U.S. President Barack Obama says the U.S. will "rethink" its options for dealing with Syria if it can establish that the government of President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against its people.President Obama repeated to a news conference Tuesday - 100 days into his second term - that the use of chemical weapons would be a "game changer," but he said he needed to get all the facts.
Speaking at the White House, Mr. Obama said as early as last year, he asked the Pentagon, military and intelligence officials to prepare for him what options might be available. But he refused to go into detail about what kind of military actions might be involved.
He said the U.S. is already "deeply engaged" in trying to bring about a solution in Syria.
Boston bombing
President Obama says Russia has been "very cooperative" with U.S. authorities since the deadly twin bombing earlier this month at the Boston Marathon, allegedly carried out by two ethnically Chechen brothers.
Obama said suspicions still remain between U.S. and Russian intelligence and law enforcement agencies that date back 20 to 30 years to the Cold War, but he said relations are continually improving.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin is committed to working to make sure Russian authorities cooperate fully with the Boston investigation.
On Americans' response to the bombings, he said one of the things he has been most proud to see is a sense of "resilience and toughness."
He said Americans are not going to be intimidated and will continue to live their lives, while doing everything possible to prevent future attacks.
Budget woes
President Obama says there are "commonsense solutions" to the United States' budget and economic problems, but that he cannot force Republicans to embrace them.
Obama told reporters at Tuesday's news conference that he can urge lawmakers to take steps to solve the nation's budget problems, but ultimately, they themselves are going to have to say they want to "do the right thing."
He said Congress is not fixing spending and that lawmakers are choosing between "pain now and pain later."
Guantanamo
President Obama says the Guantanamo prison should be closed.
Speaking to reporters at a White House news conference, he said, "Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe ... it hurts us in terms of our international standing. It is a recrutment tool for extremists."
He added, "The notion we are going to keep 100 individuals in perpetuity in no man's land ... is contrary to who we are and contrary to our interests."
When asked about force feeding of hunger strikers at Guantanamo, he said, "I do not want these individuals to die."
Speaking at the White House, Mr. Obama said as early as last year, he asked the Pentagon, military and intelligence officials to prepare for him what options might be available. But he refused to go into detail about what kind of military actions might be involved.
He said the U.S. is already "deeply engaged" in trying to bring about a solution in Syria.
Boston bombing
President Obama says Russia has been "very cooperative" with U.S. authorities since the deadly twin bombing earlier this month at the Boston Marathon, allegedly carried out by two ethnically Chechen brothers.
Obama said suspicions still remain between U.S. and Russian intelligence and law enforcement agencies that date back 20 to 30 years to the Cold War, but he said relations are continually improving.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin is committed to working to make sure Russian authorities cooperate fully with the Boston investigation.
On Americans' response to the bombings, he said one of the things he has been most proud to see is a sense of "resilience and toughness."
He said Americans are not going to be intimidated and will continue to live their lives, while doing everything possible to prevent future attacks.
Budget woes
President Obama says there are "commonsense solutions" to the United States' budget and economic problems, but that he cannot force Republicans to embrace them.
Obama told reporters at Tuesday's news conference that he can urge lawmakers to take steps to solve the nation's budget problems, but ultimately, they themselves are going to have to say they want to "do the right thing."
He said Congress is not fixing spending and that lawmakers are choosing between "pain now and pain later."
Guantanamo
President Obama says the Guantanamo prison should be closed.
Speaking to reporters at a White House news conference, he said, "Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe ... it hurts us in terms of our international standing. It is a recrutment tool for extremists."
He added, "The notion we are going to keep 100 individuals in perpetuity in no man's land ... is contrary to who we are and contrary to our interests."
When asked about force feeding of hunger strikers at Guantanamo, he said, "I do not want these individuals to die."