Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

Windsor Heights Community and Events Center, Des Moines, Iowa

4:28 P.M. CDT

        MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you!  (Applause.)  You all are fired up.  (Applause.)  First of all, just let me say thank you.  Thank you so much.  I am thrilled to be with all of you today, really thrilled. 

        I want to just share with you -- as you can all imagine -- this state has a very special place in my heart, and in Barack's as well.  I am fortunate enough to see so many old friends, folks who were with us right from the very beginning and every step of the way. 

        AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you, Michelle!  (Applause.)

        MRS. OBAMA:  Well, it feels great to be back here in Iowa, it really does.

        I want to start by thanking CeCe for that very kind introduction, and very powerful introduction.  (Applause.)  I just want to thank her for her outstanding work on our campaign, she has just been amazing.  Let's give her another round of applause.  (Applause.)

        I also want to recognize Mayor Jerry Sullivan; your state party chair, Sue Dvorsky; and our good friend, Ruth Harkin.  (Applause.)  I'm so glad that all of you could be here today.

        And finally, to all of you, truly, our extraordinary volunteers and organizers -- I just want to say two words that my husband and I simply cannot say enough, and that is thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you for knocking on those doors.  Thank you for making those calls.  Thank you for organizing all the events and registering those voters.  Thank you for getting out there and giving folks the information they need about the issues they care about. 

        I understand that we now have volunteers in all 99 counties of this state.  (Applause.)  That is amazing.  And you all are holding phone banks every day; you’re out canvassing every weekend.  And I want you to know that the grassroots work that you all are doing to get people focused and fired up?  That work is the core of our campaign, it truly is.  Because that’s who we are.  That’s what we do. 

        We reach out.  We bring folks from all different backgrounds into this democratic process, right? 

        AUDIENCE:  Yes!

        MRS. OBAMA:  And that’s how we did it four years ago, and that’s how we're going to get it done again today.  (Applause.) 

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

        MRS. OBAMA:   But the one thing that I know is that all the work you're doing, it isn't easy.  And I know you all are putting in long hours -- that I know.  We've been through this.  I know that you’ve got families to raise, you have jobs to do, classes to attend. 

        But I also know that there’s a reason that you all are devoting so much of your lives to this cause.  I know there’s a reason why I’m here in Des Moines today, and it’s not just because we all support one extraordinary man –- (applause) -- although I admit, I am a little biased, right?  (Laughter.)  And it’s not just because we want to win an election. 

        We’re doing this because of the values we believe in.  We’re doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share, right?

        AUDIENCE:  Right!

        MRS. OBAMA:  We’re doing this because we want our children to have schools worthy of their promise -- schools that push them and inspire them, and prepare them for good jobs where they can make a good living.  We want them to have clean air and safe streets, and we want them to grow up in a world that’s peaceful and secure.  Yes we do.  (Applause.)   

        We want our parents and grandparents to retire with a little dignity, because we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, they should enjoy their golden years.  Yes indeed. 

        We want to restore that basic middle-class security for our families, because we believe that folks shouldn’t go bankrupt because someone gets sick.  They shouldn’t lose their home because someone loses a job. 

        We believe that responsibility should be rewarded, right?

        AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)

        MRS. OBAMA:  We believe that hard work should pay off, and that everyone should do their fair share and play by the same rules.  (Applause.) 

        And really, those are basic American values.  And they’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.

        And I share this often -- as many of you know, my father was a blue-collar worker at the city water plant.  My family lived in a little bitty apartment on the South Side of Chicago, and neither of my parents had the opportunity to go to college.  But they did do something important:  they saved, and they sacrificed so that my brother and I could get a good education -- an 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 his little teeny portion of his -- of it.  And every semester, I remember he was determined to pay that bill right on time.  He was so proud to be sending his kids to college, and he couldn’t bear the thought of me or my brother missing that registration deadline because his check was late.  (Laughter.)  

        And really, more than anything else, that is what’s at stake.  It’s that fundamental promise that no matter how you started out, if you work hard you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids.  (Applause.)  And that’s what you need to tell people. 

        With every door you knock on, with every call you make, with every conversation you have, you need to tell folks about our values.  Tell them about everything that’s at stake next November.

        You can tell them how Barack fought for tax cuts for working families and small businesses -- (applause) -- because an economy built to last starts with the middle class, and with folks who are creating jobs and putting people back to work.  (Applause.) 

        You can remind them how, back when Barack first took office, this economy was losing an average of 750,000 jobs a month.  But for the past 25 straight months, we’ve actually been gaining private sector jobs –- (applause) -- a total of more than 4 million jobs in two years.  So while we still have a very long way to go to rebuild our economy, today, millions of people are collecting a paycheck again. 

        You can remind people about how so many folks in Washington told Barack to let the auto industry go under with more than a million jobs on the line.  But remember, Barack had the backs of American workers -- remember that?  (Applause.)  And as a result, today, the auto industry is back on its feet again, and, more importantly, people are back to work providing for their families again.  (Applause.)

        You can tell them how, because we passed health reform, as CeCe was saying -- (applause) -- insurance companies can no longer deny our children coverage because they have a pre-existing condition like asthma.  (Applause.)  They have to cover preventive care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal cost -- at no extra cost.  And because our kids can now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old -- (applause) -- because of that, 2.5 million young people in this country are getting the health care they need.  Tell them about that.

        AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you!

        MRS. OBAMA:  You can tell people about what Barack has done to raise standards in our public schools, and make college more affordable so that our young people can get the education that they need for the good jobs that they need, right?

        AUDIENCE:  Yes!

        MRS. OBAMA:  Tell them that.  (Laughter.)  Please, tell them that.  (Laughter.)

        You can tell people how Barack has been fighting for the DREAM Act, so that responsible young immigrants who came here as children and were raised as Americans can earn a path to citizenship by going to college or serving in the military.  (Applause.)    

        You can tell people that because my husband finally 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.)

