Obama Debate Matrix

7/31/2019 Obama Debate Matrix

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OBAMA DEBATE RESPONSE

BUDGET & DEFICIT - Debt

BUDGET & DEFICIT - Deficit

BUDGET & DEFICIT - $4 Trillion Deficit Reduction

BUDGET & DEFICIT - Failure To Lead

BUDGET & DEFICIT - Broken Promises: Cut Deficit In Half, NetSpending Cut, Spending Freeze

DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY - Sequestration

DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY - Spending Cuts

DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY - Libya, Israel, Iran, China, Russia

DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY - Leading From Behind/Standing

ECONOMY - Foreign Policy Angle

ECONOMY - Unemployment Rate/Joblessness

ECONOMY - Stimulus Failed

ECONOMY - Middle Class

ECONOMY - Poverty

ECONOMY - Responsible For The Economy

ECONOMY - Foreclosures/Homes Underwater

ECONOMY - Obamas Tax Increases

ECONOMY - Broken Promises: Focus On Jobs, 5 MillionNew Jobs

ECONOMY - Manufacturing

EDUCATION - College Affordability And Student LoanDebt

ENERGY & ENVIRO - No Coherent Energy Policy

ENERGY & ENVIRO - Foreign Oil Dependency

ENERGY & ENVIRO - Keystone


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ENERGY & ENVIRO - Gas Prices

ENERGY & ENVIRO - Coal

ENERGY & ENVIRO - Domestic Oil Production

ENERGY & ENVIRO - Broken Promises: Plug-In Hybrids, GreenJobs, Double Renewable Energy

ENERGY & ENVIRO - EPA Regulations

ENERGY & ENVIRO - Solyndra

ETHICS/SCANDALS- Fast And Furious

ETHICS/SCANDALS- MF Global

ETHICS/SCANDALS- GSA

HEALTH CARE- ObamaCare

HEALTH CARE- Broken Promises: Reduce Cost, ReducePremiums, Keep Your Plan, ProtectMedicare

HEALTH CARE- Medicare - includes Lie of the Year

HISPANICS/LATINOS - Not Better Off Under Obama

HOPE & CHANGE- Failed To Change Washington

HOPE & CHANGE- Lobbyists

HOPE & CHANGE - Negative Ads/Going Negative

HOPE & CHANGE - Transparency

IMMIGRATION - Didnt Keep Promise

OBAMA- Gaffes

OBAMA - Responsibility & Excuses

SOCIAL ISSUES - Abortion, Gay Marriage

VETERANS - Not Better Off Under Obama

VETERANS - Tri Care

WOMEN - Not Better Off Under Obama


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To Congress On Monday Fails That Test. The best test of a budget proposalthese days is whether it reins in the national debt, which is projected to equal atroubling 74% of gross domestic product this year. The last time the publicly helddebt was that high as a percentage of the economy was in 1950, when the nationwas still paying off the stupendous amount of money it had to borrow to fight and

win World War II. The election-year budget President Obama sent to Congress onMonday fails that test. (Editorial, Obamas Budget Plan Leaves Debt Bomb Ticking,USA Today, 2/14/12)

The Dallas Morning News: Obamas Budget Proposal Is A Sign He HasAbdicated Leadership.But this newspaper sees problems in his fine points,beginning with his almost total dodge on entitlement reforms. Obama identifiedonly about $300 billion in Medicare and Medicaid savings. And not a single detailabout overhauling Social Security. Washington cant fix the $14 trillion debt problemwithout overhauling those programs, which are big debt drivers. The presidentknows all this and simply abdicated leadership. (Editorial, Editorial: Gang Of 38 Offers A Better DebtApproach,The Dallas Morning News,9/19/11)
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DEBT & DEFICIT

Debt

THEN: In 2008, Obama Said Adding $4 Trillion To The National Debt WasIrresponsible And Unpatriotic. OBAMA: The problem is, is that the way Bush has

done it over the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in thename of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion for the first 42presidents number 43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome, so that we now have over $9trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back -- $30,000 for every man, woman andchild. That's irresponsible. It's unpatriotic. (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Fargo, ND,7/3/08)

NOW: The National Debt Is Now $16.2 Trillion ($16,196,052,388,163.26). (US DepartmentOf The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov , Accessed 10/22/12)

Since Obama Took Office, The National Debt Has Risen $5.6 Trillion, An Increase OfOver 52 Percent. (US Department Of The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov , Accessed 10/22/12)

Under Obamas Watch, Each Citizens Share Of The National Debt Has Risen$18,038 To A Total Of $52,458. (US Department Of The Treasury,TreasuryDirect.gov , Accessed 10/22/12)

Obama Has Added An Average Of $4,071,034,605 To The National Debt EveryDay. (US Department Of The Treasury,TreasuryDirect.gov, Accessed 10/22/12)

On Average, Obama Has Added $1 Trillion To The National Debt Every 246Days. (US Department Of The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov , Accessed 10/22/12)

The U.S. National Debt Has Topped $16 Trillion As Chronic Government DeficitsHave Piled More Than $50,000 Worth Of Debt Onto Federal Ledgers For Every Man,Woman And Child In The United States. (Andrew Taylor, U.S. National Debt Hits $16 Trillion,The AssociatedPress, 9/4/12)

Obama Is The Undisputed Debt King Of The Last Five Presidents. So by thismeasurement -- potentially a more important one -- Obama is the undisputed debt king ofthe last five presidents, rather than the guy who added a piddling amount to the debt, asPelosis chart suggested. (Nancy Pelosi Post Questionable Chart On Debt Accumulation By Barack Obama, Predecessors,Politifact, 5/19/11)

CBO: The Amount Of Federal Debt Held By The Public Has Skyrocketed In The PastFew Years, Rising From 40 Percent Of GDP At The End Of 2008 To An Estimated 73Percent By The End Of This Year.(An Update To The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 To 2022,Congressional Budget Office, 8/22/12)

