Today in the Washington Examiner January 4, 2010

Byron York - Obama spends nearly half his presidency outside Washington, plans to travel more


On "Meet the Press" December 26, top White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said President Obama's "biggest regret" is that the severity of the economic crisis forced him to "spend almost every waking hour in Washington focusing very hard on solving that crisis" and thus kept him from traveling the country to connect with the American people. According to Jarrett, Obama recently told aides, "I really want to figure out a way where I can spend more time outside of Washington listening and learning and engaging the American people." Jarrett says that in 2011 the president's schedule will "reflect that priority" -- that is, include more time outside the nation's capital.


But it turns out Obama has already spent nearly half his presidency outside Washington. As of January 2, Obama has been president for 712 days. According to figures compiled by CBS News reporter Mark Knoller, who serves as a sort of unofficial White House record-keeper, Obama has spent 339 of those days -- nearly 48 percent -- outside Washington.






Timothy P. Carney - Obama's skirts Congress to appoint lobbying lawyer


President Obama's latest recess appointment is a corporate lawyer, hailing from a leading Democratic lobbying firm where he represented defense contractors and health care companies.


The nomination of James M. Cole, now deputy attorney general, never made it to the Senate floor thanks to questions about his time as a compliance monitor at AIG, and his views on fighting terrorism.




Michael Barone - Personal well-being overshadows income inequality


It's a widespread assumption in some affluent circles that ordinary Americans are seething with envy because they can't afford to shop regularly at Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue. My sense is that most Americans just don't care. They're reasonably happy with what they've got, and would like a little more.




Mark Hemingway - Happy New Year! Now get ready for all the new laws.


While January 1st has traditinally meant the promise of a new year, increasingly its become a time where Americans worry over what they're going to do to comply with all the new laws. At the federal level, the EPA is set to begin regulating carbon emissions in 2011, which won't exactly help the depressed job market.