Obama urges North Korea to 'pursue peace or face consequences' as 2012 Nuclear ... - Daily Mail

By Associated Press

PUBLISHED: 00:23 EST, 26 March 2012 | UPDATED: 00:34 EST, 26 March 2012

In a direct challenge to North Korean leaders, President Barack Obama implored them 'to have the courage to pursue peace' while warning of the wrath of the world if they don't. Failure, he said Monday, would mean a future without dignity, respect or hope for its people.

Mr Obama stood by his pledge for a globe without nuclear weapons, declaring flatly that the United States has more than it needs and can cut its arsenal without weakening its security or that of its allies.

That assessment put him on a collision course with congressional Republicans who say any significant cuts would undermine the U.S. ability to deter aggression.

Address: U.S. President Barack Obama gives a lecture as he attends 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies on Monday

As Mr Obama spoke of peace in the midst of an international nuclear summit, tensions rose in the Korean peninsula. Seoul warned it might shoot down a North Korean rocket carrying a satellite if it violates South Korean territory. The United States maintains the launch amounts to a test of North Korea's rocketry.

In unusually personal terms, Mr Obama said he spoke of his wish for further nuclear reductions as the president of the only nation ever to use nuclear weapons, as a commander whose country's nuclear codes are never far from his side, and as a protective father eager to erase the threat of nuclear annihilation.

Broad topics: Mr Obama touched on subjects from terrorism to Iran and North Korea, during a visit to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul

Mr Obama also met on the sidelines of the summit with outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Later he planned to sit down with Chinese President Hu Jintao, whom he was expected to press for help in dealing with North Korea.

'Treaties are binding. Rules will be enforced. And violations will have consequences. Because we refuse to consign ourselves to a future where more and more regimes possess the world's most deadly weapons.'

- President Obama

Still, Mr Obama aimed his most stern remarks to North Korea's leaders, saying the internationally isolated country needs to change its ways because continuing down the same path will lead to 'more broken dreams' and 'more isolation.'

His blunt remarks came a day after he visited the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea and described the experience as akin to witnessing a 'time warp' of despair.

'By now it should be clear,' he said. 'Your provocations and pursuit of nuclear weapons have not achieved the security you seek, they have undermined it. Instead of the dignity you desire, you are more isolated.'

Speaking at Hankuk University, Mr Obama said that the international community has made progress in reducing the threat of nuclear material but says 'we're under no illusions.'

Taking the stage: U.S. President Barack Obama walks out to deliver a speech at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, before attending the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit later in the day

All smiles: Mr Obama greets guests after speaking on nuclear security

Greetings: Mr Obama reaches to shakes hands with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev (right) during a bilateral meeting in Seoul on the sidelines of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit

'Even as we have more work to do, we can already say with confidence that we have more nuclear weapons than we need,' he said. 'I firmly believe that we can ensure the security of the United States and our allies, maintain a strong deterrent against any threat, and still pursue further reductions in our nuclear arsenal.'

Mr Obama also reiterated his warning to Iran, which the U.S. and its allies contend is defying its international obligations by pursuing an illicit nuclear program. Obama said he would discuss Iran in meetings later in the day with the leaders of Russia and China.

'Iran's leaders must understand that there is no escaping the choice before it. Iran must act with the seriousness and sense of urgency that this moment demands,' Obama said. 'Iran must meet its obligations.'

Facing down Iran and North Korea, Mr Obama said a 'new international norm' was emerging to deal with the two nations' intransigence. 'Treaties are binding. Rules will be enforced. And violations will have consequences,' Mr Obama said. 'Because we refuse to consign ourselves to a future where more and more regimes possess the world's most deadly weapons.'

High security: South Korean police patrol outside the venue where the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit takes place

Patrol: South Korean police block off a street in Seoul as the summit gets underway

Armored vehicles: South Korean police guard a street during the summit as world leaders gather in Seoul

Mr Obama said the U.S. was also moving forward with Russia to eliminate enough plutonium for about 17,000 nuclear weapons and turn it into electricity. And he heralded an earlier agreement with Russia to reduce nuclear arsenals under the New START Treaty, which Mr Obama called 'the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades.'

'When we're done, we'll have cut American and Russian deployed nuclear warheads to their lowest levels since the 1950s,' he said.

Mr Obama also prodded Russia in a new way, saying he would seek discussions with Moscow on an unprecedented front: reducing not only strategic nuclear warheads, but also tactical weapons and warheads in reserve. He said he planned to discuss that proposition with Putin when they meet in May.

Mr Obama was to meet later on Monday with outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Former leader Vladimir Putin returns to the presidency later this spring after winning an election held earlier this year.

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Obama wins re-election, says 'best yet to come for USA'... more - TVNZ

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• Obama: 303
• Romney: 203
• To win: 270

7.49pm: Obama tells his supporters: "You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful."

Obama says politics in a country in a size of the US can be "noisy and messy and complicated".

"These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty," he says. "People in distant nations are risking their lives to argue."

He adds: "Despite all our difference, most of us share certain hopes for America's future."

7.44: President Barack Obama tells supporters: "The task of perfecting our union moves forward. It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression."

Obama says Americans "rise and fall together as one people and one nation".

"We have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come."

Obama says he congratulated Romney on a "hard-fought campaign".

"The Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service and that it is an honour and a legacy that we applaud tonight," he says, adding that he will talk to Romney about whether they can work together "to move this country forward".

Obama thanks Joe Biden for being the "best vice president" he could have and pays tribute to his wife Michelle.

"Michelle - I have never loved you more."

7.35pm: President Barack Obama has arrived at his election night event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.18pm: British Prime Minister David Cameron has tweeted his congratulations to Barack Obama: "Warm congratulations to my friend @BarackObama . Look forward to continuing to work together."

7.11pm: US correspondent Jack Tame describes the Romney event in Boston as "pretty bleak". He tweets: "And on that note, we'll join Mitt's masses. Bed awaits. @BreakfastonOne does too."

7.01pm: Romney says it is not a time for partisan divide.

"Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people's work," he says. "I believe in America - I believe in the people of America... and I ran for office because I'm concerned about America."

Romney said he and Ryan had "left everything on the field".

"We have given our all to this campaign. I so wish that I had been able to fulfil your hopes to lead the nation in a different direction."

He concluded: "Thank you. And God bless America."

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.57pm: Romney says he has conceded defeat in a phone call to Obama.

"This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the president will be succesfull in guiding our nation, he tells supporter.

He pays tribute to his running mate, Paul Ryan.

