Remarks by the President on Energy

Prince George's Community College
Largo, Maryland

11:05 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  Well, I am so -- what a wonderful reception.  (Applause.)  That is so nice.  Thank you.  You’re all just cheering because I know Michelle.  (Laughter.)  Well, it is wonderful to be here.  Folks who have a seat, feel free to take a seat. 

I want to thank Roy for that introduction.  He talks pretty smooth, right?  (Laughter and applause.)  It’s great to be back in Maryland.  It’s great to be here at Prince George’s Community College.  (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  (Applause.)  Now, but before I start, I want to thank your other president, Dr. Charlene Dukes.  (Applause.)  Your Governor, Martin O’Malley, is in the house.  (Applause.)  Lieutenant Governor Brown is here.  (Applause.)  We’ve got one of the finest members of the United States Senate that you could hope to have in Ben Cardin.  (Applause.)  Congresswoman Donna Edwards is here.  (Applause.) And County Executive Rushern Baker is here.  (Applause.)  And I want to thank all of you for coming out here today.  (Applause.)

Now, I just finished learning about some of the work that you’re doing here at this community college to make sure that homes are using less energy, and helping folks save money on their heating and their air-conditioning bills.  And I was very impressed.  I’m even more impressed because I know this program is giving a lot of people a chance to make a decent living -- everyone from veterans to folks with disabilities to folks who’ve just been down on their luck but want to work.  So I want you to know how proud I am of this program, of this institution, of all of you.  (Applause.)

The skills that you gain here at this community college will be the surest path to success in this economy.  Because if there’s one thing that we’re thinking about a lot these days, is, first of all, how do we make sure that American workers have the skills and education they need to be able to succeed in this competitive global economy?  And community colleges all across the country and all across Maryland are doing an outstanding job providing young people that first opportunity after high school but also helping older workers retrain for the jobs of the future because the economy is constantly adapting.  (Applause.)

So community colleges are big.  Community colleges are critical to our long-term success.  What’s also critical to our long-term success is the question of energy:  How do we use less energy?  How do we produce more energy right here in the United States of America?

And I know this is an especially important topic for everybody right now because you guys have to fill up at the gas station. 

AUDIENCE:  Yeah!

THE PRESIDENT:  And it’s rough.  Gas prices and the world oil markets right now are putting a lot of pressure on families right now.  And one of the things that is important to remember is for a lot of folks, just doing what you have to do to get your kids to school, to get to the job, to do grocery shopping
-- you don’t have an option.  You’ve got to be able to fill up that gas tank.  And when prices spike on the world market, it’s like a tax, it’s like somebody is going into your pocket.

We passed the payroll tax at the beginning of this year to make sure that everybody had an extra $40 in their paycheck, on average -- (applause) -- in part because we anticipated that gas prices might be going up like they did last year, given tight world oil supplies.

But that doesn’t make it easier for a lot of families out there that are just struggling to get by.  This is tough.  Now, the question is, how do we meet this challenge?  Because right now we’re starting to see a lot of politicians talking a lot but not doing much.  (Applause.)  And we’ve seen this movie before.  (Applause.)  Gas prices went up around this time last year.  Gas prices shot up in the spring and summer of 2008 -- I remember, I was running for President at the time.  This has been going on for years now. 

And every time prices start to go up -- especially in an election year -- politicians dust off their 3-point plans for $2.00 gas.  (Laughter.)  I guess this year they decided, we're going to make it $2.50.  (Laughter.)  I don't know where -- why not $2.40?  (Laughter.)  Why not $2.10?  (Laughter.)  But they tell the same story.  They head down to the gas station; they make sure a few cameras are following them -- (laughter) -- and then they start acting like we've got a magic wand and we will give you cheap gas forever if you just elect us.  (Laughter.)  Every time.  Been the same script for 30 years.  It's like a bad rerun.  (Laughter.) 

Now, here’s the thing -- because we've seen it all before, we know better.  You know better.  There is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to high gas prices.  There’s no silver bullet.  Anybody who tells you otherwise isn’t really looking for a solution -- they’re trying to ride the political wave of the moment. 

Usually, the most common thing, when you actually ask them -- all right, how is it that you're going to get back to $2.00 a gallon gas, how are you going to do it, specifically, what is your plan -- then typically what you'll hear from them is, well, if we just drilled more for oil then gas prices would immediately come down and all our problems would go away.  That's usually the response.  

Now, Maryland, there are two problems with that answer.  First of all, we are drilling.  Under my administration, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years.  (Applause.)  Any time.  That's a fact.  That's a fact.  We’ve quadrupled the number of operating oil rigs to a record high.  I want everybody to listen to that -- we have more oil rigs operating now than ever.  That's a fact.  We’ve approved dozens of new pipelines to move oil across the country.  We announced our support for a new one in Oklahoma that will help get more oil down to refineries on the Gulf Coast. 

Over the last three years, my administration has opened millions of acres of land in 23 different states for oil and gas exploration.  (Applause.)  Offshore, I’ve directed my administration to open up more than 75 percent of our potential oil resources.  That includes an area in the Gulf of Mexico we opened up a few months ago that could produce more than 400 million barrels of oil. 

So do not tell me that we’re not drilling.  (Applause.)  We’re drilling all over this country.  (Applause.)  I guess there are a few spots where we’re not drilling.  We’re not drilling in the National Mall.  (Laughter.)  We’re not drilling at your house.  (Laughter.)  I guess we could try to have, like, 200 oil rigs in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, that’s the question.  We are drilling at a record pace but we’re doing so in a way that protects the health and safety and the natural resources of the American people.  (Applause.)

So that’s point number one.  If you start hearing this “drill, baby, drill; drill, drill, drill” -- if you start hearing that again, just remember you’ve got the facts -- we’re doing that.  Tell me something new.  (Applause.)  That’s problem number one. 

Here’s the second problem with what some of these politicians are talking about.  There’s a problem with a strategy that only relies on drilling and that is, America uses more than 20 percent of the world’s oil.  If we drilled every square inch of this country -- so we went to your house and we went to the National Mall and we put up those rigs everywhere -- we’d still have only 2 percent of the world’s known oil reserves.  Let’s say we miss something -- maybe it’s 3 percent instead of 2.  We’re using 20; we have 2. 

Now, you don’t need to be getting an excellent education at Prince George’s Community College to know that we’ve got a math problem here.  (Laughter and applause.)  I help out Sasha occasionally with her math homework and I know that if you’ve got 2 and you’ve got 20, there’s a gap.  (Laughter.)  There’s a gap, right?

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  Do we have anybody who’s good at math here?  Am I right?  (Applause.)  Okay. 

So if we don’t develop other sources of energy, if we don’t develop the technology to use less energy to make our economy more energy-efficient, then we will always be dependent on foreign countries for our energy needs.  (Applause.) 

And that means every time there’s instability in the Middle East, which is the main thing that’s driving oil prices up right now -- it’s the same thing that was driving oil prices up last year -- every time that happens, every time that there’s unrest, any time that there’s concern about a conflict, suddenly, oil futures shoot up, you’re going to feel it at the pump.  It will happen every single time. 

We will not fully be in control of our energy future if our strategy is only to drill for the 2 percent but we still have to buy the 20 percent.  And there’s another wrinkle to this -- other countries use oil, too.  We’re not the only ones.  So you’ve got rapidly-growing nations like China and India, and they’re all starting to buy cars.  They’re getting wealthier.  They want cars, too.  And that means the price of gas will rise. 

Just to give you an example -- in 2010, China alone added 10 million new cars.  That’s just in one year.  And there are about a billion Chinese.  So they’ve got a lot more people who are going to want cars in the future, which means they are going to want to get some of that oil and that will drive prices up.  So we can’t just drill our way out of the problem.  We are drilling, but it’s not going to solve our problem.

