The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 27, 2010

Remarks by the President in Conference Call with College and University Student-Journalists

12:16 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, everybody.  Thanks for joining me today.  Before I get to the questions I want to just take a minute to underscore something that is probably going to make as big a difference in our success as a nation as anything we do, and that's what we're trying to achieve to strengthen our nation’s higher education system.  Our classrooms, our professors, our administrators, our students -- you guys are going to drive future success of the United States.

I've been talking about this a lot lately.  We have fallen behind.  In a single generation we've fallen from first to 12th in college graduation rates for young adults.  And if we're serious about building a stronger economy and making sure we succeed in the 21st century, then the single most important step we can take is to make sure that every young person gets the best education possible -- because countries that out-educate us today are going to out-compete us tomorrow.

So what I've done, starting with this past year’s State of the Union address, is proposed that by 2020, we once again are number one and have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.  And we're trying to put in place some policies to help us meet this goal. 

First of all, we're making college more affordable.  For example, we've changed the way federal student loans are administered.  Instead of handing over $60 billion in unwarranted subsidies to big banks that were essentially getting this money even though the loans were guaranteed by the federal government, we're redirecting that money so that it goes directly to students.  And that's allowing us to support community colleges and make college more affordable for nearly 8 million students and families.

We're tripling the investment in college tax credits for middle-class families.  We're raising the value of Pell Grants and we're going to make sure that they keep up with inflation.  What we've also done is made sure that future borrowers are able to choose a plan so that you never have to pay more than 10 percent of your salary each month to service student loans that you’ve taken.  And if you go into public service and you keep up with your payments, whatever leftover student debt that you have will be forgiven after 10 years.  And finally, as part of this effort, we're simplifying financial aid forms.

Another important way we're making college more affordable, under the Affordable Care Act, my health care bill, is that young adults can now stay on their parents’ health plans until they’re 26 years old.  And that obviously provides relief to a lot of young people who are looking maybe at their first job not providing health insurance.

Our second priority is making sure that higher education creates a workforce that's ready for the new jobs of the future. Community colleges are going to play a critical role in getting there, and I've asked Dr. Jill Biden to hold the first-ever White House summit on community colleges.  That way stakeholders are going to be able to discuss how community colleges can make sure we've got the most educated workforce in the world in relevant subjects that help people get jobs.  That summit is going to be here next week. 

A third part of our higher education strategy is where all of you have an important role, and that's making sure that more students complete college.  We've done okay in terms of college enrollment rates, but more than a third of America’s college students and more than half of our minority students don't earn a degree, even after six years.  And that's a waste of potential, particularly if folks are racking up big debt and then they don't even get the degree at the end -- they still have to pay back that debt, but they’re not in a stronger position to be able to service it.  

So obviously it’s up to students to finish, but we can help remove some barriers, especially those who are earning degrees while working or raising families.  So that's why I’ve long proposed what I call a college access and completion fund, which would develop, implement and evaluate new approaches to improving college success and completion, especially for kids from disadvantaged backgrounds.  We’re also making sure our younger veterans are supported through a post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

The key here is, is that we want to open the doors of our colleges and universities to more people so they can learn, they can graduate, and they can succeed in life. 

And while we had a setback last week, one last element that I want to mention is the need to get the DREAM Act passed.  Some of you are probably aware this is important legislation that will stop punishing young people who -- their parents brought them here; they may not have been documented, but they’ve for all intents and purposes grown up as American young people.  This gives them the chance to obtain legal status either by pursuing a higher education or by serving in the U.S. armed forces for the country they’ve grown up in and love as their own, the same way that all of us do.

So these are all some of the steps that we’re taking to help students fulfill their dreams, but also a key part of my economic platform in terms of making the country stronger. 

With that, I’m ready to take questions on higher education issues or any other issue that you guys are interested in.

MR. DAILEDA:  Hi, Mr. President.  How are you today?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m good, Colin.  Where are you calling from?

MR. DAILEDA:  I’m calling from southwest Virginia, Radford University.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, tell everybody I said hi there.

MR. DAILEDA:  I’ll do that.  Okay, so I’ve heard some of my professors call our generation the “lost generation” because we’re going to get out of school with a ton of debt due to student loans and not be able to pay them off really because, well, we don't -- not going to get a steady job -- it’s not that likely to begin with -- and the economy is in the shape it is currently in.  So I guess my question is, do you think there’s some truth to that?  And do you think it will take a longer time than usual for our generation to get on our feet?

And I guess -- I mean, you talked about in your health care plan and how we’re able to stay on our parents’ plans now until we’re 26 and that’s going to help us deal with kind of money issues and insurance.  But what else are you -- is your administration doing to kind of I guess help us stand up when we get out of college?

THE PRESIDENT:  A couple points I’d make.  First of all, I think your generation is going to be just fine.  I mean, we’ve gone through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and so things are real tough for young people right now.  But having said that, if you are getting a college degree, if you’ve got skills in math and science or good, sound communication skills, there are still jobs out there even in a tough environment.  And nine out of 10 people who are looking for work can still find work. 

The key is for us to keep on improving the economy, and that’s going to be my number one priority over the next several years.  If the economy is growing, if we’re investing in small businesses so they can open their doors and hire more workers, if we’re helping large businesses in terms of plants and equipment  -- a lot of the initiatives that I’ve put in place already -- if we’re building infrastructure -- not just roads and bridges but also broadband lines -- if we’re investing in clean energy -- all those things are going to open up new opportunities for young people with skills and talent for the future.

So don’t let anybody tell you that somehow your dreams are going to be constrained going forward.  You’re going through a slightly tougher period.  But if you think about it, what we called “the greatest generation,” my grandparents’ generation, they had a situation where unemployment reached 30 percent and they ended up essentially building the entire American middle class to what it was and making this the most powerful economy in the world.  So right now we’re going through a tough time but I have no doubt that you guys are going to be successful.

Now in the meantime, some specific things that we can do to help, I already mentioned two of them.  One was you being able to stay on your parents’ health care until you’re 26.  That gives you a little bit of a cushion in the initial jobs that you’re getting coming out of college.  The second thing that I’ve already mentioned is that starting in 2014, we’re going to be in a situation where young people can cap their debt at 10 percent of their salary, regardless of what that salary is. 

And if you go into something like teaching, for example, or you’re a police officer or firefighter, public service jobs of one sort or another, then that's forgiven after 10 years.  That's obviously going to be a big boost that would have helped me out a lot, because I ended up having 10 years worth of loans I had to pay down after I got out of law school.

In the meantime, what we’re also doing -- and this is already in place, this doesn’t wait till 2014 -- we have increased the Pell Grant.  We’ve made it available to more people.  We’ve made it more reliable.  And so hopefully students who are studying now are going to be able to keep their student loan -- their debt lower than I did when I went to school or Michelle did when we went to school.  That's obviously going to help.  That's a second thing.

A third thing we’re trying to do is to make sure that we’re giving young people a better sense of what jobs are out there in the future so that people end up gravitating towards the skills and the degrees that they need to get employed.  That's especially important for young people who are going through a community college system, because a lot of times folks are going through programs that -- where they’re racking up debt, they’re getting college credits, but these aren’t ultimately giving them the kinds of skills that they need to get a job.

And so all those things can be helpful in moving us forward. But the single most important thing I’ve got to do is make sure that we get this economy back on track, and that's why I’m so focused on things like a bill I’m going to be signing today that provides small businesses further incentive to invest and gives them tax breaks and financing, because they’re huge drivers of job creation over the long term.

All right?  Who do we have next?

MS. ZETTELL:  Hi, Mr. President.  Thank you for taking the time to do this today. 

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it’s great to talk to you.  Which college are you calling from?

MS. ZETTELL:  I’m calling from the University of Wisconsin, where you will be tomorrow.

THE PRESIDENT:  I am looking forward to getting to Madison.  (Laughter.) 

MS. ZETTELL:  Well, we’re very excited to have you here.  I guess my question is, why are you so interested in Wisconsin?  I mean, you’ve been here quite a few times, especially over the summer.  I mean, why come to -- why host a rally here tomorrow?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, first of all, I’m a Midwest guy, and so whenever I get a chance to get back to the Midwest I’m always happy about it.  Second, I love Madison because when I was just out of college and I moved to Chicago to work as a community organizer, I still had a couple of friends who were up going to school in Madison, so I used to drive up there and have fun times, which I can’t discuss in detail with you.  (Laughter.)

And the third thing is, the reason we’re going to Madison is because I want to send a message to young people across the country about how important this election is.

Look, back in 2008, a lot of young people got involved in my campaign because they felt like the path that we were on, where we were in a war in Iraq, a war in Afghanistan, no clear plan for us to get out of either one; we had run up huge deficits that people were going to have to pay off long term; the economy wasn’t doing well; health care system was a mess -- I think people just generally felt that we needed to bring about some fundamental changes in how we operate.  And this was all before the financial crisis.  And I think a lot of people felt that our campaign gave them a vehicle to get engaged and involved in shaping the direction of this country over the long term. 

Now, I’ve been in office for two years; we’ve been in the midst of this big financial crisis.  I’ve been having all these fights with the Republicans to make progress on a whole bunch of these issues.  And during that time, naturally, some of the excitement and enthusiasm started to drain away because people felt like, gosh, all we’re reading about are constant arguments in Washington and things haven’t changed as much as we would like as quickly as we’d like -- even though the health care bill got passed, and financial regulatory bill got passed, and we’ve brought an end to our combat mission in Iraq.  But still it seems as if a lot of the old politics is still operating in Washington.

And what I want to do is just to go speak to young people directly and remind them of what I said during the campaign, which was change is always hard in this country.  It doesn’t happen overnight.  You take two steps forward, you take one step back.  This is a big, complicated democracy.  It’s contentious.  It’s not always fun and games.  A lot of times, to bring about big changes like, for example, in our energy policy, you’re taking on a lot of special interests -- the oil companies and utilities.  And some of them may not want to see the kinds of changes that would lead to a strong green economy. 

