Obama Scraps Asia Trip, Second Time This Year

For the second time this year, President Obama has scrubbed a planned trip to Indonesia and Australia.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced the cancellation in a written statement released at midnight Eastern Time. 

Gibbs wrote that Obama spoke with the leaders of both countries Thursday night and that he “expressed his deep regret that he has to postpone his trip to Asia that was scheduled for later this month.  The President looked forward to rescheduling so that he can visit both countries soon."

Gibbs and other Administration officials have been asked several times in recent days about a possible postponement because of the BP oil spill fiasco that has devastated the Gulf of Mexico.  Gibbs and his deputies had said repeatedly only that the trip was “still on the schedule.” 

Until tonight. 

The trip had previously been scheduled this past March. It was scrubbed then and rescheduled for June because of the heath care reform vote in Congress at the time. 

There is no word yet on when the trip will be rescheduled but Obama plans to meet with the leaders of both countries at the G-20 Summit later this month in Canada. 

- Jon Garcia