(CNN) — The religious leader behind plans to erect an Islamic center and mosque a few blocks from New York’s ground zero said Wednesday night that America’s national security depends on how it handles the controversy.

“If we move from that location, the story will be the radicals have taken over the discourse,” Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf told CNN’s Soledad O’Brien on “Larry King Live.”

“The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack.”

The imam, who repeatedly said his mission was to promote peace and build a bridge among faiths, said he was also speaking about “radicals” on both sides of the debate on the Islamic center. “Our national security now hinges on how we negotiate this, how we speak about it.”

“The battlefront is between moderates of all sides… and the radicals on all sides,” he said.

Moving the project to another location would strengthen Islamist radicals’ ability to recruit followers and will likely increase violence against Americans, the imam said.

Rauf said that “nothing is off the table” when asked whether he would consider moving the site.

“We are consulting, talking to various people about how to do this so that we negotiate the best and safest option.”

The imam told O’Brien “had I known [the controversy] would happen we certainly would never have done this.” Asked if he meant he would not have picked the location, Rauf said, “we would not have done something that would create more divisiveness.”

Worry over what some observers have termed “Islamophobia” has been heightened by a Gainesville, Florida, church’s plan to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

Rauf said he hopes the church reconsiders. “It is something that is not the right thing to do.”

“With freedom comes responsibility,” he said. “This is dangerous to our national security and is also the un-Christian thing to do. … Jesus said to love your enemy. We are not your enemy.”

Responding to a poll showing 71 percent of New Yorkers oppose the center’s location, Rauf he was going on television to explain his background and vision. “I want to show them my face. Show them my track record.”

The imam spoke of “a vision I’ve had for almost 15 years … to establish a space that embodies the fundamental

beliefs that we have as Jews, Christians and Muslims, which is to love our God and to love our neighbor — to build a space where we have a culture of worship.”

Rauf said he would continue speaking with families of those killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks. “You cannot heal a trauma by walking away from it,” he said.

Opposition goes against “the fundamental American principle of separation of church and state,” said Rauf, adding he has been surprised by the controversy.

The project, known as Park51, is slated to include a variety of facilities, including a prayer room, a performing arts center, gym, swimming pool and other public spaces. It is planned for a site two blocks from the World Trade Center.

A source familiar with Park51 told CNN’s Allan Chernoff last week that the structure is being planned as an 11-story building. It will cover 120,000 square feet — 10,000 feet of which would be designated for the Muslim prayer space. The developer is considering the possibility of an interfaith education/meditation/prayer space as well, the source said.

Opponents of the plan to build the center say it is too close to the site of the terror attacks and is an affront to the memory of those who died in the al Qaeda strike. Backers cite, among other things, First Amendment rights and the need to express religious tolerance.

Those who know Rauf describe him as a thoughtful man, a bridge builder who seeks to unite all faiths but who won’t parse words when he sees religion used for nefarious ends.

But he has landed in controversy before.

He has chided the U.S. for killing civilians in Baghdad. He said in 2005 that the U.S. had more Muslim blood on its hands than “al Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non-Muslims.” He has refused to accept Western governments’ designation of Hamas as a terrorist group. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, he told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that “United States policies were an accessory to the crime.”

Earlier this week, Rauf wrote a commentary published online by the New York Times.

“I have been struck by how the controversy has riveted the attention of Americans, as well as nearly everyone I met in my travels,” Rauf wrote.

“We have all been awed by how inflamed and emotional the issue of the proposed community center has become,” wrote Rauf, who had just returned from a State Department-sponsored Middle East trip to promote U.S.-Muslim relations.

“The level of attention reflects the degree to which people care about the very American values under debate: recognition of the rights of others, tolerance and freedom of worship.”

The announcement follows one of China’s worst plane crashes in six years, and highlights the high demand for pilots as the country has seen a boon in air travel.

Aviation officials began investigating pilot qualifications after the Shanghai-based China Business News broke the story. Implicated pilots have had their licenses revoked or have been ordered to take extra training, according to state-run media.

The investigation of pilot qualifications is part of an overhaul of airline safety, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said, according to the state-run China Daily.

China had its worst commercial airline disaster in years in August. A Shenzhen Airlines flight crashed in northeastern China, killing 42 people and injuring 54. Officials have not announced the cause of the crash.

The country’s travel industry has boomed in recent years, as its economy has surged and personal income has swelled.

False flying records are common knowledge among Chinese pilots, China Daily reported, quoting a pilot identified only by his last name, Xu.

“The rapid expansion of China’s civil aviation requires more commercial pilots, and the gap was usually filled up by those pilots who drive military aircrafts, but transferred to commercial flights,” he told China Daily.

“These pilots were very likely to falsify their flying history in the military, since it is hard to track and verify. By doing this, they can get promoted more quickly in flying commercial airplanes,” he said.

“The airline companies only keep half an eye on this, since they are happy to see more pilots certified by the administrative agency,” added Xu, a commercial pilot with three years’ flying experience, according to China Daily.

The Beijing Municipal Health Bureau will create a network to monitor major medical institutions by year’s end, the China Daily newspaper reported.

Cases of the NDM-1 superbug, as it’s commonly known, have been reported in countries such as Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States. China has not detected the bacteria, but is at risk of an outbreak because of geography, global travel and the overuse of antibiotics.

The improper use of antibiotics has led to one of the world’s most pressing public health problems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibiotics cure bacterial infections, not viral infections such as colds and flu.

Many bacteria have become resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics, leading to longer illnesses, more doctor visits or longer hospital stays, and the need for more expensive and toxic treatment, the CDC says. Some resistant infections can lead to death.

The New Delhi metallo-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) gene is thought to have emerged in India or Pakistan. But India has rejected British scientists’ findings that travelers picked up the bacteria when they went to India for inexpensive medical treatment, including cosmetic surgery. The Indian health ministry says such organisms are present universally.

SEATTLE — New documents released by the Army say a staff sergeant charged in a conspiracy to murder civilians kept Afghan body parts and threatened subordinates.

Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs is the most senior of five Fort Lewis-based Stryker soldiers charged in the deaths of three Afghan civilians earlier this year. His lawyer says he denies being part of any conspiracy and that the deaths were all “appropriate engagements.”

In charging papers released Wednesday, prosecutors say Gibbs and others in his platoon also beat up a soldier who reported drug use in the unit, said they’d kill him if he kept talking about it and threatened him by showing him fingers that had been cut from an Afghan corpse.