"Besides my wife Anne, Paul is the best choice I have ever made." Romney says his wife "would have been a wonderful first lady."

6.55pm: Mitt Romney is addressing supporters in Boston.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.53pm: Watch our live stream of ABC News for Romney's address at his election night event - expected shortly .

6.52pm: Mitt Romney has officially conceded defeat in a phone call to Barack Obama, ABC News reports.

6.48pm: ABC News calls swing state Virginia (13 votes) for Obama.

6.46pm: US correspondent Jack Tame tweets that Mitt Romney is due to speak in five minutes.

6.42pm: CNN and Sky News are calling Virginia (13 votes) for Obama.

6.40pm: ONE News US correspondent Jack Tame, at the Republican election night event in Boston, tweets : "Crazy night of live tele.. still no word when Romney will concede."

6.37pm: Polling has not all been about who becomes president, US media is reporting that Colorado and Washington look likely to legalise marijuana, while Maryland and Maine are passing same-sex marriage measures.

The Huffington Post reports that Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin has been elected the United States' first openly gay senator.

6.29pm: After media call his victory, Obama tweets: "This happened because of you. Thank you." and later: "We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned, and that's who we are. Thank you. -bo"

6.22pm: Update of projected wins for Romney: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming.

6.19pm: Update of projected wins for Obama: California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

6.13pm: ABC News calls the state of Colorado (9 votes) for Obama.

6.08pm: In Chicago at Obama event headquarters, ONE News political editor Corin Dann says  the mood "is amazing"

"This place is going to go mental." Dann says Obama is expected "any minute now".

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.58pm: BBC News says Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have arrived at the Republican event HQ in Boston.

5.51pm: ABC calls Nevada (6 Electoral College votes) for Obama.

5.48pm: Republican Donald Trump tweets: " We can't let this happen. We should march on Washington and stop this travesty. Our nation is totally divided!"

5.41pm: Filmmaker Michael Moore tweets: "This... Is America. 2012. The old days, the old ways, officially gone. This is who we are now. Sorry, world, that you even had to worry..."

5.39pm: The Democrats tweet: "From all of us at the Democratic Party, thank you. You made this possible. Go celebrate!"

5.30pm: ABC news says Obama is now projected to have 275 Electoral College votes and will be the next president of the United States.

It has called critical swing state Ohio (18 votes), Oregon (7 votes) and Iowa (6 votes) for the Democrat.

5.18pm: CNN calls the election for Barack Obama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.15pm: ABC News calls Missouri (10 votes) and North Carolina (15 votes) for Romney.

5.06pm: ABC News calls California (55 votes), Washington (12 votes), and Hawaii (4) for Obama and Idaho (4 votes) for Romney.

4.56pm: ABC News calls Arizona (11 Electoral College votes) for Romney.

4.51pm: In Wellington, US Ambassador David Heubner tells ONE News Americans "take our politics very seriously".

But he says the day after Election Day "we come back together as Americans".

4.44pm: The BBC's Philippa Thomas says the Obama event in Chicago is officially under way "we hear president's motorcade is moving - perhaps to hotel before here," she tweets.

4.38pm: US correspondent Jack Tame in Boston tells ONE News it's been an anxious wait at Romney headquarters over the last few hours.

"All hopes at the moment pinned on that state of Florida," he says.

4.33pm: As well as watching  ONE News election coverage on TV One and onenews.co.nz you can also w atch a live stream of ABC News .

4.26pm: ABC News calls swing state Wisconsin for Obama (10 votes). The broadcaster says it is now critical for Romney that he wins Ohio.

4.21pm: ABC News calls New Mexico (5 Electoral College votes) for Obama.

4.09pm: ABC calls Montana (3 votes) and Utah (6 votes) for Mitt Romney.

4.01pm: ABC News projects Obama will take the swing state of New Hampshire (4 votes) and  Minnesota (10 votes).

3.35pm: ABC News says about 82% of votes in the swing state of Florida (29 Electoral College votes) have been counted, with the result split almost 50-50. Here is the state's election tracker .

3.30pm: To recap. Obama is projected to win District of Columbia, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania.

Romney is projected to win Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Kansas, Wyoming and Louisiana.

3.25pm: Reuters says that while Pennsylvania traditionally votes Democrat, Romney made a concerted effort to woo voters there.

3.22pm: ABC News projects that Obama has won Pennsylvania (20 votes).

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.20pm: The BBC's Philippa Thomas tweets that she is getting "flashbacks" to the 2000 election, when Florida was forecast and then retracted for Gore. "Everyone ULTRACAUTIOUS now!"

3.18pm: ABC, CNN and NBC project that the Republicans hold control of the US House of Representatives.

3.12pm: ABC News calls Michigan (16 votes) and New York (29 votes) for Obama.

It calls Arkansas (6 votes), Nebraska (5 votes), North Dakota (3 votes), South Dakota (3 votes), Texas (38 votes), Kansas (6 votes) and Wyoming (3 votes) and Louisiana (8 votes) for Romney.

2.57pm: Here's a link to a handy  vote calculator on the US Electoral College's website.

2.54pm: ABC News calls Mississippi for Romney (6 Electoral College votes).

2.34pm: ABC News calls New Jersey for Obama (14 votes) and Alabama (9 votes), Georgia (16 votes) and Tennessee (11 votes) for Romney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.22pm: ABC News calls Connecticut for Obama (7 Electoral College votes).

2.18pm: Polls have now closed in 25 states.

2.18pm: Techcrunch has posted a video of a Pennsylvania voting machine which removed after changing votes for Obama into votes for Romney.

2.14pm: ABC News projects Obama will take  District of Columbia (3 Electoral College votes), Delaware (3 votes), Illinois (20 votes), Massachusetts (11 votes), Maine (4 votes), Maryland (10 votes), Rhode Island (4 votes) and that Romney will take Oklahoma (7 votes).

1.56pm: A Reuters/Ipsos exit poll suggests some 60% of early Ohio voters chose Obama for president, while more than half of Ohioans voting on Election Day chose Romney..

1.53pm: ABC News says Barack Obama is heading home to have dinner with his family.

1.43pm: In contrast to Mitt Romney who says he has only a victory speech prepared, Obama tells Denver TV station FOX31: "You always have two speeches prepared because you can't take anything for granted."

1.41pm : ABC News projects South Carolina for Mitt Romney (9 votes).

1.35pm: ABC News calls West Virginia for Romney (5 votes).

