we stand united against those who would terrorize our people or endanger the globe with the world's most dangerous weapons. we believe in universal rights of all people, so we stand united in our support for those who seek to choose their leaders and forged their futures, including the brave citizens of the middle east and north africa who deserved the same god-given rights and freedoms as people everywhere. we believe in the inherent dignity of every human being. we will stand united in advancing the developments that lifts people and nations out of poverty. the vaccine that allows the child to live a long and healthy life.

this is what we believe. this is who we are. this is what we do together. this is what we achieved every single day. this is the alliance we have renewed today, guided by the interest we share, grounded in the body set we cherish not just for our time, but for all time. and finally, i would just know what this is not the first official visit of my president, it is one of the few where i have not had to pause for inflation. [laughter] we americans and the brits speak the same language most of the time. so let me just say, david, we're chopped to bits that you are here. [laughter] i am looking forward and

confident that together, we will keep the relationship between our two countries -- [laughter] for the warmest of wellcome's from michelle and myself and from the american people, we are honored to have you here. [applause] >> president obama, first lady, mr. vice president, members of both cabinets, guests of honor, ladies and gentleman, thank you for such an incredibly warm welcome. i have to say, barack, with that spectacular command of our shared language, with all of these union flags and with so many friends at home, you are really making me feel very at home here in washington. so, i am a little embarrassed that i stand here, to think that 200 years ago -- [laughter] my ancestors tried to burn this place down.

[laughter] i can see you have the place a little better defended today. you clearly are not taking any risks with the brits this time. [laughter] thank you also for the lessons last night. i will leave america with some new words. alley oop. brackets. fast breaks. and who knows, maybe that hoop will be installed after all. it was a great need -- a great evening. since that unfortunate episode 200 years ago, generations of british and american servicemen have fought together. our grandparents fought in the same campaign. my grandfather, wounded a few days after d-day, the greatest british and american operation

in history, and yours, serving under general patton as the allies swept through france. whether it is through defeating the nazis, standing up to the soviets, defending the korean peninsula, for hunting down al qaeda in afghanistan, there can be no -- between our two nations defending our values and interests and the mutual sacrifice made by our service men and women. let us once again pay tribute to their valor, their courage, and their dedication here in washington today. [applause] across the world and across the decades, we have been proud to serve with you. when the chips are down, britain and america at note that we can always count on each other because we are allies not just prepared to say the right thing, but to do the right thing

and to do it in the right way. promoting our values, standing up for our ideals. the partnership between our countries, between our people is the most powerful partnership for progress the world has ever seen. that is why whenever an american president and a british prime minister get together, there is a serious and important agenda to work through. today is no different. afghanistan, iran, the arab spring, the need for trade in the world economy. the biggest issues in the world -- that is our agenda today. but what makes our relationship so vigorous and so lasting? it is that it draws its strength from roots far deeper and broader than american -- and government. it is the meeting of kindred spirits. when the world's brightest minds want to generate the innovations we will make tomorrow more free and more

fair, they look to our great universities like harvard and stanford. cambridge and oxford. but when the foundation's want to not just about charity, but to eliminate polio and other diseases so that no child in our world should die unnecessarily, they find partners across the atlantic in the british aid agencies. when a great innovator wanted a partner to make the world wide web a reality, he turned to america. why? because he knew it was in america that he would find that same spirit of creativity, innovation, and risk taking that defines our unique approach to enterprise and to business. he is not alone. in 2010, transatlantic partnerships produced eight of the nine noble prizes in size. this creates an sustains around

1 million jobs each side of the atlantic. it provides a strong -- for bilateral trade. in fact, american investment in the u.k. is eight times larger than china. u.k. investment in america is nearly 140 times that of china. so, yes, the world is changing at a faster rate than ever before. the ways we will influence events are changing with it, but one thing remains unchanged. the ceaseless back-and-forth between our two nations through shared endeavor. that is why, i believe, we can be sure that in 50 years times, an american president and the british prime minister will

stand on this very spot just as we do now. they will stand here as we do for freedom and for enterprise. our two countries, the united states of liberty and enterprise. that is what i am so pleased to be here today. to celebrate an essential relationship that has never been stronger. and to work with you to make sure we deliver that and make our countries closer and closer still. thank you. [applause]

>> mr. president, this concludes the ceremony. ♪ ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪

>> later, the president and prime minister cameron held a

joint news conference at the white house. they discussed the humanitarian crisis in syria, the war in afghanistan, and iran's nuclear program. this is 40 minutes. >> that afternoon, everyone. please, have a seat. >> again, it is a great honor to welcome my friend and partner, prime minister david cameron, to the white house for this official visit. another was a lot of focus on last night's game. some of us how it came about. i want to set the record straight. during my visit to london last year, david arranged for us to place some local students table tennis. as they would say in britain, we got thrashed. i thought it would be better if we just watched. that said, i am still trying to get david to fill out his

bracket. we just finished a very good discussion. it is a reminder why i value david's leadership and partnership so much. i appreciate how the alliance between our country is a foundation not only for the security of our two nations, but for international security as well. through rapid change, the leadership of the united states and united kingdom is more important than ever. we feel the future we seek is only possible if the rights and responsibilities of nations are upheld. that is a cause we advance today. at a time when too many of our people are still out of work, we agree that we have to stay focused on getting people back to worked even as both our

countries make difficult choices to put our house is back in order. we have the largest investment relationship in the world. we have instructed our team to explore ways to increase investment. i appreciate david's investment on the fiscal situation in the eurozone where both our countries, our economies, our businesses are deeply connected. we move on to discuss afghanistan where we are the two largest contributors and forces to the international mission and where our forces continue to make extraordinary sacrifices. the tragic events of recent days is a reminder that this is a very difficult mission. obviously, we both have lost a number of extraordinary young men and women. what is undeniable, though, and what we cannot forget, is that our forces are making very real progress, dismantling al qaeda, and making the taliban momentum slowed down so they can take the lead and come home. that transition is already underway. about half of all afghans live

in areas where security forces are taking responsibility. today, the prime minister and i reaffirmed the transition that we agreed to with our coalition partners in lisbon. specifically, in the upcoming nato summit in my hometown in chicago. this includes shifting to 2013 and afghans taking full responsibility for security in 2014. we're going to complete this mission. we're going to do it responsibly. nato will maintain an enduring commitment so that afghanistan does not become a haven for al qaeda to attack our countries. we also discuss the continuing threat by iran to not meet its obligations. we are fully united. we're determined to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. we believe there is still time

and space to pursue a diplomatic solution. we will work closely with our partners. at the same time, we will keep up the pressure with the strongest u.s. sanctions to date and the european union in preparing to impose an embargo on oil. they must understand they cannot escape or evade the choice before it. meet international obligations or face consequences. we have reaffirmed our commitment to support the democratic transitions under way in the middle east and africa. i want to commend david personally for the leadership role he has played in mobilizing international support for the transition in libya. we also discussed the horrific violence that the assad regime imposes on the people of syria. we've agreed to keep increasing

the pressure on the regime. mobilize the international community. provide sanctions. cutting the urging's revenues. isolating politically, diplomatically, and economically. just as the regime and security forces continue to suffer, the opposition is growing stronger. i will say it again. assad will leave power. it is not a question of if, but when. to prepare for that day, we will support the legitimate aspirations of the syrian people. more broadly, we have committed ourselves, our leadership to the goal of global development. along with our international partners, we have saved countless lives from the famine in the horn of africa. david, you have done an outstanding job in bringing the international community to somalia. at the same time, we are renewing our commitment for

preventable deaths of children and the beginning of the end of aids. let me say, as a tribute to david's leadership, the u.k. will be playing a leading role in the global partnership upon which human rights and development depend. finally, i am very pleased that we are bringing our two militaries, the backbone of our allies, even closer. i can announce that next month we intend to start implementing our long-awaited defense trade treaty with the uk. this will put advanced technologies in the hands of our troops and it will mean more jobs for workers in both our countries. we're moving ahead with our joint initiative to care for men and women in uniform. for decades, our troops have stood together on the battlefield. forwe're working together

them when they come home. partnership is to help our wounded warriors recover and to support our remarkable military families. so, david, thank you as always for being an outstanding ally, partner, and friend. as i said this morning, because of our efforts, our allies is as strong as it has ever been. michelle and i are very much looking forward to hosting u.s. cement at tonight's state dinner. i look forward, as well, to welcoming you to camp david. david, welcome. thank you. >> well, thank you very much for that, barack. thank you for last month's sporting event. i thought there was a link between that and table tennis. i remember it well. i know america does not like being on the losing side so i'm trying to make up to you with a gift of a table tennis table.