        Because of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act –- (applause) -- the very first bill my husband signed into law, it’s now easier for women to get equal pay for equal work. 

        And of course, with those two brilliant Supreme Court Justices that Barack appointed, for the first time in history, our sons and daughters watched three women take their seats on our nation’s highest court.  (Applause.)

        But all of this is at stake next November.  It's all on the line.  And in the end, it all boils down to one simple question:   Will we continue the change that we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made, or will we allow everything we’ve fought for to just slip away?

        AUDIENCE:  No!

        MRS. OBAMA:  We know what we need to do, right?

        AUDIENCE:  Yes!

        MRS. OBAMA:  We cannot turn back now.  We need to keep moving forward.  Yes, indeed.  Because while we’ve come a long way these past few years, we have so much more to do -- so much more. 

        And more than anything else, that is what we’re working for –- the chance to finish what we started, the chance to keep on fighting for the values we believe in and the vision we share.
        And that’s what my husband has been doing every single day as President -- every single day.  (Applause.)  

        And over the past three-and-a-half years, I’ve had the chance to see up close and personal what that looks like.  I’ve seen how the issues that cross a President’s desk are always the hard ones –- the problems with no easy 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 and opinions 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 values, and your vision, and your life experiences.  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 who my husband is.  (Applause.)  He’s 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 a bank.  And even though Barack’s grandmother worked hard to help support his family and she was good at her job, she hit that glass ceiling, and men no more qualified than she was were promoted up the ladder ahead of her. 

        So 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.  And today, as a father, he knows what it means to want something better for your kids.  See, those are the experiences that have made him the man and the President he is today, and we are blessed to have him.  (Applause.)

        So what you need to know is that when it comes time to stand up for American workers and American families, you know what my husband is going to do, right?  When there’s a choice about protecting our rights, our freedoms, you know where Barack stands.  (Applause.)  And when we need a leader to make the hard decisions to keep this country moving forward, you know you can count on my husband, because that is what he’s been doing since the day he first took office.  (Applause.)  That’s what he's been doing.  

        But I have said this before, and I know, Iowa, you heard me say it:  He cannot do this alone. 

        AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We'll help you!

        MRS. OBAMA:  He cannot do it alone.  He needs your help.  He needs all of you to keep giving just a little part of your life each week to this campaign.  And he needs you to keep pounding that pavement, and signing up your friends and your neighbors and your colleagues with those “I’m in” cards.  You've seen them, right?   

        He needs you to recruit even more volunteers and even more organizers, and show them how their day-to-day efforts will absolutely make a difference.  And he needs you to send people to the website gottaregister.com -- you all heard about that? 

        AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes.

        MRS. OBAMA:  It's a website that was created to help folks from every state in this country register to vote and find out where to cast their ballots.  It's an important piece of information -- gottaregister.com.  Gotta -- a little grammatically challenged -- gotta.  G-O-T-T-A.  (Laughter.)  Gottaregister.  (Laughter.)  

        And if you have any doubt at all, if you have any doubt about the difference that you’re making, I just want you to remember that in the end, this all could come down to those last few thousand people that we register to vote.  (Applause.)  It's important to remember that it could all come down to those last few thousand folks we need help get to the polls on November -- on the 6 of November to be precise.  (Laughter.)   

        And I want you all to just think for a minute about what those numbers mean when you spread it out over an entire state.  It might mean registering just one more person per town -- just one more.  It might mean helping just one more person in your community get out and vote, right, on Election Day.  Just one more.

        So understand -- with every door you knock on, with every call you make, with every conversation that you have, I just want you to remember that this could be the one that makes the difference.  Treat it that way.  This could be the one.  You could be the one who inspires someone to make their voice heard next November.  That is the impact that all of you have been having and continue to have, right?

        AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes!

        MRS. OBAMA:  Just understand it in those terms.  One more person can make the difference.  And that’s up to all of you.

        So I have one last question for you -- are you all in?  Are you all -- are you in?  (Applause.)  Are you ready to do this?  Because I am in.  I am so in.  (Applause.)  

        So I hope that you all are fired up.  (Applause.)  Are you fired up? 

        AUDIENCE:  Fired up!

        MRS. OBAMA:  Are you fired up?

        AUDIENCE:  Fired up!

        MRS. OBAMA:  Let's get this done.  Thank you all.  God bless you.  (Applause.)

END 4:48 P.M. CDT

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

The Hilton Omaha Hotel, Omaha, Nebraska

1:49 P.M. CDT

        MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you all so much.  (Applause.)  Let me tell you, it is a pleasure and an honor to be here with all of you. 

        I want to start, of course, by thanking Warren for that very kind introduction.  Oh my goodness.  Every day, he reminds us that it’s not just enough to do well for ourselves -- we also have an obligation to reach back and to lift up others.  And we are so grateful for Warren's service to those in need, both here in America and around the world.  (Applause.)  Yes, indeed.  

        I also have to recognize Warren’s wonderful daughter, Susie, who’s doing plenty of her own great work to lift up our children and our families.  (Applause.)  Susie, you are amazing.  That event -- as much as I gave those girls, they gave it right back.  I mean, that is truly what we're here for, and it was well worth the flight to come down and spend time with all of you and with those amazing girls who are going to change the world.  I am confident in that.  (Applause.)

        And I also want to thank Mayor Suttle, Mayor Beutler, and your state party chair, Vic Covalt.  (Applause.)  Yay!  Thank you all.  And former Senator Bob Kerry is here as well, and we’re so pleased that he could join us.  (Applause.)  He was here, he may -- busy.  He's got stuff to do.  (Laughter.) 

        I also want to give a shoutout to David Dover.  Yay.  (Applause.)  To Noelle Obermeyer, and to the rest of the host committee, thank you all for making this even such a huge success.  Well done.  (Applause.)  Well done. 

