The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 06, 2010

Remarks by the President on the Economy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Forsyth Technical Community College -- West Campus, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

12:28 P.M. EST

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Thank you so much.  Please, everybody have a seat, have a seat.  It is good to be back in North Carolina.  (Applause.)  Love North Carolina.  Although, I have to say, I came down here for slightly warmer weather.  (Laughter.)  What’s snow doing on the ground in North Carolina?  (Laughter.)  Come on, now.  Anyway, it is a great honor to be with you here at Forsyth Technical Community College.

     There are a few people I want to acknowledge who are just doing outstanding work.  First of all, your incredibly impressive college president, Gary Green, is here.  (Applause.)  Your wonderful governor, Bev Perdue, is in the house.  (Applause.)  Your senators -- Richard Burr -- (applause) -- and the better-looking one, Kay Hagan.  (Applause.)  Two hardworking Congressmen, Mel Watt and Brad Miller are here.  (Applause.)  We've got Secretary of State Elaine Marshall in the house.  (Applause.)  And Mayor Allen Joines is here.  (Applause.)   

Well, it’s been about a month now since the midterm elections.  And in Washington, at least, much of the chatter is still about the political implications of those elections -– what the results mean for Democrats, what they mean for Republicans, and already, we're hearing what this means for the next election.  And I have to tell you I came to Winston-Salem because I believe that right now there are bigger issues at stake for our country than politics.  (Applause.)  And these issues call on us to respond not as partisans, but as Americans. 

At this moment, we are still emerging from a once-in-a-lifetime recession that has taken a terrible toll on millions of families -– many here in North Carolina who have lost their jobs or their businesses, and their sense of security. 

Now, fortunately, we’ve seen some encouraging signs that a recovery is beginning to take hold.  An economy that had been shrinking for nearly a year is now growing.  After nearly two years of job loss, our economy has added over one million private sector jobs in 2010.  (Applause.)

I was just talking to Bev and she was mentioning that here in North Carolina we've seen 50,000 new jobs here in North Carolina.  (Applause.)  And after teetering on the brink of liquidation not two years ago, our auto industry is posting healthy gains.  (Applause.)  So we're seeing progress across the country. 

But as we also saw in November’s jobs report, the recovery is simply not happening fast enough.  Plenty of Americans are still without work.  Plenty of Americans are still hurting.  And our challenge now is to do whatever it takes to accelerate job creation and economic growth. 

Now, in the short-term, that means preventing the middle-class tax increase that’s currently scheduled for January 1st.  Right now, Democrats and Republicans in Congress are working through some differences to try to get this done.  And there are some serious debates that are still taking place.  Republicans want to make permanent the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. I have argued that we can't afford it right now.  (Applause.)  But what I've also said is we've got to find consensus here -- because a middle-class tax hike would be very tough not only on working families, it would also be a drag on our economy at this moment. 

So I believe we should keep in place tax cuts for workers and small businesses that are set to expire.  We've got to make sure that we're coming up with a solution, even if it’s not a hundred percent of what I want or what the Republicans want.  There’s no reason that ordinary Americans should see their taxes go up next year.  (Applause.)   

We should also extend unemployment insurance for workers who’ve lost their jobs through no fault of their own.  That is a priority.  (Applause.)  And I should mention that’s not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do -– because if millions of Americans who aren't getting unemployment benefits stop spending money, that slows down businesses.  That slows down hiring.  It slows down our recovery. 

Now, even if we take these and other steps to boost our recovery in the short term, we're also going to have to make some serious decisions about our economy in the long run.  We’ve got to look ahead –- not just to the next year but to the next 10 years, the next 20 years.  We’ve got to ask ourselves where will the new jobs come from?  What will it take to get them?  And what will it take to keep the American Dream alive for our children and our grandchildren?

Think about North Carolina.  Obviously this recession had a devastating effect here, like it did everywhere else.  But the trends -- the trends have been going on for quite some time. 

I was just visiting with President Green, with some of the students here in the biotech field -- wonderful people, from every walk of life.  You had folks who had just gotten out of high school, and you had folks who had -- were in midlife and had been laid off from a manufacturing job and had come here to retrain.  But a bunch of them mentioned, well, I was laid off because the textile industry has moved away here in North Carolina.  I was laid off because the furniture industry has moved away here in North Carolina. 

Those were long-term trends.  And that means we've got to have a long-term vision about where we want to be 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now.  (Applause.) 

Just like past generations did, we must be prepared to answer these questions in our time.  And over the next several weeks, I'm going to be meeting with my economic team, with business leaders and others to develop specific policies and budget recommendations for the coming year.  Today I want to outline the broader vision that I believe should guide these policies -– and it’s a vision that will keep our economy strong and growing and competitive in the 21st century.

And that vision begins with a recognition of how our economy has changed over time.  When Forsyth Technical opened 50 years ago, it was known as Forsyth County “Industrial Education Center.”  Right?  That's a mouthful.  (Laughter.)  Machine shops and automotive mechanics were some of the first classes you could take.  Of course, back then you didn’t even need a degree to earn a decent living.  You could get a job at the local tobacco or textile plant and still be able to provide for yourself and your family. 

That world has changed.  In the last few decades, revolutions in communications, revolutions in technology have made businesses mobile and has made commerce global.  So today, a company can set up shop, hire workers, and sell their products wherever there’s an Internet connection.  That's a transformation that’s touched off a fierce competition among nations for the jobs and industries of the future. 

Some of you know I traveled through Asia several weeks ago. You’ve got a billion people in India who are suddenly plugged into the world economy.  You’ve got over a billion people in China who are suddenly plugged into the global economy.  And that means competition is going to be much more fierce and the winners of this competition will be the countries that have the most educated workers, a serious commitment to research and technology, and access to quality infrastructure like roads and airports and high-speed rail and high-speed Internet.  Those are the seeds of economic growth in the 21st century.  Where they are planted, the most jobs and businesses will take root.    

Now, in the last century, America was that place where innovation happened and jobs and industry always took root.  The business of America was business.  Our economic leadership in the world went unmatched.  Now it’s up to us to make sure that we maintain that leadership in this century.  And at this moment, the most important contest we face is not between Democrats and Republicans.  It’s between America and our economic competitors all around the world.  That's the competition we've got to spend time thinking about.  (Applause.)   

Now, I have no doubt we can win this competition.  We are the home of the world’s best universities, the best research facilities, the most brilliant scientists, the brightest minds, some of the hardest-working, most entrepreneurial people on Earth -- right here in America.  It’s in our DNA.  Think about it.  People came from all over the world to live here in the United States.  That's been our history.  And those were the go-getters, the risk-takers who came here.  The folks who didn’t want to take risks, they stayed back home.  (Laughter.)  Right?  So there’s no doubt that we are well equipped to win.

But as it stands right now, the hard truth is this:  In the race for the future, America is in danger of falling behind.  That's just the truth.  And when -- if you hear a politician say it’s not, they’re not paying attention.  In a generation we have fallen from 1st place to 9th place in the proportion of young people with college degrees.  When it comes to high school graduation rates, we’re ranked 18th out of 24 industrialized nations -- 18th.  We’re 27th in the proportion of science and engineering degrees we hand out.  We lag behind other nations in the quality of our math and science education.

When global firms were asked a few years back where they planned on building new research and development facilities, nearly 80 percent said either China or India -- because those countries are focused on math and science, and they’re focused on training and educating their workforce. 

I sat down with President Lee of South Korea, and I asked him, what’s the biggest problem you have in education?  He said, you know, these parents, they come to me and they are constantly pressuring me; they want their kids to learn so fast, so much -- they’re even making me import English-speaking teachers in, because they want first-graders to know English.  I asked him about investment in research and development.  He says, we're putting aside 5 percent of our gross domestic product in research and development -- 3 percent of it in clean energy.

You go to Shanghai, China, and they’ve built more high-speed rail in the last year than we've built in the last 30 years.  The largest private solar research and development facility in the world was recently opened in China -– by an American company.  Today China also has the fastest trains and the fastest supercomputer in the world.

In 1957, just before this college opened, the Soviet Union beat us into space by launching a satellite known as Sputnik.  And that was a wake-up call that caused the United States to boost our investment in innovation and education -– particularly in math and science.  And as a result, once we put our minds to it, once we got focused, once we got unified, not only did we surpass the Soviets, we developed new American technologies, industries, and jobs. 

So 50 years later, our generation’s Sputnik moment is back. This is our moment.  If the recession has taught us anything, it’s that we cannot go back to an economy that's driven by too much spending, too much borrowing, running up credit cards, taking out a lot of home equity loans, paper profits that are built on financial speculation.  We’ve got to rebuild on a new and stronger foundation for economic growth. 

We need to do what America has always been known for:  building, innovating, educating, making things.  We don’t want to be a nation that simply buys and consumes products from other countries.  We want to create and sell products all over the world that are stamped with three simple words:  “Made In America.”  That's our goal.  (Applause.)   

So I came to Forsyth today because you’ve shown what this future can look like.  Half a century later, you’re still giving students the skills and training they need to get good jobs, but of course -- but courses in machine shop and car mechanics have now broadened to degrees in mechanical engineering technology and nanotechnology and biotechnology.  And meanwhile, your unique partnerships that you’re building with advanced manufacturing and biotechnology firms will ensure that the businesses of the future locate here, they come here, they stay here, they hire right here in Winston-Salem.  (Applause.)   

As a national leader in bioscience and innovation, North Carolina is now the country’s third largest employer in biotechnology.  (Applause.)  And when Caterpillar recently decided to build a plant in this community, they told President Green one of the main reasons was “…they were convinced that Forsyth Tech had the capability of providing them with the technical workforce that they need.”  (Applause.) 

That’s something everybody in this room should be very proud of.  And I know that business leaders from throughout the community have worked intensively with President Green and others to help make this happen.  And I know that your congressional delegation, as well as your governor, have worked hard to make this happen.     

Now, none of this progress happened by itself.  It happened thanks to the hard work of students here at Forsyth, the commitment of local leaders, foresight of local business leaders -- most importantly, it happened because there was a decision made to invest in the collective future of this community.  It happened because there was a decision to invest in this college, and there were loans and scholarships that made it affordable to go here. 

To invest in the basic research and development that helped jumpstart North Carolina’s biotech industry; to invest in new buildings and laboratories and research facilities that make your work possible -- these are the kinds of investments we need to keep making in communities across America -– investments that will grow our economy and help us to stay competitive in the 21st century.

Now, I want to emphasize I say this knowing full well we face a very difficult fiscal situation.  I’m looking at the books back in Washington, and folks weren’t doing a real good job with their math for the last decade.  (Applause.)  So now that the threat of a depression has passed, and a recovery is beginning to take hold, reducing our long-term deficit has to be a priority.  And in the long run, we won’t be able to compete with countries like China if we keep borrowing from countries like China.  (Applause.)  We won’t be able to do it.  (Applause.) 

So we’ve already started making some tough decisions.  And they’re unpopular and people get mad, but we’ve got to make some decisions.  I’ve proposed a three-year freeze in all spending that doesn’t have to do with national security.  And I proposed a two-year freeze in the pay for federal workers.  That’s why we’re currently studying recommendations of the bipartisan deficit reduction panel that I commissioned.  We’re going to have to be bold and courageous in eliminating spending and programs that we don’t need and we can’t afford. 

But here’s where there's going to be a debate in Washington over the next year and over the next couple of years and maybe over the next five years, because I will argue and insist that we cannot cut back on those investments that have the biggest impact on our economic growth because -- (applause.) 

I was talking with President Green, and he said much of the equipment here would not be here if it hadn’t been for the assistance of the Recovery Act, the assistance of the Department of Labor.  (Applause.)  All this stuff that we’ve done over the last couple of years that people were questioning, you can see it translated in the classrooms right here.  The work that we’re doing on student loans and Pell Grants, you can see it in the students who are able to finance their retraining right here.  (Applause.)