Hearings in the case are expected to begin this fall.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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HAVANA — Fidel Castro said Cuba’s economic model no longer works, a U.S.-based journalist reported on Wednesday following interviews with the former president last week.

Jeffrey Goldberg, a writer for the Atlantic Monthly magazine, wrote in a blog that he asked Castro, 84, if Cuba’s model — Soviet-style communism — was still worth exporting to other countries and he replied, “The Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore.”

The comment appeared to reflect Castro’s agreement, which he also expressed in a column for Cuban media in April, with his younger brother President Raul Castro, who has initiated modest reforms to stimulate Cuba’s troubled economy.

Goldberg said Julia Sweig, a Cuba expert at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank in Washington who accompanied him to Havana, believed Castro’s words reflected an acknowledgment that “the state has too big a role in the economic life of the country.”

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Such sentiment would help President Castro, who took over from his brother in 2008, against those members of the ruling Communist Party who oppose his attempts to loosen the state’s hand, Sweig told Goldberg.

Goldberg wrote in a blog on Tuesday that Castro summoned him to Havana to discuss his recent article about the likelihood of conflict between Israel and Iran, with possible U.S. involvement, over Iran’s growing nuclear capabilities.

He said Castro criticized Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for anti-Semitism and denying the Holocaust.

Castro, since emerging in July from four years of seclusion following intestinal surgery, has become an anti-nuclear weapon crusader expressing concern about the future of the world.

Number of homes burned in Colorado hits 136 Obama defends tax stance, slams GOP Starbucks shortens menu by removing ‘tall’ Optical illusion used as high-tech speed bump Video reveals rough ride on cruise ship

He fears that if the United States and Israel try to enforce international sanctions against Iran for its nuclear activities, nuclear war will break out.

Castro also criticized his own actions during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis when he urged the Soviet Union to launch nuclear weapons against the United States, telling Goldberg “it wasn’t worth it at all.”

Goldberg described Castro as physically frail, but energetic and mentally acute.

During their visit, Goldberg and Sweig went with Castro, at his invitation, to see a dolphin show at Cuba’s National Aquarium in Havana.

They were accompanied by local Jewish leader Adela Dworin, who Castro kissed in front of the cameras in a possible message to Iranian leaders, Goldberg said in his Wednesday blog.

Inside the aquarium, Goldberg was introduced to the veteranarian — a woman named Celia Guevara, Che’s daughter.

Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

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Defense Secretary Robert Gates has yet to comment on the planned demonstration, but a spokesman for the Defense Department told NBC News on Wednesday that Gates “strongly endorses” Petraeus’ position.

The State Department has ordered U.S. embassies around the world to assess their security ahead of the planned burning amid fears it could spark anti-American violence. U.S. diplomatic posts have been instructed to convene “emergency action committees” to determine the potential for protests.

Church members stand fast Jones’ supporters have been mailing copies of the holy text to his church of about 50 followers to be incinerated in a bonfire Saturday.A member of the church, Fran Ingram, told msnbc.com that members had a “stack of about 150” Qurans from across the world. “We are expecting to burn about 200 at least,” she said.

Hillary Clinton condemns pastor’s plans

However, asked how she would feel if the church decided to abandon the event, she told msnbc.com: “I would be in agreement … not like a puppet on a string. … I believe in the word of God. We are hearing what God wants us to do.”

Jones left that option open in his remarks to NBC News, saying that “If God told us to do it, then I guess he could tell us to do something different.”

Jones said he was concerned about a reaction like that forecast by Petraeus, but he said he was “wondering, ‘When do we stop?’”

Number of homes burned in Colorado hits 136 Obama defends tax stance, slams GOP Starbucks shortens menu by removing ‘tall’ Optical illusion used as high-tech speed bump Video reveals rough ride on cruise ship

“How much do we back down? How many times do we back down?” Jones asked. “Instead of us backing down, maybe it’s time to stand up. Maybe it’s time to send a message to radical Islam that we will not tolerate their behavior.”

Widespread opposition Plans for the demonstration have drawn opposition across the political spectrum, and Jones, 58, said he had received more than 100 death threats and had started wearing a .40-caliber pistol strapped to his hip.

The Vatican denounced the plan Wednesday as “outrageous and grave.”

David Axelrod, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said on CNN: “The reverend may have the right to do what he’s doing but it’s not right. It’s not consistent with our values. … I hope that his conscience and his good sense will take hold.”

Video: Pastor: Quran-burning event will send ‘clear message’

Staffan de Mistura, head of the U.N. Mission in Afghanistan, expressed concern and outrage “in the strongest possible terms,” adding, “If such an abhorrent act were to be implemented, it would only contribute to fueling the arguments of those who are indeed against peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.”

Why the Quran matters

The Quran is the most sacred object in the daily lives of Muslims and burning it would be considered an offense against God.

Islam teaches that the Quran is the direct word of God, received by the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel, and it defines the belief and conduct for followers of the religion.

Islamic teaching spells out how it should be handled, including directing anyone who touches it to be in a state of ritual purity. Muslims can only burn or bury Qurans that have been damaged or corrupted to prevent God’s word from being defiled.

The Quran was considered a miracle because Muhammad — who was illiterate — was chosen by God to convey his final message to humanity over a period of 23 years, according to Islamic beliefs.

Muhammad’s companions memorized the Quran and wrote it down. It was only made in its current form in a collection of 114 Surras, or verses, after the prophet’s death in 632.

The Quran to Muslims is the final word of God after a series of revelations, starting with Adam, going through Abraham, Moses and Jesus and ending with Muhammad.

In Afghanistan, Jones’ planned burning continued to provoke outrage.

“It is the duty of Muslims to react,” said Mohammad Mukhtar, a cleric and candidate for the Afghan parliament in the Sept. 18 election. “When their holy book Quran gets burned in public, then there is nothing left. If this happens, I think the first and most important reaction will be that wherever Americans are seen, they will be killed. No matter where they will be in the world they will be killed.”

Jones’ Dove Outreach Center is independent of any denomination. It follows the Pentecostal tradition, which teaches that the Holy Spirit can manifest itself in the modern day. Pentecostals often view themselves as engaged in spiritual warfare against satanic forces.

Jones gained some local notoriety last year when he posted signs in front of his church declaring “Islam is of the Devil.” But his Quran-burning idea attracted wider attention, drawing rebukes from Muslim nations and at home as an emotional debate was taking shape over the proposed Islamic center near the World Trade Center site in New York.

