44, Day 43: Obama, a Bottom Feeder

An ongoing log of the daily activities of the 44th president of the United States during his first 100 days:

-Was President Obama calling a bottom to the economic crisis today? With stocks at their lowest levels in 12 years, the president said he was confident credit would start flowing again. And he said now might just be the right time to get back in the market. "What you're now seeing is profit and earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you've got a longterm perspective on it." The markets inched up when he spoke, then fell right back down. Hey, at least they only fell a little bit.

-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner went up to Capitol Hill today. Not much news, other than the administration might ask for more in financial services bailout aid, that the government's latest lifeline to AIG was a necessity, and that the government would go after people who aren't paying their taxes (said the man who had to pay up back taxes before his confirmation.)

-Everytime a British leader visits the United States, or the U.S. president makes his way across the Atlantic, we get a healthy dose of politicians taking about a "special relationship." Well, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stopped by the Oval Office today and even though he didn't get a White House press conference, he did hear reassuring words. Obama described the relationship as a "bond that will not break." Watch to see what happens as both leaders prepare for a meeting next month in London of the world's biggest economies. Brown has called for a "global new deal" to tackle the economic woes.

-Obama went to the Transportation Department to take part in a stimulus announcement. Saying we're about to see "shovels hit the ground," Obama announced the apportionment of $26.6 billion of a total $28 billion in infrastructure spending.

-In personnel news, the Obama announced today that he was nominating Julius Genachowski to lead the Federal Communications Commission. Genachowski has a long resume, including stints as a senior executive for Barry Diller, a digital entrepreneur, and time spent as chief of staff to former President Clinton's FCC chairman, Reed Hundt.

by J. Jennings Moss

Sources: The White House, Reuters, the New York Times, PaidContent.org, Reuters,