tolyan.org

U.S. President Barack Obama says he is determined to ensure there is full accountability for the killing of 16 Afghan civilians Sunday, allegedly at the hands of a U.S. Army sergeant. He told reporters at the White House Tuesday that the United States takes the incident “as seriously as if it were our own citizens and own children who were murdered.” He said the killing of innocent civilians “is outrageous and unacceptable” and does not represent “who we are as a country” or represent the U.S. military.

WASHINGTON — President Obama pledged on Tuesday that a thorough investigation would be conducted into the bloody rampage by an American soldier in Afghanistan. “The United States takes this as seriously as if this was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered,” Mr. Obama said, in his first public remarks since the shooting took place on Sunday. He said he was “heartbroken by the loss of innocent life,” calling it outrageous and unacceptable.

Culture Connoisseur Badge Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment. More about badges | Request a badge Washingtologist Badge Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.
More about badges | Request a badge
Post Writer Badge
This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.
Post Recommended
Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

Alabama voters bow their heads in prayer before the start of the Alabama Republican Presidential Forum on March 12 in Birmingham, Ala. Alabama voters bow their heads in prayer before the start of the Alabama Republican Presidential Forum on March 12 in Birmingham, Ala. It's election day Tuesday — this time in the Deep South as voters in Alabama and Mississippi head to the polls. GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney spent some time campaigning in the two states while Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich blanketed the region.

Reporting from Washington — President Obama ’s reelection campaign is tapping into excitement over the start of March Madness with a challenge to supporters: Best the president in bracket predictions and the campaign will "publish" your name on its website. Termed the "Obama Bracket Challenge," the campaign asks participants to fill out and submit their bracket predictions on the campaign website.

As gasoline prices climb, President Obama 's poll numbers plummet. In February, a Washington Post/ABC poll had Obama up 6 points against Mitt Romney . Monday's poll has him down 2. According to the polls, gas prices are a huge part of the story, particularly given how the last 30 days or so have not exactly been great for the GOP . COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS: Presidential Election 2012

When British Prime Minister David Cameron visits President Barack Obama this week, one detail may stay bottled up: the labels on the wines the White House pours at the state dinner tomorrow night. For Obama’s first three state dinners, honoring the leaders of India, Mexico and China, the White House released the name, year and appellation of wines -- all-American -- paired with each course.

Luke Sharrett for The New York Times President Obama arrived at Richmond International Airport in Virginia on Friday. His job-approval rating has dropped, despite signs of an improving economy, as gas prices rise and tensions with Iran escalate. Despite improving job growth and an extended Republican primary fight dividing his would-be opponents, President Obama is heading into the general election season on treacherous political ground, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

By Ron Kampeas · March 12, 2012 Mitt Romney's campaign has released a six-point rebuttal of the Obama campaign's rebuttals of attacks on the president's Israel policy. (The whole thing is below the jump.) Working off a different document, The Washington Post's fact checker, Glenn Kessler, picks apart Romney points one and three, that the president has been reluctant to sanction and isolate Iran.

Truly, former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the gift that keeps on giving. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina sent an E-mail to supporters Saturday flagging the latest Palin-ism, from an appearance on Sean Hannity's Fox News Channel television show. "She accused President Obama of discrimination, saying he was taking the country back 'to days before the Civil War, when unfortunately too many Americans mistakenly believed that not all men were created equal,'" Messina wrote, adding, "And she wasn't kidding."

Voters in Alabama and Mississippi may still be split on which Republican they want in the White House, but they agree on this much — in their minds, President Obama is a Muslim. A stunning 66% of Mississippi respondents to a survey done ahead of Tuesday’s presidential primary have bought into the false notion that Obama worships Allah, Public Policy Polling reported Monday. Some 36% said they weren’t sure.

The Buckeye State is one of several where women this week will receive mailings promoting Obama's health care initiative. The mailings are being paid for by the Democratic National Committee, an Obama campaign official in Ohio said. According to the New York Times, which broke the story Saturday , the efforts were planned to coincide with the second anniversary of Obama signing the law on March 23, 2010.

Bibi was coming again, and the White House was determined: this visit would not play out like the last one. On Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's previous trip to Washington, Obama had proposed that Israel and the Palestinians negotiate a peace deal based on the armistice lines drawn after Israel ’s birth. Netanyahu reacted badly, lecturing the president publicly that “we can’t go back to those indefensible lines.”

Allauddin Khan/Associated Press United States Army and Afghan soldiers stood guard at a military base in the Panjwai district of Kandahar Province on Sunday.

"Think of this as a place where companies can share access to cutting edge capabilities," Obama told a crowd of nearly 1,500 about the proposed manufacturing institute. "At the same time students and workers are picking up new skills. They're training on state-of-the-art equipment," Obama said. "They're solving some of the most important challenges facing our manufacturers. You've just got all this brain power and skill and experience coming together in this hub."

