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 Obama: Congress should follow military's example By Jim Garamone
                American Forces Press Service
 WASHINGTON - Washington politicians and all Americans can
accomplish anything if they follow the example set by U.S. troops, President
Barack Obama said during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. All of official Washington - including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and all
the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - was in the House of
Representatives to hear the president's address. It was a historic night for the National Guard: The chief of the National
Guard Bureau, Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, joined his colleagues on the
Joint Chiefs of Staff to hear the address. President Obama signed legislation
making the CNGB a statutory member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Dec. 31,
2011. In a speech dominated by domestic concerns, Obama began by extolling the
example set by members of the armed services. "Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our
last troops to serve in Iraq," he said. "Together, we offered a final, proud
salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens
fought - and several thousand gave their lives." The generation serving in the military today has made the United States safer
and more respected around the world, the president said. All American troops
are out of Iraq, Osama bin Laden is dead and al-Qaeda is on the run. In
Afghanistan, U.S., NATO and Afghan forces have reversed the Taliban's
momentum and some U.S. troops are coming home, he noted. "These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness and teamwork
of America's armed forces," he said. "At a time when too many of our
institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They're not
consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences.
They focus on the mission at hand. They work together." Obama asked the Congress - well known for its partisan divide - to imagine
"what we could accomplish if we followed their example." Working together, Americans could build a country that is a leader in
education, in industry, in clean energy and in high-tech manufacturing, Obama
said. Working together, Americans could put in place "an economy built to
last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded," he added. With the Iraq war over, the United States has struck decisive blows against
al-Qaida. "From Pakistan to Yemen, the al-Qaida operatives who remain are
scrambling, knowing that they can't escape the reach of the United States of
America," he said. The strategy in Afghanistan is paying off and 33,000 U.S. troops will leave
that country by the end of the summer. More and more, Afghan national
security forces are assuming responsibility for protecting their own land,
their own people, the president said. "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," he said. The Arab world is in a wave of change, Obama said, and the clearest example
is in Libya. "A year ago, [Moammar] Gadhafi was one of the world's
longest-serving dictators - a murderer with American blood on his hands," he
said. "Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the [Bashar]
Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can't be reversed,
and that human dignity can't be denied." How this whole tide of change from Tunisia to Syria and beyond will end is
uncertain, the president said. The people of the region must make the
decisions, but the United States will work with all to advocate "those values
that have served our own country so well," he said. "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," he continued. "We will support policies that lead to strong and
stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for
liberty." The United States will work to isolate those who seek to disturb the peace,
Obama said, noting increased economic sanctions against Iran for its nuclear
program. "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," he said. All cards are on the table for stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons, the
president added. "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," he said. "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 president said America's worldwide leadership has been renewed and
countries look to its steady hand and influence. "Our oldest alliances in
Europe and Asia are stronger than ever," he said. "Our ties to the Americas
are deeper. Our iron-clad commitment to Israel's security has meant the
closest military cooperation 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." Those who say that America is in decline "don't know what they're talking
about," Obama said. "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." Obama once more promised to maintain the finest military in the world.
American freedom has endured because men and women in uniform fought for it,
he said. "As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us," he said.
"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." Obama ended his address where it started - using the example of U.S. service
members for Congress. "Those of us who've been sent here to serve can learn
from the service of our troops," he said. "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," he continued. "When you're in the thick of the fight,
you rise or fall as one unit, serving one nation, leaving no one behind." Obama said one of his proudest possessions is the U.S. flag that the SEAL
Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. "On it are each of their
names," he said. "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 same is so with America, Obama said. It took more than two centuries and
millions of people working toward a common goal. "This nation is great
because we built it together," he said. "This nation is great because we
worked as a team. This nation is great because we get each others' backs." If Americans remember that truth, there is no challenge too great, no mission
too hard, the president said. "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," he said.
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