Obama's Speech at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Germany

Bidens Head to France Feb. 3

The Bidens leave Germany and are off to France. From the White House:

In the morning, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will visit Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. This visit will be closed press.

Later, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will depart Landstuhl, Germany, en route Paris, France.

In the evening, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will arrive in Paris. The arrival at Paris Orly Airport is open press.

Biden Speaks on US Policy on Iran in Munich Feb. 3

Read White House background on what Biden is doing in Germany, France and the UK.


Biden's agenda in Munich:



Biden's schedule today per the WH:

In the morning, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will visit Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. This visit will be closed press.

Later, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will depart Landstuhl, Germany, en route Paris, France.

In the evening, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will arrive in Paris. The arrival at Paris Orly Airport is open press.

Biden's meeting with world leaders:

Vice President Joe Biden met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Munich today, on the margins of the Munich Security Conference. The Vice President emphasized the importance of the two countries working together in the interest of international peace and security, including in Syria. The Vice President noted that while the United States and Russia will continue to have serious differences - including, among other things, on human rights and Russia's recent ban on U.S. adoptions - U.S. and Russian leadership is necessary to achieve practical solutions to the challenges facing the world today.

Vice President Biden met with United Nations and Arab League Joint Special Representative (JSR) Lakhdar Brahimi today in Munich, Germany, on the margins of the Munich Security Conference. The Vice President thanked Brahimi for his steadfast work to bring resolution to the ongoing crisis in Syria and pledged that the United States would continue to support his efforts. The Vice President and JSR Brahimi discussed the dire humanitarian situation inside Syria and the regional implications of the Syria crisis. Vice President Biden also met separately with Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) President Moaz al-Khatib on the margins of the Munich Security Conference. The Vice President praised al-Khatib’s personal courage and leadership of the SOC, the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. The Vice President urged al-Khatib to continue his efforts to maintain unity among the SOC leadership, to isolate extremist elements within the broader opposition, and to reach out to, and be inclusive of, a broad range of communities inside Syria, including Alawites, Christians and Kurds. The Vice President reaffirmed the U.S. call for an end to the Assad regime and a transition that leads to a peaceful, inclusive and democratic Syria, where the rights of all Syrians are protected. The Vice President commended al-Khatib’s recent statements, including in Munich, expressing openness, under certain circumstances, to the possibility of negotiations to bring the Syrian people the leadership they deserve.

Obama and Elie Wiesel Writing a Book Together

Elie Wiesel describes Obama exactly how I perceive him to be:

He did, however, agree to disclose an interesting project that will resume after the presidential elections in the United States. "[President Barack] Obama and I decided to write a book together, a book of two friends," he says.

Wiesel became friends with Obama in 2009, a few months after the Democratic candidate was elected. Obama's staff invited Wiesel to join the president on a visit to the site of Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany. Wiesel had first arrived at the camp at the end of World War II, with his father and other prisoners, following a death march from Auschwitz. His mother and his younger sister were murdered there, while Wiesel and his father, who did forced labor there, survived; his father died at Buchenwald. Only Wiesel and two of his sisters were still alive at the liberation.

When Obama concluded his remarks at Buchenwald, he whispered to Wiesel, "The last word has to be yours here." Choking with tears, Wiesel made an impromptu speech in which he said to Obama, "Mr. President, we have such high hopes for you, because you, with your moral vision of history, will be able and compelled to change this world into a better place ... You are our last hope."

Since then, he adds, the two have become good friends and he is occasionally invited to dinner by the president: "We talk about philosophy, contemplation, thought, but never about politics. He is a thinking person, a person with depth and intellectual curiosity." More at Haaretz

Readout of Obama's Calls with World Leaders

From the White House: Since Tuesday evening, the President has been receiving messages from his counterparts around the world congratulating him on winning re-election to a second term in office. The President appreciates all of these messages and looks forward to continuing to work with all of his fellow leaders to address the serious challenges we face together in the world.

This morning the President was able to return some of these messages personally, by phone. In each call, he thanked his counterpart for their friendship and partnership thus far and expressed his desire to continue close cooperation moving ahead.

 The President spoke with:

Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia

President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil

Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada

President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia

President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt

President Francois Hollande of France

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen

King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey

Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom

Remember Obama's Speech in Berlin?

Romney is considering a foreign policy tour this summer and he may make a stop in Berlin. It would be nice if Mitt informed Americans of his foreign policy before he goes overseas.
He may do that in Reno and then head to London for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, where Ann Romney's dressage horse will be performing. He may also give a speech in London and Israel and make a stop in Poland and Berlin. But he may not be as well received in Germany. 

