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Wednesday, August 31, 2010

• The President addresses the nation on the end of the combat mission in Iraq from the Oval Office.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

• The President talks with the troops at Fort Bliss, Texas.

 Arun Chaudhary is the official White House videographer 

Earlier in the week on Monday, August 31, the President called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to discuss the situation in the region, including direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians and the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.

* The President was briefed on the oil platform fire in the Gulf and the government response today by Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan. 

12:20 P.M. EDT

MR. GIBBS:  Good afternoon.  Let me begin with one just quick statement on Hurricane Earl.

The President is closely monitoring and aggressively preparing for the storm as it continues to head toward the East Coast.  On its current track, Hurricane Earl could approach the coast of North Carolina by late tonight or early Friday morning.

Last night the President signed a pre-landfall emergency declaration for the state of North Carolina, ensuring the state has what it needs beforehand.  And FEMA has already moved teams and supplies into states along the East Coast to provide support and resources as needed.

As you know, yesterday Administrator Fugate provided the President with an update, and FEMA is in close contact and coordination with the governors and their teams up and down the eastern seaboard to ensure that they have the support they need should the storm make landfall later tonight or tomorrow.

I do expect that the President will speak with the FEMA administrator again today, and we will let you know when that happens.*

Yes, ma’am.

Q    The Mideast.  Do you have any sort of update to offer on how the talks are going so far?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, let me give you just a little bit from -- well, obviously, as you all know, the talks are ongoing.  We expect that at some point, I would say in the next hour or so, Senator Mitchell, our special envoy for Middle East peace, will conduct a briefing on what has transpired today.

I would say that the President was encouraged in his meetings yesterday by the very serious attitude that each of the leaders brought about these talks and about a long-term lasting peace for the Middle East.  All view this as a tremendously important opportunity.  I think you all saw the pictures last evening and the powerful statements that were made by the leaders in the Middle East. 

I would also say that the President, as he did in the Rose Garden yesterday afternoon, remind everyone that there are still deep divisions.  There are still years of mistrust to overcome.  That’s not going to be wiped away in one meeting or in one day, and we understand that.

The failure, though -- the failure to try is not something the President wants to do.

Q    It seems like one of those deep divisions that you speak of is Hamas.  How does the administration plan to deal with them?  They don’t recognize Israel.  They’re promising more attacks.

MR. GIBBS:  I’m sorry --

Q    Is there a plan for dealing with Hamas?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, look, why don’t I defer questions about what transpired today in the talks until Senator Mitchell has an opportunity to answer some of those questions at the conclusion of the meetings today.  All right?

Yes, sir.

Q    Robert, a question about Christy Romer’s remarks yesterday.  She said -- I have it in front of me -- “The only surefire ways for policymakers to substantially increase aggregate demand in the short run are for the government to spend more and tax less.  In my view, we should be moving forward in both fronts.”

That sounds like setting a stage for a second stimulus.

MR. GIBBS:  Well, let me -- I’ll be somewhat broad in my answer and a little -- let’s go back to -- well, both what the President said and what I said on Monday.  And I think the actions and the steps that this administration has taken over the course of the past two years -- first and foremost, the President is -- and the team are looking at ideas.  And he enumerated some of those parameters, including infrastructure.  And certainly in terms of cutting taxes, there’s a bill pending before the United States Senate that the President -- you’ve heard the President speak on many occasions that would, indeed, cut taxes on small business. 

I think if you look at -- if you go back to a year ago, outside of the Recovery Act, we pursued and the President signed legislation that enabled Cash for Clunkers.  The President spoke in December of last year about targeted measures that can be taken to help the recovery.  Those have included the bipartisan HIRE Act, which helps cut taxes for those that do add employees.  We have expanded -- we’ve given states more money to ensure that things like teachers and firefighters weren’t laid off.  We’ve expanded and continued unemployment insurance, and a small business bill has passed the House.

So look, we will continue to look at and take steps that are, as I talked about on Monday, that are targeted in nature, to help continue the recovery and to help create an environment where the private sector is adding jobs.

Q    I think we are all aware of the steps that have been taken.  What Dr. Romer seems to be saying here is that a lot more spending needs to come to make this economic recovery increase.

MR. GIBBS:  Again, I would -- I’d point you to what the President said on Monday.  I don’t think that is -- I don’t think that is -- I think -- I would -- again, I would point you to what the President said is -- as ideas that are being looked at.  And as I said here on Monday, some big new stimulus plan is not in the offing.

Q    How would you interpret, then, what she said?

MR. GIBBS:  Again, I would interpret what she said to be very much in line with what the President said on Monday.

Q    Following on that, on jobs, what does the President expect out of the jobless numbers tomorrow?  And has the economic team come up with some of those new ideas that you talked about?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, let me take the second question first, and that is those meetings and those discussions continue to take place.  I’m not going to get ahead of any of those ultimate decisions.

It’s probably -- well, it is not helpful for me to speculate on the jobs numbers.  I say this for the benefit of anybody that is watching -- I do not know the numbers, I will not know the numbers, just so anything that is said in the next several minutes has nothing to do with my knowledge about the numbers.  I do that because everybody gets nervous that if I make a comment, somehow I knew the number.

Q    There’s an oil-production platform in the Gulf that’s on fire.  Does it present any of the same problems of the BP rig?  It’s obviously not under a moratorium.  Do you know anything more about the accident?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, let me just say -- here’s what I know before we came     out here.  This is a -- I’m told this is a production platform about 100 miles off the coast.  I am told the depth of water is about 340 feet.  So this is not a -- this is not a deepwater facility.

As I understand it, the well was not in active production.  I will in some ways reiterate what I think the Coast Guard has said in a statement that they’ve released, and that is that they responded to the preliminary reports of a fire onboard an oil platform in the Gulf.  The initial report that we got were that 13 persons -- 13 people were on the platform.  They are accounted for; one is injured and is on his way out of that area.

Two Coast Guard cutters, multiple Coast Guard aircraft were en route.  One Coast Guard helicopter was on the scene.  We will continue to gather information as we respond.  We obviously have response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water.

Q    Is the President convinced that the inspection of rigs in the Gulf of Mexico is moving fast enough?

MR. GIBBS:  I have not gotten a recent update on that.  I will try to get one.  Obviously we have taken some -- we took a series of steps after the BP incident, primarily around deepwater drilling.  Let me not go too much further than what I have.  And if the situation warrants, we’ll certainly update that.

I will say the President was in a meeting in the Situation Room.  I don’t know if he’s been notified.  John Brennan, who was in that meeting, does know about the incident.  I just don’t -- before somebody asks -- I don’t know whether or not --

Q    What’s the Sit Room meeting on?

MR. GIBBS:  It’s a national security meeting -- that John had or had not had a chance to discuss that with the President.

Q    So who would be in charge -- just following up on the Coast Guard?

MR. GIBBS:  I do not know who is on the scene, but you can -- the Coast Guard obviously -- the production facility is located in federal waters.  They are the ones that are in response.  I don’t know if there’s -- who the highest-ranking person is on the scene.

Q    And just following up on the Middle East peace talks, what does the President see as his role going forward now?  Does he feel like he’s appropriately set the stage and now it’s Secretary Clinton who is taking the lead?  And if there’s additional talks, say, hosted by Egypt, would the President be the one who would be attending, or is he stepping back now and letting --

MR. GIBBS:  I don’t want to make any scheduling pronouncements.  I’ll do this in a couple ways.  Obviously Secretary Clinton has -- is conducting and is the lead on this as she conducts these meetings today.  Obviously our special envoy, George Mitchell, has spent a lot of time in the region, as has the Secretary. 

Look, we have said this from the very beginning, and as I mentioned the other day, one of the very first things the President did upon walking into the Oval Office that very first, full morning was to make calls to leaders in the region, some of whom obviously were here yesterday.  I think this is true historically, and that is when we are actively involved and engaged, there’s a better chance for peace.  That’s been President Obama’s viewpoint and the whole team’s viewpoint.

So I can’t speak to what our involvement would be at different points in this -- leave that for a sort of situational discussion.  But obviously we have over the past many months been actively involved and engaged and will continue to be actively involved and engaged, as the best way to make progress, we have always felt, is to do so the same way they’re doing today, and that is to sit at that table and have direct talks.

Q    And does the President see this scenario differently and more optimistically than previous administrations, A, because of more stability in the West Bank, or because of the potential mutual threat from Iran becoming nuclear?  How does he see this as any different than previous administrations?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, again, I’d say first and foremost, I think the President felt that the meetings yesterday, as he said, were productive and believed that each of the leaders was genuine and serious about seeking peace.  At the same time, we understand that this is -- as I said earlier, this is something that has eluded generations.  We’re mindful of that.

So we will stay engaged.  We will do what is necessary, and then we hope that each side will continue to take steps necessary to make -- build confidence and make these talks productive.

Q    Does he believe that the mutual -- potential mutual threat by a nuclear Iran is helping bring these two sides together?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, again, we have always maintained that peace was in the best interest of each of these entities involved, regardless of anything else in the Middle East.  I think that was true when the President first came in and certainly is true and is governing our actions today.

Yes, sir.

Q    The numbers for members of Congress have gone through the floor in recent weeks, for the Democrats.  Why do you think that is?  And why hasn’t the President done more during the recess in August basically to try to shore them up?  It looks like they’re in a terrible spot.  The numbers for members of Congress --

MR. GIBBS:  Which numbers?

Q    The polling numbers for people who are running for office.  Democrats’ numbers have nosedived during the month of August.

MR. GIBBS:  You sound like a radio guy when you’re doing the -- nosedive --

Q    I could give you a chart, but you get the idea.

MR. GIBBS:  Yes, look, we are -- the President will continue to make a very active case for the steps that the administration has taken and why we have to continue to move forward on that path.

Bill, I --

Q    He didn’t do much during August.  Why not?

MR. GIBBS:  I will say this, Bill, the President has been fairly active in both campaigning and in raising money.  What the President is helping the Democratic National Committee do is something that the Democratic National Committee has never done in supporting Senate and congressional candidates.  And it’s something we’ll continue to do.

Q    What is it that they’ve never done?

MR. GIBBS:  The level of support.

Q    Oh.

MR. GIBBS:  Yes.

Q    Robert, following up on what Ann was saying about the economy, not about the numbers tomorrow, but the snapshot that we got today of the new unemployment claims down, but also productivity down and labor costs up -- what does that snapshot tell you about the state of the recovery?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, look, I think -- let me give you an answer that’s not necessarily based on one unemployment claims report today because I am somewhat hesitant to get into what are always going to be the week-to-week swings of unemployment claims.

I think it is safe to say that we are in a markedly different and better position than we were a year or a year and a half ago.  Our economy is expanding.  We’ve created about 600,000 private sector jobs throughout the course of this year. 

As I have said earlier and I think as the President has said, there’s no question that the trajectory of that recovery based on events, particularly in Greece, have changed that trajectory from where we were at some point in the spring.

We have to continue to be mindful of whatever steps might be necessary to continue that recovery.

Q    What are those?  What do you do to turn it around or get it going in a stronger, higher trajectory?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, again, that’s some of the discussions that the economic team is having.  And I’d point you to what the President said in the Rose Garden about that on Monday.

Q    Okay, and one other thing on FEMA.  You said FEMA is moving teams along the East Coast and supplies.  Can you give us more details on where and what supplies?

MR. GIBBS:  Yes, let me get a comprehensive list and we’ll send it around to you at the end of this.

Q    You just said and the President said on Monday that you all are considering a range of new items on the economy to try to turn things around.  Assuming time is of the essence, can you give us a sense of how soon you might roll some of these out, and whether you would do it piece by piece or --

MR. GIBBS:  I don’t know that those -- obviously they’re still doing meetings and discussions on this.  I don’t have any scheduling updates.

Q    Would you agree that it’s something that you’d rather do sooner rather than later?  Or is it a matter of -- would you do it piece by piece?  Or do you want to roll out --

MR. GIBBS:  Again, I think the final decisions would have to be made before I’d have a good understanding to be able to talk about it.

Q    Given that so much of recovery has to do with confidence and how people feel about the economy, can you talk about what your strategy is in terms of how to talk about the economy, tempering the balance between being realistic but also trying to convey confidence?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, look, I think you’ve heard the President -- I would point to what the President said in his speech to the nation on Iraq, that we are and always have been a very special country.  We are in charge of our own destiny.

I think you’ve heard the President over the past many weeks talk about the steps that we’ve taken, and the fact that if you look at, again, where we were at the end of 2008 and even the first quarter or so in 2009, we’ve made some important progress.  But there’s important progress yet to make. 

That’s why the President continues to look at ideas that might help create an environment for more private sector hiring.  That’s why we’ll continue to look at and make investments that are important in creating the jobs of the future. 

I think you’ll hear the President talk about a combination of that, expressing confidence that we are headed in the right direction, albeit not as quickly as anybody, including the President, would like to see.

Q    Would the President tell people they should save right now because we’re in a trying time?  Or they should spend because the economy is strong and it’s helpful --

MR. GIBBS:  Well, look, I think the President would say that -- I’m not going to get into individual purchasing decisions.  I think the President would say that we are making progress, that our economy is stronger than it’s been in a while.  And we have to continue to be mindful of and try to make progress on making that -- making this recovery one that’s even stronger.

There’s no doubt, Savannah, there are -- the depths of what we entered are unlike anything that we’ve experienced since the Great Depression.  And we’ve got a big hole to fill and a lot of jobs to create to put the people that are -- that want to work fully back to work.  And that’s what the President’s goal obviously is.

Q    And then real quick, GM put off its IPO and road show until after the election.  I wonder if the White House or the administration had anything to do with that timing decision?

MR. GIBBS:  The White House is not involved in and not going to discuss IPO based on regulators watching what people do and say around IPOs.

Jonathan.

Q    Let me come at this economic question a different way.  Congress is going to be back in Washington in a week and a half.  Beside the small business bill, what is on the President’s must-do list before they’re back out and campaigning?  Because they don’t have a lot of time.

MR. GIBBS:  No, they don’t.  And I know you caveated by saying you assume small business.  But I -- this is something the President has talked a lot about.  I’m going to spend another 30 seconds doing it one more time because I -- what this town does a lot is, okay, I know what you’re doing now, but what are you going to do next.  I point out that the article that I held up here just the other day -- small businesses have delayed their hiring decisions, small businesses have delayed their expansion decisions, small businesses have delayed their investment decisions, waiting to see what the Senate will do on the small business bill.

So I don’t want to discount that the engine of our economy -- as the President said, 60 percent of the job losses come from small business.  There are some concrete steps that we can and should take when Congress does come back in a week and a half to change that.

Obviously the President is mindful of the tax cuts for the middle class that expire at the end of the year, and the President will fight to ensure that those middle-class tax cuts are protected.  I think that is something that we’ll obviously have a fairly robust discussion on, not just in the remaining weeks of Congress but throughout the election and maybe after the election.

Q    From what I understand, Nancy Pelosi is worried that as the tax cut debate goes on this fall in the Senate that the White House will cave to pressures from some moderate Democrats to just extend all the tax cuts for another year.  Can you reassure her of that?

