Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Paul R. Knapp Animal Learning Center
Iowa State Fairgrounds
Des Moines, Iowa

7:10 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Iowa!  (Applause.)  I don't know about you, but I'm feeling fired up!  (Applause.)  I am definitely ready to go!  Definitely ready to go.  We just had a chance to talk to the folks in the overflow, and before that we were in Newton.  And I was just telling my team, there's something about coming to Iowa -- (applause) -- it just gets me going!  (Applause.)  It's my home away from home.  (Applause.)  Just love this place!  Even just all those long drives.  (Laughter.)  Seeing all that corn -- makes me feel good.  (Applause.)   

So, listen, I want to thank a couple of Iowa friends of mine -- first of all, your outstanding former governor and now outstanding Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack is in the house.  (Applause.)  Your Mayor, Frank Cownie is here.  (Applause.)  Your Congressman, Leonard Boswell.  (Applause.)  Your Attorney General and one of my campaign co-chairs, Tom Miller.  (Applause.)  Your State Treasurer and one of my earliest supporters, Mike Fitzgerald.  (Applause.) 

And I also want to thank some folks who've been keeping us fired up from the very beginning -- the Isiserettes who are in the house.  (Applause.)  We were talking about when we had the J.J. dinner, we were all going in together, and the Isiserettes were at the front.  And Michelle and I were dancing -- she was dancing, I was trying to dance.  (Laughter.) 

So it's good to be back.  It's good to be back among friends.  It's good to be seeing all of you.  (Applause.)  Four or five years ago, it was you who kept us going when a lot of pundits in Washington had written us off.  You remember that.  It was on your front porches, it was in your backyards where our movement for change began. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you, Mr. President!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years! 

THE PRESIDENT:  You know, it was here where we came together to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth.  We believe that in America success shouldn’t be determined by the circumstances of your birth.  If you're willing to work hard, you should be able to find a good job.  (Applause.)  If you're willing to meet your responsibilities, you should be able to own a home, maybe start a business.  You should be able to give your children a better chance than you had -- no matter where you came from, no matter what you look like, no matter who you love.  (Applause.)  That's what we believe.  (Applause.)    

And we came together in 2008 because you could tell that our country -- or at least the leadership in Washington -- had strayed away from these basic values.  We had a record surplus that had been squandered on tax cuts for folks who didn’t need them and weren’t even asking for them.  Two wars had been waged on a credit card.  Wall Street speculators were reaching huge profits, making bets with other people’s money, but it was destabilizing our financial system.  Manufacturing was moving offshore.  A shrinking number of Americans were doing fantastically well, but a whole lot of people were struggling with falling incomes and rising costs and the slowest job growth in half a century. 

And it was a house of cards, and we sensed that.  And then right in the middle of the campaign we saw the most destructive crisis since the Great Depression.  In the last six months of 2008, while we were still campaigning, nearly 3 million of our neighbors lost their jobs; 800,000 lost their jobs the month I was sworn in -- hadn't seen anything like it since the Great Depression.

And so it was tough.  But it turned out Americans were tougher.  Folks in Iowa were tougher.  (Applause.)  We don’t quit.  We keep going.  And together, we're fighting our way back. (Applause.)     

So when some said we should just let Detroit go bankrupt, we put our money on American workers and the ingenuity of American companies.  (Applause.)  And today, plants are adding new workers and new shifts, and the American auto industry is firing on all cylinders.  Our manufacturers started investing in America again -- first time we consistently added manufacturing jobs since the 1990s.

Businesses started getting back to the basics, creating over 4 million new jobs in the last 26 months -- more than 1 million in the last six months alone.  (Applause.)  Here in Iowa, farmers, food producers, manufacturers, renewable energy producers -- they're all driving new job growth, showing the resilience and strength of our rural economies.

Now, are we satisfied?  Of course not.   We've still got friends out there, and family who are looking for work.  All across America there are homes that are still underwater, too many small businesses still struggling to get financing.  States are still laying off teachers and first responders.

This was a deep crisis; it didn’t happen overnight.  And we never thought it was going to be solved overnight.  We know we have more work to do.  But we also know that the last thing we can afford to do is to return to the very same policies that got us into this mess in the first place.  (Applause.)  Not now.  Not with so much at stake.  We have come too far to abandon the change that we fought for over these past few years.  We've got to move forward.  We can't go backward.  We've got to move forward.  (Applause.) 

That's the choice in this election.  And that's why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States -- to move this country forward.  (Applause.)   

Now, my opponent in this election, Governor Romney --

AUDIENCE MEMBERS:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Governor Romney is a patriotic American.  He's raised a wonderful family.  He should be proud of the great personal success he's had as a CEO of a large financial firm.  There are plenty of good and honest people in that industry, and there’s an important, creative role for it in the free market.  But --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)  (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  But Governor Romney has made his experience as a financial CEO the entire rationale of his candidacy for president.  Now, he doesn’t really talk about what he did in Massachusetts.  But he does talk about being a business -- business guy.  Right?  He says this gives him a special understanding of what it takes to create jobs and grow the economy -- even if he’s unable to offer a single new idea about how to do that, no matter how many times he’s asked about it, he says he knows how to do it.  So I think it’s a good idea to look at the way he sees the economy. 

Now, the main goal of a financial firm like Governor Romney’s is not to create jobs.  And by the way, the people who work at these firms will tell you that’s not their goal.  Their main goal is to create wealth for themselves and their investors. (Applause.)  That’s part of the American way.  That’s fine.   

Sometimes, jobs are created in that process.  But when maximizing short-term gains for your investors rather than building companies that last is your goal, then sometimes it goes the other way.  Workers get laid off.  Benefits disappear.  Pensions are cut.  Factories go dark.  In some cases, companies are loaded up with debt -- not to make the companies more productive, not to buy new equipment to keep them at the cutting-edge, but just to pay investors.  Companies may go bankrupt as a result.  Taxpayers may be on the hook to help out on those pensions.  Investors walk off with big returns, and working folks get stuck holding the bag.

Now, that may be the job of somebody who's engaged in corporate buyouts.  That’s fine.  But that’s not the job of a President.  (Applause.)  That’s not the President's job.  There may be value for that kind of experience, but it’s not in the White House.  (Applause.) 

See, the job of a President is to lay the foundation for strong and sustainable broad-based growth -- not one where a small group of speculators are cashing in on short-term gains.  It’s to make sure that everybody in this country gets a fair shake -- (applause) -- everybody gets a fair shot, everybody is playing by the same set of rules.  (Applause.) 

When you’re the President, your job is to look out for the investor and the worker; for the big companies and the small companies; for the health of farmers and small businesspeople and the nurse and the teacher.  (Applause.)  You're supposed to be thinking about everybody -- and the health of the middle class, and what the future is going to hold for our kids.  That’s how I see the economy. 

Of course, the worldview that Governor Romney gained from his experience as a financial CEO explains something.  It explains why the last time he visited these very same fairgrounds, he famously declared that corporations are people. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Corporations aren't people!

THE PRESIDENT:  "Human beings, my friends."  That’s what he said.  That’s what he called you.  "Human beings, my friends."

