Obama Visit to Highlight Ghana Democracy

As Ghana prepares for Friday's arrival of U.S. President Barack Obama, President John Atta Mills says the visit highlights Ghana's democratic credentials.

Members of the Ghanaian group Friends of Obama ride through the streets of the capital on the back of a truck, handing out t-shirts and encouraging people to come out and cheer the American president when he arrives late Friday.

"From the speeches that he was giving, we realized that there was something about this man. That was the 'Yes We Can' spirit," said Friends of Obama organizer Nancy Sam. "He has brought hope to the world. And wherever there is peace, he is coming. Because when you look at African countries, Ghana is one of the peaceful countries. And this tells us that wherever there is peace, President Obama is going there. And with that 'Yes We Can' attitude and speech that he has given, it has motivated us."

President Obama says he chose Ghana as his first stop in Sub-Saharan Africa because he wants to highlight stable countries that are governed well, where leadership is accountable to the people and institutions are stronger than any one person.

President John Atta Mills won election earlier this year in a hard-fought, closely-contested vote that saw the ruling party peacefully concede defeat. President Mills says Ghana is a democratic example that President Obama wants to highlight for the rest of Africa.

"This is the second time in our history that one civilian government has handed over peacefully to another, and I believe that this is something that he wants to commend," President Mills said. "The second one also is our democratic credentials. I believe that this is something that he admires. And he wants to seize the opportunity to send out positive signals - especially to our brothers and sisters in Africa - that this is the way to go."

In an interview with VOA, President Mills says all Ghanaians can be proud that America's first black president chose their nation for his first stop in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"Who in Africa does not want an opportunity to meet President Obama? I am sure there are people who are coming in from our neighboring countries, some I believe from as far as even South Africa. Everyone wants to see him because he is a hero. We regard his coming as a homecoming," the president said.

University student Idrissa Karim says President Obama's visit shows that Ghana is on the right path.

"Considering all the African nations, Barack Obama could not choose any other African nation but Ghana. It tells us how democracy is prevailing, how rule of law is working in Ghana," Karim said.

President Obama meets with President Mills Friday evening before a Saturday breakfast where they will be joined by former Ghanaian leaders John Kufuor and Jerry Rawlings. Mr. Obama is scheduled to give a speech at the international conference center before he and his family visit Cape Coast Castle, from where slaves were shipped across the Atlantic for nearly 300 years.  

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President Barack Obama signs first U.S. climate pact at G-8 meeting

President Obama and leaders of the world's biggest industrialized nations agreed Wednesday to turn down the heat on the planet by going green.

The G-8 nations, whose leaders are meeting in Italy, will seek to cut half of all emissions linked to climate change by 2050.

The agreement calls for halting the world's average temperature from rising 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above current levels by switching to green-energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

It was a landmark move for the U.S., which for decades has resisted joining in on a global climate-change pact. The final accord is expected to be negotiated during a December meeting in Denmark.

The hard part may be convincing emerging industrial powers like China and India to reduce their use of fossil fuels, as well as getting poor countries to embrace green-energy sources to develop their economies.

The leaders also opened the possibility of pumping more cash into the economy, pledging to "take, individually and collectively, the necessary steps to return the global economy to a strong, stable and sustainable growth path."

And they unanimously expressed "serious concern" about Iran's harsh crackdown on postelection protesters.

Meanwhile, the White House announced that Obama will host leaders from nearly 30 countries in March 2010 for a summit on securing nuclear materials and battling atomic smuggling.

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OBAMA AGENDA: GOING GREEN -- OR NOT?

"President Obama and leaders of the world's biggest industrialized nations agreed Wednesday to turn down the heat on the planet by going green," The New York Daily News writes. "The G-8 nations, whose leaders are meeting in Italy, will seek to cut half of all emissions linked to climate change by 2050."

Video: President Obama is in Italy, where key meetings on the global economy and other international issues are under way. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie reports.

But according to the New York Times, “The world’s biggest developing nations, led by China and India, refused Wednesday to commit to specific goals for slashing heat-trapping gases by 2050, undercutting the drive to build a global consensus by the end of this year to reverse the threat of climate change.” 

