Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron of the United Kingdom in Joint Press Conference

East Room

11:41 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good morning, everybody.  Please have a seat.  And to all our moms out there, I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day. 

It’s always a great pleasure to welcome my friend and partner, Prime Minister David Cameron.  Michelle and I have wonderful memories from when David and Samantha visited us last year.  There was a lot of attention about how I took David to March Madness -- we went to Ohio.  And a year later, we have to confess that David still does not understand basketball -- I still do not understand cricket.

As we’ve said before, the great alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom is rooted in shared interests and shared values, and it’s indispensable to global security and prosperity.  But as we’ve seen again recently, it’s also a partnership of the heart.  Here in the United States, we joined our British friends in mourning the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, a great champion of freedom and liberty and of the alliance that we carry on today.  And after the bombings in Boston, we Americans were grateful for the support of friends from around the world, particularly those across the Atlantic.  At the London Marathon, runners paused in a moment of silence and dedicated their race to Boston.  And David will be visiting Boston to pay tribute to the victims and first responders. 

So, David, I want to thank you and the British people for reminding us that in good times and in bad, our two peoples stand as one. 

David is here, first and foremost, as he prepares to host the G8 next month.  I appreciate him updating me on the agenda as it takes shape, and we discussed how the summit will be another opportunity to sustain the global economic recovery with a focus on growth and creating jobs for our people.  Michelle and I are looking forward to visiting Northern Ireland, and I know that the summit is going to be a great success under David’s fine leadership.

We discussed the importance of moving ahead with the EU towards negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.  Our extensive trade with the U.K. is central to our broader transatlantic economic relationship, which supports more than 13 million jobs.  And I want to thank David for his strong support for building on those ties, and I look forward to launching negotiations with the EU in the coming months.  I believe we’ve got a real opportunity to cut tariffs, open markets, create jobs, and make all of our economies even more competitive.
With regard to global security, we reviewed progress in Afghanistan, where our troops continue to serve with extraordinary courage alongside each other.  And I want to commend David for his efforts to encourage greater dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is critical to regional security. 

As planned, Afghan forces will take the lead for security across the country soon -- this spring.  U.S., British and coalition forces will move into a support role.  Our troops will continue to come home, and the war will end by the end of next year, even as we work with our Afghan partners to make sure that Afghanistan is never again a haven for terrorists who would attack our nations.

Given our shared commitment to Middle East peace, I updated David on Secretary Kerry’s efforts with Israelis and Palestinians and the importance of moving towards negotiations.  And we reaffirmed our support for democratic transitions in the Middle East and North Africa, including the economic reforms that have to go along with political reforms.

Of course, we discussed Syria and the appalling violence being inflicted on the Syrian people.  Together, we’re going to continue our efforts to increase pressure on the Assad regime, to provide humanitarian aid to the long-suffering Syrian people, to strengthen the moderate opposition, and to prepare for a democratic Syria without Bashar Assad. 

And that includes bringing together representatives of the regime and the opposition in Geneva in the coming weeks to agree on a transitional body which would allow a transfer of power from Assad to this governing body.  Meanwhile, we’ll continue to work to establish the facts around the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and those facts will help guide our next steps. 

We discussed Iran, where we agreed to keep up the pressure on Tehran for its continued failure to abide by its nuclear obligations.  The burden is on Iran to engage constructively with us and our P5-plus-1 partners in order to resolve the world’s concerns about its nuclear program.

And, finally, today we’re reaffirming our commitment to global development.  Specifically, we’re encouraged by the ambitious reforms underway at the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, where both of our nations are stepping up our efforts.  And David has made it clear that the G8 Summit will be another opportunity to make progress on nutrition and food security.

So, David, thank you very much, as always, for your leadership and your partnership.  As we prepare for our work in Northern Ireland, as we consider the challenges we face around the world, it's clear we face a demanding agenda.  But if the history of our people show anything, it is that we persevere.  As one of those London runners said at the marathon -- we're going to keep running, and we're going to keep on doing this.  And that’s the spirit of confidence and resolve that we will continue to draw upon as we work together to meet these challenges. 

So, David, thank you very much.  And welcome. 

PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  Thank you very much, Barack.  And thank you for the warm welcome.  It's great to be back here with you in the White House.  Thank you for what you said about Margaret Thatcher.  It was a pleasure to welcome so many Americans to her remarkable funeral in the U.K.

I absolutely echo what you said about the appalling outrage in Boston.  I look forward to going there to pay my tribute to the people of that remarkable city and their courage, and we will always stand with you in the fight against terrorism. 

Thank you for the remarks about the cricket and the basketball.  I haven't made much progress -- I made a bit of progress on baseball; I actually read a book about it this year, so maybe next time we'll get to work on that one. 

It's good to be back for the first time since the American people returned you to office.  And as you said, the relationship between Britain and the United States is a partnership without parallel.  Day in, day out across the world, our diplomats and intelligence agencies work together, our soldiers serve together, and our businesses trade with each other. 

In Afghanistan, our armed forces are together defending the stability that will make us all safer.  And in the global economic race, our businesses are doing more than $17 billion of trade across the Atlantic every month of every year.  And in a changing world, our nations share a resolve to stand up for democracy, for enterprise and for freedom.

We've discussed many issues today, as the President has said.  Let me highlight three:  the economy, the G8, and Syria. 

Our greatest challenge is to secure a sustainable economic recovery.  Each of us has to find the right solutions at home.  For all of us, it means dealing with debt, it means restoring stability, getting our economy growing, and together seizing new opportunities to grow our economies.

President Obama and I have both championed a free trade deal between the European Union and the United States.  And there is a real chance now to get the process launched in time for the G8.  So the next five weeks are crucial.  To realize the huge benefits this deal could bring will take ambition and political will -- that means everything on the table, even the difficult issues, and no exceptions.  It's worth the effort.  For Britain alone, an ambitious deal could be worth up to 10 billion pounds a year, boosting industries from car manufacturing to financial services. 
We discussed the G8 Summit in some detail.  When we meet on the shores of Loch Erne in Northern Ireland five weeks from today, I want us to agree ambitious action for economic growth.  Open trade is at the heart of this, but we have a broader agenda, too -- to make sure everyone shares in the benefits of this greater openness, not just in our advanced economies but in the developing world, too.  I’m an unashamedly pro-business politician, but as we open up our economies to get business growing, we need to make sure that all companies pay their taxes properly and enable citizens to hold their governments and businesses to account.

