grant, whether it goes to the states or local
entities through a transportation grant or something like that,
that great care has to be used when dealing with the taxpayer
money. The money should not be spent on wasteful projects or
pet projects, but instead spent on projects that we know can
and will move this economy forward.

Let me -- you didn't ask me this, but I'll
add it anyway. It has been amusing this week to read the many
press releases and Twitter comments on those that found the stimulus
on C-SPAN during the vote something that they didn't necessarily
think was a good idea until it came time to break ground on projects
in their home district.

Q Are you talking about Republican lawmakers,
specifically?

MR. GIBBS: Many of them, yes.

Q So does the President believe there's
some hypocrisy going on?

MR. GIBBS: As I've said before, old habits
are hard to break. And I think that the American people readily
understand when this town gets dominated by games-playing rather
than problem-solving.

Q Let me follow up. The first week in office
the President signed the executive order to close down the military
prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. The Attorney General is going
on Monday for the first time to get a close look at it. This
is a very serious issue. The American people want to know about
where are these detainees going to go. And my understanding is
the Attorney General is not bringing any media, it's completely
closed press. How does that square with the President's vows
that we've talked about on transparency? When the American people
are wondering how is this policy going to be implemented, the
chief law enforcement officer is basically operating in secrecy.

MR. GIBBS: I don't think the chief law
enforcement officer is operating in secrecy --

Q Well, why isn't he bringing in a camera?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think what this administration
is working to do, per the executive order, is to come up with
a plan that ensures our security and does so in a way that meets
the test of our values and protecting the men and women that
keep this country free and safe. I don't think you have to do
all of that through a photo op. I think this is a working trip;
that this is -- a very serious number of decisions lay in front
of this government, and it's important for -- whether it's the
counsel here or the Attorney General or any other member of this
administration working to find some of those very tough solutions
-- to be able to do so not as a photo op, but as something that's
--

Q Well, the question is -- it doesn't have
to be a photo op if he doesn't want it to be a photo op. If he
wants it to be substantive, why not let the American people in
on these deliberations?

MR. GIBBS: Well, we are letting the American
people in on these deliberations. That's why there's a review
process that's -- that's ongoing. I think the Attorney General
feels comfortable that he can make those decisions without cable.

Jake.

Q A quick follow-up on Ed's question on
the trip to Guantanamo. Can you just give us any sort of timeline
for the decision about Guantanamo? You have Greg Craig there
now, Eric Holder going down there next week. Is there any sort
of timeline you have for the decision and when --

MR. GIBBS: I thought the -- I'll go back
and check the executive order. I thought the whole process was
180 days, but I will -- I'll go back and --

Q This is on the 180th day, an announcement
will be made?

MR. GIBBS: No, no, no -- I assume when
they get done and have made those decisions. I think obviously
we're in probably the 20-some-odd day. So I don't expect -- I
don't -- certainly don't have any announcements today, but as
we obviously get closer and make those determinations, we'll
have them for you.

Q And we did -- we interviewed Gavin Newsom,
the mayor of San Francisco, after his meeting. We were talking
about the report, the "ready to go" report that the
U.S. Conference of Mayors had put out. And Mayor Newsom said,
"What came out of the U.S. Conference of Mayors was easily
mocked -- not all of it -- but just enough that it put the whole
stimulus in peril, for a moment at least." I noticed in
the stimulus package it says that money cannot be spent on things
like golf courses, casinos, even parks. And I'm wondering, how
did the President receive that U.S. Conference of Mayors report?
And did that play any role in his threat to the mayors today
that if they don't spend the taxpayers' money wisely, he will
call them out publicly?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think -- I honestly
don't know what his reaction was when he saw the initial report.
I know he's met with the mayors on several occasions. But, you
know, Jake, he'll have the very same message for the governors
on Monday. He has the same message for -- as you saw in the remarks,
for the agencies that have to implement these spending programs,
and that is that these -- if you're seeking to simply fund a
personal agenda at the expense of creating jobs and using taxpayer
money to do it, the President will call that out and stop it.
That's true for agencies and members of this administration;
that's true for governors; that's true for mayors; that's true
for anybody that might take part in any amount of this funding.

The President, throughout this process,
has talked about the need for strict accountability to ensure
that the precious resources that the American people have entrusted
in this government are spent completely aboveboard and wisely.
So I don't think you should look at the message that he delivered
today as a one-time message. We'll have more announcements on
this next week, and we'll have more dialogue like this next week,
whether it's governors or whether it's people within this administration
that are entrusted to handle this money.

Q On the foreclosure plan, aside from Rush
Limbaugh and that cable rant on the floor of the Exchange, there
really does appear to be some --

MR. GIBBS: Chuck's network? (Laughter.)

Q -- there really does appear to be some
anger out there from people who just don't believe the President
when he said that only people who acted responsibly are going
to be helped here. How can you assure people that you're going
to reward only people, only homeowners who acted responsibly?

MR. GIBBS: Well, let's go through this,
because I do think this is very important. And I've watched Mr.
Santelli on cable the past 24 hours or so. I'm not entirely sure
where Mr. Santelli lives, or in what house he lives, but the
American people are struggling every day to meet their mortgage,
stay in their job, pay their bills, to send their kids to school,
and to hope that they don't get sick or that somebody they care
for gets sick and sends them into bankruptcy.

