President Obama: Iran Must Halt Nuclear Work For At Least A Decade

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during an exclusive interview with Reuters in the Library of the White House in Washington March 2, 2015. Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Reuters: Exclusive: Obama says Iran must halt nuclear work for at least a decade

(Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that Iran should commit to a verifiable freeze of at least 10 years on its nuclear activity for a landmark atomic deal to be reached, but said the odds were still against sealing a final agreement.

In an interview with Reuters at the White House, Obama said that a rift over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress opposing the Iran deal on Tuesday was a distraction that would not be "permanently destructive" to U.S. Israeli ties.

More News From Reuters Interview With President Obama

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Exclusive: Full text of Reuters interview

This Is One Strange Selfie Video Of The President Of The United States

Investors.com: Obama's Childish Selfie Indulgence Diminishes Presidency

Leadership: As our narcissist in chief poses and preens with a selfie stick in a BuzzFeed video, the world comes apart at the seams and chaos reigns. Have we ever had a less serious person in the White House?

The BuzzFeed selfie-video — titled "Things Everybody Does But Doesn't Talk About, Featuring President Obama" — was done, supposedly, to promote ObamaCare signups. But the visual of the president yucking it up at a time of growing danger will travel around the world, sending the most dangerous of messages to friend and foe alike.

WNU Editor: This is one very strange video .... no other White House in history would have ever permitted such a a video to be released in such a format because they know how it would be interpreted overseas. But this White House .... I guess their priorities are different.

On a side note I sent this video to some friends in Moscow and Beijing and I asked them if President Putin or President Xi would ever do this .... there first response was shock at seeing the video .... and no .... Putin or Xi would never be profiled in such a manner because it would give the wrong image on "The Office of the President".

President Obama Talks With Vox Executive Editor Matthew Yglesias About War, Peace, The Middle East, China, Terrorism, Foreign Aid, And More.

Matthew Yglesias, VOX: The Obama Interview

Years before he was a national figure, Barack Obama delivered a speech at a rally against the proposed invasion of Iraq that became integral to his underdog primary campaign in 2008. "I don't oppose all wars," he said. "What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war." And yet an actual presidential foreign policy is far more complex than a single speech. The world is vast, and modern technology has rendered war less a binary choice than a broad spectrum of possible uses of force. When Obama sat down with Vox in late January, we asked him not about the crises of the day but about the big ideas that shape his thinking on America's relationship to the world outside our borders.

WNU Editor: The above video is Part II .... on foreign policy. Part One of the interview is on domestic issues. That link is here.

Update: The Obama Undoctrine -- Updated by Matthew Yglesias, VOX

WNU Editor: There is a lot to digest in this interview .... and while I do not feel comfortable with his "world view" .... others have a different point of view. So I leave it to you .... the reader .... to take what you can from this interview.

President Obama's Statement On The Attack In France Has No Mention On Why These Cartoonists Were Killed

President Obama's Statement On The Attack In France -- White House

 
Following today's tragic shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, President Obama strongly condemned the attack, and offered the Administration's thoughts and prayers to both the victims of the attack and the people of France.

You can read President Obama's full statement here:

I strongly condemn the horrific shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris that has reportedly killed 12 people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this terrorist attack and the people of France at this difficult time. France is America’s oldest ally, and has stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the fight against terrorists who threaten our shared security and the world. Time and again, the French people have stood up for the universal values that generations of our people have defended. France, and the great city of Paris where this outrageous attack took place, offer the world a timeless example that will endure well beyond the hateful vision of these killers. We are in touch with French officials and I have directed my Administration to provide any assistance needed to help bring these terrorists to justice.

WNU Editor: No mention of Islam, militant Muslims, Islamic terrorists, etc.. Nope ... no mention at all in his statement or in his remarks (see above video) on why this magazine was targeted and why they were killed. At least he is mentioning that it is was a terrorist attack .... unlike what his press spokesman said earlier today.

