WASHINGTON  – President Barack Obama said Friday the United States and Germany share “one voice” in condemning the Iranian effort to crush dissent. He said Iran’s leaders cannot hide the “outrageous” behavior of clamping down violently on their people.

“We see it and we condemn it,” Obama said.

Obama spoke in a joint White House appearance with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after they conferred privately. The two leaders have met three times since Obama took office, allies linked by such international troubles as the war in Afghanistan and a worldwide recession.

Keeping pressure on Iran, Obama hailed the Iranian people.

“Their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice,” Obama said.

“The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. In spite of the government’s efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it,” he said.

Merkel backed Obama’s stand. And she said Iran must be kept from getting a nuclear weapon.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama described himself on Tuesday as being “entirely consistent” in his expressions of concern about the disputed Iranian election and the government crackdown that followed street protests. But his language clearly has gotten tougher since his first statement that the suppression of dissent was “of concern to me.”

In Tuesday’s news conference, Obama was asked whether he had soft-pedaled his public reactions to postelection unrest in Iraq. The president correctly recalled that he had initially expressed deep concern about the election. And he has consistently made the point that he would not allow the Iranians to use the American government as a foil to undermine the legitimacy of the protesters.

Obama shifted some of his emphasis to condemnation of the violence. In a June 16 statement, for example, he said suppression of peaceful dissent “is of concern to me.” On Tuesday he was more forceful, saying the U.S. is “appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings and imprisonments” of protesters. And he cited the “searing image” shown on TV of a female Iranian protester “bleeding to death on the streets.”

A look at some of Obama’s other claims Tuesday:
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OBAMA: Speaking about a climate bill coming up for action in the House this week, he said: “At a time of great fiscal challenges, this legislation is paid for by the polluters who currently emit the dangerous carbon emissions that contaminate the water we drink and pollute the air that we breathe.”

THE FACTS: Carbon dioxide is not directly harmful to humans’ air and water in the way of traditional pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide or mercury. Carbon dioxide has no direct effect on drinking-water quality, but is likely to affect how much is available. Carbon dioxide in itself is not harmful when inhaled in normal amounts, but increased warming from carbon dioxide increases harmful smog.

The gas that is exhaled every time a person breathes, and released by the burning of fossil fuels, is primarily considered a pollutant because as it builds up in the atmosphere it raises the temperature of the planet.

Research has shown that the warmer temperatures caused by the buildup of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases can reduce the amount of oxygen in lakes, rivers and reservoirs making it difficult for fish and other living things to survive. The increased rainfall expected to come with global warming could also wash more pollutants into waterways, but more rain could also dilute pollution such as pesticides, sediment and fertilizer.

When it comes to air pollution, warmer temperatures can worsen smog and other air-quality problems.

But carbon dioxide itself does not taint water or pollute the air. It is the warming it contributes to that can.
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OBAMA: “We must preserve what’s best” about the current health care system, and that means “allowing Americans who like their doctor and their health care plan to keep them.” He added: “If your employer is providing you good health insurance, we’re not going to mess with it.”

THE FACTS: This is a pledge that’s beyond the president’s power to keep. Health care coverage for 160 million people is provided by employers, and Obama’s plan leaves companies free to change their health plans in ways that workers may not like, or to drop insurance altogether. In addition, his health care plan is only that – an idea proposed by the administration – and is subject to reworking by Congress. A preliminary analysis by the Congressional Budget Office estimates that a Democratic plan being worked on in the Senate would force 10 million Americans to seek new coverage because their employers would no longer offer it.
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OBAMA: Taxpayers would not have had to bear the burden of bailing out companies such as insurance giant American International Group Inc. if the federal government had the legal ability to unwind large failing companies in the same way that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. can use banking industry money to pay the costs of intervening in failing banks. “We want that power to be available so that taxpayers aren’t on the hook,” he said.

FACT: The administration has indeed proposed a plan to take over and either liquidate or restructure large interconnected companies whose failure could damage the economy. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the costs of such an action would be recouped over time by assessing a fee to other large institutions. But as Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., pointed out last week, taxpayers would still have to cover the costs of such an expensive intervention until the industry fees are collected. During that period, taxpayers would be on the hook.

WASHINGTON  – U.S. government officials were unusually tight-lipped about Iran’s missile test Wednesday as they worked to study details of the launch.

Two officials confirmed the launch had taken place, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on the record.

“It appears the test was a success,” one official said. “It appears they launched a medium-range missile.”

The U.S. officials said they were trying to determine the missile’s range, trajectory and other details.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the launch was a successful test-firing of a new advanced missile with a range of about 1,200 miles, capable of reaching Israel and U.S. Mideast bases.

