Successive governments have condemned ethnic cleansing. Will the Prime Minister today condemn israel its ethnic cleansing of 45,000 . This government has a clear policy on the issue of israel and on the issue of settlements. We respect and welcome israels right to exist and we defend that. On settlements, we think that the israeli approach is wrong. We condemn the settlement activity. We have been consistent in saying that both privately and publicly. Ifs the Prime Minister it were not her this house of commons reflecting the mood of the british public, britain and the United States would already be in the midst of what it has turned out would have been a wholly unnecessary war . Is this a vindication of parliament and a vindication of the churchills words . What it is a vindication of his determination to stand up to chemical weapons use. We would not be in this of pursuing new avenues to get Syrian Chemical Weapons out of syria and destroyed unless a strong stance had been taken. That is the right answer to my not crawling up to dictators and telling them how wonderful they are. You have been watching the ministers questions from the british house of commons. Question time airs live on c span2 every wednesday at 7 00 a. M. Eastern when the house of commons is in session. Again, sunday night at 9 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. For the next few weeks, the house of commons will be in recess as members had to their party conferences. You can find video of past from ministers questions and other programs in our video library. That is at cspan. Org. Washingtonest journal, we address issues lawmakers will be addressing in the coming weeks. Kaiser Health News Correspondent jenny gold will talk to us about how states and the government are educating the public on state health exchanges. After that, a conversation with Richard Gavin of the New York Center on international cooperation. He will talk about the u. N. Peacekeeping force and efforts to provide military and humanitarian support to countries in unstable regions of the world. Live at 7 00 a. M. Eastern on c span. We were intervenors on the side of the Communications Commission in this case. We were supporting the fccs determination that there was a concern with these bottlenecks companies controlling who are the winners and losers on the internet. They had the right, the Legal Authority and the authority under the First Amendment and also in the communications act, to protect consumers and protect competition by prohibiting these gatekeepers from favoring certain contents, services and applications over others. Opposition has been to oppose that neutrality on both policy and legal grounds. Hink as commissioner said this is a very important point in terms of the policy issue there was really no evidence in the commission itself didnt make any findings that the internet providers actually have market power. Can Internet Service providers block or slow content moving over the internet . The details of the verizon v fcc case monday night on the communicators. Vice President Biden was in iowa today as a featured guest at senator tom harkins 36th annual steak fry. The event is known in iowa for having featured potential democratic residential candidates in the past. Also taking part was san antonio mayor Julian Castro. This is part of our road to the white house coverage. It runs about an hour and a half. [applause] thank you. Thank you. Thank you all very much. Welcome. 36th harkin steak fry. We have not fried a steak yet. I dont know where that name ever came from. [laughter] i have an even better record, a better winning streak, 45 years of love and partnership with a wonderful woman by the name of ruth harkin. [applause] i want to thank you for those kind words, very formal introduction. The only woman county attorney in the state of iowa at that time, and the only democrat in the county courthouse. [applause] i ran for congress that year, and lost. She was the only woman, democrat, prosecuting attorney in the state of iowa. More than once i heard it said that, if shes that good, he cant be that bad. [applause] i rode her shirttails into office. Ruth became the deputy general counsel for the department of agriculture appointed by jimmy carter. [applause] and then she became the president and ceo of the overseas private Investment Corporation appointed by president clinton. [applause] a senior attorney with one of the nations top law firms, which was headed by our former Democratic National chairman bob strauss, and for whom Joaquin Castro worked in that same law firm also. [applause] and then ruth became Senior Vice President for one of our largest manufacturers, United Technologies corporation. Through it all, a great mom and wonderful grandmom. I remember one time some years ago, our oldest daughter amy she was studying french in high school. She coined a phrase that stuck with us ever since when she described her mother. She called her la petite general. [laughter] [applause] those of you who dont know, its the little general. [applause] a very warm welcome to joe biden. [applause] i have enormous respect for the office of Vice President. Mr. Vice president , no disrespect. To all of us here in iowa, you are our friend joe. [applause] [inaudible] he would not have it any other way, i can tell you that. Thank you all for putting up with the extra security today. [laughter] in addition [applause] in addition to the secret service and everybody checking tickets and the secret service during their security check, i heard that donald trump was outside checking birth certificates. [applause] it is always a big deal to have the Vice President with us. Its also a big deal to have the san antonio mayor julio castro with us today. Castro with us today. [applause] if you will just turn a little bit, i will introduce his brother congressman. Joaquin castro. [applause] our two speakers embody the strength and genius and the heart of our democratic party. Mayor castro is young, charismatic, one of our bright stars with new ideas. New energy. Vice President Biden, who embodies the enormous experience and wisdom and sound judgment of our party