THE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press SecretaryFor Immediate Release August 26, 2009- - - - - - -BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAA PROCLAMATIONSenator Edward M. Kennedy was not only one of the greatestsenators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americansever to serve our democracy. Over the past half-century, nearlyevery major piece of legislation that has advanced the civilrights, health, and economic well-being of the American peoplebore his name and resulted from his efforts. With his passing,an important chapter in our American story has come to an end.As a mark of respect for the memory of Senator Edward M.Kennedy, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by theConstitution and laws of the United States of America, thatthe flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff atthe White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, atall military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vesselsof the Federal Government in the District of Columbia andthroughout the United States and its Territories and possessionsuntil sunset on August 30, 2009. I also direct that the flag ofthe United States shall be flown at half-staff until sunset onthe day of his interment. I further direct that the flag shallbe flown at half-staff for the same periods at all United Statesembassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilitiesabroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels andstations.IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand thistwenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lordtwo thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United Statesof America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.BARACK OBAMA# # #
(Comments of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, July 1, 2009)
Well, good afternoon, and welcome to the State Department. I came off the injured reserve list – – in order to officiate at this ceremony because I could not be more delighted than to make official what is going to be so well received in Ireland and means so much to Americans, not only Irish Americans but all Americans, and that is the swearing-in of our new ambassador to Ireland.
Now, we do have special guests with us, and I thank the Irish chargé d'affaires for being here, Mr. McDaid, and I thank Mrs. Collins for being here as well. Her husband, the ambassador, is in Ireland as we speak. And having Senator Robert Casey, my colleague, here, as well as Attorney General Eric Holder is a special treat.
Now, I’m not sure that we specifically mentioned all of the Rooneys who are here. Please forgive us if we forgot anyone. But this is just a representative sampling of the Rooney family.
You know, we may be meeting in Washington, but the city at the heart of today’s celebration is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And in recent years, Pittsburgh has staged a remarkable comeback. It has made such great strides in transforming its economy and developing its high-tech sector, and those are accomplishments that led President Obama to select Pittsburgh as the site for the meeting of the G-20 this September.
Pittsburgh is rich in arts and culture, and, of course, it continues to shine in sports. It is, I think, an understatement to say that with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning their third Stanley Cup, and, of course, the Steelers winning the Super Bowl for a record-breaking sixth time, the site of Pittsburgh is not only a great place to showcase business, but also the success of American sports as well.
And today, we are celebrating the man behind the Steelers, one of Pittsburgh’s leading citizens and our next ambassador to Ireland, Mr. Dan Rooney. Ambassador Rooney is assuming this post at a crucial time. Ireland is one of our closest allies. Our countries are connected by political, economic, cultural, and certainly familial ties. And we share a deep and rich history, one that continues today. It is sustained and enhanced by the millions of people in both nations whose family and loved ones live in the other. And I witnessed that firsthand when I marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Pittsburgh last year. I never saw so many people – until, of course, I got to Scranton, Bob.
Forty million Americans boast Irish heritage, and I expect we have a few in the room today in addition to the Rooneys. And as every American can attest, those of our neighbors and friends who are sons and daughters of Ireland are fiercely proud of their ancestry. And we are so grateful to the Irish immigrants who sweated and sacrificed to build this country and who broke down barriers at every level of society.
The friendship between Ireland and the United States is vital to both of our nations, and President Obama and I are confident that it will deepen with Dan and Patricia Rooney in Dublin. We have a great team here together. This is a partnership. These are civic leaders and successful people who are also lifelong supporters of Ireland.
In the early 1970s, after a trip to Ireland in which Ambassador Rooney saw for himself the destructive effects of deprivation and division, he founded the American Ireland Fund. Today, the Ireland Funds operate in 11 countries worldwide, uniting people of Irish descent to further progress in their ancestral homeland. And as Dan Rooney knows, the children and grandchildren of immigrants often have a deep desire to contribute to the nation where their families got their start.
And so today, Chargé McDaid, we are sending you one of our very best. There is no greater champion of Irish-American relations than Dan Rooney. And in the months ahead, as we work together to address the many challenges we face, from the global economic downturn, to the threat of terrorism, to climate change, to the development of clean energy sources, as well as to our continuing emphasis on the peace process in Northern Ireland, I am confident that with Dan Rooney as our ambassador, our partnership will thrive, and that will benefit Ireland, the United States, and all the world’s people.
So Ambassador Rooney, if you’re ready, I am ready to administer the oath. Please raise your right hand.
(The Oath of Office was administered.)
