My Daily Inquirer

The Obama administration's planned drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq is proceeding "as promised" and should lead to an end of America's combat mission there by the end of August, President Barack Obama said Monday.

Plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to 50,000 by the end of this month are on schedule, Obama told the national convention of Disabled American Veterans. At that point, the U.S. mission will shift to the training and support of Iraqi security forces.

A full withdrawal of American troops from Iraq is scheduled to occur by the end of next year.

The war in Iraq "is nearing an end," he said. "As a candidate for president, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end. And that is exactly what we are doing."

While the U.S. military commitment in Iraq is now nearing a conclusion, the president warned, there is still danger there for U.S. troops on the ground.
Video: Obama to vets: Country needs you
RELATED TOPICS

* Barack Obama
* Iraq
* Iraq War
* Disabled American Veterans

"The hard truth is we have not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq," Obama said. "But make no mistake, our commitment in Iraq is changing -- from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats."

Obama's update on the conflict in Iraq came in the context of a wide-ranging speech addressing several issues tied to national security and veterans' benefits.

Obama defended his decision to increase U.S. military commitment in Afghanistan -- a decision criticized by some of the more liberal members of his own party. He said the military has now gone on the offensive against extremist elements, and took issue with critics who claim the U.S. end game in Afghanistan remains poorly defined.

"We face huge challenges in Afghanistan," he said. "But it's important that the American people know that we are making progress and we're focused on goals that are clear and achievable."

"If Afghanistan were to be engulfed by an even wider insurgency, al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates would have even more space to plan their next attack."

"As president of the United States, I refuse to let that happen," he said.

The Pakistan government has begun to "take the fight to violent extremists within its borders. Major blows have been struck against al Qaeda and its leadership," Obama said.

On Iraq, the president provided a largely optimistic assessment of the U.S. effort, saying violence there is currently "near the lowest it's been in years."

But Iraqi officials released data Saturday that they said shows July was the deadliest month for civilians since May 2008, reporting that 396 civilians, 50 Iraqi soldiers and 89 police officers were killed. Iraqi officials also said 100 so-called "terrorists" were killed, and 955 others were detained.

The U.S. military has disputed the Iraqi figures, saying the actual numbers are less than half what Iraq's government reported.

The U.S. command in Baghdad, Iraq, "refutes that 535 people were killed in Iraq during the month of July," the military said in a statement Sunday. It put the total number of people killed by "enemy action" at 222, including 161 civilians, 55 Iraqi troops and six Americans -- the ninth-lowest civilian casualty count since January 2008, according to the U.S. military.

The U.S. military has said it believes Iraqi security forces can maintain current levels of relative stability, but that sentiment is not shared by many Iraqis.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said in a recent interview with CNN that he is concerned that "the security is declining ... [and] that's why we need really good resolutions, we need to expedite the formation of a government and we need to create an understanding in the region, and we need the help of the United States to facilitate all of these issues through its good offices in Iraq and elsewhere in the region."

Starting in September, the number of U.S. troops in Iraq -- 50,000 -- will be almost a third of the total number there when Obama took office in January 2009, the White House has said. There will be 96,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Afghanistan -- more than three times the number there at the beginning of Obama's term.

In July, there were 81,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 87,000 in Afghanistan.

While there is sharp public division over the U.S. effort in Afghanistan, Americans largely support the removal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Nearly two-thirds of all Americans back the administration's plan to remove most troops by the end of August, according to a May 21-23 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

Only 36 percent of Americans favor the war in Iraq, the survey indicated.

Obama offered praise Monday for all the veterans of major U.S. military conflicts since World War II.

"In the life of our nation, not every generation has been summoned to defend our country in its hour of need. But every generation to answer that call has done so with honor and courage," he told the enthusiastic crowd.

The president ran through a litany of administration initiatives for military veterans, including "dramatically increased funding for veterans health care across the board."

Among the initiatives he highlighted: an increased use of electronic record-keeping that will allow veterans, for the first time, to go to the VA's website and download or print personal health records "so you have them when you need them and can share them with your doctors outside the VA."

The new measure will take effect this fall, he said.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

he fate of the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan hinges on his meeting Wednesday with President Barack Obama, who was "angry" after reading the general's remarks about colleagues in a magazine profile to be published Friday.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal will likely resign, a Pentagon source who has ongoing contacts with the general said.

