President Obama's schedule puts him squarely in the middle of the two biggest stories in Washington.

One stop on his itinerary, the White House insists, had been previously scheduled, though it is quite appropriate. This afternoon, he makes his first visit as commander-in-chief to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to talk to the war wounded -- a day after an Army psychologist reportedly upset about being deployed to the war zone killed 13 and injured 31 at Fort Hood in Texas.

Speaking in the Rose Garden, Obama said he has been briefed on the ongoing investigation.

"We don't have all the answers yet, and I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts," he said.

But what is known is that families are grieving for the victims, he said. So Obama issued a proclamation ordering flags flown at half-staff until sunset on Tuesday, with Veterans Day following the next day. (Read the proclamation here.)

"We honor their service and stand in awe of their sacrifice," the president said. (His full remarks are below.)

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said later that Obama will attend a memorial service for those killed at Fort Hood.

The service will be scheduled at the convenience of victims' families and the president's attendance could delay a 10-day trip to Asia that is scheduled to start Wednesday, Gibbs said.

UPDATE: According to the press pool report, Obama spent about 1 hour, 45 minutes at Walter Reed, about 40 minutes more than scheduled, but did not say anything to reporters afterwards.

During the private visit, a White House spokesman says, Obama visited 19 soldiers, three families of soldiers in intensive care, and hospital staff. He also awarded two Purple Hearts for combat injuries.

The Walter Reed visit follows by a week his middle-of-the-night trip to Dover Air Force Base to honor 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan in one of the bloodiest days for US forces in that eight-year conflict.

Obama had also been scheduled to sweep onto Capitol Hill today to buck up his House allies on the eve of a major vote Saturday on the health care overhaul.

But the White House announced late Thursday night that he has postponed his trip until Saturday -- right before the vote -- which suggests how thin the margin might be as Democratic leaders try to round up 218 votes.

President Obama announced this afternoon that he is dispatching Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to represent the US at the 20th anniversary Monday of the fall of the Berlin Wall -- the symbolic end of Soviet dominance over Eastern Europe and the Cold War.

But his absence is not sitting well with some conservatives.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote today that while some consider Obama's decision "an outrage, I consider it a tragedy.
 
"To commemorate, after all, is to remember," the Georgia Republican said in an op-ed published in the Washington Examiner. "And Americans need to remember, not just that the Wall fell, but why it fell. We need to remember that the Berlin Wall was the symbol of more than just the Cold War, more than just the division of Europe. It was the symbol of an evil ideology that denied human dignity, denied truth, and respected only power. When the Wall fell, truth and human dignity, in a rare moment in the 20th century, triumphed over power.

"The message of human dignity that led to the toppling of the Berlin Wall twenty years ago is a true message of hope rooted in the spiritual nature of man and the freedom to know God," Gingrich concluded. "And so it is a true shame that the President of the United States - this man who cloaks himself in the rhetoric of hope - won't be pausing to remember."

Obama's schedule next week, however, is getting complicated. He is supposed to leave Wednesday on a 10-day tour of Asia, but he has also committed to attend the memorial service for the victims of the massacre at Fort Hood in Texas, which could also be next week.

The others in the official US delegation are Philip D. Murphy, the US ambassador to Germany; Brent Scowcroft, former national security adviser to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush; and Zbigniew Brzezinski, former national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter.

Representative Barney Frank has let loose another zinger on health care.

During the raucous town halls in August, the Newton Democrat had this response to a woman who asked why he was supporting a "Nazi policy:" "Ma’am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table."

Frank was apparently accosted as he tried to walk through a protest Thursday of thousands of opponents of the Democratic health care bills, including many "tea party" anti-tax activists who showed up at the town halls. He told an audience today that being at the rally was like being trapped inside a furniture warehouse, the Associated Press reports.

He also slapped Representative Michelle Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican who instigated the rally and who has become beloved by conservatives and hated by liberals for her outspoken attacks on President Obama and the Democrats.

"Some of the people [at the rally] that wanted to engage me in conversation appeared to have been the losers in the 'Are you smarter than Michele Bachmann contest?' " Frank said, according to AP.