>> which like to play this afternoon? >> i certainly need practice. one day i'll get back at you with a cricket match and i will explain the terminology. it was great our teams joined those talks as well. barack, thank you. there are some countries whose allies are a matter of convenience. ours is a matter of conviction. we're united for freedom and enterprise, working together day in and day out to defend those values and devote our shared interests. that has been the fundamental purpose of this visit. we have made progress on efforts in four vital areas -- afghanistan, economic growth -- first, afghanistan. recent days reminded us just how difficult our mission is and how high the cost of this war

has been for britain, america, and afghans themselves. britain has fought along america every day since the start. we have 9500 men and women still serving there. more than 400 have given their lives. today, again, we commemorate each and every one of them. we will not give up on this mission because afghanistan must never again be a safe haven for al qaeda to launch attacks. we will not build a perfect afghanistan, but let us be clear. we are making more tangible progress with more markets open, more health centers, more children going to school, more people being able to maintain a basic standard of living and security. we can be sure that they're capable of their own security without the need of large numbers of foreign troops. we're in the final phase. that means completing the training of afghan forces.

they can maintain the security themselves. that is well underway. next year, the president said, in 2013, this includes shifting to a support role as afghans to take the lead. this is an advance of afghan forces taking full responsibility for security in 2014. as we have always said, we will not be in a combat role after 2014. at the same time, we back the president in working towards a political settlement. second, the united nations security council on libya. we believe we must maintain our support for the people of the arab world as they seek a better future. let me just say in response to it you said, i am very proud of the action that britain and france and other stock. let us be clear. none of that would have been

possible without the overwhelming support and force that the united states provided in the early stages of that campaign. you did exactly to promised he would do to make that intervention possible and give that country a chance of prosperity and stability and some chance of democracy. in syria we're working to get humanitarian aid. at the same time, we must properly document the evidence so that those guilty of crimes can be held to account, no matter how long it takes. above all, we must do everything we can to achieve a political transition that will stop the killing. we must maintain the strongest pressure on all those who are resisting change and all costs. but we are ready to work with russia and china for the same goal, including a new united nations security council resolution. which should be clear. what we want is the quickest way to stop the killing. that is through transition,

rather than revolution or civil war. if it continues, revolution or civil war is the inevitable consequence. third, we have discussed iran's nuclear program. the president's tough, reasonable approach has united the world behind unprecedented sanctions against iran. britain has played a leading role in helping to induce an embargo. this is increasing pressure on the regime. the regime has to meet its international obligations. if it refuses to do so, then britain and america along with our international partners will continue to increase the political and economic pressure to achieve a peaceful outcome. the president and i have said, nothing is off the table.

a fourth, growth. both britain and america are dealing with massive debts and deficits. the measures we take in our economies reflect different national circumstances, but we share the same goals. delivering significant deficit reduction over the immediate term and stimulate growth. the eu and the u.s. together account for more than half of all global trade. foreign direct investment between britain and america is the largest in the world. it creates and sustains about 1 million jobs. it provides a strong foundation for bilateral trade. the deepening trade and investment between us is crucial. barack and i have agreed to prioritize work on transatlantic trade and investment flow. we have had some very important discussions this morning. i'm looking forward to our talks at the g8 and nato summit.

as barack has said, the relationship between the u.k. and america is the strongest it has ever been. together, i am confident that we can help secure the future of our nations. thank you. >> thank you, david. we have questions from each respective press corps. we will start with npr. >> thank you, mr. president. given the extraordinarily difficult circumstances in afghanistan in the last few weeks, i wonder what mr. coffin said two years from now to leave it will be better than it is today. and i wonder if you can talk about the pace of withdrawal. whether you see something more gradual or speedier.

and mr. prime minister, you and the president take different approaches to economic growth. you have more austerity measures. the president focuses more on stimulus measures. i wonder why you think your approach will create more jobs than the president's. >> first of all, on the afghanistan, i think both david and i understand how difficult this mission is because we have met with families whose sons or daughters or husbands or wives made the ultimate sacrifice. we visit our wounded warriors. we understand the sacrifices they have made their. as i indicated, we have made progress. we are seeing an afghan security force that is getting stronger and more robust and more capable of operating on its own. our goal, said in lisbon, is to make sure that over the next two years, that afghan security

force continues to improve. it will be prepared to provide for that country's security when we leave. we also think it is important that there is a political aspect to this. that all the various factions inside afghanistan recognize it is time to end a 30 years of war. the president there has committed to a political reconciliation process. we are doing what we can to help. ultimately, it will be up to the afghans to work together toward peace. we cannot be nice about the difficulties that are involved in getting there. if we maintain a steady, responsible transition process, which is what we have designed,

then i am confident that we can put afghans in a position where they can deal with their own security. and we are also underscoring what we anticipate to be a strategic partnership before we get to chicago that the united states, along with other countries, will sustain a relationship with afghanistan. we will not have combat troops there, but we will be working with them both to ensure their security and to assure their economy improves. there will be multiple challenges along the way. in terms of pace, i do not anticipate, at this stage, that we will be making any sudden, additional changes to the plan that we currently have. we have already taken now 10,000 of our troops. we are slated to drawdown an additional 23,000 by this

summer. there'll be a robust coalition presence inside afghanistan during this fighting season to make sure that the taliban understand it will not be able to regain momentum. in conjunction with all of our allies, we will continue to look at how we affect with this transition that does not result in a steep cliff at the end of 2014, but rather is a gradual pace that accommodates the developing capacities of the afghan national security forces. although you asked this to david, i want to make sure that i comment quickly on the economic issues. we have been asked this for years. the united states and britain are two different economies in two different positions.

their banking sector was much larger than ours. their capacity to sustain debt was different than ours. as a consequence, each of us will be taking different strategies. our objectives are common. witches, we want to make sure we have governments that are -- which is, we want to make sure we have governments that are lean and effective to our people. and we want to make sure that, ultimately, our citizens in both countries are able to pursue their dreams by getting a good education. being able to start a small business.

being able to find a job that supports their families and allows them to retire with respect. so, this notion that, somehow, two different countries are going to have identical economic programs does not take into account profound differences in position. but the objectives, goals, and values, i think, are the same. our businesses, our workers, our system of higher education, we are both countries that are incredibly well positioned to succeed in this knowledge? -- knowledge-based economy. >> there are differences because we're not a reserve currency. we have to take a different path. i think it would be wrong to taint -- to think that britain is just taking measures to reduce its deficit. we're taking serious measures to grow. before coming here, we took measures to try to grow our

housing market. we cut corporate housing taxes. we are investing in apprentice ship. -- apprenticeship back. thee both try to head in same direction of growth. if you look at the u.s. plans for reducing the deficit over coming years, it is steeper than what we're doing in the uk. different starting points. different measures, on occasion, but the same destination. and a share of understanding. i have joey jones from sky news. >> can i ask you both to get any information this afternoon? and on the general, why do you think it is that people feel you talk a good game, but they

do not buy it? why is it that the british and american people look for a situation that they think is a mess. they see terrible sacrifice. they see two men who are unable to impose their will. they're not persuaded by your argument. >> first of all, on what has happened, a very early details are still coming through. we're still examining and investigating exactly what is happening. the security of our people, our troops, the security of both our nations forces is a priority. if there are things that need to be done in the coming days to keep them safer, then no doubt, we will do them. on the border issue of afghanistan -- on the broader issue of afghanistan, if you compare where we are today with where we have been two or three years ago, the situation is considerably improved.

i think the u.s. surged an additional u.k. to sweep within has a transformative a fact. the level of insurgent attacks are down. the level of security is up. the capital is now fully transitioned over to afghan lead control. the markets are open. in're able to take part economic activity which simply was not possible when i first visited several years ago. it is a very difficult situation. there are many challenges we have to overcome. what is happening in afghanistan today is quite different than the situation we had years ago. do i think we get to the end of 2014 where we have a larger afghanistan army which are on track and that with the afghan government, they can take care of their own security in a way that does not require large numbers of foreign troops and

that country is not a threat in the wait was in the past in terms of terrorism? yes, i think we can achieve that. it has been hard work. the sacrifices have been great. we have to remind ourselves and everybody why we are there. what we are doing. we have to go back and remember that the vast majority of terrorist that were affected people in the u.k. or the u.s. came out of that country and that region. that is why we went in there. that is why we're there today. it is not some selfish, long- term strategic effort. it is simply that we want afghanistan to look over its own security with its own security forces so that we are safe at home. that is the key. that is the message we keep explain to people. what we're trying to do by 2014 is achievable and undoable. >> i concur with everything david said. don't think i would add, you asked why the poll numbers indicate people are interested and ending the war in

afghanistan, it is because we have been there for 10 years. people get weary. they no friends and neighbors who have lost loved ones as a consequence of war. no one wants war. anybody who answers a poll question about war saying enthusiastically that we what were probably has not been involved in one. but, as david said, i think the vast majority of the american people and british understand why we went there. there is a reason why al qaeda is on its heels and has been decimated. there is a reason why osama bin laden and his lieutenants are not in a position to be able to execute plots against the united states or great britain. there's a reason why. it is because the space has

shrunk. the capacity to operate has greatly diminished. as david indicated, this is hard work. when i came into office, there had been adrift in the afghan strategy. partly because we had spent a lot time focusing on iraq instead. in the last few years, we have refocused attention on getting afghanistan right. my preference would have been that we started some of that earlier, but that is not the card we were dealt. make now in a position to progress. i believe we will be able to achieve our objectives in 2014. >> thank you, mr. president, mr. prime minister. mr. president, switching to iran.

>> can i just point out that somehow he gets to ask the question on behalf of the u.s. press corps -- were you upset about that? what is going on with that? c'mon. it is a special relationship. >> on iran, to believe it represents a last chance for the country to avert a military action? and prime minister, on syria, how are you approaching the russians to get them on board for a security council resolution? and do you believe the president will be tried as a war criminal? >> as david said, we have employed the toughest sanctions on iran. we have mobilized the international community greater

we have ever seen. those sanctions are going to begin to bite even harder this summer. we are seeing a significant effects on the iranian economy. they understand the seriousness in which we take this issue. they understand there are consequences to them continuing to reject the international community. i have sent a message very directly to them publicly that they need to seize this opportunity of negotiations to avert even worse consequences for iran in the future. do i have a guarantee that iran will walk through the store that we're offering them? no. in the past, there has been a tendency for iran in these negotiations to delay, to stall, to do a lot of talking

but not actually moved the ball forward. i think they should understand that because the international community has applied some sanctions, because we have employed so many of the options that are available to us to persuade iran to take a different course that the window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking. and, as i said in a speech just a couple of weeks ago, i am determined not simply to contain iran that is in possession of a nuclear weapon, i am determined to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. in part, because of reasons that david mentioned. it would trigger a nuclear arms race in the most dangerous part

of the world. it would raise non-proliferation issues that would have a significant risk to our national security interests. it would embolden terrace in the region who might believe they could act with more impunity if there were operating under the protection of iran. this is not an issue that simply in one country's interest or two countries interest. this is important to the entire international community. we will do everything we can to resolve this diplomatically. but ultimately, we have to have somebody on the other side of the table. i hope the iranian regime understands that. this is their best bet for resolving this in a way that allows iran to join and prosper and to feel secure themselves.