The "magnitude and graveness" of McChrystal's mistake in conducting the interview for the article were "profound," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said McChrystal had "made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment."

McChrystal apologized Tuesday for the profile, in which he and his staff appear to mock top civilian officials, including the vice president. Two defense officials said the general fired a press aide over the article, set to appear in Friday's edition of Rolling Stone.

"I extend my sincerest apology for this profile. It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened," McChrystal said in a Pentagon statement. "Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity. What is reflected in this article falls far short of that standard.

McChrystal has been recalled to Washington to explain his actions to the president. He is expected to meet with Obama in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Gibbs said. Gibbs refused to speculate about McChrystal's fate, but told reporters "all options are on the table."
Gallery: When presidents, generals clash
Video: McChrystal's 'enormous mistake'
Video: Does Obama trust McChrystal?
Video: McChrystal story 'speaks for itself'
RELATED TOPICS

* Stanley McChrystal
* Afghanistan War
* Joe Biden
* Rolling Stone LLC

Obama, questioned about McChrystal before a Cabinet meeting Tuesday afternoon, said he had not made a decision.

"I think it's clear that the article in which he and his team appeared showed poor judgment, but I also want to make sure that I talk to him directly before I make that final decision," he said.

McChrystal is prepared to resign if the president has lost confidence in him, a national security official told CNN. Most of the Pentagon brass, the ofrficial said, hopes he will be upbraided by the commander-in-chief but sent back to continue the mission.

The White House will have more to say after Wednesday's meeting, Gibbs said. He noted, however, that McChrystal did not take part in a teleconference Obama had with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other top officials on Tuesday.

Several elected officials have strongly criticized McChrystal but deferred to the president on the politically sensitive question of whether the general should keep his position. A couple of key congressmen, however, have openly called for McChrystal's removal.

In the profile, writer Michael Hastings writes that McChrystal and his staff had imagined ways of dismissing Vice President Joe Biden with a one-liner as they prepared for a question-and-answer session in Paris, France, in April. The general had grown tired of questions about Biden since earlier dismissing a counterterrorism strategy the vice president had offered.

"'Are you asking about Vice President Biden,' McChrystal says with a laugh. 'Who's that?'"

"'Biden?' suggests a top adviser. 'Did you say: Bite Me?'"

McChrystal does not directly criticize Obama in the article, but Hastings writes that the general and Obama "failed to connect" from the outset. Sources familiar with the meeting said McChrystal thought Obama looked "uncomfortable and intimidated" by the room full of top military officials, according to the article.

Later, McChrystal's first one-on-one meeting with Obama "was a 10-minute photo op," Hastings writes, quoting an adviser to McChrystal. "Obama clearly didn't know anything about him, who he was. Here's the guy who's going to run his f---ing war, but he didn't seem very engaged. The Boss (McChrystal) was disappointed."

The article goes on to paint McChrystal as a man who "has managed to piss off almost everyone with a stake in the conflict," including U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, special representative to Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke and national security adviser Jim Jones. Obama is not named as one of McChrystal's "team of rivals."

Of Eikenberry, who railed against McChrystal's strategy in Afghanistan in a cable leaked to The New York Times in January, the general is quoted as saying, "'Here's one that covers his flank for the history books. Now if we fail, they can say, "I told you so.'"

Hastings writes in the profile that McChrystal has a "special skepticism" for Holbrooke, the official in charge of reintegrating Taliban members into Afghan society and the administration's point man for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"At one point on his trip to Paris, McChrystal checks his BlackBerry, according to the article. 'Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke,' he groans. 'I don't even want to open it.' He clicks on the message and reads the salutation out loud, then stuffs the BlackBerry back in his pocket, not bothering to conceal his annoyance.

"'Make sure you don't get any of that on your leg,' an aide jokes, referring to the e-mail."

Both Democrats and Republicans have been strongly critical of McChrystal in the wake of the story. House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, D-Wisconsin, called McChrystal the latest in a "long list of reckless, renegade generals who haven't seemed to understand that their role is to implement policy, not design it."

McChrystal is "contemptuous" of civilian authority and has demonstrated "a bull-headed refusal to take other people's judgments into consideration."

