Sunday 26 June 2011

letter From TheWhiteHouse/File37yHk

Behind the scenes at the White House in May


FROM:
TO:
Tuesday, 21 June 2011, 23:00

Message Body

The White House
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.

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. 

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

1:30 PM: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney 
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
 Indicates events that will be live streamed on WhiteHouse.Gov/Live




  
This email was sent to hebrew.king@ymail.com




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The President and First Lady Meet the Duke and Duchess


FROM:
TO:
Wednesday, 25 May 2011, 23:20

Message Body

The White House
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Photo of the Day

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.

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.

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.

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

10:30 AM: President Obama Speaks to the United Kingdom Parliament 

12:30 PM: V.P. Biden Speaks on the 50th Anniversary of President Kennedy's Moon Shot Speech 

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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VIDEO: Following-up on last night

Message Body

The White House, Washington


Good morning,

In December 2009, President Obama promised the American people that we would begin the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan in July 2011, and last night he announced his plan to make good on that promise

By the end of this year 10,000 troops will return home and that number will reach 33,000 troops by next summer.

To put this important decision in a larger context, Vice President Joe Biden took a few minutes to share his thoughts about the promises this Administration has made – and kept – when it comes to the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, and our commitment to defeat al Qaeda:


Sincerely,
David Plouffe
Senior Advisor to the President

P.S. In case you missed the President's remarks, you can watch the video here: WhiteHouse.gov/AfghanSpeech




This email was sent to hebrew.king@ymail.com


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Afghanistan


FROM:
TO:
Friday, 24 June 2011, 12:32

Message Body


Friend --

If you missed it last night, you should take a few minutes to watch President Obama's address to the nation about our policy in Afghanistan:




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.

May God bless our troops. And may God bless the United States of America.
This email was sent to hebrew.king@ymail.com

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Honoring their service with ours


FROM:
TO:
Monday, 4 July 2011, 21:34

Message Body



The White House, Washington


Good morning, 
This Independence Day, I hope you’ll join me and my family in recognizing both our brave men and women in uniform and their families for everything they do to protect our country and our way of life. 

We know that when our troops are called to serve, their families serve right along with them. For military kids, that means stepping up to help with the housework and putting on a brave face through all those missed holidays, bedtimes and ballet recitals. For military spouses, it means pulling double-duty, doing the work of both parents, often while juggling a full-time job or trying to get an education.

That’s why, a few months ago, Dr. Jill Biden and I started Joining Forces, a nationwide campaign to recognize, honor, and serve our military families. Our troops give so much to this country and they ask us for just one thing in return: to take care of their families while they’re gone. So we’ve put out a call to action. We’re urging all Americans to ask themselves one question: What can I do to give back to these families that have given so much? 

To answer that question you can go to JoiningForces.gov and learn more about how you can get involved. And you can get started right now through Operation Honor Card by pledging to spend a certain number of hours serving military families in your community. 

Our motto for Joining Forces is very simple: Everyone can do something. We've met folks in every corner of the country who are stepping up and helping out in their own small ways in their neighborhoods and in their communities. They’re popping over to rake the leaves, or bringing a family a home-cooked meal, or offering to babysit. And I know that if we each do whatever we can, if we all join forces, we can show military families across this country that we have them in our hearts, we have them in our prayers, and we always have their backs. 

Happy Independence Day! 

Sincerely, 

First Lady Michelle Obama 

P.S. Today, my husband and I will welcome troops and their families from across the country to the White House for a special USO concert and a great view of the fireworks on the National Mall. You can watch the whole thing live on WhiteHouse.gov/live starting at 7 p.m. EDT.







This email was sent to hebrew.king@ymail.com

Monday, 4 July 2011, 21:34

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Thank you


FROM:
TO:
Sunday, 3 July 2011, 2:30

Message Body

2012
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

  
This email was sent to hebrew.king@ymail.com





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