I think we said a few months ago the adage
that if it was good for a derivatives trader that it was good
for Main Street. I think the verdict is in on that.

Here's what this plan will do: For the
very first time, this plan helps those who have acted responsibly,
played by the rules, and made their mortgage payments. This will
help people who aren't in trouble yet keep from getting in trouble.
You can't stay in this program unless you continue to make mortgage
payments. That's important for Mr. Santelli and millions of Americans
to understand.

Here's what this plan won't do: It won't
help somebody trying to flip a house. It won't bail out an investor
looking to make a quick buck. It won't help speculators that
were betting on a risky market. And it is not going to help a
lender who knowingly made a bad loan. And it is not going to
help -- as the President said in Phoenix, it is not going to
help somebody who has long ago known they were in a house they
couldn't afford. That's why the President was very clear in saying
this was not going to stop every person's home from being foreclosed.

But Mr. Santelli has argued, I think quite
wrongly, that this plan won't help everyone. This plan will help,
by the money that's invested in Freddie and Fannie -- will drive
down mortgage rates for millions of Americans.

The President in his speech was very clear
in saying that every American with a mortgage payment should
call their lender and see if they can refinance right now. This
plan helps people that have been playing by the rules but can't
get refinancing, get that refinancing so their home doesn't become
foreclosed on.

And Mr. Santelli might also know that if
you live in a home that's near one that's been foreclosed, your
home value has likely dropped about 9 percent, which for the
average home is about $20,000.

Now, every day when I come out here, I
spend a little time reading, studying on the issues, asking people
who are smarter than I am questions about those issues. I would
encourage him to read the President's plan and understand that
it will help millions of people, many of whom he knows. I'd be
more than happy to have him come here and read it. I'd be happy
to buy him a cup of coffee -- decaf. (Laughter.)

Chuck.

Q I want to sort of follow up on the criticism
that --

MR. GIBBS: Let me do this, too. This is
a copy of the President's home affordability plan. It's available
on the White House web site, and I would encourage him: download
it, hit print, and begin to read it.

Q The criticism that's coming on the housing
plan is similar to the criticism that came on the bank bailout
vote before you came into office and in Phase II, which is there
are people who were irresponsible who will be helped -- period.
It's going -- that is a fact, that is going to be -- that is
going to be -- people are going to use that to say this is not
fair. So what do you -- how do you -- you know, how do you justify
that? I mean, how do you --

MR. GIBBS: Well, look, there is -- there
will be people that made bad decisions that, in some ways, will
get help. This plan, though, I think it's important for the American
people to understand, was designed to help those that have been
responsible.

As the President has said, if your neighbor's
house is on fire or if several houses are on fire, you don't
debate it; you get a hose and try to put the fire out. That's
what's most important. This plan will stop the spread of those
foreclosures because it addresses those that are -- that potentially
could be in trouble but aren't there yet, get the help they need
so that the foreclosure sign doesn't go up on their front yard.

But I also think it's tremendously important
that for people who rant on cable television to be responsible
and understand what it is they're talking about. I feel assured
that Mr. Santelli doesn't know what he's talking about.

Q On the -- going to Jennifer's question
on the markets, the markets are the ultimate confidence indicator,
in many ways, right? You have said before you're not going to
pay attention to day-to-day movements in the markets. However,
we might hit a 12-year low by the end of today. And it's -- what
is it -- is it the President's responsibility to help create
some confidence in the markets?

MR. GIBBS: Oh, absolutely. I don't think
that -- I mean, I think the President would agree with that wholeheartedly.
But again, I think --

Q So this is not -- aren't the markets
saying they don't have confidence?

MR. GIBBS: Well, again, I think the --
I think -- obviously I'm not on Wall Street, but I think it is
not -- I think it is very safe to assume that what is being priced
into the day-to-day fluctuations of the market is not just what
happens or is announced at the White House or on the road by
the White House. You know, again, you know, without going through
it, I think you can look at economic news that built up over
the past weekend, that we've seen and read about globally, in
Europe, in Eastern Europe, in particular, that the economy is
deteriorating, in some places more rapidly than might have first
been imagined.

Q Are you guys considering pulling some
triggers here in the government --

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think the President
--

Q -- that could give even an artificial
boost?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I used this example the
other day on the plane, and it's helpful -- it's not -- I want
to go back and try to more fully answer the question. But understand
that, you know, the day that the TARP funding passed, the market
went up a thousand points, right? I don't think we'd all together
look back and think that was the greatest thing we ever did for
financial stability, right?

So I think when you -- but, leaving aside
that example, I do think that the -- that this administration
is working -- whether it's in foreclosures, stability, recovery
-- to do that. I think without, again, divining what it is the
market is doing or why it is making those decisions, I think
that it -- we have to do more and the President understands that.
I think he'll begin to talk more about that. He did some today,
he'll do some tomorrow, and certainly next week leading into
the address, to discuss the number of things that we have that
are challenges that we face.

