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Susan Crabtree

scrabtree@washingtontimes.com

Susan Crabtree was a reporter for The Washington Times.

Articles by Susan Crabtree

**FILE** President Obama leaves Feb. 3, 2012, after speaking about the economy during an event at Fire Station #5 in Arlington, Va. Fire Station No. 5 was one of the first stations to respond to the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon. (Associated Press)

Obama frets over super PAC spending

President Obama predicted an onslaught of negative campaigning by "super PACs" during the general election, although he did not disavow his own fundraising machine or the outside groups backing him for president.

February 6, 2012
Iranians walk Feb. 2, 2012, at Tehran's old main bazaar. A simple trip the store these days offers a crash course in life under sanctions. The price tags on many imported goods are sometimes double from 2011. The money to buy them, meanwhile, has plunged in value against the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies. (Associated Press)

Obama orders new sanctions against Iran

President Obama signed an executive order Monday morning freezing all U.S.-held assets of the Iranian government, including its Central Bank, even as he continued to try to ease fears that Israel is preparing to carry out a unilateral strike on the Islamic Republic.

February 6, 2012
Rep. Scott DesJarlais, Tennessee Republican, says it's absurd to spend billions demonizing certain foods and trying to affect people's dietary choices. (Associated Press)

GOP freshman slams Obama’s costly anti-obesity ad campaign

A freshman Republican congressman from Tennessee is fighting back against anti-obesity ad campaigns initiated by the Obama administration and congressional Democrats that target sugary soft drinks and other high-calorie foods.

February 3, 2012
Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, is very skeptical the federal government can afford to provide $200 million over a decade in new funding the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City in tough budget times. (Associated Press)

Oklahoma’s Coburn questions more funding for 9/11 museum

Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma who isn't afraid of questioning federal spending for popular projects, is challenging $20 million a year in new funding for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City.

February 2, 2012
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan is now chairman of American Crossroads, which raised $51 million to aid GOP candidates. (Associated Press)

GOP super PACs outpace Democrats

In the battle of unlimited-money political groups that will play a major role in the 2012 general election, Republican groups have stockpiled far more cash than their Democratic rivals, and a tiny group of people is set to have a dramatic influence on the electoral process.

February 1, 2012
President Obama, sitting next to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta (center) and Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood (right), speaks Jan. 31, 2012, during a cabinet meeting at the White House. (Associated Press)

Obama serves up package to aid small businesses

Seeking to slice through partisan divisions on Capitol Hill, President Obama Tuesday urged Congress to swiftly take up a bipartisan bill aimed at cutting taxes for small businesses and encouraging new start-ups in an effort to spur new jobs.

January 31, 2012
President Barack Obama waves as he walks off of Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Obama rails against GOP obstructionism

President Obama railed against Washington gridlock and Republican obstructionism in his weekly radio address, once again pointing to the military as providing the best example for public service.

January 28, 2012
President Obama turns to wave Jan. 26, 2012, as he boards Air Force One departing Las Vegas after spending the night. He spoke about energy innovations and promoted alternative fuels that day at a United Parcel Service hub in Las Vegas (Associated Press)

Republicans accuse Obama of sham drilling announcement

House Republicans are accusing President Obama of making a sham announcement to open nearly 38 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling, arguing that the same lease sale was already in the works before he took office.

January 26, 2012
President Obama is greeted Jan. 25, 2012, at the Conveyor Engineering & Manufacturing plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after speaking about manufacturing jobs. (Associated Press)

Obama touts economic plan in Iowa

President Obama focused on positive signs in America's manufacturing sector as he took his State of the Union sales pitch for tax-code changes on the road in a campaign-style swing through five battleground election states.

January 25, 2012
President Barack Obama pauses before he delivers his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill. At left are Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)

Obama calls for taxes, investments

Delivering a broad defense of tax increases on the wealthy to help pay America's bills and finance new investments, President Obama used his final pre-election State of the Union address Tuesday to urge Congress to act, warning that he was prepared to leave them behind if they fail.

January 24, 2012
President Obama sings before speaking at a campaign event at the Apollo Theater in the Harlem neighborhood of New York on Jan. 19, 2012. (Associated Press)

Obama’s Union speech to sound populist themes

President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night will build on the populist economic messages he's been hammering home in speeches across the country in the past few months in an effort to lay the foundation for his re-election campaign.

January 23, 2012
President Obama speaks Jan. 19, 2012, about a new strategy to boost tourism and travel during a visit to the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Associated Press)

Obama’s State of the Union will reflect state of the election

Anyone wondering whether President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday will focus more on policy or the politics of his re-election should consider the trip he has planned immediately afterward: visits to five battleground states in three days.

January 22, 2012
Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney arrives Jan. 20, 2012, at a campaign rally at the Harmon Tree Farm in Gilbert, S.C. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Romney to Gingrich: Release ethics records

Going on offense after Newt Gingrich demanded he release his tax returns, Mitt Romney called on the former House speaker to publicly disclose all the records he submitted to the ethics committee back in the late 1990s, part of an effort to turn the tables on Mr. Gingrich on the eve of the South Carolina primary.

January 20, 2012
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich reacts Jan. 19, 2012, to a question at the start of the Republican presidential candidate debate at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C. (Associated Press)

Gingrich ambushed by House bank attack

In a debate in which former Speaker Newt Gingrich angrily batted back a fusillade of attacks, he didn't anticipate one from rival Rick Santorum that wound up hitting him square between the eyes.

January 20, 2012
**FILE** Jeff Zients, deputy director for the Office of Management and Budget, briefs reporters March 2, 2011, at the White House. (Associated Press)

Obama names Zients as interim OMB chief

In a bit of reshuffling between the White House and its Office of Management and Budget, President Obama on Tuesday tapped Jeffrey Zients as the OMB's acting director.

January 17, 2012
President Obama delivers remarks on government reform on Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Obama seeks power to streamline government

President Obama's request for greater power to shrink the size of the federal government is getting mixed reviews in Congress, with even some prominent Democrats opposed to parts of the plan and others warning against handing the executive branch too much power.

January 13, 2012

Watchdogs to Obama: Fix the FEC

As a multimillion dollar barrage of negative attack ads hits South Carolina Republican primary voters — bloodying GOP candidates in the process — a coalition of watchdog groups has launched a petition to try to re-energize the agency charged with policing campaigns.

January 12, 2012