The Obama Press Conference In Five Minutes

Did you miss today's surprise White House presser between President Barack Obama and the White House press corps? Because it ended up being an essential part of Budget Kabuki Week. Here's how it worked: reporters in the room made some noises that sort of sounded like, "Do you think that the cuts you've outlined here are sufficient?" and "What about entitlements?" And then the president would say things like "Ronald Reagan" and "tough choices" and "we'll all come together."

That whole "entitlement debate" is like, the early stages of planning an important cotillion in space, among alien races. Is the President showing insufficient leadership by not "going first" and cutting entitlements? Maybe! But the GOP aren't doing much better -- in pretty much every Sunday-show appearance, top GOP officials say that all they are ready to do is to "engage America in a conversation" about the "tough choices." And the president is saying the same thing, only he also says that entitlements are a "boat" that everyone has to get in together, at the same time, and in a way that prevents it from capsizing.

So, entitlement reform is on a boat. Should we board that boat, America? Let's talk about that, for a few years.

Also, someone asked about Egypt? But mainly it was the president stating his position on the budget and then quickly remixing it for reporters, who largely didn't notice or care that the president was repeating himself.

Our own Ben Craw has assembled a five-minute version of the presser that contains everything you need to know about what's going on, which is not much.

[Video produced by Ben Craw]

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Comments

[Reader2323]

12:29 PM on 02/16/2011

Oh, come on, Jason, President Obama's news conference was a tour de force, and you know it.

[kengault]

12:17 PM on 02/16/2011

During yesterday's presser, President Obama called the Washington press corps "impatient." The reporter essentially asks Obama - considering the recommendations from the deficit commission and the support of Democrats and Republicans to implement many of its suggestions, why didn't Obama's budget actually make those changes?

[jokinjoe]

10:30 AM on 02/16/2011

With any luck Hillary Clinton will run in 2012….

[multiplicity2]

10:21 PM on 02/15/2011

Something is disturbing about this. Are we unable now to listen to the cadence of ordinary human speech--even that of a man who is a pretty good speaker? We can't tolerate a breath between sentences? What is going on when we're in such a hurry that we have to skip breaths?

[randy44]

09:55 PM on 02/15/2011

http://www.c-span.org/Events/President-Briefs-Reporters/10737419621-1/

http://www.c-span.org/Events/President-Obama-Honors-Presidential-Medal-of-Freedom-Recipients/10737419630-1/

[VeritasVincit2]

09:47 PM on 02/15/2011

get rid of the tax cuts and cut the military, problem solved

[oilfield]

11:11 PM on 02/15/2011

still 1t out.....what next?

[AppealforJustice2010]

09:27 PM on 02/15/2011

The only thing AOL is missing is a dedicated page for the Scientologist but I'm sure that's coming looking at the new direction. Can't wait to see the new org chart....

[celere]

09:20 PM on 02/15/2011

Woo hoo. This site is now openly contemptuous of the president. Not even pretending anymore.

Wonder why they never do this to the Secretary of State?

[strangelet]

06:38 AM on 02/16/2011

Um, just an aside. Do you remember how contemptuous Arianna was to Hillary back during the primaries?

[jokinjoe]

10:28 AM on 02/16/2011

Because Hillary Clinton is about 100000000 times more experienced and smarter that Obama.

[ber6964]

11:07 AM on 02/16/2011

mmmhhh sure!

[DinSea]

09:19 PM on 02/15/2011

Obama blasters have no idea how fortunate we are to have such a leader. It's sad to see people give up on him so easily. They obviously have no clue what a brilliant thoughtful, careful man he is - one who sees the big picture and rather than throw out cheap gimmicks to win short-term appeasement, takes the flack inn order to do what is beneficial for our country in the long run.

Do not underestimate his long-range strategies! Hang in there and work with him. There is no magic wand - just us working together to help solve these problems.

[M Jeffrey]

09:41 PM on 02/15/2011

Nonsense but hey sleep tight in your delusions

[mauibob]

10:58 PM on 02/15/2011

Kidding right?

[lavvender]

09:03 PM on 02/15/2011

Is the full press conference posted anywhere on HP? If I can't find it I'm done with HP!!!!

[AllShookUp]

11:00 AM on 02/16/2011

If I had a dollar for every time a poster threatened to leave HP, I'd be pretty well off.

[AppealforJustice2010]

08:37 PM on 02/15/2011

When did AOL and the GOP become so concerned about the poor and middle class?

[AppealforJustice2010]

08:35 PM on 02/15/2011

Thank you AOL and GOP to try your best to discredit my President. Too bad you were this precedent when Bush was destroying our country, oh congrats again on the merger.

[AppealforJustice2010]

08:38 PM on 02/15/2011

BTW AOL, people are dropping away from H&P like those birds did on new years eve. Wonder why.....

[Paulo1]

08:34 PM on 02/15/2011

Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, The Holy Grail and Obama's search for the magical BiPartizanship.

Which one of these is most likely to be proven real.

Hint:Your four year old has a better grasp of reality.

[LegendOfTheBrave]

08:21 PM on 02/15/2011

Typical Obama presser..."Let me be clear." Followed by various degrees of half-truths mistatements, and outright lies, with a bunch of "ums" and "ehs" sprinkled in for effect.

[VeritasVincit2]

09:46 PM on 02/15/2011

typical tr0ll...no need to say more

[AllShookUp]

11:03 AM on 02/16/2011

Typical Boehner, stating various degrees of half-truths, misstatements, and outright lies, with a bunch of "ums" and "ehs" sprinkled in for effect. Oh, and add some crocodile tears.