And the point is, though, you can’t sit it out.  You can’t suddenly just check in once every 10 years or so, on an exciting presidential election, and then not pay attention during big midterm elections where we’ve got a real big choice between Democrats and Republicans. 

I mean, you’ve got a situation right now where the Republicans put out their Pledge to America that says we’re going to give $4 trillion worth of tax breaks, $700 billion of those going to millionaires and billionaires, each of whom would get on average a $100,000 check.  And to even pay for part of that, we’re going to cut all the improvements that we just talked about making on student loans, so that 8 million young people would see less support on student loans.  We’d cut back our education assistance through the higher education by 20 percent.  Well, that's a big choice.  That has big consequences.

And so even though this may not be as exciting as a presidential election, it’s going to make a huge difference in terms of whether we’re going to be able to move our agenda forward over the next couple of years.

And I just want to remind young people, they’ve got to get reengaged in this process.  And they're going to have to vote in these midterms elections.  You’ve got to take the time to find out where does your congressional candidate stand on various issues, where does your Senate candidate stand on various issues and make an educated decision and participate in this process -- because democracy is never a one-and-done proposition.  It’s something that requires sustained engagement and sustained involvement.  And I just want to remind everybody of that.

MS. WEHR: Hi, Mr. President.  How are you?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m good, Katrina.  Where are you calling from?

MS. WEHR:  Penn State University, where Joe Biden will be tomorrow.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, tell the Nittany Lions, congratulations.  You guys won this weekend.

MS. WEHR:  Oh, yes, barely.  (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Barely.  It was a little scary there for a second.

MS. WEHR:  You’re telling me.  Anyway, so my question is actually about health care.  So will our parents’ employers be required to cover us after we graduate at their group rate that they're currently at?  Or will the cost go up as a result of us being kept on our parents’ plan?  And are there any regulations on this as far as like how it’s going to work?

THE PRESIDENT:  Your costs should not -- your parents’ costs should not go up substantially.  Under this rule, you should be able to stay on your parents’ plan until you’re 26.  The only caveat to the thing is that it assumes that your employer doesn’t offer you health care.  So if you find a job on graduation and your new employer offers you a health care plan, you can’t say to yourself, you know what, I’d rather stay on my parents’ plan and that will save me some money.  You’ve got to take up the offer that your employer gives you for health care.  But if your employer does not offer you health care, or if you’re having trouble finding a job, during that period when you’re looking for a job, you will be covered under your parents’ plan up to the age of 26.

MR. SCHONHAUT:  Hi, Mr. President.  I hope things are going well for you.

THE PRESIDENT:  They’re going great.  And, now,  congratulations to you guys.  Beating Texas, that was big.

MR. SCHONHAUT:  Thank you very much.  I don’t think many of us expected it.

THE PRESIDENT:  I can’t imagine you did.  (Laughter.) 

MR. SCHONHAUT:  Well, my question is that I think there’s a lot of concern, especially in public universities, that education is becoming increasingly less affordable.  I know like at UCLA last year they raised tuition by 32 percent to help make up for slashed funding from the state, which accounts for like $200 million at just our university this year.  And student aid has increased some in this time, especially for lower-income groups, but I think especially in the middle class a lot of families are just not being able to compensate.  So my question is how would you address this concern that public higher education is becoming more of a strain on families?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I talked about what we’re doing to increase financial aid to students and obviously that’s important.  But there’s another part of the equation and that is just the cost of college generally, both at the public and private institutions.  If I keep on increasing Pell Grants and increasing student loan programs and making it more affordable, but health care -- or higher education inflation keeps on going up at the pace that it’s going up right now, then we’re going to be right back where we started, putting more money in, but it’s all being absorbed by these higher costs.

You’ve identified one of the reasons that at public institutions costs have gone up.  It has to do with the fact that state budgets are being so hard pressed that they’re having to make severe cutbacks in the support they provide to public education.

So one of the things that I can do to help is to make sure that the economy is growing, states then are taking in more tax revenue, and if states are taking in more tax revenue, then they don't have to try to pass on increased costs to students because they can maintain levels of support to institutions of higher learning.

So improving the economy overall is going to be critical.  That will take some pressure off the states.  We also, though, need to work with the states and public universities and colleges to try to figure out what is driving all this huge inflation in the cost of higher education, because this is actually the only place where inflation is higher than health care inflation.  And some of it are things that are out of the control of the administrators at universities -- health care costs being an example.  Obviously personnel costs are a big chunk of university expenses, and if their health care costs are going up 6, 8 percent a year, then they’re going to have to absorb those costs some way. 

And that's why our health care bill generally should help, because what we’re trying to do is to control health care costs for everybody.  But there are other aspects of this where, frankly, I think students as consumers, parents as consumers, and state legislators and governors are going to need to put more pressure on universities.  And I’ll just give one example, which people may not want to hear, but when I go to some colleges and universities, public colleges and universities, and I look at the athletic facilities that exist these days, or the food courts or the other things that have to do with the quality of life at universities, it’s sure a lot nicer than it was when I was going to college.  Somebody has to pay for that. 

And part of what I think we’ve got to examine is are we designing our universities in a way that focuses on the primary thing, which is education.  You’re not going to a university to join a spa; you’re going there to learn so that you can have a fulfilling career.  And if all the amenities of a public university start jacking up the cost of tuition significantly, that’s a problem.

How courses are taught, so that we’re making sure that the teaching loads at universities continue to emphasize research and continue to give professors the opportunity to engage in work outside the classroom that advances knowledge, but at the same time reminding faculties that their primary job is to teach, and so you’ve got to structure how universities operate to give students the best deal that they can -- that’s important, too.

And so one of the things that we’re going to be doing is working with university presidents and college presidents to figure out how can we get control of costs generally and refocus our priorities and our attention on what the primary function of a university is, and that is to give students the knowledge and skills that they need to have a fulfilling career after they get out -- not to provide the best situation for the four years that they’re there.

Like I -- as I said, when I was going to college, I mean, food at the cafeteria was notoriously bad.  I didn’t have a lot of options.  We used to joke about what was for lunch that day, and there would be a bunch of non-descript stuff that wasn’t particularly edible.  But -- now, I don’t want to get in trouble with the First Lady here, because she’s obviously big on improving nutrition, but I do think that you’ve got to think about what we can do to generally make universities more cost-effective for students.

And you guys have to be good consumers, and your parents have to be good consumers, and we've got to offer you more information.  You should know where your tuition is going.  There should be a pie chart at every university that says, out of every dollar you spend in tuition, here’s where your money is going.  And you should have some good understanding of that and be able to make some better decisions as a consequence of that information.

Let me just close, because I know we’re out of time.  And hopefully as I travel around the country I'm going to be able to talk to you guys individually when I visit colleges or universities.

I know we’ve gone through a tough time these last two years. And I do worry sometimes that young folks, having grown up or come of age in difficult economic times, start feeling as if their horizons have to be lowered and they’ve got to set their sights a little bit lower than their parents or their grandparents.  And I just want to remind people that you guys all have enormous challenges that you’re going to have to face, but you continue to live in the most vibrant, most dynamic, wealthiest nation on Earth. 

And if you are able to work together as a generation to tackle longstanding problems that you inherited but that are solvable, then there’s no reason why the 21st century is not going to be the American Century just like the 20th century was. And there’s still billions of people around the world who want to come here, and they want to come here because they know that this is, for all our problems, still the land of opportunity. 

But it’s going to require us to get involved around critical issues like education and health care and energy and our foreign policy.  And we’re going to have to have vigorous debates, and we’re going to have to hammer out consensus on these issues.  And the energy that you were able to bring to our politics in 2008, that's needed not less now, it’s needed more now. 

And so I hope that everybody starts paying attention these last five weeks.  We’ve got an election coming up.  I want everybody to be well informed and to participate.  If you do, then I feel very optimistic about the country’s future.

All right?  Thank you, guys.  Bye-bye.

END
12:45 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 24, 2010

Declaraciones del Presidente Obama y el Presidente Juan Manuel Santos Calderón de Colombia antes de la reunión bilateral

Hotel Waldorf Astoria, Nueva York, Nueva York

12:26 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENTE OBAMA: Bueno, quiero darle la bienvenida al Presidente Santos aquí. Recién nos conocemos en persona, aunque tuvimos una conversación maravillosa por teléfono.

Pienso que en el poco tiempo que lleva en el cargo ya ha demostrado notable liderazgo. Ayer fue un gran día para el pueblo colombiano y quienes buscan la paz en la región; debido a la sobresaliente labor de las fuerzas de seguridad de Colombia, pudieron realizar una misión que resultó en la muerte del líder de las FARC.

     El pueblo colombiano ha sido asediado por la insurgencia terrorista por mucho tiempo, y como consecuencia del éxito de las fuerzas de seguridad de Colombia, pienso que tenemos la oportunidad de ver estabilidad continua en Colombia y en la región. Y eso creará posibilidades de paz y desarrollo bajo el liderazgo del Presidente Santos. Por lo tanto, lo felicito.

La amistad entre nuestros dos países es sumamente importante para nosotros. Estamos trabajando para hacerles frente no sólo a asuntos como la intercepción de drogas, sino también estamos interesados en determinar cómo podemos mejorar continuamente nuestra cooperación económica, nuestra cooperación política y nuestros intercambios de persona a persona para que podamos hacer que estos vínculos bilaterales sean más fuertes.

     Creo que al Presidente Santos también le gusta hacer alarde sobre el hecho de que sus Jayhawks de Kansas han ganado varios campeonatos de baloncesto. Y el año pasado me decepcionaron un poco porque aposté a que lo ganarían todo, pero perdieron. (Risas.) Pero ya me pidió disculpas por eso.

     Entonces, deseo darle la bienvenida al Presidente. Nuevamente, felicitaciones por un gran inicio. Estamos seguros de que podremos… podremos aumentar la cooperación entre nuestros dos países.

