What's this? This is an unbiased just-the-facts news timeline ('newsline') about Barack Obama, created by Newslines contributors. Become a contributor

Barack Obama

Barack Obama216 posts

Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States in 2008, and the first African-American President. He won re-election in 2012. He is married to Michelle Obama, a former lawyer, and has two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

Biography view > Click for Latest News view
28 Aug, 2014

‘Iraqis responsible for their own security’

Makes Statement0 Comments

Obama says that any security gains made by the U.S. against groups like ISIS will be temporary, and that lasting improvements to the situation will need to be domestic:

The idea that the United States or any outside power would perpetually defeat Isis, I think, is unrealistic. We can rout Isis on the ground and keep a lid on things temporarily, but then as soon as we leave, the same problems come back again. We’ve got to make sure Iraqis understand that in the end they are responsible for their own security.

Military options focus on Iraq

Military Action0 Comments

Obama says that while he has asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Martin Dempsey for ‘a range of options’ for confronting ISIS, military plans are currently limited to protecting U.S. personnel in Iraq and do not extend to action in Syria. To reporters:

Our core priority right now is just to make sure our folks are safe

‘Syria plans under development’

0 Comments

The White House clarifies a remark by Obama that ‘we don’t have a strategy yet’ on combating ISIS – also known as ISIL and Islamic State – in Syria, saying that he was referring to plans still under development by the Pentagon. Press Secretary Josh Earnest:

The president was asked a specific question about possible military action in Syria against ISIL, and he was explicit that he is still waiting for plans that are being developed by the Pentagon for military options against ISIL in Syria. But when it comes to confronting ISIL in Iraq, the president has been very clear for months about what our comprehensive strategy is.

29 Aug, 2014

Visits Stonehenge

0 Comments

obama stonePresident Obama takes a guided tour of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England after a NATO conference. He credits the prehistoric monument to be a special place.

Knocked it off the bucket list…It’s spectacular

1 Sep, 2014

Notifies Congress on Amerli air operation

0 Comments

Obama officially notifies Congress that he authorized airstrikes against ISIS and humanitarian airdrops over the weekend in the besieged Shiite Turkmen town of Amerli. White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden says the Amerli operation is…

…consistent with the military missions we have outlined to date in Iraq – to protect U.S. personnel and facilities and to address the humanitarian situation on the ground.

3 Sep, 2014

US will ‘degrade and destroy’ ISIS militants

Makes Statement0 Comments

At a news conference in Estonia, Obama promises to “degrade and destroy” ISIS, the group responsible for beheading a second America journalist, Steven Sotloff.

We will not be intimidated. Those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget and that our reach is long and that justice will be served.

He also vows that the U.S. would continue to lead the battle against “the kind of barbaric and empty vision that [ISIS] represents.”

Orders more troops to Iraq

0 Comments

Obama orders 405 more troops to Iraq to protect the Baghdad Embassy Compound and its support facilities. Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby:

The additional joint forces will come from within the U.S. Central Command area of operations and will include a headquarters element, medical personnel, associated helicopters, and an air liaison team

The troops add to around 775 authorized to deploy to Iraq since mid-June to combat ISIS. The numbers exclude around 100 who are based at the embassy’s Office of Security Cooperation – Iraq.

4 Sep, 2014

The Times commentary

0 Comments

Obama and Cameron write in a commentary for The Times that global security is under threat from Russia’s unilateral actions in the Crimea and Ukraine and the ability of groups like ISIS to develop state-like powers:

The growth of technology and globalisation, for all its great benefits and opportunities, has put power once reserved for States in the hands of the individual, raising the capacity of terrorists to do harm. The utterly despicable murders of two American journalists by ISIL are but the latest evidence of a brutal and poisonous extremism that murders indiscriminately and risks exporting terrorism abroa.

Isolationism has no place in the global era:

Of course there are some who say that we shouldn’t get involved in addressing these threats, that in Britain and America we have done our bit for the world and we should leave today’s problems for others to sort out. … First, those who believe in stepping back and adopting an isolationist approach misunderstand the nature of security in the 21st century. Developments in other parts of the world, particularly in Iraq and Syria threaten our security at home.