In Response To Yesterday's Elections, President Obama Threatens Vetoes And Executive Orders

WHAT LANDSLIDE? Obama Threatens Vetoes And Executive Orders – Including Immigration Reform THIS YEAR – After Americans Reject Him By Giving Republicans Historic Gains In Congress -- Daily Mail

* 'Congress will pass some bills I cannot sign,' the president warned
* He has only vetoed two minor bills since his inauguration in 2009
* And 'I'll take some actions that some in Congress will not like,' Obama added, referring to threatened executive orders including a move on immigration
* President sounded more like a winner than a loser despite his policies being repudiated on a national scale
* Never articulated a single policy where he would shift his position to align with GOP majorities in both halves of Congress

President Barack Obama came out swinging on Wednesday just 14 hours after a Republican wave swept over the U.S. Congress in an election that largely repudiated his policies.

'Congress will pass some bills I cannot sign,' he said, threatening to dust off a veto pen that he has used only twice in nearly six years.

And he hinted at executive orders that will enrage conservatives.

'I'm pretty sure I'll take some actions that some in Congress will not like,' he said. 'That's natural. That's how Democracy works.'

Read more ....

My Comment: He says that he heard what the electorate said yesterday .... but as today's news conference continued (see above video) .... I had trouble believing that he will act in the matter that he says he will. As President he has never compromised on the big issues with Republicans .... I hope that I am wrong .... but .... my expectation is that he will continue this trend.

Why Did President Obama Skipped The Start Of This Week's NATO Meeting?

U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to speak at a news conference on the second and final day of the NATO summit at the Celtic Manor resort, near Newport, in Wales September 5, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Yves Herman

Obama Absent For Start Of NATO Meeting -- The Hill

President Obama was nowhere to be found during the beginning of a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine commission in Wales on Thursday.

Obama was "noticeably absent" from the start of the meeting, according to a White House pool report, although U.S. Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute was in attendance.

Obama was late to the Ukraine meeting because of other meetings on Afghanistan and a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan, according to a White House official.

Back at the Ukraine meeting, leaders were addressed by NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen, who urged Russia to stop the "illegal" annexation of Crimea.

Read more ....

My Comment: My gut tells me that his mind was elsewhere .... probably doing this .... and in the end he wanted to be here. Lucky guy .... I certainly would have loved to play golf at that resort .... and I would have definitely loved to visit Stonehenge with no crowds and screaming kids. On a side note .... these pictures of him being alone at the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian Pyramids, and now Stonehenge .... please .... this has to stop .... I am becoming green with envy.

Is This The Real Reason Why Presdient Obama Is At The NATO Summit In Europe This Week?

Is This Why Obama Is Rushing To This Week's NATO Summit? -- Zero Hedge

As is well-known, tomorrow, September 4, a NATO summit begins in Wales to discuss and coordinate the western response to ongoing "Russian intervention" in Ukraine (not to be confused by US intervention in Ukraine meant to remove an standing, democratically-elected president), a summit for which Barack Obama has demonstrated impressive enthusiasm following his blitz tour of Europe, a continent reeling on the edge of a recessionary abyss courtesy of the "costs" Obama has imposed on Germany Russia in the aftermath of the Victoria Nuland-instituted local Kiev government.

Perhaps it has something to do with this...

Read more ....

My Comment: Now that is a golf course/resort. I am betting that President Obama will be playing at least two games on this course during the NATO summit.

President Obama Prepares To Head To Europe To Reassure Allies On U.S. Committment

U.S. President Barack Obama holds a news conference on the second day of the NATO Summit in Chicago (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters).

From Syria To Ukraine, Crises Fill The Obama-NATO Agenda -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama heads to Europe next week, looking to assure nervous allies of the United States’ commitment to the region, as NATO prepares to beef up forces amid fears that Russia will step up its provocations beyond Ukraine.

