Obama sorry for Kamala Harris 'good looking' comment - Los Angeles Times

Kamala Harris and President Obama in 2012. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press)

From a Times staff writer

April 5, 2013, 5:50 p.m.

President Obama in no way mean to "diminish" California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris' credentials when he described her as "by far the best-looking attorney general in the country" during a talk, his spokesman said Friday.

The White House was responding to criticism over the remark, which some found to be sexist.

On Friday, the president apologized for the remark. "He called her to apologize for the distraction created by his comments," spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

The president “did not want in any way to diminish the attorney general’s professional accomplishments and her capabilities. He fully recognizes the challenges women continue to face in the workplace and that they should not be judged based on appearance,” Carney added.

Harris has not commented. But according to PolitiCal, her communications director, Gil Duran, issued a statement saying "the attorney general and the president have been friends for many years. They had a great conversation yesterday and she strongly supports him."

Harris, it turns out, once commented on Obama's appearance. The San Jose Mercury News found a 2009 YouTube video in which she says:  "He looks and he sounds like a million bucks."

The controversy began Thursday when Obama was at a California fundraiser. Here are the remarks:

"You have to be careful to, first of all, say she is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough, and she is exactly what you'd want in anybody who is administering the law, and making sure that everybody is getting a fair shake.

“She also happens to be by far the best-looking attorney general in the country -- Kamala Harris is here.  (Applause.)  It's true.  Come on.  (Laughter.)  And she is a great friend and has just been a great supporter for many, many years.”

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Obama: Kamala Harris is 'best-looking' attorney general

Obama apologizes to Kamala Harris for 'best-looking' remark

Obama apologizes for Kamala Harris remark; some cry sexism

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President Obama chided after calling California's Kamala Harris 'best looking ... - New York Daily News

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

California Attorney General Kamala Harris (left) and California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom share laughs on Thursday with Obama, whose admiration for her came on same day Michelle Obama called herself a 'single mother.'

President Obama felt the heat Thursday after calling a powerful female official smoking hot.

And as luck would have it, he made the unfortunate comment on the same day his wife — remember her, tall lady with the midlife bangs? — mistakenly referred to herself as a single mother.

Critics are steamed after President called Kamala Harris the 'best looking attorney general in the country.'

But back to the Prez and his very male salivary glands:

“She also happens to be by far the best looking attorney general in the country,” Obama said of California’s Kamala Harris during a fund-raiser. The unexpected comment ruffled the feathers of some observers and caused a commotion on social media such as Twitter.

Eric Risberg/AP

President Barack Obama walks with California Attorney General Kamala Harris, center, and California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, after arriving at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco.

“It’s true, come on,” the President added as fund-raiser attendees in Atherton, Calif., guffawed.

Obama set up the remark with a heap of more conventional praise for Harris, 48, who campaigned for him last year.

JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

First Lady Michelle Obama mistakenly referred to herself as a single mother on the same day President Barack Obama called California's Kamala Harris 'the best looking attorney general in the country.'

“She is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough,” Obama said.

What came next was a compliment heard round the world — an uncharacteristic slip by the smooth-talking Obama. Some Twitter users blasted the quip as “awkward” and even “sexist.”

BENJAMIN MYERS/REUTERS

President Barack Obama (from left), First Lady Michelle Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) clap during the Inaugural Luncheon in Statuary Hall after his ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

“Obama’s comment about Kamala Harris is disgraceful and really terrible for workplace equality,” tweeted New York magazine writer Jonathan Chait.

Not surprisingly, the Republican National Committee quickly pounced on Obama, posting a snarky Twitter message.

“Not awkward and perfectly fine for him to say, right?” it said.

While the remark left plenty of observers hot and bothered, it didn’t offend everyone: “How did it become so difficult to call a woman good looking in public,” tweeted Politico media reporter Dylan Byers.

But Thursday turned out to be double trouble for the First Family, with Michelle Obama calling herself a “busy single mother” in an interview. The top mom immediately caught herself, saying, “You know, when you’ve got the husband who’s president, it can feel a little single, but he’s there,” she said, CBS reported.