Again, you know, it would be nice to be
able to just deal with one, get a recovery plan passed, and work
on that, but there are probably three or four parallel tracks
that have to -- that have to be followed up simultaneously, which
is challenging.

Jonathan.

Q Next week the budget comes out, and it's
coming out amid what looks like will probably be the longest
recession since World War II. How has the economic crisis impacted
the President's ability to do some of the things that he promised
to do on the campaign trail? And can you say right now that there
will be no tax increases in 2010?

MR. GIBBS: Well, let me do this. Let me
-- we'll have more to say on the budget soon, and I'm not going
to get ahead of what the President will say on Tuesday or what
is ultimately contained in the budget on -- I think will be released
on Thursday.

I will say this, and I think this is apparent
in any number of things, that the President strongly believes
that as we have spent money in the short term for the recovery
plan, that we have an unsustainable path long term in our budgets.

Some of the actions that we are going to
take that are out there are some honesty in budgeting, that give
people a fuller picture of what's going on -- putting the --
some of the war spending back on budget; putting some disaster
spending back on budget; and understanding that what that will
show you on Thursday is a deficit far bigger and far redder than
what might have first been imagined, because for many years we've
used tricks and gimmicks to mask the size of our irresponsibility.

But I think what you'll hear from the President
on Tuesday is a discussion about the decisions that we are going
to have to make collectively to get ourselves back on a path
toward some sustainable fiscal track.

Q And I asked you last night and you didn't
have an answer -- what does the President want to get out of
this fiscal responsibility summit?

MR. GIBBS: I've got a little bit on that
in the week ahead, so let me wait on that one.

Yes, sir.

Q Back on the bank nationalization question.
It sounded to me by your answer that you weren't quite ruling
it out, you were just saying that the President strongly prefers
not to do it. Is that correct?

MR. GIBBS: No, no, no. Let me be clear:
The President believes that the bank -- a privately held banking
system regulated by the government is what this country should
have.

Q "Should have," but does that
mean he will not nationalize banks?

MR. GIBBS: It's hard for me to be clearer
than where I just was.

Q Okay. And also, does the President agree
with a statement by Attorney General Holder the other day that
on things racial, we are essentially a nation of cowards?

MR. GIBBS: I have not talked to the President
about that. I think what the Attorney General discussed was --
or talked about was that for many years in this country all races
have struggled with discussions about race. I would point you
to the President's speech on the topic during the campaign as
his thoughts on that matter.

Q And, Robert, you said you could never
be -- you couldn't be clearer than that. You could say he will
never nationalize a bank; that would be clearer. Can you say
that?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think I was very clear
about the system that this country has and will continue to have.

Q Robert.

MR. GIBBS: Yes.

Q Back to the auto talks. The President
didn't attend the session today, as I understand it.

MR. GIBBS: He did not.

Q Will he be attending future sessions?
And what's the road map for the next Auto Task Force meeting?
Will they meet a couple times a week?

MR. GIBBS: I will -- let me check on the
long-term schedule. I do anticipate that at some point the President
obviously will join in on those discussions, and obviously in
going through these plans and ultimately what's decided on how
the industry has to be restructured.

Q And is he -- is the task force encouraging
Detroit to very strongly consider mergers of any kind? Are they
giving that kind of advice?

MR. GIBBS: Let me -- I will try to get
as best a readout as I can. Like I said, I was not in that meeting.

Q Robert.

MR. GIBBS: Yes, Major.

Q U.N. officials acknowledged yesterday
that they believe that Iran has developed enough enriched uranium
for one nuclear weapon. What is the administration's reaction
to that? And what are implications for this as he puts together
this plan of engaging Iran?

MR. GIBBS: Well, Major, I think that the
report represents another lost opportunity for Iran as it continues
to renege on its international obligations.

Absent compliance, the international community
cannot have confidence that this program is exclusively of a
peaceful nature. It does underscore the urgency with which the
international community must work together to address these enrichment
activities. The review of our policy continues. But --

Q Does it slow it down or change its trajectory
in any way?

MR. GIBBS: I don't believe it does. I think
that this White House understands that working with our allies
that this is an urgent problem that has to be addressed, and
that we can't delay addressing.

Q On autos, the President said yesterday
in Ottawa that the auto companies will have to go through "significant
restructuring" -- those were his two words. Is there any
way that that can be achieved, based on what the task force has
seen so far, absent bankruptcy?

MR. GIBBS: Well, again, let me get a readout
from what they've seen and what they discussed today.

Q Lastly, will there ever be a time in
the administration when the stock market will be a barometer
for the President's economic success? (Laughter.)

MR. GIBBS: Depends. (Laughter.)

Q Robert --

MR. GIBBS: Hold on, I'll get there. Yes,
sir.

Q Robert, you all have promised that the
President would make a speech in a Muslim nation within the first
100 days. Are you going to keep that promise? And on a more parochial
and local issue, does the -- will the President's limousines
bear the "Taxation Without Representation" license
plates that Bill Clinton's limousines once did and that George
Bush's did not?

MR. GIBBS: I confess I don't have the slightest
idea what the license plates on the limousine say now, but I
can certainly check on that.