Obama arrives in Estonia late Tuesday, where he’ll meet with the presidents of the three Baltic states, along with U.S. and Estonian troops. He’ll also travel to Wales to meet with world leaders at a NATO summit, as the group that was created in 1949 to bolster security against the Soviet Union finds itself gearing up to respond to a new type of Russian aggression.

“The two stops are essentially part of the same effort to send a message to the Russians that their behavior is unacceptable,” said Charles Kupchan, senior director for European affairs on the National Security Council.

Read more ....

My Comment: ISIS, Ukraine, Russia .... it is going to be a busy week. But will he be offering concrete policies and a plan of action separate from what has already been discussed .... I guess we will know in the next few days.

Is What President Obama Wearing More Important Than What He Says?

Twitter is literally exploding with delight over President Obama’s tan suit. pic.twitter.com/4OQu6QvO0L
— MashableLIVE (@MashableLive) August 28, 2014

That Time Obama Wore A Tan Suit And Twitter Freaked Out -- CNN

(CNN) – President Barack Obama on Thursday took some questions in the White House press briefing room about serious subject matters - ISIS, Iraq, Syria, Russia.

But the reaction on Twitter was largely focused on his rarely worn tan suit.

Within seconds of stepping into the room, tweets were already firing off about Obama's pre-Labor Day attire. And by the end of the news conference, a few Twitter handles had been created in honor of the suit.

Read more ....

My Comment: When I read stories like this one .... I sometimes wonder if we are doomed?

President Obama's Statement From The White House Briefing Room (August 28, 2014, 16:00 EST)

President Obama's Vacation Is Now Over: He Will Be Meeting With His National Security Council In The Situation Room This Afternoon At 16:00 EST

President Barack Obama meets in the Situation Room with his national security advisers, Saturday, August 31, 2013.

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Obama Meeting With National Security Council in Situation Room This Afternoon -- Weekly Standard

After news broke this morning of Russia furthering its invasion of Ukraine, the White House announced that President Obama will meet with the National Security Council later this afternoon in the Situation Room:

Later in the afternoon, the President will meet with members of the National Security Council in the Situation Room. The Vice President will participate remotely via a secure line. This meeting is closed press.

4:00PM THE PRESIDENT meets with members of the National Security Council; the VICE PRESIDENT will also participate

The Situation Room

Closed Press

Read more ....

My Comment: Here is an easy prediction .... this is going to be a very long meeting.

Sunday Times: Presdient Obama Delayed James Foley Rescue For Almost A Month

A masked Islamic State militant holding a knife speaks next to man purported to be U.S. journalist James Foley at an unknown location in this still image from an undated video posted on a social media website. Credit: Reuters/Social Media Website via REUTERS TV

Report: Obama Delayed James Foley Rescue a Month, Fretting Over His Image And Golfing -- Breitbart

According to a new Sunday Times report by Toby Harden, "Pentagon sources said Foley and the others might well have been rescued but Obama, concerned about the ramifications of US troops being killed or captured in Syria, took too long to authorise the mission."

It's claimed that Obama was concerned about his administration being Carterized had the mission failed.

For President Barack Obama the decision to send in the Night Stalkers was an agonising one. The audacious bin Laden raid in Pakistan had been a success but also preying on his mind was the failed 1980 Delta Force operation to rescue American hostages in Tehran. Sandstorms and mechanical troubles led the mission to be abandoned and eight American troops were killed when two aircraft collided. The debacle cast a shadow over Jimmy Carter’s presidency.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is the difference between Putin and Obama. Putin would not have hesitated .... he would have accepted the very real possibility that hostages and soldiers would be killed .... but he would be at peace with himself knowing that this would be the right thing to do .... to stop the suffering of someone who does not deserve to suffer one day longer. President Obama .... a totally different mindset in a totally different political environment .... image and his need to come to terms with himself that failure may be the end result .... this is the perception that he is always giving when it comes to making major national security decisions. He is someone who clearly needs to take his time, and this is why some of his decisions show indecisiveness .... and in the James Foley case .... glaringly so.