So we can’t stop making those investments.  The best antidote to a growing deficit, by the way, is a growing economy. To borrow an analogy, cutting the deficit by cutting investments in areas like education, areas like innovation -- that's like trying to reduce the weight of an overloaded aircraft by removing its engine.  It’s not a good idea.  (Applause.)  There may be some things you need to get rid of, but you got to keep the engine.  (Laughter.)

That’s why even as we scour the budget for cuts and savings in the months ahead, I will continue to fight for those investments that will help America win the race for the jobs and industries of the future -– and that means investments in education and innovation and infrastructure.  I will be fighting for that.  (Applause.)    

In an era where most new jobs will require some kind of higher education, we have to keep investing in the skills and education of our workers.  And that’s why we are going -- we are well on our way to meeting the goal I set when I took office two years ago:  By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.  That's a commitment that we’re making.  (Applause.)

So to get there, we’re making college more affordable for millions of students.  We’ve made an unprecedented investment in community colleges just like this one.  And just like Forsyth, we’ve launched a nationwide initiative to connect graduates that need a job with businesses that need their skills. 

We’re reforming K-12 education –- not from the top down, but from the bottom up.  Instead of indiscriminately pouring money into a system that’s not working, we’re challenging schools and states to compete with each other –- to see who can come up with reforms that raise standards, and recruit and retain good teachers, raise student achievement, especially in math and science.  We call it Race to the Top -- (applause) -- where you get more funding if you show more results -- because part of the argument here is, is that if we’re going to have a government that's smart and helping people compete in this new global economy, then we’ve got to spend our money wisely.  And that means we want to invest in things that are working, not in things that aren’t working just because that's how things have always been done.

Now, once our students graduate with the skills they need for the jobs of the future, we’ve also got to make sure those jobs end up right here in America.  We’ve got to make sure that the United States is the best place to do business and the best place to innovate.  (Applause.)  So it’s time, for example, that we have a tax code that encourages job creation here in America. (Applause.) 

And to boost our recovery, I’ve already proposed that all American businesses should be allowed to write off all the investments they do in 2011.  We want to jumpstart, starting next year, plants and equipment investment right here in Winston-Salem and all across North Carolina, and all across the United States of America.  (Applause.) 

To encourage homegrown American innovation we should make it easier to patent a new idea or a new invention.  And if you want to know one reason why more companies are choosing to do their research and development in places like China and India, it’s because the United States now ranks 24th out of 38 countries in the generosity of the tax incentives we provide for research and development.  So that’s why I’ve proposed a bigger, permanent tax credit for companies for all the research and innovation they do right here in America.  All of it.  (Applause.)

     Now, what’s also true is a lot of companies don’t invest in basic research because it doesn’t pay off right away.  But that doesn’t mean it’s not essential to our economic future.  Forty years ago, it probably didn’t seem useful or profitable for scientists and engineers to figure out how to increase the capacity of integrated circuits.  Forty years later, I’m still not sure what that means.  (Laughter.)  What I do know is that discoveries in integrated circuits made back then led to the iPod and cell phones and GPS and CT scans -– products that have led to new companies and countless new jobs in manufacturing and retail, and other sectors. 

That’s why I’ve set a goal of investing a full 3 percent -- not 2 percent, not 2.5 percent -- a full 3 percent of our Gross Domestic Product into research and development.  That has to be a priority.  (Applause.) 

If this is truly going to be our Sputnik moment, we need a commitment to innovation that we haven’t seen since President Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon.  And we’re directing a lot of that research into one of the most promising areas for economic growth and job creation –- and that's clean energy technology.  (Applause.)  I don’t want to see new solar panels or electric cars or advanced batteries manufactured in Europe or in Asia.  I want to see them made right here in America, by American businesses and American workers.  (Applause.)

I also want to make it easier for our businesses and workers to sell their products all over the world.  The more we export abroad, the more jobs we support at home.  We’ve got to change the formula.  We’ve got to flip the script, because what’s been happening is, is that we’ve been doing all the buying; somebody else has been doing all the selling.  (Applause.)  We’ve got to start selling and have them do some buying.  (Applause.)  And that's why we’ve set a goal of doubling U.S. exports in five years.  (Applause.)  And that’s why I’m pleased that last week, we came closer to meeting that goal by finalizing a trade agreement with our ally, South Korea.  This is a nation that offers one of the fastest-growing markets for American goods. 

Now, here in North Carolina and all across the country, there are a lot of people that say, trade, we’re not sure that that helps us.  It seems like maybe it’s hurt us in areas like furniture.  Look, right now the status quo -- South Korea is selling a whole bunch of stuff here and we’re not selling it there.  The current deal is not a good one for us. 

Think about -- there are a lot of Hyundais on the road.  (Laughter.)  But there aren’t a lot of Fords in Seoul, because the formula has been:  Let’s sign any trade agreement, let’s cut any deal, without thinking ahead about how this is going to impact America.  What this deal does is boost our annual exports to South Korea by $11 billion.  That means it will support at least 70,000 American jobs -- 70,000 American jobs.  (Applause.)

Now, the final area where greater investment will lead to more jobs and economic growth is in America’s infrastructure -– our roads, our railways, our runways, our information superhighways.  Over the last two years, our investment in infrastructure projects -- yes, through the Recovery Act -- have led to thousands of good private sector jobs and improved infrastructure here in North Carolina and all across the country.

But we’ve got a long way to go.  There is no reason that over 90 percent of the homes in South Korea have broadband Internet access, and only 65 percent of American households do.  Think about that.  There’s no reason why China should have nearly 10,000 miles of high-speed rail by 2020, and America has 400.  Think about that number.  They’ve got 10,000; we’ve got 400.  They’ve got trains that operate at speeds of over 200 mph -- and I don't know how fast our trains are going.  (Laughter.)

We’re the nation that built the Transcontinental Railroad.  We’re the nation that took the first airplane into flight.  We constructed a massive Interstate Highway System.  We introduced the world to the Internet.  America has always been built to compete.  And if we want to attract the best jobs and businesses to our shores, we’ve got to be that nation again. 

And throughout history, the investments I’ve talked about –- in education and innovation and infrastructure -– have historically commanded the support from both Democrats and Republicans.  It was Abraham Lincoln who launched the Transcontinental Railroad and opened the National Academy of Sciences.  He did it in the middle of a war, by the way.  But he knew this was so important we had to make these investments for future generations.  Dwight Eisenhower helped build our highways. Republican members of Congress worked with FDR to pass the G.I. Bill. 

More recently, infrastructure bills have found support on both sides of the congressional aisle.  The permanent extension of research and development tax credits was proposed by both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.  Our education reforms have been praised by both Democratic and Republican governors. 

So the point is there should not be any inherent ideological differences that prevent Democrats and Republicans from making our economy more competitive with the rest of the world.  If we’re willing to put aside short-term politics, if our objective is not simply winning elections but winning the future -- (applause) -- then we should be able to get our act together here, because we are all Americans and we are in this race together.  (Applause.)

So those of us who work in Washington have a choice to make in the coming weeks and months.  We can focus on what’s necessary for each party to win the news cycle or the next election.  We can do what we’ve been doing.  Or we can do what this moment demands, and focus on what’s necessary for America to win the future. 

For as difficult as the times may be, the good news is that we know what the future could look like for the United States.  We can see it in the classrooms that are experimenting with groundbreaking reforms, and giving children new math and science skills at an early age.  We can see it in the wind farms and solar plants and advanced battery plants that are opening all across America.  We can see it here at Forsyth -– in your laboratories and your research facilities -- and over at the biotechnology firms that are churning out jobs and businesses and life-saving discoveries. 

You see it in the faces of the young people who we just visited to -- visited with, Dr. Green and myself -- some not-so-young faces, but people who, despite layoffs, despite hardships, felt confident in their future. 

Just the other month, I saw part of America’s future during a science fair we held at the White House.  It was the first science fair we’ve ever held.  And we talked to some of these amazing young people.  It was probably as much fun as I’ve had in several months.  Now, that's a low bar, given -- (laughter.)  But there was a team from Tennessee that had designed a self-powered water filtration plant so that homes in Appalachia could have access to clean water.  And then there were these young people -- these are all high school, some younger than high school -- there were young people who had designed a way to make an entire town more energy-efficient. 

And there were young people who had entered into rocket contests, and they were showing me all the rockets that they had been shooting up, and they had won an international contest, and explained to me the designs of these things -- and robots that were running around in the State Dining Room and bumping into things.  (Laughter.)  

And then the last person I spoke to was a young woman from Dallas, Texas, and her name was Amy Chyao.  She’s 16 years old.  She’s a child of immigrants.  Her parents came to the United States from China, but Amy was born here.  And when she was a freshman in high school, she got interested in cancer research.  She had studied biology and she got interested in cancer research.  So she decided -- get this -- she decided to teach herself chemistry over the summer.  And then she designed a device that uses light to kill hard-to-reach cancer cells while leaving the healthy ones untouched.  This is her summer science project -- (laughter) -- 16 years old.  

She goes on to win the international science competition.  All these kids from all around the world -- she wins the competition.  So now she’s being approached by laboratories all across the country who want to work with her on developing this potential breakthrough cancer drug that she’s designed.  Sixteen years old.
 
And I’m talking to Amy and pretending like I understand what she is explaining.  (Laughter.)  And as I’m listening to her, I’m looking at the portrait of Abraham Lincoln that hangs over her head in the State Dining Room.  And I remembered all that we’ve been through and all that we’ve overcome.  And I thought to myself, you know what, the idea of America is alive and well.  We are going to be just fine.  (Applause.) 

We are going to be just fine as long as there are people like Amy and her parents, who still want to come to this country and add to our story; as long as there are people like the men and women here at Forsyth Technical, who are keeping us at the top of our game; as long as we are willing to look past the disagreements of the moment and focus on the future that we share -- we will be fine.  

If we can do that, I have no doubt that this will be remembered as another American century.  We will meet that Sputnik moment, but we’re going to all have to do it together.

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

END
1:09 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 05, 2010

Remarks by the President at the Kennedy Center Honors Reception

East Room

5:14 P.M. EST

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

Well, what a good looking crowd.  (Laughter.)  Say -- we do what we can, huh?  (Laughter.)  Happy holidays, everybody.  And on behalf of Michelle and myself, I want to welcome all of you to the White House.

And I want to start by giving special thanks to Speaker Pelosi and all the other members of Congress who are here.  Nobody has done more for our country over the last couple of years than Nancy Pelosi.  (Applause.)

None of this would be possible without some people who have put great effort into this evening -- David Rubenstein, Michael Kaiser, the Kennedy Center trustees, and all the people who have made the Kennedy Center such a wonderful place for Americans of all ages to enjoy the arts.

And on that note, I also want to give special thanks to Caroline Kennedy.  Where’s -- is Caroline here tonight?  Hey, Caroline.  (Applause.)   And all the other members of the Kennedy family who are here tonight -- it’s wonderful to see them.

And finally, I want to recognize the co-chairs of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities –- my good friend, George Stevens.  (Applause.)  George and his son Michael are the brains behind the Kennedy Center Honors, and I want to thank them all for their great creativity.

This is a season of celebration and of giving.  And that’s why it’s my great privilege as President to honor the five men and women who have given our nation the extraordinary gift of the arts. 

The arts have always had the power to challenge and the power to inspire –- to help us celebrate in times of joy and find hope in times of trouble.  And although the honorees on this stage each possess a staggering amount of talent, the truth is, they aren’t being recognized tonight simply because of their careers as great lyricists or songwriters or dancers or entertainers.  Instead, they’re being honored for their unique ability to bring us closer together and to capture something larger about who we are –- not just as Americans, but as human beings.

That’s what Merle Haggard has been doing for more than 40 years.  Often called the “poet of the common man,” Merle likes to say that he’s living proof that things can go wrong in America, but also that things can go right.  (Laughter.)

In a day and age when so many country singers claim to be rambling, gambling outlaws, Merle actually is one.  (Laughter and applause.)  He hopped his first freight train at the age of 10, and was locked up some 17 times as a boy -– pulling off almost as many escapes. 

