We want to support them in every way we can. I can tell you that I was very impressed that they reported that the refugees coming out strongly support the action that NATO has taken and clearly understand that that action did not provoke the attempt to remove them from their homes, that that is part of an operation that has been going on since last year, that there were 40,000 troops and nearly 300 tanks-Serbian troops and tanks-massed in and around Kosovo at the time the peace talks in France broke up. And they are quite clear that what has happened to them was what was planned for quite a long while. And I appreciate the support-and the great difficulty of maintaining it-of these people who have suffered so much. Now, what are we doing about this? This week I authorized an additional $50 million in emergency aid to augment our contributions to the UNHCR and to the other relief organizations and to ensure that our military can do more to help them get aid to the people in need. Today NATO agreed that its forces in Macedonia should support the relief effort there by providing transport, shelter, and logistical support. While many people are arriving in neighboring countries, and Macedonia and Albania are especially burdened, we are able to provide help there-although we need more countries to join us in providing help there. We must be increasingly concerned about the plight of displaced people who are actually trapped inside Kosovo and are under attack or certainly vulnerable to attack by Serbian forces. That is why our airstrikes are now increasingly focused on military targets there. There is no doubt that what Mr. Milosevic wants to do is to keep the land of Kosovo and rid it of its people. We cannot let that happen with impunity. I said yesterday in Virginia to our troops, and I want to say again, we must be determined; we must be persistent; we must be patient if we expect to see this mission through. And I am absolutely determined to do that. We have to make sure that Mr. Milosevic pays a heavy price for this policy of repression. We have to seriously diminish his capacity to maintain that policy. Ultimately, we want to make it possible for the victims to return home, to live in security, and enjoy self-government. Let me also reaffirm what I said yesterday about the three ENTITY infantrymen who were seized on Wednesday as they were carrying out a completely peaceful mission in Macedonia.


As I am sure most of you realize, this is an historic occasion not only because of the visit that the President of the Republic of Korea is paying to the United States in an official capacity--because this is the first time in this administration and probably in any administration that a state dinner is being given by the President of the United States for the head of the government of another State, in this case the Republic of Korea, and I am honored that it is in my own State of California and here in the great city of San Francisco. We have tried to create to an extent the atmosphere which you would find in the White House. The President was pointing out that when he was at the White House at a state dinner there that the audience was not as large, because only 110 could be seated at a White House state dinner. The wines are from California, the record will show. The flowers are from California, and much of the audience is from California. But the Marine Orchestra, which for 100 years has been the President's orchestra in the White House, was brought from Washington, and the Strolling Strings from the ENTITY came from Washington. We brought them here because we want you to hear them, because one of mine and my wife's most pleasant memories and fondest memories of Korea was in the year 1953 when we became acquainted with the great love of music of the Korean people. Tonight, in attempting to bring to those in this audience who come from California and all over the Nation something of the feeling of Korea that I have and that l believe the people of the United States do have and should have so they will know the facts, I would like to speak, not simply in my capacity as head of state and head of government, officially welcoming another head of state and head of government, whose friendship we value, but I would like to speak from the hearts of all of the American people to the people of Korea. And I would like to tell this audience what Korea means, what it means to me, what I think it means to America and to the world. Korea, first, is a land much like California, a thousand miles of mountains and rivers and valleys. Korea is a land which is very varied in its climate, and in its physical conditions. Korea, to many in the United States, means a war, a war that was difficult, a war that cost casualties, a war that was controversial.

Toasts of the President and President Park at a State Dinner in San Francisco


But we should think of Korea tonight in a different sense, because as President Park has often reminded us each time he comes to the United States, he speaks of a different Korea. One, it means courage. In all of the world, and I have been to most of the countries of the world, there are no people more courageous than the people of Korea. They proved their courage fighting for their own freedom in a war that ended 16 years ago. They are proving it by fighting alongside the persons of the United States and those of South Vietnam and other countries in the war in Vietnam with 50,000 Koreans there. And they prove it by maintaining one of the largest armed forces in the world in order to meet the threat which is posed against them in the north. And this kind of courage Americans admire. Korea means courage, therefore, to us. Korea also means friendship and alliance in the deepest sense, not the friendship and alliance simply of words, but the friendship and alliance which goes beyond that, and which involves cooperation not just in a war in Vietnam, but in building the new collective arrangements in Asia, which are so important to peace in the Pacific. And as all of the people in this audience, particularly from California, will realize. peace in the Pacific is essential if we are going to have peace in the world. Because we must remember that the wars that we have been engaged in in the last quarter of a century on three occasions came from the Pacific. But, finally, Korea today means something else that we need to be reminded of. It means self-reliance. It means self-respect. It means independence. You see it in the faces of the Korean people when you go to that country. You see it in the faces of that wonderful children's choir, the orphans' choir, when they come to America and sing so beautifully that the tears come to your eyes when you think of what they have been through, and yet how happy they can be despite all that. And you see it when you realize, as I realized on every occasion today, that Korea is a country which has received aid from the United States, but a country that wants to develop the ability to stand on its own feet. On occasion after occasion, the President and Mrs. Park have expressed the appreciation of the Korean people for the aid they have received from the United States. We have aided over 100 countries over the last 25 years. Some of those programs have been successes. More of them have been failures.


It is great to be in the State capitol. Being here today calls to mind the first time I spoke on the senate floor, almost 20 years ago. And I was passionate, idealistic, ready to make a difference. And I probably needed a little dose of reality when I first arrived. So one day, I rose to speak about a bill. And I thought I'd made some compelling points, with irrefutable logic. And I was about to sit down, feeling pretty good about myself, when Pate Philip sauntered over to my desk. Now, for the-there are some young people here, so for those of you who do not remember, Pate Philip was the senate majority leader at the time. He was a marine, and a big shock of white hair, stomped-chomped on a cigar, was so politically incorrect that it is you do not even know how to describe it. But he always treated me well. Kid, that was a pretty good speech. In fact, I think you changed a lot of minds. But you did not change any votes. So that was my first lesson in humility. The next came when I presented my own first bill. It was a simple piece of legislation that would make it a lot easier for Illinois manufacturers to hire graduating community college students. I did not know any serious opposition, so I asked for a vote. And what I got was a good hazing. Could you correctly pronounce your name for me? I am having a little trouble with it. And being in my early thirties at the time, I was a little cocky. And he went on to complain that my predecessor's name was easier to pronounce than mine, that I did not have cookies at my desk like she did, how would I ever expect to get any votes without having cookies on my desk. I definitely urge a no vote, he said, whatever your name is. And for the next several minutes, the senate debated on whether I should add an apostrophe to my name for the Irish or whether the fact that Obama ends in a vowel meant that I actually belonged to the Italians--and just how many trees had had to die to print this terrible, miserable bill, anyway. And I said, If I survive this event, I will be eternally grateful and consider this a highlight of my legal and legislative career. And I asked for a vote.

Remarks to the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield, Illinois


And initially, the tote board showed that it was going down, but at the last minute it flipped, and my bill passed. But I was duly reminded that I was a freshman in the minority. And I want to thank all my former colleagues in both chambers for not letting me forget it. Now, to be a rookie in the minority party, as I was, is not much fun in any legislature. And we were called mushrooms, because we were kept in the dark and fed a lot of manure. But one benefit of being in such a position-not being invited into the meetings where the big deals were being made-is that I had a lot of time to get to know my colleagues. And many of us were away from our families, and so we became friends. We went to fish fries together. And we'd go to union halls. We'd play in golf scrambles. We had a great bipartisan poker game at the Illinois Manufacturers' Association. Boro Reljic would host, and folks like Dave Luechtefeld and Terry Link, others, would join in. We'd eat downstairs, and I cannot say I miss the horseshoes. But away from the glare of TV or the tweets or the GIFs of today's media, what we discovered was that despite our surface differences-Democrats and Republicans, downstate hog farmers, inner-city African Americans, suburban businesspeople, Latinos from Pilsen or Little Village-despite those differences, we actually had a lot in common. We cared about our communities. We cared about our families. We cared about America. We fought hard for our positions. We voted against each other all the time. And party lines held most of the time. But those relationships, that trust we'd built meant that we came at each debate assuming the best in one another and not the worst. I was reminiscing with Christine Radogno; we came in in the same class. And we were on opposite sides of most issues, but I always trusted her and believed that she was a good person. And if we had a bill that we might be able to work together on, it was a pleasure to work with her on. Or Dave Syverson, who-we worked together on the Public Health and Welfare Committee, and we got some important work done that made a difference in people's lives. And we did not call each other idiots or Fascists who were trying to destroy America.


