Obama's State of the Union address was, in the words of one prominent green leader, "a strong defense of the importance of clean energy to America’s long-term economic prosperity." (White House photo)

The economy dominated President Obama’s recent State of the Union address, but his discussion about energy and the environment took up almost seven minutes—or nine percent—of the hour-plus address. And while much of what Mr. Obama said was comforting to environmentalists, his statements about expanding natural gas production—albeit “without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk”—and opening up more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources did not sit well.

Even so, natural gas is cleaner burning than oil or coal, and reducing our reliance on foreign oil is a good thing overall. “Right now American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight years,” Mr. Obama said, adding that “…last year we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past 16 years.”

Michelle Wilson Berger of the National Audubon Society points out that when George W. Bush told us in his 2006 State of the Union that the U.S. was addicted to foreign oil, some 60 percent was coming from foreign sources. “Now it’s just less than half,” Berger says, adding: “The trend is going to continue in that positive direction and within a couple decades, it’s going to be even less, say something like 36 percent.”

Nonetheless, environmental advocates were hoping for less bullish talk from Obama on expanding fossil fuel development of any kind, given the dire climate predictions we are facing. But Obama isn’t giving up his commitment to renewables, despite the recent bankruptcy of solar panel maker Solyndra after it had received upwards of $500 million in loan guarantees. “Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail,” stated Obama in the speech. “But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy.”

Obama also called on Congress to pass a new standard aimed at boosting wind, solar, geothermal and other renewables, and to extend related tax credits to help diversify and green the country’s energy mix, adding that he wants to end tax subsidies for oil companies. In underscoring that Americans don’t have to choose between the economy and the environment, he cited the case of the revival of the American auto industry thanks in part to automakers’ willingness to innovate to meet aggressive fuel economy standards.

Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund considers Obama’s State of the Union “a strong defense of the importance of clean energy to America’s long-term economic prosperity.”

Speeches aside, 2011 wasn’t a bad year for Obama on the environment. He proposed raising the average fuel efficiency standard for new cars to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025—this alone, says Natural Resources Defense Council’s Frances Beinecke, “will save drivers more than $80 billion a year at the pump and cut our annual oil use by more than the amount we imported from Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 2010.” Obama’s recent rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline project—which would have transported dirty Alberta tar sands oil across U.S. soil—was another triumph, as were establishing the first national standards to limit mercury and other air toxins from power plants, proposing a visionary national oceans policy, protecting the Grand Canyon from uranium mining, and supporting clean energy investments at record levels.

CONTACTS: White House State of the Union 2012, www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2012.

Google+, which has yet to be determined as a worthy opponent to Facebook, has been gifted with the big political name of Barack Obama. Or rather, his reelection campaign.

Thus far, the page has posted five times, the first saying “Welcome to the Obama 2012 Google+ page. We’re still kicking the tires and figuring this out, so let us know what you’d like to see here and your ideas for how we can use this space to help you stay connected to the campaign”.

The new addition has yet to show if it’ll contribute to the popularity of the social networking site.

David Axelrod, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama said Sunday that the Republicans seeking the presidential nomination don’t understand the reasons behind the “Occupy” protests that haves sprung up around the country, including Boston.

Axelrod told ABC’s “This Week” that people “want a financial system that works on the level. They want to get a fair shake.”

The remarks came the day after dozens of protesters from Occupy Wall Street were arrested in Times Square in a violent clash with police.

Meanwhile, the Occupy Boston protest has continued to grow after two weeks, and a similar movement has begun in Providence.

Axelrod said that American’s aren’t “impressed” by GOP presidential candidates saying they want to “roll back Wall St. reform.”

He also slammed frontrunner Mitt Romney for changing positions on issues throughout his political career.

“I think there’s this question about what his core principles are,” Axelrod said, citing changes in Romney’s positions from earlier in his political career when he was running for U.S. Senate and Massachusetts governor. “Then he was a pro choice, pro gay rights, pro environmental candidate for office. Then he decided to run for president. Did a 180 on all of that.

“So time and time and time again he shifts – and you get the feeling that there is no principle too large for him to throw over in pursuit of political office.”

Axelrod has specifically targeted Romney recently.

“If I were Governor Romney I’d be worried about all these changes in position and what kind of message that sends to voters,” Axelrod told “This Week” anchor Christiane Amanpour.

Source: White House Press Office

Our first question is from LinkedIn member Chuck Painter. And, Chuck we’re going to get you a mic –

Q Good morning, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.

Q I’m from Austin, Texas. I’ve been in sales in the plastics industry for 20 years. I lost my job in 2009 and fortunate enough to have found another position, become reemployed. My question is what can we do as American citizens to unite ourselves and help the economy?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, are you a native of Austin? Because that’s one of my favorite cities in the country.

Q Actually, I’m a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, but just relocated to Austin, and I love it there.

THE PRESIDENT: Austin is great. Charlotte is not bad. (Laughter.)

Q Thank you, thank you, thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: That’s the reason why I’m having my convention in Charlotte, because I love North Carolina as well. But how long did it take you to find a new job after you had gotten laid off?

Q It took nine months.

THE PRESIDENT: It took nine months?

Q Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: And that’s one of the challenges that a lot of folks are seeing out there. You’ve got skilled people with experience in an industry. That industry changes, and you were fortunate enough to be able to move. Some folks, because of the decline in the housing industry, are having trouble with mobility in finding new jobs and relocating in pursuit of opportunity.

Q Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: The most important thing that we can do right now is to help jumpstart the economy, which has stalled, by putting people back to work. And so, not surprisingly, I think the most important thing we can do right now is pass this jobs bill.

Think about it. Independent economists have estimated that, if we pass the entire package, the American Jobs Act, we would increase GDP by close to 2 percent; we would increase employment by 1.9 million persons. And that is the kind of big, significant move in the economy that can have ripple effects and help a recovery take off.

There’s been a lot of dispute about the kind of impact that we had right after the financial crisis hit. But the fact is, the vast majority of economists who looked at it have said that the Recovery Act, by starting infrastructure projects around the country, by making sure that states had help on their budgets so they didn’t have to lay off teachers and firefighters and others, by providing tax cuts to small businesses — and by the way, we’ve cut taxes about 16 times since I’ve been in office for small businesses to give them more capital to work with and more incentives to hire — all those things made a big difference.

The American Jobs Act is specifically tailored to putting more of those folks back to work. It’s not going to solve all our problems. We’ve still got a housing situation in which too many homes are underwater. And one of the things that we’ve proposed as part of the American Jobs Act is, is that we’re going to help reduce the barriers to refinancing so that folks can get record-low rates. That will put more money into people’s pockets. It will provide tax cuts to not only small businesses, but almost every middle-class family. That means they’ve got more money in their pockets, and that means that they’re going to be able to spend it on products and services, which provide additional incentives for business to hire folks like you.

So it’s the right step to take right now. Long term, we’re going to have to pull together around making sure our education system is the best in the world, making sure our infrastructure is the best in the world, continuing to invest in science and technology. We’ve got to stabilize our finances, and we’ve got to continue to drive down health care costs, which are a drag on our whole economy. And we’ve got to continue to promote trade, but make sure that that trade is fair and that intellectual property protection, for example, is available when we’re doing business in other countries, like China.

So there are a lot of long-term agendas that we’ve got to pursue. Right now, though, the most important thing I can do for you, even if you already have a job, is to make sure that your neighbors and your friends also have jobs, because those are ultimately the customers for your products.

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. Congress has now approved a compromise to reduce the deficit and avert a default that would have devastated our economy. It was a long and contentious debate. And I want to thank the American people for keeping up the pressure on their elected officials to put politics aside and work together for the good of the country.

This compromise guarantees more than $2 trillion in deficit reduction. It’s an important first step to ensuring that as a nation we live within our means. Yet it also allows us to keep making key investments in things like education and research that lead to new jobs, and assures that we’re not cutting too abruptly while the economy is still fragile.

This is, however, just the first step. This compromise requires that both parties work together on a larger plan to cut the deficit, which is important for the long-term health of our economy. And since you can’t close the deficit with just spending cuts, we’ll need a balanced approach where everything is on the table. Yes, that means making some adjustments to protect health care programs like Medicare so they’re there for future generations. It also means reforming our tax code so that the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations pay their fair share. And it means getting rid of taxpayer subsidies to oil and gas companies, and tax loopholes that help billionaires pay a lower tax rate than teachers and nurses.

I’ve said it before; I will say it again: We can’t balance the budget on the backs of the very people who have borne the biggest brunt of this recession. We can’t make it tougher for young people to go to college, or ask seniors to pay more for health care, or ask scientists to give up on promising medical research because we couldn’t close a tax shelter for the most fortunate among us. Everyone is going to have to chip in. It’s only fair. That’s the principle I’ll be fighting for during the next phase of this process.

And in the coming months, I’ll continue also to fight for what the American people care most about: new jobs, higher wages and faster economic growth. While Washington has been absorbed in this debate about deficits, people across the country are asking what we can do to help the father looking for work. What are we going to do for the single mom who’s seen her hours cut back at the hospital? What are we going to do to make it easier for businesses to put up that “now hiring” sign?

That’s part of the reason that people are so frustrated with what’s been going on in this town. In the last few months, the economy has already had to absorb an earthquake in Japan, the economic headwinds coming from Europe, the Arab Spring and the [rise] in oil prices — all of which have been very challenging for the recovery. But these are things we couldn’t control. Our economy didn’t need Washington to come along with a manufactured crisis to make things worse. That was in our hands. It’s pretty likely that the uncertainty surrounding the raising of the debt ceiling — for both businesses and consumers — has been unsettling, and just one more impediment to the full recovery that we need. And it was something that we could have avoided entirely.

So, voters may have chosen divided government, but they sure didn’t vote for dysfunctional government. They want us to solve problems. They want us to get this economy growing and adding jobs. And while deficit reduction is part of that agenda, it is not the whole agenda. Growing the economy isn’t just about cutting spending; it’s not about rolling back regulations that protect our air and our water and keep our people safe. That’s not how we’re going to get past this recession. We’re going to have to do more than that.

And that’s why, when Congress gets back from recess, I will urge them to immediately take some steps — bipartisan, common-sense steps — that will make a difference; that will create a climate where businesses can hire, where folks have more money in their pockets to spend, where people who are out of work can find good jobs.

We need to begin by extending tax cuts for middle-class families so that you have more money in your paychecks next year. If you’ve got more money in your paycheck, you’re more likely to spend it. And that means small businesses and medium-sized businesses and large businesses will all have more customers. That means they’ll be in a better position to hire.

And while we’re at it, we need to make sure that millions of workers who are still pounding the pavement looking for jobs to support their families are not denied needed unemployment benefits.

Through patent reform, we can cut the red tape that stops too many inventors and entrepreneurs from quickly turning new ideas into thriving businesses — which holds our whole economy back. And I want Congress to pass a set of trade deals — deals we’ve already negotiated — that would help displaced workers looking for new jobs and would allow our businesses to sell more products in countries in Asia and South America, products that are stamped with the words “Made in America.”

We also need to give more opportunities to all those construction workers out there who lost their jobs when the housing boom went bust. We could put them to work right now, by giving loans to private companies that want to repair our roads and our bridges and our airports, rebuilding our infrastructure. We have workers who need jobs and a country that needs rebuilding; an infrastructure bank would help us put them together.

And while we’re on the topic of infrastructure, there’s another stalemate in Congress right now involving our aviation industry which has stalled airport construction projects all around the country and put the jobs of tens of thousands of construction workers and others at risk -– because of politics. It’s another Washington-inflicted wound on America, and Congress needs to break that impasse now –- hopefully before the Senate adjourns -– so these folks can get back to work.

So these are some things that we could be doing right now. There’s no reason for Congress not to send me those bills so I can sign them into law right away as soon as they get back from recess. Both parties share power in Washington, and both parties need to take responsibility for improving this economy. It’s not a Democratic responsibility or a Republican responsibility; it is our collective responsibility as Americans. And I’ll be discussing additional ideas in the weeks ahead to help companies hire, invest and expand.

So, we’ve seen in the past few days that Washington has the ability to focus when there’s a timer ticking down, and when there’s a looming disaster. It shouldn’t take the risk of default -– the risk of economic catastrophe -– to get folks in this town to work together and do their jobs. Because there’s already a quiet crisis going on in the lives of a lot of families, in a lot of communities, all across the country. They’re looking for work, and they have been for a while; or they’re making do with fewer hours or fewer customers; or they’re just trying to make ends meet. That ought to compel Washington to cooperate. That ought to compel Washington to compromise, and it ought to compel Washington to act. That ought to be enough to get all of us in this town to do the jobs we were sent here to do. We’ve got to do everything in our power to grow this economy and put America back to work. That’s what I intend to do, and I’m looking forward to working with Congress to make it happen.

Thanks very much, everybody.

Source: White House Press Office

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. I wanted to give folks a quick update on the progress that we’re making on the debt ceiling discussions.

I was in contact with all the leadership over the course of the weekend and continued to urge both Democrats and Republicans to come together around an approach that not only lifts the debt ceiling but also solves the underlying challenges that we face when it comes to debt and deficits.

Some progress was made in some of the discussions, some narrowing of the issues. Speaker Boehner and the Republican House caucus felt it necessary to put forward the plan that they’re going to be voting on today. I think everyone’s estimation is, is that that is not an approach that could pass both chambers, it’s not an approach that I would sign and it’s not balanced. But I understand the need for them to test that proposition.

The problem we have now is we’re in the 11th hour and we don’t have a lot more time left. The good news is that today a group of senators, the Gang of Six, Democrats and Republicans — I guess now Gang of Seven, because one additional Republican senator added on — put forward a proposal that is broadly consistent with the approach that I’ve urged. What it says is we’ve got to be serious about reducing discretionary spending both in domestic spending and defense; we’ve got to be serious about tackling health care spending and entitlements in a serious way; and we’ve got to have some additional revenue so that we have an approach in which there is shared sacrifice and everybody is giving up something.

And so, for us to see Democratic senators acknowledge that we’ve got to deal with our long-term debt problems that arise out of our various entitlement programs, and for Republican senators to acknowledge that revenues will have to be part of a balanced package that makes sure that nobody is disproportionately hurt from us making progress on the debt and deficits I think is a very significant step. And as I said, the framework that they put forward is broadly consistent with what we’ve been working on here in the White House and with the presentations that I’ve made to the leadership when they’ve come over here.

So here’s where we stand. We have a Democratic President and administration that is prepared to sign a tough package that includes both spending cuts, modifications to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare that would strengthen those systems and allow them to move forward, and would include a revenue component. We now have a bipartisan group of senators who agree with that balanced approach. And we’ve got the American people who agree with that balanced approach.

My hope, and what I will be urging Speaker Boehner, Nancy Pelosi, as well as Leader Reid and Mitch McConnell, is that they, tomorrow, are prepared to start talking turkey and actually getting down to the hard business of crafting a plan that can move this forward in time for the August 2nd deadline that we’ve set forward.

Just a couple of other points I will make. Some of you may ask, what does it mean for the plan that Senator McConnell and Senator Reid had been working on? Our attitude is, is that that continues to be a necessary approach to put forward. In the event that we don’t get an agreement, at minimum, we’ve got to raise the debt ceiling. So that’s the bare minimum that has to be achieved, but we continue to believe that we can achieve more.

And so I want to congratulate the Gang of Six for coming up with a plan that I think is balanced. We just received it, so we haven’t reviewed all the details of it. It would not match perfectly with some of the approaches that we’ve taken, but I think that we’re in the same playing field. And my hope is, is that we can start gathering everybody over the next couple of days to choose a clear direction and to get this issue resolved.
So far, at least, the markets have shown confidence that leadership here in Washington are not going to send the economy over a cliff. But if we continue to go through a lot of political posturing, if both sides continue to be dug in, if we don’t have a basic spirit of cooperation that allows us to rise above immediate election-year politics and actually solve problems, then I think markets here, the American people, and the international community are going to start reacting adversely fairly quickly.

So I think it’s very important for in these next couple of days to understand we don’t have any more time to engage in symbolic gestures; we don’t have any more time to posture. It’s time to get down to the business of actually solving this problem. And I think we now are seeing the potential for a bipartisan consensus around what that would take.

It will be hard. It will be tough. There are still going to be a lot of difficult negotiations that have to take place in order for us to actually get something done. And as I said, we have to have that failsafe that Senator McConnell and Senator Reid are working on. But the hope is, is that everybody seizes this opportunity.

All right? Okay, guys, I’m going to let Jay answer questions today. I think I’ve been pretty good to you guys. (Laughter.) But after the votes today in the House, I’ll call up Speaker Boehner and the other leadership and we’ll arrange for times where we bring folks back here, and hopefully we’ll be able to report on some additional progress over the next few days.

All right? Thank you very much, guys.