     PRESIDENTE SANTOS: Gracias. Quiero darle las gracias al Presidente Obama por su calurosa bienvenida y sus generosas palabras. En Colombia valoramos mucho nuestra especial relación con Estados Unidos. Nosotros mismos estamos pasando a una nueva era. Ahora que el problema de seguridad está más o menos resuelto, podemos proseguir con un plan de gobierno más progresista. El desarrollo social, la prosperidad de nuestro pueblo, el cambio climático, el medio ambiente… ésos son los tipos de asuntos que ahora podemos incluir en nuestro plan de gobierno. Y queremos mejorar nuestra relación con una verdadera sociedad en la que Colombia y Estados Unidos pueden trabajar juntos en la región y fuera de la región para beneficio mutuo.

     Es un orgullo para mí haberme graduado de la Universidad de Kansas. Como el Presidente Obama sabe, somos muy buenos jugadores de baloncesto. Pero cuando me llamó le comenté lo que dicen los republicanos sobre mi educación. Estuve… luego fui a Harvard. Dicen que me eduqué en Kansas y que me corrompieron en Harvard. (Risas.) No creo que… usted también se graduó de Harvard y estoy seguro de que sólo los republicanos piensan eso, no los demócratas. (Risas.)  

     PRESIDENTE OBAMA: Bueno, en realidad, todos… ellos piensan que me corrompieron en alguna parte. (Risas.) 

Bienvenido. Muchas gracias.

                        FIN           12:30 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 24, 2010

Remarks by the President in a Ministerial Meeting on Sudan

United Nations Headquarters, New York, New York

3:37 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  Mr. Secretary General, on behalf of us all, thank you for convening this meeting to address the urgent situation in Sudan that demands the attention of the world.

At this moment, the fate of millions of people hangs in the balance.  What happens in Sudan in the days ahead may decide whether a people who have endured too much war move forward towards peace or slip backwards into bloodshed.  And what happens in Sudan matters to all of sub-Saharan Africa, and it matters to the world.    

I want to thank Vice President Taha and First Vice President Kiir for being here. 

To my fellow leaders from Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia -- your presence sends an unmistakable message to the Sudanese people and to their leaders that we stand united.  The Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the civil war must be fully implemented.  The referenda on self-determination scheduled for January 9th must take place -- peacefully and on time, the will of the people of South Sudan and the region of Abyei must be respected, regardless of the outcome. 

We are here because the leaders of Sudan face a choice.  It’s not the choice of how to move forward to give the people of Sudan the peace they deserve.  We already know what needs to be done.  The choice is for Sudanese leaders -- whether they will have the courage to walk the path.  And the decision cannot be delayed any longer.     

Despite some recent progress, preparations for the referenda are still behind schedule.  Now, the vote is only a little more than a hundred days away.  And tragically, as has already been referred to, a recent spike in violence in Darfur has cost the lives of hundreds of more people.

So the stakes are enormous.  We all know the terrible price paid by the Sudanese people the last time north and south were engulfed in war:  some two million people killed.  Two million people.  Millions more left homeless; millions displaced to refugee camps, threatening to destabilize the entire region.  Separately, in Darfur, the deaths of hundreds of thousands shocked the conscience of the world.  This is the awful legacy of conflict in Sudan -- the past that must not become Sudan’s future.

That is why, since I took office, my administration has worked for peace in Sudan.  In my meetings with world leaders, I’ve urged my counterparts to fully support and contribute to the international effort that is required.  Ambassador Susan Rice has worked tirelessly to build a strong and active coalition committed to moving forward.  My special envoy, General Gration, has worked directly with the parties in his 20 visits to the region. 

We’ve seen some progress.  With our partners, we’ve helped to bring an end to the conflict between Sudan and Chad.  We’ve worked urgently to improve humanitarian conditions on the ground.  And we’re leading the effort to transform the Sudan People’s Liberation Army into a professional security force, including putting an end to the use of children as soldiers. 

Recognizing that southern Sudan must continue to develop and improve the lives of its people -- regardless of the referendum’s outcome -- we and the U.N. mission are helping the government of southern Sudan improve the delivery of food and water and health care and strengthen agriculture.

And most recently, we’ve redoubled our efforts to ensure that the referenda takes place as planned.  Vice President Biden recently visited the region to underscore that the results of the referenda must be respected.  Secretary Clinton has engaged repeatedly with Sudanese leaders to convey our clear expectations.  We’ve increased our diplomatic presence in southern Sudan -- and mobilized others to do the same -- to prepare for the January 9th vote and for what comes after.

But no one can impose progress and peace on another nation.  Ultimately, only Sudanese leaders can ensure that the referenda go forward and that Sudan finds peace.  There’s a great deal of work that must be done, and it must be done quickly.

So two paths lay ahead:  one path taken by those who flout their responsibilities and for whom there must be consequences
-- more pressure and deeper isolation. 

The other path is taken by leaders who fulfill their obligations, and which would lead to improved relations between the United States and Sudan, including supporting agricultural development for all Sudanese, expanding trade and investment, and exchanging ambassadors, and eventually, working to lift sanctions -- if Sudanese leaders fulfill their obligations.

Now is the time for the international community to support Sudanese leaders who make the right choice.  Just as the African nations of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development rose to the challenge and helped the parties find a path to peace in 2005, all of us can do our part to ensure that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is fully implemented. 

We must promote dignity and human rights throughout all of Sudan, and this includes extending the mandate of the U.N.  independent expert of Sudan -- because we cannot turn a blind eye to the violation of basic human rights.  And as I said, regardless of the outcome of the referenda, we must support development in southern Sudan, because people there deserve the same dignity and opportunities as anyone else.

And even as we focus on advancing peace between north and south, we will not abandon the people of Darfur.  The government of Sudan has recently pledged to improve security and living conditions in Darfur -- and it must do so.  It need not wait for a final peace agreement.  It must act now to halt the violence and create the conditions -- access and security -- so aid workers and peacekeepers can reach those in need and so development can proceed.  Infrastructure and public services need to be improved.  And those who target the innocent -- be they civilians, aid workers or peacekeepers -- must be held accountable.

Progress toward a negotiated and definitive end to the conflict is possible.  And now is the moment for all nations to send a strong signal that there will be no time and no tolerance for spoilers who refuse to engage in peace talks.

Indeed, there can be no lasting peace in Darfur -- and no normalization of relations between Sudan and the United States  -- without accountability for crimes that have been committed.  Accountability is essential not only for Sudan’s future, it also sends a powerful message about the responsibilities of all nations that certain behavior is simply not acceptable in this world; that genocide is not acceptable.  In the 21st century, rules and universal values must be upheld. 

I saw the imperative of justice when I visited one of the camps in Chad several years ago.  It was crowded with more than 15,000 people, most of them children.  What I saw in that camp was heartbreaking -- families who had lost everything, surviving on aid.  I’ll never forget the man who came up to me -- a former teacher who was raising his family of nine in that camp.  He looked at me and he said very simply, “We need peace.”  We need peace.

Your Excellencies -- Vice President Taha, First Vice President Kiir -- the Sudanese people need peace.  And all of us have come together today because the world needs a just and lasting peace in Sudan.

Here, even as we confront the challenges before us, we can look beyond the horizon to the different future that peace makes possible.  And I want to speak directly to the people of Sudan, north and south.  In your lives you have faced extraordinary hardship.  But now there’s the chance to reap the rewards of peace.  And we know what that future looks like.  It’s a future where children, instead of spending the day fetching water, can go to school -- and come home safe.  It’s a future where families, back in their homes, can once again farm the soil of their ancestors. 

It’s a future where, because their country has been welcomed back into the community of nations, more Sudanese have the opportunity to travel, more opportunity to provide education, more opportunities for trade.  It’s a future where, because their economy is tied to the global economy, a woman can start a small business, a manufacturer can export his goods, a growing economy raises living standards, from large cities to the most remote village. 

This is not wide-eyed imagination.  This is the lesson of history -- from Northern Ireland to the Balkans, from Camp David to Aceh -- that with leaders of courage and vision, compromise is possible, and conflicts can be ended.  And it is the example of Africans -- from Liberia to Mozambique to Sierra Leone -- that after the darkness of war, there can be a new day of peace and progress.

So that is the future that beckons the Sudanese people -- north and south, east and west.  That is the path that is open to you today.  And for those willing to take that step, to make that walk, know that you will have a steady partner in the United States of America. 

Thank you very much.  (Applause.) 

END
3:50 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 24, 2010

Remarks By President Obama and President Triet Of Vietnam at Opening Of U.S.-ASEAN Leaders Meeting

Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York, New York

1:08 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, good afternoon, everyone.  To all the leaders who are here as well as the delegations, welcome.  I want to thank my fellow leaders for being here and for making this the first U.S.-ASEAN leaders meeting to take place in the United States.  This reflects ASEAN’s growing importance and the unprecedented cooperation between ASEAN and the United States.  

As a Pacific nation, the United States has an enormous stake in the people and the future of Asia.  The region is home to some of our largest trading partners and buys many of our exports, supporting millions of American jobs.  We need partnerships with Asian nations to meet the challenges of growing our economy, preventing proliferation and addressing climate change.  

As President, I’ve, therefore, made it clear that the United States intends to play a leadership role in Asia.  So we’ve strengthened old alliances; we've deepened new partnerships, as we are doing with China; and we’ve reengaged with regional organizations, including ASEAN.

Last year in Singapore, I was proud to become the first American President to meet with all 10 ASEAN leaders.  Today, I’m pleased to host our second meeting as we elevate our partnership to meet the shared challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

We’ll focus on creating sustainable economic growth.  Our trade with ASEAN countries is growing.  In fact, America exports -- American exports to ASEAN countries are growing twice as fast as they are to other regions, so Southeast Asia will be important to reaching my goal of doubling American exports. 