By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- The No. 2 Democrat in the House said this morning that Democratic leaders are "very close" to getting the 218 votes they need to pass their sweeping health care bill.

But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said they have put the rank-and-file on notice that the voting could spill over to Sunday afternoon and possibly Monday and Tuesday if necessary.

"My expectation is that time will not be needed, and we will get this done by Saturday night," Hoyer said in a conference call with the liberal health care consumers group Families USA. But a bit later he acknowledged that the leadership is still looking to solidify the support needed for passage.

"There are many people who are still looking to get a comfort level that this is the right thing to do," he said.

House leaders are trying to rush the bill -- one of the largest and most complex pieces of legislation considered in recent years -- through the lower chamber quickly. They fear that with every passing hour, more issues could arise and create obstacles to passage.

Hoyer said discussions are ongoing over two side issues, abortion and immigration. Conservative Democrats don't want public money to indirectly subsidize abortion, and they also don't want illegal immigrants to benefit from insurance subsidies.

If the House and Senate both pass legislation, Hoyer said -- rather ominously -- that he expects a "relatively lengthy and difficult conference" given the major differences between the House and Senate and the complexity of the bill.

UPDATE: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that the administration regrets the likely delay in the vote, but President Obama still plans to go to Capitol Hill on Saturday and sees it as "an important step forward."

He also acknowledged the tense discussions over abortion and illegal immigrants. "Congress, obviously, is working through a process that will ultimately, we believe, before the end of the year get a bill to the president's desk," he said.

Republicans are using the new unemployment numbers out today to pummel President Obama and the Democrats on their record on the economy -- the top issue for voters in Tuesday's election that gave the GOP the governor's offices in New Jersey and Virginia.

The Labor Department reported that the national jobless rate has exceeded 10 percent for the first time since 1983. The rate rose to 10.2 percent last month from 9.8 percent in September. Nearly 16 million people can't find jobs, and counting those who have settled for part-time jobs or stopped looking for work, the rate would be 17.5 percent, the highest on records dating from 1994.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele again attacked the $787 billion economic stimulus package, whose benefits cited in Obama administration reports have come under scrutiny.

"Since President Obama’s inauguration, the nation has watched the unemployment rate continue to climb, and unfortunately the month of October was no different," Steele said in a statement. "With so many families looking for work, it is time the Obama administration stop spreading their phony ‘saved or created’ talking points and start creating the dependable jobs America needs. President Obama promised jobs during his campaign for president, and the elections in Virginia and New Jersey on Tuesday were a clear referendum on his failure to deliver on this promise.”

And Representative Eric Cantor, the second-ranking Republican in the House, cited the new numbers to argue against the health care overhaul that House Democrats plan to push through as soon as Saturday.

"As unemployment tops 10 percent this holiday season, Republicans have put jobs and the economy first, and are focused on developing real solutions that will put Americans back to work. Increasing taxes on small business, as Democrats will do to pay for government run health care, is the wrong approach. Instead, we should work to empower small businesses to hire more workers, not penalize them further, costing even Americans their jobs," Cantor said in his statement.

“Americans, particularly those with friends, neighbors, and family out of work, are pleading with leaders in Washington to focus on jobs and the economy. From coast to coast, people are concerned with the direction that Washington is heading, and are tired of the spending, tired of the waste, and are pleading for their leaders to focus on jobs and the economy. With millions of Americans desperately seeking work, I ask the President put the economy first, and sit down with Republicans to develop bipartisan solutions that will change the direction of this economy and get people working again.”

Obama this week has touted his administration's efforts to rebuild the economy, while at the same time warning that unemployment would continue to rise until the recovery takes hold.

Today, Obama did sign an extension of jobless benefits -- 14 more weeks for those who have used up their benefits or will do so by the end of the year about 2 million nationwide, including as many as 40,000 in Massachusetts. Those in states such as Massachusetts where the jobless rate is 8.5 percent or above get an additional six weeks. It is the fourth such extension in the past 18 months. (The White House release on the bill is below.)