Q When will you announce whether you will be supporting the Gang of Six plan? Would that be in the next day?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I said, I think what you’re going to be seeing is an evaluation of that plan versus the things that we’ve been looking at. I think what you’re going to see is some significant overlap. But obviously just because we might agree in principle with a range of issues with six senators or seven senators, that doesn’t get us out of the House of Representatives; that doesn’t get us out of the Senate. There’s going to have to be a broader agreement on the part of all the leadership that we’re going to get this done in a serious way, and we’ve got a tight deadline to do it.

All right? Thanks, guys.

END 1:38 P.M. EDT

DUBLIN — It was a little dicey, let’s be honest. In terms of his reputation for sincerity and passion, President Obama’s pinched stopover in Ireland ran a serious risk of dipping into the murky realms of tokenism. It was such a short trip, particularly compared to Queen Elizabeth’s comprehensive four-day sojourn last week, that people here might well have been justified in thinking it was no more than a means of killing time while Air Force One refuelled. Iceland’s volcanic hoopla, by now becoming an annual affair, didn’t help. The threat of ash grounding flights for long spells, as it is did last year, forced them to move on to the UK a little sooner than planned and cut short an already brief jaunt on Irish soil.

My personal concerns that Obama’s visit was merely an inconvenient part of a larger European check-list were not dispelled by his first televised words at a press conference in Farmleigh House after a 30-minute meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Barack—or Barry as we now affectionately call him—has somewhat spoiled us in the past with sweeping elegant orations, and so maybe this raised expectation was agitating my Irish inferiority complex, because it was a little difficult to interpret his uncertain, even vague words as anything other than indifference and perhaps boredom with the struggles of a nation as small as ours. Analysts watching the press conference thought he seemed jet-lagged and rambling. Obama and Kenny spoke imprecisely about the established necessity to shore up the country’s finances and rebuild the economy. The question of ECB interest rates, and being at the mercy of European bigwigs was not explicitly addressed.

On a cluttered list of presidential priorities that includes issues like the ailing American economy, an upcoming election campaign, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, global warming, and other slightly more important matters, Ireland must have seemed like a fairly minor player. A young child, tugging almost unnoticeably at the coat-tails of this suited and charming man.

As he left Farmleigh, Kenny hastily thrust a hurley into his arms—the ash-carved stick used by players of the uniquely Irish sport of Hurling. The hashed gesture was recovered by a quick photo opportunity of him swinging the hurley with the words, “If Congress don’t behave…”

Ice broken, he carried on.

On the cards was a visit to Moneygall in County Offaly, the birthplace of Obama’s 150-year-old Irish connection, Falmouth Kearney. With a population of less than 300, it could have been an embarrassing affair for us. This was arguably a chance to show off what we are good at it and lift that stereotype of pokey Irish villages surrounded by green fields and a few sheep. Yet there we were, watching him sup the black stuff in Ollie Hayes’s pub. In fairness to him, he knocked back half a pint of it and remarked that it tasted a lot better in Ireland than the US. With Michelle and their newly discovered distant cousin Henry Healy, they spent a whopping 45 minutes greeting the 5,000-strong mob that had turned out in Moneygall to meet him. The coterie of black-clothed men with earpieces looked stressed and frazzled by the proximity of the grasping crowd and the Obamas’ enthusiasm to shake, hug, and talk, but the socialising went down without a hitch.

George Dubya he ain’t.

Obama is liked in Ireland not because of any Irish connection, but because of his ostensibly more ethical agenda. Where Clinton, Palin, and McCain all spoke out about Iran and who they would invade next—as if war was some kind of presidential rite of passage—Obama eased away from the neo-colonial foreign policy that has tarnished America’s mandate around the world. He spoke of forging peace through negotiation, not through sheer military might, an idea that resounds brightly through the Irish psyche. His principles have made him far more palatable to Ireland than his predecessor, and all this made the histrionics of the hovering clench-jawed security guards seem amusing. This is Moneygall lads. Take it easy.

After pressing the flesh in Offaly, they were flown back to Dublin where 60,000 people had gathered for a rally in College Green, just outside the front gates of Trinity College. The waiting crowds were treated to readings and performances by some our best exports—among them Daniel Day-Lewis and Brendan Gleeson. An emotional Gleeson, in particular, gave a speech so rousing and inspirational that he was close to usurping Obama. He warmed the crowd up nicely and stirred the hunger for the strong words of leadership. Kenny, himself surprisingly demonstrative, introduced Obama eventually.

Up to the podium he stepped and embarked on a 25-minute speech that surged through the 60,000 onlookers. It was a clarion-call that seemed to lift the whole country out of the doldrums of this crippling recession—and with a bit of added stand-up, it safely winched his brief visit out of the jaws of saccharine obligation.

“Hello Ireland. My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas. And I’ve come home to find the apostrophe that we lost somewhere along the way.”

In a humorous nudge back to the Correspondents’ Dinner back in April, and the stubborn but laughable conspiracy theories about his nationality, he thanked the genealogists who first traced his heritage back to Ireland saying, “It turns out people take a lot of interest in you when you’re running for President. They look into your past, they check out your place of birth. Things like that. Now, I do wish someone had provided this evidence earlier because it would’ve come in handy back when I was first running in my home town of Chicago… Not many people knew me, they couldn’t even pronounce my name. I told them it was a Gaelic name. They didn’t believe me… I bet those (St. Patrick’s Day parade) organisers are watching TV today and feeling kind of bad.”

With the audience now limbered up with humour and ready to cheer, he reminded listeners of Ireland and America’s shared struggle for freedom from oppression, of the political and philosophical friendship between abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Daniel O’Connell, and the influential role each nation has played in the other’s evolution.

In what might well have been a stab to win over some of the 40 million Irish Americans, he invoked the inspiring popularity of the Kennedy dynasty to great effect and emphasised the unique part the Irish diaspora had played in moulding the US.

“Never has a nation so small inspired so much in another. Irish signatures are on our founding documents. Irish blood was spilled on our battlefields. Irish sweat built our great cities. So you can say there’s always been a little bit of green behind the red, white, and blue.”

Analysts have expressed doubt that the visit, though a resounding success here, will do all that much to boost his numbers at home.

The unspoken bind was of the status of the undocumented Irish in America. It’s still a thorny issue. With immigrants dying at the Mexican border it’s becoming increasingly difficult for American politicians to advocate for the Irish diaspora. Even though the case for the undocumented Irish is somewhat more complex, treating one ethnic group more favourably than others is sure to undermine his election campaign and hurt his reputation as a champion for minority groups.

A roaring success in Ireland then, but only time will tell what it buys him in 2012.

To all your arrogant, racist, insolent bastards who demanded that the president release his birth certificate:

Up yours.

While you were clamoring about the legality of Barack Obama’s presidency; while you were tacitly (and in a bad way) insinuating that he was Muslim; while you were trying to do little more than promote a 1950s conservative agenda by questioning the president’s Americanism (Donald Trump) Barack H. Obama was out plotting the death of Osama bin Laden.

A man that the last Democratic president should have whacked, and a man that the last Republican president was unable to whack.

Obama killed the most wanted man in world history since Adolf Hitler.

What did you accomplish this week?

If nothing else is garnered from this week’s events, we should gain a newfound and reformed respect for the office of the president of the United States of America, a respect for Barack Obama, and for that matter a respect for George W. Bush, who must have sat in that situation room dozens of times, hoping “this is it.”

Being president is hard. It requires sacrifice. It requires that you not keep every campaign promise you make once you learn all the horrible truths in your intelligence briefings every morning.

If you need a picture of how messy the world is, look at photos Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama before they got elected president and then six months after. Notice the grays on the young Obama?

Obama knew exactly what was going on with SEAL Team 6 in the days leading up to the strike. He knew we might be about to get bin Laden, and he still put on his walking slacks and toured an American south wrecked by more tornadoes at one time than at any other time in recorded history. Then he had to laugh and crack jokes at a Correspondents Dinner.

This pointless meandering about the man’s birth certificate — it got so bad that he actually released it — was truly unpatriotic and was a sad reflection on a part of American society that was truly not ready for a man of color to lead it. These are the attitudes that lead to black churches and mosques getting torched and Arab men in America being beaten and killed. This is the very picture of intolerance, alive and well in America.

And while you pointed fingers at the black guy, he got bin Laden.

A collaboration across the American government resulted in a successful strike that killed Osama bin Laden. Only a small group of people within the White House knew the details of the operation that was underway.

On Sunday morning, President Barack Obama ordered an attack on a compound suburb of Pakistan called Abbottabad that bin Laden was believed to be occupying with family and confidants.

Based on intelligence that had been being gathered since August 2010, there was a strong probability that the location of bin Laden was known. Due to the high security of the compound and its location near Islamabad, Pakistan’s capitol, extreme caution was taken to carry out this dangerous mission, according to White House sources, speaking to Blast last night.

A helicopter raid was conducted by a small team of nine US special forces operatives. Bin Laden tried to fight back and was shot and killed in the resulting firefight. Three other men were also killed, including one of bin Laden’s sons and two reputed al-Qaeda couriers. 

Women and children were also present in the house at the time of the raid. One woman was killed when she was used as a shield by one of the male occupants of the house, the sources said. Two other women were injured during the operation. No children were hurt and there were no civilian casualties.

The operation aimed to minimize “collateral damage,” the sources said.

The team left the compound in less than 40 minutes and was not confronted by any local authorities.

One US helicopter was destroyed during the mission, but the soldiers escaped safely from the aircraft.

Planning began in early September 2010 between the CIA and Obama. Beginning in March 2011 Obama conducted at least five National Security Council meetings once it was determined that there was enough intelligence to continue, the sources said.

The raid on the compound stemmed from information regarding a mansion owned by two brothers who had no explainable source of income, yet lived in a $1 million, heavily secured fortress of a home. The security measures for the compound were elaborate and included 12 to 18 foot walls topped with barbed wire, the officials said.

In addition there were two security gates guarding the entrances and trash was burned by the residents instead of being taken out. There was also no phone or internet service connected to the mansion.

The White House officials believed that the house was custom-built for bin Laden. It was built about five years ago, but it is unclear how long bin Laden had been a resident. He was living there with two other families and his family members, including his youngest wife.

Obama made the final decision to authorize the operation on Friday morning, and it was carried out successfully on Sunday.

Before addressing the nation regarding the mission, Obama spoke to former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to review the events of the day and share the statement that he was going to make to the nation.

During his nationally broadcast statement he said, “The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaeda. Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort.  There’s no doubt that al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us.  We must — and we will — remain vigilant at home and abroad.”

Although there have not been any specific threats, precautions are being taken by the US government to increase security and protect Americans in the United States and abroad. There is a possibility of violent retaliation by al-Qaeda and other terrorist leaders can also decide to increase their efforts, but the US is prepared to fight.

Bin Laden was the head of al-Qaeda, the organization responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks. His death is a significant disruption to the organization’s efforts and may lead to its demise. Bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawarhi, is thought to be less of a threat due to his lesser influence in the organization. He is believed to be less charismatic and not as respected by the members of al-Qaeda, according to White House intelligence from other leaders.

The government adhered to American and international law in carrying out the mission, but details of the operation were not shared with any other country, the officials said.

Obama, in his remarks, did point out that cooperation with Pakistan helped lead to bin Laden and the mansion.  Since bin Laden was responsible for attacks against Pakistani people and had declared war against the country as well, Pakistan’s president shared in the US sentiment of accomplishment.

Obama said in his speech, “The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam.  I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam.  Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims.” Nevertheless, bin Laden’s body is in US custody and will be treated in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition.

Ultimately, in spite of the fight that may still lie ahead, Obama stated yesterday that “justice has been done.”

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON OSAMA BIN LADEN

East Room

11:35 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory — hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.

And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.

On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.

We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda — an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.

Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.

Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.

And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.

Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.

For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.

Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must –- and we will — remain vigilant at home and abroad.

As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.

Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we’ve done. But it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.

Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.

So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.

Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.

Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.

And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.

The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

END 11:44 P.M. EDT

Bin Laden is dead.

Nearly 10 years after the fateful day, the most wanted enemy of the United States of America, the leader of the terrorist group al-Qaeda and the reputed mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has been killed, and the United States has his body, President Barack Obama announced in a live television address.

Addressing to the world from the White House in an extremely rare live Sunday night news conference, President Barack Obama reflected on the 9/11 attacks and their effects in Americans.

Bin Laden was killed in a mansion in Abbottabad, about 45 miles outside the Pakistani capital city of Islamabad. American Navy SEALs carried out a helicopter attack, which killed bin Laden, one of his adult sons, and two other men. A woman was also killed after one of the combatants used her as a human shield, according to a White House source.

No Americans were killed in the attack. Obama confirmed that the Americans took custody if bin Laden’s body.

“Justice has been done,” Obama said.

CBS news Washington producer Jill Jackson reported the news Sunday night and Tweeted: “House Intelligence committee aide confirms that Osama Bin Laden is dead. U.S. has the body.”

Reports indicate that Vice President Joe Biden called House majority leader Eric Cantor around 10 p.m. to tell him the news.

Bin Laden was the face of anti-American terrorism for the past decade. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks are branded into the minds of every American and those across the world. The attacks and others have shaped foreign policy and resulted in two American wars.

He had been hunted in Afghanistan and in the Pakistan border region, including tribal land and mountainous caves.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, which included four hijacked airliners; two crashing into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon, and one crashing into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers reportedly fought back against the hijackers. The War on Terror, which includes the still ongoing invasion and operation in Afghanistan, was started in the aftermath of the attacks.

The news set off celebrations around the country. In New York City, large crowds gathered, particularly around Ground Zero. In Philadelphia, crowds chanted “USA! USA” at the Phillies game against the New York Mets. Large crowds celebrated outside the gates of the White House as well.

An unexpected television announcement is being made by President Barack Obama any minute on live national television.

All major networks are breaking out of their regular programming to cover it.

It is extremely unusual for the president to make a statement at 10:30 p.m. on a Sunday.

Some news outlets believe Obama will make an announcement about developments in Libya, but CNN reporters do not believe this is the case.

Stick with Blast for more on this story.

Happy now?

Seriously. Wow.

In a probable attempt to silence the “birther” movement, the White House has actually released a copy of President Barack Obama’s long-form birth certificate from Honolulu. What remains to be seen, however, is whether this unexpected and unanticipated move will silence the Tea Party and other conservative critics or just give credence to their arguments.

According to the Associated Press, large numbers of Republicans continue to say that they doubt whether Obama is a natural born citizen and therefore eligible to be president. Donald Trump, engaged in his own campaign for the office, has used the controversial issue as he tests the waters.

Speaking Wednesday, Obama said that the country can focus on solving its problems only if it moves on and is not distracted from issues like this.

So he put it on the front page of every newspaper and blog in America.

The document lists Barack Hussein Obama II born at 7:24 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1961, at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital, in Honolulu.

There you go.

As Prepared for Delivery—

Good evening. Tonight, I’d like to update the American people on the international effort that we have led in Libya – what we have done, what we plan to do, and why this matters to us.

I want to begin by paying tribute to our men and women in uniform who, once again, have acted with courage, professionalism and patriotism. They have moved with incredible speed and strength. Because of them and our dedicated diplomats, a coalition has been forged and countless lives have been saved. Meanwhile, as we speak, our troops are supporting our ally Japan, leaving Iraq to its people, stopping the Taliban’s momentum in Afghanistan, and going after al Qaeda around the globe. As Commander-in-Chief, I am grateful to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and their families, as are all Americans.

For generations, the United States of America has played a unique role as an anchor of global security and advocate for human freedom. Mindful of the risks and costs of military action, we are naturally reluctant to use force to solve the world’s many challenges. But when our interests and values are at stake, we have a responsibility to act. That is what happened in Libya over the course of these last six weeks.

Libya sits directly between Tunisia and Egypt – two nations that inspired the world when their people rose up to take control of their own destiny. For more than four decades, the Libyan people have been ruled by a tyrant – Moammar Gaddafi. He has denied his people freedom, exploited their wealth, murdered opponents at home and abroad, and terrorized innocent people around the world – including Americans who were killed by Libyan agents.

Last month, Gaddafi’s grip of fear appeared to give way to the promise of freedom. In cities and towns across the country, Libyans took to the streets to claim their basic human rights. As one Libyan said, “For the first time we finally have hope that our nightmare of 40 years will soon be over.”

Faced with this opposition, Gaddafi began attacking his people. As President, my immediate concern was the safety of our citizens, so we evacuated our Embassy and all Americans who sought our assistance. We then took a series of swift steps in a matter of days to answer Gaddafi’s aggression. We froze more than $33 billion of the Gaddafi regime’s assets. Joining with other nations at the United Nations Security Council, we broadened our sanctions, imposed an arms embargo, and enabled Gaddafi and those around him to be held accountable for their crimes. I made it clear that Gaddafi had lost the confidence of his people and the legitimacy to lead, and I said that he needed to step down from power.

