Barack Obama Live Blog

1 day 1 hour ago - United States

Artist Shepard Fairey, whose iconic Hope poster become a staple of the 2008 campaign of Barack Obama, has voiced his support for the now worldwide Occupy movement.

In a reference to the 2008 image, Fairey has placed a Guy Fawkes mask in a layout as the image of the now US president.

This image represents my support for the Occupy movement, a grassroots movement spawned to stand up against corruption, imbalance of power, and failure of our democracy to represent and help average Americans. On the other hand, as flawed as the system is, I see Obama as a potential ally of the Occupy movement if the energy of the movement is perceived as constructive, not destructive.

Tags Barack Obama, Guy Fawkes, Occupy Protests, shepard fairey
6 days 11 hours ago - Washington DC

Jay Carney, US President Barack Obama's spokesperson, has suggested that the president believes that deciding how to deal with protesters is a local government issue.

Carney said that Obama hopes that a balance can be found between protecting citizens' freedom of assembly and speech with the need for public order, health and safety.

Regarding Tuesday's raid in New York City, Carney said Obama was "aware of it".

Tags Barack Obama, Occupy Protests
1 week 10 hours ago - Syria

The White House says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is growing increasingly isolated as the crisis drags on, and has reiterated the US government's position that he has lost his legitmacy to rule the country.

"It is clear that the Assad regime is continuing to be isolated, that the political pressure on them is building," said Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman.

 

Tags Barack Obama, Bashar al Assad, United States, White House
1 week 1 day ago - Honolulu

A popular Hawaiian recording artist turned a top-security dinner of Pacific Rim leaders hosted by President Barack Obama into a subtle protest with a song in support of the "Occupy" movement.

Makana, who goes by one name, was enlisted to play a luau, or Hawaiian feast, Saturday night for leaders assembled in Obama's birthplace Honolulu for an annual summit that is formulating plans for a Pacific free-trade pact.

But in the midst of the dinner on the resort strip Waikiki Beach, he pulled open his jacket to reveal a T-shirt that read "Occupy with Aloha," using the Hawaiian word whose various meanings include love and peace. He then sang a marathon version of his new song "We Are The Many."

"I was pretty nervous. In fact I was terrified. I kept thinking 'what are the consequences going to be?'" Makana, 33, told the AFP news agency.

"It was incredibly comical. I was terrified but also enjoying it," he said.

Makana, who was born Matthew Swalinkavich, said the song prompted awkward stares from a few of those present but the Obamas appeared too absorbed with their guests to notice what was happening.

The performance occurred at a dinner for summmit participants from 21 economies around the Asia-Pacific, including Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, amid a security lockdown in Waikiki.

As Makana sang, about 400 protesters including anti-globalisation and native Hawaiian rights activists staged a protest march toward the dinner site but turned back after encountering security.

Makana released the song on the Internet the day before and decided to play it at the urging of fans, he said.

Inspired by the anti-capitalist movement that began with the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations in New York, it denounces Washington politicians, corporate greed and what he sees as an unfair American economic system.

The song features the refrain, "We'll occupy the streets, we'll occupy the courts, we'll occupy the offices of you, till you do the bidding of the many, not the few."

He sang it "over and over" for 40 minutes, varying his tempo and delivery to avoid triggering an overt reaction.

"Whenever I felt the heat might come down, I would ease off. It was a very careful procedure," he said.  [AFP]

Tags Barack Obama, Hawaii, Occupy Protests, Waikiki
1 week 2 days ago - Syria

US President Barack Obama on Saturday praised the "leadership" of the Arab League after the grouping suspended Syria in a move further deepening the isolation of the government in Damascus.

"The United States joins with the Arab League in its support for the Syrian people, who continue to demand their universal rights in the face of the regime's callous violence," Obama said in a written statement. - AFP

For the full story: Syria threatened with Arab League suspension

Tags Arab League, Barack Obama
4 weeks 1 day ago - Tunisia

US President Barack Obama congratulated Tunisians on Sunday's vote, which he described as "an important step forward."

"The United States reaffirms its commitment to the Tunisian people as they move toward a democratic future that offers dignity, justice, freedom of expression, and greater economic opportunity for all," he said in a statement.

