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Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium United States Naval Academy Annapolis, [...]]]>

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This is Brian Sidler reporting for The Critical Post – Chicago 24 May 2013 @ 15:44 HRS CST

Remarks by the President at the United States Naval Academy Commencement

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, Maryland

10:29 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Midshipmen!  (Applause.)  Well, thank you, Governor O’Malley, for your kind introduction and the great support that Maryland gives this Academy.  To Secretary Mabus, Admiral Greenert, General Paxton — thank you all for your incredible leadership of our extraordinary Navy and Marine Corps teams.

To Vice Admiral Miller, thank you for the outstanding work that you do.  To Captain Clark and all the faculty and staff; to the moms and dads who raised your sons and daughters to seek this life of service; to the local sponsor families who cared for them far from home; the members of the Class of 1963 — veterans who’ve guided these midshipmen along the way — today is also a tribute to your support and your patriotism.  And I know that the Class of 2013 joins me in saluting your service as well.  (Applause.)

To the entire Brigade of Midshipmen — you embody the highest virtues of this venerable institution.  And yet, I know that some of you at times have enjoyed yourselves at other local institutions like McGarvey’s and Armadillo’s.  (Applause.) But today is a day of celebration — and also forgiveness.  And so, in keeping with tradition, I declare all midshipmen on restriction for minor conduct offenses are hereby absolved.  (Laughter and applause.)  As always, Admiral Miller gets to decide what’s “minor.”  (Laughter.)  Some of these guys are laughing a little nervously about that.  (Laughter.)

Now, obviously, most of all, it is wonderful to be able to celebrate this incredible Class of 2013.  This has special meaning for me as well, because the United States Naval Academy was the very first service academy that I had the privilege to address as President.  On that spring day four years ago, most of you were still in high school, finishing your senior year, or at NAPS, finishing up prep school.  You were a little younger — and I was, too.  You had your entire Naval Academy experience ahead of you; I was already getting chest bumps from the graduates of 2009.  (Laughter.)

Soon after, you came to the Yard — and you got quite a welcome.  The joy of I-Day.  Wonderful haircuts.  Stylish eyeglasses.  And all that Plebe Year, if you got something wrong, your upperclassmen kindly corrected you — at high volume, at very close range.  (Laughter.)  When Michelle brought our daughter Sasha here for a visit, she got a somewhat different reception.  She was just in elementary school, but it seemed like the Navy was already doing some recruiting — because as she went through Bancroft Hall she came to one room and saw the name on the door — “Sasha Obama, Class of 2023.”  (Laughter.)  So you never know.

Today, each of you can take enormous pride, for you’ve met the mission of this Academy.  You’ve proven yourselves morally, living a concept of honor and integrity — and this includes treating one another with respect and recognizing the strength of every member of your team.  You’re the most diverse class to graduate in Naval Academy history.  And among the many proud young women graduating today, 13 will serve on submarines.  (Applause.)

You’ve proven yourselves mentally.  Now, I know that some think of this as just a small engineering school on the Severn.  You’ve not only met its rigorous standards, you’ve helped this Academy earn a new distinction — the number-one public liberal arts school in America.  (Applause.)

And you’ve proven yourselves physically — a Herndon Climb of two minutes, five seconds.  (Applause.)  Now that they put the grease back on, no one will ever match your time.  (Laughter.)  More importantly, last month I welcomed Coach Ken and the team back to the White House because you beat Air Force, you beat Army, and you brought the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy back to Annapolis.  (Applause.)

So, Class of 2013, in your four years by the Bay, you’ve met every test before you.  And today is the day that you’ve been counting down to for so long.  You will take your oath.  Those boards and gold bars will be placed on your shoulders.  And as your Commander-in-Chief, I congratulate each of you on becoming our newest officers — ensigns in the United States Navy, second lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps.

And soon you will join the fleet.  You’ll lead Marines.  And just as you’ve changed over the past four years, so, too, have the challenges facing our military.  Before you arrived here, our nation was engaged in two wars, al Qaeda’s leadership was entrenched in their safe havens, many of our alliances were strained, and our nation’s standing in the world had suffered.  And over the past four years, we’ve strengthened our alliances and restored America’s image in the world.

The war in Iraq is over and we welcomed our troops home.  Thanks to our brave personnel — including our incredible Navy SEALs — we delivered justice to Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)  In Afghanistan, the transition is underway, our troops are coming home, and by the end of next year our war in Afghanistan will come to an end.  (Applause.)

And today, we salute all the Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in these wars, including 18 graduates of this Academy. We honor them all, now and forever.

Yesterday, I spoke about the way forward in the fight to keep our country secure — for even as we’ve decimated the al Qaeda leadership, we still face threats from al Qaeda affiliates and from individuals caught up in its ideology.  Even as we move beyond deploying large ground armies abroad, we still need to conduct precise, targeted strikes against terrorists before they kill our citizens.  And even as we stay vigilant in the face of terrorism and stay true to our Constitution and our values, we need to stay ready for the full range of threats — from nations seeking weapons of mass destruction to cyber criminals seeking to unleash weapons of mass destruction.

In these tough fiscal times, we also have to make hard choices at home, including in our Armed Forces.  But I want you all to know as you enter in what I know will be extraordinary years of service, let me say as clearly as I can — the United States of America will always maintain our military superiority. And as your Commander-in-Chief, I’m going to keep fighting to give you the equipment and support required to meet the missions we ask of you, and also to make sure that you are getting the pay and the benefits and the support that you deserve.  (Applause.)

I’ll keep fighting for the capabilities and technologies you need to prevail, and a shipbuilding plan that puts us on track to achieve a 300-ship fleet, with capabilities that exceed the power of the next dozen navies combined.  (Applause.)

And I’ll keep fighting to end those foolish across-the-board budget cuts known as the sequester, which is threatening our readiness.  With deficits falling at the fastest rate in decades, it’s time for Congress to budget in a smarter way that protects middle-class priorities, preserves investments in our future, and keeps our military strong — because we have the best-trained, best-led, best-equipped military in history, and I am determined to keep it that way, and Congress should be, too.  (Applause.)

We need you to project power across the oceans, from the Pacific to the Persian Gulf — 100 percent on watch.  We need you to partner with other navies and militaries, from Africa to the Americas.  We need you to respond with compassion in times of disaster, as when you helped respond to Hurricane Sandy.  And in all your work — in your lifetime of service — we need you to uphold the highest standards of integrity and character.

With the time I have left — and I know it’s a little wet, but the Superintendent told me that Marines and folks in the Navy don’t mind a little water.  (Laughter.)

With the time I have left, that’s what I want to discuss today.  It’s no secret that in recent decades many Americans have lost confidence in many of the institutions that help shape our society and our democracy.  But I suggest to you today that institutions do not fail in a vacuum.  Institutions are made up of people, individuals.  And we’ve seen how the actions of a few can undermine the integrity of those institutions.

Every day, men and women of talent and skill work in the financial institutions that fund new businesses, and put new families — put families in new homes and help students go to college.  But we’ve also seen how the misdeeds of some — wild risk-taking or putting profits before people — sparked a financial crisis and deepened the recession that cost millions of Americans their jobs.

Every day, elected officials like those on this stage, but also all across the nation, devote themselves to improving our communities and our country.  But all too often we’ve seen a politics where compromise is rejected as a dirty word, and policies are driven by special interests rather than the national interest.  And that breeds a cynicism that threatens our democracy.

Every day, our civil servants do their jobs with professionalism — protecting our national security and delivering the services that so many Americans expect.  But as we’ve seen again in recent days, it only takes the misconduct of a few to further erode the people’s trust in their government.  That’s unacceptable to me, and I know it’s unacceptable to you.

And against this backdrop, what I said here four years ago remains true today:  Our military remains the most trusted institution in America.  When others have shirked their responsibilities, our Armed Forces have met every mission we’ve given them.  When others have been distracted by petty arguments, our men and women in uniform come together as one American team.

And yet, we must acknowledge that even here, even in our military, we’ve seen how the misconduct of some can have effects that ripple far and wide.  In our digital age, a single image from the battlefield of troops falling short of their standards can go viral and endanger our forces and undermine our efforts to achieve security and peace.  Likewise, those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that make our military strong.  That’s why we have to be determined to stop these crimes, because they’ve got no place in the greatest military on Earth.

So, Class of 2013, I say all this because you’re about to assume the burden of leadership.  As officers, you will be trusted with the most awesome of responsibilities — the lives of the men and women under your command.  And when your service is complete, many of you will go on to help lead your communities, America’s companies.  You will lead this country.  And if we want to restore the trust that the American people deserve to have in their institutions, all of us have to do our part.  And those of us in leadership — myself included — have to constantly strive to remain worthy of the public trust.

As you go forward in your careers, we need you to carry forth the values that you’ve learned at this institution, because our nation needs them now more than ever.

We need your Honor — that inner compass that guides you, not when the path is easy and obvious, but when it’s hard and uncertain; that tells you the difference between that which is right and that which is wrong.  Perhaps it will be a moment when you think nobody is watching.  But never forget that honor, like character, is what you do when nobody is looking.  More likely it will be when you’re in the spotlight, leading others –the men and women who are looking up to you to set an example.  Never ask them to do what you don’t ask of yourself.  Live with integrity and speak with honesty and take responsibility and demand accountability.

We need your Honor and we need your Courage — yes, the daring that tells you to move toward danger when every fiber of your being says to turn the other way.  But even more than physical courage, we need your moral courage — the strength to do what’s right, especially when it’s unpopular.  Because at the end of the day and at the end of your career, you want to look in the mirror and say with confidence and with pride, I fulfilled my oath; I did my duty; I stayed true to my values.

We need your Honor and Courage, and we need your Commitment — that sense of purpose that says I will try even harder, I will do even better in what I expect of myself, in the way I interact with others, including those of different backgrounds.  It’s no accident that our military is the most respected institution in America — and one of the most diverse institutions in America.  So recognize the dignity in every human being.  Treat one another with respect.  Remember that when we harness the talents of every man and every woman from every race and every religion and every creed, no nation can ever match us.

And, finally, we need your Resolve — the same spirit reflected in your class motto:  “Surrender to Nothing.”  If you seek an example, you don’t need to look far, because not long ago, two midshipmen sat where you sat — from the Class of 2006  — and they inspire us today.

Here at the Academy, Brad Snyder was the captain of the swim team.  He deployed to Afghanistan, and while rushing to the aid of his teammates, he stepped on an IED and lost both his eyes. With the support of family and friends, Brad learned to feel his way and move again.  And before long, he was back in the swimming pool, where he said “I’m free.”  Then, just one year later, Brad competed at the London Paralympics and won three medals, including two golds.

And when Michelle and I welcomed our U.S. Olympians to the White House, Brad joined us — standing tall, right in front.  And, he said, “Overcoming adversity is a decision.  You can let that beat you, or you can make the decision to move forward.”

Here at the Academy, Matt Lampert was on the rowing team.  He deployed to Afghanistan with his Marine special ops team.  And as they entered a compound, an IED exploded and Matt lost both his legs.  He endured a long and painful recovery.  But with his new legs, he learned to walk again.  He practiced, he trained, and then he passed his physical tests and deployed to Afghanistan again — a double amputee, back in the fight.

And Matt recently completed his tour.  He is back home and is looking ahead to many years of service.  Reflecting on his journey — his mission to return to his unit — he said he was determined, “however long it was going to take.”

So Class of 2013, I cannot promise you a life of comfort and ease, for you have chosen an ancient path — the profession of arms — which carries all the perils of our modern world.  And just as classes before you could not know that they would find themselves at Coral Sea or Midway or Fallujah or Helmand, we cannot know sitting here today where your service will carry you.

But I do know this.  As you say farewell to Bancroft Hall, as you make your way down Stribling Walk one last time, you’re becoming the newest link in a storied chain.  As I look into your eyes today, I see the same confidence and the same professionalism, the same fidelity to our values of those who’ve served before you — the Jones and Nimitz and Lejeune and Burke, and, yes, the Snyder and the Lampert — Americans who surrendered to nothing.

And I’m absolutely confident that you will uphold the highest of standards, and that your courage and honor and your commitment will see us through, and that you will always prove yourselves worthy of the trust our nation is placing in you today.

So, congratulations, Class of 2013.  (Applause.)  God bless our Navy, and God bless our Marine Corps.  (Applause.)  God bless our Armed Services.  God bless these United States of America.  (Applause.)

END
10:52 A.M. EDT

-&-

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This is Brian Sidler reporting for The Critical Post – Chicago 24 May 2013 @ 15:44 HRS CST

PRESIDENT OBAMA: It’s an honor to return to the National Defense University. Here, at Fort McNair, [...]]]>

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This is Brian Sidler reporting for The Critical Post – Chicago 24 May 2013 @ 15:44 HRS CST

Remarks of President Barack Obama

PRESIDENT OBAMA: It’s an honor to return to the National Defense University. Here, at Fort McNair, Americans have served in uniform since 1791– standing guard in the early days of the Republic, and contemplating the future of warfare here in the 21st century.

For over two centuries, the United States has been bound together by founding documents that defined who we are as Americans, and served as our compass through every type of change. Matters of war and peace are no different. Americans are deeply ambivalent about war, but having fought for our independence, we know that a price must be paid for freedom. From the Civil War, to our struggle against fascism, and through the long, twilight struggle of the Cold War, battlefields have changed, and technology has evolved. But our commitment to Constitutional principles has weathered every war, and every war has come to an end.

With the collapse of the Berlin Wall, a new dawn of democracy took hold abroad, and a decade of peace and prosperity arrived at home. For a moment, it seemed the 21st century would be a tranquil time. Then, on September 11th 2001, we were shaken out of complacency. Thousands were taken from us, as clouds of fire, metal and ash descended upon a sun-filled morning. This was a different kind of war. No armies came to our shores, and our military was not the principal target. Instead, a group of terrorists came to kill as many civilians as they could.

And so our nation went to war. We have now been at war for well over a decade. I won’t review the full history. What’s clear is that we quickly drove al Qaeda out of Afghanistan, but then shifted our focus and began a new war in Iraq. This carried grave consequences for our fight against al Qaeda, our standing in the world, and – to this day – our interests in a vital region.

Meanwhile, we strengthened our defenses – hardening targets, tightening transportation security, and giving law enforcement new tools to prevent terror. Most of these changes were sound. Some caused inconvenience. But some, like expanded surveillance, raised difficult questions about the balance we strike between our interests in security and our values of privacy. And in some cases, I believe we compromised our basic values – by using torture to interrogate our enemies, and detaining individuals in a way that ran counter to the rule of law.

After I took office, we stepped up the war against al Qaeda, but also sought to change its course. We relentlessly targeted al Qaeda’s leadership. We ended the war in Iraq, and brought nearly 150,000 troops home. We pursued a new strategy in Afghanistan, and increased our training of Afghan forces. We unequivocally banned torture, affirmed our commitment to civilian courts, worked to align our policies with the rule of law, and expanded our consultations with Congress.

Today, Osama bin Laden is dead, and so are most of his top lieutenants. There have been no large-scale attacks on the United States, and our homeland is more secure. Fewer of our troops are in harm’s way, and over the next 19 months they will continue to come home. Our alliances are strong, and so is our standing in the world. In sum, we are safer because of our efforts.

Now make no mistake: our nation is still threatened by terrorists. From Benghazi to Boston, we have been tragically reminded of that truth. We must recognize, however, that the threat has shifted and evolved from the one that came to our shores on 9/11. With a decade of experience to draw from, now is the time to ask ourselves hard questions – about the nature of today’s threats, and how we should confront them.

These questions matter to every American. For over the last decade, our nation has spent well over a trillion dollars on war, exploding our deficits and constraining our ability to nation build here at home. Our service-members and their families have sacrificed far more on our behalf. Nearly 7,000 Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice. Many more have left a part of themselves on the battlefield, or brought the shadows of battle back home. From our use of drones to the detention of terrorist suspects, the decisions we are making will define the type of nation – and world – that we leave to our children.

So America is at a crossroads. We must define the nature and scope of this struggle, or else it will define us, mindful of James Madison’s warning that “No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.” Neither I, nor any President, can promise the total defeat of terror. We will never erase the evil that lies in the hearts of some human beings, nor stamp out every danger to our open society. What we can do – what we must do – is dismantle networks that pose a direct danger, and make it less likely for new groups to gain a foothold, all while maintaining the freedoms and ideals that we defend. To define that strategy, we must make decisions based not on fear, but hard-earned wisdom. And that begins with understanding the threat we face.

Today, the core of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on a path to defeat. Their remaining operatives spend more time thinking about their own safety than plotting against us. They did not direct the attacks in Benghazi or Boston. They have not carried out a successful attack on our homeland since 9/11. Instead, what we’ve seen is the emergence of various al Qaeda affiliates. From Yemen to Iraq, from Somalia to North Africa, the threat today is more diffuse, with Al Qaeda’s affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula – AQAP –the most active in plotting against our homeland. While none of AQAP’s efforts approach the scale of 9/11 they have continued to plot acts of terror, like the attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009.