Today we’ve agreed to tackle the scourge of tax evasion.  We need to know who really owns a company, who profits from it, whether taxes are paid.  And we need a new mechanism to track where multinationals make their money and where they pay their taxes so we can stop those that are manipulating the system unfairly.

Finally, we discussed the brutal conflict in Syria -- 80,000 dead; 5 million people forced from their homes.  Syria’s history is being written in the blood of her people, and it is happening on our watch.  The world urgently needs to come together to bring the killing to an end.  None of us have any interest in seeing more lives lost, in seeing chemical weapons used, or extremist violence spreading even further.

So we welcome President Putin’s agreement to join an effort to achieve a political solution.  The challenges remain formidable, but we have an urgent window of opportunity before the worst fears are realized.  There is no more urgent international task than this.  We need to get Syrians to the table to agree a transitional government that can win the consent of all of the Syrian people.  But there will be no political progress unless the opposition is able to withstand the onslaught, and put pressure on Assad so he knows there is no military victory.  So we will also increase our efforts to support and to shape the moderate opposition.

Britain is pushing for more flexibility in the EU arms embargo and we will double nonlethal support to the Syrian opposition in the coming year.  Armored vehicles, body armor, and power generators are route to be shipped.  We’re helping local councils govern the areas that they liberate, and we’re supporting Lebanon and Jordan to deal with the influx of refugees.  We’ll also do more for those in desperate humanitarian need -- care for trauma injuries; helping torture victims to recover; getting Syrian families drinking clean water; having access to food, to shelter. 

There is now, I believe, common ground between the U.S., U.K., Russia, and many others that whatever our differences, we have the same aim -- a stable, inclusive, and peaceful Syria, free from the scourge of extremism.  There is real political will behind this.  We now need to get on and do everything we can to make it happen.

Barack, thank you once again for your warm welcome and for our talks today.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you.  All right, we’ve got time for a couple of questions.  We’re going to start with Julie Pace.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  I wanted to ask about the IRS and Benghazi.  When did you first learn that the IRS was targeting conservative political groups?  Do you feel that the IRS has betrayed the public’s trust?  And what do you think the repercussions for these actions should be?  And on Benghazi, newly public emails show that the White House and the State Department appear to have been more closely involved with the crafting of the talking points on the attack than first acknowledged.  Do you think the White House misled the public about its role in shaping the talking points?  And do you stand by your administration’s assertions that the talking points were not purposely changed to downplay the prospects of terrorism?  And, Prime Minister Cameron, on Syria, if the EU arms embargo that you mentioned is amended or lapses, is it your intention to send the Syrian opposition forces weapons?  And are you encouraging President Obama to take the same step?  Thank you.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, let me take the IRS situation first.  I first learned about it from the same news reports that I think most people learned about this.  I think it was on Friday.  And this is pretty straightforward. 

If, in fact, IRS personnel engaged in the kind of practices that had been reported on and were intentionally targeting conservative groups, then that's outrageous and there's no place for it.  And they have to be held fully accountable, because the IRS as an independent agency requires absolute integrity, and people have to have confidence that they're applying it in a non-partisan way -- applying the laws in a non-partisan way. 

And you should feel that way regardless of party.  I don't care whether you're a Democrat, independent or a Republican.  At some point, there are going to be Republican administrations.  At some point, there are going to be Democratic ones.  Either way, you don't want the IRS ever being perceived to be biased and anything less than neutral in terms of how they operate.  So this is something that I think people are properly concerned about. 

The IG is conducting its investigation.  And I am not going to comment on their specific findings prematurely, but I can tell you that if you've got the IRS operating in anything less than a neutral and non-partisan way, then that is outrageous, it is contrary to our traditions.  And people have to be held accountable, and it's got to be fixed.  So we'll wait and see what exactly all the details and the facts are.  But I've got no patience with it.  I will not tolerate it.  And we will make sure that we find out exactly what happened on this.

With respect to Benghazi, we've now seen this argument that's been made by some folks primarily up on Capitol Hill for months now.  And I've just got to say -- here's what we know.  Americans died in Benghazi.  What we also know is clearly they were not in a position where they were adequately protected.  The day after it happened, I acknowledged that this was an act of terrorism.  And what I pledged to the American people was that we would find out what happened, we would make sure that it did not happen again, and we would make sure that we held accountable those who had perpetrated this terrible crime.

And that's exactly what we've been trying to do.  And over the last several months, there was a review board headed by two distinguished Americans -- Mike Mullen and Tom Pickering -- who investigated every element of this.  And what they discovered was some pretty harsh judgments in terms of how we had worked to protect consulates and embassies around the world.  They gave us a whole series of recommendations.  Those recommendations are being implemented as we speak. 

The whole issue of talking points, frankly, throughout this process has been a sideshow.  What we have been very clear about throughout was that immediately after this event happened we were not clear who exactly had carried it out, how it had occurred, what the motivations were.  It happened at the same time as we had seen attacks on U.S. embassies in Cairo as a consequence of this film.  And nobody understood exactly what was taking place during the course of those first few days. 

And the emails that you allude to were provided by us to congressional committees.  They reviewed them several months ago, concluded that, in fact, there was nothing afoul in terms of the process that we had used.  And suddenly, three days ago, this gets spun up as if there’s something new to the story.  There’s no “there” there.

Keep in mind, by the way, these so-called talking points that were prepared for Susan Rice five, six days after the event occurred pretty much matched the assessments that I was receiving at that time in my presidential daily briefing.  And keep in mind that two to three days after Susan Rice appeared on the Sunday shows, using these talking points, which have been the source of all this controversy, I sent up the head of our National Counterterrorism Center, Matt Olsen, up to Capitol Hill and specifically said it was an act of terrorism and that extremist elements inside of Libya had been involved in it.

So if this was some effort on our part to try to downplay what had happened or tamp it down, that would be a pretty odd thing that three days later we end up putting out all the information that, in fact, has now served as the basis for everybody recognizing that this was a terrorist attack and that it may have included elements that were planned by extremists inside of Libya.

Who executes some sort of cover-up or effort to tamp things down for three days?  So the whole thing defies logic.  And the fact that this keeps on getting churned out, frankly, has a lot to do with political motivations.  We've had folks who have challenged Hillary Clinton’s integrity, Susan Rice’s integrity, Mike Mullen and Tom Pickering’s integrity.  It’s a given that mine gets challenged by these same folks.  They’ve used it for fundraising. 

And frankly, if anybody out there wants to actually focus on how we make sure something like this does not happen again, I am happy to get their advice and information and counsel.  But the fact of the matter is these four Americans, as I said right when it happened, were people I sent into the field, and I've been very clear about taking responsibility for the fact that we were not able to prevent their deaths.  And we are doing everything we can to make sure we prevent it, in part because there are still diplomats around the world who are in very dangerous, difficult situations.  And we don’t have time to be playing these kinds of political games here in Washington.  We should be focused on what are we doing to protect them.

And that’s not easy, by the way.  And it's going to require resources and tough judgments and tough calls.  And there are a whole bunch of diplomats out there who know that they're in harm's way.  And there are threat streams that come through every so often, with respect to our embassies and our consulates -- and that’s not just us, by the way; the British have to deal with the same thing.

And we've got a whole bunch of people in the State Department who consistently say, you know what, I'm willing to step up, I'm willing to put myself in harm's way because I think that this mission is important in terms of serving the United States and advancing our interests around the globe. 

And so we dishonor them when we turn things like this into a political circus.  What happened was tragic.  It was carried out by extremists inside of Libya.  We are out there trying to hunt down the folks who carried this out, and we are trying to make sure that we fix the system so that it doesn’t happen again. 

PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  Thank you.  On the issue of the opposition in Syria, we have not made the decision to arm opposition groups in Syria.  What we've done is we have amended the EU arms embargo in order that we can give technical assistance and technical advice.  And as I said in my statement, that’s exactly what we're doing. 

We're continuing to examine and look at the EU arms embargo and see whether we need to make further changes to it in order to facilitate our work with the opposition.  I do believe that there's more we can do, alongside technical advice, assistance, help, in order to shape them, in order to work with them.  And to those who doubt that approach, I would just argue that, look, if we don’t help the Syrian opposition -- who we do recognize as being legitimate, who have signed up to a statement about a future for Syria that is democratic, that respects the rights of minorities -- if we don’t work with that part of the opposition, then we shouldn’t be surprised if the extremist elements grow.

So I think being engaged with the Syrian opposition is the right approach, and that is an approach I know I share with the President and with other colleagues in the European Union.

James Landale from the BBC.

Q    James Landale, BBC.  Prime Minister, you're talking here today about a new EU-U.S. trade deal, and yet members of your party are now talking about leaving the European Union.  What is your message to them and to those pushing for an early referendum?  And if there were a referendum tomorrow, how would you vote? 

And, Mr. President, earlier this year you told David Cameron that you wanted a strong U.K. in a strong EU.  How concerned are you that members of David Cameron's Cabinet are now openly contemplating withdrawal? 

And on Syria, if I may, a question to both of you:  What gives you any confidence that the Russians are going to help you on this? 

PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  Well, first of all, on the issue of a referendum, look, there’s not going to be a referendum tomorrow.  And there’s a very good reason why there’s not going to be a referendum tomorrow -- is because it would give the British public I think an entirely false choice between the status quo -- which I don’t think is acceptable.  I want to see the European Union change.  I want to see Britain’s relationship with the European [Union] change and improve.  So it would be a false choice between the status quo and leaving.  And I don’t think that is the choice the British public want or the British public deserve.

Everything I do in this area is guided by a very simple principle, which is what is in the national interest of Britain. Is it in the national interest of Britain to have a transatlantic trade deal that will make our countries more prosperous; that will get people to work; that will help our businesses?  Yes, it is.  And so we will push for this transatlantic trade deal. 

Is it in our interests to reform the European Union to make it more open, more competitive, more flexible, and to improve Britain’s place within the European Union?  Yes, it is in our national interest.  And it’s not only in our national interest, it is achievable, because Europe has to change because the single currency is driving change for that part of the European Union that is in the single currency.  And just as they want changes, so I believe Britain is quite entitled to ask for and to get changes in response.

And then finally, is it in Britain’s national interest, once we have achieved those changes but before the end of 2017, to consult the British public in a proper, full-on, in/out referendum?  Yes, I believe it is.  So that’s the approach that we take -- everything driven by what is in the British national interest. 

That is what I’m going to deliver.  It’s absolutely right for our country.  It has very strong support throughout the country and in the Conservative Party, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

On the Syrian issue, you asked the question -- what are the signs of Russian engagement.  Well, I had very good talks with President Putin in Sochi on Friday.  And, look, we had a very frank conversation in that we have approached this -- and in some extent, still do approach this -- in a different way.  I have been very vocal in supporting the Syrian opposition and saying that Assad has to go, that he is not legitimate, and I continue to say that.  And President Putin has taken a different point of view.

But where there is a common interest is that it is in both our interests that at the end of this there is a stable, democratic Syria, that there is a stable neighborhood, and that we don’t encourage the growth of violent extremism.  And I think both the Russian President, the American President, and myself -- I think we can all see that the current trajectory of how things are going is not actually in anybody’s interest and so it is worth this major diplomatic effort, which we are all together leading this major diplomatic effort to bring the parties to the table to achieve a transition at the top in Syria so that we can make the change that country needs.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  With respect to the relationship between the U.K. and the EU, we have a special relationship with the United Kingdom.  And we believe that our capacity to partner with a United Kingdom that is active, robust, outward-looking and engaged with the world is hugely important to our own interests as well as the world.  And I think the U.K.'s participation in the EU is an expression of its influence and its role in the world, as well as obviously a very important economic partnership.

Now, ultimately, the people of the U.K. have to make decisions for themselves.  I will say this -- that David's basic point that you probably want to see if you can fix what's broken in a very important relationship before you break it off makes some sense to me.  And I know that David has been very active in seeking some reforms internal to the EU.  Those are tough negotiations.  You've got a lot of countries involved, I recognize that.  But so long as we haven't yet evaluated how successful those reforms will be, I at least would be interested in seeing whether or not those are successful before rendering a final judgment.  Again, I want to emphasize these are issues for the people of the United Kingdom to make a decision about, not ours.

With respect to Syria, I think David said it very well.  If you look objectively, the entire world community has an interest in seeing a Syria that is not engaged in sectarian war, in which the Syrian people are not being slaughtered, that is an island of peace as opposed to potentially an outpost for extremists.  That's not just true for the United States.  That's not just true for Great Britain.  That's not just true for countries like Jordan and Turkey that border Syria, but that's also true for Russia. 

And I'm pleased to hear that David had a very constructive conversation with President Putin shortly after the conversation that had taken place between John Kerry and President Putin.  I've spoken to President Putin several times on this topic.  And our basic argument is that as a leader on the world stage, Russia has an interest, as well as an obligation, to try to resolve this issue in a way that can lead to the kind of outcome that we’d all like to see over the long term. 

And, look, I don't think it’s any secret that there remains lingering suspicions between Russia and other members of the G8 or the West.  It's been several decades now since Russia transformed itself and the Eastern Bloc transformed itself.  But some of those suspicions still exist. 

And part of what my goal has been, John Kerry's goal has been -- and I know that David's goal has been -- to try to break down some of those suspicions and look objectively at the situation. 

If, in fact, we can broker a peaceful political transition that leads to Assad’s departure but a state in Syria that is still intact; that accommodates the interests of all the ethnic groups, all the religious groups inside of Syria; and that ends the bloodshed, stabilizes the situation -- that’s not just going to be good for us; that will be good for everybody.  And we’re going to be very persistent in trying to make that happen.

I’m not promising that it’s going to be successful.  Frankly, sometimes once sort of the Furies have been unleashed in a situation like we’re seeing in Syria, it’s very hard to put things back together.  And there are going to be enormous challenges in getting a credible process going even if Russia is involved, because we still have other countries like Iran and we have non-state actors like Hezbollah that have been actively involved.  And frankly, on the other side we’ve got organizations like al Nusra that are essentially affiliated to al Qaeda that have another agenda beyond just getting rid of Assad.

So all that makes a combustible mix and it’s going to be challenging, but it’s worth the effort.  And what we can tell you is that we’re always more successful in any global effort when we’ve got a strong friend and partner like Great Britain by our side and strong leadership by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Thank you very much, everybody.

END
12:11 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President at the Top Cops Ceremony

East Room

11:10 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much, everybody.  Everybody, please have a seat.  Good morning and welcome to the White House for what's one of my favorite events all year.

I want to start by thanking Gil Kerlikowske, a former police officer -- police chief in Seattle, police commissioner in Buffalo and police officer in St. Petersburg, Florida.  He now serves as the head of the office of National Drug Control Policy.  He is doing outstanding work every day, helping to make sure that our young people are safe and not exposed to some of the worst drugs out there.  And so we very much want to give him a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Gil.  (Applause.)  We’ve got NAPO President Tom Nee right here next to me.  (Applause.)  Tom is doing an outstanding job every day.  And of course, we’ve got our 2013 Top Cops.  (Applause.) 

As President, I get to meet and work with a lot of extraordinary law enforcement officers every single day, from men and women who protect me and my family -- the folks in the Secret Service -- to local police who help out on motorcades in events around the country.  And I’m incredibly grateful that all these law enforcement officers are doing such outstanding work. 

And then, just a few weeks ago obviously in Boston, our entire country saw once again the strong stuff that these men and women in uniform are made of -- police officers, first responders who were running towards explosions, not knowing if there was something more on the way -- law enforcement from different agencies and different parts of the country working together as one united team to identify suspects and bring them to justice and in a moment that few of us will ever forget, the citizens of Watertown, Massachusetts lining their streets to cheer on and high-five and hug the officers as they headed home after a job well done.

We don’t always get that opportunity to stand and applaud the men and women who keep us safe.  But they're out there, hundreds of thousands of you, patrolling our streets every single day.  And we know that when we need you most, you’ll be ready to dash into danger, to protect our lives even if it means putting your lives on the line.  That's what these folks are all about.  That's what the men and women standing behind me have proven -- their heart, their courage, their dedication.  

And of course, as always, they're a humble group.  They’ll tell you they're not heroes.  They’ll say they were just doing their jobs.  And today, we honor them as Top Cops because they’re half right.  It’s true they were just doing their jobs.  From the moment they swore in office -- swore an oath to serve with honor, from the first time they put on a uniform and pinned on a badge, they knew they might be called upon to do some really tough stuff.  But I think that makes them more heroic, not less heroic, because they signed up for this.  They volunteered and yet, continue day-in, day-out to dedicate themselves.  And when the moment came, they were ready to respond. 

I already talked about one of this year’s Top Cops, Brian Murphy, in my State of the Union address.  When a gunman opened fire on a temple in Wisconsin and Brian was the first to arrive, he did not consider his own safety.  He fought back until help arrived and ordered his fellow officers, who are here today, to protect the safety of the Americans worshiping inside -- even though he was lying there bleeding from 12 bullet wounds.  When he was asked how he did it, he said, “That’s just the way we’re made.”

That’s what you’ve got to do.  That's what you've got to be made of to take down homicide suspects in Los Angeles or Vegas, or shooters in Miami or Indiana or Chicago or Iowa -- saving untold numbers of lives.  That’s what you’ve got to be made of to dodge live power lines during Hurricane Sandy to free your partner pinned down by a tree, all the while saying, “I’ve got you, pal.”

Yes, this is their job.  But it's not just about the uniform that they wear.  It’s about who they are, what they're made of.  When a gunman entered a restaurant in Pasadena, Texas, it was three off-duty cops who put themselves in harm’s way so that others could escape.

Detective Ivan Marcano didn’t care that he was off-duty when he saw two muggers attacking a cab driver in the Bronx.  He got out of his girlfriend’s car to stop them and was shot point blank in the chest, a bullet inches from his heart.  But his story doesn’t end there.  As his girlfriend was driving him to the hospital -- I'm sure not very happy with him -- (laughter) -- by total coincidence, they ran into the shooter’s getaway car. 

So what does Detective Marcano do?  He jumps out of the car -- he's been shot -- keeps pressure on his chest with his left hand, holding a service weapon with his right, he runs after the suspects.  He took one of them down, which led to the capture of the others.  He wasn't on the clock when any of this happened.  This was his date night.  It's unbelievable.  (Laughter and applause.)  And by the way, did you invite your girlfriend down here?  Where are you?  Stand up.  She has got to get a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  She deserves a really nice dinner -- (laughter) -- after putting her through that. 

The cab driver who Detective Marcano rescued put it simply.  He said, I will be thankful to him for the rest of his life -- for the rest of my life.  So today, to all our Top Cops, let me say that our nation shares that sense of gratitude.  You embody America at its best and at its bravest.  And you set an example, because if Top Cops can risk their lives to do their jobs, the rest of us should just be able to summon some tiny fraction of courage and the same sense of responsibility.  And certainly, that applies for those of us responsible for supporting law enforcement and first responders here in Washington. 

Even during tough economic times, we've got to make sure they've got the resources that they need, whether that’s supporting the COPS program or helping you hire new officers or preventing layoffs or giving you the most advanced crime-fighting tools, and the mobile technology and critical data -- all of which you need in this 21st century when it comes to crime fighting.  And we also need to take some common-sense steps that protect our rights, protect our children, protect officers in the line of duty by making it harder for dangerous criminals to get their hands on lethal weapons. 

These officers represent the best of us and they deserve the best from us.  And that begins with being thankful to them not just today, but for the rest of their lives and recognizing the sacrifices not only they make, but their parents and spouses and kids who watch their loved ones go off and serve every day, knowing that there's real danger out there.  So I’d ask all Americans -- everybody who is watching all across the country -- when you see a police officer, you meet an officer’s family, let them know how much you appreciate it.  It’s the least we can do for the men and women who give us so much and help keep us safe.  (Applause.) 

So with that in mind, let me give another huge thank you to our Top Cops of 2013, our entire law enforcement community, all the families who are here -- all the kids who are here, thanks for being patient and listening to me.  (Laughter.)  And now, what we want to do is get a picture.  So I think we're going to strike this podium and I'm going to line up.  (Applause.)   

Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.) 

                        END                11:21 A.M. EDT

Remarks by the President on the Affordable Care Act

East Room

2:49 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much, everybody, and welcome to the White House.  I want to thank Carol for the wonderful introduction. 

And let me just start off with a public service announcement to dads, partners, kids of America -- (laughter) -- Sunday is Mother’s Day.  (Laughter.)  You should not forget.  (Laughter.)  You can’t go wrong with flowers, a homemade card, giving some mom -- giving mom some relief, some quiet time.  That is appreciated.  (Laughter.) 

So it’s a day when we put moms first.  And I still remember one time I said to Michelle -- this is back when we had just gotten married and I think Malia had just been born, and we were fussing around Mother’s Day, and I said, but you know, how come we do so much stuff on Mother’s Day?  She says, because every other day is Man’s Day.  (Laughter.)  So this is like one day.  And there was, as usual, profound insight in Michelle’s remarks because moms so often put themselves last; so often they put everything else before themselves. 

And that’s particularly true when it comes to things like health care.  Moms take care of us.  (Baby cries.)  Yes, see?  (Laughter.)  Case in point.  Sick kids, aging parents, grumpy husbands.  And I know there are lots of moms out there who often go without the care that they need, or the checkups they know they should get, because they’re worrying that co-pay has to go to gas, or groceries, or the new soccer uniform instead.  Or worse, they know the unfairness of being charged more for their health care just because they’re a woman, or the stress of trying to manage a family budget when health care costs are impinging on it, or trying to insure a sick child only to be told “no” over and over again.

So we decided that needed to change.  In a country as wealthy as this one, there was no reason why a family’s security should be determined by the chance of an illness or an accident. We decided to do something about it. 

Thanks to the women in this room and people all across the country, we worked really hard -- and it’s now been more than three years since Congress passed the Affordable Care Act and I signed it into law.  (Applause.)  It’s been nearly a year since the Supreme Court upheld the law under the Constitution.  (Applause.)  And, by the way, six months ago, the American people went to the polls and decided to keep going in this direction.  So the law is here to stay.  (Applause.)

And those of us who believe that every American deserves access to quality, affordable health care have an obligation to now make sure that full implementation moves forward the way it needs to.

Basically, there are two main things that the American people need to know about this law and what it means.  First, if you’re one of the nearly 85 percent of Americans who already have health insurance -- whether it’s through your employer, or Medicare or Medicaid -- you don’t have to do a thing.  This law already provides you with a wide array of new benefits, tough new consumer protections, stronger cost control measures than existed before the law passed.  And those things are already in place -- you’re benefiting from, you just may not know it.  Making sure that insurers can't take advantage of you.  Making sure that your child can stay on your health insurance until they're 27 years old.  So a lot of those provisions are already in place providing help and assistance to people all across the country. 

Now, second, if you’re one of the tens of millions who don’t have health insurance, beginning this fall, you’ll finally be able to compare and buy quality, affordable private plans that work for you.  (Applause.)  So that’s what you need to know.  If you've already got health insurance, this has just enhanced it.  And if you don't, you're going to be able to get it.

For three years now, this law has provided real and tangible benefits to millions of Americans.  Women in particular now have more control over their own care than ever before.  And I’m pleased to be joined today by many women who wrote in to tell us what the Affordable Care Act means to them.

Carol Metcalf told us, “My oldest child is 22, recent college grad, a traumatic brain injury survivor with a rare genetic lung disease.  Without the Affordable Care Act, he would have been removed from our family health insurance policy this year.  And his health is excellent, but the cost of maintenance is overwhelming.  And given his history, he would be virtually uninsurable under the old set of ‘rules.’  Instead of contemplating law school, all of his resources would have been channeled into somehow, somewhere, finding health insurance.”  That’s what Carol wrote.

So Carol and her son Justin are why the Affordable Care Act lets young people stay on their parent’s plan until they turn 26. And today, as she put it, “now Justin’s future is governed by what he wants to achieve, not what health insurance mandates.”  And, by the way, Justin is here -- a fine-looking young man right here.  (Applause.)  Sunday is Mother's Day.  (Laughter.)  Just wanted to make sure you remembered that. 

Alycia is the mother of Avey, who is a beautiful, sweet, 3-year-old girl who also happens to have Leukemia.  Imagine what that’s like for a parent.  While you’re just figuring out how to take care of a baby, you’ve got to figure out how you’re going to pay for expensive treatment that could save your baby’s life. 

Any parent knows that there is nothing we won’t do to take care of our kids.  And it’s nice to have somebody getting your back.  And that’s why the Affordable Care Act made it illegal for bad actors in the insurance industry to discriminate against kids like Avey.  And today, Avey is doing just great.  She was here just a second ago, where is she?  There's Avey -- hey, sweetie!  (Applause.)  So Alycia wrote in -- she said, “The health care law is about people like me.  It’s AlyciaCare.”  (Laughter.)   

And because of AlyciaCare -- the Affordable Care Act -– insurance companies can no longer impose lifetime limits on the amount of care you receive, or drop your coverage if you get sick, or discriminate against children with preexisting conditions.  And women now have access to free preventive care like checkups, and mammograms, and cancer screenings, so you can catch preventable illness on the front end.  And that provision has already helped more than 70 million Americans with private insurance.  That’s already happening.  A lot of people don’t know it, but you've got those protections.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, young adults under the age of 26, as we talked about, are able to stay on their parent’s health insurance plan -- and that’s already helping more than 6 million young adults.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, seniors on Medicare receive free checkups and preventive care with no co-pay or deductible, and get a discount on their prescription drugs.  That has already saved over 6 million seniors more than $700 each.  That’s already been happening.  Seniors may not know that they've been getting $600 discounts, but it's there.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, insurers now have to justify double-digit rate increases publicly, for everybody to see.  And most states have new authority thanks to incentives under this law to reject unjustifiable rate increases.  Insurers are now required to spend at least 80 percent of the money you pay in premiums on actual health care -– not on profits, not on overhead, but on you.  And if they fail to meet that target, they actually have to reimburse you -- either with a rebate or lower premiums.  Millions of Americans discovered this last year -- they opened an envelope from their insurance company that wasn’t a bill, it was a check.  That’s already happened.  A lot of people don’t know it, but that’s what the Affordable Care Act is all about.

Beginning this week, as part of the law’s price transparency tools, we made public the prices that different hospitals charge you for most common services, so you can see if you’re getting what you pay for.  And soon, bad actors in the insurance industry will never again be able to discriminate against you just because you’ve gotten sick in the past.  (Applause.)  They can't discriminate against you because you've got a preexisting condition.  And, by the way, they can’t charge you more just for being a woman.  (Applause.)  Pregnancy will no longer be considered a preexisting condition.  (Applause.) 

And finally, beginning this fall, if you’re one of the millions of Americans who don’t have health insurance, you’ll finally have the chance to buy quality, affordable care just like everybody else. 

So here’s how this is going to work.  We’re setting up a new online marketplace where, beginning October 1st, you can go online, or talk to organizations in every state that are going to have this set up, and you can then comparison shop an array of private health insurance plans.  You can look at them side-by-side, just like you’d go online and compare cars.  And because you’ll now be part of a new pool of millions of other Americans, part of this exchange, insurance companies will actually want to compete for your business the same way they compete for the business of a big company with a lot of employees. 

So once these marketplaces are up and running, no one can be turned away from private insurance plans.  Period.  If you’re sick, you’ll finally have the same chance to buy quality, affordable health care as everybody else.  If you can’t afford to buy private insurance, if it's still too expensive -- even though you're getting much better prices through these exchanges than you would in the individual market, going out there by yourself, or if you work for just a small company that doesn’t have a lot of leverage with insurance companies you’re going to have a better deal through these exchanges -- but if you still can't afford it, then you're going to get help reducing your out-of-pocket premiums with the largest health care tax cut for working families and small businesses in our history.  (Applause.) 

So what does all this mean?  It means that if you lose your job, or you change your job, or you start that new business, you’ll still be able to purchase quality, affordable care that’s yours -- and you'll have the security and peace of mind that comes with it.  If you’re a young person expecting to try many different jobs and careers until you find one that suits you, you’ll be able to buy insurance that goes with you, travels with you, that gives you the freedom to pursue whatever you want without the fear that illness or accident somehow derails your dreams.

So there’s a lot that this law is already doing for Americans with insurance, and there is a lot more that is going to happen for folks who don’t have insurance.  But we’ve still got a lot of work to do in the coming months to make sure more Americans can buy affordable coverage.  And with something as personal as health care, I realize there are people who are anxious, people who are nervous, making sure that we get this done right. 

So I'm here to tell you, I am 110 percent committed to getting it done right.  It’s not an easy undertaking, but if it were easy, it would have already been done a long time ago.  Undoubtedly, there will be some mistakes and hiccups as the thing gets started up, but we’re learning already from them.  For example, when the prototype of the application to join the marketplace came in at 21 pages -- the initial first cut at it -- we said, you know what, we can do better than that.  It’s now three pages long.  Three pages.  By the way, the industry standard is actually about 17 pages.  So three pages is good.  (Laughter.)  That’s a lot shorter than the application you generally have to fill out now for private insurance. 

But this is going to be a lot of work.  And obviously, there is still a lot of political bickering over this law.  The same folks who fought tooth and nail four years ago and tried to make political hay out of Obamacare, they’re still telling tall tales about its impact.  Some small businesses are being told their costs are going to go up, even though they’re exempted from the law or they actually stand to benefit from it.  And whenever insurance premiums go up, you’re being told it’s because of Obamacare -- even though there’s no evidence that that’s the case.  So right now there are a whole bunch of folks out there, their insurance company decided to jack up rates, and they’re automatically assuming, well, somehow the law had something to do with it.  No, that had to do with a decision the insurance company made.  In some cases, employers may be shifting more costs onto employees because they think that will help their bottom line.  It’s convenient to somehow say, well, it must be the new law.  It’s not the case. 

So precisely because there’re been so much misinformation, sometimes people may not have a sense of what the law actually does.  And that misinformation will continue -– at least through the next Election Day. 

But what all the people on this stage understand is this is too important for political games.  Most moms and dads don’t think about politics when their kid gets sick.  (Applause.)  They’re thinking about doing whatever it takes to make sure that child is well.  (Applause.)  This is an issue of personal security.  This is personal to Carol and Alycia and anybody who’s ever known the injustice and anxiety of a broken health care system.  That’s what this is about.  That’s why we fought so hard to make this happen.  And that’s why we’re determined to get it done right.

And we’re going to need everybody out there to make sure --get the right information.  Don’t just read a blog -- (laughter) -- or some commentary from some pundit that has a political agenda.  Make sure you know what the actual facts are, because you stand to benefit if you’re not already benefiting from this thing.  Don’t let people confuse you.  Don’t let them run the okiedoke on you.  (Laughter.)  Don’t be bamboozled.  (Laughter.)
 
Now, there’s one more person I want to mention here today -– somebody who I’ve spoken of several times over the past few years.  When I first received a letter from Natoma Canfield, she was a self-employed cancer survivor from Ohio; she’d always done the responsible thing by buying her own insurance on the private market, even though it was very expensive. 

A few years ago, her insurance company charged her over $6,000 in premiums, paid for only $900 worth of care, told her they’d jack up her rates another 40 percent anyway -- even though she’d been cancer-free for more than a decade.  Despite her desire to keep her health insurance -- despite her fears that she would get sick again -- she finally just had to surrender her coverage.  Couldn’t afford it.  Hung her fortunes on chance.  And just a few weeks later, she fell ill, and was diagnosed with Leukemia.  Just days before health care reform became a reality. 
And I kept Natoma’s story with me as we fought to pass this law, and I hung her letter on one of my walls in the Oval Office.  And while she couldn’t be there the day I signed the Affordable Care Act into law, Natoma is here today.  And because of this law -- here’s Natoma right here.  Give her a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  Because of this law, there are millions of other Americans -- moms and dads, and daughters and sons -- who no longer have to hang their fortunes on chance. 

Because we are not going to inflict that hardship on the American people again.  The United States of America does not sentence its people to suffering just because they don’t make enough to buy insurance on the private market.  (Applause.)  Just because their work doesn’t provide health insurance.  Just because they fall sick or suffer an accident -- that could happen to anybody.  And regular access to a doctor or medicine or preventive care -- that’s not some earned privilege, it is a right. 

So I understand the politics of this stuff sometimes, but there are times when I just want people to step back and say, are you really prepared to say that 30 million Americans out there shouldn’t have health insurance?  Are you really prepared to say that’s not a worthy goal?  Because of politics?

That’s why we're going to keep fighting with everything we've got to secure that right, to make sure that every American gets the care that they need when they need it at a price that they can afford.  That’s what our families deserve.  That’s what the vast majority of Americans believe in.  That’s what we're going to make sure that we deliver.  And we're going to do it with your help.   

Thank you very much, everybody.  God bless you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END
3:11 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden at Military Mother's Day Tea

East Room

4:04 P.M. EDT
  
DR.BIDEN:  Hello, everyone.  Please sit.  Good afternoon, everyone.  Thank you for being here and it’s wonderful to welcome you to the White House.

Many of you know I’m a proud Blue Star mom.  My son, Beau, is a soldier in the Delaware Army National Guard.  So while I’m always honored to be in the presence of our military families, I feel a special bond with other military moms.  I’ll never forget the day that Beau deployed to Iraq.  It was that mixture of pride and concern that military moms know all too well, right?  Having Beau overseas was a tough year for our entire family, but it was especially difficult for my daughter-in-law Hallie, my granddaughter Natalie and our grandson Hunter.

There were a lot of people who stepped up in different ways to support our family that year.  A neighbor shoveled the driveway during a snowstorm.  Our church included Beau’s name in the church bulletin.  And at Natalie’s school, her teacher hung a photo of Beau’s unit on the wall so that everyone would know that Natalie’s daddy was away.  Through the whole experience, these acts of kindness meant so much to them and to us.

While our sons and daughters serve so selflessly having a community share the burden makes all the difference in the world. Today I am here to say thank you for all that you do, for your selflessness and for your sacrifice on behalf of our country.

And now it is my great honor to introduce our First Lady.  Military families have no greater supporter than my friend and partner, Michelle Obama.  (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Thanks so much.  Well, everyone, welcome.
Thank you.  Thanks, Jill.  Thanks so much for that gracious introduction.  But, more importantly, thank you for being such a phenomenal military mom and such a spokesperson for military families.  You've been just a great partner in Joining Forces and everything we do.  And I'm just grateful to have you as a friend and as a partner.

Isn't it pretty in here?  (Laughter.)  It really is.  I walked in and was like, oh, my goodness!  And everyone looks so nice.  (Laughter.)  Must be a tea going on here or something like that.  (Laughter.) 

Well, welcome.  I hope you guys are doing good, having fun  -- everything going well.  So far, so good?  That's good.  (Applause.)  Well, we're happy to have you here. 

And I want to start by recognizing a few people.  I want to recognize Patty Shinseki, who is also a dear friend.  Patty, where are you?  Are you here?  Patty is right there.  (Laughter.) Patty, wonderful to see you.  Thank you for being such a tremendous supporter of both Jill and myself, and for all the sacrifices that you make. 

I want to recognize Lilibet Hagel who is here.  Please stand, the both of you.  (Applause.)  Thank you, as well, for your service to this country and for all that you do for Jill and myself as well. 

And I want to take a minute to embarrass somebody in the room, because I have a special person here as well -- a woman who is my rock in so many ways.  I couldn't do what I do every single day if it weren't for this woman.  I just did an interview the other day where somebody asked me what was one of the most important things that my mother taught me -- and I could go on and on and on.  But my mom has taught me most to be a good listener, to be patient, to use common sense.  She has taught me to be open-minded. 

And what she still does for me today is that she will give me endless amounts of time just to talk and talk and talk and talk -- and all she does is listen.  (Laughter.)  That's all she does, is listen.  And sometimes that's all we need. 

So it is my honor to recognize my mommy, Marian Robinson, who is here.  Stand up, Mommy.  (Applause.)  It's Grandma.  (Laughter.) 

And finally, I want to thank all of you for being here today as we celebrate Mother’s Day at the White House.  It's really good.  We're doing it just a little bit early, so get double duty, moms.  (Laughter.)  We get today and we get tomorrow.  Let's stretch this out.  (Laughter.)  We get Saturday, Sunday -- and I think we should just figure out what we need to do on Monday, too.  (Laughter.)  So I think this is a good way to start off the weekend.   

Today, we have some of the most extraordinary moms in the country with us.  We have active duty troops and veterans and military spouses from all across the country.  And we knew we wouldn’t be celebrating motherhood properly if we didn’t have you guys bring along some special guests -- your children -- and some people have brought their own moms as well.  So this is quite a beautiful crew -- and handsome, too.  (Laughter.)  So we are thrilled to have several generations of families here with us today.

We also have a group of very special women who I’d like to take a moment to recognize -- some of the Military Spouses of the Year from each branch of our Armed Forces.  And as I say your name, please stand so that we can recognize you.  Verenice Castillo from the Air Force.  (Applause.)  Stay up.  (Laughter.) I want you to get your moment.  Tara Crooks from the Army.  (Applause.)  Karen Guenther from the Marine Corps.  (Applause.) Shelley Kimball from the Coast Guard.  Alisha Youch from the Navy.  (Applause.)  Where’s Alisha?

DR. BIDEN:  Alisha had another event that she had to race to.  She’s so sad --

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, give her a hug from us.   

And just a couple of hours ago, Alicia Hinds Ward from the National Guard was named the National Military Spouse of the Year for 2013.  Is she here?  There you go -- Alicia.  (Applause.)

Thank you all so much.  We are so proud.  You all are just a reflection of what you know folks like you are doing all over this country.  And it is an honor to have you here.  We are grateful for what you do.  And have a good time.  You can sit down now.  (Laughter.) 

But I'm going to talk a little bit more about our Military Spouse of the Year, Alicia.  Alicia’s story probably sounds pretty familiar to many of you in this room.  She’s a mother of three boys -- ooh, sorry.  (Laughter.)  Her husband is in the Air National Guard here in Washington.  And every day, she finds a way to give back in some way, shape or form -- working to build morale and support family members who are going through deployments, leading monthly forums to educate families about their benefits in the military, distributing book bags to military kids.  And she’s doing it all because, as she says -- and these are here words -- she says, “I believe each of us as the ability to be as phenomenal as we choose or we are given the opportunity to be.  Empower someone and watch them soar.” 

Those are Alicia’s words.  And that’s what military moms do every day.  You all help people soar.  You help our country soar. When somebody needs you, whether it’s your family, or your community, or your country -- you lift them up.  You answer the call every single time.  You find a way to fit that meeting into your calendar -- which is why Alicia is gone -- (laughter) -- or stop by that neighbor’s house on the way home to lend a hand. 

And even though you’ve got families to raise and jobs to do all your own, you never complain.  And Jill and I say this all the time, as we meet with thousands of military families -- you all just never complain.  Never complain.  You just keep moving along, getting it done.

And I hope that you know how much your country appreciates you.  I really hope you do.  I hope that you know that people across America have your backs, from everyone here at the White House and the Department of Defense to CEOs of some of the largest companies in this country, to doctors and college professors and community and faith leaders in cities all over this country -- people are responding to your service with service of their own. 

And that’s why Jill and I -- one of the things that we've seen as we've been working with Joining Forces over these past several years -- every time we’ve issued a call to action on your behalf, whether it’s for jobs or educational opportunities or volunteers to do more for you, Americans have responded overwhelmingly, in such positive ways.  We haven’t had a single person tell us no when we've asked. 

I mean, that's what we've learned.  A lot of times when people don't step up, they don't know -- they don't know what to do.  But when we explain, when we share, when we ask them to do it, they step up.  And I know that's not just because Jill and I are asking.  I mean, we’re cool and everything, but -- (laughter) -- but it’s really because of all of you and everything your families have given to this country. 

So I want you all to know that this country is here for you and your families now and in the years ahead -- because everything we’re doing with Joining Forces isn’t about the Obama administration.  The goal is that this is a forever proposition, that anyone who occupies the White House from now on will take this mission up as a primary focus of everything they do.  All of these changes we hope to be part of the bureaucracy from now on. So that's what Joining Forces is all about, and that's what today is all about.

So we really do want you to make yourselves at home.  When the lights go off and all the cameras leave, it’s just tea with us.  (Laughter.)  Eat all you want.  As I say, have all the cookies you want.  (Laughter.)  Today is the day to forget about Let's Move.  This is the balance part of it.  (Laughter.)  We’ve earned it, moms.  (Laughter.)  We can have our cookies. 

And we’re going to walk out, Jill and I, for a second.  And we’re going to ask all the young people in the room to come with us because we’ve got some surprises for you.  So we’re going to leave, do a little business, and we will be back for a few surprises for you all. 

So, moms, hold tight.  You get a couple of minutes of free babysitting.  (Laughter.)  So any kids who are ready who want to leave and come with us, you guys follow us.  We’re coming.  We’re going to march on out.  Let’s go.

  * * * * *

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, surprise!  (Laughter.)  You guys, your kids will be coming in, they're going to find their places.  They've been working so hard on some special surprises.  You all, please, be seated. 

Well, it is my honor to welcome Prince Harry to the White House today.  As you all might know, Prince Harry is a Captain in the Army Air Corps in the British Armed Forces.  (Applause.)  In January, he returned from his second deployment to Afghanistan, and for the past few years he has focused on honoring the sacrifice and service of our veterans and military families, especially now that the war in Afghanistan is drawing to a close.

He has spent much of his time supporting our wounded warriors and the families of our fallen.  And this weekend -- absolutely.  (Applause.)  And this weekend, he will be attending the fourth annual Warrior Games in Colorado Springs. 

So we are absolutely thrilled that he could be with us today, that he took the time.  He just arrived in D.C. and only has a limited time with us because he has a very busy schedule.  But when he heard about this tea and all of you -- as I said, when people know about you and the sacrifices you make, they want to be a part of it -- he wanted to be here to personally thank you for your service. 

So we are going to head into the Blue Room -- Jill, Prince Harry and myself -- and we're going to take time to greet each one of you.  So Prince Harry is going to stay as long as he can, and our goal is to get through everyone.  But as soon as he -- whenever he has to leave we'll pull him out, and Jill and I will be here to the very end.

So Happy Mother's Day.  (Applause.)  I hope you guys enjoyed yourselves, and we'll see you inside.  (Applause.)

END 
4:49 P.M. EDT