Remarks by President Obama and Former President Clinton at a Campaign Event

Private Residence
McLean, Virginia

 
5:57 P.M. EDT
 
PRESIDENT CLINTON:  Hey!  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  First of all, I want to thank mostly Dorothy for having us here.  (Laughter.)  Terry actually likes it when there are hundreds of people in his back yard.  (Laughter.)  And I'm delighted that their -- four of their five children are here -- Jack, Mary, Sally and Peter.  Dori, their other daughter, is off playing in a national tournament in lacrosse.  Jack plays rugby for the Naval Academy, where he is in his first year -- and I'm very proud of him for his service he's doing.  (Applause.)
 
I love poor Terry McAuliffe.  He's so laid back and repressed.  (Laughter.)  He just can't express himself.  (Laughter.)  I worry about him.  But I tell you what, we had a hundred more like him we wouldn't lose as many elections -- (laughter) -- he is a -- and I'm grateful.  (Applause.)
 
My job is to introduce the President.  I'm going to tell you a couple of things I hope you'll remember and share with others.  When you become President, your job is to explain where we are, say where you think we should go, have a strategy to get there, and execute it.  By that standard, Barack Obama deserves to be reelected President of the United States.  (Applause.)  And I'm going to tell you the only reason we're even meeting here.  I mean, this is crazy -- he's got an opponent who basically wants to do what they did before, on steroids -- (laughter) -- which will get you the same consequences you got before, on steroids.  (Laughter.)
 
So let's be serious here.  When then-Senator Obama was running for President, he laid out a forward-looking plan to restore broad-based prosperity with a 21st century economy in the United States, to advance the national security of America, and to build a world with more partners and fewer adversaries.  And if he had taken office in that world and implemented those plans in energy, education, health care and across the board -- which he has done -- we'd be roaring. 
 
But then what happened?  September the 15th, 2008, we had a financial crash -- only seven weeks before the election.  And it didn't bottom out till he he'd been President six months and before any of his policies had time to take effect.  If you go back 500 years, whenever a country's financial system collapses, it takes between 5 and 10 years to get back to full employment.  If you go back for the last 200 years, when buildings had been widely owned by individuals and companies, if there's a mortgage collapse it almost always takes 10 years.  He's beating the clock, not behind it.  Don't listen to those Republicans.  We are beating the clock.  (Applause.)
 
So if somebody says, well, but I don't feel all that great yet, or not everything is back yet, or it's still kind of slow yet, you just remind them we've gotten 4 million jobs since the recession bottomed out; the ones we lost in the crash have been restored.  Thanks to the stimulus which kept unemployment one and a half to two points lower than it would have been.  Thanks to his restructuring of the American automobile industry, which saved a million and a half jobs and created 84,000 more.  (Applause.)  Thanks to the astonishing agreement between labor and management and the environmental groups and the federal government to raise mileage standards on cars that will create 150,000 high-tech jobs and clean the environment for our future.  These are the things that have been done.
 
Terry McAuliffe is moving two factories into America -- one in Mississippi, one in Virginia -- because of the manufacturing initiatives this President got the Congress to adopt to bring American manufacturing back to the forefront in the world.  I'm telling you.  (Applause.)
 
Why do I tell you this?  Because somebody will say to you, maybe, but I don't feel better.  And you say, look, the man's not Houdini; all he can do is beat the clock.  (Laughter.)  He's beating the clock.  It's not going to take us 10 years to get back to full employment.  When I was President, Japan went through a long real estate and financial collapse, and after 10 years they still weren't back to full employment.  We are moving this country forward.  We are going in the right direction under President Obama's leadership.  And I'm telling you -- (applause.)
 
My wife has a traveling job, so I'm home alone a lot.  And I have more time to read this stuff than most people.  (Laughter.)  So I noticed yesterday that the American people are about to get -- not counting California, our biggest state -- $1.3 billion in refunds on their health insurance premiums because the health care law says that you have to spend 85 percent of your health care premium on health care and not profits and promotions.  (Applause.)  Then I noticed in the paper today that, for the last two years, inflation in health care costs has been 4 percent -- the lowest two-year total in 50 years.  And then I might say -- (applause.)
 
Folks, I spoke to a big conglomerate group that was meeting last week in a convention; they asked me to come speak.  There were insurers, there were health care providers, there were all these people that -- in the health care industry.  And I thought they might be hostile to me, and I just had -- I said, look, folks, I have to tell you, I support what was done; we had to do something.  We were spending almost 18 percent of our income on health care, and nobody else is spending more than 12.  That's a trillion dollars a year we're giving up to our competitors.  One of the reasons workers have not been getting pay raises in America is their employers wanted to give them pay raises but they had to spend it on their health insurance premiums.  So we have to do this. 
 
So after it was over, they said, you're preaching to the saved -- even those of us who don't like certain provisions of the health care law would be mortified if it were repealed; we've got the train going down the tracks now.  If there's something wrong with it, let's fix it; don't start all over again.  And I said -- (applause.)
 
So whether it's on energy, where America led the world in clean energy investment in the last year even though the Chinese government spent more than we did -- our investments plus our private venture capital investment led the world.  That's because of President Obama's policies -- (applause) -- or whether it's on health care, on education.
 
I just have to mention one more thing.  One of the things that I think 20 years from now will be among the most important things he's accomplished as President that is never mentioned when I read about what's going on, is the reform in the student loan law which will let every student pay back his or her loan for up to 20 years as a small percentage of their income so nobody ever has to drop out of college again.  (Applause.)  And I want to tell you why that's important.  (Applause.)  When he took office, we had dropped -- in a decade -- from first to 15th in the world in the percentage of our young people with a college education, and we need that back.  People need to be able to afford to go and afford to stay.
 
So I think he's done a good job.  (Laughter.)  I think he is beating the historical standard for coming out of a financial collapse and a mortgage collapse.  I think the last thing you want to do is to turn around and embrace the policies that got us into trouble in the first place.  We need to keep going forward by reelecting Barack Obama President of the United States.  (Applause.)
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  It’s always good to be in Virginia.  (Applause.) 
 
To Dorothy, most of all -- (laughter) -- but also to this guy here, Terry -- (laughter) -- I want to thank the McAuliffe family for this incredible hospitality.  Jack, we could not be prouder of you.  You look sharp in whites, man.  (Laughter.)  And to the whole family, it is a -- I’m sure Terry and Dorothy feel the way Michelle and I feel about Malia and Sasha, and the way Bill feels about -- Bill and Hillary feel about Chelsea.  There’s nothing we do that’s more important than raising our kids.  And when we see outstanding young people like this, it gives us a lot of satisfaction.  (Applause.) 
 
A couple of other people I want to mention.  It was already noted that the next U.S. senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Tim Kaine, is here.  I love Tim Kaine.  (Applause.)  One of the finest men I know.  And just a great friend and was a great governor here, obviously.
 
You also have an outstanding congressman in Jim Moran in the house.  (Applause.)  And I need to acknowledge, because some of you know I am a former state senator, so I never pass up the chance to introduce state senators, Barbara Favola is here, and this is her district, and we love state senators.  Where’s Barbara?  She’s over there somewhere.  (Applause.)  Good to see you, Barbara.  (Applause.) 
 
Well, you guys get two Presidents for one out of this event -- (laughter) -- which is a pretty good deal.  (Laughter.)  And I was -- as I was listening to President Clinton speaking, I was just thinking about the remarkable record that he was able to create during his presidency, and his singular capacity -- to be able to explain very difficult concepts in very understandable terms to the American people; a master communicator.  But more importantly than his communication skills was -- Bill Clinton understood at a time when, let’s face it, the Democratic Party was a little bit lost, he understood what it meant to refocus not on ideology, not on abstractions, but focus on where people live, what they’re going through day to day. 
 
And early in our party in such a way that we were thinking about what has always been the central promise of America; the idea that if you work hard, if you play by the rules, if you’re responsible, then you can live out that basic American promise -- the idea that you can find a job that pays a decent living; and buy a home; and send your kids to school; and not have to worry, if you get sick, that you might go bankrupt; and retire with dignity and respect.
 
And everything he did, all the years that he was in office, was designed to give people the tools to help fulfill that promise.  And he did so to a remarkable degree.  Terry mentioned the record. 
 
And ever since that time, because of Bill Clinton’s leadership, I think that when you look at the Democratic Party and what we’ve stood for, it has been squarely at the center of how the American people think and what they believe, and is entirely consistent with some of our best traditions and our deepest values.
 