        And finally, I want to thank all of you for your support and for taking the time out of your lives to be here today.  And I know there's a reason you all are here -- it's not just to hang out with me.  (Laughter.)  You’re here -- me too.  But you're here because you know that next November we’re going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come.  And you’re here because you know that choice won’t just affect all of us, but it's going to affect those girls we just saw, and it's going to affect our children and our grandchildren and the world we leave for them long after we're gone.  And truly, that is why I'm here, and that is why it was such an honor for me to spend time with those girls.

        As First Lady, I have had the privilege of traveling all across this country, meeting with folks from all different backgrounds and hearing what’s going on in their daily lives.  And every day, I hear how people are working to keep it all together -- how they're trying to pay the bills, about the businesses they're trying to keep afloat, about the home they love but are struggling to afford.  But let me tell you something -- no matter what folks are going through, no matter what challenges they face, they just keep on working, keep on sacrificing.  Why?  Because they desperately want something better for their kids.  (Applause.)  Absolutely.  That’s what keeps us all going. 

        They believe in that fundamental vision for our economy that we all share –- the idea, as my husband says, that hard work should pay off, that responsibility should be rewarded, and that everyone should get a fair shot and everyone should do their fair share and play by the same rules.  Those are values that are fundamental.  They're at the foundation of an economy built to last.  They are basic American values.  They're the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.

        My father was a blue collar city worker at the water filtration plant, and my family lived in a teeny little apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  I've been joking lately that my room is exactly the same as it was -- my mother still has the house -- same bed sheets, same pictures on the wall, flowered pictures I bought when I was 16.  But neither of my parents had the opportunity to go to college, but as I told the girls earlier, what my parents did for us is that they saved, and they sacrificed everything for us because they wanted something more for me and my brother.

        And more than anything else, that’s what’s at stake -- 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 an even better life for your kids.  And let me tell you, on just about every issue that is the choice that we face. 

        Let’s start with all those tax cuts that my husband has passed for middle-class families.  What you have to understand is that’s about whether people can heat their homes, whether they can send their kids to college, whether they can retire with a little dignity and security.  It’s about putting 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 a rule named after our friend Warren.  It’s called the Buffett Rule, and it closes some of those tax loopholes -- (applause) -- it closes some of those loopholes so that millionaires and billionaires aren’t paying lower tax rates than firefighters or teachers -- or their secretaries for that matter.  That’s what’s at stake.

        And how about everything my husband has been doing to create jobs?  (Applause.)  Absolutely.  I want you to remember back when all those folks in Washington were telling Barack to let the auto industry go under with more than a million jobs on the line.  But Barack had the backs of American workers.  He put his faith in the American people, and as a result, today the auto industry is back on its feet, and, more importantly, people are back at work providing for their families.  (Applause.)

        And think back to when Barack first took office.  When he came into office, this country was losing an average of 750,000 jobs a month.  That’s what he inherited.  But for the past 25 straight months, we’ve actually been gaining private sector jobs –- a total of more than 4 million jobs in just two years.  (Applause.) 

        So while we still have a very long way to go to rebuild our economy, today, millions of folks are collecting a paycheck again.  But that’s what’s at stake.  That's the choice we face.

        And what about all we’ve done for our small businesses?  These are the companies that create two-thirds of all new jobs each year in this economy.  And I'm talking about the mom who opens up a drycleaner to provide for her kids -- that’s who we're talking about.  We're talking about families that have been running that neighborhood diner for generations.  See, for these folks, the small business tax cuts this administration has passed, it will mean the difference between those folks hiring new employees or handing out pink slips; the difference between keeping their doors open or closing up shop for good.  But that's the choice that we face.

        And how about the very first bill my husband signed into law -- the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work?  (Applause.)  Now what you have to know is that he did this because he knows what it means when women aren’t treated fairly in the workplace.  He watched his own grandmother, a woman with a high school education, work her way up to become a Vice President at a little community bank.  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 had actually trained -- be promoted up that ladder ahead of her. 

        So believe me, for Barack, this issue isn’t abstract.  This isn't hypothetical.  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 each paycheck, or having that money in their pockets to buy gas and groceries and put clothes on the backs of their children.  He did it because when so many women are now breadwinners for our families, women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.  (Applause.)  And he did it because he believes that here in America, there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces.  That’s what’s at stake here.  That’s what we're working for.

        And let’s talk just a minute about health care.  See, two years ago, we made history together by finally passing health reform.  (Applause.)  And because we passed this law, insurance companies will now have to cover basic preventive care -- things like prenatal care, mammograms, contraception -- at no extra cost.  (Applause.)  And they can no longer deny our children coverage because they have a pre-existing condition like diabetes or asthma. 

        Kids now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old, so that when our kids graduate from college, they won’t have to go without health care while they’re trying to find a job and build lives of their own.  And that’s how 2.5 million young people today are getting their coverage today.  (Applause.)  And since we passed this law, millions of our senior citizens have saved an average of more than $600 a year on their prescription drugs.

        So let me ask -- will we take all those savings away?  Is that what we're going to do? 

        AUDIENCE:  No! 

        MRS. OBAMA:  Are we going to allow insurance companies to refuse to cover our children, or will we say that here in America, no one should ever have to choose between going bankrupt or watching their child suffer because they can’t afford a doctor?  That's the choice that we face.

        And think for a moment about all that we’re doing to give our kids a good education.  Think about the investments we’ve made to raise standards and reform our public schools.  Think about how my husband has been fighting for the DREAM Act so that responsible young immigrants -- (applause) -- who came here as children and were raised as Americans can earn a path to citizenship by going to college or serving in the military.   

        And think about how my husband took billions of dollars in taxpayer money that used to go to middleman banks and lenders and he sent it where it belongs –- to help millions of young people go to college.  (Applause.)  But these investments won’t just determine our children’s success -- they’re going to determine nothing less than the success of our entire economy.  They’ll determine whether we’re prepared to make the discoveries and to build the industries that will let us compete with any country anywhere in the world.  But that's what’s at stake. 