which we need in these parallels times. Her list times perilous times. We need both, the new and the seasoned. This is a great strength we have as democrats. It is such an honor to have both of you with us today. [applause] every year, the steak fry marks the change of the seasons. It has been a scary summer here. There was an attack on a butter cow. [laughter] isnt anything sacred anymore . [laughter] over the summer, we endured visits by rick santorum, rand paul, ted cruz. Governor perry is on his way. [laughter] all i can say is that the clown car is filling up pretty rapidly. [laughter] a couple weeks ago, i went celebrated the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther king jr. s i have a dream speech. [applause] we all remember Kings Mission for all of gods children. Earlier in the summer, the congressman made headlines with a very different vision. Badmouthing children of immigrants. I am the proud child of an immigrant mother, and i know which king speaks for me. [applause] it is not steve king. It is Martin Luther king jr. Congress is back in session after five weeks, the august break. I have a couple things i want to say. Yesterday the announcement came through. Russia and the u. S. Have reached agreement to secure and dismantle the chemical weapons in syria by 2014. [applause] because of the strength, wisdom, courage of president obama. [applause] this guy right here, Vice President joe biden, and our great secretary of state john kerry. [applause] we reached this agreement with the International Community to dismantle them by 2014, and we did not lose one american life. That is leadership. [applause] that is leadership. Once again, republicans are threatening to shut down the government or default on the debt lest we dismantle obamacare. As the chair of the Senate Health committee, one of the principal authors of the Affordable Care act, i dont know whether to laugh or cry at that. Republicans have voted 40 times to repeal the Affordable Care act. 40 times. The good news for these republicans is that obsessive compulsive disorder is covered under obamacare. [applause] even better news is that the Affordable Care act is already working for all americans, and as we start our sign up next month, ending the denial of coverage based on preexisting conditions for all children, everyone by january 1 is outlawing abuses by Insurance Companies such as canceling your policy if you get cancer, allowing young people to stay on their parents policies until the age of 26. It is providing for prevention and Wellness Programs for all americans. In 16 days, millions of americans will be able to sign up on the exchanges for Subsidized Health care. [applause] at long last, every american will have access to quality, Affordable Health insurance that cannot be taken away. I want you to know that will include every american with a disability. No more segregation, no more exclusion, no more secondclass citizens for people with disabilities in america. [applause] i understand they will probably vote again on trying to and obamacare. Theyre going to fail. Theyre on the wrong side of history. Americans are not going to allow republicans to drag us back. Not on Social Security, not on medicare, not obamacare, and not on opening new opportunities for young people with disabilities. Were going forward. [applause] were going to build a reformed Health Care System that works not just for the healthy and wealthy, but all americans. I went to call in some special people. My dear friend joy milligan has been our deaf interpreter on almost every one of our steak fries. Thank you, joy. [applause] is susan here too . Lets hear it for susan. [applause] they trade off. Wasnt that a great job of singing the National Anthem . Thank you very much. [applause] the ground crews spent days setting up for todays event. Our grillers, ted and joan lewis. Lets hear it for all those people who made this possible. [applause] and we had some wonderful rain last night and this morning, and now it is nice for all of us here. I want to thank the one responsible for that too. [applause] i want to have a round of applause for scott brennan, who answered the call to be our state democratic chairman. [applause] i lost eye contact. Where is jim mueller . Thank you for leading our pledge, but thank you for your service in iraq. Thank you for your future service as future United States congressman defeating steve king. [applause] our former state senator staci appel is with us. I have lost eye contact with staci. [applause] i want to recognize and honor all of our Democratic State legislature. Mark smith. Mark if youre somewhere. [applause] i want to especially thank our senate leader, mike for doing the last session. Where is he . Thank you. [applause] those of us who call iowa home, those of us who care about keeping the state on a progressive course, nothing is more important than winning back the iowa house, getting more democrats in the senate and winning back the governorship next year for the state of iowa. [applause] lets salute our fighting Second District congressman. Where is dave . [applause] i want someone to come up here. Bruce brady. [applause] folks, you have been so kind and generous to me in all the years i have represented you both in the house and 30 years in the senate. I said when i announced my retirement that i wasnt going to sit back, that this was going to be a passing the baton, because im still going to work every day up until that day in january of 2015. I want you all to know, theres only one person i want to pass that baton to. Thats our next u. S. Senator, bruce braley. [applause] thank you. On with the show. You have had your steak. Now its time for some sizzle. [laughter] our first speaker, the mayor of americas seventhlargest city. He is new to iowa. Last summer he was picked by president obama to be the keynote speaker at our Democratic National convention in charlotte. The huge ovation that he got at the end of his speech and all the talk about him ever since reminded everyone of the ovation for a previous keynote speaker eight years earlier, an obscure state senator from illinois named barack