Obama urges public to demand healthcare reform Reporting from Washington -- With Capitol Hill lawmakers struggling to reconcile clashing views on overhauling the nation's healthcare system, President Obama on Wednesday appealed to the public not to let Congress put off action on his top legislative priority. "In order to make it happen, I'm going to need ordinary Americans to stand up and say now's the time," Obama said at a town hall meeting at Northern Virginia Community College in theNike Men Dunk High Washington suburb of Annandale, Va. "If Congress thinks that the American people don't want to see change, frankly the lobbyists and the special interests will end up winning the day." The president issued a pointed critique of the institution where he once served, warning that lawmakers often are tempted to shunt aside politically sensitive issues. "For those who say, 'Well, you know what, this is something that is very complicated, so we shouldn't rush into it,' that's what happens in Congress all the time," Obama said. "They have hearings, they write white papers, and then suddenly the lobbyists and the special interests start going at it. And next thing you know, another 10 years has gone by, and we still haven't done anything." The administration has been working largely behind the scenes with congressional Democrats to develop legislation aimed at expanding coverage to all Americans, controlling costs and improving Air Jordan 7quality. But recently, the president has stepped up efforts to keep healthcare at the top of the domestic policy agenda as the party's legislative proposals have run into stiffening opposition from Republicans -- and unease from some moderate Democrats over the cost of an overhaul that is expected to top $1 trillion over the next decade. Wednesday's forum was Obama's third grass-roots event devoted to healthcare in the last three weeks. And debate over healthcare legislation is expected to move to center stage after lawmakers return to Washington from their July 4 recess. But leading Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, have begun to call for slower action. "We could target the things that are askew in the system and fix Jordan VII shoes them without this kind of massive overhaul," McConnell said on Fox News Sunday. At the same time, while some polls show deep public support for overhauling healthcare, there is growing discomfort with government spending -- a development some experts fear could prompt lawmakers to try to delay action. In a recent NBC-Wall Street Journal survey, more Americans said the deficit and government spending, rather than healthcare, should be the federal government's top priority. "That could send a message to Congress that it is not necessary to move this year," said Robert Blendon of the Harvard University School of Public Health. "What the president has to do is keep healthcare on the agenda so there is no way that when it gets ugly, Congress can say, 'We can go home and not pass Nike air jordan 9anything.' " Obama has said he hopes to sign a healthcare bill in the fall. On Wednesday, he implored his audience -- which submitted questions via YouTube as well as in person -- not to let that timeline slip. As he has done in recent weeks, the president highlighted the trials of Americans trying to get medical care while employers drop insurance and insurers deny coverage. Obama also delivered a warning to the majority of Americans who have insurance and report they are happy with their medical care. "What's happened if you've got health insurance?" he said. "YourNike air jordan 4 shoes employer's . . . increased deductibles. They've increased premiums. Your out-of-pocket costs have gone up by about 62%. . . . Families have seen their healthcare costs double over the last nine years. So you just project out nine years from now: Your wages or incomes aren't going up that fast, which means that a bigger, bigger bite is being taken out of your paycheck even if you've got health insurance."