MR. GIBBS:  I like that you’re my Nancy Pelosi go-between, Jonathan.  (Laughter.)  I will reiterate what we’ve said throughout this debate, and that is the President believes that the tax cuts for those in the middle class should be maintained, they should be kept.  The money that would be spent to keep those tax breaks for people that make more than $250,000 a year -- and let’s be clear that the majority of the money that would be spent next year on maintaining those tax cuts are for people that make more than a million dollars a year -- okay?  That is a statistical fact. 

There are -- if the Republicans are bent on spending an additional $35 billion, I think there are many economists and certainly the Congressional Budget Office has looked at many ways that could stimulate the economy -- extending the tax cuts for the wealthiest, those that are making that million dollars, is the least stimulative way to impact our economy. 

So we are focused first and foremost and only on extending tax cuts for the middle class.

Q    And one quick question --

MR. GIBBS:  Please relay that back to the Speaker.  (Laughter.) 

Q    All right.  You’ve got a bunch of openings -- new chairman of the CEA, Consumer Financial Protection Agency, Comptroller of the Currency.

MR. GIBBS:  I’m sorry, Jonathan, the CEA thing is not going to work out, but -- (laughter.)

Q    God, if you were even thinking about that --

MR. GIBBS:  Amy was supposed to tell you that before the briefing started. 

Q    Do you have timing on any of these --

MR. GIBBS:  No.  As I said earlier in the week, I didn’t expect that CEA and Consumer would be done this week.  It’s not.  Obviously Dr. Romer’s tenure concludes tomorrow.  I do not have a timeline for those two openings.

Mark.

Q    Robert, can you say what the NSC meeting is about today?

MR. GIBBS:  A series of national security issues.

Q    Routine?  Or urgent?

MR. GIBBS:  Some -- no, I would not -- I don’t want to get everybody nervous.  It’s not a -- it’s something that the President does fairly regularly.

Q    Robert, in his speech on Tuesday night, President Obama said that there could be patriots on both sides of the Iraq issue.  Does he believe there could be patriots on both sides of health care issue, government spending, taxes and the like?

MR. GIBBS:  Sure.  I mean, look, first, inherent in your question, Mark, is that I don’t think that if the -- I don’t -- the President is not going to question the patriotism of those that have a different view than him.  I don’t -- that’s never been -- they may have policy disagreements, but I don’t think, based on those disagreements -- at least the President would not make the argument that somebody is more or less patriotic based on the fact that they share his position on a certain policy issue.

Q    But he accuses Republicans of game-playing, of holding issues hostage.  I mean, that certainly casts a dispersion --

MR. GIBBS:  That’s true, too.

Q    Well, can you have it both ways?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, let’s take, for instance, what the President said on Monday about the small business bill.  The President asked the Republican Party to end the blockade on needed and necessary aid for small businesses.  What I think is somewhat undeniable is they’ve held up that bill.  I don’t -- if the Republicans are proud of holding that bill up, I don’t think they should have any problem with the President mentioning that they’re holding that bill up.

I do think that’s somewhat if not markedly different from questioning their patriotism for holding up the bill, which I don’t think you’ll hear the President do.

Q    And on a lighter note, any comment from the President on the reviews of the new Oval Office décor?  (Laughter.) 

MR. GIBBS:  I have not heard him give a review on the reviews.  I don’t know --

Q    Was he involved in picking the color scheme?  (Laughter.)

MR. GIBBS:  I will tell you, Mark, that is not something -- I know you’ll be surprised that I was not consulted stylistically. 

Q    Are you officially neutral?  (Laughter.) 

Q    Actually, you would match very well.  (Laughter.)

MR. GIBBS:  I’m trying for one more day in the summer, so don’t read anything into my suit.  (Laughter.)

Q    Great headline in the Style section -- “The Audacity of Taupe.”  (Laughter.) 

MR. GIBBS:  I think I heard Burton say that first, so I don’t know if he got some sort of a credit on that.

Julianna.

Q    The rig explosion today -- it is in shallow water, but would it have any impact on the current deepwater drilling moratorium?

MR. GIBBS:  Not that I know of.  And I say that largely because obviously we are still trying to gather information about the events that are happening at that site right now.  I think obviously there is a process at the Department of Interior around the existing deepwater moratorium.  Hard to match those two issues up based on the fact that we don’t know a ton at the moment.

Q    You don’t know if the President has been briefed on this yet, but is it possible that --

MR. GIBBS:  My sense is that Brennan will likely have told him at the end of that meeting, but I don’t know that for sure yet.

Q    But the current investigation into the Deepwater Horizon explosion, is it possible that that could be brought in -- does this raise new concerns about shallow-water drilling?

MR. GIBBS:  Let me do this.  Let me get -- I will go back and get as much of an update as we can throughout the day and see if any of that changes.  I don’t -- at this point, based on what we know, I don’t want to marry those two up.  I will double-check today. 

Q    So tomorrow is Dr. Romer’s last day.  The White House had said that you had hoped to fill that vacancy by her last day.  With the jobs report tomorrow, with the economic team trying -- working to come up with new measures, is there -- is it at all significant that there is a void now on the economic --

MR. GIBBS:  No -- look, obviously there are -- we have a pretty full and robust team that will meet with the President in about 15 minutes.  Obviously as soon as we have an announcement on a CEA replacement we’ll let you know.

Q    Will there be an acting director in the interim?

MR. GIBBS:  There could be.  But again, I don’t -- none of those, that I know of, none of those final decisions have been made.

Q    And then one last question.  Larry Summers and Tom Donilon are going to China next week.  Could you talk on what’s on the agenda, what’s the purpose of that visit?

MR. GIBBS:  Let me -- I think we’re going to put out some stuff on that in a little bit, so let me wait for that.

Q    Robert --

Q    It’s you or Mitchell.

MR. GIBBS:  What’s that?

Q    It’s you or Mitchell.

MR. GIBBS:  I understand what you’ve chosen there, Bill.  I don’t take it personally.

Q    Robert, you’ve said both that there’s -- no new big stimulus plans are in the offing; on the other hand, the economic team is looking for new ideas.  Has the President come to any conclusions about whether any new policy initiatives, other than the ones that are stalled in the Senate, could affect the economy between now and Labor Day?  Just some basic --

MR. GIBBS:  Well, again, that’s -- let me, first of all, in that first part, when I say -- inherent in the first part of your question is, as I said and as the President said on Monday, we are mindful of, as I listed earlier, targeted measures that can or should be taken in order to continue a trajectory of recovery.  Obviously, again, Mara, those meetings are ongoing in identifying and looking at a whole host of those ideas.

Q    I guess what I’m confused about is, I mean, the meetings are ongoing.  The economy has been stalling for a while.  You have a very short time frame here.  Isn’t there some sense of urgency about getting new targeted initiatives if you’re going to have some?

MR. GIBBS:  Let me speak broadly.  There’s been a sense of urgency about the economy since the moment we walked in here.  Look, I think we have had to and we’ve taken some extraordinary steps to ensure that a recession did not become the next Great Depression.

Obviously we are mindful that -- as I think I said this the other day, that we are -- we do not want to see -- this is not a purely academic exercise.  So obviously, as Jonathan mentioned, Congress is soon -- will soon be back in town, and --

Q    Not for very long.

MR. GIBBS:  No, not for very long, but obviously I anticipate that some of those decisions will get made -- will be made before that happens.

Q    And just to follow up on a specific piece of that.  You said that the Republicans were -- are hell bent on -- that wasn’t your exact words, on adding $35 million -- on $35 million to the deficit.  There are more targeted ways to do that that are more stimulative than extending the tax cuts for the rich.  How open is the President to a payroll tax holiday for employers and/or employees as one of those targeted things?

MR. GIBBS:  Look, I’m just going to say, Mara, that obviously the team is looking at a whole host of issues.  I don’t think it makes sense for me to get into what those are or might be individually.

Q    Is the President tomorrow going to make any public statements about the job numbers?

MR. GIBBS:  I believe that’s the case, yes.

Q    And some Dems seem to be worried that the President doesn’t seem focused enough on the economy and creating jobs.  What do you say to those Democrats who have those concerns?

MR. GIBBS:  Like who?

Q    Democrats I’ve talked to, Democratic aides on the Hill who say that they feel like the President isn’t focused enough.  This week, of course, was dominated by foreign policy mostly.  He inserted some comments about the economy in his Iraq speech.  But those are some of the concerns that I’m hearing.

MR. GIBBS:  Look, again, I don’t know who exactly you talked to but, again, this President has been focused on dealing with the economic problems that we faced the moment we came in here.  We faced a housing crisis, a crisis in financial stability.  Eight million jobs had been lost; the economy was contracting.  For years, while productivity was up, paychecks were not.

The President has had to deal with each and every one of those issues.  We’ve made progress on reducing foreclosures.  We have gone from an economy that was contracting to one that’s expanding.  We’ve gone from an economy that was shedding jobs to an economy that is creating jobs.  So we have taken the necessary steps, many of them extraordinary in changing the direction of our economy.  And the President will continue to dedicate more time to that than anything else on his schedule. 

I will say this, because the President is giving a speech on Iraq does not mean that the President isn’t dealing with the economy, just like when there is something to deal with in foreign policy or in the economy, it doesn’t mean he’s not dealing with something internationally.

I mean, what comes with this job is -- well, I’ll say this.  I have only worked here since sometime in the afternoon of the 20th of January 2009.  I’ve yet to come here where somebody greeted me at the door and said, good news, there’s only one problem today.  Trust me, every morning I pull up in hopes that someone does greet me like that.  I don’t anticipate that it will happen.

Q    Robert, one more on the economy and the measures that you’re contemplating.  Without getting into specifics, has the President looked at the numbers, which do show a pretty dramatic slowdown in the recovery, and said, we need something dramatic here?  Is something dramatic needed?

MR. GIBBS:  I think the President continues to ask the economic team for what ideas they believe can help the economy now.  Look, we have seen -- look, I mean, part of this obviously is there’s no doubt, as I said earlier, that the economic growth trajectory is not what it was in the spring.  That’s what the President has asked folks to look at.

Some of these -- some of the measures that we see, and it’s why I didn’t want to talk specifically about one week’s unemployment claims -- if you look at car -- if you were to open the paper today and look at car sales, car sales today are compared to -- they usually do year-to-year comparisons.  GM car sales down 28 percent or whatever they were.  Those are comparisons to last August when Cash for Clunkers was there, when we were selling cars not at a rate of 11 or 11.5 million a year, but at 14 million a year, which is obviously what we would strive to get to, but not where we are economically. 

So certainly the President has throughout the past many weeks kept up to speed and up to date on the latest economic data.  Some of it has shown, as I said, there’s -- while there’s a change in growth, you look at something like yesterday where I think it’s -- without divining everything that happens in the stock market, that you had a pretty big rally fueled largely on a manufacturing index that showed, for instance, employment at a rate that folks hadn’t seen on that index since the early 1980s.

Q    It sounds like a no, that the data doesn’t require something dramatic or eye-catching?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, again, I do not anticipate something that rivals the extraordinary measures that the President has already taken.

Yes, ma’am.

Q    May I follow up?  You do seem to be laying the ground for modest changes.  Peter Orszag said if you extended over 10 years all the 2001, 2003, it would cost $700 billion.  But arguably, if you only do it for one year, it costs $70 billion.  Is that affordable?

MR. GIBBS:  Are you talking about for the upper end, or are you talking about --

Q    All.

MR. GIBBS:  All of them.  Again, let’s take -- I think if you break out one year of -- I think if you were to extend the upper-end tax cuts for next year, I think the price tag is $35 billion.

Q    Okay, so that’s even --

Q    Would he veto a bill that has them in it, by the way?

MR. GIBBS:  I wouldn’t get into a hypothetical like that.  The President does not support extending the tax cuts for those that make, on average, about a million dollars a year.  Those are -- again, I think it’s pretty safe to say -- I don’t think I’m being malicious to the Republican argument -- that they’re concerned about spending, right?  That does not seem to necessarily carry over to tax cuts for those that make a million dollars a year. 

The President believes that we should focus our tax relief on the middle class, certainly, one, because we can’t afford to make reckless economic decisions to extend tax cuts for people that weren’t asking for them and didn’t need them.  And secondly, even if you did want to do something like that, there are, as I said earlier, far more -- far better ways, far more stimulative ways to impact the economy. 

Q    And just one -- I’m sorry -- just to follow up on a question by Mara about a payroll tax holiday.  When you mentioned new hires incentives, that expires.  But would you be in favor of an additional extension of that?

MR. GIBBS:  Again, the team is looking at a range of ideas.  I, for a lot of reasons, don’t want to get into each individual one.

Peter.

Q    Thank you, Robert.  In his Iraq speech, the President mentioned that the economic recovery is a central preoccupation.  How are Americans to know that that is his primary concern?  Does he need to -- in terms of the way he prioritizes his time, can he show Americans that the economy is his primary preoccupation?

MR. GIBBS:  Again, I don’t -- having been here since the beginning, there isn’t an issue that the President has spent more time on than the economy, than on the economic recovery, than on financial stability, than on housing, than on -- I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

Q    If I could follow up.  But when Americans see the President travel abroad, when Americans see him take a vacation -- not that he doesn’t deserve vacations, as do many people in this room -- (laughter) -- but might they draw the conclusion --

MR. GIBBS:  That’s an interesting way of phrasing it.

Q    Surely the people in the first two rows.  (Laughter.)  But don’t they --

MR. GIBBS:  Careful, careful.  Getting into row warfare.  (Laughter.) 

Q    Might they draw conclusions that it’s not the kind of -- it’s maybe -- they don’t necessarily see the things you’re talking about, how the President multitasks?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, look, again -- I’m trying to think of an example that would help illuminate -- I mean, let’s take for instance -- I think everybody would say getting our policy right in Afghanistan is very important.  I think that is of concern to many in this country.

When the President was undergoing 13 different two- to three-hour meetings on that, the notion that somehow that’s the only thing he was doing -- again, I can hardly wait for the day in which there’s only one problem, there’s only one meeting, it’s only on one topic.  It’s not true today.  The President is -- will come from the Situation Room, I think the schedule says he’s going to eat lunch, which he should do, and then he goes into an economic meeting.

So, again, that’s not to say -- it’s just hard for me to I guess craft into words exactly the fact that, again, he -- there are pressing problems domestically.  The President obviously is the Commander-in-Chief and has to make decisions about our foreign policy.  But, Peter, having been here from the beginning, there is not an issue or set of issues the President has spent more time on than dealing with the economic situation that we walked into the 20th of January 2009.

Q   Has the President made any plans on how he’ll commemorate 9/11, and is a trip to Ground Zero a possibility?

MR. GIBBS:  I do not have -- I have not looked at the block ahead.  Let me go do that.  I honestly don’t know the answer to that.

Q    Is it -- I mean, are you looking at a number of places?  He’ll stay here or go abroad?

MR. GIBBS:  Let me go look at the block so I don’t -- so I have some information on that.

April.

Q    Robert, on jobs, Gallup just came out with a poll on August underemployed numbers, said the numbers went up from 18.4 percent to 18.6 percent -- underemployed meaning those without full-time work.  Is that included in what the President is trying to do to get people back to work?  And talk to me about how.