Because then we'd have to explain why we were playing poker or having a drink with an idiot or a Fascist who was trying to destroy America. And that respect gave us room for progress. And after I'd served here for 6 years, my party finally gained the majority. Emil Jones became the president of the senate. And by then, I had made some friends across the aisle, like Kirk Dillard, who I believe is here today, and we were able to pass the first serious ethics reform in 25 years. working closely with law enforcement, who knew by then that we cared about cops and sheriffs and prosecutors, and working with folks like John Cullerton, we passed Illinois' first racial profiling law, which was good for police officers and minority communities. And because someone like my friend, John Bouman, who worked at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, helped us build coalitions across the State, including with business, and was able to then reach out to Republicans, we were able to increase tax credits for the working poor and expand health insurance to children in need. And we would not bend on our most deeply held principles, but we were willing to forge compromises in pursuit of a larger goal. We could fight like heck on one issue and then shake hands on the next. Somebody like Jesse White was able to travel around the State and people did not even know what party he was necessarily from because he brought so much joy with the Tumblers and the work that they were doing. So I want you to know that this is why I have always believed so deeply in a better kind of politics, in part because of what I learned here in this legislature. a State of small towns and rich farmland and the world's greatest city; a microcosm of America, where Democrats and Republicans and Independents and good people of every ethnicity and every faith shared certain bedrock values. I just saw a story the other day showing that if you rank all 50 States across categories like education levels and household incomes and race and religion, the one State that most closely mirrors America as a whole is Illinois, this State. And I learned by talking to your constituents that if you were willing to listen, it was possible to bridge a lot of differences. I learned that most Americans are not following the ins and outs of the legislature carefully, but they instinctively know that issues are more complicated than rehearsed sound bites, that they play differently in different parts of the State and in the country.


They understand the difference between realism and idealism, the difference between responsibility and recklessness. They have the maturity to know what can and cannot be compromised and to admit the possibility that the other side just might have a point. And it convinced me that if we just approached our national politics the same way the American people approach their daily lives-at the workplace, at the Little League game, at church or the synagogue, with common sense and a commitment to fair play and basic courtesy-that there is no problem that we could not solve together. And that was the vision that guided me when I first ran for the United States Senate. That is the vision I shared when I said we are more than just a collection of red States and blue States, but we are the United States of America. And that vision is why, 9 years ago today, on the steps of the Old State Capitol just a few blocks from here, I announced my candidacy for President. Now, over these 9 years, I want you to know, my faith in the generosity and the fundamental goodness of the American people has been rewarded and affirmed over and over and over again. I have seen it in the determination of autoworkers who had been laid off, but were sure that they could once again be part of a great, iconic Americans industry. I have seen it in the single mom who goes back to school even as she is working and looking after her kids because she wants a better life for that next generation. I have seen it the vision and risk-taking of small-businessmen. I have seen it time and time again in the courage of our troops. But it is been noted often by pundits that the tone of our politics has not gotten better since I was inaugurated-in fact, it is gotten worse; that there is still this yawning gap between the magnitude of our challenges and the smallness of our politics. Which is why, in my final State of the Union Address, and in the one before that, I had to acknowledge that one of my few regrets is my inability to reduce the polarization and meanness in our politics. I was able to be part of that here and yet could not translate it the way I wanted to into our politics in Washington. And people ask me why I have devoted so much time to this topic. And I tell them it is not just because I am ENTITY and the polarization and the gridlock are frustrating to me.


The fact is we have gotten a heck of a lot done these past 7 years, despite the gridlock. We saved the economy from a depression. We brought back an auto industry from the brink of collapse. We helped our businesses create 14 million new jobs over the past 6 years. We cut the unemployment rate from 10 percent to 4.9 percent. We covered nearly 18 million more Americans with health insurance. We ignited a clean energy revolution. We got bin Laden. We brought the vast majority of our troops home to their families. There is no doubt, America is better off today than when I took office. So I-see, I did not want this to be a State of Union speech--where we have the standing up and the sitting down. Come on, guys, you know better than that. I mean, I have got a serious point to make here. I have got a serious point to make here because this is part of the issue, right? We have an importation of our politics nationally and on cable and talk radio, and it seeps into everything. The point I am trying to make is, I care about fixing our politics not only because I am ENTITY today or because some of my initiatives have been blocked by Congress. That happens to every President, happens to every Governor, happens to everybody who participates-anybody who participates in a democracy. You are not going to get a hundred percent of what you want all the time. The reason this is important to me is, next year, I will still hold the most important title of all, and that is the title of citizen. And as an American citizen, I understand that our progress is not inevitable. It must be fought for and won by all of us, with the kind of patriotism that our fellow Illinoisan, Adlai Stevenson, once described not as a short, frenzied outburst of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. It requires citizenship and a sense that we are one. And today, that kind of citizenship is threatened by a poisonous political climate that pushes people away from participating in our public life. It turns folks off. It discourages them, makes them cynical. And when that happens, more powerful and extreme voices fill the void. And that is how we end up with only a handful of lobbyists setting the agenda. That is how we end up with policies that are detached from what working families face every day.


That is how we end up with the well connected who publicly demand that government stay out of their business, but then whisper in its ear for special treatment. to give everybody a shot in a changing economy, to keep America safe and strong in an uncertain world, to repair our climate before it threatens everything we leave for our kids. So that is what is on my mind as I come back to Illinois today. What can we do, all of us, together, to try to make our politics better? And I speak to both sides on this. Because all of you know, it could be better, and all of you would feel prouder of the work you do if it was better. So, first, let us put to rest a couple of myths about our politics. One is the myth that the problems with our politics are new. American politics has never been particularly gentle or high minded, especially not during times of great change. As I mentioned when I visited a mosque in Maryland last week, Thomas Jefferson's opponent tried to stir things up by suggesting he was a Muslim. So I am in good company. But that is nothing compared to the newspaper which warned that if Jefferson were elected, murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest will be openly taught and practiced. His Vice President, Aaron Burr, literally killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. I do not want to even tell you what Andrew Jackson's opponents said about his momma. Lincoln, himself, was routinely called weak, wishy-washy, a yahoo, an unshapely man, the obscene ape of Illinois, and my favorite, a facetious pettifogger. I do not know what that means--but it sounds insulting. So, comparatively speaking, today is not that bad, as long as you have got a thick skin. There is also the notion sometimes that our politics are broken because politicians are significantly more corrupt or beholden to big money than they used to be. Now, there is no doubt that lobbyists still have easier access to the halls of power than the average American. There is a lot of work that we need to do to make sure that the system works for ordinary people and not just the well connected. That is true at the Federal level; that is true at the State level. Folks are not entirely wrong when they feel as if the system too often is rigged and does not address their interests.


But, relative to the past, listen, I am confident we have got enough rules and checks to prevent anyone in my Cabinet from siphoning whiskey tax revenue into their own pockets like President Grant's administration did. patronage, bribery, and money laundering. It is not as easy as it was to whip up tens of thousands of phantom votes, whether in Chicago or South Texas. From the Teapot Dome to Watergate, history tells us we should always be vigilant and demand that our public servants follow the highest ethical standards. But the truth is that the kind of corruption that is blatant, of the sort that we saw in the past, is much less likely in today's politics. So we do not want to romanticize the past and think somehow it is a difference in the people being elected. And it also is not true that today's issues are inherently more polarizing than the past. Remember, we endured 4 years of civil war that resulted in hundreds of thousands of dead Americans. This country was divided on a fundamental question. The fault lines of Vietnam, the culture wars of the sixties-they still echo into our politics a half-century later. We have been arguing since our founding over the proper size and role of government; the meaning of individual freedom and equality; over war and peace and the best way to give all of our citizens opportunity. And these are important debates that everybody should join, with all the rigor that a free people require. And so it is important for us to understand that the situation we find ourselves in today is not somehow unique or hopeless. We have always gone through periods when our democracy seems stuck. And when that happens, we have to find a new way of doing business. We are in one of those moments. We have got to build a better politics, one that is less of a spectacle and more of a battle of ideas, one that is less of a business and more of a mission, one that understands the success of the American experiment rests on our willingness to engage all our citizens in this work. And that starts by acknowledging that we do have a problem. And we all know it. What is different today is the nature and the extent of the polarization. How ideologically divided the parties are is brought about by some of the same long-term trends in our politics and our culture.