It also explains why, when a woman right here in Iowa shared the story of her financial struggles, he gave her an answer out of an economics textbook.  He said, "Our productivity equals our income."  Well, as if she’d have an easier time making it if she would just work harder.

Now, let me tell you something.  We believe in the profit motive.  We believe that risk-takers and investors should be rewarded.  That's what makes our economy so dynamic.  But we also believe everybody should have opportunity.  (Applause.)  We believe -- we think everybody who makes the economy more productive or a company more productive should benefit. 

And the problem with our economy isn’t that the American people aren’t productive enough -- you’re working harder than ever.  Productivity is through the roof.  It's been going up consistently over the last decade.  The challenge we face right now -- the challenge we’ve faced for over a decade -- is that harder work hasn’t led to higher incomes.  Bigger profits haven’t led to better jobs.  And you can’t solve that problem if you can’t even see that it's a problem.  (Applause.)

And he doesn't see it's a problem.  And so this experience explains why he is proposing the exact same policies that we already tried in the last decade, the very policies that got us into this mess.  He sincerely believes that if CEOs and wealthy investors are getting rich, then the wealth is going to trickle down and the rest of us are going to do well, too.  And he is wrong.

You don’t build a strong economy by proposing more tax cuts for corporations that ship jobs and profits overseas.  But that’s his plan.  (Applause.)  You don’t build a strong economy by repealing the rules that are designed to prevent another taxpayer bailout of Wall Street banks.  But that’s what he pledges to do, roll those things back.  You don’t build a strong economy by offering another budget-busting tax cut skewed to the wealthiest Americans, while raising taxes on 18 million working families.  But that’s what he’s proposing.  (Applause.)  

And then, he and his folks, they’ve got the nerve to go around saying they're somehow going to bring down the deficit.  Economists who have looked at his plan say it would swell our deficits by trillions of dollars, even with the drastic cuts he’s called for in things like education and agriculture and Medicare; even with the drastic cuts to the basic research and technology that have always been the strength of the American economy. 

He promises to do that on day one.  We don't need that.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  That's a vision that's going backwards.  We're going forwards.  (Applause.) 

We're going forward.  We're not going to double down on the same bad ideas that we've tried over the last decade.  It's not as if we haven't tried these things.  We tried them.  They didn't work.  We're not going to listen to folks who argue that somehow this time it's going to be different.  I'm here to tell you we were there when we tried them.  We remember.  We're not going back.  We're moving this country forward.  (Applause.)

And I want to make clear here, it's not like Democrats don't have work to do.  We've got work to do.  Government -- we have to acknowledge government can't solve all our problems and it shouldn't try.  I learned from my mom no education policy can take the place of a parent's love and attention -- and sometimes a scolding when you didn't do your homework.  (Applause.)  As a young man, when I was working as a community organizer with Catholic churches, they taught me no poverty program can make as much of a difference as neighbors coming together and working together with kindness and commitment.  (Applause.) 

Not every regulation is smart, not every tax dollar is spent wisely, not every person can be helped who refuses to help themselves.  But that's not an excuse to tell the vast majority of hardworking, responsible Americans they're on their own; that unless you're lucky to have parents who can lend you the money, you may not be able to go to college; that even if you pay your premiums every month, you may be out of luck if an insurance company decides to drop your coverage just when you need it most. (Applause.)

That's not who we are.  That's not how we built America.  We built this country together.  The Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge, GI Bill, the moon landing, the Internet -- we did those things together.  Not to make some small group rich, not to help any single individual, but because we knew that if we made those investments it would provide a framework, a platform for everybody to do well, for everybody to succeed.  That’s the true lesson of our past.  (Applause.)  That's the right vision for our future.  And that's why I'm running for President of the United States.  (Applause.)

I’m running to make sure that by the end of this decade, more of our citizens hold a college degree than any other nation on Earth.  (Applause.)  I want to help our schools hire and reward the best teachers, especially in math and science.  (Applause.)  I want to give 2 million more Americans the chance to go to community colleges and learn skills that local businesses are looking for right now.  (Applause.)  Higher education can't be a luxury -- it is a necessity, and I want everybody to be able to afford it.  (Applause.)   

That’s the choice in this election.  That’s why I’m running for President.

I’m running to make sure the next generation of high-tech innovation and manufacturing takes root in places like Des Moines and Newton and Waterloo.  (Applause.)  I want to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs and profits overseas.  I want to reward companies that are creating jobs and bringing jobs back here to the United States of America.  (Applause.)  That’s the choice in this election.

I’m running so we can keep moving forward to a future where we control our own energy.  Our dependence on foreign oil is at the lowest point it's been in 16 years.  (Applause.)  By the middle of the next decade, our cars will average nearly 55 miles per gallon.  (Applause.)  Thousands of Americans have jobs -- including here in Iowa -- because the production of renewable energy has nearly doubled in just three years in this country.  (Applause.) 

Now is not the time to cut these investments just to keep giving billions in tax giveaways to oil companies.  They’ve never been more profitable.  Now is the time to double down on biofuels and solar and wind, clean energy that’s never been more promising for our economy and our security and for the safety of the planet.  (Applause.)  That’s the choice in this election, Iowa.   
Now, for the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq.  (Applause.)  Osama bin Laden is no longer a threat to this country.  (Applause.)  Al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and by 2014, the war in Afghanistan will be over. (Applause.)  

And all this was made possible because of the courage and selflessness of our men and women in uniform -- (applause) -- which is why, on Memorial Day, we're going to remember them.  And I'm going to actually be talking especially about our Vietnam vets.  They weren't honored the way they were supposed to when they came home.  (Applause.)  And we're not going to make that mistake again.  So as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, this country will care for our veterans and serve them as well as they’ve served us.  (Applause.)  Because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their heads when they come home.  (Applause.)  That’s why I'm running for President. 

My opponent has got a different view.  He said it was "tragic" to end the war in Iraq.  He won’t set a timeline to end the war in Afghanistan.  And I have, and I intend to keep it.  (Applause.)  Because after a decade of war that’s cost us thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars, the nation we need to build is our own.  (Applause.)  So I want to use -- so we're going to use half of what we’re no longer spending on war to pay down our deficit, and the rest to invest in education and research, to repair our roads and bridges, our runways, our wireless networks.  (Applause.)   

That’s the choice in this election, Iowa. 

I’m running to pay down our debt in a way that’s balanced and responsible.  Now, I know Governor Romney came to Des Moines last week; warned about a "prairie fire of debt."  That’s what he said.  (Laughter.)  But he left out some facts.  His speech was more like a cow pie of distortion.  (Laughter.)  I don’t know whose record he twisted the most -- mine or his.  (Laughter.) 

Now, listen, the debt and the deficit are serious problems and it is true that the depth of the recession added to the debt. A lot more folks were looking for unemployment insurance.  A lot fewer folks were paying taxes because they weren't making money, so that added to the debt.  Our efforts to prevent it from becoming a depression -- helping the auto industry, making sure that not as many teachers were laid off -- all those things added to the debt.   