MR. GIBBS:  Look, I think, again, creating -- what you have seen happen in this economy is productivity has increased; what -- temporary work has increased, meaning employers have taken the steps of adding hours but not necessarily adding additional full-time workers.  There are any number of people that, in the monthly employment survey, are included in -- would be included in a group of people that would like to work more if they could.  That’s why you typically hear that -- that’s why, typically, on a day like tomorrow, you’ll hear an unemployment number and an underemployment number -- those that would like to have additional work but can’t find it.

Obviously those are just as much a focus as those that don’t have work and need it, because inherent in solving either of -- inherent in dealing with either of those two groups is greater full-time employment and that’s certainly what the President and the team are looking through.

Q    And also, on this platform -- this production platform explosion, would you talk to me about how and why Justice is involved in this right now?

MR. GIBBS:  Why Justice is involved?

Q    I understand Justice is looking into this, they’re investigating this --

MR. GIBBS:  April, I don’t have any information on that.  The information I got was from the Coast Guard.  So I will go back and see if there are -- if there’s Justice involvement in what’s happened today.

Q    And is the administration concerned at all by the fact that Mariner Energy has links to BP when this whole situation happened?

MR. GIBBS:  Again, I don’t want to make any broad statements on today’s -- on what I know about today’s incident when I came out here.  Let me go back -- I think I said I’d go back and look and just get a better or fuller update throughout the day and see what’s going on.

Margaret.

Q    Thanks, Robert.  I wanted to return to the subject of the Mideast peace process and try to flesh out which calls the President has made, especially for Arab support, beyond obviously Egypt and Jordan.  Specifically, has he been in contact with Saudi leaders, Kuwaitis, Moroccans, Qataris?  Can you tell us who he’s talked to and what their feedback has been?

MR. GIBBS:  I believe he has talked with King Abdullah recently.  I don’t know the -- I can get the exact date of that and --

Q    I think a readout on that would actually be really helpful. 

MR. GIBBS:  Let me -- what’s today?  It would have happened earlier in the week, so let me --

Q    Prior to everyone’s arrival?

MR. GIBBS:  I think that -- if I’m not mistaken, on -- Monday was the 31st, right?  They all sort of blur together.  I believe that they spoke on Air Force One on Monday.  But I will -- let me go see if there’s a readout of it.

Q    Since his meetings yesterday, since his bilats yesterday, and in the course of today where presumably he will -- when he talks with George Mitchell and get a readback on what’s going on -- do you expect ongoing telephone calls to leaders --

MR. GIBBS:  Let me do this.  Let me get a better answer to that based on discussing with him after he’s had a chance to talk with Senator Mitchell.  Look, obviously both Secretary Clinton and Senator Mitchell have been deeply, deeply involved in this, so let me include what their activity might be as well.

Yes, ma’am.

Q    Thank you, Robert.  Just to follow up on that, the Arab Peace Initiative, which Jordan’s King Abdullah mentioned last night, is an initiative that Saudi King Abdullah put together.  Was he at all -- was he invited to attend these talks, or was he consulted beforehand?

MR. GIBBS:  Yes, again, I believe they spoke Monday or Tuesday.  I’m going to go -- let me go back and find -- and we will try to find a --

Q    -- that would just be a day before the talks would take place --

MR. GIBBS:  Let me get a better readout on exactly what was said and what might have transpired.

Q    But you don’t know if he was invited to --

MR. GIBBS:  I don’t know directly the answer to that but let me find out.

Yes, ma’am.

Q    Thanks, Robert.  Do you have any details about the dinner last night?  The Israelis released that Prime Minister Netanyahu gave some gift of peace to the President.

MR. GIBBS:  There was -- I don’t know how to describe it.  I’ll go back and -- it was in the Oval, in the outer Oval last night, so I can go back and look at what that gift was.

Q    Just a couple things.  One, to clarify, you said -- this is a different track than Mara took -- you said that some big new stimulus plan is not in the offing, but the economic team is looking at a host of issues.  That host of issues -- the exception is a big stimulus?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, again, I think it’s just safe to characterize -- I’ll characterize it today the way I characterized it on Monday, and I think the way the President characterized it on Monday, and that is targeted ideas to continue to spur the recovery and create an environment for private sector hiring. 

Q    So something even resembling what we saw when you all first came to office is off the table?

MR. GIBBS:  I have not been in a meeting where that’s been discussed.

Q    And then the other thing I wanted to ask was, Bill mentioned the polling numbers in a nosedive, as he put it.  Does the White House believe the President can arrest those numbers, or at least help?

MR. GIBBS:  Look, I will say this.  I think the President -- I’d go back to one of the answers I gave Bill, which is the unprecedented amount of effort and support that the DNC is providing to congressional candidates, to each of the Senate and congressional committees.  Look, I don’t -- we saw this last year.  This is -- I think the President will help make the case, but I don’t -- I do not anticipate that -- look, go back and look at polling from 2009 about -- in a lot of these races, there are issues that are not going to be decided either in support of or opposition to the President.

Bill.

Q    Robert, for the last four days, Glenn Beck has criticized the President for believing in liberation theology, which he calls a Marxist form of Christianity.  I’ve got two questions.  One, does the President, to your knowledge, even know what liberation theology is?

MR. GIBBS:  I don’t know the answer to that.  I will say this, Bill, a crude paraphrasing of an old quote, and that is people are entitled to their own opinion, as ill-informed as it may be, but they’re not entitled to their own facts.  The President is a committed mainstream Christian.  I don’t -- I have no evidence that would guide me as to what Glenn Beck would have any genuine knowledge as to what the President does or does not believe.

Q    When is he going back to church?

Q    So this Marxist form of Christianity --

MR. GIBBS:  Again, I can only imagine where Mr. Beck conjured that from.

Kirk.

Q    Thanks, Robert.  Would the President be pleased if on Election Day people say -- people base their vote on whether they’re better off -- if they’re better off on Election Day than when then-Senator Obama was elected?

MR. GIBBS:  I think that’s one of the measures that people will generally use.  I think that -- this may not be true for every person, obviously, but there are -- I think, Kirk, if you look at where our economy will likely be November the 2nd of 2010 and where it was that beautiful November day in 2008, they’re very different places.  Again, we’ll do a little of the jobs numbers -- I don’t know the jobs numbers -- that’s why --

Q    Do you know the jobs numbers?  (Laughter.)

MR. GIBBS:  I can’t tell you.  I think I used this statistic earlier in the briefing, that we’ve created 600,000 private sector jobs in this year alone.  To take your point of comparison, in the previous -- in the last six months of 2008, we lost 3 million jobs.  So I think -- I don’t think there’s any doubt there’s been a change in that trajectory.  I will say this, Kirk -- and I think I’ve said this on a number of answers today -- that is not satisfying to the President because obviously our economy has to grow more, we have to add more to the rolls of the employed and take them out of the rolls of the unemployed.  And the President understands because he is among those that is frustrated that it is not happening as quickly as he would like it to, as he understands that the depth of the hole that we’re in is unlike anything we’ve faced in a long, long time.

Yes, sir.

Q    One other thing, too.  You’ve undoubtedly heard some commentators second-guess the choice of using the Oval as the forum, the venue, for the speech.  Why was that chosen as opposed to giving the same sort of speech at Fort Bliss?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, look, I obviously was involved in part of that decision.  I think there are very few issues that if you look back to the spring of 2003 that have played a bigger role in our recent history than our -- than the war in Iraq.  I think that is -- a tremendous number of men and women served in Iraq.  A tremendous number were killed and have been injured as a result of their participation in that.  I think the President believed that the milestone that we marked on Tuesday, the change in our mission away from a combat role and one to a role of assistance, should be marked in many of the same ways that President Bush marked it in announcing the beginning of combat.

And I will say this, if -- I read -- obviously read a number of stories.  There was an AP story that quoted a number of soldiers that are happy that we have made a transition in a country where some of them served once, twice, three, four times.  I think it was important that those that spent their time in Iraq -- some who left friends in Iraq -- deserved the national thanks of their Commander-in-Chief.

Q    Sorry, one more.  George Mitchell says there’s going to be another round of talks, the 14th and the 15th.  Is the President going to play a role in that?  Is he going to invite some of the principals back here?

MR. GIBBS:  Let me double-check on the schedule.

Thanks, guys.

END
1:13 P.M. EDT

Under section 101(b) of Public Law 95-223 (91 Stat. 1625; 50 U.S.C. App. 5(b) note), and a previous determination on September 11, 2009 (74 FR 47431, September 16, 2009), the exercise of certain authorities under the Trading With the Enemy Act is scheduled to terminate on September 14, 2010.

I hereby determine that the continuation for 1 year of the exercise of those authorities with respect to Cuba is in the national interest of the United States.

Therefore, consistent with the authority vested in me by section 101(b) of Public Law 95-223, I continue for 1 year, until September 14, 2011, the exercise of those authorities with respect to Cuba, as implemented by the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 515.

The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to publish this determination in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) encourages Connecticut fire departments to start the application process for this year’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced today that 48 employers and unions in Connecticut have been selected for the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program, which was created by the health care reform legislation signed into law earlier this year. The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program provides $5 billion to small businesses and other employers to reduce health care costs for their retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare by reimbursing their medical claims.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced today that 18 youth drug prevention programs across Connecticut will receive more than $2.07 million in Drug Free Communities Support Program grants from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Fourteen programs in Connecticut will receive continuing funding to support and expand their ongoing prevention efforts and an additional four programs will receive grant funding for the first time.

I’m an iPhone developer. It can be an exciting job: there are always puzzles to solve, you meet a lot of clever people, you’re always working late and shipping yesterday—but it can quickly start to feel like a grind. How many interactive corporate brochures can a person make before starting to wonder whether technology really has the power to change the world?

That’s why I’m so excited about the project I just finished working on: today’s update to the Organizing for America iPhone app, which gives volunteers everything they need to go door to door talking with people about what’s important to them.

The app takes the usual unwieldy accouterments of canvassing—the pen and paper, clipboards, and lists of voters—and puts them all on your mobile phone. It lets you connect with real people wherever you are and whenever you want. It gets rid of the time-consuming process of assembling lists of houses and entering data, and makes it easier for people on the ground to focus on the things that matter: the one-on-one conversations with your neighbors. (And it makes for a pretty exciting video, too.)

For me, this is exciting in a way software seldom is: it’s technology that affects the real world, that can change the lives of the people who use it and those around them. This is why I’m a programmer.

Most importantly, I think it could have the ability to bring a little spark back to the lives of those who have become jaded by the current political scene. Too many people have become disenchanted with the idea that politics can change the world for the better. In a time when moving forward can seem too difficult to bother, this old-fashioned activity—talking to neighbors about their hopes and concerns—might help remind us that change and connection can still happen. OFA volunteers are already out there knocking on doors—more than 200,000 just last weekend—and now it’s easier than ever to join in.

My favorite Obama slogan was always “We are the change we have been waiting for.” We all still are. Get out there. Talk to your friends, to your neighbors, to strangers. That change and energy is still all around us, even if it can be sometimes a little hard to see. But you’ll never find it if you don’t look.

If a simple iPhone app can help even one person to realize that, it’s worth all the e-brochures in the world.

Download the OFA iPhone app, get today’s canvassing update, or learn more here.

The app takes the usual unwieldy accouterments of canvassing—the pen and paper, clipboards, and lists of voters—and puts them all on your mobile phone. It lets you connect with real people wherever you are and whenever you want. It gets rid of the time-consuming process of assembling lists of houses and entering data, and makes it easier for people on the ground to focus on the things that matter: the one-on-one conversations with your neighbors. (And it makes for a pretty exciting video, too.)

For me, this is exciting in a way software seldom is: it’s technology that affects the real world, that can change the lives of the people who use it and those around them. This is why I’m a programmer.

Most importantly, I think it could have the ability to bring a little spark back to the lives of those who have become jaded by the current political scene. Too many people have become disenchanted with the idea that politics can change the world for the better. In a time when moving forward can seem too difficult to bother, this old-fashioned activity—talking to neighbors about their hopes and concerns—might help remind us that change and connection can still happen. OFA volunteers are already out there knocking on doors—more than 200,000 just last weekend—and now it’s easier than ever to join in.

My favorite Obama slogan was always “We are the change we have been waiting for.” We all still are. Get out there. Talk to your friends, to your neighbors, to strangers. That change and energy is still all around us, even if it can be sometimes a little hard to see. But you’ll never find it if you don’t look.

If a simple iPhone app can help even one person to realize that, it’s worth all the e-brochures in the world.

Download the OFA iPhone app, get today’s canvassing update, or learn more here.

By the end of the day, NH volunteers had connected with nearly 1,000 voters and everyone had a great day canvassing their neighborhoods. In Manchester, the group kicked off the day with a rousing speech by Field Organizer Mike O’Brien who highlighted the gravity of this midterm election. After the volunteers were out the door, Mike noted “It is so important that our volunteers treat the number of houses in each walk packet as their ultimate goal of contacts today. With 40 doors per packet, that is potentially 40 households they can get to vote in the next three hours. If you think of anything else you do in three hours- watch a movie, make a cake, fight the crowds at Hampton Beach – this is the most worthwhile use of a Saturday because days like these will impact the next two years in this country.” And then he hit the streets too.

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate about preparations for Hurricane Earl during a call in the Oval Office. Listening at right is Richard A. Reed, Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security.

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Democrats are fighting for American workers, their families and small businesses and we will continue to work to grow our economy and create jobs. What is clear is that Republicans are continuing to obstruct progress and seek to take us back to the failed economic policies of the Bush Administration.

Here are the facts about the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act passed by House Democrats:

Estimated Job Impact: 450,000-500,000 new American jobs

Passed the House: June 17, 2010

Opposed by House Republicans: 98% voted NO

A similar bill has been blocked by Senate Republicans for months.

As students head back to school this fall, I travelled over the last two weeks on an eight-state bus tour to highlight “Courage in the Classroom.” The mission of the tour was simple: to honor our nation’s unsung heroes—our teachers.  

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As students head back to school this fall, I travelled over the last two weeks on an eight-state bus tour to highlight “Courage in the Classroom.” The mission of the tour was simple: to honor our nation’s unsung heroes—our teachers.  

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Politico has more:

The nation’s Democrats next Wednesday will kick off their fall campaign with a media blitz that will include back-to-back appearances by Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” and Vice President Joe Biden on “The Colbert Report.”

As workers reengage after Labor Day, Kaine will go on morning shows Wednesday to preview a major speech he plans to deliver at lunchtime in the Hall of Flags at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.

An aide said Kaine plans “the sharpest contrast that he has made to date on the direction the country would go if Republicans got back in charge.”...

The audience for Kaine's national kickoff address will include students, activists and labor leaders.

“He’ll make a strong case for what Democrats and President Obama have done, and make an analogy to how often Americans have turned to Democrats for heavy lifting in tough times,” the aide said.

Read the full article.

…An economist and two health policy researchers at the nonprofit Rand Corp. conducted a simulation  to predict what is likely to happen once employers are able to offer coverage through these exchanges. Overall, they estimate that the proportion of U.S. workers who will have access to health insurance through their jobs will jump from 84.6% to 94.6%. That works out to 13.6 million additional workers having the option to buy affordable health plans.