With News Wire Services

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Obama: 5% of Salary to Be Given to the US Treasury - WebProNews

The U.S. has been suffering from an economic lull for years now, and workers have been feeling the pinch.

This year, congress delayed budget measures until the recent sequester resulted. That means that now even government employees will begin to be affected by the economic situation. If the government cuts laid out by the sequester are not covered in the near future, some government employees may be forced to take furloughs, less politely known as extended unpaid leave.

According to an Associated Press report, The White House this week has announced that President Obama will be making a gesture to show his solidarity with government employees who are facing the prospect of furloughs. The president will be returning 5% of his yearly salary to the U.S. Treasury.

Since 2001, U.S. Presidents have been paid an annual salary of $400,000. President Obama‘s symbolic contribution to the treasury amounts to $20,000.

Other U.S. politicians are also announcing that they will be giving up money in response to the sequester. According to the AP report, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will return 14 days’ worth of salary to the U.S. Treasury, which is symbolic of the two-week cut in pay Defense Department employees could end up taking. Alaska Senator Mark Begich has also announced he will return part of his salary to the treasury.

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Obama makes new gun control push

3 April 2013 Last updated at 16:58 ET

Gun shops in Connecticut reported increased sales as the legislation was announced on Monday

The US state of Connecticut is set to vote on sweeping new gun restrictions, as President Obama travels to Colorado to call for new national restrictions.

Among the Connecticut measures up for a vote are a ban on new high-capacity magazines and mandatory background checks on all gun purchasers.

Meanwhile, national gun legislation appears to have stalled in Congress.

Mr Obama is expected to praise Colorado for passing new firearms restrictions despite a strong gun culture.

Last month, the western state imposed limits on the size of ammunition magazines and expanded background checks for gun buyers.

'Message' to Washington

The long-dormant US gun control debate reignited after a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 children, at a primary school in Newtown, Connecticut in December.

On Wednesday, Connecticut Senate President Donald Williams Jr called the state's gun control proposal, unveiled on Monday after weeks of negotiation, a "strong, comprehensive bill".

"That is a message that should resound in 49 other states and in Washington DC," he said. "And the message is: 'We can get it done here and they should get it done in their respective states and nationally in Congress.'"

The bill, which has the support of both Democrats and Republicans, is expected to pass. Governor Dannel Malloy has pledged to sign it into law.

Connecticut's proposals include:

• an expansion of the state's assault weapons ban
• background checks for all prospective firearms purchasers, including in private transactions
• a ban on the sale or purchase of ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds
• a registry of weapons offenders
• a state eligibility certificate to purchase a rifle or shotgun that involves a psychiatric commitment check

Gun rights groups argue the legislation would not have prevented the Newtown shooting.

"They can register magazines and do all the rest of this stuff," said Robert Crook, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition of Sportsmen. "It isn't going to do anything."

In Washington, the US Congress is set to debate new gun control legislation this month, but gun groups have vowed to block it. The measures up for consideration include broadened background checks and stiffened penalties for firearms trafficking.

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Obama visits Miami port to push plan to rebuild roads, bridges, other infrastructure - Washington Post

MIAMI — President Obama on Friday visited a tunnel project at the major port here to promote a new plan to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges and points of commerce — a series of measures that White House officials argue could appeal to business-minded Republicans.

In a brief visit, Obama said hiring construction workers for “infrastructure” projects would help lower the nation’s high unemployment rate — no industry has been harder hit than construction — and make the country more competitive in the long run. The proposals range from $4 billion to invest in rebuilding roads and bridges to tax breaks designed to attract investors, at home and abroad, to construction projects.

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“There are few more important things we can do to create jobs right now and strengthen our economy over the long haul by rebuilding our infrastructure that powers our businesses and our economy,” Obama said, surrounded by blue shipping containers. “This should not be a partisan idea.”

Obama’s trip was designed to show that he is fighting to accomplish second-term priorities despite significant barriers and a polarized political climate that makes the passage of ideas with bipartisan support difficult.

