West Wing Week: Obama's Afghanistan visit and tax cut talks: transcript

Key points

• On December 3 the President visited Afghanistan to thank troops and meet General David Petraeus.
• On December 4 he announced a free trade agreement with South Korea, saying it would boost exports and support American jobs.
• On December 6 he toured Forsyth Technical Community College in North Carolina and spoke about keeping the economy competitive.
• On December 7 he held a news conference on the tax cut compromise, unemployment benefits and middle-class tax relief.
• On December 8 he met Poland's President Komorowski about the New START Treaty and signed the Claims Resolution Act of 2010.
• On December 9 he met his Export Council and lit the national Christmas tree with his family.

Chapters

1. 0:00Afghanistan visit to thank troops
2. 0:38South Korea free trade agreement
3. 1:19Biotech classrooms in Winston-Salem
4. 2:36News conference on tax cut compromise
5. 3:11Meeting with Poland's president on New START
6. 3:45Claims Resolution Act signing
7. 4:18Export Council meeting
8. 4:53Lighting the national Christmas tree

Full transcript

0:00Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. After a surprise visit to Afghanistan, the President's weak focus on the economy, including his efforts to forge a bipartisan compromise that stops middle-class taxes from going up, spurs private sector job growth, and extends unemployment insurance for millions of Americans. That's December 3rd to the 9th, or It's a Lie. On Friday, December 3rd, President Obama visited Afghanistan to personally thank our men and women in uniform for their service, and to check in with the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, to hear about conditions on the ground.

0:38The President of the United States, I have no greater responsibility than keeping the American people secure. I could not meet that responsibility. We could not protect the American people. We could not enjoy the blessings of our liberty without the extraordinary service that each and every one of you performed, each and every day. On Saturday, December 4th, after arriving home from Afghanistan, the President crossed the street to the EEOB, where he announced the successful negotiation of a landmark free trade agreement with South Korea, a major step toward creating jobs for American workers and standing up for the interests of American businesses.

1:19This deal is a win for American workers, for our farmers and ranchers. It will increase exports of American agricultural products. From aerospace to electronics, it will increase our manufacturing exports to Korea, which already supports some 200,000 American jobs and many small businesses. On Monday, December 6th, President Obama left Washington for an unseasonably chilly Winston in Salem, North Carolina. The President visited Forsyth Technical Community College and saw biotechnology classrooms where students of all ages and backgrounds are retraining for jobs in the competitive biotech industry.

1:58The President, I work in any kind of laboratory or doing any kind of research, you're going to need some culture experience. So I figured I'm looking at getting maybe a master's or a Ph.D. later and that would be a good idea to have great ways to start. correct, sir, because it's skills that maybe I didn't see at a four-year college, but it's very specific for the field I want to go into. After the tour, the President outlined his vision to keep our economy strong, growing, and competitive in the 21st century. Fifty years later, our generation's Sputnik moment is back. If the recession has taught us anything, it's that we cannot go back to an economy that's driven by too much spending.

2:36We've got to rebuild on a new and stronger foundation for economic growth. We need to do what America has always been known for. Building. Innovating. Educating. Making things. On Tuesday, December 7th, President Obama attended a series of meetings at the White House and also held a news conference in the briefing room to answer questions about balancing the Republican tax cuts for the top American earners, with unemployment benefits and middle-class tax relief, including the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which helps families pay for college.

3:11But in the meantime, I'm not here to play games with the American people or the health of our economy. My job is to do whatever I can to get this economy moving. My job is to do whatever I can to spur job creation. My job is to look out for middle-class families who are struggling right now to get by, and Americans who are out of work through no fault of their own. On Wednesday, December 8th, President Obama met with President Komorowski of Poland. They discussed issues of mutual concern such as the New START Treaty, missile defense, and the mission in Afghanistan.

3:45The President, I indicated to him how important it was for U.S. senators to hear from those who are Russia's neighbors, that they feel it is very important to make sure that the New START Treaty is ratified so that we can continue the verification process that is so important in reducing risks throughout that region. Later that day, the President held a Cabinet meet. And then signed the Claims Resolution Act of 2010, settling long-neglected claims of African-American and Native American farmers.

4:18The President, I'm very proud of your advocacy. We're glad we got this done. Obviously, we had a lot of good friends in Congress who helped us out. Yes, we did. But if it hadn't been for you guys keeping on pushing on, it wouldn't happen. On Thursday, December 9th, President Obama met with his Export Council to discuss ways to promote a strong, growing and competitive economy, including increasing American exports to the rest of the world. He also discussed the ongoing tax cut debate on Capitol Hill that will ensure our economy moves forward. The President, and growing our exports today will create the jobs of tomorrow. 95 percent of the world's customers and the fastest growing markets are beyond our borders.

4:53If we want to find new growth streams for our economy, we've got to compete aggressively for those customers, because other nations are competing aggressively. And as long as I'm President of the United States, we are going to fight for every job, every industry, every market, everywhere. And we intend to win. That evening, President Obama was joined by the First Lady, Sasha, and Malia on the ellipse, where they lit the national Christmas tree for the season. The President, this is a very proud holiday tradition.

5:26Snow or shine, in good times and in periods of hardship, folks like you have gathered with Presidents to light our national tree. To find out more information on any of these topics or to see complete videos of these events, go to WhiteHouse.gov. And thanks again for checking out your West Wing Week. It's alive. That's just a joke. Don't worry.

Source and licence

Recording: File:West Wing Week- 12-10-10 or "It's Alive!".webm by The White House (2010-12-09), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The transcript is machine speech-to-text by the TidyTools Audio & video transcriber; the summary, key points and chapters were written by Claude from that transcript. Both may contain errors: check the recording before quoting it.