Day 57
March 17, 2009
"What I'm expressing here obviously is not that I want people to commit suicide. That's not my notion."
—Chuck Grassley, Iowa Senator, backtracking on his earlier remark suggesting that AIG employees who are getting bonuses should either resign or commit suicide
"Now, when I was a relatively unknown candidate for office, I didn't know about this part of heritage, which would have been very helpful in Chicago. So I thought I was bluffing when I put the apostrophe after theO."
—President Obama, recalling his Irish roots at a St. Patrick's Day lunch on the Hill
Green is the theme at the White House, with everything from the fountains on the North and South Lawns to Obama's tie displaying the hue. The President participates in a traditional shamrock ceremony with Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen, attends House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's annual St. Patrick's Day lunch on the Hill and even names football legend Dan Rooney, who owns the Pittsburgh Steelers, as U.S. ambassador to Ireland.
But the continued drama over the AIG bonuses dampens the celebratory mood as taxpayers await action taken against the insurance giant. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is forced to make an embarrassing apology after suggesting that AIG executives who are getting bonuses have two options: resign or commit suicide. Grassley tells reporters he doesn't really want employees to kill themselves, but instead repent for taking a bonus after being part of the company's collapse.