Obama begins tough trip with family time in Ireland

Reporting from Dublin, Ireland—
President Obama lands Monday in Ireland to begin a weeklong visit to Europe, trying to forge a common way forward with allies facing two wars, turmoil in the Middle East, and economies still struggling to recover from the 2008 collapse.

But before he gets down to the hard stuff, Obama will indulge in a dash of the Irish roots politics so beloved by American presidents who trace their ancestry to this island.

The White House and Irish officials planned the one-day stop in Ireland around a drop-in visit to Moneygall, a one-pub village about 48 miles from Dublin on the road to Limerick. In 1850, Fulmouth Kearney, the second son of a Moneygall shoemaker, joined the mass exodus fleeing the Irish famine in hopes of finding a better life in America.

Now, 160 years later, his great-great-great-grandson returns as president of the United States, to be welcomed by a tiny village that sees its own possibilities for prosperity in the connection.

It won't be the first time. Whether greeting Irish American presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan or pouring a pint for Bill Clinton, the Irish have been eager to boast of their ties to the U.S. presidency. And presidents have been happy to go along with propping up an ethnic connection that could appeal to some voters. "There is special symbolism in going to the country of origin for many Americans of European immigrant descent," says Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, a political science professor at Northwestern University.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-obama-europe-20110523,0,7833376.story

Obama’s Remarks on the Strategy in Afghanistan

Good morning, everybody. When I announced our new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan last December, I directed my national security team to regularly assess our efforts and to review our progress after one year. That's what we've done consistently over the course of the past 12 months —- in weekly updates from the field, in monthly meetings with my national security team, and in my frequent consultations with our Afghan, Pakistani and coalition partners. And that's what we've done as part of our annual review, which is now complete.

I want to thank Secretary Clinton and Secretary Gates for their leadership. Since Joint Chief of Staff Chairman, Admiral Mullen, is in Afghanistan, I'm pleased that we're joined by Vice Chairman, General Cartwright.

Our efforts also reflect the dedication of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, whose memory we honor and whose work we'll continue. Indeed, the tributes to Richard that have poured in from around the globe speak to both the enormous impact of his life and to the broad international commitment to our shared efforts in this critical region.

I have spoken with President Karzai of Afghanistan as well as President Zardari of Pakistan and discussed our findings and the way forward together. Today, I want to update the American people on our review —- our assessment of where we stand and areas where we need to do better. I want to be clear. This continues to be a very difficult endeavor. But I can report that thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians on the ground, we are on track to achieve our goals.

It's important to remember why we remain in Afghanistan. It was Afghanistan where al Qaeda plotted the 9/11 attacks that murdered 3,000 innocent people. It is the tribal regions along the Afghan-Pakistan border from which terrorists have launched more attacks against our homeland and our allies. And if an even wider insurgency were to engulf Afghanistan, that would give al Qaeda even more space to plan these attacks.

And that's why, from the start, I've been very clear about our core goal. It's not to defeat every last threat to the security of Afghanistan, because, ultimately, it is Afghans who must secure their country. And it's not nation-building, because it is Afghans who must build their nation. Rather, we are focused on disrupting, dismantling and defeating al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and preventing its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future.

In pursuit of our core goal we are seeing significant progress. Today, al Qaeda's senior leadership in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan is under more pressure than at any point since they fled Afghanistan nine years ago. Senior leaders have been killed. It's harder for them to recruit; it's harder for them to travel; it's harder for them to train; it's harder for them to plot and launch attacks. In short, al Qaeda is hunkered down. It will take time to ultimately defeat al Qaeda, and it remains a ruthless and resilient enemy bent on attacking our country. But make no mistake -- we are going to remain relentless in disrupting and dismantling that terrorist organization.

In Afghanistan, we remain focused on the three areas of our strategy: our military effort to break the Taliban's momentum and train Afghan forces so they can take the lead; our civilian effort to promote effective governance and development; and regional cooperation, especially with Pakistan, because our strategy has to succeed on both sides of the border.

