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May 22, 2014: President Obama speaks at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.AP

The bronze plaque of hard-throwing slugger Babe Ruth glistening behind him, President Obama on Thursday pitched the United States as a destination spot for travelers, casting tourism as a job-creating industry than can offer a needed boost to a recovering economy.

Using the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum as his backdrop, Obama made a case for attracting more foreign visitors and helping a sector of the economy that has increasingly brought more money into the United States but still faces competition from abroad.

"When it comes to tourism, we have a great product to sell," he said. "Nothing says `Made in America' better than the Empire State Building or the Hoover Dam."

His visit to the 75-year-old museum, which attracts nearly 300,000 visitors a year, was the first by a sitting president. Obama, an avid ESPN watcher and sports fan, was clearly in his element. He noted, with amusement, that the exhibits included the jacket he wore to throw out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game. Then, recalling the ridicule he received for wearing "mom jeans" that evening, he added sheepishly, "Michelle retired those jeans quite a while back."

Earlier Thursday, Obama signed a presidential memorandum giving his homeland security and commerce secretaries four months to come up with a plan to streamline the entry process and reduce wait times. He also asked the departments to work with the 15 largest U.S. airports, following steps taken by Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago international airports to cut wait times.

Obama acted two years ago to speed the processing of tourist visas for visitors from China and Brazil. On Thursday, Obama tackled the flip side of the problem: long waits for processing at U.S. airports and other ports of entry once tourists arrive.

During his tour of the museum, Obama got to hold Babe Ruth's baseball bat, palm the ball thrown in 1910 by President William Howard Taft, the first president to make a ceremonial pitch, examine a ball recovered from the rubble of the Twin Towers and marvel at the shoes worn by Shoeless Joe Jackson. "He had small feet," Obama observed.

At a display on the integration of baseball that featured Jackie Robinson and his retired Dodgers' jersey, Obama said: "Got to have everybody on the field." Told Robinson was hit by a pitch seven times in his first two months in the major leagues, Obama replied: "Interesting to note."

"Baseball describes our history in so many ways," he said. "This hall has memories of two world wars that we fought and won. It has memories of color barriers being broken, Jackie Robinson's uniform, the record of his first season as a Dodger."

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Obama promotes tourism at Baseball Hall of Fame

The bronze plaque of hard-throwing slugger Babe Ruth glistening behind him, President Barack Obama on Thursday pitched the United States as a destination spot for travelers, casting tourism as a job-creating industry than can offer a needed boost to a recovering economy.

Using the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum as his backdrop, Obama made a case for attracting more foreign visitors and helping a sector of the economy that has increasingly brought more money into the United States but still faces competition from abroad.

"When it comes to tourism, we have a great product to sell," he said. "Nothing says 'Made in America' better than the Empire State Building or the Hoover Dam."

His visit to the 75-year-old museum, which attracts nearly 300,000 visitors a year, was the first by a sitting president. Obama, an avid ESPN watcher and sports fan, was clearly in his element. He noted, with amusement, that the exhibits included the jacket he wore to throw out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game. Then, recalling the ridicule he received for wearing "mom jeans" that evening, he added sheepishly, "Michelle retired those jeans quite a while back."

Earlier Thursday, Obama signed a presidential memorandum giving his homeland security and commerce secretaries four months to come up with a plan to streamline the entry process and reduce wait times. He also asked the departments to work with the 15 largest U.S. airports, following steps taken by Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago international airports to cut wait times.

Obama acted two years ago to speed the processing of tourist visas for visitors from China and Brazil. On Thursday, Obama tackled the flip side of the problem: long waits for processing at U.S. airports and other ports of entry once tourists arrive.

During his tour of the museum, Obama got to hold Babe Ruth's baseball bat, palm the ball thrown in 1910 by President William Howard Taft, the first president to make a ceremonial pitch, examine a ball recovered from the rubble of the Twin Towers and marvel at the shoes worn by Shoeless Joe Jackson. "He had small feet," Obama observed.

At a display on the integration of baseball that featured Jackie Robinson and his retired Dodgers' jersey, Obama said: "Got to have everybody on the field." Told Robinson was hit by a pitch seven times in his first two months in the major leagues, Obama replied: "Interesting to note."

"Baseball describes our history in so many ways," he said. "This hall has memories of two world wars that we fought and won. It has memories of color barriers being broken, Jackie Robinson's uniform, the record of his first season as a Dodger."

Before departing for upstate New York, Obama met with 20 travel and tourism industry CEOs and senior executives, including Arne Sorenson of Marriott International, Mark Hoplamazian of Hyatt Hotels and Roger Dow of the U.S. Travel Association.

Here is the original post:
Obama Promotes Foreign Tourism in Upstate NY

President Obama declared almost a half-million acres of desert terrain along the U.S.-Mexico border as a national monument. Praised by environmentalists, some lawmakers in the West see Obama's move as a threat to border security.

New national monument sparks border concerns President Barack Obama on Wednesday declared almost a half-million acres of rugged desert terrain along the U.S.-Mexico border as a national monument, marking the largest swath of land to be set aside for that purpose since he took office.

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While praised by environmentalists, the move is generating criticism from some lawmakers in the West and local law enforcement agents who see Obama's use of power as a threat to security in a region where the influence of Mexican drug cartels, human smuggling and illegal immigration are all apparent.

House Speaker John Boehner and others also complained that the designation of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in southern New Mexico is the latest example of Obama taking unilateral action to sidestep Congress.

"Once again, the president has chosen to bypass the legislative branch and, in this case, do so in a manner that adds yet another challenge in our ongoing efforts to secure our southern border," Boehner said. "At a time of continued cartel violence in Mexico, we should not be putting any additional restraints on efforts to protect our borders."

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the designation will not limit their ability to perform the agency's mission along the border.

The campaign by environmentalists, hunters and tourism officials to gain wilderness protection for the Organ Mountains and Desert Peaks has dragged on for a decade, with numerous versions introduced by the state's delegation over the years.

New Mexico Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both Democrats, had most recently proposed legislation to protect the region, which includes hunting areas and features rock outcroppings, petroglyphs, ancient lava flows and sites such as Billy the Kid's Outlaw Rock and Geronimo's Cave.

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Obama's new national monument: Undermining border security?

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