1.17pm: The  ABC calls Vermont for Obama (3 Electoral College votes), with Indiana (11 votes) and Kentucky (8 votes) for Romney.

1.07pm: A Reuters exit poll suggests that firt-time voters have been voting for Obama by a two-to-one margin. It says they are more likely to think the country is on the right track.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.03pm: With polls closed in six states, CNN says Obama is projected to take Vermont - with three Electoral College votes - while Romney is projected to take Kentucky, with 8 Electoral College votes.

12.59pm: The Democrats tweet: "If you're in line to vote, stay put. As long as you're in line when the polls close, you can cast a ballot.

12.48pm: Mitt Romney tells reporters he is "very proud" of his election campaign.

"I'm sure like any campaign, people can talk to mistakes, but that's going to be part of anything that's produced by human beings," he says.

12.44pm: CNN reports that 3% of votes have now been counted in Indiana, with 60% going to Romney and 38% to Obama.

12:40pm: The Huffington Post says voters are reporting 3-hour waits at polling booths in Northern Virginia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12.37pm: New Jersey's chief election official says it had become apparent that the "County Clerks are receiving applications at a rate that outpaces their capacity to process them" without an extension of the current schedule.

12.33pm: The deadline for electronic voting in the state of New Jersey has been extended until 8pm on Friday (2pm Saturday NZT)  in the wake of superstorm Sandy.

12.21pm: BBC correspondent Mark Mardell reports that Romney claims to have written only one speech for election night - a victory speech that runs to 1,118 words.

12.12pm: CNN reports that with just one per cent of the official vote counted in the state of Kentucky, Romney is ahead with 69% to Obama's 29%.

In Indiana - also with one per cent of votes counted - the Republican is also ahead with 59% to Obama's 39%, the broadcaster says.

12.10pm: CNN correspondent Brianna Keilar says Obama's team is a "superstitious bunch" who will see his win in the traditional Election Day basketball as a good omen. "The president, he likes to win," she says.

12.01pm: Basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson tweets: "The future belongs to young people & they're showing up to vote in huge numbers. be a part of this & #VoteObama!

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Obama's "forward agenda" hard to garner 2008 support - Xinhua

by Xinhua writer Sun Hao

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Now it is the turn for U.S. President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats. After Republicans tried "reinventing" their presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the party convention, Obama will his own big moment to present what he called "a new path" with no vague messages during upcoming Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

However, this time around, Obama would have difficulty re- igniting voters' enthusiasm with a "forward" agenda as he did four years ago chanting "hope" and "change".

VISION WITH NEW IDEAS?

Obama will pay a visit to the storm-damaged state of Louisiana on Monday, where Romney took a detour last Friday right after accepting his party's nomination on Thursday night. With official business sandwiched between campaign events, the president has immersed himself in a four-day campaign tour "Road to Charlotte" starting from last Saturday, as a warming up for the upcoming convention. The campaign tour included visits to Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, and Virginia, all of which are swing states that will play a "pivotal role" in a close election, in the words of Obama's campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

During these stops, Obama repeatedly touted his success in cutting taxes, expanding health care, delivering education assistance and bringing U.S. troops back from decade-long wars.

He also seized the opportunity rebutting the "It's Obama's fault" argument that had been frequently used by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his fellow party members during their party convention in Tampa, Florida last week. However, the big moment of Obama's acceptance speech this coming Thursday night in Charlotte will remain the focus.

"Now, on Thursday night, I'm going to offer you what I believe is a better path forward -- a path that will grow this economy and create more jobs and strengthen the middle class. And the good news is you get to choose the path we take," said Obama at a campaign rally at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

He slammed the Republicans for spending "less time talking about what plans they had to actually meet these challenges and solve these problems."

The Obama campaign also dismissed Romney as presenting "not a single idea". "Their pool is like an empty pool with no water and dead leaves and trees in it," said campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Sunday.

Asked by reporters whether Obama meant to deliver any new ideas during the convention, Psaki replied, "The President has been running on his forward-looking agenda for the entire time he's been campaigning. He's been talking about his forward-looking agenda for the last three and a half years."

2008 GLAMOUR HARD TO REPEAT

"Hope and change had a powerful appeal. But tonight I'd ask a simple question: If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn't you feel that way now that he's President Obama?" Romney threw the question to voters when he formally accepted the Republican presidential nomination last Thursday night.

It's a question that the Obama rhetoric has so far failed to rebut.

A latest Pew poll found that about four in ten Americans are interested in following what happens at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, down from 59 percent four years ago when Obama became the party's presidential nominee for the first time.

Right now the incumbent president and the challenger are deadlocked in nationwide voter support. However, a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Obama has to do more to thrill the base during the Democratic National Convention from Tuesday to Thursday in North Carolina. The poll found that the enthusiasm gap between the two rivals has been narrowed significantly after the presidential race geared up to the general election. Currently, 48 percent of Obama supporters are "very enthusiastic" about his candidacy, while 42 percent of Romney backers feel that way about the Republican campaign. In July, Obama led by a 13 points and even by 25 points in May.

Although both sides agreed that economy remains a top issue in this year's election campaign, the poll had even worse news for Obama, who continued to get more negative reviews for the handling of the economy. The only good news is that ratings have not dwindled further.

Romney beat Obama by seven points among registered voters on economy, but Obama still won over him in likeability by a double- digit lead, as well as on social issues.

"To put context in, I agree that Obama is running more against the economy than against Romney. Although his likeability is greater than Romney, but the issue of running economy is hurting him significantly," said James Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University.

He told Xinhua that while there is very little Obama can do in terms of changing economy immediately, "he needs to assure American people that they need to stay in the course with him and it would have been worse if he had not done what he did with the stimulus package."

Since Romney's policies are still quite vague, Thurber said the strategy of Obama campaign strategy has been "what are you exactly going to do to turn the economy around?"

As for the upcoming Democratic convention, Thurber believed it would basically be advertisement time for the Obama and Vice President Joe Biden ticket.

"I don't expect anything as exciting as in 2008," said Thurber, "2008 was a phenomenal election, and a phenomenal convention with a very moving speech by the president. I guess it's hard for him to get back to that level again."

Obama's promises - fulfilled and broken - San Francisco Chronicle

Candidate Barack Obama promised a lot along his historic route to the White House four years ago - 508 promises to be exact, according to the nonpartisan fact-checkers at Politifact.com who tracked the fate of each.

He fulfilled or reached compromise on 73 percent of what he promised, according to Politifact. As Obama begins his second term Monday, his legacy will also be shaped by the broken promises of his first four years in the White House.