Hillary Clinton condemns pastor’s plans

His actions likely would be protected by the First Amendment’s right to free speech. The U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear that speech deemed offensive to many people, even the majority of people, cannot be suppressed by the government unless it is clearly directed to intimidate someone or amounts to an incitement to violence, legal experts said.

Local religious leaders in Gainesville, a college town of 125,000 anchored by the sprawling University of Florida campus, also criticized Jones. At least two dozen Christian churches, Jewish temples and Muslim organizations have mobilized to plan inclusive events, and some will read from the Quran at their own weekend services. A student group is organizing a protest across the street from the church Saturday.

By Alex Johnson of msnbc.com with Ian Johnston of msnbc.com and Brian Williams, Kerry Sanders and Courtney Kube of NBC News. Reuters contributed to this report.

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September 08, 2010 6:03 PM

In Cleveland, Ohio, today, President Obama said, “I believe government should be lean; government should be efficient.  I believe government should leave people free to make the choices they think are best for themselves and their families, so long as those choices don’t hurt others.”

An ABC News/Washington Post poll from April has 56% of the American people saying they favor smaller government with fewer services, with 40% saying they support larger government with more services.

That same poll indicated that only 15% of those polled say they believe President Obama prefers smaller government with fewer services. Seventy-seven percent say the president prefers larger government with more services.

-Jake Tapper

September 8, 2010 in Economy, Jake Tapper, Obama, Barack, President Obama | Permalink | Share | User Comments (37)

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Pres Barry insisted on Bailouts

Posted by: bl | Sep 8, 2010 9:17:23 PM

The ‘Bailouts’ were bi-partisan and supported by Bush, McCain, Obama and many others from both parties.

Posted by: David | Sep 8, 2010 10:22:28 PM

Tim Geithner : I want a strong dollar.

Barrack Obama: I believe government should be lean

Barney Frank: The GSE’s are sound financially

Rush Limbaugh: I hope he fails. Now you understand why Rush was right!!

—————-

Also:

George Bush: The fundamentals of the economy are strong!

John McCain: The economy is indeed strong!

Sarah Palin: Yes of course, when it comes to those fundamentals the President referred to, that is the economy, the fundamental economy he talked about, there is no reason not to be sure it’s strong…

Rush Limbaugh: What do mean that’s not my Viagra!?

Posted by: Skip | Sep 8, 2010 10:10:16 PM

I believe all the eating I’ve done this summer has made me lean.

Posted by: MayBee | Sep 8, 2010 9:42:10 PM

Tim Geithner : I want a strong dollar.

Barrack Obama: I believe government should be lean

Barney Frank: The GSE’s are sound financially

Rush Limbaugh: I hope he fails. Now you understand why Rush was right!!

Posted by: pauldia | Sep 8, 2010 9:39:44 PM

Flash Override: “The problem with the Democrats, and Obama in particular, is that between elections they act like conservatives.”

LOL!! Hilarious.

That must be why Democracy Corps (Carville/Greenberg) found in their poll that 55% of likely voters believe the word “socialist” describes the president either “well” or “very well.” It must be because, you know, Obama “acts like a conservative” and all. Wow, talk about an alternate universe.

Posted by: Mary | Sep 8, 2010 9:39:16 PM

I knew a guy who always used to say the worse thing you could hear in life is “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

Sad, but true.

Keep in mind that the Dems have had the super majority (House and Senate) for President Barry for most of 2009/2010. They could have passed anything they wanted to but Obama’s priorities came first.

Pres Barry insisted on Bailouts and Healh Care overhaul which is going to cost all of us for years to come. Also don’t forget the 2009 stimulus that Barry insisted on would save jobs and would keep unemployment below 8%.

Did Barry mean to say he needs to pass a government stimulus every year?

Posted by: bl | Sep 8, 2010 9:17:23 PM

By proudly claiming ownership to the massive health-care plan, Pres Barry removed any doubts about where he stood regarding government growth. He can no longer hide behind the illusion he was an honest broker looking for the kind of common-sense fixes the country wanted.

This is change we can believe:

Every Republican and 34 Democrats said no to the health-care package.

At least the Iraq war was “Bipartisan”.

Posted by: bl | Sep 8, 2010 9:10:22 PM

BWAHAHAHA!! Wow, that’s rich. This guy is unbelievable.

Posted by: Chiara | Sep 8, 2010 9:06:09 PM

Pres Barry needs some grown ups in the room….he is simply tone deaf to the American people. Trying to talk like a conservative for the next 6 weeks will not fool very many likely voters.

Early this year when his polls tanked, when swing voters fled, when Virginia, New Jersey and then Massachusetts all smacked him upside, they told him to ignore them, and the New Yorker, the New Republic and the liberal bloggers on here all urged him on. Health care would emerge as his passport to greatness.

“Pass. The. Damn. Bill.” They urged on this and other Web sites. He did.

He passed the damn bill, and the People were not and are not pleased.

Inside the bubble (the bunker? the madhouse?), the celebration, and the confusion, go on.

Posted by: bl | Sep 8, 2010 8:44:21 PM

Flash, I’m sorry for mistyping. I meant that Government CANNOT be run like a business, despite what neocons or Obama say. This is why it is imperative that government, especially the Federal govt, is not involved with every aspect of our lives, businesses, etc (as, seemingly, both Bush and Obama want.)

When it comes to LEGITIMATE government roles (national defense, limited arbitration between States’ disputes, international excise taxes, and securing borders) we cannot- nor shall we- want it to be “money making”, efficient, or whatever buzzwords. The problem is that the Federal government has aggrandised its role so that it oversees, meddles in, and disrupts, everything….so of course it is inefficient and expensive.

Posted by: Ed | Sep 8, 2010 8:36:12 PM

Ryan, you cut off the sentence, man. It’s either $2,0000 or $3,000 depending on the type of business.

Now you’re just being dishonest. I’m done playing with you. You’re not ignorant, you’re purposely deceptive.

Posted by: DaveMN | Sep 8, 2010 8:28:55 PM

No, he doesn’t.

Posted by: mesquito | Sep 8, 2010 8:22:25 PM

40% want larger government with more services???? WHOA!!! …What happened to that independent American spirit?? Every once in a while even I have a pioneer-style dream where I pack up my family and head out to the middle of nowhere..stake my claim…and live off the land..grow my own veggies, homeschool my kids, raise chickens..beat my laundry against a rock in the river…and then I wake up in a cold sweat…It’s not the lack of toll booths, city hall, union wages, police patrols, a public library or social security that turns this dream into a nightmare..it’s the visual of all that laundry in the river that ruins my dream. I think I could manage without the government- I really do..living without a washing machine is another story.

