Jack Welch Says Obama Remarkable in Europe

Jack Welch, former GE CEO, has been a critic of Obama but here he is giving Obama an A for leadership. Still, Welch says he doesn't like Obama's policies. Who cares. Republican policies brought us misery and frankly, they've got no business criticizing. It's Obama's turn to do what he can do.

Welch predicts more unemployment, which matches every other Joe Expert's forecast. He says capitalism has gone off the rails.

Why Turkey?

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WaPo: A staunchly secular nation of nearly 77 million Muslims, Turkey is a key player in regional politics, particularly with countries such as Syria and Iran, with which Obama is trying to create new openings for dialogue.

Obama has planned meetings with the Turkish president and prime minister, as well as a speech to the Turkish parliament Monday. He is due to arrive Monday evening in Istanbul for visits with key religious leaders and a round-table discussion with students, many of whom will participate via videoconference from Europe and the Middle East.
......
Turkish attitudes toward the U.S. tumbled under the Bush administration, falling from 52 percent favorability in 1999-2000 to 12 percent last year, according to the Pew Global survey. But the vast majority of Turks in this cheerful, bustling city seemed to eagerly welcome Obama on his first visit as president to a predominantly Muslim country.

Lots of goodwill for Obama in Turkey:

The World's Going to Hell in a Handbasket

To temper my positive blog post earlier today, it looks like nuclear extermination is inevitable, according to the doomsday bunch at the roundtable on This Week. George Will says there is no community of nations and the world is just made up of conflict, and that's natural, end of story. Richard Haass said forget about reducing nuclear proliferation. The gloomy bunch conclude Europe isn't ready to step up to the plate. Well, duh. It's going to take more than a speech. It's going to take time and consistent efforts to rally Europe and other allies. David Frum says Obama didn't get anything he wanted at the G20. See the roundtable here and here.  George Will also says republicans didn't vote for the budget because Obama's not a novelty anymore. Okay. 

UN Ambassador Susan Rice was relatively tame:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Is the United States prepared to pressure China?

RICE: We're working very closely with China. China shares the same goal that we do, which is a de-nuclearized Korean Peninsula. China also is very proximate, on the border with North Korea, and shares our desire not to see this situation escalate, and to ensure that we can achieve, George, the long-term goal, which is de- nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the six-party talk process.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But because China is right on the border of North Korea, they've been reluctant to really pressure North Korea. They're afraid that if you turn the screws too hard on North Korea, the regime is going to collapse and there's going to be chaos.

And is that why they are not going along with tougher sanctions?

RICE: Well, I think they have multiple concerns. They are looking at the large long-term goal of ensuring that we don't have a nuclearized Korean Peninsula. There have been times when we have differed as to the best means of achieving that.

But we are unified with China and others in the six parties towards the goal, George, of ensuring that we roll back this nuclear program that North Korea is pursuing.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But is there any evidence at all that North Korea is going to respond to any of this? They've been steadily adding to their nuclear program, in fits and starts at times, but basically they've been able, over the last eight years or so, to develop a nuclear capability, to develop nuclear warheads, and they seem determined to keep going on that track. RICE: Well, George, it is fits and starts. I mean, there have been steps that have occurred over the last years that have been progress. For example, they did take steps to dismantle the facility at Yongbyon, which was the principal reactor. Read more or watch the video here

Financial Elite Drove Economy off the Cliff

An interesting video that ultimately concludes that many people want to be rich but no one wants to be at the mercy of people who get their riches on the backs of others:

Obama Arrives in Turkey

UPDATE 4-6: Watch Obama address Turkey's Parliament here.
Obama just landed in Turkey and is scheduled to address parliament. The speech will be live at cnn.com tomorrow 8:45 eastern time. 

Obama's backing Turkey's European Union bid, as are many U.S. lawmakers. France is against Turkey being part of the European Union. Some background on that here.