Unrest in the Arab World has also allowed extremists to gain a foothold in countries like Libya and Syria. Here, too, there are differences from 9/11. In some cases, we confront state-sponsored networks like Hizbollah that engage in acts of terror to achieve political goals. Others are simply collections of local militias or extremists interested in seizing territory. While we are vigilant for signs that these groups may pose a transnational threat, most are focused on operating in the countries and regions where they are based. That means we will face more localized threats like those we saw in Benghazi, or at the BP oil facility in Algeria, in which local operatives – in loose affiliation with regional networks – launch periodic attacks against Western diplomats, companies, and other soft targets, or resort to kidnapping and other criminal enterprises to fund their operations.

Finally, we face a real threat from radicalized individuals here in the United States. Whether it’s a shooter at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin; a plane flying into a building in Texas; or the extremists who killed 168 people at the Federal Building in Oklahoma City – America has confronted many forms of violent extremism in our time. Deranged or alienated individuals – often U.S. citizens or legal residents – can do enormous damage, particularly when inspired by larger notions of violent jihad. That pull towards extremism appears to have led to the shooting at Fort Hood, and the bombing of the Boston Marathon.

Lethal yet less capable al Qaeda affiliates. Threats to diplomatic facilities and businesses abroad. Homegrown extremists. This is the future of terrorism. We must take these threats seriously, and do all that we can to confront them. But as we shape our response, we have to recognize that the scale of this threat closely resembles the types of attacks we faced before 9/11. In the 1980s, we lost Americans to terrorism at our Embassy in Beirut; at our Marine Barracks in Lebanon; on a cruise ship at sea; at a disco in Berlin; and on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie. In the 1990s, we lost Americans to terrorism at the World Trade Center; at our military facilities in Saudi Arabia; and at our Embassy in Kenya. These attacks were all deadly, and we learned that left unchecked, these threats can grow. But if dealt with smartly and proportionally, these threats need not rise to the level that we saw on the eve of 9/11.

Moreover, we must recognize that these threats don’t arise in a vacuum. Most, though not all, of the terrorism we face is fueled by a common ideology – a belief by some extremists that Islam is in conflict with the United States and the West, and that violence against Western targets, including civilians, is justified in pursuit of a larger cause. Of course, this ideology is based on a lie, for the United States is not at war with Islam; and this ideology is rejected by the vast majority of Muslims, who are the most frequent victims of terrorist acts.

Nevertheless, this ideology persists, and in an age in which ideas and images can travel the globe in an instant, our response to terrorism cannot depend on military or law enforcement alone. We need all elements of national power to win a battle of wills and ideas. So let me discuss the components of such a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy.
First, we must finish the work of defeating al Qaeda and its associated forces.
In Afghanistan, we will complete our transition to Afghan responsibility for security. Our troops will come home. Our combat mission will come to an end. And we will work with the Afghan government to train security forces, and sustain a counter-terrorism force which ensures that al Qaeda can never again establish a safe-haven to launch attacks against us or our allies.

Beyond Afghanistan, we must define our effort not as a boundless ‘global war on terror’ – but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America. In many cases, this will involve partnerships with other countries. Thousands of Pakistani soldiers have lost their lives fighting extremists. In Yemen, we are supporting security forces that have reclaimed territory from AQAP. In Somalia, we helped a coalition of African nations push al Shabaab out of its strongholds. In Mali, we are providing military aid to a French-led intervention to push back al Qaeda in the Maghreb, and help the people of Mali reclaim their future.

Much of our best counter-terrorism cooperation results in the gathering and sharing of intelligence; the arrest and prosecution of terrorists. That’s how a Somali terrorist apprehended off the coast of Yemen is now in prison in New York. That’s how we worked with European allies to disrupt plots from Denmark to Germany to the United Kingdom. That’s how intelligence collected with Saudi Arabia helped us stop a cargo plane from being blown up over the Atlantic.

But despite our strong preference for the detention and prosecution of terrorists, sometimes this approach is foreclosed. Al Qaeda and its affiliates try to gain a foothold in some of the most distant and unforgiving places on Earth. They take refuge in remote tribal regions. They hide in caves and walled compounds. They train in empty deserts and rugged mountains.

In some of these places – such as parts of Somalia and Yemen – the state has only the most tenuous reach into the territory. In other cases, the state lacks the capacity or will to take action. It is also not possible for America to simply deploy a team of Special Forces to capture every terrorist. And even when such an approach may be possible, there are places where it would pose profound risks to our troops and local civilians– where a terrorist compound cannot be breached without triggering a firefight with surrounding tribal communities that pose no threat to us, or when putting U.S. boots on the ground may trigger a major international crisis.

To put it another way, our operation in Pakistan against Osama bin Laden cannot be the norm. The risks in that case were immense; the likelihood of capture, although our preference, was remote given the certainty of resistance; the fact that we did not find ourselves confronted with civilian casualties, or embroiled in an extended firefight, was a testament to the meticulous planning and professionalism of our Special Forces – but also depended on some luck. And even then, the cost to our relationship with Pakistan – and the backlash among the Pakistani public over encroachment on their territory – was so severe that we are just now beginning to rebuild this important partnership.

It is in this context that the United States has taken lethal, targeted action against al Qaeda and its associated forces, including with remotely piloted aircraft commonly referred to as drones. As was true in previous armed conflicts, this new technology raises profound questions – about who is targeted, and why; about civilian casualties, and the risk of creating new enemies; about the legality of such strikes under U.S. and international law; about accountability and morality.

Let me address these questions. To begin with, our actions are effective. Don’t take my word for it. In the intelligence gathered at bin Laden’s compound, we found that he wrote, “we could lose the reserves to the enemy’s air strikes. We cannot fight air strikes with explosives.” Other communications from al Qaeda operatives confirm this as well. Dozens of highly skilled al Qaeda commanders, trainers, bomb makers, and operatives have been taken off the battlefield. Plots have been disrupted that would have targeted international aviation, U.S. transit systems, European cities and our troops in Afghanistan. Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.

Moreover, America’s actions are legal. We were attacked on 9/11. Within a week, Congress overwhelmingly authorized the use of force. Under domestic law, and international law, the United States is at war with al Qaeda, the Taliban, and their associated forces. We are at war with an organization that right now would kill as many Americans as they could if we did not stop them first. So this is a just war – a war waged proportionally, in last resort, and in self-defense.

And yet as our fight enters a new phase, America’s legitimate claim of self-defense cannot be the end of the discussion. To say a military tactic is legal, or even effective, is not to say it is wise or moral in every instance. For the same human progress that gives us the technology to strike half a world away also demands the discipline to constrain that power – or risk abusing it. That’s why, over the last four years, my Administration has worked vigorously to establish a framework that governs our use of force against terrorists – insisting upon clear guidelines, oversight and accountability that is now codified in Presidential Policy Guidance that I signed yesterday.

In the Afghan war theater, we must support our troops until the transition is complete at the end of 2014. That means we will continue to take strikes against high value al Qaeda targets, but also against forces that are massing to support attacks on coalition forces. However, by the end of 2014, we will no longer have the same need for force protection, and the progress we have made against core al Qaeda will reduce the need for unmanned strikes.

Beyond the Afghan theater, we only target al Qaeda and its associated forces. Even then, the use of drones is heavily constrained. America does not take strikes when we have the ability to capture individual terrorists – our preference is always to detain, interrogate, and prosecute them. America cannot take strikes wherever we choose – our actions are bound by consultations with partners, and respect for state sovereignty. America does not take strikes to punish individuals – we act against terrorists who pose a continuing and imminent threat to the American people, and when there are no other governments capable of effectively addressing the threat. And before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured – the highest standard we can set.

This last point is critical, because much of the criticism about drone strikes – at home and abroad – understandably centers on reports of civilian casualties. There is a wide gap between U.S. assessments of such casualties, and non-governmental reports. Nevertheless, it is a hard fact that U.S. strikes have resulted in civilian casualties, a risk that exists in all wars. For the families of those civilians, no words or legal construct can justify their loss. For me, and those in my chain of command, these deaths will haunt us as long as we live, just as we are haunted by the civilian casualties that have occurred through conventional fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But as Commander-in-Chief, I must weigh these heartbreaking tragedies against the alternatives. To do nothing in the face of terrorist networks would invite far more civilian casualties – not just in our cities at home and facilities abroad, but also in the very places –like Sana’a and Kabul and Mogadishu – where terrorists seek a foothold. Let us remember that the terrorists we are after target civilians, and the death toll from their acts of terrorism against Muslims dwarfs any estimate of civilian casualties from drone strikes.

Where foreign governments cannot or will not effectively stop terrorism in their territory, the primary alternative to targeted, lethal action is the use of conventional military options. As I’ve said, even small Special Operations carry enormous risks. Conventional airpower or missiles are far less precise than drones, and likely to cause more civilian casualties and local outrage. And invasions of these territories lead us to be viewed as occupying armies; unleash a torrent of unintended consequences; are difficult to contain; and ultimately empower those who thrive on violent conflict. So it is false to assert that putting boots on the ground is less likely to result in civilian deaths, or to create enemies in the Muslim world. The result would be more U.S. deaths, more Blackhawks down, more confrontations with local populations, and an inevitable mission creep in support of such raids that could easily escalate into new wars.

So yes, the conflict with al Qaeda, like all armed conflict, invites tragedy. But by narrowly targeting our action against those who want to kill us, and not the people they hide among, we are choosing the course of action least likely to result in the loss of innocent life. Indeed, our efforts must also be measured against the history of putting American troops in distant lands among hostile populations. In Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of civilians died in a war where the boundaries of battle were blurred. In Iraq and Afghanistan, despite the courage and discipline of our troops, thousands of civilians have been killed. So neither conventional military action, nor waiting for attacks to occur, offers moral safe-harbor. Neither does a sole reliance on law enforcement in territories that have no functioning police or security services – and indeed, have no functioning law.

This is not to say that the risks are not real. Any U.S. military action in foreign lands risks creating more enemies, and impacts public opinion overseas. Our laws constrain the power of the President, even during wartime, and I have taken an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. The very precision of drones strikes, and the necessary secrecy involved in such actions can end up shielding our government from the public scrutiny that a troop deployment invites. It can also lead a President and his team to view drone strikes as a cure-all for terrorism.

For this reason, I’ve insisted on strong oversight of all lethal action. After I took office, my Administration began briefing all strikes outside of Iraq and Afghanistan to the appropriate committees of Congress. Let me repeat that – not only did Congress authorize the use of force, it is briefed on every strike that America takes. That includes the one instance when we targeted an American citizen: Anwar Awlaki, the chief of external operations for AQAP.

This week, I authorized the declassification of this action, and the deaths of three other Americans in drone strikes, to facilitate transparency and debate on this issue, and to dismiss some of the more outlandish claims. For the record, I do not believe it would be constitutional for the government to target and kill any U.S. citizen – with a drone, or a shotgun – without due process. Nor should any President deploy armed drones over U.S. soil.

But when a U.S. citizen goes abroad to wage war against America – and is actively plotting to kill U.S. citizens; and when neither the United States, nor our partners are in a position to capture him before he carries out a plot – his citizenship should no more serve as a shield than a sniper shooting down on an innocent crowd should be protected from a swat team

That’s who Anwar Awlaki was – he was continuously trying to kill people. He helped oversee the 2010 plot to detonate explosive devices on two U.S. bound cargo planes. He was involved in planning to blow up an airliner in 2009. When Farouk Abdulmutallab – the Christmas Day bomber – went to Yemen in 2009, Awlaki hosted him, approved his suicide operation, and helped him tape a martyrdom video to be shown after the attack. His last instructions were to blow up the airplane when it was over American soil. I would have detained and prosecuted Awlaki if we captured him before he carried out a plot. But we couldn’t. And as President, I would have been derelict in my duty had I not authorized the strike that took out Awlaki.

Of course, the targeting of any Americans raises constitutional issues that are not present in other strikes – which is why my Administration submitted information about Awlaki to the Department of Justice months before Awlaki was killed, and briefed the Congress before this strike as well. But the high threshold that we have set for taking lethal action applies to all potential terrorist targets, regardless of whether or not they are American citizens. This threshold respects the inherent dignity of every human life. Alongside the decision to put our men and women in uniform in harm’s way, the decision to use force against individuals or groups – even against a sworn enemy of the United States – is the hardest thing I do as President. But these decisions must be made, given my responsibility to protect the American people.

Going forward, I have asked my Administration to review proposals to extend oversight of lethal actions outside of warzones that go beyond our reporting to Congress. Each option has virtues in theory, but poses difficulties in practice. For example, the establishment of a special court to evaluate and authorize lethal action has the benefit of bringing a third branch of government into the process, but raises serious constitutional issues about presidential and judicial authority. Another idea that’s been suggested – the establishment of an independent oversight board in the executive branch – avoids those problems, but may introduce a layer of bureaucracy into national-security decision-making, without inspiring additional public confidence in the process. Despite these challenges, I look forward to actively engaging Congress to explore these – and other – options for increased oversight.

I believe, however, that the use of force must be seen as part of a larger discussion about a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy. Because for all the focus on the use of force, force alone cannot make us safe. We cannot use force everywhere that a radical ideology takes root; and in the absence of a strategy that reduces the well-spring of extremism, a perpetual war – through drones or Special Forces or troop deployments – will prove self-defeating, and alter our country in troubling ways.

So the next element of our strategy involves addressing the underlying grievances and conflicts that feed extremism, from North Africa to South Asia. As we’ve learned this past decade, this is a vast and complex undertaking. We must be humble in our expectation that we can quickly resolve deep rooted problems like poverty and sectarian hatred. Moreover, no two countries are alike, and some will undergo chaotic change before things get better. But our security and values demand that we make the effort.

This means patiently supporting transitions to democracy in places like Egypt, Tunisia and Libya – because the peaceful realization of individual aspirations will serve as a rebuke to violent extremists. We must strengthen the opposition in Syria, while isolating extremist elements – because the end of a tyrant must not give way to the tyranny of terrorism. We are working to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians – because it is right, and because such a peace could help reshape attitudes in the region. And we must help countries modernize economies, upgrade education, and encourage entrepreneurship – because American leadership has always been elevated by our ability to connect with peoples’ hopes, and not simply their fears.

Success on these fronts requires sustained engagement, but it will also require resources. I know that foreign aid is one of the least popular expenditures – even though it amounts to less than one percent of the federal budget. But foreign assistance cannot be viewed as charity. It is fundamental to our national security, and any sensible long-term strategy to battle extremism. Moreover, foreign assistance is a tiny fraction of what we spend fighting wars that our assistance might ultimately prevent. For what we spent in a month in Iraq at the height of the war, we could be training security forces in Libya, maintaining peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors, feeding the hungry in Yemen, building schools in Pakistan, and creating reservoirs of goodwill that marginalize extremists.

America cannot carry out this work if we do not have diplomats serving in dangerous places. Over the past decade, we have strengthened security at our Embassies, and I am implementing every recommendation of the Accountability Review Board which found unacceptable failures in Benghazi. I have called on Congress to fully fund these efforts to bolster security, harden facilities, improve intelligence, and facilitate a quicker response time from our military if a crisis emerges.

But even after we take these steps, some irreducible risks to our diplomats will remain. This is the price of being the world’s most powerful nation, particularly as a wave of change washes over the Arab World. And in balancing the trade-offs between security and active diplomacy, I firmly believe that any retreat from challenging regions will only increase the dangers we face in the long run.

Targeted action against terrorists. Effective partnerships. Diplomatic engagement and assistance. Through such a comprehensive strategy we can significantly reduce the chances of large scale attacks on the homeland and mitigate threats to Americans overseas. As we guard against dangers from abroad, however, we cannot neglect the daunting challenge of terrorism from within our borders.

As I said earlier, this threat is not new. But technology and the Internet increase its frequency and lethality. Today, a person can consume hateful propaganda, commit themselves to a violent agenda, and learn how to kill without leaving their home. To address this threat, two years ago my Administration did a comprehensive review, and engaged with law enforcement. The best way to prevent violent extremism is to work with the Muslim American community – which has consistently rejected terrorism – to identify signs of radicalization, and partner with law enforcement when an individual is drifting towards violence. And these partnerships can only work when we recognize that Muslims are a fundamental part of the American family. Indeed, the success of American Muslims, and our determination to guard against any encroachments on their civil liberties, is the ultimate rebuke to those who say we are at war with Islam.

Indeed, thwarting homegrown plots presents particular challenges in part because of our proud commitment to civil liberties for all who call America home. That’s why, in the years to come, we will have to keep working hard to strike the appropriate balance between our need for security and preserving those freedoms that make us who we are. That means reviewing the authorities of law enforcement, so we can intercept new types of communication, and build in privacy protections to prevent abuse. That means that – even after Boston – we do not deport someone or throw someone in prison in the absence of evidence. That means putting careful constraints on the tools the government uses to protect sensitive information, such as the State Secrets doctrine. And that means finally having a strong Privacy and Civil Liberties Board to review those issues where our counter-terrorism efforts and our values may come into tension.

The Justice Department’s investigation of national security leaks offers a recent example of the challenges involved in striking the right balance between our security and our open society. As Commander-in Chief, I believe we must keep information secret that protects our operations and our people in the field. To do so, we must enforce consequences for those who break the law and breach their commitment to protect classified information. But a free press is also essential for our democracy. I am troubled by the possibility that leak investigations may chill the investigative journalism that holds government accountable.

Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs. Our focus must be on those who break the law. That is why I have called on Congress to pass a media shield law to guard against government over-reach. I have raised these issues with the Attorney General, who shares my concern. So he has agreed to review existing Department of Justice guidelines governing investigations that involve reporters, and will convene a group of media organizations to hear their concerns as part of that review. And I have directed the Attorney General to report back to me by July 12th.

All these issues remind us that the choices we make about war can impact – in sometimes unintended ways – the openness and freedom on which our way of life depends. And that is why I intend to engage Congress about the existing Authorization to Use Military Force, or AUMF, to determine how we can continue to fight terrorists without keeping America on a perpetual war-time footing.

The AUMF is now nearly twelve years old. The Afghan War is coming to an end. Core al Qaeda is a shell of its former self. Groups like AQAP must be dealt with, but in the years to come, not every collection of thugs that labels themselves al Qaeda will pose a credible threat to the United States. Unless we discipline our thinking and our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we don’t need to fight, or continue to grant Presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states. So I look forward to engaging Congress and the American people in efforts to refine, and ultimately repeal, the AUMF’s mandate. And I will not sign laws designed to expand this mandate further. Our systematic effort to dismantle terrorist organizations must continue. But this war, like all wars, must end. That’s what history advises. That’s what our democracy demands.

And that brings me to my final topic: the detention of terrorist suspects.

To repeat, as a matter of policy, the preference of the United States is to capture terrorist suspects. When we do detain a suspect, we interrogate them. And if the suspect can be prosecuted, we decide whether to try him in a civilian court or a Military Commission. During the past decade, the vast majority of those detained by our military were captured on the battlefield. In Iraq, we turned over thousands of prisoners as we ended the war. In Afghanistan, we have transitioned detention facilities to the Afghans, as part of the process of restoring Afghan sovereignty. So we bring law of war detention to an end, and we are committed to prosecuting terrorists whenever we can.

The glaring exception to this time-tested approach is the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. The original premise for opening GTMO – that detainees would not be able to challenge their detention – was found unconstitutional five years ago. In the meantime, GTMO has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law. Our allies won’t cooperate with us if they think a terrorist will end up at GTMO. During a time of budget cuts, we spend $150 million each year to imprison 166 people –almost $1 million per prisoner. And the Department of Defense estimates that we must spend another $200 million to keep GTMO open at a time when we are cutting investments in education and research here at home.

As President, I have tried to close GTMO. I transferred 67 detainees to other countries before Congress imposed restrictions to effectively prevent us from either transferring detainees to other countries, or imprisoning them in the United States. These restrictions make no sense. After all, under President Bush, some 530 detainees were transferred from GTMO with Congress’s support. When I ran for President the first time, John McCain supported closing GTMO. No person has ever escaped from one of our super-max or military prisons in the United States. Our courts have convicted hundreds of people for terrorism-related offenses, including some who are more dangerous than most GTMO detainees. Given my Administration’s relentless pursuit of al Qaeda’s leadership, there is no justification beyond politics for Congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should never have been opened.

Today, I once again call on Congress to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from GTMO. I have asked the Department of Defense to designate a site in the United States where we can hold military commissions. I am appointing a new, senior envoy at the State Department and Defense Department whose sole responsibility will be to achieve the transfer of detainees to third countries. I am lifting the moratorium on detainee transfers to Yemen, so we can review them on a case by case basis. To the greatest extent possible, we will transfer detainees who have been cleared to go to other countries. Where appropriate, we will bring terrorists to justice in our courts and military justice system. And we will insist that judicial review be available for every detainee.

Even after we take these steps, one issue will remain: how to deal with those GTMO detainees who we know have participated in dangerous plots or attacks, but who cannot be prosecuted – for example because the evidence against them has been compromised or is inadmissible in a court of law. But once we commit to a process of closing GTMO, I am confident that this legacy problem can be resolved, consistent with our commitment to the rule of law.

I know the politics are hard. But history will cast a harsh judgment on this aspect of our fight against terrorism, and those of us who fail to end it. Imagine a future – ten years from now, or twenty years from now – when the United States of America is still holding people who have been charged with no crime on a piece of land that is not a part of our country. Look at the current situation, where we are force-feeding detainees who are holding a hunger strike. Is that who we are? Is that something that our Founders foresaw? Is that the America we want to leave to our children?

Our sense of justice is stronger than that. We have prosecuted scores of terrorists in our courts. That includes Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to blow up an airplane over Detroit; and Faisal Shahzad, who put a car bomb in Times Square. It is in a court of law that we will try Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is accused of bombing the Boston Marathon. Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, is as we speak serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison here, in the United States. In sentencing Reid, Judge William Young told him, “the way we treat you…is the measure of our own liberties.” He went on to point to the American flag that flew in the courtroom – “That flag,” he said, “will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag still stands for freedom.”

America, we have faced down dangers far greater than al Qaeda. By staying true to the values of our founding, and by using our constitutional compass, we have overcome slavery and Civil War; fascism and communism. In just these last few years as President, I have watched the American people bounce back from painful recession, mass shootings, and natural disasters like the recent tornados that devastated Oklahoma. These events were heartbreaking; they shook our communities to the core. But because of the resilience of the American people, these events could not come close to breaking us.

I think of Lauren Manning, the 9/11 survivor who had severe burns over 80 percent of her body, who said, “That’s my reality. I put a Band-Aid on it, literally, and I move on.”

I think of the New Yorkers who filled Times Square the day after an attempted car bomb as if nothing had happened.

I think of the proud Pakistani parents who, after their daughter was invited to the White House, wrote to us, “we have raised an American Muslim daughter to dream big and never give up because it does pay off.”

I think of the wounded warriors rebuilding their lives, and helping other vets to find jobs.

I think of the runner planning to do the 2014 Boston Marathon, who said, “Next year, you are going to have more people than ever. Determination is not something to be messed with.”

That’s who the American people are. Determined, and not to be messed with.

Now, we need a strategy – and a politics –that reflects this resilient spirit. Our victory against terrorism won’t be measured in a surrender ceremony on a battleship, or a statue being pulled to the ground. Victory will be measured in parents taking their kids to school; immigrants coming to our shores; fans taking in a ballgame; a veteran starting a business; a bustling city street. The quiet determination; that strength of character and bond of fellowship; that refutation of fear – that is both our sword and our shield. And long after the current messengers of hate have faded from the world’s memory, alongside the brutal despots, deranged madmen, and ruthless demagogues who litter history – the flag of the United States will still wave from small-town cemeteries, to national monuments, to distant outposts abroad.  And that flag will still stand for freedom.

Thank you. God Bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

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This is Brian Sidler reporting for The Critical Post – Chicago 24 May 2013 @ 15:44 HRS CST

East Room Washington, D.C.

8:32 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank [...]]]>

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Remarks by the President Presenting Carole King the Gershwin Prize

East Room
Washington, D.C.

8:32 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  I have to say that as the podium came out, which meant that was my cue, my mother-in-law said, “Oh, shoot.”  (Laughter.)  True story — she was getting into the music.  (Laughter.)  Welcome to the White House, everybody.

I want to start by thanking all the incredible artists who have joined us to pay tribute to the one and only Carole King.  (Applause.)  I also want to thank Dr. James Billington and all the folks at the Library of Congress not just for making this event possible, but for the outstanding work that they do every day to preserve the very best of our culture for generations to come.  (Applause.)

Of course, as we gather tonight to present this award, our thoughts and prayers remain with the wonderful people of Oklahoma.  They have suffered mightily this week.  And while the road ahead will be long, their country will be with them every single step of the way.  That’s who we are and that’s how we treat our family and friends, and our neighbors wherever they are in the country.  So we’re going to help them recover.  We’re going to help them rebuild for as long as it takes.  And eventually, life will go on and new memories will be made.  New laughter will come.  New songs will be sung.

And that’s often why we turn to music during trying times — for comfort and for inspiration, and sometimes just for a good diversion.  George Gershwin, it was said, was a “man who lives in music,” who “expresses everything, serious or not, sound or superficial, by means of music, because it is his native language.”  And I can’t think of a better description of tonight’s Gershwin Prize recipient, singer-songwriter Carole King.

By the age of four, Carole was already mastering the piano.  By 15, she had already conducted her first orchestra.  By 17, she had already written her first number one hit, which you’ve already heard — “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” — with Gerry Goffin.  So at this point, all of you are feeling like underachievers.  I understand.  (Laughter.)  It was pretty clear by this time that this promising young musician from New York — who grew up not far from where George and Ira Gershwin were born — was destined for similar heights.

Whether it was Little Eva telling us to do the “Loco-Motion” or Aretha Franklin belting out the anthem of “A Natural Woman” or James Taylor reminding us that even here in Washington, “You’ve got a friend” — (laughter) — for an entire decade, behind so many of the songs that touched our hearts, behind so many of the lyrics that stirred our soul there was Carole — ever joyful, ever uplifting.

And then, in 1971, came the biggest break of all, when she showed the world that she couldn’t just write hit songs, she could sing them too.  Her album — “Tapestry” — struck a chord with a whole new legion of fans, including me.  It was the very first solo album by a female artist to reach Diamond status, meaning it sold more than 10 million copies.  It was the first album by a female artist to win all the top Grammy awards for record, song, and album of the year, along with the Grammy for best pop vocal performance.  And as one of the best-selling albums of all-time, it cemented Carole’s status as one of the most influential singer-songwriters that America has ever seen.

To date, Carole has written more than 400 compositions that have been recorded by over 1,000 artists, resulting in over 100 hits.  She’s done everything from doo-wop to pop.  She’s played with everyone from Bono to Babyface.  (Laughter.)  She’s been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  And tonight, she’s still reaching new heights, becoming the first female artist to win the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.  (Applause.)

As Carole tells it, the secret to her success is that “I try to get out of the way and let the process be guided by whatever is driving me.”  That’s what makes her songs so personal and so powerful, so enduring.  Like the Gershwins, it’s not just that Carole lives the music.  It’s that music lives in her.

So tonight, it is my great pleasure to present America’s highest award for popular music to a living legend, Carole King.  (Applause.)

END
8:38 P.M. EDT

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State Dining Room

10:08 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  [...]]]>

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Remarks by the President on the Tornadoes and Severe Weather in Oklahoma

State Dining Room

10:08 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  As we all know by now, a series of storms swept across the Plains yesterday, and one of the most destructive tornadoes in history sliced through the towns of Newcastle and Moore, Oklahoma.  In an instant, neighborhoods were destroyed.  Dozens of people lost their lives. Many more were injured.  And among the victims were young children, trying to take shelter in the safest place they knew — their school.

So our prayers are with the people of Oklahoma today.

Our gratitude is with the teachers who gave their all to shield their children; with the neighbors, first responders, and emergency personnel who raced to help as soon as the tornado passed; and with all of those who, as darkness fell, searched for survivors through the night.

As a nation, our full focus right now is on the urgent work of rescue, and the hard work of recovery and rebuilding that lies ahead.

Yesterday, I spoke with Governor Fallin to make it clear to Oklahomans that they would have all the resources that they need at their disposal.  Last night, I issued a disaster declaration to expedite those resources, to support the Governor’s team in the immediate response, and to offer direct assistance to folks who have suffered loss.  I also just spoke with Mayor Lewis of Moore, Oklahoma, to ensure that he’s getting everything that he needs.

I’ve met with Secretary Napolitano this morning and my Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor, Lisa Monaco, to underscore that point that Oklahoma needs to get everything that it needs right away.  The FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate, is on his way to Oklahoma as we speak.  FEMA staff was first deployed to Oklahoma’s Emergency Operations Center on Sunday, as the state already was facing down the first wave of deadly tornadoes.  Yesterday, FEMA activated Urban Search and Rescue Teams from Texas, Nebraska, and Tennessee to assist in the ongoing search and rescue efforts, and a mobile response unit to boost communications and logistical support.

So the people of Moore should know that their country will remain on the ground, there for them, beside them as long as it takes.  For there are homes and schools to rebuild, businesses and hospitals to reopen, there are parents to console, first responders to comfort, and, of course, frightened children who will need our continued love and attention.

There are empty spaces where there used to be living rooms, and bedrooms, and classrooms, and, in time, we’re going to need to refill those spaces with love and laughter and community.

We don’t yet know the full extent of the damage from this week’s storm.  We don’t know both the human and economic losses that may have occurred.  We know that severe rumbling of weather, bad weather, through much of the country still continues, and we’re also preparing for a hurricane season that begins next week.

But if there is hope to hold on to, not just in Oklahoma but around the country, it’s the knowledge that the good people there and in Oklahoma are better prepared for this type of storm than most.  And what they can be certain of is that Americans from every corner of this country will be right there with them, opening our homes, our hearts to those in need.  Because we’re a nation that stands with our fellow citizens as long as it takes. We’ve seen that spirit in Joplin, in Tuscaloosa; we saw that spirit in Boston and Breezy Point.  And that’s what the people of Oklahoma are going to need from us right now.

For those of you who want to help, you can go online right now to the American Red Cross, which is already on the ground in Moore.  Already we’ve seen the University of Oklahoma announce that it will provide housing for displaced families.  We’ve seen local churches and companies open their doors and their wallets. And last night, the people of Joplin dispatched a team to help the people of Moore.

So for all those who’ve been affected, we recognize that you face a long road ahead.  In some cases, there will be enormous grief that has to be absorbed, but you will not travel that path alone.  Your country will travel it with you, fueled by our faith in the Almighty and our faith in one another.

So our prayers are with the people of Oklahoma today.  And we will back up those prayers with deeds for as long as it takes.

Thank you very much.

END
10:13 A.M. EDT

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Chairman Brady, Vice [...]]]>

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Chairman Ben S. Bernanke

The Economic Outlook

Before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C.

May 22, 2013

Chairman Brady, Vice Chair Klobuchar, and other members of the Committee, I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the economic outlook and economic policy.

Current Economic Conditions
Economic growth has continued at a moderate pace so far this year. Real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have risen at an annual rate of 2-1/2 percent in the first quarter after increasing 1-3/4 percent during 2012. Economic growth in the first quarter was supported by continued expansion in demand by U.S. households and businesses, which more than offset the drag from declines in government spending, especially defense spending.

Conditions in the job market have shown some improvement recently. The unemployment rate, at 7.5 percent in April, has declined more than 1/2 percentage point since last summer. Moreover, gains in total nonfarm payroll employment have averaged more than 200,000 jobs per month over the past six months, compared with average monthly gains of less than 140,000 during the prior six months. In all, payroll employment has now expanded by about 6 million jobs since its low point, and the unemployment rate has fallen 2-1/2 percentage points since its peak.

Despite this improvement, the job market remains weak overall: The unemployment rate is still well above its longer-run normal level, rates of long-term unemployment are historically high, and the labor force participation rate has continued to move down. Moreover, nearly 8 million people are working part time even though they would prefer full-time work. High rates of unemployment and underemployment are extraordinarily costly: Not only do they impose hardships on the affected individuals and their families, they also damage the productive potential of the economy as a whole by eroding workers’ skills and–particularly relevant during this commencement season–by preventing many young people from gaining workplace skills and experience in the first place. The loss of output and earnings associated with high unemployment also reduces government revenues and increases spending on income-support programs, thereby leading to larger budget deficits and higher levels of public debt than would otherwise occur.

Consumer price inflation has been low. The price index for personal consumption expenditures rose only 1 percent over the 12 months ending in March, down from about 2-1/4 percent during the previous 12 months. This slow rate of inflation partly reflects recent declines in consumer energy prices, but price inflation for other consumer goods and services has also been subdued. Nevertheless, measures of longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable and continue to run in the narrow ranges seen over the past several years. Over the next few years, inflation appears likely to run at or below the 2 percent rate that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) judges to be most consistent with the Federal Reserve’s statutory mandate to foster maximum employment and stable prices.

Over the nearly four years since the recovery began, the economy has been held back by a number of headwinds. Some of these headwinds have begun to dissipate recently, in part because of the Federal Reserve’s highly accommodative monetary policy. Notably, the housing market has strengthened over the past year, supported by low mortgage rates and improved sentiment on the part of potential buyers. Increased housing activity is fostering job creation in construction and related industries, such as real estate brokerage and home furnishings, while higher home prices are bolstering household finances, which helps support the growth of private consumption.

Severe fiscal and financial strains in Europe, by weighing on U.S. exports and financial markets, have also restrained U.S. economic growth over the past couple of years. However, since last summer, financial conditions in the euro area have improved somewhat, which should help mitigate the economic slowdown there while also reducing the headwinds faced by the U.S. economy. Also, credit conditions in the United States have eased for some types of loans, as bank capital and asset quality have strengthened.

Fiscal Policy
Fiscal policy, at all levels of government, has been and continues to be an important determinant of the pace of economic growth. Federal fiscal policy, taking into account both discretionary actions and so-called automatic stabilizers, was, on net, quite expansionary during the recession and early in the recovery. However, a substantial part of this impetus was offset by spending cuts and tax increases by state and local governments, most of which are subject to balanced-budget requirements, and by subsequent fiscal tightening at the federal level. Notably, over the past four years, state and local governments have cut civilian government employment by roughly 700,000 jobs, and total government employment has fallen by more than 800,000 jobs over the same period. For comparison, over the four years following the trough of the 2001 recession, total government employment rose by more than 500,000 jobs.

