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Welcoming the Press: President Obama Holds First 2012 News Conference

Lindsay Matthews
March 07, 2012
05:15 PM EST

President Obama welcomed questions from the press Wednesday, in his first news conference of the new year, just days after the AIPAC Policy Conference and a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Before taking questions, the President announced a series of reformative housing steps aimed at American service members, veterans and their families.

Watch footage from the entire news conference or jump to specific questions posed by reporters:

Download Video: mp4 (1536MB) | mp3 (40MB)

A little less than a year ago Moammar Qaddafi gave a speech, saying: he was going to send his forces to Benghazi, he was going to rout opponents from their bedrooms and he was going to shoot them. You cited that speech as a justification for NATO, the no-fly zone and military action against Libya. In Syria, there's a massacre underway, and your critics say you should start air strikes now.
What kind of assurances did you give Prime Minister Netanyahu about the role that the U.S. would play if diplomacy and economic sanctions fail to work to convince Iran's leaders to change their behavior, and Israel goes ahead and prepares to strike a nuclear facility
The morning, U.S. and its allies are returned to the table, and are taking up Iran’s offer to talk again. Is this Iran’s last chance to negotiate an end to this nuclear question?
You have said repeatedly you have Israel’s back -- why you have not visited Israel as President? And related to Iran and Israel, you have expressed concern about this loose talk of war driving up gas prices further. Critics say you want gas prices to go higher because that will wean the American people off fossil fuels, onto renewable fuels.
Do you believe Rush Limbaugh's apology to the Georgetown law student was sufficient and heartfelt? Do you agree with the decision of the growing number of sponsors that have decided to drop his show or stop supporting his show? And has there been a double standard on this issue?
Do you agree with the chair of your Democratic National Committee that there is a war on women? Or is it a war for the womens' vote?
Mr. President, polls are showing that Latino voters seem to be favoring your reelection over a Republican alternative. Some have said they're disappointed about a promise that you've made on immigration reform that has yet to come to pass. If you are reelected, what would you do differently to get immigration reform passed through the Congress?
Today is Super Tuesday, so I wonder if you might weigh in on some of your potential Republican opponents. What yould you like to say to them?
People of Chicago would like to know what do you know now that you did not know when you booked hometown Chicago for the G8 that led to the switch? And what role did security threats possibly play in the decision?
When the NATO leaders gather in Chicago in May, do you expect that they'll be able to agree on a transition strategy? And are you concerned that the Koran burning and the episodes that have followed threaten your ability to negotiate with partners?
Are these bumps along the road, or are you seeing a deterioration in the relationship, that inhibits your ability to work out things like how to hand off the detention center?

Related Topics: Economy, Financial Reform, Foreign Policy, Veterans, Women

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