DAKAR, Senegal - President Barack Obama on Thursday called the Supreme Court’s decision on the Defense of Marriage Act a “victory for American democracy” and said he had directed his administration to find ways to make sure gay couples receive the federal benefits for which they are now eligible.
“It’s my personal belief, but I’m speaking now as a president not as a lawyer, that if you marry someone in Massachusetts and you move somewhere else, you’re still married,” Obama said at a news conference during his second trip to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office. “We’re going to be evaluating all these issues.”
Standing next to President Macky Sall of Senegal, Obama also urged African nations that treat homosexuality as a crime, like Senegal, to make sure that gays are not discriminated against by the government.
“When it comes to how the state treats people, how the law treats people, I believe that everybody has to be treated equally,” Obama said. The comment prompted a retort from Sall that his country is not “homophobic” even though its society is not yet ready to decriminalize homosexual behavior.
Obama spoke on a wide range of subjects in his first news conference since the past week’s spate of news back home. He talked about the court’s decision to strike down a part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, saying the court had made “a mistake” in its ruling and that justices had dealt a blow to a law that was “the cornerstone and the culmination of years of struggle, blood, sweat, tears; in some cases, deaths.”
He added, “I might not be here as president” if the Voting Rights Act had not been passed into law decades ago.
But the president acknowledged that the Supreme Court had ruled, and he urged Congress to “simply make sure that everyone around the country can vote.”
Obama formally opened his visit to the African continent at the presidential palace, where he met with Sall to discuss opportunities for greater trade and investment that could bolster the economies of both countries.
“I see this as a moment of great promise and great progress for the continent,” Obama said. “All too often the world overlooks the amazing progress that Africa is making.”
Obama arrived at the palace along a driveway lined with palm trees and bright orange flowers. He was accompanied by his wife, Michelle, and was greeted at the palace by Sall and his wife, Marieme Faye.
In his first extended visit to Africa since becoming president, Obama’s motorcade was greeted by throngs of people,including women dressed in traditional white garb to signify peace, in the city’s downtown. Signs along the route proclaimed, “Welcome Home President Obama.”
Some Africans have criticized Obama for what they say has been a lack of attention and investment in the continent where his father was born. The U.S. president spent one day in sub-Saharan Africa in 2009, delivering a speech in Ghana.
“Africans have been largely disappointed, especially when they look at the focus on Africa by the previous presidents,” said Mwangi Kimenyi, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “They therefore have a feeling that President Obama is still not in tune with the emerging continent.”
Meanwhile, Chinese leaders have traveled extensively in Africa during the past several years, investing billions of dollars in infrastructure throughout the continent. U.S. officials concede the challenge from China and other countries but insist that America has not been absent.
“China’s paying a lot of attention to Africa,” Obama said in his news conference. “Brazil, Turkey, India, are heavily invested in trying to expand trade and commerce with Africa.”
Obama expressed frustration with questions from reporters on topics other than his trip. He said that too often Africa is “not focused on by our press and our leadership back home, unless there’s a crisis.”
White House officials said the president’s trip would provide an opportunity for U.S. businesses to increase their investments in African countries and to bolster trade with their counterparts on the continent.
“We, frankly, have heard a high-demand signal from the U.S. private sector for us to play an active role in deepening our trade and investment partnerships in Africa,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 06/28/2013