Now, as has been mentioned, when I came into office, obviously we were experiencing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  The month I was sworn into office we lost 750,000 jobs, as I was taking the oath.  We had lost 4 million jobs the six months prior, and we would lose another several million jobs before economic policies had a chance to take effect.
 
So a lot of what we’ve done over the last three and a half years has been designed just to right the ship to respond to crises, to make sure that Detroit didn’t go under, to make sure that the banking system was no longer locked up, to make sure that small businesses could get loans, and consumers could buy a home again or buy a car again; making sure that the system did not break down.  And that took enormous amounts of energy and some pretty tough and difficult political decisions.
 
But I didn’t run for President simply to get back to where we were in 2007.  I didn’t run for President simply to restore the status quo before the financial crisis.  I ran for President because we had lost our way since Bill Clinton was done being President.  And for almost a decade what we had seen -- (applause) -- for almost a decade what we had seen for ordinary families was a betrayal of that basic promise; that core American idea. 
 
The economy in fits and starts grew between 2000 and 2008, but wages and incomes flat-lined.  Corporations were profitable, but ordinary people felt like they were working harder and harder just to get by.  That sense of middle-class security and the notion that successive generations would do better than the previous one -- that felt like it was slipping away for too many people.  That’s why I ran for President in 2008 -- to restore that basic promise.  (Applause.) 
 
And that’s why over the last three and a half years, in addition to dealing with immediate crises, what we’ve tried to do is make sure that we were finally dealing with some of those issues that had been put off and put off and put off so that once again we could build an economy with a firm foundation; an economy built to last, an economy that would deliver for ordinary Americans -- (applause) -- regardless of where they came from, what they looked like, what their last names were; that idea that you could make it here if you try. 
 
And that’s why we took on issues like health care reform -- (applause) -- because as President Clinton said, the single most important thing to liberate our businesses, to make sure workers are getting raises, and to free ourselves from crippling debt both at the federal level and at the state level was if we started having a more sensible health care system that provided better quality for lower cost.  (Applause.)
 
And what we’ve been able to do as a consequence -- if you look right now -- 2.5 million young people able to get health insurance because they’re staying on their parents’ plan; millions of seniors getting discounts on their prescription drugs that they weren’t getting before; people being able to get preventive care, the best kind of care, instead of having to go to the emergency room; 30 million people who are going to be able to get health care who didn’t have it before -- (applause); people not having to worry if they’ve got a preexisting condition; and now we’re seeing rebates all across the country -- over a billion dollars in rebates to consumers, even as health care costs overall are going down.
 
On education, not only did we make college more affordable, taken $60 billion that was going to banks as middle men in the student loan program, and we were able to cut out the middle man and send that money directly to young people so that now millions more young people are either eligible for Pell Grants or getting higher Pell Grants than they were before and are able to access a college education, we put in place a $10,000 tax credit for young people -- or for their parents.  (Laughter.)  I know you guys are sympathetic.  (Laughter.) 
 
But we also started focusing on K-12, and how we’re going to not just -- (applause) -- how we’re going to get past this debate about reform or more money, and say we need money and reform, and let’s reform those districts and those states and those schools that are doing the right thing, and retaining outstanding teachers, and developing them.  And let’s stop just teaching to the test.  Let’s make sure that teachers can teach with creativity and passion, but let’s hold them accountable.  And so with the help of Arne Duncan and the Secretary of Education, we are on track.  Over 40 states now have adopted unprecedented reforms that are going to help us win the 21st century.  (Applause.) 
 
We refocused on manufacturing.  And everybody has noted the fact that we helped to save Detroit, but here’s the good news.  Detroit is building better cars.  (Laughter.)  Cars that folks want to drive.  We’re going to be getting 55 miles per gallon by the middle of the next decade, which will save the average driver $8,000 at the pump.  And that’s part of the reason why, actually, we are now consuming -- less than 50 percent of our energy is imported; less than 50 percent of our oil is important.  So there is an economic benefit, there is a security benefit. 
 
But not only have we helped Detroit produce better cars; we’ve also created entire new industries.  Advanced battery manufacturing.  The key to electric cars is going to be who wins the race to make the best battery.  And when we came into office, it looked like maybe 2 percent of the market was going to go to U.S. companies.  Now it looks like it’s going to be 40 percent, because of what we did.  We are going to be winning the race for clean energy all across the board.  (Applause.) 
 
So whether it’s our investments in clean energy, whether it’s our reform of education, whether it’s our reform of the health care system, whether it’s making sure that Wall Street is operating by the same rules so we don’t go through the same cycle that we did before, whether it’s creating a Consumer Finance Protection Bureau that ensures people that aren’t getting cheated in their financial transactions -- (applause) -- what we’ve done is not just deal with crisis but also try to play the long game, and try to think what are the strategies, what are the investments that are going to help us grow over the long term, and what do we need to do to make sure that everybody gets a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same set of rules.
 
Now, I joke sometimes with my staff, a lot of what we’ve done, a lot of what President Clinton did -- there was a time when Republicans thought these were pretty good ideas.  (Laughter.)  No, that’s the truth.  (Laughter.)  I mean, you can go back to the first Republican President who comes from my home state, a guy named Abraham Lincoln, who built the first -- helped to create the Trans-Continental Railroad System, and in the midst of Civil War started the land grant colleges and the National Academy of Sciences; understood the need to make investments in the future.  That was not a foreign idea to the Republican Party.
 
There’s Teddy Roosevelt who thought it was a good idea to have a progressive income tax because he understood that the market works best -- Teddy Roosevelt was no socialist.  (Laughter.)  But what he understood was -- is that if you’ve got basic rules of the road in place, and you’ve got equity in the tax system, then everybody can compete, and people win based on the best ideas, not who they can prevent from competing.  And you create platforms in which everybody can succeed.  That was part of Republican ideas.
 
As recently as when President Clinton was President, when he tried to tackle health care, he had partners in the United States Senate and in the House on the Republican side who said, you know what, this is an idea that has to be tackled.  We may not agree with you on every detail, but we understand that we can’t keep on spending 18 percent of our GDP on health care, and leave 30, 40 million people uninsured.  That doesn’t make sense.
 
And it used to be a guy like a Bob Dole or a Howard Baker, if they wanted to -- you know, they were conservative, fiscal hawks -- the idea was we were going to balance a budget, and they sure didn’t like tax increases, but they understood if we’re making cuts in spending, then we also need to pay for the kind of government we want.  And we’re going to do a balanced approach to how we bring down deficits.
 
These were not just Democratic ideas.  These were American ideas.  (Applause.)  And part of what’s happened -- (applause) -- so part of what’s happened is we now have a Republican Party that’s unrecognizable.  I’ve said this and I meant it: Ronald Reagan could not get through a Republican primary in this election cycle.  (Laughter.)  Could not get through it.  Here’s a guy who raised taxes.  That in and of itself would have rendered him unelectable in a Republican primary.
 
So I want to -- when you’re talking to your friends and your neighbors -- I know everybody here knows some Republicans.  (Laughter.)  You might be married to some.  (Laughter.)  Might have a mom and dad and whoever.  (Laughter.)  And describe for them what it is that’s at stake in this election. 
 
When you’ve got a House Republican budget that would, on top of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, initiate an additional $4 trillion or $5 trillion in tax cuts that would be paid for by decimating everything that Bill Clinton talked about, everything that Terry McAuliffe talked about, everything I’ve been talking about so that the non-defense side of the budget other than Social Security would amount to less than 1 percent -- historically it’s never been under 8 percent, even under Republican Presidents.  And they’re talking about taking this -- everything -- education, infrastructure, food safety, environmental protection, national parks -- whatever it is that you conceive of as part of what we do together, because we can’t do it on our own, that would be reduced to less than 1 percent of the budget.  It would basically be wiped out.  That’s not my opinion.  That’s what they’re proposing.
 
And so it is impossible taking their budget, taking their philosophy, taking their approach, to imagine how we compete with China on something like clean energy.  It’s impossible to imagine us being able to rebuild our roads, our bridges, our ports, our broadband lines.  It’s impossible for us to imagine being able to educate our kids effectively and to produce the number of engineers that we’re going to need, the number of scientists we’re going to need, the number of mathematicians that we’re going to need.
 
So every election Presidents will -- or candidates will say this is the election that -- this is a crossroads, this is the biggest election in history.  (Laughter.)  I’m sure back in 1988, 1989, every -- you say this is -- (laughter) -- we need a bridge to the 21st century and all that.  (Laughter.)  Every election is the most important election in our history.  (Laughter.) 
 
But let me tell you -- (laughter and applause) -- this one matters.  (Applause.)  This one matters.  (Applause.)   This one matters.  (Applause.) 
 