Most recently, the strengthening economy has improved the budgetary outlooks of most state and local governments, leading them to reduce their pace of fiscal tightening. At the same time, though, fiscal policy at the federal level has become significantly more restrictive. In particular, the expiration of the payroll tax cut, the enactment of tax increases, the effects of the budget caps on discretionary spending, the onset of the sequestration, and the declines in defense spending for overseas military operations are expected, collectively, to exert a substantial drag on the economy this year. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the deficit reduction policies in current law will slow the pace of real GDP growth by about 1-1/2 percentage points during 2013, relative to what it would have been otherwise.¹ In present circumstances, with short-term interest rates already close to zero, monetary policy does not have the capacity to fully offset an economic headwind of this magnitude.

Although near-term fiscal restraint has increased, much less has been done to address the federal government’s longer-term fiscal imbalances. Indeed, the CBO projects that, under current policies, the federal deficit and debt as a percentage of GDP will begin rising again in the latter part of this decade and move sharply upward thereafter, in large part reflecting the aging of our society and projected increases in health-care costs, along with mounting debt service payments. To promote economic growth and stability in the longer term, it will be essential for fiscal policymakers to put the federal budget on a sustainable long-run path. Importantly, the objectives of effectively addressing longer-term fiscal imbalances and of minimizing the near-term fiscal headwinds facing the economic recovery are not incompatible. To achieve both goals simultaneously, the Congress and the Administration could consider replacing some of the near-term fiscal restraint now in law with policies that reduce the federal deficit more gradually in the near term but more substantially in the longer run.

Monetary Policy
With unemployment well above normal levels and inflation subdued, fostering our congressionally mandated objectives of maximum employment and price stability requires a highly accommodative monetary policy. Normally, the Committee would provide policy accommodation by reducing its target for the federal funds rate, thus putting downward pressure on interest rates generally. However, the federal funds rate and other short-term money market rates have been close to zero since late 2008, so the Committee has had to use other policy tools.

The first of these alternative tools is “forward guidance” about the FOMC’s likely future target for the federal funds rate. Since December, the Committee’s postmeeting statement has indicated that its current target range for the federal funds rate, 0 to 1/4 percent, will be appropriate “at least as long as the unemployment rate remains above 6-1/2 percent, inflation between one and two years ahead is projected to be no more than a half percentage point above the Committee’s 2 percent longer-run goal, and longer-term inflation expectations continue to be well anchored.” This guidance underscores the Committee’s intention to maintain highly accommodative monetary policy as long as needed to support continued progress toward maximum employment and price stability.

The second policy tool now in use is large-scale purchases of longer-term Treasury securities and agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS). These purchases put downward pressure on longer-term interest rates, including mortgage rates. For some months, the FOMC has been buying longer-term Treasury securities at a pace of $45 billion per month and agency MBS at a pace of $40 billion per month. The Committee has said that it will continue its securities purchases until the outlook for the labor market has improved substantially in a context of price stability. The Committee also has stated that in determining the size, pace, and composition of its asset purchases, it will take appropriate account of the likely efficacy and costs of such purchases as well as the extent of progress toward its economic objectives.

At its most recent meeting, the Committee made clear that it is prepared to increase or reduce the pace of its asset purchases to ensure that the stance of monetary policy remains appropriate as the outlook for the labor market or inflation changes. Accordingly, in considering whether a recalibration of the pace of its purchases is warranted, the Committee will continue to assess the degree of progress made toward its objectives in light of incoming information. The Committee also reiterated, consistent with its forward guidance regarding the federal funds rate, that it expects a highly accommodative stance of monetary policy to remain appropriate for a considerable time after the asset purchase program ends and the economic recovery strengthens.

In the current economic environment, monetary policy is providing significant benefits. Low real interest rates have helped support spending on durable goods, such as automobiles, and also contributed significantly to the recovery in housing sales, construction, and prices. Higher prices of houses and other assets, in turn, have increased household wealth and consumer confidence, spurring consumer spending and contributing to gains in production and employment. Importantly, accommodative monetary policy has also helped to offset incipient deflationary pressures and kept inflation from falling even further below the Committee’s 2 percent longer-run objective.

That said, the Committee is aware that a long period of low interest rates has costs and risks. For example, even as low interest rates have helped create jobs and supported the prices of homes and other assets, savers who rely on interest income from savings accounts or government bonds are receiving very low returns. Another cost, one that we take very seriously, is the possibility that very low interest rates, if maintained too long, could undermine financial stability. For example, investors or portfolio managers dissatisfied with low returns may “reach for yield” by taking on more credit risk, duration risk, or leverage. The Federal Reserve is working to address financial stability concerns through increased monitoring, a more systemic approach to supervising financial firms, and the ongoing implementation of reforms to make the financial system more resilient.

Recognizing the drawbacks of persistently low rates, the FOMC actively seeks economic conditions consistent with sustainably higher interest rates. Unfortunately, withdrawing policy accommodation at this juncture would be highly unlikely to produce such conditions. A premature tightening of monetary policy could lead interest rates to rise temporarily but would also carry a substantial risk of slowing or ending the economic recovery and causing inflation to fall further. Such outcomes tend to be associated with extended periods of lower, not higher, interest rates, as well as poor returns on other assets. Moreover, renewed economic weakness would pose its own risks to financial stability.

Because only a healthy economy can deliver sustainably high real rates of return to savers and investors, the best way to achieve higher returns in the medium term and beyond is for the Federal Reserve–consistent with its congressional mandate–to provide policy accommodation as needed to foster maximum employment and price stability. Of course, we will do so with due regard for the efficacy and costs of our policy actions and in a way that is responsive to the evolution of the economic outlook.

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Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in March suggests that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace. Labor market conditions have shown some improvement in recent months, on balance, but [...]]]>

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Policy Statement 1 May 2013

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in March suggests that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace. Labor market conditions have shown some improvement in recent months, on balance, but the unemployment rate remains elevated. Household spending and business fixed investment advanced, and the housing sector has strengthened further, but fiscal policy is restraining economic growth. Inflation has been running somewhat below the Committee’s longer-run objective, apart from temporary variations that largely reflect fluctuations in energy prices. Longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable.

Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. The Committee expects that, with appropriate policy accommodation, economic growth will proceed at a moderate pace and the unemployment rate will gradually decline toward levels the Committee judges consistent with its dual mandate. The Committee continues to see downside risks to the economic outlook. The Committee also anticipates that inflation over the medium term likely will run at or below its 2 percent objective.

To support a stronger economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation, over time, is at the rate most consistent with its dual mandate, the Committee decided to continue purchasing additional agency mortgage-backed securities at a pace of $40 billion per month and longer-term Treasury securities at a pace of $45 billion per month. The Committee is maintaining its existing policy of reinvesting principal payments from its holdings of agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in agency mortgage-backed securities and of rolling over maturing Treasury securities at auction. Taken together, these actions should maintain downward pressure on longer-term interest rates, support mortgage markets, and help to make broader financial conditions more accommodative.

The Committee will closely monitor incoming information on economic and financial developments in coming months. The Committee will continue its purchases of Treasury and agency mortgage-backed securities, and employ its other policy tools as appropriate, until the outlook for the labor market has improved substantially in a context of price stability. The Committee is prepared to increase or reduce the pace of its purchases to maintain appropriate policy accommodation as the outlook for the labor market or inflation changes. In determining the size, pace, and composition of its asset purchases, the Committee will continue to take appropriate account of the likely efficacy and costs of such purchases as well as the extent of progress toward its economic objectives.

To support continued progress toward maximum employment and price stability, the Committee expects that a highly accommodative stance of monetary policy will remain appropriate for a considerable time after the asset purchase program ends and the economic recovery strengthens. In particular, the Committee decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and currently anticipates that this exceptionally low range for the federal funds rate will be appropriate at least as long as the unemployment rate remains above 6-1/2 percent, inflation between one and two years ahead is projected to be no more than a half percentage point above the Committee’s 2 percent longer-run goal, and longer-term inflation expectations continue to be well anchored. In determining how long to maintain a highly accommodative stance of monetary policy, the Committee will also consider other information, including additional measures of labor market conditions, indicators of inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and readings on financial developments. When the Committee decides to begin to remove policy accommodation, it will take a balanced approach consistent with its longer-run goals of maximum employment and inflation of 2 percent.

Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman; William C. Dudley, Vice Chairman; James Bullard; Elizabeth A. Duke; Charles L. Evans; Jerome H. Powell; Sarah Bloom Raskin; Eric S. Rosengren; Jeremy C. Stein; Daniel K. Tarullo; and Janet L. Yellen. Voting against the action was Esther L. George, who was concerned that the continued high level of monetary accommodation increased the risks of future economic and financial imbalances and, over time, could cause an increase in long-term inflation expectations.

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Israel – Reuters reported: Israeli troops shot at a target across the Syrian frontier on Tuesday in response to gunfire that struck its forces in the Golan Heights, the Israeli military said. A statement said a military [...]]]>

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20 May 2013

Israel – Reuters reported: Israeli troops shot at a target across the Syrian frontier on Tuesday in response to gunfire that struck its forces in the Golan Heights, the Israeli military said. A statement said a military vehicle was damaged by shots fired from Syria but that there were no injuries. It said that soldiers “returned precise fire”. Gunfire incidents across the frontier from Syria have recurred in past months during an escalating a civil war there in which rebels have sought to topple President Bashar al-Assad. Israel’s Army Radio said Tuesday’s was the third consecutive cross-border shooting this week. The Israeli military added in its statement that it viewed these incidents “with concern”. Israel captured the Golan territory from Syria in a 1967 war and later annexed the area. Negotiations aimed at resolving that conflict ran aground in 2000.

Israel – The Daily Mail reported: Five people died in a bungled bank robbery before the gunman took his own life in southern Israel this afternoon. The robbers struck at a branch of Bank Hapoalim in the southern city of Beersheba at about 2pm local time. One of the robbers was reportedly barricaded inside the bank with one female hostage, before shooting himself. Three men and a woman were reported among those dead.

Syria & Israel – Reuters reported: Israeli troops shot at a target across the Syrian frontier on Tuesday in response to gunfire that struck its forces in the Golan Heights, the Israeli military said. A statement said a military vehicle was damaged by shots fired from Syria but that there were no injuries. It said that soldiers “returned precise fire”. Gunfire incidents across the frontier from Syria have recurred in past months during an escalating a civil war there in which rebels have sought to topple President Bashar al-Assad. Israel’s Army Radio said Tuesday’s was the third consecutive cross-border shooting this week. The Israeli military added in its statement that it viewed these incidents “with concern”. Israel captured the Golan territory from Syria in a 1967 war and later annexed the area. Negotiations aimed at resolving that conflict ran aground in 2000.

Uganda – The BBC Africa Corps reported: Ugandan police have raided the offices of at least two newspapers following reports that President Yoweri Museveni is grooming his son to succeed him. Two radio stations have also been taken off air, the state-owned New Vision newspaper reports. Last week, newspapers reported claims allegedly made by an army general that those opposed to Mr Museveni’s son succeeding him risk being killed. Mr Museveni, in power since 1986, is due to step down in 2016. There has been long-standing speculation that his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, a brigadier in the army, is being groomed to succeed him. The government has denied having any such plans.

Pakistan – The New York Times reported: After weeks of legal setbacks, Pakistan’s former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, won a small victory on Monday amid media speculation that the military is seeking to free the former army chief from a tangle of court cases. An antiterrorism court in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, granted Mr. Musharraf bail on charges relating to the death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007 while Mr. Musharraf was in power. His lawyer, Salman Safdar, said bail, which was set close to $20,000, represented Mr. Musharraf’s “first legal relief” since his dramatic return from exile in March and subsequent arrest. The decision will not, however, set the former military leader free. He remains under house arrest at his luxury villa outside Islamabad in connection with two other cases: the killing of a Baloch nationalist leader in 2006 and the firing of senior judges in 2007.

Burma – The BBC reported: Burmese President Thein Sein is in the United States, in an attempt to drum up more business and investment into the Southeast Asian nation. The US has suspended many sanctions against Burma on the basis of its recent reforms, but they have not been lifted altogether. Ken Cheung, a partner with the law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner, and a close observer of Burma’s reform process, explains about how the visit can help foster future trade relations between Burma and Washington.

North Korea – The Voice of America reported: Officials in Beijing say 16 Chinese fishermen who were seized for ransom in North Korea have been released. The official Xinhua news agency reported the development Tuesday, quoting a Chinese consular official in Pyongyang who spoke with the owner of the fishing boat. The official said the men were safe and on their way home, but he gave no other details. The owner of the boat says North Korea was demanding nearly $100,000 for the return of the boat and crew, which were taken May 6 in the waters between China and the Korean peninsula. He says he did not pay any money for the release. It remains unclear who in North Korea was responsible for the kidnapping. Xinhua said the boat was “seized by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” the North’s official name, but it did not elaborate.

North Korea – FOX NEWS reported: North Korea continued firing short-range weapons over its own eastern waters Monday after a weekend of what it called “rocket launching tests” intended to bolster deterrence against enemy attack. South Korean officials were investigating exactly what it was that Pyongyang was testing. North Korea regularly conducts short-range missile tests. Analysts say the recent launches appear to be weapons tests or an attempt to get U.S. and South Korean attention amid tentative signs of diplomacy after soaring tensions that followed U.N. sanctions aimed at a North Korean nuclear test in February. The two projectiles fired by North Korea on Monday had similar trajectories as four previous launches over the past two days, according to officials at Seoul’s Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff. Officials were analyzing whether the projectiles were missiles or rockets fired from a large-caliber gun North Korea may be developing, the officials said on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.

India & China – The TIME Magazine reported: New Delhi commuters are not among those likely to be won over by China’s new Premier during his three-day visit to the Indian capital this week. On Monday morning, rush-hour traffic ground to a sweltering halt on one of the hottest days of the year, with cars marooned in a labyrinth of barricades set up to control crowds during Li Keqiang’s first foreign visit since taking office in March. Authorities ramped up security outside the Chinese embassy and shut down metro stations near popular protest spots after Tibetan rights groups said they would stage large protests. The protests were minor, but traffic jams were not. As one Twitter user put it: “O.K., one good reason why I don’t trust Chinese … huge jams and stuck in traffic becoz of them.” Even Kashmir’s chief minister, who was in town for the day, created a hashtag — #delhitrafficmess — to mark the snarl.

West Bank – The Jerusalem Post reported: Following Abbas’s meeting with US consul-general, Palestinian Authority official says Israeli government not interested in peace. The Palestinian Authority does not believe that US Secretary of State John Kerry – who is returning to the region on Thursday – will carry new ideas that will lead to the resumption of peace talks with Israel, a PA official in Ramallah said Monday. The official’s remark came shortly after PA President Mahmoud Abbas met in his office with US Consul-General Michael Ratney and discussed with him Kerry’s efforts to revive the peace process. This will be Kerry’s fourth visit since he accompanied US President Barack Obama to Israel in late March. “Our position regarding the resumption of the peace talks remains unchanged,” the official said. “We continue to insist on a full cessation of settlement construction and the release of Palestinian prisoners before the talks are resumed.” According to the official, “there is good reason to believe that Israel has not accepted our position. This Israeli government is not interested in peace.”

Chile – RTT NEWS reported: A near 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook through southern Chile early Monday morning. No one was killed or injured from the 6.8 magnitude quake that happened just before midnight, media sources report. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the powerful tremble occurred at a depth of 6.2 miles in Hawaii. The Star Advertiser reports, earthquakes of this size usually generate tsunamis dangerous to areas approximately 100 miles from the epicenter. Officials said this one did not cause a Pacific-wide tsunami. According to USGS.gov, the most recent powerful earthquake in South America had a magnitude of 7.8 in Tarapaca, Chile in 2005. One that shook North and South America was the quake in northwestern Bolivia in 1994. This was the largest deep-focus earthquake instrumentally recorded with a magnitude of 8.2. It occurred at a depth of 631 kilometers.

Turkey – The BBC reported: Three Brazilian tourists have been killed and more than 20 other people injured after two hot-air balloons collided in Turkey, officials say. One ascending balloon was torn open as it hit the basket of another, and then plunged to the ground, witnesses said. The accident happened in Cappadocia, a region popular with tourists for its spectacular volcanic rock formations. A tourist who was in another balloon said: “It was quite horrific. We looked up and it was falling out of the sky.” Joanne Rowley, an Australian on holiday in Turkey with her husband, added: “It fell straight down to the ground. It was just horrendous.

Afghanistan – The Tampa Bay Times reported: A local Afghan leader who had been involved in efforts to defeat the Taliban was killed Monday in a suicide bombing that left 13 others dead, including the bomber, officials said. Mohammad Rasoul Mohseni was the head of the provincial council in Baghlan province in northeastern Afghanistan, a picturesque farming area that has been relatively peaceful and secure in the past. Police said the suicide bomber was dressed in a police uniform. He detonated his explosives after walking up to Mohseni and a group of people standing with him outside his office in a government compound in the provincial capital, Pul-e-Khumri. Nine people were injured. In text messages to media organizations, a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack.