That’s not the future I want for the United States of America.  We can’t allow ourselves to be held hostage to events on the other side of the globe.  That’s not who we are.  (Applause.)  America controls its own destiny.  We’re not dependent on somebody else.  (Applause.)

So we can’t have an energy strategy for the last century that traps us in the past.  We need an energy strategy for the future -- an all-of-the-above strategy for the 21st century that develops every source of American-made energy.  Yes, develop as much oil and gas as we can, but also develop wind power and solar power and biofuels.  (Applause.)  Make our buildings more fuel-efficient.  Make our homes more fuel-efficient.  Make our cars and trucks more fuel-efficient so they get more miles for the gallon.  (Applause.)  That’s where I want to take this country.  (Applause.)

And here's -- the best part of it is thousands of Americans have jobs right now because we’ve doubled the use of clean energy in this country since I came into office.  And I want to keep on making those investments.  (Applause.)  I don’t want to see wind turbines and solar panels and high-tech batteries made in other countries by other workers.  I want to make them here.  (Applause.)  I want to make them here in Maryland.  I want to make them here in the United States of America, with American workers.  That's what I want.  (Applause.)  

So when I came into office, we said, all right, how are we going to start moving America in that direction?  It's not a thing you get done in one year, but how do we start moving in that direction?  So after 30 years of not doing anything, we raised fuel economy standards on cars and trucks so that by the middle of the next decade, our cars will average nearly 55 miles per gallon -- that's double what we get today -- 55 miles per gallon.  (Applause.)  Fifty-five miles a gallon. 

So the young people here who were driving those beaters that -- (laughter) -- getting 5 miles per gallon -- (laughter) -- we're going to get you to 55.  And that will save the average family more than $8,000 over the life of a car -- $8,000.  (Applause.)  That will help pay some bills.  That means you’ll be able to fill up every two weeks instead of every week.  (Applause.)  And those are the cars we need to keep building here in the United States.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes, we can!

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, we can do that.  (Applause.)  

All right, so now, to fuel these cars and trucks, obviously if they're using less gas, that's great.  That saves us; we're using less oil.  But we also want to invest in clean advanced biofuels that can replace some of the oil that we're currently using.  That's important.  (Applause.) 

Already, we’re using these biofuels to power everything from city buses to UPS trucks to Navy ships.  I want to see more of these fuels in American cars -- homegrown fuels -- because that means we're buying less oil from foreign countries and we're creating jobs here in the United States -- (applause) -- including big parts of rural America, big parts of rural Maryland, where the economy oftentimes is struggling and you have a real opportunity to create entire new industries and put people to work.  And it's happening all across the country. 

So all of these steps have put us on a path of greater energy independence.  Here's a statistic I want everybody to remember next time you're talking to somebody who doesn’t know what they're talking about.  (Laughter.)  Since I took office, America’s dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year.  (Applause.)  In 2010, our oil dependence, the amount that we're bringing in, the percentage we're bringing in, was under 50 percent for the first time in 13 years.  (Applause.)  We've got to do better than that, and we can do better than that. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes, we can!

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, we can.  (Applause.)  But in order to do better than that, we've got to tell the folks who are stuck in the past that our future depends on this all-of-the-above energy strategy.  That’s our job.  That it can't just be -- it can't just be drilling for more oil.  We're drilling for more oil, but that can't be all the solution; that's just part of the solution. 

Now, here's the sad thing.  Lately, we’ve heard a lot of professional politicians, a lot of the folks who are running for a certain office -- (laughter) -- who shall go unnamed -- (laughter) -- they've been talking down new sources of energy.  They dismiss wind power.  They dismiss solar power.  They make jokes about biofuels.  They were against raising fuel standards. I guess they like gas-guzzlers.  They think that's good for our future.  We’re trying to move towards the future; they want to be stuck in the past.

We’ve heard this kind of thinking before.  Let me tell you something.  If some of these folks were around when Columbus set sail -- (laughter) -- they must have been founding members of the Flat Earth Society.  (Laughter.)  They would not have believed that the world was round.  (Applause.)  We've heard these folks in the past.  They probably would have agreed with one of the pioneers of the radio who said, "Television won’t last.  It’s a flash in the pan."  (Laughter.)  One of Henry Ford’s advisors was quoted as saying, "The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a fad."  (Laughter.)   

There have always been folks like that.  There always have been folks who are the naysayers and don't believe in the future, and don't believe in trying to do things differently.  One of my predecessors, Rutherford B. Hayes, reportedly said about the telephone, "It’s a great invention, but who would ever want to use one?"  (Laughter.)  That's why he's not on Mt. Rushmore -- (laughter and applause) -- because he’s looking backwards.  He’s not looking forwards.  (Applause.)  He’s explaining why we can't do something, instead of why we can do something. 

The point is, there will always be cynics and naysayers who just want to keep on doing things the same way that we’ve always done them.  They want to double down on the same ideas that got us into some of the mess that we’ve been in.  But that's not who we are as Americans.  See, America has always succeeded because we refuse to stand still.  We put faith in the future.  We are inventors.  We are builders.  We are makers of things.  We are Thomas Edison.  We are the Wright Brothers.  We are Bill Gates.  We are Steve Jobs.  That’s who we are.  (Applause.) 

That’s who we need to be right now.  That's who we need to be right now.  I don't understand when I hear folks who are in elected office, or aspiring to elected office, who ignore the facts and seem to just want to get a cute bumper sticker line, instead of actually trying to solve our problems.  (Applause.)

What I just said about energy, by the way, is not disputed by any energy expert.  Everybody agrees with this.  So why is it that somebody who wants to help lead the country would be ignoring the facts?  (Applause.)

If you want an example of what I’m talking about, consider an important issue that's before Congress right now.

I think somebody may have fainted.  All right.  Remember next time if you’re going to stand for a long time, you got to eat.  (Laughter.)  I’m -- no, no, it’s true.  You got to get something to eat.  You got to get some juice.  I’m just saying.  It’s true.  They’ll be okay, just make sure to give them space. 

The question -- there’s a question before Congress I want everybody to know about.  The question is whether or not we should keep giving $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies to the oil industry.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  The oil industry has been subsidized by you, the taxpayer, for about a hundred years -- 100 years.  One hundred years, a century.  So some of the same folks who are complaining about biofuels getting subsidies, or wind or solar energy getting subsidies, or electric cars and advanced batteries getting subsidies to help get them off the ground, these same folks -- when you say, why are we still giving subsidies to the oil industry –- “well, no, we need those.”

Oil companies are making more money right now than they’ve ever made.  On top of the money they’re getting from you at the gas station every time you fill up, they want some of your tax dollars as well. 

That doesn't make any sense.  Does it make sense?

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  It’s inexcusable.  It is time for this oil industry giveaway to end.  (Applause.)  So in the next few weeks, I expect Congress to vote on ending these subsidies.  And when they do, they’ll put every single member of Congress on record.  I guess you can stand up for the oil companies who really don't need much help, or they can stand up for the American people, because we can take that $4 billion -- we could be investing it in clean energy in a good energy future, in fuel efficiency.  (Applause.)  We could actually be trying to solve a vital problem.

  They can bet -- they can place their bets on the energy of the past, or they can place their bets on America’s future -- on American workers, American ingenuity, American technology, American science, American-made energy, American efficiency, American productivity.  (Applause.)  We can bet on America and our own capacity to solve this problem.  (Applause.)  That’s the choice we face.  That’s what’s at stake right now. 

Maryland, we know what direction we have to go in.

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  And every American out there, as frustrated as they are about gas prices right now, when you actually ask people, they’ll tell you, yes, we’ve got to find new sources of energy.  We got to find new ways of doing things.  People understand that.  We just got to get Washington to understand it.  We got to get politicians to understand it. 

We’ve got to invest in a serious, sustained, all-of-the-above energy strategy that develops every resource available for the 21st century.  We’ve got to choose between the past and the future.  And that's a choice we shouldn’t be afraid to make because we’ve always bet on the future, and we’re good at it.  America is good at the future.  We are good at being ahead of the curve.  We’re good at being on the cutting edge.  (Applause.)