And that’s before we start talking about foreign policy.  (Applause.)  Hillary and I -- we’ve spent the last three and a half years cleaning up after other folks’ messes.  (Applause.) And by the way, we’ve got them -- we’re starting to get them pretty cleaned up.  (Applause.)  The war in Iraq is over.  (Applause.)   We’re transitioning in Afghanistan.  We’ve got the strongest allies we’ve ever seen.  And al Qaeda is on the ropes.  (Applause.)  So we’ve done what we said we’d do.  (Applause.) 

But when you’ve got the leading contender, the presumptive nominee, on the other side suddenly saying our number one enemy isn’t al Qaeda, it’s Russia -- (laughter) -- I don’t make that up.  (Laughter.)  I’m suddenly thinking what -- maybe I didn’t check the calendar this morning.  (Laughter.)  I didn’t know we were back in 1975.  (Laughter.) 
 
That’s before I start talking about social issues that are at stake.  You know something about that in Virginia; the kinds of nonsense that’s been going on.  But that’s all across the country.  When you have folks who talk about -- want to repeal “don’t ask” -- repeal the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  (Laughter.)  When you have folks who are talking about not just constraining women’s reproductive health, but questioning things like contraception as part of our preventive care. 

That’s before I start talking about the fact that there are going to be some Supreme Court appointments probably if you look actuarially for the next President.  (Applause.)  There's so much at stake here.
 
So let me just close by saying this -- I've overstayed my welcome.  Dorothy is saying, golly, I'm -- (applause) -- I'm trying to get these people out of this house.  (Applause.)  My lawn is all messed up.  (Laughter.) 
 
Let me just say this -- and I think Bill will agree with me.  There's nothing more humbling, actually, than being President.  It's a strange thing.  Suddenly you've got all the pomp and the circumstance and you've got the helicopters and you've got the Air Force One and -- and the plane is really nice.  (Laughter.)  It really is.  I mean, Bill may not miss being President but he misses that plane.  (Laughter.)  Let's face it, he does.  It's a great plane.  (Applause.)  And I'll miss it, too.  (Laughter.)
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  But not yet!
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  But not yet.  (Laughter and applause.) 
 
But the reason it's humbling is because you wake up every morning and you know there are folks out there still hurting, especially in what we've been going through over the last four years.  Yes, you get letters or you talk to folks, and they've lost their job or they've lost their home, or they thought they were going to retire and suddenly they realize they can't, or it's a young person who has figured out, you know what, I've got to see if I can find work to help my family even though I was planning to go to college.  And every day you know that there's just some portion of the country that are good and decent and working really hard, and they're still having a tough time.  And you want to just be able to help each one of those people, one by one, because they're deserving of it; because they represent what's best in America.  And you know that at the end of the day, no matter how hard you work, there's still going to be some stuff left undone.  And you also know that you're going to make mistakes and there are going to be times where your team makes mistakes.  And so your mind doesn't rest because you're constantly thinking, what else do I need to be doing?
 
But I'll tell you two things that keep me going.  The first is -- and I'm sure President Clinton agrees with this -- you get no better vantage point of how wonderful the American people are than when you're President of the United States.  And as you're traveling around the country, the resilience and the strength and the core decency of the American people inspire you.  And you say to yourself, you know what, no matter what we're going through right now, we're going to be okay.  We're going to figure this out because that's who we are and that's what we do.  No matter how times -- how tough times are -- in fact, maybe especially when times are tough, we full together and we figure it out.
 
And the other thing that gets you through is -- or at least gets me through is -- I said back in 2008, I'm not a perfect man and I will not be a perfect President; Michelle will confirm that.  (Laughter.)  But I made a promise that I'd always tell people what I thought, I'd always tell people where I stood, and I'd always wake up every single day working as hard as I could on behalf of you.  And that promise, I can say, I've kept.  And I can look in the mirror and say that I've kept that promise.  (Applause.)
 
And so if you're willing to join us and finish what we started in 2008, and continue what Bill Clinton was doing when he was President of the United States, and if you are willing to share that vision of what America can be, I guarantee you we won't just win this election, we're going to make sure that we remind this world of ours just why it is America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)
 
Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.
 
END
6:31 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Private Residence
Washington, D.C.

 
6:19 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Everybody, please have a seat.  It is wonderful to see you here -- to be here.  And I want to thank Debra for opening up this beautiful home on a lovely day, and to then invite some of my best friends over to hang out.  (Laughter.) 

A couple of other people I just want to mention very briefly.  First of all, as somebody who is working tirelessly on our behalf each and every day, and we’re so proud of her -- our DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is here.  (Applause.)  Accompanied by the adorable Shelby.  (Applause.)  Yay!  And I want to say thank you to Jane Stetson, who has been such a dear friend -- (applause) -- and is now chairing -- co-chairing our finance committee and doing just extraordinary work each and every day.

Typically, in these more intimate gatherings, what I like to do is to just make a few comments at the top and then make this a conversation.  So we’ll open it up and you guys can ask questions, make comments, give me advice.  I always get advice.  (Laughter.) 

But obviously, we’ve gone through three and a half of the toughest years that this country has seen in my lifetime and most of yours.  The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.  The worst economic crisis worldwide since the 1930s.  The month I took office we lost 750,000 jobs.  The U.S. auto industry, the iconic industry that had helped to create our middle class, was on the verge of liquidation -- at least two of the three of the Big Three auto firms. 

We were in the midst of two wars.  And I think there had been decades of issues that had been put off and put off -- whether it was health care or energy or education -- and a sense that somehow we could not get done what needed to get done to ensure that middle-class families regained a sense of security, so that if they worked hard and they acted responsibly that they’d be able to afford a home and send their kids to college, and retire with dignity and respect.  That sense that we would be passing on a future for our children that was greater than ours.

That’s what propelled me to run.  And after three and a half years we’re nowhere near where we need to be yet.  But think about the extraordinary progress that we’ve been able to make. 

Over the last three months alone, 600,000 jobs created; 4 million jobs created over the last two years.  We’ve been able to save an auto industry where GM is now the number-one automaker again in the world; saved probably a million jobs throughout the Midwest.  Chrysler is back.  And our auto industry is actually making better cars -- cars that are being sold all around the world.  Doubled fuel-efficiency standards on cars so that not only are we helping to save the planet, but we’re saving people at the pump and helping to reduce our dependence on foreign oil so that it’s below 50 percent for the first time in 13 years.

Passing health care reform that provides 30 million people, for the first time, the opportunity to get health insurance that didn’t have it before.  And it makes young people -- it makes it possible for young people to stay on their parents’ health insurance -- 2.5 million young people already taking advantage of that.  Preventive care, including mammograms and cervical cancer screenings for women, contraceptive care. 

And not only is it helping families, but it’s also help the country as a whole, because over time what we’re building into is a health care system that’s going to be more efficient and provide better quality.  And by the way, just yesterday or today, Kaiser released a study showing that there’s going to be over a billion dollars of rebates going out to millions of families all across America because of this law.  (Applause.)

So whether it’s what we’ve done on education with “Race to the Top” and helping to initiate school reform in more than 40 states, whether it’s what we’ve done on clean energy -- doubling the amount of energy that’s coming from wind and solar, and helping to build from scratch, essentially, an advanced-battery industry that will be the future of automation -- or the automotive industry for the future; whether it’s the work that we’ve done not just to end the war in Iraq, but also to start transitioning our troops out of Afghanistan so that they can take greater responsibility in restoring that sense of respect for America around the world -- on all these fronts, we’ve made enormous progress.

But we’ve got a lot more to do.  I won’t be satisfied until everybody can find a job that pays a living wage and allows them either to stay in the middle class, but also creates those ladders of opportunity into the middle class.

I’m not going to be satisfied until we once again have the best education system in the world, and college is affordable for young people all across the country.

I’m not going to be satisfied not just with getting our troops home from Afghanistan, but making sure -- as we talked about today down in Fort Stewart -- that every single one of our veterans have the capacity to rebuild this country the same way my grandfather had and his generation had the capacity to rebuild the country when they came back from World War II.

So we've got a lot more work to do.  And here's the good news:  I think that when you look at the issues, when you look at where people stand in terms of making sure that everybody is getting a fair shot, everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same set of rules; when you look at how they feel about Wall Street reform or health care reform, and break it down specifically -- not sort of just the rhetoric that goes on out there -- but do you believe that young people should be able to stay on their parents’ health care plans; do you believe that seniors should be able to afford prescription drugs and get bigger discounts; do you believe that we should prevent reckless behavior on Wall Street; do you believe that we should have an all-of-the-above energy strategy -- when you break down the issues, then people are on our side.  They believe what we believe.