Hurriyet: After giving an address in parliament on Monday afternoon, Obama will fly to Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, where he will attend a meeting Tuesday of the Alliance of Civilizations, a forum sponsored by Turkey and Spain to promote understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds.

Obama will also tour Haghia Sofia, which once was a Byzantine church, and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul’s historical Sultanahmet district.

The visit, Obama’s first to a Muslim country, is seen as symbolic in terms of unity and strategy, as the new administration tries to improve the U.S.’ tarnished image abroad. One of the main reasons for Obama’s surprisingly early visit is to win back the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens of Turkey - one of the countries where public opinion about America has reached record low levels.

Some protests:

Hours before his arrival, several dozen people were protesting against Obama’s visit in Ankara and Istanbul.

In a main square in Istanbul, members of a leftist group shouted “Obama, go home” and waved Turkish flags. Police did not intervene.

Protester Abdullah Turker said he did not want Washington to use Turkey as a corridor for the American withdrawal from Iraq. He said he feared the U.S. would encourage separatism by urging Turkey to make concessions to its Kurdish citizens.

Meanwhile dozens of members of an Islamic group gathered in Ankara, protesting the U.S.’s position regarding Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to congress, talks about the significance of Obama's trip to Turkey:

Protests:

Will Obama officially recognize Armenian genocide?

WSJ: When President Barack Obama visits Turkey tomorrow, millions of Americans hope that he will fulfill a campaign promise by preparing the Turkish government for official American recognition of the Armenian genocide of 1915-23.

No American president since World War II has come into office with a stronger understanding of the facts about this terrible chapter in history. And no president has a greater track record of speaking plainly about it: As a presidential candidate, Mr. Obama argued forcefully throughout the campaign that "America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides."

His words reflected a powerful personal commitment. In 2006, for example, our ambassador to Turkey, John Evans, was recalled for using the term "genocide" to describe the events of 1915-23. In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on July 28 of that year, then Sen. Obama described the official U.S. position on the events of 1915-23 -- which is not to describe them as a genocide -- as "untenable." He reminded Ms. Rice that "the occurrence of the Armenian genocide in 1915 is not an 'allegation,' a 'personal opinion,' or a 'point of view.' Supported by overwhelming evidence, it is a widely documented fact."

"Words matter," as Mr. Obama said on Feb. 16, 2008. And genocide has a particular power, encompassing within a single word a crime of unsurpassed barbarity -- the effort to destroy an entire people. When Holocaust survivor Rafael Lemkin coined the term during World War II, he drew on the Ottoman campaign to annihilate the Armenians, in which over 1.5 million perished, as a paradigmatic example. It is no wonder that the International Association of Genocide Scholars and all credible historians (outside Turkey) have agreed that this was the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey and Armenia easing conflict:

LAT: Turkey and Armenia are likely to announce a deal soon aimed at easing their conflict, diplomats said Friday in a development that would sweeten President Obama's visit to Turkey next week.

The two countries are expected this month to announce an agreement to resume official contacts and reopen borders that have been closed since 1993, said the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the subject.
.....
But a deal between Armenia and Turkey could spell disappointment for Armenian Americans who want Obama to fulfill his campaign pledge to declare that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks beginning in 1915 was a genocide.

With substantial progress toward rapprochement, Obama is likely to postpone a genocide declaration in a presidential proclamation April 24, the annual remembrance day. The White House is expected to argue that under the circumstances, the use of the term "genocide" in the proclamation would anger Turkey and threaten the talks.

Timothy Geithner on Face The Nation

Geithner said people start to spend more before unemployment peaks. Geithner says there are some encouraging signs and there will be fits and starts. He says the Obama administration is committed to a strong auto industry. On firing bankers, Geithner says many banks have outright failed and their management and board have been replaced, like Fannie and Freddie. Schieffer pressed further on Bank of America and CitiBank ceos. Geithner said if in the future, a change in management is needed, changes will be made.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Obama Projects a New Humble America

Obama seems to be tuned in to not just a new generation but a new mindset of people all around the world who are tired of their politicians and their leaders, people who are tired of all the fear mongering and in the U.S., people who are repelled by the Newt Gingrich types, the constant negativity of the republican party, and talking heads who seem to spew the same old, same old.

