Remarks by the President at the 18th Annual Gala for the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

Ritz Carlton
Washington, D.C.

5:46 P.M. EDT 

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Thank you. 

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

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  Everybody, please, please, have a seat.  Have a seat.  You're making me blush.  (Laughter.)  Mahalo! 

AUDIENCE:  Mahalo!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  Thank you, Norm, for that kind introduction.  More importantly, thank you for your lifetime of distinguished service to our country.  I want to thank all the members of Congress who are with us -- including two people who are fighting hard every day on behalf of every member of this community -- Judy Chu and Mike Honda.  Give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  

Now, I am thrilled to be here tonight because all of you hold a special place in my heart.  When I think about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, I think about my family -- my sister, Maya; my brother-in-law, Konrad who's in the house somewhere -- (applause.)  I don't know where Konrad is.  My nieces Suhaila and Savita.  I think about all the folks I grew up with in Honolulu, as part of the -- (applause) --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Aloha!  (Laughter.) 

THE PRESIDENT:  As part of the Hawaiian ohana.  I think about the years I spent in Indonesia.  So for me, coming here feels a little bit like home.  This is a community that helped to make me who I am today.  It’s a community that helped make America the country that it is today. 

So your heritage spans the world.  But what unites everyone is that in all of your families you have stories of perseverance that are uniquely American.  Some of you -- those from Hawaii or the Pacific Islands -- (applause) -- live where your family has lived for generations and your story is, in part, about keeping alive treasured native traditions.  But for others, your story starts with ancestors who, at some point, left behind everything they knew to seek the promise of a new land.  Maybe the story traces back a century and a half, to the laborers who risked their lives to connect our coasts by rail.  Maybe it begins with one of the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who, decades ago, made the tough journey to Angel Island.

Maybe the story starts with your parents.  Or maybe it starts with you.  But here’s the thing.  No matter when it began, no matter where it began, your stories are about someone who came here looking for new opportunities not merely for themselves, but for their children, and for their children’s children, and for all generations to come. 

Few of them had money.  A lot of them didn’t have belongings.  But what they did have was an unshakeable belief that this country -- of all countries -- is a place where anybody can make it if they try. 

Now, many of them faced hardship; many of them faced ridicule; many of them faced racism.  Many were treated as second-class citizens -- as people who didn’t belong.  But they didn’t give up.  They didn’t make excuses.  They kept forging ahead.  They kept building up America.  They kept fighting for America -- Like Danny Inouye, who's here.  (Applause.)  Danny, who was my senator most of my life.  (Laughter.)  Love that man.

But they were trailblazers like Dalip Singh Saund -- a young man from India who, in 1920, came to study agriculture, stayed to become a farmer, and took on the cause of citizenship for all people of South Asian descent.  (Applause.)   And once Dalip earned his own citizenship, he stepped up to serve the country he loved -- and became the first Asian American elected to the Congress.  (Applause.)

They were pioneers like my former congresswoman, Patsy Mink, who was not only the first -- (applause) -- not only the first Asian American woman elected to Congress but the author of Title IX -- which has changed the playing field for all of our girls.  (Applause.)

And then there’s the story of a young Japanese American boy, just 10 when his family was forced from their home and taken hundreds of miles away to an internment camp.  For three years, they lived in that camp, but when that boy got home, he didn’t turn his back on America -- he devoted his life to America.  In his words, he pledged "to speak out for the underrepresented and to pick up on those issues that weren’t being carried by others." And as the first Asian American to ever serve in a President’s Cabinet, Norm Mineta made good on that pledge.  (Applause.)

So think about how proud all those previous generations would be to see this room, to see how far this community has come.  Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders are now the inventors and entrepreneurs keeping our country on the cutting edge; the businessmen and women at the helm of some of our most successful industries; leaders in every aspect of American life -- in science and medicine, in education, in sports, in the arts, in our Armed Forces; in our government and in our courts.  In fact, over the past three years, we have more than doubled the number of Asian Americans on the federal bench.  (Applause.)

Just yesterday, Jacqueline Nguyen became the first Asian American woman to get confirmed as a federal appellate judge.  (Applause.)  Where’s Jacqueline?  She’s here tonight.  There she is.  (Applause.)  You didn't bring your robe, though.  (Laughter.)  That's pretty cool.  (Laughter.)  And we’re so proud to have her along with another appellate judge I appointed, Denny Chin.  He’s here.  (Applause.)  Where’s Denny?  There he is, back there.  So we thank them for their service. 

Whether your heritage stems from South Asia or East Asia, from my native Hawaii or the Pacific Islands, whether you’re first generation --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Wahooo!

THE PRESIDENT:  These Hawaiians here -- (laughter) -- what’s up with that?  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBERS:  Wahooo!  (Laughter.)  Aloha!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Whether you are first generation or the fifth, you’re helping to build a better America.

And I know it can be tempting -- given the success that's on display here tonight -- for people to buy into the myth of the "model minority" and glance over the challenges that this community still faces.  But we have to remember there's still educational disparities like higher dropout rates in certain groups, lower college enrollment rates in others.  There's still economic disparities like higher rates of poverty and obstacles to employment.  There are health disparities like higher rates of diabetes and cancer and Hepatitis B.  Those who are new to America -- many still face language barriers.  Others -- like Vincent Chin who we lost three decades ago -- have been victims of horrible hate crimes, driven by the kinds of ignorance and prejudice that are an affront to everything America stands for. 

So those are real problems, and we can't ignore them.  And if we’re going to do a better job addressing them, then we first have to stop grouping everybody just in one big category.  Dozens of different communities fall under the umbrella of the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and we have to respect that the experiences of immigrant groups are distinct and different.  And your concerns run the gamut. 

That’s something that Washington needs to understand better. And that’s why I reestablished the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders --  (applause) -- so that we could better identify specific issues within specific communities.  Many of those commissioners are here.  I want to thank them for the great job that they're doing.  (Applause.)

And so we’re making a difference -- on that front and on many other fronts.  When we stepped up support for America’s small businesses, we stepped up support for this community -- providing over $7 billion in loans for small businesses owned by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.  (Applause.)  When we passed health care reform, we put in place new mechanisms to get better data about health disparities.  (Applause.)  Because of that law, nearly 3 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are going to receive expanded and preventive coverage through private insurance and nearly 1 million are receiving free preventive services through Medicare.  (Applause.) 

So some of the things that matter to this community are things that matter to every community, like making sure that a woman earns an equal day’s pay for an equal day’s work.  (Applause.)  Or ending "don't ask, don't tell" so that nobody has to hide who they love to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)  Or enacting education reform so that every child has access to good schools and higher education.  (Applause.)  Or caring for our veterans because it's our duty to serve them as well as they have served us.  (Applause.) 

That's what this country is about.  That's what we’ve always been about.  We've gone through some tough years because of this extraordinary recession and we've still got a long way to go.  But we will get there.  We will arrive at that destination where every child born in America regardless of race, creed, color, is going to have a chance.  We're going to do that together -- because in this country, we look out for each other.  We fight for each other.  If somebody is suffering through injustice or inequality, we take up their cause as if it was our own.  That's the story of America.  And that's certainly the story of this community.  (Applause.) 

