Obama Pushes Leftward

President Obama opened his third prime-time news conference Wednesday with a call for a “new foundation” for the American economy. The president also gave a positive assessment of his first 100 days in office, but said there is much more to be done: “We are off to a good start. But it is just a start. I am proud of what we have achieved, but I am not content,” he said. During an hour of questions, Obama defended his release of the torture memos and repudiated Bush's use of waterboarding (which he called torture), saying, “I will do whatever is required to keep the American people safe. But I am convinced that the best way to do that is to make sure we’re not taking shortcuts that undermine who we are.”