A great sorting has taken place that drove Southern conservatives out of the Democratic Party and Northern moderates out of the Republican Party, so you do not have within each party as much diversity of views. And you have got a fractured media. Some folks watch FOX News; some folks read the Huffington Post. And we can choose our own facts. We do not have a common basis for what is true and what is not. I mean, if I listened to some of these conservative pundits, I would not vote for me either. I sound like a scary guy. You have got advocacy groups that, frankly, sometimes benefit from keeping their members agitated as much as possible, assured of the righteousness of their cause. Unlimited dark money-money that nobody knows where it is coming from, who is paying-drowns out ordinary voices. And far too many of us surrender our voices entirely by choosing not to vote. And this polarization is pervasive, and it seeps into our society to the point where surveys even suggest that many Americans would not want their kids to date someone from another political party. Now, some of us do not want our kids dating, period. But this is not just an abstract problem for political scientists. This has real impact on whether or not we can get things done together. This has a real impact on whether families are able to support themselves or whether the homeless are getting shelter on a cold day. It makes a difference as to the quality of the education that kids are getting. But so often, these debates-particularly in Washington, but increasingly in State legislatures-become abstractions. It is as if there are no people involved, it is just cardboard cutouts and caricatures of positions. It encourages the kind of ideological fealty that rejects any compromise as a form of weakness. And in a big, complicated democracy like ours, if we cannot compromise, by definition, we cannot govern ourselves. I am proud of that. I make no bones about it. I am going to make another point here. I believe that people should have access to health care. I believe they should have access to a good public education. I believe that workers deserve a higher minimum wage. I believe that collective bargaining is critical to the prospects of the middle class and that pensions are vital to retirement, as long as they are funded responsibly. I appreciate that, but I want to make this larger point. I believe we are judged by how we care for the poor and the vulnerable.


I believe that in order to live up to our ideals, we have to continually fight discrimination in all its forms. I believe in science and the science behind things like climate change and that a transition to cleaner sources of energy will help preserve the planet for future generations. I believe in a tough, smart foreign policy that says America will never hesitate to protect our people and our allies, but that we should use every element of our power and never rush to war. I believe that there are a lot of Republicans who share many of these same values, even though they may disagree with me on the means to achieve them. I think sometimes my Republican colleagues make constructive points about outdated regulations that may need to be changed or programs that, even though well intended, did not always work the way they were supposed to. And where I have got an opportunity to find some common ground, that does not make me a sellout to my own party. So trying to find common ground does not make me less of a Democrat or less of a progressive. And the same applies to a Republican who, heaven forbid, might agree with me on a particular issue or if I said America is great, decided to stand during a State of Union. You are not going to get in trouble. Because folks are worried, well, I am going to get yelled at by you, or this blogger is going to write that, or this talk show host is going to talk about me, and suddenly, I have got a challenger, and calling me a RINO or a not a real progressive. So when I hear voices in either party boast of their refusal to compromise as an accomplishment in and of itself, I am not impressed. All that does is prevent what most Americans would consider actual accomplishments, like fixing roads, educating kids, passing budgets, cleaning our environment, making our streets safe. No, it cuts both ways, guys. The point is, it cuts both ways. Our Founders trusted us with the keys to this system of self-government. Our politics is the place where we try to make this incredible machinery work, where we come together to settle our differences and solve big problems, do big things together that we could not possibly do alone. And our Founders anchored all this in a visionary Constitution that separates power and demands compromise, precisely to prevent one party or one wing of a party or one faction or some powerful interest from getting a hundred percent of its way.


tax cuts without cuts to services- Everything will be fine, but we will not spend any money ; war without shared sacrifice- We are going to be tough, but do not worry, it will be fine ; union bashing or corporate bashing without acknowledging that both workers and businesses make our economy run. That kind of politics means that the supporters will be perennially disappointed. It only adds to folks' sense that the system is rigged. It is one of the reasons why we see these big electoral swings every few years. Now, I do not pretend to have all the answers to this. If I did, I would have already done them through an executive action. A sense of humor is also helpful. But I do want to offer some steps that we can take that I believe would help reform our institutions and move our system in a way that helps reflect our better selves. And these are not particularly original, but I just want to go ahead and mention them. First is to take-or at least reduce some of the corrosive influence of money in our politics. Now, this year, just over 150 families-150 families-have spent as much on the Presidential race as the rest of America combined. Today, a couple of billionaires in one State can push their agenda, dump dark money into every State-nobody knows where it is coming from-mostly used on these dark ads, everybody is kind of dark and the worst picture possible. And there is some ominous voice talking about how they are destroying the country. And they spend this money based on some ideological preference that really is disconnected to the realities of how people live. They are not that concerned about the particulars of what is happening in a union hall in Galesburg and what folks are going through trying to find a job. They are not particularly familiar with what is happening at a VFW post-- They have not heard personally from farmers outside of the Quads and what they are going through. Those are the voices that should be outweighing a handful of folks with a lot of money. I am not saying the folks with a lot of money should have no voice; I am saying they should not be able to drown out everybody else's. And that is why I disagree with the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. I do not believe that money is speech or that political spending should have no limits or that it should not be disclosed. I still support a constitutional amendment to set reasonable limits on financial influence in America's elections.


But amending the Constitution is an extremely challenging and time-consuming process, as it should be. So we are going to have to come up with more immediate ways to reduce the influence of money in politics. There are a lot of good proposals out there, and we have to work to find ones that can gain some bipartisan support, because a handful of families and hidden interests should not be able to bankroll elections in the greatest democracy on Earth. The second step towards a better politics is rethinking the way that we draw our congressional districts. And now, let me point this out. I want to point this out, because this is another case of cherry-picking here. This tends to be popular in States where Democrats have been drawing the lines among Republicans and less popular among Republicans where they control drawing the lines. So nobody's-let us be very clear here, nobody has got clean hands on this thing. Nobody has got clean hands on this thing. The fact is, today, technology allows parties in power to precision-draw constituencies so that the opposition's supporters are packed into as few districts as possible. That is why our districts are shaped like earmuffs or spaghetti. And it is also how one party can get more seats even when it gets fewer votes. And while this gerrymandering may insulate some incumbents from a serious challenge from the other party, it also means that the main thing those incumbents are worried about are challengers from the most extreme voices in their own party. That is what is happened in Congress. The House of Representatives there, there may be a handful-less than 10 percent-of districts that are even competitive at this point. So if you are a Republican, all you are worried about is what somebody to your right is saying about you, because you know you are not going to lose a general election. Same is true for a lot of Democrats. So our debates move away from the middle, where most Americans are, towards the far ends of the spectrum. And that polarizes us further. Now, this is something we have the power to fix. And once the next census rolls around and we have the most up-to-date picture of America's population, we should change the way our districts are drawn. In America, politicians should not pick their voters; voters should pick their politicians. And this needs to be done across the Nation, not just in a select few States.


Now, the more Americans use their voice and participate, the less captive our politics will be to narrow constituencies. No matter how much undisclosed money is spent, no matter how many negative ads are run, no matter how unrepresentative a district is drawn, if everybody voted, if a far larger number of people voted, that would overcome in many ways some of these other institutional barriers. And that is why a third step towards a better politics is making voting easier, not harder, and modernizing it for the way that we live now. You liked the redistricting thing, but not letting people vote. I should get some applause on that too. Look- . Listen, 3 years ago, I set up a bipartisan Commission to improve the voting experience in America. It had the election lawyers from my campaign and from Mitt Romney's campaign. They got together outside of the context of immediate politics. And I actually want to thank this Assembly for moving to adopt some of its recommendations. Thanks to the good work of my dear friend, Senator Don Harmon, and many of you, there is a new law going into effect this year that will allow Illinoisans to register and vote at the polls on election day. It expands early voting, something that makes it a lot easier for working folks and busy parents to go vote. If you are a single mom, and you have got to take public transportation to punch a clock, work round the clock, get home, cook dinner on a Tuesday in bad weather, that is tough. Why would we want to make it so that she could not do it on a Saturday or a Sunday? How is that advancing our democracy? So this law will make a difference. I am proud of my home State for helping to lead the way. In 2012 and 2014, the States with the highest voter turnout all had same-day registration. Reduce these barriers to voting. And I'd encourage this Assembly to take the next step. Senator Manar and Representative Gabel have bills that would automatically register every eligible citizen to vote when they apply for a driver's license. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, seniors, folks with disabilities, the men and women of our military. And as one of your constituents, I think you should pass that legislation right away. I think the Governor should sign it without delay. Let us make the Land of Lincoln a leader in voter participation.


Let us set the pace, encourage other States across the country to follow our lead, making automatic voter registration the new norm across America. Now, just during the course of this talk, it is been interesting to watch the dynamics, obviously. In part because so much of our politics now is just designed for short-term, tactical gain. If you think that having more voters will hurt you on election day, then suddenly, you are not interested in participation. And if you think that the gerrymandering is helping you instead of hurting you, then you are not for those proposals. We get trapped in these things. If we were setting up a set of rules ahead of time, and you did not know where you stood, which party you were going to be in, if you did not have all the data and the poll numbers to tell you what is going to give you an edge or not, you'd set up a system that was fairer. You'd encourage everybody to be part of it. That is what we learned in our civics books. The fact that we cannot do that, that brings me to my last point, which is, even as we change the way system works, we also have a responsibility to change the way that we, as elected officials and as citizens, work together. when the system is fair, but also when we build a culture that is trying to make it work. Recently, I have been thinking a lot about something a friend of mine, Deval Patrick, once said to his constituents when he was Governor of Massachusetts. He said, Insist from us and from each other a modicum of civility as the condition for serving you. This is what he told voters. Insist on us having a modicum of civility. I think that is something that all of us, as Americans, have to insist from each other. Our children are watching what we do. They do not just learn it in school, they learn it by watching us, the way we conduct ourselves, the way we treat each other. If we lie about each other, they learn it is okay to lie. If we make up facts and ignore science, then they do not -they just think it is just their opinion that matters. If they see us insulting each other like school kids, then they think, well, I guess that is how people are supposed to behave.


