President Obama holds a rally with troops at Elmendorf Air Force Base (AP Photo)

During his stop in Anchorage, Alaska, on his way to begin his week long trip through Asia, President Obama took the opportunity to thank the troops stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, "I’m here to say to all of you, all of you who serve, all the families who are here:  Of all the privileges I have as President, I have no greater honor than serving as your Commander-in-Chief.  "

 

Read the full transcript below:

Hello, Elmendorf! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Please -- thank you so much. Anybody who has a seat, go ahead and take a seat.

I want to thank General Troy for the introduction and for his extraordinary service; to Colonel Mark Camerer and your outstanding local leaders for welcoming me here today. And I want to give a shout-out to the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific. (Applause.)

I realize that your Commander, General Atkins, couldn’t be here. I’m told that he got called down to Hawaii -- shaka brah, what's up? (Laughter.) I grew up there, so I hope that he's getting as warm a welcome as I'm getting here.

I want to thank your senior enlisted leaders: Command Chief Master Sergeant Robert Moore, Chief Master Sergeant Tom Baker and Command Sergeant Major David Turnbull. Give them a big round of applause. (Applause.) And please give some applause to all the airmen and soldiers up here. They look terrific. (Applause.)

It is wonderful to be here at one of America’s great air bases. I have to tell you I'm also really excited because I had up until today visited 49 states. So this is officially my 50th state. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Love you --

THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Applause.) But we also have a lot of folks from Fort Richardson. (Applause.) We've got folks from all across Alaskan Command -- Air Force, Army, Navy, Coast Guard, United States Marines; Active, Guard and Reserve. (Applause.) We have our allies and friends from the Canadian armed forces. (Applause.)

I see -- I see many spouses here today. (Applause.) And I want you to know you are the backbone of our military families and we honor your service. (Applause.) And I'm thrilled to see the kids who are here today -- hey, guys, thank you. (Applause.) I know you’re proud of your mom and dad, but we’re all proud of you, too.

You know, we’re here in "America’s Last Frontier." And most of you are far from home. And I know your service is made a little easier by your unbelievable neighbors. So we want to thank your local and state leaders, Lieutenant Governor Craig Campbell, all the people of Anchorage and Alaska for their incredible support.

And we’re also joined today by a leader who is fighting for Alaska in Washington, and for you and all our men and women in uniform as a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee -- Mark Begich is here, Senator Mark Begich is in the house. Stand up, Mark, so everybody can see you. (Applause.)

Today, I’m on my way to Asia -- my first visit there as President. The crews are out there refueling Air Force One. But I didn’t want to just pass through. Because this is also, as I said, my first visit to Alaska and my first visit to Elmendorf. And I couldn’t come here without taking this opportunity to deliver a simple message -- a message of thanks to you and your families. Keep Reading ...

With the decision on whether to send additional US troops to Afghanistan still looming, President Obama told the troops at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska that he would never hesitate to use force to protect the American people but made them this promise, "I will not risk your lives unless it is necessary to America's vital interests. And if it is necessary the United States of America will have your back.”

In a briefing on board Air Force One en route to Alaska, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that no announcement on troop levels will occur before the President arrives back in Washington, D.C. next Thursday. Yet the subject of Afghanistan is expected to come up in many of the President’s discussions during his eight-day trip through Asia. Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes says it’s important to underscore the strong contributions in Afghanistan by several Asian nations. The Japanese government, which is the third largest contributor in the world in aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan, announced on Tuesday that they would provide five billion dollars of additional aid for the war in Afghanistan. Last month, South Korea announced its plans to send a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to Afghanistan in addition to the medical team already dispatched to the country. They also plan to deploy troops to Afghanistan to ensure security for the PRT.

Robert Gibbs says that President Obama has made tremendous progress on the decision over whether to add more forces to aid the situation in Afghanistan. However, Gibbs stresses that the United States has been there for eight years and its “important to fully examine not just how we’re going to get folks in but how we’re going to get folks out.”

With today's quick stop in Alaska, President Obama can now say he has visited all fifty states.  However, all of these visits did not occur while he's been president.

President Obama arrives at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska (AP Photo)

On his way over to Asia, President Obama will  stop in Alaska to hold a rally with troops at Elmendorf  Air Force Base today at 5:30pm ET.

There will be approximately 2000 people in attendance at the rally which includes service members, civilians and people from the community.  President Obama will also meet with service members privately before the service.

This is the President Obama's first trip to Alaska.

President Obama put out the following statement on tonight's passage of the health care reform bill by the House of Representatives.  The bill passed 220-215 with only one Republican House member supporting the bill.  According to the White House, the President called supporters of the bill, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the leaders from AARP, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, to thank them for their support.