According To The CBO, Federal Debt Held By The Public Will Reach TheHighest Levels Since The 1950s.Federal debt held by the public will reach 73percent of GDP by the end of this fiscal yearthe highest level since 1950 and abouttwice the 36 percent of GDP that it measured at the end of 2007, before the financialcrisis and recent recession.(An Update To The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 To 2022,Congressional Budget Office, 8/22/12)
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Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke Says U.S. Debt Level Is Unsustainable WhichCould Cause Interest Rates To Spike And Cause Financial Instability Like We Saw InGreece. But Ben Bernankes recent warning is ominous. The Fed chief calls Americasdebt level unsustainable and says if financial markets lose confidence, interest rates couldspike and cause financial instability like we saw in Greece. (Editorial, Heed Bernanke On Federal Debt,The Denver Post, 6/20/10)

Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff Warned That The National Debt Is The BiggestThreat To National Security. Adm. Mike Mullen also renewed his warning that thenations debt is the biggest threat to U.S. national security. (Roxana Tiron, Joint Chiefs ChairmanReiterates Security Threat Of High Debt,The Hill, 6/24/10)

Our Rising Debt Levels Poses A National Security Threat . . . ItSends A Message OfWeakness Internationally.(Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton, Remarks At The Council Foreign Relations, Washington,DC, 9/8/10)

Deficit

PROMISE: In February 2009, Obama Said That He Would Cut The Deficit In Half By

The End Of [His] First Term In Office. OBAMA: Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where Ipledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. (President Obama, Address toJoint Session of Congress, 2/24/09)

BROKEN: Obama Will Fall Far Short Of His Goal To Halve The Deficit In Four Years.President Obama's proposed 2013 budget will forecast a $901 billion deficit for next year,falling far short of his goal to halve the deficit in four years. (Richard Wolf, Obama Budget To Miss DeficitGoal,USA Todays The Oval,2/10/12)

The Congressional Budget Office Estimated The FY 2012 Budget Deficit At $1.1Trillion, The Fourth Straight Year Of Trillion Dollar Deficits On President BarackObamas Watch. A new estimate puts the deficit for the just-completed 2012 budget year

at $1.1 trillion, the fourth straight year of trillion dollar deficits on President BarackObama's watch. The result was a slight improvement from the 2011 deficit of $1.3 trillion.The bleak figures from the Congressional Budget Office, while expected, add fodder for theheated presidential campaign, in which Obama's handling of the economy and the budget isa main topic. (Andrew Taylor, CBO Tallies 2012 Deficit At $1.1T,The Associated Press, 10/5/12)

Obama Promised To Cut The Deficit In Half By The End Of His First Term, ButDeficits Have Instead Remained At Eye-Popping Levels Obama inherited aneconomy in recession and a deficit in excess of $1 trillion. He promised to cut the deficit inhalf by the end of his first term, but deficits have instead remained at eye-popping levels,including a record $1.4 trillion deficit in 2009 and deficits of $1.3 trillion in each of the pasttwo years. The 2012 deficit was 7 percent of the size of the economy, an unsustainably highlevel.(Andrew Taylor, CBO Tallies 2012 Deficit At $1.1T,The Associated Press, 10/5/12)

This Is The Fourth Straight Year That The Deficit Will Exceed One Trillion Dollars,All Under President Obama.(Erik Wasson, CBO Says 2012 Deficit Has Reached $1.17T,The Hill, 9/10/12)

Obama Had Already Racked Up The Three Largest Deficits In U.S. History.TheU.S budget deficit for fiscal year 2011 is $1.299 trillion, the second largest shortfallin history. The nation only ran a larger deficit for the 2009 fiscal year, which
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included the dramatic collapse of financial markets and a huge bailout effort by thegovernment.(Erik Wasson, Treasury Announces 2011 Deficit Is Second Highest In History,The Hills On The Money,10/14/11)

Obama Has Long Since Stopped Talking Up His Old Goal Of Reducing Deficits InHalf.(Tom Raum, THE RACE: Deficits To Be Hot Topic In 1st Debate,The Associated Press, 10/1/12)

The CBO Estimates That The Federal Budget Deficit Was About $1.1 Trillion In FiscalYear 2012. (Monthly Budget Review: Fiscal Year 2012,Congressional Budget Office, 10/5/12)

FY2009: The Federal Budget Deficit Was $1.413 Trillion, The Highest In U.S.History. (Monthly Budget Review: November 2011,Congressional Budget Office, 11/7/11)

FY2010: The Federal Budget Deficit Was $1.294 Trillion, The Third Highest InU.S. History. (Monthly Budget Review: November 2011,Congressional Budget Office, 11/7/11)

FY2011: The Federal Budget Deficit Was $1.299 Trillion, The Second HighestIn U.S. History. (Monthly Budget Review: November 2011,Congressional Budget Office, 11/7/11)

FY2012: The Federal Budget Deficit Was $1.1 Trillion, The Fourth Highest InU.S. History. (Monthly Budget Review: Fiscal Year 2012,Congressional Budget Office, 10/5/12)

Obamas $4 Trillion Deficit Reduction

Co-Chairs Of Obamas Fiscal Commission Erskine Bowles And Alan Simpson OnObamas $4 Trillion Target: Unfortunately, His Proposal Falls Short Of This Goal We are encouraged that President Obama has embraced the goal of stabilizing the debtand the target of achieving at least $4 trillion in deficit reduction. Unfortunately, hisproposal falls short of this goal by counting war savings that were already planned; andwhile it does (barely) stabilize the debt, it does so at a dangerously high level and with nomargin for error. We are disappointed, too, that the president did not address the long-term solvency of Social Security. (Alan Simpson And Erskine Bowles, Op-Ed, Go Big, Be Bold, Be Smart,TheWashington Post, 10/2/11)

The Washington Posts Glenn Kessler: The Repeated Claim That Obamas BudgetReduces The Deficit By $4 Trillion Is Simply Not Accurate. Virtually No SeriousBudget Analyst Agreed With This Accounting.(Glenn Kessler, Fact Checking Bill Clintons Speech And OtherDemocrats At The Convention In Charlotte, The Washington Posts The Fact Checker, 9/6/12)

