Obama: ‘Strong Week for American Leadership’
Obama: 'Strong week for American leadership' (The Associated Press)
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Eager to deflect the lame-duck label, President Barack Obama touted his unexpectedly productive swing through the Asia Pacific as a "strong week for American leadership" that produced deals with China and other regional powers on issues like climate change, trade and economic growth.
But even before Air Force One departed Australia, where Obama attended the Group of 20 economic forum, the president already was eyeing confrontations in Washington with congressional Republicans on immigration and the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
On vexing foreign policy matters, he bluntly accused Russia of failing to live up to a cease-fire with Ukraine but offered no new options for stopping Moscow's alleged provocations. And he shut down speculation that he was considering ways to remove Syrian President Bashar Assad from office while accusing the embattled leader of ruthlessly murdering tens of thousands of his own citizens.
