Official White House Photo by Pete Souza — President Barack Obama chats with the Dalai Lama at the White House. The meeting took place in the Map Room instead of the Oval Office, an apparent concession to China, who objected to the president’s meeting with the exiled and highly revered leader. 02/18/10
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs described the meeting this way:
“The President met this morning at the White House with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. The President stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China. The President commended the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Way” approach, his commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government. The President stressed that he has consistently encouraged both sides to engage in direct dialogue to resolve differences and was pleased to hear about the recent resumption of talks. The President and the Dalai Lama agreed on the importance of a positive and cooperative relationship between the United States and China.” from the Whitehouse.gov website.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza — President Obama joins Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at a town hall meeting in Henderson, Nevada on Friday. 02/19/10
President Obama talked with Nevada voters about health care, jobs, and helping struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. The president announced a new $1.5 billion fund for housing finance agencies in the states hardest hit by the housing crisis among them Nevada, and hopefully, California as well.
President Obama:
“So this fund is going to help out-of-work homeowners avoid preventable foreclosures, and it will help homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth find a way to pay their mortgages that works for both the borrowers and the lenders alike, and will help folks who’ve taken out a second mortgage modify their loans.
So, yes, we need to strengthen our housing market. And we need to focus on job creation and getting our economy moving again. But one last thing I want to be clear about — we can do all those things, dealing with sort of the emergency crisis, and still fall behind in the 21st century, in this global economy, unless we recommit ourselves to solving some of the long-term problems that have been with us for years.
We’ve got to recognize, just like earlier generations, that our future is what we make of it, and unless we give everything we’ve got to securing America’s success in the 21st century, our children aren’t going to have the same opportunities.” Click here for the full transcript of the town hall meeting.
Official White House Photos by Pete Souza — Music legend Bob Dylan performs, “The Times They Are-A-Changin” during a White House concert to celebrate the music of the Civil Rights Movement. After his performance, Dylan shakes hands with President Obama. 02/09/10