Posted by: cindy | Sep 8, 2010 8:19:48 PM

Ed, here are some reasons the government can’t be run like a business:

1) Its executive has to be democratically elected

2) It cannot get handouts from itself

3) It can’t move to Mexico

Posted by: Flash Override | Sep 8, 2010 8:05:12 PM

Mary, your statement “Obama (like many liberal Democrats) always acts like a conservative before elections.” reveals that you are living in a alternate universe.

In the runup to an election, the Democrats will attempt to portray themselves to be more liberal (almost) every time.

The problem with the Democrats, and Obama in particular, is that between elections they act like conservatives.

Posted by: Flash Override | Sep 8, 2010 8:01:20 PM

Where’s Christine Romer when you need her? She’s good with numbers!

Posted by: CA All the Way | Sep 8, 2010 7:42:06 PM

…I believe government should leave people free to make the choices they think are best for themselves and their families, so long as those choices don’t hurt others.”

What the hell does that mean? Does he mean anytime someone goes against the grain, government would need to ‘step in’ and take over? What ‘choices’? How does he determine what it is to ‘hurt others’?
I think a little more background on that comment is VERY necessary.

Posted by: Shoe | Sep 8, 2010 7:39:42 PM

How to spot when Mr. Obama is lying?

When his lips are moving.

Posted by: young_voter | Sep 8, 2010 7:34:40 PM

the government (despite Bush and neo-con statements) was intended to be lean, efficient, or run as a business! But also the leftist Obama, and his fellow-travellers, should know that the US government was also never intended to take care of every aspect of the US citizens (and illegals here) lives!

For defense, for inter-state disputes, for secured borders, for certain civil insurrections, for certain (carefully written about) commercial regulations. For those reason don’t worry about “being lean”, Obama. For the nationalizations, the police state snooping, the wars without end, the promotion of unAmerican activities, the increased taxation, the aggrandisement of Federal powers, etc please “be lean”!! Both to Obama and the previous Presidents….

Posted by: Ed | Sep 8, 2010 7:30:35 PM

“If companies don’t provide these plans to their employees, they can be fined $3,000 per employee.”

Wrong…again..

“Impose a $2000 per employee tax penalty on employers with more than 50 employees who do not offer health insurance to their full-time workers”

Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 8, 2010 7:21:27 PM

“Are you simply ignorant of the facts or do you know them and pretend that you don’t? The Health Care Reform bill entitles the Secretary of HHS to determine minimum standards for health insurance, and fines people if they do not have a health insurance policy that meets those criteria.”

When in doubt the right wing just makes it up.

The only minimum standards are for insurance companies that wish to be part of the exchange that is being set up not for all insurance companies or individuals getting insurance.

“who personally believe that their health care needs are best served by a health savings plan instead of health insurance.”

Way to work in the lingo…make sure you get a bonus.

Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 8, 2010 7:16:23 PM

The sentiment that the President expresses regarding shrinking the size of government, reminds me of St. Augustine’s words when he said, “Lord, Grant me chastity and continence- but not yet.”

Posted by: Virtus2021 | Sep 8, 2010 7:12:15 PM

A Democratic strategy was to keep the Midterm elections “local”. Obama, today in his speech, put his stake in the ground and “nationalized” the MidTerm elections. Dems are worried now because Obama has once again, threw them under the bus. Obama is imploding his base…its evident.

Posted by: David from Texas | Sep 8, 2010 7:08:16 PM

Obama is a HUGE government guy.

Posted by: Rick McDaniel | Sep 8, 2010 7:07:12 PM

Obama said WHAT? “I believe government should be lean; government should be efficient. I believe government should leave people free to make the choices they think are best for themselves and their families, so long as those choices don’t hurt others.”

Besr I can tell Obama has grown government like a weed and the hurt is just beginning.

Posted by: Ed Taylor | Sep 8, 2010 7:06:08 PM

Can we have a discussion of real issues versus the made up one of the paranopid right wing?

Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 8, 2010 6:33:29 PM

You mean like the crazy cap-and-trade “paranoia”? Oh wait…

“Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Coal-powered plants, you know, natural gas, you name it, whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers.” – Barack Obama in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, January 2008

Posted by: Mary | Sep 8, 2010 6:57:27 PM

Ryan C,

Are you simply ignorant of the facts or do you know them and pretend that you don’t? The Health Care Reform bill entitles the Secretary of HHS to determine minimum standards for health insurance, and fines people if they do not have a health insurance policy that meets those criteria.

If companies don’t provide these plans to their employees, they can be fined $3,000 per employee.

Please, do try to be informed before accusing others of being paranoid.

Obama says he thinks people should make their own decisions. Then he signs into laws that require businesses to do what an unelected HHS Secretary feels is proper, and penalizes individuals who personally believe that their health care needs are best served by a health savings plan instead of health insurance. He’s a hypocrite, plain and simple.

Posted by: DaveinMN | Sep 8, 2010 6:50:54 PM

LOL! Was this satire printed in The Onion?

Obama (like many liberal Democrats) always acts like a conservative before elections. Remember the “scalpel” he planned to use the cut the deficit? Transparency? Not allowing lobbyists to serve in his administration? How’d those promises work out?

The man is a pathological liar. Actions speak louder than words. We’ve seen the most dramatic expansion of government expansion in our history on his watch, including the signing of a lot of legislation most Americans actively opposed. Nobody takes him seriously anymore, as November will make clear.

Posted by: Mary | Sep 8, 2010 6:46:43 PM

“They guy that wants the federal government to determine what health insurance every man, woman and child has to have tells us we should be free to make decisions for ourselves.”

Huffing glue again?

Can we have a discussion of real issues versus the made up one of the paranopid right wing?

Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 8, 2010 6:33:29 PM

How, that’s hilarious. They guy that wants the federal government to determine what health insurance every man, woman and child has to have tells us we should be free to make decisions for ourselves.

Posted by: DaveinMN | Sep 8, 2010 6:28:01 PM

For Obama, saying is believing. Who needs to do it when they can say it?

Posted by: Mike, CO | Sep 8, 2010 6:23:57 PM

Some additional results from the same poll:

Who do you think is more responsible for the current federal budget deficit – (Barack Obama) or (George W. Bush)?

22 60

Posted by: Flash Override | Sep 8, 2010 6:21:47 PM

Someone cue Joe Wilson. He was needed today.