These people might not necessarily be old in age but they appear ancient in their thinking. When these people speak, it comes out as blah, blah, blah.

The global mindset is shifting and some people are having troubles coming to grips with that or even recognizing it, let alone tap into it, but Obama has tuned in, which is why he's popular around the world. The world is changing and he knows it.

We don't want to be the arrogant nation anymore and the world wants better of the U.S. too. With our failed financial system that sparked a global recession, it's difficult to fathom how we could not be anything but humble.

Many people, like Michael Gerson on Meet the Press, downplayed Obama's success in Europe, saying that he didn't achieve anything of substance. Gerson's dead wrong.

Obama made giant strides, coming off of the Bush administration. He projected a humble America, one that's ready to mix and play well and not just dictate because that's what's needed to get through some serious problems. The world has gotten smaller--one nation's actions affects the others. Obama laid the groundwork for the future and he's still got a speech in Turkey tomorrow. He accomplished a lot in a week. That's pretty successful if you ask me.

Here's a few other tangible accomplishments:
France agreed to take a Guantanamo detainee, the G20 leaders agreed on financial reforms, Obama and Medvedev agreed to reduce nuclear stockpiles, NATO leaders agreed to police Afghanistan's elections in August.

There's so much more that happened behind the scenes and Hillary Clinton also traveled to Europe. Who knows what doors she opened.

But after Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration embarked on a foreign policy that often alienated allies.

Obama pledged during his campaign to turn the page. Since taking office, he has ordered the closure of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; reached out to Iran, isolated for years by the Bush administration; and, on this trip, turned to international organizations such as the G-20 and NATO for help on economic and national security issues.

He intends to make it easier for Cuban exiles to visit and send money to their families on the island, rolling back Bush-era restrictions in doing so. And he has embraced the European Union in a way his predecessor never did, effectively placing the continent on equal footing with the "special relationship" shared by the United States and the United Kingdom.

On Monday, he will begin a two-day swing through Turkey, taking his message to a predominantly Muslim nation and a critical bridge between Europe and the Middle East.

But beyond his actions, it is the sharp change in tone and the willingness to cast the United States as a nation that bears much of the responsibility for a raft of global woes that have been most striking in Obama's excursion.

"I'm enormously proud of my country and its role and history in the world," Obama said here Saturday when asked whether he believed in the concept of "American exceptionalism." ". . . So I see no contradiction between believing that America has a continued extraordinary role in leading the world towards peace and prosperity and recognizing that that leadership is incumbent, depends on, our ability to create partnerships because we can't solve these problems alone."

Jeremy Shapiro, director of research for the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, said that "the tone of the messages he is giving is a specific and intended sharp break with the past."

At the same time, Shapiro noted that on the "hard edge of policy" in Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where unlike some European allies Obama has not signaled a willingness to talk to the armed Islamist group Hamas, the president's policy and goals have not changed much from those of his predecessor.

"Europeans are hungry for American leadership but tired of American arrogance," Shapiro said. "And he's managing to display both." Read more at WaPo

Fritz Henderson On Meet the Press April 5 Video

Fritz Henderson makes $1.3 million a year. His salary was cut. I know some CEOs make much more but anything above $750,000 seems exorbitant to me, especially for a guy who worked at such a lame company. I wouldn't buy a GM for that reason alone.

I don't know why the auto task force decided to keep Fritz but it seems to me they should ALL go. A brand new creative thinking team should be brought in. Perhaps Fritz will just be the turnaround guy, who will leave once the company's on its feet. None of this makes sense to me because auto workers' jobs aren't even being saved.
Fritz says trust me:

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Michelle Obama Tours Prague

AP Photo of Michelle at St. Vitus
Cathedral

The first ladies walked around the St. Vitus Cathedral, the city's most distinctive landmark, which dates to the 10th century.