The number one reason I vote for Obama is foreign policy.


I appreciate Obama's foreign policy:


What I know about Romney's foreign policy is that he reminds me of Bush, only less elegant. He doesn't appear to have the right temperament:

He called Russia a geopolitical foe.

Colin Powell doesn't think much of Romney's foreign policy.

He calls China cheating job stealers.

Romney didn't agree with Obama's policy regarding Pakistan, which turned out to be the reason bin Laden was finally taken out.

Obama's Closing Press Conference at G20 June 19

Read the entire transcript. Video in full:




Obama asked about Romney's advisors: America's political differences end at the waters edge:

Q Thank you, Mr. President. One of Mitt Romney's economic advisors recently wrote in a German publication that your recommendations to Europe and to Germany in particular reveal ignorance of the causes of the crisis, and he said that they have the same flaws as your own economic policies. I want to get your response to that, and also to follow up on Ben's question. Europe has been kicking the can down the road for years, so why are you any more convinced that we won't see another three-month fix emerge out of Brussels at the end of the month?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, first of all, with respect to Mr. Romney's advisors, I suggest you go talk to Mr. Romney about his advisors. I would point out that we have one President at a time and one administration at a time, and I think traditionally the notion has been that America's political differences end at the water's edge. I'd also suggest that he may not be familiar with what our suggestions to the Germans have been. And I think sometimes back home there is a desire to superimpose whatever ideological arguments are taking place back home on to a very complicated situation in Europe.

The situation in Europe is a combination of things. You've got situations where some countries did have undisciplined fiscal practices, public debt. You had some countries like Spain whose problems actually arose out of housing speculation and problems in the private sector that didn’t have to do with public debt.

I think that there's no doubt that all the countries in Europe at this point recognize the need for growth strategies inside of Europe that are consistent with fiscal consolidation plans -- and by the way, that's exactly what I think the United States should be thinking about. The essence of the plan that I presented back in September was how do we increase growth and jobs now while providing clarity in terms of how we reduce our deficit and our debt medium and long term.

And I think that's the right recipe generally -- not just for us, but across the board.

You had a second question. What was it?

Q Why are you --

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Why am I confident? Well, look, I don't want to sound Pollyanna-ish here. Resolving the issues in Europe is difficult. As I said, there are a lot of players involved. There are a lot of complexities to the problems, because we're talking about the problems of a bunch of different countries at this point. Changing market psychology is very difficult. But the tools are available. The sense of urgency among the leaders is clear. And so what we have to do is combine that sense of urgency with the tools that are available and bridge them in a timely fashion that can provide markets confidence. And I think that can be done.

Hopefully -- just to give an example -- when Spain clarifies exactly how it intends to draw down and utilize dollars -- or not dollars, but euros to recapitalize its banking system, given that it's already got support from other European countries, given that the resources are available, what's missing right now is just a sense of specifics and the path whereby that takes place. When markets see that, that can help build confidence and reverse psychology.

So there are going to be a range of steps that they can take. None of them are going to be a silver bullet that solves this thing entirely over the next week or two weeks or two months. But each step points to the fact that Europe is moving towards further integration rather than breakup, and that these problems can be resolved -- and points to the underlying strength in Europe's economies.

These are not countries that somehow at their core are unproductive or dysfunctional; these are advanced economies with extraordinarily productive people. They’ve got a particular challenge that has to do with a currency union that didn’t have all the best bells and whistles of a fiscal or a monetary union, and they're catching up now to some of those needs. And they just need the time and the space to do it. In the meantime, they've got to send a strong signal to the market, and I'm confident they can do that.

All right. Thank you very much, everybody.

Readout of Obama's Calls With Germany and Italy

It's almost time for the G20.

President Obama spoke separately today to Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Monti to discuss economic conditions in Europe. This continues the President’s close consultations with European colleagues following their Camp David discussions. The Leaders agreed on the importance of steps to strengthen the resilience of the Eurozone and growth in Europe and globally, and agreed to remain in contact as they prepare for the June 18-19 G-20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Readout of Obama's Videoconference With Germany, France and Italy

This happened yesterday:

Earlier today President Obama held a videoconference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. They discussed developments in Europe, following up on the discussions held at the G-8 Camp David Summit and at the informal meeting of European Union Leaders last week. Leaders agreed to continue to consult closely as they prepare to meet at the G-20 Summit in Mexico next month. Leaders also discussed recent developments in Syria and their shared perspectives on the importance of ending the violence of the government against its own people and the urgency of achieving a political transition.