In the midst of World War II, when the son of Japanese immigrants, Gordon Hirabayashi, ignored the curfews and refused transfer to an internment camp; when he was jailed for his defiance; when he later appealed his conviction and took his case all the way to the Supreme Court -- he understood that he was fighting for something larger than himself.  And he once said, "I never look at my case just as a Japanese American case.  It's an American case, with principles that affect the fundamental human rights of all Americans."  (Applause.)  And while Gordon is no longer with us, later this year I'll award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the highest civilian award America has to offer.  (Applause.)  Because he reminds us that each of us is only who we are today because somebody, somewhere, felt a sense of responsibility -- not just to themselves, but to their family, and their communities, and to this country that we all love.

So tonight, we honor the trailblazers who came before.  But we also celebrate the leaders yet to come -- all the young people who are here tonight.  (Applause.)  Together, it’s our turn to be responsible for the future.  It’s our turn to make sure the next generation has more opportunities than we did.  It’s our turn to make sure that no matter who you are, no matter where you came from, no matter what you look like, America forever remains the place where you can make it if you try. 

Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

                        END             6:00 P.M. EDT 

Remarks by the Vice President to the Rabbinical Assembly Leadership

Westin Perimeter North
Atlanta, Georgia

 11:12 A.M. EDT

 THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Rabbi, thank you for that warm introduction.

As has been observed, I’ve been doing this job in high public office for a long time.  (Laughter.)  As a matter of fact, I’ve held high public office longer than I was alive before I held high public office.  (Laughter.)  And when I kidded with you and bless my -- the reason they were laughing, Rabbi, when you said 36 years, I did what my mother would -- she’d say, oh, God bless me for that.  (Laughter.)  Well, at any rate -- (laughter) -- I’m honored to be back with you.

And look, folks, all those years you get a chance to speak to a lot of audiences.  And as diverse as the rabbi makes you out to be, and you are, it’s really a wonderful thing in my profession when you get to speak to a group of people who you admire, who you in fact agree with on every basic strategic issue.

I’m going to talk to you a little bit about Israel today.   But I want you to know I know that your good work and your concerns extends far beyond Israel.  I want you to know I’m aware of your leadership, which I’ll reference in a moment, about matters of domestic concern, of civil rights and civil liberties, about recognizing the dignity of every American.  And I really mean this sincerely when I say I’m proud.  I’m proud to be standing before you.

I think that, Rabbi, your introduction was a little too generous, but I’m delighted to accept it.  (Laughter.)  I also want to acknowledge Rabbi Julie Schonfeld.  And when the Rabbi said you may not remember I was there, I immediately remembered Julie was there.  It took me a minute to remember the Rabbi was there.  (Laughter.)  I have to admit it.  As we say in my religion, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.  (Laughter.)

Julie, you’ve served the Rabbinical Assembly with distinction as executive vice president since 2008.  And you’ve blazed an important trail as the first woman to serve as a top executive of an American rabbinical association.  (Applause.)

Folks, it’s a great honor to be invited to speak today to such a distinguished group of women and men who, to paraphrase the late Rabbi Joseph Agus, men and women who are guided by the twin lights of conscience and intelligence.  That is an important and critical component, an ingredient we so desperately need right now in both our domestic and our foreign policy.

Before I begin, I’d like to start by asking you to join me in a moment of silence to honor the passing of Benzion Netanyahu -- a historian, an activist, a steadfast defender of the state of Israel and of course the father of Bibi, a friend of mine for the last 40 years.  I have a picture I signed for Bibi years ago when I was a senator.  I said, Bibi, I don’t agree with a damn thing you say, but I love you.  (Laughter.)  And he and I have truly been close friends for a long, long time.

And when I called to speak to him about his dad’s passing, typical Bibi he started recounting his encounters with my dad and talked about my dad.  And so, I’d like to ask you for a moment of silence on behalf of his father.

(A moment of silence is observed.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  I don't think -- I think there are few families who can match the service that the Netanyahu family has made to protect and defend their beloved Israel.  Some of you in this room have stood with Israel side by side since back in 1948.  None of you women are old enough, but a lot of you men were there.  (Laughter.)

And although I was not raised in the Jewish tradition, at an early age I was educated about oppression and genocide that have been visited on the Jewish people for 5,000 years and the historic ties between the Jewish people and the land of Israel.  I learned all this at my father’s dinner table.  My father was a gentle man.  My father was a decent, honorable man.  And our dinner table was a place where you sat down to have discussions and incidentally eat.

And I remember my father -- literally, my father when I was a young kid in the ‘50s, still in grade school, talking to my mother and sort of raving about how could there be anybody in the Jewish community who could oppose the establishment of the State of Israel.  How could that be?  My father educating me, as much as he admired Roosevelt, why did we not bomb the railroad tracks?  My father -- the first time I ever heard the phrase “never again” was from my father.

Our Jewish friends in Delaware referred to my dad as a righteous Christian, and he was.  And he taught me, and taught our whole family without vigilance, without the safe haven of the State of Israel, the horrors of history have the ability to repeat themselves.

And, ladies and gentlemen, it was no surprise to my friends when I entered the Senate as a 29-year-old kid, even though I was from a state that had less than a percent of the population that was Jewish, I got immediately deeply involved right away in the policy toward Israel.  I had great mentors.  I had guys like Abe Ribicoff and Jack Javits and Frank Church and people who -- Hubert Humphrey, people who literally were my mentors.  That is literal.  That is not a metaphor.  It’s literal.  They were my mentors, because I was the young kid.  I was like the only woman or the only African American.  I was the young kid, the youngest by 10 years, put on the Foreign Relations Committee -- the youngest by probably 35 years.

And they literally took me with them on trips and they filled out my resume.  They filled out my education.  And, folks, I have to acknowledge that my commitment was driven by an overwhelming sense that not only did the United States and all the West as a matter of historical obligation, of a moral obligation to the State of Israel, the decision that Harry Truman made and America made, in my view, carried with it immense obligations.

But beyond that, I have believed from the outset that as my tenure as the United States senator, what I told an audience in Tel Aviv about a year and a half ago, that American support for Israel’s security is not just an act of friendship and a moral obligation.  It’s in the fundamental national interest of the United States of America.  (Applause.)

No one has ever doubted I mean what I say.  The problem is I sometimes say all that I mean.  (Laughter and applause.)  But I have said repeatedly, and on occasion gotten heat from it, were there no Israel, we’d have to invent one.  Were there no Israel on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, we would have to invent one -- a democracy -- a democracy for all its failings, all its shortcomings just as ours, a democracy, a democracy.  (Applause.)

It is the flagship -- it is the flagship of democracy in that part of the world.  And in the world of changing threats, challenges we’ve never seen before, it has never been more important and also I believe more difficult than it is today to meet our obligations.  Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve watched Israel struggle through for their very physical survival throughout the last 40 years of my professional life.

I made my first visit to Israel in 1973.  And one of the high points of my career was within the first year I was there.  I had the great, good fortune of sitting in front of Golda Meir at her desk with her executive assistant, the guy named Rabin, for almost two hours on the eve of the Yom Kippur War.  I remember saying to the Prime Minister that I thought Israel was still threatened, because I was the first one they allowed to go from Cairo to the Suez, which had just been opened.

And as I was riding that distance, you’d see these great clouds of dust and people would say it was sandstorms.  But there was no cloud of dust on the left; there were no sandstorms.  And it turned out in retrospect to be the Egyptian army maneuvering, getting ready for war.  I remember saying that to her and she said -- what the former minister of interior said, you are a young man, Senator.  (Laughter.)