Peruvian ex-president Alejandro Toledo, an election observer, said in Tunis: "For my point of view there is already a winner, and the winner is democracy."

- AFP

Tags Barack Obama, United States
7 weeks 3 days ago - Yemen

President Barack Obama said Friday the killing of US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was a "major blow" to Al-Qaeda's Yemeni franchise and vowed to be relentless in destroying global terror networks.

Earlier this morning, Anwar al Awlaki a leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was killed in Yemen. The death of Awlaki is a major blow to al- Qaeda's most active operational affiliate 4205 Awlaki was the leader of external operations for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

In that role, he took the lead in planning and directing efforts  to murder innocent Americans. He directed the failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas day in 2009, He directed the failed attempt to blow up US cargo planes in 2010 and he repeatedly called on individuals in the US and around the globe to kill innocent men, women and children to advance a murderous agenda.

The death of Awlaki marks another significant milestone in the broader effort to defeat al qaeda and its affiliates. Furthermore, the success is a tribute to our intelligence community and to the efforts of Yemen and its security forces who have worked closely with the United States over the course of several years.

Awlaki and his organization have been directly responsible for the deaths of many Yemeni citizens. His hateful ideology and targeting of innocent civilians has been rejected by the vast majority of Muslims and people of all faiths. He has met his demise because the government and the people of Yemen have joined the international community in a common effort against al Qaeda.  

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula remains a dangerous but weakened terrorist organization. In going forward we will remain vigilant against any threats to the United States or our allies and partners. But make no mistake this is further proof that al Qaeda and its affiliates will find no safe haven anywhere in the world.  

Working with Yeman and our other allies and partners, we will be determined, we will be deliberate, we will be relentless, we will be resolute in our commitment to destroy terrorist networks that aim to kill Americans and to build a world in which people everywhere can live in greater peace, prosperity and security," Obama said. 

Tags Al Qaeda, Barack Obama
8 weeks 6 days ago - Syria

US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed the need to "increase pressure" on Assad.

The two leaders "talked about the need to increase pressure on the Assad regime, in order to lead to an outcome that is responsive to the aspirations of the Syrian people," a White House official told AFP.

Tags Barack Obama, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Syria protests, Turkey
8 weeks 6 days ago - Libya

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US President Barack Obama on Tuesday met Libya's interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, ahead of talks between the United States and its allies on Libya's future.

In remarks released ahead of the international meting, Obama called on those fighters still supporting Gaddafi to lay down their arms, warning that the NATO mission in the country would continue.

"Today, the Libyan people are writing a new chapter in the life of their nation. After four decades of darkness, they can walk the streets, free from a tyrant," Obama said.

Credit for the "liberation of Libya, belongs to the people of Libya," he insisted, but stressed the international community was not pulling out yet.

"Libya is a lesson in what the international community can achieve when we stand together as one," he said in the remarks.

"Important, too, is how this effort succeeded - thanks to the leadership and contributions of many nations. The United States was proud to play a decisive role, especially in the first days, and then in a supporting capacity." - AFP

Tags Barack Obama, Gaddafi, Muammar Gaddafi, NATO, United Nations
10 weeks 1 day ago - September 11

US President Barack Obama gave a speech to close out major US memorials to the attacks of 9/11, 2001.

These are some of his quotes:

"Today it is worth remembering what has not changed: Our character as a nation has not changed... Our faith in god and in each other, that has not changed... Our belief in America, born of a timeless ideal, that men and women should govern themselves, that all people are created equal [has not changed].

"These past 10 years have shown that America does not give in to fear... These past 10 years have shown America's resolve to defend its citizens and our way of life.

"Two million Americans have gone to war since 9/11... Too many will never come home. Those that do carry dark memories from distant places and the legacy of fallen friends.

"These 10 years have shown that we hold fast to our freedoms.

"Debates about war and peace, about security and civil liberties, have often been fierce over these last 10 years.

"These past 10 years tell a story of our resilience.

"Nothing can break the will of a truly united America... We have overcome slavery and civil war, bread lines and fascism, recession and riots, communism and, yes, terrorism.

"May god bless the memory of those we lost, and may god bless the United States of America."

Tags Barack Obama

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