It is always a pleasure to greeta sea of alumni on Commencement afternoon—even though my role is that of thewarm-up act for the feature to come. Today I am especially aware of the treatwe have in store as I look out on not a sea, but a veritable ocean ofanticipation.But it is my customary assignment

Thank you to Acting PresidentChenette, my dearest friend and the person who invited me Gerry Laybourne, theboard, the faculty at Vassar, all of the proud parents that are here, ouralumnae and our alumni, and all the distinguished guests. And to the VassarClass of 2013 – many congratulations.Vassar t

Thank you for your warm welcome.It is a privilege and honour to be invited to address this prestigious academicinstitution. I would also like to thank the other co-hosts, the City of Leidenand the Leiden University Medical Center.Leiden University is aninternationally renowned hub of learning and re

THE PRESIDENT: Hey! Hello, Phoenix! (Applause.) Hello, Arizona! (Applause.) It is --AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Obama!THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. It is good to be here. (Applause.)I want to say thank you to the Thunder for hosting us here today. (Applause.) Well, we are so glad to be here. I w

Good morning everyone. Good God …good morning everybody, thank you very much. Please, please take your seats,we’ve got a lot to get through. Good morning everybody in Manchester, it’s agreat joy to be back here. Not so long ago my friends I…we welcome all sorts ofwonderful luminaries to City Hall bu

It’s great to be in Brighton. AndI want to start by thanking somebody from the bottom of my heart for thekindest of words. Not Justine …oh, I would like to thank her, a round ofapplause for Justine please, ladies and gentlemen. Not my mum … but a womancalled Ella Philips. It was local election day,

This week in Manchester we’veshown this Party is on the side of hardworking people.Helping young people buy theirown home.Getting the long-term unemployedback to work.Freezing fuel duty.Backing marriage.Cutting the deficit.Creating jobs.Creating wealth.Make no mistake: it is this Partywith the verve

THE PRESIDENT: Everybody, have a seat.MS. BAKER: Hello. My name is Janice Baker. I havethe privilege to say that I&#39m the first person in the state of Delaware to enrollfor health insurance through the new marketplace. (Applause.) Like many consumers out there, it took me a number of frustratingat

Good morning. Thank you. Thank you very, very much. Thanks so much. Thankyou, Penny, for an extraordinary introduction. And based on that introduction,I accept the nomination. (Laughter.) I’m totally kidding. I’m out of that nowI’m out of that now.I’ll tell you, I – about a coupleof months – I mean,

Your Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,It&#39s a great pleasure to be here tonight and it&#39s incredibly encouraging to see such an unprecedented gathering of Heads of Government, Ministers and experts from around the world. And I&#39d like to particularly thank Jackie Chan again for his unwavering

It is a great pleasure to be with you here in Dubai today. Let me offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to the United Arab Emirates for all its efforts in the excellent organization and facilities for this conference. I would like to express my thanks to the local authorities of Dubai for their v

My message to Britain’s small businesses is you are the lifeblood of our economy. Over 90% of firms in this country are small firms, over 60% people working in the private sector work for businesses like yours. So please keep doing what you are doing, creating the jobs, the wealth and the success ou

Hello, Mustangs! (Applause.) Fantastic. Well, everybody have a seat. Have a seat. Thank you, Leah, for the great introduction. Give Leah a big round of applause. Yay! (Applause.) Meeting young people like Leah just makes me inspired. It’s a good way to start the week. And all of the students here wh

THE PRESIDENT: Please, everybody, have a seat.(Applause.) Well, Happy New Year, everybody.AUDIENCE: Happy New Year!THE PRESIDENT: I hope you’re keeping warm. A few weeks ago, I said that 2014 could be a breakthrough year for America. Think about it: Five years ago this month oureconomy was shedding

We at the IMF are celebrating International Women’s Day today. And I would like to share this moment with you to tell you that, at the IMF, we are trying to focus on women’s issues: making sure that everybody knows that women make a difference, that women bring value to the table, that they contribu