obama. [applause] the reason that there has been such an ovation and outgoing love and support is because many people see this young man as the future of our party. If you do this, you can try this at home or on your iphone. Google julio castro and rising star. You will get 10,000 hits. At the convention, he was introduced by his identical twin brother of texas, who i introduced earlier. As joaquin said, for 18 years we shared a small room and big dreams. Raised by single mom, they went on together to stanford university, harvard law school. In 2001, at the age of 26, Julian Castro became the youngest elected councilman in san antonios history. He was elected mayor in 2009, elected to a third term this year. He is the youngest mayor of a top 50 american city. There is much to admire about Julian Castro. What has caught my eye are two things. One is the phrase he used in his speech in charlotte last summer. He said, the American Dream is not a sprint or marathon. It is a relay. Each generation building up and passing on that opportunity to the next. The second is what he has just done recently as the mayor. I have been trying for almost 20 years to get something done for Early Childhood education in america. This last january, in Barack Obamas state of the union, he committed us to a huge program. A good, solid preschool program. We have not gotten that yet. The mayor of san antonio decided not to wait. He got the Business Community together. They passed a sales tax measure that is going to go for preschool, and justin august, the first of san antonios children are now enrolling in preschool and they are going to cover every single kid in san antonio with preschool education. [applause] lets give a rousing welcome again to one of our bright young leaders, courageous young man, mayor of san antonio, texas, Julian Castro. [applause] thank you. Thank you. Hello, iowa. [applause] great to be here. First of all, let me say a huge thank you on behalf of all of the folks outside of iowa, and especially from the Younger Generation of folks. A huge thank you to your great senator tom harkin for being a leader, for being a true public servant, and a role model for so many who often wonder whether you can be in Public Service and still stay true to who you are and be a servant of the people. Tom harkin has said, yes, and shown it to all of us over the years. [applause] i know that he could not done half of what he has done without his lovely wife, ruth, right behind him, leading the way for the harkin family. [laughter] [applause] thank you all for having us today. President obama some time ago said that the best political decision he had ever made in his life was to selected joe biden as Vice President of the United States. I agree with him. [applause] mr. Vice president , we commend you on your leadership. Thank you for joining us. I did not have anything to do with the security here. It wasnt me. [laughter] the next great senator from iowa, bruce braley. [applause] i know we have a lot of folks from all over iowa. We have folks from waterloo here. We have folks from the butte, des moines, and indianola. [applause] i come from a city that google maps says is almost exactly 1000 miles away from here. San antonio, texas. It is americas seventhlargest city and one of the Fastest Growing cities in the u. S. Economically prosperous and vibrant, 1. 3 Million People. I have been mayor for about four years. A couple of months after i got elected mayor, i had a meeting with a woman in my office at city hall and i dont even remember what we were meeting about anymore. When you are an elected official, you get a lot of gifts. Most of them are trinkets or t shirts. I think i have Something Like 200 tshirts, about five of them actually fit me. I was a rookie mayor, and this woman gave me this gift that was covered with tissue paper. I started unwrapping the tissue paper and i took the gift out. It was a prayer card. It was of st. Thomas more. I did not know that, but st. Thomas moore is the patron saint of lawyers and politicians. So, good luck, as mayor. Before she walked out the door she said, he was beheaded. Thats true. I thought to myself, what in the world by gotten myself into . I know there are many of you in this audience who have been soldiering away in the trenches in iowa as democrats for a long time. Brain power is the measure of success in the 21st century. A time when the divisions that have often separate us of geography, are crumbling faster than any other time in human history. And the question is what is the blueprint for this world, for this century, what is the blueprint that america should follow to ensure prosperity in the years to come. Our friends across the other side of the aisle say the blueprint is this, that is everyone will just go on their own, well all be fine. If everybody will just do their own thing and government leaves everybody alone, everything will be great. But i believe in a different blueprint. I believe in the blueprint of roosevelt investing in the gi bill so millions of americans could get a great higher education. I believe in the blueprint johnson shepherding medicare through congress so millions and millions of Senior Citizens could get the health care they needed and i believe in the blueprint of president obama and vice President Biden extending health care to all americans in the United States. And i know this is the blueprint because its worked like this. In the United States, we have always had a basic bargain. We expect you and your family to work hard, but when you do, reward that hard work with opportunity. I know that in more than just words. I know that from my own life. At the convention i spoke about my grandmother, victoria. My grandmother came over in the United States as a 6yearold orphan from mexico. She dropped out in Elementary School and eventually because of that, she ended up working as a maid, a cook, and a babysitter her whole life. And i and i many brother grew up with my grandmother and my mother. And i remember on april 3, 1992, joaquin and i got two packets in the mail. And these packets were from stanford university. We had gone through the Public