Carney’s comments were the first by the administration since the scandal broke in late May.

“The president feels, we feel at the White House, this is a distraction, as Congressman Weiner has said himself, his behavior was inappropriate; dishonesty was inappropriate,” Carney said aboard Air Force One during a trip to Raleigh, North Carolina.

“But the president is focused on his job, which is getting this economy continuing to grow, creating jobs and ensuring the safety and security of the American people.”

Weiner has been in the spotlight since a lewd photograph of the congressman became public after it was sent to a woman over the Twitter social networking service.

After initially claiming that his account had been hacked, Weiner admitted that he sent the picture and had engaged in several inappropriate relationships with women he had met online.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called for an ethics committee investigation to determine whether Weiner misused government resources while conducting the online relationships. She and a number of prominent Democrats have since called for him to resign.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, went a step further Monday, saying Democrats should force Weiner to step down.

“I think he should resign. I think his leaders should do everything they can to bring him to that point if he’s not already,” Cantor said. “I’m hoping that (House Democrats) will begin to move, if he does not resign, towards things like perhaps stripping him of his committees and others. I don’t think we have time for this.”

When asked whether Democrats are considering action such as taking away Weiner’s assignment on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, the No. 2 House Democrat, Steny Hoyer, said, “As I said yesterday, he’s taking a leave. He’s going to think about what he’s going to do, and we’ll wait to see what he decides.”

Weiner has said he does not plan to step aside. Instead, he has decided to seek treatment “to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person,” his spokeswoman said Saturday.

While he is seeking treatment at an undisclosed location, he will ask for a “short leave of absence” from Congress, Risa Heller said in a statement.

The president’s staff has not been involved in calling for Weiner’s resignation, Carney said.

Source

The rumor mill buzz is that he’s headed to Martha’s Vineyard, but that’s a mistake. Too many ghosts of presidents past. You may remember that Bill and HIllary with always on the Vineyard. Also, as the Vineyard is known as “Hollywood East.” The stories about cozy relationships between celebs and the prez are certain to be fodder for articles like this one.

So, let’s figure out where he should go. There are plenty of choices.

Hawaii — Sure, it’s his home turf but it’s way off the beaten path. Pros: great surfing and great fishing and amazing weather. Cons: average folks don’t relate and it’s a long flight.

Chicago — again, home turf, but not known as a vacation hot spot. In fact, very hot. So maybe save Chicago for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years.

Jersey Shore — Ah, now here’s an idea. He could hang with Bruce! A bit blue collar, which is good. He’s chill’in but he’s also not going overboard. He could have have some sand, and still be having a bit of a low key bit of down time.

Source

The girls’ final encounter for now with A-list stars came on the night of Barack Obama’s inauguration. The Jonas Brothers boy band made a surprise appearance in the White House as Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, explored their new home and their parents danced at the inauguration balls.

But family friends told Us Weekly that Mrs Obama is “trying to keep them grounded” and insisting on no special treatment as they begin their new lives in Washington. That means an end to hanging out with celebrities such as Beyonce, whom the girls were thrilled to meet during the campaign, according to their father.

So after the excitement of the election, the move from Chicago and the inauguration, Mrs Obama’s priority as self-styled “mom-in-chief” is to make sure her daughters settle in well at Sidwell Friends School, a prestigious private Quaker academy.

“Michelle is spending a lot of time talking to the girls about the new school and she’s reached out to fellow parents at Sidwell,” another friend says.

Although the Obamas did not speak directly to the magazine for the report, they posed for a happy family portrait and clearly authorised friends and staff to be quoted, on and off the record.

The gushing coverage is an early example of the Obamas’ “paparazzi presidency” tactic: wooing glossy magazines by offering access and pictures in return for uncritical reporting that will help maintain the new president’s high popularity ratings.

Us Weekly notes that Mrs Obama will not be hiring a nanny as her mother, Marian Robinson, 71, has moved into the White House to help look after the two grandchildren on whom she is said to dote.

The First Lady has reportedly confided to friends that the biggest plus for their family set-up is that President Obama can have breakfast and dinner with his wife and daughters – a luxury he rarely enjoyed during the previous two years on the campaign trail.

The magazine also has details of the first party that Mrs Obama threw at her new 55,000 sq ft residence: two days after moving in, she invited the entire White House staff to a welcome celebration in the East Room.

The invitees returned the honour by presenting her with a belated cake to celebrate her 45th birthday five days earlier.

Mr Obama takes on the hosting duties on Sunday when he holds a Super Bowl party for both Republican and Democratic congressman, including members from the home states of both finalists – the Pittsburgh Steelers, whom the president is backing, and Arizona Cardinals.

Aides say it is the latest example of his efforts to build a mood of bipartisan co-operation in Washington. But that strategy failed its first key test last week when his $820 billion economic stimulus package secured no Republican support in the House of Representatives.

source

He says, “the mood of optimism gripping America during the historic election, influenced him greatly.”

“The initial inspiration came from what I perceived to be a collective consciousness of people, not only in America but around the world, saying, ‘Look, the whole place is in turmoil, the economy’s in the toilet, people are reckless, frustrated and irresponsible’. And I think the collective got together realising there’s something that needed to change.”

To digress, if you are interested in hearing how Seal’s marriage is going, Heidi talked about it earlier today(11/18/09).

Just a week-and-a-half ago, Obama suspended his campaign for two days to travel to Hawaii to pay a final visit to the ailing Madelyn Dunham, whom he called “Toot.”

“She has gone home,” Obama, 47, said at a rain-soaked rally Monday on the eve of the election in Charlotte, N.C. “And she died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side and so there’s great joy as well as tears. I’m not going to talk about it too often because it’s hard to talk about.”

A statement released by Obama and Maya Soetoro-Ng, 38, said Dunham died after a battle with cancer. “She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility,” they say.
Source