Obama Will Tend to Party Base in Week Ahead
Amid skepticism about his commitment to issues of concern to homosexuals, President Barack Obama on Saturday in Washington will deliver remarks at a dinner hosted by the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay and lesbian organization. Speculation has centered on whether he will discuss his stance on the military’s “don’t ask don’t tell— policy and on gay marriage rights.Obama will be nodding toward another critical political constituency Tuesday when he hosts “Fiesta Latina,— a performance on the South Lawn of the White House highlighting the country’s Hispanic musical heritage. Participants will include entertainers Marc Anthony, Jimmy Smits, Pete Escovedo, Gloria Estefan, Jose Feliciano and George Lopez.Obama on Wednesday will meet with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the evening he will attend a fundraiser for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.On Thursday, the president will travel to New Orleans along with several members of his Cabinet to inspect reconstruction progress in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Among the events in the city will be a public town hall meeting. He will then travel on to San Francisco for a Democratic National Committee fundraiser.Obama on Friday will travel from San Francisco to College Station, Texas, to attend a presidential forum on community service hosted by former President George H.W. Bush.