Brazil's "Silva gave Obama, a big sports fan, an autographed yellow Brazilian soccer jersey at the start of their morning meeting at the G-8 summit in Italy," the AP reports. "In their banter, which reporters partly heard through a translator, Silva spoke animatedly of the June 28 soccer match between the U.S. and Brazilian national teams in the Confederations Cup series. The game was a crushing loss for the underdog Americans, who led at the midway point, 2-0, only to lose 3-2. Silva repeatedly said, 'Yes we can.'"

"Scandalo! President Obama touched off a controversy in Italy yesterday just by praising the integrity of one of his hosts," the New York Post writes. "Arriving at the G8 summit, Obama heaped unusually lavish praise on President Giorgio Napolitano, who holds a figurehead post -- rather than compliment scandal-plagued Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's real leader."

But that's not what's making headlines in Italy's leading newspapers. Corriere della Sera leads with the G8 and the economy, Obama's praise for Italy's "strong leadership" and the group's condemnation of violence in Iran (as well as a cartoon of a giant Obama holding a miniature Berlusconi with little Berlusconi saying "In palma di mano," or "In the palm of hand"). La Repubblica leads with the G8's decision to cap warming by 2 degrees Celsius.

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Obama Issues Veto Threat in Name of National Security

President Obama issued his second-ever veto threat late Wednesday. The Statement of Administration Policy, released by OMB as per usual, cites executive privilege and national security interests in the administration’s desire NOT to allow the expansion of the current “Gang of Eight” lawmakers who are to be notified of covert operations.

Key part of OMB release: 

“Unfortunately, section 321 (Report on Covert Actions) undermines this fundamental compact between the Congress and the President as embodied in Title V of the National Security Act regarding the reporting of sensitive intelligence matters – an arrangement that for decades has balanced congressional oversight responsibilities with the President’s responsibility to protect sensitive national security information…If the final bill presented to the President contains this provision, the President's senior advisors would recommend a veto.” 

FULL SAP:

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503

                                                                                                                                                                                           July 8, 2009

                                                                                                                                                                                           (House Rules)

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

H.R. 2701 – Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010

(Rep. Reyes, D-Texas)

The Administration supports House passage of an Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2010 that would support the Intelligence Community (IC) and the Community’s mission to conduct intelligence activities to protect the Nation.  The Administration appreciates the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's inclusion in H.R. 2701 of many provisions submitted by the Administration. 

Although the Administration is pleased with the many favorable provisions in the bill, the Administration has serious concerns with a number of provisions that would impede the smooth and efficient functioning of the IC and that would raise a number of policy, management, legal, and constitutional concerns.  The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to address these concerns, some of which are outlined below, in order to enhance the effectiveness and capabilities of the IC on behalf of the Nation.

While the Administration appreciates the funding authorized for critical intelligence programs as described in the classified schedule, it has serious concerns with certain funding reductions and other matters in the classified schedule that will be addressed separately by the Administration.

Report on Covert Actions (Section 321).  The Administration strongly objects to section 321, which would replace the current “Gang of 8” notification procedures on covert activities.  There is a long tradition spanning decades of comity between the branches regarding intelligence matters, and the Administration has emphasized the importance of providing timely and complete congressional notification, and using “Gang of 8” limitations only to meet extraordinary circumstances affecting the vital interests of the United States.  Unfortunately, section 321 undermines this fundamental compact between the Congress and the President as embodied in Title V of the National Security Act regarding the reporting of sensitive intelligence matters – an arrangement that for decades has balanced congressional oversight responsibilities with the President’s responsibility to protect sensitive national security information.  Section 321 would run afoul of tradition by restricting an important established means by which the President protects the most sensitive intelligence activities that are carried out in the Nation's vital national security interests.  In addition, the section raises serious constitutional concerns by amending sections 501-503 of the National Security Act of 1947 in ways that would raise significant executive privilege concerns by purporting to require the disclosure of internal Executive branch legal advice and deliberations.  Administrations of both political parties have long recognized the importance of protecting the confidentiality of the Executive Branch's legal advice and deliberations.  If the final bill presented to the President contains this provision, the President's senior advisors would recommend a veto.  

