Come on, now ... how can you explain this stuff? From Zinni to Gregg - all the tax issues with appointees. Now this? If there are any adults left in the Democrat Party they need to have a meeting with this guy and explain to him that he isn't in Chicago anymore. This is the Bigs!
WTF?? I suppose next the CEO will come out and say it was all a misunderstanding because it's good for bidness to do so? Meanwhile, I'm thinking that people on the inside across both sides are shaking their head and trying to figure out where Obama has his. I'd take a guess but the language might offend.
President Obama today repeated the claim we asked about yesterday at the press briefing that Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar, Inc., "said that if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off."
But after the president left the event, Owens said the exact opposite.
Asked if the stimulus package would be able to stop the 22,000 layoffs or not, Owens said, "I think realistically no. The truth is we're going to have more layoffs before we start hiring again"
"It is going to take some time before that stimulus bill" means re-hiring, he said.
can't wait for the andrew sullivan take on this:
judd gregg can't support the president, on the same day that the CEO the president was citing yesterday, can't support him.
Feb 11-
Said Obama: "Today, the chairman and CEO of Caterpillar said that if the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan passes, his company would be able to rehire some of those employees." He did not specify to whom the company chairman and CEO, Jim Owens, made such a pledge.
feb 12-
Asked if the stimulus package would be able to stop the 22,000 layoffs or not, Owens said, "I think realistically no. The truth is we're going to have more layoffs before we start hiring again"
clearly owens is one more pawn in the nefarious gop plan to embarass the president. his failure to support obama is duly noted and he should be 'punished and ostracized'. traitor.
Posted by: mark l. | Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 07:31 PM
i'm starting to think that a Senate Truth Squad might not be a bad idea...
obama lied in order to promote 800 billion in spending, exceeding the cost of the Iraq War.
Posted by: mark l. | Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 07:39 PM
It's really shitty that Bush hid those "pellets" in the Oval Office. They are obviously very disorienting.
Posted by: Terry Gain | Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 07:44 PM
Damn, another crook confirmed. Oh well, this guy has one foot in the grave anyway. He is 70. How's your health buddy ?
Senate confirms Panetta as CIA chief
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090213/ap_on_go_co/panetta_cia
Posted by: WBestPresidentEver | Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 09:29 PM
Where is the moron THC Abuser now!
He got his panties all in a bunch when Dan questioned the "god king" making his jobs claim!
Seems Xerxes forgot to ask the guy that was supposed to have said he "might" hire "some" folks back first!
He looks more and more everyday to be a complete idiot.
One term and out for this loser!
Posted by: SacTownMan | Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 10:10 PM
I think Obama was saying the truth and Owens contradicted him after he left only for the selfish purpose of the company. But hey, that's just me.
Posted by: Imee | Friday, February 13, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Someone should have asked the CAT CEO how many people he'd have to hire if the OCS was opened up for drilling. I'll take the over bet on 20,000. That question wouldn't fir teh narrative, however. Damnit! He should have just said so himself.
Posted by: Chris | Friday, February 13, 2009 at 12:20 AM
fit
Posted by: Chris | Friday, February 13, 2009 at 12:21 AM
FYI if interested.
Audio with tower about plane crash in Buffalo last night.
http://archive-server.liveatc.net/kbuf/KBUF-Feb-13-2009-0300Z.mp3
Posted by: WBestPresidentEver | Friday, February 13, 2009 at 04:50 AM
I think Sen. Gregg refusing the commerce secretary position was a set-up to make Obama look bad. I'm not a big Obama fan, but I don't see how Sen. Gregg could not know what the stimulus plan was all about before considering the position. What b.s! Republicans don't care about us, they only care about their own party and that's it. No matter what the plan is, the Republicans will say it won't work and their plan is better. I give Obama credit for calling on the best business minds in the country to help us out of this mess. I hope the stimulus plan works and the Republicans screw themselves by opposing it. China's stimulus plan is already working, they are starting to order more steel. We need to start someplace to try and get our economy back on track, and politicians should start carrying about all Americans for once, and not just themselves.
Posted by: divi-divi | Friday, February 13, 2009 at 08:36 AM
"Gregg could not know what the stimulus plan was all about" - hmmmm Gee most DUMBOCRATS are on record for voting for this with out ever reading it...
The CEO of CAT is part of a "vast right wing conspiract!"
Posted by: JustOneMan | Friday, February 13, 2009 at 09:29 AM
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) predicted on Thursday that none of his Senate colleagues would "have the chance" to read the entire final version of the $790-billion stimulus bill before the bill comes up for a final vote in Congress.
“No, I don’t think anyone will have the chance to [read the entire bill],” Lautenberg told CNSNews.com.
Althougn he has been in a coma for the past 5 years...he gets elected by the idiots in NJ! When things go wrong hell claim he didnt know!
Posted by: JustOneMan | Friday, February 13, 2009 at 09:35 AM
No one really knows what the stimulus plan is all about since nobody has even read it, and given Obama's penchant for middle of the road rhetoric that can be interpreted as support for almost every conceivable position on the issue, it makes total sense that once Gregg pinned the WH down on some details he found it wasn't what he signed up for.
Posted by: Anon | Friday, February 13, 2009 at 09:43 AM
Divi-Divi,
We are the China stimulus plan. Communist countries get nothing going on their own. Look at Cuba.
The stimulus plan is 8" thick. They've had this version of it a couple of hours. What do you think, if we require the Senators and Congresspersons to read it before they pass it, how long do you think we would have to wait? Gwen Moore from Wisconsin may not be able to read it.
Posted by: DKEN | Friday, February 13, 2009 at 01:44 PM
when the absurdity known as the "stimulus plan" fails to do anything but create more bloated, corrupt, failed govt projects, we will then see the last of barack obama. one can only hope. i really hoped that he'd lead via the opportunity to craft this bill, but when he handed it off to pelosi, like the little bitch he is, he lost me, at least for the time being. instead of a responsible effort to right this ship (and if it was responsible i wouldn't fault him for its success or failure, as these are unchartered waters), he gives me this pathetic piece of pork, filled with Dem BS from head to toe. good riddance, barack, you amateur.....
Posted by: sub | Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 07:09 AM