Highlights from Obama's Press Conference
In his opening remarks at his first press conference of the year, President Obama said he's introduced policies to benefit homeowners, the middle class, veterans and companies that do not send jobs overseas – all key stakeholders in the American economy and in the 2012 election. Reiterating all that he had done as an executive to improve the economy and jobs climate, he said it was up to Congress to take action now.
Other highlights from the press conference:
CRITICISMS ON IRAN POLICY: “Now, what's said on the campaign trail -- you know, those folks don't have a lot of responsibilities. They're not commander-in-chief. And when I see the casualness with which some of these folks talk about war, I'm reminded of the costs involved in war. … And, you know, when I see some of these folks who have a lot of bluster and a lot of big talk, but when you actually ask them specifically what they would do, it turns out they repeat the things that we've been doing over the last three years, it indicates to me that that's more about politics than actually trying to solve a difficult problem.”
SYRIA: “For us to take military action unilaterally, as some have suggested, or to think that somehow there is some simple solution, I think is a mistake. What happened in Libya was we mobilized the international community, had a U.N. Security Council mandate, had the full cooperation of the region, Arab states, and we knew that we could execute very effectively in a relatively short period of time. … And it is my belief that ultimately this dictator will fall, as dictators in the past have fallen. But the notion that the way to solve every one of these problems is to deploy our military -- you know, that hasn't been true in the past and it won't be true now.”
ISRAEL: “And the argument that we've made to the Israelis is that we have made an unprecedented commitment to their security. There is an unbreakable bond between our two countries. But one of the functions of friends is to make sure that we provide honest and unvarnished advice in terms of what is the best approach to achieve a common goal, particularly one in which we have a stake.”
GAS PRICES: “Do you think the president of the United States going into re-election wants gas prices to go up higher? Is there anybody who thinks that's -- that makes a lot of sense? Look, here's the bottom line with respect to gas prices. I want gas prices lower because they hurt families, because I meet folks every day who have to drive a long way to get to work. … And it's not good for the overall economy because when gas prices go up, consumer spending oftentimes pulls back.”
THE CONTRACEPTION DEBATE: “Women are going to make up their own mind in this election about who is advancing the issues that they care most deeply about. And one of the things I've learned being married to Michelle is, I don't need to tell her what it is that she thinks is important. There are millions of strong women around the country who are going to make their own determination about a whole range of issues. It's not going to be narrowly focused just on contraception. It's not going to be driven by one statement by one radio announcer.”
IMMIGRATION REFORM: “Every American should want immigration reform. We got a system that's broken. … Now, when I came into office, I said, I am going to push to get this done. We didn't get it done. And the reason we haven't gotten it done is because what used to be a bipartisan agreement that we should fix this ended up becoming a partisan issue. I give a lot of credit to my predecessor, George Bush, and his political advisers, who said, you know, this should not be just something the Democrats support; the Republican Party is invested in this as well. That was good advice then. It would be good advice now.”
AFGHANISTAN: “The situation with the Koran burning concerns me. … The violence directed at our people is unacceptable. And President Karzai acknowledged that. But what is also true is President Karzai, I think, is eager for more responsibility on the Afghan side. We're going to be able to find a mechanism whereby Afghans understand their sovereignty is being respected and that they're going to be taking a greater and greater role in their own security. That, I think, is in the interests of Afghans; it's also in our interests. And I'm confident that we can execute, but it's not going to be a smooth path. There are going to be bumps along the road, just as there were in Iraq.”
WHAT HE WOULD TELL MITT ROMNEY: “Good luck tonight.”