The way we respect-or do not -this-each other as citizens will determine whether or not the hard, frustrating, but absolutely necessary work of self-government continues. And I have got daughters that are getting older now, and one of the most important things about being a parent, I think, is them just seeing what you do not when you are out in public, not when you are dealing with somebody important, but just how do you do-how do you treat people generally. I want to live up to their expectations. And in that same way, I want this democracy to live up to the people's expectations. We cannot move forward if all we do is tear each other down. And the political incentives, as they are today, too often rewards that kind of behavior. That is what gets attention. So it will require some courage just to act the way our parents taught us to act. It should not , but in this political environment, apparently, it does. We have got to insist to do better from each other, for each other. Rather than reward those who'd disenfranchise any segment of America, we have got to insist that everybody arm themselves with information and facts and that they vote. If 99 percent of us voted, it would not matter how much the 1 percent spends on our elections. Rather than reward the most extreme voices or the most divisive language or who is best at launching schoolyard taunts, we should insist on a higher form of political discourse in our common life, one based on empathy and respect, which does not mean you abandon principle. Rather than paint those who disagree with us as motivated by malice, to suggest that any of us lack patriotism, we can insist, as Lincoln did, that we are not enemies, but friends; that our fellow Americans are not only entitled to a different point of view, but that they love this country as much as we do. Rather than reward a 24/7 media that so often thrives on sensationalism and conflict, we have to stand up and insist, no, reason matters, facts matter, issues are complicated. When folks just make stuff up, they cannot go unchallenged. And that is true for Democrats if you hear a Democrat make something up, and that is true for a Republican if you see a Republican cross that line. that it can be a genuine victory that means progress for all sides.


And rather than preventing our kids from dating people in other parties-well, I may have issues about dating, generally--but we can trust that we have raised our kids to do the right thing and to look at the qualities of people's character, not some label attached to them. And maybe, most of all, whenever someone begins to grow cynical about our politics or believes that their actions cannot make a difference or it is not worth participating in, we have got to insist-even against all evidence to the contrary-that in fact they can make a difference. And in this job of being a citizen of the United States of America, that is a big deal. Now, Abraham Lincoln was not always the giant that we think of today. He lacked formal schooling. After just one term in Congress, his opposition to the Mexican-American War damaged his reputation so badly, he did not run for reelection. He was denounced as a traitor, a demagogue, an enemy sympathizer. He returned to his law practice and admitted he was losing interest in politics entirely. And then, something happened that shook his conscience. Congress effectively overturned the Missouri Compromise, that flawed and fragile law that had prohibited slavery in the North and legalized it in the South, but left the question ultimately unsettled. And stunned by this news, Lincoln said he'd been roused as he had never been before over what it meant for America's future. And so, here in Springfield, at the State fair, he got back in the game, and he delivered the first of his great antislavery speeches to a crowd of thousands. And over the next 6 years, even as he lost two more political races, his arguments with Douglas and others shaped the national debate. That is when he uttered those brilliant words on the steps of the Old State Capitol that A house divided against itself cannot stand, that this government cannot endure permanently, half slave, and half free. And through his will and his words and, most of all, his character, he held a nation together, and he helped free a people. And those victories did not solve all of our problems. He would be attacked at times for the compromises he was prepared to make by abolitionists and folks from his own side. It would be 100 years more until the law guaranteed African Americans the equal rights that they had been promised. Even 50 years after that, our march is not yet finished.


Ladies and gentlemen, 36 years ago, when President Kennedy came here, he said, The Sun does not always shine in West Virginia, but the people do. Today we have the Sun and the people. Thank you for making Hillary and Chelsea and me feel so welcome. Thank you, Governor Caperton, for being my friend and supporter and for the fine job you have done. Governor Caperton did a lot to put West Virginia on the national map by putting computers in the schools of your children. If you reelect Al Gore and Bill Clinton, in the next 4 years we will hook every one of those classrooms in America and in West Virginia up to the information superhighway, so that all of our children will have world-class education. They are consistent with my own, and they depend upon initiatives like the one that Marilyn just talked about. I want you in the governorship, and we will work together to get West Virginia's unemployment rate down to and below the national average. Thank you, Congressman Wise, for all that you do in Congress and for heading the Democratic Policy Group and putting our party in Congress squarely on the side of raising the minimum wage, increasing educational opportunity, increasing access to health care, and growing the economy for 4 more years. And thank you, Nick Rahall, your Congressman, for all the work he has done to build the infrastructure of our country and this State. You know, if you put the Democrats in the majority in Congress again, Nick Rahall will be chairman of that committee again and can do more good for you. I thank you and Sharon for being such good friends to Hillary and to me. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know that when we signed that Kennedy-Kassebaum bill this week, which said to 25 million Americans, you cannot be cut off your health insurance if somebody in your family gets sick, and you cannot lose it if you change jobs-in addition to the sponsors of that bill, the people who were most responsible for bringing it up and hammering it home to the public consciousness were Jay Rockefeller and the First Lady of the United States, because they fought for health care before it was popular. And I want to thank both your Congressman and your Senator and two of our guests who are out here, Senator Wendell Ford and Congressman Mike Ward from Kentucky, who are here with the Governor of Kentucky, Paul Patton, and the former first lady, Phyllis George Brown.

Remarks on Beginning a Whistlestop Tour in Huntington, West Virginia


We thank you all for coming, because when our friends in the opposition tried to pass a budget that would have given us a two-tiered system of Medicare, one for the wealthy and one for the poor; that would have turned away from our historic commitment to health care for families with people with disabilities, for the elderly in nursing homes, for the poorest children in our country; that would have cut our investment in education when we need to spend more and cut our investment in protecting the environment when we need to invest more, and I vetoed it, they upheld my veto. If it had not been for them, none of this would have happened. Let me thank all the other officials who are here. I thank all the State officials who are here, your treasurer; your secretary of state; your attorney general; your agriculture commissioner; your auditor; the president of the senate, Senator Tomlin; your party chair, Chuck Chambers; and former Governor Smith. I thank all of you for coming here. I thank President Cecil Roberts of the UMW for being here. I thank President Wade Gilley of Marshall University. I want to say a special word of thanks to the State of West Virginia for the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Treasury, Sylvia Matthews, from Hinton, West Virginia, who is here with me today, one of the brightest and best people in our administration. And I would like to say a special word of gratitude to one woman who is here, Emma Williams. She is the mother of Bill Morton, who was the special assistant to Secretary Ron Brown. And Bill was killed on that plane with Ron, serving our country, helping to grow our economy, standing up for America, and I will always remember and love him for it. Your story, your spirit, that is what we have been fighting for for the last 4 years, more stories like this, people who are down but not out, people who give other people a chance to make something of their lives. And that is what our enterprise community initiative did, working with your mayor here, working with your city council, working with the local business people when you lost that factory. That is the kind of initiative we need to move this country forward. We have got to turn our country around economically, person by person, family by family, town by town. That is what I have tried to do to let enterprise take root in every community in America, every one. More Marilyn Milnes, that is what this election is all about.


My fellow Americans, 4 years ago I came to you in West Virginia and told you that West Virginia was a lot like my home State of Arkansas. I told you that I believed we were on the verge of the greatest age of possibility in American history, where more of our people would have more chances to live their dreams than ever before but only, only if we found a way to meet the challenges of the 21st century and preserve our timeless values. We had high unemployment, stagnant job growth, wages were leveled or going down for many people, the crime rate was going up. We had a host of social problems that were unaddressed. Our country seemed to be more divided by harsh political rhetoric and just sort of drifting into the future. But I knew that we could turn this around. And I come here to say to you, I am on my way to Chicago. And I am going on a train because I want to see the people like you that I have been working for and fighting for for 4 years and because I want America to see people like Marilyn Milne who are the product of our efforts for the last 4 years and because I want America to know we are on the right track in this country and we are going forward, we are not turning back. Dorothy Slack, 82 years old, who is given 1,300 hours to the Ronald McDonald House; Richard Lowe, who threw the javelin in the Special Olympics; Ocie Lockhart, of only one of 716 athletes of the United States to go to the 1997 Special Olympics in Canada; all the people of Marshall University who bring health care and preventive care to isolated towns and villages of this region. It does take a village to raise a child, help a family, build a community, and lift the country, and you are doing it in West Virginia. I want the American dream of opportunity for all alive for everybody who is responsible enough to work for it. We ought to walk arm in arm, hand in hand, into the future together. And I am determined that we will still be the strongest force for peace and freedom and prosperity in the world. This is still a dangerous world, still a world with untapped opportunities, and America needs to lead the way into the new future we want for the world we want our children to live in. Now, folks, you have heard a lot of this, but I just want you to remember it.