In a Rose Garden appearance this morning after signing the bill, Obama said the "sobering" jobless numbers underline the "economic challenges ahead."

He noted that the economy grew in the third quarter, but that "job growth always lags behind economic growth."

Obama vowed not to let up on creating jobs and said his administration is looking at additional incentives, tax cuts for businesses, and more measures to free up credit.

He said while it "will take time and patience," he's confident the economy will recover and the country is headed in the right direction. (His full remarks are below.)

Responding to the new numbers, the White House issued a statement this morning from Christina Romer, chairwoman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, putting the best spin on them.

“Today’s employment report contained both signs of hope for recovery and painful evidence of continued labor market weakness," she said.

"Payroll employment declined 190,000 in October, continuing the steady trend of moderating job loss that began last spring. Furthermore, the employment loss in both August and September was revised down substantially. Importantly, employment in temporary help services, typically one of the first industries to see job gains, increased by 33,700. The motor vehicle industry also posted employment gains. These are hopeful signs that the unprecedented policy actions are working to stabilize the economy and put us on a path toward recovery.

"The unemployment rate, however, rose four-tenths of a percentage point, to 10.2 percent. That this occurred despite the rise in real GDP last quarter reflects both the typical lag between GDP growth and unemployment decline, and the recent exceptional increases in productivity. Having the unemployment rate reach double-digits is a stark reminder of how much work remains to be done before American families see the job gains and reduced unemployment that they need and deserve.”

As House Democrats prepare to push through their health care overhaul this weekend, a new poll suggests that most Americans aren't satisfied with the sweeping measure and want Congress to keep working on it.

In the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released this morning, 33 percent of respondents said they wanted Congress to pass the final legislation only after "major changes" are made, another 24 percent said Congress should start from scratch and seek passage next year, and 15 percent said Congress should stop work on an overhaul altogether.

Only 26 percent said they wanted Congress to proceed with only minor changes to the proposals.

The poll also found 55 percent in favor of the public option -- a government-run plan to compete with private insurers -- though that support was down from 61 percent two weeks ago. Support for President Obama's health care plan has also declined to 45 percent from 49 percent in mid-October.

And the poll found that health care is far behind the economy in importance to Americans -- and that gap has grown in the past two weeks. Now, 47 percent rank the economy as the most important issue facing the nation, compared to 17 percent for health care -- a 30-percentage-point difference compared to 21 percentage points two weeks ago.

The new survey was conducted Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

There's another very early read on the potential Republican presidential field for 2012, and it's not very encouraging for them.

The USA Today/Gallup poll released today found that three high-profile former governors with their own followings -- Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, and Sarah Palin of Alaska -- lead the pack among Republicans questioned.

But the worrisome finding for the GOP is that among all Americans, the poll found that no candidate was able to get a majority to say they would seriously consider voting for him or her for president.

Here are the numbers: 71 percent of Republicans but only 40 percent of all respondents said they would seriously consider voting for Huckabee, who ran last year and now has a talk show on Fox News Channel; 65 percent of Republicans and 39 percent of all Americans said they would consider Romney, who also ran last year; and 65 percent of Republicans but only 33 percent overall said they would seriously consider Palin, the GOP vice presidential candidate last year.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour drew even less support.

President Obama urged Americans this afternoon to keep the men and women of Fort Hood in their prayers after a "horrific outburst of violence" at the sprawling Army base in Texas.

He said he will make sure all questions will be answered about the shooting rampage at the deployment readiness center. The death toll rose overnight to 13, with 31 wounded. The suspected shooter, an Army major and psychologist, was shot but survived, contrary to early Army reports that he had been killed.

"We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident," the president said.

"It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It's horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil," Obama added in a brief statement during remarks he had been previously scheduled to deliver at the close of a summit of Native American leaders. (His full remarks are below.)

UPDATE: Vice President Joe Biden also issued a statement this evening: “Jill and I join the President and Michelle in expressing our sympathies to the families of the brave soldiers who fell today. We are all praying for those who were wounded and hoping for their full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the entire Fort Hood community as they deal with this senseless tragedy.”

