English subtitles for clip: File:2011-03-26 President Obama's Weekly Address.ogv

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The President:
Last week, when I ordered our
armed forces to protect the

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Libyan people from the
brutality of Moammar Qaddafi,

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I pledged to keep the American
people fully informed.

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Since then, I've spoken about
the limited scope and specific

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purpose of this mission.

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Today, I can report that thanks
to the brave men and women in

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uniform, we've made
important progress.

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As Commander-in-Chief, I face no
greater decision than sending

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our military men and
women into harm's way.

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And the United States
should not -- and cannot --

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intervene every time there's a
crisis somewhere in the world.

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But I firmly believe that when
innocent people are being

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brutalized; when someone like
Qaddafi threatens a bloodbath

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that could destabilize
an entire region;

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and when the international
community is prepared to come

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together to save many
thousands of lives --

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then it's in our national
interest to act.

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And it's our responsibility.

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This is one of those times.

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Our military mission in
Libya is clear and focused.

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Along with our
allies and partners,

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we're enforcing the mandate of
the United Nations Security Council.

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We're protecting the Libyan
people from Qaddafi's forces.

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And we've put in place a no
fly zone and other measures to

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prevent further atrocities.

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We're succeeding in our mission.

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We've taken out
Libya's air defenses.

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Qaddafi's forces are no longer
advancing across Libya.

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In places like Benghazi, a city
of some 700,000 that Qaddafi

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threatened to show "no mercy,"
his forces have been pushed back.

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So make no mistake,
because we acted quickly,

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a humanitarian catastrophe has
been avoided and the lives of

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countless civilians -- innocent
men, women and children --

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have been saved.

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As I pledged at the outset, the role
of American forces has been limited.

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We're not putting any
ground forces into Libya.

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Our military has provided unique
capabilities at the beginning,

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but this is now a broad,
international effort.

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Our allies and partners are
enforcing the no fly zone over

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Libya and the arms
embargo at sea.

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Key Arab partners like Qatar and
the United Arab Emirates have

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committed aircraft.

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And as agreed this week,
responsibility for this

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operation is being transferred
from the United States to our

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NATO allies and partners.

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This is how the international
community should work --

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more nations, not just
the United States,

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bearing the responsibility and
cost of upholding peace and security.

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This military effort is part of
our larger strategy to support

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the Libyan people and hold the
Qaddafi regime accountable.

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Together with the
international community,

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we're delivering urgent
humanitarian assistance.

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We're offering support
to the Libyan opposition.

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We've frozen tens of billions of
dollars of Qaddafi's assets that

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can help meet the needs and
aspirations of the Libyan people.

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And every day, the pressure on
Qaddafi and his regime is increasing.

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Our message is clear
and unwavering.

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Qaddafi's attacks against
civilians must stop.

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His forces must pull back.

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Humanitarian assistance must be
allowed to reach those in need.

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Those responsible for violence
must be held accountable.

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Moammar Qaddafi has lost the
confidence of his people and the

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legitimacy to rule, and the
aspirations of the Libyan people

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must be realized.

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In recent days, we've heard the
voices of Libyans expressing

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their gratitude
for this mission.

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"You saved our lives,"
said one Libyan.

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Said another, "Today,
there is hope."

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Every American can be proud of
the lives we've saved in Libya

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and of the service of our men
and women in uniform who once

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again have stood up for our
interests and our ideals.

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And people in Libya and around
the world are seeing that the

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United States of America stands
with those who hope for a future

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where they can determine
their own destiny.