He didn't overhaul the nation's immigration system. He didn't close Guantanamo Bay. He didn't "turn the page on the ugly partisanship in Washington, so we can bring Democrats and Republicans together." His pledge to change bankruptcy laws to help more people stay in their homes fizzled.

Still, Obama's success rate on promises is "right in line with other presidents," said Politifact editor Bill Adair, based on conversations with presidential scholars. "Presidents tend to make realistic promises in most cases."

Not too realistic was Obama's pledge to change the tone of Washington. It's worse now than when his predecessor, President George W. Bush, promised to be a "uniter, not a divider." Going back to President Truman, only Bush began his second term with a lower approval ratings (50 percent) than Obama's (52 percent) according to a January Pew Research poll.

"He's always talked a better game than he's delivered," said Morris Fiorina, a senior fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution in Palo Alto and co-author of "Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America." Obama "didn't act enough like a leader" on his civility pledge and other issues. And with an entrenched Republican-controlled House at odds with him on most issues, "it's too late" on this issue, Fiorina added.

Obama's successes were helped by a Democratic-controlled House and Senate in his first two years in Washington. But after the GOP took the House in the 2010 midterm elections - in part because of reaction to passage of the health care reform law - they opposed him at every turn. With Republicans still in control of the House, that is unlikely to change in his second term, analysts say.

5 broken promises

Immigration: In August 2008, Obama told Univision: "I can guarantee that we will have in the first year an immigration bill that I strongly support and that I'm promoting." He did not fulfill what became known as "la promesa de Obama" to many Latino voters.

Obama regained some stature among Latinos when he signed an executive order in June that would defer deportation for young people who entered the United States illegally as children if they met certain requirements. Still, if his GOP challenger Mitt Romney hadn't held such a hard line on immigration policy, Obama's failed "promesa" could have cost him the election if more Latinos had stayed home instead of voting.

"He probably could have done (immigration reform) in his first two years when he had a Democratic Congress, but he chose to concentrate on health care," said Robert Smith, a San Francisco State political science professor, author of the soon-to-be-released "John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Ethnic Incorporation and Avoidance."

Cap-and-trade: In a 2007 speech in New Hampshire, Obama promised to set a "hard cap on all emissions at a level that scientists say is necessary to curb global warming." Led by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House passed cap-and-trade legislation, but Senate Leader Harry Reid did not put it to a vote, saying in June 2010 that he didn't have enough votes in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Obama didn't make it a priority to convince them, analysts said.

Guantanamo Bay: Obama promised to close the prison camp in Cuba where many terrorism-related detainees are being kept. It remains open, housing 166 prisoners.

Smith, among others, said Obama is not entirely to blame. The House has passed a measure prohibiting spending any money on any prison in the United States to house Guantanamo prisoners.

"Obama tried, but Congress wouldn't let him," Smith said.

Housing help: Obama, who was elected weeks after the financial markets crashed and accelerated the home foreclosure crisis, promised to "change the bankruptcy laws to make it easier for families to stay in their homes." Obama set aside $75 billion for a foreclosure-prevention program funded out of the Troubled Asset Relief Program. But instead of lifting up 9 million homeowners as designed, the program helped only 500,000 people get permanent home-loan modifications. The inspector general for the TARP program, Neil Barofsky, called it "a colossal failure."

Medical marijuana: In 2007, Obama said in New Hampshire that he "would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users. It's not a good use of our resources." A 2009 Justice Department memo seemed to confirm as much. But since October 2011, federal prosecutors in California have begun cracking down on medical pot dispensaries in the state's $1.5 billion medical weed industry. There has been little pushback or explanation from the White House.

5 promises kept or compromised

Health care reform: The Affordable Care Act didn't include universal care or a public option that many liberals would have liked, nor the cost containment that others wanted. But Smith said the law will be remembered as the kind of landmark social policy achievement on par with the creation of the Social Security system or Medicare.

Osama bin Laden slain: During an October 2008 presidential debate, Obama said: "If we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act, and we will take them out. We will kill bin Laden." Mission accomplished in 2011.

But part of Obama's statement was that "we will crush al Qaeda." That is a little tougher to call because there are many organizations related to or inspired by al Qaeda. But as the director of the federal National Counterterrorism Center testified before the Senate in September: "The intelligence picture shows that al Qaeda's core is a shadow of its former self and the overall threat from al Qaeda in Pakistan is diminished."

Gay and lesbian issues: In a campaign note to gay and lesbian supporters in February 2008, Obama said: "I have also called for us to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell,' " the policy barring openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people from serving in the military. In 2011, the policy was repealed with his encouragement. Obama also fulfilled his promise not to defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and woman. It remains law as the Supreme Court prepares to hear the case.

Iraq war: Obama promised that he would have combat troops out of Iraq "about 16 months" after he took office. He was a couple of months late.

Bush tax cuts: Count this in the compromise column. Candidate Obama in 2008 promised to repeal the Bush-era tax cuts for families making more than $250,000. After the "fiscal cliff" negotiations last year, he cut a deal. Instead, taxes would rise on families making more than $450,000.

Joe Garofoli is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli

John Boehner, GOP Savaged: 'Humiliating Failure,' 'Disaster' - Huffington Post

John Boehner and his House Republicans woke to a round of epically horrible press about their role in the ongoing shutdown and debt ceiling crisis.

Boehner's failure to corral his members reached a peak on Tuesday when he could not persuade them to go along with a plan to end the shutdown and avert default. The resulting reaction from the media would be enough to make any Republican weep, let alone the already tear-prone speaker.

Politico called Boehner's efforts a "disaster."

The Washington Post described it as a "humiliating failure," and said Boehner and his leadership colleagues had " lost all control of their majority."

An editorial from the arch-conservative Wall Street Journal board fumed about the GOP strategy, saying that the House caucus "might as well hand the Speaker's gavel to Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid" and urging Republicans to give up their fight.

Things were not much better on the morning shows.

"After a shutdown that lasted 16 days, a shutdown led by House Republicans...by the end of today, those Republicans may leave with little to nothing to show for it," NBC's Peter Alexander said.

"House Republicans are the clear losers," was how ABC's Jon Karl put it. "They pushed to the brink and have nothing to show for it."