Ending these subsidies won’t bring down gas prices tomorrow.  Even if we drilled every inch of America, that won’t bring gas prices down tomorrow.  But if we’re tired of watching gas prices spike every single year, and being caught in this position, where what happens in the Middle East ends up taking money out of your pocket, if we want to stabilize energy prices for the long term and the medium term, if we want America to grow, we’re going to have look past what we’ve been doing and put ourselves on the path to a real, sustainable energy future. 

That’s the future you deserve.  So I need all of you to make your voices heard.  (Applause.)  Get on the phone, write an email, send a letter, let your member of Congress know where you stand.  Tell them to do the right thing.  Tell them we can win this fight.  Tell them we’re going to combine our creativity and our optimism, our brainpower, our manpower, our womanpower.  Tell them:  Yes, we can.  (Applause.)

Tell them we are going to build an economy that lasts.  Tell them we’re going to make this the American century just like the last century. 

Thank you, Prince George’s County.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Prince George’s Community College.  Thank you, Maryland.  (Applause.)  Let’s get to work.  God bless you.  God bless America.

END
11:37 A.M. EDT

Remarks by Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton and British Prime Minister Cameron at an Official Luncheon

Remarks by Vice President Joseph Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at an Official Luncheon Honoring British Prime Minister David Cameron

Benjamin Franklin Room
U.S. Department of State

1:30 P.M. EDT

SECRETARY CLINTON:  Thank you all very much.  Please be seated.  Welcome to the State Department.  We are thrilled and so pleased to host this luncheon for our very special guests, Prime Minister and Mrs. Cameron.  It is wonderful to see all of you celebrating spring with us and knowing that our relationship, it’s always spring.  It’s always being renewed, it is always durable, it is a cornerstone of both of our nations’ foreign policies, and it has such a great resonance between our two peoples. 

Now I want to recognize our chef today.  A native of Birmingham, England -– not Alabama -– (laughter) –- who made herself a home in New York City as the executive chef of a couple of very hip restaurants.  One, The Spotted Pig, the other The Breslin.  So it’s really a delight to have April Bloomfield with us.  She was just talking with the Prime Minister –- (applause) –- it was a very timely introduction because when the Prime Minister and President Obama exchanged gifts, President Obama gave the Prime Minister a barbeque.  I mean a real, down-home American barbeque with a smoking compartment and everything else.  So April stands ready to help, Prime Minister. 

We joke about the special relationship, but that’s because we’re so comfortable with it.  It means such a great deal to us.  It is not just because of a wide range of shared interests, but our deeply rooted history and the unbreakable friendship between our countries.  Now, of course the President did remind the Prime Minister at the White House ceremony this morning that we are at the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.  (Laughter.) 

And I was pleased to tell my counterpart and friend, the Foreign Secretary, and also the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that it was my predecessor in one of my other lives, Dolly Madison, who actually saved the extraordinary portraits of George and Martha Washington.  Having received word from her husband, who was truly being a Commander-in-Chief in the field, that unfortunately the British truly were coming.  And -– (laughter) -– so she rushed from the White House, taking some treasures with her, leaving behind the meal that she had prepared for her husband and his officers.  And the British officers ate the meal before they burned the White House.  So -– (laughter) –- we are looking forward, but nevertheless, there are certain memories that are also of significance. 

And how wonderful it is, here we are today and working together in so many important parts of the world:  helping to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan; helping to promote successful transitions and democratic reforms in the Arab world.  We worked alongside each other to end a dictator’s rule in Libya.  We are now focused on helping the people of Syria realize a better future for themselves.   We are grateful for the leadership that the Prime Minister and his government have shown on so many issues -– just recently, I was in London for a conference on Somalia that they sponsored.  No matter what the issue, we are standing together.

So I know, Prime Minister and Samantha, that this is just a small measure of hospitality to try to demonstrate our commitment and appreciation for this relationship.  We were so well treated when the President and I and our teams were on a state visit last year sponsored by the government, of course, Her Majesty’s government.  So, we did the best we could with the weather.  We think we pulled that off quite well.  But it is now my great pleasure to welcome a dear friend, a great American, and a superb vice president, Joe Biden.   (Applause.)

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, Madam Secretary, thank you very, very much.  Mr. Prime Minister, Mrs. Cameron, like you we host a large number of visiting dignitaries for high-level meetings.  But sometimes they’re freighted with challenges that require us to forge whole new relationships.  And sometimes, they’re preoccupied with hammering out agreements or producing what the policy wonks refer to as ‘deliverables.’  This one is easy.  This one is easy.

Today is entirely different.  The diplomatic engagement with a full agenda of critical issues, yes, that was on -- it’s on the agenda.  But there’s also something more like a family gathering and very little disagreement.  When we sat in the Cabinet Room today, it was like a Cabinet meeting.  It wasn’t like meeting with foreign dignitaries.

And together, we have -- we, the United States and Great Britain, are very, very proud stewards of the deepest international partnership.  The bond between our countries and our people has stood the test of time and it’s grown stronger through the ravages of two world wars.  We’ve weathered ever shifting fortunes, even the political fortunes in each of our countries and nothing changes except it gets better.

So, Mr. Prime Minister, we’re deeply honored to welcome you on your first official visit to Washington.  And we’re also always anxious to welcome a British Prime Minister back to Washington, even on the anniversary of the War of 1812.  (Laughter.)
 
But I must tell you, Mr. Prime Minister -- the Secretary knows this, and a few of my friends like John Kerry know it -- in my family, it wasn’t the War of 1812 that really bothered anybody about the British.  The Bidens emigrated from Liverpool in 1825.  But the other side of the family, the Finnegan side of the family -- (laughter) -- they had a different problem and it wasn’t the War of 1812.  (Laughter.)  So my grandfather, Ambrose Finnegan, please, things have changed.  (Laughter.)  I just want you to know.  (Applause.)

Mr. Prime Minister, we are truly deeply honored that you’re here.  In your op-ed you co-authored with President Obama, you wrote, “What makes our relationship special, a unique and essential asset, is that we join hands across so many endeavors.  Put simply,” you said, “we count on each other and the world counts on our alliance.”  That is absolutely true.

The United States and the United Kingdom cooperate on a breathtaking array of issues, none more important than the six military campaigns we’ve waged alongside of one another just in the last 20 years.  As you said, the world counts on us -- it was true in Libya.  And, Mr. Prime Minister, I’d like to personally commend you for your leadership you personally showed alongside President Obama in championing the international effort to help drive Qaddafi from power and give the Libyan people a better future.

It’s true in Afghanistan as well, where 9,500 British soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder with American comrades and warriors, preparing the Afghan security forces to take responsibility for their country in 2014.  And, as the President said today in the Cabinet Room, Mr. Prime Minister, no country has made a greater sacrifice than yours in that endeavor.

And it’s true as well in the fight against al Qaeda, which has menaced both our countries.  Together, we’ve substantially degraded al Qaeda and we’ll continue to work toward its destruction, dismantlement and ultimate defeat.
 
It’s true that our efforts to strengthen the global economy after the deepest financial crisis since the Depression have been remarkable.  I remember when we first took office, within the first weeks when the G8 was meeting and then the G20 was meeting.  The question was, could we get a internationally coordinated effort?  And I remember what the President said.  He said, the Brits will be with us.  It’s an interesting comment.  We had only been in office a matter of days, if not -- it couldn’t have been more than two weeks.

And our efforts to fight hunger and disease, end famine wherever it strikes, Mr. Prime Minister, you’ve just -- you’re always there.  Your country has always been there.
 
To keep our shared sacred obligation to our military veterans and those who have served us so well, you have been a stalwart.  And we’ll see a strong symbol of that shared sacrifice when the British Wounded Warriors compete alongside American counterparts in the Wounded Warrior Games in Colorado, in May.
 