In the face of the world’s condemnation, Gaddafi chose to escalate his attacks, launching a military campaign against the Libyan people. Innocent people were targeted for killing. Hospitals and ambulances were attacked. Journalists were arrested, sexually assaulted, and killed. Supplies of food and fuel were choked off. The water for hundreds of thousands of people in Misratah was shut off. Cities and towns were shelled, mosques destroyed, and apartment buildings reduced to rubble. Military jets and helicopter gunships were unleashed upon people who had no means to defend themselves against assault from the air.

Confronted by this brutal repression and a looming humanitarian crisis, I ordered warships into the Mediterranean. European allies declared their willingness to commit resources to stop the killing. The Libyan opposition, and the Arab League, appealed to the world to save lives in Libya. At my direction, America led an effort with our allies at the United Nations Security Council to pass an historic Resolution that authorized a No Fly Zone to stop the regime’s attacks from the air, and further authorized all necessary measures to protect the Libyan people.

Ten days ago, having tried to end the violence without using force, the international community offered Gaddafi a final chance to stop his campaign of killing, or face the consequences. Rather than stand down, his forces continued their advance, bearing down on the city of Benghazi, home to nearly 700,000 men, women and children who sought their freedom from fear.

At this point, the United States and the world faced a choice. Gaddafi declared that he would show “no mercy” to his own people. He compared them to rats, and threatened to go door to door to inflict punishment. In the past, we had seen him hang civilians in the streets, and kill over a thousand people in a single day. Now, we saw regime forces on the outskirts of the city. We knew that if we waited one more day, Benghazi – a city nearly the size of Charlotte – could suffer a massacre that would have reverberated across the region and stained the conscience of the world.

It was not in our national interest to let that happen. I refused to let that happen. And so nine days ago, after consulting the bipartisan leadership of Congress, I authorized military action to stop the killing and enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973. We struck regime forces approaching Benghazi to save that city and the people within it. We hit Gaddafi’s troops in neighboring Ajdabiya, allowing the opposition to drive them out. We hit his air defenses, which paved the way for a No Fly Zone. We targeted tanks and military assets that had been choking off towns and cities and we cut off much of their source of supply. And tonight, I can report that we have stopped Gaddafi’s deadly advance.

In this effort, the United States has not acted alone. Instead, we have been joined by a strong and growing coalition. This includes our closest allies – nations like the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Turkey – all of whom have fought by our side for decades. And it includes Arab partners like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, who have chosen to meet their responsibility to defend the Libyan people.

To summarize, then: in just one month, the United States has worked with our international partners to mobilize a broad coalition, secure an international mandate to protect civilians, stop an advancing army, prevent a massacre, and establish a No Fly Zone with our allies and partners. To lend some perspective on how rapidly this military and diplomatic response came together, when people were being brutalized in Bosnia in the 1990s, it took the international community more than a year to intervene with air power to protect civilians.

Moreover, we have accomplished these objectives consistent with the pledge that I made to the American people at the outset of our military operations. I said that America’s role would be limited; that we would not put ground troops into Libya; that we would focus our unique capabilities on the front end of the operation, and that we would transfer responsibility to our allies and partners. Tonight, we are fulfilling that pledge.

Our most effective alliance, NATO, has taken command of the enforcement of the arms embargo and No Fly Zone. Last night, NATO decided to take on the additional responsibility of protecting Libyan civilians. This transfer from the United States to NATO will take place on Wednesday. Going forward, the lead in enforcing the No Fly Zone and protecting civilians on the ground will transition to our allies and partners, and I am fully confident that our coalition will keep the pressure on Gaddafi’s remaining forces. In that effort, the United States will play a supporting role – including intelligence, logistical support, search and rescue assistance, and capabilities to jam regime communications. Because of this transition to a broader, NATO-based coalition, the risk and cost of this operation – to our military, and to American taxpayers – will be reduced significantly.

So for those who doubted our capacity to carry out this operation, I want to be clear: the United States of America has done what we said we would do.

That is not to say that our work is complete. In addition to our NATO responsibilities, we will work with the international community to provide assistance to the people of Libya, who need food for the hungry and medical care for the wounded. We will safeguard the more than $33 billion that was frozen from the Gaddafi regime so that it is available to rebuild Libya. After all, this money does not belong to Gaddafi or to us – it belongs to the Libyan people, and we will make sure they receive it.

Tomorrow, Secretary Clinton will go to London, where she will meet with the Libyan opposition and consult with more than thirty nations. These discussions will focus on what kind of political effort is necessary to pressure Gaddafi, while also supporting a transition to the future that the Libyan people deserve. Because while our military mission is narrowly focused on saving lives, we continue to pursue the broader goal of a Libya that belongs not to a dictator, but to its people.

Despite the success of our efforts over the past week, I know that some Americans continue to have questions about our efforts in Libya. Gaddafi has not yet stepped down from power, and until he does, Libya will remain dangerous. Moreover, even after Gaddafi does leave power, forty years of tyranny has left Libya fractured and without strong civil institutions. The transition to a legitimate government that is responsive to the Libyan people will be a difficult task. And while the United States will do our part to help, it will be a task for the international community, and – more importantly – a task for the Libyan people themselves.

In fact, much of the debate in Washington has put forward a false choice when it comes to Libya. On the one hand, some question why America should intervene at all – even in limited ways – in this distant land. They argue that there are many places in the world where innocent civilians face brutal violence at the hands of their government, and America should not be expected to police the world, particularly when we have so many pressing concerns here at home.

It is true that America cannot use our military wherever repression occurs. And given the costs and risks of intervention, we must always measure our interests against the need for action. But that cannot be an argument for never acting on behalf of what’s right. In this particular country – Libya; at this particular moment, we were faced with the prospect of violence on a horrific scale. We had a unique ability to stop that violence: an international mandate for action, a broad coalition prepared to join us, the support of Arab countries, and a plea for help from the Libyan people themselves. We also had the ability to stop Gaddafi’s forces in their tracks without putting American troops on the ground.

To brush aside America’s responsibility as a leader and – more profoundly – our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are. Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as President, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.

Moreover, America has an important strategic interest in preventing Gaddafi from overrunning those who oppose him. A massacre would have driven thousands of additional refugees across Libya’s borders, putting enormous strains on the peaceful – yet fragile – transitions in Egypt and Tunisia. The democratic impulses that are dawning across the region would be eclipsed by the darkest form of dictatorship, as repressive leaders concluded that violence is the best strategy to cling to power. The writ of the UN Security Council would have been shown to be little more than empty words, crippling its future credibility to uphold global peace and security. So while I will never minimize the costs involved in military action, I am convinced that a failure to act in Libya would have carried a far greater price for America.

Now, just as there are those who have argued against intervention in Libya, there are others who have suggested that we broaden our military mission beyond the task of protecting the Libyan people, and do whatever it takes to bring down Gaddafi and usher in a new government.

Of course, there is no question that Libya – and the world – will be better off with Gaddafi out of power. I, along with many other world leaders, have embraced that goal, and will actively pursue it through non-military means. But broadening our military mission to include regime change would be a mistake.

The task that I assigned our forces – to protect the Libyan people from immediate danger, and to establish a No Fly Zone – carries with it a UN mandate and international support. It is also what the Libyan opposition asked us to do. If we tried to overthrow Gaddafi by force, our coalition would splinter. We would likely have to put U.S. troops on the ground, or risk killing many civilians from the air. The dangers faced by our men and women in uniform would be far greater. So would the costs, and our share of the responsibility for what comes next.

To be blunt, we went down that road in Iraq. Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our troops and the determination of our diplomats, we are hopeful about Iraq’s future. But regime change there took eight years, thousands of American and Iraqi lives, and nearly a trillion dollars. That is not something we can afford to repeat in Libya.

As the bulk of our military effort ratchets down, what we can do – and will do – is support the aspirations of the Libyan people. We have intervened to stop a massacre, and we will work with our allies and partners as they’re in the lead to maintain the safety of civilians. We will deny the regime arms, cut off its supply of cash, assist the opposition, and work with other nations to hasten the day when Gaddafi leaves power. It may not happen overnight, as a badly weakened Gaddafi tries desperately to hang on to power. But it should be clear to those around Gadaffi, and to every Libyan, that history is not on his side. With the time and space that we have provided for the Libyan people, they will be able to determine their own destiny, and that is how it should be.

Let me close by addressing what this action says about the use of America’s military power, and America’s broader leadership in the world, under my presidency.

As Commander-in-Chief, I have no greater responsibility than keeping this country safe. And no decision weighs on me more than when to deploy our men and women in uniform. I have made it clear that I will never hesitate to use our military swiftly, decisively, and unilaterally when necessary to defend our people, our homeland, our allies, and our core interests. That is why we are going after al Qaeda wherever they seek a foothold. That is why we continue to fight in Afghanistan, even as we have ended our combat mission in Iraq and removed more than 100,000 troops from that country.

There will be times, though, when our safety is not directly threatened, but our interests and values are. Sometimes, the course of history poses challenges that threaten our common humanity and common security – responding to natural disasters, for example; or preventing genocide and keeping the peace; ensuring regional security, and maintaining the flow of commerce. These may not be America’s problems alone, but they are important to us, and they are problems worth solving. And in these circumstances, we know that the United States, as the world’s most powerful nation, will often be called upon to help.

In such cases, we should not be afraid to act – but the burden of action should not be America’s alone. As we have in Libya, our task is instead to mobilize the international community for collective action. Because contrary to the claims of some, American leadership is not simply a matter of going it alone and bearing all of the burden ourselves. Real leadership creates the conditions and coalitions for others to step up as well; to work with allies and partners so that they bear their share of the burden and pay their share of the costs; and to see that the principles of justice and human dignity are upheld by all.

That’s the kind of leadership we have shown in Libya. Of course, even when we act as part of a coalition, the risks of any military action will be high. Those risks were realized when one of our planes malfunctioned over Libya. Yet when one of our airmen parachuted to the ground, in a country whose leader has so often demonized the United States – in a region that has such a difficult history with our country – this American did not find enemies. Instead, he was met by people who embraced him. One young Libyan who came to his aid said, “We are your friends. We are so grateful to these men who are protecting the skies.”

This voice is just one of many in a region where a new generation is refusing to be denied their rights and opportunities any longer. Yes, this change will make the world more complicated for a time. Progress will be uneven, and change will come differently in different countries. There are places, like Egypt, where this change will inspire us and raise our hopes. And there will be places, like Iran, where change is fiercely suppressed. The dark forces of civil conflict and sectarian war will have to be averted, and difficult political and economic concerns addressed.

The United States will not be able to dictate the pace and scope of this change. Only the people of the region can do that. But we can make a difference. I believe that this movement of change cannot be turned back, and that we must stand alongside those who believe in the same core principles that have guided us through many storms: our opposition to violence directed against one’s own citizens; our support for a set of universal rights, including the freedom for people to express themselves and choose their leaders; our support for governments that are ultimately responsive to the aspirations of the people.

Born, as we are, out of a revolution by those who longed to be free, we welcome the fact that history is on the move in the Middle East and North Africa, and that young people are leading the way. Because wherever people long to be free, they will find a friend in the United States. Ultimately, it is that faith – those ideals – that are the true measure of American leadership.

My fellow Americans, I know that at a time of upheaval overseas – when the news is filled with conflict and change – it can be tempting to turn away from the world. And as I have said before, our strength abroad is anchored in our strength at home. That must always be our North Star – the ability of our people to reach their potential, to make wise choices with our resources, to enlarge the prosperity that serves as a wellspring of our power, and to live the values that we hold so dear.

But let us also remember that for generations, we have done the hard work of protecting our own people, as well as millions around the globe. We have done so because we know that our own future is safer and brighter if more of mankind can live with the bright light of freedom and dignity. Tonight, let us give thanks for the Americans who are serving through these trying times, and the coalition that is carrying our effort forward; and let us look to the future with confidence and hope not only for our own country, but for all those yearning for freedom around the world. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

###

THE PRESIDENT: Hey! (Applause.) Hello, TechBoston! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, everybody. Everybody please have a seat. Everybody please have a seat.

We are thrilled to see especially the students here today. (Applause.) I am grateful for the presence of a few other outstanding leaders. First of all, the great mayor of Boston Tom Menino is in the house. There he is over there. (Applause.) Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray is here. Where’s Tim? (Applause.) Tim, good to see you. The outstanding Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is in the house. (Applause.)

To all of you who are contributing to the outstanding education of these young people, I could not be prouder to be here. It is wonderful to be back in Massachusetts. Some of you may know I spent some time in school here myself. I was much younger. I had no gray hair. (Laughter.) There were definitely no SmartBoards back then. (Laughter.) The most exciting new technology was an electric pencil sharpener. (Laughter.) So times have changed. You remember those? (Laughter.) Do you know what pencils are? Do you guys use pencils?

I am so grateful to have Melinda Gates joining us here today. Of course, we all know Melinda’s husband Bill, who couldn’t hack it at school here, dropped out. (Laughter.) Then he started a modest — modestly successful computer company. That was a joke, guys. (Laughter.) Bill Gates actually created a really big company. (Laughter.) But Melinda is a force in her own right — she is one of the world’s most generous but also effective philanthropists, successful businesswoman, and most important for today, she has been an extraordinary leader when it comes to education reform. Microsoft and the Gates Foundation have been partners with TechBoston since it got started, and we are very grateful for their support. Proud of them. (Applause.)

Melinda is absolutely right, by the way. One of the things that I’ve benefited from in this effort to make sure our schools are working for every young person is my Secretary of Education. Some of you might have known that Arne used to play professional basketball in Australia. He was on the Harvard basketball team; was a star there. Just the other week, he was in a celebrity basketball tournament where he was outscored by Justin Bieber. (Laughter.) I’m just saying. (Laughter.) Justin is, like, about 5’2” — (laughter) — so please give him a hard time for that if you get a chance.

Now, we’re in the middle of what we’re calling Education Month at the White House, and I wanted to come to TechBoston so that the rest of America can see how it’s done. You guys are a model for what’s happening all across the country. (Applause.) And obviously at the helm is Mary Skipper, who is doing unbelievable work. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Skip!

THE PRESIDENT: Love you, Skip! (Laughter.) But also the extraordinarily talented teaching staff that is working here. I had a chance to meet a couple of the teachers, and you could just tell that they are passionate about the work that they do. So they deserve a huge round of applause. (Applause.)

Every day, TechBoston is proving that no matter who you are, or what you look like, or where you come from, every child can learn. Every child can succeed. And every child deserves that chance.

Getting the best possible education has never been more important than it is right now. And that’s because in today’s world, a good job requires a good education. I travel all across the country, I go into factories, I go into companies. And it doesn’t matter where you are working — if you do not have a good education you are not going to be able to succeed. And that includes being on the factory floor these days, because most of the equipment is highly technical.

Over the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs will require a level of education beyond a high school degree. Which means, obviously, first of all, you can’t drop out of TechBoston. That’s not allowed. All right? You can’t even think about dropping out. (Applause.) But — can’t even think about it. But even after you graduate, you’re going to need some additional education. And I know that TechBoston is doing an outstanding job of making sure that every student is prepared to go to college.

Unfortunately, the reality is too many students are not prepared across our country. Too many leave school without the skills they need to get a job that pays. Today, as many as a quarter of American students are not finishing high school — a quarter. The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. And America has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree. We used to be number one, and we’re now number nine. That’s not acceptable.

The most effective way to create jobs in this country is to change those statistics. There’s no better economic policy than one that produces more graduates with the skills they need to succeed — to start their own businesses, to create their own Microsoft, to create new industries. And that’s why reforming education is the responsibility of every single American -– every parent, every teacher, every business leader, every public official, and yes, every student.

Now, it used to be that we weren’t sure how to turn around failing schools. We weren’t sure what worked to help struggling students. There were some folks in Washington who said all it took was more money, and if we just poured more money into the school everything would better. Then there were others who said, no, you just got to blow up these schools, they can’t work. A lot of people thought we should just give up on places like Dorchester, and they assume that some kids just can’t learn, or they’ve got too many disadvantages. There are always some excuses for why our young people couldn’t succeed.

But after awhile, parents and teachers and education reformers started to realize that maybe Washington didn’t have all the answers. And I can promise you after being there for a few years, they’re on to something there. (Laughter.) People started realizing that what’s needed is not either/or, it’s not either more money or more reform, it’s both/and — both more money and more reform. That’s what’s needed. (Applause.)

What’s needed is higher standards and higher expectations; more time in the classroom and greater focus on subjects like math and science. What’s needed are outstanding teachers and leaders like Skip who get more flexibility. I just like that name. I’m going call you Skip now. (Laughter and applause.) But education leaders who get more flexibility in exchange for more accountability.

And all those ingredients are present here at TechBoston. The students here, they get their own laptop when they walk through the door. That costs money, but it opens up a window for learning. You’re required to take four years of math, science and technology classes — classes like web development and entrepreneurship and even forensic science. I didn’t even know what forensic science was in high school. (Laughter.) I’m not sure I do now. (Laughter.) But that’s part of the requirement that makes this school outstanding.