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/july/125539.htm
http://www.irishamericansforobamabiden.blogspot.com/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2009NOMINATION SENT TO THE SENATE:Daniel M. Rooney of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Ireland.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/2009/03/24/the_truth_about_barack_obamas_irish_teleprompter_gaffe In the recording, Cowen begins speaking by ad libbing, saying: "Good evening everybody and welcome to St Patrick's Day at the White House. And I think it's particularly fitting that we gather tonight at the house that was, after all, designed and built by an Irish architect."
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/2009/03/24/the_truth_about_barack_obamas_irish_teleprompter_gaffe
In the recording, Cowen begins speaking by ad libbing, saying: "Good evening everybody and welcome to St Patrick's Day at the White House. And I think it's particularly fitting that we gather tonight at the house that was, after all, designed and built by an Irish architect."
Then he goes into Obama's speech, and realises his boob 18 words into it: "We have had a wonderful day that began by meeting with a strong friend of the United States...that's your speech."After Cowen got his act together - amid uproarious laughter - and completed his speech, Obama returned to the microphone for his little joke, as per the pool report. Somehow, somewhere this all got mixed up, inadvertently or otherwise. The Associated Press reported it this way. Accurate enough - though very sparse and including the slightly ambiguous line: "In doing so, President Obama thanked President Obama for inviting everyone over."This was transformed into Obama making a mistake, as in this account, in the Times, written in London by an online reporter for their website. "On this occasion, as a laughing Mr Obama returned to the podium, the script was belatedly switched over to the Taoiseach's text - leaving Mr Obama inadvertently thanking himself for inviting everyone, to further laughter," went the report. "'First, I'd like to say thank you to President Obama!' the President said."This misreporting fed into the prevailing anti-Obama theme that he cannot speak without a teleprompter.
Then he goes into Obama's speech, and realises his boob 18 words into it: "We have had a wonderful day that began by meeting with a strong friend of the United States...that's your speech."
After Cowen got his act together - amid uproarious laughter - and completed his speech, Obama returned to the microphone for his little joke, as per the pool report.
Somehow, somewhere this all got mixed up, inadvertently or otherwise. The Associated Press reported it this way. Accurate enough - though very sparse and including the slightly ambiguous line: "In doing so, President Obama thanked President Obama for inviting everyone over."
This was transformed into Obama making a mistake, as in this account, in the Times, written in London by an online reporter for their website. "On this occasion, as a laughing Mr Obama returned to the podium, the script was belatedly switched over to the Taoiseach's text - leaving Mr Obama inadvertently thanking himself for inviting everyone, to further laughter," went the report. "'First, I'd like to say thank you to President Obama!' the President said."
This misreporting fed into the prevailing anti-Obama theme that he cannot speak without a teleprompter.
Henry M
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 17, 2009
Today at the White House, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Daniel Rooney as the Ambassador to Ireland.
President Obama said, "I am honored and grateful that such a dedicated and accomplished individual has agreed to serve as the representative of the United States to the Irish people. Dan Rooney is an unwavering supporter of Irish peace, culture, and education, and I have every confidence that he and Secretary Clinton will ensure America’s continued close and unique partnership with Ireland in the years ahead."
Dan Rooney is the recent recipient of the American Ireland Fund’s Lifetime Achievement Award and honorary Commander of the British Empire for contributions to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, has played an integral role in the Irish peace process since the early 1970s. In 1976, Rooney co-founded the American Ireland Fund, an organization which to date has raised over $300 million for peace and education programs in Ireland. Rooney founded the annual prize for Irish Literature in 1987 and co-founded the Ireland Institution of Pittsburgh in 1989. In 1993, the "Rooney Fellowship" was created to honor his generosity and charitable works. Chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the winners of Super Bowl XLIII, Rooney was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. He has been the recipient of various awards in relation to his work within the community and for his involvement with the National Football League over the last 26 years, including: the Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year in 1972 and 2001, the Maxwell Football Club Reds Bagwell Award in 1999, and, in 2008, the YWCA Racial Justice Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor presented by the National Ethnic Coalition. Rooney also led the sports world’s efforts to include diversity beyond the field and into the front office through the "Rooney Rule."
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Apropos of Senator Clinton for Secretary of State.
Are we so stupid that we’ve forgotten her story regarding her adventures in Bosnia? Have the fictions she invented regarding her the “role” she played in Northern Ireland escaped our collective memory? Why is Obama et al even considering the Junior Senator for Secretary of State? This isn’t political theater it is amateur theatrics. The curtain must come down now.