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-North Dakota, became the first member of the Senate Democratic leadership to call for McChrystal to step down, telling CNN that the remarks were "unbelievably inappropriate and just can't be allowed to stand."

Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan, deferred to Obama on the question of a possible McChrystal resignation. He said the controversy was sending a message of "confusion" to troops in the field. I think it has "a negative effect" on the war effort, he said.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, urged a cooling off period before a final decision is rendered on the general. My "impression is that all of us would be best served by just backing off and staying cool and calm and not sort of succumbing to the normal Washington twitter about this for the next 24 hours."

Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Jim Webb of Virginia -- also key senators on defense and foreign policy issues -- were each strongly critical of McChrystal's remarks, but noted that the general's future is a decision for Obama to make.

Karzai weighed in from abroad, urging Obama to keep McChrystal as the U.S. commander in Afghanistan. The government in Kabul believes McChrystal is a man of strong integrity who has a strong understanding of the Afghan people and their culture, Karzai spokesman Waheed Omar said.

A U.S. military official said Tuesday that McChrystal has spoken to Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and other officials referenced in the story, including Holbrooke, Eikenberry and Jones.

An official at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said Eikenberry and McChrystal "are both fully committed" to Obama's Afghan strategy and are working together to implement the plan. "We have seen the article and General McChrystal has already spoken to it," according to a statement from an embassy official, making reference to McChrystal's apology.

"I have enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and his national security team, and for the civilian leaders and troops fighting this war and I remain committed to ensuring its successful outcome," McChrystal said in the closing to his apology.

Rolling Stone executive editor Eric Bates, however, struck a less optimistic tone during an interview with CNN on Tuesday.

The comments made by McChrystal and other top military aides during the interview were "not off-the-cuff remarks," he said. They "knew what they were doing when they granted the access." The story shows "a deep division" and "war within the administration" over strategy in Afghanistan, he contended.

McChrystal and his staff "became aware" that the Rolling Stone article would be controversial before it was published, Hastings told CNN Tuesday. He said he "got word from (McChrystal's) staff ... that there was some concern" about possible fallout from the story.

Obama tapped McChrystal to head the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan in the spring of 2009 shortly after dismissing Gen. David McKiernan.

Posted by Jessie James

Cuba reacted angrily Tuesday to its inclusion on a U.S. list of countries that could be sanctioned for failing to fight human and child trafficking, calling it a "shameful slander" and part of Washington's efforts to justify its trade embargo.

Cuba is one of 13 countries put on notice Monday that they are not complying with the minimum international standards to eliminate the trade in human beings and sexual slavery, and could face U.S. penalties.

Compiled by President Barack Obama's administration, the list also includes Iran, North Korea, and Myanmar. Another 58 countries were placed on a "watch list" that could lead to sanctions unless their records improve.

Cuba was singled out for allegedly not doing enough to prevent the trafficking of children who work as prostitutes on the island, mostly serving foreign tourists. It also said some Cuban doctors have complained that the government leases out their services to foreign countries as a way of canceling Cuba's debt.

"Cuba categorically rejects these allegations as false and disrespectful," Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, director of the Cuban Foreign Ministry's North American affairs office, said in a statement sent to the foreign news media Tuesday.

She said the allegations are all the more offensive because the communist government has concentrated its limited resources on protecting women and the young, providing far more for the most vulnerable members of society than most nations in the region.

While Cubans receive low wages, the island offers free education through college, free health care and heavily subsidized housing and transportation. Crime rates and drug usage are extremely low in a country where the state maintains near total control.

"These shameful slanders profoundly hurt the Cuban people. In Cuba, there is no sexual abuse against minors, but rather an exemplary effort to protect children, young people and women," Vidal Ferreiro said. She said Cuban laws "put us among the countries in the region with the most advanced norms and mechanisms for the prevention of abuse."

Cuba has been included as one of the worst offenders on the State Department human trafficking list since 2003. It is also on a separate list of countries that the U.S. deems to support terrorism.

The latest report notes that Cuban laws against trafficking appear stringent, but that the country has not provided enough evidence to show they are being enforced.

Interestingly, the report does not concentrate on Cubans seeking to emigrate to the United States, a diaspora which has meant vast profits for traffickers, who can charge thousands of dollars for illicit transportation to the U.S., often through Mexico.