>> thank you. on syria, when you see what is happening in homes and elsewhere, i think we need to appeal to people's humanity to stop the slaughter to get aid and assistance to those with an affected. and to ratchet up the pressure on this bridging. in the case of russia, i think we should appeal to their own interests. it is not in their interest to of this bloody, broken, brutal regime nightly on the television screens. the people in syria often felt that the russians were their friends. many in the west there were more suspicious of. now they see people in the west wanting to help them. raising their issues, calling for the world to help them. we to make sure russia helps with that. it will take a lot of hard work. i think it is in russia's interest that we deal with this.

what is being done in homes. i have spoken personally to one of the photographers who was stuck there when he got out to the u.k. what he witnessed, what he saw was simply appalling and should not be allowed to stand in our world. that is why we send people to the turkish border to document these crimes and write down what has been done. so that no matter how long it takes, people should always remember that international law has a long reach and a long memory. tom from itm. >> mr. president, it is great you agreed to learn about cricket. it is going to be a long trip. [laughter] on a serious subject, syria.

the city wants assad to go. you wanted gaddafi to go for a long time, but he did not. have you discussed a no fly zone? have you discussed how you might implement it? have you discussed any of those issues? >> what i would say is that our people are incredibly close together on this issue. the focus right now is trying to achieve transition, not trying to foment revolution. we think the fastest way to end the killing, which is what we want to see, is for assad to go. the way to bring that about is to provide diplomatic pressure. that is where our focus is. of course, as i put it, push the system, asked the difficult questions, where the other options? it is right we do that. but they're not without their difficulties and complications, as everybody knows. the focus is transition and all

the things we can do to bring pressure to bear. that has been the focus. >> i think everything that david said. our military plans for everything. that is what they do. but i was very clear during the libya situation that this was unique. we had a clear international mandate. there was unity around the world on that. we were able to execute a plan in a relatively short time frame that resulted -- each country is different, as david mentioned with respect to syria. it is an extremely complicated situation. the best thing we can do right now is make sure that the international community continues to unify around the

fact that what the syrian regime is doing is unacceptable. it is contrary to every international norm that we believe in. for us to provide strong support to covidien on -- on why they need to stand up on behalf of people who are being shelled mercilessly and describe to them why this necessary to join in an international coalition. that is the most important work can do right now. there may be some immediate steps we have discussed to make sure that humanitarian aid is provided in a robust way and to make sure that an opposition vinifies along principles that ultimately would provide a clear platform for the syrian people

to be able to transition to a better form of government. when we see what is happening on television, our natural instinct is to act. one of the things both of us have learned in every one of these crises is that it is very important for us to make sure that we have all through all of our actions before we take those steps. that is not just important for us, it is also important for the syrian people, because ultimately, the way the international community mobilizes itself, the signals we since, the degree to which we can facilitate a more peaceful transition or a soft landing rather than a hard landing that results in civil war and

potentially even more deaths. the people who will be openly most affected are the people of syria itself. >> thank you very much, everybody. enjoy the day. we'll see some of you tonight.

>> later, the white house held a state dinner in prime minister david kamenetz honor. guests included warren buffett and richard branson, andrew sullivan, and actor george clooney. here are the traditional toast from the dinner. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and mrs. obama, accompanied by

the prime minister of great britain and mrs. cameron. [applause] ♪

>> good evening, everyone. please have a seat. welcome to the white house. i was just telling the prime minister that so far, the evening has been successful because i have not stepped on michelle's train. my main goal this evening. michelle and i could not be more honored that you could join us as we host our great friends, the prime minister of the united kingdom, david cameron, and his remarkable wife, samantha. give them a round of applause. why not? [applause] as i said this morning, this visit gives us an opportunity to return the gracious hospitality that her majesty, queen elizabeth, as well as david and samantha and all of the british people showed us during our visit to london last year.

i know michelle looks forward to returning because, as she announced yesterday, she will be leading the u.s. delegation for the opening ceremonies of the summer olympics in london. [applause] i am jealous. now, i am so grateful for all of the time that david and i have had together. as we have learned, you can never tell how things will get reported as a consequence of our interactions. when we met two years ago, we exchanged beers of our hometowns. one news story said david cameron and barack obama cemented their special relationship by hitting the bottle. [laughter] when we had a barbecue for some of our service members, we decided to roll up our sleeves and flip some burgers ourselves.

one reporter called it a brave and foolish move. another expressed surprise at our confidence. michelle remarked the same way. when david and i got beat badly in table tennis by some london kids, one newspaper asked the head coach of the british olympic women's team to critique our performance. he said obama talked a lot and david overhits the ball. both of them looked a little confused. [laughter] but in moments like that and in all of our interactions, including today, i have learned something about david. in good times and in bad, he is just the kind of partner you want by your side. i trust him.

he says what he does and he does what he says. i have seen his character and i have seen his commitment to human dignity during libya. i have seen his resolve and determination to get the job done, whether righting our economies or succeeding in afghanistan. i will say something else. all of us have seen how you, as a parent, along with samantha, have shown a measure of strength that few of us will ever know. tonight, i thank you for bringing that same strength and solidarity to our partnership, even if you do overhit the ball. we are by no means the first president and prime minister to celebrate the abiding bonds between our people. there has been no shortage of words uttered about our special relationship and i was humbled to offer my own last year when i had the opportunity to address parliament in westminster hall.

i would like to leave you tonight with two simple images from different times and places, decades apart. but they are moments that reveal the spirit of our alliance and the character of our countries. the first is from the blitz. month after month, the british people braved the onslaught from the sky. one of the enduring images from those days is of the london skyline, covered in smoke with one thing shining through, the dome of st. paul's cathedral. tall and proud and strong. the other image we know from our own lives. that awful september day, the unforgettable picture of the manhattan skyline covered in smoke and dust with one thing shining through, our statue of liberty. tall and proud and strong. in those moments, i think you

see all you need to know about who we are and what brings us together tonight. in war and in peace, in times of plenty and in times of hardship, we stand tall and proud and strong together. as free peoples committed to the dignity of all human beings, we will never apologize for our way of life nor labor in its defense. grandfatherdavid's fought alongside us yanks after d-day. why my grandfather marched across europe in patton's army. that is why both american and british soldiers are getting ready to go on patrol in afghanistan like generations before them, shoulder-to- shoulder. it is why our diplomats and development workers are side- by-side, standing with the activists.

for the right to save a child from drought or famine. while leaders of our countries can embrace the same shared heritage, the promise is our alliance, even if we come from different political traditions, even if the prime minister is younger than nearly 200 years of his predecessors. even if the president looks a little different than his predecessors. and that is why tonight, our young children and children across the country can sleep well knowing we are doing everything in our power to build a future that is worthy of their dreams. i intended to make history tonight. i thought i could be the first american president to make it through an entire visit of our british friends without quoting winston churchill. then i saw this great quote and i thought, come on, this is

churchill. it was december and the attack on pearl harbor had thrust america into war. these were the words that winston spoke to his american partners. "i will say that he must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great purpose and design is being worked here below of which we have the honor to be the faithful servants." i would like to propose a toast. to her majesty, the queen, on her diamond jubilee, to our dear friends, david and samantha, to the great purpose and design of our alliance. may we remain, now and always, faithful allies.

cheers, everyone. david. [applause] >> president obama, the first lady, ladies and gentlemen, it is a tremendous honor to be here this evening. i want to thank you for putting on such a great dinner and for making our visit so special over the last two days. thank you also for all of those strong and beautiful words that you have just spoken. michelle, i am sure that, like sam, you wonder what happens when your husband goes out for a night with the guys. maybe i should come clean about last night. we went to basketball and we had a man-to-man chat.

barack tried to confuse me by talking about bracketology but i got back at him by running through the rules of cricket. so often we find we are completely overshadowed by our beautiful wives. [applause] as i rolled into bed last night, i said, samantha, and do you want to hear what i was up to on the guys' night out? she is not too impressed by these things. she said, everything you did was on television. you were surrounded by the presidential bodyguards so presumably, you did not get up to anything. both barack and i have said a lot about the importance of the relationship between our countries and people. like my predecessors, i am

proud of our essential relationship and of britain's strong national bond with the united states of america. i feel it in my bones. there is a great history of close relationships between u.s. presidents and british prime ministers. importantly, these have been regardless of the political parties they happen to represent. her majesty, the queen, is a great authority on the matter. she has seen, and she likes to tell me this, no fewer than 12 british prime ministers and 11 u.s. presidents during her time on the throne. i am sure everyone would want to pay tribute her incredible service and selfless duty in this, her diamond jubilee year. [applause] her majesty's first prime minister was winston churchill, a regular guest at the white house. i am not going to quote from churchill but about churchill.

it seems his visits were not the easiest for the american hosts. "he drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney, he has irregular routines, sleeps days and is up at night and turns the clock upside-down." for those who know why the prime minister does not stay at the white house anymore, we all know the winston churchill was found naked in his bath by president roosevelt. [laughter] this happened in 1941 and the president bought blair house in 1942.

for every genuine presidential- prime ministerial friendship, there have been some total disconnects. edward heath and richard nixon took personal issues with each other to new heights. richard nixon arranged for someone to pay for the swimming pool at the prime minister's country residence of checkers. incidentally, this swimming pool now has a serious and possibly terminal leak. i hope you will not find it a myth, as i say here in the white house, for the first time in 40 years, it is time to call in the plumbers. turning to obama-cameron, michelle and barack have been very kind to sam and me. we have struck up a good partnership. we talked through issues and do not need to remind each other of the basic threats that we face. but there are three things about barack that really stand out for me.