Increased Presidentially Appointed and Senate Confirmed (PAS) positions (Sections 424, 426, and 427).  H.R. 2701 creates five new PAS positions.  Consistent with the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations, the Administration believes that if these provisions were to become law, critical national security positions would remain unfilled for significant periods of time and create disruption across the IC.  Further while the Administration agrees in concept to the establishment of Inspectors General, the Administration would want to work closely with the Congress to harmonize any new roles and responsibilities of a new Inspector General of the National Security Agency with those of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense. 

Prohibiting the Implementation of the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) (Section 304).  The Administration is concerned that section 304 will prevent the IC from transforming itself into a single enterprise that can recruit and retain a competitive workforce to meet national security needs.  The DCIPS is consistent with a broader, long-standing pay-for-performance effort.  In addition, the substantial reduction in funds provided for the IC in transition to pay-for-performance will severely undermine the Administration's efforts to build an intelligence workforce for the 21^st century.  

Personnel Ceiling Adjustments (Section 103).  The Administration objects to section 103.  Congressionally imposed personnel ceilings on IC civilian employment are inflexible, force the use of often more expensive contractors, and severely hinder the IC’s civilian joint duty, student employment, and National Intelligence Reserve Corps (NIRC) programs.

Inspector General for the Intelligence Community (Section 406).  The Administration supports the important work undertaken by Inspectors General in serving as watchdogs for transparency, accountability, and efficiency, and would like to work with the Congress on the optimal approach and authorities for carrying out the important functions of Inspectors General in the context of the IC.  Although the Administration supports section 406’s expansion of the protections and limitations of the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, the Administration is concerned that the bill as drafted could be understood to constrain the President’s constitutional authority to review and, if appropriate, control disclosure of certain classified information.  Administration officials are working closely with Senate and House staff to craft appropriate whistleblower enhancement protections for intelligence community whistleblowers through separate legislative vehicles, H.R. 1507 and S. 372, and urge that the whistleblower enhancement provision in this bill account for Administration proposals offered in those contexts to address constitutional and other concerns with the current formulation.

GAO Review of Intelligence Community Matters (Section 335).  Section 335 would fundamentally shift the long-standing relationship and information flow between the IC and intelligence committee members and staff.  The Administration has committed to be forthcoming with the committees and to provide access to the information they need to conduct their oversight.  The Administration would welcome the opportunity to more fully address this matter before fundamental changes to the oversight process are legislated.

Reporting Requirements (various sections).  The Administration objects to a number of reporting requirements contained in the bill, such as sections 332, 345, 354, and 366, as well as purportedly in the classified annex.  Section 356 would incorporate by reference all reporting requirements in the classified annex into the act, thereby making them a requirement in law.  The Administration objects to the passage of such substantive secret provisions of law.

Further, such a provision would remove the flexibility that Congress and the Executive branch would otherwise have to modify and adapt provisions in the classified annex to meet changing conditions and requirements without seeking a statutory change from the full Congress.

Prohibition on use of funds to provide Miranda warnings to certain persons outside of the United States (Section 504).  The Administration strongly objects to section 504, prohibiting Miranda warnings abroad, which may take the prosecution option off the table in the United States Government's fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates and deny the government an important tool used by the previous Administration to preserve legal options. Indeed, the practice in the previous Administration had been to provide Miranda warnings to persons outside of the United States, recognizing the value of preserving the option to prosecute terrorists in our system of justice.  The Nation needs at itsdisposal every tool in the national security toolbox, including the ability to bring terrorist prosecutions. 

National Security Information (Section 502).  The Administration objects to this section, which would move the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) into the Executive Office of the President.  The Administration is still reviewing how to make the PM-ISE most effective and believes such legislation is premature and could create undue administrative and managerial burdens by creating a completely new category of information for agencies to manage. The Administration would like to work with Congress to meet its goals through non-legislative means.