The school days are longer. Classes are 60 minutes so that young people have time to actually focus and absorb the information that’s being provided. And many students go to school in July and August. I usually don’t get much applause from students when I point that out. (Laughter.) Because this is a pilot school, Mary had the ability to hire her own staff, and the teachers here are offered training and constant support.

So those are the ingredients, and the results have been powerful. The students here come from some tough neighborhoods — am I right? Yes. And yet the graduation rate is almost 20 points higher than the rest of the city — 20 points higher. (Applause.) Ninety-four percent of the most recent graduating class went to college. Eighty-five percent of those students were the first in their family to do so. (Applause.) Your math and science scores are consistently higher than other Boston schools, and the attendance rate here is 94 percent.

So it’s working. What’s happening here is working. We know what works. What’s required, then, to get results from any school is no longer a mystery. And that means there can’t be any more excuses — from anybody. As a nation, we have a moral and economic imperative to give every child the chance to succeed. And that’s why I set a goal when I took office, that by the end of the decade, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. We will be number one again. (Applause.)

Now, to achieve this goal, everybody is going to need to do their part. We need the help of philanthropists like Melinda Gates. We’ll need the help of the businesses that are partnering with TechBoston. We need citizens and parents to get involved, because nothing we do in school with make much of a difference unless we instill in our kids the self-confidence and the self-discipline and the work ethic that are at the heart of success not just in school but in life.

So some of you may have come from a tough neighborhood, but you’ve got some parents at home, you’ve got somebody at home who’s nagging you and staying on top of you and saying you can succeed. And I’m assuming somebody who’s also turning off the TV set once in a while and saying, put away the video games and do your homework. That has to be a critical ingredient in success.

We need to recognize that the true path to reform has to involve partnerships between teachers and school administrators and communities. And we’ll need a national education policy that tries to figure out how do we replicate success stories like TechBoston all across the country.

So that’s what Arne Duncan’s job is, and that’s what he’s been doing so well over the last few years. Instead of pouring money into a broken system, under Arne’s leadership, what we’ve done is we’ve launched a competition. We call it Race to the Top. (Applause.) We call it Race to the Top, and it’s basically a challenge to states and school districts, prove to us that you’re serious about reform. We’ve said to all 50 states, if you show us the most innovative plans for improving teacher quality and improving student achievement, then we’ll show you the money. And for less than 1 percent of what America spends on education each year, Race to the Top has led over 40 states to raise their standards for teaching and learning — standards, by the way, that were developed not in Washington but by Republican and Democratic governors all across the country.

So at the grassroots level, at the state level, standards were developed. And we said, show us how you’re going to meet these standards. The more innovative you are, the more money you can get for your schools. And that’s the kind of bottom-up approach that we need to follow. This year we’re going to have to work with Congress to fix No Child Left Behind, and we’re going to have to replace it with a law that does a better job focusing on responsibility and reform and, most of all, results. (Applause.)

We’re also trying to give school districts more flexibility to open charter schools and pilot schools like TechBoston, so that they have the flexibility, the autonomy, to do what’s best for students. We’re working to make sure every school has a 21st-century curriculum like you do. And in the same way that we invested in the science and research that led to the breakthroughs like the Internet, I’m calling for investments in educational technology that will help create digital tutors that are as effective as personal tutors, and educational software that’s as compelling as the best video game. I want you guys to be stuck on a video game that’s teaching you something other than just blowing something up. (Applause.)

And because we know that the single most important factor in a student’s success after their parent is the person standing at the front of the classroom, we are looking to make teaching one of the most honored professions in our society. (Applause.) In South Korea, teachers are known as “nation builders.” That’s what they’re — that’s how they’re described. Here in America, it’s time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect. (Applause.) We’ve got to lift up teachers. We’ve got to reward good teachers. First, we also have to stop making excuses for bad teachers. We’re also working to give educators the support and the preparation that they need, and I know that some of the teachers here have benefited from our investment in these programs, such as the teacher preparation partnership you have with the Boston Teachers Residency and with UMass Boston.

And with so many baby boomers retiring from teaching over the next few years, we intend to recruit and prepare a new generation of teachers, including 100,000 new math and science teachers over the next decade. And I hope that some of you will end up going into the teaching profession and pass on all the knowledge that you’ve gotten here at TechBoston. (Applause.)

Now, I’ve talked about how much we can improve student achievement through various reforms — setting higher standards, higher expectations; giving schools and teachers more flexibility in exchange for greater accountability. But it’s also true that fixing our schools will cost some money. Recruiting and rewarding the best teachers costs money. Making it possible for families to send their kids to college costs money. Making sure that some of the state-of-the-art equipment that all of you are working on when I walked into Mr. Louis’s classroom today, that costs money.

Making these investments in education is going to be absolutely critical, but it’s tough to do after decades of deficits. I understand that. For too long, the government has been spending more money than it’s been taking in. So we’re going to have to get serious about cutting whatever spending we don’t need, which means I’ve already called for a five-year freeze in our annual domestic budget. That’s a freeze that would cut the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade, and it would bring such spending to a lower share of our economy than it’s been in 50 years. And I’ve proposed cutting or eliminating more than 200 federal programs that aren’t working as well as they should. We’re freezing the salaries of hardworking civil servants for two years. And I’m willing to do more to get our deficits under control. And that’s why the White House is leading bipartisan meetings with members of Congress, because we need to come up with a budget that forces government to live within its means.

But — and I want everybody to pay attention — even as we find ways to cut spending, we cannot cut back on job-creating investments like education. We cannot cut back on the very investments that will help our economy grow and our nation compete and make sure that these young people succeed. (Applause.) There’s nothing responsible about that. There’s nothing responsible about cutting back on our investment in these young people.

I mean, think about what happens in your own family. If you have a family member that loses a job or you have an illness in the family and you’ve got to cut back, where do you start? You maybe give up a vacation. You go out to eat less often. Maybe you don’t buy that new coat you thought was sharp, or the new car that you thought you needed. But the last thing you do is give up saving on your child’s education, because you know that’s the key to that child’s success in life.

Well, what’s true for a family has to be true for the larger American family. A budget that sacrifices our commitment to education is a budget that sacrifices our country’s future. It is a budget that sacrifices our children’s future, and I will not let it happen. (Applause.) I will not let it happen. We’re not going to give up on any school in America or any child in America.

We can’t forget that every year, schools like TechBoston have to hold a lottery, because there just aren’t enough spaces for all the students who want to go here. The reason they want to go here is because they know that if they go to some of the other schools in the area, they won’t do as well. They know that they might drop out. They might not get the same reinforcement that they need. There might not be that same culture of excellence and performance. That means they may not go to college, and they know they may not succeed.

All of that shouldn’t depend on a lottery. That can’t be the system of education we settle for in America. No child’s chance in life should be determined by the luck of a lottery. Not in this country. This is a place where everyone gets the chance to succeed, where everybody should have a chance to make it. The motto of this school is, “We rise and fall together.” Well, that is true for America as well. (Applause.) That’s true for America as well.

If we want to prosper in the 21st century, and if we want to keep the American Dream alive in our time, then we’re going to rise together. We’ve all got to come together. We’ve got to give our children the same world-class education that you are getting right here at TechBoston. And as long as I am President, that’s what I’m going to be fighting for right alongside you.

Thank you so much, everybody. (Applause.) God bless you. God bless the United States of America.

Source: White House Media Affairs Office.

Pool report

Air Force One touched down at Logan at 2:25 p.m., under nearly cloudless, sunny skies, cool and bright, affording President Barack Obama a hazy view of the Boston skyline.

About 10 minutes later, the door to Air Force One opened and Obama began to descend the staircase. Midway down the stairs, he pointed at Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who was lined up first to greet him on the tarmac, just ahead of the other member of the greeting party, US Rep. Edward Markey.

Obama appeared to make a joke about Menino’s leg injury or cane, because Menino smiled and raised his cane in a friendly response to Obama’s remark.

Once on the tarmac, Obama gave a hearty handshake to Menino and a pat on the mayor’s shoulder. Then he greeted Markey. Markey and Menino then greeted Melinda Gates and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

The president then greeted about 50 friends and relatives of Secret Service and Air Force One crew who were behind a metal barricade on the tarmac. Obama shook hands as the crowd snapped photos. Then he was whisked off in a black Cadillac.

The presidential motorcade then headed to TechBoston Academy in Dorchester, where Obama was slated to talk about education in the backdrop of the successful urban high school.

As the motorcade sped from Logan to Dorchester, there were some crowds around Codman Square, cheering and waving. At TechBoston Academy, Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis was posted prominently at a back door, where the media was ushered inside.

The first event was held in Mr. James Louis’ biotechnology class, where 20 students were seated in groups of four at small lab tables with black tops. One group was working on HP laptops, one was working
with pipettes, one with a photospectrometer. A slide of a photo photospectrometer was projected on the wall. The students were waiting in giddy anticipation.

As Louis began to talk about the slide on the wall, an unmistakable voice was heard — “Mr. Louis!” – and the president of the United States entered the room, cause a stir among the students, a few of whom buried their heads in their hands appeared ready to cry with excitement.

Obama, accompanied by Gates, went from table to table, talking to each group of students. He was heard discussing protein, DNA and RNA with one group. He asked the students what they wanted to study in
college and offered words of encouragement.

“You guys are doing great,” he told one group. “I’m really proud of you.”

Apparently impressed with the scientific interests of the students, Obama turned to Mr. Louis and told, “We’ve got chemists, engineers. You’re doing good.”

Leaning over one table, Obama listened as Ronny De Leon, 18, a senior from Dorchester, explained how a photospectrometer works. Nodding intently, Obama told De Leon that he was following the young student’s
lesson. “I got you,” Obama told De Leon. “You’re pitching. I’m catching.”

DeLeo told Obama he was leaning toward studying biology in college.

“We’re proud of you guys,” Obama told the class. “You’re doing really great. Keep it up.”

“I expect all of you want to go to college,” he added later.

At one table, Obama asked the students what they wanted to study in college and what college they wanted to attend. One wanted to study architecture, one pediatrics, one pharmacy science. Obama seemed
particularly impressed when Jesse Barbosa, 17, a senior from Dorchester, told him that he wanted to study mechanical engineering at Northeastern. “We need mechanical engineers,” Obama said, as Gates nodded. “That’s really important.”

Gates asked one group what makes a good teacher, leading Obama to joke with Louis that the question put him in an awkward spot. “Kind of putting a little pressure here,” Obama told Louis, patting him on the
shoulder.

Outside the classroom, Menino was seen in a hallway, chatting with Newton Mayor Setti Warren, who has been considering a run against US Sen. Scott Brown.

Leaving the classroom, Obama went to a school lunchroom, where an overflow crowd of about 60 students cheered him loudly and rushed up to greet him. Obama grabbed a wireless mic and asked how many were
seniors, how many were juniors, and so forth. He got the biggest cheer for sophomores.

“I expect everyone here to go college,” Obama told the group. “I expect everyone here to succeed.”

After the speech, Obama stopped by and chatted with a roundtable of 12 student government members from local colleges who had come to TechBoston.

The motorcade left Dorchester for a fundraiser at the Museum of Fine Arts shortly after 5 p.m. Dozens of people were still on the sidewalks in Codman Square, waving and gawking. One family had displayed a life-sized cut-out of Obama on their porch. The motorcade sped up a narrow side street, and then headed on to Interstate 93 South, which had been cleared for the president, allowing Obama to avoid Boston’s notoriously ornery drivers and its infamous rush-hour traffic. Boston Police motorcycles growled around the motorcade, and two police boats bobbed in Dorchester Bay, just off the Sister Corita Kent gas tank.

Even the president could not part all of Boston’s traffic, however, and the motorcade slowed down on Storrow Drive, near the Mass Eye and Infirmary, as police held drivers by the side of the road. A golden
sun was setting over Charles River, as the motorcade continued on past the Back Bay and into the Fens, to the museum.

Obama (joined by Markey and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi) met with the Boston Celtics in a separate room at the MFA, just before the fundraiser. In addition to the team’s co-owners, Jonathan Lavine and Stephen Pagliuca, Obama met with coach Doc Rivers, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Avery Bradley, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Rajon Rondo, Carlos Arroyo, Jeff Green and Troy Murphy. Shaq was not there.

Mingling in the fundraiser were Vicki Kennedy, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, state Senate president Therese Murray, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and MFA Director Malcolm Rogers.

In a high-ceilinged room with Renaissance paintings on the walls, guests sat on gold-colored cane chairs at round tables adorned with bouquets of flowers. Black-jacketed waiters served white and red wine. They listened to Pelosi vow to take back the House for the Democrats.

The crowd applauded as Markey praised Obama for giving the Medal of Freedom to Bill Russell. Markey joked that Obama’s decision to give the award to the Celtics legend was all the more remarkable because the president is a “passionate Bulls fan.” Markey said the economy is rebounding, even through experts said it couldn’t happen. Wall Street regulations have been overhauled.

Then Obama took the stage to applause.

“Thank you! Thank you, Boston!” he declared.

Reprising his campaign’s rallying cry, he said: “Yes, we can!”

Obama thanked Markey “for your extraordinary service.” He thanked Menino, “our outstanding mayor of this great city of Boston.” He also thanked state Senate President Therese Murray, Murray and Pelosi. He also thanked Vicki Kennedy and the museum “for this extraordinary setting.”

Obama said the country has been on a “wild ride,” – losing 4 million jobs in the 6 months before he took office. He said “when the rubble had cleared, when the dust had settled, this country was going through
as tough a time economically, as tough a time financially as any time since the 1930s.”

He said he had made “quick decisions and oftentimes very unpopular decisions,” rather than “resort to the expedient,” and put his finger to the wind.

Obama said Menino would be able to attest to the value of the stimulus program. He hailed the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, expansions in clean energy and other items. “We didn’t just rescue the economy, we put it on a stronger footing for the future,” Obama said.

He said the “good news” is that the country is “now turning the corner.”

“We can feel, in pockets across the country, the economy getting stronger,” he said, although too many are still out of work.

Obama said he had come from “a wonderful school,” TechBoston.

“What a spectacular turnaround” that school has had, he said. There were kids from a “tough neighborhood” there, who were explaining a spectrophotometer to him, he said.

“And we were nodding our heads like we knew what they were talking about,” Obama said, to laughter.

He said every kid at the school gets a laptop and the school has a longer school year and longer days, with 60 minutes per class. Some kids stay in school in July and August – “and that costs money,” he said. So the country needs to decide “what our priorities are, what our values are.”

The country, he said, “needs to continue to invest in the American dream.”

Obama said he is “preaching to the choir” when he talks to Menino about the need to improve infrastructure like road, rails and airports.

Obama said he had met with college Republicans and Democrats at TechBoston, because getting young people involved in civic life means “something good is going to come out of it.”

He said he was impressed by “how smart and civil,” the college kids were and said he had he considered “sending them up to Capitol Hill” to teach Congress a lesson. The crowd chortled appreciatively.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, good morning, everybody. I am here at Parkville Middle School and Center of Technology outside of Baltimore with Secretary Arne Duncan and Budget Director Jack Lew. And I just came to Parkville on a day where we are unveiling our budget, and I’m doing so for a reason. But before I do that I just want to thank Principal Buddy Parker, who is showing us around, as well as Susan Yoder, the eighth grade science teacher who we just visited with in her classroom.

Over the last few weeks I’ve traveled the country, talking about what we need to do to win the future; talked about the need to invest in innovation, so that the next big idea is discovered here in the United States of America. I’ve talked about the need to invest in high-speed rail and high-speed Internet, so that companies can move goods and information faster than ever. And this week, I’ll be talking about the need to invest in education -– in places like Parkville -– so that every American is equipped to compete with any worker, anywhere in the world.

These investments are an essential part of the budget my administration is sending to Congress. Because I’m convinced that if we out-build and out-innovate and out-educate, as well as out-hustle the rest of the world, the jobs and industries of our time will take root here in the United States. Our people will prosper and our country will succeed.

But I’m also convinced that the only way we can make these investments in our future is if our government starts living within its means, if we start taking responsibility for our deficits. That’s why, when I was sworn in as President, I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term. The budget I’m proposing today meets that pledge -– and puts us on a path to pay for what we spend by the middle of the decade. We do this in part by eliminating waste and cutting whatever spending we can do without.

As I start — as a start, I’ve called for a freeze on annual domestic spending over the next five years. This freeze would cut the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade, bringing this kind of spending — domestic discretionary spending — to its lowest share of our economy since Dwight Eisenhower was President. Let me repeat that. Because of our budget, this share of spending will be at its lowest level since Dwight Eisenhower was President. That level of spending is lower than it was under the last three administrations, and it will be lower than it was under Ronald Reagan.

Now, some of the savings will come through less waste and more efficiency. To take just one example, by getting rid of 14,000 office buildings, lots and government-owned properties we no longer need, we can save taxpayers billions of dollars. And when it comes to programs we do need, we’re making them work better by demanding accountability. Instead of spending first, and asking questions later, we’re rewarding folks inside and outside government who deliver results. And to make sure that special interests aren’t larding up legislation with pet projects, I’ve pledged to veto any bill that contains earmarks.