While members of both parties have historically backed proposals to increase spending on roads and bridges, Republicans are raising objections to the tax increases that would probably be necessary to help pay for fresh spending.

The White House says the proposals would require $21 billion in taxpayer dollars, money it has to offset to meet its promise that they won’t add to the deficit. Obama has also proposed $40 billion in immediate federal spending on thousands of projects that are in need of prompt repairs — a proposal called “Fix It First.”

Specific details will be laid out in Obama’s 2014 budget that will be released April 10.

“Last time, I think he wanted to tax the same people that were supposed to create the job,” Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), said Friday.

Writing in the Miami Herald, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Obama needs to listen to people in Florida “to get a true sense of the effect more tax increases and spending hikes will have on our nation’s middle class.”

Because of the political paralysis, the opposite of what Obama is advocating is happening now. Deep cuts to federal spending known as sequestration are slicing $4 billion out of federal construction projects this year, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.

In his remarks, Obama expressed frustration that his ideas generate political division. “I know Washington people just like to argue. I guess it gets them on TV,” he said. “We can’t afford Washington politics to stand in the way of America’s progress.”

His proposals had three major parts. He would spend $4 billion on local and state infrastructure projects. He would invest $10 billion in an “infrastructure bank” that would make loans to private companies. And he would back new tax subsidies worth $7 billion that make it easier for states and localities to raise money and for foreign and domestic investors to start construction projects.

Obama pointed to the tunnel here as an example of the best approach. The $1 billion construction project, the result of a collaboration between government and private investors, is designed to create a direct line between the highway and the port, relieving congestion. “That’s how we’ll encourage more businesses to start here and grow here,” the president said.

He also connected the construction proposal to a more sweeping vision of an economy that generates middle-class jobs and rising wages, something it has struggled to do for more than a decade.

“There’s work to be done. There’s workers ready to do it,” he said. “Let’s prove to the world there’s no better place to do business than right here in the United States of America.”

Alan Krueger, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, warned that the country had spent less on infrastructure compared with global competitors. But he could not predict how many jobs the proposal would create.

“I don’t have a job number for you because it depends on how much it’s leveraged,” Krueger said. “I can tell you when economists have looked at infrastructure investment in the past, they find it has a very high rate of return for the economy.”

Despite the long odds, not all hope for bipartisan compromise is lost. Last month, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) agreed the nation needs to spend more on infrastructure.

“The president talked about infrastructure, but he didn’t talk about how to pay for it,” he said. “And it’s easy to go out there and be Santa Claus and talk about all the things you want to give away. But at some point, somebody has to pay the bill.”

But, he added, “I’m committed to working to find a funding source so that we can begin to repair America’s aging infrastructure.”

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Obama appoints first woman, Julia Pierson, as head of US Secret Service - The Australian

Barack Obama will appoint the veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson as the agency's first female director, signalling his desire to change the culture at the male-dominated service, which has been marred by scandal. Source: AP

US Secret Service agents ahead of taking up duties at the Convention Centre in Cartagena, Colombia,for the 6th Summit of the Americas as it was revealed a dozen of their colleagues sent to provide security for President Barack Obama were relieved from duty an incident of alleged misconduct. Source: AP

US President Barack Obama has named the first female director of the Secret Service, signalling his desire to change the agency's male-dominated culture following a recent prostitution scandal.

The Secret Service, charged with protecting the president and his family, has faced intense criticism for the scandal during preparations for Mr Obama's trip to Cartagena, Colombia, last year.

Veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson, who most recently served as the agency's chief of staff, will take over from Mark Sullivan, who announced his retirement last month.

She joins a notably male team around Mr Obama, who had been criticised for bringing in several men advisers for his second term, which started in January.

"Over her 30 years of experience with the Secret Service, Julia has consistently exemplified the spirit and dedication the men and women of the service demonstrate every day," Mr Obama said in a statement announcing Ms Pierson's appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation.

The Colombia incident raised questions about the agency's culture, particularly during foreign travel. In addition to protecting the president, the Secret Service also investigates financial crimes.