In terms of the speech, we're moving forward
with that, and -- but for any number of reasons, I just can't
get into those details right now.

Q Does that mean that you all still intend
--

MR. GIBBS: We're moving forward with that,
yes.

Sheryl.

Q Robert, looking ahead to the budget,
and also to Tuesday's address, how much will the President use
each of these two occasions to lay out very specific agendas
for some of his initiatives going forward, particularly energy
and health care? You were criticized in rolling out the bank
bailout plan, that lacked specifics. Will we hear, you know,
a comprehensive proposal on these --

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think you've covered
Congress long enough to know that it's hard to lay out a budget
and not be fairly detailed and comprehensive. I think people
will definitely know that the President is taking swift action
to invest in renewable energy and ensure that we reduce our dependence
on foreign oil, and that we're taking steps to make health care
more affordable for millions of Americans, while providing those
that don't have health insurance with access.

Q There's been negotiations going on on
the Hill with Senator Kennedy to try to come to agreement on
some kind of universal access plan. How much has the President
been involved in these discussions? And is he willing to defer
such a big piece of his agenda to negotiations that are ongoing
outside of the White House?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I don't know the degree
to which we've been involved. I think it's a safe bet that anything
that goes -- anything dealing with health care is going to go
through Senator Kennedy, Senator Kennedy's committee. I think
it has to be talked about with many of the stakeholders that
are listed in that article. I don't think that we believe that
those representing doctors and patients and hospitals and insurance
companies and legislators all discussing a path forward on affordable
health care is a bad thing. I think just the opposite. We think
that's -- it's a good step in the right direction. It's going
to take some time, and we're glad that they've started.

Yes, sir.

Q Robert, can I ask about gas taxes versus
miles driven taxes?

MR. GIBBS: Sure.

Q Secretary LaHood told AP in an interview
that he thinks we should look at this, going to miles driven
taxes. But someone -- a spokesman over at the department said,
no, that it is not and will not be administration policy. Which
is it? And has the President weighed in on this?

MR. GIBBS: I don't believe the President
has. I can weigh in on it and say that it is not and will not
be the policy of the Obama administration.

Q So was Secretary LaHood speaking out
of turn here?

MR. GIBBS: I would direct you to Secretary
LaHood on that.

Q Well, we actually interviewed him, so
--

MR. GIBBS: Well, call him back. (Laughter.)

Q What about the kind of rants -- back
to a response on the kind of rants that there -- against the
stimulus package, does the kind of cable debate, cable broadcast
debate over the plan, is that damaging to the President's case
for a stimulus, or does it help Americans to have an open debate
like that?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I don't doubt that an
open debate is something that's obviously important. The President
used to use the story -- I forget who he quoted -- that people
are entitled to their own opinion, not just their own facts.
You know, sometimes -- I don't think -- I don't think anybody
could sit in front of the TV and listen for an hour and not hear
somebody that's making a case that just -- I got to assume they
knowing -- they know just isn't true. I think that -- but I think
that kind of debate, that -- certainly that debate is helpful.

The impact of it all -- I think I said
this last week, that if I hadn't worked on the campaign, but
simply watched the cable news scorekeeping of the campaign, we
lost virtually every day of the race. I mean, how many days did
we cover -- through our trip to Europe through election day --
that the Obama campaign was out-quicked or out-smarted, and we
covered ads that were seen by the dozen or so people currently
watching that program -- (laughter) -- but not by the rest of
America. You know, like I said, if I would have just watched
cable TV, I long would have crawled into a hole and given up
this whole prospect of changing the country.

Yes, sir.

Q Robert, each time the President talks
about the economy, he talks both about the challenges that we
face and then usually has a -- sort of an optimistic line about
-- that we'll get through this. Can you talk about how he's sort
of calibrating that message as he prepares the speech on Tuesday?

MR. GIBBS: Well, and I think President
Clinton talked about this -- I think the -- and the President
certainly has said this for quite some time, that he believes
it is very important to be honest with the American people about
the struggles and the challenges that we face. We've seen political
endeavors in the past that have not been up front with the American
people and where they were and the progress or the lack of progress
that was being made, and that this President believes it's important
that we do that in a forthright and honest way.

The President, as you said, also talks
about the fact that he understands that if we take and meet those
challenges head on, that brighter days are ahead. He said several
times last week that he was an eternal optimist. I think he understands
that it's important for him to be confident and hopeful in the
path that we're taking, but honest about the many challenges
that we face. And that's what he's working on doing.

Yes.

Q Yes, on Iran. Two more on Iran. Is the
U.S. trying to convince the Iranian government to change its
attitude toward Israel and not to continue its threat to destroy
Israel?

MR. GIBBS: Absolutely. I mean, I think
the President on any number of occasions has said that -- not
just with Iran, but with other groups -- that it's -- they have
to stop threatening Israel and the Israeli people.

Q On this IAEA report, does it preclude
the possibility of Iran using a dirty bomb? Does Iran have that
capability now?

MR. GIBBS: I have not read the full report
on that and what that might mean.