And I commend you, Mr. Prime Minister, on the new US-UK Service Personnel and Veterans Joint Task Force, which is helping our troops transition to civilian life, which has been a difficult circumstance for many of our veterans who have been deployed multiple times into God-awful circumstances.

Graham Greene, in The Quiet American, said and wrote, “Friendship is something in the soul.  It’s the thing one feels.  It’s not a return for something.”  I think that is a simple, best definition of the relationship between the United States and Great Britain.
 
So to honor our friendship, please raise your glasses when you get them.  Please raise your glasses to the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Prime Minister Cameron, to the people of the United Kingdom and the enduring, special relationship that we have between us.

(A toast is offered.)  (Applause.)

PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  Thank you so much for those speeches and thank you for that warm welcome.  Of course, it is slightly embarrassing being here on the 200th anniversary of 1812.  And because of that, I asked a historian friend of mine, Andrew Roberts, before coming on this visit -- I said, Andrew, why is it that in Britain we don’t properly commemorate and recognize this rather embarrassing episode in our history?  And, he said, well, the thing is that of course we’re coming up to the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.  And we so much more enjoy talking about defeating the French than anything that went wrong with our American cousins.  (Laughter and applause.)

It’s great to know that there is a chef from Birmingham, England who is here cooking our meal today.  Actually, my political party did make the mistake in a recent Birmingham election of putting out a leaflet and the person who had designed the leaflet took off the Internet the scene, the city scene of Birmingham, but not being a native of Birmingham actually put in the city scene of Birmingham, Alabama on this leaflet.  (Laughter.)  And the great shock and surprise was when the city council was reelected with this leaflet.  (Laughter.)  So anything can happen in politics.

You also mentioned, Madam Secretary, the exchange of gifts between President Obama and I.  I think we’ve got it slightly wrong, because I’ve given him a table tennis table and he has given me a barbecue.  But when you see us standing next to each other, it is quite clear that the person who needs the exercise is the British Prime Minister and the person who needs the barbecue is the President of the United States.  (Laughter and applause.)

Thank you also for putting together such an amazing guest list.  We were looking through it last night -- Samantha and I -- in bed and looking through this guest list, and Samantha said, that is my favorite -- the star from my favorite movie is going to be here.  I said, my God, is it Ben Kingsley from “Gandhi?”  No, he is not coming.  Is Peter O’Toole still okay from “Lawrence of Arabia?”  Is he coming?  No.  It is Chevy Chase from “Caddyshack.”  That’s the great movie.  (Laughter.)
 
So, Mr. Vice President, Dr. Biden, Madam Secretary, Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for this wonderful reception.  Samantha and I are thrilled to be with you at the State Department and even more thrilled to be here in the Ben Franklin room.        
   
Franklin epitomizes so much of what’s good about the character of our two countries:  innovative, passionate, diligent.  He was a man who was prepared to stand up for his values and back his words with deeds.  And in the best tradition of our two nations, he was also a straight talker.  In fact he once said, guests are a bit like fish, they begin to smell after three days.  (Laughter.)  So you’ll be relieved to know having arrived yesterday, I’m leaving tomorrow.  (Laughter.)

I want to start by paying a personal tribute to Mr. Vice President, to Joe Biden, for your sustained and outstanding contribution as a legislator, as a campaigner, as a statesman.  I remember in the 1990s when you spoke out consistently for the need for military intervention to stop the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and in Kosovo.  You were right to do that.  And in Libya, I believe we showed we’d learned the lessons.  We were able to intervene.  We were able to act and change the course of that country’s history, and we were right to do so.  So today, we applaud your vision and your courage, Mr. Vice President.  (Applause.)

Also a word of deep gratitude to you, Madam Secretary:  You’ve been a great friend to Britain for 20 years, and no one will ever forget your contribution in Northern Ireland, your incredible resilience and your conviction that peace really could be achieved after so many decades of conflict.

And I hope, Mr. Vice President, with your relatives looking down, they will see -- (laughter) -- that the relations between Britain and the Republican of Ireland have never been better.  And it’s a testament to one woman, Her Majesty the Queen, on the 60th year on the throne, that her visit to the Republic of Ireland did so much to restore relations between our countries, and we should pay tribute to her.  (Applause.)

Now, Secretary of State Hillary, in just three years you’ve visited 95 countries.  You’ve traveled over 700,000 miles.  And some people wondered how two British conservatives like William Hague and I would get along with this great force of the Democratic Party.  But as we in Britain say, quite simply, we have been bowled over.

Whenever we come together to discuss the most difficult issues, whether it’s Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Syria, you always speak with the greatest precision and the greatest power.  Every one of us is in awe of the passion, the intellect and the relentless energy you bring to every aspect of international affairs.  And you also bring great energy and effort to something else -- to one of the greatest pieces of unfinished business in human history, the emancipation and the empowerment of women.  (Applause.)

There are a generation of young women out there in the world today who owe you much more than they will ever know because they can live safer, more dignified, more fulfilling lives than the generations who came before them.

And you are also a great champion of smart power, and that's where I wanted to just say a word about today because after two years working hand-in-glove with the United States, I know that we’re at our best when we’re not just strong, but we are smart; when we deploy everything we have at our disposal. 

In a world of complex problems, there are no simple, easy solutions.  Take Somalia, where there is a vicious circle of state failure, economic collapse, piracy, terrorism, kidnapping, famine; as our conference in London showed last month, a credible solution cannot just be about military action or even aid in isolation.

We will only succeed when we bring together all of our military, diplomatic, economic, politic effort to achieve peace and prosperity.  And that's also why we in Britain don't just see our increased spending on aid as doing the right thing morally, although we do believe that, we also think it’s the right thing diplomatically and politically, as well.  It enhances our ability to get things done.

Now, this kind of smart power is one of the great strengths that Britain and America have in common, and I think it’s very much on show looking around this room today.

This morning, once again, young British and American men and women in uniform got up to serve together in the Persian Gulf, in Afghanistan, in the Indian Ocean; and we honor their incredible service and their sacrifice.  But we’re not just strong because of our military alone.  We’re strong too because of the power of British and American diplomacy.

As Secretary Clinton put it, the tide of war is receding, but as troops come home, civilians remain to carry out the critical missions of diplomacy and development.

Across the world our specialists are working to understand and influence other countries in shaping the big issues, including in very challenging and very dangerous locations.  Minute by minute, hour by hour, there are phone calls between London and Washington as our diplomats work together to assess the latest intelligence and work out the best ways forward.

In fact, our national security advisors last year talked so often, that I think the President was beginning to believe there was someone called Ricketts-Donilon, who was just one individual, rather than two working together.

But this is not just a security relationship; our smart power comes from more than our ability to defend our security.  It is rooted in the intertwining of two peoples and two communities.  Britain and America continually shape the world because whether you are scientists, innovators, businessmen and women, athletes or stars of fashion, art or music, all of you look across the Atlantic in both directions to find kindred spirits with the same big ideas and the same big ambitions.

So at this, the home of smart power, in the midst of this memorable visit, let me end with a tribute to all of you, to the people who day in, day out make this the essential relationship that it is today, and what it will be tomorrow and the years to come.  And let me ask all of you, please, to raise your glasses to the Vice President, Dr. Biden and the Secretary of State. 

(A toast is offered.)  (Applause.)

END
1:50 P.M. EDT

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

Rose Garden

12:27 P.M. EDT
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Please have a seat.  Again, it is a great honor to welcome my friend and partner, Prime Minister David Cameron, back to the White House for this official visit. 
 
I know there’s been a lot of focus on last night’s game.  Some have asked how it came about.  So I want to set the record straight.  During my visit to London last year, David arranged for us to play some local students -- table tennis.  As they would say in Britain, we got thrashed.  So when it came to sports on this visit, I thought it would be better if we just watched.  That said, I’m still trying to get David to fill out his bracket.
 