Posted by: Aaron | Sep 8, 2010 6:21:41 PM

The same poll indicated that people trust Obama and the Democratic Party over the Republican Party to handle problems:

Who would to a better job
Obama Republicans

a. The economy 49 38
b. Regulation of the
financial industry 52 35
c. The federal budget deficit 45 41
d. Health care reform 49 39

Posted by: Flash Override | Sep 8, 2010 6:20:28 PM

Man people are delusional. The last president to post a surplus was Bill Clinton. Reagan,Bush, and BushII had deficits are far as the eye could see . You can try to rewrite history bit there will always be those of ua that remember. Bush was so deceitful he ran two wars if the books of the real budget. Talking about an Obama deficit is dishonest especially since the deficit was firmed and ballooned under BushII.

Posted by: Gail | Sep 8, 2010 6:19:15 PM

This president is delusional he have not stopped the government growth of the Bush administration but in the last month. The public have no confidence in him because when the public needed him he let done America nad the world. The oil spill should have been a blip he turned it into a nightmare and Americans still have not forgotten. It ruined the midwesterns summer vacation plans. The states of Arizona and Texas benefitted the most from the Obama Oil Spill.

Posted by: Patrick Hagger | Sep 8, 2010 6:10:10 PM

From the man who gave us TRILLION dollar plus deficits as far as the eye can see??

Now, that’s good comedy.

Posted by: Libs and The Lying Liars Who Elect Them | Sep 8, 2010 6:06:59 PM

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September 08, 2010 6:45 PM

If the midterm elections become a referendum on the economy then Democrats risk losing majority control of Congress, President Obama told me this afternoon.

“If the election is a referendum on are people satisfied about the economy as it currently is, then we’re not going to do well,” he said.

92% of Americans say the economy is not doing well, according our latest poll. Today the president acknowledged the growing frustration with slow recovery.

“I think everybody feels like this economy needs to do better than it’s been doing,” Obama told me.

So does the president think Democrats can win in November? 

“My challenge, and the challenge of every Democratic candidate who’s out there is just making sure the people understand there’s a choice here,” Obama said.

Tune into “GMA” tomorrow morning at 7am to see more of my exclusive interview with the president including his first comments on the possible Koran burnings, more on the midterm elections and what he thinks if his chief of staff decides to run for mayor of Chicago.

  or click here to become a fan on Facebook.

– George Stephanopoulos

September 8, 2010 in 2010 Elections, Barack Obama | Permalink | Share | User Comments (16)

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Americans, especially the Tea Party ralliers, are scared and angry (but they are enthusiastic) and turn to the demagogues who fuel this and give them seemingly simple answers they want to hear. Unfortunately, when they are like this they vote in large numbers for the wrong reasons and the wrong people. They are voting on the merits of rhetoric and angry bombacity not the merits of problem-solving and hope. It is a terrible thing to see an election decided by fear and the demagogues win out. Instead we should be uniting behind our president and become engaged and work on the local level to help ourselves and our neighbors get through these tough times.

Posted by: prohb | Sep 8, 2010 7:47:52 PM

Americans should inform themselves on the issues and if they have an opinion on an issue after informing themselves then they should relay that opinion to their elected leader.

Blindly lining up to support any politician or political position in any situation is irresponsible

Posted by: american | Sep 8, 2010 7:54:29 PM

How ever difficult the Democrats may perceive their political situation, the American people owe to themselves, and to their children to crush the the Democratic Party under a sea of anger and disgust for the socialist quamire they set for the American people.
And for any Democrat who doesn’t yet understand that Obama is your worse political enemy, good luck with that.

Posted by: Larry Clifton | Sep 8, 2010 7:59:13 PM

NO PRESIDENT IN OUR HISTORY HAS ATTACKED THE MASSES OF OUR CITIZENS AND STATES AND POLICE AUTHORITIES WHILE UPHOLDING ILLEGAL ALIEN LAWBREAKERS,INSULTING AMERICA TO OUR ENEMY COUNTRIES, SPENDING TAXPAYER FUNDS INTO OBLIVION, FAILED STIMULUS PROGRAMS. INSTEAD OF THE ECOMONY OBAMA SPENT ONE FULL YEAR SHOVING HIS HEALTHCARE PROGRAM ON THE MASSES WHO DID NOT WANT IT, NOW WE ARE TOLD WE ARE STUPID, THAT WE JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND IT. OBAMA’S PROBLEMS ARE NOT JUST THE ECONOMY, IT IS THE WHOLE PACKAGE.

Posted by: heavenreach | Sep 8, 2010 8:09:47 PM

Socialism is only as good as if there is enough money to go around.

Posted by: Beau Abellana | Sep 8, 2010 8:29:32 PM

The blind leading the blind. Clinton, largest economic surplus in history. Bush, largest deficit in history. Just the facts.

Posted by: Jason C. Galvez | Sep 8, 2010 8:33:40 PM

Too Bad you Anti Socialists didn’t realize the VERY VERY VERY Socialist/Communist Chinese are the one’s financing American debt and who’s economy is outpacing our own by leaps and bounds. The Chinese are sitting on a mountain of cash— If Socialist tendencies destroy a Country explain why they are doing so well and we are doing so poorly!!! Then Thank a Chinese Socialist/Communist banker for financing our debt and keeping us from insolvency!!!!

Posted by: brian | Sep 8, 2010 9:00:06 PM

The tale of two men. How many times do you hear GW go off on a tyrade and blame someone else. How many times has Obama said my bad! He inheritated this mess…he wanted it, he got it…fix it. That simple…but compare the two Presidents and tell me who is more honorable. Really, take the blinders off. We are spending ourselves to oblivion…Ask Hillary today…to the point of national security! Time for a change.

Posted by: pwtexas | Sep 8, 2010 9:08:12 PM

Is there no end to this man’s brilliance? Could there be a bigger “no duh” observation? I think not.

Posted by: s | Sep 8, 2010 9:11:14 PM

Notice how Obama always talks to George….. its because of the softball questions!!

Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | Sep 8, 2010 9:18:35 PM

Brian —- In case you under 30 yrs old, I will explain it to you! — China and their people would have FAMINES as a regular course of everyday lif… for FIFTY years… under Communist rule!! —– It is only in the last 15 years… developing more of a entreprenueal/capitalist/more modern tact… have they been booming!! — Their recent success is exactly OPPOSITE a recommendation for Communism!!!!

Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | Sep 8, 2010 9:24:43 PM

what fools we were to believe those promises he made at the campaign trail, how many has he kept? how many has he broke? important ones? minor ones? Go figure. 92% disgruntled with him and he says were not doing well? Geeezzzz, hes supposed to make people happy with jobs, not unemployment rates hitting 10%

Posted by: Harold | Sep 8, 2010 10:03:08 PM

Hopefully the voters aren’t that ignorant. The republicans would let them starve and die where they stand. The republicans are responsible for outsourcing US jobs to third world countries. If the voters put them back in control they deserve what’s coming. Get ready for global plutacracy if it happens. Our children’s futures will be as servants and subject’s.

Posted by: rightbehind | Sep 8, 2010 10:07:34 PM

92% of Americans say the economy is not doing well, according our latest poll. Today the president acknowledged the growing frustration with slow recovery.
took him 2 years to get us there? wow!!how does the president think we feel?or is he thinking of a new and improved America? if this is the result of two years in office, I say we lay him off for not performing his duty as well as spending many days off on vacation separately from his wife

Posted by: Harold | Sep 8, 2010 10:08:12 PM

Socialism is only as good as if there is enough money to go around.

Posted by: Beau Abellana | Sep 8, 2010 8:29:32 PM
———–
LOL! Capitalism works right up until it needs a bailout.

Posted by: rightbehind | Sep 8, 2010 10:12:50 PM

IF the election is on the economy? Isn’t that what got him elected in the first place? And it’s only gotten worse with him and his majority in both houses. Am I missing something in the way this man thinks?

Posted by: wantingbalance | Sep 8, 2010 10:34:40 PM

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September 08, 2010 8:07 PM

Our “World News” report on President Obama swinging into campaign mode:

-Jake Tapper

September 8, 2010 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (9)

User Comments

I agree with the President. The Republicans should lay out the specifics of their platform and details of their proposed approaches, and a mature debate should be held.

So far it’s just Republicans sniping from the sidelines with name calling, insults, fear mongering, posturing and baloney.

Let’s see the specifics of the Republican proposals – and let’s have a mature debate.

Posted by: David | Sep 8, 2010 10:08:12 PM

CNBC’s Kernen Declares Obama’s Populist Tactics Proof He Advocates ‘Redistribution of Wealth’

Read more:

OBAMA VS AMERICA

Posted by: Yep I said that | Sep 8, 2010 10:03:28 PM

Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, the Democrats’ candidate for an open Ohio Senate seat, said he wanted a job-creation tax credit. “I also wish we had seen all these proposals much sooner,” he said. And Sen. Michael Bennet (D, Colo.), who is locked in a difficult campaign, said Wednesday, “I will not support additional spending in a second stimulus package.”

RUN DEMOCRATS RUN FROM OBAMA….hows that stimulus working now?

Posted by: Yep I said that | Sep 8, 2010 9:54:59 PM

Obama: they talk about me like a dog

President elect Obama: “a MUTT like me”

Obama VS America

Posted by: Yep I said that | Sep 8, 2010 9:51:56 PM

Obama Has Added More to National Debt Than Washington Thru Reagan — COMBINED

OBAMA VS AMERICA

Posted by: Yep I said that | Sep 8, 2010 9:49:56 PM

Do you want to return to the policies of the previous administration? Do the democrats mean like less than 5% unemployment, a manageable deficit, less government and such? Or do we want the current administration’s closed door conferences, czars gone wild, rewarding of political cronies disguised as stimulus, and the government intervention in the free markets?

Do you think this is likely the worst VP & Presidential appointment ever??

Pres Barry is not a leader; he is a Partisan hack (biased – with emotional allegiance to liberals and muslims),
a Community Organizer and a Campaigner. Biden is simply a career politician with zero private industry experience just like his boss.

Posted by: bl | Sep 8, 2010 9:26:48 PM

This is what he does. He can’t lead. He can’t manage.He campaigns.

Posted by: Nephron | Sep 8, 2010 9:11:47 PM

Well Sigmonde unless this is just another poorly disguised attempt to tell us that the left and Americans are two different things we’ll reserve the right to decide for ourselves whether what we want is what we really need thank you.

Posted by: Skip | Sep 8, 2010 9:06:25 PM

Obama doesn’t care about what businesses and Americans need, he only cares about what he and the left want.

Posted by: Sigmonde | Sep 8, 2010 8:26:30 PM

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I have theories. None of them favors Democrat Dan Onorato.

That’s because, for Onorato to beat Republican Tom Corbett, there must be interest in the race, especially in Philly and its suburbs.

This is, after all, where the votes are.

A recent statewide Franklin & Marshall/Daily News poll showing Corbett with an 11-point lead found a striking 31 percent of likely voters undecided.

In Philly, the “don’t knows” or voting for “others” (I don’t know – Casper the Ghost?) total 39 percent; in the suburbs, it jumps to 44 percent.

Similar polling around this time in the last open-seat governor’s race – Ed Rendell vs. Mike Fisher in ’02 – had undecideds at 14 percent to 18 percent.

Why so high now?

Well, Corbett and Onorato are Pittsburghers. Philly’s mayoral-centric, already abuzz about 2011 and a possible Sam Katz redux, and cares about a governor’s race only when you-know-who runs.

Then there’s the cycle. State voters have switched parties in the Guv’s office every eight years since 1946. After eight with Ed, are Democrats pumped? Oh, and the last Pittsburgh Democrat elected governor was David L. Lawrence, 1958.

Also, there’s less political reporting as staff-starved newspapers, including this one, struggle with fewer resources.

“I’ve never, ever had as much trouble getting coverage during a campaign,” says Onorato adviser Dan Fee, a veteran campaign aide who also worked Rendell’s ’02 race.

So, it’s probably one part chicken and egg (little reporting = little interest, or little interest = little reporting) and two parts ennui.

And, while on the surface high undecideds might read like good news for Onorato, suggesting room to grow before Nov. 2, beneath the numbers it’s really more like bad news for Dan-O.

More than a third of state voters, including independents, Libertarians and others, live in the Southeast, including more Democrats than anywhere else.

In three of the five Southeastern counties – Philly, Bucks and Montgomery – Democrats outnumber Republicans.

And poll after poll reflects an “enthusiasm gap” showing Democrats less interested in voting this year due to discontent with the economy, the president and, locally, His Edness.

(The Guv’s “good” or “excellent” job rating is at 30 percent, the lowest of his incumbency.)

There’s also angst over government and governing, as in, why bother, apparently nobody can make things work. Gallup says that 78 percent of Americans are “dissatisfied” with the direction of the country, at a time when the country’s directed by Democrats.

So, angst, diminished interest and an “enthusiasm gap” gives Onorato multiple beasts to battle, even as he tries to break historic tends.

Can this picture change? Sure.