Later, after becoming a bona fide country star, Merle met Johnny Cash, and mentioned that he had seen Cash perform years earlier at San Quentin prison.  “That’s funny,” Cash said, “because I don’t remember you being in the show.”  (Laughter.)  And Merle had to explain the Man in Black that he hadn’t been in the show, he had been in the audience.  (Laughter.)

That performance had inspired Merle to start writing songs, and he’s written thousands of them since -– about three or four hundred “keepers” in Merle’s opinion.  Thirty eight of those songs have been number one on the charts, including “Okie from Muskogee,” which he performed for Richard Nixon right here in this room back in 1973.

Through it all, Merle’s power has always come from the truth he tells -– about life and love and everything in between.  As he says, “the best songs feel like they’ve always been there.”  So tonight we honor a man who feels like he’s always been here -– Merle Haggard.  (Applause.)

Now, growing up in New Jersey, Jerry Herman and his family used to play Broadway tunes in the living room -– Jerry on the piano, his mother on the accordion and his father playing the sax.  He never took a music lesson, but he always had the ability to play anything he heard by ear.

Then, when he was 14, Jerry went to see the great Ethel Merman perform in “Annie Get Your Gun.”  In his words, “I got a load of that great lady and was gone.”  (Laughter.)  Jerry was determined to be a songwriter, even though he didn’t think he could ever make a career out of doing something that was so much fun. 

But that’s exactly what he’s done -– penning songs for such iconic musicals as “Hello, Dolly!” and “La Cage aux Folles” and drawing audiences everywhere out of their seats and into the world of his imagination.  Those songs earned Jerry a shelf full of Tonys –- and he’s still the only composer and lyricist to have had three shows on Broadway at the same time.  (Applause.)

Today, that same kid from Jersey City is still doing what he loves.   As Jerry says, “I never wanted to do anything but make people hum.”  So thank you, Jerry, for doing just that.  Jerry Herman. (Applause.)

If Jerry Herman wanted to make people hum, Bill T. Jones wanted to open their eyes and make them move.  The youngest of 12 children, Bill’s parents were migrant workers -– “poorer than poor” -– who made a living picking fruits and vegetables up and down the East Coast.  Early on, Bill struggled to find his identity in a segregated world where he often felt like he didn’t belong. 

Then he began to dance.  Bill likes to say that a good dancer has, “heart, guts, strength, intelligence and personality” -– and he’s been blessed with plenty of each.  As the co-founder of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Bill has earned widespread acclaim and artistic success in the hyper-competitive world of modern dance -– all while battling poverty, homophobia, and racism.

His unique performances have always been provocative –- challenging audiences to confront important issues in a way that is at once captivating, agitating and extremely personal.  To date, he’s created over 140 works on subjects ranging from terminal illness to Abraham Lincoln -– securing his place as one of the most decorated and controversial choreographers of our time.

And through it all, Bill has never compromised his sense of purpose, or lost his ability to inspire others to greater heights.  “I’m not afraid to stand up,” Bill once said.  “I’m not afraid to be looked at -- making my art is a way of saying to people –- gay people, HIV-positive people -– that life is worth it.”  And for that, we are forever grateful.  Bill T. Jones.  (Applause.)

Now, there’s not a lot that I can tell you about our next honoree that you don’t already know.  I can tell you he’s become something of a regular here at the White House.  We decided we would just give him all possible awards this year.  (Laughter.)

So this summer, Paul McCartney was here to accept the Gershwin Prize for popular song.  It was a thrill of a lifetime to hear him sing “Michelle” to Michelle.  Although apparently Paul joked afterwards that he was worried he might become the “first guy ever to get punched out by the President.”  (Laughter.)

I will say he was a little emotive during the song.  (Laughter and applause.)  I can’t afford another one.  (Laughter.)  You have nothing to worry about.  I just recovered from my last tussle on the basketball court.  (Laughter.)

And so tonight I am pleased once again to honor a man widely considered to be among the greatest songwriters in history.  Paul first picked up a guitar at age 14, and soon it never left his side.  Homework went undone -- my understanding is.  Comics went unread.  He would play it in the bathroom.

It wasn’t long before he gravitated towards other young musicians who shared his passion -– including a young man named John Lennon.  But when Paul and his bandmates played their first set in a hole-in-the-wall jazz club in England, expectations were still low: they thought they’d be pretty big in Liverpool. 

That band went on to change the way the world thought about music.  Their songs were the soundtrack for an era of immense creativity and change.  And when Paul continued his musical journey alone after the Beatles broke up, he would become one of the few performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice -– as a Beatle and as a solo artist.  (Applause.)

Now, Paul admits that the only possible explanation is supernatural.  He says, “The most important ingredient to making a song work is magic.  You’ve got a melody, you’ve got words, but on the most successful songs, there’s a sort of magic glow that just makes the songs sort of roll out.”

We may not understand it, Paul, but for the last five decades, you’ve taken millions of fans on a pretty magical ride.  And I should point out that includes a whole new generation.  When Malia and Sasha were here -- remember, Michelle, we went upstairs and she said, “that song ‘Penny Lane,’ that's a really neat song.”  (Laughter.)  And she started trying to play it on our piano upstairs.  And so you continue to inspire, all those years since Liverpool.  Thank you.  Paul McCartney.  (Applause.)

And what can I say about our final honoree?  Michelle and I love Oprah Winfrey.  (Laughter.)  Personally love this woman.  And the more you know Oprah, the more spectacular you realize her character and her soul are, and the more you appreciate what a wonderful, gifted person she is.

It’s easy to forget sometimes that Oprah was once a girl with a funny name in a little town down South.  Back then, nobody would have ever dreamed that she would become someone who moves an entire nation each and every day.  But the signs were there. 

After two days of kindergarten, Oprah wrote a note to her teacher that read: “I don’t think I belong here because I know a lot of big words.”  (Laughter.)  Her teacher agreed, and she moved on to first grade.

And while she was working as a reporter in Baltimore, Oprah was told she was “too engaged” and “too emotional” about her stories, so the station put her on a talk show to run out her contract.  That worked well.  (Laughter.)  How’s payback?  (Laughter.)   That planted the seed for what would become the highest-rated talk show in American television history.

Oprah’s gift -– as a host, as a producer, as an Oscar-nominated actress –- has always been her ability to relate to her audience –- to laugh with us, to cry with us, to draw us in and connect our most fervent hopes and deepest fears to her own.  The reason we share ourselves with Oprah is because she shares herself with us.  Her childhood of abuse.  Her personal battles.  Her life as a woman, as an African American, as someone who is determined to confront both great injustices of the world and the private struggles of everyday life. 

She has taught us to find strength in overcoming; to take a stand for ourselves and what we know is right.  And she has shown millions of people around the world –- people she probably will never meet -– what it means to believe in “the dream of your own life.”  Oprah Winfrey.  (Applause.)

So Merle Haggard, Jerry Herman, Bill T. Jones, Paul McCartney, -- what’s your name again?  (Laughter.)  Paul McCartney.  Oprah Winfrey.  Their lives and their stories are as -- (sound of telephone ringing.)  Who is calling?  (Laughter.) -- are as diverse as any you can imagine.  Yet in their own way, each of these honorees help us understand the human experience -– to illuminate our past, to help us understand our present, and to give us the courage to face our future. 

Being here with tonight’s honorees, reflecting on their contributions, I’m reminded of a Supreme Court opinion by the great Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.  In a case argued before the Court in 1926, the majority ruled that the state of New York couldn’t regulate the price of theater tickets, because, in the opinion of the majority, the theater was not a public necessity. They argued, in effect, that the experience of attending the theater was superfluous.  And this is what Justice Holmes had to say.  “To many people -- he wrote in his dissent --  ”the -- let me start that over.  “To many people, the superfluous -- it’s this lip that's -- (Laughter.)  It’s hard to say.  (Laughter.)  You try it when you’ve had 12 stitches.  (Laughter.)   “The superfluous” -- thank you.  (Applause.)  All right.  “To many people the superfluous is necessary.”

The theater is necessary.  Dance is necessary.  Song is necessary.  The arts are necessary -- they are a necessary part of our lives.

The men and women here tonight embody that idea.  Their work has enriched our lives.  It has inspired us to greatness.  And tonight, it is my honor to offer them the appreciation of a grateful nation.

Thank you very much, all five of you.  God bless you.  Thank you. 

END
5:30 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 04, 2010

Remarks by the President at the Announcement of a U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement

Eisenhower Executive Office Building
Room 430

12:21 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Today I want to speak briefly about two issues that matter most to me and matter most to the American people -- creating jobs and economic growth on which our country’s prosperity depends.

Yesterday’s job report showed that despite 11 consecutive months of private sector job growth, despite creating more than 1 million private sector jobs this year, it’s not enough.  We have to do more to accelerate the economic recovery and create jobs for the millions of Americans who are still looking for work. 

And essential to that effort is opening new markets around the world to products that are “Made in America.”  Because we don’t simply want to be an economy that consumes other countries’ goods.  We want to be building and exporting the goods that create jobs here in America and that keeps the United States competitive in the 21st century. 

That’s why today I am very pleased that the United States and South Korea have reached agreement on a landmark trade deal between our two countries.  I’m joined this morning by my outstanding U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Ron Kirk, as well as Michael Froman, who was one of our lead negotiators.  As you’ll remember, we did not finalize this agreement on my recent visit to South Korea.  And I didn’t agree to it then for a very simple reason:  The deal wasn’t good enough.  It wasn’t good enough for the American economy, and it wasn’t good enough for American workers.

As I said in Seoul, I’m not interested in signing trade agreements for the sake of signing trade agreements.  I’m interested in agreements that increase jobs and exports for the American people and that also help our partners grow their economies.  So I told Ron and our team to take the time to get this right and get the best deal for America.  And that is what they have done.  The agreement we’re announcing today includes several important improvements and achieves what I believe trade deals must do -- it’s a win-win for both our countries.

This deal is a win for American workers.  For our farmers and ranchers, it will increase exports of American agricultural products.  From aerospace to electronics, it will increase our manufacturing exports to Korea, which already support some 200,000 American jobs and many small businesses.  In particular, manufacturers of American cars and trucks will have much more access to the Korean market, we’ll encourage the development of electric cars and green technology in the United States, and we’ll continue to ensure a level playing field for American automakers here at home.

In short, the tariff reductions in this agreement alone are expected to boost annual exports of American goods by up to $11 billion.  And all told, this agreement -- including the opening of the Korean services market -- will support at least 70,000 American jobs.  It will contribute significantly to achieving my goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next five years.  In fact, it’s estimated that today’s deal alone will increase American economic output by more than our last nine free trade agreements combined.

This deal is also a win for our ally and friend South Korea.  They will gain greater access to our markets and make American products more affordable for Korean households and businesses -- resulting in more choices for Korean consumers and more jobs for Americans. 

I would add that today is also a win for the strong alliance between the United States and South Korea, which for decades has ensured that the security that has maintained stability on the peninsula continues.  And it’s also allowed South Korea its extraordinary rise from poverty to prosperity.  At a time in which there are increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, following the North’s unprovoked attack on the South Korean people, today we are showing that the defense alliance and partnership of the United States and South Korea is stronger than ever.

I’m especially pleased that this agreement includes groundbreaking protections for workers’ rights and for the environment.  In this sense, it’s an example of the kind of fair trade agreement that I will continue to work for as President, in Asia and around the world.

This agreement also shows that the United States of America is determined to lead and compete in our global economy.  We’re going to stand up for American companies and American workers, who are among the most productive and innovative in the world.  And we’re going to compete aggressively for the jobs and markets of the 21st century.

Reaching this agreement was not easy.  But I want to give special thanks to my partner, South Korean President Lee, for his commitment to a successful outcome.  And, again, I want to thank Ron and Mike for their outstanding work, and their entire team for their tireless efforts.  They were up late a lot of nights over the last several months.

We’re going to continue to work with our Korean partners to fully implement this agreement and build on our progress in other areas, such as ensuring full access for U.S. beef to the Korean market.