Readout of Obama's Call with Germany's Merkel

The President and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone today to discuss several foreign policy issues of mutual concern, including Iran and Syria. Both leaders expressed the hope that Iran would take advantage of the upcoming P5+1 talks to address the international community’s concerns about the Iranian nuclear program. They also reiterated their common resolve to increase the pressure on the Iranian regime through sanctions and other measures if it remained unresponsive. On Syria, the President and Chancellor shared the concern that the Assad government was not complying with the terms of the agreement negotiated by Kofi Annan and continued to engage in unacceptable brutality against its own people. They agreed that this underscored the need for the UN Security Council to come together to take more resolute action. The President told the Chancellor that he looked forward to hosting her at Camp David for the G-8 Summit next month and to continuing their regular consultations on these and other important issues.

Op-Ed by Obama and Prime Minister Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron is meeting with Obama today. They are convening on matters including Afghanistan and tonight in Ohio, they will attend an NCAA game. This op-ed appeared in the Washington Post:

An alliance the world can count on By Barack Obama and David Cameron Seven decades ago, as our forces began to turn the tide of World War II, Prime Minister Winston Churchill traveled to Washington to coordinate our joint efforts. Our victories on the battlefield proved “what can be achieved by British and Americans working together heart and hand,” he said. “In fact, one might almost feel that if they could keep it up, there is hardly anything they could not do, either in the field of war or in the not less tangled problems of peace.” Keep it up we have — not only winning that war for our survival but also building the institutions that undergird international peace and security. The alliance between the United States and Great Britain is a partnership of the heart, bound by the history, traditions and values we share. But what makes our relationship special — a unique and essential asset — is that we join hands across so many endeavors. Put simply, we count on each other and the world counts on our alliance. As leading world economies, we are coordinating closely with our G-8 and G-20 partners to put people back to work, sustain the global recovery, stand with our European friends as they resolve their debt crisis and curb the reckless financial practices that have cost our taxpayers dearly. We’re committed to expanding the trade and investment that support millions of jobs in our two countries. As the two largest contributors to the international mission in Afghanistan, we’re proud of the progress our troops have made in dismantling al-Qaeda, breaking the Taliban’s momentum and training Afghan forces. But as recent events underscore, this remains a difficult mission. We honor the profound sacrifices of our forces, and in their name we’ll carry on the mission. Over the next few days, we will consult about preparations for the NATO summit in Chicago, where our alliance will determine the next phase of the transition that we agreed to in Lisbon. This includes shifting to a support role in advance of Afghans taking full responsibility for security in 2014 and ensuring that NATO maintains an enduring commitment so that Afghanistan is never again a haven for al-Qaeda to launch attacks against our citizens. As members of the international community, we have been united in imposing tough sanctions on the Iranian regime for failing to meet its international obligations. We believe there is time and space to pursue a diplomatic solution, and we are coordinating our diplomatic approach with China, France, Germany and Russia, our P5+1 partners. Meanwhile, as the United States imposes its strongest sanctions to date and the European Union prepares to impose an embargo on Iranian oil, the choice for Tehran will be sharpened — meet your international obligations or face the consequences. As two nations that support the human rights and dignity of all people, we continue to stand with those brave citizens across the Middle East and North Africa who are demanding their universal rights. Having joined in the mission to protect the Libyan people last year, we support Libyan efforts to build democratic institutions and hold free and fair elections this year. We condemn the Syrian regime’s horrific violence against innocent civilians, and we are focused on the urgent humanitarian task of getting food and medicine to those in need. With our international partners, we’ll continue to tighten the noose around Bashar al-Assad and his cohorts, and we’ll work with the opposition and the United Nations-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to plan for the transition that will follow Assad’s departure from power. As two of the world’s wealthiest nations, we embrace our responsibility as leaders in the development that enables people to live in dignity, health and prosperity. Even as we redouble our efforts to save lives in Somalia, we’re investing in agriculture to promote food security across the developing world. We’re working to improve maternal health and end preventable deaths of children. With a renewed commitment to the lifesaving work of the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria, we see the beginning of the end of the AIDS pandemic. Through our Open Government Partnership, we’re striving to make governments more transparent and accountable. Finally, as two peoples who live free because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, we’re working together like never before to care for them when they come home. With new long-term collaborations to help our wounded warriors recover, assist in veterans’ transition back to civilian life and support military families, we recognize that our obligations to troops and veterans endure long after today’s battles end. Our troops and citizens have long shown what can be achieved when British and Americans work together, heart and hand, and why this remains an essential relationship — to our nations and the world. So like generations before us, we’re going to keep it up. Because with confidence in our cause and faith in each other, we still believe that there is hardly anything we cannot do. Barack Obama is president of the United States. David Cameron is prime minister of Great Britain.