The US House and Senate both observed a moment of silence for the shooting victims.

There's more fallout from Tuesday's special election in upstate New York.

The Republican National Committee initially supported the official GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava, but quickly switched when conservatives rallied around third-party candidate Doug Hoffman. Scozzafava withdrew, but she won enough votes on Tuesday to deny victory to Hoffman -- and hand the seat to a Democrat for the first time in more than a century. That soured an otherwise good night for Republicans, who won races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia.

Since the election, RNC Chairman Michael Steele, following the lead of conservatives, has insisted that there is no deep division within his party. But at the same time, he is warning moderates to toe the party line -- an admonition that echoes loudly in New England, where less conservative Republicans are trying to make a comeback.

"Candidates who live in moderate to slightly liberal districts have got to walk a little bit carefully here, because you do not want to put yourself in a position where you’re crossing that line on conservative principles, fiscal principles, because we’ll come after you,” Steele told ABC News. “You’re gonna find yourself in a very tough hole if you’re arguing for the president’s stimulus plan or Nancy Pelosi’s health plan. There’s no justification for growing the size of government the way this administration and this Congress wants to do it.”

That brought this from Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan: "With today's threat to 'come after' moderate Republicans or those that would work for bipartisan solutions, it's clear the Michael Steele and the Republican party are ready to hand over the keys of the GOP to Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck and the rest of the extremist tea party crowd. And in establishing a policy of purging moderates, the Republicans have committed themselves to being an extreme ideological party that will only turn-off independent voters and further marginalize an already isolated party going into 2010 and beyond."

The political jockeying is ramping up as the House prepares to vote on its sweeping health care bill as soon as Saturday.

Not a single Republican is expected to vote for the Democratic bill, which would cost $1.2 trillion bill over 10 years, require employers to insure their employees, and prohibit insurance companies from dropping coverage for sick people.

Instead, House Republicans are promoting their own belated bill -- including in a marathon online town hall today -- that focuses far more on cutting costs than covering uninsured Americans.

(Democrats, meanwhile, issued a dismissive slap at the online town hall. "We're planning a twelve second town hall to explain every last detail of the GOP health care plan," Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan said in a statement. "According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the Republican 'plan' would do no nothing to stop insurance companies from denying care to Americans with pre-existing conditions or other profit protecting practices, do less to reduce the deficit and leave more people without insurance than there are today. They might as well call it the Do Nothing Act of 2009.")

House GOP Leader John Boehner is bragging about an independent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office that says the Republican health care plan will lower premiums by as much as 10 percent and reduce the federal deficit by $68 billion over 10 years.

“When it comes to reforming health care, controlling skyrocketing costs is the American peoples’ top priority. Now CBO has confirmed that the Republican plan will lower health care costs for American families, and that’s good news for everyone struggling in today’s economy. The choice now could not be clearer: Speaker Pelosi’s plan raises costs. Our plan lowers them," Boehner said in a statement.

“Not only does the GOP plan lower health care costs, but it also increases access to quality care – including for those with pre-existing conditions – at a price our country can afford. The cost of the Speaker’s bill, now at $1.3 trillion and counting, is a debt that will be paid for by our kids and our grandkids. The American people deserve a better solution, and Republicans’ smart, fiscally-responsible plan gives them exactly what they want."

Boehner, however, does not mention that the CBO analysis found that the Republican plan would only decrease the number of uninsured Americans by about 3 million by 2019, leaving about 50 million without coverage. The Democratic bill, by contrast, would cover an estimated 96 percent of Americans.

UPDATE: Also, thousands of protestors, many of them "tea party" anti-tax activists, are holding a rally outside Congress in opposition to the Democratic bill and President Obama's plan. They say it would extend government control over health care and lead to higher taxes.

Speaking to the rally, Boehner called the Democratic health care bill "the greatest threat to freedom" he had seen in his 19 years in Congress.

He warned that it would lead to a government takeover with bureaucrats making health care decisions.

