Obama monitors Libya, talks economy with Buffett

Reporting from Vineyard Haven, Mass. – President Obama will speak to the nation about the unfolding situation in Libya this afternoon from Martha’s Vineyard after convening a conference call with his national security team about the latest developments, his spokesman said.

Josh Earnest, the president’s principal deputy press secretary, offered few details about what U.S. forces would be doing in the weeks ahead. He said, however, that the president’s position that there will be no U.S. boots on the ground in Libya is unchanged.

On Monday, Obama also turned his attention to the jobs plan that he plans to release after Labor Day. The president sought guidance Monday morning from billionaire Warren Buffett, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, about measures to spur economic growth. He also spoke to Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally about developments in the automotive and manufacturing sectors, as well as ways to stimulate economic growth and expand American exports, Earnest said.

Obama’s economic adviser Brian Deese traveled to Martha’s Vineyard over the weekend to brief the president about market developments and to help facilitate the calls with Buffett and Mulally, White House aides said.

Before the president outlines his new jobs plan in September, he will deliver a speech to the Detroit Metro Labor Council on Labor Day and will spend part of the holiday with workers in Detroit. The White House has not set a date for the unveiling of the jobs plan, but said it would be sometime after the Detroit speech.

Obama is also being briefed about Hurricane Irene while the Federal Emergency Management Agency is keeping close track of the storm, Earnest said.

maeve.reston@latimes.com