In light of North Korea's missile test this weekend, President Obama just said the United States will "redouble our efforts" to crack down on North Korea's nuclear development program.
"North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs pose a great threat to the peace and security of the world and I strongly condemn their most reckless action," Obama said in an impromptu statement at the White House.
He said the three short-range missile test was in "blatant violation" or international law and "contradict[ed] North Korea's own prior commitements."
"The United States and the international community must take action in response," Obama said.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
President Obama issued a stern statement early Monday morning in response to news that North Korea has conducted another test of a nuclear explosive.
North Korea launched three short-range missiles that could be used to carry a nuclear bomb. This is the country's second test in about seven weeks.
"These actions, while not a surprise given its statements and actions to date, are a matter of grave concern to all nations," Obama said. "North Korea's attempts to develop nuclear weapons, as well as its ballistic missile program, constitute a threat to international peace and security."
North Korea tested a long-range missile on April 5 that the U.S. said at the time was a failure.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, though, Obama and other nations appear to be taking this recent test more seriously.
"The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants action by the international community," Obama said. "We have been and will continue working with our allies and partners in the Six-Party Talks as well as other members of the U.N. Security Council in the days ahead."
Read more...
Well, maybe. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, after taking a spin on Air Force One last week, said President Obama invited him to play basketball at the White House, Sports Illustrated reports.
Warner talked to Obama the day after the Super Bowl, when Warner's Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then, when Warner and Obama met last week, Obama "asked him to play hoops at the White House," according to SI.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
On Memorial Day weekend, President Obama paid tribute to the country's troops in his weekly radio and internet address.
"Our fighting men and women - and the military families who love them - embody what is best in America," Obama said. "And we have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us."
Obama said that the public often does not live up to that responsibility.
"We have failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve," the president said. "That is a betrayal of the sacred trust that America has with all who wear - and all who have worn - the proud uniform of our country."
Obama went on to say that he is expanding the Department of Veterans Affairs with the "largest single-year funding increase in three decades." To help pay for it, Obama said he signed legislation last week to eliminate inefficicencies in defense projects that he believes will save taxpayers "tens of billions of dollars."
The president also touted a post 9/11 GI Bill that will provide this generation of the military the opportunity to earn a college degree.
Obama urged listeners to pay tribute to veterans in any way possible.
Read more...
Organizing for America tapped President Obama's campaign email list again Friday to distribute a message seeking volunteers for a nationwide action to "kick off" healthcare reform on June 6.
"Remember this date: Saturday, June 6th, 2009. We will look back on that day as the moment when the fight for real health care reform began in your neighborhood -- perhaps even in your own living room," reads the message, attributed to David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager who now oversees Organizing for America, a Democratic National Committee-affiliated off-shoot of the campaign.
"On June 6th, in thousands of homes across the country, we'll gather to launch our grassroots campaign for health care," the email says, going on the explain that participants who sign up will get access to a conference call featuring remarks by Obama
"These gatherings on June 6th are just the beginning of a battle between those who fought and believe in change and those who would protect a broken status quo. The stakes for our country could not be greater," the message says.
Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress have vowed to enact a comprehensive healthcare reform bill by the end of the year. The first real tests will come in June when congressional committees introduce the first drafts of the legislation.
It looks like some congressional Democrats, even some who support President Obama on the issue, are becoming increasingly skeptical of the president's deadline for closing the prison center at Guantanamo Bay.
Check out what Rep. James Moran (D-Va.) said Thursday morning on CNN:
Q: "Does this mean that deadline is not going be met of January of next year?"
REP. JIM MORAN (D-VA): "I don't see how it can be met. No, I think the White House lost that when they failed to give us adequate information, failed to engage in the debate."
This is the same member that put out a release agreeing wholeheartedly with Obama's speech this morning.
"President Obama stated that we are a country governed by the rule of law and a beacon for freedom and justice to the rest of the world," Moran said. "In his view, keeping Guantanamo open and holding detainees without charge indefinitely makes us less safe and secure, and has created more terrorists than it ever held. I couldn't agree more."
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) released a statement Wednesday evening that should serve as a primer for Republican response to President Obama's big national security speech today. (At least this time he didn't call it a "pre-buttal.")
Boehner stresses the GOP's message this week: We don't want detainees coming to the U.S.
"Like a solid majority of Americans, Republicans strongly oppose releasing terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay facility or transferring them to the United States, and we believe that governors and state legislatures should pre-approve the transfer or release of any terrorist detainee into their respective states if this Administration chooses to act on its ow," he said.
Boehner also referenced FBI Director Robert Mueller's testimony on Wednesday on his concerns about closing the prison (who called that?!).
"Director Robert Mueller made clear today that the FBI has serious concerns about bringing terrorists like the mastermind of the September 11th attacks into federal prisons. The President tomorrow has an opportunity to outline a comprehensive strategy for keeping America safe, including how he will keep all of the terrorists at the Guantanamo prison off American soil," he said. "The decision to close this terrorist prison without a clear alternative was a regrettable one, and I hope the President will reconsider it as he did on the detainee photos and military commissions. Doing so will send a powerful message to the American people and the rest of the world about his determination to keep our nation safe."
Look for more of the same from Republicans - and Dick Cheney - today.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close ally of 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain (Ariz.), said the "biggest mistake" of the Bush administration was how it handled the issue of military commissions for terror detainees - a mistake President Barack Obama seems determined to avoid by being more inclusive.
"They wanted to do it within the executive branch," Graham said of the Bush administration. "They really kind of shunned independent judicial review. They didn't work with the Congress. They set up rules that just made people uncomfortable. Now we've a chance to start over. And the president, to his great credit, is more collaborative with Congress. He wants to come back and get a new commission deal. He's very open-minded to a new role for the judiciary that didn't exist before.
"And I support that, because I want people to know they're not imprisoned here because Dick Cheney said so. You're imprisoned here only if an independent judiciary with no axe to grind agrees with the military that you're part of the enemy force and then you still have a shot at getting out with an annual review process. But I want the American people to know we're not looking at these folks as if they robbed a liquor store. If we go down that road, we'll lose public support for the complete system... I'm looking for a do-over, a start-over."
Most Viewed RSS Feed »