And I look forward to working with Congress and leaders in both parties to approve this pact.  Because if there’s one thing Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree on, it should be creating jobs and opportunity for our people. 

Which brings me to the other issue I want to address.  Earlier today, the Senate voted on two provisions to extend tax cuts for the middle class.  And I’ll admit, I am very disappointed that the Senate did not pass legislation that had already passed the House of Representatives to make middle-class tax cuts permanent.  Those provisions should have passed.  I continue to believe that it makes no sense to hold tax cuts for the middle class hostage to permanent tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans -- especially when those high-income tax cuts would cost an additional $700 billion that we don’t have and would add to our deficit.

But with so much at stake, today’s votes cannot be the end of the discussion.  It is absolutely essential -- to our hardworking middle-class families and to our economy -- to make sure that their taxes don’t go up on January 1st.

I’ve spoken with the Democratic leadership in Congress, and I look forward to speaking with the Republican leadership as well.  And my message to them is going to be the same:  We need to redouble our efforts to resolve this impasse -- in the next few days -- to give the American people the peace of mind that their taxes will not go up on January 1st.  It will require some compromise, but I’m confident that we can get it done.  And the American people should expect no less.

As we work our way through this issue, we must not forget that last week some 2 million Americans who have lost their jobs also saw their unemployment insurance expire -- right in the middle of the holiday season.  And that’s not how we should do business here in America.  I believe it is simply wrong to even consider giving permanent tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans while denying relief to so many Americans who desperately need it and have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

So we are going to continue to work on this issue through the weekend, into early next week.  And I’m going to be rolling up my sleeves, with the leaders of both parties in Congress.  We need to get this resolved, and I’m confident we can do it.

Thank you very much, everybody.

END
12:30 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 04, 2010

MENSAJE SEMANAL: Vicepresidente Biden hace un llamado al Congreso para que mantenga los recortes tributarios para la clase media y que extienda los beneficios por desempleo este año

WASHINGTON – Debido a la visita del Presidente Obama a las tropas en Afganistán, el Vicepresidente Biden pronunció el mensaje de esta semana, en el que dijo que el Congreso debe extender los recortes tributarios para la clase media y los beneficios por desempleo este año. Los efectos combinados del aumento de impuestos para la clase media y dejar de pagarles a dos millones de estadounidense los beneficios por desempleo podrían costarle al país cientos de miles de empleos. Y decir que durante estos tiempos difíciles no podemos darnos el lujo de auxiliar a millones de estadounidenses, pero que sí podemos darnos el lujo de otorgarles recortes tributarios al dos por ciento más rico de la población, no solo es mala política económica, sino también injusto.

El audio y el video estarán disponibles a las 6:00am EST del sábado, 4 de diciembre, 2010 en www.whitehouse.gov.


 
Declaraciones del Vicepresidente Joe Biden
Versión preparada
Mensaje semanal
4 de diciembre, 2010


 
Los saluda Joe Biden. Estoy hablándoles en lugar del Presidente Obama esta semana porque él se encuentra camino de regreso de Afganistán, donde ha pasado tiempo con los valientes hombres y mujeres de nuestras Fuerzas Armadas.
 
Es difícil estar lejos de casa durante las fiestas, especialmente en zona de guerra, de modo que él quería visitarlos en persona para agradecerles a nombre de todos los estadounidenses por los servicios y sacrificios que hace cada uno de ellos. Y aquí en casa, la Primera Dama y mi esposa Jill le han dado prioridad a respaldar a las familias militares. Estas familias también están haciendo difíciles sacrificios por nuestro país y también merecen nuestra admiración y gratitud.
 
Los miembros de nuestras Fuerzas Armadas y sus familiares siempre están en nuestros pensamientos, incluso cuando el Presidente y yo estamos trabajando en otros asuntos que les conciernen a todas las familias estadounidenses: la aceleración de nuestra recuperación, el crecimiento de nuestra economía, el fortalecimiento de nuestra clase media y hacer que nuestros amigos y vecinos vuelvan a trabajar.

En los últimos meses hemos visto señales alentadoras en este campo. Después de reducirse durante cuatro trimestres consecutivos, nuestra economía ya viene creciendo durante cinco trimestres consecutivos. Después de casi dos años de pérdida de empleos, nuestra economía ha generado más de un millón de empleos del sector privado, solo este año.
 
Y después de estar al borde de la liquidación el año pasado, nuestra industria automotriz está teniendo ganancias sostenidas, las líneas ensambladoras están funcionando otra vez y la industria estadounidense está volviendo a estabilizarse y luchando para recuperarse.
 
De todos modos, el informe laboral del viernes fue un serio recordatorio de ello. Si bien vimos otro mes de crecimiento laboral en noviembre, simplemente no fue suficiente.
 
Eso subraya por qué es tan importante continuar sin demora las otras medidas que tendrán el mayor impacto en el crecimiento de la economía.
 
Primero: tenemos que extender los recortes tributarios para la clase media que van a caducar a fines de este mes. Si no lo hacemos, millones de familias de clase media van a ver descuentos mucho mayores en sus cheques de pago a partir del 1ero de enero. Y eso es lo último que debe pasar. Tras una década en que han perdido terreno, las familias de clase media no están en la situación de enfrentar un aumento en los impuestos y nuestra economía no está para recibir el golpe que resultará del hecho que las familias de clase media tengan menos dinero para gastar.
 
Y en segundo lugar tenemos que extender los beneficios por desempleo para los estadounidenses que han perdido su trabajo en esta difícil economía. Sin beneficios por desempleo, las familias no pueden cubrir sus necesidades básicas comprando productos cultivados, fabricados o vendidos por otros estadounidenses.
 
Juntos, el impacto económico de aumentarle los impuestos a la clase media, y negarles a dos millones de estadounidenses los beneficios por desempleo, nos costarían cientos de miles de empleos más. Simplemente no sería una decisión inteligente.
 
Y negar beneficios por desempleo no solo no es inteligente, sino injusto. Es como decirles a millones de nuestros vecinos que no tienen trabajo hoy, sin haber merecido el despido, que los abandonamos a su suerte.
 
Ese no es el mensaje apropiado en una época de esperanza. Todos conocemos a alguien que está pasando por un mal momento. Cuando eso sucede en Estados Unidos, lo ayudamos a recuperarse. Así somos los estadounidenses. Así se hace en Estados Unidos.
 
Así que simplemente no estoy de acuerdo con la gente que dice que no podemos auxiliar a los estadounidenses que perdieron su empleo durante la peor recesión en generaciones, pero que sí podemos prestarnos cientos de miles de millones de dólares para extender recortes tributarios para el dos por ciento más rico de los estadounidenses. No solo es mala política económica, también es injusto, simple y llanamente.
 
El Congreso debe extender esos necesarios beneficios por desempleo antes del receso de fin de año. Y debe impulsar el crecimiento económico al preservar los recortes tributarios para nuestra clase media. Me alegra que la Cámara de Representantes haya votado de este modo esta semana, y hago un llamado al Senado de Estados Unidos para que haga lo mismo.
 
Miren, no cabe duda de que estamos en una época difícil. Y lento pero seguro estamos luchando para recuperarnos y avanzar. Y vamos a seguir luchando para hacer que esta economía crezca, para fortalecer a nuestra clase media y para restaurar el Sueño Americano. Se los prometo.
 
Y lo último: como el Presidente estará de regreso la próxima semana para grabar este mensaje, aprovecho la oportunidad para desearles, junto con mi familia, una Feliz Navidad, Feliz Jánuka y que lo pasen muy bien estas fiestas y que tengan un Año Nuevo incluso mejor.
 
Gracias y que disfruten el fin de semana.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 03, 2010

Remarks by the President to the Troops at Bagram Air Base

Bagram Air Base

10:37 P.M. (Local)

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  I’m sorry, Bagram, I can’t hear you.  (Applause.)  Air Assault!  (Applause.)  It is great to be back.  Let me first of all thank the 101st Airborne Division Band.  Where’s the band?  Give them a big round of applause.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  

To Chief Thomas Hager and to the commander and conductor.  I gather we had a couple of other bands playing, Manifest Destiny and Nuts.  I don’t know about, you know -- I don’t know how they sounded.  What did you think?  Were they pretty good?  (Hooah!)

It is great to be back.  And I apologize for keeping you guys up late, coming on such short notice.  But I wanted to make sure that I could spend a little time this holiday with the men and women of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known, and that’s all of you.  (Applause.)

I want to thank General Petraeus, not only for the introduction and the T-shirts, but for General Petraeus’s lifetime of service.  This is somebody who has helped change the way we fight wars and win wars in the 21st century.  And I am very grateful that he agreed to take command of our efforts here in Afghanistan.  He has been an extraordinary warrior on behalf of the American people.  Thank you, David Petraeus.  (Applause.)

I want to thank all your outstanding leaders who welcomed me here, including General John Campbell; Admiral Bill McRaven from the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing; Colonel Todd Canterbury.  I want to salute your great senior enlisted leaders, including Command Sergeant Major Scott Schroeder -- (hooah!) -- Command Sergeant Major Chris Farris, and Command Chief Craig Adams.  (Hooah!)

I also want to acknowledge the outstanding work that our civilians are doing each and every day, starting with Karl Eikenberry all the way through to your senior civilian representative Thomas Gibbons and all the civilians who are here.  They are fighting alongside you.  They are putting themselves at risk.  They are away from their families.   And we are very, very grateful to them as well.  So give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

I think we’ve got every service here tonight.  We’ve got Army.  (Applause.)  We’ve got Navy.  (Applause.)  We’ve got Air Force.  (Applause.)  I think we may have a few Marines around, too.  (Applause.)  And a whole lot of folks from the 101st Airborne Division, The Screaming Eagles.  (Applause.)

Here in Afghanistan, you are all -- Coast Guard, is that what I heard?  (Laughter.)  Here in Afghanistan, all of you are part of one team, serving together, succeeding together, except maybe in next week’s Army-Navy game.  As your Commander-in-Chief, I’ve got to stay neutral on that.  (Laughter.)  We also have some ISAF partners here as well.  

You know, when I was here in the spring, we had a coalition of 43 nations.  Now we’ve got a coalition of 49 nations.  And this sends a powerful message that the coalition of nations that supports Afghanistan is strong and is growing.  

Now, I’m not here to give a long speech.  I want to shake as many hands as I can.  (Hooah!)  But let me say that at this time of year, Americans are giving thanks for all the blessings that we have.  And as we begin this holiday season, there is no place that I’d rather be than be here with you.  

I know it’s not easy for all of you to be away from home, especially during the holidays.  And I know it’s hard on your families.  They’ve got an empty seat at the dinner table.  Sometimes during the holiday season that’s when you feel the absence of somebody you love most acutely.  

But here’s what I want you to know.  As President of the United States, I have no greater responsibility than keeping the American people secure.  I could not meet that responsibility, we could not protect the American people, we could not enjoy the blessings of our liberty without the extraordinary service that each and every one of you perform each and every day.

So on behalf of me, on behalf of Michelle, on behalf of Malia and Sasha, on behalf of more than 300 million Americans, we are here to say thank you.  (Hooah!)  We are here to say thank you for everything that you do.

Now, I also want to say thank you to your families back home so that when you talk to them you know that they know.  (Applause.)  They’re serving here with you -- in mind and spirit, if not in body.  

Millions of Americans give thanks this holiday season just as generations have before when they think about our armed services.  You’re part of an unbroken line of Americans who have given up your comfort, your ease, your convenience for America’s security.  

It was on another cold December more than 200 years ago that a band of patriots helped to found our nation, defeat an empire -- from that icy river to the fields of Europe, from the islands in the Pacific to the hills of Korea, from the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq, those who went before you, they also found themselves in this season of peace serving in war.  They did it for the same reason that all of you do -- because the freedom and the liberty that we treasure, that’s not simply a birthright.  It has to be earned by the sacrifices of generations -- generations of patriots, men and women who step forward and say, send me.  I know somebody has got to do it, and I’m willing to serve.  Men and women who are willing to risk all and some who gave all to keep us safe, to keep us free.