Independent Budget Experts Say Obamas Debt Plan Falls Short Of Its Claimed $4Trillion In Savings.President Obama projects that his new plan for reducing the federaldebt will save more than $3 trillion over the next decade by raising taxes on the wealthyand slashing spending on a host of government programs, from farm subsidies to federal

worker pensions. But independent budget experts said the blueprint that Obama unveiledMonday which White House officials say would save more than $4 trillion when addedto earlier budget deals this year appears to fall short of his target. (Lori Montgomery And Jia LynnYang, Budget Analysts Say Obama Deficit Plan Is Likely To Miss Its Targets,The Washington Post, 9/19/11)

Credit Rating Downgrade
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Standard & Poors Lowered The U.S. Credit Rating For The First Time,AnIgnominious Legacy For Obama.(George E. Condon Jr., What A Week: Afghan Deaths, S&P, And Debt Limit DebateChallenge Obama,National Journal, 8/6/11)

The Downgrade, Hours After Markets Closed On Friday, Is A First For The UnitedStates Since It Was Granted An AAA Rating In 1917. (Paul Wiseman, US Downgrade Raises Anxiety, If

Not Interest Rates,The Associated Press, 8/6/11)
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BROKEN PROMISES ON SPENDING

Deficit

PROMISE: In February 2009, Obama Said That He Would Cut The Deficit In Half ByThe End Of [His] First Term In Office. OBAMA: Yesterday, I held a fiscal summitwhere I

pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. (President Obama, Address toJoint Session of Congress, 2/24/09)

BROKEN: Obama Has Racked Up The Three Largest Deficits In U.S. History.The U.Sbudget deficit for fiscal year 2011 is $1.299 trillion, the second largest shortfall in history.The nation only ran a larger deficit for the 2009 fiscal year, which included the dramaticcollapse of financial markets and a huge bailout effort by the government.(Erik Wasson, TreasuryAnnounces 2011 Deficit Is Second Highest In History,The Hills On The Money, 10/14/11)

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Is Predicting The Fourth Straight Deficit ToExceed $1 Trillion At $1.1 Trillion. Congress' nonpartisan budget analysts areprojecting a $1.1 trillion federal deficit for 2012, the fourth straight year the government's

shortfall will exceed $1 trillion. (Analysts Project $1.1T Federal Deficit This Year, The Associated Press, 8/22/12)

CBO: The Federal Budget Deficit For Fiscal Year 2012 Will Total $1.1 Trillion Marking The Fourth Year In A Row With A Deficit Of More Than $1 Trillion. (An UpdateTo The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 To 2022, Congressional Budget Office, 8/22/12)

FY2009: The Federal Budget Deficit Was $1.413 Trillion, The Highest In U.S.History. (Monthly Budget Review: November 2011,Congressional Budget Office, 11/7/11)

FY2010: The Federal Budget Deficit Was $1.294 Trillion, The Third Highest InU.S. History. (Monthly Budget Review: November 2011,Congressional Budget Office, 11/7/11)

FY2011: The Federal Budget Deficit Was $1.299 Trillion, The Second HighestIn U.S. History. (Monthly Budget Review: November 2011,Congressional Budget Office, 11/7/11)

FY2012: The Federal Budget Deficit Was $1.1 Trillion, The Fourth Highest InU.S. History. (Monthly Budget Review: Fiscal Year 2012,Congressional Budget Office, 10/5/12)

Net Spending Cut

PROMISE: In 2008, Obama Promised A Net Spending Cut To The Federal Budget ByGoing Through The Federal Budget Line By Line, Page By Page. OBAMA: But there isno doubt that we've been living beyond our means and we're going to have to make someadjustments. Now, what I've done throughout this campaign is to propose a net spendingcut. (Third Presidential Debate, Hempstead, NY, 10/15/08)

OBAMA:We need to eliminate a whole host of programs that don't work. And Iwant to go through the federal budget line by line, page by page, programs that don'twork, we should cut. (Third Presidential Debate, Hempstead, NY, 10/15/08)

BROKEN: Federal Outlays Have Increased By 20.4 Percent Since Obama Took Office.The federal government spent $3.1 trillion in FY2008 in inflation adjusted dollars. UnderObama, in FY2012 the federal government spent $3.8 trillion dollars.(Table 1.3 Summary OfReceipts, Outlays And Surpluses Or Deficits In Current Dollars, Constant (FY2005) Dollars, And As Percentages Of GDP: 1940-2016,
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Office Of Management And Budget, Accessed 5/16/12; Budget Of The United States Government, Fiscal Year 2013,Office OfManagement And Budget, 2/13/12)

Obama Proposed FY2013 Budget Calls For Increasing Government SpendingWell Above Historical Norms. From 1969 To 2008 The Federal Government SpentAn Average Of 20.6 Percent Of GDP, Obamas Proposed FY2013 Budget Calls For

Spending 22.8 Percent Of GDP By FY2022. (Table 1.2 Summary Of Receipts, Outlays And Surpluses OrDeficits As Percentages Of GDP: 1930-2016,Office Of Management And Budget, Accessed 5/16/12; Budget Of The UnitedStates Government, Fiscal Year 2013,Office Of Management And Budget, 2/13/12)

Government Spending As A Share Of The Economy Has Hovered Around 24% DuringThe Obama AdministrationElevated From The Historical Average Of 20.7% OverThe Past 40 Years.Government spending as a share of the economy has hovered around24% during the Obama administration, several percentage points higher than underPresident Bush, according to Congressional Budget Office data. It's also elevated from thehistorical average of 20.7% over the past 40 years. (Tami Luhby, Did Obama Really Make GovernmentBigger?CNN Money, 1/25/12)

The Washington Posts Fact Checker:Obamas Spending Has Hit Highs Not Seen Since

The End Of World War II Completely The Opposite Of The Point Asserted ByCarney.In the post-war era, federal spending as a percentage of the U.S. economy hashovered around 20 percent, give or take a couple of percentage points. Under Obama, it hashit highs not seen since the end of World War II completely the opposite of the pointasserted by Carney. Part of this, of course, is a consequence of the recession, but it is alsothe result of a sustained higher level of spending.(Glenn Kessler, The Facts About The Growth Of SpendingUnder Obama,The Washington Post, 5/25/12)

Politifact: As A Percentage Of Gross Domestic Product DiscretionarySpending Under Obama Reached Its Highest Level In About Two Decades As a percentage of gross domestic product-- which is a measure of the nationseconomy -- discretionary spending under Obama reached its highest level in abouttwo decades, according to figures released by the White Houses Office ofManagement and Budget. (Bill Wichert, Cory Booker Claims Obama Has Overseen Nations LowestDiscretionary Spending Weve Had In Decades,Politifact, 5/28/12)