And I had just gone through sitting with her as she flipped the maps up and down, as she went through everything about -- some of you remember, she had that map case behind her, and she was a chain smoker.  And she’d turn and she’d flip the maps up and down.  And she was telling me about going through the Six Day War and all -- and reading me letters from young men and women who were in battle that got home without being followed by them. 

Well, Israel has faced grave security challenges, which I’ll say more about in a minute.  But quite frankly, I am more worried today about Israel than I have been at any time in my career because it’s a different struggle.  The same old struggle exists, and we have to be vigilant, which I’ll speak to in a moment.  But what’s underway today, at least my memory and my knowledge of history, the first full-blown assault attempting to delegitimize -- to delegitimize -- the State of Israel:  the most significant assault since the inception of the State of Israel to delegitimize Israel as a Jewish state.

And to put it bluntly, there is only one nation -- only one nation in the world that has unequivocally confronted this effort which is conscious as well as subconscious.  At every point in our administration, at every juncture, we’ve stood up on behalf of the legitimacy of the State of Israel.  That's one of the reasons I’m so proud -- I’m so proud to serve with President Barack Obama.  I mean it.  (Applause.)

As a consequence of the long and active members of the American Jewish community, my support for Israel has never been questioned.  In the beginning of our campaign I remember being down in South Florida and telling people I would never, ever join an administration that did not share -- a President that did not share my view on Israel, which begins in your gut, works through your heart and then gets to your head.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the President has been the bulwark against those insidious efforts every step of the way.  It began with a well-publicized speech in Cairo, which got a lot of heat because he was going to speak to the Muslim world and the Arab world from Cairo.  But in that speech, he made it clear to the Arab world and all the world, he stated that although we wanted better relations to the Arab and Muslim worlds, Israel’s legitimacy is not a matter of debate.  And our support for Israel is not a matter of debate.  (Applause.)

 As recently as this year, the only country to vote on the Human Rights Council this spring against the establishment of a fact-finding mission on settlements -- 35 countries, the only one to vote no was the United States of America.  (Applause.)

 How many times has the President instructed our ambassador to veto resolutions that were detrimental to Israel?  We opposed the unilateral efforts of Palestinians to circumvent negotiation by pushing statehood in multilateral organizations like UNESCO.  That's why we stood up so strongly for Israel’s right to defend itself in the Goldstone Report in 2009, when the Gaza War -- when that Goldstone Report was issued, we came out straightforward and said, it’s unbalanced, one-sided, basically unacceptable.  And the rest of the world, including some of our good friends, were prepared to embrace it.

That's why when Israel was isolated in the aftermath of the flotilla incident, of which I spent hour and hours and hours on the phone because I was in Africa talking with Bibi and with Ehud about how to deal -- how we were going to deal with it jointly -- we supported straightforwardly from the beginning Israel’s right to defend its national security.  (Applause.)

That's why -- that's why we refused to attend events such as the 10th anniversary of the flawed 2001 World Conference Against Racism that shamefully equated Zionism with racism.

It’s often pointed out by my critics that I said years ago that I’m a Zionist.  Were I -- I said precisely, I said, were I a Jew, I’d be a Zionist.  And I want you all to realize, you need not be a Jew to be a Zionist.  (Applause.)

 Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a difficult choice.  That's why we’re working literally around the clock and around the world to try to prevent steps from being taken to further isolate Israel in the United Nations or in U.N. agencies because the President said this is no shortcut for peace, and it is not a negotiating venue.

 Israel’s own leaders clearly understand the imperative of peace.  Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak, President Peres, they have all called for a two-state solution, a secure Israel that lives side by side with an independent Palestinian state, but with absolutely security.

We are under no illusions about how difficult this will be to achieve.  And you need a partner to achieve it.  You need two people.  You need both sides.  It’s in all our interests:  Israel’s, the Palestinians,’ the Americans’.  We all have a profound interest in peace.  So we remain deeply engaged with both sides, and as President Obama said recently: While there are those who question whether this goal will ever be reached, we make no apologies for continuing to pursue that goal, to pursue a better future.  (Applause.)  

And to state the obvious, these actions have not been taken without cost.  And quite frankly, ladies and gentlemen, what frustrates me is that some who have asserted, particularly some of my friends in the Jewish community, strong supporters of mine, have asserted that we’re not fully committed to the preservation and security of the State of Israel.  At every turn our administration provided Israel with the support it needs.  Let me give you a couple of examples.

Despite the tough fiscal times, President Obama has requested $3.1 billion in military assistance for 2013, the most ever.  Beyond the record levels of security assistance we’ve already provided Israel, our administration secured an additional $205 million to help produce a short-range, rocket defense system called Iron Dome. 

Some of you who are Israelis, well, just talk to your friends who in Southern Israel.  Relatives in Southern Israel can tell you that it took down about 85 percent of all the rockets recently coming through.  And all those folks who are in the homes and schools and synagogues, how many lives are saved?  I don’t know, but it worked.  Ladies and gentlemen, just a few weeks ago, the Department of Defense announced its intention to provide additional assistance to this critical system. 

We also continue to work with the Israelis on what they call the Arrow weapons system to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles; David's Sling for shorter-range ballistic missiles.  U.S. technology, U.S. money and U.S. cooperation.

And we’re collaborating on a powerful new radar system linked to U.S. early warning satellite that could buy Israel valuable time in the event that a -- if a God-awful missile strike occurred.

That’s why I found the criticism of the other team talking about how this new missile defense system in Israel -- I mean, in Europe hurts Israel -- they don’t get it.  It’s the exact opposite, exact opposite.  It provides early warning.  It’s not just about materiel and technology; it’s also about relationships.  We have launched the most comprehensive, meaningful strategic and operational consultations, across all levels of our governments, in the history of the relationship.

I can’t tell your rank, so I’m going to make you a general, General.  (Laughter.)  

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Lieutenant Colonel.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Lieutenant Colonel.  Where I come from, that makes you a colonel.  (Laughter and applause.) 

Colonel, in 2011, as you’re probably aware, there have been 200 senior -- nearly 200 senior-level defense officials who visited Israel, and senior-level Israeli officials who visited their counterparts in the United States, more than ever has occurred in the history of the relationship.  Later this year, our nation’s armed forces will conduct the largest ever joint military exercise with Israel.  Austere Challenge, it’s called.

I’m proud of our record.  I believe that no President since Harry Truman has done more for Israel’s physical security than Barack Obama.  (Applause.)

But I’ll forgive you if you think I’m just obviously prejudiced about the guy I work with.  But you don’t have to take my word for this.  Bibi Netanyahu has rightly said that our security cooperation with Israel, as he refers to it, is “unprecedented.”  And as importantly, these efforts have not gone unnoticed by our Israeli opponents.

Which brings me to Iran.  We know that Israel’s leadership, justifiably in my view, views Iran as an existential threat to Israel.  And make no mistake: An Iran with nuclear weapons would also pose a grave threat to U.S. security, as well.  That’s why our policy is not one of containment.  Let me say it again.  The United States policy under President Barack Obama is not one of containment.  Not one of containment.  (Applause.)  It is straightforward.  We will prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon by whatever means we need.  Period, period.  (Applause.) 