Most of that bump is likely to come from smaller businesses with 50 or fewer employees. Today, only 60.4% of these employees can get health insurance through their jobs. Once the exchanges are functioning, the Rand researchers forecast that 85.9% of small business employees will have the option of buying health plans at work – an increase of 10.5 million workers.

Part of the reason for that growth is that the policies that will be offered through the exchanges will be less expensive, the researchers said. Small companies will be able to band together to pool their risk, which will give them more leverage to bargain with insurance companies. It also means their premiums should be more stable from year to year…

And this morning, the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund found that:

Relief for small businesses was greatly needed, as most of the erosion in employer health coverage over the last decade has taken place in small firms.  Currently, 52 percent of workers in firms with fewer than 50 employees are uninsured or underinsured.

Millions of small businesses will benefit from the new small business tax credits included in the Affordable Care Act to help them afford health insurance for their workers, which became effective in January 2010.

16.6 million workers are estimated to be currently working in the small businesses that are eligible for these new small business tax credits.

Democrats in Congress and President Obama enacted landmark health insurance reforms to make health coverage more affordable for small businesses and families, and protect young adults, the middle class, women, and seniors.  Despite the clear benefits of health insurance reform – Republican leaders are standing with insurance companies and want to repeal the Patient’s Bill of Rights which protects Americans from discrimination when they need it most – when they get sick or have a pre-existing condition.

Is there any reason for hope in this gloomy summer for the economy? A certain fatalism – that a double-dip recession is inevitable – has crept into a lot of economic analysis lately, but it may be overstating the degree to which we are in dire straits. A roaring recovery is probably not on the way, but here are five reasons that a slow-and-steady recovery is likely to continue.

Savings
The savings rate rose from 2.7 percent at the start of the recession, in the beginning of 2008, to 5.9 percent in July. That means households are farther along in readjusting their spending patterns to match their incomes than was previously realized. That should make them freer to spend more in the months ahead.

Credit
Gradual healing is underway in the financial sector, making loans more available for households and businesses. The most recent edition of the Federal Reserve’s senior loan officers survey showed that more banks have eased lending standards for corporate loans. For companies with access to global capital markets, interest rates remain quite low, which supports growth.

Manufacturing
The industrial sector is actually holding up. July industrial production was up 1 percent, and early indicators show that the expansion continued last month. The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday that its index of activity in the manufacturing sector rose in August, to 56.3 from 55.5 (numbers above 50 indicate expansion). It appears that manufacturers view final demand for their products as steady enough to keep producing.

Housing
No one is expecting home-building activity to return to pre-crisis levels for a very long time. But in July, builders began building new housing units at a paltry annual rate of 546,000, less than half of what’s needed to keep up with population growth. The housing market just can’t contract that much more. When housing starts fell from a 2.3 million annual rate in early 2006 to the low of 477,000 in April 2009, it was a major drain on the economy, but a decline of that scale is now mathematically impossible.

Trade
A steep rise in imports dragged down the economy in the second quarter to an unprecedented degree. If the trade deficit had not widened, the gross domestic product would have grown at a healthy 5 percent annual rate. With many other world economies doing better than the U.S. economy right now, exports may be set to rise more than imports in the coming quarters, which would help domestic growth.

The Affordable Care Act helps make it easier for employers to provide health benefits. This year, small businesses are eligible for health care tax credits and starting in 2014, small businesses with up to 100 employees will have access to state-based Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Exchanges, which will expand their purchasing power. Additionally, the Business Roundtable estimated that provisions in the legislation could save $3,000 per person in health costs.    

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“This explosion highlights the significant risks associated with offshore drilling, and that much is left to be done to keep America’s workers and waters safe from those risks.

“After the 13 workers on this rig are safe and sound, we have a duty to them and all oil workers to make sure the oil industry’s drilling practices are also safe and sound.”

response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Earl beginning on September 1, 2010, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael Bolch as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  FEMA (202) 646-3272.

Dennis R., 70, had not canvassed since the 2008 elections, but said he was motivated to come out this weekend and knock on doors to inform people about the upcoming election in November as part of our national weekend of action.

 April R., canvassed for the first-time and was a top performer by knocking on 50 doors and collecting 12 pledge cards!

Thank you Nevada volunteers for your outstanding commitment to this important mid-term election. Your hard work over the weekend coupled with the President’s announcement of our draw down of troops in Iraq, a promise that he made during his campaign and has now kept, is a testament to a forward looking vision of where our country needs to be. 

Join us this weekend for a youth phone bank to help us get out the vote.  http://bit.ly/OFALVYPB

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good evening, everyone.  Tomorrow, after nearly two years, Israelis and Palestinians will resume direct talks in pursuit of a goal that we all share —- two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. Tonight, I’m pleased to welcome to the White House key partners in this effort, along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the representative of our Quartet partners, former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

President Abbas, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Your Majesty King Abdullah, and President Mubarak —- we are but five men.  Our dinner this evening will be a small gathering around a single table.  Yet when we come together, we will not be alone.  We’ll be joined by the generations —- those who have gone before and those who will follow.

Each of you are the heirs of peacemakers who dared greatly -— Begin and Sadat, Rabin and King Hussein -— statesmen who saw the world as it was but also imagined the world as it should be. It is the shoulders of our predecessors upon which we stand.  It is their work that we carry on.  Now, like each of them, we must ask, do we have the wisdom and the courage to walk the path of peace?  All of us are leaders of our people, who, no matter the language they speak or the faith they practice, all basically seek the same things:  to live in security, free from fear; to live in dignity, free from want; to provide for their families and to realize a better tomorrow.  Tonight, they look to us, and each of us must decide, will we work diligently to fulfill their aspirations?

And though each of us holds a title of honor —- President, Prime Minister, King —- we are bound by the one title we share. We are fathers, blessed with sons and daughters.  So we must ask ourselves what kind of world do we want to bequeath to our children and our grandchildren.

Tonight, and in the days and months ahead, these are the questions that we must answer.  And this is a fitting moment to do so.For Muslims, this is Ramadan.  For Jews, this is Elul.  It is rare for those two months to coincide.  But this year, tonight, they do.  Different faiths, different rituals, but a shared period of devotion —- and contemplation.  A time to reflect on right and wrong; a time to ponder one’s place in the world; a time when the people of two great religions remind the world of a truth that is both simple and profound, that each of us, all of us, in our hearts and in our lives, are capable of great and lasting change.

In this spirit, I welcome my partners.  And I invite each to say a few words before we begin our meal, beginning with President Mubarak, on to His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas.

President Mubarak.

PRESIDENT MUBARAK:  (As prepared for delivery.)  I am pleased to participate with you today in relaunching direct peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.  Like you, and the millions of Palestinians, Israelis, Arabs and the rest of the world, I look forward that these negotiations be final and decisive, and that they lead to a peace agreement within one year.

Our meet today would not have taken place without the considerable effort exerted by the American administration under the leadership of President Obama.  I pay tribute to you, Mr. President, for your personal, serious commit and for your determination to work for a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine since the early days of your presidency.  I appreciate your perseverance throughout the past period to overcome the difficulties facing the relaunching of the negotiations.

(Continued as translated.)  I consider this invitation a manifestation of your commitment and a significant message that the United States will shepherd these negotiations seriously and at the highest level.

No one realizes the value of peace more than those who have known wars and their havoc.  It was my destiny to witness over many events in our region during the years of war and peace.  I have gone through wars and hostilities, and have participated in the quest for peace since the first day of my administration.  I have never spared an effort to push it forward, and I still look forward to its success and completion.

The efforts to achieve peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis encountered many difficulties since the Madrid Conference in October 1999, and progress and regression, breakthroughs and setbacks, but the occupation of the Palestinian Territory remains an independent -- an independent Palestinian state is yet -- remains a dream in the conscious of the Palestinian people.There is no doubt that this situation should raise great frustration and anger among our people, for it is no longer acceptable or conceivable on the verge of the second decade of the third millennium that we fail to achieve just and true peace -- peace that would put an end to the century of conflict, fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, lift the occupation, allow for the establishment of normal relations between the Palestinians and Israelis.

It is true that reaching a just and comprehensive peace treaty between both sides has been an elusive hope for almost two decades.  Yet the accumulated experience of both parties, the extended rounds of negotiations, and the previous understandings, particularly during the Clinton parameters of 2000, and subsequent understandings of Taba and with the previous Israeli government, all contributed in setting the outline of the final settlement.

This outline has become well known to the international community and to both peoples -- the Palestinian and Israeli people.  Hence, it is expected that the current negotiations will not start from scratch or in void.  No doubt, the position of the international community, as is stated in the consecutive statements of the Quartet, in particular, in its latest August 20th statement, paid due respect to relevant international resolutions and supported the outline of final settlements using different formulation without prejudice to the outcome of negotiations.

It has stressed that the aim of the soon-to-start direct negotiation is to reach a peaceful settlement that would end the Israeli occupation which began in 1967, allowing for the independent and sovereign state of Palestine to emerge and live side by side in peace and security with the state of Israel.

I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu many times since he took office last year.  In our meetings, I listened to assertions on his willingness to achieve peace with the Palestinians, and for history to record his name for such an achievement.  I say to him today that I look forward to achieving those assertions in reality, and his success in achieving the long-awaited peace, which I know the people of Israel yearn for, just like all other people in the region.Reaching just peace with the Palestinians will require from Israel taking important and decisive decisions -- decisions that are undoubtedly difficult yet they will be necessary to achieve peace and stability, and in a different context than the one that prevailed before.Settlement activities on the Palestinian Territory are contrary to international law.  They will not create rights for Israel, nor are they going to achieve peace or security for Israel.  It is, therefore, a priority to completely freeze all these activities until the entire negotiation process comes to a successful end.

I say to the Israelis, seize the current opportunity.  Do not let it slip through your fingers.  Make comprehensive peace your goal.  Extend your hand to meet the hand already extended in the Arab Peace Initiative. I say to President Mahmoud Abbas, Egypt will continue its faithful support to the patient Palestinian people and their just cause.  We will continue our concerted efforts to help fulfill the aspirations of your people and retrieve their legitimate rights.  We will stand by you until the independent state of Palestine on the land occupied since 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.  We will also continue our efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation for the sake of the Palestinian national interest.

Once again, I’d like to express my thanks to President Obama, and I renew Egypt’s commitment to continue exerting all efforts, sharing honest advice and a commitment to the principles on which Arab and regional policy rests upon.

Please accept my appreciation, and peace be upon you. (Applause.)HIS MAJESTY KING ABDULLAH:  (As translated.)  In the name of God most merciful, most compassionate, President Obama, peace be upon you.(In English.)  For decades, a Palestinian-Israeli settlement has eluded us.  Millions of men, women and children have suffered.  Too many people have lost faith in our ability to bring them the peace they want.  Radicals and terrorists have exploited frustrations to feed hatred and ignite wars.  The whole world has been dragged into regional conflicts that cannot be addressed effectively until Arabs and Israelis find peace.

This past record drives the importance of our efforts today. There are those on both sides who want us to fail, who will do everything in their power to disrupt our efforts today -- because when the Palestinians and Israelis find peace, when young men and women can look to a future of promise and opportunity, radicals and extremists lose their most potent appeal.  This is why we must prevail.  For our failure would be their success in sinking the region into more instability and wars that will cause further suffering in our region and beyond.

President Obama, we value your commitment to the cause of peace in our region.  We count on your continued engagement to help the parties move forward.  You have said that Middle East peace is in the national security interest of your country.  And we believe it is.  And it is also a strategic European interest, and it is a necessary requirement for global security and stability.  Peace is also a right for every citizen in our region.A Palestinian-Israeli settlement on the basis of two states living side by side is a precondition for security and stability of all countries of the Middle East, with a regional peace that will lead to normal relations between Israel and 57 Arab and Muslim states that have endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative.  That would be -- well, that would also be an essential step towards neutralizing forces of evil and war that threaten all peoples.

Mr. President, we need your support as a mediator, honest broker, and a partner, as the parties move along the hard but inevitable path of settlements.

Your Excellencies, all eyes are upon us.  The direct negotiations that will start tomorrow must show results -- and sooner rather than later.  Time is not on our side.  That is why we must spare no effort in addressing all final status issues with a view to reaching the two-state solution, the only solution that can create a future worthy of our great region -- a future of peace in which fathers and mothers can raise their children without fear, young people can look forward to lives of achievement and hope, and 300 million people can cooperate for mutual benefit.

For too long, too many people of the region have been denied their most basic of human rights:  the right to live in peace and security; respected in their human dignity; enjoying freedom and opportunity.  If hopes are disappointed again, the price of failure will be too high for all.

Our peoples want us to rise to their expectations.  And we can do so if we approach these negotiations with goodwill, sincerity and courage.  (Applause.)

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU:  Mr. President, Excellencies, Shalom Aleichem.  Shalom Alkulanu.  Peace unto us all.

I’m very pleased to be here today to begin our common effort to achieve a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

I want to thank you, President Obama, for your tireless efforts to renew this quest for peace.  I want to thank Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Mitchell, the many members of the Obama administration, and Tony Blair, who’ve all worked so hard to bring Israelis and Palestinians together here today.

I also want to thank President Mubarak and King Abdullah for their dedicated and meaningful support to promote peace, security, and stability throughout our region.  I deeply appreciate your presence here today.

I began with a Hebrew word for peace, “shalom.”  Our goal is shalom.  Our goal is to forge a secure and durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians.  We don’t seek a brief interlude between two wars.  We don’t seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror.  We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all.  We seek a peace that will last for generations -- our generation, our children’s generation, and the next.

This is the peace my people fervently want.  This is the peace all our peoples fervently aspire to.  This is the peace they deserve.

Now, a lasting peace is a peace between peoples -- between Israelis and Palestinians.  We must learn to live together, to live next to one another and with one another.  But every peace begins with leaders.

President Abbas, you are my partner in peace.  And it is up to us, with the help of our friends, to conclude the agonizing conflict between our peoples and to afford them a new beginning. The Jewish people are not strangers in our ancestral homeland, the land of our forefathers.  But we recognize that another people shares this land with us.I came here today to find an historic compromise that will enable both our peoples to live in peace and security and in dignity.  I’ve been making the case for Israel all of my life.  But I didn’t come here today to make an argument.  I came here today to make peace.  I didn’t come here today to play a blame game where even the winners lose.  Everybody loses if there’s no peace.  I came here to achieve a peace that will bring a lasting benefit to us all.I didn’t come here to find excuses or to make them.  I came here to find solutions.  I know the history of our conflict and the sacrifices that have been made.  I know the grief that has afflicted so many families who have lost their dearest loved ones.  Only yesterday four Israelis, including a pregnant women  -- a pregnant woman -- and another woman, a mother of six children, were brutally murdered by savage terrorists.  And two hours ago, there was another terror attack.  And thank God no one died.  I will not let the terrorists block our path to peace, but as these events underscore once again, that peace must be anchored in security. I’m prepared to walk down the path of peace, because I know what peace would mean for our children and for our grandchildren. I know it would herald a new beginning that could unleash unprecedented opportunities for Israelis, for Palestinians, and for the peoples -- all the peoples -- of our region, and well beyond our region.  I think it would affect the world.