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Ohio! (Applause.) It is good to be backin Cleveland. The last time I was herewas about a year ago, in the final days of the campaign. I know how much you miss hearing how Iapprove this message every night on your TV. (Laughter.) I will say it is niceto be here when the only rea

AMBASSADORISCHINGER:Thanks very much. I think now we can continue. It’s my great pleasure now toopen our second panel this morning. We have two longtime friends of the MunichSecurity Conference. Both of our panelists have been with the Munich SecurityConference when they served in the U.S. Senate fo

AMBASSADOR RUSSELL: Good morning,everyone. Mrs. Obama, Deputy Secretary Higginbottom, all of your excellencieswith us today, distinguished guests, it’s my pleasure to welcome all of you tothe Department of State for the eighth annual presentation of the Secretary ofState’s International Woman of Cou

Over the next two days I’ll be going to drought affected areas in New South Wales and Queensland to see the impact first-hand.This hasn’t just been a dry summer, it’s been a dry couple of years.Much of inland Queensland and inland NSW, as well as parts of Victoria, South Australia and Western Austra

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning! (Applause.) Good morning,everybody! Everybody, please have aseat. Have a seat.Well, on behalf of Michelle andmyself, welcome to the White House. Thisis one of my favorite events every year, especially special this year, as Ilook at this extraordinary group of individuals

Well, welcome to the White House,everybody. And that was one of the best introductions I’ve ever had. (Applause.) So we’re so proud of Kiara for the introduction and for sharing yourstory, and you’re just so poised. And Iknow Geoff Canada is just out there all excited -- (laughter) -- and proud, and

Hi, and Merry Christmas. I’m honored to have the chance to speak with you and your family this year.Recently, we learned that our governments, working in concert, have created a system of worldwide mass surveillance, watching everything we do.Great Britain’s George Orwell warned us of the danger of

I once knew someone who spent a year in a plaster cast recovering from an operation on his back. He read a lot, and thought a lot, and felt miserable.Later, he realised this time of forced retreat from the world had helped him to understand the world more clearly.We all need to get the balance right

Dobriy Viecher Sochi!I am Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations.My warmest greetings to IOC President Honorable Thomas Bach and all those gathered for the 22nd Winter Olympic Games!The Olympics and Paralympics bring out the best in athletic achievement.The Olympic Flame also illuminat

THE PRESIDENT: Hello. My name is Shelly Ortiz -- oh, wrong page. (Laughter.) I was just teasing. I knew I wasn’tShelly Ortiz. (Laughter.) Everybody give Shelly a big round of applausefor the great work. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thanks for not only the introduction, but forthe beautiful video t

MRS. OBAMA: Hello! (Applause.) Well, hellothere. Yay, yay, yay! You guys rest. Sit yourselves down. Welcome to the White House – or the buildingacross the street from the White House. (Laughter.) It’s the samething. I am so glad you all could joinus as we celebrate African American History Month. An

I thank Lord Mayor Woolf for her very kind words.I am deeply honoured and yet humbled. I would like to dedicate this award to the people of Singapore who have worked so hard to build our nation. Special credit must go to our Pioneer Generation, who dreamt of a far better Singa&#172pore when we becam

Good afternoon,everybody.Over the lastseveral days, the United States has been responding to events as they unfold inUkraine. Throughout this crisis, we have been very clear about onefundamental principle: The Ukrainian people deserve the opportunity todetermine their own future. Together with our E

Thank you. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Please,please, have a seat. Thank you.What a singular honor it is forme to be here today. I want to thank,first and foremost, the Johnson family for giving us this opportunity and thegraciousness with which Michelle and I have been recei

Good afternoon, everybody, andhappy Thanksgiving.The office of the presidency --the most powerful position in the world -- brings with it many awesome andsolemn responsibilities. This is not oneof them. (Laughter.) But the White House Turkey Pardon is a greattradition. And I know Malia loves it --as