60 days in office, Obama changes tone

For just under an hour on Tuesday night, Americans saw not the fiery and inspirational speaker who riveted the nation in his address to the Congress last month, or the conversational President who warmly engaged Americans in talks, or even the jaunty and jokey President who turned up on Jay Leno.

In his second prime-time news conference from the White House, it was Barack Obama the lecturer. Placid and unsmiling, he was the professor-in-chief, offering familiar arguments in long paragraphs, sounding like the teacher speaking in the stillness of a classroom.

The session in the East Room came at a volatile moment for the new President as he sought to quell Democratic misgivings about his ambitious economic agenda and deflect strong Republican opposition. He tried to reassure the nation that he could solve the crisis that has gripped the economy.

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Obama telephones Sleiman to reiterate America's support

US President Barack Obama reiterated the United States' support to Lebanon's independence and sovereignty during a phone conversation with President Michel Sleiman on Thursday.

A Presidential Palace statement said that Obama thanked Sleiman for congratulating him upon his election and vowed that the US would maintain its support for Lebanon.

"The US also values your efforts to achieve political and economic stability in Lebanon," Obama was quoted as telling Sleiman. The US president also told his Lebanese counterpart that the US was in process of reviewing its policy in the Middle East, especially in Syria.

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