Q Robert, thank you. A few days ago when
you were asked about President Obama's reaction to the Senator
Burris controversy, you said, "I have to say, I've neglected
to speak with him." Things have escalated since then. Today
Governor Quinn has asked for him to step down. By chance, do
you have a read of what President Obama thinks should be done
in this case?

MR. GIBBS: I haven't talked to him specifically
about all of this. What I also said was -- during that day, which
was that Senator Burris -- well, first of all, that the people
of Illinois have been through a very trying time with the Governor.
The appointment of Senator Burris was -- and his taking the Senate
seat was based largely on the representations that he'd made,
factual representations that he'd made to the people of Illinois
through interviews and through his testimony to the impeachment
committee.

We know that -- and has been reported extensively
-- that there seemed to be -- some of those stories seem to be
at variance with what's happened; that the President is supportive
of an investigation that would get some full story out. And I
think it might be important for Senator Burris to take some time
this weekend to either correct what has been said and certainly
think of what lays in his future.

Q Robert.

MR. GIBBS: April.

Q Robert, so going back to this --

Q It sounds like a resignation call.

Q It sounds like you're telling him to
resign.

MR. GIBBS: No, I --

Q Going back to the --

MR. GIBBS: -- just for him to take a look
at what has been said and for him to come up with an explanation
that satisfies --

Q But is there an explanation that can
satisfy? I mean, it's gone from one extreme to the other.

MR. GIBBS: Well, that's a question to ask
Senator Burris, not Robert Gibbs.

Q Wait a minute, wait a minute. You called
on me. Hello, Robert. You called on me.

MR. GIBBS: I haven't talked to him.

Q Okay. But you said he needs --

MR. GIBBS: Hello, April. I answered your
questions -- go ahead. I'm in a giving mood today, so fire away.

Q Anyway, you said he needs to take time
this weekend, though. And, I mean, you -- this White House is,
coming through your mouth, basically saying that this man has
shaded the facts and he needs -- or changed -- you said he had
a variance. So he needs to go back --

MR. GIBBS: Again, I'm not saying that,
April. I think it's been covered -- it's been covered in Lynn's
paper, which I read. It's been covered in the Tribune; it's been
covered in the Associated Press; it's been covered in a number
of places that the testimony that he gave seems to be at variance
with what's happened.

Q So did he lie?

MR. GIBBS: That's a question for Mr. Burris.

Kirk.

Q Just following up on an earlier question,
Robert -- thank you. President Clinton's comments today -- was
President Obama unhappy or -- that the President seemed to imply
that he was too downbeat, and that he said that he ought to be
talking about being hopeful and completely convinced we're going
to come through this?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think the premise of
that question was that the President balances the challenges
that we face with the understanding that we're going to get through
tough times as we always have in this country. I haven't talked
to the President specifically about his reaction to President
Clinton's interview. But I think he understands, as I said, that
it's important to be straightforward with the American people
about those challenges, to underscore the path that we're taking
as being one that he feels will get us on a path toward sustained
long-term economic growth, and to give people confidence that
those steps are being taken.

Q Next week is shaping up to be a take-your-medicine
kind of week, pretty tough week. It's going to be fairly downbeat,
isn't it?

MR. GIBBS: I haven't seen anything other
than that in the few weeks that I've already been here. (Laughter.)
It hasn't been -- I mean, just to address that for a second,
Kirk. I mean, I -- look, I -- whether it is unemployment or unemployment
claims, or layoffs, or Afghanistan, or energy independence --
I think there are a number of things that we have, for a long
time, and the President believes, as a country have neglected
and that are important to begin to work on.

Not every one of those decisions is going
to be easy, and he understands he wasn't elected to make easy
decisions. But he also understands, as he spoke about in the
inaugural and I think you'll hear him speak about next week,
that we all have a special responsibility to do what we can to
put this country back on the right track and to see it through,
back to prosperous and better days.

Let me go quickly through my week-ahead.
The President has no public events on Saturday. We will endeavor
to get you the radio address at a reasonable hour tonight.

Q And the subject, Robert?

Q The economy.

MR. GIBBS: The economy. (Laughter.) Have
you seen the radio address? (Laughter.) Specifically about the
recovery plan.

On Sunday, the President and the First
Lady will welcome the National Governors' Association to the
White House for the annual Governors' Dinner.

Q What's the entertainment?

MR. GIBBS: I believe Earth, Wind and Fire.
You just wanted me to say that on camera, didn't you? (Laughter.)

Q Can you sing a little --

MR. GIBBS: No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
No, I got a tip jar right here and --

Q That's The Way Of The World?

MR. GIBBS: Oh, don't tempt me.

On Monday morning, the President and the
Vice President will meet with Democratic and Republican governors
from across the country. During the meeting -- all the governors
have been invited. Later that morning and into the afternoon,
as Jonathan talked about, the President will -- the President
and the Vice President will host the Fiscal Responsibility Summit
at the White House and lead a frank discussion on how we can
address the long-term fiscal problems facing this country.

About 130 people are invited, including
Democratic and Republican leadership in Congress, the chairs
and ranking members of key committees, and a wide range of community
leaders and stakeholders from business, academia, financial and
the labor sectors.

Q Can we have a list of --

Q Yes, can we get a list?

MR. GIBBS: Let me see where that is.

The Vice President will open the summit
with remarks. Two presentations will follow on the nation's fiscal
condition, one by economists and former advisor to Senator McCain,
Mark Zandi; and Robert Greenstein, the executive director of
the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. OMB Director Peter
Orszag will introduce the President, who will conclude with some
remarks.

After these presentations, participants
will break out into smaller discussion groups to tackle specific
fiscal challenges facing our country, including tax and revenue,
health care, Social Security, procurement and the budget process.
Each breakout group will be moderated by a senior administration
official. The larger group will then reconvene and report to
the President on their initial work.

The summit is the first step in the process
of beginning to lay out how we can bring down the deficit and
put our economy back on sound financial footing. It opens a week
that will be focused on the attention of many fiscal issues.
And as you well know, on Tuesday the President will address a
joint session of Congress; on Thursday, provide an overview of
the fiscal year 2010 budget. That will be released, and there
tentatively is scheduled, though I don't have a location yet,
domestic travel on Friday. So hopefully we'll be back at a decent
hour.

Q And Wednesday?

MR. GIBBS: Wednesday, I don't have anything
specific, which means we'll be in Washington. All right? No travel
on --

Q Stevie Wonder.

MR. GIBBS: Oh, that's right, the Gershwin
Awards and Stevie Wonder.

Thanks, guys.

END

2:38 P.M. EST

On
the front lines

"You're on the front lines," President Obama told a
gathering of 85 mayors in the East Room of the White House this
morning.

New
commitment to the Gulf Coast

"We must ensure that the failures of the past are never
repeated," President Obama said in a statement today, announcing
the extension of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf
Coast Rebuilding and his decision to send two cabinet members
to the region.

Time
for All of Us to Step Up

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan explains how the President's housing
plan helps responsible Americans struggling to make their mortgage
payments every month in this economic crisis.

Friday, February 20th, 2009 at 10:59 am

Amending Executive Order 13390

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_____________________________

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Amending-Executive-Order-13390/

February 20, 2009

By the authority vested in me as President
by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,
including the Robert
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act,
as amended (42 U.S.C. 5121-5206), and in order to extend the
work of the Coordinator of Federal Support for the Recovery and
Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast Region, Executive
Order 13390 of November 1, 2005, as amended, is further amended
by striking "February 28, 2009" and inserting in lieu
thereof "September 30, 2009".

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,

February 20, 2009.

Obama
Bans Budget Gimmicks

"For his first annual budget next week, President Obama
has banned four accounting gimmicks that President George W.
Bush used to make deficit projections look smaller," the
New York Times reports.

"The price of more honest bookkeeping:
A budget that is $2.7 trillion deeper in the red over the next
decade than it would otherwise appear."

U.S. diplomat to focus on North Korea

Posted: 01:24 PM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The United States has a new diplomat
to handle issues involving North Korea.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has
appointed Stephen W. Bosworth as special representative for North
Korea policy, the State Department said Friday.

Bosworth will oversee U.S. efforts in the
six-party talks to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. In addition
to the United States and North and South Korea, China, Japan
and Russia are taking part in the talks.

Bosworth, who has visited North Korea several
times, served as U.S. ambassador to South Korea from 1997 to
2000 and was executive director of the Korean Peninsula Energy
Development Organization from 1995 to 1997, the State Department
said.

Bosworth will replace Assistant Secretary
Christopher Hill, who is expected to become the U.S. ambassador
to Iraq.

Mileage tax out, Transportation Dept.
says

Posted: 01:41 PM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Obama administration will not support
a policy of taxing drivers based on their mileage, the Transportation
Department said Friday after a published interview in which Secretary
Ray LaHood called it an idea “we should look at.”

In a written statement, the department
said, “The policy of taxing motorists based on how many
miles they have traveled is not and will not be Obama administration
policy.”

The idea — which involves tracking
drivers through global positioning system (GPS) units in their
cars — is gaining support in some states as a way of making
up for a shortfall in highway funding. Oregon carried out a pilot
program and deemed it “successful.”

Speaking to The Associated Press, Transportation
Secretary LaHood, an Illinois Republican, said, “We should
look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually
clocked on the number of miles that they traveled.” The
remark was part of a discussion about various options to help
make up for the highway funding shortfall on the federal level.

Stimulus
Bill Provides $198 Million for Filipino Veterans

from VA News Releases

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced a new
benefit for Filipino Veterans who aided American troops in World
War II -- a cash payment authorized through the newly enacted
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Gibbs
corrects the record on the President’s housing plan

from White House.gov Blog Feed

Today Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked during the White
House press briefing about criticism of President Obama’s
housing plan from some talking heads and Wall Street pundits,
who have claimed baselessly that the plan is geared towards helping
irresponsible home buyers at the expense of others.

"[T]he American people are struggling every day to meet
their mortgage, stay in their job, pay their bills, to send their
kids to school, and to hope that they don't get sick or that
somebody they care for gets sick and sends them into bankruptcy,"
said Gibbs. "I think we said a few months ago the adage
that if it was good for a derivatives trader that it was good
for Main Street. I think the verdict is in on that."

Gibbs reiterated the President’s explanation of how this
plan will help responsible homeowners, who are struggling to
make their payments in a tough economy and who have seen their
home values plummet, through refinancing and standardized loan
modifications. Then he ended any misconceptions:

"Here's what this plan won't do: It won't help somebody
trying to flip a house. It won't bail out an investor looking
to make a quick buck. It won't help speculators that were betting
on a risky market. And it is not going to help a lender who
knowingly made a bad loan. And it is not going to help -- as
the President said in Phoenix, it is not going to help somebody
who has long ago known they were in a house they couldn't afford.
That's why the President was very clear in saying this was not
going to stop every person's home from being foreclosed."

And just as HUD Secretary Donovan argued in this space this afternoon,
Gibbs said Americans need to learn about the plan and see if
they can take part: "every American with a mortgage payment
should call their lender and see if they can refinance right
now."

We have done our best to help homeowners get that information,
and Gibbs encouraged everybody who might be able to get help
– along with anybody else who wants to learn more about
it -- to read the plain-spoken documents posted prominently here
over the past few days:

Canadian
Minister Cannon to Meet with U.S. Secretary of State in Washington,
D.C.

from Canada News Centre - General public

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
will be in Washington, D.C., on February 24 to meet with U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Obama
won't pursue mileage tax, agency says

from CNN.com

The Obama administration will not support a policy of taxing
drivers based on their mileage, the Transportation Department
said Friday after a published interview in which Secretary Ray
LaHood called it an idea "we should look at."

Canadian
Minister Cannon to Speak About Canada's Foreign Policy

from Canada News Centre - Foreign Affairs
and International Trade Canada

On Monday, February 23, 2009, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, will deliver a speech on Canada's
foreign policy to Carleton University alumni and faculty.

U.S.
resumes diplomatic talks with Syria

from CNN.com

The State Department's top Middle East official will meet next
week with the Syrian ambassador to the United States as part
of what senior administration officials call a resumption of
diplomatic dialogue with Damascus after four years.

VIDEO:
Venture helps space startups

from CNN.com - Video

A new Colorado nonprofit will help NASA contractors test their
products before they launch into space.

VIDEO:
Iran's nuclear capability

from CNN.com - Video

Scientists say that Iran has reached the ability to build single
nuclear bomb. CNN's Rez Sayah has more.

Intel
and PepsiCo Remain EPA’s Top Partners

from Green Power Network

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power
Partnership issued revised lists of its leading green power partners
nationally. For a second year, Intel Corporation remained at
the top of the National Top 50 list with its annual purchase
of 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy certificates
(RECs). PepsiCo also held its spot in the ranking as the second
largest purchaser buying 1.1 billion kWh of green power, the
equivalent of 100% of its electricity demand. Dell Inc. climbed
to third place with its annual green power purchases of over
550 million kWh per year to meet 158% of its annual electricity
demand. While a number of companies increased or decreased their
annual purchase amounts, Kimberly-Clark Corp. vaulted onto the
Top 50 list, jumping to the 15th spot with its use of an on-site
wood waste biomass cogeneration boiler that generates 223 million
kWh of renewable energy annually. Also new to the list was Bloomberg
L.D. with its purchase of 116.8 million kWh of green power, the
equivalent of 50% of its electricity demand.

EPA’s Green Power Partnership works
with more than 1000 partner organizations that are collectively
buying more than 16 billion kWh of green power annually.

Dow
Corning Purchases Renewable Energy for Michigan Headquarters

from Green Power Network

VIDEO:
FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein (D)

from C-SPAN Recent Video

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adlestein takes a look at the outcome
of television stations in the U.S. who switched to digital signals
on Feb. 12. He recalls the type of calls received at the FCC,
the lessons learned from the transfer and what the FCC and Congress
need to do before the June 12th transition date. Joining him
is guest host Amy Schatz, Wall Street Journal, Telecommunications
Reporter.

Length:

Mayors
seek piece of stimulus pie

from CNN.com

Several dozen mayors from across the country emerged from their
meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday with one message
-- they are determined to get their money. The economic stimulus
package sets aside billions of dollars for highway construction,
transit improvements, school modernization and community development
block grants, among other things.

Report:
Gitmo detainees treated humanely

from CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new Defense Department report concludes
that the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, treats detainees
humanely, according to a Defense official.

VIDEO:
Obama puts mayors on notice

from CNN.com - Video

Pres. Obama invites mayors to the White House and delivers a
stern message about stimulus funds. CNN's Ed Henry reports.

Responding
to Civilian Suffering in Afghanistan

from Woodrow Wilson Center News by wwics@wilsoncenter.org
(wilsoncenter.org)

The UN reports that 2,118 civilians were killed in Afghanistan
last year–the most since the end of Taliban rule in 2001.
Erica Gaston, fellow at the Campaign for Innocent Victims in
Conflict (CIVIC), explains how Afghan civilians can best be helped.

