Obama Watch: Week of October 4

Obama holds college summit; Mrs. Obama teams up with another first lady for breast cancer.

Weekend Retreat - Over the weekend, the first family took a bit of a respite at Camp David, where the president and first lady hosted a retreat for Cabinet members and their families.

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Weekend Retreat - Over the weekend, the first family took a bit of a respite at Camp David, where the president and first lady hosted a retreat for Cabinet members and their families.

Economic Recovery - President Obama hosted a meeting of the President’s Economic Advisory Board in the Roosevelt Room. Attendees included Treasury Sec. Tim Geithner; Jeffrey R. Immelt, CEO, GE; and Martin Feldstein, George F. Baker Professor of Economics, Harvard University.

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Economic Recovery - President Obama hosted a meeting of the President’s Economic Advisory Board in the Roosevelt Room. Attendees included Treasury Sec. Tim Geithner; Jeffrey R. Immelt, CEO, GE; and Martin Feldstein, George F. Baker Professor of Economics, Harvard University.

Bi-partisan Meeting - The president will meet with a group of Republican and Democratic senators to discuss energy and climate legislation on Tuesday.

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Establishing a Task Force - In the wake of the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges, President Obama established a Task Force on Skills for America's Future. The task force is designed to make community colleges more affordable, with better education programs.

"60 Minutes" - Could cable news cycles be to blame for the angry outbursts at last month’s town hall meetings? In a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday, the president said, “The truth of the matter is that there has been, I think, a coarsening of our political dialogue … I will also say that in the era of 24-hour cable news cycles, that the loudest, shrillest voices get the most attention. And so one of the things that I’m trying to figure out is: How can we make sure that civility is interesting?”

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Focus on Education - The president released a statement on the task force, saying, “One of our most undervalued assets as a nation is our network of community colleges. These colleges don’t just serve as a gateway to good jobs for millions of middle-class Americans; community colleges also serve as a pool of talent from which businesses can draw trained, skilled workers.”

Disaster Relief - On Monday, October 4, President Obama declared that a major disaster exists in the state of Arizona and ordered federal aid to supplement local efforts. Arizona was struck by devastating flooding in July and August.

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Disaster Relief - On Monday, October 4, President Obama declared that a major disaster exists in the state of Arizona and ordered federal aid to supplement local efforts. Arizona was struck by devastating flooding in July and August.

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School Business - On Tuesday, October 5, President Obama will join Dr. Jill Biden at the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges. Later that day, he will address the 2010 Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C.

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School Business - On Tuesday, October 5, President Obama will join Dr. Jill Biden at the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges. Later that day, he will address the 2010 Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C.

Honoring a Soldier - On October 6, the president will posthumously award Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller of the U.S. Army a Medal of Honor for “conspicuous gallantry.”

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Honoring a Soldier - On October 6, the president will posthumously award Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller of the U.S. Army a Medal of Honor for “conspicuous gallantry.”

On Air Force One - On Wednesday, October 6, the president will travel aboard Air Force One to Cresskill, New Jersey where he will attend a DNC dinner.

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On Air Force One - On Wednesday, October 6, the president will travel aboard Air Force One to Cresskill, New Jersey where he will attend a DNC dinner.

On the Stump - President Obama is set to stump for Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley at Bowie State University this Thursday. He’s recently been trying to ramp up his presidential stumping power to excite the Democratic base for the November 2 midterm elections.

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On the Stump - President Obama is set to stump for Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley at Bowie State University this Thursday. He’s recently been trying to ramp up his presidential stumping power to excite the Democratic base for the November 2 midterm elections.

First Lady Focus - The first lady of California, Maria Shriver, announced on Monday that first lady Michelle Obama would join an “extraordinary lineup of newsmakers and world opinion leaders” at the Women’s Conference 2010. The conference is set to take place October 24 through October 26.

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First Lady Focus - The first lady of California, Maria Shriver, announced on Monday that first lady Michelle Obama would join an “extraordinary lineup of newsmakers and world opinion leaders” at the Women’s Conference 2010. The conference is set to take place October 24 through October 26.