President Obama slapped sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad and six other Syrian officials Wednesday, after two months of waiting for Assad to put a stop to the killing of political protesters and commit to reforming his government. 
Obama previously sanctioned Syrian officials close to Assad, but none of the orders specifically named the Syrian president until Wednesday.
Obama on Wednesday issued the executive order that freezes all Assad's financial assets in the U.S. on the eve of the president's much-anticipated speech about U.S. policy toward the Middle East and North Africa.