I see what a period of calm has created in the Palestinian cities of Ramallah, of Janin, throughout the West Bank, a great economic boom.  And real peace can turn this boom into a permanent era of progress and hope.

If we work together, we can take advantage of the great benefits afforded by our unique place under the sun.  We’re the crossroads of three continents, at the crossroads of history, and the crossroads of the future.  Our geography, our history, our culture, our climate, the talents of our people can be unleashed to create extraordinary opportunities in tourism, in trade, in industry, in energy, in water, in so many areas. But peace must also be defended against its enemies.  We want the skyline of the West Bank to be dominated by apartment towers -- not missiles.  We want the roads of the West Bank to flow with commerce -- not terrorists.

And this is not a theoretic request for our people.  We left Lebanon, and we got terror.  We left Gaza, and we got terror once again.  We want to ensure that territory we’ll concede will not be turned into a third Iranian-sponsored terror enclave armed at the heart of Israel -- and may I add, also aimed at every one of us sitting on this stage.

This is why a defensible peace requires security arrangements that can withstand the test of time and the many challenges that are sure to confront us.  And there will be many challenges, both great and small.  Let us not get bogged down by every difference between us.  Let us direct our courage, our thinking, and our decisions at those historic decisions that lie ahead.

Now, there are many skeptics.  One thing there’s no shortage of, Mr. President, are skeptics.  This is something that you’re so familiar with, that all of us in a position of leadership are familiar with.  There are many skeptics.  I suppose there are many reasons for skepticism.  But I have no doubt that peace is possible.

President Abbas, we cannot erase the past, but it is within our power to change the future.  Thousands of years ago, on these very hills where Israelis and Palestinians live today, the Jewish prophet Isaiah and the other prophets of my people envisaged a future of lasting peace for all mankind.  Let today be an auspicious step in our joint effort to realize that ancient vision for a better future.  (Applause.)

PRESIDENT ABBAS:  (As translated.)  His Excellency President Barack Obama, His Excellency President Hosni Mubarak, His Majesty King Abdullah II, His Excellency Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, Mr. Tony Blair, ladies and gentlemen.I would like to start by thanking President Obama for his invitation to host us here today to relaunch the permanent status negotiations to reach a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement covering all the permanent status issues within a year in accordance with international law and relevant resolutions. As we move towards the relaunch of these negotiations tomorrow, we recognize the difficulties, challenges and obstacles that lie ahead.  Yet we assure you, in the name of the PLO, that we will draw on years of experience in negotiations and benefit from the lessons learned to make these negotiations successful.

We also reiterate our commitment to carry out all our obligations, and we call on the Israelis to carry out their obligations, including a freeze on settlements activities, which is not setting a precondition but a call to implement an agreed obligation and to end all the closure and blockade, preventing freedom of movement, including the (inaudible) siege.

We will spare no effort and will work diligently and tirelessly to ensure that these new negotiations achieve their goals and objectives in dealing with all of the issues:  Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, border security, water, as well as the release of all our prisoners -- in order to achieve peace. The people of our area are looking for peace that achieves freedom, independence, and justice to the Palestinian people in their country and in their homeland and in the diaspora -- our people who have endured decades of longstanding suffering.

We want a peace that will correct the historical injustice caused by the (inaudible) of 1948, and one that brings security to our people and the Israeli people.  And we want peace that will give us both and the people of the region a new era where we enjoy just peace, stability, and prosperity. Our determination stems to a great extent from your willpower, Mr. President, and your firm and sweeping drive with which you engulfed the entire world from the day you took office to set the parties on the path for peace -- and also this same spirit, exhibited by Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator George Mitchell and his team.  The presence of His Excellency President Mubarak and His Majesty King Abdullah is another telling indication of their substantial and effective commitment overall, where Egypt and Jordan have been playing a supportive role for advancing the peace process.  Their effective role is further demonstrated by the Arab Peace Initiative, which was fully endorsed by all of the Arab states, and the Islamic countries as well.

This initiative served a genuine and sincere opportunity to achieve a just and comprehensive peace on all tracks in our region, including the Syrian-Israeli track and the Lebanese-Israeli track, and provided a sincere opportunity to make peace.

The presence here today of the envoy of the Quartet, Mr. Tony Blair, is a most telling signal, especially since he has been personally involved in the Palestinian Authority for many years and in the efforts for state building in Palestine.

Excellencies, the time has come for us to make peace and it is time to end the occupation that started in 1967, and for the Palestinian people to get freedom, justice, and independence.  It is time that a independent Palestinian state be established with sovereignty side by side with the state of Israel.  It is time to put an end to the struggle in the Middle East. The Palestinian people who insist on the rights and freedom and independence are in most need for justice, security, and peace, because they are the victim, the ones that were harmed the most from this violence.  And it is sending message to our neighbors, the Israelis, and to the world that they are also careful about supporting the opportunities for the success of these negotiations and the just and lasting peace as soon as possible.

With this spirit, we will work to make these negotiations succeed.  And with this spirit, we are -- trust that we are capable to achieve our historical, difficult mission -- making peace in the land of peace.

Mr. Netanyahu, what happened yesterday and what is happening today is also condemned.  We do not want at all that any blood be shed, one drop of blood, on the part of the -- from the Israelis or the Palestinians.  We want people in the two countries to lead a normal life.  We want them to live as neighbors and partners forever.  Let us sign an agreement, a final agreement, for peace, and put an end to a very long period of struggle forever.And peace be upon you.  (Applause.)

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I want to thank all the leaders for their thoughtful statements.  I want to thank the delegations that are represented here because they are the ones who oftentimes are doing a lot of the work.  This is just the beginning.  We have a long road ahead, but I appreciate very much the leaders who are represented here for giving us such an excellent start. And I particularly want to commend Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas for their presence here.  This is not easy.  Both of them have constituencies with legitimate claims, legitimate concerns, and a lot of history between them.  For them to be here, to be willing to take this first step -- the most difficult step -- is a testament to their courage and their integrity and I think their vision for the future.And so I am hopeful -- cautiously hopeful, but hopeful -- that we can achieve the goal that all four of these leaders articulated. Thank you very much, everybody.

  END  7:41 P.M. EDT

Read a translation: Arabic | Hebrew

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good evening, everyone.  Tomorrow, after nearly two years, Israelis and Palestinians will resume direct talks in pursuit of a goal that we all share —- two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. Tonight, I’m pleased to welcome to the White House key partners in this effort, along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the representative of our Quartet partners, former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

President Abbas, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Your Majesty King Abdullah, and President Mubarak —- we are but five men.  Our dinner this evening will be a small gathering around a single table.  Yet when we come together, we will not be alone.  We’ll be joined by the generations —- those who have gone before and those who will follow.

Each of you are the heirs of peacemakers who dared greatly -— Begin and Sadat, Rabin and King Hussein -— statesmen who saw the world as it was but also imagined the world as it should be. It is the shoulders of our predecessors upon which we stand.  It is their work that we carry on.  Now, like each of them, we must ask, do we have the wisdom and the courage to walk the path of peace?  All of us are leaders of our people, who, no matter the language they speak or the faith they practice, all basically seek the same things:  to live in security, free from fear; to live in dignity, free from want; to provide for their families and to realize a better tomorrow.  Tonight, they look to us, and each of us must decide, will we work diligently to fulfill their aspirations?

And though each of us holds a title of honor —- President, Prime Minister, King —- we are bound by the one title we share. We are fathers, blessed with sons and daughters.  So we must ask ourselves what kind of world do we want to bequeath to our children and our grandchildren.

Tonight, and in the days and months ahead, these are the questions that we must answer.  And this is a fitting moment to do so.For Muslims, this is Ramadan.  For Jews, this is Elul.  It is rare for those two months to coincide.  But this year, tonight, they do.  Different faiths, different rituals, but a shared period of devotion —- and contemplation.  A time to reflect on right and wrong; a time to ponder one’s place in the world; a time when the people of two great religions remind the world of a truth that is both simple and profound, that each of us, all of us, in our hearts and in our lives, are capable of great and lasting change.

In this spirit, I welcome my partners.  And I invite each to say a few words before we begin our meal, beginning with President Mubarak, on to His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas.

President Mubarak.

PRESIDENT MUBARAK:  (As prepared for delivery.)  I am pleased to participate with you today in relaunching direct peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.  Like you, and the millions of Palestinians, Israelis, Arabs and the rest of the world, I look forward that these negotiations be final and decisive, and that they lead to a peace agreement within one year.

Our meet today would not have taken place without the considerable effort exerted by the American administration under the leadership of President Obama.  I pay tribute to you, Mr. President, for your personal, serious commit and for your determination to work for a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine since the early days of your presidency.  I appreciate your perseverance throughout the past period to overcome the difficulties facing the relaunching of the negotiations.

(Continued as translated.)  I consider this invitation a manifestation of your commitment and a significant message that the United States will shepherd these negotiations seriously and at the highest level.

No one realizes the value of peace more than those who have known wars and their havoc.  It was my destiny to witness over many events in our region during the years of war and peace.  I have gone through wars and hostilities, and have participated in the quest for peace since the first day of my administration.  I have never spared an effort to push it forward, and I still look forward to its success and completion.

The efforts to achieve peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis encountered many difficulties since the Madrid Conference in October 1999, and progress and regression, breakthroughs and setbacks, but the occupation of the Palestinian Territory remains an independent -- an independent Palestinian state is yet -- remains a dream in the conscious of the Palestinian people.There is no doubt that this situation should raise great frustration and anger among our people, for it is no longer acceptable or conceivable on the verge of the second decade of the third millennium that we fail to achieve just and true peace -- peace that would put an end to the century of conflict, fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, lift the occupation, allow for the establishment of normal relations between the Palestinians and Israelis.

It is true that reaching a just and comprehensive peace treaty between both sides has been an elusive hope for almost two decades.  Yet the accumulated experience of both parties, the extended rounds of negotiations, and the previous understandings, particularly during the Clinton parameters of 2000, and subsequent understandings of Taba and with the previous Israeli government, all contributed in setting the outline of the final settlement.

This outline has become well known to the international community and to both peoples -- the Palestinian and Israeli people.  Hence, it is expected that the current negotiations will not start from scratch or in void.  No doubt, the position of the international community, as is stated in the consecutive statements of the Quartet, in particular, in its latest August 20th statement, paid due respect to relevant international resolutions and supported the outline of final settlements using different formulation without prejudice to the outcome of negotiations.

It has stressed that the aim of the soon-to-start direct negotiation is to reach a peaceful settlement that would end the Israeli occupation which began in 1967, allowing for the independent and sovereign state of Palestine to emerge and live side by side in peace and security with the state of Israel.

I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu many times since he took office last year.  In our meetings, I listened to assertions on his willingness to achieve peace with the Palestinians, and for history to record his name for such an achievement.  I say to him today that I look forward to achieving those assertions in reality, and his success in achieving the long-awaited peace, which I know the people of Israel yearn for, just like all other people in the region.Reaching just peace with the Palestinians will require from Israel taking important and decisive decisions -- decisions that are undoubtedly difficult yet they will be necessary to achieve peace and stability, and in a different context than the one that prevailed before.Settlement activities on the Palestinian Territory are contrary to international law.  They will not create rights for Israel, nor are they going to achieve peace or security for Israel.  It is, therefore, a priority to completely freeze all these activities until the entire negotiation process comes to a successful end.

I say to the Israelis, seize the current opportunity.  Do not let it slip through your fingers.  Make comprehensive peace your goal.  Extend your hand to meet the hand already extended in the Arab Peace Initiative. I say to President Mahmoud Abbas, Egypt will continue its faithful support to the patient Palestinian people and their just cause.  We will continue our concerted efforts to help fulfill the aspirations of your people and retrieve their legitimate rights.  We will stand by you until the independent state of Palestine on the land occupied since 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.  We will also continue our efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation for the sake of the Palestinian national interest.

Once again, I’d like to express my thanks to President Obama, and I renew Egypt’s commitment to continue exerting all efforts, sharing honest advice and a commitment to the principles on which Arab and regional policy rests upon.

Please accept my appreciation, and peace be upon you. (Applause.)HIS MAJESTY KING ABDULLAH:  (As translated.)  In the name of God most merciful, most compassionate, President Obama, peace be upon you.(In English.)  For decades, a Palestinian-Israeli settlement has eluded us.  Millions of men, women and children have suffered.  Too many people have lost faith in our ability to bring them the peace they want.  Radicals and terrorists have exploited frustrations to feed hatred and ignite wars.  The whole world has been dragged into regional conflicts that cannot be addressed effectively until Arabs and Israelis find peace.

This past record drives the importance of our efforts today. There are those on both sides who want us to fail, who will do everything in their power to disrupt our efforts today -- because when the Palestinians and Israelis find peace, when young men and women can look to a future of promise and opportunity, radicals and extremists lose their most potent appeal.  This is why we must prevail.  For our failure would be their success in sinking the region into more instability and wars that will cause further suffering in our region and beyond.

President Obama, we value your commitment to the cause of peace in our region.  We count on your continued engagement to help the parties move forward.  You have said that Middle East peace is in the national security interest of your country.  And we believe it is.  And it is also a strategic European interest, and it is a necessary requirement for global security and stability.  Peace is also a right for every citizen in our region.A Palestinian-Israeli settlement on the basis of two states living side by side is a precondition for security and stability of all countries of the Middle East, with a regional peace that will lead to normal relations between Israel and 57 Arab and Muslim states that have endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative.  That would be -- well, that would also be an essential step towards neutralizing forces of evil and war that threaten all peoples.

Mr. President, we need your support as a mediator, honest broker, and a partner, as the parties move along the hard but inevitable path of settlements.

Your Excellencies, all eyes are upon us.  The direct negotiations that will start tomorrow must show results -- and sooner rather than later.  Time is not on our side.  That is why we must spare no effort in addressing all final status issues with a view to reaching the two-state solution, the only solution that can create a future worthy of our great region -- a future of peace in which fathers and mothers can raise their children without fear, young people can look forward to lives of achievement and hope, and 300 million people can cooperate for mutual benefit.

For too long, too many people of the region have been denied their most basic of human rights:  the right to live in peace and security; respected in their human dignity; enjoying freedom and opportunity.  If hopes are disappointed again, the price of failure will be too high for all.

Our peoples want us to rise to their expectations.  And we can do so if we approach these negotiations with goodwill, sincerity and courage.  (Applause.)

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU:  Mr. President, Excellencies, Shalom Aleichem.  Shalom Alkulanu.  Peace unto us all.

I’m very pleased to be here today to begin our common effort to achieve a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

I want to thank you, President Obama, for your tireless efforts to renew this quest for peace.  I want to thank Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Mitchell, the many members of the Obama administration, and Tony Blair, who’ve all worked so hard to bring Israelis and Palestinians together here today.

I also want to thank President Mubarak and King Abdullah for their dedicated and meaningful support to promote peace, security, and stability throughout our region.  I deeply appreciate your presence here today.