Still, even as we cut waste and inefficiency, this budget freeze will require some tough choices. It will mean cutting things that I care deeply about — for example, community action programs in low-income neighborhoods and towns, and community development block grants that so many of our cities and states rely on. But if we’re going to walk the walk when it comes to fiscal discipline, these kinds of cuts will be necessary.

I’m also looking forward to working with members of both parties to take steps beyond this budget freeze -– because cutting annual domestic spending won’t be enough to meet our long-term fiscal challenges. As the bipartisan fiscal commission concluded, the only way to truly tackle our deficit is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it -– in domestic spending, defense spending, health care spending, and spending through tax breaks and loopholes. So what we’ve done here is make a down payment, but there’s going to be more work that needs to be done, and it’s going to require Democrats and Republicans coming together to make it happen.

We’ve begun to do some of this with $78 billion in cuts in the Defense Department’s budget plan, by ending tax breaks for oil and gas companies, and through billions of dollars in savings from wasteful health spending -– savings we’ll use to make sure doctors don’t see their reimbursements slashed and that they stay in the system seeing patients.

But here’s the thing. While it’s absolutely essential to live within our means, while we are absolutely committed to working with Democrats and Republicans to find further savings and to look at the whole range of budget issues, we can’t sacrifice our future in the process. Even as we cut out things that we can afford to do without, we have a responsibility to invest in those areas that will have the biggest impact in our future -– and that’s especially true when it comes to education.

Right now, this school, Parkville, is preparing our kids for the jobs and careers of the 21st century. It’s a school that nurtures what students are passionate about and prepares them for success. Students in the magnet program here start out by taking courses in each of four subjects –- from applied engineering to environmental science -– gradually focusing their studies on one subject over the next couple of years.

I’m told the most popular subject at this school is engineering. And that’s important, because today the most common educational background for America’s top business leaders isn’t economics. It’s not finance. It’s not even business. It’s engineering.

Engineering and math, critical thinking, problem solving –- these are the kinds of subjects and skills that our kids need to achieve success in the 21st century. That’s why we’re spearheading a drive to prepare more than 10,000 new math and science teachers over the next five years, and train 100,000 more current teachers in those fields. That’s why we’re pushing forward on a Race to the Top in our schools that has led over 40 states to raise their standards for teaching and learning for less than 1 percent of what we spend on education each year. That’s why we’re protecting the more than $800 increase that we added to the most widely used federal scholarships, and making the tough choices to put them on a firm footing for years to come. And that’s why we’re on track to meet the goal that I set when I took office: By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

I know the American people understand why this is so important. And I think that those of us who are working in Washington need to understand why these investments in the future are so important as well.

I mentioned in my weekly radio address a letter that I recently got from a woman named Brenda Breece. Brenda is a mom. She’s a special ed teacher in Missouri, and her husband, David, lost his job when the local Chrysler plant shut down. So money has been tight for the family, and they’ve had to sacrifice the little things that they can do without. One thing that Brenda knows she can’t afford to sacrifice is her daughter Rachel’s education. And that’s why she’s looking, as we speak, for a second job to help put Rachel through college, and ensure, as she told me, that “the money is there to help Rachel with her future.”

What’s true for Brenda’s family is true for the larger American family: Education is an investment that we need to win the future — just like innovation is an investment that we need to win the future; just like infrastructure is an investment that we need to win the future. And to make sure that we can afford these investments, we’re going to have to get serious about cutting back on those things that would be nice to have but we can do without.

That’s what families across the country do every day –- they live within their means and they invest in their family’s futures. And it’s time we did the same thing as a country. That’s how we’re going to get our fiscal house in order. That’s how we’ll grow our economy and attract new jobs to our shores. And that’s how America we will win the future in the 21st century.

Thanks very much, everybody.

9:12 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Tonight I want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the 112th Congress, as well as your new Speaker, John Boehner. (Applause.) And as we mark this occasion, we’re also mindful of the empty chair in this chamber, and we pray for the health of our colleague — and our friend -– Gabby Giffords. (Applause.)

It’s no secret that those of us here tonight have had our differences over the last two years. The debates have been contentious; we have fought fiercely for our beliefs. And that’s a good thing. That’s what a robust democracy demands. That’s what helps set us apart as a nation.

But there’s a reason the tragedy in Tucson gave us pause. Amid all the noise and passion and rancor of our public debate, Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater -– something more consequential than party or political preference.

We are part of the American family. We believe that in a country where every race and faith and point of view can be found, we are still bound together as one people; that we share common hopes and a common creed; that the dreams of a little girl in Tucson are not so different than those of our own children, and that they all deserve the chance to be fulfilled.

That, too, is what sets us apart as a nation. (Applause.)

Now, by itself, this simple recognition won’t usher in a new era of cooperation. What comes of this moment is up to us. What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow. (Applause.)

I believe we can. And I believe we must. That’s what the people who sent us here expect of us. With their votes, they’ve determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans. We will move forward together, or not at all -– for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics.

At stake right now is not who wins the next election -– after all, we just had an election. At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. It’s whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. It’s whether we sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but the light to the world.

We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again.

But we have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone. We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children.

That’s the project the American people want us to work on. Together. (Applause.)

We did that in December. Thanks to the tax cuts we passed, Americans’ paychecks are a little bigger today. Every business can write off the full cost of new investments that they make this year. And these steps, taken by Democrats and Republicans, will grow the economy and add to the more than one million private sector jobs created last year.

But we have to do more. These steps we’ve taken over the last two years may have broken the back of this recession, but to win the future, we’ll need to take on challenges that have been decades in the making.

Many people watching tonight can probably remember a time when finding a good job meant showing up at a nearby factory or a business downtown. You didn’t always need a degree, and your competition was pretty much limited to your neighbors. If you worked hard, chances are you’d have a job for life, with a decent paycheck and good benefits and the occasional promotion. Maybe you’d even have the pride of seeing your kids work at the same company.

That world has changed. And for many, the change has been painful. I’ve seen it in the shuttered windows of once booming factories, and the vacant storefronts on once busy Main Streets. I’ve heard it in the frustrations of Americans who’ve seen their paychecks dwindle or their jobs disappear -– proud men and women who feel like the rules have been changed in the middle of the game.

They’re right. The rules have changed. In a single generation, revolutions in technology have transformed the way we live, work and do business. Steel mills that once needed 1,000 workers can now do the same work with 100. Today, just about any company can set up shop, hire workers, and sell their products wherever there’s an Internet connection.

Meanwhile, nations like China and India realized that with some changes of their own, they could compete in this new world. And so they started educating their children earlier and longer, with greater emphasis on math and science. They’re investing in research and new technologies. Just recently, China became the home to the world’s largest private solar research facility, and the world’s fastest computer.

So, yes, the world has changed. The competition for jobs is real. But this shouldn’t discourage us. It should challenge us. Remember -– for all the hits we’ve taken these last few years, for all the naysayers predicting our decline, America still has the largest, most prosperous economy in the world. (Applause.) No workers — no workers are more productive than ours. No country has more successful companies, or grants more patents to inventors and entrepreneurs. We’re the home to the world’s best colleges and universities, where more students come to study than any place on Earth.

What’s more, we are the first nation to be founded for the sake of an idea -– the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny. That’s why centuries of pioneers and immigrants have risked everything to come here. It’s why our students don’t just memorize equations, but answer questions like “What do you think of that idea? What would you change about the world? What do you want to be when you grow up?”

The future is ours to win. But to get there, we can’t just stand still. As Robert Kennedy told us, “The future is not a gift. It is an achievement.” Sustaining the American Dream has never been about standing pat. It has required each generation to sacrifice, and struggle, and meet the demands of a new age.

And now it’s our turn. We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. (Applause.) We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business. We need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government. That’s how our people will prosper. That’s how we’ll win the future. (Applause.) And tonight, I’d like to talk about how we get there.

The first step in winning the future is encouraging American innovation. None of us can predict with certainty what the next big industry will be or where the new jobs will come from. Thirty years ago, we couldn’t know that something called the Internet would lead to an economic revolution. What we can do — what America does better than anyone else — is spark the creativity and imagination of our people. We’re the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook. In America, innovation doesn’t just change our lives. It is how we make our living. (Applause.)

Our free enterprise system is what drives innovation. But because it’s not always profitable for companies to invest in basic research, throughout our history, our government has provided cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need. That’s what planted the seeds for the Internet. That’s what helped make possible things like computer chips and GPS. Just think of all the good jobs — from manufacturing to retail — that have come from these breakthroughs.

Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we would beat them to the moon. The science wasn’t even there yet. NASA didn’t exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn’t just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.

As Prepared for Delivery. Source: White House Press Office.

The President & First Lady after his remarks in Tucson (White House Photo/Pete Souza)

To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university, the public servants gathered tonight, and the people of Tucson and Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow.

There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts. But know this: the hopes of a nation are here tonight. We mourn with you for the fallen. We join you in your grief. And we add our faith to yours that Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the other living victims of this tragedy pull through.

As Scripture tells us:

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

On Saturday morning, Gabby, her staff, and many of her constituents gathered outside a supermarket to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and free speech. They were fulfilling a central tenet of the democracy envisioned by our founders – representatives of the people answering to their constituents, so as to carry their concerns to our nation’s capital. Gabby called it “Congress on Your Corner” – just an updated version of government of and by and for the people.

That is the quintessentially American scene that was shattered by a gunman’s bullets. And the six people who lost their lives on Saturday – they too represented what is best in America.

Judge John Roll served our legal system for nearly 40 years. A graduate of this university and its law school, Judge Roll was recommended for the federal bench by John McCain twenty years ago, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, and rose to become Arizona’s chief federal judge. His colleagues described him as the hardest-working judge within the Ninth Circuit. He was on his way back from attending Mass, as he did every day, when he decided to stop by and say hi to his Representative. John is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, his three sons, and his five grandchildren.

George and Dorothy Morris – “Dot” to her friends – were high school sweethearts who got married and had two daughters. They did everything together, traveling the open road in their RV, enjoying what their friends called a 50-year honeymoon. Saturday morning, they went by the Safeway to hear what their Congresswoman had to say. When gunfire rang out, George, a former Marine, instinctively tried to shield his wife. Both were shot. Dot passed away.

A New Jersey native, Phyllis Schneck retired to Tucson to beat the snow. But in the summer, she would return East, where her world revolved around her 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 2 year-old great-granddaughter. A gifted quilter, she’d often work under her favorite tree, or sometimes sew aprons with the logos of the Jets and the Giants to give out at the church where she volunteered. A Republican, she took a liking to Gabby, and wanted to get to know her better.

Dorwan and Mavy Stoddard grew up in Tucson together – about 70 years ago. They moved apart and started their own respective families, but after both were widowed they found their way back here, to, as one of Mavy’s daughters put it, “be boyfriend and girlfriend again.” When they weren’t out on the road in their motor home, you could find them just up the road, helping folks in need at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ. A retired construction worker, Dorwan spent his spare time fixing up the church along with their dog, Tux. His final act of selflessness was to dive on top of his wife, sacrificing his life for hers.

Everything Gabe Zimmerman did, he did with passion – but his true passion was people. As Gabby’s outreach director, he made the cares of thousands of her constituents his own, seeing to it that seniors got the Medicare benefits they had earned, that veterans got the medals and care they deserved, that government was working for ordinary folks. He died doing what he loved – talking with people and seeing how he could help. Gabe is survived by his parents, Ross and Emily, his brother, Ben, and his fiancee, Kelly, who he planned to marry next year.

And then there is nine year-old Christina Taylor Green. Christina was an A student, a dancer, a gymnast, and a swimmer. She often proclaimed that she wanted to be the first woman to play in the major leagues, and as the only girl on her Little League team, no one put it past her. She showed an appreciation for life uncommon for a girl her age, and would remind her mother, “We are so blessed. We have the best life.” And she’d pay those blessings back by participating in a charity that helped children who were less fortunate.

Our hearts are broken by their sudden passing. Our hearts are broken – and yet, our hearts also have reason for fullness.

Our hearts are full of hope and thanks for the 13 Americans who survived the shooting, including the congresswoman many of them went to see on Saturday. I have just come from the University Medical Center, just a mile from here, where our friend Gabby courageously fights to recover even as we speak. And I can tell you this – she knows we’re here and she knows we love her and she knows that we will be rooting for her throughout what will be a difficult journey.

And our hearts are full of gratitude for those who saved others. We are grateful for Daniel Hernandez, a volunteer in Gabby’s office who ran through the chaos to minister to his boss, tending to her wounds to keep her alive. We are grateful for the men who tackled the gunman as he stopped to reload. We are grateful for a petite 61 year-old, Patricia Maisch, who wrestled away the killer’s ammunition, undoubtedly saving some lives. And we are grateful for the doctors and nurses and emergency medics who worked wonders to heal those who’d been hurt.

These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, all around us, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, just waiting to be summoned – as it was on Saturday morning.

Their actions, their selflessness, also pose a challenge to each of us. It raises the question of what, beyond the prayers and expressions of concern, is required of us going forward. How can we honor the fallen? How can we be true to their memory?

You see, when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations – to try to impose some order on the chaos, and make sense out of that which seems senseless. Already we’ve seen a national conversation commence, not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health systems. Much of this process, of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future, is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government.

But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do – it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.

Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding. In the words of Job, “when I looked for light, then came darkness.” Bad things happen, and we must guard against simple explanations in the aftermath.

For the truth is that none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack. None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped those shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man’s mind.

So yes, we must examine all the facts behind this tragedy. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future.

But what we can’t do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.

After all, that’s what most of us do when we lose someone in our family – especially if the loss is unexpected. We’re shaken from our routines, and forced to look inward. We reflect on the past. Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder. Did we express our gratitude for all the sacrifices they made for us? Did we tell a spouse just how desperately we loved them, not just once in awhile but every single day?

So sudden loss causes us to look backward – but it also forces us to look forward, to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us. We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we question whether we are doing right by our children, or our community, and whether our priorities are in order. We recognize our own mortality, and are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame – but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in bettering the lives of others.

That process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions – that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires. For those who were harmed, those who were killed – they are part of our family, an American family 300 million strong. We may not have known them personally, but we surely see ourselves in them. In George and Dot, in Dorwan and Mavy, we sense the abiding love we have for our own husbands, our own wives, our own life partners. Phyllis – she’s our mom or grandma; Gabe our brother or son. In Judge Roll, we recognize not only a man who prized his family and doing his job well, but also a man who embodied America’s fidelity to the law. In Gabby, we see a reflection of our public spiritedness, that desire to participate in that sometimes frustrating, sometimes contentious, but always necessary and never-ending process to form a more perfect union.

And in Christina…in Christina we see all of our children. So curious, so trusting, so energetic and full of magic.

So deserving of our love.

And so deserving of our good example. If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should, let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost. Let’s make sure it’s not on the usual plane of politics and point scoring and pettiness that drifts away with the next news cycle.

The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better in our private lives – to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let’s remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud. It should be because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.

I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here – they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.

That’s what I believe, in part because that’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. Imagine: here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.

I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.

Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called “Faces of Hope.” On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child’s life. “I hope you help those in need,” read one. “I hope you know all of the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart. I hope you jump in rain puddles.”

If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here on Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.

May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in restful and eternal peace. May He love and watch over the survivors. And may He bless the United States of America.

Yes, it is official. Even though Nick Cannon, Mariah Carey’s husband, was always denying the rumors, he finally said on his 92.3 Rollin’ With Nick Cannon radio show Thursday morning, “We are having twins.”

And he revealed the main reason why he suddenly ended up admitting the rumors.

He talked about some unexpected story that while performing at TNT’s Christmas in Washington 2010 on Sunday, Carey ran into President Barak Obama and first lady Michelle Obama backstage. Cannon said on the raido, “They, ironically enough, questioned my wife about, you know, ‘So, what are you having, are you having twins?’And at this point she hadn’t told anybody anything because doctors advised us to keep it to ourselves until we get further along. And because of the excitement, because of the emotion, she was overwhelmed (and) she shared with the president and first lady that we are having twins.”

So, obviously everyone was very curious about their babies.

President Barack Obama gave the following address in Washington today regarding a new US-Korean free trade agreement:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you very much, everybody.

Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann has been ridiculed for alleging that President Obama’s trip to India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan is costing $200 million a day or roughly the same cost of waging war in Afghanistan. It has long been the White House’s official policy not to talk about what it costs for a president to travel, but Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications, participated in a podcast from the White House to address some other questions about President Obama’s trip to Asia.

Blast asked him to describe the “logistical challenges of the President spending a few days on the other side of the globe” and here’s how he answered:

Well, it’s an interesting question. There’s an extraordinary amount of work that goes into planning and executing any presidential trip. You have the advance teams that go out and look at the different sites that the president will be visiting. You have the embassy or your consulate on the ground that is coordinating those stops. And you, of course, have our staff here at the White House and the State Department working to plan the president’s trip.