Schools of san antonio and said, you know what . E were going apply to the best schools in the United States. On april 3, 1992, we got that acceptance letter and a couple of weeks later we actually got the bill. And it costs 27,000 per person to be able to attend stanford university. And my mother was making less than 20,000 that year and may grandmother was getting a few hundred dollars in a Social Security check. And here were these two women, both of whom had worked very, very hard during their life watching their sons and grandsons with this enormous opportunity and wondering how in the world they would be able to pay for it. I chould tell you this, the only reason i was able to reach my American Dream to go to college and become a professional was because i worked hard and my family worked hard. But because there were pell grants and perkins loans and work study and stafford loans. In other words, because i invested in myself. But fundamentally, i reached my dream because you invested in me. Because the American People invested in me. That is america. Thats whats great about this nation. That is the blueprint for a success in this 21st century. We know that in san antonio, last november for the First Time Ever the voters said yes to an educational initiative. Theyll get a high quality fullday prek education so we have the best prepared, best educated, most likely to succeed kids in the state of texas. You know, my grandmother when i was young she used to tell me stories about when she was a girl. And she told me after she was pulled out of school that she used to go work the fields with her family. Now, this is the first time that ive really been in iowa. I was in kino a few years ago in council bluffs. But this is the first time ive really been in iowa. We were coming in on the plane, i looked out the window on to iowa and saw all of the fields, the green space, and i thought how proud she would have been that she had been picking crops and her grandson would be here where you guys pick a president of the United States that is the American Dream. And so, we have the blueprint. We know what we have do. We need to continue to elect great leaders like president obama and vice President Biden and congressman soon to be senator bruce braley. And keep working and keep making and block walking. And i look forward on Election Night on november, 2016. Ill be in san antonio. Ill probably have the tv on. Im sure you guys will be at some Election Night Victory Party somewhere. I look forward to watching cnn and cbs and msnbc and abc and i look forward to the moment when brit hume on fox news turns to brett barry and says, bret, were calling iowas electoral vote for the next president of the United States, the democratic nominee for president. Thank you very much. That was great. Thank you, julian. Now, just remain standing for a second. Tomorrow momentous day tomorrow. Its julian and joaquins birthday. So were going to give them a big happy birthday. Are you ready . Happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday dear castros happy birthday to you we are truly honored to have as our keynote speaker the Vice President of the United States. I remind you im sure i neednt remind yao that joe biden ran for president here in 1987 and 1988. He spent so much time in iowa he spent so much time in iowa he has friends all over this state. Im sure hes an iowian at heart and one of the few people outside of this state that can say hes been to every one of our 99 counties more than once, more than once. So he doesnt really need an introduction, but there are a few things i want to say about my great friend. For years, he was the most powerful senator. Now the second most powerful man in the world. Same approachable joe elected in 1972 at the ridiculously young age of 29. All of the years he served in the senate, very seldom did you see him afterhours in the washington social swirl. As ruth said, when the senate quit work for the day, he was on union station, on the train, an hour, an hour and a half ride back to wilmington, delaware to spend the evening with his family. That has meant a lot to ruth and me. Because this job pulls you in a lot of direction and theres always demands on your time. Always demands to do something in the evening. A the la petite generale at one time laid down the rule, no more than two nights out and we abided by that. Joe biden every night on that train went back to his family. To me thats saying more about a person than anything else you can say, about what he cared about most of all. Never lost touch. With his humble root, hes been a fighter for working people. He understands as i said one time in the morrow of his bones what it means to be middle class. I can tell you his eyes and heart are open to struggles of others. During the 36 years in the senate, theres always one place to find joe biden, at the center of the action. He chaired the Judiciary Committee in some of the most contentious hearings. He chaired a committee at a transformational time in the u. S. Foreign policy following the attacks of 9 11. He made the mark on criminal justice issues including the landmark for 1990 for a crime bill and the violence against women act. Joe biden . Understand this last year to his great credit and our countrys, he led our party and our country in recognizing that justice of Marriage Equality for all americans. Joe biden. We all know why hes so popular here in iowa and everywhere he goes, hes the real deal. President obama calls him americas warrior. Witty, tireless, irreverent, irreverent did i mention irreverent . And those of us who know and love joe so much we always say we know hes unsilenceble. And in this case, thats a good thing. So, my friends, i just wish i could put into words, i really cant, i wish i could put into words what joe biden has meant to me. In my years in coming to the house and then to the senate, and having him as one of my mentors and guiding me, and instilling in me the values the great values he always had, of understanding why were there. Why were there. Not for our own glory. Not to make the comfortable comfortable. But help those that need a government