I want to tell you very briefly what we have done, remind you very briefly of what we would not let be done, and talk just a little bit about what we are going to do for the next 4 years. That is mostly what I want to do in Chicago. But I want you to be the vote and the voice and the steps of our moving America forward. Just think of this-you heard about the 10 million new jobs; that is a lot of people. The 10 million new jobs came because, first, we decided we would cut the deficit in half to get interest rates down so people could invest in America again and afford to borrow money for businesses and homes. That is what we had to do. This is the first time that the deficit has gone down all 4 years in a ENTITY's term since the 1840's, before the Civil War. Ask our friends what they say about that. And my opponent and the Speaker of the House led the fight against that move. They said it would wreck the economy and increase the deficit. Well, it produced 10 million jobs and it gave 15 million families a tax cut and it was the right thing to do. It is moving us forward. There are almost 4 1/2 million new homeowners, and 10 million Americans have refinanced their home mortgages at lower interest rates because we got those interest rates down. We did the right thing, and they were wrong to oppose it. Because of the health care bill, 25 million Americans have access to health care. Because of the minimum wage bill, 10 million Americans have a rising wage. Another thing in the minimum wage was that it made 90 percent of the small businesses in this country eligible for a tax cut if they invest more in their businesses, and it made it easier for people like Marilyn to get pensions for herself and her employees, and that is very important, too. Twelve million Americans, working Americans, have been able to take a little time off from work without losing their jobs when there is a baby born or a parent sick because of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Our opponents led the fight against it. It is good for America. The crime rate has come down for 4 years in a row. We are midway through putting those 100,000 police on the street. We have to finish the job. Our opponents last year tried to take back that commitment to 100,000 police. They are trying to restrict it today.


We want people safe on our streets, and we know the policemen will do the job. Help us keep that commitment to America; help us stay after it. We have supported policies that made the air cleaner for 50 million Americans. We cleaned up more toxic waste dumps in 3 years than they did in 12. We defended our country's national parks. We are moving this country in the right direction. We expanded the college loan program so all these students at Marshall and other places could have access to lower cost loans with better repayment terms. And we created a national service program so children could earn their way through college by doing community service. We are moving in the right direction. We are on that right track. And unemployment in West Virginia is 4 points lower than it was 4 years ago. If we keep going at one point a year, it will be 4 percent by the year 2000. I'd like to do it, if you will help me. I want you to remember that. When people say, Why should we support Bill Clinton and Al Gore, tell them what I told you and ask them what their answer is and ask them why they fought it. And I want you to remember that in the pivotal moment of 1995, when they said to Bill Clinton and Al Gore and Jay Rockefeller and Robert Byrd and Bob Wise and Nick Rahall, If you do not take our budget, if you do not walk away from the commitment of health care to the elderly in nursing homes, to families with people with disabilities in them, to the poorest children in this country, if you do not walk away from the commitment to invest in the environment and the education of our children and our future, we are going to shut the Government down, we said, Have at it. We do not stand for blackmail; we stand up for America. Now, the most important thing is, shall we keep going on the right track or turn around? Would you take a U-turn if you were going in the right direction? In the next 4 years, we have got to build on the health care work. We have to make it possible for people who are unemployed to keep their health insurance for at least 6 months when they are unemployed. Their families should not be put on the street without a doctor just because people lose their jobs.


We have to make the next 2 years of education, the first 2 years of college, just as universal in the next 4 years as a high school education is today, with a tax credit for those 2 years and a tax deduction for all college tuition up to $10,000 a year. And we ought to have the right kind of tax cut. The right kind of tax cut is one that is targeted to people who need it, focused on building strong families and educating people so that they will be more productive, they will grow the economy, they will be stronger, and is paid for in a balanced budget. That is what our tax cut does. Give people tax breaks to go to college, give people tax reductions if they have young children, give people an expanded IRA that they can withdraw from for a first time or health care or education needs, but do not give people a big tax cut that costs over $500 billion that will blow a big hole in the deficit, raise interest rates, raise your mortgage rates, your credit card payments, your car payments, and require even worse cuts than the ones we vetoed last year. I have said a thousand times, but I will say one more time, I know we still have problems. There are still too many people who want work who do not have it. We have got to give all those people that we are saying-on welfare-there is no more guaranteed check anymore-we have got to make a lot more Marilyn Milnes because they are entitled to work if we are going to cut them off a check for their kids. We have got to give them the jobs. We have got to create the jobs. I know there are still people who have worked hard and do not have a pay raise. And we have got to give those folks the education they need and challenge their employers to be responsible when they make a profit to share their income with their employees so we can go forward and grow together. I know that. But I will say again, as I have said over and over and over again since 1991, if we want a country where the American dream is alive for everybody who will work for it, if we want a country where people are coming together, not being divided, if we want a country that is leading the world for peace and freedom and prosperity, we have got to have opportunity for all, responsibility from all, and a sense of community. We are all in this fight for the future together.


I appreciate I appreciate your interest in our country. I appreciate your interest in our democracy. I want to thank you for caring about Gracias. As I was saying, I want to thank you for caring about the elections the upcoming elections. It is vitally important that citizens all across our country take their responsibilities seriously and to show up to the polls. Of course, I have got a few suggestions on who those citizens might support, starting with right here in Pennsylvania. It is in Pennsylvania's interests that Jim Gerlach become the next United States Congressman. I say that with confidence, because he is a good, honorable man who is got a good, strong record. People know he is the kind of fellow who does in office that which he says he is going to do. He is got a track record that inspires confidence from people of both political parties, people who do not care about political parties. No, he is the right man for this job, and I want to thank you for supporting him. I say supporting him thanks for showing up. See, I understand how you win elections, and that is when people such as yourself not only go to the polls, but you convince your neighbors to go to the polls. You go to your community centers, your houses of worship, your wherever you go to hang out your coffee shops, and you tell your neighbors about their responsibility. And while you are doing that, you tell your neighbors about Jim and others running for office. And while you are telling them about Jim, you might as well tell them about your next Governor. When you are out rounding up the vote, make sure you round up the vote for Mike Fisher and Jane Earll. I know something about his track record in getting votes. In the year 2000, I was a pretty heavy lift for the ticket, I must confess, here in Pennsylvania. He outpolled me by not 1,000 votes, not tens of thousands of votes, but hundreds of thousands of votes. This is a man who can appeal to people of both parties, because people in Pennsylvania know he can get the job done. No, we are here to thank you for your care about America. I am here to thank you for your participation in the political process. I am here to ask you to turn out the vote. I am here to ask you to do whatever it takes to make sure you crank up a good, healthy vote. It is important for our country.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


Before I do, I want to recognize a fine United States Senator, and that is Arlen Specter. I am proud that Arlen is here with us today. I appreciate these two Senators a lot. I will tell you one reason I appreciate them, because they understand what it takes to have a good Federal judiciary. I have appointed good people to the bench good, solid citizens who are not only fine lawyers but people who understand their job is not to serve as a legislator but as a judge. We have got plenty of legislators; what we need are good, solid, sound judges. And the record of the United States Senate is abysmal when it comes to confirming my judges; it is a lousy record. If we had more Senators like Specter and Santorum, we would get the judges through. We would have a record for which the Senate could be proud. We need to change the Senate for a lot of reasons, and one of them is to make sure we have got a good, sound Federal judiciary. I appreciate Governor Schweiker for being here. I appreciate his service to the State of Pennsylvania. He has done a really fine job. He has done a good job, and I am proud of his service, and I know he is as well. I appreciate Mark. I am honored you are here today, Mark, and thanks for doing what you did for the good folks of Pennsylvania. I want to thank the members I want to thank the members here from the mighty Pennsylvania congressional delegation. These fine Members of the United States Congress have been steady friends and strong allies, and they represent your State with class and distinction. We have got another candidate on stage who we certainly hope she wins. That would be Melissa Brown, running for the United States Congress. Melissa is running on a lot of issues. One issue she holds dear to her heart, as do I, is medical liability reform. And one of the things we have got to worry about is the affordability of health care and the accessibility of health care. We want to make sure our citizens have got access to health care at reasonable prices. One of the reasons why prices is rising is because of frivolous and junk lawsuits against our medical community. Everybody ought to have access to the courts, and that is vital. People ought to be able to take their claims to the court of law. But the problem is, the scales of justice have tipped way too far one direction.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