Russia – The LA Times reported: Twin explosions rocked the capital of Dagestan on Monday, killing four people and injuring dozens in the Russian region most recently known for its association with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. A car bomb detonated in the center of Makhachkala, the Itar-Tass news agency reported. As police rushed to the scene, another, more powerful bomb detonated in their midst, said Rasul Temirbekov, head of the Dagestan Investigative Committee. He said the force of the explosion was possibly equal to more than 100 pounds of TNT. Thirty-five of the 40 or so injured people were hospitalized. Makhachkala is where the parents of the Boston bombing suspects live and where the older of the two brothers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, spent six months last year. During that time, authorities believe, he may have met with the Islamic militants who have pursued a violent secessionist campaign  in Dagestan in recent years.

China – The BBC Asia Corps reported: State media in China warn North Korea to stop detaining fishing boats amid public anger over the “kidnapping” of fishermen by unidentified captors. State media report a Chinese fishing boat and its 16-man crew who were reportedly held for ransom by an armed group in waters off the west coast of North Korea were released early on Tuesday. Global Times says the incident has “fuelled outrage” among the Chinese public, with internet users venting “fury” towards North Korea, as “traditionally close ties between the nations have been pushed toward greater tension”. A bilingual Global Times editorial suspects that the North Korean army used the ambiguity of maritime borders to “make a quick buck” by detaining the Chinese crew.

Lebanon – The New York Times reported: At the entrance to this village in Hezbollah’s Bekaa Valley heartland, under a sign welcoming visitors to “The Citadel of Resistance,” workers on Monday hoisted a freshly printed banner honoring a young man described as one of Hezbollah’s latest martyrs — killed in battle not with Israel, the foe the group’s guerrillas train to fight, but with Syrian rebels. Down the road, another dead fighter’s uncle, Fayez Shukor, welcomed mourners under a tent overlooking the valley as the sun set on a day that had seen Hezbollah’s death toll rise to unexpected heights as the group joined Syrian forces trying to storm the rebel-held Syrian city of Qusayr. His nephew, he had said earlier, died on Sunday alongside 11 other Hezbollah fighters killed in a single rebel attack. Lebanon reeled Monday from the twin realizations that Hezbollah, the nation’s most powerful military and political organization, was plunging deeper into a war the country has tried to stay out of, and that the group was taking unaccustomed losses. Mr. Shukor, a former government minister from Lebanon’s Arab Socialist Baath Party, walked a careful line between supporting a declaration by Hezbollah that Syria’s fight is its fight and acknowledging the contradiction of fighting fellow Arab Muslims instead of Israelis.

Nigeria – The Voice of America reported: Nearly a week after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan announced the deployment of thousands of troops to the country’s war-torn north, officials say they now hold more than 200 suspected Boko Haram militants. Nigerian military forces said Monday they have captured 120 Boko Haram militants during the past 24 hours alone, and now are occupying five former militant bases and the surrounding areas. In a statement sent to reporters, Defense Ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Chris Olukolade also denied rumors that people in the three states under emergency rule – Borno, Adamawa and Yobe – are fleeing to neighboring countries. There has been no word from the militants themselves since the Nigerian offensive began last Wednesday, and VOA is unable to independently verify the government’s claims, due to blocked roads and the fact that phone lines largely are shut down.

Taiwan – Bloomberg NEWS reported: Taiwan fishing boat captain Hung Yu-chi says he was at the helm in quiet seas on the last morning of a six-day trip when he noticed a black dot on the horizon. Through binoculars, Yu-chi, 39, could see figures in orange on another boat, the color worn by both Taiwanese and Philippine officers as they patrol fishing waters claimed by each government. As the craft drew near, Yu-chi heard gunshots and realized the boat was from the Philippines. He shouted out to the rest of the crew on the Guang Da Hsin 28, including his father and brother in law, and increased speed. “They were shooting by the time they got close,” his brother-in-law Hung Jie-shang, 42, said in a May 19 interview with him, Yu-chi and other family members at their home on Liuqiu Island, off the southwestern coast of Taiwan. “If we hadn’t run, we’d be dead.” The family’s account of the May 9 attack that killed the 65-year-old patriarch, Hung Shih-cheng, has triggered a wave of nationalism in Taiwan, with President Ma Ying-jeou tapping the anger to put economic pressure on the Philippines to issue a formal apology. He has frozen the hiring of Filipino workers and told his people to stop traveling there.

Myanmar – FOX NEWS reported: Six Muslim men and one minor have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from life to two years in prison for involvement in the killing of a Buddhist monk during sectarian violence in central Myanmar. Thein Than Oo, a lawyer defending the men, said one of his clients was given life in prison for murder. Myat Ko Ko was also sentenced to an additional two years for unlawful assembly and two for religious disrespect. A dispute at a Muslim-owned gold shop in the town of Meikhtila on March 20 triggered rioting by Buddhists and small-scale retaliation by their Muslim targets. Over several days at least 43 people were killed and 12,000 displaced, most of the victims being Muslims. The unrest later spread to other parts of central Myanmar.

Washington D.C. – The Chicago Tribune reported: President Barack Obama’s administration has decided to give the Pentagon control of some drone operations against terrorism suspects overseas that are currently run by the CIA, several U.S. government sources said on Monday. Obama has pledged more transparency on controversial counterterrorism programs, and giving the Pentagon the responsibility for part of the drone program could open it to greater congressional oversight. Obama will make a speech on Thursday at the National Defense University in Washington that will include discussion of the government’s use of drones as a counterterrorism tool. It is unclear whether he will announce the drone program shift in that speech or separately. Four U.S. government sources told Reuters that the decision had been made to shift the CIA’s drone operations to the Pentagon, and some of them said it would occur in stages.

Yemen – The San Francisco Chronicle reported: Yemeni security and military officials say a suspected U.S. drone has killed two militants in a town in the center of the country. The officials said the Monday attack targeted the two men as they were riding a motorbike outside Radda in Bayda province. The officials said the two men were suspected of belonging to al-Qaida, whose Yemeni branch Washington considers the terror group’s most dangerous offshoot. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The U.S has regularly used drone strikes in Yemen to go after the group’s members, while government troops are also confronting them in various parts of the country.

21 May 2013

North Korea – Reuters reported: North Korea sent one of its top military officials as a “special envoy” from its leader Kim Jong-un to Beijing on Wednesday, accompanied by a high-powered delegation in what appeared to be a bid to mend frayed relations with its most important ally. The delegation led by Choe Ryong-hae, vice chairman of the country’s top military body, was the most senior to visit China since Kim’s kingmaker uncle Jang Song-thaek made the trip in August 2012. Ties between Pyongyang and Beijing have been hurt by the North’s third nuclear test, carried out in February, and by China agreeing to U.N. sanctions on the North and starting to put a squeeze on North Korean banks. North Korean state news agency KCNA said China’s ambassador to Pyongyang, who is seen as the closest of all foreign envoys to Kim Jong-un, saw the delegation off at the airport. Choe’s first meeting in Beijing was with Wang Jiarui, head of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s International Department, China’s Xinhua news agency said, without providing details.

Israel – FOX NEWS reported: Israeli and Syrian troops exchanged fire across their tense cease-fire line in the Golan Heights on Tuesday, prompting an Israeli threat that Syria’s leader will “bear the consequences” of further escalation and raising new concerns that the civil war there could explode into a region-wide conflict. The incident marked the first time the Syrian army has acknowledged firing intentionally at Israeli troops since the civil war erupted more than two years ago. President Bashar Assad’s regime appears to be trying to project toughness in response to three Israeli airstrikes near Damascus in recent months. In the exchange, an Israeli jeep came under fire during an overnight patrol in the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau which Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed. Syria claimed it destroyed the vehicle after it crossed the cease-fire line. Israel said the jeep was on the Israeli side of the line and suffered minor damage, and no one was hurt. It said it returned fire at the source and scored a “direct hit.” It gave no further details. Syria did not comment on the Israeli fire.

France – The Independent UK reported: A far-right French historian shot himself in the head beside the altar of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris today apparently in protest against the legalisation of gay marriage in France. Dominique Venner, 78, a former member of the nationalist terrorist movement, OAS, placed a pistol in his mouth and shot himself dead in front of scores of tourists inside the most visited building in France. Mr Venner, a presenter on a Catholic-traditionalust radio station and controversial historian and essayist,  posted an essay on his website earlier in the day calling for “new, spectacular and symbolic actions to shake us out of our sleep, to jolt anaesthetised minds and to reawaken memory of our origins”. His long essay was a tirade against gay marriage but also a warning that the “population of France and Europe” was going to be “replaced” and brought under “Islamist control” and “sharia law”.

Vatican City – Euro NEWS reported: The Vatican has denied that footage of Pope Francis taken last Sunday of him placing his hands on a disabled boy’s head shows him performing an exorcism. Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said it had merely been a normal prayer for a sick or disabled visitor. “Pope Francis did absolutely not intend to perform an exorcism on this occasion. As he frequently does with the sick and the suffering who come his way, he intended simply to pray for a suffering person who had been brought before him.” The allegation came from the director who had been filming Francis at the time. In his commentary he had said the boy’s shouting as he was being blessed looked like an exorcism. The director has since apologised.

Saudi Arabia – Euro NEWS via Reuters reported: Saudi Arabia has detained 10 people accused of spying for its Shi’ite Muslim regional rival Iran after arresting 18 people in the same case in March, state media reported on Tuesday. The Sunni Muslim kingdom, the world’s top oil exporter, accuses the Islamic Republic of stirring unrest among minority Saudi Shi’ites. Tehran rejects that charge and has also denied any involvement in espionage in Saudi Arabia. “Initial investigation carried out by the authorities led to the detention of 10 others for involvement in spying activities,” Saudi Press Agency quoted Interior Ministry security spokesman Major-General Mansour al-Turki as saying. He said they included eight Saudis, a Turk and a Lebanese citizen. Those arrested in March included 16 Saudis and an Iranian. A Lebanese man also detained at that time has been released for lack of evidence, Turki said.

Philippines – ABC NEWS via (AP) reported: The Philippines has protested the presence of a Chinese warship, two surveillance vessels and fishing boats off a shoal occupied by its military in the disputed Spratly Islands, in the latest territorial squabble between the Asian countries, officials said Tuesday. President Benigno Aquino III warned, meanwhile, that the Philippines is ready to fight back against any threat and announced plans to buy more warships and aircraft for its ill-equipped military, including anti-submarine attack helicopters. “Our message to the whole world is clear: what belongs to the Philippines belongs to the Philippines,” Aquino said in a speech at a naval base in Cavite province south of Manila. “We can fight back and defend ourselves every time somebody will threaten us right in our own home ground.” Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said the Philippines denounced the “provocative and illegal presence” of Beijing’s ships off Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea, adding the area is “an integral part of our national territory.”

Nigeria – ABC NEWS via (AP) reported: Nigeria’s military said Tuesday that the West African nation would release some of the prisoners it has taken in the country’s fight against Islamic extremists — including all the women now held in custody. The surprise statement from the Defense Ministry, while lacking specifics about how many would be released and when, represents a clear concession by the Nigerian government to the insurgents it is fighting in a military offensive in the nation’s restive northeast. The leader of the Islamic extremist network Boko Haram, the main group now fighting the government, repeatedly has mentioned security agencies arresting members’ women and children. In the statement, Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade said those released would be turned over to state governors for “further rehabilitation.” It also mentioned a presidential panel now exploring a possible amnesty deal for insurgents. “The measure, which is in line with presidential magnanimity to enhance peace efforts in the country, will result in freedom for suspects including all women under custody,” the statement read.

United Kingdom – Bloomberg Business reported: Prime Minister David Cameron won passage through the House of Commons of a bill legalizing gay marriage in England and Wales. It must next be approved by the upper unelected House of Lords before becoming law. Lawmakers voted 366 to 161 in London today to pass the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill after an attempt by opponents in Cameron’s Tory party to amend the proposal failed yesterday. Amendments to the bill that would have watered it down or extended the “civil partnerships” now open to gay couples to heterosexuals were rejected by lawmakers as the opposition Labor Party backed Cameron’s position. Activists say the prime minister’s backing of gay marriage is driving Conservative voters toward the U.K. Independence Party, which made gains in local elections this month at the expense of the ruling parties.

Iraq – The Boston Globe via (AP) reported: New attacks in Iraq killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens on Tuesday, officials said, after a bloody day that claimed more than 100 lives across the country. The latest spiral of violence, which targeted both Sunni and Shiite communities, has increased fears that Iraq is sliding back to the brink of civil war. A suicide bomber set off his explosives-laden vest at a military checkpoint in the town of Tarmiyah, 30 miles north of Baghdad. The blast was followed by militants who opened fire at the Iraqi troops, killing three soldiers and wounding nine, a police official said. In Baghdad’s western suburb of Abu Ghraib on Tuesday night, a bomb targeted Sunni worshippers as they were leaving a mosque, killing six and wounding 18, two police officers said.

Russia – The Baltimore Sun via Reuters reported: As Russia congratulated its forces for foiling an alleged Islamist plot on Moscow, the discovery of the plan also pointed to the growing security threat before the 2014 Winter Olympics. Monday’s killing of two suspected militants and arrest of a third in a sleepy town near Moscow was quickly followed by the killing of one of the leaders of an Islamist insurgency being waged in Russia’s North Caucasus. For President Vladimir Putin, who built his reputation more than a decade ago in a war against rebels in the mainly Muslim Chechnya region, such successes are an opportunity to promote the image of a strong state and rally personal support. But there is also concern at the Kremlin over suspicions the alleged militants had trained abroad and had been linked to a group in the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan.

Iran – The New York Times reported: Iran’s state television announced Tuesday that Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a two-term former president who called for greater freedom during protests in 2009, had been barred from running in next month’s election to succeed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. BBC News reports that the list of approved candidates presented by the state broadcaster also did not include the name of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Mr. Ahmadinejad’s handpicked successor. Rana Rahimpour, a bilingual reporter for BBC World Service and BBC Persian TV who monitored the broadcast from London, reported that the ballot for June 14 approved by the Islamic Republic’s Guardian Council would include just eight of the hundreds of men who registered as candidates this month.

Afghanistan – The New York Times reported: The Taliban attacked Afghan police posts in a violent and long-contested corner of southern Afghanistan, setting off two days of clashes that left at least six police officers dead, Afghan officials said Tuesday, though the American-led coalition played down the violence as little more than “drive-by shootings.” The Afghan government portrayed the fighting in the Sangin district of Helmand Province, which began Monday, as a major victory for its forces, with officials describing a massive Taliban effort to overrun the area. Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, put the number of attackers at 1,000 and said Arab and Chechen insurgents — that is, Al Qaeda members — were fighting alongside the Taliban. The Taliban also claimed to be engaged in a broad assault on Sangin, saying in a text message to reporters that insurgents had overrun three police posts and were close to taking more.

Saudi Arabia – The Kansas City Star via (AP) reported: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed five Yemenis convicted of crimes and displayed their bodies in public as a deterrent for future criminals, the government said. The Interior Ministry said the five were convicted of setting up a gang that carried out several crimes, including the murder of a Saudi man. They were executed on Tuesday and their bodies were put on display at a square in the southern city of Jazan. The ministry says the court ordered the bodies displayed because the crimes “indicate that evil and corruption persist” and that the Yemenis had no respect for “sanctities and the blood of others.” Amnesty International said in a statement that a sixth man, a Saudi, was executed for murder. The group said at least 47 executions have been carried out in Saudi Arabia so far this year. It said this is 18 more compared to this time last year, and a rise of 29 compared to the same period in 2011. Of those executed this year, at least 19 were foreign nationals.

22 May 2013

Tunisia – Bloomberg NEWS reported: Tunisia’s Islamist government has turned against the radical Ansar al-Sharia group. I think it is a healthy sign. Last week, the government banned Ansar from holding an annual conference to which the group had hoped to attract tens of thousands of followers from around the region. On Sunday, when the Salafists tried to meet in defiance of the ban, the police intervened aggressively, and a protester was killed. Ansar’s spokesman was arrested (its leader was already in hiding), and Prime Minister Ali Laraydeh, for the first time, said the group “has ties to and is involved in terrorism.” Tunisia’s many secularists have long accused the government of being in cahoots with Ansar, even though it has been blamed for attacks on art galleries, religious shrines, bars and other targets that Salafists see as insufficiently religious. The suspicion of collusion was amplified after Rachid Ghannouchi, who heads the Ennahda Islamist group that leads the government, was filmed giving what appeared to be a lecture on strategy to the Salafists, advising them to play a long game to secure their goals.

Washington D.C. – The Tampa Bay Times reported: The Obama administration acknowledged Wednesday it has killed four Americans in overseas counterterrorism operations since 2009, the first time it has publicly taken responsibility for the deaths. Although the acknowledgement, contained in a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder to Congress, does not say how the four were killed, three are known to have died in CIA drone strikes in Yemen in 2011. They include Anwar al-Awlaki, his 16-year-old son and Samir Khan. The fourth, Jude Kenan Mohammad, indicted in North Carolina in 2009, was killed in Pakistan, where the CIA has operated a drone campaign against terrorist suspects for nearly a decade. His death was previously unreported. Holder’s letter came the day before President Barack Obama is due to deliver a major speech designed to fulfill a promise in his State of the Union speech in January to make elements of his controversial counterterrorism policies more transparent and accountable to Congress and the American public.

