the international community. unfortunately, that has not born to be true. we now have a very brutal crackdown that he is conducting, which reminds us all why he was considered an ally in the past. it is unfortunate, but it is -- considered an outlaw in the past. it is unfortunate, but it is a reality that we have to take into account. you have to countries bordering libya, egypt and tunisia, that are committed to a democratic transformation. they have long borders with libya, and they are facing a humanitarian crisis on those borders. there is a lot of concern about the people who are still inside libya, both libyans and third- party nationals that no one can get to, and that are basically

and accounted for -- unaccounted for, and unfortunately, we have surmised that gaddafi does not approve of democracy. the action being taken by his neighbors poses a lot of questions about what they might do in the future. thirdly, the arab league and the gulf cooperation council made a statement calling for actions by the united nations. those are a historic importance. there was recognition by the arab nations that gaddafi had to be suspended from the arab league, but even beyond that, that a no-fly zone and related actions had to be taken. i think it would be quite unfortunate if the international

community were to have ignored those requests. it is in america's interests, along with our european and canadian allies, to forge strategic partnerships with arab nations as we move forward into this new era of change in the arab world. there are very specific re reasons, strategic regional concerns, and rationales as to why the united states will support this. we did not lead this. we will not engage in unilateral action in any way, but we strongly support the international community taking action against government and leaders who behave as gaddafi is

unfortunately doing so now, and we think an international border that can bring about this kind of unity is very much in america's interest. >> you just said that conditions are unfolding that will create a new environment in which people will act, including those around colonel gaddafi. does that mean that you are in the sense -- in essence giving up on trying to remove colonel gaddafi? we're aiming the message at all of the decision makers inside libya. the opposition is largely led by those who defected from the gaddafi regime or who formerly served ait. it is certainly to be wished for

that there will be even more defections. the people wish to put libya and the interests of the libyan people above their service to colonel gaddafi. >> are you any closer to making a decision on whether to follow the french lead in recognizing the benghazi statement? >> we have not made a decision. we are in almost hourly contact with leaders of the opposition. we think that the most important step for us to take now is to assist in every way that is unique to american capabilities with the enforcement of 1973, which is the principal demand of

the opposition. >> are you in hourly contact with a leader? >> with a lot of people. >> [inaudible] >> no, i think the president made that clear in a meeting with congressional leaders that he held in outlining all of the reasons why the united states is prepared to act in support of the international efforts on behalf of 1973. of course, we always welcome congressional support, but the

president is very clear that the united states is acting in a way that is within the existing authorities available to him. thank you all. have a great night in paris, those of you who get to stay. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> president obama has begun a trip to latin america, in part to strengthen economic partnerships in the region. in his weekly address, he talks about the need to open the global market to u.s. exports to help create jobs here in the u.s. then, the republican address discusses the need to rein in government spending to address the national debt.

>> in recent days, we've seen turmoil and tragedy around the world. as i said on friday, we will work with our partners in the region to protect innocent civilians in libya and hold the gaddafi region accountable. we will continue to stand with the people of japan in their greatest hour of need. as we respond to these immediate crises abroad, we also will not let up in our efforts to tackle the pressing challenges facing our country, including accelerating economic growth. that is why, over the weekend, i will be in latin america. one of the main reasons for my trip is to strengthen economic partnerships abroad and to create good jobs at home. latin america is a part of the world where the economy is growing very quickly. where economies grow, so do demands for goods and services. the question is, where are these goods and services going to come from?

as president, i want to make sure these products are made in america. i want to open more markets around the world so that american companies can do more business and hire more people. let me explain why this is important. every $1 billion of goods and services we exports supports more than 5000 jobs in the united states. so, the more we sell overseas, the more jobs we create on our shores. that is why last year i set a goal for this country to double our exports by 2014. it is a goal we are on track to meet. part of the reasons -- one of the reasons why is the rapid growth of latin america. we now export more than three times as much to latin america as we do to china, and our exports to the region will soon support more than two million jobs here in the united states. brazil, the first stop on our trip, is a great example. in 2010, american exports to brazil included more than two

under and 50,000 american jobs. that includes a company that recently sold more than two million dollars of high-tech equipment to brazil. another company in north carolina cells and r -- cells and repairs tools for airplanes. we can point to large companies whose helicopters helped sustain a large work force in connecticut, alabama and pennsylvania. today, brazil imports more goods from the united states than any other nation. i will be meeting with leaders to see how we can create even more jobs. after brazil, i will visit chile, a country with an increasing demand for american goods. our exports there are up 300% since 2004.

finally, we will head to el salvador, a nation with so much promise for growth and a potential to benefit both of our nations. we have always had a special bond with our nation's to the south -- our neighbors to the south. many americans proudly trace their roots to latin america. in an increasingly global economy, our partnership with these nations is only going to become more vital as a source of growth and prosperity, not just for the people of latin america, but for the american people as well. >> hello. i have the great privilege of serving washington state's third congressional district. i would like to begin by saying on behalf of the people i represent, that we are thinking of the people of japan and praying for them as they continue to deal with the devastation following last week's earthquake and tsunami. i have only been in congress for

two months now, but i like to think of my job as being just for washington. rising costs of gas and health care, and other challenges, are keeping small business owners struggling while at the same time they wonder what kind of that tax hike the government will hand down to them next. an army of lobbyists is trying to block any effort to reduce our 14 trillion dollar debt. they are also creating regulation after regulation and breeding more fear and uncertainty. as a result, our economy is not producing enough jobs. it is struggling. i want to get all of the overspending and overregulation out of the way so that the

country we know and love can prosper. right now, the new house majority is hard at work on eliminating regulatory barriers to job creation. earlier this month, the house voted to repeal the 1099 mandate in obama care that will hamstring businesses. we will stop the back door national energy tax that will drive up prices. and we are holding hearings on a range of common sense reforms that give the people laissez before the government tries to implement any costly, job crushing regulations. we are all so working to cut spending so that we can send a signal that washington will stop using small businesses as piggy banks and start creating jobs. we have already cut spending by $10 billion over five weeks. this is real money, especially when you consider that the president and democrats in congress originally suggested that not a single dime should be

touched. of course, we ar ande series -- we are serious about ending the uncertainty in the private sector. it is the private sector that creates jobs. last month, the house passed a measure reflecting the will of the people that includes significant cuts and reforms in the way washington, d.c. spends taxpayers' time and money. this was necessary, because last year, democrats failed to offer a budget for the first time in modern history. the senate needs to step up and follow us in passing bills so we can prevent government shutdown and promote job growth by reducing government spending. as of today, the senate has not passed anything. instead of passing a credible, a long-term plan, the president has stood on the sidelines. if we want to get back to creating jobs, we cannot duck

our responsibilities. it is important to focus on the full scope of spending problems in washington, d.c. republicans are determined to begin a dialogue about entitlement reform even though the president has sidestepped it. failing to express the explosive growth of entitlements means failing to address the debt crisis. that means more uncertainty for small businesses who create jobs and more uncertainty for americans who count on programs like medicare and medicaid. without reforms, they will not be there for future generations, and that is unacceptable. my republican colleagues and i headed back to the district this week to start a dialogue about all of these issues. we invite the president and our democratic colleagues to join us in this dialogue. together, we can end the uncertainty in our economy and replace the crushing burden of debt in america with economic growth, freedom, and prosperity. thank you uc