'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Senior White House and State Department officials played a much larger role than they acknowledged in drafting erroneous administration "talking points" about the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, according to congressional investigators preparing for a dramatic hearing Wednesday in the House.
The press already has billed President Obama's first jaunt to Israel since entering office as yet another charm offensive, a "symbolic visit" or simply a photo op. The White House does not appear to be festooning the four-day trip with any fancy predictions either.
In many ways, the timing of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Friday visit to Washington and talks with President Obama couldn't be better for both leaders.
President Obama said Friday Afghan forces would take the lead for security in the country by this spring — slightly ahead of schedule — but gave no clear indication how many U.S. troops would remain in the country beyond next year, following a summit meeting at the White House with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Libya last year has become a factor driving the White House decision on how large a force to leave in Afghanistan after 2014 — and a specter hanging over talks between the Afghan president and the U.S.
President Obama on Monday will nominate Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, two potentially controversial picks for his second-term national security team.
President Obama arrived in Cambodia on Monday having just won four more years in office, but that is nothing compared with his host, Hun Sen.
Pentagon intelligence official Michael Vickers and National Security Council counterterrorism adviser John Brennan are being looked at by President Obama as top candidates to head the CIA.
President Obama dispatched Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Middle East on Tuesday as the U.S. urgently seeks to contain the bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The White House sent Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo Tuesday in an effort to quell the violent clashes between Israel and Hamas.
Making history twice within hours, President Barack Obama on Monday became the first U.S. president to set foot in Cambodia, a country once known for its Khmer Rouge "killing fields." He left behind flag-waving crowds on the streets of Myanmar, the once internationally shunned nation now showing democratic promise.
President Obama made history twice Monday by becoming the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in Myanmar and Cambodia, two Southeast Asian countries known for their legacy of human rights abuses and government oppression, one showing signs of the progress and the other still a troubling concern.
Trying to please all sides during his historic visit Monday, President Obama referred to both "Burma," the traditional name preferred by dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, as well as "Myanmar," the new name used by the country's authoritarian government, during his brief stay.
The White House Saturday refuted testimony by former CIA Director David Petraeus to Congress, saying the administration didn't make changes in its early talking points about the attack of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, to downplay the role of terrorists.
Israel bombarded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with about 300 airstrikes Saturday and shot down a Palestinian rocket fired at Tel Aviv, the military said, widening a blistering assault to include the Hamas prime minister's headquarters, a police compound and a vast network of smuggling tunnels.
The emails also show that Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser, promised senior administration officials would meet at the White House to resolve still-lingering concerns about the talking points before Mrs. Rice went on the talk shows.
White House spokesman Carney faces his toughest challenge yet →
"This visit is not about trying to lay down a new initiative or complete our work on a particular issue. Frankly, there's value in traveling precisely at a time when there is a new government in Israel and a new government in the United States and just having a broad strategic conversation," said Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes.