strength, moral authority, and wisdom. strength because he has been strong when required to defend his national interest. under president obama, america got bin laden. [applause] and together with british and coalition forces, america has fundamentally weakened al qaeda. the president says what he will do and sticks to it. i will never forget that first call on libya when he told me exactly what role america would play in libya and he delivered his side of the bargain to the letter. we delivered our side of the bargain, too. let us all agree that the world is better off without bin laden, and gaddafi, too. [applause]

moral authority because barack understands that the means matter every bit as much as the end. america must do the right thing, but to provide moral leadership, america must do it in the right way. the first president i studied in school was theodore roosevelt. he talked of speaking softly and carrying a big stick. that is barack's approach. in following it, he has pressed the reset button on the moral authority of the entire free world. wisdom because he is not rushed into making flights, but has started america's resources of hard and soft power. he has taken time to make considered decisions, drawing down troops from iraq and surging in afghanistan. he has found a new voice with the air of people. he has realized that in america,

as in britain, the future depends on making the best of every citizen. both our nations have been held back by inequality. now there is a determined effort in both of our countries, most notably through education reform, to ensure that opportunity is truly available for all. 50 years ago, the amazing courage of rosa parks, the visionary leadership of martin luther king, and the inspirational actions of the civil rights movement led politicians to write equality into the law and make real the promise of america for all of her citizens. in the fight for justice and the struggle for freedom, there is no end. there is so much more to do to ensure that every human being can fulfill their potential. that is why our generation faces a new civil rights struggle, to seek the price of the future that is open to every child as never before. barack has made this one of the goals of his presidency, a goal

he is pursuing with enormous courage. it is fitting that a man whose own personal journey defines the promise and potential of this unique nation should be working to fulfill the hopes of his country in this way. barack, it is an honor to call you an ally, a partner, and a friend. you do not get to choose the circumstances you have to deal with as a president or a prime minister. and you do not get to choose the leaders that you have to work with. but all i can say is that it is a pleasure to work with someone with your strength, clear reason, and with fundamental decency in this task of renewing our great national alliance for today and the generations to follow. with that, i propose a toast to the president, to the first lady, and to the people of the united states of america.

cheers. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> coming up next on c-span, analysis of the 2012 senate races. then, a senate hearing looks at the humanitarian crisis in south sudan. later, president obama and british prime minister david cameron told a news conference at the white house. >> on wednesday,

host: jennifer duffy, welcome back. senior editor with the cook political report. part of your job is to travel around the country. you sit down with candidates that are running for the senate seats. what are they telling you about those at the top of the tickets? democrats and republicans? guest: on both sides they say the top issues are the dysfunction in washington, the importance of electing outsiders. they always tried to distance themselves from other politicians. that would include whoever's at the top of the ticket. host: last night's primaries, what does it mean for national republicans? guest: it means a long, slow,

painful slog to this nomination, i think. iswe've seen in the polls, hurting mitt romney. it is hard to get serious momentum here. i have serious doubts about that. i think this will start to wear on santorum's numbers as well. they will have to mend fences within their own party. we are talking about a lot of competitive states. we go from county delegates to vote -- counting delegates to count electoral college votes. when we do that is when it starts to focus on the ballots.

host: what if all of your candidates stay in until the end? guest: i think that you will see some of the smart money on the republican side start to focus a little bit more on the senate races, because the senate majority is at stake. and they will let the presidential work itself out. host: so they will focus more their money on these candidates? guest: right. if this race goes on until september, they can direct more resources to senate and house races. they will operate on their own until they have a ticket. host: if it's romney against santorum, does that change the dynamic? guest: i don't know. rick santorum has had problems throughout the process. if there is financial resources

and it that's one problem and then there's organization. i don't know how he can fix that in time to win. gingrich seems to have his own plan right now. if i don't know how viable is. his own plan of holding on long enough to force a contested convention, where he believes he might able to form alliances with santorum and ron paul to deny romney the nomination. host: which states are keyed to romney's electoral chances and are also competitive senate races? guest: four races or four states where the presidential race is going to have a big impact on the senate race. it would be the open seats in virginia and wisconsin. the seat in ohio and the seat in nevada.

those are four swing states. as the presidential race goes, so must the senate race. host: there are 23 democratic seats up for grabs. and 10 republican sets. claire mccaskill running for another term and the others are retiring. guest: what we have seen all cycle is the scales being tilted against democrats because they have more seats. 10 seats total and seven --

most of them at risk. we have given nebraska to republicans, filling ben nelson's open seat. these are all battleground states. republicans will have to buck the trend in some of these states. a former governor from hawaii is probably the only competitive republican statewide there now, she will have to count on a lot of split tickets if she hopes to win. many obama liberal voters -- scott brown, there has to be many such voters there to win. you definitely are going to see where some of these candidates have to row against the tide if they're going to win. the democrat in north dakota will have to outperform by 10

points if they want any chance of winning. host: will president obama be campaigning for the tough senate races? guest: he has not been. my understanding is there are no plans to do so before the fall. he might do some of these candidates a favor by not going to their states, but not going to montana or north dakota. host: do they tell you that when you talk to the candidates? guest: yes. we have already seen where the president goes to some states to campaign for himself that a politician had previous commitments elsewhere and is not joining him on the stump or certainly not as much as republicans campaigned alongside george bush in 2006. tim kaine, obama appointed him

as the unseen chairman. he is not running from his relationship with the president. host: those states matter for him as well. guest: by the same token, i'm not sure that scott brown is going to want to campaign with mitt romney over in massachusetts. i'm not sure mitt romney will spend a lot of time in massachusetts. host: we will keep talking about the senate races. we have questions about the tossup races that we threw out there. we will start with an independent in richmond, virginia, jean. caller: i am calling about the virginia race. i think that you are missing the boat. first, it is not just tim kaine versus george allen. george allen has to win the primary. recently, radtke had over 21,000 people sign her petition and she is going to be on the

primary. i think-- the wisdom of the mass media and all the political pundits is the backlash against that is being played out in the republican candidacy for president. we are tired of having the same old thing. we are looking for something new such as radtke. guest: radtke has been in the race for about a year. outside the party voters, she is not gaining any momentum. she would do better in the primary against george allen if she could face him one-on-one. but it is likely there will be at least one more candidate --

delegate bob marshall, who will probably split the anti- establishment, anti-george allen vote with her. radtke has her supporters, but she certainly lacks an attraction statewide. if she were the nominee, i would have to move that race in the democrats' favor. host: jon in boston on the line. caller: my understanding in massachusetts is that scott brown has a pretty sizable lead in a local poll over -- guest: elizabeth warren. caller: a lot of people seem to be wanting to give him another

chance to have a full term in office and he seems to have really connected with the constituency in massachusetts. can you comment? also, on the presidential side, i am not sure if there is going to be a hold one's nose factor with the republicans that no matter who is nominated, even if it is not the candidate of choice, they will vote for anyone just to beat obama. thank you. guest: there have been three polls in massachusetts over the last month that give brown a lead anywhere between eight points and 10 points. i expect that to be somewhat temporary, actually. i think that right now the message environment has been a little bit more conducive to his campaign. elizabeth warren would much rather talk about the economy but tends to talk about contraception.

you get knocked off your game easily. the other thing that brown is doing right is talking to reagan democrats and especially blue- collar democrats. he is making some inroads among those groups. i still expect this to be one of the closest races in the country. as far as the hold your nose factor, i think there may be some of that. conservatives always threatened to stay home. there's no evidence that they do actually. it works against their interests, because the presidential race is not the only race on the ballot. there are senate races and house races and governor's races in 11 states. there may be some hold your nose factor. but the theory that people just stay home never seems to play itself. itself host: on the birth control issue the wall street journal has some new polls. they show overall opposition to the president's ruling on contraceptive issues.

host: just wondering if that is playing out in massachusetts. guest: there are a fair number of catholic institutions in massachusetts, from the church, to hospitals, schools and universities. i think this is about two things. one, the government is interfering with religious freedom.

the second was this notion of government overreach, and overreaching their walls. for those who oppose the rule, it is less about birth control than it is about this issue of religious freedom and government overreach. host: we will go to illinois next. did i pronounce your name right? go ahead. caller: i have been looking at four senate races up for grabs. texas, connecticut, wisconsin, and hawaii. who would you say are the strongest gop candidates that can win the most senate seats? second of all, how confident are you that those candidates can win those seats? guest: you have asked a

complicated question because you have primaries in some of those states. the texas primary keeps getting pushed down the road because of redistricting. you have a number of well- funded and pretty well-known candidates there. the lieutenant governor, the former mayor of dallas, the former u.s. solicitor who is angling for the tea party. i think you will probably see a runoff in that state because if you do not get 50%, you get forced into a runoff. the goal is to make the runoff and hope for a low turnout. it does not matter who wins the nomination. they have won the seat. hawaii -- there is in nominal primary. the candidate will win it very comfortably. if she loses this race, it will

be because she simply got overpowered by the top of the ticket of obama's victory in hawaii. another state with a complicated republican primary where you have conservatives and some people towards the more established part of the party, the former governor, the former u.s. congressman, and a late entry into this race but a well-funded one who is a venture capitalist. that race will be impacted one way or another by the recall election of gov. scott walker. host: on twitter --

guest: bob casey will likely face a strong conservative. that is a crowded primary of candidates who are not well known across the state. casey seems to have hit the sweet spot with pennsylvania voters. he voted against the contraception measure. he seems to find that space between angering both parties and appeasing them both. i am not sure i would call him week, but he needs a stronger opponent. host: gale in michigan, go ahead. caller: i think you guys are missing something. a lot of people out in michigan are angry. this time i am voting democratic. i am sick of the congress and

the tea party who are trying to control everything. then there is my daughter who says i am not voting for any incumbent just because they are an incumbent. i am sick of all the nonsense in washington. guest: i meet voters all the time like you and your daughter who are quite tired of washington. congress has a 10% job approval rating. that is an historic low. i understand if you watched the house of representatives, you have a tendency to blame it on the tea party and the republicans. democrats in the senate have to bear some responsibility, too. i also understand your daughter's point of view, to throw them all out. this is something we have been looking at four months, whether we can have a true incumbent election in this country. what they are about is against incumbents from one party to another.

