From Italy, Obama tries to feel the love (transcript here)

Public opinion polls are showing a dip in the president's approval. Critics in Congress are piling on his healthcare plan. And lots of Americans are questioning why the mega-billion stimulus plan has not sparked a new era of job creation.

So the White House must have been less than thrilled at the timing of the Group of 8 meetings in Rome this week. Just at a time when he might have been needed politically on the home front, President Obama found himself in meetings with Russian officials in gilded halls in the Kremlin -- where those officials made sure the streets were empty of the usual Obamamania -- talking about climate control to a few European nations but without China, a critical player on the issue, and getting a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI in the august halls of the Vatican.

Even Obama, at a press conference from Rome, wondered about the wisdom of so many G-whatever meetings in so many forums to so little effect.

The one thing I will be looking forward to is fewer summit meetings, because, as you said, I've only been in office six months now and there have been a lot of these.  And I think that there's a possibility of streamlining them and making them more effective.  The United States obviously is a absolutely committed partner to concerted international action, but we need to, I think, make sure that they're as productive as possible.

The president also had a lot to say about healthcare, Iranian nuclear weapons and food security. You can read the full transcript below.

Then it was off with First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, to meet with the Pope, followed by a trip to Ghana, a country Obama praised as "a functioning democracy [with] a president who's serious about reducing corruption, and ... significant economic growth."

-- Johanna Neuman

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Photo: Activists perform in masks of President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Rome this week where the G-8 failed to get developing nations on board for climate control. Credit: Reuters

Al Gore likens global warming to Nazi threat

Al Gore is now comparing the battle against global warming to the fight against Adolf Hitler in World War II.

In a speech to students at Oxford on Tuesday, the former vice president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate  conceded that there is still work to do to convince political leaders that the threat of climate change is as urgent as that from the Nazis. The Senate is beginning debate on a cap-and-trade bill to curb emissions, predicted to be an even tougher fight than in the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi had to twist arms and trade votes to win a narrow victory. Gore seemed to acknowledge the difficulty of converting grassroots passion into political will.

"The level of awareness and concern among populations has not crossed the threshold where political leaders feel that they must change," he said at the Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment. "The only way politicians will act is if awareness raises to a level to make them feel that it's a necessity."

Mindful of his British audience, Gore said the fight to cut carbon dioxide emissions will require a leader with the fortitude of Winston Churchill, who steered Britain through four years of hardship, bombings and economic deprivations to victory against the Nazis.

"Winston Churchill aroused this nation in heroic fashion to save civilization in World War II," he said.
"We have everything we need except political will, but political will is a renewable resource."

Not everyone was impressed.  At Fox News, as you can see from the clip above, they're still worried about global cooling.

-- Johanna Neuman

The Ticket goes inside politics several times a day. Click here for Twitter alerts of each new item. Or follow us @latimestot

Henry Waxman to be discharged from the hospital today, aides say

Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), who was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday after fainting in his Los Angeles office, is being discharged from the hospital today and is expected to be back at work next week, a spokeswoman for the 69-year-old congressman said. She would not say what is ailing Waxman.

The 18-term congressman was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday and was kept there for evaluations and what was called “routine testing." 

Phil Schiliro, Waxman's former chief of staff (and the current White House liaison to Congress), said on Thursday that Waxman is "feeling fine and is in good spirits." Schiliro said he did not know what was wrong with Waxman but noted that "he takes great care of himself."

Waxman wields a great deal of power in Washington these days because he is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the energy and healthcare legislation crucial to President Obama's agenda. Waxman co-wrote an ambitious energy and climate-change bill that passed the House, 219 to 212, on June 26. And he is expected to help craft the chamber's healthcare legislation. 

We will keep you informed of updates on Waxman's health, when we hear them. In the meantime, check out the L.A. Times review of the congressman's recent book, "The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works." The very complimentary review is written by the always erudite Times critic Tim Rutten (who rarely lavishes praise so freely).

-- Kate Linthicum

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Photo: Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) with members of his House Energy and Commerce Committee in May. Credit: Matthew Cavanaugh / European Pressphoto Agency

Weekly remarks: Obama happy on clean energy, GOP's Boehner worries on debt, taxes

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Weekly Remarks of President Barack Obama, June 27, 2009

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a historic piece of legislation that will open the door to a clean-energy economy and a better future for America.

For more than three decades, we have talked about our dependence on foreign oil.  And for more than three decades, we have seen that dependence grow.  We have seen our reliance on fossil fuels jeopardize our national security.  We have seen it pollute the air we breathe and endanger our planet. 