One of the great benefits of my long relationship with Israeli leaders is some have become my close, personal friends in and out of office.  One who’s in office now is Ehud Barak, the defense minister.  When Ehud last came to see me, he brought his delegation of experts and military personnel, and I had my national security team.  We looked at each other and we said, let them talk.  You and I, let’s go off privately. 

And he and I sat in my office for well over an hour.  And he talked from the heart about his concerns about Iran.  The full delegation and our experts, they sat out in the lobby and they had a good conversation, a meaningful one.  But we knew we had to talk to one another, look each other in the eye, take a measure of the man, whether or not he was speaking for Bibi or whether or not I was speaking for Barack Obama. 

He reiterated his concern with Iran’s quest for a nuclear weapon, and re-emphasized that Iran posed an existential threat to Israel.  And I made it clear to him and I want to make it clear to all of you unambiguously.  I told him then and he would repeat it: that were I an Israeli, were I Jew, I would not contract out my security to anybody, even a loyal, loyal, loyal friend like the United States.

I made it clear for the President and me, for our administration that if Israel reached the conclusion based on the facts as they could best determine them, that Iran was on the verge of eliminating their ability to respond physically, to set that program back two to five years, I understood.  I understood.  We were not telling him or Israel what they could or could not do, because again I told him I would not contract out my nation’s security.  And clearly, clearly no Jewish state should ever assume that history has changed so fundamentally that they would do that. 

We also discussed that our experts on both sides, their national security people, ours, their intelligence community, their military community -- we’re on the exact same page, the exact same page; the same assessment that Iran does not have that capacity, and that it is some distance away, and that we need to be exceedingly vigilant in monitoring their program and shared information.  And we share everything, even those things that could be taken, if they decided to, out of context.  As a matter of fact, the Israelis, in some of the information we’ve shared, have calmed us down about what it really means.

The bottom line is Ehud and I agreed that there remains space for diplomacy.  The window has not closed in terms of the ability of the Israelis, if they choose on their own, to act militarily.  But diplomacy backed by serious, serious sanctions and pressure –- to succeed, though, as the President has clearly stated, on that score the window is closing in the near term.  This cannot go on forever.

When we took office -- I want to remind everybody because my deceased wife used to say the greatest gift God gave mankind was the ability to forget -- (Laughter.)   And my mother would quickly add, were that not true, women would only have one child.  (Laughter.)  But when we took office, let me remind you, there was virtually no international pressure on Iran.  We were the problem.  We were diplomatically isolated in the world, in the region, in Europe.

The international pressure on Iran was stuck in neutral.  As a matter of fact, Iran’s influence in the previous six years was growing in the region -- not diminishing, growing in the region.  The relationship with Syria was obvious; the use of a staging point for Hezbollah and Hamas was clear.  The rest of the region was basically stiff-arming the United States and saying, you need to be engaged more in missile defense.  You need to be engaged more in.

And we were being criticized in European capitals for being unilateral.  And Tehran’s allies -- and Tehran had allies, they were intimidating their neighbors.  And America’s leadership was in doubt.  We were neither fully respected by our friends nor feared by our opponents.  Today, it is starkly, starkly different.  (Applause.)

Iran has one and only one ally in the region, Syria, which is under siege, greatly diminished, weakened as a sure and certain sponsor and a jump-off point for Hamas and Hezbollah.  And suffice it to say, we continue to provide support for those in the region who feel threatened and now are willing to step up because they are certain about our -- our intention, our commitment allowing resources to be prepositioned, allowing us to help them in their defense budgets.

There’s an increasingly united concern in the region about Iran and a greater willingness to work together to deal with the threat that it poses.  And I would argue that it’s not just because of a legitimate threat, but because of the President’s efforts, Iran is now isolated, and the United States is not isolated.  (Applause.)

And by the way, does that mean this will all work and we can go away and say, obviously, they're going to capitulate?  No.  None of us know that for certain.  We are not naïve.  But because President Obama understood that by seeking in good faith to engage the Iranians in the first instance, we’re going to be able to engage the rest of the world in joining us in imposing the clearest, most significant, most damaging sanctions in this century and I would argue the latter half of the last.

By going the extra diplomatic mile, presenting Iran with a clear choice, we demonstrated to the region and to the world that Iran is the problem, not the United States.  That's why China, that's why Russia, that's why Europe, that's why the rest of the world has joined us in these sanctions.  (Applause.)  And the President deserves the credit.   (Applause.)

I hope by now no one doubts that the President is willing to use power.  But the President is smart.  Physical power teamed up with tough diplomacy has turned the tables on Iran and secured the strongest unilateral, international sanction in the history with all the powers, as I said including Russia and China, participating.  Now Iran is more isolated, and the international community more united in an effort to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon than ever before.

Tehran has deep difficulties with their economy, deep difficulty with acquiring basic equipment needed for the technology to produce nuclear weapon and missile programs.  And they are having difficulty just doing normal international transactions.  They're increasingly cut off from the international financial system, unable to do the most basic business transactions; in a struggle to buy refined petroleum and goods that it needs to modernize its oil sector and its gas sector.  World-leading companies are deciding to stop doing business with Iran.  Already close to $60 billion in Iranian energy-related projects have been put on hold or shut down.  And as a result of this unprecedented pressure, Iran is back to the negotiating table.  They're having trouble figuring how to insure their ships.

That's why they're back at the negotiating table; because it’s biting.  It’s biting badly.  And by the way, anyone who thinks Iran is a monolith is making a gigantic, historic mistake.  The dissention between Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader is palpable.  They will not both be around two years from now.  And my bet is Ahmadinejad is gone.  (Applause.)

Ladies and gentlemen, beyond that, the dissention internally is real.  We so mistake this notion that there’s this one political monolith.

Look, neither the President nor I are naïve.  That's why all these talks are being undertaken and the international community is working with us and is on the same exact page, we’re not releasing -- we’re not doing anything but tightening the screws.

As of July -- as of July, the most significant sanctions on oil will go into effect with the European Union having voted for severe sanctions on the importation of Iranian oil.

Just last month, the President signed a new executive order targeting companies that allow Iran and the only friend in the region, Syria, to use information technology to root out and eliminate voices of dissent.  And, by the way, unless Iran changes course, the pressure will keep increasing.

By the way, this embargo is due to go into effect in July.  Remember I said it here, and it will be well before the election so you can judge me, it will have a devastating impact on the Iranian economy and force them to think even harder.  The purpose of this -- the purpose of this pressure is not punishment.  It’s to convince Iran that the price -- there’s an overwhelming price to be paid for pursuing nuclear weapons capability, that the price is too high.  And the time is now for Tehran to make good on its commitment to the international community.

And, as the President has made clear, we take no option off the table as part of our determination to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.  So, ladies and gentlemen, before I leave this stage, I’d be remiss both as an American and as Vice President if I didn’t thank you for how much you’ve done for this country on issues that range well beyond Israel and foreign relations, issues that are near and dear to my heart, one of the reasons why I ran for office in the first place.

The contributions on these issues could fill an entire additional speech.  But just let me mention a few that mean a lot to me personally what you’ve done.  You’ve fought to expand health care coverage through the poor and the elderly -- (applause) -- including standing by the Affordable Care Act of 2010.  You’ve zealously defended our nation’s cherished civil liberties, and from your early support of the Voting Rights Act, the civil rights legislation when I was a young kid in the Senate, to recognizing the dignity of all human beings.  (Applause.)