But what my opponent didn’t tell you was that federal spending since I took office has risen at the slowest pace of any President in almost 60 years.  (Applause.)  By the way, what generally happens -- what happens is, the Republicans run up the tab, and then we're sitting there and they've left the restaurant, and then they point and -- "Why did you order all those steaks and martinis?"  (Laughter.)  What he did not also tell you was that after inheriting a $1 trillion deficit, I signed $2 trillion of spending cuts into law. 

So now I want to finish the job –- yes, by streamlining government -- we've got more work to do; yes, by cutting more waste; but also by reforming our tax code so that it is simpler and fairer, and so that it asks the wealthiest Americans to pay a little bit more.  (Applause.) 

Oh, by the way, something else he didn’t mention, something else he didn’t tell you -- he hasn't told you how he'd paid for a new $5 trillion tax cut which includes a 25 percent tax cut for nearly every millionaire in the country. 

AUDIENCE:  Boo --

THE PRESIDENT:  Five trillion dollars in new tax cuts -- that is like trying to put a fire out -- a prairie fire with some gasoline.  (Applause.) 

So we're not going to do that.  I refuse to let that happen to our country.  We're not going to pay for another millionaire’s tax cut by eliminating medical research that’s helping people with cancer and Alzheimer's disease.  We're not going to pay for it by shortchanging farmers in rural America.  We're not going to pay for it by kicking some kids out of Head Start, or asking students to pay more for college, or eliminating health insurance for millions of poor and elderly, and Americans on disabilities who are all on Medicaid.  (Applause.)

And as long as I’m President, we're not going to allow Medicare to be turned into a voucher that would end the program as we know it.  (Applause.)  We're going to reform Medicare not by shifting the cost of care to seniors -- that’s easy to do, but it's wrong.  We're going to reform it by reducing the actual costs of health care, reducing the spending that doesn’t make people healthier.  (Applause.)  That’s the right thing to do. 

That’s what at stake, Iowa.  That’s why I'm running for reelection.  (Applause.) 

On issue after issue, we can’t afford to spend the next four years just going backwards.  We don’t need to re-fight the battle we just had over Wall Street reform.  That was the right thing to do.  We’ve seen how important it is.  We don’t need to re-fight the battle we just had over health care reform -- having 2.5 million young people stay on their parent's health insurance -- that was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  Cutting prescription drug costs for seniors -- right thing to do.  We're not going to go back to the days when insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policies, or deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.  We’re not going back to that. (Applause.)    

We don’t need another political fight about ending a woman’s right to choose, or getting rid of Planned Parenthood -- (applause) -- or taking away affordable birth control.  We don’t need that.  (Applause.)  I want women to control their own health choices, just like I want my daughters to have the same economic opportunities as my sons.  We’re not turning back the clock.  (Applause.)  We're not going back there.  

We’re not going back to the days when you could be kicked out of the military just because of who you are and who you love. We’re moving forward as a country, where everybody is treated with dignity and respect.  Moving forward.  (Applause.)    

We're not going to just stand back while $10 million checks are speaking louder than the voices of ordinary citizens in our elections.  We recognize that’s a problem. 

And it’s time to stop denying citizenship to responsible young people just because they’re the children of undocumented immigrants.  (Applause.)  Look, you know what, this country is at its best when we harness the God-given talents of every individual, when we hear every voice, when we come together as one American family all striving for the same American Dream.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  That’s why I’m running for a second term.  That’s why I need your help.  (Applause.)   

You know, let me say this -- this election is going to be even closer than the last one.  And by the way, the last one was close.  People don’t remember -- it was close.  Everybody remembers Grant Park -- it was close.  We're going to have to contend with even more negative ads.  We've got these super PACs and shadowy special interests, like the ones you’ve been bombarded with.  You guys just got hit here in Iowa.  We’ll have to overcome more cynicism and nastiness and just some plain foolishness even more than we did the last time.   

But the outcome of this election, it's entirely up to you.  I’m going to be working hard.  Michelle is out there working hard.  (Applause.)  But there’s one thing we learned -- there's nothing more powerful than millions of voices calling for change. 

Michelle and I, we were talking the other night over dinner, and I told her we were coming back to Iowa, and she said something -- it's absolutely true -- she said, I remember back in the first campaign that we would be reading all these news reports and watching the news, and everything looked terrible and everybody was counting us out.  And then I'd come to Iowa, and I'd see what was going on, on the ground and I'd be meeting people and talking to people.  It wasn't necessarily that it was a sure thing that we were going to win.  But what was being reflected out there, that wasn't what was happening here.  That wasn't what ordinary folks were thinking. 

So she just stopped watching TV -- or at least the news part of it.  She still watches HDTV and some other things -- "Dancing with the Stars."  (Laughter.)  But this place taught us that not that we're always right, not that we don't make mistakes, but that there's just a core decency and strength and resilience to the American people, and that, ultimately, the conversations that are going on around kitchen tables and at the VFW hall and in churches, those conversations aren't what's reflected in the cable news.

And so, when I look out at this crowd, all these different faces -- different ages, different races, different faiths -- I'm reminded of that.  And when enough of you knock on enough doors and pick up enough phones, and talk to your friends or your neighbors and your coworkers -- and you're doing it respectfully and you're talking to folks who don't agree with you, you're talking to people who are good people, but maybe they don't have all the information -- when you make that happen, when you decide it’s time for change to happen, you know what, change happens.  Change comes to America.  (Applause.)

It's always easier to be cynical.  It's always easier to say nothing can change, especially after we've gone through such a tough time.  And despite all the changes we've made, despite all the good things we've done, things are still tough.  And so, the other side, they are going to try and play on that sense that, well, things aren't perfect, Congress is still arguing, the politics is still polarized.  But you're the antidote to that. 

And that's the spirit we need again.  So if people ask you what this campaign is about, you tell them, yes, it’s still about hope.  It is still about change.  It's still about ordinary folks who believe that in the face of great odds, we can make a difference in the life of this country.  (Applause.)  Don't let them tell you different.  (Applause.)  

You proved it in 2008.  Without you -- I look around this place, I see folks who were out there knocking on doors and making things happen -- I would not have had the privilege of being your President.  You were the first ones to make this country believe we could still come together around a common purpose.  (Applause.) 

And I still believe that today.  I still believe that we're not as divided as our politics suggest.  I still believe we have more in common than the experts tell us.  I still believe we're not Democrats or Republicans first, we are Americans first.  (Applause.) 

I still believe in you.  And I want you to keep believing in me.  (Applause.)  Some of you remember -- because I've spent a lot of time here, I used to go around and I would tell you -- I warned you and if you weren't listening, Michelle would tell you -- I warned you I’m not a perfect man and I wouldn't be a perfect President.  But what I told you was I promised you I would always tell you what I thought and I'd always tell you where I stood, even when it politically wasn't convenient.  And I would wake up every single day, fighting as hard as I know how for you and your families and your children's future. 

And, Iowa, I have kept that promise.  I have kept that promise.  (Applause.)  And I will keep it as long as I have the honor of being your President.  So if you’re willing to stick with me and fight with me and press on with me, and if you’re willing to work even harder than you did the last time, we'll move this country forward and we'll finish what we started.  And we'll remind the world just why it is America is the greatest nation on Earth. 

God bless you.  God bless America. 