But understandably, things are tough, and they've grown cynical, and they see the mess that goes on in Washington and there's a temptation at a certain point to just say, oh, a plague on both their houses; nothing is getting done. 

And so we're going to have to work harder this time than we did in '08.  I always say, back in '08 I wasn't as gray, and it was kind of cool being an Obama supporter.  (Laughter.)  And now, I'm the President.  (Laughter.)  I'm just saying -- (laughter) -- now, we see the guy all the time, and he's kind of dinged up.

But I want you to know, my commitment, my sense of determination is undiminished.  My confidence in the American people is undiminished.  My hunger, my desire to help every one of those folks out there that is trying hard to carve out a life for themselves and their families, that hunger is undiminished. 

So I'm going to work harder than I did I 2008, and if you guys are willing to join me, then we're going to have four more years to be able to finish what we started.  All right? 

Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END
6:28 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

Inn on Fifth
Naples, Florida

5:30 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, please rest yourselves.  (Applause.)  That was a very powerful video.  Very powerful.  Every time I hear it I just think, wow, how much work has gotten done; how much more we need to do.

I just want to thank you so much.  It is truly a pleasure and an honor to be with all of you.  What time of the day is this?  Is this evening?  (Laughter.)  It's not morning, I know that.  I was in another state this morning.

I want to start by thanking our fabulous event chairs, Joe and Dee.  (Applause.)  You guys, thank you so much for all the hard work to make this event so successful. 

And I also want to give a big hello and thank you to your fabulous co-chairs –- Phil, Ira, and Rose Ann.  Thank you guys.  Yay!  (Applause.)  Woo hoo!  Way to go!

And finally, I'm here because I want to thank all of you, truly, for your support and for taking the time to be -- being here with us today.  And I know that there's a reason why you all are here, and it's not just to get out of the heat and get into the air conditioning.  It's hot!  (Laughter.)  It's hot and beautiful. 

I know you’re here because you know that next November, we are going to make a choice that is going to impact our lives for years to come.  And I know you’re here because you know that choice won’t just affect all of us, it's going to affect our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren and the world we leave for them long after we’re gone.  And truly, that is why I'm here today as well.  That’s why I'm doing this.

As First Lady, I have had the privilege, the honor of traveling all across this great country.  I get to meet folks from all different backgrounds and I hear what's going on in their daily lives.  And I hear about how folks are struggling to keep it all together -- I hear about the bills they're trying to pay, I hear about the businesses they're trying to keep afloat, the home they love but are struggling to afford. 

But regardless of the challenges they face, what they're going through, no matter what they see, they just keep on working, they keep sacrificing, because they want desperately to give their kids something better.  They believe in that fundamental vision for our economy that we all share -- the idea, as Barack says, that hard work should pay off, that responsibility should be rewarded, and that everyone -- everyone in this country -- should get a fair shot and do their fair share and play by the same rules.  And those values are the foundation of an economy that is built to last, and, more importantly, they're basic American values; the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.

Many of you know my story already.  My father was a blue collar city worker.  He worked for the city water plant his entire life, and my family lived in a little-bitty apartment on the South Side of Chicago -- my mother still lives in that home.  My bedroom looks exactly the same.  (Laughter.)  Literally -- same pictures, same bedspread.  

Neither of my parents had the opportunity to go to college, but let me tell you what they did do, what so many people like my parents did -- they saved and they sacrificed everything for us -- everything -- so that they could give me and my brother something more.  And really, more than anything else, that’s what at stake.  That’s what we're working for -- that fundamental promise that no matter who you are in this country, no matter how you started out, if you work hard you can build a decent life for yourself, but, more important, an even better life for your kids.  That’s what this is about. 

And on just about every single issue, that’s the choice we face.  Those are the stakes.

Let’s start with those tax cuts that my husband passed for middle-class families.  What was that about?  That was about whether people can heat their homes.  That’s what that was about.  That’s about whether they can send their kids to college, maybe retire with a little dignity and security.  It’s about putting more money in people’s pockets, which means more money in our economy, which means more jobs.  And it’s about making sure that everyone pays their fair share.  That’s why Barack proposed the Buffett Rule, that’s why -- to close tax loopholes so that millionaires and billionaires aren’t paying lower rates than teachers and firefighters.  But that’s what’s at stake.

And how about everything my husband has been doing to create jobs?  You saw the video -- that’s powerful.  Think back to when those folks in Washington were talking about letting the auto industry go under -- that’s what their plan was -- and letting more than a million jobs go that were on the line. 

But what did Barack do?  He had the backs of American workers.  He put his faith in the American people.  And today, as a result -- you saw -- the auto industry is back.  And more importantly, people are back at work, providing for their families again like my father was able to do.

And again, think back to when Barack first took office.  When he set foot in that Oval Office, we were losing, on average, 750,000 jobs a month.  That is what he inherited, as you saw.  But for the past 25 straight months, we’ve actually been gaining private sector jobs –- a total of more than 4 million jobs in two years.  Those are the facts.  You saw the chart.  That’s not made up.

So while we still have a very long way to go to rebuild our economy -- we have more work to do indeed -- millions of folks today are collecting a paycheck again.  That’s a good thing, but that’s what’s at stake.  That’s the choice that we’re facing.

And what about all that this administration has done for small businesses?  These are companies that create two-thirds of all jobs in this economy.  I’m talking about that mom that opens up the drycleaner to help provide for her kids -- that’s who we’re talking about.  Or the family that’s been running that neighborhood diner for generations.

See, for these folks that small business tax cut that this administration’s passed, that means the difference between hiring new employees for these businesses or handing out pink slips.  That means the difference between them keeping their doors open, or closing up shop for good.  But that’s what’s at stake.  That’s what we face.

And again, you heard -- the first bill, the very first thing my husband did as President of the United States, he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to ensure that women get equal pay for equal work.  (Applause.)

And what I try to help people understand about my husband is he did this because Barack knows what it means when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace.  He watched his own grandmother –- I tell this story everywhere I go -- his grandmother had a high school education, and she worked her way up to become a vice president at a community bank.  Imagine that.  And she worked hard, and she was good at what she did.  But like so many women she hit that glass ceiling, and watched men no more qualified than she was –- men she actually trained -– be promoted up that ladder ahead of her.  

So believe me, for Barack, this issue is not hypothetical.  This is not an abstraction for him.  And he signed this bill because he knows that closing that pay gap, that can mean the difference between women losing $50, $100, $500 from every paycheck, or having that money in their pockets to buy gas, groceries and put clothes on the backs of their kids.  

And he did it because when so many women are now breadwinners for their families, he knows that women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.   But that's what’s at stake.  Those are the choices we face.

And I always talk for just a minute about health care, because two years ago we made history together.  We all worked together to help finally pass health reform -- something that no other President was able to do.  No one else was.  And because we passed this law, insurance companies will have to cover basic preventive care -- things like prenatal care, mammograms, contraception at no extra cost.  That's what that's about.  (Applause.)  They can no longer deny our children coverage for preexisting conditions -- things like diabetes, asthma.  And since we passed this law, millions of our seniors have saved an average of $600 a year on their prescription drugs. 

So we have to ask ourselves, are we going to take those savings away?  Or will we allow insurance companies to refuse to cover our children?  Or are we going to say that here in America, no one -- no one -- should ever have to go or choose between going bankrupt or watching their child suffer because they can’t afford a doctor.  But that's the choice.  That's why we’re here.

And think for a minute about all that we’ve been doing to give our kids and our grandkids a good education.  Think about the investments that this President has made to raise standards and reform our public schools -- and to help people learn how to use their cell phones.  (Laughter and applause.)  I love you dearly.

But more importantly, though, in all seriousness -- yes, take it from Dad.  Just take it from him, take it from him.  (Laughter.)  He’ll fix it.  That's what we’re educating him to do.  (Laughter.)  Take our items and fix them for us because we don't know what to do.  (Laughter.) And it is now turned off.  (Laughter.)  Thank you.

But in all seriousness, think about how my husband has been fighting for the DREAM Act –- (applause) -- so that responsible young immigrants who came here as children and were raised as Americans can earn a pathway to citizenship by going to college or serving in our military.  Just think about that.

And think about how my husband took billions of dollars of taxpayer money that was going to middleman bankers and lenders and he sent it where it belongs –- to help millions of our young people go to college.  I mean, these investments just won't determine our children’s success; they're going to determine nothing less than the success of our economy.  They’re going to determine whether we’re prepared to make the discoveries and to build the industries that will allow us to compete with any country anywhere in the world.  That's what this is about.  That's what’s at stake.