Thirteen Secret Service employees were caught up in the prostitution scandal. After a night of partying in the resort city of Cartagena, the employees brought women, including prostitutes, to the hotel where they were staying. The incident became public after one agent refused to pay a prostitute and the pair argued about payment in a hotel hallway. Eight employees were forced out of the agency, and three were cleared of serious misconduct.

The incident took place before Mr Obama arrived in Colombia, and the service said the president's safety was never compromised. But news of the scandal broke during his trip, overshadowing the summit and embarrassing the US delegation.

Mr Sullivan issued a new code of conduct that bans employees from drinking within 10 hours of starting a shift or bringing foreign nationals back to their hotel rooms. Sullivan also apologised for the incident.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also praised Mr Obama's "historic decision" to name Ms Pierson as the service's first female director.

At the Secret Service, Ms Pierson has served as deputy assistant director of the office of protective operations, assistant director of human resources and training and chief of staff. She started in 1983 as a special agent in Miami and previously worked as a police officer in Orlando, Florida.

Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa said the Secret Service has "lost the trust of many Americans" following the Colombia scandal. Pierson, he said Tuesday, "has a lot of work ahead of her to create a culture that respects the important job the agency is tasked with."

AP

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Obama demands Congress 'finish the job' on immigration reform - Washington Post

President Obama helped swear in 28 newly naturalized U.S. citizens at the White House on Monday, using the occasion to demand that Congress “finish the job” on his push for a comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws.

In a ceremony in the East Room, Obama hailed the new Americans, including 13 who already serve in the U.S. military, as examples of the nation’s strong immigrant history and argued that lawmakers must no longer avoid tackling immigration reform.

“Immigration makes us stronger; it keeps us vibrant, it keeps us hungry, it makes us prosperous. It’s part of what makes this a dynamic country,” Obama said. But, he added: “We need to do a better job welcoming them. We’ve known for years that our immigration system is broken.?.?.After avoiding the problem for years, the time has come to fix it once and for all.”

The president has participated in a naturalization ceremony for new citizens at the White House for the past four years, but this year’s event took on heightened symbolism. Obama read a list of countries that the immigrants hailed from — including Afghanistan, Germany, Mexico, Nigeria and Peru — and some of the new citizens wore their U.S. military uniforms. They raised their right hand while reciting an oath of citizenship at the direction of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Obama praised bipartisan efforts underway in the Senate and House to develop reform legislation, and said he expects a bill to be introduced next month. A bipartisan group of eight senators has said it hopes to unveil its bill after the Senate returns from a two-week Easter break April 8.

The Senate effort, widely expected to serve as a template for a potential deal between Congress and the White House, will include a 13-year path to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants, a large increase in visas for high-tech workers, a new guest-worker program for low-wage foreigners, and the elimination of some categories of visas for extended family members, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

The legislation also will call for increased border control and work-place security measures.

“We’ve got to finish the job. This issue is not new,” Obama said. “Everyone pretty much knows what’s broken; everyone knows how to fix it. .?.?.We’ve just got, at this point, to work up the political courage to do what’s required to be done.”

Senate aides have said they expect the bipartisan bill to be written during the Easter break, despite an ongoing dispute from labor and business leaders over terms of a guest worker program for foreigners. Under the proposal, up to 200,000 immigrants a year would be granted visas for low-skilled jobs for which not enough American workers are available.

But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO have disagreed over how much those immigrants should be paid, with labor leaders saying they are concerned that the program could drag down wages for all workers.

The Senate aides said they do not think the dispute will stop the bill from remaining on schedule. In the House, Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has said a bipartisan group has wrapped up its work on a bill that could be introduced in the next few weeks.

Immigration advocates hailed the White House ceremony Monday as an example of why the promise of becoming a citizen is so important to those who leave home countries to come to the United States.

“Citizenship is more than a process,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, “it speaks to who we are as a nation. It ensures that the energy and aspirations that drove these new citizens to our country in the first place keep our nation vital and moving forward.”

In his remarks, Obama noted some of the personal stories of the new citizens, noting one man from Ukraine had come to the country when he was 11-years-old and joined the U.S. Air Force in order “to give back to the country.” Another man from Nigeria, who is pursuing a doctorate in information technology, wants to be a professor, Obama said.