President Obama Delivers A Statement On The Murder Of Journalist James Foley

Obama, Outraged Over Beheading, Vows To Stay On Course -- New York Times

EDGARTOWN, Mass. — President Obama declared Wednesday that the entire world was “appalled” by the beheading of an American journalist by militants in Syria, but vowed that America would not change course in Iraq, where the United States has been conducting airstrikes against terrorists, despite threats by the group to kill another reporter in the days ahead.

“The United States of America will continue to do what we must do to protect our people,” Mr. Obama said in a brief statement from Martha’s Vineyard, where he was vacationing. “We will be vigilant and we will be relentless.”

Before speaking to reporters, Mr. Obama said, he placed a phone call to the parents of James Foley, the slain reporter, telling them that Americans were “are all heartbroken at their loss.” He described Mr. Foley as a “journalist, a son, a brother and a friend who was “taken from us in an act of violence that shocked the conscience of the entire world.”

Read more ....

More News On President Obama's Statement On The Murder Of Journalist James Foley

Foley beheading video shocks the world, Obama says -- BBC
Text of Obama’s remarks on slain journalist -- Washington Post
Obama Denounces Beheading of U.S. Journalist -- WSJ
Obama, allies vow firm response to Islamic State -- Bloomberg Businesssweek/AP
World 'Appalled' by James Foley Beheading, Obama Says -- ABC News
Obama vows to fight IS 'cancer' after killing -- Al Jazeera
Obama Vows to Protect Americans After Video of Journalist’s Execution -- New York Times

The Greying Of President Obama In 42 Seconds -- A Time-Lapse (2009-2014)

My Comment: This is what happens when you play too much golf.

President Obama's Reason For Returning To Washington In The Middle Of His Vacation Is Still Unknown

Obama Heads Back To Vacation After Unexplained DC Trip -- The Hill

President Obama went back to his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard Tuesday evening following less than 48 hours in Washington, leaving people puzzled over why he came back in the first place.

Obama’s two days in Washington were mostly quiet, and concluded with the president receiving his daily national security briefing in the morning, and joining Vice President Biden to huddle with members of his economic team in the afternoon.

Administration officials have insisted for weeks that the president just wanted to return to the White House for a series of meetings, but the explanation was met with a healthy dose of skepticism, since Obama rarely interrupts his vacations.

Read more ....

My Comment: Human beings are creatures of habit .... in the case of President Obama .... he is not in the habit of interrupting his vacation. There is probably more to his return to Washington than what is being disclosed .... and I also suspect that the reason why will remain a mystery for a long time.

Why Is President Obama 'Secretly' Returning To Washington This Sunday?

President Barack Obama makes a statement on the situation in Iraq from Chilmark, Mass., August 11, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Why Is Obama Returning To Washington? -- The Hill

President Obama won't make any major announcements on immigration reform during his secretive mid-vacation trip back to Washington next week, the White House said Wednesday.

The president is expected to return to the White House on Sunday, but officials won't say why Obama is taking the unusual, and costly, trip back to Washington. He's expected to return to Martha's Vineyard, where he's been vacationing, on Tuesday.

Speculation has circled around whether Obama might make an announcement of executive actions he's taking on immigration reform, or a surprise visit from a foreign leader.

Read more ....

My Comment: Something is "cooking' .... or .... he wants to silence the critics who have been saying that he is disengaged with all of the crisis that are now breaking out in the world. Either way .... we are going to find out why he decided to travel back to Washington by next week.

Is President Obama Detached As The World Burns?

Obama Vacations As The World Burns -- Dana Milbank, Washington Post

President Obama must really be teed off.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, his once-loyal secretary of state and his likeliest successor, has gone rogue, criticizing his foreign policy as too timid.

Obama responded with not one but two rounds of golf.

