44, Day 77: Talking Turkey

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

-In his first trip as president to a Muslim nation, Barack Obama sought to reassure those of Islamic faith that the USA wasn't a hostile place. "Let me say this as clearly as I can: the United States is not - and will never be -- at war with Islam," Obama said in in Ankara. "In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical not just in rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject but also to strengthen opportunities for all people."

-The president, in trying to navigate a thorny Turkish regional issue, happened to piss off Armenian-Americans today. As a presidential candidate, Obama had encouraged the recognition of the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians starting in 1915 as a genocide. But on Monday, while in Turkey, he toned down his rehtoric, which inflamed the language of Armenians back in the US.

-In Washington, the Obama administration warned of foreclosure scams and offered tips to those Americans who think they might be the victims of housing-related fraud.

-Defense Secretary Robert Gates (the sole, Cabinet-level holdover from the Bush administration) today announced big changes to the Pentagon's budget. Somewhere, military contractors are weeping.

-Get ready for a refined US policy toward Cuba. An administration official said today that Obama will soon take steps to ease travel and financial restrictions on the Caribbean island nation that has been the bane of existence for every American president since Eisenhower.

by J. Jennings Moss

Sources: The White House, Politico, the Los Angeles Times, the Associated Press, and MarketWatch.