Through APEC and initiatives like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, we’re pursuing trade relationships that benefit all our countries.  And we will continue to support ASEAN’s goal of creating a more effective and integrated community by 2015, which would advance regional peace and stability. 

We’ll also focus on deepening our political and security cooperation.  ASEAN countries are increasingly playing a leadership role in the region, and ASEAN itself has the potential to be a very positive force in global affairs.  That is why the United States has accepted ASEAN’s invitation to join the East Asia summit, which will help us meet regional and global challenges together.  And I look forward to attending the East Asia Summit in Jakarta next year.   

So, again, I want to thank my fellow leaders for being here. And I look forward to sustaining our momentum on my visits in November to Indonesia, Korea and Japan, where we’ll work together at the APEC summit to ensure strong, sustainable and balanced economic growth.

With that, I’d invite President Triet of Vietnam, the ASEAN chair this past year, to offer a few words as well.  And during that time, I suspect that lunch will be served.

PRESIDENT TRIET:  (As translated.)  Your Excellency, President Obama; Excellenicies, ASEAN leaders.  On behalf of my fellow colleagues from ASEAN countries, I want to thank Your Excellency, President Obama, for inviting us to the second ASEAN-U.S. leaders meeting in New York.  And thank you so much for giving us the wonderful hospitality.

Over the years, and especially recently, the relations between ASEAN and the U.S. have been growing very well.  And I remember the first meeting in Singapore in November 2009, and we come up with a lot of important outcomes to create favorable conditions for the growing of the relations between ASEAN and the U.S.  And this time, I believe this a great opportunity for us to share the views and exchange our views on how to enhance the dialogue partnership between ASEAN and the U.S. in the coming years.

Your Excellencies, the relations between ASEAN and U.S. plays a very important role to the security, peace, and development in the region.  Vietnam and ASEAN always support the deepening of the relations between ASEAN and the U.S., bilaterally and multilaterally.  And we want to take our relations to the next level to greater comprehensiveness and more sustenance for the peace, stability and development of our region.

I look forward to very fruitful and productive discussions that we are going to have today in order to bring about great benefits and to lay the foundation for the growing of the relations and cooperation between our two sides.

Thank you so much.

END
1:14 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
September 24, 2010

Remarks by the First Lady at United Nations General Assembly Spousal Luncheon

Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Tarrytown, New York

12:51 P.M. EDT
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Well, good afternoon.  I hope you all enjoyed the tours.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful place. 
    
I want to start by thanking a few people.  Of course I want to thank Jill Isenbarger who is right over there.  Jill, thank you so much for all your hard work.  (Applause.)  And also to the entire Stone Barns Center staff, everyone here who has helped make this morning, this day, a very special one.  Let’s give them a hand.  (Applause.)
 
And we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the Rockefeller family.  This is their home, and they have put a lot of love and energy into making this center such a special one.  And we want to thank them, as well.  (Applause.)
 
And of course to Dan Barber and his brother, David.  Dan is the executive chef here.  Is that your title?  Yeah, well, he’s the head cook guy.  (Laughter and applause.)  And I have to say that Dan -- I met Dan before we came to the White House.  And he actually cooked for my husband and I, and he didn’t know why he was being called to Chicago, but it was one of the best dinners, and after that I fell in love with Dan, I knew that we would want to partner with him if we had the opportunity.  He is serving on the President’s Fitness and Nutrition Council, so he’s one of the major players in our efforts to encourage healthier living around the country.  So I want to thank Dan for all you’re doing.  We love you very much.  You’re doing a great job.  (Applause.)
 
And those cute little precious people that were out there, the third graders, they are terrific.  They come from Pocantico Hill School here in the area and JFK Magnet School.  And I know that this facility is known for its educational component.  Having those kids out there wasn’t anything new.  They really rely on young people to keep this facility up, to learn and grow from it, and you can see, by the excitement on their faces, that it’s working.  So we want to thank all those students for just being so eager.  And they also helped to prepare the lunch, so they’re our chefs, as well.
 
And last but not least, I want to thank and introduce you to some of our -- the most important people in the President and my family’s life, are the people who feed us.  We have today with us Cris Comerford, who’s our executive chef at the White House, Bill Yosses, who’s our executive pastry chef, and Sam Kass, who’s a chef, as well, but he also wears a policy hat, and he has been working on the “Let’s Move” initiative.  So let’s give them a round of applause.  They flew here to help cook, as well.  (Applause.)   We love them, we’re very proud of the work that they’re doing.
 
These chefs are among the thousands that are volunteering to work in schools to try to help schools do a better job of figuring out how to make their school lunch meals a little tastier and healthier.  And our chefs have adopted a school, and they’re leading the way, and it’s going to be very exciting to see the work that they do.  Thank you all so much. 
 
This all started -- why we’re here -- many of you probably know me as a gardener because when I first came into the White House, we developed the White House kitchen garden, which was probably one of the first since Eleanor Roosevelt.  And we didn’t know whether we could even grow anything on that plot of land. 
 
But we began to grow some wonderful things, and we worked closely with students in the Washington, D.C. area.  They helped us every step of the way.  They helped us till the soil.  They helped us plant.  They helped us harvest.  They helped us eat.  And what we learned from the mere planting of that garden was that we could use this simple tool to engage children in a conversation about their own health and nutrition.  And that experience led us to develop one of the strongest initiatives that I have, one that I’m very proud of.  It’s called “Let’s Move.”
 
“Let’s Move” is a national-wide campaign -- a nationwide campaign -- to focus our country on the epidemic of childhood obesity.  Our goal is to ensure that children born today grow up at a healthy weight, understanding how to eat and live in a healthy way.  And we’re working with kids because oftentimes it’s easier for them to develop new habits than it is for us to try to change old habits as they get older.
 
And with this initiative, we’re trying to do a number of things.  We’re trying to provide parents with better information.  We want to get family physicians involved in really screening and checking children for obesity, and helping them very early on figuring out ways to prevent it and deal with it.  We’re trying to improve access in communities.  Many communities in this country don't have sufficient access to fresh produce and healthy living.  That's why Stone Barns is so important, because many of these kids may never learn that ketchup comes from a tomato, or that French fries actually come from a potato, because they’re very disconnected from the food that they eat.  So we’re trying to improve that.
 
We’re also trying to -- there’s a physical education component to this, and we’re working to ensure that our kids are more active.  We have become a very sedentary society in so many ways, with computers and the Internet, and sometimes it’s not safe for kids to play in their own communities, so we have to find ways for our kids to actually move.
 
But one of the more important components is the school education piece.  Children are getting a lot of their calories in school and they’re getting most of their information about how to eat from their schools. 
 
And again this is why Stone Barns Center is so important.  It is an example of what can be done with local businesses, local farms, and neighborhood schools, of the kind of energy that comes from children having a hands-on experience on the farm.  And when they grow it and they touch it and they taste it, they believe in it more than anything that we could tell them.
 
And I’ve seen this in my own child.  I told the story to Dan.  Sasha -- now, we have wonderful tomatoes grown on the White House Garden.  Sasha doesn’t like tomatoes -- or so she says -- not until she took a cooking class at her school and made a tomato-pesto-basil-mozzarella sandwich. 
 
So she comes home and she says, Mom, have you ever heard of these “hair” potatoes -- tomatoes?  And I was like, what are you -- are you talking about heirloom tomatoes?  She says, yeah, that's it.  She said, now those are good tomatoes.  (Laughter.)  I was like, you eat those everyday.  No, these were different, Mom.  These were different.  (Laughter.) 
 
And the point is, is that, yeah, it was different for her because it was her discovery.  It wasn’t something that her mother was telling her to do.  She had discovered it.  She made the sandwich.  She made the pesto.  And it was good.  And now she’s a fan of tomatoes.  We can do that with our children.
    
So I want to thank you all not just for coming, but I know many of you here are focused on this issue in your own countries, and that's the thing that it’s important for the media to understand.  Childhood obesity is not just an American challenge.  As I talk to these spouses, I’m understanding that we’re seeing -- many of you are seeing these same issues in your own countries.  And you’re working very hard on nutrition and education.  And my hope is that we can continue to partner and have conversations so that this local campaign becomes a national conversation in so many ways. 
 
So I thank you all for your leadership on this issue.  Thank you all for taking the time to spend this afternoon focused on an issue that is near and dear to me.  I am always grateful for your friendship and your kindness.  It makes these gatherings even more special, to be able to share these ideas and to share in fellowship and toast and all that good stuff.
 
So thank you all.  And it is my pleasure now to introduce you to Dan Barber who will tell you more about the programs here.  And then we get to eat.
 
So thank you so much.  And Dan, you have the floor.  (Applause.)
 
END
1:00 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 24, 2010

Remarks by President Obama and President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón of Colombia Before Bilateral Meeting

Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York, New York

12:26 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, I want to welcome President Santos here.  This is the first time that we’ve met face to face, although we had a wonderful conversation on the phone. 

He has already, I think, in the short time that he’s been in office shown remarkable leadership.  Yesterday was a big day for the people of Colombia and those who are seeking peace in the region; because of outstanding work by Colombian security forces, they were able to embark on a mission that resulted in the death of the leader of FARC. 

The people of Colombia have been plagued by this terrorist insurgency for a very long time, and as a consequence of the success of Colombian security forces, I think we now have the chance to see continued stability in Colombia and in the region. And that will create the prospects for peace and development under President Santos’s leadership.  So I congratulate him. 

The friendship between our two countries is extraordinarily important to us.  We are working not just in dealing with things like drug interdiction, but we’re also interested in figuring out how we can continually improve our economic cooperation, our political cooperation, and our people-to-people exchanges so that we continually deepen these bilateral ties.

I think that President Santos also likes to boast about the fact that his Kansas Jayhawks have won a number of championships in basketball.  And I was a little disappointed with them last year because I bet on them winning it all, but they lost.  (Laughter.)  But he’s already apologized to me for that.