I began with a Hebrew word for peace, “shalom.”  Our goal is shalom.  Our goal is to forge a secure and durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians.  We don’t seek a brief interlude between two wars.  We don’t seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror.  We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all.  We seek a peace that will last for generations -- our generation, our children’s generation, and the next.

This is the peace my people fervently want.  This is the peace all our peoples fervently aspire to.  This is the peace they deserve.

Now, a lasting peace is a peace between peoples -- between Israelis and Palestinians.  We must learn to live together, to live next to one another and with one another.  But every peace begins with leaders.

President Abbas, you are my partner in peace.  And it is up to us, with the help of our friends, to conclude the agonizing conflict between our peoples and to afford them a new beginning. The Jewish people are not strangers in our ancestral homeland, the land of our forefathers.  But we recognize that another people shares this land with us.I came here today to find an historic compromise that will enable both our peoples to live in peace and security and in dignity.  I’ve been making the case for Israel all of my life.  But I didn’t come here today to make an argument.  I came here today to make peace.  I didn’t come here today to play a blame game where even the winners lose.  Everybody loses if there’s no peace.  I came here to achieve a peace that will bring a lasting benefit to us all.I didn’t come here to find excuses or to make them.  I came here to find solutions.  I know the history of our conflict and the sacrifices that have been made.  I know the grief that has afflicted so many families who have lost their dearest loved ones.  Only yesterday four Israelis, including a pregnant women  -- a pregnant woman -- and another woman, a mother of six children, were brutally murdered by savage terrorists.  And two hours ago, there was another terror attack.  And thank God no one died.  I will not let the terrorists block our path to peace, but as these events underscore once again, that peace must be anchored in security. I’m prepared to walk down the path of peace, because I know what peace would mean for our children and for our grandchildren. I know it would herald a new beginning that could unleash unprecedented opportunities for Israelis, for Palestinians, and for the peoples -- all the peoples -- of our region, and well beyond our region.  I think it would affect the world.

I see what a period of calm has created in the Palestinian cities of Ramallah, of Janin, throughout the West Bank, a great economic boom.  And real peace can turn this boom into a permanent era of progress and hope.

If we work together, we can take advantage of the great benefits afforded by our unique place under the sun.  We’re the crossroads of three continents, at the crossroads of history, and the crossroads of the future.  Our geography, our history, our culture, our climate, the talents of our people can be unleashed to create extraordinary opportunities in tourism, in trade, in industry, in energy, in water, in so many areas. But peace must also be defended against its enemies.  We want the skyline of the West Bank to be dominated by apartment towers -- not missiles.  We want the roads of the West Bank to flow with commerce -- not terrorists.

And this is not a theoretic request for our people.  We left Lebanon, and we got terror.  We left Gaza, and we got terror once again.  We want to ensure that territory we’ll concede will not be turned into a third Iranian-sponsored terror enclave armed at the heart of Israel -- and may I add, also aimed at every one of us sitting on this stage.

This is why a defensible peace requires security arrangements that can withstand the test of time and the many challenges that are sure to confront us.  And there will be many challenges, both great and small.  Let us not get bogged down by every difference between us.  Let us direct our courage, our thinking, and our decisions at those historic decisions that lie ahead.

Now, there are many skeptics.  One thing there’s no shortage of, Mr. President, are skeptics.  This is something that you’re so familiar with, that all of us in a position of leadership are familiar with.  There are many skeptics.  I suppose there are many reasons for skepticism.  But I have no doubt that peace is possible.

President Abbas, we cannot erase the past, but it is within our power to change the future.  Thousands of years ago, on these very hills where Israelis and Palestinians live today, the Jewish prophet Isaiah and the other prophets of my people envisaged a future of lasting peace for all mankind.  Let today be an auspicious step in our joint effort to realize that ancient vision for a better future.  (Applause.)

PRESIDENT ABBAS:  (As translated.)  His Excellency President Barack Obama, His Excellency President Hosni Mubarak, His Majesty King Abdullah II, His Excellency Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, Mr. Tony Blair, ladies and gentlemen.I would like to start by thanking President Obama for his invitation to host us here today to relaunch the permanent status negotiations to reach a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement covering all the permanent status issues within a year in accordance with international law and relevant resolutions. As we move towards the relaunch of these negotiations tomorrow, we recognize the difficulties, challenges and obstacles that lie ahead.  Yet we assure you, in the name of the PLO, that we will draw on years of experience in negotiations and benefit from the lessons learned to make these negotiations successful.

We also reiterate our commitment to carry out all our obligations, and we call on the Israelis to carry out their obligations, including a freeze on settlements activities, which is not setting a precondition but a call to implement an agreed obligation and to end all the closure and blockade, preventing freedom of movement, including the (inaudible) siege.

We will spare no effort and will work diligently and tirelessly to ensure that these new negotiations achieve their goals and objectives in dealing with all of the issues:  Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, border security, water, as well as the release of all our prisoners -- in order to achieve peace. The people of our area are looking for peace that achieves freedom, independence, and justice to the Palestinian people in their country and in their homeland and in the diaspora -- our people who have endured decades of longstanding suffering.

We want a peace that will correct the historical injustice caused by the (inaudible) of 1948, and one that brings security to our people and the Israeli people.  And we want peace that will give us both and the people of the region a new era where we enjoy just peace, stability, and prosperity. Our determination stems to a great extent from your willpower, Mr. President, and your firm and sweeping drive with which you engulfed the entire world from the day you took office to set the parties on the path for peace -- and also this same spirit, exhibited by Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator George Mitchell and his team.  The presence of His Excellency President Mubarak and His Majesty King Abdullah is another telling indication of their substantial and effective commitment overall, where Egypt and Jordan have been playing a supportive role for advancing the peace process.  Their effective role is further demonstrated by the Arab Peace Initiative, which was fully endorsed by all of the Arab states, and the Islamic countries as well.

This initiative served a genuine and sincere opportunity to achieve a just and comprehensive peace on all tracks in our region, including the Syrian-Israeli track and the Lebanese-Israeli track, and provided a sincere opportunity to make peace.

The presence here today of the envoy of the Quartet, Mr. Tony Blair, is a most telling signal, especially since he has been personally involved in the Palestinian Authority for many years and in the efforts for state building in Palestine.

Excellencies, the time has come for us to make peace and it is time to end the occupation that started in 1967, and for the Palestinian people to get freedom, justice, and independence.  It is time that a independent Palestinian state be established with sovereignty side by side with the state of Israel.  It is time to put an end to the struggle in the Middle East. The Palestinian people who insist on the rights and freedom and independence are in most need for justice, security, and peace, because they are the victim, the ones that were harmed the most from this violence.  And it is sending message to our neighbors, the Israelis, and to the world that they are also careful about supporting the opportunities for the success of these negotiations and the just and lasting peace as soon as possible.

With this spirit, we will work to make these negotiations succeed.  And with this spirit, we are -- trust that we are capable to achieve our historical, difficult mission -- making peace in the land of peace.

Mr. Netanyahu, what happened yesterday and what is happening today is also condemned.  We do not want at all that any blood be shed, one drop of blood, on the part of the -- from the Israelis or the Palestinians.  We want people in the two countries to lead a normal life.  We want them to live as neighbors and partners forever.  Let us sign an agreement, a final agreement, for peace, and put an end to a very long period of struggle forever.And peace be upon you.  (Applause.)

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I want to thank all the leaders for their thoughtful statements.  I want to thank the delegations that are represented here because they are the ones who oftentimes are doing a lot of the work.  This is just the beginning.  We have a long road ahead, but I appreciate very much the leaders who are represented here for giving us such an excellent start. And I particularly want to commend Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas for their presence here.  This is not easy.  Both of them have constituencies with legitimate claims, legitimate concerns, and a lot of history between them.  For them to be here, to be willing to take this first step -- the most difficult step -- is a testament to their courage and their integrity and I think their vision for the future.And so I am hopeful -- cautiously hopeful, but hopeful -- that we can achieve the goal that all four of these leaders articulated. Thank you very much, everybody.

  END  7:41 P.M. EDT

The leaders stated their strong support for the resumption of direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and President Obama thanked President Mubarak for his leadership and support for peace in the region.  They expressed their hope that the resumption of direct talks will lead to two states living side-by-side in peace and security.    

President Obama and President Mubarak consulted on the details of the launch event for direct talks at the Department of State scheduled for tomorrow.  The President committed to staying in close contact with President Mubarak as the talks develop, and made clear that Egypt’s leadership will be needed to ensure that the talks are successful.   

The leaders also discussed various regional issues of mutual interest, and President Obama reaffirmed the importance of a vibrant civil society, open political competition, and credible and transparent elections in Egypt.   The President welcomes commitments Egypt has made as part of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review.

Childhood obesity has been a growing problem for decades.  While it has afflicted children across our country, certain Americans have been disproportionately affected.  Particular racial and ethnic groups are more severely impacted, as are certain regions of the country.  In addition, obesity can be influenced by a number of environmental and behavioral factors, including unhealthy eating patterns and too little physical activity at home and at school.

We must do more to halt and reverse this epidemic, as obesity can lead to severe and chronic health problems during childhood, adolescence and adulthood, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and asthma.  Not only does excess weight adversely affect our children's well-being, but its associated health risks also impose great costs on families, our health care system, and our economy.  Each year, nearly $150 billion are spent to treat obesity-related medical conditions.  This is not the future to which we want to consign our children, and it is a burden our health care system cannot bear.

Earlier this year, the First Lady announced "Let's Move!"    an initiative to combat childhood obesity at every stage of a child's life.  As President, I created a Task Force on Childhood Obesity to marshal the combined resources of the Federal Government to develop interagency solutions and make recommendations on how to respond to this crisis.  The Task Force produced a report containing a comprehensive set of recommendations that will put our country on track for solving this pressing health issue and preventing it from threatening future generations.

The report outlines broad strategies to address childhood obesity, including providing healthier food in schools, ensuring access to healthy affordable food, increasing opportunities for physical activity, empowering parents and caregivers with better information about making healthy choices, and giving children a healthy start in life.  I invite all Americans to visit LetsMove.gov to learn more about these recommendations and find additional information and resources on how to help children eat healthy and stay active.

The new landmark health care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), includes a number of important tools for fighting and reversing the rise of childhood obesity.  All new health insurance plans will be required to cover both screenings for childhood obesity and counseling on nutrition and sustained weight loss, without charging any out of pocket costs.  The ACA also requires large restaurant and vending machine operators to provide visible nutritional information about the products they sell, enabling all Americans to make more informed choices about the foods they eat.  As part of my Administration's comprehensive approach to combating this epidemic, the ACA includes millions in new funds to implement prevention activities nationwide that support recommendations of the Task Force on Childhood Obesity.

Our history shows that when we are united in our convictions, we can safeguard the health and safety of America's children for generations to come.  When waves of American children were stricken with polio and disabled for life, we developed a nationwide immunization program that eradicated this crippling disease from our shores within a matter of decades.  When we discovered that children were going to school hungry because their families could not afford nutritious meals, we created the National School Lunch Program.  Today, this program feeds more than 30 million American children, often at little or no charge.  When we work together, we can overcome any obstacle and protect our Nation's most precious resource -- our children.  As we take steps to turn around the epidemic of childhood obesity, I am confident that we will solve this problem together, and that we will solve it in a generation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2010 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.  I encourage all Americans to take action by learning about and engaging in activities that promote healthy eating and greater physical activity by all of our Nation's children.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

That is why the State Department has established the Pakistan Relief Fund for American's to join the relief, recovery and reconstruction effort by donating online or by texting "FLOOD" to 27722 for a contribution of $10 that will be added to their cell phone bill. 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton encourages American's to help continue our tradition of generosity in a public service announcement released by the Ad Council.

 Contributions to the Pakistan Relief Fund will go towards funding programs run by the Department of State and other federal agencies for relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan, or to provide funds to international organizations, non-profit organizations and other appropriate recipients for relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan.   For more information about the Pakistan Relief Fund, visit www.state.gov/pakistanrelief.

This recovery is a testament to the 2008 Farm Bill, to a wide range of efforts of the Obama Administration – such as the Recovery Act – to move the economy forward and to support the agriculture economy, and the hard work and resilience of America’s farmers and ranchers. 

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5:27 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody. 

Upon taking office, I declared that America is a friend of each nation and every person who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that the United States was ready to lead in pursuit of that future.  At the beginning of my administration, I stated that it was our policy to actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as a comprehensive peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors. And to support my outstanding Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s leadership, I appointed a special envoy and one of our nation’s finest statesmen, former Senator George Mitchell, to guide our efforts.

As I’ve said many times, our goal is a two-state solution that ends the conflict and ensures the rights and security of both Israelis and Palestinians.  And despite the inevitable challenges, we have never wavered in pursuit of this goal.  I’ve met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on numerous occasions.  Between them, Secretary Clinton and Senator Mitchell have made countless trips to the region.  

Over the past year, both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have taken important steps to build confidence.  And with Senator Mitchell’s support, Israelis and Palestinians have engaged in several rounds of proximity talks   -— even in the face of difficult circumstances.  But we’ve always made it clear that the only path to lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians is direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians. 

Tomorrow, after nearly two years, the parties will relaunch those direct talks.

Today, I had a series of very productive meetings with key partners in this effort.  I urged Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas to recognize this as a moment of opportunity that must be seized.  I thanked President Mubarak of Egypt and His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan, for their valuable leadership and for the support that will be necessary going forward.  And I look forward to hosting these four leaders at a private working dinner at the White House tonight. 

I also want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to many friends and allies, especially our Quartet partners.  And former Prime Minister Tony Blair will be joining us as representing the Quartet at the dinner this evening.

The purpose of these talks is clear.  These will be direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.  These negotiations are intended to resolve all final status issues.  The goal is a settlement, negotiated between the parties, that ends the occupation which began in 1967 and results in the emergence of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security with a Jewish state of Israel and its other neighbors. That’s the vision we are pursuing.

Now, I know these talks have been greeted in some quarters with skepticism.  We are under no illusions.  Passions run deep.  Each side has legitimate and enduring interests.  Years of mistrust will not disappear overnight.  Building confidence will require painstaking diplomacy and trust by the parties. After all, there’s a reason that the two-state solution has eluded previous generations —- this is extraordinarily complex and extraordinarily difficult.

But we know that the status quo is unsustainable -- for Israelis, for Palestinians, for the region and for the world. It is in the national interests of all involved, including the United States, that this conflict be brought to a peaceful conclusion. 

So even as we are clear-eyed about the challenges ahead, so, too, do we see the foundation for progress.  The Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority are already cooperating on a daily basis to increase security and reduce violence, to build institutions and improve conditions on the ground. 

Among the Israeli and Palestinian publics, there is wide support for a two-state solution, the broad outlines of which are well known to both peoples.  And even in the midst of discord, ordinary Israelis and Palestinians -— faith leaders, civil society groups, doctors, scientists, businessmen, students -- find ways to work together every day.  Their heroic efforts at the grassroots show that cooperation and progress is possible and should inspire us all.

In addition, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas are two leaders who I believe want peace.  Both sides have indicated that these negotiations can be completed within one year.  And as I told each of them today, this moment of opportunity may not soon come again -— they cannot afford to let it slip away. Now is the time for leaders of courage and vision to deliver the peace that their people deserve. 