There are too many lawsuits which prevent good people from getting their cases heard. There are too many lawsuits which are driving up the cost of medicine. There are too many lawsuits which are driving good doctors out of the practice of medicine. We need medical liability reform. I appreciate you running, Melissa, and I wish you all the best. I want to thank Alan Novak and Bob Asher and all the good folks who are the grassroots activists here in Pennsylvania. I appreciate your care and your concern for our country. Today, unfortunately, you draw you drew the short straw. She sends her best. She is doing great, by the way. She is I am really proud of her. People now have figured out why I asked her to marry me. A lot of people are wondering why she said yes. I love her dearly. I am proud of her. And I want to thank you for your concern for her too. I am concerned about making America a stronger and safer and better place; that is what I am concerned about. I am concerned about making sure that we meet some important goals. One of the most important goals of all is to make sure every child in America gets a good education. That is one of the priorities of Jim Gerlach. We passed good legislation. The legislation challenges what I call the soft bigotry of low expectations. See, Jim understands this philosophy. These Members of Congress do as well, as does Arlen Specter. He knows that in order for us to have a hopeful society, we must as a society set high standards. It does not matter where they go to school. It does not matter if their parents speak English as a first language. We believe in local control of schools. See, we trust the people in Pennsylvania more than we trust the folks in Washington, DC, to chart the path to excellence. We believe you ought to work with your Governors and your school boards to make sure that children get the right curriculum and the right basic education in order to succeed. That is why we believe you have got to trust parents and teachers. We believe in promoting the basics when it comes to subjects such as reading. That is what we believe. If every child can learn, therefore we want to know whether every child is learning, all across our country.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


So therefore, in return for the largest increase in Federal expenditures for education that was last year Pennsylvania received $1.7 billion from the Federal Government the largest amount of dollars spent, we are now, for the first time, asking the question, Is the money being wisely spent? For the first time, we are beginning to we are saying, Show us whether or not the children of any State, children who are in the districts that receive this money, whether or not they can read and write and add and subtract. We believe that every child in America has the potential, and we want to see whether or not they are learning. And if and if they are, if standards are being met, if our vision that every child can learn is successful, we will praise the teachers. And for those of you who teach, thanks for taking on such a noble cause and working in a noble profession. But as a society, to make sure no child gets left behind, we must be willing to challenge failure, to challenge the status quo. When we find children in schools which will not teach and will not change, we must have the courage as a society to demand something different for our children. No child should be left behind in America. I look forward to welcoming yet another ally in this vision from the State of Pennsylvania, and that ally will be Jim Gerlach. I also know I will have an ally when it comes to dealing with your money. Well, the Government spent this money; the Government spent that money. Anytime somebody is looking for a job and cannot find work means we have got a problem. So long as there are people trying to put bread on the table for their families and they cannot find work, we have got to do everything we can to increase the job base. Therefore, it is important to send people to Congress who understand jobs, understand the role of Government is not to create wealth but an environment in which the small business can grow to be a big business, in which the entrepreneurial flourish entrepreneurial spirit can flourish in America. When times are slow or when the economy is bumping along, one of the ways to make sure that the job base is invigorated is to let people keep more of their own money. See, when you keep more of your own money, you are likely to demand a good or a service. And when you demand a good or a service in this marketplace, somebody is likely to produce the good or a service.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


And when somebody produces the good or a service, somebody is more likely to find work. The tax relief plan came at exactly the right time for our country's economy. Over the next 10 years, the tax relief plan means there will be $58 billion more in Pennsylvania citizens' pockets over 10 years. You get to decide what to do with the money. You get to decide how to spend it. By the way, the marriage penalty is a bad tax. The code ought to encourage marriage, not discourage marriage. That is a savings of $68 billion more money in your pockets if the tax cuts were permanent. Senate rules have it that the tax cuts will not be permanent. That is why this is an issue in this campaign. In order for small businesses to plan, in order to make sure a horrible tax, the death tax I say horrible; it is bad on small businesses; it is bad on farmers; it is bad on ranchers. If you are worried about urban sprawl, you ought to be for the permanent repeal of the death tax, so people are not forced to sell their properties because the Federal Government . For the good of our economy, for the good of job creation, for the good of a stimulative package we need to make sure the tax cuts are permanent. I mean, there is a lot of things we can work on together. We need an energy bill which encourages conservation and renewables but also makes us less dependent on foreign sources of crude oil. We need a terrorism insurance package that will get our hardhats back to work. No, there is a lot Congress can do to make sure that the jobs picture improves for everybody, all across America. I look forward to working with Jim in the United States Congress to make sure that people who want to find work are able to do so, all across the country. And I say that because so long as we love free-dom and we love freedom there is going to be an enemy which hates America. It is hard to explain to your youngsters why somebody would hate us. But you have just got to tell them there are some who have hijacked a great religion. These people do not value life like we do in America. They are nothing but a bunch of cold-blooded killers. They hate freedom; they hate countries which embrace freedom; and therefore, they hate us since we are the beacon for freedom. We love our freedoms, and we will not change. Times have changed in America.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


Times have changed after September the 11th. It used to be we thought oceans would protect us. A lot of us growing up said, We do not have to really worry about some of the conflicts overseas. We may be involved, we may not be involved, because we are protected, we are isolated from the harsh realities of some of the killings that were taking place on different continents, so we could pick and choose. We do not have any choice in this new war, see. We learned that the enemy has taken the battlefield to our very own country. My most important job is to protect America. My most important job is to do everything we possibly can to protect innocent life from a group of killers. That is why I have started and stimulated a discussion on Iraq. I wanted the American people to know that there is a new reality which we face, a reality that oceans no longer protect us, the reality that this person in Iraq has killed his own people with weapons of mass destruction, a reality that he has invaded countries, the reality that he has stiffed the United Nations for 11 years. Sixteen different resolutions have been passed calling on this man to disarm. Sixteen times he is ignored world mandates. These are the realities we face, and we must deal with it. I appreciate the Members of the Senate; I appreciate the Members of the House of Representatives for voting overwhelmingly to send with one voice this message that Saddam Hussein must disarm, that the world for the sake of peace, for the sake of peace here at home, for the sake of peace in the Middle East, for the sake of world peace Saddam Hussein must do what he promised. For the sake of having an international body which is effective, the United Nations must make the resolve, must be resolved to deal with this person, must resolve itself to be something more than the League of Nations, must resolve itself to be more than just a debating society, must resolve itself to help keep international peace. It is an important time in our history to determine whether or not we are going to be a nation which is willing to work with others to keep the peace. But if they will not the United Nations cannot make its mind up if Saddam Hussein will not disarm, we will lead a coalition to disarm him for the sake of peace. These are the new realities we face in America, the serious realities that we must deal with for the sake of our children, for the sake of our children's children.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


The new reality here at home is to do everything we can to protect the American people from a possible attack. I want to thank you for training a good man named Tom Ridge to be the first Adviser on Homeland Security. He is doing a very good job. I know you are proud of him, and so am I. Our friend has not let us down. One of the things he advised me, along with others in my administration, was that the best way to protect the American people in the long run is to set up a Department of Homeland Security. Let me explain to you why. First of all, you have got to know that there is a lot of good people working a lot of long hours to do everything we can to disrupt, deny any enemy. If we get a hint that somebody's thinking about doing something to us moving, trying to do something to us we are moving. We are absolutely on alert. We are doing everything we can to protect the American people. I appreciate that the House of Representatives moved incredibly quickly on a Department of Homeland Security. They passed a really good measure. It gives us a chance with the homeland security to take over 100 agencies involved with defending the homeland and putting many of their functions under one Department, so that the number one priority of these agencies and/or the good people working in these agencies is your protection. One way to make sure we focus the attention of a scattered group of agencies is to have one agency, so that if need be, cultures can change; if need be, there can be a direct focus. I want to thank Senator Specter's leadership on this issue. He is deeply concerned about the protection of the homeland. He and I have had some quality discussions on this issue. But let me tell you what the problem is in the Senate, from my perspective that the Senate has said, We will give you a Department of Homeland Security, but you have got to pay a price. And the price is, is that we will roll back an important authority that every President since John F. Kennedy has had. And that authority says that I have the ability to suspend certain labor rules for the sake of national security. For the sake of security securing the country, we will not have labor rules get in the way of the President being able to do whatever it takes to protect America. We have got a border which we must enforce.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


We need to know who is coming into America, what they are bringing into America, and if they are leaving when they say they are going to leave America. It is an important function of the Federal Government. You have got your Customs, your INS, and your Border Patrol. Sometimes they have different strategies per sector along the border. They are wearing different uniforms. They have got different cultures. They all share in the responsibility of protecting our border. For the sake of homeland security, this administration and future administrations must have the ability to put the right people at the right place at the right time to protect America. We asked customs agents to wear a radiological detection device to determine whether or not weapons of mass destruction were coming into America. It made sense to us. If you are worried about weapons of mass destruction, wear one of these devices. The head of the working group there said, No, we are not going to have this on a mandatory basis. For the sake of national security, that work rule ought to be suspended. It took 4 months of discussions to determine whether or not customs agents ought to be wearing a radiological detection device. The right to people to organize is very important. But for the sake of national security, the Senate will not take away one of the most precious authorities Presidents since John F. Kennedy has had. I would not have to worry about Jim Gerlach's vote on this issue. The best way to secure America, however, is to hunt the enemy down, one person at a time, and bring them to justice. The best way to protect America is to find these killers where they try to hide and bring them to justice, which exactly is what the United States of America is going to do. And we are making good progress. We are making good progress. Sometimes it is hard to tell it, because this is not the kind of war that we are used to. You used to could count territories seized or tanks destroyed or airplanes knocked out of the sky and say, Gosh, we are making progress. The fleet has been damaged; therefore, we are making progress. These are killers who hide in caves and send youngsters to their suicidal deaths. That is who we are trying to find. They kind of ooch around the dark corners of the world and look out, peep out around the corner in the meantime, send these suicide squads. It does not require a lot of equipment.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