It was not clear what sanctions, if any, Cuba could face. It is already the target of a 48-year trade embargo, which bans the sale of most American goods on the island. American tourists are not allowed to vacation in Cuba, depriving the Caribbean hotspot of what would likely be its top source of visitors.

Cuba refers to the embargo as a blockade, and rightly or wrongly blames it for most of its economic woes. While many countries criticize the country's treatment of political prisoners and lack of democracy, the embargo is rejected each year in a lopsided U.N. vote.

Many had hoped relations between the United States and Cuba would improve under Obama, but the two sides have made little progress. The relationship has soured most recently over the December arrest of a U.S. contractor whom Cuba accuses of spying. He has been held without charge for more than six months.

Vidal Ferreiro said Cuba's inclusion on the trafficking list is political.

"It can only be explained by the desperate need that the U.S. government has to justify, under whatever pretext, the persistence of its cruel blockade, which has been overwhelmingly rejected by the international community."

Cuba was not the only country in the region to react strongly to the report.

Guyana, which received slightly better marks than Cuba, said the report hurts its friendship with the United States. The Dominican Republic is also included on the list. The country's official in charge of monitoring human trafficking, Frank Soto, called the list "a lie with no merit."

Posted by Jessie James

President Barack Obama reassured Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday that his frustration over the mammoth oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not an attack on Britain as the two leaders tried to soothe trans-Atlantic tensions over the disaster.

Cameron's Downing St. office said the two leaders held a "warm and constructive" telephone conversation for more than 30 minutes.

Obama has recently sharpened his criticism of BP PLC as the company struggles to stop millions of gallons of oil gushing from its ruptured deep-sea well. Cameron is under pressure to get Obama to tone down the rhetoric against of a major British company, fearing it will hurt millions of Britons — as well as many Americans — who hold BP stock in investments and pension plans.

Cameron's office said the prime minister "expressed his sadness at the ongoing human and environmental catastrophe," but stressed BP's economic importance to Britain, the U.S. and other countries.

It said Obama recognized that BP — which he has pointedly referred to in public by its former name, British Petroleum — is a multinational company, "and that frustrations about the oil spill had nothing to do with national identity." Obama said he had no interest in undermining BP's value. The company's stock has lost 40 percent of its value since the oil rig fire on April 20 that unleashed the United States' worst oil spill.

Downing Street said the two men agreed that BP should continue "to work intensively to ensure that all sensible and reasonable steps are taken as rapidly as practicable to deal with the consequences of this catastrophe."

The Obama administration walked a careful line Saturday: trying to show toughness with BP, but also reassuring Britons that the president holds no animosity toward their country and institutions. The strategy could be risky if Obama's political opponents use it to reinforce claims that he has been too gentle and diplomatic in dealing with the oil company.

Before the Obama-Cameron phone call took place, the U.S. government told BP it has until the end of the weekend to speed up efforts to contain the oil spill.

Later, the White House let Cameron's office make the first public remarks about Saturday's phone call. Downing Street used the opportunity to stress that Obama is not attacking Britain and that he recognizes BP as a global firm.

When the White House finally released its official statement, only one of the 10 sentences referred to the oil spill. It said the two men discussed the impact of the spill, "reiterating that BP must do all it can to respond effectively to the situation."

Minutes later, a senior Obama administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the private conversation, confirmed that the president had told Cameron "that our frustration has nothing to do with national identity" but focuses instead on "ensuring that a large, wealthy company lives up to its obligations."

The official said Obama told Cameron that BP "must meet its obligations to those whose lives have been disrupted," and that the administration "will insist everything be done to cap the well, capture the oil, and pay for the cleanup, the environmental damage done and the tens of thousands of economic claims as a result of this disaster."

BP has been ordered by the U.S. Coast Guard to speed up its efforts to stop oil gushing into the sea off the coast of Louisiana.

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. James A. Watson sent a letter to BP officials on Friday expressing frustration with the overall pace of the effort and ordered the company to identify ways to expedite the process in the next 48 hours.

Downing Street also said Cameron and Obama reaffirmed their belief in "the unique strength of the U.S.-UK relationship." It announced that Cameron will visit Washington July 20, his first trip there since taking office in May.

