Jew World Order

We can do this. I know we can, because we’ve done it before. At the end of
World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat,
they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known.
My grandfather, a veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college
on the GI Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was
part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.

The two of them shared the optimism of a Nation that had triumphed over a
depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger;
that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a
chance to share – the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you
could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to
college, and put a little away for retirement.

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge
is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a
country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing
number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where
everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone
plays by the same set of rules. What’s at stake are not Democratic values or
Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them.

Let’s remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and
manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more
efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their
incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled
with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that
kept piling up.

In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold
to people who couldn’t afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets
and bonuses with other people’s money. Regulators had looked the other way,
or didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behaviour.

It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis
that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent,
hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took
office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million
before our policies were in full effect.

Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have
created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs
since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the
first time since the late 1990s. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit
by more than $2 trillion. And we’ve put in place new rules to hold Wall
Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.

The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn
back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber
to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action,
and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that
brought on this economic crisis in the first place.

No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and
phoney financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move
forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last – an
economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for
American workers, and a renewal of American values.

This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.

On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some
even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to
let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got
workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to
retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s
number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major
car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And
together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.

We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the
American auto industry is back.

What’s happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in
Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can’t bring back every job that’s
left our shores. But right now, it’s getting more expensive to do business
in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks
ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him
to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master
Lock’s unionised plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.

So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back.
But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple:
Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your
country will do everything we can to help you succeed.

We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks for
moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay
in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes
no sense, and everyone knows it.

So let’s change it. First, if you’re a business that wants to outsource jobs,
you shouldn’t get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to
cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring
jobs home.

Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of
taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational
company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go
towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here.

Third, if you’re an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If
you’re a hi-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get
for making products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that
was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new
plant, equipment, or training for new workers.

My message is simple. It’s time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs
overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in
America. Send me these tax reforms, and I’ll sign them right away.

We’re also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over
the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five
years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I signed into law, we are on
track to meet that goal – ahead of schedule. Soon, there will be millions of
new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon,
there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and
Toledo, and Chicago.

I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And
I will not stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules. We’ve
brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last
administration – and it’s made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are
working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do
more. It’s not right when another country lets our movies, music, and
software be pirated. It’s not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up
on ours only because they’re heavily subsidised.

Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be
charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China.
There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from
crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign
company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to
accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most
productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you –
America will always win.

I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States
but can’t find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science
and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the
job. Think about that – openings at a time when millions of Americans are
looking for work.

That’s inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.

Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job
as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and
formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company
helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid
Jackie’s tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.

I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie
did. Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with
skills that will lead directly to a job. My Administration has already lined
up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses
like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte, Orlando, and
Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges
the resources they need to become community career centres – places that
teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from
data management to hi-tech manufacturing.

And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that
from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place
to go for all the information and help they need. It’s time to turn our
unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.

These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare
for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to
start earlier.

For less than one per cent of what our Nation spends on education each year,
we’ve convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards
for teaching and learning – the first time that’s happened in a generation.

But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.

At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets
have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher
can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great
teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his
circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who
changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with
modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies –
just to make a difference.

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo,
let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on
the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To
teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to
replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.

We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away from their
education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I
call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until
they graduate or turn eighteen.

When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college.
At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt,
this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from
doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves
middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the
chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of
work-study jobs in the next five years.

Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid. We can’t just keep
subsidising skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money. States also need
to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their
budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to
keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who’ve
done just that. Some schools redesign courses to help students finish more
quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it’s possible. So let me
put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from
going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education
can’t be a luxury – it’s an economic imperative that every family in America
should be able to afford.

Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking
students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren’t
yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are
American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of
deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and
engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to
invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

That doesn’t make sense.

I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration.
That’s why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever
before. That’s why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took
office.

The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on
comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if election-year politics
keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let’s at least agree to
stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start
new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the
chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.

You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and
ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal
pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who’s willing to
work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next
Steve Jobs.

After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are
created in start-ups and small businesses. So let’s pass an agenda that
helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring
entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small
businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree
on these ideas. So put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year.

Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in
our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments
that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight
vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don’t gut these
investments in our budget. Don’t let other countries win the race for the
future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the
computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American
industries.

Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy.
Over the last three years, we’ve opened millions of new acres for oil and
gas exploration, and tonight, I’m directing my Administration to open more
than 75 per cent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now,
American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight years. That’s
right – eight years. Not only that – last year, we relied less on foreign
oil than in any of the past sixteen years.