Indeed, for the first time in years, we've put in place the strategy and the resources that our efforts in Afghanistan demand. And because we've ended our combat mission in Iraq, and brought home nearly 100,000 of our troops from Iraq, we're in a better position to give our forces in Afghanistan the support and equipment they need to achieve their missions. And our drawdown in Iraq also means that today there are tens of thousands fewer Americans deployed in harm's way than when I took office.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/world/asia/17afghan-text.html?src=twrhp

Tax Deal Is Key to Avoid Recession, Obama Adviser

One of President Obama’s top economic advisers warned on Wednesday that the nation could slip back into recession if Congress did not pass the administration’s tax cut deal with Republicans, as the White House sought to press Democrats into backing the plan.

But Democrats in the House and Senate were still seething with anger — both about the substance of the deal, which includes keeping the Bush-era rates even on the highest incomes, and the way they were iced out of the negotiations. It was unclear that the ominous economic forecast would help. Senate Democrats said they were still pressing for changes to the plan, but Republicans and the White House showed no signs of flexibility.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who failed on Tuesday to persuade many of his old Senate colleagues to get behind the plan, met with House Democrats for more than an hour on Wednesday. Dozens of lawmakers lined up to voice their displeasure, and to ask if there was any chance of reworking the plan, especially a provision setting a generous tax emption for wealthy estates.

“There is a substantial amount of dissatisfaction with the deal that was cut,” Representative Jim McDermott, Democrat of Washington, said after the meeting. “The Democratic caucus put itself on notice that it would not vote for tax cuts for the wealthy because we can’t afford them and because they are not needed, and that’s the point one Democrat after another is making.”

The continuing anger in Congress raised the likelihood that the tax deal would be approved largely with Republican votes. Enough Senate Democrats were expected to support the plan to surmount any filibuster. And in the House, given Republican support, it seemed possible for the tax plan to be adopted even with two-thirds or more of Democrats voting against it.

The deal would extend for two years the Bush-era tax cuts at all income levels, not just on income up to $250,000 per couple as President Obama had sought. In exchange, Republicans agreed to the administration’s demands for a 13-month continuation of jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed, a one-year reduction in the payroll tax for nearly all workers, and other steps aimed at lifting the economy.

The plan also includes an agreement to reduce the estate tax, which lapsed completely this year but is set to return on Jan. 1 with an exemption of $1 million per person and a maximum rate of 55 percent. The deal will set the exemption, or unified credit, at $5 million per estate, and the maximum rate at 35 percent — a higher exemption and lower tax than many Democrats want.

The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, excoriated Democrats for trying to bring up several other issues, including an immigration bill and a Pentagon policy measure that includes authorization to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on open service by gay men and lesbians. Mr. McConnell urged the Democrats to bring the tax plan to the floor.

“Are we here to perform or to legislate?” Mr. McConnell asked, accusing the Democrats of forcing show votes on liberal ideals.

The majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, struggled on Wednesday to chart a path on several major items, including the tax proposal. Votes were tentatively scheduled for Thursday morning on the immigration measure, which would create a path to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants brought to the United States as young children, and on the military bill.

As attention focused mainly on the tax issue, House Democrats muscled through a stripped-down spending bill that would finance the federal government through Sept. 30 of next year, freezing the budgets of most agencies but including money for the war in Afghanistan.

The bill cuts nearly $46 billion from the president’s requested budget, and includes provisions for a two-year pay freeze for non-military federal employees.

The vote was 212 to 206, with 35 Democrats and all 171 Republicans in opposition.

With the president on the defensive with his own party, the White House marshaled an offensive that included circulating dozens of private-sector economic analyzes and endorsements from public officials.

But the big gun was the economic warning from Lawrence H. Summers, the soon-departing director of the White House National Economic Council.

“Failure to pass this bill in the next couple weeks would materially increase the risk that the economy would stall out and we would have a double-dip” recession, Mr. Summers told reporters at a briefing.