Spending Freeze

PROMISE: Obama Promised To Pay For His Deficits With A Three-Year DiscretionarySpending Freeze. OBAMA: So tonight I'm proposing specific steps to pay for the trilliondollars that it took to rescue the economy last year. Starting in 2011, we are prepared tofreeze Government spending for 3 years. (President Barack Obama, Address Before A Joint Session Of Congress OnThe State Of The Union, Washington, D.C., 1/27/10)

FAIL: White House Official Admitted So-Called Spending Freeze Mainly For LargerSymbolic Value. It is the growth in the so-called entitlement programs Medicare,Medicaid and Social Security that is the major factor behind projections of unsustainablyhigh deficits, due to rapidly rising health costs and an aging population. But oneadministration official said that limiting the much smaller discretionary domestic budgetwould have larger symbolic value. (Jackie Calmes, Obama Seeks Freeze OnMany Domestic Programs,The New YorkTimes, 1/25/10)
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Liberal Economist Brad Delong Says Obamas Proposal To FreezeDiscretionary Spending Is A Perfect Example Of Fundamental UnseriousnessOf Obamas Commitment To Tackle Deficit.[T]his is a perfect example offundamental unseriousness: rather than make proposals that will actually tackle thelong-term deficit come up with a proposal that does short-term harm to the

economy without tackling the deficit in any serious and significant way. (Brad Delong,BarackHerbert Hoover Grover Cleveland Obama?Brad Delongs Grasping Reality With Opposable Thumbs , 1/25/10)
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SEQUESTRATION

It Was The Obama White House That Devised Sequestration, Which Would Result InNearly $1 Trillion In Devastating Cuts To National Security

The Obama Administration Proposed That Half Of The Cuts In The Sequestration

Trigger Should Come From The Defense Budget.Lew, Nabors, Sperling and Bruce Reed,Bidens chief of staff, had initially decided to propose using language from the 1985Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction law as the model for the trigger. It seemedtough enough to apply to the current situation. It would require a sequester with half thecuts from Defense, and the other half from domestic programs. There would be no chancethe Republicans would want to pull the trigger and allow the sequester to force massivecuts to Defense. (Bob Woodward, The Price Of Politics, 2012, p. 341)

White House: We Have An Idea For The Trigger. Sequestration. At 2:30p.m. Lew and Nabors went to the Senate to meet with Reid and his chief of staff,David Krone. We have an idea for the trigger, Lew said. Whats the idea? Reid

asked skeptically. Sequestration. Reid bent down and put his head between hisknees, almost as if he were going to throw up or was having a heart attack. He satback up and looked at the ceiling. A couple of weeks ago, he said, my staffsaid tome that there is one more possible enforcement mechanism: sequestration. He saidhe told them, Get the hell out of here. Thats insane. The White House surely willcome up with a plan that will save the day. And you come to me with sequestration?Well, it could work, Lew and Nabors explained. What would the impact be? Theywould design it so that half the threatened cuts would be from the DefenseDepartment. I like that, Reid said. Thats good. It doesnt touch Medicaid orMedicare, does it?It actually does touch Medicare, they replied. How does it touchMedicare? It depends, they said. Theres versions with 2 percent cuts, and theres

versions with 4 percent cuts.(Bob Woodward, The Price Of Politics, 2012, pp. 326)

Obamas FY 2013 Budget Cuts Defense Spending By $487 Billion Over The Next TenYears.An array of military programs, from fighter jets to retiree benefits, would be nickedto squeeze savings in the Pentagon's $525 billion budget for 2013, according to officialsand documents released Monday. The proposed 2013 budget represents the Pentagon'sfirst installment in a plan to reduce its projected spending by $487 billion over 10 years.Congress must approve the changes.(Tom Vanden Brook Pentagon Budget Calls For Cuts To Jets, Benefits,USAToday, 2/13/12)

Another $500 Billion Will Be Cut If Sequestration Goes Into Effect In January2013. The cuts, roughly $500 billion to both defense and non-defense spending,

were set in motion after the supercommittee failed to find more than $1 trillion indeficit reduction last year. The Obama administration has said its not yet planningfor the cuts, instead arguing they were never intended to be implemented andurging Congress to find a fix. (Jeremy Herb, Pentagons No. 2 Joining Budget Director At Sequester Hearing,The Hill's DEFCON Hill, 7/11/12)

Sequestration Would Indiscriminately Cut Funding For The War In Afghanistan AndOperations In The Persian Gulf, As Well As Training Programs, EquipmentMaintenance And Military Benefits.Sequestration compounds the damage because the
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cuts would be automatic and indiscriminate. The Pentagon now concedes that funding forthe war in Afghanistan would be hit, contrary to past assurances. So would currentoperations in the Persian Gulf. Training programs, equipment maintenance and militarybenefits are affected too. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin says the law obliges it tosend layoff warnings as soon as October to most of its 123,000 workersthe kind of

manufacturing jobs Democrats claim to love.(Editorial, The Coming Defense Crack-Up,The Wall Street Journal,7/20/12)

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Says Cuts To Defense Will Result In TheSmallest Ground Force Since 1940, The Smallest Number Of Ships Since 1915

And The Smallest Air Force In Its History. Defense Secretary Leon Panettaspelled out a doomsday scenario Monday that he said could occur if Congress fails totake action to avoid a $1 trillion cut in defense spending over the next decade.Panetta, responding to a letter from Republican Senators John McCain and LindsayGraham, said cuts of nearly $100 billion a year would leave the United States with itssmallest ground force since 1940, the smallest number of ships since 1915 and thesmallest air force in its history. (David Alexander, Panetta Spells Out Budget Cut Doomsday Fears,Reuters,11/14/11)

Defense Department May Have To Force Soldiers, Marines Or Other MembersOf The Military Out Of The Services For The First Time Since The Aftermath OfThe Cold War. The Defense Department may have to force soldiers, Marines orother members of the military out of the services for the first time since theaftermath of the Cold War to achieve the spending reductions in its budgetproposal. The Pentagon plans to cut 67,100 soldiers from active and reserve Armyunits and the Army National Guard in the five years starting Oct. 1, as well as 15,200from the active and reserve ranks of the Marine Corps as part of an effort to save$487 billion over a decade, according to the budget sent to Congress today. The