Even conservative media kingpin Matt Drudge got in on the action:

Speaker Pelosi Part 2: Opening Jan 5. 2015

— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) October 16, 2013

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  Empty tables overlooking Seal Rocks are shown inside the closed Cliff House Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, in San Francisco. The 150-year-old oceanside icon has been ordered closed Wednesday by the National Park Service for the duration of the partial government shutdown, leaving most of the restaurant's 170 employees without work. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

• Lincoln Memorial Cleanup

  Chris Cox of Mount Pleasant, S.C., pushes a cart near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013. Cox has taken it upon himself to mow and clean up the grounds around the Lincoln Memorial during the government shutdown and has worked at least 100 hours, since he started eight days ago. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

• Phoenix Protesters

  As the federal government shutdown continues, Matthew Kay, left, of Arizona FairShare, Ryan Mims, middle, of the American Federation of Government Employees AFL-CIO, and Pat Driscoll, right, of the Veterans Administration, join others as they rally to end the shutdown in front of the Social Security Administration offices on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

• Harry Reid

  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. stands on the Senate steps on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, during a news conference on the ongoing budget battle. President Barack Obama was making plans to talk with Republican lawmakers at the White House in the coming days as pressure builds on both sides to resolve their deadlock over the federal debt limit and the partial government shutdown. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

• Cliff House Closed

  People walk away from the Cliff House after learning that it was closed due to a partial government shutdown Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, in San Francisco. The 150-year-old oceanside icon has been ordered closed Wednesday by the National Park Service for the duration of the shutdown, leaving most of the restaurant's 170 employees without work. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

• Jay Carney

  White House press secretary Jay Carney briefs reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013. Carney opened with remarks on Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki's testimony on Capitol Hill regarding veterans benefits and the partial government shutdown. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Everglades National Park Protesters

  In this aerial photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, participants aboard a portion of the 100 boats protesting the closure of Everglades National Park waters is seen Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, near Islamorada, Fla. AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Andy Newman)

• Harry Reid, Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Barbara Mikulski, Ben Cardin, Vincent Gray, Richard Durbin

  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., joined by Senate Democrats speaks during a news conference on the Senate steps on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct 9, 2013, to urge House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, and House Republicans to break the impasse on a funding bill and stop the government shutdown that is now in its second week. From left are, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray, Reid, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin of Ill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Phoenix Protesters

  As the federal government shutdown continues, Tory Anderson, right, with her kids Audrey, 7, and Kai, 3, of Goodyear, Ariz., join others as they rally for the Alliance of Retired Americans to end the shutdown in front of the Social Security Administration offices on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, in Phoenix. Other groups rallying to end the government shutdown include Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, the American Federation of Government Employees AFL-CIO, and Arizona FairShare. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

• Tom Harkin, Tom Udall, Jack Reed

  From right, Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa arrive for a news conference on the ongoing budget battle, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, on the Senate steps on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Barack Obama was making plans to talk with Republican lawmakers at the White House in the coming days as pressure builds on both sides to resolve their deadlock over the federal debt limit and the partial government shutdown. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

• Vincent Gray, Eleanor Holmes Norton

  Washington, Mayor Vincent Gray, right, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., left, make their way through the crowd after joining Senate Democrats outside the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, to urge House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, and other House Republicans, to break the impasse on a funding bill and stop the government shutdown that is now in its second week. Gray said in a statement Tuesday that the shutdown, now in its second week, is having dire consequences in his city. He said D.C. is the only city in the country where residents are worried that their local government won't be able to provide basic services during the shutdown. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

• Eric Shinseki

  Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, before the House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on the effects the government shutdown is having on benefits and services to veterans. About 3.8 million veterans will not receive disability compensation next month if the partial government shutdown continues into late October, Shinseki told lawmakers Wednesday. Some 315,000 veterans and 202,000 surviving spouses and dependents will see pension payments stopped. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

• Jim Sensenbrenner, Lynn A. Westmoreland

  Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., left, and Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland, R-Ga., right, and other lawmakers, walk to a closed-door Republican strategy session as the partial government shutdown enters its second week with no end in sight, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Capitol Hill

  The U.S. Capitol is seen at sunrise in Washington, D.C., October 8, 2013, on the eighth day of the government shutdown. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

• John Boehner

  U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner speaks at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., October 8, 2013, following a press conference by U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House as the crisis over a U.S. government shutdown and debt ceiling standoff deepens on the 8th day of the shutdown. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

• Barack Obama

  President Barack Obama speaks about the the budget and the partial government shutdown, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, in the Brady Press Room of the White House in Washington. The president said he told House Speaker John Boehner he's willing to negotiate with Republicans on their priorities, but not under the threat of "economic chaos." (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

• Chuck Schumer

  U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) talks to reporters about the government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol October 8, 2013 in Washington, D.C. Democrats and Republicans are still at a stalemate on funding for the federal government as the shutdown goes into eighth day. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

• Obama Press Conference

  U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., October 8, 2013, as the crisis over a U.S. government shutdown and debt ceiling standoff deepens on the 8th day of the shutdown. (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

• CDC

  The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stands behind a street sign marking the agency's entrance, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, in Atlanta. The government shutdown has slowed or halted federal efforts to protect Americans' health and safety, from probes into the cause of transportation and workplace accidents to tracking the flu. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• Grand Canyon

  Ahmed Alaawaj, of Libya, gets his photo taken by Juan Riaz, of Colombia ,at the Grand Canyon National Park entrance, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, in Tusayan, Ariz. The friends traveled from Las Vegas to see the Grand Canyon unknowing it was shut down. The Grand Canyon remains closed to visitors because of the partial government shutdown. (AP Photo/Matt York)

• Grand Canyon

  The Grand Canyon National Park entrance is blocked off, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, in Tusayan, Ariz. The Grand Canyon remains closed to visitors because of the partial government shutdown. (AP Photo/Matt York)

• John Boehner

  House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, as the partial government shutdown enters its second week with no end in sight. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Barack Obama

  President Barack Obama makes a statement about the government shutdown during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, Monday, Oct. 7, 2013. The president thanked workers at the FEMA for doing their jobs under "less than optimal circumstances" during the government shutdown. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Jay Carney

  White House press secretary Jay Carney speaks during his daily news briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 7, 2013. Carney said that the Obama administration plans to release data on health insurance signups through Affordable Care Act exchanges on a monthly basis. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

• The New York Stock Exchange

  Specialist Jason Hardzewicz, left, works with traders at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, Oct. 7, 2013. The stock market is opening sharply lower as the U.S. government heads into a second week of a partial shutdown with no signs of a budget agreement in sight. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