Mr. Obama, in a brief appearance with the president of Poland, rebutted a reporter’s question alluding to Congressional Democrats’ sense of betrayal.

“It is inaccurate to characterize Democrats writ large as feeling ‘betrayed,’ ” Mr. Obama said. “I think Democrats are looking at this bill, and you’ve already had a whole bunch of them who said this makes sense. And I think the more they look at it, the more of them are going to say this makes sense.”

The fight over the Bush-era rates would resume in the coming two years, Mr. Obama said, adding that he would make the case for “tax reform, that we’ve got to simplify the system.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/us/politics/09cong.html

Federal workers rage over President Obama's two-year wage freeze

federal workers in New York had a few choice words for President Obama's decision Monday to freeze their wages for the next two years.

"That's why Obama's ratings are below [ex-President George W.] Bush's, and that's hard to be unless you're Osama Bin Laden," said Rosemarie Clemmens of Manhattan.

Clemmens, who works for the Social Security Administration, said she voted for Obama but won't again. "I can't wait until I retire," the life-long government worker added.

Even the Secret Service and FBI, among other federal law enforcement agencies, are taking a hit thanks to Obama's decree.

"Federal law enforcement officers have been sacrificing for our country since the attacks on 9/11, and now we're being asked to bear the brunt of a failing economy," said Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.

"This is disheartening, but it won't dilute our honor for serving our country," he said, adding that a pay freeze should be a last resort, not the first.

Signaling a distinct shift toward austerity, Obama announced a two-year pay freeze for federal workers, saving up to $5 billion in two years, and $28 billion in five.

"The hard truth is getting this deficit under control is going to require some broad sacrifice, and that sacrifice must be shared by the employees of the federal government," Obama said.

Obama's lower lip was distinctly swollen after taking an elbow during a Friday basketball game, but he said doctors have cleared him to get back on the court.



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Obama pardons 2 turkeys on Thanksgiving Eve

A good-natured President Barack Obama on Wednesday spared the lives of two turkeys that played their own parts perfectly.

In what has become a Thanksgiving-eve ritual, Obama offered a presidential pardon to "Apple" and its pal "Cider." The turkeys remained calm and statesmanlike as the president blessed them with a pointed reminder of his own recent political woes.

"Let me say," Obama said, "that it feels pretty good to stop at least one shellacking this November."

Officially, Apple is now the National Thanksgiving Turkey. Cider is the feathered understudy. Both of the 21-week-old birds were raised on the Foster Farms' Wellsford Ranch, outside of Modesto, Calif. Both will now live out their remaining days at Mount Vernon, George Washington's home.

The turkeys will be part of a special holiday display through Jan. 6, and then will live with the estate's other livestock.

Yubert Envia and Ira Brister of Foster Farms served as the chief turkey wranglers during the Rose Garden ceremony. Before the event began Wednesday morning, Brister stood by while Apple gobbled away and checked out part of the Rose Garden.

Weighing in at 45 pounds, Apple attracted some tart audience observations about size that cannot be reprinted in a family newspaper.

While Obama spoke, Envia gently stroked Apple. It was also Envia to whom the self-described "leader of the most powerful nation on Earth" directed a post-pardon question.

"That's some kind of wattle," Obama marveled, upon approaching Apple. "Can someone explain to me what this whole wattle thing is about?"

For the record, a turkey's wattle helps keep the animal cool. It also serves as a show-off display. If they had had time, before the 10-minute-long event concluded, both Envia and Brister could have told Obama that, and a whole lot more.

Envia is the Foster Farms vice president for turkey and prepared food operations. He is also the chairman of the National Turkey Federation, which represents the commercial ranches that produce some 247 million turkeys annually. Foster Farms is ranked seventh nationwide among all turkey producers.

Brister is the Foster Farms turkey grower, a 31-year veteran of the poultry business. Brister directly oversaw the upbringing, selection and extensive pre-White House schooling of Apple and Cider.

"You don't want to wait until the last minute to start training them," Brister noted. "These are animals. You never know how they're going to react."

