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Politics : Obama Asks Americans To Observe Flag Day "With Pride" -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ManyMoose who wrote (62)	7/6/2012 11:10:17 AM
From: joseffy	1 Recommendation Respond to of 268

Here's How It's Done

To: ManyMoose who wrote (62)	7/11/2012 11:41:57 AM
From: joseffy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 268

Obama: Hugo Chavez Has Not Posed 'Serious' National Security Threat Obama to Miami anchor: Hugo Chávez has not posed 'serious' national security threat miamiherald.typepad.com Oscar Haza, a well known Miami Spanish-language broadcast journalist and anchor, scored an interview this week in Washington with President Barack Obama in which Obama said Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has not posed a "serious" national security threat to the United States. The full interview aired Tuesday night on A Mano Limpia, Haza's nightly show on WJAN-Channel 41, better known as América TeVe. The show had shown portions of the interview Monday night, with Haza live in D.C., and teased to the president talking about Cuba and Venezuela. The Dominican-born Haza, who also hosts a daily morning radio show that recently moved to Univisión's WAQI-AM (710), better known as Radio Mambí, said he was one of eight journalists from eight swing states invited to the White House -- the only one from Florida -- to speak to the president and other administration officials as Obama pushed his plan to keep some Bush-era tax cuts but eliminate them for incomes greather than $250,000 a year. Most noteworthy from Haza's interview with the president -- no surprise here -- were questions on Cuba and Venezuela, key issues for South Florida's Hispanic audience (and voters). "If I don't ask you about Cuba, I can't get back to Miami," Haza quipped, in English, before asking the president about a "perception" that he intends to further embrace relations with Cuba in a potential second term. Obama said he had been "clear" and "consistent" in his position. "I believe that there should be a way for us to resolve this 50-year conflict with Cuba, but it involves recognizing liberty and, you know, releasing poltiical prisoners and showing movement inside of Cuba," he said. "We've shown flexibility in remittances and lifting parts of the travel ban for family members, and I think that was the right hting to do. And my hope is that the Cuban government begins to recognize that their system is no longer working." Haza then mentioned detained American Alan Gross and stepped-up repression on the island. "We're not going to see big moves or major improvement in the U.S.-Cuba relationship if the Cuban leadership continues to do the same thing over and over again," Obama said. Then, Haza asked about the alliance between Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Iran. "We're always concerned about Iran engaging in destabilizing activity around the globe. But overall my sense is that what Mr. Chávez has done over the last several years has not had a serious national security impact on us," Obama said. "We have to vigilant. My main concern when it comes to Venezuela is having the Venezuelan people have a voice in their affairs, and that you end up ultimately having fair and free elections, which we don't always see." You can watch Haza's Tuesday night show below. The Obama interview is in English, with Spanish subtitles. Read more here: miamiherald.typepad.com

To: ManyMoose who wrote (62)	7/11/2012 4:47:20 PM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 268

Romney on Obama's Chavez Statement: 'Stunning and Shocking' Jul 11, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER weeklystandard.com Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney responded to President Obama's comments on Hugo Chavez with this statement: “This is a stunning and shocking comment by the President. It is disturbing to see him downplaying the threat posed to U.S. interests by a regime that openly wishes us ill. Hugo Chavez has provided safe haven to drug kingpins, encouraged regional terrorist organizations that threaten our allies like Colombia, has strengthened military ties with Iran and helped it evade sanctions, and has allowed a Hezbollah presence within his country's borders. And he is seeking to lead – together with the Castros – a destabilizing, anti-democratic, and anti-American ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ across Latin America. President Obama's remarks continue a pattern of weakness in his foreign policy, one that has emboldened adversaries and diminished U.S. influence in every region of the world. As president, I will speak clearly and resolutely on the challenges we face so that both our allies and our adversaries will know where we stand.” President Obama's statement was made in a response to a question about Iran's relationship with Chavez. "We're always concerned about Iran engaging in destabilizing activity around the globe," Obama told a TV host. "But overall my sense is that what Mr. Chávez has done over the last several years has not had a serious national security impact on us. We have to be vigilant. My main concern when it comes to Venezuela is having the Venezuelan people have a voice in their affairs, and that you end up ultimately having fair and free elections, which we don't always see."

To: ManyMoose who wrote (62)	7/12/2012 1:42:38 PM
From: joseffy	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 268

Obama camp: Mitt Romney is ‘scared’ of Venezuela’s Chavez By Olivier Knox news.yahoo.com President Barack Obama's reelection campaign mocked Mitt Romney late Wednesday as being "scared" of Venezuela's anti-American President Hugo Chavez "like he's ten feet tall," the latest rhetorical broadside in an escalating war of words. "Hugo Chavez has become increasingly marginalized and his influence has waned," Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said in a statement. "It's baffling that Mitt Romney is so scared of a leader like Chavez whose power is fading, while Romney continues to remain silent about how to confront al-Qaeda or how to bring our troops home from Afghanistan." The rhetorical rumble began late Tuesday when Obama told a Florida television interviewer that Chavez "has not had a serious national security impact on us." Romney promptly led a chorus of angry Republican charges that Obama had failed to confront the alleged threat posed by the Venezuelan leader as part of a "pattern of weakness" in foreign policy. "People like Hugo Chavez want attention — and that's exactly what Mitt Romney and his supporters gave him today. Governor Romney is only playing into the hands of Chavez by acting like he's ten feet tall," LaBolt said in a sharply personal and mocking counter. "It's disturbing that Mitt Romney is trying to score cheap political points by blustering and misrepresenting the President's record while failing to outline any coherent foreign policy strategy," LaBolt charged. Obama had been asked by Miami's America TeVe if he was concerned about what has been a public show of solidarity between Chavez and Iran. "The truth is that we're always concerned about Iran engaging in destabilizing activity around the globe," the president replied. "But overall my sense is that what Mr. Chavez has done over the last several years has not had a serious national security impact on us." "We have to be vigilant," Obama went on. "My main concern when it comes to Venezuela is having the Venezuelan people have a voice in their affairs and that you end up ultimately having fair and free elections, which we don't always see." In a written statement, Romney assailed what he called "a stunning and shocking comment by the president." "It is disturbing to see him downplaying the threat posed to U.S. interests by a regime that openly wishes us ill. Hugo Chavez has provided safe haven to drug kingpins, encouraged regional terrorist organizations that threaten our allies like Colombia, has strengthened military ties with Iran and helped it evade sanctions, and has allowed a Hezbollah presence within his country's borders," Romney said. "And he is seeking to lead — together with the Castros — a destabilizing, anti-democratic, and anti-American 'Bolivarian Revolution' across Latin America," the former Massachusetts governor said, accusing Obama of having "emboldened adversaries and diminished U.S. influence in every region of the world." Republican Senator Marco Rubio, often listed as a possible Romney running mate, also weighed in. And the Romney campaign released similar statements from surrogates like Republic Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. LaBolt's statement came after White House press secretary Jay Carney punted on the question of why Obama views Chavez as not a serious national security threat. "You know what, I'm going to have to refer you to the State Department on that. I saw that story before I came out, but I haven't -- I didn't read it, so I don't know the underlying aspect of it," Carney said.