“As we look out across this room, we are reminded what makes somebody American is not just their blood lines, not just an accident of birth — it’s a fidelity to our founding principles,” Obama said, “a faith in an idea that anyone, anywhere can write the next great chapter in this American story.”

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Obama prepares for West Bank visit

21 March 2013 Last updated at 00:36 ET

Palestinian views from Ramallah on President Obama's visit

Continue reading the main story

• Rebuilding bridges
• Unbreakable bond
• Cabinet for change
• Prisoners' offspring

Barack Obama is due to arrive in the West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Israel-Palestinian conflict is likely to be at the core of the talks with Mr Abbas.

The American leader will only spend a few hours in Ramallah, before heading to Jerusalem to give a speech.

Mr Obama made his first trip to Israel as president on Wednesday, holding talks with PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking in Jerusalem, Mr Obama said a central element of securing a lasting peace in the Middle East "must be a strong and secure Jewish state where its security concerns are met, alongside a sovereign and independent Palestinian state".

'Intolerable'

The BBC's Jon Donnison in Ramallah says the West Bank meeting could prove a difficult corner to turn, after Mr Obama also declared that the US was Israel's strongest ally.

Continue reading the main story

Barack Obama in Middle East

• Wednesday: Meets Benjamin Netanyahu
• Thursday: Meets Mahmoud Abbas, addresses Israeli students
• Friday: Visits Bethlehem's Church of Nativity and later departs for Jordan

• Jerusalem voices: Obama's visit
• Strong allies despite the tensions
• Doubts over Israel's Iron Dome

Palestinians have been disappointed with the American leader and expectations are low, our correspondent says.

In a 2009 speech in Cairo, Mr Obama called the situation for Palestinians "intolerable" and spoke of their undeniable suffering in pursuit of a homeland.

Since then, however, little has changed on the ground as the Middle East's most intractable conflict has been sidelined by the Arab Spring, and US-Israeli concern over Syria and Iran, our correspondent says.

Following the talks in Jerusalem, Mr Netanyahu said his new government, sworn in earlier this week, remained "fully committed to peace and the solution of two states".

"We extend our hands in peace and friendship to the Palestinian people," he said, adding that he hoped Mr Obama's visit would "turn a page" in relations with the Palestinians.

But the two leaders also said they agreed that Israel had the right to "defend itself by itself".

Mr Obama and Mr Netanyahu said they agreed Israel had the right to "defend itself by itself"

After his trip to the West Bank, Mr Obama is expected to deliver a speech to Israeli students in Jerusalem. He will leave for Jordan on Friday.

Security for his three-day visit is tight, with thousands of Israeli and Palestinian security officers on duty in Jerusalem and Ramallah, the Palestinians' de facto capital.

Both Israeli and Palestinian groups have staged protests in the run-up to Mr Obama's visit.

There were clashes in Hebron in the West Bank between Israeli settlers and pro-Palestinian protesters calling for an end to "apartheid", and in Gaza City protesters burned US flags outside UN offices.

Meanwhile, Israelis have staged protests in Jerusalem demanding Mr Obama free Jonathan Pollard, imprisoned in the US in 1987 for spying for Israel.

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Gaza militants fire rockets at Israel as Obama visits - CBS News

JERUSALEM The Israeli military says Gaza militants fired four rockets at southern Israel on the second day of President Obama's visit to the region.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says one rocket exploded in the courtyard of a house in the border town of Sderot, causing damage to the home but no injuries. The other landed in an open field.

The Jerusalem Post reports the third and fourth are said to have landed in the Gaza Strip.

Rocket alert sirens went off in Sderot before the rockets hit, the Post adds.

As a presidential candidate in 2008, Mr. Obama visited Sderot, which is frequently targeted by rocket attacks from the nearby Gaza Strip. The territory is ruled by the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack, which came as Mr. Obama was in Jerusalem.

He was to visit the West Bank city of Ramallah later in the day.

