Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says President Barack Obama is not pushing for new gun control legislation even though he still supports a ban on assault weapons. Spokesman Jay Carney says Obama intends to focus on other ways to combat violence. Carney's comments Thursday are the latest sign that Obama won't engage lawmakers in a drive for new laws, bowing to congressional opposition to additional gun restrictions.

CBS News) President Obama on Tuesday scoffed at the notion he wants higher gas prices, as some of his critics claim. Asked about the charge at his first formal White House press conference of the year, Mr. Obama replied to Fox News correspondent Ed Henry's question with a question of his own. "From a political perspective, do you think the president of the United States going into re-election wants gas prices to go up higher? Is there anybody here who thinks that makes a lot of sense?" Presidents of both parties have historically considered it harder to get votes if...

WASHINGTON (AP) - This time around, President Barack Obama's message can sound decidedly down-to-earth. Four years after winning the White House, Obama is dealing with a different economic and political reality as he seeks re-election. He's focused less on a lofty vision for overcoming divisions and remaking Washington, and more on the most basic building blocks of middle-class economic security: a job, a house, a college education for the kids, health care, money for retirement. What Obama describes as the American Dream can seem a spare, fundamental aspiration, tailored for a campaign that looks to be fought over who is...