44, Day 51: Politics of the "Imperfect"

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

-Away from prying eyes and questioning reporters, President Obama today signed a $410 billion emergency spending bill to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year despite the fact it had about $8 billion in spending on lawmakers' pet projects. Obama said it was an "imperfect" bill, but a necessary one, and he called on Congress to change its ways. But interestingly, the president didn't demand that lawmakers end the earmark process altogether. Rather, he said it should be done in a more open way and it "should go without saying that an earmark must never be traded for political favors."

-In approving the spending bill, Obama issued a two-page signing statement that raised objections to things he said were constitutionally questionable. Namely, he said his authority in foreign affairs would be hampered by the bill's provisions on U.S. negotiations with foreign governments and international organizations. He also raised questions about provisions on funding for U.N. peacekeeping operations as well as for congressional committees.

-The president and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner laid out the administration's thinking about the global economic crisis in advance of the G-20 meeting of finance ministers this Friday and Saturday. Obama said the U.S. would deliver a message of financial solvency to its world counterparts.

-Energy Secretary Steven Chu today backed a new generation of nuclear power Wednesday. The Nobel laureate scientist said nuclear power was also an "essential part of our energy mix" along with cleaner coal and carbon capture.

-President Obama signed an executive order today creating a White House Council for Women and Girls.

by J. Jennings Moss

Sources: The White House, the Washington Post, Boston.com, the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune, and Reuters.

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