And most of all, we have seen other countries realize a critical truth:  The nation that leads in the creation of a clean-energy economy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy. Now is the time for the United States of America to realize this too. Now is the time for us to lead. 

The energy bill that passed the House will finally create a set of incentives that will spark a clean-energy transformation in our economy.  It will spur the development of low-carbon sources of energy – everything from wind, solar and geothermal power to safer nuclear energy and cleaner coal. 

It will spur new energy savings, like the efficient windows and other materials that reduce heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer. And most importantly, it will make possible the creation of millions of new jobs. 

Make no mistake: This is a jobs bill. We’re already seeing why this is true in the clean-energy investments we’re making through the Recovery Act. In California, 3,000 people will be employed to build a new solar plant that will create 1,000 permanent jobs. In Michigan, investment in wind turbines and....

John McCain Twitters news of his new U.S. hybrid

Previously, The Ticket reported here that the Obama team of Democrats assigned to save the American auto industry actually prefers foreign models for themselves.

Now comes word that Republican Sen. John McCain, who has nothing to do with saving the U.S. auto industry, has bought a Ford Fusion Hybrid to replace his aging Cadillac CTS for tooling around Washington.

He chose a silver one.

With that, he’ll get about 41 MPG, a little less if he ever gets out on the open road of which there aren’t many in that area.

McCain, much mocked during the presidential campaign for not using a BlackBerry like his Democratic competitor, made the announcement in a Tweet today to his nearly 773,000 followers on Twitter. "Time to get a new car -- decided on the Ford Fusion Hybrid." And he provided a link to here.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Ford Motor Co.

Gov. Sarah Palin: Won't commit to 2010 reelection bid

While much of the recent attention on Alaska's Republican Gov. Sarah Palin has centered on her parental-political outrage with a CBS comedian over a sexual joke about her 14-year-old daughter, Palin does answer questions about other things, as she did today with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

As The Ticket often does to provide readers with complete context, we have added below the full transcript of Palin's wide-ranging satellite conversation on "Situation Room."

She's asked about the massive new gas pipeline project she's pushed, David Letterman, of course (she forgives him or hymn), but also her views on President Obama so far -- he's growing spending and debt far too fast. But she likes his drive for federal government efficiencies and wishes he'd show more "passion" in support of Israel while speaking to the Muslim world.

And she was asked about her own political future. Palin's not prepared to announce her 2010 reelection campaign intentions yet, which would provide a key clue to her possible presidential intentions. Although Palin has formed SarahPac to finance her political travels, to announce either way now would make her a premature target and feed charges that every move is politically tinged.

But as one result, other Alaskan politicians are positioning themselves for a governor's bid should she drop out. Another Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, recently announced he would not seek reelection next year, widely believed to give him time to start a GOP presidential campaign for 2012.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Full transcript of CNN interview with Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, June 12, 2009

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us now, the governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Governor, thanks very much for coming in.

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-ALASKA): Thank you so much, Wolf.

BLITZER: You have a big energy deal that’s in the works right now, and you announced it with a lot of fanfare. A $26-billion natural gas pipeline which would bring natural gas from Alaska through Canada down to the Lower 48. Not everyone is enthused, including the Wall Street Journal.

They say this: "Among the most serious questions it faces is whether the Alaskan gas is even needed. North America is in the midst of a natural gas glut, driving down prices, and observers believe....

Who's Steven Chu? Some aren't sure when White House's economic goodwill tour hits Midwest

As members of President Obama's Cabinet continue their tour across the country’s heartland today – pledging millions of dollars in help – the trip of Washington goodwill has left local residents feeling more than a little skeptical.

Take folks in Fort Wayne, Ind., the state’s second-largest city. An estimated 24,000 people in the surrounding four-county area rely on the auto industry for their livelihood. Think most of them recognized Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, when he stopped into town yesterday to tour a “green” energy company and speak to local leaders? Nope.

In fact, quite a few people were confused about why the White House would be sending out Chu to this northeastern stretch of the Hoosier State instead of … well … Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis or someone from the automotive task force.

It could have been stranger. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar spent yesterday talking about the economic benefits of parks and conservation – in Cleveland, Ohio. Yep, that’s right: Cleveland, the Rust Belt town that blossomed on the backs of steel mills and auto facilities, and where the Cuyahoga River itself has caught fire because of industrial pollution.

So Fort Wayne got Chu, a 61-year-old Nobel-prize winner who reminisced Tuesday about how he last visited Indiana when he was a college student – and promised that green energy would turn around the Hoosier economy.

Chu spent his morning touring WaterFurnace International Inc., a local maker of geothermal heating and cooling systems for homes and commercial facilities. As Chu walked across the factory floor with company executives, workers in blue shop shirts stopped to stare at the slight man in a crisp suit.