So I want to welcome the President.  Again, congratulations on a great start.  We are confident that we will -- we’ll be able to strengthen the cooperation between our two nations.

PRESIDENT SANTOS:  Thank you.  I want to thank President Obama for his warm welcome and his generous words.  We value in Colombia very much our very special relations with the United States.  We're coming, ourselves, into a new era.  Now that the security problem is more or less solved, we can now turn to a more progressive agenda.  Social development, the prosperity of our people, climate change, the environment -- those are the type of issues that we can now include in our agenda.  And we want to enhance our relation to a true partnership where Colombia and the U.S. can work together in the region and outside the region for our mutual benefit.

I am proud of being a graduate from the University of Kansas.  As President Obama knows, we are very good in basketball.  But I told him when he called me what the Republicans say about my education.  I was -- afterwards I went to Harvard.  And they say I was educated in Kansas and corrupted in Harvard.  (Laughter.)  I don't think that -- you also graduated from Harvard and I'm sure that only the Republicans think that -- not the Democrats.  (Laughter.)  

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, actually, they all -- they think I was corrupted somewhere.  (Laughter.) 

Welcome.  Thank you so much. 

END
12:30 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 24, 2010

Interview of the President by Bahman Kalbasi, BBC Persian

Waldorf-Astoria, New York, New York

10:08 A.M. EDT
 
     Q    Mr. President, thank you very much for your time.
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you for having me.
 
     Q    If I could just begin with getting your reaction to the remarks Mr. Ahmadinejad made yesterday, faulting America for 9/11.
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it was offensive.  It was hateful.  And particularly for him to make the statement here in Manhattan, just a little north of Ground Zero, where families lost their loved ones, people of all faiths, all ethnicities who see this as the seminal tragedy of this generation, for him to make a statement like that was inexcusable. 
 
     And it stands in contrast with the response of the Iranian people when 9/11 happened, when there were candlelight vigils and I think a natural sense of shared humanity and sympathy was expressed within Iran.  And it just shows once again sort of the difference between how the Iranian leadership and this regime operates and how I think the vast majority of the Iranian people who are respectful and thoughtful think about these issues.
 
     Q    In your first video message to be sent in March of 2009, on the occasion of the Persian New Year, you spoke to the government of Iran, the people of Iran.  And you talked about how you are committed to diplomacy.  And you also said that this process of talking about all the issues on the table will only succeed if there’s no threats.  And with threats, this will not go forward.  Yet your administration in much of this year not only threatened Iran with sanctions but finally enacted sanctions that have been branded as “crippling.”  What do you say to those who see this as a departure from that promise of no threats and diplomacy only?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think we have to be -- we have to look at what we’ve done this year, and it’s very consistent.  What I’ve said consistently is, is that we are willing to reach out with an open hand to the Iranian government and the Iranian people, because we believe that there’s nothing inevitable that should cause Iran and the United States to be enemies. 
 
     There’s a history there that is difficult.  But it can be bridged with mutual understanding, mutual respect.  And we want to see the people of Iran ultimately succeed.  But the government has taken Iran on a path that has led to international condemnation.  And I think it’s very important to understand that the sanctions that arose this year had to do with the fact that alone among signatories to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Iran has not been able to convince the international community that its nuclear program is peaceful.  That’s not just my judgment; that’s the judgment of the international community, including countries like Russia and China that generally are very hesitant to impose sanctions on other countries.  But they have consistently seen a behavior on the part of the Iranian government that indicates that it has a nuclear program that does not abide by international rules and that potentially poses a threat to the region as well as the world.
 
     Now, that’s a choice that the Iranian regime has made.  They can make another choice, and we would welcome them making another choice, which would be to act responsibly.  They would then be able to have their rights for a peaceful nuclear program under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.  And that would remove the sanctions and would allow them to fully enter the international community in a way that would tremendously benefit the Iranian people.  But we have not seen them make that choice yet.
 
     So this is not a matter of us choosing to impose punishment on the Iranians.  This is a matter of the Iranians’ government I think ultimately betraying the interests of its own people by isolating it further.
 
     Q    This government has lived through three decades of sanctions.  What convinces you that this time it’s any different, that it will have -- you know, end in some result for diplomacy or for resolution?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, there are no guarantees.  This regime has shown itself to be very resistant to observing basic international norms and being willing to engage in serious negotiations around a nuclear program that has generated great fear and mistrust in the region and around the world.
 
     But we do think that the sanctions raise the costs for the government.  Most of these sanctions are targeted at the regime, at its military.  And we think that over time hopefully there’s enough reflection within the Iranian government that they say to themselves, you know, this is not the best course for our people; this is not the best course for Iran -- which is rooted in an incredible civilization. 
 
It has some of the highest literacy rates in the world.  The potential for Iran to succeed economically, to open itself up to exchange and commerce with other countries, is enormous.  But in order to do that, the Iranian regime I think has to take a different course than the one that it’s been on of late.
 
     Q    You speak of increasing cost, but many would argue that this is also impacting ordinary people in Iran.  We get reports every day from a small business man who can’t import a spare part, mainly because of the banking system now not providing services to them, all the way to medicine and food prices going up because shipment lines are not being ensured, all the way to old-standing sanctions like planes that are now sold to the Iranians that we have had 2,000 people die in plane crashes -- all of these.  Are you not worried that this might backfire, that the people of Iran would be looking at America and wondering why they’re being punished in this process?
         
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, look, I am obviously concerned about the Iranian people, and they are trying to live their lives.  And there is so much promise in the country.  The question is can the Iranian regime take a different approach that would help its people as opposed to harm its people. 
 
     Right now it’s not taking that approach.  Right now what the Iranian government has said is, it’s more important for us to defy the international community, engage in a covert nuclear weapons program, than it is to make sure that our people are prospering.  And the international community I don’t think prefers the choice that has been taken.
 
     As you noted, at the beginning of my term I came in -- at some political cost, by the way -- because obviously outrageous, disgusting statements of the sort that Mr. Ahmadinejad just made makes the American people understandably wary of any dealings with the Iranian government.  But I said, you know, there should be a way for us to change the dynamic that has been in place since 1979, since you were born.  And it turns out that so far, at least, the Iranian regime has been unwilling to change its orientation. 
 
     So when people inside of Iran are asking themselves why is it that we can’t get spare parts or food prices are going up or other basic necessities are harder to come by, they have to look at the management of their own government, both in terms of the economic management but also in terms of them deciding that it’s a higher priority to pursue a covert nuclear program than it is to make sure that their people have opportunity.
 
     I think they’re moving down the wrong course and they continue to have the option of moving down the right course.
 
     Q    If these sanctions fail, what are your options, Mr. President?
    
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think there are a whole host of options and these options would be exercised in consultation with the international community.  Our strong preference is to resolve these issues diplomatically.  I think that’s in Iran’s interest.  I think that is in the interest of the international community.  And I think it remains possible.  But it is going to require a change in mindset inside the Iranian government.
 
     Q    For a lot of Iranians, they’re looking at the -- how this scenario is playing out.  Many see similarities to the run-up to the Iraq War -- you know, the succession of U.N. resolutions, toughened economic sanctions, on and off talk about war and a military strike.  What do you say to them that are worried that they’ll wake up to a military attack by America or Israel?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think what people should remember is that I don’t take war lightly.  I was opposed to the war in Iraq.  I am somebody who’s interested in resolving issues diplomatically.  I think that we have been very clear that the Iranian government has -- and the nation of the Islamic Republic of Iran -- have a right to peaceful nuclear programs and peaceful nuclear power.  That is a right that all NPT members have.
 
     So the Iranian government itself has said we are not interested in nuclear weapons.  That’s their public statement.  If that’s the case, there should be a mechanism whereby they can assure and prove to the international community, including the IAEA, that that is in fact the case.  And if they take those constructive steps in serious negotiations, then not only should there not be a threat of war but there also won’t be the sanctions that are currently in place.
 
     Again, the United States here is not operating unilaterally.  There may have been strong objections to the United States going into Iraq.  This is a situation where we’ve got the U.N. Security Council and countries that have significant business dealings with Iran making decisions not to do business with Iran despite the fact that Iran is a significant oil producer.  When a country like Japan or South Korea or China or Russia -- all of whom have commercial dealings with Iran -- make these decisions, they do so at great cost to themselves. 
 
     And the reason they’re doing it is not simply because we’re pressuring them.  The reason they’re doing it is because they too see a threat of destabilization if you have an Iranian regime pursuing nuclear weapons and potentially triggering an arms race in the region that could be dangerous for everybody.
 
     Q    What if during this process of diplomacy, Israel decides to attack Iran?  Will you stop them?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I’m not going to engage in hypotheticals.  I think that, understandably, Israel is very concerned when the president of a country, a large country near them, states that they should be wiped off the face of the Earth. 
 
     And so, again, this is an example of where the Iranian people I believe are ill served.  To have a President who makes outrageous, offensive statements like this does not serve the interests of the Iranian people, does not strengthen Iran’s stature in the world community. 
 
     And there is an easy solution to this, which is to have a Iranian government act responsibly in the international community, along the lines of not just basic codes of conduct or diplomatic norms, but just basic humanity and common decency.
 
     Again, for Ahmadinejad to come to somebody else’s country and then to suggest somehow that the worst tragedy that’s been experienced here, a attack that killed 3,000 people, was somehow the responsibility of the government of that country, is something that defies not just common sense but basic sense -- basic senses of decency that aren’t unique to any particular country -- they’re common to the entire world.
 
     Q    Mr. President, if I may, I want to move on to the human rights issue.  After the disputed presidential election, we saw the birth of a Green Movement in Iran -- brutally oppressed by the government.  We’ve all seen the images of young men and women dying on the streets; being shot at; many being taken into custody and dying in custody; journalists, politicians, students being taken to jail and staying there for years. 
 