• Farmers Hit Hard

  A farmer dumps corn in a grain trailer as he harvests a field, Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, near Clear Lake, Iowa. Farmers and livestock producers use the reports put out by the National Agriculture Statistics Service to make decisions ? such as how to price crops, which commodities to grow and when to sell them ? as well as track cattle auction prices. Not only has the NASS stopped putting out new reports about demand and supply, exports and prices, but all websites with past information have been taken down. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Furloughed Workers

  Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Catherine Threat greets students as they arrive at Courtenay Elementary Language Arts Center in Chicago Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, in Chicago. The Wisconsin veteran hasn?t let the federal shutdown shut her down. Threat returned from active duty in Afghanistan in July. Since then, she?s been in the Army Reserve and working as a civilian at Fort McCoy in central Wisconsin _ until last week when she was furloughed. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

• Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)

  In this photo provided by CBS News, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks on CBS's "Face the Nation" in Washington on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013. Cornyn said the partial federal government shutdown cannot end without President Barack Obama sitting down with congressional Republicans."What he needs to do is to roll up his sleeves," Cornyn said. "We're not going to resolve this without the president engaging," he said. "So far, he's been AWOL," he added. (AP Photo/CBS News, Chris Usher)

• Dolly Copp Campground

  A United States Forest Service padlock locks the gate at the Dolly Copp campground picnic area in Gorham, N.H. Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013. Some campgrounds in New Hampshire?s White Mountains National Forest will be forced to close ahead of the lucrative Columbus Day weekend because of the federal government shutdown, according to the U.S. Forest Service. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

• Treasury Secretary Jack Lew

  In this Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, photo provided by CBS News U.S. Treasury Jacob Lew speaks on CBS's "Face the Nation" in Washington. Lew said Congress needs to quickly pass legislation re-opening the government and also a measure boosting the nation's $16.7 trillion debt limit. (AP Photo/CBS News, Chris Usher)

• White Mountain National Forest

  Cars drive into the White Mountain National Forest as autumn leaves begin to change colors in Gorham, N.H. Sunday Oct. 6, 2013. Some privately run campgrounds in New Hampshire?s White Mountains National Forest will be forced to close ahead of the lucrative Columbus Day weekend because of the federal government shutdown, according to the U.S. Forest Service. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

• Lake Mead National Recreation Area Protests

  A boat is towed up the Las Vegas Strip with a sign protesting the closure of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, David Becker)

• White Mountain National Forest

  Leaves begin to change colors in the White Mountain National Forest in Randolph, N.H. Sunday Oct. 6, 2013. Some privately run campgrounds in New Hampshire?s White Mountains National Forest will be forced to close ahead of the lucrative Columbus Day weekend because of the federal government shutdown, according to the U.S. Forest Service. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

• Lake Mead National Recreation Area Protests

  A procession of boats are towed up the Las Vegas Strip protesting the closure of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, David Becker)

• Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.)

  With the government shutdown still unresolved, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., leaves the chamber at the end the day, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is covered in morning sunlight as seen from a helicopter window, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, near Tusayan, Ariz. As the 5-day-old government shutdown continues to keep the country's national parks closed, tourists whose bucket list included vistas from the South Rim of the canyon are turning to aerial tours as an alternative way to view the Grand Canyon. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

• Into The Weekend

  Sunrise at the U.S. Capitol as the federal government shut down goes in to its fifth day on October 5, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chris Maddaloni/Getty Images)

• John Boehner

  House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) walks to the House floor on October 5, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chris Maddaloni/Getty Images)

• Nancy Pelosi

  Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC); House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) speak to members of the media during a news conference in the Capitol on October 5, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chris Maddaloni/Getty Images)

• Kevin McCarthy

  House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, (R-CA) speaks to members of the media during a news conference in the Capitol on October 5, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chris Maddaloni/Getty Images)

• Capitol Tourists

  Tourists visit the U.S. Capitol in Washington on October 5, 2013, the fifth day of the government shutdown. The US government shut down for the first time in 17 years on October 1 after lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal by the end of the fiscal year. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

• Eric Cantor

  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) speaks to members of the media during a news conference in the Capitol on October 5, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chris Maddaloni/Getty Images)

• President Obama And Vice President Biden Walk To Lunch As Government Shutdown Continues

  WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 4: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Vice President Joe Biden look over the menu at Taylor Gourmet on Pennsylvania Avenue after walking from the White House for a take-out lunch October 4, 2013 in Washington, DC. Democrats and Republicans are still at a stalemate on funding for the federal government as the shutdown goes into the fourth day. The deli, like many other eateries in Washington, is currently offering a discount for furloughed federal workers. (Photo by Pete Marovich-Pool/Getty Images)

• Government Shutdown Enters Fourth Day With No Resolution

  WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 04: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) speaks at a press conference on the government shutdown October 4, 2013 in Washington, DC. Today marks the fourth day of the government shutdown as Republicans and Democrats remain at an impasse over funding the federal government. Also pictured are Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

• Shutdown Protester

  A protestor holds a sign against the government shutdown in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on October 5, 2013. The U.S. government shut down for the first time in 17 years on October 1 after lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal by the end of the fiscal year. (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

• Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer

  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) (L) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) (R) leave a press conference on the government shutdown October 4, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Cameron Flies To Washington For US Visit - Sky News

Barack Obama and David Cameron are set to discuss foreign policy

5:34am UK, Tuesday March 13, 2012

Dominic Waghorn, US correspondent

David Cameron and Barack Obama have pledged to keep up the "essential relationship" between Britain and America, as the Prime Minister prepares to head to Washington for talks with the President.

Mr Cameron - accompanied by his wife Samantha, Foreign Secretary William Hague and Chancellor George Osborne - will arrive in Washington today for a two-day official visit.

The trip is one level below a full state visit, which only the Queen as Britain's head of state is entitled to in America.

The Camerons have been invited by Barack Obama following the President's visit to the UK in May last year.

The two leaders used a joint article in today's Washington Post to stress the warmth of trans-Atlantic relations.

"The alliance between the United States and Great Britain is a partnership of the heart, bound by the history, traditions and values we share," they wrote.

"But what makes our relationship special - a unique and essential asset for our nations and the world - is that we join hands across so many endeavours.

"Put simply, we count on each other and the world counts on our alliance."

The Camerons and the Obamas in Downing Street last May

The visit will include an official ceremonial welcome including a 19-gun salute, a full state dinner and an unusual flying visit to a basketball tournament in Ohio.

Mr Obama will be whisking the Prime Minister to Dayton Ohio in Air Force One to view the March Madness championships of the college basketball season.