Clinton, in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg published by the Atlantic over the weekend, offered a withering comment on the Obama doctrine, described in shorthand by White House officials as “don’t do stupid s---.” Said Clinton: “Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle.”

As the criticism became public, Obama was doggedly sticking with his plans to go on vacation — a decision that, if not in the category of stupid stuff, could fit under the heading of “tone deafness.”

Read more ....

My Comment: The world and the U.S. will survive .... but one cannot help but feel that the U.S. will soon be facing "tough times". On a side note .... some are wondering if President Obama is more obsessed with playing golf rather than reading his intelligence briefs .... Cheney: Obama Probably Not Reading His Intelligence Reports -- Breitbart.

President Obama Tells U.S. Lawmakers That Criticism of His Syria Policy is 'Horsesh*t'

Candid camera: Official photographer Pete Souza caught the split-second reaction of Obama, VP Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after she accidentally dropped all of her briefing papers onto the Oval Office rug

Exclusive: Obama Told Lawmakers Criticism Of His Syria Policy Is 'Horsesh*t' -- Josh Rogin, Daily Beast

Hillary Clinton and Congressmen alike have called on Obama to arm Syria’s rebels. But the President fumed at lawmakers in a private meeting for suggesting he should’ve done more.

President Obama got angry at lawmakers who suggested in a private meeting that he should have armed the Syrian rebels, calling the criticism “horseshit.”

The argument that America should have done more in Syria, made for years by foreign policy leaders in both parties and several members of Obama’s senior national security team, was brought back to the fore this past weekend. Obama and Hillary Clinton gave dueling interviews in which they publicly split on whether the security and humanitarian catastrophe in Syria could have been avoided if the United States had played a larger role. Obama’s outburst on July 31, one week prior, reveals the criticism was already getting to him, even before the White House tried to deflect Clinton’s remarks as pre-presidential political posturing.

Read more ....

My Comment: With hindsight .... we are all geniuses. In the case of these lawmakers criticizing President Obama's Syrian policy .... I do recall last year how many of these same politicians were adamant that President Obama should not launch air strikes on the Assad regime after Syrian President Assad was accused of launching a chemical attack that killed approximately 1,000 Syrians. But this is how Washington operates .... and after Hillary Clinton's criticism over the weekend .... expect more criticisms of President Obama's foreign policy in the months to come .... followed by even greater blow-back from the White House.

Pesident Obama On Vacation

The Obamas will return to Martha's Vineyard today to vacation in this 17 room, $12 million home

War On Golf: Obama Is Escorted By SWAT Team And Two Snipers As He Enjoys Second Day On The Course As Conflict Rages In Iraq -- Daily Beast

* President Obama was escorted to the Farm Neck Golf Club, in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, Sunday by a huge motorcade, which included a SWAT team and two snipers
* Sporting a United States Secret Service baseball cap, Obama seemed reasonably relaxed despite the hefty protection
* Moments before he flew to Martha's Vineyard Saturday, he held a press conference during which he refused to put forward a timetable for a resolution to the fighting in Iraq
* Obama said that rebuilding Iraq is going to be a 'long-term project'
* After he arrived Saturday, the president played a round of golf with ex-NFL player Ahmad Rashad and NBA's Ray Allen
* U.S. jet fighters carried out four airstrikes on militants today taking out armored carriers and a truck firing on civilians

As conflict continued in Iraq, President Barack Obama waged a different kind of war during his vacation at Martha's Vineyard - on the golf course.

Obama was escorted to the Farm Neck Golf Club, in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, by a huge motorcade, which included a SWAT team and two snipers who peered out of an open trunk.

Sporting a United States Secret Service baseball cap, Obama seemed reasonably relaxed despite the hefty protection, laughing and chatting with his golfing buddies in between holes. Obama fled Washington for his family's familiar vacation spot yesterday for a two-week summer break.

Read more ....

My Comment: Nice digs.

President Obama Delivers A Statement (Live)

Update: President Obama's remarks and statement have concluded.