we have not seen an election in this country where they have taken out their anger on both parties equally. host: a poll showed that when they survey people of incumbents and new faces, 47% said give a new person a chance. 40% say they deserve to be reelected. guest: what we have always known is people tend to like their own incumbent. that has now changed. there is one more question about that poll that is my favorite. if you had the option of going into the polls and voting against every incumbent, including your own, would you? 56% said yes. host: also in this poll, who do

you want to control congress? it is split. 12% are unsure. guest: that is not good news for democrats. 1 they are 2, 3, or four. i had, we usually call that even -- when they are two, three, or four points ahead, we usually call that even. host: a republican from west virginia, good morning. caller: good morning. my head is still spinning. the way the democrats talk about contraception. the catholics did not believe in giving these morning-after pills. the democrats have made this a war on women with the help of the media. i would say with the help of c-

span. i would like to know the effect that rush limbaugh has on the political scene. guest: well, i think that -- you blamed a few people for turning this into a war on women. i am going to blame republicans for not turning this into an effective message. when you turn something into a war on women, there is a specific purpose to the. women voters -- a lot of them tend to be independent. that helps republicans in house races across the country. as for rush limbaugh and his

comments, that hurt republicans a lot. i cannot even make an argument that it helped republicans. it hurt them a great deal. not only did he engender enormous sympathy for the woman who testified, but it also raised the issue of civil discourse in this country and why people are fed up with politics. host: jeff is a democratic caller. caller: good morning. i am a lifelong democrat. is there anything that democrats will not give up? it drives me nuts. it seems like only the women have the guts and the backbone to stand up to these republicans. you never see the men out there

doing that. the rush limbaugh deal -- you see all of these democratic women giving their point of view. where are the men at? when are these democratic men going to get a backbone? i will hang up and see what you have to say. guest: i heard quite a number of male democratic elected officials come out and condemn rush limbaugh's comments. on this issue, it is much more effective to have women out there. a number of women senate candidates and incumbents went on a fund-raising swing this past weekend on this issue. they are maximizing their ability to do that as women. host: mary on twitter has this tweet --

that is actually a story in the papers this morning, the front page of "the new york times." guest: they are out-raising democrats for now because they have been at it longer. it was not until last month or late january when the president gave the green light for democrats to raise super pac money. this is a process that is new and underway. there are enough billionaires in the democratic party that are going to fund these pac's. host: does sherry brown have a money problem? guest: she has a very well funded republican opponent.

there is going to be a kind of outside money in that race. i think you will see someone like american crossroads in there for the opponent. money is not going to be an issue in this race. host: labor also making headlines this morning. the afl-cio -- let me find it. here we go. that is not it. i will find it and show you the headline. the unions are going to be helping president obama. are they going to be helping the ticket? guest: absolutely. host: here it is. guest: ohio, wisconsin, michigan, massachusetts. i expect them to have enormous presence. host: ken, you are an independent.

caller: yes. concerning the senate race in virginia, i remember that the senator made a racial comment a few years ago. i am kind of nervous. i have another comment for the show. instead of having all of these people from the foundations on, what about having a common man from new york or south carolina? this economy is killing the common man. host: the whole entire three hours is a call-in-show for people across america to call in and get prospective. that is what we are trying to do. to let those in washington talk

to everyone outside the beltway. caller: can i say one more thing? on the tax payroll holiday -- i do not know how the average person -- my wife and i make an extra $40 a month. what is going to happen to the common people when they really need it? coast coke we are going to be talking about the latest from -- host: we are going to be talking about the latest on that issue. guest: exactly. his comment on virginia -- yes. part of the reason why senator alan lost his race in 2006 what was taken as a racial slur. he has apologized for it. he talks about learning from it. this is an issue that i think

will come up again and again throughout the campaign. they want to give it the same sort of power it had in 2006. host: this is the headline from "the washington journal." all of these states are on your list. the unemployment rate has declined. what is the benefit for the senate candidates? guest: all of those states have republican governors. i heard the republican governors association yesterday start to make the argument that republicans are making good on their promises to create jobs and to fix unemployment. it actually produces a more hospitable political landscape for republican candidates in all of those states. the exception with colorado but

there is no senate race there. in virginia, i sometimes think how can this race become more intense? the answer would be if governor bob mcdonnell who is heading toward the end of the only term he can serve -- he has a great story to tell in terms of virginia's economy. he is from the south and a conservative. he would help mitt romney a loud. who knows who the vice president running mate is going to be? host: a republican from hawaii, good morning. caller: good morning. if she loses, it is because the union-backed democrats here have a lot of cash.

her record has been one of the best governors here. postcode difficult to hear you. guest: he raises a very good point. when we think of democratic politics, we think of big cities. hawaii runs a pretty big democratic machine. however, over the last few years, and we only have anecdotal evidence of this, we have seen the effectiveness of that machine start to wear a little bit especially as the voters age and the younger voters are a little less loyal to the party. this is why believe that candidate has a shot. she just finished a 21-day fund- raising swing on the mainland as she puts it.

i do not think the resources will be a problem. she is so well aware of this. dirty tricks. host: a democratic caller from south carolina. caller: how are you? i just wanted to comment on the poll that you talked about with the catholic women up in massachusetts. i don't know how -- host: let me just stop you there. it was not just in massachusetts. it was nationwide. when you ask women with their religious institutions should provide coverage, where men were split 40/40. caller: even if it is nationwide, they may not say -- when they walk into that voting booth and they are by

themselves, their husbands might have been standing next to them on the phone. especially the catholic women, they are breaking religious doctrine if they are using contraception. when they walk in that booth, i think it is going to be different. i would also like to mention that -- i believe that the occupy movement is going to join much closer with labor. they are really going to come out and influence the election. host: let me ask jennifer duffy to take that point. guest: i do think that occupy will be back. i think they will make an appearance at the conventions. do they join organized labor? that is a good question. they are not really joiners. they sort of have their issues

and their movement. i absolutely think they will be back. host: frank is on our line for republicans. good morning. caller: with regards to what was just said, the unions are completely diminished. not diminished, but they will be diminished to a significant degree. their numbers have been going down for the past several years. i am a 25-year-old tea party member. i support small government, limited government, and i am tired of democrats making the insinuation that we are all going to vote for one party or the other. women to make up a big bulk of the voting constituency.

half of them vote for republicans. i think this whole contraception issue is a pretty ridiculous issue. it was actually based on whether they have the right to impose their views on religious institutions. it has nothing to do with contraception. if it was about abortion, it would be a different story. there are several issues in which democrats try to paint republicans as racists or whatever. there are all different types of colors, and i am one of them that represent them. this election will be a rude awakening especially with respect to women, hispanics, etc. it is a pretty sure thing they are not going to win. guest: it is interesting. when we look at the groups that

voted for the president in 2008, african americans -- i think it was like 96%, 97%. we do not expect that to change much. the president's approval rating among hispanic voters has gone down quite a bit since 2009. he may not get those voters. a lot of them were first-time voters. will they come back? as the caller said, there is an exception to everything. 96% of african americans vote democratic, there is the 4% that do not. there is an exception to every rule. what democrats are really working on right now are independent voters and especially independent women to get them to swing. host: on the latino vote, here is a page from "the washington post." what is going on here?

guest: i think arizona is one of these states where you have a controversial immigration bill. is it is a very divisive issue in the state. -- it is a very divisive issue in the state. you even saw john mccain in 2008 walk back his immigration position to fall more in line with republicans. what democrats have done is recruited and hispanic candidate to run for the senate. in the hopes that perhaps his candidacy boosts the president and his chances. host: what about the state of maine? here is the headline this morning.

guest: maine is a work in progress. is going to be probably the most fascinating race -- it is going to be probably the most fascinating race in this cycle. olympia snowe has said she will not run for re-election. that allows only two weeks for individuals to collect signatures for the ballot. they are due tomorrow night. i do believe that you will have democrats file petitions. one person collecting petitions right now is the former governor. on the republican side, you

have a number of people collecting petitions. here is the rub. you have a very powerful independent candidate there, a former two-term governor who was popular. i think he is positioning himself to be the most powerful man in washington, d.c., because he refuses to tell voters, and he will not until after the election, which party he will caucus with. in a closely divided senate, he is putting himself in a position of power. host: a democratic caller, good morning. caller: good morning. i have a question and a comment. i have to say something to the last caller. the majority of cubans are the ones that fall republican. that is down in the panhandle of florida and the southern part of lord loud. -- part of florida. in the north, the porter ricans

actually vote more democrat. -- the puerto ricans actually vote more democrat. i think they are going to come out in a large number. mark rubio does not support issues pertaining to latinos. guest: yes. one, you are correct when you say that in florida, cubans tend to be in south florida and around miami and tend to vote republican. puerto ricans do tend to vote more democratic. do not confuse cubans with being hispanic.

that is true. i really have my doubts about mark rubio on the ticket. he has only been in office for a short time. i think he has his eyes set on the big prize down the road. host: you are last for jennifer duffy. go ahead. caller: i am going to be voting for the democratic ticket. i have just had it up to here with the republicans and what they are trying to do with women. in arizona, they are trying to allow doctors to lie to women about pregnancy problems because they do not want them to have an abortion. they just cut funding for thousands of poor women. there is another bill to try to

allow employers to fire women if they are using the pill. one representative referred to women as livestock. it just goes on and on. with rush limbaugh, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. he went past calling women and name names. -- calling women names. it is shaming women for being sexual beings. i do not want republican men telling me what to do with my body. host: jennifer duffy. guest: i think that a lot of women feel that way. the one thing that worked against republicans was this issue came up at a time that there were a number of legislatures dealing with issues that, we'll call them

invasive. virginia defeated their personhood amendment bill. there are other states that are passing laws that are designed to curtail abortion but really do punish women for being women. so, this caller is exactly the voter that democrats are going after right now. host: jennifer duffy, said editor for "cook political report." -- senate editor for "cook political report." thank you very much. >> tomorrow, associate press reporter joan lowy goes through the details of the senate

transportation bill that calls for $100 billion to be spent on related projects. then, a discussion about income inequality in the u.s. after that, mental health in the u.s. military and how it is assessed and treated. plus, your e-mails, phone calls, and tweets. live thursday at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> the african nation of south sudan declared its independence from sudan last july following decades of civil war. south sudan is fighting a violent groups internally and has seen clashes with sudan's army over the disputed border. the senate foreign relations committee held this meeting about the humanitarian crisis. they heard from a special envoy princeton lyman and actor and activist george clooney.