They say NATO can adapt to the new global security environment, and renew calls for a rapid response force to tackle the Russian aggression and for member nations to commit to spending 2% of GDP on defense. Military, economic and political force must all be utilized:

We know that terrorist organisations thrive where there is political instability and weak or dysfunctional political institutions. So we must invest in the building blocks of free and open societies, including the creation of a new genuinely inclusive Government in Iraq that can unite all Iraqis, including Sunni, Shia, Kurdish, Christian and other minority populations. When the threats to our security increasingly emanate from outside the borders of our Alliance, we must do more to build partnerships with others around the globe who share our values and want to build a safe, tolerant and peaceful world – that includes supporting the partners who are taking the fight to ISIL on the ground, as we have done by stepping up support for Kurdish and Iraqi Security Forces. And we should use our expertise to provide training and mentoring to forces elsewhere, whether in Georgia or the Middle East, strengthening the capacity of forces there to tackle local threats.

The U.S. and UK will continue to lead the alliance:

… It is only by supporting peace, democracy and human rights around the globe that we will keep British and American families safe today.

5 Sep, 2014

Rubio: Congress doesn’t need to OK airstrikes

Makes Statement0 Comments

Sen. Rubio (R-Fla.) says Obama does not need authorization from Congress to launch airstrikes in Syria, and should act immediately against ISIS. In a letter to Obama:

Just as the U.S. has conducted operations against terrorists elsewhere, there is no legal reason preventing you from targeting ISIL in Syria

6 Sep, 2014

Assembles core coalition

0 Comments

Obama announces the creation of a ‘core coalition’ of nations that will unite to combat ISIS. It comprises of the U.S., UK, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Poland and Demark. He says the group:

Stands ready to confront this terrorist threat with military, intelligence, law enforcement as well as diplomatic efforts.

7 Sep, 2014

Will announce ISIS strategy

0 Comments

Obama says he will announce details in a speech on the U.S. strategy for tackling the threat of ISIS:

What I’m going to be asking the American people to understand is, number one, this is a serious threat. Number two, we have the capacity to deal with it.

The strategy won’t include boots on the ground in Syria but will focus on cooperation with ‘regional partners’ like Iraqi and Kurdish forces and Syrian rebel troops to degrade ISIS’s capacities.

This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war …Over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of ISIS. We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We’re going to shrink the territory that they control. And that’s how we’re going to defeat them.

He says there is no immediate intelligence indicating the group – also known as Islamic State – is planning attacks on U.S. soil, but that if it continues to recruit foreign fighters, it could pose a domestic threat. The U.S. also needs to be aware of ISIS’s social media capacity and its ability to recruit via the internet. Ultimately, the strategy will include going after ISIS targets:

The strategy both for Iraq and for Syria is that we will hunt down ISIS members and assets wherever they are. I will reserve the right to always protect the American people and go after folks who are trying to hurt us wherever they are.

8 Sep, 2014

Will send military aid to Ebola countries

0 Comments

Obama is likely to send US military resources to countries in West Africa affected by the Ebola virus outbreak. Obama stresses that action must be taken now to prevent the disease from spreading. Obama:

If we don’t make that effort now, and this spreads not just through Africa but other parts of the world, there’s the prospect then that the virus mutates. It becomes more easily transmittable. And then it could be a serious danger to the United States.

Domestic violence not acceptable

0 Comments

Obama condemns domestic violence following the Rice incident. Obama implies that domestic violence is contemptible and unacceptable in a civilized society.

Hitting a woman is not something a real man does, and that’s true whether or not an act of violence happens in the public eye, or, far too often, behind closed doors. Stopping domestic violence is something that’s bigger than football – and all of us have a responsibility to put a stop to it.

To expand airstrikes

Military Action0 Comments

The U.S. government is considering a major expansion of airstrikes in Iraq to target ISIS’s logistics hubs and supply lines in operations intended to help the new government retake lost territory. The air campaign has so far been confined to categories such as protecting U.S. personnel in the northern city of Erbil, humanitarian relief operations and defending key infrastructure from ISIS. Obama plans to greenlight ‘sovereignty strikes’ intended to support operations by Iraqi security forces, Kurdish defense fighters and other groups fighting against ISIS. A defense official:

The strikes would support Iraqi forces on the ground and help them take back territory. It opens the aperture.

