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President Obama confers with King Abdullah of Jordan
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)--Following are excerpts from a press briefing on Thursday, August 20, by Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary:
MR. GIBBS: Just one quick announcement to read before we get started. The President spoke today with King Abdullah of Jordan. They discussed efforts to advance Middle East peace and how the U.S. and Jordan could work together to achieve this goal. The President and the King agreed on the need to launch Israeli-Palestinian negotiations as soon as possible. They also agreed that all parties -- Israel, the Palestines, and Arab states -- should take steps simultaneously to create a context in which these negotiations can succeed.
The President underscored his strong support for Jordan's efforts to work with other Arab states to reach out to Israel, and undertake gestures that would demonstrate the meaning of the Arab Peace Initiative. The President said that Special Envoy Mitchell would follow up with the parties in the next few weeks to finalize the steps they would take and lay the groundwork for resumption of negotiations.
And with that --
Q Well, now that you’ve brought it up, did King Abdullah agree in any way with the President's call for the wider Arab world to show some goodwill?
MR. GIBBS: Well, look, I think in many ways that's the role King Abdullah has played in helping to foster an environment where peace is possible. I hesitate to characterize their side of the conversation. We're always a little leery to do that. But the President is hopeful that the meetings that he's had here this week and the phone call -- the Mubarak meeting and the Abdullah phone call today -- that we are continuing to make progress on the path toward a Middle East peace.
Q And does that optimism rise or fall after this talk?
MR. GIBBS: I think the optimism continues to rise. We're hopeful, and understand that the road ahead will not be easy; it's a complex and emotional set of issues that we look forward to working through.
Obama sends Ramadan message to world's Muslims
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—Following is the text of President Barack Obama's Ramadan message to Muslims:
On behalf of the American people – including Muslim communities in all fifty states – I want to extend best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world. Ramadan Kareem.
Ramadan is the month in which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, beginning with a simple word – iqra. It is therefore a time when Muslims reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith, and the responsibility that human beings have to one another, and to God.
Like many people of different faiths who have known Ramadan through our communities and families, I know this to be a festive time – a time when families gather, friends host iftars, and meals are shared. But I also know that Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection – a time when Muslims fast during the day and perform tarawih prayers at night, reciting and listening to the entire Koran over the course of the month.
These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings.
For instance, fasting is a concept shared by many faiths – including my own Christian faith – as a way to bring people closer to God, and to those among us who cannot take their next meal for granted. And the support that Muslims provide to others recalls our responsibility to advance opportunity and prosperity for people everywhere. For all of us must remember that the world we want to build – and the changes that we want to make – must begin in our own hearts, and our own communities.
This summer, people across America have served in their communities – educating children, caring for the sick, and extending a hand to those who have fallen on hard times. Faith-based organizations, including many Islamic organizations, have been at the forefront in participating in this summer of service. And in these challenging times, this is a spirit of responsibility that we must sustain in the months and years to come.
Beyond America’s borders, we are also committed to keeping our responsibility to build a world that is more peaceful and secure. That is why we are responsibly ending the war in Iraq. That is why we are isolating violent extremists while empowering the people in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is why we are unyielding in our support for a two-state solution that recognizes the rights of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. And that is why America will always stand for the universal rights of all people to speak their mind, practice their religion, contribute fully to society and have confidence in the rule of law.
All of these efforts are a part of America’s commitment to engage Muslims and Muslim-majority nations on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect. And at this time of renewal, I want to reiterate my commitment to a new beginning between America and Muslims around the world.
As I said in Cairo, this new beginning must be borne out in a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground. I believe an important part of this is listening, and in the last two months, American embassies around the world have reached out not just to governments, but directly to people in Muslim-majority countries. From around the world, we have received an outpouring of feedback about how America can be a partner on behalf of peoples’ aspirations.
We have listened. We have heard you. And like you, we are focused on pursuing concrete actions that will make a difference over time – both in terms of the political and security issues that I have discussed, and in the areas that you have told us will make the most difference in peoples’ lives.
These consultations are helping us implement the partnerships that I called for in Cairo – to expand education exchange programs; to foster entrepreneurship and create jobs; and to increase collaboration on science and technology, while supporting literacy and vocational learning. We are also moving forward in partnering with the OIC and OIC member states to eradicate polio, while working closely with the international community to confront common health challenges like H1N1 – which I know is of particular to concern to many Muslims preparing for the upcoming hajj.
All of these efforts are aimed at advancing our common aspirations – to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. It will take time and patient effort. We cannot change things over night, but we can honestly resolve to do what must be done, while setting off in a new direction – toward the destination that we seek for ourselves, and for our children. That is the journey that we must travel together.
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I look forward to continuing this critically important dialogue and turning it into action. And today, I want to join with the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world – and your families and friends – in welcoming the beginning of Ramadan, and wishing you a blessed month. May God’s peace be upon you.
