Day 18
Feb. 6, 2009
"I don't know exactly about what that math was."
—David Axelrod, White House senior adviser, in an interview with CNN, dismissing a comment by Vice President Joe Biden earlier in the day that there's a "30% chance" they'll get the stimulus wrong
Vice President Joe Biden has a well-deserved reputation for being gaffe-prone, and a remark during a Democratic retreat in Williamsburg, Va., sets off a slight controversy, with Republicans seizing on the comment as evidence that even the White House doesn't have complete confidence in its costly stimulus package.
Up on the Hill, lawmakers allegedly strike a deal on the stimulus bill, with a final vote expected in the next few days. Back at the White House, the President continues to try to tackle the economic crisis by naming former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker to lead an economic recovery board to counsel him on how to fix pressing problems related to the financial meltdown.
Obama also turns his attention to victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the U.S.S. Cole bombings, meeting with them face-to-face in the Oval Office to explain his decision to close the controversial Guantánamo Bay facility, where the U.S. has placed many suspected terrorists since the 2001 attacks.