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Obama faces a day of ever-expanding meetings

Good morning from the Oval in L'Aquila, Italy, scene of the Group of Eight summit. President Obama is spending his day in bigger and bigger diplomatic sessions here, the only day he begins and ends his day in Italy. He arrived Wednesday morning and will leave for Ghana Friday night after meeting Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.
Today's meetings began with a "bilat" -- one-on-one -- with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Highlight: Lula, who said he was inspired by Obama's campaign motto "Yes we can," gave Obama a No. 5 Brazilian yellow soccer jersey, signed by the national team that defeated the U.S. team, 3-2, in last month's Confederation Cup soccer match in Johannesburg. The number carries no significance, Brazilian journalists said.
"Hey, look at this. Beautiful. Alright. Wonderful. I like that," Obama said.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the president closed the meeting by warning Lula that the USA will never relinquish a two-goal lead in soccer again. Lula laughed.

As the day goes on, the meetings will include the original G-8 (United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia); the G-5 emerging economies (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa) plus Egypt; six international organizations,including the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization; the "Junior 8," a group of young people ages 14 to 17 from the same countries; and the Major Economies Forum, which includes 17 nations.

The talks will focus on global economics, trade, climate change and agricultural development in Third World countries. Heavy stuff, but hey, these are world leaders, and they can handle it.
First lady Michelle Obama toured the city center of L'Aquila this morning, as the president did on Wednesday, to view repair efforts from the April 6 earthquake that killed nearly 300 people and left more than 50,000 homeless.

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Obama Tours Earthquake Damage with Berlusconi

President Obama (2nd L) tours the ruined city of Onna near L'Aquila in central Italy July 8, 2009. (REUTERS/Jim Young)

The Post's Michael A. Fletcher is in L'Aquila, Italy, traveling with the president. His pool report from Obama's tour of the town with the Italian prime minister follows:

President Obama joined Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for a tour of the earthquake-shattered center city of L'Aquila.

Walking through the old town's narrow streets in his shirtsleeves, Obama got an up-close look at the damage from the April earthquake that killed nearly 300 people and displaced 65,000 others.

Many of the buildings in the town remain in a state of collapse or partial collapse. Scaffolding lined many others. And piles of rubble were everywhere.

Obama and Burlesconi examined a series of maps displayed in the town square that illustrated the pattern of the seismic damage and buildings that can be repaired.

Obama then expressed his condolences to city officials while thanking rescue workers for their efforts.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all the family members who lost loved ones," Obama said.

He then took pictures with the workers, telling them "Nice job. Keep up the good work."

Obama said the United States has been supportive in the rescue and rebuilding efforts, and he singled out Italian Americans for their help and concern.

The president walked down one narrow street to survey damage of a collapsed government building up close along with Berlusconi and the city's head of civil protection, who led the recovery effort.

The site was about a 15-minute drive from the site of the G-8 meeting.

Also, when Obama arrived in the old town square he was initially apologetic for not wearing a suit coat, when he saw the town's mayor had one on.

"I'm sorry I didn't put on my coat," he said. "I thought we were going to walk." But as it turned out, he did walk.

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Obama Enlists Major Powers to Aid Poor Farmers With $15 Billion

L’AQUILA, Italy — President Obama has enlisted the world’s leading powers to contribute $15 billion to help millions of the world’s poorest farmers grow enough food to feed themselves, American officials said Wednesday.

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Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

President Obama in L’Aquila, Italy, with, from left, Taro Aso of Japan, Stephen Harper of Canada, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia.

 

 

If the assistance is delivered and is in fact mostly new money, it will constitute the largest international effort in decades to combat hunger by investing in the fundamentals of an agricultural economy, including seed, fertilizer, grain storage and research into new plant varieties.

With the ranks of the hungry expected to exceed a billion people this year, the undertaking has great urgency for the bulk of the world’s poor who still live in rural areas.

And it also signals a major change in the United States’ own approach to hunger, which has relied far more on shipping American-grown food to the starving than on helping them grow their own.

This aid package effectively recognizes the growing consensus among philanthropists, economists and African governments that efforts to reduce poverty on the continent are probably doomed without far greater investment in agriculture. While aid to educate the poor and keep them healthy is critical, so is helping millions of farmers grow more food and earn some income.