The announcement comes less than a month before Iran’s presidential election and just two days after President Barack Obama declared a readiness to seek deeper international sanctions against Tehran if it did not respond positively to U.S. attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear program.

Some dozen hours after the test, numerous U.S. defense and intelligence officials declined to even acknowledge the Iranian launch had occurred. Some referred calls to the White House and State Department, a sign of how politically sensitive the development is to the Obama administration and its continuing efforts to deal with Iran’s reported efforts to build nuclear weapons.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman would not confirm the launch but said the U.S. is aware of Iran’s pursuit of ballistic missiles.

“Our concerns are obviously based on nuclear ambitions and the implications that long- and medium-range missiles have with respect to that,” Whitman told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

He added: “Iran is at a bit of a crossroads. They have a choice to make. They can either continue on this path of continued destabilization in the region or they can decide that they want to pursue relationships with the counties in the region and the United States that are more normalized.”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, apppearing Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee, also said nothing about the Iranian launch when Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) raised the issue during questioning.

But Clinton did cite the issue generally, saying that a nuclear-armed Iran is “going to spark an arms race” in the Middle East.

Without commenting directly on the missile launch reports, Clinton referred Wednesday to a host of threats to the United States that she said are “daunting.”

Clinton reiterated that the Obama administration opposes Iran getting a nuclear weapons capability and that it is relying for now on diplomatic pressure to stop it.

She described a nuclear capability as an “extraordinary threat.” And Clinton said that the U.S. goal is “to persuade the Iranian regime that they will actually be less secure if they proceed with their nuclear weapons program.”

WASHINGTON  – Israel’s president charged Monday that Iran’s nuclear program threatens the United States, Europe and Arab nations, as well as Israel.

“The fanatic rulers of Iran are on the wrong side of history,” Shimon Peres told a convention of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby in Washington.

“In addition to their nuclear option, they invest huge capital in long-range missiles,” he said, asserting that Iran is not threatened by anybody. He said that “Iran funds and arms Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza to spread divisions in Lebanon and among the Palestinians, divisions and terror.”

Peres said, “Their agents target Americans, Europeans, Arabs and other people.” However, he did not call for action against Iran.

Israel considers Iran a strategic threat because of its nuclear program, suspected development of ballistic missiles and repeated calls from its president to wipe Israel off the map. Rejecting Iranian claims that its nuclear program is peaceful, Israel has called on the world to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and has not taken the option of military action off the table.

The Israeli president meets President Barack Obama on Tuesday. He endorsed Obama’s call for an outstretched hand instead of a clenched fist but warned that the world is under a dark cloud of militant extremists.

Peres said that Israel’s new, hawkish government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, wants to work for peace. But Peres, like Netanyahu, did not mention creation of a Palestinian state, although the Israeli elder statesman has worked for what is known as the “two-state solution” for many years. Netanyahu was scheduled to address the AIPAC convention later.

Peres, 85, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, explained that while Netanyahu used to be his political opponent, “now he is my prime minister,” emphasizing the ceremonial nature of his role as president.

Peres praised a 2002 Arab peace initiative offering Israel normal relations in exchange for withdrawal from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and east Jerusalem, while adding that since Israel was not a party to drawing up the proposal, it does not have to agree to every word.

WASHINGTON  – By trying to talk Iran out of its nuclear program, the U.S. is in a better position to organize tougher international sanctions in the event that diplomacy fails, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday.

“We actually believe that by following the diplomatic path we are on, we gain credibility and influence with a number of nations who would have to participate in order to make the sanctions regime as tight and as crippling as we would want it to be,” Clinton told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Iran denies that its nuclear program is intended to develop weapons.

The official Iranian news agency IRNA reported Wednesday that Iran welcomes a “constructive” dialogue with world powers over its nuclear program, but insisted that it won’t halt its uranium enrichment activities.

The Iranian report was in response to an invitation from the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia for a new round of nuclear talks. No date has been set.

Clinton said the administration is confident that with the help of international partners, it can put together a comprehensive sanctions regime against Iran, “should we need it.” She said it would be needed “in the event we are unsuccessful or stonewalled in our other approach.”

The House hearing was Clinton’s first congressional testimony since her confirmation hearing in January, and the questions were mostly friendly. Panel members initially focused mainly on Iran, the Islamic extremist threat in Pakistan and U.S. policy toward Cuba. Some Republicans pressed her on the administration’s release of formerly classified documents on detainee interrogation methods used during the Bush administration, but she deflected those inquiries, saying it was not a matter for her to discuss publicly.

