Condoleezza Rice

Qaddafi Wrote Song For Rice: 'Black Flower in the White House'

Susan Crabtree | October 26, 2011, 10:35AM

In what may well be the most awkward personal moment in U.S. diplomatic history, in her new memoir Condoleezza Rice recalls a creepy 2008 meeting with then-Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi that ended with Qaddafi showing her photos of herself he had collected and a serenade of a song he had a famous Libyan composer write for her.

Rice's reaction? Run away, run away!!

Read more »

Peter Welch

Dem Rep. Peter Welch To Obama: Libya Should Pay U.S. Back

David Taintor | October 24, 2011, 1:00PM

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) wants Libya to pay the U.S. back.

In a letter to President Obama released Saturday, Welch wrote, "We believe it is essential that Libya reimburse the American taxpayer for the cost of our participation in the NATO mission."

Welch told TPM that repaying the U.S. would be a great way for Libya to build self-confdience and really "own their success," adding that the oil-rich country has the financial resources to do so.

Read more »

Barack Obama

White House To GOP Critics On Libya: We Were Right

Susan Crabtree | October 20, 2011, 7:25PM

The White House is brushing aside criticism -- from the GOP presidential field and others -- that Obama doesn't deserve credit for the death of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

In a lengthy press briefing after President Obama heralded Qaddafi's death and publicly congratulated the Libyan people for winning their revolution, White House spokesman Jay Carney was asked whether the President felt validated by Qaddafi's killing and the conclusion of the Libyan civil war.

"Well, I think I've made clear that we believe that the President made the right decisions to work with our allies, to work with NATO, to work with the United Nations, not to do something on the cheap but because it was the right policy answer to the situation that presented itself, taking a long-term view about what outcome do you want in Libya," Carney said.

Read more »

Libya

GOP Senator Supports 'Infrastructure' Spending ... In Libya (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | October 20, 2011, 3:42PM

Republicans have made blanket opposition to big federal spending projects a cornerstone of their policy agenda. That means even historically bipartisan programs like infrastructure investment are DOA in Congress, at least for the time being.

So it came as a bit of a surprise to hear a GOP senator who's up for re-election this cycle say on Fox News, "We can go over there and help them build their infrastructure up."

That's Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). He wasn't talking about a forlorn corner of the United States, though. He was talking about Libya. And the 'infrastructure' he was talking about didn't really include schools and bridges.

"One of the problems I have from leading from behind is when a day like this comes we don't have the infrastructure in place that we could have," Graham explained. Here he's talking about the metaphorical infrastructure of U.S. forces and appointees on the ground who can help direct events. However, he soon moved on to talking about another type of infrastructure -- the kind that helps with extracting oil.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama On Qaddafi: 'The Dark Shadow Of Tyranny' Has Lifted

Susan Crabtree | October 20, 2011, 3:27PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama took a moment to herald the death of longtime Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi and mark a turning point for the Libyan people, their relentless pursuit of freedom and their country's democratic future.

Speaking in a live address from the White House Rose Garden Thursday afternoon, Obama welcomed the lifting of "the dark shadow of tyranny" from Libya.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama: 'The Dark Shadow' Has Lifted

October 20, 2011, 2:20PM

Speaking in a live address from the White House Rose Garden, President Obama welcomed the lifting of "the dark shadow of tyranny" from Libya.

After hours of reports about the death of Libya's ousted leader, the President announced that "today we can definitively say the Qaddafi regime has come to an end."

"One of the world's longest-serving dictators is no more," he continued.

Obama said America had achieved its objectives, and soon the NATO mission would "come to an end."

However, he said American engagement would continue as the country transitioned towards "its first free elections." He said establishing a democracy would be "the ultimate rebuke" to Qaddafi.

Obama also sounded a note of warning for other intransigent Arab despots such as Syria's Bashar al-Assad and Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh, both of whom are presiding over brutal crackdowns on "Arab Spring" crowds.

"The rule of an iron fist inevitably comes to an end," Obama warned. "Those leaders who try to deny [their peoples] their dignity will not succeed."

Barack Obama

President Obama Highlights Libya Success At United Nations

Susan Crabtree | September 20, 2011, 11:22AM

President Obama with the President of the Libyan TNC, Mustafa Abdel Jalil.

President Obama spent the beginning of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly Monday striving to encourage other world leaders to support Libya's fledgling democracy with the United States taking a limited but key role.