In our time, in this 21st century, when so many other institutions seem to be shirking their responsibilities, you’ve embraced your responsibilities.  You’ve shown why the United States military remains the most trusted institution in America.

That’s the legacy that your generation has forged during this decade of trial in Iraq and here in Afghanistan.  That’s the legacy that you’re carrying forward.

As General Petraeus mentioned, one year ago I ordered additional troops to serve in this country that was the staging ground for the 9/11 attacks.  All of those troops are now in place.  And thanks to your service, we are making important progress.  You are protecting your country.  You’re achieving your objectives.  You will succeed in your mission.  (Hooah!)

We said we were going to break the Taliban’s momentum, and that’s what you’re doing.  You’re going on the offense, tired of playing defense, targeting their leaders, pushing them out of their strongholds.  Today we can be proud that there are fewer areas under Taliban control and more Afghans have a chance to build a more hopeful future.

We said a year ago that we’re going to build the capacity of the Afghan people.  And that’s what you’re doing, meeting our recruitment targets, training Afghan forces, partnering with those Afghans who want to build a stronger and more stable and more prosperous Afghanistan.

I don’t need to tell you this is a tough fight.  I just came from the medical unit and saw our wounded warriors, pinned some Purple Hearts.  I just talked to the platoon that lost six of their buddies in a senseless act of violence.  

This is tough business.  Progress comes slow.  There are going to be difficult days ahead.  Progress comes at a high price.  So many of you have stood before the solemn battle cross, display of boots, a rifle, a helmet, and said good-bye to a fallen comrade.

This year alone nearly 100 members of 101st have given their last full measure of devotion.  There are few days when I don’t sign a letter to a military family expressing our nation’s gratitude and grief at their profound sacrifice.  And this holiday season our thoughts and prayers are with those who’ve lost a loved one -- the father and mother, the son or daughter, the brother or sister or friend who’s not coming home.  And we know that their memories will never be forgotten and that their life has added to the life of our nation.

And because of the service of the men and women of the United States military, because of the progress you’re making, we look forward to a new phase next year, the beginning of a transition to Afghan responsibility.

As we do, we continue to forge a partnership with the Afghan people for the long term.  And we will never let this country serve as a safe haven for terrorists who would attack the United States of America again.  That will never happen.  (Hooah!)  

This part of the world is the center of a global effort where we are going to disrupt and dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and its extremist allies.  And that’s why you’re here.  That’s why your mission matters so much.  That’s why you must succeed -- because this effort is about the safety of our communities back home and the dignity of the Afghan people who don’t want to live in tyranny.

Now, even though it is a hallmark of American democracy that we have our arguments back home, we have our debates, we have our elections, I can say without hesitation that there is no division on one thing, no hesitation on one thing -- and that is the uniform support of our men and women who are serving in the armed services.  (Hooah!)

Everybody -- everybody is behind you.  Everybody back home is behind you.  Everybody, from north to south to east to west, from sea to shining sea, the American people are united in support of you and your families.

And as your Commander-in-Chief, I also want you to know that we will do whatever it takes to make sure that you have the strategy and the resources and the equipment and the leadership to get this done.  

You may have noticed that during these tough budget times, I took the step of freezing pay for our federal workforce.  But because of the service that you rendered, all who wear the uniform of the United States of America are exempt from that action.  (Hooah!)

And we’re going to make -- we’re going to spare no effort to make sure that your families have the support that they deserve as well.  That doesn’t just matter to me.  It’s also a top priority for Michelle -- to make sure that Americans understand the sacrifices that your families are making.  As she likes to say, 100 percent of Americans need to be right -- they are supporting you and your families -- 100 percent.  Only 1 percent are fighting these wars, but 100 percent of us have to be behind you and your families.

Your generation, the generation of Afghanistan and Iraq, has met every mission that you’ve been given.  You’ve served tour after tour.  You’ve earned not just our admiration; you’ve earned your place in American history alongside those greatest generations.

And the stories of those who served in these wars are too numerous to tell.  But one of my greatest privileges as President is to get to know the stories of those who earn the Medal of Honor.  

Two months ago, I presented the Medal to the parents of Staff Sergeant Robert Miller, who gave his life here in Afghanistan as a member of the Green Berets.  His valor, charging toward some 150 insurgents, saved the lives of nearly two dozen American and Afghan comrades.  

Last month, we held another ceremony.  For the first time in nearly 40 years, the recipient of the Medal of Honor for an ongoing conflict was actually able to accept it in person.  His name is Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta.  And some of you may have seen his story, but I want to tell it again tonight because of what it says not just about our armed forces, but also what it says about the country that we love.

So three years ago, Sal and his platoon were in Korengal Valley.  When their patrol was ambushed, two Americans lay wounded up ahead.  That’s when Sal and his men counter-attacked.  Again and again and again, they were being rained down with fire.  But they just kept counter-attacking because they wanted to get their two buddies.

And when he saw one of his teammates wounded and being carried away by insurgents, Sal rushed in to help his friends -- despite the bullets.  Despite the danger, he kept on pressing forward.  It was an incredibly intense firefight.  And by the time it was finished, every single member of that platoon had shrapnel or a bullet hole in their gear.  Five were wounded, and two had given their lives.

Now, Sal is a pretty humble guy.  And so when he came to the White House he said, “You know, I didn’t do anything special.”  He said he was just doing his job, that he didn’t do anything that his brothers wouldn’t have done for him.

“If I’m a hero,” he said, “then every man who stands around me, every woman in the military, every person who defends this country is also a hero.”

And he’s right.  Each of you has your own story.  Each of you is writing your own chapter in the story of America and the story of American armed forces.  Each of you have some losses.  Each of you have made sacrifices.  You come from every conceivable background -- from big cities and small towns, from every race and faith and station.  You’ve come together to serve a greater cause, one that matters to the citizens of your country back home and to strangers who live a world away.  

So make no mistake, through your service, you demonstrate the content of the American character.  Sal is right -- every single one of you is a hero.  

Some people ask whether America’s best days lie ahead or whether our greatness stretches back behind us in the stories of those who’ve gone before.  And when I look out at all of you, I know the answer to that.  You give me hope.  You give me inspiration.  Your resolve shows that Americans will never succumb to fear.  Your selfless service shows who we are, who we always will be -- united as one people and united as one nation -- for you embody and stand up for the values that make us what we are as a people.

America is not defined by our borders.  We are defined by a common creed.  In this holiday season, it’s worth remembering that “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator by certain inalienable rights, that among these are the right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

And that’s what you’re fighting for here in Afghanistan, and that’s what you’re protecting back home. And that belief is more powerful than any adversary.

So we may face a tough enemy in Afghanistan, and we’re in a period of tough challenges back home, but we did not become the nation that we are because we do what’s easy.  As Americans we’ve endured and we’ve grown stronger, and we remain the Land of the Free only because we are also Home of the Brave.

And because of you, I know that once more, we will prevail.  So thank you.  God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.  (Hooah!)  

Thank you, everybody, and Happy New Year.  Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.

END
10:59 P.M. (Local)

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2010

Remarks by the President at a Hanukkah Reception

East Room

6:44 P.M. EST

      THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, this is a good looking group right here.  (Laughter.)

      Good evening, everybody.

      AUDIENCE:  Good evening.

      THE PRESIDENT:  Welcome to the White House.  I want to thank all of you for joining us in celebrating the second night of Hanukkah.  Happy Hanukkah, everybody.  (Applause.)

      We are joined tonight by Ambassador Michael Oren, of Israel.  Where’s Michael?  (Applause.)  He’s way back there.  And so I want to begin by offering our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all of those who’ve died as a result of the terrible forest fire in northern Israel.

      As rescuers and firefighters continue in their work, the United States is acting to help our Israeli friends respond to the disaster.  A short while ago, our ambassador in Tel Aviv, Jim Cunningham, issued a disaster declaration, which has launched an effort across the U.S. government to identify the firefighting assistance we have available and provide it to Israel as quickly as possible.  Of course, that's what friends do for each other.

      And, Mr. Ambassador, our thoughts and prayers are with everybody in Israel who is affected by this tragedy and the family and loved ones of those in harm’s way.

      Tonight, it’s an honor to welcome so many friends and leaders from the Jewish community and beyond.  And I want to start by recognizing my Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, George Mitchell, who is here.  Please give him a round of applause.  (Applause.)  And all the other outstanding members of the diplomatic corps who are here.

      One third of the Supreme Court is here.  (Applause.) One of my favorites, Justice Ginsburg, is hiding out here in the front.  (Laughter.)  She really is here.  It’s hard to see.  (Laughter.)

      Justice Breyer is here.  And -- where’s Justice Breyer?  There he is -- right here.  (Applause.)   And our newest addition and former colleague of mine when we were teaching together, Elena Kagan is in the house.  (Applause.)

      I want to also acknowledge somebody who I rely on day in, day out, who is not only a great Vice President, but is also -- (laughter) -- one of my dearest friends; Joe Biden is in the house.  (Applause.)

      And to all the members of the administration, and members of Congress, and all the state and local leaders who are with us today, welcome.

      I want to thank Joshua Redman for gracing us with his talent and helping us with the music.  (Applause.)

      And finally, I want to thank the rabbis and lay leaders who have traveled from all over the country to be here.  Yes, you can give yourselves a round of applause.  (Applause.)

      Now, tonight, we gather to celebrate a story as simple as it is timeless.  It’s a story of ancient Israel, suffering under the yoke of empire, where Jews were forbidden to practice their religion openly, and the Holy Temple -- including the holy of holies -- had been desecrated.

      It was then that a small band of believers, led by Judah Maccabee, rose up to take back their city and free their people.  And when the Maccabees entered the temple, the oil that should have lasted for a single night ended up burning for eight.

      That miracle gave hope to all those who had been struggling in despair.  And in the 2,000 years since, in every corner of the world, the tiny candles of Hanukkah have reminded us of the importance of faith and perseverance.  They have illuminated a path for us when the way forward was shrouded in darkness.

      And as we prepare to light another candle on the menorah, let us remember the sacrifices that others have made so that we may all be free.  Let us pray for the members of our military who guard that freedom every day, and who may be spending this holiday far away from home.

      Let us also think of those for whom these candles represent not just a triumph of the past, but also hope for the future -- the men, women and children of all faiths who still suffer under tyranny and oppression.

      That’s why families everywhere are taught to place the menorah in public view, so the entire world can see its light.  Because, as the Talmud teaches us, “So long as a person still has life, they should never abandon faith.”

      Now, the menorah we’re using tonight, and the family who -- who is going to help us light it, both stand as powerful symbols of that faith.

      This beautiful menorah has been generously loaned to us by Congregation Beth Israel in New Orleans.  (Applause.)  Five years ago, when Hurricane Katrina hit, the synagogue was covered in eight feet of water.   Later, as the cleanup crew dug through the rubble, they discovered this menorah, caked in dirt and mold.  And today it stands as a reminder of the tragedy and a source of inspiration for the future.

      And that feeling is shared by Susan Retik.  It’s a feeling they know all too well.  After her husband, David, was killed on September 11th, Susan could have easily lost herself in feelings of hopelessness and grief.  But instead, she turned her personal loss into a humanitarian mission -- co-founding “Beyond the 11th,” a group that reaches out to Afghan widows facing their own struggles.

      So on this second night of Hanukkah, let us give thanks to the blessings that all of us enjoy.  Let us be mindful of those who need our prayers.  And let us draw strength from the words of a great philosopher, who said that a miracle is “a confirmation of what is possible.”

      And now I’d like to turn it over to Susan, who by the way has been on this stage before, receiving a presidential award for her outstanding work.  But she happens to be joined by a beautiful family -- Donald, Ben, Molly, Dina and Rebecca.  (Laughter.)  Rebecca is down here.  So I want to turn -- there she is.  Yes, she is adorable.  (Laughter.)  As Michelle -- (Laughter.)  As Michelle said as we were getting on stage, she will be stealing the show.  (Laughter.)  So we’re going to turn it over to Susan and her family for the blessings.

