Barack Obama

Barack Obama's Wednesday decision to appease his liberal base and reject the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline may hurt his chances with independents and some Democrats who favor jobs and energy independence over the environment.

The president's Wednesday decision to reject a Republican plan for a U.S. partnership with energy company Transcanada energized environmentalists who assert the project would have produced three times more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional crude oil.

However, the decision will likely hinder his ability to connect with Americans who crossed party lines to support the pipeline. more >>

Rick Perry said he is putting conservatives ahead of himself in his Thursday decision to drop out of the GOP race and endorse fellow candidate Newt Gingrich as the party’s anti-Romney.

Perry highlighted his experience as a fighter pilot and told the crowd he knows what it means to stay focused on the mission.

“I know when it is time to make a strategic retreat. I will leave the trail, return to Texas and lay down my 2012 campaign,” he announced at an 11 a.m. press conference in Charleston, South Carolina. He had a few aides and a visibly-dejected Anita Perry at his side during the announcement. more >>

Just in time for Martin Luther King Day, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich met with African-American churchgoers Saturday to confront his past racially-tinged comments and become the bridge-building candidate in the Republican race.

Gingrich made a campaign stop at Jones Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Columbia, S.C. During his visit, the former speaker was forced to detour from his usual stump message and explain the meaning behind his “really poor children” statements.

Gingrich told a crowd at a November Iowa appearance that poor children have little knowledge of what it is like to work. more >>

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, made a visit to a historic Baptist church in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, ahead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The Obamas were seen worshipping as the congregation at Zion Baptist Church in Northwest sang “Amazing Grace,” Reuters reported. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Keith Byrd Sr., acknowledged the president’s attendance, saying, “[The Obamas] came here to worship, and we want them to worship. Bless you and thank you for joining us.”

In his sermon, Byrd referred to William Shakespeare’s “To be, or not to be,” saying that was the question before King, a Baptist pastor, during the social upheaval. The pastor encouraged the congregation to “be a source of hope.” more >>

Barack Obama’s administration, in defending the recent recess appointments, is attempting to have “pro forma” sessions for Democrats and block it, too.

White House and Department of Justice (DOJ) officials have disputed charges that the president unconstitutionally made recess appointments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) while Republicans kept the Senate in session.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters at the Thursday briefing that ranking Republican House Speaker John Boehner acknowledged on his website that the U.S. House of Representatives is out of session. more >>

African-American talk show host and Barack Obama critic Tavis Smiley expressed disappointment with an Illinois employee group’s decision to drop him as the guest speaker of its Jan. 16 Martin Luther King luncheon after another local group threatened to boycott the function.

Smiley, a liberal, told Fox News Monday morning, “Something is wrong with this country that so often the political right, and I am no defender of the political right … gets accused of playing the game of political correctness. What this underscores is that those on the left, the Democrats can play that game of political correctness as well.”

Alma Brown, an organizer for the Public Employees for Community Concerns’ luncheon, told the Peoria Journal Star it dropped its contract with Smiley last week over ticket sale concerns. more >>