Clinton was at her most emotional in batting down questions from Reps. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., about the Obama administration’s support for international family planning services. Smith and Fortenberry are among Capitol Hill’s staunchest abortion opponents.

Smith asked if the administration was seeking “in any way to weaken or overturn pro-life laws and policies in African and Latin American countries.” Fortenberry asked: “Is forcing U.S. taxpayers to fund abortion in keeping with the highest values of the United States of America?”

“We have a very fundamental disagreement,” Clinton told Smith, describing how she had seen women suffering in Africa, Latin America and Asia because of inadequate family planning and health care.

“It is my strongly held view that you are entitled to advocate, and everyone who agrees with you should be free to do so, anywhere in the world and so are we,” Clinton said. “We happen to think that family planning is an important part of women’s health and reproductive health includes access to abortion that I believe should be safe, legal and rare.”

On Iran, Clinton said its nuclear program are one of the administration’s highest foreign policy priorities.

“We are deploying new approaches to the threat posed by Iran and we’re doing so with our eyes wide open and with no illusions,” she said.

“We know the imperative of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” she added. “After years during which the United States basically sat on the sidelines, we are now a full partner” in international talks on Iran.

The committee chairman, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., asked Clinton how much time it would take to get results on Iran. She did not reply directly but said the administration believes it has set the stage for progress by interacting more directly with allies and by reaching out to the Iranian authorities.

“It is going to be a more successful engagement if our partners around the world understand they must work with us,” including on consultations aimed at imposing tougher sanctions on Iran, Clinton said.

“The fact that we are engaging … actually gives us more leverage with other nations.”

Clinton was asked about the case of Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent from Coral Springs, Fla., last seen on Iran’s Kish Island on March 8, 2007. He disappeared while investigating cigarette smuggling for a client of his private security firm. Clinton complained that “there has been nothing coming out of the Iranian government” on Levinson and said the administration would not give up on the case.

In her opening remarks to the panel, Clinton said the core goal of President Barack Obama’s anti-terror strategy is to defeat al-Qaida and prevent its return to Afghanistan.

Berman said the panel is concerned about Islamic extremists gaining momentum in Pakistan. The California Democrat said the U.S. cannot allow the extremists to take over Pakistan or to operate with impunity on Afghanistan’s border.

Clinton asserted in response that the international community is working closely together to address the problem of extremism in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In a dramatic break from previous policy, the United States will join direct talks between U.N. and European powers and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program, the State Department announced Wednesday.

A look at where Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain stand on a selection of issues:

ABORTION

McCain: Opposes abortion rights. Has voted for abortion restrictions permissible under Roe v. Wade, and now says he would seek to overturn that guarantee of abortion rights. Would not seek constitutional amendment to ban abortion.
Obama: Favors abortion rights.

AFGHANISTAN

McCain: Favors unspecified boost in U.S. forces.
Obama: Would add about 7,000 troops to the U.S. force of 36,000, bringing the reinforcements from Iraq. Has threatened unilateral attack on high-value terrorist targets in Pakistan as they become exposed, “if Pakistan cannot or will not act” against them.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE

McCain: The co-author of McCain-Feingold campaign finance law is running his general campaign with public money and within its spending limits. He urged Obama to do the same. He applied for federal matching funds for primaries but later turned them down so he could spend more than the limits. The Federal Election Commission belatedly approved his decision to bypass the primary funds, but rejected McCain’s claim that he needed no such approval.

He raised more than $160 million before having to stop to accept the $84 million in public money for the fall. McCain accepted primary campaign contributions from lobbyists.
Obama: The presidential campaign’s fundraising champion has brought in more than $450 million. He is raising private money for his general election, despite his proposal last year to accept public financing and its spending limits if the Republican nominee does, too. Obama refuses to accept money from federal lobbyists and has instructed the Democratic National Committee to do the same for its joint victory fund, an account that would benefit the nominee. Obama does accept money from state lobbyists and from family members of federal lobbyists.
CUBA

McCain: Ease restrictions on Cuba once U.S. is “confident thatthe transition to a free and open democracy is being made.”
Obama: Ease restrictions on family-related travel and on money Cuban-Americans want to send to their families in Cuba. Open to meeting new Cuban leader Raul Castro without preconditions. Ease trade embargo if Havana “begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic change.”

DEATH PENALTY

McCain: Has supported expansion of the federal death penalty and limits on appeals.
Obama: Supports death penalty for crimes for which the “community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage.” As Illinois lawmaker, wrote bill mandating videotaping of interrogations and confessions in capital cases and sought other changes in system that had produced wrongful convictions.