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President Obama Faces Palestinian Frustrations - Voice of America

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK — President Barack Obama will be facing some long-simmering frustrations among Palestinians when he visits the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday.

 

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East war and moving toward half a century later the Palestinians who live there are waiting for the independent nation they've been promised for decades. Many blame the United States over its long-standing support for Israel and others believe Washington has not done enough to help them even though it has mediated successive rounds of peace talks.

 

That's why about 150 Palestinian activists marched through the streets of Ramallah this week to protest the Obama visit. Some carried placards with and pictures of Obama in an Israeli military uniform under the words “No Hope.”

Meetings with Palestinian Authority

The president is visiting Ramallah for talks with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, the governing body that administers the West Bank and its more than two million Palestinian residents. Abbas and Palestinian Authority officials are expected to once again press their case for statehood and express their unhappiness over Washington's moves to block their full recognition by the United Nations.

 

“We’d like to see President Obama say is that in time to end the [Israeli] occupation,” says Sabri Saidam, an advisor to Abbas. “We are watching the continuation of Israeli settlement and the evaporation of the Palestinian geography.

 

“If we are talking about democracy and freedom, why do they [the United States] support the Tunisia, for example, but this doesn’t apply to Palestinians?” Saidam asked.

Saidam says these issues will be on Palestinian agenda this week and that Washington should now support Palestinians in their pursuit of full membership in the United Nations as a sovereign, independent nation.

Oslo Accords of 1993

The United States has played a key role in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians over the years, and in helping to bank-roll both Israel and the Palestinian Authority—the governing body that grew out of the 1993 Oslo peace Accords.

The Hamas organization that governs the Gaza Strip and its 1.8 million Palestinian residents has been left out of the visit. It is considered a terrorist movement by the United States.

 

A Palestinian women hold up a sign march 19, protesting the West Bank visit of President Barack Obama. Photo: VOA / R. Collard

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A Palestinian women hold up a sign march 19, protesting the West Bank visit of President Barack Obama. Photo: VOA / R. Collard

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This week's protest in Ramallah was organized by Palestinians for Dignity, a coalition of a half-dozen local activist groups that has become key in organizing demonstrations against Israel, the Palestinian Authority and now the U.S. As well.

“Why are we protesting Obama’s visit?” says one member who asked not to use his name fearing arrest by Palestinian security forces. “The answer is two-fold. Both what he represents and what he’s here to do.”

 

He says Palestinians for Dignity are protesting the American government’s unconditional support of Israel, but also U.S. Support for the Palestinian Authority, an institution that he says lacks legitimacy in the eyes of many Palestinians.

Frustrations spill over

The Palestinian leadership has postponed elections and the 2013 Human Rights Watch report cites dozens of complaints of arbitrary detention and torture by Palestinian Authority security forces.

 

It is because of this, says Palestinians for Dignity, it has given-up on preaching their cause to foreign powers and instead are looking inward to Palestinian society.

“We don’t have a lot of belief that the U.S. could positively contribute here,” says the activist. “Maybe Obama is here to restart the negotiations. That might seem like a rosy objective but Palestinians have seen what that has brought us.”

Even those here who know the United States well say Washington has an image problem with Palestinians when it comes to possibly restarting the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

“'Process' has become a four letter word in the Palestinian lexicon,” says Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American. He moved to the West Bank from Ohio, where he was born just after the signing of 1993 Oslo Accords.

 

“After 20 years of Oslo and negotiations, Palestinians are convinced the U.S. cannot play a neutral role,” says Bahour. “They support Israel, politically, financially and militarily. Palestinians have almost zero hope. Every time a dignitary, American or not, visits, they raise expectations but will not hold Israel accountable.”

Many Palestinians were hopeful when Obama took office, but the U.S. opposition to their bid for full membership in the United Nations last year was a serious blow to their belief in America’s interest in achieving a Palestinian state.

On the main road that runs from Jerusalem to Ramallah, large posters bearing President Obama’s picture line the street, but the posters aren’t there to welcome the U.S. president to the Palestinian Territories, but rather, to chide him:

“President Obama, Don’t bring your Smart Phone to Ramallah. You Won’t Have Mobile Access to Internet. We have no 3G in Palestine!”