so that they, too, can have what Julian Castro said, the opportunities for advancement and growth in america. As i said many times, i always want to refer to the Vice President , with all due respect as mr. Vice president. But i got to tell you, its hard for me not to just call him my good friend, joe biden. Hello, folks. Its good to be back in iowa. How are you . With so many good friends. Great to be with you all. Great to be here with tom and ruth and all of you. Let me start by saying jimmy, jim, bo my son, bo, sends his love, support, and affection. And bo and jim served in iraq for a year. Which you continue to do and you continue to do for our administration, take charge of vets and their families wont be forgotten and i look forward to i look forward to coming over to visit you in your office, man. Folks, i know the mayor will find this as a shock. But its amazing when you speak at the steak fry, a whole lot of people seem to take notice. I dont know why the hell that is. You attracted the entire National Press corps here. I just dont ive never quite understood it. But im learning. Look, folks, you know when the mayor was talking about tom, he mentioned st. Thomas moore and he was talking about how he didnt realize tommy moore was we catholics refer to it as the patron saint of lawyers and judges and public officials. And you know i dont want to turn this to a mutual admiration society. You know tom as well as i do. But i know tom and ruth really very well. And when you when he made that reference, reminded me of a a theres a play about that period when thomas moore was taking on henry viii and refused to divorce his life and get remarried. Theres a scene in that play where his soninlaw was a fellow named roper. And roper came over, it turns out, at the urging of the kings men to try to get moore to compromise and overlook the law. Theres a Famous Exchange and it reminds me and it will remind you of tom. He said in responding to roper, he said, roper, and if i cut down all of the laws in england to do that, what would you do when the devil turns round on you then, roper . All the laws being flat . These are gods laws, not mans. And he went on to point out you have to stand sometimes, in spite of inordinate pressure. Thats what ive watched tom do. And i mean this, this is not high person blee. Hyperbole. Youve seen it too. Ive served with a lot of men and women in my service. None with a conscious, none with more certitude about why he ran for office in the first place than tom. Let me tell you, toms work is obvious Everybody Knows about his work with americans with disabilities act. But the thing that people dont realize, and tom and ruth and i were talking about it on the way over. I said it earlier, first of all, few men or women ever get to see the fruits of their labor, especially when, in fact, that labor was in the face of overwhelming opposition, overwhelming opposition. Tom took on the Business Community tom took on the opposite party. Took on everyone. Not only did tom change the lives of millions and millions of americans with disabilities, in the same way with the ieda program in schools and to educate children to the degree to which theyre educateble, not only did he change, but heres what he did, he did something remarkable. We dont think of it. He changed all america. He turned able people into not looking at the disabled at all or looking at them with nothing but sympathy and pity to having them look at them as equals. Having them look at them in a way to value all that they had to offer. Tom, youve not only changed the state of affairs for the disabled in america, you changed americas soul. Think how different it is from what it was 25 years ago. What people look for, abled or disabled, is to be treated with dignity. Treated with respect. Thats what tom changed. I cant think of a handful of people, and ive served ive been told its supposed to make me feel good, it makes me feel bad, ive served longer in the senate. So its astounding. But tom doesnt leave it to just what happens here at home. Think about what tom has done and how loud his voice has been for those around the world, not only the disabled, but the purse cuted. Not only the disabled, but the people who, informs, have no voice. Tom has never been afraid to speak out. From the war in vietnam to the death squads in central america, to the outrages of everything from general mutilation of young women in africa to whats going on in syria. Toms voice has had a profound impact on how we view ourselves. And today, tom remains the conscious of the senate. Tom does not allow anyone the comfort in the democratic caucus. I mean this sincerely, the comfort of denial. He does not permit because of his voice the willing suspension of disbelief that so many of us would rather engage in because darn, these problems are hard to recognize them, to acknowledge them, places a burden on us. The good news is, we have tom for another full year. Another full year. And the good news is ive gotten to know bruce and carolyn well. I campaigned with him. He won in spined of me in 06, 10, i got to see him. I got see him up close and personal. And ive gotten to see the same thing that impressed his constituency. In 06, wasnt a certain thing. But i watch people react to him as you watch how people react to us when we speak. A lot you been engaged in politic, you can feel it, you can taste it, right . Well, the thing i observed about how people respond is the same reason why tom admires them and why i think hell be a great senator. Hes absolutely authentic. Theres not a phony bone in his body. I told i told bruce id come campaign for him or against him, whichever would help him the most. l, folks, folks, look when the president knew i was coming, he wanted me and i mean this sincerely. I spend four to six hours a day with him. Weve become close friends. Im with him a lot. Hes a hell of a man. He wanted me to thank you. No, seriously. He knew i was coming and he asked me whether i would thank you, thank you for what he did but thank you for delivering iowa for us in 2008 and again in 2012. Michelle and barack and i, we would not be standing where we