EDUCATION

McCain: He is not proposing a federal voucher program that would provide public money for private school tuition, in contrast to his proposed $5 billion voucher plan in 2000. Only proposes expansion of District of Columbia’s voucher program. Sees No Child Left Behind law as vehicle for increasing opportunities for parents to choose schools. Proposes more money for community college education. 
Obama: An $18 billion plan that would encourage, but not mandate, universal pre-kindergarten. Teacher pay raises tied to, although not based solely on, test scores. An overhaul of No Child Left Behind law to better measure student progress, make room for non-core subjects like music and art and be less punitive toward failing schools. A tax credit to pay up to $4,000 of college costs for students who perform 100 hours of community service a year. Obama would pay for part of his plan by ending corporate tax deductions for CEO pay. Has backed away from his proposal to save money by delaying NASA’s moon and Mars missions.

ENERGY
McCain: Favors increased offshore drilling and federal money to help build 45 nuclear power reactors by 2030. Opposes drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Proposed suspending the 18-cent a gallon federal gasoline tax but idea got no traction. Global warming plan would increase energy costs.
Obama: Now would consider limited increase in offshore drilling. Opposes drilling in Arctic reserve. Proposes windfall-profits tax on largest oil companies to pay for energy rebate of up to $1,000. Opposed suspension of the gas tax. Proposed releasing 70 million barrels of oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve to boost supplies. Global warming plan would increase energy costs.

GAY MARRIAGE

McCain: Opposes constitutional amendment to ban it. Says same-sex couples should be allowed to enter into legal agreements for insurance and similar benefits, and states should decide about marriage. Supports the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages and gives states the right to refuse to recognize such marriages.
Obama: Opposes constitutional amendment to ban it. Supports civil unions, says states should decide about marriage. Switched positions in 2004 and now supports repeal of Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages and gives states the right to refuse to recognize such marriages.

GLOBAL WARMING

McCain: Broke with President Bush on global warming. Led Senate effort to cap greenhouse gas emissions. Favors plan that would see greenhouse gas emissions cut by 66 percent by 2050.
Obama: Ten-year, $150 billion program to produce “climate friendly” energy supplies that he’d pay for with a carbon auction requiring businesses to bid competitively for the right to pollute and aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. Joined McCain in sponsoring earlier legislation that would set mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions. Increase federal fuel economy requirements beyond 35 mpg.

GUN CONTROL

McCain: Voted against ban on assault-type weapons but in favor of requiring background checks at gun shows. Voted to shield gun-makers and dealers from civil suits. “I believe the Second Amendment ought to be preserved – which means no gun control.”
Obama: Voted to leave gun-makers and dealers open to suit. Also, as Illinois state lawmaker, supported ban on all forms of semiautomatic weapons and tighter state restrictions generally on firearms.

HEALTH CARE

McCain: $2,500 refundable tax credit for individuals, $5,000 for families, to make health insurance more affordable. No mandate for universal coverage. In gaining the tax credit, workers could not deduct the portion of their workplace health insurance paid by their employers.
Obama: Mandatory coverage for children, no mandate for adults. Aim for universal coverage by requiring employers to share costs of insuring workers and by offering coverage similar to that in plan for federal employees. Says package would cost up to $65 billion a year after unspecified savings from making system more efficient. Raise taxes on wealthier families to pay the cost.

HOUSING
McCain: Open to helping homeowners facing foreclosure if they are “legitimate borrowers” and not speculators.
Obama: Tax credit covering 10 percent of annual mortgage-interest payments for “struggling homeowners,” scoring system for consumers to compare mortgages, a fund for mortgage-fraud victims, new penalties for mortgage fraud, aid to state and local governments stung by housing crisis, in $20 billion plan geared to “responsible homeowners.”

IMMIGRATION
McCain: Sponsored 2006 bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S., work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, paying fines and back taxes and clearing a background check. Now says he would secure the border first. Supports border fence.
Obama: Voted for 2006 bill offering legal status to illegal immigrants subject to conditions, including English proficiency and payment of back taxes and fines. Voted for border fence.

IRAN

McCain: Favors tougher sanctions, opposes direct high-level talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Obama: Initially said he would meet Ahmadinejad without preconditions, now says he’s not sure “Ahmadinejad is the right person to meet with right now.” But says direct diplomacy with Iranian leaders would give U.S. more credibility to press for tougher international sanctions. Says he would intensify diplomatic pressure on Tehran before Israel feels the need to take unilateral military action against Iranian nuclear facilities.