this is just over two hours. >> members of the press, pleas. this hearing will come to order. >> first will be the state department special envoy for sudan. thank you very much, everybody. i appreciate it.

thank you. mr. ambassador, we are delighted to welcome you here today. one of the privileges and responsibilities of our committee is to shine attention on important issues when they are not part of the daily drumbeat of the news cycle. we all remember the famous moment in charlie wilson's war, when having achieved the objective of driving the soviets out of afghanistan, charlie wilson is stunned to see how quickly his colleagues have moved their attention elsewhere, despite, as wilson said, "the ball keeps on bouncing." we know what came next. tragically, too many policy makers only return their attention to afghanistan after

9/11. i believe our committee would fail the test of history if we allowed attention today to drift from the critical situation in sudan and south sudan. i have the privilege of being in sudan a number of times over the course of the last few years, and particularly, for the referendum. i saw the expressions of hope for the future and watched the difficult birth of a new nation. i was privileged to be there with ambassador lyman, with george clooney, and john prendergast. we would do well to remember that you can have a vote to have a new beginning for a nation or for any number of things, but you can lose the future when the tough choices that follow are denied, when they are deferred, or when

collective attention is somehow diverted. the's why at a time when world faces a lot of competing crises, we need to wrestle with and understand what steps the united states and our partners should take to help sudan and south sudan resolve the complex challenge before them. make no mistake. it is the leaders in khartoum and juba who must choose between a future of conflict and poverty, or a future of security and prosperity. we must not abdicate the important role the united states can take. there are some signs that are cautiously encouraging. on january 9, president bashir made the right choice in

allowing the south's referendum. on july 9, he made the right choice in recognizing its outcome, and even i am traveling there to welcome it. yesterday, he announced he would travel to juba for the first time since independence in order to meet the president. for every step forward, there has always been a step backwards with patterns of violence and repression of sudan's passed. in the last year, bashir has waged war on his own people. he has arrested student protesters. he has rejected viable solutions to outstanding issues in favor of aerial bombardment. the past has again become prologue. for its part, south sudan has established itself as a new nation. the president has named a diverse cabinet and leaders in juba put forward serious proposals.

the country has also experienced wrenching ethnic violence. there are allegations that it has supported proxy fighting in the north. in the act that may be justified, but may also be self-defeating, it has cut off the flow of oil. for all these struggles, we cannot devalue the progress that we have seen. peacefully creating a new state was an accomplishment of historic magnitude. in abyei, peacekeepers have helped to bring a critical measure of stability. it has to be said that a came after an enormous amount of the movement of people in the killing of people and really the cleaning out of the whole population in that area. "the new york times" recently titled an article, "hope for darfur."

i would ask you, when was last time you saw "hope" and "darfur" in the same sentence? the sudanese government and the liberation and justice movement signed a peace agreement last year. i look forward to hearing today whether these steps, if implemented and supported, could in fact become the foundation

how can we be helpful here? i think there are a lot of things we could do to help facilitate power. -- and empower the sudanese groups themselves. to a certain their democratic rights in the future. >> well, we are now starting on a second vote. this is on a 10 minute vote. we're going to try to wrap up. let me say to you endorsed how much we appreciate what you

have done here. this is a tremendous example of a citizen activism. obviously, george you have lent your celebrity star to this initiative, which has its risks. but it also is critical for the ability to get people to focus. we thank you for being prepared, nevertheless, to just engaged. take eight days, go over there, and not without its risks, i might add. i was an activist before i came here to be a senator. i vowed i would stay an activist senator.

i am proud to have people on this committee who feel the same way. so, i can tell you that we are going to absolutely stay focused on this. continue to work with you. do everything we can to try to leverage the outcome we would all like to see. i am an optimist, but i have learned around here not to be naive about it. but i still do believe, i think the ambassador believes this to, there is an avenue. but we do need to increase the leverage. we do need to reach out to china, saudi arabia, others, and get them to share some of this sense of urgency. and frankly, humanitarianism is not always a compelling rationale around the world.

i think we have a great affect around here. your sense of timing about where those moments are that you need to kind of pushed is important and well taken. i express the gratitude of a lot of people. we have a lot of work to do. there is a long way to go. but this has been helpful. i just would say to you and others who follow this who are interested in it, and i hope the sudan embassy -- in to ensure they are following it, i hope they realize that there is no easy out. there is no way here that we are not going to continue to stay engaged. it has made it impossible to do that.

is is really his choice -- their choice. they will decide, to some measure, where we are going to go. we are prepared to offer open opportunities to go on a different direction. i know that president obama and the folks -- his security advisers and secretary clinton are greatly focused on this. you have an opportunity to meet and talk with them the next day. all of us need to work, as we have, in a very cooperative -- across party lines, across branches of government lines, in a constructive way to try to get the job done. thank you of helping us today to do our job better. if i could ask everybody here to just let them come back. ambassador, and administer, but we thank you all for coming.

we keep the record open until one week close of business on wednesday march 21. we stand adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> up next on c-span, at a review of british prime minister david cameron's trip to washington. will show a news conference, at

a lunch held at the state department, and the white house state dinner. >> congratulations to all of the winners of this year's studentcam documentary competition. watch all the winning videos at our web site -- studentcam.org. we will talk with the winners during "washington journal." >> as part of his visit to washington yesterday, british prime minister david cameron held a news conference at the white house with president obama. among the issues they discussed what the humanitarian crisis in syria, the war in afghanistan, and iran's nuclear program. this is 40 minutes.

>> the gentleman -- the president of the united states accompanied by the prime minister of great britain and northern ireland. >> again, it is a great honor to welcome my friend and partner, prime minister david cameron, to the white house for this official visit. another was a lot of focus on last night's game. some of us how it came about. i want to set the record straight. during my visit to london last year, david arranged for us to place some local students table tennis. as they would say in britain, we got thrashed. i thought it would be better if we just watched. that said, i am still trying to get david to fill out his bracket. we just finished a very good discussion. it is a reminder why i value david's leadership and

partnership so much. i appreciate how the alliance between our country is a foundation not only for the security of our two nations, but for international security as well. through rapid change, the leadership of the united states and united kingdom is more important than ever. we feel the future we seek is only possible if the rights and responsibilities of nations are upheld. that is a cause we advance today. at a time when too many of our people are still out of work, we agree that we have to stay focused on getting people back to worked even as both our countries make difficult choices to put our house is back in order. we have the largest investment relationship in the world. we have instructed our team to explore ways to increase investment. i appreciate david's investment on the fiscal situation in the eurozone where both our countries, our economies, our businesses are deeply connected. we move on to discuss

afghanistan where we are the two largest contributors and forces to the international mission and where our forces continue to make extraordinary sacrifices. the tragic events of recent days is a reminder that this is a very difficult mission. obviously, we both have lost a number of extraordinary young men and women. what is undeniable, though, and what we cannot forget, is that our forces are making very real progress, dismantling al qaeda, and making the taliban momentum slowed down so they can take the lead and come home. that transition is already underway. about half of all afghans live in areas where security forces are taking responsibility. today, the prime minister and i reaffirmed the transition that we agreed to with our coalition

partners in lisbon. specifically, in the upcoming nato summit in my hometown in chicago. we will determine the next phase of transition. this includes shifting to 2013 and afghans taking full responsibility for security in 2014. we're going to complete this mission. we're going to do it responsibly. nato will maintain an enduring commitment so that afghanistan does not become a haven for al qaeda to attack our countries. we also discuss the continuing threat by iran to not meet its obligations. we are fully united. we're determined to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. we believe there is still time and space to pursue a diplomatic solution. we will work closely with our partners. at the same time, we will keep up the pressure with the strongest u.s. sanctions to date and the european union in

preparing to impose an embargo on oil. they must understand they cannot escape or evade the choice before it. meet international obligations or face consequences. we have reaffirmed our commitment to support the democratic transitions under way in the middle east and africa. british forces played a critical role in the mission to protect the libyan people. i want to commend david personally for the leadership role he has played in mobilizing international support for the transition in libya. we also discussed the horrific violence that the assad regime imposes on the people of syria. we've agreed to keep increasing the pressure on the regime. mobilize the international community. provide sanctions. cutting the urging's revenues. isolating politically, diplomatically, and

economically. just as the regime and security forces continue to suffer, the opposition is growing stronger. i will say it again. assad will leave power. it is not a question of if, but when. to prepare for that day, we will support the legitimate aspirations of the syrian people. more broadly, we have committed ourselves, our leadership to the goal of global development. along with our international partners, we have saved countless lives from the famine in the horn of africa. david, you have done an outstanding job in bringing the international community to somalia. at the same time, we are renewing our commitment for preventable deaths of children and the beginning of the end of aids. let me say, as a tribute to

david's leadership, the u.k. will be playing a leading role in the global partnership upon which human rights and development depend. finally, i am very pleased that we are bringing our two militaries, the backbone of our allies, even closer. -- alliance even closer. i can announce that next month we intend to start implementing our long-awaited defense trade treaty with the uk. this will put advanced technologies in the hands of our troops and it will mean more jobs for workers in both our countries. we're moving ahead with our joint initiative to care for men and women in uniform. for decades, our troops have stood together on the battlefield. now we're working together for them when they come home. partnership is to help our wounded warriors recover and to support our remarkable military families. so, david, thank you as always for being an outstanding ally,

partner, and friend. as i said this morning, because of our efforts, our allies is as strong as it has ever been. michelle and i are very much looking forward to hosting u.s. cement at tonight's state dinner. i look forward, as well, to welcoming you to camp david. david, welcome. thank you. >> well, thank you very much for that, barack. thank you for last month's sporting event. i thought there was a link between that and table tennis. i remember it well. i know america does not like being on the losing side so i'm trying to make up to you with a gift of a table tennis table. >> which like to play this afternoon? >> i certainly need practice.