are if not for all of you, youre the heart and soul of this party. And this has been a key to our ability to govern. From that day in august of 2008 when the ticket was announced, the president and i have had a laser focus on one thing raising up the middle class. The middle class has been battered as you all know. Its been battered not just in the eight years that preceded us. But really the climb beganuch earlier. I dont know how many times ive walked a picket line, i dont know how many times ive been with you in your hometowns as factories were being padlocked and jobs were being sent overseas. And watching people who have had the ability to raise their families, the decent income, watch it all evaporate before them. So we concluded. Im being absolutely literal here. One thing ive learned, mr. Mayor, no one doubts on me when i say it. The problem is i usually say all that i mean. But literally, they kid me for using literally often, and i do. But folks, literally, the president and i had a hand shake when he asked me to join him. I asked him one question was he committed as he said he was to rebuilding the middle class . And i also told him there were two things i would not do as Vice President. I wouldnt wear any funny hats and i wouldnt change my brand. I kept my promise. Hes kept his. He kept his. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you how we will measure the success or failure of our successive administration. It wont be whether or not the gdp continues to grow, and it is growing. It wont be whether or not the stock market has returned and exceeded its eye, which it has. It will not be whether or not we create just any old job. The measure of our success, and this is the commitment we made to each other. The measure of the success of our administration will be will be whether or not the middle class is growing and the things that allow it to grow and feel security are able to be put in place again, providing real Economic Security and piece of mind creating rail jobs. Jobs those are the jobs that have built this country. Unlike any other country in the tworld, we are uniquely a product of having a largest middle class in the world. For the middle class does well, the wealthy do very well, and the poor have an opportunity. The president believes, and has demonstrated, that you grow the economy as we always have, from the middle out, not from the top down. He acted on that belief. The president of the United States and all of you heard me say it. Youve heard me say it and ill keep saying it. Middle class is not a number. Its not its a value set. The middle class in america is about being able to own your own home, not rent it. Keep your farm, not have to sell it. About livingened in a safe and decent neighborhood. If they do well, they have a chance of being admitted to college. If they get to college like barack, like me, like michelle, like the mayor, like his brother, like jill, having an equal chance to get there not based on your income but based on the fact that you earned it and you worked for it and you have a chance. Its brought home by people like joaquin and successive generations. Its about being able to be lucky enough to put a little money aside so maybe your children will not have to take care of you like youve had to take care of your elderly parents. Its all about the opportunity to be able to find a decent job because because your government has fought on your behalf, not gotten in your way. My dad used to have an expression. We all have our stories. And i know so many of you personally, your story is no different than mine or quite frankly in a fundamental way, no different than the mayors. Whats it all about . Ill never forget everybody you always ask me why by the way, the president has made everyone in delaware very upset because he talks about me as the guy from scranton all the time. Im from scranton, proud of it. But i represented delaware for 36 years. He makes me sounds like i was a kid who climbed out of a coal mines with a lunch bucket in my hand. It wasnt that. My life wasnt a whole lot different than yours. But when my dad after the war in the early 50s when there were no good jobs in scranton, i remember my dad coming up and silting down. Youve had this story. Youve seen it. My dad is sitting on the edge of the bed in my grand pops house and said, joe, youre going to dads going to move. Aisle be down for a year. Moving down to wilmington, delaware, and uncle frank, theres a job down there, honey. When i get a job and get us set up, im going to come back and bring you and mom and val and jimmy. Its only 157 miles, honey and ill be home most weekends. I thought at the time it was lousy but my dad was certain it was going to be okay. So we believed it was going to be okay. From that moment on as we were raised in claymon, delaware and wilmington, delaware, every time we learned of somebody losing a job in a recession, or losing a job for whatever reason, when the steel mill closed and shut down, my dad used to say in all all my siblings can repeat it. Theyve heard it 100 times. He said, joe, your job is about a lot more than a paycheck. Its about your dignity. Its about respect, your place in the community, its about being able to hold your head up. Its about being able to take care of your family. Well, ladies and gentlemen, what barack set out to do is deal with all of those things legitimately in the governments power to make it possible to enhance the ability to enhance the life of middle class people. Pretty straightforward stuff. What are the things that fundamentally affect the lives of the middle class . Causing them to fall out of the middle class . The cost of health care. Thats why the first thing he did, a remarkable accomplishment, something that Teddy Roosevelt started talking about, but took barack obama to do, with the great help of tom, and im not being solicitous, for real, he passed the Affordable Care act. So now he decided instead of seeing all of those factories padlocked, he wanted to see a lot more open. The first thing he did was insist upon free trade, begin to fight on behalf of american workers. Begin to say to our opposition, our competition, all right, well compete. We can beat you on any grounds as long as its fair trade. But if its not, we will intervene. He has more than any president of the United States of america. And in the process, hes generated 2. 