We’ve just finished up a very good discussion, and it was a reminder of why I value David’s leadership and partnership so much.  He appreciates how the alliance between our countries is a foundation -- not only for the security and prosperity of our two nations, but for international peace and security as well.  David shares my belief that, in a time of rapid change, the leadership of the United States and the United Kingdom is more important than ever.  And we share the view that the future we seek is only possible if the rights and responsibilities of nations and people are upheld.  And that’s a cause that we advanced today.
 
At a time when too many of our people are still out of work, we agree that we've got to stay focused on creating the growth and jobs that put our people back to work, even as both our countries make difficult choices to put our fiscal houses in order.  Between us, we have the largest investment relationship in the world, and we’ve instructed our teams to continue to explore ways to increase transatlantic trade and investment.  And I very much appreciate David’s perspective on the fiscal situation in the eurozone, where both our countries -- our economies, our businesses, our banks -- are deeply connected. 

We moved on to discuss Afghanistan, where we are the two largest contributors of forces to the international mission and where our forces continue to make extraordinary sacrifices.  The tragic events of recent days are a reminder that this continues to be a very difficult mission.  And obviously we both have lost a number of extraordinary young men and women in theater.  What’s also undeniable, though -- and what we can never forget -- is that our forces are making very real progress:  dismantling al Qaeda; breaking the Taliban’s momentum; and training Afghan forces so that they can take the lead and our troops can come home.

That transition is already underway, and about half of all Afghans currently live in areas where Afghan security forces are taking responsibility.  Today, the Prime Minister and I reaffirmed the transition plan that we agreed to with our coalition partners in Lisbon.  Specifically, at the upcoming NATO summit in my hometown of Chicago, we’ll determine the next phase of transition.  This includes shifting to a support role next year, in 2013, in advance of Afghans taking full responsibility for security in 2014.  We’re going to complete this mission, and we're going to do it responsibly.  And NATO will maintain an enduring commitment so that Afghanistan never again becomes a haven for al Qaeda to attack our countries. 

We also discussed the continuing threat posed by Iran’s failure to meet its international obligations.  On this we are fully united.  We are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.  We believe there is still time and space to pursue a diplomatic solution, and we’re going to keep coordinating closely with our P5-plus-1 partners.  At the same time, we’re going to keep up the pressure, with the strongest U.S. sanctions to date and the European Union preparing to impose an embargo on Iranian oil.  Tehran must understand that it cannot escape or evade the choice before it -- meet your international obligations or face the consequences.

We reaffirmed our commitment to support the democratic transitions underway in the Middle East and North Africa.  British forces played a critical role in the mission to protect the Libyan people, and I want to commend David personally for the leadership role he plays in mobilizing international support for the transition in Libya.

We also discussed the horrific violence that the Assad regime continues to inflict on the people of Syria.  Right now, we’re focused on getting humanitarian aid to those in need.  We agreed to keep increasing the pressure on the regime -- mobilizing the international community; tightening sanctions; cutting the regime’s revenues; isolating it politically, diplomatically, and economically. 
 
Just as the regime and security forces continue to suffer defections, the opposition is growing stronger.  I’ll say it again:  Assad will leave power.  It’s not a question of if, but when.  And to prepare for that day, we’ll continue to support plans for a transition to support the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.  More broadly, we recommitted ourselves and our leadership to the goal of global development. 
 
Along with our international partners, we've saved countless lives from the famine in the Horn of Africa.  David, you've done an outstanding job in bringing the international community to support progress in Somalia, including lifesaving aid.  At the same time, we're renewing our commitment to improve maternal health and preventable deaths of children, and supporting the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria so that we can realize our goal, and that’s the beginning of the end of AIDS.  And let me say that it's a tribute to David's leadership that the UK will be playing a leading role in the global partnership to strengthen the open government upon which human rights and development depend.
 
Finally, I'm very pleased that we're bringing our two militaries, the backbone of our alliance, even closer.  As I told David, I can announce that next month, we intend to start implementing our long-awaited defense trade treaty with the UK.  This will put advanced technologies in the hands of our troops, and it will mean more jobs for workers in both our countries.  And we're moving ahead with our joint initiative to care for our men and women in uniform.
 
For decades, our troops have stood together on the battlefield.  Now we're working together for them when they come home -- with new partnerships to help our wounded warriors recover, assist our veterans transition back to civilian life, and to support our remarkable military families. 
 
So, David, thank you, as always, for being such an outstanding ally, partner and friend.  As I said this morning, because of our efforts, our alliance is as strong as it has ever been.  And Michelle and I are very much looking forward to hosting you and Samantha at tonight's state dinner.  I look forward, as well, to welcoming you to Camp David and my hometown of Chicago in May, to carry on the work upon which both our nations and the world depend. 
 
So, David, welcome, and thank you.
 
PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  Well, thank you very much for that, Barack.  And thank you for last night's sporting event.  I thought there was a link between that and the table tennis.  I remember it well.  And because I know America doesn’t like being on the losing side, I'm trying to make up to you with the gift of a table tennis table, which I hope will be there in the White House --
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  We should practice this afternoon.
 
PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  I think -- well, I certainly need the practice.  One of these days I'll get my own back by getting you to a cricket match and explaining the rules to you and some of the terminology that you'll have to try and get straight, as I tried last night.  But thank you. 
 
We've had excellent discussions today, and it was great that our teams had time to join those talks as well.  And, Barack, thank you, because there are some countries whose alliance is a matter of convenience, but ours is a matter of conviction.  Two states, as I said this morning, united for freedom and enterprise; working together, day in, day out, to defend those values and advance our shared interests. 
 
That has been the fundamental business of this visit and we’ve just made important progress on four vital areas:  Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, and economic growth.  And I want to take each in turn.
 
First, Afghanistan.  Recent days have reminded us just how difficult our mission is and how high the cost of this war has been for Britain, for America, and for Afghans themselves.  Britain has fought alongside America every day since the start.  We have 9,500 men and women still serving there.  More than 400 have given their lives.  And today, again, we commemorate each and every one of them. 
 
But we will not give up on this mission because Afghanistan must never again be a safe haven for al Qaeda to launch attacks against us.  We won’t build a perfect Afghanistan, although let’s be clear, we are making some tangible progress with more markets open, more health centers working, more children going to school, more people able to achieve a basic standard of living and security.  But we can help ensure that Afghanistan is capable of delivering its own security without the need for large numbers of foreign troops. 
 
We are now in the final phases of our military mission.  That means completing the training of the Afghan forces so that they can take over the tasks of maintaining security themselves. That transition to Afghan control, as agreed at Lisbon, is now well underway.  And next year, as the President said, in 2013, this includes shifting to a support role as Afghans take the lead.  This is an advance of Afghan forces taking full responsibility for security in 2014.  And as we’ve always said, we won’t be in a combat role after 2014.  At the same time, we will also back President Karzai in working towards an Afghan-led political settlement. 
 
Second, a year on from the United Nations Security Council resolution on Libya, we agreed we must maintain our support for the people of the Arab world as they seek a better future.  And let me just say, in response to what you said, Mr. President -- Barack -- about Libya, that I’m very proud of the action that Britain and France and others took, but let us be absolutely clear.  None of that would have been possible without the overwhelming support and overwhelming force that the United States provided in the early stages of that campaign -- exactly what you promised you would do -- that actually made that intervention possible and has given that chance -- that country a chance at prosperity and stability and some measure of democracy.
 
Most urgently now in Syria, we are working to get humanitarian aid to those who need it.  And Britain is today pledging an additional £2 million in food and medical care.  At the same time, we must properly document the evidence so that those guilty of crimes can be held to account, no matter how long it takes.
 
Above all, we must do everything we can to achieve a political transition that will stop the killing.  So we must maintain the strongest pressure on all those who are resisting change at all costs.  We’ll give our support to Kofi Annan, as he makes the case for the transition.  And we are ready to work with Russia and China for the same goal, including through a new United Nations Security Council resolution.
 