Iran to Allow Visit by AEA Inspectors

The United States and five other countries offered Tuesday to resume stalled talks on Iran's nuclear program amid concerns Israel may attack Iran. The offer from the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany came in a letter from European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who was responding to an overture last month from Iran, CNN reported. 

The six countries made the offer as Iran indicated it would allow international inspectors to visit a key military base in Parchin, southeast of Tehran. Read more

Germany's Spiegel: GOP Race a Freak Show

From Spiegel:

They lie. They cheat. They exaggerate. They bluster. They say one idiotic, ignorant, outrageous thing after another. They've shown such stark lack of knowledge -- political, economic, geographic, historical -- that they make George W. Bush look like Einstein and even cause their fellow Republicans to cringe.

"When did the GOP lose touch with reality?" wonders Bush's former speechwriter David Frum in New York Magazine. In the New York Times, Kenneth Duberstein, Ronald Reagan's former chief-of-staff, called this campaign season a "reality show," while Wall Street Journal columnist and former Reagan confidante Peggy Noonan even spoke of a "freakshow."

Church and Soccer for the Obama Family July 17

President Barack Obama took advantage of a balmy D.C. morning Sunday to walk with his family to a nearby church service, saying along the way he would “absolutely” be watching the U.S. women’s soccer team play in the World Cup final later.

“Go U.S.A.!” the president said when asked it he’d be watching the U.S. play Japan in Frankfurt, Germany, a match the U.S. is heavily favored to win. It’s the team's first World Cup final in 12 years. Read the rest and check out the lovely family photo at Politico

White House State Dinner for Germany June 7

See what's for din din here.  Entertainment: James Taylor. C-SPAN's coverage.
Obama presents Angela Merkel the Medal of Freedom. Entire video:




Hillary, Joe host Merkel at State Department lunch. Merkel presents Hillary with a "playful" gift.

Obamas Welcome Germany's Merkel to White House Video

See the State dinner schedule of events here. Obama: Neither of us looks like the leader that preceded us. This is the welcome ceremony. See Obama and Merkel's press conference here.

Protocol Chief on the State Dinner for Germany

Capricia Penavic Marshall, chief of protocol, ambassador, explains the State dinner's purpose.

Obama's Schedule June 7

All times are eastern.

9:15 AM
The Obamas and the Bidens welcome Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany to the White House.

10:15 AM
Obama holds a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Merkel; Biden also attends.

11:00 AM
Obama holds an expanded bilateral meeting with Chancellor Merkel and official U.S., German delegations.

11:35 AM
Obama and Chancellor Merkel hold a joint press conference. LIVE STREAM

12:30 PM
The Bidens and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton host a lunch in honor of Chancellor Merkel.

6:00 PM
The Obamas welcome Chancellor Merkel.

6:30 PM
Barack and Michelle Obama take official photo with Chancellor Merkel.

7:35 PM
The Obamas attend the State Dinner with Chancellor Merkel; President Obama and Chancellor Merkel each deliver a toast.

8:55 PM
The Obamas attend the State Dinner Reception with Chancellor Merkel; The Bidens also attend.

Obamas Host State Dinner for Germany June 7

From the White House:
President Obama and the First Lady will welcome German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband, Dr. Joachim Sauer, to the White House for an Official Visit and State Dinner on June 7, 2011. This will be the first Official Visit by a German chancellor since Helmut Kohl was hosted at the White House in 1995. Chancellor Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany and who became Germany’s first woman chancellor in 2005, received the 2010 Medal of Freedom, which the President will present to her during this visit.

The Chancellor’s visit underscores the fundamental importance of the U.S.-German alliance, the depth of the friendship between our people, and our commitment to move forward together on behalf of our shared interests and values. The President and the Chancellor will discuss the broad array of issues on which the United States and Germany cooperate closely, including in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Iran, and on promoting human rights and global economic stability and growth.

World Leader Calls on Bin Laden's Demise

The photo heard round the world

Incoming calls include leaders from Mexico, UK, Germany, Israel, Chile, Colombia, France. Per the White House:

Since yesterday’s operation, the President spoke with numerous world leaders who expressed their congratulations on the successful American action to kill Osama bin Laden, which will make both the United States and the world more secure.

Each of the President’s counterparts, including President Calderon, Prime Minister Cameron, Chancellor Merkel, Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Piñera, President Santos, and President Sarkozy, congratulated the President, and conveyed admiration for the courage and capability of the Americans who conducted the operation. The leaders discussed the ongoing terrorist threat that will require steadfast efforts in the future, and committed to working closely together to defeat al Qaeda.