They then moved to the nearby St. George's basilica, built in the same era, to see the sights and listen to a concert performed by visually impaired children who played "Darmstadter Concert" by Carl Stamitz and "Stabat Mater" by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.

"She is a natural and a very nice person," Klausova said of Mrs. Obama, to whom she presented a gift of Czech glassware. In return, she said, she got "a nice American vase."

Did they talk politics on a day that buzzed with reports of a North Korean rocket launch?

"Yes, a little bit — we had to," Klausova said.

Mrs. Obama then spent two hours touring the Jewish Quarter's synagogues and unique cemetery. Her visit included a stop at the Pinkas synagogue, whose walls bear the names of more than 80,000 Czech Holocaust victims — including the ancestors of Madeleine Albright, the Czech-born former U.S. secretary of state.

Leo Pavlat, director of Prague's Jewish Museum, said Mrs. Obama liked the inside of the synagogue — "especially the exhibit of children's drawings from the Theresienstadt ghetto." MSNBC

From the AP:

Michelle Obama's whirlwind tour of Prague turned into a love affair with a city and its people. "I'll be back," she said.
Crowds of young Czechs and tourists chanting "Obama! Obama!" waved at the first lady as she walked the cobblestones of the Jewish Quarter. She waved back, and there were no angry faces as far as the eye could see.
"She was totally with them," said Michaela Sidenberg, her guide.
Mrs. Obama's tour started in the morning, when Czech first lady Livia Klausova showed her around Prague Castle, the seat of the Czech presidency.
Having apparently been warned about Prague's omnipresent cobblestones, Mrs. Obama wore flat shoes.
The first ladies walked around the St. Vitus Cathedral, the city's most distinctive landmark, which dates to the 10th century.
They then moved to the nearby St. George's basilica, built in the same era, to see the sights and listen to a concert performed by visually impaired children who played "Darmstadter Concert" by Carl Stamitz and "Stabat Mater" by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.
"She is a natural and a very nice person," Klausova said of Mrs. Obama, to whom she presented a gift of Czech glassware. In return, she said, she got "a nice American vase."
Did they talk politics on a day that buzzed with reports of a North Korean rocket launch?
"Yes, a little bit — we had to," Klausova said. read more.

Obama's Speech in Prague April 5

Obama uses his time in Prague to publicly reject North Korea's launch:

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PRAGUE - President Barack Obama on Sunday launched an effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons, calling them "the most dangerous legacy of the Cold War" and saying the U.S. has a moral responsibility to lead as the only nation ever to have used one.

In a speech driven with new urgency by North Korea's rocket launch just hours earlier, Obama said the U.S. would "immediately and aggressively" seek ratification of a comprehensive ban on testing nuclear weapons. He said the U.S. would host a summit within the next year on reducing and eventually eliminating nuclear weapons, and he called for a global effort to secure nuclear material.

"Some argue that the spread of these weapons cannot be checked — that we are destined to live in a world where more nations and more people possess the ultimate tools of destruction," Obama said to a bustling crowd of more than 20,000 in an old square outside the Prague Castle gates. MSNBC

Obama's speech text:

.....Now, let me describe to you the trajectory we need to be on. First, the United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons. To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same. Make no mistake: As long as these weapons exist, the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal to deter any adversary, and guarantee that defense to our allies -- including the Czech Republic. But we will begin the work of reducing our arsenal.

To reduce our warheads and stockpiles, we will negotiate a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the Russians this year. (Applause.) President Medvedev and I began this process in London, and will seek a new agreement by the end of this year that is legally binding and sufficiently bold. And this will set the stage for further cuts, and we will seek to include all nuclear weapons states in this endeavor.