      (The blessings are offered.)

      THE PRESIDENT:  So happy Hanukkah to all of you.  We’re going to see most of you downstairs.  Be patient in the line.  (Laughter.)  And I just want to let everybody know that, yes, they will be able to Photoshop my lip for the picture.  (Laughter.)  Happy Hanukkah, everybody.  (Applause.)

                                           END           6:54 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2010

Remarks by the First Lady at Fisher House Tour and Ribbon Cutting

Fisher House, Bethesda, Maryland

11:25 A.M. EST

      MRS. OBAMA:  Well, thank you.  Thank you, Ken, for that very kind introduction.  And I want to thank you and your wife, Tammy, for your outstanding work through the Fisher House Foundation.

      I also want to recognize our Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus; the Commander of this medical center, Admiral Matthew Nathan and his wife, Captain Tammy Nathan; and all of the other military and community leaders who are here with us today.  And Chase, too, back there.  (Laughter.)

      (Child makes noise.)

      MRS. OBAMA:  Yeah.  (Laughter.)

      I have to say it is a pleasure and it is an honor to join you as you open the doors of this beautiful house, one of the three new Fisher houses that you’re opening here at The National Navy Medical Center.

      Every day, this house and others like it across this country remind us of a simple truth: that when our men and women in uniform are called to serve, their families serve, too.  Their sacrifice is their families’ sacrifice, as well.  And that’s particularly true in times of crisis when our service members and veterans are sick or wounded and are struggling to get well again.

      We know the toll that can take on a family, both personally and financially, especially when a loved one is receiving treatment far away from home.  We know the fear and the anxiety that these families experience.  We know the prohibitive costs of hotels and transportations, costs that have kept many family members apart, and placed tremendous burdens on so many others.

      Now, we’re fortunate to have places like this medical center that provide world-class care for our men and women in uniform.  But we also know that often, in order to heal, our service members need more than the best medical treatment.  They also need folks who will travel that road to recovery with them; the spouse who sits by the bedside and serves as their champion and their voice day after day; the parent who pushes and encourages them week after week; the son or daughter who reminds them of everything they have to look forward to.

      That is what Fisher House provides for so many military families –- that chance to be together when they need each other most.  Now, houses like this one allow them to leave behind their worries about costs and logistics and focus on what matters most -– helping their loved ones heal.

      And since the very first Fisher House was opened here at this hospital nearly 20 years ago, more than 130,000 families have been served.  And nearly 3 million days of lodging have been provided, saving families an estimated $100 million.

      And these numbers don’t even begin to capture the impact these houses have had -- the late nights families have spent in those kitchens laughing, crying and praying together; the lifelong friendships they’ve maintained; and the gratitude and relief they feel knowing that wherever they are, they’ll have a place to call home.  

      And we know the sacrifices these folks are making, putting their careers on hold, putting their own dreams aside, often working around the clock to care for those they love.

      And that’s why earlier this year, my husband signed legislation to provide new assistance for wounded warrior care providers to make their jobs just a little bit easier.  This legislation provides financial assistance, counseling, health insurance and respite care to those who need it most.

      The way I see it, this is the least we can do for these families.  And it’s the least we can do for the men and women who have sacrificed so much to keep us safe.

      Now, I’ve had the privilege of visiting with many of these folks all across the country.  And I can tell you that they are simply extraordinary.  No matter how badly they’ve been wounded, no matter how much pain they’re in, they refuse to scale back their dreams.  They’re making plans.  They’re re-imagining their futures.  They tell me that they’re not just going to walk, but they’re going to run again, and that they’re going to run a marathon.

      And I’ll never forget the handwritten sign that one young man –- a Navy Seal named Lt. Jay Redman –- posted on his hospital room door when he was here back in 2007.

      Lt. Redman was shot eight times while serving in Iraq.  He endured dozens of surgeries, got 1,200 stitches, 15 skin grafts, and he spent 73 days here recovering.

      And after he left, he donated the sign to this hospital.  And I had the privilege of reading it when I was here back in October, and I wanted to take a moment just to share that sign with you today.  It reads:

      “To all who enter here: If you are coming into this room with sorrow or to feel sorry for my wounds, go elsewhere.  The wounds I received, I got in a job I love, doing it for people I love, supporting the freedom of a country I deeply love.  I am incredibly tough and will make a full recovery.  What is full?  That is the absolute utmost physically my body has the ability to recover.  Then I will push that about 20 percent further through sheer mental tenacity.  This room you are about to enter is a room of fun, optimism, and intense rapid re-growth.  If you are not prepared for that, go elsewhere.”

      And as we open this house today, that is the spirit we honor –- the spirit of resilience and healing, that spirit of patriotism and service.

      That was the spirit that Ken’s Uncle, Zachary Fisher, sought to honor when he founded Fisher House two decades ago.

      And I think it’s worth noting that Zachary’s family was not a military family.  Neither Zachary nor his wife Elizabeth had ever served in our armed forces.

      But they loved their country, they had the highest respect and appreciation for those who served it, and they spent their lives showing their gratitude in every way they could.

      They remind us that even if we’re not part of a military family, we’re all a part of the American family, and every single one of us, every single one of us has an obligation to support the men and women who protect us, and the families who love them.  

      And during this holiday season especially, I hope that we all recommit ourselves to that critically important work.

      So I want to thank you all.  I want to thank our service men and women.  I want to thank their families, the Fisher family.  You all are doing some incredible work.  And we’re proud to be a part.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

                   END                         11:33 A.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2010

Remarks by the President and Vice President in a Meeting with Newly Elected Governors

Blair House

1:04 P.M. EST

      THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Please sit down.  Thank very much.  Well, let me begin by saying congratulations to all of you.  And, you know, I always ran for the United States Senate and would never have the courage to run for governor or mayor, because they know where you live -- (laughter) -- and you really have to get things done.  In the Senate, we had a nice time.  (Laughter.)

      But seriously, congratulations.  And I know all of you are facing, no matter how good a shape you’re in, your states because of this worldwide recession that hit us early on and because of the slowness of the recovery, although it’s recovering, you have a whole lot of daunting problems to face.  And you all have to balance your budgets.  And so we know it’s going to be tough.

      What I can tell you, and if you talk to some of your colleagues who did not run this time, I’ve had the pleasure over the last year and a half literally to be in contact with every governor multiple times in trying to implement the Recovery Act.  And I made a commitment to the governors, and I make it again.  You may or may not need or want the assistance at the federal level on some of the things we might be able to be helpful on.  But I guarantee you, any question you have, any difficulty you have in dealing with any aspect of the federal bureaucracy -- and I’ve kept this commitment -- pick up the phone and call me personally.  I guarantee you I will have you an answer within 24 hours.  And if I don’t have the final answer, I’ll call you within 24 hours and tell you when you’ll get the answer, because this is a partnership, whether we like it or not.  I happen to like it.

      But you’re the place where people look.  You’re the place where all the basic services that determine the quality of their life are determined.  And we want to be helpful.

      One of the things we’re doing -- and I look around at the Cabinet members here, and they can attest to this -- is that we want to make sure that we are totally responsive.  And when we don’t agree, we don’t agree.  When we agree, we agree.  But the only thing that is dangerous is uncertainty.

      And so, rest assured you literally, not figuratively, can pick up the phone.  I’d encourage you to call me.  You probably don’t have to do that, because you’ll get responsive answers from the Cabinet members here.  But if you do not or you’re having any difficulty, call and I’ll get you an answer.

      Now, the other thing I want to say to you is that, you know, we -- I’ve had the chance to travel in most of your states and literally talk to thousands of your constituents, from your teachers and your firefighters to the business owners to mothers and fathers.  Everybody is -- a sense of anxiety about is this thing going to keep moving.

      And so, to the extent that we can all be on the same page in doing the one thing we all want to do, we want to provide people with jobs.  We want to provide people with decent jobs and a decent opportunity.  And part of it all relates to giving them some vision for how we’re going to get to the place that they want to be, which is once again with an economy that is growing robustly and with middle-class people having a fair chance of staying there and those seeking to get into the middle class have an equal opportunity to climb into it.  Because that’s what I think, at least in my view, the vast majority of the people in your states want.

      So, folks, we’re going to have to rebuild an economy together.  We’re going to have to re-imagine a better future for the American people.  And we’re going to have to renew a sense of hope in all of our constituents, all Americans, in order to get to the place we have to be.

      I would just offer as an observation that I can’t think of any time -- as a student of history, like all of you -- where the American people, when given an even chance, that they have ever, ever, ever, ever, ever let their country down.  I can’t think of a single, solitary circumstance in American history where that’s the case.

      And I think what we’re all -- Democrats and Republicans -- are all about is giving people an equal chance, just give them a fighting chance.  That’s all they’re asking for.  And so we want to help you in any way we can.

      And I know that old bad joke, I’m from the federal government and I’m here to help.  But I am from the federal government, but we’re here, and use us as best you can in dealing with the problems you have.

      So, folks, without further ado my real job here today is to introduce the President of the United States.  And without any further explanation, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.  (Applause.)

      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much, everybody.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  Please, have a seat, have a seat.

      Well, congratulations, first of all, to all of you for your victories, and welcome to the Blair House.  You are part of a long line of illustrious visitors in this space.  Winston Churchill used to hang out here when he was in the midst of working with FDR during World War II.  Truman stayed here for four years when they were redoing the White House residence.  And Abraham Lincoln was a close friend of the Blairs, so he used to visit here almost every night.

      And as some of you I’m sure are aware, I read Lincoln a lot and think about Lincoln a lot.  And I think one story that comes to mind right now is, at the time that he was President, visitors used to be able to come in -- Secret Service weren’t there to mag you and frisk you.  And somebody demands to see him and insists on waiting.  And finally Lincoln lets him in, and then guy says, “I’m responsible for you being elected President of the United States.”  And Lincoln says, “Really?”  He says, “Yes, I did all the work.  I was one of your hardest workers.  And now I expect some help.”  And Lincoln says, “Well, let me tell you, if you are indeed responsible for helping me get elected, I forgive you.”  (Applause.)

      Now, some of you may feel the same way -- or at least you will in a month or so.  But the truth is that as somebody who served in state government, I’m aware of the fact that state government and local government is where rubber hits the road.  A lot of times we have a lot of abstract debates here in Washington, but each day -- and every day -- you are close to the ground and you are seeing the impacts of the decisions that are made, whether in Washington or in your state capitals, in very intimate ways.

      And so I have nothing but respect and regard for the chief executives of all 50 of our states.  And I am looking forward to working with each and every one of you.  I want to spend most of my time in a dialogue, so I’m not going to give a long speech.  I’m just going to remark on a couple of points.

      Point number one:  We have just had a very vigorously contested election, but the election is over.  And now I think it’s time for all of us to make sure that we’re working together.  I am a very proud Democrat, as some of you in the room are, although not as many as I had expected.  (Laughter.)  Some of you are very proud Republicans.  But we’re all prouder to be Americans.

      And this country has just gone through a wrenching two years -- the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and the toughest economy that most of us have seen in our lifetimes.  And so as a consequence I think it’s absolutely critical that whatever our positions, whatever our parties, that wherever we can we can pull together to make sure that we’re doing right by the American people.  And I know that everybody in this room believes that.

      In that spirit, just earlier this week we had a meeting with both Democratic and Republican leaders here in Washington to start talking about how we can find ways to agree on promoting growth and promoting jobs across all 50 states.  And I’m actually optimistic that before the end of the year we are going to have come to some agreements on some critical issues.

      Obviously issue number one is making sure that on January 1st, middle-class families aren’t seeing their taxes go up as a consequence of the expiration of some of the Bush tax cuts that are currently in place and some of the tax cuts that we’ve put in place over the last two years.  And so that’s going to be an important discussion over the next several days.  I believe it will get resolved.