I can't help but be outraged by the deceitful campaign that McCain and Palin are running. I am outraged not only because it is intensely misleading, but because it is taking advantage of the lower and middle class. Those making the least in our society are the ones likely to not have home internet, likely to be the least educated among our society and likely to have the least resources to fact-check each of McCain's statements. And these are the people McCain is successfully preying upon to lure additional votes at the stake of their own economic and social futures. If it is illegal to pay off American voters in order to secure a following then so too should it be illegal to lie to an entire sector of our society that lacks the means to identify the difference between truth and falsity. In a nation where we so value our right to vote, McCain and Palin with their lies, are almost stripping that right from those they are able to deceive with their campaign tactics. Now that is unacceptable.
Campaigns should be regulated. There should be a national fact-checking organization that fines candidates when they lie to the American people. How else can Americans be sure that they are voting for a candidate that is speaking truth and not just lying to them in order to score a vote?
Every time McCain and Palin say Palin opposed the Bridge to Nowhere, a fact that his been proven to be a lie by every major news organization in the country, his campaign should be fined. Every time the McCain camp says Palin visited Iraq (when she might have just put one foot into the border and even that is not verified by anyone) and Ireland (because on the only trip in her life out of North America her plane stopped there to refuel, with her never stepping foot outside of the plane), the McCain campaign should be fined. When McCain painted Obama as one who voted to teach sex ed to kindergarteners when the bill was aimed at teaching young children to identify and avoid sexual predators, the McCain campaign should have been fined. When McCain repeatedly says Obama will increase taxes for the middle class when Obama's tax plan actually decreases 95% of middle class Americans' taxes, the McCain campaign should be fined. McCain and Palin should have campaign funds stripped in order to hold them accountable for the words they speak to the American people and the promises they make to them concerning their futures.
Clearly, this is not something that will come about during this election, but for future elections, there should be a system that holds candidates accountable. How else can anyone be sure that they are not just being blatantly lied to by the very people campaigning to lead our nation. If the American people were clear on the fact that all of the above are clear lies by McCain and that, in fact, there are so many lies that I had to sit down and select just a handful, do you think they would be standing up for this man and supporting his move into the White House? No. Clearly, they would not be. But the American people are being fooled and they are none the wiser. This has got to change. We are not talking about being foooled into buying a product off of a midnight infomercial and losing $19.95. No. We are talking about the American people being misled into electing a man into office that might work against them on every issue that they hold dear only because they never knew what was true and what was false. This is unacceptable.
This is just in from The Washington Post.
By Anne E. KornblutWASILLA, Alaska -- Aides to Gov. Sarah Palin are scrambling to explain details of her only trip outside North America -- which, according to a new report, did not include Iraq, as the McCain-Palin campaign had initially claimed.
Palin made an official visit to see Alaskan troops in Kuwait in July of 2007. There, she made a stop at a border crossing with Iraq, but did not actually visit the country, according to a new report in the Boston Globe.
Earlier, McCain aides had said that Palin visited Iraq, and expressed indignation at questions about her slim foreign travel.
The campaign also said she had been to Ireland; that turned out to have been a refueling stop.
In her ABC interview, Palin said she had also been to Canada and to Mexico, where her advisers said she went on vacation.
Obama aides described the new revisions to Palin's account as part of a growing pattern of deception. "The McCain campaign said Governor Palin opposed the Bridge to Nowhere, but now we know she supported it. They said she didn't seek earmarks, but now we know she hired a lobbyist to get millions in pork for her town and her state. They said she visited Iraq, but today we learned that she only stopped at the border. Americans are starting to wonder, is there anything the McCain campaign isn't lying about?" Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor asked in a statement e-mailed to reporters.
A short time later, the Obama campaign circulated a new Bloomberg story that questions whether the McCain campaign has been sending out false crowd estimates.
On two occasions since Palin joined the ticket, McCain aides have cited law enforcement sources in claiming enormous crowds -- but law enforcement officials interviewed by Bloomberg denied having given such estimates.
