Obama cancels campaign events, returns to WashingtonOctober 29, 2012 - 20:39 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - President Barack Obama canceled campaign events in Florida and Wisconsin to return to Washington on Monday, Oct 29, and monitor the impact and response to Hurricane Sandy, the White House said, according to Reuters. Obama ended plans to speak at a Florida university in Orlando on Monday and flew back to Washington, a White House spokesman said. Another event scheduled for Tuesday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was also canceled. "Due to deteriorating weather conditions in the Washington area, the president will not attend today's campaign event in Orlando," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. "The president will return to the White House to monitor the preparations for and early response to Hurricane Sandy," he said. Obama will remain in Washington on Tuesday to follow the storm's impact and aftermath, the White House added. Sandy, a massive storm bearing down on the U.S. East Coast, has forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands residents. Obama arrived in Florida on Sunday night, coming a day early to try to beat the storm. He was to have held a joint campaign event with former President Bill Clinton. Clinton, who has been a popular surrogate for Obama, will still attend the rally. The president delivered pizzas to a local campaign office in Florida on Sunday night and told volunteers that the burden would increase for them because he would have to curtail his campaign activities in the coming days. Florida and Wisconsin are both critical states in the November 6 election. Obama has also canceled events in the swing states of Virginia and Colorado because of the storm. Despite the drawback of canceling events roughly a week before Election Day, the storm gives Obama an opportunity to appear presidential in the middle of a natural disaster. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has also canceled campaign events as a result of the storm. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. U.S. doesn’t see Russia as contributing to peace in Caucasus Patel made the remarks when asked about the implications of Russia’s withdrawal of peacekeepers from Karabakh. Up to 1% cashback when shopping on Wildberries with IDBank cards IDBank is launching an exclusive campaign on Wildberries for online shopping enthusiasts. |