There are 1.2 million more registered Democrats than Republicans, and contested congressional races in the suburbs could crank turnout to Onorato’s advantage.

Corbett’s low-key campaign, reliant on history and a (sorta) no-tax pledge could backfire. He’s gaffe-prone (people would rather collect unemployment than work; and while he said no tax or fee hikes, he really meant only no tax hike).

He’s not as good on his feet as Onorato, probably due to the fact that as attorney general he only faced the press with controlled announcements of criminality, whereas Onorato, as Allegheny County executive, faced more frequent grilling and on numerous topics. Debates should help Onorato.

And, finally, statewide races are won on TV. Onorato’s got the Campaign Group, known for big-boom ads that make a difference: Michael Nutter’s ’07 ad featuring daughter Olivia; Joe Sestak’s spring primary ad featuring Arlen Specter’s “re-elected” comment.

Bottom line? Despite the numbers, the history and the trends, this could still turn into a race – if, that is, anybody cares.

Send e-mail to baerj@phillynews.com.

For recent columns, go to

http://go.philly.com/baer.

Rendell met with local officials, business leaders, and environmental groups in Washington, which has experienced the most Marcellus Shale drilling in the region to date. The governor also was greeted by about two dozen protesters holding red, white, and blue signs calling for an end to the drilling.

The governor told the protesters and those at the meeting that he would not support a drilling moratorium.

Rendell said the drilling was creating new challenges for communities worried about the environmental effects of the process used to extract natural gas and about incurring the costs associated with drilling accidents.

The drilling creates huge economic possibilities for the state, he said, and lawmakers should not chase drillers away.

Rendell and state lawmakers pledged in this summer’s budget agreement to enact a severance tax on drillers by Oct. 1.

The Canadian golf coach had been walking the grounds at the BMW Championship on Wednesday morning with one of his players, Hunter Mahan, when his cell phone began going into meltdown mode.

He stood on the driving range at Cog Hill, looking down at the screen on the device, quizzically thumbing through the assault of e-mails and text messages that began bouncing off satellites and into the contraption.

“What’s this all about?” he said.

As ever, it’s all about Eldrick.

Moments earlier, in his own inimitably paranoid fashion, world No. 1 Tiger Woods confirmed he has formally forged a work relationship with Foley, who coaches a half-dozen other PGA Tour players, and the news precipitated the flurry of inquiries that will soon make him the most famous Canuck in the States since Dudley Do-Right.

The calls and messages were just the beginning. Minutes later, a BMW tournament official wheeled by in an electric cart and groused aloud that he was off to coddle movie star Jamie Foxx, who was spotted a few moments later riding in a cart toward where Woods was stationed on the range. Foxx had six other people in the cart with him.

“Like I don’t have enough things to worry about,” the official said.

Gadflies, sycophants, celebs and pundits — welcome to the Tiger fishbowl, Mr. Foley. Actually, it’s more like a glass blender, and these are the moments right before somebody hits puree.

Halfway through the day, Foley had already been on caffeinated overload, working with Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan and his other charges. It had been a busy morning at the tournament pro-am even before his cell phone blew up.

“Well, walked with Tiger for five holes, then Hunter, and then Rosie, and then back to work with Tiger, waiting on Hunter, work with Hunter, work with Rosie, work with Sean O’Hair and then waiting on Steven Ames,” Foley said, grinning.

A few minutes later, he was off to the back of the range for a private session with Woods, who hopefully hadn’t been too distracted by Foxx and his entourage.

After four weeks of dollops and dalliances, Foley and Woods have officially become an item. Woods said that after seeing his game rapidly progress in the month since he began working with Foley, 35 — after hitting rock bottom at the Bridgestone Invitational — he’s committed to whatever transition period it might take to get it all fixed.

Foley is about to supervise Woods’ fourth swing overhaul as a professional. The first two took more than a year to come to full fruition, but Woods has seen enough to know that the confident Canadian isn’t peddling snake oil.

“I needed to understand the whole concept before I committed to what I was doing,” Woods said. “It’s nice when you get rewarded with results, and the shots that I’m hitting now, it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do that. That’s always a good sign.”

After finishing second-to-last at Bridgestone, he began working with Foley the following week at the PGA Championship, where Woods finished T28. In the two starts since, he’s finished T12 and T11, and last week he shot three rounds in the 60s for the first time all year.

Gotta love Foley’s timing. When he started, Woods had just finished the worst tournament of his pro career. No matter what Foley does, he’s going to look like a quick-fix genius, a notion that made him laugh out loud. “We all know that before I told him anything, he had won 70 times and had 14 majors, so we have to be realistic,” Foley said. “The whole idea of coaches being gurus is a bit much and kind of crazy.”

But that’s the state of the game these days, where Butch Harmon and David Leadbetter — guys Foley watched on the range at the Canadian Open as a kid and decided to emulate — have become full-blown marketing entities. With the attention comes double-barreled notoriety when players struggle, or invariably leave. Woods worked with Harmon and Hank Haney for his entire pro career until May, when Haney elected to walk away.

After getting Foley’s cell-phone number last month from O’Hair, Woods called out of the blue and asked if Foley could take a look at what was left of his golf swing. Woods was so out of sorts at the Bridgestone, he looked amateurish at times.

“It was kinda like, ‘Hey, can you take a look?’” Foley recalled. “Obviously, it was Tiger Woods and how many times have I sat there on Sunday cheering for him before I even started coaching out here? I wouldn’t say it was surreal because I feel like I am confident in what I do, but it was cool, definitely. Like, ‘Whoa, that’s kind of crazy.’”

Not really, though it will lead to more scrutiny than Foley can possibly imagine. The others in Foley’s tour crew have dubbed him the Dalai Lama because he’s cerebral and well-rounded, and he might need the Lama’s famous tolerance and patience to endure what’s sure to follow.

The Foley fast track has been interesting. He moved to Orlando to run a Leadbetter-style golf school for kids called Core Golf Junior Academy in 2006, with not a single PGA Tour pro under his tutelage. Not even five years later, Foley has five guys in the 70-man BMW field. Amazingly, all but Ames are ranked in the world top 23.

For all his early success, Foley isn’t caught up in his sudden celebrity and has no website, business cards or any exclusivity clause with Woods. Unlike Harmon and Haney, who lived in Las Vegas and Dallas, Foley lives a couple of miles from Woods in Orlando.

“You don’t need that, it’s not necessary, because you don’t need that much time, especially when you live in the same area code,” Foley said. “It’s perfect.

