 | Tuesday, June 21, 2011 |
Photostream: Behind
the scenes at the White House in May
The White House
Photo Office just released their latest batch of behind-the-scenes photos
from the last two weeks of May to our flickr
photostream.
This batch includes
the President and First Lady meeting the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,
Academy Award winner Colin Firth, and the First Lady dancing with a flash mob.
Don’t
miss the full
photostream.
President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II greet
guests, including actor Colin Firth, at a dinner in honor of the Queen at
Winfield House in London, England, May 25, 2011. Firth received an 2010 Academy
Award for his portrayal of the Queen's father, King George VI, in The King's
Speech. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
In Case You Missed
It
As
We Start Our Journey
Tina Tchen, Chief of Staff to the First Lady, invites you to follow the First Lady's trip to Africa to engage with young African leaders.
Tina Tchen, Chief of Staff to the First Lady, invites you to follow the First Lady's trip to Africa to engage with young African leaders.
Not
a Prediction Under the Affordable Care Act, employers will continue to offer
health insurance to their workers.
Champions of Change: Honoring Fatherhood Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and Co-Coordinator of the President's Fatherhood Initiative, honors the sacred role of being a dad and the impact fathers have in their own lives and in their communities.
Champions of Change: Honoring Fatherhood Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and Co-Coordinator of the President's Fatherhood Initiative, honors the sacred role of being a dad and the impact fathers have in their own lives and in their communities.
Today's Schedule
All times are
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
9:30 AM: The President receives the Presidential Daily
Briefing
12:10 PM: The President meets with senior advisors
1:00 PM: The Vice President holds the next meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral group of Members of Congress to continue work on a legislative framework for comprehensive deficit reduction
1:00 PM: The Vice President holds the next meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral group of Members of Congress to continue work on a legislative framework for comprehensive deficit reduction
4:00 PM: The President meets with Secretary of the
Treasury Geithner
4:30 PM: The President meets with Secretary of Defense Gates
7:15 PM: The Vice President delivers remarks at the 2011 CURE Chicago Event
4:30 PM: The President meets with Secretary of Defense Gates
7:15 PM: The Vice President delivers remarks at the 2011 CURE Chicago Event
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Message Body
| Wednesday, May 25, 2011 |
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
talk with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the 1844 Room at Buckingham
Palace in London, England, May 24, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete
Souza)
In Case You Missed
It
Next
Generation Fuel Economy Labels Arm Consumers with Information They Can Use
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson introduce new fuel economy labels that will empower car buyers with better information about what they will spend or save on fuel costs when looking to purchase a new vehicle.
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson introduce new fuel economy labels that will empower car buyers with better information about what they will spend or save on fuel costs when looking to purchase a new vehicle.
Driving
our Nation Toward America's Clean Energy Future
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, U.S. General Services Administrator Martha Johnson and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley announce another major step in leading by example and reducing our dependence on oil by boosting clean energy technologies in our Federal fleet.
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, U.S. General Services Administrator Martha Johnson and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley announce another major step in leading by example and reducing our dependence on oil by boosting clean energy technologies in our Federal fleet.
Taking
the Oath in America’s Great Outdoors
The National Park Service has hosted more than 30 naturalization ceremonies, in which over 1,000 people have become American citizens. Jonathan Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service, shares personal remarks from park superintendents who have written about their experiences in hosting naturalization ceremony.
The National Park Service has hosted more than 30 naturalization ceremonies, in which over 1,000 people have become American citizens. Jonathan Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service, shares personal remarks from park superintendents who have written about their experiences in hosting naturalization ceremony.
Today's Schedule
All times are
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
4:50 AM: The President holds a bilateral meeting
with Prime Minister Cameron
5:05 AM: The President holds a meeting with Prime
Minister Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Clegg
5:35 AM: The President holds an expanded bilateral
meeting with Prime Minister Cameron
6:30 AM: The President and Prime Minister Cameron
attend an event hosted by Mrs. Cameron and the First Lady to honor military
families, U.S. and U.K. service members and veterans
7:25 AM: The President and Prime Minister Cameron
hold a joint press conference
3:30 PM: The President and the First Lady will reciprocate
the hospitality of Her Majesty the Queen and hold a dinner in her honor at the
residence of the American ambassador in London
6:00 PM: The Vice President delivers remarks at the New
Hampshire Democratic Party's McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner
Indicates events that will be live streamed on WhiteHouse.gov/Live
This email was sent to hebrew.king@ymail.com
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Friend --
The President's
address marks a major turning point in a nearly decade-long conflict. He
announced his plan to start withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan next month,
fulfilling a promise he made a year and a half ago to begin the drawdown this
summer.
To put it simply:
when this president took office, there were 180,000 troops in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Now, the combat mission in Iraq has ended, Afghanistan will be
fully responsible for its own security by 2014, and there will be fewer than
100,000 American troops in the two countries by the end of this year.
As President Obama
decisively concludes two long-running wars, he is refocusing our foreign policy
to more effectively address the threats we face and strengthen America's
leadership in the world as we do.