But with only 2 per cent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This
country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every
available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper,
and full of new jobs.

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred
years, and my Administration will take every possible action to safely
develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000
jobs by the end of the decade. And I’m requiring all companies that drill
for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. America will
develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens
at risk.

The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories
that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t have to choose between
our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research
dollars, over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the
technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock – reminding
us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy
ideas off the ground.

What’s true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three years, our
partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the
world’s leading manufacturer of hi-tech batteries. Because of federal
investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And thousands of
Americans have jobs because of it.

When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he
worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. But he found work
at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession,
the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it’s hiring workers like Bryan,
who said, “I’m proud to be working in the industry of the future.”

Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public
investments don’t always come right away. Some technologies don’t pan out;
some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean
energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the
wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to
make the same commitment here. We have subsidised oil companies for a
century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an
industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean
energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax
credits and create these jobs.

We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in
this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight
climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a
clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you
haven’t acted. Well tonight, I will. I’m directing my Administration to
allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three
million homes. And I’m proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the
world’s largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments
to clean energy in history – with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to
power a quarter of a million homes a year.

Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here’s
another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their
factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their
energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and America
will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction
workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.

Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to
repair America’s infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt.
We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much
energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a
small-business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the
world.

During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate
Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of
highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great
projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the
businesses that still use them today.

In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive Order clearing away the red
tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund
these projects. Take the money we’re no longer spending at war, use half of
it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right
here at home.

There’s never been a better time to build, especially since the construction
industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble burst. Of
course, construction workers weren’t the only ones hurt. So were millions of
innocent Americans who’ve seen their home values decline. And while
Government can’t fix the problem on its own, responsible home owners
shouldn’t have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get
some relief.

That’s why I’m sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible
homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by
refinancing at historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more
runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions
will ensure that it won’t add to the deficit, and will give banks that were
rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.

Let’s never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules
every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It’s
time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts,
and no cop-outs. An America built to last insists on responsibility from
everybody.

We’ve all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn’t
afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn’t afford them. That’s why we
need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behaviour. Rules to prevent
financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don’t destroy
the free market. They make the free market work better.

There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too
costly. In fact, I’ve approved fewer regulations in the first three years of
my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I’ve ordered every
federal agency to eliminate rules that don’t make sense. We’ve already
announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business
and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. We got rid of
one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to
spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill – because milk
was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was
worth crying over spilt milk.

I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency
looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil
company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago.
I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or
making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back
to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel
your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.

And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its
own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore what should be any
financial system’s core purpose: Getting funding to entrepreneurs with the
best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a
home, start a business, or send a kid to college.

So if you’re a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to
make risky bets with your customers’ deposits. You’re required to write out
a “living will” that details exactly how you’ll pay the bills if you fail –
because the rest of us aren’t bailing you out ever again. And if you’re a
mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of
signing people up for products they can’t afford with confusing forms and
deceptive practices are over. Today, American consumers finally have a
watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.

We will also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators
to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people’s investments. Some
financial firms violate major anti-fraud laws because there’s no real
penalty for being a repeat offender. That’s bad for consumers, and it’s bad
for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do
the right thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud
count.

And tonight, I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of
federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our
investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages
that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those
who broke the law, speed assistance to home owners, and help turn the page
on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.

A return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will
help us protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as
we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.

Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million
working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford
losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get
this done. So let’s agree right here, right now: No side issues. No drama.
Pass the payroll tax cut without delay.

When it comes to the deficit, we’ve already agreed to more than $2 trillion in
cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices.
Right now, we’re poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was
supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 per cent of
Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a
quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of
middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate
than his secretary.

Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want
to keep our investments in everything else – like education and medical
research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we’re
serious about paying down our debt, we can’t do both.

The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told the
Speaker this summer, I’m prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long
term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long
as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors.

But in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an
awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes. Tax reform
should follow the Buffett rule: If you make more than $1 million a year, you
should not pay less than 30 per cent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom
Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidising millionaires. In fact,
if you’re earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn’t get special tax
subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a
year, like 98 per cent of American families, your taxes shouldn’t go up.
You’re the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You’re the
ones who need relief.

Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to
pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call
that common sense.