"I'm going to stand with you and all freedom-loving Americans," he said, holding up a copy of the Constitution and reading from the preamble about the "right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

According to the Associated Press, protestors' signs included one that said "Waterboard Congress," along with echoes of the rallying cry at August town halls with lawmakers, "Vote no to government-run health care."

One protester carried a placard reading, "Bury Obamacare with Kennedy," a reference to Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, who died of brain cancer in August and who called universal health care the cause of his life.

A liberal-labor coalition is rebutting the GOP plan with a new TV ad that slams it as a bill to protect insurance company profits.

"This just in: Republicans in Congress have introduced the Health Insurance Industry Profits Protection Act," the announcer says in the ad from Americans United for Change.

"The Republican bill lets insurance companies continue denying care for preexisting conditions," the announcer continues in the faux newscast. "Republicans will still let insurers raise premiums four times faster than wages. And health care will remain unaffordable for most Americans."

"Well folks, it looks like when it comes to health care, the party of no is now, the party of no change."

The AARP, a powerful lobby for seniors, officially announced its endorsement today of the House Democratic bill, despite concerns about potential cuts for members enrolled in Medicare "plus" plans.

The group, however, focused on the provisions that it says will "curb insurance companies’ discrimination against older Americans and Medicare improvements that strengthen benefits while protecting the program for future generations."

“Our goals have always been to make health coverage more affordable for our younger members, those aged 50 to 64, and to protect Medicare for seniors,” Deborah Banda, AARP Massachusetts state director, said in a statement. “Having reviewed the Affordable Health Care for America Act, we believe it meets these goals by improving benefits for people in Medicare – including closing the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap, the dreaded “doughnut hole” – and making health insurance market reforms to help ensure affordable health coverage for every American.”

President Obama, in a surprise appearance during the regular press briefing, bragged this afternoon about the support for the Democratic health care bill by the AARP and the American Medical Association, saying the endorsements bring reform closer than ever.

"This is no small endorsement," he said of the AARP support, saying it should rebut criticism that the proposals would hurt seniors.

"We're thrilled they're standing with us," Obama, who plans to visit Capitol Hill on Friday in support of health reform, told reporters.

The AMA's backing is also important, he said, because "the doctors of America know what needs to be fixed with our health care system." (His full remarks are below.)

The AMA backed the Democratic bill, plus a companion bill that would shield doctors from cuts in Medicare reimbursements.

"The time to make health system reform a reality is now,” J. James Rohack, AMA president, said in a statement. "These two bills were introduced together, and they need to be passed together. Both are essential to achieving meaningful health system reform this year."

While the health bill is "not perfect," on balance it "is consistent with our principles of pluralism, freedom of choice, freedom of physician practice and universal access," he added. "It will significantly expand health insurance coverage to Americans to empower patient and physician decision making; institute meaningful insurance market reforms; make substantial investments in quality; institute prevention and wellness initiatives; provide incentives to states that adopt certificate of merit and/or early offer liability reforms, and reduce administrative burdens."

Earlier today, the AARP officially announced its endorsement despite concerns about potential cuts for members enrolled in Medicare "plus" plans.

The group, however, focused on the provisions that it says will "curb insurance companies’ discrimination against older Americans and Medicare improvements that strengthen benefits while protecting the program for future generations."

“Our goals have always been to make health coverage more affordable for our younger members, those aged 50 to 64, and to protect Medicare for seniors,” Deborah Banda, AARP Massachusetts state director, said in a statement. “Having reviewed the Affordable Health Care for America Act, we believe it meets these goals by improving benefits for people in Medicare – including closing the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap, the dreaded “doughnut hole” – and making health insurance market reforms to help ensure affordable health coverage for every American.”

By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Governor Deval Patrick and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo met with the state's congressional delegation at the Capitol this morning to discuss a variety of issues, including the national health care overhaul the House may begin voting on this weekend.

Patrick said the economic woes confronting Massachusetts were also a primary focus of the talks, which those who participated in them said also covered education, transportation and global warming.