With Libya and the Arab Spring, Obama's forged a foreign policy this year based on the U.S. playing a key role in corralling international support before taking military action or taking on state-building responsibilities.

Credit for Libya's liberation belongs to the Libyan people, Obama asserted, but Libya is also "a lesson in what the international community can achieve when we stand together as one," he will tell world leaders, according to prepared remarks.

Read more »

Libya

Schumer: Cut Off Libya Aid If New Govt. Doesn't Turn Over Lockerbie Bomber

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2011, 12:26PM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is calling for the United States to put a new condition on aid to the new government in Libya: Extradite convicted Pan-Am Flight 103 bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi.

"If the new Libyan government continues to shield this convicted terrorist from justice, then they should not get one more cent of support from the United States," said Schumer, NBC reports.

"We put American lives and money on the line to help the Libyan people secure their freedom. It's time the Libyan government lives up to its commitment to create a free and accountable society by handing over al-Megrahi so that justice can finally be done."

Read more »

Libya

Schumer Wants More Proof That Lockerbie Bomber is Near Death

Susan Crabtree | August 29, 2011, 4:27PM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants more proof from Libyan officials to back up their claims that Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi is too incapacitated to be turned over to the U.S. government.

The Libyan National Transitional Council, or NTC, last night said al-Megrahi is in a coma and they have no intention of turning over the convicted terrorist.

Read more »

International Criminal Court

If Qaddafi Is Captured, Where Should He Be Tried?

Thomas Lane | August 24, 2011, 6:20AM

At the time of writing, the three Libyans indicted by the International Criminal Court for "crimes against humanity" are still all on the run.

First, the rumors that rebel forces had captured Muammar Qaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, turned out to be rather dramatically false.

Then, when the rebels broke into Qaddafi's Tripoli-based compound, the whole affair basically turned into a giant version of the time Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone's vault.

Meanwhile, the lesser-known Abdullah Senusi, the regime's intelligence chief and Qaddafi's brother in law, is also showing Macavity-like tendencies.

However, there's a strong sense that it's only a matter of time till they wind up in rebel hands. And once they do, what happens to them could set the tone for the new Libyan government's dealings with international bodies.

Read more »

Libya

Qaddafi Addresses Nation From Unknown Location

Igor Bobic | August 23, 2011, 9:24PM

While still at large on the heels of a dramatic sacking of his Bab Azizia compound by rebel forces, ousted Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi resurfaced to deliver a late Tuesday evening radio address to the Libyan people, Reuters reports.

In his address, the ousted dictator called his withdrawal a "tactical move" in the face of NATO "aggression," citing that 64 NATO airstrikes that had leveled his compound.

"We are resisting with all our strength...we will either win or become martyrs, God willing," Qaddafi said.

A spokesman for Qaddafi, Moussa Ibrahim, told Al-Orouba TV in a live interview after the address aired that the regime can resist for months or years.

He threatened to turn the country into a "burning volcano and a fire under the feet of the invaders," BBC reported.

Ibrahim also claimed that the Qaddafi government controlled 80% of Tripoli, and that 6,500 volunteers had entered Tripoli "in the past six hours" and have spread throughout "all the streets of Tripoli" in order to repel the rebels.

Earlier Tuesday Qaddafi also spoke via telephone with the Russian head of the World Chess Federation, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who is Qaddafi's chess partner of many years.

IIyumzihinov said he received a phone call from Qaddafi's son Mohammed around 6 p.m. Moscow time, who said that he was with his father and that he wanted to speak with him. Qaddafi told him that he remains in Tripoli and that he simply "wants to defend his country."

Get the day's best political analysis, news and reporting from the TPM team delivered to your inbox every day with DayBreaker. Sign up here, it takes just a few seconds.

Muammar Qaddafi

Obama Calls On Qaddafi To End The Bloodshed, Give Himself Up

Susan Crabtree | August 22, 2011, 2:02PM

President Barack Obama (D)

President Obama called on Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi to end the bloodshed and give himself up amid reports that fighters for the regime are mounting a last-ditch defense of their swiftly shrinking control of Tripoli.

In an audio statement released Monday afternoon, Obama said Qaddafi has the "opportunity to reduce further bloodshed" by surrendering to NATO-backed opposition forces.

"Although it is clear that Gadhafi's rule is over, he still has the opportunity to reduce further bloodshed by explicitly relinquishing power to the people of Libya and calling for those forces that continue to fight to lay down their arms for the sake of Libya," Obama said.

