WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Friday that a no-fly zone over Libya to keep Col. Moammar Gadhafi from attacking rebels remains a possibility as "we are slowly tightening the noose" around the Libyan leader. But he stopped short of moving toward military action.
"The bottom line is: I have not taken any actions off the table at this point," Obama told a White House news conference.
He cited actions already taken, including new sanctions and the freezing of tens billions of dollars of Gadhafi's assets.
'It is in the United States' interest, and in the interests of the people of Libya that Gadhafi leave," Obama said. "We're going to take a wide range of actions" to try to accomplish that goal, he added.
Obama said he wanted to make it clear to the longtime Libyan leaders "that the world is watching" his brutal response to the rebellions in his country.
The president brushed off a comment on Thursday in congressional testimony by U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper that Gadhafi's military was stronger than has been described and that "in the longer term ... the regime will prevail."
"He was making a hard-headed assessment about military capability," Obama said. "I don't think anybody disputes that Gadhafi has more firepower than the opposition. He wasn't making a statement of policy."
Obama added: "I believe Gadhafi is on the wrong side of history. I believe the Libyan people are anxious for freedom. We are going to be in contact with the opposition as well as in consultation with the international community" in an effort to pressure Gadhafi to leave.
The president also said the United States and other nations have an obligation to prevent any repetition of the type of massacres that occurred in the Balkans or in Rwanda.
Obama opened his news conference with comments on the devastating Japanese earthquake and on recent rises in the price of gasoline, driven by instability in the Middle East and growing demand for fuel as the world emerges from a deep, long recession.

NOW HERE IS MY ISSUE IN REGARDS TO THIS ENTIRE THING. OUR PRESIDENT IS OF A BI-RACIAL DESCENT AND HE HAS NO PROBLEM THAT SAYING WE ARE TIGHTENING THE NOOSE AROUND GADHAFI. WELL I HAVE 2 BI-RACIAL CHILDREN AND I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THIS VERBAGE FROM OUR BI-RACIAL PRESIDENT. I AM CAUCASIAN AND I SURE COULDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT TIGHTENING A NOOSE AROUND ANYONE SO WHY SHOULD HE GET TO SAY IT JUST BECAUSE HE IS PRESIDENT. IT IS THE SAME DIFFERENCE WHEN AFRO AMERICANS WALK AROUND AND SAY WHAT'S UP MY N@##!. YOU ALL KNOW THE TERM WHICH I DON'T APPROVE OF ANYONE USING THE "N" WORD. IT'S AS BAD AS USING THE "F" BOMB. USING VERBAGE AS THIS JUST KEEPS RACISM GOING AND I AM BEGINNING TO THINK THAT IS WHAT OUR GOVERNMENT WANTS JUST SO THEY CAN SAY HOW THEY ARE TRYING TO DEMOLISH RACISM. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM NOT IMPRESSED.