        And we cannot forget how my husband appointed those two brilliant Supreme Court justices -- (applause) -- and for the first time in history, our daughters and sons 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 decades to come –- on our privacy and security; on whether we can speak freely, worship openly, and, yes, love whomever we choose.  That’s what’s at stake.  That's the choice we face.  (Applause.)

        And finally, let us not forget all this administration has done to keep our country safe and restore our standing in the world.  Thanks to the 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 violence.  (Applause.) 

        My husband kept his promise.  He ended the war in Iraq, he brought our troops home, and we are working very hard to give them and their families the benefits they’ve earned.  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 that’s what's at stake.  Those are the choices we face.

        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 will determine nothing less than who we are as a country, but, more importantly, who do we want to be?  Who do we want to be?

        Will we be a country where opportunity is just limited to the few at the top?

        AUDIENCE MEMBER:  No.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Is that who we are?  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 have done everything right but are still struggling, are we going to look at them and say tough luck, you're on your own?  Who are we?  Or will we honor that fundamental American belief that we’re all in this together, and that this country is strongest when we’re all better off?  (Applause.)  Who do we want to be? 

        Will we continue all the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  Or will we allow everything 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 know that we cannot turn back now.  We need to keep moving forward.  Am I right?  (Applause.)

        See, believe me, what you have to know is your President, Barack, he knows this.  He knows this all too well.  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 take that bus at her job at the bank.  And even though she was passed over for all those promotions, like so many people in our lives, she never complained.  How many people do we know like that, who just never complain?  She just kept on showing up and doing her best.  

        So believe me, Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  Believe me, he knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential, and how much that hurts.  Those are the experiences that have made him the man and the President he is today.  And we are blessed to have him.  (Applause.)   

        And what I share with people is, that is what I hear in my husband's voice when he returns home after a long day traveling around the country and he tells me about the people he’s met.  That’s what I see in those quiet moments late at night after the girls have gone to bed and he’s up poring over the letters people have sent him -- 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 few opportunities. 

        And I hear the passion and the determination in his voice.  He says you won’t believe what people are still going through.  That’s what he tells me.  He says, Michelle, this is not right.  We have got to fix this.  We have so much more work to do.

        See, what people need to know in this election, when it comes to the people Barack meets, he has a mind like a steel trap -- Warren's seen it.  (Laughter.)  He might not remember your name, but if he's had a few minutes and a decent conversation, he will never forget your story.  It becomes imprinted on his heart.  And that is what he carries with him every single day.  It's our collection of struggles, and hopes and dreams. 

        That's where Barack gets his passion.  That is where he gets that toughness and that fight, that steadiness.  That’s why, even in the hardest moments when it seems like all is lost, Barack Obama never loses sight of the end goal.  He never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise. (Applause.)  Like his grandmother, he just keeps moving forward.  He just keeps moving forward.   

        But I have said this before -- said it in the last election -- and I will keep saying it:  He cannot do this alone.  He cannot do this alone.  That was never the promise.  He needs your help.  He needs you revved up, making those calls; more importantly, registering those voters.  He needs you to take those “I’m in” cards -- you seen them?  Sign them up!  Sign up.  Sign your friends and your neighbors and your colleagues up.  You need to convince them how important it is just to invest a little bit of themselves each week in this campaign.

        Because we all know that this isn’t about one extraordinary man.  It never was.  Although I’ll admit my husband is awesome.  (Applause.)  But it has never been about him.  It has always been about us -- all of us.  All of us coming together for the values we believe in, and the country we want to be.  (Applause.)  The country we want to be.  

        And I’m not going to kid you -- this journey is going to be long.  It is going to be hard, I can guarantee you, and there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way.  But the truth is, and what we have to remember, is that’s how change always happens in this country.  That’s how it works. 

        The reality is that change -- real change -- is slow, and it never happens all at once, never does.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, then eventually we get there.  We always have, we always will.  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.  Remember those girls? 

        In the end, we are not fighting these battles for ourselves.  Like so many who came before us and fought for us to be right here, we are fighting them for our sons and our daughters; for our grandsons and our granddaughters.  We’re fighting for the world we want to leave for them -- for them.  That's what's at stake.  That’s why I'm here.

        So let me tell you something -- it is time for us to get moving.  It's time for us to get to work.  So let me ask you one last question -- are you in? 

        AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)

        MRS. OBAMA:  I can't hear that, are you in?

        AUDIENCE:  Yes!

        MRS. OBAMA:  You have to be really in!  (Applause.)  I am so in.  I am so fired up.  We have a vision, and it's a vision we share.  And we can come together and work hard and bring this home and get back to the business of giving our children the country that we know we want them to have.

        Thank you all so much.  We're going to work hard.  God bless you.  (Applause.)

END 2:11 P.M. CDT

Remarks by the President on College Affordability -- University of North Carolina

University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

1:13 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!  (Applause.)  Hello, North Carolina!  (Applause.)  What’s up, Tar Heels?  (Applause.)

Now, first of all, I want to thank Domonique for that unbelievable introduction.  Wasn’t she good?  (Applause.)  You can tell she will be an outstanding teacher. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you, President Obama!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back, I do.  (Applause.)  Love North Carolina.  I love North Carolina.  (Applause.)  I do.  Every time I come down to this state I just love it that much more.  (Applause.)  I said a while back, the thing about North Carolina is even the folks who don't vote for me are nice to me.  (Laughter.)  I can't say that about everyplace.  (Laughter.)   

Now, I want to issue a quick spoiler alert:  Later today, I am getting together with Jimmy Fallon -- (applause) -- and the Dave Matthews Band -- (applause) -- right here on campus.  We’re going to tape Jimmy’s show for tonight -- so I want everybody to tune in, make sure it has high ratings.  (Laughter.)  It's a Dave Matthews fan right here.  