Gibbs out of loop on
Obama's call to rabbis
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—Following are excerpts from a briefing by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Friday, August 21:
Q Robert, did the President tell rabbis on Wednesday that we're all God's partners in matters of life and death? If so, what did he mean by that? And are his religious convictions influencing his views on what should and shouldn't be in the health care --
MR. GIBBS: I'd have to go back and look at the transcript of the call. I think the President has talked, and I think the rabbis are a collection, a group, that invited him to be part of a call because of their moral and ethical beliefs and how they relate to health care. I think the President has talked about -- obviously we have a very healthy and longstanding separation of church and state, but obviously ethical and moral matters are part of decisions that the President makes. I'd have to --
Q Do you think we could get a transcript -- look at the transcript so we could see what he was talking about?
MR. GIBBS: I can certainly try to see whether that's there.
**
Q Thanks, Robert. Two things. Why did the White House not put out a statement on Bob Novak's death?
MR. GIBBS: I don't -- I'll talk to the press secretary about that. I know the President obviously -- look, I would say that --
Q But you're the press secretary.
MR. GIBBS: I didn't know that. The -- obviously Mr. Novak was somebody who wrote for one of the local Chicago papers, and I think no matter how you felt personally about his political leanings, I think the President would agree with many that have said they had respect for his reporting and for his ability and his opinions, even if they didn't agree with him. And I think that's probably a good lesson for all of us, either in August for town hall meetings, or as we move forward on issues like health care or anything else.
Boxer, Feinstein, Lieberman urge continued C-17 aircraft production
WASHINGTON, D.C (Press Release)– U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) along with Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Kit Bond (R-MO) and 15 of their colleagues wrote to the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday and called for continued production of C-17 aircraft, which is critical to our national security.
Also signing the bipartisan letter were Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison, Dianne Feinstein, Patty Murray, Saxby Chambliss, James Inhofe, Roland Burris, Lindsey Graham, Johnny Isakson, Joe Lieberman, Jeff Bingaman, Sherrod Brown, Orrin Hatch, John Cornyn, Pat Roberts and Mike Johanns.
The text of the Senators’ letter follows:
Dear Chairman Inouye and Vice Chairman Cochran
We express our continued support for the C-17 Globemaster III, and respectfully request that the committee include funding to procure 12 additional aircraft in the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations bill. First and foremost, the C-17 has been critical in transporting troops and equipment to and from Iraq and Afghanistan and we do not see airlift needs abating anytime soon. Second, it is premature to shut down the C-17 line before the release of important air mobility reports in the coming months. And finally, we are concerned that without additional funding, our aerospace engineering, design and manufacturing base will atrophy, putting at risk our competitiveness on the global market, our ability to address future airlift requirements and put at risk 30,000 American jobs stretched across 43 states.
According to the U.S. Air Force, the C-17 is currently the only aircraft capable of performing every airlift mission, whether ferrying troops and supplies to remote airfields overseas or returning wounded service members back home. As a result, it has been a workhorse in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Congressional Research Service has indicated that the C-17 was designed to fly 1,000 hours per year over 30 years, but as our overseas commitments have grown since 2001, the fleet has averaged 1,250 hours per aircraft over the last ten years. Some aircraft have even reached 2,400 flying hours in a single year. This heavy usage, coupled with the growing size of the Army and Marine Corps, has only increased the demand for this critical airlift capability. In fact, on July 21, 2009, the Senate voted 93-1 to authorize the expansion of the Army by 30,000 soldiers. It is critical that we provide our growing force with the equipment it needs to fight and win our nation’s wars.
Unfortunately, there is no time to spare in making this decision. The C-17 production line will shut down in 2010, and restarting production would be incredibly difficult and expensive. According to a November 2008 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study, restarting the line could cost up to $1 billion. The study further noted that “careful planning is needed to ensure the C-17 production line is not ended prematurely and later restarted at substantial cost.” Additionally, the GAO found that “both the manufacturer and Air Force agree that shutting down and restarting production would not be feasible or cost effective.” In our view, it would be extremely risky to discontinue C-17 production before the Quadrennial Defense Review and the upcoming Mobility Capability and Requirements Study have reassessed our requirements, provided that these studies are based on sound requirements-driven analysis. Until our airlift requirements can be accurately re-evaluated, we respectfully request that the C-17 remain funded.
Keeping the C-17 line open is critical not only for our national defense, but for thousands of American workers that rely on this aircraft for their livelihood. The aerospace industry has been deeply affected by the economic recession. According to the Federal Reserve’s July 15, 2009 Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization Report, manufacturing production has declined 15.5 percent nationwide between June 2008 and June 2009, and this quarter’s manufacturing production is the lowest in 27 years. With a waning demand for commercial aircraft and a lull in military fighter jet production, it is more critical than ever that we maintain the aerospace industrial base that runs the only remaining wide-body assembly line in the United States.
In closing, we reiterate that terminating the C-17 will not only undermine our national security, but severely degrade our ability to maintain a viable and competitive aerospace industry.
We appreciate your consideration of this important request.
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