NCAA Tournament » Cougars’ Hartsock calls president “just another fan in the stands.” Dayton, Ohio • President Barack Obama once confessed to being a big fan of former BYU basketball star Jimmer Fredette, but there’s no telling which teams he will cheer for Tuesday night during the NCAA Tournament’s First Four games at Dayton Arena. Obama is expected to attend both the Western Kentucky-Mississsippi Valley State game (5 p.m. MDT) and the BYU-Iona game (7 p.m. MDT) as the Big Dance gets under way, and he’s bringing British Prime Minister David Cameron with him.

More than half of Americans for the first time expect Barack Obama to be re-elected — but that won’t make it easy: Even as expectations have moved his way, rising gas prices have dented the president’s rating on handling the economy, his overall job approval has slipped back under 50 percent and he’s reverted to a dead heat in public preferences against Mitt Romney.

Hours before the premiere of HBO’s “Game Change,” the Obama campaign released a web ad Saturday focused on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who is portrayed in that premium cable film — fairly, according to her detractors, unfairly per her supporters. “I don’t really want to spend any time on Sarah Palin, but you need to see what she said the other night on Sean Hannity’s show,” Obama campaign manager Jim Messina wrote in the email to supporters.

Analysis: Obama's Afghanistan problem gets worse By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press – 3 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has a PR problem when it comes to Afghanistan, to say the least. Once the must-fight war for America, the decade-long mission has spiraled into a series of U.S. missteps and violent outbreaks that have left few ardent political supporters. After NATO detained a U.S.

By Joan Biskupic WASHINGTON | Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:49pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A little over a year ago, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was on a mission. Along with a group of like-minded officials from other states, she was determined to be the first to test President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law at the U.S. Supreme Court. And she wanted to find the right lawyer to do it.

Government can't keep up with information requests By RICHARD LARDNER, Associated Press – 1 hour ago WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration couldn't keep pace with the increasing number of people asking for copies of government documents, emails, photographs and more under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of the latest federal data by The Associated Press.

The Senate's top Democrat says he has no problem with the decision by President Obama's re-election team against giving money to congressional campaign committees. "They have to guard their money," Reid said told CNN's State of the Union . Reid said he was surprised by the coverage of the decision against contributions to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

President Obama said Monday the United States should not stay in Afghanistan any longer than is absolutely necessary -- but added that he does not want to "rush for the exits" in the wake of a shooting rampage by a U.S. soldier who allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children. "I think it's important for us just to make sure that we are not ... in Afghanistan longer than we need to be," Mr. Obama said in an interview with Denver CBS affiliate KCNC television.

A look at major questions surrounding the decade-long Afghan war: Why is the U.S. in Afghanistan? The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 because the Taliban were harboring al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the Sept. 11 attacks. After the Taliban regrouped in 2005 and 2006, President Barack Obama ramped up U.S. involvement in the war after taking office in 2009.

President Obama said today he is "deeply saddened" by the "tragic and shocking" shooting deaths of Afghanistan civilians by a U.S. soldier, and vowed to hold the perpetrator accountable. "I offer my condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and to the people of Afghanistan, who have endured too much violence and suffering," Obama said in a written statement.

By Jim Snyder - Wed Mar 07 17:56:24 GMT 2012 U.S. House Republicans sought to link rising gasoline prices with President Barack Obama’s restrictions on offshore drilling and denial of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada, an argument rejected by Democrats. The Obama administration lacks the power to stem the increase, Democratic lawmakers said, and an energy analyst said U.S. consumers should get accustomed to price swings at the pump driven by consumers outside the U.S.

Economy adds 227K jobs, jobless rate unchanged (AP) – 1 day ago WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States added 227,000 jobs in February as the nation has put together the strongest three months of job growth since the Great Recession, boding well for President Barack Obama's re-election chances. The unemployment rate stayed at 8.3 percent. It was the first time in six months that the rate did not fall, but that was only because a half-million Americans, perhaps finally seeing hope in the economy, started looking for work.

 REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON -- President Obama said Monday that the massacre of Afghan civilians by an American soldier over the weekend highlights the need for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but he warned against a “rush for the exits.” The U.S. still has a responsibility to proceed gradually and follow a careful withdrawal plan, Obama said in a television interview broadcast Monday evening.

HuffPost's QuickRead... Loading... HuffPost's QuickRead... Loading... 113.9k

President Barack Obama meets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations in New York, September 21, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarqu By Matt Spetalnick and Jeffrey Heller WASHINGTON/OTTAWA | Fri Mar 2, 2012 3:52pm EST WASHINGTON/OTTAWA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama issued his most direct threat yet of U.S. military action against Iran if it builds a nuclear weapon, but in a message to Israel's leader ahead of White House talks he also cautioned against a pre-emptive Israeli strike.