Mr. Obama, who has made improving the productivity of farmers in the developing world a top priority since taking office, lobbied other world leaders to join him in backing this venture during telephone conversations in recent weeks. Leaders from Italy and Japan, among others, also took the lead in forging a consensus. The resulting commitments, to be unveiled Friday, may be among the most tangible achievements of his first summit meeting with the Group of 8 powers, here in L’Aquila.

“We don’t need fancy computers to solve these problems,” Mr. Obama said in a recent interview with allAfrica.com, which distributes news from across the continent. “We need tried-and-true agricultural methods and technologies that are cheap and are efficient but could have a huge impact in terms of people’s day-to-day well-being.”

The $15 billion, to be spent over three years, would come from the United States and the other Group of 8 members: Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Canada and Japan. They have promised to better coordinate their efforts to avoid a mismatched quilt of programs, with the World Bank in a pivotal role.

Without the details of the financing from each country, it is hard to gauge the actual scale of the new package. Some of the promised aid seems likely to be old money counted as new. An Obama administration official, Michael Froman, said after a briefing on Wednesday that all the United States’ agricultural assistance was being counted as “new money” because the administration could have chosen to spend nothing.

Still, the amount of global aid now given to agriculture, about $5 billion a year, is so low that advocates and charity leaders said the infusion of new money was substantial, even as they insisted that they would need to study the fine print to measure just how significant it would be.

“This is a major initiative and will mark a turning point in the hunger challenge,” said Jeffrey D. Sachs, a Columbia University economist who has long campaigned for increased aid to farmers. “For more than 20 years there was not only a neglect of agriculture, but a reliance on shipping emergency food aid.”

Mr. Obama announced in April that he was asking Congress to double American financial support for agricultural growth in developing countries to more than $1 billion a year in 2010. The American share of the $15 billion Group of 8 program would be $3.5 billion over three years, a sum that includes what the United States already spends annually.

A draft statement said the new program “differs from previous approaches first because we will coordinate at country, regional and global levels and commit to work as partners with all stakeholders.” Also, the statement said, “it is focused squarely on agriculture development, which has for long been neglected.”

Andrew S. Natsios, who led the United States Agency for International Development under President George W. Bush, said, “It’s better late than never.” Mr. Natsios, long a frustrated advocate for agricultural aid, said: “Most of the poorest people in the world are farmers and herders who live in rural areas. Unless you address agriculture, all development programs will be unsustainable.”

Aid for agriculture plummeted by 75 percent from the late 1980s to the early 1990s and remained at a low level, according to a June report by Oxfam International, the aid organization. The amount only recently began creeping up to about $5 billion in 2007.

But the issue did not gain real political traction until last year, when soaring food prices caused a growing number of people to go hungry and contributed to food riots in more than 30 countries.

“That’s what made everybody sit up and say, ‘We can’t just ignore this,’ ” said Julie Howard, executive director of the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, based in Washington.

The worsening global economy this year has pushed even more people into poverty. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that the number of hungry people will grow by almost 100 million this year, reversing a four-decade downward trend.

Some aid experts, like Dr. Helene D. Gayle, president of CARE, the international group, are optimistic about efforts to help poor farmers. Many groups like hers have been working in the countryside for years, hampered by a shortage of money. “We’re not starting from scratch,” she said.

Professor Sachs points to the success of Malawi, in southern Africa, which sharply raised food production by providing widespread subsidies for fertilizer.“You can double, even triple or quadruple food production from one growing season to the next by enabling small-holder farmers to get access to high-yielding seeds, fertilizer and agricultural extension services,” he said.

But William Easterly, a New York University economist, said Mr. Obama should study the past to avoid repeating it.

Robert S. McNamara, the former World Bank president who died Monday, undertook the last great push for investment in African agriculture in the 1970s. Evaluations found that many of those projects failed. They were too complicated. They relied too heavily on Western experts. Sometimes the governments themselves had little commitment to them.

“The curse of aid is that they never learn from history,” Professor Easterly said. “They need to go back and realize a lot of things promised today have been promised before.”

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