To achieve a global ban on nuclear testing, my administration will immediately and aggressively pursue U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. (Applause.) After more than five decades of talks, it is time for the testing of nuclear weapons to finally be banned.

And to cut off the building blocks needed for a bomb, the United States will seek a new treaty that verifiably ends the production of fissile materials intended for use in state nuclear weapons. If we are serious about stopping the spread of these weapons, then we should put an end to the dedicated production of weapons-grade materials that create them. That's the first step.

Second, together we will strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a basis for cooperation.

The basic bargain is sound: Countries with nuclear weapons will move towards disarmament, countries without nuclear weapons will not acquire them, and all countries can access peaceful nuclear energy. To strengthen the treaty, we should embrace several principles. We need more resources and authority to strengthen international inspections. We need real and immediate consequences for countries caught breaking the rules or trying to leave the treaty without cause.

And we should build a new framework for civil nuclear cooperation, including an international fuel bank, so that countries can access peaceful power without increasing the risks of proliferation. That must be the right of every nation that renounces nuclear weapons, especially developing countries embarking on peaceful programs. And no approach will succeed if it's based on the denial of rights to nations that play by the rules. We must harness the power of nuclear energy on behalf of our efforts to combat climate change, and to advance peace opportunity for all people. Read more here.

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See more photos here.

North Korea's Launches Rocket

The launch, which North Korea had given notice of, was to show Kim Jong-Il is powerful:

North Korea's propaganda machine will portray a successful launch as a mighty symbol of Kim Jong-il's leadership after a suspected stroke in August raised questions about his grip on power.

It will also be able to show off to all Koreans that it has launched a rocket to carry a satellite just ahead of the wealthy South, which hopes to launch one in July. Reuters

Obama's statement:

North Korea's development and proliferation of ballistic missile technology pose a threat to the northeast Asian region and to international peace and security. The launch today of a Taepo-dong 2 missile was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, which expressly prohibits North Korea from conducting ballistic missile-related activities of any kind. With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations.

We will immediately consult with our allies in the region, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, and members of the U.N. Security Council to bring this matter before the Council. I urge North Korea to abide fully by the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council and to refrain from further provocative actions.

Preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery is a high priority for my administration. The United States is fully committed to maintaining security and stability in northeast Asia and we will continue working for the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the Six-Party Talks. The Six-Party Talks provide the forum for achieving denuclearization, reducing tensions, and for resolving other issues of concern between North Korea, its four neighbors, and the United States. North Korea has a pathway to acceptance in the international community, but it will not find that acceptance unless it abandons its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and abides by its international obligations and commitments.

Obama's reaction:

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Czechs Hoping Obama Abandons Plan for Radar Base

Prague Monitor: The Non-violence movement and the League of Mayors against the Radar told CTK Thursday they have initiated a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, asking him to take Czechs' opinions into consideration when deciding about plans to extend the U.S. anti-missile shield to Central Europe.

The two groupings' representatives said the letter has been signed by 130 Czech and European personalities, politicians and organisations.

Representatives of the World without Wars have handed it to 20 U.S. embassies.

The letter says some 70 percent of Czech citizens have for a long time disagreed with building the radar base on Czech soil.

It also draws attention to the consequences the implementation of the project, which also includes a base with ten interceptor missiles in Poland, would have for the security of Europe and the whole world.

The radar base is to be built some 90km southwest of Prague. The Czech Republic has signed two treaties on the project with the former president George Bush's administration last year.

Jan Tamas, spokesman for Non-violence, said he welcomes and supports the new direction that the administration of Barack Obama has started to follow.

"If the prevention of nuclear weapons proliferation were one of Obama's priorities, the implementation of this project would be counter-productive," Tamas said.

