国际英语新闻:Obama Urges Lawmakers to Seize Moment, Tackle Debt

President Barack Obama on Wednesday held his first solo news conference since March, answering reporters' questions on issues ranging from Afghanistan and Libya, to the impasse with Congress over federal deficit reduction and raising the government's debt limit.

The news conference came amid public opinion polls showing Americans' frustration with a slow economic recovery, high unemployment, and difficult negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on reducing the government's deficit spending and raising the $14.3 trillion debt limit.

Mr. Obama elevated his role in the talks after Republicans walked out last week, objecting to Democrats' insistence on eliminating tax breaks for the wealthy as part of what Mr. Obama says must be a balanced deficit reduction package.

The deficit and debt issue dominated the news conference.  Calling Republican positions "unsustainable," Mr. Obama said a potential U.S. default on obligations on August 2 would be "significant" and have "uNPRedictable" results.

The president addressed Republican assertions that he has not demonstrated enough leadership.

"When they decide they are not happy with the fact that at some point you have got to make a choice, they just all step up and say, 'The president needs to get this done.'  They need to do their job.  Now is the time to go ahead and make the tough choices.  That is why they are called leaders," he said.

On the Senate floor earlier in the day, Senate Minority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, who met with Mr. Obama this week, criticized Democrats, saying that their main objective is to increase government spending.

"Democrats spend beyond their means and now they expect a bailout from the taxpayers.  That is what this debate is really all about.  It's about holding Washington accountable for a change," he said.

The president's news conference, which lasted a little more than an hour, came a week after he announced the start of a U.S. troop drawdown in Afghanistan and amid battles with Congress over legal justifications for U.S. involvement in NATO-led military operations in Libya.

On Afghanistan, Mr. Obama said the United States has been successful in decimating al-Qaida's leadership and ramping up training for Afghan government forces.