Mrs Cameron will be hosted by America's First Lady, Michelle Obama, on a series of visits to schools, helping promote her drive to prevent childhood obesity.

Away from the ceremony and symbolism, the agenda will be dominated by foreign policy and economic issues.

The world's failure to prevent the Syrian regime butchering its own people will be one issue the two leaders will need to address.

Events in Afghanistan have also made for a sombre backdrop.

The killing of 16 Afghan civilians by a US soldier is complicating efforts to plan for Nato's withdrawal from the country.

There is also mounting concern in Washington about Iran's nuclear programme and the possibility Israel may launch a unilateral operation to strike its facilities with potentially devastating consequences.

Mr Obama will be grateful for any British help in containing both the Iranian nuclear threat and the possibility of Israel taking matters into its own hands.

Both leaders will seek to exploit the political benefits of the visit.

Mr Obama can profit from arriving in a key election battleground state with a world leader on his wing when the two land in Ohio.

With Europe in serious economic and political trouble, Mr Cameron can highlight his party's assiduous cultivation of a more powerful ally on this side of the Atlantic and stress the economic benefits that brings in these troubled times.

The two men are thought to have a businesslike relationship, speaking to each when necessary but avoiding the controversial cosiness Tony Blair shared with George Bush.

But they have plenty in common and a friendship that this visit is likely to deepen.

Terror warning as Obama says war in Afghanistan is nearly over... raising ... - Daily Mail

• 'The Afghan war as we know it is over,' declares President Obama
• David Cameron says plans for withdrawal are 'on track and on target'

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 00:25 EST, 22 May 2012 | UPDATED: 00:25 EST, 22 May 2012

Afghanistan could slip back into the hands of extremists and pose a terrorist threat to  the West when Western troops leave, experts have warned.

David Cameron claimed at a Nato summit yesterday that plans for withdrawal by the end of December 2014 are 'on track and on target'.

Barack Obama went even further, declaring that the allies would soon be able to say: 'The Afghan war as we know it is over.'

'The war is over': President Barack Obama, accompanied by Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking during the meeting on Afghanistan during the NATO Summit in Chicago yesterday

But despite those optimistic statements, the U.S. commander of Nato's troops said they would have to fight their way out of the country.

A senior British official also conceded that it was 'unrealistic' to assume Afghanistan 'is going to be completely secure' or that there would be 'no possibility of a terrorist threat re-emerging'. 

Yesterday's summit was designed to set out a final timetable for the handover to Afghan security forces, which will lead all combat operations by mid-2013.

General John Allen said he 'fully expects that combat is going to continue' past that milestone.

'There is no end of combat before the end of 2014,' he added. 'And in fact, the Taliban will oppose the Afghan National Security Forces after 2014.'

He went on to warn that Nato may need to send more troops to Helmand province, where British forces are currently stationed, if extremists seize ground vacated by the allies.

All smiles: Mr Obama greets participants during the Meeting with Partners event at the Nato Summit. Despite his remarks, experts warned that it was unrealistic to expect Afghanistan to be completely free of terrorism

Round table: Mr Obama is seen speaking on-screen at the meeting yesterday, which was designed to set out a final timetable for the handover to Afghan security forces, which will lead all combat operations by mid-2013

Mr Obama, presiding over a 50-nation war coalition summit in his hometown, summed up the mood by saying the Afghanistan that will be left behind will be stable enough for them to depart - essentially good enough after a decade of war- but still loaded with troubles.

'I don't think there's ever going to be an optimal point where we say, "This is all done. This is perfect. This is just the way we wanted it,''' Mr Obama said. 'This is a process, and it's sometimes a messy process.'

Afghan forces for the first time will take over the lead of the combat mission by the middle of 2013, a milestone moment in a long, costly transition of control.

Even in a backup role, U.S. forces and all the rest will face surprise attacks and bombings until the war's end.

War torn country: Afghan security forces rush to the site of a battle in Kabul. Even if the withdrawal goes to plan, British taxpayers will bankroll the Afghan security forces for years to come

The partners are in essence staying the course on Afghanistan. They stuck with a timeline long established and underscored that there will be no second-guessing the decision about when to leave.

Questioned about what will happen if Afghanistan eventually falls apart, Mr Obama signalled that there is no turning back.

'I think that the timetable that we've established is a sound one, it is a responsible one. Are there risks involved in it? Absolutely.'

Unrest: Hundreds of protesters, many affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement, demonstrate in front of the Boeing headquarters on the second day of the NATO summit yesterday

Mr Cameron insisted that British troops will have completed their mission and can leave 'with their heads held high' – but he conceded that Western leaders would not control the country's fate.

'British troops will no longer be in a combat role beyond the end of 2014,' he said. 'That is our deadline. And at this summit, Nato confirmed it will be the deadline for the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] mission.

'The plan for the transition of full security responsibility from ISAF to the Afghan National Security Forces is on track and on target.'

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Iran says it will let UN nuclear sleuths visit key military site - msnbc.com

DigitalGlobe satellite file image, received courtesy of the Institute for Science and International Security, showing a view of facilities within Parchin, Iran.

Updated at 8:25 a.m. ET: TEHRAN -- Iran said on Tuesday it would let U.N. nuclear investigators visit a military complex where they had been refused access to check intelligence suggesting Tehran has pursued explosives research relevant to nuclear weapons. 

Western diplomats dismissed Iran's statement as a time-buying gambit -- rather than a genuine shift toward nuclear transparency -- with Israel talking increasingly stridently of last-resort military action against its arch-enemy.

---

Diplomats cited a proviso in the statement saying that access to Parchin still hinged on a broader agreement on how to settle outstanding issues which the two sides have long been unable to reach -- an impasse that has put the West and Tehran on a slippery slope toward confrontation.

The West has sharpened sanctions against Iran to block its oil exports, a defiant Tehran has threatened to shut Gulf oil shipping lanes in reprisal while Israel has signaled it is losing patience with efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton accepted an offer to meet Iranian nuclear negotiators to discuss Tehran's nuclear program.

Ashton represents six powers -- the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany -- in dealings with Iran, and her offer of talks came after weeks of consultations with them.

In a meeting between the two world leaders, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not back down from possible military action against Iran, while President Barack Obama said there is a still a window during which sanctions could work. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

An International Atomic Energy Agency report last year said that Iran had built a large containment chamber at Parchin, southeast of Tehran, to conduct explosives tests that are "strong indicators" of efforts to develop an atom bomb.

The IAEA requested access to Parchin during high-level talks in Tehran in February, but the Iranian side did not grant it.