The signs are designed to focus attention on a small but indicative fact of life in the West Bank. Israel restricts access to the frequencies Palestinian mobile carriers need to offer fast 3G service to customers.

 

As Palestinians try to build the state promised by the Oslo Accords, they face the continued challenges of occupation—no control over their borders and trade, continued Israeli settlement activity and even an inability to offer the kind of mobile communications needed for business. Some feel the U.S. should use the clout of its $3 billion in yearly aid to Israel to push for changes.

“America does nothing to help us,” says 35-year-old Bilal, wheeling his taxi through the streets of Ramallah, a city where many are dependent on Palestinian Authority salaries. “When Israel doesn’t transfer us our money, Obama should do something.”

When the Palestinian leadership asked for membership in the United Nations, Israel withheld tax money and U.S. Congress also delayed aid bound for the government in Ramallah. The Authority couldn’t pay full salaries and the effect was felt across the territories.

Even so, not all Palestinians have given up. In his clothing store across from one of the massive posters warning Obama about his smart phone, Nasser Shatawi is hopeful.

 

“Obama is better than President Bush. He wants to make peace,” says Shatawi. “I ask Obama, help Palestinians, help us make peace and have security. But I wonder if he knows how.”

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Under scrutiny, Obama addresses former campaign group - CBS News

After a trip to Capitol Hill to reach out to House Republicans, and amid criticism from campaign finance watchdogs, President Obama took the opportunity at his second political outreach event of the day - a speech to about 60 donors and former campaign staffers - to explain his recent charm offensive.

"The truth of the matter is all I've been doing is just calling up folks and trying to see if we can break through some of the gobbledygook of our politics here," he said at a high-end hotel near the White House. "We've got to get members of Congress involved in these discussions, not just leadership, because I think a lot of them feel as if they don't have the opportunity to break out of some of this partisan gridlock."

The president spoke on the first night of a two-day summit for Organizing for Action, the nonprofit group that grew out of Mr. Obama's reelection campaign organization, and is now focused on advocating for and implementing the president's agenda.

Of his recent outreach, he also said he believes there's a "genuine desire" among members of Congress to compromise, but also a hesitancy.

"I think there's a weariness among membership in the Senate and the House about this constant grind day-in, day-out of argument and crises instead of productivity and movement forward," he said, "the politics of a lot of these issues are tough. And members sometimes are scared about making the right decisions."

Still, Mr. Obama remarked that he felt that already in his second term, he feels there has been, and will continue to be, progress on immigration, gun violence and taxes. A potential, he said, that was palpable during both his Inaugural and State of the Union addresses.

"Some people remarked that I had a little more pep in my step in the Inauguration and in the State of the Union and, I have to tell you it wasn't because I was off the campaign trail...the reason was I felt like this is a vision that, if we can get it implemented, really would allow America to take off."

He asked Organizing for Action attendees to join in that effort - not just by lobbying Congress but by reaching out to members of their own communities. He asked them to help him avoid the "mistake" he said, was made in 2008 -- when "some of that energy just kind of dissipated and we were only playing an inside game."

Mr. Obama's appearance at the summit comes amid recent allegations that high-paying donors were being promised the opportunity to meet the president at the White House.

"Organizing for Action is a mistake by President Obama that he should correct," Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer said in a statement today. "Organizing for Action is an unprecedented entity that creates new opportunities for big donors and bundlers of large amounts to obtain corrupting influence over executive branch policies and decisions."

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Frmr. Obama campaign manager denies selling access

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney pointed out Monday that OFA, as a 501(c)4 nonprofit political group, is a "separate organization," not run by the White House. However, watchdog groups have raised concerns that as the president's former campaign arm being run by former White House and campaign officials, the group is tied too closely to the current White House. And, watchdogs add, as a 501(c)4, the group is now not bound by campaign fundraising caps and can raise unlimited amounts of money.