From Time, Czech politicians not interested in Obama, but Czechs are:

The Obamas' private dinner may, in fact, be a way of avoiding political awkwardness in the Czech capital: They will not be joining President Vaclav Klaus (a skeptic on global warming) at a state dinner; nor will they be sharing delicious Czech lager at an informal pub visit with Topolanek, whose government collapsed a day before his comment about Obama's stimulus inferno. Czech sources insist that the Americans had turned down those two invitations before the Prime Minister's remark. (See pictures of the Obamas in Europe)

There's unlikely to be much awkwardness, however, when Obama encounters ordinary Czechs, among whom there is tremendous excitement over his visit. Thousands are expected to gather on Sunday when the President will speak at historic Hradcansky square next to the majestic Prague Castle, a site offering splendid views of the red-roofed, river-laced city. He is expected to talk about reducing the nuclear weapons proliferation. "I am absolutely thrilled," says Jiri Hlupy, 76, a set designer in the local movie industry. He hopes that Obama's presence will "wake up" squabbling Czech politicians.

Preparing Castle Square in Prague

See Obama's arrival video here.

Obama Speech on NATO Video

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Karzai Wants to Legalize Marital Rape?

NATO had better fight hard for this one.
The male of the species all around the world need to catch up with women, who have evolved at a far greater pace than men (is that sexism against men or fact?)--and fast.

Reuters: President Barack Obama piled pressure on Afghan leader Hamid Karzai on Saturday to scrap an "abhorrent" law which critics say would legalize marital rape.

Other leaders meeting at a NATO summit joined in the chorus of disapproval, warning that support for the military alliance's Afghan mission would suffer if the Shi'ite Personal Status Law was not dropped.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown personally phoned Karzai to complain and Western officials said the Afghan leader had ordered a review of the draft law, which would apply to the country's Shi'ite minority.

"I think this rule is abhorrent ... We have stated very clearly that we object to this law," Obama told a news conference after a NATO summit.

"It is very important for us to be sensitive to local culture but we also think there are certain basic principles that all nations should uphold ... (including) respect for women and respect for their freedom and integrity."

If this is the case, Karzai needs to be tossed. But I guess it's not that easy if the predominant belief in their culture is that women are property:

The law, which has not been publicly released, is believed to state women can only seek work, education or doctor's appointments with their husband's permission.

Only fathers and grandfathers are granted custody of children under the law, according to the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Opponents of the legislation governing the personal lives of Afghanistan's Shia minority have said it is "worse than during the Taliban". telegraph

Obama responds to a Fox "News" reporter's question on whether more support for that country will be contingent on reversing this law by reminding him that we're there primarily to protect the U.S. from terrorist attacks. "The first reason we are there is to root out Al Quaeda..." Watch it here.

Karzai is apparently reviewing the new law. 

Obama Arrives in Prague Dinner With Michelle

UPDATE 4-4: WATCH SPEECH HERE

Obama and PM Mirek Topolanek

According to PragueBob on Twitter, Obama has landed in Prague to the red carpet and honor guard, and according to the Daily Mail, Obama is dining with Michelle tonight.

President Obama will land in Czech capital Prague this evening but rather than meeting his hosts, he is spending an intimate night with Michelle.

'He requested a romantic dinner with a view of Prague, where they can eat the best Czech food. They have spent days trying to decide on the right restaurant,' a source told The Times.

It is thought the First Couple have chosen Hergetova Cihelna, or The Brick House, on the banks of the River Vlatava.

Also from PragueBob, a baby leopard has been born at the Czech zoo today and its name: Barack.

For Obama's schedule, check out the U.S. Embassy in Prague site here.
Air Force One landing:

Here's video of Prague preparations.
The submarine, the dogsled....

More video coming

Obama greeted by arch rivals in Czech Republic:

Photos by Kazzper
Bunches of photos here.
Photo montage:

Obama Assures Turks of a NATO Deputy

NATO has a new head, Danish Prime Minister Dane Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Turks were opposed to Rasmussen because he had defended the publication of cartoons that offended Muslims. But Obama made some assurances, according to Reuters:

Reuters: Turkey said on Saturday it had dropped its objections to Dane Anders Fogh Rasmussen becoming the next head of NATO after U.S. President Barack Obama offered promises that one of Rasmussen's deputies would be a Turk.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whose country had threatened to veto Rasmussen because of his handling of a 2006 crisis over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in a Danish newspaper, said Obama had also given Turkey guarantees that Turkish commanders would be present at the alliance's command.

