Clinton "not satisfied" with pace of aid delivery but "realistic" given challenges
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Jill Dougherty
CNN Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Asked by CNN whether she is satisfied with the pace of getting relief supplies and personnel on the ground in Haiti Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday “of course I’m not satisfied with getting material and personnel in for everyone who needs it” but she defended the overall effort saying “realistically I am aware of the difficulties that this terrible natural disaster has posed.”
Answering reporters’ questions at the State department, Clinton said “there were so many challenges that had to be addressed all at once” after the earthquake and that it is “really remarkable how much we’ve gotten done.”
“But when the principle instruments of authority and assistance dealing with the Haitian government, the United Nations, MINUSTA, themselves were so impacted, we really had to start at the very beginning.”
Video: Where is Haiti's government?
Gary Tuchman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Video: Miraculous quake survivor
Anderson Cooper | BIO
AC360° Anchor
Midterms could sap Obama's power
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Julian E. Zelizer
Special to CNN
Scott Brown's victory over Martha Coakley in Massachusetts has sent shock waves through the Democratic Party.
This is a devastating symbolic and practical loss for the party, one that turns the U.S. Senate seat of a liberal lion, the late Ted Kennedy, over to Republican hands. The loss drops the size of the Democratic majority down to 59, which is below the vaunted filibuster-proof majority.
This could very well just be a taste of things to come. Most likely, the midterm elections won't be good for the Democrats. Traditionally, midterms are not good for the party that controls the White House. With the exception of 1934, 1998, and 2002, since Reconstruction the president's party has suffered losses, with some worse than others, in the midterm that followed each president's election.
Obama's first year: Strong foundation or house of cards?
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Ed Henry
CNN Senior White House Correspondent
He was talking about health care, but President Obama could have just as easily been summing up his entire first year when he made some blunt comments in a closed-door meeting with House Democrats last week.
Democratic sources who were in the room say Obama, pressed by liberals angry about the reform package getting watered down, decided to quote Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who said recently: "What we're building here is not a mansion, it's a starter home. It's a starter home, but it's got a great foundation for expanding health care coverage to 31 million Americans."
Obama's point was that he believes the health bill - if it can pass (and that's in real doubt now) - would be a dramatic step forward but is just the first draft. He hopes to come back later in his presidency to pass a second reform package that finishes the job.
Dear President Obama #366: 'Gone fishing' in Massachusetts
Reporter's Note: President Obama, one year ago today, took the oath to become the President of the United States. At the time he seemed very excited. I’m not so sure how he feels about it now. But if nothing else, at least he’s received a letter from me every single day, and that’s got to be worth something.
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Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Dear Mr. President,
Here’s a story I heard once, which may or may not be true. I don’t know. But it is interesting to consider.
When goldfish are shipped by airplane from wherever it is that goldfish come from, (personally I think it is Golden Pond) they have a nasty tendency to get a type of fishy malaise…an ennui of the sea…and one by one they start rolling over and dying, lulled into the great nevermore by the rocking water, the flight, and no doubt the excessive baggage fees. This, if you are a goldfish dealer, is bad. So some years back, goldfish wranglers discovered a trick. If they put a catfish in, the goldfish get all riled up, and swim vigorously as they defend their territory. And in the process, the goldfish find strength they did not know they had. They not only live, they thrive.
Which brings us to Massachusetts. Wow! What a kick in the teeth in the final few hours of your first full year in office; to see Ted Kennedy’s old Senate seat go to the Repubs. I have been listening to the wails and hair-tearing of your fellow Dems, and considering that you tried to help win that race too, I can imagine that you are none to happy yourself.
Chilling message from unhappy voters
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Ed Rollins
CNN senior political contributor
The voters in Massachusetts sent a message loud and clear. Maybe even a "shot heard around the world." At least the political world. Tuesday night's victory for Scott Brown for the vacant seat held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy for 46 years was a massive win for disenchanted voters everywhere.
His message that this wasn't the "Kennedy seat; it's the people's seat" reverberated coast to coast. This was the biggest upset of the political establishment since George Nethercutt defeated House Speaker Tom Foley in 1994. The message was similar. The winning slogan for Nethercutt was this "district doesn't need a speaker; it needs a listener."
Brown arguing that his becoming the 41st vote would make every senator the 41st vote had real meaning. It means that every senator needs to represent their voters and not be beholden to either party. And every vote counts.
Video: Rescuers leave, relatives wait
Ivan Watson | BIO
CNN Correspondent
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