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Israel hopes to complete Gaza troop pull-out by Tuesday GAZA: Israel accelerated its troop withdrawal from Gaza on Monday with the aim of finishing by the inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday, as Hamas reasserted control over the rubble-filled streets and tens of thousands of Palestinians sought to cope with destroyed homes and traumatized lives. Decomposing bodies continued to be uncovered in the worst-hit areas, with the death toll for the 23-day conflict that ended on Sunday passing 1,300, according to health Shox 2:40officials here, as the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas held. Policemen took up positions directing traffic and a few bulldozers began the enormous task of clearing the ruins. Garbage was everywhere, devastation rampant. Hamas held its first news conference since the war began on Dec. 27, with two government spokesmen standing in front of a destroyed compound that had housed a number of ministries and asserting that their movement had been victorious. "Israel has succeeded in killing everything except the will of the people," said Taher al-Nunu, the main government spokesman. "They said they were going to dismantle the resistance and demolish the rockets, but after this historic victory, the government is steadfast, we are working and they were UGG Carolinenot able to stop the rockets." He said 5,000 homes had been destroyed and 20,000 damaged. Mosques and government buildings were also hit in the military campaign that Israel carried out, with the aim of ending years of rocket fire on Israeli civilians. Israel suffered 13 deaths during the conflict, 3 of them civilian, according to military officials. In Israel, a sense of justice and triumph prevailed with radio stations playing classic Zionist songs and President Shimon Peres asserting on a visit to wounded soldiers that the army had achieved both a military and a moral victory. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Israel Radio: "We had achievements that for a long time Israel did not have. And therefore, you also have to know when to make the decision to stop and look. If Hamas got the message that we sent so harshly, then we can stop. If Hamas tries to continue to shoot, then we will Air Force 25continue." A senior Israeli official said that if Hamas continued to hold its rocket fire, it would be better if the troops were out of Gaza by the time Obama took office as president, so he could concentrate on Gaza's rebuilding and supporting a more moderate Palestinian leadership rather than on pressing Israel to withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the matter. Despite competing claims of victory and the deep misery felt here, the halt in fighting — ordered in separate cease-fire declarations by Israel and Hamas — has opened the way for intensified international efforts to build a more durable peace. The central issues are how to stop arms smuggling into Gaza from the Egyptian Sinai and how to rebuild the economy here through a reopening of border crossings closed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas, which won a 2006 election, pushed out its secular rival Fatah in 2007. Added to those concerns are internal Palestinian divisions, tensions between Israel and the rest of the region, and the question of whether a Palestinian state can be created Nike Air Force 1 Midin the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, was due here on Tuesday, the first international leader to visit the territory. In Kuwait, leaders at an Arab summit meeting sought to close ranks after deep divisions emerged over the Gaza war. At the talks in Kuwait, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia pledged $1 billion toward a $2 billion reconstruction fund that Palestinians are seeking to establish. The summit meeting was initially scheduled two years ago to discuss economic growth and development in the Arab world, but its agenda has been eclipsed by a profound and tangled rift in the Arab world over its response to the Gaza war. The conflict pitted conservative and pro-Western states against those demanding fiercer Arab action against Israel. King Abdullah exhorted Arab nations to overcome theirShox Warrior divisions and urged Israel to embrace an Arab peace plan put forward in 2002 or risk its being withdrawn. He said the peace plan, offering Israel broad Arab recognition in return for significant territorial and political concessions on the Palestinian issue, was "still on the table" but would not always be. On the sidelines, leaders from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt met privately, apparently seeking to present a united front. Syria called for declaring Israel a terrorist state. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority and a fierce rival of Hamas, called for a national unity government as the only solution to the Palestinian crisis. He said elections for a new president and legislature needed to be held and a huge reconstruction project undertaken to save Gaza, aUGG Classic Cardy coastal strip with 1.5 million inhabitants. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Union's external relations commissioner, said the bloc would not transfer money meant to rehabilitate Gaza as long as Hamas was in control. Humanitarian aid would be provided without delay, she said. It remained unclear what impact the conflict had had on Hamas's popularity in Gaza. Israeli officials said Hamas had been harmed politically. Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz suggested that Hamas was rapidly losing its public support given the extensive damage. "In addition to the diplomatic isolation, I think Gazans understand today that it is Hamas that led them to this reality," he said during a tour of southern Israel. But Palestinians here showed little evidence of that attitude. "I think Hamas is stronger now and will be stronger in the future because of this war," said Iyad Serraj, a psychiatrist here who is an opponent of Hamas. "This war has deepened the people's feeling that it is impossible to have peace with Israel, a country that promotes death and destruction." Others here who might seem like natural liaisonsUGG Classic Mini with Israel in future peace-building dealings were also enraged. Fakhr Abu Awwad, a chemistry professor at Islamic University, who earned a doctorate at the University of New Orleans, had his house taken over by Israeli commandos days ago after he and his family fled. When he returned to the house on Monday, he found bullet holes in the walls, televisions, closets and clothing. His toilets had been shot up; his cigars, watch and wife's jewelry pilfered; and his floor urinated on, he said. "This is the most moral army in the world," he said in fluent English, a sarcastic reference to how Israelis speak of their military, as he walked around the house pointing out the damage. Abu Awwad said he was affiliated with neither Hamas nor Fatah. Separately, in the West Bank, a settler was shot andUGG Classic Short seriously wounded Monday night in a drive-by shooting northeast of Ramallah, according to Israeli emergency medical officials. The victim was near the Kohav Hashahar settlement returning home from another settlement, Shilo, when he was shot from a car that overtook his. The settler's wife was with him but was not hurt.