That’s the balance we try to strike. A good and successful trip is one that allows us to do a lot of official business, but also to reach out beyond the halls of government to again engage with peoples from different countries.

The response was edited for length.

NEW YORK — Heavily armed police officers will greet many Jews observing the Sabbath today, following the discovery of explosives bound for Chicago synagogues on Friday.

Two packages containing the industrial explosive PETN originated in Yemen, but were intercepted in Dubai and the United Kingdom before reaching the United States. President Barack Obama called the thwarted attacks a “credible terrorist threat,” and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told CNN that the plot has the “hallmarks of al Qaeda.”

Police received a tip Friday about potential explosives on a FedEx flight traveling from Yemen to Dubai. Cooperation from the Saudi government allowed officials to track the packages to Dubai and the United Kingdom.

The Transportation Security Administration halted all shipments originating from Yemen Friday, including FedEx, UPS, and DHL packages.

In New York, heavily armed police officers stationed around the city are not in Halloween costume. NYPD’s elite Hercules unit guarded an Upper East Side synagogue on Friday, and the Post reports police continue to patrol high-profile synagogues in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Airports nationwide remain on high alert. Travelers should expect heightened security measures and cargo screenings in the coming days, and allow more time to pass through airport security.

PROVIDENCE — Final stop for President Barack Obama was a $7,500-a-head fundraiser in the well-appointed home of Arnold “Buff” and Johnnie Chace on the East Side of Providence not far from Brown University. Fewer than 50 were in attendance, according to Eric Hyers, campaign manager for Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, the Democratic candidate for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy.

The gathering took place in a living room that featured several oil paintings — portraits over the facing fireplaces at either end of the room, a seascape, some landscapes and a rustic scene of people in red hunting caps.

Guests included three of the four-member Rhode Island Democratic congressional delegation — Rhode Island Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Kennedy. Rep. James R. Langevin had left the presidential party at an earlier stop.

Also on hand: Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — who introduced the president — and Cicilline.

In attendance too, was consultant Ira Magaziner, the Rhode Islander who managed former President Bill Clinton’s unsuccessful health care initiative.

Guests wore business attire, suits and ties, skirts and pantsuits, dark colors predominating.

Magaziner won a friendly acknowledgement from Obama: “He was there for the last round in 1994,” said the president, referring to the health care initiative, “he knows how tough it is.”

The president spoke for around 20 minutes, touching some of the same points he had made during his earlier visit to the factory in Woonsocket:

• On the economy: The unemployment rate might be 12 or 13 percent today had it not been for administration policies.
• On the mood of the electorate: “It’s not surprising that the country is angry and the country is frustrated.”
• On GOP strategy: It’s “to try to ride that anger for as long as possible.”
• On the administration’s accomplishment’s accomplishments; “I could not be prouder” of a record that includes the largest spending on infrastructure since the Eisenhower administration, the largest increase in national service since the Peace Corps and Wall Street reform.

Obama concluded his remarks at about 7:30. saying he couldn’t stay for dinner. “I’ve got to go home to tuck in the girls and walk the dog and scoop the poop,” he said.

Motorcade rolled to the airport at about 7:35 p.m.

Pool reporting from The Providence Journal.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. –– Air Force One touched down at T.F. Green State Airport in Warwick at 3:49 p.m.

On hand to greet the president were members of the states all-Democratic congressional delegation, Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon White House and Representatives Patrick J. Kennedy and James R. Langevin; Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, the Democratic candidate for the retiring Kennedy’s seat; Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox and the Right Rev. Geralyn Wolf, Rhode Island’s Episcopal bishop

Not among the local dignitaries awaiting the president’s arrival was the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Frank Caprio.

Caprio learned Sunday that President would not endorse him. Caprio told a local talk-radio host Monday morning: “He can take his endorsement and really shove it.

The president emerged from Air Force one at 3:59 p.m., wearing a dark suit, white shirt and gray tie and embraced Reed and Whitehouse and proceeded down the receiving line with the rest of the dignitaries and on to the motorcade for a factor in Woonsocket, R.I.

The Motorcade into the autumn-colored woods of the Blackstone River Valley was uneventful.

Near the destination, American Cord & Webbing, in Woonsocket small crowds of flag-waving citizens greeted the motorcade. One group of several dozen waved signs for the Republican candidate for retiring Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy’s seat, state Rep. John J. Loughlin II of Tiverton. (Loughlin campaigned in this part of the state earlier in the day with Republican Sen. Scott Brown.)

The President toured a section of the factory where workers at sewing machines fabricated web belts with plastic buckles — including some belts bearing the names of first daughters Sasha and Malia Obama.

Obama expressed his delight in those products, embraced and shook hands with workers, telling one, “You’re doing a great job.”

One of the workers, Marjorie Duque, declared herself “very happy” with the presidential handshaking greeting. She said she is a Democrat who supports Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, the Democratic candidate for Kennedy’s seat.

At 4:46 p.m. the pool was ushered away from the section of the factory where the workers visited with the president. His remarks to an audience of about 80 people in folding chairs — including the members of the Rhode Island Congressional delegation — included a greeting for the mayor, whom he identified as Dave Cicilline, soon to have another job.

The motorcade back to Providence began at 5:13 p.m.

At the Rhode Island Convention Center Representative Chris Van Hollen, (D-Maryland) the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee warmed up a crowd of several hundred at a fundraising reception in a closed function room with a bar.

Proceeds from the $500-a-head event are to be shared by the DCCC and Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, the Democratic candidate for the seat of outgoing Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy. Van Hollen reprised Democratic triumphs past including the party’s takeover of majority control in the congress in 2006 and then President Obama’s victory in 2008.

None of the speakers made mention of the local democratic dignitary missing from the room, General Treasurer Frank Caprio, the gubernatorial candidate whom the president has declined to endorse in his race against Republican John Robataille and Republican turned Independent Lincoln D. Chafee.

Cicilline introduced Potus for what he called “tremendous leadership and tremendous courage in pulling this country from the brink” of economic disaster.

Ciclline also tauted elements of his campaign platform, and said “one of the reasons I am running for Congress is to join with our president and get our economy back on track.”

The crowd cheered during the remarks by Potus, which included his now familiar joke that Republicans are like a group of people who have driven a car into a ditch. Now that the democrats have pulled it out and turned it in the right direction the Republicans want the keys back.

The motorcade left at 6:32 p.m. for the Providence home of supporters Arnold “Buff” Chace and Johnnie his wife.

Pool reporting by The Providence Journal

Before Barack Obama arrived in Boston last weekend to campaign for Deval Patrick, three Emerson College students and a fourth from Lesley College arrived at Hynes Convention Center around 6 a.m., more than six hours before doors would open. They were rewarded with third place in line behind two men, one from Cambridge and one from the North Shore, who had arrived at 4 and 5 a.m. respectively.

Not loving the chilly October morning temperature, Brian Foote, the student from Lesley, huddled on the sidewalk against the cold stone wall. His friends Ev Dimming and Lindsay Cole took similar positions on either side of him. Lauren Maquin, the last member of the adventurous foursome, chose to stand and moved around for warmth.

Foote said that the chance to see the president was “an experience not to pass up. Even though it’s really cold, it’s really important. I was excited when I heard he was coming. I’m into the president and I’m excited to see him.”

Not dressed very warmly for the occasion, Dimming also complained about the temperature but said, “we figured it was an experience…and it’s important for college kids to get active and inspired.”

Cole added, “we thought it would be an adventure! Because it’s my first year in college, we figured this would be a high point.”

After going through security, people at the front of the line took their place inside sometime after 1 pm. They still had a long wait before the president arrived, but at least they had shelter from the wintery chill. And there was plenty to keep their attention occupied during the wait, including three songs performed live by James Taylor and a series of speeches by Vicki Kennedy, John Kerry, Thomas Menino, Tim Murray and the governor.

President Obama came to Hynes Convention Center on Saturday to support incumbent governor Deval Patrick and his running mate Tim Murray as they face a tough challenge from Republican Charlie Baker.

Blast Magazine was there to capture the day in words and pictures.

(Photos by John Stephen Dwyer for Blast Magazine)

5:19 p.m. — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for opening up this extraordinary home, and we will not show up unannounced — (laughter) — whatever John may say. You guys have been extraordinarily gracious, and we really appreciate it.

To all of you who are here, thank you for being such stalwart supporters not just to the Democratic Party but supporters of an idea about how America should be organized to make sure that everybody has an opportunity. There are core values that all of you stand for, and that’s the reason that you’re here today.

Now, I want to obviously speak about the two gentlemen who are here with me, the two of the finest senators I think the country has ever seen, one who’s been there for a while, one who hasn’t been there too long, but both John Kerry and Sheldon Whitehouse exemplify what we expect from our public servants: people who are smart and well informed and dedicated. (Applause.)

A counterpart in the House of Representatives, Ed Markey, is here, and he does extraordinary work. (Applause.)

Marty Meehan is here, and we wish you would stay in the House, but I know that the University of Massachusetts is glad that they have him, and I know he’s doing a great job of chancellor. (Applause.) And thank you very much for your service. (Applause.) And Setti, the best of luck to you in being mayor in this wonderful community. (Applause.)

Now, I think John gave you a pretty good sense of what’s going on out there. So what I want to do is just share a little bit of perspective from the Oval Office in terms of what I’ve seen over the last two years.

The reason this is a difficult time politically is because the country has gone through a very difficult time generally. This is the worst crisis we’ve seen since the Great Depression, since most of our lifetimes.

I mean, if you think about — I am — I’ll be 50 next year, so I came of age — entered into college just as Ronald Reagan came to power during the last recession that was anything approaching what we’ve gone through. We had then another recession at the beginning of the ‘90s, another recession at the beginning of 2000-2001. If you combine those previous three recessions, the magnitude and impact they’ve had is less than what we’ve had just in this one recession. I mean, that gives you some scope, some scale. We had lost 4 million jobs in the six months prior to me taking office, and then another 750,000 the month I sworn in, and 600,000 several months subsequent to that.

So all told, we’ve lost 8 million jobs during the course of this recession. But that doesn’t begin to measure, I think, the full impact of what people have experienced — the fear of suddenly seeing their 401(k)s plummet by 40 percent; the uncertainty of having your home values drop so that suddenly your mortgage is higher than the value of your home; the people who didn’t lose their jobs but now are uncertain as to whether those jobs will still be there.

And this is all on top of what had been essentially what the Wall Street Journal, not just Democrats, called “the lost decade” — a decade in which, from 2001 to 2009, the average middle-class family actually lost 5 percent of their income. And we had the most sluggish job growth since we had since World War II. In fact, the job growth we’ve had over the last year was at a faster clip than we had between 2001 and 2009.

So families were already struggling before the crisis hit. And obviously once the crisis hit, it unsettled the entire country and the entire world in ways that we had not seen for a very, very long time.

Now, I say that to first of all remind us of how far we’ve come over the last 20 months. An economy that was contracting is now growing. We’ve had nine consecutive months of private sector job growth. The financial sector is stable.

And so in some ways what is remarkable is how despite this body blow that the country took, the country once again has proven more resilient and more adaptable and more dynamic than I think a lot of folks give us credit for. But it’s also to remind you that we’ve got so much more work to do. People out there are still hurting very badly, and they are still scared.

And so part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we’re hard-wired not to always think clearly when we’re scared. And the country is scared, and they have good reason to be.

Our job, then, is to make sure that even as we make progress, that we are also giving people a sense of hope and a vision for the future; a sense that we will get through these tough times, and the country will come out stronger for it, having gone through this trauma.

And that’s why this election is so absolutely critical, because essentially you can respond in a couple of ways to a trauma like this. I mean, one is to pull back, retrench, respond to your fears by pushing away challenges, looking backwards. And another is to say we can meet these challenges and we are going to move forward. And that’s what this election is about.

Now, I am confident that if we move forward, that the worst is behind us. And we’ve got a lot of running room looking forward. It is true that we are in the toughest economic fight of our lives internationally. But you remember back in the ‘80s, everybody said Japan was going to be taking over? I mean, we periodically go through these moments where we question America’s ability to compete. And what happens is we whip ourselves into shape, we stiffen our spines, we become more productive, we reemphasize science and technology and education; we say to ourselves we can no longer do the things that are not productive, we’re going to just focus on those things that help us grow for the future, and we adapt. And we’re going to do so this time.

There is no reason why we won’t rank once again number one in the proportion of college graduates. There’s no reason why we’re not going to be the leader in clean energy technology. When we came in, we were getting 2 percent of the world’s advanced battery manufacturing. And through the Recovery Act and the help of these guys, we’re now on track to have 40 percent of that market by 2015. Just over the course of two years, we have built an entire industry.

Well, we can duplicate that in every leading industry, whether it’s solar panels or wind turbines. I have confidence that the health care reform bill that we passed, as painful as it was, is going to result in a system that is more efficient, more fair; where not only do we have 30 million people now suddenly having health insurance, but we’re going to start working with hospitals and doctors to figure out how are we going to eliminate unnecessary tests and how are we going to make sure that we’re reducing infection rates in hospitals and how are we going to be more effectively deploying providers so that people are getting better services for lower costs.

On every front, there are clear answers out there that can make this country stronger. But we’re going to have to get — break through the fear and the frustration that people are feeling right now. And that’s going to require all of you not just to write checks but also to help remind people that we’ve been through tougher times before and we’ve gotten through them, and to lift up people’s spirits and make sure that they’re not reacting just to fear.

Now, it also requires me to have a Congress that I can work with. And John is absolutely right when he says that the Republicans made a very calculated decision — and it was — look, I give them credit. It was a smart tactical decision. When I was sworn in with a lot of high spirits, they had two ways to go. They could have cooperated with us, in which case everybody would have ownership in solving problems but if we were successful then people would still — would probably give the Democrats’ majority more credit. And if we weren’t successful, they’d share the blame.

So what they instead said was, we’ll just let them try it out, and we’re not going to lift a finger to help, and because they figured we had made such a mess it’s going to take them a really long time to clean it up.

But I served in the Senate and it is true that the kind of obstructionism that we’ve seen is unprecedented, by every measure. I mean, we can’t get Deputy Treasury Secretaries appointed at a time of crisis when we need Deputy Treasury Secretaries. We can’t get district court judges called up for a vote. Even when they’re voted out of the committee unanimously on a bipartisan basis, we cannot overcome — we can’t just call those judges up for a vote, a clean vote. We end up having to go through a cloture motion, and they will filibuster, make us wait for days, weeks, figuring out how to schedule it. And then when we finally actually get a vote, it turns out it will be 90 to nothing. They were just doing it just to play games, just to stall. Then that’s on the House side — or on the Senate side. I mean, on the House side, we’ve got similar problems.

So I don’t anticipate that getting better next year. I anticipate that getting worse. And that is why it is going to be absolutely critical that we do everything we can in the next three weeks to make sure that we have a Senate that cares about moving the country’s business and is thinking about the next generation and not just the next election; that is operating on the basis of some conviction and not cynicism.

These two guys exemplify that, but they’re going to need some help because every bit of progress that we need to make is going to be a matter of grinding it out. You know, and I’ll just take one example. I mentioned earlier energy. Nobody has been working harder to move an energy policy, an energy agenda, forward than John Kerry; one that is necessary. (Applause.) It’s one that’s necessary not just for our economy, but it’s also necessary for our environment.

Now, that is a piece of unfinished business that is going to require a lot of heavy lifting. And John will tell you that we may be able to get four, five, six Republicans, but it’s going to be hard to get 20 Republicans. Our ability to actually map out an energy strategy that is good for our future is going to depend on how much help John Kerry has in that process. And probably nothing is going to have — make as big of a difference in terms of our long-term economic competitiveness as us getting this right.

The same is true, by the way, on foreign policy. You know, over the last 20 months, we’ve successfully removed 100,000 of our troops out of Iraq, as I promised and committed to doing. (Applause.) We’re going to have a series of tough decisions to make on Afghanistan. We’re going to have a series of tough decisions to make on how to sustain momentum in dealing with Iran. We’ve got a START treaty that is coming up that would not only reduce nuclear weapons for both the United States and Russia but underpins an entire effort that we’ve made over the last 20 months to strengthen the non-proliferation treaty so that we can go after Iran and North Korea from a place of moral stature.

And that depends on us having some votes — 67, to be precise, in the Senate. Again, we may be able to get five, six, seven Republicans on some of these. We can’t get 20.

So there’s almost nothing this room cares about, from how well the financial regulatory reform bill is implemented to how health care is implemented to whether we have an energy policy to whether the investments we’ve made in higher education continue to our ability to manage these incredible international challenges — not one of these issues will we be able to make serious progress on if we do not have a strong Democratic Senate.

And that’s why I need all of you, regardless of what cable news says, regardless of what you’re reading in the papers, I need all of you to be hopeful and act with confidence that the American people, as shaken up as they’ve been, still want us to move forward.