Read more »

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney Calls On New Libyan Government To Extradite Lockerbie Bomber

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 22, 2011, 12:19PM

Mitt Romney Holds Campaign Event In Front Of Valley Plaza Mall in Los Angeles, July 20, 2011

Mitt Romney responded to news of the impending fall of Muammar Qaddafi's regime in Libya by calling on the incoming leaders of the country to allow one of the world's most notorious terrorists to face the music. Again.

"It is my hope that Libya will now move toward a representative form of government that supports freedom, human rights, and the rule of law," Romney said in a statement Monday. "As a first step, I call on this new government to arrest and extradite the mastermind behind the bombing of Pan Am 103, Abdelbaset Mohmed Ali al-Megrahi, so justice can finally be done."

Read more »

Libya

McCain And Graham Say US Should Have Pushed Harder For Fall Of Qaddafi

Thomas Lane | August 22, 2011, 9:42AM

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

Since the beginning of the Libyan conflict, Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have been on the side of the hawks. They kept that stance Sunday night, issuing a joint statement that celebrated "the end of the Qaddafi regime" but bemoaning how long it took.

It's useful to recall the background to this conflict. After much diplomatic wrangling to win a UN resolution authorizing air strikes for the "protection of civilians," NATO forces including the US began military operations on March 19, 2011. Just over five months later the 42 year-long rule of Qaddafi is basically at an end.

But that wasn't enough for McCain and Graham. From their statement:

Read more »

International Criminal Court

Qaddafi's Deeply Dodgy 'Get Out Of Jail Free' Card

Thomas Lane | August 19, 2011, 6:00AM

Now that Libya's rebels are declaring they will capture Tripoli by the end of August, the country's long-time leader, Muammar Qaddafi, must be pondering his future.

There are whispers and rumors that he may be preparing to flee to Tunisia, but the problem he faces there is that the country is about to become a member of the International Criminal Court. That's the same International Criminal Court that has filed warrants against him and his son, Saif al-Islam, and obliges its members to arrest them should they cross their borders.

As such, Qaddafi's mind may be turning to the rebels' earlier offer: that he could cede power and live out the rest of his days in Libya.

But there's a hitch: those same ICC warrants also make it hard for him to stay in his home country. If the rebels formally take control of Libya then they will be obliged to turn him over to the court.

Technically there's only one way out, and it's deeply unsatisfactory for all concerned.

Read more »

Muammar Qaddafi

Where Can Qaddafi Go If He Decides To Flee Libya?

Thomas Lane | July 5, 2011, 5:45AM

Muammar Qaddafi addressed the general debate of the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly on September 23, 2009.

The proverbial noose seems to be tightening around the neck of Libyan despot Muammar al-Qaddafi.

Turkey is the latest nation to recognize Libya's rebel movement as the country's legitimate representatives. Since Turkey had at one point tried to set itself up as a potential honest broker between the two sides, this closes down yet another avenue for Qaddafi.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama: 'Fuss' Over Libya Is Pure Politics

Susan Crabtree | June 29, 2011, 11:18AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama is standing behind his decision to authorize military action in Libya, dismissing months of furor over his failure to win Congressional approval before launching strikes as pure politics.

"...A lot of this fuss is politics, and if you look substantively at what we've done, we've done exactly what we'd said we'd do under a NATO mandate," Obama said at a press conference in the East Room of the White House Wednesday morning.

"But do I think our actions in any way violate the war powers resolution? The answer is no," he said. "We have engaged in a limited operation to help a lot of people against one of the worst tyrants in the world...and we should be sending out a unified message to this guy that he should step down."

Read more »

Libya

House Defeats Effort To Yank Funds For Libya War And To Authorize the Mission

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 2:31PM

In a confused message to President Obama, the House on Friday voted down both a bill to defund U.S. involvement in the Libya mission and a measure that would have granted the mission Congressional approval for one year.

All week, support had been building in the House for repudiating Obama's handling of the war with most concerns focused on his failure to consult Congress and gain its approval before authorizing airstrikes. But that movement fell short of sending the harshest rebuke at Congress' disposal -- cutting off funds -- although members registered their disapproval of the war and Obama's handling of it by failing to give it the Congressional seal of approval.

The final vote on the defunding bill was 180 in favor and 238 opposed. In the first vote, the House overwhelmingly voted down a bill that would have authorized U.S. military action in Libya for one year, 295 to 123.

The Senate has no plans to cut off funding, so the vote was largely symbolic, but it still constitutes a small victory for the President and his intervention in Libya and a sign of his support among the Democratic caucus amid a divisive debate about his decision to launch airstrikes in Libya without Congressional approval.