For a lot of these human rights activists, when they look at the United States, even though they’ve heard you talk about “arc of justice” and you talked about Neda, they see this sense of obsession with the nuclear issue as if, if that is resolved, human rights is not the big problem for America in its relations with Iran.  Are you -- what’s your response to them?  You know, in the streets in Tehran, there was the chanting -- “Mr. Obama, are you with us or are you against us?”  Are you with them or are you against them?
    
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I just made a speech this week in the U.N. General Assembly in which I said that not just my administration but I think all of America sees human rights, basic freedoms, the freedom to speak, the freedom to -- freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom to choose your own government, freedom from fear and abuse from government, as central to who we are, central to our values, central to our foreign policy.  And that applies around the world and it certainly applies in Iran.
 
     I think all of us were moved by the demonstrations of courage and hope that were expressed in Iran after these elections.  We have no interest in meddling in the rights of people to choose their own government, but we will speak out forcefully when we see governments abusing and oppressing their own people.  And I think this is another example in which the Iranian government delegitimized itself in ways that continue to reverberate around the world.
 
Had you seen an election that was abiding by basic rules, basic norms, in which the current regime had won, it might not have been an ideal outcome from my perspective but we could have respected it.  When we see instead a reaction in which people are imprisoned and beaten and shot and harassed and opposition figures are imprisoned, that I think violates the norms that need to be upheld all around the world.
 
So the answer is, is that for those who aspire to have their voices heard, to participate in a democracy that recognizes their human dignity, we will always stand with them.
 
     Q    On Afghanistan -- we have a large Persian audience in Afghanistan who watch BBC.  And they’re hearing all these mixed messages, competing statements, about what really July 2011 means.  And they’re worried about the commitment that America has to Afghanistan.  Will you stay there until the job is done?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we are going to stay there until the job is done.  The job is to provide Afghans themselves the capacity to secure their own country.  And so the July 2011 date is a date in which, having ramped up our armed presence in Afghanistan in order to provide space and time for the Afghan security forces to develop and strengthen and to blunt the momentum of the Taliban, we will then start gradually reducing the number of U.S. troops and coalition troops that are inside of Afghanistan. 
 
     That’s something that I think the Afghan people want.  Afghans are a very proud people, and this is a sovereign government.  So we are providing them assistance.  And in the short term I increased our troop levels because, frankly, we had neglected the security situation and Taliban had been able to regain momentum and control of vast portions of the country. 
 
     But now we’re seeing Afghan security forces trained.  We’re seeing Afghan police trained.  We’ve got a very effective civilian effort there in order to help build infrastructure and improve the day-to-day lives of people within Afghanistan.  So starting in July ’11, we’ll begin to draw down those additional troops. 
 
But we’re not going to suddenly leave, turn off the lights and go home on that date.  What will happen is, as we are training up more and more Afghan security forces, they’re becoming more effective, we will transition so that they are starting to take over more responsibility for security.  And slowly, the United States’ troop presence, as well as coalition troop presence, will diminish. 
 
That I think is something that is in the interests not just of the United States, but it’s also in the interests of the Afghan people.
 
Q    I have very short time, Mr. President.  Iran, you’ve said, could play a constructive role in Afghanistan.  You have a common enemy, being Taliban.  Is there a sense that you would take Iran up on its offer that it’s publicly announced that they would -- they’re ready to assist.  Would you take them up on that offer?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think that Iran and all the countries in the region can play a constructive role in Afghanistan.  This is a country that’s been war torn.  Most Afghans, like people around the world, simply want an opportunity to make a living, support their families, provide an education for their children.
 
And so I think the entire region would benefit from a stable, peaceful Afghanistan.  And we are willing to work with Iran and all the other countries in the region to achieve that goal. 
 
Now, I have to say there have been times where the Iranian government I think has said publicly it wants to work on these issues.  Behind the scenes, we see evidence that occasionally they have actually helped insurgents in ways that end up harming our troops.  But we will continue to explore ways in which we can work with all the countries in the region, including Iran, to stabilize Afghanistan.
 
I think this is one more example of where potentially the United States and Iran could end up working together on a whole range of issues.  In order to do that, though, the Iranian regime has to make a decision that it is not simply maintaining power based on animosity towards the United States, based towards outrageous statements in the international community, but rather is looking for constructive ways to improve the lives of ordinary people inside of Iran.
 
And if that shift in orientation takes place, I think the opportunities for tremendous progress for a great nation and a great civilization exists.  If it doesn’t, then it’s going to continue to be isolated and it’s going to continue I think to cause friction not just with the United States, but with the world community.
 
Q    Yesterday you talked about the naysayers when it comes to the Middle East peace process.  But, Mr. President, a lot of this pessimism comes from people who want peace.  But they’re looking at the makeup of the Israeli government, they’re looking at the divisions on the Palestinian side, and they don’t think it’s possible at this stage for them to take that bold step.  What makes you so confident that this time is different?  And if so, how would that politically change the region, including Iran?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, let me say I wouldn’t consider myself so confident that we can get this done.  I think it’s necessary.  And the point I was making was for decades now, we have seen this conflict not only consume the politics of the region but also hamper the ability of Israeli children to feel safe, Palestinian children to succeed and thrive. 
 
And if we cannot begin to actually move towards a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with a Jewish -- the Jewish state of Israel, then what we are going to see I think is more and more conflict, more and more bloodshed, and the prospects of any peaceful resolution will dissolve.  So I’m moving on the -- out of a sense of urgency, not because it’s easy.  I think it’s going to be very difficult for us to achieve these goals.
 
What I am optimistic about is I think that President Abbas is a man who sincerely desires peace as well as a sovereign Palestinian state.  I think Prime Minister Netanyahu has undergone an evolution in his thinking.  And I think that he genuinely would like to see a peaceful Palestinian state and a secure Israeli state that’s at peace with its neighbors.
 
We, as an international community, then have to support those efforts, acknowledging that it’s very difficult.  It may not be possible.  But we have to try.  And now is the time to try. 
 
And I think that if we were able to achieve the goal of a peaceful settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, then that would change the dynamic of the region in a very positive way.  What I think most Iranian people are looking for is that Palestinians have their right to a sovereign state.  Well, there is only one way to achieve that, and that is by peace through Israel.  It’s not going to be achieved through violence.
 
And, again, this is an example of where the Iranian regime has a choice.  It can be supportive of peace efforts that result in concrete benefits for the Palestinian people, or it can choose to engage in rhetoric and fund terrorist activity that ensures continued conflict, which may serve their political interests but certainly doesn’t serve the interests of a Palestinian family on the West Bank who would prefer to have a country of their own in which they can start a business or send their children to school.  That’s I think the vision that we have to keep in mind.
 
Q    Thank you so much, Mr. President, for your time.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I enjoyed it.  Thank you very much.
 
END           10:32 A.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 23, 2010

Remarks by President Obama and Premier Wen Jiabao of China before Bilateral Meeting

United Nations Headquarters, New York, New York

11:27 A.M. EDT
    
     PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I want to welcome Premier Wen to the United States, and once again say what an outstanding partner he’s been over the last 21 months since I’ve been in office.
 
     Along with President Hu, Premier Wen I think has exhibited extraordinary openness and cooperation with us as we try to strengthen the relationship between our two countries, a relationship that is based on cooperation, on mutual interest, on mutual respect.
 
     We have worked together on a whole range of issues.  Obviously one of the most important issues has been to deal with the financial crisis and the recession that traveled around the world over the last several years.  In the G20 our cooperation I think has been absolutely critical. 
 
I should probably actually let somebody translate now.  (Laughter.) 
 
     Even as we’ve stabilized the world economy so that it is growing again and trade is growing again, we’ve also been working on a host of other issues that are of common interest.
 
     For example, we’ve cooperated extensively on issues of nuclear nonproliferation, and we have also had very frank discussions and cooperated on issues of climate change.
 
     Obviously we continue to have more work to do.  On the economic front, although the world economy is now growing again, I think it’s going to be very important for us to have frank discussions and continue to do more work cooperatively in order to achieve the type of balance and sustained economic growth that is so important and that we both signed up for in the context of the G20 framework.
 
     And we also I think have to work cooperatively together in order to achieve regional peace and stability, because the world looks to the relationship between China and the United States as a critical ingredient on a whole range of security issues around the world.
 
     Fortunately, the Strategic and Economic Dialogue that we’ve set up provides an excellent forum for us to work through a range of bilateral as well as multilateral issues. 
 
I have great confidence in the interest of both President Hu and Premier Wen to continue on the path of cooperation and mutually beneficial policies.  I look forward to seeing them at the G20 and APEC this fall.  And I’m looking forward hopefully to the possibility of President Hu visiting us for an official state visit sometime in the near future.
 
     So, Premier Wen, to you and your delegation, welcome.  And let me once again express on behalf of the American people our desire to continue to build a growing friendship and strong relationship between the peoples of China and the United States.
 
     PREMIER WEN:  (As translated.)  It’s a great pleasure to meet President Obama and all our American friends here.  I always believed that China-U.S. relationship has gone beyond the bilateral scope and has important influence internationally. 
 
Our common interests far outweigh our differences.  In spite of the disagreements of one kind or another between our two countries, I believe these differences can be well resolved through dialogue and cooperation.  So the China-U.S. relationship will always forge ahead.  I have confidence in this.
 
     Just now you, Mr. President, referred to a host of areas where our two countries have cooperated, and I have come to the United States with such a cooperative spirit, too.  Our two countries can have cooperation on a series of major international issues and regional hotspot issues.  We have cooperation on tackling the financial crisis and meeting the climate challenge.  China and the United States have also embraced an even closer and bigger relationship in the fields of pubic finance, financial industry and economic cooperation and trade.
 
     I have come to this meeting with President Obama with a candid and constructive attitude.  In the past couple of days here in my stay in New York I have been saying such a message far and wide -- that is, I’m sure I’m going to have a wonderful discussion with the President. 
 
     And I think our meeting today will also achieve the result that we will foster favorable conditions for the visit to the United States by President Hu Jintao at an appropriate time next year. 
 