Apple, Cider and 23 other contenders were selected for special treatment when they were about 5 1/2 weeks old. The 25 turkeys were removed from the general population and sequestered in a specially constructed, 750-square-foot turkey barn.

Usually, turkeys are raised in facilities than span 20,000 square-feet or so. Also, turkeys usually are killed and eaten.

As part of their training, and selection, the candidate turkeys were exposed to music and crowds.

"It's kind of like a turkey version of 'Dancing with the Stars,'" Obama said, "except the stakes for the contestants were much higher."

Their names, kept under tight wraps until Wednesday, were selected by schoolchildren participating in California's Agriculture in the Classroom program.

In Washington, too, the turkeys have been in the lap of luxury since arriving Sunday. Accompanied by Brister and Envia, the animals were carted to the W Washington D.C. hotel, two blocks from the White House.

The turkeys slept in their own room, specially prepared with shavings on the floor. Whether Apple and Cider pecked access to the on-demand movie option is a matter between them and their handlers.

"We're pet-friendly," hotel general manager Ed Baten said, "although we usually don't see fowl."

The event Wednesday marked the 63rd time that a president has recognized a National Thanksgiving Turkey. The public relations conceit of a pardon only began with the first President Bush, in 1989. Before that, the birds served a more functional purpose.

"They used to eat the turkeys," Envia said.


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http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/24/1942139/obama-pardons-2-turkeys-on-thanksgiving.html#ixzz16GLp8tej

Obama Warns North Korea in Speech

SEOUL, South Korea — In a Veterans Day speech at a United States Army base in central Seoul, President Obama said Thursday that America remains committed to defending South Korea, and warned North Korea that it faces continued isolation unless it fulfills its commitments to give up nuclear weapons.

While Mr. Obama is in South Korea for a Group of 20 meeting on fixing the stricken global economy, relations with North Korea are also expected to be on the agenda, particularly in talks with the host nation. The United States and its allies are seeking ways to get North Korea to return to six-party talks aimed at convincing the North to drop its weapons program.

Mr. Obama will meet later Thursday with the South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, whose country’s relations with the North have become even more tense since the sinking in March of a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, apparently by a North Korean torpedo.

There are signs that there could be movement afoot as to the approach of the United States and its allies toward the reclusive regime of the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-il. Earlier this week, Mr. Lee dropped demands that the North apologize for the Cheonan’s sinking as a precondition of talks.

In a strongly worded statement made before thousands of soldiers and Marines gathered on a chilly morning, Mr. Obama called North Korea a starving nation whose economic failures were visible even from space, where at night “the brilliant lights of Seoul” can be seen giving way “to the utter darkness of the North.”

“But there is another path available to North Korea,” Mr. Obama said. “If they choose to fulfill their international obligations and commitments to the international community, they will have the chance to offer their people lives of growing opportunity instead of crushing poverty.”

During the speech, Mr. Obama also honored the 37,000 Americans and far larger number of South Koreans who died fighting the North during the 1950-53 Korean War. He also led the audience in a standing ovation for 62 veterans of that war who attended the speech at the Yongsan base, in the center of this city of gleaming skyscrapers and modern highways.

“Gentlemen, we are honored by your presence,” Mr. Obama said. “We are grateful for your service. And the world is better off because of what you did here.”


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Obama praises Indonesia's 'spirit of tolerance' as a model

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Speaking before thousands in the city that helped raise him, President Obama on Wednesday cited this country's transition from dictatorship to democracy as a model in an Islamic world often governed by unelected autocracies.

He also praised Indonesia - the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation - for a "spirit of tolerance that is written into your constitution, symbolized in your mosques and churches and temples, and embodied in your people," a quality worthy for all the world to emulate.

Obama received a warm welcome from the crowd of about 6,500 at the University of Indonesia, particularly when he spoke in Indonesian, as when he recalled buying satay and bakso from street vendors or referenced the national motto, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," or "Unity in Diversity."