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Santa Monica designer Michael S. Smith to decorate Obama's White House living area
Santa Monica designer Michael S. Smith has won the commission to redecorate the White House living quarters for the ObamaNike Men Air Force 1 Low family.
"He sounds like a wise choice, with his interest in traditional though not pedantic museum settings," said historian William Seale, author of "The President's House: A History," who cited Smith's studies at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. "What works best in the White House is someone who is immersed in the past and can design in a modern way."
Recent presidents and first ladies have hired a designer from their home states. President George W. and First Lady Laura Bush hired Kenneth Blasingame of Forth Worth to tone down the bright colors brought in by President Bill and Hillary Clinton's Nike Women Air Force 1 Low Mid HighArkansas designer, Little Rock-based Kaki Hockersmith.
Since the Truman administration, however, most presidents have engaged top names in New York City's design firmament. President Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower used Park Avenue modernist Dorothy Draper, President John and Jacqueline Kennedy relied on society decorator Sister Parish, and President George and Barbara Bush employed Manhattanite Mark Hampton, who had created Christmas displays at the White House for the Carter and Reagan families.
Smith has not yet announced his plans for the Obamas, and calls to his office were not returned. The 44-year-old California native and graduate of L.A.'s Otis College of Art and Design will be the second Angeleno to decorate the White House since World War II. President Ronald and Nancy Reagan worked with William Haines protege TedShox Glamour II Graber in the 1980s.
"They did spectacular things," Seale said. "With Ted Graber, the Reagans created a stage for his presidency. But as dramatic as it was, Graber understood function so well, and the family quarters had never really worked before; they were never really furnished for daily use. He took the time to make them as livable as they are today."
While working with clients such as Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman and Cindy Crawford, Smith has achieved a reputation for balancing the glamorous and the functional, the modern and the classic.
Though the White House may be a high-profile assignment, it is not necessarily a high-ticket job. According to Seale, the incoming president usually is allocated $100,000 per term for redecorating expenses, a stipend that is taxed as personal income.
That may not be as limiting as it sounds. Many presidents bring their own furniture into their new quarters, and President-elect Barack and Michelle Shox RhythmicObama also will have access to the White House warehouses.
"It's been a mandate since the Kennedy administration that nothing can be thrown away," Seale said. "So Mrs. Obama will be shown a catalog of furniture, drapery, even curtain rods."
Unlike the official state rooms, the personal rooms are not subject to restrictions.
"The president can do anything. If he wants to make a room look like the Brighton Pavilion, he can," Seale said, referring to the extravagant seaside palace of King George IV in England -- though that's not likely. The Obamas, he said, "seem to love old Air Force 25houses. They have an early 20th century classic Colonial Revival, so they are obviously interested in architecture."
In November, the Obamas' new designer published a book, "Michael S. Smith: Houses," in which he appropriately called upon a Hollywood metaphor to explain his approach: "It's as if I'm directing a movie that was written by someone else. I have to take their vision and turn it into three-dimensional reality."

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama will meet face-to-face Monday for the first time as President-elect with his prime GOP foils, as battle lines form over his economic stimulus package.

Obama is set to powwow at the U.S. Capitol with GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell, House Republican boss John Boehner, as well as with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic chief Harry Reid.

Obama and the lawmakers aim to take their first steps toward hammering out an economic rescue package that some lawmakers say could cost $850 billion.

Republicans are already raising red flags.

Boehner said Friday he was "concerned" over the price tag of the emerging proposal.

And he warned Democrats against hastily ramming a measure through Congress.

"Let's be clear: It is essential that this legislation be debated in a fair, open and honest way," Boehner insisted.

"This is the taxpayers' money, and they deserve to know their hard-earned tax dollars aren't being wasted," he added.

Obama wants the rescue measure on his desk awaiting his signature when he arrives in the Oval Office Jan. 20, but aides are cautioning it will be an uphill fight in that time frame.

"Once the House acts [the Senate] will try to move as quickly as possible. But it all depends on how much cooperation we get from Republicans," said Reid spokesman Jim Manley.

Before heading to Washington for his summit with congressional leaders and a White House sit-down Wednesday with the living U.S. Presidents, Obama spent the day in Chicago preparing for the move to the nation's capital.

Obama and his family will check in Sunday at the posh Hay-Adams hotel, across Lafayette Square from the White House.

The Obamas are moving to D.C. early so daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, can attend Sidwell Friends school at the start of the term, which begins Monday.

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Blagojevich Defense Wants Top Obama Aides to Testify
By SUSAN SAULNY
CHICAGO — A lawyer for embattled Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois

said Friday that his defense wanted leading members of President-elect

Barack Obama’s transition team subpoenaed to testify before an

impeachment panel considering the governor’s removal.
The lawyer, Edward Genson, said he would like two of Mr. Obama’s top

aides, Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, essentially to repeat

information from an internal report released Tuesday by lawyers for

Mr. Obama: that neither Mr. Emanuel, Ms. Jarrett, nor any other Obama

associates had any talks about a deal in which Mr. Blagojevich would

benefit from appointing someone to Mr. Obama’s Senate seat.

Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested Dec. 9 on charges of

conspiracy to commit fraud and bribery. The United States attorney in

Chicago, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, said the governor had tried to profit

from his power to appoint Mr. Obama’s Senate successor, and to have

an editorial writer for The Chicago Tribune fired in exchange for

state help for the Tribune Company in its sale of Wrigley Field.

“What I understand they already told people in the transition report

is that no one ever asked for any quid pro quo in exchange for

appointing them,” Mr. Genson said.

A spokesman for the impeachment committee, Steve Brown, said Mr.

Genson’s request was being considered. Two representatives of the

transition team said it would have no comment.

Mr. Genson said he also wanted to call as witnesses Representative

Jesse L. Jackson Jr. of Illinois and a Tribune executive.

State Representative John A. Fritchey, a committee member, said he was

not sure how much value the testimony would have, given the

information that had been released about Ms. Jarrett and Mr. Emanuel.

The report disclosed that prosecutors questioned the two last week and

that neither had participated in talks about a deal over the Senate

seat. Mr. Jackson has also denied authorizing or having such talks.

Mr. Fritchey also noted that the impeachment committee was not trying

a criminal case, only determining Mr. Blagojevich’s fitness to serve

as governor.

The governor told a WLS-TV reporter that if his acts in office were an

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