We've got some wonderful people who are here who are doing a great job for you guys.  First of all, your Governor, Bev Perdue, is in the house.  Give her a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  There she is.  We've got your Congressman, Dave Price -- Congressman David Price.  (Applause.)  Congressmen GK Butterfield.  (Applause.)  Congressman Brad Miller.  (Applause.)  Your Mayor, Mark Kleinschmidt.  (Applause.)  Chancellor of UNC, Holden Thorp.  (Applause.)  

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Four more years!  Four more years! 

THE PRESIDENT:  It is great to be back on the Lady Tar Heels’ home court.  (Applause.)  This is an arena with some serious hoops history.  I know the men’s team used to play here back in the day.  I just want to remind you right off the bat -- I picked UNC to win it all in March Madness.  (Applause.)  Want to point out.  And if Kendall hadn’t gotten hurt -- (laughter)  -- who knows where we might have been.

I saw McAdoo, by the way, at the airport.  He came by and said hello, which I was excited -- so I just want you to know I have faith in you guys.  (Applause.)                    

Now, it’s always good to begin with some easy applause lines -- talk about the Tar Heels.  (Laughter.)  But the reason I came to Chapel Hill today is to talk about what most of you do here every single day -- and that's study, I assume.  (Laughter.)  Higher education is the single most important investment you can make in your future.  (Applause.)  So I'm proud of all of you for doing what it takes to make that investment -- for the long hours in the library -- I hope -- (laughter) -- in the lab, in the classroom.  This has never been more important.

Whether you're here at a four-year college or university, or you're at a two-year community college, in today’s economy, there's no greater predictor of individual success than a good education.  (Applause.)  Right now, the unemployment rate for Americans with a college degree or more is about half the national average.  The incomes of folks with a college degree are twice as high as those who don’t have a high school diploma.  A higher education is the clearest path into the middle class.  (Applause.)

Now, I know that those of you who are about to graduate are wondering about what’s in store for your future.  Not even four years ago, just as the global economy was about to enter into freefall, you were still trying to find your way around campus.  And you’ve spent your years here at a time when the whole world has been trying to recover, but has not yet fully recovered from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis in most of our lifetimes -- and that includes your teachers. 

Our businesses have added more than 4 million jobs over the past two years, but we all know there’s still too many Americans out there looking for work or trying to find a job that pays enough to cover the bills and make the mortgage.  We still have too many folks in the middle class that are searching for that security that started slipping away years before the recession hit. 

So we’ve still got a lot of work to do to rebuild this economy so that it lasts, so that it’s solid, so that it’s firm.  But what I want you to know is that the degree you earn from UNC will be the best tool you have to achieve that basic American promise -- the idea that if you work hard, you can do well enough to raise a family and own a home, send your own kids to college, put a little away for retirement.  (Applause.)  That American Dream is within your reach.  (Applause.) 

And there’s another part of this dream, which is the idea that each generation is going to know a little bit more opportunity than the last generation.  That our kids -- I can tell you now as a parent -- and I guarantee you, your parents feel this about you -- nothing is more important than your kid’s success.  You want them to do better than you did.  (Applause.)   You want them to shoot higher, strive more, and succeed beyond your imagination.   

So keeping that promise alive is the defining issue of our time.  I don’t want this to be a country where a shrinking number of Americans are doing really, really well, but a growing number of people are just struggling to get by.  That’s not my idea of America.  (Applause.)  I don’t want that future for you.  I don’t want that future for my daughters.  I want this forever to be a country where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody is playing by the same set of rules.  (Applause.)  That’s the America I know and love.  That’s the America within our reach.

I think back to my grandfather.  He had a chance to go to college because this country decided every returning veteran of World War II should be able to afford it, should be able to go to college.  (Applause.)  My mother was able to raise two kids by herself because she was able to get grants and work her way through school.  (Applause.)  I am only standing here today, Michelle is only who she is today -- (applause) -- because of scholarships and student loans.  That gave us a shot at a great education.  We didn’t come from families of means, but we knew that if we worked hard we’d have a shot.

This country has always made a commitment to put a good education within the reach of all who are willing to work for it.  That’s what makes us special.  That’s what made us an economic superpower.  That’s what kept us at the forefront of business and science and technology and medicine.  And that’s a commitment we have to reaffirm today in 2012.  (Applause.) 

Now, everybody will give lip service to this.  You'll hear a lot of folks say, yes, education is important -- it’s important.  (Laughter.)  But it requires not just words but deeds.  And the fact is, that since most of you were born, tuition and fees at America’s colleges have more than doubled.  And that forces students like you to take out a lot more loans.  There are fewer grants.  You rack up more debt.  Can I get an "amen"?

AUDIENCE:  Amen!

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, the average student who borrows to pay for college now graduates with about $25,000 in student loan debt.  That’s the average -- some are more.  Can I get an "amen" for that?

AUDIENCE:  Amen!

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes -- because some folks have more debt than that. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Amen!  (Laughter and applause.) 

THE PRESIDENT:  Americans now owe more on their student loans than they do on their credit cards.  And living with that kind of debt means that this generation is not getting off to the same start that previous generations -- because you’re already loaded up with debt.  So that means you’ve got to make pretty tough choices when you are first starting out.  You might have to put off buying a house.  It might mean that you can’t go after that great idea for a startup that you have, because you’re still paying off loans.  Maybe you’ve got to wait longer to start a family, or save for retirement. 

When a big chunk of every paycheck goes towards loan debt, that’s not just tough on you, that’s not just tough for middle-class families, it’s not just tough on your parents -- it’s painful for the economy, because that money is not going to help businesses grow.  I mean, think about the sooner you can start buying a house, that’s good for the housing industry.  The sooner you can start up that business, that means you’re hiring some folks -- that grows the economy.

And this is something Michelle and I know about firsthand.  I just wanted everybody here to understand this is not -- I didn’t just read about this.  (Laughter and applause.)  I didn’t just get some talking points about this.  I didn’t just get a policy briefing on this.  Michelle and I, we’ve been in your shoes.  Like I said, we didn’t come from wealthy families. 