And if we can get that message out, facilitated in part by the extraordinary contributions that you’ve made today and that you’ve been making for years, if we get that message out, then I think we are going to hold onto the Senate. I think we can win the House. And I think we will continue to make progress.

And we will look back on this difficult time, five years from now, 10 years from now, 15 years from now, 20 years from now, with extraordinary pride. We’ll look back the same way that people look back who helped start Social Security; the same way that people felt when they looked back because they had helped lead the civil rights movement. We’ll be able to look back in the same way those who were involved in the space program looked back and said, you know what, we did something that wasn’t just out of short-term expedience, we did something that committed this country to greatness over the long term.

And, you know, I guess I would just leave you with this thought. A lot of people ask me, they say, boy, how do you manage this? You know, you just — all this stuff on your desk and people hollering at you all the time and — (laughter) — and that’s just the Democrats. (Laughter.) And I’ll tell you what keeps me going — two things.

Number one, I get enough — I get enough stories, enough letters from people all across the country, talking about how tough it is for them, that I am reminded of what a great privilege it is for me to try to help, and that nothing I’m going through remotely compares to the courage and tenacity and hardship that the American people are going through.

And the other thing that gets me through is the humor and the resilience and the love people have for their children and the love people have for this country. When you hear the American people, they are so extraordinarily decent and there’s a goodness at the heart of this country. That makes me confident that we will get through these times and we are going to get to where we need to go.

So thanks to all of you for helping us get to where we need to go. God bless you. Thank you. (Applause.)

END 5:37 p.m.

Pool reporting courtesy of the White House Media Affairs Office

Air Force One landed at 1.58 p.m. at Logan International Airport. A motorcade of more than a dozen vehicles waited. The motorcade included State Police cruisers, a Newton police Ford explorer, black sport utility
vehicles with tinted windows, a white van for the White House press corps, and a Boston EMS ambulance.

Videographers and still photographers stood on a flat bed truck and captured the arrival.

President Obama greeted several well wishes when he stepped off the plane. He got into a black limousine with flags on the hood. The 24 vehicle motorcade began moving at 2.11 pm. It left the airport and took the Ted
Williams Tunnel into the city.

Motorcycle police stopped traffic at entrance ramps onto the Mass Pike. A handful of people stood at a fence on top of a wall along the highway to catch a glimpse of the motorcade. The motorcade made a U-turn on the Mass Pike, headed back east, and took an exit into Back Bay.

The motorcade emerged from a tunnel on Huntington Avenue. A crowd waited on the sidewalk. People waved and took photographs with cell phones of the passing motorcade.

Several hundred people crowded outside the Hynes Convention Center as the president’s motorcade left at about 4:25 p.m. Scores of people raised cameras and cell phones above their heads and snapped
photographs as the vehicles whizzed past, onto the westbound Massachusetts Turnpike toward the Boston suburb of Newton.

As the motorcade continued west, traffic in the eastbound lanes stopped. People got out of their vehicles, walked to the concrete barriers between lanes, and took photographs of the motorcade. President Obama is heading to a fund raiser at a private home in Newton.

In Newton, clutches of people lined Washington street to catch a glimpse of the motorcade. A young boy held a New England Patriots flag. A woman on a front lawn held an American flag in her right hand and an “Organizing for Obama” sign in her left. People gathered at the end of driveways taking photographs. The neighborhood has curving, tree-lined streets with fallen leaves scattered on green lawns. The homes are large, many colonial-style brick residences with columns on front porches.

The fund raiser was held on a cedar-singled home on a small hill on Howland Road. Obama’s Cadillac limousine sat at the top of the driveway. The next door neighbors held homemade sign that said: “Can Malia and Sasha come out and play?” It was signed by Caroline (10) and Grace (5).

The fund raiser was hosted by Dr. Ralph de la Torre, the chief executive of Caritas Christi Health Care. The home had artwork hanging on the walls and wood floors stained a dark mahogany color. About 75 people gathered in a room with a vaulted ceiling and field-stone fire place, although there was no fire in the hearth. The event for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised $900,000. Tickets cost $15,200 or $30, 400 a VIP reception, which includes a photograph with the president.

Attendees included Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and his wife, Theresa Hines Kerry; Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island; Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino; Newton Mayor Setti D. Warren; US Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts; and former US Representative Martin T. Meehan of Massachusetts.

Obama and Kerry posed for pictures in another room. They then walked into the room with the fireplace and spoke with a microphone as they stood in a doorway.

Kerry spoke for about 10 minutes and began with a joke about the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is known by the acronym, DSCC. “There are so many doctors here we are going to call it
‘Doctors Sending Campaign Contributions.”

“This is a tough year and nobody knows that better than the president of the United States,” Kerry said.

Obama stood to Kerry’s right and leaned against the doorway. Obama wore a button-down dress shirt with the collar open and no tie, the same outfit he wore to the rally.

Kerry paid homage to the Newton, Setti D. Warren, who worked for him when he was running for president in 2004. He called plane trips they took over Iowa and Wisconsin. “We are in Setti Newton’s city,” Kerry said. “I never dreamed he was going to become mayor of Newton.”

Setti took a bow.

Senator John F. Kerry spoke of the night that Obama was elected in 2008, recalling he had “tears in his eyes.” “He said to the country that the road ahead will be long, the climb will be steep, and we may not get there in the first year, or even the first term,” Kerry said. “But we will get there.”

“That is being tested in ways I have never seen in my entire time in public life,” Kerry said. “Facts, science truth, seem to be significantly absent in what we call our political dialogue.”

“Though all that this president is fighting to bring us back from the brink,” Kerry said.

Kerry described a “pale” and “jittery” Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson coming to him and other senators at the end of the Bush presidency and describing the collapse of the economy.

“George Bush asked us to bail about the financial system,” Kerry told the crowd.

“We passed the recovery act,” Kerry said. “We kept police on the streets and firefighters and teachers on the job.”

The month that Obama took the oath of office, Kerry said, the country lost 750,000 jobs.

“We’ve turned that around,” Kerry said. “We’re not getting as many jobs as we want, but we are getting back on track.”

They made those accomplishments, Kerry said, despite the most extraordinary stonewalling and obstructionism he has seen in his time in elected office.

“Before he passed away, Teddy said to me how (difficult) it was to him to see this institution he loved and worked so hard in and knew how to make work, not be able to work they way it used to,” Kerry said.

In the last 1.5 years, the Senate has seen more filibusters that the entire period from World War I though to the moon landing, Kerry said.

“That’s why you being here tonight is really so important for us,” Kerry said. “We have got to hold on to the United States Senate. We’ve got to hold on to the House too.”

Kerry introduced Obama to hearty applause. The president spoke for just under 20 minutes. The White House released a transcript of his remarks.

As Obama left the home, he stopped by the neighbor’s house with the sign and said hello. The motorcade was on the road by 5:45 p.m. People still lined the streets of Newton and waved goodbye. The motorcade arrived back at Logan at 6.04 p.m. Air Force One departed at about 6.15 p.m.

Source: White House Media Affairs Office

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I’d like to talk to you about the end of our combat mission in Iraq, the ongoing security challenges we face, and the need to rebuild our nation here at home.

I know this historic moment comes at a time of great uncertainty for many Americans. We’ve now been through nearly a decade of war. We’ve endured a long and painful recession. And sometimes in the midst of these storms, the future that we’re trying to build for our nation — a future of lasting peace and long-term prosperity — may seem beyond our reach.

But this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment. It should also serve as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century.

From this desk, seven and a half years ago, President Bush announced the beginning of military operations in Iraq. Much has changed since that night. A war to disarm a state became a fight against an insurgency. Terrorism and sectarian warfare threatened to tear Iraq apart. Thousands of Americans gave their lives; tens of thousands have been wounded. Our relations abroad were strained. Our unity at home was tested.

These are the rough waters encountered during the course of one of America’s longest wars. Yet there has been one constant amidst these shifting tides. At every turn, America’s men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve. As Commander-in-Chief, I am incredibly proud of their service. And like all Americans, I’m awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families.

The Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given. They defeated a regime that had terrorized its people. Together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, our troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future. They shifted tactics to protect the Iraqi people, trained Iraqi Security Forces, and took out terrorist leaders. Because of our troops and civilians — and because of the resilience of the Iraqi people — Iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, even though many challenges remain.

So tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.

This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office. Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq’s Security Forces and support its government and people.

That’s what we’ve done. We’ve removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. We’ve closed or transferred to the Iraqis hundreds of bases. And we have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq.

This completes a transition to Iraqi responsibility for their own security. U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq’s cities last summer, and Iraqi forces have moved into the lead with considerable skill and commitment to their fellow citizens. Even as Iraq continues to suffer terrorist attacks, security incidents have been near the lowest on record since the war began. And Iraqi forces have taken the fight to al Qaeda, removing much of its leadership in Iraqi-led operations.

This year also saw Iraq hold credible elections that drew a strong turnout. A caretaker administration is in place as Iraqis form a government based on the results of that election. Tonight, I encourage Iraq’s leaders to move forward with a sense of urgency to form an inclusive government that is just, representative, and accountable to the Iraqi people. And when that government is in place, there should be no doubt: The Iraqi people will have a strong partner in the United States. Our combat mission is ending, but our commitment to Iraq’s future is not.

Going forward, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain in Iraq with a different mission: advising and assisting Iraq’s Security Forces, supporting Iraqi troops in targeted counterterrorism missions, and protecting our civilians. Consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all U.S. troops will leave by the end of next year. As our military draws down, our dedicated civilians — diplomats, aid workers, and advisors — are moving into the lead to support Iraq as it strengthens its government, resolves political disputes, resettles those displaced by war, and builds ties with the region and the world. That’s a message that Vice President Biden is delivering to the Iraqi people through his visit there today.

This new approach reflects our long-term partnership with Iraq — one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect. Of course, violence will not end with our combat mission. Extremists will continue to set off bombs, attack Iraqi civilians and try to spark sectarian strife. But ultimately, these terrorists will fail to achieve their goals. Iraqis are a proud people. They have rejected sectarian war, and they have no interest in endless destruction. They understand that, in the end, only Iraqis can resolve their differences and police their streets. Only Iraqis can build a democracy within their borders. What America can do, and will do, is provide support for the Iraqi people as both a friend and a partner.

Ending this war is not only in Iraq’s interest — it’s in our own. The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people. We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home. We’ve persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people — a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization. Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it’s time to turn the page.

As we do, I’m mindful that the Iraq war has been a contentious issue at home. Here, too, it’s time to turn the page. This afternoon, I spoke to former President George W. Bush. It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one can doubt President Bush’s support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I’ve said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hopes for Iraqis’ future.

The greatness of our democracy is grounded in our ability to move beyond our differences, and to learn from our experience as we confront the many challenges ahead. And no challenge is more essential to our security than our fight against al Qaeda.

Americans across the political spectrum supported the use of force against those who attacked us on 9/11. Now, as we approach our 10th year of combat in Afghanistan, there are those who are understandably asking tough questions about our mission there. But we must never lose sight of what’s at stake. As we speak, al Qaeda continues to plot against us, and its leadership remains anchored in the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. We will disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda, while preventing Afghanistan from again serving as a base for terrorists. And because of our drawdown in Iraq, we are now able to apply the resources necessary to go on offense. In fact, over the last 19 months, nearly a dozen al Qaeda leaders — and hundreds of al Qaeda’s extremist allies — have been killed or captured around the world.

Within Afghanistan, I’ve ordered the deployment of additional troops who — under the command of General David Petraeus — are fighting to break the Taliban’s momentum.
As with the surge in Iraq, these forces will be in place for a limited time to provide space for the Afghans to build their capacity and secure their own future. But, as was the case in Iraq, we can’t do for Afghans what they must ultimately do for themselves. That’s why we’re training Afghan Security Forces and supporting a political resolution to Afghanistan’s problems. And next August, we will begin a transition to Afghan responsibility. The pace of our troop reductions will be determined by conditions on the ground, and our support for Afghanistan will endure. But make no mistake: This transition will begin — because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people’s.

Indeed, one of the lessons of our effort in Iraq is that American influence around the world is not a function of military force alone. We must use all elements of our power — including our diplomacy, our economic strength, and the power of America’s example — to secure our interests and stand by our allies. And we must project a vision of the future that’s based not just on our fears, but also on our hopes — a vision that recognizes the real dangers that exist around the world,
but also the limitless possibilities of our time.

Today, old adversaries are at peace, and emerging democracies are potential partners. New markets for our goods stretch from Asia to the Americas. A new push for peace in the Middle East will begin here tomorrow. Billions of young people want to move beyond the shackles of poverty and conflict. As the leader of the free world, America will do more than just defeat on the battlefield those who offer hatred and destruction — we will also lead among those who are willing to work together to expand freedom and opportunity for all people.

Now, that effort must begin within our own borders. Throughout our history, America has been willing to bear the burden of promoting liberty and human dignity overseas, understanding its links to our own liberty and security. But we have also understood that our nation’s strength and influence abroad must be firmly anchored in our prosperity at home. And the bedrock of that prosperity must be a growing middle class.

Unfortunately, over the last decade, we’ve not done what’s necessary to shore up the foundations of our own prosperity. We spent a trillion dollars at war, often financed by borrowing from overseas. This, in turn, has short-changed investments in our own people, and contributed to record deficits. For too long, we have put off tough decisions on everything from our manufacturing base to our energy policy to education reform. As a result, too many middle-class families find themselves working harder for less, while our nation’s long-term competitiveness is put at risk.

And so at this moment, as we wind down the war in Iraq, we must tackle those challenges at home with as much energy, and grit, and sense of common purpose as our men and women in uniform who have served abroad. They have met every test that they faced. Now, it’s our turn. Now, it’s our responsibility to honor them by coming together, all of us, and working to secure the dream that so many generations have fought for — the dream that a better life awaits anyone who is willing to work for it and reach for it.

Our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work. To strengthen our middle class, we must give all our children the education they deserve, and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy. We must jumpstart industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil. We must unleash the innovation that allows new products to roll off our assembly lines, and nurture the ideas that spring from our entrepreneurs. This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as President.

Part of that responsibility is making sure that we honor our commitments to those who have served our country with such valor. As long as I am President, we will maintain the finest fighting force that the world has ever known, and we will do whatever it takes to serve our veterans as well as they have served us. This is a sacred trust. That’s why we’ve already made one of the largest increases in funding for veterans in decades. We’re treating the signature wounds of today’s wars — post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — while providing the health care and benefits that all of our veterans have earned. And we’re funding a Post-9/11 GI Bill that helps our veterans and their families pursue the dream of a college education. Just as the GI Bill helped those who fought World War II — including my grandfather — become the backbone of our middle class, so today’s servicemen and women must have the chance to apply their gifts to expand the American economy. Because part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it.

Two weeks ago, America’s final combat brigade in Iraq — the Army’s Fourth Stryker Brigade — journeyed home in the pre-dawn darkness. Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles made the trip from Baghdad, the last of them passing into Kuwait in the early morning hours. Over seven years before, American troops and coalition partners had fought their way across similar highways, but this time no shots were fired. It was just a convoy of brave Americans, making their way home.

Of course, the soldiers left much behind. Some were teenagers when the war began. Many have served multiple tours of duty, far from families who bore a heroic burden of their own, enduring the absence of a husband’s embrace or a mother’s kiss. Most painfully, since the war began, 55 members of the Fourth Stryker Brigade made the ultimate sacrifice — part of over 4,400 Americans who have given their lives in Iraq. As one staff sergeant said, "I know that to my brothers in arms who fought and died, this day would probably mean a lot."

Those Americans gave their lives for the values that have lived in the hearts of our people for over two centuries. Along with nearly 1.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq, they fought in a faraway place for people they never knew. They stared into the darkest of human creations — war — and helped the Iraqi people seek the light of peace.

In an age without surrender ceremonies, we must earn victory through the success of our partners and the strength of our own nation. Every American who serves joins an unbroken line of heroes that stretches from Lexington to Gettysburg; from Iwo Jima to Inchon; from Khe Sanh to Kandahar — Americans who have fought to see that the lives of our children are better than our own. Our troops are the steel in our ship of state. And though our nation may be travelling through rough waters, they give us confidence that our course is true, and that beyond the pre-dawn darkness, better days lie ahead.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America, and all who serve her.

Capcom shocked the world yesterday by announcing the sequel to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 that fans have been clamoring for for almost 10 years Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 appeared on the Dreamcast, original Xbox, PS2, and in arcades and has been a massive cult phenomenon ever since. It recently reappeared on Xbox LIVE/ PSN to a significant reception as well.

USA Today reported the following on MVC3′s tech:

“As you can see, this is the biggest engine a fighting game has ever had under the hood, when it comes to raw processing power,” says Seth Killian, Capcom’s “special advisor” on the game. “This is the MT Framework that’s powering the game, the same technology that brought us Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2.”

For a preview of what you might be getting in MVC3, you may want to check out the recent Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom for the Wii. It totally rocks and I have a feeling the mechanics are going to be very similar.