Obama offers Netanyahu assurances over Iran

"...Parchin is a military site and accessing it is a time-consuming process, therefore visits cannot be allowed frequently ... We will allow the IAEA to visit it one more time," Iran's diplomatic mission in Vienna said in a statement, according to ISNA.

It did not give a date for such a visit. Iranian diplomats and IAEA officials were not immediately available for comment.

Western suspicions about activities at Parchin date back to at least 2004, when a prominent nuclear expert assessed that satellite images showed it might be a site for research and experiments applicable to nuclear weapons.

IAEA inspectors did in fact visit Parchin in 2005 but did not see the place where the U.N. watchdog now believes the explosives chamber was built.

The IAEA named Parchin in a detailed report in November that lent independent weight to Western fears that Iran is working to develop an atomic bomb, an allegation Iranian officials deny.

President Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Oval Office and discussed the crisis over potential Iranian nuclear weapons. Msnbc's Thomas Roberts has the latest.

Agency chief Yukiya Amano said on Monday Iran has tripled its monthly production of higher-grade enriched uranium and the U.N. nuclear watchdog had "serious concerns" about possible military dimensions to Tehran's atomic activities.

Israel-U.S. differences
The different announcements and diplomatic moves came as President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended two days of public posturing on Iran without appearing to make much progress. Obama wants Israel to refrain from attacking Iran now, and Netanyahu pointedly refused to make that promise.

At the start of their White House meeting Monday morning, Obama and Netanyahu tried to present a united front on the threat emanating from Iran. The U.S. leader reaffirmed that he would resort to military force, if necessary, to keep Iran from getting a bomb and said the U.S. "always has Israel's back where Israel's security is concerned."

Majority supports military action to prevent Iranian nuclear weapon

But the two men were unable to plaster over differences on how urgently military force might be needed.

President Barack Obama said he's not bluffing about using military action if needed to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

Obama never made a direct, public appeal to Israel's visiting leader, but his message was clear.

"We do believe that there is still a window that allows for a diplomatic resolution to this issue," Obama said before the two-hour meeting with Netanyahu in the Oval Office.

Netanyahu thanked Obama for acknowledging that Israel will make its own choices but, for the second time in two days, ignored the American president's appeal to give diplomacy and sanctions time to percolate. Instead Netanyahu emphasized Israel's right to defend itself militarily and suggested he would not be swayed from going it alone if he thought Israel had to move faster to protect itself.

The very purpose of the Jewish state, he told Obama, is "to restore to the Jewish people control over our destiny," he said.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

• McCain calls for US-led airstrikes on Assad forces
• Dozens arrested at anti-Putin protests
• Bloodhounds used to sniff out people killing elephants for ivory
• Dozens of cops slain at checkpoints in Iraq
• Afghan investigator: US burning of Qurans was intentional

Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Analysis: VP Debate Feisty, Unlike Obama-Romney - NPR

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fierce and focused, Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan gave voters the kind of substantive showdown that was everything the presidential debate was not. Abandoning his boss' caution, Biden uncorked a combative repair job.

"Not a single thing he said is accurate," Biden shot back when Ryan leveled a charge that President Barack Obama was projecting U.S. weakness.

So it went from Biden all night, from taxes to Iran, where he suggested Republicans wanted a war. He looked directly at the camera to implore seniors like him not to trust Ryan on his Medicare plan: "Folks, follow your instincts on this one."

By going all in, Biden aggressively tried to score on two critical fronts: relating Obama's message in more heartfelt terms and blistering Ryan on multiple fronts so that the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, would lose his recent surge.

Yet Biden also opened himself to interpretation, coming across to some as strong and to others as cocky and condescending. In the split-screen view, Biden was often rolling his eyes and smiling or laughing, as if Ryan's responses were beyond belief.

The youthful-looking Republican clearly held his own on the grand stage. The lawmaker from Wisconsin was more at ease on his familiar domestic turf and a little more rehearsed on foreign policy. Staying calm where Biden was incredulous, Ryan still poked.

"I know you're under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground," Ryan chided his opponent at one point, "but I think people would be better served if we don't keep interrupting each other."

That was a reference to Obama's listless showing in last week's debate, which gave a lift to Romney's campaign and set the context for this sole vice presidential debate. Ryan essentially played the role that Obama had tried, making his case without getting too tangled up with his partner.

History shows debates between the running mates have little influence on voters, but this one stood out because it now drives the narrative for at least five days, when Romney and Obama take the stage again.

The debate also signals for voters what's ahead, particularly from Obama, who will try to make up for his bad day with his own more aggressive approach.

Sharply run by ABC News moderator Martha Raddatz, the debate gave people what they wanted to see. Even with all the practice by both candidates, there was spirit and spontaneity. And legitimate differences on matters of life and death.

Biden set the tone by taking a question on the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya and turning it into a defense of Obama's entire national security agenda. He reminded viewers that Obama was willing to chase the Sept. 11 terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden to the end of the earth, and he quoted Romney as essentially saying he wouldn't have done the same.

And it was up to Biden to take the shot Obama did not.

In one of the most memorable moments of the night, he brought up that Romney was videotaped saying that 47 percent of the American people see themselves as government-needy victims.

"These people are my mom and dad," Biden said.

In a ready response, Ryan did more than repeat the line from Romney that he actually cares about 100 percent of Americans. He turned Biden on Biden by telling the gaffe-prone vice president: "I think the vice president very well knows that sometimes the words don't come out of your mouth the right way."

Obama had failed at his central mission of drawing distinctions with Romney in a crisp way that connected with people. The merits of competing tax plans or health care visions do not matter much if a debater meanders into the policy weeds or, even worse, fails to deliver a passionate fight. The president ended up doing both.

His aides look back at the first debate and see missed opportunities. Biden went the other direction, seizing any chance to jump on a Ryan inconsistency.

The danger for the aggressor is that both campaigns know the remaining undecided voters at home want answers for them, not partisan bickering.

Nationally, Romney got a clear national bump from his debate performance. But in the election-deciding battleground states that matter, most polls suggest the first presidential debate has not had a significant impact. Obama still holds an edge in Ohio, considered by both sides to be the keystone to the whole election.

Just as the Obama-Romney debate in Denver a week ago influenced what happened Thursday at Centre College in Danville, Ky., now the cycle spins ahead.

Romney and Obama will meet in New York on Tuesday in the midst of an election that is remarkably tight and, more than ever, a fight.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE — Ben Feller has covered the presidencies of Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/benfellerdc