The United States will put our full weight behind this effort.  We will be an active and sustained participant.  We will support those who make difficult choices in pursuit of peace.  But let me very clear.  Ultimately the United States cannot impose a solution, and we cannot want it more than the parties themselves.  There are enormous risks involved here for all the parties concerned, but we cannot do it for them. We can create the environment and the atmosphere for negotiations, but ultimately it’s going to require the leadership on both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides, as well as those in the region who say they want a Palestinian state. 

A lot of times I hear from those who insist that this is a top priority and yet do very little to actually support efforts that could bring about a Palestinian state. 

So only Israelis and Palestinians can make the difficult choices and build the consensus at home for progress.  Only Israelis and Palestinians can prove to each other their readiness to end this conflict and make the compromises upon which lasting peace deserves. 

What the rest of us can do, including the United States, is to support those conversations, support those talks, support those efforts -- not try to undermine them.

So the hard work is only beginning.  Neither success nor failure is inevitable.  But this much we know:  If we do not make the attempt, then failure is guaranteed.  If both sides do not commit to these talks in earnest, then the longstanding conflict will only continue to fester and consume another generation.  And this we simply cannot allow.

We know that there will be moments that test our resolve.  We know that extremists and enemies of peace will do everything in their power to destroy this effort —- as we saw in the heinous attacks near Hebron, which we have strongly condemned.  But we also know this:  Too much blood has already been shed.  Too many lives have already been lost.  Too many hearts have already been broken. 

And despite what the cynics say, history teaches us that there is a different path.  It is the path of resolve and determination, where compromise is possible, and old conflicts, at long last, can end.  It is the path traveled by those who brought peace to their countries, from Northern Ireland -- where Senator Mitchell was so deeply involved -- to the Balkans, to Africa, Asia, to those who forged peace between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan. 

This path is open to Israelis and Palestinians.  If all sides persevere, in good faith and with a sense of purpose and possibility, we can build a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. 

Thank you very much. 

END
5:35 P.M. EDT

Click here to see the photo gallery.

Today the White House is focused on the re-launch of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians for the first time in nearly two years. As the President has said, we are under no illusions about how difficult and complex a task reaching a peace agreement will be, but we also know that resolving this conflict is in the national security interests of the United States. Re-launching direct talks is an important step along this path.

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President Obama thanked King Abdullah for his leadership and support for peace in the region, and both leaders stated their strong support for the resumption of direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and for comprehensive peace in the region.  They expressed their hope that the resumption of direct negotiations will lead to two states living side-by-side in peace and security.  

President Obama and King Abdullah consulted on the details of the launch event for direct talks at the Department of State scheduled for tomorrow.  The President made clear that Jordan’s leadership will be needed to ensure that the talks are successful, and reassured King Abdullah that the United States believes that the only way to achieve peace between the Israelis and Palestinians is through direct negotiations.  

The leaders also discussed regional and bilateral issues, and committed to seeking ways to strengthen the partnership between the United States and Jordan.

Some states suing to toss out President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law are also lining up to claim a share of its subsidies for the medical costs of retired employees.

An administration official said Tuesday seven states suing the federal government are among 16 already approved for subsidies to help with the health care costs of early retirees. The seven are Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Nevada.

Times-Picayune, “Louisiana approved for participation in program it is suing to end”:

Louisiana is one of seven states suing to overturn President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul law while also applying to get money provided under the legislation to help cover the medical costs of early retirees…

In addition to the state of Louisiana itself, 16 Louisiana companies and government entities also were approved for participation. They include Entergy Corp., St. Tammany Parish public schools, St. Bernard Parish government, the Orleans Levee District, Plaquemines Parish government and the Albemarle Corp.

The Journal Gazette (Indiana), “Feds OK 75 in state for health subsidies”:

The state of Indiana, dozens of schools, one of the state’s largest private employers and unions will receive money under the nation’s new health insurance law when early retirees file high-cost medical claims.

Indiana applied for the subsidies even though it has sued to block the health insurance law…

In addition, the state of Indiana, Eli Lilly and Co., Elkhart County, Ball State University, Indiana State Police, NiSource, Purdue University and unions representing plumbers, painters and cement masons were accepted into the program.

Americans are all too familiar with Congressional Republican hypocrisy. Just last week, in a speech before the City Club of Cleveland, Mr. Boehner said “all this stimulus spending has gotten us nowhere…”:

But that very same day the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a report showing the Recovery Act added as many as 3.3 million jobs and the Ohio Department of Transportation announced that 9,500 Ohioans were employed on Recovery Act-funded construction projects just in the month of July.

Mr. Boehner is also on the record supporting the use of Recovery Act funds in his home state of Ohio stating it “will create much-needed jobs.”

In fact, many Congressional Republicans have publicly criticized the Recovery Act while going out of their way to take credit for it in their home districts.

Last night President Obama marked the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As the President said, the struggle for peace is not over, but the progress we've made is undeniable.

This moment also represents a promise kept. As a candidate, President Obama laid out a vision for this country -- and bringing our troops home from Iraq was a defining part of that vision. It was one of the reasons that all of us knocked on doors, made phone calls, and voted.

Keeping that promise is important, not only for our brave women and men in uniform, but also for their loved ones, and for all Americans who have hoped and prayed for a resolution to this war.

Please take a moment to watch the President's speech if you missed it last night:

Watch the President's Oval Office address:

http://my.barackobama.com/IraqAddress

Thanks,

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

The New York Times highlighted new estimates out yesterday that represent good news for farmers and other rural Americans:

Even as the broader economy falters amid signs of a weakening recovery, the nation’s agriculture sector is going strong, bolstered in part by a surge in exports, according to federal estimates of farm trade and income released on Tuesday.

The estimates confirm what economists have been saying for months: agriculture, which was generally not hit as hard by the recession as many other segments of the economy, remains a small bright spot going forward.

“We’re just having a robust rebound in the agricultural sector and promises of more growth,” Jason R. Henderson, vice president and economist at the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, said in a recent interview.

The estimates show that American farmers will ship $107.5 billion in agricultural products abroad in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. That is the second-highest amount ever, behind the record $115.3 billion in exports logged in 2008, when commodity prices soared as the global demand for agricultural products was helped by fast-growing economies in the developing world....

“The better the demand, the higher the price, and it’s going to put another 10, 15, possibly 20 cents in the price of a bushel of corn,” said Bill Horan, a corn farmer in Iowa. Corn is about $4 a bushel, which is about 50 cents higher than last year. “It means my wife can go out and buy a new sofa, and I can put new tires on the pickup.”

Read the full article here.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Ladies and gentlemen, the last several years, every time I have been in this old palace, am here, I can’t but help think of the irony that we are here today occupying a palace for a noble reason that was once occupied by Saddam Hussein. 

Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen, General Mattis, General Odierno, General Austin, Ambassador Jeffrey, our distinguished and honored Iraqi leaders and military, it’s an honor to be with you today. 

It’s an honor to be joined by such a distinguished group of Americans and Iraqi commanders and civilian leaders bound together, I might add -- as a nation, we are now bound together as well by years of shared struggle and significant sacrifice.

In the predawn hours of March 20, 2003, columns of coalition troops set off across the desert and marshlands from Kuwait en route to Baghdad.  Last week -- after seven-and-a-half years that tested our mettle like no conflict in recent American history -- the last of our combat units followed that same dusty highway out of Iraq, on their way home.

As President Obama declared in the Oval Office last night, the United States has now ended our combat mission in Iraq and Iraqi troops are taking lead responsibility for their country’s security.

We’ve kept a promise, a promise made to the American people and to the people of Iraq, by drawing down our forces to roughly 50,000.  And we’re on track to remove all of our troops by the end of next year, according to the agreement signed by President Bush made with the Iraqi government.

Operation Iraqi Freedom is over. But American engagement with Iraq will continue with the mission that begins today -- Operation New Dawn.

As the name suggests, this ceremony not only marks the change of a command, but the start of a different chapter in the relationship with Iraq.  Our remaining troops -- I might add, as combat ready, if need be, as any in our military -- will advise and assist Iraqi forces, support partnered counterterrorism operations and protect our military and civilian personnel, as well as our infrastructure.

And we are ramping up our civilian and diplomatic effort to strengthen Iraq’s sovereignty, stability and self-reliance at the very time we are drawing down combat forces.

Our goal -- our goal is not just a physically secure Iraq, but an economically prosperous and stable one as well. 

With our Iraqi partners, our hope is to be able to enhance the ties of trade and commerce, increase our cultural and educational exchanges, open consulates in Basra and Erbil -- all to ensure that our engagement spans the breadth and length of this country.

Our diplomats -- our diplomats will support Iraq's efforts to build strong ties with their neighbors and the wider world, while working through the remaining obligations at the United Nations.

And here in Baghdad, those efforts will be led by an outstanding ambassador, Jim Jeffrey, who may be new to this particular job, but is certainly not new to the region nor this country.  His knowledge and commitment run deep.  They go back to his earlier service in the Bush administration as a Deputy National Security Advisor, as well as at one point the DCM right here in Baghdad. 

And he is backed by an extraordinary team of Foreign Service professionals and civilian experts, who are moving to the forefront of our effort now.  They have always been engaged, but now they’re moving to the forefront, people like Erin Eddy, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, who now serves “outside the wire” as a public diplomacy officer on a regional -- provincial reconstruction team in Kirkuk. 

Or Madeline Chikko, who became an American citizen after her family fled Iraq three decades ago and has now chosen to return in 2008 to work with the Ministry of Justice here in Iraq on property rights and rule of law.

Or Dave Butzer, a 27 year-veteran of the Oregon police force, who has since then trained law enforcement officers in Kosovo, Jordan and Yemen, and who now advises the Iraqi Interior Ministry. 

Along with our military and diplomats, and the civilians in Iraq -- we have borne -- they have borne the burden of lengthy deployments, like you in the military, missing anniversaries and holidays, births of children and the loss of loved ones.

This change of mission, to state the obvious, would never have been possible without the resolve and tremendous sacrifice and competence of our military -- the finest -- if our Iraqi friends will forgive us, the finest fighting force in the world and I would argue the finest fighting force that ever has existed.  And I don’t believe that is hyperbole.

And that’s a large part, because it has been led by such a significant group of men and women over the last three decade.  And I want to thank my friend, Secretary Gates, for his unique willingness to serve two Presidents of different parties with differing views -- a testimony to Bob’s patriotism, his commitment to service and above all his determination to see this effort through.  (Applause.)  He deserves your applause. 

If you excuse the personal reference, as we used to say in the Senate, this is one good man -- one good man.  We’ve also been blessed by the wisdom and steady hand of Admiral Mike Mullen and the leadership of General David Petraeus, who I might add is still serving this country in a way that is beyond what we should ask of anyone.  I shouldn’t joke about this, but I visited him down in Florida and -- before he headed off, Bob.  And he said, “Just as I was getting -- finally getting to live like the Air Force, you’re asking me to move.”  (Laughter.)  It was a lovely place.  (Laughter.)  And by the way, we owe his wife and his family as well.

And also by General Jim Mattis, who is taking his command.  And on his last day of his command, I’d like to especially thank General Ray Odierno.  This man is not only a warrior, but a diplomat in the best American tradition.  I want to thank him for his exceptional -- and I’m not exaggerating, his exceptional service for more than four years leading forces here and working closely with Iraqi political leaders, many of them sitting here today.  And I think they would all acknowledge they have absolute complete faith and trust in this man.

General, four years and five months is an extraordinary sacrifice for both you and your family, and I can only imagine -- as a matter of fact, I know how joyous your homecoming is going to be and you richly deserve it.  And by the way, you owe Linda big -- really, really big.

And I would be remiss if I did not in mentioning the sacrifices that the General has made, like many of you, I would be remiss if I did not recognize his son, Capt. Tony Odierno, who made a great sacrifice here in Iraq on behalf of his country and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with a V for Valor.  And now he works for the New York Yankees, and I imagine you’re going to go home and see a couple of games -- I imagine.

I’m confident as well that General Austin, who has already served valiantly in Iraq and beyond, is going to continue this proud legacy.  We’re extremely fortunate to have you take command, General, and I look forward to working with you.  And I know you know many of the Iraqi political leaders here and their commanding generals, and it’s going to be a seamless transition.

Our fighting men and women were given a mission in Iraq that was as complicated as any in our history, an assignment that proved, as Clausewitz taught us, that “War is the realm of uncertainty.”

Troops steeped in military doctrine were asked to deal with challenges ranging from electricity to unemployment, currency exchange to trash collection.

A high-speed invasion that toppled a tyrant became a grinding struggle against violent extremists.  Empty roads became deathtraps.  Suicide became a devastating weapon, requiring split-second decisions by young American military women and men that could save the life of a comrade or shed the blood of an innocent.

And enemies like Al Qaeda in Iraq waged unspeakable violence against Iraqi civilians in an attempt to foster hatred in communities that worship the exact same God.

Thus far, they have failed.  The Iraqi people, to their great credit, have rejected the ugly face of violence and cast their lot, as well as their ballots, for a better future.

And so today, while the threat -- a tragic reality -- of further bloodshed remains, violence has reached the lowest point since 2003, when we arrived here -- shortly after we arrived here.  

And a great deal of credit goes to Iraq’s security forces -- more than 650,000 strong, including highly trained special operations forces who are increasingly ready to defend their fellow citizens.  In recent months, the Iraqi military secured an election, killed or captured most of Al Qaeda in Iraq and most of their leaders and made significant inroads against other terrorist groups.

Because of their competence, we have over the past year -- and it’s been over the past year as the General will tell you and you all know -- been able to transfer thousands of square miles of territory and hundreds of bases to Iraqi control.

Perhaps the most important development of all is that in the aftermath of a second national election, Iraqi leaders are sitting down to settle their differences through negotiation and not through violence.  Another way of putting it -- as my staff always kids me for saying -- politics has broken out in Iraq.

The fact that no single party or coalition got anywhere near a clear majority would make forming a government, a parliamentary system, difficult under any circumstances.  A decade -- after a decade of dictatorship and war, it’s an even more daunting task here in Iraq.

Unlike after the last election, however, a caretaker government is providing security and basic services and preventing a dangerous power vacuum from erupting.  But that is not a durable solution to the many challenges and significant opportunities Iraq faces.  The Iraqi people voted in large numbers across communities, and if you don’t mind -- forgive me for saying so -- they expect a government that reflects the result of the votes they cast.

And that’s going to require Iraqi politicians to place the national interest above their own, a difficult thing in any country, including ours.  It is not our place to tell the Iraqis who should lead.  But I strongly urge them to match the courage that their citizens have shown by bringing this process to a close and forming a government.  And I trust they will do so soon.

Since war is a human endeavor, its contours can never be fully drawn with numbers.  But the sheer scope of our commitment to the Iraqi people bears some reflection.

More than a million American service members have deployed here since the conflict began.  And I am awed -- I mean, I am in awe of their accomplishments and their significant sacrifices, including all of you sitting before me today.

This is particularly true for more than 30,000 troops wounded in action, and over 4,408 fallen angels who have made the ultimate sacrifice along with members of the international coalition.

