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Open for Questions Round II: A Video Response
techPresident —
Change.gov has just wrapped the second round of its Open for Questions feature with a twist. Round One's answers came in the form of (brief) written responses to site's top-rated questions. This time, incoming White House press secretary Robert Gibbs taped a video response to a handful of popular questions. Notably, though, some of the most highly-rated questions in Round Two didn't get the Gibbs treatment. With 23,000 votes, the site's top rated question came from Democrats.com's Bob Fertik on appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the ...
"Yes" to getting rid of DADT
Citizen Crain —
January 09, 2009 "Yes" to getting rid of DADT Posted by: Andoni Future White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs today answered some of the questions posed to president elect Barack Obama on his official website change.gov after round two of questions. In a video clip on Obama's web site Gibbs answers about five questions, with the one on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" being the last, at around the 4 minute 18 second mark. Here's what he said, as transcribed by me. Gibbs (showing the question): Thaddeus from Lansing, Michigan asked, "Is the new administration going to get rid of the ...
One-word answer
Political Animal —
... "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, a position that proved to be uncontroversial and generally endorsed by voters. Since Election Day, however, there have been at least some whispers about the policy and its eventual fate. As part of the transition team's "Open for Questions" project, press secretary Robert Gibbs responded to questions posed online and voted on by visitors to change.gov. The final inquiry: Is the new administration going to get rid of the "don't ask don't tell" policy? Gibbs responded , "Thaddeus, you don't hear a politician give a one-word answer much, but it's ...
Video: Obama press secretary promises to get rid of “don’t ask, don’t tell”
Hot Air » Top Picks —
Video: Obama press secretary promises to get rid of “don’t ask, don’t tell” posted at 12:15 pm on January 10, 2009 by Allahpundit Send to a Friend | Share on Facebook | printer-friendly From Change.gov . The One himself promised this during the campaign, then stepped back a bit after the election, and now is stepping back up, no doubt due to the unpleasantness over Rick Warren. No timetable as to when — the Wash Times piece I linked suggests 2010 — but he needs to throw the left a bone and this is an easy one to throw . Skip ...
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Asked & Answered
The Moderate Voice —
Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs, from “Open For Questions” posted today at change.gov:
Thaddeus: Is the new administration going to get rid of the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy?
Gibbs: Thaddeus, you don?t hear a politician give a one-word answer much, but it?s yes.
More from Steve Benen and Kevin Drum.
Obama recommits to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy
AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth —
While Obama has already said he opposes the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT) policy, which basically bans gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the US military, this reiteration of that position is significant. Yesterday, the Obama transition team chose to include a question about DADT in their weekly online Q&A; with incoming White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. In that Q&A;, Gibbs reads a question from Thaddeus in Lansing, Michigan. Thaddeus asks: ...
Investigating The Bush Administration
Open Left - Front Page —
Change.gov has their responses to the second round of "open for questions" up. The most popular question came from Bob Fertik, who asked:
"Will you appoint a Special Prosecutor (ideally Patrick Fitzgerald) to independently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping?"
This question has received a decent amount of media play, as it is featured by Keith Olbermann and George Stephanopoulos. The latter teases that he asked Obama this question in an interview for "This ...
Obama Leaves Door Open To Investigating Bush, But Wants To "Look Forward"
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... On Obama's website, a December statement from Vice President-elect Joe Biden on the topic was offered as a response (similar older statements were used to address several other national security-related questions, which the transition team has avoided discussing). But Stephanopoulos made the matter moot by posing the question directly to the president-elect. ...
Obama Leaves Door Open To Investigating Bush, But Wants To "Look Forward"
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed —
... On Obama's website, a December statement from Vice President-elect Joe Biden on the topic was offered as a response (similar older statements were used to address several other national security-related questions, which the transition team has avoided discussing). But Stephanopoulos made the matter moot by posing the question directly to the president-elect. ...