Statement of President Barack Obama on House Passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act

Tonight, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable health care for the American people.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a piece of legislation that will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality affordable options for those who don’t; and bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the government while strengthening the financial health of Medicare. And it is legislation that is fully paid for and will reduce our long-term federal deficit.

Thanks to the hard work of the House, we are just two steps away from achieving health insurance reform in America. Now the United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will, and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.

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President Obama and Chinese President Hu spoke on the phone last night and their conversation mainly  dealt with their efforts to confront climate change. The two leaders will have a chance to meet before the December Copenhagen Conference when President Obama travels to Asia in mid-November.

Here is the White House readout of the call:

The President spoke with President Hu on Tuesday night, October 20. They exchanged views on bilateral issues and climate change. Both leaders acknowledged each is taking significant actions to confront climate change and reduce emissions. President Obama noted the importance of working toward a successful outcome at the December Copenhagen Conference and the importance of leadership from the United States and China in that regard.

To that end, the two Presidents committed to having their teams redouble efforts to work with each other and other countries to achieve success at Copenhagen.

(AP Photo)

During a Democratic National Committee fundraiser tonight in New York City, President Obama lectured the financial industry not to forget the economic meltdown that happened just a year ago and to join with him to pass the necessary financial reforms.

Read his remarks on this topic below:

"Now's the time to make sure that we put new rules of the road in our financial sector to prevent the kind of abuse and excess on wall street that led us to this crisis. You understood that. And you also understood that insurance companies, and the banks, and the oil companies might not be crazy about some of these changes, that they were doing just fine under the status quo. So nobody thought this was going to be easy. We talked about this during the campaign.

"And while I'm in New York, I want to stress something about this financial reform effort.  The finance industry is essential to a healthy economy and to the well-being of our economy. That is why we stepped in to prevent a collapse that would have had far reaching and devastating consequences for the American people. Steps by the way that were not wildly popular and still aren't among the American people, but it was the right thing to do. But we also know we should never again have to face potential calamity because of the reckless speculation and deceptive practices and short-sightedness and self-interestedness from a few.

"So if there are members of the financial industry in the audience today, I will ask that you join with us in passing what are necessary reforms (applause) - don't fight them, join us. This is important for our country. And in the long run, it will be good for the financial industry to have a level playing field in which everybody knows the rules and everybody knows that the rules will be enforced. And people are repeating not by how confusing you can make things, and how to even avoid rules, but competing because you're offering innovative good products that are helping grow the American economy and put people to work out on main street.

"Whenever I hear some folks who have just been taking taxpayer bailout money suddenly say 'what, what, what do you want from me?' When I hear stories about small businesses and medium-sized businesses not being able to get loans.  Despite wall street being backed very properly, that tells me that people aren't thinking about their obligations, our mutual obligations to each other and the fact that we're in this together."

President Obama spoke with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan this morning and congratulated him on accepting the certification of the recent election.

In a readout of the call released by the White House, it states, "President Obama underscored that this decision was in the best interests of the Afghan people, and reiterated the ongoing United States commitment to an outcome that reflects the will of the Afghan people. "

President Obama also talked with Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Ambassador Einkenberry today. The White House says the President "expressed appreciation" to Dr. Abdullah for his constructive efforts. During the President's call with Ambassador Eikenberry, the White House says Mr. Obama received an update on the developments related to the Afghan elections and thanked the Ambassador and his team for their "hard and exceptional work in recent days."

President Obama talks with President Karzai during a phone call from the Oval Office. (WH Photo)

Vice President Biden held a breakfast meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki today. The White House provided the following readout of this morning's meeting:

"In his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki earlier today, Vice President Biden noted that the October 20-21 U.S.-Iraq Business and Investment Conference is an important part of our efforts to promote cooperation under the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. The Vice President also encouraged the Iraqi Council of Representatives to act expeditiously on an election law that will set the terms for transparent political participation in the upcoming Iraqi national elections."

Vice President Biden meets Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. (WH Photo)

 

 

President Obama speaks at a DNC fundraiser in San Francisco, CA on Thursday evening. (AP Photo)

At a sold out DNC fundraising reception in San Francisco Thursday evening, President Obama pledged that he was ready to fight against anyone standing in the way of his priorities saying, "I want everyone to know who's standing in the way of progress, I'm not tired. I'm just getting started. You can throw whatever you want at me. Keep it coming. We're going to get this done. We're going to get health care done."

The President also singled out conservative critics who he felt were not testing his ideas or his party's proposals but merely standing on the sidelines and rooting for failure on health care reform and the economy, "When I'm busy and Nancy (Pelosi) is busy with our mop cleaning up somebody else's mess , we don't want somebody sitting back saying you're not holding the mop the right way. Why don't you grab a mop, why don't you help clean up."

A democratic source says the fundraising reception and more intimate dinner held earlier in the evening were expected to raise about three million dollars.