United Kingdom – The Irish Times reported: British military have been ordered to step up security dramatically following yesterday’s brutal attack in southeast London in which a soldier was killed and partially decapitated by two machete-wielding attackers. The two men drove on to the pavement to knock down the soldier, who had moments earlier left Woolwich barracks, before they attacked him and dragged his corpse onto the street where they subjected him to a frenzied assault. Making no attempt to flee, the men stayed around the corpse, chanting “ Allah Akbar ”, or God is Great”, before one of them, speaking with a London accent, told a TV camera crew: “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. The only reasons we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day. This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth.

Syrian – USA Today reported: The Syrian opposition said Wednesday it welcomes the promise of increased U.S. involvement in finding a solution to two years of war, but that it would not accept peace talks if top members of the regime of Bashar Assad are involved. The stand of the country’s leading opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, is in direct conflict with the peace talks that the Obama administration are seeking to help organize next month in Geneva. Secretary of State John Kerry urged the Syrian government Wednesday to attend the proposed peace talks that would also include Russia, a chief patron of Syria that has refused to support rebel demands that Assad be forced out in return for peace. “We hope the U.S. will lead the international role to solving the conflict,” said Khaled Saleh, spokesman for the Syria National Coalition. “The coalition welcomes any solution as long as it meets the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people but it must start with the departure of Assad.”

Nepal – The Houston Chronicle via (AP) reported: An 80-year-old Japanese man who began the year with his fourth heart operation became the oldest conqueror of Mount Everest on Thursday, a feat he called “the world’s best feeling” even with an 81-year-old Nepalese climber not far behind him. Yuichiro Miura, a former extreme skier who also climbed the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak when he was 70 and 75, reached the summit at 9:05 a.m. local time, according to a Nepalese mountaineering official and Miura’s Tokyo-based support team. It was a moment Japanese news agency Kyodo captured on video from 10 kilometers (6 miles) away, using a camera crew at 5,500 meters (18,000 feet) elevation on another mountain. “We have arrived at the summit,” Miura said in a radio transmission to Kyodo from the world’s highest point. “80 years and 7 months. … The world’s most incredible mountaineering team had helped me all the way up here.” Miura and his son Gota made a phone call from the summit, prompting his daughter Emili to smile broadly and clap her hands in footage shown by Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Iran – The New York Times reported: International nuclear inspectors reported on Wednesday that Iran had increased its nuclear production while negotiations with the West dragged on this spring, but the new information suggested that Tehran had not gone past the “red line” that Israel’s leaders have declared could incite military action. In its last report before Iranian elections next month, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had made progress across the board in its nuclear program, enriching more uranium and installing hundreds of next-generation centrifuges that could speed enrichment. Obama administration officials acknowledged in interviews and public testimony last week that such equipment could significantly reduce the “break out” time required for Iran to produce a crude nuclear device. But they said that despite the new equipment, they remained confident that the United States and Israel would have enough time to act to halt the production of a weapon if Iran decided to build one.

Sweden – The Sydney Morning Herald reported: Swedish police arrested eight people after riots broke out in several Stockholm suburbs, following a police shooting a week ago that left a local resident dead. Rioters set fire to about 30 cars overnight on Tuesday in some of Sweden’s most ethnically diverse suburbs, police spokesman Kjell Lindgren said. In the suburb of Husby, a school and a cultural centre were set alight. Rubbish bins burned in many of the capital’s western and southern suburbs and a school was set on fire in Skaerholmen. A police station and buildings in central Jakobsberg were vandalised. The unrest started on May 19 in Husby – an area built in the 1970s and dotted with high-rise apartment blocks – about a week after police killed a 69-year-old man brandishing a knife. Sweden, where immigrants bear the brunt of Scandinavia’s highest unemployment rate, has suffered similar bouts of unrest before. In 2008, rioters in Rosengaard in the southern city of Malmoe clashed with police after setting fire to cars and bins. Those riots also spread to the Stockholm suburbs of Tensta and Husby. Megafon, a community group in Husby, said the riots were a reflection of the “discontent” felt by about 200 local residents with the police shooting.

China – The New York Times reported: A senior North Korean military official’s visit here Wednesday appears to have been organized on short notice, and was probably prompted by North Korea’s concerns about a planned meeting between President Xi Jinping of China and President Obama, analysts said. Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, a member of the inner circle of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, arrived in Beijing two days after the United States and China announced that Mr. Obama and Mr. Xi would meet in California early next month. Vice Marshal Choe, 63, who is the political overseer of the North Korean military, met with Wang Jiarui, the head of the international department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The vice marshal, sent by Mr. Kim as a special envoy, received only modest coverage in the Chinese state news media.

Malaysia – FOX NEWS via (AP) reported: Prosecutors have filed a sedition charge against a student activist who had urged Malaysians to engage in street protests against the government over claims of election fraud. The National Front coalition that has governed since 1957 won May 5 general elections. Opposition officials insist the coalition retained power through bogus ballots and other irregularities, but Prime Minister Najib Razak and electoral authorities deny manipulating the results. Activist Adam Adli was accused of making seditious statements while addressing a political forum. The 24-year-old pleaded innocent at a Kuala Lumpur district court Thursday. He was released on bail ahead of a hearing July 2. He would face up to three years in prison and a fine if convicted. It’s the first sedition case involving statements made after the recent election.

Pakistan – The Philadelphia Inquirer via (AP) reported: A police officer says a car bomb in southwest Pakistan has killed 11 policemen and a civilian. Fayaz Sumbal says the Thursday morning bombing on the outskirts of Quetta city has also wounded about 23 people. He says a remote-controlled bomb in a car parked along a road targeted a vehicle carrying members of the police’s special forces. Quetta is the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province, which has been a center of low-level insurgency for years by nationalists, who want a greater share in regional natural resources. The nationalists have also opposed the Pakistan parliamentary elections that were held May 11.

Mexico – The Kansas City Star via (AP) reported: The farm state of Michoacan is burning. A drug cartel that takes its name from an ancient monastic order has set fire to lumber yards, packing plants and passenger buses in a medieval-like reign of terror. The Knights Templar cartel is extorting protection payments from cattlemen, lime growers and businesses such as butchers, prompting some communities to fight back, taking up arms in vigilante patrols. Lime picker Alejandro Ayala chose to seek help from the law instead. After the cartel forced him out of work by shutting down fruit warehouses, he and several dozen co-workers, escorted by Federal Police, met on April 10 with then-state Interior Secretary Jesus Reyna, now the acting governor of the state in western Mexico.

Congo – The San Francisco Chronicle via (AP) reported: M23 rebels fired two rockets into the eastern Congo city of Goma, killing one person and wounding four, officials said, in an apparent spillover from three days of fighting raging north of the city. The attack underscores the heightening tension in Congo and comes as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Congo’s capital far to the west for a two-day visit. He is expected to visit Goma, where a new U.N. military brigade is being formed to attack rebel groups and bring stability to the mineral-rich region. The two rockets exploded in Goma’s Ndosho neighborhood, said Col. Premanku Ghosh, a U.N. peacekeeping officer in Congo who blamed M23 rebels. He said civilians were among the casualties. Earlier, another official with the U.N.  Peacekeeping mission said one mortar round had exploded in the neighborhood of Goma, apparently referring to the same attack. Ghosh said the range of the firing, over 10 kilometers (six miles) indicated the weapons used were rockets. Wednesday marked the third day of fighting between the rebels and government forces just north of Goma after a nearly six-month lull, officials said. Last November, the M23 rebels, who are allegedly supported and equipped by neighboring Rwanda, seized Goma before retreating from the provincial capital fewer than two weeks later under intense international pressure.

Indonesia – CNN reported: Emergency workers have recovered all 28 bodies from a collapsed tunnel at an underground mine training facility in Indonesia, the mining company said Wednesday. Another 10 people were rescued in the aftermath of the accident, which occurred on May 14 about 500 meters from the entrance of the Big Gossan Mine, according to PT Freeport Indonesia, which mines gold, copper and silver in the region. The Indonesian government said a tunnel roof collapsed after a landslide. The facility is in the eastern Indonesian province of Papua. PT Freeport has said mining operations, which ceased during the rescue and recovery operations, will remain suspended indefinitely. It says it will launch an independent investigation into the cause of the incident.

Argentina – FOX NEWS reported: Argentina charged three former Ford Motor Co. executives with crimes against humanity for allegedly targeting union workers for kidnapping and torture after the country’s 1976 military coup. All three men are now in their 80s. Their case is part of a new wave of prosecutions focusing on corporate support for the dictators who ran Argentina in 1976-1983, and the 150-page indictment written by Judge Alicia Vence reads like a history lesson, going to considerable lengths to explain why their actions constitute crimes against humanity and why it has taken nearly four decades to result in criminal charges. Factory director Pedro Muller, human resources chief Guillermo Galarraga and security manager Héctor Francisco Jesus Sibilla are accused of giving names, ID numbers, pictures and home addresses to security forces who hauled two dozen union workers off the floor of Ford’s factory in suburban Buenos Aires to be tortured and interrogated and then sent to military prisons.

Nigeria – United Press International reported: The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was providing assistance to about 2,400 people who have fled violence in northern Nigeria. The ICRC said it was stationed in southeastern Niger to help the hundreds of families who left their homes in northern Nigeria. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency over three northern Nigeria states due to fighting linked to Islamic militant group Boko Haram. Nigerian officials this week said the emergency situation had eased as the military pressed further north. ICRC Regional Director Jean-Nicolas Marti said displaced families had enough emergency food supplies to last about a month.

23 May 2013

Niger – The New York Times reported: Two groups of suicide bombers rammed vehicles full of explosives into a military base and a French-owned uranium mine 150 miles away in the West African desert nation of Niger early Thursday, killing at least 26 people, including 21 soldiers and five bombers, Nigerien officials said. They said a sixth bomber appeared to be holding several Nigerien soldiers hostage inside the base. They were the first terrorist attacks in Niger, a landlocked, impoverished nation of 17 million that has positioned itself in the front lines against jihadist penetration in West Africa. They were also the deadliest in the region since the French military, with the help of troops from Niger, pushed back an Islamist takeover in neighboring Mali this year. A regional offshoot of Al Qaeda, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or Mujao, claimed responsibility.

Syria – Xinhua reported: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed Thursday his resolution to continue fighting “terrorism” in tandem with efforts for a political solution to the country’s crisis, as the Syrian army has pushed deeper into a strategic city against armed rebels. Assad made the remarks while meeting with a Tunisian delegation, to whom he said his administration will keep fighting “terrorism” and “those who back it” in parallel with embracing a political approach to end the crisis. The president’s remarks came as the Syrian troops are making strides in their fight against the rebels, especially in the central strategic city of al-Qussair where battles are crucial for both sides. Report said the Syrian army achieved a new advancement Thursday in the northern part of al-Qussair, tightening its grip on the main stronghold of the rebels in the city.

Pakistan – Reuters reported: The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility on Thursday for a bomb that killed 11 security personnel and two civilians in the southwestern city of Quetta. Sixteen people were wounded in the attack in the capital of Baluchistan province, and the death toll could rise, police said. The bomb was planted in a three-wheeled auto-rickshaw and blew up as a truck carrying the security men passed by. “We proudly claim responsibility for Thursday’s blast in Quetta and the target was local police. The Baluchistan police recently arrested and killed some of our colleagues belonging to the Swat Taliban,” said Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan. Swat is a region in northwest Pakistan that the militants have tried to control for years.

United Kingdom – The Guardian UK reported: The prime minister is to chair a Cobra emergency response committee later today in response to the killing of a man, believed to be a soldier, in Woolwich yesterday. Senior Whitehall sources have confirmed that the victim of the attack, which took place in broad daylight yesterday afternoon was a “military official”. Two men spent the night under armed arrest in hospital as counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the killing. • Victim identified as Lee Rigby • Cameron: it was attack on Britain and ‘betrayal of Islam’ • PM seems to say suspects were known to security services • Two men under arrest in hospital – That is all for now.

Australia – The Brisbane Times reported: Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Treasurer Wayne Swan will meet with unions and business leaders on Friday to discuss the fallout from the Ford closure. The meeting of the national panel for economic reform will be held in Sydney at 2.30pm (AEST). Ford announced on Thursday about 1200 workers would lose their jobs at its two plants in Victoria by October 2016. The company’s profits have been squeezed by the high Australian dollar, making exports more expensive and imports cheaper. Ms Gillard told reporters earlier on Friday she would raise the issue when she met with the panel. The federal government is working with Ford and the Victorian government to come up with an adjustment package for workers and affected businesses.

Democratic Republic Of Congo – Al Jazeera reported: Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have declared a temporary ceasefire, during a visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim in country’s volatile east. The decision comes after three days of fighting between rebels and government forces in the country’s eastern province of North-Kivu that has left at least 19 people dead. Amani Kabasha, a rebel spokesman, said by telephone that they had declared the ceasefire in order to not disturb Ban’s visit to Goma, the capital of the mineral-rich North-Kivu. “We will not fight today to allow Ban Ki-moon’s visit to successfully take place. We also want to give peace a chance and ask the government to come back to the negotiating table in Kampala [Uganda's capital],” he said. The UN chief, who arrived in Goma on Thursday, pledged that UN troops will be in place within “one or two months” to battle armed rebels in the region.

North Korea – Bloomberg NEWS reported: A North Korean envoy told a top Chinese official his country is willing to return to dialogue, as the U.S. and China press the totalitarian state to come back to the negotiating table over its nuclear weapons program. The U.S. and South Korea said it was too early to tell if Choe Ryong Hae’s comments yesterday during a visit to Beijing marked a step forward in efforts to restart six-party talks stalled since 2008. The North defied United Nations sanctions with a rocket launch in December and a nuclear test in February. China, the North’s chief political and economic benefactor, has come under pressure to rein in Kim Jong Un’s regime, which threatened in March to launch preemptive nuclear strikes against South Korea and the U.S. Choe’s visit may signal that North Korea is looking to ease tensions as backs off its bellicose rhetoric from recent weeks.

Israel – Yahoo NEWS via (AP) reported: Israel’s prime minister says a new report by the U.N. atomic agency shows that international pressure is having no effect on halting Iran’s suspect nuclear program. In a confidential report, the International Atomic Energy Agency said this week that Iran has upgraded its uranium enrichment facilities and advanced in building a plutonium-producing reactor. Israel and the West believe both programs are geared toward making nuclear weapons. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that “it’s clear” that economic and diplomatic pressure have been “unable to prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear weapons program.” Israel has repeatedly signaled it will attack Iran’s nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails to curb the Iranian program. Netanyahu spoke at a meeting with British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who voiced “strong concerns” about the Iranian nuclear program.

Cuba – Yahoo NEWS via Reuters reported: A Canadian businessman who has confessed to bribing Cuban officials was scheduled to go on trial in Havana on Thursday, almost two years after his arrest in a sweeping government crackdown on corruption. The closed trial of 53-year-old Sarkis Yacoubian, originally from Armenia and the owner of import firm Tri-Star Caribbean, was expected to last two days. An associate of Yacoubian, Lebanese citizen Krikor Bayassalian, is a co-defendant. The corruption trials of at least three other Canadian and British executives who were arrested shortly after Yacoubian was taken into custody in July 2011 are expected to follow. The arrests were unprecedented for Cuba, where foreign businessmen suspected of corruption are usually deported, and viewed as a measure of President Raul Castro’s determination to clean up a vice he views as a threat to Cuba’s socialist system. They sent shockwaves through Cuba’s small foreign business community where the companies involved were among the most visible players.

France – The Kansas City Star via (AP) reported: International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde faced hours of questioning at a special Paris court Thursday over her role in the 400 million euro ($520 million) pay-off to a controversial businessman when she was France’s finance minister. The court hearing threatens to sully the reputations of both Lagarde and France. The payment was made to well-connected entrepreneur Bernard Tapie as part of a private arbitration process to settle a dispute with state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais over the botched sale of Adidas in the 1990s. It is seen by many in France as an example of the cozy relationship between big money and big power in France. The proceedings were expected to continue Friday at the special Paris court that handles cases involving government ministers. Smiling and waving to reporters after more than 12 hours at the court on Thursday, Lagarde said only, “A demain” (“see you tomorrow”) to a person behind her before climbing into a car. She has denied wrongdoing.

Iraq – The San Francisco Chronicle via (AP) reported: Gunmen killed at least seven soldiers in central Iraq on Thursday, officials said, in the latest episode of violence to hit the country in a particularly bloody month. The first skirmish took place in the early hours of Thursday when militants attacked an army check point in the town of Taji, killing four soldiers and wounding four others, two police officers said. The militants fled the area after a brief gunbattle and did not suffer any casualties, they said. Taji is a former insurgent stronghold, located about 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of the Iraqi capital. At dawn, another group of militants exchanged fire with military forces and pro-government Sunni militia in the western village of Karma, near the city of Fallujah, two other police officers said. Three soldiers were killed and 18 were wounded, including seven Sunni fighters.