And as much as any enlightened organization in the United States, you’ve advocated for the most vulnerable among us -- the elderly, the poor, those genuinely in need of help.  And your outspoken opposition for dealing with the fiscal problems by placing the burden on the backs of the poor and the economically disadvantaged has been a clarion call.  It’s one of the things that’s united you and a lot of my Catholic friends in attacking and taking issue with the Ryan budget, which either way is contrary to the social doctrine that you teach and the social doctrine that my church teaches.  (Applause.)

So let me end where I began -- let me end where I began, by thanking you for your friendship and your steadfast support of Israel.  You and I know -- you and I know this is always going to be a battle.  You know that it requires people speaking up loudly in every single generation, as long as we are a country and as long as the state of Israel exists.  Your certain knowledge that the preservation of Israel as an independent Jewish state is in the interest of every Jew in the world, is something you must continue to remind as you do your children, your grandchildren, all who you touch.

 And let me end with a story that touched me greatly.  I referenced the point, the fact that when I was a young senator, I had the great honor of spending time alone with Rabin and Golda Meir.  And after about two hours of scaring the living bedevil out of me -- (laughter) -- with how Israel was clinging to its existence on the shores of the Mediterranean, she all of a sudden changed her expression on her face.  She said, Senator, would you like to have a photo opportunity?  (Laughter.) 

And I said, well, yes, I’d love that.  Many of you have been to the Prime Minister’s office, those double doors that open.  And you walk out and there’s like -- not a hallway, but -- it is a hallway, but it’s more of an entrance way.  And we walked outside, and I was standing next to her -- and no comments to the press, just photos.

And there were about a dozen press people with cameras, television cameras and the flashes were flashing.  And without turning her head to speak to me, she looked straight and said something to me -- I thought I was the only one in the world she ever said it to.  She looked straight ahead.  She said, Senator -- now, I’m standing next to her here.  She said, Senator, don’t look so worried, we Jews have a secret weapon in our fight for survival here in this region.  And I thought she was about to fill me in on something really consequential.  (Laughter.)

And I’m standing here and I turn -- and there’s pictures of -- I turned and went like, what?  And without her looking at me, still looking straight ahead -- I’ll never forget it, it was a memorable occasion -- she said, our secret weapon is we have no place else to go.  Remember it.

This is the only audience I probably don’t have to say remember it.  But remember it.  (Applause.)  Ultimately, there’s no place to go.  Thank you for reminding the world, thank you for reminding our country, and thank you for all you do for America.  I love you.  Thank you very, very much.

* * * * *

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, very much.  I’ve got to tell you a story.  This magnificent tzedakah box.  I’ve had the great privilege over the years of being presented with little blue boxes -- (laughter) -- as well as a couple lovely tzedakah boxes. 

And I want to tell you a very good friend of mine from childhood who went into the priesthood, a monsignor was over at our house.  And I have them arrayed on my library shelf.  (Laughter.)   And he looked -- he knows me well.  We grew up.  He looked and he said, Joe, I don't see any of what we Catholics -- in your church, when you go in church, you get a box of envelops, which you put in your weekly offering.  He said, Joe, I see one -- I forget how many -- two, three, four, five, six, seven tzedakah boxes.  I don't see one box of envelopes.  (Laughter and applause.)

Thank you so very much.  Thank you all very much.

                                            END                               11:56 A.M. EDT

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY AT A CAMPAIGN EVENT

Value-City Schottenstein Center Columbus, Ohio

1:05 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, wow.  (Applause.)  Wow.  It sounds like you all are already fired up and ready to go.  (Applause.)  This is amazing.  It is truly amazing.  And you know what, being here with all of you today, let me tell you, I'm feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself.  I really am.  (Applause.)

But there’s a reason why we're here today --

AUDIENCE:  I love you!  (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA:  And we love you, too.  And it's not just because we support one extraordinary man -- although, I'll admit, I'm a little biased because I think our President is awesome.  (Laughter and applause.) 

And it's not just because we want to win an election.  We are here because of the values we believe in.  We're here because of the vision for this country that we all share.  We're here because we want all our children to have a good education, right?  (Applause.)  Schools that push them and inspire them, prepare them for good jobs.  We want our parents and our grandparents to retire with dignity -- (applause) -- because we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, they should enjoy their golden years.

We want to restore that basic middle-class security for our families because we believe that folks shouldn't go bankrupt because they get sick.  (Applause.)  They shouldn't lose their home because someone loses a job.  We believe that responsibility should be rewarded and hard work should pay off.

And truly, these are basic American values.  They're the same values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.  You see, my father was a blue-collar city worker at the city water plant.  And my family lived in a little bitty apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  And neither of my parents had the chance to go to college.  But let me tell you what my parents did do:  They saved.  They sacrificed.  I mean, they poured everything they had into me and my brother.  They wanted us to have the kind of education they could only dream of.  And while pretty much all of my college tuition came from student loans and grants, my dad still paid a little bitty portion of that tuition himself.  And let me tell you, every semester, my dad was determined to pay that bill right on time because he was so proud to be sending his kids to college.  (Applause.)

And he couldn't bear the thought of me or my brother missing that registration deadline because his check was late.  Like so many people in this country, my father took great pride in being able to earn a living that allowed him to handle his responsibility to his family, to pay all of his bills and to pay them on time. 

And truly, more than anything else, that is what's at stake.  It's that fundamental promise that no matter who you are or how you started out, if you work hard, you can build a decent life for yourself and yes, an even better life for your kids.  (Applause.)

And it is that promise that binds us together as Americans.  It's what makes us who we are.  And whether it's equal pay for women, or health care for our kids; whether it's tax cuts for middle-class families or student loans for our young people -- (applause) -- that is what my husband has been fighting for every single day as President.  Every single day.  (Applause.)

And let me tell you something -- as First Lady, I have had the chance to see up close and personal what being President looks like, right?  I have seen how the issues that come across the President’s desk are always the hard ones.

     AUDIENCE MEMBER:  You’re beautiful, Michelle!  (Applause.)

     MRS. OBAMA:  But in all seriousness -- (laughter) -- these problems, they’re always the hard ones -- the problems with no clear solutions, the judgment calls where the stakes are so high and there is no margin for error.  And as President, you can get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people.  But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, all you have to guide you are your life experiences, your values, and your vision for this country.  That’s all you have.  In the end, when you’re making those impossible choices, it all boils down to who you are and what you stand for.

     And we all know what Barack Obama is -- who he is.  (Applause.)  We all know what our President stands for, right?  (Applause.)  He is the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  That’s who he is.  He’s the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch a bus to her job at the bank.  And even though Barack’s grandmother worked hard to help support his family, she was good at her job.  Like so many women, she hit that glass ceiling.  And men no more qualified than she was were promoted up the ladder ahead of her.

     So believe me, Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  And what you need to know, America -- those are the experiences that have made him the man and the President he is today.  (Applause.) 

But I have said this before and will say it again and again:  Barack cannot do this alone.  And fortunately, he never has.  We have always moved this country forward together.  And today, more than ever before, Barack needs your help.  He needs your help.  He needs your help.  (Applause.)  He needs every single one of you -- every single one of you to give just a little part of your life each week to this campaign.

He needs you to register those voters.  (Applause.)  And to all of the college students out there, all of you -- if you're going to be moving over the summer, remember to register at your new address in the fall.  You got that?  Get that done.  (Applause.)