Navy and Air Force would lose fewer people 8,600 and 1,700 respectively because of their role in a strategic shift toward the Asia-Pacific region and theMiddle East. (Viola Gienger and Roxana Tiron, Pentagon May Oust Troops Involuntarily Under Budget Cuts,Bloomberg, 2/21/12)

Total Defense Cuts Would Put Up To 1.5 Million Jobs At Risk.Sequestration($1 trillion in cuts) assumes across the board spending cuts with losses peaking inthe 2013-2014 time period, with 1 million to 1.5 million jobs lost and that couldincrease the U.S. unemployment rate by nearly 1 percentage point in the near term,said Lt. Col. Elizabeth Robbins, a spokeswoman of the Department of Defense. (SeanGorman, Rep. Randy Forbes Says 1.53 Million Defense Jobs Are At Risk,PolitiFact, 10/12/11)

Despite The Danger Of Sequestration, Obama Has Promised To Veto Any Attempt

To Avert These Additional Defense Cuts. OBAMA: Already some in Congress are tryingto undo these automatic spending cuts. My message to them is simple: No. I will veto anyeffort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending. Therewill be no easy off ramps on this one. We need to keep the pressure up to compromise, notturn off the pressure. (President Barack Obama, Statement On The Supercommittee, Washington, DC, 11/21/11)
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DEFENSE CUTS

Obamas FY2013 Budget Will Force Soldiers Out Of The Military And Cut CriticalDefense Programs

Obama Proposed A Historic Shift In Military Capabilities, Leaving The Army

Unprepared To Fight Two Wars At Once.President Barack Obama on Thursdayproposed a historic shift in the U.S. military's size and ambitions, scaling back its ability towage the type of war and occupation that just concluded in Iraq as the administration seeksto cut defense spending over the next decade. Under the proposal, the Army would face a14% reduction in troopsleaving it with too few to conduct two grueling ground wars atonce, long a strategic imperative of the Defense Department. (Julian Barnes and Nathan Hodge, MilitaryFaces Historic Shift,The Wall Street Journal, 1/6/12)

Defense Department May Have To Force Soldiers, Marines Or Other MembersOf The Military Out Of The Services For The First Time Since The Aftermath OfThe Cold War. The Defense Department may have to force soldiers, Marines orother members of the military out of the services for the first time since theaftermath of the Cold War to achieve the spending reductions in its budget proposal.The Pentagon plans to cut 67,100 soldiers from active and reserve Army units andthe Army National Guard in the five years starting Oct. 1, as well as 15,200 from theactive and reserve ranks of the Marine Corps as part of an effort to save $487 billionover a decade, according to the budget sent to Congress today. The Navy and AirForce would lose fewer people 8,600 and 1,700 respectively because of their rolein a strategic shift toward the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. (Viola Gienger andRoxana Tiron, Pentagon May Oust Troops Involuntarily Under Budget Cuts,Bloomberg, 2/21/12)

The New Defense Budget Will Reduce Pay Raises To Below Private-SectorLevels.The Pentagon called for retiring some planes that transport troops,

including 27 C-5As and 65 C-130s. It said it planned to reduce pay raises to belowprivate-sector levels, with troops receiving 1.7 percent raises for the next two years,followed by 0.5 percent increases in 2015 and 1 percent hikes in 2016. (Nancy Youssef,Heaviest 2013 Defense Budget Cuts Would Fall On Troops,McClatchy, 2/13/12)

The Budget Would Also Delay The Purchase Of Several Weapons Systems.The budget also would delay the purchase of several weapons systems notably179 of the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, the most expensive weaponssystem in U.S. military history. (Nancy Youssef, Heaviest 2013 Defense Budget Cuts Would Fall On Troops,McClatchy, 2/13/12)
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LIBYA, ISRAEL, IRAN, CHINA, RUSSIA

Obama Contradicted His Own Administration On Libya

On September 20, Obama Contradicted His Administration When He Said We Still DidNot Know If Terrorists Had Attacked The Benghazi Compound, Claiming, What We

Do Know Is That The Natural Protests That Arose Because Of The Outrage Over TheVideo Were Used As An Excuse By ExtremistsQUESTION: We have reports that theWhite House said today that the attacks in Libya were a terrorist attack. Do you haveinformation indicating that it was Iran, or al Qaeda was behind organizing the protests?OBAMA: Well, were still doing an investigation, and there are going to be differentcircumstances in different countries. And so I dont want to speak to something until wehave all the information. What we do know is that the natural protests that arose becauseof the outrage over the video were used as an excuse by extremists to see if they can alsodirectly harm U.S. interests QUESTION: Al Qaeda? OBAMA: Well, we dont know yet.(President Barack Obama, Remarks At The Univision Town Hall, Miami , FL, 9/20/12)

On September 24, Obama Appeared On The View And Again Refused To Call TheAttack Terrorism, Only Saying That The Attack Wasnt Just A Mob Action.PresidentBarack Obama said Monday that the Sept. 11 attack that claimed the life of the U.S.ambassador to Libya and three other Americans wasnt just a mob action, but he stoppedshort of explicitly labeling the assault as an act of terrorism. Obamas comments came as hetaped an interview with The View during a brief trip to New York to address the annualUnited National General Assembly. He had been asked whether the attack on the U.S.Consulate compound in the city of Benghazi was a terrorist act.(Olivier Knox, Obama: Libya AttackWasnt Just A Mob Action,Yahoo News The Ticket, 9/24/12)

Intelligence Already Reported To The Obama Administration That The Attacks WereNot The Result Of A Spontaneous Mob Against The Video

On September 14, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Insisted That The AttackWas In Reaction To The Film, Despite Being Told That The Pentagon Had Briefed TheSenate That The Attacks In Benghazi Were Staged By Terrorists. ABCs JAKE TAPPER:While we were sitting here, Secretary Panetta and the vice chair of the joint chiefs briefedthe Senate Armed Services Committee, and the senators came out and said their indicationwas that this for the attack on Benghazi was a terrorist attack organized and carried outby terrorists, that it was premeditated, a calculated act of terror. Levin said Senator Levin,I think it was a planned premeditated attack, the kind of equipment that they had used.There is evidence it was a planned premeditated attack. Is there anything more you can now that the administration is briefing senators on this, is there anything more you can tell

us? WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY: Right. Well, I think we wait to hearfrom administration officials. Again, its actively under investigation, both the Benghaziattack and incidents elsewhere, you know. And my point was that atwe dont have anddid not have concrete evidence to suggest that this was not in reaction to the film. (Jay Carney,White House Press Briefing, Washington, DC, 9/14/12)

Click To Watch
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The CIA Reported To The Obama Administration Within 24 Hours Of The BenghaziAttack That Militants Were Responsible, Not A Spontaneous Mob Upset About AnOnline Video. The CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours oflast month's deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate that there was evidence it was carried outby militants, not a spontaneous mob upset about an American-made video ridiculing

Islam's Prophet Muhammad, U.S. officials have told The Associated Press. It is unclear who,if anyone, saw the cable outside the CIA at that point and how high up in the agency theinformation went. The Obama administration maintained publicly for a week that theattack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens andthree other Americans was a result of the mobs that staged less-deadly protests across theMuslim world around the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on the U.S. (KimberlyDozier, CIA Found Militant Links A Day After Libya Attack,The Associated Press, 10/19/12)

Obama Administration Offering Different Accounts Of Benghazi

Biden: We Werent Told They Wanted More Security. We Did Not Know TheyWanted More Security There. (Vice Presidential Debate,Danville, KY,10/11/12)

Click To WatchBiden Appeared To Contradict Other American Officials When He Declared That The

Administration Did Not Know About Requests For More Security In Libya.Mr. Bidendefended the administrations handling of the episode, saying it was disclosing informationprovided to it by the intelligence agencies. He placed the responsibility for the changingnarrative squarely on those agencies. But Mr. Biden appeared to contradict other Americanofficials when he declared that the administration did not know about requests for moresecurity in Libya. On Wednesday, two former security officials in Libya testified before aHouse committee that they repeatedly requested more security, but that the requests weredenied by the State Department. (Mark Landler, On Foreign Policy, Rivals Differing In Style But Often Similar In

Substance,The New York Times, 10/12/12) Biden Seemed Unaware That TheAdministration Had Been Implored To

Beef Up Security At The U.S. Consulate In LibyaBefore The Deadly TerroristAttack There. Anyone who paid attention to a hearing in Congress this week knewthat the administration had been implored to beef up security at the U.S. Consulatein Libya before the deadly terrorist attack there. But in the vice presidential debateThursday night, Joe Biden seemed unaware. (Calvin Woodward, Fact Check: Slips In Vice President'sDebate,The Associated Press, 10/12/12)

The State Department Has Made Clear That They Were Aware Of DiplomatsCalls For More Security.Biden was soaring along on foreign policy at the start of

the debate, making a clear argument in response to a question about what happenedin Benghazi until he said that the administration didnt know that diplomats therehad wanted more security. In fact, the State Department has made clear they did,which is among the many issues at play in the investigation into what happened inthe violence that left four Americans dead. (Maggie Haberman, 7 Takeaways From The DanvilleDebate,Politico, 10/12/12)

Politifact Rated Bidens Comment Mostly False, Noting That Even If He Was NotDirectly Aware Of The Request, It Was Made In The State Department, Which Is Part
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Of The Obama Administration.Vice President Biden said We werent told they wantedmore security. That statement is accurate only if you define we to mean people at theWhite House. A State Department officer in Libya said that he requested additional guardsand was turned down by at least one other official in the State Department. The WhiteHouse said Biden meant that the security requests had not been conveyed to him and

others in the executive office. Its possible that Biden and Obama were unaware of thatrequest. Still, it was made in the State Department, which is part of the Obamaadministration. Even if it didnt make its way up through the bureaucracy, a request wasmade. We rate the statement Mostly False. (Jon Greenberg, Biden Says We Werent Told About Libya SecurityRequests,PolitiFact, 10/12/12)

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Reinforced Bidens Comments By SayingThe State Department, Not The White House, Was Responsible For The SecurityDecisions Made In Libya.White House press secretary Jay Carney on Friday doubleddown on charges by the Obama campaign that Republicans are politicizing the raid inBenghazi. Carney reinforced Vice President Joe Bidens assertion during Thursdaysdebate that neither Biden nor the president was informed about requests for additional

security in Benghazi ahead of the attack on Sept. 11. And he said decisions about securitylevels there -- and at thousands of other U.S. missions around the world -- areappropriately made by security professionals at the State Department. (Donovan Slack, CarneyFinds GOP Worries About Diplomatic Security Rich,Politicos Politico 44, 10/12/12)

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Refused To Say That The Buck Stops WithObama In Matters Of Diplomatic Security.FOX NEWS ED HENRY: Can you say on Libya,that basically the buck stops with the State Department on security then, it doesnt stop atthe White House? WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY: Well thats anunartful, made for television phrasing, Ed. But the fact of the matter HENRY: So youresaying its up to the State Department, that the President cant, that basically, he doesnt

make those assessments, is what you said the first time. CARNEY: There are thousands ofdiplomatic personnel across the world. There are countless facilities around the world. AndI am saying when it comes to the number of personnel who are in place at consulates andembassies and other diplomatic facilities around the world, those decisions areappropriately made at the State Department by security personnel. When it comes tofunding, yeah, this president fights to make sure that embassy security and diplomaticsecurity is adequately funded and make sure that that funding is restored when efforts onCapitol Hill are made principally by House republicans, including Congressman Ryan toslash it in order to cut taxes for the wealthiest 2% in this country. You bet thats thePresidents responsibility and he has demonstrated that hes kept that responsibility. (WhiteHouse Press Briefing,Washington, DC, 10/12/12)