“The beautiful dynamic of it is that we live four minutes from each other and the ideal way to work with a player obviously isn’t at a tournament. I think it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to work with arguably the greatest player of all time and I feel very fortunate.”

Goosebumps aside, the next question becomes how long it will take for Woods to fully reclaim his strut. Already, it’s become fashionable in print to pooh-pooh the notion he will break the records set by his idol, Jack Nicklaus, or regain the form he showed even in 2008-09, before an offseason sex scandal left both Woods and his Cadillac Escalade as smoldering wrecks.

After experiencing the fast results of the past three weeks, Woods is now officially on board and committed to whatever transition period is required.

“I’ve been through it with Butch and I’ve been through it with Hank,” he said. “I won one tournament from here at the Western in ’97 until May of ’99, a year and a half, almost two years [under Harmon]. For Hank, it took probably a year and a half before I started to really get it and went off on a run.

“So yeah, I’ve been through it before, and it’s taken some time, and I understand that. I have no problem with that, as long as I keep making progress along the way.”

Results have been quick and impressive already. Foley, who is trying to stabilize Woods’ head and halt his tendency to move his body off the ball, is fairly certain that he can get Woods’ issues rectified fairly quickly. He worked the entire offseason with Rose, who lives at a private club in Orlando, and the Englishman won twice this season already. Mahan has two wins as well.

It won’t take a plane flight and a week of nonstop heavy range time with Haney, who had to block out weeks at a time to spend with Woods, to tinker or tweak. Unless they want to.

“Sometimes the things you want to work on are a bit too aggressive for a Tuesday of a tournament,” Foley said. “Justin and I got so much done last winter at Lake Nona, and he came out this year really in good shape.”

Woods feels like he’s already grasped enough of the Foley changes to fix his bad habits in midstream, which is far removed from not even knowing what he was doing wrong in the first place.

“Knowing the answer and being confident in the answer, that took a lot of time with Butch and it took some time with Hank,” Woods said. “And it’s taken some time with Sean, but not quite as long.”

Woods is already in the midst of his first winless season ever. Another year of similar results would prompt even more career obits to be written. But as fast as the pair has hit the ground, it might not take another year of tepid results, baby steps and incessant questioning about why he hasn’t won for months.

“It’s just the repetition,” Foley said. “Tiger understands it now. You have to figure that the best players ever are probably the best learners ever, in any sport. I think he is an unbelievable learner.”

As part of the crazy parade himself, Foley stands to learn plenty, too.

ASHBURN, Va. — Albert Haynesworth isn’t going anywhere, at least not for now.

Addressing the latest trade reports concerning the troublesome defensive tackle, coach Mike Shanahan on Wednesday said Haynesworth will be a member of the Washington Redskins when they open the season Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

“Albert will be with our team on Sunday,” Shanahan said.

There was a lot Shanahan didn’t say. He didn’t deny the trade talks. He wouldn’t say whether Haynesworth will play. He didn’t say whether he and Haynesworth have put their differences behind them. And he wouldn’t commit to having Haynesworth on the roster the entire season.

On Tuesday, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press that the Redskins were talking to the Tennessee Titans about trading Haynesworth, who has been a nonstop headache for Shanahan in the coach’s first year in Washington. Haynesworth played seven seasons with the Titans before signing a $100 million contract with the Redskins as a free agent last year. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the talks were confidential.

Asked about the trade talk, Shanahan said: “We’ve heard all these rumors and speculations. … Albert had a great practice today, and he’ll be ready to go this weekend, and I think we’ll leave it at that.”

Asked whether he would listen if a team called to ask about a trade for Haynesworth, Shanahan reiterate his stance.

“If he wasn’t here (Sunday), I think you’d call me a liar, wouldn’t you?” the coach said. “And you’d have the right to do that.”

Asked whether Haynesworth will play, Shanahan launched into a lecture about “competitive advantage,” saying it shouldn’t be revealed whether a player is a starter, backup or not suiting up. Haynesworth is listed as the backup nose tackle on the depth chart publicized on the Redskins’ website, and he’s spent the majority of time working with the backups since his first practice of training camp.

Shanahan and Haynesworth have been at odds ever since Haynesworth decided to skip the offseason conditioning program and ask for a trade because he didn’t want to play in a 3-4 defense – despite accepting a $21 million contract bonus on April 1.

Haynesworth wasn’t allowed to practice at camp until he passed a conditioning test, and he was made to play the entire fourth preseason game – when all of the starters had the night off.

But Shanahan said things aren’t as bad between the two as people might think.

“You might not think we never communicate,” Shanahan said. “But we do sometimes.”

Yet when asked directly if his issues with Haynesworth are over, and if Haynesworth will be with the team for the entire season, Shanahan clammed up.

“I will talk about the Dallas Cowboys,” Shanahan said. “I’m not going to talk about that. We’ll go through every situation. We’re beating a dead horse.”

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia star receiver A.J. Green was suspended by the NCAA for a total of four games on Wednesday for selling a jersey for $1,000 to someone who qualifies as an agent.

Green sold his jersey from last season’s Independence Bowl. The junior, who sat out the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, must miss three more games before regaining his eligibility, according to the ruling from the NCAA.

No. 22 Georgia plays at No. 24 South Carolina on Saturday.

The ruling comes after much speculation that Green was involved in the NCAA’s probe into improper benefits given by agents to athletes at several schools, including North Carolina.

Part of the probe was a party at Miami Beach. Green insisted he didn’t attend the party, but Wednesday’s announcement showed the NCAA was looking at other benefits received by the player.

Georgia says Green has repaid the $1,000 to a charity.

Green issued an apology to Georgia coaches, his teammates and fans “for the mistake in judgment” in a statement released by the school.

“I very much regret all that has taken place and the distraction that’s been caused,” Green said. “I’ve learned a valuable lesson and hope others can learn from my mistake. I can only focus my attention now on practicing and looking ahead to getting back with my teammates as quickly as possible.”

The 6-foot-4 Green is rated as one of the top receivers in the nation. He is projected as a possible top-five pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Green had 53 catches for 808 yards and six touchdowns in 2009 despite missing all or part of five games due to injuries.

The loss of Green is a blow to Georgia’s hopes in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division before the crucial game at South Carolina.

“Certainly I’m disappointed with the outcome,” coach Mark Richt said. “However, we have games to play and that’s where our focus needs to be in the coming days and weeks. Other players will have to step forward and I’m confident they will do that.”

Receiver Tavarres King, who was charged with underaged possession of alcohol this summer, served a one-game suspension against Louisiana-Lafayette and returns this week.