END             
7:50 P.M. CDT

Remarks by the President on Energy in Newton, Iowa

TPI Composites
Newton, Iowa

4:30 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Iowa!  (Applause.)  Well, it is good to be back in Newton!  (Applause.)  It's been a while.  It's good to be back in Iowa.  It's brought back memories -- of a lot of driving.  (Laughter.)  And I just had a great tour of this facility.  By the way, if people have chairs, feel free to sit down.  (Laughter.)  Some of you may not have seats, but I want to make everybody comfortable.  But don't worry, I'm not going to talk that long.  I didn’t want to give that impression.

I just had a wonderful tour of this facility.  And I was telling some of the folks we couldn’t take the helicopters in because the winds were too strong, so you are definitely in the right business.  (Laughter.)  Obviously there's some wind power here in Iowa that we want to tap.

I want to thank Quinten for the terrific introduction and for sharing his story.  Give Quinten a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  Quinten was telling my team this is the first time he's ever spoken in public.  But he looked like a pro to me.  (Applause.) 

I want to thank your mayor, Mayor Allen, for welcoming us here today.  (Applause.)  I also want to thank Representative Dave Loebsack for being here.  Give Dave a big round of applause. (Applause.)  And I know he had to leave early, but I just want to acknowledge somebody you know well -- our outstanding Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack.  (Applause.)  Tom was instrumental in helping transform Newton and he's still got your back.  He is still fighting every single day for every single person in this town, but all across rural America.  And so we're very proud of him.

Now, we all know how difficult these past few years have been for the country.  Iowa has actually done a little better than some other states, but it's still been tough.  And after the worst recession of our lifetimes, it's going to take some time for the economy to fully recover -- more time than a lot of us would like.  And we're still facing some headwinds, like the situation in Europe right now, which is having an impact on our economy. 

But while there's certain economic developments we can't control, there are a bunch of things that we can control.  There are plenty of steps that we can take right now -- steps that we must take right now -- to speed up this recovery and to create jobs, and to restore some of the financial security that a lot of families have lost.  It's within our control to do all of that right now.  But here's the thing -- (applause.)  It's true, we can make that difference. 

The challenge we've got is that too many folks aren't on the same page.  We've got too many of my dear Republican friends in Congress that have been standing in the way of some steps that we could take that would make a difference at the moment.  Either they say they don't want to do anything at all, or they don't want to do it before the election, or they want to double down on some of the policies that didn’t work and helped to get us into this mess in the first place.

And Newton knows something about that -- because Newton lost manufacturing.  Newton lost Maytag.  A lot of the trends that we had seen even before the financial crisis hit, hit Newton first. And so when you hear somebody say we should cut more taxes, especially for the wealthiest Americans, well, Newton, you've been there and you've done that.  We did that -- 2000, 2001, 2003.  When you hear people say that we should cut back more on the rules we put in place for banks and financial institutions to avoid another taxpayer bailout -- well, we tried that.  When people say that we should just wait until the housing market hits bottom and hope that it comes back, hope for the best -- well, that's not an answer for people.  That doesn't make sense. 

We've tried at lot of these ideas for nearly a decade.  It did not work.  We saw manufacturing moving offshore.  We saw a few people do very well, but too many families struggling just to get by -- all before the financial crisis hit.  And the financial crisis made it worse.  So we can't go backwards.  We've got to move forward.  We've got to build an economy where hard work and responsibility pay off, where you can find a good job and own your own home, maybe start your own businesses and give your kids a chance for a better future.  (Applause.)  That's the American way.  That's who we are.  (Applause.)  

So I’ve been pushing Congress to help us get there by passing a few common-sense policies that would strengthen the economy and put more folks to work right now.  We even made a handy "To-Do" list that they can check off.  It's just like the to-do list Michelle gives me, a "honey-do" list.  (Laughter.)  There are only five things on it, on this "To-Do" list, but these are all things we could get done before the election.  We don't have to wait until then.  There are some things that we should put ahead of politics, and one of them is making sure that the economy is moving forward and the recovery is moving forward.  (Applause.)

And like I said, I kept it simple.  There are just five things.  I didn't want to overload Congress with too much at once.  (Laughter.)  But these are all ideas that will make a difference right now and we shouldn't wait for an election to get them done. 

So first up on the list, it makes no sense that we’re actually still giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs and factories overseas.  That doesn’t make sense at all.  That doesn’t make any sense.  (Applause.)  So what I’ve asked Congress to do is end tax breaks for companies that are shipping jobs overseas, use that money to cover the moving expenses for companies that are bringing jobs back to the United States of America.  That’s a common-sense approach.  (Applause.)

Second, we’ve asked Congress to give every responsible homeowner -- folks who have been making their mortgage payments  -- the opportunity to save an average of $3,000 a year by refinancing their mortgage and taking advantage of these historically low rates.  The problem is a lot of folks are having trouble refinancing if their home is underwater, if it’s worth less than their mortgage, and sometimes banks have been pulling back a little bit.  We want to make it easier for people to refinance.  So that’s the second thing because that will create  -- that will put more money in the economy for everybody.  And if you’ve got an extra $3,000 in your pocket, then you’ll go shopping, you’ll go out to a restaurant -- suddenly there’s a lot more money circulating and the economy gets stronger.  So that’s the second thing. 

Two weeks ago I was in Reno, Nevada, with a family -- they got a chance to refinance because of some steps that we had already taken administratively, and it’s making a huge difference in their lives.  And we want all families to have that same opportunity.  

Third thing, instead of just talking about job creators -- you always hear -- every member of Congress has said, we’ve got to help the job creators.  Okay, let’s help them.  Congress should help small business owners who create most of the new jobs in America -- small business owners -- (Applause.)  So what we want to do is give them a tax break for hiring more workers and for paying them higher wages.  Give them an incentive to say, you know what, if on the margins maybe I’m thinking about hiring that extra person, if I get a tax break it makes that person a little bit cheaper to hire, and that can put more of our neighbors and friends back to work.  So that’s a common-sense idea.  (Applause.)

Fourth thing, we have done a whole lot to make sure that those men and women who have served us in Iraq and Afghanistan, that we are serving them as well as they’ve served us -- (applause) -- treating them with the honor and respect that they have earned when they come home.  (Applause.)  So we put together the Post-9/11 GI Bill so they’re able to go back and get some training and skills.  We mobilized the private sector to hire more veterans and give them the private sector incentives to hire more veterans.

But there's another thing we can do.  Congress should create what we're calling a Veterans Jobs Corps, so that we can help communities across America put our returning heroes back to work as police officers and firefighters and park rangers.  Nobody who fought for our country overseas should have to fight for a job when they come back home.  We've still got too much unemployment among our veterans.  (Applause.) 

So those are four simple things.  And the fifth thing is the reason why I'm here today.  The fifth item on my "To-Do" list -- I'm calling on Congress to extend tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year for clean-energy companies like TPI.  (Applause.)  Let's not wait.  Let's do it now.  (Applause.)