one day i'll get back at you with a cricket match and i will explain the terminology. it was great our teams joined those talks as well. barack, thank you. there are some countries whose allies are a matter of convenience. ours is a matter of conviction. we're united for freedom and enterprise, working together day in and day out to defend those values and devote our shared interests. that has been the fundamental purpose of this visit. we have made progress on efforts in four vital areas -- afghanistan, economic growth -- iran, and syria. first, afghanistan. recent days reminded us just how difficult our mission is and how high the cost of this war has been for britain, america, and afghans themselves. britain has fought along america every day since the start. we have 9500 men and women still serving there. more than 400 have given their

lives. today, again, we commemorate each and every one of them. we will not give up on this mission because afghanistan must never again be a safe haven for al qaeda to launch attacks. we will not build a perfect afghanistan, but let us be clear. we are making more tangible progress with more markets open, more health centers, more children going to school, more people being able to maintain a basic standard of living and security. we can be sure that they're capable of their own security without the need of large numbers of foreign troops. we're in the final phase. that means completing the training of afghan forces. they can maintain the security themselves. that is well underway. next year, the president said, in 2013, this includes shifting

to a support role as afghans to take the lead. this is an advance of afghan forces taking full responsibility for security in 2014. as we have always said, we will not be in a combat role after 2014. at the same time, we back the president in working towards a political settlement. second, the united nations security council on libya. we believe we must maintain our support for the people of the arab world as they seek a better future. let me just say in response to it you said, i am very proud of the action that britain and france and other stock. let us be clear. none of that would have been possible without the overwhelming support and force that the united states provided in the early stages of that campaign. you did exactly to promised he would do to make that intervention possible and give

that country a chance of prosperity and stability and some chance of democracy. in syria we're working to get humanitarian aid. at the same time, we must properly document the evidence so that those guilty of crimes can be held to account, no matter how long it takes. above all, we must do everything we can to achieve a political transition that will stop the killing. we must maintain the strongest pressure on all those who are resisting change and all costs. but we are ready to work with russia and china for the same goal, including a new united nations security council resolution. which should be clear. what we want is the quickest way to stop the killing. that is through transition, rather than revolution or civil war.

if it continues, revolution or civil war is the inevitable consequence. third, we have discussed iran's nuclear program. the president's tough, reasonable approach has united the world behind unprecedented sanctions against iran. britain has played a leading role in helping to induce an embargo. this is increasing pressure on the regime. the regime has to meet its international obligations. if it refuses to do so, then britain and america along with our international partners will continue to increase the political and economic pressure to achieve a peaceful outcome. the president and i have said, nothing is off the table. a fourth, growth. both britain and america are dealing with massive debts and deficits. the measures we take in our economies reflect different

national circumstances, but we share the same goals. delivering significant deficit reduction over the immediate term and stimulate growth. the eu and the u.s. together account for more than half of all global trade. foreign direct investment between britain and america is the largest in the world. it creates and sustains about 1 million jobs. it provides a strong foundation for bilateral trade. the deepening trade and investment between us is crucial. barack and i have agreed to prioritize work on transatlantic trade and investment flow. we have had some very important discussions this morning. i'm looking forward to our talks at the g8 and nato summit. as barack has said, the relationship between the u.k. and america is the strongest it

has ever been. together, i am confident that we can help secure the future of our nations. thank you. >> thank you, david. we have questions from each respective press corps. we will start with npr. >> thank you, mr. president. given the extraordinarily difficult circumstances in afghanistan in the last few weeks, i wonder what mr. coffin said two years from now to leave it will be better than it is today. and i wonder if you can talk about the pace of withdrawal. whether you see something more gradual or speedier. and mr. prime minister, you and the president take different approaches to economic growth. you have more austerity measures. the president focuses more on stimulus measures. i wonder why you think your approach will create more jobs

than the president's. >> first of all, on the afghanistan, i think both david and i understand how difficult this mission is because we have met with families whose sons or daughters or husbands or wives made the ultimate sacrifice. we visit our wounded warriors. we understand the sacrifices they have made their. as i indicated, we have made progress. we are seeing an afghan security force that is getting stronger and more robust and more capable of operating on its own. our goal, said in lisbon, is to make sure that over the next two years, that afghan security force continues to improve. it will be prepared to provide for that country's security when we leave. we also think it is important

that there is a political aspect to this. that all the various factions inside afghanistan recognize it is time to end a 30 years of war. the president there has committed to a political reconciliation process. we are doing what we can to help. ultimately, it will be up to the afghans to work together toward peace. we cannot be nice about the difficulties that are involved in getting there. if we maintain a steady, responsible transition process, which is what we have designed, then i am confident that we can put afghans in a position where they can deal with their own security. and we are also underscoring what we anticipate to be a strategic partnership before we

get to chicago that the united states, along with other countries, will sustain a relationship with afghanistan. we will not have combat troops there, but we will be working with them both to ensure their security and to assure their economy improves. there will be multiple challenges along the way. in terms of pace, i do not anticipate, at this stage, that we will be making any sudden, additional changes to the plan that we currently have. we have already taken now 10,000 of our troops. we are slated to drawdown an additional 23,000 by this summer. there'll be a robust coalition presence inside afghanistan during this fighting season to make sure that the taliban understand it will not be able to regain momentum.

in conjunction with all of our allies, we will continue to look at how we affect with this transition that does not result in a steep cliff at the end of 2014, but rather is a gradual pace that accommodates the developing capacities of the afghan national security forces. although you asked this to david, i want to make sure that i comment quickly on the economic issues. we have been asked this for years. the united states and britain are two different economies in two different positions. their banking sector was much larger than ours. their capacity to sustain debt was different than ours. as a consequence, each of us

will be taking different strategies. our objectives are common. which is, we want to make sure we have governments that are lean and effective to our people. and we want to make sure that, ultimately, our citizens in both countries are able to pursue their dreams by getting a good education. being able to start a small business. being able to find a job that supports their families and allows them to retire with respect. so, this notion that, somehow, two different countries are going to have identical economic programs does not take into account profound differences in position.

but the objectives, goals, and values, i think, are the same. our businesses, our workers, our system of higher education, we are both countries that are incredibly well positioned to succeed in this knowledge-based economy. >> there are differences because we're not a reserve currency. we have to take a different path. i think it would be wrong to think that britain is just taking measures to reduce its deficit. we're taking serious measures to grow. before coming here, we took measures to try to grow our housing market. we cut corporate housing taxes. we are investing in apprenticeship back.

we're both try to head in the same direction of growth. if you look at the u.s. plans for reducing the deficit over coming years, it is steeper than what we're doing in the uk. different starting points. different measures, on occasion, but the same destination. and a share of understanding. i have joey jones from sky news. >> can i ask you both to get any information this afternoon? and on the general, why do you think it is that people feel you talk a good game, but they do not buy it? why is it that the british and american people look for a situation that they think is a mess. they see terrible sacrifice. they see two men who are unable to impose their will.

they're not persuaded by your argument. >> first of all, on what has happened, a very early details are still coming through. we're still examining and investigating exactly what is happening. the security of our people, our troops, the security of both our nations forces is a priority. if there are things that need to be done in the coming days to keep them safer, then no doubt, we will do them. on the broader issue of afghanistan, if you compare where we are today with where we have been two or three years ago, the situation is considerably improved. i think the u.s. surged an additional u.k. to sweep within has a transformative a fact. the level of insurgent attacks are down. the level of security is up. the capital is now fully

transitioned over to afghan lead control. the markets are open. you're able to take part in economic activity which simply was not possible when i first visited several years ago. it is a very difficult situation. there are many challenges we have to overcome. what is happening in afghanistan today is quite different than the situation we had years ago. do i think we get to the end of 2014 where we have a larger afghanistan army which are on track and that with the afghan government, they can take care of their own security in a way that does not require large numbers of foreign troops and that country is not a threat in the wait was in the past in terms of terrorism? yes, i think we can achieve that. it has been hard work. the sacrifices have been great. we have to remind ourselves and everybody why we are there. what we are doing.

we have to go back and remember that the vast majority of terrorist that were affected people in the u.k. or the u.s. came out of that country and that region. that is why we went in there. that is why we're there today. it is not some selfish, long- term strategic effort. it is simply that we want afghanistan to look over its own security with its own security forces so that we are safe at home. that is the key. that is the message we keep explain to people. what we're trying to do by 2014 is achievable and undoable. >> i concur with everything david said. don't think i would add, you asked why the poll numbers indicate people are interested and ending the war in afghanistan, it is because we have been there for 10 years. people get weary. they no friends and neighbors who have lost loved ones as a consequence of war. no one wants war. anybody who answers a poll

question about war saying enthusiastically that we what were probably has not been involved in one. but, as david said, i think the vast majority of the american people and british understand why we went there. there is a reason why al qaeda is on its heels and has been decimated. there is a reason why osama bin laden and his lieutenants are not in a position to be able to execute plots against the united states or great britain. there's a reason why. it is because the space has shrunk.

the capacity to operate has greatly diminished. as david indicated, this is hard work. when i came into office, there had been adrift in the afghan strategy. partly because we had spent a lot time focusing on iraq instead. in the last few years, we have refocused attention on getting afghanistan right. my preference would have been that we started some of that earlier, but that is not the card we were dealt. we're now in a position to make progress. i believe we will be able to achieve our objectives in 2014. >> thank you, mr. president, mr. prime minister. mr. president, switching to iran. >> can i just point out that somehow he gets to ask the question on behalf of the u.s. press corps -- were you upset about that?

what is going on with that? c'mon. it is a special relationship. >> on iran, to believe it represents a last chance for the country to avert a military action? and prime minister, on syria, how are you approaching the russians to get them on board for a security council resolution? and do you believe the president will be tried as a war criminal? >> as david said, we have employed the toughest sanctions on iran. we have mobilized the international community greater we have ever seen. those sanctions are going to begin to bite even harder this summer. we are seeing a significant effects on the iranian economy.