And of course, we cannot forget -- I will never let anybody forget about those two brilliant Supreme Court justices that my husband appointed -- (applause) -- and how for the first time in history, our sons and daughters, our grandsons and our granddaughters watched three women take their seats on our nation’s highest court.  (Applause.)

And let’s not forget the impact the Court’s decisions will have on our lives for years to come –- on our privacy and security, on whether we speak freely, worship openly, and, yes, love whomever we choose.  (Applause.)    That’s what’s at stake.  Those are the choices we’re facing.

And again, let’s not forget that all this administration has done to keep our country safe and restore our standing in the world.  (Applause.)  Thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, we finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks and all those other horrific acts of terror. 

My husband kept his word and ended the war in Iraq and brought our troops home.  (Applause.)  And we are working hard every single day to make sure that they, our veterans, their families get the benefits they’ve earned.  (Applause.)

And finally, because my husband ended “don’t ask, don’t tell,” our troops will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  (Applause.)  But all of that is at stake.  All of that’s at stake.

So make no mistake about it -- whether it’s health care or the economy, whether it’s education or foreign policy, the choice we make in this election will determine nothing less than who we are as a country, but more importantly, it will determine who we want to be.  See, that’s what I -- who do we want to be?  Who are we?

Will we be a country where opportunity is limited to just the few at the top?  Or will we be a place where if you work hard, you can get ahead no matter who you are or how you started out?  Who are we?

Will we tell folks who’ve done everything right but are struggling a little bit, are we going to look them in the eye and tell them, tough luck, you’re on your own?  Is that who we are?  Or will we honor the fundamental American belief that we are all in this together, and this country is strongest when we are all better off?  (Applause.)

Will we continue all the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  Or will we allow everything that we’ve fought for to just slip away?  See, but those are the choices we face. 

And we know what we need to do.  We do.  We know that we can’t turn back now.  We can’t.  We need to keep moving forward.

And believe me, nobody knows this better than Barack, your President.  He understands these issues because he’s lived them. He was raised by a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  And when she needed help, who stepped up?  His grandmother, waking up every morning before dawn to catch that bus to the job at the bank.  And even though she was passed over again and again for promotions, she never complained.  How many people do we know like that in our lives?  They just keep going.  She just kept showing up every day, doing her best.  

So believe me, Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have the chance to fulfill their potential.  Those are the experiences that have made him the man, but more importantly, the President he is today.   And we are blessed to have him.  We truly are.  That I know.  (Applause.)

And what I hear with people everywhere I go -- that’s what I hear in Barack’s voice whenever he returns home.  Whether he’s in the Oval Office or traveling around the country, he comes home and he tells me about the people he’s met.  That’s what I see in those quiet moments late at night long after the girls have gone to bed, and he’s poring over the letters he receives from thousands of people. 

The letter from the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company won’t cover her care.  The letter from the father struggling to pay his family’s bills.  The letters from far too many young people with so much promise, but so little opportunity. 

And I hear the passion and the determination in his voice.    He says, "Michelle, you won’t believe what folks are still going through."  That’s what he says.  He says, “Michelle, this is not right.  We know it’s not.  We’ve got to fix this.  There is so much more work to do.”

And what I want people to know is that when it comes to the people he meets, Barack has a memory like a steel trap.  (Laughter.)  He may not remember your name, but let me tell you, if he’s had a few moments and a decent conversation, he will never forget your story.  It’s a gift.  It becomes imprinted on his heart.  And that’s what he carries with him every single day.  It’s our collection of struggles and hopes and dreams. 

And that is where Barack gets his passion.  That’s where he gets his toughness and his fight.  And that’s why, even in moments when it seems like all is lost and we’re sweating him, Barack never loses sight of the end goal -- never.  Never lets himself get distracted by all the chatter and all the noise that is always there.  Like his grandmother, he just keeps moving forward, never complaining. 

But the one thing I have said, I said it in the last campaign, I will continue to say it: He cannot do this alone.  That was never the promise.  He cannot do this alone.  He needs your help.  He needs you to do a lot -- to make those calls, to register voters, to get people to sign those "I'm In" cards -- you've seen them.  Pick them up, sign them yourselves, get your friends, your neighbors, the people in your lives to sign them.  Convince them how important it will be for them to invest just a little part of themselves each week in this campaign. 

Because we all know that this is not just about one extraordinary man -- although I admit, I think my husband's very cool.  (Laughter.)  I'm a little biased.  But it has always been and will always be about us; about each and every one of us coming together for the values we believe in and the country we want to be.  This is our country.

And I'm not going to kid you, this journey is going to be long, it is going to be hard, and there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way just like before.  But the truth is that’s how change always happens in this country.  The reality is, is change is slow, and real change never happens all at once.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight and doing what we know is right, then we always get there.  We always do.  Maybe not in our lifetimes, but maybe in our grandchildren's lifetimes; maybe in our great-grandchildren's lifetimes. 

Because in the end, that’s really what this is all about.  In the end, we are not fighting these battles for ourselves.  Like dozens of generations before us, we are fighting these battles for our grandchildren, our children, our great-grandchildren.  We’re fighting for the world we want to leave for them.  And that's what’s at stake.  That's why I’m in this.  Whatever passion you see, it’s about the next generation.  It’s about leaving something whole and wonderful for our children. 

So all I have to say is that it is time for us to get moving.  It is really time.  It’s time for us to get to work.  It’s time for us to roll up our sleeves and get involved.

So I have one last question.  I need to know are you all in?

AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Are you all in?  Are you ready for this?  (Applause.) 

Let me tell you, I am so in this.  I believe in this President not because he’s my husband, because I’ve seen what we’ve done.  I know where we can go as a country, and I know that regardless of where we come from -- even our political beliefs -- the vision that we have for this country belongs to all of us.  It really does.  And we can get there.

So I want to thank you all.  I want to thank you for everything you’ve done and all that you’re going to do.  We’re going to be out there doing our part.

Thank you all.  God bless.

END
5:54 P.M. EDT

Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden on Foreign Policy at a Camapaign Event

New York University, Tishman Auditorium
New York, New York

10:59 A.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hello, folks.  How are you?  It’s great to be with you all.  (Applause.)  What a great introduction.  I just said I hope she remembers me when she’s President of the United States of America.  (Laughter.)

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s great to be before such a distinguished audience at a great university.  I want to start off by doing what the Ambassador will tell you you should never do, apologizing.  It’s all Jack Lew’s fault I’m late.  (Laughter.)  No, some of you students don't know that the President’s Chief of Staff was the CFO here at NYU, and also taught a public policy course, and so that's the only reason he got the job as Chief of Staff.  (Applause.)  He figured if he could deal with this great university, he can deal with the country.

And it’s great to see one of the great, great patriots, one of the finest generals I’ve ever in my 39 years of working in foreign policy and national security ever met, General Wesley Clark.  Great to see you, General.  (Applause.)

I want to just state parenthetically that you know I ran -- not you know, but I ran for the United States Senate when I was 28 years old, and no one in my family on my dad’s side had ever been involved in public life.  And as one of my colleagues said, I’m the first United States Senator I ever knew.

And I ran at the time because I thought the policy we had in Vietnam, I didn't argue it as immoral, but I thought it just didn't make sense, the notion of dominoes and so on and so forth.

And I came to Washington as a 29-year-old kid.  I got elected.  Before I was eligible to serve, I had to literally wait to be sworn in because I wasn’t eligible under the Constitution.  You must be 30 years old.  And my image of the military commanders at the time was, if you ever saw that old movie, if you ever rented it, where Slim Pickens is on the back of an atom bomb, dropping out of an aircraft, yelling, Yippe, Kiyay.  (Laughter.)  And “Dr. Strangelove” was the movie.

But I have to tell you after all the time I’ve served in public office, if you asked me who the most impressive women and men that I have met in government in the last 40 years, six of them would be men or women wearing a uniform.  It’s a different military.  This guy was not only a great warrior -- I mean literally a warrior, but this guy is a diplomat.  This guy is an incredibly bright man, extremely well educated.  He understands the role of the military within our system, and he understands the Constitution.

And there are -- Thank God, there’s others like him that are still around today.  Wes, thanks for being one of those many folks who changed my impression from my younger years.  It’s a pleasure to be with you.  (Applause.)