"We are trying to project a reality to the public that is so in our working relationship -- we are working closely together, trying as best we can, with the tools we have, to bring some relief to people who are suffering and some hope to everybody," he said.

Patrick, who met with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Wednesday, said he was trying to make sure that the federal health care bills taking shape would not harm the state's health care system, which depends heavily on support from the federal government and provides far more generous subsidies for low-income people than the federal proposals on the table, and would provide the state the flexibility it needs to work on cost containment.

Representative Edward Markey, a Democrat from Malden and the dean of the delegation, said he is certain the House version of the legislation, which is scheduled to be voted on Saturday evening, would benefit Massachusetts.
"Our delegation is supporting the legislation because we know it does help Massachusetts," he said.

On his whirlwind two-day visit to Washington, Patrick is also meeting with other top administration officials, top Senate Democrat Harry Reid, and Massachusetts wounded at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The governor is scheduled to have a brief audience this afternoon with his friend and ally, President Obama.

The Senate environment committee this morning passed a sweeping climate change bill co-sponsored by Senator John F. Kerry.

The vote came without any Republican support -- in fact, no GOP senators were present because they were boycotting the proceedings until a fuller economic analysis of the legislation.

The panel did not consider any amendments to the bill, which will now be merged with bills being written in other Senate committees, the Associated Press reports.

In the face of the GOP boycott, Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, announced Wednesday that he, Republican Lindsey Graham, and Independent Joe Lieberman are trying to find a compromise that could draw a modicum of bipartisan support and pass the Senate. In June, the House passed its own version, co-authored by Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts.

UPDATE: Even though he's working on a more bipartisan deal, Kerry today applauded the committee's Democrat-only 11-1 vote.

“Congratulations to Chairman Barbara Boxer who this morning advanced landmark legislation out of her committee. She did so under the toughest of circumstances, after months of meetings, deliberations, and vigorous debate. This wasn’t easy, but her commitment was resolute. Today’s step in the process sends a clear message to the world that the United States is serious about tackling climate change and securing our clean energy future," he said in a statement.

“Working with the leaders of five other committees, building support from Democrats and Republicans across the ideological spectrum, the hard work continues on the path to 60 votes in the Senate under the leadership of Majority Leader Reid. We should remember that the 2008 Republican presidential nominee called for strong, mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions, and Sen. Lindsey Graham has joined us in this year’s fight. We can rediscover bi-partisan progress once again. Chairman Boxer and I are determined to see this Congress pass a strong climate bill for the President to sign. This is and has always been a big lift, but heading into Copenhagen, we have momentum on our side.”

Senator Paul G. Kirk Jr. took to the Senate floor today to highlight a rather wonky provision in the health care overhaul legislation -- a national data collection organization to track spending on health programs and its effectiveness.

"We need measures to identify what is wrong with our current health care system, including what is driving the increasingly high cost of care," Kirk said, noting that the industry now totals a mind-boggling $2.33 trillion a year.

"Abundant research and reports have analyzed such questions. What is desperately needed, however, is a central, independent organization that can analyze all of the research performed by various organizations, and make that information readily available to Congress, the Executive Branch, and the American people. That’s an indispensable part of successful health reform. It will give decision-makers easier access to all the knowledge available and eliminate wasteful spending of the hard-earned dollars of American families," the Massachusetts Democrat said.

He noted that the lawmaker he replaced, the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, proposed the Key National Indicator System to provide it. "It will be a non-partisan, independent agency with a public/private partnership. It will foster better relationships between members of the legislative, statistical and scientific communities, and will lead to greater transparency and accountability for spending on national health programs," Kirk said.

His full prepared remarks are below:

President Obama, addressing a rare gathering of leaders of all 564 federally recognized Native American tribes, pledged this morning to give them full access to America's opportunities and get their relationship with the federal government "right."

Opening the White House Tribal Nations Conference, where each recognized tribe was invited to send one representative, Obama said his election a year ago promised "meaningful change for those too long excluded from American dream" -- and that Native Americans were perhaps the most marginalized of all.