But we should be clear.  What we want is the quickest way to stop the killing.  That is through transition rather than revolution or civil war.  But if Assad continues, then civil war or revolution is the inevitable consequence.  So we will work with anyone who is ready to build a stable, inclusive, and democratic Syria for all Syrians.
 
Third, we've discussed Iran’s nuclear program.  The President’s tough, reasonable approach has united the world behind unprecedented sanctions pressure on Iran.  And Britain has played a leading role in helping to deliver an EU-wide oil embargo.  Alongside the financial sanctions being led by America, this embargo is dramatically increasing the pressure on the regime.
 
Now, we are serious about the talks that are set to resume, but the regime has to meet its international obligations.  If it refuses to do so, then Britain and America, along with our international partners, will continue to increase the political and economic pressure to achieve a peaceful outcome to this crisis.  The President and I have said nothing is off the table. That is essential for the safety of the region and the wider world.
 
Fourth, growth.  Both Britain and America are dealing with massive debts and deficits.  Of course, the measures we take in our domestic economies reflect different national circumstances, but we share the same goals -- delivering significant deficit reduction over the medium term and stimulating growth.
 
One of the keys to growth is trade.  The EU and the U.S. together account for more than half of all global trade.  Foreign direct investment between Britain and America is the largest in the world.  It creates and sustains around a million jobs each side of the Atlantic, and it provides a strong foundation for bilateral trade worth nearly $200 billion a year.  So deepening trade and investment between us is crucial and can really help to stimulate growth.  Barack and I have agreed to prioritize work ahead of the G8 on liberalizing transatlantic trade and investment flows.
 
So we’ve had some very important discussions this morning, and I’m looking forward to continuing our talks at the G8 and the NATO summit, and to visiting you, Barack, at Camp David and in your hometown of Chicago.  Who knows what sport we will be able to go and see there?
 
As Barack has said, the relationship between Britain and America is the strongest that it has ever been.  And I believe that’s because we’re working together as closely as at any point in our history.  And together, I’m confident that we can help secure the future of our nations and the world for generations to come.
 
Thank you.
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you, David. 
 
So we’ve got questions from each respective press corps.  We’re going to start with Ari Shapiro of NPR.
 
Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Given the extraordinarily difficult circumstances in Afghanistan from the last few weeks, I wonder what makes you confident that two years from now when the last troops leave it will be better than it is today.  And I wonder if you could also talk about the pace of withdrawal, whether you see something more gradual or speedier. 
 
And, Mr. Prime Minister, you and the President take very different approaches to economic growth -- whereas you emphasize more austerity measures, the President focuses more on stimulative measures.  And I wonder whether you could explain why you believe that your approach is likely to create more jobs than President Obama's approach.
 
Thank you.
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, first of all, on Afghanistan, I think both David and I understand how difficult this mission is because we've met with families whose sons or daughters or husbands or wives made the ultimate sacrifice.  We visit our wounded warriors and we understand the sacrifices that they've made there.
 
But as I indicated, we have made progress.  We're seeing an Afghan national security force that is getting stronger and more robust and more capable of operating on its own.  And our goal, set in Lisbon, is to make sure that over the next two years, that Afghan security force continues to improve, enhance its capabilities, and so we'll be prepared to provide for that country's security when we leave.
 
We also think it's important that there is a political aspect to this -- that all the various factions and ethnic groups inside of Afghanistan recognize that it's time to end 30 years of war.  And President Karzai has committed to a political reconciliation process.  We are doing what we can to help facilitate that.  Ultimately, it's going to be up to the Afghans to work together to try to arrive at a path to peace.  And we can't be naïve about the difficulties that are going to be involved in getting there.
 
But if we maintain a steady, responsible transition process, which is what we've designed, then I am confident that we can put Afghans in a position where they can deal with their own security.  And we're also underscoring, through what we anticipate to be a strategic partnership that's been signed before we get to Chicago, that the United States, along with many other countries, will sustain a relationship with Afghanistan.  We will not have combat troops there, but we will be working with them both to ensure their security but also to ensure that their economy continues to improve.
 
There are going to be multiple challenges along the way.  In terms of pace, I don't anticipate, at this stage, that we're going to be making any sudden additional changes to the plan that we currently have.  We have already taken out 10,000 of our troops.  We’re slated to draw down an additional 23,000 by this summer.  There will be a robust coalition presence inside of Afghanistan during this fighting season to make sure that the Taliban understand that they're not going to be able to regain momentum.
 
After the fighting season, in conjunction with all our allies, we will continue to look at how do we effectuate this transition in a way that doesn't result in a steep cliff at the end of 2014, but rather is a gradual pace that accommodates the developing capacities of the Afghan national security forces.
 
Although you asked it to David, I want to make sure that I just comment quickly on the economic issues because this is a question that David and I have been getting for the last two years.  We always give the same answer, but I figure it’s worth repeating.  The United States and Great Britain are two different economies in two different positions.  Their banking sector was much larger than ours.  Their capacity to sustain debt was different than ours.  And so, as a consequence, each of us are going to be taking different strategies and employing different timing. 
 
But our objectives are common, which is we want to make sure that we have a -- we have governments that are lean, that are effective, that are efficient, that are providing opportunity to our people, that are properly paid for so that we’re not leaving it to the next generation.  And we want to make sure that ultimately our citizens in both our countries are able to pursue their dreams and opportunities by getting a good education and being able to start a small business, being able to find a job that supports their families and allows them to retire with dignity and respect.
 
And so this notion that somehow two different countries are going to have identical economic programs doesn't take into account profound differences in position.  But the objectives, the goals, the values I think are the same.  And I'm confident that because of the resilience of our people and our businesses and our workers, our systems of higher education, that we are both countries that are incredibly well positioned to succeed in this knowledge-based economy of the 21st century. 
 
PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  I very much agree with that.  I mean, there are differences because we're not a reserve currency, so we have to take a different path.  But I think it would be wrong to think that Britain is just taking measures to reduce its deficit.  We're also taking a series of measures to help promote growth. 
 
Just before coming here, we took a series of steps to try and unblock and get moving our housing market, where we've cut corporation tax in our country to show that it's a great destination for investment.  We're investing in apprenticeships. So a series of steps have been taken. 
 
But there are differences, as Barack has said, between the states of the two economy and the circumstances we face.  But we're both trying to head in the same direction of growth and low deficits.  And actually, if you look at the U.S. plans for reducing the deficit over coming years, in many ways they are actually steeper than what we're going to be doing in the UK. 
 
So different starting points, different measures on occasions, but the same destination, and a very good shared understanding as we try to get there.
 
I've got Joey Jones, from Sky News.
 
Q    And to Mr. President, can I ask you both whether you have any information about an apparent car bombing at Camp Bastion this afternoon?  And on the general Afghan question, why do you think it is that people feel that you talk a good game but they don’t buy it?  Why do you think it is that the British and American people look at a situation that they think is, frankly, a mess -- they see terrible sacrifice, they see two men who are unable to impose their wills -- and they just are not persuaded by your arguments?
 
PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  Well, first of all, on what has happened at Camp Bastion, it is very early, details still coming through.  Obviously, we'll want to examine and investigate exactly what has happened before making clear anything about it.
 
But the security of our people, of our troops, security of both our nation's forces is absolutely the priority.  And if there are things that need to be done in the coming hours and days to keep them safer, be in no doubt we will do them. 
 
On the broader issue of Afghanistan, I would make this point -- if you compare where we are today with where we've been two, three years ago, the situation is considerably improved.  I think the U.S. surge and the additional UK troops we put in, particularly into Helmand Province, had a transformative effect. The level of insurgent attacks are right down.  The level of security is right up.  The capital of Helmand Province, Lashkar Gah, is now fully transitioned over to Afghan lead control.  The markets are open.  You're able to do -- take part in economic activity in that town, which simply wasn’t possible when I first visited it several years ago. 
 
So, look, it’s still a very difficult situation.  There are many challenges we have to overcome.  But what’s happening in Afghanistan today is quite different to the situation we had three, four, five years ago.
 
Do I think we can get to a situation by the end of 2014 where we have a large Afghan national army, a large Afghan police force, both of which are pretty much on track -- and that with the Afghan government, they’re capable of taking care of their own security in a way that doesn’t require large numbers of foreign troops, and that country isn’t a threat in the way that it was in the past in terms of a base for terrorism?  Yes, I think we can achieve that. 
 
Now, it's been very hard work.  The sacrifices have been very great.  But we have to keep reminding ourselves and everybody why we are there, what we are doing.  You have to go back and remember that the vast majority of terrorist plots that were affecting people in the UK, people in the U.S., came out of that country and that region.  That’s why we went in there; that’s why we’re there today. 
 
It’s not some selfish, long-term strategic interest.  It’s simply that we want Afghanistan to be able to look after its own security with its own security forces so we are safe at home.  That’s the key.  That’s the message we need to keep explaining to people.  But I think what we’re trying to do by the end of 2014 is achievable and doable.
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I concur with everything David said.  The only thing I would add -- you asked why is it that poll numbers indicate people are interested in ending the war in Afghanistan. It’s because we’ve been there for 10 years, and people get weary, and they know friends and neighbors who have lost loved ones as a consequence of war.  No one wants war.  Anybody who answers a poll question about war saying enthusiastically, we want war, probably hasn’t been involved in a war. 
 
But as David said, I think the vast majority of the American people and British understand why we went there.  There is a reason why al Qaeda is on its heels and has been decimated.  There's a reason why Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants are not in a position to be able to execute plots against the United States or Great Britain.  There is a reason why it is increasingly difficult for those who are interested in carrying out transnational operations directed against our interests, our friends, our allies, to be able to do that -- is because the space has shrunk and their capacity to operate is greatly diminished. 
 
Now, as David indicated, this is a hard slog, this is hard work.  When I came into office there has been drift in the Afghanistan strategy, in part because we had spent a lot of time focusing on Iraq instead.  Over the last three years we have refocused attention on getting Afghanistan right.  Would my preference had been that we started some of that earlier?  Absolutely.  But that’s not the cards that were dealt.  We’re now in a position where, given our starting point, we’re making progress.  And I believe that we’re going to be able to make our -- achieve our objectives in 2014.
 
Alister Bull.
 
Q    Thank you, Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister.  Mr. President, switching to Iran --
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Can I just point out that somehow Alister gets to ask a question on behalf of the U.S. press corps -- (laughter) -- but he sounds like --
 
Q    It's the special relationship.  (Laughter.)
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Were you upset about that, Chuck?  (Laughter.)  Yes, what’s going on with that, Jay?  Come on, man. (Laughter.)  It’s a special relationship.
 
Q    It is a special relationship.  On Iran, do you believe that the six-power talks represent a last chance for the country to diffuse concerns over its nuclear program and avert military action? 
 
And, Prime Minister, on Syria, how are you approaching the Russians to get them on board for a fresh Security Council resolution?  And do you believe President Bashar al-Assad ought to be tried as a war crime -- a war criminal?
 
Thank you.
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  As David said, we have applied the toughest sanctions ever on Iran, and we’ve mobilized the international community with greater unity than we’ve ever seen. Those sanctions are going to begin to bite even harder this summer.  And we’re seeing significant effects on the Iranian economy. 
 
So they understand the seriousness with which we take this issue.  They understand that there are consequences to them continuing to flout the international community.  And I have sent a message very directly to them publicly that they need to seize this opportunity of negotiations with the P5-plus-1 to avert even worse consequences for Iran in the future.
 
Do I have a guarantee that Iran will walk through this door that we’re offering them?  No.  In the past there has been a tendency for Iran in these negotiations with the P5-plus-1 to delay, to stall, to do a lot of talking but not actually move the ball forward.
 
I think they should understand that because the international community has applied so many sanctions, because we have employed so many of the options that are available to us to persuade Iran to take a different course, that the window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking. 
 
And as I said in a speech just a couple of weeks ago, I am determined not simply to contain Iran that is in possession of a nuclear weapon; I am determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon -- in part for the reasons that David mentioned.  It would trigger a nuclear arms race in the most dangerous part of the world.  It would raise nonproliferation issues that would carry significant risks to our national security interests.  It would embolden terrorists in the region who might believe that they could act with more impunity if they were operating under the protection of Iran.
 
And so this is not an issue that is simply in one country's interests or two countries' interests.  This is an issue that is important to the entire international community.  We will do everything we can to resolve this diplomatically, but ultimately, we've got to have somebody on the other side of the table who's taking this seriously.  And I hope that the Iranian regime understands that; that this is their best bet for resolving this in a way that allows Iran to rejoin the community of nations and to prosper and feel secure themselves.
 
PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  Thank you.  On Syria, when you see what is happening in Homs and elsewhere, I think we need to appeal to people's humanity to stop this slaughter, to get aid and assistance to those who've been affected, and to ratchet up the pressure on this dreadful regime. 
 
But in the case of Russia, I think we should also appeal to their own interest.  It's not in their interest to have this bloodied, broken, brutal regime butchering people nightly on the television screens.  The irony is that people in Syria often felt that the Russians were their friends, and many in the West they were more suspicious of.  Now they can see people in the West wanting to help them, raising their issues, calling for the world to act on their problems.  And we need to make sure that Russia joins with that.
 
So it's going to take a lot of hard work.  It's going to take a lot of patient diplomacy.  But I think it's actually in Russia's interest that we deal with this problem, that we achieve transition, and that we get peace and stability in Syria.  And that's the appeal that we should make.
 
On the issue of holding people responsible -- I do.  They're not a signatory to the ICC, but what is being done in Homs -- and I've spoken personally to one of the photographers who was stuck in Homs, when he got out to the UK -- what he witnessed, what he saw is simply appalling and shouldn't be allowed to stand in our world. 
 
And that's why Britain and others have sent monitors to the Turkish border and elsewhere to make sure we document these crimes, we write down what has been done so that no matter how long it takes -- people should always remember that international law has got a long reach and a long memory, and the people who are leading Syria at the moment and committing these crimes need to know that.
 
Tom Bradby from ITN.
 
Q    MR. President, it's great you've agreed to learn about cricket.  I noticed the Prime Minister neglected to tell you that a test match usually takes five days.  (Laughter.)  So it's going to be a long trip.  (Laughter.)
 
On the serious subject of Syria. you say you want Assad to go.  You wanted Qaddafi to go, and he didn't for a long, long time.  So could you just answer specifically, have you discussed today the possibility of a no-fly zone?  Have you discussed how you might implement it?  Have you discussed how you would degrade the Syrian defenses?  Have you discussed time scales on any of those issues?
 
PRIME MINISTER CAMERON:  What I’d say, Tom, is that our teams work incredibly closely together on this issue, and the focus right now is, as I said, on trying to achieve transition, not trying to foment revolution.  We think that the fastest way to end the killing, which is what we all want to see, is for Assad to go.  So the way we should try to help bring that about is through diplomatic pressure, sanctions pressure, political pressure, the pressure that Kofi Annan can bring to bear.  That is where our focus is. 
 
Of course, our teams, all the time, as I put it, kick the tires, push the system, ask the difficult questions -- what are the other options, what are the other things that we could do?  And it’s right that we do that.  But they're not without their difficulties and complications, as everybody knows.  So the focus is transition and all the things that we can to do bring that pressure to bear.  And that has been the focus of our discussions.
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I’d echo everything that David said.  Our military plans for everything.  That's part of what they do.  But I was very clear during the Libya situation that this was unique. We had a clear international mandate; there was unity around the world on that.  We were able to execute a plan in a relatively short timeframe that resulted in a good outcome. 
 
But each country is different.  As David just mentioned with respect to Syria, it is a extremely complicated situation.  The best thing that we can do right now is to make sure that the  international community continues to unify around the fact that what the Syrian regime is doing is unacceptable.  It is contrary to every international norm that we believe in. 
 
And for us to provide strong support to Kofi Annan, to continue to talk to the Russians, the Chinese and others about why it is that they need to stand up on behalf of people who are being shelled mercilessly, and to describe to them why it is in their interest to join us in a unified international coalition -- that’s the most important work that we can do right now.
 
There may be some immediate steps that we've discussed just to make sure that humanitarian aid is being provided in a robust way, and to make sure that a opposition unifies along principles that ultimately would provide a clear platform for the Syrian people to be able to transition to a better form of government. 
 
But when we see what's happening on television, our natural instinct is to act.  One of the things that I think both of us have learned in every one of these crises -- including in Libya  -- is that it's very important for us to make sure that we have thought through all of our actions before we take those steps.  And that’s not just important for us; it's also important for the Syrian people -- because, ultimately, the way the international community mobilizes itself, the signals we send, the degree to which we can facilitate a more peaceful transition or a soft landing, rather than a hard landing that results in civil war and, potentially, even more deaths -- the people who are going to ultimately be most affected by those decisions are the people in Syria itself.  All right? 
 
Thank you very much, everybody.  Enjoy the day.  See some of you tonight.

END  
1:03 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the First Lady at Mini-Olympic Games Event

American University
Washington, D.C.

4:57 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA: Okay, you guys can have a seat. You've done well. You've done well. Have you guys had fun today?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: Was this not -- very cool. This was very cool, wasn't it?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: I mean, let's say thank you to everyone who helped organize this thing. Let's give them all a round of applause. (Applause.) It looks like it was so much fun.

But I want to start, first of all, by thanking Lisa for that very kind introduction. She's one of my heroes, I love her to death. Don't we love Lisa?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: She is so awesome. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I want her autograph.

MRS. OBAMA: We're going to get autographs. We'll get that done. We'll get that done. But we have to say thank you to a few more people. We have a couple of guests.

Mrs. Marjorie Susman, and Lady Susan Westmacott are here. They are the ambassadors for our great countries, and they're visiting us. (Applause.) They're here somewhere. There they are. There they are.

And of course, we have to thank all of our wonderful Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have joined us today who helped you guys out. Did you learn something from them?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right, focus, because these people have put in some time and made some sacrifices, and they're great role models to all of you, right?

And I want to join in in also welcoming our very special guest, Mrs. Samantha Cameron -- we already said hello today, but Mrs. Cameron is here. She came here with her husband from the United Kingdom. Her husband is Prime Minister David Cameron. So he's the Prime Minister there, and they're here on an official visit.

And what we hope to do is just remember this special relationship our two countries have. They hosted us a little while ago. We had a wonderful time when the President and I got to visit London last year as guests of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, as well as the Camerons. So we are very pleased that they're both back here in Washington with us today. So this is a really special day.

So we are very excited to have her here with us today, and I'm particularly excited that the Camerons are visiting our country this week because, as it turns out, I will be visiting their country this summer. Because today, I'm pleased to announce that I will have the honor of leading the presidential delegation to the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games in London this summer. (Applause.) And let me tell you, I am thrilled to do it. I wasn't sure whether they were going to let me do it, but I get to do it and I'm very excited. And I know that all of you are looking forward to the Games this summer, aren't you?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: I mean, this is why we're here today. Because the true spirit of the Games isn't confined to just the two weeks of competition in the summer. It's not just about who wins the Gold, right? You've heard that before. It's not just about who wins the medals, right?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Or which country wins the most medals. That’s not what the Olympics are about. Instead, the Olympic Games are about commitment, right? It's about determination, and, most importantly, it's about teamwork -- teamwork, right?

The Games are about finding our inner strength. Do you know what I mean by inner strength? It's like, what's deep down inside that you want to do for yourself, right? And all of these athletes have done it by pushing ourselves to be the very best that we can at something that we feel deeply about, right? And that’s sports in this case, but that can be anything. But it's about digging down deep and finding the thing that makes you want to do more.

And just to give an example of some of the athletes we have here today, do you know that to prepare for the Olympic Games, Dominique Dawes -- Dominique, make sure they know who you are. Dominique, she was in the gym almost 40 hours a week practicing. I mean, can you imagine -- 40 hours a week? And that’s in addition to going to school, right? Getting her homework done, and anything else she had to do. She was in the gym. That’s how much dedication it takes.

And Lisa Leslie was out on the basketball court practicing every night, because she knew it wasn't just good enough to be tall, right? We like being tall, but that’s not enough. You've got to have some skills to go with that height, and you've got to practice, right?

And then there's Kortney Clemons, this guy right here. In 2005 -- listen to this, guys -- Kortney was serving our country as a combat medic in Iraq. He was fighting in the war when a bomb exploded nearby him, right? A bomb went off. And he was 24 years old at the time, and he had a very young daughter; he was the father of a little girl. But then he lost his leg. All of a sudden, his leg is gone.

Now, he didn’t let that stop him from reaching new goals, see? And that’s the beauty, right? He lost his leg and he thought, what more can I do with one leg? So he set a new goal for himself. So he's always been a pretty good athlete -- you can tell. He's got that athlete look in his eye. And so during his rehabilitation, he learned about the Paralympics, and he decided he wanted to participate.

At first, he tried weightlifting, because he wanted to get buff -- I'm sure he was trying to impress somebody, right? (Laughter.) But soon, he found out that he really enjoyed running. He really loved the wind in his face when he was moving fast. How many people feel that when they're moving fast? Yes, yes, there's nothing like moving fast. Well, that’s how he felt. So he kept working.

And less than two years after the explosion -- two years afterwards -- he became a national champion sprinter. Can you -- dang, yes. You want to say that again?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Dang!

MRS. OBAMA: He is the first Iraq veteran to qualify for the national Paralympic team. And he is an inspiration to people around the world. Do you understand that? Around the world. Let's give Kortney a round of applause. (Applause.)

I could go on, because everyone behind me has a similarly powerful story, okay? Everyone does. But these are the stories of triumph, of perseverance and sheer willpower that lie behind every Olympian and every Paralympian. And that’s why these Games are important, you guys.

So when you watch these Games -- and I hope you all do, right? There are a lot of lessons to learn -- not just who wins and loses. The stories behind these athletes should give us all reason to get up and move, right? And that’s what's so beautiful about these Games.

They don’t just allow us to marvel at the skills and the achievements of the world's greatest athletes. They help us all dream bigger, right? I mean, you can just imagine what you can do, right kids? These Games are about inspiring you guys to move.

And that’s what I want you all to do with Let's Move. You guys know Let's Move is about me ensuring that young people like you guys get up and get moving. And we want to use these Games as a way to jumpstart people into moving, right? And as Lisa said, moving isn't just being a part of a sport. Moving can be dancing in the living room, it can be riding your bike, it can be walking your dog.

But if all these athletes can do what they do, then surely you guys can get moving and help the people in your lives get moving, right? So that’s going to be one of our very important goals with the Olympic Games, is using this as a way for us to be inspired to be as healthy as we can all of the time. Do you think we can do that?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: So I'm going to need your help. You guys are going to get some medals, but I need you to be our ambassadors. Do you know what an ambassador is? I need you to send the word out to people in your lives and in your community about how important it is to stay active and healthy. Will you guys help?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: All right. Well, if I have that promise, then I think we can get on with the next part of the ceremony, because I think we've got some medals to hand out, right?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: Yes! (Applause.) Medals to hand out.

So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Kortney, who's going to help with the medal ceremony. Congratulations to you guys. We are so proud of you. Keep up the good work, okay? Give yourselves a round of applause.

END
5:06 P.M. EDT