 “Who’s he?” murmured one woman standing on the assembly line.

“Some guy saying GM isn’t going to save us,” replied her co-worker.

Weekly remarks: Obama on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, Indiana GOP Gov. Daniels on energy

In his weekly radio address today, President Obama touts the experience and integrity of Sonia Sotomayor, his nominee for the Supreme Court. In the Republican response, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says he wishes the president “well,” but takes Obama and Democrats to task on their energy policies. His prepared remarks appear after the president’s.

Remarks of President Obama

This week, I nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Court of Appeals to replace Justice David Souter, who is retiring after nearly two decades on the Supreme Court. After reviewing many terrific candidates, I am certain that she is the right choice. In fact, there has not been a nominee in several generations who has brought the depth of judicial experience to this job that she offers.

Judge Sotomayor's career began when she served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York, prosecuting violent crimes in America's largest city. After leaving the DA's office, she became a litigator, representing clients in complex international legal disputes. She was appointed to the U.S. District Court, serving six years as a trial judge where she presided over hundreds of cases. And most recently, she has spent eleven years on the U.S. Court of Appeals, our nation's second-highest court, grappling with some of the most difficult constitutional and legal issues we face as a nation. She has more experience on the federal bench than any incoming Supreme Court Justice in the past 100 years. Quite simply, Judge Sotomayor has a deep familiarity with our judicial system from almost every angle.

And her achievements are all the more impressive when you consider what she had to overcome in order to achieve them. Judge Sotomayor grew up in a housing project in the South Bronx; her parents came to New York from Puerto Rico during the Second World War. Her father was a factory worker with a third-grade education; when she was just nine years old, he passed away. Her mother worked six days a week as a nurse to provide for her and her brother, buying the only set of encyclopedias in the neighborhood and sending her children to Catholic school. That's what made it possible for Judge Sotomayor to attend two of America's leading universities, graduating at the top of her class at Princeton University, and studying at Yale Law School, where she won a prestigious post as an editor of the school's Law Journal.

These many years later, it was hard not to be moved by Judge Sotomayor's mother, sitting in the front row at the White House, her eyes welling with tears, as her daughter -- who had come so far, for whom she sacrificed so much -- was nominated to the highest court in the land.

Twitter creator Jack Dorsey visits D.C. to help twerps with tweets

 

Politicians aren't always on the cutting edge, to put it mildly. But despite technological hurdles that have long plagued government officials, Twitter is beginning to catch on in Washington, D.C.

Twitter chairman and creator Jack Dorsey was in the nation's capital recently to consult officials at the White House, State Department, Department of Energy and Congress on how to best engage constituents in 140 characters or less.

It's already begun to catch on in the White House and Congress, with about one-third of Congress members on Twitter, according to Tweet Congress. Now, other government agencies are pondering ways to use it. (For example, did you know the FBI is on Twitter?)

The Department of Energy plans to create an account that twitters brief tips on how to conserve energy, Dorsey said over lunch at an outdoor cafe a block from the White House.

The government is certainly interested in Twitter, but many officials are still hesitant to dive in, Dorsey said.

"It is a simple thing, but it's still so hard to get into," he said. "They're concerned with the best way to use the medium, with how much is too much, how best to utilize the followers that they do have."

Twitter, Dorsey says, is simply an evolution of already existent technologies. He places it along the same lines as ....

Shocking weekly remarks! Do Obama, GOP agree on health reform?

Of course, saying agreement and doing it are two different things in Washington.

But if the weekly remarks of the Republicans' representative, Dr. Charles Boustany of Louisiana, and President Obama are any indication, there seems to be some ground at least for agreement on reforming the nation's overburdened healthcare system. We also have video of both men's remarks below.

Weekly Remarks by President Obama, May 15, 2009

Good morning. Over the past few months, as we have put in place a plan to speed our economic recovery, I have spoken repeatedly of the need to lay a new foundation for lasting prosperity; a foundation that will support good jobs and rising incomes; a foundation for economic growth where we no longer rely on excessive debt and reckless risk -- but instead on skilled workers and sound investments to lead the world in the industries of the 21st century.

Two pillars of this new foundation are clean energy and healthcare. And while there remains a great deal of difficult work ahead, I am heartened by what we have seen these past few days: a willingness of those with different points of view and disparate interests to come together around common goals -- to embrace a shared sense of responsibility and make historic progress.

Chairman Henry Waxman and members of the Energy and Commerce Committee brought together stakeholders from all corners of the country -- and every sector of our economy -- to reach....