While the tribal leaders are right to be skeptical given the bloody history, Obama said he will make sure they have the ear of top administration officials who will work with them on issues such as unemployment.

After all, he noted, he is an adopted Native American. In May 2008 while campaigning for president, Obama became the first candidate to visit the Montana reservation of the Crow Nation and was adopted under the Crow name "One Who Helps People Throughout the Land." In the ceremony, he was escorted by his adoptive parents, Hartford and Mary Black Eagle.

"Only in America could the adopted son of Crow Indians could become president of the United States," Obama said today.

His full remarks, plus exchanges with tribal leaders, are below:

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank, under fire from some fellow Democrats and consumer groups for carving out what they call loopholes in legislation designed to prevent another economic meltdown, said in a letter released tonight that "there may be a problem here'' and that he wants to reconsider.

The Globe reported on Saturday that an array of Democrats, consumer groups, and the chairman of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission were concerned that legislation pushed through the committee by Frank was not strict enough on the trading of derivatives.

Senator Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat, said in the article that loopholes played a major role in last year's meltdown and would continue under the bill backed by Frank. Gary Gensler, the CFTC chairman, called for tightening the oversight of derivatives trading would lower the risk of financial problems. A consumer group representative charged that Frank had "walked away" from concerns of unions and other organizations.

On Tuesday, Frank met with representatives of one of the consumer groups that had complained it was not allowed to present its concerns. Following the meeting, Frank sent a letter to Gensler and Mary Schapiro, the chairman of Securities and Exchange Commission, telling them he heard concerns about the bill and wanted "to further clarify the exception" allowing certain types of derivatives trading. The letter was released tonight.

Heather Booth, director of Americans for Financial Reform, said in an interview that she raised concerns about loopholes in the legislation and she said Frank responded that he would try to tighten such exemptions. Booth said she left the meeting encouraged. Booth stressed, however, that her group still has concerns about whether all of the loopholes will be closed.

"It's not over," she said.

The derivatives measure has already passed through Frank's committee. Frank said in his letter that he would try to amend the legislation when it reaches the House floor.

The trading of derivatives is one of the most controversial elements of financial reform. Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is based on underlying assets, such as real estate. They are used to bet or hedge on how those assets will change in value. The collapse of one type of derivative, an insurance product for subprime mortgages called credit-default swaps, played a major role in last year's financial crisis.

Frank has long said that he wanted to crack down on financial institutions that engage in derivatives trading, but he was concerned that he didn't want to hurt "end users" such as corporations that use the financial product to hedge against day-to-day business risks, such as currency fluctuations. As a result, certain end users were exempted from some of the oversight.

But critics of the legislation said they were concerned that the exemptions were so large that they could lead to risky trading that could put the economy at risk. Concerns were also raised that financial institutions could take advantage of the loopholes to avoid scrutiny.

Senators John F. Kerry and Paul G. Kirk Jr. praised the passage this afternoon of extended unemployment benefits expected to help as many as 40,000 Massachusetts residents.

The two Bay State senators had written top Senate Democrat last month urging him to bring the bill to the floor as quickly as possible, before the benefits ended. More information on the benefits is available here.

“Families across Massachusetts are hurting,” Kirk said in a statement. “With the unemployment rate unacceptably high and the winter months approaching, impossible decisions about whether to turn on the heat or put food on the table loom in many households in the Commonwealth. Passage of the Unemployment Insurance benefits extension will provide greater hope to those who continue to search for work during these harsh economic times.”

“This extension of a critical safety net will make it easier for families across Massachusetts to hang on in the toughest economy since the Great Depression,” Kerry added. “I am pleased that my Senate colleagues have joined Senator Kirk and I in recognizing the urgent need to protect our families.”

Exactly one year since his historic election, President Obama sent a video message today to his grassroots supporters, telling them that they put him in office, thanking them for their dedication since, but warning that they have much more work to do.

"Victory alone was not the change we sought, it was only the chance for us to make that change," he says.

His campaign manager David Plouffe elaborates in an email to Organizing for America accompanying the video: "One year ago today, you made history.We all knew that electing Barack Obama President was only the opportunity to bring about change; that we would all have to keep working to fulfill the promise our victory offered.