Obama Has Failed On Addressing The Attack In Libya

Every Aspect Of Obamas Initial Narrative On Libya Has Unraveled.Three weeksafter an attack in Libya killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, we nowknow that it did not spring from a spontaneous protest, spurred by an anti-Muslim video,as the Obama administration originally described it. In fact, every aspect of the earlyaccount peddled most prominently by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice has unraveled.(Editorial, Shifting Libya Attack Story Raises Red Flags,USA Today, 10/1/12)
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After Days Of Linking The Attack To Protests Against An Anti-Islam Video, TheObama Administration Finally Reached The Belated Conclusion That The AttackWas A Coordinated Assault By Terrorists With Connections To Al Qaeda.For daysafter the attack, intelligence officials and the Obama administration said it was likely theoutgrowth of protests sparked by an anti-Islamic video made in the U.S. Intelligence

officials now believe the attack was carried out by local militants who were in contact withregional members of al Qaeda-affiliated groups, using the eruption of protests elsewhere asan opportunity to mount an assault on U.S. installations. That belated conclusion has raisedquestions about the adequacy of intelligence and security preparations at U.S. diplomaticposts abroad as they confront both old and newer risks. (Siobhan Gorman And Matt Bradley, Militant LinkTo Libya Attack,The Wall Street Journal, 10/1/12)

The Benghazi Attack Calls Into Question The Accuracy Of Intelligence-Gathering AndWhether Vulnerable American Personnel Overseas Are Receiving AdequateProtection.But the questions are likely to come not just from partisan Republicans. TheBenghazi attack calls into question the accuracy of intelligence-gathering and whethervulnerable American personnel overseas are receiving adequate protection. Even allies of

the president like Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and the chairman of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee, have petitioned the White House for moreinformation about how the government protects diplomatic installations abroad.(MarkLandler, Shifting Reports On Libya Killings May Cost Obama,The New York Times, 9/28/12)

A U.S. Official Admitted That The Obama Administration May Have Had AFalse Sense Of Security About The Benghazi Compound.A speedy, effectiveresponse by newly trained Libyan security guards to a small bombing outside theAmerican diplomatic mission in Benghazi in June may have led United Statesofficials to underestimate the security threat to personnel there, according tocounterterrorism and State Department officials, even as threat warnings grew in

the weeks before the recent attack that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevensand three other Americans. The guards aggressive action in June came after themissions defenses and training were strengthened at the recommendation of asmall team of Special Forces soldiers who augmented the missions security forcefor several weeks in April while assessing the compounds vulnerabilities, Americanofficials said. That the local security did so well back in June probably gave us a falsesense of security, said one American official who has served in Libya, and whospoke on condition of anonymity because the F.B.I. is investigating the attack. Wemay have fooled ourselves.(Eric Schmitt, David D. Kirkpatrick and Suliman Ali Zway, U.S. May Have PutMistaken Faith In Libya Sites Security,The New York Times, 9/30/12)

State Department Contradicts Obama White House Story About Benghazi Attack

The State Department Revealed That Prior To The Attack On The U.S. Mission InBenghazi Late In The Evening On Sept. 11, There Was No Protest Outside TheCompound.Prior to the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi late in the evening onSept. 11, there was no protest outside the compound, a senior State Department officialconfirmed today, contradicting initial administration statements suggesting that the attackwas an opportunistic reaction to unrest caused by an anti-Islam video. In a conference callwith reporters Tuesday, two senior State Department officials gave a detailed accounting of
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the events that lead to the death of Amb. Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Theofficials said that prior to the massive attack on the Benghazi compound by dozens ofmilitants carrying heavy weaponry, there was no unrest outsidethe walls of the compoundand no protest that anyone inside the compound was aware of. (Josh Rogin, State Department: NoVideo Protest At The Benghazi Consulate,Foreign Policys The Cable, 10/9/12)

The State Department Says It Never Concluded That An Attack That Killed The U.S.Ambassador To Libya Was Simply A Protest Gone Awry, A Statement That Places TheObama Administrations Own Foreign Policy ArmIn Sync With Republicans.TheState Department says it never concluded that an attack that killed the U.S. ambassador toLibya was simply a protest gone awry, a statement that places the Obama administrationsown foreign policy arm in sync with Republicans. That extraordinary message, appearing toquestion the administrations initial description of the attack on the U.S. Consulate inBenghazi, came in a department briefing Tuesday a day before a hearing on diplomaticsecurity in Libya was to be held by the Republican-led House Oversight and GovernmentReform Committee. (Larry Margasak and Bradley Klapper, State Dept. Description Of Attack In Sync With GOP,TheAssociated Press, 10/10/12)

State Department Officials Told Reporters That It Was Not Our ConclusionThat The Libya Attack Was Linked To Protests Against The Anti-Muslim Video.Briefing reporters Tuesday ahead of the hearing, department officials were askedabout the administrations initial and since retracted explanation linking theviolence to protests over an American-made anti-Muslim video circulating on theInternet. One official responded, That was not our conclusion. He called it aquestion for others to answer, without specifying. The officials spoke on conditionof anonymity because they werent authorized to speak publicly on the matter, andprovided no evidence that might suggest a case of spontaneous violence or angryprotests that went too far.(Larry Margasak and Bradley Klapper, State Dept. Description Of Attack In Sync WithGOP,The Associated Press, 10/10/12)

The State Departments Statement Raises Further Questions About Why The ObamaAdministration Initially Used That Explanation After Assailants Killed FourAmericans There.A senior State Department official says his department neverconcluded that the consulate attack in Libya stemmed from protests over an American-made video ridiculing Islam, raising further questions about why the Obama administrationinitially used that explanation after assailants killed four Americans there. Briefingreporters Tuesday, officials provided a more detailed rundown of the Sept. 11 attack inBenghazi. They said the attack came without warning and involved multiple groups of menarmed with weapons such as machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. But askedabout the administrations initial explanation linking the violence to the video, one official

said, That was not our conclusion. The official called it a question for others to answer.(Larry Margasak, State Department: We Didnt Link Libya Attack To Video,The Associated Press, 10/9/12)

State Department Officials Testified Before Congress About Benghazi

State Department Officials Told Congress That They Had Rejected Requests ForIncreased Security Personnel In The Months Before The 9/11 Benghazi Attack.Senior State Department officials acknowledged to Congress on Wednesday that they hadturned down requests to send more U.S. military personnel to guard diplomatic facilities in
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Libya shortly before the Sept. 11 attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three otherAmericans. Wood's team left Libya in August after Lamb had refused to approveextending its assignment for a second time. She said the State Department planned to turnover most basic protective duties to a Libyan guard force, part of a decade-long shift awayfrom using U.S. Marines to protect embassies. Lamb said the mix of State Department

officers, Libyan guards and militiamen could do the same function as the U.S. military. (KenDilanian and Kathleen Hennessey, U.S. Declined Requests To Boost Security In Libya, Congress Told,Los Angeles Times, 10/10/12)

Security Officers Testified Before Congress That The State DepartmentResponded To Their Requests For Additional Security In Libya With Cutbacks.The State Department scaled back U.S. security staff in Libya in the weeks andmonths before the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi that killed four Americans, despiterequests for additional personnel, former U.S. security officials told a politicallycharged congressional hearing.(Jay Solomon and Dion Nissenbaum Security Cut Before Libya Raid,TheWall Street Journal, 10/10/12)

The Hearing Highlighted The Obama Administration's Continued DifficultyPresenting A Consistent Explanation About What Happened In The Benghazi Attack.The hearing highlighted the Obama administration's continued difficulty presenting aconsistent explanation about what happened in the Benghazi attack. In appearances ontelevision shows the next Sunday, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice,cast the attack as a spontaneous uprising prompted by the inflammatory video. (Jay Solomonand Dion Nissenbaum Security Cut BeforeLibya Raid,The Wall Street Journal, 10/10/12)

The Hearing Came Just After The State Department Distanced Itself FromObamas Libya Narrative, Saying They Never Suspected That The Benghazi

Attack Was Linked To Protests Against An Anti-Islam Video.Wednesdayshighly anticipated hearing came as the State Department disclosed for the first timethat it never concluded that the consulate attack was fueled by furor over an anti-

Islam video circulating on YouTube an explanation that congressionalRepublicans have long publicly doubted. (Seung Min Kim, Partisan Fireworks At Libya Hearing,Politico,10/10/12)

U.S.-Israeli Relations Are At Their Lowest Point In Decades

Obamas Israeli Policy Has Floundered. Republicans have yet to find a wedge issueon foreign policy, said former Democratic Representative Lee Hamilton of Indiana, aveteran voice on foreign policy and now director of the Center on Congress at IndianaUniversity in Bloomington. The Iran situation is the toughest one for the president, andthe one that could explode before the election, Hamilton said. His Israeli policy hasfloundered. Iran is going to stay on the front burner because of the nuclear program. (TerryAtlas, Obamas Pretty Strong Teflon Deflects Foreign Policy Criticism,Bloomberg, 2/28/12)

Obamas Relationship With Netanyahu Has Been Complicated ByMisunderstandings, Diplomatic Miscues And Occasional Differences OfOpinion.President Obama's relationship with Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu has been complicated by misunderstandings, diplomatic miscues andoccasional differences of opinion. (Aamer Madhani, Iran Further Complicates Relations Between Obama,Netanyahu,USA Today, 2/29/12)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-security-20121011,0,1929430.storyhttp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-security-20121011,0,1929430.storyhttp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-security-20121011,0,1929430.storyhttp://online.wsj.com/%20article/SB20000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/%20article/SB20000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/%20article/SB20000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/%20article/SB20000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82256.html#ixzz290ACXx2qhttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82256.html#ixzz290ACXx2qhttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82256.html#ixzz290ACXx2qhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-28/obama-s-pretty-strong-teflon-deflects-foreign-policy-election-attacks.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-28/obama-s-pretty-strong-teflon-deflects-foreign-policy-election-attacks.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-28/obama-s-pretty-strong-teflon-deflects-foreign-policy-election-attacks.htmlhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-28/obama-netanyahu-iran/53307006/1http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-28/obama-netanyahu-iran/53307006/1http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-28/obama-netanyahu-iran/53307006/1http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-28/obama-netanyahu-iran/53307006/1http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-28/obama-s-pretty-strong-teflon-deflects-foreign-policy-election-attacks.htmlhttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82256.html#ixzz290ACXx2qhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/%20article/SB20000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/%20article/SB20000872396390444799904578048344154761294.htmlhttp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-security-20121011,0,1929430.story


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The Washington Post: The Administration Has Few, If Any, Achievements ToBrag About Despite Having Invested Significant Diplomatic Capital In TheIsraeli-Palestinian Issue. After 2 years, the administration has few, if any,achievements to brag about despite having invested significant diplomatic capital inthe Israeli-Palestinian issue. If anything, one could make a case that the two sides

are further apart because of the administrations actions, though, to be fair,ultimately it is up to the Israelis and Palestinians to make peace, not the UnitedStates.(Glenn Kessler, Obama and Israel: Stalled Diplomacy Or Suspicion And Distrust?The Washington Post's FactChecker, 7/11/11)

Obama Offered Adversaries Olive Branches While Publically ConfrontingStrong Ally Israel.The new administration has pushed a reset button with Russiaand sent new ambassadors to Syria and Venezuela; it has offered olive branches toCuba and Burma. But for nearly three months it has been locked in a publicconfrontation with Israel over Jewish housing construction in Jerusalem and theWest Bank. To a less visible extent, the two governments also have differed overpolicy toward Iran.(Editorial, Tough On Israel,The Washington Post, 7/30/09)

Obamas Opposition To Settlements Caused The Worst Strains In A DecadeBetween Israel And U.S.A reactivated U.S. role in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking is alsoseen as a major part of Obama's effort to repair America's image in the Muslim world.However, his administration has made little headway in clearing obstacles to negotiationson an agreement to create a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and resolvedisputes over the future of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees. Relations betweenWashington and its close ally Israel are facing the worst strains in a decade withNetanyahu's right-leaning government resisting U.S. pressure to halt settlementexpansion. (Matt Spetalnick and Jeffrey Heller, Hopes Low For Obama-Led Mideast Summit In New York,Reuters, 9/22/09)

Ambassador Michael Oren Called The Public Fight Over SettlementConstruction The Lowest Point In U.S.-Israeli Relations Since The Mid-1970s.Ambassador Michael Oren told Israeli consuls in the US during a conference that anearly week-old public fight that broke out during Vice President Joe

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