Barack needs you to join one of our neighborhood teams and start organizing in your community.  And just let me say, if there have ever been any doubt about the difference that you can make, I just want you to remember that in the end, this all could come down to those few thousand people who register to vote.  Think about it.  It could all come down to those last few thousand folks who get out to the polls on November the 6th.

And when you average that out over this entire state, it might mean registering just one more person in your town.  It might mean helping just one more person in your community get out and vote on Election Day.  So know this:  With every door you knock on, with every call you make, with every conversation you have, I want you to remember that this could be the one that makes the difference.  This could be the one.  (Applause.)  Remember that.  That is exactly the kind of impact that each of you can have. 

Now, I am not going to kid you.  This journey is going to be long.  And it is going to be hard.  But know that that is how change always happens in this country.  And if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, then eventually we get there.  We always do.  Maybe not in our lifetimes, but maybe in our children's lifetimes, maybe in our grandchildren's lifetimes -- because in the end, that's what this is all about. 

That is what I think about when I tuck my girls in at night.  I think about the world I want to leave for them and for all of our sons and our daughters.  I think about how I want to do for them what my dad did for me.  I want to give them a foundation for their dreams.  (Applause.)  I want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise.  I want to give them that sense of limitless possibility, that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you're willing to work for it.  So we just cannot turn back now, right?

AUDIENCE:  No!

     MRS. OBAMA:  We have come so far, but we have so much more to do.  And if we want to keep on moving forward then we need to work our hearts out for the man that I have the pleasure of introducing here today.  (Applause.)  Are you ready? 

     It is my privilege to introduce my husband and our President, President Barack Obama!

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Ohio!  (Applause.)  It is good to be back in Ohio!  (Applause.)  Right before I came out, somebody happened to give me a buckeye for good luck.  (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back!  Now, before I begin, I want to say thank you to a few people who are joining us here today.  Your mayor, Michael Coleman is here.  (Applause.)  Former Governor Ted Strickland is here.  (Applause.)  Senator Sherrod Brown is in the house.  (Applause.)  An American hero, John Glenn is with us.  (Applause.) 

And I want to thank so many of our Neighborhood Team Leaders for being here today.  You guys will be the backbone of this campaign.  (Applause.)  And I want the rest of you to join a team or become a leader yourself, because we are going to win this thing the old-fashioned way -- door by door, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood.  (Applause.)  

Ohio, four years ago, you and I began a journey together. 

I didn’t run, and you didn’t work your hearts out, just to win an election.  We came together to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth.

We came together because we believe that in America, your 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.  If you’re willing to meet your responsibilities, you should be able to own a home, maybe start a business, give your children the chance to do even better -- no matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like, or what your last name is.  (Applause.)  

We believe the free market is one of the greatest forces for progress in human history; that businesses are the engine of growth; that risk-takers and innovators should be rewarded.  But we also believe that at its best, the free market has never been a license to take whatever you want, however you can get it; that alongside our entrepreneurial spirit and our rugged individualism, America only prospers when we meet our obligations to one another and to future generations.  (Applause.) 

We came together in 2008 because our country had strayed from these basic values.  A record surplus was squandered on tax cuts for people who didn’t need them and weren’t even asking for them.  Two wars were being waged on a credit card.  Wall Street speculators reaped huge profits by making bets with other people’s money.  Manufacturing left our shores.  A shrinking number of Americans did fantastically well, while most people struggled with falling incomes, rising costs, the slowest job growth in half a century. 

It was ahouse of cards that collapsed in the most destructive crisis since the Great Depression.  In the last six months of 2008, even as we were campaigning, nearly three million of our neighbors lost their jobs.  Over 800,000 more were lost in the month I took office alone. 

It was tough.  But I tell you what, Ohio -- the American people are tougher.  (Applause.)  All across this country, people like you dug in.  Some of you retrained.  Some of you went back to school.  Small business owners cut back on expenses, but did everything they could to keep their employees.  Yes, there were setbacks.  Yes, there were disappointments.  But we didn’t quit.  We don’t quit.  Together, we’re fighting our way back.  (Applause.)    

When some wanted to let Detroit go bankrupt, we made a bet on American workers, on the ingenuity of American companies.  And today, our auto industry is back on top of the world.  (Applause.)  Manufacturers started investing again, adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s.  Businesses got back to the basics, exports surged.  And over four million jobs were created in the last two years -- more than one million of those in the last six months alone.  (Applause.)  Are we satisfied? 

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Of course not.  Too many of our friends and family are still out there looking for work.  The housing market is still weak, deficits are still too high, and states are still laying off teachers, first responders.  This crisis took years to develop, and the economy is still facing headwinds.  And it will take sustained, persistent effort -- yours and mine -- for America to fully recover.  That’s the truth.  We all know it. 

But we are making progress.  And now we face a choice.  (Applause.)  Now we face a choice, Ohio. 

CHILD:  We love you, Barack Obama!

AUDIENCE:  Awww --

THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughter.)  Thank you.  Now we face a choice.  For the last few years, the Republicans who run this Congress have insisted that we go right back to the policies that created this mess. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  But to borrow a line from my friend Bill Clinton, now their agenda is on steroids.  (Applause.)  This time, they want even bigger tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.  This time, they want even deeper cuts to things like education and Medicare, and research and technology.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  This time, they want to give banks and insurance companies even more power to do as they please.  And now, after a long and spirited primary, Republicans in Congress have found a nominee for President who has promised to rubber-stamp this agenda if he gets the chance.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --   

THE PRESIDENT:  Ohio, I tell you what:  We cannot give him that chance.  (Applause.)  Not now.  Not with so much at stake.  This is not just another election.  This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class, and we’ve been through too much to turn back now.  (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  We have come too far to abandon the change we fought for these past few years.  We have to move forward, to the future we imagined in 2008, where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules.  (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.  (Applause.) 

Governor Romney is a patriotic American who has raised a wonderful family, and he has much to be proud of.  He’s run a large financial firm, and he’s run a state.  But I think he has drawn the wrong lessons from those experiences.  He sincerely believes that if CEOs and wealthy investors like him make money, the rest of us will automatically prosper as well. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  When a woman in Iowa shared the story of her financial struggles, he responded with economic theory.  He told her, “our productivity equals our income.”  Well, let me tell you something.  The problem with our economy isn’t that the American people aren’t productive enough -- you’ve been working harder than ever.  (Applause.)  The challenge we face right now -- the challenge we faced for over a decade is that harder work hasn’t led to higher incomes.  It’s that bigger profits haven’t led to better jobs.  (Applause.)

Governor Romney doesn’t seem to get that.  He doesn’t seem to understand that maximizing profits by whatever means necessary -- whether through layoffs or outsourcing or tax avoidance or union-busting -- might not always be good for the average American or for the American economy. 

Why else would he want to spend trillions more on tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans?  Why else would he propose cutting his own taxes while raising them on 18 million working families?  Why else would he want to slash the investments that have always helped the economy grow, but at the same time, stop regulating the reckless behavior on Wall Street that helped the economy crash? 

Somehow, he and his friends in Congress think that the same bad ideas will lead to a different result.  Or they’re just hoping you won’t remember what happened the last time we tried it their way.

Well, Ohio, I’m here to say that we were there, we remember, and we are not going back.  We are moving this country forward.  (Applause.)

