Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
U.S. boosting force in Afghanistan
President Obama on Friday will order 4,000 more military advisers to Afghan forces and look to forge an international diplomatic coalition determined to dismantle al Qaeda in Pakistan and root out the Taliban in Afghanistan. ]]> Published March 27, 2009
Senate, House budgets ‘98% the same’ as Obama’s
The White House declared victory Wednesday saying the House and Senate budget proposals are "98 percent the same" as President Obama requested. Published March 25, 2009
U.S. readies plan for drug cartel threat
The federal government has begun planning what it would do if the Mexican government fails in its fight with drug cartels and the United States has to deal with a broken government and refugees streaming across the border. Published March 25, 2009
Deficit to hit $9.3 trillion in next decade
Staggering numbers released Friday show President Obama's new budget will nearly double the cumulative deficit over the next decade to $9.3 trillion, damaging plans to overhaul health care and boost alternative energy. Published March 21, 2009
Obama’s budget doubles deficit in 10 years
Staggering budget numbers released Friday showed President Obama's budget plans will nearly double the cumulative deficit over the next 10 years, higher than the president himself projected and damaging his ambitious plans to overhaul health care and boost sources of alternative energy. Published March 20, 2009
Aides attempt to cover for Obama
To hear his camp tell it, President Obama has been in the dark about at least two issues that broiled into controversies this week. Republicans are jumping at the chance to cast doubts about the White House's operations. Published March 20, 2009
Treasury cleared way for AIG bonuses
The Obama administration and one of its key allies in Congress belatedly acknowledged Wednesday that they were responsible more than a month ago for clearing the way for large bonuses to be paid inside taxpayer-supported companies like AIG, undercutting the White House's attempts to distance itself from a growing political embarrassment. Published March 19, 2009
Obama names first court pick
President Obama named his first judicial nomination Tuesday, tapping a federal district judge from Indiana to serve on a Midwest federal appeals court and making good on his goal of working with senators to find consensus picks. Published March 18, 2009
Economy a likely blame game
With the economy still teetering, Republicans and Democrats are engaged in a high-stakes game of blame fixing, all with an eye to preparing voters to pin the blame on the donkey - or elephant - before the next election. Published March 17, 2009
GOP reverses stance on filibusters
When it comes to judicial nominations, Republican senators are finding themselves defending hills they sought to storm just a few years ago. Published March 17, 2009
Obama to foreign investors: Have confidence
President Obama said Saturday that investors can have "absolute confidence" in the U.S. economy, continuing a recent push to shore up markets after months of dire warnings drove stock indexes to decade lows. Published March 15, 2009
Obama forms group to protect U.S. food supply
President Obama on Saturday created a food safety working group to advise him on new rules and tools to protect the U.S. food supply and tapped two people to serve at the top of the Food and Drug Administration. Published March 15, 2009
Obama: Have confidence in U.S. economy
President Obama said Saturday that investors can have "absolute confidence" in the U.S. economy, continuing a recent push to try to shore up markets after months of dire warnings had driven stock indexes to decade-long lows. Published March 14, 2009
Obama creates food-safety group
President Obama on Saturday created a food safety working group to advise him on new rules and tools to protect the U.S. food supply and tapped two people to serve at the top of the Food and Drug Administration. Published March 14, 2009
Stimulus overseer: Waste ‘inevitable’
The chief watchdog for spending from the $787 billion stimulus package says it's guaranteed there will be waste and fraud. Published March 13, 2009
Obama balks at parts of spending bill
President Obama on Wednesday issued his first signing statement arguing he won't be bound by some of the provisions of the $410 billion catch-all spending bill, just two days after he promised to cut down on such statements. Published March 12, 2009
Obama’s drug czar pick has stepson with drug record
The Obama administration nominated as drug czar Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske, who said when accepting the post Wednesday that he has experienced the effects of drugs in his own family, but did not specifically mention his stepson, who is currently being held without bail in a Florida jail. Published March 11, 2009
Obama to build on Bush school plan
Taking on the teachers unions and building on his predecessor's No Child Left Behind Act, President Obama on Tuesday told states to stop limiting charter schools, to get rid of bad teachers and to improve rather than scrap standards and testing that were at the heart of President Bush's education agenda. Published March 11, 2009
Obama wants teacher ‘accountability’
The president on Tuesday put the nation's teachers on notice that their performance will be tracked and good teachers will be rewarded, while bad teachers will be tossed out of the classroom. Published March 10, 2009
Obama to demand ‘rigorous’ school standards
President Obama on Tuesday will call for education improvements that build on rather than replace President Bush's No Child Left Behind education bill, pushing for better pay for good teachers and calling on states to develop more "rigorous" real-world standards and tests. Published March 10, 2009
