Obama cites apparent al-Qaida link in bomb plot – Yahoo! News
HONOLULU – An al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen apparently ordered the Christmas Day plot against a U.S. airliner, training and arming the 23-year-old Nigerian man accused in the failed bombing, President Barack Obama said Saturday.
In his most direct public language to date, Obama described the path through Yemen of Abdulmutallab. He also emphasized that the United States would continue its partnerships with friendly countries — citing Yemen, in particular — to fight terrorists and extremist groups.
Obama’s homeland security team has been piecing together just how Abdulmutallab was able to get on the plane. A top counterterrorism official said Saturday that al-Qaida and others extremists are working to test U.S. defenses and launch an attack on American soil.
The failed attempt against the plane “is the starkest of reminders of the insidious terrorist threats we face,” said Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center. A senior administration official had said the United States increasingly was confident of a link between Abdulmutallab and an al-Qaida affiliate, but Obama’s statement was the strongest connection between the two. The official said regular updates from the White House Situation Room and from his homeland security advisers gave Obama enough confidence to use this radio address — typically, focused on domestic priorities — to communicate a stark message about Abdulmutallab.
It appears that he joined an affiliate of al-Qaida, and that this group — al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula — trained him, equipped him with those explosives and directed him to attack that plane headed for America,” the president said in his weekly radio and Internet address. Officials have said Abdulmutallab’s father warned the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria that his son had drifted into extremism in the al-Qaida hotbed of Yemen. Intelligence officials prepared for what was shaping up to be uncomfortable hearings before Congress about miscommunication among anti-terror agencies and sweeping changes expected under Obama’s watch.
Obama noted that in recent years, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen has bombed government facilities there as well as Western hotels, restaurants and embassies. The United States provided Yemen $67 million in training and support under the Pentagon’s counterterrorism program last year. Obama said the money had been well spent: “Training camps have been struck, leaders eliminated, plots disrupted. Petraeus arrived in Yemen on Saturday and met with President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Yemeni government official said. Security officials in Yemen said Saturday the government deployed several hundred extra troops to two mountainous eastern provinces that are al-Qaida’s main strongholds in the country and where Abdulmutallab may have visited.
___
Obama address: http://www.whitehouse.gov
YAHOO!
RELATED VIDEOS
President Obama Updates the Press 12/29 
Terrorist Threat Before New Year 
The pentagon was not hit by a airliner. See for yourself 
TO PRESIDENT ALI ABDULLAH SALEH RELATED BLOGS
Seven Reasons I'm Voting for Barack Obama for President | Barack …
I’m voting for Barack Obama this November 4th for President of the United States. What follows in this article are 7 of the many reasons I am voting for Obama and not John McCain. 1. Obama was against the Iraq war from the start.
Electronic Village: Happy New Year from President Barack Obama (Video)
(Th)ink by Keith Knight: Raparations · Happy New Year from President Barack Obama (Video)… Taser Death: Stephen Palmer (Stamford CT) · 59 Taser-Related Deaths in the United States …
Michelle Obama Wife of The President Barack Obama | Barack Obama …
Michelle Obama is the Unites States first African-American First Lady and is the wife of President Obama. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. She met President Obama when she worked in a law firm in Sidley …
In Full: Obama Health Care Address | Barack Obama | Obama Politics …
During a special full-length primetime broadcast, President Barack Obama addressed the US Congress in order to tackle concerns over the ongoing legislation and debates over health care reform.
Transcript: President Barack Obama | The Fight Against Al Qaeda
Weekly Address: President Obama Outlines Steps Taken to Protect the Safety and Security of the American People In his weekly address, President Barack Obama discussed his responsibility to protect the nation and the steps the …
INNER TOOB: AS SEEN ON TV: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. AS SEEN IN: ‘Doctor Who’ AS PLAYED BY: Physically: TBD, John Simm Vocally: President Obama, John Simm Until “The End Of Time (Part One)”, RTD was content in using fictional presidents for the United States (one …
Obama takes daughters for shave ice treat – Yahoo! News
KAILUA, Hawaii – President Barack Obama took his daughters and friends Friday to sample a Hawaiian delicacy of ice shavings and flavored syrup, joshing with his group about winning college football teams on New Year’s Day.
Obama and about 20 people drove to a shave ice store the president has visited during past trips to Hawaii. “It’s the Snowbama,” Obama said, noting that the store lists the combination on its menu.
“I like my shave ice straight, no frills,” said a casual Obama, wearing a white T-shirt, khaki shorts and sandals.
While waiting in line Obama teased a friend who rooted for Oregon.
YAHOO!
RELATED VIDEOS
A Look At The First Family’s Christmas In Hawaii 
David Letterman and President Barack Obama – 09/21/09 
Lungren Exploits Ethics Loophole for Free Trip to Hawaii 
JULIAN SMITH – 25 Things I Hate About Facebook RELATED BLOGS
First Lady Michelle Obama on Iron Chef America – What is she …
Michelle Obama, America’s First Lady, will be a guest of ”Iron Chef America,†a show I have never watched on the Food Network.
