The President-elect Barack Obama holds his first post-election press conference at the Hilton Hotel flanked by his vice president-elect Joe Biden, left, his new chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, right, and members of his Transition Economic Advisory Board on Nov 7 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.
The President-elect Barack Obama holds his first post-election press conference at the Hilton Hotel flanked by his vice president-elect Joe Biden, left, his new chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, right, andShow more

Obama promises action on the economy



CHICAGO // Inheriting an economy in peril, the President-elect Barack Obama warned yesterday that the nation faces the challenge of a lifetime and pledged he would act urgently to help Americans devastated by lost jobs, disappearing savings and homes seized in foreclosure. But in his first press conference since winning the presidency, the man who promised change cautioned against hopes of quick solutions.

"It is not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in," Mr Obama said at his first news conference since winning the presidency on Tuesday. The main priority, he said, was to get Congress to approve an economic stimulus plan that would extend jobless benefits, send food aid to the poor, dispatch Medicaid funds to states and spend tens of billions of dollars on public works projects.

If the plan is not approved this month, in a special session of Congress, Mr Obama said "It will be the first thing I get done as president of the United States." In his first appearance since a jubilant election-night celebration, he sought to project an air of calm and reassurance to a deeply worried nation. He stood in a presidential-like setting with an array of eight American flags and a lectern showing a presidential seal above the words "The Office of the President Elect".

The stage behind him was lined with advisers he had summoned, his economic brain trust. Almost 20 minutes late to his first meeting with reporters, Mr Obama spoke for just 20 minutes and broke no ground with new policy announcements or disclosures of who would be in his Cabinet. Constrained by the fact he will not take office until January 20, Mr Obama deferred to George W Bush and his economic team on major decisions.

"The United States has only one government and one president at a time," he said. Declaring he would not respond to issues "in a knee-jerk fashion", Mr Obama declined to say how he would deal with Iran, whose president sent a letter of congratulations to Mr Obama. "I want to be very careful that we are sending the right signals to the world as a whole that I am not the president and I won't be until January 20," he said.

A new jobless report offered no comfort. The unemployment rate climbed to a 14-year high in October, and 10.1 million people were out of work. While standing back as long as Bush is president, Obama said his advisers would keep close watch on the administration's efforts to unlock frozen credit and stabilise financial markets. Mr Obama said he wanted to make sure the Bush administration was "protecting taxpayers, helping homeowners and not unduly rewarding the management of financial firms that are receiving government assistance".

He spoke after he and the Vice President-elect Joe Biden met privately with economic advisers to discuss ways to stabilise the economy. Mr Obama said he was confident that "a new president can have an enormous impact," but he tempered that optimism by adding, "I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead." "Immediately after I become president, I will confront this economic challenge head-on by taking all necessary steps to ease the credit crisis, help hardworking families, and restore growth and prosperity.

"Some of the choices that we're going to make are going to be difficult. It is not going to be quick. It's not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in." *AP

Salah in numbers

€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of 39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.

13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.

57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.

7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.

3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.

40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.

30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.

8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.

MATCH INFO

Liverpool 4 (Salah (pen 4, 33', & pen 88', Van Dijk (20')

Leeds United 3 (Harrison 12', Bamford 30', Klich 66')

Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Naga
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The Laughing Apple

Yusuf/Cat Stevens

(Verve Decca Crossover)