Folks, over the last -- the past months, I’ve given on behalf of the campaign a series of speeches on major issues in this campaign laying down the markers, at least from our perspective, of the President and mine, the distinguishing differences between the President [sic] and us on a series of issues -- issues that we believe affect the middle class and our country’s future. 

I’ve spoken about the rescue of the American automobile industry in Toledo, Ohio.  I’ve spoken about retirement security down in Florida, about leading the world again in manufacturing in the Quad Cities area, and about the tax system and the unfairness of it and how to make fair up in New Hampshire.

Today, I will -- this is the fifth in the series of those speeches, and I want to talk about an American President’s single most important responsibility -- single most important responsibility -- and that's keeping our fellow citizens safe and our nation secure, particularly at a time of such extraordinary challenge and change.  The poet William Butler Yeats writing about his Ireland in the year 1916 in a poem called Easter Sunday 1916, said, “all’s changed, changed utterly; a terrible beauty has been born.”

The world has utterly changed during your young life and your early adulthood.  It’s not the world it was in 1990 and -- even as recently as 1990.  And the question is:  How are we going to deal with this beautiful -- this beautiful -- change that also has with its -- fraught with so many potential difficulties.

On this fundamental issue, foreign policy, keeping America safe, the contrast between President Obama, his record, and Governor Romney, and his rhetoric, in my view cannot be greater.

Three and a half years ago, when President Obama and I took office, and stepped into that Oval Office, our nation had been engaged in two wars for the better part of a decade.  Al Qaeda was resurgent and Osama bin Laden was at large.  Our alliances were dangerously frayed.  And our economy -– the foundation of our national security -– was on the precipice of a new depression.

President Obama began to act immediately.  He set in motion a policy to end the war in Iraq responsibly.  He set a clear strategy and an end date for the war in Afghanistan, which has been going on for close to a decade.  He cut in half the number of Americans who are literally serving in harm’s way.  He decimated al Qaeda’s senior leadership.  He repaired our alliances and restored America’s standing in the world and he saved our economy.  He saved our economy from collapse with some very unpopular but bold decisions that have turned out to be right, including the rescue of the automobile industry, all of which has made us much stronger not only at home but abroad.

If you’re looking for a bumper sticker to sum up how President Obama has handled what we inherited, it’s pretty simple:  Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive.  (Applause.)

Governor Romney’s national security policies, in our view, would return us to a past we’ve worked so hard to move beyond.  And, in this regard, there is no difference in what Governor Romney says and what he has proposed for our economy than he has done in foreign policy.  In every instance, in our view, he takes us back to the failed policies that got us into the mess that President Obama has dug us out of, and the mess that got us into this in the first place.

Governor Romney, I think, is counting on collective amnesia of the American people.  Americans know -- American know that we can’t go back to the future, back to a foreign policy that would have America go it alone -- shout to the world you’re either with us or against us, lash out first and ask the hard questions later, if they get asked at all, isolate America instead of isolating our enemies, waste hundreds of billions of dollars and risk thousands of Americans’ lives on a war that’s unnecessary -- and see the world through a Cold War prism that is totally out of touch with the realities of the 21st century. 

On this and everything else, President Obama, in my view, has demonstrated that he is totally in touch with our times.  He has acted boldly, strengthening America’s ability to contend with the new forces shaping this century and to attend to the challenges and opportunities around the world that have been neglected over the past -- or previous past eight years.

Under President Obama’s leadership, our alliances have never been stronger.  He returned Europe to its rightful place as a partner of first resort in dealing with global threats, while at the same time reclaiming America’s place in Asia as an Asian Pacific power -- a region where U.S. exports are producing new jobs and driving our economic recovery.  We’ve forged a new relationship based on mutual interest with emerging powers like China, Russia, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa -- all of which are helping advance American security.  

We reduced our reliance on nuclear weapons, achieved major arms control agreements with Russia, and brought the world together to secure nuclear materials from getting into the hands of terrorists.  We’ve isolated countries like Iran and North Korea whose nuclear programs threaten peace and stability.  And we’ve taken far more terrorists off the battlefield in the last three years than in the previous eight, putting al Qaeda on a path to defeat. 

At the same time, the President shut down secret prisons overseas, banned torture, and in doing so demonstrated that we don’t have to choose between protecting our country and living our values; and, as a consequence of those decisions, enhanced the security of our own soldiers abroad and the power of our persuasion around the world.

We plan for conflicts in the future with a new defense strategy, supported by the entire Defense Department’s senior leadership.  Our military will be more agile, flexible, better able to confront aggressors and project power, with strong partnerships to share the burden and smart investments in cutting edge capabilities.

We proposed a budget that will fund this strategy and keep faith with our wounded warriors, our veterans and their families.

We led the fight to free Libya and the Libyan people from Qaddafi, using our unique military assets to clear the way for our allies, who stepped up -- stepped up -- to meet their own responsibility.  And the result was something that the General and others before him sought time and time again but rarely achieved:  genuine burden sharing and an end to the Qaddafi regime that had murdered so many, including hundreds of its fellow citizens.

Now, we’re ratcheting up the pressure on other brutalizers, people who brutalize their citizens, like Bashar al-Assad in Syria, while engaging the forces for change in the Arab Spring and putting America firmly on the side of freedom around the world.

We made the G20 a new forum for international economic coordination, recognizing again the realities of the 21st century.  We opened new markets around the world for American businesses.  And we’ve refocused our development policy on building the capacity of other nations on major global health and food security initiatives and steadily, steadily combating climate change.

That’s the essence of our record.  The question is, where does Governor Romney stand?  How would he keep our citizens safe and our nation secure?  In the face of the challenges we now understand are ahead of us, what would Governor Romney do?

Well, the truth is we don't know for certain, but we know where the Governor starts.  He starts with a profound -- a profound -- misunderstanding of the responsibilities of a President and the Commander-in-Chief.

Here’s what he said, and I want to quote him exactly.  And I quote:  “If we want someone who has a lot of experience in foreign policy, we can simply go to the State Department.”  He went on to say, and I quote, “But that’s not how we choose a President.  A President is not a foreign policy expert.”

In my view, the last thing we need is a President who believes that he can subcontract our foreign policy to experts at the State Department, or for that matter, any other department or agency.  Because here how it works -- I’ve been around for eight Presidents of the United States.  I hate to admit.  (Laughter.) I know I don't look that old, right?  (Laughter.)  But eight Presidents.  That's not how it works.

President Obama has built a great national security team, from Secretary of State Clinton, to CIA Director Petraeus, to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, to the Chairman of Joint Chiefs,  Dempsey.  President Bush put together his own team of experts.   But the bottom line is this: no matter how experienced the team, no matter how wise the advice and counsel, to use that old expression, the buck literally stops on the President’s desk in the Oval Office.

One of the toughest -- only the toughest decisions land on that desk.  And as often as not, his advisors are in disagreement -- disagreements among themselves -- all smart people, but they disagree -- seldom completely unified.

As I know the General has heard me say before, I cannot think of any consequential decision in the eight Presidents I’ve served with where the President had more than 75 percent of the facts.  It never works that way.  Almost every significant case, it calls for a final judgment call to be made by the President, a call that the Vice President can’t make, the Secretary of State can’t make, the Secretary of Defense can’t make -- only the President can make.

I know from experience.  I literally get to be the last guy in the room with the President.  That’s our arrangement.  I can give him all the advice that I have and make my case, but I walk out of the room.  He sits there by himself, the President sits there by himself and has to make the decision, often -- often -- reconciling conflicting judgments that are made by very smart, honorable, informed, experienced people.

And the President is all alone at that moment.  It’s his judgment that will determine the destiny of this country.  He must make the hard calls.  I’d respectfully suggest President Obama has made those hard calls with strength and steadiness.

And the reason he has been able to is because he had clear goals and a clear strategy how to achieve those goals.  He had a clear vision and has a clear vision for America’s place in the world.  He seeks all the help he can get from experts as to how to realize that vision, but ultimately he makes the decision.

So it seems to me, Governor Romney’s fundamental thinking about the role of the President in foreign policy is fundamentally wrong.  That may work -- that may work -- that kind of thinking may work for a CEO.  But I assure you, it will not and cannot work for a President and it will not work for a Commander-in-Chief.

Thus far, Governor Romney has not made many foreign policy-focused decisions or pronouncements.  Foreign policy has not been a focus of his campaign.  Now, if you’ll excuse me a point of personal privilege, given President Obama’s record  -- the strongest foreign policy in decades -- I can understand why the President -- why Governor Romney doesn’t want to make it a focus of his campaign.  But it is, these are, critical issues.