      That doesn’t mean there may not be some posturing over the next several days.  But I’m confident in the end people are going to recognize that it’s important for families who are still struggling to have some relief and it’s important for our economy to make sure that money is still out there circulating at a time when we are recovering but we’re not recovering as fast as we need to.

      Along those same lines, I’m hopeful that we get the issue of unemployment insurance resolved.  Some of you may be aware that as of today, you’ve got 2 million people who stand to lose their unemployment insurance over the course of the year.  If we don’t do something, 7 million people could lose their unemployment insurance.  That’s not also -- that’s not just a potential tragedy for those individual families.  It could have a huge impact on your local economies because every economist of every stripe will tell you that unemployment insurance dollars are probably the ones that are most likely to be spent, most likely to be recirculated, most likely to help to boost small business and services all across your states and they’re going to have an effect on your sales revenue.

      So our hope and expectation is, is that unemployment insurance -- something that traditionally has had bipartisan support -- is something that once again will be dealt with as part of a broader package.

      Here’s the good news:  The economy is on the uptick.  We’ve now had five consecutive quarters of economic growth and we’ve had 10 consecutive months of private sector job growth.  But I think we all recognize that it’s not moving as quickly as it needs to.  And there are going to be a whole range of issues that we’re going to have to focus on together at the federal and state levels to assure not only that we get out of this crisis, but more importantly that we’re laying the foundation for long-term growth in the future.

      And although there are going to be some disagreements on how we get there, there are going to be some areas where I think we agree.  We all agree that we’re going to have to have the best educated workforce in the world because our children are now not just competing against other children in other states in our union, they’re now competing against kids in Beijing and Bangalore and Seoul, South Korea.  And if they don’t have what it takes to compete, then America is going to have problems economically over the long term.

      That’s why I’m so proud, under the guidance of Arne Duncan, that we have initiated some reforms that have garnered strong bipartisan support.  And, frankly, as a Democrat, I’ve been willing to go after some long-held dogmas in our party in order to spring loose a smarter conversation about how we’re educating our kids.

      Our Race to the Top program is something that has allowed states across the country to initiate reforms in a competitive way and make sure that ideas like charter schools get traction, despite previous resistance.  And I’m hoping that we can cooperate with all of you to see how we can continue to make progress on the education front.

      All of us are going to be interested in innovation and research and development.  And there are governors here, or governors-elect here from both parties who are interested in clean energy, for example, and what can we do to make sure that wind turbines and solar panels and electric cars are made here in the United States, that that doesn’t become one more source of imports from other countries.  And I’m eager to work with all of you on those issues.

      I think it’s going to be very important that we work together on issues of spending.  And each of you are going to be struggling with some very tough budgets.  Washington is going to be in very tough budget circumstances.  And many of you were elected on the basis that we’ve got to get control of spending because you care about the next generation.  And if we continue down the path that we’re on, then we’re going to have problems.  And what that means is, we’re going to be interested in hearing from all of you about programs that you think are working, but also programs that you think are not working.  Contrary to the mythology, believe it or not, it turns out that I would love to eliminate programs that don’t work.  And you guys are the ones oftentimes who are implementing them.

      If there’s red tape or bureaucracy that we can eliminate it, we want to eliminate that.  We have no interest in making your life harder.  We want to be a partner for all of you in being responsive to your constituencies.

      Now, I will confess that there are going to be times where we do believe that having basic national standards are going to be important; that there are certain things that we as a country, we as a people, aspire to, and that we need to maintain some consistency across the states.  But for the most part, if there are going to be -- if there’s going to be experimentation, if states are going to continue to be laboratories for democracy, that’s something that we welcome and embrace.

      And so if you have ideas around any of the issues that my Cabinet members who are here are responsible for, I guarantee you will get a serious response from them in terms of how we can work together.

      So to sum up my initial remarks, I heard -- I overheard Joe say that he will always take your call.  I promise you, he will be calling you.  At a certain point you may say, “It’s Biden again.”  (Laughter.)  But I think the same is going to be true for Valerie Jarrett, who heads up our Intergovernmental Affairs.  The same is going to be true for our various Cabinet officials.  They are going to want to hear from you.

      And the one thing that I would urge is don’t wait until you’re really mad about something before you call us.  We’d prefer not to read about it in the press.  (Laughter.)  We’d rather you call us ahead of time and say, you know what, we think this isn’t working.  We think this is a better way of doing things.  And we’ll work with you.  And if we don’t agree with you, we will spell out in great detail why we don’t agree with you.  And it’s not going to be based on ideology.  It’s not going to be based on partisanship.  It will be based upon our best judgment about how we move forward with the policy objectives that we all share.

      And if we end up disagreeing on something, I promise you we will not be disagreeable about it.  And we will keep on working until hopefully we can figure out a way to solve problems.

      In the end, I think that’s what this most recent election was all about.  People are frustrated, understandably, with an economy that has stalled and is not doing as well as it should for American families.  And that was true not just during this crisis but it was true for the decade before this crisis.  And I think what the American people are expecting from all of us is that -- not that we suddenly put aside politics, not that we put aside principles, because everybody here is driven oftentimes with some very strongly held principles about what America should be and how we can move forward, but that at a certain point we also concern ourselves with governing and delivering for them.

      And I know of no group of people who more consistently steer in that direction than governors, because ultimately the buck stops with you in your state, just as the buck stops with me at the national level.

      And so I look forward to working with you and I look forward to seeing you again fairly soon.  We usually host a governors bash early in the year, and that way I’ll have a chance to meet all your spouses and you guys will get dressed up and look really good.  (Laughter.)

      All right?  Okay.  With that, we’re going to clear the press out of the room so that all these folks can be -- tell me what they really think about me.  (Laughter.)

                             END           1:23 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 01, 2010

Remarks by the President and General Colin Powell After Meeting

Oval Office

3:34 P.M. EST

      THE PRESIDENT:  I want to thank General Colin Powell for being here with me today.  He is not only a great statesman and a great public servant, but also a great friend and a great counselor.  And periodically I check in with him, and I know my entire team, including the Vice President, checks in with him, because he continues to have an unparalleled sense of our national security needs, and I think really taps into the best impulses of the American people.

      The first thing that I want to do is I want to congratulate him and his wife Alma for the extraordinary work that he’s been doing with America’s Promise, which focuses on how can we finally get serious about education reform, because he understands, Alma understands and all of us understand that our kids are going to be competing not just against each other here in this country but they’re now competing worldwide.

      And America’s Promise has been at the forefront on education reform.  They just issued a report, “Building a Grad Nation,” that notes that we have made some progress over the last several years in reducing the number of dropout factories that we have around the country, that we are seeing a greater emphasis on kids staying in school, but we’ve still got a lot more work to do.  And it’s going to require all of us -- parents, teachers, administrators, the public and private sector -- to make sure that we continue on this trend of improvement.

      So thank you for the work you’re doing in that.

      Most of the discussion we had was around national security issues.  We talked about some of the challenges across the landscape, from North Korea to Iran to Afghanistan.  But we spent, in particular, a lot of time talking about the START treaty.  General Powell has been involved with just about every arms control treaty since there were arms control treaties.  I hate to --

      GENERAL POWELL:  Not quite that long.

      THE PRESIDENT:  I hate to date him, but from the Reagan administration on, he has helped to shepherd through a variety of these arms control treaties, and the reason is, is because he understands, as so many others understand, that a world without binding U.S.-Russia arms control treaties is a more dangerous world.

      And he and I discussed why START is so important.  In the absence of START, without the New START treaty being ratified by the Senate, we do not have a verification mechanism to ensure that we know what the Russians are doing, and they don’t know what we’re doing.  And when you have uncertainty in the area of nuclear weapons, that’s a much more dangerous world to live in.

      We also discussed the fact that Russia has cooperated with us on critical issues to our national security like Iran sanctions, transit to supply our troops in Afghanistan, working on securing loose nuclear materials.

      And the relationships and trust that are built from the New START treaty spill over into a whole host of other national security issues that are of vital importance to America.

      So Colin is one of a number of former national security advisors, Secretaries of Defense, Secretaries of State -- from both Democratic and Republican administrations -- that have emphasized how important it is to get this done.  And we discussed the fact that the Senate appropriately has a role in advice and consent, and it ultimately needs to ratify this treaty.  That’s why we have made sure that we have had 18 separate hearings.  We have answered over a thousand questions.  We have offered to brief every single senator -- Republican and Democrat -- around these issues.  But now it’s time to get this done.

      I’m gratified by the leadership of the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar, as well as the ranking Democrat, the chairman, John Kerry, for their extraordinary cooperation and work on this issue.

      It is important for us to make sure that we complete the evaluation process, we finish the debate, and we go ahead and finish this up before the end of the year.

      And so I just want to again thank General Powell for his good counsel, his friendship, most importantly his service to our country.  And I very much appreciate the fact that he supports an effort that all of us should support in order to make America more safe.

      GENERAL POWELL:  Thank you very much, Mr. President.  Let me begin by thanking you for your support of the America’s Promise Alliance and the Grad Nation effort.  And also let me take this opportunity to thank Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for the great job that he is doing in making sure that our kids are ready for this 21st century world that is going to be so demanding.

      The President noted the issues that we discussed with a particular focus on the New START treaty.  I fully support this treaty and I hope that the Senate will give its advice and consent to the ratification of the treaty as soon as possible.

      I have been involved, as the President noted, in arms control negotiations and the ratification of arms control negotiations and treaties for the last 25 years.  And what is fascinating about this whole process to me is that 25 years ago, the Soviet Union and the United States each had an inventory of something like 28,000, 29,000 nuclear weapons.  As a result of the arms control process and the end of the Cold War and change in the world situation, those numbers have been reduced by over 80 percent, so they’re down now under 10,000.

      One of the reasons we were able to do this in a way that was transparent with both sides confident in the process was because of the arms control agreement -- whether it was INF Treaty or START I or START II that were ratified, the Moscow Treaty -- so many other treaties that came along to give us stability, to give us transparency, to give us visibility into what each side was doing.  As a result of these treaties we have both benefited -- both the Russian Federation now and the United States of America, but the world has benefitted by having fewer of these horrible weapons in existence.

      And we hope that we can continue this process.  New START is important because it continues this process.  And it’s especially important because at the end of last year, we lost the verification system that we had under START I.  And this is the first time in all these years where we don’t have these procedures in place.  So we’re not sure exactly what’s going on within the Russian Federation; they’re not exactly sure what’s going on in the United States of America.

      And I think the most important feature of New START is to put in place the verification regime again.  It will be a little different than the START I verification system, but it is more than adequate to make sure that we know what they are doing and they know what we are doing, and it has been so identified as being adequate by our intelligence community.

      The number of warheads reduced is modest but nevertheless significant.  It continues the downward trend.  And so I fully support it.

      And you’ll see tomorrow morning in -- hopefully in The Washington Post an op-ed piece signed by me, Secretary Shultz, Secretary Baker and Secretary Kissinger, former Secretaries, then former Secretary Eagleburger that once again shows we as a group of Republican former Secretaries of State believe that this treaty is in the best interest of the United States of America, best interest of the world and frankly the best interest of the Russian Federation.

      A good treaty is one that both sides think they have benefited from, and that has been the history of arms control agreements with the Soviet Union and now the Russian Federation.

      As the President noted, the Senate has a very important role to play in providing advice and consent on any treaty.  And in all the treaties that I’ve dealt with, I’ve seen the same kind of process where questions are asked, challenges are made, understandings are examined to make sure that the Senate knows exactly what they are getting into.

      And I think some important issues have been raised:  the issue of modernization of our nuclear weapons as appropriate.  And the President has indicated to the Senate and especially to Senator Kyl that a significant amount of money will be invested in the reliability and modernization of our systems and our facilities.  And that was very, very important.

      I think I spoke to the verification issues, and I think they’re fine.  The question has come up as to whether or not missile defense, our missile defense activity, is in any way jeopardized by this treaty.  And it is not.  Preambulatory language at the beginning of the treaty and other elements within the treaty in no way restrict the United States’ ability to do what we think is appropriate with respect to missile defense.