     I want to thank you, Mr. President, for taking time. 
 
                           END              11:39 A.M. EDT        

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 23, 2010

Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan Before Bilateral Meeting

Waldorf Astoria, New York, New York

5:12 P.M. EDT
 
     PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Let me officially welcome the opportunity to speak again with Prime Minister Kan.  We had an opportunity for intensive dialogue when we met together at the G8 in Toronto. And once again, we have reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance not only to regional stability, not only to the security of both our countries, but we believe it’s one of the cornerstones of peace and security throughout the world.
 
     So we look forward to discussing further how we can strengthen this alliance in the 21st century, how our economic relationship can continue to improve for the prosperity of both our peoples, how we can address regional hotspots and tensions that may arise, but also how we can work as leaders together in dealing with international problems like climate change and nuclear nonproliferation. 
 
     Japan will also be hosting the APEC meeting this year, and I’m looking forward to traveling to Yokohama, and I’m looking very much to finding ways that we can work together to shape an architecture for prosperity and economic development in the Pacific region, where obviously both the United States and Japan have a deep and longstanding interest. 
 
     So, welcome.  I hope you enjoy your stay in New York.  And I look forward to my stay in Japan later this year. 
 
                           END                    5:17 P.M. EDT 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 23, 2010

Remarks by the President and the First Lady at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, New York, New York

4:10 P.M. EDT

     PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you, everybody.  Thank you.  Please have a seat.  Well, I am thrilled to be here.  I want to thank President Clinton for the kind, although protocol-busting, introduction.  (Laughter.)  And I want to thank him for inviting me back to join you at this year’s meeting. 
 
     It was an extraordinary pleasure to be here at CGI last year.  It’s a pleasure to be back today not only because of my highest regard for President Clinton personally, not just because of my gratitude to him for putting up with long hours away from our Secretary of State -- (laughter) --
 
     PRESIDENT CLINTON:  Thank you for being grateful, though.
 
     PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I am grateful.  (Laughter and applause.)  But also because of the tremendous work he’s doing through GCI [sic].  
 
     For the past five years, President Clinton has applied the full force of his energy and his influence -- and it is formidable -- to the work of this initiative.  And with that passion and with that determination and that charm of his that makes it so darn hard to say no, he has marshaled $57 billion worth of commitments from folks like you -- (applause) -- and that’s bringing hope and opportunity to more than 200 million people around the world.  It’s a remarkable record of achievement.
 
     But I’m not just here today to sing President Clinton’s praises, or to commend all of you for the terrific work that each of you have done -- although I am grateful for that.  I am here to play an even more important role, and that is to introduce my better half:  my extraordinary wife, and America’s extraordinary First Lady, Michelle Obama.  (Applause.) 
 
     Now, Bill Clinton understands where I’m coming from here.  (Laughter.)  He knows what it’s like to be married to somebody who’s smarter -- (laughter) -- somebody who’s better looking -- (laughter) -- somebody who’s just all around a little more impressive than you are.  (Laughter and applause.)  Right?  It’s -- this is not news to people.  (Laughter.) 
 
     Since Michelle and I first started dating 22 years ago, pretty much everybody I know who’s met her at some point comes up to me and says, you know, Barack, you’re great and all, I like you, but your wife, now, she’s really something.  (Laughter.)  And I, of course, agree.  They're right.  And I feel grateful that Michelle so far, at least, has not run for any offices I’ve been running for.  (Laughter.)  She would beat me thoroughly.
 
Fortunately for me, as much as she cares deeply about public service, she hasn’t shown much interest in the political chatter.  She doesn’t think about who’s winning or losing, what the polls say, or who gets the best headline in the papers.  No matter what the issue, there’s only one thing that she wants to know, and that’s “who are we helping?”  That’s what she asks.  "Who is this going to make a difference for?  Whose life is this going to improve?"
 
And while I get plenty of good advice from a lot of people during the course of the day, at the end of each day, it is Michelle -- her moral voice, her moral center -- that cuts through all the noise in Washington and reminds me of why I’m there in the first place.
 
     She reminds me with her work to tackle childhood obesity so our kids can have healthy lives and the futures they deserve.  She reminds me by throwing open the doors of our White House to young people from all different backgrounds, letting them know that we believe in their promise, letting them know that the White House is the people’s house, and letting young people know that they're not that far away from all the power and prestige and decisions that are made -- that, in fact, this is something they can aspire to, they can be a part of, because we are a government of and by and for the people.
 
She reminds me with her work to be a voice for America’s military families and veterans, using her platform as First Lady to make sure they get support and respect and the appreciation that they deserve. 
 
     And while I am tremendously proud of the First Lady that she’s been for this country, at the end of the day I’m most grateful that she’s been such a partner to me, and the best mother that I know.
 
     Every moment that I spend with my daughters, I am thankful for all that she’s done to make them who they are.  Every day, I see her strength and her kindness and her character reflected in the two of them.  And there is no greater gift -- and I know Bill feels the same way about when he looks at Chelsea, he sees this incredible force that a mother can bring.
 
To this day, I still don’t know how I talked her into marrying me, but I know that I am the luckiest guy in the world that she did.  So it is with that that I would like to introduce you to my first lady, America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama.  (Applause.)
 
     MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  Thank you all.  Thank you so much.  Thank you very much.  Well, it’s weird that my husband introduces me, so I don’t even know what to say.  But thank you, honey.  (Laughter.)   
 
     Now, with an introduction like that, you can see why I married the guy, right?  Not so bad.  (Laughter.)  But the truth is, is that I feel pretty lucky myself. 
 
     So I want to thank my husband for being a wonderful father and a partner to me as well.  I also want to thank President Clinton for inviting us here today and for the example he’s setting not just as a private citizen making a difference in the world as only he can, but also, as Barack said, as a father who, along with his brilliant wife, has raised such a wonderful daughter in the White House.  And living there, now I know that that’s a feat, and it is one my husband and I are doing our best to try to match.  We’re trying to follow their example every day.
 
     And, finally, I want to thank all of you for combining your compassion and idealism with a relentless commitment to getting results.  In coming together this week, you’re forming new partnerships, making new commitments, challenging each other to do even more. 
 
     And at this year’s meeting, President Clinton has asked you to address a challenge that I’d like to talk a little bit about today.  And it’s one of your key action areas for this week, and that is harnessing human potential. 
 
     In other words, as you endeavor to do more -- to serve more communities, lift up more families, save more lives -- how can you find new ways to tap the skills and talents of more people?  How can you create and train new leaders not just here in America but around the world?  How can you, as President Clinton put it earlier this week, get people involved in our common endeavors? 
 
     So in pondering these questions, I’m here today to ask you to consider an issue that is near and dear to my heart as First Lady and one that I believe is vitally important for just about everything you’re working to accomplish, and that is the challenges faced by America’s veterans and military families and all they have to offer, particularly as they transition to civilian life. 
 
     Now, at first glance, I know this issue may seem too uniquely American in scope for such a global audience here at CGI.  But right now, the human potential of America’s veterans and military families is both vast and woefully under-utilized, and that’s not just an issue for those individuals or for this country.  It also significantly impacts what you and so many others are trying to achieve not just here in America, but around the world. 
 
     Now, as First Lady, I’ve had the privilege of meeting America’s men and women in uniform.  I’ve met them on bases and hospitals and communities all across this country.  And I always come away from these visits not just with a sense of pride and gratitude, but with a sense of awe.  Believe me, I’m awed.  I’m awed by their courage and their sacrifice.  I’m awed by their commitment to this country and the standard of excellence they uphold. 
 
     And while most folks share my respect and admiration for their service, a lot of folks have no idea what that service actually entails.  Many still don’t know the full power of their human potential.  But just consider for a moment the kind of work that they do.
 
     Members of our military master state of the art technologies -- some of the most advanced information and medical and communications systems in the world.  They run the world’s most complex operations -- distributing supplies to thousands of locations, moving tons of equipment halfway across the globe.  They oversee hundreds of their colleagues -- recruiting the top talent and inspiring folks from diverse backgrounds to succeed as a team.  And many of them are barely old enough to vote, yet they shoulder more responsibility than many CEOs, undertaking missions where there’s no margin for error, where the bottom line is often a matter of life or death. 
 
     Now these are highly valuable, highly transferable, highly marketable skills -- skills that I know many businesses, including those represented here today, are desperate to find.  Yet the fact is that right now, more than 150,000 recent veterans are still struggling to find jobs. 
 
     Now, it’s true that we are facing difficult economic times.  And we’re working hard to get all Americans back to work after a tough recession.  But our veterans face a unique set of challenges as they leave military service.
 
     In one survey, more than three-quarters of veterans reported having difficulty translating the expertise they gained in the military into a resume that makes sense to civilians.  And 61 percent of employers admitted that they didn’t fully understand the skills our veterans had to offer.  So often, veterans find themselves becoming under-utilized, under-employed -- settling for jobs that pay less than they deserve; jobs that don’t fully harness their talents.  Or they find themselves out of work entirely for months on end.  And that can take a toll -- a real toll. 
 
     Now, America’s servicemen and women are resilient, so you’re not going to hear them complain.  And they’re proud, so they're not going to show it.  But it’s hard to spend years serving your country, only to find that the value of that service isn’t fully understood.  And it’s hard to give so much, for so long, for a cause greater than yourself, only to come home and find that there’s nowhere you quite fit in. 
 
     And let’s not forget that when America’s troops are called to serve, their families serve too.  That means spouses taking on the work of both parents, running their households and raising their kids all alone, often while trying to get an education or working fulltime themselves. 
 
     And they face employment challenges of their own, because it’s hard to build seniority at a job when you have to move every couple of years.  It’s hard to sustain a career when you have to keep meeting new state licensing and certification requirements.  It’s hard to impress employers who often view a resume with multiple jobs as a red flag rather than as a reality of military life.
 