"And you've come through -- by making hundreds of thousands of calls to Congress to push health reform forward, by pouring your effort into seemingly insurmountable challenges time and again, and, since January, by building on the power of our campaign to create Organizing for America. And now, with the finish line on health reform in sight, we need your voice more than ever before," Plouffe implores.

By Alan Wirzbicki, Globe correspondent

WASHINGTON -- Hoping to win a big new chunk of federal stimulus money, Governor Deval Patrick pitched the Obama administration today on three proposals that would expand broadband access in pockets of Massachusetts that now lack adequate high-speed connections.

Beginning a two-day visit to Washington, Patrick met with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to lobby for projects totalling $154 million that would expand high-speed internet availability on Cape Cod, western Massachusetts, and Boston.

"We are farther along in thinking about what we need to do than many states," Patrick said in an interview with the Globe, referring to his administration's efforts to chart a broadband strategy for the state. "I wanted to make sure our applications were differentiated in that respect."

The economic stimulus package enacted in February provided $7.2 billion for broadband improvements, with about a third of the sum reserved for rural areas. Private companies have avoided extending service to some poor and sparsely populated regions because of the high cost of reaching relatively few potential customers, opening a "digital divide" that the stimulus program is designed to close.

"Broadband isn't a luxury anymore, or a convenience," Patrick said.

However, the state will have stiff competition for the grants. Federal officials received a total of 2,200 applications totaling $28 billion -- seven times more than the amount available in the first round of funding.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is administering the program along with the Department of Agriculture, is expected to begin making funding announcements in mid-December.

Massachusetts submitted 24 applications for broadband funding under the stimulus, but Patrick said he focused on the three that were most "mature."

The $107 million Berkshires project, the largest of the three, would bring high-speed access to 43 towns in western Massachusetts that now have little or no broadband access. Backers estimate that the project could create up to 3,000 jobs.

The $15.1 million Boston proposal would build public computing centers, improve infrastructure, and provide free high-speed access to low-income residents in public housing; the city's application says more than 117,000 could receive free service under the plan.

On Cape Cod, the $32 million plan aims to improve speed and reliability by building more facilities.

In addition to discussing the broadband projects, Patrick said he and Locke had also discussed fisheries policy, which is under the Department of Commerce's supervision, and plans to build a computing center in Holyoke.

Thursday, Patrick and state House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo plan to meet with the Massachusetts congressional delegation to discuss health reform, the economy, and the state's budget woes, and then to meet briefly with President Obama at the White House.

By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Americans' opinion of the health care proposals now before Congress is eerily similar to public opinion of the Clinton health reform initiatives in 1994, according to an analysis published in the New England Journal of Medicine today -- and that may not bode well for Democrats.

In theory, Americans think the health care system needs to be fixed and they like many of the ideas Democrats are promoting. But they don't like the specific proposals taking shape because they do not think they will benefit them personally.

The report, an in-depth look at more than 30 polls conducted this fall and during the same period in 1994, when the Clinton health reform effort was gasping its last breaths, was co-authored by Robert J. Blendon, a Harvard professor and a leading specialist on health care and public opinion whom congressional leaders of both parties have consulted.

Critics are likely to point out that it is impossible to compare the two periods -- in the fall of 1994, Clinton had been president for a year longer than President Obama has now. Obama has had much more cooperation from Congress than Clinton has had, thanks partly to a difference in strategy. Obama allowed Congress to handle the details of the lawmaking process, while Clinton created resentment among lawmakers by employing a secretive process within the executive branch.

At this time in 1993, the parallel point in the Clinton presidency, Clinton had not yet even introduced bills; this time, five congressional committees have passed legislation, and all of the bills approach the problem of how to insure nearly 50 million Americans without coverage in basically the same way.

But Blendon's analysis hones in on a key point that Democrats are likely to pay increasing attention to, particularly after this week's elections put them on notice that voters remain deeply concerned about the economy and restless with their political leadership.