"Corporations and billionaires can write checks of any size, aware that they are giving to a group with close ties to the White House, one that is busily promoting President Obama's agenda," The New York Times editorial board wrote on March 3. "And now that this White House has torn down the last wall between its needs and those of special interests, others in the future will undoubtedly do the same."

Mr. Obama responded to that criticism tonight and sought to clarify the organization's mission.

"People have been puzzled about what it is that we're trying to do because the usual idea is: well this must just be a mechanism to try to win the next election in 2014. And what we've tried to explain to people is, is that, no I actually just want to govern. At least for a couple of years," he said.

While he says wants the organization to focus on policy for now, he didn't close the on the existence of Organizing for Action beyond 2016.

"What we want is to make sure that the voices of the people who put me here continue to be heard. That they're not just heard during election time, that they're not just heard in terms of dollar solicitations, that we are helping to build or sustain a network of citizens who have a voice in the most critical debates that are going to be taking place over the next year, year and a half, and if it works, potentially beyond."

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White House official: Obama to tap Walmart exec as budget chief - CBS News

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate Walmart's Sylvia Matthews Burwell as his next budget director, a senior administration official said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Burwell would take the helm at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at a time of heated budget battles between the White House and congressional Republicans. She would also bring more diversity to Obama's second-term Cabinet following criticism that many top jobs were going to white men.

The 47-year-old Burwell is a Washington veteran, having served as OMB's deputy director in the Clinton administration and chief of staff to former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. She currently runs the Walmart Foundation, the retail giant's philanthropic wing, and previously served as president of the Gates Foundation's Global Development Program.

"Burwell's deep knowledge of budget and economic issues along with her record of fighting for working Americans make her the perfect choice to lead the OMB at this important time," a White House official told CBS News.

Burwell's nomination signals that the White House is trying to get back to normal business after the president and Congress failed to avert $85 billion in automatic spending cuts that took effect Friday. While the president has warned of dire consequences for the economy as a result of the cuts, the White House does not want the standoff with Congress to keep the president from focusing on other second-term priorities, including filling out his Cabinet and pursuing stricter gun laws and an overhaul of the nation's immigration system.

Obama made quick work of filling key national security openings in his administration, but has been slower to makes appointments for other Cabinet openings, including the OMB post. Vacancies also remain at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Commerce and Energy Departments, and the U.S. trade representative.

Burwell would replace acting OMB director Jeffrey Zients, a well-liked figure in the Obama administration who has been discussed as a contender for other top jobs.

The White House official told CBS News President Obama will make the announcement at 10:15 a.m. ET Monday.

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Obama: 100 US military personnel deployed to Niger - Seattle Post Intelligencer

WASHINGTON (AP) — About 100 American troops have been deployed to the African nation of Niger, where a U.S. defense official said they would be setting up a drone base for surveillance missions.

President Barack Obama announced the deployment Friday in a letter to Congress, saying that the forces "will provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali, and with other partners in the region."

French troops have been fighting Islamic militants in Mali, which neighbors Niger. The drone base will allow the U.S. to give France more intelligence on the militants. Over time, it could extend the reach not only of American intelligence-gathering but also U.S. special operations missions to strengthen Niger's own security forces.

The defense official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the project.

The drones at the Niger base will be unarmed and used for surveillance, not airstrikes.

Obama said in his letter to Congress that the U.S. forces has been deployed with the consent of Niger's government. The forces were also deployed with weapons "for their own force protection and security," the president said.

Last month, the U.S. and Niger signed a status-of-forces agreement spelling out legal protections and obligations of American forces that might operate in Niger in the future.

Africa is increasingly a focus of U.S. counterterrorism efforts, even as al-Qaida remains a threat in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere. Last month's terrorist attack on a natural gas complex in Algeria, in which at least 37 hostages and 29 militants were killed, illustrated the threat posed by extremists who have asserted power propelled by long-simmering ethnic tensions in Mali and the revolution in Libya.

A number of al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremist groups operate in Mali and elsewhere in the Sahara, including a group known as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, which originated in Algeria and is active in northern Mali.

In January, French forces intervened to stop the extremists' move toward Mali's capital, and Washington has grown more involved by providing a variety of military support to French troops.

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