Many of you know the story of what's happening here better than I do, but I just want to remind you how far we've come.  Shortly after I took office, I came to Newton -- some of you remember -- and we unveiled an all-of-the-above energy strategy for America.  We said let's produce more oil and gas, but let's also produce more biofuels; let's produce more fuel-efficient cars; let's produce more solar and wind powerand other sources of clean, renewable energy.  And I came to Newton because Newton is helping to lead the way when it comes to building wind turbines. 

And since then, our dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year that I've been in office -- every single year. (Applause.)  America is now producing more domestic oil than any time in the last eight years.  But we're also producing more natural gas, and we're producing more biofuels than any time in our history.  And that’s good for the Iowa economy.  (Applause.) We're laying the foundation for some of our nation's first offshore wind farms.  And since I became President, America has nearly doubled the use of renewable energy, like solar power and wind power -- we've nearly doubled it.  (Applause.) 

So this country is on the path towards more energy independence.  And that’s good for everybody.  It's good for people's pocketbooks; it's good for the environment; it's good for our national security.  We don’t want our economy dependent on something that happens on the other side of the world.  We don’t want every time there's a scare about war or some regime change in the Middle East that suddenly everybody here is getting socked and the whole economy is going down.

And the best thing is, in the process, we're also putting thousands of Americans back to work -- because the more we rely on American-made energy, the less oil we buy from other countries, the more jobs we create here at home, the more jobs we create here in Iowa.

So let's look at the wind industry.  It's so important to Iowa.  This industry, thanks in large part to some very important tax credits, has now taken off.  The state of Iowa now gets nearly 20 percent of all your electricity from wind -- 20 percent.  Overall, America now has enough wind capacity to power 10 million homes.  So this is an industry on the rise.  And as you know, it’s an industry that’s putting people to work.  You know this firsthand.  There are more wind power jobs in Iowa than any other state.  That’s a big deal.  (Applause.)   

And one of these modern windmills has more than 8,000 different parts -- everything from the towers and the blades to the gears, to the electrical switches.  And it used to be that almost all these parts were imported.  Today, more and more of these parts are being made here in America -- right here.  (Applause.)  We used to have just a few dozen manufacturing facilities attached to the wind industry.  Today we have nearly 500 facilities in 43 states employing tens of thousands of American workers -- tens of thousands. 

So we’re making progress.  And you know it better than anybody.  I mean, when I was talking to Quinten and Mark and a whole bunch of the other folks who are working here, they reminded me of the experience at working at Maytag and putting your heart and soul into a company and making a great product, and then, suddenly having that company leave, and how hard that was for families and how hard it was for the community.  But folks made the transition. 

And now, when you look at what's happening here -- 700 to 800 jobs, over $30 million being put back into the community -- this gives folks hope.  It gives people opportunity.  I met some folks who have been in manufacturing for 30 years, but I also met a couple of young folks who were just getting started.  And that's what we're looking for.  Nobody wants a handout.  Nobody wants to get something for nothing.  But if we've got a chance to create energy and create value and put people back to work, why wouldn't we do that? 

So I'm here today because, as much progress as we've made, that progress is in jeopardy.  If Congress doesn’t act, those tax credits that I mentioned -- the ones that helped build up the wind industry, the ones that helped to bring all these jobs to Newton, those tax credits will expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn't do anything. 

If Congress doesn’t act, companies like this one will take a hit.  Jobs will be lost.  That’s not a guess, that’s a fact.  We can’t let that happen.  And keep in mind that -- and this is something Congress needs to understand -- Dave Loebsack understands it, but I want every member of Congress to understand it.  These companies that are putting in orders for these amazing blades, they're making plans now.  They're making decisions now. So if they're cutting back on their orders, if they're not confident that the industry is going to be moving at a fast clip and they start reducing orders here, that affects you.  You can't wait for six months.  You can't wait for eight months.  You can't wait for a year to get this done.  It's got to be done now.  (Applause.)  

So this is a simple thing on Congress's "To-Do" list -- extend these tax credits.  Do it now.  Every day they don't act business grows more concerned that they will not be renewed.  They're worried demand for their products is going down, so they start thinking twice about expanding, more cautious about making new investments.  They start looking overseas.  I was talking to your CEO.  We got an opportunity to branch out, but we want to branch out by making the stuff here and then sending it there.  We don't want to branch out by sending the jobs and the investments over there, and then shipping it back to America.  That doesn't make sense.  (Applause.)  One company that had plans to invest $100 million to build a wind manufacturing plant in Arkansas -- and create hundreds of jobs –- put those plans on hold. 

And by the way, this should not be a partisan issue.  There are several Republican governors –- including the governor of this state -– who are calling on Congress to act.  There are members of Congress in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle –- including your two senators –- who support these tax credits.  And that doesn’t happen much in Washington where Democrats and Republicans say they agree on something.  So if you agree, why haven’t we gotten it done yet? 

This is not just an issue, by the way, for the wind industry.   Some of America’s most prominent companies -– from Starbucks to Campbell’s Soup –- they’re calling on Congress to act because they use renewable energy.  

Sometimes when I think about Washington and Congress -- and I know some of you think the same way -- I don’t get it.  I understand why we wouldn’t get something if we really disagree on something.  And there are some big disagreements:  They want to make big cuts to pay for more big tax cuts for the wealthy.  I disagree with that.  I think we should have a balanced approach  -- cut waste, but make sure that everybody is paying their fair share.  (Applause.)  An issue like that, maybe it can’t get settled before an election because they just have a different approach.  I understand that.  But this, everybody says they agree to or at least a lot of people agree to it. 

So I’m going to need your help.  I need you to get involved. I need you to help get this done.  I need everybody here in Newton -- and I mean everybody -- I don’t just mean folks who work at TPI -- anybody who’s watching, everybody here in Iowa, pick up the phone, send an email, send a tweet, tell Congress, let’s do the right thing.  Tell Congress the story of Newton.  Tell folks why it’s so important to this community.  Tell them we’ve come too far to turn back now.  (Applause.)

It used to be Newton was known for building washers and dryers, used to be Newton was known for Maytag.  And obviously they were a big employer -- thousands of people working in the area.  But back in 2007 when they closed down the operations here, that was a major blow.  And everybody here, if you don’t -- if you weren’t affected personally by it, you were affected indirectly.  Your friends, your neighbors, friends like Quinten were forced to start all over again.  And he didn’t give up.  You didn’t give up.  You kept pushing ahead.  Some of you had to retrain.  Pretty soon after one industry had left, another showed up.  Some of the facilities that Maytag closed were reopened.  So a lot of folks who used to build washers and dryers, now they’re part of the future, building an industry that’s going to make America stronger.  That’s the story of Newton.  That’s the story of America.

So, yes, we’re facing tough times, but we’re getting through them.  We’re getting through them together -- because in this country, just like in Newton, we don’t give up.  We keep moving. We keep moving forward.  And if we work together with a common purpose, we will get this economy back on track -- and remind everybody why America is the greatest country on Earth. 

Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless America.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END             
4:55 P.M. CDT

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Private Residence
Atherton, California

8:03 P.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Thank you, everybody.  Please, please have a seat.  (Applause.) 