For anyone who isn’t currently interested in Capcom fighters, behold the badness in this trailer:

From the fact sheet:

Features
•    Innovative graphics and gameplay bring the Marvel and Capcom Universes to life: Powered by an advanced version of MT Framework, the engine used in Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2, now comes to Marvel vs. Capcom 3, bringing beautiful backgrounds and character animations to the forefront.
•    Evolved VS. Fighting System: Wild over-the-top gameplay complete with signature aerial combos, hyper combos and other original systems. The evolved battle system takes the exciting mind-reading game to a whole new level!
•    3-on-3 Tag Team Fighting: Players build their own perfect team and use Assist Attacks and each character’s special moves to create their own unique fighting style.
•    Living Comic Book Art Style: See the most adored characters from the Capcom and Marvel universes brought to life in a "moving comic" style, blurring the boundaries between 2D and 3D graphics.Of course we’ll have more coming soon, and here are a few places you’ll be able to find the good stuff:

Release Date:  Spring 2011
Genre: Fighting
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

He was raised as an American aristocrat. As the eldest grandson of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt (niece of Teddy and 5th cousin to her husband) he’s twice a Roosevelt, a name which means wealth and status. With his sister, he moved into the White House at age three and became a child celebrity.

Now at 79 and bearing a remarkable resemblance to his presidential granddad, Curtis Roosevelt was at the Boston Athenaeum recently promoting the paperback release of his childhood memoir “Too Close to the Sun: Growing Up in the Shadow of my Grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor.” During his visit he talked about his family and shared some thoughts about the differences between FDR’s presidency and the challenges facing Barack Obama.

Sistie and Buzzie

His book talks about growing up in “the goldfish bowl” of public attention. He writes that even before his grandfather was elected “we were used to the intrusions of waving newspaper reporters and the flare of flash bulbs.” Once he moved to the White House:

The press milked the phenomenon of the towheaded Roosevelt moppets, and we became a full-blown, pint-sized double act. My family called me Buzzie and our tabloid moniker became “Sistie and Buzzie” — we were as familiar as five-year old movie star Shirley Temple to a nation hungry for distraction from breadlines and boxcars.

But he also describes his boyhood as a strange and lonely one. He was raised in palatial surroundings by Black nannies in white uniforms. His dad was out of the picture. His sister, three years older, was the only child he played with. He hungered for affection from the frosty Roosevelt women, especially grandmother Eleanor who maintained an “arm’s-length relationship with her children” and with little Buzzie as well.

Advice for Mrs. O?

I asked Curtis Roosevelt if he has any advice for Mrs. Obama that might benefit her daughters’ experience in the White House. Speaking with a posh accent like one rarely hears outside of movies he told me, “I wouldn’t dare give advice. Those children are different as all children are different. They certainly are very different than my sister and I.”

He added “it was totally different era” and said that even intense attention given to him and his sister “doesn’t compare with the intrusiveness of the media today.”

The difference between our era of the Obama First Family and the days of Roosevelt are as dramatic as history itself. “You probably forget,” he told me in answer to a question about his nanny, “that when I grew up, the nation’s capitol, Washington DC, was a Jim Crowe town — that’s the way it was in Washington.”

Bay State Roosevelts

Boston Athenaeum and the Adams House at Harvard University were Curtis Roosevelt’s last stops on a tour across the United States. While the Roosevelts are generally associated with New York State, and France is now home to Curtis Roosevelt, Massachusetts has been home to a few Roosevelts as well (besides those that just passed through to attend Harvard).

Among these local Roosevelts are three of Teddy’s great-grandkids: Mark Roosevelt (1994 Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate), Tweed Roosevelt (Chairman of Roosevelt China Investments, a Boston firm), and Susan Roosevelt Weld (wife of former governor William Weld).

Statement from Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:

"This evening the President spoke to both candidates in the hard-fought Massachusetts Senate race. The President congratulated Senator Brown on his victory and a well-run campaign. The President told Senator Brown that he looks forward to working with him on the urgent economic challenges facing Massachusetts families and struggling families across our nation.

The President thanked Attorney General Coakley for her hard work and urged her to continue her advocacy on behalf of working people.”

President Barack Obama pleaded with voters in Massachusetts on Sunday at a rally for Democratic candidate Attorney General Martha Coakley at Northeastern University.

The president, who wasn’t originally scheduled to come to the Bay State to stump for Coakley, now eagerly wants people to know that he’s behind Coakley in the now-heated race against Republican candidate Scott Brown to fill the state’s vacant US Senate seat.

Poll numbers released last week showed Coakley was slipping and Brown wasn’t the underdog anymore, shooting ahead by 4 points. For the first time in recent history, Republicans could have a chance at winning their only seat in Congress from Massachusetts in this tomorrow’s Special Election.

Obama made his message clear in a last-ditch effort to remind voters how important this election is for Massachusetts and the country.

“If you were excited about the last election, you should be even more fired up about this one,” Obama said.

“I’ve come to talk with you about one thing. I’ve come to talk with you about Tuesday,” Obama said. “On Tuesday, you have a unique and special responsibility to fill the Senate seat you sent Ted Kennedy to fill for 47 years. I’m here to tell you that the person for that job is your Attorney General Martha Coakley.”

While most rally supporters listened to Obama’s words of warning, two adult men and a young boy were escorted out of the event after repeatedly interrupting the president during his speech.

“Abortion! Abortion! Innocent blood,” shouted the protesters as the president struggled to speak. The outraged audience of Democratic supporters chanted “Martha, Martha” as security removed the individuals, a process that lasted several minutes.

Coakley spoke of the challenges that lay before her as she fights tooth and nail for the seat that will help to support Obama’s political agenda in Washington.

“We know that people are angry, that the Wall Street excess and greediness is what caused this crisis. People are angry at the policies of the past that frankly rewarded the wealthy and left Main Street behind,” Coakley said. “I think that’s wrong and we have to fix that.”

Naris Ghazarians of Lexington came to support Coakley and is hoping Obama’s trip to Boston will inspire a high voter turn out on Tuesday.

“This Tuesday is about people who would normally vote Democrat but aren’t necessarily going to turn out to vote,” Ghazarians said. “I don’t know that we will be able to convince more people at this point, but we have to make people realize how important it is.”

VIctoria Kennedy, widow of Senator Ted Kennedy, has been campaigning for Coakley since she announced her endorsement earlier this month. She told supporters that without Coakley in the Senate, the country will take a step backward.

“The eyes of the country are on Massachusetts. This election matters…we need to send Martha Coakley to the United States Senate,” Kennedy said. “Its a difference of continuing to move our country
forward or backwards.”

Even though democrats far outnumber republicans in Massachusetts, the Brown campaign is hoping to continue touting his vote for what he calls “the people’s seat” to win the election.

GOP supporters have accused Democrats of selfishly holding the Senate seat as a “Kennedy seat” and refusing to let voters decide for themselves.

“I’m looking at it as a Massachusetts voter and a citizen of the United States,” Kennedy said. “Massachusetts has always been about moving forward. Those are the values my husband fought for and these are the values that Martha Coakley is fighting for.”

Daniel Lynch of Concord stood outside the Coakley rally holding a Scott Brown campaign poster and chanted “go Scott go” as the event came to a close. He said that its not the candidates themselves that worry him but the impact they have on making and changing policy in Washington.

“Its much more important to me to stop health care reform. It’s going on behind closed doors and Republicans have been locked out of the process,” Lynch said. “The majority of Americans don’t want this and its going to be railroaded if we don’t get a filibuster.”

Tomorrow’s election, which just 60 days ago was expected to be a shoe-in for any Democrat against the virtually unknown Brown, will now be followed closely nationwide.

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As many perceive a tightening in the special US Senate race to replace the late Edward Kennedy, President Barack Obama is urging Massachusetts voters to support her and prevent a 41st Republican vote in the senate that could curtail his domestic policy.

“I am supporting Martha Coakley. As your attorney general, she’s taken on Wall Street schemes, insurance company abuses, and big polluters,” Obama said in a statement. “She’ll be your voice, and my ally. And she needs your help.”

The special election is on Tuesday. Low turnout could swing the election toward Scott Brown, a Republican state senator from Wrentham.

“This is a special election being held at an unusual time — a lot of folks don’t even realize when it’s happening, let alone its importance,” Obama said. “So I need you to put on your walking shoes again. Knock on doors, call, email, text, and tweet — do everything we can to spread the word.”

I’m very proud to be a citizen of both Canada and the United States. I’m even prouder to call myself an American, even though I haven’t lived there in years. I’ll be back in the States in less then two years and I’m very excited.

But sometimes certain factions of the American population really anger me.

This time, unsurprisingly, it’s a few of the more conservative “pundits” and those who share their views.

Here’s why: Obama took some flack today from those conservative voices for bowing to the Emperor of Japan. Seriously.

He bowed to an EMPEROR. Apparently that’s a problem. Here’s a quote from a conservative who spoke on Fox News: “..it’s not appropriate for an American president to bow to a foreign one.”

Now, a conservative voice on CNN: “It’s ugly. I don’t want to see it…We don’t defer to emperors. We don’t defer to kings or emperors. The president of the United States — this coupled with so many apologies from the United States — is just another thing.” Apparently the U.S. president is King of the WORLD.

We actually still owe Japan an apology for nuking them. That deserves an apology. We’re assholes for doing that. No excuses for nuking.

Conservatives are comparing Obama’s bow to the last U.S. visit to Japan. Cheney was the last to go and he didn’t bow, he just shook Emperor Akihito’s hand.

First of all, how conservatives think using Cheney as an example of what TO do makes no sense. The man is the embodiment of Satan.

Second, how arrogant can you be? How can anyone think it wrong to adapt to a people’s reasonable customs? It was a sign of RESPECT. It does NOT symbolize apathy or a flaky attitude. It does NOT symbolize the U.S. being weak or too apologetic.

The only negative of Obama bowing is the reaction it got. And that’s not Obama’s fault. It’s not his fault that some of his countrymen are idiotic and arrogant.

I sincerely believe the majority of Americans are humble and not arrogant. So, World, don’t think us as such.

I’m glad Obama bowed and I hope he does it whenever appropriate.

With only a lone Republican crossing the line and nearly 40 Democrats going turncoat, the House of Representatives still voted, 220-215, tonight to pass a historic health care reform.

Locally, Representative Edward J. Markey (D), issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed a historic bill to reform the health care system Saturday night:

"This historic vote for comprehensive health care reform is exactly what I came here to Congress do," said Markey. "Thirty three years ago, I called for comprehensive health care reform in my first congressional campaign. And today, I am proud to say we are closer than ever to fulfilling that dream."

Quickly responding to the bill’s passage, Representative Mike Coffman (R-CO) released his own statement tonight:

"Do not be mistaken, the only thing this health care bill will do is make our nation sicker. It will cut care for our seniors, it will kill millions of jobs, it will raise taxes, and it will strangle our economy,” Coffman said,
"Also, be clear — a vote against this bill is not a vote against reform. It is a vote against reckless spending that jeopardizes our children’s future, and their children’s future. It is a vote against a trillion dollar government takeover of health care, and it is a vote against the radical liberal agenda that threatens our freedom. I cannot in good conscience support a bill our nation cannot afford and does not need — this 1,990 page monstrosity is just that."

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America expressed their own disappointment with the bill:

"Just last week, the House Democratic Leadership unveiled a 1,990 page bill that was touted as the byproduct of months of negotiations between House Democratic Leadership and members of the moderate and more liberal factions of their caucus yet the ‘revised’ bill closely resembles the original bill," says Robert Rusbuldt, IIABA president & CEO. "The Big ‘I’ is greatly disappointed that after months of negotiations, hearings, votes and debate in three House committees we seem to be back on square one: a bad bill that includes a ‘public option’ and deprives the American people of true choices in their health care."

The major labor union, AFL-CIO, struck back, supporting the decision to pass the bill:

“By voting for the Affordable Health Care for America Act, the U.S. House of Representatives took a momentous step toward realizing fair, quality, affordable health care for America,” the union said. “We heard a lot of rhetoric today, but in the end it boils down to this: It is time to say “yes” to a more secure future for Americans — and that is how the majority in the House of Representatives answered. … We applaud Speaker Pelosi, the other members of the leadership and the majority in the House of Representatives for bringing us closer than ever to our long-held goal.”

Yesterday’s 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony really got us excited about the fall TV season, and tonight is going to triple that feeling.

“House” premieres at 8 p.m. on FOX, alongside “Heroes” on NBC, “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC and “How I Met Your Mother” on CBS. Your DVR can usually only record two shows, so good luck.

At 8:30, check out “Accidentally on Purpose” on CBS. The jury’s still out on it, so let us know what you think in the comments section.

Then at 9 we have “Two and a Half Men.” Comedy Central is also starting to show “Scrubs” season 8.

“The Big Bang Theory,” has its season premiere at 9:30 on CBS.

Things get going again at 10 with “Castle” on ABC and “CSI: Miami” on CBS. Travel Channel’s “Madventures” also starts up at 10.

Also, tonight at 10, we have the premiere of a 5-part miniseries on The Sundance Channel. “Brick City,” is executive produced by Forest Whitaker.

Finally, don’t miss The Late Show with David Letterman tonight with special guest (actually) President Barack Obama.

Consider two scenes.

The first occurs during the Army-McCarthy Hearings in 1954, when Joseph Welch, an attorney for the for the U.S. Army asks Senator Joseph McCarthy to provide evidence to the attorney general of his accusations that there are communists working in U.S. defense plants. Instead, McCarthy names someone from Welch’s law office in Boston. The exchange leads to Welch’s now-famous retort to McCarthy:

“Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator…. You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”

Now shift to 55 years later. The President of the United States is delivering a speech on healthcare reform to a joint session of Congress. At one point in his speech, President Obama refutes recent reports that healthcare bill proposals would include so-called “death panels” that will decide the fate of elderly citizens. “It’s a lie, plain and simple” he says. As the president continues in his speech he says that there are no provisions to provide healthcare to illegal immigrants in any of the bills. South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson shouts out:

“You lie.”

Both Welch and Wilson called people out on what they viewed to be misrepresentations. Welch is widely heralded for being among the first to help bring down a Senator intent on a communist witch hunt. Wilson, however, is castigated by members of his own party.

Senator John McCain, Obama’s Republican opponent in the presidential election, calls Wilson’s outburst “totally disrespectful.”

The reaction to Wilson’s outburst begs the question of why it was so wrong for him to shout out what he believed to be “truth to power” when it was OK for Obama to sweepingly call out liars in his speech and admirable for Welch to confront McCarthy while the whole world was watching. (Well, maybe not the whole world, but certainly a good chunk of U.S. citizens watching the televised hearings.)

Welch’s act came after McCarthy raised a colleague’s name in an effort to divert attention from the request made to support his allegations. By confronting McCarthy, Welch effectively disarmed McCarthy and continued to focus on the issues at hand in the hearings. Welch and McCarthy were engaged in a hearing where each had the right to express their views, however abhorrent Welch may have found McCarthy’s comments.

Obama shone light on what he viewed to be the lie, rather than call out specific liars. Granted, his comments may still have irked those who had been talking about death panels, but he never singled out, say, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as being a liar for continuing to talk about death panels. “You, Governor Palin are a liar” rings far differently from “It’s a lie, plain and simple.”

Where Wilson stepped over the line was in the method and forum in which he chose to deliver his message. He and Obama were not engaged in a hearing. His was a direct assault on the character of the person speaking not the issue he raised.

The reason why some members of his own party joined in the criticism of his behavior was that Wilson breached the agreed-upon norms of how members of Congress should act. By doing this his actions were not only uncivil but struck many as unethical.

“Ethics is how we behave when we decide we belong together” write Margaret Wheatley and Myron Kellner Rogers, who wrote in A Simpler Way (Berrett-Koehler, 1999).

Wilson fell short of behaving in a way that he and his colleagues deemed appropriate when they work together on important issues facing the country.

Governor Deval Patrick’s response to President Barack Obama’s speech to the joint Congress:

I commend the president for strong leadership on health care. This President is clearly prepared to seize the best chance we have had in generations to deliver security and stability for those Americans who have health insurance and affordable choices for those Americans who don’t.

Massachusetts has the most successful experiment in health care reform in the country right now, with nearly 98 percent of our residents with the peace of mind of adequate, reliable coverage. We accomplished this because people reached across all kinds of differences and recognized that our choices were not limited to the usual two: a perfect solution or no solution at all. The President has challenged the Congress to do the same, and to do so quickly. The best health and economic interests of the American people are at stake.

It is more than a little disappointing to see the House minority leader announce that Republicans will not vote for health care reform whatever the final bill contains — even though many of the ideas incorporated in the President’s plan come from Republican leaders. Tonight some Republicans even showed by their lack of decorum that they are more committed to a campaign of distortion than to facing up to one of the greatest challenges before the American people.

The people of America are ready for change. The president is leading the way. It’s time for the Congress to close the deal.