     But somehow, they still manage to juggle all those responsibilities, often while helping other military families do the same.  Many military spouses help lead Family Readiness Groups, or FRGs.  Now, these are support organizations that serve hundreds of families at a time.  And let me just take a moment to paint a picture for you of what a day in the life of an FRG leader might look like. 
 
     So she might spend her morning working on a communications strategy -- coordinating the unit’s website, newsletter, Facebook, so everyone has the latest information about their loved ones.  Over lunch, she might review the FRG’s budget and craft a spending plan for the upcoming year. 
 
     In the afternoon, she’ll meet with health care representatives to learn about new counseling resources for families.  Then she’ll meet with teams of volunteers to coordinate upcoming events.  Then the evening comes, bringing news that the deployed unit has sustained a casualty.  So she’ll work late into the night rounding up support for the affected family, notifying other families on the base about what happened.
 
     Now, if she were doing the same kind of work at a company, she might be called a CEO, a COO, maybe a senior executive.  Perhaps she’d have a nice office, a big salary, a line at the top of her resume that any employer would understand and respect.  So why should things be any different just because she’s not drawing a paycheck?
 
     And let’s be clear -- our veterans and military spouses aren’t just well qualified for jobs in the private sector.  They’re an asset in the non-profit world as well.  Whether it’s an earthquake in Haiti, a tsunami in East Asia, a flood in Pakistan, or a hurricane in New Orleans, America’s men and women in uniform are often some of the first people on the scene. 
 
     They go on regular humanitarian missions throughout the world, providing everything from food aid to medical care to help with construction.  And their titles -- soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, Coastguardsmen -- those titles don’t begin to describe the full range of the roles that they play.  During a typical tour of duty, they’re called to act as diplomats and social workers, mediators and educators.  They work with governments and NGOs, with local businesses and with civilians, and with their counterparts from militaries around the world. 
 
     And, again, let’s not forget about their spouses and the countless hours of volunteer work they’re doing on top of everything else they’re taking care of back home.  At just one Army base in Fort Drum, in upstate New York, military spouses logged more than 85,000 volunteer hours in the course of a single year.
 
     And I’ll never forget the couple that I met outside of Quantico Marine base in Virginia.  They were helping to organize the Toys for Tots drive, which is a nationwide effort by the Marines Corps Reserve to distribute Christmas gifts to millions of children in need.  And that couple spent so much time volunteering that they had to move their family’s Christmas tree into the volunteer center so they could actually enjoy it. 
 
     So the fact is that America’s veterans and military spouses have years of experience and training doing precisely the kind of work that all of you are doing every day across the globe.  Are you building roads or schools or shelters?  They’ve done that.  Are you establishing health clinics in remote parts of the world?  They’ve done that too.  Are you trying to recruit and manage teams of volunteers?  Are you working to get clean water into a village?  Are you trying to move people to safety in the wake of a natural disaster?  You see, that’s all in a day’s work for these folks.
 
     And that passion for serving, that commitment to helping others, that doesn’t just disappear when they return to civilian life.  In a recent survey, 92 percent of veterans reported that they wanted to serve their communities and that it was important to them.  And when asked what kind of service they wanted to do, 88 percent said they wanted to do disaster relief; another 86 percent wanted to help at-risk youth; still another 69 percent wanted to preserve our environment. 
 
     You see, for these folks, service is the air they breathe.  It’s the reason they were put on this Earth.  And many of them don’t want to serve for just a certain number of years or a certain number of deployments -- they want to make their whole life a tour of duty. 
 
     So given our veterans’ and military spouses’ unmatched experience and passion for service, you’d think they’d be the very first folks that nonprofit organizations would tap when they’re trying to look for the top talent.  
 
     But as in the private sector, too often there’s a disconnect.  Too often, we mistakenly view the nonprofit sector and the military as two very different worlds, with different missions, with different cultures, different values.  We have this notion that folks who serve in the military just aren’t the kind of folks who’d want to work at an NGO and vice versa.
 
     But the truth is that folks in both the military and nonprofit worlds are passionately committed to causes larger than themselves.  Folks in both worlds willingly sacrifice their own safety, comfort, and financial well-being to help others.  And right now, across America and around the world, there are countless examples of veterans who are using their skills and experience to continue their service as civilians. 
 
     They’re working at America’s schools and communities, as teachers and coaches, role models for our kids.   They’re training for green jobs retrofitting homes and offices and conserving public lands. 
 
     One group of veterans even runs an organization called “Team Rubicon” that responds to natural disasters.  They trek into some of the most remote areas of the world to provide medical aid to thousands of people in need.  The organization was founded after the earthquake in Haiti, when a former Marine named Jake Wood watched the devastation unfold on TV and he said to himself -- he said, “Jake, you’re not in the Marines any more, but you have a special set of skills.  You would be ashamed of yourself if you didn’t try and use them to help people.” 
 
     So it’s clear that our veterans and military spouses have the skills and the will to serve and succeed in any environment.  So now it’s up to all of us to give them the opportunity. 
 
     Now, my husband has been working hard to do that as President.  He’s worked to fund a 21st century GI Bill which is helping nearly 300,000 veterans and their families get the education they need to fulfill their dreams.  He’s made veterans hiring a top priority in the federal government, hiring nearly 33,000 veterans in the first half of this fiscal year alone -- and that's an 8 percent increase over the last year.  (Applause.)
 
     Our Department of Defense has been working with states to streamline licensing requirements so that spouses don’t have to reapply for professional credentials and take new tests every time they move.  And we’re working to strengthen support programs and counseling services to help military spouses juggle their responsibilities not just to their employers but to their families.
 
     But as you all know, government can only do so much.  And that’s why I’m here today -- to ask for your help.   Whatever you’re looking for, whether it’s technical expertise or management ability, whether you’re trying to lift a struggling community, or boost your bottom line, I’m asking you to reach out and engage our veterans and military spouses.  I’m asking you to take advantage of their talent, their dedication, their experience. 
 
     Now that might mean asking a veterans service organization to help your hiring managers translate military experience into civilian qualifications.  It might mean studying best practices in the military to see how you can expand career opportunities for wounded warriors and people with disabilities.  It might mean finding ways to make your workplace more military spouse-friendly, whether that’s with more flexible work schedules or more portable jobs.  Or it might mean developing challenging, substantive volunteer opportunities, ones that can help vets and spouses build the professional skills and networks they need to compete. 
 
     And plenty of organizations and corporations are already taking the lead in this respect.  In fact, tonight, the Department of Defense is awarding its 2010 Employer Support Freedom Awards.  Now these awards recognize companies that support employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve. 
 
     And one of the recipients was a company called Bill Bragg Plumbing, which has just five employees.  And at that company when someone is deployed, the company owner steps in to fill that person’s duties.  And the company keeps in touch with that employee’s family throughout their deployment, offering whatever kind of assistance and support they can provide.
 
     Now if this little company can do all that, then I know surely that the national and international corporations and NGOs in this room can do even more to recruit and support veterans and military families.   Surely companies or nonprofits of any size can do what it takes to benefit from that talent. 
 
     After all, hiring America’s vets and military spouses is not just about helping them -- it’s about how they can help you.  So I’m not asking you to do this out of the goodness of your heart -- do it because it’s good for your bottom line and the success of your organization. 
 
     But I'm not just here today to challenge all of you.  In the spirit of CGI, I'm here also to make a commitment of my own.  If you’ll do your part to engage and employ our veterans and military spouses, then I’ll commit to do my part to help you in whatever way I can. 
 
     As part of my ongoing efforts to encourage people to support our veterans and military families, I will do my part to connect you with advocates, with experts and with resources throughout the government, from the Department of Labor to the Defense Department to the VA.  If you have questions about how a veteran’s or spouse’s skills fit with the jobs you have, we will help you find the answers.  If your staff wants to better understand the challenges that vets and military spouses face and how to address them we will connect you to the right people. 
 
     And today I promise to continue to use my platform as First Lady to bring people together around this issue.  I’ll work to spark not just a national conversation, but national action to give our vets and military spouses the opportunities they deserve.
 
     And I am grateful to be joined in these efforts by a truly wonderful partner.  She is a Blue Star mom, a champion of our National Guard and Reserve families -- my friend, Dr. Jill Biden.  We have both seen firsthand the potential that America’s vets and military spouses have to offer.  And what they have to offer goes far beyond their skills, training and experience.  
 
     Let me tell you, I have seen that potential.  I have seen that potential in the men and women I meet at our military hospitals.  And these are folks who are seriously wounded, but they refuse to scale back their dreams.  They’re making plans.  They’re re-imagining their futures.  They tell me they’re not just going to walk again, but they’re going to run and they’re going to run marathons. 
 
     I have seen that potential in the spouses who say grace each night with that empty seat at the table, the folks who answer all those questions about when mommy or daddy is coming home, yet never allowing their worry or fear to creep into their voice or shake their resolve.  You see, this kind of potential is just too precious and unique to squander.  And for these extraordinary individuals, the story of their service doesn’t end when they move off the base or hang up their uniform.  Rather, it’s just the beginning of the next chapter of their work to build a better America and a better world. 
 
     An Army veteran named Tom Tarantino put it best when he came to the White House just last week to meet with staff.  He was talking about his experience transitioning from military to civilian life.  And he said -- and this is his quote -- “When I left the service, I was looking for more than a paycheck.  I was looking for a mission.”  
 
     And ultimately, that is the same reason all of you are here today.  That’s the same determination that you bring to your own service, the same conviction that a career is about more than just making a living -- it’s about making a difference.
 
     You’re here today because you’ve found your mission.  Now it’s time for us to work together to help America’s veterans and military families find theirs. 
 
     So thank you all.  Thank you for the time.  Thank you for listening.  Thank you for the work that you’re doing and will continue to do.  And I truly look forward to working with you all in the weeks and months to come.  Thank you all, and God bless.  (Applause.)
 
END           4:40 P.M. EDT