Read more »

Libya

House Votes Against Authorizing Obama's Libya War

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 11:53AM

The House has overwhelmingly voted down a bill that would have authorized U.S. military action in Libya after months of bipartisan outrage over President Obama's decision to launch military strikes in the North African country without the approval of Congress.

The vote, 295 to 123, did not break along traditional party lines. A majority of Republicans concerned about budget constraints and more generally diametrically opposed to Obama's agenda voted against the measure banding together with anti-war Democrats. Just eight Republicans voted for authorizing the Libya oepration: Reps. Charlie Dent (PA), David Dreier (CA), Steve King (IA), Peter King (NY), Thaddeus McCotter (MI), David Rivera (FL) and Mike Rogers (MI).

Read more »

Libya

What To Expect Today On House Votes On Libya

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 10:55AM

The House is set to vote today on a bill that would severely limit funding for U.S. military action in Libya, what would amount to a bipartisan rebuke of a sitting president's decision to authorize military strikes in the North African country without the approval of Congress. Votes are expected anytime from noon to late afternoon.

Republican leaders, who control the House floor, are allowing two key votes on the Libya today. The defunding measure is being offered by Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL) and would cut off funds for airstrikes or any other combat but would allow the U.S. to serve in a supporting role to the now-NATO-led operation, which would include air refueling, intelligence and search-and-rescue operations.

Read more »

Libya

Clinton Addresses Skeptical House Dems On Libya

Susan Crabtree | June 23, 2011, 1:07PM

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

The Obama administration deployed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to appeal to House Democrats not to tie the President's hands when it comes to Libya when a House bill defunding the Libya operation comes to the floor as expected Friday.

The White House is leaning on Clinton to defend Obama's decisions on the two war fronts Thursday -- both the incremental Afghanistan withdrawal plan he announced Wednesday night and the controversial U.S. military action in Libya.

Read more »

'Obama's Wars'

Boehner Readies Stronger Bill Rebuking Obama On Libya

Susan Crabtree | June 23, 2011, 6:30AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and President Barack Obama (D)

House Republicans leaders have decided to shift gears and hold a vote as early as Friday on a bill to defund U.S. military action in Libya, GOP sources said.

Earlier this week, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) had planned a two-pronged approach, addressing the deep divisions in his party on the Libya issue. One bill, which mirrored a measure Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) offered in the Senate, would authorize the limited use of force in Libya, while another would prevent any more U.S. action in the North African country.

Read more »

Libya

Obama Administration Allies Criticize White House's Legal Process In Libya Decision

Brian Beutler | June 22, 2011, 4:05PM

Nominee for Office of Legal Counsel Dawn Johnsen

Critics across the ideological spectrum have criticized President Obama for overruling a determination by Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel that continued action in Libya is unlawful. But some of the White House's natural allies in the liberal legal community -- including those close to the administration -- are troubled by a separate, and in some ways more fundamental, part of this story.

In addition to overruling the OLC -- the Justice Department office tasked with establishing the bounds of lawful conduct for the executive branch -- the Obama administration also circumvented the basic process administrations typically follow in assuring its policies are legal.

"Here, if what's being reported is accurate, the White House counsel played the role of OLC, by soliciting the views of different agencies," said Dawn Johnsen, in an interview. "That's the big problem here. You're more likely to end up with bad legal decisions when you deviate from that process."

Read more »

Libya

McConnell: GOP Outspoken On Libya Because There's A Democrat In The White House

Brian Beutler | June 22, 2011, 10:48AM

Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Here's an impressive package of candor from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who spoke to reporters Wednesday at a breakfast roundtable hosted by the Christan Science Monitor.

McConnell admitted that his party is divided over President Obama's military action in Libya, but that you're only hearing about it because Obama's a Democrat. Many of these same divisions, he said, existed under President Bush, but party loyalty "muted" the dissent.

Read more »

Libya

McCain: Tying Obama's Hands On Libya Will Come Back To Haunt GOP

Susan Crabtree | June 21, 2011, 12:17PM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) pleaded with GOP colleagues Tuesday not to tie President Obama's hands when it comes to U.S. military action in Libya, reminding them it could come back to haunt future Republican presidents.

"We are all entitled to our opinions about Libya policy, but here are the facts: [Libyan leader Muammar] Qaddafi is going to fall. It is just a matter of time. So I would ask my colleagues: Is this the time for Congress to turn against this policy?" he said in a lengthy statement on the Senate floor. "Is this the time to ride to the rescue of a failing tyrant when the writing is on the wall that he will collapse?"