It’s no secret that this war has divided Americans, but they have never shrunk -- or either political party has shrunk from a united support for an extraordinary United States military, for extraordinary service of our troops.

As President Obama said last night, now is the time to put these differences behind us and come together to meet the many challenges that remain and that we face at home.

Today is also an important acknowledgment -- it’s important to acknowledge the magnitude -- the magnitude of the Iraqi losses in this conflict.  Tens of thousands of security forces and innocent civilians have been killed.  Many times that number have been wounded and displaced.

I pray that all those scarred by this war in Iraq come to know the balm of lasting peace.  And I believe -- I truly believe that their darkest days are now behind them.  They have such a great opportunity as they step up to it.

After all that Iraqis endured, we understand their deeply felt desire to control their own lives, determine their own fate, and maintain their own security.

That’s why we kept President Bush’s commitment to withdraw our forces from Iraqi cities last summer, why President Obama has now kept his promise, made one month after we took office to end our combat mission and draw down to a force of 50,000, and why we will make good on our agreement with the Iraqis to remove all our forces by the end of next year.

We gather today in a capital that once boasted the planet’s greatest assemblage of universities, hospitals, and museums -- a cultural beacon whose centerpiece was a grand intellectual bazaar known literally as the House of Wisdom.

In modern times, Iraq has faced hardships most nations cannot fathom.  But it is blessed with vast national bounty, natural resources.  And the wisdom of the ages lives on in the people here in Iraq -- educated, adaptive, and above all resilient people.

This inevitable store of human talent and natural wealth are the tools that can now forge a secure and prosperous future for the people of Iraq.  And god-willing, you’re on the path to fulfill that promise again.  We’re proud to be your partner. 

Thank you all.  May God bless you all, and may God protect our troops.  (Applause.)

END

“Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.” — President Obama

In 2008, many volunteers were first drawn to Barack Obama as a candidate for President because of his firm promise to end the was in Iraq.

Last night, the President made good on that campaign pledge, and spoke to the nation to mark the end of our combat mission in Iraq.

In just his second Oval Office address, President Obama thanked the millions of Americans who put their lives on the line, including the 4,400 who gave their lives in this war.

We’ve now been through nearly a decade of war.  We’ve endured a long and painful recession.  And sometimes in the midst of these storms, the future that we’re trying to build for our nation -- a future of lasting peace and long-term prosperity -- may seem beyond our reach.

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

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

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

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

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

This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office.

The President also emphasized his steadfast commitment to taking care of our troops once they return home as veterans:

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

Last night we witnessed a historic milestone in our nation’s history. You can join in and mark this moment by welcoming our troops home—send our men and women in uniform your personal message of thanks.

Click here to see the video.

The President's schedule today is packed with bilateral meetings: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.  The talks will stretch into the night with a working dinner with all five leaders in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House.  Learn more from last night's press briefing with Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Senator George Mitchell.

Emerging from the first in that series of meetings, President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu made clear that the "senseless slaughter" that took place last night would not deter the pursuit of peace:

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Hello, everybody.  Prime Minister Netanyahu and I just had a very productive discussion about our shared efforts to advance the cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians and throughout the Middle East.  I'm going to have more to say about today’s meetings not only with Prime Minister Netanyahu but with the other participants of the talks here in the Rose Garden later this afternoon.  But I did want to specifically take some time out to speak to the people of Israel and to the region about the senseless slaughter that took place near Hebron yesterday.
 
There are going to be extremists and rejectionists who, rather than seeking peace, are going to be seeking destruction.  And the tragedy that we saw yesterday where people were gunned down on the street by terrorists who are purposely trying to undermine these talks is an example of what we're up against.  But I want everybody to be very clear:  The United States is going to be unwavering in its support of Israel’s security and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities.
 
And so the message should go out to Hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us from not only ensuring a secure Israel but also securing a longer-lasting peace in which people throughout the region can take a different course.
 
I also want to express the deepest condolences of the American people to the families of those who were gunned down.  And I want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu, during a very difficult time for his country, still being so committed to the cause of peace that he is here with us today.
 
Prime Minister.
 
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU:  Well, thank you, Mr. President, for expressing what I think is the sentiment of decent people everywhere, in the face of this savagery and brutality.  
 
Four innocent people were gunned down and seven new orphans were added, by people who have no respect for human life and trample human rights into the dust and butcher everything that they oppose. 
 
I think that the President’s statement is an expression of our desire to fight against this terror.  And the talks that we had, which were, indeed, open, productive, serious in the quest for peace, also centered around the need to have security arrangements that are able to roll back this kind of terror and other threats to Israel’s security.  That is a fundamental element, an important foundation, of the peace that we seek and work for.
 
And I appreciate, Mr. President, your efforts to advance this peace for us and for our neighbors, for our region, and I think we can say, for the world.
 
Thank you. 
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you. 
 
And let me just say that I will be meeting with President Abbas this afternoon.  He condemned this outrageous attack, as well.  I have the utmost confidence in him and his belief in a two-state solution in which the people of Israel and the Palestinians are living side by side in peace and security.  And so I am also grateful to him for his presence here today.
 
We’ve got a lot of work to do.  There are going to be those who are going to do everything they can to undermine these talks, but we are going to remain stalwart. 
 
And so, to Prime Minister Netanyahu and to Prime Minister -- and to President Abbas, as well as to President Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan, I am very grateful for their participation.  I will have a longer discussion about that this afternoon after my bilateral meetings. 
 
Thank you.  

Emerging from the first in that series of meetings, President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu made clear that the "senseless slaughter" that took place last night would not deter the pursuit of peace:

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Hello, everybody.  Prime Minister Netanyahu and I just had a very productive discussion about our shared efforts to advance the cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians and throughout the Middle East.  I'm going to have more to say about today’s meetings not only with Prime Minister Netanyahu but with the other participants of the talks here in the Rose Garden later this afternoon.  But I did want to specifically take some time out to speak to the people of Israel and to the region about the senseless slaughter that took place near Hebron yesterday.
 
There are going to be extremists and rejectionists who, rather than seeking peace, are going to be seeking destruction.  And the tragedy that we saw yesterday where people were gunned down on the street by terrorists who are purposely trying to undermine these talks is an example of what we're up against.  But I want everybody to be very clear:  The United States is going to be unwavering in its support of Israel’s security and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities.
 
And so the message should go out to Hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us from not only ensuring a secure Israel but also securing a longer-lasting peace in which people throughout the region can take a different course.
 
I also want to express the deepest condolences of the American people to the families of those who were gunned down.  And I want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu, during a very difficult time for his country, still being so committed to the cause of peace that he is here with us today.
 
Prime Minister.
 
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU:  Well, thank you, Mr. President, for expressing what I think is the sentiment of decent people everywhere, in the face of this savagery and brutality.  
 
Four innocent people were gunned down and seven new orphans were added, by people who have no respect for human life and trample human rights into the dust and butcher everything that they oppose. 
 
I think that the President’s statement is an expression of our desire to fight against this terror.  And the talks that we had, which were, indeed, open, productive, serious in the quest for peace, also centered around the need to have security arrangements that are able to roll back this kind of terror and other threats to Israel’s security.  That is a fundamental element, an important foundation, of the peace that we seek and work for.
 
And I appreciate, Mr. President, your efforts to advance this peace for us and for our neighbors, for our region, and I think we can say, for the world.
 
Thank you. 
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you. 
 
And let me just say that I will be meeting with President Abbas this afternoon.  He condemned this outrageous attack, as well.  I have the utmost confidence in him and his belief in a two-state solution in which the people of Israel and the Palestinians are living side by side in peace and security.  And so I am also grateful to him for his presence here today.
 
We’ve got a lot of work to do.  There are going to be those who are going to do everything they can to undermine these talks, but we are going to remain stalwart. 
 
And so, to Prime Minister Netanyahu and to Prime Minister -- and to President Abbas, as well as to President Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan, I am very grateful for their participation.  I will have a longer discussion about that this afternoon after my bilateral meetings. 
 
Thank you.  

Emerging from the first in that series of meetings, President Obama and President Netanyahu made clear that the "senseless slaughter" that took place last night would not deter the pursuit of peace:

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Hello, everybody.  Prime Minister Netanyahu and I just had a very productive discussion about our shared efforts to advance the cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians and throughout the Middle East.  I'm going to have more to say about today’s meetings not only with Prime Minister Netanyahu but with the other participants of the talks here in the Rose Garden later this afternoon.  But I did want to specifically take some time out to speak to the people of Israel and to the region about the senseless slaughter that took place near Hebron yesterday.
 
There are going to be extremists and rejectionists who, rather than seeking peace, are going to be seeking destruction.  And the tragedy that we saw yesterday where people were gunned down on the street by terrorists who are purposely trying to undermine these talks is an example of what we're up against.  But I want everybody to be very clear:  The United States is going to be unwavering in its support of Israel’s security and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities.
 
And so the message should go out to Hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us from not only ensuring a secure Israel but also securing a longer-lasting peace in which people throughout the region can take a different course.
 
I also want to express the deepest condolences of the American people to the families of those who were gunned down.  And I want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu, during a very difficult time for his country, still being so committed to the cause of peace that he is here with us today.
 
Prime Minister.
 
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU:  Well, thank you, Mr. President, for expressing what I think is the sentiment of decent people everywhere, in the face of this savagery and brutality.  
 
Four innocent people were gunned down and seven new orphans were added, by people who have no respect for human life and trample human rights into the dust and butcher everything that they oppose. 
 
I think that the President’s statement is an expression of our desire to fight against this terror.  And the talks that we had, which were, indeed, open, productive, serious in the quest for peace, also centered around the need to have security arrangements that are able to roll back this kind of terror and other threats to Israel’s security.  That is a fundamental element, an important foundation, of the peace that we seek and work for.
 
And I appreciate, Mr. President, your efforts to advance this peace for us and for our neighbors, for our region, and I think we can say, for the world.
 
Thank you. 
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you. 
 
And let me just say that I will be meeting with President Abbas this afternoon.  He condemned this outrageous attack, as well.  I have the utmost confidence in him and his belief in a two-state solution in which the people of Israel and the Palestinians are living side by side in peace and security.  And so I am also grateful to him for his presence here today.
 
We’ve got a lot of work to do.  There are going to be those who are going to do everything they can to undermine these talks, but we are going to remain stalwart. 
 
And so, to Prime Minister Netanyahu and to Prime Minister -- and to President Abbas, as well as to President Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan, I am very grateful for their participation.  I will have a longer discussion about that this afternoon after my bilateral meetings. 
 
Thank you.  

     PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Hello, everybody.  Prime Minister Netanyahu and I just had a very productive discussion about our shared efforts to advance the cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians and throughout the Middle East.  I'm going to have more to say about today’s meetings not only with Prime Minister Netanyahu but with the other participants of the talks here in the Rose Garden later this afternoon.  But I did want to specifically take some time out to speak to the people of Israel and to the region about the senseless slaughter that took place near Hebron yesterday.

     There are going to be extremists and rejectionists who, rather than seeking peace, are going to be seeking destruction.  And the tragedy that we saw yesterday where people were gunned down on the street by terrorists who are purposely trying to undermine these talks is an example of what we're up against.  But I want everybody to be very clear:  The United States is going to be unwavering in its support of Israel’s security and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities.

     And so the message should go out to Hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us from not only ensuring a secure Israel but also securing a longer-lasting peace in which people throughout the region can take a different course.

     I also want to express the deepest condolences of the American people to the families of those who were gunned down.  And I want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu, during a very difficult time for his country, still being so committed to the cause of peace that he is here with us today.

     Prime Minister.

     PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU:  Well, thank you, Mr. President, for expressing what I think is the sentiment of decent people everywhere, in the face of this savagery and brutality. 

     Four innocent people were gunned down and seven new orphans were added, by people who have no respect for human life and trample human rights into the dust and butcher everything that they oppose.

     I think that the President’s statement is an expression of our desire to fight against this terror.  And the talks that we had, which were, indeed, open, productive, serious in the quest for peace, also centered around the need to have security arrangements that are able to roll back this kind of terror and other threats to Israel’s security.  That is a fundamental element, an important foundation, of the peace that we seek and work for.

     And I appreciate, Mr. President, your efforts to advance this peace for us and for our neighbors, for our region, and I think we can say, for the world.

     Thank you.

     PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you. 

And let me just say that I will be meeting with President Abbas this afternoon.  He condemned this outrageous attack, as well.  I have the utmost confidence in him and his belief in a two-state solution in which the people of Israel and the Palestinians are living side by side in peace and security.  And so I am also grateful to him for his presence here today.

We’ve got a lot of work to do.  There are going to be those who are going to do everything they can to undermine these talks, but we are going to remain stalwart. 

And so, to Prime Minister Netanyahu and to Prime Minister -- and to President Abbas, as well as to President Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan, I am very grateful for their participation.  I will have a longer discussion about that this afternoon after my bilateral meetings. 

Thank you. 

                                     END                       12:28 P.M. EDT

…Among other things, the new rules ban credit card companies from charging fees that are larger than the infraction: If you miss a $20 payment, the maximum penalty is $20. Thus, the finishing touches are on a revamped credit card regulatory structure that will also require issuers to apply any payment over the minimum due to the highest interest portion of a customer’s debt and make it harder for companies to market plastic to students under 21. Between 1989 and 2006, total credit card charges increased from $69 billion a year to more than $1.8 trillion. But now, those go-go days are over.

The excessive extension of credit to riskier and riskier segments of the borrowing public was partly responsible for the huge bubble of debt that burst in 2008, bringing on the recession.

…credit cards were also an important factor in building up total U.S. household debt to a peak of 138 percent of disposable income just before the crash. Households were inevitably going to have to deleverage with or without the CARD Act. And there are signs that this painful but necessary process is going relatively well: Credit card losses are falling faster than the unemployment rate, according to a recent report by Moody’s…

In short, the consumer-credit business is being put back on a more sustainable basis. And in the new world of the CARD Act, it is less likely that the business can easily return to the days when card issuers attempted to extend every last dollar of credit to every single borrower they could squeeze into a “risk-based pricing” formula…

Read a good summary of the new rules that took effect in August from the Army Times»

Learn more about the provisions of the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights that went into effect last month»

Administrator Fugate discussed FEMA’s close coordination with state and local officials in potentially affected states from North Carolina to Maine. FEMA is continuing to monitor the storm’s movement in conjunction with the National Hurricane Center, and has deployed teams to North Carolina and other East Coast states to support storm preparations as well as response and recovery efforts as needed. FEMA has also prepositioned commodities for rapid delivery, including water, meals, tarps, blankets, generators and other essential items. 

Administrator Fugate also briefed the President on the impacts from Hurricane Earl on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, both of which have had FEMA teams on the ground since the weekend supporting the Governors’ efforts related to the storm.

The President stressed that the team needs to be prepared for all scenarios, including the worst case and do everything needed to protect the residents and communities along the East Coast, including encouraging residents and visitors in potentially affected areas to follow all evacuation orders issued by local and state officials.

To view a photograph of the President’s call with FEMA Administrator Fugate click HERE

Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.

As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.

Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.

As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues. Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counterterrorism efforts.

By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.

Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.

We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.

In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.

Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.

What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.

For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.

Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades. So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.

Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama