A violent, fast-developing thunderstorm Monday forced President Barack Obama to cut short his Memorial Day remarks at a national cemetery outside Chicago and urge guests to take shelter in their cars until the storm passed.
Obama had just placed a wreath at the edge of a small burial section in the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and was heading toward the main memorial event when the storm erupted.
“It grew so violent so quickly — lightning everywhere, very heavy, gusting rains — that the White House pulled the president out, but not before he went to the microphone and ordered thousands to get to a place of safety,” said a White House pool report.
“Excuse me, everybody listen up,” Obama told the audience gathered in the cemetery outside Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago.
“We are a little bit concerned about lightning. This may not be safe. I know that all of you are here to commemorate the fallen . . . . What we’d like to do is if possible have people move back to their cars and if this passes in the next 15-20 minutes I’ll stick around.”
Obama said he hoped the ceremony could continue. “But we don’t want to endanger anyone, particularly the children, in the audience,” he said. “A little bit of rain doesn’t hurt anybody, but we don’t want anybody struck by lightning.”
Moments later, the memorial was officially canceled.
I can hardly wait to hear what the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are going to have to say about this.
UPDATE: The President was able to deliver his remarks marking Memorial Day upon his return to Andrews Air Force Base:
Posted by Len on Sunday, May 30th, 2010 at 9:21 pm CT in Politics,Republicans
I have not had the opportunity to catch up with much news over the past day or so, thus no new posts. Allow me to take a moment to remind you why Barbara O’Brien is one of my personal favorites:
Posted by Len on Saturday, May 29th, 2010 at 8:24 am CT in Politics
“Honoring the Fallen”
From the White House weblog:
In this week’s address, President Barack Obama asked all Americans to join him in remembering and honoring our men and women in uniform who have died in service to the country. The commitment these heroes have demonstrated – the willingness to lay down their lives so the rest of us might inherit the blessings of this nation – has helped make America the most prosperous, most powerful nation on earth and it is what we honor on Memorial Day.
Click below to listen to the audio only:
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The transcript of the president’s weekly address, as prepared for delivery, is available after the break.
Posted by Len on Friday, May 28th, 2010 at 5:44 pm CT in Politics
President Obama at Grande Isle, Louisiana today:
I ultimately take responsibility for solving this crisis. I’m the President and the buck stops with me. So I give the people of this community and the entire Gulf my word that we’re going to hold ourselves accountable to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to stop this catastrophe, to defend our natural resources, to repair the damage, and to keep this region on its feet. Justice will be done for those whose lives have been upended by this disaster, for the families of those whose lives have been lost — that is a solemn pledge that I am making.
A complete transcript of the President’s remarks follows the break.
Posted by Len on Thursday, May 27th, 2010 at 4:05 pm CT in Politics
President Obama told reporters this morning that the federal government is in charge of the Gulf of Mexico oil gusher. BP is responsible and they will pay the bills, but the government is giving the orders…
The American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort. As far as I’m concerned, BP is responsible for this horrific disaster, and we will hold them fully accountable on behalf of the United States as well as the people and communities victimized by this tragedy. We will demand that they pay every dime they owe for the damage they’ve done and the painful losses that they’ve caused. And we will continue to take full advantage of the unique technology and expertise they have to help stop this leak.
But make no mistake: BP is operating at our direction. Every key decision and action they take must be approved by us in advance. I’ve designated Admiral Thad Allen -– who has nearly four decades of experience responding to such disasters -– as the National Incident Commander, and if he orders BP to do something to respond to this disaster, they are legally bound to do it.
I am still trying to decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing. BP surely could not possibly screw things up more than they already have. Could they? Is the government taking charge just a means of letting them off the hook or is it meant to somehow quiet the right wing noise machine? (Good luck on the latter.)
A full transcript, including the question and answer period that followed the President’s remarks, is available at this link.
Sarah Palin, the former half-term governor of Alaska and unsuccessful Republican vice presidential candidate, was the guest on “Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace” this morning. Wallace asked her if she is still thinking of running for president in 2012. Here is her reply:
You know, it really comes down to it not being about me or what I want or what I predict is going to happen. This is all about what the voters of America are in the mood for.
And if the voters of America are in the mood for a kind of unconventional, candid, honest public servant, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be me, but if that’s what they’re in the mood for, they’re going to let that be known and they’re going to help really propel and push that candidate forward. And then that candidate, of course, will make the decision whether to run or not. Don’t know if that’s going to be me, Chris. …
As I’ve always said, I’m not going to close any door that perhaps would be open. But you know, this is not about me. But I do appreciate the platform that I’ve been given, the opportunities that I have to be out there speaking to these good, hard-working, average, everyday, patriotic Americans who want to see the positive change in our country that they deserve.
Posted by Len on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 at 8:37 am CT in Politics
“BP Spill Independent Commission”
From the White House weblog:
The President announces that the independent commission he created for the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling will be chaired by former Florida Governor and Senator Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator Bill Reilly. He promises accountability not just for BP, but for those in government who bore responsibility.
Click below to listen to the audio only:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The transcript of the president’s weekly address, as prepared for delivery, is available after the break.