Read more »

Al Franken

Al Franken: Congress Needs To Vote On Libya

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 18, 2011, 2:02PM

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)

MINNEAPOLIS -- Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) told TPM this morning that if the President Obama wants to keep bombing Libya, he'll need to ask Congress' permission.

"We're going to have to vote," Franken said shortly after his speech to the Netroots Nation crowd gathered here in his home state Saturday.

Read more »

Netroots Nation

Howard Dean: I'd Get A Congressional Authorization On Libya War

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 16, 2011, 5:26PM

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean

MINNEAPOLIS -- Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential candidate who helped spark the Netroots Nation conference being held here, told TPM that he would not continue the war in Libya without congressional authorization the way President Obama has.

But he declined to criticize Obama over his choice to continue the fighting without asking Congress to weigh in.

Read more »

Libya

Obama and Boehner Trade Accusations On Libya

Susan Crabtree | June 16, 2011, 3:44PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and President Barack Obama (D)

President Obama and Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) are calling in the heavy artillery in their own war of words over Libya and whether the White House has the power to thumb its nose at Constitutional requirements that Congress approve the use of military force.

At a briefing with reporters Thursday, White House spokesman Jay Carney read a statement from Boehner from 1999 in which he questioned the Constitutional issues surrounding the War Powers Act. That law prohibits the President from committing the military to actions for more than 60 days, plus a 30-day extension, without congressional approval. The U.S. involvement in the Libyan conflict has lasted for nearly three months.

Read more »

Libya

Boehner Hints At Defunding Libya Operation

Brian Beutler | June 16, 2011, 11:20AM

President Obama speaks at a bipartisan White House gathering with Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) in the background.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) isn't buying the White House's "Libya War isn't really a war" explanation of why they're not in violation of the War Powers Act.

Next week, he says, the House may be prepared to take action to block the administration's intervention -- and one option he's looking at is cutting off funds.

"[T]he ultimate option is the House in fact -- the Congress has the power of the purse," Boehner told reporters at a Capitol press briefing. "And certainly that is an option as well."

Read more »

Libya

House Rebukes Obama's Handling Of Libya

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 4:34PM

The House issued a rebuke to President Obama over his handling of the Libya conflict, passing a Republican resolution with bipartisan support demanding he justify US intervention and provide Congress with more information. A tougher resolution from Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) that would have called on US to withdraw entirely failed in a separate vote.

Read more »

Libya

Boehner Offers Own Libya Resolution To Head Off Kucinich's Anti-War Bill

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 9:12AM

Seeking to head off a growing revolt in the GOP against America's involvement in Libya, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is offering a resolution demanding the White House not deploy ground troops in the country.

The resolution states that President Obama "has failed to provide Congress with a compelling rationale based upon United States national security interests for current United States military activities regarding Libya" and requests detailed information from the White House on the mission.The legislation is intended to head off more aggressively worded resolutions by lawmakers like Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), which demand a withdrawal of US forces.

Kucinich's resolution was scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, but House leaders pulled it at the last second when they became concerned it had enough Republican votes to pass. Boehner told reporters on Thursday that rank and file Republicans were concerned not only with the Libya conflict, but Afghanistan and Iraq as well.

Read more »

Dennis Kucinich

Speaker Boehner Concedes GOP Is Conflicted On Libya After Abruptly Pulling Anti-War Resolution

Benjy Sarlin | June 2, 2011, 11:46AM

House Republicans will huddle on Thursday to discuss their members' position on Libya a day after unexpectedly withdrawing a resolution disapproving of the conflict. Speaker John Boehner conceded to reporters that many House Republicans are concerned by the military operation and called on President Obama to "step up" his explanations for the conflict.

On Wednesday schedulers abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution calling on the US to withdraw all forces from the conflict. The measure's sponsor, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), told reporters he believed House leaders pulled the legislation after realizing it might succeed with Republican backing.

"They changed their mind," he said after it was withdrawn on Wednesday. "They felt, well, it's going to pass."

Read more »

Libya

Former Rep. Cynthia McKinney Appears On Libyan State TV (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | May 23, 2011, 4:49PM

Former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA, now a Green Party member) on Libyan state television.

The regime of Muammar Qaddafi in Libya received a boost from a special guest over the weekend, in its television propaganda against the country's rebels and the NATO force opposing the government: Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.

