Obama: Libyan bloodshed is 'outrageous' and 'unacceptable'

President Obama condemned Libya's government today for armed attacks on its citizens and said the United States is working with global allies to pressure the regime of Moammar Gadhafi.

"The suffering and bloodshed is outrageous, and it is unacceptable," Obama said at the White House. "So are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters and further punish the people of Libya."

He said, "These actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency. This violence must stop."

In his first on-camera comments on Libya's unrest, Obama announced that he is dispatching Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Geneva on Monday to discuss the international response with the Human Rights Council.

With Clinton at his side, Obama said he has ordered his staff "to prepare the full range of options that we have to respond to this crisis." He noted that the European Union, the Arab League, the African Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and many individual nations have condemned the violence in Libya.

"This is not simply a concern of the United States," Obama said. "The entire world is watching."

Obama said, "We are doing everything we can to protect American citizens -- that is my highest priority. In Libya, we've urged our people to leave the country, and the State Department is assisting those in need of support."

Obama did not mention Gadhafi by name during his seven-minute speech.

The administration also continues to monitor events in Egypt, Tunisia and other Middle East countries where there have been demonstrations against authoritarian rule. He said, "The change that is taking place across the region is being driven by the people of the region. "

"This change doesn't represent the work of the United States or any foreign power," Obama said. "It represents the aspirations of people who are seeking a better life."

The president quoted a Libyan who said, "We just want to be able to live like human beings."

"We just want to be able to live like human beings," Obama repeated. "It is the most basic of aspirations that is driving this change."