The warm words come after vocal criticism of BP by Obama, who has said he would have fired BP's top executive, if he were in charge, and has supported the idea that the oil company suspend its quarterly dividend.

In a sign the company feels the pressure, BP said Saturday that its board would meet Monday to discuss deferring its second-quarter dividend and putting the money into escrow until the company's liabilities from the spill are known. BP said no decision had yet been made.

Obama also has reproached BP for spending money on a public relations campaign and occasionally refers to "British Petroleum," although the company years ago began using only its initials and is a far-reaching international corporation with extensive holdings in the United States, including a Texas refinery and a share of the Alaska oil pipeline.

This past week, the usually measured Obama said in a television interview, "I don't sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar; we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers — so I know whose ass to kick."

The angry words from Washington have produced a backlash in Britain, where BP is a corporate pillar. Millions of British retirees depend on BP dividends since pension funds are heavily invested in the oil company, the world's third-largest.

British officials began taking a more hands-on approach Friday, when Treasury chief George Osborne met BP's chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg, and Cameron spoke to Svanberg by phone.

Svanberg, who has faced criticism for not being more visible in BP's response to the Gulf spill, is to meet with Obama at the White House on Wednesday. Probably joining him will be CEO Tony Hayward and other BP executives. It will be the first time Obama has met with BP officials since the crisis began.

Hayward will testify at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on Thursday.

Posted by Jessie James

United States President Barack Obama has sent his greetings to Filipinos on the country’s 112th commemoration of Independence Day. “On behalf of the American people, I send my best wishes to all those who celebrate the 112th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day—here in America, in the Philippines, and around the world," Obama said in a statement sent on Friday night (Saturday in Manila). The US President acknowledged that “many Americans trace their roots to the Philippines" and called the Philippines “an important part of the American identity." The Philippines became an American colony for 48 years, before the United States gave the country its independence in 1946. In the same statement, Obama likewise called for the United States and the Philippines’ continued “partnership in promoting peace and development." “I am confident that our nations, sharing in our democratic principles, will continue our strong friendship and cooperation," he said. Obama has earlier congratulated President-elect Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III and Vice-president-elect Jejomar "Jojo" Binay for their victory during the country’s automated polls. (See: US President Barack Obama congratulates Aquino, Binay)

The US President likewise greeted Filipinos “for carrying out a successful first-ever automated elections" last May 10. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also earlier offered her congratulations to the Philippines on the 112th anniversary of the declaration of its independence.

If President-elect Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III ever decides to quit smoking, he can turn to one of the world's most powerful leaders, US President Barack Obama, for advice.

Aquino said he and Obama, a smoker who is also trying to quit the habit, briefly talked about the issue when the US president congratulated him over the phone Wednesday night.

"At some point I attempted some humor, sabi ko (I told him) 'Mr. President I understand we have the same issue with smoking.' Sabi niya (He told me), 'Well, I quit that already. I quit, it's your sole problem but I'm ready to offer advice,'" recalled Aquino.

"He'll send it raw," Aquino said. "'At the time that you decide to quit, I'll send the advice.' I think that was almost the exact quote."

Obama is known to be waging a public battle against smoking ever since he was elected president January last year. By his admission, Obama has slipped several times and enjoyed an occasional cigarette.

Obama called up Aquino a few hours after Congress proclaimed Aquino the next president and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay the incoming vice president.

Aquino said he had "a very pleasant conversation" with Obama, who he said seemed "very sincere" in his intention in strengthening ties with the Philippines.

The call lasted 15 to 20 minutes, longer than the phone conversation between President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Aquino after his proclamation. Obama was the first one to call Aquino.

The Department of Health, anti-tobacco advocates, and other groups have urged Aquino to quit smoking, saying that aside from causing health problems, his habit may pose security woes.

Aquino's smoking habit has even been featured on the New York Times.

Aquino, however, has maintained that he does not intend to kick off the habit anytime soon.

"Noong tumakbo ako, alam ng taumbayan [na] naninigarilyo ako. At the appropriate time na hihinto ako, titigil ako. So long as nako-control ako sa mga batas at wala akong naiistorbo baka parte ito ng kalayaan kong natitira ," Aquino said back then.