"We are two nations which have traveled different paths. Yet our nations show that hundreds of millions who hold different beliefs can be united in freedom under one flag," Obama said.

The speech was cast by White House officials as part of the president's continuing outreach to Muslims, an effort he began last year in Cairo by calling for a "new beginning" between the United States and Islam.

But Muslim views of Obama around the world have worsened in several countries since then, and in the United States, a recent Pew Research Center poll found that nearly one in five Americans thinks the president is a Muslim, in part because of the time he spent here as a child. Obama describes himself as a practicing Christian.

The president's efforts to mend relations with the Islamic world were partly overshadowed by the reopening Tuesday of a rupture between the United States and Israel, a development that reflected his administration's struggle to strike a balance that satisfies either side in the Middle East conflict.

Obama criticized Israel for undermining two-month-old peace talks with new plans to build on land that Palestinians claim as their future capital. At a news conference Tuesday evening, he said of the Israeli government's project to construct 1,300 apartments in East Jerusalem,"This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations."

Israelis and Palestinians both claim rights to Jerusalem, and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded to Obama by asserting in a statement that "Jerusalem isn't a settlement - Jerusalem is the capital of Israel."

Israel's construction in the occupied eastern part of the city, seized by the Israeli army in the 1967 Middle East war, has infuriated Palestinians, who view the work as a slow erosion of their future state.

Obama and his advisers have, at times, sought to play down his upbringing in Indonesia, but he embraced it on Wednesday during his brief visit.

"Let me begin with a simple statement," he told the audience, which included students, civil activists and others. "Indonesia is a part of me."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/09/AR2010110906579.html?wprss=rss_print

My trip will strengthen India-US ties: Obama

New Delhi: US President Barack Obama on Monday said that his India trip would improve and strengthen relations between the two countries. Speaking at the Rahstrapati Bhawan after receiving a ceremonial welcome, Obama said that USA and India were the two largest democracies in the world and shared a core set of values.

"Warmest regards from the people of America for the people of India. I thank all the people of India. The trip has been taken to strengthen the relation between India and US. We are two largest democracies in the world, we share people to people contact, we share core set of values," said the US President.

Obama said that United States intended to strengthen what has already been an incredible partnership between the two countries to what would "be a defining partnership of the 21st century".

"I am looking forward to the bilateral meeting (with Manmohan Singh) to discuss issues like counter-terrorism, commercial ties and strengthen our bilateral relations on international economy. We can build on people to people ties. Millions of Indian Americans contribute so much to our country. India is not simply an emerging power but a world power," he said. 

He added that the two countries would work on international principles and for peace and stability not only for the two countries but for the entire world.Earlier, the US President was given a ceremonial welcome and tri-service Guard of Honour at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Obama along with his wife Michelle was received by President Pratibha Patil, her husband Devisingh Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with his wife Gursharan Kaur at Rashtrapati Bhawan after which the national anthems of India and USA played.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and Defence Minister AK Antony were also present at the Rashtrapati Bhavan before the US first couple pulled up in their black limousine.

Counter terrorism one of the top agenda for Obama in India: White House

Counter-terrorism co-operation between India and the US would be on top of the agenda of President Barack Obama when he travels to Mumbai and New Delhi next week, the White House said on Friday. "Our first stop is a ceremony that commemorates the lives lost on November 26, 2008, in a horrific terrorist attack," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters at his daily news conference.

"We have unprecedented cooperation with the Indian military. We do more exercises now than we have ever before with them. And our relationship on counter terrorism and subjects of the like is tremendously important," he said.

"This will be the subject of some of the talks that the President has with Prime Minister Singh and the subject to the very first stop on the trip," Gibbs said in response to a question.

"This is a rapidly growing region of the world; Asia and India is a rapidly growing -- it’s the largest democracy in the world. Its economy is moving quickly. And our investment -- our partnership is paying benefits in our ability to increase our exports and create -- and support jobs here in America. Both of those will be highlighted by the President on this trip," Gibbs said.

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