I'm writing to you
because this transformation has already begun to reshape the policy debate --
foreign and domestic -- in the 2012 election. As the President said last night:
"It is time to focus on nation building here at home."
The outcome of this
debate will have consequences for all of us, so it's important that you
understand the policy and help inform the conversation.
You can read the
President's remarks below, or watch the address on the White House website
here:
Thanks,
Messina
Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama
for America
----------------------
FULL REMARKS BY THE
PRESIDENT ON THE WAY FORWARD IN AFGHANISTAN
June 22, 2011
8:01
P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good
evening. Nearly 10 years ago, America suffered the worst attack on our shores
since Pearl Harbor. This mass murder was planned by Osama bin Laden and his al
Qaeda network in Afghanistan, and signaled a new threat to our security -- one
in which the targets were no longer soldiers on a battlefield, but innocent
men, women and children going about their daily lives.
In the days that
followed, our nation was united as we struck at al Qaeda and routed the Taliban
in Afghanistan. Then, our focus shifted. A second war was launched in Iraq, and
we spent enormous blood and treasure to support a new government there. By the
time I took office, the war in Afghanistan had entered its seventh year. But al
Qaeda's leaders had escaped into Pakistan and were plotting new attacks, while
the Taliban had regrouped and gone on the offensive. Without a new strategy and
decisive action, our military commanders warned that we could face a resurgent
al Qaeda and a Taliban taking over large parts of Afghanistan.
For this reason, in
one of the most difficult decisions that I've made as President, I ordered an
additional 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan. When I announced this surge
at West Point, we set clear objectives: to refocus on al Qaeda, to reverse the
Taliban's momentum, and train Afghan security forces to defend their own
country. I also made it clear that our commitment would not be open-ended, and
that we would begin to draw down our forces this July.
Tonight, I can tell
you that we are fulfilling that commitment. Thanks to our extraordinary men and
women in uniform, our civilian personnel, and our many coalition partners, we
are meeting our goals. As a result, starting next month, we will be able to remove
10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and we will
bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer, fully recovering the surge
I announced at West Point. After this initial reduction, our troops will
continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into the
lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2014, this process of
transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for
their own security.
We're starting this
drawdown from a position of strength. Al Qaeda is under more pressure than at
any time since 9/11. Together with the Pakistanis, we have taken out more than
half of al Qaeda's leadership. And thanks to our intelligence professionals and
Special Forces, we killed Osama bin Laden, the only leader that al Qaeda had
ever known. This was a victory for all who have served since 9/11. One soldier
summed it up well. "The message," he said, "is we don't forget.
You will be held accountable, no matter how long it takes."
The information
that we recovered from bin Laden's compound shows al Qaeda under enormous
strain. Bin Laden expressed concern that al Qaeda had been unable to
effectively replace senior terrorists that had been killed, and that al Qaeda
has failed in its effort to portray America as a nation at war with Islam --
thereby draining more widespread support. Al Qaeda remains dangerous, and we
must be vigilant against attacks. But we have put al Qaeda on a path to defeat,
and we will not relent until the job is done.
In Afghanistan,
we've inflicted serious losses on the Taliban and taken a number of its
strongholds. Along with our surge, our allies also increased their commitments,
which helped stabilize more of the country. Afghan security forces have grown
by over 100,000 troops, and in some provinces and municipalities we've already
begun to transition responsibility for security to the Afghan people. In the
face of violence and intimidation, Afghans are fighting and dying for their
country, establishing local police forces, opening markets and schools,
creating new opportunities for women and girls, and trying to turn the page on
decades of war.
Of course, huge
challenges remain. This is the beginning -- but not the end -- of our effort to
wind down this war. We'll have to do the hard work of keeping the gains that
we've made, while we draw down our forces and transition responsibility for
security to the Afghan government. And next May, in Chicago, we will host a
summit with our NATO allies and partners to shape the next phase of this
transition.
We do know that
peace cannot come to a land that has known so much war without a political
settlement. So as we strengthen the Afghan government and security forces,
America will join initiatives that reconcile the Afghan people, including the
Taliban. Our position on these talks is clear: They must be led by the Afghan
government, and those who want to be a part of a peaceful Afghanistan must
break from al Qaeda, abandon violence, and abide by the Afghan constitution. But,
in part because of our military effort, we have reason to believe that progress
can be made.
The goal that we
seek is achievable, and can be expressed simply: No safe haven from which al
Qaeda or its affiliates can launch attacks against our homeland or our allies.
We won't try to make Afghanistan a perfect place. We will not police its
streets or patrol its mountains indefinitely. That is the responsibility of the
Afghan government, which must step up its ability to protect its people, and
move from an economy shaped by war to one that can sustain a lasting peace.
What we can do, and will do, is build a partnership with the Afghan people that
endures -- one that ensures that we will be able to continue targeting
terrorists and supporting a sovereign Afghan government.
