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Obama sees many troops back home in a year
Iraqi election means ‘good news’ for U.S., president says in NBC interview
The relatively violence-free Iraqi elections mean “substantial” numbers of U.S. troops
will be able to return home from Iraq within a year, President Barack Obama told NBC
News on Sunday. “We are in a position to start putting more responsibility on the Iraqis,
and that’s good news for not only the troops in the field but also their families, who are
carrying an enormous burden,” Obama said in an interview with Matt Lauer, anchor of
NBC’s TODAY show.
Obama gave no details, but he said his administration would make its intentions on troop
levels in Iraq and Afghanistan known in coming days. He said he arrived at his assessment
after extensive discussions with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. commanders in the field
after Saturday’s provincial elections across Iraq, the first since 2005. But Americans should
not take that to mean that the terrorist threat itself was lessening, the president cautioned.
“Here’s what I think is important for everybody to understand: We’ve got real threats, and
we have to remain vigilant,” he said. “We have to make sure that we don’t let up, because
there are people who would be willing to do us harm.” At the same time, he said, “when
you meet the people who are charged with keeping America safe, it gives you enormous
confidence. They are on the case day in and day out with extraordinary professionalism.”
Obama flexible on stimulus bill
Obama, who was interviewed from the Map Room of the White House during the run-up
to Sunday’s Super Bowl, was unabashed about using the game for his own purposes.
After the interview, he joined 15 key members of Congress whom he invited to watch the
game with him — seven of them from Pennsylvania or Arizona, home states of the Pittsburgh
Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. His goal was to build bipartisan support for his $825
billion-plus economic stimulus plan, which passed the House last week without a single
Republican vote.
Obama signaled that he was willing to accept changes in the bill after Senate Republican
leaders predicted that it would not pass when it comes up for a vote there this week.
Echoing the sentiments of many Republican lawmakers, Sen. Key Bailey Hutchison of Texas, a
key member of both the Appropriations and Commerce committees, said Sunday that she would
help lead opposition to the bill unless major changes were made. In an interview on NBC’s
“Meet the Press,” Hutchison said the bill as passed by the House put too much emphasis on
spending on social programs that would not give the economy an immediate boost. She called
for deeper tax cuts and redirection of spending to heavy construction projects to repair the
nation’s highways, which she said would to deliver a swifter kick.
“Everyone agrees that we need stimulus. We do,” Hutchison said. “But when we’re talking about
redoing this bill, if we’re talking about just adding more, I think we will be wasting a lot of money
and adding to the debt.”
Obama acknowledged Republican complaints about the bill. “The important thing is getting the thing
passed, and I’ve done extraordinary outreach, I think, to Republicans because they have some good
ideas. I want to make sure those ideas are incorporated,” he said. “I am confident that by the time
we actually have the final package on the floor, that we are going to see substantial support
[from Republicans],” he added. “People are going to see that this is a serious effort. It has no
earmarks [and] we’re going to be trimming things out that are not relevant to putting people back
to work right now.”
First family settling in
Twelve days into his presidency, Obama said he was settling into his new life comfortably. The
president’s mother-in-law has moved into the White House to help keep an eye on the Obama’s
daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. “At the end of the day, I can come home,” he said. “Even if
I’ve got more work to do, I can have dinner with them. I can help them with their homework.
I can tuck them in. ... “I’m seeing them now more than any time in the last two years, and that’s
been great for the whole family,” he added.
More sobering, however, is the growing realization of the enormous weight on his shoulders as
president, especially “having to sign letters for troops who have died and sending letters to their
family.” That is “where you realize every decision you make counts,” Obama said.
NBC News aired part of the interview live Sunday afternoon. It said it would air more of the discussion
Monday morning on the TODAY show.
Iraqi election means ‘good news’ for U.S., president says in NBC interview
The relatively violence-free Iraqi elections mean “substantial” numbers of U.S. troops
will be able to return home from Iraq within a year, President Barack Obama told NBC
News on Sunday. “We are in a position to start putting more responsibility on the Iraqis,
and that’s good news for not only the troops in the field but also their families, who are
carrying an enormous burden,” Obama said in an interview with Matt Lauer, anchor of
NBC’s TODAY show.
Obama gave no details, but he said his administration would make its intentions on troop
levels in Iraq and Afghanistan known in coming days. He said he arrived at his assessment
after extensive discussions with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. commanders in the field
after Saturday’s provincial elections across Iraq, the first since 2005. But Americans should
not take that to mean that the terrorist threat itself was lessening, the president cautioned.
“Here’s what I think is important for everybody to understand: We’ve got real threats, and
we have to remain vigilant,” he said. “We have to make sure that we don’t let up, because
there are people who would be willing to do us harm.” At the same time, he said, “when
you meet the people who are charged with keeping America safe, it gives you enormous
confidence. They are on the case day in and day out with extraordinary professionalism.”
Obama flexible on stimulus bill
Obama, who was interviewed from the Map Room of the White House during the run-up
to Sunday’s Super Bowl, was unabashed about using the game for his own purposes.
After the interview, he joined 15 key members of Congress whom he invited to watch the
game with him — seven of them from Pennsylvania or Arizona, home states of the Pittsburgh
Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. His goal was to build bipartisan support for his $825
billion-plus economic stimulus plan, which passed the House last week without a single
Republican vote.
Obama signaled that he was willing to accept changes in the bill after Senate Republican
leaders predicted that it would not pass when it comes up for a vote there this week.
Echoing the sentiments of many Republican lawmakers, Sen. Key Bailey Hutchison of Texas, a
key member of both the Appropriations and Commerce committees, said Sunday that she would
help lead opposition to the bill unless major changes were made. In an interview on NBC’s
“Meet the Press,” Hutchison said the bill as passed by the House put too much emphasis on
spending on social programs that would not give the economy an immediate boost. She called
for deeper tax cuts and redirection of spending to heavy construction projects to repair the
nation’s highways, which she said would to deliver a swifter kick.
“Everyone agrees that we need stimulus. We do,” Hutchison said. “But when we’re talking about
redoing this bill, if we’re talking about just adding more, I think we will be wasting a lot of money
and adding to the debt.”
Obama acknowledged Republican complaints about the bill. “The important thing is getting the thing
passed, and I’ve done extraordinary outreach, I think, to Republicans because they have some good
ideas. I want to make sure those ideas are incorporated,” he said. “I am confident that by the time
we actually have the final package on the floor, that we are going to see substantial support
[from Republicans],” he added. “People are going to see that this is a serious effort. It has no
earmarks [and] we’re going to be trimming things out that are not relevant to putting people back
to work right now.”
First family settling in
Twelve days into his presidency, Obama said he was settling into his new life comfortably. The
president’s mother-in-law has moved into the White House to help keep an eye on the Obama’s
daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. “At the end of the day, I can come home,” he said. “Even if
I’ve got more work to do, I can have dinner with them. I can help them with their homework.
I can tuck them in. ... “I’m seeing them now more than any time in the last two years, and that’s
been great for the whole family,” he added.
More sobering, however, is the growing realization of the enormous weight on his shoulders as
president, especially “having to sign letters for troops who have died and sending letters to their
family.” That is “where you realize every decision you make counts,” Obama said.
NBC News aired part of the interview live Sunday afternoon. It said it would air more of the discussion
Monday morning on the TODAY show.
