Posted: Feb 26, 2011 4:37 PM EST

Updated: Feb 26, 2011 5:18 PM EST

By ERICA WERNER

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ratcheting up the pressure, President Barack Obama on Saturday said Moammar Gadhafi has "lost the legitimacy to rule" Libya and said the embattled leader needs to do the right thing by "leaving now." It was the first time Obama has called for Gadhafi's ouster.

His comments came during a private telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the latest in a series of discussions he's been having with world leaders about the unrest in Libya.

The White House summarized the conversation in a statement afterward.

Obama's call for Gadhafi to step down came a day after the administration froze all Libyan assets in the U.S. belonging to Gadhafi, his government and four of his children, and closed the U.S. embassy in Libya.

www.8newsnow.com/story/14147446/obama-s ... -libya-now -