Of course, our
efforts must also address terrorist safe havens in Pakistan. No country is more
endangered by the presence of violent extremists, which is why we will continue
to press Pakistan to expand its participation in securing a more peaceful
future for this war-torn region. We'll work with the Pakistani government to
root out the cancer of violent extremism, and we will insist that it keeps its
commitments. For there should be no doubt that so long as I am President, the
United States will never tolerate a safe haven for those who aim to kill us.
They cannot elude us, nor escape the justice they deserve.
My fellow
Americans, this has been a difficult decade for our country. We've learned anew
the profound cost of war -- a cost that's been paid by the nearly 4,500
Americans who have given their lives in Iraq, and the over 1,500 who have done
so in Afghanistan -- men and women who will not live to enjoy the freedom that
they defended. Thousands more have been wounded. Some have lost limbs on the
battlefield, and others still battle the demons that have followed them home.
Yet tonight, we
take comfort in knowing that the tide of war is receding. Fewer of our sons and
daughters are serving in harm's way. We've ended our combat mission in Iraq,
with 100,000 American troops already out of that country. And even as there
will be dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen
in the distance. These long wars will come to a responsible end.
As they do, we must
learn their lessons. Already this decade of war has caused many to question the
nature of America's engagement around the world. Some would have America
retreat from our responsibility as an anchor of global security, and embrace an
isolation that ignores the very real threats that we face. Others would have
America over-extended, confronting every evil that can be found abroad.
We must chart a
more centered course. Like generations before, we must embrace America's
singular role in the course of human events. But we must be as pragmatic as we
are passionate; as strategic as we are resolute. When threatened, we must
respond with force -- but when that force can be targeted, we need not deploy
large armies overseas. When innocents are being slaughtered and global security
endangered, we don't have to choose between standing idly by or acting on our
own. Instead, we must rally international action, which we're doing in Libya,
where we do not have a single soldier on the ground, but are supporting allies
in protecting the Libyan people and giving them the chance to determine their
own destiny.
In all that we do,
we must remember that what sets America apart is not solely our power -- it is
the principles upon which our union was founded. We're a nation that brings our
enemies to justice while adhering to the rule of law, and respecting the rights
of all our citizens. We protect our own freedom and prosperity by extending it
to others. We stand not for empire, but for self-determination. That is why we
have a stake in the democratic aspirations that are now washing across the Arab
world. We will support those revolutions with fidelity to our ideals, with the
power of our example, and with an unwavering belief that all human beings
deserve to live with freedom and dignity.
Above all, we are a
nation whose strength abroad has been anchored in opportunity for our citizens
here at home. Over the last decade, we have spent a trillion dollars on war, at
a time of rising debt and hard economic times. Now, we must invest in America's
greatest resource -- our people. We must unleash innovation that creates new
jobs and industries, while living within our means. We must rebuild our
infrastructure and find new and clean sources of energy. And most of all, after
a decade of passionate debate, we must recapture the common purpose that we
shared at the beginning of this time of war. For our nation draws strength from
our differences, and when our union is strong no hill is too steep, no horizon
is beyond our reach.
America, it is time
to focus on nation building here at home.
In this effort, we
draw inspiration from our fellow Americans who have sacrificed so much on our
behalf. To our troops, our veterans and their families, I speak for all
Americans when I say that we will keep our sacred trust with you, and provide
you with the care and benefits and opportunity that you deserve.
I met some of these
patriotic Americans at Fort Campbell. A while back, I spoke to the 101st
Airborne that has fought to turn the tide in Afghanistan, and to the team that
took out Osama bin Laden. Standing in front of a model of bin Laden's compound,
the Navy SEAL who led that effort paid tribute to those who had been lost --
brothers and sisters in arms whose names are now written on bases where our
troops stand guard overseas, and on headstones in quiet corners of our country
where their memory will never be forgotten. This officer -- like so many others
I've met on bases, in Baghdad and Bagram, and at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval
Hospital -- spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one,
depending on each other, and trusting one another, as a family might do in a
time of peril.
That's a lesson
worth remembering -- that we are all a part of one American family. Though we
have known disagreement and division, we are bound together by the creed that
is written into our founding documents, and a conviction that the United States
of America is a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish.
Now, let us finish the work at hand. Let us responsibly end these wars, and
reclaim the American Dream that is at the center of our story. With confidence
in our cause, with faith in our fellow citizens, and with hope in our hearts,
let us go about the work of extending the promise of America -- for this
generation, and the next.
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This email was sent to hebrew.king@ymail.com
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Message Body
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Message Body
 |
Friend --
I know we've been
asking a lot of you.
In the first major
test of this campaign, you delivered.
More than 475,000
people decided to own a piece of this campaign in just our first quarter -- a
promising sign of what's to come if we all stay focused and work together.
We'll be in touch
with more information as we continue to crunch the numbers. But for now, I
wanted to pass along a quick video I think you'll like.
If
you missed it, the President held a press conference earlier this week. The
last few minutes were really something special. It's a good reminder of why
we're fighting so hard to get him re-elected:
Thanks again. Hope
you have a great holiday weekend.
Messina
Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
Sunday,
3 July 2011, 2:30
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This email was sent to hebrew.king@ymail.com
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