CNN reports:

The station is fiercely loyal to Moammar Gadhafi and her interview was spliced with what appeared to be rallies in support of the embattled Libyan leader.

...

"I want to say categorically and very clearly that these policies of war ... are not what the people of the United States stand for and it's not what African-Americans stand for," she told state TV.

The former Georgia representative also slammed the economic policies of U.S. President Barack Obama and said the government of the United States no longer represents the interests of the American people.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama Appeals To 'Hope' Not 'Hate' In Unveiling Shift In Middle East Policy

Susan Crabtree | May 19, 2011, 2:10PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama attempted to reset relations with the Arab world Thursday in a comprehensive speech that positioned the United States and its values squarely behind the democratic uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa and promised aid to help promote economic growth and stability across the region.

"Across the region, those rights that we take for granted are being claimed with joy by those who are prying loose the grip of an iron fist," Obama said during a 45-minute speech at the State Department.

Read more »

Middle East

Obama To Lay Out Economic Recovery Plan For Middle East In Major Speech

Susan Crabtree | May 19, 2011, 8:27AM

President Obama plans to outline an ambitious economic recovery plan for the Middle East and Northern Africa designed to spur economic growth and build on democratic reforms that began in Egypt and Tunisia and have swept to countries across the region this Spring.

In major speech at the State Department Thursday, Obama will announce U.S. steps to cancel nearly a billion dollars worth of Egyptian and Tunisian debt, establish a Egyptian-American private enterprise fund and guarantee up to a billion dollars in borrowing through the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a U.S. agency that mobilizes private-sector investment in new and emerging markets, according to senior administration officials.

Read more »

Osama Bin Laden

U.S. Officials Interviewed OBL's Wives, White House Confirms

Susan Crabtree | May 13, 2011, 2:45PM

Osama Bin Laden

The White House confirmed Friday that Pakistan has allowed U.S. officials to interview three of Osama bin Laden's wives, all of whom were living with him at his Abbottabad compound before a Navy SEAL team stormed it and killed bin Laden nearly two weeks ago.

In the aftermath of the U.S. raid on the hideaway, U.S. lawmakers and officials have accused at least some elements of the Pakistani government of helping harbor bin Laden and have been watching Pakistan's reaction to his killing closely. The wives, one of whom was injured during the raid, were taken into custody by Pakistani security forces after the SEALs left the compound.

White House spokesman Jay Carney was tight-lipped about the interrogation aside from confirming that it had occurred. He would not say who questioned the women or whether they cooperated.

"I can't characterize the interaction except to say that we have had access," Carney said, "And we obviously appreciate the cooperation we've received from the Pakistani government."

The White House and the Pentagon have not said exactly when this week U.S. officials questioned the wives. The Pakistani Taliban on Friday took credit for twin suicide bombings that killed at least 80 people outside a paramilitary training center in Shabqadar, Pakistan earlier in the day. A Taliban spokesman said the explosions were in retaliation for the killing of bin Laden.

Carney said the U.S. government remains in a "state of high vigilance" since the raid.

"We take very seriously the fact that while al Qaeda is weakened, it is not dead," Carney said.

President Obama plans to deliver a major speech on the events in the Middle East and North Africa and U.S. Policy in the region Thursday at the State Department.

From Carney's descriptions, the speech will be "fairly sweeping and comprehensive" focused on the democratic uprisings in the region that have taken place since January and how the U.S. has responded to the upheaval.

"[The President] has always viewed the future of the region through the prism of democratization and the yearning of the people...in the region for greater political freedom, participation in their government, desire for responsive governments that address their grievances," Carney said. "I'm sure he will call as he has in the past on the governments in the region to respond to those demands through peaceful political dialogue."

Obama plans to focus on the irony he sees in some leaders' violent crackdowns in the name of stability when those brutal actions are only leading to great instability in the country and the region, Carney told reporters.

At one point during the press briefing, Carney was asked whether he had information about Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's whereabouts and reports that he was no longer in Tripoli and is likely injured.

"Nothing I can share," Carney replied.

Libya

Obama Sends $25 Million To Libyan Rebels

Susan Crabtree | April 27, 2011, 9:01AM

President Barack Obama formally ordered up to $25 million in urgent -- but non-military -- aid for Libyan rebels fighting Muammar Qaddafi as a fears of a open-ended stalemate escalated.

Obama granted the funds to Libya's Transitional National Council in a memo from the President to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton early Tuesday evening.