So how do we fairly assess the views of Governor Romney on foreign policy?  What are they?  I think a fair way to do this -- and obviously others may disagree with whether or not I’m being as objective as possible, I think the fair way to do this is look at the few things that we do know about Governor Romney.

We know Governor Romney reflexively criticizes the President’s policy and almost in every case without offering any specific alternative.  We know that when the Governor goes -- does venture a position, it’s a safe bet that he previously took or is about to take an exactly opposite position -- (laughter) -- and an equally safe bet that he is going to end up landing in the wrong place and out of the mainstream of the thinking of Republican and Democratic foreign policy experts.

We know that when he agrees with the President of the United States, as he has done, he then goes on to mischaracterize our record to create what is a non-existent contrast.  And most importantly, we know that the extent that Governor Romney -- to the extent he has shown any foreign policy vision, it’s through the glass of a rear-view mirror. 

Look, in my view, he would take us back to a dangerous and discredited policies that would make Americans less safe and America less secure.  And the best way to try to make the points I believe are honest to make is to illustrate these propositions, is to compare President Obama’s record and Governor Romney’s rhetoric on major foreign policy and the national security interests of our day.

Let’s start with Iraq.  When President Obama ran four years ago, he promised to end the war responsibly.  He gave me the honor and the responsibility of coordinating that policy.  He kept this commitment.  He brought home -- it was already mentioned -- all 150,000 of our troops and developed a strong relationship with a sovereign Iraq. 

Last December, Governor Romney initially applauded the withdrawal, which he went on to say -- partially, which is true -- he went on to say the credit should go to President Bush, but he applauded the decision.  Three months later, he reversed him, saying, and I quote, it was an “enormous error” -- I can back this up -- and saying that he would have left tens of thousands of U.S. troops behind in Iraq. 

In Afghanistan, President Obama developed a clear strategy to end the war in 2014, while building the capacity of the Afghan government, its security forces and its people.  Setting a withdrawal date was the best way to get the Afghans to step up and take responsibility for their own country.  Without it, we know from Iraq, it doesn’t happen.  If we’re doing it all, why step up?  So we know unless you set a date, the likelihood of stepping up and taking on the responsibility is unlikely to occur.

Folks, as I’ve said in many circumstances, we cannot want peace and security in Afghanistan more than the Afghans want it.  Our NATO partners, the International Security Assistance Force -- of some 50 countries -- embraced the President’s strategy.  And so did Governor Romney embrace the President’s strategy -- at least at first.  He endorsed the President’s plan to transition to Afghanistan responsibility and withdraw our combat troops in 2014.  Here’s what he said, and I quote, “that’s the right timeline.”

But two months later, he was against the President’s plan, calling it and I quote, “one of the biggest mistakes.”  And now, and I want to be completely straight about this, he seems -- I emphasize seems -- seems to want to keep American forces in Afghanistan indefinitely.  Here again I want to quote him.  And I quote, “it’s my desire and my political party’s desire not to leave.”  I’m not sure the exact context.  I’m not sure exactly what he meant.  But I am sure he is going to have a responsibility to explain to the American people what he meant by that.  He may have a reasonable explanation.  But the American people deserve an explanation. 

Where Governor Romney has expressed a clear and consistent point of view, he has been clearly and consistently stuck in the past -- and, in my view and the President’s view, I might add, wrong.

When we came to office, President Obama reset our relationship with Russia.  To state the obvious, we had then and we have now important disagreements with Moscow.  And we’re going to continue to have disagreements with Moscow.  But in the wake of the reset -- as we called it, when I was asked to go over and make that first speech on behalf of the administration over at a conference called the Wehrkunde Conference.  In the wake of that reset, we’ve negotiated a major nuclear arms reduction treaty that has made us safer and sets an example, I might add, for the rest of the world for the possibility we can continue to reduce nuclear arms around the world. 

In addition, President Obama convinced Russia to cancel the sale of Russia’s very sophisticated S300 cutting edge, air defense radar system, to Iran.  Russia joined the United States -- hadn’t been until then -- joined the United States in the toughest ever sanctions against Iran, gave us permission to transit Russian territory and airspace with weapons and supplies for American troops in Afghanistan -- the only other source and now the sole source, hopefully, only temporarily.

But just a month ago, Governor Romney, called and here again I quote, “without question our number one geopolitical foe” is Russia.  (Laughter.)  As my brother would say, go figure.  (Laughter.)  And sometimes -- I don’t know whether it’s a slip of the tongue or it’s a mindset -- but he even refers to Russians as “Soviets” -- (laughter) -- which I think -- no, I think reveals a mindset.  Everybody sometimes slips -- I never do, but everybody sometimes slips.  (Laughter and applause.)

Look, I think it’s fair to say when it comes to Russia, based on only what we know he’s said so far, Governor Romney is mired in a Cold War mindset.  Similarly, the Governor aggressively attacked New START, the nuclear arms control treaty that President Obama negotiated with Moscow.  He attacked it.  That treaty reduces a number of strategic nuclear weapons in Russia’s arsenal and allows inspections of Russia’s nuclear arsenals to resume without placing any constraints on U.S. missile defense and our conventional strike capabilities.

Governor Romney was part of a very small group of Cold War holdovers who never met an arms control treaty that he likes.  He was way out of the mainstream in this issue, unless you think that’s just political hyperbole.  Let me tell you why.  Virtually the entire Republican foreign policy establishment disagreed with him, starting with Secretary Henry Kissinger, Secretary Colin Powell, Senator Richard Lugar -- the most informed person on foreign policy in the Senate, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, Secretary of State Jim Baker, Secretary of State George Schulz, National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft and President George H. W. Bush, all -- all support it and strongly support it and helped us get past through some recalcitrant Republican senators this critically important treaty.

Unfortunately, Governor Romney’s apparent determination to take U.S.-Russian relations back to the ‘50s also causes him to misstate the facts.  For example, he charged that -- as he calls it to appease Moscow -- to appease Moscow, “President Obama has been pliant on missile defense and abandoned our missile defense sites in Poland.”

Here again he is either woefully misinformed or totally misunderstands.  As it happens, President Obama asked me to secure allied support for a new and more effective missile defense system in Europe, the so-called Phased Adaptive Approach. 

So the first visit I made was to Poland.  And who did we ask to host these new components for this more sophisticated system?  That’s right, Poland, along with Turkey, Romania, Germany and Spain, who all said yes.  These countries and all of NATO embraced our new approach, because they understand it will protect them more quickly and more effectively than the missile defense program Romney wanted to stick with.

And I’d add parenthetically, it also provides better protection for the United States of America.  As then Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, who served in Republican and Democrat administrations, said, and I quote, “we are strengthening, not scrapping, missile defense in Europe.” 

But I think nothing speaks more powerfully to the differences between President Obama and Governor Romney than one of the defining moments in the past four years, the hunt for Osama bin Laden.  In 2008, while campaigning for the nomination, Governor Romney was asked what he would do about bin Laden.  Let me tell you exactly what he said, and I quote.  He said, “there would be very insignificant increase in safety,” then he went to say, “if Bin Laden was brought to justice.”  He then went on -- that's a quote.  He then went on to say, “it’s not worth moving heaven and Earth, spending billions of dollars just to catch one person.”

Here’s how candidate Obama answered that question.  He said, “if I have Osama bin Laden in our sights, I will take him out.  I will kill bin Laden.  We will crush al Qaeda.  This has to be our biggest national security priority.”

I was a little bit more direct.  I said, we’d follow the S.O.B. to the gates of Hell if we had to.  (Laughter and applause.)

But here’s the deal, President Obama always means what he says.  He said it as a candidate, and he kept that commitment.  Just a few months into office, sitting in the Oval Office, and I spend four to six hours a day with this President, that's why we’ve become such good friends, and I’ve gotten to know him so well, literally, and has -- made almost every meeting he has.  We were sitting in the meeting, and he turns to Leon who was -- Panetta, who was then the chairman of -- excuse me, the head of the CIA, Director of CIA and military personnel there, and he made it clear what his priority was.

And on June 2, 2009, he ordered Leon Panetta, gave the following written order, and I quote, “in order to ensure that we have expended every effort, I direct you to provide me within 30 days a detailed operational plan for locating and bringing to justice Osama bin Laden.”  It was the President’s highest priority for the CIA.

Then, he made one of the most courageous decisions I’ve seen a President make and I would argue in a long time.  He authorized a very, high risk mission to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, even though -- and I was one of six people who for four months or so were the only ones who knew about the possibility of his location -- even though at the end of the day, there was no better, as you know, General, than a 50/50 chance bin Laden was present in the compound.