So when we graduated from college and law school, we had a mountain of debt.  When we married, we got poorer together.  (Laughter and applause.)  We added up our assets and there were no assets.  (Laughter.)  And we added up our liabilities and there were a lot of liabilities, basically in the form of student loans.  We paid more in student loans than we paid on our mortgage when we finally did buy a condo.  For the first eight years of our marriage, we were paying more in student loans than what we were paying for our mortgage.  So we know what this is about. 

And we were lucky to land good jobs with a steady income. But we only finished paying off our student loans -- check this out, all right, I’m the President of the United States -- (applause) -- we only finished paying off our student loans about eight years ago.  (Laughter.)  That wasn’t that long ago.  And that wasn’t easy, especially because when we had Malia and Sasha, we’re supposed to be saving up for their college educations, and we’re still paying off our college educations.

So we have to make college more affordable for our young people.  That’s the bottom line.  (Applause.)  And like I said, look, not everybody is going to go to a four-year college or university.  You may go to a community college.  You may go to a technical school and get into the workforce.  And then, it may turn out that after you’ve had kids and you’re 35, you go back to school because you’re retraining for something new.  But no matter what it is, no matter what field you’re in, you’re going to have to engage in lifelong learning.  That’s the nature of the economy today.  And we’ve got to make sure that’s affordable. 

That’s good for the country; it’s good for you.  At this make-or-break moment for the middle class, we’ve got to make sure that you’re not saddled with debt before you even get started in life.  (Applause.)  Because I believe college isn’t just one of the best investments you can make in your future -- it’s one of the best investments America can make in our future.  This is important for all of us.  (Applause.) 

We can’t price the middle class out of a college education.  Not at a time when most new jobs in America will require more than a high school diploma.  Whether it’s at a four-year college or a two-year program, we can’t make higher education a luxury.  It’s an economic imperative.  Every American family should be able to afford it.  (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Amen!

THE PRESIDENT:  So that’s why I’m here.  Now, before I ask for your help -- I’ve got something very specific I’m going to need you to do.  But, North Carolina, indulge me.  I want to briefly tell you what we’ve already done to help make college more affordable, because we’ve done a lot.

Before I took office, we had a student loan system where tens of billions of taxpayer dollars were going to banks, not students.  They were processing student loan programs except the student loans were federally guaranteed so they weren’t taking any big risks, but they were still taking billions of dollars out of the system.  So we changed it. 

Some in Washington fought tooth and nail to protect the status quo, where billions of dollars were going to banks instead of students.  And they wanted to protect that.  They wanted to keep those dollars flowing to the banks. 

One of them said -- and I’m going to quote here because it gives you a sense of the attitudes sometimes we’re dealing with in Washington.  They said, it would be "an outrage" -- if we changed the system so that the money wasn’t going through banks and they weren’t making billions of dollars of profits off of it -- said it was "an outrage." 

And I said, no, the real outrage is letting these banks keep these subsidies without taking any risks while students are working two or three jobs just to get by.  That’s an outrage.  That’s an outrage.  (Applause.) 

So we kept at it, we kept it at -- we won that fight.  Today, that money is going where it should be going -- should have been going in the first place -- it’s going directly to students.  We’re bypassing the middleman.  That means we can raise Pell grants to a higher level.  More people are eligible. More young people are able to afford college because of what we did.  (Applause.)  Over 10 years, that’s going to be $60 billion that’s going to students that wasn’t going to students before.  (Applause.)

Now, then, last fall, I acted to cap student loan payments faster, so that nearly 1.6 million students who make their payments on time will only have to pay 10 percent of their monthly income towards loans once they graduate.  (Applause.)  Now, this is useful -- this is especially helpful for young people who decide, like Domonique, to become teachers, or maybe they go into one of the --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Social work.

THE PRESIDENT:  -- social work or one of the helping professions.  (Applause.)  And they may not get paid a lot of money, but they’ve got a lot of debt.  And so being able to cap how much per month you’re paying as a percentage of your income gives you a little bit more security knowing you can choose that profession.

And then we wanted every student to have access to a simple factsheet on student loans and financial aid, so you can have all the information you need to make your own choices about how to pay for college.  And we set up this new consumer watchdog called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- (applause) -- and so they’re now putting out this information.  We call it “Know Before You Owe.”  Know before you owe.  It’s something Michelle and I wish we had had when we were in your shoes -- because sometimes we got surprised by some of this debt that we were racking up.

So that’s what we’ve done.  But it’s not enough just to increase student aid.  We can’t keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition or we’ll run out of money.  And colleges and universities, they’ve got to do their part also to keep college costs down.  (Applause.)  So I’ve told Congress to steer federal aid to those schools that keep tuition affordable, that provide good value, that serve their students well.  And we’ve put colleges on notice:  If you can’t stop tuition from just going up every single year a lot faster than inflation, then funding you get from taxpayers, at least at the federal level, will go down -- because we need to push colleges to do better, and hold them accountable if they don’t.  (Applause.)

Now, public universities know well, and Governor Perdue knows well -- states also have to do their part by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets.  (Applause.)  I know that Bev is fighting hard to make tuition affordable for North Carolina families.  That’s a priority for her.  But last year, over 40 states cut their higher education spending.  And these budget cuts have been among the largest factors in tuition increases at public colleges over the past decade.  So we’re challenging states to take responsibility.  We told them, if you can find new ways to bring down the cost of college and make it easier for students to graduate, then we’ll help you do it.

But I want everybody here, as you’re thinking about voting, make sure you know where your state representative and your state senator stands when it comes to funding higher education.  (Applause.)  They’ve got to be responsible.  They’ve got to be accountable as well to prioritize higher education.  (Applause.)  

All right.  So helping more families, helping more young people afford a higher education; offering incentives for states and colleges and universities to keep their costs down -- that’s what we’ve been doing.  Now Congress has to do their part. 

They need to extend the tuition tax credit that we put in place back when I came into office.  It’s saving middle-class families thousands of dollars.  (Applause.)  Congress needs to safeguard aid for low-income students, like Pell grants, so that today’s freshmen and sophomores know that they’ll be able to count on it.  (Applause.)  That’s what Congress has to do.  Congress needs to give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work/study jobs over the next five years.  (Applause.)  That's what Congress needs to do. 

And then there's one specific thing -- and now this is where you come in -- there's one specific thing that Congress needs to do right now to prevent the interest rates on student loans, federal student loans, from shooting up and shaking you down.  So this is where you come in.  I want to explain this, so everybody listen carefully.

Five years ago, Congress cut the rate on federal student loans in half.  That was a good thing to do.  But on July 1st -- that’s a little over two months from now -- that rate cut expires.  And if Congress does nothing, the interest rates on those loans will double overnight. 

So I’m assuming a lot of people here have federal student loans.  The interest rates will double unless Congress acts by July 1st.  And just to give you some sense of perspective -- for each year that Congress doesn’t act, the average student with these loans will rack up an additional $1,000 in debt -- an extra thousand dollars.  That’s basically a tax hike for more than 7 million students across America -- more than 160,000 students here in North Carolina alone.  Anybody here can afford to pay an extra $1,000 right now?

AUDIENCE:  No!  (Laughter.) 

THE PRESIDENT:  I didn’t think so.  So stopping this from happening should be a no-brainer.  Helping more of our young people afford college, that should be at the forefront of America’s agenda.  It shouldn’t be a Republican or a Democratic issue.  (Applause.)  This is an American issue. 

The Stafford loans we’re talking about, they’re named after a Republican senator.  The Pell grants that have helped millions of Americans earn a college education, that’s named after a Democratic senator.  When Congress cut those rates five years ago, 77 Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for it -- along with a couple hundred Democrats -- (laughter) -- including the Democrats who are here.  (Applause.) 

So this shouldn’t be a partisan issue.  And yet, the Republicans who run Congress right now have not yet said whether or not they’ll stop your rates from doubling.  We’re two months away.  Some have hinted that they’d only do it if we cut things like aid for low-income students instead.  So the idea would be, well, all right, we’ll keep interest rates low if we take away aid from other students who need it.  That doesn’t make sense. 

One Republican congresswoman said just recently -- I’m going to quote this because I know you guys will think I’m making it up -- (laughter).   

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We trust you.  (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  No, no, no.  She said she had "very little tolerance for people who tell me they graduate with debt because there’s no reason for that." 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m just quoting here.  I’m just quoting.  She said, students who rack up student loan debt are just sitting on their butts, having opportunity "dumped in your lap."

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I mean, I’m reading it here, so I didn’t
make this up.  Now, can you imagine saying something like that?  Those of you who have had to take out student loans, you didn’t do it because you’re lazy.  You didn’t do it lightly.  You don’t like debt.  I mean, a lot of you, your parents are helping out, but it’s tough on them.  They’re straining.  And so you do it because the cost of college keeps going up and you know this is an investment in your future. 

So if these folks in Washington were serious about making college more affordable, they wouldn’t have voted for a budget that could cut financial aid for tens of millions of college students by an average of more than $1,000. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Absolutely!  (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  They certainly wouldn’t let your student loan rates double overnight.  So when you ask them, well, why aren’t you making this commitment?  They say, well, we got to bring down the deficit.  Of course, this is the deficit they helped run up over the past decade.  (Applause.)  Didn’t pay for two wars.  Didn’t pay for two massive tax cuts.  And now this is the reason why you want students to pay more?

They just voted to keep giving billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to big oil companies that are raking in record profits. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  They just voted to let millionaires and billionaires keep paying lower tax rates than middle-class workers and their secretaries.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  They even voted to give an average tax cut of at least $150,000 to folks like me, the wealthiest Americans -- a tax cut paid for by cutting things like education and job training programs that give students new opportunities to work and succeed.

Now, that’s their priorities.  And that doesn’t make any sense.  Do we want to keep tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans who don’t need them and didn’t ask for them?  Or do we want to make sure that they’re paying their fair share?  (Applause.)   Do we want to keep subsidizing big oil, or do we want to make sure we’re investing in clean energy?  (Applause.)  Do we want to jack up interest rates on millions of students, or do we want to keep investing in things that will help us and help them in the long-term -- things like education and science, and a strong military and care for our veterans?  (Applause.)  We can’t do both.  We can’t have it both ways.  We’ve got to make a choice about what our priorities are.  (Applause.)

You know, I’ve said this before, but I’m just going to keep on repeating it:  In America, we admire success.  We aspire to it.  I want everybody to be rich.  I want everybody to work and hustle and start businesses and study your tails off to get there.  (Laughter.)  But America is not just about a few people doing well.  America is about giving everybody a chance to do well.  (Applause.)  Everybody -- not just a few -- everybody.  (Applause.)  That’s what built this country.  That’s what the American Dream is all about. 

A lot of us had parents or grandparents who said, maybe I can’t go to college, but some day my son, he’ll go to college and I’ll be so proud of him.  A lot of us had parents or grandparents who said, maybe I can’t start my own business, but maybe some day my daughter, she’s going to start her own business, she’s going to work for herself.  (Applause.)  A lot of us had parents or grandparents who said, I may be an immigrant, but I believe that this is a country where no matter what you look like and where you come from, no matter what your name is, you can make it if you try.  (Applause.) 

North Carolina, that’s who we are.  That’s our values. That’s what we’re about.  So, no, "set your sights lowe" -- that’s not an education plan.  "You’re on your own" -- that’s not an economic plan.  We can’t just cut our way to prosperity. 

Previous generations made the investments necessary for us to succeed, to build a strong middle class, to create the foundation for America’s leadership in science and technology and medicine and manufacturing.  And now it’s our turn.  We’ve got to do the right thing.  I want one of you to discover the cure for cancer, or the formula for fusion, or the next game-changing American industry.  (Applause.)  And that means we’ve got to support those efforts. 

So if you agree with me, I need your help.  I need you to tell your member of Congress, we’re not going to set our sights lower.  We’re not going to settle for something less.  Now, all of you are lucky, you already have three congressmen who are on board.  So don’t -- you don’t need to call them.  (Laughter and applause.)  They’re already doing the right thing.  But I’m asking everyone else who’s watching or following online -- call your member of Congress.  Email them.  Write on their Facebook page.  Tweet them -- we’ve got a hashtag.  (Laughter.)  Here’s the hashtag for you to tweet them:  #dontdoublemyrate.  (Applause.)  All right?  I’m going to repeat that -- the hashtag is #dontdoublemyrate.  You tweet -- everybody say it just so everybody remembers it. 

AUDIENCE:  Don’t double my rate.

THE PRESIDENT:  Don’t double my rate -- it’s pretty straightforward.

Your voice matters.  So stand up.  Be heard.  Be counted.  Tell them now is not the time to double interest rates on your student loans.  Now is the time to double down on smart investments to build a strong and secure middle class.  Now is the time to double down on building an America that lasts.

AUDIENCE:  Absolutely!

THE PRESIDENT:  You -- absolutely.  (Applause.)  

You and me, all of us here, every single one of us -- we’re here only because somebody, somewhere, felt responsibility not just for themselves, but they felt responsibility for something larger.  It started with them feeling responsible for their families.  So your parents sacrificed, your grandparents sacrificed to make sure you could succeed.  But then they thought bigger than that.  They thought about their neighborhood, they thought about their community, they thought about their country.  Now --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  The planet.

THE PRESIDENT:  They thought about the planet.  And now it’s our turn to be responsible.  It’s our turn to keep that promise alive. 

And no matter how tough these times have been, no matter how many obstacles that may stand in our way, I promise you, North Carolina, there are better days ahead.  (Applause.)  We will emerge stronger than we were before.  Because I believe in you.  I believe in your future.  I believe in the investment you’re making right here at North Carolina.  (Applause.)  That tells me that you share my faith in America’s future.  And that’s what drives me every single day -- your hopes, your dreams.  And I’m not quitting now because, in America, we don’t quit.  (Applause.)  We get each other’s backs.  We help each other get ahead. 

And if we work together, we’ll remind the world just why it is that America’s the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)

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

END               
1:48 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President at Presentation of the Commander-in-Chief Trophy to the United States Air Force Academy Football Team

East Room

2:42 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Please, everybody, have a seat.  Have a seat.  Good afternoon.  Now, I heard last year, with this trophy on the line, Jon Davis said, "You don’t get to meet the President every day."  Today, you do.  (Laughter.) 

Congratulations to the Fighting Falcons on winning their second straight and record 18th Commander-in-Chief Trophy last season.  (Applause.)  There we go.  I’m happy to meet you, too.  (Laughter.)  And welcome, everybody, to the White House.

Now, this trophy, which by the way is the biggest trophy -- I give a lot of these out -- (laughter.)  This is the monster of all trophies here.  This trophy has logged a lot of miles just jetting back and forth between Cadet Field House and the White House the past couple of years.  And I’m looking forward to seeing it again when I visit Colorado Springs next month.

We are honored to be joined today by the Superintendent of the Air Force Academy, Lieutenant General Michael Gould, as well as Representative Mike McIntyre is in the house.  To all the friends of Air Force football, congratulations on holding onto the title of gridiron supremacy in the Armed Forces.

Now, it was no easy feat for this team to make it here today.  These guys faced a brutal schedule, but they never backed down.  As Coach Calhoun said, "This group had a warrior spirit in them."  And they brought that fight to every game this season.  They shut out New Mexico on the road.  They brought home the Ram-Falcon Trophy with a decisive victory over Colorado State –- a game that won them a bowl bid for a record-setting fifth straight year.  They battled down to the wire against Toledo in an exciting Military Bowl, boldly going for the win with a two-point conversion and falling just short.  But I like that in you.  (Laughter.)  

Even when they were dogged by injuries, this team pulled together when it mattered most.  These guys toughed it out -- toughed out a narrow overtime victory against Navy, with Alex Means blocking an extra point in overtime and Tim Jefferson barreling the last yard into the end zone with the game on the line.  They stormed from behind to beat Army and secure this trophy with a third quarter that included two field goals, two touchdowns, a two-point conversion, and two takeaways. 

So this team had to fight hard this whole season.  But the work paid off.  The senior class standing behind me distinguished itself as one of the most talented in school history.  Brady Amack and Jon Davis put together the sixth-ranking passing defense in the country.  Asher Clark led the nation’s third-best rushing attack.  Tim Jefferson will graduate as the winningest Air Force quarterback of all time and the first quarterback in service academy history to lead his team to four consecutive bowl games.

So these young men have a lot to be proud of.  And if the past couple of seasons are any indication of what is to come, Coach Calhoun, we expect the Air Force will be back here this time next year.  (Laughter.)  Now, I know Army and Navy will have something to say about that.  (Laughter.)  But I know that the next year will take these young men from the Cadet Field House to pilot training, to air bases around the world, in defense of our country.  Ultimately, these seniors understand that shutouts and bowl games and trophies are not nearly as important as the solemn obligation, the solemn oath that they will take in just a few weeks as the newest officers in the world's finest Air Force. 

So, gentlemen, I have no higher privilege and no greater honor than serving as your Commander-in-Chief, and I look forward to joining you for that important ceremony.

Today, we honor the success that these outstanding young men had on the playing field.  And we look forward to their continuing excellence on behalf of the nation.  And, cadets, as you look to trade the proud uniform of your team for the proud uniform of your country, I want you to know that this country will stand by you and do everything possible to help you succeed and come home safe.

So God bless all those who serve, and God bless the United States of America, and God bless Air Force.

Thank you so much.

END               
2:47 P.M. EDT