they understand the seriousness in which we take this issue. they understand there are consequences to them continuing to reject the international community. i have sent a message very directly to them publicly that they need to seize this opportunity of negotiations to avert even worse consequences for iran in the future. do i have a guarantee that iran will walk through the store that we're offering them? no. in the past, there has been a tendency for iran in these negotiations to delay, to stall, to do a lot of talking but not actually moved the ball forward. i think they should understand that because the international community has applied some

sanctions, because we have employed so many of the options that are available to us to persuade iran to take a different course that the window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking. and, as i said in a speech just a couple of weeks ago, i am determined not simply to contain iran that is in possession of a nuclear weapon, i am determined to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. in part, because of reasons that david mentioned. it would trigger a nuclear arms race in the most dangerous part of the world. it would raise non- proliferation issues that would have a significant risk to our national security interests. it would embolden terrace in

the region who might believe they could act with more impunity if there were operating under the protection of iran. this is not an issue that simply in one country's interest or two countries interest. this is important to the entire international community. we will do everything we can to resolve this diplomatically. but ultimately, we have to have somebody on the other side of the table. i hope the iranian regime understands that. this is their best bet for resolving this in a way that allows iran to join and prosper and to feel secure themselves. >> thank you. on syria, when you see what is happening in homes and elsewhere, i think we need to appeal to people's humanity to stop the slaughter to get aid and assistance to those with an affected.

and to ratchet up the pressure on this bridging. in the case of russia, i think we should appeal to their own interests. it is not in their interest to of this bloody, broken, brutal regime nightly on the television screens. the people in syria often felt that the russians were their friends. many in the west there were more suspicious of. now they see people in the west wanting to help them. raising their issues, calling for the world to help them. we to make sure russia helps with that. it will take a lot of hard work. i think it is in russia's interest that we deal with this. what is being done in homes. -- being done in homs. i have spoken personally to one of the photographers who was

stuck there when he got out to the u.k. what he witnessed, what he saw was simply appalling and should not be allowed to stand in our world. that is why we send people to the turkish border to document these crimes and write down what has been done. so that no matter how long it takes, people should always remember that international law has a long reach and a long memory. tom from itm. >> mr. president, it is great you agreed to learn about cricket. it is going to be a long trip. [laughter] on a serious subject, syria. the city wants assad to go. you wanted gaddafi to go for a long time, but he did not. have you discussed a no fly zone? have you discussed how you might implement it? have you discussed any of those

issues? >> what i would say is that our people are incredibly close together on this issue. the focus right now is trying to achieve transition, not trying to foment revolution. we think the fastest way to end the killing, which is what we want to see, is for assad to go. the way to bring that about is to provide diplomatic pressure. that is where our focus is. of course, as i put it, push the system, asked the difficult questions, where the other options? it is right we do that. but they're not without their difficulties and complications, as everybody knows. the focus is transition and all the things we can do to bring pressure to bear. that has been the focus. >> i think everything that david said. our military plans for everything.

that is what they do. but i was very clear during the libya situation that this was unique. we had a clear international mandate. there was unity around the world on that. we were able to execute a plan in a relatively short product -- a short time frame. every country is different with respect -- every country is different. with respect to syria, it is extremely complicated. the best thing we can do is make sure the international community that -- community continues to tell the syrian regime it is unacceptable. it goes against every norma that

we believe in. they continue to talk to the russians, the chinese, and others about why it is they need to stand up on behalf of people who are being shelled. add to describe to them why it is in their interest to join us in an international coalition. that is the most important work we can do right now. there may be some immediate sense to make sure that immediate -- make sure humanitarian aid is being provided in a robust way and to make sure that an opposition unifies the long principles that ultimately would provide a clear platform for the syrian people to be able to transition to a better form of government. hen we see what is

happening on television, our natural instinct is to act. one thing both of us has learned in every one of these crises is that it is very important for us to make sure that we have -- we have thought through all of our actions before we take those steps. that is not just important for us -- it is also important for the syrian people because ultimately the way the international community mobilizes itself, the signals we send, the degree to which we can then facilitate a more peaceful transition or a soft landing rather than a hard landing that results in a civil war and potentially even more deaths -- the people most affected by this decisions are the people in syria. thank you very much, everybody. enjoy the day.

we will see some of you tonight.

>> after the white house news conference, prime minister david cameron attended a lunch in his honor at the state department. in addition to the prime minister, secretary of state hillary clinton and joe biden were in attendance. >> ladies and gentlemen, the vice-president, dr. jill biden, and the secretary of state, accompanied by the prime minister of great britain and northern ireland and mrs. samantha cameron. [applause]

>> thank you all very much. please be seated. welcome to the state department. we are thrilled and so pleased to host this luncheon for our very special guest, prime minister and mrs. cameron. it is wonderful to see all of you celebrating spring with us and knowing that our relationship -- it is always spring. it is always being renewed. it is always curable. it is a cornerstone of both of our nation's foreign policies, and it has such a great resonance between our two people. i want to recognize our chefs

today, a native of birmingham, england, not alabama. who made herself a home in new york city as the executive chef of a couple of very hip restaurants. one, the spotted paid. the other the breslin. -- spotted pig. it is really a delight to have april with us. she was just talking with the prime minister. [applause] it was a very timely introduction because when the prime minister and president obama exchanged gifts, president obama gave the prime minister a barbeque. i mean, a real, down-home, american barbecue with a smoking compartment and everything else. april stands ready to help, prime minister. we joke about the special relationship, but that is because we are so comfortable

with it. it means such a great deal, not just because of a wide range of shared interests, but our deeply-rooted history and the unbreakable relationship between our country. of course the president did remind the prime minister at the white house that we are at the 200th anniversary at the war of 1812. [laughter] i was pleased to tell my counterpart and friend, the foreign secretary, that it was my predecessor in one of my other lives who actually saved the extraordinary portraits of george and martha washington, having received word from her husband, who has truly been a commander in chief in the field, that unfortunately, the british truly were coming. so she rushed from the white house, taking some treasures with her, leaving behind e-mail

-- the meal that she had prepared for her husband and his officers, and the british officers ate the meal before they burned the white house. [laughter] we are looking forward, but nevertheless, there are certain memories that are also of significance and how wonderful it is, here we are today, working together on so many important parts of the world, helping to bring peace and stability to afghanistan, helping to promote successful transitions and democratic reforms in the arab world. we worked alongside each other to end a dictator's rule in libya. we are now focused on helping the people of syria to help them realize a better future

for themselves. recently, i was in london for a conference that they sponsor. no matter what the issue, we stand together. i know, prime minister and samantha, that this is just a small measure of hospitality she tried to demonstrate our commitment and appreciation for this relationship. we were so well treated when the president and in our teams were on a state visit last year, sponsored by the government. it is now my great pleasure to welcome a dear friend, a great american, and a superb vice president, joe biden. [applause]

>> madam secretary, thank you very much. mr. prime minister, mrs. cameron, like you, we host a large number of dignitaries, but sometimes, we are greeted with challenges that require us to forge a whole new relationships, and sometimes, we are preoccupied with henry out agreements or producing what the policy wonks refer to as deliverables. this one is easy. the diplomatic engagement with the full agenda of critical issues, but there is also something like a family gathering with very little disagreement. we sat in the cabinet room today, and it was like a cabinet meeting, not like a

meeting with foreign dignitaries. together, we the united states and great britain, have the deepest international partnership. the bond between our countries and people has stood the test of time. we have weathered the political fortunes in each of our countries, and nothing changes. mr. prime minister, we are honored to welcome you on your first official visit to washington. we are also always anxious to welcome a british prime minister back to washington, even on the anniversary of the war of 1812. i want to tell you, in my family it was not the war of 1812 that bothered anybody about the british.

the biden's immigrated from liverpool in 1805. but the other side of the family -- the senate side of the family -- finnegan side of the family -- [laughter] they had a different problem. the finnigan side of the family. to my grandfather, ambrose finnigan, please, things are fine. mr. prime minister, we are truly honored that you are here. you wrote, "what makes our relationships special, unique and essential asset, is that we join hands across so many endeavors. put simply, we count on each other, and the world council on our alliance." that is absolutely true. the united states and united kingdom cooperate on a

breathtaking array of issues, none more important than the six military campaigns we have waged alongside one another just in the last 20 years. as you said, the world counts on us. it was true in libya, and mr. prime minister, i would like to personally commend you for your leadership in championing an international effort to help drive the adoptee from power and give the libyan people a better future. no country made a greater sacrifice than yours in that endeavor. it is true as well in the fight against al qaeda -- together, we have substantially degraded al qaeda, and we will continue to work toward its destruction, dismantling, and ultimate defeat.

it is true that our efforts to strengthen the global economy after the deepest financial crisis since the depression had been remarkable. i remember when we first took office, with in the first weeks when the g-8 was meeting and then the g-20 was meeting. the question was could we get an internationally coordinated effort, and i remember the president said the brits would be with us. mr. prime minister, you are always there. your country has always been there. to keep our sacred obligation to military veterans and those who have served us so well, you

have been a stalwart, and we will see a strong symbol of that shared sacrifice when the british wounded warriors compete alongside american counterparts in the wounded warrior games in colorado in may. i commend you, mr. prime minister, on the new u.s./u.k. service personnel and veterans joint task force, which is helping our troops transition to civilian life, which has been a difficult circumstance for many of our veterans who have been deployed multiple times into got awful circumstances. the quiet american said and wrote french it is something in the soul. it is a thing one feels. it is not a return for something. i think that is the simple best definition of the relationship between the united states and

great britain, so to honor our friendship, please raise your glasses when you get them. please raise your glasses to the prime minister of great britain. [applause] >> thank you so much for those speeches, and thank you for that warm welcome. of course, it is slightly embarrassing being here on the 200 anniversary of 1812, and because of that, i asked in a story and friend of mine before coming on this visit -- i said,

"andrew, why is it that in britain, we do not properly commemorate and recognize this rather embarrassing episode in our history?" he said were coming up on the 200th anniversary of the battle of waterloo kim was so much more enjoy talking about defeating the french -- and we so much more enjoy talking about defeating the french. [applause] it is great to know that the chef from birmingham, england, is here cooking our meal today. my political party did make a mistake at a recent election of putting out a leaflet, and the person who designed it took off the internet the city scene of birmingham, but not being a native, actually put the city scene of birmingham, alabama, and the big shock and surprise was when the city councilman was reelected. [laughter] so anything can happen in politics. politics.