But despite that reservation -- and I might add the reservations of almost every one of his -- the only full-throated support for moving when we did was from Leon Panetta, the Director of the CIA, myself included.

President Obama said afterwards when he made the decision:  “This was a very difficult decision.  It entailed enormous risk to the guys I sent there.  But ultimately I had so much confidence in the capacity of our guys to carry out the mission that I felt the risks were outweighed by the potential benefit to us of finally getting our man.”

And I might add parenthetically, does anybody doubt had the mission failed, it would have written -- the beginning of the end of the President’s term in office.  This guy has got a backbone like a ramrod.  No, no, for real.  (Laughter.)  For real.

On this gut issue, we know what President Obama did.  We can’t say for certain what Governor Romney would have done.  But we can say that, unlike Governor Romney, the American people believe, and I quote, “it was worth moving Heaven and Earth to get bin Laden.”

I said before thanks to President Obama, bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive.  You have to ask yourself, if Governor Romney had been President, could he have used the same slogan –- in reverse?  People are going to make that judgment.  It’s a legitimate thing to speculate on.

Look, on a few core issues, there’s no real difference between President Obama and Governor Romney.  So in those cases, as I said at the outset, in my view, Governor misrepresents the President’s approach or suggests that the President is not doing things that in fact he is already doing.

Again, let me give you some examples.  Iran’s nuclear program is maybe the clearest example.  President Obama is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.  He has stated that no options are off the table, and he’s been clear and concise saying that containment is not our policy.

When he took office, the effort to pressure Iran was stuck in neutral, Iran’s influence -- and think about this, when he took office, Iran’s influence was spreading in the region.  And American leadership was in doubt.  I would argue we were not much respected by our friends, and not really feared by our enemies.

But President Obama understood that by seeking to engage Iran in the first interest, by going the extra diplomatic mile and presenting Iran a clear choice, we would demonstrate to the world that Iran, not the United States, was the problem.

The President’s smart, tough diplomacy turned the tables on Tehran and secured the strongest unilateral and international sanctions in history; all the major powers, including Russia and China, participating.

Now, Iran is more isolated and the international community more united in their effort to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon than ever before.  Tehran has deep difficulties acquiring equipment and technology for its nuclear and missile program.  It’s increasingly cut off from the international financial system, unable to do the most basic business transactions.

And its economy has been grievously wounded, and the worst is still to come.  In June, a European embargo on imports of oil from Iran kicks in.  Folks, look, as a result of this unprecedented pressure, Iran is back to the negotiating table.  You can't predict what the end result will be, but they're back to the table.

Governor Romney has called for what he calls for a “very different policy” on Iran.  But for the life of me, it’s hard to understand what the Governor means by a very different policy.  Here’s what he says.  He says we need “crippling sanctions” -- apparently unaware that through President Obama’s leadership, we have produced just that –- crippling sanctions.

He emphasizes the need for “a credible military option” and a “regular presence of aircraft carrier groups” in the region –- apparently ignorant of the fact that’s exactly what our policy is and what we’re doing.

The only step -- I think it’s fair to say -- the only step we could take that we aren’t already taking is to launch a war against Iran.  If that’s what Governor Romney means by a very different policy, he should tell the American people.  He should say so.  Otherwise, the Governor’s tough talk about military action is just that -- talk.  And I would add counterproductive talk.

Folks, loose talk about a war has incredible negative consequences in our efforts to end Iran’s nuclear quest.  And let me tell you why:  Because it unsettles world oil markets.  It drives up oil prices.  When oil prices go up, Iran’s coffers fill up, undermining the impact of the sanctions that are in existence.  This kind of Romney-talk is just not smart.

President Obama has said, and I quote, “now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in, and to sustain the broad international coalition we have built.  Now is the time to heed the timeless advice from Teddy Roosevelt: ‘speak softly and carry a big stick.’”  I promise you the President has a big stick.  (Laughter.)  I promise you.

President Obama understands what Governor Romney apparently doesn’t:  It is possible -– it’s indeed necessary -– for America to be strong and smart -- and smart -- at the same time.

Look, no country is more concerned about a nuclear Iran than Israel, and rightly so.  And no President since Harry Truman has done more for Israel’s security than Barack Obama.

Our administration provided record levels of security assistance.  We funded what’s referred to as the Iron Dome, a missile defense system that recently intercepted in those rockets coming out of Gaza, nearly 80 percent of the rockets fired from Gaza just a few weeks ago, saving homes, schools, hospitals and the men, women and children who inhabit them.
 
We’re collaborating right now and have been on longer range missile defense systems like Arrow and David’s Sling, and tying Israel into our early warning radar system.  The U.S. and Israel’s top political, defense, and security intelligence officers are engaged in the most consistent, comprehensive consultations ever.
  
You know this better than anybody, General.  Together we’re conducting the largest joint military operations in the history of the relationship.  And President Obama has stood up to what is I think the gravest threat to Israel, the effort of the rest of the world to delegitimize it as a state and I might add, often stood up alone -- alone -- in fighting the effort to delegitimize Israel at the United Nations and other international organizations -- single vetoes.

Israel’s leaders have called President Obama’s support for and cooperation with Israel “unprecedented.”  Governor Romney though, said relations between the United States and Israel had “hit a low” and went on to accuse President Obama of -- this is a good one -- “throwing Israel under the bus.”  That’s just one in a long litany of untruths about our administration’s policy toward Israel uttered by Governor Romney and repeatedly debunked by reporters, policy experts, fact checkers across the country -- and maybe most convincingly debunked by Israeli leaders.

Maybe the Governor is simply unaware or misinformed again.  Unfortunately, it’s more likely in my view the Governor is falling back on one of his party’s favorite tricks of late --  distort and mischaracterize your opponent’s position, keep repeating the distortions and mischaracterizations over and over again even when every objective observer says you’re wrong, keep repeating in the hope that it will eventually stick.

President Obama has reshaped American foreign policy to contend with the challenges of the present, but also to face the threats of the future.  And I believe he has done it with strength and wisdom.  Governor Romney wants to take us back to a world that no longer exists, with policies that are dangerously divorced from today’s realities.  Looking backwards is all the more misguided, because for all the peril of our times America’s promise has never, never, never been greater.

In the 20th century, the wealth of a nation was judged by the size of its population, the strength of its army, the abundance of its raw materials and the expanse of its landmass.  In the 21st century, these measures still matter and on that measure America still prevails.  But more than ever before -- you students know better than any of us -- more than ever before, the 21st century, the true wealth of a nation is to be found in its human resources, its people and their ability to imagine, to innovate, to build, to compete -- folks, by that measure, America is also uniquely blessed.
 
And the President and I believe our job -- our job -- in government is to help provide our people, all of our people, an environment in which they can fulfill the incredible potential our younger people have.

If we do our job, I believe our nation will be more secure, because America’s strength -- America's strength in the world depends ultimately on the strength of the American Dream here at home and in our economy.  That means investing in our students, our teachers, our schools, our university.  It means investing advanced research and development, attempting to catch up to the rest of the world in medicine, in science and the most modern airports, ports, bridges, roads -- all of which help increase the ability of American businesses to increase productivity and access to the world; to invest in clean, sustainable energy in cutting edge manufacturing.  No one is better positioned -- no one, no nation is better positioned than the United States in all those areas.
  
It also means welcoming people from around the world, which has always been the source of new blood and new brain power throughout American history.  It means rewarding hard work, demanding responsibility, insisting on accountability and creating opportunity for all our citizens.  These are the investments and the commitments that will grow our economy, create new jobs, keep America strong at home and allow us to continue to be the strongest nation in the world and the leader of the world.
 
And these investments and commitments, and the commitments that President Obama and I have made and will continue to make, I think, is what’s needed for America’s future.  As Vice President, on behalf of our nation, I have traveled well over a half a million miles since being sworn in as Vice President, many of them to far-flung countries all around the world.  And like many of you who have traveled, students and non-students here, we all have the same kind of feeling when you get home, the same just sort of intuitive feeling -- there is no country like America, there is no potential like America.
 
I was asked earlier how would I best define America.  I was with a group of high school students.  I said one word, possibilities -- possibilities.

I am absolutely convinced, I am more certain after having served 40 years in government than I was when I was the idealistic, young senator at age 29 -- I am more confident and convinced -- that there is no country, and we want all countries to do well, but there is no country better positioned to lead the world in the 21st century than the United States of America, but only if we stay the course we’re on, with the strong, smart leadership of President Obama looking forward and not in a rear-view mirror.
 
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.  May God bless you all and may God protect our troops.

END
11:45 A.M. EDT