Tutu Urges Obama to Apologize for Iraq

Lays wreath at Tomb of the Unknowns

(AP) - President Barack Obama paid tribute today to the men and women who have died defending America, saying the country must strive "to be a nation worthy of your sacrifice." He said the war in Iraq has ended after nine years and is "winding down" in Afghanistan. But he conceded that the pain of war lingers for the families of those lost in battle, noting mourners can be seen at Arlington National Cemetery daily, not just on Memorial Day. More»

White House: VP said he didn't mean to overstep boundaries

(NEWSER) - Skeptics may think Joe Biden's public comments on gay marriage were carefully orchestrated, but the White House insists it was just Joe being Joe. In fact, Biden apologized to the president the first time the two spoke afterward, reports the New York Times and Washington Post . (Both cite anonymous administration officials.) The apology came yesterday morning, hours before Obama offered his own public support for same-sex marriage. More»

Bill Keller offers lessons from Iraq

(NEWSER) - As the drum-beating grows louder on Iran and Syria, Bill Keller looks back on Iraq and beyond. To avoid a debacle, there are five questions we should ask ourselves before entering a war, he writes in the New York Times :

1. "How is this our fight?" Are American interests directly involved, as in Afghanistan after 9/11? Are we supporting an ally? Or are we simply "promoting freedom"?
2. "At what cost?" While Libya was easily targeted at low risk to American troops, an attack on Syria would mean, in one military expert's view, "we'd be killing a lot more people." Then there's the cost of stretching troops and the financial implications of war.

Won't comment on apology but reiterates that insult was out of bounds

(NEWSER) - Rush Limbaugh's "slut" attack on law student Sandra Fluke has no "place in public discourse," says President Obama. At his news conference today, Obama explained that he called Fluke after the incident because he wants people to be able to speak their minds about policy, noting that he wouldn't want his daughters "attacked or called horrible names" for voicing their opinions, the AP reports. As for Limbaugh's apology , Obama said he's not sure "what's in Rush Limbaugh's heart, so I'm not going to comment on the sincerity" of it. See the transcript of the exchange at USA Today . For more on the news conference itself, click here . More»

Conservatives react to Andrew Sullivan's article

(NEWSER) - Andrew Sullivan's unflinching defense of President Obama in Newsweek is irking conservative bloggers today. No wonder, considering the headline: "Why Are Obama's Critics So Dumb?" Taking on the right, Sullivan calls Obamacare a "moderate," fiscally responsible program, and says "a depression was averted" with Obama's $787-billion stimulus package. Engaging the left, he lists successes such as the Iraq pullout and advances in gay rights. Obama "practices a show-don’t-tell, long-game" that takes time to mature, Sullivan writes. "What matters to him is what he can get done, not what he can immediately take credit for." More»