Continued (part 1 here):
9:16 AM PT: Fox wants to know why Obama didn't mention the word "victory" in his Afghanistan speech. I wish Obama could have shot back by asking if they would have been happier if he'd declared "Mission Accomplished."
9:22 AM PT: Question is whether Obama wants to see passage of the Kerry/McCain proposal to authorize another year of operations in Libya. Obama sidesteps whether he thinks he needs the authority their resolution would provide, but notes that when the 2004 Democratic nominee and 2008 Republican nominee join foces on something, it's an indicator that it's a bipartisan policy. On the question of what defines success, Obama says the metric is protecting the Libyan people from tyrannical rule, and that therefore Gaddafi stepping down from power is the key condition for creating the conditions that will result in success. "He needs to go," Obama says.
9:23 AM PT: Question is whether Obama personally supports same-sex marriage. "I'm not going to make news on that today, good try though."
9:26 AM PT: More on marriage equality, "I'll keep on giving you the same answer until I give you a different one. And that won't be today."
9:26 AM PT: On the question of extending payroll tax cuts in the context of debt negotiations, he says it "makes perfect sense" to look at extending it, as long as it's part of trying to save $4 trillion over the next decade.
9:30 AM PT: On immigration reform, Obama says we need comprehensive immigration reform that upholds the idea that we are a nation of laws and also a nation of immigrations. It's not only enforcement, he says, pointing to the DREAM Act as an example of the kind of thing we should do to achieve a more balanced approach to immigration policy.
9:37 AM PT: The question is whether the August 2 debt ceiling is real. "By August 2, we run out of tools" to deal with having hit debt ceiling. "It's a hard deadline." The "consequences for the U.S. economy will be significant and unpredictable" Obama says if the U.S. goes into default. It's a jobs issue, he says. Obama dismisses the claim that it wouldn't be a big deal to run into the debt limit, saying that in a default scenario the government would be forced to pick and choose who would get paid and who wouldn't. He points out that the debt limit isn't about spending going forward, it's about dealing with spending decisions have already been made in the past. "August 2 is a very important date, and there's no reason we can't get this done now. We know what the options are out there. This is not a technical problem anymore. This is a matter of Congress biting the bullet."
9:38 AM PT: Compares the need for Congress to raise the debt ceiling to his children doing their homework: "If you know you've got to do something, you just do it."
9:41 AM PT: Obama says Congress needs to stay in session if it doesn't raise the debt limit.
9:42 AM PT: Says payroll tax cuts should be doable in the context of a long-term deficit deal, but doesn't draw a line in the sand. 63 minutes so far, last question must be coming up soon.
9:47 AM PT: Sure enough, that actually was the last question. Wrapping up by saying he understands the depth of economic frustration and struggle that people are facing. Says he ran for president to help rebuild the middle class. Says it won't happen overnight, but if we invest in education and infrastructure and avoid political games, we can get it done.