It does not require a lot of money, although we are doing everything we can to cut off their money. But we are making progress. One reason we are making progress is the doctrine that says, Either you are with us, or you are with the enemy it still stands. Our coalition partners understand the stakes. This bombing in Indonesia reminded everybody how dangerous these people can be. They do not care about innocent life. It does not bother them in the least that innocent citizens lose their life. What bothers them, though, is that the United States and our friends and allies are on the hunt. And we are going to stay on the hunt. We are going to get them running, and we are going to keep them running until we bring them to justice. Slowly but surely, we are finding them. Slowly but surely, we are hunting them down, one person at a time. We have probably hauled in or arrested, whatever you want to call it, a couple of thousand. The point is, is that when you combine it all, we have made a fairly good size dent into the Al Qaida terrorist network. The other day a guy named bin al-Shibh popped his head up. He is no longer a problem for the United States of America. It is just the realities of the 21st century. The new kind of war is going to require a patience and determination by this great Nation. We not only remember what took place; we also understand the stakes. We understand our responsibilities. We understand our duty to not only people who live in this country, but because every life matters, we understand our duty elsewhere. And that is to defend freedom. Slowly but surely, we are going to defend, and we are going to defeat this enemy. And it does not matter how long it takes, my fellow Americans. There is not a calendar on my desk that says, well, suchand-such a date, it is time to haul them home; it is time to quit. That is not how we think in America. Tomorrow I am going to sign a defense appropriations bill, one of the largest increase the largest increase since Ronald Reagan was the President, for two reasons two reasons. I want to share with you why I asked for this increase. I want to thank the Senate; I want to thank the House for passing that bill. We are going to send two messages.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


One, anytime we put our troops into harm's way, they deserve the best pay, the best training, and the best possible equipment. That is the very least we owe them and their loved ones. And for those of you who have got loved ones in the military, our military has my complete confidence. There is no finer group of men and women who wear the uniform than the uniform of the United States of America. And the second message we send, it does not matter how long it takes, this country is in for the long haul, that we believe in freedom, that we understand obligations, that we understand that some in the world may blink, but we are not blinking. We know that history has called us into action, and we are going to do everything we can to defend America and to defend the freedoms which we hold dear. There is no question in my mind we are going to succeed. I am an optimist about the future. I am an optimist because I know this that if we remain tough and if we are strong and we continue to speak clearly about that which matters in life, if we hold dear the values of freedom, if we fight terror we can achieve peace. We can achieve peace not only for America; we can achieve peace in parts of the world where some have quit on peace. We can achieve peace in the Middle East, can achieve peace in South Asia. No, the United States has got an opportunity to lead the world toward peace. The enemy hit us. They did not know who they were hitting. They probably thought we'd file a lawsuit or two. They do not understand America. They do not understand our people. They do not understand our courage. They do not understand our drive. They do not understand that we long for peace, but we are tough enough to achieve the peace if we have to be. That is what they do not know. And what they did not also understand is that here at home, the evil done to us is going to lead to a better America is going to lead to a better America. Now, Government can help Government can help have a better America. We have a good education system. We are working hard to achieve that. Medicine has evolved; Medicare is essentially stuck in the past. For the sake of our seniors, for the sake of a better life we need to modernize Medicare and make sure there is a prescription drug benefit for our seniors.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


We need to make sure, as we rewrite the welfare laws, as Jim can tell you, it is important to make sure that work is the cornerstone of welfare policy. People find dignity in work, and therefore we can make America a better life by helping people find work and be trained for work and be qualified for work. But Government is limited in its capacity to make America a better place. We can hand out money, but what Government cannot do is put hope in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. This is done when a fellow American puts their arm around somebody in need and says I love you. America is going to be a better country after the evil done to us, because we understand that in order to change America, we can do so, one person, one soul, one conscience at a time, by loving somebody just like we'd like to be loved ourselves. Out of the evil done to America is going to come incredible good, because this Nation's strength lies not in the halls of our Government but in the hearts and souls of the American citizens. A lot of good folks took a step back after that fateful day and said, What is my life all about? I am going to remind my child every single day I love them. A lot of good folks said, I want to help the community in which I live be a better place. No, the enemy hit us, but in so doing, they aroused an American spirit that understands that being a patriot is somebody more than just putting your hand over your heart. Being a patriot is helping those who hurt find solace, those who are hungry find food, those who yearn for love find love. No, the enemy hit us, but they did not know who they were hitting. There is no question in my mind that we can achieve peace. There is no question in my mind that we will be a better country, because this is the finest country, full of the greatest people on the face of the Earth. May God bless, and may God bless America.

Remarks in Downingtown, Pennsylvania


Chairman Betchkal, Reverend Smith, my friend Patti LaBelle you did well with and without your singers. Let me join Santa Claus in also saying that we miss two important members the Pageant of Peace lost in the last year, Joe Reilly and Bill Harris. The spirit of Christmas was alive in them every day, and we remember them. I told Hillary when we were sitting here that I never quite get into the spirit of Christmas until I come here to the Pageant of Peace. America's Christmas tree is famous all over the world. Believe it or not, there is even a new movie in Japan about two people who came to Washington and fell in love under this Christmas tree. We come here tonight to celebrate that magic, to rejoice in the spirit of the holiday season, no matter what our faith, a spirit of sharing and giving, of gathering with family and friends and coming together as one community. You can see it everywhere at this time of year. And of course, at Christmas we come together especially to celebrate the birth of a child who came into the world without a home, only a stable's roof to shelter him, who grew to teach the lesson of love and peace that has truly changed the world. Blessed are the peacemakers, he said, and those words still call us to action. As we look around the world tonight, we know the spirit of peace is strong enough to triumph over the forces that still threaten it. Let us be grateful that our Nation is at peace and rejoice in the progress we have made to bring about peace on Earth. And let us not forget the work still to be done, from Bosnia to the Middle East to the Korean Peninsula. Today our brave men and women in uniform are helping other people in other lands to make their peace. And across our country this holiday season people are joining in peace to feed the hungry, to bring toys to poor children who otherwise would not have them, and to reconcile our own differences. At Christmas and throughout the year the greatest gift of all we can give our own children is to make their world more safe, more peaceful, and more possible for them to make the most of their God-given potential. It is for our children that we must dedicate ourselves to making peace wherever we can, around the world, in every community, in our own homes, and perhaps most important, in our own hearts.

Remarks on Lighting the National Christmas Tree


Like, have you noticed a lot of security around here? It is such an honor to welcome you. I love welcoming champs to the White House, and these are clearly great champs. You know, the playoffs have got to be tough at that time of year, after you have played so long and your legs are a little tired-except you romped through the playoffs. I do not know if many Americans understand that, but this team went 16-5 through the first four rounds, became the first west coast team in the NHL to win the Stanley Cup. And so it is my honor to welcome you to the White House. I do want to welcome the owner, Henry Samueli; appreciate you coming. I had the privilege of being in pro sports as a baseball owner. I never had the chance to come to the White House as a baseball owner. I had a little trouble on the division crowns as a baseball owner. But I understand how-what a joy it must be to represent an ownership group, to watch a team you care about win the Stanley Cup, and win any championship. I really want to say something about Randy Carlyle, the head coach. It is got to be hard to be a head coach of such great athletes. I do not know if you are ever in the newspaper. But I am proud to have you here. I tend not to try to single out a player, but nevertheless, when you have an MVP in your midst, I am proud to recognize you; glad you are here. I do want to welcome the commissioner. This is not the first time we have been together like this; it will probably be the last like this. But I know you will keep coming back to the White House to promote the champs in a sport you love. I want to thank the mayor of Anaheim, my friend Curt Pringle. It must be a big deal when the Ducks win the Stanley Cup for the people of Anaheim, and I am honored that you are here. I also want to welcome Congressman Eddy Royce. Of course, we welcome all the players, all the personnel, all the fans. The Ice Dogs--are here to see the Ducks. Well, here they are; you got a chance to see what they look like. I bet you they would tell you that in order to be a Stanley Cup champ, you have to work hard and skate hard and make right choices in life, just like these folks did that are standing up here with me.