South Sudan – The Baltimore Sun via Reuters reported: South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir said on Thursday his country would never become a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying it appeared to be preoccupied with prosecuting African leaders. “It seems that this thing has been meant for African leaders, that they have to be humiliated…we never accept it,” Kiir told reporters, referring to the Hague-based tribunal. “We will sit together with our brothers and sisters in Kenya,” he said at a news conference in South Sudan’s capital Juba held jointly with Kenya’s new president Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces charges of crimes against humanity at the tribunal. Last month, South Sudan received Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, another African leader indicted by the Hague tribunal for masterminding war crimes in the western region of Darfur. The African Union, which is holding a summit this week, routinely accuses the ICC of bias against African leaders.

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Oval Office

3:30 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I [...]]]>

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Remarks by President Obama and President Thein Sein of Myanmar After Bilateral Meeting

Oval Office

3:30 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I want to welcome President Thein Sein to the United States of America and to the Oval Office.

Last year, I was proud to make a historic visit to Myanmar as the first U.S. President ever to visit that country.  And now President Sein is able to return the favor by making a visit to the United States, and my understanding is that this is the first visit by a leader of Myanmar in almost 50 years.

Obviously, during this period in between there have been significant bilateral tensions between our countries.  But what has allowed this shift in relations is the leadership that President Sein has shown in moving Myanmar down a path of both political and economic reform.

Over the last two years, we’ve seen a steady process in which political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, have been released and have been incorporated into the political process.

We’ve seen credible elections and a legislature that is continuing to make strides in the direction of more inclusivity and greater representation of all the various groups within Myanmar.

President Sein has also made genuine efforts to resolve longstanding ethnic conflicts within the country, and has recognized the need to establish laws that respect the rights of the people of Myanmar.

As a consequence of these changes in policy inside of Myanmar, the United States has been able to relax sanctions that had been placed on Myanmar, and many countries around the world have followed suit.

And this has also allowed the United States and other countries and international institutions to participate in engagement with the Myanmar government about how we can be helpful in spurring economic development that is broad-based and that produces concrete results for the people of Myanmar.  And that includes the prospect of increasing trade and investment in Myanmar, which can produce jobs and higher standards of living.

But as President Sein is the first to admit, this is a long journey and there is still much work to be done.  And during our discussions, President Sein shared with me the fact — the manner in which he intends to continue to move forward on releasing more political prisoners; making sure that the government of Myanmar institutionalizes some of the political reforms that have already taken place; how rule of law is codified so that it continues into the future; and the process whereby these ethnic conflicts that have existed are resolved not simply by a ceasefire but an actual incorporation of all these communities into the political process.

I also shared with President Sein our deep concern about communal violence that has been directed at Muslim communities inside of Myanmar.  The displacement of people, the violence directed towards them needs to stop, and we are prepared to work in any ways that we can with both the government of Myanmar and the international community to assure that people are getting the help that they need but, more importantly, that their rights and their dignity is recognized over the long term.

As I indicated to President Sein, countries that are successful are countries that tap into the talents of all people and respect the rights of all people.  And I’m confident that if Myanmar follows that recipe, that it will be not only a successful democracy but also a thriving economy.

We also discussed some very concrete projects that we’ve already initiated.  For example, USAID is already working to evaluate how we can improve agricultural productivity in Myanmar that can benefit farmers, increase incomes, and improve standards of living in a largely agricultural country.

And we’re also working, for example, on projects like improving the road that currently exists between Rangoon and Mandalay.

Finally, I want to thank President Sein for his participation in ASEAN and the East Asia Summit in which the United States is actively engaged in, all the countries in Southeast Asia, as part of our broader refocusing on the Asia Pacific region — a region of enormous growth and potential with which we want to continue to strengthen our bonds.

So, Mr. President, welcome to the United States of America.  We very much appreciate your efforts and leadership in leading Myanmar in a new direction, and we want you to know that the United States will make every effort to assist you on what I know is a long, and sometimes difficult, but ultimately correct path to follow.

PRESIDENT SEIN:  (As interpreted.)  I would like to express my sincere thanks to President Obama for inviting me to come to the United States.  Indeed, this is my very first visit to Washington, D.C., as well as to the White House.

And I am also very pleased to have this opportunity to discuss about the democratization process and reform process undertaken in my country.

Our two countries established diplomatic relations since 1947, a year before our independence.  And since then we have been able to enjoy — historically, our two countries have enjoyed cordial relations, and there were also exchange of — high-level exchange of visit between our two countries.

But I have to say that in the past there were difficulties in our bilateral relationship.  But now we are very pleased that our relations have been improved significantly, and I am very thankful that in 50 years I am repaying a visit to the United States at the invitation of President Obama.  And I am very grateful for extending an invitation to me to pay a visit to the United States.

Now that our country, Myanmar, has started to practice democratic system, so we can say that we have — both our countries have similar political system in our two countries.

As you all know, our government is just — our democratic government is just two years old.  And we have — within the short period of two years, our government has carried out political and economic reforms in our country.  Because we are in a very nascent stage of democratic — a democratic stage, we still need a lot of democratic experience and practices to be learned.  And we have seen successes.  At the same time, we have been encountering obstacle and challenges along our democratization process — path.

The improvement in our relation is also in recognition — U.S. government’s recognition of our democratization efforts and our genuine efforts for democratization process in our country.  And it is also due to — thanks to President Obama’s reengagement policy to reengage with our country so that we have seen improvement in our bilateral relation within a short period of time.

Myanmar, being a developing country, and as we are undertaking changes of our democratization reforms, it is a daunting task ahead of us.  We encounter many challenges, such as the present — our poverty rate in the country is quite high and we have very few job opportunity, and then as well as we have a — we do not have much middle class in our country.  And then we — our people needs to be all familiar with democratic practice, democratic norms and values.

So we have a lot of challenges ahead of us, but we have to — thanks to the U.S. government and the people support them for understanding that we will be able to encounter these challenges as we undertake the reform process in our country.

During my meeting with — our discussion with President, as he has already elaborated, we discussed about the rule of law in our country; the strengthening of judicial bodies; the providing assistance so that our police and military force become professional forces.  And then to reiterate, we also discussed what related to the poverty alleviation for the rural people and farmers, agriculture, development, as well as how uplifting the health and education sectors of our countries.

So we had a very fruitful discussion with President Obama, and then I must say that I am very pleased to have this opportunity to have a candid and frank discussion with President Obama.  And I believe that I have my visit to the United States is quite successful and meaningful.

So for democracy to flourish in our country, we will have to move forward and we will have to undertake reforms — political reforms and economic reforms in the years ahead.  We will also have to — we are trying our best with our own efforts to have political and economic reforms in our country.  But we will also need — along this path, we will also need the assistance and understanding from the international community, including the United States.

And what I want to say is that President Obama has frequently used the word “forward.”  And I will take this opportunity to reiterate that Myanmar and I will continue to take the forward — move forward so that we will have — we can build a new democratic state — a new Myanmar, a new democratic state in our country.

I thank you all.

END  3:50 P.M. EDT

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Century Campus Morehouse College Atlanta, Georgia

12:06 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, [...]]]>

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Remarks by the President at Morehouse College Commencement Ceremony

Century Campus
Morehouse College
Atlanta, Georgia

12:06 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Morehouse!  (Applause.)  Thank you, everybody.  Please be seated.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  (Laughter.)  That is why I am here.

I have to say that it is one of the great honors of my life to be able to address this gathering here today.  I want to thank Dr. Wilson for his outstanding leadership, and the Board of Trustees.  We have Congressman Cedric Richmond and Sanford Bishop — both proud alumni of this school, as well as Congressman Hank Johnson.  And one of my dear friends and a great inspiration to us all — the great John Lewis is here.  (Applause.)  We have your outstanding Mayor, Mr. Kasim Reed, in the house.  (Applause.)

To all the members of the Morehouse family.  And most of all, congratulations to this distinguished group of Morehouse Men — the Class of 2013.  (Applause.)

I have to say that it’s a little hard to follow — not Dr. Wilson, but a skinny guy with a funny name.  (Laughter.)  Betsegaw Tadele — he’s going to be doing something.

I also have to say that you all are going to get wet.  (Laughter.)  And I’d be out there with you if I could.  (Laughter.)  But Secret Service gets nervous.  (Laughter.)  So I’m going to have to stay here, dry.  (Laughter.)  But know that I’m there with you in spirit.  (Laughter.)

Some of you are graduating summa cum laude.  (Applause.)  Some of you are graduating magna cum laude.  (Applause.)  I know some of you are just graduating, “thank you, Lordy.”  (Laughter and applause.)  That’s appropriate because it’s a Sunday.  (Laughter.)

I see some moms and grandmas here, aunts, in their Sunday best — although they are upset about their hair getting messed up.  (Laughter.)  Michelle would not be sitting in the rain.  (Laughter.)  She has taught me about hair.  (Laughter.)

I want to congratulate all of you — the parents, the   grandparents, the brothers and sisters, the family and friends who supported these young men in so many ways.  This is your day, as well.  Just think about it — your sons, your brothers, your nephews — they spent the last four years far from home and close to Spelman, and yet they are still here today.  (Applause.)  So you’ve done something right.  Graduates, give a big round of applause to your family for everything that they’ve done for you. (Applause.)

I know that some of you had to wait in long lines to get into today’s ceremony.  And I would apologize, but it did not have anything to do with security.  Those graduates just wanted you to know what it’s like to register for classes here.  (Laughter and applause.)  And this time of year brings a different kind of stress — every senior stopping by Gloster Hall over the past week making sure your name was actually on the list of students who met all the graduation requirements.  (Applause.) If it wasn’t on the list, you had to figure out why.  Was it that library book you lent to that trifling roommate who didn’t return it?  (Laughter.)  Was it Dr. Johnson’s policy class?  (Applause.) Did you get enough Crown Forum credits?  (Applause.)

On that last point, I’m going to exercise my power as President to declare this speech sufficient Crown Forum credits for any otherwise eligible student to graduate.  That is my graduation gift to you.  (Applause.)  You have a special dispensation.

Now, graduates, I am humbled to stand here with all of you as an honorary Morehouse Man.  (Applause.)  I finally made it. (Laughter.)  And as I do, I’m mindful of an old saying: “You can always tell a Morehouse Man — (applause) — but you can’t tell him much.”  (Applause.)  And that makes my task a little more difficult, I suppose.  But I think it also reflects the sense of pride that’s always been part of this school’s tradition.

Benjamin Mays, who served as the president of Morehouse for almost 30 years, understood that tradition better than anybody.  He said — and I quote — “It will not be sufficient for Morehouse College, for any college, for that matter, to produce clever graduates… but rather honest men, men who can be trusted in public and private life — men who are sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society and who are willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.”

It was that mission — not just to educate men, but to cultivate good men, strong men, upright men — that brought community leaders together just two years after the end of the Civil War.  They assembled a list of 37 men, free blacks and freed slaves, who would make up the first prospective class of what later became Morehouse College.  Most of those first students had a desire to become teachers and preachers — to better themselves so they could help others do the same.

A century and a half later, times have changed.  But the “Morehouse Mystique” still endures.  Some of you probably came here from communities where everybody looked like you.  Others may have come here in search of a community.  And I suspect that some of you probably felt a little bit of culture shock the first time you came together as a class in King’s Chapel.  All of a sudden, you weren’t the only high school sports captain, you weren’t the only student council president.  You were suddenly in a group of high achievers, and that meant you were expected to do something more.

That’s the unique sense of purpose that this place has always infused — the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual success, but for leadership that can change the world.

Dr. King was just 15 years old when he enrolled here at Morehouse.  He was an unknown, undersized, unassuming young freshman who lived at home with his parents.  And I think it’s fair to say he wasn’t the coolest kid on campus — for the suits he wore, his classmates called him “Tweed.”  But his education at Morehouse helped to forge the intellect, the discipline, the compassion, the soul force that would transform America.  It was here that he was introduced to the writings of Gandhi and Thoreau, and the theory of civil disobedience.  It was here that professors encouraged him to look past the world as it was and fight for the world as it should be.  And it was here, at Morehouse, as Dr. King later wrote, where “I realized that nobody…was afraid.”

Not even of some bad weather.  I added on that part.  (Laughter.)  I know it’s wet out there.  But Dr. Wilson told me you all had a choice and decided to do it out here anyway.  (Applause.)  That’s a Morehouse Man talking.

Now, think about it.  For black men in the ‘40s and the ‘50s, the threat of violence, the constant humiliations, large and small, the uncertainty that you could support a family, the gnawing doubts born of the Jim Crow culture that told you every day that somehow you were inferior, the temptation to shrink from the world, to accept your place, to avoid risks, to be afraid — that temptation was necessarily strong.

And yet, here, under the tutelage of men like Dr. Mays, young Martin learned to be unafraid.  And he, in turn, taught others to be unafraid.  And over time, he taught a nation to be unafraid.  And over the last 50 years, thanks to the moral force of Dr. King and a Moses generation that overcame their fear and their cynicism and their despair, barriers have come tumbling down, and new doors of opportunity have swung open, and laws and hearts and minds have been changed to the point where someone who looks just like you can somehow come to serve as President of these United States of America.  (Applause.)

So the history we share should give you hope.  The future we share should give you hope.  You’re graduating into an improving job market.  You’re living in a time when advances in technology and communication put the world at your fingertips.  Your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African Americans that came before it.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have work — because if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that too few of our brothers have the opportunities that you’ve had here at Morehouse.  In troubled neighborhoods all across this country — many of them heavily African American — too few of our citizens have role models to guide them.  Communities just a couple miles from my house in Chicago, communities just a couple miles from here — they’re places where jobs are still too scarce and wages are still too low; where schools are underfunded and violence is pervasive; where too many of our men spend their youth not behind a desk in a classroom, but hanging out on the streets or brooding behind a jail cell.

My job, as President, is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everybody — policies that strengthen the middle class and give more people the chance to climb their way into the middle class.  Policies that create more good jobs and reduce poverty, and educate more children, and give more families the security of health care, and protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence.  That’s my job.  Those are matters of public policy, and it is important for all of us — black, white and brown — to advocate for an America where everybody has got a fair shot in life.  Not just some.  Not just a few.  (Applause.)

But along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities.  There are some things, as black men, we can only do for ourselves.  There are some things, as Morehouse Men, that you are obliged to do for those still left behind.  As Morehouse Men, you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect — and that’s the power of your example.

So what I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address:  Use that power for something larger than yourself.  Live up to President Mays’s challenge.  Be “sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society.”  And be “willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.”

I know that some of you came to Morehouse from communities where life was about keeping your head down and looking out for yourself.  Maybe you feel like you escaped, and now you can take your degree and get that fancy job and the nice house and the nice car — and never look back.  And don’t get me wrong — with all those student loans you’ve had to take out, I know you’ve got to earn some money.   With doors open to you that your parents and grandparents could not even imagine, no one expects you to take a vow of poverty.  But I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do.  (Applause.)

So, yes, go get that law degree.  But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and the powerful, or if you can also find some time to defend the powerless.  Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business.  We need black businesses out there.  But ask yourselves what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood.  The most successful CEOs I know didn’t start out intent just on making money — rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed.  (Applause.)

Some of you may be headed to medical school to become doctors.  But make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too.  For generations, certain groups in this country — especially African Americans — have been desperate in need of access to quality, affordable health care.  And as a society, we’re finally beginning to change that.  Those of you who are under the age of 26 already have the option to stay on your parent’s health care plan.  But all of you are heading into an economy where many young people expect not only to have multiple jobs, but multiple careers.

So starting October 1st, because of the Affordable Care Act — otherwise known as Obamacare — (applause) — you’ll be able to shop for a quality, affordable plan that’s yours and travels with you — a plan that will insure not only your health, but your dreams if you are sick or get in an accident.  But we’re going to need some doctors to make sure it works, too.  We’ve got to make sure everybody has good health in this country.  It’s not just good for you, it’s good for this country.  So you’re going to have to spread the word to your fellow young people.

Which brings me to a second point:  Just as Morehouse has taught you to expect more of yourselves, inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves.  We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices.  And I have to say, growing up, I made quite a few myself.  Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down.  I had a tendency sometimes to make excuses for me not doing the right thing.  But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is there’s no longer any room for excuses.  (Applause.)

I understand there’s a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse: “Excuses are tools of the incompetent used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness.”  Well, we’ve got no time for excuses.  Not because the bitter legacy of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they have not.  Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; we know those are still out there.  It’s just that in today’s hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil — many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did — all of them entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything that you have not earned.  (Applause.)

Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was.  Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination.  And moreover, you have to remember that whatever you’ve gone through, it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured — and they overcame them.  And if they overcame them, you can overcome them, too.  (Applause.)

You now hail from a lineage and legacy of immeasurably strong men — men who bore tremendous burdens and still laid the stones for the path on which we now walk.  You wear the mantle of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, and Ralph Bunche and Langston Hughes, and George Washington Carver and Ralph Abernathy and Thurgood Marshall, and, yes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  These men were many things to many people.  And they knew full well the role that racism played in their lives.  But when it came to their own accomplishments and sense of purpose, they had no time for excuses.