2 trillion in exports last year, creating good jobs. Creating good jobs in the process. Manufacturing job, brought back to the United States of america. 500,000 of them. 500,000 since he took office, investing in Community Colleges, because there are 600,000 good paying manufacturing jobs in america in Hightech Industries for which there are not trained people. In combination with major businesses, he invested 2 billion in community college, creating a Conveyor Belt from Community Colleges to decent paying jobs. Ladies and gentlemen, over the objection of almost everyone, he rescued the automobile industry, putting his presidency on the line, saving a million jobs, and creating 300,000 new job since then. Energy cost, reducing the cost of energy for middleclass families, doubling the mileage standards of automobiles which will save 1. 7 trillion at the gas pump over the next ten years. And over 12 billion barrels of imported oil. Ladies and gentlemen, were now the worlds leading producer of oil and natural gas. At the same time, hes doubled Renewable Energy in this country and is committed to going further. Ladies and gentlemen, ill not take the time, but college afort bld. Weve increased the number of pell grants, mr. Mayor, by 3 million since weve taken office. Over 9 million middleclass families were able to keep their kids in college because of a 2500 tax credit. We krinsed the eligibility, ladies and gentlemen, we also made sure that we will that the Interest Rates and Student Loans will not double and the student will never have to pay back more than 10 of his income after he graduates so hell be able to make it. Ladies and gentlemen, and in spite of our republican friends, this is all done at the same time. We reduce taxes for the average middleclass family by 136. We cut business taxes 18 times. We reduced the deficit we inherited by 50 since 2008. The largest reduction history since world war ii. Ladies and gentlemen, this president and his leadership has reduced the National Debt over the next ten years by 2. 5 trillion. And in the process, weve created 7. 5 million new jobs, but, folks, theres a lot more we have to do. A lot more we have to do. But not a single reason in the world we cant meet our objective of having the most educated population of the world, a higher percentage of College Graduates of any nation in the world by 2020. Not a reason why we cant generate 100,000 new stem teachers in the next ten year, why we cant cut imports for oil in half by 2020. Why we cant achieve energy independence. Why we cant generate manufacturing jobs in the next four years, and the list goes on. One of the things that i resent about the Republican Party is they continue to continue like they want to talk down americas prospects. Ladies and gentlemen, were on the verge of a fundamental change in this country. Like i said, the job is about dignity, the standard of living, you need a decent job to be able to provide that. By the way, it goes beyond a job. It goes beyond how we treat the people in our country. I know a loft you not a lot of you but a lot of people criticized me about speaking out about gay marriage. I could not remain silent anymore. Its time we start talking. Its the civil rights of our day, itss the issue of our day. Its the reason why the president beliefs we have to take 11 Million People out of the shadows and give them the opportunity. Earn their way to citizenship. Treat them with dignity. Thats what strengthened this country all along. Thats why the president eliminated doma, dont ask, dont tell. Thats why he came out against he came out against this notion that somehow marriage cannot be recognized in one state and denied in another. Ladies and gentlemen, when it comes to the rights of the president s phrase,ed and ill paraphrase it slightly, everyone in america should have the dignity to choose who they love and marry who they choose. He believes that. Not just because its a human right, because its all about treating everyone with dignity. Ladies and gentlemen, look. When it comes to women, its not just about choice and equal pay for barack and me and for many of you. Im absolutely determined that the president is absolutely determined that my daughter and my four grand daughters will have every single solitary opportunity my sons and my grandsons have without any exception. None. Zero, not a single solitary exceptio exception. Its about Human Dignity. Itss about taking advantage of all that this country has to offer. Look the thing barack and i have been saying for the last four years, the American People are way ahead of their leaders. You noticed when when he announced our position on gay marriage, it wasnt a surprise. The American People agreed with us. Hen we announced the position on immigration, it wasnt a surprise, the American People agreed with us. The republican colleagues have to figure out the American People are always ahead of their leadership. Its time, its time. Ladies and gentlemen, its always been the story of the history of the journey of this country that the American People have been a hit. And i know, ive been criticized for saying this but ill say it again thats what makes america exceptional. Thats what makes us exceptional. In the area of foreign policy, the president and i were determined from the outset to reestablish that notion of a shining city on the hill where we were once again the most respected nation in the world where we once again looked to, not just for the the example of our power. But for the power of our example. Thats why, thats why the world has repaired to america for so long. We told you at this steak fry in 2007 opposite ends of the platform. He and i said the exact same thing, coincidentally. He said the first ordinary of business if either of us were elected would be to end the war in iraq and we did. We ended the war in iraq. The president gave he the job of ending the war. The god awful