Remarks Honoring the 2007 Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks


The Stanley Cup was awarded 115 years ago, which makes it the oldest trophy in professional sports. The Cup bears the names of not only the teams that won it but more than 2,000 names of the individuals who have raised the Cup in victory. And these men behind me now have their name on the Cup. The interesting thing about the Stanley Cup, it is the only professional sports trophy that every player on the championship team gets to take home for a day. This Cup has been to some odd places. For example, it went to Elvis's place in Memphis, Graceland. It has taken a turn on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It has seen the inside of an igloo and a New York City jail. It stood next to a giant statue of Lenin and a 55-foot Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, Minnesota. The Cup has been to countless bars and nightclubs across the world, and I am sure some of the players are pleased the Cup cannot talk. Last year, the Cup made its first visit to a combat zone. Nineteen players- former NHL players-took this cup to Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan for a ball-hockey game with Canadian and American troops. I promise you, our troops were thrilled to see the Cup. And whoever thought of it, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting those kids. The Anaheim Ducks also took the Cup on many adventures, traveling with it to Canada, Sweden, Finland, and England. Chris Pronger and Todd Marchant each took it home to use it as a cereal bowl for the kids--pretty hungry kids. Sean O'Donnell filled it with dog food so that his Lab, Buddy, could eat from it. You know, I was wondering why Barney and my dogs took such a liking to the Stanley Cup. Ducks players have used their time to help lift the lives of others. This is what I am particularly grateful for. The Ducks took the Cup to the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA and the Children's Hospital in Orange County, where it brought joy to somebody who is suffering. That must have been a fantastic experience, to see somebody's face light up who was having a pretty tough go in life, and I want to thank you for that. I appreciate the fact that you took the Cup to the Orangewood Children's Foundation, where it helped raise the spirits of those who have been- who are victims of abuse and neglect.


On behalf of the Obama family Michelle, Malia, Sasha, Bo, and me I want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. For us, like so many of you, this is a day full of family and friends, food and football. It is a day to fight the overwhelming urge to take a nap, at least until after dinner. But most of all, it is a time to give thanks for each other and for the incredible bounty we enjoy in this country. As a nation, we have just emerged from a campaign season that was passionate, noisy, and vital to our democracy. But it also required us to make choices. And sometimes those choices led us to focus on what sets us apart instead of what ties us together; on what candidate we support instead of what country we all belong to. to remember that despite our differences, we are, and always will be, Americans first and foremost. the ability to spend time with the ones we love, to say what we want, to worship as we please, to know that there are brave men and women defending our freedom around the globe, and to look our children in the eye and to tell them that here in America, no dream is too big if they are willing to work for it. We are also grateful that this country has always been home to Americans who see these blessings not simply as gifts to enjoy, but as opportunities to give back; Americans who believe we have a responsibility to look out for those who are less fortunate, to pull each other up and move forward together. Right now, as we prepare to gather around our dinner tables, there are families in the Northeast who do not have that luxury. homes, possessions, even loved ones. And it will be a long time before life gets back to normal for them. Over the last few weeks, we have seen FEMA personnel, National Guard, and first-responders working around the clock in hard-hit communities. We have seen hospital workers using their lunch breaks to distribute supplies; families offering up extra bedrooms; the fire department advertising free hot showers; buses full of volunteers coming from hundreds of miles away; neighbors sharing whatever they have food, water, and electricity and saying again and again how lucky they are to have a roof over their heads. It would have been easy for these folks to do nothing, to worry about themselves and leave the rest to someone else. But that is not who we are; that is not what we do.

The President's Weekly Address


It is a great honor to be here at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. I want to thank Dr. Park for, a few moments ago, making me an honorary alumni of the university. Now, I know that this school has one of the world's finest foreign language programs, which means that your English is much better than my Korean. Now, this is my third visit to the Republic of Korea as President. I have now been to Seoul more times than any other capital, except for Washington, DC, of course. This reflects the extraordinary bonds between our two countries and our commitment to each other. I am pleased that we are joined by so many leaders here today, Koreans and Americans, who help keep us free and strong and prosperous every day. That includes our first Korean American Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Ambassador Sung Kim. I have seen the deep connections between our peoples in my own life among friends and colleagues. I have seen it in so many patriotic Korean Americans, including a man born in the city of Seoul, who came to America and has dedicated his life to lifting up the poor and sick of the world. And last week I was proud to nominate him to lead the World Bank, Dr. Jim Yong Kim. I have also seen the bonds in our men and women in uniform, like the American and Korean troops I visited yesterday along the DMZ, freedom's frontier. And we salute their service and are very grateful for them. We honor all those who have given their lives in our defense, including the 46 brave souls who perished aboard the Cheonan 2 years ago today. We stand together, and the commitment of the United States to the defense and the security of the Republic of Korea will never waver. Most of all, I see the strength of our alliance in all of you. a truly global Korea. So to all the students here today, this is the Korea your generation will inherit. And I believe there is no limits to what our two nations can achieve together. For like your parents and grandparents before you, you know that the future is what we make of it. with your smart phones and Twitter and Me2Day and Kakao Talk. It is no wonder so many people around the world have caught the Korean wave, Hallyu. In advance of my visit, our Embassy invited Koreans to send us your questions using social media. Some of you may have sent questions.

Remarks at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul


Have you posted, yourself, a supportive opinion on a website under a disguised name, pretending you are one of the supporters of ENTITY? I had not thought of this. But the truth is I have not done this. But I have not done that myself. So our shared future--and the unprecedented opportunity to meet shared challenges together--is what brings me to Seoul. Over the next 2 days, under President Lee's leadership, we will move ahead with the urgent work of preventing nuclear terrorism by securing the world's nuclear materials. our vision of a world without nuclear weapons. Three years ago, I traveled to Prague, and I declared America's commitment to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and to seeking a world without them. I said I knew that this goal would not be reached quickly, perhaps not in my lifetime, but I knew we had to begin, with concrete steps. And in your generation, I see the spirit we need in this endeavor, an optimism that beats in the hearts of so many young people around the world. It is that refusal to accept the world as it is, the imagination to see the world as it ought to be, and the courage to turn that vision into reality. So today, with you, I want to take stock of our journey and chart our next steps. securing the world's vulnerable nuclear materials in 4 years so that they never fall into the hands of terrorists. And since then, nations, including the United States, have boosted security at nuclear facilities. South Korea, Japan, Pakistan, and others are building new centers to improve nuclear security and training. Nations like Kazakhstan have moved nuclear materials to more secure locations. Mexico, and just yesterday Ukraine, have joined the ranks of nations that have removed all the highly enriched uranium from their territory. All told, thousands of pounds of nuclear material have been removed from vulnerable sites around the world. This was deadly material that is now secure and can now never be used against a city like Seoul. We are also using every tool at our disposal to break up black markets in nuclear material. Countries like Georgia and Moldova have seized highly enriched uranium from smugglers. And countries like Jordan are building their own countersmuggling teams, and we are tying them together in a global network of intelligence and law enforcement. Nearly 20 nations have now ratified the treaties and international partnerships that are at the center of our efforts.


And I should add that with the death of Usama bin Laden and the major blows that we have struck against Al Qaida, a terrorist organization that has actively sought nuclear weapons is now on the path to defeat. So, in short, the international community has made it harder than ever for terrorists to acquire nuclear weapons, and that has made us all safer. We are building an international architecture that can ensure nuclear safety. But we are under no illusions. We know that nuclear material, enough for many weapons, is still being stored without adequate protection. And we know that terrorists and criminal gangs are still trying to get their hands on it as well as radioactive material for a dirty bomb. We know that just the smallest amount of plutonium--about the size of an apple--could kill hundreds of thousands and spark a global crisis. The danger of nuclear terrorism remains one of the greatest threats to global security. And that is why here in Seoul, we need to keep at it. We are expecting dozens of nations to announce over the next several days that they have fulfilled the promises they made 2 years ago. And we are now expecting more commitments--tangible, concrete action--to secure nuclear materials and, in some cases, remove them completely. This is the serious, sustained global effort that we need, and it is an example of more nations bearing the responsibility and the costs of meeting global challenges. This is how the international community should work in the 21st century. And Korea is one of the key leaders in this process. securing our own material and helping others protect theirs. We are moving forward with Russia to eliminate enough plutonium for about 17,000 nuclear weapons and turn it instead into electricity. I can announce today a new agreement by the United States and several European partners toward sustaining the supply of medical isotopes that are used to treat cancer and heart disease without the use of highly enriched uranium. And we will work with industry and hospitals and research centers in the United States and around the world to recover thousands of unneeded radiological materials so that they can never do us harm. taking concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons. As a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, this is our obligation, and it is one that I take very seriously. But I believe the United States has a unique responsibility to act; indeed, we have a moral obligation. I say this as President of the only nation ever to use nuclear weapons.