IRAQ

McCain: Opposes scheduling a troop withdrawal, saying latest strategy is succeeding. Supported decision to go to war, but was early critic of the manner in which administration prosecuted it. Was key backer of the troop increase. Willing to have permanent U.S. peacekeeping forces in Iraq.
Obama: Spoke against war at start, opposed troop increase. Voted against one major military spending bill in May 2007; otherwise voted in favor of money to support the war. Says his plan would complete withdrawal of combat troops in 16 months. Initially had said a timetable for completing withdrawal would be irresponsible without knowing what facts he’d face in office.

SOCIAL SECURITY

McCain: “Nothing’s off the table” when it comes to saving Social Security.
Obama: Would raise payroll tax on wealthiest by applying it to portion of income over $250,000. Now, payroll tax is applied to income up to $102,000. Rules out raising the retirement age for benefits.

STEM CELL RESEARCH

McCain: Supports relaxing federal restrictions on financing of embryonic stem cell research.

Obama: Supports relaxing federal restrictions on financing of embryonic stem cell research.

TAXES

McCain: Pledged not to raise taxes, then equivocated, saying nothing can be ruled out in negotiating compromises to keep Social Security solvent. Twice opposed Bush’s tax cuts, at first because he said they were tilted to the wealthiest and again because of the unknown costs of Iraq war. Now says those tax cuts, expiring in 2010, should be permanent. Proposes cutting corporate tax rate to 25 percent. Promises balance budget in first term, says that is unlikely in his first year.
Obama: Raise income taxes on wealthiest and their capital gains and dividends taxes. Raise corporate taxes. $80 billion in tax breaks mainly for poor workers and elderly, including tripling Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credit for larger families. Eliminate tax-filing requirement for older workers making under $50,000. A mortgage-interest credit could be used by lower-income homeowners who do not take the mortgage-interest deduction because they do not itemize their taxes.

TRADE
McCain: Free trade advocate.
Obama: Seek to reopen North American Free Trade Agreement to strengthen enforcement of labor and environmental standards. In 2004 Senate campaign, called for “enforcing existing trade agreements,” not amending them.

TITLE: “Tiny.”
LENGTH: 30 seconds.
AIRING: In key states where McCain is on the air.
SCRIPT: Announcer: “Iran. Radical Islamic government. Known sponsors of terrorism. Developing nuclear capabilities to ‘generate power’ but threatening to eliminate Israel. Obama says Iran is a ‘tiny’ country, ‘doesn’t pose a serious threat.’ Terrorism, destroying Israel, those aren’t ’serious threats’? Obama – dangerously unprepared to be president.”

John McCain: “I’m John McCain and I approved this message.”

ANALYSIS: The ad is misleading because it states that Obama said Iran is “tiny” and “doesn’t pose a serious threat” without noting that Obama was comparing the threat Iran poses today to the Soviet Union, the nuclear-armed adversary of the U.S. during the Cold War.

The nature of the threat from Iran, which the U.S. believes has nuclear ambitions, and how to deal with it are at the heart of a key policy debate for Obama and McCain. The ad seeks to boil down Obama’s position to one that supports the McCain drumbeat that Obama isn’t ready to be president.

For his part, McCain wants tougher sanctions on Iran and, like President Bush, doesn’t support high-level talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both Republicans see talks with such adversaries as legitimizing them and bringing them unwarranted attention.

Obama has said he would meet with Ahmadinejad without precondition but, after criticism from Republicans and some Democrats, now questions whether Ahmadinejad would be “the right person” with whom to discuss U.S.-Iran relations. Still, Obama argues that direct diplomacy with Iran would help the U.S. press for tougher international sanctions.

Last May in Pendleton, Ore., Obama reiterated his belief that the U.S. is strong enough to talk with its adversaries. In calling Iran “tiny” compared to the Soviet Union and having a small fraction of the Soviet military force, he noted that direct diplomacy with the Soviets was a bipartisan policy for decades in spite of their threat.

“Strong countries and strong presidents talk to their adversaries,” Obama said at the time. “I mean, think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela – these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying, ‘We’re going to wipe you off the planet.”‘

KEY IMAGES: Photographs of Ahmadinejad and a sign that reads, “Don’t forget to say death to America,” the image of an industrial plant, a photo of Ahmadinejad looking at machinery, a photo of Obama that is followed by armed foreign soldiers, a terrorist and the Israeli flag before another photo of Obama. The spot ends with a photo of McCain.

   
On the Net:
      McCain ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?vQhH2q6h7-Ow
      McCain campaign: http://www.johnmccain.com/
      Obama campaign: http://www.barackobama.com/index.php