Every one of you have a grandma or an uncle or a parent who’s told you that at some point in life, as an African American, you have to work twice as hard as anyone else if you want to get by.  I think President Mays put it even better:  He said, “Whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it any better.”  (Applause.)

And I promise you, what was needed in Dr. Mays’s time, that spirit of excellence, and hard work, and dedication, and no excuses is needed now more than ever.  If you think you can just get over in this economy just because you have a Morehouse degree, you’re in for a rude awakening.  But if you stay hungry, if you keep hustling, if you keep on your grind and get other folks to do the same — nobody can stop you.  (Applause.)

And when I talk about pursuing excellence and setting an example, I’m not just talking about in your professional life.  One of today’s graduates, Frederick Anderson — where’s Frederick?  Frederick, right here.  (Applause.)  I know it’s raining, but I’m going to tell about Frederick.  Frederick  started his college career in Ohio, only to find out that his high school sweetheart back in Georgia was pregnant.  So he came back and enrolled in Morehouse to be closer to her.  Pretty soon, helping raise a newborn and working night shifts became too much, so he started taking business classes at a technical college instead — doing everything from delivering newspapers to buffing hospital floors to support his family.

And then he enrolled at Morehouse a second time.  But even with a job, he couldn’t keep up with the cost of tuition.  So after getting his degree from that technical school, this father of three decided to come back to Morehouse for a third time.  (Applause.)  As Frederick says, “God has a plan for my life, and He’s not done with me yet.”

And today, Frederick is a family man, and a working man, and a Morehouse Man.  (Applause.)  And that’s what I’m asking all of you to do:  Keep setting an example for what it means to be a man.  (Applause.)  Be the best husband to your wife, or you’re your boyfriend, or your partner.  Be the best father you can be to your children.  Because nothing is more important.

I was raised by a heroic single mom, wonderful grandparents — made incredible sacrifices for me.  And I know there are moms and grandparents here today who did the same thing for all of you.  But I sure wish I had had a father who was not only present, but involved.  Didn’t know my dad.  And so my whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father was not for my mother and me.  I want to break that cycle where a father is not at home — (applause) — where a father is not helping to raise that son or daughter.  I want to be a better father, a better husband, a better man.

It’s hard work that demands your constant attention and frequent sacrifice.  And I promise you, Michelle will tell you I’m not perfect.  She’s got a long list of my imperfections.  (Laughter.)  Even now, I’m still practicing, I’m still learning, still getting corrected in terms of how to be a fine husband and a good father.  But I will tell you this:  Everything else is unfulfilled if we fail at family, if we fail at that responsibility.  (Applause.)

I know that when I am on my deathbed someday, I will not be thinking about any particular legislation I passed; I will not be thinking about a policy I promoted; I will not be thinking about the speech I gave, I will not be thinking the Nobel Prize I received.  I will be thinking about that walk I took with my daughters.  I’ll be thinking about a lazy afternoon with my wife. I’ll be thinking about sitting around the dinner table and seeing them happy and healthy and knowing that they were loved.  And I’ll be thinking about whether I did right by all of them.

So be a good role model, set a good example for that young brother coming up.  If you know somebody who’s not on point, go back and bring that brother along — those who’ve been left behind, who haven’t had the same opportunities we have — they need to hear from you.  You’ve got to be engaged on the barbershops, on the basketball court, at church, spend time and energy and presence to give people opportunities and a chance.  Pull them up, expose them, support their dreams.  Don’t put them down.

We’ve got to teach them just like what we have to learn, what it means to be a man — to serve your city like Maynard Jackson; to shape the culture like Spike Lee; to be like Chester Davenport, one of the first people to integrate the University of Georgia Law School.  When he got there, nobody would sit next to him in class.  But Chester didn’t mind.  Later on, he said, “It was the thing for me to do.  Someone needed to be the first.”  And today, Chester is here celebrating his 50th reunion.  Where is Chester Davenport?  He’s here.  (Applause.)

So if you’ve had role models, fathers, brothers like that — thank them today.  And if you haven’t, commit yourself to being that man to somebody else.

And finally, as you do these things, do them not just for yourself, but don’t even do them just for the African American community.  I want you to set your sights higher.  At the turn of the last century, W.E.B. DuBois spoke about the “talented tenth” — a class of highly educated, socially conscious leaders in the black community.  But it’s not just the African American community that needs you.  The country needs you.  The world needs you.

As Morehouse Men, many of you know what it’s like to be an outsider; know what it’s like to be marginalized; know what it’s like to feel the sting of discrimination.  And that’s an experience that a lot of Americans share.  Hispanic Americans know that feeling when somebody asks them where they come from or tell them to go back.  Gay and lesbian Americans feel it when a stranger passes judgment on their parenting skills or the love that they share.  Muslim Americans feel it when they’re stared at with suspicion because of their faith.  Any woman who knows the injustice of earning less pay for doing the same work — she knows what it’s like to be on the outside looking in.

So your experiences give you special insight that today’s leaders need.  If you tap into that experience, it should endow you with empathy — the understanding of what it’s like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, to know what it’s like when you’re not born on 3rd base, thinking you hit a triple.  It should give you the ability to connect.  It should give you a sense of compassion and what it means to overcome barriers.

And I will tell you, Class of 2013, whatever success I have achieved, whatever positions of leadership I have held have depended less on Ivy League degrees or SAT scores or GPAs, and have instead been due to that sense of connection and empathy — the special obligation I felt, as a black man like you, to help those who need it most, people who didn’t have the opportunities that I had — because there but for the grace of God, go I — I might have been in their shoes.  I might have been in prison.  I might have been unemployed.  I might not have been able to support a family.  And that motivates me.  (Applause.)

So it’s up to you to widen your circle of concern — to care about justice for everybody, white, black and brown. Everybody.  Not just in your own community, but also across this country and around the world.  To make sure everyone has a voice, and everybody gets a seat at the table; that everybody, no matter what you look like or where you come from, what your last name is — it doesn’t matter, everybody gets a chance to walk through those doors of opportunity if they are willing to work hard enough.

When Leland Shelton was four years old — where’s Leland?  (Applause.)  Stand up, Leland.  When Leland Shelton was four years old, social services took him away from his mama, put him in the care of his grandparents.  By age 14, he was in the foster care system.  Three years after that, Leland enrolled in Morehouse.  And today he is graduating Phi Beta Kappa on his way to Harvard Law School.  (Applause.)  But he’s not stopping there. As a member of the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council, he plans to use his law degree to make sure kids like him don’t fall through the cracks.  And it won’t matter whether they’re black kids or brown kids or white kids or Native American kids, because he’ll understand what they’re going through.  And he’ll be fighting for them.  He’ll be in their corner.  That’s leadership.  That’s a Morehouse Man right there.  (Applause.)

That’s what we’ve come to expect from you, Morehouse — a legacy of leaders — not just in our black community, but for the entire American community.  To recognize the burdens you carry with you, but to resist the temptation to use them as excuses.  To transform the way we think about manhood, and set higher standards for ourselves and for others.  To be successful, but also to understand that each of us has responsibilities not just to ourselves, but to one another and to future generations.  Men who refuse to be afraid.  Men who refuse to be afraid.

Members of the Class of 2013, you are heirs to a great legacy.  You have within you that same courage and that same strength, the same resolve as the men who came before you.  That’s what being a Morehouse Man is all about.  That’s what being an American is all about.

Success may not come quickly or easily.  But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union.

Congratulations, Class of 2013.  God bless you.  God bless Morehouse.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END

12:39 P.M. EDT

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This is Brian Sidler reporting for The Critical Post – (TCP)CHICAGO @08:25 HRS CST 21 May 2013

Arthur Blank Family Foundation Atlanta, Georgia

2:12 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  [...]]]>

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Remarks by the President at DNC Event- Atlanta, GA

Arthur Blank Family Foundation
Atlanta, Georgia

2:12 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Everybody, please have a seat.  Please have a seat.

Let me begin by saying that you just heard from one of the finest senators we’ve got in this country, and an example of the kind of young national leadership that we are seeing.   Michael, who was a superintendent in schools, cares about policy, cares about education, and he’s doing a great job in the Senate.  And so I couldn’t be prouder to call him a friend.  Please give Michael Bennet a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

And, Michael, if it makes you feel any better, the feeling you described is exactly how I feel every time I precede Michelle on the podium.  (Laughter.)  People want to get rid of me quick, too.  (Laughter.)

I also want to acknowledge one of the finest young mayors that we’ve got in the country — Kasim Reed in the house.  (Applause.)  And the person primarily responsible for Kasim’s success, his mother.  (Applause.)  Who, of course, looks too young to be his mother, but is his mother.  (Laughter.)

And I want to thank Arthur Blank for hosting us.  Speaking of people responsible for our success, Arthur’s mom is here.  She is celebrating her 98th birthday today, and so we’ve got to give her a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  Happy birthday.  Happy birthday.  And Arthur has promised for your birthday that the Falcons will win the Super Bowl this year.  (Laughter and applause.)  That’s a promise.  (Applause.)

I just had the pleasure of speaking at the Morehouse commencement.  And it was a spectacular gathering — a very wet gathering because there were thunderstorms, but people were undaunted.  And you had 500-plus incredible young men and their families there.  The valedictorian was a young man, an immigrant from Ethiopia, who, like me, was skinny and initially at least it was very hard to pronounce his name.  And he’s now going to be going off to Microsoft to help do program design at Microsoft’s head office.

During the course of the address that I gave I had the opportunity to address a young man who had been taken away from his mother when he was four, lived with his grandparents but then had some issues there, ended up in the foster system, and three years after he entered into the foster care system was admitted to Morehouse and is now on his way to Harvard Law School, where he intends to practice law in the child welfare system and is already on the national advisory board for children’s welfare.

And I tell these stories because all around the country I get a chance to meet young people who are simply remarkable, who have overcome the biggest odds, who are doing things that I could not ever dream of doing.  And it makes you so optimistic about the future of America.  There is a spirit of innovation and a spirit of determination, and there is an awareness of the environment and social equity, and a belief that there’s nothing that can stop America when people are pulling together.  And you see it in these young people and it just makes you ready to go out there and fight the good fight.

And the challenge is that all too often that same spirit isn’t as evident as it needs to be in Washington.  Sometimes you feel as if Washington is impeding rather than advancing the possibilities that these young people represent.

And so for the last four years, I’ve been fairly busy — (laughter) — ending a war; winding down another war; making sure that we went after al Qaeda and those who attacked us on 9/11; recovering from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression; saving an auto industry; stabilizing the banking system; making sure that we have a system in place that every American has access to health care; ensuring that we begin on the road to energy independence; deal with issues like climate change; double our fuel efficiency on cars, double our production of clean energy; make sure that our education system is on a solid path of reform; and making sure that college is affordable so that those young people that I saw at Morehouse, that more of them are able to graduate without a mountain of debt.

And all of that progress is because of you.  Couldn’t have done it had it not been for the incredible support of so many people in this room.  But what I think you’re all aware of is that our job is not finished; that those Morehouse graduates that we just saw, they’re entering into a job market that is still challenging, and because of some policies in Washington like the sequester, growth may end up slowing and we may start seeing once again the job market stall in ways that makes it a lot harder for them to realize their full potential.

We know that we’ve still got a lot of work to do when it comes to education.  One of the things that I talked about during the State of the Union is making sure that we’ve got early childhood education in place.  The last time I was in Georgia, I was out in Decatur.  It’s got a wonderful model program for early childhood education.  You’ve got kids who are poor alongside kids who are middle class, alongside disabled kids — all of them coming together with outstanding teachers who have teacher coaches.

And we can document every dollar we spend on early childhood education we get $7 back in fewer dropouts, in fewer teen pregnancies, in fewer incarcerations.  It pays off.  But those kids in the Decatur experience, there are a lot more kids out there who don’t have that same chance, don’t have that same shot.

We know that we’ve got to do a lot more work when it comes to energy.  We are sitting on this revolution in the energy sector — probably in five, six, seven years, America will be a net exporter of natural gas.  And we will be able to say probably in 15 years or so that we are about as close as you can be to energy independent as America has ever been.  But despite that, what we also know is, is that the energy sources of the future are not going to be enough — or the past are not going to be enough.  We’ve got to look at the energy sources of the future.

And there’s still a lot more work to be done to make our economy more energy-efficient, to make sure that we’re dealing with serious issues like climate change.  When I look at Arthur’s incredible kids and grandkids, I’m thinking, just like I’m thinking about when I see Malia and Sasha — I want to make sure that 30 years from now, 40 years from now, when they’re with their kids and their grandkids, that they’ve got a planet that isn’t in chaos because of decisions that we made or decisions that we failed to make.  We’ve got a lot more work to do there.

We’ve still got to implement health care.  We’ve actually seen health care costs increase at the slowest rate that we’ve seen in decades, and it’s now — we’ve seen this over the last three, three and a half years.  So we’re making real changes in terms of health care delivery to improve quality and reduce costs.  But, unfortunately, for a lot of people, they’re not seeing those savings because costs are being passed on to them from their employers.  And it’s still the biggest driver of our deficits.  It’s still a source of concern when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid.  So we’re going to have to do a lot of work on that front.

Infrastructure — we’ve got about $2 trillion of deferred maintenance.  And I haven’t gone through the Atlanta Airport recently — (laughter.)  I don’t have to take off my shoes, generally, when I fly.  (Laughter.)  But my assumption is, is that there’s some reworking that we could be doing.  Roads, bridges, ports all across the Gulf — I was down in Costa Rica meeting with the Central American Presidents, and I was reminded once again, Panama is revamping its canal; they’re going to be bringing in these mega-container cargo ships.  And right now a bunch of those ships can’t dock in our ports all along the Gulf  — Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana.  And if we don’t revamp those, we’re going to lose business.

So the good news is every single item that I just mentioned, we’ve got good, common-sense solutions that we can implement right now.  The bad news is, is that there’s a shortage of common sense in Washington.  (Laughter.)

And so part of the reason that what you’re doing here today is so important is because it gives us the opportunity to elect more people like a Michael Bennet — who are not ideological, who don’t come at this thinking there’s just one way of doing things, who are interested in data and are interested in facts and are interested in figuring out what works.  And that kind of approach to governance — if we get a critical mass in the Senate and we can potentially get a critical mass of folks like that in the House means that the sky is the limit.  Nothing can stop us.

I travel all around the world and the one thing I have to tell you is there’s not a country that would not gladly trade places with the United States of America.  I mean, you’re seeing tremendous changes everywhere.  Obviously in a place like China, we’ve seen more people rise out of poverty than any time in human history.  That is a good thing.  We shouldn’t feel threatened by that; we should welcome that — first of all, because our humanity demands that we welcome people being out of dire poverty, and if it’s managed properly, it means that China is more likely to be peaceful, and it means those are big markets for our companies.

But what it also means is that sometimes people get worried, are we being overtaken?  Is America falling behind?  Well, let me tell you, you talk to Chinese leaders — they look at what we’ve got in terms of our network of universities, and the dynamism and talent of our businesses, and our strong middle class, and they would love to have our problems.  Would love to have our problems.  India, same thing.  Brazil, same thing.  What’s holding us back is a tendency in Washington to put politics ahead of policy, to put the next election ahead of the next generation. And that mind-set is what we need to change.

And that’s what Michael Bennet represents, and that’s what your efforts represent here — our capacity to get beyond the kind of short-term tactical, partisan thinking that has come to so dominate Washington, and to start moving in a direction in which we’re just trying to get stuff done.

Which doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be politics involved; it doesn’t mean that there are not going to be some rough and tumble.  And one thing that I think folks like myself and Michael and Kasim and others learn is that if you get in this business folks are going to take their shots at you — and I’ve got the gray hair to prove it.  (Laughter.)  But that kind of stuff doesn’t bother me, and I know it doesn’t bother others who are in elected office, if we feel like we’re getting stuff done. If we feel that at the end of the day when we look back on our public service, we can say, you know what, this country is stronger, better positioned for the future than it was before.

And I think we have that possibility.  And you’re starting to see in Washington some sense even among the most partisan folks there that we’ve got to — the balance has tipped too far away from getting stuff done.  And that’s why, for example, I’m optimistic about our capacity to get immigration reform done.  Michael is one of the Group of Eight that’s been putting this together — seeing four Democrats, four Republicans who are sitting down and methodically, systematically just trying to fix a broken system because they understand that it needs to get done and that if, in fact, we’re able to preserve our identity as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, our economy is going to be strong and we’re going to be better positioned to compete all around the world.

So the upshot is this:  Despite sometimes the doom and gloom of what you hear emanating out of Washington, you should be optimistic about this country.  I sure am.  I think that we are on track with just a few important decisions that are well within our capacity to make sure the 21st century is the American Century just like the 20th century was.

But we can’t do it alone.  What I told those young Morehouse Men is that it’s not enough that you now have succeeded individually; you now have a broader obligation to this country and to the world.  And all of you who, in this room, have been so successful in so many walks of life, I hope you still feel that sense of obligation, that sense of citizenship, that sense of giving back.  That’s what built this country.  That’s its essence.  And with your help, that’s the kind of spirit that Michael and I and others want to continue to bring to Washington for as long as we can.

Thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)

END
2:30 P.M. EDT

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