Look, we want businesses to succeed.  We want entrepreneurs and investors rewarded when they take risks, when they create jobs and grow our economy.  But the true measure of our prosperity is more than just a running tally of every balance sheet and quarterly profit report.  I don’t care how many ways you try to explain it:  Corporations aren’t people.  People are people.  (Applause.)

We measure prosperity not just by our total GDP; not just by how many billionaires we produce, but how well the typical family is doing -- whether they can go as far as their dreams and hard work will take them. 

And we understand that in this country, people succeed when they have a chance to get a decent education and learn new skills -- and, by the way, so do the businesses that hire them or the companies that they start.  (Applause.)  

We know that our economy grows when we support research into medical breakthroughs and new technologies that lead to the next Internet app or life-saving drug. 

We know that our country is stronger when we can count on affordable health insurance and Medicare and Social Security.  (Applause.)  When we protect our kids from toxic dumping and mercury pollution.  When there are rules to make sure we aren’t taken advantage of by credit card companies and mortgage lenders and financial institutions.  And we know these rules aren’t just good for seniors, or kids, or consumers -- they're good for business, too.  They're part of what makes the market work.

Look, we don’t expect government to solve all our problems, and it shouldn’t try.  I learned from my mom that no education policy can take the place of a parent’s love and affection.  (Applause.)  As a young man, I worked with a group of Catholic churches who taught me that no poverty program can make as much of a difference as the kindness and commitment of a caring soul.  (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 responsible, hardworking Americans, “You’re on your own.”  That unless you’re lucky enough to have parents who can lend you money, you may not be able to go to college.  That even if you pay your premiums every month, you’re out of luck if an insurance company decides to drop your coverage when you need it most. 

That’s not how we built America.  That’s not who we are.  We built this country together.  (Applause.)  We built this country together.

We built railroads and highways; the Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge -- together.  We sent my grandfather’s generation to college on the GI Bill -- together.  We instituted a minimum wage and worker safety laws -- together.  Together, we touched the surface of the moon, unlocked the mystery of the atom, connected the world through our own science and imagination.  We did these things together -- not because they benefited any particular individual or group, but because they made us all richer.  Because they gave us all opportunity.  Because they moved us forward together -- as one people, as one nation.  (Applause.)  

That’s the true lesson of our past, Ohio.  That’s the right vision for our future.  And that’s why I’m running for President.  (Applause.)    

I’m running to make sure that by the end of the 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 two million more Americans the chance to go to community colleges and learn the skills that local businesses are looking for right now.  In the 21st century, higher education can’t be a luxury -- it is an economic imperative that every American should be able to afford.  That’s the choice in this election.  That’s why I’m running for President.  (Applause.)

I’m running to make sure the next generation of high-tech manufacturing takes root in places like Columbus and Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Richmond.  I want to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs and profits overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in the United States of America.  That’s the choice in this election.  (Applause.) 

I’m running so that we can keep moving towards a future where we control our own energy.  Our dependence on foreign oil is at its lowest point in 16 years.  (Applause.)  By the middle of the next decade, our cars will average nearly 55 miles per gallon.  Thousands of Americans have jobs, right now, because the production of renewal energy in this country has nearly doubled in just three years.  (Applause.)  

So now is not the time to cut these investments to pay for another $4 billion giveaway to the oil companies.  Now is the time to end the subsidies for an industry that’s rarely been more profitable.  (Applause.)  Let’s double down on a clean energy future that’s never been more promising -- for our economy, and for our security, and for the safety of our planet.  That’s why I’m running for President.  That’s the choice in this election, Ohio.  (Applause.)  

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  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.)  

America is safer and more respected because of the courage and selflessness of the United States Armed Forces.  (Applause.)  And as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, this country will care for our veterans and serve our veterans as well as they’ve served us -- (applause) -- because nobody who fights for this country should have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads when they come home.  (Applause.)  

My opponent said it was “tragic” to end the war in Iraq.  He said he won’t set a timeline for ending the war in Afghanistan. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I have, and I intend to keep it.  (Applause.)  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.)  I will use half of what we’re no longer spending on war to pay down the deficit, and the other half to repair our roads and our bridges, our runways and our wireless networks.  That’s the choice in this election -- to rebuild America.  (Applause.)  

I’m running to pay down our debt in a way that’s balanced and responsible.  After inheriting a $1 trillion deficit, I signed $2 trillion of spending cuts into law.  And now I want to finish the job by streamlining government and cutting more waste, and reforming our tax code so that it is simpler and fairer, and asks the wealthiest Americans to pay a little bit more.  (Applause.)   

My opponent won’t tell us how he’d pay for his new,

$5 trillion tax cut -- a tax cut that gives an average of $250,000 to every millionaire in this country. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  But we know the bill for that tax cut will either be passed on to our children, or it will be paid for by a whole lot of ordinary Americans.  That’s what we know.  And I refuse to let that happen again.  (Applause.) 

I refuse to pay for another millionaire’s tax cut by eliminating medical research projects into things like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.  I refuse to pay for another tax cut by kicking children off of Head Start programs; or asking students to pay more for college; or eliminating health insurance for millions of poor and elderly and disabled Americans on Medicaid.  (Applause.)  

And as long as I’m President of the United States, I will never allow Medicare to be turned into a voucher that would end the program as we know it.  (Applause.)  We will not go back to the days when our citizens spent their golden years at the mercy of private insurance companies.  We will reform Medicare -- not by shifting the cost of care to seniors, but by reducing the spending that isn’t making people healthier.  (Applause.)  That’s what’s at stake in this election.  That’s what’s at stake, Ohio. 

On issue after issue, we can’t afford to spend the next four years going backward.  America doesn’t need to refight the battles we just had over Wall Street reform and health care reform.  On health care reform, here is what I know:  Allowing 2.5 million young people to stay on their parents’ health insurance plan -- that was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  Cutting prescription drug costs for seniors -- that was the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  I will not go back to the days when insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, or deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.  We’re not going back there.  We’re going forward.  (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 access to affordable birth control.  I want women to control their own health choices, just like I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as your sons.  (Applause.)  We are not turning back the clock.  We are moving forward.  (Applause.)  

We’re not returning to the days when you could be kicked out of the United States military just because of who you are or who you love.  (Applause.)  That would be wrong for our national security, and it would be a betrayal of our values.   

This should be the last election where multimillion-dollar donations speak louder than the voices of ordinary citizens.  (Applause.)  We need more checks on lobbyists and special interests, not less. 

We’re not going to eliminate the EPA.  We’re not going to roll back the bargaining rights that generations of workers fought for.  (Applause.)  It’s time to stop denying citizenship to responsible young people just because they’re the children of undocumented immigrants.  (Applause.)  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, striving for the same dream. 

That’s what we’re fighting for.  That's what we're fighting for, Ohio.  A bold America.  A competitive America.  A generous America.  A forward-looking America, where everybody has a chance to make of their life what they will.  That’s what made us the envy of the world.  That’s what makes us great.  That’s why I’m running again for President of the United States.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  And that is why I need your help.  Ohio, this election will be even closer than the last.  Too many of our friends, too many of our neighbors are still hurting because of this crisis.  I've heard from too many people wondering why they haven't been able to get one of the jobs that have been created; why their home is still under water; why their family hasn't yet been touched by the recovery.