Dear Barack Obama
I would like to write to you about the ‘Celtic Tiger’ and what this could mean for peace in the Middle East . As you know, the Celtic Tiger was a period of rapid economic growth in Ireland . In just one decade, from the early 1990s to early 2000, Ireland was transformed from being one of the poorest countries in Europe to one of the richest. During exactly that time, the IRA announced a cessation of military operations. As a result, Ireland went from being a poor and violent country to a rich and peaceful country. It is not a big surprise that poverty brings violence and wealth brings peace. What is a surprise is that no one seems to be learning from this lesson. What caused the Celtic Tiger? This is debated but probably was a result low corporate tax rate and financial investment from the EU. The combination of these two factors increased the number of jobs and the income levels of the Irish population. What I would like to see is a similar program put into place to increase the economic environment of instable countries of the mid-East. This should start with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a territory with population of approximately 4 million, very similar to the population of Ireland . Programs that I would like to see would include: * Give businesses incentive to create jobs in Palestine.* Turn Palestine into a tax free industry zone. Offer Products produced in Palestine tax free import into Europe and the USA. * Offer US and European businesses that start companies and create jobs tax breaks on their US and European corporate taxes. Train Palestinians* Create grants to advance education in Palestine * Encourage US and European universities to offer low cost or free positions to qualified Palestinian students. * Encourage US and European universities to build academic centers in the area. Build the infrastructure* Make Palestine an IT hub. Improve internet, satellite and telecommunication infrastructure.* Build a center of excellence for regional IT experts to come to Palestine and create a Palestinian Silicone Valley".
By creating an economic hub in Palestine and improving the business and economic opportunities, the west could turn Palestine from a training ground for Hamas to a traning ground for Microsoft, Google and other IT giants. Let's turn Palestine into an Arabic Tiger.
Take a look at the Telegraph-story from the UK:
Nobel winner: Hillary Clinton's "silly" Irish peace claims
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/08/wuspols108.xml
O'Bama? Yes, Senator Obama's great-great-great-great grandfather Joseph Kearney war a well-to-do shoemaker from Moneygall, Co Offaly, Ireland. He immigrated to the USA when he inheirted property from his brother, Francis, who had already fled Ireland due to the potato famine in the 1800. I have always liked St. Patrick's day and "the wearing of the green". Have done an Irish jig or two and Bailey's Irish Creme sure sounds good to me, right now.
So: Erin Go Bragh! Luck 'o the Irish be with us tomorrow.
Read more about O'bama's Irish roots here.
It turned out that we were able to vote on Super Tuesday in Ireland!
We were planning on absentee voting in Texas, but at noontime i saw a CNN rticle that referred to "Democrats Abroad" voting in Indonesia hich mentioned that there were 20 delegates elected by Democrats in foreign countries. So we took a train across the country to vote in a pub in Dublin -- the only voting place the Democratic Party set up in Ireland. We figured that if we were two of 20,000 voters for 20 delegates, that would mean we had a greater influence than being two of a million or more voters for 235 delegates. [In 2004 about 840,000 Texans voted in the Democratic primary even after Kerry had already won the Democratic nomination.]
The local Obama supporters in Ireland met up in Moneygall, Co. Offaly today to celebrate the Iowa win and got the national broadcaster (RTE) out to cover it. Moneygall is the village where Barack Obama's great great great great grandfather, Fulmuth Kearney emigrated from. A distant relative Henry Healy is featured in the segment. You can watch the RTE News segment on YouTube.
Also featured in the segment were pictures of the Baptismal records for Fulmuth Kearney's family from 1835 - 1875.
We had a pretty good turn out and when Barack wins the nomination I definitely know I'll be spending Election Night in November in Ollie Hayes' pub in Moneygall.
I recently had a discussion on a long bus ride (well 4 hours long, which is very long for an Irishman) with a female, American student, studying in Ireland for a semester, about the upcoming election, the war in Iraq, and many other things, but the one thing that stood out for me is a comment that this lady said, about Americans being told that Europeans hate them, even going so far as to her, and some of her fellow American students currently studying in Europe, being warned to expect a hostile reaction. This just isn't the reality of the situation over here, a point which she made herself.
For the record I would like to say that there is no hatred amongst the Irish, French or any other European for American citizens. The decent and reasonable people amongst us (and we are the majority), realise that a lot of America have been against the war on Iraq from the start, or have been turned to believe that it is an unjust war. The decent and reasonable amongst us also know that a lot of Americans can see both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, just as we know that not all Americans endorse the gun laws that currently exist in your country. We know all these things, but thats not my point. My point is that we welcome difference of opinions from all people. You will not find one decent minded Irishman or woman who will hate you for believing that the war on Iraq is just, that Israel is right, or for having a difference of opinion on any number of topics, we might argue with you about them, but we'll never hate you for them.
However there is a strong level of hostility over here towards your current president. After 9/11 there was a strong level of kinship amongst Europeans towards your country, but George Bush and his policies has squandered all that goodwill until all that is left is a mistrust of the White House and any decree that comes from there. That's why I believe that the world, and not just America, needs Barack Obama in the White House next year, he is the only candidate that has grabbed our attention over here as being an honest, even minded man, on ethat can not only reunite America, but also recover it's lost ties with Europe and the rest of the world