Posted by Jessie James

US President Barack Obama called President-elect Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III Wednesday night to congratulate him on his proclamation by Congress as the winner in the May 10 presidential elections.

Obama likewise congratulated Vice President-elect Jejomar Binay thorough Aquino in a phone call past 9 p.m to the Aquino house on Times St., Quezon City.

This page requires a higher version browser

US Embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thomas confirmed the call on GMA News’ late-night Saksi newscast.

"President Obama called President-elect Aquino to congratulate him and Vice President-elect Jejomar Binay on their victories in the May 10 elections," said Thomas.

"And also he wanted to congratulate the people of the Philippines for carrying out a successful first-ever automated elections," she added. US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. earlier congratulated Aquino and Binay in a statement. Amb. Thomas affirmed the US' "deep and long relationship with the Philippines, a treaty ally whose soldiers have fought alongside ours in World War II and subsequent conflicts. "We look forward to working with the new Philippine government to deepen the unwavering friendship and partnership between our two nations, and to advance our common goals for the benefit of the Southeast Asia region and the world," Thomas stated. The US maintains close economic, political and diplomatic ties with the Philippines, a former US colony. British Prime Minister David Cameron likewise sent his greetings to Aquino in a letter, referring to the strong relations between the Philippines and the United Kingdom. “As we both start our terms in office, I look forward to strengthening our cooperation in tackling the global economic crisis, working for peace and stability in the southern Philippines and advancing respect for human rights in South-East Asia," said Cameron, who was appointed Prime Minister on May 11.

Other countries, such as China, have also sent their congratulatory messages to Aquino and Binay.

“Today represents an historic moment ushering in a new era for China-Philippine relations," China’s ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao said.

According to GMA News’ Saksi newscast, Liu also noted that the proclamation fell on the exact date when China and the Philippines established diplomatic relations 35 years ago.

Source: News

Posted by Jessie James

Is President Obama bowing to criticism that he hasn't shown enough emotion and outrage about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill? In an interview with the Today Show's Matt Lauer this morning, the president offered his most candid response yet about the disaster, bluntly telling Lauer he's been talking to experts about "whose ass to kick" when it comes to responsibility for the mess.

"I was down there a month ago, before most of these talking heads were even paying attention to the gulf. A month ago I was meeting with fishermen down there, standing in the rain talking about what a potential crisis this could be," Obama said, defending his administration's handling of the spill. "And I don't sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar; we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick."

That's a pretty sharp response for a president known for his cool-headed approach to situations. In recent weeks, as Obama was assailed by critics for not being expressive enough in his response to the spill, White House officials defended his reaction by suggesting voters would prefer to see concrete actions over empty "method acting."

Yet administration officials are not ignorant of polls showing the nation less than thrilled with Obama's handling of the Gulf. According to the latest ABC/Washington Post poll, more than two-thirds of those polled, 69 percent, disapprove of the federal government's handling of the spill. That's higher than the outrage over the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina.

Source: News

Posted by Jessie James

President Barack Obama returned to Louisiana Friday -- the president's second trip to the Gulf region in two weeks as the administration continued its efforts to contain the BP oil spill and stay on top of what has now become a major political issue.

Among other things, Obama was scheduled to visit to Louisiana's Grand Isle and meet with local business leaders directly impacted by the spill. Shortly after arriving, he huddled with U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen -- the federal government's response manager -- and both state and local elected officials.

Included in the list of officials meeting the president: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Alabama Gov. Bob Reilly, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Louisiana Sen. David Vitter and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

Obama's latest visit came as BP finally started to siphon oil from the ruptured undersea well. BP is currently preparing to shut four vents on top of a containment cap from which oil has been escaping into the ocean. Closing the vents would greatly reduce the amount of oozing crude.
Video: Oil spill changes way of life
Video: Questions about Obama's response to spill
RELATED TOPICS

* Gulf Coast Oil Spill
* Barack Obama
* Louisiana

No one, however, can say with certainty whether BP's latest effort to contain and recover the oil will succeed.

Obama refused to provide details about attempts to seal off the well, but said "it does appear that the cap at least for now is holding." He quickly added, however, that it's "way too early to be optimistic." Officials should know more about the success or failure of the effort in next 24 to 48 hours, he said.

"I'm long out of the prediction business on this," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Air Force One en route to Louisiana. "Everyone is hopeful that this works."