bloody pal lace of Saddam Hussein before american troops and iraqi troops and having the great honor of dismissing american troops and saying like every other american troop before you, youre going home with nothing in hand but the certain knowledge that you did your job and youre coming home. Ladies and gentlemen, we promised you we would end the war in afghanistan, and i guarantee you, we will end the war in afghanistan. What barack and i believed from the outset, everybody says why do you guys why is it why become such good friends . I have Great Respect for everyone with whom i ran in 2007. But if you go back and look at those 13 debates, the only two people that never disagreed on a single solitary subject in those debates were barack obama and joe biden. The reason i tell you that is this this has been seamless. Its been an honor, a great honor, to work for him, work under him, work with him. Because from the outset in foreign policy, he was determined as i was that the best way to defend our National Interest was working in concert with the International Community, not at odds with it. Every president reserves the right to act alone. He knows were much stronger when we act in concert with the allies and the International Community. Thats exactly how hes stepped up to deal with the atrocities that are occurring in syria with the fundamental violation of human rights by the use of gas for the first time without the world responding since early on in at the end of world war i. Others have used it. But he wasnt going to allow it to happen on his watch. And yesterday, as the president said, the use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world is an affront to Human Dignity and a threat to security of people everywhere. Let me know parenthetically that i think john kerry has been one of the best secretary of states so far in the history of the United States of america. Because the president charged him. And the president went to the g8 after a long discussion was had after he got in the helicopter, he was the one who raised with putin, why dont we jointly why dont we jointly why dont we jointly . Since its not in either of the interests to allow the largest stock pile in the world to go unatently, why dont we jointly move to the United Nations and jointly secure it and destroy it . A lot of cynics were of the view that putin would not respond. But he did respond, not because hes a good guy, because this is in the naked selfinterest. The selfinterest of russia not to see these weapons fall in anyones hands. So as a consequence of the work of john kerry with his counterpart, the foreign minister of russia, were going to the United Nations with the resolution this week that will, in fact, call on the United Nations of the world to put pressure on, put pressure on syria, to have the confiscation and destruction of all of those weapons. And, ladies and gentlemen, the president has said, while we made important progress, much work is to be done. The United Nations will continue oh working with russia, the united kingdom, france, the United Nations to ensure that its verifiable and if there are consequences should he not comply with the framework agreed to. Ladies and gentlemen, the president s vision is clear. Its absolutely straightforward. He, in fact, is the reason why the World Community is facing up finely, finely, to this hideous prospect of these, the largest stock pile in the history of the largest stock pile in the world of chemical weapons being confiscated and destroyed. And ladies and gentlemen, we have a clear vision for america. It rests in a growing and prosperous middle class where the Playing Field is level, where the middle class has a fighting chance. And where, again, we lead the world by the power of our example. Ending torture, ending the war, refusing refusing to yield to the baser side of human nature. Im absolutely convinced. I say to tom, he and i came to a policy about the same time. When i got elected as a 29yearold kid, i was referred to as the young idealist. And if you noticed even to this day, even though im the old guy in the white house, they talk about me as the white house optimist. I am an optimist. Im more optimistic about americas chances today than i was when i arrived as a 29yearold kid. There is not a single reason in the world why we will not lead the world in the 21st century. The reason for that is really simple, folks, when ever the American People have been given half a chance, they have never, ever, ever, ever let their country down. And thats what my presence is about, making sure the American People have an even chance. Ladies and gentlemen, as i told the president of china who i noel. As i told mr. Putin when i last had a conversation with him, its never, never, never ever been a good bet to bet against the American People. God bless you all. God bless our country and may god protect our troops. Thank you. Here i am signed sealed delivered im yours in that time i went and said goodbye now im back and not ashamed to cry thank you again for joining us for the 36th annual harkin steak fry. We will see you next year. Tomorrow the council on Foreign Relations will host a conversation with bar next frank and henry paulson. Theyll discuss what changed in the Financial Sector and what more could be done to prevent a similar situation from happening again. Thats live at 12 30 p. M. On our companion network, cspan 2. Cspan video cam is under way. Were doubling the number of winners and prize money. Create a fivetoseven minute documentary on the most important issue that you think congress should consider in 2014. Cspan video showing varying points of view and theyre due by january 20, 2014. Need more information, visit studentcam. Org. In a moment, q a with Andrew Bacevich talking about breach of trust. Then british Prime Minister David Cameron takes questions from the members of the house of common sense. After that, the European Commission president Jose Manuel Barrosso with questions from straszburg, france. Your new book, breach of trust talks in the beginning some about vietnam. How much did your time in vietnam impact what you think today . Very