      The issue also has come up with respect to theater nuclear weapons, the smaller nuclear weapons that we both have.  Mostly the Russian side has them; we have some.  And this treaty, nor have any of the other strategic arms control treaties, dealt with that issue.

      But if we get this treaty behind us, the administration is committed, the President has made clear, that he wants to enter into a dialogue with the Russian Federation in order to start capturing those systems as well.

      And so I’m sorry I missed the meeting the President had with the other Secretaries and national security advisors the week before last, but I’m glad I had this opportunity to share my thoughts with the President.

      So I hope that the Senate will move quickly and give its advice and consent to the ratification of this treaty.

      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much, everybody.

      Q    -- Senate Republicans, what McConnell did today, is that -- didn’t break the spirit?  Didn’t break the spirit of yesterday, what Senator McConnell did?

      THE PRESIDENT:  I am absolutely -- I am confident that nobody wants to see taxes on middle-class families go up starting January 1st, and so there’s going to be some lingering politics that have to work themselves out in all the caucuses, Democrat and Republican.  But at the end of the day, I think that people of good will can come together and recognize that given where the economy is at right now, given the struggles that a lot of families are still going through right now, that we’re going to be able to solve this problem.  And I think we got off to a good start yesterday.  There are going to be ups and downs to this process, but I’m confident that we’re going to be able to get it done.  All right?

                     END              3:46 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 01, 2010

Remarks by the First Lady at Holiday Press Preview

East Room

12:29 P.M. EST

      MRS. OBAMA:  Well, hello, everyone.  Good morning.

      AUDIENCE:  Good morning.

      MRS. OBAMA:  And Happy Holidays.  All right now, it’s Christmas.  I know you guys are in the military and you keep your kids -- but they can scream!  It’s Christmas!   It’s exciting!  They're so disciplined.  (Laughter.)

      Well, it’s good to have you all.  I want to thank you all for joining us today as we kick off the holiday season here at the White House.  And this is a very exciting time here at the White House for me and our family.

      Now, looking around, it’s easy to see and hopefully you guys have gotten to see a little bit, but you’ll get to see more, but you can understand why this is one of my favorite times of the year.  It really is.

      First of all, seeing all you beautiful kids dressed up and looking so smart and pretty and beautiful in your dresses is just so exciting.  But we’ve got -- here at the White House we have 19 Christmas trees in every corner of the White House.  So there are 19 Christmas trees here, right?  So when you walk around you count them, okay, to make sure that I was right.  All right?

      We have a giant Bo made out of pipe cleaners.  Have you all seen that yet?  Well, you’re going to see that.  It’s pretty, pretty shocking.  But it’s very cool and he’s very soft.

      We have 350 pounds of gingerbread house that you’ll get to see that took our wonderful pastry chef Bill Yosses and his team and entire month to create.  It took him a month to make this.  So you guys are going to get to see that.

      We also have some creative stations that we’ll be doing some projects this afternoon.  And I’m going to help, hopefully, if it’s not too messy.

      And over the next few weeks, more than 100,000 people will walk through these halls to enjoy the decorations and get in the holiday spirit.

      And you guys are some of the first families to see the house.  Do you realize that?  Nobody else but our family and our volunteers has seen this yet, so this is a very special day, and we’re glad to have you.

      But in many ways, this is really what the White House is all about.  And I say this all the time.  It’s the “People’s House.”  It’s a place that is steeped in history, but it’s also a place where everyone should feel welcome.  And that's why my husband and I have made it our mission to open up the house to as many people as we can, especially during the holiday seasons.

      So it goes without saying that when you look around, that our family never could have done all of this wonderful decorating on our own.  In fact, we only did a little bit of it.  That's why over the last few days nearly 100 volunteers from all over the country have been working so hard.  They’ve been making all the ornaments that -- many of them that you’ve seen.  They’ve been hanging the lights and transforming these rooms into breathtaking works of art.  And I have to say the house looks more beautiful than it did last year.  It is really something special.

      So I want to take a moment to thank everyone who helped pull this house together -- all of our volunteers, all of the artists, all the planners, all the White House staff.  Every single person in the White House is in involved in turning this house into what you see today.

      And any and everyone who has helped to bring joy to so many people, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the work that you’ve done.  In the end, that spirit of kindness and generosity is really what the holiday season is all about.  And it was the idea behind this year’s theme, which is “Simple Gifts”.  That's the theme this year, “Simple Gifts,” because in the end, the greatest blessings of all are the ones that don't cost a thing -- the time that we spend with our loved ones, the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, and the joy we feel from reaching out to those in need.

      And that's why our holiday decorations this season include a children’s tree, with some beautiful gingerbread ornaments that were decorated by children of our troops.  And hopefully you’ll get a chance to see that, as well.

      We also have a very special Military Appreciation Tree in honor of our men and women in uniform who can’t always spend the holiday season with the people they love the most.  It is the creation of Deborah Mullen, my dear friend and the wife of Admiral Mike Mullen, who has been an incredible advocate for military families and is here with us today.  So, Deborah, I know you hate this, but please stand so that we can thank you.  (Applause.)

      We are also honored to be joined by so many members of the military and their families today, folks who show us every day with their service truly what it means to put others above self.  And as First Lady, I’ve had the privilege of meeting our men and women in uniform on bases and in hospitals and in communities all across the country.  And I say this all the time, but when I make those visits, I come away not just with a sense of pride and gratitude, but also with a sense of awe, both at their courage and their sacrifice and at their commitment to serving their country and their communities.

      That’s what the folks here today are doing with a very special program, “Toys for Tots,” that is run by the Marine Reserves.  Each of them has volunteered their time, collecting and distributing some of the millions of toys that will be delivered to children this year.  “Toys for Tots” is just one example of how our military families are serving our communities and Americans in need all around the country, year-round.

      And I’m thrilled that the White House staff will be supporting their efforts with a toy drive to help make this holiday a little bit brighter for children right here in the D.C. community.  This is the second year that we’ve participated.  So I want to thank you all so much for coming.  I hope that you enjoy yourselves here today.  I want to thank you for your service and your work.  I want to thank your families for the sacrifices you all make, especially our little people who sacrifice just as much as the big people do.  This is your time of year.

      So we wish you guys a happy and healthy holiday season.  We want you to enjoy this day, this time here at the White House.  Have fun.  Moms, they’re going to get a little messy, so just bear with them.  So make sure you have fun.

      And now, I would like to introduce the President and CEO of “Toys for Tots,” Lieutenant General Pete Osman, who is going to share some more of the details about this year’s program.

      So thank you all, and let’s welcome the General.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)

      GENERAL OSMAN:  Mrs. Obama, let me start off with -- by thanking you so, so much not just for having us here today, but for what you did last year.  For those of you who don’t know, the First Lady last year stepped up and said she really wanted to assist with “Toys for Tots,” and she did.

      I got to tell you that last year we had an incredibly successful campaign.  And there’s no doubt in my mind that the First Lady standing behind it really made it successful.  So, Mrs. Obama, you made a difference.  Thank you very, very much for that.  (Applause.)

      MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.

      GENERAL OSMAN:  Our First Lady made a difference and certainly as she has pointed out so many times, our military service members today are making a difference, certainly Marines amongst them.

      Marines have an opportunity though to make a difference in a very different way, not only in the protection of our country, but also in helping those less fortunate families and particularly less fortunate children at Christmas time through the “Toys for Tots” program.  Those of you who don’t know it, the Marine Corps has been doing “Toys for Tots” for 63 years.  And over those 63 years, the Marine Corps together with the thousands of volunteers have been able to distribute over 400 million toys to almost 200 million children.  What an accomplishment.

      But it couldn’t be done alone.  It really is the generosity of the American people that make it work.  So I once again appeal to that generosity of our American public to step forward and once again buy that toy, drop it in one of our barrels.  If it’s more convenient, go online to “Toys for Tots” and make that online donation.  It will make a difference.  In fact, a $25 or $30 donation goes a long way in helping a less fortunate child at Christmas time.

      And let me share just a quick story with you that will show you an example of what I’m talking about.

      A couple of years back, there was a wonderful family in D.C. -- Mom, Dad, five kids.  Happy family.  And unfortunately, tragedy struck.  The father took ill and quickly passed away.  The mom, who had been a stay-at-home mom, all of a sudden found herself having to find a job while still raising her five children.  She realized she was going to have to make some tough choices, and she did.  I mean, she had a house payment to make, utilities, food to buy, clothing and all that, and she said, “We’re going to have to cut Christmas this year.”

      Now, she had to make this decision early on, probably in the October time frame.  And she was comfortable with it.  But as Christmas drew nearer and nearer, she became very concerned.  In fact, on Christmas Eve, she was distraught.  She was beside herself with the thought on Christmas morning her children were going to come downstairs and there weren’t going to be any gifts under that little Charlie Brown Christmas tree that they had.

      Fortunately, the knock at the door came, and standing there were two Marines, a couple of volunteers, and a bunch of boxes full of toys.  So needless to say, for the Johnsons the next morning, they had a wonderful Christmas.

      But that’s not the end of the story.  Interesting thing was one of the toys was a big old red fire truck.  And one of her sons really took a liking to that fire truck.  That became his favorite toy that day and for the rest of the next year and actually to years after that.  And as you would have it, that fire truck had an impact.  Today, that man is one of D.C.’s finest.  He’s a firefighter with the D.C. Fire Department.

      So if you don’t think that toy makes a difference, just remember this story.  And the great thing is, is there are thousands of stories just like that out there.

      So I once again ask the American public to dig deep, be the generous Americans that you always are, buy that toy, put it in one of our barrels, make that online donation.  Believe me, it will make a difference.

      Work together with our Marines, our thousands of volunteers, and certainly the First Lady in bringing the joy of Christmas and sending a message of hope to America’s less fortunate children.

      One last thing.  It’s only 24 days ‘till Christmas.  Thank you all very much.  (Laughter and applause.)

      MRS. OBAMA:  Well, we are certainly all going to do our part here at the White House.  And one thing I remember last year -- and just to note -- is that sometimes people forget about the broad range of children in a family.  And oftentimes, I know last year, there were a lot of wonderful toys for the little itty bitty ones, but then there was a gap in toys for kids who were sort of beyond toy age.

      So also, American public, when you’re out there shopping, thing about the cross-section, think about the teenagers, think about the pre-teens.  I know it’s exciting to go out there and buy the cute little toys, and we do that as well, but think about the spectrum as well as you shop.  That’s one thing we focused on here in the First Lady’s office is that segment of the youth population.

      So we know people will turn out this year.  Sounds like people are shopping away out there, and that’s a good thing.  And people should look for these boxes.  Go online.  We urge you to help make the holidays special for every family in this country.

      And to the Marine Reserves, you guys are amazing for what you do, because they do this on top of what they normally do.  There are a lot of good stories in the work that these folks do on this program.  So we’re very grateful to you all, and we’re going to do our part.  So thanks so much.

      And now we have a special surprise for the kids who are here.  I want to bring out three of our amazing White House artisans.  We’ve got Laura Dowling who is our florist, we’ve got Cris Comerford, Bill Yosses, and several of the White House chefs who are going to show us some of their holiday secrets.  You ready to see some secrets?  Want to see how some of the stuff is made?  You think -- are you ready for that?

      CHILDREN:  Yes.

      MRS. OBAMA:  Wait, wait, are you ready for that?

      CHILDREN:  Yes!

      MRS. OBAMA:  Okay, well, parents, you guys can stay here.  I know, they’ll be fine.  (Laughter.)  And breathe a little bit.  And we should bring you some eggnog or something.  (Laughter.)  But kids, if you stand up and follow these guys, right, they’re going to take you over to the room.  I’ll come and meet you guys over there.  And you can learn some of the secrets of how we do things here at the White House.  Okay?  Everybody march.  We’re marching.

      All right, we’ll see you guys over there.

                        END           12:44 P.M. EST