The president later stressed BP's "moral and legal obligations" to the Gulf region, promising that federal officials will be watching BP to ensure the company isn't "lawyering up."

Obama noted that BP is spending millions of dollars on television ads designed to improve the company's image, as well as distributing billions in sharehold dividends. I do not want BP "nickel and diming folks" in the Gulf, he said.

Obama, who previously said he is "furious at (the) entire situation," has been criticized by some political observers for failing to show enough empathy and emotional involvement in the response to the spill. Fifty-one percent of adult Americans disapproved of Obama's handling of the spill in a May 21-23 CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, while 46 percent approved.

Obama told CNN's Larry King Thursday that "I'd love to spend my time venting and yelling at people (about the situation in the Gulf), but that's not the job I was hired to do. My job is to solve this problem."

Democratic strategist James Carville told CNN Friday he doesn't worry that Obama "doesn't emote that well or something like that." But the president, he said, "is a man of formidable intelligence. He has a ton of power, and I think what we want to do is feel that power ... and let people feel the wrath (and know) that he's standing up" for them.

Crist expressed some sympathy for Obama. Crist acknowledged Friday the situation in the Gulf is "emotional," but asserted that the president is "trying to do the best job he can."

"You've got to keep a cool head in order to win a hot game," he said. "You've got to keep your wits about you to lead with honor."

Daily Beast political columnist John Avlon said Friday that while part of Obama's "narrative" is that "he's cool," the president needs to show he's "feeling the pain of the problem on the ground. We're a quick fix culture (and) we have a vivid problem unfolding in the Gulf. That's starting to affect (the) perception of this administration in the larger sense."

The BP well erupted after an explosion and fire on the leased Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20 that killed 11 people. The rig sank two days later, leaving up to 19,000 barrels (798,000 gallons) of oil pouring into the Gulf daily, according to federal estimates. BP, rig owner Transocean and oilfield services contractor Halliburton have all pointed fingers at each other for the disaster.

Source: News

Posted by Jessie James

President Barack Obama met Wednesday with U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno to get a first-hand account of conditions in Iraq from the top commander for the country.

A White House spokesman said Odierno "provided a positive assessment" of security conditions and the transfer of responsibilities to Iraqi security forces ahead of completing the planned withdrawal of most U.S. troops by the end of August.

In addition, Obama and Odierno discussed the recent certification of election results by Iraq's Federal Supreme Court and efforts to form an inclusive Iraqi government, according to White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton.

Odierno is responsible for determining the pace of withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, but the Obama administration has said the deadline for bringing home all but 50,000 troops by the end of August remains on schedule despite the recent spike in violence there.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Saturday found that 64 percent of Americans favor the president's plan to keep the 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of the summer, with 35 percent opposed.

But the national poll indicated that support for the planned removal could drop significantly if Iraq cannot solve its current problems in coming months.

With the ongoing reduction of troops in Iraq, the U.S. now has more troops in Afghanistan than Iraq for the first time since 2003.

Source: News

Posted by Jessie James

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama spoke by telephone Tuesday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express condolences for the deaths and injuries from Israel's raid on a Turkish ship that was part of a flotilla hauling relief supplies to blockaded Gaza, the White House said.

"The president told Prime Minister Erdogan that the United States is working in close consultation with Israel to help achieve the release of the passengers, including those deceased and wounded, and the ships themselves," according to the White House statement. "He also affirmed the United States position in support of a credible, impartial and transparent investigation of the facts surrounding this tragedy."

A statement posted on the website of the Turkish prime minister's press office said that in the hour-long conversation, Erdogan called the Israeli attack "an unacceptable act that was illegal and against international practices."

"Israel is about to face the danger of losing its only friend in the region that made the highest contribution to peace in the region," Erdogan said in the conversation, according to the website posting. "The steps that it will take in the coming days will determine its position in the region."

The White House said Obama cited the importance of finding better ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza without undermining Israel's security. The president emphasized the continuing U.S. commitment to working with Israel, Turkey and others "with a stake in a more stable and secure Middle East."

Israel began releasing activists detained from the Gaza flotilla Tuesday as humanitarian cargo aboard the ships was unloaded and taken into the blockaded Palestinian territory. At least nine people aboard the ships died in the Israeli raid, which also left seven Israeli soldiers injured.

