'I believe in the American people:' Obama upbeat in last news conference

WASHINGTON — President Obama brimmed with optimism in an upbeat final news conference Wednesday, championing America's diversity and encouraging citizens to do more to advance voting rights.

"I believe in this country. I believe in the American people," Obama said in a warm farewell to reporters. "I believe that people are more good than bad. I believe tragic things happen. I think there's evil in the world. But I think at the end of the day, if we work hard and if we're true to those things in us that feel true and feel right, that the world gets a little better each time.

"That's what this presidency has tried to be about," he said.

Obama used his last news conference to defend his decision to release Army Private Chelsea Manning, convicted of espionage for leaking secrets to Wikileaks —as in the interests of justice. "I looked at the particulars of this case the same way I have the other commutations and pardons that I've done. And I felt that in light of all the circumstances, that commuting her sentence was entirely appropriate," he said.

And he left with some words for the White House press corps. "You’re not supposed to be sycophants, you're supposed to be skeptics. You’re supposed to ask me tough questions. You're not supposed to be complimentary, but you're supposed to cast a critical eye on folks who hold enormous power and make sure that we are accountable to the people who sent us here," he said. "And you have done that."

But in a crowded White House briefing room Wednesday, Obama carefully selected reporters from foreign and specialty news outlets, all but ensuring he would answer questions on immigration, the Middle East, gay rights and race relations.

In perhaps his strongest language, he condemned efforts to restrict voting and dismissed reports of widespread voter fraud as "fake news."

"There's an ugly history to that that we should not be shy about talking about. Yes, I'm talking about voting rights," Obama said. "It traces directly back to Jim Crow and the legacy of slavery, and it became acceptable to restrict the franchise. That's not who we are. That shouldn’t be who we are. That's not how America works best."

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In keeping with an unabashedly optimistic tone as he winds down his presidency, Obama also acknowledged that the country has made progress on racial and social issues, and promised that he won't be the last black president.

"If, in fact, we continue to keep opportunity open to everybody, then, yes, we're going to have a woman president, we're going to have a Latino president, and we'll have a Jewish president, a Hindu president.  Who knows who we're going to have?  I suspect we'll have a whole bunch of mixed-up presidents at some point that nobody really knows what to call them," he said. "And that's fine."

Obama said he's particularly proud of the "transformation" on gay rights during his presidency, which saw monumental Supreme Court decisions on gays in the military and same-sex marriage. Obama said his role was mostly to deliver "a good block downfield to help the movement advance."

He said gay and lesbian activists deserve most of the credit, and singled out talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, to whom he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year.

"Somebody that kind and likable, projecting into living rooms around the country — that changed attitudes. That wasn’t easy to do for her, And that's just one example of what was happening in countless communities around the country."

On other topics:

► On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The decision by the United States not to veto a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank was an prompt both sides to take the two-state solution more seriously.

"It was important for us to send a signal, a wake-up call, that this moment may be passing, and Israeli voters and Palestinians need to understand that this moment may be passing," he said.

Obama blamed both a "rightward drift in Israeli politics" and the weakening position of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

But he also acknowledged that President-elect Donald Trump has signaled a different direction. "That's their prerogative. That's what happens after elections," he said. "We'll see how their approach plays out."

He urged Trump not to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "When sudden unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues or sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive," he said. "That’s part of what we’ve tried to indicate to the incoming team. Pay attention to this. This is volatile stuff."

► On Russia: Obama said he tried to work with Russia during his presidency but blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for renewed tensions in the U.S.-Russian relationship. He said Putin's return to the Russian presidency led to "escalating anti-American rhetoric and an approach to global affairs that seem to be premised on the idea that whatever America's trying to do must be bad for Russians."

► On Cuba: The two-year-old effort to normalize relations with Cuba led to the change in the "wet foot-dry foot" policy that favored Cuban refugees over other immigrants. Obama said the policy "treated Cuban immigrants completely different from folks from El Salvador or Guatemala or Nicaragua or any other part of the world."

"You know, that was a carryover of a old way of thinking that didn't make sense in this day and age, particularly as we're opening up travel between the two countries," he said.

Obama ended his news conference by talking about his teenage daughters, Malia and Sasha. He said they were "disappointed" in the outcome of the election, but that "they don't mope."

"I think neither of them intend to pursue a future of politics — and, in that, too, I think their mother's influence shows," he said.

"But both of them have grown up in an environment where I think they could not help but be patriotic, to love this country deeply, to see that it's flawed but see that they have responsibilities to fix it," he said. "And I expect that's what they're going to do."

"So this is not just a matter of 'No Drama Obama.' This is what I really believe. It is true that behind closed doors I curse more than I do publicly. And sometimes I get mad and frustrated, like everybody else does. But at my core, I think we're going to be O.K.," he said.

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