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Matt Damon ‘Disappointed’ With President Obama’s Progress

After campaigning vigorously for Obama, the ‘Green Zone’ star voices dissatisfaction with president’s accomplishments thus far. By Larry Carroll Matt Damon Photo: Jason Kempin/ Getty Images After being one of the most prominent celebrities campaigning for change in 2008, Matt Damon is changing his tune these days, admitting that he is “disappointed” with President Barack Obama progress thus far, couching his comments by noting the inflated expectations that greeted Obama. While speaking with the press to promote his soon-to-be-released political thriller “Green Zone,” Damon reportedly told New York’s Daily News that he isn’t thrilled with how Obama’s first term has gone so far. “Everyone feels a little let down,” Damon said. “Because on some level, people expected all their problems to go away.” Damon is voicing his dismay about President Obama while promoting a movie about the failings of the previous administration. In “Green Zone,” Damon plays Roy Miller , a soldier who fights to expose the Bush regime’s lack of factual clarity regarding weapons of mass destruction. The film will no doubt bring Democrats out to the theater — but in his own personal beliefs, the always-upfront Damon refuses to tow the company line. “I’m disappointed in the health care plan,” Damon said in regards to Obama efforts that he feels are falling short. “And in the troop build-up in Afghanistan.” Less than two years ago, it was Damon who campaigned alongside Obama for “Hope” and “Change,” saying he would do “whatever it takes to help Obama win.” Nowadays, with a vocal segment of the population critically judging Obama’s first year in office, Damon is saying that people can’t sit around expecting the president to change the world. “Real change comes from everyday people,” he insisted. “You can’t wait for a leader.” A high-profile Democrat whose statements about Sarah Palin appearing on the scene “like a bad Disney movie” the spotlight when the former vice presidential candidate became a national figure, Damon went on to explain that his “Green Zone” character falls much more in line with Palin’s politics than his own. “Monty was a Republican — he voted for Bush,” explained. “He went to Iraq with the absolute conviction he was going to find the WMDs.” Damon added that he plans to stand by the president, but hopes that he gets more accomplished in his second year in office than he did in his first. “Politics is compromise,” the actor admitted. “I’m disappointed [in the compromises Obama has made].” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

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Matt Damon ‘Disappointed’ With President Obama’s Progress

David Paterson Has Not Resigned Today

New York Gov. David Paterson consulted with “key Democratic leaders” over the weekend to discuss either a) his imminent resignation pending a New York Times report that he is a corrupt snuggling swinger or b) just talk about stuff. Paterson has been battling maddeningly vague rumors that the Times is on the verge of publishing a career-ending story detailing either previously undisclosed marital infidelities or some sort of official corruption that will cause him to immediately resign. Today the Associated Press reports that Paterson spent the weekend in meetings and on phone calls with Democratic leaders , apparently prepping them for the fallout: A Democrat close to the situation, though, said the meetings included discussions about whether Paterson would resign or announce he will not run because of the unsubstantiated claims in the whisper campaign surrounding the governor’s behavior. The Democrat spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Paterson’s spokeswoman told the AP that the calls were routine fundraising and strategy sessions. She also told Gawker yesterday that the mythical Times story does in fact exist, and that it’s a perfectly normal boring profile for Metro. In the exceedingly likely event that Paterson’s spokeswoman is lying while desperately trying to forestall the inevitable, several possible scenarios have emerged: There’s the swinging thing, which is buttressed by recent stories in the New York Post about a state trooper on the governor’s security detail discovering Paterson “snuggling together” with an unidentified woman in a closet and Paterson being spotted “neck-kissing” a young lady in a New Jersey restaurant. There’s also a rather run-of-the-mill corruption angle: Paterson recently delivered a contract to run a casino at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens to a company that Queens politico Rev. Floyd Flake partly owns, after which Flake met with Paterson to discuss a possible endorsement for Paterson’s re-election bid . The Post ‘s Fred Dicker writes today that many of Paterson’s aides consider the Aqueduct deal “corrupt” and are threatening to quit over it , and that Paterson’s “poor work habits and late-night, booze-fueled ‘disappearances’ at trendy nightclubs and undisclosed locations” have wrecked his staff’s confidence. Meanwhile, GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio can’t stand the suspense anymore, and has issued a statement calling for the Times to—as the Albany Times-Union puts it— “print or get off the pot” : “The rumors about the Governor are a sad reflection of Albany politics,” Lazio said. “No public official deserves to be the subject of over a week of innuendo and nasty speculation. If the New York Times is working on or has a story then they should confirm or print it. If they do not, then they have an obligation to stop this rumor mongering right now. Common decency demands it.” UPDATE: Politico’s Ben Smith reports that the Times is set to interview Paterson tomorrow .

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David Paterson Has Not Resigned Today

Brown Wins Massachusetts Senate Race

Republican Scott Brown has won Tuesday's special election for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by liberal Democrat Ted Kennedy, CNN projects based on actual results

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Brown Wins Massachusetts Senate Race

Government health insurance option appears doomed

Senior House Democrats have largely abandoned hopes of including a government-run insurance option in the final compromise health care bill taking shape, according to several officials, and are pushing for other measures to rein in private insurers. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other senior Democrats told President Barack Obama in recent meetings they want the legislation to strip the insurance industry of a long-standing exemption from federal antitrust laws, officials said. That provision is in the House-passed measure, but was omitted from the bill that the Senate passed on Christmas Eve.

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Government health insurance option appears doomed

Julia Allison’s Ex-Boyfriend to Run for New York’s Senate Seat!

No, not Jakob Lodwick. (Give him time.) But Harold Ford , Jr.! Ford is planning a run against appointed New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand , and he has the backing of New York’s richest Democratic donors. Ford, son of Tennessee congressman Harold Ford, Sr., was a congressman from the Memphis area for ten years.

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Julia Allison’s Ex-Boyfriend to Run for New York’s Senate Seat!

Did Our Prayers Backfire?

Guy calls into CSPAN in tears to ask Sen. Barrasso if he prayed hard enough (on Sen

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Did Our Prayers Backfire?

Senate Democrats clinch a deal on health bill

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats said on Saturday that they had clinched an agreement on a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health care system, and that they were on track to approve the legislation by Christmas over fierce Republican opposition. As the Senate convened in a driving snowstorm, Democratic leaders said a breakthrough came when Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, agreed after 13 hours of negotiations on Friday to back the bill, making him the pivotal 60th vote

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Senate Democrats clinch a deal on health bill

Tradition of Reporters Sleeping with Sources Still Alive and Well at the New York Times

Former New York Times editor Abe Rosenthal famously said, ” I don’t care if my reporters are fucking elephants, as long as they aren’t covering the circus .” Someone tell Raymond Hernandez, who covers Congress in D.C. while dating a congressional spokesperson. Hernandez works for the Metro desk out of the paper’s Washington bureau, where he reports on the doings of members of Congress from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

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Tradition of Reporters Sleeping with Sources Still Alive and Well at the New York Times

The nature of President Obama’s death threats

Touchy subject of would-rather-not proportions: threats made against the 44th American President. There are fine lines between free-speech and danger. The New York Times reports on the people who draw them seeing an early spike, but still being strong concerns

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The nature of President Obama’s death threats

Obama’s War Speech Wins Over Some Skeptics

A month ago, Donnie Jones, a 40-year-old Republican who lives outside Dallas, told pollsters that he was not sure President Obama had a plan for the war in Afghanistan. But after hearing the president speak Tuesday night, Mr.

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Obama’s War Speech Wins Over Some Skeptics