Palin calls for drastic spending cuts
WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI) -- Sarah Palin said Sunday a "President Palin" would slash federal spending to avert national bankruptcy.
But the former Alaska governor, speaking to "Fox News Sunday" from Arizona, said she has not decided on running and was "still trying figure out what the lay of the land will be."
Criticizing President Barack Obama's economic policies, Palin said, "It's very noble of President Obama to want to stay at the helm and maybe go down with this sinking ship. [But] we don't have to go the way of the Titanic."
"What President Palin would do," she said, "is cut the federal budget, making sure that we're not crowding out private sector investment. We will cut that spending. We have no choice. We're going broke."
She called for "unleashing our domestic energy production opportunities. It does come down to 'drill, baby, drill,' in addition to an 'all of the above' energy policy that really is non-existent in the Obama administration."
Palin also opposed raising the federal debt ceiling, saying "I don't believe [Treasury Secretary] Tim Geithner as he cries wolf for the fourth time now, telling us that there is a drop-dead date and crisis will ensue."
Palin endorsed the Medicare proposals of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., opposed the intervention in Libya and urged a faster withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Barbour says Obama seeks fuel price hikes
WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI) -- Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Sunday the Obama administration is deliberately driving up fuel prices for environmental reasons.
Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," the Republican said: "This administration' policy clearly has been to drive up the cost of energy so Americans would use less of it. That's environmental policy. That's not energy policy. But that's their policy. They think it will give you less pollution, make these alternative energy sources more competitive."
"When Barack Obama became president gasoline was $1.80 a gallon," he added. "And now it's up to $4 a gallon. Why should we be surprised when his secretary of energy said in 2008, Steven Chu, what we really need in the United States is to get the price of gas up to where it in Europe. Well, they may need that in Berkeley, but we don't need that in Biloxi. I can tell you that."
"They've tried to raise the price of oil," Barbour said. "They've tried to raise taxes. They've tried to raise the price of coal. They've tried to make it harder to get permits."
The governor also said "Obamacare makes it harder to hire people," and administration policies are benefiting "Wall Street" but failing "Main Street."
Obama economist says long-term brighter
WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI) -- A top Obama administration economist said Sunday people should not jump to conclusions over the monthly U.S. jobs reports that have become political fodder.
Austan Goolsbee, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, said Friday's disappointing number had offset the previous month's better-than-expected report, but a more accurate picture comes from longer-term analysis.
"I say ... the same thing I said one month ago when it came in the opposite, 100,000 above expectations, and that is, let's not conclude too much of anything from one report," Goolsbee said on ABC's "This Week with Christiane Amanpour." "Let's look at what's happened over six months."
Goolsbee characterized the U.S. economy as one on a slow climb after a freefall that had the nation teetering on the brink of a depression. He said outside pressures such as Japan's earthquake and higher gasoline prices were "stiff headwinds," but the administration had enacted tax policies that should clear the road.
"Our effort now as a government should be to get the private sector, to help them stand up and lead the recovery," he said. "The government is not the central driver of recovery."
25 reported gunned down in Syria protest
JISR AL-SHAGHOUR, Syria, June 5 (UPI) -- Syrian troops killed 25 protesters in a northwestern town, a human rights group said Sunday.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told CNN security forces fired on a large demonstration in Jisr al-Shaghour Saturday.
But the government news agency SANA said four policemen were killed and more than 20 other people wounded by "armed terrorist groups."
"The terrorist groups spread fear in the hearts of citizens who called upon the competent authorities to intervene forcefully to protect them and bring back security and stability," SANA said.
The United Nations says more than 1,000 protesters have been killed since March, and opposition groups say the victims include at least 51 children.