Iran
Passes Strategic Threshold in Nuclear Production

from Woodrow Wilson Center News by wwics@wilsoncenter.org
(wilsoncenter.org)

Iran has produced enough low-enriched uranium to theoretically
manufacture a nuclear bomb, according to the latest report on
Iran by the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog. Wilson Center Public
Policy Scholar Michael Adler comments on the report's findings
and on the United States' stance on Iran.

Popular
Web Sites from USGS Publications Warehouse

U.S. Geological Survey (2009), General Information Publication
84.

U.S.
Says Alarmed By Latest IAEA Report On Iran

from Rferl.org

Washington expressed alarm on February 20 over new evidence that
Iran understated how much uranium it had enriched, calling Tehran's
nuclear program an "urgent problem" the international
community must address.

U.S.
Says Expects Allies' Commitment For Afghanistan

from Rferl.org

The Obama administration expects "significant new commitments"
from allies on troops or civilian assistance for Afghanistan
before an April summit, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said
on February 20.

Bosnian
Serbs Told To Pay $42 Million For Burnt Mosques

from Rferl.org

The authorities of the Bosnian Serb controlled town Banja Luka
must pay $42 million to its Islamic community for 16 local mosques
destroyed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, a local magistrate
ruled on February 20.

Project
Office Managing $422M in Katrina Recapitalization Effort

from U.S. Navy News Headline Stories

Public Works Department (PWD) Gulfport continues to execute the
Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport Katrina Recapitalization
Program which encompasses over 35 Military Construction (MILCON)
and Operations and Maintenance, Navy (O) projects valued at over
$422 million.

Clinton
Calls For Stronger China Ties

from Rferl.org

On her first overseas tour as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton
has said that the United States wants to "deepen and broaden"
its relationship with China.

Iraq's
Abu Ghraib Prison, Renamed, Reopens

from Rferl.org

Iraqi officials on February 21 formally reopened Abu Ghraib prison,
which became synonymous with abuse under the U.S. occupation,
and in addition to a fresh coat of paint, gave it a new name.

Special
Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Quarterly Report and
Semiannual Report to the United States Congress, January 30,
2009

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

This year will bring change in Iraq that will struction program.
This change began on January 1 when the Security Agreement and
the Strategic Framework Agreement became between Iraq and the
United States. The turnof-the-year transfer of the Internati
...

Solar
Resource Characterization; Session: Modeling and Analysis (Presentation)

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

This project supports the Solar America Initiative by: (1) meeting
increasing demands for expertise in and products on solar radiation
data and models--production and distribution of reliable, accurate
domestic and international solar resource data, ...

Navy
Fuel Cell Demonstration Project

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

This is the final report on a field evaluation by the Department
of the Navy of twenty 5-kW PEM fuel cells carried out during
2004 and 2005 at five Navy sites located in New York, California,
and Hawaii. The key objective of the effort was to obtain ...

Obama:
Let the tax breaks begin rolling

from CNN Political Ticker by edhornick

President Obama delivers his weekly address. WASHINGTON (CNN)
– President Obama — in his weekly address aired Saturday
— announced that the Treasury Department is starting the
process of implementing tax cuts from the $787 billion economic
stimulus plan he signed into law Tuesday. Watch: Obama delivers
weekly address "I’m pleased to announce that this morning,
the Treasury [...]

U.S.-led
coalition kills 13 Afghan civilians

from CNN.com

Thirteen people, described by the U.S. military as "noncombatants,"
were killed in western Afghanistan earlier this week during a
coalition operation, the military said Saturday.

DoD
Identifies Army Casualty

from News Release - U.S. Dept. of Defense

News Releases are official statements of the Department of Defense.

Modeling
and Analysis Session: Market, Value, and Policy Analysis (Presentation)

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

The primary objectives: to provide a broad range of analytical
support to the Solar Program; and to anticipate and respond to
the rapidly evolving analytical needs of the Solar Program. Three
broad types of analysis are being carried out under this p ...

Management
Challenges at the Department of Energy

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

With an annual appropriation of approximately $24 billion, the
Department of Energy (Department) is a multi-faceted agency that
encompasses a broad range of national security, scientific, and
environmental activities. Since the passage of the Departm ...

Envisioning
the Solar Program Beyond the Solar America Initiative (SAI) (Presentation)

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

No abstract available. ...

EE&RE;
Session: CIGS (Presentation)

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

This project supports the Solar America Initiative by carrying
out work on target topics identified for Photovoltaic Systems:
(1) Improving cell and module efficiency of thin film Cu(In,Ga)Se2
materials; (2) Implementing the Science and Technology Fa ...

Concentrating
Solar Program; Session: Thermal Storage - Advanced Fluid Development
(Presentation)

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

No abstract available. ...

Atmospheric
Processing Platform (Presentation)

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

No abstract available. ...

Analysis
of Indirect Emissions Benefits of Wind, Landfill Gas, and Municipal
Solid Waste Generation

from National Technical Reports Library:
97 - Energy

A number of techniques are introduced to calculate the hourly
indirect emissions benefits of three types of renewable resources:
wind energy, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) combustion, and Landfill
Gas (LFG) combustion. These techniques are applied to e ...

Use
of Trenchless Technologies for a Comprehensive Asset Management
of Culverts and Drainage Structures