Mirror On America: News for Admirers of First Lady Michelle Obama
News for Admirers of First Lady Michelle Obama. From Michelle Obama Watch: Happy New Year From Michelle Obama Watch: BIG NEWS on 2010 Expansion into Television This is Gina. Whooo Hooo! Goodbye 2009 hello 2010. …
First Lady Michelle Obama Shrinking in Polls Thanks to Anchor …
Wow, First Lady Michelle Obama is sinking in the polls too and she has not even done anything. I guess she has her hubby, Barack Hussein Obama to thank. Michelle can’t blame it on RIO; however, she can blame it on her husbands …
» Fashion Spotlight Slideshow: First Lady Michelle Obama …
Fashion Spotlight Slideshow: First Lady Michelle Obama Examiner.com. It has been one year since Obama has put her own stamp on her fashion choices by famous designers, that has made an impression around the world. …
Presidential Holiday Address Featuring First Lady Michelle Obama …
Remarks of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama Weekly Address December 24, 2009. PRESIDENT: Hello everyone, and Merry Christmas. As you and your families gather to celebrate the holidays, we wanted to take a moment to …
Fashion Spotlight Slideshow: First Lady Michelle Obama – Examiner …
Examiner.comFashion Spotlight Slideshow: First Lady Michelle ObamaExaminer.comIt has been one year since Obama has put her own stamp on her fashion choices by.
Obama wishes US a happy New Year – Yahoo! News
HONOLULU – President Barack Obama is wishing the nation a happy New Year with “brighter days … ahead of us.”
The White House released the message while Obama and his family are on vacation in Hawaii, the state where he lived as a child.
YAHOO!
RELATED VIDEOS
US National Anthem by the Academy Choirs 
AP Top Stories RELATED BLOGS
Michelle Obama Wife of The President Barack Obama | Barack Obama …
Michelle Obama is the Unites States first African-American First Lady and is the wife of President Obama. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. She met President Obama when she worked in a law firm in Sidley …
A Biography of President Elect Barack Obama | Barack Obama | Obama …
Barack Hussein Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father was a black man (also named Barack Hussein Obama) born in Africa and his mother was a white woman born in Kansas. Obama’s father and his mother separated …
President Barack Obama #44 | Barack Obama | Obama Politics …
It is finished- the campaigning. Now Barack H. Obama is the 44th president of the United States. The 43rd president is back home in Texas, albeit Midland. And George will get to see the house that his wife bought in Dallas for the first …
This Week With Barack Obama: New Year's message from President …
This Week With Barack Obama. A continuous roundup of information on President Barack Obama. The 44th President of the United States of America. President Barack Obama. Vice President Joe Biden. First Lady Michelle Obama. Dr. Jill Biden …
President Barack Obama's Federal Scholarships for Mothers Program …
If you are a working mother (or even housewife) and you want to go back to school to earn a degree and get a job but you don’t have funds for it, then you are the perfect candidate for President Obama’s student scholarship grant …
Cool Unique Barack Obama Apparel Gifts & T-shirts on Sale | Barack …
Today in history, November 4, 2008, the presidential election of 2008 will place an asterisk in the history of US Presidents next to the 44th President as the first black American President, Barack Obama. His name will be found on lists …
13 state AGs threaten suit over health care deal – Yahoo! News
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Republican attorneys general in 13 states say congressional leaders must remove Nebraska’s political deal from the federal health care reform bill or face legal action, according to a letter provided to The Associated Press Wednesday.
“We believe this provision is constitutionally flawed,” South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster and the 12 other attorneys general wrote in the letter to be sent Wednesday night to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
“As chief legal officers of our states we are contemplating a legal challenge to this provision and we ask you to take action to render this challenge unnecessary by striking that provision,” they wrote.
In a rare Christmas Eve vote, Senate Democrats pushed sweeping health care legislation to the brink of Senate passage, crushing a year-end Republican filibuster against President Barack Obama’s call to remake the nation’s health care system. The letter was signed by top prosecutors in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington state. All are Republicans, and McMaster and the attorneys general of Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania are running for governor in their respective states.
Republican U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint of South Carolina raised questions about the legislation, which they said was amended to win Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson’s support.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said the letter was a political ploy.
“If Henry McMaster wants to write federal law he should run for Congress not governor.”
While it’s not uncommon for states to challenge federal laws in court, one legal expert said political bluster was likely behind the letter.
YAHOO!
RELATED VIDEOS
REID: GOP’s "Love Affair with Big Oil" Stops Energy Reform 
Does Speaker Nancy Pelosi Dodge Health Care Question? 
House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn on MSNBC’s Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann 10-21-09 
Small Businesses & Health Care RELATED BLOGS
The Senate Majority Leader's Oh-No Vote – Prescriptions Blog …
In a moment of exhaustion, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, briefly voted against his own bill. Then, giving a big shrug, he changed his mind. His colleagues on both sides of the aisle cracked up.
The impudent TRYANNY of Harry Reid
Examiner Editorial December 23, 2009 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is proving once again the maxim that darkness hates the light. Buried.
Health reform: Reid's lasting Senate fight – McKnight's Long Term …
These have been trying times for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). … Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). More In News. 60 Seconds with… Problems still hanging over feds’ Five-Star rating system · Providers: Five-Star …
Has Democrat Senate Majority leader Harry Reid ever retracted his …
Will he do anything to make sure that the Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq?
After criticism, Majority Leader Reid vindicated by wee hour …
After criticism, Majority Leader Reid vindicated by wee hour health vote. By Alexander Bolton – 12/21/09 03:23 AM ET. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) scored the biggest victory of his tenure as Senate Democratic leader early Monday when every …
Could it be said that Harry Reid, Chm Senate Democrats, typifies …
“The Capitol Visitors Center, which opened this morning, may have tripled its original budget and fallen years behind schedule, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid found a silver lining for members of Congress: TOURIST WON’T OFFEND …