Officials say the recent strikes aimed at supporting pro-government forces around the Haditha dam – which bring the total number of airstrikes conducted to 143 – are part of the expanded remit for U.S. air power, which is being conducted in line with a growing list of requests from Baghdad as the U.S. seeks to support the new government in diminishing sectarian tensions.

9 Sep, 2014

Congratulates Abadi

0 Comments

A White House statement says that Obama called Abadi shortly after the formation of the new government to congratulate him. The main topic of discussion is the U.S. government’s hopes that the new administration will be more inclusive of Iraq’s various ethnic groups, and that a unity government will help strengthen the fight against ISIS and improve the security situation:

The president applauded the efforts of Prime Minister Abadi and other Iraqi leaders in forming a new, broad-based government, and underscored the need for the United States and Iraq to continue working closely with the international community to build on recent actions to counter the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Phone call with Abbott

0 Comments

Obama and Abbott discuss the Iraq situation in a phone call. Obama thanks Abbott for Australia’s contribution to the fight against ISIS in the form of humanitarian airdrops and weapons deliveries to groups fighting against the extremist organization. Abbott’s office says they discuss cooperation on the security situation in Iraq and Australia’s planned contributions to the ‘core coalition’ of countries fighting ISIS, but that Obama makes no ‘specific request’ regarding Australia’s involvement. White House statement:

The two leaders discussed the need to continue addressing both the ongoing humanitarian situation as well as the threat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) poses to Iraq and the broader region.

Sources: Prepared for Syria strikes

Military Action0 Comments

Obama is prepared to expand airstrikes to Syria in order to combat ISIS and does not believe that he needs approval from Congress, people who participated in talks on the issue say. They say Obama discussed his plans at a White House dinner with a bipartisan group of foreign policy experts and said he has authorization that striking the group on both sides of the Iraqi border to protect U.S. national security. Center for a New American Security CEO and former undersecretary of defense Michèle Flournoy:

This is not an organization that respects international boundaries. You cannot leave them with a safe haven. . . . I expect him to be very candid.

There is no indication that strikes against Syria are imminent. The White House declines comment but Press Secretary Josh earnest says in a media briefing that ISIS is…

…essentially operating in a virtual safe haven in Syria. That’s a dangerous situation.

Poll: ‘Obama is failure’

0 Comments

A Washington Post and ABC News poll finds that Americans say Obama’s presidency is a ‘failure’ by a margin of 52-42. Among registered voters, the split is 55-39 with 41% saying they ‘strongly’ believe Obama has been a failure. It finds that 25% of Democrats say the presidency has been a failure, as do 29% of liberals and 92% of conservative Republicans. But 22% of conservatives and 48% of moderates say Obama has been a success, while only 44% of moderates say he has been a failure.

Backs anti-ISIS measures

0 Comments

House Speaker Boehner, R-Ohio, tells Obama he will back aggressive measures against ISIS including improving the Iraqi army and training and arming moderate Syrian opposition groups. The expression of support comes during a briefing by Obama of Boehner and the other three congressional leaders — House Minority Leader Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Reid, D-Nev. and Senate Minority Leader McConnell, R-Ky. A Boehner aide:

[Boehner] would support the president if he chose to deploy the military to help train and play an advisory role for the Iraqi Security Forces and assist with lethal targeting of [ISIS leaders]

10 Sep, 2014

‘Has the authority to act against ISIS’

Makes Statement0 Comments

The Obama administration says he will ask Congress to quickly authorize training and arming Syrian opposition forces in his prime-time speech on his anti-ISIS strategy due Wednesday night in Washington. The President will push forward on other areas of the anti-ISIS strategy without formal approval from lawmakers, potentially including widening airstrikes in Iraq and possibly expanding the air campaign to Syria. Following an hour-long meeting with congressional leaders, the White House says Obama told them he ‘has the authority he needs to take action,’ but will still welcome action from action from Congress that would…

…aid the overall effort and demonstrate to the world that the United States is united in defeating the threat.