We don’t begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When
Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not
because they envy the rich. It’s because they understand that when I get tax
breaks I don’t need and the country can’t afford, it either adds to the
deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference – like a senior on a
fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying
to make ends meet. That’s not right. Americans know it’s not right. They
know that this generation’s success is only possible because past
generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country’s
future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same
sense of shared responsibility. That’s how we’ll reduce our deficit. That’s
an America built to last.

I recognise that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and
debt; energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I bet
most Americans are thinking the same thing right now: Nothing will get done
this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because
Washington is broken.

Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?

The greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn’t come from
events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether
the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that
fiasco?

I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall
Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at
least as bad – and it seems to get worse every year.

Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. So
together, let’s take some steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans
insider trading by Members of Congress, and I will sign it tomorrow. Let’s
limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact.
Let’s make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t
lobby Congress, and vice versa – an idea that has bipartisan support,
at least outside of Washington.

Some of what’s broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these
days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything – even routine
business – passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in
these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask
the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations
receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days.

The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient,
outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the
authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is
leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

Finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower the temperature
in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked
in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about
clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common
sense ideas.

I’m a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That
Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by
themselves, and no more. That’s why my education reform offers more
competition, and more control for schools and States. That’s why we’re
getting rid of regulations that don’t work. That’s why our health care law
relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program.

On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain the most about
Government spending have supported federally-financed roads, and clean
energy projects, and federal offices for the folks back home.

The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective Government. And
while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences
this year, we can make real progress. With or without this Congress, I will
keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot
more with your help. Because when we act together, there is nothing the
United States of America can’t achieve.

That is the lesson we’ve learned from our actions abroad over the last few
years.

Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our
enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are
scrambling, knowing that they can’t escape the reach of the United States of
America.

From this position of strength, we’ve begun to wind down the war in
Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three
thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to
Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with
Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.

As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East
and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo; from Sana’a to Tripoli. A year ago,
Qadhafi was one of the world’s longest-serving dictators – a murderer with
American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no
doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change
can’t be reversed, and that human dignity can’t be denied.

How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a
huge stake in the outcome. And while it is ultimately up to the people of
the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have
served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and
intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings –
men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support policies that
lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is
no match for liberty.

And we will safeguard America’s own security against those who threaten our
citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. Through the power of
our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran’s
nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever
before; its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they
shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent. Let there be no
doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,
and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. But a
peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if
Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community
of nations.

The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. Our oldest
alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever. Our ties to the
Americas are deeper. Our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security has meant
the closest military co-operation between our two countries in history.
We’ve made it clear that America is a Pacific power, and a new beginning in
Burma has lit a new hope. From the coalitions we’ve built to secure nuclear
materials, to the missions we’ve led against hunger and disease; from the
blows we’ve dealt to our enemies; to the enduring power of our moral
example, America is back.

Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in
decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know what they’re talking
about. That’s not the message we get from leaders around the world, all of
whom are eager to work with us. That’s not how people feel from Tokyo to
Berlin; from Cape Town to Rio; where opinions of America are higher than
they’ve been in years. Yes, the world is changing; no, we can’t control
every event. But America remains the one indispensable nation in world
affairs – and as long as I’m President, I intend to keep it that way.

That’s why, working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defence
strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while
saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead
of our adversaries, I have already sent this Congress legislation that will
secure our country from the growing danger of cyber-threats.

Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who
defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us.
That includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned – which is
why we’ve increased annual VA spending every year I’ve been President. And
it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation.

With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits
to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with
American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and
their families. And tonight, I’m proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will
help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America
is as strong as those who defend her.

Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been sent here to
serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that
uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian or Latino;
conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you’re marching
into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails.
When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving
one Nation, leaving no one behind.

One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them
on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be
Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn’t matter. Just like it
didn’t matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates –
a man who was George Bush’s defense secretary; and Hillary Clinton, a woman
who ran against me for president.

All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No
one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid
later told me that he didn’t deserve credit for the mission. It only
succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job –
the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control; the translator
who kept others from entering the compound; the troops who separated the
women and children from the fight; the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More
than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit
trusted each other – because you can’t charge up those stairs, into darkness
and danger, unless you know that there’s someone behind you, watching your
back.

So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our
destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those thirteen
stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great
because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a
team. This Nation is great because we get each other’s backs. And if we hold
fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too
great; no mission too hard. As long as we’re joined in common purpose, as
long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our
future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.