Well, let me start out by just saying that the Goldman family and Doug and Lisa, they have had my back from the get-go. At a time when a lot of people had no idea who I was, they stepped up and were enormous supporters, along with some of the people in this room.  They've been great friends.  Even though the boys here beat me in air hockey -- (laughter) -- they haven’t rubbed it in, except for when I show up and they have an air hockey table here -- (laughter.)  But they've just been extraordinary supporters and I could not thank them more for everything that they've done.  So please give them another round of applause.  (Applause.) 

I want to thank David Crosby and Graham Nash for providing some wonderful music.  (Applause.)  It's not every day you get Rock and Roll Hall of Famers strumming the guitar for you.  So we really appreciate them.  And they've been wonderful supporters as well.  We really appreciate that.

I want to thank Don Cheadle for helping to -- (applause) -- helping to frame the debate here.  And Don has been a terrific friend as well.  I'm not going to talk about the basketball game we had a couple of weeks ago.  (Laughter.)  We're not going to say anything about it. 

DON CHEADLE:  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Nothing.  (Laughter.)

And I want to thank all of you for being here. 

Now, in these kinds of settings I try not to give a long speech.  What I'd like to do is just make some very brief remarks at the top because I want to save as much time as possible just for questions, for comments, for advice.  I always get advice at these things so -- (laughter) -- I'm sure this crowd will not be shy.

But as has already been said, we've gone through three and a half of the toughest years in our lifetimes.  It wasn’t just the 800,000 jobs a month that we were losing.  We had lost 3 million jobs before I was even sworn into office.  We had lost 8 million before our economic policies had a chance to take effect.  And we’ve still got a long way to go here in California and all across the country.  There are a lot of folks who are hurting, people out of work or underemployed, people whose homes are $100,000 underwater and have no sense of how they’ll ever get out from under the debts that they’ve accumulated.  There are an awful lot of young people here who are extraordinarily talented, but don’t see a path or a vision for the future.  So our work is not done.
 
The good news, though, is that we’re beginning to steer that ship in the right direction.  We’ve set a path and a target and a direction where this is again a country where everybody gets a fair shot, everybody does their fair share, everybody plays by the same set of rules.  A lot of that has to do with making sure that every kid in this country is getting a good education.  And I could not be prouder of the work that we’ve done on education reform.
 
A lot of it has to do with making sure that higher education is not a luxury.  And it’s not just four-year colleges.  We need more engineers, we need more scientists, we need more Stanford grads, but we also need folks who are going to community colleges and are able to get the skills and the training that they need in order to compete for jobs the 21st century.
 
We’re making progress when it comes to science and innovation, and all the investments that we’ve been making to try to make sure that we retain the edge that made us into an economic superpower.  We’ve started to rebuild our infrastructure -- not just the infrastructure of the past, not just roads and bridges, but also smart grids and high-speed rail.
 
We’re starting to make progress when it comes to advanced manufacturing, bringing jobs back here to the United States of America.  And our exports have surged.  We’re opening up markets all across the world.  And it turns out that America continues to have the best workers and the best businesses in the world.  We just have to get organized and we’re starting to do so.

Health care continues to be an extraordinary challenge, but we’re starting to see the impact of the health care bill.  And young people, 2.5 million young people who are able to stay on their parent's plan because of the health care bill, millions of seniors who are seeing reductions in the cost of their prescription drugs.  And ultimately, 30 million people who right now are showing up at the emergency room are going to have the chance for affordable, decent health care coverage.  And in the process, we’re rationalizing the system, so that we start driving down costs.

We’ve doubled fuel-efficiency standards on cars.  We have doubled the amount of clean energy that we’re producing.  We’ve still got a long way to go to have the kind of energy strategy that we need.  But we actually have seen our imports of foreign oil drop down under 50 percent, the lowest that it’s been in 15 years.  And through not only the production of clean energy, but massive investments in energy efficiency, we’ve got a chance to get control of our energy future in a way that is good for our economy, good for our national security and is good for our environment and we can start tackling climate change in a serious way and lead the world on that issue.

It’s been mentioned that we ended the war in Iraq.  We’re in the process of ending the war in Afghanistan.  And in the process we’re also restoring respect for this country all around the world.  I had a chance to speak to 1,100 cadets who were graduating from the Air Force Academy this afternoon -- this morning.  And I told them, don’t buy this whole notion that America’s influence is declining in the world -- because the truth is, as we travel everywhere, we continue to be the agenda setters.  Folks continue to look to us to help shape international rules and norms that allow us to tackle things like terrorism or climate change or poverty and development.  We continue to be the one indispensible nation.  And because we project it with our values and our ideals, and restored a sense of rule of law, people are paying attention, people are listening and people are hungry for our leadership.

So the strides that we’ve made over the last three and a half years have been extraordinary, but we’ve still got a long way to go.  We’ve got a lot of work to do.  We may not even finish it in five years, but I certainly need five more years to get us locked in on where we need to go. 

And that’s where all of you come in.  A lot of people here have made a lot of sacrifices to put me in this office.  And you’ve continued to help inform and guide a lot of my thinking on a lot of important issues.  But I tell you, we’re not done.  And as much noise as there is out there -- and those of you who follow this stuff and you’re reading blogs and watching cable TV and it feels like the sky is falling -- let me tell you, when you get out into the country, this is a country full of decent people who believe in America, and are generous and kind and tolerant. 

You know, I gave one commencement this week before I went to the Air Force Academy -- it was the high school graduation at Joplin High.  Now, you’ll recall this is a town that had been devastated by a tornado, and the kids ended up going to high school in a mall, and they ended up eating at the food court there for lunch -- which they thought was an improvement.  (Laughter.)  But to see the faces of these young people and their parents, and all they had been through -- there was a young man who had lost both his parents in the tornado, had been thrown and was out for three days.  When he finally woke up, he had to go through five weeks of rehabilitation, and he had to look after a sister.  And he was graduating this year, and going on to college.  And when you talk to a young man like that and he says, I know it’s not easy, but I don't quit -- that captures who we are and what we’re about. 

And that’s been displayed -- that resilience and that strength has been displayed over the last three-and-a-half years, just like it’s been displayed over the last 300 years.  And that’s not fading.  That’s as strong as it’s ever been.  And that’s what inspires me.  That’s what makes me as determined now -- more determined now than I was in 2008.

So I hope you have that same determination, because I intend to win this thing and I intend to keep on changing this country. (Applause.) 

So thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you, guys.

END
8:14 P.M. PDT

Remarks by the President at the Air Force Academy Commencement

Air Force Academy
Colorado Springs, Colorado

10:29 A.M. MDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Please be seated.  Good morning, everybody!  It is wonderful to be at the United States Air Force Academy on such a spectacular day.  And it is a privilege to join you in honoring the Class of 2012.  (Applause.)  

I want to thank Secretary Donley for his introduction, but more importantly, for his leadership.  Generals Gould, Clark and Born; academy faculty and staff; Governor Hickenlooper; members of Congress; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen. 

I especially want to acknowledge a graduate of this academy who has kept our Air Force strong through a time of great challenge, a leader I’ve relied on and for whom today is his final commencement as chief of staff -- General Norton Schwartz. Norty, Suzie, we could not be prouder of you and we are grateful for 39 years of extraordinary service to our nation.  (Applause.)  
And although he is not with us today, I’m proud to have nominated another Academy graduate, General Mark Welsh, as the next chief of staff.  (Applause.)  

This is my second visit to the Academy.  I was here in the summer of 2008, and you were getting ready to head out to Jacks Valley.  So I was proud to be here when you began this journey, and I thought I’d come back and help you celebrate at the end.  (Laughter.)    

It’s great to be back at a school that has produced so many of the airmen I’ve known as President.  Every day, I rely on outstanding Academy graduates who serve at the White House.  Some of you know that photo from the Situation Room on the day we delivered justice to bin Laden -- you can see right next to me a great leader of our Special Operations forces, General Brad Webb. 
Last month, I was able to present the Commander-in-Chief Trophy to Coach Calhoun and the Fighting Falcons -- (applause) -- for the second straight year, a record 18th time.  And of course, every time I step on Air Force One, I count on Academy graduates like my pilot today -- Colonel Scott Turner.  Now, I was going to tell you a joke about Scott, but he’s my ride home.  (Laughter.) So I'm going to have to keep it to myself.

Cadets, you distinguished yourselves as leaders before you ever stepped foot on the Terrazzo.  And when you arrived, I know your upper classmen gave you quite a welcome.  They let you experience the joy of the Beast.  The pleasure of Recognition.  They made you experts on filling out forms.  I only ask that you resist the temptation to rate my speech -- "fast-neat-average-friendly-good-good."  (Laughter and applause.)  

But you survived.  In you we see the values of integrity and service and excellence that will define your lives.  And I know you couldn’t have made it without the love and support of your moms and dads and brothers and sisters and grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins.  So give them all a big round of applause.  (Applause.) 

This Academy is one of the most demanding academic institutions in America.  And you have excelled.  I’m told you have set at least three Academy records:  The largest number of graduates ever to go directly on to graduate school; the largest number of female graduates in Academy history -- (applause.)  You will follow in the footsteps of General Janet Wolfenbarger, who I was proud to nominate as the first female four-star general in Air Force history.  (Applause.)  

And of course, your final and perhaps most impressive distinction -- breaking the world's record for the largest game of dodgeball -- (applause) -- 3,000 participants, 30 hours.  I didn't know that was possible.  (Laughter.)  Of course, you are also the class that snuck into the Superintendent’s office and moved all the furniture into your dorm rooms -- (laughter) -- which does bring me to some important business.  In keeping with longstanding tradition, I hereby grant amnesty to all cadets serving restrictions and confinements for minor offenses.  (Applause.)  Of course, I leave it up to General Gould to define "minor."  (Laughter.) 

Cadets, this is the day you finally become officers in the finest Air Force in the world.  (Applause.)  Like generations before you, you'll be charged with the responsibility of leading those under your command.  Like classes over the past 10 years, you graduate in a time of war and you may find yourselves in harm’s way.  But you will also face a new test, and that’s what I want to talk to you about today.

Four years ago, you arrived here at a time of extraordinary challenge for our nation.  Our forces were engaged in two wars.  Al Qaeda, which had attacked us on 9/11, was entrenched in their safe havens.  Many of our alliances were strained and our standing in the world had suffered.  Our economy was in the worst recession since the Great Depression.  Around the world and here at home, there were those that questioned whether the United States still had the capacity for global leadership.

Today, you step forward into a different world.  You are the first class in nine years that will graduate into a world where there are no Americans fighting in Iraq.  (Applause.)  For the first time in your lives -- and thanks to Air Force personnel who did their part -- Osama bin Laden is no longer a threat to our country.  (Applause.)  We’ve put al Qaeda on the path to defeat. And you are the first graduates since 9/11 who can clearly see how we’ll end the war in Afghanistan.

So what does all this mean?  When you came here four years ago, there were some 180,000 American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We’ve now cut that number by more than half.  And as more Afghans step up, more of our troops will come home -— while achieving the objective that led us to war in the first place and that is defeating al Qaeda and denying them safe haven. So we aren’t just ending these wars, we are doing so in a way that makes us safer and stronger.

Today we pay tribute to all our extraordinary men and women in uniform for their bravery, for their dedication.  Those who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan to make this progress possible -— including 16 graduates of this Academy -- we honor them.  We will always honor them.

For a decade, we have labored under the dark cloud of war.  And now, we can see a light -- the light of a new day on the horizon.  So the end of these wars will shape your service and it will make our military stronger.  Ten years of continuous military operations have stretched our forces and strained their families.  Going forward, you’ll face fewer deployments.  You’ll have more time to train and stay ready.  That means you’ll be better prepared for the full range of missions you face.

And ending these wars will also ensure that the burden of our security no longer falls so heavily on the shoulders of our men and women in uniform.  As good as you are, you can’t be expected to do it alone.  There are many sources of American power -— diplomatic, economic and the power of our ideals.  And we’ve got to use them all.  And the good news is, today we are. 

Around the world, the United States is leading once more.  From Europe to Asia, our alliances are stronger than ever.  Our ties with the Americas are deeper.  We’re setting the agenda in the region that will shape our long-term security and prosperity like no other -- the Asia Pacific.

We’re leading on global security -- reducing our nuclear arsenal with Russia, even as we maintain a strong nuclear deterrent; mobilizing dozens of nations to secure nuclear materials so they never fall into the hands of terrorists; rallying the world to put the strongest sanctions ever on Iran and North Korea, which cannot be allowed to threaten the world with nuclear weapons.

We are leading economically -- forging trade pacts to create new markets for our goods; boosting our exports, stamped with three proud words -- Made in America.  (Applause.)  We’re expanding exchanges and collaborations in areas that people often admire most about America -- our innovation, our science, our technology.

We’re leading on behalf of human dignity and on behalf of freedom -- standing with the people of the Middle East and North Africa as they seek their rights; preventing a massacre in Libya with an international mission in which the United States -- and our Air Force -- led from the front.  (Applause.)  We’re leading global efforts against hunger and disease.  And we’ve shown our compassion, as so many airmen did in delivering relief to our neighbors in Haiti when they were in need and to our Japanese allies after the earthquake and tsunami.

Because of this progress, around the world there is a new feeling about America.  I see it everywhere I go, from London and Prague, to Tokyo and Seoul, to Rio and Jakarta.  There’s a new confidence in our leadership.  And when people around the world are asked, which country do you most admire, one nation comes out on top -- the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Of course, the world stage is not a popularity contest.  As a nation, we have vital interests, and we will do what is necessary always to defend this country we love -- even if it’s unpopular.  But make no mistake, how we’re viewed in the world has consequences -- for our national security and for your lives. 

See, when other countries and people see us as partners, they’re more willing to work with us.  It’s why more countries joined us in Afghanistan and Libya.  It’s why nations like Australia are welcoming our forces who stand side by side with allies and partners in the South Pacific.  It’s why Uganda and its African neighbors have welcomed our trainers to help defeat a brutal army that slaughters its citizens.

I think of the Japanese man in the disaster zone who, upon seeing our airmen delivering relief, said, "I never imagined they could help us so much."  I think of the Libyans who protected our airman when he ejected over their town, because they knew America was there to protect them.  And in a region where we've seen burning of American flags, I think of all the Libyans who were waving American flags.

Today, we can say with confidence and pride the United States is stronger and safer and more respected in the world, because even as we’ve done the work of ending these wars, we’ve laid the foundation for a new era of American leadership.  And now, cadets, we have to build it.  We have to build on it.  You have to build on it. 

Let’s start by putting aside the tired notion that says our influence has waned or that America is in decline.  We’ve heard that talk before.  During the Great Depression, when millions were unemployed and some believed that other economic models offered a better way, there were those who predicted the end of American capitalism.  Guess what, they were wrong.  We fought our way back.  We created the largest middle class in history and the most prosperous economy the world has ever known. 

After Pearl Harbor some said, the United States has been reduced to a third-rate power.  Well, we rallied.  We flew over The Hump and took island after island.  We stormed the beaches and liberated nations.  And we emerged from that war as the strongest power on the face of the Earth.

After Vietnam and the energy crisis of the 1970s, some said America had passed its high point.  But the very next decade, because of our fidelity to the values we stand for, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down and liberty prevailed over the tyranny of the Cold War.  (Applause.)

As recently as the 1980s with the rise of Japan and the Asian tigers, there were those who said we had lost our economic edge.  But we retooled.  We invested in new technologies.  We launched an Information Revolution that changed the world.

After all this, you would think folks understand a basic truth -- never bet against the United States of America.  (Applause.)  And one of the reasons is that the United States has been, and will always be, the one indispensable nation in world affairs.  It's one of the many examples of why America is exceptional.  It’s why I firmly believe that if we rise to this moment in history, if we meet our responsibilities, then -- just like the 20th century -- the 21st century will be another great American Century.  That’s the future I see.  That’s the future you can build.  (Applause.)   

I see an American Century because we have the resilience to make it through these tough economic times.  We're going to put America back to work by investing in the things that keep us competitive -- education and high-tech manufacturing, science and innovation.  We'll pay down our deficits, reform our tax code and keep reducing our dependence on foreign oil.  We need to get on with nation-building here at home.  And I know we can, because we’re still the largest, most dynamic, most innovative economy in the world.  And no matter what challenges we may face, we wouldn’t trade places with any other nation on Earth. 

I see an American Century because you are part of the finest, most capable military the world has ever known.  No other nation even comes close.  Yes, as today’s wars end, our military -- and our Air Force -- will be leaner.  But as Commander-in-Chief, I will not allow us to make the mistakes of the past.  We still face very serious threats.  As we’ve seen in recent weeks, with al Qaeda in Yemen, there are still terrorists who seek to kill our citizens.  So we need you to be ready for the full range of threats.  From the conventional to the unconventional, from nations seeking weapons of mass destruction to the cell of terrorists planning the next attack, from the old danger of piracy to the new threat of cyber, we must be vigilant.

And so, guided by our new defense strategy, we’ll keep our military -- and our Air Force -- fast and flexible and versatile. We will maintain our military superiority in all areas -- air, land, sea, space and cyber.  And we will keep faith with our forces and our military families. 

And as our newest veterans rejoin civilian life, we will never stop working to give them the benefits and opportunities that they have earned -- because our veterans have the skills to help us rebuild America, and we have to serve them as well as they have served us.  (Applause.) 

I see an American Century because we have the strongest alliances of any nation.  From Europe to Asia, our alliances are the foundation of global security.  In Libya, all 28 NATO allies played a role and we were joined by partners in the air from Sweden to the Gulf states.  In Afghanistan, we’re in a coalition of 50 allies and partners.  Today, Air Force personnel are serving in 135 nations -- partnering, training, building their capacity.  This is how peace and security will be upheld in the 21st century -- more nations bearing the costs and responsibilities of leadership.  And that’s good for America.  It’s good for the world.  And we’re at the hub of it, making it happen.

I see an American Century because no other nation seeks the role that we play in global affairs, and no other nation can play the role that we play in global affairs.  That includes shaping the global institutions of the 20th century to meet the challenges of the 21st.  As President, I’ve made it clear the United States does not fear the rise of peaceful, responsible emerging powers -- we welcome them.  Because when more nations step up and contribute to peace and security, that doesn’t undermine American power, it enhances it. 

And when other people in other countries see that we’re rooting for their success, it builds trust and partnerships that can advance our interests for generations.  It makes it easier to meet common challenges, from preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to combating climate change.  And so we seek an international order where the rights and responsibilities of all nations and peoples are upheld, and where counties thrive by meeting their obligations and they face consequences when they don’t.

I see an American Century because more and more people are reaching toward the freedoms and values that we share.  No other nation has sacrificed more -- in treasure, in the lives of our sons and daughters -- so that these freedoms could take root and flourish around the world.  And no other nation has made the advancement of human rights and dignity so central to its foreign policy.  And that’s because it’s central to who we are, as Americans.  It’s also in our self-interest, because democracies become our closest allies and partners.

Sure, there will always be some governments that try to resist the tide of democracy, who claim theirs is a better way.  But around the world, people know the difference between us.  We welcome freedom —- to speak, to assemble, to worship, to choose your leaders.  They don’t.  We welcome the chance to compete for jobs and markets freely and fairly.  They don’t.  When fundamental human rights are threatened around the world, we stand up and speak out.  And they don’t.

We know that the sovereignty of nations cannot strangle the liberty of individuals.  And so we stand with the student in the street who demands a life of dignity and opportunity.  We stand with women everywhere who deserve the same rights as men.  We stand with the activists unbowed in their prison cells, and the leaders in parliament who’s moving her country towards democracy. We stand with the dissident who seeks the freedom to say what he pleases, and the entrepreneur who wants to start a business without paying a bribe, and all those who strive for justice and dignity.  For they know, as we do, that history is on the side of freedom.

And finally, I see an American Century because of the character of our country -- the spirit that has always made us exceptional.  That simple yet revolutionary idea -- there at our founding and in our hearts ever since -- that we have it in our power to make the world anew, to make the future what we will.  It is that fundamental faith -- that American optimism -- which says no challenge is too great, no mission is too hard.  It’s the spirit that guides your class:  "Never falter, never fail."  (Applause.)

That is the essence of America, and there’s nothing else like it anywhere in the world.  It’s what’s inspired the oppressed in every corner of the world to demand the same freedoms for themselves.  It’s what’s inspired generations to come to our shores, renewing us with their energy and their hopes.  And that includes a fellow cadet, a cadet graduating today, who grew up in Venezuela, got on a plane with a one-way ticket to America, and today is closer to his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot -- Edward Camacho.  (Applause.)  Edward said what we all know to be true:  "I'm convinced that America is the land of opportunity." 

You’re right, Edward.  That is who we are.  That’s the America we love.  Always young, always looking ahead to that light of a new day on the horizon.  And, cadets, as I look into your eyes -- as you join that Long Blue Line -- I know you will carry us even farther, and even higher.  And with your proud service, I'm absolutely confident that the United States of America will meet the tests of our time.  We will remain the land of opportunity.  And we will stay strong as the greatest force for freedom and human dignity that the world has ever known.  

May God bless you.  May God bless the Class of 2012.  And may God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END                
10:56 A.M. MDT