Source: News

Posted by Jessie James

(CNN) -- An operation aimed at lessening the amount of oil gushing from an underwater well off the Louisiana coast was under way Tuesday, a BP official said.

"We want to minimize the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, and we're well into an operation to do that," BP Managing Director Bob Dudley said.

Within hours, he said, robots will begin making a series of cuts to the "lower marine riser package" on the well. After that, a diamond-cut saw will be used to make a "clean cut," preparing the way for a custom-made cap to be fitted over the package.

Meanwhile, President Obama will meet Tuesday with the heads of a new commission created to investigate how to prevent future oil spills.

White House aides said Obama will make public comments after meeting with former Sen. Bob Graham of Florida and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William Reilly. The two are leading a commission that has six months to issue a report with recommendations on how to prevent future spills resulting from offshore drilling.

Oil has been gushing from the undersea well since April 20, when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank. Government estimates are that up to 19,000 barrels (798,000 gallons) of oil a day are flowing into the Gulf.
Video: Frustration mounts over oil spill
Video: BP had previous problems with well
Video: Oil could hit Alabama by Wednesday
Video: BP wary of saying too much
RELATED TOPICS

* Gulf Coast Oil Spill
* BP plc
* Louisiana

Federal officials ordered another 1,200 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico closed to fishing Monday, extending the restricted zone toward the coasts of Alabama and Mississippi. About 26 percent of the Gulf is closed to fishing after National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts showed oil spreading across the water and toward those states' coasts this week.

Asked about his level of confidence in the capping procedure, given the fact that other operations aimed at stopping the spill have failed over the past 43 days, Dudley said the company has learned a lot from previous attempts. For instance, warm water will be pumped down in an effort to combat the formation of hydrates, or crystals, which blocked a previous containment vessel.

Although the engineering has never been attempted at a depth of 5,000 feet, Dudley said, it is "more straightforward" than that used in previous operations.

The operation represents the first of three containment steps BP plans to take, he said. After the cap is on, a second operation will create a second flow path through the blowout preventers, meaning there will be two flow paths to the surface.

"By the end of the month, we are engineering a completely separate system that will make it more storm-proof, with a free-standing riser that would allow for quick disconnects if needed," he said. "This engineering is different than the 'top kill' engineering."

If successful, the procedure will allow BP to collect most -- but not all -- of the oil spewing from the well. The long-term solution is the drilling of a relief well that will be in place by August.

BP, rig owner Transocean Ltd. and oilfield services company Halliburton have blamed each other for the disaster, which left 11 workers dead, but BP is responsible for cleanup under federal law.

The cutting that precedes the cap placement carries with it a risk of increasing the oil flow, Dudley acknowledged Tuesday. But "even with increased flow rate, this cap will be able to handle this."

Some scientists have said they believe that large plumes of oil are under the water's surface. However, scientists have not found evidence of the plumes, Dudley said. "They have found evidence of small decreases in oxygen levels," he said, which is expected when bacteria consume the oil.

"The science of the plumes hanging in the water doesn't feel right," he said. "We're absolutely taking these ideas seriously and looking at them. We haven't found them yet, and neither has the government."

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will head to the Gulf Coast on Tuesday to survey the spill and meet with state attorneys general and federal prosecutors from Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, the Justice Department said.

Last month, a group of senators -- including Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-California -- sent Holder a letter expressing concerns "about the truthfulness and accuracy of statements submitted by BP to the government in its initial exploration plan for the site" and asking Holder to investigate possible criminal and civil wrongdoing.

But in a reply to that letter last week, a Justice Department official did not say whether a criminal investigation had begun.

"The Department of Justice will take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure that those responsible for this tragic series of events are held fully accountable," Assistant Attorney General Ronald Welch wrote.

Late Monday, BP announced several modifications to its plan that will allow crews to collect more crude and prepare for a possible hurricane.

In mid-June, the company said it plans to add a separate riser to take oil and gas to a vessel on the surface to increase the efficiency of the containment operation.

A free-standing riser will be placed 300 feet below sea level by early July, with a flexible hose that can be disconnected during a hurricane, BP said.

Hurricane season begins Tuesday.

Source: News

Posted by Jessie James