The other side won't be offering these Americans a real answer to these questions.  They won't offer a better vision or a new set of ideas.  But they will be spending more money than we've ever seen before on negative ads, on TV, on radio, in the mail, on the Internet -- ads that exploit people's frustrations for my opponent's political gain.  Over and over again, they will tell you that America is down and out, and they'll tell you who to blame, and ask if you’re better off than you were before the worst crisis in our lifetime.

We’ve seen that play before.  But you know what?  The real question -- the question that will actually make a difference in your life and in the lives of your children -- is not just about how we’re doing today.  It’s about how we’ll be doing tomorrow. 

Will we better off if more Americans get a better education?  That’s the question.  Will we better off if we depend less on foreign oil and more on our own ingenuity?  That's the question.  (Applause.)  Will we better off if we start doing some nation-building right here at home?  That's the question.  Will we be better off if we bring down our deficit without gutting the very things we need to grow?  When we look back four years from now, or ten years from now, or twenty years from now, won’t we be better off if we have the courage to keep moving forward?  (Applause.)  

That’s the question in this election.  That's the question in this election.  And the outcome is entirely up to you.  Now, sure, we’ll have to contend with even more negative ads, with even more cynicism and nastiness, and sometimes just plain foolishness.  There will be more of that than we saw in the last campaign.   

But if there is one thing that we learned in 2008, it’s that nothing is more powerful than millions of voices calling for change.  (Applause.)  When enough of you knock on doors, when you pick up phones, when you talk to your friends, when you decide that it’s time for change to happen, guess what?  Change happens.  Change comes to America.  (Applause.)

And that’s the spirit we need again.  If people ask you what this campaign is about, you tell them it’s still about hope.  You tell them it’s still about change.  You tell them it’s still about ordinary people who believe that in the face of great odds, we can make a difference in the life of this country.  (Applause.)

Because I still believe, Ohio.  I still believe that we are not as divided as our politics suggest.  I still believe that we have more in common than the pundits tell us; that we're not Democrats or Republicans, but Americans first and foremost.  (Applause.)  I still believe in you, and I’m asking you to keep believing in me.  (Applause.)  I told you in 2008 that I wasn’t a perfect man, and I would never be a perfect President.  But I promised that I would always tell you what I thought.  I would always tell you where I stood.  And I would wake up every single day fighting for you as hard as I know how.  (Applause.)

And I have that kept that promise.  I have kept that promise, Ohio.  And I will keep it so long as I have the honor of being your President.  So if you’re willing to stick with me, if you're willing to fight with me, and press on with me; if you’re willing to work even harder in this election than you did in the last election, I guarantee you -- we will move this country forward.  (Applause.)

We will finish what we started.  We are still fired up.  We are still ready to go.  And we are going to remind the world once more just why it is that the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)

Thank you, God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.

 END                          1:55 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President and Secretary Duncan in Student/Parent Discussion on College Loans

Washington Lee High School, Arlington, Virginia

11:35 A.M. EDT

        THE PRESIDENT:  What I'm going to be talking about today is obviously financing college educations.  And I tell a story about how both Michelle and I, we had to rely on student loans and grants and scholarships to get through college and law school, and we still had a huge amount of debt after we graduated.  It paid off, it's a great investment, but obviously we're pretty sympathetic to the challenges that families go through in terms of financing.

        And so I just wanted to get a sense -- all of you are going to be taking out Stafford loans.  And two things I wanted to get a sense of -- number one, I'm assuming that a doubling of the interest rates is not helpful to you, but feel free to talk about that.  I also wanted to get a sense of how it was to apply for one, because one of the things Arne and I and others in the administration have talked about is how do you simplify the process just to make it a little bit easier for people.  Because I know that -- and based on your chuckle, it sounds like that's something that we need to do.

        Anybody want to start?  

        SECRETARY DUNCAN:  How was the financial aid form itself?  Was that scary?  Was it easy?  Was it hard?

        STUDENT:  Pretty easy.  It was kind of like filling out a college application, so that made it really easy -- did it all for you.

        THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, good.

        SECRETARY DUNCAN:  That's what I like to hear.  What about other folks?

        STUDENT:  It was pretty easy.  

        SECRETARY DUNCAN:  It used to be really, really tough, and we worked with the IRS to simplify that.  I was scared to partner with the IRS -- (laughter) -- but they did a great, great job.  The form itself used to be a barrier to going on.  So what was your sense on it?

        STUDENT:  I did it in my college summit class and my teacher helped me with it.  

        SECRETARY DUNCAN:  How was it?

        STUDENT:  It was easy.

        THE PRESIDENT:  Good.  Parents, how are you feeling about this whole college cost thing?

        PARENT:  Well, Brendan is my third one in school now and I have one more that will be coming up --

        THE PRESIDENT:  So you're a pro.  (Laughter.)  

        PARENT:  Yes.  (Laughter.)   

        THE PRESIDENT:  And how about you?  Do you have other kids who are -- you've got to be thinking about?

        PARENT:  Yes, I have one -- two that are in community college now, and so they're going to go on to a four-year university.  But for Amirah, she is going straight to a four-year university, and the cost is a lot more than community college.  So we're looking at all our options -- grants, scholarships, definitely the Stafford loans.  

        THE PRESIDENT:  Just to be able to afford it.  So it's a big chunk to handle.   

        How about you?

        PARENT:  Well, Rina is my first one to go to college.  I have two more -- they're small right now.  One is in third grade --

        THE PRESIDENT:  Okay, so you've got things spaced out a little bit.  That's good.  

        Well, there are two things that we're focused on.  One is obviously keeping loan rates low.  The second thing, though, is to actually try to lower college cost itself.  And we've met with colleges and universities -- the inflation rate on college has actually gone up faster than health care, which is pretty hard to do.

        And some of it is not actually the fault of the universities.  If it’s a state school, the state legislatures across the country have been cutting back on the support for public colleges and universities.  And the only way these colleges a lot of times can make it up is by raising tuition.  They’ve got higher health care costs that they have to deal with. But some of it is, I think, a lack of creativity in terms of thinking about how do you keep costs down.  All of you guys when you get to school, you’re going to have to think about making sure that you’re not loading up yourselves with a lot of debt unnecessarily.  

        Everybody here is going to be living in dorms?

        STUDENTS:  Yes.

        THE PRESIDENT:  And eating Ramen noodles?  (Laughter.)  But I think you guys are in a good position because in addition to being able to take out student loans and having parents who are obviously interested and engaged in the process, what we’re trying to do is to, through a variety of channels, provide more information to students so that they can plan ahead about what their debt loads might be when they graduate.  And that’s something that, frankly, when we were going to school we didn’t really have a good idea.  And a lot of kids ended up being surprised by how much things --

        SECRETARY DUNCAN:  Knowing four-year costs, knowing the loan repayments.  We're trying to do some things to reduce loan repayments at the back end -- something called income-based repayment, IBR -- you can take a look at.  But helping the front end, know what your costs are, more transparency and help at the back end.  So we're trying to do all those things.  As the President said, push states to invest and push colleges to be reasonable.  These are tough times and don't get carried away, and a lot of colleges are doing it well; some aren’t.  So we're trying to challenge them as well.

        THE PRESIDENT:  But overall, it sounds like you guys are all set.  I’m excited for you.  Are you guys getting nervous, too?

        (Pool ushered out.)

END 11:41 A.M. EDT