"We explained our reservations on Rasmussen to Obama and he gave us guarantees on our reservations. Then our president accepted Rasmussen's candidacy," Erdogan told Turkish television.

"One of the issues is to have a Turk as one of his (Rasmussen) deputies and to have our commanders in NATO command," Erdogan told reporters in Ankara.
.....

But Turkey dropped its opposition at the last minute after Turkish President Abdullah Gul held private talks with Obama and Rasmussen, a Turkish official said.

"I acted responsibly as the prime minister of Turkey," Erdogan told Turkish television.

"One of the issues we put forward was how to improve relations by being more sensitive over the cartoon issue," Erdogan added. Rasmussen is scheduled to attend an international event on civilisations in Istanbul April 6-7.

Obama praises NATO allies:

Gates to Revamp Defense Department

UPDATE 4-6: Watch Gates defense budget announcement here.

WaPo: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is expected to announce on Monday the restructuring of several dozen major defense programs as part of the Obama administration's bid to shift military spending from preparations for large-scale war against traditional rivals to the counterinsurgency programs that Gates and others consider likely to dominate U.S. conflicts in coming decades.

Gates's aides say his plan would boost spending for some programs and take large whacks at others, including some with powerful constituencies on Capitol Hill and among influential contractors, making his announcement more of an opening bid than a decisive end to weeks of sometimes acrimonious internal Pentagon debate.

Among the programs expected to be heavily cut is the Army's Future Combat Systems, a network of vehicles linked by high-tech communications that has been plagued by technical troubles and delays; with a price tag exceeding $150 billion, it is now one of the most costly military efforts.

There is debate within the military whether counterinsurgency --using minimal force and focusing narrowly on insurgents while helping the locals with their economy and other aspects --is weakening the military.
Counterinsurgency, favored by Petraeus, attempts to get the locals to reject the insurgents. It limits civilian deaths.
Some prefer the old fashioned bomb and shoot them up way -- civilians and all.
Listen to Gen. David Petraeus lay out the Afghanistan plan here. 

NATO Agrees To Boost Troops for Afghan Election

AFP: STRASBOURG (AFP) - NATO leaders pledged thousands more troops for their Afghan mission Saturday and named the organisation's next leader, as violent anti-war demonstrations raged outside the summit.

Britain, Spain and Italy said they would send hundreds of extra troops each to secure Afghanistan's key August presidential election, adding up to what the White House said was a total of "up to 5,000" personnel.

The deal was a victory for new US President Barack Obama, who came to his first NATO summit to promote his new Afghan strategy and warn his allies that Europe would have to shoulder more of the war-fighting burden.

Hardline protesters set fire to the ground floor of a hotel near the summit
"I am pleased that our NATO allies pledged their strong and unanimous support for our new strategy," Obama told reporters.

Although France and Germany were not among the countries who made major new troop commitments, Obama praised President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel as the joint hosts of the 60th anniversary summit.

"This summit and this alliance have delivered," outgoing NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters at the end of the gathering in Strasbourg.

For more on NATO, check out the website here.
NATO protesters. They're largely protesting a U.S. radar installation proposed in the Czech Republic (get background on this project here).

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Paul Ryan Gives Republican Weekly Address April 4

This is the same message, different person. Ryan talks about the republican budget, which was DOA. The day after they released their budget, the real one, on April Fool's day, the House approved Obama's budget.

Yesterday, the Senate approved a budget resolution 55-43. In the Senate, only two democrats voted against the budget, Sens. Evan Bayh, of Indiana, and Ben Nelson, Nebraska.