We Cannot Avoid The Bush Admin Crimes Against Humanity
Open Left - Front Page —
... it weakens the meaning of the term, normally applied to things like genocide for mere instances of torture. I don't agree. If this is allowed to stand and not castigated in the most emphatic terms, Bush will have normalized torture, and made the definition of torture so malliable as to be bereft of useful meaning. States will be able to torture without consequence so long as they don't call it torture. I am also battling against Democratic leaders who say things like: ...
Obama on No. 1 Change.gov Question: Let's Punt
techPresident —
... As Jesse Lee remarked on the Change.gov blog: "We can now be confident that the success of the first round was not just about a new trick, but just a hint of the willingness of the public to permanently change the way they interact with their government. There’s plenty of room to grow." ...
Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Buh-Bye!
Feministing —
Check out this video from the change.gov website where Robert Gibbs says the Obama administration will get rid of the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. (It's the last question, at minute 4:17.)
Via Michelle Goldberg. ...
A Different Kind Of Press Conference
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan —
Change you can ask questions about.
"Yes"
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan —
Gibbs says unequivocally that Obama will repeal DADT. The Military Times conducted a survey two weeks ago where ten percent of soldiers claimed they won't re-enlist if the ban on openly gay personnel is lifted. Joe tells everyone to calm down: Even if the Military Times survey were to prove accurate (which I seriously doubt), the latest Department of Defense numbers from November indicate that all military branches are presently meeting or exceeding their recruitment and retention goals. With the economy the way it is, ...
Will We Get Accountability? Obama's Reply to Blogger Bob Fertik's Special Prosecutor Question
BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash —
... , the official transition Web site for the incoming Obama Administration. The site has a forum called " Open for Questions " where people can post items of particular concern for the Obama team to review. Fertik's question got so much attention and approval from other users on the site that it made its way to the top of the Change.gov list and onto the Sunday talk shows, finally garnering this response from Obama when ...
Obama Cannot Fulfill Vow to Put Homosexuals in Military Unless Congress Changes the Law
CNSNews.com Headlines —
... President Clinton s policy, Congress enacted legislation expressly reaffirming that homosexuals are not eligible for military service thus enshrining in statutory law a longstanding military regulation. On the Change.gov video, the following question was presented from Thaddeus from Lansing Michigan : Is the new administration going to get rid of the don t ask, don t tell policy? Gibbs responds: Thaddeus, you don t hear a politician give a one-word answer much, but it s: Yes. See Video To fulfill this promise, however, Obama must persuade Congress to repeal the statute ...
Obama Rounds Out New Media Shop with Blog Liaison Vet
techPresident —
... guy, it seems that that his mission in the White House will be less focused on building bridges in the partisan blogosphere than on turning the White House into a thriving new media organization. During the presidential transition, he was aggressive in experimenting with new ways to create a two-way conversation between the establishment and the citizenry, whether they were inclined to agree with his boss or not. Lee, for example, spearheaded Change.gov's Google Moderator-powered Open for Questions feature -- drawing some fire when the White House punted on answering ...
Dan Sweeney: Taking the Pro-Pot Position (Because Somebody Has To)
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... When Barack Obama was first elected, he immediately began his straight-to-the-people, end-run-around-the-press style of Q&A; by encouraging people to ask questions at Change.gov. One's fellow citizens could then vote throughout Nov. and the first part of Dec. 2008 on their favorite questions, and Obama's people would answer the most popular. When the dust settled and the votes were counted, among the most popular was this question: ...
1,050 Officers Sign Letter Urging Obama to Uphold Law Barring Homosexuals from Military
CNSNews.com Headlines —
... the presidential campaign on June 6, 2008. It reads: Let s repeal Don t Ask, Don t Tell, and demonstrate that the most effective and professional military in the world is open to all Americans who are ready and willing to serve our country. We are ready to accomplish these goals because of the courage and persistence of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who have been working every day to achieve equal rights, the campaign Web site said. More recently, on Jan. 7, in a video posted on the Web site of Obama s transition team, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also ...
